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!
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.
SV Cariba 