21:30, 12 December 2014, Still in Gabriel’s yard
Hard to believe that we are still here, on the hard after
almost 6 weeks but we see the tunnel, and maybe the light at the end. Not sure,
as it might be a train coming but there is a light…..
The mast is up and the lights, VHF and wind systems are
working, the painting is finished and we have begun to get at the list of
chores to ready us for a mid-week splash next week. Over the weekend we will
get the bottom paint done and shift any excess stuff to the truck and trailer
where it will be stored until we get back. Early next week we will move the
truck and trailer to a storage location in San Carlos where we stored the van
when we were here last. In a way we will miss the crowded comfort of our little
Casita on wheels with our dusty patio and party lights, but the indescribable
feeling of being afloat will make up for it until it is time to return here. It
will be time to strike out the Christmas tree and the decorations for the last
week before Christmas. We hope to be in Bahia Conception for the holidays.
Our visit to Alamos was a very nice change to the daily
drudgery of the boatyard.Alamos is a beautiful colonial town that appears to
have been bypassed by progress as we know it. It has been the domain of the
rich for decades, fueled by the rich silver mines that surround it. It has the
requisite church and associated park with its requisite band shell, indoor
market which spills out into the adjacent streets, a few trinket shops and a
set of carnival rides to support the religious festival that was occurring
while we were there. The main part of the town is made up of huge squares bordered
by streets. Like many of the colonial Mexican towns each square is divided into
properties with living quarters built around a courtyard. Over the past century
this town has been discovered by Americans and upper class Mexicans. Entire
squares have been bought and combined into mega homes with absolutely stunning
courtyards. Our hotel was one of these, a combination of 4 properties
painstakingly redeveloped over the past 20 years by an American entrepreneur
and his family. The Hotel Los Alamos is now one of the top 5 star mid-sized
hotels in the world.
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Our hotel, Hacienda de Los lamos
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The bar had over 560 different tequilas and mescals ranging from $5 to $125/shot.
We tried the $10 cheapies and loved them.
07:30, 18 December, Last day on the hard.
Yahoo! We are splashing in a few hours!!! Our work has
progressed to the point that we can do the remaining bits afloat. The hull has
received its coat of anti-fouling, seacocks have been serviced, the engine has
been run up, anchor and dinghy recovered and the mess of accumulated junk around
the boat picked up and trashed. Amazing how the stuff collects. My precious saw
horses have been adopted by friends who will store them for us until our return
in April.
We moved back aboard Gosling 3 days ago and, yesterday we
made the final commitment by driving the truck and trailer to San Carlos and
putting them in the storage yard for the next 4 months. The Casita was a
comfortable alternative and we are glad we had it while working on the boat. Thanks
to Ian(Kasasa) for driving us back to the boatyard otherwise it would have been
a long and complicated bus adventure.
Our plan, today, is to go directly to the Fonatur docks, as
is our normal routine after a stay at Gabriel’s yard, to clean the yard dust
and grime, complete the rigging (including tuning of the rig), installing the
main and genoa and completing the transition from our summer storage state to a
proper sailboat. We also have the techs coming back to finish some work on
Saturday. The time there will also allow us to start on the list of mall projects
that seem to pop up continuously. On that list is varnishing the woodwork, a
recurring chore for all boaters. Thankfully we have very little exterior teak,
but what we have is still a pain to maintain.
Ian and Ellen will be splashing on Tuesday and Fran
overheard Ian saying that he was preparing a Christmas Eve South African meal.
(He is in a quandary though. Normally the main dish is elephant…..) The thought
of something exotic (not the elephant) was sufficient to have her insist on
another change of plan. Now we are
spending Christmas with them at the Fonatur docks and will be leaving for the
Baja side on the 27th (the 26th is a Friday, bad karma to
leave on a Friday….)
Better get ready for the lift.
Prepping the slings
Lifting. Note the left front tire... scarey but OK (after the fact)
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Gosling, back in her natural element
20:30, 19 December, Fonatur dock, Guaymas
It is a howling black-ass night out there but the wind in
the rigging is music to our ears (OK, it is irritating at times) and the slight
rock of the boat is nice after all these weeks of anticipation.
Our launching went well. It is always a scary sight to see
your home away from home transported from the relative safety of the yard to
the water by a contraption that appears on its last legs, but appearances are
deceiving and we made it without a hitch. Once lowered into the “ditch” we did
the rounds of the likely places for a leak to happen and, apart from a slight
drip at the “dripless shaft seal” (which disappeared after the shaft began to
turn) all was well. The straps were released and, with help from the travel
lift crew we turned Gosling around and headed into the bay. 25 minutes later we
were nestled into a slip at the Fonatur docks and began our list of outstanding
chores beginning with repairing a leak that we discovered halfway here. It
wasn’t where we expected a leak and it probably didn’t open up until we began
to motor over but it was sufficient to get the bilge pump operating a few times.
Sometimes you have to be a contortionist to work on a boat and this was one of
those jobs, a worn out fitting linking some drains to a seacock under the
engine room deck and behind the water heater. My multitude of spares (the
cruiser packrat syndrome) came in handy this time and the problem was resolved
after a few scraped knuckles, swearing and a bucket of sweat, oh yes, and a
t-fitting, some hose that I got from Steve (Warren Peace) last year and a few
clamps. Better than new!
Today the mainsail was rigged, Forestay reconnected (it had
to be removed for the travel lift), the boat washed down, outboard tested and
the boat readied for “tech Friday”. Omar will be here to tune up the engine,
Salvador will be checking the systems he installed last week and Jesus will be
tuning the rig.
Apart from the wind it is very quiet for a Friday night in
downtown Guaymas. Mind you it is a cold evening. Fran like to gauge the nights
by the number of duvets we use. She had 3 last night, but then she hasn’t been
feeling all that well lately. For the last few days she has been having stomach
pains and trouble sleeping. Yesterday she decided to seek medical advice. At a nearby
walk-in clinic she was seen by a physician who did a very thorough examination
and gave her a prescription, all for a $3.00 fee (no typo, three dollars). The
drugs were almost 8 times that much, and, 24 hours later, we are happy to
report that she seems to be on the mend.
We were surprised to learn that Phil (Manasea) is in the
yard here. He just launched last week from the same location as us but found
some leaks on his way over. He was hoping to get south for Christmas but now it
looks like his repairs will scuttle that plan.
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20:00 the following evening, Fonatur docks.
After a very windy night and morning the air is very still
but this blow is supposed to last for another few days. Hopefully we’ll be able
to get a better night’s sleep tonight. Shit, just as I write this I can hear
the wind picking up… Well the Christmas tree is anchored in place with lots of
lines. Last year the top actually blew off and I had to go diving after it.
That won’t happen this year. The water is too freaking cold, and, besides we
have lashed it together quite well.
Another busy day and much accomplished. The BBQ is back in
operation after a rebuild with a new burner and other bits and the main
outboard is working great after a carburetor cleaning. Seems to need one every
year on our return, even though we drain the fuel out of it before we leave.
The Christmas tree is up and lit, the electronics are working as well as can be
expected. We will have to live with a reduced VHF range until the new antenna
arrives in the New Year. Fran is feeling better and all is well with the world.
Oh, yes, and the malecon is absolutely quiet, a rare event for a Saturday
night.
Today is our youngest son, Michael’s 40th
birthday. God, we are old!! Happy Birthday Mikey. In mid-April 1974, HMCS
Skeena returned to Halifax from a spring deployment in the Caribbean, the magic
happened, and Chris slept through it all….
Next blog will be delayed until we reach some sort of
efficient internet capability. Once we leave here we will be heading to the
Baja where service leaves a lot to be desired.
Merry Christmas everyone and the very best in the New Year.
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