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Before I get to our arrival in Puerto Vallarta I need to get back to some missing stories from Acapulco. I had mentioned Speedos and clown dancing. I mention Speedos in reference to Ashley and the cliff divers. The Cliff divers wear the cuties little Speedos and Ashley was embarrassed to ask to have her picture taken with them. This gives you an idea of Ashley’s personality, she does not like to make a public spectacle of herself and is not typically a wild loud party girl. It was no surprise at the bar after watching the cliff divers and Ashley refused even to dance near the raised platforms next to the dance floor where drunk girls would dance and show there stuff. What was surprising to our group a few hours later was to see Ashley Dancing with a clown on the raised platform!!
I guess it takes a clown to get her to cut loose!! We all had a good time and Ashley and I almost went bungee jumping, we arrived 4 min after closing and the bungee will have to wait for another day.
On our last night in Acapulco we were invited for “sun downers” on the mega yacht “Umbiqutious” (sp?) Ashley was catching the bus to some hot surf spot, Jen was flying out in the morning and Geoff and I were headed off to Puerto Vallarta as soon as he got back from the airport. I have a rule that says you should never drink the night before heading out to sea, but a drink with our new friends didn’t sound like it would be much harm. Well, those of you who know Jen have already seen the cast, and those of you who were awakened by the jet bike at 2am or that saw us jumping from the top level of the yacht, my have an idea that there was more than a little drinking! Lucky for Ashley, she was able to get off safe and sound for her bus and lucky for Jen she was able to get to the hospital to check out her rapidly swelling wrist. All and all it was a great night and many thanks to the gracious crew of the Umbiqutious for the hospitality, use of the Jacuzzi, help in getting to the hospital, the brownies and sandwiches, and the wild drunken jet bike ride.
Back to June 7
It is early morning, I have been in the cockpit trying to keep the boat moving forward with reduced sail to keep the rocking motion down to a bearable level. The sky is starting to show signs of light and it is starting to drizzle. We haven’t seen much rain over the last two months and not a drop in the last week or so. The visibility is dropping and I can no longer see the lights from Puerto Vallarta.
As day breaks I put up more sail and the wind drops. Geoff comes on deck and look off into the mist and we talk about seeing the Black Peal sailing off in the distance, and then we see a pirate ship sailing in the mist off in the distance and see a flash of light and the boom of a cannon. We watch as this large ship with little sails, vanishes in to the mist.
I am concerned about finding a slip. Everyone who had been here said it would be hard to find a slip this time a year. Rains cruising guide recommended reservations. The Rains cruising guide also said there is a “cruisers net” on Ch 22 at 0830. A cruisers net is a time where local cruisers can listen and call on the radio to share information and provide assistance. I turned our VHF to ch 22 and was happy to hear the English language. I had been listening to the daily weather reports in Spanish, and only catching a word or two, so it was great to understand what was being said. I radioed that we were coming in with low fuel and did anyone have a recommendation on where to find a slip.
Phil from S/V Brier Patch called back to say that there was one slip open across from his boat in Marina Vallarta. He said that the office didn’t open till 9am, and the possession was 9/10 of the law. We fire up the engine and drop the sails.
We sailed into Puerto Vallarta, past the empty cruise ship docs, past the America’s Cup boats, back to Marina Vallarta where after doing a 180 in the wrong fairway we found the open slip. Phil had come over to welcome us and help with the lines.
Lines tied, engine off, end of the journey. I feel a little down, no joy at ending this part of the adventure.
With help from Phil we get to keep the slip and he did a wonderful service by providing directions to the local services and offering to keep an eye on Jolly Roger.
Phil runs charters out of the Marina on his Bowman 60’ Ketch. You can look him up at svbrierpatch@yahoo.com if you are going to be in the area and would like to go out for a sail.
June 8-12
PV is a great place and Geoff and I spend a few days getting the boat ready to leave. We take down sails, clean and restore the food stores, do some general cleaning. We make a couple of walks to get our Zarpe papers and have some great meals.
Geoff heads for the airport on Monday June 16 and I am left alone on the Jolly Roger for the first time in almost two months. I need to finalize the paperwork with the marina and obtain Mexican liability insurance before I can leave. I spend my days trying to get insurance and doing last minute projects on Jolly Roger.
I spent my last night in town with Phil. We had a great dinner with a multitude of tequila shots and drinks at the top of the lighthouse bar. The lighthouse bar is beautifully decorated in hardwoods and has the best view of the marina.
As I sit on the plane headed to DEN, I start to make plans for the next attempt at Hawaii. It will have to wait till next year, in the mean time I have a floating timeshare in Puerto Vallarta!
See you in Seattle!
Capt DaveThere is NO wind and I can hear breaking surf in the darkness. I know the beach is less than a mile away, depth sounder is on and holding steady at 60 ft. There is some shore current and while there is no wind we are moving at ½ a knot in the direction we want to go (not into the beach or back to Aculpoco). I have some sail up but the only wind is from the rocking motion of the boat, starboard, port, starboard, port, … I am glad that Geoff can sleep through this and at the same time will rush up on deck wide awake and the first sign that there is a change in conditions.
As we drift along the dark shore I think of the tall ships and what it was like with square sails and limited maneuverability on a dark night in uncharted coastal waters. I am glad to have GPS, Radar, Water maker, 90hp engine, back up generator, solar panels, propane stove, charts….
Another lovely sun rise!
Today we ran out of propane. Maybe I should have checked the connections for leaks… No way we used a whole can in one week. I did bake three nice loafs of bread, very yummy!
For fresh food we are down to onions and potatoes, neither are very good uncooked. Geoff did through some onions in the tuna salad that was very good. Geoff and I discuss the merits of a solar oven as a back up on a long passage. I then remember that we have the propane BBQ and one small can of fuel. I wonder to myself if I can bake bread in a BBQ…
Darkness comes again. We are making good time and at the present speed we will arrive in Puerto Vallarta in the darkness of early morning. We check the charts for a nice spot to drop anchor for the night. There are several promising spots, but the wind dies down and darkness comes leaving us bobbing in the swell with limited sail. More rocking and rolling, I try to keep the boat pointed perpendicular to the swell to keep the motion in one axis. It is a long night and I stay in the cockpit slowly sailing towards or destination.
It looks like June 7 will be our arrival day. I hope we can find a slip or mooring where Jolly Roger can be left while I go back to work.
Capt DaveFinally We have some good wind and flat sea!!!! The cruising chute is flying and we are doing 6.7knts…Yeee haa!! I headed up to the boom to finish up the repair on the small rip in the main. As the book says, “sewing by hand can be slow and tedious”. Only 18 more inches to go.
POW!!! Down comes the chute, the heavily weighted head falling out into the water on the downwind starboard side. Geoff and I carefully pull the sail back on deck. The halyard had parted at he mast head. Looks like maybe some chaffing against he roller furler. I guess this calls for Another climb up the mast at the next good opportunity.
Roll out the head sail, raise the staysail, finish the mend on the main, still doing over 5 knts, boat balanced, life is good.
Capt DaveOcean Swell. Ocean swell is not constant in direction, amplitude, frequency or period. When it is coming gently from astern you feel it lift the boat as you gain speed on the wave front and slow as you drop down the back side. When you are moving at good speed at an angle to the prevailing swell, it is a wondrous ride with rhythm of the sea. Beating into the swell can be frustration as a succession of waves on the bow can grind a 20 ton boat going 6 knts to a dead stop. Swell on the beam when becalmed can be madding with the mast head making wild arcs and circles through 30 ft of air as the Jolly Roger rolls and pitches.
On the way to Hawaii, we had a rolly moment after the storm where Geoff and I were just looking at the confused sea when Jen came on deck demanding to know what it was that we were doing and could we please stop. Only forward motion with the help of the engine allowed relief from the roll.
Here off the coast of Mexico our fuel supply is limited and we rock and roll and try to catch some sleep with all sails down, waiting for the freshening breeze.
Remind me to tell you about Ashley dancing with a clown and our last night in Acapulco. I will get back to these later. For those who know Jen, you may have already seen the cast. Phosphorescence. Millions and millions of delicate one celled organisms live in the sea. When these little things are disturbed their cell walls break releasing chemical energy that in large quantities can be seen as a bluish light in the water. The Jolly Roger leaves a steady trail glowing astern. Fish and dolphins leave their own trail and it's fascinating to watch the glow from a pod as the swim off the bow, their shape becoming elongated by the trailing glow.
When the wind picks up over 20 knots the wave crests begin to break over and accelerate down the front of the wave. On a moonless night with the wind blowing and whistling through the rigging, the sea is a light with streaks hurtling forward with the wind giving the impression that the whole sea is rushing forward at 20knts! When one of the bigger waves crashes against the hull.. WOW!! the sea lights up with enough glow to read by! Strange to the heightened senses as you grip the wheel in the dark night with a storm on the horizon flashing lightning to remind you how very small we are on the ocean.
Boredom. People have told me that an ocean crossing consists of much boredom. I have not seen it. I have not been bored one minute. Mostly there is more to do than I have time or energy to get done. We try to complete one project a day. Today it was fixing the lazy Jacks. Geoff climbed the mast and took along the wind vane to put on the mast head. after a dropped washer and the realization that the mast head light was in the way of the wind vane, the wind vane project was put on hold till the next calm so only the lazy jacks were repaired. I cleaned, organized, made water and continued hand sewing the rip in the main that happened when the loose lazy Jacks line got caught on the sail during a reefing operation. While hand sewing 3 ft of sail seem is long and monotonous, I would not call it boring.
Solitude. We have seen very little signs of human life. One sailboat, a few fishing boats, a couple of cargo ships off in the distance and some scattered lights on the shore. There have been whole days where we did not see anyone. Besides the visit from the Navy, we have had no outside contact. With the crew down to Geoff and I, there are more opportunities for solitude. I remember my sail up from Panama with Scotty. While Scotty is a dear friend and great company, I looked forward to my night watches alone on deck. I was in a different place then, and wanted to get away from everything. On this trip I am more at peace and I even find myself missing Geoff's company after a few hours alone on watch. It is nice to see his smile and "Good Morning captain!" Good morning on the boat is the time after you wake up, regardless of the position of the sun in the sky.
Time. While "morning" is when you wake up, it is easy to loose track fo the days as we have two or three "mornings" per day. If it weren't for the daily log, I would not know what day it is.
Eggs and cucumbers. We had plenty of both. The eggs had some issues with maggots. This continued over the next week and it was a daily chore to think of something to eat with eggs, sort to find good ones, and throw out the bad.
Yesterday we decided we had enough and threw out the rest. It was strangely enjoyable throwing then one by one into the sea trying to get them to break. Over all we threw out about 1/2 of the 200 eggs we started out with.
Cucumbers on the other hand we ate as one of the last fresh foods (onions, potatoes, garlic) we forced ourselves to eat the cucumbers. Jen was found of those green veggies and we had a bunch. We put them in soup, chili, stir fry, and thank god we finally finished them off!! I will be happy if I don't see another for some time.
Capt DaveHumming along at 4.8knts. We have been out from Aculpoco for awhile now... at least three days, or is it four...?
Neither Geoff or I can recall without looking at the log book. Time is different out here.
Days and nights are filled with sailing, at times with lots of wind and others not. Two nights ago I was on watch when the wind fell to a whisper ant eh ocean swell had the boat rocking! I took down the sails and went to sleep in the cockpit. Other times sleep is out of the question with hands gripped on the wheel.
We had a visit from the Mexican navy. The sped around us in a circle and called us on the radio. Typical questions and a "Fair winds and good sailing. If you need anything we will be on 16."
In the next bay we tacked towards a rock to find it was the bow of a large cargo ship sticking out of the sand. A reminder that even in the day of electronic navigation and safety measures, things still can go terribly wrong. I thought about fate and was glad to be floating away from the wreckage in the surf.
Everything is ever changing. The boat will be doing 6 knts in heavy wind and in the next 20 min will come to a crawl in light wind and the sea will go from wild and frightening to smooth as glass.
Capt DaveInternet was down this weekend, glad to have it back up and working today.
After a long wait for the travel lift to haul us out, yes you guessed it 9am was more like 2pm, we were clear to go and fired up the engine so we could motor the short distance to the haul out spot from the fuel dock where we had spent the night. Engine on, ready to untie the lines....and we run out of fuel. I guess if you are going to run out of fuel, you can't ask for anyplace better than the fuel doc. We put in 100 liter and we were good to go.
We hauled the boat, got her on the hard and dropped the rudder to see what was going on. We found some general wear over the years was slowly working the rudder down and was binding near the ends of the rudder post. With help from Ono the local wizard prop and rudder mechanic, we made repair and re hung the rudder in record time. Ono even took a taxi ride into town to help me find new exhaust hose, steering cable, and grease.
As we where getting ready to get Jolly back in the water, Ralph from the racing boat Bandido came by looking for crew. It seemed that they were a few hands short. After a quick conference, Jen, Geoff, and I volunteered to crank winches, pump back stays, trim spinnakers or what ever may be assigned.
After we picked up our mooring ball, Bandido sailed by and pick up their new crew from the Jolly Roger. The wind was perfect at 13-18 knots and with the new hands on board Bandido placed 3 and 1st in the two races on Saturday. After the race the crew treated us to beer and some awful drinks with steak sauce. No one liked them and they sat on the side of the pool while we all ordered other tasty drinks and relaxed. After drinks we visited the crew condo with a great view of the bay. We had so much fun we decided to race again on Sunday. Ashley had been on a surf-board bag and fuel can scavenger hunt for most of the day and was glad to get a chance to go out racing on Sunday.
We did have a small issue with our dingy. It is a nesting dingy and was in two pieces, tied upside down on the dingy davits. While it was a breeze to get it up there while we were standing on the dock and Bahia del Sol, we were not so sure about getting it down while at a mooring ball. Geoff and I took a look and started to undo the lines and then she slid out, turned over and landed right side up in the water. Geoff and I gave a quick high five and checked to see that the dingy was stilled tied to the boat. The dingy was tied to the boat and there was also a hook holding her in place at the stern of the Jolly Roger. While Geoff and I were trying to figure out how to get the hook off, it came off all on its own. Another high five, haul the dingy up on deck, put her together and Jolly Jr was back in the water ready to go. Sometimes everything just seems to go right.
Sunday's race was one longer course with a tack upwind between the mainland and the small island at the entrance to the bay and a long spinnaker run down to the beach. We took 3rd on Sunday and we celebrated a good weekend of racing by going out to dinner. After dinner we went to see the cliff divers last dive of the day (photos to come) and then we went down to Bungee beach and watched the bungee jumpers, danced to the beat, drank some cold ones. After the bar, VW bug taxi race through red lights, and picking up some more beer, we took a ride out to a mega Yacht where we talked until I fell a sleep and Geoff said it was time to go. We got back the the Jolly Roger at 4am.
The plan was for Jen to head to the airport for the noon flight, but with the internet down no arrangements had been made. Lucky for us going on limited sleep, we couldn't work out the air travel and we will be here for one more night of rest before Geoff takes Jen to the airport tomorrow. It will be sad to see the crew leaving, they will be missed.
While I have been making travel arrangements and checking weather, Geoff has been hard at work putting the the boat back in shape after the haul out.
Aculpoco has been an experience, some fun times, helpful people and some new friends.
Tomorrow Geoff and I head out to Purto Vallarta. We still haven't got the SSB set up to transmit, so position reports will probably continue to be intermittent. The rudder feels great, better than ever before, spare hose, cable, impeller, filters, and oil are on board. All we need now is some good wind and favorable current. (unfortunatly the forcast is for wind on the nose with a 0.5knt supporting current).
Purto Vallarta here we come. We will find a safe place for the Jolly Roger and head back to Seattle.
Capt DaveWELCOME TO Acapulco!! We are here at the yacht club.
Back on land with a cold Margarita!
So many people offering to provide help with the rudder. There is a big race this weekend and lots of gringos with lots of boat experience in the marina. Happy to be getting the boat out of the water tomorrow morning at 9am to take a look at the rudder to see what is going on.
Hawaii may have to wait a bit… Tomorrow will be a telling day.
Miss all my loved ones. Not getting to Hawaii is a big disappointment, but the last day of sailing was great and makes it all worth while.
Capt DaveMotoring towards Acapulco. Fuel is starting to run low. Shut off engine and put up the sails in light wind. This will add another day to get to a haul out, but saving fuel is more important than saving some time. It is nice to have the engine off after 48 hrs of motoring. Stars are out. Saw some Bat Rays, a moon rain bow from the full moon on my watch.
Life is good.
Capt DaveMotoring up the coast of Mexico now within 5nm of the beach. Acapulco still over 100nm away. Doing over 6 kn with mizzen, jib, and motor. Sprits are high considering our new course, we ate well and I had some time to play the guitar while I kept an eye on the incoming water and rigged steering cable.
Not yet sure what I will do after the rudder is checked out and new exhaust hose is brought on board. Ashley will surely depart in Acapulco and head in the general direction of Leadville for the wedding. Hawaii is still calling my name, but I may not be able to answer the call this season.
Our watch system has been put aside and we are keeping at least two on watch incase the steering fails or there is a change in the rudder situation. The shore is nearby but huge crashing waves is what we see. One more night at sea, tomorrow afternoon we should be in port arranging for emergency haul out.
I would like to say again the crew of the Jolly Roger has been outstanding! Stepping up when needed through storm and adversity. The cooking talents have kept meal time a welcome event. I am sorry that we will not all arrive in Hawaii together. It has been a pleasure serving with crew that started this trip with very little experience and has already developed into a fully skilled team.
Capt DaveTropical Down Pour!! The Jolly Roger and Crew hit our first real storm just after dark. Lightning hitting the water and over head as buckets and buckets of rain washed the deck, sails, and crew. Geoff was at the wheel for a almost the whole time and took two night watches as visibility dropped to the compass and no further. Geoff did great and it was wonderful to have light of the morning and breaking up clouds as we saw a line in the sea ahead of us. “That is either the end of the rain or more rain” was Geoffs comment. I at first guessed it was the end of the rain but we soon found that we had one more down pour before we sailed clear of the storm.
Today was filled with sailing and watching turtles float by and the occasional visit from dolphins.
Things took a turn in the evening when the steering cable parted. I spent the next few hours cutting cable and trying to get the steering back up and going. In the process I found several disturbing things. The first we had discovered earlier in the day was that there was some diesel leaking into the bildge, the second was that there was water coming in at the rudder post, the third was that the rudder was almost immovable. I cracked the weld joint on the emergency tiller trying to hove to.
It was clear that there is something wrong with the ruder and continuing to head to Hawaii at 3400 miles away was not the prudent thing to do. We pulled up the Mexico charts and the Raines cursing guide and determined that we had two options for ports with hual out facilities the nearest being Acapulco and the better hurricane hole but another several hundred miles up the cost Puerto Vallarta.
We turned the boat with limited steering and headed towards Acapulco.
Capt DaveDay 3, Dolphins and Maggots. Today we had the large pod of dolphins swim with us. The crew was up on the foredeck with cameras and awe and wonderment. The dolphins put on a great show!
Not long after the Dolphins left Jen discovered that the odd smell was due to the rot and maggots on some of the eggs. A group effort had the egg crates that didn’t go overboard treated with bleach, eggs cleaned and re-stowed. Total loss was less than 6 eggs.
Other notable events were a mid day swim in the ocean with no land in sight.
Capt DaveDay 2 at sea. We finally got the Radar working!! It was very useful in tracking the rain squalls at night as we motored along the coast of El Salvador. We motored for 22.25hrs as the wind was light or from the West.
Capt DaveTrying to leave El Salvador by high tide. After high tide the current starts to run out and the waves over the bar increase and the depth gets dangerous for a vessel drawing over 8 ft.
We tried to get fuel yesterday but they were out of diesel, so fuel is on the schedule for this morning along with exit Zarpe, immigration check out, pay hotel bill, meet with Santos, pick up treasure chest from Petra, and send last minute email and skype calls.
I grabbed the ship’s papers and headed to the Navy base while the crew made their last minute internet connections. I would get on line after we got fuel.
The Zarpe process was uneventful but took an hour longer than it should. There were documents to be filled out in duplicate and passports and documents had to be checked and double checked.
Upon my return toe the Jolly Roger I was now feeling pressure to get everything done so we could leave. I checked the crew out through customs and paid the hotel tab and fired up the Jolly Roger 90hp engine for the hop over the to fuel dock. We tied up at the fuel dock and started to fill the tank. Started was about as far as we could get as the fuel was trickling out at about 1 gal a min. After several attempts to restart the pump with no success, it was getting clear that at this rate we would not be able to get over the sand bar by slack high tide. I called Santos on the radio and he confirmed that the Texaco station had diesel and enough water at the dock for the Jolly Roger at high tide. We paid for the slow fuel and headed over to the Texaco where the pump was running full steam and the tanks were filled in short order and we were off again.
We rafted up with Petra, took possession of the treasure chest that was only completed due to several all nighters by Scotty and crew. We took some photos and said our good byes and headed past the hotel with no time left for me to send my email to my loved ones. I felt very sad to be going without making contact, but it was now or we would have to wait another day so out we went through the waves with a cheery radio send off from our cruiser friends wishing us a successful trip.
WE MADE IT!!! We were out of the estuary where Jolly Roger had been stuck for 2 years!!
The wind was fair and we set sails for a spell but fired up the engine when the wind came from the West.
I had the 9pm till midnight watch. The rest of the crew was in bed by 10pm getting rest for their late night and early morning watch. At 11pm Jen popped her head out to see if every thing was going OK. Later she said that she felt like something wasn’t right. Everything seemed fine and she climbed back in her berth leaving me along with the stars.
At 2330 I felt like something wasn’t right, the engine seemed to be loosing a little power. My first thought was the fuel filter. I had installed the new dual Racor filter system and the pressure gauge makes it easy to tell when the fuel filter is clogging and makes filter change possible while the engine is running.
I opened the door to the engine room and was blasted with steam and exhaust. Quickly shut off the engine, activating the oil pressure alarm and ordered all hands on deck. I was glad to see that the exhaust had not effected the crew and I was overjoyed to see that Jen had grabbed the well stocked ditch bag on her way to the cockpit.
I spent the next three hours cutting hose, running and fitting exhaust hose and taking a few short naps when I just couldn’t think. At 0330 the engine was back on line and running as good as new.
And so ended the first day at sea and I climb into my berth and was soon asleep with the trusty night watch at the wheel.
Capt DaveDid I say one last run into town? Jen and Ashley were troopers and went back today to get some hoses and some last minute items. The reason we needed hoses was on the test run under way first one and then another hose blew. This gave us a chance to raise the sails and sail while our mechanics made the repair. When the engine was back running we continued to sail with the engine under idle. The mechanics came back out today and fixed the leak in the injector and made the final adjustments. I guess the hoses are not include in the rebuild. Also they did not attach the thermostat or tach. We also noticed that they had not cleaned the raw water strainer. Geoff pulled it off to fine a plastic bag blocking 2/3 of the filter. Good thing it was in the filter and not somewhere else!
With the engine running the only thing keeping us here is timing. High tide is first thing in the morning and I would like to run the engine for at least 5 hours before making the run through the waves over the bar. So it looks like Wed morning is it. I hope Scotty finishes the treasure chest, I would hate to leave without it, but leave we will. Still having a few issues hooking up the SSB. We are able to listen but not transmit. We may not be able to post our location during the crossing. Hopefully I can get the ground plane hooked during the voyage. Everyone is excited to leave the confines of the estuary for some open beach front. Tomorrow we will run some safety drills and put up some sails, top of the tanks, stow the gear, one last swim in the pool and a long shower.
We did get a taste of a storm the other night. We had about 25-30 knots of wind and some rain and lightning. We buttoned up the boat, I took the anchor watch and the rest of the crew went back to sleep.
We have been here long enough to make it to our second game night. Jan came over for dinner and we went over the a local restaurant and played Pirate games, sequence, and a lively game of kings in the corners with other cruisers.
Everything is looking good for our departure!!!!!
We will try to get some last minute photos uploaded before we depart.
Wish us trade wind sailing for the next 4,000 miles!
Also a special thanks to Gregg for all his work on the web site!!!
Capt Daveput.. put.. spurt rrrmmrmrmmrmr!!!
That is right the engine is running!!! YEA!!
The mechancis are back today and making the final adjustments and checking out the systems!!! Life is good! Hooray!!
Looks like we will be going to Hawaii. Jen and Ashley made one last run into town for provisions and we will have to make one more time for Propane and some other last minute items. Feels like we are almost ready to go! Thanks to a great crew and our friendly mechanics!
Last night I had another visit from the bat. This time it was not in my cabin but stuck inside the mizzen mast. I hear it crying and I could see it's little head sticking out of the hole for the radar cable but it could not get out. It was scratching and biting but all night it kept trying to squize through a hole just big enough for its head. There was nothing I could do for it. Geoff was working on the mast this morning and he said he could still hear the bat inside. I hope it finds away out, poor little thing.
Life is good.
Lots of love to all my friends!
Capt Dave"PAN PAN PAN"
"This is Walrus, I am dragging anchor"
That is what we heard on the radio last night as we sat on Petra. Jen, Geoff, and I had brought some of Jen's famous Chili Renos over to share and we we just chatting. Mike from Windy City had also stopped by.
The tide was running out at about 4-5knt and something had hit S/V Walrus and was causing her to drag anchor. Mike and Scotty jumped in one dingy and Geoff and I in the other and we headed over to Walrus with head lamps. We got there to find a huge tree stuck on the bow of Walrus! it was 15-20 feet long and at probably 3 ft in diameter. With some pushing and pulling and boat hooks and log hooks in the dark of the night, we were able to free the log and made sure it floated past the other boats at anchor. That was or excitement for the evening!
My excitement continued the next morning when I got to take out the hoses to the head and clean them out.
After breakfast this morning we started the sailing lessons. Lesson 1 was the basic standing and running rigging and sails. Jen and Ashley are great students and will be salty sailors long before we get to Hawaii.
Our friendly mechanics did not show up yesterday. They said they would be here at 9am. It is now ten after 11am. Got a chance to catch up on some email and have a cold Jugo de Pina. The engine should be running today. We are more than a week behind schedule, eating our provisions and going no where. It we do not set sail by next Wed, Ashley will have to look at her options and we will be pushing her ability to make it the a good friends wedding. We may all have to evaluate our options as it is getting very doubtful that I will be able to make it back to Crane on my scheduled return date if we do not start heading towards our destination.
I hope the mechanics arrive soon and quickly can adjust the valve spacing, hook up the fuel lines and wires and "kick some tires and light some fires."
It will also be nice to have the engine work done so we can hang the doors and hatch covers and get them off the captain's bunk!
Now where did that other oar go?.... Guess we lost one last night. At least that is something we shouldn't need on the way to Hawaii.
Everyone's spirits are still high. Crew is anxious to get out to sea.
-Capt Dave
S/V Jolly Roger
May 9, 2008
It is a beautiful day here in El Salvador. The only thing wrong is that we are still here!
The mechanics are putting the engine together bit by bit. The transmission went in yesterday, still have manifold, heat exchanger, alternator, starter, fuel lines, wires....
They think they will be done on Wednesday. If they get it running on schedule, we will run it for 12 hrs to make sure all is good before heading out. If we are lucky we will get out of here on Thursday, only one week late.
We have been doing other projects, getting everything ready to go. Water maker is making water, multi function display is mounted, two solar panels putting out current. Also finding some time to play at the beach and there was a "game night" on sunday where the owner gave us a good bottle of rum.
Last night as the sun was setting we were attacked!! A swarm of termites hit the area. We closed up the boat and went ashore. The bar was covered with termites as was the pool. I hope they didn't find any wood they like on the Jolly Roger. There are two wood boats in the moorage. Scotty of Petra was swatting the little buggers while he worked on the Jolly Roger Treasure Chest. The Treasure chest is looking like a work of art more than a functional propane locker.
Today Jen and Ashley made a run into the big city to get a few items to help finish a few boat projects. They do a good job spending the booty.
We have been eating or fresh food and Ashley made some kickin banana cashew pancakes!!
We have Skype up and running while we have internet. Skype name "sailingjollyroger". Hope to make a few last minute phone calls before we set sail. I guess we have about a 50% chance of leaving on Thursday. The weather is still holding in the pacific no hurricanes building or in the short range forecast.
Can't wait much longer to get out to sea. I miss the ocean waves and the wind in the sails.
-Capt DavePer the plan, we should be out at sea, but with the motor in 100 pieces....
The last crew member made it here yesterday morning. Unfortunately, Jen's bags did not. They were left in San Fran. I guess 4 hour layover wasn't long enough for them to figure out what plane to put them on.
May 1 is also a national holiday. No shipments and no engine work, so we went to the beach. Ashley had her surf board and did some quick lessons in the waves while I walked down to the old hotel sinking into the beach. Spent my 5 min thinking about change and how even the mighty hotel slowly falls apart and sinks into the sand. It is still standing strong mind you, but a little uneven and almost all the tile floor is now gone.
Today was a great day!!! Customs cleared the shipment and it arrived at the hotel at noon!! No damage and all there! After a short search, we found some motor oil and filled up the tank on the new outboard and fired her up. We loaded up the Jolly Jr with the booty and found there was not enough room for two, so Geoff made a run to unload while I sat at the bar and had a cold one and updated my blog.
The engine crew is scheduled to come today and finish the engine. Looks like we are getting near our sail day. I hope the engine will be running today (?) and we can leave on Sunday. Monday is looking more likely.
The crew has been great. Ashley painting, Jen making breakfast, Geoff all around support and idea man. All three organizing the stores. I spent some of my time trying to figure out why the second head would not pump water into the bowl...
Love and kisses to my two wonderful daughters. Jordan turns 21 in two weeks, so buy her a beer if you see her in the bars.
Can't wait much longer to get out to sea. I miss the ocean waves and the wind in the sails.
-Capt DaveThe real pirates are the customs agents. It seems their job is to steall time and pilage your booty. The shipment of electronics that was scheduled to be delivered to the hotel 10 days ago is at the airport in customs. Every day I get an email of phone call with a new issue.
Hope to see my stuff on Friday!!!
We are getting the boat in shape, putting up sails, painting insides of lockers, buying provisions and my FAVORITE, rebuilding the head and finding a broken bushing. With no replacemens, spent the day cutting different materials and making and good jerry rig. Head is now leak free and clean as new.
Last night I woke to the sound of a bell. As soon as I came out of dream world I realized something had hit my brass reading lamp. My fist thought was a big cockroach! I clicked on the light and saw nothing. Off went the light and then I heard a very strange noise, on came the light and there in my cabin was a El Salvadorian bat! Neither of us were happy with the situation, so I quickly covered it with a pillow case and quickly removed him (or was it a her?) from my sleeping space.
It was a beautiful night out. The moon had set and a slight breeze was keeping the temp down in the high 70's. I watched the stars for a bit, Geoff and Ashley sound asleep below. I figure I will wait till we are out to sea before I tell them about the bat!
Can't wait much longer to get out to sea. I miss the ocean waves and the wind in the sails.
-Capt Dave