April 2021

Quote of the Day
Happiness is like a butterfly; the more you chase it, the more it will elude you,
but if you turn your attention to other things, it will come and sit softly on your shoulder
Henry David Thoreau

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The world has changed and not for better
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Friday April 2nd 2021
Good Friday
Weather at The Old Schoolhouse.

Day Five. Heading Home. Loreto to Agua Verde.

Still anchored off Loreto in open sea, I woke a few times and checked the anchor. I had only let out eighty-five feet of chain and had set the alarm with lots of scope seeing as the breeze was offshore, but the wind picked up and we dragged slowly outwards.

That would not normally be a problem, but we were dragging straight toward Huck Finn. I sat and watched and when i was fifty feet from Huck Finn, I hauled anchor and moved. Twice. Then I let out 160 feet of chain and went back to bed.

In the morning we got up around seven, listened to the nets and said goodbye to Chris.

The local VHF net is a carbon copy of the La Paz net.

The 4149 MHz Amigo net was clear at first, but faded out before they got to our forecast.

Chris was headed across the sea to Guaymas. We had no plan, but after breakfast, we sailed south along the twenty-foot line until we were approaching shore and were forced to tack.

From land, we sailed outward but were moving at right angles to our intended course and the wind was dying, so we altered to our intended course and moved the throttle to 2800 seeing as we were fighting a bit of current. We intend to be in Agua Verde by mid-afternoon.

* * * * * *

We motored until the wind picked up from the north, then ran wing on wing until we were approaching Agua Verde.

We motored in and chose a spot in a cove at the north side this time, then anchored and dinghied to the beach on the far south side of the bay.

Right off, we found a palapa restaurant and sat down for a supper of tacos, ensalada and cerveza. The set up is primitive but the prices matched those of the Malecon in La Paz.

* * * * * *

We got a bit wet launching into the surf returning to Baja Magic but made it without issue, raised the dinghy and called it a day soon after.

* * * * * *

I checked the engine before bed and see staining under it again, bit not much. Oil consumption is minimal. Fuel was full at Puerto Escondido and we went to Loreto under power and then down to Agua Verde, half and half.

Don't forget to go back and see the additions and corrections
Read Yesterday's Post

The world has changed and not for better
Go back a year
Two years.

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Saturday April 3rd 2021
Weather at The Old Schoolhouse.

Day Six. Agua Verde.

The night was dead quiet and we hardly moved. I woke several times, then got up at six. I could hear surf crashing across the bay but here the water is perfectly still.

At nine, Richard and I went across to the beach and walked up to the tienda, bought a few things and then walked to the far end of the beach and sat down in the palapa restaurant there. It was a bit less primitive and the prices were less spendy. We had a beer and some tacos and walked back on an inland road.

* * * * * *

At the tienda again, i paid for Internet and checked messages; then we returned to the boat. After a rest, we went snorkelling but found the snorkelling less than exciting. So, we went back to the boat and had a long nap.

* * * * * *

At three, Richard was looking around with binoculars and saw that a local snorkeler and fisherman found three octopi in the area where we had been swimming.

At five-thirty we returned to the restaurant at the gravelly east end of the beach and had hamburgers. The hostess brought some cevice which was excellent as well.

We returned to the boat and I was beat, so went to bed at seven and a bit.

* * * * * *

A half-hour later, I woke up and could not get back to sleep so I took my pillow up to the cockpit and dozed there.

The stars were amazing and it is easy to see how one could imagine animals and people in the fainter stars between the bright ones, forming patterns that seem almost three dimensional. When it is this dark, many many more stars are visible than one can see most places and at such times, the sky comes alive. I've seen the night sky like that in Swalwell in winter a few times.

After a while I still could not get to sleep and went back below. By then I was realizing I was having an allergic reaction. My leg muscles twitched and I felt strange. My balance was off and I had muscle aches. Of course I wondered if this was the start of the WuWHOFlu, and, should I take ivermectin?

I decided against and took two Benadryl, then a while later, two more and since I still could not sleep and was aching, an aspirin and two more.

Finally, I went sound asleep.

Quote of the Day
If I'd written all the truth I knew for the past ten years, about people including me would be rotting in prison cells from Rio to Seattle today Absolute truth is a very rare and dangerous commodity in the context of professional journalism
Hunter S Thompson

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Read Yesterday's Post

The world has changed and not for better
Go back a year
Two years.

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Note: This is not the malicious extension recently reported. .

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Sunday April 4th 2021
Easter Sunday
Weather at The Old Schoolhouse.

Day Seven. Agua Verde to San Evaristo.

I slept until 0745 and got up, feeling fine.

We decided to move on and raised anchor then motored south over glassy seas, destination unknown.

Bahia Los Gatos? Nopolo? San Evaristo? No matter; they are all in the same direction. Isla San Francisco, Isla Partida, Espiritu Santo, and La Paz are father down the same path, but farther still. La Paz is about seventy sea miles from here. We are almost halfway back.

* * * * * *

We motored over glassy seas all morning but by mid-afternoon had enough wind to sail on a beam reach. We arrived at San Evaristo around five and I checked the engine. I see more oil than sometimes underneath and a little water, so cleaned it up.

We dinghied in to the restaurant. Last year in March and April it was closed due to covid. This time it was open and welcoming.

Seems people have become used to the virus and I don't see a lot of precautions although the server wore a mask.

They offer Internet by the hour, so I checked messages and called my brother to wish him a happy birthday.

We ordered fish tacos and they were pretty good. We were back at the boat by dark and called it a day shortly after.

Quote of the Day
The big lesson in life, baby, is never be scared of anyone or anything
Frank Sinatra

Don't forget to go back and see the additions and corrections
Read Yesterday's Post

The world has changed and not for better
Go back a year
Two years.

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Note: This is not the malicious extension recently reported. .

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Monday April 5th 2021
Weather at The Old Schoolhouse.

Day Eight. San Evaristo to Isla San Francisco.

It is now a week since we left La Paz.

I woke around three, got up, made coffee and eggs, then changed the transmission oil. I had put that off too long by the looks of what came out. I am thinking a rebuild may be in order before too long.

After that, I spent time sorting Evernote records and around five I went back to bed and slept until seven.

* * * * * *

Richard was up and we had coffee and listened to the SSB nets. I checked into the Amigo Net but the radio cut out if I spoke for more than a few seconds so I'll have to troubleshoot.

Our plan is to spend the day here at San Evaristo and move on tomorrow. We are two hours from our next destination, Isla San Francisco.

We went ashore and found the place less than welcoming. We were picking up a piece of driftwood to tie the dinghy and a woman complained. Much of the beach was fenced with barbed wire and the the tienda seemed closed. We walked to the restaurant but it was not open, so we decided to move on.

* * * * * *

When we left San Evaristo we were towing the dinghy but I decided that it was getting too rough, so we lifted it and found our speed went up a knot.

I recalled then that the engine red line is 3600 RPM, not 3200 as I had thought, and I had been maintaining revs in the 2000 to 2800 range and mostly ran at 2200 or 2500, so we ran the engine up to 3200 and 3000 for a stretch to give it a workout. It has never sounded better. This trip has been good for it. Diesels like to work hard.

* * * * * *

On arrival, I did find more oil than usual under the engine and assume there must be blow-by from running at low RPMs for so long under the previous owner. I'm hoping it will clear up.

I am also discovering that I have run over 100 engine hours since the last oil change in May of last year so that is high on my list, as is another transmission oil change.

We launched the dinghy and went looking for good snorkelling, and after circling the bay and he next one north, found ourselves swimming off the beach near the boat.

The swells were too rough on the north side and we were concerned the dinghy would be banged against barnacles if we tied it to rocks so we went back south.

Initially, we walked across the point to the surf side to scope out the snorkelling possibilities there but found a difficult, rocky coast so we just went back and swam from the beach and that turned out to be amazing.

The water was 74 degrees F and hundreds of small silver fish circled in front of me in the shallow water and the as I went out, the fish got bigger and more varied.

Back on Baja Magic, I cooked chicken thighs and broccoli for supper and changed the transmission oil a second time. It was still quite brown.

After supper, I dove off the boat a time or two and we sat in the cockpit until dusk, listening to tunes on Spotify and watching the people on nearby boats as they swam and climbed the ridge south of us.

Quote of the Day
Life is ten percent what happens to you and ninety percent how you respond to it
Charles Swindoll

Don't forget to go back and see the additions and corrections
Read Yesterday's Post

The world has changed and not for better
Go back a year
Two years.

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Note: This is not the malicious extension recently reported. .

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Tuesday April 6th 2021
Weather at The Old Schoolhouse.

Day nine. Isla San Francisco to La Paz.

I woke at midnight. I was congested and my arms hurt, so I got up for a while.

The anchorage is dead quiet and the night is pitch black except for the anchor lights of boats sharing the bay and the stars. A slight glow low in the south betrays La Paz, some 42 miles away. I'm going back over these notes and clarifying and correcting.

It is now 0144 and I'm off to bed again. The swells are staring up but we are behind the hook and somewhat protected.

* * * * * *

I slept poorly at fist but then fell sound asleep and woke again at 0615 and got up.

It is 22 degrees Celsius in the cabin. Thanks to misnamed Daylight Saving Time, it is still dark. Going up top, I see light in the east and I feel a strong south breeze. I hear breakers on the outer shore of the hook.

We'll be bashing south, I guess and I am for leaving with first light. That will give us time to poke around Isla Partida before anchoring for the night.

Richard has been thinking he should be back before long. We had talked of Thursday, but maybe sooner. We'll see.

We raised anchor at dawn and left Isla San Francisco at 0640. We motored head-on into a light wind and swell and ran at 2800 to make good time and to exercise the engine.

The crossing to Los Islotes took just under four hours. When we arrived, the dive boats were already there. Business as usual, it seems.

We circled the Isoltes, then found a nearby north-facing bay and anchored. I started a stew with a package of chicken thighs and the usual ingredients.

After an hour, we raised anchor and motored slowly around the north end of Partida and down the west side. Richard was not interested in exploring, so I had a nap.

When i awoke, we were approaching Caleta Partida, our intended destination for overnight.

At that point, the wind picked up, funnelling through the gap between islands and we raised sail to tack into the bay. Soon we were overpowered and it was a bit of a gong show as I had not realised that Richard was as inexperienced as he is. He was cool, though and we tacked under reduced sail to the anchorage, decided against staying and ran back out.

Once clear of the gusting opening between islands and sheltered by Espiritu Santo, we found ourselves becalmed and started motoring south. About then we got Internet on our phones for the first time in two days.

We figured to go to Pichilingue and anchor, but when we got there around four, Richard was happy to go the last two hours to La Paz and said he'd buy me dinner at El Che.

We arrived at the dock at six and tied up, then walked to El Che. Brian from Time Drifter met us there and after supper, we all walked back to MLP where we parted ways.

I walked to Baja Magic, did some odds and ends and went to bed early.

BEE-L Archive Search

Steve Bannon | Full Address and Q&A | Oxford Union

Quote of the Day
Reality continues to ruin my life
Bill Watterson

Don't forget to go back and see the additions and corrections
Read Yesterday's Post

The world has changed and not for better
Go back a year
Two years.

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Note: This is not the malicious extension recently reported. .

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Wednesday April 6th 2021
Weather at The Old Schoolhouse.

I slept until eight. The day is overcast and cooler. Top of list is to get oil to do an engine oil change.

BEE-L is down again this morning and Jose says that it went down last night and at that time the archives had been restored with some posts missing.

* * * * *

I spent the morning catching up and then walked the two blocks to Lubtricantes Peninsulares to get oil and a filter for the change.

On my way out of the marina I spotted Brian from Time Drifter scoring three of the last four bottles of drinking water at the tienda so I stopped and bought the fourth. Who knows when they will restock?

I keep crossing paths with Brian so I'm thinking we should chat a bit.

I changed the oil, adding four litres of SAE 40 and a new filter. That's a relief. I worried about it although, looking now, the old oil does not look as black as some I have seen. The engine sounds quieter now, though, and now I can stop worrying. Last Oil change was in May 2020.

Next, I'll get more fuel. My last fuel fill was at Puerto Escondido at 3872 hours engine time, 32 engine hours ago.

I walked to the Pemex and got 20 litres of diesel, then siphoned it into the upper tank.

The fuel leak seems to have fixed itself.

* * * * *

From Danielle Smith

Quote of the Day
The universe is transformation: life is opinion
Marcus Aurelius

Don't forget to go back and see the additions and corrections
Read Yesterday's Post

The world has changed and not for better
Go back a year
Two years.

Images on these pages are best viewed with the Hover Zoom Gold browser extension
Note: This is not the malicious extension recently reported. .

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Thursday April 8th 2021
Weather at The Old Schoolhouse.

I slept until seven-thirty and got up, made coffee, had breakfast, listened to the net and filled the water tank. Next, I washed the boat and walked to the Pemex for another 20 litres of fuel and siphoned it into the boat.

The gauge reads as full as it ever does (For tank #2, empty means full on this gauge), but the tank may not be quite as full as at Marina Puerto Escondido when it overflowed a few drops so calculations will not be 100% accurate.

At any rate, I added 40 litres after 32 hours of engine time. That implies very low consumption, so maybe there is room for another 20 litres in the tank. We'll see when I get back to town.

At ten I cast off for Bahia Falsa. Running with the tide, I made 7 knots out the channel and arrived in a little over an hour and at present I am anchored off El Tesoro. I've lowered the dinghy and the next item on the agenda is a swim.

There was a little black oil pooled under the engine when I arrived here and I am now thinking that maybe the outlet hose on the oil change pump is the source and maybe the source of some previous leakage. Maybe the oil change pump shutoff valve leaks a bit and when the crankcase pressure builds at high RPMs, a bit of oil comes out.

I had a nap, then moved into Falsa in the lee of the headland in expectation of night-time winds from the south and went snorkelling. To my surprise, I found this side of the bay is a disappointment. All I saw was algae a little coral, and a few fish.

I returned to Baja Magic and at six-thirty joined Dave from Wiley at the restaurant in El Tesoro. We each went in our own dinghy. We had burgers and I had two beers.

He is an interesting person, very energetic and maybe a bit narcissistic, quite demonstrative, and with an entrepreneur and salesman's perspective. He has definitely covered a lot of ground in his life and done things his way.

I am a salesman and a very successful one, but I am not very outgoing or demonstrative. I praise where it seems appropriate, but try to avoid flattery, maybe to excess. He does not.

I experimented with hypnotism when I was young and was--and still am--shocked at how easily influenced and compliant people are.

I see how being demonstrative and complimentary affects others and changes them, draws them into an orbit, and so, on principle I generally try not to influence others by emotion.

I prefer logic, but logic is not very powerful compared to emotion. Humans are not logical critters.

Conversation is hard these days when it is clear so many people are guzzling Kool-Aid and I have to bite my tongue.

Dave is overtly demonstrative and complimentary and I watched the effect that has on me. One the one hand, it is attractive, on the other somewhat concerning.

I find that experience instructive and maybe I should loosen up a bit and make a point of saying nice things to people rather than assume that, like me, they don't depend on the opinions of others for their self-esteem. It seems most do, so maybe I learned something.

* * * * * *

I have not been active in approaching others here, but my success in beekeeping circles was walking up to strangers and making friends.

At conventions, I'd see the convention speakers walking around alone in the halls, having been abandoned by the people who greeted them and brought them to the site. I'd invite them to join me and friends for supper or a tour and that is how I came to know many of the researchers and other prominent folks.

I'd also see new folks at meetings and greet them, knowing they knew no one and would appreciate a friend.

Note to self: Smarten up!

I returned to Baja Magic just after sundown, lifted the dinghy, and did some reading.

At 1044, the day has cooled enough I'll go to bed.

* * * * *

Quote of the Day
The universe is transformation: life is opinion
Marcus Aurelius

Don't forget to go back and see the additions and corrections
Read Yesterday's Post

The world has changed and not for better
Go back a year
Two years.

Images on these pages are best viewed with the Hover Zoom Gold browser extension
Note: This is not the malicious extension recently reported. .

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Friday April 9th 2021
Weather at The Old Schoolhouse.

I woke after midnight was up for quite a while, then went back to bed and slept until seven-forty-four. The cabin is 22.9. I dropped the dinghy and am thinking of swimming.

At 0935, I still have not gone into the water. I got distracted browsing the 'net as can be seen in the links below today's log.

After all that wasted time, I think I am better just to turn away from the train wrecks underway in my native land and enjoy Mexico. I should spend that time learning Spanish and studying sailing rather than watching these slow motion tragedies unfold. Just the same, I want to keep my eyes open so I know when to duck.

I'm still here at Falsa. I could not hear much of the morning VHF net but could hear the Chubasco net. Although both are interesting and can be useful, they are like so much else in this world. If you are miss them, life goes on and maybe in a better direction.

Ignorance is bliss? Sometimes. Sometimes not.

Will I return to La Paz today and go to Captain Wayne's weekly performance at Estrella and hang with my friends?

Are these really friends, or acquaintances or allies of convenience? I'm suspecting it is pretty much the latter. That is not to say they won't come through in a pinch as I have seen when some members of the cruising community became ill and people stepped up to assist but it is not the same.

* * * * *

I checked the engine and see more black oil in the paper towel I keep under the engine to catch drips and have to assume it is dripping from the oil change pump because of the dark colour. The oil in the sump is now clear.

3906.0 engine hours.

I am obsessing a bit over this engine because it is so essential to my freedom. For the first years, I was reluctant to work it hard and had a few issues like leaks. It seems that changing the fuel filters, using the engine more, and increasing the RPMs over time has made it run much better.

However, I am still seeing some oil underneath and have not located the source. The leakage is not enough to matter since in the 100+ hours between changes, the sump level only dropped a few millimetres but I worry it may increase.

* * * * * *

BEE-L traffic has dropped right off and so has my email. It is odd how there are ebbs and flows in volume.

* * * * * *

Wiley called on the radio and said he will be going back to town today. I said I probably won't, but will move to better snorkelling

* * * * * *

My solar panels are giving me 10 amps for the first time in a while. I was wondering if they were working up to spec but I guess they are.

* * * * * *

I spent an hour freeing the pin in a snap shackle on a block I got from Steve a while ago and added more oil to top up the engine. I guess I overfilled a tad.

I picked up supplies for the next oil and filter changes the other day. I had put off this last oil change longer than I like due to not having what I needed on hand. Not next time. Those fuel filters cost over $100 CAD total, but they are worth every cent as they remove any water or particles that would damage the high-pressure pump and injectors.

* * * * * *

2:20PM: Next. I'll move to better snorkelling, but after that, I have no plan.

* * * * * *

I moved to Punto Colorado and anchored in my usual spot. A while later, I started swimming in to snorkel, but found I was farther out from shore than I like, especially with the wind and went back. Next time I'll anchor closer to shore.

One must be aware of currents when swimming off an anchored boat. If one is not alert, there can be the risk of being swept away.

I had supper and spent some time reading news on InoReader and went to bed early.

The Chinese Communist Party�s Global Lockdown Fraud | by The CCP's Global Lockdown Fraud

How 'excess deaths' show COVID's real impact, and point to better ways of combating pandemics

Danielle Smith Community

These articles conflict.

This article gives sources
No Extra Deaths in 2020, Stats Canada
So how can you have a pandemic with lots of people dying from "Covid-19" but have no extra deaths? EASY!!!! Call deaths from other causes and people that were going to die no matter what - COVID DEATHS!

This one does not
How 'excess deaths' show COVID's real impact

Not A Single Case Of Seasonal Flu This Season
The BCCDC has tested 30,000 samples for influenza this year. Only a dozen of those tests came back positive and all were linked to people who'd received a vaccine, which doesn't count as community spread.
IT's A COVID MIRACLE!!! No it is not, PCR testing can not tell the difference between the Flu and Covid. No mystery here.

UK Clinical Trial Confirms SaNOtize's Breakthrough Treatment for COVID-19

"If wind and solar are cheaper than coal, why does China use coal to make wind turbines and solar panels?"

Number of COVID Vaccine Injuries Reported to VAERS Surpasses 50,000, CDC Data Show

The Trolley Problem

PowerRay Underwater Robot

Watch: Diners Chant "Get Out" As Health Officials Try To Shut Down Restaurant

"There Are Absolutely No Job Seekers": How Trillions In Stimulus Sparked A Historic Job Market Crisis

Ask Google or Siri: Who is the most powerful doctor in the world?

Gov. Ron DeSantis holds a public health roundtable at the Florida State Capitol

AJM Flips on Hydroxychloroquine

A typical Hydroxychloroquine regimen is 200 mg bid for 5 days and extended to 30 days for continued symptoms. A minimal sufficient dose of HCQ should be used, because in excessive doses the drug can interfere with early immune response to the virus.

Pathophysiological Basis and Rationale for Early Outpatient Treatment of SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) Infection - The American Journal of Medicine

Dear Karen/Linda/Nancy...Bye Felicia - Sincerely Covid19 Nurse

Canadian Reset Program is underway and not a conspiracy anymore

How To Brainwash A Population