#boatprojects – SV Cariba

Rest, recuperation and repairs in Hilo

So we are sitting at anchor in Hilo harbour deciding on the best window for leaving. We think it will be tomorrow as today there is rain, a few squalls and little to no wind. I am getting restless and need something to fill my day so here is a blog about our time here

After we arrived in Hilo we spent the first three nights on anchor behind the breakwater before deciding to take a slip in the Wailoa River basin. It wasn’t cheap but allowed easier access to provisions and things needed for repairs. No power hookup but the water is potable so we were able to pickle the watermaker to preserve the membranes.

A couple of shots to show you where we were

Cariba is in the far right of this picture

In the first two weeks the rain was relentless. Locals assured us the monsoons would end soon but I guess there is a reason it is so lush and green here. The rain also made us realize the impact of having a boat in the Mexican desert climate – DECK LEAKS galore! It took a lot of time, patience, butyl tape and sealant to finally call Cariba a dry boat again!

We both lost weight on the passage and lower body muscle strength. We needed to trade in our sea legs for land legs. The first few walks on land we felt tired and weak and it took several days for the land to stop moving! We weren’t ‘land sick’ but definitely felt the effects of four weeks of constant and sometimes extreme motion. We pride ourselves on our fitness for hiking and walking so this was a bit of a surprise. We did our best to get our steps in but the town here is not very pedestrian friendly and lacks sidewalks. We did find a local pool nearby. We would walk there, swim laps and then have long hot showers before walking back to the boat. The pool was olympic sized and outdoors with a large domed cover. The best part was that it was free!

There are no marine stores in Hilo, so we rented a car and drove to Kona on the other side of the island. On the way there we went across the middle of the island on the highway known as the saddle road. For the return trip we drove the long way home around the southern end. I don’t think the pictures do it justice but the landscape changes ever ten minutes as you drive along. One minute it’s a green jungle and the next a barren lava field that reminds me of a moonscape.

You might remember Pym from previous posts. She is our tattoo artist extrodinaire! She introduced us to Linda and Richard who live about 30 mins from the harbour. Their support and friendship made our time here pass quickly. We needed to order some boat parts and they graciously allowed us to use their address for delivery. Also in exchange for the use of their truck for a week, we visited Richard daily while Linda was in Tahiti for a paddling competition. We really enjoyed our time with him. The truck made it possible to start our provisioning…we are so thankful to our new friends!

With the deck leaks finally under control, Brian went up the mast to attach the new block and run the halyard. Being to fly Big Bird again as well as the ability to pole out the yankee will be a big advantage on this passage. We sure missed this on the trip from Mexico.

No damage found once we had the sail out

Pym arrived in Hawaii at the beginning of June and the next thing we knew she picked us up for a whirlwind tour of the north end of the big island on our way to Kona. She and her friend Kay were great tour guides showing us beautiful parks, beaches and waterfalls galore. We even saw a lava tube..this is like a natural hollow tube that the lava flows though during an eruption. I have added lots of pictures from that day and hope they show the beauty here.

Akana falls is a 442ft drop, 3 times higher than Niagra falls

We enjoyed a beautiful sunset and drinks on the Kona waterfront before checking into our hotel for the night. It was the first time we had slept on land since Penasco!

The next day we met Pym at the tattoo shop she was working at. We had planned to have tattoos done to commemorate our passage from Mexico. If you read our last blog you might remember our albatross friends! We decided to forgoe the traditional swallow and asked Pym to design tattoos with an albatross theme.

For sailors, an albatross tattoo traditionally symbolizes good luck, safe passage, and the spirit of endurance.
If one followed a ship, it meant fair winds, divine protection, and a safe return home. Thanks Pym Avery for your artistic talents!

Once back to the boat in Hilo we started the final preparations for this next passage. Groceries are incredibly expensive here as you would expect being on an island. I think we spent more than double than what we spent in Mexico. And I so miss the senora at the lavandarias …the laundromat here was over $15 to $20usd to wash and dry!

But here we sit with clean clothes, lots of food and snacks….all ready to go. We celebrated Brian’s birthday last night with homemade pizza and chocolate cake! Next stop will be Esquimalt in BC. Aloha and Mahalo for reading!

Fifth and final season in Mexico!

So I have a sense of “it’s the last time” for everything we are doing and the anchorages we are visiting. 2026 will bring some big changes for Cariba but before we unpack that… let’s reflect on the last few months. A lot has happened since our last blog post, so let’s start there and see where this post takes us.

Weather watching 101

Anyone who cruises long term knows that the weather determines when and where you sail. A key part of that planning is where to be for hurricane season. In the Sea of Cortez it is prudent to consider hauling out the end of August. Hurricane season lasts until November but the storms that come north in the Sea of Cortez are often in the late summer into September. The weather could have been a big issue for us if we didn’t come this far north.

Getting south fast! It’s cold here!

If you read our last blog post you will know that after a rough start, we had a successful splash on December 5^th.The next 9 days were spent in Safe Marina busy with final boat preparations, moving out of our apartment, and watching for the best weather window to head south. The plan was to flee the cold in Penasco (the overnight temperatures were 6 to 8C). We wanted to head south til the “butter melts”. We left on December 14^th and the plan was Mazatlán or bust!…but a few gremlins that surfaced along the way did manage to alter our course.

Failure to launch

Cabrales boatyard and Puerto Penasco are starting to feel like our second home. We have tried to leave twice without success and we are really hoping that the third time is the charm. A lot has happened over the last few weeks and it has been a bit of an emotional roller coaster. This is a long tale, so sit back, get comfortable and I will try to fill you in…..

Hot Hot Hot!! Life on the hard in Mexico!

I can’t believe that we have been in Puerto Penasco for well over two months now. So much has happened and there is so much more work to come, but I thought it best to try to catch you all up! Cariba is having a mini-refit and things are progressing slowly under the hot Mexican sun… thank god for air conditioning both on the boat and in our little apartment!

Moving into our spot on the “rollerskate”

Even before we arrived in Penasco, we knew it was going to be a long hot summer. On the Whatsapp group for the Cabrales Yard someone was selling a used air conditioner for $100USD. Let me tell you.. that was the best $100 we spent by far. It sits in the companionway and keeps the temperature inside the boat at least 10-15 degrees cooler than outside. This has been significant as we have had many days with the outside temp is higher than 40C! We have definitely embraced the Mexican custom of siesta – which translates into starting work very early and retreating to the air conditioned apartment by just after lunch.

The first several weeks were spent getting the hull of Cariba stripped down to her barrier coat. We needed to assess for any areas of blisters and there were none found fortunately. It took Brian the equivalent of 40 hours of back breaking work in the heat to get all the layers of old bottom paint off. He did this by scraping by hand with a carbide scraper, then grinding with an angle grinder and finishing it off with a palm sander. He kept the hose nearby and would douse himself off every 30 minutes or so to cool off. On average he would consume 4 to 5 litres of water and juice each day!

After Cariba was stripped down we moved onto several other projects: replacing thru hulls, new cutlass bearing, and replacing a water logged rudder that was draining rust coloured water.

To make a long story short, the rudder was toast. There was significant delamination and we were concerned about the integrity of the internal structures. Options for getting a new rudder could be a very lengthy and costly process. Then Brian had a brilliant idea! Our welder friend, Jorge from Guaymas had come to Penasco to install a new stainless steel arch for our solar panels. Brian showed him the rudder and asked if he could create one made of stainless steel for us. He was thrilled to take on the project and was able to take our old rudder home to use as a template.

Out with the old!

Once home, Jorge sent us pictures of the state of the inside of our rudder. The internal tangs had rusted off the rudder post and there was significant corrosion and pitting on that post. We were so glad that we decided to replace the rudder! Jorge returned to Penasco in early September with our new shiny rudder. He sent us some pictures of the stages of construction which I have shared below. Of note, the new rudder weighs 50 pounds less than the old one!

In with the new! Can’t wait to see it installed!

Jorge has been such an integral part of our refit. In addition to the rudder and the arch, he repaired our exhaust elbow and fabricated an additional one as a spare. He also made us a new water tank that essentially doubles our water capacity on Cariba. We have loved working with him and consider he and his wife dear friends! Mucho gracias nuestro amigo!

Exhaust elbows, new water tank and new arch!

We did escape the heat for a quick trip home to Canada. We were there for three very busy weeks. We managed to complete several medical appointments, shop for things we could only get at home and catch up with friends and family. We can’t thank enough our dear friend Sheila for allowing us to invade her home in Vancouver. And a big shout out to the crew from SV Committed Sardine – Emily and Scott. They enabled us to downsize to a much smaller and less expensive storage locker. In a single morning, we moved all our belongings and they helped us get rid of all the excess “stuff” we had. It takes a village to support this cruising lifestyle!

After all the chores in were completed, we connected with our kids and grand kids. We had a great visit with Chloe and Tom in Vancouver and a lovely visit with the Merritt crew. Then we flew to Calgary to stay with the grand kids while their parents had a kid free weekend! I have put a collage of pictures from that visit below. We miss you all so much!

So the wiring, fiberglassing, plumbing, new equipment installations continue. (So excited for the new windlass!) We are taking our time and working slowly towards the goal of splashing and continuing our cruising adventures. We have time on our side as hurricane season won’t end until the beginning of November. Stay tuned for another update on our projects before our journey further south.

La Cruz really is like “velcro”!

In our last post we made mention of heading towards Mazatlan. We had friends there and also wanted to see Carnaval…. but the north winds had other plans for Cariba and crew. (Sorry Christina and Darren!) We sat for a several weeks in Chamela waiting for the northers to abate. It can be very challenging to make plans to meet up as the weather really dictates where and when you go. We are also not in a big hurry to head north as we are waiting for the Sea of Cortez to warm up. We were so cold up there last year and we are not in a hurry to repeat that experience! So we are slowing down and enjoying our time in the south.

What’s up “dock”!? & Life isn’t too “hard”

So we have been home from Mexico since the end of March and the time has flown by. We have a new adventure planned for us and SV Cariba so preparations and projects are underway. So this means time on the dock…not sailing yet!

And our Mexican season begins!

As we get ready to leave the dock and start our season of cruising the Sea of Cortez I thought I would catch everyone up on what we have been doing to keep busy. It has been literally 1 month since we left home and it feels both like yesterday and a lifetime ago at the same time.

Summer at the dock!?!!

Not the summer weather we hoped to come home to!

As you can see in the video above the weather on our return was not the best…and this went on for some weeks! As I started to write the first drafts of this post it is feeling more like summer. As you may recall our goal was “perpetual summer” with our winters in the Sea of Cortez and summers here at home. Can someone cue summer and turn up the heat!