TO DATE

I know It’s been a long time since I posted, but I really have been very busy. I had to make two round trips to the States that totaled over seventy hours on the Bus. These trips, as you know were made to ascertain the repairs and retrieval of my v-drive. I won’t go into the trials and tribulations of this trip. Suffice it to say that it was not a pleasant experience in itself.


However, I am a firm believer that there is always a good side to everything, depending of course, on how one perceives the results of their tribulations. In this case I can look back and see several rewarding experiences that made those grueling uncomfortable hours on the Bus, more than worthwhile. First I was invited to stay at Lynn and Richard’s house. For those who don’t know, Lynn was my first wife and we are still friends. This afforded us the time renew our longtime friendship and catch up on old times. Unfortunately, Richard fell ill with cancer and was in the hospital and then rehabilitation. The good side is that he has a great attitude, his cancer is treatable, and he will survive. Also on the good side was that we were able to visit him daily, which I believe kept his spirits up.

While there my Daughter called and said that she would be coming over to La Jolla from Arizona the next weekend. Well of course, I decided to stick around for her visit, as we hadn’t seen each other for over two years. She arrived the following Saturday and we spent three days together catching up. We all visited Richard in rehab each day and tried out various restaurants in the La Jolla area. This really made me appreciate the 15 to 20 peso tacos in Mexico! I had a hamburger and a non-alcoholic beer at the Black Angus. The cost? $24.00.

I came back and installed the v-drive and lined up the prop shaft only to discover that the drive shaft was way, WAY OFF. This led to the discovery of the initial cause of the v-drive failure. The rubber in the front vibration dampeners, commonly known as “motor mounts”, had turned to a soft gel. The studs had pushed through it and were resting on the struts. This condition also resulted in the pan resting on the struts, a very bad thing. I procured new mounts from Lopez Marine in La Paz and had them shipped to Santa Rosalia. I won’t bore you with all of the technicalities of the installation. It is now completed and in line, with adequate clearance under the oil pan.

Yesterday I noticed that the roller furling was a bit slack, so I tightened it up. While doing this I noticed that the block that keeps the halyard from twisting around the tubing was turned half around. Before I leave It must be taken care of, but not today, as the wind is up to 30 knots, and I’m not going up the mast in that! The wind is supposed to die down a bit in a couple of days, so I will fix it then.

THE TRIP NORTH

Last week I purchased a Bus ticket to take me from Santa Rosalia to Tijuana. With the Mexico senior card it was half price at 650 pesos. I tried to take Steves advice and purchase a ticket to San Ysrido to enable me to avoid switching Buses in Tijuana, but they weren’t available at this location. At least that is what they said. It seems that in Mexico they will tell you what ever is the most convenient for them, or what they think you want to hear.

About two hours out of Santa Rosalia we were stopped by the Federalies and made to exit the Bus. All luggage was removed and searched. It was funny watching them try to grab my backpack with the v-drive and wood for the crate in it, with one hand and swing it up on the table. I tried to keep from laughing as it overpowered them and hit the ground. This happened several times on the trip and each time it was harder to keep a straight face. None of them tried to empty out the backpack, I think they were too embarrassed from dropping it. One did come on the Bus and ask me where I was coming from, going, why, and what was in the backpack. I got rid of him by rattling on about my breakdown with way too much information, until he said; “have a nice ride.”

The Aguila Bus was older, but had very nice comfortable seats installed. The ride to Tijuana took fifteen hours and we were stopped and inspected a total of six times. I thought they were looking for drugs, but they must have also been looking for wanted persons, because they would sometimes just walk up the aisle and look at each person.

I arrived at the Tijuana Bus Terminal at 8:00am and bought a ticket from Greyhound to San Ysidro for eight dollars US. I was not going to San Ysidro, but this would allow me to circumvent the line through Customs if I walked across. The American Customs directed me to a separate area from everyone else and I was instructed to wait there. This made me a little apprehensive being singled out from everyone else. After a bit a new Customs agent came out and motioned me to step up. He looked at my passport and said okay, have a nice day! That was it, I guess he was just starting his shift.

When I exited the Customs building I located the machines to buy a two day Tram pass and proceeded to get ripped off for eleven dollars by the first machine. God, I hate putting money in machines, it’s like playing Russian roulette. That first machine gave me my change, but no pass. The second machine gave me everything, but that meant I paid double for it. Yep, it cost twenty two dollars to ride the tram for two days.

I went first to FedEx and assembled my prefabricated wooden shipping container around the v-drive and inquired as to the cost. The Mexican lady said it would cost $99.00 with insurance to NJ. I was a bit surprised and asked why it only cost $32.00 to ship it from NJ to San Diego. She said that they had a commercial rate from the factory. At this point I jokingly asked if I got a discount with my Mexican senior card and she said sure, and dropped the price to $82.00. Damn, I finally found something good about getting old!

By the time I had completed everything I was exhausted and had run out of time to get back across the border, through Mexican Customs and ride the Bus to the Tijuana Bus Terminal to catch the four o’clock Bus back to Santa Rosalia. I went to the Motel 6 off of E St. in Chula Vista and was again given a senior discount with my Mexican senior card. Of course the lady was also Mexican, so I can’t say this will work everywhere in the USA. The next morning I had some Boston Cream pastries from a real Doughnut Shop across from the motel. These were a real treat, as the pastries in Mexico leave a lot to be desired. Hell, they almost made the fifteen hour Bus ride worthwhile!

The reverse trip was pretty much uneventful, with only two federally stops. That is with the exception of the Mexican Customs who didn’t search my bags, because I got a green light. I just hope my luck holds when I bring the v-drive back across. I rode an ABC Bus made by Volvo that the shocks were worn out on, and if one had a tendency to become sea/car sick, they would be in serious trouble. The seats were terrible with no lumbar support. Everyone had a backache after the eighteen hour trip. The driver was terrible and should be replaced, but most likely won’t be.

I met a twenty year old male from Canada who was seated beside me on the trip down. I couldn’t believe it when he said that he forgot to get a visa. I gave him a lady’s name to help him in La Paz with a visa. I hope it works out for him, he seemed a nice individual.

I am now awaiting word on my v-drive back in Santa Rosalia. I have been reading a lot, but must stop reading and get to work on the boat, much to do! ADIOS

SHIPPING OUT OF MEXICO

Tomorrow morning I will go to the Bus terminal here in Santa Rosalia to purchase a ticket to Tijuana or San Ysidro if possible. Being an old fart does have one advantage, as I get my fares at half price. My Bus will leave on a 15 hour trip to Tijuana at 4:05 pm and will arrive in the TJ Bus terminal at around 7:00 am. I will then proceed to the border xing, go through customs, and then take a trolley to the UPS store in Chula Vista to ship the v-drive to Jersey City, NJ, to be rebuilt. After that I will pick up a few small items that aren't available in Mexico and then head back across the border, through Mexico Customs, to the Bus Terminal and then back to Santa Rosalia. I will then wait for the v-drive to arrive back in La Jolla at Richards,so I can do it all over again!

At that time I will be able to put Wind Raven back together again. If all goes well I will, at that time, head south to La Paz, thanks to my good brother Coyote!

"KISS"

Well, well, when it rains it pours. I have always noticed that when bad things happen they seem to come in threes.  I have to admit that over the years I have become somewhat superstitious about this occurrence. That is why I was rather upset yesterday morning when I arose to discover the $45 LED light with a five year guarantee was very dim and flickering when I turned it on. The night before it had flickered a time or two while I was reading, so I naturally thought it, like most cheap LEDs was going on the blink. No pun intended. Just another high priced marine piece of junk, I thought. That was okay, because it brought the bad occurrences of late to three!

I decided to put the light off till later and make my morning coffee. At seven thirty the Sonrisa net comes on, so I turned on the SSB. The moderator was speaking, but the voice was scratchy. I hit the auto tuner button and it went through its normal blinking process and then settled on “through.” I tried it again with the same result, but I now could not hear anything, no voices. Great, the SSB is now dysfunctional, damn that’s four, which puts me on a new set of threes. This day is not looking good!

I thought, okay maybe the batteries are low on water, even though they shouldn’t be, as I had checked them two weeks before. They were down a lot, not to the plates, but very low. I have three different gauges/monitors for the batteries and checked them all. One was in the red on discharged. This was a first. My neighbor (CHUCK) came out and we discussed the problem and possible solutions. Out came the testers and sure enough I was down to ten volts on the house batteries. That explained the problem with the LED light and the SSB tuner. Ah! Ha!, back to two. A serious problem, but at least I’m ending a set of threes, not starting a new one. Look on the bright side, right?

I won’t bore you with the technical specifics on how we traced down the problem and its cause. I will say that the original cause was two days ago at 5:30 in the morning, when all of the lights in Santa Rosalia suddenly went out. I was up making coffee at the time and immediately went out and disconnected the 110v power supply to the boat, to protect the system from a power serge when it came back on. It turned out that a vehicle had hit a power pole, knocking out the power. I thought I was safe, until two days later when my batteries went dead and I discovered that the power can serge when it is knocked out. Obviously, this is what happened, as the battery charger side of my inverter no longer works. It is kaput!

Chuck and I did some more investigating and he said that my inverter does not go through my smart regulator system, therefore I can disconnect my inverter, wire the 110v supply direct and chuck the inverter into the sea. You see, I don’t really need an inverter. All it does is convert 12v to 110v from your house batteries when you are out to sea, or at anchor. I only have one item that requires 110v to function that I need in that situation. That is my computer and I can run it off of my generator, until I get a pistol type inverter made for computers that inverts 12v to 19v, which is required for my computer. The way my system is now is it converts 12v to 110v and then the computer power supply cord converts it “back” to 19v. This is an extremely inefficient system and an excessive waste of power. Also I do not need the charger side of the big inverter, as I have 360 WATS of solar panels that charge the house batteries with a Honda  2000 I generator for backup.

Wind Raven was previously owned by a very wealthy individual that installed the latest (at the time) and best systems money could buy. Unfortunately, that was mostly in the 90s and I have had to replace, or rebuild them. It has been a slow learning and very expensive process for me. The problem with fancy systems is the complication they cause in a basically simple system. It is easy to fall into the “I have to have that Syndrome.” Especially when you have the money to do so, as I once had. Oh! If I only knew then what I know now! I’ll tell you, I would have a much more simple system and my cruising kitty would have many, many more fun tickets in it! As of late, due to the lack of said “fun tickets” I am simplifying the systems. For instance; no inverterter needed, auto panel on water maker replaced with hand valves etc. etc. Yep, I am now practicing that old adage “KISS.”   KEEP IT SIMPLE STUPID!

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!