Weebles - Day in Cruising Life

[slowgoesit]

We're about 1 hour out now. The last half of this leg has been much nicer than the first half! It was a little rolley there for a while. Laura still won't let me put any fishing lines out . . . . Pout . . . . We should put in to Chamala at first light.

 

[mvweebles]

Muirgen as we circled in Yelapa cove. Sort of reminded me of PNW except palm tree forest instead of pine. Muirgen is in 600-feet of water.

Peter

 

[mvweebles]

We are headed to another bay about 25 nms south of Chamela called Tenacatita. Flopper stoppers get a lot of use along this coast, essential equipment though few boats set them. A few sailboats off their boom and that's it.

I just say, this part of Mexico has amazing cruising. Plenty of anchorages well within a day apart with small towns. We clearly over-provisioned and have lost more food to freezer burn than consumption (exaggeration but you get the point).

Life is good. The Perkins keeps ticking away at 1600-1650 RPM propelling us south at jogging speed.

Peter

 

[Don L]

I am jealous.

 

[sunchaser]

Great to hear your trip is going well. Kudos for good planning.

 

[ksanders]

You guys are on an amazing adventure!!!

Please keep posting pics!!!

 

[mvweebles]

It's an absolutely gorgeous day on the water today. Daytime temps are in the low 80s (F) and nighttime temps are in the upper 60s.

When I was in San Francisco I was a bit ambivalent about flybridges. Weather like we're having here has definitely skewed my thinking. I'll find a picture of Weebles' flybridges 'before' to show how the configuration was changed along with adding the hardtop to make the flybridge more friendly in the tropical.

Peter

Peter

 

[HeadedToTexas]

Your hardtop design is really slick, Peter. Love the robust yet minimalist supports. Really nice look. I have been happy with our soft bimini because I like the thought that I can get our air draft down to 12 feet when needed and have therefore resisted fixed hard tops, but your version makes me think. Great stuff.

 

[Hippocampus]

Last sailboat had a hard Bimini. It was great and an excellent place for solar. Current boat has canvas. The only advantage is it’s easy to remove for strong winds or storage. Love your Bimini. Particularly like them with a bit of camber done in carbon skins and foam. Weight that high does affect AVS.
Enjoy Peter. You deserve it after all the work you did on your refit.

 

[rslifkin]

I agree, the supports on that hard top are great. A fairly minimal set of big tubes like that is my plan when the hard top makes the top of the "to-do" list.

 

[mvweebles]

A Bimini can be either hard or soft. If you want solar, you need to support a man to install and service them. Something rigid is required.

My hard top is a bit heavy even with foam core. Sure, the weight of the mast and spar is gone as is a very heavy radar dome, but still, I would probably look at doing the hard top in aluminum instead. A thin sheet over some ribs would lightweight and strong. The biggest downside would be painting it - eventually, paint bubbles.

Another option would be laminating doorskin veneer. If the top were arched enough, it would not take much thickness to support panels and a worker.

Peter

 

[PierreR]

Peter, I am considering building a hard top out of 1" eastern white cedar covered with two layers of 1 1/2oz e glass/epoxy resin. very light like a cedar strip canoe. I had a pilot house built on my last boat that way and it was great.

 

[Muirgen Afloat]

Laura still won't let me put any fishing lines out . . . . Pout . . . . .

You are such a fisherman... telling those stretching the truth... Let's clarify I don't see the point in putting lines out when we have two freezers full of fish we need to eat. Has that stopped you at any point? No... so don't be telling tales on a forum that I monitor.



That being said.. the weather is incredible down here. Chamela was gorgeous. Arrived just in time to watch the sunrise. Was so beautiful. Enjoyed a little trip into town and some yummy food. Really loving Mexico.



Our little trip down the coast to Tenacaitita was smooth and painless..Took a dip in the ocean while Scot clean off the prop, that controllable pitch propeller hates it when there is even the littlest bit of gunk on it. Then we tried out the new deck wash down/shower Scot put in. It's awesome. Got to love a handy guy. Guess I'll have to forgive his fishing addition if he keeps doing stuff like that. This morning we are going up the river on a dingy to see what all the fuss is about.

 

[SteveK]

Catch and release until room in the freezer.

 

[Muirgen Afloat]

Catch and release until room in the freezer.

Yeah that's what he's doing. I think he wants that huge tuna that he has to share with everyone. Is that like the fisherman's dream or something?

 

[mvweebles]

Barra de Navidad.

We arrived in Barra de Navidad yesterday afternoon, approximately a third the way south between Puerto Vallarta and Acapulco. The marina had a slip for tiny Weebles, but not Scot and Laura's 50+ foot Muirgen. Slip rate varies by how long we're here - around $60/night for a couple days. $50/night if we stay 5.

It's a beautiful marina set against a steep hill with resort facilities. Weebles draws a lot of attention in general - few believe she's a 1970 vintage boat.

Saga continues. Today we'll run into town to check-in with the harbor master and do some shopping. We'll meet up with Scot and Laura along the way. Plan is to be here for a few days as it's an interesting area I've heard about for 25 years. Plus I have a couple boat projects to do that would be better than being anchored.

Peter

 

[mvweebles]

Sad day - Buen Viaje Muirgen!!

Well, its finally happened. Scot and Laura on Muirgen are headed south and we are not. We are both getting our boats delivered to Florida, but since we've lived in Florida for 15+ years and have our house/boat infrastructure settled, we have the luxury of time to be lazy in our plans. Plus, Muirgen, at around 55-feet LOA and 5.5-ft draft is more constrained by anchorage and marina options as our tiny Willard 36. So while our routes are identical, our schedules are unfortunately divergent. It's with a heavy heart that we'll watch our good friends Scot and Laura drift southbound. Fair winds and seas to you both!

We are in Barra de Navidad, near Manzanillo MX. I've heard of Barra as a cruising destination for almost 25 years. It's an adorable town and region so we'll spend some time searching for the Ultimate Taco, plus a couple boat-projects. ETD is next Tuesday when we head to Zihuateneo, another town I know of by reputation only - mostly the closing scene of Shawshank Redemption (Tim Robbins' character wants to escape prison and go to Z-town). When I was delivering, I bypassed all these places. Taking time to 'smell the roses' is a personal bucket-list item for me.

Peter

 

[AlaskaProf]

We made a slight diversion to Yelapa, a cove on the south side of Banderas Bay (Puerto Vallarta).

Peter

Yelapa's a fun 90 minute ride in a lancha from Puerto Vallarta, concluding with a zooming arrival up onto the beach. We usually stay at Garza Blanca south of P.V. by Los Arcos (the big rocks), but we have spent several nights in the palapas on the left in your picture.

 

[slowgoesit]

Well, its finally happened. Scot and Laura on Muirgen are headed south and we are not. We are both getting our boats delivered to Florida, but since we've lived in Florida for 15+ years and have our house/boat infrastructure settled, we have the luxury of time to be lazy in our plans. Plus, Muirgen, at around 55-feet LOA and 5.5-ft draft is more constrained by anchorage and marina options as our tiny Willard 36. So while our routes are identical, our schedules are unfortunately divergent. It's with a heavy heart that we'll watch our good friends Scot and Laura drift southbound. Fair winds and seas to you both!

We are in Barra de Navidad, near Manzanillo MX. I've heard of Barra as a cruising destination for almost 25 years. It's an adorable town and region so we'll spend some time searching for the Ultimate Taco, plus a couple boat-projects. ETD is next Tuesday when we head to Zihuateneo, another town I know of by reputation only - mostly the closing scene of Shawshank Redemption (Tim Robbins' character wants to escape prison and go to Z-town). When I was delivering, I bypassed all these places. Taking time to 'smell the roses' is a personal bucket-list item for me.

Peter

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Peter, it's not like we died or something! We'll hook up in Florida and buddy boat again.

 

[mvweebles]

Follow Weebles on Instagram

I've decided to chronicle our cruising on Instagram as we have many friends and family who are not boaters and would like to see some of our travels.

I've started with several posts including some archival ones of "Before" refit.

Please feel free to follow our journey. We are currently in Barra de Navidad and headed to Zihuatenao on Wednesday.

I'll continue to post boat-specific items here on TF of course.

Our Instagram address: https://www.instagram.com/mvweebles/

Peter

 

[CharlieO.]

I've decided to chronicle our cruising on Instagram as we have many friends and family who are not boaters and would like to see some of our travels.

I've started with several posts including some archival ones of "Before" refit.

Please feel free to follow our journey. We are currently in Barra de Navidad and headed to Zihuatenao on Wednesday.

I'll continue to post boat-specific items here on TF of course.

Our Instagram address: https://www.instagram.com/mvweebles/

Peter

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Nice mv-luna-c is now following....

 

[Muirgen Afloat]

I've decided to chronicle our cruising on Instagram as we have many friends and family who are not boaters and would like to see some of our travels.

I've started with several posts including some archival ones of "Before" refit.

Please feel free to follow our journey. We are currently in Barra de Navidad and headed to Zihuatenao on Wednesday.

I'll continue to post boat-specific items here on TF of course.

Our Instagram address: https://www.instagram.com/mvweebles/

Peter

View attachment 145578

Cool Peter. Let me know if you have any questions with instagram. I've been doing for awhile. I'm not perfect at it, but might be able to muddle through with you.. .

 

[Davil1]

I've decided to chronicle our cruising on Instagram as we have many friends and family who are not boaters and would like to see some of our travels.

I've started with several posts including some archival ones of "Before" refit.

Please feel free to follow our journey. We are currently in Barra de Navidad and headed to Zihuatenao on Wednesday.

I'll continue to post boat-specific items here on TF of course.

Our Instagram address: https://www.instagram.com/mvweebles/

Peter

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enjoying your posts, remind me of my own years past, feel were the best years of my life.

Different boats, same goals, live and enjoy our lives, what a gift.

 

[mvweebles]

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enjoying your posts, remind me of my own years past, feel were the best years of my life.

Different boats, same goals, live and enjoy our lives, what a gift.

On CruisersForum - the sail oriented sister site of TrawlerForum, I detect a certain arrogance towards power boaters. But when we're actually out here doing it, no one seems to care what you're on, just that you're there, which is what I'd expect. I have to say, Weebles draws a crowd. She looks great and sailors seem to think her style is what they'd have when they transition to power.

We just arrived Ixtapa Marina. Plenty of room here. Pretty cheap too. About $30/day (incl tax) for Weebles plus power and water. Something to be said for a small boat. We're off to lunch with a pair of couples we met along the way who also arrived today. One a fellow member of the Panama Posse. Nice folks - they both have small dogs so we get out pet fix.

We're staying more in marinas than we thought we would, mostly because they're affordable and we can explore. Ixtapa is next to Zihuateneo which doesn't have a marina so we'll take the bus there just as we did in Mazatlan. Easy.

Peter

 

[PierreR]

On CruisersForum - the sail oriented sister site of TrawlerForum, I detect a certain arrogance towards power boaters. But when we're actually out here doing it, no one seems to care what you're on, just that you're there, which is what I'd expect. I have to say, Weebles draws a crowd. She looks great and sailors seem to think her style is what they'd have when they transition to power.

That would be refreshing to me. In my cruising area, I am a big boat, and power boaters in this area seem to have no clue what a slow pass is. They will roar past a bare pole 22' sailboat digging a 4' deep trench 20 yards away next to a breakwall. Sailboater's all look at me like I was the last guy to do that to them. As a former sailboater, I have a full displacement power boat but the sailboater's barely acknowledge the fact that I exist.

 

[Davil1]

On CruisersForum - the sail oriented sister site of TrawlerForum, I detect a certain arrogance towards power boaters. But when we're actually out here doing it, no one seems to care what you're on, just that you're there, which is what I'd expect. I have to say, Weebles draws a crowd. She looks great and sailors seem to think her style is what they'd have when they transition to power.

We just arrived Ixtapa Marina. Plenty of room here. Pretty cheap too. About $30/day (incl tax) for Weebles plus power and water. Something to be said for a small boat. We're off to lunch with a pair of couples we met along the way who also arrived today. One a fellow member of the Panama Posse. Nice folks - they both have small dogs so we get out pet fix.

We're staying more in marinas than we thought we would, mostly because they're affordable and we can explore. Ixtapa is next to Zihuateneo which doesn't have a marina so we'll take the bus there just as we did in Mazatlan. Easy.

Peter

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I remember Ixtapa, was very nice then.

copy/paste from my recent post

Different boats, same goals, live and enjoy our lives, what a gift.

 

[Davil1]

two areas we enjoyed and explored with buses were Mexico and Panama.

 

[slowgoesit]

Glad you two are enjoying Ixtapa! We miss buddy boating with you and Cheryll. It was comforting on the long night watches to see you on radar and AIS (pointing 90 degrees to starboard) and know friends were near. I appreciate your setting that up Peter, as it makes Weebles easily identifiable on AIS!

We're currently in Chiapas. Nice Marina. About 70 slips, nice restaurant on site. Travel lift and long term dry storage as well. Bus or Taxi into Tapachula, which has an international airport, also Walmart, Home Depot, Sorianos, Office Depot, etc. That'll be a jaunt for tomorrow. For today, hooking up with a friend we met on line several years ago who has offered to show us around. Nice place to say awhile. 14 miles from Guatemala, take a day or overnight trip to renew your 180 day Mexican visa as well.

 

[mvweebles]

I've been posting to Instagram (mvweebles) but whats missing is the day to day drudgery that cruising involves.

We will depart Ixtapa at 0700 tomorrow morning. Yesterday was a trip into Zihuatenejo to the Capitinea de Puerto to check in and out (we arrived last Friday so Monday was the first we could check in). We spent about an hour at the port captains office including going across the street for copies. There is no charge for arrivals and exits within Mexico, but they do want to you to check on and out. Their house. Their rules. We like it here so "The Dude will Abide ".

We had lunch at the Mercado. Great tacos from a place there if it were in the US would be shut down immediately. We are way to serious about this stuff.

Honey is sold everywhere in Mexico and we use a fair amount. Mercado is the best place to get it so that was on the list. I eat granola and fruit with yogurt most mornings and a splash of honey is perfect. On late night watches, a cup of tea with honey is also great. So we go through a fair amount.

I also needed some 20 micron filters for the watermaker. I have a dozen 5 micron but wanted a coarser pre filter. We discover a lot about a town looking for parts and searching for filters was no different. General strategy is to find a place (hardware store in this case) and see if they have what we want. If not, ask for a recommendation. We struck gold on the third store and came home with 6 filters.

Final stop yesterday was a grocery store for some more yogurt. Cilantro, and a handful of fresh fruit and produce. So the day took around 6 hours of bus rides and waiting. Was a good day.

Today was getting ready to leave. I have a few chores. Change water filters for water maker. Fix gasket on fridge (fairly involved but boring), futzed with the inverter (a different thread), finally found the replacement water heater element I'd been searching for, checked out of marina ($40/nt all-in-one including power, water, and slip fees), and stowed misc gear. We managed to find time to go for lunch at a place run by a Canadian who does vegan type lunch, a change from tacos.

Bottom line is if relaxation is the goal, not sure cruising is the right solution, at least if you're trying to move around. Frankly, we tell folks we're on a lazy delivery so not sure if fully qualified as cruising, but we believe it does.

Still having a great time. Not tired of tacos yet. There are fewer anchorages and places to stop going south but that's okay. We are looking forward to Huatulco in a couple weeks where we'll hopefully pause for a week or so and take a trip inland to Oaxaca, heartbeat if Mexican folk art and food

Peter

PICTURES

• Port Captain office in Zihuatenejo
• Cavendish at anchor, a SeaPiper 35 (for those who think you need a Nordhavn, we've been playing leap frog with Cavendish for 500 nms)
• And a Sports Bar with cute banner.

 

[guy with a boat]

That Seapiper looks an awful lot like a Nordhavn 35. Either way, your point about not needing an expedition yacht is a good one.

Cruising is definitely a participation sport. Hopefully all that work keeps us young. Your posts are always entertaining and interesting. Keep them coming.