Spending all our time tied to the dock has allowed us to catch up on our to-do list, so much so that we might leave here with nothing left to fix! Though Murphy’s Law will surely strike again, it feels good to have made so much progress on all the small things we’ve been putting off fixing onboard. Here’s a brief summary of what we’ve been up to here in Chiapas this month.
Christmas (lights) in August
First on the list, and long overdue, we re-arranged our DC breaker panel to better organize and protect some of the circuits we have modified over the years. This included shuffling breakers to group similar circuits in groups, splitting up a few over-burdened circuits to better protect our electronics, and replacing the ancient, broken and flickering indicator LEDs on the panel. The new LED color scheme shows green lights for circuits used while “underway” and red lights for household/general purpose circuits. We also installed switch covers on the bilge pump and refrigerator circuits. This should help keep these mission-critical devices from accidentally turning off in rough conditions.
While on the dock and plugged in to shore power, our AC circuits have been getting a workout thanks to air conditioning, the water heater and various plug-in conveniences. So much so that one poorly terminated wire feeding our panel decided to short out! Since we rarely use AC power when underway now is a great time to carefully examine all the AC wiring.
Apply Manual Pressure
More items that have been sitting onboard awaiting installation; manual water pumps! We have pressurized faucets in both galley (kitchen) and head (bathroom). We used to have foot pumps to pressurize the waterlines at each sink, but we decided to replace them with manual pump faucets along with exchanging the dirty old hoses leading to them. The manual pumps will allow us to access the water from the tanks even if the electricity is out or if the electric water pump stops working. This also gave us the opportunity to inventory six of our lockers. We found many items we don’t need anymore and thus we regained some space in the very cramped lockers.
Coolant Cool Down
One last engine-related task completed; flushing the old coolant! After experiencing overheating issues upon arrival in Chiapas, we exchanged the coolant ahead of schedule. This relatively simple process turned up yet another issue in the cooling system too! The expansion tank line had become plugged with scale. Excess coolant could not escape when under heavy load and high temperatures. With a small wire, I was able to clear the line and replace all the coolant. We still need to test run the engine for a few hours to make certain that all the work we’ve done on the engine is correct.
De-Furled and Re-Winched
In the rigging department, we’ve made a significant change to the forestay by removing the furling drum and track. Though our furler has not given us any problems in the past, we decided to switch to hank-on foresails to limit the potential for mechanical failure. Plus we’re far more likely to change headsails underway if we don’t have to mess with un-threading and re-threading the sail into the furling track. We also cleaned and lubricated the cockpit winches.
Accustomed to Customs
As foreigners in Mexico, we’ve been learning the ins and outs of getting supplies shipped across borders. Our previous struggles with getting a package cleared to leave the country have given way to problems getting items shipped back in to the country. Our latest snag; textiles. Turns out ropes and webbing (indeed textile in form) carry special import requirements and restrictions when arriving in Mexico. Luckily these items aren’t mission critical, so we’ll find alternatives. Perhaps we can arrange to have them forwarded to Panama for retrieval at a later time.
Boat Sitting and Roaming
We’ve also been looking after several other boats parked here as their owners travel abroad. Its so much fun seeing different styles of sailboat and how cruisers have made their floating homes so unique! Its even more fun when they leave a sweet kitten onboard who enjoys company!
Occasionally we visit the nearby city of Tapachula to stock up on groceries. Getting to town involves a 30 minute ride on the Collectivo (small transit bus) though sometimes a passerby will offer a ride for free. We typically hire a taxi for the return trip, as its easier to fill with groceries and often split the fare with other folks headed to the marina.
And the best update of all: Rua Hatu’s new sails are ready to ship as of Thursday, August 18. We are so excited and cannot wait to get out sailing again to continue our journey south.
Good job Nic 👍