Zihuatanejo

Zihuatanejo 21-Nov-14

We woke up and instantly began looking into our electrical issues. It was determined that the inverter was fried and that the alternator was not charging the batteries. So the first thing to do was set the solar panels to maximize input to the batteries.

Then we took the spare alternator which we had repaired in Barra and switched them out. David figured that there was a short coming from one of the starter batteries ( which were older) that was causing a surge in power to the house batteries. 

So we took the dinghy to shore and while we were having breakfast we started up a conversation with one of the locals. Just so happens this guy was very knowledgeable and was able to recommend a place to buy new batteries (Chin Chun). We bought 2 for 2800 pesos and then received 400 pesos back once  we turned in the old batteries. The batteries were hooked up and ran the engine. Things were charging at 15 Amps which seemed a bit low but we figured it was due to the fact that the house batteries were not that low to begin with.

While we were in town we scouted the place out. The town is very neat with lots of shops for tourists and markets and restaurants. We will leave more exploration for another day.

Fixing our electrical issues was our priority and a new inverter, at a cost of $2000 - $3000 delivered, was not possible at this time so we had to find a work around. Other sailors had told us that availability and costs of things in Panama are similar to those in the US so we might look into it when we get there. In the meantime we can charge the batteries, run the motor, run the refrigeration and run the water maker.

David also found a 12VDC to 115 VAC high efficiency 300 watt power inverter that came with the boat that plugs into a cigarette lighter. What the heck - let's try it. It seemed to be doing the trick so we were able to charge the phone and iPad and my Braun mixer for making smoothies! It only draws 5 A so we may be okay. The only thing it will not do is connect to shore power since the shore power comes in via the inverter to our distribution panel. But we can live with that right now because we are mostly at anchor.

So for a day that had the potential to upset both of us it turned out okay!

We celebrated with a wonderful Thai Prawn stir fry -  found some wonderful fresh basil at the market - and free live music from the shore. And sat in the cockpit watching the thunder heads develop as we were entertained by another of Mother Nature's light show -  but no rain!

22-Nov-14 well I guess our electrical problems are not over. The alternator seems to max out at a charging rate of 15 Amps which is not enough for our requirements. And the portable inverter is making funny noises. So back to the drawing board!

Okay - so let's deal with some of the things that we know we can deal with. We went to shore and arranged a delivery of water and fuel to the boat on Sunday.

Then we went for breakfast where we met a nice couple from Vancouver. They partner with 3 other couples  on a condo. And here is where the 6 degrees of separation shows up again. They are members of the West Vancouver yacht club so David threw out a couple of names. It ends up that one of their partners used to be a business partner of David and his Dad. Anyway Don and Susan were more then generous with their offers to help us out anyway they could - checking out with a local contractor for a name of an alternator repair shop, offering us a bed, shower, laundry. They have friends coming down next week and even offered their services if we wanted to buy something in Vancouver and they would bring it down. The generosity of people is sometimes overwhelming.

We thanked them and said we would get back to them - would try the cheapest route first and see about getting the alternator rebuilt first.

There wasn't anything we could do until Monday so we decided to check out the town and the market. Check out the picture!

The market was something out. I guess when the head of the cow is bleeding out on the floor you can assume that the meat is fresh! When you ask for hamburger they trim up a piece of meat and grind it there - nothing is prepackaged. And the pork chops are cut to the desired thickness when you order them! We are having trouble finding good bread but there is no shortage of fresh fruit and vegetables!

There are some beautiful statues throughout the town, depicting it's heritage as a fishing

Town.

Zihuatanejo is a fishing village and the bay is dotted with boats of all shapes and sizes. The fisherman bring in their catch and just lay them out on the beach for you to purchase.

They bring in Marlin, yellow fin tuna, mackerel, red snapper and other unrecognizable fish. Boats range from wooden canoe type boats, to panga's, to big power boats.

Parking lot of panga's on the beach.

23-Nov-14 Sunday. We used it as a day of rest for us also. It continues to be sunny, thank goodness so we are still able to generate enough solar energy to keep our batteries up.  Our water and diesel arrived at 10 o'clock as promised.

We have 4 ways of getting water on the boat - from the easiest to the most involved. The first is to attach a hose to the outlet on the dock and put the other end into the tank and fill them up. Of course, this is the way we did it in Canada and the US when the water at the dock is potable. The second is when the water is not potable (safe to drink)' we put it through our 3 part filter system and then fill the tanks. The third is to desalinate sea water which we only do when we are out of the marinas and the motor is running at a rate of 1.5 gallons per hour. And the last, which is what we did in Zihuatanejo was to have a panga deliver it in 20 liter jugs as shown in the pictures below.

The water cost 200 pesos for 200 liters and the diesel cost 1600 pesos for 100 liters. Remember to divide by 10 to get the Approximate Canadian equivalent.

Once the water was transferred in the tanks and Hilda and her gang came back to retrieve the empties and our garbage we decided to take the rest of the day off to play. We took the dinghy to Playa Ropa to swim and snorkel.

Monday 24-Nov-14

We went back to Daniel's restaurant as they have Wifi and a power outlet for me to charge my iPad. We had breakfast and then we left my iPad at the restaurant without paying the bill to find an ATM. I trusted them with my iPad and they trusted me to come back and pay the bill! I spent the next 3 hours getting it charged and reading my book and writing this blog. David had success with the alternator guy. He also found some places to buy cheap filters for the watermarker and another cigarette charger that my iPad will plug into.  

We can now change an alternator in less than 45 minutes!

On Tuesday we brought the other alternator in for a check up. We also took the bus to Ixtapa. It was pretty enough and the beach was lovely but really - you could have been in Miami or Honalulu. Too touristy and upscale for us. We did check out the marina and they have begun to drege the entrance. But we still were not that impressed. It is a long way from anywhere and I think you would still end up in Zihuatanejo if you wanted to provision. The Chandlery had a few things but nothing like Manzanillo.

The second alternator was really sick and required more time to get it operational. So we called up Don and Susan and arranged to meet them for lunch. Here is the view from their condo. I swam the length of this beach the day before while David followed me in the dinghy. It was fun getting into the dinghy from out in the bay - brought back memories which I know Susan and Kelly can both remember!

We had a lovely lunch at Paty's and then walked the beach. Anyone know this beach bum? And we found out another coincidence as Don and Susan also know our friend Al!

David is off to get the repaired alternator - 1000 pesos - but better than buying a new one. We checked out at the Port Captains. And tomorrow we will head to Alcapulco where we have a name of a marine electrician shop. We are hoping to have him look over the entire system and see what he can do. Alcapulco is about 150 nm away and will be a two day trip.

All in all, we really liked it here. It still has the feeling of a fishing village. The people were kind. Even though it has grown immensely since David was here last, it is still worth a revisit.

  

Isla Grande (Ixtapa)

 Grande Isla Ixtapa

2965 hours on the engine

Isla Grande is a beautiful island with 3 Sandy beaches and a collection of palapa restaurants serving a variety of fresh seafood specialties. This place comes alive in the daytime with a steady stream of panga's bringing tourists from the Mainland for a day of swimming and snorkeling and eating. It is interesting to see the first boats arrive carrying the staff and food supplies for the day. But by nightfall the bay completely empties out and all the tourists and workers are transported off. 

We had a lovely relaxed day just watching the activity from the boat. We reset the take up line for the Genoa. David took a look at the water maker, replaced the prefilters and got it working again. He had originally put in a 10 and 5 micron filter to increase the purity of the water but this made the water make work too hard. So these were replaced with a 20 and 30 filter. Thank goodness it had tripped the breaker before it burnt out.

The water here is beautiful so it gets 3 stars from me. I got in the water and spent some time cleaning the water line and Doing laps around the boat. There is a lot of boat traffic in and around the bay so I did not want to venture to shore until my captain to motor beside me in the dinghy.

There are no bugs here, which is a treat, so we were able to dine outside in the cockpit. We had a Canadian dinner with steak and garlic mashed potatoes and pepper, onion,mushroom gravy. Then it was early to bed where we enjoyed a full night of uninterrupted sleep. The temperature had dropped, yes I said dropped, to a pleasant 25C and there was a slight breeze coming through the foreword hatch. Very pleasant!

Woke up to fresh coffee and toast and peanut butter and homemade raspberry jam. The captain does not cook many of the meals but I do not mind as having coffee delivered to the v-berth every morning is good enough for me!

Took a few pictures of the anchorage before the tourists arrived.

Early morning swim. We decided to stay another day as the swimming was too perfect. We took the dinghy to shore and walked over to Coral Beach where Gervasio guided us around the cliffs and through the woods to a few vistas. The beach is a natural reserve known for snorkeling. We had a wonderful prawn and Dorado ceviche, cerveza and lemonada and David got to practice his spanish.

I swam back to the boat with David close by. We checked out the marina in Ixtapa. The rates were a little high at $39 per day but it would not have mattered anyway as they have not been dredging the channel and it was reported to be only 5 feet. And our boat needs more than 6. We found out later that the marina has been allowed to get run down a bit so it is probably a good thing that we did not waste our time or money. We may take the bus there from Zihuatanjo to at least check out the Chandlery.

So we decided to stay anchored another day which pleased me as that meant another day of swimming! We went into the Playa Veradara for lunch. It was a bit pricey but it was one of the best fish tacos and shrimp tacos that we have had in Mexico so far.  I had also checked out some of the vendors the day before and wanted a second look. The Onyx carver was back so we bought two tortugas (turtles) - two souvenirs or one souvenir and one present. And I bought 2 bathing suits for about $30 as one of my new ones from Victoria is already almost worn out - many hours in a chlorinated pool or salt water or sun every day - as I pretty well live in them - guess they are just not made for that kind of wear and tear. Anyway I was happy and the price was right!

Iztapa across the bay.

  

I swam back to the boat. We secured everything and lifted the anchor  at 1445.

1600: noticed a burning electical odor coming from inside the boat. The alternator had gone into AC overload and had shut down. David will have to investigate when we get to Zihuatanejo.

1653: dropped the anchor in Zihuat. We chose the anchorage closer to town, even though it is not the most favorable of the anchorages, to get out of the swell and exposure to the southerly winds.

 

Manzanillo to Isla Grande (Ixtapa)

Manzanillo to Isla Grande (Ixtapa)

16-Nov-14 0830

This is a fairly remote part of the Mexican coastline and though there are many beautiful beaches and small bays they are all exposed to the swells and more suited to surfers and boogie boarders than sailers. Caleta de Campos is sometimes used as a midpoint anchorage but Dave from Pacifico had warned us that some boaters have run into problems there with theft. Most of the cruisers have not started to move yet so we are the only ones on this part of the coast so we decided to sail on by and not put ourselves into any unsafe situations. So we were prepared to do the 198 nm leg of this coast nonstop.

 0939: Genoa and main were raised. Winds from the ENE at 7-8 knots. We decided to motor sail until we had crossed the harbor. A container ship was coming into the Harbour and a container ship was leaving the Harbour. 

 0945: Motor off and bopping along at 1.3 knots. At this rate we should reach our destination some time next week!

1020: abeam Punta Campos and Roco Vel which mark the south side of the entrance to the Harbour.

1118: Dead calm. It is hard to believe that a body of water could be this calm. I mean - when you look west there is nothing out there except water til you get to Indonesia. So the motor is running, the water maker is on and the inverter is on. Time to make strawberry, blueberry, mango, pineapple smoothies. With a bit of planning and the right tools anyone can enjoy a bit of decadence on the high seas!

1210: Wind has started to pick up so the motor is off and we are sailing at a comfortable 3.5 to4.7 knots! 

1400: time for lunch which included a ham, tomato and cheese sandwich and leftover potato salad.

1514: the Dolphins came by to say hello

1817: sunset

1900: Captain decided to take a snooze in the cockpit. It is a beautiful evening. We are motoring but the seas are cal. And there are no bugs!

Treated the captain to Chicken Quesadillas and fresh salsa for dinner, the. The cook went to bed. And the deck hand and the admiral!

2100: the water maker tripped the breaker. Dave to investigate tomorrow.

2335: abeam Rocky Bluffs light. The wind backed into the SE so course was altered to 120*. Tried running the gib out but there was just not enough wind to keep it full.

Does this guy look relaxed?

17-Nov-14 0030. Wind finally picked up and the motor was turned off - again. Sailing at 4 knots. Nice and quiet so I actually managed to get some sleep.

0250: moonrise and a pod of dolphins came over to play with the boat. Now steering 095*

0330: captain goes to bed and I am back at the helm. Confidence slices through the water like butter. The moon is an orange sliver and casting enough light to mark our path along the water. If the moon was full I might have to put on my sunglasses. The stars are magnificent and my bud Orion is directly overhead. Ursa major is hanging sideways. 

I am sailing at 3.7 knots with the winds from the NE. It is funny how this sped feels slow in the daylight but fast in the darkness. Actually perfect with very little list.

0405: saw a shooting star. My first thoughts were of Heather's mother. - I just felt that it was her spirit being lifted to the heavens as she had passed away that day.

Wind has picked up and I am now sailing at 4.5 knots and eventually topping off at 5.8

0548: winds slowly died off until I was forced to start up the motor. Rolled in the Genoa. I always postpone starting up the motor as long as I can because I know any activity by me during the. Igbo is sure to wake the captain up.

 0645: the Dolphins came by to say good morning. The winds picked up again so I let out the Genoa, turned off the motor and managed a comfortable 4 knots.

0820: captain was up and enjoyed the fruit salad. An attempt was made to put out the staysail but the curler jammed. DO NOT USE!

0915: motor sailing in light easterlies.

1000: winds picked up and back to sailing at 4 knots

1100: winds decreasing, motor on and back to motor sailing. It looks like this will be the routine til we reach Ixtapa. Ham and eggs and cheese scramble with fresh coffee. Galley wench cleaned the galley and head. Chores are done. Time to relax - like we are so stressed!

Time for some Jimmy Buffett. I LOVE MY LIFE!

1330: Snicker time. I cannot even remember the last time I ate a Snicker chocolate bar but I saw a package of 6 at Walmart and the price was not too outrageous so I just had to buy them. Another treat for the cupboard are M& M's - and the price was outrageous. And they do not melt - even in this heat. 

So sometimes you just have to splurge!

Easy day. Mostly motoring as the wind is from the east and on our nose. Listening to tunes, enjoying the breeze and catching a few zzz's in preparation for another night on the high seas.

1500: winds swung around to the SW so we decided to try wing on wing - again for those non-sailers - that is when you have the main sail on one side of the boat and the Genoa on the other. But there wasn't enough wind to make it worth our effort. But by 1820 the winds picked up and we were able to sail with just the main and Mai tai about 3 knots.

2019: we can see the lights of Lazeros Gardenas which means we have travelled over 150 nm. This is one of the busiest ports on the Pacific Coast.

It is a very industrial looking area. It looks like they are pouring slag - which brings back memories as a kid in Sault Ste. Marie when our dad would take us for a car ride to see them pour the slag at Algoma Steel. It was a big deal for us kids.

0250: motor back on

0350: approaching Isla Grande so the main is dropped in preparation for anchoring. Isla Grande or Isla Ixtapa ( as the locals call it) is a small island just offshore from Ixtapa and about 10 nm from Zihuatanejo

0740: we were a little exposed to the NE winds but they were light and there was no surf. Decision was made to stay there and get caught up on our sleep and then make a plan! It was a grey hazy morning but we were treated to a blood red sunrise.

Santiago to Manzanillo

Santiago and Manzanillo

When we arrived at Santiago Bay the winds were predominantly from the SE so we chose to anchor at Playa La Audiencia. If we were to anchor in the more popular spot, and where we had anchored before, we would have been too exposed to the winds and the swell. It was a good choice as it rained like silly for the next 24 hours but the protection from this little cove meant that there was very little rock in' and Rollin'.

Next day we pulled up the anchor and set out around Santiago Point to Las Hadas. The skies were clear and sunny with westerly winds at about 8 knots.

The resort looked impressive from the boat and was very protected. But that  was about it for anything positive. I cannot imagine anchoring there if it was busy - you would definitely have to put out a stern anchor. We went to the dinghy dock to check things out. They wanted 200 pesos whether we used any of the facilities or not. Call us cheap but we just spent 100 pesos a day at Barra and that was at the dock with all the facilities at our disposal. So if you figure that you spend 200-300 pesos for lunch for the two of us, 200 pesos just to come into their restaurant seemed a bit much. The pool was nice enough but the showers left much to be desired. All in all we were not impressed. 

In the meantime we heard from Dave on Pacifico and they were coming down from Barra. So we de decided to go back to the main anchorage at Santiago Bay and meet up with them.

I know we had just said goodbye to them in Barra but it is still very exciting to see a boat come into your anchorage that you know. Being so far away from home and a bit out of touch, even with the Internet, it makes any familiar face seem like family. Confidence and Pacifico at anchor in Santiago Bay.

We shared a few meals on the beach. Dave and David and me. Pat took the picture.

And I was happy to be able to swim into shore and back out to the boat! 

David and I went into Santiago by bus to pick up supplies at Walmart. David finally found a computer repair guy that could speak English and could fix the computer problems. David's profile was corrupted and they were able to uncorrupt it. Do not ask me what that means or why it happened or how they fixed it. David is a happy camper. And it only cost 160 peso!

The fun started when we headed back to the beach. The guy at the bus stop told us Number 12 would take us to where we wanted to go - Santialgo and Playa Santiago are not the same! So we got the. 50 cent tour through rural Santiago, into the hills, past the prison - now we knew we were on the wrong bus. The driver finally asked us where we were going. When we told him all the other people on the bus had a good laugh at our expense so he took us to the bus meeting place, told us to get on bus 6 and we proceeded to return to the same place we started from. Finally we got on the right bus! But it was interesting as the Mexican government had built a lot of government subsidized housing - cement brick row houses - which was an improvement over corrugated metal shacks. Some of them were painted with bright colors and looked quite nice.

The next day we took the right bus into Santiago and managed to find the local market. We bought lots of fresh fruit and vegetables for a song. Less than$30 Canadian and that included the 12 pack of Corona Light! Even found fresh raspberries and blueberries and homemade raspberry jam. A local guy offered us a ride down to the beach where our dinghy was. Way better experience then yesterday but then that is what this adventure is all about.

When we finally made it back to the boat we ran the engine to charge up the batteries. And yes, I swam out from shore.

The next day we were to leave for Ixtapa. This is a 198 km journey so we are expecting a 2 day run. So off to bed early to get a good night sleep in preparation for two days of interrupted sleep!

Manzanillo: this is a pretty large bay with the commercial port on the east side and the resorts and beaches on the west side. 

Manzanillo is the home of many deep water harbors and therefore quite a maritime history. Most of its history began with the Spanish conquistador exploration of the Pacific Mexico shoreline. It started in 1522, Hernan Cortes

came to the area looking for a trade route between China and Mexico. Goods used to come from Spain to the Atlantic side of Mexico and then transported across land to the Pacific. Goods were then shipped to the Philippines. These ships were prime targets for pirates. So the Spanish used these protected bays for repairs, hideouts and resupplies.

This trade route came to an end in 1821 when Mexico gained independence. In 1821 Manzanillo was officially opened as a port and with the completion of the transcontinental railway, it was officially registered as a Port of Entry in1908. It is now one of the busiest commercial ports on the Pacific coast.

With that and tourism it is a very busy area.

Barra de Navidad to Santiago

Last day in Barra to Santiago

We went into Barra for one last dinner with Barry at Magdalena's. We had a scrumptious feast of molcajete - a lava bowl brought to your table bubbling with a mixture of prawns and chicken and Arrachera (marinated flank steak) in a spicy red tomato and pepper sauce. I must go on line and get the recipe for this wonderful Mexican stew. The evening was topped off with the restaurants' version of banana's Oscar, a beautiful moon and Barry's wonderful company.

The next day I went into town for the final provisions. The French Baker (El Horno Frances) is open for business but does not do the boat and anchor delivery yet - not enough boats yet. So I picked up a couple of almond croissants and a couple of plain Croissants for the road. I was hoping to get some cinnamon buns from the local lady down by the big tree but it was Sunday and she was at church and does not start baking until after mass. The fish market was open so I managed to get a kilo of prawns for $15. That should do us for several meals. Last run on the taxi aquatico where I said goodbye to Patricia and Fortina

The following morning David finished up the last few items on the list in preparation for departure. He was pleased with Isreal's decision to only charge us the summer rate for the 8 days of November which worked out to about $16 per day.

1037: away from E37 with the help of Barry. Sure hope we run into him again as we both head South. Barry is planning to bring his boat though the canal and down to Florida where he has a winter residence.

1058: we passed the Barra bar. Winds were southerly. Seas were slightly rippled with a gently swell. Light cloud cover. Steering 120* 5.3 knots at 1600 rpm. Motor sounds good!

1155: raised the mainsail and put out the staysail. The furling was not operating as it should and will require  look at down the road. Winds were southerly at 5 knots so we motor sailed. The theory is that the land breeze should pick up strength in the afternoon.Didn't happen.

Navy is coming up aft. Bulk carriers are heading into Manzanillo. There is a bank of cumulus clouds sitting on the mountains but above us it is mostly blue sky with a few cirrus clouds thrown in.

1240: Dolphins sited abeam the Manzanillo Airport- Playa de Oro International. This stretch of beach is so named as a result of the historical sinking of the SS Golden Gate. It was a 269 foot side wheeled steamer built in New York and used to deliver supplies and gold between Panama and California during the gold rush. It was the fastest ship in the Pacific fleet during it's time but caught on fire in 1862 and went aground somewhere along this part of the coast. Many lives were lost along with 1.4 million dollars in gold only some of which has been recovered.

12:58 Navy passes us on the port side but shows no interest in us . Maybe it has to do with our Canadian flag. It is heading into Manzanillo - the home of one of the Mexican Navy ships.

1445:We set anchor in Ensenada Carrizal. I was like an impatient child at Christmas waiting for David to put down the swimming ladder. If he had taken much more time I was planning on just jumping in. The last time we were here it was fairly chopping and the water was a bit grungy but his time it was clear and warm.

No houses! No boats! No people! A new definition for Freedom 55 or 59 or 67 - Swimming butt naked in 30*C water, showering on the deck. Left over molcajete served in the cockpit. The sound of the surf was our music. The light show from the lightening out at sea was our entertainment. A perfect end to a perfect day.

But after midnight the rains came and we had a restless night with onshore winds and surf and lightening and thunder.  So at 1530 we decided to raise the anchor and head to Santiago.