The Dink

While in Port we had the privilege of seeing a sea turtle that surfaced a few feet away. To my surprise, it was very colorful. It was my first close encounter with a sea turtle. It was quite shy and didn’t stay on the surface very long. Unfortunately, I did not have my camera with me, so no photo. Judy says I should live with the camera around my neck and always have it ready. I just can’t seem to get into that Hawaiian shirt tourist, camera dangling scene. I have acquiesced to wearing a very bright and colorful shirt with surfboards on it, and that is a big step for me. I still have my long Harley wallet with chain, which was very practical while still riding, but with my Chopper over 2000 miles away, I guess it will have to go. It just won’t fit in a bathing suit and that’s about all I wear these days. With the temp hovering around 100 degrees and a heat index of 119 degrees, that’s even too much clothing!


15+ Lb Dorado

Trigger Fish Handout

Anchor Chain And extended scraper in 18' of clear water!

We left Puerto Escondido on Saturday the19th after stocking up on supplies in Tri Pui. When I tried to turn on the GPS it wouldn’t come on. We really didn’t need it for this short jaunt, so I decided to check it out later. On our way out we hooked and landed a nice 12-15 Lb Dorado while under sail. I must say, that it was a considerable challenge having to circumnavigate the decks many obstacles while fighting a fish. Not taking the time to reel in the other line before taking up the fight, resulted in a tangle and the loss of another $26 lure( in the states). A hard lesson that could have been avoided. Next time I will do better. I have to, as I am almost out of lures for Dorado and they are extremely expensive down here. Originally we planned on anchoring in Juancolito (sp?), but due to wind direction causing it to become a leeward shore we headed once again to Bahia Maquer. We anchored close in the south east corner of, but decided to move when the wind shifted, again causing a leeward shore, and we discovered the point we anchored under blocked both SSB and VHF reception. This reception is very important, as that is where we get our weather reports and we certainly don’t want to get caught with our pants down, so to speak!

Power Dink

Sailing Dink

On the tech side, I replaced the” Shur Flow” domestic water pump with a” Jabsco” Par-Max 4. The head has good pressure, but the galley just has a trickle of water coming out the faucet. I think the problem must be a blockage in the line somewhere. I guess locating and removing it will be my mission for today. The Problem with the GPS turned out to be the connection to the unit. It was corroded on the power side to a point where the male pushed the female wire socket out when inserted. The plug is molded around the connections, so I had to cut it apart to make a temporary repair. This is the second time this has happened and will be the second replacement wire loom we have had to buy. They only last about a year it seems. I guess I will have to figure a better way of sealing it than the factory did. I dove down and checked if perhaps my errant lure was attached to the prop, but it wasn’t, of course. Oh well, one can always hope. While I was down I checked the hull for barnacles, and to my surprise there were very few. I will knock them off today if I have the time. Judy and I want to try sailing our dinghy today also. It should be interesting, as we have never sailed it before. It is eight feet long, but has a sixteen foot mast. Hmmm! Think we might turn turtle? That means upside down, for you non-sailors?.........Most likely!..........Maybe we should wear life vests?..........I wonder if the oars will fit aboard?

Leaving Bahia Maquer At Sunrise

A Little Further Out, Trolling For Dorado


Judy hasn't been feeling up to par for the past few weeks and in the last few days she got a lot worse. We went into Loreto yesterday the 24th so she could see a Doctor. It turns out she has Salmonella, but should respond to the medication and be feeling better today. I also saw him concerning my ailments, but I will let Judy tell  you about all of that. We also met a very nice Doberman on our way back to the boat. We had more Dorado meat than we could eat, so gave some fillets to the dock boys. I would hate to see it spoil, it is some great tasting meat.
 
Judy With Wind Raven (almost) In Hand

 
Last night was pretty bumpy anchored off Loreto in 20kt winds on a leeward shore, but is much better this morning. We will go back into town this morning to get supplies and ice from the ice house. Their blocks are huge. I have never seen any this large before. They are about 3'x5'x18", and weigh a ton. You should see our poor little dinghy with just halfe a block in it.
 
Speaking of the dinghy, we rigged it up with it's sail, rudder and keel board for the first time the other day.
The wind was light and couldn't make up its mind which way it wanted to come from. That made it interesting for a first time sail. I would tack out and just when I was ready to tack back towards Wind Raven, the wind would shift directions and I would end up further away. Of course I did eventually make it back with the help of the oars, I might add.
 
Today we will head out for Bahia Candeleros where they built a new hotel and are selling some kind of time shares. It is supposed to be a great fishing and snorkeling area. With the selling of time shares they want boats anchored in the bay for the prospective buyers to see. As a result they are being very nice to cruisers. It is my understanding that all cruisers anchored in the bay are brought out coffee and pasteries every morning and are afforded all facilities (pool, wifi, etc.) free of charge. I guess they really want it to look occupied for their sales. Might as well check it out!