About Time, Right?

Okay, so I've been getting lazy and not writing any posts for awhile. Anabal a diver who cleans hull bottoms has become a new friend of mine here in La Paz. He brought over a friend of his (Gama) who is also becoming a friend. They are very helpful, especially with my Spanish and local knowledge. Anabal offered to take me to a ranch in the mountains and introduce me to the elderly gentleman who is the owner and the son of Pancho Villa's good friend who hid him out on their ranch in BCS. I really would like to meet him and view his photo of his father with Villa.


My Broken Rudder

Gama introduced his cousin, who is a mechanic and he spent five hours fixing a couple of oil leaks on my engine. Would you believe he only charged me twenty dollars for five hours work. Yeah, I gave him forty and it was still a bargain at that. I asked Gama if he could get me a piece of 1/2" plywood 36" x 12" so I could make a new rudder for the dink. He said he could and asked if he could take the old one with him. I acquiesced. Two days later Gama hitched a ride out to the boat and gave me not one, but two rudders already cut out with routered edges, sanded, and varnished. When I asked how much I owed him, he said twenty dollars.I couldn't even buy the plywood for that much. After I paid him he asked if I could give him a ride back to the dock. I said sure, as I needed to find some epoxy and get a few other things in town. He then offered, no insisted that he drive me. He drove me all over La Paz to find what I needed, asking the clerks and passer-bys where to find the things I needed. It sure is easier with a personal translator along. It is incredible how nice the local Mexicans are. These people in Mexico are the nicest I have ever met anywhere!


Gama's $20 Solution

This morning I sailed the Dink into Marina De La Paz, and I do mean into. Yep I felt like a real pro as I not only made all of the turns leading up to the dinghy dock, but sailed by the water dock between all of the dinghys and even turned between two , released the sail and tied up. Well now, I was pretty proud of myself and impressed several onlookers who complimented me on my skills. I admit that my chest was pumped up a bit. That is until later when I tried to sail back out. What a fiasco that turned out to be. The wind was head on and then it would switch around and hit me broadside, due to the many various sized boats distorting the wind direction. Well I had no choice but to hang my head and shamefully break out the oars. After I got past the super yachts at the end of the marina I took a port tack into the bay and back to hide in Wind Raven.


A Sunset In La Paz With Lee's Golden Heart In Foreground

Damn! Those pelicans are going to give me a heart attack yet. There was an extremely loud crash against the side of the boat a few minutes ago. When I went out to see who/what ran into my boat, there was a pelican in the water shaking his head. They must have really hard heads to hit that hard and not knock themselves out. I have never actually seen them hit, but every time it happens there is a pelican beside the boat shaking his head. Damn, there went another one. The wind is blowing broadside to the boat and when they dive for fish beside the boat, I think they forget to allow for the drift caused by it, and WHAM! They hit the boat.


Repeat Performance

A lady from Canada I spoke with concerning crewing on Wind Raven told me a story about one of her last crewing positions where there was a problem concerning the bilge pump. Well, that got me to thinking about my pumps. I haven't checked them since I arrived in La Paz two months ago. I don't worry too much about them, because I always check them prior to leaving all harbors and anchorages.Well I guess I'm going to have to do a weekly check also, since three of my five bilge pumps came on but didn't pump water. When she told me about her experience, I assured her that I had five bilge pumps, three electric and two manual, which I do. The problem is non of the electric ones pump water now. Damn, I hate it when that happens! My bragging bubble is now busted! Guess I better get down in the bilge and fix em. On second thought, I have two working. They should suffice for tonight, maybe first thing in the morning? I'm not crazy about getting real grubby this late in the day if I don't have to, and I think it will keep till morning.