CURRENT LOCATION: On a Mooring Ball in Ensenada Dakity
18 17.417' N, 065 16.839' W

The weekend out at Dakity has found us working our way through a few boat chores, but mostly enjoying the change of scenery which comes with this slightly more remote locale.

Thursday
Thursday is Sheryl's day at the library, and although I originally thought I would use the time on the boat alone to focus on getting down into the cockpit lockers (something we should do on a somewhat routine basis), the weather had other plans. Just before noontime, a big series of squalls could be seen on the Nexrad Weather Radar site; therefore, I decided that it was the perfect opportunity to get the volcanic ash off the deck. Rain was on its way.



After dropping the kayaks into the water to get them out of the way, I hooked up a hose to the deck wash and filled a bucket with salt water and Joy soap. With soapy sponge in hand, I proceeded to wash all deck surfaces free of the grime left by volcanic ash. The fresh water rinse was soon taken care of by a deluge of rain. I finished with a wipe-down of all the stainless on deck with salt-away type soap. The stuff really works wonders at keeping the stainless less rusty and can be left on, without a full rinse, as a protective coating. A clean deck and shiny stainless is a very good thing.

Sheryl returned from the library slightly soggy, but carrying with her my regular Thursday afternoon treat: one boneless chicken breast, fresh from the market. As usual, the stern rail grill turned out a lovely dinner for the carnivorous among the crew, and rice and beans sufficed for those not inclined toward a meaty meal.

Friday
Today, I finally tackled the cockpit lockers. Checking the transmission was the first on the agenda, and I am happy to report that the transmission fluid was both at the correct level and as clean as a whistle. In addition, the bolts coupling the transmission to the drive shaft were solid and nothing appeared to be visibly awry along the length of the shaft. I tightened a few hose clamps and did a quick visible inspection of the engine compartment and steering quadrant. All looked good down below.

While we had the cockpit lockers unpacked, we made some measurements of the four removable boards which separate the storage area of these lockers from the engine compartment. These plywood boards are starting to weaken and bow inward due to all the stuff we have packed into the lockers. Since Sheryl is going to Fajardo next week with Terrie and an automobile (and their run may include a trip to Home Depot), we thought it might be good to consider scoping out materials for replacing these boards.

During the afternoon hours, we kayaked around to Punta del Soladado (Soldier Point), which is much closer from here in Dakity compared to our usual anchorage. Sheryl did her 'sea glass searching' thing and I sought out the perfect piece of driftwood for a sign I intend to make for my classroom (more on that in the weeks to come).



The first of the month is our cue to exercise the thru-hulls, and I dug down through our stores in the v-berth, and under the sink in the head and the galley to work these valves. If done at least once per month, it is our hope that we will never have an issue closing one of these valves when we really need to close it off.

Saturday
Unable to justify putting it off any longer, I donned my dive suit, grabbed my plastic scraper, and went to do battle with millions of tiny shrimp embedded in a gooey mass along the bottom of Prudence. The chore was not any worse than the usual soft growth we have come to expect here in Culebra, but our friend the 4-foot barracuda added a little suspense to the process. He lingered about 8 to 12 feet away from me and simply stared the bulk of the time I did my work. Fortunately, he did not make any aggressive moves; however, his toothy presence was enough to be unnerving. I was never happier to pronounce the job of cleaning the bottom of the boat complete.



During my time underwater, I also replaced the prop nut zinc. The old one was definitely ready to go, and may have been the cause for our in-gear vibrations. As you can see from the photo below, it has worn significantly compared to the new one. It could be my imagination, but it feels as though the zinc wore unevenly, which could have placed an unbalanced weight load on the drive shaft while spinning (kind of like an unbalanced load of blue jeans in the washer during the spin cycle). Hopefully, on our return trip to Ensenada Honda, we will experience no repeats of the dreaded noise when shifting into gear.



Sunday
Perhaps it was the fact that I held my breath for the larger part of 2 hours while cleaning the bottom of the boat, or maybe it was a night of insomnia (I get those on occasion). Regardless, I was not in the mood to rise and make the long trek to town for breakfast early this morning. Sheryl went alone and represented us at our weekly gathering. Afterwards, she returned to the boat only long enough to change into a swimsuit, jump in her kayak, and head back to Soldier Point for more sea glass collection.

I spent the afternoon resting and relaxing. I even inflated my $2 pool toy (purchased over a year ago) and floated around the boat in my own neverending pool. Life is good.

On this Sunday evening, I am writing up this blog because another batch of rain showers are moving through the area. It is a good time to take all that solar power stored up on this sunny day and put it to some good use (computer time). With our 'vacation' nearing an end, we have a busy week ahead of us before another visitor comes to stay with us aboard Prudence later in the week. Stay tuned for all the details.