Guaymas Mar/Apr 2013

Since it seems we will be residents of Guaymas this season, we spent many days doing as the locals.  Every Wednesday there was a “street market” called a “ a Tianguis” where they sold not only fresh produce, but also tools, clothes, furniture and most anything you could imagine. On Saturdays, there was another one within walking distance of the yard, so instead of Trish and I going for our walk around the neighbourhood, we would walk to the market.  This one seemed to specialize in brand name clothes, I’m sure most of the product came from the second hand stores in the US.  Then on Sundays, the neighbouring town of Empalme holds a huge market, probably about 10 blocks long.

We stopped and chatted with this lady and admired the bouganvilla outside of her home.  Just couldn't convince her to pose for a picture.

We were at one just before Easter and were greeted by the Deer Dancers many times.  Rumor has it that the dancers re-create the hunt for deer, one of them wearing a deer head and skin, their legs wrapped in shells which chime in time with the flutes and drums.  As well as entertainment, the markets provide a great spot for a mid-day snack, tortillas, tacos, antojitos and a meeting place for many of the cruisers

As well as entertainment, the markets provide a great spot for a mid-day snack, tortillas, tacos, antojitos..

and a meeting place for many of the cruisers

  The dry storage marina where we have the boat this year is in the “low rent” district of Guaymas. The owner is making great strides to improve conditions on his property and has recently expanded the yard across the road. He is presently building new washroom/laundry facilities and has spent considerable advertizing dollars on a huge billboard sign near San Carlos.

The word is spreading fast, and he was very busy hauling boats in and out during the last week of our stay.  Some of the boats in this yard have been hauling out here for 3 or4 years now, and some have been here in dry dock for much longer.

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There are lots of Canadian boats here in Gabriels yard, mostly from BC and Alberta, but this year there is a sailboat hauling out here flying the Quebec flag.  We met Louis & Perri on s/v Perilou ll, he is originally from Pierrefonds, Que and she from the UK.  They have been living aboard and  sailing for years, but this is the first time for them hauling out in and leaving the boat in Mexico.  We spent several evenings with them and emptied a few bottles of wine while we shared our stories together. 

Our "Sail Loft" in front of Gabriel's office

Another major project this season was to sew up a new bimini cover.  The sunbrella fabric on the old one had been repaired a few times, but was sadly in need of replacement.  We had hoped to buy a couple of 2 x 4”s  and sheet of plywood to fashion a makeshift table to work on, but found that wood products in Mexico are very expensive, So, we found a fairly clean spot of cement in front of Gabriel’s office to lay out the new fabric, and our painter



 We had no sooner got the new bimini in place and laced up when we realized we had just created a nice cozy place for a birds nest...guess we may have to re-design the lacing, or we will not only have bird poop on the deck, but in the cockpit as well !  While we had the sewing machine  set up, we also made a sun cover for the transom, and modified some our existing sun covers. 

Francisco loaned us his version of what he called “burritos” aka donkeys.  They were actually the remains of a pontoon from a catamaran, but they worked very well for us,giving us a place right below the boat to set up the sewing machine.

And at certain times of the day, the boat even gave us a little shade

 
 





































It took Don the better part of a day to re-install the solar panels on top of the new bimini, and he really didn't need my help, 











so while he was busy there, I did a load of laundry...by hand on these wash tubs. 

 and then watched a soccer game that was being played in the school field behind the boat.











Aside from taking in the scenery on our daily walks, we also got to practice our Spanish.  Some days we had two young girls joins us, and we also met Tio Juan who runs a little tienda beside one of the schools.  We visited with him often, and he invited us to his house for dinner one night.  He has a big home, with a bit of a beach and has a pet parrot out back.  He is a bit of a sailing afficianado, and had read the stories about Josh Slocum, and had many issues of Cruising World and other yachting magazines around the house.  He had also been given a small sailboat by another cruiser several years ago and was trying to learn to sail in the Sea of Cortez.  He had dreams of building a bigger boat, so was quite interested in hearing about our boat building stories.  Unfortunately, our Spanish is still not good enough to carry on a detailed conversation, so we gave him our website and he was going to Google translate it all.  That will probably keep him occupied for many weeks to come. 

Another season has come to an end and we have to say goodbye to Prairie Seashell and the sights and sounds of Mexico.   But, thanks to our friends Jim & Judy, who we met several years ago in LaPaz, we won’t have to take the bus to Phoenix.  They are driving down to San Carlos for a few days, and will take us back to their place in Phoenix before we head back to Calgary.


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