Sea legs and jellyfish

If you ever boated before you will know things take longer then usual on boats. projects seem to take days.Thought we had the heads running ,well the were both leaking. not good in a boat or anywhere for that matter.The forward selinoid vent thing started acting up. this is the supply of salt water to the head inside the cabinet, not exactly where you want salt water. Nikita had worked on it the day before no susses. The back head (thats why they call me the head mechanic)leaks at the back, where you can't see, so I pulled the thing onto the dock and replaced the seals, oh and one of the four bolts (stales steel) had rusted off.after the install it still leaked.One of my lower moments. I think it took 3 Cervazas to cure.After buying a new O ring the forward head was back in duty, the aft took a full rebuild of the electrical moter, actually just a seal on the shaft but took the whole thing apart just cause I enjoy this kind of work. Everyone went shopping for provisions it was the last day for the rental car. With all this fun we had a small weather window on Saterday that we could not make. so we are fixing the last of the little things, including flushing the water maker. Today we went out for our first sail (sunday) after pancakes of coarse. What a lovely time everything worked even though we got out around the point and the wind blew and the seas got to over 4ft, so we turned around and anchored in an small cove. the kids swam, fed the gulls and snorkeled. It was truly beautiful until the discovery of jellyfish. Nikita got stung on the chest and Shane on the leg. I was in my glory for I was making fresh water down below. we needed to make it back in time to meet the upholstery guy, and besides the wind was gusty. Shane steered us in to the Marina where the gusts were over 25kts. I took over to get us onto the dock. I eased off on the throttle but we were doing 5kts so I put it into neutral, still too fast, reverse to act as a brake, now the steering is unpredictable. Crap Our neighbours Good News are on the dock to receive us. we are coming in just a tad off but OK the wind is on the stern pushing us, I need to throw it in reverse again. Dock lines off ,crew off all looks good, we didn't hit. I put it into neutral, just about to shut the key off ,something stops me. I jump off, notice no spring line yet. I ask Nikita for the spring line, he does reluctantly, he was holding the boat, I realize the cleat is not in a great place to retie. the boat travels forward, its now blowing 25kts steady, boat is picking up speed. the boys got trouble with the stern line its tangled. someone yells reverse, we are going to hit. I jump on board but Kiya has put it in reverse already, like a saving angel, I throttle up, we didn't hit but our bow sprint is over the dock and it looks like it. all the lines get fixed, another spring gets put out from the bow. what a scare. everyone is hyped up. Nikita puts a second stern line on. Shane a second bow line. All is good, we thank everyone for being there, as our neighbours walk away I realize Gypsywinds' engine is still running; I reluctantly shut it off. Tied to A17 in San Carlos Marina Gypsywind and crew

Mexico, sun and a dirty boat

After two nights in Mazatlan (a treat before the work) we have arrived in San Carlos where Gypsywind has been brought to the work yard for us.We are staying down the road in a nice hotel with a pool and a view of the sunsets over the ocean. we were warned that the boat will be in rough shape, so we braced ourselves,only to be surprised she was not all that bad. the canopy was in tact. No roaches living on board, though we found two tiny dead ones, no food I guess. The bad news was the tiny gravel all over the decks and the green stains on the fiberglass both on deck and on the upper haul. We washed and scrubbed all 6 of us but the stains were not coming out. Our neighbours had the same problem but theirs was slowly coming out. Their boat was left only for 4 months , Gypsywind 22 months. We hired the yard to polish out, the guy gave up after an hour.Our last day in the yard we installed all new batteries actually 6, 2 were delivered next day to the dock. We also fired up the Volvo Penta 10 sec. of cranking, stop, three more and she started,what a relief. Nikita had the hose in the intake for cooling.Shane took charge of the top side. In the mean time, Kim had stripped all the bedding,and sail covers, and rewashed them in the hotel(free laundry) and put the place into beautiful order. Kiya and her wiped down the entire inside. the boys had the top side decks booms and ropes clean as well. all done with a 12ft ladder as access to the boat We lost the day for cleaning the stains and next morning we had an 8am splash time. After paying our invoice for the dry storage, the loader/ trailer hauled Gypsywind down the road a 1/2 KM, we eased Gypsywind into her more natural state (floating), going below checking all the trough hauls, no leaks, this is good, this was exiting. Engine turned over, like she can and we backed off the dock, watching the prop walk that pulls to starboard we put her in forward. The girls ran to our slip to receive us. We eased into the slip like we had done it before, no boats damaged and the dock in tact. Gypsywind has got her dignity back.After moving the stored equipment to the deck, we cleaned some more. The crew celebrated, as we settled in for our first night on board. An adventure begins. Gypsywind and Crew reunited.

We're Back 2014

Hey all you gypsy wind followers brace yourself for our new adventure. after 2 years of land lobbering we return to gypsywind who her self has been on the hard. not to sure who has been living on board but are bags are packed and here we come just past the the avalanche snow removile aquipment we have made our way though the kootneay pass this time we come with a new crew member Shane kiya’s partner. it has been a test to live with 5 family members in a large home lets see how we do in tight quarters .Shanes' last boating exsperince didint go so well . Calgrey here we come, Mazatlan well be a 2 day stop over and then on to San Carlos where Gypsy Wind awaits our splash date is feb 25th ,we expect a bit of work for we have not been back for 22 months. Crew of GypsyWind { Boatless}

Leaving Lapaz

We have not blogged for a long time .
we crossessed thesea to LAPAZ in December and came again Just Kim & I on a work trip in Feb.
We have returned and just picked up crew (Josh Hall) yesterday and are leaving for the Islands on a 10 day cruise. 6 people on board we will report from Puerto Escondedo ( by Loreto) in 10 days
first stop San Gabriel on Isla Espiritu Santo
Gypsywind on channel 16

ONE Fine Lady

I arrived Feb. 14 Valentines to find 7 people living on board. Don't worry, Kim, Kiya, Noah, Mechelle, Rob, and 3yr old Hania. Gypsywind was in dissrepair, mainly the heat exchanger was missing. So much for preventative maintainance.In November we commissioned some service work mainly,  new injectors adjust the valves and timing. oh and clean the heat exchager core.

Well....... the core could not be removed from the housing, so as a last ditch effort I  gave  the OK to drill out the core to save the housing  which is worth $1500 alone. The core is $1750. Its like getting a cavity filled, next thing you know you are paying for a root canal and a crown.  Welcome to the reality of boating.

Our dear freind Jay back up Marina Del Rey was the first to ask me "Do you know what Boat stands for?"

B.O.A.T= Bring On Another Thousand.

Harvey

Sharing Gypsywind with family

When we were living on Gypsywind more full time we longed to share our experiences with family and friends and to share a tid bit of lifestyle with them.
My opportunity came when this past month We had the honor of my sister Mechelle  and Niece Hania  stay aboard with us in mazatlan Elcid marina for 3 weeks and having  her husband Rob join us for the last week.
It was interesting to arrive at the boat without Harvey and just us girls with all kids in tow I had my start the boat list ready and was pretty excited, breakers, water pressure, battery checks, refrigeration start up,  check the dry goods on board make sure no bugs then bedding and cleaning unpack and then the Margarita!  It was sure nice the first few days, Mechelle  took to the VHF right away and at times was up before me with receiver in hand ready to check in, she was also busy converting temp. from Fahrenheit   to Celsius to try and understand why we were so cold, she claims as true we were at one point 1 degree above freezing and she saw her breathe in the morning. It was true it was the coldest weather that Mazatlan has had in 55 years , and low and behold there we were with Margaritas and bathing suits in mind!!! 
Well despite this we had some days of  sunshine and that's when we headed to the beach , Mechelle eager and excited forgot to put her bathing bottoms on and when we arrived she then realized and whatever sat in panties regardless who would guess these days anyway,
so we celebrated with the Happy hours at each pool site for a few days! this is where she figured out that knitting and Margaritas are not good together.
The wind blew like snot for a few days and I was preoccupied trying to keep the boats Sun shade on. It felt like we may parachute off the dock any moment that's when i decided to climb onto the boom and rebundgy all around,the old ones were literally fraying apart very fast .Mechelle held my legs. it must have looked weird.  We were boatbound!! thank god for Mechelle eager teaching techniques we survived and did lots of homeschool to free up some days when the sun would shine. Markets, and restaurant hopping, once the wind calmed down,. we still froze at Plaza Machado . I had to buy Kiya a scarf so the complaining would stop.

Sharing living and lifestyle I think Mechelles a natural although she read ADRIFT the novel (about a man lost  sea for 72 days and all he went through she could not do it she said, She questioned me on all the things i have in our ditch bag, and she was so friendly with the dock folks for the last weeks on my own there were cruisers saying oh I met your sister, yeh, she was staying with you. Had she been there for the swap meet on Saturday she would have sold Hanias holey souls for 50 pesos. 
Hania and Noah had amazing bonding time and today she asks for him daily, Her fist comments come out as oh my god this is so cool! it was like a fort for her. Mechelle and Hania shared the forward bunk and had their own head. She was amazing for the 3 weeks and not once wanted to go home. She has that adventurous spirit in her. extremely curious and asks a thousand questions, I loved it! and she is only 3.

 

Any way Sharing and living bring out the best and other stuff in all of us , we had fun we laughed and cried and did stupid stuff just as sisters should, thank-you Gypsywind.