Marina San Carlos is one of the best-run and all-business marinas there is. We experienced a bit of a delay in leaving Marina Seca but otherwise the splash, the short trip to our assigned slip, and the marina paperwork went like the usual clockwork.
Once tied up in slip B-23 for 12 days, we got busy with the rest of the usual projects that signal the start to a cruising season: a couple of small sewing projects, paperwork organization, servicing the bow thrusters' solenoids, and cleaning all surfaces and stowage lockers including boat canvas and dodger. Installed a new microphone to the SSB, which was nice. GB worked hard on recommissioning all our other electronics and got the BBQ in order, which is always a high priority with cruisers.
I Scotch-Garded all of our fine MiamiSuede-covered cushions, while GB replaced the engine's anti-freeze and tested our dinghy's outboard. GB re-marked our anchor chain. We both chased a mysterious, intermittent water leak that may have originated in the galley faucet, but we never actually caught it in the act. Nevertheless, because things like water leaks never really heal themselves, we put a new galley faucet on our next shopping list.
In between projects we enjoyed San Carlos's restaurants and getting reacquainted with cruising friends. We learned from Tom on Kia Ora that he needed to shorten his usual seasonal cruise and do a modified delivery of his boat to La Paz. Difficulty: his only crew aboard was a dear friend willing to help him, but she had never been on a sailboat before. So GB and I decided to buddy-boat The Fox with Kia Ora – just in case – across the northern Sea of Cortez and then coastwise to La Paz along the Baja side of the Sea.
A weather window appeared several days before we'd have preferred, but Kia Ora was ready so we fueled-up The Fox, put Mr. Pickup Truck in storage at Marina Seca's long-term parking, and put to sea on November 26 at 1045…
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