Day 5 - Out to Sea and On My Way

I had an easy night. For dinner I had the rice, vegetables, and sardines meal that suits me so well, followed by desert of yogurt and banana. I decided to be really good to myself and had the first bath since leaving La Paz - a salt water bucket bath in the cockpit under the stars, with about two cupfuls of fresh water for rinsing vital areas. The bath and change of underclothes lifted my morale. I watched a movie ("We Were Soldiers") then went to sleep at 10 PM.

I was up at 5 AM and after breakfast I further prepared the boat for sea by shutting the quarter berth ports. Later in the day I would remove the solar fan from the head ceiling and put in the plastic cap sealed with silicone.

At 7 AM, first light, I started the engine then weighed anchor and motored out. If things went to plan this would be my last anchor work until Cape Town.

Unfortunately there was very little wind and the sea was almost flat, making me wonder if I would be able to sail at all this day. I was determined to break out into the Pacific Ocean even if it meant motoring for 20 hours.

Soon after getting under way I looked into a discrepancy I had noticed between the speed (SOG) reported by the Garmin GPS at the binnacle and that reported by the Raymarine chart plotter. I started the Trimble GPS and it agreed with the chart plotter. I had a close look at the Garmin display and next to the large speed numbers was "m/hr" in small print, so the Garmin had been reporting speed in statute miles per hour, yielding a number 15% higher that expected.

This means that the speed data that I reported from the trials that Bob Carroll and I ran several weeks ago must be multiplied by 0.869. However, the ratios of speed to rpm are still valid. So Pachuca's phenomenal speed on that day and the ease with which she exceeded her theoretical hull speed never happened.

I found the Garmin CD and soon had the speed reported in knots. While I was at it I included time of day as one of the four displays, which are: Time of Day, Position, SOG, and Track.

Later on I did that sealing job on the head vent. Hopefully there will be no drips when the deck is awash. I also discovered that I have 10 more liters of diesel than I had calculated. The 5 gallon plastic jerry cans come in two profiles: short and wide, and tall and narrow. But the three red ones that I had purchased at Arjona looked a bit bigger. I check and sure enough they were marked as 6 gallon or 23.6 liters, meaning that I had an extra 3 gallons of diesel on the deck. That may not sound like much but it translates to 10 days and maybe 2 weeks of battery charging runs.

In the afternoon a slight breeze arose from the south. I worried that the seas would build up and hamper my drive to Cabo San Lucas. The GRIB file had been totally wrong in the wind prediction, but they are known to not be very reliable near land. By 2 PM the wind had strengthened enough to do some sailing. The wind was only about 5 or 6 kt from the south, but in a calm sea I figured that I would be able to beat into it, giving me an apparent wind of about 9 kt. I headed the boat dead into the wind and brought up the mainsail with unexpected ease. I decided to go on a starboard tack to clear Cabo so set a course of SE and rolled out the headsail then shut down the engine at 100.4 hours. We were sailing quietly into the gentle sea at 3.5 kt and I was feeling good about the situation. I celebrated with an ice cold grapefruit which was very refreshing. An hour later the wind had faded too much for sailing so I rolled in the headsail and started the motor. Fortunately the wind picked up 30 minutes later and had veered 20 or 30 degrees so I resumed sailing on a course of 165 degrees. This was taking me parallel to the Mexican mainland 190 miles away. My plans for crossing the shipping lanes to the west would have to wait for another day.

On the positive side, I was out of the Sea of Cortez sailing south in a calm Pacific Ocean that was providing a following sea.

The Baja peninsula was receding behind me and I was on my way.

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Day 4 - Lay Day at Frailes

I woke up at 7.30 PM feeling good after an evening of 3 eggs fried with ham and cheese followed by a horrible no brainer action movie "The Cave". The boat was still in 12 meters of water and all was well after a very quiet night.

My first galley task was to fill up the water jug. I was pleased to see that I had not totally used up the previous day's quota. I had a closer look and saw that there was .5 liters of water remaining in the jug and then I noticed that the capacity of the jug is 2.8 liters, not 3.8 liters that I had in my head. No wonder I was having so much trouble getting by on 3.8 liters a day - it was actually 2.8 liters a day. So yesterday I used 2.3 liters of fresh water during the entire day. That isn't bad considering that the days are rather hot and I need quite a bit of water just for drinking. (Is is sustainable? Yes, if you don't wash clothes and wash everything else - including your teeth - with sea water.)

On deck I set up the perimeter line. I found a superb length of half-inch rope, never been used and very supple. I wanted to use good rope because I'll be relying on this line to keep me balanced when walking to the mast, not to mention keeping me on board if the unexpected happens. I made a very tight and secure knot on the cockpit stainless steel frame on the starboard side, ran it to the inner shroud and after a couple of wraps around that passed the line across to the port side inner shroud. After a couple of wraps around that I ran the line back to the stainless steel cockpit frame on the port side and made it off with another tight and secure knot. There remained enough line for me to run the end of the line to the back of the frame, giving me a secure line above the stainless steel tubing that runs along the side of the cockpit. With a short piece of line I ran a line on the starboard side too.

I'll deal with the issue of a jack line running along the center of the foredeck to the bow after I am out at sea and have stowed the anchor.

Then I gave the engine a "major" check. I slid back the cover and had a careful look all around. All looked clean and in order. The belt tension was good. The engine and transmission levels were good. The coolant level was good too. I had looked at the vacuum gauge in front of the Racor fuel filter two days earlier while the engine was running at 2000 rpm and the needle was still firmly in the "0" zone, with no hit of climbing to the amber "danger" zone.

Then it was time to top up the internal fuel tanks. The engine hours were at 92.7 which meant that I had run the engine 13.6 hours since the tanks were last filled. I brought out the legendary Baja fuel filter on deck from its secure storage between the V berths. I treat this device with as much respect as my computers and navigation equipment. It is a superbly engineered piece of equipment that with its three filters is alleged to filter out water. When I purchased it at Whale Point in Richmond I was told that Baja filters were no longer being made and I got one of the last available ones.

The filter fits nicely in the boat's fuel intakes on the cockpit coaming, but as a precaution I secured the it to the boat with a lanyard. The first jerry container I chose was the one on the starboard side with a missing vent cap. I need not have worried because the electrical tape that I had used to seal the vent was as tight and secure as any cap. I emptied out the 20 liters in that container then fetched another one from the port side. Soon I got a pleasant surprise: the tanks were full after pouring in only 1/3 of the second jerry container.

My best estimate is that 27 liters of diesel were consumed in the 13.6 hours of running. That's only 2 liters an hour, which is amazing considering that the bulk of the time I was running the engine at between 2000 and 2400 rpm. This seems too good to be true, but I've double checked the numbers and cannot find a mistake. ... It's possible that the internal tanks were more full when I filled them at the marina, but today I was taken by surprise and overfilled, sadly losing a half liter over the side. For now I'll assume a conservative fuel consumption of 2.5 liters per hour in my calculations. I'm thinking that just maybe the fuel consumption will be down to 1 or 1.25 liters per hour when I'm chugging along at 1000 rpm charging the batteries, driving the boat, and warming the cabin (Yes!).

After a light lunch of fruit I had a go at the salt water pump at the galley. I managed to free the plunger but something must have broken inside because the plunger action is erratic and it has no seal. I could have put in an hour removing the pump from the counter top and unscrewing the cylinder base to have a look inside, and I may do that in the future. However, by then I had figured out a work around that is better than getting the pump going again. The thru hull ball cock supplying salt water to the pump works very well. I removed the hose from the fitting, cracked the valve open, and sea water began to spurt in. I then shut the valve and not a drop came through. I've reconnected the hose to the thru hull fitting but removed the other end from the pump. Whenever I need sea water I'll put the free end of the hose into a bucket and open the ball cock valve. I've tried it and it works fine. I took the opportunity to establish the waterline of the boat inside the cabin. It runs midway across the oven and about a foot above the cushions of the cabin settees. So whether I am standing, sitting, or lieing down, when I am in the main cabin I am contributing to the stability of the boat.

That type of pump has been a disaster for me. The first one lost its ability to prime after a few months and broke down totally after about a year. This replacement pump was installed less than 2 years ago and soon lost its ability to self prime. Both Brenda and Arnold have many seen me sucking on the spout of the pump trying to bring up the sea water so that the pump would start working. Who needs that? I'd rather open the door underneath the sink, pull out the hose, open the valve, and get a quick half a bucket of sea water instead of getting a mouth full of sea water then pumping up and down for several minutes like a madman. ... What I'm really happy about is that I won't have to face the prospect of dipping buckets into the frigid waters of the Southern Ocean. Besides, I don't think that my four plastic buckets could have stood up to that stress for 3 months.

After a break I removed the asymmetrical spinnaker out of the sail locker. The sail lockers on this boat are great for storage but terrible for day to day work. The problem is that the sail lockers are buried under the overburden of everything else stored in the V berth area. The result is that to get to a sail I must devote hard 20 minutes to removing items from the V berth area into the main cabin, then remove the mattress on top of the locker, then lift the locker lid and first remove any sails on top of the one that is required. In this case the spinnaker was at the bottom of the locker.

Last night I began to think of the possibility of using the spinnaker to help me get past Cabo without running the engine for 10 hours. The wind conditions will probably be right and if I can manage it I'll have a fast end enjoyable ride, so it would be worth the effort. If I do decide to fly it I'll have to work calmly and alertly, keeping the thought in my mind that if I am bold enough to plan on rounding the Horn on my own I should be bold enough to come to grips with the spinnaker. Anyway, to that end I now have the spinnaker on top of the sail locker ready to be pulled onto the foredeck. In its place I stowed several boat fenders and a mooring rope in the locker.

That completed the bulk of my rest day. Unless the grib wind report gives me a surprise tonight I'll probably depart for Cabo and the Pacific Ocean shortly after dawn tomorrow. It will be a long day.

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Day 3 - Frailes

Today I made the 46 mile passage from Muertos to Bahia Los Frailes (23N23, 109W25).

I woke up at 5 AM to find a moderate breeze out of the NW but by the time I had finished having breakfast it had died to an insignificant 2 or 3 kt. I considered waiting another day at Muertos hoping for better wind but I decided that it was important that I position myself at Frailes to take advantage of the next round of strong northerlies. I weighed anchor at 7.30 AM and motored out thinking what a fine anchorage Muertos is in all respects. It's always nice to be able to see your anchor dug in nicely in the sand bottom.

For most of the morning I motored at 2000 rpm, making about 4.5 kt with the help of the gentle fair wind and following sea. A couple of times I rolled out a bit of headsail only to find that the 7-8 kt apparent wind was not quite enough to keep the sail full and steady. However, when I came out to the cockpit to have my lunch (ham & cheese with mustard sandwich) the wind seemed a touch stronger so I rolled out the sail once again and this time it was good, so I shut down the engine. By noon I was enjoying my sandwich while watching the jib take us downwind at 4.5 kt with an apparent wind ranging from 9 to 13 kt.

I did a few useful things while motoring. I set my laptop, chart plotter, and Trimble GPS clocks to UTC because everything in the world of navigation, radio session schedules, and weather charts revolves around UTC. To confirm that I had set the time correctly I downloaded 3 weather faxes from Pt Reyes California and they were the ones that I expected. I confirmed that the Sailmail weather fax menu lists Chilean station CBV with frequencies the same as I found on the internet. This was good. I think that CBV and Pachuca are destined to have a short but intense relationship in the near future. I then had a closer look at what the American sites (Honolulu, Kodiac, Pt Reyes) offered and discovered excellent faxes of surface pressure gradients and wind & waves of the tropical areas covering the Eastern Pacific from 20 degrees south to 30 degrees north of the equator and east of 145 degrees. I downloaded these faxes and saw in the wind and wave report another indication that I can expect very slow going from my departure point at the southern tip of the Baja peninsula to 10 degrees south of the equator. That represents a distance of about 2000 miles. Between 10 and 5 degrees north of the equator I'll be passing through the narrow band of the "monsoon trough" which just may deliver me a bit of rain. I can expect to be in the arms of the SE trade winds at about 10 degrees south and will then begin to make better time. I'll have to sail my way to 10 S because I simply don't carry enough fuel to motor at that scale. I'll make some extra progress when running the engine to charge the batteries, but that will be a drop in the bucket, so to speak.

After lunch I felt snoozy so I set up the lee sheet on the port cabin seat, set the timer to 20 minutes, and lay down for a nap. The autopilot cannot be trusted because it will disengage with no notice at random times. However, I knew that were this to happen the boat would round up into the wind (and away from land!) and the changed pattern would wake me. In any event anticipated the alarms in both of my 20 minute lie downs. Resting in the bunk feeling and hearing the sway of the boat, looking up through the main hatch and seeing the jib doing its little dance, and hearing the hum of the wind generator reminded me what cruising is about, and it was good to be back. After my mini naps I had a look around from the cockpit and realized that it really was a splendid day for sailing: 12 kt breeze, following sea, clear blue sky, and the temperature at 85F which I consider temperate.

The late afternoon was a repeat of the previous day. The wind slowed and backed to the NW. I rolled in the jib at 330 PM and began to motor. As I got close to Frailes I noticed another boat coming up from the south. I didn't think that he had a chance of beating me to the anchorage but after 45 minutes I concluded that he was hiking along so I sped up too. I arrived 15 minutes ahead of the boat and surveyed the narrow arc of the NE corner which gives protection from the northerlies. I had studied Frailes very well in the cruising guide and anchored under the shadow of Cerro Los Frailes, a huge rock 755 ft high. I didn't have time to fuss around. It was 7 PM and the light was failing, and I had the crew in the arriving boat waiting to see what I would do. I ran parallel to the rock until I got as close to the first of the two boats at anchor that I wanted to get, turned into the rock, and dropped anchor in 11 meters of water about 400 meters from the rock wall. The arriving boat then squeezed in between me and the boat whose distance I wanted to respect but I didn't mind because any ensuing difficulties will be on them. But they were not game enough to get as close to the rock as I did. Let's hope that they don't know something I don't. Risks aside, being snuggled up so close to the rock is giving me extremely good protection from the northern breeze.

I plan to spend at least one full day here at Frailes resting up and preparing for the final lunge into the open ocean. I'll take some time to investigate why the salt water pump in the galley has seized up when it worked fine when I tried it two months ago. Unfortunately I don't have a spare pump and if I can't get this one to work I'll face 3 months of dipping buckets into the ocean for my salt water supplies. I also want to put a rope fence from the bimini to the shroud to the mast. This idea came from Dieter many months ago in Hawaii and I found it invaluable in helping me get to the mast safely. I will also think of safety measures from the mast to the pulpit.

I'll also check the fluid levels in the engine and top on the internal diesel tanks from my precious stock on deck. As of tonight the engine has 92.7 hours on the clock, meaning that I have run it 13.6 hours since leaving La Paz. Assuming consumption of 3 liters per hours that two full jerry cans out of my 12 on deck that will be used. I'm not panicking. I expected to use a lot of fuel in my quest for the Pacific Ocean.

I may stay longer than one day because I don't want to set off until I am confident of good winds to boost me along.

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Day 2-Bahia de Los Muertos

Today I made the passage from Lobos to Muertos (23N59,109W50) as planned.

I was up before dawn at 6 AM and at 7 AM began preparations for departure (e.g. anchor light off, both anchor alarms off, visual check of the engine). At 7.45 AM I started the engine and 15 minutes later was motoring out of Lobos. I took advantage of the apparent wind from dead ahead to raise the mainsail for the first time in 6 months or more. It was hard work but went better than I had expected given that I had not taken time to lubricate the track and slides. I passed between the San Lorenzo Channel markers at 9.30 AM and soon I was on a SE course down the Cerralvo Channel with the wind on off the port quarter and a partial jib to assist the mainsail, and making a surprising speed of 6-7 knots. At the San Lorenzo Channel I passed near a Baja ferry on the way to La Paz. I was glad to hear the "Dangerous Object" AIS alarm as the ship approached.

The wind began to sag in the middle of the day and at 1.30 PM I was forced to drop the mainsail and run downwind with the full genoa. Instantly I picked up a half knot and the boat began to sail itself quietly without the boom flogging. I set up the Monitor wind steering and by 3 PM the wind had picked up and Pachuca was happily doing 6 kt under Monitor steering. When I got close to Muertos the wind became unstable so I rolled in the headsail and motored for the last hour of the journey. I dropped anchor at 6.30 PM in 5.5 meters of water. The wind was coming from the north at 11 knots. The engine had 85.9 hours, which meant that I had motored 4.4 hours out of the 10.5 hour journey.

Brenda and Stephen reached me by mobile telephone and we spoke after I had dropped anchor. Stephen had a quick look on the Web and confirmed that there is no tropical storm activity seen south of here for the next 48 hours.

I plan to get an early start in the morning an make for Bahia Los Frailes,46 miles to the south.

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Day 1 - Caleta Lobos

I left the Marina de La Paz and dropped anchor at Caleta Lobos (24N18, 110W20)10 miles away as planned.

I had coffee some of the group then said my good byes to Mac his son Neil who now runs the marina, and Joel, the man who installed my new engine. I got a pleasant surprise when I visited the marina office to square my accounts. I had forgotten that I had posted a bond to cover a full month's lease of the slip so the net result was a refund of $420 USD which will be electronically deposited into my Aussie bank account. At the last moment I remembered to get two more locks of ice for the ice box.

Bob, Don and Rick helped me with the lines and at 12.15 PM I was on my way. After days of calm winds a 17-18 kt northerly wind started at mid morning and I was forced to motor into an apparent wind of 20-22 kt. Amazingly I was making 7.3 kt over the ground which meant that the ebbing tide was providing much help. At the end of the channel I was down to 6.8 kt and in the open water the speed got down to 4.8 kt at times. Nevertheless as Bob had predicted I arrived at Caleta Lobos in 2 hours and dropped anchor at the northern anchorage in 8 m of water because there were already two boats at the eastern end of the bay. I recognized the spot as one that Brenda and I had visited once before. Bob had given me good advice to anchor at Lobos rather than Balandra, which is larger and has an easier approach but is too exposed to the north. At Lobos I was getting 15 kts of wind at the top of the mast but the boat was in calm water due to the good protection from the hills ahead. The first thing I did when I confirmed that the anchor had bitten was to record my exact position, set the anchor alarms on both the chart plotter and David's "GPS Logger", then note the compass bearing to take me out of the bay if I was forced to exit in a hurry.

After a cup of tea I stowed the mooring lies, cleaned and stowed the fenders, and ran the safety harness jack lines along both sides of the deck. At 5 PM the mobile phone rang and I had a chat with Brenda and Stephen. Brenda had recalled that there was a telephone tower in this area and sure enough is a tower visible and the reception was excellent. As the sun began to set I prepared a meal of boiled rice with an onion and a carrot then poured a can of sardines in tomato over the result. While the rice was cooking I had a minimalist salad of fresh tomato and bell pepper (capsicum). I enjoyed the meal. (Just as well because it will be on the menu many times over the next three months.) For desert I had yoghurt and banana.

The moderately strong northerly wind worked to my disadvantage today, but if it holds up tomorrow I'll have a fast sail down the Cerralvo Channel to Ensenada de Los Muertos, saving precious fuel. I ran the engine 2.4 hours today at 2200 and 2400 rpm, for a total of 81.5 engine hours to date.

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Ready to Go

This is Wednesday night and everything seems ready for my departure tomorrow at noon.

Just after 10 AM the representative from Eco Naviera arrived with the official who would issue the health certificate for Pachuca.  He inspected nothing and spent his time filling in a couple of forms, one of which I had to sign.  Armed with this, Eco Naviera would proceed with visits to Immigration, the harbor master, and the port captain and expected to have my zarpe ready mid afternoon.

Eco Naviera did some checking and I am planning the longest sail that they've ever dealt with.

I then dropped off the bodega keys to Roberto at Seamar then visited the marina office to state officially that I would be leaving tomorrow.  Adriana will draw up the final invoice, which will be composed of 6 days of slip fees and a bill of $61 sprung on me for work done by Joel in May.  On the other hand I'll be returning two keys, which will result in return of deposits that were hefty, if my memory serves me right.

When I was handed the impressive looking zarpe at 3 PM by Yolanda at Eco Naviera I noticed that it listed my middle name as "James" rather than "Jose".  This was not acceptable on such an important document and at 6 PM Yolanda was able to produce a proper zarpe.  I was now clear to sail out of Mexico.

Fortunately I asked about my status with the Immigration department then Yolanda recalled that I have an FM3 resident card and must either renew it or hand it in before it expires, otherwise I will face a big fine when I return to Mexico.  The card expires in July 2012 so I left it in her care and will contact her in June to hand it in on my behalf - for a fee, of course. 

In the evening Bob Carroll treated me to a meal on the terrace at Rancho Viejo overlooking the bay.  Bob was the first "local" that I met here in La Paz when Arnold and I were still anchored at the Mogote.  He then helped me learn the ropes on living in La Paz and introduced me to people helped make La Paz such a great experience for me.  It was fitting that I spend the last evening with Bob overlooking the bay.

I feel very comfortable about the situation on the eve of departure.

The boat is in the best condition that it has been in during my tenure, and certainly much, much better than when we sailed out of Fremantle in May 2008.  And no wonder.   My spreadsheet shows $202,000 spent on new equipment, repairs, and routine maintenance since I purchased the boat.  She's got equipment not dreamed of when she was built (e.g. AIS, Pactor communication), and replacement equipment better than the original (e.g. engine, sails).  The keel, hull, deck, internal furnishings and mast are original, but just about everything else has been renovated, repaired, replaced, or added.

I'm feeling good about the sailing plan.  I'll be taking the traditional route to the Horn from this part of the world and will be going around at the optimal part of the year with  generally favorable winds and currents.

Thanks to very specific information from Dan at Port Townsend Rigging about how to manage my sails I will be driving the boat much less hard than I did before.  (For example, he advised switching to the storm trysail when the wind reaches 30 knots, which was about the time I'd be putting my first reef on the mainsail.  And when I do reef I expect it to be from the safety of the cockpit with the new system that I have set up.)

I'll be sailing out with over 300 movies and over a hundred music albums stored in my 1 terabyte external disc drive, as well as dozens of books.  And I'm very satisfied with the provisions on the boat.

It's been a wonderful 3 years but it is time to get back to Australia while I'm still feeling physically up to it and am still able to resist the siren call of La Paz.

So I'm ready and the boat is ready.

Let's see what Providence has to say.

Exit Plan

It will take me a few days to get from La Paz to the open ocean.  I'll be reversing the path that Arnold and I took more than 18 months ago.

I plan to motor out of the Marina de La Paz in two days, on Thursday 27 October sometime between noon and 1 PM.  I'll motor down the La Paz Channel, around Pichilingue, and drop anchor in a small bay named Caleta Lobos (24N17.8, 110W20.0) ten miles from La Paz.  There I will organize the boat and gather my wits.

The next (second) day I'll set off on the 46 mile trip through the Canal de San Lorenzo, down the Cerralvo channel, to Ensenada de Los Muertos at (23N50, 109W50).  I expect favorable northerly winds, but I am determined to drop anchor in daylight, even if it means motoring.  Although I have very fond memories of the excellent restaurant and internet facilities at Muertos I will not bother to lanch the Zodiac and will stay on board.

On the next (third) day I'll set off for Bahia Los Frailes, another 46 miles away at (23N22.9, 109W25.3).  There I will probably spend a full day resting up for the final lunge to the open sea, which could take many hours.

I'll leave Frailes just after dawn on the fifth day with the objective of passing by Cabo San Lucas, 45 miles away, in the late afternoon.  My plan is to bypass Cabo San Lucas and get out at least 30 miles away from land - 50 if possible - before retiring for sleep either hove to or sailing under wind steering.

I've learned that Cabo San Lucas is a difficult and fairly open anchorage and I see less hassle in bypassing it rather than dealing with the risks of dropping anchor near an arroyo between two sets of hotel complexes where the water shallows up reasonably well for an anchor.  (It was anchored here where Moitessier lost his boat in 1985 when a sudden storm came up. (http://poiesis37.com/Site/Moitessier.html))

I'll need to get well west of the shipping lanes, which I have been told are 8 miles off shore, even if I have to sail all night.  This will represent the most difficult day of my breakout to the open sea, but once I am past that I expect to settle into a safe and comfortable routine of sailing due south in the trade winds.

Goodby to Doug, Some Lures

I popped into Doug Nordby's Snug Harbor Sails loft to pick up some material for the base of my mast and to say my farewells.

The base of my mast has a band of vinyl-like material held on my universal clamps and sealed with silicone sealant to prevent water from running down the side of the mast into the cabin.  That seal is holding up fine but I though it prudent to take a spare piece of material just in case there is a failure.  Doug's colleague found a suitable piece of the same material that is used on haulage truck tarps and cut me a rectangular piece 30" x 6".  There was no charge.

Doug is determined to sail his Hans Christian boat to Nordby, Denmark, from which he got his surname.  He says that he is a descendant of Eric the Red and from some of the antics of his earlier life I have no doubts.  He's thinking of following my track around the Horn in the coming year and will be following my blog to get a feel of what he can expect.  (Yes, I know, the Panama Canal would be shorter, but like me he thinks that rounding the Horn will present fewer hassles.)

Doug Nordby at his sail loft

I like Doug, and he seems to brighten up when he sees me.  I told him that I've got the feeling that we'll be seeing each other again (probably in La Paz).

The photo shows Doug in his usual working attire: bare chested and bare footed. 

I also visited a highly recommended Mexican boating shop with a prepared request for lures for Tuna and Dorado, for trolling from my sailboat.  I got two 4" tuna lures for a modest 130 pesos or so each, but the Dorado lure with hook and leader came in at almost 400 pesos.  The fellow set up the hook and leader for me and told me that it is an excellent lure for Dorados.  One thing that I've learned is that I need to reach a boat speed as far above 5 kt as possible to do some serious catching, so I'll keep alert for my opportunity.

In the late afternoon I cleared out the bodega.  Noe went there yesterday afternoon and took away everything that he wanted, which included a clock radio, a new extension cord, various paints, and a fan heater.  He will visit the boat tomorrow to get my toaster and electric jug.  Noe fretted about having a near empty tank because he doesn't get paid until Thursday.  I handed him 100 pesos to tide him over.  I have have a soft spot for Noe.  He's trying to raise three girls (two of them twins) on Mexican wages and I notice that he doesn't drink, which tells me where his priorities lay.

Today I took out the trash, swept the floor, and closed the door for the next tenant of the bodega.  Tomorrow I will hand in the keys to Seamar.

More Perishables

This morning I made my fruit 'n vegetable run to Chedraui.  I figured that I'd be returning with a heavy load so I took one of the duffel bags and caught a bus only a block away.

The principal items that I brought back were:

- 50 medium sized onions
- About a kilo of carrots
- 12 potatoes
- Garlic
- Limes (to honor naval tradition)
- 6 x 1 liter cartons of pure juice (pineapple and orange)
- 4 dozen eggs
- Bananas
- 2.2 kg of whole powdered milk

I purchased the extra milk because Brenda has provided me with her proven recipe for making my own yogurt out at sea.

Back at the boat I utilized the last untapped storage resource on the boat: the ice box.  I first purchased two blocks of ice from the cafe then cleared out the ice box and neatly fitted the two blocks at the bottom.  On top of that I place a basket containing the onions, then above that other baskets containing the other items.  The eggs would not fit so I had to put them in the oven. That is a great place for them given that they will have a sheltered and snoozy life in their gimbaled  cocoon where it will be convenient to reach in and roll them over every day.  However, in a few weeks I will begin to use the oven for baking.

Ice Box and Refrigerator

Today's effort represents the last provisioning run.  I must have made about 20 trips and carried literally hundreds of pounds of provisions back to the boat.  I was pleased to note that in my 18 months of humping groceries around La Paz I have not broken a single egg in transit.

The photo shows the ice box at the left and the refrigerator at the right, with most of the meat in the freezer compartment.  Between the two compartments you can see the large plastic jar of chocolate covered almonds that I am saving for dreary days around the Horn.
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I forgot to mention that I fitted the water paddle back on the Monitor steering unit a couple of days ago.  I didn't want to go to the trouble of launching the Zodiac so I tried to do it from the boat by perching on the Monitor frame.  That didn't work so I tied the paddle with ropes as close to position as possible then slipped into the water.  Clinging to the frame with one arm while trying line up the paddle so that I could slip in the locking pin with the other proved to be tricky and risky because one fumble and I'd lose the pin.  I finally managed to do this then had difficulty in opening the circular locking ring enough to slip it into the hole at the end of the pin with only one hand.  After a 30 minute battle the paddle was in position and I was grateful that nothing had been lost in the water.  I then tested the paddle and found ... that ... it was on backwards.  Fortunately I kept my cool and used my experience of from the first attempt to make a faster job of the second.

I  don't recommend fitting these paddles without either using a dinghy or backing the boat to a jetty.

Perishables

Just before noon I set off for Sam's Club for my big run for perishables.  I got lucky with the buses and I was there in about 20 minutes.

I brought back the following:

Beef:
- lump, 0.85 kg
- lump, 1.12 kg
- lump, 1.37 kg
- pieces, 0.76 kg
- steaks (5 medium size) 0.99 kg

That comes to a total of a hefty 5.09 kg (about ll lbs) of beef.

I bought turkey sandwich meat as follow:

- 2 x 1.0 kg packs
- 6 x 250 g packs

That represents a total of 3.5 kg (7.7 lb) for turkey sandwich meat.

Then there was cheese:

- 3 x 907 g cheddar
- 1 x 2.26 kg Monterey Jack

which yields a total of 5 kg (11 lb) of cheese.

Finally there's the butter:

- 24 x 90 g sticks

which yields 2.16 (4.75 lb) of butter - REAL butter.

I also purchased 4 loaves of good, heavy wholemeal bread and another 4 kg of oat meal, bringing my total supply of oatmeal to 16 kg.  I thought that the additional oat meal was warranted because I expect to eat a lot of it, regardless of whether the temperature is warm or cold. The bulky and heavy oatmeal was almost a bridge too far, but I seem to have a knack for estimating what I can carry and sure enough, everything just managed to fit in my backpack and the duffel bag.  The cold stuff, by the way, fit nicely (and barely) into my two insulated bags which I then placed into the duffle bag.

The return to the marina is worth mentioning.  As I made the long push of the trolly from Sam's Club, along the frontage of WalMart to the bus stop, a cab driver asked if I needed a ride.  Instinctively I shook my head in the negative.  But as I pushed on I began to think, Hang on, it's the middle of the day and hot as hell, I've got 1700 pesos worth of perishables in this trolly, and do I really want to wait perhaps 20 minutes for a bus, endure a bumpy 20 minute ride, then make that long and hot 15-minute walk from the dropoff to the MLP humping what is probably the heaviest load I've had in the duffel bag, when I could take a cab?

I went back and asked Quanto por la Marina de la Paz? The reply was Ochenta Pesos.
Eighty pesos ($6.00) seemed like good value to me and before I knew it I was being dropped off inside of the MLP in front of the jetty trollies.  Ochenta pesos?  I asked.  Si was the response.  I handed him a 100 peso bill saying Cien, mi amigo.  He took the hundred peso bill then shook my hand and wished me good fortune on my coming voyage, which I had described to him along the way.  So here I was in front of the gate to my jetty at the MLP with my heavy and perishable load, finally smart about the use of taxis.  (I can be a slow learner.)  The entire round trip had taken only 90 minutes.

I put most of the meat in the freezer compartment of the refrigerator.  I placed the 5 steaks into individual plastic food bags and divided the pieces of beef into two food bags, each to be thawed for a pressure cooker meal. 

I placed some of the sandwich meat in the non-freezer section, expecting to use it during my breakout to the open sea. 

... You'll notice that there is no chilled or frozen fish in my inventory.  I plan to plug that gap with all of the fish that I will catch along the way.  (Yea, right!)

More Preparation

Yesterday I went to Soriana's, a big store in what could be the biggest mall in La Paz.  I purchased a dozen sponges of the kind that I like and two plastic buckets with graduations on the side.  I'll try to reserve the new buckets for gathering rain water when the time comes.  I've still got the two old buckets for the cleaning work.  Unfortunately I could find no canned meats, let alone the corned beef or beef stew that I was looking for. 

The appropriately nautical binnacle cups

I also found some plastic cups that fit snugly in the binnacle holders if I push them down.  This might seem trivial, but I've found that cups at the binnacle are extremely useful for holding glasses, head torch, rigging knife, etc.

This morning I visited the coffee table with the intention of giving a few things away.  John got two containers of teak oil just in time for the teak phase of his boat work.  (Reggie had advised me not to use oil on my new teak.)  Don will take the small battery charger that has been so useful to me in US-Mexico waters and will remain so until my departure day.  Don will treat the charger as a resource to be loaned out to whomever needs it.   The charger is one of several electrical appliances that I'll be giving away before moving from the 110V to the 240V world.

I now have plenty of food provisions on board but all day yesterday I worried about the weak link of the coming endeavor, the supply of drinking water.  I am planning on a passage of 90 days to Cape Town, though there is a good chance that it will be less, possibly as little as 80 days.  Several issues kept swirling around  my head, such as:

- How much fresh water can I reasonably expect to use each day?
- If, When, and How Much rain water will I get?
- What happens if I run short of water?

First of all, the chance of getting no rainwater before rounding the Horn is pretty low, but if that does happen and I run short I can stop at the Falkland Islands.  This means that I must carry enough water for the 60 days to get me to the Falklands.

2.8 liter daily ration of water?

At Soriana I was fortunate enough to notice a sealed plastic jug calibrated to 3 quarts, or about 2.8 liters.  This morning I filled it with water and poured enough into a pan to cook rolled oats in the morning, another bit to cook spaghetti or rice at night, the a couple of cupfuls for coffee or chocolate.  I think that what remained in the jug was enough for drinking and judiciously rinsing dishes.  With 300 liters of water on board (280 in the tanks, 20 in two 10 L containers) I could last in theory 100 days at 3 liters a day or 75 days at 4 liters a day.  But I figured that once I severed my ties to land I would feel vulnerable so I decided to augment the water supply with some of those relatively cheap 5-gallon (19 L) containers of distilled water used all over La Paz.

I mentioned my plan this morning and John offered me two empty jugs that he had on board.  Nevertheless I set out on the bicycle for a distilled water business a few blocks from the marina.  On the way I saw a water truck parked while the man made his delivery.  When he returned asked him if he could come by the Marina de La Paz and 5 minutes later he was there.  I got greedy an purchased four 5-gallon containers.  I told the man to keep the change so the four jugs cost 300 pesos.

Pachuca's extra water supply

The photo shows all of my spare drinking water: 4 x 5 gallon jugs and 2 x 10 liter jugs, for a total of approximately 25 gallons or 96 liters.  They fit nice and low in the passage between the quarter berths.  I will stuff the area with padding to prevent the containers from sliding around while allowing me to step through to the quarter berths.

I make that to be a total fresh water supply of 376 liters, or about 100 gallons.  This should see me to Cape Town using a profligate 4.5 liters or an entire gallon of water a day.

If and when rain comes these jugs will come in very handy.  It is too risky for me to try to transfer rainwater into the tanks during a cloud burst.  The deck is very narrow at that point and I don't want to be dealing with a funnel in one hand and a heavy container in the other while the boat is pitching and there is wind about -  particularly at night.  I plan to have 2 or 3 of the jugs empty and at the ready, and transfer the rainwater into them in the safety of the cockpit.  Later, when things are quiet, I'll transfer the water into the tanks.  If and when that day arrives I'll be spending the next few days catching up on laundry washing and will ease up on the water discipline.

More Provisions

I've got to stay out of Sam's Club.  I walked in there while visiting the WalMart-Sam's Club-Home Depot triangle principally to visit Home Depot and walked out with another:

- 3 liters of olive oil
- 6 kg of white rice
- 4 kg of spaghetti
- 2 kg of white rice
- 1.8 kg of almonds
- 900 g of parmesan cheese
- 1.7 kg of spaghetti sauce

I've probably got enough stores to support me all of the way to Australia so I will have to show more discipline when I make my last visit early in the coming week to Sam's Club for the perishables.

Port Locker Crammed Full

However, I did purchase items that were more justified, including:

- 8 medium (24 T) hacksaw blades for metal
- 4 rolls of electrical tape
- One large can of WD-40
- One 990 ml bottle of Tequilla
- One 950 ml bottle of Appleton Jamaica Rum
- One 750 ml bottle of Captain Morgan rum

The hacksaw blades are for cutting through stays in the event of rigging failure.

I use olive oil to lubricate the marine head.

The booze for medicinal purposes.  (Don't laugh.  It will be useful if I clamber into the cockpit wet and shivering after a hard time on deck.)

This morning a Chedraui I purchased 2 more kilos of flour and a fourth 4-oz jar of Fleischmann's yeast.

And this morning Don presented me with the gift of 2 boxes of band aids after I complained that I had not been able to find any in La Paz.

These changes are significant so I will amend my earlier list of provisions.

John states emphatically that Chile demands that visiting boats hand in all of their food stores - including canned goods - and purchase fresh provender in their country.  I don't want to stop in Chile to verify the claim.

Pachuca and Her Trim

This is a photo of Pachuca as she will motor out from La Paz.

Under the cream sheet (to be replaced by a tarp) ahead of the mast is the Zodiac inflatable dinghy.  I'll try sailing with the Zodiac there in order to keep the cockpit clear.  If I deem the risk of it being swept overboard in heavy weather too high I'll stow in the cockpit ahead of the binnacle.

The boat looks reasonable trim at the waterline, and I expect the bow to rise slightly when I shift the anchor and rode aft.  As for the waterline itself, I have raised it twice for a total of between 3 and 4 inches.  

Great Equipment

It is no different with the lowliest visitor to another country than with the mightiest army: transportation and logistics are of paramount importance.  In my case the transportation heroes have been both my "Jetty Express" fold-up bicycle purchased for me by Brenda at West Marine in San Francisco two years ago, and the "Mountain Designs" back pack that Brenda brought from Australia on her last visit. 

Day after day that bicycle carried me all around La Paz - and in one case well out of La Paz - without letting me down.  (I had only one flat tire and a problem with a pedal that was easily resolved.)

Bike, Duffle Bag, Back Pack at Right

It is difficult to understate the importance of the backpack.  Many times I carried enormous loads in it, and I worried that a strap would go or maybe the fabric might tear.  Had either of these things happened I would have been at a serious disadvantage in transporting my supplies to the boat.  But everything held up, including every zipper in the pack.

Honorable mention goes to my two US Navy duffle bags which survived the trip from the USA crammed with equipment and loaded with 20, 25, and 30 kilos of supplies during my provisioning of the boat.  The bags have survived without the slightest problem.

I have sold the bicycle and will hand it over to Robert of the boat Moonbeam next week.  It was just too impractical to take back to Australia.  But the bags will remain a big part of Pachuca's inventory of equipment.

Farewell Dinner

On Thursday night 5 of us went to the El Rustico restaurant for a Farewell to Pachuca meal.  The El Rustico is an Italian restaurant run by Mexicans who have succeeded very well in creating the right atmosphere.  We walked through a pathway evocative of Tuscany with its nice touch of vegetation around and above us.  The dining area is an open air patio with a gravel floor.  The evening was cool and pleasant, reminding me of why in hot Spanish countries people come alive at night.

I enjoyed the company of these fine men and for me the food and drink completed the evening.  I started off with a Margarita and my meal was a  superb piece of chicken breast drowned in a tasty mushroom sauce.  (I'm not sure what was in that sauce but I still felt full to the stomach well into the following day.)

Afterwards the others insisted on paying for my meal even though I tried hard to stick to my vision that it would be just an informal night out of us going out to dinner, with each paying his share.

Afterwards Ken hopped onto his motorbike and headed off to his apartment (which I had occupied during my first summer in La Paz.)  Rick drove the rest of us back to marina where we had a long chat in the cool of the night.

I asked the waiter to take the accompanying photo.  From left to right are Bob Carroll, Rick, Don, myself, and Ken.  Forgive the darkness of the photo.   The lighting conditions were difficult and the waiter did his best using the flash with my "backup" camera.

I am sorry to have to say goodbye to these terrific people but that has made me more determined than ever to return regularly, probably airplane.  I've already asked Ken to be ready to tee up with Teresa an apartment for me when I am ready to return.

Hull Speed

In my posting of 16 October I reported the measurements in the RPM and SOG columns in the table below, taken during our sea trial:

RPM .. SOG ... Ratio

1000 ... 2.9  ...  .0029
1500 ... 4.4  ...  .0029
1800 ... 5.3  ...  .0029
2000 ... 5.7  ...  .0029
2200 ... 6.4  ...  .0029
2400 ... 6.9  ...  .0029
2600 ... 7.4  ...  .0028
2800 ... 7.7  ...  .0028
3000 ... 8.0  ...  .0027
3100 ... 8.1  ...  .0026

Bob commented thought that we had exceeded Pachuca's hull speed.  Unfortunately at the time I wasn't sure of Pachuca's LWL (length of waterline) from which to calculate the boat's theoretical hull speed.

Last night the adjacent boat was taken out of her slip for the weekend, giving me a good side view of Pachuca, and I took the opportunity to use a plumb bob to mark the ends of the waterline on deck then measured the distance between the marks.

I measured Pachuca's LWL to be 33.75 ft (10.29 meters).  Using the equation HS = 1.34 sqrt(LWL) I calculated Pachuca's hull speed to be 7.78 knots which means that we exceeded hull speed at somewhere above 2800 rpm.

The literature states that "Going faster than the theoretical hull speed is possible, but the wave moves under the transom so the boat has to plow through the water at an angle, bow up which then requires exponentially more power to move the vessel once theoretical hull speed is reached." 

The "Ratio" column above contains the ratio of SOG (speed over the ground) to engine RPM.  The relationship of SOG to RPM is remarkably linear through 2400 rpm.  Thereafter it degenerates in the sense that there is there is a comparatively lower gain in speed for a given increase in RPM.

I know now not to cruise at above 2400 rpm.

More Off The Task List

Yesterday I cleared the bodega of everything that I will be taking with me.  I am relieved to find that the V berth and quarter berth areas of the boat are not excessively packed and access is reasonable.  As luck would have it I ran into Robert and Noe and I was able to tell Noe that he can have everything that is left in the bodega, on an all-or-nothing basis.  He'll find some useful things such as a clock radio, fan heater, and never-used extension cable.  I asked that he see me within a week.

I took the nifty manual washing machine that had served us so well in Tahiti and elsewhere to Mary at the office, who will include it in the charity auction at the end of the year.  She had never seen one before and said that it was "cute".  I think that the proceeds go to a children's hospital.

I then visited Seamar and made a final payment of $13 to cover my rent of the bodega until 27 October.  There I picked up 4 liters of engine coolant and some silicone sealant which I later used to seal the access to the emergency steering on the cockpit sole.

Today I had to wait in the boat for the arrival of Jose, who was to dive and swap out my zinc anodes.  That forced me to stay in the boat this morning which gave me opportunity to set up and test my Sailmail system.  The task involves connecting the Pactor modem and GPS antenna cables to USB ports on the laptop and informing the software.  Because my Toshiba has only two USB ports I dedicated one USB port to the high-traffic Pactor cable and the other to a Belkin 4-port USB hub. To that hub I plugged in the mouse and the GPS antenna.  Because port numbers are virtual and dynamic I had to establish which port number was being used for what.  I then brought up the Airmail 6 Sailmail software and told it the port numbers for the Pactor modem and the GPS.

After some fiddling I got the system up and decided to do a test transmission even though at 10 AM the sun was rather high and I was surrounded by the masts of boats, which further degrades radio propagation.  I went through the station at San Luis Obispo in California at 13915 kHz and to my surprise the connection was quick and transmission was fast at over 1500 bytes per minute.  This is amazing considering the conditions.  I sent out a test message to Australia and picked  up two messages, one from Perth and one from the Aussie sailboat Pyewacket  now in Queensland.  I like to attribute the good performance  to the Dynaplate RF ground shoe that was recently installed as well as the 30 mm separation that I recently established between the tuner cable and the backstay.  If my belief is justified it augers very well for my impending voyage. 

Jose showed up at 2 PM.  His brief was to change the "collar" zinc anode on the propeller shaft as well as the large screw-on anode at the end of the shaft.  He popped up out of the water and reported that the screw-on anode was in top condition and he had swapped out only the collar anode.  He then went back down and scraped clean the Dynaplate RF ground shoe.  (I had already cleaned the propeller for last week's sea trial.)

After Jose left I resumed my internet search for maritime radio transmissions.

My old friends Australian stations VMC (Charleville) and VMW (Wiluna) can provide me with radio weather faxes of the south polar region.  Chilean stations CBV out of Valparaiso and CBM out of Punta Arenas can provide comprehensive weather faxes for my entire journey to the Horn and beyond.  (I've noted the schedules and frequencies.)

Provided that my HF-Pactor-Sailmail system holds up I will have an excellent view if existing and predicted winds, waves, and even the limit of the ice pack.

I picked up some more information on the experience of the brother of a friend here who sailed out of La Paz a couple of years ago to round the Horn.  It was December and just past Easter Island he ran into a Category II hurricane and had to return to Easter Island for whatever shelter he could find.  Somewhere along the way he broke a finger while manipulating his outboard motor.  After a couple of months at Puerto Montt he sailed down the channels of Patagonia and through the Beagle Channel.  Near the  Falklands he got hit pretty hard again and arrived in Uruguay with only one functioning sail left: his mizzen sail, which he had rigged to his mainmast.

He was sailing a "budget" boat that for which he had paid only $35,000 and "probably" didn't have the electronic equipment for receiving weather faxes.  Regardless, I take my hat off to anyone who has made successful passage through the Patagonia  archipelago solo.

Inventory of Supplies

The following is a cut 'n paste of a section of my supplies spread sheet.  I have excised 22 columns which representing storage locations in the boat.  Thus from the full spreadsheet I know, for example, that I'll find my two cans of mackerel in box Z in the port cabin locker.

Fortunately I like simple food and don't mind eating the same thing day after day, as long as it is wholesome and I like it.  My principal source of protein will be from the 45 cans of sardines in tomato sauce.  All I will have to do is boil a half a cup of rice, pour the can of sardines over cooked rice and let it heat for another minute or two, then presto!, I'll have a quick one-pot meal.  I would have preferred to carry a big supply of corned beef.  I discovered the versatility of corned beef while sailing with Arnold, but unfortunately it is not available in La Paz.  I'll also be eating lots of spaghetti and oat meal.  I think that I have enough flour on board to bake two loaves of bread a week.  I'll be backing all of this up with fresh home-grown sprouts and one-a-day vitamin pills with enough metal nutrients (e.g. magnesium, zinc, manganese, chromium, molybdenum) to make me feel like the Alloy Man.

Note that the list does not include items already open and in use or in the galley pantry ready for use.

This list, though almost complete, is not final, and it does not include the perishables (e.g. meat, cheese, fruit, vegetables) that I'll procure in the coming week.

CATEGORY	ITEM	Total
Tins & Jars	Beans, Chilli, 425g	1
	Beans, Kidney, 420g	1
	Beef, Corned, 340g	0
	Chicken & Veg, 150g	3
	Coconut Milk, 400 ml	0
	Corn Kernels, 225g	32
	Corn Kernels, 340g, 425g	3
	Jalapenos, 100, 340, 470 g	3
	Mackerel, 425g	2
	Olive Oil, 1, 1.3L	8
	Olives, 1.6kg	2
	Peanut Butter, 28 oz	0
	Salmon, 418g	1
	Sardines in tomato 425G	45
	Tomato, tinned, 411g	0
	Tuna, 140g	12
	Salmon, 340g	1
Dry or Dehydrated	Beans, Lima, 450g	1
	Baking Soda	0
	Beans, Red Kidney, 375g	1
	Beans, Red Kidney, 900g	4
	Flour, Plain, 1 Kg	14
	Lentils, 500g	4
	Muesli Bars	90
	Nuts, Almonds, 900 g	5
	Nuts, Almonds, 1.36 Kg	2
	Oats, Rolled, 1 Kg	13
	Parmesan Cheese,227g	2
	Parmesan Cheese, 450g	8
	Peas, Split, 500g	1
	Raisins,1 Kg	17
	Rice, 1 Kg	19
	Smoked Salmon, 6oz	1
	Soup, Instant Noodle Meals	24
	Spaghetti, No. 5, 500g	24
	Sugar, 2 kg	2
	Yeast, 4 oz	4
Spreads & Sauces	Honey, 2 Kg	4
	Chilli Sauce 482 g	1
	Mustard Sauce, 226g	4
	Mustard Sauce, 680	1
	Mustard Sauce, 400g	2
	Salad Dressing, 330ml	1
	Salsa Sauce Picante	0
	Soy Sauce, 296 ml	2
	Tomato Sauce, 120ml	3
	Tomato Sauce,680g	18
	Vegemite, 220g, 150g	3
	Vegemite, 400g	0
Herbs & Spices	Basil	0
	Capers	0
	Cayenne	0
	Chilli Powder	0
	Curry Powder	0
	Curry Paste	0
	Garlic Granules, 738g	1
	Mixed Herbs	1
	Pepper, Garlic, 624g	1
	Pepper, Lemon, 794	1
	Pepper, Red, 383g	1
	Pepper, Ground	0
	Salt, Garlic, 1.13kg	1
	Seasoning, Spaghetti, 397g	1
Drinks	Champagne, French, 187 ml	1
	Chocolate, Sachets	19
	Cocoa Hershey's Powder, 8 oz	3
	Cocoa Hershey's Syrup, 16 oz	3
	Coffee, Ground, 1.3kg	0
	Coffee, Instant,100 g	11
	Milk, Powdered, 2.3 Kg	3
	Milk, Tinned, 345 ml	3
	Milk, UHT, 256 ml	2
	Milk, Whole, 236 ml	0
	Milo, 200g	1
	Orange Juice, Cold	0
	Tea, Bags	30
	Wine Casks	0
	Baby Oil	0
Cleaning & Sundries	Bags, Garbage Large	0
	Bags, Garbage Small	3
	Bags, Ziploc	20
	Bleach, 700, 900 ml	5
	Bread Knife	1
	Can Opener	1
	Cartridges for Life Jackets	2
	Cigarette Lighters	0
	Gas Lighter	6
	Gas Lighter Refill	1
	Hand Sanitizer, 16 oz	1
	Hand Soap Liquid, 500 ml	3
	Lighter Refill	0
	Matches, Small Packs	12
	Mouthwash, 500 ml	2
	Paper Towels, Rolls	8
	Rubber Gloves	0
	Scourer, Green	6
	Scourer, Stainless Steel	1
	Soap Cakes	3
	Sponges	10
	Sun Screen, 8 Oz	0
	Tissues, Boxes	6
	Toaster Wire	2
	Toilet Paper Rolls	21
	Tooth Paste Tubes	5
	Tooth Picks	0
	Washing Liquid, Clothes, 1 Liter	3
	Washing Liquid, Dishes, 750 ml	2

Depth Sounder, Fuel, and Clearance from Mexico

Yesterday was a very good one for me.

Transducer in black

The recent sea trial was marred by an intermittent problem with the Raymarine depth sounder: most of the time it would not be able to report the depth, but once in a while it would work OK.  As usual I worst-cased the problem and concluded that there would be no time to bring up a replacement and if I had do I'd rely on a plumb line to confirm the depth before dropping anchor.

My prime suspect was a loose wire behind the teak panel that Reggie had made for my instruments.  That proved not to be the problem so the last bolt left in my meager locker was the transducer, which is an "in hull" unit that must be immersed in a fluid so that the acoustic signal will pass from the transducer, to the hull, through it, into the sea, and return if bottom is found.  The signal will not pass through air.  I unscrewed transducer from the cylinder that houses it in a bath of liquid and found water about half way up the cylinder. I sponged the cylinder dry, cleaned it with a solution of water and bleach, then filled it with olive oil.  I powered up the sounder and to my great relief it  functioned properly. 

Deck containers as they will go

Monday was one of Lupe's propane gas day so I removed the gas cylinder that I had been using for the last year and found it to be very light, which meant that it was nearly empty.  I dropped it off to Lupe for a refill at a cost of 200 pesos.  I asked him if he could get me a protective cover for the threads on the cylinder that Rick had given to me and he soon produced a pair of freebies.  I used the screw-in plug type and returned the cover-all type back to him.  At 1.30 PM I picked up the full cylinder, connected it, tested the connection with soapy water, then took my time to secure it and the smaller cylinder with plenty of shock cord.  At this point all of Pachuca's gas cylinders are full.

I then used my two 10 liter diesel containers to top up the main tanks (they took 12 liters) then went to the Pemex station to fill both containers.  At this point all of Pachuca's diesel tanks are full: 37 gallons in the main tanks and 60 gallons on the deck.

That evening I devoted an hour to fill in the two forms given to my by the port  captain's office using the Google translator and my Spanish-English dictionary.   This morning I got help from Rick and his friend Mike to make final corrections and soon I was on my bicycle to 5 de Mayo street on the other side of town to get Pachuca's health certificate.

The receptionist looked at my request, looked at my two forms, and told me that I needed another form.  I replied that I had been given only two forms by the port captain's office.   She conferred with a colleague and then told me that I was in the wrong place and at my request wrote the address of COEPRIS at Hospital Salvatierra far up Bravo street.

I peddled through the heat and traffic to the place, which looked like a big hospital in a white building.  Inside the foyer there was no receptionist and no activity.  An arrow pointed up the stairs so I went up and found a row of people sitting in chairs waiting for ... a lone guy in a tiny office attending to a customer with the help of a computer.  Otherwise it was a dead end.  Since I had no confidence that this office would know what to do with me I concluded that this nonsense would be a waste of time and ran up the white flag.

I rode back to the marina, walked into Eco Naviera, and fortunately found Yolanda at her desk. I told her that I had done the best to help myself but needed her to assistance to get my port clearance.   No problem.  Fortunately I had all of my documentation and was able to provide all of the information that she needed.

The plan is simple from my point of view.  On Wednesday 26 October at 10 AM Yolanda will show up at my boat with the health inspector. I said Fine, that will take care of the health inspection. Would we then go to Immigration and the Port Authority offices?  Nope, she'll take care that herself.

The costs in pesos will be as follows:

- Health inspection (which is a sham) ... $1435
- Port Captain ... $206
- Eco Naviera for their services: $1640 (about  $125 USD)

Given what is at stake I consider that money well spent.  (As Ib once told me, 'There are ways to save money, but this isn't one of them.')

As I walked out I turned and said "Yolanda, I'm going to miss you."

On the weather front there are no threatening weather systems to the south.  The statements were made in a discussion over the Club Cruceros net this morning that there has been no hurricane activity in this area after 17 October in modern times, and more importantly, the sea temperature has dropped low enough to take us out of danger.

So my prospects of departure from La Paz on  Thursday 27 October are very good.

Sea Trial

Bob Carroll arrived at 9 AM yesterday and we soon got to work.

The first task was to raise the headsail.   He had brought a can of  "CRC Heavy Duty Silicone" spray, which we applied liberally to the bolt wire on the sail and the lower part of the track on the headstay.  The morning headwind and the lubricant made a lot of difference because the lift itself went very well, though we had a couple of minor dramas with the routing of the halyard.

We motored out of the marina and down the La Paz Channel into the open waters of the bay, in a light 5-6 kt wind and away from tidal currents.  There we began go gather data on engine RPM vs speed in knots.  Our methodology was as follows: Head on course 330 T, with the apparent wind about 50 degrees to port, with the engine at 1000 rpm.  We would then would work up the various increments of rpm, waiting for the speed (Speed Over the Ground [SOG], as reported by the GPS) to settle down before making our recording.  We then went through the same sequence on a reciprocal course of 150 T with the wind off of our starboard bow.  After recording data from the first 6 rpm's on this reciprocal course we could see that the results were identical on both courses.

The results are as follows:

RPM .. SOG

1000 ... 2.9
1500 ... 4.4
1800 ... 5.3
2000 ... 5.7
2200 ... 6.4
2400 ... 6.9
2600 ... 7.4
2800 ... 7.7
3000 ... 8.0
3100 ... 8.1

3100 rpm was the maximum that we could achieve.  The boat was about as heavily laden as it will be for the coming cruise (e.g. nearly full water tanks, full internal diesel tanks, 55 gals of diesel on deck, victualizing almost complete) and I expect that maximum rpm to reach the prescribed 3200 in Australia after the boat has been greatly lightened for coastal cruising.

While this motoring was going on I turned on the new Red Dot space heater and found that the air was so hot at the slow fan speed that I could not hold my hand 2 inches from the heater for more that 10 or 15 seconds.  Given that the cooling water circulating at about 195F this was not a surprise, but I was nevertheless pleased to get confirmation that I can expect some serious warmth in the cabin during my passage through the high latitudes (alas, only while the engine is running).

Bob with spinnaker in sock

We then rolled out the jib and had lunch while the autopilot did the steering.  After that came the task of trying out the asymmetrical spinnaker (the one in a snuffer sock).  We turned the boat downwind, with a 7 knot apparent wind. I cleared the overburden on the starboard side of the V berth and was soon feeding the sail to Bob through the forward hatch.  Bob pointed out that we would need a block ahead of the headstay so that we could control the height of the tack above the deck with a line. I dug out a snap shackle and soon had it and the line in position.  After some analysis and discussion we figured out how to attach the halyard.  We then attached the new spinnaker sheets that I had brought back from the USA.  Fortunately we took our time to carefully analyze everything and soon figured out that the sock ring would not be able to rise because the bottom of the sail and the sheets were going to hold back one of the three lifting straps. We sorted this out then hoisted the sail in its sock.

After a final check of proper routing of the sheets we deployed the spinnaker.  Bob raised the ring at the bow while I remained in the cockpit steering and working the sheet.  The operation went with remarkable ease and soon we were making 4.5 knots with a 6 kt wind off our starboard quarter, relaxing while the autopilot did the steering.  I had a beer in celebration.

We then explored the range of wind angle that the sail could handle and soon found ourselves on a beam reach with the wind from 90 degrees to starboard, hiking along at 6.5 knots.

We then eased off the wind and gybed the boat.  I remained in the cockpit and Bob went to the bow.  The plan was to ease the sheet as the stern of the boat crossed the wind, allowing the sail to blow forward of the boat.  When the boat had the wind on the port quarter I would bring on what had been the lazy sheet on the starboard side and the spinnaker would fill with air.  Bob would take care of any problems that might arise up front.  I told Bob that I would make the turn hard and fast.  When we were ready I turn the wheel hard to port, the spinnaker passed around the front of the headstay like a swinging door, and soon we were sailing comfortably on a port tack.  A few minutes later we hardened up on the wind and confirmed that we could carry the kite with the wind directly on the port beam.

At no time did we see a need for the whisker pole, which I'm likely to use only to pole out the jib when sailing wing and wing.  Also, I was pleased to note that the plastic jerry cans strapped on the rails were not causing any problems with either sheets or the roller furler line.

After Gybe

Apparent Wind 10.2 Knots

It was starting to get late and Bob pointed out that the wind had picked up and there were a few white caps in the sea.  We decided to drop the spinnaker and here we encountered more trouble than we had expected.  I steered the boat almost directly downwind and eased the sheet while Bob pulled the ring down the spinnaker using the circular rope built into the sock.  We found that the sock wasn't quite long enough to cover the entire spinnaker and I had to go forward to give a hand.  We got the sock on deck, tucked in  the bottom of the sail, made sure that there were no twists in the sock, then put it down the hatch and into the sail locker.

We motored and did a bit of sailing back up the La Paz Channel feeling pretty good about the outcomes of the day and were back in the slip at about 5 PM.

Bob visited this morning and told me that he had remembered the axiom that the mainsail should always be up when running with a spinnaker.  When it is time to drop the kite the boat is pointed almost directly downwind so that the mainsail blankets the spinnaker, causing it to collapse and making it easier to dowse.

Bob found out from Rick a few minutes later that key to it all is to ease the line holding down the tack of the sail, rather than to ease the sheet.

I don't plan to deploy that spinnaker lightly - probably only if I'm driven to it by days of light airs.  But thanks to Bob's leadership and assistance in the matter I can now consider that spinnaker as another of my cruising tools.