Back in Mazatlan

Same marina, new slip....Way better

Whats that boat in the background....?





When I arrived back in Mazatlan it was sooooooo hot as to be almost unbearable.....Actually it WAS unbearable. The daytime temps were in the 90's with humidity running 85%. Sure glad I had added A/C to the boat. It ran 24/7  for the first two weeks, then just during the daytme after that. I have made the committ, committ, commitment (Tom, that joke is for you) never to return till Oct. 15th or later. 


After the first two weeks I began to venture forth and re-connect with all the people I had met here the season before. Coffee at Calypso, dinners out and even a baseball game to see the local semi-pro team. It was still blazing hot, but mostly bearable.


My friends Wally and Steve talked to me about making a trip south to La Cruz for thanksgiving  and they finally talked me into it. It's an overnight run (24hours) for me so I volunteered to take crew. Wally took Colleen, Steve took Joanne and I took Kathy and her daughter Kathryn who are Canadians who live here full time. Kathy has no seagoing experience, but her daughter has crewed on a large sail boat, so I had deck boss with me on the trip south, plus a very good cook to man the galley. (note to all, Kathy is married and I'm a friend of her husband. Kathryn is 22)

We sailed with the tide on NOv. 18th to find flat seas and no wind. As wally and Steve we on sailboats, I gave them several hours head start as I planned on catching up with them someime at night. As soon as I cleared Deer Island, out went the riggers and in went the lures. After a few hours and two Dorado and two Bonito I reeled up and had the other two boats in sight. Wally , who was in the lead , radioed that he had run accross a long-line, but had cut himself free before he fouled his prop. He radioed his exact location, so Steve and I knew where to cross.


Next morning we all arrived in La Cruz.........

Driving California to Mazatlan

I left Ojai September 30th in my car for Mazatlan early in the morning. I had promised Rick (Mazatlan Yacht Services) I would stop in San DIego and pick up a "few" boxes of parts for him in San Diego.
This turned out to be 12 boxes and about 400 lb. of Zincs, varnish and other assorted things.
The first day I made it all the way to Nogales, Arizona, just accross from the Mexican border. I stayed in a cheap hotel next to a Mexican auto insurance office, where I got my policy.

The next morning I crossed the border and did the usual stop at Km. 21 where I got my car import permit and tourist visa. For some reason I failed to declare the US $3000.oo worth of parts I had aboard. DUH!!!
Mexico has great toll roads. Almost as good as the California "freeways". There are just a lot of toll booths along the way, but it's a lot better than taking the back roads through every little town. After a another day of driving ( you don;t want to drive at night, as cattle can wander onto the highways) I stopped in Los Moiches for the night.

Bright and early next day I set off again heading south only to be pulled over at another toll booth by the local "revenue agents" or customs officials. They happened to see all the boxes in my car and began to tear everything open for a look. They found the reciept for Rick's supplies and I had no proper import permit for all that stuff. NOTE: I DO have an import permit (for 10 years) for misc. stuff for MY boat, but NOT for as much as I was carrying. After they suggested I return to Nogales, Mx to obtain the proper permit, we agreed that 1300 Peso's would smooth the way south for me if I paid them directly.
SO, I paid the bite and took off. Bad news was I paid them almost all the Peso's I had on hand and I had several more toll booth's to cross before Mazatlan.
I scrounged every peso coin I had in the car till I ran out. Then switched to US dollars (which they are NOT supposed to accept) to finish my trip south. It was a bit stressful, but I made it that afternoon...WHEW!!

I don;t have any pictures of my drive south and I'm waiting for some folks to Email me ones of my adventures since I returned. I'm working on that now........

My "Next big thing"

Update 12-13-2010...Owen Alexander was born and now I have a grandson!!!!!!!