Ready for Splash

Pachuca is tonight hanging off the boat lifter straps ready for lowering into the water tomorrow morning.  We were all (total of 8 people) set for the drop at 5 PM  when Luis suggested that tomorrow morning might be better because a boat on the jetty near the lifting bay would be moving overnight.  I had no problems with that. 

I have made arrangements with Neil at the Marina de La Paz.  When Pachuca is safely tied up at the jetty after the splashdown I will go to the Marina office and a launch will be sent out to tow me back to my slip 111.  Somebody will be waiting on the jetty to take my lines.  As before I must back into the slip because of the planned engine work.

This morning the shaft was slipped into the boat then the propeller, PSS dripless packing, and coupler were put on.  That operation took less than 1 hour.  I made sure that the propeller was less one shaft diameter (1.25") from the cutlass bearing.  Space at the end of the coupler took up another precious 20mm of space into the engine compartment but it looks like there is still just enough room for fitting the engine.  I can gain another 15mm by cutting into the front of the wooden engine compartment and perhaps another 10mm by moving the coupler back down the shaft.  As a last resort I'll move the propeller another 15mm away from the cutlass bearing, though I am confident that it will not come to that. 

Zinc anodes were then fitted to the propeller shaft and the strut holding the cutlass bearing, and then the propeller and shaft were given a coat of "Propspeed" (http://propspeed.co.nz/).

The establishment of the final price to be paid to the boat yard was a study in things to look out for when doing business in Mexican boat yards.  Early this morning when I asked Roza for the cuenta she asked me what I had been quoted for the haul out.  Fortunately I had recorded that information and had my note book with me.  The bill came out to $1358 USD which according to her translated to 17246.7 pesos.  Brenda and I made a trip to the ATM so that I could draw out my daily limit of 6,000 pesos and she could draw out enough to lend me another 2,400 pesos.  When I went to pay in the afternoon Roza's sister Andrea was at the desk.  She had the original cuenta but it was still in the $1358 USD and I asked her for the amount in pesos, just to see if I would get a better rate.   I was quoted 17613 pesos, an increase of 366 pesos since the morning.  I showed her Roza's peso figure and asked Andrea what exchange rate she was using.  Andrea immediately let me have the lower amount.

I then questioned the $165 USD that I had been charged for raising the water line 2 inches.  I pointed out that when I made my initial contact a week before my boat was lifted out of the water Roza had quoted me $110 USD.  Eventually Luis was called and he said that he'd look into it.  When he showed up at the office at 3.30 PM he hadn't contacted Roza but after some discussion he knocked the charge back to the $110 that I had been quoted.

The final charge for the haul out and work done by the yard staff was $1293 USD or 16,421 pesos.  Pachuca was on the hard for a total of 12 days but I was not charged for any of the 9 days in excess of the 3 days included in the haul out package.  However, the yard really stuck it to me on labor charges.  For example, I was charged $22 USD for the installation of about 3' of 9mm plastic hose on the PSS packing.  I could have done the job myself for maybe a third of that but let's not forget that I was not allowed to do anywork on the outside of my boat.

If I ever go through this exercise again I'll take better notes, clearly documenting the date, who I was speaking with, and the details of the various quotations.  In the particular case of this boat yard there was no issue of deviousness but rather one of professionalism.  It is a family owned business with brothers and sisters filling various roles and the office procedures are unsophisticated to say the least.  But I must say that in the end Luis was willing to listen and proved to be very flexible.

Also, I dealt in cash because Alejandro told me that there would be a 5% surcharge if I used my Visa card.

Brenda's Bird of the Day is La Paloma which means dove or pigeon. The large bronze in the photo, called La Paloma, was made in 2008 to commemorate the dedication to conservation of some islands near La Paz. It is one of several bronzes along the walkway by the sea (the Malecon), and in my opinion is the least appealing.

A real pigeon that is here and needs no conservation effort is the Rock Pigeon or Dove, a well-known international species. This bird was introduced to north America from Europe by early settlers. These city pigeons are known to be fond of roosting on standing outdoor art works over much of the world, but on the Malecon, they prefer a model lighthouse to the giant pigeon.