Separate Ways

This is TICA, a Cabo Rico 38 of Costa Rican manufacture, home and transport for my friends Bill and JoAnn Sylvester as they make their way south. First to Hualtaco, then to El Salvador to a cruisers rally at Bahia del Sol near San Salvador. They plan to continue on through the canal to the islands of San Blas... with that accomplished, they'll decide on the next destination. (They tell me they'll be driving through San Carlos around May 19th, so it's possible we'll connect again.) They're leaving today.

Cruising, like life, is more about the journey than destinations. When you travel long distances at the stately rate of 5 or 6 miles an hour, there's a lot of time invested in getting from on place to another. The importance of the destination varies with the individual, but we all agree that the weather is paramount. The one thing we can't control (yet).

My plans? I've been invited by the local blues guitar maestro, Scottie, to accompany him to Trocones Beach tonight for a performance at one of the bars/restaurants there. ZihuaRob (who has commented here before) says, "Troncones is a small ecological beach community about 37 kilometers (22 miles) to the north." If all goes sort-of-well, we'll play Wednesday at the Flophouse in Zihuatanejo on a stage that's measured in square inches. To  a full house (seats about 12).

Scottie and I have a lot in common. We're both Vietnam vets, both been playing all our lives, know a lot of the same songs, laugh at the same things... we even take the same meds. Only difference is that I'm a few years older and don't drink at all, while Scottie has learned moderation... a word I have difficulty understanding.

In May Scottie will traveling through Mazatlan where he has lined up a short gig with a piano player, and then on to the New Orleans Jazz Festival.

On Thursday I'll be heading back north aboard BLISS to connect with the 1st Mate, either in Mazatlan or San Carlos. We hope to participate in this year's cruiser/music rally, LorestoFest. We'll either take BLISS or the Quest on the ferry and a tent.

Doing the Right Thing...

It was my intention to transfer the registration of SV BLISS to Arizona, get new documents and present them to the Port Captain upon my return... so the 1st Mate and I, our Maltese-mix pets Sophie and Chica drove up to Tucson to the Game and Fish Department to do just that. Upon arrival, I was told that being a non-resident of Arizona would cost me $292 each and every year for the boat registration. A shock. I said, "OK, but just for one year..." Then they took a look at my California registration and the title and said, "This hull number has the wrong number of digits. We can't register it."

According to AZ regulations, the number of digits in a hull number must match the Coast Guard requirement. The law must have gone into effect after my boat was built, in 1973. So in order to register the boat, they needed a rubbing (put a piece of paper over the hull number etched into the hull and rub a pencil on it to transfer the image, take that to Game and Fish). Of course, the boat is 2000 miles away.

Another obstacle. This whole thing looked impossible to do.

The 1st Mate suggested that I contact her son in Petaluma, California and use his address to re-register the boat... then it occurred to me: Why not have Jay, her son, do the registration for me?

I called Jay on the US cell phone we have, and proposed paying him $50 to take my paperwork to DMV and emailing me back copies of the documents. He agreed. We stopped at the Tubac Deli and Coffee Company where I ordered a double espresso. Took my coffee, my digital camera, old documents and laptop to a table. Spread out the docs and photographed them, emailed them to Jay using the coffee shop wifi system. Drank my espresso. Got in the car and headed back to San Carlos.

When we got home, the new registration was sitting in my email inbox. I logged into TrustFax.com and faxed the docs to the Port Captain, logged into Paypal and paid Jay the $50 plus the registration fee of $60 (for 6 years of past due fees). I felt fantastic.

I could have done this from the boat. Duh.

But, the 1st Mate and I would still be separated, the Quest would still need to be moved back to San Carlos, and the 3 kilos of coffee and 5 kilos of seedless raisins I bought would still be on the boat instead of in the hands of the 1st Mate. I would still be missing the dog kisses I got. And the time we all had together.

And, with the Arizona registration, all my other documents would have to be redone: the insurance papers, the temporary importation permit for the boat from Mexican Customs (a biggie).

And although I was sorely tempted to create a forgery for the Port Captain (being a certifiable computer artist), I would always worry that  I would get caught... the boat impounded; me arrested, jailed, fined and deported. So the price I pay for keeping my serenity is doing the right thing, regardless of how long it takes, how much it costs, and how much work is involved.

The rewards are worth it.

Back in Zihuatanejo, warm puppies and the good life.

Finding the Nugget

Tonight I'm sitting in bed, next to the 1st Mate (yes, we're married again) and contemplating the last 11 days of my life. I'm rested but achy, tired but not sleepy, and only slightly less confused than I was yesterday, but serenity has returned and that's important.

Eleven days ago, Bill on TICO took me to shore where I caught a 8 pm bus from Zihuatanejo to Barra de Navidad, 200 miles away. It was an express... it took nine hours. Put THAT in your calculator.

The road was narrow and twisty and dark. It felt to me like sailing around Cabo Corrientes on a lumpy night at sea. Lots of noise, lots of leaning one way and then the other, lots of bumps, pitch black. We got into Barra at dawn and I caught a cab to the Cadillac Ranch, where my friend Don was storing my car. Don bought me a cup of coffee and I threw my bags in the car and drove to a mechanic who installed the rear shocks in the Quest for 60 pesos. I had wanted to get the front struts done too, but the only place I could find the parts was in Manzanillo/Santiago where the Nissan dealership was asking about $600 for a pair (and 5 days wait). I ordered them online Autozone for $78 each including shipping.

I had decided that I wasn not going to take my usual route back to San Carlos (to PV, Las Varas, San Blas, Mazatlan). I drove back toward Manzanillo and took the toll road to Colima and the route to Guadalajara. It was a route I hadn't used before so everything was kinda' refreshing. The rear shocks kept me from bottoming out on the topes, I had my camera with me, and lots of coconut cookies. I was set. Oh, and I had my little $130 GPS unit for the car, and was directed and entertained by the voice named "Amy" (Aim Me, get it?)

The volcanos above the city of Colima

As I reached the plateau near Guadalajara, I saw my GPS coloring the next several miles in the color blue... and I thought, "Gee. Am I coming up to a huge lake? I should get out the camera..." But when I got to the area, it was a large, flat region of white sand... a high plains desert. Then I saw the nicest expanse of shimmering blue near the horizon and I got it... my GPS even has mirages in its database?

High Plains Drifter. The plateau south of Guadalajara

I started seeing signs that said "Beware the Tovaneras. Slow down near Tovaneras." I realized that tovaneras are what we call Dust Devils and I could see half a dozen of them swirling around and through the desert and mirages... (would that be some kind of waterspout?)

Amy was fantastic in Guadalajara. The freeway traffic reminded me of rush hour in the East Bay (San Francisco) and Amy coached me through three different cloverleaf intersections to the toll road for Tepic. I drove until dark, and stopped at a toll booth rest area to sleep.

Awake at 5 am, I headed out and got into San Carlos around sundown... 45 hours after leaving the boat. The Colima/Guadalajara route was fast and really easy with wide highways (only about 40 miles of 2-lane road), no twisty jungle roads and plenty of things to see. Recommended!

Next: The trip to Tucson and Arizona's Game and Fish Department

What, Luck?

When I was having it out with the Port Captain, I heard a kinda' distress call on my VHF radio.

It was the sailboat TICO 3 miles out, with a bad diesel water pump. They had been drifting for 25 hours on the light winds we have in these parts sometimes. They were looking for a tow in. My diesel was apart with a cooling problem too, and an appointment with the Port Captain. All I could do was acknowledge their hail, and wish them luck. No one else was on channel.

When I got back to the anchorage several hours later, Bill and Jo-Anne on TICO were anchored near me and I stopped on my way to BLISS to see how they were.

Bill said he was ordering a new water pump and asked if I knew the best way to get it to the boat, and I said, "Sure, send it to Nogales. When I go north to get my paperwork sorted out this week I'll bring it back with me." What luck.

Bill looked at my dinghy and said, "Hey! We've got the same outboard! I love my Nissan, it starts 1st pull every time..." Hmmmmm.

Yesterday, my outboard went down, and I called the mechanic, Adel, this morning to get the verdict... "It's the impeller, " he said. "Do you have a spare?" I said, "I'll call you back."

I hailed TICO on the radio, and sure enough, Bill had a couple of spares and was happy to loan one to me. He launched his dink, drove over, and together we ran into the beach where Adel was waiting with the old impeller.

The vanes were still intact, but the entire part had spun off it's shaft, resulting in two parts and not one. I handed the spare to Adel, who promised the motor would be back at 5 pm, ready to go.

Bill said that he and Jo-Anne were coming to the beach at five so they could catch a guitarist at Coconuts Restaurant tonight, and would tow my dinghy and me to the beach. I said I'll join them tonight at Coconuts 'cause I'd like to hear this guy too.

Then I jumped on the internet from BLISS and ordered two complete water pump kits for the outboard. One for TICO and a spare for me. It was $90 including shipping to Nogales.

Everybody is happy except the Port Captain, but that's HIS problem...

Beached

As I approached the dinghy landing today the outboard quit working. I restarted it and noticed there wasn't water emerging from the coolant spout underneath the powerhead, so I turned it off. It was really hot. I checked to see that I still had compression by pulling on the starter, and I did. So I took my single oar and proceeded to complete the half-mile journey to the beach, rowing the catamaran shaped Livingston dink as if it were a canoe. First one side, then the other.

Jesus, the guy who is working the beach today, got out into the water at chest depth to bring me in. There was a pretty good surf today and I was glad he did. I gave him my usual 10 peso tip and he was pleased. Jesus didn't know of an "el mechanico." so I grabbed my dirty laundry, my backpack and my floppy hat and went in search of an outboard repair.

On my list today: get the bus schedule for the only Directo Bus to Manzanillo, buy spare drive belts for the diesel engine, replacement caps for the heat exchanger (automotive radiator caps), a better bolt for the alternator, some toothpaste, floss, and whatever (without an outboard motor, the whatever list had to be very portable). One cruiser sent me to one guy who is known for knowing everything about everybody. He told me the nearest laundry was on the other side of town, and called a mechanic who told him he might show up in an hour, so I got a cab to Centro de Autobuses and the auto parts store nearby. The parts guy had the belts and the caps, but no bolt that would work. So, the cabbie took me to the bus station. The bus line is called Estrella Blanco (White Star) among 6 others at Zihua, and it's Directo daily leaves at 8:30 pm and takes "7 to 8 hours" to get to Manzanillo. Right behind the bus station is the Commercial Mexicana,  a really huge Walmart-type super shopping center, so I paid the cab and walked around the block to shop. I just picked up my dental items and a bunch of bananas and a bottle of ice tea, and grabbed my dirty laundry and the backpack with the car parts from the "paquetta" to catch a cab back to connect with the mechanic.

The cab driver wanted to stop to get some lunch on the way to town and before I could say no, pulled into a taqueria. "Comida rapido," he assured me.

I'm no rank tourist. I know that any sentence with the word "rapido" in it is an out and out lie.

I gave him 5 minutes, and then got out of cab with my stuff and flagged down another cab. I told the cab driver I was going to "El Muelle" (the wharf) and I would pay him 20 pesos (the standard rate). He said, "25?" and I said "No, 20 pesos." (I'm taking command now...)

He did a good job (no taco stops) so I gave him a 5 peso tip, got out and waited for the mechanic to show, which he didn't. I said I'd check back in an hour, when my cell phone beeped. I had a message that the 1st Mate had tried to call.  I tried to return the call, got a message and the phone battery went dead. I thought it might be time to replace the battery, but they don't sell them anywhere. I tried 3 Telcel stores, spread over ten blocks of Zihua. I knew it was pointless. I had gone through this with the 1st Mate's phone (eBay was where we eventually got the battery).

I kicked around for another 15 minutes and went back to check on the mechanic. No show.

Walked down to the beach and found some guys selling tickets for boat rides around the bay. They knew a mechanic and in 10 minutes, the guy, Adel, was pulling the motor off the dink and to his shop. I had him write down everything and we agreed I would call him tomorrow at 9 am. Then I went off to Rick's Bar for a coke and scrounge for books. After two cokes, I wandered down to the beach where I met a couple who were headed back to their boat and gave me a tow. I owe them.

Now, I'm back in my comfortable home with the phone on the charger, my dirty laundry and an uncertain future.

Nothing really changes much.

Trouble in Paradise

It is a requirement in Mexico, that you visit the Port Captain's office before you leave and when you arrive at a port. The paperwork on the boat is examined, The Port Captain, (or usually one of his underlings) stamps the old paper, issues new papers for the new arrival.


On the Saturday I left Barra de Navidad, I went to Port Captain's office and waited outside patiently for them to open. A little after 9 am, a woman who lived next door and came out to sweep the sidewalk, informed me that since Monday was going to be a holiday, the office was closed until Tuesday morning. So I left without the paperwork.


When I arrived in Zihuatanejo, the Port Captain's people didn't believe me that the Barra guy would close up for 3 straight days, so they told me to come back the next day. They were going to call him.


The next day, the issue of not having a "despacho" was not mentioned. Evidently my story proved out. (People are not expected to sit around for three days waiting). But another issue came up: my registration papers on the boat had expired. "Of course," I said, "the boat has been in Mexican waters since 1997."


Nevertheless, the Port Captain wants me to produce current registration within two weeks and he's forbidden me to move the boat until I do.


But the point being is why is the Mexican government enforcing the California Vehicle Code?


The last registration was 2005 in California. I know that if I show up at Fish & Game in Tucson with the title, they will happily make this an Arizona boat for less than $20.


California, on the other hand, would punish me dearly, for not updating the thing. The problem is, that all the other ship's documents have the California issued numbers (the same numbers painted on the bow), and all that would have to change when I switched to Arizona documentation.


It may be that I'll have to have the importation papers redone to match. Oh, well. My current plan is to take a bus to Barra de Navidad, get the Nissan Quest and drive it San Carlos, pick up the 1st Mate and then Tucson.


We both have business in Tucson.


Then I'll catch a plane from Hermosillo to either Zihuat or Guadalajara (and bus down). Show the paperwork to the Port Captain, and hopefully, be done with that. But my guess is that I'll have to have my papers revised at Aduana...  Mexican customs, to reflect the change in registration.


That's the plan.

Legendary Zihuatanejo

Monday Night

Settled into the anchorage; sails covered up, awning installed, table and laptop in the cockpit. It so pretty here. The bay is ringed with thousands of lights climbing up the hills. Sounds of guitar strumming drifting out over the water. Not me. There's a big palapa on the beach and that's where it's from.

Tonight I'm going to have a simple meal (probably oatmeal) and sack out. I've been underway and on watch since Sunday at 3:30 am, so I've had a long day. Hard to hang onto a wifi signal with the boat rocking tonight and too tired to make a big deal out of it, so I'll post this thing tomorrow, maybe, with some photos. G'night all.