October 27, 2026
I was up before sunrise, eager to watch the morning light from the top of the boat. I climbed up, and less than a minute later, retreated right back inside. Jejenes (biting midges) and gnats were out in massive abundance. Fuck. Oh well—they usually bugger off by mid-morning. Once Jack was up, he suggested getting underway for Bahía de Los…
October 26, 2026
More to come on the boat work… For now, I’m picking up with our departure from Penasco. We caught a good weather window for mellow conditions on the passage down to Refugio. After an early dinner at Pedro’s, it was straight to bed ahead of our midnight departure. I heard Jack rumbling around before my alarm went off. It was…
October 14, 2026
Concerns over a potential mis-fire when running LOP led me to replace the spark plugs and ignition cables plus I was just over 500 hours which is the recommended replacement interval.. Parts ordered: Note: I reused the boots for both ends I spent a frustrating few days troubleshooting after ripping out my old ignition cables. Each time I assembled a…
August 8, 2026
Mike on SV Genesis shared with me a way to setup a VPN server at home and a VPN client on the boat using Raspberry Pi devices that will allow access to my home network/internet Raspberry Pi 3 (Home) Install the PiVPN package Install Wireguard On the PiVPN server, create a Wireguard config for the client Create a ddclient (DDNSFREE…
August 4, 2026
System Description: I decided to build a system that could be remotely controlled via cellular connected monitoring system that would allow me to pre-heat my engine from home and for a self contained engine dehydration system that can also be monitored from my phone. Basically there are three parts to the system: Cellular/Wifi backbone, Remote outlet to control the engine…
June 14, 2026
Based mostly on testing that Dan Horton (DanH on VAF) completed while working with Don at Airflow Performance, I decided to switch my stock Lycoming Fuel Injection Nozzle bodies for Turbo Nozzle Fuel Injection bodies. Most of my flights are 12k-16k and my objective was to improve LOP operations at altitude. Prior to this modification I have switched to 0.025″…
June 14, 2026
This year’s condition inspection took quite a bit longer than past years, it was a mixture of working in a friend’s hanger (and needing to borrow tools/parts from the local maintenance shop), installing turbo nozzle bodies on the fuel injection system (link), and a repair to the nose wheel bracket. Being less organized and running around to get parts/tools really…
May 20, 2026
With the sun up, the four other boats in the anchorage weighed anchor and headed for Penasco. I wasn’t in a rush since the overnight winds had kicked up the seas, and an early departure would have made for a rougher passage. So I stayed another day, cleaned the bottom of the boat, and started the decommissioning process. The next…
May 17, 2026
More wind was forecast for tonight, and with it came even more shrimp boats anchoring in the bay. I’m confident in my own ground tackle and in single‑handing, so my focus shifted to the buddy boats. First stop was SV Cigano, where I helped Geraldo swap his anchor. He had an excellet Rocna onboard, but for some reason the Bruce…
May 16, 2026
High seas drama, I mean it is cruising so that goes with the territory… The day began with a hike. I’ve explored the area behind the beach before, but only about a mile inland. This time, my goal was to cross to a beach on the west side of the island (I’m anchored on the north side). The hike was…
May 15, 2026
After a low key recovery/boat project day yesterday, I was ready for some real exercise. Hiking around Isla Mejía is a must every time I’m here. Once I finished my coffee and after watching the sunrise from the top of the boat, I headed out. I dinghied over and explored more of the island than I ever had before, including…
May 14, 2026
The interior fan on my fridge had been making a surging noise for a few weeks. Spin fast, then almost stop, repeat endlessly at about a two second cycle. I could find nothing online, so I carefully probed around to figure out how to disassemble the interior mechanics. Turns out it is super simple… After cleaning, my fan was running…