we turn on engine for warming, we go forward and begin to raise anchor… diesel is deciding to increase own rpms, kinda fast….oops runaway….
so all stop not work…..go below and as rpms continue to increase,, find the 11 mm wrench and crack all injectors, one by one until the noise stops…took all 4 to shut it down…..lotsa smoke out exhaust—-lost…fishermen thought we were en fuego…..we enlightened em and got a 500 peso tow into marina, with only 2 other small incidents–a slight grounding in 2 ish ft of water–good thing bottom is soft ..lol…and loss of steering—somehow the cable popped off the quadrant—i am so glad this happened with repair guy on board and in a lagoon and not at sea—-coulda been a lot less positive…
there was no detonation of engine, thank dogs, and there was no major problem , other than adding to the list of repair-me on this boat–sometimes it feels as if i have not done anything ..but i know i have–is still a shorter list than when i got this boat….

i am sooo glad this engine still has an intact block….we working on the reason exactly why it did this….

to be continued……

seems as we repair here in la barra de navidad, i get to have engine repaired as well as the rest of this boat—egads—but i will have a decent boat to continue onward with…..after all this i will go do the haulout and painting mess i need to get done, and inspection of hull……

good thing  this is cruising, aka repairing boats in exotic locations….i love this lifestyle–it rocks….

happy mommas day to all mommas out there—-especially to my own momma, who survived despite raising 4 of us…..

zihuatenejo to barrade navidad, 2013 april.

has a gorgeous lagoon for anchoring — safe, protected, with afternoon winds to 30ish kts. bottom is gooey muck with rocks and more gooey stuff–is silt over clay over something else… one must use a good anchor–mine is a genuine bruce, 30 kg, and lots of chain–i think i have 150 ft in a depth of only 7-10 ft , mebbe 2-3 under keel. with luck..lol..is a shifting shoal and changes happen.cool place and an actual hiding place from furycames.
very few folks live here. is tourist town , and this is after season–i do not know how much of this town will be open in 2 weeks.
melaque is close by this town, mebbe 5 miles or slightly more. there is an anchorage there we have yet to use, and town has stuff needed for repairs–we are going to research where would be best for the repairs i need to effect, then we will re-determine exactly where we will be spending summer.
yes. spot works.

willbe kick the pig day–we kick the iron pig inour bilges and head out of here—mebbe even with a functional gps–if nt–i have 3 charts including chartbook, and i have compass and a back up gps that gives only lat and long–we be sailin…gonna hit barra de navidad first for aweek or two , then la cruz fro fuel and mebee some time, then to mazatlan, then topo then golfo de california—sailin’ again–yay–more sunsets and sunrises at sea, more sea life, more open water!!!

spot will be working with us, so yáll can see track, and i will try to remember to push it about every 6 hours for ye….

food for when on watch–happy hand grabit food…no mess….

1 box blueberry muffinmix–iused betty crocker wild with a can of blue berries inthe box
use butter instead of oil..not margerine–real butter–in usa–use land o lakes. its the flavor….use whole milk..i used watered down media crema which has consistency of slightly thinned yoghurt
make the box recipe as stated except for those changes.
while mixing the ingredients, be heating a heavy skillet with lid on stovetop.
when batter is ready to spoon onto pan, lower heat to almost lowest heat–trying to keep the temp approx as box states for oven..i guess, it works. i use a clear top so i can see my mistakes.
ladle batter as you would ladle drop cookie dough onto a pan..
cook in skillet with top on for 15 minuets. they will be white on top and golden brown on bottom only if you have heat correct–i did biscuits this way many times before i got the hang of my stove’s quirks–is fun to go against the grain–these make great hand foods for when you are on watch at night. no mess.

took care of my blueberry muffin craving with extra left over-they eat like cookies and taste like cake….

one week left here in zihuatenejo–making priority lists for what i neeeed until i get to mazatlan. kitty litter and other catly stuff. am trying to save his fancy feast for later and when he is good kat–which is all the time, but i know the stuff is unavailable in much of mexico, kinda like hellmans or best foods mayo with the dark blue top–ye know–the regular mayo with fat and eggs in it–the good stuff.. they do not have that here. waah. they do have it in mazatlan..lol…large boxes cat litter–not until mazatlan, also..lol
go figger.
but i can get fresh produce, french pastry and goodies in barra de navidad…
and fish along the way…..and…..
poooor bubba….LOL
he will lose some of his freshly gained fat. he hasnt been hunting since birds got much larger than he is and have hooked and scary beaks…he sleeps at night, night herons have the pointy end….

we wil be heading north to la paz and into the golfo de california, commonly called by gringos the sea of cortez….
why??
because i have a great boat slave and i want to benefit from his abilities and knowledge before i continue on..also, yards are cheaper there, for some reason….and some parts are closer for acquisition…easier to mail from arizona, methinks, possibly also..
when i am done, i will be able to make arun to canal and thru –so isnt a back slide-is a new adventure in progress..LOL

everything happens so slowly on sailboats i have decided to leave here april 16th for points south.
probably huatulco. there is a railways in santa cruz, in that area, and i have my eye on that..or there is another yard in central america that uses a railways…i may use that one, is dependent on my financial situation when i arrive in the areas….
will have spot turned on and i will make position checks for yáll as i go…

from latitude 38 today:
[quote]
Moontide Crew Robbed at Gunpoint

February 20, 2013 – Caleta de Campos, Mexico

In disturbing news, Bill Lilly and his partner Judy Lang reported their Lagoon 470 Moontide was boarded by three armed men at about 2 a.m. yesterday while they were at anchor at Caleta de Campos, where they had stopped on their way from Zihua to Mazanillo. “I was awakened by banging on the sliding door into the salon,” Bill reports, “and like an idiot, I opened it — at which time a gun was put in my face. Three young men ransacked the boat looking for cash. I gave them what I had, and they went through the boat taking my navigation computer, a cell phone, cameras and booze.” A veteran of many Ha-Ha’s, and number one on the list for this fall’s Ha-Ha, Lily reports that he and Judy were unharmed, but got a heavy dose of adrenaline when “looking down the barrels of pistols.”

Caleta de Campos is the same anchorage where Blair Grinols’s 45-ft cat Capricorn Cat was boarded about 10 years ago by an armed man claiming to be police. Thanks to the area’s having a hinky reputation, we’ve always made straight shots between Zihua and Manzanillo. Given what happened to Moontide, we encourage others to do the same.

Glenn Twitchell of the Newport Beach-based Lagoon 380 Beach Access, who is a good friend of Bill and Judy’s, had an interesting take on the context of the incident. “In defense of Mexico, at nearly the same time Bill and Judy were robbed, some idiot in Orange County, where all three of us live, killed three people and wounded three more, most of them innocent strangers.”

For those looking for an even greater context, check out the website touristkilled.com. While certainly not definitive, it’s an ongoing compendium of misfortune that has befallen tourists in foreign countries around the world. Caution: You may never leave home again.[/quote]

i do not recommend staying at home—is the best way to become dead early. to bear regrets about not seeing that which you wanted to see in life.
life is an adventure meant to be LIVED–

–get out and live it to the fullest and see what you can and enjoy life and living–is a gift.