Salt & Tarvideo
Salt & Tar: Ep.318- A Prop-er Job
4 December 2025 · 25 min · 40K views · Marina Puerto Escondido
What this video covers
Garrett and Ruth depart Marina Puerto Escondido, Mexico, after leaving their George Buehler ketch Red Aviva on a mooring there for roughly a year while handling personal matters ashore.▶ 1:41 The immediate goal is a 14-nautical-mile run south to Ballandra cove on Isla Carmen — chosen for shallow, clear water over white sand — to replace a damaged, out-of-balance propeller before a 350-nautical-mile passage north to Pinasco, where a boatyard haul-out awaits.▶ 0:54 The old prop has chunks missing, cavitates badly, and is replaced underwater with a Campbell sailor prop, which is smaller in diameter and pitch than the original but engineered for low drag on a sailboat.▶ 9:05 Removing the old prop requires a pipe wrench, a prop puller, a spare mast wedge to get enough purchase, and a second diver to pass tools and secure small parts.▶ 19:40 Jellies in the water and cold slow the work; persistence gets the new prop seated.▶ 16:19 The anchorage at Ballandra holds in 8.9 feet over good holding.▶ 10:59 Norte season — sustained 20-plus-knot northerlies funneling through the Sea of Cortez — is already beginning, making the northward run time-sensitive.▶ 2:40 Fuel capacity is 40 gallons plus four jerry jugs, with few refueling stops available along the route.▶ 4:49
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