Sept 2008 repairs

September 2008

Candy and I flew into La Paz on the afternoon of Sept 6, 2008. Temperature was around 100F and the humidity was about 80%. Needless to say, very uncomfortable.

Found the Noe Mar looking dusty but very good. Bottom needed cleaning. It had been cleaned in April, March, June & July (or was July included?), however at this time it had a lot of small barnacles and growth on it.

I use Carlos (at the “Water Works”) to schedule a cleaning for this month and the next 2 months. As soon as the water cools (it was around 80-90 at this time) growth will slow down, and we will be back in December this year.

The heat was so great along with the humidity that I tried to purchase a small AC…no luck, in spite of the fact that there is a large store for these items in La Paz. So, Sunday we took the bus (yes, new Volvo with AC) to Todos Santos on the Pacific side of the Baja. A run-down town but lots of art, nice picture museum and we found a good restaurant for lunch. No AC but 3 fans and it was cooler there.

Todos Santos used to be the capital of Baja Sur, but La Paz is currently and has been for a long time. Todos Santos had lots of water, at one time, and they grew sugar cane, until the water dried up and the price of sugar fell. Currently the water is back. Wonder why? No one seems to know.

Since Candy was so uncomfortable and I was working fixing odds and ends on the boat, she flew home on the 10th, that Wed. I stayed to fix the RO water maker, get a new boom crutch made (2,500 pesos) and work on the wind/water generator.

Of course we had a couple of nice dinners, in AC restaurants, The Patron and the La Pazta, which is part of the Hotel Mediterrane on a side street off the Malecon (the main water front walk way in La Paz). We, also, enjoyed the new lighting of the bronze statues on the Malecon.

On the day that Candy left, a tropical storm came roaring in (well, lots of rain but the winds stayed well below 30 knots)…and it was not nearly as strong as predicted. All the water came rushing down town, flooding the main street and loading the Malecon with sand, gravel and debris. Time to go across the street to the Italian restaurant and order a few margaritas (watch out, they will numb your lower lip). That and chat with some of the local expiates, highly educated, single guys with ex families, boat anchored…and so it goes. Interesting.

Finally, time to fix the damn RO water maker that hasn’t worked for 4 years…so off to “Bill the water maker guy” and his floating shop, mansion, etc.

He comes checks out what I have done and asks me to remove the membrane and it’s holder. Well, still 90 with 90% humidity…so after water logging the nav station area with my sweat, I manage to get it out to take it to his AC boat and shop. First thing I notice…I plumbed part of it incorrectly…oh well.

Bill’s boat is an old wooden motor vessel…twin Cummings diesels (huge) and built in Norway. He has remodeled this 3 story 65 foot floating mansion complete with a full shop for building and repairing RO systems (his main job in his previous life).

The membrane is shot…new one costs me $500 USD and has a 20% greater flow rate than the old one. He installs it and off I go…back into the nav station underworld and check it out. It checks out…only one small leak, which I fix…or was it?

Later, Bill asks me to run the system before I fly home on Monday the 15th…and I say OK. Well, it won’t work…he comes back and finds a huge leak at the other end…down I go again and remove the column…he takes it and fixes the leak. Now we install it and check things out…one valve is frozen, another is full of junk, etc. BUT!!! When we finish trouble shooting it…the system works….25 gal per hour…151 ppm particle matter (which is super pure…if I got the ppm right). Tastes like bottled water. I run it for an hour, top off my tanks, back flush the system and then pickle it with sod bi sulfite. WOW!

Next project, which has been ongoing during this time: I removed the old boom crutch (due to rust) and take it off for a pattern to make the new aluminum one. They come back a day after I did that with the new one to check fit and prepare to finish welding it. Carlos is on top of this procedure and he has a good machine shop on the job. They split the wood part of the boom crutch taking the old one apart…so I get to meet another expiate…Pedro the shipwright.

Pedro’s problem (if these things are a problem) is he is more interested in a Viking tattoo scene on his back and a couple of American gals (twins?) that he wishes to show his boat off to…for 2 days  Meanwhile the welded boom crutch does not get a new wood gallows.

I fly home on Monday AM and he assures me he now has the wood and it will be ready by Dec when we come back. I think I may come back earlier to get it installed.

I have Carlos researching making a new bow railing for the bowsprit…it is also rusting away and is 20 years old. I don’t want stainless, rather I would like to keep it white. Currently it is painted galvanized iron pipe…Carlos thinks Aluminum wouldn’t look right (larger dia for the strength) but he knows a shop that would do it well and powder coat it after it is dipped, etc. I also need the dodger repaired, the leather is shot.

I get ready to leave, I have painted some of the cabin sealing and a fresh coat of paint on the cabin sole…right out the hatch. I drop my new shirt on some of the fresh maroon paint…in a panic I soak it in solvent, use a special hand cleaner, wrap it in a bag and put it in the suitcase. The night before I hemmed up my new cargo pants with sail lashing thread and my needle and palm…it works. I have all of the laundry done and dried…I got a new soccer ball for Coleman and a shirt and skirt for Malia (since my youngest grand kids live with us).

Oh yes, I need to learn the espanola word for “deflate”….that inflated soccer ball cost me a ton of problems. However, on the tarmac, it was taken away by security with the promise he would deflate it, if he could find a needle for it. Darned if he didn’t do it and return it to me, just as the jet was ready to leave. Now who would carry a needle and inflation pump around at the airport? Beats me, but Coleman likes the ball.

Until next time…and enjoy the few pics.

Skipper Scotty