Week Ending May 9, 2008
Running out of Fuel, Root Canal and La Paz
As per our last update, we had planned to meander up the coast stopping at remote anchorages until La Paz. As with all sailing trips the plan, was simply a guideline and it got changed.
That night we had our first taste of what is known as “Coromuel” winds which happen almost nightly in this area. After sundown the wind whipped up to about 25 knots and howled all night. We were securely anchored (with Peter checking about 3 times during the night). The wind was great for keeping the cabin cool and comfortable. In the morning, we sailed off the anchor with a steady breeze and sailed out of the anchorage. Once out in the sea, the wind was directly on our nose, so we tacked back and forth for over 6 hours covering a measly 6 miles. We finally made it to the entrance of the 5-mile La Paz channel and called in to arrange for fuel at the marina. Funnily, enough they advised that they were out of diesel!
Now I was starting to get nervous, but Peter still had the smile on his face. Luckily the wind was in our favour, so we were able to sail the long, narrow channel all the way up until we reached the anchorage. Once securely anchored, Peter headed off in the dinghy to another marina and filled up two 20-litre tanks. The anchorage here is in an ideal location within walking distance to town. The anchorage is famous for what is known as the La Paz waltz, which is the dance that anchored boats do when the 3-knot tidal current flows in and out, while the wind blows in the opposite direction. Although very common here, it is still odd to see boats with their anchor lines coming straight back along the bow of the boat rather than taut straight out.
Just when we were thrilled that we made it safe and sound, Peter developed a severe pain in his face. By Saturday morning, he was in agony so I DRAGGED him to a dentist. Being a Saturday of their long weekend, we were at a bit of a disadvantage, but after getting some fellow cruiser referrals, we located an English-speaking Dentist who saw Peter immediately and determined he was, indeed in need of a root canal. The Dentist drilled open the tooth and relieved the pain immediately, then Peter took antibiotics to get rid of the infection and went back for a couple more appointments to complete the root canal and get the crown. Peter says the experience was much easier than he thought, it was 1/3 of the price of having the work done in Canada, and it was highly modern. It’s no wonder many Canadians actually choose to come to Mexico to have complicated dental work done and enjoy a holiday at the same time, all for less than doing it in Canada. During this week, I also went to an acupuncturist every day as I’m getting impatient for my knee to heal completely (which it pretty well has). Swimming and going to Yoga every morning at the marina has also helped!
In between Dentists/acupuncturists, we found lots of time to explore La Paz, which is so far our favourite city in Mexico. It is a colonial and authentic Mexican city of about 200,000 people. There are very few tourists and it is an oddity to see another American or Canadian in the town. We love the people here, the food, the scenery and the laid-back atmosphere. We are slowly learning more Spanish and enjoy conversing with the locals – with lots of laughs and hand signals along the way.
While we were in La Paz, Kylie turned 20 in Australia. We celebrated onboard for her with balloons and piñatas, and we will celebrate in person when she comes out for a long visit in August with us. We miss her so much and just don’t know where she gets the “wanderlust” from!
Happy Mother’s Day to all the special Mom’s out there…especially Peter’s Mom, who has been a terrific Mom, and an extra-ordinary Grandmother and to Liz, who is anything but a wicked step-mother and who has become a special friend over the years to Peter and I and the kids. We are so lucky to have both of you in our lives. To my Mom, and mentor, who is no longer with us, but who lives on in spirit and in my heart. Thanks Mom for always encouraging the seemingly impossible…. you’d get a kick out of our ocean hippie life right now!
Until next week….. be grateful everyday
Running out of Fuel, Root Canal and La Paz
As per our last update, we had planned to meander up the coast stopping at remote anchorages until La Paz. As with all sailing trips the plan, was simply a guideline and it got changed.
We left bright and early from the Bay of Dreams motoring, as there was no wind once again. In addition to running the engine, we were also running the generator (to charge the batteries) since we were still having alternator issues. The Hobbs meter (which reads the fuel gauge) was not working either. After approximately 4 hours of motor sailing, all of a sudden both the generator and the engine stopped. We had run out of fuel! Turns out we had used much more fuel than anticipated on the crossing of the Sea where we had to motor the entire time.
I was a little freaked at this situation, especially in light winds, however Peter seemed to be in his glory. “This is the way they used to sail in the old days” he said with a huge smile on his face. We were able to sail pretty close to an anchorage a few hours later, however, the wind died completely and we were very close to shore as we were almost at the entrance to the anchorage. Peter then jury-rigged the fuel so that we had enough to start up the engine and make it in to the Balandra Cove anchorage to anchor for the evening.
I was a little freaked at this situation, especially in light winds, however Peter seemed to be in his glory. “This is the way they used to sail in the old days” he said with a huge smile on his face. We were able to sail pretty close to an anchorage a few hours later, however, the wind died completely and we were very close to shore as we were almost at the entrance to the anchorage. Peter then jury-rigged the fuel so that we had enough to start up the engine and make it in to the Balandra Cove anchorage to anchor for the evening.
That night we had our first taste of what is known as “Coromuel” winds which happen almost nightly in this area. After sundown the wind whipped up to about 25 knots and howled all night. We were securely anchored (with Peter checking about 3 times during the night). The wind was great for keeping the cabin cool and comfortable. In the morning, we sailed off the anchor with a steady breeze and sailed out of the anchorage. Once out in the sea, the wind was directly on our nose, so we tacked back and forth for over 6 hours covering a measly 6 miles. We finally made it to the entrance of the 5-mile La Paz channel and called in to arrange for fuel at the marina. Funnily, enough they advised that they were out of diesel!
Now I was starting to get nervous, but Peter still had the smile on his face. Luckily the wind was in our favour, so we were able to sail the long, narrow channel all the way up until we reached the anchorage. Once securely anchored, Peter headed off in the dinghy to another marina and filled up two 20-litre tanks. The anchorage here is in an ideal location within walking distance to town. The anchorage is famous for what is known as the La Paz waltz, which is the dance that anchored boats do when the 3-knot tidal current flows in and out, while the wind blows in the opposite direction. Although very common here, it is still odd to see boats with their anchor lines coming straight back along the bow of the boat rather than taut straight out.
Just when we were thrilled that we made it safe and sound, Peter developed a severe pain in his face. By Saturday morning, he was in agony so I DRAGGED him to a dentist. Being a Saturday of their long weekend, we were at a bit of a disadvantage, but after getting some fellow cruiser referrals, we located an English-speaking Dentist who saw Peter immediately and determined he was, indeed in need of a root canal. The Dentist drilled open the tooth and relieved the pain immediately, then Peter took antibiotics to get rid of the infection and went back for a couple more appointments to complete the root canal and get the crown. Peter says the experience was much easier than he thought, it was 1/3 of the price of having the work done in Canada, and it was highly modern. It’s no wonder many Canadians actually choose to come to Mexico to have complicated dental work done and enjoy a holiday at the same time, all for less than doing it in Canada. During this week, I also went to an acupuncturist every day as I’m getting impatient for my knee to heal completely (which it pretty well has). Swimming and going to Yoga every morning at the marina has also helped!
In between Dentists/acupuncturists, we found lots of time to explore La Paz, which is so far our favourite city in Mexico. It is a colonial and authentic Mexican city of about 200,000 people. There are very few tourists and it is an oddity to see another American or Canadian in the town. We love the people here, the food, the scenery and the laid-back atmosphere. We are slowly learning more Spanish and enjoy conversing with the locals – with lots of laughs and hand signals along the way.
While we were in La Paz, Kylie turned 20 in Australia. We celebrated onboard for her with balloons and piñatas, and we will celebrate in person when she comes out for a long visit in August with us. We miss her so much and just don’t know where she gets the “wanderlust” from!
Happy Mother’s Day to all the special Mom’s out there…especially Peter’s Mom, who has been a terrific Mom, and an extra-ordinary Grandmother and to Liz, who is anything but a wicked step-mother and who has become a special friend over the years to Peter and I and the kids. We are so lucky to have both of you in our lives. To my Mom, and mentor, who is no longer with us, but who lives on in spirit and in my heart. Thanks Mom for always encouraging the seemingly impossible…. you’d get a kick out of our ocean hippie life right now!
Until next week….. be grateful everyday
1 comment:
Hi Guys! It sounds like you are now off for 10 beautiful worry-free days!
Happy Mothers' Day Di!
Love your photos!
Keep well... until next time...
Lori
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