At Long Last - another post - February 20th

Just a few wires and cables to sort through

Where did January and much of February 2020 go??  Oh - boat projects of course!!

We have made several attempts to upload and edit photos and find a good internet connection to sit down to craft a few postings.  However boat projects and issues take priority with a focus on getting INTREPID II repaired and renewed and ready for cruising. So this post will be a summary of the past weeks with photos - we have not even used our proper cameras for weeks, so the phone pics unfortunately do not have as much clarity.

January 2020:  It was a treat to continue our stay at "Dorado" over Christmas and the New Year - 2020 - another benchmark!  Although a hit to our budget, with rental of a small condo and the marina slip, we could leave our tasks as is at the end of a boat project day and still have a comfortable abode to relax, cook and sleep. Another bonus - we continued to have the company of the 'condo cat' Lucky and he appreciated the attention and warm, dry spot to sleep when the weather was wet and cold.

Our Amigo Lucky - showing us the proper napping technique

However, once Christmas celebrations and decorations were tucked away, we focused on readying INTREPID II to live aboard, even though boat projects would continue.  Finding spots to sleep and cook were our goal, and on Friday, January 3rd we spent our first night onboard on dock B.  It had been quite some time!  Our slip is only 5 spots down from the ramp, so not too long a hike when carrying bags or bins. INTREPID II  is stern-to the dock to keep the Northers from blowing in to the cockpit and lets us see the comings and goings of neighbours - altogether more friendly.

Unfortunately, the "San Carlos crud" struck a few days later and the Admiral had several days and nights of misery and weeks of coughing.  The Captain had his share but fought off the worst of the incessant coughing.  (Now, in mid February, it seems another version is making its' rounds - fingers crossed.)  What a waste of time and energy!  Thankfully we know who to see and where to find the farmacia.  Mid January was no picnic for family in friends in Alberta and B.C.  - a deep freeze set in and snow fell at the estate.  We so appreciate our attentive house-sitter friend!  Although it is winter here, we are thankful for the milder temperatures and inspiring skies.

Sunset over Posada beach from El Mar

Tetakawis as backdrop to a San Carlos evening

Night sky from Palapa Griega 

Boat wise, the fridge and freezer were not staying cold or frozen as they should.  Days later, after calling in the "refrigerators only" Jesus and his assistant, we had a new thermostat and a circulating fan and all was mostly well.  Then it was time for the two 8D gel-cell batteries to protest.  The Captain removed the one which gave up the ghost from the mix. We borrowed a load tester from a neighbour and are hoping the remaining one, along with our solar panels, will be sufficient for this season's cruising.  The battery selection here is limited for marine purposes.

With the demise of our Furuno radar after the knock-down, new compatible instruments were required along with a new radar.  Kelly anticipated challenges during the installation process and he was not disappointed.  We now have an NMEA 2000 network which links wind, boat depth and speed and a gps chartplotter.  There are now fewer older wires and cables running through the boat and we anticipate a more streamlined system.   Days of crawling on the cabin sole, looking at the webs of cabling, sorting out the must keep ones and feeding through new cables and connectors is a tale best left for the Captain to tell.  Of course we needed items which were not anticipated when planning out the initial network.  Garmin came through; Fedex fell down somewhat at the delivery end, but we tracked down our cables at last.

And suddenly it was February - another post will follow. 

Gorgeous blooms to brighten the day - in January!

 And we are so pleased Betty Lou and David continue to keep Claire atop their bow pulpit - a fun and cheery addition to B Dock. (with permission)

Claire of Dock B

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!

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!]

San Carlos update from the Captain

Beach near La Greiga restaurante, San Carlos

How quickly time passes, yet how slowly as well!  Kelly still has no access to internet.  He's hoping for one last try this morning to obtain a relatively small but critical replacement part to get his laptop monitor functioning.  Fingers crossed!  It is amazing how we have become reliant on technology; everything from checking weather (whether for land or boat passages), the news of the world, emails, banking, Skype and entertainment during those long evenings away from home.

San Carlos at dusk

The transmission was re-installed late last week but not yet tested due to a lack of appropriate transmission fluid.  Another mystery as we were certain we had left some in the store room.  The rudder work is progressing and hopefully will be finished today.  Kelly has almost decided it is time to consider replacing, rather than repairing our 30 year old head. It is likely some other parts are plotting to act up if he repairs the current culprits.  At the moment he is eyeing the space in our Subaru wagon for what items will fit to bring back home.  It would have been great to empty out the rental storeroom but we have found it so useful when we recommission INTREPID II.  We can  shift sail bags, boat supplies, bikes, etc. back and forth to allow us room to sort and clean.  We can even sleep in the cabin while we prepare her for a cruising season!

It is time to replace any aluminum foil, duct tape and other protective coverings we had set up on deck.  That includes in the portlights to protect equipment from the intense Sonoran sun and other elements during the coming months.  Kelly has checked out the sea-cocks and has tentative plans for modifying them to minimize the frustration getting to some of them. There are four located in incredibly inaccessible spots in the galley; another project to plan and scope out once back home.

If all goes well, the Captain will head home mid-week, saying adios to our cruising friends who are currently in San Carlos.  We wish those of you still on the high Sea of Cortez "fair winds".