Days 5 and 6, Isla San Francisco

Los Islotes

Yesterday, 30 January, we motored out of Ensenada El Cardonal on Isla Partida at 9 AM. We had a 21 mile crossing ahead of us, in gentle conditions. We ran the engine at 2300 rpm and made 5.8 nm over the ground. Along the way we had a good look at Ensenada Grande, which is indeed large, comprised of three lobes. Then off the north end of Isla Partida we got a good look at rocky Los Islotes, renowned for its sea lions and great snorkeling.
We dropped anchor in the middle of the Isla San Francisco anchorage at 12.40 PM in 7 meters of water. There we saw Murray Grey with Jim and Bonnie on board, and later had two chats with them. Like us, Jim and Bonny weren't sure how long they would stay before pushing on to Evaristo and we were all going to play it as it came. After the usual lunch and nap I lowered the outboard motor onto the Zodiac (I never tow the Zodiac far with the outboard motor mounted.) and soon we were off to explore the island. Brenda headed one way bird watching and I headed up a hill to have a look around. That night I got a 3-day GRIB wind prediction file which indicated 20-25 kt northerly winds beginning on the afternoon of Wednesday the 2nd of February. That night we watched "The Dam Busters", a black and white classic that we both enjoyed very much.

Panoramic of Isla San Francisco

This morning we got more confirmation of the impending winds and Jim advised us to move closer to the rock wall on the western side of the anchorage. We decided to do this sooner rather than later, when it was likely that more boats would arrive; and we did move the boat, but not as aggressively as some of the hardier and probably more experienced souls. By 4 PM there were 5 boats snuggled against the rocky cliff. The 5th boat was a long steel one that showed some real class by motoring between the existing boats and the cliff the dropping his anchor amazingly close to the rocks. From Pachuca it looked like if the wind swung to the south he'd be able to step off his transom and do some rock climbing. The wind piped up to 13 kt and Brenda reminded me that in Western Australia a 25 knot sea breeze is a common and ordinary event. So what is the big deal about a 20-25 kt northerly when we are only 200 meters from a beach that protects us from anything coming from the northwest to southeast, anchored in good sandy holding ground?
Before lunch Brenda and I went ashore and she bird watched for two hours while I climbed a hill to take some photos the returned to the boat to finish cleaning the oil from the bilge. (Ugh!) During her walk Brenda saw Jim and Bonnie sailing out toward San Evaristo. After lunch we spent 90 minutes taking inventory of the starboard side of the boat. My spreadsheet now documents 352 items in 121 categories. The first line records 2 x 425g cans of chilli beans in the blue container on the port side, and the last line records 2 bottles of dish washing liquid under the galley sink. The inventory includes 22 x 140g cans of tuna, 11 x 345 ml tins of evaporated milk, 52 ziploc bags, and 17 rolls of toilet paper.
Brenda and I decided to remain at this anchorage until after the strong northerly winds have passed. This could mean 5 or 6 days in Isla San Francisco, but Brenda likes the island, with its easy access to good walks, and I am of the opinion that Pachuca will be safer and more comfortable here than in San Evaristo, where the northerly wind flipped the Zodiac upside down, outboard motor and all.
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Day 4 - Ensenada El Cardonal and Oil Problems

Pachuca and Murray Grey

Today we moved the boat about 11 miles from Bahia San Gabriel on Isla Espiritu Santo to Ensenada el Cardonal on Isla Partida.

Dipstick sinner making amends

You Lookin at Me? - Night Heron

At 10.45 AM we weighed anchor and motored north, leaving Gallina, Gallo, and Ballena islands of starboard. We had a bit of breeze from the port beam so we rolled out the headsail near Isla Ballena and inched along at 1.8 knots for about 90 minutes. It was good to roll out the headsail and expose it to air and sunlight after so many months. The high-tech material showed severe crease lines after so many months tightly furled for the hurricane season. After lunch we reverted to the "iron jib" and dropped anchor in 4.2 meters of water at Ensenada la Cardonal at 1.55 PM. There was only one other boat in the anchorage, "Murray Grey" from Oregon. Soon Jim and Bonnie motored over to say hello. Brenda with polite hesitation said that a Murray Gray was an Australian cow. Jim and Bonnie reacted with delight, saying that the observation proved that we were genuine Australians. I offered a jar of Vegemite but they politely declined. Jim and Bonnie raise Murray Greys in Oregon and spoke very favorably of the breed. Brenda noticed that Jim was even wearing a "Murray Grey" cap.
Ensenada el Cardonal is described as "a long, shallow bay, extending nearly 1.5 miles into Isla Partida, almost dividing the island." We certainly feel snug and cozy at the end of this long bay, threatened only by the SW Coromuels which are very light this time of the year.

Exposed shell bank

After a short nap I got the Zodiac ready - we had towed it without the outboard motor, which we carried on the stern rail - and we soon headed off for the beach for the "short" walk through the arroyo to the other side of the island. Because the tide was so low the task proved unpleasant and somewhat dangerous. We were forced to beach the dinghy well short of the end of the bay and then had to walk hundreds of meters along the mangrove to get to the head of the trail. Brenda took a fall which fouled her binoculars with mud and decided that this was about as far as she's go. It turned out to be a wise decision. I pushed on, wading through hundreds of meters of muddy and slimy water in order to walk with shoes and socks heavy with water to a beach that was rocky and uninviting.
By 5 PM we were back on the boat and enjoying Sundowners (Tequila with pineapple juice for Brenda, beer as as starter for me). The wind had dropped from 10 knots to 5 knots, the sky was clear with a canopy of stars, and we expected a quiet night.
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Day 3, Walk to Playa La Bonanza

Sunset at Bahia San Gabriel

After a very calm night we set off at 8.30 AM in the Zodiac. At the beach we had a chat with Matt, from Vancouver BC, who was kayaking the area with a friend. The walk to Playa La Bonanza on the other side of the island was a relatively long one - about an hour of brisk walking - along a valley through the hilly spine of the island. Brenda did her "bird watcher dawdle" and I pushed on to the beach, which was a splendid arc of sand about 1.5 miles long. To the left was the light at Punta La Bonanza. To the right I could see the San Lorenzo Channel that separates the island from the Baja peninsula, as well as the Cerralvo Channel which Arnold and I had sailed on our way to La Paz.

Another sunset photo

I then headed back toward our anchorage calling Brenda's name as I walked, expecting to meet her. Somehow we passed each other, although she did hear me call her name once. The intrepid bird watcher made it to the beach. I got to the dinghy and got worried, since I could not see how I could have passed her. I headed back to search for her and fortunately met her a few minutes later.
By then we had the bay to ourselves: the Canadian boat had departed and so had Matt and his wife. The tide had departed too, forcing us to carry the outboard motor and drag the Zodiac over 100 meters to the water's edge.

Playa Bonanaza looking south to Isla Cerralvo

At 2 PM we were glad to be back on the boat and soon I had my first bath since leaving La Paz, which consisted of washing in sea water while hanging onto the boarding ladder, followed by a soap and rinse using about 3 liters of fresh water. Brenda elected to have a bucket bath in the head. I can't blame her because the water was quite chilly. (This may be the Sea of Cortez, but it is still the middle of winter.)
We saw some interesting fauna and flora along the way. There was large and healthy looking mangrove surrounding a salt water pool at the beginning of the walk. I saw four goats walking the side of a hill, and Brenda saw two large black hares that according to a plaque are found only on this island. Brenda saw three new birds as well as a humming bird, which made Brenda wonder how it could sustain itself on this arid island.
This was another overcast day, with sprinklings of light rain here and there. However, on the way back to the boat we saw solid patches of blue sky and were later treated to a splendid red sunset.
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Day 2 - Caleta Lobos to Bahia San Gabriel

Mangrove around salt water lagoon

After a very quiet night the wind picked up after dawn to over 12 knots and we thought that we'd be spending a second night at Caleta Lobos, given that I did not want to motor against a strong headwind. I did more work with the boat's communication system, tuning in to Don Anderson's weather report and getting a GRIB file and some weather fax schedules from Sailmail. I then unpacked the Zodiac, inflated it, then lashed it on the foredeck. At about 10.30 AM the wind abated and we weighed anchor at 11.15 AM to motor the 8 mile passage to Bahia San Gabriel at the SW end of Isla Espiritu Santo, almost due North and against a wind of about 3 knots. San Gabriel is described as "a large, beautiful bay lined by a pristine white sand beach."

Local cactus

The Volvo system gave the same old boring alarm shortly after we fired up the engine. We stopped the buzzer and the fault symbol on the display disappeared shortly after we motored out. We cruised at 2000 rpm, making 5 knots. The BEP meter reported that the alternator was delivering 77 amps to the batteries, and that later dropped to 67 amps. We were doing a bit of hobby horsing against the oncoming waves and I could feel the occasional thump coming through the stainless steel cockpit frame. Soon I identified the source: the Rutland wind charger has a bit of play in its mounting and moves back and forth a bit. I will have to investigate this, although the unit is performing OK.

Caught by ebb tide

We found four boats at anchor as we approached the bay. We worked our way more or less down the middle of the bay and dropped anchor in 4.2 meters of water. Within 30 minutes 3 of the 4 boats were gone and we were sharing this large anchorage with a Canadian flagged sloop. I celebrated our safe arrival with the usual cold beer and after lunch and a nap we decided to visit the island on the Zodiac. That meant lowering the outboard motor from its bracket on the stern rail to Zodiac on the water, then starting it up. I expected problems with starting the Mercury outboard after more than six months of dormancy and I got it. After a lot of pulling on the cord it fired up with a roar then went back to sleep. I changed the plug for a new one - long overdue since it was the same plug that had been in the engine when it spent several hours in the salt water in San Evaristo - and after another few sessions of cranking the Mercury started and ran very, very well. But by then it was 4.30 PM, which meant no more than an hour on the island, and the wind was kicking up. We decided to wait until the morning to go ashore. We hope to explore the beaches and mangroves around the bay and cross the island to "the enormous white beach and turquoise waters of Playa Bonanza on the island's eastern shore."
This will probably mean a second night at this anchorage.

The attached photos were all taken at Bahia San Gabriel.
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Day 1 - La Paz to Caleta Lobos

Today we made a start  by motoring 2.5 hours from the marina, up the long La Paz channel, past the harbor at Pichilingue, to Caleta Lobo, described as "a small, cozy anchorage isolated from the hustle and bustle and bright lights of nearby La Paz."  In fact we are only 10 miles from La Paz but you wouldn't guess it from this anchorage.  We're next to a guano island with the associated bird calls and can hear the sea lions barking at tiny Roca Lobos, maybe a half mile away.  The flashing light at Roca Lobos and the glow of the lights of another yacht anchored a few hundred meters away completes the picture.

We motored out of the slip at 11.15 AM at slack tide and with a gentle northerly wind of 3.5 knots.  A passing group of sailors offered to cast our lines and just as well that I agreed.  Having idled the engine for 20 minutes with no problem I got a fault alarm as soon as I engaged the gear to power out of the slip.  I asked the person holding the stern line to hold on so that the boat could be pulled back in.  I got my glasses and saw my old friend the battery failure symbol being displayed.  After passing this information to the others I asked to be cast off and we'd go with what we had.  I silenced the alarm and before we had cleared the marina the fault symbol disappeared and we had a normal run from then on.  The meter read 13.5 - 13.7 volts during the trip.

In the gentle headwind and calm conditions of the La Paz channel I steadily nudged up the revolutions and got a maximum of 3125 rpm for a sustained 30 seconds.  The manual states that the maximum rpm should be in the range of 2800-3200.  This was an important result because to me it indicated that the propeller had been correctly pitched to match the engine.  I passed this information to Mark in Port Townsend and hope that he will confirm this opinion of mine.  Unfortunately I did not want to leave the helm to check our top speed at the chart plotter but I will get this information when we are in more open water.

The wind picked up to about 15 knots apparant from the north and pretty well on the nose.  Soon Brenda and I were wearing coats and beanies to protect ourselve from the chill.  Otherwise it was a pleasant ride under 80 percent cloud cover.

We dropped anchor in 4.2 meters of water, with good protection from all sides except S and SW.  By 7.30 PM the wind had died down to 6 kt still from the north and we expected to have a very comfortable night.

Dave's navigation software has proven to be outstanding so far.  The presentation was much clearer than that of the Raymarine chart plotter, with its reliance on sketchy chart data.  I set up the anchor alarm and once again it proved to be far superior to that of Raymarine.  I was able to center the anchor alarm circle over the anchor, rather than the location of the boat, which forces me to double the alarm radius to deal with the possibility of the boat swinging to the opposite point of the circle.  The zone is clearly displayed so that I can see its relationship to the surrounding terrain.

It was Australia day, as Bob Carrol had reminded us with his best wishes.  We celebrated the day by opening a bottle of  and excellent Touriga Nationale red from Chris and Jim's Condingup Vinyard in Western Australia.

Malecon Birds

Turkey Vultures

Riding the bike along the Malecon is very enjoyable. Despite the thorough raking of the beaches by a team of Beach Cleaners, waterbirds can often be seen. One of the photo shows a Whimbrel (curved beak) and two Marbled Godwits. The other shows a flock of Turkey Vultures which I hadn't expected to see on the shore. The tide is about halfway in.

More Preparations

Yesterday morning I dropped by the marina office and informed Adriana of my plans to leave on Wednesday for a 3-week cruise of the islands.  I'm glad that I did because she asked me if it was OK to rent the slip during my absence.  Slips are in short supply at this time of the year, so I agreed.  I told her that I would try to give her a day or two of notice of our arrival via email, and in any event it will be no disaster if Brenda have to spend a night or two at anchor at the Mogote.  The fellows at the Palapa of Knowledge, Truth, and Wisdom told me this morning that the marina will credit me with half of whatever rental they get from my slip.

Yesterday afternoon Brenda and I took the bus to the revamped grocery store now called Chedraui (formerly CCC) for provisioning.   We soon realized that we would have to make a second trip for the vegetables so returned to the boat with 1500 pesos worth of groceries and two new pillows to replace the ones that we purchased in Hawaii.  At the bus stop Brenda had a brief chat with an elderly American lady who informed us that because we are older than 60 we should be paying a fare of only 3.5 pesos (about 30 cents) instead of the 8 pesos that we've been paying.


Last night I checked the boat's exterior lights.  As expected, the masthead and anchor lights were working fine.  Not surprisingly, the steaming light at mid mast was not working, although the deck light was.  When I replaced the steaming/deck light before departing Australia I was amazed at what a flimsy piece of plastic it was, but was told that it was a standard fitting for yachts.  I'm in no rush to get the steaming light going (required when motoring at night), but will certainly deal with it before departing Mexico.  The masthead and anchor lights are much more important.  Fortunately Trevor at Yacht Grot suggested a German-made masthead/anchor light assembly with LED bulbs good for 50,000 hours, or about 5.7 years of continuous running.  That cost me $600 but I wanted to avoid having to climb to the top of the mast to change bulbs during this circumnavigation.  And because the LED's are so efficient I leave the anchor light on 24 hours a day when I am at anchor. 

50 Meters of Line to Yellow Lifeling

This morning I hosed down the boat.  It's amazing how much desert dust accumulates in only a couple of weeks.  While I was in the cockpit fiddling with the Lifesling several people stopped and asked me about Pachuca.  Her S and S lines attract attention.  People typically ask me if it is either a Swan or a Catelina 38.  One sailor asked me about the red line along the starboard gunwale for deploying the parachute.  Fortunately Steve came by.  He had loaned me some very interesting material on series drogues before departing on a cruise of the islands and he was back at anchor for another week before heading south.  I had a good chat with while returning his documents.  He told me that Jeanne Socrates had replied to his email message and stated that Nereida is now on a mooring, which seems like a good sign to me.  Steve will head for Puerto Montt and after wintering over will head down the Patagonian channel and expects to be in Puerto Williams at about the time we round the Horn.

Lifesling in Poition

I then put some time in setting up the Lifesling, a buoyant sling attached to 50 meters of rope for use if someone goes overboard.  The Lifesling has been in Pachuca's hold since I purchased the boat but I had never taken it seriously.  I asked Ib to sell it and keep the proceeds while I was away for Christmas but he alerted me to its usefulness as a safety feature.  That activated my "duty of care" principles when I thought of Brenda and I cruising among the islands, so I decided to keep it and actually use it.  I stretched out the rope, took the kinks out of it, then repacked it so that all Brenda or I have to do is to put the readily visible loop of rope around a winch then pull out the sling and throw it out.

The wind predictions for the rest of the week look good.  In the morning I'll fill the water tanks and check the engine fluid levels the motor out at about noon.

Hummingbird Happening

Yesterday, on the way back from a tasty lunch of tacos at Super Burro, we came across a low shrub straggling halfway across the path. It was covered with bright red tubular flowers.I noticed a flash of light - a dragonfly? Then I realized that it was a hummingbird. We had the best views yet as it darted from flower to flower and hovered, shining bronze-green in the sunlight, often within arm's reach.We had both left our cameras in Pachuca, not expecting anything exciting on this short walk. As for size, think matchbox, though the long beak would protrude a little. -Brenda

Preparations for the Cruise

The boat is almost ready for our excursion to the islands.

I filled the diesel fuel tanks and spare containers last week and yesterday I got 10 liters of low octane gasoline for the outboard motor.

Two days ago I began checking out the electronics, and the chart plotter, radar, AIS, depth and wind instruments are working OK.

Yesterday I became re acquainted with the HF radio and this morning was able to listen to Don Anderson's weather report on the Amigo net.  The reception was not very good but I am confident that I will able to hear his and other weather reports more clearly after we are away from the surrounding masts in the marina.

I tested out the Sailmail system on the Acer netbook (running Windows XP) and everything that I tried checked out:  the computer remotely tunes the HF radio, the GPS antenna connected to the USB port passes data to the software, and the propagation window is working fine.  I successfully sent out a test message to my Gmail account and generated a position report message.  I haven't tested out the Grib file and weather fax functions but am confident that they will work OK.  Better yet, I replaced the Acer with the new Toshiba laptop (running Windows 7 Premium) that I had purchased in Seattle and got Sailmail working with remarkable ease.  One of my concerns was that this new laptop has only 2 USB ports and I required 3:  one for the mouse, one for the Pactor modem, and one for the GPS antenna.  Fortunately Jean back in Port Townsend had allowed me to rummage through Burl's computer bits and pieces and let me take what appeared to be a USB port expander: one end plugged to a computer USB port and the other end with 4 USB port connections.  I plugged the Pactor modem and GPS antenna to this port expander and they came up as COM7 and COM8.  Sailmail worked fine with this new computer, and so did C-Map, which displayed the position of the boat using the GPS antenna.  (Thanks Jean!)

On the deck yesterday I rolled out the jib for the first time in over 7 months and checked out the fittings.  I tested the electric anchor windlass and it was OK.  The Zodiac was already secured on top of the life raft but I had to lash the boarding ladder to the deck.  The cockpit is clear of no essential bits and pieces.

Today I'll visit Telcel to purchase 30 days for the dongle that provides internet access when we are within range of a cell phone tower.  We should be able to use in Escondido.  Also, I'll notify the marina of our plans.

The day before yesterday Brenda and I took inventory of the cabin lockers and were amazed at how much canned and dry provisions are on board.  No wonder, given that I had provisioned the boat for passage to Ecuador and beyond.  Some of the cans are getting rusty so we plan to eat our way out of this problem.  Nevertheless we will need fresh food so today we will purchase fruit, vegetables, meat, bread, etc.  And of course we'll stock up on beer and wine.

I put in a double load of laundry today will probably be ready this afternoon.  I'll wait until Wednesday morning before topping up our water tanks.

Trimming Around HF Equipment

Before Trimming

I've put wooden trimming around the HF radio and Pactor modem, something that I did not expect to be able to do until I reached Australia.  Although the job isn't exactly perfect because I don't have ready access to wood working equipment, it is good enough and makes that section of the bulkhead look much better.

I took to Seattle measurements of the pieces that I would need for the job.  At Home Depot near Kingston I found lengths of dressed poplar that would be suitable, and Arnold set me up with his radial arm saw and other equipment which enabled me to make the fine cuts required.  Back here in La Paz I found that some of the pieces required adjustments.  In particular there was a tricky long angled cut to be made on the top piece. One of my friends at the marina workshop made these cuts with exquisite precision.  When the wood was ready I fitted it then removed it again for staining and two coats of varnish, with a third coat after the wood was re fitted.

After Trimming

I plan to replace the stainless steel screws with brass ones at first opportunity.

Brenda in La Paz

Isla Coronados and Isla Carmen near Loreto

Caleta Partida, an island split by a volcano crater

Brenda arrived in La Paz yesterday,30  minutes ahead of schedule. Meeting Brenda was made very easy by Larry's offer to take me to the airport his SUV.  Brenda was understandably tired after her 32 hour journey but soon Larry had us back at the marina where we said our goodbyes.  I told Larry that I'm pretty sure that we will meet again.  I had very much enjoyed my time with him.

Like a sailor arriving from a long cruise Brenda was interested in a shower, and after that we had dinner at the cafe here in the marina.  Soon after that she was fast asleep.

Enclosed are some photos that Brenda took from the airplane as it was approaching La Paz.

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More on the medical front ...   Bob told me today that his coverage includes drugs.  He also said that the cost of medical coverage drops with age.  The government figures that as people get older they have less disposable income.  How refreshing that this society looks at it from the citizen's point of view. 

Isla San Francisco

Entrance to La Paz Channel

Marina de La Paz.  Pachuca on left most slip.  Note the Mogote sand bar

La Paz

Boat Ready, Sailing Notes, Mexican Medical Service

It is 12.15 PM and the boat is ready for Brenda's arrival.  I am at present enjoying a "Tsingtao" beer from Viet Nam that Larry gave to me while I wait for my 2-day old leftovers to heat for lunch.  Brenda's airplane is due to touch down at 4.22 PM and Larry has kindly offered to take me to the La Paz airport to meet Brenda.  This is a good arrangement because Larry will be leaving La Paz tomorrow and this will provide a good opportunity for them to see each other again.

To take advantage of Larry's offer to provide whatever transport might be useful to me around La Paz I have emptied the two 10-liter containers of reserve diesel into the tanks and I know that they are full.  I washed the containers to minimized the odor of diesel in Larry's car and I will ask him to take me to the filling station to fill them up.  I find this method so much easier than maneuvering the boat to the fuel jetty for just a few liters of diesel.

In tidying up the boat I transferred some notes from my conversations with Dan of Port Townend Rigging when we all had dinner at Sue's house.  Wow, will Dan's information represent a major change of how I handle my sails!

On managing the sails:
- Make you decisions keeping in mind the trend of wind speed changes (i.e. is it going up, or down?)
- 1st reef when the wind is 18-24 knots
- 2nd reef when the wind is 24-30 knots (My mainsail has only 2 reefs.)
- Go to the storm trysail when the wind speed is above 30 knots
- The weather helm should result in more that 6 degrees angle on the rudder

All of this represents a radical departure from how I have been managing my sails.  In the past I would not put the second reef until 30 knots and carry it to 45 knots when I'd be forced to heave to.  I've never used the trysail.

The trysail and staysail will have to be part of my routine in the future.  Dan explained why I had been so reluctant to use the staysail and I have started planning on the installation of short tracks dedicated to the staysail.  I figure that if the trysail goes up so will the staysail, with the headsail rolled up.  I will heave to with this configuration, unless I think that hurricane conditions are coming, in which case I'll replace the staysail with the storm jib of 30 sq ft that Victor sent to me from Australia.

Dan explained that a true cutter has its mast at station 5, there being 10 stations along the waterline.  A few days ago I came across the hull plan of Pachuca and her mast is at station 4.3.  That makes her a cutter rigged sloop, which I have heard called a "slutter".

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My friend Bob just got Mexican medical insurance which which was a startlingly low $83 per annum.  I asked him what it covers, and he replied "everything", including some dental coverage.  Another friend told me that he had brain surgery in La Paz, for a subdural hematoma.  The operation included a neurosurgeon with two doctors assisting, plus the anaesthetist and other theater staff.  He was covered for that, but had he had to pay directly the operation would have cost him about $4,000 and the hospital charge for 3 days would have been about $5,000.  He said that in the US it would have cost him $130,000.  Oh, and by the way, the doctor made post-operation house calls to his boat for three weeks.

He told me that the charge for medical insurance is related to your income.  He knows of one Japanese woman whose income was so low that she got coverage at no charge.  ... Speaking of coverage, there are no barrier due to pre existing conditions or age.

The Vaquero

Visitors to the Camp

In the morning we had visitors from the nearby ranch house.  They represented the family whose son we offered assistance on the way up.  (They "rescued" the young man and he spent the night at his home.)

Campsite on the Sierra

Almost Domesticated Road Runner

These are two videos of several that I took of the road runner at the edge of the Zaragoza settlement.  I apologize for my poor aim with the camera, but I find it exceedingly difficult to see the view finder in the glare of the outdoor light.

Clip of Puerto Escondido

Back from Ovenight Visit to Sierra

At 8 AM on Saturday morning I met Larry at the jetty gate and soon we were on the road to Constitucion, maybe 150 miles away. In less than an hour I saw my first road runner, running low and fast just as in the cartoons.


Past Constitucion we kept going straight (NW) making for Ciudad de Insurgentes instead of turning NE for the road to Loreto.  We spent several hours in Zaragoza near Insurgentes where Larry was able to find most of the people that he had come to know from his extended visits to the ranch (abandoned when the patriarch, Manuel Romero Murillo, died) in the remote San Javier area.  The meeting between Larry and the matriarch, Maria Socorro, who had hosted  Larry in her home over all those years was great to see.  She lives in an extremely simple "house" but was dressed and made up very well.  I told Larry that I could see the beauty of he younger years, which he confirmed.  We left her with a can of ice cold beer which made her very happy.  I think that Larry's reunion with these fine people was the highlight of this visit to Baja.

It was at the beginning of this visit to Zaragoza that I spotted my second road runner.  This one seemed to be somewhat more domesticated because it seemed to be contented hanging around the outskirts of the settlement, probably scavaging for food.  I stalked it a bit taking video clips.

We then proceeded on the road and turned off on the dirt track which would take us NE over the sierra and to Loreto.  Shortly after we made this turnoff Larry stopped to offer assistance to a young man by the road with the hood of his truck up.  They started to talk and the young man suddenly said Larry?  Larry hadn't seen this member of the extended family since he was a young boy.  He said that his problem was with the fuel pump but didn't seem concerned.  However, he asked us to take a gallon of fuel to his father, whom Larry knew well.

Reunion at Zaragoza

We drove on to the San Ignacio area where Larry was looking forward to showing me one of the abandoned churches dating to the 16th century.  Unfortunately the government had finally realized the value of this historic site and were charging 3500 pesos for a guided tour.  This galled Larry - who had "discovered" the site maybe two decades earlier when it was a neglected, misused and graffiti-strewn mess and had realized its value and worried about it during his frequent visits - to be charged money to see it.  We decided to push on.

Back on the road it was starting to get dark and I was worried about Larry's finding the man's house in order to hand over the fuel, and even more worried about having to make camp in the dark.  Fortunately a truck approached from ahead, stopped and blocked the road with his headlights on, and it turned out to be the man we were looking for.  One of the few cars that passed us on the road had taken word of his son's plight and our mission with the fuel.

Larry with the abuela (Maria Socorro) in her kitchen, dining, living, and dining room

After the exchange of greetings we found a splendid camp site in a flat and cleared area jutting out over the wide river bed.  I immediately started to gather firewood while Larry set up the cot, table, chair, etc.

We were woefully, even comically unprepared for camping.  On the way to Insurgentes we had purchased 8 big chicken halves, fruit, and cool drinks to present as gifts to the people that we hoped to find.  Larry spoke about getting one of the women to cook some of the chicken for us.  I questioned about how much trouble it might be for these people with their simple cooking setup to do this for us.  "Why don't we simply buy a cooked chicken for ourselves?" I mumbled too quietly and too weakly.  When we realized that the cooking was not going to happen I managed to find nearby a piece of wire about 2 ft long for cooking our chicken over the fire. 

At the camp we had roaring fire, one dull knife, no eating utensils, and no plates, pots, or pans.  Larry came up with the idea of putting bricks on each side of the bed of hot embers and my shaping our precious piece of wire into a makeshift grill of 4 supports.  For a plate Larry found the plastic lid to something.  For rolling over the piece of chicken breast with leg I used my two spare socks on my right hand as a glove.

I must admit that the chicken emerged very, very well cooked - complete with smoke taste and fire-burned skin.  My patience during the lengthy cooking process had been lubricated by several cans of ice cold Pacifico beer.  Larry doesn't eat a lot and wasn't very hungry, so I wolfed down most of the chicken (There was a second piece that we could have cooked.) using my bare hands and cleaning my fingers afterwards with the sock gloves.

It was a cold night.  I slept in the cot with a doubled wool blanket below me and one doubled blanket and a doubled sleeping bag above me.  Sleeping required much discipline because there was just enough cover above me to reach the edges of the cot.  In the middle of the night I had to fetch my coat from the truck and put it on the cot below me to keep my hip area warm.

In the morning we got visitors from the nearby farm house where the father who had met us on the road lived with his large family (12 or so children, many of them grown).  I took some videos which I will present separately.

We then pushed on to Loreto, driving straight through San Javier with its magnificent 16th century church that I had seen before.  We had lunch at an upmarket restaurant in Loreto (scallops for Larry, mexicana combinacion for me) then pushed on to have a look at Escondido.

Puerto Escondido is of great interest to me because it is a picturesque and very sheltered haven for boats.  It is almost certain that Brenda and I will visit there for several days.  After taking some videos there we pushed on and arrived in La Paz at about 8.30 PM.

Buzzer in and Engine Run

Yesterday afternoon I realized that I had forgotten to install the external buzzer/light in the cockpit engine control panel.  Our initial attempt at the end of the engine installation failed because the wrong electrical harness had been sent by Volvo.  Forgetting that task was a real pain because it would have been so easy when the port quarter berth was clear for the installation of the engine controls on Monday, but would be more difficult now because it would require yet one more clear out of the quarter berth.

I started to prepare myself for the job by looking at previous emails from Mark, looking at the basic schematic provided by Volvo, and looking at the labeling on the new harness.  There was a branch labeled "key" which had a terminator, which meant that it did not have to be connected to anything, and in my case would not be used because I do not have an engine key switch.  There was another branch with a terminator labeled "Neutral" that I had not seen before.  I telephoned Mark in Port Townsend and after digging out his copy of the Volvo schematic he explained the connections very clearly.  The "Nuetral" cable is to report when the gear is in neutral to the MDI control logic and is not used on Pachuca.  He said that the job would be easy and it looked so easy to me that I decided to do it immediately rather than wait until the next morning.

I first connected the buzzer to the new harness because a lot of force was required for the tight fit of the connectors.  I then cleared out the quarter berth area and in 10 minutes had the new harness connected in the path between the engine and the panel.  Fortunately I was able to mount the buzzer without help by pushing it through the tight hole from the inside then managing to thread the nut from the outside without pushing the buzzer back in.

I powered up the system and the buzzer and light gave to short bursts to signify that the electronics self checking had been successful.  I had feared that the buzzer would put out one of those high pitched squeals that can be heard at the other side of the marina but was pleasantly surprised at its tolerable low pitch.

This time there was no battery alarm that had resulted in my taking the alternator to Port Townsend for replacement.  At 1100 rpm I noted that the voltmeter was recording 14 volts.  I don't recall seeing more than 13.3 or 13.4 volts from the original alternator. 

I telephoned Mark and reported the success.  His reply was "Life's Good".  I thanked him for his help while thinking that life was indeed looking pretty good.

I then tidied up the cabling as best I could using plastic ties.  The photo shows the cable harnesses running along the top of one of the stringers.  Yes, I know that it looks very open and industrial, but that's the way I like it.  I want to able to reach and see as much of the wiring as possible.  At the left you can see the new engine control with the two red cables below it.

Larry Back In La Paz

I expect to be away for the next two days.  Larry Conlee arrived in La Paz on Sunday morning after the long drive from his home in Oregon.  Brenda and I met Larry at the hotel we stayed at in the early summer, and he took us on a memorable tour of the Loreto area.  We plan to visit the mountains in the Loreto area, prepared to sleep rough in the bush if we have to.  One will sleep in the truck, the other will on a cot under the stars.  I told Larry that I wasn't fussed about where I slept until he mentioned the cougars lurking around them thar hills.

Engine Controls Intalled

Throttle Linkage

Joel was here at 8.30 AM to complete the installation of the new engine controls.

Fortunately he had found a connector for joining the cable to the gear shift lever.  As usual his work was measured and meticulous.  After starting the engine and testing the linkage he made some minor adjustments then pronounced the work "perfecto".

Mark had strongly advised me to have Joel do the installation rather than trying it myself, and how right he was.  It would have taken me 3 or 4 nerve wracking day to do it, and still I would be worrying about the robustness of the result.

The control cables are standard ones 18 ft long.  This has allowed generous loops at the engine end, but after doing some measurements I think that in future I will get 17 ft cables.  This will allow a straighter run to the accelerator and an adequate loop for the transmission.

Transmission Linkage

The engine is idling at about 750 rpm.

Doing the short time that we ran the engine I noticed that the voltage meter at the cockpit was creeping up nicely to 14 volts with no battery alarm.

Cable Loops

Using the computer translator I told Joel of my plans to head for the islands in 2 weeks for a month or so.  I told him that the engine at present has 25 hours on the clock and I expect it to have over 50 hours when I return.  I explained that on my return I will change the oil and filter myself because I must learn how to do it.  Joel didn't think that valve clearances would have to be checked but he would look at the engine alignment.

At this point it appears that Pachuca is ready for Sea.

Work Day on Pachuca

It's been a day of activity on Pachuca.

At 8.30 AM Noel arrived to start work on polishing the boat's stainless steel fittings.  Noel has been cultivating me for some work since my first day in La Paz.  Shortly before I departed for Seattle he volunteered to watch over my boat and twice telephoned me at Arnold's home to tell me that all was OK with Pachuca.  Call me a soft touch, but he is a nice man, raising a boy and girl, and can use the money.  He worked hard until noon and seemed to take pride in his work, with justification.  He will return tomorrow to finish the job and if his charge is OK (He quoted only 50 pesos which must mean that he misunderstood the scope of the job.) then I'll engage him to polish the hull after our return from cruising the islands.  I feel uncomfortable hirng people to do hack work that I've always done myelf but maybe it's time that I got used to it.

Old Controls Removed

Joel showed up at 9 AM for the serious work of installing the new Volvo engine controls.  Things went very well until the very end, which I'll explain later.  Before Joel arrived I removed the old controls and the teak facing in the cockpit, which revealed our first good break: the teak facing concealed only a round hold for the levers rather than a large open rectangle. This meant that we would not have to do any fiberglass filling.  I got Joel's OK to fill some holes with epoxy, given that it would take 2 or 3 hours before area would be cut.

Gear Cable (Actually a Steering Cable) That Failed

Joel used a jig saw to cut the required rectangle opening and by lunch the levers were in position for drilling and bolting down.  Joel was about to pull through the old gear shift cable and I suggested that he use it as a pull-through for the new cable.  He opened the door leading to the below cockpit area and looking at the wall of batteries realized immediately why we'd have no hope of threading the new cable by hand, so the pull through tactic it was.

Joel at Work with Jig Saw

We needed to be absolutely sure the direction of the gear lever movement for forward and reverse.  I telephoned Mark in Port Townend for advice and was told that he was expected back in 20 minutes.  Joel then made the obvious suggestion of simply starting the engine and see how the propeller moved in both gear position.  This worked fine, except that I forgot to give Joel my song and dance about having recently installed the alternator and maybe it should be double checked.  We started the engine for the first time since mid November and it ran fine, with no problem from the alternator.

Standard Volvo Single Lever Throttle and Gear Control

At the end of the day we were tantalizingly close to completion: the levers were bolted on, the cables were threaded through (the throttle cable was already in position from the old setup), and the throttle was connected.  Unfortunately I could not find a tiny connector by which the gear shift cable (which is identical to the throttle cable) is connected to the gear shift lever.  Annoying as this is, I'm not beating myself up too much over this because that material went through several hands before I stored it for future use. In the scheme of things I would not have noticed a tiny component for hooking up the gear cable.  Anyway, Joel hopes that he will find something suitable in his workshop tomorrow morning.

Propeller is In

Jose installed the propeller yesterday.




The operation took longer than expected because the fancy new anode that he had suggested to be screwed in at the end of the shaft required modification. The long slots provided for the stainless steel cotter pin did not reach the hole at the shaft so we were forced to drill a hole through the nut part of the brass fitting.  Jose marked the location and I drilled using my Bosch portable drill which proved to be up to the task. I had to use a bigger bit to take enough off the top of one of the holes to take the cotter pin head so that it would not be proud and interfere with the fitting of the actual anode.  Then I had the more delicate job of cutting a channel from the other hole to allow us to lay the end of the cotter pin below the level of the brass, also to allow the fitting of the anode. 

Modified Brass Fitting

After more than 2 hours of work Jose surfaced with a big smile and pronounced the job completed.

Back on the jetty he commented on the very good condition of the propeller - "like new" he stated, which is a pretty good testimonial to a propeller that probably dates back to 1983, when Pachuca was built.  

New Anode at End of Shaft

... But that begs the question of why the new end-of-shaft anode was required if the traditional clamp-on shaft anodes had done such a good job.  I'll dive on the propeller to make sure that it is still nice and tight after a few hours of running, but in any event I will probably revert to the tried and true nut, washer, and cotter pin sometime in the future.

Incidentally, the consensus is that there is no point in antifouling propellers because nothing works for very long.  Even that vaunted and very expensive "Prop Guard" that I tried proved to be useless.  Everyone, including Jose, advises to leave the prop bare and scrub it as required.

The propeller job marks the second (the alternator was first) of three tasks required to prepare Pachuca for sea.  This morning I will attempt to engage Joel to fit the new Volvo engine controls.

Replacement Alternator Installed

I have just completed the installation of the new alternator.  Thanks to the simplicity of the design and the photographs that I had taken I had no problem.  I found the gauging of the belt tension a bit tricky because of the short spans so I erred on the side of caution (ie not too tight) and will ask Joel for an opinion and will have a look at the system in action.

The 20 minute operation took me two hours because I first cleaned the engine and bed then proceeded at a snail's pace checking and re checking everything.  Also, I had visitors.  Jose came by full of apologies for not showing up yesterday to reinstall the propeller.  I told him that it was no problem.  He will return between 10AM and 2PM tomorrow to do the job.  The delay was actually to my advantage because it gave me time to assemble the two new anodes for the shaft, propeller key and nut, as well as the new propeller anode that will replace the old nut.  He took away the bolt of that anode for a modification.  The bolt holds the anode to the brass frame which means that when the anode deteriorates the bolt becomes loose can back out resulting in the loss of the anode.  He will get a longer bolt to fit from the inside out with a locking nuts between the anode and the frame and outside of the anode.

Propeller Anode

Then Steve, a sailor whom I met this morning, dropped by with literature on a new kind of  heavy weather tactic using a series (ie lots of small cones) drogue developed by Donald Jordan that he swears by.

Steve is an experienced sailor and knows a lot about boats.  He gets regular emails from Jeane Socrates whom he got to know over the HF radio and we discussed her situation.

Steve is off to cruise the islands for a week and I am looking forward to seeing more of him after he returns to La Paz.

Settling In

This is the beginning of my third day in La Paz and things are slowly getting back to normal. 

With the Aduana thing behind me I was able to make two foray into town yesterday for food shopping and a badly needed haircut.  It was a real pleasure to once again bicycle around La Paz in the sunhine wearing shorts and T-shirt.  The haircut, which included trimming of my eyebrows and around my ears, cost a princely 50 pesos, or just over $4.00.  At the Bravo Market I purchased a kilo of fresh tuna and a variety of vegetables, and later at Issste I picked up rice, bread, and a few other things.  Reaching for that loaf of Bimbo bread was like meeting and old friend. 

I could and probably will do some eating out, but I generally prefer to eat the basic and simple meals that I prepare on the boat.  Last night I boiled white rice with a carrot and a sliced onion, fried some fish in olive oil, stirred spaghetti sauce into the rice to give it flavor, and there was my meal.  Desert was dried raisins.

By now I have made contact with most of my friends at the marina.  Bob Carroll visited the boat for an entertaining hour yesterday and I've had coffee on two mornings with the guys at the cafe.  This morning I handed to Ken two large containers of "Johnny's Seasoning Salt" which he said would last him 4 or 5 years. 

I've become aware of the physical toll that those recent colds have taken on me.  It's going to take me a while to feel normal again.  Maybe it's an age thing.  Bob told me that the bug hit La Paz at about the time I left for the USA.  That explained why the cab driver bringing me from the airport had a very familiar chesty cough. 

This afternoon I will try to install the alternator.  Fortunately I took some pretty good photos when I hastily removed it before flying out.

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I read this morning that Jeanne Socrates is anchored in Calleta Martial, on Herschel Island, just ten miles due north of the Cape to get some well earned rest.  She has put out only one anchor with 50 meters of chain in 10 meters of depth, though she has a stern anchor ready to go.  I hope that she has good protection from the Williwaws.

Naturally I am relating Jeanne's travails with my plans to round the Horn at about this same time next year.  I hope that for me things will be different.  Mark reminded me that I had commented that Jeanne was closing in on the mainland much faster than I would have.  She reported that she was only 58 miles from the nearest point in Chile.  That would have been at the edge of the shallows and inside the "squash" zone where the northwest winds encounter the mountain barrier and are concentrated along the west coast.  I plan to stand off at least 150 miles from the coast before making my turn near the latitude of the Horn.

The other issue is the design of the boats.  I was told this morning that Jeanne's Najad 380 (http://www.svnereida.com/about/about.php) has more freeboard that my low-profile S&S 39, with its curved deck and tumblehome hull. Our boats have similar length and beams. Unfortunately I don't know enough about the specifications of my boat to compare ballast ratios, though I think that her boat weighs about 1.5 tons more and don't think that it has a tumblehome hull.

Flip Side of Good Byes

Yesterday morning I commented on how hard it is to say good bye to friends, but in the  afternoon I experienced the flip side.

I was walking along the jetty back to Pachuca with my recently released boat equipment when I heard someone call out my name.  I looked back and was too shocked at whom I thought I was seeing to say anything.  "It's Richard from Firewater, with Doris" he said.  What a wonderful surprise.

Arnold and I had met Richard and Doris when we were at anchor in Radio Bay at Hilo.  About 2 months later Richard arrived at Ala Wai Boat Harbor and we were boating neighbors for about two months.

Doris then flew back to Ucluelet BC and Richard set sail for BC via Kauai.  It was to be the 16th time that he had made the trip and as usual he headed north to 41or 42 degrees latitude to reach the Westerlies.   I left Oahu about two weeks later and we kept in daily touch via the HF radio.

Soon it became apparant that Richard was going to have a difficult transit.  He wound up on the north side of a low that pushed him west, then the fog and calm air set in.  From Richard's experience I decided to pass more to the south, just skirting the center of the unstable Pacific High that was squirreling around all over the place.  Every day I would pass to Richard weather information from my grib files and weather faxes and every day Richard would complain about the fog and light airs.  He tried motoring north, then south, but nothing seemed to work.

He came very close to being run down by a ship.  He had just shut down his engine from a battery charge run but he could still hear an engine noise.  Ship!  By the time his old radar became operational it would all be over, so he got on the VHF.  When Richard told them his position he could tell that they were shocked - they were right on top of him.  Yesterday Richard told me that the fog was too thick to see the ship as it passed but he pointed to the fence which represented a boat length.  He could hear the ship's blowers as it went by.

Richard made it to Ucluelet after a 46-day passage, one day before I made Neah Bay after my 30 day passage.  Even then he was forced to use the last of his fuel to motor all night against an adverse wind.

I kept in touch with Richard until Pachuca was lifted out of the water in Port Townsend and my HF radio became useless because there was no ground.  Arnold went to the trouble of bringing a spike from his home, which we drove into the ground and connected to the HF radio.  Unfortunately that didn't work and I lost touch with Richard, who is not into computer, email, mobile telephones, etc.  I sent an email to the harbor master at Ucluelet and got no response.

Richard arrived a La Paz a few weeks ago and they are at anchor on the Mogote.  It didn't take long for him to spot Pachuca as they motored to and from the dinghy dock, but he could tell that I was not on board.  By sheer luck he caught sight of my profile yesterday as they were preparing to get into their dinghy. 

When I expressed shock at seeing him he asked why, because this is what they do.  In winter they work their way down the West Coat to La Paz then they set off for Hawaii and after that he heads back to Ucluelet.  Maybe it is from Richard that I got the idea of perpetually sailing the Juan de Fuca - La Paz - Hawaii triangle.  He is certainly living that dream.

Richard and Doris expect to be in La Paz for another week and I certainly want to see more of them before they depart.

Alternator and Engine Controls Now On Board

Eco Naviera did a superb job and the alternator and engine controls are now on board Pachuca.

Yolanda returned from Pichilingue at 2.30 PM yesterday and soon she, her colleague, and I were in the car headed for the airport.  My equipment had been moved from the airport terminal building to the Aduana compound a half mile away.  At the gate papers were presented to the guard, along with my name.  He went into the building to consult with somebody then returned to let us through the gate.

The customs man was fastidious in checking out my paperwork and the equipment.  He got fussy because the customs girl who had typed the letter at the airport had described only one engine control box instead of two, and had not specified any part numbers. I kept cool with a smile on my face and let my representatives do the talking.  At 3.30 PM the equipment was released into my hands.

For me to have tried to do this alone would have probably taken several frustrating days with maybe return trips to airport customs and Pichilingue.  This way was much better: I arrived in force with two experienced representatives to do the talking. 

The cost of Eco Naviera's service was a remarkably low $60.  The cab fare to the airport and back alone would have cost me $54.

Propeller Handover

For me one of the most difficult aspects of this cruising life is saying goodbye - to places and more painfully to people.

Ib visited the boat for about and hour and Yadranka dropped by later.  They are setting off tomorrow for the southern part of Mexico and their plan is to depart from Mexico in March and head for Australia via the South Pacific.  They have a beautiful boat that is in great condition and can look forward to having the time of their lives.  Ib said that he's got the feeling that we'll see each other again and for that matter so do I. 

I handed to Ib the GPS receiver that he had ordered for delivery to Arnold's home and he took out of his back pack Pachuca's propeller that he had carried on foot from another marina.

I was not prepared for the quality of work that had been done on the propeller in Mazatlan - at first glance it looked like a new one.  The diameter had been reduced to cut away nicks at the tips and the edges had been very professionally chamfered and rounded.  Running across the blades were three concentric lines that Ib said were part of the process of balancing the propeller.  The entire thing had been buffed and polished.  Note the stamping shown in the photo: diameter 16.5 inches, right handed propeller, 14 inch pitch.  This wasn't the product of a guy pounding with a hammer under a spreading chestnut tree - it looked like the product of a well equipped workshop with people who know what they are doing.

As luck would have it Jose walked by wearing his wet suit and was ready to fit the propeller immediately.  I explained that I had the urgent business with the Eduana so he agreed to do it tomorrow.

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Things look better for me on the Aduana front.  I didn't really like the idea of going to Pichilingue to deal with the Customs problem.  Cab rides would cost me about $25 each way and I would have spent the entire day getting there in back by bus.  Once there I would be at a big disadvantage in dealing with the Spanish speaking bureaucracy.

Fortunately as I was walking out of the marina I made a snap decision to see if Eco Naviera could help me.  This is the sort of service that they provide and they were certainly efficient in setting me up for my FM3 residency.

At noon I met Yolanda with all of my documentation.  I explained the issue and  she replied that she could help me.   She then made copies of some of my documents, including my TIP (Temporary Importation Permit), as well as two invoices from Shoreline Marine Diesel.  As luck would have it she was heading off the Pichilinque.  When she asked me if I was prepared to take a ride with her to the airport later this afternoon I had to fight very hard the impulse to pick her up and plant a kiss on her cheek.  I am supposed to meet her at the office at 2 PM. 

Sure, I'll have to pay for the service, but on the other hand I wou't have to spend $100 in cab fares to and from both Pichilingue and the airport, not to mention the risk of coming up empty handed.

Ib put it best: there are ways to save money, but this isn't one of them.