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

MERRY CHRISTMAS FELIZ NAVIDAD

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM THE INTREPID II CREW

Wishing everyone a joy filled, peaceful Christmas and holiday season.  Thank you to family and friends who have supported and encouraged us as we work to ensure INTREPID II will soon be cruising once again.

May this be a happy, satisfying and comforting celebration of the intent of this time of year - thinking of others and reflecting on the goodwill we all try to extend throughout the year.

You are in our thoughts.

Feliz Navidad from San Carlos, Mexico

Thankful Thursday - November 28th

Wind and waves building

The storm has broken and we are thankful.  Perhaps U.S. Thanksgiving had something to do with the abating of the high winds and buckets of rain pummeling our condo door.  Below is the view all day yesterday while we mopped the floors and wrung out towels placed at the base of the door.

Fierce weather looking east towards Miramar

Currently the waves are more subdued and the sun is sparkling. Pelicans, cormorants and grebes are diving in the milky surf.  We always wonder how shorebirds stay safe during these torrential onslaughts.  Power went out for a time and the passageway lights were out all night.

INTREPID II appeared secure and clean at the dock this morning when Kelly arrived. He has successfully installed the new head and fixed the port side drain.  Now we are waiting for our galley sink once a local plumber has made his repairs and fixes.  Bit by bit the projects are being attended to.

Lucky observing his domain after the storm

Lucky, the resident condo cat, joins us to survey his domain.  He sheltered inside with us during the rains but enjoys sleeping under the parked vehicles near the condo office if conditions are good. Sadly although he has lived here for over 11 years, he has yet to have an actual shelter to call home.  His many returning amigos do look out for this special, gentle gato.

Cruising Season 9 - October & November 2019

INTREPID II in the water at last

Thanks to family and friends who have been asking for updates about INTREPID II and how much more time will we need to repair all the outstanding damages.  The Captain actually spent almost a month in extremely hot, humid June weather in the works yard, working with the rigging crew to install new rigging and fittings.  That was after a month of sourcing and purchasing the appropriate replacements with the assistance of a rigger working our of Portland, Oregon.

Our summer was one of concern and frustration at times as we wondered if our insurance claim would ever be settled and wishing we were provided with updates about its progress. We wonder if the insurance industry really considers the emotional wear and tear on cruisers dealing with a less than transparent process.  However, a settlement cheque came through after Kelly had arrived in San Carlos and that was one less issue on which to focus.

INTREPID II splashed last Monday, November 11 and so far so good as far as leaks and seepages.  Lots to do for outstanding maintenance in the head and cockpit drain and other items on The List which had to take a backseat to more critical repairs from the toppling.  Riggers have promised to be available for the tuning at the dock, and then sails can go on and further tuning under sail.

Cruisers and other land based folks are steadily arriving in San Carlos and Kelly has connected with a good number - all trying to get their vessels ready for the important goal of actually setting sail.

The Admiral will soon head south.   She is hopeful there will be new destinations and voyages to relate in the coming months.  Thanks for joining us.

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!

Winding down and saying adios - March 18

Soft San Carlos Sunrise - we will miss this view!

Hola! Hope you have excused the lack of updates these past four weeks as we spent countless hours visiting doctors and taking an abundance of medication.  Energy for boat projects came in sporadic bursts.  Happily, we hope we are on the mend.  Unhappily, we have wrapped up our "cruising season" and INTREPID II is now settled in her spot at Marina Seca San Carlos for the coming months.

Who could have predicted such a combination of events and situations which led us to spend almost four months on land, in rental accommodations while INTREPID II rocked in her slip on A dock?
Many projects were completed successfully.  We met many cruising folk and renewed friendships from earlier seasons.  INTREPID II received abundant attention, cleaning, new or improved parts, curtains, covers, lines and TLC.  We found we were not alone in the setbacks which saw many boats remain at the dock, or at anchor, or leave and return unexpectedly.  Things happen.  There were also fortunate cruisers who 'got away' and are making up for lost time.  We look forward to hearing and reading their stories.

On Wednesday, March 14, bright and early for high tide, INTREPID II slipped her dock lines and motored to the haul out dock at Marina San Carlos.  She was slipped into a cozy spot in the works yard for a few days of decommissioning and securing, wrapping and stowing; the skies were grey and muggy, the wind strong and blustery.  We finished the last of the aluminum wraps, tightened lines around fabric covering winches, windlass and boom.

INTREPID II heading from marina to works yard

Trailer positioning INTREPID II into space at works yard

Stands are secured with chain

Not a ghost - we are trying flannel and line to protect winches

Boom and boom vang wrapped and tied

Companionway cover wrapped in foil to keep out heat

Windlass all cozy and tucked in

The works yard was a busy place on Saturday morning, with boats coming in, going to the marina, going into storage.  Our turn came just after noon and the skillful crew guided INTREPID II into a new location, on row C, which has hurricane poles in addition to the usual stands. A few photos of the well orchestrated procedure:

Trailer pulling INTREPID II into dry storage yard

INTREPID II moving into place next to ROSEBUD 

INTREPID II in place Row C

Setting support stands securely

Hopefully enough support for the rains, winds and whatever occurs in the coming months

A fond adios to INTREPID II until next cruising season

No time to rest on our laurels, though.  Our remaining days are busy with sorting and packing our truck for the homeward journey.  Tomorrow, Monday, March 19th, is a national holiday, celebrating the birthday of Benito Juarez, so banks, offices and schools are closed. We plan to leave Tuesday morning and head through Hermosilla and on to the border.  Who knows how long it will take at the Army checkpoint or the border?  We may checkout the highway which cuts over northeast to Naco and is still within the "hassle free" zone.  To be determined.  Plans so far include a stop to view the highly recommended Kartchner Caverns near Benson followed by a visit with cruising friends.

Cheers.

Farewell to Rosie

Our sweet and sassy Rosie almost reached her 19th birthday (September 7th) and we are grateful for the 15 years she shared our home.  Both Rosie and Sebastian made attempts at being Intrepid boat cats; however, they needed more 'personal space' than what is available on a 40 foot sailboat.

Rosie became much more an indoor kitty in her later years, curling up next to the Captain in front of a cozy fire.  Or, she looked out on her domain from the comfort of a cushioned viewing spot overlooking the front yard.  Every now and then she surprised us by venturing outdoors, down to her 'grass buffet', checking out the backyard and back up the deck.  She had enjoyed the chaise lounge for many summers, but the Admiral was now allowed to stretch out.

Sadly, in spite of the efforts of our vets and our own TLC, we found ourselves holding our courageous Rosie as she slipped away in late June.  Tears of course.  It has been a subdued summer since that time.

Rosie in 2002 - 4 years old

Enjoying the sunshine

A sad farewell to an Intrepid Sebastian - August

 

Those of you who were fortunate to know our Sebastian in person, or heard of his dynamic personality from us over the years will understand how deeply we feel his loss.  It has been a sad, poignant month since we said our regretful farewell to a brave, feisty, affectionate, unpredictable, handsome 14 1/2 year old tan and white feline who declined so suddenly in the first weeks of August. Our supportive and compassionate vet, Dr. Lesley Langford, comforted and helped us as much as Sebastian through his peaceful departure, which was while safe at home with his tearful people.

Although having senior cats who needed 'just the right people' to care for them if we were to again embark on another cruising season has truthfully complicated our lives, we gained so much from their companionship and affection.  Rosie just turned 17 and has become very much an indoor cat which gives us some hope that we might be able to convince her to travel with us,  Sebastian always presented an incredible challenge to do so as he loved to explore and had considerable strength.

Thank you to everyone who offered comfort and kind thoughts; we know so many of you have had to deal with challenges to or the loss of your own pets.  Their their memories all live on in our hearts.

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".

Towards Caleta San Juanico - Mar. 19-22

An early day with 40 nm to go.  We carried out our regular check in with the Sonrisa Ham net at 07:30 as a vessel "underway" to let folks know we were moving on again and listened to Geary's weather report.   What's new in the Sea?  It seems those north westerlies are moving in sooner than anticipated, so we will bypass Islas Coronados , going for Caleta San Juanico.  That should be a sail of 8 hours more or less.

San Juanico is located in notch by Punta San Basilio on this chartlet  (centre and one third from top)

Once underway, Kelly spotted a high, strong plume of spray early on.  Possibly a Blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus), as some were still in the area and then a long string of dolphins heading south but they didn't stop to chat.  It is challenging to determine what we are viewing at times, but the photo and image below give you a bit of a sense of the size of this amazing animal.  This baleen whale can reach 30 metres (98 feet) and weigh up to 180 tonnes - the largest living animal.

Blue whale as far as we could tell

image courtesy of cetus.uscd.edu

As we continued on our journey we had light swell, rippled seas, a sunny sky and no clouds.  Off Punta Lobos we encountered confused seas and more swell and some current as we were on a falling tide.  There must have been good fishing on a bank to our starboard side as we passed Islas Coronado to the west - pangas and small fishing boats were moving here and there as we passed by.

It seemed a good time to start up the water maker. We also considered with the light winds if it would be worth raising the spinnaker.  It might give us 1 knot extra and not really worth the effort.  Finally there was enough wind to roll out the jib and motor sail.  The wind came from aft, SE, just enough to keep the sail full and INTREPID II doing 5.9 - 6 knots. 

Caleta San Juanico - distinctive spires

We arrived in the anchorage of Caleta San Juanico around 14:00 (2 pm).  Only the "second best spots" remained.  They seemed not quite as well protected, but provided lots of swinging room and there was some SE wind protection if needed across the bay.  We counted nine boats around us and anchored in 21 feet, just as the winds picked up from the SE!  An hour later they shifted to the NE and blew for an hour - variety - just what we needed!  Kelly put out our trusty flopper-stopper which made the night fairly restful as it smoothed out the side to side rolling. 

We stayed at anchor until Monday, March 22nd. That gave us a chance to meet new cruising folk on the beach, visit with some on their boats (hola Mood Indigo!) and put our hand-crafted burgee on the Cruisers' Shrine (tree), next to the lovely and creative sign left by the Whiteshell II folks.  This area has good walks, fossils in the sandstone and obsidian beads known as "Apache Tears".  We had fun exploring, looking and taking pictures.  A good place to spend some time, and then move on.

Miniature Hoodoos

Sandstone

Kelly at the Cruisers' Shrine

INTREPID II hand-made burgee and Whiteshell II work of art

Long dusty road to stretch legs

INTREPID II at anchor Caleta San Juanico