Thursday, October 10, 2013

Start it Up!


After three months of languishing in the slip, Shindig's summer vacation has come to an end.  She remained covered from the sun and wind with a pale yellow custom made boat cover.  Sails and lines, fishing poles, bbq, man overboard lifesling, stand up paddle boards, cockpit cushions and anything else above deck, were stowed below.
Now that we are now back in Mexico, we are eager to get her ready for our next sailing adventure in the Sea of Cortez.  My sister and her husband are flying in October 20th so we have a deadline!  Until then, we will remain in the Marina Palmira, which is a good home base for cruisers and visitors.  There are decent showers, restaurants, laundry, a hotel and pool, shuttle service to town, and a nice walking access to the Malecon, the beach boardwalk that runs for miles.
We’ve been here three (or four)  days, and haven’t started getting the decks or topside back in order.  Our projects have been down below.  Also, it is over 90 degrees here with plenty of humidity.  We have AC on the boat, plus a very loud fan, which can keep things bearable in the heat of the afternoon.  Rob immediately dove into the electrical intricacies of installing a new AIS system.  AIS is short for Automatic Identification System, and the new one will allow us to transmit our position, in addition to being able to receive AIS signals from other boats.  We only had a receiving AIS system last year, and after several nights with over 120 boats on the dark sea, I had wished for a transmitter as well.  That project is almost done.  Rob is now working on the installation of a solar system, which includes a charger controller, lots of wiring, and modifications to our bimini. We are also having covers for our dinghy made by our friendly canvas pro, Hector

Marina Palmira - Shindig's summer home
There was neither time nor room to put things away in an organized way.  My priority is just to make some room so that we have a place to sit.  Even after three days of stowing things like a case of Cracker Jacks, 5 boxes of K cup coffee pods or jumbo size paper towels from Costco, I managed to trip on some electrical cord, and fell into the wastebasket.  No harm, but kind of representative of what it’s like to move back into a 300 sq. ft. living space.  I have also asked Rob to reinstall the head (bathroom) door as soon as he can. I estimate that we probably added 6-7 large duffle bags full of essentials and nice to haves.  That is a LOT for Shindig to swallow.

It is not all work.  With the company of our friend John, SV Swagman, I have enjoyed several air conditioned outings around town.  Having a friend with a car changes everything.  Am trying not to "buy and hoard", as there actually may be a “Manana” (tomorrow) to go out again.  In the quest to do something fun every day, I have also spent some time at the nearby CostaBaja Resort Beach Club.   Their infinity pool, vast expanse of private beach, fully shaded palapas and lounge chairs, with a Mexican restaurant and bar service, is very civilized.  We had Shindig at CostaBaja Marina last spring, and while it is a little far from the town of La Paz, it is a wonderful place to be.   Rob will be joining us there this afternoon.


CostaBaja Infinity Pool

Last night we had dinner on the Malecon at a delightful seafood restaurant called Calypso with our boat babysitters, Jeanne Walker and Tom Brown.  They have been great caretakers for Shindig during the summer, as well as provide many resources for cruisers and the community here in La Paz. Check out La Paz Cruiser's Supply; their current website is www.bigleftturn.com and a new one will be up shortly.  

Note the caption from this menu at Calypso:
"....And our shrimps is shit free"

While we are enjoying the many restaurants in La Paz, I also enjoy getting our galley up and running.  Time to provision and to cook.  The refrigerator and freezer are starting to fill up.  There’s steaks, chicken breasts, chopped sirloin, frozen vegetables, blanched broccoli florets, good cheese and cold cuts in the freezer; The fridge has small quantities of yogurts, some condiments, vegetables, romaine lettuce, cold drinks, and some freshly made black beans, brown rice,  leftovers of “Joe’s special” ,(mmm…look it up on the Web)  from last night.  I always have a running list of more things to find, today’s quest includes lemon juice, and a jar of crushed garlic and soy sauce. I've looked for these so far and no luck.  Am thinking that the store called Chedraui may be the right source.

Rob also re-jetted one of the burners on our store, so there is a very healthy gas flame that can make a mean piece of toast.  That, with the imported Trader Joes peanut butter, makes me happy.  

As we get ready for another cruising season, we are enjoying keeping busy with the endless list of projects, as well as celebrating the little things along the way.  

Rob running electrical wires for the solar panel charger   
Cooling off in the afternoon

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