Visit to the Lazarette

Center of Lazarette, HF tuner in grey

While cleaning the lazarette I took the opportunity to take some photos.

The big black hose with the green tape around it is the exhaust, which loops up to the underside of the seat in an attempt to get it as high above the waterline as possible to prevent flooding of the engine.  The red hose next to it is, I think, the discharge from the electric bilge pump.  The two dark hoses joined at a fitting are from the manual Whale Gusher bilge pumps: the modern plastic one on the port side (right of photo), and the older aluminum one out of view under the starboard cockpit seat.  The cockpit drains are in there somewhere.

To right (port side), Whale Gusher Bilge Pump

Whale Gusher Bilge Pump

Note that none of the thru-hull fittings have stop cocks as I would have preferred and plan to change in Australia.  However, there is no pressure on in those lines and the outlets are above the waterline.

In the center you can see edge on the HF tuner.  You can see the green copper strapping that grounds the unit to the Monitor paddle.  That sounded like a great idea by the consultant  at the time, except that even when the paddle is in the water it can be moving around disrupting its conductivity.  I augmented this with double heavy wiring (red) to the keel bolts.

I got the large gas cylinder in Hawaii.  The smaller cylinder is from Australia and out of date and in any event the Americans wouldn't touch it because it was non-US.  Happily, the Mexicans, like the Tahitians, had no problem in refilling it.

Gas Cylinders (Large One Holds 16.5 Lbs)

Gas Solenoid Cutoff

On the seat you can see what I store in the lazarette.  Starting from the left is the red container of mixed 2-stroke fuel, the black one containing unleaded fuel to be mixed for the 2-stroke outboard, the Baja Filter that I haven't had to use, the two red 10-liter containers of diesel (in red color coded gasoline containers), the ICT "F10" diesel fuel additive, and the blue bucket containing filters, the Whale Gusher pump handle, various oils and bits and pieces.

Stowed in Lazarette

Sprucing Up Pachuca

Shortly before our departure for the islands I engaged Noe to polish all of the stainless steel on Pachuca.   He did a great job and the bright work was still looking good when we returned.

Shortly after our return he scrubbed the boat down with soap and water.  I must admit that I had not seen the deck and cockpit so clean in years.

A few days later Noe polished the hull by hand using his dinghy.  He also polished all smooth white surfaces topside as well as the see-through plastic on the spray dodger and the bimini, and he supplied the polish too.  Noe works fast and he completed the work in about 6 or 7 hours over 2 days.  For this he charged me $70 USD, and I gave him a $10 bonus because he had done such a good job.

This compares with the sharks at the Abaroa boat yard who wanted $250 USD to do the job.  When replied that $250 was too much the man asked me how much I was willing to pay.  I told him that I would pay $150, but none of the men there were interested at that price.

I took advantage of the clean teak surfaces and oil them for the first time since leaving Australia.

And yesterday I spent an unpleasant 3 hours cleaning the remnants of the oil that had escaped from the engine past the loose dipstick from the bilge and under the engine.  

Velcro for Cushions

I've also completed the job of gluing pieces of velcro  to hold the seat backs in place.  Bob Carroll had helped me find rolls of 2" wide velcro, and I used "Resistol" contact glue to fasten 4" sections of velcro along the seat backs.   This has worked out very well and is far superior to the use of staples.

Good Visibility Again

Looking Up To Wind Indicator

Teak Veneer in Cockpit

I've got to admit that Pachuca has scrubbed up very well.  I've promised her that if she gets me back to Australia alive I'll have her hull and decks repainted.

Fuel Consumption

This morning I filled up Pachuca's diesel tanks after making repeated trips to the nearby Pemex service station with my two 10 liter containers.  I did six trips to the station, purchasing a total of 120 liters of diesel at 9 pesos ($0.76) per liter.

At the start of our cruise there were 25.5 engine hours on the clock and the diesel tanks were full.
At the end of the cruise there were 61.4 engine hours on the clock and it took 108 liters to top up the fuel tanks.  This represents a consumption of 3.01 liters per hour.

I looked back at my records, and the SABB engine was remarkably consistent in its fuel consumption of 2.3 liters an hour.  However, Brenda agrees that we tended to drive the SABB a lot easier that we do the new Volvo. 

At that rate Pachuca's 140 liter fuel capacity will provide about 47 hours of running.  However, I would expect at least 50% more hours if we use the engine solely to recharge our batteries (and provide some heat) during our long passage around the Horn.  That means 70 days if we run the engine an average of one hour per day.

Jak and I discussed the possibility of carrying extra fuel on the deck.  I expressed reluctance to do this in order to have a clean deck with minimal windage during heavy weather.  However, maybe we can set off with steel diesel containers on the deck with the intention of jettisoning them as we approach the higher latitudes.  They would in effect be drop tanks.  I wouldn't mind throwing steel overboard but plastic would be a definite no no.

Plans

Brenda and I have booked passage on the ferry from La Paz to Mazatlan.  The ferry will depart on Thursday 3 March at 7 PM and will arrive in Mazatlan about 14 hours later.  The booking includes a cabin for two with an en suite.  The total cost was 2550 pesos, or about $210.  Our luggage will consist of one back pack each, which will be a challenge but will render us very mobile during our tour.  We expect to return to La Paz in the first week of April on the ferry from Topolobampo from the mainland near Los Mochis.

 On a more strategic level I have reverted to one of my earlier plans for sailing round the Horn.  Instead of making for Ecuador this May ahead of the hurricane season I plan to stay in La Paz until after the hurricane season and leave in early November to make directly for the Horn.

This change of thinking came from watching Jeanne Socrate's progress from Victoria, BC for the Horn aboard her yacht Nereida.  My calculations last year indicated that leaving La Paz after the hurricane season would put me at the Horn too late to make the favorable Dec-Jan window.  As usual in my calculations my assumptions regarding speed and distance covered were very conservative.  However, I noted that Jeanne was off Cape Mendacino California on 4 Nov, 725 miles NW of Cabo San Lucas at the southern tip of the Baja Peninsula on 13 Nov, and was set to round the Horn in early January, until she was knocked down.  Based on her performance I figured that I should be able to comfortably make the Horn in the Dec-Jan window if I leave La Paz in early November.  Jeanne has validated my thoughts with her following opinion in a recent email to me: "If you plan to leave La Paz at beginning of November, that will put you near the Horn much earlier than I was - I left Victoria on 25th October so your plan puts you about three weeks ahead of my timing (I just checked my log!) - maybe more, since I was unable to motor through the calms."

For me there are big advantages to spending another summer in La Paz rather than sailing to Ecuador.  Above all, I like La Paz and life here at the Marina de La Paz.  Also, another summer here will allow me to do more work on (1) the boat's electrical wiring (2) locating and stopping water leaks through the deck (3) installing new tracks for the staysail (4) sprucing up the interior of the boat with yet more paint work.

There has also been another very favorable development.  Jak Mang, whom I met in Port Townsend in September 2009 through his association with his  friends John and Priscilla McKay of San Diego, who had just purchased their Sparkman and Stephens 43 "Rebecca", plans to accompany me on the sail from La Paz to round the Horn.  Jak is an experienced blue water sailor who like me enjoys life far over the horizon.  I offered to drop him off at the Falkland islands but he replied that he wasn't interested in the Falklands and elected to sail on to Cape Town.

Jak will bring valuable skills to the Horn endeavor and I am looking forward to sharing the adventure with him.

Photo Backfill

Now that we've got access to the internet I'm able to upload photographs to the blog.  Rather than publishing the photographs in new blog entries I've thought it better for the future to edit the past blogs and enter the photographs where they belong.

As of now I have placed photographs from the blogs "Day 2" (Caleta Lobos) through "Day 10", our last day in Isla San Francisco.  In the next few days I'll insert photographs into the rest of the cruise blogs, "Day 11" through "Day 22".

Afterwards I will enter video clips into some of the blogs.

Fire and Water

This afternoon I got a chance to inspect the sail locker section of the V berth area to investigate the cause of the recent electrical fire.  The opportunity came when all of the bedding was removed to take to the laundry along with the rest of our other items to be cleaned.

The wiring that was burned to a crisp was not a single ground wire, but a pair of wires, one in red insulation, one in black, housed in a black sheath.  I traced the wire through the sides of the port sail locker, across to the starboard sail locker and to the windlass battery.

Damaged battery.  Note thin red and black wires that led to the main panel.

The windlass battery was wired up as I remembered: heavy cabling to the windlass about 10 ft away, and the thinner red and black wires passing from the terminals of the windlass battery back through the sail lockers to the main panel area next to the navigation table.

The drain on the windlass battery had been severe enough to completely melt the negative post, which ran across the top of the battery as a silver streak.  The negative wires to the battery were free because there was no longer a negative post!

The heavy cables between the battery and the windlass had not been damaged.

Note obliterated negative post.

In the port sail locker area I found the demarcation between undamaged wiring (from there to the battery) and damaged wiring (from there to the main panel).  It appears that at that point the positive wire contacted the negative wire creating an open circuit from the battery to the negative bus.  The way the wiring was set up there was no defense against this - no fuse or breaker.  And my turning off the main switch would have done no good since the wiring to the windlass battery was beyond the switch.  The electrical fire ran its course and stopped when the earth wire disintegrated.

Just as well.  It seems to me that had the battery casing been breached one spark on the hydrogen gas would have caused an explosion.  It is highly unlikely that I would have been able to work my way through the choking fumes of sulfuric acid to find the seat of the fire.  Even had I managed to find the site it is unlikely that the fire extinguisher would have coped, given that the paint, then sails, then fiberglass itself would have burned.  Brenda and I would have made it because the Zodiac was in the water and there would have been time to deploy the life raft, but the boat would have been lost.

Section of wire showing problem area.

I told Brenda that we were two lucky puppies and she agreed.

Jak Mang has told me about fuses on the positive posts of batteries, something that I had not been aware of.  Arnold wrote that "autos us high-current fusible links and Maxi fuses to prevent catastrophic battery meltdowns."  I will look to install these fuses in all six of the boat batteries.

----------------------------

This morning I plumbed both of Pachuca's water tanks.

We began our cruise with 140 liters of water in each tank and 20 liters of water in our portable containers, which we use for bathing and clothes washing.  We picked up 40 liters of water in San Evaristo and another 40 liters of water in Agua Verde.  40 liters of this went into our starboard (galley) tank and the other 40 we kept in the portable containers for personal and clothes washing.

At the end of the cruise we had 90 liters in the port tank, 63 liters in the starboard tank, and 6 liters in the portable containers.  The bottom line is that Brenda and I used 10.5 liters (2.77 gallons) of water per day.  Had we not used fresh water for bathing and clothes washing our consumption would have been 8 liters (2.1 gallons) per day.

I will supply our fuel consumption numbers after I have refilled the boat's diesel tanks.

Day 23 -Back in La Paz

It was a very calm night and morning as predicted. We weighed anchor at 10 AM with the plan to arrive at La Paz at about 3 PM, just before the end of the large ebb tide expected this day. Before we started the engine I checked the engine oil and coolant levels and also the belt tension. Then I asked Brenda to start the engine so that I could have a look at the Racor fuel filter vacuum gauge. The fuel and filter must be very clean because the vacuum gauge needle barely moved from its rest position.

We motored along in the very calm sea doing 5.1 knots at 2000 rpm. After a while I raised the rpm and we were doing 6.0 knots at 2400 rpm. So a 20% increase in rpm had yielded a 20% increase in speed, telling me that the 2000-2400 rpm range was within the "sweet spot" of the boat's speed. I then tested the maximum rpm and achieved a sustained 6.9 knots at 3150 rpm, representing a 15% increase in speed for a 30% increase in rpm. The 3150 rpm is very close to the upper limit of the range stated in the manual of 2800-3200 rpm, indicating a very good propeller pitch.

The wind picked up as we approached Pichilingue and we soon found ourselves in a trying passage up the La Paz channel with a following wind of 15 knots, and adverse ebb tide current, and very low water showing patches of dry land next to the channel that we had never seen before. In the channel we found a depth at one point of only 3.9 meters. The wind and the current were all wrong for an entry into the marina so Brenda and I decided to drop anchor near the marina entrance and see how things played out. We dropped anchor at about 3.30 PM and had a cup of tea with cake. After a brief chat with Cyntia at Marina de La Paz announcing our arrival we had a nap. At 4.30 PM Brenda was up and stated that the current had disappeared and the wind had dropped. Sure enough the wind was below 10 knots. I telephoned Cyntia and when we arrived at the slip at 5 PM there were 4 men waiting to take our lines.

Noel helped me to tie up the boat and after saying hello to Robert from the adjacent boat and meeting his sister Lee, Brenda and I went off for showers. I returned to the boat via the local tienda where I purchased a loaf of fresh bread and 8 cans of cold Pacifico beer. After a couple of beers in the cockpit enjoying the cool evening in the familiar surroundings of the marina we headed off to Rancho Viejo for a meal. We had Margaritas each and Brenda had pork while I had 4 Tacos Arrachera.

Back at the marina I set up the boat with shore power and internet access and we had a good Skype conversation with Stephen, who gave us a tour of the property inside and out, including Bill the dog whom we were glad to see again.

It was great to be back at Marina de La Paz.

----------
radio email processed by SailMail
for information see: http://www.sailmail.com

Day 22 - Caleta Partida

Fishing panga entering east channel

This morning we took the Zodiac to the other side of the sand bars to look at the east entrance. We went ashore on the Espiritu Santo side for a walk.
After lunch we rode over to the Isla Partida side of the anchorage with the intention of going on a nature walk that we knew was described on a board. However, the walk turned out to be a 2.5 hour one classified as "difficult" and at 4 PM we were not prepared to take the walk. However, we enjoyed looking around the more accessible areas.
Back on the boat Brenda and I had the last two beers on Pachuca in the cockpit enjoying a show put on by the local pelicans who somehow managed to see well enough in the fading light to repeatedly dive into the water catching fish.

Cactus

For the last evening we both had baths and spruced up a bit. Brenda had a bucket bath inside the boat. I lowered myself down the boarding ladder and had a salt water bath followed by a fresh water one out of a bucket in the cockpit, which included shampooing my hair. Afterwards I shaved off a 5 day growth.

Fishing camp on sand bar

For dinner we had the last of the fish that we had purchased in San Evaristo with white rice and Cajun sauce. As a special celebration to end our successful cruise we opened the 2005 bottle of ice wine that Patrick and Nigel had given to us in Vancouver in 2009. Ice wine has an incomparable taste and we certainly enjoyed it very much. For desert Brenda had baked a cake using a Betty Crocker cake mix that we had purchased in Papeete in October 2008 and had a use-by date of Feb 2009. This cake mix had survived gales, cold, heat, dampness, and weevils to produce an excellent result.

Caught by low tide

Caleta Partida looking south from nature trail

We finished the last of our ice wines in the cockpit enjoying the serenity of the anchorage under a nearly full moon. We have been most fortunate lately in that the wind blows during the day but calms down at night allowing peaceful and secure slumber.
----------
radio email processed by SailMail
for information see: http://www.sailmail.com

Day 21 - Caleta Partida

Flower popular with birds (including hummingbirds)

I took Brenda to the shore for a post breakfast bird walk. I then returned to the boat to do some chores. One thing that I did was to inspect the bilge for the first time in the 9 days since I had dealt with it after the wet crossing to San Evaristo. There was some water in it as I had expected because the electric bilge pump does not completely dry out the bilge. However, after 10 seconds of running the bilge pump started to suck air which told me that either a small amount of water had crept in or water had drained into the bilge from the nooks and crannies along the bottom and sides of the boat. In those 9 days we had spent hours both sailing and motoring up to Agua Verde then back to Punta Salinas, though there was no repeat of the rough passage with decks awash. The water is definitely coming in from the deck. I have rebedded all of the rail stanchions, rebedded the chain plates after they were removed for inspection in Port Townsend, and sealed and painted the four winch supports over the cabin. The toe rail does not seem to leak in the sections that I am able to inspect from the interior of the boat.

At 10 AM we weighed anchor and set sail, jib only, with a 12 kt wind of the starboard quarter. Within the hour the wind started to die down and we raised the mainsail for the first time in about 10 months. Just as well. The zipper of the sail cover had become corroded and it took a generous treatment with WD-40 and careful work with a pair of pliers to free it. I was wise enough to drop both lazy jacks and get them out of the way to avoid the hassle of the battens getting snagged as I tried to raise the sail. But then I discovered a more serious problem: the main halyard is too thick and will not self tail on the winch. That meant that I had to crank with one hand and tail with the other until the tail was long enough for Brenda to reach from behind the wheel. There is a story here. I installed a new main halyard in Port Townsend and during our cruise of the San Juan and Gulf Islands we found that it would not self tail. Port Townsend Rigging was good enough to replace it with one that would self tail when we got back. Unfortunately here in the Sea of Cortez I got a severe crossover which tore away the covering of that halyard and I got a replacement here in La Paz. It self tailed OK when I first installed it but either its diameter has increased over time or the covering has changed its characteristics. In any event I am tired of these main halyard hassles. I'll go for a safely thin spectra line next time.
We sailed on a broad starboard reach with both sails up for over an hour then got a wind shift which allowed us to gybe and lay the course to Calita Partida, our destination. The wind sagged for a while but it eventually strengthened and veered allowing us to make Caleta Partida in fine style making over 6 knots on a beam reach. It was a great day of sailing. I got sleepy after lunch so Brenda took the wheel and I had the pleasure of napping to the smell of beer bread baking in the oven. The beer bread was an inspiration of a recipe that Sue Hoover had given to Brenda and has been a very successful part of this cruise.
We rolled in the jib the dropped the mainsail outside of the entrance and motored into the headwind of Caleta Partida, dropping anchor in 6.1 meters of water right in the center of the anchorage behind the sand spit at 5.15 PM. We had three sloops behind us on the north side and a catamaran behind us on the south side. Our position was 24N31.85, 110W23.00.
----------
radio email processed by SailMail
for information see: http://www.sailmail.com

Day 20 - Punta Salinas on Isla San Jose

Punta Salinas

We weighed anchor at 8.30 AM before the bees arrived and began motoring the 8 miles or so along the coast of San Jose Island to our next anchorage at Punta Salinas, at the southeast corner of the island. On the way out we saw a group of about 6 young dolphins and Brenda thought that the bay was being used as a creche where the youngsters were safe while the adults were out doing their thing.

Panoramic of anchorage

There was hardly any wind and the water was extremely smooth and calm, making it a very enjoyable passage. After about 90 minutes we rounded Punta Salinas and made our way along the beach and dropped anchor .75 miles from the point in 5.8 meters of water, 150 meters from the beach. Our position was 24N54.85, 110W37.65.
The wind came at about the time we rounded the point and soon it was blowing at 15-19 kt from the NW. The low terrain north of Pachuca was not providing much protection from the wind, however the boat was rock solid due to the short fetch of water ahead of her and lack of swell wrapping around the point.

Disused salt works

Abandoned machinery

After lunch we made a 2 1/2 hour visit to the island. Punta Salinas is the site of a large abandoned salt harvesting operation. We looked at the ruins of several cement block buildings, some abandoned machinery, and the salt ponds. In one of the buildings was Reno the Beachcomber's "shoe shop", where he throws all of the shoes that he finds on the beach. There was a wide range of sandals and Crocs - such a large range of styles, colors, and sizes that nothing matched. I selected a pair of sandals for landing the Zodiac on rocky beaches.

Careful selection at Reno's Shoe Shop

Painting on shoe shop wall

I then climbed a high hill for some photography from the superb 360 degree vantage. Brenda found three interesting birds.
----------
radio email processed by SailMail
for information see: http://www.sailmail.com

Day 19 - Mangle Solo, on Isla San Jose

Motoring in calm sea

We had a fairly long way to go so we began preparations for departure immediately after breakfast. Brenda noticed that our friend Manuel was visiting the catamaran "Magic" next to us and he had a young assistant with him. We exchanged greetings across the water and politely declined his offer of more fish, then had a brief conversation with the crew of Magic. Like us they were headed south toward La Paz and expected to be there in 5 days. I said that we might see them along the way.

Anchored close to shore

We weighed anchor at 8.50 AM and motored out in extremely calm conditions. Soon we were making 5 knots at 2200 rpm with a gentle following swell and the apparent wind created solely by our movement. An hour out Brenda pointed out that the depth sounder was flashing "Last" and displaying 18.4 meters. We must have gone from deep water of more than 60 meters over an underwater formation that rose to 18.4 meters then plunged to more than 120 meters (the deepest that the sounder will record) with cliff-like immediacy. The Sea of Cortez does not seem to be charted in great detail.

Isla San Francisco and Isla Espiritu Santo in background

The battery fault alarm went on as usual shortly after we started the engine but as usual the fault soon disappeared and we had no more problems during our four-hour passage. At the beginning of the trip the meter was reporting approximately 13.3 volts but I noticed that the voltage kept steadily creeping up over time. At the end of our run it was reporting approximately 13.9 volts. I need a better understanding of the criterion for a battery fault and the meaning of the voltage reading on the gauge. Two hours after we had shut down the engine the house and auxiliary banks were reading a healthy 12.8V and the starter bank was at 13.1V.

Mangle Solo

At 1PM we dropped anchor at Mangle Solo, on the NW side of Isla San Jose, marking our first visit to the island. The anchorage is behind a spit of land running east-west that forms the base of a triangle that encloses a salt water lagoon. Because the spit of land is so low it does not give direct protection from northerly winds, however it gives protection from ensuing seas. Fortunately by 6 PM the wind had dropped to 5 kt from the NNW and there was very little swell affecting the boat. We were expecting a peaceful evening.

Venerable cactus

Cacti have feet too!

One characteristic of this anchorage is the steep gradient of the bottom. We crept up to less than 100 meters from the beach and dropped anchor in 8.3 meters of water, then payed out all 35 meters of chain available. I was a bit uneasy about dropping an anchor on a steeply sloping bottom, but it was good holding ground and only light winds were expected.
After lunch and the usual nap we went ashore. I walked to the end of the spit and visited the light which is mounted on a tower. (All sailors regard navigation lights, be they on mighty lighthouses or humble buoys as friends.) Brenda headed for the salt water lagoon and adjacent cactus country in her quest for birds. (She seems to find new ones every day.) We met up 30 minutes later and decided that the cactus country was too rough and that we would try to approach it from the other end of the beach in the morning.
However, I haven't mentioned the bees. Within 20 minutes of our arrival the first bee arrived. Within 30 minutes the galley was literally abuzz with bees who seemed to know what a yacht is and where its fresh water taps are located. We don't want to hurt the little critters because they are just trying to get by like the rest of us. However, we don't want to encourage them either. I put out a pan of water on the foredeck hoping to divert their attention but that did not seem to work. They do not seem to be aggressive and allow us to move around freely, but their presence is a nuisance and we decided to move on first thing in the morning. [Note: at precisely 6.32 PM, just before dark, the buzzing stopped as though someone had thrown a switch and the bees were gone.]
----------
radio email processed by SailMail
for information see: http://www.sailmail.com

Day 18 - Puerto Los Gatos

Manuel the Pescador

Not long after breakfast we got a surprise visit from a fisherman in his panga. We had a short chat and he seemed like a nice man. His name was Manuel, he was fishing alone, his home was at Constitucion where he had a wife, 5 daughters, 1 son, and a cat. He offered us a choice of two moderate sized fish and two lobsters. We declined the lobsters but picked out one of the fish. We thought that he might appreciate a hot drink so we invited him on board and soon the three of us were seated around the cockpit table enjoying freshly brewed coffee and cookies.

Brenda admiring the goods

He passed to Brenda a bag that he had brought on board and in it was very nice embroidery work that his wife had done. We liked them and you could not find a more genuine gift from Mexico so we purchased three of them at a modest 70 pesos each. I asked Manual about the price of the fish and he said that it was a gift, so I gave him 300 pesos for the lot and he was very pleased. His handshake alone was worth 300 pesos: a hard, leathery, calloused hand that is becoming a rarity in the world that I come from. Soon Manuel was off in his Panga in search of more fish.
Brenda and I then went ashore and enjoyed very much walking on the spectacular red rocks that characterizes Puerto Los Gatos. Brenda then went on to do some bird watching and I climbed to the top of a hill to take photographs of the bay.

Fish from Manuel

Manuel on his way

The red rocks of Los Gatos

After lunch and a very restful nap I stuck my head out of the cabin to see if any boats had arrived. Sure enough, just upwind of us was a catamaran hailing from California. I saw three adults ashore looking around. The catamaran would draw less water than Pachuca and thus be able to get closer to shore, but in their quest to get deep into the NE corner of the anchorage they placed their boat upwind of me with my anchor probably under their boat. Let's hope that either the wind has changed in the morning or our friends have moved on because otherwise I'll have to pay them a visit to discuss my intention to weigh anchor.
The GRIB file indicated lighter winds of about 10 knots from the NW for the next few days and we were hoping to head off in the morning to Mangle Solo at the NW of Isla San Jose, about 21 miles from here.
----------
radio email processed by SailMail
for information see: http://www.sailmail.com

Day 17 - Puerto Los Gatos

Bahia San Marte

Today we made the 12 mile passage from Bahia Santa Marte to Puerto Los Gatos ("The Cats") pretty well as planned.
We went ashore at Santa Marte for a 90 minute walk in the morning and managed to climb to a verdant plateau from where we enjoyed good views and of course see birds. At 11.45 AM we weighed anchor and bid our farewells to Ed aboard his steel sloop "Viento Suave", who had been so helpful with his suggestions to get closer to the rocks both in this bay and in Isla San Francisco to gain greater protection. Ed was moving north so we did not expect to see him again.

San Marcial Reef from plateau above Bahia San Marte.

Soon after motoring out of the bay we rolled out the jib on the starboard side and proceeded SSE with an apparent wind of 10 knots from the north, making 4 knots. There was more swell than we had expected from the port quarter but nevertheless the wind was fair, the seas were following, the sky was blue and sunny, and the sailing was splendid. I happened to be at the helm when I saw the a plume of mist drifting near the shore and I alerted Brenda to the possibility of whales. Indeed there were whales spouting, and Brenda thought that there might be three of them. They were headed north and we managed to see their bodies as they rolled back down after their latest breaths. Brenda had just stepped into the cabin when I saw dolphins crossing our bow, and possibly swimming under the boat. She came back out and we saw a very large one swim very close past the right side of the boat, and not long after that we were treated to another big one leaping completely out of the water, flying through the air horizontally, then belly flopping back onto the water.
During our 4-hour sail we did not see any other boat anywhere, and we discussed how there must be very few areas of the world where one can sail from island to island in a sailing paradise without seeing another boat, and not be hassled by officialdom or monetary charges wherever the wind takes one.

Puerto Los Gatos

At 2.45 PM we motored into the bay, careful to stay at latitude 25N18.1 in order to avoid the reefs at the ends of both arms of the bay. To our surprise we found that we had the bay all to ourselves and dropped anchor at 3 PM in 3.7 meters of water tucked in the NE corner of the haven 150 meters from the beach. As we gain experience we get better at snuggling up as close as possible for protection. Our position was 25N18.192, 110W56.763.
Our plan was to relax for the rest of the afternoon, enjoy another stew for dinner, then watch a movie.
We plan to spend another full day here at Los Gatos, enjoying the landscape at our leisure.
----------
radio email processed by SailMail
for information see: http://www.sailmail.com

Day 16 -Bahia San Marte

Yesterday Brenda and I discussed the possibility of leaving Aqua Verde in the afternoon today and making for Bahia San Marte, only about 7 miles to the south of Aqua Verde. Today we did just that.
I started the day at Aqua Verde by going ashore at about 8 AM to get some water. As I approached Esperanza's Tienda from the side, I saw her watering plants, a small boy running around, and a man nearby who dropped a section of the fence so that I would not have to walk around to the front of the property. Esperanza merely moved the water hose into my two 10-liter containers and soon they were full. I asked for the price and I was told that there was no charge. I asked Esperansa "Regresso por dos mas?" and she said fine. Soon I was back on the boat where I put the 20 liters of water into the starboard (galley) tank and before long Brenda and I were both headed to the shore for a walkabout. But first I returned to Esperanza's for another 20 liters of water which we will carry in the containers for bathing and washing clothes.

Mexican Army Relaxing

Brenda and I had a great walk. We started off by walking along the shoreline to the picturesque northern cove, with its large rock to the east connected to the mainland on the west by a broad low lying sandy spit. There we met Judy, who visits the same spot with her husband Robert every year. Judy told us that she knows the local children's sizes and always brings shoes and other items of clothing for them. She told us about the bow and arrow hunting excursions for the horned sheep in the mountains, which are based in a recently built shelter on the spit. She told us that the price is $70,000 for a 10-day hunting excursion. Let it be recorded at at Agua Verde Robert Morales came to the realization that yachting is cheap.

Scenic north cove of Agua Verde

Bar at north cove

While we were speaking with Judy a camouflaged Mexican army Humvee with five well armed men rolled up. It seems to be a standing order that every military vehicle have one man as sentry with his weapon over the cab of the vehicle. As they emerged from the Humvee Judy said something about maybe being asked for our identity and visa documents. Soon it became evident that this band of brothers was going to do some shooting, but with cameras and not guns. They lined up smiling as one of their group took a photo. Soon Judy was over there taking a photo of the five smiling army men each with a weapon, against the beautiful backdrop of the Sea of Cortez. (Brenda took a photo of the group which we will publish when we get access to the internet.)
Our look from the spit to the north with Islas Monserrate, Carmen, and Coronados in the distance represented the extent of our visit into the Sea of Cortes. We would hence forth head south, exploring new anchorages on our return to La Paz.
We then took the road around a large hill back to the settlement, enjoying great views of the sierras. During this walk Brenda saw two more new birds, one of which was a Sage Thrasher, the other which is yet to be identified.
We returned to the boat and after lunch and a short rest decided to make the move to Bahia San Marte. I had prepared by setting up a route which would take us between reefs on either side. Brenda did the steering and I did the course calling as we moved from waypoint to waypoint. As Bahia San Marte came into view I noted that I could see one mast. We were anxious to get in because the unprotected waters were rougher than what we had expected. We soon arrived and as I was dropping the anchor in 4.9 meters of water I could hear a man in a dinghy asking Brenda if we were following him around. It was Ed, who had advised us to get closer to the rocks at Isla San Francisco. He told us that he didn't mind us getting closer to his boat and that the closer in we got the less roll we would have. During a cold beer for me and a hot chocolate for Brenda we decided to move the boat. We moved another 100 meters closer and dropped anchor in 3.5 meters of water. That put us 130 meters from the beach and I didn't want to get any closer in case the wind swung from the south during the night. Our position was 25N30.253, 111W01.067. Ed was right: there was less roll, less wind, and we were looking forward to a peaceful night. And the oxtail stew in the pressure cooker smelled Great!
----------
radio email processed by SailMail
for information see: http://www.sailmail.com

Day 15 - Agua Verde

Esperanza's tienda, Brenda at left with Esperanza

We had a great day becoming acquainted with Agua Verde. In the morning we went ashore and soon Brenda was speaking with Bonnie from the boat Murray Grey. She introduced us to Francesca, who visits with her husband Ken every year and feels part of the community. Francesca teaches English to the local children. It was she who told us about a second, newer tienda that had been started after our cruising guide had been published. Soon Bonnie, Brenda, and I were in Esperansa's shop surveying what was available. Esperansa had an excellent array of fresh fruit and vegetables, fresh goat cheese, and meat, among other things. We purchase bananas, carrots, some superb goat cheese, and oxtail, with which Brenda was looking forward to making a good stew. I learned from Epseransa that I could get water there on the following day between 7 and 10 AM. I asked her if the water was carted in but she said that in was piped down from the sierra, so we figured that there must be a small dam up there somewhere. We then went by the "restaurant" mentioned in the cruising guide and booked a meal for 6 PM. "Pescado?" asked the woman. Brenda and I agreed that fish was fine.

Cows on beach

We returned to the shore a bit early to do a walkabout around the settlement. We liked the place. Everybody seemed well dressed, happy, and contented. A group of boys was playing soccer on a large concrete pad and as we walked by one of the two churches in town a lady driving an SUV with a child on board gave us a smile and wave. I told Brenda that we may have seen our first genuine Mexican soccer mom.

Town water supply

The "restaurant" turned out to be a disappointment. Brenda and I can both accept simple facilities and simple food, as long as we know that our hosts are doing the best that they can. Unfortunately these people had no conception of how to serve the public. The fried fish meal though simple (with rice, refried beans) was good, though it was served a bit too cold. But the attitude left a lot to be desired. As we finished our meal the proprietor stood over us as though we might run off with the unmatching plates or plastic container in which the salsa had been served. I asked her for the quenta and she stood there thinking of what she could charge us. She stated "ciento quarenta" ,$140, twice, but when she saw my money she changed it to "ciento seisenta", $160. 160 pesos was sort of an OK price, but we just weren't happy with how she handled the whole affair. Brenda described her attitude as "surly". I'm ashamed to say that I had put Brenda through what she described as the worst dining experience in her entire life.
----------
radio email processed by SailMail
for information see: http://www.sailmail.com