Two days before our departure from Peñasco, our adventure almost came to an end. When we returned from an errand run, I noticed that Milagros was no longer moored in the same place. She must have moved somehow, because the water and electricity panel were right in front of where we boarded our boat, which they weren’t before. But we didn’t think about it any further. Then the boat neighbour told us that in our absence a steel fishing boat had crashed into the dock. All of a sudden, we realized the damage to the dock when our neighbour told us that he had seen the fishing boat graze Milagros. We immediately panicked: Had the metal colossus damaged our new paint job??? But we quickly realised that “only” the bowsprit and the anchor roller were bent, and the navigation light was damaged.

It could have ended badly

When our neighbour told us how the collision had happened, our hair stood on end. The fishing boat’s reverse gear had jammed, and the boat had therefore crashed backwards into the dock. Just a few feet to the right, it would have been our boat, not the dock. And Milagros might not have been there anymore. What a shock! Milagros has once again lived up to her name!

And we still think the name is great, despite a comment we recently overheard from a Sea Shepherd crew member about Milagros when they were in Peñasco with their boat “Sharpie” and moored behind us with their dinghy: “Yet another shitty boat name”. In their campaing called “Milagro”, Sea Sheperd is fighting illegal fishing with gill nets in the northern Sea of Cortez these days. Good thing they are here, but obviously they don’t have taste in boat names.

Costs, work and annoyance

The harbour master had already issued a no leave order for the culprit, so they could not leave the harbour until the damage had been paid for. Marga from Dogfish Boatworks made a damage report on the same day, which we submitted immediately. And the various party boat operators at the docks of Fonature Marine were pretty confident that we will receive compensation. The damage amounts to about 1,500 $ and means work and annoyance, of course. Fortunately, this damage didn’t stop us from leaving Peñasco. Instead, something else did.

It’s not happening

On Monday morning, the 24th of January 2022 at 8.00 am sharp, we wanted to untie the lines. It was high tide and there was a nice weather window to cover the 140 nautical miles to our first anchorage. Doug and Marga came over to wave goodbye and even the harbour master was there to bring us our papers. David started the engine and 5 seconds later it stopped again. We tried a few more times to start the engine, to no avail. That was the beginning of the end. It was not happening; we were not heading out! We then made coffee. What else was there to do? We quickly realised that it might take longer to solve the problem.

Diesel engines are frugal

In theory, diesel engines are not very demanding: they need air, diesel, compression and, of course, enough cranking amps to run. If the engine simply stops, it is often due to a lack of diesel supply. This can be caused by empty tanks, clogged lines, closed supply valves, non-functioning valves, air in the diesel system, insufficient venting of the tanks, a defective diesel pump, dirty filters, and algae, among other things.

Air in the system?

We had full tanks, a clean air filter and enough cranking power – we knew that for sure. Marga brought us the necessary tools for a pressure test of the system to find any air leaks. We spent the rest of the day feeling sorry for ourselves and finding the leak(s) in the system by testing different sections. In the process, we pressurized our diesel fuel lines and smeared soap foam on all the fittings. We found a leak at the diesel lift pump, appearing as soap bubbles rising from two small screws.

Bad ventilation?

As we had suspected already that something was wrong with our fuel tank vents, we also opened the deck fills. We could hear air being sucked into both tanks. There was also a loud popping noise, which indicated a vacuum. So, the vent hoses had to be replaced. Our theory at this point was that we had created a vacuum in the diesel system during the last test run. The leaking diesel lift pump then caused the system to fill with air. This meant that the injectors were not getting enough fuel.

Larger hoses needed

So, our next task was to get larger diesel hoses for the vents. The previous diameter of 3/16” was far too small, and we wanted to upgrade to 5/8” hose. Our friend Lionel from the Caterpillar store recommended a small shop just around the corner where we immediately found what we were looking for. Unfortunately, they only had 12 ft in stock, and we needed 50 ft. But the shop owner was able to order the hose we needed for the next day. And since we had to disassemble the whole boat anyway, we also ordered a hose to improve the vent lines of the water tank, which was also inadequate.

An art project

In the meantime, we devoted ourselves to a long-delayed beautification project on Milagros. Some time ago, we had the French artist Marine Marcus make us a table inlay with animals from the Sea of Cortez. So, we unscrewed the top of our dining table, put it in the next best place sheltered from the wind (the marina shower) and doused the inlay with tabletop epoxy. It was nice to just take care of a nice, cosmetic project for ourselves during this frustrating time.

As if a bomb had hit

Once the new hoses had arrived, we began one of the most tedious jobs we’ve ever had to do on Milagros. Not only did we have to get behind the wall liner by clearing out cabinets, but we also had to take out the recently installed water tank again, as it is directly above one of the diesel tanks and its fittings. Inside Milagros it looked like a bomb had hit the boat. And since the new hoses were much bigger than the old ones, none of the fittings fit anymore, nor did they fit through the holes. At one point I even damaged a 110V power cable trying to make the passage bigger. It was a completely and utterly shitty day.

But in the end, everything was installed as we wanted. Nevertheless, our engine wouldn’t start even after sufficient bleeding. Somehow less diesel arrived at the injectors than we remembered. We had checked our Racor primary filters for clogging, only to find that the connected electric diesel pump was mounted on the wrong side of them. Instead of pulling diesel through the filters, the pump was pushing diesel into the filters. We fixed that immediately. We also replaced 2 valves that we didn’t know exactly how or if they were working.

More to be found

We also found out that our starter battery was dead, which was disguised by the way it was wired into the system. The fact that it was dead didn’t matter as we could also start the engine from our house bank, but a new battery was still needed. The next day we took our old battery to a battery shop where it was tested. Of the 900 units of cold cranking amps, there were 29 left. However, as befits Milagros, the new battery had slightly larger terminals, so we had to drill our cable connectors larger to be able to connect to the battery.

We were at our wit’s end

After all, we contacted Doug, a local diesel mechanic, because we were stuck and needed help. Together with him we found out that the diesel lift pump was stuck in priming mode and therefore not enough diesel was coming into the distribution. So, we set off again to get the parts we needed to bypass this pump. But after that, there was still not enough diesel coming out of the distributor. We also checked the secondary filter there, which looked OK. Therefore, we removed the whole distributor, cleaned it thoroughly and replaced the filter. Afterwards, when we bled the engine, the diesel did indeed squirt out of the bleed screws. But the engine still wouldn’t start.

Algae?

Doug suspected from the small black particles and the yellowish colour of the diesel in our primary filters that we might have algae. These are micro-organisms that multiply in diesel tanks and clog everything up. They need water and air to do this. We had made the mistake of not filling our diesel tanks to the top (=air) before hauling out and in summer the humidity was quite high (=water), which could well explain an infestation. Since the construction of our diesel tanks is far from optimal and we have no inspection hatches, an infestation could be super annoying. However, we were able to rule out a diesel infestation by circulating the diesel from both tanks through the filters, and the contaminants did not multiply. Lucky us!

Poor Betty

That same evening we were less fortunate. At 10pm there was a banging on our boat – it was the night guard. Something had happened to Betty, the boatyard car. Betty was parked on the road in front of the marina and no longer looked like herself. Betty had broken windows, a flat tyre, and a big dent. The security guard told us that a car came speeding along and hit poor Betty. Of course, he had committed a hit-and-run after wrecking the car an entire boatyard relied upon. What in the hell was going on this week?! The police took an accident report, but it was impossible for sure to find the car involved in the accident. Although the vehicle must have been quite damaged, it would not be noticed here as a lot cars are on the roads in such a condition here in Puerto Peñasco.

The last straw

5 days after our failed departure, our engine still wasn’t running. We also missed our next good weather window, which was additionally annoying. Nevertheless, we met up with Marga from SV Dogfish and Marc & Laura from SV Liquid for tacos and drinks. Marga suggested that we could play around with the engine before dinner, which we did. To eliminate sources of error, she suggested running the engine on a jerry can. So, we changed the diesel supply and bled the engine again.

A miracle!

On the first try, the engine wouldn’t start. But on the second try, it started. Cheers broke out on board Milagros. We had really earned our dinner! The next day we reconnected the engine to the diesel system and it started immediately. What exactly had made the difference, we don’t really know.

An instructive week

We had changed all the filters, had rebuilt and cleaned the diesel distribution system, relocated the electric diesel pump, bypassed the diesel lift pump, replaced two valves, enlarged the vent hoses and pressure tested the entire system. So, within a week, we had taken our entire diesel system apart and put it back together.

At this point we would like to thank Marga for her fantastic continous and patient support with her knowledge! Also the cruising community has been super supportive in word and deed and sympathised with us. Although this was probably the worst week since we started the refit here in Peñasco, we were glad that we were able to solve the problem here in the marina and not somewhere along the way or at an anchorage without internet access. We still can’t believe how much bad luck we had in just one week: the accident with the fishing boat, the engine damage, and the accident with Betty. Things can only get better from here.

Wanna cheer us up? Feel free to buy us a beer or two by clicking on the button below. Or you could become a monthly supporter on Patreon if you feel like it. Many thanks!

Cheers!

Der Beitrag It’s Not Happening! We’re Not Heading Out! erschien zuerst auf Milagros.

I had a slight cough and fatigue, feeling like I was about to catch a cold. Since the symptoms were suspicious, I did a rapid Covid test. Lo and behold: I had picked up the virus somewhere. Pati’s test was negative. Lucky her. Nevertheless, Milagros would turn into a no-go quarantine zone. I moved into solitary confinement in our V-berth, from which I could climb in and out the boat trough the hatch in the deck. In this way, Pati and I were able to isolate ourselves from each other easily and still move forward with projects. I took advantage of the situation and decided to service our winches.

Crank it!

On a sailboat, these cranks help to operate the lines on the sails and create a lever so that they can be operated safely despite the massive forces pulling on the sails. The mechanics of the winch consists of a large number of gears and bearings, the larger the winch, the more of them you’ll have to deal with. The mechanics differ depending on the size, type or brand. Sometimes things are very simple, sometimes they are more complicated.

Servicing our winches

On Milagros we have a whopping 14 winches distributed over the entire cockpit and foredeck. Since we simply didn’t know when our winches were last serviced, I let myself be surprised. Time to get to work, time for a bit of winch surgery. When I took a look at the inner workings of the first patient on the bench, it was clear: I had a lot of work to do. The previous owner had not skimped on the grease. Thus, the winch service became more of a winch cleaning service. I spent hours and hours removing excess and dried-on grease, dirt, old exhaust deposits from Ensenada, and other grime. But the work was worth it: little by little our winches were brought back into shape. And just when I thought I was done with my winch project, Pati pointed out that there were more specimens hiding under our covers that I had overseen. Argh.

The isolation flies by

The isolation on Milagros worked out smoothly. When I was on deck Pati was in the boat, and when Pati was on deck I holed up in the V-berth. Since our forward head has two doors it turned a bigger version of a food flap. As soon as Pati was in bed in the evening, I could briefly go to the salon with a mask to plug in my various electronic entertainment media (cell phone, tablet and Nintendo Switch). The 10 days passed in no time, we also received occasional visits from our friends at the Boatyard, who provided us with pizza deliveries or other errands. Thanks for that!

With a little help from my friends

When our isolation was over, Pati went straight to helping a family on a catamaran called «Dappere Dodo» in another marina that had to replace their forestay. At the last moment before leaving Peñasco, they found that one of their most important mast supports was about to fall apart. Not good and that had to be fixed. Finding out that we had replaced all of our standing rigging single-handedly, they asked us for help. Of course, we were happy to do so and we did so successfully. When the Flying Dutchmen took off, they took the opportunity to stop by in our corner of the harbour and wave goodbye. Who knows, maybe we’ll catch up with them.

Time for our own rigging

And so, it was time for our own rigging. This finally had to be ticked off the list. We hoped we could count on Jamie from SV Totem for help as they were in the process of dismantling and reassembling their boat at Cabrales Boatyard. Totem are a super experienced and well-known family of sailors who have traveled all over the world. Jamie is a sail maker and very knowledgeable about rigging and pretty much anything else to do with sailing, so we had high hopes that he could lend us a hand with our steel cables. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case, because Totem are so busy at the moment that they probably don’t even know where their heads are. But they tackle it all like the champs that they are. At least we think they do.

An important part of the boat

So, we had to help ourselves. Not a problem, we can do this. Marga provided us with a “Loos Tension Gauge”, a device with which the tension of the steel cables of our mast supports could be measured. Or something like that. Most probably, it’s a lot more complicated than that. From the Kelly Peterson 44 Owners Group, an online gathering of proud KP44 owners, we got a PDF from which we could read the tensions for our rigging. Tension can be adjusted with turnbuckles on deck, which in turn bolt to our beautiful new titanium chainplates (you may remember our chainplate disaster) which in turn are bolted to Milagros’ hull. Getting the tension right is incredibly important, since the rigging is responsible, among other things, for our mast remaining firmly the mast step, no matter how adverse the conditions, not moving where it shouldn’t, bending unfavorably and generating incorrect loads or even breaking.

What the hell is going on here??

After initial complete confusion on our part, which almost turned into desperation because we felt all our steel wires were too long, we only averted a nervous breakdown when we found out halfway through that a small cord was where it shouldn’t be, and had completely distorted our measurement results. After a bit more swearing and about 5 excursions on the mast, during which I felt like a contortionist at times, it was done. We’ll spare you the gory details. Every time we tightened something somewhere, something else untightened or overtightened, and yet we somehow managed to adapt our rig pretty much exactly to the information in the PDF. We’ll only know if everything is set correctly once there is a little pressure in the sails. Also, the fine tuning can only be made once Milagros is actually sailing. But our work was good enough for a test ride.

Our very first test run!

Our first test run took place on a sunny and windless afternoon. Chris and his son Brett from SV Avalon jumped in when we asked them if they were interested in tagging along. Not only because they are two cool dudes, but also because we knew we could use a few more hands, eyes and ears. Our program included heading out of the harbor basin into open water, testing the engine under load and a bit of anchoring. We wouldn’t be able to hoist the sails yet, because a few new swivel blocks for our lines had to be installed on deck. The old blocks slowly but surely had UV damage and we didn’t really trust them anymore. One even burst into a thousand pieces during the voyage from Ensenada to Peñasco at the end of 2019.

On the open water, finally

No sooner said than done and we were chugging out of the harbor basin of Puerto Peñasco. Out on open water we quickly realized what had awaited us: An impressive experience. For the first time since her arrival in November 2019, Milagros was able to leave the port. The engine purred happily in her belly and we just sucked in the scenery and sea air while Milagros happily bobbed along on the calm waters. We tested the steering cables by turning a few tight laps, checking whether everything that needed to be watertight was watertight and whether our numerous new or overhauled installations were doing their job under load. Everything is fine so far, and our very first anchoring maneuver at a depth of 8 meters over sandy ground directly in front of the beach went smooth without any incident worth mentioning.

Taking over a slip at Fonatur Marina

Before our little trip, we had decided to take over the slip at the dock of another marina, which had been vacated by the departure from Dappere Dodo. The reason for this was simple: we felt that we had a lot more space available to cast off and dock at Marina Fonatur. In addition, the charges are half the price than at Safe Marina where we were before. Mooring went fairly well, also thanks the help of a couple of guys on the dock who work on the numerous fishing charter and party boats. They’re hanging out and working all day in the marina anyway. So, we had all sorts of people to throw our lines at from the boat when we arrived.

Some last little tweaks

A successful test run under engine – that could only mean one thing. We had to get Milagros ready to set sail. The new blocks were mounted quickly because we had prepared everything before the test run with Chris and Brett, so we only had to drill holes, mount bolts and seal them. They look nice, our brand new and inexpensive Garhauer Swivel Blocks. So, all the lines could be mounted again and everything was ready for a few hours of test sailing.

Let’s try that again!

We chose a quiet day again and got everything ready to leave for the second time. This time Laura and Marc from SV Liquid were in tow. If you think we’ve done a lot of work on Milagros, check out the SV Liquid Instagram. Next f***** level! Marc and Laura will leave Puerto Peñasco on a steel boat that has no equal. Liquid is a beast. With Marc and Laura on board, nothing could really go wrong. So, the five-pointer made up of Milagros, Pati, David, Laura and Marc got a move on. Maybe next time before we leave the dock and turn on the engine, we should make sure the thruhull for the water supply of the engine is actually open. But everything is fine, Laura was attentive and quickly noticed the lack of cooling water coming from the exhaust.

We’re actually sailing Milagros!

Out on the big blue we quickly realized what was going on. A pleasant, light breeze from the south caressed our skin. So, we quickly hoisted the sails and: Milagros still knows how to sail! She immediately pulled forward, taking us with her on her back. A wonderful hour of sailing followed, during which Pati and I were able to do a few maneuvers for the first time. It will probably be a while before we are a well-established team where every move is perfect. But we’re not worried about that. No one is born a master.

What test runs are for

Despite all the joy, we still found a problem. Something must have gone wrong with one of the winches because instead of just turning one way and locking in the other, it was able to turn backwards and tried to release line again. We were lucky that we had little wind and therefore little pressure in the sails, otherwise a loose headsail could have whipped through the air in front of us. Again, nothing to worry about too much. That’s why we did these test runs.

That’s it! We’re outta here!

Back at the dock we got a little lesson from Marc and Laura how to get the ship sideways to the dock relatively easily. A great afternoon came to an end and we ended this fun and instructive sailing afternoon with a few beers in the cockpit. Then it was time for the Friday ritual at the Cabrales Boatyard. We gathered around the fire with the other residents and chatted, drank, laughed and enjoyed the evening. Pati and I especially. Because now it was clear: Milagros and we were ready for the big blue. At least we think so. We’re as ready as we can be at that point. A calm weather window suggests: Our voyage with Milagros begins on the 24th of January 2022. More than a year after we started work on the boat. What madness!

However, we did not expect that the whole dream of a sailing adventure would almost disappear into thin air…

Wanna celebrate that huuuuge milestone with us? Feel free to buy us a beer or two by clicking on the button below. Or you could become a monthly supporter on Patreon if you feel like it. Many thanks!

Celebrate with us!

Der Beitrag It’s happening!! We’re heading out! erschien zuerst auf Milagros.

Work on the mast

Work on the boat continues – only with a nicer view. David had the pleasure of enjoying this view from a slightly different perspective. Namely from a height of 50 ft from the top of the mast. Three times. As you may remember, we had a problem with the navigation light. Windex and anemometer also had to be installed, and a few other little things had to be done as well.

View from above

I cranked David, who was secured several times and equipped with all kinds of tools, up the mast. His enthusiasm was limited, but what had to be done, had to be done. Once at the top, the two wind instruments were quickly mounted – given the adverse conditions with limited freedom of movement and the altitude. The navigation light came down with him so we could inspect it. We quickly discovered that we had not installed the 3-colour LED bulb rotated 180° (you can’t do that), but had simply mounted the base offset by 60°. How stupid!

Lucky again?

Our minds started to spin and there was one or the other cuss word to be heard. Of all the things we could have done wrong, the problem was all the way on top of the mast. But then we came up with the idea of using a white bulb instead of the 3-colour one and just turning the coloured housing by 60°. Then we didn’t need to move the base. No sooner said than done, and indeed – it worked! Lucky again!

Christmas parade

Christmas was just around the corner, and although neither of us are Christmas fanatics, and we don’t listen to Mariah Carey and decorate everything festively from 1 December onwards and run around in Santa pajamas, we still went to see the boat Christmas parade. This year it took place for the first time here in Peñasco. About 20 large and small motorboats, monohulls, catamarans and nut shells left the harbour just before sunset, cruised around outside the harbour basin and returned home colourfully decorated in the darkness. Some filled the harbour basin with Christmas sounds and music, others set off fireworks. It was a great sight, especially as the moon was full.

Christmas bakery

And of course, we had to make Swiss Christmas cookies. So, we dedicated a day to Christmas baking and made Spitzbuben sandwiches, cinnamon squares and Mailänderli balls. At first it seemed like we had completely overdone it with the quantity – which was the case – but less than 5 days later they were all gone. But there was still enough for the Christmas potluck in the Cabrales boatyard.

Hoisting the sails

Next it was time to hoist the sails, after all we had to make room in the v-berth because my parents were coming to visit. The first thing we did was hoist our genoa (headsail) on a windless afternoon. It still looked like new, which it is at 3 years old, and had creases because it had been folded below deck for over a year. Everything worked pretty smoothly, apart from the fact that the winch belonging to the jib furler needed urgent servicing. Next time we climb the mast we will check that everything is as it should be.

Those lazy jacks

The next day we hoisted the mainsail, which was a bit tedious because the so-called “lazy jacks” (lines stretched diagonally between the mast and the boom and guiding the sail while hoisting) were in the way. So much for guiding the sails. After removing these lines, it was easier, but when we had the sail almost up, a light wind came up from the side, which made it tedious again. So, we postponed threading the reefing lines. We hoisted the sail again the next day; now everything is ready.

Runs like clockwork

Actually, we only wanted to stay in this marina (Safe Marina) for a few days and then change to another one (Fonatur). But as it is, plans change. So, we will probably stay in Safe Marina until we leave. The big disadvantage: no shore power in our slip. This also means that I can’t vacuum, because the 300-amp fuse that still has to be installed in our inverter is only on its way to us. I was all the more pleased when we tested our little petrol generator and it worked straight away. That gave me the opportunity to test it a bit and vacuum the whole boat. While David pumped up our new kayak, I prepared the inside of the boat for my parents’ visit.

A little joy ride

David also pumped up our dinghy. For one thing, we wanted to know if it was still waterproof, for another, we were invited for an after-work drink at the other end of the harbour basin by a Dutch family on a catamaran. Luckily, the outboard motor started immediately, so nothing stood in the way of our little joyride.

A road trip

After 15 days of sailing with my sister, my parents flew from La Paz to Tijuana, and we took the opportunity to visit our friends Steven, Susanne and Max in Ensenada. The route took us through the rather barren desert in the biosphere reserve “El Pinacate y Gran Desierto de Altar”. Then through the former delta of the Colorado River, a fertile area with a lot of agriculture. The Colorado River is the river that also flows through the Grand Canyon and supplies 40 million Americans with drinking water. Because so much water is taken from the river on its way, hardly anything reaches the delta today.

The guard

The last leg took us and our rental car over the Peninsular Ranges, a mountain range that stretches 1500 km from Southern California to the tip of Baja California. After 600 km and about 7 hours of driving, we finally reached Ensenada. First, we treated ourselves to the best ceviche tostadas in the world at “El Güero”. Then we drove to the marina where we had bought Milagros back in 2019 and – who would have thought it – were not let in at the gate. This experience was now repeated for the fourth time. The email with our registration that Steven had sent to the office had not reached the guard.

Just like old times

After some time of waiting, the situation was clarified and we were let in. So, nothing stood in the way of our reunion with Steven, Susanne and Max after 14 months. We ended the day with a beer and tacos and were invited to spend the night on Steven and Susanne’s boat Tranquila. The next morning Max invited us to SV Galena and surprised us with breakfast, tea and coffee. Just like old times, time flew by and soon it was time to say goodbye again.

Tijuana

We made our way to Tijuana to pick up my parents from the airport. The almost two-hour drive was very impressive, especially in the second half, where the foothills of the big city became apparent in the form of slums and houses as far as the eye could see. The parking situation at the airport was also very interesting. After a few rounds, we parked along the highway with a view of the rusty border fence to the USA. After a short wait, we could finally pick up my parents.

Mexican design

Spontaneously, we decided to spend another night in Ensenada. We didn’t realise how quickly it would get dark. Especially the last stretch through the desert with lots of potholes and no mobile phone reception, we didn’t want to drive in the dark. And we didn’t want to deprive my parents of the beautiful landscape either. We reached the Airbnb flat shortly before sunset. The view of the sea was nice, but the condition of the flat was rather typically Mexican: very nice at first glance, but at second glance, cutbacks were made here and there in the construction and maintenance. This was evident the next morning after it had rained heavily during the night. In some places, the plaster was falling from the ceiling. And the entrance door could not be closed from the inside either.

Changes in the landscape

After sunrise, we stocked up on coffee and snacks and headed for Puerto Peñasco. It was very exciting to watch nature change again, this time in the other direction. The landscape changed practically every half hour: from palm trees, lush green and a lot of colours, to only green with cacti, rocky and bushy, to sandy and barren within a few hours. The thunderstorms of the night must have moved on towards Peñasco, because about 150 km before our destination, where we were to turn onto the last part of our route into the biosphere reserve, the road was severely flooded. At first, we thought we would have to turn back, but the Mexican army was present and showed us where we could safely cross the little lake that had formed.

Water everywhere

As Peñasco slowly came into view, we saw a huge wall of rain moving along on the horizon, and when we got reception again, the pictures from Peñasco came in. Everything was flooded and the electricity was also out. We braced ourselves for the worst, but we made it to the marina without drowning the car and ourselves. Back on board, Milagros awaited us with a surprise: leaks in the deck. Welcome back!

The water was coming along the mast, through the vent in the forward toilet, the hatch in the v-berth, the gas hose and in the cockpit the emergency bilge pump (in descending order of quantity). Well, now we know. And everything can be sealed. So, no problemo. We mopped up as best we could and went out for pizza. After all, it was New Year’s Eve. Since we were all tired from the trip, we slept through the turn of the year.

Into the new year

Our goal was to complete my parents’ Mexico and boating experience. With sun, 25°C, exploring La Paz, sailing on Anila, snorkelling in the Baja and swimming with sea lions, they had already experienced one side. Here in Peñasco, we were able to offer mainly the other side of the spectrum: Rain, below 10°C at night, potholes, sewage smell, desert, ship worries and boat projects. With the latter, we started directly into the new year.

3 projects

We had 3 of them on the list: drill a water drain hole in the mast base, mount and wire two 12V sockets and seal the leaks. As usual, it sounded easy, but it’s a boat, so it wasn’t. And even my father, the experienced DIYer, fell for it. Even drilling the drain hole got out of hand. We had to mourn the loss of a drill bit and creatively find a solution. And when it came to the wiring, we had to take half the boat apart in the classic way.

The tide is low

Around the turn of the year, the tide was also particularly low. So low that our boat touched the bottom. Our draught is 1.93 m and we measured a water depth of 1.70 m at the deepest point. That was scary, but since the bottom is muddy, it wasn’t too bad. I just wondered if the boat would tip over to one side or the other. But there was nothing we could do about it. So, we closed both our eyes and hoped for the best. And you know what? Nothing happened at all.

Peñasco Tourist Programme

We made full use of the last day before my parents’ departure. Very important: No Peñasco visit can end without apple cakes from Candy Cake. So we supplied ourselves with the delicious bakeries on our way to the dunes. On our drive through Peñasco, we had to evade a couple of lakes. The hike through the dunes was super nice, and we were practically alone. Afterwards, we strolled along the Malecon and enjoyed the sunset with a margarita. For dinner we had spaghetti in a homemade tomato sauce with fresh scallops and prawns. Mmmmh.

Goodbye

And already it was time to say goodbye again. It was great to show my parents the boat and where we had lived this past year. That was fun but far too short!

We wish you a happy new year! And remember: if you need a break, you can always come visit us! Cheers!

Offer us a here!

Also, you can become a monthly supporter on Patreon if you want to. Many thanks!

Der Beitrag A Special Turn Of The Year erschien zuerst auf Milagros.

Boats don’t like being out of the water. In the water they are in their element, where they belong. Jacked up on the dry dock, Milagros showed various side effects of her dreary existence. The wood in the cabin was particularly affected. More and more cracks were appearing. Our wooden floor in particular had suffered, and the constant, light treatment with all the sand had taken the shine off it. We also caused a few extra dents here and there. Mostly from falling parts and tools.

Sand, dust and dirt

We don’t really need to say anything about the deck. At some point we just gave up on constantly removing the dust, sand and dirt. We could have scrubbed the deck every week. We just had to close both eyes; we’ll have enough time to clean it once back in the water. The problem is not necessarily the sand on the deck, but that the small particles get stuck in all the winches, blocks, cranks and rollers. These are mostly small, complex mechanical mechanisms that absolutely cannot cope with sand and dirt and can even be damaged as a result.

We finally want to get away

It was time to leave the Cabrales boatyard. Slowly but surely, we’ve had enough. Milagros must finally sail away. Everything was ready for splashing, the engine was running again, the last inspection with Marga had revealed nothing problematic. We watched the weather to choose the calmest day possible. When the weather window was there, we sent a message to yard manager Salvador that we could launch. Shortly before, Craig had returned from the USA to his sky-blue sailing boat “Small World” and had kindly agreed to help us with the launch and the short drive to the marina.

Cabrales professional skater

We knew the procedure very well, as we had already helped a few other sailboats with the splashing. First, the workers load the boat onto the “skateboard”. This extremely manoeuvrable little vehicle is used to move and park the boats in the tightest of spaces in the boatyard. The big “travelift” is responsible for launching the boats, and in its slings hang all our belongings, our work, our money and our dreams on a regular basis. Carlos and Marcial are the responsible lift pilots and do a really good job. I don’t want to reveal too much about the travelift itself, but it remains to be seen how regularly and well the thing is maintained. So, eyes closed and through. We had no other choice anyway.

We leave our corner

As Milagros slowly rolled away on the skateboard, we had certainty. We were now leaving our corner at the Cabrales boatyard. Maybe for good, who knows. The day before we had tidied up as best, we could, but all sorts of stuff was left behind. Most of it had been installed by our previous owner and we have now torn it out again. A lot of it is still usable. That’s why we didn’t want to just throw it away. The bronze of the old seacocks and thru hulls and the stainless steel of the water tanks, for example, have already aroused the eagerness of the workers. Without further ado, I cut a few “fillet pieces” out of the tanks. These remain on the boat. As we all know, a bit of good stainless steel never hurts.

The time has come

In our company, Milagros slowly moved towards the slings of the big crane. An imposing sight. So much time, so much work. And now what we had waited so long for was becoming a reality. She was going into the water. Crazy. My nervousness was surprisingly contained. It could only go wrong. I had full confidence in what we were doing, the engine had always started without a problem on a few more test runs. The only worry I had in the back of my mind was the old thru hulls that we hadn’t replaced or removed. We could only hope that the sun, the dryness, the heat, and the sandblasting of the hull had not caused any damage. But we had no control over that.

We are in the slings

After a short ride on the skateboard, Milagros was jacked up again and then loaded onto the travelift she had been hanging from the year before when she came out of the water. Dangling in the slings, she started moving with the travelift towards the water. Halfway there, we crossed the road through the boatyard. Drivers are always amazed when they have to stop for a boat. Mobile phones are pulled out, photos are taken. And soon Milagros was hovering over the water. Halfway down into the harbour basin, Pati, Craig and I climbed aboard. There was no turning back now. The workers lowered Milagros completely into the water. And indeed: Milagros can still do it! She swam as if she had never done anything else in the meantime. That was good.

Last checks before departure

The engine started without any problems and in no time our newly installed rawwater intake was spraying water out of the exhaust that it was a joy. Yeeesss! Now it was time to check if all our old and new installations were watertight. And what a relief: not a single drop of water far and wide! Not with the new water supply for our engine, not with the brand-new shaft seal, not with our newly installed thru hulls and not with the old ones either. We were able to leave!!! Back on deck, thumbs up to the travelift crew and all the helpers and then we could say goodbye to Cabrales boatyard. Finally!!!

Beer at the dock

At the jetty in the marina, Marc and Laura from SV Liquid were already waiting for us and took up our lines. And then there she was: tied up, water all around, our Milagros. So beautiful! And how happy we were after all the strain and worry lines that everything had gone so smoothly. Quickly we went to the fridge, got some beer and toasted. We skilfully overlooked the fact that our waterline could easily have been 10 cm higher. So, it really happened. We are in the water! Who would have thought it?

Thank you very much!

If you are reading this blog post, we would like to thank you very much. It’s great that you read our blog. If you do so regularly, you deserve even more thanks. We hope you like what you read!

And if you would like to toast with us virtually, then click on the button below to offer us a drink. Also, you can become a monthly supporter on Patreon if you want to. Many thanks!

Click here to buy us a !

Der Beitrag Finally in the water!!! erschien zuerst auf Milagros.

Ever been to a cemetery? I am not someone who regularly visits the graves of my deceased relatives. I don’t really like cemeteries. As soon as you step over the property line, there is a strange atmosphere, you move more deliberately and automatically speak more quietly. I prefer to keep vivid memories of my deceased family members and relatives. The dead don’t see or hear you anyway. Or maybe they do? We shall see…

These days belong to the dead

In Mexico a big holiday took place these days: The Día de Muertos – the day of the dead. It is celebrated in Mexico on and around the days of November 1st and 2nd. Families gather to celebrate the lives of their deceased relatives, friends and acquaintances. But not only the lives of the dead are celebrated, but also life. People gather in the streets, there is music, dancing and partying. There is plenty of food and drinks and sweets are handed out to complete strangers. Everything is very cheerful and colorful, accompanied by traditional rituals and symbols.

Everyone participates

Of course, we couldn’t miss the festival. Ever since I traveled to the realm of the dead and back with Pixar’s “Coco” and ran across the rooftops of Mexico City with James Bond in “Spectre” during the Día de Muertos, this tradition has been on my list. Now the dream actually became a reality. In Puerto Peñasco, too, a whole street was dedicated to the festival. Everyone at the boatyard was in festive mood. The crews of SV Pablo and SV Pulsar made a piñata that the kids in the boatyard took turns on with sticks and bats and basically everything that made a good device for blunt force.

Día de Muertos face paints

A small group gathered at Pete’s SV Mazu, where we tried ourselves with the traditional face paintings with water-based paint. They are there to make the dead feel welcome in the world of the living. Once in the street, the party took its course and we could completely immerse ourselves in the day of the dead. The streets were not nearly as crowded with dead people as I expected. Nevertheless, one could imagine what had to be going on on the Día de Muertos in larger cities. Colours everywhere, happy faces, good food, beer and tequila. Pete had a big bag of sweets too much on the boat, which he handed out on the street without further ado. In the end we were a group of crews of no less than 7 boats who had gathered to take part in the festival.

Cavaleras and Ofrendas

Marigolds and cavaleras, small colored clay skulls, play a major role. You can see those everywhere. They are used, for example, on ofrendas, small and large altars. These are set up and decorated by the families. Draped with photos of a deceased person, plus all sorts of objects, flowers, candles, the dead man’s favorite foods are also set up on the altars. The ofrendas should invite the honoured person to participate in the festivities.

Spectacular Catrinas

The highlight of the evening was the honouring of the most beautiful Catrina. It is said that the catrinas are the secular representation of Mictēcacihuātl, the goddess of the Aztec underworld Chicunamictlan. In our world, she wears expansive, colorful costumes and large hats, decorated with all kinds of attention to detail, symbolizing the Día de Muertos. Since all sorts of Catrinas are out and about in the streets during the Day of the Dead, of course the most beautiful of all had to be chosen. And, how should I put it, I’m still completely blown away by the couple of costumes we got to see, one more beautiful than the other. The evening slowly came to an end with the award ceremony. Another one off the bucket list. Boom!

Wasn’t there something else?!

Oh yes, there also was a sailboat that we were working on. And you know what? Our (second) coat is ready! Why the second coat, you ask yourself? Then it’s time to sign up for our newsletter and you won’t miss a thing! We have calculated it: Had we invested all the effort and sweat that went into the hull of Milagros into a single boat, we would have repainted a vessel of a mere thirty meters (98 retard units) at this point in time. BUT WE ARE DONE!!!

We are being guided

Again, we sanded and sanded and sanded and sanded and sanded and sanded. As always, we took things seriously. A so-called guide coat was used before sanding. It consists of a black powder that is applied to the boat’s hull so you have a full overview of where more work has to be invested. The Guide Coat mercilessly shows where the imperfections are on the surface.

The umpteenth white coat

And then, at some point, it was that time again. Pancho, the master painter, came to the boat and sprayed the last three coats of paint. Since new paint shines and resembles a water surface, insects naturally gather, to plunge head over heels into the wet paint and get stuck. Fortunately, we could count on Nic from our neighbors on SV Rua Hatu, who, armed with a ladder and pink tweezers, helped us pick insects, while I assisted Pancho.

Finally done!

Suddenly, the time had come: the work on our boat’s hull was a thing of the past. We are now the proud owners of a shiny, strong, two-component painted hull. If everything goes well, no grinding machine will be used for years to come. Provided we don’t crash into a dock somewhere, of course.

Turtle race

Highlights are piling up: We also witnessed something very, very special. The Sea of ​​Cortez is home to 5 different species of turtles. Of course, all five species are threatened, how could it be otherwise? It is estimated that 35,000 turtles have fallen victim to illegal fishing in the Sea of ​​Cortez alone. You have to imagine that, almost 100 animals a day. One of the main problems is that turtle hunting is widely accepted and not stigmatized. So, it is no coincidence that a handful of people are committed to supporting the sea turtles in the Sea of ​​Cortez.

Egg collection

The turtles return to the places where they hatched to lay their eggs between August and December. Also, to the beaches of Puerto Peñasco. Here, a whole crowd of good people take care of the clutch so that the baby turtles can find their way back into the water and on their big journey. The eggs are collected and hatched. And as soon as the little ones see the light of day after about 50 days, they are being released.

Nothing is left to chance

The releases can be visited publicly and so of course we couldn’t say no when SV Skookum and SV Mapache told us that a turtle baby event would take place. We drove to the beach of Las Conchas where a crowd of people had already gathered. The sand was cleared and smoothed by a few workers to clear the sand of obstacles for the little ones. A sort of race track was created. There were also a few security men who made sure that no one came in the way of the baby turtles. So that they can find their way back to Puerto Peñasco later, they cannot be released directly into the water, but have to calibrate their internal compass by crawling across the beach towards the sea.

The big journey begins

The babies were brought to the beach in a plastic box and hardly put in the sand, they already knew which way they had to go: Always towards the water. Some got the hang of it faster, some less quickly. All visitors helped the turtles find their way. Obstacles were cleared out of the way and seagulls were scared away, which of course would have liked to have a snack.

When does our trip start?

And so, in the end all 60 animals found their way out into the great blue unscathed. Hopefully not much longer, and then we’ll do the same. With a few helpers, Milagros can finally, finally, head out into the Sea of ​​Cortez and into the great adventure. Just away from Puerto Peñasco, clueless whether she will make her way back or not.

After all these festivities, we have run out of beer! Want to stock us up with some cold ones? Then click on the button below! Also, you can become a monthly supporter on Patreon if you want to. Many thanks!

Wanna buy us a beer? Click here!

Der Beitrag When the Dead dance erschien zuerst auf Milagros.

It’s kind of weird right now. We are working on so many projects at the same time that sometimes we don’t even know where our heads are. But at the same time, for some reason, there is a glimmer on the horizon, a very small light at the end of the tunnel. Somehow, it feels like we’re wrapping up the work on Milagros. Why do we have this feeling? We cannot explain that exactly ourselves. But it sure feels good!

Return of the cruisers

The Cabrales Boatyard is slowly but surely filling with life again. You can tell that the cruising season in the Sea of ​​Cortez is about to begin. The sailors come back to their boats after the summer break and wake them up from their sleep in the desert dust. Not so Milagros and her crew. We spent the whole summer in Puerto Peñasco. Not a day has passed since the beginning of the year without at least a little bit of work on Milagros. With the exception of our awesome trip to the desert, maybe.

So, it’s time that we take a day off again and do something other than grinding, screwing, tinkering, repairing. Do you remember our afternoon of desert racing with Leonel from the workshop nearby? If so, you are a regular reader, if not, it might be time to subscribe to our newsletter. You’ll always up to date! There will be no spam, no advertising, just a weekly heads up when we upload a new blog post!

A kind reminder

Since Leonel lives right around the corner and we are on his way to work, he stops by on a regular basis, to say hello and have a little chat. On our excursion with his desert racing car, he told us that a desert race was coming up. Standing at the fence of the boatyard one evening, he reminds us. That weekend the desert race would be on, we were gladly invited to the festivities.

Unsuspecting, we went back to work on the boat on Friday evening when Leonel stopped by again. This for a small, but relatively short-term reminder that the desert race from Sonoyta on the border with the USA to Puerto Peñasco would take place tomorrow Saturday. Meeting at 6 a.m. at the workshop. A little taken by surprise, we agreed. After all, we didn’t want to miss out on the action.

Meeting at 6 in the morning

Leonel had assembled a whole team for the race. First official act – put a ton of beer on ice and crack one open right away. The breakfast of champions. Leonel’s racing car was already packed and loaded onto the truck. No time was lost and our convoy started moving towards Sonoyta. After about an hour’s drive through the desert to the north, we arrived at the meeting point. What we didn’t know back then – a special experience was already planned for Pati.

A nice surprise

We had hardly arrived, when Leonel handed her a racing suit and a helmet. “You’re coming with us!” he said. You should have seen Pati’s puzzled face. She had no choice. A short time later she was seated in the racing car, seat belts on, her life in the hands of Leonel and his co-pilot and navigator. I stayed with the assistants. It was explained to me that we were responsible for being at one of the various pitstops along the route so that the crew could be changed and the desert race car could be refueled and checked.

The Tecate Light theory

But our main task seemed to be to drink as much Tecate Light as possible while doing this. The tactic of the Mexicans: If you start out with the blue Tecate Light, you can go all day. You cannot with the Tecate Original. Interesting theory, now I could test it out myself. Very healthy too, since it is well known that you should hydrate when it’s hot outside. Before we headed to the pitstop, we treated ourselves to a load of tacos at a small stand in town. You can’t go wrong with tacos here in Mexico, we are yet to find a place where they are not delicious.

Desert Pit Stop Experience

Arriving at the pitstop, it quickly became apparent that the dune racers take their sport seriously. The first racing cars darted into their pitstop areas as soon as we had arrived. The teams took immediate care of pilot, co-pilot and vehicle. Little repairs, refuel, drinking and a close inspection of the whole buggy. Was there any damage to be seen? Everything was done as quick as possible. Onward! No time to waste! Some desert racing cars did not even and simply blasted through the stopping area, most likely heading to another pitstop along the route.

Where the hell are they?

Pati, Leonel and the navigator were a long time coming. When almost all the other dune buggies had thundered past, suddenly there was movement. The team prepared for the arrival of the tiny, bright yellow truck. All of a sudden, there they were. Charging through the sand, Leonel’s buggy, followed by a cloud of dust! What took them so long?

Ready for action

When the car stopped, responsible for the fire extinguisher, I helped refueling the truck. Promptly, a mishap! Something went wrong with the ventilation of one of the fuel dump cans, suddenly the gasoline gushed in the wrong direction back from the tank all over the engine. A fire hazard! No problem here in Mexico, just tip a few water bottles over the engine and the problem was solved. The wild desert racing ride continued with a new crew, and I was able to welcome a sweaty and exhausted Patricia to the pitstop.

Pati is a desert racer

She told how the three of them had hill climbed, up and down throught the desert rocks nooks and crannies. Pure desert racing fun. Not without a small accident, because Leonel briefly lost control and the desert buggy had landed in a tiny creek bed through bushes, shrubs and cacti. From there, the racing car had to be brought back onto the track with the help of spectators. Of course, that took a lot of time and explained their delay.

Easy come, easy go

When the small pit lane was cleared again, the search for Leonel’s race car began. We drove along the route and as soon as we had located the yellow speedster, we stayed close. Since the route was rather flat in contrast to the first half of the race, the desert lemon raced with supersonic speed. Very impressive to look at. However, the joy was short-lived. Because the car broke down twice on its way towards the finish line. One time the battery was not behaving as planned, but the problem could be fixed. With the second breakdown the desert race was over.

Desert racing community

Shortly before finishing the race, Leonel’s baby stopped for good. With united forces and with the kind help of other desert pilots we pushed the desert buggy over the finish line. Collective exhaustion turned into exhilaration. In the desert racing, it is not the victory that counts, but that the crew and the car make it to the finish at all. Everything is demanded of man and material. After the crew was initially reluctant, Pati still got the obligatory beer shower.

The award ceremony

Afterwards we were also invited to the award ceremony. It took place in a bar and no expense or effort was spared. A stage was set up and it felt like every single driver received a prize of some somer. It should be emphasized that a 15-year-old American girl who had completed the entire desert race in her buggy with broken brakes was asked to take the stage. Respect! After nachos and a few more beers, Leonel took us back to the boat, where we fell into a deep, well-deserved sleep. What a day. Once again, that was an experience that we would never made if we had just stayed at home…

Did you enjoy this blog post? If you wanna give Pati another beer shower, please click on the button below! Also, you can become a monthly supporter on Patreon if you want to. Many thanks!

for Pati

Der Beitrag Desert Racing in Mexico erschien zuerst auf Milagros.

One would like to think that it is hot and dry here in the desert. It is not. Not even close. In addition, to the intense solar radiation, there came level of humidity that sometimes exceeded 90% during the night. The temperatures don’t bother us as much as the atmosphere created by the humidity. It doesn’t matter if you just stand around lazily or do some physical activity, the result is the same. Within minutes you’re drowning in sweat.

Let’s go

Enough crying around, we finally had to stick with it. After I had removed our cracked gooseneck, the remains had to be removed, too. So, I got to work armed with our angle grinder. I worked my way forward under an easy-up we had borrowed, removing our old fitting bit by bit until we had a clean mast surface.

Where are the blueprints?

Garhauer Marine in the USA will manufacture our new fitting. I also made contact with the CEO of LeFiell, originally the manufacturer of the mast and boom of the Kelly Peterson 44. Unfortunately, the company has withdrawn from the marine sector, but maybe I can get hold of the original blueprints. That would not only help us but also other current and future owners of the ship. The Kelly Peterson 44 owners group homepage is already filled with all kinds of useful data about our boat, so these plans would certainly be in good hands. Let’s see what can be done.

We help Skookum

After always asking for help from other boat owners, we were finally able to give back something else than only beer and tacos. Stu from SV Skookum V had a fiberglass project on his boat for which he could use our help. After the approximately 10 million repaired osmosis bubbles on Milagros, we now knew how to work the stuff. So, we exchanged ideas and met early in the morning on his beautiful catamaran. The weather didn’t quite play along. Hurricane Nora had just rushed along the Pacific coast of Mexico and brought thick rain clouds and thunderstorms as far as Puerto Peñasco. Torrents of rain could be seen on the horizon. Should we start glassing or not? Was the thunderstorm approaching? Yes? No?

The disaster takes its course

Pati and Stu were reluctant. But not me. Apparently, I was convincing enough so we took the risk and got to work. A bulkhead on Stu’s ship had to be repaired due to water damage. He had fitted a wooden plate and this now had to be reinforced with fiberglass. So, we worked ourselves forward and meanwhile I always kept an eye on the rain, which seemed to be pulling past Puerto Peñasco. We wish. Turns out one should not turn to me for weather forecasts.

Peñasco is drowning in rain

Suddenly the rain came anyway. We were just finishing one side of the bulkhead when thick raindrops fell from the sky. This quickly showed where the water damage to the original bulkhead on Skookum came from. The water ran down the mast of the boat and directly poured over our freshly glassed surface. With everything we could get our hands on, we tried to limit the damage until we gave up. The rain increased steadily, and when we rewarded ourselves for our bad decision with sweets in the great Candycake, the rain flooded Peñasco.

Here comes the flood

Since we didn’t have enough money with us (of course), I drove to the bank in the pouring rain, where the credit card didn’t work (of course!!). So back to Milagros. In the meantime, entire streets were under water, including the boatyard. Luckily, I had my Crocs on so I could wade through the puddles. Best shoes ever. Whoever states otherwise is just wrong. Who knows, maybe I’ll grow a few extra toes soon. The ground in the boatyard must be toxic and dirty. At least I was able to put on dry clothes and a rain jacket. Back at Candycake we treated ourselves with the best apple fritters on the planet.

Of hurricanes and typhoons

Back at the boatyard we had to bring the engine of SV Mapache to safety. It was standing on a pallet in the huge puddle that had formed under the boat. Everything was fine, we just had to move it to a safe spot. It was crazy how much water had come from the sky that morning, I hadn’t seen anything like it in a long time. Considering that these were only the remnants of a hurricane, you can imagine what kind of weather such a storm would bring. I was able to experience typhoon “Mangkhut” first hand in Hong Kong in 2018 and it is just impressive how much power and destructiveness nature can produce.

We need more water!

Working outdoors was out of the question. It was windy and wet. So, I dedicated myself to doing dishes. Since we still don’t have a water tank on board, our water supply consists of a hose fed from the water system at the Cabrales Boatyard. The fact that I sometimes have a housefly’s ability to concentrate has now become my undoing. While the hose was filling the sink, I devoted myself to other activities and only noticed my forgetfulness when there was already a puddle of water in our refrigerator. I had flooded the galley.

We need coffee in the water!

On top of that: During the corresponding freaking out, I knocked over my coffee mug, which landed on the floor and now dripped into the bilge, among other things. When we opened the bilge, we found water. That was never the case so far, unless the water came from our rusted old water tanks. But these were no longer in the boat. So, the water had to come from somewhere else. In the end we came to the conclusion that it had to be rainwater. Since we had removed the old chainplates and were waiting for our new titanium chainplates from Colligo Marine, water could penetrate through the holes in the deck and collect in the bilge. Great great great. What a day. It was time to take a break. After more than half a year in Puerto Peñasco we now know a bunch of nice spots where we can just hang and relax.

Knockout blow at the end of the day

You think it won’t get any better? Well, think again! Pancho did a great job while spraying our hull, but unfortunately left too much paint in a few places. When Pati examined these areas, she noticed that the finished coat had no adhesion to the primer. At first, we had the hope that this would only be the case for the spots where there was too much paint on the hull. After a few tests it was clear: all of our paintwork was for nothing. The topcoat simply hadn’t bonded to the primer. Shock. What now?

Do it all again

We think we can prepare for a major sanding job (again). After a phonecall, Totalboat immediately refunded us for the paint. Still, that’s just a small consolation. We are now back to zero when it comes to topsides paint. All the hours of prep, sanding, cleaning – for nothing. If we sand everything off again, which colour do we choose afterwards? What if everything goes wrong again? It is a first heavy low point in our still young sailing career. Let’s see where the journey leads. We have to collect ourselves now first. Get up, adjust our crowns, carry on.

It’s just one of those days… If you want to cure our paint hangover with a hair of the dog, please click on the button below! Also, you can become a monthly supporter on Patreon if you want to. Many thanks!

Help us forget the paint disaster!

Der Beitrag A Day to Forget About erschien zuerst auf Milagros.

At the anchorage in San Carlos we were soon busy preparing our return trip. There was hustle and bustle on Anila. We packed our things and the other two prepared their boat for launching at the boatyard in San Carlos. While we only went back to the Rocky Point Boatyard in Puerto Peñasco, Carmen and Iñaki would soon be flying around the world, back home to work in Switzerland.

It could have been simple

The plan would actually have been to get to Puerto Peñasco on Anila. The spot right next to Milagros was already reserved. Unfortunately, this would not happen. We still had a ton of materials and equipment from Switzerland on Iñaki’s and Carmen’s boat. Kitchen utensils, countless books, snorkeling equipment, the list was long. We had to somehow bring all that stuff to Puerto Peñasco. So it was time to pack up.

On the road again

On the day of our departure, we filled up Anila’s cute little dinghy with our travel bags and all the extra luggage. It was early in the morning because the bus left at 10:30. We had ordered a taxi the night before, which appeared on time. Crazy. We are no longer used to punctuality. 😛 With our modest knowledge of Spanish, we talked to the driver about life in Mexico. Although we feel that our Spanish is still terrible, he was extremely impressed with our progress over the 4 months we spent in his home country.

Little details change everything

Our bus trip should take us from San Carlos to Hermosillo to Puerto Peñasco. And all of this without having to change buses. When we arrived at the bus stop we were made aware of a tiny but important difference. The bus left at 10:30 in the evening, not in the morning. Haha funny. What now? The little Spanish we speak came in handy again. The friendly staff at the bus stop sent us to another bus company that offered bus rides to Hermosillo by the hour. An employee even helped us with our mountain of luggage.

Home again

The bus ride and the change in Hermosillo then went without any further problems. We were also already prepared for the military checkpoint. Unload all the luggage, through the scanner and back on the bus again. In the evening, the bus entered the streets of Puerto Peñasco from the darkness of the desert. Funny, it actually felt like arriving home. The city is definitely not a beauty, but we still kinda like it here. We have everything we need for our daily lifes. Amazon delivers everything else to the border to Arizona.

Everything so different but still the same

When we stepped through the boatyard gate onto the dusty Cabrales boatyard, everything looked very different. New boats had arrived, others had disappeared or had been moved to a different spot. Everything was fine on Milagros. There she was, tucked into her corner. The covers were still on, desert sand everywhere. As soon as we opened the hatch to the cabins, I smelled the typical Milagros smell again. That really felt like home now! A great feeling, like when we arrived in January. We were looking forward to our huge, comfortable, own bed.

Let’s do it

The next day we went at it again. After the communication problems while working on our hull, the first thing I did was inspect the paint. Everything’s not as bad as expected. After consultation with Salvador, the site manager, we decided to simply sand the whole hull clean again. No sooner said than done, and after a few hours of joyful, dusty grinding in the heat, we now have a wonderful topside surface. Nevertheless, we want to entrust the spraying work for the other layers of paint to the workers from the boatyard.

Milagros animal shelter

One morning Milagros animal shelter mode was activated again. A small female dog with a glittering pink collar had run up to a night watchman. He must have escaped somewhere. We decided to take care of the little guy and after a little photo shoot we immediately set out to find the owner on Facebook. The little doggo, however, seemed to object to being stuck in a boatyard. Her haute couture glitter collar would have gotten really dirty. So she skillfully bit her leash and wandered off.

Breakout artist Canela

Since it would have been difficult to keep an eye on the dog all day, we returned it to the guard. The same thing there: she bit her leash and took off. Literally this time, because the guard could no longer find her. Of course, at that very moment, the dog’s owner answered with the complete description. Name, photos and videos, it had everything. The dog was called “Canela” (cinnamon) and the owner confirmed that she is a true breakout artist. I could only give the owner the tip to look around the area around the Cabrales Boatyard.

Good news!

It wasn’t long before a message from the owner flashed up on my cell phone. Thanks to our information, she actually found her dog! Yeesss! Especially after our experience with the budgie we needed to make sure that the dog made it home. Apparently we weren’t angels of death after all. So we could devote ourselves to the work on the boat again. Pati installed the new faucet with shower head in the front toilet and we bought materials and a bit of glaze for some woodwork from our favorite shop, “Todo para el Carpintero”. Of course, not without a few extra drives, because the color we chose was wrong at the front and rear. Same old story. Our new Force 10 stove sends its regards.

Alegria are back

It was also finally time for the elephant in the room. Our mast had to come down. We had already made 2 or 3 attempts but finally never pulled it. Taking the mast off the boat was a pretty big undertaking. The boatyard had to move a crane and an entire crew of workes to Milagros. But first we had more important things to take care of. We had to meet our friends Mike, Katie and their dog Rosco on SV Alegria. After two months on the high seas, they were back for a summer break. They were travellifted out of the water and into the dusty boatyard right next to us, where Anila should have been standing.

It’s a lot more fun with friends

Our mast project required a lot of preparation and a clear approach. First the boom had to be taken off the mast. Our new neighbors Mike and Katie came to help. The boom came off quick and painless. Marga from our Kelly Peterson 44 sister boat Dogfish helped us with the rest of the preparation work. We can no longer count how often they have already helped us. Thank you Rosco, thank you Mike, thank you Katie, thank you Marga! <3

Tackling one of the big three

The aim was to tune our mast and its supports as best as possible, to document everything photographically and to mark the settings of the rig. With all this information it should then be possible to have a company build a completely new set of steel cables for the mast supports. This is definitely a big project. And an important one, because the mast and its supports are responsible for bundling the forces of the sails and correctly “processing” them. And these forces are enormous. We must approach this project with respect and the greatest possible conscientiousness. Anything else would be fatal.

Everything is ready!

A whole afternoon passed, and Marga helped us through all the necessary preparatory work in the sweltering heat. We also experimented a little. What happens if we loosen shrouds or stays? What if we pull the mast in the middle? How do all the different components react to each other? An important learning process for all of us and we dealt intensively with this ultra-important matter for the first time. So the hours passed. And at some point everything was ready. We were only a message to Salvador away from pulling our mast. Aaaaaaahhh…

Did you like this blog post? You can become a monthly supporter on Patreon or you can buy us a couple of beers without having to register, if you click on the button below. Many thanks!

It’s hot here! Wanna buy us a cold one?

Der Beitrag The Elephant in the Room erschien zuerst auf Milagros.

The blisters are history

We have filled numerous drill holes with thickened epoxy, and sanded and fiberglassed countless osmosis blisters. We processed around 8 square yards of fiberglass cloth cut in small rondels in painstaking work. The 26th of March was therefore a day to celebrate. After a tough 3 weeks of almost never-ending blister patching, we finished the fiberglass work. Yeah well, we had finished glassing the osmosis blisters at least. To proceed with the fairing, we first had to close the no longer used thru hulls and reinforce the seam.

Reinforcement of the seam

When Milagros was built 43 years ago, the two halves of the boat were glassed together from the inside, but only puttied together from the outside. The filler in this seam is old and therefore brittle. To prevent water from leaking in there, we filled the cracks with thickened flexible epoxy. Then we reinforced the seam on Marga’s advice with two strips of fiberglass of different widths – one 2 and one 4 inch wide. We initially wanted to cut the two layers out of our 7½ oz cloth ourselves. But after measuring the length of the seam, we figured that we didn’t have enough cloth. Luckily, boatyard dealer Cavu Dave had a 10-yard roll of 4-inch fiberglass tape on offer. Said and done or bought and glassed.

Can you do it alone?

I dared to do some seam glassing on my own for a few hours one day, as Dave was occupied with very important duties. The weekly online playdate with his buddies back in Switzerland was due. Glassing the seam itself required some preparation and coordination as we were handling three different epoxies here. This works pretty well with two people because the difficulty is always having enough, but not too much, of properly mixed epoxy on hand.

A bit sticky

I would say my glassed seams turned out quite passable. But: everything was sticky afterwards – every single utensil. Because to attach the 1-yard-long strip, for example, you have to press it down with your fingers. That means epoxy on the gloves and everywhere afterwards. And the wind tipped over the cup with epoxy and thus the brush handle was epoxied, too. I think you can guess what it was like. Maybe like baking with young children.

We are proud of the result

The reinforced seams looked nice and we patted each other on the shoulders. Well done Pati, well done Dave. Well done. Tap tap tap tap. The three weeks of practice on the blisters paid off. Instructor Cavu Dave and inspector Alegría Mike were happy too. It was good to have a sense of achievement again. But frustration was already lurking around the next corner.

Thru hull repair

Next up were our thru hulls. We did some research about possible options for repairing them. The decision fell on an option in which we used a puck that filled about half the thickness of the hull. The puck should be made of a suitable material. This can be, for example, G10, a high-pressure epoxy resin laminate or COOSA, a polyurethane foam reinforced on both sides with fiberglass. We found something on the boat that looked like G10. Perfect.

Dent theory

When the puck is in place, layers of 1708 fiberglass are laid from the inside. After 24 hours, when the epoxy has hardened, the laminate on the outside is ground back on a 12:1 bevel. The bevelled area is then filled with a few layers of 1708 fiberglass until the hull thickness is built up again. For example: If the hull is 1 inch thick and a ½-inch puck is inserted, then ½-inch of the hull thickness remains. From the edge of the hole, a 6 inches bevel is then ground back, which leads to a bevelled area with a diameter of 14 inches with a hole diameter of 2 inches.

Preparation for work

We numbered and measured all the holes to be closed and prepared the respective pucks with a hole saw. In addition, we removed any residues of the sealant from the old thru hull fittings in and around each individual hole, sanded all of them and cleaned them with acetone. The pucks were also sanded and cleaned with acetone.

For once, no complications

We decided to fix the pucks in the holes with thickened epoxy, and then to immediately glass the three layers from the inside. Also, we only patched up four holes to be able to correct any possible systematic mistake for the remaining holes. In the repairing process, Dave has taken on the role of epoxy mixer and puck inserter on the outside, and I on the inside that of the glasser. At the end of the day, we were satisfied with our result. Therefore, we decided to plug the remaining pucks, too.

It was a bit of a hassle to directly glass over the puck, as Dave had to press against it from the outside to prevent air bubbles between puck and fiberglass. Consequently, we sealed the holes from the inside with duct tape before we plugged them. This way we made sure that the pucks were glued flush with the inside of the hull while drying. And then we could continue with the glassing the following day.

Too soon, too soon

The next day, for a test, we ground back the 12:1 bevel on two holes. And somehow one of the dents seemed pretty steep to us. So, we asked inspector Alegría Mike for advice. He agreed that this particular area needed a bit more grinding. And he also found that the supposedly suitable puck material was not at all suitable. Oops. So, a whole day’s work was gone. All pucks had to come out again! The hole saw did that job and we were back to zero. So, a camping trip in the desert for Dogfish Marga‘s birthday came in handy.

A camping trip

The trip to the dunes was planned for the Easter weekend. Getting out of town was much needed because all hell is let loose here during Semana Santa. On Good Friday, for example, there was a traffic jam around the boatyard until late in the evening. The party took place in and on the cars and everyone wanted to drive through the tourist streets next door. The party mile was packed with people and the music in the bars was turned up. Since we only had incomplete camping equipment on hand, we borrowed a tent and sleeping bag from other Cabralians and took the mattresses from our forward cabin with us.

A little detour

Together with Dave and Marla from SV Cavu we drove to the campsite about 35 km away and stocked up on the essentials (water and beer) on the way. We also made a little detour to Autozone. SV Alegría’s van got stuck in the sand and they needed a tow rope. After all we didn’t buy one, as one of the pickups trucks arriving later was equipped with it. But we took the opportunity anyway and bought Loctite, a metal adhesive for screw locking. I mean, why not? When we got to the campsite, we were pleased to find that we were alone on the campsite. No other people, just us 12 sailors and 3 dogs. So, we could set up our camp as we pleased.

Salvation is near

The sun beat down relentlessly from the sky. Everyone huddled in the shade of the easy-up, except Mike, because he had to shovel free the rear tires of the van. When Jo and Barry from SV Boomerang arrived with their pickup truck, the rescue mission could begin. This dragged on because, among other things, the tow rope broke and a park guard wanted to collect the camping fees. With our combined forces we finally managed to free the van.

The dunes of El Pinacate

El Pinacate y Gran Desierto de Altar is the largest area of active dunes in North America. For the evening a small sunset hike to these same dunes was planned. From the campsite you could follow a signposted path around 3 km through the desert and at the end climb the dunes. We left about an hour before sunset and enjoyed the tranquillity of the desert. The many different colours and the play of shadows were wonderful. Unfortunately, we had to hurry towards the end of the path because it took us longer than expected. Sunset was at 6:54 p.m. and by then we had to be up on the dunes. Most of us made it in time – Alegría Mike just saw the last 3 seconds of sunlight.

It was worth it

The view was gigantic. On one side dunes as far as the eye could see. On the other side the lava fields and the Sierra Pinacate. You could also see the Sea of Cortez on the horizon. Unfortunately, we had to start the way back far too early because it got dark pretty quickly. We covered the last part of the way in almost complete darkness. We ended the evening with a barbecue and sitting around the fire. Emma and Daniel from SV Indy even unpacked their ukuleles and sang for us.

Back to life

It was really good to “hear” real silence again – Puerto Peñasco is really noisy. We would definitely like to go to the desert again, preferably for a sunrise hike. However, since the gate to the dunes only opens at 9 a.m. and closes at 5 p.m. in the evening, we would have to plan an overnight stay at the campsite. We will see. But for us it was time to get back to work. Our open thru hull holes were waiting for us …

Now that was a hot blog post, wasn’t it? We’re a bit dried out from the desert! You can buy us an ice cold beverage by clicking the button below (no account needed!) or heading over to our Patreon! Thank you very much!

Click here to hydrate us!

Der Beitrag The Silence of the Desert erschien zuerst auf Milagros.