Valdesca goes to the beauty parlor

We pulled Valdesca out of the water today and took her over to NOLS where Rogelio, their boat guy, will sand and paint her bottom with anti-fouling paint. This paint slowly dissipates with time, kind of like soap, and contains a biocide that keeps critters and algae from attaching to the boat. This helps keep the bottom clean to maximize speed through the water. We had to totally de-rig her because Rogelio needed to careen her (meaning flip her upside down). We are buying the paint from another gringo who just had his own boat painted. Total cost for the paint job: $100.

Speaking of prices of things, I find the pricing down here kind of intriguing. Some things cost less, some cost the same. Almost nothing seems to cost more. Of course, there are lots of things you just can't get very readily, so their cost is infinite I suppose. A pack of 10 tortillas costs about a dollar. Eight gallons of reverse osmosis water and 8 lbs of ice cost about $1.25. A fill-up at the gas station costs about $40, similar to home. A kilo of shrimp (2.2 lbs) costs $10. That's an especially good deal. They trawl for the shrimp right here in the bay. Of course, we really shouldn't be eating shrimp at all because trawling is environmentally destructive (lots of by-catch) and the shrimp take is way beyond sustainable. A six-pack of beer (Dos Equis lager) costs a little less, about $.75 per beer. I figure a good working man's beer like Tecate in cans costs less. We'll see what more we can find out about that. Limes are practically free. Avocados are cheap.

Today was hot and sunny and calm. Light winds in the morning as we were pulling out the boat. I saw a few small sailboats venturing out into the bay. Then the winds died totally and all the sea kayakers went out. The tide is especially low right now as we approach the full moon. More beach than ever was exposed at low tide this afternoon and the birds were loving it. We had great blue herons, reddish egrets, gulls, snowy egrets, and eared grebes feeding right out in front of us in the shallows. Now and again a magnificent frigate bird would swoop in and try to steal a fish from a smaller bird. Lots of squawking and diversionary tactics would ensue.

While we were at NOLS, we got to talk more with some of the staff. They gave us tips on rigging a sea anchor when conditions get rough. They told us the Drascombe will actually sail under bare poles in a big blow, allowing you to use the rudder effectively. They said to try it out. We got from them the frequencies of the radio transmissions that will keep us up-to-date on weather. And besides that we met some nice people who were amazed to see us sailing a Drascombe.

The bottom of the boat wasn't as perfect as we had hoped. Rogelio pointed out some gel blisters in the fiberglass. He says it's typical for these boats as they spray on the fiberglass and typically don't get a great coat in corners of the hull. He'll repair the damage with patches on the interior before he paints. That way, we won't be delaying necessary repair. He is also going to replace a piece of brass along the keep that was missing. All in all, it's a good thing we stopped here first as these guys have been an incredible help to us. We have learned a lot about the boats, their rigging, and their maintenance in addition to getting sailing and cruising pointers.

I'll try uploading photos tomorrow. I have a slow connection for some reason. My wi-fi hot spot is a little tepid tonight for some reason.