January 1 - 7, 2009  New Years Resolutions and Revelations

Resolution #1   Aaron promises to stop smoking

Resolution #2    Lyla promises to do 300 situps a day

Resolution #3    Blow Me Away promises to sail like the wind

Revelation #1    Aaron is cheating and smoking again but not as much

Revelation #2    Lyla is cheating, only did situps twice this week

Revelation #3    Blow Me Away is cheating since she sits patiently and is awaiting her 2009 sea trial

The avocados (aquacate) here are huge and excellent for quacamole!

This first week of the new year has been challenging.  We made the resolutions on the first and by weeks end we saw our discipline waning. Have they invented any pill yet that will help with being a more disciplined person?

We moved back into our little room in the Ferroaquilmar boatyard, so that we can be closer to our boat (within a half mile walking distance).  We acquired a single burner hot plate and now we are living large.  The kitchen now serves hot Americano food and our stomachs are happier.

Also, we now have the sides of the boat painted.  That means 3 layers of primer as a base then three layers of paint (2 part epoxy).  And since we have taken the rub rail off, we discovered an indention in the hull where a dark blue stripe is now on display.  Blow Me Away looks great with a bright new shiny new coat.  The topdeck is now being  prepped for the primer coat.  Jorge and Denny masked all the ports, hatches, handrails, etc. and any hardware on deck has been removed.  This will be a big project as well.  We have hired Bianney Torres as our stainless steel welder.  As you may remember, we removed all stanchions from the deck and Bianney designed new bases that will attach to our toerail.  The gate stanchions received a new bar for more support.  A new platform that will fold up while underway complete with a ladder is in the development stages.  This will attached to our transom.  It will be a great place for Aaron to clean his fish as well as an easier access to get aboard.  After the topdeck is painted, we will proceed to install the stanchions and new rail.  Our propeller has returned.  It's all bright and shiny as well. LJ Prop Services, repitched it so that under motor hopefully, we will increase our speed.  Louis, the owner of LJ speaks very good English and is very knowledgeable about propellers.  We learned that the pitch of the propeller depends upon the gear ratio of the transmission and the horsepower of the engine.  This calculation is all done by computers.  Things are coming together and we are hopeful that the good progress will continue. 

January 8 - 14, 2009    Toiling on the Topdeck

This week proved to be a long one.  Masking and prepping the deck took longer than expected, but there are alot of items that had to be wrapped with paper and secured with tape (masking), which protects those areas when paint is applied.  There were several places that had to be filled and sanded for a smooth finish.  Also, we decided to create a small dam where the anchor hawser and windlass are located.  When we anchor in a muddy bottom, and then weigh anchor after several days or so, the chain and anchor are filthy with the mud and even though we have a saltwater spray nozzle that Aaron uses to clean it while it is being hauled, there is still alot of muddy water that creeps down the sides of the deck.  So, instead of mopping up the mess, we decided to have Cresin make a 2" high fiberglass dam and installed two thruhulls which will use the same hose that is now used to pump excess water in the anchor locker overboard.  This project took 2 days and set us a little behind schedule.  The primer coat was applied on the 12th and looks good.  It is a beige, offwhite color, which will be painted over with the topcoat in a couple of days. Now, it is back to sanding to make sure that all areas are smooth before applying the finishing topcoat.  Meanwhile, Aaron conquered the dinghy leaks.  After applying 10 patches, the dinghy is now holding air.  We never thought it possible! Thanks to Jeff  m/v Wasabi for sharing his expertise on the best way to apply patches and giving us materials.

On the fun front, we went out to dinner on Friday the 9th, with Pam and Denis, and Jeannie and Bob s/v Island Dreamin.  We began at Club Nautico and the girls walked to the restaurant, while the men, wussies, hailed a taxi.  La Cevicheria is located just off of the San Diego Plaza in the old walled city and with a table set up off to the side of the street in front of the restaurant, we enjoyed a delicious dinner of fresh fish and seafood.  Afterward, we ended the evening at Zorba's at an outside table and ordered a bottle of rum and several cokes, and hielo (ice).  It's the best and cheapest way to order rum and cokes if you are in a group.  (Aaron and I do this even when we are not in a group).

Pam and Denis are leaving us......again.  They are headed back to the San Blas islands on Wednesday.  Friends are flying in from Maine to meet them so they must depart.  Eder, the "no problema" corian guy, is working hard on finishing up their galley project.  He and his helper, Alex, have been working pretty much nonstop on their boat this past week.  On Monday, we met up with Pam and Denis at Club Nautico and Pam and I enjoyed 2 bottles of champagne and some orange juice, for mimosas, while Denis and Aaron settled on rum and cokes.  (Eder was on their boat working).  Last time, Pam and Denis left us, we enjoyed mimosas, so we must continue the tradition. At 8pm, Eder was done for the day, so after retrieving Eder, we walked to Danna's for dinner.  It was a great evening and a good send off.  We will miss them, but hope to catch up with them in the San Blas islands in February after Eder finishes up our project in the galley on our boat, which was started a year ago!

Aaron finally went to a massage therapist who specializes in Shiatsu, which means applying a lot of pressure in certain spots of the body.  He explains," I spend $25 to have the most painful hour and a half in my whole life. The guy walks on my back, all 160 pounds, and he can do more with his toes than most people can do with their hands.  He uses his elbow to apply pressure to nerves and sore muscles."  On the fourth visit, they applied suction cups to his back, kinda of like a breast pump, and this is to stimulate the blood circulation in the spine.  He came home looking like an octupus had attacked him!  But, the good news is that he is feeling better and walking further without pain.  Here's to being sucked like octupi!

January 15 - 21, 2009  Painting of the deck is done

The topcoat paint was applied on the 16th, a very bright white.  It turned out whiter than we thought.  It's so hard to pick out the color when you are looking at only a inch square of color and try to imagine it on a 50 foot sailboat. But, we think it will be softened a bit when the non skid areas are painted.  We plan on doing the non skid in an off white color similar to the hull color.

Quite a few sailboats have left the yard, (back in the water) and so we decided to have the boat moved to a better place, further away from the production of the powerboats that the Todomar yard makes here. All the sanding and grinding of fiberglass makes a fine dust and the smell is toxic.  This process turned out to take several hours.  It's not easy moving a 22 ton boat, but they got it done.  We are now closer to the water and in between two palm trees.  Sort of like at anchor, but not. 

 Bianney came to do some more measurements on the swim platform, and several days later returned with the finished product.  It's been installed but a few  finishing touches still need to be done.  The ladder folds up below the platform and can easily be released when needing to come aboard.  This will also be Aaron's new fish cleaning table.

The topdeck now has to be masked again, this time showing only the non skid areas.  This turns out to take several days.  Jorge and us take a trip to the paint store on the 17th to buy the paint and some more tape.  We forgot when we painted the hull to do a strip of paint as a sample just in case we needed more, so we only have a little bitty sample which is the dried up remains of the rim of the paint can.  With that, we chose a color, it's an off white creamy color .  Jorge buys the very very fine sand at Todomar supply store and this mixed in with the paint will produce our non skid surface.

On the 20th, the masking and taping was completed.  And at 330pm, the painting of our small hard dinghy, which normally sits on the foredeck is painted.   The color is too white, so Jorge adds a bit of yellow.  This time we paint a sample just in case we need more. The color is to are liking, so the paint and sand are now mixed to produce the non skid paint.  We decide to  apply it first to the two lids that have been taken off; the cockpit locker and the propane locker.  The sand makes the color duller which makes it a bit darker, but we still like it.  The wind is blowing pretty good so a decision is made to stop and begin tomorrow morning.

On Wednesday, the 21st, the non skid paint is applied.  And of course, the wind continues to blow.  In fact, it is the windiest day we have had, but the painting must go on.  It takes a couple of hours to do and when it is finished we are happy with the results.

January 22 - 29, 2009   On to the woodwork

Today, we take off all the masking and tape.  It takes almost the entire day.  The deck looks great and we are so pleased with the final result.  Our crew has worked very hard but the job isn't finished yet.  The woodwork now has to be refinished.  So, the scraping and the sanding off of the old Cetol (somewhat like varnish) is the next step.  This is excruciating bent over on your knees work.  I did it three years ago, and that was enough for me.  We do have a heat gun which makes the process easier and faster. (thanks to Marc for bringing it to us)  Working in 90 degree weather and holding a 1500 degree heat gun is not fun.  A cold beer afterwards tastes great.

Our planned date of the 26th to be back in the water, comes and goes. But not without its frustration.  Our boat has been on the hard now eleven months, not good for either of us.  We are both dirty, dusty ,crusty, and moisture deprived.  As for Aaron and I, we are both exhausted as we have been working constantly 7 days a week, 9 am to 5 pm, in brutally hot weather, climbing a 15ft ladder on to our boat and off since our arrival on December 10th.  We can't recall working harder in a month and a half than we are now.  And our age is showing; we are not the spring chickens we used to be.  Thank goodness, at the end of the day, we can buy a bag of ice across the street from the marina, and shuffle slowly back the half a mile to our room in another dirty dusty boatyard in anticipation for a cold icy rum and coke.  By Wednesday, the 28th,  the toerail now has two coats of Cetol (24 hours wait in between coats) and is ready for Bianney, the stainless steel welder, to install the stanchion bases onto the toerail. They used to be mounted on the deck but thru the years, we have had nothing but problems with leaks.  So moving them onto the toerail will take care of that problem.  Bianney had to custom make the stanchion bases, 14 in all.  But on Wednesday morning, Bianney is denied access into the boatyard unless he purchases workers insurance.  So, Jorge calls a friend in the insurance business and I tell Bianney that we will  pay for his insurance.  Bianney returns on Thursday afternoon, and proceeds with the installment. 

 Meanwhile, the last list of things to do before the big day, (splashing of the boat) is made.  We have been busy rebedding the hardware on deck,  installing the radio in the cockpit, and sanding the hard dinghy with wet/dry very fine sandpaper, since it unfortunately received a bit of overspray when Jose painted the nonskid. (it was very windy). It is now back in its proper position, on top of the foredeck, and is used for the storage of jerry cans of diesel and gas, and the dock lines. Jorge spray painted the inside of the hatches, the propane locker and the inside of the lazarettte (aft storage locker), and before doing so, the hatches and lockers had to be masked with paper again for protection. 

The bottom of the boat has been weeping water out of the keel where Jorge had drilled holes, months ago,  so that the water would be released and the areas to dry out.  But, the drying out part never happened.  So, we decide to blow thinner into a hole in the keel and clean out the path of the leak.  Next, we try shooting a thin polyester resin (yes, we called in Doctor Cresin to give the shot) into the holes to try to seal up the leaks.  And, Jorge and Cresin, grind out a piece of the keel, about 18 inches wide at the bottom on both sides of the keel, and discover a crack at the very bottom of the keel.  Water gushed out once they did this and we left it to dry overnite.

  January 30 and 31, 2008   Hopes are High

We are hopeful that we can splash the boat on Monday!  I take a another run to the bank, while Aaron rebeds more hardware, stows the anchors and chains properly, and polish the stanchions.  When I return, Jorge and Cresin have filled in the hole of the keel with layers of fiberglass.  Bianney comes by and drops off the 4 sections of 16ft stainless steel tubing, so that tomorrow morning he can begin to install them.  Things are coming together and we just hope our luck continues.  The boat needs to be waxed and the bottom painted, the Cetol finished, and the bimini cover and sails put back on.  Oh, and the engine and generator are still a mystery as to starting, cross your fingers that they do.

Bianney installs the hard rail on Saturday, the 31st, while Jorge places another layer of fiberglass and sands the repair to the keel.  Another coat of Cetol on some of the woodwork is done.  But, it seems our workers and us are running out of steam.  It's been a long long working journey, and we are seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, but we are not there yet.

Jorge and Cresin installed a bronze drain plug into our keel in the hopes that upon our next haulout, we can easily drain the accumulated unwanted water, if there is any, from the inside of our keel.  This is just to the right of the repair and in the photo the fiberglass is unpainted and white and the plug is in the middle.