Saturday, November 28, 2015

Hurricane Sandra

We tighten our lines to the dock, add a few more, fill the water tanks ,we removed the head sail and shade covers. Made sure we had the cupboards stocked. Found our wet weather gear. Checked the weather apps hourly till it was bed time. We felt that she had mellowed and would not be a threat. But you never know. Even the marina staff was asked to stay the night in case something blew up. Hurricane Sandra at one point was a Category 3 and the strongest late season hurricane recorded in the Eastern Pacific Area so it was wise to pay attention. The fishermen hauled their pangas up onto the sidewalk on the malacon to avoid any issues and they know the sea better then most.

Lynn's said the following when we got up on Saturday morning.

Preparing for hurricane Sandra was a little like planning for a party and no one shows.

Others on the dock went and had a celebration drink, as they felt they would rather be paying for drinks then the deductible on their boat insurance.

Yes we had rain and a little swell in marina, but it was a non event. We have had fiercer northerly winds then what Hurricane Sandra delivered.

Friday, November 20, 2015

Back In Mazatlan

Back In Mazatlan
We have been back for a while and right now Dolphin Tales is in the yard being bottom painted. We were going to redo the decals, spoke to a company that does that type of work, they had someone come to the boat the next day right on time, took measurements, pictures but cannot get them to give us a price. So we had the boat yard order the Forest Green 3M for us and when it came in it was totally the wrong colour. Maybe it is sign that we should not do this project.
Has been very hot and humid with a couple of days of rain and we are up to cold front number 13. Tropical Strom Rick is offshore but will remain offshore so not a threat to Mazatlan.
We brought down new LED lights to replace the Halogen lights and it has made a big difference in the boat. We also installed a new GPS to provide our position on the radios, the old GPS bit the dust last year. Lynn spent a couple of hours up the mast installing a new VHF antennae, wind indicator, tie raps to keep the birds off, and a new radar reflector.      
But we are getting used to dealing with delays in getting stuff done, before we left home we had tried to  get the moss removed from the garage, after waiting for weeks to get the estimate and delays on getting it done it is now set for next May, chimney cleaners took about six weeks to get it done. Teaching us Patience.
Has been very quiet at the marina, when we arrived we were the only boaters there, has started to pick up but seems to be a slow start to the season. We have found the same thing with our land friends.
Have been to a few Venados Baseball games and they are currently in third place at the mid season point, so everyone is hoping they make the playoffs. Went to watch the final game for the commercial league baseball, but they only got half the game in before it was called on account of darkness. EL Cid Bellboys were winning.
Temps still at or near 30 degrees.