Update from the Captain - Restoring INTREPID II after Sergio

Kelly working on prop and zincs in works yard

As you can expect, the Captain has spent his time since arriving in late October in 'hands-on' mode, focusing on assessing, researching, repairing or arranging for repairs to ensure INTREPID II is once again a sturdy, safe, sea-worthy vessel.

Kelly has put his thoughts and comments in writing and we have added them to CAPTAIN KELLY'S Page tab.  More to follow as he completes additional projects!

January 2019 in San Carlos

Glorious sunset over San Francisco Bay

Oops - it is already February 13th as I finally managed to upload pictures from my cell phone and tempermental camera to the Captain's laptop - just enough challenges each time to take the fun out of sitting down to do an update.  However, we have photos now convey how we are spending time in the relatively warmer climes of San Carlos, while family and friends are enduring frigid weather in Alberta and heavy masses of snow in Victoria.

What our house-sitter has to deal with (photo credit MLH)

Three weeks of January were spent in a more spacious, but less inviting rented casita near the San Carlos golf course.  The outstanding plumbing and electrical issues were finally addressed and we often enjoyed sitting by the pool under the large palapa, reading and sipping a beverage and discussing the day's progress.  A sweet semi-feral cat at times kept us company; she appeared to be attached to the complex and less timid than several other cats we spotted gathered by the dumpster outside the gate.  There are no shortage of 'events' to attend in this community, including the Rotary Club "Cow Plop Bingo" and volunteering for the 2nd annual Women's March against Violence.  That event coincided with the January 20th Super Blood Wolf Full Moon which had us staying up long past "cruisers' midnight" to admire and be awed by the incredible show.

Blood Full Moon with eclipse at start then almost complete

We were pleased to return to our earlier rental accommodations nearer the marina, in yet another of the six units, which has a spectacular view.  Of course, to complete the cycle, we were under the weather when we left and the "crud" was acting up again as we moved in.  However, waking up to inspiring sunrises or  flights of pelicans across the bay and sipping morning coffee with binoculars at the ready is a definite way to rest and recover.

Our morning panorama - a setting for variety of shore and sea birds 

A trip to the Sunday market in Empalme was long overdue.  When the weather cooperated at month end, we made the trek south of Guaymas.  The search for additional tropical shirts was challenging, but successful; fresh vegetables to complement those at the Saturday market in San Carlos were in abundance.  At last we located "the" place from which to buy shrimp at the entrance/exit to Empalme.  Half a kilo of the large azul camarones and half a kilo of the medium regular kind. We enjoyed showing Empalme to cruising friends Ann and Barry, who were readying S.V. Cat's Paw IV to cruise the Sea of Cortez, having completed their circumnavigation. Great to catch up with Bluewater Cruising Association members!  We rested up after our trek through the market stalls with delicious breakfast and lunch offerings at Cocina de Rita in the small community of San Jose de Guaymas.

View of village square and church in San Jose de Guaymas from Cocina de Rita

Camarones azul from Empalme

We do take time to be "tourists" as well.  After many years of construction, an impressive lookout on the way to Marina Real provides panoramic views to the far side of the Tetakawis and across to the south over the Sea of Cortez. 

View to the east of Tetakawis from Mirador Lookout

 

And at the marina seca??

Boat projects continued at various stages of progress throughout the month.  The Captain does intend to provide his commentary from a technical perspective as time permits.  He spent considerable time online searching for thru hull replacements, which did arrive in good time.  He then spent even more time arranging for the necessary marine grade sealant with which to install them.  The sealant is not available locally and cannot be shipped by air into Mexico.  By chance, a cruising friend had an Amazon Prime order being shipped to Tucson and we were able to add the sealant to his order.  In very reasonable time our small package arrived and the thru hull replacement could proceed.  Just one example of where the time goes when you undertake boat projects!

Mainsail is on at last - February 5

Monday morning - sunny and clear and calm.  Off to the dock to haul out the mainsail and hope the wind cooperated, meaning no breeze or wind at all would be very helpful to our endeavors.

It has been far too long since we folded and stowed our sails; this was a re-learning exercise as well as a chance to check the condition of our Sobstad mainsail.  We also have a Dutchman Sail Flaking System for dropping and flaking the main.  This requires feeding mono-filament line through fairleads in the sail, acting as vertical control lines.  We have two lines, attached to the topping lift and to pockets at the base of the sail. The theory is these lines guide the main down on alternate sides of the boom, all nicely 'flaked'.  Setting up the system took a bit of calculation and ensuring the lines ended up on the same side.  The Admiral spent her time under the sail threading line back and forth. The Captain ensured the lengths of the lines were accurate.

Dutchman flaking system:  Mono-filament threaded through plastic fair-leads

Adjusting length of forward line

A major effort was needed to attach the clew to the out-hall at the back of the boom to secure the foot of the sail.  Shrinkage? No - only a sail that had been folded and stored and a bit stiff.

Clew finally reached out-hall and attached

The slides on the luff (front, closest to the mast) were fed into the slot on the mast and Kelly slowly raised up the sail.   We intended to slide in the battens, but by this time, the daily breeze was noticeable, so it was time to drop the sail, and fine tune things another day.  Sail-ties and sail cover to tidy up.  One more 'to do' we could check off, more or less.

Mainsail cover on

San Carlos - making progress

Hola!  Now that we have reminded a few more family and friends that our blog is 'active', I realized I had better be somewhat more consistent in actually posting updates.  Wish we knew why some of your comments won't come through for posting. 

It is Tuesday, January 23rd; we spent time this morning over breakfast reading about the magnitude 7.9 earthquake which hit Alaska in the early hours of the morning.  That is a major tremble and we haven't seen updates on the damage - hoping minimal impact. The subsequent tsunami warnings reached all the way down the West Coast to our own Victoria area.  Saanich and Esquimault opened up shelters for those in low lying areas.  Tofino sounded the tsunami sirens and people flocked to the emergency shelters.  Fortunately there was little impact.  However, the southern Island has been experiencing more than enough strong winds, waves and winter weather these past days.

San Carlos had another 'blow' starting late Friday evening and continuing through the weekend and even Monday, depending where you were.  It is winter here as well and a low of 9 C is noticeable.  Marina San Carlos is situated such that there is a considerable funneling effect onto the docks which makes for chilly deck work.  Yesterday Kelly put the hatch boards in to keep it warmer in the cabin while he worked.

Cloud formations to the north

At dock winds northwest winds funnel through gaps

As for 'progress', we are certainly making headway, but realistically, it has been much slower than anticipated. Here is one example of why:
The second part Kelly ordered from Defender for the 'head project' took longer than the first order and FedEx compounded the delay.  Our status update showed the parcel arriving in Guaymas last Tuesday at 12:37; then no activity.  Kelly ensured that staff at San Carlos Marina Seca and Marina offices knew of the impending delivery.  Pesos for the duty charge were left with them.  Pesos in a baggy were left on INTREPID II with several nearby folks aware that the marina staff might once again send the hapless FedEx driver to A dock, whether we were onboard or not. Once the promised Thursday deadline had passed, emails were fired off.  Friday morning, we were headed in to Guaymas on other errands, but stopped on the way at the FedEx depot.  Drivers were in their vans; packages were loaded.  We asked if our package was in one of the vehicles, hoping we could 'simply' show ID and save time and trouble by taking receipt then and there.

Hah!  Suddenly phone calls were being made - the truck to San Carlos had left. OK - then let the driver continue on to deliver it.  Oh no - the helpful staff were trying to reach the driver to have him turn around .....We succeeded in intervening and saying now that we knew the parcel was not lost, that we would pick it up on our return.  The only reason we can fathom for the delay was there were not enough parcels to warrant a delivery to San Carlos; so we waited 3 extra days.  Each of those days actually costs us as we cannot move aboard until the head and related systems are functioning.

Then there are several jaunts to Home Depot in Guaymas.  Fortunately, it is located on the 'north' end of the city closest to San Carlos and on the main road in.  We did score new faucets for the sink at a sale price; "llave para bano (ban-yo)" with a brushed nicked "acabado niquel" finish.  These products are about the same price as back home; we chose a set that does not have the attached closure for the sink drain, opting for a simple, replaceable plug.  Our hopes to replace the rather unremarkable sink with an attractive Talavera patterned one have been dashed.  If you really want one, be prepared to tear out your existing vanity and reconstruct it around the sink, allowing enough room for faucets.  We cannot manage that on INTREPID II.  Major disappointment.

Talavera sink - maybe later

My new tip for learning practical Spanish:  I have been collecting the Home Depot flyers to review the descriptions of sinks, faucets, toilets, stoves, fridges and the like.  Since it is something we are familiar with we can infer much of the meaning and expand our vocabulary.  Bueno!

[I'll post this now as the morning has flown by and tasks await.  Hope to post some photos of birds we've spotted recently as well as continue the upate.  Thanks for being patient!]

Working on Boat Projects under sunny skies

Now that INTREPID II is on A dock in Marina San Carlos, we began our efforts to untangle messenger lines - our lines stretched over the two years and conveniently tangled themselves around the mast steps.  The halyards need to be raised, sails hanked on; the cabin below is still filled with canvas, sails, lines, tools and equipment.  We have cleared the galley and cupboards to give them a thorough cleaning and freshened up towels and bedding left in storage in large zip-lock baggies.
Somehow, many items replicated and reproduced - so the local thrift stores will benefit as we sort and cull our stock of dishes, plastic containers and wine glasses!

We've unexpectedly been under the weather since Monday evening and have lost 2 days of productive work while we regain our energy.  San Carlos has well regarded doctors and we were thankfully referred to one by our neighbours.  Not great timing, but we should bounce back before Christmas.

A "Dry Run" for Splash Day and Splash Day 2

The Captain suggests our Wednesday, December 13th launch was in reality a dry run, although the issue which arose was a leaky one.  All went well loading INTREPID II on to the trailer and down the road to San Carlos marina.  8:00 am.  First launch of the day, calm winds.  The last slip in the marina was waiting on A dock.  As Kelly checked the various locations of our through-hulls there was silence. The works yard crew stood by. Finally Kelly stepped into the cockpit and dispiritedly announced that there was worrisome seepage from several through-hulls - enough leaking to warrant the decision to return to the works yard.  Much effort ensued with the removal, finally, of six through-hulls; soaking, cleaning, brushing. Purchasing expensive 3M 4200 caulking locally - almost $50 a tube. Re-installing and letting the caulking cure.

Saturday morning, December 16th - fingers crossed as we watched INTREPID II head back to the marina under the very capable guidance of the works crew.  This time, Kelly wasn't below as long as he monitored 'drops' rather than leaks and from only 2 through-hulls - the hardest to reach, under the galley cupboards.  Decision made to proceed to our slip on A dock, in calm winds and blue skies.  Helping hands took our lines and our sailboat was once more in the water.  Monitoring will be required as we hope the drops dry up as we proceed with projects at the dock.  On with the boat project to-do list!

A Long Awaited Reunion!

After much too long a time, S.V. INTREPID II and her crew have reunited in the works yard of Marina San Carlos Marina Seca.  Two years of Sonoran sun, wind, rain and a hurricane in the fall of 2016 have left their marks on our sturdy sailboat.  We are working diligently to clean off the initial layers of dust and grime, inspect everything that will be below the water line, polish the prop, replace the zinc, check all the through-hulls.  In the cabin interior, the strength of the winds ensured that a thorough cleaning is in store - grit and dust especially in the galley.  A busy week of TLC.

Our drive from Victoria to San Carlos took us to Portland, Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, Green Valley and across the border at Nogales. Weather and road conditions were good.  Highway 15 through Hermosilla and on to San Carlos was a 'work in progress' with a massive amount of new highway being laid down on one side or the other, requiring a steady zig-zag along mostly single undivided lanes.  San Carlos was waiting for us on our arrival!  We found a room for Monday and Tuesday evening while we arranged for an apartment for the coming weeks.  The view is lovely and we have space to set up the sewing machine for projects and repairs.  The abundance of 'boat stuff' that accumulates is being sorted and thinned out - otherwise we'd have to keep raising INTREPID'S waterline.

Based on upcoming high tides, we plan on putting INTREPID in the water mid-week (13th) to continue our preparations: hanking on sails, re-running all the lines, halyards, checking every fitting and connection; the usual!  The Northers didn't wait long to remind us of their force and impact.  Thursday and Friday they blew fiercely for 48 hours.  Friends in Mazatlan noted in their blog that the winds impacted their departure plans.  All part of cruising in the Sea of Cortez.

Wishing you all a happy holiday season.  Christmas lights are twinkling against the backdrop of sea and mountains.

Bluewater Cruising August Rendezvous at Newcastle Island

Looking west from Newcastle across docks to Nanaimo

Thanks to the thoughtful invitation of Edie and Adam of SV Libertina, we were once again able to attend a Bluewater Cruising rendezvous. The August gathering has been held at Newcastle Island for several years, organized by the Vancouver Chapter, in conjunction with the Peterson Cup rally.  We were looking forward to exploring the Island and participating in the gathering.

Libertina at Newcastle docks

The Newcastle Island website states:

Newcastle Island Marine Provincial Park is part of Snuneymuxw First Nation Traditional Territory. The Snuneymuxw are a Coast Salish people who live on Vancouver Island and speak the Hul'qumi'num dialect. Prior to European contact the Snuneymuxw had many winter villages along the Nanaimo Harbour, each one consisting of several longhouses.  Newcastle Island or Saysutshun has always had a special place in the hearts of Snuneymuxw people or mustiyuxw.  It has been used as a place of healing.  Saysutshun was also used for the training grounds of the competitive canoe pullers, they would run the trails to keep themselves in top physical shape. Saysutshun was also used for gathering traditional medicines.

BC Parks:  Visitors to Newcastle Island can choose from an extensive network of walking/hiking trails that lead to various historic points around the island. Indian middens offer mute evidence of at least two Salish First Nations villages, which were deserted before the discovery of coal in this area in 1849. Subsequent decades saw the island’s fortunes rise and fall as it went through various incarnations while supporting a fish-salting operation, a sandstone quarry and a shipyard.

Dock space had been secured, which made attending the various potlucks and land activities as easy as stepping off the boat.  Libertina's tender was not meant for more than two, so we left the water sports to those who had roomier dinghies.  We were pleased to reconnect with several Vancouver members we hadn't seen for many years and meet newer members.  An abundance of tasty food, stories, time for walks across the island, passenger ferry rides across to Nanaimo, all contributed to a busy and enjoyable weekend. 

Trails and beaches to explore

We made a mid morning departure on Monday and successfully avoided the Malahat crawl.  Back to house projects!