Monthly Archives: March 2021

         SAILORS RUN and CREW want to Thank all of the Amigo’s that stepped up and donated for school supplies here in Barra De Navidad. Your donations and some extremely generous help make this years Cruise in Week the greatest success ever.

    Just a little bit about what happened down here. This was to be the fourth year of this event where donations for the schools were a way for the cruising community to try and help out a struggling education system. Normally, what the cruisers do is take local people out on their boats for rides around the bay and receive donations from many sources for doing this.

     Just a brief history of the event two years ago was the most successful event raising the most money. Last year the event could not happen because everything was shut down because of the Covid by the government. This year looked to have the same problems then someone come up with the idea of a sailboat regatta where people sponsored different boats in the race. The Port Captain said he would allow this as long as it was done with only necessary crew members on board the boats, meaning they had to be regular crew or family members. We cruisers got around this with “sisters and brothers of another mother.” Also many cruisers donated time and labor painting parts of the school, class rooms etc.

   It was obvious to me that the Sailors Run needed extra crew for the race and since I have many friends here in Barra I figured that not to be a problem and signed up to race. I soon discovered that my potential crew members had all been scarfed up by my friend Armen as he was part owner in a boat he wanted to race and we would sort out this crew thing at the Super Bowl Game.

I arrived early and had a few beers before Armen arrived and had contrived this diabolical plan for my crew. Upon Armen’s arrival I explained since he had scarfed up all the good sailing talent in the area he left me with but little choice to take his and his crews wives and we would “Kick Their Ass” out on the race course, and the women cheered and the challenge excepted.

 The outcome there was Sailors Run first across the finish line in very light air 7-10 knots,”Yea for my crew”. Armen and crew on Confete actually thought he should have been winner as he had gained on us from where he was when the starting gun went off,  but I explained that is not how they determine the winner and you need a good start for that to work. The other thing to know here the first start was for cruising boats as they are heavily laden with cruising equipment and the Confeti is a striped down Islander 30 footer with no cruising gear.

The race was fun and we gave Armen and crew on the Confete a good broad side with about 30-biodegradable water balloons. My crew ended up being four women and one other guy. We were second around the turning mark in the race of 11-boats. The course being short just an out and back race. We didn’t fly a spinnaker due to the lack of crew’s experience. Our over all finish was probably third as one of the boats that just got by us at the end had a spinnaker. The Sailors Run used our 115% Genoa, Main and Mizzen and the latter two sails have over 40,000 miles on them.

Over all I was totally pleased with our performance and we were even able to hold off another Baba 40 cutter rig until after rounding the turning mark. I screwed up by trying to sail over the top of another boat having to pinch up and the other Baba dropped off on a beam reach and got under us while I was screwing around with this other guy with a spinnaker. Oh Well! it was all fun.

                  Thanks again to all of you out their as you made Sailors Run the top boat for donations, and a tearful, Heart Felt Love goes out to all mine and Debbie’s Amigos

                                                    EL Jefe’

Hola Amigos.

  I have been pondering my situation and have come to more than a few revelations all though I don’t plan to write a book about them any time soon, but will share a couple with you now.

  The first is this pandemic that seems to get in the way of all most anything you might want to do, unless of course your like me and planning another solo non-stop circumnavigation of the globe set to begin October 2027.   NOW! How Is that for looking down the road a ways?

  The second thing is it now appears that many people are trying to capitalize on this pandemic by dreaming up all kinds of ways to have you pay for testing at high prices. The latest is a covid test in Cabo San Lucas 600+dollars of course if you fail the test then one must quarantine in a local motel for 2-weeks then yet another test. It seems we have become the victims of the society we have built. Hmmmmm!! maybe I will write that book?

  OK! So there is lots of time before sailing off over the horizon and I must find something to challenge me and the mighty Sailors Run, so I entered a race here in Barra De Navidad and it”s for a very good cause. We are attempting to get donations for the schools here to buy supply’s badly needed as times are very hard for the local people down here with tourism way down.

  If you would like to help out, and any amount will be greatly appreciated , you can pay pal a donation to Linda at <lmbelloruiz@gmail.com>.

When sending a donation please also send a note of that donation to deniselepchuck@gmail.com with your name and email address and the boat name Sailors Run so we all get credit for your generous act. The race is being held on 2/26/21 thanks to all of you out there and stay “safe and sane”.

                                  Your Amigos , Jeff & Debbie

Hola Amigos.

    First let me say the chain plates were successfully replaced in Puerto Vallarta with some help of our friend Dan Orlando and his connections for a fabricator that did excellent work at a fair price. Then of course, the fresh water pump failed but that is why I must be out here to fix all this “crap”!

    I truly don’t mind it as life wit out challenges would be far too boring. Some people wonder why their health fails, yet they never bother to challenge their bodies and the body becomes bored and gives up. I possibly will never be able to die as my repair list continues to grow and challenge my “being”.

   Mexico is still the same, great food, friendly people, reasonable prices and the best weather if you like 80+ degrees and sun most everyday. Here people are living life and appear little affected by the fear of covid- 19. What has changed is there is very little foreign tourism and the local small businesses are having a tough go of it.

  One palapa-a small open restaurant on the beach that I commonly frequent had two employees that decided to take up with the “Cartel” to make their way forward in life. The end result for those two guys was that one was shot to death and the other decapitated and this all occurred within less than a year of joining the “Cartel”. You can only hope that it paid well.

  I plan to enjoy Mexico until late April before joining Debbie in New Mexico. Debbie is doing fine back their with family and grand kids.

     Just know I miss all my friends and family and hope to see you somewhere soon.

                       “MERRY CHRISTMAS” or as they say here in Mexico “FELIZ NAVIDAD”       Love your Amigo Jefe’

            Yes! After a great summer back home in Albuquerque with Debbie, once again I find myself up against all that it entails to go to sea.

  First let me say that over the summer I put in over 9,000 miles on several motorcycles having recently up grading to a 1300 Yamaha FJR.

This bike not only has over 3 times the horsepower of my last bike at 145hp, but can obtain speeds in excess of 150mph.

Now, let me be the first one to say I have not gone that fast,”Yet” but it is always nice to have lots of power. The idea is that next year Debbie will be on the back out to Sturgis and we plan to tow a trailer for camping.

  The flight back into Mazatlan was interesting as I was wearing my mask and social distancing and had my special form that stated I had no Covid-19. Well! They had no interest in the form and they never took my temperature at any of the three airports and the social distancing went out the window when jam packed onto an airplane with no vacant seats. Hmmmmm! Oh well, not to worry as they checked my temperature at Walmart in Mazatlan and I was just fine and actually got a “thumbs up”.

  It was Saturday the 24th of October when I arrived at the Marina and happen to meet up with the gentleman that was looking after my boat. I asked how the old Sailors Run was doing and he assured me very well. I dragged my luggage on down to the boat and was soon below decks. Actually things looked pretty good as there appeared to be little mold and things looked pretty much as I had left them.

  Everything had been pulled out of the back quarter berth to give access to the 8-wet-cell -golf cart batteries that require water every two months. Now, with all the things that I had brought back for this season like spare parts, a new dive compressor and depth sounder I was excited to get the boat back in operating order. I checked the batteries to be sure they were full and would be fine for the next two months “Oh Shit”, only the first two batteries had water in them and six of them were bone dry. It took 1.5 gallons of water to fill each of the other six batteries. The agonizing thing is this is the first time I have ever allowed anyone to have access to my boat in my absence and it was specifically to water the batteries. Six of those batteries down here would cost about 750-dollars.

  My only hope is that they will recover with lots of charging. The second thing that has me worried is my cell phone a cheap smart phone seems to no longer be on the boat. Other than that all seems well.

  It’s the first of November and I’m pretty excited as it is departure day from Mazatlan and I’m headed south toward La Cruz. I eat in the early hours and it is still dark outside at last there is sufficient light to get underway. I try to fire the diesel and it’s a no go as the batteries are to low. I discover my electrical cord that would dump 50-amps into my batteries has some bad prongs on the plug. I haven’t used the thing in 10 years and forgot the condition it was in.

  I go over to the Yacht Pacific Jade and borrow their cord for 10- minutes to get that diesel fired up and that goes great. “Thanks Pacific Jade”. I at last cast of the lines and back clear of the slip doing a bit of maneuvering to get headed out between the docks and all seems great until the autopilot decides to engage and locks up my steering, Holly Crap! I have to get this thing disengaged while the control jumps out of its stops and there is no way to free it up. I have an electric lineal drive alpha autopilot so I go what the “Hell” just turn it on and steer with the knob. I turn the knob and the wheel spins about 90-degrees and does not come back, then I spin the knob the other way and the wheel spins 180-degrees and doesn’t come back. It is apparent that this autopilot has gone on “walk about”. At last I shut it off and forcibly override the auto pilot all the time thinking the steering cables are sure to snap at any given moment.

 The exit out across the bar in Mazatlan can be tricky and the channel has a dog leg just before you go out, but I decide to risk it and soon power clear of the break water. Once out on the ocean I’m able to dig everything out of the locker that I must climb down into freeing and re attaching the engagement cable.

  Finally now after 36 hours of motor-sailing to Mantachin Bay, I find myself pretty much exhausted upon arrival in the bay and look very much forward to a long night’s sleep.

  Next morning we are off and soon a very stiff breeze starts to fill in from the east. I’m on a close reach and must reef the mizzen the main and roll the genoa about 50% of the way in as the wind is gusting thirty or more knots. This is pretty cool as we are doing about 7kts and on course. I was more than a little shocked when I heard a loud bang and got hit in the “ass” with the chain plate that held the upper and rear lower shroud on the Mizzen mast on the weather side. Fortunate for me the mizzen was reefed and the load was on the forward lower shroud. I dropped the mizzen sail down and used the halyard to replace the upper shroud to help stabilize the mast,”What Next”.

  I’m currently in La Cruz living the cruising lifestyle and I should have 4-new chain plates for the mizzen by this Saturday. Luckily they can make them here, yet its sad that this 450-dollars well spent will put a huge dent in the “Rum Supply”.

  Well!  just know I’m still out here having adventures and blowing money out the sides.

                                                      Love you all El Jefe’