Alajuela 38
There are few days that go by when something doesn’t break on a boat. This morning, I was do my “pre-flight” check when I discovered my main bilge pump was not working. The problem was a wire on the level switch had corroded through. It was unrepairable (because the wire is sealed in plastic). Yes, I had a spare onboard. In fact, I have a spare for just about everything that is important … and just as important … I usually know where the spare part it.
Today I am getting ready for a passage to the Marquesas via San Benedicto Island. It’ll be my last day with Starlink/fast Internet. So, I thought I would upload some videos. Here is the cabin:
Here is the engine room:
Here is the cockpit:
The foredeck:
And the instrumentation:
When I was at anchor at Ensenada de Los Muertos, I would sometimes hear an interesting “flute” melody. It was not a single tone, but a true melody. I thought it was coming from encampments on the shore. I enjoyed the music. It was enchanting. Today I am at a anchored at Los Frailes and to my surprise the music started again. It’s my boat. Under certain conditions it plays music, which emanates somewhere in the rigging. I am doubly-pleased. First, I am not going insane. Second, I know I can continue to enjoy the music.
I arrived at Los Frailes yesterday evening just before dusk after a wonderful sail from Ensenada de Los Muertos. I averaged 6.2 kt with just the Yankee jib flying in 25-30 kt winds from the north. The following seas were big, driven by the fetch of the entire Sea of Cortez. There was something different about the sea conditions. The waves were steep and the intervals short, as is often found in the SOC, but I could see the water transforming as I approached Los Frailes … becoming more Pacific-like.
I rode the last of the wind into Frailies. The wind will be very light, variable for the next few days. That will help calm the seas down a bit. It looks like my weather window for sailing to San Beneticto is Monday, although it may be necessary to motor for half a day to get out of the shadow of the Cape. San Benedicto is about 300 miles south, about the same distance I have sailed the past week from San Carlos to here. The main issue is the traffic as I must sail across a major shipping lane, so I welcome the opportunity to rest the next couple of days. The break will also give me a chance to service the engine, clean the hull (while testing my new Hookah diving system), and go ashore to do some hiking (and test my new outboard engine).
Sent from my iPhone
I have spent the better part of the past two days in the office of the Capitania de Puerto Regional de Guaymas trying to sort out the paperwork to leave Mexico. It turns out, that even though Guaymas is considered to be a “seaport” (the only other one in the Sea of Cortez being at La Paz), the authorities there are unaccustomed to preparing a Zarpe (or Despacho as it is called in Mexico) for anything but large container ships. Furthermore, those ships use local agents, so the authorities are unaccustomed to dealing with individuals. It seems that cruisers simply never use Guaymas as their last port. Most cruisers sail to Mazalan or Puerto Vallarta before leaving Mexico. And, I suspect most cruisers don’t properly check out of Mexico. That is probably not a problem if you’re a US-flagged boat returning to the US, but it is a problem for someone who plans to sail to another county, where the Zarpe is likely to be required.
The first stop is at the building for the Capitain de Puerta (labeled “1” on this map):
I was met by the Capitain, who spoke little English, but I explained … Necisito un Zarpe para mi barco.” He understood my poor Spanish and put me in touch with his understudy, who spoke enough English that between us we got the job done. My documentation was examined and I was told I would need additional documentation (the letters, etc.), so I returned to the marina to try to get what I needed. The staff were completely unfa\miliar with the process, but eventually the lawyers got involved, and they communicated directly with the port authorities to get them what they needed.
I was under pressure to complete the process by Friday, March 8, because the following Sunday I was to return my car to the US, and without a car, it would have been difficult to travel back and forth to Guaymas (about 30 minutes away). Furthermore, I had arranged for a ride to return that Tuesday, the same day I was expected to remove the boat from nthe slip I was renting.
The marina provided the the letters at 11:30 AM on Friday. The office of the Capitain de Puertan is only open 8:30 AM – 2:00 PM M-F. I arrived at the office at noon and waited for about half an hour before I could be seen. After I quick examination of my documentation, I was taken to the Secretaria de Marina (labeled “2” on the map):
The following documents were required:
With the exception of the two letters, they wanted copies (not originals) of these documents. Since only the owner of the marina and her lawyer have permission to sign anything on behalf of the marina, the marina lawyers drafted the letters, which took an extra day. After they collected the documents, I was provided a receipt:
I had to fill out two forms, which were then entered into the computer by the staff. This took nearly an hour. I was now 1:30. I was give a form to take to the bank about two blocks away, where I paid 401 pesos. I returned by 2:00. The Secretaria de Marina was only open until 2:30 PM, and I was told I would have to return the following week for the Zarpe. I explained my situation, and they told me to wait. About 3:30 PM, the staff produced the document, and just like that, I was official.
Note the image quality is relatively poor. This is because the Iridium DataHub automatically reduces the image resolution to facilitate data transmission over the Iridium network. This is necessary because unlike the Starlink network, which has low orbit satellites and therefore relatively fast transmission speeds and short latency, the Iridium network has high orbit satellites and much less bandwidth.
One last point … when offshore, I do not have the bandwidth to load this website, so I am actually posting blind. There will no-doubt be mistakes that will have to be corrected when I am back in coastal waters and have access to the Internet.
Just got my Max-Prop back from PYI where. it was rebuilt ($2000). She looks fine and now works like new.
On October 24, almost seven months after first going on the hard with a dead engine, Aegir-Ran splashed with a new Beta 38 engine.
The next morning, a beautiful sunrise was observed. This certainly beats the dusty work yard.
