Category Archives for "Amigos Updates"

0 SAILORSRUN SAY’S GOODBYE TO MEXICO-APRIL 2015

Sailors Run Says Goodbye to Mexico /April 2015.

After nearly a year and a half it’s now time to leave beautiful Mexico’s great anchorages, the great food and fine friendly people. Our stop in Acapulco has been a great experience, as we found a mooring ball for $200 pesos a night, about 13-dollars.

Gerry Jugging fuel needing 20 gallons of diesel in Acapulco,Mex

The moorings are sometimes better than the boats in Acapulco

Debbie enjoying the beach’s of Acapulco

One of the Beach’s in Acapulco,with friendly family faces,good food enjoying the sun as I did too

The buse’s in Acapulco are painted up with kid’s cartoon characters’ really beautifully done,
Were pretty sure the driver can see out!

We had to go watch the famous “cliff divers” and as before they were amazing, leaping off the cliffs called La Quebrada over 100 feet above a narrow shallow gash in the rocks where perfect timing is the difference between life and death. The feature diver did a back flip off the 100+ foot ledge narrowly missing the jagged protruding rocks that jut out below him. His entry was feet first and very clean we gave him a 10+ on that one.

Debbie and 2 of the famous Cliff Diver’s in Acapulco that put on amazing show and where many famous people have come to see them for many years

Names of the people famous people for yrs have come to see the cliff diver’s such as
roy roger’s-johnny weissmuler-liz taylor-frank sinatra etc

We got involved, glady in trying to arrange a tow for a disabled sail boat that had lost its motor and was 300 miles off shore, with no wind and drifting farther out to sea. The boat was finally able to get closer by sailing and was soon only 105 miles off shore, and still wanted a tow. The guy we found offered to come tow them for $10,000-dollars. The sailors declined this offer then counter offered to pay $7,000.00 dollars but that was not accepted by the tow’ers.
After much encouragement by several sailors including Sailors Run they eventually sailed within twenty miles of the coast and it was at that point I suggested they put the dinghy in the water and use their 15hp out board lashed to the side of the boat a forty seven foot Vagabond to propel them toward Hualtuco . They were able to move seven miles at two knots where they were taken in tow by another cruising boat that with both the dinghy and the other boat they were now able to move at over 3-knots toward’s their destination at Chahue marina where they could get repairs for their fuel injection pump.
Debbie and I met them outside the marina in our dinghy as we had sailed down from Acapulco and were anchored near the entrance to the Marina. We basically acted as a tug boat pushing the bow this way and that to help guide them to a safe landing inside the marina.
We all get by with a little help from our friends and these folks were very appreciative of all the help they had after haven been out to see for 38 days

Sailing Vessel Vagabond under power from their dinghy,lashed on port side

Ron owner of Vagabond who is the auxillary power man

Jeff on tug boat partol

After 38 days at sea Ron and Heather safely at Marina Chahue,the smiles say it all

YEP!! THEY ARE KISSING THE GROUND 🙂

WITH ALL THE BOATERS WHO HELPED SUNDANCER WE CELEBRATED ON SAILORS RUN

More of the celebration on Sailors run in Huatulco,Mexico

After several days of celebrating with the rescued and rescuers we sailed across the Tehuantepec, a potentially dangerous body of water. The sail is about 220 miles to Puerto Madero the last port in Mexico near the border of Guatemala. This time of year passage across is not a problem as the weather predictions are quite accurate and this time of year there are less big winds. We only had 10.5 hrs of sailing and the rest required motoring on glassy seas. There were hump back whales and hundreds of sting rays leaping into the air along our route. The large green back turtles abound here and are like speed bumps that you try to avoid. We also encountered several long liners that are no threat to us as our long keel just pushes them down out of the way and they skim along the bottom of the keel to pop up astern once we have crossed over them.

AMAZING THAT WE GOT THE TAIL END OF THIS HUMPBACK WHALE AFTER IT CROSSED OUR BOW THEN DOVE DOWN

Bought new sheet line to get it ready for our parachute sea anchor

Marina Chiapas welcomed us in and the very next day we hauled the boat out of the water. We painted our own bottom and installed a separate thru hull fitting for the water maker. We will put the boat back today March 30^th after just 3-days out of the water and once our income tax is completed we will set sail for Bahia Caraquez, Ecuador. We hope to arrive there in about two weeks, that being the middle of April sometime.

Our arrival at Marina Chiapas /Puerto Madero
Mexico

Sailors Run being hauled out,wow she definitely needs a make over!!

How’ that for a wild under body job?

All pressure washed, sanded and ready for some new paint, 2 coats will do her just fine

NOW DOESN’T THAT LOOK BETTER?

Debbie does her final scraping getting those last critters off

Painting the hull is definitely a BLUE JOB where Debbie prefers the PINK JOBS

I’m down to 7-months before the start of my solo nonstop around the world south of the 5-great capes.

As you can imagine not a day goes by that I do not put some thought into the preparation for that great adventure. Most recently I acquired an additional 150- feet of ¾ inch 3-strand nylon to get my Parachute anchor road back up to a useable length, well over 5 times the length of my boat. The Parachute anchor is a last resort to try and survive a huge storm at sea. If I’m ever likely to need it, that time will be on this upcoming circumnavigation.

One of my biggest concerns is provisioning for 6-months and what will last and be also appetizing day after day along the way. Cooking will be difficult at times and other times there will be some calmer conditions where if I feel like it I can put on my Jeff’s, hat or is that “Chefs Hat”. Debbie and I are pretty used to doing this yet when you are tired it would really be nice to have some “trick meals” in my bag.

So PLEASE feel free to give us some tips on what you have found that really works well for long passages, when you just need something special to lift your “spirits” a little?

If you feel the need to send a recipe, send recipes to our sailorsrun01@yahoo.com

Putting to sea, Your Amigos- Jeff& Debbie

0 Sailors Run reporting in from Santiago Bay/Manzanillo, Mexico. 2/26/15

                    Sailors Run reporting in from Santiago Bay/Manzanillo, Mexico. 2/26/15.

           “What a Life”, we are pretty sure it doesn’t get much better than what we have been experiencing lately. The weather has been perfect; the Beach here in Santiago/Manzanillo has lots to offer, not only is it 3 -miles long with most of it lined with great Palapas and restaurants.

         We also have David Weber singing twice a week at the Oasis bar on the beach. David Weber is not only one of the best singers around but is also a top Elvis Presley Impersonator. Oh yes, and Debbie loves singing with him when allowed by the Owner of the restaurant, whom at times seems very unreasonable and confused.

       We have been very fortunate this year as we have had the honor of spending time with a great bunch of  cruisers, not to mention being able to meet old friends that have traveled here by other means and rented Penthouses, where we have had the pleasure of enjoying that life style as well.

          Debbie’s birthday was a blast, celebrated at our favorite Palapa “Ramada La Jaiva”. It was truly heartwarming to watch the anchorage fill up as our friends arrived from other places to join in the festivities. There were more than 25 people in attendance and you can bet they had fun as Debbie was ready to dance sing and party along with anyone that cared to join in. The Palapa went all out decorating the tables with their best linens and myself along with David and Alison off the boat Freedom, spent our morning decorating blowing up balloons and hanging, Happy Birthday greetings all over the tables and umbrellas. Debbie was very touched by her many great friends that showed up.

We also took a bus trip with friends John & Dee to the town  of Colima and Comala where the Famous Volcano has been blowing up & spewing almost everyday,it was a site to see.

      The preparation for the circumnavigation is coming along fine; most recently Debbie has made me a new bean bag chair for my comfort in the cockpit while underway. It is somewhat unusual as the seat part is separated by a seam between it and the back part, “Works Great”  We have determined that the Mizzen sail must be replaced as it has started to show its age after 7-years of heavy sailing and it is the first sail to go up on our boat and the last one to come down.

I have eight more months before the journey begins.

  In a couple of days we will start working south with stops at Isla Grande, Acapulco, Huatulco, and then Puerto Madero for hauling out and paint on the first of April.

  Debbie will be posting photos to the blog www.sailorsrun.com

   We love to hear from you,           Your Amigos,  Jeff &Debbie

Bahia Santiago with Manzanillo in the back ground and La Boquita in the forefront with all the Palapas & where we can bring our dinghy into shore from the boat

Alofty view from the drug lords house on top of the mountain overlooking Santiago

Jeff enjoying his beers, sand,sun & just hanging out at our favorite palapa La Jaiba

At her favorite palapa La Jaiba on the beach at La Boquita/santiago

David Weber aka ELVIS preforming and doing his fantastic show for us all

Us and David “Elvis” Weber before his performance

Debbie’s 63rd yr party with her cake awaiting here guests

The wonderful birthday balloons given to my by the owner of the palapa
Jacqueline of the
Ramada La Jaiba & our waiter,GRACIAS 🙂

At Debbie’s birthday party with everyone having a great time

Jeff,John and Dee with the volcano behind them that has just erupted showing its huge plume of ash

Seeing the volcano erupting from the boat at anchorage in Bahia Santiago

The New Bean Bag designed just for Jeff for his big trip to be comfy

AHH IT FITS JUST RIGHT!!

0 BARRA DE NAVIDAD-2015

Christmas came and went, along with many great social gatherings with friends and sailors from all parts of the world. The tree trimming party was truly special at Russell and Lorie’s in La Cruz, where the cruising community and many land lubbers all joined in the Christmas spirit and cheer that was most abundant on that special occasion.

Like usual Sailors Run’s, time was brief in Puerto Vallarta, and this time it was Debbie’s broken tooth that hastened our departure to Barra De Navidad where our favorite dentist’s place is close by in Melaque.

This is the season of parties; here in Barra cruisers had put together a Christmas Potluck/white elephant gift exchange party, where Debbie was picked to be the head Elf. The food was great as well as the interesting gifts,all fighting for some of the good ones.

We then had a great New Years Eve out on the town, where we traipsed around Barra, dancing everywhere they had music, and drinking everyplace they served drinks. Wow! how the night gets away when you are having fun. The water taxi poured us back aboard the old Sailors Run sometime after 3am, where our V-birth was a most welcome sight. “What’s life without some fun!”????

Here in Barra, the Lagoon is peaceful and a great place to repaint the bright work and Debbie has busted out the sewing machine and is making fender covers for our eight fenders.
It is also football season and the playoffs are here once again and not so amazingly the” Sea Hawks” are right in the thick of it. Debbie is an amazing “Sea Hawks” fan and we watch all the games at Los Arcos a nice little family restaurant with a big TV.

It will be February before we get moving further to the south, and for me, I’m starting to have flash backs of my “Cape Horn” trip, and spend more and more time thinking about the upcoming solo circumnavigation, and what is yet left to be done before November first. The biggest items are the haul out in Puerto Madero to paint the bottom in early April, and getting a new furnace on the boat for reliable heat once in awhile while cruising in the Southern Ocean. The other big thing is the provisioning for a 5-6 month voyage, and acquiring some quality foul weather gear, and lots of warm undergarments.

I’m truly thankful for having an understanding wife like Debbie and lots of great friends and acquaintances that are supportive in this upcoming adventure. Our book sales of my “Cape Horn” book have gone along ways to helping us fund the dream.

I also wrote a recent article for 48* North a Northwest sailing magazine, it can be read in the January addition and is titled “Smoke on Green Water”. Check it out. At WWW.48’NORTH.COM

Debbie with the crew on Sv Calou-Bruce,Pascal & Antoine

Philo from Philo’s bar in La Cruz kicking back at the Christmas party

Jeff at Christmas party with crew from Elan

The Five Debbie’s at the Christmas Party

Debbie singing a beautiful Christmas song

Lori & Debbie swapping out dresses 🙂

Debbie,The Elf with Bruce & Jim at cruisers Christmas party

Cruiser’s White Elephant gift exchange in Barra

Debbie on Sailors Run ready to do New Year’s
Eve in Barra de Navidad

The Skipper & his mate heading out for New Yr’s eve fiesta

Friend Paul & me enjoying New Yr’s eve

Debbie & friend Carol enjoying New Yr’s eve
night

The beach by the Barra golf course “Nice”

The hiker gals-deb & carol at barra beach

If we ever were to give up the boat our house might look like this

Maybe Debbie would want a house like this?
The Grand Bay Golf course club restaurant

Sailors Run bright work getting a new coat of paint while anchored in Barra lagoon

Debbie with new hatch cover she sewed for friends paul & carol

Deb in process of making 8 new fender covers for Sailors Run
Fabric is of fleece, already tie-dyed

Sailors Run with her new fender covers at work at anchorage in barra lagoon

Sailors Run getting underway from La Cruz

Sailors Run sailing away from La Cruz, Mexico to Barra de Navidad

Your Amigos, Jeff & Debbie S/V Sailors Run

0 THE CLOCK IS COUNTING DOWN FOR SAILORS RUN AND CREW

Sailors Run gets new automatic bilge pump and high water alarm.

Try wearing a dry suit in 85* temperatures in Mexico, all in the name of safety.

A typical afternoon safety meeting on dock-6

Drinking shots with friends.

Debbie goes to the next level.

Fresh fruits and Vegetables show up at the marina almost every other day

Debbie stuffing turkey for Thanksgiving.

Give me a shoe horn and I think the turkey will slip right in.

I hope it is done!

Our favorite part of Thanksgiving.

Debbie and I in the shirts Debbie made for supporting our team the “Sea Hawks

At first it is hard to see all the advantages to running races.

Debbie awaiting her turn on stage with the Pacifico Girls.

Debbie is hoping some how she gets this truck as a prize at the Mazatlan Marathon.

Can you believe these two Kenyan’s thought they had a chance of beating the Jefe’.

Hanging with friends before the race started.

5-K and 10-K finishers finishing at the same time. The common denominator is that we have both kicked our own “Asses”.

There is competition for everyone here in Mazatlan.and trust me they are serious

Yes! there were medals for everyone.

Debbie found the perfect mascot.

Beauty abounds in Mexico.

Debbie and I showing off our new Marathon T=shirts.

Lots of people showed up to release baby turtles into the sea, here in Mazatlan.

Stocking up on provisions on the old Sailors Run.

The Clock is counting down for Sailors Run and Crew. Dec. 2014.

Debbie and I have been very much enjoying our time here in Mazatlan, at the Mazatlan Marina. I’m pretty sure if Sailors Run had a voice she would say she loves the long showers with lots of soap and water to freshen her up a bit as well the batteries getting all the juice being plugged in
Now when you go to a marina, as most of you know your financial resources hemorrhage and nearly bleed out. For us this is especially true as the next adventure forces one to dig deep and spend heavily on the side of safety at sea. I think I have installed so many bells and whistles that when they start going off the challenge might be to figure out what the problem really is. My hearing being what it is means bigger and louder alarms, so now it is three audible alarms for engine overheating, collision course with another vessel, and high water alarm and two of them sound the same but can’t remember which ones those are. The engine alarm should be no problem as I won’t be using that on the solo circumnavigation. The high water alarm and collision alarm should both require getting up and if my socks stay dry then it might be imperative that I take a look around top sides.
It was just yesterday that I realized on my trip around the Horn I never had a dry suit for survival in cold water. I had a mustang work suit, but nothing that you would want to bob around in the ocean in. I believe the magnitude of the upcoming jaunt in the southern ocean has sharpened my survival senses and I put out a call on the net here in Mazatlan looking for a dry suit and low and behold I was able to pick one up for about $75 dollars.
As you might all imagine I’m looking in all directions right now trying to pull together any and everything that will lead to my success on a most serious upcoming adventure, so hang in there you will all be with me when the “Shit” hits the fan, via email every three days as long as the radio link keeps working.
Debbie and I have spent the past month training here in Mazatlan, and ran a 5K and a 10K in conjunction with the Marathon, one of the top 50-rated in the world. Debbie and I hung out with the Kenyans before our races and were truly impressed with their friendly nature. Mazatlan knows how to put on a truly fun event and the local people just love being part of it. Debbie was happy as she bettered her time from last year by two minutes in the 5-K doing it in 32 mins and I was happy to run a 56’45” 10-K. We are both dropping weight and feeling better each day. Debbie likes fitting into clothes that she had out grown and with me it’s about building my endurance for what lays ahead.
We are leaving on the 9th 0f December for Puerto Vallarta to visit friend s there, as we gradually sail south towards Ecuador.
Christmas is almost here and we want to wish you all a fantastic one and a Happy New Year.
Your Amigos Jeff & Debbie #Go Sea Hawks”
PS. See photos on blog site. [www.sailorsrun.com]

0 Sea of Cortez Final Adventure for 2014

Sailors Run as seen from the top of Smith Volcano, a near vertical climb to the 1600-foot summit. I climbed it two days in a row and planned on a third day but aborted on that as the second day had pretty much kicked my butt.

A few of the 13- broken slides that failed on reefed main sail in 30- knots of breeze.

Friends enjoying full moon party.

Catch of the day.

Beating the heat at the full moon party.

You never know who might come floating out of the estuary on a falling tide, at a full moon party

A not so good day kicking back while at anchor in Hurricane  “Odile”.  Winds gusting to 85-knots and ten foot seas,trying to ruin the serenity of my not so protected anchorage at Refugio.

The chain hook comparison of before and after “Odile”.  Sailors Run and crew narrowly escaped disaster.

Man overboard pole was snapped off by powerful Odile gust’s.

Not sure what kind of wind does this to your courtesy flag, but it can’t be good.

You never know what you might run across while jogging in the Baha Desert.

Our home anchored on Gonzaga Bay.

Friend’s Jacky and Russ from Gonzaga Bay

Amigo’s from Gonzaga Bay, notice Ron is the proud new owner of my “Cape Horn” book.

The skipper tying to kick his butt into shape for the up coming nonstop solo circumnavigation attempt.

Debbie enjoying the warmth in the Sea of Cortez.

There’s  no laundry mat here at Gonzaga Bay.

Musically  talented cruising amigos aboard Sailors Run at Don Juan Anchorage.

I’m not the only one after the fish in the Bay of LA.

Sea of Cortez Final Adventure for 2014

I must admit after cruising 2200NM this summer in the Sea of Cortez, I might just be suffering a little post hurricane “Odile” shock syndrome. We have had two more hurricanes since then, and one of them found me at anchor in Willard Bay, a true hurricane hole, and fortunate for me and the old Sailors Run the hurricane had been reduced to a tropical low by the time it zeroed in on us, we never experienced any winds over 30-knots.

Lucky for me the summer was now winding down, and  time to head to San Felipe 75-miles to the north in preparation to go and meet Debbie up in San Diego, California. We had decided to do a book signing at Down Wind Marine and then were invited to do one at West Marine the very next day so our 4-days there was very full chasing boat parts and hanging out with friends like Dan off of Echoes of Summer, John & Lynette off White Hawk and Dave and Rosey off of Valkeri. As you might imagine we left San Diego blurry eyed and loaded down with boat parts. Crossing foreign boarders with thousands of dollars in boat parts is always a concern, even though it is totally legal to maintain your vessel ,things can and do go wrong. Our crossing at Mexicali was a pleasant experience and the authorities were very helpful even helping us carry two of our six suit-cases we were bringing in. The Grey hound bus ride from San Diego, was a pleasant two and a half hour trip and once across the border we got on the ABC bus to San Felipe another couple of hours and once again we had “Team Sailors Run” back aboard the Sailors Run.

Our trip south included stops in Gonzaga Bay where we had just missed our friends Jim & Darda that have a place there, as they were up in San Felipe looking for us there on there way back to California. “Whoops”.

While at Gonzaga we did some running & visited with two other couples that also have homes there.

Our anchorage at Gonzaga had started to go bad when a strong Westerly started developing overnight and we blasted out of the bay, just as the sun was coming up, with lots of sail up, and had a great sail over to Refugio about 45-miles away. Once we had arrived the winds subsided and we had a peaceful evening in a beautiful anchorage, but at 2-am the winds cranked up out of the west once again and soon we were bouncing around at anchor, and every since Odile, I just can’t stand waiting for it to get worse so we pulled the anchor up and threaded our way out of there against the building SW-wind and seas. Debbie was a little shocked that I had rousted her from a sound sleep to stumble into the cockpit grabbing the wheel to try and steer out of the anchorage on a moonless night. For me having Debbie at the helm was a real relief, after 5-months of having to deal with these situations alone. Since the near miss with Odile I just don’t want to ever become trapped again in an exposed anchorage, I prefer to take my chances in heavy weather out on the open sea.

The winds that we experienced on our way to Bahia de Los Angeles, were Kiribatic, streaming down from the mountains that made up our western shore. The heavy cool air plummets down the faces of the mountains and comes out upon the sea, fresh and strong, and we were seeing thirty plus knots and I was very happy to be clear of the anchorage and charging along under reduced sail.

The fishing in the sea has been off every since the hurricane, we did manage to hook up a few jack tuna but neither Debbie or I can get past the smell of cooking them, so they go back, when we catch one. I should also mention that the pressure on the fishing in the sea by the commercial fisherman has increased dramatically and the fish are rapidly being depleted. Our window of time to observe this has been over the past fifteen plus years and we find it a bit sad to see, yet the Sea of Cortez will always be a great cruising grounds, just because of the outrages stark beauty of the area, and numerous fabulous anchorages to be found almost everywhere.

Debbie and I awaited the arrival of a northerly wind to take us to the south. We hung out in Don Juan with friends on “Wet Bar” and “Mana Kai”.

Ridding a northerly is great sailing under relatively rough conditions as the current in the sea can cause steep seas that are close together. Some northers you would not want to venture out in, as they may be blowing 50 knots, but this one was predicted to be in the 30 knot range so just right for us, although I must admit it kept most cruisers in their protected anchorages, preferring to motor rather than hang it out there a little bit. Now having said all of this I must also admit we did blow out 13 slides on the reefed mainsail, yet were able to chalk up back to back twenty four hour runs of 174 NM and 161NM, the second dropped off a bit as the main was down for new slides to be sewn on, which I did while sailing, as the winds were becoming lighter & we knew we were going to need the main for the next trip.

Isla San Francisco was our goal and we stopped there in dying winds as Hurricane Vance was getting closer to us, but was also dying out after reaching hurricane-2 status.

Debbie and I spent but one day in Isla San Francisco before pushing off for Mazatlan as yet another tropical storm was brewing and we wanted to get in ahead of the approach of this one. Our trip across the southern crossing was pretty non eventful other than the breaching of a huge whale just off our stern that took our breath away as we were relaxing in the cockpit at the time. The whale was huge about forty feet and came clear out of the water before crashing back into the sea.

Our arrival at Mazatlan was late and the entrance to Marina Mazatlan is tricky especially with pretty good seas running and in the dark as we had the wind and seas on the beam as we approached the shallow bar. We have been here many times and know the drill but you would not want to try this never having been here before.

Our first go at the entrance was not without complications as a huge power boat decided to come out while we were on final approach and blinded us with their millions of candle power lights, from high up on the bridge; forcing us to abort our approach and let them power on out. On the final approach went well, and soon we had wound our way through the channel up inside to Marina Mazatlan, where there were security people directing us into a nice secure end tie for the night .”Yahoo”.

Currently Debbie and I are in training for the Mazatlan Marathon on Nov 29^th  she will run a 5-k and me  a 10-k as were hoping to run a better time than last yr.

We both feel were in great shape & much lighter.

Your Amigos, Jeff & Debbie hanging out at Mazatlan Marina for a month or more

For anyone who has had the opportunity to read my Cape Horn book & enjoyed it, it would be much appreciated if you would go to Amazon.com & write a review on the book-“ Thanks”.

I will be posting Pictures on our blog -WWW.SAILORSRUN.COM. I wanted to also explain the countdown clock that you might see when visiting the blog site. It is counting down to the start of my attempted solo circumnavigation of the world nonstop unassisted. You will be riding along with me on this one, as I will be sending out reports every three days. Telling you what the hell is happening to me now. “I can hardly wait”.

Also please don’t hit reply when responding to this adventure as it sends the adventure back by a slow radio link. “Thanks”.

Your Amigos Jeff & Debbie

0 SAILORS RUN’S SEA OF CORTEZ PART-3 AUGUST/SEPT, 2014 ADVENTURE

        You can sail mainland Mexico with very little regards to the weather during the winter season as basically there is no weather that will harm you, but a summer in the sea will do a great deal for sharpening your skills at interoperating the weather  that so controls your life up here.      

       We are just now ready to receive our 15th named storm of the summer season. Is that a lot ?   “Hell Yes”  and we have nearly two more months to go and they are typically the worst months in the Sea of Cortez for Hurricanes.                    

      Now that doesn’t mean we are not having fun up here as I have caught  4-dorado and 5-tuna plus on 50 lb Trevally, and no doubt could have caught many more but how much fish can one person eat?  

        We have had two full moon parties that were just great fun with lots of cruisers, some old friends and a whole bunch of new ones.

      One morning bright and early I was heading out of the Bahia Los Angeles  area, headed for Smith Island to climb the nearly 1600 ft. high volcano.  As you round the spit to turn north there is a large rock reef that must be left to port and it extends up to a mile off the sand spit.  It was early and my visibility down into the water was not good, my intent was to sail well clear of the reef.

Now when you are solo sailing and getting underway, there are many things that must be addressed, and you best believe I was doing just about everything I could do and be sailing the boat at the same time. At one point while glancing ahead on the Portside I thought I seen the light green of the reef and I was in 60 feet of water and my track out looked good. It was when the wind backed a few degrees, that I fell off towards the reef a couple of degrees.

I had just set the fishing pole out and turned looking forward on the port side and hell it looked like sand in the water, suddenly! I realized I was sailing onto the reef  and as I reached for the autopilot control knob to turn away we grounded  “Wholly Shit”,  I’m not only aground but it is a lee shore and the breeze I was sailing with is now trying to drive me and the Sailors Run higher and dryer upon the reef.   My heart starts pounding in my chest and goes to about 200 beats a minute; I release all the lines on the sails to help reduce the effects of the wind pushing me higher on the reef.  I fire the engine and slam it into reverse, applying full power, and I watch and pray that there will be some movement astern. I look astern and suddenly realize I have made a huge mistake, as my dinghy that I normally carry on deck when sailing was being towed astern and at present was trying to go under the stern of Sailors Run, and it isn’t because we are backing up.

No the “Fxxkxxg tow line is wrapping around the prop at about 1,000 revolutions a minute, well  that was until it killed the engine. Wholly Crap!! now luckily my fins, mask and snorkel just happen to be in the cockpit, so I recklessly pull them on and over the side I go. In a couple of minutes I unwind the line from the shaft. The line is cut in half in one place and the rest of it looks like it went through a wood chipper. I manage to tie the scraps of line back together and then tie the dinghy alongside the boat where it is no longer a problem.  Jumping back on deck I fire up the diesel and apply full power in reverse. When I was under the water I could see that I was sitting on a flat ledge of rock and deep water was only 5-feet to starboard and freedom for Sailors Run. The motor will not free the boat so I grab a 100 feet of line and run to the bow attaching it to the Sampson Post and lead it out off the starboard side. I run back and jump in the dinghy and power it up, grabbing the new bow line and making a bridle out of it so I can get an even pole on the back of the dinghy. It is now when I truly come to the full appreciation of the power of an 18-hp 2-cycle Tohatsu outboard revving at 6,000 R.P.M.    Suddenly the old Sailors Run swings around on her keel and is dragged clear from the grasp of the leeward reef.  “Yes mixed gas kicks ass”

      Once I had arrived at the volcano anchorage I inspected the bottom and  could not even tell where we had grounded. I was thankful that we dodged yet another bullet,  as we had been moving slowly in light wind and miraculously once grounded the wind seemed to abate and the seas glassed off just long enough for me to free Sailors Run.
      It has been extremely hot this year in the sea with both air and water temperatures above 90-degrees many days and some over 100-degrees.  

       We currently have a new low developing to the south that will most likely become a hurricane within the next 48hrs. and some of the projections show it coming right up the sea. So I will be sailing further to the north and looking for a hole to hide in, Possibly Willard.
 

        Debbie is doing great back in Albuquerque with her family and grandchildren.  She has also been showing our Cape Horn Book at Hastings book stores and we plan on meeting up at Down Wind Marine in San Diego, where we will be doing a book signing on Saturday the 18th of October, where she will be returning with me to the Sea of Cortez.    “Yahoo”.

That’s all for now I got to go hide! ”      Your Amigos, Jeff & Debbie  on S/V Sailors Run

0 Sailors Run’s Sea of Cortez part-2 July 26 2014

Sailors Run Sea of Cortez Part-2 July 26 2014

When we visited last I was trying to find out if I actually owned 20,000 shares in the Rosalia mine, well !guess what I do. The really good news about this is the shares have already increased 20% in value so we will see how long it takes me to go broke on this venture.

Debbie is back in the New Mexico having fun with grand kids and family. She actually seems to be doing just great as I’m a little taken aback that she hasn’t wanted to give that all up and get back here sailing.  Oh well, there are still three long months ahead so I’ll just sort of hold my breath.HA-HA.

Now I had sailed back to the South to attend a big cruisers Fourth of July party at El Burro Cove, sponsored by the local weather guru Gary from the Sonrisa-Ham net. The party was amazing as always, with thirty boats in attendance and over 100 people,it definitely had all the chemistry for a great party.
Alex our Pyrotechnics guy was in his element,I mean right at the start of things early on in the day, Gary had fired up his ether-powered potato gun lobbing rather large potato parts far out into the fleet of boats, I don’t know just how deadly that thing is at close range but I know one round whizzed right by Alex’s head and somehow I feel he might have some idea. Alex not to be out done grabbed up his flare pistol and shot a flare right down the beach, it was then that I found myself praying the range might be less than what it appeared because that flare was heading for a straw house on the beach. Now, I’m sure Alex had done all the calculations because the flare dropped just outside the front door into the sea.
Alex however had just began, and had much more in store for us party goers, as within the hour he fired yet another flare this one out away from the houses and towards the highway. It seemed safe as there is seldom any traffic and as it turned out the flare fell short of the highway into some dry brush. Yep!you guessed it-we now had a fire going on! Alex charged at the fire with a piece of wood somebody commented that hey!now he’s going to add wood to the fire, which was doing quite well on its own.
Well, Gary is no dummy as he just happened to have several Bombadarios [fireman] standing by with a truck and tank of water with hoses and pumps. I’m pretty sure Alex just wanted to make sure they were alert and ready for the big show, Alex had all set up for the evening. It only took about twenty minutes to get the blaze under control and I seen the color blossom back into Gary’s face, and yes, the fire was now out much to Alexi’s satisfaction. It was now definitely time to trade that flare gun of Alexis in for an ice cold Pacifico beer.
The party was fun and I met lots of interesting cruisers. The evening fireworks went off without a hitch, and Gary must have cooked 500 hot dogs as he had the stove going all day and half the night. The cruisers made it a real pot luck and there was plenty for all to eat.

The next day I sailed out of there early as that bay is very hot with 100 degree water and 100 degree air on more days than I can stand.

It was on my sail across the North end of San Marcos Island that I had possibly my most amazing nature experience.
The first thing I seen was a huge sword fish about 8-10 ft long come flying up out of the sea then crashing back in with a tremendous splash.
The next thing I know my boat is surrounded by a pod of about 60 dolphins that are slapping the water with their tails, all the time circling my boat fishing I believe. They stayed around me for a good thirty minutes, and then I suddenly notice three pilot whales off my port bow and they swim contently across my bow and then for the remainder of this miracle of 10 miles I’m treated to manta rays flying right out of the water, some times 10 feet into the air and it’s not just one or two you can see three or four of them in the air at once,it’s times like this that you just almost have to pinch yourself to see if this is real or a dream.

Debbie and I spent several years in the Atlantic and Caribbean and never seen anything even close to what was going on here, on this particular day in the Sea Of Cortez.

The Sea of Cortez has some of the most amazing sunsets and it has a lot to do with all the amazing cloud formations that can occur on any given day and they are sometimes statically charged creating lightning and Chubasco wind storms.  [A storm that comes on rapidly and may be packing 60 knots of wind but normally subsides after less than an hour].                                                                   The pictures say it all

I have been making more baggy wrinkle’s to hang in the rigging for chafe protection for my sails. These things only cost about one dollar in material to make but each one takes about three hours to complete. I now have twenty two of them in our rig and I think that is going to get the job done for the big upcoming adventure.
You don’t see these on very many sailboats but not many sailors’ sail for months on end with their sails plastered up against their rigging either. Chafe is the sailor’s silent enemy at sea.

Start of making baggy wrinkles using the samson post on the bow of sailor’s Run

Start of more creation of one Baggy Wrinkle

Coming along & is starting to look like a nice Baggy wrinkle

Where else to do my project,but in Paradise

Sailors Run’s rigging with it’s 6 new baggy wrinkles put in place

This is the rigging I made & use for going up the mast that is in the one slide,to install the baggy wrinkles

On another interesting note here is a picture with a million year old petrified clam sitting on the top of the cactus.

Well Debbie and I wish you all the best where ever you are and hope to share more anchorages or special places with you all in the not too distant future..
Your Amigos,  Jeff& Debbie

0 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.

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

It’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

0 Sailors Run’s Medical Emergency – 5-1-2014

Debbie and I had been just enjoying the heck out of all the wonderful attributes of Santiago bay as the days just seemed to be slipping away. Santiago is not just a great anchorage but has one of the best beaches in all of Mexico. Shopping for provisions is easy as there are great stores like Mega, Commercial and WalMart just a short bus ride away, and if you purchase a lot you can get a taxi right to your dinghy.

We had one very scary night here when at about midnight I thought I was having the “Big One”. Debbie was pretty animated as she tried to get help on the radio. All I knew is that I had a huge pain in my chest and could hardly breathe. After chewing some aspirin we climb into the dinghy and went to a friend’s boat who was a vet. She, armed with her stethoscope decided that she could not hear my heart or feel a pulse??? Her husband said he didn’t think it was a heart attack as I was doing too well.

Debbie and I piled back in the Dinghy and headed for shore going to find a cab to get us to the hospital. Dragging the dingy ashore was no easy task in my condition even with Debbie being all fired up. Debbie runs down the beach and starts yelling at this house that has lights on and there are about 6-people in plain sight, four guys and two girls. They stare out there wall of windows at us like several “aliens” had just arrived at there fenced in yard. Immediately they sprang into action as all four guys grabbed cell phones and disappeared out of site leaving the two girls sitting at the table alone. Soon the four guys came back and tried to hear what we were saying through the glass. Finally they understood we needed a cab and called one, and then they even tried to come out but could not unlock the door. Eventually a fifth guy shows up with a key and opens the door. We had been standing out there for about 15-minutes at that point.

Finally they lead us through the house as they say the cab has arrived, but not really, they actually lead us to the security guard that they had called. Debbie explained that I was having a heart attack and wanted to go to the hospital; at that point our hosts offered up water and said the cab would be there soon.

Once in the cab we got the hospital ride you might expect when you are having a heart attack, for just 6 dollars he flashed the lights and ran every red light at excessive speed all the way there. I wasn’t sure if the heart attack would kill me before the cab driver did; it was obviously going to be close.

We lucked out at the hospital, it being a very small one, as the cardiologist had been summoned for an earlier heart patient and was still there and seen me right away. They gave me an EKG, and x-rayed my chest as I was complaining that my left side was giving me great pain as I tried to breath. The doctor reviewed the x-ray and EKG; he also checked the oxygen level in my blood and found it to be very high which was good. He took my blood pressure and it was a little elevated but fine under the pain I was experiencing.

Bottom line the Doctor said no Heart or lung issues and believes it is pulled muscles in the ribs and mentioned that I had some arthritis going on with my skeletal joints like most everyone else.

The good news is the whole hospital visit only cost about $58-dollars. We called the same cab for the ride home and he drove very civil this time.

It was now 3:30 am and launching the dinghy said it all, as I tried to lift it once again the pain became so intense in my chest that I had to turn loose of the dinghy;poor Debbie had to drag the dinghy to the water by herself and I yanked the outboard to life with a great deal of pain and was barely able to breath the rest of the way back to the boat.

Over the next couple of days I started to once again breathe deeply without pain and within about five days was back to running once again.

A couple of things we learned from this, is to keep our vhf radio on at night as you never know when you or someone else might need help, and when you plan to stay in an area for awhile it’s good to get a phone number to call if you do have such an emergency.

Debbie and I had a rather uneventful three day passage back up to Mazatlan from Barra De Navidad, as the winds were light and we had to motor sail all of it except about 10-hrs when the winds piped up a little.

Now I will fly to San Francisco to see my son then on up to Washington to be with the rest of family and friends. Debbie is going first to New Mexico to see family and friends then up to Washington to visit more family and friends.

I should be back on Sailors Run by June, 3rd. and will head up into the Sea of Cortez for the summer. Debbie will rejoin me in November in Mexico to work our way south once again.

The book “Cape Horn Ahead or Behind Forever on My Mind” by Jeff Hartjoy will be available soon and I will let you know once that happens.

My projects have all taken on much more meaning as the upcoming “Solo Non Stop Circumnavigation” steadily draws nearer. So far the main boom is being rebuilt and several chain plates have been pulled for replacement. I also replaced the steering cables and they needed it.

Well that’s it for now and I would like to mention that if anyone is receiving these emails and would like not to please just let me know and we will take you off the list?

Please remember when responding to this email please don’t hit reply as it sends the entire adventure back through our rather slow long range radio connection.

Your Amigos, Jeff & Debbie