Follow SV Ursa — live position reports, anchorage guides from the Sea of Cortez to Patagonia, and voyage articles.https://sailing-ursa.com/https://sailing-ursa.com/articles/sailing-in-the-sea-of-cortez/https://sailing-ursa.com/articles/sailing-in-the-sea-of-cortez/The Sea of Cortez is a world class sailing destination, in the sea you will find whales, dolphins, mobula rays and sea lions playing in the water beside you. Along the shore you'll find some world class snorkeling and diving and on land you'll be able to visit some beautiful natural environments as…Fri, 17 May 2024 20:34:08 GMTProvisioning Anchorages in SoChttps://sailing-ursa.com/articles/westerbeke-40-rear-crankshaft-seal-change/https://sailing-ursa.com/articles/westerbeke-40-rear-crankshaft-seal-change/The rear crankshaft on the Perkins 4.108 is notorious for leaking. This failure usually presents itself as a steady drip (or stream) coming from the bottom of the bell housing. In this article i detail how I replaced the shaft seal, sump gaskets, and fixed a few other problems along the way.Fri, 26 Aug 2022 06:16:56 GMTValiant 40Maintenance Howtohttps://sailing-ursa.com/articles/cruising-guides-for-the-sea-of-cortez/https://sailing-ursa.com/articles/cruising-guides-for-the-sea-of-cortez/There are a bunch of good reads for the sea of cortez, most people make do with just the 'Shawn and Heather' book, and whilst there is a lot of overlap between the various guides, each guide has their own unique take on the various anchorages, as well as a few hidden gems.Sun, 21 Aug 2022 13:17:08 GMThttps://sailing-ursa.com/articles/provisioning-in-the-sea-of-cortez/https://sailing-ursa.com/articles/provisioning-in-the-sea-of-cortez/Our provisioning strategy is generally to do a big shop in the major provisioning ports, leaving with a few weeks of fresh food in the fridge. As our fresh stuff starts to dwindle, we pick up what we can from the various tiendas we pass on our way. In this article I explain in detail what you can…Sun, 21 Aug 2022 12:58:04 GMThttps://sailing-ursa.com/articles/what-spares-do-we-carry-for-our-engine-in-the-sea-of-cortez/https://sailing-ursa.com/articles/what-spares-do-we-carry-for-our-engine-in-the-sea-of-cortez/Spares for the sea of cortez aren't really any different than cruising anywhere else, this is what we carry, for our aging Perkins 4108, and represents our real world experiences over the last few years cruising in the sea.Sun, 21 Aug 2022 11:47:01 GMTSea of Cortezhttps://sailing-ursa.com/articles/getting-spare-parts-for-your-boat-in-the-sea-of-cortez/https://sailing-ursa.com/articles/getting-spare-parts-for-your-boat-in-the-sea-of-cortez/The old adage that the cruising life is mostly boat maintenance in exotic locations is no less true in the Sea of Cortez. In this article I'll detail what you can find in the country and where, and share our strategy for getting spares (and upgrades) into the country when you can't get what you need…Sun, 21 Aug 2022 11:46:51 GMTSea of Cortezhttps://sailing-ursa.com/articles/hauling-out-your-boat-in-the-sea-of-cortez/https://sailing-ursa.com/articles/hauling-out-your-boat-in-the-sea-of-cortez/In this article, I'll give some insight into when we haul out, where, and the various pros and cons we've encountered along the way.Sun, 21 Aug 2022 11:46:32 GMTSea of Cortezhttps://sailing-ursa.com/articles/preparing-your-boat-for-baja-california-and-the-sea-of-cortez/https://sailing-ursa.com/articles/preparing-your-boat-for-baja-california-and-the-sea-of-cortez/Generally speaking, sailing in the sea of cortez, is like sailing anywhere, you'll break about the same amount of things each season as you would back home, there'll be times you wish you had something you don't, and there'll be times where you wish you didn't have something you did. In this article…Sun, 21 Aug 2022 11:46:17 GMTSea of Cortezhttps://sailing-ursa.com/refit/#2022-07-johnny-wets-the-bed/https://sailing-ursa.com/refit/#2022-07-johnny-wets-the-bed/Johnny (The 15hp Johnson outboard) has been acting up recently, it typically starts out fine, then after 10-15 minutes it starts to misfire or cuts out. I suspect its over fuelling as there's a strong smell of fuel, and we appear to be drinking fuel like its going out of style. I didn't feel like…Fri, 08 Jul 2022 00:00:00 GMThttps://sailing-ursa.com/log/moved-to-ensenada-ballena/https://sailing-ursa.com/log/moved-to-ensenada-ballena/The bees in Ensenada Gallina were a little too obnoxious so moved to Ballena. Motored over, no wind.Thu, 07 Jul 2022 23:00:00 GMThttps://sailing-ursa.com/refit/#2022-07-replaced-fishing-rod-holder/https://sailing-ursa.com/refit/#2022-07-replaced-fishing-rod-holder/The Perko rod holder developed a crack, so i replaced it with a new one (not perko branded, but identical) which now stays put.Thu, 07 Jul 2022 18:00:00 GMThttps://sailing-ursa.com/log/arrived-ensenada-gallina/https://sailing-ursa.com/log/arrived-ensenada-gallina/Mostly a motor up from Perico, but with some sailing through the Lorenzo Channel. Nothing too exciting.Thu, 07 Jul 2022 01:30:00 GMThttps://sailing-ursa.com/refit/#2022-07-ws500-fuse-replacement/https://sailing-ursa.com/refit/#2022-07-ws500-fuse-replacement/On starting the engine, the WS500 beeped error code 43, this happens when it can't get a v+ voltage from the battery. In my case this was due to the 10A fuse popping. I replaced it with another 10A and will see what happens.Wed, 06 Jul 2022 18:00:00 GMThttps://sailing-ursa.com/log/punta-perico-la-ventana/https://sailing-ursa.com/log/punta-perico-la-ventana/Anchored in 20ft over sand. Wind 10kn from SW. Couple of motor boats and a catamaran around, i'm guessing all wishing they were in Bahia Muertos. Overall a decent run up from Isabel, dead down wind for the last 18 hours wing on wing. Sea state noticeably rougher once north of San Jose, which is…Wed, 06 Jul 2022 07:30:00 GMThttps://sailing-ursa.com/refit/#2022-07-marine-head-issues/https://sailing-ursa.com/refit/#2022-07-marine-head-issues/We'd electrified our Lavac Head over the winter, but it wasn't sucking properly, ultimately there wasn't enough vacuum to draw in raw water to flush the bowl. I re-plumbed it so that the pump is nearer the head which solved the problem, it then meant i had to fit a separate pump to empty the holding…Sun, 03 Jul 2022 23:00:00 GMT