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February, 2010

2010-03-02T11:18:00.001-08:00

As Far as We Go for As Long As We Go

Little did we know that this journey from Mazatlan back to LaPaz would be our last together. The seams of the relationship were straining and Biagio and I decided to part company and individually look for more compatible sailing partners. As a sailing friend of mine said, ‘Life happens’. We shared a wonderful journey down the West Coast and into the Sea of Cortez and ‘si Dios quiere’ or God willing, there will be many more wonderful journeys to come for both of us.

January, 2010

2010-03-02T11:10:00.001-08:00

Surfers in LaVentana

LaVentana is a known wind & kite surfing area about 1 ½ hrs. outside of LaPaz. If there is wind, it’s usually very good conditions here for kite surfing. We rented a car and drove the distance to watch the show. It seemed like there was at least 100 of them flying. It was mesmerizing. I expected to see mostly young men in their 20’s and 30’s but surprisingly, many of them looked much older than me. So this is where many older surfer dudes go! And there were even a few younger surfer dudettes.

January 2, 2010

2010-01-02T10:07:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!

The beach and marina at El Cid in Mazatlan. We are just around the corner from the hotel in the photo below. Swimming pools and jacuzzi...life is good. Below that is a panorama view of the area beaches from the light house. It was a 30 minute walk up a path and stairs to arrive.

So many great friends we have spent time with over the holidays. It feels like we have become family and a little sad to move on. We always hope that we'll see them farther down the line or another year.

Sunday, December 20, 2009

2009-12-20T00:45:00.000-08:00

Christmas Time in Mazatlan

Marina El Cid in Mazatlan. Notice the marlin fish hanging by the tail. The catch and release program isn't as popular here as it is in Cabo San Lucas.

Final preparations for a children's Christmas performance raising funds for their 'home away from home'. Their performances provide money for their group home where they receive an education, dental care, food, clothing, and more options for their future. Many of them live in shanty houses. They are dropped off to their parent(s) in the late evening.

Below, the market with all the Christmas Pinatas ready to be filled with candy.

This Christmas tree in one of the main plazas is made with coke bottles filled with colored water. We would watch people admire it from a distance and then come up to inspect the bottles. It was impressive.

Feliz Navidad Y Ano Nuevo a todos!

Sunday, December 13, 2009

2009-12-13T10:41:00.001-08:00

Bahia de Los Muertos

A three day stop on the way to Mazatlan to Bahia de los Muertos. It's peaceful, serene, and it even has a small, private resort with a swimming pool and great food.

Back in the cactus again. We feel very small next to these 500 year old giants.

Getting into the mood with Christmas decorations and lots of Christmas music.

The surroundings of the small 14 room resort are so beautiful, it seems surreal. We can dinghy in or walk around from on the sandy beach for a margarita or lunch.

The train bar and game room. Entertainment and food.

Aaaahhhhhh................

December 08, 2009

2009-12-08T12:06:00.001-08:00

Back to the Boat

Biagio came back to Gem in November. While we were gone, hurricane Jimena visited Guaymas dumping over 40 inches of rain within a 24 hr. time period. Our sun screens from the outside windows where they well tied down but missing. The overall sun covers were all taken off by the marina staff expecting to save them from being shredded. Other than that, nothing was damaged.

Biagio sailed from Guaymas on the land side back down to LaPaz on the Baja California peninsula side. I flew in to Cabo with 4 suitcases mostly full of things for the boat...sail tape, motors, parts, sunbrella fabric, fishing lures, and an Xbox.

Did you know it takes an Xbox to sail???!!??? That's what Biagio told me. It took up a whole smaller suitcase. I was fortunate to get picked up in a REAL CAR at the airport. Liz and Michael drove down with their car from Seattle so Michael and Biagio drove the 3 1/2 hr. one way trip to pick me up. So nice....

As far as being back on the boat, it was like I had never been on the boat before...only seen a lot of photos of it. It was VERY surreal. And I didn't have any sea legs at all. (Six months off the boat.) I felt like every time I would get in or out of the dinghy I was likely to fall in. Couldn't remember how to drive the dinghy or start it at all, I'm still looking for switches to turn things on and off, etc. So strange..... But I'm getting used to it and staying dry.

Photos of Christmas time in Seattle before leaving for LaPaz.

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

2009-11-11T09:32:00.001-08:00

Back In the Saddle Again

After bottom painting and lots of work, Gem slides back into the water in Guaymas (Western land side of Mexico). Then it's a 1 1/2 day motor/sail to LaPaz (Southern Baja California) with fishing stops in between to meet up with friends before heading south and destinations unknown.

June, July, August, Sepember, October...uh oh...

2009-10-27T23:16:00.000-07:00

....it's getting cold here
in the Northwest.
Enough of this house fixing and promoting condos. Time to head south.

New Faces

2009-09-14T14:23:00.001-07:00

Proud Grandpa with Kai in Victoria. Parents Jesse and Tia are surely not far away.

Location - Clarification

2009-06-21T12:59:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to let everyone know why we ended up in Guaymas. (Location is about a 10 hr. bus ride north of Mazatlan if you know where that is.)

These were the ingredients for the outcome:

1. The cruising area of the Baja Penninsula is so beautiful in the Sea of Cortez side and it takes about 3 months to see it all. (Feb-June)

2. The boat needed bottom paint and Mexico is a good place to do that.

3. The boat needs to be out of the water for about a month in the desert while the blisters dry out.

4. The boat needs work which Biagio will do once the summer isn't so hot...probably in mid October when the temps go down from 140 degrees!

5. Once the water gets to about 80 degrees, hurricane season starts. Therefore the boat needs to stay at the lattitude of about Guaymas or further north to avoid damage.

For all these reason, Guaymas is as far as the boat went. It was all perfect.

Mexico Has Changed in the Last 8 Years

2009-06-05T23:05:00.001-07:00

These are some of the changes we noticed in Mexico since the last 8 years we've been here...Newer cars in general for everyone if they have cars, Tricked out bicycles, i.e. extra spending money...Local police on Segways...(gosh, we don't even have Segways for the police in North America last I was there)... and prices that are more expensive than in the past. Good for the Mexicans. They are living better. Worse for our value in the marinas and on the economy. One thing you can always count on is change.

UPDATE: We heard from an economist in Mexico City that the rest of Mexico is probably not doing as well as these cities that we have visited. A guide book of ours hinted at the same conclusion.

Barranca del Cobre or Copper Canyon

2009-06-05T13:37:00.000-07:00

This is my third time visiting here. Needless to say, I like it here.

The Copper Canyon is really magnificent. It’s four times larger than the Grand Canyon and one and a half times deeper. The views are spectacular from the train ‘El Chepe’ and there’s hiking throughout the canyon with waterfalls, missions, and museums. The native Tarahumara Indians live throughout the area apart from the Mexican people in their own villages and have an interesting culture of their own.

Our route to get to the canyon from the sailboat included buses from Guaymas to El Fuerte which was a total of 7 hrs riding. The attraction here was that El Fuerte is a quaint riverside colonial town founded in 1563 with 11,000 people. It was built to ward off attacks by native American Indians who the Spanish constantly harassed. Later it was a trading post for silver and gold seekers. El Fuerte (The Fort) - We had a lesson in politics from this entrepreneurial woman who gave us a tour of her house. The revolution of 1910 saw re-appropriation of lands and property. As a result, this used to be one house which is now divided into three houses. This woman bought this section of the original house but had no money to repair the decaying roof and upper floors. She has a tourist shop in the front, lives behind that and raises pigs behind the house.

The next day we rode the train to Creel at 8,000 feet. This was also farthest stop north. Here we learned more about the local Tarahumara Indians, rode bikes and enjoyed the local scenery. Notice the typical Tarahum cave home and and adobe home in the same photo below.

From Creel, we returned a couple of hours south by bus and stayed at a hotel/ranch. Renting horses we ventured into the canyon for a day's ride. It was spectacular.

Horses go much slower than people think. Our 15 year old guide easily beat us to the next look out point via foot power and taking short cuts.

Benjamina Button

2009-06-04T14:18:00.000-07:00

On this trip I've gained a nose ring and braces. I feel like Benjamina ..Button. What year is this?

Healthy Mexican Food

2009-06-04T14:16:00.000-07:00

(Note: Day 3 on the hard in Guaymas. The hull is halfway done. Biagio is busy with the drummel working away at the ‘spots’, and I'm...well here at the pool. Most of the partners have left for home while the guys do some work on the boat before leaving. I'm still here supplying encouragement, water and food.)

Biagio and I both weigh more than we did when we started this journey. We’re trying to lose a little weight and also look for healthy food when we eat out. The steamed fish and vegetables that comes in foil packets are very healthy. Not very popular but healthy and tasty. Corn tortillas are fairly healthy. They aren’t fried and are made solely from corn flour. We also throw in the occasional hamburger because the Sonora beef is so tasty.

Photos: One block away from the marina, temptation and tasty calories.

Last night after Biagio worked hard on the hull all day, and my many trips gathering things in town, we treated ourselves to a little informal corner restaurant about a block up the street. It’s so popular that people are lined up outside the entrance late at night on the weekends. We concluded that it must be delicious and we needed to try it.

“What’s the most popular thing on the menu?”, we asked the waitress in Spanish. With a big smile on her face, she told us hands down it was ‘papas locas’. “Very good, two orders of crazy potatoes.” We ordered it with horchata. The horchata was delicious, just like a cool bowl of liquid rice pudding running down your through with lots of cinnamon.The crazy potatoes came in a large foil packet that stood up. Inside was small pieces of chopped up beef, potatoes, corn and lots of cheese, butter and cream. Uh oh, we shouldn’t have ordered this. It’s probably very tasty. It was. Cheese, cream and butter. Lots of it. We tried to let it drip through our forks but it was hopeless. So we resigned ourselves to enjoying all those fattening calories and leaving as much cream in the bottom as possible. I can see why it’s so popular. Very tasty. But oh, all those calories!

January - October, 2009 - 1224 water miles traveled

2009-05-24T12:23:00.000-07:00

Buttoning Up

No……not me…...the boat! The days are counting down now. Our jello plans now indicate that we will leave the boat in 3 weeks. Or 4 weeks. A decision can not be made before its time. Even if it seems like it’s getting down to the wire.

If we work the plan backwards, this is what it looks like: It takes one week to physically ‘stuff the turkey’ (that would be the boat). And then there is a Copper River train trip for one week and a visit to nearby Guaymas. San Diego is only 13 hrs. away by bus for a 5 day visit to Jess and Tracy. And then there’s enjoying the wonderful swimming here in the Bay. Lovely… So put that all in the mix and what do you have? We’re not sure. We’ll just go with the jello plans and decide where we’re going to anchor tonight.

Photo: You have to watch that first step when you need to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night! Biagio is working on the blisters in Guaymas 'marina seca' or dry marina. Interestingly enough, even though this is a city of 130,000 people, this marina is only one block from the start of downtown. Notice the San Fernando Church towers in the main square.

So what is ‘stuffing the turkey’ or ‘buttoning up the boat’? I’m not sure. I’ve never been through one. This is what I’m told is the routine for the boat to be ‘put on the hard’ and blocked up on stands. It needs to dry out because of blisters on the bottom. Then in October it will be prepped and bottom painted. So here's the ‘fun list’:

Photo: As you enter the Bay of Guaymas, you are greeted with perhaps 1,000 old fishing boats like these tucked into every conceivable nook. Some never go out and others are still working.

Sails have to be taken down into the boat, tarps purchased to cover the boat, pop the blisters, take the dodger off, take all the lines in, cover all the furling gear, plug all the through-hole cocks, drain the salt water on the engine and generator, pickle the water maker, make sure all the stored food is wrapped well and there is nothing that could explode, made sure the solar panels are operating to keep the batteries charged, and finally, flush out the water tanks with chlorine. Sounds like fun, huh? In the desert heat!!! I’m not looking forward to that week. Maybe Biagio won’t notice if I hang out in the hopefully cool marine office. He’ll probably notice.

So my job up until that time is to go through the boat and see what I can bring home that I don’t use very much. After sailing for almost a year, there are things that are used and some things not so much. The list leaving the boat includes our golf clubs, extra bathing suits, cold weather gear, some books, etc. Already I can see more free space on the boat. That’s nice.

So parting Gem is bitter sweet. Hopefully, back in the Sea in November but time will tell. You know…that jello thing again…..Photo upper left: One fishing boat arrested for drugs. On the right: Our view from the fuel dock before going on the hard. Photo above: Guaymas Marina. The fishing boats and fuel dock are on the right side which is where we were docked before hauling out.

This is what the sailing portion of the year looked like:

1 San Diego, Ca – (32 42.6 N, 117 13,8 W) – Starting from here

2 Turtle Bay, Baja, Mex – (27 40.4 N, 114 51.8 W) – 351 n miles - Jan 11, 2009

3 Cabo San Lucas, Baja, Mex – (22 53.2 N, 109 53.9 W) – 405 n miles - Jan 15, 2009

4 Los Frailes & Los Muertos, Baja, Mex – (23 22.8 N, 109 25.6 W) - 48 & 43 n miles - Jan 20, 2009

5 LaPaz, Baja, Mex – (24 07.5 N, 110 22.9 W) – 65 n miles - Jan 25, 2009

6 Partida Cove between Isla Partida & Isla Espiritu Santo, Baja, Mex – (24 32.0 N, 110 22.5 W) – 24 n miles - Feb 15, 2009

7 LaPaz, Baja, Mex - 24 n miles - Feb 21, 2009

8 Isla Espiritu Santo, Baja, Mex – (24 27.1 N, 110 22.8 W) – 20 n miles - Mar 9, 2009

9 Partida Cove between Isla Partida & Isla Espiritu Santo, Baja, Mex – (24 32.0 N, 110 22.5 W) – 5 n miles - Mar 11, 2009

10 Ensenada Grande, Isla partida – (24 33.0 N, 110 23.1 W) - 4 n miles - Mar 15, 2009 (to be closer to the Rookery to dive)

11 Partida Cove again - March 16, 2009 (better anchorage because of the strong winds)

12 Isla San Francisco, Baja, Mex – (24 48.9 N, 110 34.5 W) – 21 n miles - March 18, 2009

13 Isla San Jose, Baja, Mex – (24 51.9 N, 110 34.0 W) – 19 n miles - March 19, 2009

14 Partida Cove again – March 20, 2009 (to get package from Michael & Liz)

15 La Paz again - March 22, 2009 (so close so we went for more food, emails, banking, etc.)

16 Evaristo Bay, Mainland, Baja Mex – (24 55.2 N, 110 43.4 W) – 52 n miles – March 26, 2009

17 Isla San Jose, Baja Mex - (25 01.7 N, 110 42.5 W) - 7 n miles – March 28, 2009 (to get out of the winds at Evaristo Bay)

18 El Gato, Baja Mex – (25 18.0 N 110 56.8 W) - 21 n miles – March 29, 2009

19 Bahia Agua Verde, Baja, Mex – (25 30.8 N, 111 04.8 W) - 19 n miles – April 2, 2009

20 Honeymoon Cove, Danzante Island, Baja, Mex – (25 48.2 N, 111 16.0 W) - 34 n miles – April 5, 2009

21 Puerto Escondido, Baja, Mex – (25 49.2 N, 111 19.0 W) - 4 n miles – April 8, 2009

22 Puerto Ballandra, Isla Carmen, Baja, Mex – (26 00.7 N, 111 10.7 W) – 14 n miles - April 16, 2009 (Two weeks to island hop before Loreto Fest in Puerto Escondido)

23 Salinas Bay, Isla Carmen, Baja, Mex - (25 59.2 N 111 07.1 W) – 8 n miles - April 20, 2009

24 Return to Puerto Ballandra - April 22, 2009 – Weld water heat exchanger on engine with help of power boater Sea Quest

25 Puerto Escondido, Baja, Mex – (25 49.2 N, 111 19.0 W) - 4 n miles – April 28, 2009

27 Isla Coronados, Baja, Mex again– May 8, 2009- near to Loreto for dentist

28 Point Mangle, Baja, Mex – (26 16.4 N, 111 23.8 W) - 14 n miles - May 9, 2009 - moving north

29 Santo Domingo Point, Baja, Mex – (26 51.6 N, 111 52.2 W) - May 10, 2009

30 Mulegé, Baja, Mex – (26 54.1 N, 111 56.9 W) - .7 n miles – May 12, 2009

31 Coyote Bay, Bahia Concepción, Baja, Mex – (26 43.0 N, 111 54.5 W) – 21 n miles – May 13, 2009

32 Santo Domingo Point, Baja, Mex – 21 n miles - May 17, 2009

33 St. Inez Bay, Baja, Mex – (27 03.5 N, 111 58.9 W) – 16 n miles – May 18, 2009, Low pressure coming need to move to shelter

34 Isla Marcos, Baja, Mex – (27 15.6 N, 112 07.4 W) – 7 n miles – May 19, 2009

35 Santa Rosalia, Baja, Mex – (25 60.6 N, 111 58 22.0 W) – 11 n miles - May 21, 2009

36 San Carlos, Mainland, Mex - (27 58.0 N, 111 4.0 W) – 75 n miles - May 31, 2009 - Boat on the hard through summer, Copper Canyon train Mexico, then back to Seattle/Victoria for the summer.

Santa Rosalia to Guaymas on the Mainland (crossing the Sea)

2009-05-24T12:22:00.000-07:00

I was captivated by Santa Rosalia. It wasn’t like any other town we visited in our entire time in Mexico. The town was made by a French mining company called El Boleo. Bolitos are little balls here being composed of copper ore that were mined and smelted. Much of it was taken all the way to Tacoma, Washington to be processed. From there, timber would be loaded back into the boats and brought back to Santa Rosalia. In exchange for tax exemption, the French promised to build a town and port.

The result was a town of French Provincial architecture meticulously outlined and adapted to the landscape which is very unlike any other town in Mexico. To me, it feels like living in a ghost town in another place and time. The mine closed in 1954 due to depletion of the mine and the federal government took over supplying employment for the town. It operated for a total of 53 years.

Another beautiful attraction is the transportable church designed by Gustave Eiffel. The church and the Eiffel tower were both exhibited together at the world’s fair of 1889. Being made of steel and rivets, it was designed so that it could be easily transported & assembled in hot climate areas. It would also stand up to humidity, bugs and the elements. After the exposition, the church was disassembled and stored in Brussels never to be mass produced. The executives of El Boleo heard about it and brought it out to Santa Rosalia. It’s a one of a kind and now stands in the center of town since 1897.

After spending a week here, we have more we wanted to say about Santa Rosalia...

Sleuthing Around in Santa Rosalia

The first thing that was odd on our entrance to Santa Rosalia was the enormous grave yard. When you enter the little harbor, greeting you from up on top of the mountain, is a very large white cross. Miles and Miles behind that are burial head stones in a cemetery that goes way back into the valley. Now mind you, this is a small town. So how could you explain a huge cemetery for such a small town?

The second odd thing was that if the French built and occupied this city for 53 years, why is there no trace of them anywhere except for the buildings they left behind? Oh yes, there is one white bust of a French man in one of the small main plazas. But it hasn’t a name or a reference or any explanation of who the man was or what he did. There’s even a small museum with no reference of any French people or those in charge of the mining operation, how they lived, what they did, nothing.

The third odd thing was that the outsides of all these houses are made of beautiful wood from the Northwest of the United States. Why go all the way there to process the minerals and come back with wood? Why didn’t they just process the ore right here in Mexico? Why would they take it to the far ends of a neighboring country?

Photo: The old San Francisco hotel on the left, the ore processing mill in the foreground, on the right a tunnel leading to miles and miles of underground mining tunnels, and cut off on the far right is a large pile of tailings. Not nearly enough for 53 years of work. Most of the tailings are in Tacoma, WA.

You won’t find the answers here in Mexico. But searching on the internet, taking the little bits of history available here, and looking around at what was left behind, Biagio pieced the puzzle together. This is what we believe really happened.

The French had an agreement with the Mexican government for a tax free status of 50 years to extract minerals out of the area. In exchange, the French were to build a town complete with a harbor and houses. This benefited the French because they needed the harbor for their ships and the houses for their business and employees. They built a valley of small inexpensive houses close together for the workers that are no longer standing.

As a result, the French extracted everything they wanted in the way of minerals. Especially the unspoken gold that was never mentioned anywhere. They processed some of the copper here locally but took the bulk of it all the way to Tacoma where they extracted the copper and gold and other minerals from it then shipping the precious minerals to France without the Mexican government knowing exactly what was being extracted, i.e. gold. (Here in Mexico they talk only about the copper ore.) This is the reason they shipped the minerals so far away for processing.

The French grossly ignored safety laws for the workers which ultimately filled the cemetery with bodies; 1,400 workers alone in just a 2 year period. Which is why there is no notation of any specific French person anywhere or the French management or workers in general. Only one bust with no name. That could be putting blame on someone.

So there is beauty and sadness here at the same time. The quaint houses that the French left behind and the large cemetery that tells a different story.

UPDATE: After talking with geologists who know this area very well, we found out that shipping ore to Tacoma is very common and not at all unusual. So we stand correct on that point.

Musings…

2009-05-18T12:54:00.000-07:00

The mating season: All that mating that was going on with the birds a few weeks ago has already produced babies. Baby pelicans look like baby geese, and baby seagulls look like baby gray chickens with dark gray markings.

Photo: Near Sanispac, Bahia Concepción. The leeward (less wind) side of a very small island is perfect nesting for pelicans and seagulls. Upper left inset is a newborn pelican and the two birds on the right photo are baby pelicans. Notice how they blend into the rocks.

Stats: Start of trip water temperature in Seattle July 2008 = 53 degrees. Water temperature today in Sea or Cortez May 15, 2009 = 78 degrees; Air temp in the cabin = 93 degrees. Rx= lots of water with showers using the outside shower hose, spray bottle and then stand in front of the fan, the inside shower, swimming and snorkeling.

Rain: When I saw a large school of small fish swimming near the top of the water, they made little circles on top of the water and it looked just like it was raining. I was starting to get excited because we haven’t seen rain for months. I actually miss the rain.

Jellies: Today we went up the river in our dinghy to the very small village called Mulege and saw thousands of very strange aqua colored balls in the water…sort of like a 7” child’s aqua blue bouncing ball. They were fast swimming jellyfish. So we looked up the phylum:

A. There are about 1800 species of jelly fish which are also known as “medusa” as in 1, or plural “medusae”.

B. A swarm of jelly fish is called a “bloom”. It looked like jelly fish were blooming.

Stars: With all the phosphorescence in the water at night, you look up in the sky and see all the stars. Then you look down in the water and see all the stars. Magnificent!

Finding precious shade. Biagio's Special toe grip steering.

Tonight's restaurant in the Gulf of Concepción.

Maps: Maps of the Central and Northern Sea of Cortez are so far off that it shows that we are in the middle of Isla San Marcos on top of a mountain. This also means we need to be extra careful of rocks and unknowns when we go to anchor because if they are marked, which they might not be, they will not be where it shows them to be.

A Dry Boat: It doesn’t refer to water coming into the boat or staying out of the boat. It refers to alcohol that may be on the boat. Therefore a dry boat doesn’t do much drinking.

Wine: Here in many towns we visited in Mexico, they put the red wind in the cooler and the white wine on the shelves to be kept warm.

The Birds: If you’ve ever wondered what is would be like to have birds attack you like in the movie ‘The Birds’, all you have to do is walk along a high road up from the water. Seagulls like to make their nests there. As you walk by, they will attack you swooping down on you just like in the movie missing you by millimeters. It will make all your hair stand up.

Trick or Treating for Chocolates in Santo Dominigo (Bahia de Concepción)

2009-05-18T12:44:00.000-07:00

So here’s how you do it:

You need a Halloween mask.

And a trick or treat bag.

You look for this special sandy bottom that contains this special treat. It must be a deserted beach and only certain beaches have them. You take the dinghy to shore and jump in about 10 feet of water. Then you dive down with your mask, snorkel and bag to the sandy bottom. When you see a special configuration of two small holes next to each other, you go after them. Don’t go after three holes or one big hole, only 2 small holes. (You never know what’s behind those other unknown holes). Then when those two holes see you overhead, they close up shop and head deeper into the soft sand. You scoop them up with your hand as the sand parts easily and put the little jewel into your trick or treat bag.

There it is, you have chocolates (pronounced: Chock o la tay). Chocolate clams that is. Yummm!

Photo: Snorkeling for chocolate clams. See the brown one in my hand? Interesting shape of the clam inside!

Mom

2009-04-28T14:33:00.000-07:00

Sometimes, late at night, after I have watched the sun go down in brilliant colors over the nearest set of mountains, the first star comes out. It’s dusk. Twilight. And there is the lonely, first bright star of the evening.

I look at it and ask, “Mom, where are you and what do you need to tell me?” My next thought is that I can’t believe you’re gone. I still can’t believe that you no longer live on this earth with us. And then I wait for your answer.

Sometimes I understand what I need to know next. Sometimes she just laughs at my wonderings. But she’s always there with the first star that I see. Star light, Star bright.

I’m sad that she’s not so near that I can touch her. But I know she’s always there. Just a star’s touch away. Ready to guide me and answer my questions.

Why did you have to leave now? “Why not,” she answers. “It was my time and it was good.” But what about all those you left behind? “I’m still here,” she assures us. And I believe her.

She is still in our hearts. In our souls. In our beings. She is a part of us. She lives and breathes. She is here. And she is in the stars. She’s out there. She’s in here. I know it’s hard for all of us. But I also know that we have not lost her. She is us. She is here. She is love.

Isla Coronados – (26 06.7 N, 111 17.2 W) – April 24, 2009

2009-04-28T14:23:00.000-07:00

The Name of the Sea

The body of water we’ve been spending all this time in has many different names. As large as it is, you would think it would have just one name like The Red Sea or the Gulf of Mexico. But it goes by many names. Most Cruisers refer to it as the Sea of Cortez (referring to Cortez the Spanish explorer) because that is what our navigation and travel guides refer to it as. Or you can say simply ‘The Sea’. The Mexicans who live here laugh at the name Sea of Cortez. They refer to it as the Gulf of California or Golfo de California. For them, it has never been anything else. For my part, I like to refer to things by the name that the people use who live there. I guess they should know best. On the other hand, John Steinbeck’s preference in his famous Log Book was to refer to it as the Sea of Cortez because he thought that sounded more interesting.

There are 900 islands in The Sea. That’s why it’s possible to go only half a mile and find another island with a peaceful cove that has a white sandy beach and a volcano. That is where we are now. On the Island of Coronados. It’s part of the Parque Nacional Bahía de Loreto. So is Isla Carmen, Danzante Island and others. There are about six other sail boats here in the bay and a handful of Mexican panga boats that bring 2-6 passengers each from Loreto for a 20 minute fast boat ride to enjoy the beautiful beach for the afternoon.

There are many endemic species here in The Sea. This is also a migratory ground for humpback whales, California gray whales, Killer Whales, Manta Rays, and the world’s largest animal, the Blue Whale. There are two groups of sea animals migrating here. The first is the group that likes colder water which is this time of year. The whale sharks, California gray whales, and the yellow tail is part of this group. For them to feed on, there is a multitude of krill swimming in the water at this time of year which cuts down on our visibility for diving. The second group will make it’s appearance when the water temperature warms up substantially in June and July. Biagio is looking forward to the second group migration for warmer water and dorado fishing which will be great. So far we’ve caught skip jack tuna, sierra, cod, scallops, and lobster.

Today, April 25, the temperature of the water is a cool and comfortable 73 degrees which is nice to cool off in the water with the air temperature being about 79 degrees in the afternoon. Later on in July and August, the air temperatures will begin to soar to an average temperature in July of 88 degrees, August - 88, September - 85 and October - 80. The result is that the water temperature will be in the 80’s most of the summer. Since it’s spring time, the sea gulls are mating and looking for twigs for their nests near the beach, and the manta rays and rays are also mating doing a dance that ends in the female turning over in the water with their two undersides together. Spring is definitely in the air. And the water.

Schedules

As for us, we need to take the boat out of the water for 2 ½ -3 months because the boat has a couple of blisters on the bottom. First it needs to dry out before a new bottom paint is applied. So that has set our schedule. Staying in The Sea for the summer would be bearable if we were in the water. With the boat being out of the water for such a long period of time, we need to leave the boat or become lizards. So that is the basis for our plans. We will haul the boat out of the water in San Carlos in June or July. The boat will then be ready to bottom paint in October before heading to more southern countries. At least that’s the plan for now. You know those jello plans…before you can even let someone know what you’ve got planned, they have already changed.

Photos: The white sandy beach bay on Isla Coronados near Loreto. It’s spring time in the desert so at a glance, it appears that not much is happening. But if you look closer, you see a profusion of very tiny flowers on most of the plants and cactus.

Thursday, April 16, 2009

2009-04-28T14:17:00.001-07:00

The Flowering Desert

Fish, Birthday and Shells – April, 2009

2009-04-28T14:06:00.000-07:00

Cruising

I thought this definition of ‘cruising’ is very appropriate:

Cruising – A lifestyle that involves living for an extended period of time on a boat while traveling from place to place for pleasure. Cruising generally refers to a trip of a few days or more, and can extend to round-the-world voyages. Wikipedia 2008

Biagio’s monster sierra fish, Jill’s birthday, and shells that are so beautiful you just have to do something with them so I take photographs.

My Car On The Beach

2009-04-14T14:29:00.000-07:00

Puerto Escondido, Baja, Mex – (25 49.2 N, 111 19.0 W) – April 8, 2009 – closest marina to Loreto

2009-04-14T14:05:00.000-07:00

From Biagio…Puerto Escondido is one of the few hurricane holes in the Sea of Cortez which will protect boats when hurricanes or tropical storms come along. Boats return here year after year to this sheltered anchorage.

Majestic mountains surprisingly tower over us in a desert! While sitting in the cockpit, we can watch the beautiful mountains reflected in the water. This place has drawn me back for it’s great beauty and great memories.

There is another reason boaters come here. The end of the Sea of Cortez boating season will have a big party here for all the cruisers making their way back up the coast returning to the US. It’s called Loreto Fest at the beginning of May. So we’ll be off for a few weeks exploring up north and then return back here for the party.

Honeymoon Cove is just across the way. Only a 15 minute crossing with a beautiful bay that can hold only about 4 boats at a time each one nesting in one of its fingers. It’s not surprising that my crusing friends Terry and Lynn on Starform had talked about this anchorage many times. I missed this on my last trip here. On a typical sunny morning I climbed to the top of one of the hills to take in the beauty of the area.

Look at the photos below to get an idea of the surrounding views.

The Beautiful Surroundings

2009-04-14T12:59:00.000-07:00

Why Go to Baja Mexico in the First Place?

2009-04-14T12:58:00.000-07:00

Well, Biagio wanted to go here. That’s the main reason. He was here about 10 years ago and it was one of his favorite places that he had cruised in. ‘Why?’, I asked? All he could tell me was there was good diving there. Fine, I like to dive. But the diving has actually been disappointing. The whale sharks were very, very cool. That’s true. But as far as the beautiful reefs and fishes that I have seen in Belize and Cancun, well that just doesn’t exist here. The fish population has severely decreased in the last ten years in large part due to over fishing. And reefs all over the world are decreasing because of the warmer climate. So now that I’ve been here for about five months, would I come back? Absolutely!

The best part of this area of the world is the awesome scenery that we are living in. For me, it’s like someone took the Grand Canyon, filled it up with water and left the mountain ranges visible. Some seem to be painted orange, some red, some the color of gray rocks, and others have bold white bands of striations in them. Each one seems unique. How beautiful they are!!! Every day the beautiful surroundings amazes us. It is awesome!!!

There are four mountain ranges that cover the peninsula with the highest peak being 10,154 feet high. The length of San Diego to the tip of the Baja is twice the length of Florida or 100 miles longer than Italy. Its widest area is 120 miles wide. 65% of the land is desert. It has dozens of bays, lagoons, coves and inlets. This is what attracts the boaters. That plus the air is dry and pleasant like that of San Diego.

With 120 species of cactus to marvel at, the cardón cactus towers above all the other cactus and can grow an incredible height of 60 feet, has a root system of up to 150 feet wide and lives over 400 years old. In the States we have a much smaller cousin of the cardón cactus which is the saguaro cactus.

Here are some of my favorite images that I’ve collected along the way from LaPaz and on up the East coast of the Baja Peninsula which would be the distance of about 60 miles.

Evaristo Bay, Baja, Mex – (24 55.2 N, 110 43.4 W) – April 2, 2009

2009-04-14T12:56:00.000-07:00

We made a quick trip to LaPaz for some fresh supplies and from there, it took about 5 hrs. to meet up with Michael & Liz again and some more new friends. When we got close enough to call using the VHF radio, they told us they were all in Evaristo Bay. So that is where we went. It’s a short walk from either side of the anchorages to a very, very small pueblo that has a small grocery store. There we found some hot dogs for the beach party later that night.

The winds can change rapidly here so you want to carefully pick which side of the very large, round rock you anchor on. When we arrived there was a south wind so we anchored on the north side protected by the rock. During the night of the second day, the wind changed to come from the north. When we got up the next morning, everyone had already left because of the uncomfortable swells causing ‘rocking and rolling’. So we headed across to a nearby island where we would have a north wind shelter. It was about a 2 hr. motor.

The following morning after that, it was off to El Gato which was a 3 hour motor. El Gato has a beautiful little bay with red sand stone hills. There was also an opportunity to take a long walk in the desert among the beautiful cactus and plants.

Agua Verde was next. To get there, it was a very beautiful motor with unbelievable grand canyon-like scenery. Very large rocks protruded from the sea along the way. At Agua Verde we were able to kayak and meet up with some friends from California. Interestingly enough, we were at their bon voyage party when we came down the coast and now we were with them again in this little bay.

Photos: Beautiful red sand stone hills surround one side of the anchorage, Church in Agua Verde, views along the way, a hot dog get together on the beach complete with sa’mores, walking into town, the grocery store, losing some more fishing lures

Isla San Francisco, Baja, Mex – (24 51.9 N, 110 34.0 W) - March 19, 2009

2009-04-13T13:32:00.000-07:00

From Biagio…I finally harvested seafood and it wasn’t from the fish market. San Jose and San Francisco are two small, almost connected islands. It’s rare to find an estuary in the Sea of Cortez where there’s abundant clams that have a symbiotic relationship with lobsters. Between Isla San Jose and Isla San Francisco I found just that. I’m not sure how lobster eggs get into the clams, but when you open up the clams, you sometimes find a miniature lobster living inside. Gathering clams and finding lobsters in San Jose was very easy. It took only an afternoon to get enough clams and lobster for a delicious meal of lobster and ceviche.

Also interesting in San Jose are the salt flats. There are long sandy flats just behind the beach where salt is harvested. There is old rusted machinery and abandoned houses here so it has an eerie charm to it. On other islands the salt flats are still in use and harvested. But for some reason, these flats seem to have been abandoned.

Photos: Isla San Carlos and area. Fish lips is the skeleton of the eternally smiling puffer fish.

Partida Cove again & Los Islotes - March 16, 2009

2009-04-13T13:29:00.000-07:00

From Biagio…After Partida Cove, we decided to anchor the boat a little further north to be closer to a dive site called ‘the Rookery’. The dive site consists of two large rocks located just out from Isla Partida called Sea Island Rock and Los Islotes.

The waves were calm and the wind had died down in the new anchorage. We raced off in the dinghy to do our second dive of the cruising trip. Our dive equipment was fine, water waves not too rough in the dinghy to get there, calm wind…everything OK.

Our diving adventure was anything but boring. Not because of the aggressive seals that come right up to you and at the last second spin away. Nor from the way the seals nip at your flippers. The adventure came from forgetting to use our better safety judgment.

Once in the water, we descended to about 20 ft. Visibility was not the best. We were searching for the underwater arch that would take us closer to where the seals are. After following the curvature of the rock for a few minutes, I noticed the scenery was going by too quickly. This meant that we were speeding along much faster than we were swimming. In our hurry to get out to the dive site, we forgot to check the tides. We were slowly being swept away from the rock and out to the sea. The surge in the Sea can be very, very strong at most times of the day so it’s important to see when the tides are the strongest before you even think of diving. Especially when you’re going around a very large rock with only sea on the other side. I gave the signal to Jill to surface and my concern was confirmed when we saw how far away the dinghy was. It was very important for us not to panic. I knew we were in a dangerous situation. Staying calm and swimming back to the dinghy was our only hope. So we swam, and swam, and swam, both staying calm while we casually pedaled backwards, both of us acting as if nothing was wrong. Jill later told me she was staying calm to put the idea of floating out to sea out of her mind. We made it back to the dinghy safe and sound. But it sure taught me a lesson. Now I will always check the tides before diving.

Photos: The Rookery where we dove with the seals, It’ll be sushi tonight! Biagio caught 3 tuna and kept the biggest one, about 5 pounds, which was enough for 3 sushi meals.

Maps

2009-04-13T13:22:00.000-07:00

A Few More Photos of our Time In LaPaz

2009-04-13T13:17:00.000-07:00

The Bike Friday group in front of our favorite hamburger hangout a block from the marina, game night on Gem, Marina de La Paz, a little alter across from the Marina on the Magote sand strip, peeling cactus, making sushi (ok, ok, we bought the fish), leaves at the Walmart grocery store

Life at the Dock; Life on the Hook

2009-02-25T14:24:00.000-08:00

I’ve noticed some marked differences in living on a boat. The most notable is where the boat is tied up. One type of living is when the boat is at a dock or marina, while the other type is when the boat is at anchor or ‘on the hook’. Each has its distinct flavor and in reality, seems like a totally different life. Here is a typical day of each.

Life at the Dock

8am Get up to listen to the net if you’re not already up. Channel 22A on the VHF radio is a neighborhood chat of cruisers. We learn about today’s weather, which boats are coming and going, who has something to trade for ‘coconuts’ (talking of money would be business and is not allowed in a foreign country), where the music is for the evening, how to get anything done by local suppliers, and anything else that you would like to ask ‘the fleet’.
9:30 Coffee social at the club house, talking to other cruisers, buy tamales, rent DVD’s
10:30 E-mail, Work on the boat.
1:30 Walk or bicycle to a small restaurant for ‘plata corrida’ or special of the day which includes an entre, salad, rice and maybe desert for $4.50.
2:30 Work on the boat.
5:00 Kayak ride for Jill.
7:00 E-mail. Go for a walk on the malecón which is a wide sidewalk along the beach, or get a bite to eat, or listen to music.
10:00 Bed time or watch a movie.
　
Life on the Hook (Anchor)
Note: Times not listed because there aren’t any specific times for anything

Wake up with the first sign of light and make a cup of herbal tea. Take this to the cockpit and watch the sun rise appreciating the lack of sound and being in the center of the natural world.
Go for a meander in the kayak.
Make lunch.
Go diving, canyon walking, beach walking, shallow water walking.
Read or work on the computer or cook a meal, or organize an area of the boat, read a book. Maybe talk with the folks of another boat.
Eat a snack. Clean up the boat.
Watch the sun set.
Watch a movie.
Watch the stars.
Go to bed.

Living on the same boat with totally different life styles. To me it’s amazing.

Carnival LaPaz 2009

2009-02-25T13:24:00.000-08:00

Isla Espiritu Santo and Isla Partida

2009-02-25T11:59:00.001-08:00

Late February 2009

Since the outside cushions are in the process of being made, the dinghy is back with its new shiny ‘chaps’ to protect it from the sun, and the water pump is making its way from the border customs office, we will finally be able to get away form the dock. Even if it’s only for one week. Besides, we want to make it back for carnival which is the following week.

Once we left LaPaz, it was about 4 ½ hrs. of mo toring, about 24 miles going north to get to Isla Espiritu Santo and Isla Partida. The interesting thing about these two islands is that it was once one island of about 19 miles. A volcano erupted on the northern portion of the one island separating it from the southern section. T his created a large hole which filled with water ultimately making a great anchoring place. We shared the anchorage with only a handful of boats during our 6-day stay. We managed to dive (our first) on a very tired reef near our anchorage. Tired, I believe, because as we learned at the Seymour Marine Discovery Center in Santa Cruz, 1/3 of the world’s reefs have been destroyed in the last 20 years as a result of the La Ninas and El Ninos. The reefs haven’t been able to adapt to these brief warmer water temperatures fast enough. Here is a photographic taste of what it is like to anchor in these islands.

LaPaz, Baja Mexico

2009-02-06T12:36:00.000-08:00

One of the many sculptures on the board walk (‘malecón’ in Spanish) in LaPaz.

This is one by creator Guillermo Gómez Macías . At the base of the sculpture there is a poem.

I have a paper boat

It’s made from a page

On which I have written my dreams
It has neither anchors, nor mooring ropes
I want to sail in it
On the seven seas; in the eighth

I know I will run aground in the port of my desires.

Has someone ever seen the light shining from their lighthouse?

Photos: Downtown LaPaz from one point: Up the coast, toward town, and down the coast.

Fixing Things in Exotic Ports

2009-02-02T11:46:00.000-08:00

Also February 2009

I don’t have to tell all you sailors. You already know. For all you non-sailor readers that think this is an exotic life, I want you to see a glimpse of real life.

All the way down the coast, we added needed items to the boat. Biagio calls some of these things ‘real things’ i.e. engine parts, etc. and the other things are stuff’. That would be the things a female would like on a boat such as Tupperware, shoe holders and laundry separators. You get the gist. For my part, I call it all ‘stuff’. Now there was a big rush on the boat of ‘stuff’ in San Francisco where we stayed for a month. Then there was the final ‘stuff’ loaded onto the boat in San Diego. Mosquito nets, sun screen mesh, bicycle baskets, extra parts, etc. With such preparation you would think that all the ‘stuff’ got on the boat and that would be the end of it. You would think.

Photos: The repairs in a 24 hr. period: Left - Major bicycle repair requiring several trips to the bicycle store after we were able to find one; Center - A bird broke off the radio antenna which required a trip to the store for a new one and several more trips to find the right coupling, Lower right - A stanchion was bent when single handing onto the windy LaPaz dock. Lower - Trouble shooting the battery charger before resting it in peace and finding a replacement.

In reality, the water maker didn’t work all the way down the coast. We should have started it in San Diego. But we didn’t. Hey, it always works. Until now. We’re still waiting for the rebuilt pump to come from San Diego as noted in an earlier vignette. And then the battery charger went out. One night after shutting down a computer, there was a soft 'boom' sound. "Hey Biag, I heard something." "What did you hear,” he said? "Something," I said. "I didn’t hear anything", he said. "No it was something", I insisted. Well, we later found that ‘something’ was a battery charger which had come to a dead stop. The battery charger charges our batteries which gives us the power to operate our fans, computers, tv, boy are we spoiled! Well now we have to run the generator to charge it all. Until the new battery charger is installed. Biagio had to scour the car engine stores to get one strong enough to replace the one we had. So now what’s next? Well that is after we get the pump back for the water maker. Maybe then it will be the motor for the water maker. Now remember we still don’t have fresh water. It’s always something. That’s boat life. So all of you who think this is the ideal life, just remember, all that fixing you’re missing out on. Well that and the dolphins and whales, and the exotic tacos and 'platos corridos', and the walks along the shore, and the diving. Well, I guess it’s worth it. Just don’t tell Biagio. He’s got his head under the navigation table trying to fix the latest malfunction.

The Vortex of LaPaz, Mexico

2009-02-02T10:35:00.000-08:00

February 2009
(To orient you, LaPaz is the first stop into the Sea of Cortez after Cabo San Lucas. It's on the west side of of the Sea. From here we'll go north into the islands for some diving and fishing.)

Like quick sand, did you ever get stuck into something you couldn't get out of? LaPaz is a lot like that. With 80 degree temperatures during the day in February, and 55 degrees at night for cool evening walks, it's very easy to hang out here. One person said, "I've been here for a couple o f years and I'm leaving any day now." I heard another say, "We just came down for a sail and wound up buying a house. We've been here for 3 years now."

It starts out by listening to the 'net' in the morning. It's like an active newspaper of the morning. Someone gives a weather report, someone else tells what's going on in town, another about what meetings might be of interest, who has something to trade, what get togethers you can get together at, etc.

Photos: Left-Marina de LaPaz, Right-Super Bowl Sunday al frescoe at Bandito's Restaurant. (note the very large screen)

Our stay started out like this:
Waiting for the pump from Seattle via DHL
Decided to have cover made to protect the dinghy. This will take one week.
Go to the blues bar to hear music. Meet 3 new couples.
Go to the 'how to organize your food' meeting. Meet 20 new women.
Go to the club house to rent a video and have a coffee. Meet 10 of the women you already know.
Walk down the malecon. Meet 2 couples you previously met.
Invitation to someone's house. They arrived 10 years ago.
And so it goes.

Any day now, just as soon as the dinghy cover is ready, we're going to leave. Honest.

Sailing Recap 2008

2009-01-27T03:43:00.000-08:00

Jill joins boat in Victoria, BC, Canada - July 15
Leave Victoria BC, Canada – Aug 1
Otter Bay, Pender Island, Canada – Aug 1 – engine breakdown
Vancouver, Canada – Aug 2 – 4 With Terry and Lynn, Matthew & Annie
Orcas Island & Stewart Islands, USA - Aug 5 – 7 With Jess & Tracy
Victoria, BC, Canada – Aug 7 - 14
Port Angeles, USA – Aug 15
Neah Bay, Washington, USA – Aug 16 - 22
Eureka, CA, USA – Aug 23 - Sept 13 w/ 2 overnight passage
Emeryville (SanFrancisco), CA, USA – Sept 15 – Oct 15, 1 overnight passage, visit f/ Doug & Lucy
Santa Cruz, CA, USA – Oct 17 – 20 w/ 1 overnight passage
Morro Bay, CA, USA – Oct 22 - 24
Monterey Bay, CA USA – Oct 25 – 26 w/ 1 overnight passage
Santa Barbara, CA, USA – Oct 28 -Nov 1 w/ 1 overnight passage
Long Beach, CA, USA - Nov 3 – 6 w/ 1 overnight passage
San Diego, CA, USA – Nov 7, 2008 – Jan 7, 2009
Map also shows Mexico portion (green markers) in 2009
Turtle Bay, Baja, Mex - Jan 11, 2009
Cabo San Lucas, Baja, Mex - Jan 15, 2009
Los Frailes, Baja, Mex - Jan 20, 2009
LaPaz, Baja, Mex - Jan 25, 2009

(Click on any image to enlarge)

A Close Brush with Mexican Security

2009-01-27T03:29:00.000-08:00

Later Still January 2009
(Location: Cabo San Lucas to LaPaz. Matt has gone on to more adventures with his wife Anne in the Dominican Republic. Biagio has taken the boat from Cabo San Lucas to LaPaz by himself while I am taking the water pump to be repaired and also attend a seminar.)

You can spend weeks going down the Baja Coast from San Diego to Cabo San Lucas stopping and exploring along the way. We hurried down the stretch of desert in a very fast 8 days stopping only once to go kite surfing with Matt and also filling up with fuel. We wanted to fill up with water but it was so windy with Santa Ana winds blowing up to 60 knots from land spilling out to the bay that we weren’t able to get any unless we stayed an extra day. During the entire trip we weren’t able to make any water with our water maker.

I took the opportunity to go back to San Diego with the pump. I flew from Cabo to Tijuana and then crossed the border and took the trolley to Jesse and Tracy’s house to stay with them.

Now Mexico is having quite a struggle with drugs within their borders. I’ve never seen bags get x-rayed at the airport in Cabo and then a zip tie to secure the bags. OK, a little excessive with the zip tie. But then when I got off the plane in Tijuana, we had to take the bags to get x-rayed again before we could leave with them. So in the bottom of my bag was the pump for the water maker. The guards asked me what that object was. Since I imported/exported some cars while I lived in Chile, I knew some strange words for fixing mechanical things. Pump. Pump. Pump. Not let me see, what was that word. I was scratching my memory from 12 years ago when I lived there. Oh, I know, bomb. Or ‘bomba’ in Spanish. Oh no, that can’t be right. They call it a bomb. Well maybe I’m wrong. No, I think that’s right. So how do I tell them it’s a bomb?

Photo: Water Maker Unit. Blue cylinder is the 'pump' in my suitcase.

So I started to dance around the word by telling them that I came from a sailboat, and on that sailboat there’s a mechanism to make water. And…now they were getting suspicious because I wasn’t telling them what it was. Ok, ok I better get it out pretty soon. So I said, "Well the apparatus to make water has a bomb on it," and here I said “bomb” with a bit of a pause almost in a whisper, "and that’s what that big heavy piece of metal is". Then I searched their faces for any signs of alarm ready to duck any gunfire that might come my way as I continued to rambled on. My logic was that maybe they won’t think I’m going to detonate a bomb if I keep talking. It is called a 'bomb' isn’t it? I mean I could be wrong. So now their faces started to relax. "Oh, you mean a water bomb," they said. Yes, that’s it, a water bomb ‘bomba de agua’. Guns weren’t drawn on me and I didn’t get taken to any little room. Wheww. Lesson for you other sailors, test your water makers before you leave San Diego. It’s a lot safer.

Cabo San Lucas Passage: Left-Pelicans know who has fish. Center: Long Board beer, Right: Downwind sailing wing on wing (center and right photos by Matt)

Reefer Madness

2009-01-15T18:18:00.000-08:00

Late January 2009

(Location: Matt is with us going down the Western coast of Baja California to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. It will take 8 days to complete with a 1 1/2 day kite surfing stop at Turtle Bay.)

One of the challenges of cruising is organizing the refrigerator. We call it a ‘reefer’. The younger guests that visit us all give us a double take when we say ‘reefer’. There is only one meaning for 'reefer' states Matt. For us cruisers there is also only one meaning for 'reefer' and that is the refrigerator.

Our reefer has a double tiered ‘L’ shape. With this ‘L’ configuration, everything seems to get lost in never never land. I can access the large back area by feeling around until I come to the right shape of an object. I can also put my head down in and balance precariously over the opening with my legs up in the air to get down into the far reaches.

When something starts smelling ugly, it’s time to take everything out, wipe every thing down, get rid of the smelly culprit and start all over again. I do this with a ray of hope that this time I'll be better able to organize and rotate the food. Or I can just make another cup of coffee and get used to a little madness in the calm waters of the Sea of Cortez.

Transportation

2008-12-22T05:05:00.001-08:00

January 2009

Photos of Biagio carrying home supplies from Home Depot and me wearing and carrying my new dive BCD.

Everyone who has talked with us here in San Diego has said, ‘Isn’t it hard to get around without a car here?’ I tell them it’s a trade off. A car and a house or a boat and a bicycle. We decided. Getting the bicycles down to a science is a trick. Reflective tape. Carrier baskets. Backpacks. Flashlights for the early night falls at 4:30pm. All of these things help.

When someone asked me if it was late to ride a bicycle at 5:00pm in the dark, I replied, ‘No, the sun just set early.’ He laughed.

We have found there is nothing you can’t carry on your bicycle except for dive air tanks. How do you roll an air tank home? Or put an air tank in your carrier? They are so darn heavy but so light in the water! Even aluminum rather than steel are heavy. So, it’s taxi time with the air tanks. But we CAN take the dive BCD home on the bicycle. See photo.

So, there are buses with bicycles racks, trolleys with space in the back car, and if you are Biagio, sheer energy to go the distance. No it’s not hard to get around on bicycles, it’s easy! Our friends Liz and Michael know as they also cruise down the coast on their sailboat and Bike Friday bicycles.

Scripps Research Institute in San Diego, CA (LaJolla).

Photos below: Left: Clark & Suzie now back in San Diego from Final Straw with thoughts of going out again; Center: San Diego's Torrey Pines Rock Layers; Right: A hike at beautiful Torrey Pines with Jess & Tracy, Matt, Biagio and Jill.

Giddy Up Gem and Whims

2008-12-21T17:26:00.001-08:00

January 2009

Every needed gadget, switch, fan, screen, wind catcher, sun dodger, kayak, absolutely everything has been put on the boat. I believe we are ready to leave this land where you can get anything fairly easily (i.e. the USA). San Diego is sort of the hopping off point. Anything that is added to the boat south of here is much more difficult to find and to get on the boat. That’s why we’ve spent the extra time here. That and also ‘home’ for the holidays.

I feel sadness as we leave San Diego because I am leaving family behind but also looking forward to being away from the dock and doing more exploring of unknown shores. I’m also happy that we will have extra crew of more family. Biagio’s son Matt (http://www.mattmaddaloni.com) has signed on. We will be part of HIS current project which seems to be something to do with going down the Mexican coast and along the way, kite surfing and taking movies. Great timing Matt! More of this in next month. He will be crew with us for about 2 weeks. I’m sure he will have us doing interesting things. (Photo of Matt on the cover of a magazine with the earth well below him.)

The trip from San Diego to Cabo takes about 1 ½ weeks if you stop for 2 nights along the way. Our goal is to go around Cabo, then up to La Paz and on through to the islands just north of that in the Sea of Cortez to do some diving. I just checked on the temperatures and they are in the 80’s. That is motivation!

My Dad told me that many people are asking him where we are going. Well for us, the best plan is not to have a plan. Unlike a car trip where you may drive through bad weather, snow, mountains, etc. we have many more things to consider. Not only bad weather but hurricanes, hot weather, insects, wind and water currents, and of course your health because this lifestyle is work. And did I mention 'whim' factor? That would be when you are tired of the heat or another island or whatever. You just head North or South from where you are. Depending on the other factors, of course. So we sort of mix all those things together and come up with several plans that can change over night. For example:

Plan #1 – Hang out in the Sea of Cortez through the summer with diving and dipping in the water when it gets too hot. Combine that with overland travel in Mexico or surrounding countries and a year will pass. Then we would continue to other countries.

Plan #2 – Enjoy the Sea of Cortez for 3 months through April. Put the boat on the hard (on stilts in a marina) and travel on land for 6 months, returning to the boat the following March and then head out.

Plan #3 – Enjoy the Sea of Cortez for 3 months and then go on to Plan #A, #B or #C.

After Plan #1, #2 or #3

Pacific Ocean – (the area encompasses half of the mass of the earth)

Plan #A – Head further south going through Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Ecuador and the Galapagos. Then go to Plan #B below or go farther to South America including Peru and Chile.

Plan #B – Go West to the Marquesas Island Group, Tuoamotos Island Group, Society and Cook Island Groups, Tonga, Vanuatu, and maybe Australia and New Zealand. At this point we would need to decide to stay in the general area or if we headed west of Australia, we would be committed to going around the world.

Atlantic Ocean - (not as likely we'll do this, but possible. We don't like crowds.)
Plan #C – Go through the Panama Canal and on into the Caribbean Islands and the Mediterranean.

As a point of reference, during Biagio’s last sailing trip out for 7 years, out of 250 countries in the world, he visited only 25 (living in one country for a year). It’s a big world out there.
(Photo of currents)
So as you can see, it’s best to take it a few months at a time with a general plan and an open spirit to enjoy things as they come. After all, we could take Plan #4 (not previously mentioned above) and be in Hawaii in 14-21 days. All it takes is enough food and the desire to follow our whim.

Holidays in San Diego

2008-12-05T10:19:00.000-08:00

December 2008
It’s quiet here at the marina on Shelter Island in San Diego. We rented a slip for a month until January 1 complete with swimming pool, Jacuzzi and weight room. Life is good! The reason it’s quiet is that the other cruisers have left to go south already for the warmer weather. We are noticing the chilly mornings while turning on the heater and waiting for the sun to makes its appearance around 9am. Then we can take off our sweaters and put on our shorts again. (Photo: December Lights in Balboa Park on the Prado)

The wedding was a grand time complete with trips to the florist shops for decorating supplies, tying bows, an after wedding party on the boat, a morning high tea with Nick and Sayaka, and a bay cruise the following day. All with 75 degree weather. It reminds me of the weddings when I was a kid where they would last for days. A wonderful time. (Photo: Mini Regatta race here at the Marina in San Diego.)

I lived here in San Diego for about 15 years. That was 12 years ago. So being in San Diego feels like dejavu for me. The holidays are fun with Balboa Park being the kick-off party of about 300,000 people over 2 evenings visiting the museums, drinking cider and mingling with the Christmas revelers.

We’re getting our exercise here on our bicycles. The grocery store is about 3 miles away. And every thing is beyond that. It’s good riding if you can avoid the cars. (Photo: Spending time in the 'International House of Booze' next to the Prado, with Luis and Leslie friends for the last 25 years!)

Celebrations of Life.....Wisconsin, San Diego, Victoria BC

2008-12-05T10:16:00.000-08:00

November 2008
I’ve noticed that the more we celebrate the passages of life the more life we feel.

Last week I celebrated the life of my mother in Wisconsin. We had a wonderful ceremony for her. It was a great feeling to be surrounded by all my brothers and sisters and their families, all my aunts and uncles and my parents friends. The coming together affirmed my mother’s love that she had for everyone. She passed after having ALS for two years. I am grateful that she didn’t contract the disease in her 40’s – 60’s which is typical for most people that have it. I was able to enjoy her for many years with time to say our goodbyes in the summer. She passed just after her 80^th birthday. (Photo: Jill & Mom in July)

Now one week later, I will celebrate the wedding of my son here in San Diego. He and his wife help each other out in life just as my mother and father did for all those years. (Photo at right: Newlyweds Jesse & Tracy)

This is also the week that Biagio learned he will be a grandfather for the first time later this year. (Photo at left: Expectant parents Jesse & Tia)..........

The passing of a life, the celebration of joining two lives, the beginning of a new life. It’s a wondrous existence.

Sea Life (The life that we see in the sea)

2008-10-26T12:33:00.000-07:00

October 2008
We are so fortunate to be living ‘in’ the water. Yes we go ashore and tie up at docks often but life down at the docks and out at anchor is so alive with the animals, fishes and birds. It takes you away from your personal thoughts and puts you right there in the present moment watching these animals who live along side of you. (Photos from the Monterrey Aquarium: Left: Leafy Sea Dragon sea horse about 10" in length, Right: jellies)

The brilliantly colored orange billed puffin birds with their formal tuxedoed of black and white stunning against the sea as we turned the corner in NW Washington.

The packs of sea lions in Monterey and Morro Bay feeding on the smaller fishes in the bay by cruising back and forth making loud breathing noises as they dive past. And the pelicans trailing behind for any crumbs left over. (Photo: Our neighbor at Morro Bay)

The little baby on the sea otter’s tummy. And the clack, clack, clack of another sea otter with two small unopened shells in his hands hitting them together to break open the sweet meat. The sea gull incessantly following the sea otter waiting for a morsel.

The wonderful jellies and all the exhibits at the Monterey Aquarium.

And just now coming in to Santa Barbara, a huge gaggle of pelicans. I’ve never seen so many I one place.

They are all so wonderful. I'm sure there will be lots more to come as well. (Photo at right: Live birds up close at the Monterey Aquarium)

Monterrey and Morro Bay

2008-10-26T12:10:00.000-07:00

Late October 2008

Lots of great bike riding in Monterrey for Biagio going from Monterrey to Carmel by the Sea. The Aquarium for me. Loved the 'Jellies' exhibit.

The photo on the right shows our Morro Bay moorage and the large rock at the entrance. A nice bicycle and bus ride to San Luis Obisbo and Los Ossos from here. Scotty was adopted at Monterrey Bay and had a jolly good ride back to the boat.

Scary Sea Lions in Santa Cruz

2008-10-17T11:42:00.000-07:00

October 2008

We did everything in our power to avoid a confrontation. Brought our dinghy to the furthest possible dock with the least amount of Sea Lions. Came back to the boat at a decent hour before absolute sunset. Made a very modest entrance to the dinhy dock. But they still attacked us. I never knew Biagio could run so fast on a vertical ladder with his bicycle in hand.

“OK boys, get back. This is my dock!!!” shouted Biagio. “You just stay there!” he proclaimed in a boisterous voice. I was impressed as if he was talking to a great big, big dog. But as he lowered the first bike down the vertical ladder, I was coaching him from up above to warn him when the loudest, biggest male sea lion was coming after him. “He’s coming at you now!” I shouted. The dock was not very large so the sea lion could reach him in only a few flipper flaps away. We just learned at the UC Santa Cruz Marine Research Center on our bicycle ride that the males can weigh roughly 5,000 pounds. I would guess that was about the weight of the one coming after Biagio. At the last minute, the male sea lion bounced in the water but could resurface on the dinghy dock at any moment and land on Biagio. The center warned us not to get to close to the sea lions because they see everything as furniture and can roll over you and also bite. So there is Biagio, with thoughts of being a side chair or a couch. I have never seen him run so fast up a vertical ladder much less with a bicycle. If fact, if I wasn’t standing there, I’m sure he would have gone all the way to the top of the ladder and onto the pier. “It’s OK” I coached him, "I think he turned back". Once again the bull sea lion returned to his corner of the dinghy dock barking at Biagio the entire time.

Then we started to attract a crowd on the upper pier deck watching us trying to get into the dinghy. I’m not sure who they were rooting for but it was probably very entertaining. We never knew exactly what this male sea lion had on his mind or whether we were going to be a couch to him.

As we started pulling away from the dock, looking at all three sea lions from a distance, we were relieved when we felt that they were more likely to jump back onto the dinghy dock than into our dinghy. Whewww… Safely back on the boat in the bay, waiting for the hot water to heat up for a shower before watching our rented foreign movies, I’m glad to be back on our rocking, rolling boat. Safe for the time being from sea lions.

P.S. I've since taken a sea lion training course and learned that we need to hold our bicycles in front of us and look threatening. This is sea lion talk for 'back off'.

San Francisco was so awesome!

2008-10-17T11:07:00.000-07:00

September-October 2008

Aunt Leone. It was such a nice visit getting to know you and helping you sort through ‘Dad’s’ things.

Michael and Liz. Wow, good friends from Seattle with 3 Bike Fridays in one place! And further visits to come down the coast.

Doug and Lucy for your weekend visit from Victoria and the fun Patriots football game. (I’m still not clear on the rules. ‘We’ll give the points to them???’
Eva for all your “tips”.

Love ‘em. And especially crazy Larry and Ken. We love you!!!

Eureka, CA and the Redwoods

2008-09-16T04:50:00.000-07:00

September 2008
Ligia and Marpa have a beautiful Victoria mansion here in Eureka. (Photo coming soon.) The city is known for it’s many Victoria houses and buildings. With a population of 25,000, it’s a very navigable city and easy to get around in. Our marina is located a very short dinghy ride across from Eureka's Victorian downtown or we can take our bicycles across the bridge for an easy 20 minute bike ride.

We decided to rent a car and spend a week in the redwoods going from Crescent City near the border of Oregon down to Richardson Grove in the south which is a 150 mile drive one way. Each redwood area seems to different…some dry and hot, others clouded in cool moist fog. We enjoyed all of it. Especially the motel with the outdoor very large Jacuzzi!

After spending 2 weeks with Ligia and Marpa, we finally left our comfortable slip in the marina. We had a great time watching movies together, watching an outdoor concert from our dinghy in the water, drinking wine, and just hanging out. It was a little hard to leave.

Now almost 2 weeks after our initial arrival, we’re heading down the coast for an overnight motor/sail to San Francisco.

Our ‘Overnight’ Stop That Lasted a Week - Neah Bay, WA

2008-09-16T04:20:00.000-07:00

August 2008
It's just a short jaunt across the waters from Victoria BC to the US check-in at Port Angeles. Then another short Western hop to the Makah Indian Reservation in Neah Bay to get fuel and wait for a good weather window before heading around the NW tip of the state. When we arrived I was anxious to go because it seemed to me that there was not much to do in Neah Bay. We stayed for more than the overnight we planned.

Neah Bay is a very small village with one grocery story, 2 pizza places, one restaurant and one Makah Indian museum. ‘Oh well, we can go to the museum while we’re waiting for better weather.’ So the following day when the rain let up a little, we walked over to the Coast Guard station and the museum. There we learned more about the Makah culture. We found the Makah to be a very warm and welcoming people with a history of trading all along the coast from California to Alaska and inland. So when we heard that the biggest celebration, Makah Days, would be the coming weekend, we There was all night drumming and a throwing of the bones game called Slalah, traditional salmon bake, dancing, a decided to stay and watch the festivities. talent show, and a parade. We laughed so hard during the talent show with 3 year olds performing and a young standup comic that had nothing to say but was hilarious just being himself. And then there was the crowning several princess and warriors. Interestingly enough, to compete for the title, true to the traditional tribal customs of sharing food and wealth, the person that raised the most money was the person to receive the crown. The money was used to give out money to different charities. Just as the festivities were winding down, a weather window broke and we headed off around the tip of Washington and down the coast for more adventures. It was a wonderful stay and a great way to say ‘goodbye’ to the Northwest. But not before making some hot soup to eat during the 4 day passage to Eureka.

First Things First

2008-09-16T03:37:00.000-07:00

Late July 2008
Gotta get all that green stuff off the bottom first. Here I am cleaning off the bottom. Actually Biagio finished most of it. It will give us an extra knot when we motor/sail. A 7mm wet suit helps insulate in the cold, cold water in Victoria, BC. Then it was off to Vancouver for 4 days with a visit from Matt and Annie, also cruising friends Terry and Lynn, then on to pick up Jess and Tracy on Orcas Island for a few days, and finally, one more stop in Victoria before heading out.

Where oh where...

2008-07-29T15:13:00.000-07:00

July 2008

I love small spaces and organization so I thought I was prepared to add my things to the boat and stay organized. Yes, it was a challenge to find places for everything. But I wasn't prepared for the challenge it is to find those same things again. Biagio has things that he hasn't found for seven years. Well, I'll just concentrate on being grateful for space to loose things in. Now where was that brush, and that dress, and that box of cereal, and...

The Initial Steps...

2008-07-15T21:49:00.000-07:00

A map to orient you if you are not familiar with the Pacific North West.

1st Leg - Right map - Seattle to Victoria

2nd Leg - Left map - Victoria Going out the Straight of Juan de Fuca and 'Turning Left'. Then first stop, down to visit my long time friend Ligia and marpa in Eureka, California.

Note: We will be going via the blue watery area.

Mixing Two Countries on One Boat

2008-07-09T08:11:00.000-07:00

June 2008
Gem is currently docked in Victoria which is just a 2 hour+ boat ride from Seattle on the Victoria Clipper. Now to get my things on the boat shouldn't be hard, right? Just drive them there by car. That sounds good but customs doesn't agree. Even though the boat will be leaving Canada and going to the US, it's not possible to put my things on the boat by going through customs unless we want to pay duty on everything. Biagio left Seattle with a car load of clothes, kitchen things, etc. and had to turn back because of this slight problem. They would have let him in if I had taken out a visa for Canada but because since I hadn't done that, he would have to turn back to the US. Problem was that the US customs wanted to know where he was going with all of those things and didn't want to let him back across the border. They reluctantly gave him 24 hrs. in the US and then he would have to cross the border again. Biagio truly felt like a man with no country.

Dave and Gay wonderfully let him store everything in their garage near Everett until we could come up with another plan. On to Plan B. Anacortes in a city/marina/jumping off point to the San Juan Islands. For me it is a 1 1/2 hr. drive north from Seattle. For Biagio on the boat, it was an almost direct west sail/motor due east. So in Anacortes we happily loaded 2 car loads of things including clothes, a 15 horse motor, fabric for curtains and upholstery, and 'stuff'. So all was worked out.

Now it is 2 weeks later, and the accumulation pile is growing again. Running lights for the salon, locks for the cabinets, soy sauce and green tea from the Asian store, my folding bicycle, the new chart table chair... So let's see, how are we going to get this all on the boat this time?

Preparing on Land for Sea

2008-07-08T00:55:00.001-07:00

April 2008
It is now mid April. Leaving in August for off shore and who knows where on SV (sailing vessel) Gem. Gem is a Hans Christian - Christina version sail boat that is 43' long. The boat originally sailed from Victoria 7 years ago and spent time anywhere from Victoria BC Canada to New Zealand and Australia. It has been back for 1 year, refitted with many new systems (many of which were not available 7 years ago..including blogs!), new crew (that would be me), and new spirits and dreams of adventure.

Down the coast of the U.S. to start, then continuing on down the coast of Mexico, turning the corner at the Baja Peninsula and on up into LaPaz, the Sea of Cortez and diving and exploring along the western shores.

From there, .... well we'll decide that later. But surely on the 'list' is the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador, and we'll make it up from there.

In the meantime, I'll have to get my banking in order, do some fixing on my house, figure out how to get my mail, many little details. But I'm sure they will also work themselves out along the way.

Victoria/Vancouver Group Top photo: Matthew, Adrian, Tia, Anne, Jesse and Biagio (Be Ah' Sjho) 3 Sons and 2 Never Boring Daughter-In-Laws

Seattle Group Lower: Biagio, Jill, Jesse's Long time partner Theresa, son Jesse and the mighty dog Teegan who will gladly stay land bound.