The Domino Effect

Mazatlan, Sinaloa, Mexico

Things had been going pretty well lately.  Maybe too well!

We have been really enjoying Mazatlan, touring by bus or on foot, finding no end of cool places to have breakfast (Panchos pictured here is about a 15 minute walk from the marina), lunch or great, inexpensive nights out (Shrimp are a local specialty, prepared just about any way you can imagine - and I know just about everything there is about the shrimping business).  It is easy to see why so many Americans and Canadians make this their home, at least for the winter season.

We have made several trips to the local big box stores like Mega, Soriana, Walmart, Home Depot, etc.  It is interesting just how similar the stores look to those back in Canada, and how different the actual selection of merchandise can be.  There are some things you just can't get here, as we were soon to find out.

The city has been gearing up for Carnaval for the last week, and the evidence is shown in the new decorations along the Malecon as well as the unusual number of people out and about - seems almost busy at times.  The city and state governments are making an all-out effort with a show of force to reassure the gringos that they will be safe, including importing about 75 additional truckloads of police from other districts to keep order.  We were treated to a parade of quasi-military vehicles, about 45 in all, driving by the marina, heading towards the Golden Zone and downtown, single file with sirens blaring and lights flashing, complete with heavily armed officers standing in the back of the trucks, looking like they mean business.  We are not sure if this is having the right effect on the average tourists though.

Nonetheless, we do not feel that we are in any more danger here than in any city in the USA, statistically much safer actually.  Carnaval started yesterday but we have not yet ventured into town where the main activities are taking place.  Tonight is supposed to be one of the big fireworks displays so we may try and get out for that, although they don't start until after 10 PM, pretty late for us cruisers.  Tomorrow, we have tickets for a buffet dinner and assigned seating on some bleachers at a hotel along the Malecon to see the first of the two parades - by all accounts it should be something quite spectacular.

Meanwhile, our boat projects have been progressing nicely.  The new bimini and cockpit cushions are finished and look great - I'm sure we will be really thankful for the shade and comfort as the days get warmer.  Speaking of which, they are finally heading that way, close to 30 degrees during the day and not much less than 20 at night - absolutely gorgeous weather.

As you can see, everything has been going perfectly, just ripe for some kind of disaster.

It started off innocently enough with a strange noise coming from the refrigerator.  Not all the time, just once in a while (nothing to worry about, right?).  Then, within a couple of days, the compressor could be heard to start and immediately shut down within a couple of seconds, over and over again, occasionally managing to get going, and still keeping things cold.  That did not last long.  Pretty soon it was obvious that the compressor was in serious trouble and unable get started at all.  Fortunately we did not have much in the fridge at this time, and we have the separate Engel freezer, so we were able to shut off the fridge and wait for the local refrigeration guy to look at the problem (One of the other boaters in the marina has made a business of refrigeration sales and repairs).

To make a long story short, a couple of boat-bucks later and we have a new compressor and electronics, a new filter and thermostat, and are converted to the latest refrigerant.  We have a fridge again, slightly more efficient than the old, which is a bonus, but with the noisiest fan I have ever heard - apparently hard to find the better, quieter models here - another thing to put on the list for when we next go back to Edmonton.

Unfortunately, the fridge was the start of some sort of domino effect.  As Michael (the fridge guru) was flailing around under the sink, he bumped into the sink drain, which promptly broke off at a totally rusted-out fitting.  Fortunately this was about an inch above the water line or we could have had a boat-sinking event on our hands.  There was nothing I could do about the drain other than turning off the sea-cock, until Mike was done with installing the compressor, so Susanne and I retired to the cockpit to read a book and enjoy our spiffy new cushions.

As we were sitting there feeling sorry for ourselves, we heard the bilge pump come on, pumping more water than was reasonable for the small amount that usually accumulates every month or so (from sources that remain a mystery).  In fact, the pump came on a few times while we were sitting there; definitely time to start worrying.  So, I checked all the usual suspects, the thru-hulls and stuffing box, but there was no evidence of any problems.

Then, I opened the back compartment under the cockpit, to find a sort of sauna, lots of heat and moisture in the air, accompanied by suspicious gurgling noises from the hot water heater.  To be honest, I have long thought we were living on borrowed time with this rusty looking beast, but why it chose this moment to let go, I have no idea.  Suffice it to say, we now have no hot water heater and, based on my conversations with the other cruisers here, little chance of finding a replacement any time soon.  I have managed to bypass the heater, so it can no longer attempt to empty our fresh-water supply into the bilge, and I have turned off the valves for the engine heat-exchanger lines so it won't potentially cause any problems for the engine, but it is still a big disappointment.

A trip to Home Depot and some other small plumerios, raiding the motley collection of plumbing fittings, netted me enough pieces to jury-rig a new drain for the sink (ended up using some PVC pipe), but confirmed that the chances of finding a combination 120V / Engine-heated hot water heater are slim to none.  To be fair, the plumbing supplies here are really quite good if you are not trying to outfit a boat.  That is just the reality of the cruising life.

We can hardly wait to see what tomorrow will bring.

{GMST}23|16.25|N|106|27.2833|W|Marina Mazatlan|Marina Mazatlan{GEND}