TIME TO EMPTY THE BILGE!

The weather here is a bit wet, due to the spin offs from hurricane Miriam. It was thunder and lightening yesterday, 60% chance today, and 90% tomorrow. The rain is good, but I could do without the lightening, since Wind Raven has that big lightening rod sticking up about fifty feet in the air! Makes one a bit nervous and concerned about the electronics. I have been putting them in the oven and the microwave. They claim it will protect them from destruction. Hmmm, I wonder just who the hell "they" are? Anyone Know?

Well it looks like it is going to take awhile to sell my Harley, as the market is really bad. As a result I have been doing some research on the Max Prop that I removed from Wind Raven. The prop sells new for $3,100. It can be reconditioned at PYI, and the hub can be re-bored to fit a larger shaft if needed. I am going to contact PYI today for an estimate. I will then be able to set a reasonable price on the prop as is. In case anyone might be interested, here is the prop info.

PYI
MAX PROP
70mm 3 BLADE CLASSIC
FITS 1" SHAFT ( but can be safely re-bored to fit larger shaft)

I also have a new condition Hooka with accessories, I can part with among several other items. Maybe some of my fishing rods, I really don't need twelve.
One way or the other I have to get the v-drive repaired or replaced. I'm just not too fond of being held captive, and at the mercy of the weather, by a dysfunctional v-drive! SO, I'm working on it!

THE OLD MARINA

The good news is that the old marina here in Santa Rosalia is an inspiration to behold! Yes I mean it. The day I arrived, I just pulled into an empty slip, tied up, walked up to the office to pay for a slip and was told that I needn't pay until I leave. Toby asked the length of my boat and at 44' he said that would be 200 pesos ($15.00) a day, or 3500 pesos ($270.00) a month. Those are the cheapest rates in Mexico, my friends. He handed me a paper for the Port Captain that was in both Espanol and English to fill out, and then had me put my name on the top of a paper with headers of Beer, Pop, etc. on columns. I asked what that was for and was informed that it was to keep track of what I took from the refrigerator, so it could be added to my bill when I leave. He then told me the "rules" for the marina. These consisted of closing the gate and locking it in a certain way, and mopping up the excess water on the floor after showering. I thought he meant the gate on the ramp to the slips, until he handed me a key and said "this is the key to the office." I said "you're giving me the key to the office," he just said "yeah" like it was the most natural thing in the world. He then added, "how else could you take a shower at night or get something out of the cooler if you want it? Now, I was a bit taken aback! He then smiled and said " we practice the honor system here." Just mark what you take down on your sheet, that's what it's for.

JIM'S BOAT THAT TOWED ME OUT OF BAHIA SAN FRANSCITO

I asked if they didn't have people leave without paying their bill? He said that they did once, but it was years ago, and another cruiser paid the persons bill for him. After paying his bill, he then headed out after the thief  to collect, and did! All I can say is; I'm impressed.

Here at the marina I became friends with a great person who is also a great sailor from New Zealand. His name is Bruce and he is the person who brought his 50' sailboat ( Marionette ) out five miles to tow Wind Raven into Santa Rosalia. He took me out sailing and fishing on his boat a couple of afternoons since I've been here. Yes we/he caught Dorado and Rooster Fish. He left for Puerto Escondido today, as the winds are predicted to be from the north for the next few days. I will miss him and his extremely positive attitude. He is also a great cook and fixes a lot of excellent fruit and vegetable dishes.He will return in a week or so to pick up his car and take it to PE. Around mid October he will be heading to San Diego, and I am hoping to be able to send my v-drive with him that far to be shipped. That is yet to be seen though. He will then return to New Zealand to skipper a very large (Schooner?) charter sailboat for the New Zealand summer. I feel privileged to have met and befriended him.

While he was here, Gorden's lady Kate stopped by on her way to San Diego to catch a plane. It was a surprise seeing her again. It had been over a year since I have seen her. She said to say hello to you Judy, in case you are reading this.


BRUCE'S 50' MARIONETTE

As far as the town is concerned, it is a real Mexican town, with a small town atmosphere. It is actually a mining town, with many beautiful old buildings and a large smelter across the highway from the marina that is not operational. There are others that are operational. I am unable to upload photos on the blog at this time, but will take them anyway and upload them in the future. I right clicked on one of the screwed up photos, then inspect element, and it said; Blob.webkitslice ( ) is deprecated.  Yeah, okay right! Like I'm supposed to know what the hell they are talking about. I will get one of the many computer folks to help me with it asap. Be patient, I will fix it. I think I know who is behind my problems with the blog, so I will take care of that also!

OPTIONS?

I sent an e-mail to Walter Gear and asked them what it would cost for them to rebuild the v-drive. They said that with the described problems it would run in the neighborhood of $1200 plus shipping both ways. I would imagine that the shipping would run around $200 each way, which would bring the price to around $1400 to San Diego. I would then have to get to wherever I am in Mexico. They also said that a new v-drive would cost $2,061 plus shipping one way, which would total around $2,300. 

                                                                                                                                                                   

Options

Parts cost…. $908.00 plus one way shipping & machine shop fee, for removal & installation of pressed shafts & bearings.

Rebuilt unit…. $1200.00 Plus two way shipping to New Jersey.

New v-drive…. $ 2061.00 Plus one way shipping, with the possibility of recouping some of the cost, by selling the old v-drive for $300 to $500.

I will have to get the exact shipping costs and revise this, so that I can make a better informed decision as to my best possible options. I will have to wait until my Harley sells before I can make the purchase anyway, so I have plenty of time. In the mean time I will just have to learn how to be a better sailor, and sail everywhere, without the option of motoring. Either that, or just stay in one place and live on the boat as if it were an apartment on the water. Many people do, ya know!

V-DRIVE OPTIONS, HURRICANE?

Yesterday I started disassembling the v-drive. To make a long technical story short, let it suffice for me to say that I found the major problem, (warn internal double u-joint and pinion shaft splines) that are causing the knock. I disassembled it most of the way in place. As far as I could get in the process exposed the problem and has left me options on how to proceed. Of course I am once again stuck with a dilemma.

This morning I called the Walter v-drive company and spoke with their technician. My intent was in finding out how to remove the internal double u-joint from the case and pinion shaft. What I found out is that the unit must be removed from the boat and they must be pressed out in a machine shop. Both the Pinion shaft and the u-joint have to be replaced. I was also informed that the bearings will also need to be replaced. I asked for a price on these parts and was quoted; U-Joint $432.00, Pinion Gear$216.00, and the Bearings, seals and Gaskets $260.00. That comes to $908.00 plus shipping and import fees. On top of that will be the machine shop bill, which I haven’t a clue what that will cost.

I asked the technician if I could run it as is, for short periods in an emergency situation. He wouldn’t commit himself, which is understandable, but said it might be okay. As far as I know there is no one who can do the work here even if I could purchase the parts and get them here, which is iffy at best. The best place available in Baja would be La Paz, which is over 250 miles south.  I could sail south, but the general winds at this time of year are from the south and would be dead on the nose, or worse yet, nonexistent. With no use of the v-drive and single handing, this option is very iffy indeed. This is especially so during the height of hurricane season. If I sit here and a hurricane hits Santa Rosalia, I am screwed anyway. If I made it as far south as Puerto Escondido, I might be better off, as it is a designated hurricane hole.

It is 125 miles to Puerto Escondido where I would at least have more options. That is if the tropical storm developing doesn’t turn into a hurricane and travel up into the sea.  I’ll just have to think about it all. In the meantime I might just put the v-drive back together. At least then I might have a chance! 

Santa Rosalia

I paid Jim one hundred dollars to tow me out with his powerboat (Sea Hunter) about four and a half miles towards Isla San Pedro Martir. This was marginal, but should afford me ample room to clear the points to the south. The wind was out of the north at about four knots as predicted. I ran out a new six ounce 150 Genoa that had been stored in the locker and headed out in an easterly direction, while I raised the main. The current was just starting to move in a southerly direction, as the tide was beginning to recede. Just as Jim was going around the point on the small anchorage and out of sight, the wind died. I spent the next nine and a half hours in light breezes to no wind. The most headway made under full sail during that time was one half knot, but mostly around three tenths of a knot. This wouldn’t have been a problem if it wasn’t for the current that was trying to take me to shore on the point. I thank God it wasn’t an excessively strong current that day, or I would surely lost Wind Raven.

The wind started to pick up at dusk and having previously learned my lesson of the dangers of sailing at night under full sail, I put three reefs in the main. I ran the one fifty Genoa, since I could furl it in according as required. The wind built rapidly and I was soon on course doing seven plus knots. The wind changed directions thirty degrees or so and in velocity constantly all night long. This caused me to be trimming the sails on a regular basis all night. All in all it wasn’t a bad sail, but very nerve racking without any mechanical power backup. I had no idea when I would arrive in Santa Rosalia.

As it turned out I reached the point north of Santa Rosalia just as it was getting light. I figured that I would continue on course, staying out away from the hills that might block the wind on my approach to the harbor. As it turned out it made no difference, as about two hours later the wind that had been my companion all night died. So it seemed, as it started, so shall it end

There I sat with no propulsion what so ever. I spoke with some cruisers on the sunrise net and they suggested I call into Santa Rosa on VHF 16 or 22 for assistance. I did and was answered by a gentleman by the name of Bruce from Australia on SV Marionette. I informed him of my situation and he replied that he was aware of it, as he had been following my progress on the sunrise net. I asked if anyone had a dinghy with a larger outboard who could tow me in. He said that he would tow me in with his big boat and would be out asap. He called as he left the harbor and said he had me on radar and would be there in about forty five minutes, as he was making seven and a half knots. He arrived on time and towed me in without incident. Bruce wouldn’t take anything for the tow, so I treated him to dinner in what turned out to be the best restaurant with the best food I have experienced in Mexico so far. I took the next two days to get in some groceries and rest up, before attacking the v-drive problem.

Single Handing!


After leaving San Carlos I had an interesting and enjoyable sail for the first ninety miles or so. The weather was beautifully clear, with the a few scattered thunder head lying many miles off to the north. These did not concern me, as they were traveling further north as the day progressed. The weather report was for clear skies with a few isolated cells in the southern sea. I had a great window for the crossing.


A WARNING ?

The wind was south easterly at six to eight knots. I put up the main and ran out my one fifty Mylar Genoa. I couldn’t believe that with an eight knot wind, I was busting six knots at times. The new bottom job was proving to be a good investment and I was very happy with the performance improvement. The winds were fairly consistent, which is not that common for the sea here. I should have taken this f or an omen, but I allowed myself to be lulled into complacency by the joy of a beautiful day and a perfect sail!

THIS IS HOW MY PHOTOS ARE UPLOADING ON THIS BLOG NOW NOW

IF THIS CONTINUES I WILL SWITCH MY BLOG TO GOOGLE

I passed several islands along the way and as it was turning dark I could see Isla San Pedro Matir off my starboard bow. This put me about eleven hours out from Bahia San Francisquito, which theoretically speaking, should put me there just after daybreak, perfect. Well in a perfect world it would be!

I was about twenty miles out, the wind was steady again after a short lull, at eight knots, the full moon had dipped below the horizon and life was good. I was a bit apprehensive concerning the strong currents, due to the extreme tide changes in the sea at this latitude. When crossing from San Carlos to Bahia San Francisquito, on the Baha side there are several islands, seven or eight, in the immediate area to the north. On an outgoing tide they can be quite strong and dangerous, taking many unforeseen directions. Especially if one is in the vicinity of any shoreline. For example, at around twenty five miles off shore, while motoring in a dead spot, I was doing five and a half knots at six hundred RPMs. Now that is a very strong current.

At about fifteen miles out I was kicked back enjoying the perfect sail when the wind went from eight knots to twenty two and held. This was not just a gust, but a full blow with absolutely no warning whatsoever! With the full main up and a 150 Genoa out, single handing became very interesting and quite busy. As a matter of fact, I was busier than, not one, but ten one legged men at an ass kicking contest. I didn’t bother reefing the main, I just dropped it. Thank God for lazy jacks, and I was considering removing them for sun shade access, not anymore. Due to being in at least a three knot southerly current and a somewhat north easterly wind and confused seas, all of the sudden, the boat was out of control.

Fortunately my boat is well rigged and I have almost full line control from the cockpit. I was caught “with my pants down” so to speak, but was very lucky in a way. While I was dropping the main, the Genoa was being ripped (a good thing). The boat was healing from port to starboard and vice versa, due to the conflicting wind and currents. I say currents, because they changed direction constantly. It came very close to a knockdown several times. I managed to furl in the 150 Genoa, fired the engine, put it in gear, ran the rpm’s up to about 1800, trying to get back control. I then checked the wind speed indicator and it read at thirty two knots. Whew! That was close. Unfortunately, I only” thought” I was out of the woods, so to speak!

At about daylight I heard a sort of knocking noise coming from the starboard side, about midway up the hull. It amazes me how hard it can be sometimes to locate the source of a strange noise in a fiberglass hull. After an extended search, I finally located the source of the noise. It seemed to be coming from the v-drive. I shut the engine down and went on deck to check everything out. This is when I discovered that the port sheet had gone overboard during the high winds. When I pulled it in I found that the end was curled in the shape of a spring and was burnt on the inside. Also there was about ten feet missing. The seas were running six to eight feet at about three seconds and very steep. Rough or not, I had to check the prop and shaft. I grabbed my mask and fins, put a harness on with a long tether, and went overboard. The boat was surging up and down with the waves, so I went under and then braced myself against the hull, and sure enough, the lost ten feet of rode was streaming out behind the prop. It took several dives to remove it, while the boat kept trying to smash me in the head.

There was no figure eight knot on the end of the sheet. After this fiasco, I am sure to be a fanatic about checking for figure eight knots on all sheets before I leave. This will never happen to me again and to hell with Murphy’s law!

I fired up the engine once again and headed towards Bahia San Francisquito. As I was entering the bay I could hear a distinct knocking, but nothing like it had been. The next morning I contacted the Sonrisa Net on the single side band radio and explained my situation. They advised me that the small anchorage was a better protected anchorage and that it was deep enough for my boat. One of the cruisers gave me very explicit directions on how to enter and where to anchor safely. They were all a great help, especially Bob in Herford Arizona, who stayed with me for days on the radio, and even made long distance calls to advise relatives of my situation. I can’t thank him enough. He was a great support to me, also acting as liaison between me and the manufacturer of my v-drive.

The following day I moved the boat to the smaller protected anchorage and to my amazement, there was no knock in it. Would you believe it now had a low growl. Great I thought, now I have a new growl and a ghost knock! I thought that maybe I could fix it there, as there was supposed to be a small town with an airport, tienda, and restaurant about a mile from the anchorage. The next day off I went walking to the town a mile away in 100 degree weather. The closer I got to this town, the more deserted it looked. There was a flat strip with rocks lined up as markers on each side that a small plane could land on. I walked past it to some old buildings that a man was standing in front of watching me approach. There were four people who lived there, but none spoke English. Well I gave them my best Spanglish including pantomimes and discovered there was nothing there for sale except cervasa, which seems to be the beverage of choice in Mexico. The gentleman offered me a ride back, which I declined, as I did need the exercise.

While walking back I saw a young man running down a road that ran parallel to the one I was on. I noticed that they would merge in about a hundred yards, so I hollered “hola” to him and he abruptly slammed on his brakes. He then came through the brush to me and introduced himself and the three dogs that were running with him, using his best Spanglish also. We conversed for a good hour about his life there and my life on a boat. I asked if all the dogs were his and he informed me that he actually had seven. In the days to come I saw him running his dogs twice a day, in the morning and in the afternoon. He was about thirty and his name was Santiago. He had a nice little house just back a little from the beach. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the opportunity to speak to him again, but would wave a hello each day. He was a very nice young man.

After a few days a boat entered the anchorage (Kashmira) with a very nice couple aboard. His name was Steve, but my name computer fails me when it tries to remember hers. Ya know, there’s just nothing good about getting old. Now I think I finally realize why most people get grumpy with old age. It just aint no fun! Anyway, they were a great help also and full of good advice. They were around for several day and a great moral support. I was very thankful for their company.

Two days prior to departure a power boat arrived and anchored off my port bow. The next day I called him on the VHF and made arrangements for him to pull me out five miles from the anchorage. I learned from Bob in AZ. that the factory people said not to use the v-drive, as it will cause extreme damage to it. With no usable propulsion, I would have to be out far enough to be able to clear the point if the strong current was running out. Bob also advised me of the tide table, so I would know the best chance to make it around the point.

I’m tired now and will cover the next section of my trip, from the anchorage through the currents with sail and wind power only, to Santa Rosalia, tomorrow.