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!
 

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.

Balandra, La Paz, and the surrounding Islands

We made excellent time crossing from Mazatlan to Balandra, which is both good and bad.  Our planning was to arrive around 6:00 a.m. and have lovely daylight in which to anchor.  Not the case as we arrived in Balandra around 11:00 p.m. with high winds.

Not the usual intense sun this year in Balandra.

 There were only five other boats anchored inside, so we crept in and found a nice quiet spot, dropped anchor, backed down to ensure it was buried and went to bed, keeping an anchor watch.

The view of La Paz and Marina Palmira from atop the local hill.  Note the reefs visible near shore.

   Balandra is only an hour away from La Paz, and yet it is one of our very favorite spots for clear water, snorkeling, hiking and generally hanging out.  On this occasion, the weather did not cooperate much.  We had overcast skies and wind which makes snorkeling not the best.  Due to this, we made our escape to Marina Palmira in La Paz.  Here we spent time washing the boat and laundry, provisioning, doing engine maintenance, and catching up with friends that had been staying there.  One side trip was a drive out to Todos Santos with Connie and Ed from Sirena. Ali'i'Kai, and Talitha were in town which made for truly fun times.  Sylvia helped me find the best shopping for groceries, as well as how to prepare them.  She's an accomplished chef who is fascinating to watch and get tips from, as well as her many other talents.

The typical tourist shot.  We had to wait for the opportunity after others took their turns.  But, it would be fun to stay there, it's beautiful inside with a pool and restaurant.

At Tequila's Sunrise we added our boat card to the thousands already stapled on the bar.

 We all had a extravagant lunch at the restaurant Tequila's Sunrise, directly across the street from Hotel California.    Some other friends from Cinnabar,

Kitty on Talitha anchored in Balandra.  We were all out enjoying another stellar sunset.

   Time flew by and we persuaded Cinnabar to join us all out in the neighboring islands, as they had yet to leave the dock this year having been busy in La Paz.
   Our first stop was Balandra of course, on our way out.  We spent a couple of nights there, kayaking and SUPing during the day and socializing at night.  The water was still a bit cold (73-75), so we donned  wetsuits for our snorkeling adventures.  The mangrove tour was a highlight for some of us who paddled out one afternoon, with a narrow channel and shallow water in which to navigate.

Stunning Cinnabar with Tom and Sylvia, coasting past us as we both photograph each other.  It's not often that one can get sailing pictures of your own boat.  We met up with them later in the day as we arrived an hour later...

   Next up was Ensenada Grande, on Isla Partida.  This lovely cove has three small fingers in which to anchor, and we chose the northern-most, joining our other two buddy boats who beat us there.  The water was spectacular, a little warmer and filled with fish and coral.  It's amazing how much coral there is in the Sea of Cortez.

Hikers, L-R: Leif, Lisa, David, Toni, Kitty, Joe.  We hustled into the scene, hoping the camera didn't take the shot too quickly.  Good job Kitty for setting up the timer!  What a fun group.

 We all met onshore one morning for a hike up a rocky canyon which goes to the opposite side of the island.  It was a bit far in the heat, so we turned around after an hour or so.  The fishing had not been successful yet, and fortunately Tom managed to land a couple for dinner that night.  Sylvia did her magic and we had a delicious dinner together out in the most beautiful scenery imaginable.  Ali'i'Kai and Talitha had haul out dates which they needed to meet up in San Carlos, so we joined them on their run towards the north for a few days to San Evaristo where we parted ways.

Finisterra anchored off of Isla San Francisco.  We hiked up the cliffs to get a better view of the bay or hook as it is known.  

We enjoyed the hiking and watching the various boats in the anchorage.  One huge yacht came in, sent their tender to check depths, then anchored closest in of all of us.  It was interesting to see how they maneuvered carefully between the already anchored boats and found a great spot way inside.

Launching their tender to check depths.  Nice to have an electric arm to hoist it instead of a human hoist.

Isla San Francisco, with us anchored out a bit.  The large yacht squeezed inside of the two boats in the foreground .  Not as stunning when there are clouds, but still serene.  

  We left headed for Espiritu Santo in hopes of clearer water and fewer boats.  As we made our passage, Aldebaron motor-sailed past us in the opposite direction headed for San Evaristo.  I chatted with Lynne on the radio and waved at Rob as we passed each other.  This will be remembered by us as it was the last time we saw Rob, he passed away on board just a few days later.  When you are in the Sea of Cortez, it has many attributes, one of those being solitude.  This unfortunately becomes a problem when health issues arise.

Once again Balandra has been covered in clouds.  This is during the lightning storm, with heavy rain as well.  It's June for heavens sake... it's supposed to be sunny and HOT?

   On a lighter note, we dropped anchor in Ensenada de la Raza, in Puerto Ballena.  This lasted all of five minutes as the bees and bugs landed on our boat and us instantly, so off we went to Balandra.  We spent a rolly quiet night and awoke to loud thunder and lightning close by at 5:00 a.m.  Not what I had ordered for the day.  It got progressively worse, and at one point I put some of our electronics into the microwave oven for protection.  Our wind instruments lost power when one bolt seemed to hit almost over us.  So, after all morning sitting nervously while the rain squalls and lightning drifted past us, we finally got a brief break in the action and bolted for La Paz and Marina Palmira.  It was nice to be in a slip in case we were hit.
   While in Palmira, Leif took out the mixing elbow from our engine which had a minute leak and had it resurfaced.  It was supposed to be a one day fix, which took two weeks and we had no engine during this time.  Not a big deal however there were two hurricanes off the coast and headed our way. Of course I was a nervous nellie during that time.  Hurricane Andres fortunately veered away from the Baja peninsula, but it looks like Hurricane Blanca is headed right at us.  She became a category 4, and now is a cat 2, hopefully downgraded to a tropical storm before it hits here in La Paz.  More on that in the next blog.

Oh goody, just what I was missing in our travels, a Cat. 4 hurricane.  Soon to become downgraded to a Cat.1 or 2 we hope.

   We enjoyed our time here, not too many friends from before, but several newer ones with which to enjoy dinners and swims in the pool.  Lynne from Aldebaran was here, and we enjoyed getting to know her better even though it was a very sad time for her.  I spent a lot of time provisioning for our eventual trip around the corner to San Jose del Cabo and up the Baja.
   As I write this, it is Saturday, June 6, 2015 and we are on hurricane watch.  The storm is all people are talking about, since Odille made such a mess of peoples lives and boats when she came ashore last year.  This new storm started a week ago, with the predicted path to be directly over Cabo and La Paz at a category 4 or so.  Now, it is closer and she has been downgraded and then upgraded once again.  No one seems to have a clue as to what will eventually happen here, so all are nervous but preparing.  We've lashed down the dinghy on deck, taken down sun covers, filled water tanks and fuel tanks, doubled up dock lines, got money, and secured everything on deck.  We are thinking that it won't be at hurricane strength when it arrives, so are being optimistic.  Tonight we will have a BBQ pre-hurricane party on board with the AC on as the humidity is 80%.  The clouds have arrived and it looks like it should be cooler, NOT!  To be continued...

Matanchen Bay, San Blas,and Mazatlan

Our battery charger/inverter did eventually tell us it had seen better days, so during our stay in La Cruz we installed a lovely new one.  And, just in the nick of time, as we left for California and taxes the day after the install.  The trip home was bittersweet, we got to see Woody, and many, many friends which was so great.  Taxes, well they are inevitable.  The weather was really hot upon our arrival, but after a day or two it settled down into the 60's and 70's which was heaven.  We really hated to return to the humidity and heat of Puerto Vallarta.

Juan's Banana Bread stand near Matanchen Bay.  Really yummy, lots of  flavors, and steaming hot from the oven.

   After getting the boat ready to depart, we headed north to Matanchen Bay and the small town of San Blas.  This area is known for its no-see-ums around dawn and dusk, so we were careful to have our bug screens out early.  We took the dinghy ashore and found a generous local with a VW bug who took us into town for the day.  It is a working town, many small shops and businesses, but the lack of enthusiasm in the people was evident.  The smiles were not as easily brought forth, and people languished in the few shady places in the town square near the church.  Maybe it was an off day, but we felt that the town was not thriving.  One thing that they are also known for is their banana bread, as the area is encompassed by banana trees and mangroves.  It is a part of the largest mangrove marsh on the mainland of Mexico.  So, we helped out the economy by enjoying their almond banana bread.  Yum!

If you don't have a stand to sell from, become one.  A familiar sight at most beaches in Mexico.

   Next stop was Stone Island anchorage.  Not really an island, but definitely a stone peninsula with cute goats grazing amid the rocks.  We stayed there a couple nights and left for Marina El Cid in Mazatlan, a short hop north.  After we departed, some boats were burglarized, with theives stealing a dinghy and a genset.  I guess we were fortunate, but we did spend a lot of time on the boat watching the festivities onshore.  It was Semana Sante that week and the beach was full of cars, people, boats towing bananas piled with screaming tourists.  This is the week when the Mexican people take to the beaches and become tourists, and the gringos step back and enjoy their fun.

Happily ensconced in the dining car on the El Chepe train to Divisidero.  

   Marina El Cid is a resort, with frequent live mariachi music, great swimming pools, and lots of activities.  We met up with several friends who arrived to join in the fun. Boats included: Tardis, Sirena, Osprey and Adventurer.  During our chats with Tardis, we decided to all go up to the Copper Canyon and try the zip line this time.

Day one at the Barranca Hotel in Divisidero.

   We took the first class bus to Los Mochis, spent one night, then another bus to El Fuerte, spent another night, then hopped on the El Chepe train to Divisidero and the Barranca Hotel.

Day two... what a difference a day makes.

 It was a beautiful trip, the recent rains had helped make the forest green and the river more lively.  We tried to get up to the zip line on the afternoon of our arrival, however the weather had other ideas.

What a dream-like setting here in Divisidero.  Love the jackets, a first in Mexico.

 As Leif was attached to the cable, a loud clap of thunder resonated nearby and the guides' walkie talkie announced that we were on hold until the weather passed.  Actually we were very relieved as the guides didn't seem to be well trained or overly thrilled to take us.  They hurried through the instructions, all in Spanish, and didn't seem to care if I knew what the signals meant or not.  So, relieved we headed back to the hotel and dinner.  The next day, it snowed!  Not just a flake or two, it snowed pretty much all day, what a treat it was.  All of the locals were out with their cameras taking pictures, even the Tarahumara people had a camera in one hand and their baskets in the other.  They make amazingly intricate baskets out of pine needles and sell them for small amounts, 30-200 pesos.

And they make excellent beds as well!

Finally on the third day we got to the zip line with a very experienced group of guides and had the best time!  We did the 7 lines over the canyon and ended with the "worlds longest" of 8100'.  What a great time we had with Jamie and Elaine, who continued their trip on up to Creel before returning to Mazatlan.

Don't look down... at least not at first.  Totally fun and worth the wait.

  We ended up loving Mazatlan, the weather was excellent, cool in the shade and warm in the sun.  Not too humid, few bugs.  Of course the numerous excellent restaurants were helpful as well.  It's a place that I'd love to return to if we do fly down to Mexico after selling the boat.  Love the pulmonias too.  (small open air cars propelled by VW engines)  They are a riot.  It was getting time to make our crossing to Baja, so we began watching the weather and tides, and planning our getaway.  The marina entrance is an exciting one, shallow, with S turns and if the swell is up, breaking waves and strong current.  Of course it can be benign as well, which is what we want.  So, on a high tide, with calm seas, we motored out and began our two day, two night crossing to Balandra bay and La Paz.

On the road again...  Headed out of Mazatlan towards the San Lorenzo channel and La Paz.