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| La Paz |
In Mexico, Mañana doesn’t mean tomorrow, it just means... not now!
On January 4th, Rick and I pulled up the anchor in Isla Ballena and motored towards La Paz. On our way our shaft was making some loud knocking noises and really shaking the boat. We noticed it more so the day before when we were sailing in the big winds and waves. Each wave we came down, you could hear a very loud vibration. Rick figured it had something to do with the shaft. So, we decided to stop at Bercovich Boat Yard, right at the mouth of the La Paz channel, at the advice of our friend Lazr. Lazr said that he would introduce us to Abel (the owner who was a close friend of his) and tell him we were family so that he could get us in right away. Mission accomplished. We anchored in front of the boat yard and dinghy’d in, met Abel, told him the problem and he said we could haul out that same afternoon. Well…it was a nice thought. There were problems with the boat trailer that would be hauling us, so we had to stay out at anchor until the issue was resolved. Abel apologized and told us.. “mañana”. We nodded and headed back to the boat. I was a little frustrated because I was so looking forward to getting to a Marina, filling our tanks with water, taking a shower, getting some groceries, taking Harley to shore,etc. Fortunately, later that afternoon, Lazr drove us into town to get a few groceries and we had an early dinner while out..right along the Malecon.
So back to the boat for the night. Woke up the next morning expecting to be hauled when the yard opened, but during the time we went out for groceries and to dinner, the boat trailer got fixed and another boat came along and got hauled and was sitting on the trailer. So we spoke with Abel and he told us…2 o’clock would be the time the other boat would be gone and we would get hauled. So, since we had time to kill, Rick took Harley and me on a dinghy ride over to Marina de La Paz to visit our friend Peter. It was quite a long dinghy ride, but once there we found Peter and visited with him for a bit. During our visit, I decided to take Harley for a walk since it had been a week since she’d been off the boat. On the walk, I bumped into an old friend we knew from Brickyard Cove Marina in Point Richmond, CA. He came down on the Baja ha ha and decided to stick around La Paz for a while. Anyway….Rick eventually got a chance to see him and we chatted with him for a while. He was on his way to one of the Islands to anchor out for a few days with his friends/crew.
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| S/V Wild Spirit (Larry's boat) |
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| Rick greeting Larry |
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| Larry and CJ |
It was getting close to two o’clock, so we zipped back in the dinghy to our boat. We didn’t want to miss any chance of getting hauled. We arrived at two o’clock, but there was no movement in the boat yard. The other boat was still on the trailer. So we sat around on the boat waiting and waiting. As we were waiting, we saw our friend Larry on his boat motoring by. We exchanged waves and hoots. Then a few moments later, he called us on the phone stating that his alternator wasn’t charging and asked if he could swing back by and have Rick come aboard and offer any assistance. We were a little nervous with the timing because we were to be hauled momentarily. Anyway, we told him to come by which he did and side tied to our boat. Well, Rick jumped aboard and helped him but no sooner did he get on board, we got a call saying that they were ready for us. So he got back on our boat and we drove the boat to the launching/hauling area. Larry asked, "what now?" Rick told him to anchor and that after we were in the yard he’d come out by dinghy to help him. Larry attempted to start his motor before anchoring but it would not start, so he just anchored right where he was. After anchoring, his boat drifted part way into the shipping channel. No bueno! Fortunately a Panga happened by and helped tow him just outside of the channel. Larry stayed put through the night.
After an hour or more we were finally hauled and trailered into the yard where we would be staying for the next few days (we were not put on stands…we just stayed on the trailer). Work did not start on Solastra until the next morning.
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| Being hauled |
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Rick pulling the dinghy up to the yard...our means of transportation for a few days.
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Just as the men started working on our boat, Larry called and asked if Rick could come out and give him a hand on his boat. Rick jumped in the dinghy and went out and helped Larry trace and replace the wires to the alternator and the problem was solved! Larry then motored back to Marina de La Paz after the boat was running again.
While we were “on the hard”, poor Harley had to stay onboard. One reason was that we could not carry her up and down the ladder, and if we had gotten her down, there were guard dogs in the yard that would not take too kindly to her.
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Guard dog waiting to pounce
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This yard was not the cleanest of yards…looked more like a junk yard and boat graveyard than a working boat yard. The girls bathrooms were the worst I’ve ever seen. The sink was not usable…the plumbing was not in tact. There was mud and several inches of water flooding the floor. I was afraid to set foot inside at first glance. But since we could not use our toilets onboard, and we did not have any water left for a shower, I had no other option than to use the restroom at some point.
One morning in particular will stay with me for a very long time. This was the second morning of being in the yard. First of all the night before we didn’t sleep much at all due to being attacked by mosquitos. We finally ended up putting a net over us that covered our bodies like a sheet. Still didn’t prevent the buzzing in our ears, but it kept us from getting eaten alive. We think the mosquitos were so thick because it had started to rain and water was puddling up on the decks due to the fact that the trailer had us tilted a little backwards so our bow was lower than our stern. So water was going the opposite direction of where our scuppers were. And the mosquitos were drawn to the water I guess. So after little sleep we decided to just get up and start our morning…at 2a.m. Around 5, Rick decided he would go take a shower. I wasn’t feeling very fresh myself after a damp humid night being in the yard and it had been a week since my last shower, BUT... I didn’t want to climb down the steep ladder, stomp around in the mud, dodge the guard dogs and set foot in the disgusting restroom. BUT… I decided to go anyway. I couldn’t put off a shower any longer. I thought it may help my mood. I was in the doldrums being in the yard. As soon as Rick got back, he raved how good it felt and that I would be glad after I showered. So, down I went the steep wobbly ladder, tromped in my water shoes through the mud and rain and tiptoed into the bathroom being careful where I touched and where I planted my feet. Once in the shower, I was pleasantly surprised with how good the warm water was feeling. As I had my head tilted back, getting my face and hair wet…eyes closed, I felt something fall onto my face. I immediately panicked and swiped this thing off of my face and glanced down at the shower floor to see what it was. It was a huge cockroach!! I let out a blood curdling scream or two or three. Next thing I knew, this creature was scrambling around at a rapid pace on the ground and ended up on my shoe and part way up my leg. Another uncontrollable blood curdling scream came out of my mouth! I shook my leg and it was holding on for dear life! I had to use my hand again to swipe it off. I grabbed my chest thinking I died for a minute. A moment later, I heard a loud knock on the bathroom door…it was Rick wanting to know if I was ok. Ha! I told him what had happened and that I was ok. He didn’t sound too pleased on the other side of the door. He told me I scared him to death and that I could be heard through the entire yard. My shower was definitely over after that and I went back to the boat in the dark looking like a drowned rat. I was at the end of my rope. No sleep, disappoint after disappointment, and then this… I was on the verge of tears. Ok...so I actually did cry for a brief moment.
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| Ladies restroom |
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| Sink out of commission |
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| La Cucaracha MUY GRANDE! |
The day improved a bit but not much. It was still cloudy, cold and damp and the boat was starting to smell like a zoo (Harley had to use the boat deck to relieve herself, but since the boat was at such a weird angle the urine sort of sat there even after it was hosed off). It was pretty much a nightmare. But…the work was getting done, slowly but surely. Two more nights of this hell and we were out of the yard by 3 p.m. on January 8th! The work that was done was removing the shaft and making sure it was straight, which it was, and replacing the cutlass bearing…all for a grand total of $1,550 U.S. We both gasped when we saw the final bill. Oh well…we were up and running again and were lucky to get in and out of the yard in just a few days. We figure this should be our last big issue for a while!
As soon as we got back into the water, we motored straight to Marina de La Paz where our friend, Peter, had gotten us a reservation and was waiting for us when we got to our slip, grabbing lines. Such a big relief when we were finally tied to a dock. We were famished after we tied up and went straight to dinner with Peter….a cute spot close to the Marina. The food was good too!
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| Cute little restaurant not far from the Marina |
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| So happy to be out of the boat yard! |
January 9th, the next day, Rick hosed the boat decks down with water and Pinesol, and changed the transmission fluid. I dropped off 3 large Ikea bags to the laundry, emptied our trash, walked to the bank and took Harley for several walks during the day. She was very happy to be on solid ground!
Nearing the end of the day, Lazr stopped by for a visit. He had gone fishing during the days we were in the boat yard at one of the islands. It was nice to visit knowing it was probably the last time we will see him for who knows how long. He had friends arriving the next day and would be heading back out with them.
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| A visit from Lazr at our slip at Marina de La Paz |
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| Lazr |
January 10th, we continued to do little projects on the boat. I took a walk to Mercado Bravo for a few groceries. It was a pretty good trek getting there and the walk back was a little more challenging carrying a full back pack and it had warmed up substantially. It took me a while to catch my breath and to cool down once I got back to the boat.
On the 11th, Rick and I took a bus to Home Depot to get some insulation for the refrigerator and freezer and a few other odds and ends, then took a cab ride back.
Our plan is to leave here on the 15th, go to Los Muertos for just a night and then head for Mazatlan the following day, on the 16th which will be a two overnight adventure..about 190 Nautical Miles.
Stay tuned for adventures from the other side....
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