From Mazatlan to La Paz and into the Sea of Cortez

Monday, June 1. From Mazatlan to La Paz.
There are a lot of things on our list today to ready ourselves and the boat for leaving tomorrow. I am excited to be leaving and starting another chapter in our adventure.

We took a pulmania to the Gran Plaza to exchange one of the water filters we bought yesterday and to get more of the correct one. It cost us 150 pesos for the driver to take us there, wait, and bring us back. That wasn’t a bad price. It was a quick trip because the bus would have taken much longer. We exchanged the one filter and bought 15 of the correct type for our unit. We can clean them in salt water which is a good thing. The President was in town and we thought he was coming to El Cid, but that turned out to be false. As we were going to the Gran Plaza we saw his vehicle and a bunch of army guys in a truck behind them and police. Not the fan fare we give our President, but I guess it is safer this way. Low keyed. It was kind of exciting though.

When we returned to the boat we got lines and everything ready and went to the fuel dock. We filled the tank and the jerry cans. Now we are set to leave. Once back in the slip and all tied up and hooked to water and power, I made lunch and afterward Dave went out to deflate the dinghy while I washed clothes and towels and hung them to dry.

When we took the windshield cover off the dodger, we noticed we have more crystallization going on in the strato glass. We don’t know what is causing it and it is making it hard to see out. We thought it might have been salt, but we wash it and keep it clean of salt. It could just be the heat. The heat is brutal on everything down here. I figured that maybe by washing it and then treating it with Mermaid cleaner it might help. So I took my bowl of fresh water and washed off the windshield and dried it with a shammy. Then I applied the mermaid cleaner. Unfortunately it didn’t make a bit of difference. Don’t know what we are going to do about it. For now nothing, but something will have to be done before next summer. We could just take the windows out and have nothing there. Dave and I are tossing back and forth ideas. For now it will have to be put on hold.

We cleaned the engine water strainer and siphoned out the water that had collected in the air conditioner units. After that Dave went outside on the dock to roll up the dinghy. I came out later and noticed he was having trouble getting the tarp around it. We ended up rerolling the dinghy and opening the tarp all the way and wrapping the dinghy up in it. Then we secured it with bungee cords. Dave attached the lines around the dingy so as to hoist it up on the boat with the spinnaker halyard. We would wait until the sun set before we put it on the deck as we have to take down the bow awning. It was way past cocktail time and we were both hot sweaty and tired. So I went below and fixed us a gin and tonic and joined Dave on the dock. He was visiting with a neighbor and discussing where we were going and that kind of stuff. Then another neighbor came by to wish us well and talk a little bit. After that I went below to fix a chicken salad for dinner. After dinner Dave and I went to the bow and took the awning down and put it away. Then we hoisted the dinghy up on deck and secured it so it won’t go anywhere. Dave brought the spinnaker sail back to the cockpit under the dodger as it had been sitting under the cover on the bow. We put everything away and rolled out the jack line on the port side. We will do the starboard one tomorrow after we have left the dock and the lines are all stowed and the lifelines are secured so no one trips over it.

The last thing Dave needs to do is put the knot meter back in and I have dishes to wash and put away. Then it is shower time. It’s been a long hot muggy day but everything seems to be ready to go. Just last minute stuff tomorrow. Yippee!!!!

Tuesday, June 2. Departure.
We were up at 5:45am and started preparing for departure. Once the electricity and water was unhooked and stowed all we had left to do was make a last minute head run and turn in the gate keys.

The lines were undone and we were out of El Cid Marina at about 7:00am. The weather is partly cloudy, warm and a nice 10 knot breeze is blowing off the port bow. Seas are 1 to 2 feet and we have only seen 2 floats marking pots. The fishing boats are out but keeping their distance. It is 9:14am and if it wasn’t for the little breeze we would be hot. Last night I got a taste of what the summer in Mazatlan would be like. It was very warm with about 90 percent humidity and no wind. Very stuffy and the air felt thick. It gets worse when it rains. I’m glad I won’t be there for that!!

The wind speed has dropped to about 5 knots and the captain said we won’t see much over 8 knots the closer we get to the Baja side. No sailing. Darn!!! Oh well.

We are back to listening to the Amigo Net on the SSB radio. We have heard from 2 boats that left a few days before us so that is nice.

I prayed that we would be able to sail. You know? One should really be careful what they pray for. Do you sense a story coming? Yep!! You are right!!! Here it is.

We were 23 nautical miles from Mazatlan motoring along with a little bit of rolling seas and light wind so life was good. Everything was working well and Dave had just checked the engine compartment to make sure everything was doing fine. So far so good. We were so glad to be under way again and looking forward to less humidity. Dave and I were both in the cockpit keeping an eye out for pots and nets when nature called and I needed to go down below. So I figured while I was down there I would pump the heads too. So I went down and as soon as I stepped off the last step and headed for the head, I looked down and noticed quite a bit of water on the floor. I went uh-oh!!! My natural reaction is to look up because sometimes water collects in the hatch track and if there is enough it does get down below. I didn’t see any water above my head so I went and got a dish towel to mop up the water. It was strange that there was that much water. So then I started to look at the door that is on the side of the engine compartment and noticed the water seemed to be coming from there. Another uh-oh!!! I opened the door and water was squirting out onto my leg and foot. I immediately closed the door and hollered to Dave that we had a problem. The engine is directly under the stairs. He was down below in a heartbeat. I told him water was coming in and I moved out of his way while he accessed the situation. As I was on my way up to the cockpit, Dave told me to turn the engine off, which I did. Auto was still steering. Dave got quite excited about the situation and thought we were in big trouble. So I just told him to calm down and we will do what it is we need too. I saw that the wind was picking up and my first thought was to put the headsail up. Just as I was thinking that, Dave suggested we do that. I started to laugh because earlier I had prayed for wind to sail with. Well there you go. Be very careful what you wish and pray for. You might just get it and sometimes you get more than you bargained for. In this case the wind never got over 10 knots. I rolled the sail out all the way and secured the sheet lines. This was a first for me. Usually Dave pulls the sail out and in because it can be hard to do and with my back problems I am leary about doing it. I had no choice and with my adrenalin running I had no problems. Actually it was easier than I thought it would be. Then I relieved auto and guided the boat so we could fill the sail a little more but still trying to keep her on course. When that was done, I put auto back to work. Dave found the problem. It was a loose hose clamp and the water was salt water. Not a good thing to have on the engine or in the engine compartment. Dave hollered for me to get the large hand pump and bring it to him. I also got the small hand pump out too just in case. As it turned out he needed both. So he was down there in the heat tightening the hose clamp and siphoning water out of the engine compartment. Then when that was done he had to pour fresh water all over everything to get the salt off and then siphon that out. It took him about an hour and a half to do all of this. He pumped the water into the shower stall which is right across from the engine compartment so it would go out through the sump pump. When he was finished with that he asked me to turn the engine on so he could check for leaks. I did and no leaks were found so he was going to push the envelope and go to higher rpms to test it while not in gear. So after all that everything looked good and he seemed satisfied with the fix. I rolled up the headsail (another first) and secured everything before putting her in gear and started back on our merry way again. Dave came up for some fresh air and to dry out. It was pretty warm down there and of course the engine heat didn’t help so he was all sweaty. We didn’t need that excitement in the middle of the sea with no one around. We lived through it and now we are praying nothing else happens. After Dave cooled off enough he went back down to take another look at the hoses just to make sure we weren’t leaking again. Everything looked good. Then he asked me to turn the engine off because he wanted to move the hose clamp further up the hose toward the engine. So I turned the engine off and when he was done I started her up again and headed back on our course. When Dave returned to the cockpit I went down to help clean up and wash the floor in front of the head and also the shower stall. Then I rinsed out the towels to get the salt out and filled our water bottles. I grabbed the towels, the water, and clothes pins and went up to the cockpit to get some air. I wasn’t feeling too well. I sat with the wind on my face and after a little while I began to feel better. I seem to get a little queasy the first day out if the seas are a little rolly. Through all this I never did use the head!!! I hung the towels on the lifeline and then told Dave I was going down below to do what I had originally started to do before all hell broke loose. The heads were pumped and I got relief!! The wind had picked up to about 15-17 knots so Dave rolled out the headsail.
We had wind up to 20knots after that. God heard my prayer and answered it!!!! When it got to 20 knots we had to reduce the amount of sail we had out and roll it in to the first reef point. After that we picked up speed and continued like that for a long time. Everything started at 9:30am and by 11-11:30am we were motor sailing. We saw 2 sea turtles swim by and some flying fish but nothing else. The rest of the day was uneventful which we were very happy for. It is now 3:40pm and we have traveled 56 nautical miles. We have about 40 more miles to go before we reach the Baja side. We ended up rolling in the headsail as the wind is on our nose. We made pretty good time despite our little mishap.

There are clouds on the horizon. I’m pretty sure it will be cooler tonight. La Paz has been in the 90’s but cooling into the 60’s at night. I’m hoping we will have a moon tonight but with this cloud cover I don’t know. One good thing about crossing over to the Baja side is there are no long liners, pots or nets to worry about. There is a La Paz to Mazatlan ferry that crosses but with the course we are steering it won’t be coming near us. The white caps are almost non-existent so I’m hoping we will have a smooth ride tonight. The waves have lain down nicely so I think we will have an uneventful night. We haven’t seen any boats for hours which surprised me. I think we will be out here all by ourselves tonight with a moonlit and starry sky. The wind has blown the clouds away.

I have prepared for a cool evening. First time in a long time we have had to bring out the little heavier clothes. Sweats and jackets.

There was a spectacular sunset. I have never witnessed one like this before. I love it!!!






Wednesday, June 3. Underway.
Another day has dawned and we are still afloat and alive!!! It was an uneventful night, but we didn’t sleep all that well. At one point before the sun set, we were hearing a rattle and we couldn’t figure out where it was coming from. You know how when you hear something and you can’t find the cause how that drives you crazy and you start thinking all kinds of things, especially on a boat? Well that is what happened with Dave and me. I checked in cabinets to see if there might be something that was moving around, but couldn’t find evidence of that. So we just had to deal with it. When I laid down to rest I could hear that noise and was wondering if it was something with the engine. I laid there thinking of all the things it could be, but I had checked everything. So I had to just forget about it. It was really strange though. Temperature on the engine was good and so was oil pressure so everything was running well. I did manage to sleep a little but whenever we make an overnight crossing we never sleep soundly. Dave and I took turns trying to sleep. One thing we did notice was no birds were trying to hitch a ride on our mast. That was amazing. Usually when we have the steaming light on it seems to attract big birds and they want to land so we have to turn the light out. We had the light out to begin with and then I turned it on when I spied a ship coming at me that was only about 3 miles away. So I turned it on hoping the other boat would see us. After that I left it on.

The wind picked up about 12:00am and clouds were forming and I was afraid we were going to get wet but the wind blew them away. Behind us on the mainland side there had been thunder clouds building all day and we got a lightning show that was awesome. Dave was concerned it might move toward us but the wind wasn’t blowing from that direction so we were safe. Dave kept a watchful eye on the engine as I did whenever we went below and so far things are all good. At one point he did pump out more water because he could see better with the red light. The hose that came loose was at the end of the engine cycle because there was no indication that the engine was overheating.

About 3:15am the moon set and the sky put on a spectacular planetarium show with the most visible milkyway I have ever seen. That is what is so beautiful about night crossings. The sky is just awesome!! The wind finally died and the ride got nicer as the rollers lessened. We have traveled 163 nm so far and have 4 more hours before we reach our anchorage at Los Muertos. We decided we weren’t going to make it to La Paz today because we got slowed down by our hose problem and we wouldn’t get there until about 11:00pm tonight and that would be too long of a trip. So we are anchoring tonight and going to La Paz in the morning. The night crossings take a lot out of you because you just don’t sleep well. Well Dave and I don’t. We sleep in the cockpit because it is just too hot down below. We just deal with it. With us being able to anchor it will give us a chance to take the cover off the engine compartment and really inspect the engine and everything and get more of the water out. After clean up we will catch up on some sleep.

You could tell when we reached the Baja side as there was no humidity and the cockpit cushions had dried and the windshield had defogged. It was so wonderful!!!

We can see land now and we are almost to our anchorage. It’s a beautiful warm sunny morning with no clouds and a light breeze. Dave just checked the engine and all is well. Life is good!!!

We finally arrived at Los Muertos and dropped the hook. It is about 11:00 or 11:30am.
LOG: 6376.5
TRIP: 189.5

The water is so green and clear with the white sandy shore behind us.

Once the anchor was set and secured we went down below and cleaned up the left over water from the engine compartment and vicinity. Then we put everything back together and put the tools away. Now it is beer time!! It is hot so we are sweating from that but at least it isn’t humid. There is a nice breeze to help cool it down a little. Dave and I took naps this afternoon and now we are enjoying the scenery. Tomorrow we will leave early in the morning and head for La Paz. I sure hope it isn’t going to be the lumpy bumpy ride we have experienced the last two times we were on Cerralvo channel.

There was a beautiful sunset tonight but nothing compared to last night.



It felt good when the sun set as it cooled down nicely. I am really hoping we will have a peaceful and restful night tonight. We heard that the coromuel winds start about this time of year and usually come in about 10:00pm and last until first light. The winds can get a little strong. It is normal through the southern areas of the Sea of Cortez during the summer months. The winds are supposed to come from the SW tonight so we are hoping it doesn’t blow so we can sleep.

Thursday, June 4.
It was a quiet and peaceful night and Dave and I got some much needed sleep. Dave slept out in the cockpit. I asked why he was doing that and he said he was conducting an experiment. He wanted to know what it was like. Not me man!!! I wanted my comfortable bed. He did say that all kinds of action were happening in the water. So I went back to bed and fell back to sleep without much of a problem. It was nice and cool down below. It was such a nice change from the warm humid nights in Mazatlan. When we woke up about 5:30am everything was dry as a bone. NICE!!! We have been use to having a damp deck and cockpit every morning but not this morning. We were blessed with only a breeze of wind last night. No coromuel. It was still dark so I fixed coffee and got things ready for the 58 nautical mile trip to La Paz. A little after 6:00am we prepared to pull the anchor. The sun was just beginning to rise. We were unhooked and on our way by 6:34am. The sunrise was beautiful, coming up through a hazy sky. There was a thin layer of clouds on the horizon.

That was so nice. I’m hoping today will be an uneventful trip. Seas are calm, very little wind and high clouds which made it seem a little hazy. It is warming up and I am glad the sun is shining through the clouds otherwise it would really be hot. The rays are jumping out of the water and the seals are hunting for breakfast. Everything is coming alive. A big ray just jumped about 3 feet from the boat. Wow they are huge!!! So far the current is with us and pushing us along at the speed of 7.4 knots. That will change when we get further up the channel and the current is on our nose. I will enjoy it while it lasts. All systems are working as they should be. So far it is a pleasant ride. Dave is trying to get the Amigo net to find out what the weather is and to check in. It is hit and miss due to the mountain range here. While everything is going well and we are riding smoothly I am learning Spanish. I am trying to learn the alphabet and numbers. I almost have the numbers memorized. It’s real close. We just got the weather report and there won’t be any wind to speak of for the next 6 days. It’s pretty benign on the Pacific side and that is what drives the coromuel. I just saw a fin come out of the water!!!! It looked like a shark fin!! Then I noticed another fin behind the first one and had doubts about it being a shark. When Dave came up from down below, I explained to him what I saw and he said it was probably a whale shark. They are surface feeders. Wow!!! How cool!!! I am excited because I am starting to see more marine life. The only thing that would make this day great would be able to sail. I know----be careful what I say!! Well you can’t have everything and that is o.k. This is my paradise right now!!!

As we get to the end of the channel, our speed is diminishing. It dropped from 7.4 to 6.8 then 6.4. We are running into a current change. It is 11:39am and we have made excellent time. Once we turn the corner we will be on the homeward stretch. Right now the wind is on our nose so we will have to see what happens when we get a little further up the channel. We are in San Lorenzo channel right now and when we turn we will be in Bahia La Paz. We are coming to the red and green buoys that mark the channel to make our turn. We have slowed way down and only going 5.0 knots. Oh boy!! This trip up the channel has been the best one we have had. It was ugly the last time we came to La Paz and when we traveled back to Los Muertos. This was a very pleasant trip. We made our turn and the wind is dying so no chance to sail. Matter of fact the wind died completely and the water is like glass. I was able to get a picture of a seal lounging in the water.

We got through the current change and are now gaining some speed back. We have a slip assignment already so when we get to Marina Palmira we can go straight to our slip. It is 2:15pm and if it wasn’t for the overcast skies it would be a scorcher. So I’m glad for that. We saw some men in a panga fishing which is always an interesting sight.


We are almost to the marina so Dave called the office to double check on our slip and let them know we were arriving. We found out they changed our slip. It is a good thing we called. We don’t care. We are here and that is what matters and we did it within 8 hours. After we got tied up to the dock we checked in. We asked if Lucy the goose was still here and they said yes. I’m hoping to get a picture of her this time. When we returned to the boat we hooked up to electricity and water and now we are set for the night.
LOG: 6432.7
TRIP: 56.21

We have been invited to go to dinner with 2 other cruising couples to the restaurant by the harbor master office. We have returned from the shower and are ready to relax. Tomorrow will be a cleaning of the boat day. We were in the marina store earlier and bought a boat brush to replace the one that was stolen in Mazatlan. After dinner I have to defrost the freezer and I will wait and defrost the refrigerator tomorrow.

We had a nice dinner and a fun time visiting with the other cruisers. They are on the same dock as we are. One of the couples is leaving tomorrow in their motor home to return to their California home for the summer. Then they will be back down here in the fall. They do this every year I guess.

When we returned to the boat for the night, I defrosted the freezer and then relaxed. I looked at email and played a couple tile games and then went to bed. There was a breeze and it had cooled down the cabin nicely.

Friday, June 5. La Paz
Dave and I had a really good sleep. The inside of the boat stayed cool and the humidity in the boat has dropped which means the boat is drying out. This is very good.

It was a beautiful warm day today. There was a breeze pretty much all day and then around 6:00pm or so it stopped and got a little bit warmer. Now the breeze has picked up which I think is the start of the coromuel. We will see. It is nice to have the breeze though.

What did we do for our first day in La Paz? We washed the boat. Dave was the washer and I was the shammy mop dry/rinse. The boat was so filthy and now it is sparkling clean. After the deck was done, we rinsed the hull on the starboard side and shammy dried that. It really looks good. The water here doesn’t seem to have as many minerals and chlorine as there was in Mazatlan and places south.

Then Dave started to put up the bow awning to keep the sun off the deck. He hooked up the starboard side and I did the port side. When that was done we put the side panel down alongside the port hull covering the area of the refrigerator and freezer. Then I went below to defrost the refrigerator and then wash dishes, fix lunch, and clean the refrigerator. Something smelled bad in there and I couldn’t stand it anymore. What I found was some old molded pepper jack cheese. So out it went. Much better now. Then I took some boric acid and took it outside with a ¼ teaspoon to scoop with and sprinkled a little around each cleat that had lines tied to them and on the water hose and the electrical cord lying on the dock attached to the boat. Cockroaches are in this marina and I don’t want them on board. If the cockroaches get the boric acid on their feet they will die. That is the plan.

I spent the afternoon typing the journal from our trip so it will go into the blog. Then we ate dinner and after that I washed dishes and then took clothes up to wash and dry. I took a shower first so I could wash the clothes I wore all day. Things were going really well. I took my shower then put the clothes in the washers and sat and read my book. When the clothes were washed I took the first load and walked over to a machine and put the clothes in, closed the door and put the money in and it started. At that point I realized I just put them in another washing machine and now I can’t stop the machine. So I am washing this load without soap. Am I tired or just spacey. Don’t answer that!!! Anyway, it was too late for that load but not for the second one and I loaded the dryer with them and turned it on. I thought I might be able to use some of the dryer time for the second load but that didn’t happen. I needed the whole dryer time for this load. So I just sat down and read my book. Dave came to visit and I told him I messed up. Then he pointed out that it said washer on the front of the machine. I smacked him in the arm and we both laughed. What are you going to do!!! When the clothes in the dryer were dry I folded them and wrapped them in a couple of towels and tied them together. When the washing machine was finished I put those clothes in the clothes basket and put my shower bag on top of them and then the dry clothes on top of that. I failed to mention that I was out of quarters so I couldn’t dry the wet load. When everything got loaded I went back to the boat. I left the wet clothes outside to let the air get to them and maybe dry them a little. I was done for the night!!! I poured Dave and me a glass of wine and started typing this.

Tomorrow we are going to take the 9:00am shuttle down to the Club Cuceros at Marina de La Paz to have coffee and talk with Susan who was the one we met at the Thanksgiving feast last November. Then after that we are going to go to the marine store, Sam’s Club and WalMart for provisions. It will be a busy day. Now I’m going to relax and drink my wine.

Saturday, June 6.
It is a beautiful sunny day and we are off to catch the shuttle to just before La Paz Marina. The shuttle doesn’t go all the way to Marina La Paz. We got off and walked the rest of the way which isn’t very far. We went to Club Cuceros and I found a couple of Janet Evanovich books so I put them in my backpack. We stood around talking to the people there for a little bit then asked about park passes and where to get them and also about membership to the club. It is only $20.00 per year and you can get a lot of good information from their web site. So Dave took an application with us to fill out and then bring back. As we were leaving we stopped at the marina office to get a park pass and they didn’t have any. They said they haven’t been able to get them since February. So we asked what happens if they stop us and we don’t have a pass. The gal said we just explain to them we tried to get one and they were all out. Well I hate to say this, but sometimes there could be a little bit of a problem for a gringo and there is that possibility we would be fined. On the other hand if the ranger or whomever has the passes we could buy them from him. We asked if there was another place we might be able to get them and she told us. So we will go there on Monday and see what happens. Oh yeah. The gal at the marina said we could prepay and when they came in in a couple of months we could pick them up then. We told her we weren’t going to be here in a couple of months. We left the marina office and walked to Lopez Marine store. We got a couple of items and priced batteries. Then we went up the street two buildings to where there was a place that sold batteries and solar panels and solar lights. We priced their batteries and wow!!! I don’t think we will be buying any from them. When we left there we walked down the street to catch the bus to take us to WalMart. We thought the guy told us we could catch it at the Pemex gas station, but when we asked the clerk there, she said we had to walk down the street a little ways and the bus will go by there. So we bought some Gatorade and walked to the bus stop. We saw a man watering plants and asked him if this was the place to catch the bus to WalMart and he said yes. So we waited and waited and pretty soon a bus came. It was hard to read their sign until the bus was at the corner and stopped. Another man was getting on the bus and the guy who was watering told us to wait a minute and he asked if the bus was going to WalMart. The driver said no and told the guy we needed to catch the bus up the street 2 blocks. So we thanked him for his help and walked up the two blocks. It was getting pretty warm now. It sure didn’t look like there was much traffic that came down the street and we were wondering if this was the correct spot when we saw a blue and yellow bus coming and it said WalMart on it. Wahoo!!! We got on and the bus was eight pesos each. This bus resembled the small school buses we have in the states. When we arrived at WalMart we got off and went in there first to look around and price items and see what or if there was anything we wanted. We did find wine in the tetra cartons there on special 3 for 90 pesos. That is a really good deal. We didn’t buy anything there but another day we would be back. We went next door to Sam’s Club and got bulk items. We could only spend $400 dollars so I had to concentrate on just getting the stuff we really needed. I have yet to get fresh vegetables and fruits. I will do that on Wednesday, the day before we leave. We managed to get out of Sam’s Club under $400. That was great!! We walked out front and hailed a cab to take us back to the marina. When we arrived back at the marina we filled two dock carts with our stuff and carted them to the boat. We off loaded everything onto the boat and took the perishable items below and put them in the refrigerator. Then I made Dave and me a sandwich. It was already 2:30pm. It was now my job to find places for everything. This time it was easier as I had already an idea of where I wanted things to go. I broke down a lot of the bulk items and vacuum packed them. I think we did pretty darn good. Not being in the Sea before, I haven’t a clue of what items I can get up there, so it will be interesting. Next year I will have an easier time provisioning because I will know what we can get there.

The humidity on the boat is down to 40%. That is great. Not much moisture in the freezer or refrigerator. I’m really liking that so I don’t have to defrost them so often.

One thing I have noticed since we have been here and it seems really strange is that my arthritis with the humidity in Mazatlan didn’t bother me much, but now that I am in a dryer climate, my fingers are stiff and swollen even with drinking lots of water and Gatorade. Hmmmm!!! Very interesting. I hope it doesn’t stay that way as I have a baby afghan to make before we come home at the end of October/November to see our new born grandchild. Dave has a condition in his left leg where there are varicose veins and his leg swells. He is supposed to put his leg up 2 times a day. He tries to do at least once a day, but there are times when it just isn’t going to happen. His leg would swell up pretty good in the heat and humidity. The morning after we arrived, I noticed Dave’s leg was smaller and so I said something to him and he said he knew the swell was going down because it always hurts when that happens. So his swelling goes down in his leg and the swelling in my fingers go up. Something just isn’t right!!! Oh well.

I was really pooped when I finished putting all the groceries away but happy with myself that I was able to find safe places for everything. It was time to take a walk and try to find Lucy the goose. Dave was out walking the dock looking at the fish. We met up and I told him where I was going. Soon after I said I was hoping to find Lucy, she starts to squawk. She was somewhere on the next dock. I walk down there and here she is in a panga looking over the edge of the boat and squawking up a storm.


She wanted me to feed her. I had nothing to give her and I don’t believe in feeding the wildlife anyway. She never moved out of the boat but at least this time I got some pictures. I walked back to where Dave was and we walked along the walk toward the marina store and the bathrooms. Dave went into the store to buy a couple of bottles of gin and I went further on my walkabout. When I reached the end of the marina I walked back and went to the restroom and as I was walking to go back to the boat I met Dave coming out of the marina store with the gin. We walked to the boat together and then we ended up talking to our neighbors for a while then went back to the boat. The sunset absolutely georgeous. Brillant red.


It was about 8:00pm and we hadn’t eaten dinner yet. We had lunch late, but I figured we better eat something so we had left over salad from the other night. I was so tired I didn’t feel like doing the dishes so I didn’t. I walked up and took a shower and when I returned to the boat I poured Dave and me a glass of wine and relaxed. There wasn’t much of a breeze tonight and I am feeling a wee bit warm. It’s warmer outside so I am staying down below where the fans are running. We had the air conditioner on earlier to lower the temperature in the freezer and also Dave had replaced a mesh strainer in the intake unit for the water maker and he wanted to make sure everything was going to work. It did and it felt good. There was a little breeze that came up outside so Dave turned the air conditioner off and the fans back on. We didn’t run it again and when I went to bed I was warm and had a hard time getting to sleep. I finally laid with my head at the foot of the bed so I could feel the cool air from the fan blowing on me. When Dave came to bed I switched back. No breeze tonight.

Sunday, June 7.
We don’t have much planned for today. I do know I have dishes to wash before I do anything and should probably rinse the bimini and dodger, solar panels, and then the inside of the cockpit. Well that plan got fufued as there was a man putting meters on the water spickets, getting the marina ready for metered water. It won’t happen while we are here but if we come back we will be charged for electricity and water just like in La Cruz. It seems as though the marinas down here are doing that now. If I washed everything I wanted too the man would get wet. But wait---Dave just said he hoped I didn’t need any water because it was off. Well there you have it. I’m not doing that plan today. Besides it is getting pretty warm and I would rather do it earlier in the morning. So now that I won’t be doing that what CAN I do? I know—I need to vacuum and mop the floor. That’s IT!!!! I will do that. An hour and a half later I was done and I made lunch. After lunch Dave and I walked to the end of the marina to where the breakwater is and looked out on the crystal clear green water. What a beautiful spot!! There were a couple of boys fishing off the rocks having a good time. We were going to walk to a market but it has gotten pretty warm and we said it would be better when it is cooler. It is about a mile away. So we slowly went back to the boat and I started updating the journal for the blog. This time I am proofing it and putting in the pictures I have and putting them in the blog but it won’t get published until the whole month is finished. But at least I will have a head start.

Tonight we are having dorado for dinner and maybe walking to the mart that is a mile away. Then we will relax for the rest of the night.

Monday, June 8.
Happy Birthday to my eldest sister Colleen. She isn’t counting them any more so I’m counting them for her. Aren’t I a nice sister?

Today was a really busy day. We got a lot of exercise as we walked several blocks to get to the building that sells park passes. Once we got there they did all the paper work and printed it out for us. Then they told us we had to go to the bank and pay and get a receipt and then bring the receipt back to them. The bank was several blocks away in the center of the city. Once we got to the bank we had to wait and wait and wait. We found out that people have to go to a bank to pay their bills. Wow!!! That doesn’t sound like fun. It is never a simple little procedure when you have to do something here. We thought we could just go get our passes and then come back to the marina. HA!!! That is not the Mexican way. Hey---it could be worse. So after we left the bank we went across the street and caught a taxi back to the ecology building and the driver waited for us and then took us to the marina. So we definitely got our walking exercise. I brought water with us which were a good thing as it was hot. It is always an adventure here in Mexico. We got back to the marina and Dave paid the taxi driver and we walked back to the boat. I immediately started preparing to rinse the dodger, bimini, screens and cockpit. So that is what I did for about 3 hours or so. I washed the cushions and everything. It looks so much better and all the dirt and grime and sweat is off everything. I am a happy camper. What?!!!!! I like things clean. I know it is going to get dirty again and salty, but I always like to start a trip clean. It’s like when you go on vacation. Ladies I know you will be able to relate to this, you want the house to be spic and span so you won’t have to come home and clean and all that. It’s like that on the boat it is just I’m not leaving the boat. Well anyway the job is done!!!

Dave was trying to get through to Yahoo this morning about his password. A couple of days ago his password was compromised and he was locked out of his account. He did everything they told him to do and still can’t get in. He was on the phone with them this morning a couple of times trying to work things out. Still nothing. He thinks he will have to reset everything and have to start all over again. That really sucks because we only have a couple more days left. Well he was not a happy camper and he has been trying all afternoon to get it to work. Well if nothing happens tonight, then he will have to start all over again. Very frustrating. He said it happened to him about 4 years ago and he had to start all over again. So what he did was send me the emails he wants to save and then when he has his new account set up, I will send them back to him. What a hassle.

I have been emailing and working on the blog all afternoon. Well after I finished the other job that is. I want to make sure people know how to get a hold of us if they want to because we will have hit and miss internet service.

I am so excited to be leaving a marina. I love exploring and being on the hook and taking the dinghy to shore and all that stuff. It will be a lot of fun. Then I will be trying out my new snorkel gear and lycra suit. Have to wear one up in the Sea as there is what they call pearl jelly fish. Without protection you can have welts left on you that could last months. No thanks.

Not much is going on. We will be having dinner soon. We have been waiting until about 8:00pm to eat because it is so warm. We will have steak tonight. We have to make room in the freezer for fish. Ummmmm!!! We had some dorado last night and it was absolutely fantastic!!

Tomorrow I am going to town to try and find the size crochet hook I need to make the baby afghan. I sure hope I find it. It is hard trying to make the stitches work with a smaller hook. So now that my work is done I can play a little tomorrow.

Tuesday, June 9.
I took the 9:00am shuttle to Aramburo’s, which is a small grocery Tienda. I wanted to see what they had. I was amazed at how much they did have. They had a meat market and cheese, lots of fruits and vegetables and more. They had the almond tequila we have been searching for and the rum we like. I asked if they took credit cards and they said yes. So I am going to try and find the crochet hook I need and then come back. So off I went to find a store called La Super. I knew what street it was on so I got on that street and walked up it but couldn’t find it. Finally I walked further than I should so I turned around and came back and found it. I showed them the hook I brought with me and asked if they had a 10mm or P size. Low and behold they had it. I was so excited. It was only 28 pesos. Cool. I left there and started to walk back to the grocery store. I called Dave on the hand held VHF radio and told him what I found at the grocery store and he said to pick up a couple of the rum and one of the almondrado. So that is what I did and I also got some hamburger buns so we can have hamburgers tonight for dinner. Then with my backpack loaded down and bread in hand I walked back to the marina. It was about a mile or so back. So I got my exercise today.

I got back to the boat and cooled down then printed out the May journal to put in my book. Now I’m working on updating the blog and then I will clean the heads. Tomorrow is the big grocery day of fruits and vegetables and snack foods at CCC.

While I was gone Dave has been trying to make Yahoo understand that he can’t get into his account. He wrote a detailed message and emailed it to them and now he is waiting to see what happens. Usually they just come back saying the account has been compromised and change your password. That doesn’t help him because he has already done that. He thinks he will have to start another account. What a bummer and hassle.

When we leave here we are going to Ensenada Grande on Isla Partida for our first anchor stop. If you want to take a look at it, go to google earth and look it up. It is only about 20 miles from La Paz.

After lunch I cleaned the heads and the sump pump, picked up and put things away, checked the water level in the air conditioning unit under the settee and it was dry so I didn’t have to siphon water out of it. That was a nice break.

Dave ended up canceling his current Yahoo account and set up another one. After he did that he spent the rest of the afternoon transferring files.

I took out all the stitches I did with my K size crochet hook and started over with the new one I bought today. It sure does make a difference. It looks a lot better too.

We are going to have hamburgers for dinner so I started preparing them. I was going to add some bread crumbs and eggs to the meat so it would hold together better. I got out the paper container of bread crumbs and opened it up and a bunch of small reddish color bugs started jumping out all over the counter. I put the lid back on the container and picked up the bugs quickly so they wouldn’t get into anything and then I took the container outside and threw it in the garbage. Eeewwww!!! That was a real surprise. I have never had bugs in any of my food before. Luckily I had some Mexican toast bread so I crushed that up and walla I had my bread crumbs.

After dinner I washed the dishes and am now defrosting the freezer. It has been 5 days between defrosting. That is a miracle!!!! Tomorrow I will check the refrigerator to see if I need to defrost that. It will be a busy day tomorrow. The diver is supposed to come in the morning to clean the bottom of the boat. Then we will go grocery shopping.

After the freezer gets defrosted and the food put back in, I am off to the shower then I will relax for the night. A breeze has come up which is really refreshing. I hope it stays around to cool things down. There was no breeze today and it was hot.

Wednesday, June 10.
The diver is here checking the bottom of the boat and cleaning it. When he is finished we are off to the grocery store. The diver said the bottom looked really good. No barnacles this time. We got them in Mazatlan but don’t get them here. Hmmm.

We took a taxi to the grocery store and the driver asked if we wanted him to come back and we said sure, in an hour and a half. I got fruits, vegetables, chips, beans, some pillow cases, and a bunch of other stuff. The pillow cases are for the diesel and gas cans we have on the boat to keep the ultra violet rays off the plastic. Over time it eats the plastic through and then you have a mess.

After we paid for the groceries, we went outside and the taxi driver was there waiting. That was really cool. So we loaded up the trunk and then he drove us to a bank so Dave could change the large pesos he got from the ATM machine into smaller bills. Up in the Sea the little towns don’t have large banks and they won’t have change for large bills. So now at least that is done. Then the taxi driver took us back to the marina. We put the groceries into a dock cart and Dave paid the driver and off we went to the boat. We loaded everything on the boat and I proceeded to put things away and vacuum pack a few items, especially ones in cardboard boxes. Then I fixed us lunch.

I needed to wash the dishes and defrost the refrigerator before I went up to do laundry, so that is what I did. I stripped the bed and gathered what I wanted to wash. Then I walked up to the laundry room to do a couple of loads and I walk into clothes everywhere. A Mexican gal that is hired to do laundry for the boats had all machines, washers and dryers going. I noticed a couple of the machines didn’t have much time left on them so I thought I would wait a few minutes and see if I could use them. She never said anything to me, but she was putting clothes on top of the washers to be washed and it told me she wasn’t going to give up any of the machines. I asked if she had more to do and she said yes. So I walked back down to the boat and figured I would do laundry tonight after dinner. Hopefully she still won’t be there.

I was going to wash the new pillow cases I bought and then cover the diesel and gas cans with them. Well since I won’t be washing until late tonight, I figured I would just go ahead and try to fit them to the cans now. Well only two of the pillow cases I bought were big enough to go over two of the diesel cans. So I put the pillow case over one of them all the way down the can, then I cut holes for the handles and for the straps to go through. Then I did the same for the smaller gas can for the dinghy. I had 3 more to cover and unfortunately the other pillow cases wouldn’t go down over them. So I got my sewing machine out and started cutting and fitting the pillow cases to the cans. With the left over material from the first cans I covered, I used that to widen the other pillow cases. Anyway about 2 hours later I had finished making the covers for all but one of the large gas can. I will do that another day. By now it was 7:00pm and we needed to eat dinner. So I cleaned up my mess and put everything away and then heated up the left over hamburgers from last night and wahlah!!! Dinner!! I washed the dishes and put them away and gathered my shower stuff and headed up to the laundry room. Dave was right behind me as he was going to take a shower too and then put his dirty clothes in the basket so I could wash them. When I got to the laundry room the gal was still there and she motioned that she had machines for me. I told her I only need 2 so that worked out great. I went and took my shower and then came back and loaded up the washers. 34 minutes later they were in the dryer. I brought my book with me so I could read since I really haven’t had much of a chance to do that lately. When the clothes were dry I folded them, packed them up and away I went back to the boat. By now it was about 10:45pm. I’m ready to quit. The only problem is I have to make the bed. Well all I have to do is put the pillow cases on the pillows and a sheet on and that is it. Too hot for anything else. I will put the rest of the clothes away tomorrow.

While I was washing clothes, Dave came back to the boat from his shower and took the bow cover off and folded it. We were going to do that in the morning, but we have to fill the forward water tank (that is the only one that doesn’t get filled with water maker water and once it runs dry that is it until we get somewhere we can fill it again. Then we need to fill two of the sun showers we have. That will be good for taking showers on deck. Then all we will need to do after that is take the windshield cover off and stow the stuff in the cockpit. Then we are off to the fuel dock and then out of La Paz. It will be a hectic morning but I am soooo looking forward to getting out of here. So that was my day in a nut shell. I’m pooped. I think I will play a game and then it is bed time. Have to wind down. Until next time----be safe, happy, and stay healthy.

Thursday, June 11. From La Paz to Isla Partida, Anchorage Ensenada Grande.
We got up this morning and started preparing to leave. Dave took the windshield cover off, I filled the forward water tank and we both put the hose and electrical cord away. We stowed what was in the cockpit and finally secured the jerry cans on the stern and we were ready to go. We unhooked the lines and went to the fuel dock. Once tied up there we filled the tank and the gas jerry can. Dave went up to the office to check out and when he returned we were off. It is now about 10:15am. We are only 15 minutes over our original schedule to leave La Paz. Not bad! The skies are blue with just a few wispy clouds and there is a breeze but it is directly on our nose. We are headed for Ensenada Grande on Isla Partida, about 28 nautical miles from La Paz.

When we did our shopping we picked up some medicine Sandy and John told us about to ward off amebas. It is called Vermox, 500 miligrams. You take it every six months to keep your intestines clear of those buggers. You can also take this to get rid of any amebas that your body picked up. You still have to be careful and wash your vegetables in chlorine water, but the medicine is the key to preventing that nasty intestinal stuff which could get serious if left untreated. We took our pill after dinner at the same time and we should be good for 3 months. You can get Vermox over the counter in most places, but if you don’t see it on the shelf you have to ask for it. There is a Vermox Plus also, and we found out later that was what we were suppose to buy because that lasts 6 months. That is o.k. We are good for 3 months and we can get that anywhere. If you are traveling into Mexico and South, it is a good idea to have it. Even the Mexican people take it. I don’t know if you can get it in the States, but it is available here.

Last night we discovered that it gets really hot in the companionway where the stairs are, but the rest of the boat is fairly cool. What we found was that the windshield gets hot and there isn’t enough of a breeze to move the hot air out so it just hangs there. So Dave unzipped the middle section of the windshield and secured it with bungee cords and took the windshield cover off and now there is a nice breeze coming through. We are going to leave it open as we travel to get more airflow down below. Any kind of breeze is welcome in this heat.

We keep hearing a clunk under the aft end of the stern and it is driving us crazy trying to figure out what is causing it. We don’t know where it is coming from and have checked down below in the closets and anywhere there might be something loose banging around. I couldn’t find anything but you can bet we will still be searching for the answer. I have a theory but Dave doesn’t agree. I’m going to stick to it until I am proven wrong. Here is my theory. I have noticed when I am sitting on the seat on the stern that once in a while there is a big blow of water that comes out of the exhaust. It exerts quite a bit of pressure. Well I think that it might be air pockets in the water caused by wave action and since the boat is setting lower in the water, when the wave meets the burst of water out of the exhaust it kind of explodes and makes a blurp sound. So we shall see. Until he can prove to me it is something else, I am sticking to my theory!

Remember I wrote about my hands/fingers swelling after we arrived in La Paz? Well I must have been dehydrated because even though they still get puffy, they are much better. Whew!! Dave’s leg is looking so much better.

We are seeing pelicans right and left of us sitting on the water. They must be waiting for lunch. As we head further north they get less.

The land contrasts on the hills are beautiful. I hope I was able to catch some of it for you in these photos.


We have been trying to follow where we are to what it says we should be in the Sea of Cortez book and comparing it to what Charlie’s Charts books says. Without a decent chart, it is hard to see where you are. Even the charts online are not correct. We are trying to find the islands shown in the book, but it is hard to make them out until you get a little closer. They blend so well with the large island. We managed to find Isla Ballena. Now we have a reference point to go from. Our GPS reading is about 2 tenths of a mile off from what the book has. Dave thinks it may be that we are going faster than the GPS can keep up. We are coming to the end of Isla Espiritu Santos and we think we see Isla Partida ahead.


Dave said that with what he is reading and what our GPS says and what we are looking at just is not making sense. We can see Isla San Francisco in the distance to the north. We keep trying to figure out where the bay is for us to turn and go into but aren’t having any luck. We keep trekking along. Now with our observations of the points and GPS reading, we think we are going too far and will be at the end of Isla Partida soon. So we made a decision to turn and go where we think is our anchorage spot. If not we will back track. Well we guessed right because there is a landmark of a cross, called the Fisherman’s Cross on the hill where we need to anchor. We double checked our location with s/v 2 Pieces of Eight, and they said we were in the right spot. They had anchored here a couple days ago. So now we can relax a little. It is 2:28pm and we made great time. The cross is on our starboard side and there is a sailboat anchored close to a little sandy beach. On the port side we see a large white sandy beach with a camp set up covering all of the beach width. We figure it is a kayaker’s camp. There is a small transport boat at anchor off the shore. The water is a beautiful turquoise color and we can see bottom.
LOG: 6459.0 TRIP: 26.3
LOCATION: 24̊ 33:504 N and 110̊ 23: 959 W
ENG HRS: 12171

The guy off the sailboat anchored on our starboard side took his dinghy ashore and off loaded a big umbrella and an ice chest and set up his cozy area. The guy went into the water for a swim and the breeze would catch the umbrella and blowing it over. He’d come back and set it up again, trying to reinforce it and go back into the water. Well the umbrella was not going to stay up so the guy took it down. Then he sat down in a chair and dried off drinking his beverage and enjoying the solitude. Later he packed up his stuff and went back to his boat. I noticed there was a chair still on the beach and wondered if he just left it there so he wouldn’t have to cart it back to the boat. As it turns out, someone else left that lounge chair and so there it sits for others to use. That was kind of neat. Another sailboat is coming in which we passed on the way here. The wind is trying to lie down but the breeze does feel good. Two more sailboats are coming in now. This is known as a popular anchorage. This is the season of the Coromuels but we should be pretty protected from the brunt of them. We shall see. It is quiet here and the rock formations are interesting.
If you use your imagination, doesn't this look like a line up of butts?

I made lunch and afterwards I got the binoculars out to scan the area. Our neighbor, s/v Catspaw, came over to our boat in their dinghy to say hi. They are from the St. Helen’s area in Oregon. They left Oregon in September of 2008. They haven’t been too many places yet. They’ve been at Marina de La Paz ever since they got down here. They are buddy boating with some friends of theirs to San Carlos where their friends are going to put their boat on the hard and go home for the summer. S/v Catspaw will continue to cruise the Sea after they say goodbye to their friends.

We are going to stay here tomorrow because you never leave port on a Friday, and we will head north to Isla San Francisco and meet up with s/v 2 Pieces of Eight. We hope to do lots of dinghy exploring tomorrow.

We just finished dinner and now we are watching the sun set.
The boat is facing the SW and there is a breeze. It’s going to be a beautiful evening. Dave is on the deck looking for fish. The fish are jumping and Dave has gotten his fishing rod out and is trying his luck in catching one.

A 70 foot tug boat just came in and anchored not far from us. They have some young adults on board that soon after the anchor were set, jumped in the water for a swim. Then they got in their dinghy and pulled a guy around on a boogie board. They were having a good time. The sun has set, everything is quiet and people are settling in for the night. Unfortunately Dave didn’t catch a single fish. Oh well. Next time. It was a very good day today.

Friday, June 12. Ensenada Grande.
Boy!! What a night!! About 11:00pm the wind came up and didn’t stop blowing until the sun rose at 6:00am. We have witnessed our first real coromuel. It blew at least to 25 knots and I think we had gusts of 30. After I finished stargazing last night, I went to bed. Dave stayed up and when the wind picked up he decided to sleep in the cockpit so he could check the anchor occasionally and keep an eye on our position. Neither one of us slept soundly. I heard Dave every time he walked to the bow to check the anchor. It wasn’t bad sleeping forward until after 5:00am. I had gotten up to check on Dave and see how he was doing and all was well so I went back to bed. Then the rollers came in and bounced us around a little. I managed to doze off and on through all of this and finally got up about 8:30am when Dave told me a turtle was at the bow of the boat. I jumped out of bed, got dress and grabbed my camera and went to the bow. By this time the turtle had dove down to the bottom. I waited for him to resurface but that could be a while so I went below to get a cup of coffee. Dave stayed on the bow watching the turtle. For some reason the turtle liked our anchor chain. Dave was hoping he wasn’t knawing on it. I was still below when Dave hollered that the turtle was on its way up to the surface. I grabbed the camera and went to the bow. I managed to snap a couple of pictures.

He took about 3 or 4 breathes and then submerged again going down to the bottom around the anchor chain again. It was the strangest thing we have ever seen. Dave pulled on the snub line to wiggle the chain but the turtle was insistent on staying there. When he surfaced again I took some more pictures. He went back down again and swam away. It was something to watch!

We are still bouncing around a little from the wind waves but it is much better. There is only a slight breeze and 3 of the sailboats have left.

We needed a second halyard so we can have one for the bow cover and one to hoist me up the mast. The staysail line had never been added so that is going to be our second halyard. There is a little line that goes up the mast and comes back down and is tied at the foot of the mast. My job—since I accepted it, was to don the harness and go aloft to the 2nd spreader, above the radar and radar reflector, cut the line, and tape it to the line we are using for the halyard. I was armed with scissors, electrical tape, a tiny screw driver (in case I needed leverage to pull the line out away from the roller) and the spare halyard line. Dave cranked me up the mast to the point I needed to work. He had to loosen the staysail line so I could pull it out enough to cut it. As I pulled out the line, I held onto it and cut it. All this time Dave and I were wearing our headsets so we could talk to one another. I told him what I was going to do and he o.k.’d it. Once the line was cut, I held onto it tight so as not to let it go because it would go down the mast and then we would be screwed. I taped the two lines together, needing an extra set of hands at this point, and Dave pulled the line from the deck and we were good. Now we have an extra halyard. Once Dave was finished securing the spare halyard, he let me down. We put things for that job away and then prepared and pumped up the dinghy and put it in the water. Then we put the engine on it and added the gas can. After lunch we took a dinghy ride. We went all around the bay and got some great pictures of the rock formations and the view. After we finished toodling around the bay, we came back to the boat and got off. Dave put his fins on and snorkel mask to dive under the boat to check the rudder and prop to see if there was anything loose. This goes back to the strange blurp noise we heard earlier. All looked good so now he was going to check out where the anchor was. He followed the chain and when he came to the anchor he pointed it out to me. When he got back to the boat he said the water was cold in some spots and really warm in others. I was going to go for a swim but when I put my foot in the water it was cold so I changed my mind. After that we sat in the cockpit and read for a while then I took a nap while Dave continued to read. I woke up once long enough to hear Dave swearing at the freezer. It works real well for quite awhile and then it goes flaky and continues to run and not shut off. He opened the settee bench lid to get air flow and that is all it took. It was over heating. So now things are o.k. and I finished my nap. It’s been warm with no breeze up until 3:00pm or so. There is only supposed to be 10 knots of coromuel winds tonight. Up in Isla San Francisco you are out of the coromuels so that will be good. That is where we are heading tomorrow morning. It is 19 nm from here. I’m hoping we’ll have enough wind to fill the sail and be able to sail to our anchorage. You just never know.

Saturday, June 13. Ensenada Grande to Isla San Francisco.
We pulled anchor and was on our way to Isla San Francisco at 9:00am. Our dinghy is tied onto the stern of the boat and we’ll see how she tows. We have never towed it before. It is really light so we don’t want to tow it too far from the boat in fear a wave might catch it and roll it.

Dave rolled out the headsail thinking since the wind is on our port beam, out of the SW it might fill the sail. Well folks---it’s not looking real promising. We have only 8 knots of wind and I’m thinking we need at least 10, but we will leave it up and see what happens. The wind is picking up and moving behind us. Usually when that happens the wind dies.

Yesterday when we took our dinghy ride, the water was so clear I could see the rudder and keel. That was awesome!! There had been no wind all afternoon until about 6:00pm then a nice breeze came up. At 11:00pm it picked up a little more and then by 1:30am it was blowing about 20 knots. It stopped for a while and then started up again. The wind always slacks off when the sun comes up.

It’s a beautiful morning with blue skies and crystal blue water. We are traveling at 6.0 knots heading north. We had to roll in the headsail as the wind was dying. If it picks up again we’ll try it again. With it getting warmer I don’t think that is going to happen. We tried.

We are motoring at 2200 rpms and making 7.2 knots. That is good! The current is with us and the scenery is pretty. Here is a picture of the contrast of the land.

We have a group of dolphins playing at the bow and alongside the boat. They are so neat to watch. Some of them are quite large. They look like Flipper. Our speed has decreased as we are running into a little current. We are now coming up on the south end of Isla San Francisco. We will go around it to the north and meet up with s/v 2 Pieces of Eight.
ARRIVAL: 12:38PM
LOG: 6480.3 TRIP: 21.31nm
LOCATION: 24̊ 50:524N/110̊ 34:571W
ENG HRS: 1221

We have anchored in Isla San Francisco not far from s/v 2 Pieces of Eight, Marnie and Peter. The water temperature is 90 degrees and we can see all the way to the bottom. We got in the dinghy and paddled to the bow of our boat to find the anchor. We found it after a while lying on its side in the sand. It grabbed in on one side. If we have any problems we’ll just pull it up and reset. There is a beach to explore tomorrow and I think it’s going to be swim time. We put the bow cover on and the side cover for the hull. We went below and I was so tired I decided to take a nap. While I was taking my nap Dave was in the cockpit reading. A panga approached our boat and asked if we would fill their water jug. I was up in a heartbeat when Dave told me a panga was coming and so I was in the hatchway to receive the water jug. As I was filling the jug Dave was making a trade for Chocolate clams. They are called that because the shell is fudge color. When their jug was full we gave it back to them and they had given us 5 large clams. That was neat. We had been invited over to 2 Pieces of Eight for happy hour tonight so we will boil them up and take them with us.

We shared the clams with them and had a nice visit. The clams were a little chewy, but good. They would be better in chowder or copped, breaded and fried. We said our goodbyes and went back to our boat for the evening. Marnie had been trying to get Dave to take Friday or Sunday of the Amigo Net, but Dave said he would have to think about it. Marnie runs the Wednesday morning and evening Amigo and South Bound net. It is run from the Single Side Band radio and the boats that can hear and respond come on and check in and tell everyone where they are and what the weather and sea conditions are. I mentioned at the beginning of the blog that that is how they keep track of the cruisers. It’s a good thing. Dave would be a fill in right now but he just isn’t sure if he wants to start that because then, like everything else, people expect it done on a regular basis. It is his decision.

When we got back to the boat we took the windshield cover off so as to let more air in. We watched the sunset and two power boats that were in Ensenada Grande with us last night just arrived and anchored up. There goes the neighborhood!! These boats have the fancy lights that shine under the water at the stern of the boat and they run their generators all night. Oh well. A breeze is starting to come up thank goodness but it isn’t enough to cool below yet. I’m thinking I might sleep in the cockpit if it stays too hot down below. I sat in the cockpit with the head lamp around my head and the red light on so I could read. Dave was snoozing on and off on the other side of the cockpit. I finally had to go to bed as it was hard to keep my eyes open. The temperature wasn’t too bad so I figured I would try sleeping down below. It turned out to be just the right temperature for sleeping. I don’t think we will have big winds tonight.

Sunday, June 14.
There was a party on the power boat closest to us. They got pretty loud and music was turned up after midnight. I think they finally went to bed around 3:00am. There isn’t anyone moving on that boat yet this morning. I wonder why??! There is a beautiful blue sky, clear water and a breeze. What more could you ask for? Well Dave would ask for a new freezer. It started acting up this morning and the temperature kept going up. We used 8 hours of amp time off the batteries last night because of it. When Dave opened the cover above the compressors he said it smelled funny and it was short cycling. He left the lid open hoping it would help cool the compressor. Anyway, long story short, with the lid up and turning the freezer off for a few minutes, then back on again, it cooled down enough to start running normal again. With the water temperature being 90 degrees and it being hot on the hull (even with the cover) there is little air movement by the compressors so it goes bonkers. Right now everything is running like it should.

I washed dishes and then clothes and hung them out to dry. Dave and I cleaned the engine sea strainer and surprisingly it wasn’t that badly gunked up. Then we ate lunch and now Dave is working on the outboard motor for the dinghy. It kept dying when he took it for a test run and he thinks the filter is clogged because he said the carburetor looked good. When he gets finished we are going to paddle to shore and walk the beach. Dave finished checking out what he needed to on the outboard so now we can go for a test drive. Dave brought his fishing rod and of course I brought my camera. The wind was blowing from the NE and that is where we wanted to go. We paddled across to the rocky side and got out of most of the breeze then paddled the rest of the way to the beach. It will be easier coming back to the boat as the wind will be behind us. We got to the beach and pulled the dinghy ashore. We walked up and down the beach finding some bleached out shells but with pretty shapes and also many dead porcupine fish. Dave got his fishing rod out and was trying to see if he could catch a fish from shore. I took my camera and went to the rocks to see if I could find any interesting creatures in the tide pools. I found black crab and a beautiful red crab. He must have felt my steps because he quickly hid. So I waited until he came out again and with patience I was able to get a couple good pictures of him.


It was time to leave so we walked back to the dinghy, drug it to the water and got in and started paddling back. Dave had his fishing rod out again as I let the wind guide us to the boat and I only paddled here and there when we got off course. Dave was not successful in catching anything but he had fun trying. We got back to the boat and I got in the water to cool off. It was the perfect temperature. There was a 1 knot current running so I didn’t go far from the boat. I’m not a strong swimmer so I had Dave get a noodle for me and I bobbed around with that right off the stern.
Then I got out and rinsed off and it felt so good. I stayed outside to dry off and then came down below, got out of the wet clothes and changed to dry ones. It is really beautiful here and there has been a nice breeze blowing all day to keep the boat cool and us too.

This morning Dave ran the generator to charge batteries and I typed my stuff for the blog. The freezer seems to be behaving itself right now. I hope it continues. We are going to San Evaristo tomorrow. It’s a whole 9 nautical miles from here. I don’t know if we’ll make it---it’s so far!!!!! Just kidding. S/v 2 Pieces of Eight are leaving tomorrow and going there also. San Evaristo is a quiet fishing village of about 20 full time families living there and pangas come and go dropping off their catch for the local and mainland markets and resupply with ice, fuel and water before heading back out to get more fish. There is a school, small tienda (store) and a desalination plant too.

The other big power boats have left and there is one power boat left which looks like a cruise a home boat, and s/v 2 Pieces of Eight and us. It will be a quiet night.

The sun is setting and it was another great day. I did some crocheting and reading. We are setting back for a relaxing night.



Monday, June 15. From Isla San Francisco to San Evaristo.
We listened to the Amigo Net for weather and then when that was over we pulled up our anchor and secured the dinghy and we were on our way. The wind is directly behind us at 14 knots. Once we get out of shallow waters we may try putting the headsail out to see what happens. It is 9:07am, seas are a little wavy and we have blue skies.

We let out the headsail and now are motor sailing. Dave wants to charge the batteries. Behind us we can see Isla Coyote, which is just this rock out in the middle of the water with some houses on it. It’s a fishing village. It’s amazing!


At 10:13am we rolled in the headsail as it was flogging at 6.7 knots of wind. We are almost to San Evaristo. S/v 2 Pieces of Eight are ahead of us. They’ll be anchored when we get there.

We are now anchored in the bay off San Evaristo.

It is 10:50am. Big trip huh?!
LOG: 6488.5 TRIP: 8.11nm
LOCATION: 24̊ 54:503N/110̊ 42:536W
ENG HRS: 1223

We put the bow cover up and the side curtain for the port side of the hull down then I fixed lunch. While underway I took the food out of the freezer and turned the freezer off to let it defrost. It still had quite a ways to go so Dave started the generator so I could use the hair dryer on it. Once the freezer was defrosted I put the food back in it and then checked the refrigerator evaporator plate. It needed defrosting too but I will wait until tonight. Marnie and Peter off s/v 2 Pieces of Eightare bringing their dinghy over about 3:00pm to pick us up and take us ashore. They want to show us the salt pond. We have 2 hours so I am going to take a nap. Dave woke me at about 2:40pm so we could get ready to go. Marnie and Pete picked us up and we went ashore and walked past donkeys in a field, the school house, saw cattle, cactus budding and a man riding a genie, which is a cross between a horse and a mule.




The view out from the salt pond was beautiful.


On the way back there was a nice view of our boats at anchor. We stopped at the tienda, which was a private home, but they weren’t open. It was a hot but interesting walk. We are back on the boat and just doing whatever we want.

Tuesday, June 16. From San Evaristo to Puerto Los Gatos.
Dave lowered the dinghy to the water from the side of the boat as we pick it up every night to prevent it from getting slimy on the bottom and also to keep it safe. We have heard of instances where people have had their dinghies stolen so we pull it up at night to prevent any temptation. The way the economy is down here people have a tendency to get desperate. Once the dinghy was in the water Dave moved it to the stern of the boat and secured it. Once we get going we’ll adjust the lines so the dinghy rides straight behind the boat.

We listened to the Amigo Net and Don’s weather report then pulled the anchor and we were on our way. Today is a 29 nautical mile trip to Los Gatos. S/v 2 Pieces of Eight and we are buddy boating as they have been up in the Sea a couple of times and know where they are going. They invited us to tag along as they know where all the safe and good spots are.

We left port about 9:00am and the skies are clear and it is another beautiful hot day. At least the boat is making a breeze to help keep us cool. Peter on s/v 2 Pieces of Eight put his fishing line in the water off the boat and caught a nice size Bonita which is a very good eating fish. Great for ceviche. Dave put his line in the water but didn’t catch anything. Marnie and Peter have invited us over for happy hour and ceviche later. We shared our clams with them so they are sharing their fish with us. That’s cool!! There is no wind to speak of so no sailing.

Last night I thought I would cook something different. I bought zucchini to make fritters. I have a recipe and it looked good so I thought I would try it. It didn’t look like it would be labor intense but I was wrong. Along with the prep work and then the cooking it just was not a job you want to do in the heat. So I probably won’t be making them again anytime soon. They were good just too much work for me. Along with making the fritters the recipe called for a roasted red pepper sauce. I had the roasted red peppers so I chopped those up, added garlic and picante sauce. It actually tasted good with the fritters. I chopped up some cooked chicken and added it to the left over green salad we had last night and served the fritters and that was dinner.

It was a very frustrating day for us yesterday. I love the cruising life so far but hate the problems that go along with that. Having the boat in warm water and weather creates a few problems. I mentioned earlier how the freezer was acting up. We never had a book on the refrigerator or freezer when we left home and we can’t find our model of system on the internet so we are just guessing and hoping things we try will work. What we have come to think is the water temperature is so warm and with the sun beating on the hull where the units are, the compressors are having a hard time keeping cool. The freezer has short cycled a lot and all we can do is turn it off for a little while to cool it down and then turn it back on. We are constantly monitoring the temperature. It is maddening. This morning the refrigerator short cycled for the first time. Before I could turn it off it quit. We leave the lid above the compressors open all the time now so more air flows across the units. What we need is a muffin fan installed to move the air. We looked everywhere in Mazatlan and didn’t find anything. Had we known these units wouldn’t do so well down here, we would have thought about putting in a different system. Oh well. Hind sight is always wonderful. The other frustration is fuel. There are very few places to get diesel so you have to watch how much you burn. Since we haven’t been able to sail, we have motored. When we run the generator to make water and run the air conditioner (mainly to cool the hull for the compressors, it takes fuel. So even though you have the comfort of air conditioning and making water, you pay for it in fuel. So we try to conserve as much as we can on water. It’s not like we can use water abundantly or run the air conditioner for hours. When the freezer runs and runs it is sucking battery power. We have been sitting outside in the evening breeze to cool down and if it gets too hot below we sleep in the cockpit. Yesterday, being the frustrating day it was, Dave asked where the fun was?! He is the one that has to fix what breaks. I can help and offer support, but can’t fix the major stuff. So Dave gets much more stressed than I do. I stress too but not like he does. All we can do is keep using what’s in the freezer and then turn it off. O.K. I am done for now on the negative side of our cruising. On the positive side, the water is warm for swimming and snorkeling, we are meeting neat people, visiting a lot of great anchorages and villages, and the scenery and sunsets are just magnificent. Not to mention the sea life. So with everything there is a good and bad. It all evens out.

Dave still has his fishing line out hoping for a catch. No luck yet. We have about 15 to 20 miles to go. Seas are calm with the breeze behind us. It is slowly moving up the starboard side and the wind will switch around and be on our nose from the north.

We are almost to our anchorage, Puerto Los Gatos, when all of a sudden I see fins way off on our port side. At first I thought they were porpoises so I grabbed my camera and told Dave I was headed for the bow. I got to the bow and looked down and see they are dolphins. There is a whole heard of them heading from the shore line out toward the boat and are staying close to our bow playing under and around it. There were a lot of young ones with mom. One of the babies looked like the placenta was still attached. That was really incredible!! What a wonderful sight to see.



We have arrived to our anchorage and dropped the hook. It is about 1:30pm.
LOG: 6516.9NM TRIP: 28.01NM
LOCATION: 25̊ 18:137N/110̊ 56:763W
ENG. HRS: 1228

This is a pretty place with interesting red rock formations. We are now entering bee country so we’ve had to put the screens down and get the fly swatter out. We put up the bow awning and side hull curtain and then the windshield cover. I had some bridle vale netting left over from covering the hatch screens and the piece was long enough for me to cover up the open middle windshield section to keep bees and other creatures out. I got one of the queen size travasak sheets out and draped it over the deck on the port side to help keep the heat off the deck.

Dave and I were down below when we heard a boat coming in so I poked my head out to see who it was. It was a man selling lobsters and he wanted to know if we wanted any. He was going boat to boat taking orders and then he would dive for them and bring them back. So we told him we wanted 2 grande ones which would be about 2 kilos. He said it would cost us 200 pesos. He left our boat and went over to s/v 2 Pieces of Eight. When he left from there I called Marnie on the VHF and asked how many lobsters they bought. They said 2 small ones. It is lobster for dinner tonight. Tough life eh?

I was going to go for a swim but after we finished getting things set up it was getting late. Marnie and Peter invited us over for happy hour and ceviche. I had just enough time to wash my hair and clean up before leaving.

Dave and I paddled over to s/v 2 Pieces of Eight and climbed aboard and drank some beer and ate ceviche. It was good. There is another sailboat anchored not far from us and they came whizzing by in their dinghy to say hi. Marnie invited them aboard and we met them. They are Alex and Susan from s/v Maitairoa. Now it is a party. As we were all gathered on s/v 2 Pieces of Eight we saw the lobster man in his panga going to s/v Maitairoa to deliver their lobsters and get paid. Alex yelled at him that we were all over here, so he came over to s/v 2 Pieces of Eight and delivered our lobsters and we paid him.




He asked for some tequila so Peter gave him a small shot. We asked if he would take our garbage and he said yes. We gave him a cold beer as payment. He was an interesting character. He also had some handicrafts his wife made to show us and hope we would by something. None of us needed anything so he took our garbage and left. The lobsters are not like the ones at home. They don’t have claws and these are colorful with lots of spots on them. We got a lesson on how to clean them from Alex as he cleaned all the small ones and left our big ones for us to clean. We took our lobsters back to the boat and cleaned them off the side of the dinghy. After that I put the tails in a plastic bag and took them to the galley and washed them off and put them in the freezer. It is easier to slit the tail when they are frozen. We left them in the freezer for a half hour then took them out, slit the tail and put the tails on the BBQ. We had green salad with our lobster. What a meal. There was a lot of meat in those tails. The meat isn’t as rich as in the ones back home, but they are good just the same.

The refrigerator compressor light started blinking telling us it was over heating. I turned it off for a little while and then turned it back on. It started cooling down enough so it would run it’s cycle again like normal.

Dave suggested we take the scoot guard out of the hatches forward and in the main saloon to get more air flow. I had the scoot guard on top of the screen to help keep the full rays of the sun out of the cabin. The only problem with that is it does restrict air flow. What a difference it made after taking them out. We are hoping by doing this more air will flow down below and it will help keep the compressors cooler. We are trying whatever we can to keep those puppies working. I think that is all we can do for now until we can get a fan to suck the hot air out of the compartment. Now that there is more air flow it is cooling the cabin down enough for sleeping which is always good. I read for a little while in the cockpit and then went to bed.

Wednesday, June 17. Los Gatos
It is a partly cloudy morning. We got up around 7:00am to lower the screens in the cockpit and try to get the cockpit enclosed before the bees start to arrive. A couple bees were already buzzing around when we got into the cockpit. I finished my coffee then I hung the sheet over the port side of the deck from the boom to the life line to shade the deck. That is the side the refrigerator and freezer are on.

Dave is working on the outboard motor fuel tank trying to find out why the engine is dying when he runs full throttle. While he did that I washed clothes and hung them to dry. When Dave was finished working on the tubing and nozzles he put it all back together and I helped him put the engine on the dinghy and we took a test drive. It spit and sputtered and then the longer it ran the better it got. Peter suggested we get rid of the old gas that was in the tank and replace it with new clean gas. He said there was a burn barrel on shore and we could dump the gas in it and light it. So we took his advice and went ashore and we poured the old gas out but didn’t light it because Dave would have had to lean way over the barrel to light it and that would not have been a pretty sight. Gas evaporates anyway so there was no danger in leaving it there. While he was pouring the old gas out, I got my camera and walked around on the beach and the rocks getting pictures of crabs and the red rocks.


I was fascinated with the rocks. Dave put the new gas in the tank and we hauled it back to the dinghy and shoved off from shore, jumped in and started the motor. We drove around the bay to get the gas flowing through all the tubes and such and to the carburetor. It ran pretty good then it started to cough and sputter. We figure the next thing is to look at the carburetor. That is a task for tomorrow. We will be leaving in the morning for Aqua Verde which is only 18 nautical miles from here so Dave will have some time to putts with the engine.

S/v 2 Pieces of Eight and we were invited for happy hour on s/v Maitairoa where Susan and Alex are onboard. We picked Marnie and Peter up in our dinghy on the way. We had a great visit and Marnie did the South Bound Net from their boat. We left after Marnie finished and dropped them off at their boat and then went to ours. It had gotten a little lumpy with the wind waves so Dave had a heck of a time getting the engine off the dinghy and onto the boat. The engine weighs a lot and when the dinghy is moving up and down and all around and bees are flying everywhere it is touch and go for a few minutes. He finally got it on the boat and onto the mount and secured it. We are going to have to get a lift for the dinghy as it is getting kind of dangerous lifting it off and onto the boat. That will have to wait until we get back to Mazatlan. Dave hates to put it on, but we really don’t have much of a choice. Safety first!! We then pulled the dinghy alongside the boat and lifted her out of the water for the night.

It had been a busy day. When Dave took the dinghy out this morning he tried to catch some fish with no luck. While he did that I went on the bow of the boat and started cleaning the stainless steel. It is getting a lot of rust spots so it needs it bad. When my body couldn’t take it anymore I quit. I washed clothes, hung them out to dry and that was it.

While we were at s/v Maitairoa last night, Marnie told Alex about our refrigerator and freezer dilemma and Alex told us he had an extra muffin fan we could have. It was a used one and he wasn’t sure if it would still work but he said we could give it a try. We thought that was really nice. After we get into Aqua Verde tomorrow Dave will test it to see if the wires are good and all that before he installs it. Cruisers are always willing to help other cruisers. It is really neat.

We had better luck with the refrigerator and freezer today. The refrigerator only acted up once and so we knew it was going to work fine. That fan, when Dave gets it in will be a Godsend. Alex said if we need another one let him know and he has extra.

Now we are trying to cool off in the cockpit and hope before too long the cabin will be cool enough for sleeping. I will finish the Clive Cussler, Vixon 03 hopefully tonight so I can pass it on to Marnie tomorrow.

Thursday, June 18. Los Gatos to Aqua Verde.
At 9:10am we had the hook up and we were on our way to Aqua Verde. Peter and Marnie have to make a stop at San Marta anchorage to pick up some micron filters for their water maker. One of their friends has a couple spare for them. If it is a nice anchorage we may stay there over night and then move on to Aqua Verde. It only 4 nautical miles from San Marta to Aqua Verde.

Last night there was a lightning storm on the mainland and it got hot and muggy where we were. We also got the rollers generated by the wind from the mainland, early this morning. Before we left Los Gatos, Dave opened the hatch to the cockpit and it was filled with bees. Yikes!!!! This is the most we have had so far. We swatted them dead and used bug spray to get rid of them. We are finally bee free!

We have blue skies and calm seas with absolutely no wind. The mainland is starting their summer storms now. It is hot here but it would be miserable south.

We had luck with the compressors last night. Everything ran well. That was a relief. Dave is going to solder the wires onto the muffin fan today and see if it will work. Then figure out how to mount it. If we find more in Loreto we will definitely pick them up.

We just had a change in plans. The boat Marnie and Peter were to meet in San Marta moved and is going into Aqua Verde. So we are skipping San Marta and going back to the original plan.

Last night after the bees went to bed, Dave noticed a bunch of little flies, or nats flying around our solar light hanging in the cockpit. He took the lamp down and put it outside. Then Dave took a flashlight and shown it on the bimini and we had an infestation of those little buggers. I got the bug spray and Dave sprayed the bimini!! Whala!!! No more buggies.

We are seeing more dolphins. I never get tired of watching them. They are so graceful. We are getting closer to Aqua Verde so we will be there for a couple days. We are working our way to Loreto and Santa Rosalia.

S/v 2 Pieces of Eight have gone over to the boat that has their filters and we are just mosing around in Aqua Verde waiting for them. It looks like a great place to swim and snorkel. I hope we can do that.

We dropped the hook about 12:15pm and the anchor is set. This is a beautiful place.




LOG: 6534.7NM TRIP: 16.7NM
LOCATION: 25̊ 30:916N/111̊ 03:748W
ENG. HRS: 1231

There is a little breeze which feels good. We put the bow awning up but now the wind has picked up to about 17 knots. We are keeping an eye on the wind and if it goes up too much we will have to take the awning down. It is keeping the boat down below cool. Dave has been puttering with the outboard motor to figure out what is wrong with it. I made some salsa and put a couple other things together for happy hour which we are hosting. Everyone is bringing something to drink. Marnie and Peter from s/v 2 Pieces of Eight are coming a little early so Pete can help Dave solve the outboard problem. There is another boat behind us named s/v Blue Moon that has a couple on board. I invited them and I tried to invite the couple from m/v La Bonita but they never answered their VHF radio. Another boat just came in named m/v Hobo and we met them in La Cruz and Marnie and Pete know them as well so they are also coming to happy hour.

We had a great visit with everyone and when they left I cleaned up, did dishes and then helped Dave put some parts back in the outboard. Peter was helpful in pointing out some things and helped Dave clean it. We’ll test drive it tomorrow. The wind didn’t quit blowing until around 8:30pm. While Dave was working on the outboard I took the bow awning down. The wind was still blowing pretty well so I was in for a struggle but I did it. When Dave got the engine put back together we sat and enjoyed the sunset. Here are a few pictures. It is really beautiful here.





The fan that Dave was given doesn’t work. Alex wasn’t sure if it would because it was old and the wires were a little corroded. Well it was worth a try. We’ll look for one in Loreto.

The storms are forming south and Mazatlan is experiencing thunder, lightning and heavy rain. Yuck!!! Sure glad we aren’t there. That is where our wind is coming from and it is suppose to blow again tomorrow, then Saturday will be calm. Tomorrow we have to make ice and probably water. I hope we can go snorkeling and explore.

The wind has died and there is only a slight breeze. I’m hoping it won’t be too warm for sleeping. Tomorrow will bring new adventures and experiences.

Friday, June 19. Bahia Aqua Verde.
There was a light breeze blowing this morning but I was afraid to put the bow awning up in case it got as windy as it did yesterday. So I just waited a while to see what it was going to do. I poured myself a cup of coffee and sat in the cockpit and no sooner had I done that number 1 bee arrives. He went for the coffee and put out a signal to the other bees there was liquid here. Then we were inundated with them. I took my cup down below and then the battle began to rid our boat of bees. When we thought we had won the battle a huge wasp flies down below and hid for a little bit. This is not good. That means he is looking for a place to build a nest. He left then a little later showed up again and I swooshed him out of the cabin. We needed to make water and ice so we will fire up the generator later.

Dave put the outboard engine on the dinghy and started it up. We took it for a test drive. He ran it full throttle and it was as smooth as could be. The breeze was picking up so it was a little bouncy but it was a good ride. Dave went slowly around the rocks looking for a good place to fish later. We ended up not far from where s/v Maitairoa was anchored so we stopped in and said hello. We chatted for a few minutes and Dave told him the fan didn’t work. Alex went below and brought out 2 fans. A large one and a small one, the same size as what he gave us the first time. He told Dave to pick which one he wanted so he picked the big one. We thanked him and said that if that didn’t work, we might trade it for the small one.

We thanked Alex and got back in our dinghy and drove away back to our boat. It was a good ride back as the engine didn’t spit and sputter. As we got closer to the boat we saw Marnie and Peter taking their dinghy ashore so we followed them. We needed to relay a message from Alex to Pete. Alex was having trouble with getting his Perkins engine going this morning and blamed Peter for bringing Perkin bugs aboard their boat. Just the day before Peter couldn’t get his Perkins to fire up. He had changed the filters and it took all day for it to finally start. So Alex knew this and blamed Peter for the bugs. Ha!! We walked the beach with Marnie, Peter and their dog Tela then got back in our dinghy and came home. I washed some clothes and put up the bow awning. We decided it wasn’t going to be a really windy day. Once that was done Dave started the generator and we made water and ice. I also typed for the blog from my notes. I had been at it for quite a while and needed a break so I shut down the computer and went and laid down for a quick nap. I never fell asleep but I rested for about 5 to 10 minutes, then got up and started to put together a screen for our companion way. Marnie gave some screen material to me so I could make a screen for the main companionway. That was really nice. So now I am trying to work with it. I used duck tape on the edges to keep it from coming undone, and now I’m trying to come up with a plan on how I will put this all together.

The fan Dave chose was too big so he is going to go back to s/v Maitairoa and exchange it for the smaller one and return the first one Alex gave us and pay for the one he gets as it is new. On his way back from visiting with Alex he will try and do some fishing. While he was gone I worked on designing and installing the screen. When that was done I went down below and filled an empty squirt bottle with water and put it in the freezer. Dave thought it might help keep the freezer cooler. When I was done with that I went back outside to the cockpit and rinsed off with the outside hose to get cool. The water was too choppy for me to go in with Dave being gone. I dried off and came down below to change out of my bathing suit. I looked at the temperature for the freezer and it was registering 40 degrees. Oh no!! This is not a good thing. I tried adjusting the temperature but it was still going up and now was at 50 degrees. I got a little panicky and didn’t want Dave to come back to the boat yet until I had it under control. He has been so stressed over the freezer. I didn’t want the freezer to start short cycling so I turned it off to let it cool down. In the meantime I had to chase out 3 bees that wanted to be near water down below. I finally killed them and now I can concentrate on the freezer. Unfortunately later I found out that I had turned the temperature control dial the wrong way. I turned it I thought for it to get cooler but in fact it was getting warmer. This didn’t help my panic any at all. Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t go crazy or anything like that, I was just nervous. Dave returned to the boat and I had to give him the unhappy news. He wasn’t a happy camper anyway because he didn’t catch any fish and then I tell him about the freezer and he starts swearing. Oh boy!! Dave said just to let it run and see what happens. It wasn’t going down too quickly. Very frustrating!! With the small fan in hand he started to figure out a way to install it. He tested the wires and they are good and working. He found a spot to mount it and now it is working, sucking the hot air out of the compartment where the compressors are. Dave didn’t want to run the generator again but in order to cool the compressor for the freezer he would need to run the air conditioning to blow some cool air in there. I noticed earlier when I was doing my brilliant adjusting that the freezer needed to be defrosted. That was another reason the temperature wasn’t going down very fast. So we decided we better do that. I emptied the freezer and turned it off then defrosted it with my hair dryer. The refrigerator needs defrosting too but we will wait until tomorrow morning to do that. When all that was done, I loaded the freezer then got the dinghy ready to be moved to the side of the boat and be hoisted. We left the outboard engine on the dinghy this time. After that it was dark so I lit a mosquito coil and went below to wash dishes. We were so busy I missed the sunset.

I managed to do a little crocheting all the while keeping an eye on the temperature gauge on the freezer. It’s going to be bed time pretty soon, but I want to wait to see if the freezer shuts off.

There wasn’t time for snorkeling today. Maybe tomorrow.

Saturday, June 20. Bahia Aqua Verde.
Dave didn’t get much sleep last night due to things bumping in the night. We pulled the dinghy, with the motor on it, up out of the water and secured it alongside the boat last night and Dave thought that maybe that was making the noise he was hearing. It wasn’t. It was driving him crazy so he woke me up so I could listen and hopefully pin point where the clunking was coming from. To get me to get up he said my hearing was better for that kind of stuff. Yeah right!!!! The wind had picked up to about 15-20 knots and we still had the bow awning up and side panel down. Dave and I took both of them down and rolled them up and put them in the cockpit. I listened for the clunking but couldn’t hear it. We weren’t hearing it outside, only down below. We ended up taking the Mexican flag down as it was banging against the shrouds. After all that we watched the freezer temperature and it seems to be doing o.k. The fan Dave installed yesterday has helped a lot, however, it is hooked up to the refrigerator unit for power and when we turn the refrigerator off to defrost it there will be no fan to cool down the freezer compressor. Dave couldn’t get to the connectors on the freezer side. No room so he had no choice but to hook the fan to the refrigerator side. Luckily the refrigerator plate didn’t have a lot of ice so it didn’t take too long to defrost. When that was done I put everything back together and turned on the refrigerator and everything seems to be working fine.

We went to shore this morning to find the tienda (store). That was a neat trip. We parked our dinghy on the beach and Peter and Marnie came in their dinghy and we all walked into the village.


There were makeshift homes made that people were living in and homes made of concrete with no roofs and beds with headboards alongside the house. Most of them sleep outside because it is so hot. Fences are up around peoples’ property to show the separation between neighbors because what isn’t fenced is for sale. So in order for people to mark their territory they make stick fences or whatever material they can find.


There is a school, church, a jail and out houses.


There was one makeshift outhouse with 3 walls around it and a toilet seat on top of a hole with no door. Very interesting!!! They don’t have running water but well water. The river beds are dry and roads have been washed out from the last monsoon season. The people are very friendly. When we got to the tienda I bought some avocados, tomatoes, bananas, and small limes. All their produce is trucked in which isn’t much and it gets bought out quickly by the locals.



When we left the tienda we walked to where there were a herd of goats. Some of the goats looked as though they would give birth any day now. Others had given birth and one of the babies still had the umbilical cord attached. We saw a one eared hog, chickens, roosters, and a bull.



We were walking to a home where we were told makes goat cheese so we wanted to see if they had any. They didn’t. It isn’t the season for it yet. They need water. Aqua Verde is famous for their goat cheese. I also saw a hide drying in the sun on a tree. A lot of interesting things.

We headed back to our dinghy and pushed her off the shore and jumped in and went back to our boat.

We lowered the side curtain before we left but can’t put the bow awning up yet as the wind is still too strong.

Dave saw some pelicans diving for fish so he decided to go over to the beach where they were and see what they were diving for. He needs to get some bait for fishing later. Apparently the fishermen here use live bait to catch their fish. When he got his bait he came back to the boat and loaded up with his rod and fishing gear and went to find food. I stayed on the boat to polish stainless steel. I am finished with the starboard side to the dodger. Next is the port side, then the stern. We had to do something as we were getting a lot of rust spots. So for now I am just shining it with WD40 which takes most of the spots off, but I think we’ll have to redo it with metal polish. Dave returned with some bait fish and he was a happy camper. We have been invited to happy hour on m/v La Bonita with Ron and his wife aboard. Their boat is a sun seeker and they have cruised all over the place in it. It is lunch time now and then I think nap time after that. I might do a little crocheting first though.

Dave went fishing and I took a nap. When he got back the freezer had been running and not shutting off. He wasn’t happy about that. I sliced some cheese to take to happy hour. Dave used the aft head and when he went to flush it, it wouldn’t flush. We got the plunger and tried that and that didn’t work. Dave said he heard something go clunk in the pump. So now we are down to one head. I hope that one continues to work. We are pulling up anchor tomorrow and going to Yellowstone Beach at the northern end of Isla Monserrate. Dave will try and look at the pump tomorrow to see what is going on. If it’s a fuse, we don’t have one. One head is better than none right now. We left for happy hour and had a very nice visit. We met a couple from New Zealand. When we returned to our boat I plungered the toilet again but nothing happened. I cleaned up the mess and called it quits. I helped Dave move the dinghy to the side of the boat and then hoist it out of the water. This time Dave took the engine off the dinghy and put it on the mount. Once the dinghy was secured I pulled up the side curtain over the refrigerator and freezer and brought it in, lit a mosquito coil and put things away. I’ll probably do a little crocheting before going to bed. I’m really tired.






Sunday, June 21. Bahia Aqua Verde to Yellowstone Beach, Isla Monserrate.
We are on our way to our next anchorage. We got underway at 8:45am. Seas are calm and we have blue skies. It’s a beautiful morning. There are 5 of us going to the same place. One power boat and 4 sail boats.

Dave put his fishing rod out to hopefully catch a fish along the way. Peter and Marnie already caught one. They were closer to shore than we were. The wind is 13 knots out of the north. White caps are forming on the sea which isn’t a good sign for anchoring at Yellowstone Beach. It is exposed to the north winds. We had 22 knots of wind so far and now it seems to be letting up. We figure this wind is coming mostly from the west which means this is a land breeze and it should die down as the day wears on. We have our headsail out to the 1st reef point and we are motor sailing. The wind is clocking around to be 10 knots behind us and the seas are lying down. There is a tropical depression forming down by Acapulco. This is the time the weather on the net gets really important. It is 11:21am and we are anchored in Yellowstone Beach. I can see how it got its name.

It is very calm with turquoise water. We will stay a couple of nights here then head north to Puerto Escondido. It is very peaceful here.
LOG: 6547.6NM TRIP: 12.21NM
LOCATION: 25̊ 42:536N/111̊ 03:157W
ENG. HRS: 1234

We had a wonderful day!! NOT!!! We spent all afternoon working on the aft head to see if we could unplug it. We had been invited to Marnie and Peters’ boat, s/v 2 Pieces of Eight, at 4:30pm but we couldn’t make that due to us being so deep into working on the unit. We got things put back together then Dave went forward to have a look at the forward head unit and discovered he had been working from the back to the front and all hoses were clear. He figured it was clogged at the front. So tomorrow Dave is going to work on the other end of the unit and hopefully solve the problem. I wanted to get in the water for a swim but Dave needed my help. Oh well. That is how it goes sometimes. Luckily we are staying another day and I hope I can enjoy the water tomorrow.

After we got anchored Dave put his fishing hook in the water baited with a sardine and caught a trigger fish that was under the boat.
Now I can make ceviche. You have to skin these fish then fillet them. When Dave was done with that job he gave me the fillets to put in a zip lock bag and put them in the refrigerator for later.

I made ceviche and set it in the refrigerator so it would be nice and cold when we got finished working on the head. When we finished with the head we cleaned up and paddled over to Peter and Marnie’s boat and joined them and the other couple from New Zealand, Lenus and Neil from s/v Hokimai. I brought the ceviche I made and it turned out good. We relaxed and had a nice visit with everyone then we said our goodbyes and paddled to our boat for the evening. We took down the bow awning and side curtain and no sooner did we do that the wind came up. We should have a pleasant evening.

Monday, June 22. Yellowstone Beach, Isla Monserrate.
We listened to the weather this morning and there is a hurricane building in the vicinity of Acapulco, but the good news is it will move north toward Cabo San Lucas then turn left and go out to sea. We have heard from the boats making the Baja Bash going back to the states and it is cold and sometimes very nasty conditions. Dave and I certainly are glad we aren’t doing that. No desire to beat up the coast.

We are back to our most favorite job – the aft head!! Dave has taken out the duck bills and gave them to me to clean. Oh joy!! He then has checked the hoses and so far everything looks good. Then he put that all back together and now is attacking the other end that goes to the tank. We found it seems to be plugged at the tank end. He put a plastic long tube in the hose and ran it as far as it would go, like a snake in a pipe, but the unit still isn’t creating a vacuum. So now we don’t know what to do. As he was screwing things back together, the base of the elbow on the pump cracked. We super glued it but we think that is going to have to be replaced. Are we having fun yet?!!! We are both quite stressed. Let’s hope the other head keeps working. We have been told by other cruisers that the first year in the Sea is working out all the bugs for the next season. Oh yeah!! We are certainly doing that!! The aft head is back together with enough tuck tape, super glue and 4200 we should be able to get a vacuum. Dave thinks he fixed the leaks on the hoses. The bowl actually drained the water out and we were able to flush. So now we will wait and see what happens. That head will only be used when we absolutely need too. Dave has done everything he knows how in fixing it and if it doesn’t work we’ll just have to buy some parts and fix it at a later date.

We had some pretty good winds last night. The boat road well and the breeze was good to keep us cool. There has been a light breeze all day which is nice.

The sun has set and it hasn’t been a bad day.


Dave caught another trigger fish and this time we are BBQing it. It turned out pretty good. It would make great fish tacos. Tomorrow we are headed for Puerto Escondido to get fuel and if the price is right stay the night and get internet. We will see. The main reason for going in there is for fuel.

Dave got in the water to clean the water line as we had algae on it. The current was pretty strong so Dave didn’t think it would be a good idea for me to swim. We have to get a line that floats and tie it to the boat so both of us will have something to grab when we are swimming or floating.

I crocheted a little bit today and then read some. The wind has come up so we will have natural air conditioning tonight. It’s blowing around 18-20 knots. I’m going to check the water level in the air conditioning tray and if it needs siphoning out I will do that. I think we will have a lumpy ride tomorrow so I don’t want water sloshing around. That job is done so I think I will crochet a little more and then go to bed.

Tuesday, June 23. Yellowstone Beach, Isla Monserrate to Puerto Escondido.
We pulled anchor and was on our way by 9:00am. The wind started picking up so when we cleared the shallow parts we put the headsail out. The wind was 22 knots on our beam. Perfect!!! We still have to motor sail but we picked up some speed. Half way to Puerto Escondido the wind started to die down to about 12 knots so we pulled out our mainsail until it was almost out when we ran into trouble. We couldn’t finish pulling it out and we couldn’t roll it in. Luckily for us the wind was dying but we couldn’t do anything with the sail. We slowed the boat and left it on auto pilot and Dave went forward to the mast to try and work the sail out. It was really stuck. I worked the main halyard while he was trying to unravel the sail inside the mast. This went on for at least an hour or more. We were following s/v 2 Pieces of Eight and we finally called them to let them know we had a problem and what it was. They slowed down and eventually came back to where we were. The sail wasn’t budging so we had to take it down out of the track and wrap it up so we could get Puerto Escondido. As we were motoring and following s/v 2 Pieces of Eight Dave was working on the sail until he finally got it loose. We had a chafe guard put on at home and the last time we used the main we were heeled over just enough that when we rolled it in it doubled over and it’s been that way ever since. Now it is fixed. Dave wanted to get the sail back up so he guided it in the track while I pulled it up. We got into Puerto Escondido and found a mooring ball to tie to. We called the office to verify we were on a mooring ball that wasn’t reserved and they said we were fine. These mooring balls are different than the ones at home. There is a line with an empty plastic milk carton tied to it and then that line is tied to the ball. When you come to the ball you grab the plastic jug with the boat hook and grab the line. Then you slip your line through the loop of their line and attach your lines to the cleats on each side of the bow of your boat. It was interesting to say the least.

Once we got settled we asked Marnie and Pete if we could hitch a ride with them to shore. They said yes so about an hour and a half, after we had lunch, they came over and picked us up and took us in. We checked in at the office of Singular Marina and paid to use the internet service. We brought our computer so we could check email and look at the bank balance. After we checked in we went to the cruisers lounge and hooked up to internet. It was pretty slow but we were able to see what emails we had and check our money situation. When we finished we all got back into the dinghy and went to our boats with the plan that Marnie and Pete were going to pick us up at 6:00pm and take us back to shore for dinner. There is a restaurant right at the head of the marina.

We had a nice dinner but it was expensive. It was the most we have spent since we left La Paz. Yeow!!!! We won’t be doing that again anytime soon. Being in the Sea is a time for our bank account to build and if we do this kind of stuff it’s not going to do that. There were other cruisers we knew that joined us for dinner and nice conversation. It was good to see those people we met in Newport, Oregon and see they are still enjoying the cruising life. By the time we finished dinner it was dark and we had no flashlight or anything for the dinghy. Oh well. We got back into the dinghy and traveled very carefully and arrived at our boat safe and sound and Marnie and Pete made it safe to their boat. After the Amigo Net tomorrow morning and the tide is high we are going to fuel up and head for Honeymoon Cove which is about 3 nautical miles from here. We have been told it is beautiful. I’m counting on that. So that was our exciting day in a nutshell!! The wind blew all day pretty well but when the sun went down it quit and got warm. It’s going to be a warm one for sleeping tonight. I might sleep in the cockpit. Well it’s been a long day and I’m beat. A new day dawns tomorrow with new adventures.
LOG: 6564.0NM TRIP: 1621NM
ARRIVAL: 12:30PM
LOCATION: 25̊ 49:341N/111̊ 18:576W
ENG. HRS: 1238

Wednesday, June 24. Escondido to Honeymoon Cove.
Dave slept all night in the cockpit and I slept there until it got cooler then went to the soft bed. It’s not like when we are doing a night crossing and you are wearing more clothes that adds padding on the hard cushion. I woke up at 4:15am and took a blanket to Dave and then used the forward head before going back to bed. Well the head started acting up and I thought – OH NO!!! Not again!! Visions of using a bucket came to mind. I told Dave and he came down below and we went through the ritual of flushing a couple of times. Eventually whatever was stuck blew out because it started working well again. I told Dave that maybe being on battery power the head just doesn’t work to full capacity. He said that could be. The best thing though is it IS working! I tried the head this morning with a lot of hesitation, but it worked!!! Halleluiah!! Is luck returning to us? I certainly hope so. We are due for some right now. Since all this stuff with the heads, we don’t flush toilet paper any more. We found that the paper doesn’t dissolve completely and it stays in the tank and gets sloshed around. Before we came to Mexico we would have never put used toilet paper in a waste basket. Now it seems to be the smart thing to do. I have talked to a lot of other cruisers that are doing the same thing. We do what we have to, to keep things working. There is no place in the Sea of Cortez to buy spare parts. Some people go to Santa Rosalia and take a bus to San Diego, but outside of that – you are out of luck unless another cruiser has something you can trade for coconuts (pesos).

We are relaxing this morning before heading to the fuel dock to get fuel and check out. We have to wait a little bit before we can head for the fuel dock as there are 2 boats tied to the pier which takes the whole dock.

Dave’s worst fear of being tied to a buoy came true. He went forward to check to see how we were doing and found our line twisted and wrapped around the line attached to the ball so we couldn’t get loose. Peter, took off in his dinghy to the fuel dock to see how long the boats were going to be there. As he was coming back to tell us the news, we asked if he could unwind us so he did. Thank goodness, otherwise we would be stuck. After that we all thought it would be a good idea to untie from the mooring ball and float outside the fuel dock like buzzards over a fresh kill because the small power boats run up and try to sneak in. We only had to wait about 10 minutes before it was our turn. As Dave was taking care of the fuel I walked to the office and checked out. When I got back we were done and we were out of there. We followed s/v 2 Pieces of Eight to Honeymoon Cove, which is located at the north end of Isla Danzante (Dancer Island). What they say about it being beautiful is true. The water is crystal clear and there is a nice sandy beach to explore. We had a little trouble anchoring because it would be deep then all of a sudden get really shallow and the wind was blowing our bow around. It took us a couple of tries before we were in a position to drop the hook. After that we were fine. Dave got frustrated with me because he is at the bow trying to take care of the anchor and tell me which way to turn the helm. He knew I was having trouble controlling the bow so he came back to the helm and explained what I should do and which way the stern would go when using the bow thrusters. I have used the bow thrusters only once or twice and not enough to be real familiar with it so I was at a loss. So when the instruction was taken care of he went back to the bow and I did my thing which allowed him to do his. It is all a learning opportunity. After we were sure we were secure with the anchor, we put stuff away and I did laundry.

Tomorrow Dave is going to put some sikaflex (caulking) on the area that the back head is losing pressure and I think that will solve our problem and we will be able to use it again.

The hurricane, Andreus, that was brewing south has turned and gone out to sea. No worries here. The Sea is still too cold for hurricanes thank goodness. We believe we got some wind this afternoon from the remnants of the storm, but nothing too strong. It is cooling us down tonight which is always a good thing. Without the breeze it is stifling. I just finished making some ice and defrosting the refrigerator and freezer. It’s been a week since I last defrosted and that is a very good thing.

We were invited to happy hour on m/v Hobo, with Larry and Lena aboard. They use to have a sailboat which they circumnavigated the globe in then they came back to Mexico and now have a trawler. Since they are planning on staying around here they sold the sailboat and bought the trawler. As you can see we aren’t having much sailing weather. Peter and Marnie from 2 Pieces of Eight were there also. We had a great time.

Honeymoon Cove doesn’t have a lot to look at, because the island is high and dry with cactus, agave plants, sand and rock, but the water is a crystal clear turquoise which with that and the land does make it pretty. It is like looking in a travel magazine. We like it here.





The wind has died down but there is a hint of breeze. I think it will be good sleeping temperature tonight.

I am really glad we are buddy boating because Peter and Marnie have helped us out tremendously. When it’s your first time in the Sea it is a great idea to buddy boat. Here is to a quiet evening.
LOG: 6568.0NM TRIP: 41.01NM
ARRIVAL: 1:00PM
LOCATION: 25̊ 48:546N/111̊ 15:459W
ENG. HRS: 1240

Thursday, June 25. Honeymoon Cove.
It was a beautiful evening last night. Dave and I sat outside on the deck for a while watching the stars and listening to crickets and hearing manta rays flopping around in the water around our boat. Dave stayed in the cockpit and I went below to crochet.

We woke to clouds and gusty winds this morning. It was around 6:45 – 7:00am so we got up and moved the dinghy from the side of the boat to the stern and I closed the forward hatches a little so the wind wouldn’t blow them back and break them. The sky is dark and the clouds are moving this way. The wind and clouds are what is left of Andreus.

We listened to the weather and knew it would start raining where we are pretty soon so we secured the hatches and waited for it to rain. I had put 2 large towels on the windshield to keep the sun out and one flew off into the water. It is now in towel heaven at the bottom of the sea. Dave got in the dinghy to see if he could fetch it when it started to rain. He came back to the boat since with the rain on the water made for poor visibility. We got a flash of lightening and a huge boom of thunder then some light rain. This was the time to get the dirt off the boat. I took my swiffer mop and a towel and attached the towel on the mop head and washed down the solar panels then I got the boat brush and lightly scrubbed the deck. Now the boat is a little cleaner with less salt. After it quit raining I went over the window with the shammy to dry them. After that we hopped in the dinghy and went looking for the towel. It had disappeared. I’m still hoping it will turn up before we leave. Yeah right!!

It’s trying to clear up but right now it is comfortable without the hot sun beating down. I’m enjoying the break. When we got back from looking for the towel and exploring, we came back to the boat and I took my first shower off the back of the boat. It felt really good. Our shower has paper towels, bottles of squirt, tonic water and beer in it right now. Besides, that’s what is nice about cruising because you can get necked and wash and no one else cares because they do it too. I haven’t skinny dipped yet but that is coming!!

This afternoon at 2:00pm we have been invited to m/v Hobo with Marnie and Peter to play Mexican Train. It is a dominoes game. Dave and I have never played so this should be interesting.

The sun is starting to peek out of the clouds now but I imagine the clouds will stick around until tonight. Well the clouds dissipated around 1:00-1:30pm and the sun is out full force but there is a saving grace called the breeze.

Dave had an idea for the freezer to help it stay cooler longer. He took pieces of left over windshield covers and lined the freezer with them to act as an insulator. Dave is still not happy with the way the freezer is performing because it keeps running and won’t shut off. In addition to that we had cloud cover most of the day which doesn’t allow the solar panels to work at full capacity so we had to run the generator. After Dave got finished with his freezer lining job he wanted to stick around for a while to see if it would shut off and then get into its cycle. We were a little late in getting over to m/v Hobo but they were nice and didn’t start without us. When we left the boat the freezer temperature probe was reading 22 degrees. We thought we were going to be successful.

We just got back from m/v Hobo and we had a great time playing Mexican Train but the good mood didn’t last long. The temperature probe in the freezer read 27 degrees and was rising. Dave would turn the temperature knob down and it would go down and then run and run and the temperature would go back up again. I won’t bore you with all the details but by putting the metal refrigerator/freezer thermometer in the freezer and taking the digital one out, we found out that our digital thermometer was the culprit. We changed the batteries in it but it just wasn’t reading right any more. So that was part of the problem. Now that we know this we are leaving the metal thermometer in the freezer from now on. Dave is keeping an eye on the freezer temperature but things are looking brighter.

Friday, June 26.
We had some wind last night to start with then it calmed down. We had a starry night but in the distance we could see flashes of lightning. That is remnants of hurricane Andreus. This morning it is beautiful and it will be a warm one. My goal today is to go to shore and scan the beach for shells.

We found out for sure that our digital thermometer bit the dust. The inside temperature reading is more than the outside temperature. It’s not supposed to read like that. The metal thermometer we have in the freezer is reading a constant 16 degrees and the freezer is cycling on and off like it should. I think we can relax a little now. Dave had visions of not using the freezer and at one point thought the compressor was shot. We will keep an eye on everything but for now we are happy campers.

This afternoon, time not confirmed, Marnie is cooking a spaghetti dinner for us, Larry and Lena from m/v Hobo. That should be fun.

Tomorrow the plan is to leave here and go to Loreto and anchor. I am really looking forward to that. There is a large Sunday Market there that we all want to attend. There should be lots of fresh vegetables and fruits and other things too. There is so much stuff to look at and sometimes you get lucky and find some really neat stuff.

My laundry is washed and hanging to dry. Dave went trolling for fish in the dinghy but came back empty handed. The freezer seems to be doing well and Dave has relaxed enough to take a nap. I read a little in the cockpit and chased a wasp out of the boat 3 different times. I think he wants to build a nest. He came back again and I had put the screens down in the cockpit, earlier, in hopes he wouldn’t come back. Well that didn’t work. He got in somehow and couldn’t find his way out. I finally took a swat at him and hit him to where he fell and went under my cockpit cushion. So I quickly piled some ropes on top of the chair to weigh it down so he couldn’t get out. Hopefully he will be dead when we return from our dinner. I did warn Dave after he got up from his nap that there was a wasp under my cushion and not to move it.

We went to dinner on s/v 2 Pieces of Eight and had a delicious meal. Lena and Larry were there and we had a great time. After dinner we played Mexican Train. That is a fun pretty mindless game. That is why the cruisers like to play it. HA!! It was getting dark so we said goodbye and went back to our boat. I checked on the wasp and he was still alive but barely. I had to swat him a couple more times to put him out of his misery and mine too, then he was dead and I buried him at sea. The wind died and it will be a warm one tonight.

Saturday, June 27. Honeymoon Cove to Loreto.
It was a warm one last night and once in a while you could feel a slight breeze but not enough to keep us cool.

We are preparing the boat so we can get underway to Loreto. Once the Amigo Net is over we are weighing anchor and away we will go.

Our anchor was pulled about 9:00am and we are underway. Dave has his fishing line out to hopefully catch some fish. It is a beautiful day and there is no wind. Our knot meter isn’t working. There must be some gunk on it. It is only 14 nautical miles to Loreto so if it doesn’t start working, Dave will pull it and clean it off. Without the knot meter we won’t get the trip miles as it clocks it from the knot meter. We saw dolphins swimming in front and back of the boat looking for breakfast. I have a yogurt container that I put garbage in and when we are out in deep water I dump it over the side. No banana peels though. They don’t decompose for a long, long time. I dumped my compost and then emptied the forward head. Pretty exciting eh?! Our freezer is behaving itself so harmony has been restored.

It’s 11:01am and we are getting closer to Loreto. Looks like about 3 or 4 boats anchored in front right now. There is still a lot of room for us. Loreto looks like an oasis in the desert with the palm trees.



Because our knot meter wasn’t working there will be no log or trip miles for this destination. Only 14 nautical miles will be recorded. By 11:30-12:00pm we were anchored and we had lunch and waited to make sure the anchor was set before leaving the boat. Marnie and Peter needed to do some grocery shopping and they needed to go before 3:00pm as that is when they close. So they picked up Kathy from s/v Air Borne and Dave and I met them at the dinghy dock. As we were walking to the bank to use the ATM, we walked past some neat places. One was a hotel that when you go into the lobby and look up you can see the bottom of the swimming pool.

That was kind of neat. The lobby was really pretty. After we were done at the ATM we walked through the streets to the grocery store. The town is really nice.


The streets, I was told, have been torn up and redone and they look nice. They are brick. They are still working on some of the side streets. It is a pretty little place. After we did our shopping at the supermacado, we walked back to the dinghies and came back to our boats. After I put the groceries away Dave was in the head and ran some water down the sink and the sump pump didn’t go off which meant it wasn’t draining. So he lifted the floor board which is over the sump pump and the macerator and discovered the bolts were coming loose around the macerator. Not a good thing. So guess what WE did for the rest of the afternoon?! Dave was cussing up a storm and I was not a happy camper. Our boat is 7 years old and things are wearing and starting to fall apart. Of course it picks now since we are in the Sea of Cortez where it is hot weather and water temperature and nowhere to get spare parts. Luckily Dave did buy a spare macerator kit before we left, but only one as it was really expensive. We were in luck as only 2 of the bolts had broken off inside the unit that connects to the pump. We worked on it and then got it back together again. Then Dave was wondering, after looking at the old piece if the one he put in had like a gear piece in it. I didn’t notice and neither did he. I think he will be taking it apart tomorrow so he can find out.

As night fell and it was going on 9:00pm there was music coming from where the dinghy dock is. There must be a show tonight as there was a stage with curtains and speakers all set up by there. When I heard the music I got my binoculars out and got my deck cushion and put it outside on the deck so I could hopefully see something. Nosey aren’t I?! I was able to make out some dancers but couldn’t see them too clearly because the boat was bobbing up and down from the waves. Oh well. The music went on and on until the wee hours of the morning. Dave at one point asked if it was ever going to stop. Finally it did and we could sleep. There was a nice breeze in the cabin all night which cooled it nicely.

LORETO HISTORY FROM THE CRUSING BOOK, SEA OF CORTEZ by Shawn Breeding and Heather Bansmer.
Loreto has a long history in the settlement and exploration of the Baja peninsula and north into today’s state of California. October, 1697, Jesuit padre, Juan Maria Salvatierra, along with a party of men, landed at Loreto to establish a settlement and the first mission of the Californias. The settlement was a success and Loreto quickly became the center for church as well as government and military activities for the area.

The mission church, Misión Nuestra Seńora de Loreto, built by Jesuit padre, Juan Maria Salvatierra, became the center for establishing additional missions throughout Baja and California. Carved above the entrance to the mission is written, “Cabeza y Madre de las Misiones de Baja y Alta California” or Head and Mother of the Missions of Lower and Upper California. Eventually, 23 additional missions were built throughout Baja with Loreto serving as the head.

It was also from Loreto that the Franciscan padres, Gaspar Portola and Junipero Serra left in 1769 to explore north, reaching San Diego and eventually discovering San Francisco Bay. It was due to this exploration and route that the now historical missions of California were established.

As the settlement at Loreto grew, it naturally became the political and economic capitol of Baja. Ships carrying goods and supplies as well as ships used for exploration regularly arrived and departed the port town. However, in 1829, a destructive storm forced the government to move the state capital from Loreto to its current location in La Paz.

Today, tourism drives much of Loreto’s industry with daily flights bringing international travelers in to experience the quaint and beautiful coastal town. The current population of 15,000 people is expected to increase over the years as more vacation homes are developed and more industry is brought to the area.

Sunday, June 28. Loreto to Puerto Ballandra (Isla Carmen).
After the Amigo Net, Kathy and Hal from s/v Air Borne, were wanting to go to the market but their dinghy is in poor shape so they asked if they could hitch a ride. Kathy went with us and her husband Hal went with Marnie and Peter off s/v 2 Pieces of Eight. Once tied up at the dinghy dock we walked to the outdoor market. Dave brought our gas can so he could get it filled at the Pemex station not far from the market. So he went ahead and did that while I went to the market with the rest of the group. It was a large one with all kind of stuff for sale. The ladies went for the vegetables and fruits and the guys went to look at tools and guy stuff. There were shoes, clothes, hardware, tools, and much more for sale plus a meat market, and 3 vegetable/fruit stands. Dave met up with us after he got the gas can filled and back to the dinghy. When we were done shopping we walked back to the dinghy dock and stopped at the head of the pier and got a beer before heading back to the dinghies. The beer sure tasted good and refreshed us then we walked to our dinghies, loaded them up with our stuff, paid the boy for watching them and rode back to our boats. The weather forecast was calling for 20 knots of wind this afternoon and evening and at anchor that is not a comfortable ride and too much stress on the anchor chain. We all decided it was time to get going so we pulled anchor. Kathy and Hal headed north and we headed for Puerto Ballandra directly across from Loreto. The wind was picking up but the most we saw was 14 knots out of the north on our nose. We got to Puerto Ballandra and dropped our hook at about 1:46pm. It is a nice place.
LOG: 6577.4NM TRIP: 9.41NM
LOCATION: 26̊ 01:039N/111̊ 09:924W
ENG. HRS: 1244

The wind is blowing a little but not bad in here. We put up our bow awning and side cover for the hull up and got everything stowed and put away.

I decided to get into the water to cool off. It was a little chilly getting in but once you were in it was nice. You could feel the warm and cool thermals under the water. When I was done messing around in the water I got out, rinsed off and sat outside to dry off. Then I got all the stuff to shine the stainless steel and that is what I worked on for part of the afternoon. I was using WD40 to shine it up but it leaves a film and is slippery. Now that we have the metal polish I am redoing the stainless with that. I like the results much better. It actually takes the rust spots off where WD40 did take some away but didn’t get them all. When I had had enough of shining the stainless, I put everything away, went below and changed clothes. Dave asked if I wanted to paddle to shore in the dinghy and I said sure! Here was my chance to look for different and interesting shells. So off we paddled and when we got to shore we looked for shells. I found a couple and Dave did too. The wind was starting to pick up so we had to leave so it wouldn’t be hard to paddle back to the boat. Once the dinghy was secured to the boat and we were back on board, we had dinner. I took pictures of the sunset and then we pulled the dinghy up out of the water. Earlier we took the bow awning down and pulled up the side curtain as we do every night because the wind can come up quite suddenly during the night and so it is best not to have anything on deck. We are set for the night. There is a breeze ever so often but not enough to keep it really cool down below. I think it will be a warm night. The clouds have moved in which made for beautiful sunset pictures. We will be here for a couple of days then we are on the move again.

Monday, June 29. Puerto Ballandra (Isla Carmen).


Early this morning around 4:00-4:30am we woke to wind and then we could see lightning flashing on the other side of the island facing the mainland. We didn’t start getting thunder until around 5:00am and we knew it was time to close the hatches and prepare for rain. We had some gusty winds and a little rain but it didn’t last long. We went back to bed and when we got up again around 8:00am the skies were still overcast. After our coffee it was time to get to work. We lowered the dinghy and brought it back to the stern of the boat and tied it off. Dave added oil to the gasoline for the dinghy motor and then it was time to fire up the generator to make water and defrost the freezer and refrigerator. When those jobs were done, I washed dishes, my hair, and then typed for the blog. When there was plenty of water, I washed clothes and hung them to dry and put the bow awning up and the side curtain down. The clouds are gone now so the sun is out full force so have to get that shade up. While I did that Dave washed his hair and then was checking sailmail email and some other stuff on the computer. I checked the water level in the bow thruster battery and it was just a little low so I added some water and we were good. Since we both have clean hair now I changed the pillow cases and put the bed together. The battery is under our bed. Dave wanted to check the water level in the house batteries which are under the seat of the settee, so I took everything out of it and we unscrewed the bolts and moved the seat and then Dave unscrewed the screws and moved the floor board out of the way. They looked pretty good but did need a little water added. When Dave was finished with the batteries and putting the floor board back in place, we moved the seat back, screwed down the bolts and I reloaded it again.

We are leaving tomorrow for La Ramada. We were going to go to Caleta San Juanico, but the wind is suppose to blow 20-25 knots out of the south/SW and that is not a good anchorage for south winds. So a change of plans. We are just going a little further north around the corner from San Juanico. We’ll have to stop there on our way back down in the fall.

After water was made, Dave got in the dinghy, with brush in hand and I had the lines and towed him around the boat so he could scrub the algae off. After that we got the boat prepared for leaving in the morning and we decided we weren’t going to lift the dinghy out of the water tonight. There is a small chance we may have a repeat performance of weather like we had early this morning. Tomorrow it is time to move further north up the Sea.

Tuesday, June 30. Puerto Ballandra to La Ramada.
Last night we slept really well. No thunder, lightning, or rain. We could have used a little breeze but it was o.k.

The anchor is pulled and we are on our way to La Ramada. The sea is flat calm with partly cloudy skies. It is about 26 nautical miles to La Ramada which is about 4 hours. It is 9:20am so we should arrive around 1:00pm or so. Dave said the water temperature in La Ramada is about 68 degrees which is really good for our refrigerator and freezer. They won’t have to work as hard. I don’t think I’ll be swimming as it will be cold!!!

The clouds have gone away leaving us with beautiful blue skies. Dave has his fishing pole trolling behind the boat and so far no fish. We have 12 nautical miles to go. We put the headsail out but unfortunately there isn’t much wind now. It’s not luffing yet so we will leave it out until it either luffs or we are close to our destination.

We pulled the mainsail out and everything worked without a hitch. Then the wind died. We went along for a little while with both sails up hoping the wind would increase. We saw wind lines ahead but by the time we reached that part they were gone. So we rolled in the mainsail, which worked beautifully, then the headsail. Only 7 nautical miles to go. As I look to my left off the port side of the boat there is a stretch of cliffs with colorful layers. It looks like limestone and maybe some obsidian. I’m amazed at the different rock formations. They are so interesting. This rock formation is in Caleta San Juanico Cove. That is where we were going to stop until we heard there would be south winds.

We have arrived in La Ramada. It is 1:30pm and there are 3 boats in here already. It isn’t a large bay but it looks like us and s/v 2 Pieces of Eight will fit.
LOG: 6604.1NM TRIP: 26.71
LOCATION: 26̊ 22:928N/111̊ 25:896W
ENG. HRS: 1250

Once we got settled Dave put the engine on the dinghy and went looking for fish. I finished shining the stainless steel at the forward port bow. Then I sat and read. I got a call about 4:00pm from Cindy and Gary off s/v Distant Shores, asking if we wanted to meet on shore and walk to the cruisers shrine at 5:00pm. I said yes. I tried calling Dave on the VHF handheld but he didn’t have it on. So I hollered at him since I figured he was close enough to the boat he could hear me. That didn’t work. But luckily Neil and Lenus from s/v Hokimai were in their dinghy and went over to Dave and told him to turn on his radio. So then I told Dave what the plan was and he came back to the boat and unfortunately without any fish. Oh well. I made a quick sign to put on the cruisers shrine and off we went. There was a nice group of us that hiked to this tree that is known as the cruisers shrine. It is located up the beach from Caleta San Juanico. It was a pretty good little hike and the views were spectacular.

We made it to the tree and pictures were taken of everyone’s signs and then we stood back and looked at most of the ones that had been there for a long time.




It was really awesome. We are now part of history. When we were done we hiked back to our part of the world where we were anchored and some of us went back to our boats to have dinner and a couple of the others stayed on shore and were going to prepare a bon fire for burning garbage later. We told them we would join them after we had dinner. We had tuna sandwiches for dinner and then gathered our garbage and hopped in the dinghy and off to shore we went.
The bon fire was going strong so I threw our bag on top and whala—garbage is gone! We all sat around and talked and shared some goodies some of the people brought to share. When it got dark everyone packed up and drove their dinghies back to their boats. We will stay here tomorrow. Next stop Bahia Concepcion, El Burro Cove for the 4th of July celebration.