What a difference a year makes!

Last year at this time, we were in La Cruz, enjoying the warm weather and new friends.  Our trip had just begun to be what we had expected, warm weather, white sands, lots of fish tacos, and endless experiences. 
   This year, it's freezing cold here in Southern Calif., I have the house heater on every day.  Also, there's lots of traffic, noise, and endless jobs around the house to finish.  I also have been subsitute teaching at my former school, which has been fun.  The students are so energetic and upbeat, plus it's the Christmas season, so the practices for the Christmas program add to the festivities. 
   Leif and I both miss our easy going lifestyle back in Mexico, and are still making plans towards heading back in the future.  The nearest we've gotten to the boat was a harbor cruise with friends recently to catch up on their life in Panama on their boat.  Our dogs are keeping us fit, walking and running them most days.  I do think they enjoy my being home to cater to their every whim.    Merry Christmas to everyone. 

Honcho is for sale!

Crew of 2 around Catalina, the start!



Banderas Bay, 20 knots +, and spin practice.

 Hard to fathom, but Honcho is up for sale, anyone who might be interested, please contact us through the blog or facebook.  We are looking for a larger boat on which to continue the journey.  Honcho is in pristine condition for racing or cruising, as Leif has upgraded everything on her, all new instruments, windlass, auto pilot, head, refrigeration, floors are newly varnished... On and on.  She is listed on Yachtworld under Beneteau 36S7.  Just thought this might interest someone out there, perfect boat for So. Cal. or light Mexico cruising, or racing.

July in Avalon and Isthmus, Catalina

We arrived in Avalon without  a care in the world, expecting to be relaxing and at ease during the warm summer days.  Whoops... we totally forgot that it was July 4th weekend.  Not exactly what one would wish for as a restful stay at Catalina.  After waiting in line, we received a mooring in Avalon for two nights.  We had a reservation for Isthmus, but not for a few days.  The weather couldn't have been more perfect, cool fog in the early a.m. and then warming up to the low 70's during the day.  Water temperatures were still a bit chilly, so we stayed dry in the dinghy. 
   Leif and I have a running competition of miniature golf at the course in Avalon, it's one of the best I've ever played.  No moving parts, just angles and hills, surrounded by natural greenery which is labeled as to it's scientific name and origin.  Just a beautiful place in which to spend time chasing a little pink or blue ball.  I won't go into the scores, but we had a great time, and returned for a half price second game later that night. 
   We hiked the local hills and enjoyed just relaxing for a couple of days, then off to Isthmus.
In Isthmus, we had a mooring in close, right behind a stink pot that kept it's generator and engine running all day and most of the night, constantly sending fumes our way.  Not my idea of pleasant.  So, to escape, we hiked most of the ridge tops, bike paths and trails around the Isthmus.  Really had a great time, and got to get our legs back in shape a little. 
  I didn't know, but Isthmus celebrates July 4th on July 3rd with fireworks and live bands.  It worked out great actually as most people left on the 4th, giving us some relief from the fumes.  We stayed up and watched the show, even though it was sort of foggy.  Kind of cool as they lit up the area, expanded by the fog. 
  Finally, it was time to go, our slip in Long Beach was available and we headed back across the channel to our new slip.  We pulled into the measuring dock, checked in, signed all the paperwork, wrote a huge check, and finally put Honcho to rest for awhile.  We ended up moving over to BB11 after we were there for a week, as there are fewer palm frond flowers falling on our boat and staining the hull.  Sort of sad, as the new neighbors on our first dock were very nice. 


Isthmus from the ridge top, via croc sandals.  Best sandals ever!



Leif concentrating on his form, putt for dough.



Avalon, with empty moorings.



Our dinghy is the little grey one...

 The next step was to take up the floorboards and re varnish them.  No small task, with the little rubber strips needing to be removed and replaced afterwards.  There's always something on a boat to keep you busy.  But, that's half the fun.

Bash back from Baja

Back in the USA for awhile

Here we are, doing the usual mundane things once again.  We've been back since mid-July, and things have been going at a rapid pace ever since.  The boat needed to be stripped of it's gear, cleaned thoroughly and then put back together.  Our garage has now been turned into a gear transition locker, and is slowly being emptied and sorted out.  Amazingly it hasn't taken too long to get things in order. 
   The dogs are healthy and happy with long runs in the park daily. Our time in Catalina was well spent as a bit of vacation before the push to get back into the rush of civilization once again.  After a couple weeks at home, it seemed so normal, we had to jump back on Honcho and race to Catalina and back in the "Ship rock and back race". 

   I've included a couple of videos that couldn't be downloaded in Mexico due to slow internet speeds.  One is of a dancing horse in the Blessing of the Fleet Celebration, another is of the whale sharks, and possibly one of the bash back up the Baja, showing the rough seas.  It doesn't do it justice, as the winds were 25 knots or so, and the swells 6'-8'.  But you'll get the idea. 

Ensenada to San Diego, USA

Arriving to our welcoming committee at the Customs dock.

First touching of the USA, happy to be ashore.

The trip to San Diego was so uneventful it's not worth discussing... almost.  We left Ensenada at 12:30a.m. for a midnight sail/motor to the USA in calm seas with no winds.  Leif took the night shift, and I took the morning shift.  As we neared the border there was a military ship hanging out near the entrance to San Diego Harbor.  We had heard warnings of a submarine that was leaving the harbor that morning, so we figured it had something to do with that.  Sure enough, as we got closer, a huge black submarine came storming out, with a huge bow wave.  As it exited, it began to submerge a bit, so just the towers were above the water, and a large white water wave surrounded them.  We slowed down to let it pass in front of us and took lots of pictures.  Pretty amazing scene to welcome us.
  As we neared the police dock, there were yells of "Honcho"  lofting over the sounds of the hull passing through the water.  There to greet us were our good friends Tom and MaryEllen from Equinox, who live in San Diego.  What a wonderful way to arrive, they took our dock lines and we had hugs all around.  They came equipped with Trader Joes supplies of wine and cheese crackers for us, and a bottle of champagne and Subway sandwiches!  What a treat.  We sat and recounted our trip since we'd seen them, after getting checked into the Southwestern Yacht Club for 3 days of free dock space.  That night we had dinner at the club and slept on the boat.  Great showers and a really nice new clubhouse.  They invited us to spend a night at their home the following night, which we accepted gladly.  On our end tie was another friend's boat, El Tiburon with Sarah, Darrell and Sparky.  We had hoped to catch up with them, and, there they were! 


Tom and MaryEllen,  at SWYC!



Happy campers on the USS Midway

 

Walking the flight deck.



Submarine leaving San Diego.

   Wednesday night we got the grand tour of T&ME's home, a lovely dinner of Tamale pie, lots of wine, and the most comfortable bed in months.  It was great to be in a real home with all the amenities.  The next day we all went to tour the Midway aircraft carrier and had lunch at a great seafood restaurant next to it.  Saying good bye was difficult, but we have to move on, and they have their lives to get back in order after being our hosts for three days.  We leave Friday morning early, 4 or 5 for Dana Point Yacht Club, our next overnight stop.

Turtle Bay, Cedros, Bahia Blanca, San Carlos... Ensenada

The Mexican Navy once again, telling us that high winds were due!

One more stunning sunset near Cedros Island.



Leif repairing a stay mid-channel nearing Ensenada.  Guess who cranked him up?



Ah, never been so glad to see a port! 



Panchita, the dock dog in Cruiseport Marina.

 I was so excited to leave Bahia Santa Maria, after spending so long sitting listening to the wind howl and holding on for dear life as the swells rolled through and pulled us on the anchor in the opposite direction.  We headed out early on June 11, after a few others had already pulled up their anchors.  The winds were predicted to be lighter than usual, only 15-25 kts on the nose. So off we went, and as we rounded Cabo San Lazaro the winds built up and lo and behold we saw a sailboat in a place where it shouldn't be... on the rocks!  The boats ahead of us radioed the Mexican Navy and the Coast Guard as to it's whereabouts.  We were too far out to offer assistance, as it was clearly on the reef and heeled over with seas awash it's decks.  It was a 60' ketch with 3 people aboard who were rescued safely earlier that morning.  It makes you stop and think a bit, stay awake on watch, check your GPS, don't take things for granted.   The Mexican Navy stopped by to ask if we knew anything about the crew, which we didn't, so off they went.   
  We motorsailed on through the day and night, heading for Turtle Bay and our next fuel stop.  The sea temp. has been really cold, 51.8 today, and the air likewise.  Arriving at Turtle Bay around 8:00 a.m. we fueled up and left for our next stop, possibly Isla Cedros.  The seas were fairly calm this a.m. and we made good time around the island.  The Mex. Navy once again stopped by to check us out and said high winds were predicted soon.  Not what we had heard, but good to know.  Sure enough, we hit 25 kts on the nose and big seas, the worst conditions yet.  Water coming over the bow, sides and stern, not a lot of fun to be on watch.  I'm also getting really tired, as we haven't been off the boat in a long time.  In a dense fog, we arrived at Bahia Blanca at 4:30 a.m. and finally found the so called anchorage, dropped the hook and dove into bed exhausted.  We spent the day napping and relaxing a bit.  When on watches over the past week or so we take 3 hour watches so around 2.5 hours of sleep at a time... maybe.  If the boat isn't pounding into the swells, and if we aren't healed over really far.  I made banana pancakes for the crew and did minor chores on the boat.
   Next day, up early and off for San Carlos.  It started nicely with 3-5 kt winds and 2-3' swell.  Then, it built up to 20-30 kts and 6'-8' swell which were breaking once again over the boat.  We bashed our way to San Carlos, and just as we were a mile out, our engine quit.  Oh great, we were motorsailing anyway, so we used the mainsail and sailed into the anchorage, dropped anchor and worked on the problem.  We weren't sure if it was running low on fuel or clogged filters, so Leif did the filters first, then tried to bleed the injectors and nothing worked.  Bummer.  Next morning we raised the main, and sailed off our anchor into the blustery morning.  As we left we noticed that the waves were breaking just off our side.  The tide was low and the whole bay was full of great swells for surfing, but not for a sailboat. 
   Now we had to sail the entire way to Ensenada, which means tacking far out and then tacking back into shore due to the winds.  We were looking at days of sailing with no hot water for showers or warmth or extra electricity.  Our solar panels do a great job normally, but it has been overcast and very gloomy.  They aren't charging up as much as normal.  Also we're out in the shipping lanes with no engine, just what I always wanted to do.  It's freezing cold too, sea temp at one point was 48 degrees!  Where are we, Alaska?? 
  Today, Saturday, June 18, we hoped to arrive in Ensenada, yet every time I looked at the GPS, it was going backwards in time due to lack of wind and our tacking out away from land.  Not very inspiring, I'm getting depressed.  I smell awful, am sticky, cold, damp, hungry, tired and amazingly not cranky.  It is what it is as they say.  Thank heavens, we hit some wind and rounded Todo Santos inlet at noon and headed into Cruiseport Marina.  We sailed into our slip using the main and tacking back and forth in a very small area down the causeway.  Leif is the man, he can handle this boat so well, keeps his cool and gives directions calmly and quietly.  I have to hand it to him, he's done a masterful job of getting us here.  I did help of course, by driving, standing my watches every 3 hours, and doing all the cooking and cleaning.  I even figured out how to fix the GPS when it died on us mid channel in the rough seas. 
   So, after a hot shower, change of clothes, and an excellent dinner at Sano's, we're back on the boat for the evening thinking of how to fix the engine.  Leif looked up on the internet about the problem he was having, and voila!! He fixed it.  We're back in business once again.  I have to say that these last 16 days on the boat were the longest of our trip, and I'm very glad to have that piece over with.  What a difference a day makes, each day on this leg has brought a variety of challenges and amazingly we have made it here, safely, although perhaps a little lighter in weight.  Don't care to see pasta or tuna for awhile thank you.

San Jose del Cabo, Mag Bay and Bahia Santa Maria, headed home!

Yes, we did attend a cock fight, gruesome.



The large swell at the entrance to San Jose del Cabo marina.



I'm trying to do my share of the chores...

 Thursday, June 2, we left San Jose del Cabo at 9:00 p.m. with our new buddy boat, R Sea Kat with Mike and Deena aboard.  We met them on the docks on the second day of our stay and have been sharing taxi's, dinners,and information ever since.  The night was calm as we left the marina, however as we rounded Cabo Falso, the wind piped up to 30 knots on the nose for over an hour.  The boat slowed down to accomodate the rough seas and we trudged onward from 2-3 knots.  As the morning rose and through the day, the seas and winds varied, eventually falling to 15 knots and bumpy seas.  We made it to Magdalena Bay around 10:00 a.m., dropped anchor and went to bed for a nap.  The water around us was filled with dead langostino, floating everywhere and creating quite a stink.  This enticed the flies to join the mess so we decided to fuel up from the port captain and move on to Bahia Santa Maria.  We also are out of water as we couldn't make water in the last week or so due to poor water quality in the marina and bouncing seas.  Arriving at Santa Maria mid-day we found it to be extremely windy.  No problem it always dies down at night...not.  It increased throughout the day and into the evening and on for the next week!  We had winds up to and over 40 knots, which I've never seen before.  With the 4' swell coming from the opposite direction of the 25+ winds, it was an uncomfortable few days.  And, to beat that, the beach break was so large we couldn't get ashore.  So, for a week now we have been reading, watching movies, cooking, playing scrabble, and writing emails.  Thank heavens for at least slow internet.
   Today is Thursday, been here since Sunday, am getting a BIT house bound.  But, today the winds have subsided a bit and I got out on deck and did some laundry!  Oh yeah, laundry!  A change in the routine is so nice.  There is a weather window on Friday night, Saturday morning that we hope will take us to Turtle Bay or beyond.  I was hoping to do some shelling but as we can't get ashore, I guess that's out.  So much for seeing the bay.  This week would be a good reason for a bit larger boat, having a freezer, bigger water maker,  more fuel capacity and more food storage would all be nice.  We are the smallest boat here, as now there are 11 boats here in BSM.  It's hard to believe that the wind isn't howling, the rigging isn't banging and the spume from the waves isn't covering the boat and us.  It's truly incredible what a little wind can do, even the pangas haven't been out fishing.  Thank heavens also for good ground tackle, snubbers and chafe gear.  Leif has changed it twice already due to the constant tugging.  But, on the postive side, we have been making water like crazy, hence the laundry day today. 
   Photos coming later due to slow internet.  I'm sitting on deck with the laptop, hoping it sends..

La Paz, Balandra, Los Muertos, San Jose del Cabo

This marks the beginning of the end as far as I'm concerned.  We left Marina Palmira in La Paz late in the day, headed for Balandra.  The coromuels have been starting early and blowing hard all night lately.  We got to Balandra, took a wonderful spot up close to shore and protected from the coromuel winds.  Sure enough, it peaked at 27 knots that night and was a bit unsettling.  In the morning we waited until it died down, around 11:30a.m. and set off for Ensenada de Los Muertos.  The wind was nice, 12-14 knots so we sailed until it shifted and then motored the rest of the way.  Arriving late, it was a bumpy anchorage with the wind and waves entering dead on.  Oh well, we need to stop and rest a bit.  No going ashore as the surf is large here due to south swell and winds. 
  Next day off we go to Bahia de los Frailes, about 46 miles away.  We got there at 4:45 p.m. and decided it was a bit rough to anchor with a huge swell and wind, so off to San Jose del Cabo.  Our new destination was several hours away, we hoped to arrive at 9:00 p.m.  The wind shifted to astern at 20+ knots and the swell was from both directions with a 10' swell coming on the nose from the south, and wind swell from the north.  Needless to say, it was uncomfortable, not scary, but the biggest swell of this trip, and very jumbly.  We arrived at about 9:15p.m. and used the iPad to navigate into the harbor.  The charts we normally use don't have the marina as it is very new.  Weird that the ipad does, but thank heavens as it's dark and we don't know the entrance at all, and... the swell really is 10'!  We've been watching the waves crash on the beaches and it's very dramatic with the wind coming from the opposite direction, the spray is like an offshore.  Kind of disconcerting though as we need to get close to shore to find the entrance to the marina.  The ipad was, as the Australians say, spot on.  It guided us right in with GPS and showed us entering the jetties and then I could use the spotlight to find the docks on this dark and moonless night.  It was a HUGE relief to find a marina security guard to show us our slip, tie up and be done with the bouncy seas for the night.  I rather thought we might be stuck out there as the swell might be too large to enter the harbor. 


Our last Balandra sunset



Scenes that I'll miss.

    Waking up in the morning found us in a beautiful new marina with clean docks and a nice breeze to cool us off as we put the boat back together, which includes:  mainsail cover on, jib stowed, sunshades deployed, clean head and check in to the marina which means a dinghy ride across and find the office.  This is much different that in most of our marinas, not any cruisers here with which to socialize.  I called Jay Swigart to let them know we arrived, as we hope to see Penny and Jay before they leave.  From here, we are waiting for the winds to let up on the outside of the Baja, at least down to 10-15 knots or so, and then we'll head to Magdalena Bay and eventually home.  I am hoping that we get to see a bit of the bay before the weather window opens up as we skipped it on our way down. 

San Juanico, Puerto Escondido, Los Gatos, La Paz again

Once again we are on the move.  Bahia de Concepcion was amazingly eye opening and entertaining.  We met some new friends who live on the cliff there, swam with whale sharks, caught a 29" yellowtail, hiked and dinghied to various restaurants.  We spent an extra day in Concepcion having dinner with our friends( Serena, Island Bound, Jerry and Kelley) at the La Enferma restaurant, also known as Anna's.  Now we have to get a move on south.
  So, off we went, this time on the far side of the entrance where it's deeper than 14', more like 40', rounded the Punta Concepcion and headed to San Juanico.  On our way, we caught a 29" yellowtail, yipee, and cleaned it for dinner.  The trip was not very noteworthy, the landscape up here is flatter and nondescript, unlike past San Juanico where the cliffs and mountains are quite dramatic.  Arriving after sunset, we were hailed by Pacifico and So Inclined (Dave, Marisa, Mike and Karen) who invited us for fish tacos and cheesecake with brownie crust for dinner!  Hooyah!  What a lifesaver they are, as we were beat from the sun and long day.  In the morning we awoke to the fact that they had left us for points north.  We went ashore and hiked around the lush back estuary to the yachters shrine on the far side of the beach.  The scenery was gorgeous with windswept red rocks, jagged little islets covered with birds, and white sand beaches filled with shells.  In the early evening on the second day we were blown out of our nice anchoring spot, and moved over to a more protected area near some other boats.  At dinnertime, I invited all aboard for yellowtail dinner, but the catamaran ( Stray Cat) offered to have it on their boat as it was larger.  Oh darn, I don't have to clean the boat!  So, dinner with Capriccio( Jan and Vivian) and Stray Cat(Guy and Carol). 


L-R, Ed, Connie, Bill, Kat, Lisa, Leif at Anna's



Our 29" yellowtail, caught off Punta Concepcion

Next, off to Puerto Escondido for some supplies and fuel.  We met up with our friends here, Blue Rodeo, Swift Current and Panta Rhei.  The first day we worked like mad to get ready, laundry, fuel, groceries, and lunch.  That night Swift Current invited us over for dinner of arrecherra tacos, I made tortillas, Howard made his usual excellent salad and the meat, and Anne did a Key Lime pie that was to die for.  The morning found us up and on the road again.

Rock formations at San Juanico



Pelican at sunset, Balandra



Playa el Burro, Bertha's restaurant and the dinghy landing.

Next stop, Puerto Los Gatos.  Not really a port, just a beautiful area with red rocks and dramatic beaches.  We spent one night, and in the morning we jumped into the water and checked the bottom of the boat for kelp.  No sooner had we jumped in when this burr fish or puffer attacked us!  He was not to be deterred, I'd splash at him and he'd scowl and swim back at us with his little fins churning like mad.  So, we escaped on to the boat.  They are quite poisonous and not to be messed with.  Rather amusing that he was so persistent about keeping our boat bottom to himself.  Today we head to La Paz, if we can make it.  It's a long trip, about 70 miles, and the wind this whole trip has been on the nose, so mostly motoring.  The day started nicely, no wind, then, it built up to 15-20 or so on the nose with wind waves and chop.  Then, later it died completely and it was soooo hot.  We did see a blue whale, several turtles, a seal, lots and lots of jumping rays, dolphins, and blue footed boobies flying in formation with the pelicans.  We arrived at Marina Palmira, La Paz just as the sun set at 8:00p.m., another long day, but we have arrived at the turning point of our trip.  Now we'll be leaving the Sea of Cortez, and heading around the corner and home.       

Posada Concepcion


 


Posada Concepcion, Pirelli-Minetti home.



Our ride!



The baby whaleshark!



Waking up this morning, Wednesday, May 18^th we found no wind, a  beautiful sunrise, and a very salty boat.  After coffee we got to work with water bottles and rags, wiping down the dodger and stainless to get the caked salt off.  While we were doing this, I heard an odd noise, like blowing bubbles.  Looking over the rail I saw the most enormous creature on our trip!  A whale shark, no, wait, two of em!  We took movies, photos, and then noticed that some local tourists had jumped into the water and swam out to play with them.  Not to be outdone, we decided it was ok to jump in also, with the 20+footers.  There were two young boys hooting and hollering, and a more composed fellow from Germany with them trying to keep the boys from scaring the whale sharks off.  They were so tranquil and just swam around sucking in plankton and ignoring us entirely.  Huge mouths, spotted bodies and remora stuck on their tails which switched back and forth in the water.  We were within easy touching distance from these enormous animals, but held back not to scare or bother them.  It was the most incredible event yet on our trip! 

After that, which went on for over an hour or two, we hopped in the dinghy and went ashore to Posada Concepcion to take pictures of the Pirrelli-Minetti house.  It was much the same as when I was there, perhaps a bit less beach in front of it as the hurricanes have eroded the sand.  On the way in we saw a large sea turtle swim past, just a so-so event after the morning’s adventure. 

Our next stop was going to purchase diesel fuel in town at the Pemex station.  Without a car, phone, internet or taxi service, that was going to be a chore.  We went ashore near Ana’s restaurant and found it closed, so went towards the hwy. to find a lone soul collecting fees at the gate.  He suggested we take the water tanker truck… so we waited half an hour for it to drive by, discussed it with the driver, and climbed aboard.  What luck, and what a riot, it had definitely seen better days, with the radio hanging out and various instruments not working, we bumped our way along the dirt road towards the hwy. and Mulege.  He dropped us off at the Serenidad Hotel for a lunch of tacos and beer, then we rode a taxi back to Playa Santispac, stopping at the Pemex for fuel on the way.  The taxi drivers here are extremely accomodating.  I can’t believe our ride in was a water tanker truck, so funny.  You never know how the days will turn out, and today started so normal, yet became one of the most memorable. 

San Jose- San Evaristo...



Wild? Burros in San Evaristo

 

Fisherman using a handline, with a roosterfish

 

Lifting the dinghy over the bar into the estuary on Isla San Jose.  Short people stay inside!



Howard, Lynn, Anne, Mark and Leif on Isla San Jose

 As you can see from the title, we discovered that if we wanted to get to Bahia de Concepcion, we had better boogie!  So, here is a short summary of each of our stops as we sailed northward to our farthest destination of Posada Concepcion.   After visiting Mulege and the local area we intend to spend a more leisurely time heading back to San Jose del Cabo to await a weather window for our eventual return to Calif.

Isla San Jose-  This long island is near the coast, and known for its mangrove shrouded passage where we took a group ride on Blue Rodeo’s dinghy to see the birds and fish in the nature preserve.  We found beautiful clear water, heron, gulls, and lovely scenery with no bugs.  This was a lunch stop on our way to San Evaristo.  For our lunch we had snacks on Swift Current before leaving on our tour.  Such a fun crowd to hang with, easy going, funny, and knowledgeable.  The wind had picked up dramatically, and on our way across to San Evaristo it became quite wet with spray flying over the boat.  Fortunately, it was warm spray.

San Evaristo-  This little inlet is on the Baja peninsula, and very pretty in a dramatic sort of way.  There were wild burros on the hillside, and also in the street among the houses.  The cows roamed freely through the brush and street, fortunately for them there is not much traffic here.  There was a remote tienda which sold us some fresh? veggies after waiting a day for the delivery from La Paz.  As we walked up there were two donkeys with full saddles tied to a post outside the fence.  The cowboys were relaxing on the porch in the shade of the tienda.  The local occupations seemed to consist of the salt ponds on the far side of a nearby hill which were tended by the local men, as well as some pangas coming and going with their catch.  The school building, the nicest in town, was for the younger children in the village.  We bought a media kilo of Pargo, (fish) and had a lovely dinner on Blue Rodeo with folks from Pacifico, Swift Current, and Honcho.  Dave cooked the best Pargo Vera Cruz, and Anne barbequed some equally excellent marinated Pargo. Later that night, Leif and I realized that we needed to get moving if we wanted to see Bahia de Concepcion.  So, with reluctance, we upped anchor early and left our travelling buddies who have all summer to dilly dally in the sea.

Agua Verde-  This is the first day of sailing without our friends in quite awhile, and when we arrived at Agua Verde, there was Pacifico who left ahead of us.  They had the intention of staying awhile and unpacking the boat, but it seemed that didn’t happen as we then saw them again in Puerto Escondido.  Agua Verde was just one more beautiful bay with, duh, lovely clear water, sort of greenish.  Each afternoon we have taken up the practice of swimming and showering off the stern.  It’s a refreshing way to get all of the sunscreen off and feel clean for the evening.   We stayed one night, then pushed on to Puerto Escondido.

Puerto Escondido- This is the first marina on the Baja side since La Paz.  It’s a small marina almost completely enclosed by land.  It actually had moorings, and the three slips were for the large fishing yachts.  It did have nice showers, internet, dirty pool, a restaurant, tienda and laundry.  We picked up a mooring for about $15. a night, and spent a couple of nights eating out.  We met our friends from Serena, Ed and Connie, and it was Connie’s birthday, so we helped her celebrate one more time.  The owner of the restaurant sang her both birthday songs, one in Spanish and one in English.  He had a beautiful voice, and the whole place joined in on the Spanish version.  Our hopes were to visit Loreto from here, but, we ran out of time.  So, perhaps on the way back down.

San Juanico-  A picturesque bay on the Baja, filled with colored cliffs, white sand beaches, clear water, reefs, and lots to see and do.  Of course we only stayed one night on our way north, so maybe a stop on the way back.  Really a pretty place, but with nasty stinging kelp that floated all around.  Yes, we found that out the hard way.   We left early in the a.m. for a  55+ mile trip to Playa Santispac through light chop and building winds. 

Playa Santispac and Posada Concepcion-  On our way up we hit northerly winds the entire way, so today was not unusual with 10-20 on the nose.  We had to motor most of the way until turning the corner at the opening of Bahia Concepcion, then we could sail a bit.  The seas were rough, short, choppy and steep, not too fun with waves coming over the dodger.  As we rounded, we finally caught our first edible fish, a small yellowtail on the Mexican lure!  I filleted it and saved it for dinner later.  The entrance to the bay was also very shallow, with 8’ under our keel at times, which is rather unnerving to me, esp. as we sailed downwind at 6 knots.  Finally it got deeper as we neared Posada.  We turned the corner, dropped the main and dropped anchor in front of the cliffs nearest to Posada.  The houses lining the cliff are built of stone, and really unique.  Susie’s dad’s place is just around the corner, and we’ll visit tomorrow, but for now we would like a meal out, so off to the La Enferma restaurant, Anna’s.  We met some folks who have a house overlooking the bay and our boat.  They said they saw us come in, and leave in the dinghy for dinner,  they had hoped to beat us there, but didn’t.   Leif and I toasted to our final destination north, enjoyed triggerfish tacos, and great conversation with the couple behind us.  Sorry Penny, no scallops there for me ever.  We left the restaurant in our dinghy with the full moon rising in a golden glow across the water anxious to get someep after a long day of bouncy seas and wind.  The anchorage was dead calm, it almost felt as if we were at a dock, ahh peace.   

Puerto Balandra again...



The group hiking on Isla San Francisco ridgeline.



Leif being attacked by a Very large Gull!

 

The Americans (and Canadians) have landed!

  We have now left Bahia Balandra for the second time on our trip northward, sailed across to Isla Partida cove and joined back up with our cruising family of Swift Current, Blue Rodeo, Pacifico and Panta Rhei.  The windlass problem has now been added to the few problems encountered by the group as a whole.  Each boat has overcome small problems along the trip, from broken motor mount bolts, to generator issues.  Nothing overly traumatic and all have been fixed by their owners along the way. 

 Isla Partida cove is actually a divider between two islands, and the shallow and narrow channel between can be passed through by a dinghy.  On each side are small fish camps which are inhabited each night as the pangas return from their days of fishing.  The sculpture of the surrounding cliffs and rocks was dramatic to say the least, showing the evolution of the layers of the earth clearly in the various colors and textures.  This was some of the most awe inspiring scenery yet.  We dinghied all around the bay and out around the point to a small beach where there was a dampish area filled with green brush and small trees, created by runoff from the rocks.  What runoff there was I have no idea as it has been quite hot and dry. 

The night we arrived there was the usual appetizer get-together which happened to be on Blue Rodeo.  After staying two nights, we all left for Isla San Francisco, up the Sea about 21 miles.  We upped anchor and attempted to sail out, but found that the wind was dying as we approached the entrance, so on came the engine.  With the engine on, we are able to fish more easily, so that’s ok with me.  The day’s catch were two small skipjack who both fought quite hard and were returned to the sea unharmed, mostly. 

Isla San Francisco is small, and has two anchorage areas that are fairly protected from the winds.  We all joined up in “The Hook” which is the main anchorage.  First arrival was Swift Current, then us, followed by Pacifico, Blue Rodeo and Panta Rhei.  Others joining the gang were: Taking Flight and Endorfin, two boats with small children on board. 

The first night I cooked up a batch of spaghetti for the Pacifico folks, in thanks for teaching me how to make tortillas and hunting all over La Paz to get me a tortilla press.  We all had a great time talking and didn’t realize it was past midnight before saying good night!  Usually cruisers midnight is 9:00 p.m.  The next day Howard on Swifty organized a group hike up the nearby hill.  We all went ashore, loaded down with hats, cameras, water, hiking shoes and enthusiasm.  After leading the group up most of the way, I washed out at the end, as it was a narrow ridgeline of loose shale and I with my croc sandals was not happy with the thought of slipping over the side.  I did get some great pictures of them as they passed and arrived at the peak.  Lynn, Dave, Marisa and I went looking for Agates on the beach on the backside of the island while we waited for the group to meander down.  I found several after a long search, then others started to see them as well.  Thanks to Linda F. for teaching me what an agate looks like.  She’d be in heaven here with the fascinating geology. 

On the second evening, Cirque sailed in with Louis and Laura onboard.  We hadn’t seen them since the Banderas Bay Regatta, and it was another opportunity to have an appetizer get-together on their boat, which is the larger sister (42S7) of our boat.  Laura thought Leif had taken up with a new girl, as she hadn’t seen me with my new haircut!  They told us about their travels up the sea, which encouraged us to get a move on. 

La Paz, Marina Palmira




Mark and Anne from Blue Rodeo taking off on another excursion... Early Christmas for us!

 


Departing Dinner at Tail Hunters   L-R: (Pacifico) Marisa, Dave,(Panta Rhei) Karen, Larry,(Swift Current) Howard, Lynn,(Blue Rodeo) Mark, Anne, Lisa, Leif





The La Paz Ferry trying it's best to run us over.

 


Isla Espiritu Santo, leaving Swift Current to fix our winlass, early morning.




Isla Espiritu Santo, fascinating cliffs, arriving with the bees...

 The last time I was in La Paz was probably 1962.  Needless to say, I don't remember much from that trip except the huge grouper and yellowtail that we caught.  I was already hooked on fishing at that young age.  This time, we are staying in Marina Palmira, near the entrance to the harbor, and a distant walk into town.  It has been quite warm, 90's - 100's and little wind until today.  We chose to stay here instead of heading out into the Sea, as there are supposed to be some high winds arriving today, and they have.  To pass the time, I actually played tennis with Howard from Swift Current.  He killed me, but it was so fun to actually hit a ball again.  I used Lynn's raquet that was unused at this time.  Then we went to their boat for a dinner of delicious salad and burritos, and photos of their life in general.  Excellente. 
   La Paz is more of a working town, with a Sears, Home Depot and Walmart.  It doesn't have the same flair that many of the mainland towns have, yet it is in many ways more traditional.  The siesta time is obvious, from around 1:00 until 4:00 or so, things definitely slow down.  We have walked and dinghied into town, done a bit of shopping for supplies, and groceries.  There is a peninsula across from us, and it has a lovely beach on which to walk.  We went over there a few days ago to search for some shells, and found a few.  We have spent a week here, and I would have liked to have left days ago, if not for the impending wind.  So, finally we left, on Tuesday, May 3rd for Isla Espiritu Santo, specifically Ensenada de la Raza of Puerto Ballena.  Our friends Howard and Lynn on Swift Current headed out ahead of us and let us know the state of winds, which were building as we set out.  We had the intention of staying in Puerto Ballandra, as they hadn't stayed there and it's beautiful, but the swell was up from the wind, so they headed over to the other island.  We arrived and tried to drop anchor, and alas, our winlass was not working.  Major Bummer.  Leif managed to attach the extra rode and chain to our manson anchor and drop it in 10' of water for the night.  Then, at 7:30 a.m. we upped the anchor by hand and left for La Paz again to see if we can fix it.   This was in part due to the bee swarm that engulfed the boat, making working outside a bit challenging.  It will be a long trip if Leif has to pull up the anchor each morning.  Marina La Paz is downtown, next to all of the chandleries, so we opted to stay there in case we needed supplies.  Arriving at 10:30 a.m. Leif got to work and after hours of head down into the anchor locker, and tracing wiring all over the forepeak, he discovered that it indeed was electrical, and he fixed it!  This in at least 95 degrees and humid.  He's a saint. So, hopefully manana we are off again into the sea for some swimming, snorkeling and nature.  The marina's aren't bad, just sort of retirees playgrounds, and I'm not ready for that yet.  I want to see the sea as they say.  The only bad part is no internet.  Ah how we depend on communications.  Hasta.
 

Puerto Balandra

El Hongo, the mushroom rock.



Lovely clear water and clean beaches.




Weathering of the rock wall, and ...turquoise water.

 It was difficult to leave Muertos, and we were among the last to set off, but we headed around the East Cape towards La Paz.  This is a 45 mile trip, so a fairly short day sail to our next destination of Bahia Balandra, near La Paz.  As we rounded the corner, the water became even more blue and clear, and the sun more intense.  The wind was on the nose most of the way, so we ended up motoring the entire trip, and fishing of course.  We caught one Mexican mackerel, and released it, no marlin today.  Around 1:00 p.m. we arrived at our chosen bay, a small inlet with crystal clear water and secluded white sand beaches.  Or so we thought, as this is Semana Santa, or Easter weekend, the locals are out in full force as would be the case at home.  Everywhere there are tents on the beaches, with cars and trucks parked nearby, and loud tuba and accordion music wafting throughout the air.  It's quite an atmosphere.  Mid-day today there were many smaller yachts, jet skis, and moorings sailboats that dropped into the anchorage to enjoy the day.  It seemed a lot like Catalina or the river.  As the sun dropped from the sky, the coromuel winds started up and the boats headed for La Paz or wherever they were from.  Every afternoon these winds start up from across the land, and they howl all night around 20+ knots.  It's not quiet shall we say.  It sounds a bit like a small hurricane, and in the late morning they die off, thankfully.  We have a really good anchor, once again, thankfully, and we bob back and forth, but stay put. 
   Today we snorkeled the nearby rocky shoreline, where there were corals, small rays, multitudes of tropical fish, and deep caves.  It was the best snorkeling I've had in years.  The water is clearer than Hawaii, unfortunately not as warm yet.  My water camera died in Las Hadas in the swimming pool, otherwise I'd have pictures of these great scenes.  Can't figure out why a water camera didn't like chlorine, but it didn't. 
   Tomorrow our friends on Blue Rodeo and Pacifico are headed into La Paz, we think we'll stay here for a few more nights, as it's so gorgeous.  I've seen pictures of the Sea of Cortez, I just never thought they were real.  Well, I was wrong, it really is that beautiful.  It's incredible.

Big Changes, style and location

Several changes have finally occurred on our trip.  First and foremost, we have left mainland Mexico for the Baja peninsula, Bahia de los Muertos to be exact.  Then, also, I have finally had it with long hair constantly in my face, and all over the boat, so I had it cut, short!  Sorry Tascha, it'll grow back and I'll need you when I return.  I love the change, but it's funny to see people's reactions who haven't seen me in awhile.  Now to get my blonde back as it's all cut off. 
   Mazatlan has a fantastic old town in it's downtown area, filled with great brick and tile buildings and one lane streets from the 1800's.  We toured the few museums which were open, and had a great lunch at Macaw's, across from the closed art museum.  That was one thing, they were always closed.  On our way home to the marina, we strolled along the waterfront for miles, finally catching a pulmonia for the final piece. 
   We arrived back, and spoke with several other cruisers who were thinking of leaving for Baja on Sunday a.m.  That sounded good, so we spent the next day, Saturday, finalizing our departure chores:  Checking out of the marina, grocery shopping, deflating the dinghy, stowing it and the motor, stowing all on board so it won't fly around while sailing, fueling up, taking that last shower in a real shower, eating at a restaurant.  Well, after all that, we were ready to leave Saturday afternoon, and so, off we went around 6:00 p.m.  The fog was starting to roll in, and we missed it completely so that made for a nice start. 
   The trip across is about 190 miles, so we figured it to be a two night and one day sail.  The sea was absolutely glass as we set out, no wind, or large seas.  That lasted all night and around 9:00 a.m. we hoisted sails and had a lovely sail all day and that night.  The whales seem to have left for the most part, we didn't see a one.  On the other hand, we did hook a marlin!  It leaped up out of the water several times, enough for us to see it, but not get a photo.  As Leif worked to stop the reel from spinning, it was obvious that he would spool us, so I yelled "cut the line", and he did.  Unfortunately the poor fish has a long string of line attached, but perhaps not for long, we smashed down the hook barb so it was fairly barb less.
   We arrived around 3:00 a.m., and with the help of the full moon, eased into the bay with around six other boats, dropped our anchor and tried to get some sleep in before the sun arose.  It would be a surprise to see the new surroundings in the daylight.  At sun-up, or rather 9:00 a.m., I popped my head out to see an absolutely gorgeous bay, turquoise water, dry arid land filled with cactus, and only one boat remaining.  Ahhhhh.  Banana pancakes for the crew, after a long night of watches.   

The new doo, and the Tarahumara mask.



Bahia de los Muertos, Hotel los Suenos.



White sand, clear water, Mariachi music all night! 

   Bahia de los Muertos is on the inside of Baja, just around the corner from La Paz and Isla Cerralvo.  The water is beautifully clear and there are coral reefs and a white sand beach.  There is also a resort called Bahia de los Suenos, which is just being built and has a golf course, condos, homes, and a very interesting restaurant and bar with a small gauge train set that is the largest I have ever seen.  It covers the entire upstairs, three tracks on a lower level and several at eye level.  Leif and I found a foos ball table and tried our hand at it for awhile, and there are also table shuffleboard, and billiards, not to mention the many, many infinity pools and swim up areas to sit and have a cold one.  I hate to see the place get crowded, but this resort was pretty classy, and empty.  We hope to have dinner there manana.  As the day wore on, it was amusing to see the parade of sailboats arrive.  We knew that half the marina was on their way over, and truly, about every 1/2 hour a new boat would come and drop anchor.  At sunset today there are 19 boats here, and many, many families camping on the shoreline as it's Semana Santa, or Easter week.  What a great place to come and camp. We hope to spend a few days here, relaxing in the 74 degree water and cleaning the bottom.