Back in San Carlos

Hola,

We’re back in San Carlos doing some sailing, working on boats and enjoying Mexico. We arrived a few weeks ago and quickly moved Solera into the work yard. It took six days to get her ready to launch due to a few routine maintenance tasks and a two day break to crew for Oscar in the 40th annual Tucson Sailing Club Fall Regatta.

We sailed Bombay, his Pearson 34 to a second place finish in Spinnaker Class. Sounds impressive but there were only two boats racing with spinnakers! However, we were the fourth boat across the line both days and very close behind the other boat in our class… this was Oscar’s best result so far. The course was unusual and interesting this year. We raced from just off Posada beach in San Carlos to a finish near the waterfront in downtown Guaymas. The route took us across San Francisco bay and around two capes, Cabo Arco and Cabo Haro, then to a tricky beat up into Guaymas Harbor. One of our tacks had us sailing 50 feet off the stern of a docked Mexican Navy warship. We were glad we got smiles and waves from the crew instead of drawn weapons. The total course distance was about 14 miles each day. The winds were so strong on Sunday that only about 10 of the original 17 boats raced back. Oscar has always said that Bombay would do well if she got some stronger wind and it proved to be true. Saturday’s wind peaked in the low 20’s and Sundays in the upper 20’s.

The following weekend Cyn and I decided to check out the Dia de los Muretos celebration in Guaymas. In our over 35 years of traveling in Mexico, we’ve never been to a Day of the Dead Celebration. It was a really interesting cultural experience. Several blocks of the city center were closed to traffic and decorated with giant skeleton sculptures and other works by local artists. Nearly everyone was paying respects to dead relatives in one way or another. Most were wearing face paint or masks and dressed as a favorite deceased family member. Many set up elaborate displays with pictures and artifacts related to their family’s history. Children read aloud long narratives that traced back their ancestry. There was food, concerts, plays, and crafts but the whole event was subdued and respectful, very different from the other boisterous Mexican celebrations.

Tom and Sara came down and spent a week sailing and hanging out in San Carlos. We found them a casita pretty close to the marina for $175 per week. It was a really nice place with a swimming pool right out the door. Solera had a few issues during their visit though. First the alternator died. Not a big problem since I had a spare. So, after a little work we were able to go out for a perfect afternoon sail on the bay. Then, on an overnight trip up to San Pedro Bay we had transmission problems that left us engineless. I won’t go into detail but we sailed back the next day to within a hundred yards of our mooring before dropping anchor. We stayed off the rocks at the narrow entrance to the bay largely from short tacking and wind reading skills learned at Pueblo Reservoir. Sara said she was impressed.

Cyn and I went for a sail a couple of days later to test the repaired transmission ( fixed it myself for $30). It seems to be ok. We‘ll see how it does over the next week or two. We don’t have any plans for long distance cruising this trip, just a few overnighters up the coast.

Oscar recently tweaked his shoulder pulling a forestay up to the masthead on a rigging project. He literally could use a right-hand-man for a few days so I volunteered. So far we have done two furler installations, a rig inspection, two rig tunes, and an antenna installation. I’m the one who goes aloft, often over 60 feet on the bigger boats. It’s enjoyable and interesting work. Plus, it’s a good way to supplement the retirement income.

Till next time,

Ric & Cyn