El Salvador Here We Come, Finally?

Off to the races already.  While we were still in Los Angeles lightening apparently hit the marina and another charger failed and fried our brand new AGM batteries.  We ordered a new charger in L.A. and on December 17^th we left L.A. for Huatulco with high hopes of  going south within the week.  Two new batteries (not under warranty) came in from Puerto Vallarta.  When the batteries arrived one was broken.  It took another week to get another one.  Nothing is easy!!!

We spent New Year’s with friends who threw a crazy hat party.  Anyone who has been reading this blog knows that Kristen brought us a half dozen crazy hats a few years ago, so Jewell and I thought we’d be the hit of the party.  Wrong!!!   We were ordinary in comparison to some.  See the pictures attached.  Not even having the best hats is easy!!!

 

Look closely at the hat.  The male counterpart was on the flip side of the hat.

With the help and guidance of our new friends Chris and Gerry, the owners/captain of the Misty Michael, we got the charger and batteries installed.  Then our thruster relay went out.  Oh well, I ran a boat for 20 years without thrusters so I wasn’t too worried. Oh, if it were only that easy!!

Gerry (standing) Chris and then Deb

One more great asset that came with Chris and Gerry was Goof.  She helped us in the department of missing Aggie.  She was sleeping while we were playing a rousing game of Mexican Train.  I don't know how she slept through it.

Goof Sleeping

Without the stern thruster, we took the boat out for a run to test the new batteries and charger.  About an hour out we heard Lucio yell “fire”!!!   Jewell yelled “shut down the port engine”.  We had a small crack in the exhaust expander that attaches to the engine exhaust (something that should last 100 years!!!).  There was no fire, just a lot of black smoke from the exhaust.  I needed to bring the boat back to the Marina on one engine, with no stern thruster.  Funny how you lose your memory and skills when the boat almost runs itself.  It wasn’t as easy as I remembered!!!  We radioed ahead and there were several people on the dock to help us but we pulled right in, on one engine, without a hitch….Compared to the rest of our story, this was pretty easy!!!

 

Just before we were scheduled to go back to Los Angeles, some friends from Puerto Vallarta were able to make a stop in Huatulco on their way to Panama.  The boat Locura and Captain Joe and his wife Lori and our good friend Dan.  They came over and we had one of our musical parties with wigs and all.  It was a blast.

Lori and Cap'n Deb

Dan on the bongos

The parade down the docks with the wigs on!

Disappointed that once again we couldn’t get moving South, we went back to L.A. with our cracked 20 lb. exhaust expander and ordered two to be fabricated “just in case”.     A small reminder as to what the words are for BOAT…..It’s “Bring On Another Thousand”….but in our case it’s “Bring On Another Ten Thousand”…..nothing is easy!!!