Ensenada ..... Manana ..... Maybe
09 February 2014 | Ensenada Mexico
Sunny Days and Cool Nights
I must say, Ensenada is nice. So the fact that we've been here almost a month has really not been a hardship. Some cruisers we've met got this far and, well, stayed! Now I don't like Ensenada that much but hey, I can see why folks do. The people here are truly friendly, helpful and seem to enjoy it when I try to speak 'Spanglish'. Kathy is sooo much better - she has a vocabulary of maybe 5 words. We do have a lot to learn. Nevertheless, we've been getting along just fine. So far we haven't starved - far from it. We are going to miss Kathy's favourite Thursday night "Happy Hour" 2 for 1 margaritas with the gang at TJ's Taverna, but not so much being accosted by the vendors on 'Gringo Gulch' - the tourista street set up to fleece the many cruise ships that visit. But it is time to move on.
The plan is for an early departure this Tuesday Feb. 11. A Wx window is looking good for fair winds that should push us south to Turtle bay in about 2.5 to 3 days. We've been to Walmart (twice!) for provisions, diesel tanks are full, we need another trip to buy water to top off the tanks and jerry cans (local marina water is not recommended for uninitiated gringo tummies - I think we still qualify!), the furling gear needs a lube, the outboard needs the carb cleaned (but runs OK if I leave some choke on), Mr. Brig needs to come back on deck and get tied down - all minor preparations before we cast off.
The big deal - repairing the sail drive - was completed earlier this week. I found the transmission fluid milky when we arrived from San Diego which says sea water was finding its way past the seals - not good. We were going to haul out anyway to clean the bottom and touch up the paint, raise the waterline - which means new anti-foul paint further up the hull (since the boat has sunk about 3 inches with all the new gear on board), replace the zincs, and paint the sail drive leg - all scheduled work. Unscheduled was the 2 weeks it took to rebuild the sail drive with a new shaft, seals and o-rings! This included 2 trips by bus up to Tijuana, walking across the border and making our way to the Volvo dealer - Admiralty Marine - in San Diego, then back again to Ensenada. I want to give a warm shout out to our new friends Cleeve and Sandy Hardaker who's warm welcome and hospitality included an overnight stay in their home, and rides to and from the border - thank you again! You guys are awesome!
Solar Flair is back together again and all appears fine and dandy - and ready to carry us on our way - next stop, Turtle Bay!