Upholstery in San Salvador

Tapiceria de Josue isn't much more than this

Here is my suggestion on how to go about getting your boat cushions recovered if you are visiting Bahia del Sol, El Salvador.

Get in touch with Martin, a Spanish speaking chef and van driver at the Bahia del Sol hotel. Everyone knows him - just ask. Justo, an employee in the hotel office, can call him or you can call Martin direct at 7942-6646. There are other drivers, but I suggest Martin because he is my favorite – a really wonderful human being.

Martin's van

After you reserve Martin’s van, get a group together to help cut the expense of van fare – plan on $90 roundtrip. With 8 people, that is only a little over $11 per person roundtrip. But remember, you will be taking your old cushions with you, so account for space and number of people that will fit. We had 18 cushions and had 6 passengers. We charged them each $12 and we paid the difference. 

Talk to your passengers and find out where they want to go and what they need. Write a list for Martin so he knows what places you'll be stopping. For example:

Bank

Coplasa for upholstery fabrics, zippers, snaps, foam, Velcro, plastic hooks and closures, elastic, thread, buttons, etc…

Deposito de Telas for upholstery fabrics and regular fabrics

Vidris for hardwares (just like an Ace Harware Store - tools, tubing, hoses, paint, wasp spray, etc…)

Galleria Mall: Radio Shack, Northface, Quizno’s, Wendy’s, Starbucks…

Grocery Stores: Super Selectos, Walmart or Pricemart (Pricemart requires a member card and Martin has one)

Or anywhere else… phone cards, electronics, barber shop, etc...

On the day you will be going, give Martin your list of stops when he picks you up. Bank will likely be fist so you have money to buy things, right? After that:

1. Tapiceria de Josue is next. You will give your old cushions to the owner, Carlos, and he will write out the amount of fabric you need to purchase and any other items you need, such as snaps, piping, thread, zippers, Velcro, etc…

Tapiceria de Josue

Carlos Ortiz 12 Av. Nte. Y 21 C. Ote.

San Salvador

Tel: 7317-3762

Looking at fabric

2. Martin will take you to pick out your fabrics and other materials at Coplasa and Deposito de Telas. He will then take you back to the tapiceria to drop off your upholstery and notions. You’ll be expected to pay Carlos 40% - 50% of the total in cash.

 3.  Now, Martin will take you to any of the other places you want to go, saving the grocery stores until last so that meats and cold items don’t get too hot.

It will be another trip to pick up your cushions. And you'll organize it similarly. 

It's a little crazy... I won't deny it.

We had one of our friends volunteer to ride in between the foam on the trip from the upholstery store back to the Tapiceria. But he's a good friend and he looked so cute squished in back! We called to him several times along the way to make sure he hadn't fallen out the back. But, the trip was so much fun with everyone and the out come - new gorgeous cushions at a great price - are so worth it!

Our cockpit is stark white

New interior upholstery! $4 a yard!

 

The Little Things in Life

Yes, we are still sitting in Marina Chiapas, the southern most sailing stop in Mexico. It’s a brand new marina with brand new clean bathrooms, brand new dry storage area and a brand new palapa restaurant.  Summer rates are brilliantly priced at $200 per month – a very good deal. Electricity is free. But, we just paid $575US to sit here because summer rates don’t start until July (you can push for June successfully – but not May).

Already 2 named storms have morphed ahead of us these past few weeks and blown north. While we waited for a weather window to cross the gnarly Tehuantepec, Jim scouted out potential boat yard repairmen who might be able to make our boat repairs right here in Chiapas. Although we found a Huatulco man, we just couldn't make it work. We certainly will not stay here for the summer on board.

I think this part of cruising is the hardest part. Being in a country where customer service is lax means learning to wait respectfully and  patiently. Throwing a tantrum and stomping your feet won’t get you what you want here… well, maybe you’ll get what you want but no one will want to be a part of your life and cruiser rumor spreads faster than a computer virus. It is this cruiser’s humble opinion that being a very polite nuisance is more effective in Central America.

And as for the weather – I haven’t figured out how to make it work in our favor. But this upcoming week looks very promising!

BEFORE: Although they don't look terrible in the photo, these cushions were flat,
stained,had cigarette burns on them and were made out of a scratchy fabric I hated!

Staying positive means thinking of positive things. And instead of dwelling on the not-so-positive- aspect of our visit to El Salvador, we had a very positive outcome there concerning something very trivial and materialistic – but something that has bothered me for a long time. 

Our very old, flat, scratchy interior cushions.

And our falling apart, stained, dull cockpit cushions. 

And let's face it - right now, it’s the little things in life are the icing on the cake!

BEFORE: Same hateful scratchy fabric on settee

If you are planning to cruise to Bahia del Sol or Barillas…

If your boat has the ugliest cushions known to man…

If you have a little extra cash to blow on beauty and comfort…

We strongly suggest that you consider having your cushions recovered in San Salvador!

BEFORE: White vinyl cockpit cushions were badly stained. That's duct tape on the seat
where a rip began running. Duct tape is usually a good temporary fix, but in this case
it oozed down into the rip and left a nice sticky goo around the edges to
collect dog and cat hair.

It takes a little planning. It takes some organization. And, it probably also takes a van to make it happen…

But we had 18 cushions recovered (new foam and fabric and labor – 8 cockpit and 10 interior) for a mere $525US.

In the next post, I’ll tell you 5 easy steps to make it happen quickly and efficiently. And share the AFTER photos!

Need House-Sitters Anyone??

We're putting our feelers out.
Do you know anyone anywhere in Mexico who needs house-sitters for one to six months?

We are considering leaving Hotspur in the marina and taking some time on land. And this is the time the snowbirds migrate north. So, if you hear of anyone looking to have their home cared for appreciatively and lovingly in their absence, please have them contact us: Jim & Meri (meriev<at>yahoo<dot>com)

Hurricane Bud

Sitting in Marina Chiapas isn’t the end of the world. 

But we're adjusting our attitudes. 

We wanted to head north and west and the weather won’t let us. 

BUD is west of Hotspur, the cute little white boat sitting... sitting... sitting in Marina Chiapas

A second named storm has reared its ugly head since we arrived here on May 11^th. And we thought we were being so smart by scooting back into southern Mexico a tad early – just before hurricane season.

On other years, we would have been correct. 

But - not this year.

From the National Hurricane Center:

 "WITH THE DEVELOPMENT OF BUD...THIS IS THE EARLIEST DATE ON RECORD FOR THE SECOND TROPICAL STORM FORMATION IN THE EAST PACIFIC. IT SURPASSES THE PREVIOUS EARLIEST DATE OF MAY 29."

Yes, ‘Bud’ is its name. That happens to be the name of my favorite uncle on my father’s side of the family, so how bad can it really be? 

Hotspur is in no danger at all. We are thankfully south of all the action. Good ole' 'Bud' just happens to be in our way.   Track Bud's path here on Facebook if you want.

When I Realized I Really Screwed Up

It was a couple weeks ago and I was researching maritime law on the computer in the restaurant at Bahia del Sol. A cruising friend in the marina walked up to me and with total seriousness said, 

“This is going to end very badly.”

She was talking about the accident.

I knew right then I had screwed up royally.

If I hadn’t been stupid, things might not have taken a turn for the worse.

If I hadn’t been naïve, feelings might not have been hurt.

It is ridiculous to think that just because “we’re all cruisers” that we all think the same way. 

"Good faith" doesn't mean the same thing to all people.

What I did wrong:

When the liable party told me that their insurance agent agreed to review Hotspur’s case, I should have gotten their agent information immediately. I should have followed them to their boat to get it. This stupid error of mine may have cost us peace of mind and harmony our last two weeks in Bahia del Sol.

Should you be involved in a cruising accident, I have listed a few suggestions below that just might keep all hell from breaking loose. The last thing you want to have to worry about after an accident is how your repairs are going to be paid.


LESSON #1 - Insurance information

If your boat has been damaged by another and they have insurance, get their agent’s name, phone number, email address, etc… Get it immediately. Don’t wait.

And then… make that phone call. Right then. Don’t delay. Don’t make excuses and tell yourself that everybody is on the same page.

If I had done what I am advising you to do, things might not have gotten hairy ugly.


LESSON #2 - Paying Out of Pocket

This is advice for anyone who has caused damage to another boat. If you want to settle out of pocket (maybe you are self-insured or maybe you don’t want anyone filing a claim with your insurance company), remember… you want to entice the party that has suffered damage to accept your tantalizing offer. Do this very quickly following the accident… a day or two is sufficient. Eight days later is too long.

DO bring a few written estimates from local repair shops. It not only shows you care about the speedy recovery of the other vessel, but it may give you some bargaining power.

DON’T show up empty-handed and complain about how expensive your own repairs are costing you.

DO tell the damaged party what you will do – what you can do. Bring cash – and be serious. If the repairs on average cost $3,000, for example, consider bringing $1,500 to the table. It may not be accepted, but it might. Putting that cash on the table just might be persuasive enough to seal the deal or move it forward in a positive direction.

DON’T show up empty-handed and tell the other party that you won’t pay to repair their boat.

DO be creative. If you have some experience in fiberglass, suggest that you might do the repairs. Or maybe you know someone who will do you a favor.

DON’T show up empty-handed and without solutions. Remember, you want to be a problem solver!

LESSON #3 - The uninsured, the self-insured and those who refuse to pony up their insurance info

Don’t panic if you are damaged by a party without insurance.

If you have boat insurance now, go check your policy. Some policies cover uninsured vessels – much like uninsured motorists in auto insurance. Go check it now.

If the liable party has read my LESSON #2, you might be okay. If they read it, but chose to follow all my DON’Ts, then you may have to go to the port captain or the police.

Really think about this before you approach the authorities, especially in foreign countries. If it’s only a few hundred dollars, maybe it’s not worth the hassle. No telling what might happen. But, if it’s thousands – you may not have a choice.

Likely, the liable party will not wish to go to jail or have their boat impounded. However, you may be stuck where you are until a resolution is reached.

LESSON #4: - Having liability insurance

Hotspur always had liability insurance while in Mexico. First, it’s the law there. Second, it is super easy to obtain online and it’s very affordable.  We've used assuremex.com and mexadventure.com.

When Hotspur was ready to leave Mexico, we checked all around for basic liability insurance coverage in Central America. What we failed to realize was this:

If your boat is 10 years old or older, many insurance companies require a hull survey less than 2 years old before they will offer coverage in certain parts of the world.

Hotspur had just been hauled out in Guaymas in Dec/Jan… if we had known we could have had a survey performed then.

What happened to us could happen to anyone.
What happened to the vessel that hit us also could happen to anyone.
I think being self-insured is risky.
But many cruisers choose to travel that way. Like us in El Salvador.
Even though liability insurance wouldn't have helped us in the case of another boat hitting us, had we had full coverage we could have handed our little problem over to our agent and washed our hands of the details. Instead, we had to be in the hairy middle of it - and I regret that more than you will ever know.

Hotspur just returned to Mexico for repairs and the insured’s agent recommended we meet one of their surveyors here. And…

we purchased liability insurance online before we left El Salvador.

I can breathe again!

What Happened?

Any boating accident, just like any car accident, usually isn't intentional. And, when there is loss of life or injury it is a tragedy. Luckily, there was no one killed or injured. But, talk about putting a damper on things.
This is what happened:

• Hotspur was unmanned – we were out of the country.
• Hotspur was secured to a mooring ball at Santos Marina in El Salvador.
• A gale blew and Hotspur held fast to her mooring.
• The boat in front us broke off its mooring- the mooring chain (belonging to the mooring field) failed.
• The boat’s owners were on board the underway vessel, but had dis-connected their starter battery and couldn't start the engine.
• Their boat struck Hotspur.
• According to the underway vessel, they eventually got their engine started but couldn't power off Hotspur because the boats were entangled.
• Help arrived and finally separated the two boats.
• Hotspur now has a hole in her port hull that penetrated through to the deckside.
• Hotspur has numerous other damages, including 13’ ripped teak toerail, bent and broken stanchions and front pulpit, and gouges and scratches in the fiberglass and gel coat.

Light shining through gash on Hotspur's port side

Hole on Hotspur's deck side and partial shot of broken teak toerail

Some of the gouges in Hotspur's hull

Negative Cruising

There are parts of cruising that can be a great, big, fat downer. Sometimes it's the weather. Sometimes bad luck. Sometimes it's changes in policies. Sometimes it's other cruisers. I will talk about some personal experiences down the road, but for today I'd like to ask for your help

There has recently been a change in policy in that affects a favorite anchoring spot. It will also affect the town connected to the favorite anchoring spot. Find out how you can help!