We’re on anchor in Las Hadas this morning getting ready to head south. Our trip from La Paz to Tenicatita was not as uneventful as we prefer and got interrupted by a stop in La Cruz (near Puerto Vallarta) to do some repairs to the boat. We’ve been fortunate that all the hard work we did in Seattle and Port Townsend has paid off and we’ve had few mechanical issues to deal with so far. But on the way out of La Paz we first discovered that our hydraulic vang had leaking seals when I found hydraulic fluid on the decks while dousing the sails at Las Frailes. Then on our second day of passage out of Frailes I was trying to unfurl the jib early in the morning while Rob was sleeping and discovered the spinnaker halyard wrapped around the swivel at the top. Rats. Later that day as dark was approaching and the wind had died we decided to speed up the engine and try to push for Tenicatita the next day and discovered low oil pressure in the engine. Double rats. No headsails and a questionable engine. Hmmm – time for a stopover.
Luckily with the help of our mechanic in Seattle Rob discovered the oil pressure was just a bent sender from his oil change before we left La Paz. One problem fixed. Then with a trip aloft we had the spin halyard back in place and second problem fixed. On our way again. Only to discover that the roller furling still didn’t roll out. In Barra we pulled down the sail and found a broken spring clip which with the help of our rigger in Port Townsend we discovered will get us to El Salvador and we can get fixed in April when I come home.
So then it was time for a big PSCC (Puget Sound Cruising Club) outstation meeting. Tim & Cindy were in Barra with us and hosted Steve & Elsie from Osprey (who we house sat for last summer). Rob & I hosted Mike & Nita from Odessa (another Baba 40 in Seattle). Also in Barra were Patty & Frosty from Angelfish for a couple of days, Roger & Karen from Meridien, and Jake & Sharon from Jake. Quite the gathering of Northwest sailors. We spent a week sharing the Gold Coast with our friends from the chilly Northwest, then put them all on a plane yesterday.
Friday at 4:00 am we’ll leave for Zihuatanejo, where we should arrive mid day on Sunday. We’ll spend a couple of days, then make a passage down to Huatulco, which is our last stop in Mexico. We’ve had a lovely time in Mexico and the Mexican people couldn’t be nicer, but it’s time to move on. We’re sad to be saying goodbye to friends we likely won’t see again, but are both looking forward to some new adventures. I’m going to come back to Seattle in April to help my sis after some surgery, then Rob & I will go to Guatemala for some Spanish immersion and to explore Mayan ruins. After that we’ll cruise Central America and take an inland trip to Peru with our niece while it’s too hot to stay on the boat over the summer.
Today on Yohelah we’re relaxing and readying for a 1,000 mile jaunt south to El Salvador……
