We almost made it to the Sea of Cortez this year, but with all this virus craziness, we opted to stay in the U.S. until things quieted down. There were also some issues with the boat, so it has been good to have the additional time to get things done. And any sailor will tell you, every time you take one thing apart to fix it, you find two more things that need to be fixed, not including the third thing that you broke trying to fix the first thing. Ah, the life of a sailor. No wonder that sailors drink so much Rum!
In our last article, we tackled a big problem with the hot water heater and engine coolant. Before that, we rebuilt the entire hydraulic steering system. But before we can leave we do have a few things that really HAVE to get done. Here is the shortlist:
- Haulout and replace cutlass bearing
- Replace mail sail
- Reinstall autopilot and see if it works
That list will of course grow as we get the boat ready, but those are the major things that need attention before we can cut lines and sail out. All our plans really hinge on how things go with this virus. If the borders reopen and stay open, we will probably end up sailing into the Sea of Cortez this year, and probably haul out at Puerto Penasco. That is only a three-hour drive to our property in Arizona. Having the boat there will be about an hour and a half closer and shave over 80 miles off our trip to go sailing. Then you consider how cheap it is to haul out and have a boat on the hard. We could keep our boat there for about $170 U.S. a month.
Anyway, our timeline, if we leave, will probably be some time in November after hurricane season is over. We will see if this year is the year it all starts!
Thanks for staying with us, and please subscribe to our YouTube channel, Instagram, Facebook, Patreon, and click on the “Follow” tab at the bottom of this page!