So, up and about and off to church. After church we went to lunch with the same people we did last week. Rhythm and Blues lounge in Bucerias. Then another bus ride to Home Depot to get a hose and some rings. Then back to the boat and remove the covers on the wood.
One of the things about having a sailboat in a marina (especially when you are parked near where people can come and look through the fence or near a gate) is the number of people who stop and talk. Almost every time we are on deck here we wind up in a conversation. This time it was a couple from across the street at the Hard Rock hotel. They are from California and vacationing here. They have been sailors and knew about Island Packets. We finally invited them in for a tour and discussion that lasted an hour or two. They were Allen and Eddie.
Oh and when we got back to the boat, we found that the hoses (we bought two of them) had a caution (on the inside of the box) that said don’t use for potable water. Which is OF COURSE why we bought them. So, tomorrow Reneé will take them back.
A couple of cute dogs we saw on our way to church.
We got up and had breakfast and we were ready when Sergio and his helper arrived to work on the heads. While they worked, we took down the canopy. I gave Sergio my ratcheting crimper for crimping butt connectors (electrical tool) and I ordered a new one. This is about $30, I will consider that I have given most of the tip for this project, but not all. Typically the cost for labor is very low, and giving a sizable tip helps them out a lot, and it still is way cheaper than getting this done in the states. Final price was about $150 for two days work for two guys each day. New vacuum generators installed, all new seals where needed, and it all works again, YEAH!! This is a very big deal, in case you did not get that.
Canopy is down and folded up in a sail bag. Next up is some odds and ends on the dinghy.
We got into the dinghy and pumped it up, no real leaks, just 6 months since the last time. Found a broken strap, it will wait until we have time to fix it. We filled the gasoline jerry cans. We worked on transferring the dinghy wheels from one set of broken bars to the new one, but, one of the bolts is stuck and we will be shopping for a new bolt tomorrow. We verified we could unlock the outboard, last year we could not I think we finally cut it off. This year (better lock) it worked first time!
This was the first time I tried a new app for getting a ride. It is called InDriver, and instead of being told how much it costs, you tell how much you are willing to pay. I used this because there were no Ubers available. It is a little different, as you pay the driver in cash. Apparently, Uber has not done that (actually getting the money to the drivers) well here in Puerto Vallarta.
We went for a walk and a drink, we even danced. This walk is when we went back to the restaurant that had my hat.On the night before I flew back to help Nate move to Florida, we went out to dinner at the Fajita Republic. I left my hat, (the one on the left). I did not realize it until I was back on the boat and we had searched the boat and not found it, finally buying a new hat a couple of days later. Then I thought well maybe? In any case we checked and they still had it. So, now I have two hats!We have joined the Panama Posse, a group that has discounts and knowledge about going through the canal. These are our “mug shots”
This is the vacuum generator for the aft head that is under the seat of the settee.This is the forward part of the canopy removed for cleaning prior to storage.This is the aft part of the canopy removed for cleaning prior to storage.
Well, we got up and returned the drill, and gave our boat cards to a couple of people we promised them to earlier. Then back to the boat and fill the water tank. We use the dock water through our reverse osmosis system at about 33 gallons per hour. The water that goes into our tank is about 2 – 3 ppm impurities. Which is very clean. Today we put in about 132 gallons, our tank is 260 gallons. We have put in about 250 gallons since we got back to the boat this season.
Still no word on our sails.
So, it is almost 4 pm on Friday, and we are heading to the pool. Frustrated.
Finally I contacted Mike about 3:30 and he replied a little after 6 pm to say maybe tomorrow. Still frustrated.
But we had been to the pool and enjoyed happy hour while there. Tomorrow, the toilets get fixed!!!
So, finally Mike and I talked, ok so I did most of the talking and it could be considered very upset. Bottom line we will have documents on Monday (Maybe??!!) and we told him we wanted to leave by Friday with the sails installed and tested. We have checked the cost of staying at the resort for the Panama Posse, about $300 per day, and about $400 to get there and back, 5 nights. About $2,000 for the week. As opposed to staying in the marina, about $100 per night, and sailing down, so total of about $500 plus food.
We finished the day by watching a movie, The Ghost and Mr Chicken with Don Knotts from 1966.
Up as normal, then breakfast, the net, and our bible reading. Reneé is off to do laundry, and I am on the boat waiting for Eddie to come down and reinstall the clamps for the mast boot, while we wait on parts.
We got an email yesterday with the tracking numbers for out toilet parts (due today!) and our new refrigerator (due 11/22/2021). We tracked the toilet parts and they were delivered this morning about 9:30. I have checked with Sergio about installation, he says Saturday at 10 am, yeah!
We have not signed for the sail import yet, as far as I know Mike has everything he needs from us, and the new sails and halyards are supposed to be to the importer today or tomorrow in San Diego/Tijuana. So, when we have to sign, we will figure out how to get that done.
Finally the fan for the settee is installed, well the wiring has some work needed but the fan is working. The thing about boats, is that there is never enough room. So, things get put in less than perfect locations. The original design put the batteries under the galley. (I am not 100% sure of that but I think I heard it somewhere. Our batteries are on the opposite side of the boat under the settee, some of the batteries are under the seat at the aft end of the settee (couch), some are in the compartment under the back of the settee at the aft end of the settee. This means the batteries are separated by a piece of wood/fiberglass that is the back side of the settee and take up an approximately 3 x 3 foot square area. The battery charger/inverter is mounted above the battery box inside the settee just forward of the Nav Station (desk). The solar charge controller is mounted to the outboard wall just forward of the inverter/charger. When the cushions are in place for the settee there is limited ventilation for this compartment to remove the heat. There is one small fan that takes a suction on this compartment and blows our into a space between the back of the compartment and the hull which dissipates some of the heat, but not enough for the charger/inverter. This heat is really only an issue when the charger/inverter is running at “high” load, so either shore power is on (powering the charger) or the inverter is on supplying the AC outlets. So, the fan that I installed is an AC powered fan with a temperature switch that comes on at a preset point. We are in the tropics, so ambient temperature is mid 80’s without any heat added by the charger, so it is currently set at 91 degrees F. There is pretty good air flow, even with the cushions installed.
Up early so that we can get to Bucerias by 9 am to get a haircut before the Bible study…… off the boat and up to the bus stop and we are off! Only problem is …. The barber doesn’t open until 10 am. OOPS! Well oh well, off to the Bible study that starts at 10 am. This was very well attended, 22 people. We started out with some praise songs and then started into Romans 7. This is a complicated chapter, and if you do read it, I highly recommend you read both chapter 7 and 8, it is easier to fully understand together. At the Bible study, we found out that one of the women cuts hair, and she was going to cut one of the guys hair at the event that we were going to after the Bible study. This worked out well for us. So, after the Bible study Reneê and I walked into town for lunch and then out to the house where the game and pool time were going to be at. Addresses in Mexico are somewhat iffy at best. The address given was 64 Cinco Calle de Julio Bucerias. Well we walked from the restaurant to where Apple thought it was and found the Logostino Restaurant at 2Cinco Calle de Julio, who said the house at the corner (where Apple Maps said 64 was), was actually 72, and she had no idea where 64 was. So, we kept walking about a block further out we found the house. BTW, we tried calling and texting the owners of the house but they did not respond.Eventually we got there and had a pretty good day of it, Reneê in the pool and games and me watching the other guys play pool.
Late in the day, I got information from Carlos that our packages were in transit. I checked with Mike about signing documents, and he said maybe tomorrow. In any case, we eventually got back to the boat (on a very crowded full size bus, all seats filled and no more room to stand in the aisle). We verified that Cano had been to the boat and cleaned the bilge.
So, catch up the blog get dinner and then bed.
The ladies playing games, Reneé took the picture.The ladies in the pool, Reneé took the picture.
