Wednesday Noon
It has been an eventful couple of days on NAKIA. When last we checked in we had just made the turn towards the ITCZ. The ITCZ seems to have had other plans and decided to come give us a preview of what it has in store for us.
On Monday morning I had downloaded weather forecasts, call GRIBs (*), that indicated we would have good wind all the way down to the ITCZ. On Tuesday morning, the GRIB file had changed to tell us there would be NO WIND on Tuesday. Huh, thanks for the heads up.
What we got was real ITCZ like weather. No wind, big thunderstorms (with lots of wind for 15 minutes) and LOTS of rain. We got through it ok, with all the salt crust washed off the boat, thanks rain, and finally picked up what we hope will be the last of the North East trade winds late Tuesday afternoon.
Now that we've had some practice we should be well prepared for the ITCZ in two days.
* These forecasts are a part of a giant computer program that models the wind, rain, waves, snow, barometric pressure and temperature for the entire globe. When I access them I get the tiny little piece that pertains to my location. These computer models are not magic, they are based on experience and have years of work put into them by various agencies of various countries but they have to be given somewhere to start. Over land, where there are lots of wind meters, thermometers and barometers the input to the models is frequent and accurate. Out here, there are very few weather buoys and only one or two satellites which scan the surface of the earth to provide input data. It's these satellites that are the problem here. In November 2010, as we made our way from Nuku Hiva in the Marquesas to Hawaii, the USA's QuickSCAT satellite finally gave up the ghost and died. I'm not sure when it was launched, but it had far exceeded it's projected lifespan. QuickSCAT's job was to scan the surface of the planet's water and give wind and wave hight data to the global weather models. In order to keep the weather models running (they provide forecasts to everyone on the planet, not just yachts) the models were adapted to use an older, weaker, European satellite called A-SCAT. The problem is, A-SCAT being weaker, it often misses data that QuickSCAT would have caught. The model may not get informed of the weather condition for 2-3 satellite passes, especially if it's a small condition. So we sail along on NAKIA, getting GRIBs that tell us one thing and then all of a sudden they start telling us another. All because the US decided not to replace QuickSCAT when it was obsolete and still has not replaced it over two years after it broke down.
You can help! Call your congressman today and tell them that you want an new scaterometer satellite in orbit ASAP!
{GMST}19|32|N|109|34|W|Mexico to Marquesas Day XX|Day XX{GEND}
|
|
Wednesday, May 01, 2013
Monday, April 29, 2013
Day 13, The Jibe
Monday Noon
We changed course to the south today. Recent weather information indicates that there should be no more low pressure 'humps' in the ITCZ for the next three days at least, giving us an opportunity to duck South and cross it.
Of course the weather guys don't always do the best job. The forecasts I look at come out once every 6 hours and each one is usually prepared by a different forecaster. Strangely, it seems they don't always read what the guy before them wrote before they prepare the text for their own forecast. One will talk about a ridge or trough, then in six hours there will be no mention of this feature. The first guy didn't say it was expected to dissipate, so what happened? It can be frustrating especially when you are hanging on one or two words to make a decision that could result in a very uncomfortable crossing if you get it wrong.
In other weather news, it is hot and humid. Not terribly hot I guess, just 80 or so, but the humidity makes it so you can't hardly move without sweating. I (John) sleep wedged in between two piles of pillows to keep me steady in the rolling. It's like being wrapped up in a blanket and can be warm in these conditions.
We noticed another little gift from our bird friend. Not only did he bend the little indicator flags on the Windex in a way that we can't tell what the jibe angle is, he also bent them such that the pointer part can't make a full 360 circle without getting stuck. So now we have very little idea of what the apparent wind angle is. I taped a tell-tail (a small strip of cloth) to the backstay but it's not as affective as the Windex. Maybe when we get to the ITCZ we can get it to swing around to the other side of the obstruction and it will work until we have to tack or jibe again.
{GMST}12|47|N|123|50|W|Mexico to Marquesas Day 13|Day 13{GEND}
We changed course to the south today. Recent weather information indicates that there should be no more low pressure 'humps' in the ITCZ for the next three days at least, giving us an opportunity to duck South and cross it.
Of course the weather guys don't always do the best job. The forecasts I look at come out once every 6 hours and each one is usually prepared by a different forecaster. Strangely, it seems they don't always read what the guy before them wrote before they prepare the text for their own forecast. One will talk about a ridge or trough, then in six hours there will be no mention of this feature. The first guy didn't say it was expected to dissipate, so what happened? It can be frustrating especially when you are hanging on one or two words to make a decision that could result in a very uncomfortable crossing if you get it wrong.
In other weather news, it is hot and humid. Not terribly hot I guess, just 80 or so, but the humidity makes it so you can't hardly move without sweating. I (John) sleep wedged in between two piles of pillows to keep me steady in the rolling. It's like being wrapped up in a blanket and can be warm in these conditions.
We noticed another little gift from our bird friend. Not only did he bend the little indicator flags on the Windex in a way that we can't tell what the jibe angle is, he also bent them such that the pointer part can't make a full 360 circle without getting stuck. So now we have very little idea of what the apparent wind angle is. I taped a tell-tail (a small strip of cloth) to the backstay but it's not as affective as the Windex. Maybe when we get to the ITCZ we can get it to swing around to the other side of the obstruction and it will work until we have to tack or jibe again.
{GMST}12|47|N|123|50|W|Mexico to Marquesas Day 13|Day 13{GEND}
Sunday, April 28, 2013
Day 11 and 12
Sunday Noon
It's been a rough couple days. Starting Friday afternoon we've had winds over 20 mph and seas over 8 ft. It makes it very hard to rest, especially sailing dead down wind as we are the boat rolls terribly.
I was sending out these updates a day behind, logging Friday's evens on Saturday, but I think I'd like to be caught up. In my current state of exhaustion it's hard enough remembering what happened today, much less yesterday.
Winds should be calming down slowly over the next couple days and we will be turning south for the ITCZ. All the books say to make as much distance to the west as possible while in the Northern Hemisphere because the winds are stronger. Frankly, I'd prefer to sail in a little lighter wind even if it takes a day or two more to get there.
{GMST}13|51|N|112|02|W|Mexico to Marquesas Day 12|Day 12{GEND}
It's been a rough couple days. Starting Friday afternoon we've had winds over 20 mph and seas over 8 ft. It makes it very hard to rest, especially sailing dead down wind as we are the boat rolls terribly.
I was sending out these updates a day behind, logging Friday's evens on Saturday, but I think I'd like to be caught up. In my current state of exhaustion it's hard enough remembering what happened today, much less yesterday.
Winds should be calming down slowly over the next couple days and we will be turning south for the ITCZ. All the books say to make as much distance to the west as possible while in the Northern Hemisphere because the winds are stronger. Frankly, I'd prefer to sail in a little lighter wind even if it takes a day or two more to get there.
{GMST}13|51|N|112|02|W|Mexico to Marquesas Day 12|Day 12{GEND}
Saturday, April 27, 2013
Day 10
Friday Noon
The Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone, or ITCZ is an area of light winds and bad weather located north of the equator. It is caused by the North East trade winds coming down from the Northern Hemisphere meeting the South East trade winds coming up from the Southern Hemisphere. You might wonder why this is important? Well it's very important to us because the ITCZ is our next big hurdle as well as one of the major factors in the weather we have. Right now there is a minor low pressure system embedded in the ITCZ just to our south. This is causing higher than normal trade winds and cloudy skies. It's making a pretty rough ride and both of us are commenting on the amount of exercise we're getting just hanging on. We both go to bed exhausted at the end of our watches only to be tossed around in bed making it hard to sleep. Somehow we manage to get 6-8 hours a day, in 2 hour increments.
We have crossed the ITCZ 6 times and have never had what we would consider a 'bad' crossing. Sure we've experienced light winds and some rain, but it wouldn't take much effort on Google to find stories of horrendous lightening storms and squalls. These things we have been lucky to avoid.
We're not sure what our next crossing will bring, in a week or so, but we're working to make sure it is as calm as possible by being in the right place at the right time.
{GMST}14|55|N|117|38|W|Mexico to Marquesas Day 10|Day 10{GEND}
The Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone, or ITCZ is an area of light winds and bad weather located north of the equator. It is caused by the North East trade winds coming down from the Northern Hemisphere meeting the South East trade winds coming up from the Southern Hemisphere. You might wonder why this is important? Well it's very important to us because the ITCZ is our next big hurdle as well as one of the major factors in the weather we have. Right now there is a minor low pressure system embedded in the ITCZ just to our south. This is causing higher than normal trade winds and cloudy skies. It's making a pretty rough ride and both of us are commenting on the amount of exercise we're getting just hanging on. We both go to bed exhausted at the end of our watches only to be tossed around in bed making it hard to sleep. Somehow we manage to get 6-8 hours a day, in 2 hour increments.
We have crossed the ITCZ 6 times and have never had what we would consider a 'bad' crossing. Sure we've experienced light winds and some rain, but it wouldn't take much effort on Google to find stories of horrendous lightening storms and squalls. These things we have been lucky to avoid.
We're not sure what our next crossing will bring, in a week or so, but we're working to make sure it is as calm as possible by being in the right place at the right time.
{GMST}14|55|N|117|38|W|Mexico to Marquesas Day 10|Day 10{GEND}
Litter Box
Saturday AM
Here's a tragi/comic mise en scene for you. Ziggy's litter box is tucked into a tight spot under the salon table. Normally I have to take two settee bottom cushions off to pull it up from the floor onto the (now bare wood) settee where I then have easy access to clean it out. And normally Ziggy is asleep up on our Pullman berth all day. But because the Pullman is being used as storage for our bins of potatoes, white onions, red onions, garlic, 90 vaselined eggs, nuts, cookies, trail mix, sails, toilet paper, and all the misc junk that's normally stored in the quarter berth (where we're now sleeping - one at a time), Ziggy's bed and his crate have been displaced to the far corner of the salon settee. This also happens to be the leeward, or low side of the boat on our current tack. Right on top of, you guessed it, one of the cushions I have to remove in order to pull the litter box out from under the table. (It's a big box with high sides so it has to come straight up. It won't slide around the corner of the table on the floor.)
During this passage I've taken to waiting for Ziggy to get up late in the afternoon, about an hour before his dinner, when he likes to go outside and snooze in his "bin." This is a plastic dish pan with a towel in it, tucked under the clear window of the dodger where he's out of the wind. Then I can get the litter box out without disturbing him. I use a normal litter sifting spoon to collect his "deposits" into a plastic dust pan from which the refuse is flung overboard.
This system worked fine until yesterday when we had our windiest, roughest day of the passage so far. Nothing unmanageable for us. Just imagine being in one of those fun house tunnels where the floors tilt crazily as you try to walk through a dark passage. Or crossing one of the wooden suspension bridges at the Isla Cuale in Puerto Vallarta when kids are jumping on it, making it sway and pitch, as you try to walk across in a more dignified straight line. Yes, once Nakia picks up some speed, it takes two hands just to stand and move about the cabin of this good ship lollipop.
Needless to say Ziggy wasn't going to venture outside this bouncy house in time for me to clean his litter box before I went off watch at 5 PM. When I came back on watch at 9 PM I pondered what to do about the box, which I like to keep meticulously clean. Ziggy was now firmly entrenched in his bed for the night, and wouldn't get up for anything but a flying fish flopping on deck. I didn't want to move him to the other (windward, or high) side of the salon where he'd likely get thrown out of bed, that is if the entire bed didn't just slide off first. I finally gave in to distasteful fact that I was going to have to use John's more slap dash method.
I pulled one of the cushion sets off of the settee to give myself more maneuvering room. I strapped John's LED head lamp over my forehead and switched it on to red light (so as not to spoil my night vision for ship spotting).Then I had to use my contortionist skills to lay on my side, reach down into the litter box with the spoon in my left hand and the dust pan in my right. The dust pan kept blocking my light, and I had to hold it very carefully so it wouldn't spill whenever the boat lurched. With the dust pan finally full of the biggest bits I could snag, I left the spoon in the box, backed out from under the table and gingerly made my way to the companionway steps. I climbed the four steps, wedged my feet on either side of the top step, managed to clip my tether onto my harness with one hand (still carefully balancing the dust pan in the other), climbed over the drop board blocking the bottom half of the companionway entrance from spray, took three steps out into the cockpit, wedged my foot against the combing, and flung my Herculean boulder (or was that Sisyphus?) into the sea.
It makes me feel better knowing he has a clean litter box, even if the damn cat doesn't appreciate it!
Linda
Here's a tragi/comic mise en scene for you. Ziggy's litter box is tucked into a tight spot under the salon table. Normally I have to take two settee bottom cushions off to pull it up from the floor onto the (now bare wood) settee where I then have easy access to clean it out. And normally Ziggy is asleep up on our Pullman berth all day. But because the Pullman is being used as storage for our bins of potatoes, white onions, red onions, garlic, 90 vaselined eggs, nuts, cookies, trail mix, sails, toilet paper, and all the misc junk that's normally stored in the quarter berth (where we're now sleeping - one at a time), Ziggy's bed and his crate have been displaced to the far corner of the salon settee. This also happens to be the leeward, or low side of the boat on our current tack. Right on top of, you guessed it, one of the cushions I have to remove in order to pull the litter box out from under the table. (It's a big box with high sides so it has to come straight up. It won't slide around the corner of the table on the floor.)
During this passage I've taken to waiting for Ziggy to get up late in the afternoon, about an hour before his dinner, when he likes to go outside and snooze in his "bin." This is a plastic dish pan with a towel in it, tucked under the clear window of the dodger where he's out of the wind. Then I can get the litter box out without disturbing him. I use a normal litter sifting spoon to collect his "deposits" into a plastic dust pan from which the refuse is flung overboard.
This system worked fine until yesterday when we had our windiest, roughest day of the passage so far. Nothing unmanageable for us. Just imagine being in one of those fun house tunnels where the floors tilt crazily as you try to walk through a dark passage. Or crossing one of the wooden suspension bridges at the Isla Cuale in Puerto Vallarta when kids are jumping on it, making it sway and pitch, as you try to walk across in a more dignified straight line. Yes, once Nakia picks up some speed, it takes two hands just to stand and move about the cabin of this good ship lollipop.
Needless to say Ziggy wasn't going to venture outside this bouncy house in time for me to clean his litter box before I went off watch at 5 PM. When I came back on watch at 9 PM I pondered what to do about the box, which I like to keep meticulously clean. Ziggy was now firmly entrenched in his bed for the night, and wouldn't get up for anything but a flying fish flopping on deck. I didn't want to move him to the other (windward, or high) side of the salon where he'd likely get thrown out of bed, that is if the entire bed didn't just slide off first. I finally gave in to distasteful fact that I was going to have to use John's more slap dash method.
I pulled one of the cushion sets off of the settee to give myself more maneuvering room. I strapped John's LED head lamp over my forehead and switched it on to red light (so as not to spoil my night vision for ship spotting).Then I had to use my contortionist skills to lay on my side, reach down into the litter box with the spoon in my left hand and the dust pan in my right. The dust pan kept blocking my light, and I had to hold it very carefully so it wouldn't spill whenever the boat lurched. With the dust pan finally full of the biggest bits I could snag, I left the spoon in the box, backed out from under the table and gingerly made my way to the companionway steps. I climbed the four steps, wedged my feet on either side of the top step, managed to clip my tether onto my harness with one hand (still carefully balancing the dust pan in the other), climbed over the drop board blocking the bottom half of the companionway entrance from spray, took three steps out into the cockpit, wedged my foot against the combing, and flung my Herculean boulder (or was that Sisyphus?) into the sea.
It makes me feel better knowing he has a clean litter box, even if the damn cat doesn't appreciate it!
Linda
Friday, April 26, 2013
Day 9, Windex Crash
Thursday Noon
More wind late in the afternoon signalled the need to take down the drifter. With the exception of taking down the spinnaker, taking down the drifter is one of the more complicated things we have to do on NAKIA. It takes two people, one at the mast to let the sail down slowly and another in the bow pulpit to gather/control the sail as it comes down. We accomplished the task without getting the sail wet or damaged, which are the only real goals, so I guess we were successful.
We've been resting so well lately because of the light winds I really wish we could 'save' our rest. Something tells me Friday and Saturday are going to be difficult days to sleep.
We started to see some real 'trade wind clouds' today. These are light fluffy medium to small size clouds that march along with the winds. I usually curse them for getting in the way of our solar panels, but with the tow generator it hasn't been a problem. In fact we're once again in danger of over charging the batteries and I may have to disconnect one or both of the solar panels to keep that from happening. This after I let the batteries get down to 60% charged, something we NEVER do at anchor, before putting the tow generator back online. Today during peak sun time, when NAKIA was moving at 7 mph I saw 25 amps on the charge meter. On a normal day we see 15 from the solar panels alone. I have got to get a charge controller for the tow generator!
Our brand new Windex (an arrow that is mounted to the top of the mast to indicate the wind direction), which Linda's sister carefully hand carried from the US - and I waited until the last minute to install so some stupid bird didn't break it - has been bent by SOME STUPID BIRD! Usually Frigate birds are responsible for these things getting bent. They like to try to land on it to roost even though the mast head is whipping back and forth like mad as the boat rolls in the sea. But in this case it must have been a booby. Booby birds are aptly named because they are as dumb as posts. One was responsible for breaking our guest spider's web when it tried to fly behind the mainsail and ran smack into the backstay. They always look at the thing they ran into with an expression of 'whoa man, how did that get there!' No doubt one of them was concentrating on the 'pretty white sails' when 'WHAM' someone put a pointy wire thing in its way. The windex will be bent back into shape when we get into the Marquesas and I can go all the way to the top of the mast without getting killed.
{GMST}15|59|N|115|38|W|Mexico to Marquesas Day 9|Day 9{GEND}
More wind late in the afternoon signalled the need to take down the drifter. With the exception of taking down the spinnaker, taking down the drifter is one of the more complicated things we have to do on NAKIA. It takes two people, one at the mast to let the sail down slowly and another in the bow pulpit to gather/control the sail as it comes down. We accomplished the task without getting the sail wet or damaged, which are the only real goals, so I guess we were successful.
We've been resting so well lately because of the light winds I really wish we could 'save' our rest. Something tells me Friday and Saturday are going to be difficult days to sleep.
We started to see some real 'trade wind clouds' today. These are light fluffy medium to small size clouds that march along with the winds. I usually curse them for getting in the way of our solar panels, but with the tow generator it hasn't been a problem. In fact we're once again in danger of over charging the batteries and I may have to disconnect one or both of the solar panels to keep that from happening. This after I let the batteries get down to 60% charged, something we NEVER do at anchor, before putting the tow generator back online. Today during peak sun time, when NAKIA was moving at 7 mph I saw 25 amps on the charge meter. On a normal day we see 15 from the solar panels alone. I have got to get a charge controller for the tow generator!
Our brand new Windex (an arrow that is mounted to the top of the mast to indicate the wind direction), which Linda's sister carefully hand carried from the US - and I waited until the last minute to install so some stupid bird didn't break it - has been bent by SOME STUPID BIRD! Usually Frigate birds are responsible for these things getting bent. They like to try to land on it to roost even though the mast head is whipping back and forth like mad as the boat rolls in the sea. But in this case it must have been a booby. Booby birds are aptly named because they are as dumb as posts. One was responsible for breaking our guest spider's web when it tried to fly behind the mainsail and ran smack into the backstay. They always look at the thing they ran into with an expression of 'whoa man, how did that get there!' No doubt one of them was concentrating on the 'pretty white sails' when 'WHAM' someone put a pointy wire thing in its way. The windex will be bent back into shape when we get into the Marquesas and I can go all the way to the top of the mast without getting killed.
{GMST}15|59|N|115|38|W|Mexico to Marquesas Day 9|Day 9{GEND}
Day 8, Unrated Sail Area
Thursday AM
We've had a little passenger on NAKIA ever since leaving Socorro. A spider must have drifted out from the island to the boat on an Easterly breeze and took up residence between the backstay and the short wave antenna (HF Radio Antenna). He liked it there, because he built a very nice web which catches anything blowing in over the stern. We can see him in the center of the web, waiting patiently for a bug to get blown in. We're not sure if there are likely to be any bugs, but we hope for the best. In any case his web gives us an additional .5 sq foot of sail area.
Day 8 was pretty slow. We had 5 hours in the early morning where the boat went under 2 miles per hour. Our normal target speed is 6 mph. Amazingly, the auto pilot steered flawlessly and only got 'lost' once. When I say it gets lost, I mean it was unable to keep the boat on course and sounds a rather annoying alarm which wakes the off watch. And the on watch for that matter.
The wind filled in a little during the day and we spent the rest of our time going 4-5 mph. In these light wind conditions, we use a 'double head sail' configuration where we pole the jib out to one side and then raise our nylon drifter in the second track on the headsail furler. It's very effective down wind, and because we double reef the main, it is fairly quiet even when the sea rolls the wind out of the sails. Much quieter than having the main banging back and forth in any case.
The wind is supposed to increase Thursday, and then increase again Friday so it's likely we'll be pulling down the drifter soon.
{GMST}16|58|N|114|04|W|Mexico to Marquesas Day 8|Day 8{GEND}
We've had a little passenger on NAKIA ever since leaving Socorro. A spider must have drifted out from the island to the boat on an Easterly breeze and took up residence between the backstay and the short wave antenna (HF Radio Antenna). He liked it there, because he built a very nice web which catches anything blowing in over the stern. We can see him in the center of the web, waiting patiently for a bug to get blown in. We're not sure if there are likely to be any bugs, but we hope for the best. In any case his web gives us an additional .5 sq foot of sail area.
Day 8 was pretty slow. We had 5 hours in the early morning where the boat went under 2 miles per hour. Our normal target speed is 6 mph. Amazingly, the auto pilot steered flawlessly and only got 'lost' once. When I say it gets lost, I mean it was unable to keep the boat on course and sounds a rather annoying alarm which wakes the off watch. And the on watch for that matter.
The wind filled in a little during the day and we spent the rest of our time going 4-5 mph. In these light wind conditions, we use a 'double head sail' configuration where we pole the jib out to one side and then raise our nylon drifter in the second track on the headsail furler. It's very effective down wind, and because we double reef the main, it is fairly quiet even when the sea rolls the wind out of the sails. Much quieter than having the main banging back and forth in any case.
The wind is supposed to increase Thursday, and then increase again Friday so it's likely we'll be pulling down the drifter soon.
{GMST}16|58|N|114|04|W|Mexico to Marquesas Day 8|Day 8{GEND}
Thursday, April 25, 2013
Day 7, 'Lectronic Problems
Wednesday evening
The wind was pretty reasonable for the last 24 hours, aft of the beam and strong enough to keep the windvane steering. The windvane, a mechanical device that steers the boat relative to the wind, works pretty well as long as there's enough wind flowing over its sail. When the wind goes light we have to switch to the autopilot which steers the boat relative to its own magnetic compass. I assume we'll be doing this tonight and tomorrow as the forecast is for lighter winds.
The main halyard problem seems to be taken care of for now. The addition of leather to the top 8 inches of the halyard seems to be protecting the rope. I've had that leather on the boat for at least 15 years, it's about time it made itself useful.
I dismantled the radar display today to see if I could find anything that might be causing it to function poorly. In 2004 when we trucked the boat to Seattle the cable for the radar was damaged by vibration on the truck. I repaired it as best I could at the time, and the radar has functioned well until recently. About a year ago I noticed some corrosion on the back of the radar display where the cable attaches. It looks like rain water had entered the cable jacket at the repair and flowed down the cable to the display. When I found this problem I cut back some of the jacket at the lowest point of the cable so any water entering the jacket could drain at the lowest point, instead of at the display and I cleaned up the corrosion. But now I suspect some of the water got into the display and may be causing problems. The operation was successful. I did find evidence of minor water intrusion and cleaned up the electronics. We won't know, however, if the radar works any better until we get close enough to something solid to get a reflection. Right now there's nothing around us but waves, and while you can usually get waves to show up on radar, it's not a great test of the system. Considering how infrequently we use the radar, I'm not too worried. Eventually we will have to remove the mast to replace the cable and if we're going that far I'll probably replace the radar too.
{GMST}17|29|N|112|55|W|Mexico to Marquesas Day 7|Day 7{GEND}
The wind was pretty reasonable for the last 24 hours, aft of the beam and strong enough to keep the windvane steering. The windvane, a mechanical device that steers the boat relative to the wind, works pretty well as long as there's enough wind flowing over its sail. When the wind goes light we have to switch to the autopilot which steers the boat relative to its own magnetic compass. I assume we'll be doing this tonight and tomorrow as the forecast is for lighter winds.
The main halyard problem seems to be taken care of for now. The addition of leather to the top 8 inches of the halyard seems to be protecting the rope. I've had that leather on the boat for at least 15 years, it's about time it made itself useful.
I dismantled the radar display today to see if I could find anything that might be causing it to function poorly. In 2004 when we trucked the boat to Seattle the cable for the radar was damaged by vibration on the truck. I repaired it as best I could at the time, and the radar has functioned well until recently. About a year ago I noticed some corrosion on the back of the radar display where the cable attaches. It looks like rain water had entered the cable jacket at the repair and flowed down the cable to the display. When I found this problem I cut back some of the jacket at the lowest point of the cable so any water entering the jacket could drain at the lowest point, instead of at the display and I cleaned up the corrosion. But now I suspect some of the water got into the display and may be causing problems. The operation was successful. I did find evidence of minor water intrusion and cleaned up the electronics. We won't know, however, if the radar works any better until we get close enough to something solid to get a reflection. Right now there's nothing around us but waves, and while you can usually get waves to show up on radar, it's not a great test of the system. Considering how infrequently we use the radar, I'm not too worried. Eventually we will have to remove the mast to replace the cable and if we're going that far I'll probably replace the radar too.
{GMST}17|29|N|112|55|W|Mexico to Marquesas Day 7|Day 7{GEND}
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Day 6, Halyard Problems
Day 6 brings our departure from Isla Socorro. It was nice to stop for a couple nights, I guess. But really in this light wind it's almost nicer being underway. For one thing the boat rolls a lot less then when we're at anchor and for another I sleep better since I don't have to worry about our anchor rode failing or the anchor dragging.
When we pulled down the mainsail at Isla Socorro I found that the main halyard was worn through about 25%. That's quite a bit, especially for only 3 days sailing. So I re-spliced the rope to get rid of the worn spot, it was right at the end near the sail, and added leather and tape to keep the spot where the rope rubs on the mast from damaging the rope. Yesterday I lay on my back in the cockpit and used the binoculars to look at the halyard where it goes into the mast. Sure enough, more wear. There are two aft-lead halyard ports on the top of the mast, one for the topping lift, the other for the main halyard. It looked as though if we swapped the halyard and topping lift port, the rubbing would be minimized. So that's what we did, 1 1/5 hrs before sunset yesterday. It seemed like it would be about a 20 minute job but in the end ran over an hour. We were successful in the end, and if the rubbing doesn't stop it's not for a lack of trying.
It's very strange that this should come up all of a sudden. We sailed 2300 miles from Raiatea to Hawaii on this tack and didn't have this problem using the same sail and halyard. The only thing I can think of is that there was a lot more wind on that trip so we probably had a reef in the main most of the time. I suspect when the main is reefed the halyard doesn't rub at an angle that causes it to wear. So another thing that could solve our problem is more wind!
{GMST}19|32|N|109|34|W|Mexico to Marquesas Day XX|Day XX{GEND}
When we pulled down the mainsail at Isla Socorro I found that the main halyard was worn through about 25%. That's quite a bit, especially for only 3 days sailing. So I re-spliced the rope to get rid of the worn spot, it was right at the end near the sail, and added leather and tape to keep the spot where the rope rubs on the mast from damaging the rope. Yesterday I lay on my back in the cockpit and used the binoculars to look at the halyard where it goes into the mast. Sure enough, more wear. There are two aft-lead halyard ports on the top of the mast, one for the topping lift, the other for the main halyard. It looked as though if we swapped the halyard and topping lift port, the rubbing would be minimized. So that's what we did, 1 1/5 hrs before sunset yesterday. It seemed like it would be about a 20 minute job but in the end ran over an hour. We were successful in the end, and if the rubbing doesn't stop it's not for a lack of trying.
It's very strange that this should come up all of a sudden. We sailed 2300 miles from Raiatea to Hawaii on this tack and didn't have this problem using the same sail and halyard. The only thing I can think of is that there was a lot more wind on that trip so we probably had a reef in the main most of the time. I suspect when the main is reefed the halyard doesn't rub at an angle that causes it to wear. So another thing that could solve our problem is more wind!
{GMST}19|32|N|109|34|W|Mexico to Marquesas Day XX|Day XX{GEND}
Saturday, April 20, 2013
Day 3 and 4
Day 3 was more of the same, just making our best time in light wind. We have the 'big' jib on so we can make progress in light winds but to this point we haven't had to deploy it entirely. There has been enough wind to keep us going nicely without having 480 sq ft of sail hanging off the forestay.
Day 4 brings some news. We were going to pass within 5 miles of Isla Sororro, a lonely outpost of the Mexican Navy, and have decided to stop and see if they would allow us to stay a couple nights. We called on VHF 16 and they told us to come into Vargas Cove and wait for a boat to come with officials for an inspection. Another sailboat, RED, who also left PV on Wednesday, had also decided to stop. They had to motor 30 mile or so to get here. The crew of RED does not speak Spanish, so after the inspection on NAKIA was complete John was employed on board RED to translate. The formalities took about 30 minutes fore each sailboat and were mostly a survey of safety equipment. After their inspection was complete they presented us with a questionnaire to review their performance, also in Spanish. John's Spanish is pretty good, but understanding the questionnaire would have taken all day and really when you are reviewing the performance of a Lieutenant and a Full Commander the best thing is to do is just check 'MUY BUENO' on each question.
So now we can stay as long as we like, though two days should be sufficient.
{GMST}18|43.792|N|110|57.468|W|Mexico to Marquesas Day 4|Isla Socorro{GEND}
Day 4 brings some news. We were going to pass within 5 miles of Isla Sororro, a lonely outpost of the Mexican Navy, and have decided to stop and see if they would allow us to stay a couple nights. We called on VHF 16 and they told us to come into Vargas Cove and wait for a boat to come with officials for an inspection. Another sailboat, RED, who also left PV on Wednesday, had also decided to stop. They had to motor 30 mile or so to get here. The crew of RED does not speak Spanish, so after the inspection on NAKIA was complete John was employed on board RED to translate. The formalities took about 30 minutes fore each sailboat and were mostly a survey of safety equipment. After their inspection was complete they presented us with a questionnaire to review their performance, also in Spanish. John's Spanish is pretty good, but understanding the questionnaire would have taken all day and really when you are reviewing the performance of a Lieutenant and a Full Commander the best thing is to do is just check 'MUY BUENO' on each question.
So now we can stay as long as we like, though two days should be sufficient.
{GMST}18|43.792|N|110|57.468|W|Mexico to Marquesas Day 4|Isla Socorro{GEND}
Friday, April 19, 2013
Day 2, Tow Gen and Mattress Topper
We've kept the wind so far. Though it hasn't gotten back to it's peak of 18 kts on the first afternoon it has cooperated very nicely.
We are thinking about making a stop at Isla Sacorrow. I think this is supposed to be a Navy Base/Wildlife Refuge, so I'm not sure if they will let us stay. But if the wind dies as it's forecast to and they let us anchor in the bay for a couple days it may be a good way to wait for wind. If anyone has made a stop at this island please send us email and let us know how it went.
The tow generator has worked well. A little too well as it happens, I had to pull it out of the water this morning because we were already at 100% charge and with bright sunshine the solar panels are ready to contribute their part to keeping the batteries up. The tow generator is basically a propeller attached to a permanent magnet motor via a long rope. You put the propeller in the water and the boat moving through the water makes it want to spin. The rope transfers the spinning to the motor and the motor acts like a generator. The problem is it does not have a regulator, that's an option I didn't buy. If the batteries are completely charged when it's spinning it can easily over charge them. Last night to keep that from happening we; charged all the computer batteries, ran virus scans on all the computers and ran the radar for a couple hours. After going through the hassle to get the propeller out of the water I think I'd rather find ways to use up the extra electricity.
The other huge addition to our equipment on this passage is the memory foam topper we bought second hand in Mazatlan. A NOB (North of the Border-er) had brought one down to put on the mattress in his rental. When he arrived he found the owner of the rental had already installed one. He put it up for sale on the local radio net and I bought it. We put it on our main bed and found it very comfortable, but the real reason we bought it was for the quarter berth which we use as our bed while we are on passage. The mattress on that bed is just regular foam, extra, extra firm. Not good for sleeping in any conditions, let alone on a rolling sailboat. Before we left PV we put the memory foam topper on the quarter berth mattress and, since the topper is queen size and the mattress is full, we folded it over on the edges. What a incredible difference it made. No more waking up with soar joints from sleeping on what is basically a piece of plywood.
That's all for now.
{GMST}19|23|N|109|28|W|Mexico to Marquesas Day 2|Day 2{GEND}
We are thinking about making a stop at Isla Sacorrow. I think this is supposed to be a Navy Base/Wildlife Refuge, so I'm not sure if they will let us stay. But if the wind dies as it's forecast to and they let us anchor in the bay for a couple days it may be a good way to wait for wind. If anyone has made a stop at this island please send us email and let us know how it went.
The tow generator has worked well. A little too well as it happens, I had to pull it out of the water this morning because we were already at 100% charge and with bright sunshine the solar panels are ready to contribute their part to keeping the batteries up. The tow generator is basically a propeller attached to a permanent magnet motor via a long rope. You put the propeller in the water and the boat moving through the water makes it want to spin. The rope transfers the spinning to the motor and the motor acts like a generator. The problem is it does not have a regulator, that's an option I didn't buy. If the batteries are completely charged when it's spinning it can easily over charge them. Last night to keep that from happening we; charged all the computer batteries, ran virus scans on all the computers and ran the radar for a couple hours. After going through the hassle to get the propeller out of the water I think I'd rather find ways to use up the extra electricity.
The other huge addition to our equipment on this passage is the memory foam topper we bought second hand in Mazatlan. A NOB (North of the Border-er) had brought one down to put on the mattress in his rental. When he arrived he found the owner of the rental had already installed one. He put it up for sale on the local radio net and I bought it. We put it on our main bed and found it very comfortable, but the real reason we bought it was for the quarter berth which we use as our bed while we are on passage. The mattress on that bed is just regular foam, extra, extra firm. Not good for sleeping in any conditions, let alone on a rolling sailboat. Before we left PV we put the memory foam topper on the quarter berth mattress and, since the topper is queen size and the mattress is full, we folded it over on the edges. What a incredible difference it made. No more waking up with soar joints from sleeping on what is basically a piece of plywood.
That's all for now.
{GMST}19|23|N|109|28|W|Mexico to Marquesas Day 2|Day 2{GEND}
Thursday, April 18, 2013
Day 1
We got a pretty good start yesterday, in spite of the bad forecast. We pulled anchor at 0800 and motored out of Banderas Bay and by the time we were in the strong currents around Punta de Mita we were able to set sail and have been sailing since. Winds have been mostly NW, so we've been making our best course to the WSW waiting for a shift into the N today. Hopefully. We are still expecting the wind to die Saturday, but hopefully between now and then we will put a few miles under the keel.
Ziggy is doing well. We've carpeted the table and sink board with some left over non-skid fabric so he can walk around without sliding. We had two squid and one flying fish on board last night and we were able to keep him from eating all but one of the squid.
The new tow generator is working great! Normally we would be down 5-10% on the batteries overnight, but last night we stayed even.
We had lots of ships last night and this morning. There is a line from Cabo to Manzanillo that most of the shipping traffic follows along this coast. Now that we are outside of that we should have less to keep track of in the night.
Off like a herd of turtles!
{GMST}19|55|N|107|15|W|Mexico to Marquesas Day 1|Day 1{GEND}
Ziggy is doing well. We've carpeted the table and sink board with some left over non-skid fabric so he can walk around without sliding. We had two squid and one flying fish on board last night and we were able to keep him from eating all but one of the squid.
The new tow generator is working great! Normally we would be down 5-10% on the batteries overnight, but last night we stayed even.
We had lots of ships last night and this morning. There is a line from Cabo to Manzanillo that most of the shipping traffic follows along this coast. Now that we are outside of that we should have less to keep track of in the night.
Off like a herd of turtles!
{GMST}19|55|N|107|15|W|Mexico to Marquesas Day 1|Day 1{GEND}
Thursday, March 07, 2013
Tenacatita to Paraiso
Today was one of those perfect cruising days moving from one anchorage to another. By 7:00 AM we had the anchor up and were motoring away from a quiet week in Tenacatita Bay. I had spent the time getting over a strange type of flu, a milder case of which John had enjoyed a couple of weeks earlier, so neither of us partook of the busy social scene in that popular cruiser hangout. An example of a perfect Tenacatita moment is when I climbed out into the cockpit to shake out my dust rag and had the privilege of seeing a pair of dolphins surface to take a breath right next to the boat! It's truly a beautiful place, but we didn't feel like braving the breaking surf for a dinghy trip to shore. John swam in twice instead. If you're going to get soaked, you might as well get some exercise too.
Not 45 minutes out of the anchorage this morning John hooked two dorado on his homemade handlines. The smaller of the two managed to shake itself loose and John was able to land the three footer. We had fish for lunch and we're having fish for dinner. While John cleaned the fish on the sidedeck I saw a nice-sized pod of dolphins moving with a purpose in the opposite direction. None of them diverted for a frolic with Nakia but we're always happy to see them passing by. We saw a whale spout off in the distance before it dove. And finally, it took me a startled moment to figure out what I was seeing but we must have surprised a turtle alongside the boat. All of a sudden we were passing what turned out to be a column of bubbles and a turtle disappearing into the greenish murk.
Paraiso has a private compound onshore so we assume the beautiful sand beach in front of that is off limits to us. Instead we donned our snorkel gear and swam to a smaller sandy beach. Snorkeling wasn't great. It was late in the afternoon with low visibility and the water was cold (76 F). But it was good to get out and "stretch our legs." Even with a stern anchor out we're rolling in the swell. We'll leave tomorrow morning for Chamela Bay and better protection from the forecasted NW blow coming in over the weekend.
{GMST}19|28.348|N|105|03.650|W|Gold Coast|Paraiso{GEND}
Not 45 minutes out of the anchorage this morning John hooked two dorado on his homemade handlines. The smaller of the two managed to shake itself loose and John was able to land the three footer. We had fish for lunch and we're having fish for dinner. While John cleaned the fish on the sidedeck I saw a nice-sized pod of dolphins moving with a purpose in the opposite direction. None of them diverted for a frolic with Nakia but we're always happy to see them passing by. We saw a whale spout off in the distance before it dove. And finally, it took me a startled moment to figure out what I was seeing but we must have surprised a turtle alongside the boat. All of a sudden we were passing what turned out to be a column of bubbles and a turtle disappearing into the greenish murk.
Paraiso has a private compound onshore so we assume the beautiful sand beach in front of that is off limits to us. Instead we donned our snorkel gear and swam to a smaller sandy beach. Snorkeling wasn't great. It was late in the afternoon with low visibility and the water was cold (76 F). But it was good to get out and "stretch our legs." Even with a stern anchor out we're rolling in the swell. We'll leave tomorrow morning for Chamela Bay and better protection from the forecasted NW blow coming in over the weekend.
{GMST}19|28.348|N|105|03.650|W|Gold Coast|Paraiso{GEND}
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
San Blas to Chacala
When we finally tore ourselves away from Isla Isabela last Tuesday it was with a good breeze to sail the 40 nm to Mantanchen Bay near San Blas. We even had the spinnaker flying for awhile. The next morning we backtracked five miles north to the San Blas estuary and crossed the river bar at a comfortable high tide. We spent four nights anchored in the estuary, going into town each day (it's still a 50 peso dinghy dock fee at the Fonatur marina and they now meter the dock water, but it's a reasonable cost to fill your tanks). In spite of having our no-see-um screens in we acquired more bugs with each passing night. It's a tiresome way to live on a boat with every opening closed up and the tight knit screens blocking any incoming breeze (of which there isn't much back in the estuary to begin with). One of the joys of this life is sitting out in the cockpit as the sun rises and sets, but in bug country we have to hunker down below, and everyone starts to get a little crabby. Bug spray helps, but add that to sunscreen and sweat and - ugh.
To our minds San Blas is a dusty, sleepy, poor town with not much to offer in exchange for being eaten by bugs. There are basic shopping and other services, including a good internet place. We did find a carnitas taco stand with succulent pork and perfect toppings. It's on the corner of the main road out of town and the road which passes between the plaza and the Social Club. It was only open during the day and we didn't find anything to equal it on the square at night. We gave the Social Club a try for internet and burgers but it was full of down-on-their-luck-looking Norte Americanos who were all smoking up a storm. We enjoyed drinks one night at Billy Bob's which was much nicer. But we found nothing to equal La Ya Ya in La Cruz which has to be our favorite hangout in Mexico so far.
After getting our fill of groceries, internet, tacos, and churros on the square, we left Sunday on an early high tide for Mantanchen Bay to spend the night and head to Chacala on Monday. We motor-sailed the whole way (and saw our first humpback whale of the season!) because there was another boat behind us and we were anxious to beat him to our favorite spot here. We were happy to arrive and find only one other sailboat anchored (we heard there were 12 just a few days ago), but were disappointed that a few private mooring buoys have been installed since last year. A large U.S. flagged power boat is on one buoy which looks very new and even has a Catalina Island style flag for picking up the mooring. The boats on moorings do not put out stern anchors as we do to keep us pointed bow into the swell.
We've already had our first swim to and walk on the beach; spotted a one-inch colorful nudibranch near the surface right on the stern (maybe a Spanish Dancer from the way it was swimming); and are looking forward to taking the dinghy in today for more adventures.
{GMST}21|09.815|N|105|13.628|W|San Blas to Chacala|Chacala{GEND}
To our minds San Blas is a dusty, sleepy, poor town with not much to offer in exchange for being eaten by bugs. There are basic shopping and other services, including a good internet place. We did find a carnitas taco stand with succulent pork and perfect toppings. It's on the corner of the main road out of town and the road which passes between the plaza and the Social Club. It was only open during the day and we didn't find anything to equal it on the square at night. We gave the Social Club a try for internet and burgers but it was full of down-on-their-luck-looking Norte Americanos who were all smoking up a storm. We enjoyed drinks one night at Billy Bob's which was much nicer. But we found nothing to equal La Ya Ya in La Cruz which has to be our favorite hangout in Mexico so far.
After getting our fill of groceries, internet, tacos, and churros on the square, we left Sunday on an early high tide for Mantanchen Bay to spend the night and head to Chacala on Monday. We motor-sailed the whole way (and saw our first humpback whale of the season!) because there was another boat behind us and we were anxious to beat him to our favorite spot here. We were happy to arrive and find only one other sailboat anchored (we heard there were 12 just a few days ago), but were disappointed that a few private mooring buoys have been installed since last year. A large U.S. flagged power boat is on one buoy which looks very new and even has a Catalina Island style flag for picking up the mooring. The boats on moorings do not put out stern anchors as we do to keep us pointed bow into the swell.
We've already had our first swim to and walk on the beach; spotted a one-inch colorful nudibranch near the surface right on the stern (maybe a Spanish Dancer from the way it was swimming); and are looking forward to taking the dinghy in today for more adventures.
{GMST}21|09.815|N|105|13.628|W|San Blas to Chacala|Chacala{GEND}
Saturday, December 01, 2012
Fish Camp anchorage
Friday, November 30
We love it here and we're staying until we run out of food! Which, given our state of provisioning, probably won't be for as long as we'd like. We've made a conscious decision not to carry more food than necessary for our immediate needs. (i.e., not to "stock up") because there's always a little tienda in every Mexican village - except for out here. We didn't expect to stay for more than a few nights, and thus didn't buy things like flour (for making bread), dried beans (for when we're out of fresh veggies and meat), and masses of onions (which keep forever and go with everything). But we've hit a perfect period of calm weather following a day or two of nice breeze for getting here, and it would be a crime to leave now.
Yesterday we moved over to the anchorage off the fish camp where four boats were already anchored. John found a patch of sand for our anchor but our chain was laid out over rock. After three boats left this morning we moved into a larger patch of sand to get our gear off the rocks. John snorkeled the anchorage yesterday and not one of the other boats had its anchor in sand.
The fish camp anchorage is notorious for "eating" anchors because it's so rocky. We've always felt a little smug about tucking up into the sand at the rock spires (Las Monas) anchorage and didn't even bother looking at the fish camp last year. Boy were we surprised when we discovered how much calmer it is there. We prefer the spires because it has the best snorkeling and more privacy. At the fish camp you trade pristine natural beauty for corrugated tar paper shacks lining the beach and fishing panga traffic, but on the plus side there's a calm beach landing and less rolling. We'll take it!
We went ashore yesterday to do some hiking and were greeted by two friendly and very helpful young women who spoke perfect English. They are employees of the Park Service, and were happy to guide us to the recommended trail head. We enjoyed walking along wooded trails with frigate and booby birds roosting directly overhead. Walking in the gloom of the shade hearing the cries and bill clacking of hundreds of birds was a little eerie. Of course with life there is always death and I couldn't help be dismayed after running across three birds in distress over the course of our hike. It appears that a misjudged landing can spell a slow death for a frigate. Their wing span is so huge that if they fall to the ground underneath the low tree canopy (more like big bushes), they aren't able to fly back out. We found one struggling to free itself from tall grasses in which its feet we entangled (John tried but couldn't free it), and two others were vainly flapping on the ground amidst narrow tree trunks. The remains of long dead birds littered the forest.
We were happier to see both brown and blue-footed boobies sitting on eggs. We would have liked to have hiked more of the cliff trail, but as birds stood up from their "nests" when we passed, we quickly turned around and headed back to the beach where we explored tide pools in lava rock that reminded us of Hawaii.
I cannot overstate how gorgeous it is here. From Nakia we can see down to the bottom in 24' of water. Birds are everywhere. Brown moths the size of hummingbirds come out at night to keep Ziggy entertained on deck. The big schools of tropical fish are beautiful. There's nothing like it anywhere on the Pacific side of Mexico, and it has us missing French Polynesia even more because we know we'll have to leave here eventually for the greener, muddier waters of the rest of the coast.
{GMST}21|50.571|N|105|52.941|W|Isla Isabela|Fish Camp{GEND}
We love it here and we're staying until we run out of food! Which, given our state of provisioning, probably won't be for as long as we'd like. We've made a conscious decision not to carry more food than necessary for our immediate needs. (i.e., not to "stock up") because there's always a little tienda in every Mexican village - except for out here. We didn't expect to stay for more than a few nights, and thus didn't buy things like flour (for making bread), dried beans (for when we're out of fresh veggies and meat), and masses of onions (which keep forever and go with everything). But we've hit a perfect period of calm weather following a day or two of nice breeze for getting here, and it would be a crime to leave now.
Yesterday we moved over to the anchorage off the fish camp where four boats were already anchored. John found a patch of sand for our anchor but our chain was laid out over rock. After three boats left this morning we moved into a larger patch of sand to get our gear off the rocks. John snorkeled the anchorage yesterday and not one of the other boats had its anchor in sand.
 |
| Fish Camp anchorage |
The fish camp anchorage is notorious for "eating" anchors because it's so rocky. We've always felt a little smug about tucking up into the sand at the rock spires (Las Monas) anchorage and didn't even bother looking at the fish camp last year. Boy were we surprised when we discovered how much calmer it is there. We prefer the spires because it has the best snorkeling and more privacy. At the fish camp you trade pristine natural beauty for corrugated tar paper shacks lining the beach and fishing panga traffic, but on the plus side there's a calm beach landing and less rolling. We'll take it!
 |
| Las Monas spires |
We went ashore yesterday to do some hiking and were greeted by two friendly and very helpful young women who spoke perfect English. They are employees of the Park Service, and were happy to guide us to the recommended trail head. We enjoyed walking along wooded trails with frigate and booby birds roosting directly overhead. Walking in the gloom of the shade hearing the cries and bill clacking of hundreds of birds was a little eerie. Of course with life there is always death and I couldn't help be dismayed after running across three birds in distress over the course of our hike. It appears that a misjudged landing can spell a slow death for a frigate. Their wing span is so huge that if they fall to the ground underneath the low tree canopy (more like big bushes), they aren't able to fly back out. We found one struggling to free itself from tall grasses in which its feet we entangled (John tried but couldn't free it), and two others were vainly flapping on the ground amidst narrow tree trunks. The remains of long dead birds littered the forest.
We were happier to see both brown and blue-footed boobies sitting on eggs. We would have liked to have hiked more of the cliff trail, but as birds stood up from their "nests" when we passed, we quickly turned around and headed back to the beach where we explored tide pools in lava rock that reminded us of Hawaii.
 |
| Brown booby bird with egg |
I cannot overstate how gorgeous it is here. From Nakia we can see down to the bottom in 24' of water. Birds are everywhere. Brown moths the size of hummingbirds come out at night to keep Ziggy entertained on deck. The big schools of tropical fish are beautiful. There's nothing like it anywhere on the Pacific side of Mexico, and it has us missing French Polynesia even more because we know we'll have to leave here eventually for the greener, muddier waters of the rest of the coast.
{GMST}21|50.571|N|105|52.941|W|Isla Isabela|Fish Camp{GEND}
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Isla Venados (Mazatlan) to Isla Isabela
Except for a bit of motoring at the beginning and end of the trip, we had an easy 90nm downwind sail from Noon on Tuesday to dawn this morning. It took us three tries to get the anchor set in a good patch of sand, but we are tucked in safely with three other boats (all from this year's Baja Ha-Ha). We tidied the boat, enjoyed our coffee while watching the frigates and blue-footed booby birds doing their aerial acrobatics, ate a late breakfast, went through a Rosetta Stone French lesson (preparing for another trip to French Polynesia in the Spring), and then hit the water for some of the best snorkeling on the Pacific side of Mexico.
We are in 24' of water and we can see the bottom - what a change! With my new shortie wetsuit and neoprene gloves I didn't get cold at all. Granted the water is 83 degrees, but I used to get chilled wearing my old wetsuit jacket and no gloves. Like our visit a year ago, we didn't see a huge variety of fish, but they are plentiful and we saw a huge school of big jacks on the outside wall of one of the pinnacle rocks.
It's a little bouncy in the anchorage but we hope to stay at least a couple of nights to enjoy the scenery.
{GMST}21|50.868|N|105|52.746|W|Isla Isabela|Lots of birds{GEND}
We are in 24' of water and we can see the bottom - what a change! With my new shortie wetsuit and neoprene gloves I didn't get cold at all. Granted the water is 83 degrees, but I used to get chilled wearing my old wetsuit jacket and no gloves. Like our visit a year ago, we didn't see a huge variety of fish, but they are plentiful and we saw a huge school of big jacks on the outside wall of one of the pinnacle rocks.
It's a little bouncy in the anchorage but we hope to stay at least a couple of nights to enjoy the scenery.
{GMST}21|50.868|N|105|52.746|W|Isla Isabela|Lots of birds{GEND}
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Extra day at Venados
Rather than push right on to Isla Isabela we decided to take an extra day at Deer Island. This gives us a chance to get our sea legs and get back into cruising mode, especially Ziggy who appears to be wondering when we'll be returning to the dock. Also, the wind forecast is more favorable for the possibility of sailing if we leave Tuesday.
Yesterday the morning clouds remaining from the front that passed through Sunday night eventually cleared away and it was a warm sunny day. At 82 degrees the water temperature is perfect for swimming and scrubbing the hull. It's a few degrees cooler than when we were here the last couple of times, but still very pleasant. We didn't bother going anywhere in the "new" dinghy, instead we enjoyed a quiet day studying French, reading, and doing boat chores. After a sunset swim, John played his ukulele, then he made dinner, and we watched some TV before sleeping through an uneventful night.
I guess I should say a word about our replacement "car." Kim and Linda of S/V Endeavor were kind enough to pass on an old Achilles air-floor dinghy that had been stored away as a spare since 2009. They got a lot of use out of it before then, and John patched over a dozen holes in the tubes, air-floor, and dinghy floor (the air-floor comes out of the dinghy as a separate unit) before it would hold air and not leak water up through the dinghy floor. He also managed to fashion a pair of oars out of a spare set of plastic blades we had on board, some PVC pipe and a piece of aluminum tubing. We then tried Endeavor's old 15HP 4-stroke Envinrude but our outboard hoist was too short to get it up to Nakia's stern rail, besides being too much for the dinghy to handle. They were practically giving it to us at a very low price, so we felt terrible for returning it. John mentioned it to a local sport fishing captain who ended up buying it from Endeavor at a fairer price (for Kim and Linda), and everyone was happy in the end.
Bob, on a neighboring Hans Christian, had an old 2HP 2-stroke Evinrude for sale. After a day's worth of labor John got it running to his satisfaction, and bought it. That brings us full circle to 21 years ago when we had an old heavy Sabot for a dinghy and a similar motor for an outboard. We won't be going anywhere fast until we find something newer and stronger to replace these, but at least we'll be mobile again!
Yesterday the morning clouds remaining from the front that passed through Sunday night eventually cleared away and it was a warm sunny day. At 82 degrees the water temperature is perfect for swimming and scrubbing the hull. It's a few degrees cooler than when we were here the last couple of times, but still very pleasant. We didn't bother going anywhere in the "new" dinghy, instead we enjoyed a quiet day studying French, reading, and doing boat chores. After a sunset swim, John played his ukulele, then he made dinner, and we watched some TV before sleeping through an uneventful night.
I guess I should say a word about our replacement "car." Kim and Linda of S/V Endeavor were kind enough to pass on an old Achilles air-floor dinghy that had been stored away as a spare since 2009. They got a lot of use out of it before then, and John patched over a dozen holes in the tubes, air-floor, and dinghy floor (the air-floor comes out of the dinghy as a separate unit) before it would hold air and not leak water up through the dinghy floor. He also managed to fashion a pair of oars out of a spare set of plastic blades we had on board, some PVC pipe and a piece of aluminum tubing. We then tried Endeavor's old 15HP 4-stroke Envinrude but our outboard hoist was too short to get it up to Nakia's stern rail, besides being too much for the dinghy to handle. They were practically giving it to us at a very low price, so we felt terrible for returning it. John mentioned it to a local sport fishing captain who ended up buying it from Endeavor at a fairer price (for Kim and Linda), and everyone was happy in the end.
Bob, on a neighboring Hans Christian, had an old 2HP 2-stroke Evinrude for sale. After a day's worth of labor John got it running to his satisfaction, and bought it. That brings us full circle to 21 years ago when we had an old heavy Sabot for a dinghy and a similar motor for an outboard. We won't be going anywhere fast until we find something newer and stronger to replace these, but at least we'll be mobile again!
Monday, November 26, 2012
At anchor again!
 |
| Our last night in Mazatlan (with an Indio beer tower!) |
Sunday afternoon we made the easy 40 minute hop out of Marina Mazatlan to a sandy beach anchorage at Isla Venados. It was only three nautical miles and we motored over relatively flat water. We were both feeling a little sick to our stomachs, not from being at sea again, but from cutting the ties to shore and being unsure of what lies ahead. It's a little hard for us to get back into the groove of cruising after enjoying so many of the amenities of life on shore. John enjoyed his house-sitting jobs in Mazatlan this summer and I loved being a CLOD (Cruiser Living On Dirt) again in Seattle. Even being on the boat tied up in a marina gave us many freedoms and luxuries that we don't have such easy access to when we're anchored out.
But once we dropped the hook I felt a peacefulness that I don't necessarily feel on shore. There are fewer distractions. We aren't compelled to have the computer running 24/7 because there's no Wi-Fi. Instead we pay more attention to our natural surroundings and interact with whoever else happens to share the anchorage. As we were getting ready to get in the water to scrub green slime off the hull a couple with two young boys stopped by to introduce themselves. They came down from Redwood City on this year's Baja Ha-Ha on an aluminum boat named Heavy Metal and we had a nice chat.
We will be preaching dinghy safety for some time to come (see previous post about our dinghy theft). Our replacement 2HP motor is chained to Nakia's stern with the biggest padlock we could find. Instead of hanging the replacement dinghy against the side of the boat John decided to try setting it down on the starboard foredeck where it rests on the forward hatch and lifelines. This way we're still able to open the hatch above our berth for fresh air at night.
John didn't get much sleep as he kept a "robber" watch through most of the middle of last night. On top of that we had a bit of lightning, thunder and rain to keep us awake. In spite of our sleepless night we are thinking about pushing on through to Isla Isabella later this afternoon, so that we can finally put Mazatlan behind us. An overnight trip would put us at Isabella at sunrise.
{GMST}22|14.160|N|106|27.678|W|Deer Island|On our way to PV{GEND}
Monday, November 12, 2012
Dinghy Theft
John sent this out to Southbounders Yahoo Group at around 2:00 this morning. I would only add that whenever I've read similar accounts by other cruisers I have always scoffed at the notion that the people on board the sailboat would not hear a sound from the thieves. I now know better. John speculates that the thieves drifted/paddled to Nakia, positioned their panga under the dinghy, and cut the hanging harness rope to lower the dinghy down into their panga. When their panga drifted back to make their escape the dinghy would have pulled against the cable still attaching it to Nakia (probably unnoticed by them until then). That noise was what woke John, but by the time he got out the companionway (throw open the heavy hatch above; remove screen in door) they had just cut the cable and he could only watch as they fired up their engine and roared off into the dark with our dinghy and outboard.
We are both sick about this loss because we've been diligent about taking the motor off the dinghy and securing it to Nakia most nights in the past. We were not fully back into cruising mode and got complacent. We returned to Marina Mazatlan this morning. John has gone to the Port Captain's office to complete his report and then we'll be figuring out how to get another dinghy/outboard so we can be on our way again.
Linda
----- Original Message -----
Date: 12 Nov 2012 09:08:26 -0000
We just had our dinghy, with outboard motor attached, stolen while at anchor at Isla de Piedra outside of Mazatlan.
The theft occurred at 1230 local [11/11/2012]. The dingy was a grey Achilles with a newly painted white floor. The outboard was a 9.8hp Tohatsu two stroke. The dingy was raised high out of the water on a halyard with the outboard mounted on the transom. The outboard was locked to the dinghy and cabled and locked to NAKIA with 3/16" lifeline wire.
The method of theft was to place a panga under the dinghy, cut the harness suspending the dinghy and then cut the cable. I was woken up by the sound of the cable pulling tight on NAKIA and was on deck in time to see the thieves cut the cable and race away in their panga.
I have been in Mexico since 2004 and this is the first time I've ever had anything stolen from NAKIA, but this theft is pretty disappointing. Normally the motor would have been mounted and chained to the stern pulpit, but just after sunset a SeaDoo boat was having trouble with its engine so I put the motor on the dinghy and went to see if I could help. Rather than put the outboard back on the rail and chain it down I raised the dinghy with a halyard and used the cable to secure it, which is nicer on the teak cap rail than the chain. There was a time when I didn't even bother with the cable.
I have reported the theft to the Port Captain via VHF channel 16 and my only question at this point is: does anyone have the phone number of one or more restaurants here at Isla de Piedra? I'm willing to pay to get the dinghy back (with or without motor) and would like to get the word out to the locals.
Friday, November 09, 2012
Mazatlan Homecoming
Here's a summary of the past three weeks since my return to John, Ziggy, and Nakia. The donkey cart parade really deserves its own entry, but hopefully the Mazatlan photo album at my Picasa link will tell the whole story! Here are just a few of those photos:
10/21
Arriving in Mazatlan from Seattle I was almost last off the plane. My seat was in the middle of the aircraft and they opened front and back doors so I had to wait for both directions to clear first. That meant I was almost last in the Immigration line which everyone felt was moving much slower than normal. I finally went on through to baggage claim where I saw a huge line of people already waiting to go through the x-ray machine. By the time I finished changing into cooler clothes in the bathroom I
was dead last in the x-ray/Customs line. Then of course they wanted to open my boxes. Two officials opened the two smallest boxes, found nothing of interest, and let me go without opening the third big one (they didn't even bother with my carry on).
Nakia looks beautiful. Ziggy's already nipped my finger (not hard). AC is blasting. Life is good!
10/22
We worked non-stop today to put away everything I unpacked last night. I was pretty surprised that I managed to get all the boxes emptied yesterday and into piles for sorting today. I put things away in two main lockers and cleaned out a couple more and John took care of sorting out the items destined for the ditch and first-aid kits, and his tool area.
John had the AC on when we arrived from the airport yesterday to help me make the transition, but we didn't use it today. He'll probably zap the boat with some cool air when we go up to shower later and then let it run during the first part of the night.
This morning I managed to have a cup of coffee before the sun was up over the buildings. There was an osprey on the mast of a boat across from us and three white pelicans flying around the banks of the channel. Very pretty.
It's a relief to find I'm not going through any post-Seattle-summer, claustrophobic boat adjustment period at all this year. I love the different pace of life which is still relaxed, but there are so many things to do. And I've always enjoyed cleaning and puttering so I'm happy keeping busy with that.
10/29
Got up this morning and actually felt cold for the first time! Humid last night and a breeze this morning make it downright chilly - at least until the sun starts heating things up again.
Yesterday we had a good afternoon at the beach (Playa Bruja) with John's friend Yarnell, after an early morning bicycle ride on the malecon. Between that and our evening out celebrating Sherrell's birthday on Saturday, it was a good weekend. Now it's back to work.
10/30
We've decided to stay an extra 10 days in the marina. We had talked about going in and anchoring at the Old Harbor, but it's gotten a bad reputation for theft and we don't feel like taking the risk. So it will be nice to hang out here for a little while longer before we go out on the hook again.
The weather has definitely cooled off at night and we haven't been running the AC for days. I'm hoping John will go ahead and get it off the boat, but he's a little leery of cutting the umbilical cord just yet!
10/31
Today we spent a few hours getting the boat cleaned up. John had washed the boat before I arrived and it was already getting filthy, probably dirt from the nearby road.
When we thought we were moving to the Old Harbor tomorrow we invited Yarnell and Sonia to come along for the ride, including a stop at Deer Island. Yarnell was John's summer buddy and Sonia is his local squeeze. She has always wanted to go out on a sailboat so we're fulfilling that fantasy for her. We can anchor out at the island and dinghy in to the beach for a swim.
We're not doing anything for Halloween tonight but tomorrow night (if we're not burned out from a day in the sun) we're supposed to go in to Plaza Machado for the uniquely Mazatlan tradition of chasing four beer carts which are pulled by donkeys followed by crowds of people trying to get their cups refilled (all for free). We think this was started by Pacifico (which has a brewery here).
11/1
We had a great day out sailing with Yarnell and Sonia. We motor sailed out around both islands trying to catch a fish (nothing) and then headed in to anchor in 10' off the beach. We sat and ate lunch before they hopped in the dinghy, and I swam into the beach. I couldn't believe how warm the water was when I got in. It was almost like bath water - but that won't last too much longer. I looked for shells and then joined them in the shade of a palapa. Back out to the boat and we were actually able to sail the short distance back to the harbor entrance. Sonia kept thanking us for making her dream come true, and she obviously enjoyed herself, which makes all the work getting things ready for today worthwhile.
11/4
Late in the afternoon yesterday John suggested a walk along the length of the Malecon (beach walkway). We took a bus to the beginning of it, walked a long way down it, and caught a bus back just after a beautiful sunset. Even though it got very hazy the day before, the sun burned through just as it dipped into the horizon. Early this morning we rode the same area of the Malecon for about an hour with Sarana on bicycles. This afternoon I read and John rode his bike out to Playa Bruja with Yarnell. I opted not to go this time since they mostly sit and drink beer and I thought John could use some "guy time." We certainly have been getting our exercise!
11/8
The weather has been cloudy and downright humid (92%) the past few days. It's been pretty uncomfortable and John is regretting giving our AC unit away Tuesday night. He has a local friend who was in need of AC and it was a freebie for us (it had been stored in a dock box unclaimed for several years), so it was good karma to pass it on to her.
We had a fun afternoon out at a beach bar/restaurant called El Canoa Wednesday afternoon with Sarana and Magic Places. We went there to listen to a band that John had seen a few times over the summer. They played covers of rock guitar music. The music itself wasn't all that danceable but they were good musicians and it was an open air beach bar with a romantic sunset behind one of the islands. Plus it's always fun being out with friends doing something different for a change!
11/9
We're departing the marina tomorrow to make our way to Banderas Bay for Christmas. We'll hang out at the islands here until we start itching to move on, and then we'll slowly head south with possible stops at Isabela, San Blas, and Chacala. I'm really looking forward to getting back out on the water. I'm sure it will take quite a bit of adjusting for the two "boys" who are giving up a lot of their freedom. John will miss his bicycle and unlimited internet, and Ziggy will miss his nighttime comings and goings on the dock. Hopefully we'll all settle in and get used to the new routine without too many withdrawal pains!
 |
| In Plaza Machado waiting for the beer carts |
 |
| Julie and her sister made up as Katrinas |
 |
| Canela the donkey pulling a beer cart |
10/21
Arriving in Mazatlan from Seattle I was almost last off the plane. My seat was in the middle of the aircraft and they opened front and back doors so I had to wait for both directions to clear first. That meant I was almost last in the Immigration line which everyone felt was moving much slower than normal. I finally went on through to baggage claim where I saw a huge line of people already waiting to go through the x-ray machine. By the time I finished changing into cooler clothes in the bathroom I
was dead last in the x-ray/Customs line. Then of course they wanted to open my boxes. Two officials opened the two smallest boxes, found nothing of interest, and let me go without opening the third big one (they didn't even bother with my carry on).
Nakia looks beautiful. Ziggy's already nipped my finger (not hard). AC is blasting. Life is good!
10/22
We worked non-stop today to put away everything I unpacked last night. I was pretty surprised that I managed to get all the boxes emptied yesterday and into piles for sorting today. I put things away in two main lockers and cleaned out a couple more and John took care of sorting out the items destined for the ditch and first-aid kits, and his tool area.
John had the AC on when we arrived from the airport yesterday to help me make the transition, but we didn't use it today. He'll probably zap the boat with some cool air when we go up to shower later and then let it run during the first part of the night.
This morning I managed to have a cup of coffee before the sun was up over the buildings. There was an osprey on the mast of a boat across from us and three white pelicans flying around the banks of the channel. Very pretty.
It's a relief to find I'm not going through any post-Seattle-summer, claustrophobic boat adjustment period at all this year. I love the different pace of life which is still relaxed, but there are so many things to do. And I've always enjoyed cleaning and puttering so I'm happy keeping busy with that.
10/29
Got up this morning and actually felt cold for the first time! Humid last night and a breeze this morning make it downright chilly - at least until the sun starts heating things up again.
Yesterday we had a good afternoon at the beach (Playa Bruja) with John's friend Yarnell, after an early morning bicycle ride on the malecon. Between that and our evening out celebrating Sherrell's birthday on Saturday, it was a good weekend. Now it's back to work.
10/30
We've decided to stay an extra 10 days in the marina. We had talked about going in and anchoring at the Old Harbor, but it's gotten a bad reputation for theft and we don't feel like taking the risk. So it will be nice to hang out here for a little while longer before we go out on the hook again.
The weather has definitely cooled off at night and we haven't been running the AC for days. I'm hoping John will go ahead and get it off the boat, but he's a little leery of cutting the umbilical cord just yet!
10/31
Today we spent a few hours getting the boat cleaned up. John had washed the boat before I arrived and it was already getting filthy, probably dirt from the nearby road.
When we thought we were moving to the Old Harbor tomorrow we invited Yarnell and Sonia to come along for the ride, including a stop at Deer Island. Yarnell was John's summer buddy and Sonia is his local squeeze. She has always wanted to go out on a sailboat so we're fulfilling that fantasy for her. We can anchor out at the island and dinghy in to the beach for a swim.
We're not doing anything for Halloween tonight but tomorrow night (if we're not burned out from a day in the sun) we're supposed to go in to Plaza Machado for the uniquely Mazatlan tradition of chasing four beer carts which are pulled by donkeys followed by crowds of people trying to get their cups refilled (all for free). We think this was started by Pacifico (which has a brewery here).
11/1
We had a great day out sailing with Yarnell and Sonia. We motor sailed out around both islands trying to catch a fish (nothing) and then headed in to anchor in 10' off the beach. We sat and ate lunch before they hopped in the dinghy, and I swam into the beach. I couldn't believe how warm the water was when I got in. It was almost like bath water - but that won't last too much longer. I looked for shells and then joined them in the shade of a palapa. Back out to the boat and we were actually able to sail the short distance back to the harbor entrance. Sonia kept thanking us for making her dream come true, and she obviously enjoyed herself, which makes all the work getting things ready for today worthwhile.
 |
| Sonia and Yarnell enjoying a day sail on Nakia |
11/4
Late in the afternoon yesterday John suggested a walk along the length of the Malecon (beach walkway). We took a bus to the beginning of it, walked a long way down it, and caught a bus back just after a beautiful sunset. Even though it got very hazy the day before, the sun burned through just as it dipped into the horizon. Early this morning we rode the same area of the Malecon for about an hour with Sarana on bicycles. This afternoon I read and John rode his bike out to Playa Bruja with Yarnell. I opted not to go this time since they mostly sit and drink beer and I thought John could use some "guy time." We certainly have been getting our exercise!
11/8
The weather has been cloudy and downright humid (92%) the past few days. It's been pretty uncomfortable and John is regretting giving our AC unit away Tuesday night. He has a local friend who was in need of AC and it was a freebie for us (it had been stored in a dock box unclaimed for several years), so it was good karma to pass it on to her.
We had a fun afternoon out at a beach bar/restaurant called El Canoa Wednesday afternoon with Sarana and Magic Places. We went there to listen to a band that John had seen a few times over the summer. They played covers of rock guitar music. The music itself wasn't all that danceable but they were good musicians and it was an open air beach bar with a romantic sunset behind one of the islands. Plus it's always fun being out with friends doing something different for a change!
11/9
We're departing the marina tomorrow to make our way to Banderas Bay for Christmas. We'll hang out at the islands here until we start itching to move on, and then we'll slowly head south with possible stops at Isabela, San Blas, and Chacala. I'm really looking forward to getting back out on the water. I'm sure it will take quite a bit of adjusting for the two "boys" who are giving up a lot of their freedom. John will miss his bicycle and unlimited internet, and Ziggy will miss his nighttime comings and goings on the dock. Hopefully we'll all settle in and get used to the new routine without too many withdrawal pains!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)