SCHOOL OF HARD KNOCKS

10/29/2011

I have in the past, been forever plagued with the malady of having to learn everything the hard way, in that all too well known school of hard knocks. I should have checked the rigging before sailing out of Ensenada Blanca, especially the cotter pins on all turnbuckles. It certainly would have saved me a lot of grief had I paid more attention to Nigel Calders “Cruising Handbook,” where it clearly states to check the pins frequently, especially before sailing to a distant location. It’s “live and learn” for me, I suppose. One would think that by the time he/she reaches retirement age they would know better than to go off half cocked. Now that I have thoroughly chastised myself, I suppose I should get on with it, the repairs I mean.

Today, weather permitting; I will attempt to repair the Roller Furling, which is quite a challenge for me “all by my ownself.” First let me say that I have three major concerns regarding this repair. My first concern is how do I get the long stud up and back into the roller spool, when it is being held down by the sail that is connected to the roller and the top of the mast? I can’t just unhook the sail, as it has a tremendous pressure on it and if I did God only knows what catastrophe would transpire from such stupidity. Being a stepped mast there is always the concern of it coming down if not evenly supported, especially in high winds and a rolling anchorage. My second concern is that the sail tape ripped out of its groove about half way up to the top of the mast. Wish I had a sky hook, Ha! Ha! At my age, the thought of shimmying up the furling is out of the question and using a bosons chair alone is a bit difficult. Assuming I get the stud back inside of the roller, the pressure and weight of the sail, which will most likely still be bound up on the furling, might cause the forestay cable stud to be too short to start the turnbuckle threads.

Being faced with this dilemma yesterday morning when I awoke with the wind howling through the rigging, I decided to take the day off and let these problems simmer in the back of my head. To occupy myself, I went fishing and read a book. Last night when I went to bed I still had no solution to my problems, but as usual they came to me during the middle of the night. Since it is a cutter rig I have two forestays, one for each sail, dummy. The second forstay will hold the mast up while I release the forward forstay. However to guard against disaster I must release the tension off of the backstay first. Such a simple solution and it can even be done in moderate wind, I hope!

First I must clean and lubricate all of the turnbuckle threads with lanolin grease to insure that they don’t bind and strip the threads. Once this is done I will be able to release the pressure and reinstall the roller furling. The jammed sail might still be a problem, but I will deal with it later. Ihave ten more days before I have to be in La Paz to meet Judy’s flight.

WINCHING IT BACK IN

It is now noon and my repair on the Roller Furling worked out great! I am trying to decide if I should try to remove the sail with the tape bound up in the groove, or wait until I am assured of no wind for at least an hour. Either way I will be sailing to San Evaristo tomorrow morning. The fishing is great here, but one person can only eat so much fish.

HERE I SIT

Judy went to our friends house in Loreto Wednesday the 26th to spend the night in preparation to catch her plane to San Jose, CA. on the 27th. I hope all is well and she is in San Jose now. The Memorial is on Sunday the 30th. In the mean time I tried to get a good night’s rest on the 26th in preparation for my departure the next morning. This was to no avail, as I was up most of the night, due to the nagging pain in my elbow and back. One of these is okay but two is a bit much to cope with.

JUST ANOTHER SUNRISE

I left Ensenada Blanca after the cruisers net at 8:30am on the 27th headed for La Paz, via several other stops along the way. The plan was to take my time and enjoy the cruise and visit some new anchorages. Once I cleared the channel between the Candeleros Islets, I deployed my fishing gear. It was a beautiful day, with the wind at around fourteen knots.

A few days ago I finally got around to installing the auto pilot control box that we had rebuilt last June. After installing it I ran it through its paces while at anchor and it seemed to be fine,but the real test would be at sea. We haven’t really needed it, as Judy could take the helm if I needed to do something, or I could tie the helm in place in calm seas. This time I would be the only one aboard so I would probably need it. As soon as I got on course I engaged the auto pilot and the boat started doing 360s. I tried several times in different ways, but the result was the same. During this test a Dorado hit my lure, which I promptly lost due to doing 360s. Oh well, I’ve single handed before without it and I saw no reason why I couldn’t do it again. I tied the helm, but the sea had some pretty big waves at five seconds and it was hard to keep on course, due to it being a following sea also.

I decided to deploy the jib to steady to improve the stability of the boat, not to mention saving on fuel, which is a major consideration in itself. The jib deployed beautifully and the boat settled down for a great downwind run. About ten minutes later I hooked a Dorado on #1 rod. I turned broadside and was reaching for #2 rod to reel it in when another Dorado hit it. Damn, two on, now what? Well I took in the Jib, but by the time I did one fish got off and the other took out all 900 yards of braided line and broke the leader when he hit the end. Oh well, back out with the jib and with the helm tied I deployed the #1 rod only. About fifteen minutes later it was “fish on” again. This time I rolled in the jib first, but it only would come in about half way. I tried several times, but it would reach a certain point and just stop. Yeah you guessed it, I lost the fourth Dorado while trying to roll up the sail.

At this point I had a real serious problem. A half deployed jib and seriously building winds. The wind was at 18 knots and rising. I went forward and discovered that both ring pins were missing on the turnbuckle studs and they had unscrewed. The roller shaft had pulled up and out of the roller with the stud just hanging there. The only thing holding the whole works in the air was the jib sail which had ripped the #6…………..out about half way up to the top of the mast. Of course all this time about 15’ of jib was flapping in the now strong wind. This can be very dangerous as the sheets (lines) are whipping about with great force. These sheets can cause bodily damage as my now vacated sun glasses can testify. One certainly does not want to be lashed with these sheets, but must secure the mess. So I went into the midst of it all and tried to take the end of the sail by the sheets and physically wrap it up. After almost being thrown off the bow when the wind caught the pulled back sail, I decided that somehow I had to get the boat pointed into the wind and hold it there while I was on the bow. I could try to put up the main and lie a-hull, but the jib would be ripped to shreds by then. I didn’t have much time so I had to do something fast. I went to the helm and as soon as the boat was headed into the wind, I ran forward grabbing the sheets and manhandled the sail around the aluminum post and it, completing one wrap. Cool, this might work. After going through this process several times I discovered that, due to the post not being attached it was unwinding itself every time I went back to head into the wind again. I made a lot of trips back and forth to no avail. The next step was to secure the roller from unwinding, which I did forthwith. About this time Heime, who sailed out of Ensenada Blanca after me, caught up and I had him stand by until I got everything temporally secured. He stuck around watching the sail and sheets trying to whip my ass for a half hour or so and then he headed for Agua Verde. I chose to continue on to Bahia Santa Marta, skirting the reefs and then approaching from the South. And that is where I set; waiting for the winds to calm so I can hopefully make the repairs that are needed. The weather man says that could be two or three days. Now that is okay, as Judy won’t be back until the eighth of next month, and I could use some healing time from that wrestling match on the bow in 20+ knot winds.



Oh! I almost forgot. After securing everything and sailing in, I hooked and landed a very nice Dorado. It was the fifth that tried to sacrifice itself to me in about 20 miles. I gave half to a Kayak tour group, who were quite delighted!

Memorial

Judy will fly to San Jose, CA. next Thursday to attend the memorial for her best friend’s daughter, who was unexpectedly taken from us a few weeks ago. Her mother has been awarded temporary custody of her daughter, and will be taking her back to CA. until the court has awarded full custody. In the mean time we will wait here in Ensenada Blanca. When Judy catches her flight to San Jose I will sail to La Paz by myself, that is unless I can find someone who wants to go along for the ride. I can single hand the boat, but it is always better to have two people aboard in an emergency. My plan is to sail to Bahia San Marta, or Punta San Telmo the first day. At that time I will decide on my next anchorage.

PANDORA ROUNDING THE MIDDLE CANDELEROS

Until next Thursday I will get caught up on some boat maintenance that I have neglected lately. I have been spending too much time fishing and kicking back. It’s time to do some work! Adios amigos!

LORETO AGAIN!

We came back to Loreto yesterday and to our surprise, our friends (harley & Stephanie) aboard their boat Pandora, were anchored here. We went into town to see Alan and Irene, but they were not at home, so we left one of our cards on their door. After doing some shopping we returned to Wind Raven. After putting away the supplies we went over to Pandora to visit with Harley & Stephanie, and had an enjoyable time catching up on each others travels since we last met in Puerto Escondido.

PANDORA

We will leave Loreto later today and either head for Bahia Marquer or Ensenada Blanca to wait for news from Judy's friend concerning her daughters memorial, as Judy will be attending.

Busy, Busy, Busy!

It has been a while since I posted in the blog, as we have been very busy of late. A couple of weeks ago we took a trip on Wind Raven to Loreto with Steve and Lulu from Siempre Sabado and Basil another cruiser. No fish were caught on trip, but we had a nice sail and good weather. It was Basil’s first time to Loreto, so he went sightseeing. We separated to accomplish our various tasks and then met at Mexico Lindo’s for another great lunch. The trip was uneventful (no breakdowns), which is nice for a change. Not that I don’t have boat problems, they seem to be lurking around every corner, so to speak. I guess I’m just getting used to them popping up all of the time. For example, this morning I narrowed down a battery drain to the 110v starboard side wiring. I will keep that side turned off until I locate the culprit.
STEVE & LULU

BOSIL THE GREEK

Last week Alan was suspended from work due to putting a cruiser that got out of line, back in line, so to speak. Judy and I felt this to be unfair, so we invited him and his family to go for a sail with us on those days. I mean why not turn a bad situation to a good one? We also collected some money from a few cruisers to help them out, as they have two children (twins 14 months old), and can’t afford to miss the pay. Their wages here are shit! I don’t know how they can survive on them.

ON OUR WAY

ALAN

IRENE

We met them at the Marina in Loreto at eight in the morning and made two trips in the dink to get them and their stuff aboard. Fortunately, the weather was nice and the water calm. They didn’t have their sea legs yet and if the water would have been rough it could have caused some problems boarding Wind Raven. All went well and we headed for Bahia Marquer on Isla Carmen about ten miles away. As we started out we set our lines in hope of catching a nice fat Dorado. This was not to be, but Alan did catch a Bonito, which we released. Their meat is not of the best quality. Alan’s wife Irene made pollo enchiladas verde, which were most excellent. We spent the next couple of days fishing, snorkeling, and generally kicking back. I believe a great time was had by all, especially the twins. (Even though one of them, Alan? Dylan?) slipped out of Papa’s grip upon boarding and fell in the drink over his head and didn’t even cry at the mishap!)


DOLPHINS CAVORTING

I, (Judy here) especially enjoyed getting to know Irene better-she is learning English very well and is helping me with my Spanish AND we have quite a few things in common! She went to the university in Mexico and studied Communication like I did in the US and we BOTH have worked in radio and journalism! Irene and I are looking forward to spending another day together soon when the “guys” go out fishing and I visit her at their home in Loreto---she wants to teach me proper Spanish and I am looking forward to spending more time with those lovely twins Alan and Dylan!!!! Also, Alan and Irene cannot afford a computer and Jay promised to help them put some photos of the boys on their Face Book page to send to a grandma in Utah (Alan’s mom) and Irene’s family in Mexico……so that will be fun to do next time we see them………but the boys also made me miss my own grandson Hayden who is older, but still a toddler….can’t wait to see him again and Mikey and Brandon and Katie’s new baby when I am there next year! And Leah and Britney and Haley and Anthony…..and my girls!!!!!!! (heavy sigh!)

When we headed back to Loreto there was no wind, so we decided to take a roundabout route in hope of catching a Dorado. This again was not to be. After a while the wind came up and we were actually able to sail almost all the way to Loreto before it died. We delivered them back to the Marina, said our adieus and departed for Ensenada Blanca.

On our way back we saw a whale way off to port. As we continued along it appeared that the whale was on a collision course with us, but as it turned out he passed in front of us at about fifty yards distance. Just after seeing the whale, we spotted a very large disturbance about a mile off to port. We headed out to investigate the cause and discovered a very large pod of Dolphins cavorting about on the surface. They were shooting out of the water, reaching heights of at least eight to ten feet. I tried to get photos of them in the air, but it is very difficult as one must take the photo as they come out of the water. It happens so fast and you never know where they will come out next. I did get one out of fifty or so, but it isn’t the best. Maybe next time we encounter them I will get lucky.

After saying good-by to our Dolphin friends we got back on course for Ensenada Blanca. As we passed Isla Danzante I hooked and landed a smaller Dorado. The trip back was really great, but I keep thinking how much better it would have been if our Mexican friends could have experienced it with us. I can only imagine how the twins would have reacted to the hundreds of Dolphins playing all around Wind Raven.

SWELLS

While at Ensenada Blanca we shared the cost of a rental car with Steve and Lulu and went to La Paz. We bought supplies and saw the Doctor about getting rid of my warts and having x-rays taken of my elbow and lung. It turns out that my elbow was misdiagnosed in Loreto as tennis elbow. The x-rays showed it to be a lack of calcium in the bone. The nodule in my lung is about the same size as it has been for the past eight years, that’s good I guess. The wart issue is turning out to not only be a pain in the ass, but quite expensive. The Doctors are very inexpensive, but two brothers have a monopoly on the drugs and they are outrageously pricey. We made the trip in one day and it was very exhausting. The road is not the best, with horrendous speed bumps and very poorly marked bad curves on some sections.

While there we made a few repairs on the boat and fished a bit. After a few days we were informed of pending large waves coming from the North. Since we would be on a lee shore the decision was made to move to a more protected anchorage. Most of the other boats headed for the overpriced Puerto Escondido harbor, but we opted for a beautiful protected anchorage with clear turquoise water and great fishing. Did I mention it is also free? The water here is so clean it is amazing. Our water maker is working again and yesterday I was amazed that it made over 55 gallons of fresh water in a little over three hours. I didn’t think that much was possible in this warm of water. It is rated at over 20 gallons an hour, but that is an incredible amount of water to produce. Cruisers have suggested we get a new updated one, I think not! Okay back to our anchorage here at Puerto Ballandra. Our new friend Jack followed us over to this beautiful bay in his boat. I won’t mention its name, due to his displeasure in its connotation. He plans in changing it asap. On the way over two huge pods of Dolphins greeted us and frolicked about the boats most of the way to our intended anchorage. Of course as soon as I informed Judy the Dolphin people (as she calls them) were here, she was out to the bow to greet them. She truly loves these creatures, waving and yelling greetings to them as long as they are around. They seem to enjoy the attention and give us quite a show with their bursting from the sea to heights exceeding ten feet. A lot of the Dolphins had young swimming in unison with them. They were a pleasure to watch.

SHOWING OFF

Once we were anchored and secure, we had Jack over for dinner and made arrangements to go fishing in the morning. The next morning Jack and I took our respective dinghies out, he trolling for Dorado and I jigging for Trigger fish. I went out to the reef and caught two needle fish and one small Trigger fish, which I released. About this time I noticed Jack had stopped trolling and had a fish on. When I saw him land a nice Dorado, I changed rods and started trolling for Dorado. About twenty minutes later I landed a nice one too. We filleted these out and shared them with our fellow cruisers here. We did not fish the following day as we still had some fillets left. We invited Jack to dinner that night and ate up the remaining fillets. The next morning Jack slept in, but I went trolling for Dorado. I hooked one outside the entrance to the bay, but it spit the hook on its second jump out of the water. I got one more hit that I missed before noticing Jack and another cruiser standing on shore talking. I decided to go back in and see what they were up to. As I was trolling past Dave’s boat (Free Spirit) I hooked and landed a Dorado over four feet in length, a nice fish, to say the least. Last night we had Jack and Dave over for Dorado fillets and some interesting conversation as well as some good pumpkin pie that Judy had made that afternoon!

We will head for Loreto for ice as soon as the weather permits. Until then we will be stuck here in this terribly wonderful anchorage. OH darn!

Play Pirate Party

Pirate Days!




Yeah, we all got to play pirate last Monday at El Santuario, ( The Palapa Bar). It came off great, especially for a first. I am not sure how many showed up, but my guess would be around fifty, more or less. We even had several people show up who were getting bored with the fancy hotel and bar up the beach. The food and drink was plentiful, with the exception of Fresca which they always run out of early. Being a tea-totaler this is an inconvience, as I can’t stand coke which they always have plenty of. However, they certainly bought enough beer, as they had many, many cases left over at the end of the party. Okay, now that I’ve had ”MY” whine, I’m satiated. I will continue with the good part. The staff and manager were great, catering to all, and extremely courteous as they always are.

LUIS (THE MANAGER)

THE STAFF

ALAN




DAVID


LUIS, ROBERTO, AND AN IMPOSTER


John from Trick came up with the idea to fix up a Hobi-Cat that was lying out behind the bar, and actually got it in sailing condition the afternoon of the party. Several People sailed it out in the bay (including Judy) and had a great time.

JOHN AND DEAN

THE HOBI-CAT




They had a sand castle contest, a Pirate costume contest, a kayak race, a pot-luck with barbecued chicken supplied by Diana and Ray,who also initiated and coordinated the party. The prizes were the long celebrated Pirate Booty, “A Bottle of Rum.” This did cause a small problem in the sand castle contest, as one co-winner was under age. Ray and Diana remedied this by substituting a non alcoholic prize for the upcoming pirate. One contestant had a problem, resulting in the collapse of his creation, attributing it to the consistency of the building material. I asked him to pose for a photo with his collapsed creation, but he declined. I won’t mention his name, as he obviously doesn’t want any pirate notoriety!


KING OF THE PIRATES RAY & RICK (PARTY CRASHER FROM PALOMAR RESORT)




IRENE-CASTLE BUILDER WINNER




SIDNEY


OOPS!

Most of the aging Pirates left by ten that evening, but Judy and I hung around watching the mostly younger Pirates having a great time socializing, dancing, hula hooping and just plain getting down. I will say that a few older Pirates did stay till the last dog was hung (so to speak). A couple even woke up in the wee hours minus navigation skills, with sand for a pillow. They know who they are, but I must leave this loop hole for all fellow Pirates whose reputations are at risk! I mean  a real Pirate would never risk their reputation with his/her peers by leaving a bash early, now would they?


GUESS WHICH ONE IS THE PIRATE QUEEN?



SAY WHAT?


LINDA

JUDY, STEVE, AND LULU

RICHARD



MIKE AND MELISSA

DIANA FAR RIGHT




RICHARD WITH CHRISTY AND RICK




DALE, GORDON, AND LINDA



PIRATE FOLK


JUDY AND MELISSA



The dancing Pirates were well worth sticking around for, their dancing was superb, and I must say, quite energetic. Man, what I would give to have that much energy once again. Unfortunately that will not happen, at least not in this lifetime. However I can at least watch and dream of those days of old!

THE LADY DANCERS-(IRENE AND LYNN)



ROBERTO, LYNN




ALAN AND IRENE


When the party finally ran down in the wee hours, we thanked the wonderful staff, who had generously broken bread with us, collected a few slightly confused Pirates who had been abandoned on the sands by their mates, and transported them back to their vessels. It was a great day and enjoyed by all. We thank Ray and Diana for all of their efforts in bringing this event about!