Monthly Archives: June 2014

Sailors Run Checking in from the Sea of Cortez 6-28-14

           My departure from Mazatlan Marina was a true “cluster F!!K”.  Now you know I changed those steering cables and you would think that was a good thing right, Hmmmm!  Well !at day break solo sailor Jeff dropped the mighty Sailors run into reverse and backed clear of the slip. It was soon evident that something was strangely different, as it seemed the current was pulling the stern to starboard while the wind was blowing the bow to port, that could have explained it all except there was no wind and there was no current, of course when you go astern in a nearly full keel boat you never totally know what to expect, and this time was truly one of those times.
     Once clear of the slip I dropped the transmission into forward and was amazed at the results!  The “Darn thing” was steering in the opposite direction 100% of the time. Damn, I think I got a problem!!  

Now I could just get this thing back in the slip, but if you know me, by now were going  to carry on, and sail across the sea of Cortez as after all my auto pilot doesn’t care what way the wheel spins when it makes course corrections so off we went and I just pretended that the wheel was a tiller, that always goes the opposite way you turn it.

      The sail across the sea was great there was plenty of wind and  covered the 250 miles to Isla San Francisco in just under 42 hrs. The approach to the island was after dark and a sudden Coramel Wind came up out of the south. I was tired and wanted to get in, but it was blowing now 35 kts. The main was down and just had about ½ the Genoa and a reefed mizzen up, and  was hauling butt on a beam reach. It was pretty much what I didn’t want to do as coming into an anchorage  with this much wind in the dark single handed is not such a good idea. So I weighed the options and decided if this wind doesn’t subside, I will sail North to God knows where and seek a safe anchorage. Well, as fate would have it the winds subsided to about twenty knots and I decided to take Sailors Run in and find a safe anchorage. There were 5 other boats in the anchorage and I nestled in amongst them and dropped the hook. The winds continued to die and both Sailors Run and I rested and rolled off into a deep sleep in a part of paradise that is one of Debbie and I’s favorite spots.

    The next day was quiet and I pulled those steering cables out and got them straightened out, they had gotten crossed right in the pedestal  unbeknownst  to me and it was a easy fix.
    I hiked the islands with many peaks in search of getting in shape, although when alone you must be very careful as the rocks on these islands are very shaly and tend to crumble under the weight of just one person, so I was cautious.
    I decided to rebuild my Pur-160 Water maker, just one of the things that needs to be done before I set off on my solo attempt to sail nonstop around the world. The water maker we purchased back in 2001 ,and it has worked flawlessly for 13 years. I do rebuild the pump about every three years.  The kit to do this is $150 and the only other thing that we have done was replace the membrane after 11 years of use as the salt content had began to creep up.

   The sea of Cortez is a beautiful magical place. At times I’m deeply saddened that Debbie is not along to share our favorite haunts, but I must understand she is where she needs to be as am I.
   I anchored in Agua Verde , a fabulous place for me and Jose my friend that has lived there for some thirty years in this quiet spot, and it was fun to see him once again as he is now 78 years old, and I would run daily through out  the desert canyons with his dog Lola, who was good eyes and ears for me, together we chased rabbits and cattle all over the place.

    I sailed to Rosalia to take care of some business, as I needed an internet connection, not to mention it is a great place. I was tired of paying someone to manage my IRA when it cost money and they didn’t seem to listen to what my concerns were. So lucky for me Casey & Annie were there off a boat called V’ger and Casey knows all about electronic stock trading and he got me totally invested.

     As a matter of fact I might now own, [not too sure] 20,000 shares in the copper mine in Santa Rosalia. I don’t know because that buy was pending when I left and I have no internet.
 

        From Rosalia I sailed the 40-miles back down to Bahia Conception where it is 95* and the water is 85*, just perfect for diving in and cooling down.

        Now the laundry has been piling up so I had laundry day. In the desert when you start splashing water around you draw a crowd and the crowd is composed of Bees and lots of them!!  Of course I was ready, as I had my raid and spray bottle full of Vinegar. I try not to use the raid unless they get right in my face. Hand washing and defending your self is pretty damn exciting, and the trick is getting the first load hung on the line without taking a hit. Once the clothes are up they are swarmed by the bees and you can safely do the second load. Now the really cool thing is you can duck below to the safety of your main salon and work on inside projects, now don’t get alarmed as the swarm intensifies as not only is the wind drying your cloths and the hot sun, but you have hundreds of thirsty bees sucking the water right out of your laundry, and that stuff that takes forever to dry they gang up on it as the other stuff is finishing up and when the Bees leave “Wallah” you have super dry possibly, pollen laced underwear for the upcoming weeks ahead.

  Having fun in the desert sea    Your amigo Jeff, and missing Debbie all the time.DCF 1.0 DCF 1.0 DCF 1.0

Hurricane watch on Sailor’s Run 6/5/2014

DCF 1.0 DCF 1.0It’s that time of year again and this Hurricane season seems to be starting fast.  So far nothing has raised havoc here in Marina Mazatlan. There was a Hurricane to the south that was coming up the coast but has gone ashore south of Acapulco, just prior to me flying in to Mazatlan.

I’m busy getting the rebuilt boom back on the mast and the main sail hanked on so that I can began my push up into the sea, where a Hurricane Hole can be found before one develops and finds me. I also replaced the chain plates for the split back stay as they were showing signs of crevice corrosion, “Hell I think I’m showing some of the same signs”.

I just did a first ever,I payed someone Forty dollars to scrape the bottom of the boat as the water here is not so clean so opted out of that foul job for once. Debbie’s and my trip home was wonderful. Debbie has accomplished a great deal over the past month,She first found a nice condo to rent in Albuquerque, New Mexico then flew to Washington to help her daughter Heather downsize her belongings and they together made the move by car back to New Mexico. All and all it is a good thing as now both Heather and Debbie are surrounded by family in a great place.       I had a wonderful time with my family and friends. I’m still not quite sure where this leaves me, but the one thing I do know I’m doing what I truly love and that is living the cruising life style. I do understand that we all have seven needs and they must be met, for us to be happy. It seems we are both happy so all is well with us. Debbie plans to rejoin me in early November in San Diego, CA. where we will bus back to the boat that will be waiting in Rosalia, in the Sea of Cortez.

It will be then that we will start our passage south to Ecuador with many stops along the way, for the upcoming solo circumnavigation around the world.

I want to take a moment to thank all of you that have purchased the book “Cape Horn: Ahead or Behind Forever on My Mind.” And I’m so happy that you are enjoying the read and have offered up such wonderful reviews about the book. If you have read the book an enjoyed it, I would greatly appreciate it if you could take a couple of minutes and submit your review at Amazon.com where you made your purchase.

Writing the book took several years and much effort on the part of many people, and it seemed to me that I was never going to get my hands on a physical copy, but now that I have, I’m truly happy with what our efforts have produced. It not only looks great but even I couldn’t put it down after I started to read through it, “I just couldn’t put it down.”

If you have not ordered a copy yet and are interested in the book just go to and you will end up at our new blog site where you can get a copy of the book just by pushing the little button under the book cover. We love hearing from all of you and please remember not to hit the reply button as it sends the adventure back to me via a slow radio connection.

Thank You. Your amigos, Jeff & Debbie