January - October, 2009 - 1224 water miles traveled

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)

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…

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)

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!