We boarded Lodos eager and hopeful the next morning with a list of needed parts. There was Kirby with his famous broad grin coffee in hand greeting us with a cheerful Buenos Dias. A good reminder where we are and how lucky we are to be here. After a few sips we pulled anchor and motored across the calm opening of Bahia Conception towards Mulege. We knew that we would be safe anchoring out until the afternoon breezes would inevitably fill in. We set the anchor just North of the mouth of the river dropped the dinghy and scampered in. All aboard and away we went.
The t/t (tiny tender) Lodos carried us with all it’s trying mite up the river. We each at attention watching out for shallow water. The river is known to shallow in the most unexpecting places. Being brackish it follows the ebs and flows of the tides. As we continued to scan in front of us we began noticing large softball size bright blue balls floating just under the surface. Before we knew it we were surrounded by thousands of these balls. On closer inspection we noticed they resembled the feared “jelly fish”! with out tentacles but the bulbous shape and little fanning border had us concerned. We will look those up when we find WIFI. No fingers or toes going in this water! We all chuckled to ourselves then remembered that we have to wade through the water when we reach the bridge in the center of town.
The river was wide and flat. Lined on both sides by towering palm trees. It is as if like a magic carpet the t/t Lodos had transported us from the desert of the Baja to a special tropical zone. Brightly colored houses popped through the thick palms reminding us we were indeed still in Baja Mexico. We enjoyed the birds singing from the palms. Soon we began hearing the hustle and bustle of the city. Around the corner we found the large bridge and a small flat muddy area to tie up the dinghy. We disembarked cautiously watching for anything that might be stingy. With the coast clear we scramble up the river bank and end up on the side of the road across from a small taco stand. Turning right we follow the road only a few tiny blocks and we reach a lively town square. A park in the center were a few children play with grandparents sitting on park benches watching. Taco stands and shops line facing the center. Cheerful Holas and Buenos Dias’s float through the air as cars drive by precariously and people hurry up and down the tiny streets.
The tiny streets are river beds paved for roads following the contours of the steep rolling hills. The houses follow the same contours making for a bit of a challenge between watching your head and your step. The rolling steepness of the hills makes for dangerously low eves on some of the buildings. If someone wasn’t paying attention they are sure to take a beam between the eyes. Up a little ways we find a bank nestled in between shops and homes. Then up and around the corner we find the auto parts store. A small counter separates the customer from the owner and all of the supplies. In broken Spanish and google translate Sam, Kirby, and the owner take several minutes trying to come up with some plan. Between the three they come up with enough parts to make a make shift filter system. If nothing else we will be able to rule out or in a fuel issue. This will be the start to our engine repair.
On our way back we stop into the hardware store just to be sure. They quickly refer us back to the auto parts store. We said we have already been and head off for tacos. I so wanted to spend more time in the town but knew we were on a mission and still had to travel back down the river before the wind picked up. We put Mulege on our list of must stops on our trek back South later in the year. With full bellies we waddle back to t/t Lodos and head down the river. The tide is up meaning we got a little lax on the watching for shallow water. We snagged a log on the way out. No big deal really, or so we thought. Soon the bright blue balls reappear and we begin wondering what they were. I look behind us and notice that the water coming off the wake of the dingy is florescent green! Again we wonder what that could be. Should we be concerned? Do we have some mutant ninja turtles thing going on?
As we reach the mouth of the river we can see that the wind had picked up, right on schedule. We only have a little way to go before reaching Lodos. Preparing to get wet we enter the sea and hold on. A few splashes aren’t that bad. The water is warm and the sun is hot. Feels refreshing really. Then the dinghy motor sputters. Sam and I look back at Kirby and with his wide grin he said “we must be out of gas”. As we bob along he quickly fills the tank and pulls the starter and we are back in business. On Lodos while Kirby starts motoring we look up the mysterious blue balls and find that they are Blue Cannon Ball Jelly fish. Found in only a few places in the world and they are indeed that bright blue. No teenage mutant jelly fish just a unique specimen that so happens does not sting humans.
Arriving back to Hiraya Sam begins pulling the motor apart. He tries all day to get the engine to start. Everything he can think of. We can get it to start but it will not stay running long enough to figure anything out. We will have to get to the next large city where there is a Marina and hopefully a mechanic. Santa Rosalia has both. We start sending emails trying to secure a slip. They are a first come first served marina. The trip from Santo Domingo to Santa Rosalia is thirty five to forty mile trip. Again, we will leave early in the morning and get there just before sunset. Kirby is gracious enough to go in a day ahead of us and secure a slip for us. When he gives us the go ahead we head to Santa Rosalia.
Our sail up was beautiful as always. We tried not to let the motor and the decisions ahead of us cloud our day too much. We busy our selves with watching for sea life and checking the dinghy we had lashed to the side pushing us along. We arrived to Santa Rosalia well before sunset. We called Kirby ahead to let him know we were entering and as we rounded the corner we seen him and his wide grin waiting for us. He pointed to where we should go. A wide area that was easy to maneuver into on the side tie. The maintenance guy came running down and said we needed to go to the spot at the end of the dock that we were quickly passing. I can’t stop! Not with the dinghy pushing us. Kirby reassured me to go where he had pointed all along the marina guy was yelling at him and me in Spanish. The commotion got more people out of their boats to see what was going on. I quietly steered the boat into the slip as sam slowed the dinghy motor. He ran up to the bow to toss the lines to Kirby and I jumped into the dinghy to put it into Neutral. Then to the starboard side to toss the rest of the lines.
Making sure everything was secured I jumped onto the dock and tried to smooth it over with the Worker. He wanted us to move right away into the small space between two boats at the end of the dock. Once he realized that we were broken and needed a mechanic then he calmed and told us to stay where we were or maybe move tomorrow. The workers were headed home for the evening and they would get us a mechanic tomorrow. Untill then we will clean up, eat some dinner, and sleep.