JUST COASTING ALONG IN Z-WAT

It is 8:45 AM and I am sitting here listening to the local VHF net, drinking coffee, and enjoying the bright sun in a 75 degree cockpit with a light NW wind.  The days here in Zihuatanejo run together in a pleasantly similar blur.  The cruising social life has calmed down since about half the boats have left town and there aren't as many planned activities as earlier in the month. 

There were about 90 cruising boats in Bahia Zihuatanejo just after SailFest.   About 20 of those boats have headed south to cross the dreaded Gulf of Tehuantepec and will then continue on south to Costa Rica, Panama, and the Galapagos Islands.  Thirty or so boats have headed north to Manzanillo, Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan, and the Sea of Cortez.  There have been about five boats leaving here for Hawaii (2800 NM)  in the last couple of weeks.

Most of the rest of the boats here will be leaving in the next month or so.    This area is very exposed to Tropical Depressions, Storms, and Hurricanes which become a possibility in early May and a definite threat by late May.  There are NO safe hurricane anchorages south of here until you get to Costa Rica which is over 1200 nautical miles across the dangerous Tehuantapec and even more difficult Gulf of Papagayo.  Puerto Vallarta is the first, and only, hurricane hole north of here on the Mexican mainland, except for San Carlos which is over 700 miles NW of Zihuatanejo.  PV is over 300 NM to weather.  Most boats that will spend the summer in the Sea of Cortez plan to be in Mazatlan (500 NM) by mid-May in preparation for crossing the Sea to La Paz in early June.  Almost all insurance companies require boats to be north of the Cabo San Lucas - Mazatlan (about 23° N) line, or south of the northern border of Costa Rica (8° N) by June 1.

I have been planning to leave for about a week now but one thing after another has kept the anchor firmly planted. 

The new bushings for the Sailomat wind vane arrived on the 19th but I only got around to installing them yesterday.  Now there are strong NW winds forecast for the next several days along the coast from here NW about 200 miles.  My course from here to Tenacatita is 220 miles almost due West (magnetic) so a NW wind would be very uncomfortable.  I will probably wait a couple more days for the wind and seas to diminish.  Last Friday and Saturday similar strong NW winds blew and prevented many boats from heading North.

Life in Z-wat is so comfortable I can see why folks arrive in December and don't leave until March.  I have been here for over a month now and have yet to see a cloudy day.  The air temperature seldom dips below 72°.  The daytime temperature gets into the mid-90s but the humidity stays abound 70% and there is always a five to 12 knot sea breeze blowing by 1 PM.  That nice cool breeze continues until shortly after sunset. 

My days are the same as always, I get up just before the sun comes over the eastern hills at about 7:20 AM.  I listen to BBC, VOA, or Armed Forces news on the HAM radio for about 1/2 hour while I drink my first cup of coffee and play Freecell on the computer.

 I spend 8 AM to 9 AM listening to Amigo Net on the HAM radio and the local VHF net.  Amigo has great weather forecasts from Don (N6HG) on Summer Passage.  I can also keep track of all my friends on Amigo Net.  The VHF net keeps me current on important Z-wat stuff like who is taking mail to the states, when the volleyball game will start, and who needs help with their radio, electrical, or computer stuff. 

I eat breakfast and read until about 10:30 or 11 AM when I start on boat projects.  I am currently rebuilding the flopper stopper, trying to reattach the removable panel between the companionway stairs and the engine compartment, and finish the wind vane repair. It takes about three hours per day to keep the boat running and somewhat clean.

I also work on other boats about three days a week.  During the last week I spent two days and six hours on a Link2000R voltage regulator problem and about three hours on a HAM radio problem on two different boats.   Today I am helping a boat install a switch in the field wire to their alternator so they can switch off the alternator as needed.

Siesta and reading occupy part of the early afternoon unless it is one of the days to go ashore and play on the internet or to shop in the Mercado (the nine square block area containing hundreds of small shops that sell almost anything). You can see in the photo to the right that there is a lot of very interesting stuff for sale in the Mercado. 

 Three of four afternoons a week we play volleyball on the beach from 4 PM till about 6:30 PM.  We've tried playing earlier in the day but the sun and sand are just too hot.   Cribbage is a required afternoon event when there is no volleyball.  Sometimes we play two person cribbage, but most of the time we play team (4-person) cribbage, either on a boat or at a bar in town.

At least four times a week there is a sunset cocktail party followed by dinner on someone's boat.  Most of these parties will include six to eight people.  Almost all evening and night time events end before "cruisers midnight" which is about 10 PM, the time that most cruisers like to be getting ready for bed.  I can't seem to sleep before about 11:30 PM so I get a lot of reading done between 10 and midnight. 

Many of my friends are involved in the early morning hiking group which leaves the dinghy landing at 7AM every other morning for a vigorous two-hour hike.  I went with them on a trip into the hills between Zihuatanejo and Ixtapa where we climbed thru the jungle to find a cave that needed exploring.  That group is a little too ambitious for me.

And,

And, so it goes, day after day here in paradise.

My current plan is to leave on Thursday, February 27, and head north to Tenacatita.  That means I need to defrost the refrigerator, buy food for a month, check out with the port captain, and get the boat ready for sailing again.  Seems like a lot of work so maybe I'll stay in Z-wat a while longer.  There is another cooking class and lunch planned for Thursday and a big dinner and movie party planned for Friday. 

Choices, Choices!

Tuesday evening - 7:30PM

Well, another day went by and I am still not close to being ready to leave here.  I spent several hours working the voltage regulator problem on Wavy.  The problem was actually two unrelated problems.  The first problem was that the 12 volt power wire that leads to the oil pressure sensor on the Yanmar diesel that drives the alternator had a fuse hidden in it.  That fuse was making intermittent contact in the fuse holder.  Some of the time the lead from the oil pressure sensor would have 12 volts on it and the voltage regulator REG ON circuit would be therefore be activated when the oil pressure sensor read "normal" operating oil pressure.  But at other times the 12 volt power to the oil pressure sensor would not be "hot" and the REG ON circuit would not be activated.  Confusion was caused by hidden fuse holder, I have never seen a fuse in the power supply to a oil pressure sensor, and the fact that the oil pressure alarm on the engine control panel is wired to an entirely separate oil pressure sensor that always worked properly.

Once I solved that mystery I was still unable to get the voltage regulator to put 12 Volts on the field wire.  I plugged my backup Heart Interface Incharge electronic regulator into the standard 4-wire alternator harness and found that it controlled the alternator perfectly while charging the batteries with 65 amps at 14.1 volts.

I finally dismounted Wavy's apparently defective Heart Terminal Output Module and removed the cover.  Inside I found a circuit board that looked like it had been heated with a blow torch.  There were capacitors and resistors that were literally toast, there was a large burnt spot on the corner of the circuit board near where the heat sink bolts to the fins on the case.  Closer examination showed that the heat sink stud that attaches the circuit board to the cooling fins was no longer attached to the circuit board, therefore the regulator cooked itself to death. 

The big news of the day was the sighting of a six to eight foot saltwater crocodile swimming from boat to boat in this anchorage.  Many boats reported sighting the beast and many swimmers and divers retreated to the safety of their boat cockpits.  I may reconsider my swimming off Mirador since the 'croc was headed over this way.

If it's not broken parts - it's crocodiles in the bay!

Tonight on Mirador it's home made spaghetti sauce with lemon-pepper noodles and a chocolate Bunt cake.  Then I'll watch a DVD movie.  I have to get to bed a little earlier tonight since I have to be bright and chipper at 8 AM Wednesday to be net control on Amigo Net.