Category: 2021-03 (March)

Phone calls, laundry got done in town

So, we are hanging out near the boat staying available for the work that needs to be done on the boat. I spent one day on the phone with Battleborn making sure that I had the help needed before doing a firmware update for our battery charger, of course since I had them on the phone and available, I did not need them.

On Wednesday day, Reneé took the bus to La Fuente church for a midweek Bible study.  We met Jocelyn and Bryan from Third Day and invited them over for happy hour.  Bryan really wanted to see an Island Packet.  They are from Alaska.  He is a pilot and taking a couple of years off .  They have three children who are being homeschooled.  They are Christians also.

Dinner one night was at the La Cruz Inn, a nice quaint street side restaurant, the tables are on the sidewalk and in the street next to the square.

Renee’ met with Yannis, a canvas gal, to get a quote for canvas teak covers.  She will meet with Yvette later for a second quote.

And still we are waiting for workers on the boat. So far, we have the following things we need help with:

1. The refrigerator, still waiting for help
2. The water maker, still waiting for help to figure out which membrane is bad and how to go forward
3. The instruments, wind speed and boat speed through the water, still waiting for help
4. The back light for the chart plotter, still waiting.
5. The quotes on the canvas work above.

I have been listening to the VHF net every morning, hearing occasional requests for recommendations for work on other boats. There are probably 50+ people participating in the net every morning, and I am sure more that are just listening. On the net, the recommendations come back with the same three names:

• • Scott (who I have since learned, is retiring and moving into a motor home and leaving)
  • John Pounder (who works on almost everything). He is scheduled for Friday morning at 9:30 am.
  • Gareth Clark (who also works on everything) He is scheduled to come and work on the refrigerator and the water maker, just not sure when it is “scheduled”

A name that does not come from the net is Victor Gonzales who was recommended by the Raymarine people as being able to fix the backlight. He has promised to call multiple times, yet never does. Again, this is technical work, and there are limited numbers of people who can do that work and here in this area that means ONE person. So, we wait.

We got up a bit later than normal, but probably still by 7:30 or so. We had breakfast than walked up to the main road and caught a bus. Much easier than I expected. It was about a 20 minute ride to go about 3 miles, then out and cross the street and walk about 7 blocks to get to the church.
Very friendly people at this church. We of course had to sit away from everyone else. (See the picture) Social distancing. After church we were invited out to lunch by a couple of ladies from the church. The restaurant was a short drive away and was pretty good. Afterwards they dropped us off near the bus stop and we rode back to the marina, and had a quiet day on the boat.

Beach Day!  The weather seemed perfect (in the early morning) but by the time we’d gathered our stuff (mat, umbrella, etc…) the wind had come up.  We walked the short distance to the beach next to the marina.  We parked ourselves but decided that putting the umbrella up would be too risky.  Two other couples nearby were facing the same dilemma.  We went in the water and then watched as the other couples put up their umbrellas.  One was caught by the wind and went for a ride and the other blew inside out.  So what do the locals do on windy days?  They wind surf of course!  We watch several wind surfers.  The first left his board ashore and got pulled out in very deep water still holding onto his sail.  A second one went to his rescue sailing with an extra board to bring it to the first guy.  After much upwind tacks he succeeded.  Several other wind surfers took off but unlike the first two, they had dinghies staying with them.

That evening we went to the Treehouse restaurant.  The entertainment was fabulous!  First a single guitar player, then a small group including a drummer and a few guitarists playing the oldies, then a violinist joined them and boy could he jam!  Neil and I even danced a few!  A dog ate my leftovers (in the doggy box…appropriately named) as we danced.

We got up got breakfast and did our daily devotion/bible reading. Then checked the time and I got on the phone with Tyler from Apple support. This required sending him an email to call me. His day started at 11:30 east coast time, or 10:30 my time. We worked through the process and eventually were successful in getting the iPad password reset. Kyle went to my Mom’s house and I sent another email to Tyler who did call Kyle and verified that no help was required at that end. So finally we have her new iPad working and the old one reset. We got a new shipping package setup to send the old one back and it is being sent to Kyle who has the old iPad. Everything looks good.

So, what did we accomplish? First lets look at where we started:

My mom needed a tablet to allow her to read books/check emails/access the internet/watch movies on her TV that came from the internet etc. This was in 2017. My older brother gave her a Kindle, but it did not do everything else. We bought her an iPad mini, as she did not want the full size iPad. I set it up for her. A couple years later she finally upgraded to a smart phone and by that time she had attempted to use the password that she thought was correct for her Apple ID. For whatever reason it did not work, and she crossed it out. Being unable to get into the Apple ID, whoever set up the iPhone (might have been me, might have been my nephew, might have been a son) set her up with another Apple ID. Apparently this was part of the problem, both Apple ID’s have the same phone number, which the senior advisor says is not OK with their system. In any case, at this point we have two Apple ID’s, one person, one phone number and a multitude of devices, a Windows based PC, an iPad, an iPhone, and an Apple TV.

Now, we get to 2020. We bought her a new iPad mini. Slightly more speed, slightly more ram, and slightly more battery life. When I bought it, I was unaware how much of an issue the Apple ID was going to be, and I believe I set it up in the purchase for her old Apple ID. When it arrived, we were (of course) back in Mexico. So, Kyle went to her house to set it up, the instructions for setting it up said that the password could be reset as you were setting up the new device. What they really meant was you could change the password as you were setting up the new device, but you had to KNOW the old password. So, about half way through the process, it got to the place where you had to have the Apple ID password and everything stopped. The data transfer from the old one to the new one had gone fairly smoothly including all the settings on the new one to match the old one, including FIND MY DEVICE was turned on. This was, as it turned out , a big deal, as if that is turned on you can not reset/wipe the iPad without the Apple ID password. 

This began the process of getting the password reset on the Apple ID. Multiple attempts to reset it using the tool from Apple the techs don’t have access to this, and can’t even see the progress and don’t get told why it was or wasn’t successful, all they can do is tell you how to use it. So several weeks later it is still not working. Next up was another link to request removal of the Apple ID from the devices (note this is plural as in both of them) well the case number is only connected to one device, and after about a week, I got the email that the device was unlocked. I had to find where in the email it identified the device, only way it was identified was by the serial number. But that was the old one. Several more calls and hours on the support line, I finally got in touch with Tyler who was one of those guys who has to get it right, he was really trying to convince me that he was better than all the rest, after several phone calls and being able to get back to one person who actually seemed to be a bit better than average we were able to get the second iPad unlocked. 

Kyle made the trip back to my moms and rebuilt the new iPad, then transferred all the pictures via air drop from the old one to the new one then reset the old iPad to blank status. At this point, the new iPad is all set up on the same Apple ID as my moms phone. Her PC and Apple TV are still on the old Apple ID. But at least there are no missing files. We go through the process of setting up the return of The old iPad to Apple (part of the purchase agreement for the new iPad we can sell the old one back to Apple). then make another attempt to reset the password on the old Apple ID. Which is when we discover that each Apple ID can have one phone number, and each phone number can be associated with one Apple ID. Which is probably where the whole reset stuff started. In any case, I then contacted my mom and told her that if she happened to run across the password for the old Apple ID let me know and we would work through it. 

So, shortly after I got done telling her that she texted back with a password that she said had not worked and she crossed it out, (I mentioned this above). I tried the password and of course it worked. Good news, it worked and we have access to the old Apple ID! Bad news, we have already reset both iPads to the new Apple ID, and have taken the effort to automatically forward all the email from that Apple ID email account to her old email, a complicated kludge to get around this problem. Next summer, I will probably undertake the project to move the iPad from the “new” Apple ID back to the original one. 

End result the iPad was purchased December 30th, and actually working March 5th.

After all that was done, I took a walk to see if I could find the sail loft for north sails to talk to the guy who sells them here in La Cruz, nobody was in the shop, so I walked around back to the pool area, and saw a life raft in the water and figured out that the last raft class (being taught by Mike the sail guy) was going on. I wandered over to where they were in the water and waited for the class to end. When it did I introduced myself to Mike and gave him a boat card. With a request to contact me about sails. 

This was about all we got done today. Enough frustration for one day. 

No pictures today.

We got up about 7:15 or so, got the coffee going and after breakfast (ok, as we had breakfast) we listened to the net. Then I took a nap, my sinuses are having issues with this weather and I have a headache. After a couple of hours nap, I called the Raymarine guy who said he could change the backlight for us, and made arrangements to communicate again tomorrow, we decided that it would be better if we were in a slip by then, in case he can start earlier. So, after lunch we picked up the anchor and went out a couple of miles and dumped the holding tank, then back into a better slip than we had originally been told we would have. This one has a wider faraway, so there is more room to turn the boat around. Finally we were tied up and shore power on by about 2 pm. Not too long after the shore power was on, the air conditioning was running (boat temp was about 81 degrees), and a cold beer was in my hand. Then Julio came by and offered his services, we had the bottom cleaned about 2 weeks ago, so not doing that, but he offered to do our teak toe rails. Which probably ought to be revarnished every other year at least, and probably were overdue when we got the boat in 2018, so at this point we are halfway to letting them go natural. YUCK! In any case we will see just how much cash he wants to do this job. Well the estimate is in, $1,000 US for labor and he is guessing at $300 – $500 for material. This is 4 coats of varnish with hardener.

By the way, we elected to stay at the La Cruz Marina this time. Mainly because I expect to have to run the water maker and for the testing and repair and the water here is quite a bit cleaner than at Paradise Village.

Comments on our bible study

Numbers 13 – 15

Neil and I just read these chapters today.  In chapter 13, we find the Israelites (just having fled Egypt under the leadership of Moses) on the edge of the wilderness looking at the promised land, Canaan.  Twelve spies were sent into the promised land to look at the people and determine what Israel’s next move should be.  Upon their return all reported the wonderful produce and fertility of the land but 10 spies reported that the inhabitants were giants and would defeat the Israelites.  Caleb and Joshua contradicted them saying that with God on their side they would be victorious and the land would become theirs.  

Now remember that these people have just seen God part the Red Sea, they’ve seen his power as He led them by a pillar of fire by night and a cloud by day.  They have experienced God’s provision in the way of manna, water, and even quail as they traveled in the wilderness.  So now when they are on the verge of entering the promised land they choose to believe the 10 out of fear rather than the 2 out of faith.  Here is the account of what happens next…

11 And the LORD said to Moses, “How long will this people despise me? And how long will they not believe in me, in spite of all the signs that I have done among them?

12 I will strike them with the pestilence and disinherit them, and I will make of you a nation greater and mightier than they.”

13 But Moses said to the LORD, “Then the Egyptians will hear of it, for you brought up this people in your might from among them,

14 and they will tell the inhabitants of this land. They have heard that you, O LORD, are in the midst of this people. For you, O LORD, are seen face to face, and your cloud stands over them and you go before them, in a pillar of cloud by day and in a pillar of fire by night.

15 Now if you kill this people as one man, then the nations who have heard your fame will say,

16 ‘It is because the LORD was not able to bring this people into the land that he swore to give to them that he has killed them in the wilderness.’

17 And now, please let the power of the Lord be great as you have promised, saying,

18 ‘The LORD is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, forgiving iniquity and transgression, but he will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, to the third and the fourth generation.’

19 Please pardon the iniquity of this people, according to the greatness of your steadfast love, just as you have forgiven this people, from Egypt until now.”

20 Then the LORD said, “I have pardoned, according to your word.

21 But truly, as I live, and as all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD,

22 none of the men who have seen my glory and my signs that I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and yet have put me to the test these ten times and have not obeyed my voice,

23 shall see the land that I swore to give to their fathers. And none of those who despised me shall see it. – Numbers 14:11-23

So Moses interceded for the unbelieving people and instead of being destroyed, the people were turned back to wander in the desert for another 40 years until every person age 20 or older had died.   I think the church today is much like the Israelites.  We know of God’s power but we often operate out of fear rather than faith.  Just like with the Israelites, there are consequences for this.