Ruminations of a Sailor: The mystery of the toilet seat

The happy bottom painters: teamwork

Maybe this has happened to you. Maybe not. Or maybe you won’t admit it. In our world, we misplace things sometimes. Many’s the time, said object is found and a laugh is shared; a treasure unearthed.

Other times, we shrug our shoulders and say it’s one for Neptune. With living a split life between two small spaces, you’d think we should be able to keep track.

Ready to paint!

Let me back up a bit. We made it safely to Mexico last week and are happily living on board the boat in the dirt yard. We’ve been unpacking the many boat and lifestyle items we carefully selected during the last few months and carried down in our heavily loaded Ford Escape. It’s like Christmas as we unpack stuff and place it in coveted spaces on board.

In our stern head (back bathroom), the toilet seat hinges needed to be replaced. Rust, corrosion and heat cause things to wear out. It’s part of boat life. So, we special ordered the right size and brand of hinges in June. But, as we opened the bathroom door we discover that the entire toilet seat and cover are … missing. Gone. I am pretty sure nobody boarded our boat to steal the seat in the heat of summer in a guarded boatyard. Yet, here we are, scratching our heads all these months later. Absolutely no idea where in the world could this have disappeared.

I stated right away that I didn’t want to put up with a Mexican toilet while we are here, meaning a bowl only arrangement. They are quite common on our travels here. Thankfully through our many resources, we found a person who brings stuff down from the US and so she will be our ‘mule’ for a toilet seat.

One of our priorities and first projects: We successfully got our 258 feet of 3/8” chain galvanized to extend its life. We started this initiative in May and the pallet was delivered a few days ago. It’s beautiful! We marked our 30 ft increments to facilitate anchoring and Mike hoisted the chain into the locker. The anchor shackle connecting with the chain was a joyous moment.

Unloading our newly galvanized chain

Unloading from the shipper, boat delivery!

We are ready to launch on Monday, 2/22. This is a first for us, to splash after so few days of preparation as anyone who has seen us in the boatyard will attest. Not as many projects as we have undertaken every other year. We are motivated to get out, stay isolated and explore the sea and all her mysteries for a while.

First, we will head to Fonatur, the government boat dock, for a few days of projects. Of course, there are some that we will undertake, and we always hope they go well.

Hoisting new life raft with the
mizzen boom, same method loading
the four gel cell batteries

Spray painting 30' color coded
markers for anchoring

Projects at the dock include:

- - Installing and wiring the incremental battery bank to expand our battery capacity

- - Installing the new life raft that will live on deck to replace the big one that is down below and not handy in case of emergency

- - Installing and wiring the wind generator

- - Revamping the stern companionway hatch – with the help of ‘Frank’ and Pepe

- - Mounting the emergency ladder that Judy has wanted since day one. Our freeboard (space between the water and the deck) is quite high so I’ve always been paranoid that we would be like in a movie, where we can’t get back on board. Add a circling shark if that fulfills the picture for you.

Mariscos Miramar owner- happy to see us!

Our first seafood coctel in Guaymas - the cook
remembers us and called out our usual
order from that screen kitchen behind us. Fun!

Welcome to Mexico. Wayside stop at fuel
station. Pay 5 pesos, take
some TP from the basket and hope for the best

Our newly crafted sun shade for the bow was majorly revamped by Mike’s talented sewing sister this summer. We look forward to trying that out in remote sunny anchorages. Thanks, Joan!

And so Pura Vida and her hearty crew are ready for adventures. Wherever the winds take us.