How Does One Week Turn Into Three?

We had planned on being in Mazatlan for one week. It took us three to get out of there and we finally made it to La Paz a couple of days ago. So what took so long?

When we arrived in Mazatlan our Yanmar had logged just over 1,000 hours; and since there is a Yanmar service center in Mazatlan we decided to have them help us with our 1,000 hour service. We believe that our engine is one of our biggest safety features and it needs to be treated with lots of TLC. So far "the beast" (our engine's serial number ends in 666) has treated us with nothing but respect in return. Knock on fiberglass.

A mechanic came by to remove our heat exchanger, fuel injectors and various other things to be serviced. Turns out we had some pitting in the heat exchanger and it would need to be sent to a machine shop to get welded. This was supposed to take a couple of days. After one entire week(!) and many inquiries of progress we were finally told that the heat exchanger won't take the weld and we would need a new part - and it would take at least 10 days to get the new part! This being Mexico there is no guarantee for that and 10 days is probably being overly confident as things tend to get held up in customs.

So rather than wait for the new heat exchanger to come to Mexico we took action. We ordered the part to be overnighted to the Yanmar dealer in Los Angeles and booked a flight for Mike to fly to LAX the very next day.

Since his trip coincided with the weekend, Mike had some spare time and was able to do some other shopping for us as well - such as Trader Joes's, REI and West Marine. Best of all, Mike's cousin Randy was headed to Cabo by van and was able to bring everything down for us (including a new battery), rather than Mike carrying it back on the plane. How about that for serendipity?!

If the machine shop had been successful we would have looked at a bill of about $700. Here are the numbers for what really happened. At least now we have a brand new part and lots of goodies from the US.

Air travel (using some air-miles): $270
Yanmar parts in LA (new heat exchanger, gaskets, misc): $1,300
Overnight shipping from east coast: $70
Rental car (three days): $85
Gas (for rental car): $46
Bill from Yanmar dealer in Mazatlan: $450
Boat moorage for two extra weeks beyond planned: $260
Total: $2,381

Of course there were other expenses like food and shopping but I'm not including those in this total. If you're interested in this month's total expenses take a look at our monthly expenses.

Our fourth crossing of the Sea of Cortez was a breeze. Literally. We even got to sail some in the south-westerly winds that appeared as forecast on our favorite weather website stormsurfing (check it out - this site has much higher resolution wind forecasts than other free weather sites).

Arriving in Bahia Balandra (10 miles from La Paz) after our crossing this was what we were greeted by: Sunrise to the east and a full moon setting to the west. Beautiful!

Sunset over the Baja peninsula

The ice-cream man in Bahia Balandra makes in-water deliveries

We're currently in a slip for just a few days to replenish food and fuel

Mission in La Paz (founded 1720, built 1861)

Goodies from the US

How to make "Ice Cream" on Board

Who doesn't love ice cream? We sure do, but our freezer will not keep it frozen in this heat so I had to figure out a better way to get our fix.

Sorbet is a super-easy and fun treat to make on a boat. Pretty much any fruit can be used. Raspberry-Banana is always a winner, as is Banana with some chunks of dark chocolate. Here I use fresh mangos.

Don't over-freeze sorbet as you want it to be the consistency of a nice smooth gelato. I pour the sorbet into small ziplock bags and stick them right onto the evaporator plate of our freezer for a few hours. When I'm ready to serve I knead the bag until the sorbet is smooth. Then I cut a small corner into the bag and squeeze the sorbet into a bowl.

I use my stick blender to mix up the sorbet. It works well on the inverter and doesn't take up much space.

1-2 ripe Mangos or other fruit
2 Tablespoons Honey
1 teaspoon vanilla
1-3 limes* or lemon to taste

Whip everything together with a blender, food processor or stick-blender. Add more of any ingredient to taste. Pour into ziplock bag. Freeze.

* I use the tiny Mexican limes so add regular sized limes/lemons slowly

How to Store and Use Glass on Board

Many boats come complete with a set of plastic dishes - as did ours. It seems that the general consensus is that because an item is on a boat it has a tendency to break and therefore should be plastic. Not so! Mike and I really don't like to eat or drink from plastic as it seems to take on a taste after some time. We also try to use as little plastic in our lives as possible, so as not to further contribute to the plastic debris we find on every beach.

The first thing we gave away were the plastic plates and replaced them with our ceramic plates from when we lived on shore. No plastic taste and the plates keep food warm a lot longer than plastic plates do. Underway I toss a towel into the cupboard with the plates to stop things from shifting and rattling. When my parents and I sailed from Germany to California in the 80s we also used ceramic plates and my parents still use those same plates on their current boat to this day. Zero breakage.

Next we got rid of the plastic cups. We now use mason jars for drinking glasses which are very thick and sturdy. And used with these screw-top lids it's like having a built-in storage container or drink-shaker.

We use real coffee mugs and for our wine we use real wine glasses. A glass of wine just isn't the same drank out of a plastic cup. I have broken one wine glass out of sheer clumsiness - not due to living on a boat.

We did keep the plastic bowls to use when we are underway since they have non-skid bottoms and are nice and deep.

To store glass bottles and jars I use "6-pack wine bags". They are about $2 from Whole Foods or Trader Joe's or if you buy enough wine they will sometimes toss one in. I have about a dozen of these bags and store everything from wine and liquor bottles to jam and sauerkraut jars in them. There is no rattling and if anything should break the spillage will be contained within the bag.

Fiesta Mexicana for Travel Secrets TV Show

Last night, along with my parents, we were invited to film a Mexican Fiesta for the next (fifth) episode of the Travel Secrets Mexico TV Series. We enjoyed delicious food from several states such as Jalisco, Guerrero and Sinaloa as well as dances from different regions around Mexico. The highlight of the evening was the fire-dance where the dancers/warriors show off how much heat their skin can handle.

The TV series is produced by my parents aboard their sailboat. The hope is to help restore some trust in Mexico's tourism and get tourist to once again visit this beautiful (and safe) country. They do the work out of their love of Mexico and pay for most of the airtime out of their own pocket - save a few sponsors. The show airs every Saturday at 9 pm (PST) on FamilyNet Television. To watch any of the episodes right now visit the YouTube channel.

Margaritas

Old Town Mazatlan

This is our third time in Mazatlan and each time we come here we want to stay longer. There aren't many gringo tourists here as some bad press from the US has converted this vibrant city primarily into a tourist destination for Mexican nationals.

The ease with which we can get around Mazatlan without a car must be the towns biggest perk. Simply wait at the side of the road for a few minutes and when the right bus passes by stick out your index finger - no need to find a bus station. When you are ready to get off the bus they will stop anywhere along their route for you.

Yesterday we took a trip into Old Town which is at the other end of town from the marina. To get there you travel along the eight kilometer-long malecon (boardwalk) that meanders down the beach and the turquoise bay. In this case we opted to ride in one of the open VW Thing taxi cabs. For about 100 pesos (US$8) you can get to most places in town and they like to take you on the scenic routes to show off their beautiful city.

Open air taxi on malecon

Mercado Pino Suarez, Indoor Market est. 1899

Plazuela Republica

Catedral de Mazatlan

Fresh Churros

More Tangled Wildlife

After nearly eight months in Banderas Bay we are finally on the move again. Hurricane season and then some personal issues kept us in a marina much longer than we had anticipated.

We just arrived in Mazatlan after a nice two night passage. Considering we could have driven here in a few hours (it's only 170 miles as the boat travels) we made pretty good time. We had mostly no wind which was a good thing as the prevailing winds this time of year are from the north (the direction we were heading of course).

We saw amazing phosphorescence, spinner dolphins, some late season whales, caught a dorado and watched lots of birds catching rides on sea turtles.

At our about half-way point we came across a disturbing sight. If you remember last July we were lucky enough to save a sea turtle trapped in some derelict fishing gear. We were in just about the same place yesterday when we once again noticed a strange tangle of debris. When we slowed to take a look there was a trapped manta ray. Unfortunately we were too late, but I find it odd to keep seeing things like this...

Manta Ray caught in derelict fishing gear

Mahi-Mahi for dinner!

How to Stay Safe

It seems to me that many people over-think this whole cruising thing before they set out and buy things they would never use in their land-lives. For example, if you didn't own a gun before, why is it necessary to own a gun when you move onto your boat? 

Much like I would not make my home in the slums of (insert some city here) I would not take my floating home to the slums of (insert some country here). 

Our boat is our home and we plan on living in places we like, and feel safe and comfortable in. We never owned a weapon to protect us in our houses, so why do we need one now? We chose to live in safe neighborhoods onshore and now we choose to live in safe anchorages or marinas. 

Though I have to admit that we do own a gun - a flare gun. And if you've seen the movie Captain Ron you will know how much damage one of those can inflict. But if scary men with weapons want to rob my home I say let them! We're insured and I think fighting back would just tick them off and make us all the more unsafe.

Oh, and if that's not enough: Guns are illegal in Mexico so we didn't really have a choice anyway.

Why do we Cruise?

There is a stereotype that says that most cruising couples are out cruising because the male instigated the lifestyle. On our boat this is not the case. I am the instigator of our current cruising life but in actuality it was the male in my family that started this whole thing.

Back in the late 80s my dad got the cruising bug and over the course of a year my parents and I sailed from Germany to California as we immigrated to the US (more on that here). This ruined me for a "normal" life... no longer would I be able to happily hold down a 9-5 cubicle job with healthcare and a retirement plan. A life of quiet desperation would not do for me. So when I met Mike I started telling him about sailing and cruising. After some adventures aboard our pocket-cruisers we started saving to make full-time cruising a reality.

I imagine preparing for cruising was easier for me than for someone who has never been. I had a pretty good idea of what to expect and what the lifestyle entailed. What I didn't expect is how much the cruising community had grown. There are cruisers everywhere! With the advent of GPS, global communications, solar, watermakers and the like, this lifestyle has opened up to any adventurous soul with some money in their pocket. 

Long gone are the days of listening in on people calling home over the VHF* (via the marine operator), asking big ships to confirm positions and weeks spent without any news from home. With up-to-the-minute updates via blogs and Facebook some of the allure of cruising has gone missing.

Of course we revel in all of this luxury ourselves. We have 3 huge solar  panels to keep the gadgets going, a watermaker to take daily showers at anchor, 6 or 7 GPS units, a sat phone and countless toys. But our boat is also ready to run without all of these things - comfortably - just like we did it in the 80s.

Heading out to cross the Atlantic aboard Joy in the late 80s. 

 Camille at anchor

* After crossing the Atlantic we tried calling my grandma in Germany via the Marine Operator. The operator asked my dad with whom he would like to be connected. Rather than giving the phone number my dad simply said: "My mother-in-law". 

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This post was written as part of a blog-hop. Visit the Monkey's Fist website for posts about this topic written by other cruisers or check out these topics:  

Relationships Aboard
Pink and Blue Jobs Aboard
Leave it or Bring it: Stuff
Provisioning
Fear
Swag and Approaching the Natives
Clothes and Laundry