Week in review

Puerto Escondido, BCS, Mexico

We thought we were going to have Agua Verde completely to ourselves yesterday, when most of the boats that were there with us decided to move on.

Dream on.  A whole bunch more boats showed up, a couple of them were big power yachts full of the "beautiful" people, who had all of the toys, personal water craft, banana boats, water skis, etc.  We decided we had overstayed our welcome and elected to move on.

Today we motored into very light north winds all the way (22 miles) to Puerto Escondido, where we had to pick up a mooring ball.  After only 3 tries we were securely fastened to the grossest looking line we have ever seen.  But it seems to be holding OK so far.  Of course, the marina office was closed after noon today (your guess is as good as mine as to why), so we could not check in and had to settle for lunch at the overpriced restaurant instead.

And wonder of wonders - Internet!

Early morning start - it's already hot!

Tomorrow we will check into the marina (they control the mooring field here) and find out if there is anything worth staying here for...

 

{GMST}25|49.2|N|111|18.6|W|Puerto Escondido, BCS, Mexico|Puerto Escondido, BCS, Mexico{GEND}
 

The heat is on

Bahia Agua Verde, BCS, Mexico

What have we done since we arrived in Agua Verde?

We have successfully launched the dinghy - the motor worked first time.

We have visited the village, a short walk from the beach, a couple of times. Bought some supplies at the local tienda (mini-mart), had some refreshments at the restaurant (looks like someone's house), observed some sort of Sunday evening fiesta with the crowning of a "princess" or two (Not really sure what that was all about) and watched some young people dancing to traditional Mexican music (soundtrack from Grease). Ate some tasty tomales at a stand set up by some local ladies. Being cruisers, we left the party before the real fun got going of course - we had our own fun navigating to the boat in the dark - we forgot to turn on the anchor light before left in the afternoon.

We joined two other cruising couples on a panga ride a short way up the coast and hiked up a steep trail to see some caves and associated cave paintings. Note: Cactus make very poor hand-holds - try to avoid them!

With the temperatures now averaging about 35C during the day, and only cooling off to about 28 at night, we have been spending some time in the water during the heat of the day. The water temperature is still only about 23C so it feels pretty cool when you get in. Some great snorkeling just a short distance from the boat.

On the mechanical side of things, I have managed to adjust the alternator belt - only took the best part of an hour. When I had the engine compartment open, we could hear water dripping. Our dripless stuffing box was dripping. I was able to put some compression on the fitting and secure the allen screw that had come loose - looks good now.

Our solar power is "just" able to keep up with our power requirements now, with the fridge and freezer running much higher duty cycles as the ambient temperature in the boat is rising. If it gets much hotter, they probably won't quite do it. My advice to anyone contemplating this type of cruise is that there is no such thing as too many solar panels.

We will probably hang around here another day or two before moving a little further north.

{GMST}25|30.74|N|111|4|W|Puerto Agua Verde, BCS, Mexico|Puerto Agua Verde, BCS, Mexico{GEND}

The journey continues

Bahia Agua Verde, BCS, Mexico

In order to finally find a refuge from the south winds, we have travelled north some 44 miles to beautiful Bahia Agua Verde. This is a large bay with some lovely anchorages exposed only from the north and should provide excellent protection from the prevailing south winds. There are several other boats in the bay that would seem to agree.

We started out motoring for the first 1/2 hour and then were able to sail downwind using only the genoa for about 3 hours, at more than 5 knots for much of the time - that is a pretty good sail for us. The remainder of the 8 hour trip was via the trusty engine. The route was pretty much straight north along the inner coast of the Baja peninsula except for the last 5 miles when we rounded a headland and headed due west to get to the bay. As promised, we are very sheltered here. Maybe too sheltered as it gets really hot on the boat when the temperature is over 30C and there is not a breath of wind - sometimes you just can't win - or maybe we are just hard to please.

Today's "problem de jour" is with the alternator belts. We could smell some burning rubber most of the day and eventually twigged to the fact that the alternator was not putting out as much juice as it should. I guess the belts need some tightening. Hard to figure why - I last adjusted them when we put the new alternator in back in Nanaimo before we started this adventure.

Tomorrow we may get real brave and launch the dinghy for the first time since Mazatlan. I can hardly wait to see what nasty surprises it, and the outboard motor, have in store.

{GMST}25|30.82|N|111|3.75|W|Bahia Agua Verde, BCS, Mexico|Bahia Agua Verde, BCS, Mexico{GEND}

Northward Bound

San Evaristo, BCS, Mexico

Had the anchorage to ourselves today. The one boat that was here last night left early this morning. Pretty windy all day but actually quite pleasant. Nothing much to report. Late in the day, we have been joined by another sailboat and two power boats. Must be time for moving on. Northward bound tomorrow.

{GMST}24|54.5|N|110|42.33|W|San Evaristo, BCS, Mexico|San Evaristo, BCS, Mexico{GEND}

Quiet Time

San Evaristo, BCS, Mexico

Oddly enough, some wind and waves still managed to find us here in San Evaristo. Nothing too dramatic though.

When we arrived here in the bay, there were several boats already occupying the most inviting and protected corner, so we were forced to anchor more or less in the middle of the bay. For the most part this was OK, but during the night a bit of a swell found its way into the bay and made for another rolly night. Still nothing like the uncomfortable surf we had at Caleta Partida the night before.

This morning, we found everyone but one other boat had pulled up their anchors and left - we seem to have that effect in many of the place we go - not sure exactly why. Regardless, it now made the more attractive corner of the bay available. So, after breakfast, we upped anchor and moved into the south end of the bay, anchoring in less than 20 feet of turquoise water. Once here, the motion on the boat was much nicer and we had a lovely, relaxing day watching the local fishermen in the pangas and the diving pelicans they attracted. Also saw a large turtle that came over to give us a brief inspection.

A note about the weather. Right now, it is really very pleasant, highs during the day around 30C and lows around 20. Sitting in the cockpit with the bimini cover giving shade, with a gentle breeze blowing, it is just about perfect. I think we will stay at least another day.

{GMST}24|54.5|N|110|42.33|W|San Evaristo, BCS, Mexico|San Evaristo, BCS, Mexico{GEND}

Running North

San Evaristo, BCS, Mexico

After a miserable night in the Caleta Partida anchorage, we made a run some 30 miles north to the first more protected anchorage we could find, in San Evaristo on the Baja Peninsula. Since the Coromuel wind was still blowing strongly this morning, we decided to make an earlier start (OK, 9AM is probably not all that early but we were really tired after our restless night) and try and use this SW wind to help us on our way northward. The wind held for about 1-1/2 hours and we had a nice downwind sail at about 3.5 knots before the wind dropped off, and we ended up motoring the rest of the way. The wind stayed behind us, blowing at about 4 knots, which made it feel as if we had no wind at all and it got really hot in the cockpit in the afternoon.

We had elected to take our new bimini cover down when we are cruising but we may have to re-think this. Sue has not been sick on these shorter passages, but I think she got a bit of heat-stroke today. We need to make a point of eating and drinking more during these passages - it is too easy to just sit back and vegetate.

San Evaristo is a nice little anchorage with a quiet little fishing village. Very picturesque. There are about 6 or 8 other boats here so for a change we are not alone. Must mean this is a good place to hole up for a couple of days and catch up on our sleep. Maybe I can even try and figure out why our anchor windlass deck switch is not working any more.

On a more positive note, the autopilot if behaving itself wonderfully after my amateur repairs.

{GMST}24|54.5|N|110|42.33|W|San Evaristo, BCS, Mexico|San Evaristo, BCS, Mexico{GEND}

Rock and Roll

Caleta Partida, BCS, Mexico

We have not anchored out since Mag Bay on the way down the outside of the Baja peninsula in January. We may have lost our touch!

They have a wind here in the La Paz area called the Coromuel. This is a SW wind that appears most every night and is part of the reason that the nights are so comfortable in La Paz - without it the heat would be more unbearable. In the last few nights, the winds have been a little stronger than normal and the night-time temperatures have been a bit cooler as well - apparently nothing to do with the approaching cyclone.

Having decided to leave La Paz this morning, we wanted to get away as early as possible. However, we had to wait until the winds abated somewhat before we were comfortable with leaving our slip. We finally backed out around 10:45 AM. First stop was at the fuel dock where I attempted to make a fancy 180 degree turn to give us a port tie at the dock. Partly because of the remaining wind and some current in the marina (but mostly just my own inadequacies as a helmsman), I managed to hit and partially destroy the marina's sign at the end of the fuel dock. But we need not dwell on that!

After leaving the fuel dock, we managed to maneuver out of the La Paz channel OK and made a fast run north to our current location at Caleta Partida, a large anchorage between the islands of Espiritu Santo and Partida. We motored the entire 25 miles, with virtually no wind until we got to the anchorage, when it started to blow like stink - 20 knots from the north. We managed to get anchored securely in spite of the fact that the foot switch for the anchor windless would no longer let us put the anchor down. I was able to use the 2nd switch from the cockpit so all was not lost.

As soon as the anchor was down, the north wind died and we had a beautiful 2 or 3 hours of blissful peace before the nightly Coromuel wind came up from the south, now gusting around 20 knots and kicking up some higher seas, as there is little protection here from the SW. The boat is heaving up and down and sailing back and forth and just generally making for a restless night. I'm not sure where we are going tomorrow but it will definitely NOT be around here!

Note: Our cruising guide shows a lovely picture of many boats anchored where we are. Tonight, we are the only boat here - I wonder why...

{GMST}24|31.81|N|110|22.8|W|Caleta Partida, BCS, Mexico|Caleta Partida, BCS, Mexico{GEND}

Farewell La Paz

La Paz, BCS, Mexico

Yes, believe it or not, we plan to be out of here tomorrow.

The boat is clean, all of the boat systems check out A-OK, the last minute chores are done, and we have taken a last evening stroll along the Malecon.

The longer you stay in one place the harder it is to leave, and La Paz has certainly not made it any easier.  This has been a great place to spend some time.  We have met some very nice people and sampled a lot of the local culture and cuisine, and are finding it hard to say goodbye.  I guess that is just the nature of cruising - always saying goodbye.

How can you not love a place that has a drive-thru beer tunnel?

{GMST}24|9.3066|N|110|19.6068|W|La Paz, BCS, Mexico|La Paz, BCS, Mexico{GEND}

Progress is being made

La Paz, BCS, Mexico

Looking longingly north towards the Sea of Cortez (Statue on the Malecon)

Just when you are about to give up hope, a miracle happens!  The new pump motor arrived.

Of course, I was sort of hoping for a whole new motor and pump, but I guess that would have been silly since only the motor was bad.  Actually, I was just ignorant enough to not realize they were two separate pieces.  The good side of this is that I did not spend as much money as I would have if I had ordered the whole thing.  The bad side is that now I had to marry the new motor to the old pump.

Detaching the old motor/pump assembly was not too tricky.  Just disconnect the hydraulic hoses, trying to keep most of the subsequent flood of hydraulic fluid contained, then cutting the electrical connections and forcing the rubber mounts off of the pump.  Similarly, separating the old motor from the pump was simply a matter of using some pliers to loosen the Allen screws (yes, I do have Allen wrenches but the position of the screws was such that there was no way to get the wrenches onto the screws without totally dismantling the pump itself), then pulling the two pieces apart, again attempting to catch all of the hydraulic fluid that this lets loose.

After cleaning up the pump somewhat, I simply had to align the old pump's odd, eccentric piston arrangement while simultaneously keeping a critical (as it turns out) O-ring in place while I attached it to the new motor.  The result looked good and after re-mounting the motor/pump assembly and reconnecting the hydraulic hoses, reconnecting the electrical, topping up the fluid, and spending a couple of hours getting the air out of the whole system, I had a perfectly working autopilot again.

Anticipating 2nd attempt

Of course, it leaked like a sieve and I had to do the whole thing over.  Apparently I did not get the O-ring in properly and it was mashed and broken as a result.  The second time, using the old O-ring (the new pump came with a new O-ring) and about an hour of trial and error, I managed to put it together much better and by the end of the day I had a non-leaking motor/pump and a totally working autopilot - at least until something else goes wrong.  I did check online on the pump manufacturer's site to see if there was any guidance for putting the O-ring in - they indicate that they have a special tool for that, and suggest sending the whole thing to them for assembly - not really a viable option for me.

Anyway, suffice it to say we are making progress and are now much closer to being able to leave La Paz for points north (our usual 1 or 2 weeks turning into a month).  At this time, we are aiming for a Monday morning launch, giving us ample time to finish off all of the other items we had on our to-do list that somehow got postponed until after the autopilot was fixed.  A lot of it is just re-supplying our groceries, cleaning up the boat, topping up the fuel and water tanks, etc.  Should be no problem.

Meanwhile, we continue to explore parts of La Paz and partake of some new restaurants we had not tried yet.  Here is the wonderful view from the Rancho Viejo seafood place, looking back at our marina around sunset.



Can you spot where the infinity pool leaves off?

A new friend, Boomer by name, has been kind enough to drive us around town a bit, so we were able to visit the local downtown market and a Sam's Club to replenish our Diet Coke supply and a few other heavy items. One night he took us up to the Costa Baja Resort and Marina, the newest and furthest marina from where we are here in central La Paz.  Really nice place with hardly anybody around.  Beautiful resort complete with swimming pools and fancy restaurants and prices that are virtually the same as where we are.  Tempting except that it is 6 miles out of town and quite isolated when you don't have a car.

Right now, we are trying to find out what the chances are that there will be any cell-phone coverage (and thus Internet possibilities) as we go up the inside coast of the Sea of Cortez.  Seems to be really hard to get a definitive answer from anyone.  As you can see from this picture, cell phones are very popular here (or is that just a huge, perfectly straight palm tree?).

Working hard on boat projects...

{GMST}24|9.3066|N|110|19.6068|W|La Paz, BCS, Mexico|La Paz, BCS, Mexico{GEND}
 

Passing Time in La Paz

La Paz, BCS, Mexico

Just so you have some idea why we are still here in La Paz, here is an excerpt from the current UPS Worldwide Expedited shipment tracking regarding our autopilot pump coming from Vancouver.  There is not a whole lot we can do either, other than watching from afar - very frustrating...


=========================

Location / Date / Local Time

Tijuana, Mexico

06/08/2011  03:10 PM  Shipment pending release from clearance agency.

06/08/2011  09:49 AM  Package data processed by brokerage. Waiting for clearance. / Released by Clearing Agency. Now in-transit for delivery.

06/08/2011  08:40 AM  Package data processed by brokerage. Waiting for clearance.

06/08/2011  07:37 AM  Package data processed by brokerage. Waiting for clearance.

Tijuana, Mexico

06/07/2011  05:45 PM  Package data processed by brokerage. Waiting for clearance.

06/07/2011  12:39 PM  Package data processed by brokerage. Waiting for clearance.

06/07/2011  08:54 AM  A valid tax identification number or deferment number is required for clearance.

06/07/2011  08:36 AM  Package data processed by brokerage. Waiting for clearance.

Tijuana, Mexico

06/06/2011  92:51 PM  A valid tax identification number or deferment number is required for clearance. / UPS will contact the sender and/or receiver regarding the status or disposition of this package.

06/06/2011  02:12 PM  Additional Clearing Agency information or documentation is required for clearance.

06/06/2011  09:28 AM  Import Scan

06/06/2011  08:35 AM  Arrival Scan
.

=========================

Virtual Marina

Meanwhile, we bide our time here in La Paz as best we can.  Our boat has started to look like the real boat-trash that we have become - just one of the many vessels trapped in the vortex that is La Paz.  To be honest, it is not such a bad place to have to spend time.  The marina, which is very full, has managed to juggle things to allow us to stay until at least next week.  There are alternatives here of course, like anchoring out across the channel, or in the "virtual" marina next door (Marina Santa Cruz, where construction was once started but where today only the pilings are to be seen).  We only hope that we see our wayward pump sometime soon.  BTW, my new Amazon Kindle reader did arrive a few days ago, only a couple of days later than predicted on the Amazon web site - it spent only a little over a day in Tijuana.

We are starting to get acclimatized to the heat somewhat and have been venturing further afield during the morning hours.  La Paz is really a very nice place - we can start to see the appeal that has made so many Americans and Canadians buy property here.  The difference is most apparent in the general attitude of the people - much more laid back and relaxed - no one is in a hurry to do anything, and there is much less of the "desperation" that seemed to be just under the surface in Mazatlan, most likely the result of a somewhat stronger economy and lower crime rate here.

As I mentioned in my previous post, the Malecon is not so popular in the heat of the day.  The rest of the city however is quite busy and we enjoyed walking the streets downtown, window shopping and having a quiet lunch in a shady pedestrian alley.  Notice the unique way of presenting a menu.

Relaxing by the whaling wall

The only excitement we have had has been a dramatic couple of hours at one of the local banks, where one of the ATMs ate Susanne's bank card.  We use two cards which allows us to take out twice the daily maximum at a time - this way we do not have to make as many trips to the bank.  On this occasion, Sue was able to use the first card and get some cash.  Then when she put in the 2nd card, the machine shut down and would not eject the card.  After much discussion, mostly through pantomime (our Spanish is still not what it should be), the bank officials opened up the offending ATM and tried to give us someone else's Visa card that they found inside.

Once we convinced them that that was not the card we were looking for, they returned to the machine and assured us that there were no other cards in it.  Since I had not let the machine out of my sight the entire time, we knew it was in there somewhere, and since the machine would not work any more, it was obvious something was still stuck inside.  After about another hour with the workmen taking the thing apart, they found our card, jammed in with another card, both stuck in there somewhere.  Once we had our card back they offered to let us try again, but we decided to cut our losses for the day and beat a hasty retreat.

Other outings have been much less traumatic. We have visited a few more of the excellent restaurants within walking distance of the marina and enjoyed them all.  We are getting quite addicted to fish tacos - always a good deal and always tasty.  Bandidos, just down the block, specializes in basic hamburgers and fries - that is their grill under hood of an old Chevy truck - at night the place is lit up with tiki torches.  We like the general sentiment presented by their sign.

Rancho Viejo serves some of the best fish tacos we have had so far, and they seem to have a few locations, all very close to the marina.  Life is good!

{GMST}24|9.3066|N|110|19.6068|W|La Paz, BCS, Mexico|La Paz, BCS, Mexico{GEND}

In the Oven

La Paz, BCS, Mexico

Interesting note: A couple of years ago, we spent some time in another city called La Paz; that one in Bolivia.  There the similarity ends!  While La Paz, Bolivia was cool, even in the middle of summer, this La Paz is exactly the opposite; hot all of the time.

Baked Susanne

Besides the heat during day (which is unreal), the other factor that takes some getting used to, is the extreme change in temperature between day and night.  While we are seeing daytime highs in excess of 40C for the hours from about 2 to 5 PM, at night it typically drops down to around 20 degrees.  You sit around and bake all day and then you need to snuggle up under a blanket at night.  Actually I guess it is sort of a blessing because at least you are able to sleep well without all that heat.

Needless to say, we have not been wandering around much during the daylight hours.  So most of what we have seen of La Paz has been at night.  We have some good friends, Jim and Leta from the sailing vessel Panoya, who we met in Mazatlan and who were conveniently also here in La Paz for the last week.  They are driving back to the US now, but they were kind enough to drive us around on a little tour of La Paz, ostensibly going out for dinner, on two separate nights.  Thus we got to eat at a couple of places that are outside of our normal walking range and we have a bit of an orientation of how the city is laid out.  Basically La Paz seems to be a more prosperous place than Mazatlan but a bit more expensive as a result.

The only people who do seem to wander around during the heat of the day are the Gringos like us.  I think there was some line about Mad Dogs and Englishmen that is appropriate.  The Mexicans wisely close everything down between about 1:30 and 3:00 in the afternoon.

We also ran into one other couple, Roger and Margaret on SV Sandpiper, at a Rock and Roll night at the La Costa restaurant just a block down the street from our marina.  It is always nice to meet people you know in foreign lands.  And as for the entertainment, these guys were very good, playing an interesting mix of soft rock and oldies but goodies hard rock by groups like Cream.  Very danceable if you are into that type of physical exertion.  They play until cruiser's midnight, which is around 10PM.

Because of the heat, our days have been pretty simple.  In the morning, before the real heat sets in, we usually find someplace for breakfast, either the Dockside Cafe right here in the marina (see picture to the left), or at one of the many little restaurants within a block or two.   Then back to the boat to tackle any little boat projects, or just read or play games on the computer until it is time for a siesta.  In the evening, we sometimes eat in (if we wait long enough for it to cool off enough to maybe turn on the stove) or, more often, head for another of the restaurants for supper.  Lots of good, inexpensive food nearby makes it difficult to justify staying on the boat.  Once we make it to the Sea, there won't be many more opportunities.

Then, as the sun sets and a cool wind comes up from the SE, the temperature is just perfect for taking a walk down the Malecon (the beach sidewalk that runs for a couple of miles and starts right outside our marina).  During the day, there is hardly a soul to be seen, but at night everyone comes out to walk, cycle, rollerblade, etc., while a continuous stream of traffic cruises up and down the street, past the restaurants and nightclubs that probably don't get started until long after we are back on the boat and fast asleep.  It sort of reminds us of scenes from the movie American Graffiti.

It looks fine, just doesn't work!

As for our plans, we are in a waiting mode again. After many emails back and forth with the Comnav Autopilot people and finally the Octopus Pump people back in Vancouver, we confirmed what I had already decided was the problem with the autopilot - the pump is broken!  So, now we are waiting for the UPS burro to bring a new pump down from Canada.

Meanwhile, I took the backup CPT autopilot apart and, with some carefully aimed blows, I was able to get it working again.  For how long and how reliable I am not sure, but should be better than nothing, in case I never see the new pump.

I have also ordered a new Amazon Kindle ebook reader, which according to their tracking system, is now somewhere on the Baja peninsula, and with any luck I will see it early next week.  I suspect the pump will take a little longer, simply because it is the more important piece.

Since I keep forgetting to carry my camera with me when we wander around, here are a few quick pictures from around the marina to prove we are really here.

 

{GMST}24|9.3066|N|110|19.6068|W|La Paz, BCS, Mexico|La Paz, BCS, Mexico{GEND}