To Tucson twice and back

Another attempt to get our stamoid fabric so we can start making a boat cover. On Wednesday night, we drove to Tucson to complete one quick errand, then drove back to Nogales to pick up the packages. Darn! The shipper made a mistake and shipped them to an address in Tucson, so back we went. We got back to Guaymas at 10 pm where a hot 20 knot wind was blowing. Oh my!

Nacelle contruction project

Dick decided to try the "peel ply" method of fiberglassing which is supposed to result in a finished surface, no sanding required. Spread a thick layer of pigmented epoxy over the surface. Smooth a layer of 100% polyester fabric over the goop. Let it dry overnight.

Peel off the fabric, but that wasn't nearly as easy as he thought it would be. The fabric was thoroughly stuck to the epoxy and he really had to pull and pull and

pull with all his might. Maybe I got the name wrong. Perhaps it's the "peel pry" method.

I think Dick's glad he didn't try this method on the hulls. The finished nacelle:

The inside with it's (pour) foam coating, although I think more foam is going to be poured in.

Sailing & dinner with Darren & Haruka

This afternoon, we went for a sail on Cool Cat. Oh, to be young and agile again. Darren and Haruka jump! onto the dock from the boat and take the longest strides when getting back onboard.

After we were anchored again, I made quesadillas and Haruka made delicious stir-fried prawns.

To Tucson and back

Thank you so much to Rupert and Judy for loaning us their car for this trip. Our main purpose was to drive to Tucson to pick up LOTS of stamoid fabric so I can sew a whole-boat cover. We came back with lots of other goodies for other people. Behind the boxes/bags is Darren's new 65-pound Roca anchor. No more dragging anchor for Cool Cat, we hope. Also, three cases of wine from Trader Joe's where we discovered "two-buck Chuck" is now $3/bottle. Everyone was happy except for us. I had the fabric sent to a UPS freight address, they did not accept delivery of our non-commercial packages and sent both boxes back to Indiana. Grrr! A call to the shipper (Sailrite) to arrange for reshipment to a proper address. When we got back, Khaya was gone. That's Rupert in the picture carrying half of his dinghy to the launch ramp. He said he feels like a turtle in a shell.

Building the nacelle, part 1

Over the past few days, Dick has been working on the nacelle which will be mounted in the center of the boat close to the stern. It will tilt down with the outboard attached and protect it when we are motoring. The vertical piece is 4 layers of plywood glued together. He cut a hole in his work table to hold it in place. A block of wood screwed into the work table to hold the strip of thinner plywood which needed to curve:

Time to attach the larger pieces of plywood which must curve also.

The string is adjusted to hold the pieces in place:

Screws hold the curved sides to the vertical piece:

A cover over the front is screwed in place:

Kevlar scraps are epoxied over the joints:

I couldn't get a good picture of it, but Dick has also poured foam inside to coat the walls:

He's not done yet, stay tuned.

Thank you, Darren & Haruka

Darren & Haruka took us to dinner tonight as a thank-you for all we've done for them. L-R: Haruka, Judy (Khaya), Dick, Darren, George (Mollyhock). Rupert (Khaya) is behind George.

Casa Juanita's, just across the street from the marina, opened maybe a week ago. Friendly staff with excellent English, delicious food, beautiful setting, warm night, full moon. Life is good.

As we were taking our seats, the manager suggested that "Mr. Pay" should sit at the head of the table. When Haruka ended up at the head of the table, he nudged Darren and said, "That's even better. Mrs. Pay will take care of everything." L-R: Haruka, Rupert, Arlete, Dick, Darren, George. Judy is sitting behind George.

We all had a great time. Thank you so much, Darren & Haruka

Haruka arrives!

There's a happier man in the marina now, Darren. Haruka arrived today and I think there's a bigger smile on his face, even if it's not evident in this picture.

The first restaurant to try out was Doney's (doh-NAYS), just two blocks from the marina. What should Haruka try first? Their most popular item is papas locas (crazy potatoes): baked potato inside a foil boat shape, topped with chopped carne asada (grilled beef), a bit of corn, and a creamy cheese sauce.

They turned the overhead lights off periodically and we wondered why. It was a warm night and the palomitas (literally this means "popcorn" but it also referred to the flying bugs) swarmed around the lights. Hundreds more than what's in this picture:

Then the palomitas would fall into your food or, in this case, find their way into your shirt.

As long as the lights were off, the palomitas stayed at bay. Keep those lights turned off!

Another big project

What's he up to now? Wood, measuring, power saw at the ready,

part of the original boat-building plan on the table.

The diesel engine removed.

After many months of careful consideration and research, we've decided to convert from diesel power to a big outboard engine. The original boat design called for an outboard so Dick is working from that. The boat will be much lighter and better balanced. The diesel caused the boat to float heavy in the stern thus taking away sailing performance. Since the boat will be considerably lighter, sailing in light air will be much better and make us even faster. Dick is building a nacelle, a protective tilt-down shield for the outboard.

Kevlar: final day

Hurray! the application of the kevlar is finished. We started early in the morning because it gets pretty hot in the middle of the day.

While Dick mixes the last batch of epoxy for a final overall coat, Darren got a gleam in his eye, picked up a saw, winked at the photographer and prepared to end all of Dick's future boat projects:

Dick survived.

Mardi Gras in Guaymas

The last day of celebration. The parade started at 4 pm at one end of town. We arrived early, so we stopped at a kiosk inside the supermarket and I tried, for the first time, Pepihuates. The young man on the left was really enjoying his cup and I was feeling brave. The name is a combination of pepino (cucumber) and cacahuates (peanuts). A plastic glass is first half-filled with peanuts, then a combination of minced cucumber and jicama. Then come the aderezos (toppings): chili powder, clamato juice, and sweetened minced dried chilies. It was really delicious. Slabs of diez millo (literally it means "ten million" but is the name of a tender cut of beef, thinly sliced) are secured to a rotisserie. The fire is vertical, the skewer is turned by hand to cook it. When cooked, it's sliced off the skewer, chopped and put into tacos. There were many food stands set up along the main street.

Vendors of all type plied their wares. Wheelbarrows make portability easier.

The parade began with a marching band, the only one we'd see.

My favorite very earnest performer:

There were floats and performing groups for the next 2 hours:

Each performing group was preceded by a vehicle which BLASTED music:

Las Vegas theme:

James Brown music and 60s costumes and dances:

French can-can dance troupe:

The streets were packed with some observers going up high to get a good view:

Even the hat seller stopped to watch:

Only one float tossed candy to spectators and it had a gaggle of kids who followed it down the parade route:

This Aztec queen was followed along the route by a masked (intoxicated) man who tried his hardest to be noticed. He never got even the slightest glance.

This guy was on his own, dancing up a storm. He was one of the most entertaining performers:
A diminuative queen and her court:

L-R: Darren from Cool Cat, George from Mollyhock, Dick, Panchis is on the phone, then her family:

Panchis grandchildren, Miguel Ivan and Itsel, enjoyed throwing confetti

and then walking their rats arounds. Purchased from a passing vendor, pull the string and the rat starts moving.

The guys wanted to have Chinese food for dinner. This is a fabric store, but note that half of the storefront is covered by advertising for Chinese food:

To get to the restaurant, you go into the fabric store:

down the main aisle, past the notions department, through the door on the right and up the stairs:

The vendor most apparent was Tecate beer stands (which I didn't take any pictures of) and nearby was this popular follow-up business. 3 pesos to use the bathroom:

This kid was a real sharpshooter, he never missed, and won a prize.

There was a shell game going on in the middle of the street, people were crowded around. The woman in the purple shirt was quite angry and vocal that she'd actually won but didn't get her winnings. She was making quite a scene.

Finally another customer made a deal, if he won she would also get her winnings. He won. And then I got in trouble for taking this picture. Lo siento (I'm sorry) and we got out of there.