Tacking back and forth in the narrow La Paz Channel. Not too shabby!
The broken engine saga continues. We were approximately 10 miles from La Paz, with four miles of that total distance comprised of a narrow channel into La Paz. When we left Playa Pichilingue at 8am the current was in our favor, but only for another 1.5 hours or so. We were hoping for wind at our back, but we got a south wind instead (naturally). In the morning the wind was cresting 18 knots so we opted for the working jib.
Several boats motored past us as we tacked back and forth to the channel. Once we reached the channel we needed to execute more precise tacks. The wind was waning until it steadied around 7 knots, barely enough to sail upwind. We switched to our genoa and crept up the channel, working against the current, clearly annoying the boats that we were tacking in front of.
At around 1pm we had reached the municipal pier, less than a mile from Marina de La Paz. The current had increased to almost 2 knots and the wind had completely died, meaning that we were making backwards progress. We decided to test Jeff’s temporary fix on the engine, hoping that he was able to tighten down the locknut enough to keep it engaged with the output shaft.
The engine worked long enough for us to get the sails down and motor within site of Marina de La Paz…0.5 miles to be precise. When it died we quickly hoisted the sails again and slowly sailed to a spot (replete with a few “oh shit” moments) outside of the marked channel where we could drop the anchor.
We had made it back to La Paz in less than 24 hours time, sailing in and out of multiple anchorages. We were exhausted and a bit frustrated at the still busted engine, but at least we had a shred of pride. It’s nice to know we’re not completely helpless without our engine. We’ve vowed that we’re going to prioritize sailing from this point forward, even though it means that travel is a bit slower and oftentimes more unpredictable.*
The morning after we anchored outside of La Paz we got on the morning VHF net to ask if anyone would be willing to tow us into Marina de La Paz with their amped up dinghies (some of which likely cost more than we paid for our boat). Someone suggested we get in touch with the marina office, which we did. Within an hour the marina had dispatched two boats with very friendly, helpful, skilled guys who navigated us safely to our slip, free of charge. It was slack tide after the flood and the wind had not yet made an appearance, ensuring that the whole operation would be low(er) stress.
That afternoon the wind kicked up to 20 knots and kept blowing steadily for the next couple of days, gusting into the 30s. Can’t say enough nice things about the folks who run Marina de La Paz, I’m glad we had a place to stay during the engine repair phase of this journey.
____
*We’ll see how this vow morphs once we’re back on the move again.