Category: 2019 – 2020 Season 1

We got up about 7:30, had breakfast and did our devotions. Then settled into doing nothing. 

Renee’ did some laundry, and I worked on formatting this BLOG. I have not published any changes yet, still working on what it should look like. We are “self isolating” here from the Coronavirus. This makes for some pretty boring days. There is not much I need to work on with the boat. Or at least nothing I really want to start right now.

It was a very quiet day. At lunch time Renee’ did not want to make lunch, so we walked to one of the restaurants and got take out. 1 kilo of Carne Asada. Cost was 240 pesos (about $10.25) it came with a pint of beans, a pint of guacamole, some salsa, a half dozen jalapeños (roasted), some salad (a 10” square take out box) some mashed potatoes, several sealed bags of tortillas (4 in two and 8 in the third package). All in all probably enough stuff for about 4 meals. Lunch & dinner today for sure.

Renee’ spent some time checking on accommodations in Puerto Peñasco in May when we are getting the boat hauled out. We could stay on the boat while it is on the hard, considerations: 

Pros:

• $40 per month to live aboard
• $20 per month for electric power
• there are toilets and showers in the marina to use

Con’s:

• Our refrigerator & freezer have to have the boat in the water to use
• Our A/C requires water to work as well, and it should be pretty hot in May & June
• It will be dirty in the yard, we are getting work done (probably that will result in dust and debris)
• The boat will be crowded as we move stuff from on deck into the cabin to lock it up for the time we won’t be here. (Sails, lines and stuff)

She found a two bedroom apartment within walking distance of the yard that is $300 per week. It has a pool and the pictures look pretty good. This is where we are planning on being for the three weeks when we haul out the boat and prepare it for being on the hard for 6 months. The lady renting it said she gave us a break on the price as so many people are cancelling their reservations with the virus problem. So, we will see if we can make it work, or if we will have to do something else.

We do have room for guests, if anyone is interested in visiting and spending a week or so with us, drop us a line and we will coordinate. What you have to do/have is you need a passport and will need to be able to get to where we are when you are going to be down. When we know what time frame you are thinking about we can let you know where we expect to be so that you can make your travel arrangements.

If you want to know where we are, click this link:

https://forecast.predictwind.com/tracking/display/Make_Me_Laugh_Again

No pictures again today.

We got up about 7:30, had breakfast and did our devotions. Then considered what to do.

We have lots of options, we could read a book, surf the internet, watch a movie, play a game or go for a walk. This self isolation stuff is kind of a pain. We found out that Colin and Claudia from Capallel III are in San Carlos (about 20 miles by car) away. We texted a bit, but unless we see them when we stop for fuel when we go north, we won’t be getting together. Renee’ was thinking about playing the new card game (Baja rummy) with our neighbors here in the marina, but self isolation means no we don’t get together with the neighbors. So, back to our options. 

We read books, we surfed the net, and we took a walk on the Malecón about a 3 mile walk. We saw about a dozen people in 3 miles. Not many. Oh well. Later in the day, I worked on clearing a deck drain (scupper) on the port side. We noticed that it would not drain water off the deck when we washed the boat. I had borrowed a snake from our neighbor, but it would only go down to the first bend (about 4”). I used the hose and got it in the outlet and tried to get water to come out on deck and then I put the hose in the one on deck and back and forth a couple of times and now it works again! My one accomplishment for the day.

Late afternoon, there was a request for help with getting a generator started on Facebook. They have the same generator we do, and I tried to help but was not successful. Oh well, you win some you lose some,. 

He will get help in the marina tomorrow (In North Carolina).

We do have room for guests, if anyone is interested in visiting and spending a week or so with us, drop us a line and we will coordinate. What you have to do/have is you need a passport and will need to be able to get to where we are when you are going to be down. When we know what time frame you are thinking about we can let you know where we expect to be so that you can make your travel arrangements.

If you want to know where we are, click this link:

https://forecast.predictwind.com/tracking/display/Make_Me_Laugh_Again

We were very late getting up today, probably 8 am or so. We had breakfast, did our devotions, and considered what to do today.

We decided today would be a day to clean the boat. So, we pulled the screens out of all the portholes and cleaned the portholes. The forward ones had a bunch of salt on them, then after I had done that and took the screens out to the dock to wash them Renee’ went down below and cleaned all the portholes (again) and it was a good thing, as I got the big stuff, but she cleaned them again and they are really clean now. After cleaning the screens and the portholes we talked to our neighbors for awhile and then it was lunch time (things move much slower when you are retired and cruising! After lunch we cleaned the fenders. Most of the stuff came off with a scrub brush and soapy water, but some required a bit more work, some Bartenders Friend and a scrubby. Then we cleaned the rest of the boat.  Pictures of dirty fenders below.

This was an all day effort, good the boat is clean, bad we found out the port side deck drain is plugged. I have borrowed a snake from our neighbor, and will use that to see if I can clean this out. But that is a job for tomorrow.

That is about it for the day. Good night all.

We do have room for guests, if anyone is interested in visiting and spending a week or so with us, drop us a line and we will coordinate. What you have to do/have is you need a passport and will need to be able to get to where we are when you are going to be down. When we know what time frame you are thinking about we can let you know where we expect to be so that you can make your travel arrangements.

If you want to know where we are, click this link:

https://forecast.predictwind.com/tracking/display/Make_Me_Laugh_Again

We got up about normal, 7 am or so. Laid in bed and red for a bit, finally out of bed by about 7:45. At 8 am the bottom cleaning guy came by and told us the price would be 700 pesos to clean the bottom and check/replace zincs. This is about $29.21 at todays exchange rate. So, that got done. (As a comparison we had the bottom cleaned in Puerto Escondido for $75. Same job, different rate.

We had our breakfast and did our devotions, puttered around and eventually took a walk after lunch.

We walked down the malecon, and then came back by another route to go by the grocery store and to get a haircut for me. All in all a quiet day.  

Malecon. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Malecón is a word used in Spanish-speaking countries, and especially in nations of Latin America, for a stone-built embankment or esplanade along a waterfront. 

We were back on the boat b y 3 pm, we stopped by the fuel dock to check on getting diesel for the boat. We are at half a tank and really should fill up before we leave. But, they have not signed a contract with Pemex, so no diesel here. We could Lug jerry cans from the station in town and fill 5 gallons at a time. But, I don’t want to do that. 80 gallons at 5 gallons at a time would be a lot of work. San Carlos just up the coast about 15 miles has fuel, so we will go there.

We do have room for guests, if anyone is interested in visiting and spending a week or so with us, drop us a line and we will coordinate. What you have to do/have is you need a passport and will need to be able to get to where we are when you are going to be down. When we know what time frame you are thinking about we can let you know where we expect to be so that you can make your travel arrangements.

If you want to know where we are, click this link:

https://forecast.predictwind.com/tracking/display/Make_Me_Laugh_Again

We did not sleep very well. It was very windy, and pretty warm. We got up about 7 am and first thing we did was take showers. Normally we take showers in the evening before going to bed, but this morning I really needed to wash the pollen off my face. So showers before breakfast, then breakfast and devotions. The plan for today is to go shopping. OJ and Kay from the boat next door have volunteered to take us to the store. They have a car, and it is quite a drive across town to the Home Depot.

So, about 11 am we headed out to the stores. One of the stops was into a Chandlery (boat parts and tools store) very expensive and not very well stocked. But it was interesting as we ran into a younger sailor there who was looking for help with his hydraulics, we were not able to help him, but we could commiserate with him on not being able to find some things here in Mexico.

When we got back to the boat, we had lunch (we had bought it as take out from a chicken place) and I sent a text message to Colin, the guy I connected with on Facebook who is looking for a SIM card for his Iridium phone. He said he would be by at about 4 pm. He has had a pretty busy week, getting his boat back in the water, issues with his refrigeration, etc.

At about 4, I went out and let Colin in and we talked about the Iridium GO! and the Satellite phone and why I recommended the GO! I also recognized him as the guy with the hydraulic issues. Colin is Canadian and is planning on going to Canada by way of Hawaii and Alaska. His boat is a 52 foot steel hull. He has issues with the transmission, throttle control and wiring to name a few. Oh and he ran aground the other day with help from a panga. He is single handing, just him and his dog.

At the end of the day, we played a game of Baja Rummy, and Renee’ won.

We do have room for guests, if anyone is interested in visiting and spending a week or so with us, drop us a line and we will coordinate. What you have to do/have is you need a passport and will need to be able to get to where we are when you are going to be down. When we know what time frame you are thinking about we can let you know where we expect to be so that you can make your travel arrangements.

If you want to know where we are, click this link:

https://forecast.predictwind.com/tracking/display/Make_Me_Laugh_Again