We visited a tequila producing ranch and factory, this was very interesting. Pictured are the blue agave plant cores, which the tequila is made from. These weigh about 200 lb. each (90 kg).
You can see more photos from the tequila factory in our Photo Gallery.
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The cruisers' group arranged a Thanksgiving dinner at the nearby harbor. The dinner was excellent; the turkey and gravy had some kind of herbs that were really delicious. There were 180 sailors in attendance. We shared a table with Don & Terri of the catamaran DOUBLE PLAY.
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11/24/2008, Mazatlan
We left the boys at the boat and had lunch at Tony's, a great beachfront restaurant. We had a big platter of jumbo shrimp and dorado fillets, served with garlic butter. The owner served us with free tequila shooters... a tall shot glass filled 3/4 with tequila, and 1/4 7-Up, then he puts a napkin over the top and slams it on the table to mix. The funny thing is, he uses the same shot glass (without washing it) for everyone in the little restaurant. Hey it's Mexico...Tequila!!!
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We visited Bob & Roberta Soleway's gorgeous new house. The last time we saw it, two years ago, there was just the foundation. The construction was a painful lesson in Latin American business practices. The results sure look great, though.
See photos here.
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We will be in Puerto Vallarta Dec. 21 -30th would love to see you guys. Our Mexico #s are: 322 209 1178 (home); 322 150-0007. Bon Voyaging!
Greetings from your former Tiburon neighbor ... looks like you are all have a wonderful adventure.... good for you. May the winds be always in your favor. JD de Haseth.
Sunset at the beach at Mazatlan
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11/19/2008, Mazatlan
We visited Mazatlan's superb "mercado", or open air market. There's an upstairs section with restaurants that cater to market workers and the locals, and you can get an excellent lunch there, e.g. shrimp or beef with tortillas, salad, rice and beans, for just 35 pesos (less than $3).
Then we bought a kilo of giant shrimp, 70 pesos for a kilo (about $3 a pound), from this seafood vendor. They even peel the shrimp for you.
Shrimp is Mazatlan's specialty, and it calls itself "the shrimp capital of the world".
We got back to the boat and served the shrimp in garlic butter with pasta and alfredo sauce. Yum!
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11/19/2008
We just received a copy of a newspaper article that was printed in the Marin Independent Journal on Oct 29. You can see it here:
www.calou.com/blog/article.jpg
| Mexico Sailing Trip 2008-2011 |
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larry
cheers
Bruce
I had the local Yanmar diesel mechanic to the boat today, to look at why the engine was losing oil. Great news, the problem is relatively minor. The crankcase oil is cooled by seawater, and it is common for a leak to develop in the oil cooler. Since the oil pressure is greater than the seawater, oil leaks out into the seawater cooling circuit and goes out the seawater exhaust.
I was concerned that the oil consumption was via another route, past the piston rings, but thankfully that is not the case.
The mechanic also noted that the valves needed to be adjusted and the turbocharger needed to be rebuilt. Since we're in Mexico, all of this work is relatively cheap.
It feels great to know that the engine will be solid and reliable going forward.
One thing I learned, is that Yanmar engines like to run at a high RPM, around 3000 or even higher. It turns out, that our boat reaches hull speed at 2700 RPM, which indicates the prop has too much pitch. When running at a lower RPM like 2000, the engine builds carbon deposits that will shorten the engine life.
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Cheers,
Bill
