Logbook: April through June, 2005
We pulled into La Paz on April 1. We wanted to work on a few boat projects, so we booked a slip at Marina de La Paz for the month of April - the first time we'd been in at a dock since leaving San Diego the previous November. We intended to spend about 6 weeks here, but as so often happens with us, we ended up spending twice as much time in La Paz as we planned. However, we've learned by now that most cruisers are on this same schedule.
Boat projects completed:
- Connected solar panels (to help charge our batteries and lower the time we need to run the generator).
- Tuned our rigging.
- Installed backing plates on deck cleats.
- Repaired oil leak on anchor windlass.
- Installed lightning diffusers at the top of both of our masts.
- Sewed cockpit screen enclosure.
- Made covers for gasoline and diesel jerry cans to protect from the sun.
- Sewed windscoops for hatches.
In addition to the above, we of course had some other general boat maintenance to take care of, such as changing the engine and generator oil, cleaning sea strainers, changing filters and so forth.
During our time in La Paz, both of us made quick trips back to the U.S. Jan flew back to Cincinnati for her sister Joyce's 40th birthday party at the end of April. The party and Jan's visit were both a surprise to Joyce, and it was lots of fun. Rich did a bus trip (20 hours) up to Ensenada in early June to pick up our SSB radio, which we sent back to the manufacturer for repair. Our friend Jim drove him from Ensenada to San Diego to pick up the radio. (Rich opted to pick up the radio in San Diego rather than sending it to us in Mexico because items such as this sometimes get "lost" in Mexican Customs.) Although it was a long bus trip, and one he would rather not have made, he had an opportunity to visit with some old friends and spend a few days with the guys.
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In addition to our boat projects, we really enjoyed the time we spent with friends in La Paz. A number of cruisers whom we met on the mainland stopped in La Paz during our time there. We especially enjoyed dinners at Rancho Viejo (the best arrachera!) and ice cream from the "polka dot ice cream store." There's a very nice movie theater in La Paz, so we saw a couple of good movies. Our friends Doug and Joan (s.v. Charlotte Ann), whom we met in Ensenada, have spent the past year in La Paz and bought a car, and they took us on a day trip to see some inland sights - the silver mines at Triunfo and the town of Todos Santos on the Pacific Coast.
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While in La Paz, we also had the opportunity to help our friends Dave and Debbie load their power boat (Megabyte) on Dockwise Yacht Transport. They shipped Megabyte from La Paz to Vancouver on Dockwise. Crewing for them on loading day was an interesting and fun day.
Our last three weeks in La Paz, we had a very special treat. There was a brand new marina built in La Paz - Marina Costa Baja - and they had no occupants, so they ran a promotion offering free slips for the months of June, July and August. Cruisers know a good deal when they see one, and Marina Costa Baja quickly gained lots of new tenants. We took advantage of this promotion for the first three weeks of June. The marina is part of a resort/residential complex, so we also had access to a really nice pool, which was perfect for the hot afternoons. The staff of Marina Costa Baja was about as nice as we've found anywhere, and we enjoyed staying there for a short while.