Post Blanca and now Carlos

Blanca fortunately became more of a wind/dirt storm than a tropical storm or hurricane.  We sat hunkered down in marina Palmira in La Paz awaiting the worst.  The clouds arrived a couple days before the winds, and then on Sunday the wind filled in.

Hurricane Blanca on her way, the calm before the storm is a real thing, and eerie.  

 Sunday night it blew up to 47 kts according to some of the folks who stayed up all night.  Our boat leaned from side to side, and the rigging whistled and hummed, but no exciting events thankfully.

The utility trucks awaiting the hurricane here in La Paz.  They arrived by ferry from the mainland several days in advance of the storm.  We were all grateful and amazed that Mexico was that on top of things.  Fortunately they were not really needed, and headed back several days later.  The men associated with each truck seemed grateful to be headed home.

 In the morning, I discovered that one of the cleats on the dock had pulled out, fortunately we were tied to several so no problem.

Finisterra tied to just about anything available.  Note the "solid" piling.  Damage from Odile is still evident.  We did end up tying another line around it just as a precaution.  Good thing as the stern line cleat pulled out of the dock.  

 I did mention the dirt, which was blown off the land and out on to all of the formerly white yachts.  We were all hoping for some nice rain to drench us and clean the boats so we wouldn't have to.  But, no, the dust and dirt swirled all around and pooled like water in the corners and on decks.

Hurricane Blanca party aboard Finisterra.  Only because we have the AC, and the humidity outside was thick.  Another Sylvia creation which was superb.  (Tom, Leif, Lisa, Sylvia)  And beaming smiles as we figured out the self timer on the camera!

   The following Tuesday, with the wind dying down, the port captain opened the port and allowed boats to leave and enter, so we left for Balandra.  Leif was under the weather, so it was a good thing to take a short hop instead of leaving for Bahia de Los Muertos. Balandra was beautiful, but we were feeling pressure to get on our way around to San Jose del Cabo, so off we went after one night.  The weather was really nice, calm, sunny, and light winds on the nose.  The Ceralvo channel can be awful, with a current going north and winds going south, which creates a washing machine effect. This was not happening today, so we put out a line and trolled a bit, catching a small skipjack and releasing it.  There were jumping Mobula rays all over as we motored out, and then a large pod of dolphin leaped their way across our bow.  It was a spectacular send off from La Paz.

A small portion of the huge pod that crossed our bow.

The flying Mobula rays of the Sea of Cortez.

Sunset at Balandra, with the pelicans and seagulls enjoying the reef marker buoy.

   Bahia de Los Muertos is trying to change its name to Bahia de Los Suenos as vacationing in the bay of the dead doesn't sound inviting.  It is inviting however, with a grand hotel/resort and a restaurant that served a good variety of dishes, including a yummy hamburger.  The snorkeling here is also excellent as the water is very clear.  We dropped anchor in 24' and could clearly see it hit bottom.

A refreshing pool and rock slide await the intrepid sailors who venture up the long stretch of beach to the Los Suenos resort.  Not to mention the great fish tacos and ice cold brews.

 After two nights it was time to head around to San Jose del Cabo, as there was another storm brewing down south.  Hurricane Carlos was hanging out near Acapulco causing lots of damage with high winds and lots of rain.  We were hoping it would die off, and as I write this, it appears that it will near Cabo Corrientes and Puerto Vallarta.

The extensive bar and view into the restaurant at Los Suenos.  The train track on the upstairs balcony is visible in the background.

   Marina Puerto Los Cabos is near San Jose del Cabo, and has made great progress towards recovering from hurricane Odile last fall.  My main concern was that the women's bathroom was rebuilt, and it had been.  The AC was just installed there last week apparently.  There are still pilings in the marina with no docks attached, but fewer, and the seawall had been rebuilt after a river of mud washed it out.  We are spending a week here waiting for a calm weather window to head around Cabo Falso and up towards Magdalena Bay.  It is a lovely marina, and like everything else here on the cape, very expensive.  We are 42', and pay close to $70. a night for a slip.  Then there is the food, so far we have tried to stay out of The Container, the local restaurant here at the marina, but have failed.  It has a good menu and is enticing to us after being at anchor for a few days.

So, here in San Jose they actually have several camels on which tourists ride.  So weird.  But they're totally relaxed and the trainer says they have him trained as to when they want water or food.  Not sure about that, but, they were really cute.

Most of the other sailboats have left to bash back, but looking at the wind, it appears that they will do exactly that.  We are hoping the forecast is correct for light winds in a couple of days, as we would like to take our time and see the smaller anchorages which we have passed in prior years.  It is now Thursday night, and we are prepped and ready to depart early tomorrow morning.  We had one last extravagance, a dinner out at Flora Farms.  The taxi was $17 one way, and then there was dinner... It was superb.  The grounds are beautiful although we didn't get a good chance to see them as our reservation was at 8:30 p.m. and it was already dark.   I would highly recommend it as a special night out.  I'm finishing this so I can post it before leaving here, but will add more pictures when I can.