In all the books, videos, documentaries and films that we have studied about life aboard a sailboat, one thing especially caught our eye: The cruising community seemed to be a tightly woven society that lives in its own little bubble. But in this bubble, help and knowledge is being exchanged, experience and stories are being shared. Parties are being celebrated. People are there for each other and support each other wherever and with whichever they can.  Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy? We were about to experience first hand big time!

First impressions

Already long before owning Milagros and moving aboard, we had started to investigate what our future life would look like. What really impressed me about the cruising community right from the beginning was a very specific video from SV Delos, one of the most famous sailing channels on YouTube. In the video, several cruisers selflessly gather to free a boat. It had run aground on a reef together with its not quite sober owners. What I saw in that video stuck with me. I was extremely impressed to see how the cruisers gathered, organized, and mastered a potentially dangerous situation with skill, will and commitment. This completely selflessly and without ulterior motives. Just for the sake of it, and because it was the right thing to do in that situation.

Our experiences with the cruising community

Is the cruising community as we had imagined? Short answer is yes. When I reflect on what we have already experienced and how many great people from the cruising community we have already met, so many memories pop up in my head. In the short time that we have spent on Milagros, we have met so much goodwill and positive vibes. Everybody is literally in the same boat, shares the same great and not so great experiences.

Help is just around the corner

Anyone who has been reading our blog for a little longer was with us when we visited Milagros for the first time in December 2019. Two complete and utter greenhorns from Switzerland are sitting in their huge sailboat in Mexico and don’t even know what is happening to them. What to do with this colossus? A few days later the world looked very different. Various great people from the cruising community in the Cruiseport Marina in Ensenada took time to take all of Milagros’ systems apart with us. So a puzzle was put together, which at first seemed much too big. We probably wouldn’t have been able to do it alone at that time.

It’s how the cruising community works

And that’s exactly how it continued a year later. During our preparations for the transfer of Milagros from Ensenada to the Cabrales Boatyard in Puerto Peñasco, coffee time with Captain Max and Sofia turned into a daily ritual. We got to know an American liveaboard family with whom we partied a lot and way too hard at one point. As Patricia unfortunately could not take part in the sail to Puerto Peñasco due to various delays, she was allowed to move on the boat of our good friends Steve and Susanne until she returned back home to Switzerland. Cruising community at its best. With many great experiences and memories we sailed towards Cabrales Boatyard in Puerto Peñasco.

The Cabrales Boatyard

Last but not least, we decided on the long journey to the very north of Baja California, because we had read of a bunch of super positive experiences in other blogs. Salvador Cabrales, the owner of the yard, takes pleasure in the people here at the Boatyard and in his work. He helps wherever he can and has a whole network of people, useful tips and tricks in and around Puerto Peñasco. In addition, year in and year out Cabrales Boatyard is occupied by cruisers who work on their boats. The Cabrales cruising community takes care of one another, if anyone has a problem, help is there immediately.  Hanging out at the fire pit on Friday evenings is a weekly ritual.

Cabrales Cruising Community

This cannot be taken for granted. We have heard of very different experiences on other boatyards. Pati and I are both still beginners, so we decided to do our refit at Cabrales Boatyard. We hoped we could find all the help we needed here. And oh boy, did we get help. The cruising community here is great. Every time we get stuck in a project, a little walk around the boatyard helps. Someone here has always done any of our projects before, or is right in the middle of it. Tons of experience, great and exciting stories everywhere. A little chat quickly turns into an evening meal.

The cruising community is there

We are still doing fiberglass work on our underwater hull. Last week we went through a tough couple of days. The project seemed way too big and endless. That also affected the mood and so there was one or the other harsh word. We knew this was bound to happen at some point. But also this is where the cruising community kicks in: When your day is all shitty, there will always someone there who will motivate you and cheer you up. Always with a helping hand and a few motivating words. People who live on boats just seem to see everything with different eyes and approach their lives with a lot more positivity. Thank you for that, dear Cabralianos, dear cruising community!

What’s next?

Apart from all the positive experiences with the local sailing community, we are moving forward. We reinforce the hull of Milagros day in and day out and are sticky from all the epoxy. Blister after blister is being wiped out. Everything has an end, only a sausage has two (no idea if that one works in english). We have to move fast. Summer is approaching, it is slowly but surely getting warmer. And the Cabrales sailing community tells horror stories about summer here in the Sea of ​​Cortez. We’ll see what happens. We just hope our shoes won’t melt below our feet. Has actually happened to one or the other cruiser here…

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Der Beitrag Cruising Community – the best Community erschien zuerst auf Milagros.

I packed two huge bags with all kinds of stuff and was accompanied by my parents to Basel airport. The trip to Mexico was long but quite unspectacular. I am used to spending a lot of time at airports and on airplanes from work, so I don’t mind long trips. At customs in Mexico City, I was promptly charged $ 150 for our camera drone, even though diving material should have been inspected. This despite the fact that there was a kilo of raclette cheese and just as much fondue cheese right next to it, which I probably shouldn’t have imported. But it is what it is.

A happy reunion

The overnight stay in the capsule hotel in Mexico City was, as already described by Pati, very pleasant. So, I had enough rest to take on the flight to Tijuana and the subsequent bus ride to Ensenada. Once there, I was received by the others. This reunion was particularly lovely, as I hadn’t seen Carmen and Iñaki for over half a year. I had been on the road for over 30 hours and as a result, I was tired as hell. But I didn’t have much time to take a break. Milagros had to be made ready.

Work starts immediately

Although Pati, Carmen & Iñaki had already done a great job in advance, we were still by no means ready to sail. The windlass was still causing problems and the stove was still leaking gas. The planning of the passage, the provisioning and the safe stowing of everything that was not nailed down was still to be done. As a friendly greeting gesture by the others, I was sent up to the mast straight away, as we wanted to install a small analogue wind indicator up there. But that didn’t work out because we couldn’t find a suitable place. So, I quickly had solid ground under my feet again. The adrenaline rush dangling at a height of 14 meters was still not bad.

Gas miracles happen

The propane bottle from Steven’s camping stove was empty after only four days. We had just started frying meat when it quit working. So, we decided to reconnect our original gimbal oven to the gas system. Out of curiosity, we then did another gas pressure test, and behold: Everything was suddenly tight! The gas alarm next to the stove didn’t go off either. So, we unexpectedly had our galley back. We don’t know why, but we can now treat ourselves with 4-star menus again.

Anchor windlass miracles happen

We experienced a similar story with the motor of the anchor windlass. Although it had already been approved by two independent mechanics, it was still drawing too many amps. Apart from the motor, we had eliminated all the causes that came to mind: Our batteries and their connections are OK, the grounding is OK, the voltage on all connections from the anchor windlass to its fuse is fine. Nevertheless, we brought in another mechanic to reopen and overhaul and service the anchor windlass motor. His call a day later brought little news: It was in excellent condition. What did we miss?

Our Anchor windlass is picky

The mechanic brought a starter battery for the re-installation to rule out that the problem lied with our on-board battery bank. When the motor was installed again and we did the test … suddenly everything worked. We could hardly believe our eyes. Was our anchor windlass just waiting for the right mechanic and service? Looks like now we have a working and picky windlass.

Ordering parts in the USA

Now all that was needed was a new brake disc for the anchor windlass, as the old one had reached the end of its life and therefore no longer worked properly. After a replacement the system would be good to go again. We found what we were looking for in the USA and ordered the part with an express delivery to Ensenada.

Coffee on Tranquila

The initial restrictions caused by our faulty gas system also had their advantages: We were invited by other sailors for morning coffees. The first few days the other three went to Susanne from “Tranquila” for coffee at 7am. Usually three cups of coffee and a ready-made thermos to take away were waiting for them.

Pampered by Captain Max and Sophia

When I arrived, Captain Max from SV “Galena” also invited us to his boat. A ritual has developed from a simple coffee. It started with a coffee tray on which Max served us delicious French press coffee. Two days later there were already two trays with a small breakfast. Two more days later there were three trays, because green tea and black tea were added. Every day he surprised us with something different. Be it pancakes for Sunday breakfast, delicious churros, fresh carrot cake muffins from the bakery or pain au chocolat from the café. And we didn’t just drink and eat – we discussed our upcoming projects every day and gave each other tips, listened to music and chatted about God and the world. Everything under the watchful eyes of Sophia, Captain Max’s dog lady and first officer.

A lost day

Aside from all the enjoyment, Iñaki and I also had to go overboard (not literally), of course. After a hard night of partying with Stacy and David from “Millennium Falcon” with beer, bourbon, tequila and a final rum tasting at Captain Max, we vegetated in our bunks for a whole day, completely destroyed. Meanwhile, the girls spent their day with fine dining and a ride on our dinghy. Good news here too at least, because our dinghy is in good shape and the outboard motor runs like melted butter.

The meteorologists of Milagros

The days passed and we always kept an eye on weather development. We paid particular attention to the hurricane forecasts from NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), the US weather and oceanography authority. The atmosphere along our planned route was a bit more active at the end of the prior week. Approaches of a storm moved directly along our route. But now the track seemed to be free for a few days. The two- and five-day forecasts no longer showed any significant storm developments.

Planning the passage

Our plan became really specific when we sat down with Iñaki to plan our passage. He explained to us how to correctly plan a sailing trip from A to B and what to consider. You start by getting a rough overview of what the route looks like and whether there are any dangers. Depending on their type, these could even make a voyage unfeasible. So, it makes sense to first plan the whole route on a rough scale. You don’t want to do all the work for nothing.

Detail work in a second step

If it is possible to sail along the desired route, we worked continuously from large-scale maps to detailed overview maps. In this way, we could effectively rule out overlooking important factors. We decided that Carmen, Patricia and I plan three passages. Carmen took care of our actual 4-5 day crossing from Ensenada to Bahia Magdalena (Mag Bay). Pati and I each planned a trip from Ensenada to Bahia San Quintin and Bahia Tortugas (Turtle Bay) respectively. So, we had complete passage plans for two alternative ports at hand, should we have to go ashore unexpectedly.

Equipped for all eventualities

As a reward for the passage planning we had done, we enjoyed the fondue that I had brought with me from Switzerland to traditional Swiss music. A piece of home in Mexico.

With full bellies, we then went back to our planning. We looked through all three plans together. This enabled us to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the different approaches and benefit from each other’s work. Iñaki had some inputs, but overall, he was happy with our plans. Each of these can be carried out as planned. So, we are ready our long journey and even have two fully planned backup plans in hand.

The boat is being filled with provisions

While Iñaki and I stayed on board Milagros, Carmen and Patricia went on an errand tour with Susanne, Steven and their pickup truck. Supplies had to be bought for over 4 weeks. We decided to only buy non-perishables for the time being. We don’t want to store vegetables, fruits and other fresh products until one day before departure.

I would like to mention the most important finding of the week here. We have found the perfect place for our beer stock on board. I don’t know whether the stairs to our rear cabin were built for beer cans, but exactly nine rows of cans fit into the crate.

Time is running out

Although we made good progress in general, there was still a major setback. Since the complications with our anchor windlass and gas stove postponed the whole planning a little, the schedule got too tight for Pati to sail with us as far as La Paz. When the news came in that the brake disc for the anchor windlass would arrive three days later than planned, we had to make a decision.

Go with the flow

Pati had to go home a few weeks earlier than me. So, after a short discussion we decided that she would spend the rest of the week with Steven and Susanne on “Tranquila”. With a heavy heart, Carmen, Iñaki and I would only set out as a three towards Puerto Peñasco. It would have made no sense to cram all of the planning into an increasingly narrow time window.

So now we are still counting down. Milagros is ready, we are ready. We would have loved to have Pati with us, but that’s the way it is. If everything goes well, we will still have enough opportunities to be on the open water together.

Ready to go?

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Der Beitrag Anchor Windlass Comebacks and other Wonders erschien zuerst auf Milagros.

A first milestone is imminent

When preparing Milagros, we always had our first big target in mind: The approximately 1,400 nautical miles (2,600 km) long sailing trip to Puerto Peñasco. In order not to slow ourselves down unnecessarily, we artificially increased pressure on ourselves and set a first milestone 8 days after my arrival: A test sail. To make everything official, we invited Steven and Susanne to join us – it should be a nice Sunday cruise. However, due to the complications with the gas hose and anchor windlass, it ended up being a Tuesday cruise. But more on that later.

Nothing works without the sails

For the first excursion of Milagros in 2020, the most essential thing was missing: The sails were not yet mounted. The best time to mount them was early in the morning as there is usually no wind. Carmen and Iñaki had to set their first alarm clock in a loooong time. I on the other hand had to get up early anyway for business meetings due to the time difference of 9 hours.

So that we could hoist our headsail, a shackle made of Dyneema had to be spliced, because an extension that was mounted high up in the mast was showing signs of wear and tear and had to be replaced. Iñaki kindly took over and spliced a so-called “Soft Shackle” with the help of instructions from the Internet.

In contrast to previous projects, we were able to complete this one within a day and were rewarded with delicious chicken tacos from Susanne and Steven.

Aiming high

Next up, I had to aim high: The inspection of the mast and rigging was due. It was not up for discussion whether I wanted to go up there or not. I had to. Sitting in a Bosun chair and well-prepared, including knee pads, to protect myself from the sun and injuries, Iñaki pulled me up the mast. David from SV Millennium Falcon looked after the second safety line attached to my climbing harness. My job was to use a damp rag to clean all the mast mountings. I also checked for cracks and corrosion.

The reward is immediate

My efforts were rewarded with a great view of the sunset from the 14m high mast. And as far as I could tell as a layman, our mast and rigging luckily looked pretty good. The subsequent analysis of the GoPro pictures that I took from above confirmed this impression. Nonetheless, our mast urgently needs some love, as in certain places the paint has already peeled off. We will take care of that after we have arrived in Puerto Peñasco. With the sails hoisted and the mast thoroughly checked, we had now met all the requirements for the test sail.

Finally sailing Milagros again!

Two days after the originally planned date, we started early in the morning with the preparations for a small day trip. Our destination was the petrol station at Hotel Coral, which is around 2 nautical miles north of our marina. Steven, Susanne and David (from SV Millennium Falcon) accompanied us. When we left the marina, we encountered a nice wind of 15 knots (approx. 30 km / h), which brought us almost to the gas station at a good speed of 5-6 knots (approx. 10 km / h). Unfortunately, we had to cover the final stretch with our engine on. The wind suddenly eased way too much.

Who’s scared of Pati at the helm?

I was allowed be at the helm, of course, but since we have no wind indicator, we had to improvise and make so-called “tell tales” out of kitchen rags.

It was not easy for me to determine the wind direction and to steer Milagros correctly so that we didn’t lose our speed. Of course, it happened in spite of the tell tales and I had to use the engine to keep us from stalling. All beginnings are difficult.

A well-deserved break

After refueling Milagros, we enjoyed sandwiches we had brought with us right at the diesel dock. Lucky for us, due to the Corona virus, the only diesel station within a radius of over 100km was not particularly well attended.

Highlights and lowlights

The absolute highlight of the trip was that we were escorted by a couple of dolphins along the way. They swam at our bow when we left the harbor. Another highlight, almost as big, was that everything was so far in order: The newly installed steering cables work, the spliced intermediate part held firm, the sails were correctly installed and the engine did its job. And of course we could finally do what we are all here for: Sailing!

A small lowlight – but basically an already known one – was that the inner forestay was simply in the way when tacking. The genoa (headsail) got blocked each time and made sure that the maneuver dragged on and we lost speed. Since our inner forestay is not permanently installed, Steven and Iñaki have removed and relegated it to the shrouds on the side of the boat.

The work goes on

Although Milagros was basically ready to sail, two important components were still missing for a longer crossing: A working stove and a working windlass. The division of labor worked very well. I looked after the stove, Iñaki took care of the winch and Carmen took care of our physical well-being. There was a lot of potential for frustration in my gas project, and also quite a risk. A gas leak can be fatal under certain circumstances.

A gold-plated gas system on Milagros?

Although my project was actually quite simple – dismantle the gas hose, buy a new one and pull it back in, connect the solenoid – the topic occupied me every day for around a week. Although at some point I managed to get all the necessary parts, the installation was tedious. First I was missing the Teflon tape to seal the gas fittings tightly. Then I was missing crimp connectors and the associated tools to crimp the solenoid wires. Then I missed the terminals to connect the solenoid to the power. When according to a soap test, everything was finally tight, we still lost gas pressure somewhere. Aaaarrrrghh.

Glossary
Crimp connector: Metal sleeves to connect two cables together
Solenoid: A solenoid valve that opens and closes electromagnetically
Crimping: Two components are connected to one another by deformation, e.g. by squeezing
Soap test: You can test for gas leaks by spraying soapy water on connections of two gas fittings. If you see bubbles, that’s bad. If nothing happens, that’s good. Connections are tight.

Is this the end of our stove?

I was about to throw our stove out the window. We dismantled everything possible on it and cleaned the entire oven and its burners. But it didn’t help. So we cooked our menus outside on an emergency camping stove that Steven brought us from the USA from now on.

And what about David?

Two weeks after my arrival in Ensenada, the time had come: We picked up David at the bus station by taxi. We received him joyfully. But would he be allowed into the marina this time? Everything fine, we were simply waved through the gate. David’s suitcases were packed with useful items and some goodies from Switzerland. For me there was a Rivella Blau, to enjoy in a nice bay on the way, he had raclette and fondue with him and of course the chocolate from Grosmi (my grandma).

Finally, for the first time all four of us were on board Milagros together and could begin with the final preparations for her transfer.

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Der Beitrag Milagros goes Sailing! erschien zuerst auf Milagros.

The universe means well

Funny how life goes sometimes. During the summertime a new plan had formed. As the end of the renovation work and the launch of Anila was in sight, Carmen and Iñaki had time for a little sailing trip with us from mid-September on.

The plan is to sail (with) Milagros to the Rocky Point shipyard in Puerto Peñasco in the far north of the Sea of Cortez. There we want to attack all the boat projects and upgrades that are on the list for our vessel. We actually planned to do this trip in May already, but you know, Covid and stuff…

David was able to take 8 weeks off in the beginning of October. My deadlines at work also allowed 4 weeks of vacation. So we could all meet on Milagros, get her ready and take her to Puerto Peñasco. I would fly to Mexico by the end of September and David would follow in early October. Carmen and Iñaki arrived a little earlier and were on vacation on Milagros. Good for me – the boat was already inhabited and I wasn’t alone.

Like a clockwork

So on 24th September, I was facing a 36-hour trip to Mexico, which also included an overnight stay at Mexico City Airport. As I’ve always wanted to try a sleep capsule hotel it was very convenient for me to have this option right inside the airport. In addition to the very clean showers, sleeping in these capsules was also very pleasant. I can only recommend it!

My flights were almost canceled due to a misunderstanding with KLM. In addition, for whatever reason, I had booked my second suitcase to Mexico City only instead of Tijuana. Apart from that, everything went fine. The bus from Tijuana Airport to Ensenada left just 2 minutes after I bought the ticket. Unfortunately, I had to go through the 2-hour bus ride on an empty stomach. The layover between buying the ticket and getting on board was simply not long enough to buy snacks. The baggage handler at the bus stop quickly walked to the bus with my suitcases, while the bus driver urgently requested me to get on board.

Welcome to Mexico! Again!!

Carmen picked me up at the bus station in a taxi. Since it was noon, we treated ourselves with some take away shrimp and fish tacos. We didn’t expect that it would take a little longer until we could eat.

Unsuspecting, the taxi driver wanted to take us to the marina. But we couldn’t enter the gates (again) – because of me this time. My name wasn’t on the entry list! It didn’t help that the security guard recognized me from the last time or that I had a letter with me issued by the Marina office confirming my access. As a result, Carmen had to go to the office with my passport and have me added to the list, which they then emailed to the guard. WELCOME TO MEXICO!! After the first and second, for the third time now we were stopped at this accursed Marina gate. Tacos were a bit limp after the ordeal, but we finally got to Milagros and were able to enjoy our well-deserved lunch time.

Exploring Gringo Gulch

After this long journey, I was looking forward to some exercise. Carmen and I went to town to toast the joyful reunion with a drink. We found what we were looking for on the so-called “Gringo Gulch”, the tourist street of Ensenada. We found a nice bar which had a Mariachi band playing on the opposite side of the street. Unfortunately, we had overlooked the fact that the bar was called “Dick and Willy’s”. The DJ had turned up the volume for his non-existent audience. Therefore, it wasn’t very comfortable.

We enjoyed the first few days and the good food. For instance we had homemade fish tacos with fresh tortillas and fresh fish from the fish market or went out to a traditional Mexican restaurant called “Guadalajara”.

Let’s get to work!

But we weren’t there just for fun: An inspection of the boat and the planning of the upcoming boat projects had to be done. These can be divided into the categories Diagnosis & Repair and Preparation.

Diagnosis & repair

• Mount the steering cable
• Motor service including impeller change, oil change, exchange of the V-belt
• Check the gas system
• Anchor windlass service including its engine

Preparation

• Rigging inspection
• Mount the sails
• Test the dinghy and the outboard engine
• Test the emergency tiller and wind-vane
• Coordinate a tool delivery from the USA
• Have the hull cleaned by a diver and check the thru-hulls
• Organize life raft
• Buy provisions

First things first

Before we started working, we met with Susanne and Steven, who we had met on our last visit to Ensenada. To celebrate the reunion, we decided to go to the not very cheap Italian “Il Massimo”. Nevertheless, the food was worth every penny. At least that’s what I can say about my gorgonzola gnocchi. Quickly, we already fixed the next adventure together: A winery tour in the Valle de Guadalupe, a wine-growing region near Ensenada.

Preparation is key

To be able to carry out our planned boat projects, we first had to go shopping. Steven kindly offered to accompany us. That was great, since we now had a car available and someone with us who knows the area. On our search for all the parts we needed, we were sent from store to store. We had to visit all kinds of shops to get the material we wanted. Shopping the Mexican way. We were mostly successful, but only a properly sized impeller could not be found anywhere. However we were able to inflate the dinghy and it passed the leak test overnight.

Working ourselves through the boat projects

Milagros already had proper hull growth below the waterline – all kinds of corals and plants had settled, forming a nice little coral reef. This attracted fish looking for food. One morning we heard loud knocking noises on coming from the hull. It turned out that it was about 30 cm tall fish that chopped the corals with their caudal (tail) fins in order to get to the crabs that lived in them. Fortunately, we had already ordered the diver to come and clean Milagros. When he arrived, he also checked our sacrificial anodes. Luckily so! They were almost completely used up.

I found new sacrificial anodes in the spare parts, but they did not fit. Kindly, however, they were already marked where and how much they had to be adjusted. Thanks for marking but not shortening! So Iñaki borrowed Stevens’ hacksaw and did the job. We sued the occasion and had underwater pictures taken of our thru-hulls.

They seem in working order, but we can definitely add them to the list of projects once we’re hauled out in Puerto Peñasco.

The engine service – a typical boat project

The next big boat project was the engine service. We had to replace the V-belts and the impeller (a rubber propeller in the raw water pump that delivers the flow of seawater to feed into the engine’s cooling water circuit), change the oil and oil filter. The oil change was unspectacular (except that we accidentally refilled too much oil and then had to pump out again), as did changing the V-belts.

But, now it’s getting technical. In order to be able to change the impeller, we first had to remove the V-belt of the raw water pump, then unscrew the pump and its housing. So far so good.

It was bound to happen

When I unscrewed the pump, water gushed towards me. Oops, we forgot to close the thru-hull for the raw water inlet. It should be closed when the engine is not in use. Upon inspections, the lever was in closed position. And no one had touched the installation since December. From this we could conclude that this thru-hull fitting could not be properly closed. Not good. So we had to find another solution to cut off the water supply. Iñaki opened the sieve without further ado, stuck a cork stopper in it and stopped the water from entering. I was then able to unscrew the housing of the impeller. It was quite tedious to remove the impeller, but with the help of a little swearing the new impeller was installed (luckily there were still replacement impellers on the ship). I was very happy about my first self-installed impeller.

Houston, we have a problem!

During the engine test that followed, it turned out that no cooling water was coming out of the exhaust when the engine was running, so troubleshooting started again. A wise man once said: If you do something to an engine and it doesn’t work, then you’ve done it wrong. So the whole game started all over again. And we found out: The impeller did not turn. I had overlooked the fact that there is a so-called key between the pump and the impeller, which connects the two. It must have gotten lost it when I changed the impeller before.

I searched the bilge meticulously – had the little piece of metal fallen off? But there was nothing in the bilge. The last hope was that the key had fallen into the water hose below the water pump. Oh dear. We were already wondering what we would do if we couldn’t find the tiny piece anymore. Then Steven came to help which was a motivation boost.

The needle in the haystack

So, we dismantled the clamps on both sides of the cooling water hose and tadaaaaaa: The small piece of metal tumbled out. Phuuuuh, lucky. Steven then reinstalled the impeller, not without greasing everything up properly to make life easier. The subsequent engine test showed: Nothing – again no cooling water from the exhaust. We were slowly running out of ideas. We decided to let the matter rest overnight and devoted ourselves to the problem again the next day.

The third time I dismantled the water pump, I found that the small impeller key wasn’t lost this time, but wasn’t sitting where it should. Since everything was greased, I had to fumble around until I had everything back in place. The impeller passed the subsequent rotation test. I can almost say that I am now an impeller professional! Usually this procedure is only done once per season. And the result of the engine test? Cooling water is flowing now!

A Birthday on the boat

The working engine cooling was like a little birthday present for Iñaki. Finally, something that worked, after all. After some brain jogging, we also managed to attach our new Dyneema steering cables using a newly spliced part. Whew, we are no longer unable to maneuver.

But the anchor winch still gave up after 3 seconds and the gas system didn’t work anymore. So Iñaki and Stacy’s birthday burgers (our neighbor’s birthday was one day later) had to be prepared on their grill and brought to us on the boat.

Criss-cross through Ensenada

The next thing on the long list of boat projects was the gas system and anchor windlass problems. With some boat yoga, Carmen and I managed to pull the 8m long gas hose out of the boat. On the windlass, we pumped out the gear oil so we could dismantle the engine to have it tested in town and find out what was causing the voltage drop. A supposedly short tour to two shops turned into a 4-hour odyssey through Ensenada. The engine test was done quickly: It was tested in the first shop and worked. Unfortunately, we didn’t ask the right questions and now only know that it works, but not if it is drawing too much voltage or amps. In hindsight, you’re always smarter.

The whole thing looked different for the gas hose. We simply could not find a shop in Ensenada that sells 8m long propane gas hoses with suitable connections. Frustrated, we treated ourselves to fine shrimp tacos and then desserts from the best bakery in town called “Panaderia el Nuevo Cristal”.

Boat life – where there is shadow, there is light

In addition to the lows, we also always experienced highs. Steven and Susanne invited us over for delicious eggplant parmigiana, or Steven brought us awesome sandwiches for lunch because we couldn’t cook without a properly working gas system on board Milagros. Our morning routine therefore now also included a coffee visit to their sailboat “Tranquila”.

Our trip to the winery was also a highlight: In addition to fantastic food and good wine, we also saw another area of Mexico. And it was interesting that – although the wine valley was only a 30-minute drive away – the thermometer climbed from 28°C in the marina to a mere 40°C in a very short time. However, a stroll on the beach afterwards and a cold beer in La Salina helped.

What a life…

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Der Beitrag Boat Projects to start the Adventure erschien zuerst auf Milagros.

But from the beginning

We had booked perfectly timed flights from Zurich to Frankfurt and on to San Diego. Due to a delayed departure in Zurich, we missed our connection in Frankfurt. After a long queue at the service counter were rebooked on two flights: Frankfurt – Washington and Washington – San Diego. This meant that we did not arrive in San Diego until 8 p.m. and therefore could no longer travel to Mexico. We would not have arrived at the marina in Ensenada until 3 a.m. in the middle of the night. And David knows from his own experience that it is not sure whether the gatekeepers actually let you into the marina.

Learnings from the past

So, we booked an Airbnb in San Diego near the border. The next morning, strengthened with pancakes from iHop, started our onward journey to Mexico. Without any noteworthy incidents, we crossed the border and took the direct bus from Tijuana to Ensenada.

We made it to Mexico

Once there, we dragged our heavy suitcases through the broken and uneven streets of the city with some difficulty. The marina is not to be missed. A huge flag (it takes 50 men to hoist it) shows the way there. Although David had done everything in advance to prevent it, the guard at the marina entrance did not let us in. The ship was still registered to the previous owner. But one phone call later the problem was solved. Welcome to Mexico again! And welcome to the unpredictabilities of boat life!

Hello beautiful!

And there she layed, on Dock E at the very back, as if in a deep sleep. Beautiful. The utopia of our future boat lifestyle slowly took shape. We quickly found the hidden key and curiously opened the ship. It was somehow … cold and empty. Logically. Nobody heated the ship (it was only 5°C at night) and the previous owner took all his personal belongings with him. We would only find out later what other things he had taken with him.

A bumpy start to boat life

A quick check in the kitchen showed that at least the basics were there: Plates, cutlery, pans, glasses. There were no blankets and pillows (luckily, we decided to stay in San Diego !!!), so we set off for the errands. Invigorated with Starbucks coffee and after a stop at the taco women from “Las Brisas” we walked along the beach to Walmart. There we bought far too expensive inferior synthetic blankets and took care of our physical well-being.

Failing Milagros for the first time

Back at the ship we stowed everything and first explored every corner of the ship. It was a totally unreal feeling: So, this is supposed to be our new home? Will this where we’ll spend our future boat life? Beautiful and strange at the same time. During testing, we immediately flooded one of the two toilets because we didn’t understand how the vacuum pump works. Fortunately, nobody saw that. We couldn’t cook food or make coffee either because we didn’t immediately get how the gas system works on Milagros.

Befriending fellow sailors

We spent the next two days with getting to know the local sailing community. Such as Steven and Susanne from SV Tranquila. Together with them, we took a close look at the ship. We could benefit a lot from Steven’s vast experience (and we found out how the gas system works).

A plan is formed

We were also introduced to Raul. He’s local all-rounder of our age with a lot of sailing experience and great English skills. Jackpot. All of this led to the decision to go on a day trip with Milagros.

With the help of Raul, we started preparing the ship – clueless sitting in the cockpit was over. For example, the bottom of the ship was scrubbed by a diver whom we paid $ 65 for 2 hours. With the Mexican average wage of $ 4 / h a very lucrative job for him. But since there was only one diver to hire and we really didn’t want to bathe in the dirty water of the marina, we were happy to be basically ripped off. Together with Raul, we also checked and polished the rigging, started the engine, filled up gas, inspected and washed the sails, etc. Boat life had started.

Enjoying the mexican way of life

When we weren’t “at work”, we explored the city on foot and feasted on cevice tacos, sailed around the harbour with Raul and his mini sailing boat, examined the pirate ship in the harbour and tried to figure out how washing clothes works (easier said than done). We weren’t spared the hustle and bustle of Christmas either. Christmas is a big deal in Mexico which lasts about a month. Decoration up to eye cancer, endless “Feliz Navidad” wishes, Christmas market, ice skating on wood, Christmas always and everywhere all day long. A “potluck” was organized for the sailing community in the marina. You meet and everyone brings something to eat, no matter what. Our European guacamole was gone in no time. We even had a classic Christmas dinner with Steven and Susanne and turkey and discussions about the American Parliament.

The big day had come

We could sail Milagros for the first time! Together with Raul, Susanne and Steven we sailed in the Bahia Todos Los Santos off Ensenada, a week after our arrival, we left the harbour under motor. Hoisting the sails went smoothly. And the weather was really nice too. From hardly any wind to a lot of wind from all directions, we had everything (unfortunately the wind indicator was broken). We could get a good look and feel of the ship. We even hoisted the staysail and found out that it was brand new and unused. Raul was gripped by sailing fever. He pushed the ship and we even reached 8 knots (15 km/h). That’s is very racy, but is partly due to the fact that our ship is simply empty. All in all, an exciting day and already half time!

A taste of the boat lifestyle

In the days that followed, we tackled other boat projects, and we experienced a classic. An old rule of boat life says that a job always takes three times as long and contains three times as much work as planned. Actually, we only wanted to “quickly” lay the anchor chain on the dock to check its condition and measure the length. When we tried to pull the chain back in with the electric windlass, it didn’t really have any power. Then we started troubleshooting. Was it corroded electrical contacts? Were the batteries too weak? Does the winch only run under motor? Does it have enough oil? This short check became a day project.

How to work without tools?

And that’s when we really noticed it: there was no tool on board. And our Victorinox multi tool couldn’t keep up with the imperial units. Our neighbour (who drove into our solar panel with his trawler) kindly provided us with his equipment, with everything a craftsman’s heart could desire. At the end of the day, the alternator belt began to squeak again – a sign that the winch was now really pulling power. Unfortunately, the belt was already stretched to the maximum, which meant that it had to be replaced. Well, this will be a project for another time.

The good thing about it was that we found suspicious fraying and damage to the steering cable and now have to replace it as soon as possible. In addition, we could not loosen the rusted screws of the blocked solenoid from the gas safety switch. We now have bypassed the switch and we have to close the gas bottle each time after use. Safety first!

We couldn’t be happier

The time flew by. Contrary to expectations, we could have stayed two more weeks and boat life would never have been boring. As expected, the community in the marina was warm. Of the boat owners’ willingness to help many could take a leaf out of their book. But our visit was slowly coming to an end.

Putting Milagros back to sleep

Before we left, we put the ship back into sleep mode. We stowed the sails, of course, not without an incident. One sail accidentally fell partly into the water. We had to wash and let it dry again so that it did not go mouldy folded in the sail bag. Finally, we drove with Raul to the local flea market. We were looking for cheap used tools. Of course we also had brilliant fish tacos at Raul’s insider tip.

We’ll just hide from you that we found out on the bus back to San Diego. David was wrong about the time of our departure and that we almost missed our flight again.

So, we returned to cold and gray Switzerland. The trip was a great experience and made us want more!

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Der Beitrag Our first Taste of Boat Life erschien zuerst auf Milagros.

For the visit to Milagros, Iñaki and I were received by Brent, a cool Canadian yacht captain. He used Ensenada and Milagros as his headquarters for his travels and lived full-time in the marina on the ship.

A sailboat well taken care of

Brent first showed us around on deck. It was immediately clear: He had invested a lot of good work in Milagros. According to him, he had bought the ship and completely overhauled it, before taking her on a six-month voyage through the Gulf of California. All of his installations were on hand.

Down the drain

An example:
On Scorpido in Los Angeles, the deck drains were laid out in such a way that hoses led through the ship and then out through the hull. Where do you want the water on your ship to be? Definitely not in the interior. So why drain excess water through Milagros’ hull? Brent removed the whole installation without further ado. He replaced everything with hand-made outlets in the toe rail. They are much more effective and drain the water directly overboard.

Useful upgrades

And that’s how Milagros presented itself in the interior. Everything that was superfluous was removed by Brent and replaced with new installations that were as simple as possible. The electrical installations were well organized and labeled, a watermaker was installed on board and could be serviced from all sides, the engine could be completely flushed with fresh water and the entire cabin and the cockpit could only be illuminated with red light if desired. Incidentally, this small but fine point is extremely helpful. When underway at night, as the human eye remains adapted to seeing in the dark when light is red. And these are just a few examples.

The story of the water tanks continues

After the experience on Scorpido, I immediately jumped at the water tanks. Brent knew about the corrosion problems of water tanks on Kelly Peterson 44s. After his purchase, he had them completely re-welded during his major renovation. But still the same problem here: The welds of Brents tanks were corroded. He had neither known nor expected that and was accordingly irritated. There were also frowns in the aft cabin – this is where the access to the propeller’s drive shaft is located. Although Brent had also completely removed, overhauled, and reinstalled the engine, he told us that this part of the ship was relatively unknown to him and that he hadn’t really looked into it. Possible, but who knows? The entire rigging was old. Apart from a few adjustments, there was no indication of how old it actually was.

Time for a paintjob

The paint on the hull and deck also seemed to be older and was slowly cracking and crazing. That was another important item on our list. The paint on a sailboat is the barrier between the nasty salt water and the fiberglass of the hull.

Could she be our future home?

So far so good. The time on Milagros flew by. When Iñaki and I looked back on the visit over a beer, one thing was clear: I wasn’t misled my feelings. This ship was nothing like Scorpido. Milagros seemed to be in really good shape. She was equipped for our plans with exactly the simplicity that was right and important. She had a few cuts and corners that caused us concern, but name a vessel didn’t have those?

Yet another marine survey

So it was clear: The search for a surveyor to take a closer look at the ship started all over again. We found who we were looking for via George Jarvie, our trusted man from Los Angeles. Michael Weston of Atlantis Marine Surveys would come to Ensenada from San Diego to inspect Milagros. Unfortunately, I was unable to attend the examination myself because I had to go home and work. Since Iñaki was staying with Blue anyway, he made himself available to witness the inspection with his own eyes. Exciting times…

Waiting for news from Mexico

When I was back in Switzerland, Pati and I could hardly wait for the examination. We were in contact with Iñaki the whole time. Until late at night we waited for sporadic news that he sent us via WhatsApp due to the time difference of 9 hours. We were incredibly excited, and sleeping was out of the question anyway.

She’s good to go!

And of course it was bound to happen: During the final phone call with Iñaki, he announced that Milagros had passed the examination with flying colors. Despite a few small bits and bobs, apart from rigging and the water tanks, there were no other big jobs or problems that we hadn’t considered. We did a good job observing during Milagros’ visit.

Are we crazy enough to buy a sailboat in Mexico?

Now it was up to us. Did we really want to go into negotiations for a 14m sailing yacht? We two landlubbers and sail laymen? Was it clever to go headlong into an adventure of this magnitude?

Guess we are…

Well, it seems like we’re crazy enough for such an undertaking. The negotiation with Brent was quick and painless. He met us at a few thousand dollars less because of the leaky water tank and the thing was over. We knew from the start that we didn’t have a lot of leeway. Brent knew exactly what a great sailboat he owned and he could have sold it without any problems anyway. So we transferred a whopping $ 71,000 to the broker in San Diego in mid-August 2019. Ouch.

We’re boat owners!

But we were suddenly owners of our own sailboat. How sick is that? It is a completely unreal idea, and will probably remain so until we have adapted to our sailing life.

Now that one of the most important conditions for our adventure – the sailboat itself – had been met, we could start planning.

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Der Beitrag Milagros is ours – We’re boat owners!! erschien zuerst auf Milagros.

One step forward, two steps back

Oh dear, what a commotion. We were sitting at Hertz at the Los Angeles airport and couldn’t get our rental car because I didn’t have my driver’s license with me. It could have been so easy. I would have driven with Iñaki across the border to Ensenada, Mexico to his ship, would have worked with him on his vessel for a few days and then would have quietly driven back to the airport and flown home.

From rental car to greyhound bus

But now another solution had to be found. We booked the Greyhound Bus to get to Ensenada. Together with Pati we drove in an Uber taxi to the bus stop from where the greyhounds in Los Angeles start their journeys. We said goodbye to her and after a short wait we sat in the bus to Mexico.

GTA: Los Angeles

Since Iñaki and I are both passionate gamers, we were particularly fascinated by how much the city reminded us of Los Santos in Grand Theft Auto V while driving south through L.A. (Neeeeeerds!). At first, we sat in our seats a little clueless and pondered how our story should go on. Since Greyhound offer free WiFi in their buses, we decided to take the opportunity and look for ships for sale in Ensenada and the surrounding area.

Will we be sailing RAN soon?

We didn’t find much useful information, apart from the fact that we knew that RAN, a great sailboat from the YouTube channel of the same name, was also for sale in Ensenada. But suddenly we came across a Kelly Peterson 44 again. I had the feeling that I had already looked at the ad. But the price for the sailboat was too high back then. But now she was ‘more affordable’, and the photos and information about her made us even more curious.

It hits like a freight train

And then it hit with a big bang. While looking through the photos, Iñaki suddenly stopped me and said I should go back a few pictures. He recognized the name of a motorboat in the background. ‘This Kelly Peterson 44 lies right next to our vessel in the same marina’, he said with an incredulous expression on his face.

What the hell??

I immediately grabbed my cell phone and promptly reached the broker. After he had contacted the owner, a rendezvous with a new candidate named “Milagros” was announced for the next day. I suddenly had an extremely good feeling. It is difficult to describe. It felt as if all the star constellations in the universe had suddenly arranged just for our visit to Mexico.

Bus trip the Mexican way

After we had crossed the impressive US border from San Diego to Tijuana (my first time to Mexico!), we normally had to wait a while for the next bus. With Iñaki’s spanish skills however, we were able to dodge the wait. He negotiated a deal with a bus driver for a small fee. In the end, we were allowed to take a different bus than planned (for which we didn’t have a ticket) from Tijuana to Ensenada. We even arrived in the town a little earlier than planned.

A night out in Ensenada, Mexico

As it was getting late and dark, we didn’t meet much more than a few drunkards on the streets, who welcomed us two gringos in Ensenada with best wishes. Carrying our lugagge we walked through the bumpy streets towards Cruiseport Marina, where Blue and Milagros layed in their deep sleep. The marina is well guarded by security guards at the entrance. This unfortunately should prove to be a disadvantage in this case.

so close, yet so far

We arrived at the marina, and were looking forward to Blue and Milagros, a cold beer and a good night’s sleep, when we were turned back by the gentleman at the gate. Despite Iñaki’s request, the marina did not replace the names of the previous owners of Blue with those of Iñaki. Consequently, the guard wouldn’t let us enter the marina. Welcome to Mexico I guess.

Wandering through the streets

Iñaki gave up after an hour and a half of discussions with the guard (during which I regularly supplied us with beer from the nearby 7-eleven). We sat in Ensenada in the middle of the night, although our sleeping places were only a few minutes away on the dock. We had no choice but to spend the night in a hotel. Chauffeuring us through the city from hotel to hotel by various taxis, a driver finally came up with an idea. We found accommodation in a small hotel somewhere in the city. Would have been a lot of fun if I’d be stranded in Ensenada without Iñaki for sure…

Iñaki and Carmen’s Cal 2-46

In the next morning we went to the marina again. Now that the port office was open, Iñaki was able to quickly change the name of the entrance. We suddenly stood on in front of Iñaki and Carmen’s ship. A great boat that is just waiting to explore the seven seas.

The Girl next door

And next to it laid – Milagros. Another Kelly Peterson 44, another absolute beauty of a sailboat. I don’t know exactly whether it was the same or the next day, but the time had come. A tour of Milagros was due.

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Der Beitrag Our Dream Boat in Ensenada, Mexico erschien zuerst auf Milagros.