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The Trip North, aka the Baja Bash

The delivery crew left Cabo on Thursday afternoon at around 3:30 pm with their first destination either Mag Bay or if weather permitted Turtle Bay.  From what I heard, the first day or two was real nice, but the last 100 miles into Turtle was pretty rough.  Not sure when this happened, but somewhere between Cabo and Turtle, the crew and Stargazer lost all their fresh water… Baja Bash. We have about 400 Gallons of Fresh Water on-board, so for it too just disappear is very odd.  Upon arrival in Turtle Bay, they grabbed one of the fuel docks’ moorings, filled up diesel, went ashore for some showers and dinner, and I believe stayed a night.  They didn’t attempt to fix the fresh water issue, so I believe they stocked up on 2.5 gallon water jugs.  We never had any fresh water issues on her before, so I was unable to help them resolve the issue over the phone.  Being really rough, aka the Baja Bash, I assumed a water connection worked loose in the rough seas but I was just guessing at that point. (Was not the case.) Baja Bash.   The crew was happy they made it to Turtle, and it was a pretty quick 3 ish day trip. 

The Crew left Turtle Bay and I believe at around Cedros Island got hit with some intense weather and seas for the rest of the trip.  Somewhere between Turtle and Cedros I get a call from the Sat Phone, and they said that they were not able to get the autopilot working. Baja Bash.  Apparently a error message came up saying something about check drive unit and rudder sensor connection, and after they check all connections it still wasn’t working.   We have not had any issues with the autopilot on our whole trip, so the fault was perplexing.  After reviewing the sequence of arming the pilot with the captain, he said he would reboot the pilot again.  Well… they couldn’t get the autopilot working so they ending up having to hand steer for the rest of the trip… not fun. Baja Bash.  At the same time, and most likely connected, they were having trouble keeping the batteries charged… This again was something that we did not have any issues with on the trip down, so it was a new issue.  Baja Bash.  They eventually ended up getting the battery issue partially under wraps so that was good.   So when the crew arrived in San Diego, they had no water, no auto, a period of low power availablity, and were utterly exhausted.  Baja Bash.  From what I heard, the trip from Turtle north was 10-15 foot seas and 20-40 knot breeze and they decided to push along and not stop in one the few protected anchorages between Turtle and San Diego(There are not many on their behalf).  The trip from Cabo to San Diego took 7 Days and 10 hours from Cabo Fuel Dock to San Diego Customs Dock.  Pretty Damn quick for the weather and hardships they had endured..

After arriving in San Diego and getting some rest, they crew wanted a concession to end the delivery in San Diego and not Newport because of the issues they had on the BASH up.  The Baja Bash.   After talking to them a few times, they decided the delivery would be finished in Newport and left San Diego Friday eight days after leaving Cabo.  As they pulled out of Shelter Bay, the high temperature alarm sounded and the gauge was pegged at its maximum.  Not Good.  They sailed here back to San Diego Yacht Club, and at that point I had a mechanic on the dock to meet them and figure out what happened.  Well, a long long story made short, the engine lost its coolant in the heat exchanger, the engine overheated, blew the Head gasket, and cracked the cylinder head.   At that point I thought I was going to loose my head gasket… It was something we were definitely not expecting.  So the delivery crew got their wish, and Stargazer spent 3 weeks in San Diego being worked on.  Apparently our Perkins 4-154 Diesel Engine is obsolete and it is very difficult to find parts for them.  Besides the parts being VERY hard to find, the people selling them know this too and they are priced accordingly…   Our mechanic Vince Balch from VB Engineering in San Diego has been more than helpful.  He has gone out of his way to help us through these past three week.  We spoke almost every day for 3 weeks straight and at all times of the day.  He has been professional, honest, knowledgeable, and for the first time a marine mechanic that does what he said he will do.  If anybody needs a good mechanic in the Southern California area ( He will travel), I highly recommend Vince.

Picking up the Pieces-

We ended up bringing Stargazer up last Saturday from San Diego, and now she is resting comfortably on her mooring.  It was definitely overwhelming see her ridden hard and put away wet.  Like 99% of the boats that do the BASH, she got wet inside…  Mainly from the chain plates and hawse pipes(The one spot I could not rebed), and oh I almost forgot the Starboard Bow Trail-board.  In the BASH North, the pounding completely ripped off the trail-board and allow water to work its way between a poorly caulked joint… The trail-board is a fancy fiberglass accent piece that gives the boat a little of her clipper ship bow appearance.  On Stargazer it is blue with white stars on it, and I am sure you can find a picture or two on our site.   It apparently was dangling off the boat for some time, and so we have some blue rash marks on the bow and on the beam of the boat(Assuming it hit once or twice as it floated past).  We rebedded all the chain plates before we left for Mexico, but in the way these where designed and installed, there are multiple leak paths water can enter in by.   So now that Stargazer is home, I have been out to her almost everynight this week getting one project done at a time.   For now my list of items is only getting longer, and not shorter.  Never again will I let Stargazer out of my sight… Baja Bash.

After a quick one night stop in Los Muertos, we left at around 7:00 for either Los Frailes or San Jose del Cabo. As we progressed on the trip south, we would then decide on which destination we would go to.  The breeze was up on Tuesday for this passage as well, and with only the main up, we were cruising down wind in the 7-8 knot range ‘surfing’ the occasion set.  We were making good time, so we pasted up Los Frailes and head for our final destination of San Jose del Cabo.   Stargazer cruised into the jetty at sunset, and with the help of at least 4 other cruisers tied up to the long end dock at the Marina at Puerto Los Cabos.  There are more than a half dozen cruising boats tied up on the dock, and before we even had the engine off they came by to say hello.  This morning we checked into the marina office, took a shower, and got a tour of the marina in the golf cart.  The golf cart driver goes by ‘Speedy’, and he will pick you up at the top of the gangway and take you around the marina to the Container Resturant, Showers, or Marina office.  We would have walked the 15 minutes around the marina, but he coordinated the pickup when we arrived last night.

We are berthed on the long dock, which is the future fuel dock, and because this marina is still under development the nightly rates are very reasonable.  The only downside is that this side of the marina is the undeveloped side, and has no services.  It is however close to three cool little restaurants, and two tiendas that are only a stone throw away.  One of the boats on the dock is going to have a boat renaming ceremony tonight, so we are going to join in and celebrate.

We woke up bright & early this morning as the port is finally open and weather is predicted to be in the mid 20′s (compared to the 30′s as it’s been for the last 3 days.) We’re on our way south to Cabo where we will leave the boat for about a month while we come home. Our first stop in Ensenada Muertos which is about 60 miles away. We left around 6am and we’re hoping to make it there around sunset tonight, or shortly after. The wind should be behind us, so we are hoping for a wonderful day of sailing…and fishing!

So the phrase “like father like daughter” needs to be amended to “like father like husband” as it’s frightening scary how similar Kers & David are. Now I understand all the thoughtful gifts that we gave to my mom as a kid were actually pretty bad Christmas presents. Who wants a wooden brown plaid couch for the living room (ok it was the 80′s)…or 20 pairs of kitchen scissors (she only wanted 1)…or a chest set with salt & pepper shakes & each piece is wrapped separately and disguised as different shapes (got quite annoying.) Well David was pretty creative this year and gave me “what I always wanted.” So far we got a new genoa rolling furler and ronca anchor (which I have to admit I’ve slept much better because of) as our pre-Christmas Christmas presents. But I guess he thought that wasn’t enough. Now I get a fixed water pump & spare pump, adjusted valves, and serviced engine injectors. Along with freshly fiber-glassed & sanded bulwark at the hawse pipes (this is actually really nice as we’re hoping “no mas aqua in la barca” a.k.a my pantry.)

Anyway in all seriousness we are so happy that we are having some pretty major work done on Stargazer here rather than in Newport. The prices are reasonable…very reasonable, whereas in Newport they are just simply ripping you off. These projects are things that David’s wanted to do on the boat for a really long time.

We’re still in the Marina de La Paz. The northerlies have arrived and it’s been 20-30 knots consistently since Thursday night and should hold strong through the end of the day tomorrow. Small craft advisory has been issued and the port is closed so even if we wanted to leave we can’t (they can fine you up to $5,000 USD.) We’re okay being “stuck” here as it’s really quite nice being at a dock and being able to walk around. The boats anchored out here are practically stuck on their boats because it’s too windy to make the short dinghy ride into the marina.

Tonight is a pot luck and sing along. A little different from my past Christmas Eve’s at home but it will work for this one. Miss everyone and Happy Holidays!

So far we have been pretty mellow. I have been under the weather so David’s been running around keeping up with boat work, etc. It might not seem like a lot, but it’s amazing how much there is to do; wash the boat, clean the engine room, fill the water tanks, fix parts, refill gas. Once one chore is complete, there’s something else to do. He’s been doing a great job at keeping Stargazer in shape while I’m doing nothing but trying to feel better.

A few nights ago we went out with our new friends Meredith & Tim from The Luckiest. It was my first street taco experience here, and I was quite impressed. At day it’s just a sidewalk, but after 7pm they bring out burners & grills along with plastic tables & chairs. We each tried the pastor, asada, and even the lengua tacos. David was in a great mood so he bought our table their tacos & beer, it felt good to help others out who have been helping us in return. When we were finished there was a line waiting to take our table.

Every morning we listen to the net at 8am, and it kinda feels like a cruise ship here in La Paz. You have yoga at 8-9, coffee and cookies at 9, doubles tennis at 9:30, domino’s at 2, & billiards and football at 7. And that’s just a normal day. Other days include card games, knitting, and meetings to review the bylaws or to plan a charity event or holiday pot luck. It’s fun to listen to all the activity and we understand why so many cruisers come for 2 weeks but stay for years.

The other day we went grocery shopping. We got the basics at Mega, and then went to Mercado Bravo for the meat. It’s a fresh air market with stands providing freshly grown produce or seafood or meat. We found a meat stand with a huge walk in freezer and ordered some sirloin steaks & arranchara. The butcher was incredible, he went to the freezer and came back with a large slab of meat and hand cut the steaks to the thickness of our choice. Then he spent a long time trimming the arranchara perfectly.

Another Northerly (what a surprise) is coming in tomorrow through Sunday, peeking on Friday around 33 knots that day. I think we’ve decided to stay in La Paz to let it pass and celebrate Christmas & Hanukkah here, which we think will be a lot of fun.

Yesterday I battled with the raw water pump on the engine again.  If you had read one of my previous post about the water pump, the last company that rebuilt it put the bracket on wrong, and when I went to change it the screw broke.  Well I got that fixed and back together, but after I installed it, it was leaking out of the screw holes and mounting plate.. This isnt the first time this pump did this to me, so I knew that it wasnt a slam dunk project(None of them are really). After pulling it out a few times, the pump is installed not leaking and ready to run. The other pump is going to be rebuilt, so i have a spare pump for when this pump starts dripping.  Its really not a huge deal to switch out the pumps, but if its not done correctly it seems to leak pretty easily.

Today, Katie is coming into town and I am really excited to see her.  My plan before she comes is to get all the laundry done and get the boat looking nice.