AGUA VERDE TO ENSENADA BLANCA (BAHIA CANDELAROS)

On the 24th I hauled anchor at 8:am and headed out of Agua Verde for Ensenada Blanca.The wind was very light out of the South. After clearing the bay I put out my Mylar 150 genoa and there was barley enough wind to keep it full. After about an hour the wind picked up to around fifteen knots, perfect. Even with the dirty bottom, I was doing over 5 knots. Sure wish the water would warm up so I could get in and clean it off. In about five minutes the wind jumped up to 23knots and while I reefed it hit 26 knots. With the genoa reefed 50% and no main, I was doing almost 7knots,barnicals and all. Every once and awhile a heavy gust would hit and dip the rail. All at once the wind just quit, and I mean quit. I looked behind me and there was still white caps and three foot waves. How the hell does it do that? Now I'm sitting in dead calm water and can see the sailboat about two miles behind me healed over with sails full. Oh well, it was back to motoring.

I'm so thankful I'm a morning person, see the beauty and serenity you late sleepers miss? I couldn't decide which of the two sunrise photos I liked more. What do you think? Don't forget to click on the photos!

SUNRISE PHOTO #1

SUNRISE PHOTO #2

SUNSET

When I arrived I knew the word was out about Ensenada Blanca. There was seventeen boats anchored here, and I make eighteen. There were never over eight last year, damn, another popular anchorage. I should of kept my mouth shut as usual. I guess I'll never learn. Last night the wind hit over thirty knots from the west south west. Wind Raven was doing a jig, and bouncing around. It felt like she was under sail in heavy weather more than at anchor. It's supposed to repeat itself again tonight. I'm going to cut this short, didn't get much sleep last night. Enjoy the pics, and ADIOS por ahora. 

THAT WAVE IS COMING FROM THE SHORE ABOUT 1OO METERS AWAY!

Here comes the wind again folks..........................................

HEADING NORTH

The plan was to leave La Paz at around 7:am on 5/15/ 2012, but  Heimie wasn’t ready until 10:45. When I finally saw him pulling his anchor, I headed out of the anchorage in the Magote. As I approached the narrow channel entrance leading to the main channel I passed Paul  on Seamentress and waved goodbye . As I was about half way through the short channel I noticed the engine temperature was rising. I always keep a close eye on the gauges and have to say that this was quite a shock, as the engine always runs around 170 degrees. By the time I got through the narrow channel the temperature was well over 220 degrees. I shut the engine down and almost coasted across the main channel and dropped anchor. Damn, here we go again, more problems. Does it ever stop?

JAMIE'S BOAT (SALTSHAKER)

THE CULPRIT SETTING HOOK ON MY ANCHOR

While I was letting the engine cool down Jamie came by and asked if I needed help. I told him that I could handle it and that I would meet him at Colita Partida when I fixed the problem. It turned out to be the impeller on the raw water supply pump. It was missing several fins, but why had it failed?  I replaced it, but the pump refused to prime. About this time Paul had seen me drop anchor and came over to help. He suggested I start at the strainer to see if I had water and follow it to the pump. To make a long story short, we discovered a loop in the line that trapped an air bubble, which caused the problem. I eliminated the loop by cutting out a section of the hose and the pump then primed itself. I thanked Paul and was off once again.

I arrived at Colita Partida at sunset, and anchored in 20’ of water with 150’ of rode out. It was windy when I arrived, but not near as windy as it was to become later. Sometime around midnight I was treated to my first Coromuel. Everyone has built these up in my mind with their horror stories of extremely high winds hitting suddenly without warning in the middle of the night. Some of the boats there did drag, but I believe it was caused by their anchoring negligence, rather than the winds. I admit the winds were fairly strong, but nothing compared to what we get on a regular basis on the Oregon Coast. Unless they get a hell of a lot stronger than they were at Colita Partida, I really don’t think I will get too concerned. I will say that I can’t see the attraction there that warrants anchoring in such a funnel. I mean it is in a sort of canyon and open at both ends. For some unknown reason Jamie likes it there!

FISHING CAMP

The next day Jamie caught a Trigger fish that he had for dinner that night. I also went out to the reef to do some fishing. I caught eight fish. All of which I released, as I had plenty of meat aboard. Basically the day was spent just kicking back and resting up. My right knee was still swollen from spending five days kneeling down while installing the rear main seal on the engine the previous week.

SAN EVARISTO PALAPA

On the morning of the 17^th Jamie headed out for San Evaristo while I finished up some maintenance on Wind Raven. I followed him about two hours later. The wind was blowing around 20 knots when I left and I was doing 6 ½ knots with the jib alone. Of course this is the Sea of Cortez and someone abruptly “turned off the fan” about half way there, and it was back to motoring!

DESALINATION PLANT....SAN EVARISTO

I anchored between Jamie and the southern point in 17’ with 140’ of rode. It looked like I had plenty of space between us, but figured I could always shorten my rode if need be.  A moderate breeze came up a little later and everything looked fine with the anchor lines stretched out. About a half hour before dark I heard a motor that sounded close and went out to look. To my surprise there was a cabin cruiser anchoring in front of me between my boat and the point. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. It was obvious that there was not enough room to anchor there.  He was setting his hook about forty feet off my bow and his anchor rode was stretching out directly towards my anchor. The gentleman was a Mexican who I discovered didn’t speak English. I called over to him and tried to explain the problem with his anchoring there with my incompetent Spanish and mimes. He must not have understood, because he demonstrated through mimes that he had set his anchor “muy duro” (very hard). I finally gave up and got out my camera, took a photo of his boat, and called over stating that I hoped he had good insurance. My boat was now trapped between his boat and Saltshaker. By this time it was getting dark and I was resigned to a sleepless night. I would have to make sure his boat did not hit me in the night if the wind started blowing or shifted.

BCS TO PORT, ISLA SAN JOSE TO STARBOARD

Around two in the morning the wind not only started blowing hard, but also shifted and his anchor started to drag. His boat was now about ten feet off my bow when I finally got his attention and he woke up. I think he was a bit embarrassed, as he never spoke to me. He fired up his engine and started to haul in his anchor. Yep, he hooked mine and I started to drag. I had already fired my engine in preparation, as I expected this possibility.  After he got his boat out of my way, I pulled anchor and moved out into the middle of the bay and re-anchored. I couldn’t believe it when I looked back and saw that he had re-anchored right between Saltshaker and Willful Simplicity, endangering both of their boats. Willful Simplicity was on a mooring and the next morning they moved off the mooring ball and anchored well away. They then gave the mooring to the Mexican with the power boat. I slept much better knowing the power boat was now on a mooring!

My knee was acting up more, due to kneeling on it for those five days while working on the engine and the recent activity. I decided I had better give it a rest, so for the next four days I used it very little. I spent most of the time reading, with my leg propped up in the air. I did go fishing for a couple of hours, but they were not biting. I also did a few light chores on the boat, but nothing worth writing about

NOPOLO VILLAGE    Click on the photo to enlarge

.

Our plan was to leave San Evaristo on Tuesday the 22^nd and head for our next anchorage, working our way North. On Monday the 21^st Jamie came over and said we weren’t going North until Wednesday the 23^rd, because there was going to be a big party inland about five kilometers and everyone was going. Well, I explained to Jamie that I didn’t come to the Sea of Cortez to go to a party and watch a bunch of people get drunk. I told him if he wanted to go that it was fine with me, but I would be heading north the next day as planned. He tried to talk me into taking a Taxi to the party and leaving later, but I declined.

KICKIN BACK

The next morning, Tuesday the 22^nd I hauled anchor and headed North out of San Evaristo. My plan was to sail to Bahia Santa Marte and do some fishing on the extensive reefs in the area. Well, you know what they say about the “best made plans.” When I left there was no wind, so I was forced to motor for an hour or so before it started to pick up. It eventually built to around fifteen knots off the stern.  The rollers also built and made me change my destination to Agua Verde, as Bahia San Marte has a southern exposure. Agua Verde is an anchorage I am not particularly fond of, due to its popularity. I prefer more secluded anchorages, not only for their peacefulness, but they aren’t fished out either. I’m glad that most cruisers like to gather in these “popular anchorages” to socialize and drink (party). If they didn’t  It would be a lot harder to find the peace and tranquility I seek in the unpopular, or remote anchorages. And like I said, the fishing is much better. To my surprise there were only three boats anchored in Agua Verde when I arrived. I have never seen so few boats here. I heard that Ensenada Blanca is becoming very popular this year and is crowded. That’s too bad, as it was one of my favorites with very good fishing. I guess I will find out soon, as that is my next stop.

So far since I left La Paz I have seen three whales, all at a respectable distance from Wind Raven. I like whales, as long as they keep their distance. They make me nervous when they get too close. Sorry, but that means no photo’s folks. You will just have to look at the ones on the internet. I also was surprised by two seals cavorting (playing) about ten miles off shore. They were jumping and frolicking around and having what looked like a great time playing with each other. As I passed they stopped and watched me, and once by they continued to play with each other until out of site. I also saw a huge Marlin come flying out of the water about fifty yards from the boat. Wow, what a beautiful fish it was!

AGUA VERDE'S PAINTED ROCK  (BIRD WORK)

ONLY THREE OTHER BOATS

AGUA VERDE VILLAGE

I think that since Agua Verde is so empty, I might stay here today to rest my knee a bit and head to Ensenada Blanca tomorrow. I guess there’s no rush, right?

HEADING NORTH!

I will not have internet access for the next two to three weeks. My amigo Heimie, will sail his boat (S/V Saltshaker), in tandem on the trip up the coast. We are going to take our time (up to three weeks), visiting many anchorages and exploring the many Islands and mangrove lined channels around the many lagoons. I also plan on doing some serious fishing. I promise to take photos of the experience for your perusal. Our tentative anchorages will be; Coleta Partida, Isla San Francisco, Bahia Amortajada and Punta Ostiones Lagoon, Punta San Evaristo, Colita Nopolo, Timbabiche or Puerto Los Gatos, maybe Punta San Telmo, Bahia San Marte, maybe Isla Monserrate and Isla Santa Catalina, and then into Ensenada Blanca with a wi-fi connection. So, until we reach Ensenada Blanca once again, ADIOS AMIGOS Y AMIGAS!

REPAIRS COMPLETE, I HOPE!

After a complete re-assembly of the engine and drive train, the engine refused to start. I tried to bleed the fuel for a couple of hours to no avail. At this point I was very tired and decided to call it a day, thinking that maybe  tomorrow would go better. It seems that revelations always come to me in the middle of the night and this night was no exception. I was soundly asleep when I suddenly sat bolt upright with the realization that what had been nagging me in the recesses of my puny little overfilled brain, was that I had failed to bend over the lock tabs on the flywheel bolts. Damn, now it was inevitable that I dis-assemble the the drive train to access these tabs to lock the bolts in place.I completed the task in record time, unfortunately due to the repetition of this procedure. However this did give me time to contemplate the fuel issue.

It was now time to resolve the starting problem. I started from scratch, trying to bleed the system. The fuel pressure had been bleeding off when the engine sat for a few days, for some time now and needed attention also. I decided to change all three fuel filters, the two Racors and the filter on the Perkins. The Perkins filter had a crease in the old gasket that could be the problem, or at least part of it. I followed the fuel lines all of the way to the injectors, making sure there were no leaks and everything was tightened properly. Since I had cut the access hole to the engine compartment, it made this task a lot easier. I did notice that two of the injector hold down bases had a hairline crack in them. Yeah, yeah I know, I should have replaced them at that point, but I wanted to find out if what I had done so far, had corrected the problem. Yes, it was a mistake. Oh, the engine fired right up and immediately blew an injector out of the head. What an awful noise that was.

I had four new injectors in the parts bin, so at least I didn't have to go on another fruitless search in La Paz. I dug them out and installed them, re-bled the system and fired the engine, only to hear this loud puffing noise. Damn, here we go again. It seemed that my troubles would never end. Oh well, tomorrow would be another day, and hopefully a better one at that!

The next morning I was confident that this would be a day of success. I removed the offending injector injector,  cleaned both the base and seat, and then re-installed it. I fired up the engine and the puffing noise was louder than before. You might say that I was becoming just a wee bit frustrated by this development, but if nothing else I am very stubborn. Actually I prefer to think of it as tenacious. So, I removed this offensive rascal and upon doing so, I dropped one of the hold down bolts. Of course it fell on the side of the engine that is inaccessible due to the bulkhead being so close. I spent an hour or so trying to locate it to no avail. Hmm! Seems I use that word a lot, does it not? I'll have to work on that. Anyway, off to town I went. Now this should be no problem, just go to any auto parts, or fastener store and buy one, right? Huh! Not in La Paz,it seems they have no fine threaded bolts, much less case hardened!

It was now time to locate a small mirror and return to my quest for that damned errant bolt. I stopped by my Australian friends boat and borrowed Slelly's small compact mirror. Of course Drew threw in his two cents worth, saying "just don't use too much of the make-up base! With the small mirror I was able to locate and install the injector once again. Unfortunately, with the same result. Who? Me frustrated? Naw, NOT ME!

Okay, it was now time to use drastic measures. The hell with the book on how to install injectors. Every time  it was installed, I noticed it was leaking on the same side. This time I would do it my way. I brought the offending side bolt down finger tight plus a half turn. I then brought the other side down barely snug. I then alternated from side to side taking it down to the torque specs. Beulah! It worked! She now purrs like a kitten.

CLEAN & PURRING!

OIL LEAK REPAIR

I started the repair a few days ago and it is coming along very well so far. I had to drop the drive line at the u-joint between the transmission and the v-drive. Then fight the rusty motor mount nuts for a couple of hours to free up the mounts. This is where the new engine access hole in the cockpit came into play. I ran a block and tackle from the boom to the rear of the engine to lift it up (no blocks required) and was ready for dis-assembly.

PRE-REPAIR

At this point I removed the transmission, bell housing, dampener, flywheel, starter and backing plate. When I removed the dampener I noticed it was badly worn and had to be rebuilt or replaced. That ended my first day.

PARTIAL DIS-ASSEMBLY 

The next morning I headed to town and it was an incredible day, to say the least. First let me say that in La Paz the chances of finding repair parts is next to zero. Most things are not available and have to be ordered at great expense. Upon arriving at the marina, me amigo Heimie called out to me and asked what I was up to. I informed him of my quest and he offered to drive me. He not only drove me, but was a great help in translating for me. Well, after striking out at all of the parts houses and repair shops, a gentleman told us that his retired father had a small shop that he worked on boats in and might be able to help.

SPLIT SEAL ASSEMBLY

We headed back across town for the third or forth time and found his little shop behind his house. We showed him the dampener and he went to a dust covered wooden box on the floor and pulled out a dampener. It was the only one he had and after measuring it, we discovered it was the right one. Now that was truly "one in a Million." He sold it to me for 500 pesos, which is less than it would have cost to ship one down from the US.

ALMOST BACK TOGETHER

Day three I went on another search for engine paint. I figured as long as I had everything apart, I might as well clean it up again and paint it. By the end of the day the engine and transmission were clean, but I was beyond filthy and so was the boat. I spent the evening cleaning the boat and myself.

Today I will complete the installation and hopefully will have solved the problem.


This is the type of latches I am in search of (cheap) for the cockpit access hatch.

FLUSH MOUNT ADJUSTABLE LATCH