Liveaboards on way up the sea of Cortez

[CMH]

Hello all! First post today but have been lurking here in the shadows for seven years 🤪
My wife and I are currently in Loreto, BCS and slowly heading north to Puerto peñasco for haul out on August 15th. We’re short-handing our Irwin 65 and having a blast while seeing as much as possible of the giant aquarium that is the Sea of Cortez.
We bought the boat last June in La Paz and have been fixing her up, visiting the nearby islands, and meeting new friends since then. We’ve documented our experience (good and bad) since purchase, and have posted weekly since then on our utube channel: YouTube.com/sailingbluePearl.
Anyway, I’ve learned tons and tons from this site and am thrilled to finally be a part of your community!😁
Chris and Jessica on Blue Pearl

[Diesel Bill]

Welcome . I also bought my boat in La Paz back in 2016. Wish I had stayed there for a few seasons instead of bringing it up to So Cal. Sounds like you're living the the life. Best of luck.

[CMH]

Hello Bill.��
I’m betting that there have been a lot of changes to La Paz since 2016. And I’ll bet the biggest one is the cost of boat work. Wow! Super expensive now down here! So, you’re in So Cal. Not so far away. Any plans to return? Lots and lots to see and the fishing is good��

[Jim Cate]

Welcome aboard CMH! We enjoyed our 18 months in the SOC, way back in 1986-88. 'Twas where we cut our foreign cruising teeth and became lifers, so be aware that it is addictive and that there are few cures for the disease.

Probably wouldn't recognize La Paz now... marina de La Paz was the only such establishment when we arrived... and they were full, so we began the adjustment to living on the hook, mostly off of El Mogote. Those were halcyon days for sure!

Again, welcome to CF and enjoy the ride.

Jim

[CMH]

we too anchored near the Magote for four months or so while we worked on the boat and explored the islands a bit since the cost of a slip at Marina de La Paz was $1,800/month plus metered utilities. Luckily we have a decent dingy ( and fast) so we paid 900 pesos /mo for dingy dock day use. Have a look at the attachment to see how crowded the dingy dock can get🤨
Chris

[Celestialsailor]

Well the reason boat work is so expensive in La Paz is because people pay it. Long ago I learned (out of necessity) to do my own work. There is almost nothing I cannot do on a boat. That said and take this next statement as you will...way better than any of the locals can do. The only thing I ever farmed out was sanding the bottom paint back to the gelcoat and I had to supervise that operation the whole time and yes, it entailed some repair to the fiberglass they had screwed up.

You should know the tides up in the north sea are crazy, so please take caution and be sure all your ground tackle is 100%.

[CMH]

Hello Celestial Sailor. Yep, I’m guilty of that. But, I wasn’t qualified to do many of the projects like painting the topsides, rigging work, fiberglass, upholstery, and electrical work. And the boat wasn’t reliable enough to move it out of La Paz. Thankfully we’ve now left LaPaz and are hoping to never return. We’ve certainly dropped way too many nickels there and stayed way too long at what has to be the worst anchorage on the planet.
Thanks for the reminder about the tides at the North Sea. I think we’re pretty prepared. We have a 75 lb plow on 200 feet of 1/2” chain. Hopefully that’ll keep us out of trouble. Problem is, our windlass is busted so we have to hand crank ��
Cheers! Chris

[George_SD]

Cool - good on you for making this jump and starting the sea adventures. I hope everything goes exactly how you want it!

On the topic of dinghies - they are not that difficult to repair and restore, provided the material is still in reasonably good condition. Sometimes it looks bad, but hypalon specifically cleans up and restores well. You can find holes and patch them, top surface can be cleaned up. In the worst case, you can get a new tube installed by a local shop.

Good luck and keep on posting videos!

[CMH]

Hello George��
Luckily we have a 14 ft Zodiac (although older) with a 50 hp Yamaha OB (with Bendix issues). I installed brand new tubes on it and had chaps made for them to take the wear and protect them from the sun. Hopefully they last, well, forever!
Chris
PS. Very pleased to know you’re enjoying the videos������

[Sv ultraviolet]

HI Chris and Jessica,

I have been loving your videos and keeping and eye on you from predict wind.

I live in Flagstaff, AZ and would like to offer a hand with things on your boat once your on the hard in Rocky Point. We just purchased a 1984 Yamaha 26 that we are working to make ready for use on the Sea of Cortez this fall. Its a small boat and we are using it as a training exercise for future endeavors.

Feel free to reach out if you need anything while in the area.

Greg Szymanski

[Adelie]

Welcome to CruisersForum!

[CMH]

Hello Greg
My folks had a ski boat on lake Shasta in Redding when I was younger (though not as big as your 26) so I know you’ll be having lots of fun with yours.
Thank you for the shout out about our utube channel! Jessica has a lot of fun putting those together and we both have been having fun lately getting underwater videos. This place is truly like a big aquarium ��
Having some rudder issues so may pull out in Guaymas instead of Peñasco ��
Chris