Back to Guaymas

We are in day 3 of our pre-launch work period. It is hot, dusty and, at night the mosquitoes can almost carry you away, but this is almost paradise, right?
We had a great trip down, stopping in Palm Springs for a wonderful 2-day visit with long time friends at just the right time for a break in the driving. We arrived in San Carlos on Friday night after a long day on Mexican roads that have lots of traffic and no shoulders. By the time we arrived at Terry and Roger Tallentyre’s condo for the night we were fried. The first cervesa was delicious; the shrimp were an unexpected treat. Welcome to Mexico!
The following morning we drove to the Marina Seca in Guaymas to begin what we expect to be a busy few weeks of preps. On our way, however, we dropped in on 2 other sets of sailing buddies. Tanque de Tiburon with Bill and Linda aboard were just leaving for San Juanico and points south with La Paz as their final destination. We were also thrilled to see Doug and Trish from Ka-Em-Te and will see much more of them over the few weeks we will be here.
Gosling had fared quite well over the past 6 months. She was covered with a thick layer of reddish dust and shreds of the tarp that we had covered the cabin top. Those tarps (package of 2) had been too good a deal to pass up at the Costco in Cabo some months before. Even with numerous frapping lines they had disintegrated. Needless to say the second tarp will be going back home with us and we’ll be looking for something more durable for next season. The pails of water we had left had long since evaporated but the interior was in good condition with no bugs and very few items spoiled by the searing Summer heat.
It took us the better part of the day to empty the van and try to find places to stow what we had brought. Eventually everything got to the cockpit for future consideration. It is nice to have the van to stow items we won’t need until our return and all the duplicate items we brought. An inventory prior to departure would be a good idea....
After three days we have made a small dent in the work schedule. Tomorrow the mechanic will be here to start on the engine work. The main item is the injector pump and injectors. Hopefully that will solve the nagging problem we had earlier this year. I will probably get him to do the engine mounts and alignment as well. Fran is looking for an upholsterer to recover our settee cushions and I will be kept busy rebuilding the self-steering system and installing the new windlass, in addition to a number of woodworking projects. There is also the sanding and re-varnishing of woodwork that wasn’t attended to last spring. The latter can only be done early morning or evening due to the high daytime temps which have been reaching close to 90F.
We have a few neighbors getting their boats ready including 2 from BC, a few Americans, and a couple from Eastliegh (close to where we lived in England in the early 90’s) and a German couple. Some have been here for some time so they know where to go for supplies and expertise of most types.
Rosie (the Sheltie) is still in denial. She is still hoping that tomorrow she’ll be back in her own back yard. She is an excellent traveler, never complaining and always in her cage when on the road but the change of environments must be hard on her. There are very few grassy patches south of Phoenix! Here in the yard she is content to stay in her cage in the shadow of the hull, venturing out occasionally for a drink or to sniff at one of the yard dogs when they get close. For the most part, they stay away and bark up a storm occasionally when we walk her through the yard. She seems comfortable on deck, even though it is 15 ft off the ground.
We are looking forward to US Thanksgiving dinner on Wednesday with Trish and Doug at mutual friends we met on our way south last spring. Gil and Lexi own Sunday a large trimaran that they are also getting ready. However, they have found a great deal on a condo for the summer and are enjoying shore life for a few more weeks.