New Friends and Montezuma’s REVENGE!!!!
J and I had been to Loreto a week or more ago and got some hielo (ice) that was made with non-potable water which we put in our cooler with some drinks and fruits and veggies…….thoughtlessly one day J gives me an apple as he is having one and about ½ way thru the apple I asked “Hey, by the way, did you wash these apples that were in that cooler in the water?” When he answered ”no” I just HOPED really hard that we would not get sick…..and sure enough we both came down with Montezuma’s REVENGE!!!!!! We were both sick for about a week just drinking lots of water (potable!) trying to rehydrate and first I got better then J did as we hung low at Bahia Marquer till we were well……boy will we remember to wash our fruit from now on!!!!!! No fun……..
A few days ago we decided to sail back to Loreto and run some errands, to the bank, to our favorite coffee shop that has wifi and makes GREAT moca/espresso milkshakes, to the store, pharmacy for Monte’s remedy…ha ha (read paragraph above again) and we set anchor and noticed a young man with a little boy in a kayak riding up along side the boat. J poked his head out and the young man told J his little boy asked to see the boat so J invited them aboard and he and the Dad (Jorge) sat out in the cockpit I was tour director to a VERY discerning 4 year old (can’t remember his complicated name which is even harder to spell). After several visits inside by the toddler, his father got up and thanked us for showing his little boy the boat and I gave him a picture of the boat on our boat card to keep…..J helped Jorge load his son into the kayak and then they took off waving adios……Dinner having been waiting for us beckoned to us inside and while eating I got up to get something in the galley and noticed something odd outside on the water…another kayaker was sitting alone in his boat seemingly yelling at himself and hitting his kayak with his fist…..J came up to look and I said “Something is just not right about that guy” and as J watched he agreed….so he decided to step into the cockpit and “greet” him as he neared the boat.
After trying to converse with the kayaker J realized the guy had had a LITTLE bit too much cerveza (beer) as he was requesting another from us! J told him we had agua mineral but no cerveza which he didn’t have any interest in but he kept speaking Spanish and J kept speaking English and all seemed ok for a bit. In the meantime another kayak came up alongside the cockpit with 2 young teenaged boys inside and they asked us if we had some water they could drink. I went inside and got them each a cup of agua mineral which they drank in short shrift, thanking us and handing the cups back to me. We then asked the boys if they could understand what the “tipsy” kayaker was trying to say to us and they called out to him and he kept mumbling and eventually they gave up and waved him off like we had tried to do and paddled off. That left us alone with Mr. Cerveza…..he continued to row over to the side of the boat along side of us “wanting” something we could not understand. Finally he asked for a cerveza AGAIN and J told him (in no uncertain terms) that we did Not have any cerveza but would be glad to get him a cup of agua mineral, which J did and handed it to him. This kayaker again started trying to converse with J and both were getting a little “peeved” with each other so J states: “That’s it! Vamenos (SP)” and then J proceeds to tell me that we are “getting out of there as this guy has really pissed me off!” So I get up to ready the boat as well and the guy seeing us take off throws the cup angrily at us and hits the boat with it…J then is so peeved he “flips the guy off” and calls him a “Pendejo” or something like that and by THEN we are getting up a little more “steam” via the Perkins 4.105 engine and we leave the decidedly drunk dude in the wake of Wind Raven. Just as we were pulling out of Loreto the most outrageously brilliant sunset we had ever seen was setting over the town, but for once J was too busy to capture it on film for our blog viewers…..
So off we steamed back to Bahia Marquer which is the nearest anchoring we felt comfortable reaching in the dark , with J grousing about the drunk guy ruining our day in Loreto……we finally made it to Bahia Marquer (sp?) about 11:30 pm and J asked me to take the LED flashlight and shine it in front of the boat to make sure we didn’t get too close to shore when anchoring. As I walked up the side of the cabin I kept hearing some sort of squeaking noise and a plopping sound beside the boat in every direction. As I swung the flashlight around I spied turquoise colored FLYING FISH taking wing and landing hither and yon about the boat…..THEN as the light grazed the water’s surface I saw these brilliant blue/violet “needle fish” which look kinda like rubber clown snakes with a long mouth, full of needle teeth to gather up their prey and other tiny food items…..As I swung the light from the flying fish to the blue serpent-like fish J starts yelling, trying to find out what I am doing shining the light EVERYWHERE BUT WHERE HE WANTED IT…….so he walks up the cabin side and I showed him the flying fish and the needle fish and we have fun “herding” the needle fish using the light to get them to swim here and there and back again…..After this “fun” J decides to use a rod with some line and a hook on it to “snag” some needle fish to use as bait to catch trigger fish in the morning. He snagged 4 and caught about 4 trigger fish with it the next day and gave one fish to our neighbors who had just anchored nearby. They came by later (Phil and Anna), and we cooked up some fish and rice and corn and we all had our fill. J then tried to fix Anna’s reel, taking it apart and discovering a broken “spring” so instead of putting it back together we gave Anna a zip lock for it and told her that Feromar might have a spring for it and she decided to check with them.
Earlier in the afternoon we had met Richard on his trimaran “Trinity” and gave him some fish too and he joined us in the cabin and J got a few instructions on how to download movies from Steve and Lulu’s hard drive to our new external hard drive…….hours later we had it almost all complete. When J awoke in the am today he finished with the movie downloading and gave our hard drive to Richard to copy as we headed back to Puerto Escondido. We DID get to sail about 15 minutes or so with 11 knot winds before we had to start the engine to assist with our passage. After trying to anchor outside P.E. and finding the water too deep for the reach to shore, we opted to spend a night on a mooring ball and took showers, ate dinner and sat on the deck to watch the water in our deck chairs on the bow. Tomorrow we will “sail” back to Bahia Marguer and see if Richard wants to go with us to the “Sunday Market” in Loreto with us……After making a few calls to the kids and checking our bank account on the internet wifi we are all set for another trip to “the islands” when we get up tomorrow….probably will take another shower before we leave…..love those showers in this
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Comments!
Hi Stashgirl.....I tried to post a response to your nice comment, but the blog wouldn't let me. So I have to respond here.........
Thank you for the comment. It seems to be too much trouble for most to sign up as followers, much less take the time to comment on our posts. It isn't easy for me to take time out to write and post photos of our trip. When I get no responses to my posts it has a tendency to make me lose interest in them, and only use the blog for a ship record of repairs and technical data, that I can use for future reference. There are around ten people who said they would sign up as followers, but have not done so. Unfortunately, if they don't sign up they can't make comments, which the lack of, discourages the person making the posts. It is kind of a vicious circle I suppose, with the ones complaining most likely being the cause of the lack of interest on my part.
As far as the USA? I gave up years ago on there ever being anything done for the working class by our corrupt elected officials. They only have their own self interest in mind. The only way to straighten out the USA is to overthrow our corrupt government and start over with a government of and for the working class. Unfortunately, that will never happen, due to the fact that most Americans are lazy cowards and always have been. Did you know that less than five percent of "The able bodied Americans" actually fought in the American Revolution? So now, in my humble opinion, it is up to God..........
Thank you for the comment. It seems to be too much trouble for most to sign up as followers, much less take the time to comment on our posts. It isn't easy for me to take time out to write and post photos of our trip. When I get no responses to my posts it has a tendency to make me lose interest in them, and only use the blog for a ship record of repairs and technical data, that I can use for future reference. There are around ten people who said they would sign up as followers, but have not done so. Unfortunately, if they don't sign up they can't make comments, which the lack of, discourages the person making the posts. It is kind of a vicious circle I suppose, with the ones complaining most likely being the cause of the lack of interest on my part.
As far as the USA? I gave up years ago on there ever being anything done for the working class by our corrupt elected officials. They only have their own self interest in mind. The only way to straighten out the USA is to overthrow our corrupt government and start over with a government of and for the working class. Unfortunately, that will never happen, due to the fact that most Americans are lazy cowards and always have been. Did you know that less than five percent of "The able bodied Americans" actually fought in the American Revolution? So now, in my humble opinion, it is up to God..........
Our Last Jaunt!
Please have patientce, I'm still learning how to post photos!
Judy and I left Puerto Escondido for Loreto last Friday at around seven in the morning. After leaving the bay I decided we might as well wet a couple of lines since the Dorado (Mahi Mahi) were due to be moving into the sea. I baited them with a green and white rubber squid and a six tapered six inch strip of real squid that Judy had been complaining about stinking up the refrigerator of late. About twenty minutes later one of the reels started singing and Judy, being at the helm, started screaming FISH ! FISH! FISH! unfortunately she did not know that when a fish hits the bait one is supposed to slow the boat, as we were trolling at four and a half knots. This slowing of the boat is to avoid ripping the hook out of the fish’s mouth, or worse yet, ripping its lips off. Since it was over fourteen miles to Loreto we still had a chance to tie into another one. I rebaited the hooks and off we went. About ten minutes later a reel started singing again and I heard Judy’s FISH! Fish! Fish! once more. I tried to get her to take the rod, but she would have no part of it. This time she slowed the boat perfectly and I began reeling in a nice sized Mahi Mahi. It jumped several times and its acrobatics made it a lot of fun. I got it up to the boat and it turned out to be larger than the previous ones caught and I tried to lift it into the boat by the leader while Judy was getting the net, which snapped of course, and we watched it swim merrily away. After showing due shame while being chastised for not waiting on the net, I rebaited again. They say the third time is the charm and it was. We both did our jobs correctly this time and enjoyed some great meals from our efforts.
We arrived at Loreto and anchored in eighteen feet of water on a leeward shore with under two foot swells. Judy had to take care of some business on the phone that took a couple of hours. By the time we got to the dinghy dock it was too late to make the Farmers Market. Maybe next week we can. When we arrived at the dock there were several young boys waiting to tie up our dinghy and help unload, not only our stuff, but us too. They were very cute and extremely courteous. We secured their services to watch our dinghy for us and gave them partial payment. We then headed into town, walking down the Malecon along the beach for several blocks before turning right and going up the wide stone paved road to the Mission in the central square. We met a Taxi driver who drove us around to procure supplies and to get a 160 Lb block of ice for our boat. When we arrived at the marina the Taxi driver pulled right up to the dinghy dock where two young men came over and picked up the ice and loaded it and all of our supplies into the boat. One young man stayed in the dinghy to help Judy aboard while the other held the boat steady. In the US you only get that kind of service in the most exclusive hotel resorts. We tipped them of course, along with the boys who watched our boat while we were in town. Heading out to our boat in our overloaded dink was a bit touchy with only four inches of freeboard in the stern and two foot swells, but we made it okay. If we would have had any problems I’m sure we would have immediately received help, as that is the way of the people down here. It is very refreshing to experience such a kind and courteous population. We spent the night anchored off Loreto.
The next morning we hauled anchor and headed out for Bahia Salinas on the North East side of the island. On our way over we looked at the “Cruising Guide” and decided to stop at Puerto Ballandro, located on the North West end of Isla Carmen. This is a picture perfect cove giving excellent protection from all quarters. We are checking out all anchorages in the area due to the existing hurricane season. At this time there was an existing hurricane (DORA) South of Cabo that we were watching closely. The entrance to Puerto Balandro is a somewhat narrow channel with reefs on both sides. The forward looking sonar justifies its cost tenfold when navigating areas such as this. We entered without problem and set our anchor in the South West corner. We spent two nights at this anchorage fishing and snorkeling. This was Judy’s first time snorkeling and she loved it. I will let her describe her experience to you. I will say that she said something about being in an underwater Disneyland.
After spending two nights at this beautiful anchorage we headed out once again for Bahia Salinas with its sunken 120’ long sunken ship in the middle of the bay, and its Ghost Town. The town is company-owned and once had a thriving salt producing plant. We sailed around the tip of Isla Carmen at Punta Lobos and then headed South past Punta Perico and into Bahia Salinas. As we entered the bay we passed Punta Perico South which is an anchorage that I used when Bill was visiting. My main concern entering this bay was the exact location of the wreck. In one guide book it shows it before the abandoned red and white tower about three hundred yards. In the other book it shows it at least a thousand yards beyond the tower. This does not instill confidence in one's approach. The guide books also disagree on the position in the ba'ys center or along the North East side. We approached on the North East side as far as the tower, but could not spot it. There is supposed to be about six feet of it sticking above water. At this point I turned around and retraced our course and when satisfied that we were clea,r headed across the bay and started our approach from the South side. We finally spotted what was left of the wreck above water, about a foot that was only visible due to the sea birds perched on it.
We anchored in fifteen feet of crystal clear water in front of the little white church. Upon completing our chores we jumped into the dinghy and headed for shore. Several people had informed us that if we asked the caretaker for permission, he would allow us to explore and photograph the abandoned buildings. There were two very nice buildings. They had old wagons in front that were filled with different cactus plants. These turned out to be the offices and caretaker's residence and were located close to the shore. As we approached I took photos of these buildings and the wagons. The Caretaker gave us permission to explore the old buildings, but as we were heading over to them he called to us and came hurrying over. He began speaking with about ten Lo sientos ( I’m sorrys). He then explained, very apologetically, that the company people were here and that we wouldn’t be able to enter the buildings while they were here. He said that we could see them the next day if we wanted. He was extremely nice and very sorry. We assured him that we didn’t mind, but we would be leaving the next morning as we needed to check on the hurricane's position. Maybe we can see them next time.
The following morning we headed for Bahia Marquer located on the South West side of the island. We sailed around the southern tip of the island which has a sand spit extending out a quarter mile. We then headed north to our next stop. While on our way one of the reels started singing and I grabbed it, but as I was about to retrieve it, I noticed a very large bird flopping around behind the boat. Yep, I caught a Pelican. I tried reeling him in, but he seemed to be tangled in the line and would go upside down when I tried to bring him in. I decided to give him some slack and take the boat to him. As I approached him he somehow untangled himself and was free. You would think that after this traumatic experience the bird would fly off into the sunset, never to come close to a boat again. Not so with this individual. He would let us get about a hundred yards ahead and then fly up to the boat and land right beside us. He repeated this all the way to our next anchorage. The anchorage at Bahia Marquer is stunning with its crystal clear turquoise water and colored cliffs. If a person did not have refrigeration and wished seafood as a steady diet, they would do well here, as dinner is readily available day or night. The fishing is excellent. I hear the picking of abalone and clams is also excellent here. I wouldn’t know, as I refuse to eat the slimy little critters!
We stayed in Bahia Marquer for several days before sailing the seven miles to Loreto where we anchored out and had a visit by a very nice young man (Jorge) and his four year old son. They came out in a Kayak to the boat and the little boy wanted to see the boat. We had a nice visit and made a new friend in Loreto. We left Loreto to return to Bahia Marquer to a sunset which was absolutely stunning. We stayed several more days at this beautiful anchorage before returning to Puerto Escondido for fuel yesterday. We will sail back to Bahia Marquer this afternoon and then to Loreto Sunday, for the Sunday Market to restock. I will try to get Judy to add her female touch to this post asap. In the mean time I’m going FISHING!
Leaving Loreto
Dorado
Judy and I left Puerto Escondido for Loreto last Friday at around seven in the morning. After leaving the bay I decided we might as well wet a couple of lines since the Dorado (Mahi Mahi) were due to be moving into the sea. I baited them with a green and white rubber squid and a six tapered six inch strip of real squid that Judy had been complaining about stinking up the refrigerator of late. About twenty minutes later one of the reels started singing and Judy, being at the helm, started screaming FISH ! FISH! FISH! unfortunately she did not know that when a fish hits the bait one is supposed to slow the boat, as we were trolling at four and a half knots. This slowing of the boat is to avoid ripping the hook out of the fish’s mouth, or worse yet, ripping its lips off. Since it was over fourteen miles to Loreto we still had a chance to tie into another one. I rebaited the hooks and off we went. About ten minutes later a reel started singing again and I heard Judy’s FISH! Fish! Fish! once more. I tried to get her to take the rod, but she would have no part of it. This time she slowed the boat perfectly and I began reeling in a nice sized Mahi Mahi. It jumped several times and its acrobatics made it a lot of fun. I got it up to the boat and it turned out to be larger than the previous ones caught and I tried to lift it into the boat by the leader while Judy was getting the net, which snapped of course, and we watched it swim merrily away. After showing due shame while being chastised for not waiting on the net, I rebaited again. They say the third time is the charm and it was. We both did our jobs correctly this time and enjoyed some great meals from our efforts.
On The Way
We arrived at Loreto and anchored in eighteen feet of water on a leeward shore with under two foot swells. Judy had to take care of some business on the phone that took a couple of hours. By the time we got to the dinghy dock it was too late to make the Farmers Market. Maybe next week we can. When we arrived at the dock there were several young boys waiting to tie up our dinghy and help unload, not only our stuff, but us too. They were very cute and extremely courteous. We secured their services to watch our dinghy for us and gave them partial payment. We then headed into town, walking down the Malecon along the beach for several blocks before turning right and going up the wide stone paved road to the Mission in the central square. We met a Taxi driver who drove us around to procure supplies and to get a 160 Lb block of ice for our boat. When we arrived at the marina the Taxi driver pulled right up to the dinghy dock where two young men came over and picked up the ice and loaded it and all of our supplies into the boat. One young man stayed in the dinghy to help Judy aboard while the other held the boat steady. In the US you only get that kind of service in the most exclusive hotel resorts. We tipped them of course, along with the boys who watched our boat while we were in town. Heading out to our boat in our overloaded dink was a bit touchy with only four inches of freeboard in the stern and two foot swells, but we made it okay. If we would have had any problems I’m sure we would have immediately received help, as that is the way of the people down here. It is very refreshing to experience such a kind and courteous population. We spent the night anchored off Loreto.
A Friendly Pelican
Loreto
The next morning we hauled anchor and headed out for Bahia Salinas on the North East side of the island. On our way over we looked at the “Cruising Guide” and decided to stop at Puerto Ballandro, located on the North West end of Isla Carmen. This is a picture perfect cove giving excellent protection from all quarters. We are checking out all anchorages in the area due to the existing hurricane season. At this time there was an existing hurricane (DORA) South of Cabo that we were watching closely. The entrance to Puerto Balandro is a somewhat narrow channel with reefs on both sides. The forward looking sonar justifies its cost tenfold when navigating areas such as this. We entered without problem and set our anchor in the South West corner. We spent two nights at this anchorage fishing and snorkeling. This was Judy’s first time snorkeling and she loved it. I will let her describe her experience to you. I will say that she said something about being in an underwater Disneyland.
A Loreto Sunrise
Bahia Salinas
Bahia Salinas Chapel
After spending two nights at this beautiful anchorage we headed out once again for Bahia Salinas with its sunken 120’ long sunken ship in the middle of the bay, and its Ghost Town. The town is company-owned and once had a thriving salt producing plant. We sailed around the tip of Isla Carmen at Punta Lobos and then headed South past Punta Perico and into Bahia Salinas. As we entered the bay we passed Punta Perico South which is an anchorage that I used when Bill was visiting. My main concern entering this bay was the exact location of the wreck. In one guide book it shows it before the abandoned red and white tower about three hundred yards. In the other book it shows it at least a thousand yards beyond the tower. This does not instill confidence in one's approach. The guide books also disagree on the position in the ba'ys center or along the North East side. We approached on the North East side as far as the tower, but could not spot it. There is supposed to be about six feet of it sticking above water. At this point I turned around and retraced our course and when satisfied that we were clea,r headed across the bay and started our approach from the South side. We finally spotted what was left of the wreck above water, about a foot that was only visible due to the sea birds perched on it.
Caretaker Quarters
The Caretaker
We anchored in fifteen feet of crystal clear water in front of the little white church. Upon completing our chores we jumped into the dinghy and headed for shore. Several people had informed us that if we asked the caretaker for permission, he would allow us to explore and photograph the abandoned buildings. There were two very nice buildings. They had old wagons in front that were filled with different cactus plants. These turned out to be the offices and caretaker's residence and were located close to the shore. As we approached I took photos of these buildings and the wagons. The Caretaker gave us permission to explore the old buildings, but as we were heading over to them he called to us and came hurrying over. He began speaking with about ten Lo sientos ( I’m sorrys). He then explained, very apologetically, that the company people were here and that we wouldn’t be able to enter the buildings while they were here. He said that we could see them the next day if we wanted. He was extremely nice and very sorry. We assured him that we didn’t mind, but we would be leaving the next morning as we needed to check on the hurricane's position. Maybe we can see them next time.
Judy Greeting The Caretaker
The Caretakers Boys
The Culprit
The following morning we headed for Bahia Marquer located on the South West side of the island. We sailed around the southern tip of the island which has a sand spit extending out a quarter mile. We then headed north to our next stop. While on our way one of the reels started singing and I grabbed it, but as I was about to retrieve it, I noticed a very large bird flopping around behind the boat. Yep, I caught a Pelican. I tried reeling him in, but he seemed to be tangled in the line and would go upside down when I tried to bring him in. I decided to give him some slack and take the boat to him. As I approached him he somehow untangled himself and was free. You would think that after this traumatic experience the bird would fly off into the sunset, never to come close to a boat again. Not so with this individual. He would let us get about a hundred yards ahead and then fly up to the boat and land right beside us. He repeated this all the way to our next anchorage. The anchorage at Bahia Marquer is stunning with its crystal clear turquoise water and colored cliffs. If a person did not have refrigeration and wished seafood as a steady diet, they would do well here, as dinner is readily available day or night. The fishing is excellent. I hear the picking of abalone and clams is also excellent here. I wouldn’t know, as I refuse to eat the slimy little critters!
Trigger Fish YUM-YUM!
Judy At The Helm
Another View
We stayed in Bahia Marquer for several days before sailing the seven miles to Loreto where we anchored out and had a visit by a very nice young man (Jorge) and his four year old son. They came out in a Kayak to the boat and the little boy wanted to see the boat. We had a nice visit and made a new friend in Loreto. We left Loreto to return to Bahia Marquer to a sunset which was absolutely stunning. We stayed several more days at this beautiful anchorage before returning to Puerto Escondido for fuel yesterday. We will sail back to Bahia Marquer this afternoon and then to Loreto Sunday, for the Sunday Market to restock. I will try to get Judy to add her female touch to this post asap. In the mean time I’m going FISHING!
Puffer Fish Skeleton
The Way Our Day Starts
How About Yours?
Friday, July 15, 2011
BLOG HUMBUG!
Upon Judy’s return I was surprised to discover that some people were dissatisfied with my subject matter on the blog. It is my understanding that those individuals wish to read more about us. Okay, but you must be more specific, and address your issues with the person who is writing the posts that you have issues with. I would be more than happy to write about whatever portions of our adventure you would like. To those that have voiced complaints (not to me personally), I would suggest that you use the comment section at the end of each post for your suggestions, comments, or complaints, that is what it is for. In this way we can address them in a timely and prudent manner, and hopefully give you what you so desire. If it is not possible to comply with your wishes at the time, at the least it will give me the opportunity to explain why I cannot do so. A good example would be the situation I have been in since we arrived in Puerto Escondido. We had several issues with the boat that I intentionally neglected on our sail from La Paz. I had decided to do so in order to “have some fun” rather than spending all of my time working on the boat. We had a great time sightseeing and exploring that I covered on the blog. Unfortunately, when one allows work to pile up while indulging in “fun activities” one is then faced with a large amount of work/repairs and maintenance issues that have caused more work due to said neglect. This is the situation I faced when we arrived in Puerto Escondido. Other than the two weeks that Bill visited, all I have done is work on the boat so that when Judy got back I could take time to go out to the islands and enjoy the beautiful area. Judy brought a lot of new and repaired equipment back with her that I will be working on while we are out “having fun” in the sea. Along with hopefully the fun posts you folks will have to put up with a record of my work on the boat, as this blog is also just that (a written record) of maintenance and repairs for future reference by yours truly.
Judy has promised to be more diligent on her blog entries, for those of you who wish to read a more entertaining side of sailing. I simply don’t have the time to do so at this point. Someday I hope to have all of the issues addressed and make that “once in a lifetime sail” with no breakdowns, repairs or maintenance issues required. BUT DON’T HOLD YOUR BREATH!
Judy has promised to be more diligent on her blog entries, for those of you who wish to read a more entertaining side of sailing. I simply don’t have the time to do so at this point. Someday I hope to have all of the issues addressed and make that “once in a lifetime sail” with no breakdowns, repairs or maintenance issues required. BUT DON’T HOLD YOUR BREATH!
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Home again....HOME again, Jiggidy jig........
Judy's trip back to the Sea:
Airport travel import rules 101: In Eugene they said my co2 cartridges (to inflate our life vests) were contraband, but when I told the guy what they were for he went to talk to his BOSS and they let me take them...big whew!!!! THEN when I went thru the line where threy xray you and your carry ons they took my 2 tubs of margarine cause they said they are considered "Liquid" and there fore are banned in carry ons and it was too late for them to put them in my checked baggage that had already been loaded on the plane...there goes THAT $10 worth of food....yeah, like I'm going to hijack a plane with my margarine.....THEN landing in Portland they freaked out cause I had 4 carry on bags and you are only allowed 2---they asked me where I began my journey and who let me on with too many bags and I said Eugene airport and so PDX people were going to call Eugene and tell them they screwed up....but they let me keep my stuff....then in LA my plane was late and they had the wheel chair for me but would not stop at the bookstore that was holding the book I ordered cause they said I would miss my plane....When I arrived in Mexico, afraid that I was going to have to pay import fees on stuff for the boat---they looked at the solar panel charger and I showed them my import permit that I had already paid duty on but it didn't list anything "solar" and she kept telling me (in broken English) I needed to show her what on the import list the piece of equipment was for and the closest thing word-wise was the sonar.....so I showed her that and she let me go.....no problems...yeah! Then at another "station" they said they had to check my bags and again could care less about anything electronic or other "contraband---drugs? Guns? but on the declaration thingy it asked if you had any "meat" and wanting to be as honest as I can I marked "yes" but added on the form that I had beef jerky-dried and packaged.....so they took the pkg of beef jerky I showed them----then they went thru my carry on bag with the cheese and roast in it and they took my $20 COSTCO roast I wanted to cook for Jay.....I said :"you're taking my food?!?!?" and they said meat is prohibited and I told them I looked online about what can and cannot be brought into Mexico and they told me to go on some other site so I guess I was misinformed........then the guy kept looking at my 2 big blocks of cheese turning them over and over and I said "Oh, don't take my cheese, too!" and so they didn't--but he asked me if I had any other food and I said canned chilies and he said "show me" so I dug in my bag and as I grabbed the canned chilies another beef jerky bag fell out and they took that, too....then he looked at the can of chilies over and over like it was some kind of incindiary weapon or some such...then gave it back while I whined "I can't believe your taking my food!" and they let me go and I said to them "Please don't throw my meat away give it to the orphanage or someone so it does not go to waste....PLEASE!" and then I went and found Jay and was grousing about the meat and he and a friend laughed at me.....then I realized that I had asked Jesus to protect the electronic stuff for the boat so we wouldn't have to pay duty on it....and all my electronics for the boat repairs and etc. were never looked at but the solar charger which she was happy to call it a sonar and let me go.....I never asked God to protect my food....and since this is a very poor place for all I know there is a family in Loreto who were praying for food and God answered THEIR prayers too.....I am sure that with all that is in my mind and heart that those people in customs did NOT throw 2 pounds of packaged beef jerky away, nor would they toss a packaged $20 beef roast away....we then went and had lunch at Mexico Lindo's in Loreto and I ordered a big Margarita after having a glass of wine on the plane....so arrived at the boat feeling no pain..ha ha
Found out my new AT&T phone gets reception her---unlike the Verizon phone that the company assured me would give me coverage....unfortunately the only 2 calls I got were from Verizon about my "past due bill" which they created from the last billing cycle cause I had paid my last bill with them in fulll, which they acknowledged and at that same time I had changed to the $39 a month plan which was only good in Oregon so I never even used it the last month, basically and they sent me a bill for $303.....how can you get a bill for $303 in one months' time when you didn't even use the phone? I argued with them when I was in Portland and they even told me a name that was on the account was added as a person who had authority to change my plan that I had never even heard of.....and I told them someone must have stolen my ID cause they kept telling me I still had internet service and I had shut that off with Verizon 12 months ago......(although I DID have to call Verizon 3 times and talk to 3 different people who assured me they were turning it off and they really hadn't till the 4th time I called them)--but finally they quit charging me for it for 8 months and then tacked all the 8 months on from one billing cycle in which my total was $67 and I paid it off, to the new bill of $303.....over the last year I bet I've spent 24 hours trying to get Verizon to "fix" things that were wrong with my billing, service and phone and even asked them to have supervisors and managers call me all to no avail. So I give up...if I have to yell at them and spend another 2 hours at a time on the phone with them I will lose it and hate myself for cussing them out....they make me more insane than I am normally.....so I am done with them....yikes, I guess I wasn't quite done with them or I never would have written all this to anyone else!!!ha ha
Airport travel import rules 101: In Eugene they said my co2 cartridges (to inflate our life vests) were contraband, but when I told the guy what they were for he went to talk to his BOSS and they let me take them...big whew!!!! THEN when I went thru the line where threy xray you and your carry ons they took my 2 tubs of margarine cause they said they are considered "Liquid" and there fore are banned in carry ons and it was too late for them to put them in my checked baggage that had already been loaded on the plane...there goes THAT $10 worth of food....yeah, like I'm going to hijack a plane with my margarine.....THEN landing in Portland they freaked out cause I had 4 carry on bags and you are only allowed 2---they asked me where I began my journey and who let me on with too many bags and I said Eugene airport and so PDX people were going to call Eugene and tell them they screwed up....but they let me keep my stuff....then in LA my plane was late and they had the wheel chair for me but would not stop at the bookstore that was holding the book I ordered cause they said I would miss my plane....When I arrived in Mexico, afraid that I was going to have to pay import fees on stuff for the boat---they looked at the solar panel charger and I showed them my import permit that I had already paid duty on but it didn't list anything "solar" and she kept telling me (in broken English) I needed to show her what on the import list the piece of equipment was for and the closest thing word-wise was the sonar.....so I showed her that and she let me go.....no problems...yeah! Then at another "station" they said they had to check my bags and again could care less about anything electronic or other "contraband---drugs? Guns? but on the declaration thingy it asked if you had any "meat" and wanting to be as honest as I can I marked "yes" but added on the form that I had beef jerky-dried and packaged.....so they took the pkg of beef jerky I showed them----then they went thru my carry on bag with the cheese and roast in it and they took my $20 COSTCO roast I wanted to cook for Jay.....I said :"you're taking my food?!?!?" and they said meat is prohibited and I told them I looked online about what can and cannot be brought into Mexico and they told me to go on some other site so I guess I was misinformed........then the guy kept looking at my 2 big blocks of cheese turning them over and over and I said "Oh, don't take my cheese, too!" and so they didn't--but he asked me if I had any other food and I said canned chilies and he said "show me" so I dug in my bag and as I grabbed the canned chilies another beef jerky bag fell out and they took that, too....then he looked at the can of chilies over and over like it was some kind of incindiary weapon or some such...then gave it back while I whined "I can't believe your taking my food!" and they let me go and I said to them "Please don't throw my meat away give it to the orphanage or someone so it does not go to waste....PLEASE!" and then I went and found Jay and was grousing about the meat and he and a friend laughed at me.....then I realized that I had asked Jesus to protect the electronic stuff for the boat so we wouldn't have to pay duty on it....and all my electronics for the boat repairs and etc. were never looked at but the solar charger which she was happy to call it a sonar and let me go.....I never asked God to protect my food....and since this is a very poor place for all I know there is a family in Loreto who were praying for food and God answered THEIR prayers too.....I am sure that with all that is in my mind and heart that those people in customs did NOT throw 2 pounds of packaged beef jerky away, nor would they toss a packaged $20 beef roast away....we then went and had lunch at Mexico Lindo's in Loreto and I ordered a big Margarita after having a glass of wine on the plane....so arrived at the boat feeling no pain..ha ha
Found out my new AT&T phone gets reception her---unlike the Verizon phone that the company assured me would give me coverage....unfortunately the only 2 calls I got were from Verizon about my "past due bill" which they created from the last billing cycle cause I had paid my last bill with them in fulll, which they acknowledged and at that same time I had changed to the $39 a month plan which was only good in Oregon so I never even used it the last month, basically and they sent me a bill for $303.....how can you get a bill for $303 in one months' time when you didn't even use the phone? I argued with them when I was in Portland and they even told me a name that was on the account was added as a person who had authority to change my plan that I had never even heard of.....and I told them someone must have stolen my ID cause they kept telling me I still had internet service and I had shut that off with Verizon 12 months ago......(although I DID have to call Verizon 3 times and talk to 3 different people who assured me they were turning it off and they really hadn't till the 4th time I called them)--but finally they quit charging me for it for 8 months and then tacked all the 8 months on from one billing cycle in which my total was $67 and I paid it off, to the new bill of $303.....over the last year I bet I've spent 24 hours trying to get Verizon to "fix" things that were wrong with my billing, service and phone and even asked them to have supervisors and managers call me all to no avail. So I give up...if I have to yell at them and spend another 2 hours at a time on the phone with them I will lose it and hate myself for cussing them out....they make me more insane than I am normally.....so I am done with them....yikes, I guess I wasn't quite done with them or I never would have written all this to anyone else!!!ha ha
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Almost Home
I spoke with Judy again yesterday and she said “, six weeks is too long” and that she is ready to come home. She said the daily stress level is way too high up there and that she misses the beautiful weather and slower kicked back lifestyle in Mexico. She also mentioned that she actually missed the boat and living on it. This surprised me, as no matter the size of a boat, there never seems to be enough room and it seems that one is always searching for that lost shaker of salt that you saw somewhere in the past few days, but can’t remember exactly where. She even said that she missed ornery old me. I know that I have missed her smiling face around here a lot these past weeks and hopefully this temporary separation will help us appreciate each other’s good points more in the future. Unfortunately, we mortals have a tendency to take each other for granted after a time and fail to vocalize the admiration we have for our partners. Her plane arrives a week from tomorrow at one thirty pm and I procured a ride to and from the airport with a late lunch at Mexico Lindos in the offing. Everyone wish her luck on getting the green light at the airport, so she will not have to go through the check in hassel. I have to agree six weeks is too long, but then I probably have some obvious ulterior motives. Hopefully she does too!
When she gets back we are planning to go to the Island and anchor out for a few weeks, weather permitting of course. While over there I plan to take her to the old abandoned town on the north end of the island. If the fish cooperate we will be dining on fresh Mahi-Mahi (Dorado) and Trigger Fish. Both are excellent tasting and have good texture. A treat to eat!
If per chance we get bored with nothing to do but explore, fish and kick back in the sun, we can always install some of the many items for the boat that Judy is bringing back from the states. Or we can watch some of the one hundred plus movies that Steve brought us on an external hard drive from Jake and Cindy. Oh, I forgot to mention that I ordered an external hard drive and Judy is bringing it back with her. I will have to figure out how to put the movies on our HD from Steve’s before we go to the island.
I just heard on the cruisers net that a large boat was hit by some large waves about 60 miles south from San Felepe and six people are missing. I don’t have internet access on the boat today, so can’t check it out yet. I couldn’t sleep last night, so got up at midnight and got a strong internet wireless signal. That strong signal became very weak as people woke up and got on line, and I lost it.
I have been trying to figure out why the freezer is working, but the refrigerator is not. I did some reading in Nigel Calder’s book “Refrigeration For Pleasure Boats” and it pointed to the possibility of the solenoid on the refrigerator side being out. Today I was going to remove the stove to gain access to the 12V solenoids behind the stove. However, last night when I couldn’t sleep, I remembered a switch marked Refrigerator (not refrigeration), on the twelve volt panel. I thought this switch was for the engine powered unit, which may be, but I turned it on. Hopefully this will solve the problem. Keep your fingers crossed.
Here are a few things I have done since Judy went on holiday in the states.
1. Install 17mtrs of capstan battery 00 cable from chain locker to house batteries.
2. Rewire capstan battery switch.
3. Clean all contact terminals.
4. Procure new 1000 amp battery.
5. Glue Judy’s fiddle back on. (she broke it)
6. Glue Jay’s fiddle back on. (I broke it)
7. Rebuild destroyed cabinet door and reinforce back with fiberglass.
8. Shape door frame for auto pilot control box cover.
9. Tune rigging.
10. Clean all rigging turnbuckles and coat with Lanicoat.
11. Replace all faulty round cotter pins.
12. Add block to dinghy lift halyard.
13. Pull out chain rode and remove all twists.
14. Mark chain rode (with paint) in 25’ increments.
15. Secure chain rode to base of compression post. (Enables rode to be stored in center of boat in bilge)
16. Service Nissan outboard motor.
17. Service Honda 2000 Generator.
18. Service Penn 9/0 reel.
19. Service Garcia 6600C4 reel.
20. Remove twists in Jib halyard at top of mast and tighten.
21. Clean out and organize hose compartment under v-berth.
22. Clean and sanitize refrigerator and freezer.
23. Flush Desalinator.
24. Get refrigerator working. Yeah! Just call me “EL STUPIDO” It was a 12V switch.
When she gets back we are planning to go to the Island and anchor out for a few weeks, weather permitting of course. While over there I plan to take her to the old abandoned town on the north end of the island. If the fish cooperate we will be dining on fresh Mahi-Mahi (Dorado) and Trigger Fish. Both are excellent tasting and have good texture. A treat to eat!
If per chance we get bored with nothing to do but explore, fish and kick back in the sun, we can always install some of the many items for the boat that Judy is bringing back from the states. Or we can watch some of the one hundred plus movies that Steve brought us on an external hard drive from Jake and Cindy. Oh, I forgot to mention that I ordered an external hard drive and Judy is bringing it back with her. I will have to figure out how to put the movies on our HD from Steve’s before we go to the island.
I just heard on the cruisers net that a large boat was hit by some large waves about 60 miles south from San Felepe and six people are missing. I don’t have internet access on the boat today, so can’t check it out yet. I couldn’t sleep last night, so got up at midnight and got a strong internet wireless signal. That strong signal became very weak as people woke up and got on line, and I lost it.
I have been trying to figure out why the freezer is working, but the refrigerator is not. I did some reading in Nigel Calder’s book “Refrigeration For Pleasure Boats” and it pointed to the possibility of the solenoid on the refrigerator side being out. Today I was going to remove the stove to gain access to the 12V solenoids behind the stove. However, last night when I couldn’t sleep, I remembered a switch marked Refrigerator (not refrigeration), on the twelve volt panel. I thought this switch was for the engine powered unit, which may be, but I turned it on. Hopefully this will solve the problem. Keep your fingers crossed.
Here are a few things I have done since Judy went on holiday in the states.
1. Install 17mtrs of capstan battery 00 cable from chain locker to house batteries.
2. Rewire capstan battery switch.
3. Clean all contact terminals.
4. Procure new 1000 amp battery.
5. Glue Judy’s fiddle back on. (she broke it)
6. Glue Jay’s fiddle back on. (I broke it)
7. Rebuild destroyed cabinet door and reinforce back with fiberglass.
8. Shape door frame for auto pilot control box cover.
9. Tune rigging.
10. Clean all rigging turnbuckles and coat with Lanicoat.
11. Replace all faulty round cotter pins.
12. Add block to dinghy lift halyard.
13. Pull out chain rode and remove all twists.
14. Mark chain rode (with paint) in 25’ increments.
15. Secure chain rode to base of compression post. (Enables rode to be stored in center of boat in bilge)
16. Service Nissan outboard motor.
17. Service Honda 2000 Generator.
18. Service Penn 9/0 reel.
19. Service Garcia 6600C4 reel.
20. Remove twists in Jib halyard at top of mast and tighten.
21. Clean out and organize hose compartment under v-berth.
22. Clean and sanitize refrigerator and freezer.
23. Flush Desalinator.
24. Get refrigerator working. Yeah! Just call me “EL STUPIDO” It was a 12V switch.
Friday, July 1, 2011
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