The bugs are still hanging around and are a problem. Or to be more frank------annoying!!
Dave has been working on filling the washout in our front yard where we have access to the beach.
The arroyo on the south side of the house has a lot of rocks in it so Dave is loading up the wheel barrow and positioning rocks in such a way that when soil is dumped on top and another layer of rocks are positioned and more soil, it will eventually hold through water runoff. He isn’t finished yet as we are leaving tomorrow, Friday, for La Paz and he will finish it when we get back. Actually we are hoping to stop in Loreto, if we can get a hold of Robert and Kristi, to stay at their home overnight. They invited us to stop on our way to La Paz. We have no idea how long it is going to take us to get to La Paz as we heard the road was damaged. Our boat broker said there have been people traveling from the northern part of the state and coming down so there are probably detours. We will see firsthand tomorrow. We are a little nervous going to see the boat and we really don’t know what we will find, but hopefully if all accounts are true from the insurance guy and the broker, there is minimal damage. Dave has packed as many tools as he thinks we will need if something needs fixing.
We had been trying to get a hold of Robert and Kristi all morning but they don’t answer their phones. We just wanted to give them a heads up we were on our way. For the most part the road was in good shape and there wasn’t a lot of traffic. We arrived in Loreto around 12:30-1:00pm and found Kristi and Robert at home. They had just gotten there around noon so they had been running around trying to get water to the house. There was a Mexican man working on it when we arrived. Kristi was a bit on the frazzled side as she was wondering what they were going to do if they couldn’t get water. I told her we could go to a hotel to make things easier and she said no-----the water will be fixed. Then we found out why they weren’t answering their phones. No phone or internet service. Kristi likes being ‘connected’ so she wasn’t happy about not having internet or phone. While we were there she called the phone and internet offices and it will take a couple days for them to get the service up and running. The water was running to the house shortly after we arrived but there needed to be more work done on it so the man was going to come back tomorrow morning. At least they had water which was a good thing. We had cocktails and snacks then they took us to a Taco stand in town and paid for dinner. That was a nice surprise. After dinner we drove around town checking it out and most of the debris had been cleaned up and things looked good. Kristi and Robert had a little damage to their house but nothing major. We all retired early as we were road weary.
Next morning we were up at 6:00pm and it was still dark outside. We don’t like driving in the dark on the Mexican roads especially when they have been torn up, so we decided to wait until after 7:00am when there was a little more light to travel by. We said goodbye to Kristi and Robert and we will see them when we return to Bahia as they will still be in Loreto.
We had to wait an hour once we got out of Loreto as road construction was going on. This wasn’t due to the hurricane they had started it way before that. We had to wait the last time we traveled to La Paz. After we got through there were spots in the road that had been filled in due to the water runoff, but nothing major. The closer we got to La Paz the more road construction there was but that also was a planned project. We got to the marina and went down to check out the boat. It was very hot and humid! We noticed the bimini had ripped in half and one of the bows that helps secure the bimini to the boat was gone. It must have blown away when the bimini let loose. The guys got the head sail down, and the side screens to the cockpit enclosure, and had started to work on the bimini when a huge gust came up and took it out of their hands. They waited too long to prepare our boat. We had been tracking the hurricane and wrote to the broker on Tuesday, the 9th of September, knowing Odile was headed for La Paz, and asked them to take the head sail, screens to the cockpit, bimini, BBQ, and dinghy engine off. Plus Dave gave explicit instructions on tying the lines taking them from a cleat on one side of the boat, crossing over the solar panels and hard dodger and connecting to a cleat on the other side of the boat, using 2 lines so there is an X on the top of the solar panels that are on the hard dodger. We had prepared for hurricane Jimana in 2009 so we knew what had to be done. Well, like I said------they waited too long and the hurricane hit on Saturday, the 20th and they were rushing around trying to get all the stuff off the boat and down below and secure. Needless to say we are not happy with their performance and it looks as though our broker isn’t getting his commission paid!!!! We did have a large scuff mark on the port (left) side of the boat where the paint had been worn off due to it rubbing on the dock.
One good thing is we do have all the side screens with the new zippers that were replaced last summer, so we are saving them and when we have a cockpit enclosure made they can possibly be used. We do have to have a bow (the one that blew away from the bimini) made and hopefully that won’t cost a lot. We have to wait until Monday to see the broker and find out who does canvas and painting work and get some estimates and then send those to the insurance company.
We worked out in the hot humid weather fixing the hard dodger shortly after arriving on the boat, as the wind had lifted it out of the holders. It was a struggle to get it repositioned as the hard dodger had been torked a bit, but we managed to get it all put together. Dave was afraid that if there was any kind of strong wind, and we didn’t fix it it could lift the hard dodger and we would lose that and the solar panels!! So that was the number one priority! The next thing we had to do was hook up electricity. Now we can run the air conditioner. But WAIT!!! There is no water coming to the unit! WHAT???? The inside of the boat was 97 degrees and muggy and it wasn’t showing any signs of cooling down!!! We said we would sleep outside in the cockpit but then thunder clouds were building and it started to sprinkle. We didn’t do anything with closing hatches as we figured it wouldn’t amount to much. As it turned out it didn’t rain and we did sleep outside for a while. Then my back couldn’t take it anymore so I told Dave I was going down below. We had the fans running and it had cooled down a little. Dave joined me and even though we didn’t sleep all night we at least got some rest.
Dave finally figured out there was an air bubble in the line so once that was cleared we had AC. Yay!!!! Then he started messing with the interface and inverter readings trying to get the batteries to quit charging and go from accept to float. There was a big problem. He couldn’t get them to float. He did some trouble shooting and we added water to the house batteries (4 large ones) and checked the start battery (small like a car battery) which was fine. Dave noticed the house batteries were really hot to touch and a wire had been corroded and a new connector needs to be replaced. That wasn’t good because when batteries get too hot they don’t work and with the connector being corroded the proper amount of current isn’t getting back to the electrical panel on the boat. With much testing and trial and error, he couldn’t bring the temperature down in the batteries. He did hydro them to see if they were good and they read no. Uh oh!!!! Dave replaced the connector which helped but didn’t solve the problem. It is so frustrating right now to think we may have to replace 4 batteries at $135 a battery plus the I.V.A. tax Mexico charges, which ends up being around $600. The paint being scrapped off the hull and battery acid leaking from the house batteries which caused damage to the terminal on a battery, was all due to the boat being heeled over 40 degrees for several hours. It is so discouraging for us right now as our money is being depleted to take care of the things we have to in order to sell the boat. With that said-----I still believe she will sell and this all will be a mute point. Dave has done all he can do and hopes with the air conditioner running and the weather starting to cool down we might still have some success with the batteries.
We got very over heated while we were working outside so we took a break and went to a restaurant and ate lunch then went to Walmart to get dinner fixings for a couple nights, along with Gatorade, water and a couple other things. Then we came back to the boat. We drank both our Gatorades and stood in the shade to enjoy the cool breeze. Then I went and took a shower to get all the sweat off and of course not long after I got down to the boat I was sweating again.
The morning brought sunny skies but still hot and humid. It is going to take a while for all the dampness to go away. Since it is Monday we had some running around to do. First stop was to the brokers’ office, but he wasn’t in. We asked Cindy, the gal that runs the office, if there was anyone we could contact for canvas work. She gave us a couple phone numbers to call. She said that Danny, who was the first number on the list, just finished Shelly’s boat and it looks good. Shelly is the other broker in the office. Cindy told us where Shelly’s boat was so we said we would take a look. The next stop was to the boat yard where we had the hull waxed and the bottom painted. We asked Alejandro if he could come to the boat and give us an estimate on painting the scuff mark on the side of the boat. He said he would come out at around 4:00pm. Then we walked to the San Jose Marina next door to the boat yard looking for Shelly’s boat but couldn’t find it. Eventually we gave up!!! It was way too hot to be walking all over the place. We walked back to the jeep and headed for Lopez Marine to price some items for the boat. We got the price for batteries and dock lines as we will need to replace the ones we have on the boat. They were getting a bit worn before the storm. We left there with $$$$ signs dancing in our heads and went back to the marina.
We got the head sail from down below where it was stowed, out on deck and then carried it off the boat to a grocery cart that was at the marina, and rolled it to the big area by the office. We unrolled and inspected it for rips or tears and it was in great shape. It was surprisingly clean so we were satisfied. We rolled the sail up and took it back to the boat and put it in a sail bag to stow it until we can get it attached to the boat. We put all the screens for the cockpit into a bag as well to keep things neat and tidy.
The next morning I cleaned and polished the stainless steel stantions that support the front of the hard dodger as they were a bit rusted. Then I took all the seat cushions and other things off the boat that would get in the way of washing out the cockpit and put it all on the dock. Then I proceeded to rinse and scrub the seat cushions and set them aside to dry while I got back on the boat and rinsed the cockpit and washed the top part of the boat that was hard to clean when the windshield was in place. When everything was dry I put the seat cushions back on the boat and left some things on the dock for now. Because the sun is so hot Dave thought it would be a good idea to put up the side screens on each side of the cockpit to give us a little shade. So that was done and now it was starting to feel like home again. Here are pictures of what the boat looks like now.
We were so very lucky to not have more damage than we did. God was definitely looking out for us! I had read and saw pictures of what Odile did to La Paz and found us to be very, very lucky. There are still a few boats out in the magoata (body of water just out from the malécon) that are belly up and/or stranded on the other shore side of the magoata. Sad to see so many boats damaged and sunk. A couple people were on their boats when the storm hit and for whatever reason were drowned. One of the guys that died was the last person to show our boat to a couple driving around Mexico shopping for one. I sure hope that couple checks back about our boat if they are still interested.
The next thing on my list is to vacuum under the deck plates as cob webs, hair and dust collect. Since that job is finished I now have laundry to do. I brought laundry from the house so I washed those items and the clothes we had used since we have been on the boat.
Alejandro didn’t show up at 4:00pm as promised. We do remember we are in Mexico and so the time they give you isn’t necessarily the time they will show. A lot of the time it is much later or the next day. We figured when it got dark he wasn’t coming so the next morning Dave called the office and they said he had to go to Cabo. So Dave went in search to find someone else. We are trying to get quotes of repairs so we can turn it into the insurance company. Dave did find someone here at the marina and it turned out to be Alejandro’s brother. He hauls boats and paints them for the Fonatur Marina. He came down to look at the boat and then wrote a quote. It is interesting to find out that no one in Mexico is allowed to paint their boat while it is in the water. If there is any painting to be done the boat has to be hauled out of the water and then painted. That costs a bunch of money but if the insurance will pay-----no worries. Dave got a hold of Danny, the canvas guy, and he said he would be down to the boat around 7:00pm. We got a call from him around that time and he changed it to 7:30am. So we will see him tomorrow.
We have a Bahia couple that has their boat for sale down at this marina and we were in contact with them telling them what we saw on their boat from the dock. They asked us to take pictures so I did but I couldn’t get on their boat without written permission from them to the office. Once that was taken care of, Dave and I went aboard and checked the inside out and it is dry as a bone. Their bimini also ripped down the middle and got wrapped in the frame of the bimini. They lost a TV antenna and one of the radio antennas came loose. But all in all there wasn’t a lot of damage to the boat. So once we got all the pictures sent, they at least know what to expect when they get down here.
Dave called Alejandro today and made an appointment for him to come to the boat this afternoon around 4. Dave pressure washed the cockpit floor as the paint is coming up. I washed it with the hose yesterday but the paint flecks are still coming up. At least with the pressure washer it will get up more of the loose paint. Now that it is dry I will vacuum the cockpit as a lot of paint flecks blew all over the place and then I will start to tape along the edges of where Dave will paint. Oh yeah----we aren’t suppose to paint remember???? But we will do that when the office and workers are gone. We aren’t going to pay someone to do it when we can do it ourselves. So there!!!!
The taping is done so now we can paint but not until tomorrow. We have a dinner date tomorrow night with John and Sandy Eltrich. They were the second ones to leave Brownsville Marina and go cruising. Then we left 4 years after they had. We have known each other for a long time as my youngest son played soccer with their youngest son in school. Small world!! They have settled here in La Paz on their boat but now are house sitting. We got in contact with them and mentioned we would like to get together. It will be good to see them and catch up.
We had a wonderful time with John and Sandy. There is a pool where they are house sitting so we were in it before dinner. It was nice and warm due to all the hot weather. Sandy made a delicious lasagna with salad. It was good to see them again and catch up with what family is doing.
Things are cooling down weather wise and battery wise too. We have been floating now with the batteries for a couple days and the batteries are much, much cooler. They still hydro not good, but if we can stretch them out for a while that would be good. Hooray!!
There has been so much moisture in the air that the air conditioners have been running a lot and I am collecting water from the trays about 3 or 4 times a day. Not fun but it has to be done. The one air conditioner that is under the settee has a hose hooked up to the tray so the water will drain into the sump pump however; it isn’t doing the job so we might have a clog. I decided to clean the sump pump thinking there might be something that got stuck in the hose from that end. I took the hose which is attached to the sump pump off and cleaned inside the end and then blew through the hose to hopefully unclog anything that might be restricting the flow of water. It seemed to be clear. I proceeded to clean the other hose ends that connect from the sink to the sump pump with a tooth brush and ran water to help move anything that might be restricting the flow of water there. Everything seems fine and the hose to the air conditioning tray is draining!!!! We have success!!! I put everything back together and we haven’t had any problems since. Not the same with the other air conditioner under the aft bed. Dave couldn’t get a hose hooked up so if the pan over flows it goes into the bilge. We don’t like that because the water sits and gets stagnant and when the boat is closed up for a while it doesn’t smell so good. So we just keep an eye on things and even though it is a pain in the back to do that (I use a turkey baster to suck the water out into a bowl) and it takes a long time.
This morning after breakfast I got the lucky job of going up the mast. Well maybe I WAS lucky as Dave had to haul me up there. Heheheheh! We had tied string across the spreaders while we were in Santo Rosalia to keep the birds off them but when hurricane Odile blew through, the string broke and the remnants were still tied on the turnbuckles. So my job was to go up and get all the string remnants off. It was hot and humid with little breeze and Dave was sweating it out down below cranking me up the mast and I was sweating just sitting in the harness being raised up the mast. The job got done and when we were through we took a rest and had some Gatorade!!! Once we caught our breath and everything was put away and back to normal, we went to Kmart to get a bottle of wine for tonight at John and Sandy’s place and then went down to the brokers’ office to pay money for the guys that wash and dive the boat to clean it. We will have to come back in December to pay more but I’m hoping the boat will be sold by then!!!!! I will never give up hope!!!!! We stopped at the boat yard to look for Alejandro but he wasn’t there. He never showed up last night but he is extremely busy traveling to Cabo salvaging million dollar boats that were damaged in the hurricane. So we are like chump change to him. We are the low people on the totem pole. So if he doesn’t show up today, we will just send in the estimates we have to the insurance company and then wait to see what they say. All that is left to do on the boat is paint the cockpit floor, and put up the head sail.
We are hoping to be leaving in the next day or two. I will vacuum inside and clean the bathroom and do a load of laundry then we’ll close her up for another couple months. At least the weather is much cooler and the humidity is going down.
Luckily the large tour boat that is on the other side of the dock from us went out for the day and there wasn’t anyone else at the marina so we took that opportunity to paint. The color matches the deck color which when dry looks nice. The paint is called ‘Seattle Gray’ so it is a light gray color. The color that was painted in the cockpit was a darker gray. I think when we have the boat hauled out of the water to get the side painted we will paint over the dark areas with the light gray color. While the paint was drying we went to Walmart to get a few items. When we got back Dave went down below and noticed the air conditioners were not running and with some investigating noticed the main B bus breaker switched was off. Then I heard Dave yell for me to turn the power off on the electrical pedestal on the dock. Because the main bus switch was off Dave turned it back on and there were a few arks and sparks so that is why he needed it off. Upon further examination he found there were about 3 wires that had gotten hot enough to melt the outer covering on the wires. Not good at all. They somehow shorted out. Dave took the junction box out which houses the A & B breaker switches, located inside the large aft guest cabin, and like everything else on the boat, when things were installed they didn’t leave hardly any wiggle room. So Dave now has to cut away the burned wire and re-crimp wires together but there wasn’t enough of the existing wires to do that. So he would have to go to Lopez Marine and get wire and some electrical connectors so he can do the job. He did call our friend John to see if he had the necessary wire and parts. Fortunately for us he did so Dave got to skip going to the marine store. When Dave returned from seeing John, he did his electrical repairs and all systems are working now. The way it looks is that this problem had been brewing ever since we had the boat. Thank goodness we were somewhere we could get parts and fix it. God IS good!!!! Because of this we weren’t sure we were going to be able to leave on Sunday but it all worked out.
We never did see Alejandro about getting his quote for painting the hull, so we decided to go ahead and send in the quotes we have. We can’t wait any longer as it is costing us money for water and electricity in addition to moorage.
We are leaving La Paz on Sunday and will stop in Loreto to see our friends again, and then be home on Monday. Yay!!!!
It is time to go home. We had contacted Kristi and Robert to tell them we were coming so they were expecting us. Sunday there is hardly any traffic but like Sundays in the States there are still Sunday drivers!!!!! When we arrived in Loreto we called Kristi and Robert on their home and cell phones but didn’t get an answer. We went to the house and no one was home. We figured they had gone fishing. As we drove back down to the malécon Dave spotted Roberts boat. They were pulling it out of the water on the trailer. So we parked and Dave went down to let them know we were here. They took their neighbors out snorkeling and fishing. We all headed back to the house. We met their neighbors and chatted for a while then they went home and we got cleaned up and went to dinner at a restaurant that serves stuffed clams on Saturday and Sundays only. They are really good. They have cheese and all kinds of good stuff in the shell and they are put in tin foil and cooked in a oven with hot coals. Nummmm!!! After dinner we went back to the house. We watched some T.V. then Robert and Kristi went to bed and Dave and I stayed up a little longer to watch a new show we hadn’t seen yet. I couldn’t make it past 10:00pm so I gave it up and went to bed. Dave stayed up long enough to watch the beginning of ‘The Good Wife’ then turned it off and headed to bed.
We had some fruit and yogurt for breakfast and Kristi gave us some breakfast bars to munch on the way. We said goodbye and then headed for home. We got home around 3 or so. We opened up the windows and skylights to get air flow thru the house and then started bringing our stuff up from the car. We aren’t planning on going anywhere for a while!!!!
Dave finished filling in the ground in the front yard where the rain eroded the soil away. This was a project he had started before we left. There were a couple smaller areas in the back he covered so now we are good.
While we were in La Paz we got an email from our neighbor saying our road behind our house was fixed so now we don’t have to travel via the run way anymore. This is a good thing.
I finally drove into town 4 days after we got home to get groceries. Usually I go in on Saturday but we needed to get food and gas. I got into town and dumped my garbage, went to Isla store and spent more money there than I wanted. Then fueled up the truck and a jerry can, went to Enrique’s store and got items that Isla didn’t have and then went to get my drinking 5 gallon water bottles filled but they were out. So I had to go back to Isla and get the water there. Then I stopped at Xilali to see if they had the items I needed and couldn’t get at the other 2 stores, then my last stop was at the craft store to buy some felt. I was successful in most of my shopping but I noticed there isn’t the number of fresh produce like they had before. The stores are still trying to get their supplies built up after the hurricane. I’m hoping I will have better luck next week.
There have been racers pre-running up and down our main dirt road behind our homes for the Baja 1000 race on November 12. When I went to town on Friday the road wasn’t too bad. There have been more pre-runners since so the road will be interesting come Saturday.
The girls had their first Train game on Tuesday and there were 13 of us. It is always good to see the gals again after being away for the summer.
We are holding our Art and Craft show in November this year. We thought we would try it at this time of year and see if we get any more sales. Usually it is in the spring around Easter. I have all kinds of things to sell this time around. I have my wine cork angel ornaments, shell and other ornaments I have made, bracelets, beach glass pendants, rock and shell critters, and shell wall hangings. So we will see how well I do this year. Since I have a variety of things I might do well. We shall see. We had a meeting the other day and I will be helping with the opening reception if they need it, and getting the luncheon organized for the end of the show.
We heard from the insurance company and we will be getting money to cover the cost of painting the side of the boat with haul out and getting all new canvas and a windshield for the dodger, plus new batteries and a cover for the outboard engine for the dinghy. That was very good news! Now we wait for the money to get into our bank account and then start arranging for work to be done. That means another trip to La Paz. Depending on when it is, Dave may have to go by himself as I am in the Art show starting November 15 and it runs to the 24th. I would like to go with him so I am hoping no one can do anything until after the 24th of November.
The whale sharks are abundant in the bay. I have heard reports, from those who have been out on their boats, they see more than just 2 or 3 at a time. That is awesome!! It is still in the 80’s here and the water is still warm so they are hanging around. So are those pesky no see ums!!!! It is still humid to some degree but it is getting better and it is cool at night which helps for sleeping. Because of stagnant water from the hurricane, there have been more mosquitoes and there have been reports of people contacting Dengue Fever in La Paz and Loreto. There hasn’t been any reports here of anyone with it so far. Everyone is trying to stay indoors at night and early in the morning to lessen the bites. There doesn’t seem to be much stagnant water in town or out our way which is good.
After we got home from La Paz I vacuumed my art room and I was disappointed to see that the straw wreath I made months ago was growing mold. I had it lying on the rug and when the hurricane came it got so humid that everything got damp. So with the wreath laying on the rug and not having air flow underneath it, it started mildewing. Bummer. I bought sealant when I was in Washington intending to spray the wreath when I got home. What I ended up doing was putting it out to dry in the sun for several days then sprayed the sealant on. The mold is not growing anymore but there is evidence it was there. I am now trying to figure out how I can cover the straw and then I will just keep it for myself instead of trying to sell it. I have one more of those wreaths so I will, this time, seal it first then work with it. Well it is a learning experience as I haven’t worked with wreaths before. I think I will like working with the plastic ones better. Ha!!!
Our good Bahia friends are having their annual Halloween Party the 31st. I made a cake in honor of Dave’s birthday but sliced off enough so we could have his birthday cake for a couple days. Usually there isn’t any left over to take home so I figured this year I would just keep some for just us. As it turned out, there wasn’t any cake left to take home so I am glad I did what I did. Dave was some type of ghoul and I was a clown. We had fun dressing up and the party was a lot of fun too.
A nice way to end October wouldn’t you say?????
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