As terrific as Mazatlan is for engine work, boat canvas and stainless steel, there is a dearth of sail makers. If your main sail has experienced some…ermm…user error lately; saaay, in the form of an excessively taut outhaul that stresses the grommets along the luff and tears the sail fabric? If you're in Pacific Mexico,…
Having serendipitously discovered Internet access where it was least expected, I can update this here blog with some words on where we've been traveling since last Christmas. 26. Dec. 2009 – Boxing Day aka St. Stevens Day. 0700, raised anchor and crossed the El Mogote sand shoals, departing La Paz. Stopped briefly at the Pemex…
One challenge of cruising and living aboard a sailboat in a hot climate, is how to secure yourself and the boat's contents from uninvited visitors* while still keeping the boat well ventilated. * "Uninvited visitors" = your boat might one day be boarded by strangers who intend to steal items of value – or worse.…
Sometimes it's economical to hire a professional for boat canvas work. For example, certain projects are too large and complicated to be done well by one person using a small sewing machine on a boat's deck or down below at the salon table. A cockpit's spray shield, aka dodger, is one such project. As Karen…
"Woof. Is that you?" "What?" "That hobo smell. You reek. When was the last time you made contact with some soap?" [Sniff. Sniff. Snniiiiiiifffff.] "It's not me. I'm innocent." "Well, then, what…smells…hey, wait a minute. The wind's coming in from the cockpit. What's aft of our boat?" "Just that derelict with all the pelicans on…
There are worse places to anchor than off of the city of La Paz, Baja California Sur. It is one of the places in which a cruising boat can anchor comfortably, dinghy ashore, tie up at a friendly marina's dock, and get all kinds of work and provisioning done without once having to pay for…
Every so often while beachcombing in the intertidal zone in firm sand, I see deep tubular holes of about 1-2 inches diameter clustered near each other, with odd slash-type tracks radiating out from them. I've seen similar holes (minus any tracks of course) while snorkeling in about 6-12 feet depths. I'd assumed the underwater holes…
Arrived yest., 11/21, at Isla San Francisco, 24deg. 49'N/110deg. 34'W. 54 hrs. at sea, 40 hrs. under sail in XLNT conditions – NW-NE breezes at 10-15 kt., all day, all nite. Only 4 other boats anchored here. Weather's Charlie-Charlie, place is quiet, day temps = 78F, water's a refreshing 75F. All is well. Plan =…
Here we go again. Having obtained a succession of two Mexican sportfishing licenses in the past two years, you'd think I'd be able to get a renewal online in less than two days. You'd be wrong. This year, CONAPESCA's online application* had a few bugs that were not there last year. Namely, its "Help Page"…