Aboard the MS Zaandam, travel from San Diego to Buenos Aires, October/November 2016 - San Diego to Guatemala.

This post is rewritten from a previous post that didn't "take".  So, yes it is from 2016.

At times I feel a little guilty sailing on such a huge vessel, yet, it was really a lot of fun.  We have been land locked since selling our beautiful Finisterra, and I decided that for my 60th birthday something special was due.  Leif has been writing his novel, and South America is a main part of the plot, so it seemed a no-brainer that this cruise was perfect for us.  It was 37 days sailing, with stops in 21 different cities or towns along the way.

HMS Zaandam, our home for the next month.

San Diego was first, and I hadn't really seen the downtown area until this trip.  We hopped on a Lyft to the Irvine train station, rode the train to it's last stop in San Diego, disembarked and walked a short bit to the ship.  We were early, so the line to get our documentation for the ship was almost non-existent.  After 15 minutes we were finished and waited another 20 minutes to board.  This seemed much too easy.  We were welcomed aboard, found our verandah room on the 6th deck and settled into our new home, 6218.  At this point, we had noticed that our wine was not checked and perhaps we could bring on more?  It was only 11:00 a.m. with the ship not sailing until 5:00 p.m., we went back ashore for a sight seeing walk, and perhaps a bit more wine.  Upon our return to the ship, the check-in line was probably 500+ people waiting, however, we were already registered, so we sprinted right on through.

Our lovely verandah balcony room. 

Our first stop was Cabo San Lucas, which was not too interesting to us as we'd stopped there a time or two while sailing our own boat down.  We had found it a bit too touristy for our taste.  I had won a free massage for two, so we enjoyed that instead of going ashore.

Mexico has been a destination for us for several years as we sailed our own boat down from Long Beach.  We had been critical of the cruise ships and their passengers who seemed to party hard, arrive in mass, and have arrogant attitudes towards the locals in many cases.  Knowing this, we tried to be respectful and not follow the crowds.  Leif is fairly fluent in Spanish which was a wonderful help when breaking the ice with locals.

This area is called Stone Island, known to us as Goat Hill, near Mazatlan.  We would anchor, and hike up the small hill to see the goats lazing about, and the expansive view from the top.

It was October, and the weather was scorching and humid.  Fortunately we managed to avoid hurricanes on our way down the coast.  It was very, very nice to be able to escape the heat and humidity in our stateroom.  A luxury that our little boat did not have.  We had bought a little window air conditioner which we installed in the companion way, and the coolness it produced created a few new friends who brought wine/beer to escape the heat.  Other added niceties included: clean, dry sheets, unlimited ice, water and room service.

The tourist trolley from the ship through the shipyard, to the entrance of the port.

Mazatlan was lovely as always, with its beautiful tree-lined cobble stone streets, and cafes.  But, it was over 100 degrees and very humid.  A bit much for walking hills.  Puerto Vallarta was also pretty, yet quite hot as well, not as humid though. 

Leif at Philo Hayward's memorial guitar on the La Cruz jetty.  Such a giving individual, and a sad loss to all who knew him.

Huatulco was our next stop and our first port we had not visited prior.  The lush greenery and blue water were a refreshing pause after the hustle of Puerto Vallarta.  Our learning curve was increasing, as we found it difficult to get away from the port without hiring a taxi or other transportation.  We did a lot of walking, and would go as far as possible, allowing time to return for the sailing.

Huatulco, Mexico.  Interesting architecture, and high prices.  Slow internet along the seaside restaurants, snorkeling and kayaking if one desired. 

We had now settled into a routine on the ship.  This included: breakfast of fruit and cereal delivered to our room and then walking the decks for a few miles.  By then it was lunch time, and salads or sushi were our main fare.   There were many activities in which to participate, such as classes on Windows 10, cooking, the gym, trivia, and talks on upcoming locales.  The evening shows were not bad on this trip, a nice surprise as our Alaska journey had fairly dated shows.  During dinner, we chose to sit with others and met some interesting people from all over.

The food on the ship was endless, if you desired that.  I loved the ice cream station, and Leif loved the salad bar.  The salads got a bit sparse as we sailed farther south towards the fiords and smaller towns.  But, the scenery more than made up for it.

Entering the harbor on such a huge ship was odd in comparison to the tiny village and pangas.

I jumped ahead a bit, our next town was Puerto Chiapas, Mexico.  This small port is known for its Izapa ruins, which is a large pre-Columbian archaeological site.  It was one of the largest during its time, with a population of around 10,000.  Now it is a lush area filled with stone structures, small fields where challenges took place, and signs explaining it all.  The jungle has taken over, and the locals have tried to maintain the site by constantly hacking it back.   This area is also known for coffee plantations, which we missed seeing.  The air temperature has dropped slightly as we travel south.  85 and humid.

Izapa ruins, possibly the origin of the Mayan calendar.   

A busy area, only a quick taxi ride from town.

Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala was the next town on the following day.  We took a tour bus inland to Antigua, a UNESCO world heritage site, where we spent the day exploring on our own.  The bus was $50. each, which was the cheapest we could find, and sponsored by HAL.  It was over an hour drive, so a good deal as a taxi would have been more.

This began just as we were passing, amazing, but a bit worrisome. 

On the ride into town, we passed several tall volcanoes, one of which decided to start bellowing smoke and ash as we passed!  How did they arrange that?  We were dropped off at a tourist center which had a short talk about the area and its history.  We each received a little worry doll, hand made by the locals, and a cup of coffee.  The story of the doll is that if you put it under your pillow each night, it will take all your worries away.  I took two...  Not really, but what a great idea.

Days Passed, or Days Past, either one will do.

It's been a few years since I last posted anything.  Not that we've been hiding away at home, except lately, but the idea of blathering on about our travels seemed a bit self-serving.  Now, after a couple of months of literally staying at home and cooking every meal, I'm a bit ready to explore our travels to date from 2017.  Our previous trip in 2016 was around Cape Horn, and was quite memorable.  I particularly loved the penguins on the Falkland Islands, volcanoes spewing smoke and steam near Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala, and the Mochican Culture center with sprawling ruins. 

To be continued...

I am currently trying to update my information on our last trip, and will post again soon.

Crossing the Caribbean from the BVI's to San Blas, Panama- May 2016

This event happened last May, and I've been remiss in posting.  So, before I begin our latest adventure, I feel that I should finish this one.

Lisa, Liz, Tanja, Paul, and Leif in St. Thomas anchorage.

Paul's boat, the little one of course.  It was a close call, and one we watched with trepidation.

Rusty old anchor, just hanging offshore.

Yes, it really is this blue.

Some of the interesting houses perched on cliffs.

Our lives at home were not stale by any means, and when an opportunity to sail with friends across the Caribbean Sea arose, we had to hustle to fit in the adventure.  I knew it would be a trip of a lifetime as they say, so even with the trepidation of the heat, humidity and of course the sand fleas,  no-see-ums, and Zika virus, I was all in. 
   Our friends have a Leopard 42, named appropriately "Salida".  She is a wonderful boat for two, and large enough for the four of us to have our own hull.  Our hosts/friends, Craig and Liz have travelled extensively in the Caribbean and know just where to go for the most enjoyable sights and fun times, so we were excited to join and learn of their favorite haunts.
   In chatting with my golf friend, Doris, it turned out that we were both headed to LAX on Tuesday morning early to take a flight out of the same terminal.  Nice to be able to share a shuttle and cut the costs.  They were headed to Hawaii, us to the opposite coastline.
   So, off we flew to Miami airport, then on to Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas.  We decided that due to bringing the usual duffel filled with boat parts, food items and other necessities it would be best to arrive in the U.S. Virgin Islands and avoid going through customs and immigration right off the bat.  Arriving around 9:00 p.m. we hopped into a van/taxi that was filled with other tourists and left for the Fat Turtle restaurant and bar where we would meet Craig and Liz.  As we rounded the corner near the marina, a lady sitting on the sea wall asked if we were looking for two friends?  Yes, we replied, and she said they were in "her" bar around the corner. She was the bartender, on a break.  There sat Craig and Liz, looking so relaxed having a cool beverage.  We clambered up with all of our bags and plopped down, anxiously awaiting the return of the bartender.  Good times were now beginning.  The boat was anchored out in the harbor, so we all boarded the dinghy and slowly eased out, trying not to get everything wet, as we were a bit overloaded.
We were quite tired from our long day, so we hit the sack quickly.
The next day we went ashore and did some shopping at the local grocery store.  Interesting assortment of everything from wine to umbrellas.  Returning to Salida, Liz and I swam as the boys did some work with the boat parts we brought.  Lunch ashore was at the Tap and Still, burgers in bags and cokes, really good.  Dinner brought some friends of theirs over to join us, Paul and Tanja from a local cat nearby.

Our picturesque lunch spot, just off the main street, but so intimate.

The next day we were thinking of leaving, but we needed propane which apparently wasn't too far away...not.  The boys went for propane, Liz and I shopped and had lunch.  They joined us for appetizers as we ended up staying awhile as the propane was truly a days worth of lugging propane bottles across town, so a rest was needed.

Salida sailing away from the sunset.

   Jost Van Dyke was our next destination, we sailed in choppy seas, arriving in time for a swim and snorkel.  Dinner was a trip to the Soggy Dollar Bar, a famous restaurant nearby.  We took a cab, had the island drink of Painkillers, and left for  Foxy's bar.  Get the drift?  We met Foxy, which apparently is now memorable as he's not doing that well physically.  The next stop was Corsairs beach bar for dinner.  The tourists were thick, as were the drinks and music.  Interesting place, but not much depth.

We thought a picture before entering would be the best idea.  It was.

    The next day we left for the BVI's to check in at the port captain's office.  Basically a beach front hut with many government workers.  After that we left for Norman Island.  Norman was more peaceful when we arrived and dropped anchor.  We snorkeled, saw sea turtles, and barracuda under the boat.  All sorts of tropical fish: tang, cuttlefish, sergeant majors, conch with crab inside, etc.  We all decided that in 3 days it would be time to head to Panama.
   This is the anchorage that has the boat called the Willy T, a pirate looking ship that is famous for people, or women, jumping topless off and earning a free drink.  Among other things.  Craig and Liz thought we should see it, and we agreed, so off we went.  Arriving, we were the oldest by probably 40 years, so we had a beer and left rather quickly.  It was interesting, and we got the drift of the place.  Lots of shots, pot, and scantily clad young ladies.  Not really what we were looking for.  So, we found a more mature restaurant nearby.  As we left, two other dinghies showed up loaded with crews of about our age.  We smiled and sure enough, they ended up at our restaurant in a few minutes.  We arrived on a Thursday, and now the weekend crowds were arriving from??  Our anchorage started with maybe 40 boats, and swelled to now probably 200+.  Totally crazy.

The infamous "Willy T", with no shortage of early party goers.

   The next day we left Norman and headed to Soper's Hole to check out of the BVI's.  There is a Pusser's rum store there, as well as a bar, of course.  So, I bought a painkiller and kept the mug.  Then, we sailed across to the USVI's and  St. John island and Watermelon Cay.  The water was murky, no swimming here, but a good rest stop before heading out to Panama.  There were some people jogging along the beach, but it looked very buggy, so I opted out.  Early to bed, leaving early tomorrow am.
May 24, 2016

The view was spectacular, even from the taxi.  We are the second or third from the right.

Beautiful sunrise, we figure 150 miles a day, 6-7 days to Linton, Panama where we will need to check in to the country.  Then to the San Blas Islands, or Kuna Yala as it is known by the local people there, the Kuna Indians.

Our condo on the water, under sail to Panama.

   Winds 10-15, nice sail through the Virgins and on past Puerto Rico.
May 25   Winds picked up, 15-20 moving along nicely.  Weather guru Chris Parker says we're headed into some squalls, which is news to us, not his original forecast.  Winds build 15-25, no big squalls but uncomfortable seas, the boat lurching and pounding from the direction of the swells.  Flying fish are everywhere.  Dolphins, boobies and tropic birds as well.

The closer we get to Panama, the more cloudy and ominous it gets.  We see lightning off in the distance, but none nearby.

May 26  Bumpy seas, winds 15-25, we're making 10 knots at times.  Liz has been cooking wonderful food for all.  Last night the generator died, and the boys are trying to sort that out.  So far making 160 miles a day on our 1000 mile journey.  Pretty rough at night, hard to sleep.  No more marine life.
May 27-28  Rough seas, swell and wind in opposite directions.  Haven't seen land since Cuba.  Lightning in the distance.
May 29   Rough seas still, transferred fuel in jerry jugs after it calmed down a bit.  Finally getting a swell from behind instead of in front.  Celebratory rum drinks in hopes of finally sleeping in calmer seas.

Our first sunrise in the San Blas Islands, it was really gorgeous.

May 30   Calm seas, motoring at 6 kts.  Light clouds, 130 miles to Linton.  We may arrive at night, not the best, but we're looking forward to it.  We fished, caught a wahoo, but it broke off.  Finally can see land.  Water temp is 88 degrees.  It was 84 in the Virgins.  Headed to Hollandaise Cay in hopes of finding Mola Lisa, as well as good snorkeling.    We arrived at 9:30 pm, dark, tried to anchor, but windlass was not cooperating.  We did a U turn, figured out the problem, then returned, anchored and had a celebratory drink and went to bed.

Yes, it's a waterspout.  All this beauty has its drawbacks.  Yikes.  Fortunately, it passed us by.

May 31   Craig worked tirelessly on the genset to no avail.  We swam and did a dinghy ride around to sight see.  Bought some lobsters and coconuts from a local guy in a dug out boat.
June 1  We left for the Lemon Cays but ended up seeing Mola Lisa on the way.  She came over and we were thrilled to see all of her wares.  I bought several molas, cooking mitts, wince chiller things and other stuff.  Probably made her day, but definitely mine.

Apparently the hull isn't too water tight, this seemed to be a constant activity of the fishermen.

Squid anyone?  We opted for lobster and coconuts.

Lisa's yacht.

Mola Lisa, my search was complete.  She was one of the main reasons I wanted to go to the San Blas.  She is famous for her Molas, and as we share a name, I thought it appropriate that I buy hers.  There is more to her story, she has an interesting life story.

Lisa, Lisa, and Liz showing off one of the many Molas that she presented.

Yes, rising ocean levels are important here.

There are many, many islands, which make navigating interesting to say the least.

June 2-3  We left the San Blas and went into Porvenir, a small harbor on the mainland where we will need to go through customs and check into the country.  The wind was light, and it was quite humid.  As we dinghied ashore, we stopped to see the monkeys on one of the nearby islands.

Our friendly apple eater.

There were three monkeys, two adults and one youngster who was shy.

 We had some apple pieces that we threw out to them and they didn't disappoint us.  They swung out of the trees and clambered down to the sand and snapped up the apples.  So amazing to me.  We were told not to get too near, as they would bite and attack, so we stayed off shore a bit.  The sunsets here were absolutely gorgeous, and I had to stop playing Mexican train each evening to take pictures. Our days were ending here, and Leif and I needed to get back to civilization.

A local fisherman using a net, and a line.

This guy didn't follow the charts apparently.  

 So, on the 4th or 5th, we all went ashore, Leif and I with luggage, and found a ride to Portobelo to go through customs and immigration.  We had hoped for a bus or cab. but found a local instead with a small Toyota who would take us all for a small fee.  OK, 5 people plus 4 bags equals totally crammed.  We did make it, and thanked her, so she decided to offer Leif and I a ride to Panama City.  Oh, big mistake.  She was sweet as could be, but drove in a manner that I'm not used to.  Swerving around buses, stopping in the middle of the street to take pictures, well, we made it.  We stayed at a Hyatt, with a wonderfully soft bed, dry air conditioning, shower, and a restaurant down stairs.  Ahh.  Our driver wanted to take us out for dancing and drinks we think, but we hid inside, too tired to move.

At anchor in Porvenir, the colors changed so dramatically I had a challenge as to which was best.

   All in all, it was a wonderful adventure, and I'm so glad we went.  Craig and Liz eventually left for Bocas del Toro, their home away from home.  And they are still there, although possibly heading with friends for the south pacific soon.   Ah travels, it keeps you young?  Or ages you very quickly!  We had a great time, and are off to California and our next adventure...

 

Finisterra is on to new adventures!

It is said that the best two days of owning a boat are the day you purchase and the day you sell.  Unfortunately we have mixed feelings on selling Finisterra, as she was really a spectacular boat for us.  Leif so enjoyed creating the perfect cruising boat for us, and he succeeded.  Then, we found that we had other travels that were enticing, so the boat was not going to get used as she should. 
We love Catalina, and the California coast, but this boat was a bit much for this type of cruising.  So, her buyer will be taking her to Santa Barbara and perhaps beyond.  He is a wonderful gentleman and we are sure he will take good care of her.  Leif and I are so glad that she has a good home.  We will miss her.  Yet, our lives change and we are looking forward to other adventures, and definitely another boat, albeit probably a stink pot.  With probably a small sailboat that we can either race or have fun with. 
   So, this ends the travels of Finisterra as Leif and I know her, but there will be many more in her future.  Our blog will continue as soon as we choose our path.  LB squared travels on...

Finisterra on her last trip to the Isthmus, summer of 2015.  This photo is going to be painful, as it is our most favorite place.

Life off of the boat...

I was going to title this "Life at home", but that isn't accurate as we've been traveling quite a bit after arriving home from Mexico.  So, our lives have been extremely busy, and they say retirement is slow, not! 
First, we arrived back in southern California, finding our new slip in San Pedro at Cabrillo Way Marina.  It's a brand new marina with lots of empty slips, new bathrooms, lots of water pressure and clean docks.  Ahh.  After settling in there, we moved back into our home in Costa Mesa, which included unpacking 30 or more storage bins filled with collections from our previous lives.  So, while Leif worked on unpacking and cleaning the boat, I did the same at the house with our dog Woody.  Woody is an English Setter, 14.5 years young and feisty for his age.  Unfortunately his body doesn't know that his mind is still vibrant, and he's having difficulty with staying upright.  I'll make this short and sweet.  After several weeks of watching him trying not to fall over, and laying only on one side due to an abundance of lumps, crying most of the night, we decided it was time to let him rest.  So, he is at peace.  It was very difficult, and I still feel and hear him daily inside the house, even though it's my imagination.  He was a very special dog to me.

Woody keeping an eye on things.

  Moving on, next on our list was a planned drive up to Vancouver BC, and then a cruise to Alaska.  Small problem was we didn't have a car worthy of the trip as I had sold mine, so we bought a new Subaru Outback.  What a totally awesome car.  It has something called eyesight, which will speed up or slow down due to traffic conditions.  Really nice on this trip.

Leif and Judy on the "Grouse Grind".  I'm lagging behind, so I could get a good photo of course...

   After arriving in Vancouver, we stayed with our friends Wolf and Judy at their home in North Vancouver.  The next day Judy suggested the three of us do a hike called the "Grouse Grind".  Oh sure, how difficult can that be?  Well, very.  Lots of roots, straight up, 2830 steps, and an elevation gain of 2800' in 1.8 miles. I struggled along as they waited patiently for me to keep up.  Thought I was in pretty good shape, well, wrong.  Later that day we met our other cruising pals, Vic and Susan and had a lovely dinner at the Royal Vancouver YC.  It's a special club with many out-stations for the members to sail or travel to and enjoy being out on the water.  It is also one of the most beautiful cities I have ever seen.  Lots of green, obviously, but also environmentally aware, just ask Judy about the multitude of bike lanes?!  I don't blame her for being a bit upset, they outnumber the traffic lanes, and traffic is pretty awful.  And, it rains so much the bikes aren't out during many times of the year. 
   We all walked down to the sea taxi and then rode across to our ship, the Noordam, for our next adventure.  The Noordam is a basic ship, not like a Princess or Disney with water slides or climbing walls.  But, it did have a nice walking deck, delicious food, excellent service, and was speedy getting up and back.  (20+ knots at times)  We sailed for two days up to Juneau where we took a taxi into the hills for a look at the Mendenhall glacier.

Mendenhall Glacier, or what's left of it.

Being spendthrifts, we all decided to risk our luck on a taxi in town rather than booking on the ship.  Good idea.  Ship-board for the trip was over $100. each, taxi for 6 was about $40. one way.  The only draw back was that Sunny, our taxi driver, disappeared and left us to be eaten by grizzlies and mosquitoes.  He had said he'd return, but didn't.  So, we climbed on a shuttle, $10 each back to the ship.  Nice.  The glacier was interesting, very blue in spots, and little icebergs floating around in the bay.  Yes, it was beautifully cold.  Loved it.

Fortunately he/she was quite content, and posed nicely instead of chasing us down into the icy water.

Judy and I heard there was a brown bear sitting on a rock near a vista point, so off we ran to get pictures.  Sure enough, Judy climbed up on the nearest rock and there was a huge brown bear within 20'.  A bit scary, but he was laying down lounging.  Still, I was a bit nervous as I clicked away.

The Mendenhall glacier near Juneau has many large chunks of ice drifting around nearby.

   Next came Glacier Bay, where the ship spun in 360's for a couple of hours while the naturalists and park rangers on board explained what we were seeing.  On our way into the bay, the ship slowed and we were boarded by about 10 National park rangers who set up information areas and gave lectures.  This was a great learning experience about the glaciers as well as the native people from the area.  I have to say the one Tlingit who spoke on board needs speaking lessons, he was putting most to sleep with his slow self centered style.  And, what he had to say was important, just poorly delivered.

I'm not sure the name of this glacier, but it's in Glacier Bay.

  On to Skagway.  We arrived and hopped on to a narrow gauge train up into the hills nearby for a relaxing and beautiful view of the valleys and mountains.  Not much wildlife, but gorgeous views.  Then on to Ketchikan, our last stop before heading home to Vancouver.  Ketchikan is much like the rest of the small towns up here, which rely on mining, but mostly tourism from the ships.  It was sad to see all of the junk shops selling tee shirts, totem poles and other odds and ends.  On board the ship the daily events always include a seminar on buying jewelry and gem stones from the local stores.  Apparently if you're into buying diamonds or tanzanite or other precious metals or stones this is the place.  I'm not, so it was a little depressing, as we wanted to see nature, not shopping.  Once again, we hired a taxi and saved a tremendous amount as the 6 of us went up to the same river that the cruise ship tours go to in order to see bears and bald eagles.  Unfortunately the spawning salmon were almost over, so the bears and birds were full up, and the rivers not full of salmon.  We did however see one black bear which came into view and entertained probably 100's of us quietly clicking away with our cameras.  And, one bald eagle zoomed overhead and I tried to quickly snap it's photo. 
   Overall, the trip was interesting, we did get to see glaciers, bears, whales, bald eagles, logs floating by, and didn't gain too much weight at the buffet.  The best thing was having dinner all together each night and rehashing the days events with our friends.  I highly recommend taking along pals with which to share the adventure, it really made it worthwhile.

Our celebratory toast after arriving onboard the ship.  This was our little cabin I believe, very comfortable.  (L-R- Leif, Judy, Wolf, Vic, and Susan.

   We arrived back in Vancouver around 7:00 a.m. and promptly departed rolling our luggage across the town to the water taxi and on to Wolf and Judy's home.  The weather hadn't cooperated the whole trip, with rain pretty much daily, and today was no exception.  Leif and I were lucky enough to stay on Lobo del Mar, Wolf and Judy's boat, and it was a delight to be back on board again.  It was even a Beneteau, and beautiful wood inside with lots of northwest décor.

We stopped at Crater Lake on the way back home, yes, it really is that blue.  Amazing to see.  

   We needed to get moving towards home as our own boat was due to be hauled out before too long, so off we went to Roseburg, then Redding, then Nevada City to visit my brother.  Along the way we managed to wine taste in Oregon, see Crater Lake, amazingly blue, and eat at a great Italian place in Roseburg.  It was so sad to hear of the nut killing people in this lovely town after we left.  Such a small town, it's going to be a long recovery. 
   We once again wine tasted in Paso Robles and Santa Ynez, and finally made it home.  Our house didn't sell, as we had hoped, and the boat is in the yard for maintenance, so the chores continue.
   I will add that the boat came out of the yard swiftly, and we have cleaned, organized, and sailed her in the past few weeks.  It is so nice to be back out on the water again.

Finisterra is for Sale!

We have enjoyed our travels aboard Finisterra for the past several years, and now it's time to see the sights ashore.  This means less time aboard, so we are selling our lovely boat so she can continue her travels without us.
For specifications and information please click on this link.   www.finisterraspecifications.blogspot.com    

Anchored at beautiful Las Hadas, near Manzanillo, Mexico.

Bash, San Diego, Dana Point, Catalina and San Pedro

We left San Jose del Cabo at 7:55 a.m. on June 19, a Friday.  The wind was rather calm, but not the seas.  As we rounded Cabo San Lucas around 10:00 a.m. it had already increased to mid teens to twenties, and then jumped to twenties to thirties.  It was a boisterous ride with green water coming over the bow and sides for about two hours until we passed Cabo Falso.  At that point the cape effect began to taper off and the seas settled down a lot.  The swell was still rather large and coming from two different directions, so the ride was a bouncy one, and hanging on was a necessity.  We did three hour watches during our two day trip up to Bahia Santa Maria, which always work well for us.  The sea temperature was 83 in Cabo, now falling to 69.  There were hundreds of fishing boats trolling off of Cabo as we left, we heard there were blue fin tuna in the area, and we saw hundreds of leaping Mobula rays as well.

Rounding Cabo San Lucas, a wet ride indeed.  The Mexican Navy came by but left us alone.

   We pulled into Bahia Santa Maria bay in hopes of going ashore and getting some of the great sea shells that others have shown us.  This was again not to be, as there was a large swell running and crashing on the beach inside.  So, we anchored for a few hours, I cooked a chicken and potato saute, then off we went to Turtle bay.  Arriving at Turtle a bit early due to calm weather and seas, we dropped anchor and went to sleep for awhile.  That afternoon, Enrique dropped by to fuel us up from the panga with the huge fuel tank aboard.  We slept again, and awoke early for a head start towards Ensenada.

Ensenada fishermen with their dive gear and catch of shellfish.

On our way we trolled and caught some skipjack tuna which we released.  This time we went behind Cedros Island in hopes of missing some of the large swell for awhile.  It turned out to be a great idea, as the seas were calm, sun was warm and life was good for four hours as we passed.  Then, as we stuck our nose out from behind the last rocks, the %#@# hit the fan.  Large 6'-8'swells and winds of 25 knots on the nose. Ugh.  The winds dropped into the teens after awhile, but the swells remained mixed up and large.

One surprise was a pod of Orcas that joined us and swam in our bow wave for about 5 minutes.  This occurred off of Sacramento Reef, below Ensenada.

   As we passed Sacramento reef, we saw a sight we had only heard others talk about, a pod of Orcas!  They were far off at first, then swam right up to us and surfed in our wake for about 5 minutes before heading off.  So amazing to see these HUGE animals leaping out of the water right next to the boat. And, a bit scary.  The next day brought dolphin, blue whales and humpback whales.  Ho hum. Actually the blue whales were great to see as we had seen mostly humpbacks on our trips.

   Ensenada was fantastic to visit, with a new malecon, Sunday market, new restaurants, and new friends.  Our friends from previous trips, Sylvia and Tom stopped by on their way up from La Paz in their car, and we ate up the food they donated before crossing the border.  You can't bring fruits, veggies, or meats across.  They mentioned that their slip neighbors Manny and Lola were boat sitting here in Ensenada and we should meet them... So we did.  We got along famously and Manny took us on a drive up through the wine country where he knows many of the vintners.  We drank too much, but had a fantastic time learning about some new wineries (to us).

Once again, we met some wonderful new friends and their family at Tres Valles winery in Guadeloupe Valley.  (R-L, Manny, Lola, Leif, Lisa, Leticia and family.

   We also met a crew from a race boat named "Challenger", and Leif enjoyed talking racing and boat stuff with them for several days as they prepared to head off to Panama, and the east coast.
   Time flew and we left for San Diego and SWYC, our favorite yacht club down there.  It was great to be back in the USA, and upon crossing the border line out in the ocean, we dropped our Mexican flag, and inserted our ATT sim cards into our phones.  Ahhh, ATT.  I've never been a fan until we encountered Telcel in Mexico.  Now, love ATT.  Telcel is ok, but unless one is fluent in technical Spanish, it is nearly impossible to discuss the theft of air time and data, which happens all the time.
   While in San Diego we met with Jan and Dave friends from racing on their boat Pendragon, and had many meals out.  Nice to have a real American burger.
   The next stop was Dana Point, where we hoped to anchor for two nights.  After one night with 6 other boats anchored nearby, and 5 more on the way, we left for Catalina.

Many of the wineries near Ensenada are first class, and we had a great time hosted by our friends Manny and Lola.  They drove us to their favorites, as well as some where they knew the owners, which was a special treat. 

   At Isthmus, it felt like we arrived home finally.

A new attraction for us was the renewal of the sea plane service to Isthmus.  Fun to watch them fly low over the Isthmus and land right near the mooring field.  

We hiked daily, met with friends and had a great time relaxing.  The weather was perfect, sunny and a crisp breeze to cool things down.

Oh dear, now what??  This group stopped short when they saw the Bison that we had just walked by within 10'.  They slowly made their way past, as he was right next to the trail.

It was now about time to figure out where we would put Finisterra for a home base.  San Pedro is a good spot for sailing across to Catalina, so we decided on Cabrillo Way marina, a bran

d new marina near Angel's gate, or the opening of the jetty to the ocean in LA harbor.  We had our choice of slips as there were many, many open slips, and took a nice upwind one with no one on either side for the time being.

The view from our hike to the ridge line above Cherry cove, Fourth of July cove and Isthmus.  We love our Croc sandals for hiking, but this proved to be a bit much for them with the steep loose granite.

   Now our trip is officially over, and the decommissioning begins.

A shy Island Fox hiding out behind a palm tree near the Banning house.

 Leif and I have taken off all of our belongings, and pretty much everything else in preparation to clean the boat from top to bottom.

Our friends Paul and Carol from SV Unleashed joined us in San Pedro and for a quick trip over to the island for a couple of nights.  This helped soften the blow of being back in civilization once again.  We are on a walk on the ocean side of San Pedro.

This also means moving back into our home in Costa Mesa, and cleaning it from top to bottom, and washing everything from the boat which is salty and damp.  So, land life is good so far, but we'll see how long that lasts.  It's crazy driving, noisy, and the speed of life has accelerated greatly.  After looking at the pictures of our friends and adventures, I sort of miss it already.  The air temperature is a wonderful thing though, and no bugs!