Motored out of Puerto Escondido today and just a few hours north to Puerto Ballandra where we enjoyed a few days earlier this month. For hours Ouest repeated the phrase, “Me want you to find a sand dollar, Papa.” Cute at first, annoying as hell after number one hundred.
Fortunately I managed to find one. Just one. The last one in the ocean apparently. Got a pretty darn good smile out of that.
Refrigeration is a disaster right now. The engine driven has crapped out on us completely. I’ve no idea why. None. The compressor just cycles on and off over and over again. It never runs continuously. Messing with the refrigerant produced no joy.
So we resigned ourselves to having to use the AC system, which I soon realized wasn’t working either. The refrigerant wasn’t just low, it was gone. Or at least appeared to be. I added some more and seem to have us running again, but we’re now down to half a can of refrigerant.
I have to say that all of the boat issues are wearing me down. Boats always have problems and to-do lists, but I’m getting tired of it. Oh so tired.
8 Comments on “Find Sand Dollar Papa”
Time for a road trip?!
So, when you replace the refrig unit are you going with a keel cooler or air cooled? Don’t forget the solar panels, bigger house batteries, MPPT charger, heavier cables, ect,ect. Sounds like a sail state side to refit the boat.
Regards
Jerry
That kind of list is just what someone tired of working on a boat loves to read! LOL.
I am doing a refit in the states right now, I’d recommend doing it anywhere else. Everything, no matter how small, starts at $1000 (BOAT stands for Break Out Another Thousand around here). Having stuff drop shipped to Mexico is a challenge but if you hit a major center it’s easier (yeah, “easier”, I’m laughing too) and the labor is sooo much cheaper.
Oh, I forgot the motor mounts, top side varnish, CO detectors(?), bottom paint, head hoses, sump pumps, lubricate the seacocks, standing and running rigging inspection/replacement, install water maker, clean/replace starboard fuel tank, and the list goes on and on.
You’re a bad, bad man Jerry. 😀
I’m not sailing to the States any time soon that’s for sure, but a drive isn’t out of the question.
And hey, that’s barely half the list.
Top side varnish? Are you out of your mind? 🙂
That does rise a question. Just how much trouble is it to come back state side, load up a van with boat stuff, drive back down to Mexico
and install the equipment? I imagine the car rental company wouldn’t be thrilled about a one way rental to Mexico.
People drive their own stuff across the border a million times a day without paying import duties on it. In theory we’ve got a TIP (Temporary Import Permit, I believe is what that stands for) that allows us to bring stuff for the boat into the country. But in reality most cruisers who commute between the States and Mexico just mule their equipment over. And even if you do get stopped it’s not that big a deal. My dad brought a $500 compressor down to us, got stopped at customs, and paid 300 pesos duty. I would have gotten that down to between zero and 100 pesos.