11/20/09

Hola,

“It’s not a vacation. It’s a lifestyle.” That’s what we were saying a few weeks back after more than our share of setbacks. The last major problem being the diesel. We lost compression in one cylinder due to a broken exhaust valve. The diagnosis was corrosion caused by condensation in the cylinder head. The real problem was the fact that the engine had not been run often enough. Local mechanic Omar did a fine job repairing the cylinder head. Amazingly he had all the work done in less than a week. That included having the parts shipped and the machine shop work. I bet it would have taken much longer in the US and the labor cost would have been double. Solera’s Yanmar now has all new valves, guides and seals.

I worked with Oscar off and on for about three weeks . He has been unusually busy lately with his rigging business and needed the help. Since Solera was out of commission the timing was good. I worked on about fifteen different sailboats and learned quite a bit in the process. I’m now experienced in installing compression wire fittings for standing rigging. Also installed a couple of head sail furlers. It’s really enjoyable work. Another plus, I was able to pay for most of the diesel repair with the earnings.

Cyn and I took a side trip up into the Sierra Madre Mountains to a Spanish Colonial town called Alamos. The historic silver mining town was established in 1687 and is not far from Copper Canyon. In the eighteenth century Alamos was Mexico’s most active mining town producing over one million dollars worth of silver every six months. Walking the streets is like stepping back in time. Not much has changed in Alamos in almost three hundred years. Recently the government placed it on a historic landmark list to protect the character of the town.

The day after we got back to San Carlos, we were at Barracuda Bob’s in the morning having coffee when Cyn said” There goes Solstice!” The boat was being moved to the launching crane. Pretty amazing that the boat came through the hurricane Jemena ordeal and was being launched already. She looks surprisingly good and according to Henry, her new owner, sails as good as ever.

Our trip to Baja had to be put off due to a three day Norther and our need to get back to Colorado. We did have time for a couple of day sails and a three day trip up to San Pedro Bay. I’m pleased to report that Solera performed flawlessly! I found it interesting how she took on a whole new personality once we finally untied her from the mooring lines. You get so used to her just sitting there that the feel of the boat under sail is dramatic. We had very good conditions and were able to get to know the boat’s characteristics much better. I fine tuned the rigging and experimented with her pointing ability. Solera goes to weather quite well.

While at San Pedro we were visited by a friendly trawler captain named Steve who had just been fishing from his dinghy. He had caught more than he could eat so he gave us a nice ten pound Yellow Fin. We had a delicious grilled tuna dinner and put the rest on the cold plate to keep it fresh. I weaved a rope mat and gave it to Steve in appreciation. Later we shared it with Oscar and Pilar. I hiked to the top of San Pedro Point and took some nice pictures of the coastline. The next morning we went dinghy exploring and found a deep sea cave with a beach at the back. Thankfully we were able get a small taste of what we hope to be doing regularly now that Solera is sorted out.

Adios & Hasta Luego