In our past blogs, we have written a bit about boat maintenance/repairs.  Here we are again.   After almost six months on the hard, we found our batteries were dying.  We purchased these batteries on Tahiti four years ago.  Other cruisers tell us they get four to five years life from their batteries.  We are not that lucky.  We got 3 and one half years of life from our first set, now four years from this set.  We live on the boat and use them 24/7.  Not only do we charge all our computers, phones and cameras from them, but more importantly our watermaker runs on them as do all our instruments, autopilot, chartplotter etc. Now we also have Starlink and that is even more drain.  Apparently, our house bank is simply not big enough.

Our current and past set of batteries are AGM, which is a type of lead-acid battery, much like a car battery, although AGMs can stand many more charge/discharge cycles.  The newest battery type for boats is lithium.  When we bought new batteries on Tahiti, I wanted to install lithium, but there was no one on Tahiti with the necessary expertise to help me.  So we went with the tried and true technology of AGM.

Things are different here. Partly because the technology has advanced dramatically the past four years and partly because we are friends with Gentry and Tera.  Gentry is a heavy machinery repairman, so he knows a lot about electronics and battery technology.  At the same time, prices have fallen so far on lithium batteries that we can purchase a lithium battery for about the same as an AGM.

We changed out all six AGMs and installed six lithium batteries, giving us almost three times the amount of usable electricity.

Fantastic.  Of course, just like all boat projects, this one didn’t go forward exactly as planned.  The batteries were supposed to be “drop-in”, meaning we simply take out the old batteries and drop in the new ones – presto!  Ok, but it turned out that we needed a different voltage regulator.  Then a different charger.  Every time, Vinni and I had to drive the 450 kilometers north across the US border to pick up the packages (thank you, Doug, for lending us your truck all those times).  Yeah – life (and boats) don’t always follow the plan.  But Gentry kept working with me and eventually we got the system working perfectly.  Now we are just ecstatic about how much electricity we have.  It works as it should and we are only $2500 poorer (not counting the expense for the unspecified number of beers for the hardworking installers – moi and Gentry).

We also had a little run-in with the Mexican police.  One evening we invited Gentry for dinner (we lived in an Airbnb because it simply is impossible to live on a boat that is on the hard).  When Gentry needed to go home, we took the car.  Unfortunately, when I turned on the headlights, I didn’t quite turn the knob completely and while the headlights turned on – the taillights didn’t.  A little fact we failed to notice.  We had driven about one kilometer when the flashing lights showed up in the rearview mirror and here were the police.  Damn!  I’d had a couple of beers.  Even after I showed the police that the problem with our taillights was simply twisting the knob completely, they continued to say that they needed to take to the station in Guaymas (20 kilometers) for a bloodtest etc. 

You don’t discuss with the police out here.  They carry M-16s and both these policemen had theirs out and pointed at me.  You get a bit nervous when confronted by two M-16s.  Neither Gentry nor looked like hardened criminals – we looked exactly like what we are.  A couple of gringos heading home.

Fortunately, Gentry speaks a bit of Spanish and asked if there was some way we could manage this situation quietly.  Weeeeelllll – certainly, neither policeman had had dinner yet.  How much would dinner cost?  1000 pesos.  I quickly dug 1000 pesos out and handed it over.  They thanked us, packed away their machine guns and told us to drive straight back to the marina.

That’s the first time I ever bribed a policeman and I hope it is also the last time.

That was our “little” boat project.  Things got worse when Vinni and I got up one morning after we splashed.  Vinni went on deck and then I heard; “What the?  Houston – we have a problem!  Carsten – get up here right now!”

Now what the hell is wrong I thought.  When I came up, I saw Vinni standing on deck looking at our dinghy that hung from a halyard up on the side of the boat – exactly where we had hoisted it the last night.  You always hoist your dinghy up at night to prevent it from being stolen – this is what everyone recommends.  Trying to steal it involves a lot of noise etc, waking you up.

Ahhh, she said, isn’t there supposed to be a motor on the back of the dinghy?  Not only was the motor missing, the fuel tank and 8 meters of stainless steel chain were also missing.  Unbelievable, but true.  During the night, someone had snuck up alongside in a boat, broken off the motor lock, lifted off the motor, the fuel tank and the chain –all without making any noise.

Ok, I’m a heavy sleeper, so I can understand my not waking up, but Vinni is a light sleeper.  We simply can’t understand how someone did this without making enough noise to wake her.  The dinghy was hoisted a meter over the water and resting against the side of Capri.  You end up scratching your head and saying; “just how did they do that?”

Here we were, at anchor in the bay without an engine.  Our dinghy is our transportation to land.  Without an engine, we would have to row, not easily done in a rubber dinghy.  To top that, there was a fair amount of wind and current, so rowing in to the marina was a non-starter – especially if we had to do it every day.

On the morning Cruisers Net (VHF net for those at anchor in the bay), I announced that our motor had been stolen.  Suddenly I heard our savior – “This is Infinity, we have an extra engine you can borrow.”

What an offer, which we immediately said “yes!” to.  Off we went to the boat store to buy a new engine.  Delivery time 1 week.  Cost – $1500.  Yes, outboard engines are expensive here in Mexico.  Back to Infinity – can we borrow the engine for a week?  Of course we can, they aren’t going to use it.

Our insurance requires us to file a police report (naturally).  I bring all our papers up to the local station and explain that our engine has been stolen.  They laugh and ask what I expect them to do about it?  It is hopeless to try to find the thieves.  When I explain that I just need to file a police report so I can claim the insurance, they get started writing it.  A police report costs 300 pesos.  I only have a 500 peso note – thank you they say, but I don’t get any change.

The insurance will pay for the new engine, but first after two months – just in case the police happen to find the stolen one.  Right – believe that and I have some swamp land in Florida I want to sell to you.

Finally, the big day arrived and we could wave good-bye to Gentry and the other cruisers here in the bay and sail towards Baja.  Our goal is a small bay just south of Loreto. 

Puerto de la Escondido (the hidden harbor).  Hidden it is, you have to sail around a mountain and in through a narrow and torturous channel before emerging into a large beautiful bay.  Here in the bay lies a modern marina with all the facilities you can ask for.  The bay is a “mooring field” filled with mooring balls.  You are not allowed to anchor in the bay.  The marina also knows exactly how much to charge for a mooring ball – $25 per day.

Not cheap.

It is expensive, but the surroundings are magnificent, with mile high mountains ranging down the side.  It is 20 kilometers into Loreto.  The marinas has a taxi service – USD 40 each way.  Vinni and I decide to hitchhike going in, spend the day sight-seeing, then shop for food and take a local taxi back.  As a side note – Vinni has never tried hitch-hiking before.

Just outside the marina, a car pulls up as we stick our thumbs out.  Dave and Renee are also cruisers, their boat is in the marina and they have rented a car to go into town.  They are not poverty-stricken cruisers like us, however.  Their boat is 64 foot Nordhaven Trawler (think about 2 million USD).  When we hear that are sailing something like that – we “invite” ourselves over for happy hour so we can get the grand tour.  Renee and Dave are really sweet and say they will happily give a tour.  The next day we go aboard and they have also invited their neighbor, Gary, for drinks.  Gary also has a motor yacht.  His is “only” 120 feet long (yes friends – size does matter).

Now, don’t start believing that Vinni and I suffer from inferiority complexes – but when we wander around boats this size, we definitely feel like “tiny brother”.  Both boats are truly impressive, Gary’s has a Jacuzzi on the top deck (of course he has a Jacuzzi) so he can enjoy the night sky.  Dave and Renee’s boat looks like it just came from the factory despite being 15 years old.

We met Gary in the marina the next morning as he was readying to catch a taxi to the airport (he had some business meetings he needed to go to).  He nonchalantly asked us if we wanted to move aboard his boat while he was gone.

A wonderful offer, but we had to say “no” since we were leaving the next morning.

Now southward bound for La Paz.  First up was the Aqua Verde anchorage with its wonderfully clear water and a marvelous little palapa (restaurant) on the beach. 

Anchorages like this are what we have been looking for in Mexico.  The palapa had a limited menu but the food was more than good, the beer was ice cold and everything was cheap.  We sat beachside so the view was superb.  There were only 3-4 other boats in the bay and a few RV’s on a beach on the other side of the bay.

After a few days here, we set sail for Bahia Los Gatos.  Gatos means cats in Spanish and legend has it that a family of jaguars set up housekeeping in a cave by the beach many years ago, and the locals have been calling it Bahia Los Gatos ever since.  Los Gatos other claim to fame are the deep red cliffs that surround it.  At eventide, the setting sun turns them blood red.

Unfortunately, we only spent one night at Los Gatos – the weather was supposed to change and we expected to get some violent winds from north.  About 30nm south is a bay called Bahia de la Evaristo where we can lie well-protected from both wind and swells.

Good thing we made for Evaristo – we are well protected here from the swells, but the winds come over the hills and ram down onto poor Capri.  Sometimes the gusts are so strong she heels far over on her side – not exactly the way to wake up in the middle of the night.  Our faithful anchor, Mantus, holds us as if we are nailed to the seabed.  Wonderful that we can “set it and forget it”, and sleep without worrying about it dragging.

But after 4 days, we are getting tired of this wind and the gusts.  We should wait until Monday (this is Saturday) to sail the 50nm to La Paz, but we will see if we can get away tomorrow.

Vinni will write more in our next blog.