Guaymas: Life 'on the hard' April 2011

On the hard - life 12 feet up!

It is somewhat different weathering a 'norther' (or 'wester) when you are living on your boat 12 feet above solid concrete.  There is no soothing rocking motion to put you to sleep.  Then again, there are no crashing swells slapping at the hull either.  Guaymas has experienced a number of days of extremely strong winds with gusts of 32 knots or more which started mid day and continued all through the night.  That is nearing the 60 km/hour range; a definite plus for being at a dock or in the works yard, as we are.

Two nights ago, as we were getting ready for bed, the wind clocked in at 32 knots and we heard several disturbing sounds.  Out we popped into the cockpit to check, as did our neighbours on either side.  Everyone had flashlights on and were checking for loose items which could or were in the process of being blown off the deck.  Our neighbour Tony quipped he had to 'put a reef in the ladder' as he secured a second line to the extension ladder which had tried to escape its' ties.  Today has been calmer, although we can see the results of the dust which was blown in from the dry, dusty hills to the north and west of us.

INTREPID II moved from the marina dock early Tuesday morning to the fuel dock to be ready for a 9 a.m. haul out,  which was not to be.  The slip used for the travel lift has not been dredged for some time and was not 7 feet deep everywhere.  So we waited, along with SV CaSTaway until the tide started to come in.  Finally INTREPID II was lifted out about 2:30 pm, finishing up by 3:45 pm. Then it was CaSTaway's turn.

Intrepid II in travel lift

We are encouraging ourselves that things are progressing with our checklist.  That is to alleviate the sinking feelings we get when looking around the cabin interior and the remaining items on the list.  All the canvas is washed, dried and stowed, except for the dodger and bimini which will stay up until our last day.  Kelly has run all the messenger lines, allowing for the halyards to be washed and stowed and in some cases, we will be bringing them back home to measure for replacements.  The diesel engine has been flushed with fresh water; that was not as smooth a project as last year. There was an airlock and it only took two trips to the plumbing hardware store for the correct fittings to rig up the water hose to the engine and successfully remove the airlock.  That has led the Captain to add another item to his list, as we have a small leak somewhere further along the hose. Whether that will be addressed  before we head home, or wait until we return is still to be determined.

Our ladder arrangement

The dry storage yard is quickly filling up.  A second row has been started.  Apparently the yard will become quite crowded before the end of the month.  We are hopeful that there will be no need to move INTREPID II during our absence and that no one will unthinkingly unplug our power cord and trip the breaker.  Various folks are making plans to catch buses up to Phoenix and plane trips home.  Or, if they have vehicles here, planning the trek back home.  Most people have been advised that the weather, wherever home may be, has a decidedly 'winter' tone to it still.  Not to hurry back!

For us, while we'd love to spend Easter with family, the timing may not work out.  We'd also like to experience some new sites on the way home, whichever route we take.  Once our boat projects are nearing completion, we will start paying more attention to land based weather and map out a route that won't involve snowstorms, flooding, thunderstorms or high winds.  We'd prefer not to encounter those phenomena along the way.

Guaymas, as with most Mexican communities, is gearing up for 'Semana Santa',  the Holy Week leading up to the Easter celebrations.  There are impromptu parades in the streets, bands playing here and there. The carnival rides fire up and operate some nights and not others.  We are told it will be wall to wall traffic between Guaymas and San Carlos, now considered a suburb or "Nuevo Guaymas".  Vehicles are just cruising back and forth, so we'd like to be well on our way before these festivities get underway.

Carnival rides - ready for Semana Santa

It hasn't been 'all work and no play' for us, although when we fall into bed, it seems so.  There are times to stop and catch up with everyone else doing the same thing, compare notes, offer suggestions, give moral support, have a cerveza!  We have joined folks for dinner a few nights and likely will do more of that as we are getting down to a bare refrigerator.  Most people ensure that nothing gets wasted as cruisers usually pass on extra food items to staff or local friends.

Time to head back to INTREPID II.  There is no Internet in the dry storage yard due to the buildings blocking the signal.  That necessitates a little trek with the laptop up and down the ladder and across the way to find a connection.  Hope all is well with our family and friends.  We are looking forward to reconnecting once we are home over the next few months.