READY TO BOOGIE; WOODEN BOATS; HOW NOT TO MEET MEXICO
La Cruz de Huanacaxtle, Nayarit, Mexico, Friday, 06 January 2006

Ready to boogie

I can’t believe that, except for last-minute provisioning and email-checking, we’re actually ready to sail. Yesterday, Jens and Steven came over with their scuba equipment and, in 45 minutes, scraped Vilisar’s hull and propeller of marine growth and barnacles. The murky red-tide water held off until they completed the job. Now we should be able to make reasonable speed both under power and under sail.

I was made a little nervous, however, when Jens reported that there was damaged wood - some compression and a few splinters- on the keel back near the deadwood; I will get a mask on and take a look when the water is clear. The boat’s operations won’t be influenced. But I am very worried about any opportunity for teredo navalis, the dreaded wood-boring marine worm getting at exposed (unpainted) planking, or structural wood and riddling the wood with holes.

With water aboard and the hull cleaned we are ready to go. But Jens, who wants to buddy-boat with us for a while, is worrying. He says that sainted Don of meteorological fame (Don of S/V Summer Passage, or as I call it, S/V Summer Sausage, broadcasts weather forecasts on the ham and SSB nets several times daily) was forecasting easterlies between 10 gusting to 25 knots around Cabo Corrientes, though it could well be that we would get nothing at all. Jens wants to wait things out and we want to get going. He says he was been scared enough getting to Banderas Bay. Another cruiser they know has offered them some free sailing lessons for heavy weather and how to use their windvane steering. But this can only take place on Sunday at the earliest and that assumes there will be some wind. We are afraid that if we wait around it will stretch to another week. La Cruz is fine but not that great. We are itching to go.

Later, on shore, we run into Jens and family again and I told Jens that we want to leave early the next morning. The wind and Banderas Bay are calm and we can motorsail towards Cabo Corrientes some thirty or so nautical miles away (Ypala Cove, a shelter around the cape, is 49 Nm.). There is usually wind in the afternoon. But this wind generally comes straight from Cabo Corrientes and would slow our speed even if we motorsail. Our aim is to be around the cape in daylight at the same time sailing five miles or so off it to avoid contrary currents and gusty winds.

At Fox’s Café, Jens sounds out various other boaters and, although not final, I have the feeling that he will leave with us tomorrow.

Wooden boats

Over at Fox’s Café this morning I run into Monica and Jack, whom we met aboard their junk-rigged vessel, S/V Bella Via, whilst we were both anchored off at La Paz last April. Although originally from South Africa, Jack worked for years repairing fishing boats all up and down the British-Columbia coast so I was able to pick his brain about dealing with wooden boats in this area of the world. He said he passed Vilisar on his way into shore this morning and was wondering how it had fared up in the Sea of Cortés over the hot and dry summer.

The bad news is that Teredo worms can do a lot of damage very quickly. The good news is that, without actually looking at it, it seems that there is not much real damage done to the keel. I told him that we had touched bottom at Loreto when we had anchored in shallow water off the quay and, when Kathleen, Laila (our crew between Guaymas and La Paz), and I returned about noon, there were larg-ish waves rolling into the anchorage and, as we stepped aboard, I felt Vilisar touch the sandy bottom. Of course, we got out of there in a hurry!

I was also curious to know how long it would take to kill Teredo worms when in fresh water or, indeed, out of the water altogether. There is a river estuary in Barre de Navidad where we are headed. Jack said the brackish water in San Blas of Barre de Navidad would certainly get rid of the worms inside a week.

I liked Jack’s attitude to sailing boats. Don’t turn them into works of art. Don’t pretty them up too much. Use ordinary materials; porch paint is as good as the most expensive modern paints, especially for a wooden boat. Keep the amount of brightwork to a minimum unless you want to work yourself to death trying to keep it beautiful. I feel better already.

How not to meet Mexico

I realise looking back that I have written very little about the little town of La Cruz de Huanacaxtle, Nayarit, Mexico, even though we have been here now nearly a month (!) If we don’t get going soon we shall soon be assessed property tax or the coral on the bottom of our boat will join us permanently to the sea bottom!

One way to avoid meeting Mexico is to visit the internet café every time you go ashore. Fox’s Café or Viajero Café in La Cruz are great places and very inviting. You can get a decent cinnamon bun and good coffee. But, you will be hard pressed to meet Mexicans. The cruisers all head there to meet other boaters and to go on-line. After weeks, we realise we have met too few locals, not even walked along the beach to the palapas down the coast. It’s all boaters and cruisers and their hangouts. I shall be more careful about this in the future.

Unfortunately, I have now broken the second flash memory so have to take the whole laptop ashore. I am not sure why they keep getting broken. My laptop is at risk landing and departing through surf; a flash stick is much preferred.

I shall try to write a bit about La Cruz from memory whilst we are at sea over the next few days.