San Carlos to Guaymas

The two days spent in San Carlos Marina were packed with frantic research activity in which we strove to find the best option for haul out, dinghy building and proximity to supplies and services. San Carlos was a possibility but again prices were too high, by our standards, for the services offered. Additionally, anything that one may require in terms of hardware or materials meant making a trip to Guaymas by public transport. Public transport in this area is not to be taken lightly. The buses are, without exception, old American school buses that must have been taken out of service decades ago and as such using them contrasts greatly to our recent use public transport in Europe, or even the limited extent of the bus network in Whangarei. The first bus we boarded had some serious wear in the steering mechanism in that the driver had to turn the wheel about a quarter of a turn before there was any positive effect on the direction of travel. The brakes seemed to function well enough though. All the buses are very rattly and noisy. The buses are all privately owned and service a fixed route for a fixed fee of seventeen pesos or less, which is less than NZ$2. There are plenty of them and one never has to wait long before a bus turns up.
Our search lead us to Marina Fonatur, Guaymas. Fonatur is a state organisation that owns marina facilities throughout Mexico which are usually cheaper than other marinas. Though the hardstand was full the marina was empty except for one other boat. We were warmly welcomed and told that there would be space for us (me) to build a dinghy in the shade at no extra charge. The charges were reasonable, so with an end to the no dinghy misery in sight we took off back to Marina San Carlos and made ready to leave the next day.
While the distance form San Carlos to Guaymas by sea is only about 15Nm it was very pleasant to be at sea again and we decided to anchor out for a night on the way. Again the wind was very light but we did manage to sail some of the way wing and wong. The anchorage was pleasant, though a little rolly and no insect plague.

Sailing as wing and wing as Americans say.

Wing and wong for junkies.

Immediately after settling in to Marina Fonatur we set about organising for forthcoming events. Renate would be flying home to NZ from Los Angeles in about a week so it was decided that we should combine her journey to LA with a shopping trip to Tucson and Phoenix, in Arizona, to obtain the things that were impossible to obtain in Guaymas. Before setting off with a long list of items to purchase we spent two pleasant evenings playing music with Tony from the vessel Dulce, the only other yacht in the marina mentioned earlier. Tony is a proficient whistle player who knew almost all of the tunes we play; The Fields of Athenry, Roddy McCorley, Foggy Dew, Si Bheag Si Mohr and others. Tony had an interesting collection of whistles including a low D. This of course was very interesting for Renate who gained much from the experience. Sadly, the low D whistle was too much of a stretch for Renate's small hands.

Soon afterwards we took another rental car and made our way north to Tucson. The journey was uneventful and we soon found ourselves in a reasonably priced motel in Tucson. It will surprise no one to read that the beer supply aboard the good ship had to be purchased from retail outlets and that this was proving to be irksome. Fortunately, Cooper's home brew beer is available in the USA and their distribution centre for the entire USA is located in Tucson. A year's supply of beer kits and brewing sugars and accessories was what we were after, enough to last until we get back to New Zealand. The prospect of paying retail prices for beer in French Polynesia was unappealing. Our story piqued the interest of the Cooper's staff who introduced us to Michael Shearer the general manager of Cooper's Australia. We had a long yarn with Michael about our adventure during which we were able to establish mutual acquaintances from Opua( NZ), where Michael and his wife had done some sailing recently. It was fantastic to come away with everything that we needed, enjoy good conversation and some generous discount on our larger than usual purchase.

With the staff of Cooper's Mr Brew. Michael Shearer centre.

On leaving the one stop brew shop we drove on to Phoenix in search of long list of items for the boat and dinghy construction and bulk dried food items to store away. Surprisingly, in the middle of the desert there is a thriving boating community whose needs are supplied by a quite substantial West Marine chandler. There are apparently a large number of lakes for boaters to enjoy in the region. Our long list that included tools, materials and parts was completely fulfilled. It was even possible to order some canvas to make new sails.

Eventually the day dawned when it was time for Renate to start the journey home to New Zealand. It was daunting for me to start the next stage of the adventure without my capable companion, driving a rental car to Mexico, on the wrong side of the road, full of dutiable goods that I sought to conceal from Mexican Customs. In the event I drove through the border at Nogales without hindrance, no passport control, vehicle check or Immigration. Nothing. Renate faced the daunting task of clearing out her home of 25 years and handing over Renahara to new owners. She has been very grateful for the support and assistance of the Skovlund family during the process.

Having unloaded and returned the rental car it was time to start the dinghy build and brew some beer. As I write the beer is almost ready to drink and the dinghy almost built. From the time that the timber was delivered the project has taken three weeks, good progress. It is satisfying when a pile of timber suddenly begins to take on the shape of boat. There has been a lot of interest in the project in  the yard with people stopping by daily to review progress.

About a week until paint is applied.

The next stage of the adventure will begin with haul out on Monday the 18th of November which will include painting, anti fouling, rudder modification, propeller change and later, sail making. A busy time ahead.

First Impressions

On our arrival at Puerto Escondido we found the boat to be in very good order. Of all the boats cruising boats we have owned, Seabird, Oraka, Tystie, and even the tried and true Renahara, Taiko is in the best take over condition of them all. Her interior is almost like new, there are few blemishes, she is clean, tidy and odor free. Similarly, the exterior is very sound with good paint work on the top sides and deck; deck gear and running rigging are also of high quality and in good order. The Monitor wind vane self steering, while an essential item of cruising equipment, is a very nice piece of shiny boat jewelry. Outwardly Taiko's only flaws are her green colour, poor anti-fouling ( though a sound hull below water line ) and aged green sail covers.

Our first night aboard on the hard was not comfortable. I was very hot and we were plagued by mosquitoes; dawn was a welcome relief. The following day was spent shopping for victuals in the town of Loreto where we also enjoyed a late breakfast, with Mexican craft beer, in a very pleasant restaurant that had good food and excellent service. Beer for breakfast? Why not? A cold beer in the shade with delicious Mexican food is hard to beat. The remainder of the day was spent stowing away our purchases and personal effects and discovering exactly what equipment remained on board.

The next few days were spent assessing our options and meeting the local marina community who where, almost without exception, American. It was quickly discovered that any thoughts of an anti foul job and a leisurely time at Marina Puerto Escondido were to be eye watering in expense. So it was decided, after a road trip by rental car to La Paz, to launch the boat as she was and seek our fortune elsewhere. This was a little disappointing because we enjoyed good company at music evenings at the bar. It was very pleasant to meet another mandolin player along with other musicians who were less interested in playing old American pop tunes. The trip to La paz was interesting but regrettably short. It was principally intended as shopping trip to stock up on supplies and to catch up with Eberhard, an old friend of Renate.

Renate and Eberhard

The remaining time at the Marina was spent stowing victuals away, filling water tanks, checking systems and hauling up sails.

As can be seen from above photograph the sails needed a bit of tweaking. The first batten after the yard had slipped forward creating the crease at the top of mainsail, this was easily remedied. Later we put upper and lower sheeting on the fore sail, to better control twist, and would like to have done the same with the main sail but lacked the resources to easily do so. Meanwhile Renate, while sick with airline acquired influenza, cleaned out out the lazerette of spilled engine oil from cracked containers and re-stowed everything in the cockpit lockers. My size and claustrophobia make it difficult for me to undertake such tasks.  Our last morning was spent walking up what is known as Canyon Tabor. Spectacular scenery, which due to high day time temperatures is best viewed as early as possible after dawn.

 Canyon Tabor

Having no dinghy we were obliged to remain in the Marina for longer than we would have liked. So on the 3rd of October we happily motored out of Puerto Escondido to cross the Sea of Cortez bound for San Carlos/Guaymas. Light contrary winds predominated on our slow trip to the NE which made necessary about ten hours of engine running for the 150 mile trip. Sailing to windward in light NE we arrived at 1800hrs at Puerto Ballandra, a beautiful horse shoe bay, we thought this something really special, until the mosquitos and no see'ems arrived. It ended up being a very hot itchy uncomfortable night. The following day we looked as though we were suffering from measels.

Happy to be underway again.

The next stop was another lovely bay named Caleta de San Juanico. This time we took care not anchor too close to the shore so as to avoid being plagued by by insects. a cool swim around the boat soothed our hot itching skins and we enjoyed a hot but relative comfortable night. The following day was more of the same, beating to weather in light winds until we reached our last anchorage before crossing the Sea of Cortez bound for Guaymas/San Carlos. This anchorage, Bahia Coyote in Bahia Concepcion, was beautiful and were acutely aware of our lack of a dinghy to row ashore. The weather forecast for the following day was for strong north westerly winds of up to 35 knots. Being unfamiliar with the boat we decided that discretion was the better part of valor and that waiting for the weather to ease was a good idea. On the 7th of October we set sail for San Carlos, 100 miles away to the NE, expecting a nice beam reach in 15 to 20 knots of NW wind. Ha! What we got was 5 to 10 knots form the North. With a lot of coaxing the boat jogged along through the night close hauled at about 3knots. At 1100 hrs on the 8th of  October we motored in to San Carlos marina and took a berth for a couple of nights while contemplated our options. Lamenting our lack of dinghy we set about investigating ways of remedying the problem in a country where material resources can be difficult to obtain. Just how difficult we were about to find out.

Von Frankfurt nach Puerto Escondido

Wir sind bereits seit zwei Wochen auf unserem Boot in Mexiko und es gibt viel zu berichten. Die Vorbereitungen zur Abreise waren eine komplexe Mischung aus Vorfreude und Einschüchterung durch die Bürokratie.

In unserem ersten Beitrag haben wir erwähnt, dass wir Richard und Connie, die Vorbesitzer des Bootes, in Frankfurt getroffen haben. Das war, als würde man die ersten Teile eines Puzzles zusammensetzen. Während Renate einige Zeit mit ihrer Familie in Frankfurt verbrachte, hatte Martin viel Zeit, sich um z.B. die Reisevorschriften für die USA und Mexiko, sowie die Registrierungs- und Dokumentationsanforderungen für das Boot zu recherchieren, dazu zählte auch die MMSI-Nummer und die EPIRB-Registrierung. Er gibt auch zu, viel auf seiner neuen Mandoline gespielt zu haben. Er las über den Bootsbesitz und die Nutzungsbestimmungen in Mexiko, organisierte unsere mexikanischen Visa, wog unser Gepäck mehrmals und recherchierte, wie wir unseren Anschlussflug in Mexiko, Tijuana, von San Diego aus erreichen konnten.

 

Mit allen möglichen Papieren und möglicherweise erforderlichen Kopien starteten wir am 23. September 2019 unseren Flug. Dies war der Tag, an dem Thomas Cook Airlines in Konkurs ging. Wir sind mit Condor geflogen, der Tochtergesellschaft, die noch starten durfte. Das Einchecken und die Sicherheitskontrollen waren einfach, wir brauchten nur viel Geduld, während wir in den Warteschlangen warteten. Das ist nicht Martins starke Seite. Als es ums Borden ging, wollte die Fluggesellschaft uns nicht einsteigen lassen, da wir keine Rückflugtickets hatten. Letztendlich konnten wir sie davon überzeugen, dass wir mit einer privaten Yacht auf dem Heimweg nach Neuseeland waren. Wir haben nicht versucht, sie hinsichtlich ihrer Größe aufzuklären. Der Business Class Flug war angenehm und komfortabel. Es gab keine Schwierigkeiten mit der Einwanderung in die Vereinigten Staaten beim Zwischenstopp in Portland.
Die Schwierigkeiten begannen in San Diego. Wir planten die Nutzung der Fußgängerbrücke "Cross Border Express", die die Flughäfen von Tijuana und San Diego miteinander verbindet. Wir sind von völlig falschen Vorstellungen ausgegangen, die beiden Flughäfen  sind 21 Meilen voneinander entfernt. Wir kamen erst spät in der Nacht an und stellten fest, dass der Shuttlebus nach 21 Uhr nicht mehr fährt. Am Flughafen am Informationsschalter teilte man uns mit, dass auch Busse und Bahne um diese Urzeit unmöglich wären. Es schien, dass die einzige Alternative ein US-Taxi für 120 US-Dollar war. Unser Dilemma wurde von einer Ukrainerin gehört, die am Informationsschalter wartete. Sie bot an, ihren mexikanischen Fahrer zu fragen, ob er Platz für uns habe. Nachdem der Fahrer uns gesehen hatte, erklärte er sich bereit, uns für 80 US-Dollar über die Grenze zum Flughafen zu fahren. Dies war ein sehr freundliches Angebot. Es gab absolut keine Pass- oder Zollkontrollen, als wir über die Grenze gefahren wurden. Der Fahrer fragte uns, wann unser Flugzeug abfliegen würde und nachdem wir ihm mitgeteilt hatten, dass es nicht vor 9 Uhr am nächsten Tag sei, bot er an, uns in einem Hotel in der Nähe des Flughafens abzusetzen. So konnten wir 6 Stunden schlafen, am nächsten Morgen duschen und dann mit dem Hotel-Shuttle zum Flughafen fahren.

Gegen Mittag landeten wir auf dem internationalen Flughafen von Loreto, Baja California Sur. Passagiere müssen hier immer zum Terminal laufen. Die Gepäckausgabehalle war mit einer Gepäckablage und 3 Stühlen ausgestattet. Es gab keine Kontrollen oder irgendetwas anderes. Wir mieteten ein Auto und fuhren 25 km zur Marina in Puerto Escondido. Wir haben die Hitze intensiv gespürt.

 

 Was hielten wir vom Boot? Findet das im nächsten Beitrag heraus.

Frankfurt to Puerto Escondido

We have already been on our boat in Mexico for two weeks and there is much to report. The preparations to leave were a complex mixture of keen anticipation and intimidation by bureaucracy.
In our first post, we mentioned that we met with Richard and Connie, the previous owners of the boat, in Frankfurt. This was like putting the first few pieces of a jigsaw puzzle together. While Renate spent time with her family in Frankfurt, Martin had plenty of time to research travel regulations for the US and Mexico and the registration and documentation requirements for the boat, for example, radio call sign, MMSI number and EPIRB registration. He also admits to playing his new mandolin a lot. He read about boat ownership and use regulations in Mexico, organized our Mexican visas, weighed our luggage several times, and researched how we could reach our connecting flight in Mexico, Tijuana, from San Diego.  

 

With all sorts of papers and possibly required copies we started our flight on September 23rd; 2019.This was the day that Thomas Cook Airlines went bankrupt. We flew with Condor, the subsidiary airline, which was still allowed to take off. The check in and security checks were easy, we just needed a lot of patience while waiting in queues; which is not Martin’s strong suit. When it came to boarding, the airline was reluctant to allow us to board because we did not have return tickets. Ultimately, we were able to convince them that we were on our way home to New Zealand by private yacht. We made no attempt to enlighten them as to its size. The business class flight was pleasant and comfortable. There were no difficulties encountered with immigration entering the United States at Portland.
The difficulties started in San Diego. We planned to use the "Cross Border Express" pedestrian bridge thinking that it connected Tijuana and San Diego airports. We were completely wrong, they are 21miles apart. We arrived late at night only to discover that the shuttle bus ceases to operate after 9pm. At the airport the information desk we found out that buses and trains would also be impossible. It seemed that the only alternative was a $120 US taxi. Our dilemma was heard by a Ukrainian woman waiting at the information desk. She offered to ask her Mexican driver if he had room for us. After the driver saw us, he agreed to drive us across the border, to the airport, for $80 US. This was a very kind offer. There were absolutely no passport or customs checks as we were driven across the border. The driver asked us when our plane would leave and after telling him that it was not until 9am the next day he offered to drop us off at a hotel near the airport. Thus, we were able to sleep for 6 hours, shower the next morning and then take the hotel shuttle to the airport.

Around noon we landed at the international airport of Loreto, Baja California Sur. Passengers always have to walk to the terminal here. The baggage reclaim hall was equipped with a luggage rack and 3 chairs. There were no controls or anything else. We rented a car and drove 25km to the Marina at Puerto Escondido. We felt the heat intensely.

 What did we think of the boat? Find out in the next post.