Sequitur

Michael & Edi have headed out on a slow, thorough exploration of the globe.

Vessel Name: Sequitur and Zonder Zorg
Vessel Make/Model: 2007 Hunter 49 and 1908 Wildschut Skûtsje
Hailing Port: Vancouver, Canada
Crew: Michael Walsh & Edi Gelin
About: For our current location click, on Map & Tracking, then on the Google Earth logo.
Extra: Follow us on Twitter:
Social:
13 January 2014
26 April 2013
24 April 2013
27 October 2012 | Harlingen, Friesland
29 September 2012 | Sneek, Netherlands
19 September 2012 | Hoorn, Netherlands
13 September 2012 | Aalsmeer, Netherlands
20 August 2012 | Sequitur: St Augustine, USA - Michael & Edi: Vancouver, Canada - Nieuwe Zorg: Aalsmeer, Netherlands
11 August 2012 | Sequitur: St Augustine, USA - Michael & Edi: Vancouver, Canada - Nieuwe Zorg: Aalsmeer, Netherlands
10 August 2012 | Sequitur: St Augustine, USA - Michael & Edi: Vancouver, Canada - Nieuwe Zorg: Aalsmeer, Netherlands
08 August 2012 | Nieuwe Zorg: Aalmmeer, Michael & Edi: Vancouver
28 July 2012 | Nieuwe Zorg in Aalsmeer - Michael & Edi in Vancouver
26 July 2012 | Nieuwe Zorg in Aalsmeer - Michael & Edi in Volendam
17 July 2012 | Michael & Edi in Leeuwarden, Netherlands
07 July 2012 | Edi & Michael in Vancouver, Sequitur in Saint Augustine
27 June 2012 | Saint Augustine, USA
07 June 2012 | Saint Augustine, Florida, USA
20 May 2012 | Fajardo, Puerto Rico
11 May 2012 | Terre Le Haut, Les Saintes, Guadeloupe
01 May 2012 | Carlisle Bay, Barbados
Recent Blog Posts
13 January 2014

Another New Book Released

I am delighted to announce that my new book: Carefree on the European Canals is now in print and is available on Amazon.com, Amazon.ca [...]

26 April 2013

New Book Released

The proof copy of my new book arrived by courier today. I have approved it and it is now listed on Amazon for pre-order, with a publication date of 30 April. It is a rather large book at 680 pages in an 8.5 by 11 inch format with 315,000 words illustrated by over 2400 colour photos, charts and maps. [...]

24 April 2013

One Year Out of Brazil

One year ago today we sailed Sequitur out of Brazil after enduring more than six weeks in the least-friendly country that we had experienced during our three-year voyage. In the early evening of 24 April 2012 we crossed the line on the chart dividing Brazil from French Guyana and breathed a huge sigh [...]

27 October 2012 | Harlingen, Friesland

Planing a Metamorphosis

We have added a new post to the Zonder Zorg blog at: Planing a Metamorphosis.

29 September 2012 | Sneek, Netherlands

Onward to Friesland

We have arrived in Friesland and have added a new post to the skûtsje's blog at: Onward to Friesland

19 September 2012 | Hoorn, Netherlands

North From Aalsmeer

We have moved northward from Aalsmeer and I have added two new posts: Heading North From Aalsmeer and North From Amsterdam

13 September 2012 | Aalsmeer, Netherlands

Taking Possession

We are back in the Netherlands, and I have added some new posts to the ZonderZorg blog at: Taking Possession and Settling-In and Making Plans

20 August 2012 | Sequitur: St Augustine, USA - Michael & Edi: Vancouver, Canada - Nieuwe Zorg: Aalsmeer, Netherlands

Added a New Website

We have added a new website: Skûtsje ZonderZorg. Zonder zorg in Dutch means without worry. Our intention with the site is to provide a place to share some of the history, geography and culture of the skûtsje as we discover it. We will also use this place to document [...]

11 August 2012 | Sequitur: St Augustine, USA - Michael & Edi: Vancouver, Canada - Nieuwe Zorg: Aalsmeer, Netherlands

Still More Skûtsje History

We continued to attempt to track-down Douwe Albert Visser, who was the owner of Nieuwe Zorg in 1941 when she was re-registered. One of the problems we repeatedly encountered in our online searches was the effect of currently having Albert Visser and two Douwe Vissers as very competitive skûtsje racers, [...]

10 August 2012 | Sequitur: St Augustine, USA - Michael & Edi: Vancouver, Canada - Nieuwe Zorg: Aalsmeer, Netherlands

Some More Skûtsje History

While I was researching the history of Nieuwe Zorg, I finally found her first registration details obscured by an apparent typographical error in a transcribed online spreadsheet. She was listed as having been built in 1901 instead of 1908. I emailed the webmaster of the [...]

Waiting in Las Hadas

31 March 2010 | Las Hadas
Michael
On Friday afternoon, the 26th of March we left our slip in Marina Las Hadas, and moved back out to the anchorage. I had spent a lot of time during the previous four days investigating a possible replacement for our engine's alternator, and finally mid-afternoon I placed an order. We then decided we may as well wait in the anchorage for arrival of the new alternators, the mounting kits and their attendant bits and pieces.


After exchanging nearly four dozen emails with Craig at AltMount, Rich at Balmar, Brad at First Yacht Services and Eddie at Hunter, and after further online investigations from their replies, I had finally settled on a twin alternator set-up from AltMount with a peak output totalling 330 amps. The set-up will allow us to switch between a Balmar 60-120 amp and a Balmar 95-210 amp alternator, or to combine both for 330 amps. This will offer a lot of different charging possibilities. The set-up can also provide an already installed spare alternator in case of the demise of one of the pair, and it can, if necessary easily replace the Fischer-Panda generator if it decides to cop-out again.


The mounting kits and adaptors are coming from AltMount in San Francisco, and the package went out by FedEx on Friday afternoon. The alternators, regulators and sensors are being drop-shipped from Balmar in Seattle, and will go out from there by FedEx on Monday. Arrival in Las Hadas is estimated as Wednesday for the first package, and Friday or Monday for the second. We hope that the "Canadian Vessel-in-Transit" designation on the Customs declarations convinces the Mexicans to forego duties and taxes without too much of a fight.


We are in an extremely pleasant and comfortable anchorage, just half a cable off the marina entrance, well-protected from most adverse weather that may come-up, and surrounded by lovely scenery in all directions. Just out of sight beyond the pretty scenery to our east is a great selection of big-box stores, which are a pleasant half-hour walk or a 6 Peso bus ride away. If we need to be waiting for parts, this is about as fine a place as we can think of to be doing it. Besides, we have found a strong and steady free wifi connection to snipe.

With the installation of the new alternator set-up, there is a possibility that I will have to move the Fischer-Panda generator forward a centimetre or two. In the exchange of emails with AltMount, Craig told me that the installed 95-210 extended 11 inches (27.94cm) forward of the faceplate on the Yanmar 4JH4 engine. We have just 26.3cm from the faceplate of our 4JH4 to the after side of the case of the Fischer-Panda.

Fortunately, the Fischer-Panda has a space of more than fifteen centimetres available on its forward side, and none of the connections in and out of the generator preclude my moving it a few centimetres. While I don't anticipate this being a difficult task, it is just one more thing to have to do. However, in later reviewing the dimensioned drawings of the set-up, I saw that the alternator extends 11.494 inches (29.2cm) from the undersides of the bolt caps on the engine faceplate. I re-measured from that position, and found that we have just shy of 31cm, and may not have to move the generator. We shall see!

We relaxed onboard Friday evening and all of Saturday and Sunday, as I unwound from the tension of the past week. On Friday evening I had come down with a flue of some sort, and it developed on Saturday. On Sunday it seemed to be abating when Edi came down with it. Hopefully we won't pass it back-and-forth to each other and we will both soon get over it. We both did our income tax returns on Sunday, and we will have to find a post office here to mail them back. While we were in an admin mode, I also renewed online Sequitur's Radio Station License.

I flashed-up and ran the generator a couple of times, just to make sure that it was repaired, and then began a routine of using it on bulk charge to maintain our house bank in the 70% to 80% range, where it more readily accepts a charge. Our solar panels continue to give us output in the 25 to 29.5 amp range for about six hours through the middle of the day, and lesser amounts in the early morning and late afternoon. We seem to be getting 200 to 220 amps a day from them. I also switched the Espar furnace to its hot-water-heating-only setting so we could maintain our accustomed level of comfort.


Among our neighbours in the anchorage off Las Hadas were Shawn Breeding and Heather Bansmer in OM SHANTI, their 1976 Westsail 32. They are the authors of 'Sea of Cortez - A Cruiser's Guidebook', which many now refer to as the bible. We found their guide extremely useful during our two months on the Baja coast of the Sea. It allowed us to cruise confidently and to easily and safely enter some wonderful anchorages, which we might otherwise have ignored as being too risky.

As we made our way down the Mainland coast of Mexico, we often wished there was a guide as detailed and as accurate as theirs. Well, a bit late for us, but Shawn and Heather are down here doing research for their forthcoming guide to the mainland coast. They were just wrapping-up their season here and preparing to store their boat and head back to the Pacific Northwest for the summer. Although we spent very little time with them, we were so familiar with them through their Guide, that as they motored out of the anchorage on their way to haul-out, we felt the pang of seeing old friends leaving.

While we relaxed onboard, I watched online the progress of the FedEx shipment as it made its way from Mountain View, California, through Memphis, Tennessee to Guadalajara, Mexico, where at 0930 on Monday it was marked 'Available for Clearance'. At 1434 it ground to a halt, and was designated as 'Clearance Delay'. Using Skype I phoned FedEx on their toll-free US number, and spoke with one International Shipping Agent, who didn't sound like he understood what I wanted and I perceived that he wouldn't do anything for us. I phoned again and got a more understanding agent; she sounded much more promising and said she would pass our email address on to the Guadalajara office.

And then on Tuesday morning Jesus intervened; we received an email from him in the FedEx office in Guadalajara. He informed us that the package was being held because, besides the machine parts, it contains a syringe and a tube with unknown gels. I emailed him back explaining that the gels were Tef-Gel and LocTite, necessary for the installation of the machinery, and attached a PDF of the installation photos and instructions from AltMount, showing and explaining the use of the offending gels. I suggested he remove and discard the offending gels, and forward the remainder of the package.

Late on Tuesday morning I received a reply from Jesus. He offered two options: The first is to have them remove the gel and release the rest of items with a real value. The second is to hire our own Broker Agent to release the shipment under our importer licence. I replied, thanking him for his quick attention to this situation, and asking that he remove the offending gels and forward the remainder of the contents of the shipment to us.

I also attached a PDF of our 'Anuada Mexico - Administracion General de Anuanas Permiso de Importacion Temporal de Embarcacion - Importador', and suggested that he was aware that this certificate covers the boat, its machinery, equipment and contents, plus the duty-free and tax-free importation of any additional parts, machinery and equipment that are necessary from time-to-time for the repair and maintenance of the vessel during the ten-year term of the certificate. I told him that the shipment they are holding is covered under this Importador certificate. And then we waited.


While we were waiting, Edi completed re-knitting my second sock, which she had unravelled as we entered Banderas Bay in late February. The reason it took her so long was that she decided to knit herself a pair at the same time, so she knit three socks simultaneously. Well not quite simultaneously, she finished three cuffs, and then did three legs, three heel-roundings, three feet and finally three toes. You'll notice that the patterns now line-up on my pair.

We continued to wait for a reply or for some change in the online tracking status of the package through the remainder of the day, and its status remained as 'Clearance Delay' when we went to bed on Tuesday night. On Wednesday morning, the online status was unchanged, so I re-sent my last email to Jesus, suggesting he might not have received it, and asking for an update.

I very quickly received a reply from Jesus, who told me he was "...waiting the confirmation by my supervisor to confirm how the clearance process must be followed." He continued: "The last time when FedEx tried to release a shipment like this same case, this process took us more than one month because this must be done to the Customs Administration directly". Jesus went on to say: "My supervisor told me that this process must be done by your own Broker Agent because we can hold the shipment no more than 5 days and this process will take us several days otherwise this shipment could be sent back. As an option, we can release the shipment under a simplify summary in which you would have to pay duty and tax of around US$95.00 and this process will take us from one to two days."

I asked Jesus for a list of brokers, and received a link to a site listing contact information for the brokers serving the Guadalajara Airport. Of the fifty-seven brokers on the list, four showed websites, two of which worked, and five showed email addresses. I sent an email to the five, attaching the email correspondence between me and FedEx, and requesting assistance in clearing the package, and asking for rates and time estimate. Three of the emails bounced. The two that seem to have made it through were to the companies with working websites, meaning large companies, and we're probably lost somewhere in their head office under a stack of Panamax container ships. And then we waited.

In the meantime, the second package, the one with the alternators, regulators and sensors was making its way toward us from Seattle. On Wednesday morning the online tracking showed it had arrived in Memphis, Tennessee. We pondered its fate on arrival in Guadalajara, and then we waited.

Late on Wednesday morning, when we had not yet received any response from the brokers, I emailed Jesus, requesting that he release the shipment and charge the fees to my FedEx account number. He very quickly responded, confirming the clearance process: "1. The gel (syringes) will be sent back to origin country, billing return freight to the sender's account number. 2. The rest of items will be released under simplify summary in which the taxes will be charged to your FedEx account."

In my correspondence with Jesus, Edi and I had decided it would be best to not mention the second package, which if all goes well, will be arriving in Guadalajara on Thursday morning, We figured there was no sense complicating things. And then we waited.
Comments

About & Links

SailBlogs Friends
Paikea Mist
NautiMoments
Sarah Jean II
Site Meter