Finally, parts for the whisker pole arrived!
After I get all these holes drilled and tapped, I will remove the screws, remove the track and I will add some sikaflex between the mast and track. Then attach the track again with screws dipped in anti-corrosive material. AND REPEAT for the second track! But that is tomorrow! Goodnight!
So, the package is still in transit which means waiting once again. Sarantium is now in Fonotur Marina for a few more days. Here, I have met many waiting for parts and getting their boats ready. You’d be surprised to know that there are 6 people (three boats) from Nanaimo, here. Penny and Franz (previous owners of “Penny’s Palapa”) are here getting their boat “winterized” for the summer. As well, friends of friends, on S/V Feel Free invited us for coffee yesterday. They have spent 30+ years circumnavigating and living in various places around the globe and are now getting ready to head home to Nanaimo. Small world!
That time has come!
🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼
Wrapping fruit and veggies in newspapers……
….topping up cans and lashing it to the boat…
Last packages should arrive tomorrow!!! If not, Sarantium waits in the bay for one more week!!!
Adrian: “What is that smell?” Diane: “Have you never slaughtered a cow?”
A bunch of us from the Guaymas Seca Marina grabbed a taxi to go to “Hair of the Dog” in San Carlos for drinks! A local band played some good tunes all night and Cola from S/V Ragamuffin, brought his saxofon and joined the fun on stage! AND could he play!!!!
And more good news, ALL packages is supposedly getting delivered to Tucson tomorrow, fingers crossed, ALL will be in my hands on Saturday! Today, I will go back to the El Capitan de Puerto!
It has been a great stop here in Guaymas. Connections have been made with Alicja (originally from Poland, but calls Haida Gwaii her home on her S/V Ragamuffin. She sails with Cola from France who also calls Haida Gwaii his home! I have also met Adam and Caitie from Orcas Island who sails on S/V Moxie (a beautiful fero-cement Ingrid 38) which they are in the process of trading in for a tri-maran! Dianne and Dave next door are on land for the season fixing up their S/V Ricky T, hailing from Qualicum Bay!
I “re-bought” the parts from Vela Sailing Supplies. Part of the new order has been sent, and part is coming from their warehouse. After a long conversation with their staff, I learned that they have 5 packages sitting at the boarder waiting for clearance, some have already been sent back to Vela, so I am hopeful to get my money back from the first shipping. So, fingers crossed I will have what is needed within 10 days and Sarantium sails again!
So, today I started the process of getting “checked out” of Mexico. I arrived to the El Capitan De Puerto downtown Guaymas. After explaining to them, in my broken Spanish, what my errand was they scrambled to find someone to translate for the head port’s captain. They told me that their tallest and most intelligent staff member was on his way to help. They called him Bob, however his real name was Beto. He scanned all my documents and sent it to their head office explaining that I was leaving Mexico and heading to French Polynesia and onward west. They are not used to checking out of the country here in Guaymas as most people do so from PV, Mazatlan or La Paz. They were also a bit shocked to learn I was going to sail in my small boat all that way and couldn’t understsand why I would not just go through the Panama Canal, showing me with their fingers and hands how close Europe was by going through the canal comparatively to around the globe…. I said “Yeah, but I’m on vacation!” They just laughed and shook their heads and said “We will call you tomorrow!”
I will also start gathering the last bit of fresh food. The temperature here is rising, so fruit and vegetables are not lasting very long anymore!
Sailing from Guaymas, Mexico will most likely add another 5-6 days to reaching the trade winds from here. So, my estimation of reaching Marquesas from here, will be about 30 days. Deadlines are deadly, however, I am hoping to be swimming and sharing a glass of Ruhm with Amphitrite, on my birthday, at the Equator!!!
I’m still waiting and making work for myself!
Got a message that my passport was ready for pick up, so I jumped on a flight to Mexico City and spent the night close to the airport. I woke up the next morning and decided to walk most of the way to the Swedish Embassy. It turned out to be a 4 hour walk. I wandered through the meat and cheese district just as they were receiving the carcasses and it was time for slicing and selling! Quite the experience!
I grabbed my passport and jumped in an uber and caught a flight back to Guaymas!
My package from Vela Sailing supplies is still sitting on the border. And after talking to many here with similar experience, I have decided to ask the shipper to pull back the shipment. They will resend it to a contact in Tucson who runs “stuff” to sailors here in Guaymas and San Carlos. She pays the customs and knows the border guards quite well So, “smooth sailing”! Hopefully…
In the meantime, I wait here…
What to do? Let’s look at the filters… I really should clean the boat as it’s full of reddish brown dust! But that’s boring! I’ll change the fuel filters!
Sailaway Sarantium 