Pierless Sailing Adventures

Well, this is not how I expected this adventure to end...  Very disappointed to be leaving the boat in Mazatlan yet again.  I've been sorting, packing and cleaning, hoping to make the boat more presentable to potential buyers.  Again, it may not sell, in which case I'll come down in the spring and sail offshore to bring her home. I fly out this afternoon for LAX.  My flight to SeaTac changed, so I will fly to Seattle Tuesday morning.  I hope there are comfortable seats at LAX...   I have packaged up all the food that will not keep and will be donating it to a local charity.  Other foods that will keep I am leaving onboard. Also doing a final cleaning.  Spent some time in the galley cleaning the stove and getting rid of stains on the countertops.  Looking pretty nice!

 Cleaned the bilge today.  Lots of water and a little soap.  Cleaned out the bilge pump filters too, so they should be good to go. Not an exciting picture, but I am running low on pics... Took measurements of things I need to work on at home (stern hatch cover, nuts and bolts, other fittings). Had my first "showing" of the boat today.  Bruce brought a couple by to see the boat.  He thought I had already left, so was surprised to find me on the boat.  Not sure how we got that confused... I retrieved my "lost" halyards that got away from me.  Prussiked up the spinnaker halyard since there was nobody here to winch me up.  Went pretty fast actually - lots of climbing practice over the years paid off! Been a long day, so that's it for now.

I emptied the jerry cans of diesel into the main tank.  This will free up deck space and keeps the diesel tank full while the boat is stored.  I have a couple of gallons left over, so will see if someone wants it. Finished the galley painting this afternoon (Thursday).  Really looks good.  Wish I had time to do all the panels.  This was a somewhat slow process.  Masking tape, paint, wait for it to dry, sand and paint, repeat.  Two primer coats and two enamel coats later and I'm done.  Just can't do much in the boat during the drying times.  Have to be careful not to brush up against it and don't want to make too much dust either, so I read and nap.  It is good to be done with the painting so I can get going on other projects in earnest. I sorted out our arrival documentation with the marina today.  I now have the proper forms for the next time the boat leaves for another destination. I have a boat cover that I will try out tomorrow....

The panel painting is going well.  Doing more than I originally intended, but it looks good and I have some time... Here is a before and after comparison: I'm working on the galley area now.  Should be done tomorrow.  I have also been oiling the teak.  Looks much better now. Still no room in the boatyard.  The price at the Fonatur dock is higher than here at the marina, so it looks like the boat will stay where it is.  The facility is fairly nice.  Power and water at the boat and the restroom/shower/lounge area is much better than at Fonatur.  I still would prefer to be out of the water, but you have to take what you can get. I tried running the main halyards up the mast with a retrieval line today.  It went well until I reached a flaw/break in the retrieval line.  The halyards are now at the top of the mast and I can't get them back without going up...  Guess I'll climb up tomorrow morning when it is still cool. I have been eating ...

I am not sure yet whether I will have a space in the boatyard or have to keep the boat in one of the two marinas here in Mazatlan.  I would prefer to store it in the yard, where I can shut down all the electrical systems and disconnect the batteries, but there may not be space for me.  Leaving the boat in the water requires that I leave the electrical system going so the bilge pumps can operate if needed.  This means the batteries need to be charged, etc.  Leaving the boat this way for an extended period is not my first choice, but it may be the only option... In the meantime, I am cleaning up the deck, washing the lines (salt and dirt) and getting things tidy in the cabin.  I am also trying to eat up the perishable stores we have onboard.  I have given most of the meat items away (one packet left), so am left with some veggies, milk, cheese, fruit and some other odds and ends.  I don't think I'll lose much weight on this trip! I am also doing some pai...

I met Scott and Dave for breakfast at their hotel.  It was a very nice buffet in the hotel restaurant.  The food was great and I indulged! They had a room on the 16th floor with quite a view out over the ocean.  The two nearby islands were right in front of their room.  We watched birds, paddlers, divers and boats for a bit, then I left for a quick trip to Home Depot. I needed some rope to secure a tarp on the boat and also to use as retrieval lines on the halyards.  My plan is to tie the cheaper rope to the more expensive halyards so I could run the halyards up the mast and out of the damaging sunlight.  I can use the rope to pull the halyards back down when I come back to the boat.  After returning to the boat, I started taking down the rigging and washing the lines in fresh water to get the salt and dirt off them.  Once dried, I coiled them up and tagged them with labels to identify what they are used for.  This will help when re-rigging t...

 It is a little surreal being back here in Mazatlan.  Feels like a curse!  It is also starting to heat up, so I don't plan to stay here long. Scott and Dave checked into a hotel today.  Had enough of the spartan lifestyle.  They fly out on Saturday and are working out the COVID testing situation.  I'll meet them for breakfast tomorrow and see how they are doing. I checked in at the marina this morning.  No problems there.  I am making a to-do list for the week and hope to be flying home the week of May 9th.  In the meantime, I need to figure out where the boat will be and what my long-term plans are. My first choice is to put the boat "on the hard" - stored on land in the local boatyard.  This is the most secure way to keep it safe for extended periods.  If that does not pan out, then moorage at one of the two marinas is where I will have to leave Pierless.