Chip & Debbie Willis on s\v Elegant'sea: 2019

We had s\v Elegant'sea washed, waxed and buffed - 2019

We took s\v Elegant'sea into the Marina Puerto de la Navidad (Barra Marina) for three days.

We had the boat washed, waxed and buffed for 4000 pesos. Which is a lot lees than in Puerto Vallarta. From and including the boom to the water line and everything in between about $210.00 USD.

Debbie is cutting some shade screen that we purchased. We purchased the gray shade screen at Costco in Puerto Vallarta. These two pieces she is making will go under the boom for over our two big 20x20 salon hatches there.

New line that came with the handles.

Debbie is going to put new handles on our forward Oceanair Roller Blinds Skyscreen.

Also, rewind the blind and screen after cleaning them. Model # SfSS - 1080 18 1\2 x 18 1\2 Beige with no PVC liner.

Jean and Jacinthe on s/v Arcane...came down to Mexico with us on 2012 Baja Ha Ha

I am on the paddleboard talking to Jean.

Passage around Cape from PV to Chamela Bay (Perula)- 2019

No wind to speak of. Waves were probably 4 feet and a bit mixed. After we rounded the cape the current kicked in and we lost at least a knot but had following seas then. After about 4 hours past the Cape the seas started to flatten out a bit and still about 4 feet.

PredictWind was the closest of the weather forecasts and it was still a little kind.

We are going to wait one more day as the weather looks better for a night and day passage from Puerto Vallarta to Punta Perula Bay - Chamela . Each night we were going to leave only to find the weather the next night looks better. So Wednesday night we will leave rounding Cabo Corrientes (Cape of Currents) at 4:00 am on Thursday and sailing all day Thursday. It's looking good to us! Now we have a High Pressure system so it should calm things down😎

Rounding the Cape - 2019

Ok we are ready to sail! Toys stashed and preventers out etc! We should be rounding "Cape of Currents" (Cabo Corrientes) about 4:00 am on Wednesday. We will leaving the dock at 9:00pm Tuesday for an overnighter to Chamela. It will be good to be at sea again!

Washed the decks with FSR - 2019

Washed the decks with FSR while we have all this nice fresh water! Leaving tomorrow night to round Cabo Corrientes (Cape of Currents) to Punta Perula Bay - Chamela.

Did some bilge\engine, cleaning\painting - 2019

While evaluating the bilge pumps I decided to give the bilge a good cleaning and do some rust removal and prevention on a couple of places on the Beta. Then a fresh coat of Brightside bilge paint - Interlux.

Yes, we are creating and installing a cockpit dome light.

We got tired of the portable one so we purchased some LED water proof lights.

Rule 2000 bilge pump leaking? - 2019

Our Rule 2000 bilge pump seems to be leaking at the base. You can see a steady stream of water shooting out. It is still pumping water out of the boat, though.

Took s\v Elelgant'sea out for a "shake down" - 2019

Took s\v Elegant'sea out for a "shake down" sail, motor
and drop anchor testing. All did well with only a few issues.

One batten is rubbing the backstay. We will need to retuck it in or trim it shorter.

Our new throttle cable will not hold its position and so it will need to be looked at.

Our 3\8" anchor chain could use to be remarked.
A bilge pump is acting up.

So all in all we are ready to sail south!

Mermaid 12000 btu HVAC and EasyStart 364 power strip failure - 2019

The idea was to use the power stripe to power a 110v fan by the power strip which was turned on by the Mermaid Marine Air electrical box. This proved to be a bad idea. Some months later the power strip stopped working and so did the salt water (March LC-3CP-MD pump ) the extra fan and the compressor on the HVAC.

Debbie is the label hand model😍

We will be going on a shakedown cruise in a couple

days so we are getting things ship-shape😁

We are waiting for weather to sail south!

Because we are having some problems sending position data from our new Garmin GPSMAP 942 chart plotter to our ICOM 802 SSB radio we are considering purchasing this gps antenna for the purpose of position data. We had this all working on our old Garmin GPSMAP 740 chartplotter on NMEA 0183 network.

Yes back again. That is, Debbie is back down in the lazzeretti this time working on our WatchMate XB-8000smartAIS Transponder with WiFi and NMEA 2000 Gateway. I can fit in there but all scrunched up but Debbie has some room to spare😀 Also Debbie is putting the fuses in so our solar panels can go live. We do that in the dark so no live panels.

Debbie has re-engineered the front of our ("Stack Pack" type) sail cover. Now she is doing the fastener work to finish it off.

Debbie has finished the female side. She used a Common Sense®Eyelet Hole Cutter to make the holes there. Now she is securing the DOT® Twist‑Lock Fastener to the the male side with a Sailrite®Snap Fastener Deluxe Installation Tool and the Barry King Mallet Hammer.

Replaced our 20' of stern shower Trident Marine hose - 2019

The 1\2 hose to our stern shower started to separate. It was coming apart. It is a Trident Marine Hose and we wrote to Trident but never heard anything back. We had to replace the 20' run of hose and used the same kind. Lets hope the hose last longer than 7 years this one did.

Anchor chain roller test video - 2019

The new chain roller mainly is for dropping the anchor 60 to 90 feet down and not hitting the bottom. Then bringing it back up aan we will have no twists in the chain.

New shackle test video on CQR - 2019

This is a test of launching and retrieving our 45 lb CQR anchor with the new 5\8," 1\2" shackles and the 3\8 swivel on it with 3\8 Acco chain.
We have a Lewmar H3 Anchor Windlass.

Our Hyde main sail is now back on the boom. It was stored inside all summer as we do that each summer. We wash and dry it and fold it and store it. Well we used to do that ourselves but now we have it done. The sail still looks new with no mold or mildew spots etc.

This is the new Beta Marine 38 hp hose (small black one) that we had Luis put on - he had help from his brother Alfonso and his son Luis. We also had them replace an alternator belt while they were here, the starboard belt.. Work I do not feel like doing anymore😁

The dinghy did fine stored away. Debbie sewed some worn spots on the chaps while they were off. That happens each year. We will put the Achilles LSI-310E up on our Kato Marine Island Davits as soon as we are getting ready to head South.

Replaced the CQR anchor shackles and swivel - 2019

We replaced the 5\8" shackle, the 1\2" shackle and the Chicago 3/8" Jaw & Eye Swivel.

Debbie is busy putting on our new Harken 6086 Fiddle Block block 75mm ESP With Becket . She is sitting on the Harkin Main Sheet Traveler System. This new block we purchased while in San Diego at Downwind Marine.

The Beta Marine 38 hp motor mounts were getting rusty. Some more than others. But we can not have that! We have painted them years ago because of the rust but they need some touching up.

Puerto Vallarta: Dia de Los Muertos Parade - 2019

Puerto Vallarta knows how to honor the dead during the Dia de Los Muertos Parade. It left the main cemetery and followed a route to the Malecon. We attended the festivities with our boating friends Brad and Darlene.

This is now mostly complete. The wires come down more straight and there are a couple clamps that will be replaced with welds. It is functional and looks good.

We did detail the wiring and some of the mount in an earlier post but we are at the finished mount now.

Here is the post about the mount.

Garmin GPSMAP 942 chart plotter needed to have a new power chord wired on. There is a difference between the old Garmin GPSMAP 740 chartplotter and the new Garmin GPSMAP 942 chartplotter.

About ready to go in the nice warm Pacific Ocean, or maybe it is nachos and cheese and guacamole first! At Paradise Village Marina..

Keeping a fun lifestyle while prepping boat for the cruising season - 2019

Trying to do beach walks or paddle boarding each morning and some days I go over to s\v Isis (another Islander Freeport 36) and play guitar with Neil. Then start the boat work. This takes some discipline but I do also get dips in the pools here at Paradise Village Marina after the beach walks etc. The afternoons are not so hot now so I can do projects outside in the afternoon. All good!

Concept of fabrication for chartplotter mount - 2019

Our new Garmin GPSMAP 942 chart plotter is to replace our Garmin GPSMAP 740 chartplotter. The new one is 2 inches bigger. So that means we need to make a new mount for it on the binnacle.

In the video I failed to mention that without the chartplotter, we could not see the radar. We use the radar on night passages. We set a guard zone and have the radar spin up every 20 min and it will sound an alarm if there is anything in our guard zone radius. We also use radar when anchoring - we can see if there is anything in our swing zone.

Returning to our boat, Summer/Fall of - 2019

We came back in the middle of October 2019 to Paradise Village Marina in Banderas Bay Mexico and got Elegant'sea live-able. We put water in the tanks, got the toilet working and opened all necessary through-hull valves. We turned on both built in HVAC units. We put ice in the refer\freeze and waited 24 hours, then turned on the system. We turned on propane etc. Everything worked, no problem! We also checked for water leaks and found the bilge to be dry and the cabinets, etc. were all dry. No leaks! All is good.

AOMAIS Sport II Portable Wireless Bluetooth Speakers - purchased - 2019

AOMAIS Sport II+ Bluetooth Speakers, Portable Outdoor Wireless Speaker, 30H Playtime, 20W HD Stereo Sound & Richer Bass, IPX7 Waterproof, 100ft Bluetooth for Travel, Party, Beach

This Beta Marine type air filter is not inexpensive and in Mexico,
we have have found them to be twice as much and need to be imported.

Debbie picked up a KAVU Rope Sling Bag at REI here in LA. We wanted to check out some "North Face back packs" and she saw this bag and liked it. It was also marked down so that helped. It is kind of a cross between a purse and a backpack for Debbie. You can swing it around to get at the phone or whatever.

The North Face Jester Backpack (29L)

Because of the amount of moving around we do, it seemed about time to upgrade my backpack. I have one we purchased from West Marine years ago but it is showing its age with one zipper not working now etc.

Kayak Handles (2 Pack) - Strong T-Handle Design | Ultra Heavy Duty Bungee | Replacement Installation Kit - Occult Purchased from Amazon.

QG 8pc 23 oz Clear Acrylic Iced Tea Cup with

Colored Base Plastic Tumbler Set in 4 Assorted Colors.

Hard to find plastic glasses when it is not summer, or later summer, when the stores all have fall\winter stuff out. We like the plastic because they are lighter and will not hurt you or break if they fall while sailing etc.

New backup Jabsco raw water pump painted, inspected - ready for use - 2019

The new Jabsco (JAB 29450-1701 3017) engine raw water pump got a couple of coats of the Beta Marine red paint. Here I am removing the blue tape.

Danny and Deborah of s\v Cyclades at the campground

by the beach with their camper. Gotta love the horns!

A blue one for Debbie and gray one for me - dog not included 😀

Good hose clamps. These have a stainless steel screw and are 316 stainless steel. Also they do not have the groves cut through so they will not cut the hose.

This card reader and MicroSD card we purchased for our new Garmin GPSMAP 942 chart plotter. Our old Garmin GPSMAP 740 chartplotter took a larger size SD card.

More supplies purchased at Downwind Marine.
Starbrite Snap and Zipper Lube and Super Lube Dieletric Grease .

Also I picked up the last "Sailing Supply" glasses holder.
Sailing Supply is now part of Downwind Marine..

This is a spare for the one that is up there now.
Good to have a spare😊 We purchased this at Home Depot.

Mexican flag and halward purchased again this season. For us, they last about a cruising season and then get ripped apart by the wind due to sun damage. The flag we purchased at Downwind Marine and the halyard at West Marine.

We went to the Dinghy Doctor and picked up a gas line hose barb to Honda 9.9 hp outboard fuel connector. It is a spare and could save us a lot of grief if our current one splits or breaks. Also, we got a couple free key chains (if you can call that free)😀

Safely tucked away for hurricane "Lorena" in PV - 2019

Jorge (who is watching our boat) sent us this video of our boat in the middle of the storm (Lorena) and just shows you how safe our boat is in Paradise Village Marina in Puerto Vallarta! Thank you, Jorge and PVM!!

This Vesper Marine smartAIS XB 8000 unit will allow us

to broadcast our position as right now we can only receive

AIS information. It also has a nice anchor watch with external alarms.

Our stern shower with Trident hose started to come apart and leaked. This 1\2" hose runs from under the galley sink from a valve out to the stern shower

We just purchased a Worthington Pro Grade 11 lb. Propane Tank from Amazon.

One of our old composite propane tanks valve broke. We had two composite 11 lb propane bottles but one came up with a bad valve which left us with only one.

We purchased our new Garmin GPSMAP 942 chart plotter from Shelter Island Marine Electronics. Our new chartplotter has a 2" bigger screen. Our old Garmin 740 chart plotter is going bad. It has now not only shrinking screen edges but some big black dots on the screen.

Our current strakes are 12" X 1" and are not long enough,
so we purchased these two at Downwind Marine.

Spectra Ventura Watermaker 200T Deluxe pickling compound. We purchased two of these. We also purchased some prefilters. We purchased these from Daily Water Makers on Shelter drive, San Diego, Ca..

Debbie is at Downwind Marine looking at our blog for the size

of the rubber gasket on the Bomar - Pompanettellc Hatch, 100 series.

We found our size which is 9\16 for the rubber seal

around the hatch cover and the hatch is 20 1/8" x 20 1/8".

There is a boat bottom cleaning store "HC Supply" on Shelter Island

in San Diego so we picked up a few items.

The zincs we put on help keep the Magma Rock N Roll Stabilizer from getting pitted etc.

We use four at a time. We tried less but for us in Mexico, four is what we need to keep the pitting at bay. We got these four at Marine Exchange. And there is a place on the flopper stopper for four 😀

These booties will be great for cleaning the bottom of our boat

in colder water, like the Sea of Cortés (Gulf of California). These are H2Odyssey Wave Gear High Top socks. BK10XL

While in Bahia de Navidad, Mexico we have "Beto" clean our boat bottom. Maybe that happens twice a year. Beto had pleaded with us to bring him back a wetsuit, size large.

Debbie's new Harken gloves - 2019

Debbie's new Harken gloves from Downwind Marine aks (Sailing Supply). Debbie had purchased some Gill gloves a couple years ago but they did not hold up well. She wrote to Gill but never got any replies. The person at Downwind Marine saud he had a pair of the Harken gloves and they have held up well. We shall see?

New Harken main sheet fiddle block purchased - 2019

The 41 year old Schaefer 3-sheave fiddle block

is getting replaced with this new Harken 6086 Fiddle Block.

Portable Solar Charger, BEARTWO 10000mAh Ultra-Compact External Batteries with Dual USB Ports, Solar Power Bank with Flashlight for Camping, Outdoor Activities

Caprail before and then after varnishing - 2019

The before videos of the caprail. That is before I stripped them for varnishing.

The little bubbles, I think, is the morning dew.

Our PYI PSS Type A Shaft Seal has been on the boat since we bought her and for however long before that. Not knowing how long it has been on the boat before we bought her we decided it would be time to buy a PSS Maintenance Kit..