Teak Block, Package Arrived, Low Bow, Rescue

I arrived at the boat just before 8 AM and found the wooden block that Reggie had produced.  It was cut to perfection out of a 35mm (1.5") thick piece of teak.  I then visited Reggie who was working on the deck of Ozark Lady and he charged me only 200 pesos for the job.  What a bargain!  Just the piece of teak was worth 200 pesos to me. I gave him an extra 50 pesos for doing the job so quickly.

Raymarine Fluxgate Compass

For the last 2 days I've been arriving at the boat early enough to hear the 8 AM Club Cruceros net on VHF 22.  That was how I learned that Rick had arrived in La Paz.  Today I heard that there was a large package for Pachuca at the "bottom of the mail box".  It turned out to be the Raymarine flux gate compass that I had ordered 2 weeks earlier, and it was in the Club Cruceros mailbox.  (The dark display at the rear in the photo is the Trimble repeater that I recently removed from the binnacle.) I was wondering why it had wound up in Club Crucero's hands instead of at the Marina office, to where it was addressed.  David told me that it had not gone through the Mexican postal system.  I asked how the US Postal Service had gotten it to La Paz.  He said that they must have their own means, possibly through Mail Call in San Diego.  Better yet, no duty had been charged.  David says that the Mexican Aduana is very inconsistent regarding duty on items valued at less than $1,000 - sometimes it charges and sometimes it doesn't.  Anyway, I have safely received the package at a grand total of $32.57 via USPS vs close to $140 plus over $50 customs duty for the GPS via UPS.  This experience has made me less reluctant to order items from Defender and other internet sites.

I've had several comments regarding Pachuca's very low bow.  In fact she is now sitting slightly up at the bow, according to her painted waterline.  The accompanying photo shows the stark contrast of Pachuca's bow (the low one with the metal plate) with that of two sail boats on the near side and two motor boats on the far side.  You can see why the lower chain locker drain takes water in when the boat dips into the waves.

How Low Can You Go

At the Club Cruceros net session I heard the captain's account of his loss of power and steerage.  The vessel is a 40,000 lb sail boat that lost engine power at 6.30 AM due to a blocked fuel line while its batteries were low.  They were 25 nm out of La Paz and tried sailing in light winds up the Cerralvo but were forced to turn back.  I know that channel.  It can act as a wind tunnel and can have serious tidal currents.  Another sailboat came to their aid but its engine was not strong enough to successfully tow the stricken vessel.  Unfortunately the tow line somehow fouled the rudder, if I heard correctly, robbing them of steerage.  At this point they would have put out their general distress call.  I think that it was the next morning, when they figured that they were 3 hours from hitting the rocks and getting nervous, that they saw a Mexican navy vessel approaching through the mist.  The sailboat was put under tow with Mexican navy personnel on the sailboat and the sailboat crew on the navy ship.  A navy man explained that it is their policy to ensure the safety of the crew and boat, which means that the rescued crew must ride on the navy boat.  Outside of the entrance the La Paz Marina pangas took over and brought the boat in for a happy ending.  The sailboat captain seemed very relieved, happy, and grateful, and who can blame him: the entire operation was a credit to everyone involved.  I am particularly impressed with the Mexican navy. I keep hearing over and over how prompt and helpful they are to boats in distress.