Log #63y Go Home Passage – Part 1

Elliot Lake, Ontario

March 19, 2020

We are coming to an end of an era, our international high seas sailing

adventures, and bringing Veleda back to Canada, to its new home in the North
Channel Yacht Club on the north shore of Lake Huron. After experiencing the
heavy weather of the Gap Winds of Central America Judy realized that she does
not have the stamina to deal with such weather, and it is not fun anymore. She
is stressed out by any heavy weather. With her concerns in mind, we decided to
bring Veleda back to Canada from El Salvador. The problem was HOW?

We explored shipping Veleda but found the cost prohibitive. We were resigned
to having to sail Veleda back, going down from El Salvador where she spent the
summer months on a mooring in Bahia Del Sol, through the Panama Canal, and
up the Caribbean and east coast to the Great Lakes, coming out at Buffalo on
Lake Erie, a major 5000 mile passage.

January 8, 2020, Judy and I returned to Veleda on her mooring buoy at Bill and
Jean's in Bahia Del Sol, El Salvador (13° 18.346' N, 088° 54.102' W) where she
was left since March 30, 2019. The boat was in good shape with full batteries
(thanks to our solar panels), dry bilges, and no musty smell, mould or mildew. It
was in better shape than was I, as I had my right arm in a sling, the result of a
recent onset of a rotator cuff problem as yet undiagnosed. The limitation came
up only after I left the doctor's office on Jan. 2nd in Elliot Lake, and got
progressively worse and painful the next few days, to the extent I wondered if
we should return to Veleda. Extra strength Tylenol eased the pain a bit, but I was
still unable to use my right arm or hand.

After a few days, Judy had installed our new alternator and it seemed to work
OK for the minimal charging necessary for our fully charged battery system. My
shoulder was still bothering me and I was still wearing a sling. Jean identified
and made arrangements for me to see an orthopedic surgeon in San Salvador. I
was quite impressed with the service rendered by the Radiologic Clinic and Dr.
Jose Polomom Pacas. In one day from 1130 to 1630, I had two sessions with Dr.
Pacas, one with the radiologist, an Xray, and Ultrasound (both results given to
me in my possession), a cortisone injection, and a filled prescription for
Flogopropen, a spray pain reliever, all for less than $150.00. The diagnosis
confirmed a rotator cuff problem in the right shoulder, caused by a 50% tear in
the Supraspinatus tendon. The doctor gave me instructions for twice-daily arm
exercises for two weeks and indicated it would need surgery at some future
point, but it should be OK for the sailing I was about to do. It did improve to
some extent, the exercises helped and I was able to notice the greater range of
movement I was able to gain, but I still have a weakness in my right arm and
hand.

OK, so the return of Veleda to Canada was still a go. Initially, I was looking for
crew to sail through the Panama Canal, and Judy agreed to join me once in the
Caribbean, as the gap winds on the Pacific coast of Central America were what
concerned her so much. However we found another boat transporter at an
acceptable price at Puerto Penasco, and so that was our destination. It was a
2100 nautical mile passage to the northern extremity of the Sea of Cortez in
Mexico.

Veleda was in good shape, but our dinghy was delaminating badly and several
repairs we and Bill tried did not work. So we abandoned the dinghy and put the
15 hp Johnson outboard motor on our stern pulpit to bring home. We took
Veleda over to the marina docks (on Jan. 30) to accommodate the three crew
who came down on the 31st, Paul and Charles, two members from our home
yacht club and Aaron, an old friend of Judy's from dental school days. We left at
0645 Feb. 2nd, to be led out by Bill at 0730 in a panga through the treacherous
Pacific rollers. We waved goodbye to Judy standing on the beach as we plunged
through the few small rollers out into the open sea.
Veleda plunging through light swells off Bahia Del Sol
We were off! Our first destination was Puerto Chiapas in Mexico, 270 nautical
miles away.

Little did I know that we were to experience more engine problems on this
passage to Puerto Penasco than we have had in the past several years
combined!

We were able to sail westward most of the first day with a southerly wind force 3
to 4 from 1000 until 1725 just before sunset when we furled the genoa and put
the first reef in the main for night time security. It was a pleasant first day,
spotting few dolphins playing around the bow on two occasions.

That night the wind shifted to the NW and increased to force 5 and 6 (17 to 25
knots), but we were able to sail with one reef in the main and the genoa out 50
%. It was a fast wind-blasted wet sail most of the night, with 3-metre waves
slapping the starboard beam and quarter, at times flooding the cockpit with up to
4 inches of water. Our cockpit drains worked quite well, but Paul and I were
soaked. It was mildly chaotic down below, especially when the table collapsed
and some items not properly stashed away spread over the cabin. This heavy
weather lasted from 2100 (9.00 pm) until about 0130 when we put out the full
genoa and started to engine to motorsail into lighter winds. The middle watch
was taken over by Aaron and Charles while Paul and I dried ourselves off and
tried to sleep in our bunks.

Then our first emergency! (13° 41.870' N, 090° 56.560' W) At 0425 I was
awakened by shouts of smoke coming from the engine room. Upon getting into
the cockpit I noticed no water was coming out the exhaust and immediately shut
down the engine. Upon opening the engine compartment, the smoke rolled out,
and we noted both the alternator and water pump belts were broken, and the
water in the engine cooling overflow was bubbling, boiling! For some reason, the
belts broke, but the warning lights and buzzers did not seem to work, and the
engine badly overheated.

The crew was quite calm in helping the evaluate the situation and Charles took
charge of replacing the belts. The muffler was damaged as the hose going into
the Vetus waterlock was damaged and the plastic hose coupling was melted. In
addition, there was a small hole melted in the waterlock itself. Again the crew did
a good assessment, and the waterlock was removed and bypassed with a piece
of heavy hose spliced into the gap, thus allowing water flow to the exhaust.

Then, unfortunately, the crew were seized with concerns as to whether these
repairs would hold, what if the hoses burst from the overheating they
experienced, what if the boat caught fire, what if the boat took on water and was
to sink. We had no life raft and no dinghy. Charles who had the most mechanical
background was also the one who was most concerned about the disaster of fire
or sinking, to the extent he wanted to organize emergency abandon ship
waterproof bags and put out calls for assistance. We were not in any immediate
danger of sinking and would not put out a MAYDAY distress call, but put out
requests for assistance to any boat hearing our message. There was no
response whatever to our calls.

If the engine is working, where do we head? We were about ten miles off the
middle coast of Guatemala which has no port of refuge and only one
commercial port, not recommended for cruising yachts. We still had 100 miles to
go to Chiapas, or would need to backtrack 127 miles to El Salvador. Since the
engine was working we would proceed to Puerto Chiapas at reduced revs,
which we did. We got underway by 0700, but by 0800 we noticed smoke again
from the engine compartment. Shut the engine off and assess it. The belts were
OK, the exhaust water was coming out OK, but the freshwater coolant overflow
was empty. We needed freshwater and antifreeze to be added. Fortunately, I still
had two litres of antifreeze in storage, and after it was added, the engine worked
OK, with no more overheating.

We were able to motorsail through light winds the rest of the day (Feb. 3) and by
the early morning of the 4th we tried just sailing for an hour after sunrise, but
then put the engine back on and motorsailed the rest of the way into Puerto
Chiapas, (14° 41.924' N, 092° 23.497' N), arriving by 1000 after a 237 nautical
mile passage in 51 hours.
In Puerto Chiapas, we were joined by several other boats from El Salvador, Que
Sera, Rapscallion, Tocata, and Mololo. The marina is quite co-operative and
arranged for inspection in a few minutes and the manager took a group of us
captains to three different locations for all the formalities of entry including
customs, immigration, and port captain. However this procedure took over five
hours of bureaucratic procedures and waiting, and by the time I got back, late
afternoon, the boat was in relative chaos. The crew had taken apart the toilet
and all the hoses, upending all the compartments to access these. The head
was plugged up by someone putting toilet paper down. It clogged the hoses,
which the crew took out and pounded on the dock to break up the calcium
deposits to clear the lines. This was a major job, which hadn't been done for
over 12 years. Thanks crew, we now have a more efficient head.

Paul, who slept in the cockpit, was concerned about the cockpit cushions
saturated with salt water. He removed the covers and hosed the cushions and
covers with fresh water, and hung them from the lifelines for two days to dry out.
Thanks Paul.

The Vetus waterlock was patched with epoxy putty, and hoses connected with
hose clamps. The system seemed to work OK with just a bit of weeping at the
hose clamp. I ordered a new one from Holland Marine in Canada to be picked
up by David Weston who was to join us in Barra del Navidad, hoping the
temporary fix worked until then.

The damaged waterlock showing the epoxy repair

I was advised to change all the hoses as they could have been damaged by the
excessive heat, and the start battery for some reason was warm, and I was also
advised to replace it. The mechanics and materials were expensive, and the
mechanics advised me that we needed a different size belt on the alternator.
OK, and I bought two extras for back up. I didn't want the expense or time for
the mechanics to go into the engine to identify why the warning lights did not
come on and felt that frequent checking of the water exhaust would identify any
problems, and I would have the engine checked when we returned to Canada.

Paul and Charles left us in Chiapas for Aaron and me to carry on. Charles
instructed Aaron and myself on some of the mechanical aspects of the waterlock
and bypass if necessary as well as some of the idiosyncrasies of replacing the
alternator belt. Thanks Charles.

Leaving February 8th at 0900 for the 255-mile passage to Huatulco, we were
going to buddy boat with Que Sera and Rapscallion in case of any problems.
We hoisted a double-reefed main and motorsailed tranquily all day long through
light northerly breezes.

More alternator belt problems on the this leg

At 0500 the next day, Feb. 9, (15° 51.154' N, 093° 48.623' W) Aaron, on watch,
saw smoke and shut off the engine. The alternator belt had broken. Aaron took
charge to replace it, and we were underway by 0640. By 0702, the smell of
burning rubber caused me to turn off the engine to check and find the alternator
belt slipping. We tightened it again and set off, only to have the smell again by
0900 and we noticed the belt was shredding. Aaron sanded the pulleys to
reduce the friction. That seemed to do the trick. We continued motorsailing at
reduced revs with the engine for the rest of the day.

I made the decision to cross the Gulf of Fonseca directly, rather than the longer
way keeping one foot on the shore. Weather conditions were good for the 50-
mile crossing, and no sign of the heavy gap winds for which this gulf is noted.

However at 0145 next morning, Feb. 10th, Aaron found the water was not coming
out the exhaust and shut the engine down. (15° 58.067' N, 095°25.596' W) The
water pump belt had broken! To replace it the whole water pump has to be
removed as well as the alternator belt. Aaron did a good job of figuring out how
to remove it, attach the belt and replace it, but we had problems keeping the
tension on the alternator belt. We would raise the alternator to tension the belt
by lifting it with a line attached to a winch in the cockpit and tightening down the
necessary nuts on the arm. We could not get enough tension on it. So we
tensioned the line even more and secured it in the cockpit, holding the alternator
at the proper tension.
(The blue line from the alternator was a safety line in case the white line broke.)

This seemed to work and at 0330 we proceeded with the line supporting the
alternator to motorsail the remaining 45 miles to Huatulco, arriving at 1200 after
a 250 mile passage over three days.

Que Sera was anchored outside, but we still had a difficult time identifying the
entrance to the marina. We did not get any response to our VHF calls to the
marina and so ventured unaided into this small crowded Marina Chahue to be
then flagged over to a floating dock (15° 45.832' N, 096° 07.306' W). The first
thing I asked for was “Mechanico” !

Gilles and Rick from Que Sera kyacked in to commiserate with us but had no
solutions. The marina was just OK with outdoor showers and a fuel dock to
which I took a couple of jerry cans for filling on the ship's dolly. However, the
water on the dock was potable, and we refilled our tanks. The mechanic, Miguel,
came next morning, but he spoke no English. Monique from a French flagged
boat, who was originally from Quebec, came over to serve as an interpreter for
us. I explained I thought the main drive pulley and the alternator pulley were not
properly in line. He adjusted the alignment and when putting on the belt said it
was too big. We had started with a 39”, then had a 38”, but the mechanic said it
needed a 37” belt. I bought three.
 Monique, Miguel, and Aaron after the work was done

We left at 1230 Feb. 11, motored for the rest of the day in light NW breezes. At
0100 we put out the genoa to motorsail for a couple of hours before furling again
as it was backing. Murphy's Law – always going against the wind! The morning
was calm as we put in a couple of jerry cans of fuel, slowed down to wash the
deck, and enjoyed a pod of dolphins playing around the bow. It was so calm that
we shut off the engine to drift, and went in for a swim in the clear warm Pacific
water. We followed a safety procedure of having a line overboard in the water,
and only one of us the water at a time. It was an idyllic tropical day. For lunch I
made quesadillas that we enjoyed with a glass of white wine.
In the late afternoon we flew the genoa and even tried just sailing with the
engine off at sunset. As we watched the sun go down on the western horizon,
Aaron saw his first green flash.

We furled the genoa after sunset and motored the rest of the night until we
arrived at the Acapulco Yacht Club fuel dock (16° 50.249' N, 099° 54.237' W) at
0815 Feb. 13, after a passage of 240 nautical miles in 44 hours, without further
engine problems. The only change at the yacht club I noticed was that the fuel
dock now had cleats, absent when we were here last year. I went ashore to
check in with the port captain in the boatyard, and to get permission to refuel.

Que Sera came in shortly before we departed for a 114-mile passage to

Zihuatanejo at 0950.

We were able to sail for a few hours and played around with the genoa, hoping
to be able to point high enough for it to fill. We were heading west at 285° M into
light W and WSW breezes. Just before sunset we finally furled the genoa to
motorsail with just the main up for the night. We were treated to a glorious
sunset and saw another green flash as the sun melted itself below the clear
horizon. We anchored in Zihuatanejo (17° 38.030' N, 101° 33.230' W) at 0820,
where we met up with Que Sera again after a pleasant 23-hour 114-mile
passage. After going in for a swim and wash, we weighed anchor at 1200 to
depart in light breezes for a long 330-mile passage to Barra del Navidad.

After sailing for a couple of hours we motored the rest of the night and all of the
next day, enjoying a calm sea, good food, and companionship. By 0820 the third
day we were alongside Dock C, slip #27 (19° 11.694' N, 104° 40.934' W) at the
Marina/Hotel Barra del Navidad, a familiar setting, as that is where we left
Veleda the summer of 2018. I didn't want to anchor in the inner lagoon as I was
expecting a crew change, easier to accomplish alongside.

Barra is a good location for cruisers, as the marina is economical (about $.80 a
foot) or there is free anchoring in the lagoon, a good hurricane hole, with
economical water taxi service to town, as well as a cruisers' net each morning
and the French Baker still delivers croissants and baked goods several days a
week. We enjoyed some of his baked goods, Mmmm.
As illustrated in the picture below taken from the hotel, the Marina is well
sheltered, and the lagoon in the background is a good hurricane hole. There
were about twenty boats anchored there when we were alongside according to
the morning VHF net.

When I transported four 50-litre water bottles to the boat, I realized as I was
pouring them into the starboard tank that the port tank was empty, and I was
unable to get any more 50-litre bottles. So I picked up a couple of 2-litre bottles
before we departed. We would have to practice water conservation on the next
leg.

Aaron was leaving at this point as he had a commitment to sail in the

Grenadines in a few days' time. Aaron was a very good crew, easy to get along
with, not flustered by emergencies, capable as a mechanic working on the
alternator belts. He not only did all the dishes after meals, but cleaned up
around the sink and stove and several times was on his hands and knees
cleaning the cabin sole and washing the upper deck. He frequently did what we
call tiddly work, sharpening knives, replacing bungee cords in the galley and
main cabin, and repairing the lashing on the genoa sail clew ring which was in
danger of tearing off. He had no problem with being on the middle watch from
2400 to about 0600 each night, a similar watch schedule to Judy's on passages.
Thank you, Aaron, for crewing with me and your support and companionship.

Aaron left at 1800 on Feb. 17, and his friend David Watson arrived at about
2300 to help with the next section of Veleda's homeward bound passage to be
reported in my next log.