Hola friends…I can’t believe a whole week has passed. To say we’ve been busy would be an understatement, so let me give you a quick synopsis of how we’ve done. Sue and John have been marvellous! They have managed to take a mountain of stuff (most in blue bins requiring an unpacking and repacking) and sort it into several ‘collections’ based on purpose/description/likely future. And then we were able to go through and pull out yet more stuff for the Swap Meet. We then decided to warehouse the gear designated as either going home with us in the spring or not needed until the spring when we put SSpirit back to bed… into our apartment. They kept the stuff going to the boat in their room… the plan being to unload their room first and, perhaps, move them onto the boat Monday or Tuesday. Then we can pack the rest into the truck, give up our apt. and move onto the boat as well. That’s the plan for that.
As for what’s been going on over the last week… well let me tell ya. The engine has had an almost complete overhaul (exhaust elbow had to be cleaned up and one end refurbished/welded; the heat exchanger was cleaned and re-zinced; the water pump? well it’s pretty much toasted. Omar was able to jury rig it to get us from the launching ramp to our slip, and now we wait. Our good fellow Earl (at All Bay Marine) is sending us a new Oberdorfer and until it arrives, we get to enjoy the quiet calm. We also had to replace some of the hoses in the engine and I moved the raw water intake filter. It had been screwed sideways into the sea cock.. not an optimal position. It now sits upright against one of the bulkheads. I look forward to exchanging it for a basket style filter next year. If we had that kind, it would save us a lot of work when it comes time to flush the engine with fresh water. As it is now, we have to detach one of the intake hoses, put it into a bucket and use a hose from outside to keep the bucket full of water so the hose can deliver it to the engine. With the basket style water strainer, we would just have to unscrew the top and pour the water directly into the filter… a much easier proposition. Add to the ‘new’ list an impeller, V belt, thermostat, air filter element, fuel filters, oil and oil filter, and a few gaskets here and there… and the engine is feeling much better. An in-water alignment will happen next week and, with the installation of the new water pump, we should be good to go in the mechanical department.
Electrically speaking, all seems to be in order. Now we clean. The major wash-down started yesterday and Sue did a fabulous job on the galley. I expect she’ll start on the cabin itself today or tomorrow. While she’s busy with sponges, water and vinegar… John has been seeing to the new dinghy. Oh yes, another story. Unfortunately the ministrations of John and Kathy did not cure the leaking problem on the starboard side of the old, patched dinghy. And just as we were scratching our heads about what to do (you can’t just go out and buy a new dinghy down here…. they don’t exist, or at least not anywhere near most of our budgets). Just as we were thinking out the next attempt to patch… a cruising friend put us in touch with another cruising couple who had sold their boat and had a dinghy for sale…. and…. not just any dinghy but one of our beloved Aquapro dinghies.. just like our 8’6” which is now resting at home. And, this one had an aluminum hull… just like our little one. Well, you guessed it, we hustled over to Guaymas and met up with Fran and Jean Guy… a terrific couple who were living, of all places, in a little Casita 17’ trailer… just like our Lucy. Well, friends at first sight.. we went, we saw, we bought. Done deal! We are now the proud owners of a 10’ aluminum bottom Aquapro inflatable dinghy…with a double hull (yes, it’s a bit heavier), a spray cloth at the bow, dinghy wheels, and a beautiful set of chaps….. just perfect for four people and lots of room for two. All we have to do now is ‘adjust’ the stern ladder so that the dinghy davits can pull it up properly and stow it without leaving it to rub against transom ladder legs (the demise, we suspect, of the last dinghy).
Working on a boat in Mexico is interesting to say the least. It brings out the McGivor in each of us. You remember him? The guy on TV who could fix anything with a Bic lighter, a piece of tinfoil, a bit of string and well, ingenuity. For instance… we discovered the engine coolant tank was empty. Should have inspected it more closely before we poured in more coolant… hmmm, we found out the hard way why it was empty as the coolant we poured in the top, streamed out the crack in the bottom… No problem, right? Just buy another one. Off to the Auto Zone in the next town I went. Finally found someone to understand my desire for a new tank and returned to the boat with my purchase. It was larger than the old one… no problem I’ll just mount it higher. It had more volume that the last one… shouldn’t be a problem. So, I mounted it. Oops.. too high. Need to lower it to open the lid to pour the stuff in. Hmmm.. then I won’t be able to access the top of the FG500, a sailors dream of a fuel filter. OK…. worked all that out. Now all I have to do is attach the hose. OOOOOPS. The little nipple the hose attaches to is too big for the hose. What to do…what to do. I searched high and low through all my hoses and bits and pieces…looking for a solution. Finally had to sit down and ask “what exactly is the problem?” The answer: the nipple is too large. The Solution: make it smaller. How? Hmmm some more. Aha!!! the light bulb went on. I have a dremel tool on board… In five minutes I had ground the edges of the nipple down to the point the hose would fit. Phew! A successful McGivor moment.
I am delighted to report we had the standing rigging inspected by the best rigger in town… and he has declared it like new! I was very worried about the rigging as no one could tell me how old it is. I was further worried about the fact that it well may be the original… which sounds crazy as the boat is a 1986, but our neighbouring Catalina 34 is a 1989 and still has it’s original rigging (also in good condition). Those two facts have eased my mind considerably… and we feel confident in the rigging now and it’s ability to do the job. We also carry spectra lines set up to act as emergency stays or shrouds if needed.
For those cruisers in or coming to San Carlos who are interested in the service people we have found and trust. They are: Electrician – Salvadore Mitre Aguilar; Mechanic: Omar Garza; Rigger: Carlos (contacted through Garth Jones); Refrigeration: Jesus Salas; Dog Groomer: Manuel. We’re also told the following people are good. Wi-Fi and plastic fabrication: Albert Klettke; Stainless Steel: Luis Hernandez.
In closing for today, let me tell you we had a fantastic time at the Saturday Swap Meet (the first for the season). We unloaded the vast majority of the items we had designated to go; even the dinghy. I’m told we had the “best prices” but then we were motivated to get rid of the stuff… no more toting it around. So we had a very successful day and walked away much lighter in the shoulders.
We splashed last Wednesday… and we’re in slip C7 at Marina San Carlos. We have our sister ship Swan beside us with Andy and Deb aboard, and more and more folks we know are arriving every day. The place is filling up.
A few photos follow… some of the trek SSpirit took from the yard to the marina; and a photo of Miss Sophie enjoying a visit (under the hats) at our local lunch stop Bar and Grill.
We hope all is well with you out there and that your fall weather is not too harsh. Our temps are finally dropping (down to low 80’s today). Take good care one and all…. will write again soon. Cheers… CJ
