Not much was accomplished today. We needed ice so that was a good opportunity to try the dinghy motor out to see if it will get us to shore and back. It worked really well but Dave was afraid to push it so we went slowly, but it worked. We got our ice and came back to the boat and by this time the wind was starting to pick up. It is suppose to blow about 25-30 knots today out of the north. It only reached 24 knots which wasn’t too bad. The waves were on our bow so the boat road fairly well.
After getting back to the boat I put the ice away and then crocheted most of the day and then switched to reading my book. Dave played solitaire and his sub game and tracked the storm off the coast of Mexico. Then he lay down to put his foot up since it has to be higher than his heart. I tried to nap again in the cockpit but ended up just resting.
We watched clouds come from the south but they never reached us until this evening. We might get some rain, I hope. Everything needs to be washed.
We had cocktails at 5:00pm and a cruiser that was anchored here shared with the fleet about the earthquake and tsunami in America Samoa and Pago Pago. That was sad because we know a lot of the people that left La Cruz last year to made the puddle jump, are either there or close by there. Dave knew a lot of guys that were work associates there due to NOAA having a tide gauge there. That was one of the places he would have to go on his Pacific work tour.
Dave took another look on his computer at the storm building on the Pacific coast and it has a name now. Olaf. That isn’t good news for us when they are named. It is about 300-500 miles off the coast so now we need to listen to what Don has to say to see if we should head back to Don Juan or not. I hope not.
Well good news. The storm is going to track east toward us but once it makes landfall it will die. It is too cool here now. The water is even colder. That makes everyone happy. There doesn’t look like any more systems are brewing which is even better as most of the cruisers are heading south in a week or two.
After dinner we relaxed with a glass of wine. We have mostly cloudy skies now but the moon is still trying to peek out from behind them. The wind has died completely and the water is like glass. The temperature outside is really comfortable tonight. I think we will sleep well. We ran the generator and the air conditioner for a while and then shut everything off. We ended up going to bed around 10:00pm.
Friday, October 2, Bahia de Los Angeles.
We woke up to Seattle skies this morning. It was weird. It is nice for a change. The weather is calling for cloudy skies for today and tomorrow and we might even get some rain. That would be a good thing. We are enjoying the cooler weather.
We went into town and met up with a lot of the cruisers for our Friday run to the gas station and grocery stores. Al, Native Sun, brought his truck and trailer and is giving us a ride to all these places. It is fun and you get to know the cruisers a little better. There is a new grocery store that has only been open for about 6 months and the owner is the chef of the restaurant Costa Del Sol. His name is Miguel and that is what he named the store. He has really fresh vegetables and I get a Spanish lesson when I ask for things. Miguel is always happy to see us coming because we buy lots of stuff.
We needed to get gas so I took the gas jerry can with me on my shopping trip while Dave stayed at Isla to check emails and skype. I hooked up with him on our next to the last grocery store stop. Then he rode back with us. When we were all done with getting groceries, Allan dropped us back at Guillermo’s and some of us had lunch and others went to their boats. We were watching the clouds get darker and figured it would start raining before too long. If that happens we will need to get back to the boat and close hatches. Dave said it is suppose to rain tonight and tomorrow and be like squalls. I hope the boat gets washed!! We probably will move the boat to La Mona for the full moon party on Sunday. It is just at the end of the bay here so we don’t have far to go. We haven’t been there yet so it will be nice to see what it looks like. The whale sharks are in plenty there too. I’m looking forward to noodling my way out of the estuary on the outgoing tide. I understand it is faster than the one in La Gringa.
Dave and I finished our lunch at Guillermo’s and we thanked Allan for taking us around town and then we paid the bill and left so as to get back to the boat as it was starting to rain. Dave opened the throttle on the dinghy motor and it did really well. It couldn’t go really fast as we had it loaded with groceries. It works and that is all we are concerned about. Yahoo!!!!
There is a barge tied at the end of the pier off Guillermo’s restaurant and we have been watching them load it up with pretty wood, the kind that is twisty, and other things, as a resort is being built not far from here at Isla el Pescador. Remember the story I told you when we were anchored in Pescador and a big power boat came and took 3 guys ashore and had dinner? Well those were the guys who are developing that land. So if we come back next year there will be a resort there. I would like to see it because the wood they are using is absolutely beautiful. All this loading of materials on the barge is a big deal in this village as there are a lot of the locals here being hired to work on this project. Eventually Puerto Don Juan will have either a resort or marina which I don’t know what that will do for us using it as a hurricane hole. Maybe that development won’t happen, but the guys that are building the Pescador resort have bought up all the land from there north which includes Puerto Don Juan. Oh well. The only way to get the resort will be by plane or boat. At least for now. So that has added some excitement to Bahia de Los Angeles.
I finally got my medicine!!! While we were standing outside the last grocery store waiting for the rest of the cruisers to finish their shopping, Mary (Baja Gal) drove up. She saw Allan and stopped. She had things for a lot of the cruisers. It was like Christmas. Nice lady!! So now Dave is really happy!!! I can relax now because I have a 30 day supply and when I go back home I will get a 6 month supply. So all is good.
Because of no sunshine today the solar panels aren’t working for us like they would with sunshine so we have to run the generator for a couple hours this afternoon and then another couple hours tonight to charge batteries. We are making water and filling our starboard tanks. Then we will top off the port aft tank since that is the one I’ve been using. I think I will do some crocheting.
I finished another scarf. Just have to add the fringe. Dave went out in the dinghy and tootled around the bay to see if he could catch any fish. He got a good bite but it let go. So no fish on the hook tonight. That is alright because I took out some dorado from the freezer to cook tonight.
We listened to the net weather and Olaf is coming ashore but is slowly breaking up. We will just see clouds and rain. After the net we ate dinner and now are running the generator and air conditioner. It was muggy today and we didn’t have any wind.
Not much else going on. It will be a quiet night.
Saturday, October 3.
We definitely had Seattle skies today, all day. We woke to clouds and to the south of us it was pretty dark. We had a rain squall last night. We heard the wind start and before we knew it it was blowing 25 knots. We had to close the middle window to the dodger windshield and bring in our side shield used to keep the sun off the hull. We closed hatches in anticipation of rain. The wind blew for about 15-20 minutes, we had a few sprinkles and that was all. We opened the hatches over our bed and in the main saloon, and went back to bed. Around 4:00am we woke to water dropping on our heads. It was raining pretty well so I got up and went outside and closed the hatches. Then went back to bed.
It looks like we could get more rain. Unfortunately we only got sprinkles and the rain we did get wasn’t enough to clean off the boat but just enough rain to make a muddy mess. Oh well. This weather was a welcome change and it was still warm but not hot with the sun beating down on you. Olaf is creating this weather and so we may be in for some wind and rain today. We decided we wouldn’t go to La Mona today and wait to see what the weather was going to do. So that is what we did. As it turned out we didn’t get much wind and we got a sprinkle or two of rain and that was it. Olaf is starting to move across the Baja Peninsula toward the east. It looks like it will be dying out as it crosses over to the mainland side so we shouldn’t have much weather at all. Matter of fact the skies are starting to clear as it is now late afternoon.
We invited s/v Bamboo with Tim and Michelle on board over for dinner tonight. They have been dealing with trying to get parts for their water maker that hasn’t worked for a couple of months now and they are so frustrated. They finally got the part and long story short, jerry rigged it with help from some other cruisers and now they can make water. They made water today for the second time without any glitches. So everyone is just thrilled for them. We wanted to celebrate with them so we thought we would have them over for a spaghetti dinner. So I baked a cake and made the spaghetti sauce and cleaned the boat up a little. I finished putting the fringe on the second scarf I made and then read a little of my book. Dave went out fishing and caught a really nice size sierra. I told him no more as our freezer is full!!!
We listened to the net and I boiled the spaghetti and made a green salad. When Tim and Michelle came we had a glass of wine to celebrate and we talked for a little bit then we ate dinner. After dinner we sat around and talked some more and then I served cake. So it was a very good time and it was so great to share in their happiness. They went back to their boat and then I washed the dishes and got everything put away as we are leaving in the morning for La Mona for the Full Moon party. Dave and I had a shot of Pussers Rum and then we went to bed.
Sunday, October 4. Bahia de Los Angeles to La Mona.
We made the big move to La Mona this morning. All of 4 nautical miles!!! The wind is supposed to kick up later so we want to get over there before that happens. Some of the boats headed over here last night and the rest of them will head over sometime today. We want to leave so we can get there and get a good anchorage spot. So we did our preparation for getting underway, secured the dinghy and away we went. We were on our way by 9:00am. We got a nice spot to anchor and the wind was starting to come up a little bit. Once we were anchored and settled, we took a dinghy ride into shore. Peter and Marni brought their dog Quilla to run on the beach and they took us down to where we will be floating out of the estuary. It looks like it will be fun. Pretty soon some other cruisers came to shore and we struck up a conversation. Then it was time to leave and Dave and I got in our dinghy and rode around the shoreline to see the houses. We were hungry so it was time to turn around and go back to the boat and get something to eat. We got back to the boat and I made lunch. The wind was starting to blow now and we ended up having to take the awning down as it was blowing 20 knots. We got changed into our swim suits and I got the float noodles and something to drink and we rode the dinghy into shore. People were starting to gather on the beach to get ready to ride the tide out of the estuary. The wind picked up and pretty good size waves were crashing on the beach and the estuary was filling with water. People brought their noodles, blow up kayaks and body boards to float on. We all gathered at the entrance of the estuary and we sat in the water and talked. The kids were having a ball paddling in and out of the estuary into big rolling waves and then they would come back in and do it again sometimes capsizing the boat. It was fun to watch them. Some of the adults that had noodles rode the waves. A lot of us just were waiting to ride the current out. Well that never happened because when the tide changed the waves were still crashing across the estuary opening and we wouldn’t get the ride we wanted. So we sat in the water or floated visiting with each other until we didn’t have any more water to sit or float in. Then there were 2 bocce ball tournaments started and Dave and I were invited to play in one. We had a lot of fun. Then it was time to go back to our boats and get ready for the potluck. By this time the wind had blown so hard and created so much white caps and big waves, cruisers needed help getting off the beach without getting the dinghies swamped with water. Dave and I did pretty good until we got close to the boat and when Dave turned to head for the boat the wind caught his hat and blew it in the water so he had to go after it and then had to turn around again and head for the boat and ended up sideways to a wave and got splashed pretty good. We finally got to the boat and secured the dinghy to the stern and then rinsed off with fresh water. Then we changed and wondered if we were going to go in to shore again for the potluck. The waves were nasty and everyone that went to their boats got soaked. So a lot of the boats were talking back and forth trying to decide whether they were going in or not. We decided we would wait and see if it calmed down as it usually does when the sun goes down. Well the wind was letting up and so were the waves so we decided to go in. I made a salmon dip and grabbed some wine and our eating utensils and headed for shore. Slowly people were showing up but some of the boats that were further off the shore didn’t come in due to the waves. We had enough people on the beach to make it a nice event. We exchanged books and ate some good food, visited with everyone and when it got dark we headed to our dinghies and went to our boats. It was a fun day. Now it is dead calm, very little breeze but it is cool and it is definitely a full moon night. It is really pretty here. It’s a nice anchorage and I think we will probably stay here tomorrow. I’d like to ride the tide out of the estuary if the wind and waves behave tomorrow.
We are now running the generator to charge batteries and only have one of the air conditioners on just to load the generator. It is going to be a good sleeping night.
Monday, October 5. La Mona.
We had sunny skies today. The morning was absolutely beautiful. We had a little bit of rocky rolly last night when we went to bed but it was alright. Then the wind and waves picked up again early in the morning. Dave got up and checked things out and then ended up sleeping on the couch in the settee area. So I had the bed all to myself which was kind of nice, but I did miss Dave. I woke up and realized he was sleeping on the settee so I figured he was comfortable and I didn’t want to wake him so I left him be. Well of course I wanted the bed to myself! Wouldn’t you???? When he woke at 4:00am he ended up coming back into bed. Then he was up at 7:00am listening to the net and weather. I lay in bed listening and dosing. I didn’t get up until about 8:00am. The morning was calm with hardly any breeze and then it picked up a little bit. But it was nowhere near the wind and wave action we had yesterday. We were comfortable. I washed dishes and let them air dry and then washed clothes and hung them to dry. Then I moved on to the next project which was sucking the water out of the tray for the aft air conditioner, then cleaned the forward sump pump, ate breakfast and then went to the cockpit and read for a while. Dave and I were both out there just enjoying the morning.
We got an announcement that Native Son, Allan was bringing his truck down the beach to collect garbage and if we wanted to cart it ashore he would take it to his dump and burn it. So I already had garbage ready and Jerry off s/v Aquarius came over in his dinghy and picked Dave up and off they went to shore to give our garbage to Allan. That was so nice of him to offer to do that and it makes it nice for us too. When Dave got back we sat in the cockpit for a bit and Dave just watched what was going on around us while I read. Then we got hungry so I fixed us some lunch. After lunch I did some more reading then decided to take a nap. Dave was playing bridge and he was thinking of doing the same thing. So I lay down in our stateroom and he finally crashed on the settee. We didn’t really get to nap as there were several announcements made to the fleet in La Mona where we needed to listen up. So after getting up 3 times I decided a nap just wasn’t going to happen. Besides at 2:00pm there was going to be birthday cake on the beach to celebrate one of the cruiser son’s 12th birthday and we wanted to celebrate that with them. So we went to shore and had cake and brownies and stood around and talked for a while with the adults while the kids went off to play in the estuary. It was fun and I know that this is the birthday Jack will remember for the rest of his life. It wasn’t about getting presents or money, it was just being able to celebrate his birthday with other cruising kids and family and friends. After visiting we decided it was time to go back to the boat. Everyone was invited to Allan and Barbara’s (Native Son) place tonight for bon fire and pot luck on the beach at their house. The wind had come up and was making swells in the bay so we weren’t sure if we were going to go because we would have to dinghy quite a ways to get to their place. Then there was an announcement that Allan would come and pick up any cruisers that wanted to go, on the beach and transport them in his truck to his house. That was really nice. So it ended up with only two cruisers, us and another couple, that took him up on his offer. I had enough time from when we returned from the birthday party, to crochet some more of my project and then bake some biscuits, get changed and get ready to go. Once the biscuits were out of the oven I packed them up and away we went. We got to shore and pulled the dinghy way up on shore so it would be far away from the water, and we only had to wait not even 5 minutes when Allan showed up in his pickup. So we climbed in and away we went to his house. The roads are dirt with good size rocks, and when it rains the roads get washed out. He can’t get to town until Thursday or Friday because the main road hasn’t dried up yet from the last rain they had. It is a beautiful area but it has its drawbacks. We finally arrived at his home and it is a nice little beach house. The plan is to tear it down and built a new one right next to where the house is now. The view was stunning and they over looked a cove which is a start of a bigger estuary. I wouldn’t mind living here. We did find out that there are a couple lots available on the beach. Hmmm! Well we had a wonderful evening. There was lots of food and quite a few cruisers showed up. The bon fire was lit and music flowed from a couple cruiser musicians.
Everyone had a wonderful time and then it was time to leave so Allan took us and the other couple back to where our dinghies were and we said goodbye and thanked him for the wonderful party. As we were saying our goodbyes we saw headlights behind Allan’s truck and wondered who else was coming here and then we saw a military truck with marines in it. One of the guys got out of the truck and asked if everything was alright and we told him yes. We were going back to our boats. So he said o.k. and wished us a good night. So we hauled our dinghy back to the water, pushed off the beach and jumped in and away we went back to our boat. It was a very fun day. The weather has definitely changed. Fall is in the air. We have been having blustery winds with lots of swells coming in so we might move tomorrow after listening to the weather in the morning. Right now it is calm so we should have a pleasant night.
Tuesday, October 7. La Mona to Puerto Don Juan.
We listened to the weather forecast and it is suppose to get really windy and nasty on the water. So a lot of the cruisers here in La Mona are heading for Puerto Don Juan, the hurricane hole.
It is a beautiful morning with a little breeze but they are calling for 30 knot winds later today and tonight so it is time to be moving on. We wanted to go back to the village in Bahia de Los Angeles but we had heard that last night the boats that were anchored there had up to 50-55 knot winds. It was not a fun time for any of them. So after hearing that we decided it was time to go back to Puerto Don Juan. We pulled the hook and left La Mona for Don Juan as it is only around the corner from here so it won’t take very long to get there. It was a little lumpy from La Mona but nothing we couldn’t handle. We entered Don Juan and went to the back of the bay and dropped our hook. After we set the hook we looked at the distance between the boat behind us and even with his blessing to stay anchored there we felt uncomfortably close to them so we had breakfast and then pulled the anchor and moved further up from them and re-anchored and felt much better about it. When we were settled we got in the dinghy and went over to the shore that everyone calls the window. There were all kinds of different sizes and shapes of shale stone which make beautiful walk ways. Dave and I would have liked to have taken a bunch back to the boat with us but we settled on a couple of sea urchins, some petrified wood pieces and some pumas. Dave found a fishing lure that was broken, and he was thinking he might be able to fix it and use it. So he found a treasure for himself. We finished walking the so called beach and then we got back in the dinghy and putted around the bay and then came back to the boat. I rinsed the sea urchins (already dead) with fresh water and let them dry and then I will add them to my collection.
I crocheted most of the day and read some of my book and Dave did his thing. We just relaxed. We put the awning up and enjoyed the breeze. The wind is suppose to pick up tonight and blow all night and all day tomorrow and then change direction and blow some more. Yeehaw!!
We were invited to Peter and Marni’s boat for cocktails at 4:30pm so we went over there joined three more couples. We had good food and conversation. The wind started to pick up so Dave and I said we needed to go and get our awning down. So off we went back to our boat and took the awning down and by this time the wind was starting to kick up. Once it was down and put away I fixed dinner. After dinner the wind started howling and really kicking up. We may not get much sleep tonight. We ended up having to close down the hatches so the wind wouldn’t blow them open and then put the middle window to the dodger down and zipped it. Then we had to let the side screens down so the wind wouldn’t blow the cushions around in the cockpit. We had some pretty good gusts. Oh boy!!! The fun is just starting!!
Thursday, October 8. Puerto Don Juan.
We actually didn’t get a lot of wind last night. It started to pipe up around 11:00pm but we didn’t have the high gusts like we did during the afternoon. So we were able to sleep pretty well.
Dave was up at 7:00am to listen to the weather but couldn’t hear Don very well so we ended up listening to him at 8:15am on the Baja net. We are supposed to get winds from the NW 25-30 knots this afternoon and then by tomorrow it will start lying down. So one rockier rolly afternoon and maybe evening and then Friday it will be much better. We are going to go back to Bahia de Los Angeles tomorrow morning and I think a few other boats will do the same. Then on Saturday those of us who need to get groceries and fuel will meet Allan at Guillermo’s and he’ll drive us around town so we can get what we need and refuel. That will be the last time for fuel and provisioning before we leave here. We will leave early next week to start our trek south. There is another storm brewing off of Acapulco but I hope it won’t affect our travels.
Today I will do some laundry, put dishes away from last night, and help Dave with putting tools and parts away in the starboard aft stateroom under the bed. Then we will straighten and put things away and get a head start on preparing for open water.
The weather has changed so much here that the water is really cold and Dave and I had to put on our flannel and sweats and I even had to wear socks because my feet got cold. I told Dave last night that the only thing we needed to feel like we were back home is some rain!
We are running the generator and making water right now before the wind kicks up. When we get done with that and it isn’t really windy, we will go ashore and do some exploring.
Remember I said there is a Mexican guy who has bought all the property around here from Pescador, which is south of us here in Don Juan, including Don Juan? Well the power boat he owns came in last night after dark and came up the channel. Right away one of the cruisers (female) starts to panic, thinking that boat is going to anchor and hook on another anchor or anchor and swing right into another boat. Well we have a cruiser named Jim, who speaks Spanish, so he was asked to contact the boat to let him know we all had about 150 to 200 feet of chain out. Well the response from Jim was “the boat has radar and he knows this area so there shouldn’t be a problem but he would alert him anyway”. A few minutes later Jim came back and said that the response from the power boat was “We have the owner onboard that owns all the land”. Well-----that stopped all the chit chat in a hurry. So the power boat anchored and all was quiet. Then about an hour later we see the power boat on the move coming our way. Apparently they were not comfortable with where they anchored so they came in front of us. All was good and they left this morning. There is a cruiser who anchored in the middle of the channel here that put his anchor out and a mooring ball, which is stupid. The power boat moved because he didn’t want to get tangled in that. The cruiser doesn’t need to mark his chain it just causes problems with other boats and anchors. As the power boat left, they were friendly and waved to us that were on deck to say goodbye. I think the captain was trying to tell us that the owner could make it so we wouldn’t be able to access this part of his land if he wanted to. So it added a little excitement for us last night.
It is a beautiful crisp morning and we are enjoying not having to carry a sweat towel around everywhere we go.
After we finished making water and charging the batteries we went for a dinghy ride. The place I wanted to go explore ended up not being a good spot to get out of the dinghy. There were lots of sting rays and it was pretty shallow and would have to get out of the dinghy and pull it a long way to shore. So we just decided to go to another beach area called the “Bathtub”. There was another couple there burning their trash and so we parked our dinghy and got out. We chatted with them for a few minutes and I left to walk the beach looking for treasures and also get some exercise. Dave stayed behind to talk. I found a different type of clam shell to add to my treasures and also another sea urchin that had pink on it. Then a couple shells for projects. When I walked back to where they were talking another couple came on shore and we stood and talked for a while. Then we all left to go back to our boats. There is a bring your own cocktail party on a big catamaran named s/v Rhumb Line, tonight after the net so I will make a snack to take. Should be fun. We were supposed to have winds this afternoon but all we have is a light breeze. So it looks like the winds are tapering down and I think all of us are going to be out of here tomorrow morning. I need to get into the village so I can post my blog. It is hard to believe it is time to leave already. The summer did go quickly just like all summers.
Dave didn’t tackle putting his tools and stuff away so maybe after we get back to B of L.A. we will do it.
We changed our clothes and got our drinks and snack ready to take with us to the party. We went over there after the net as a lot of the other cruisers were doing. Just about everyone showed up. Joyce and Mick that own the catamaran have all kinds of space for people as their beam is 30 feet wide. After everyone arrived, we sat and ate and drank and then Mick turned the music up and some of us started to dance. I watched for a little bit and then later on Dave and I joined in. We had such a good time. Mick was very impressed with the way Dave moves his shoulders when he dances. He was trying to mimic Dave and we all had fun watching. So there was food, tequila, music, lots of laughter, and a fun time was had by all. It was 10:00pm when we finally said goodnight and thanked them for a wonderful evening. We came back to our boat and went to bed shortly thereafter. There is no wind and just a little bit of a breeze. It is a lot warmer when the wind isn’t blowing.
Friday, October 9. Puerto Don Juan to Bahia de Los Angeles.
I didn’t sleep as soundly as I was hoping I would and it wasn’t due to the wind but the noise of the chain on the roller when it was slack. But none-the-less we did get some sleep and it was nice not to hear the wind howling. The coyotes were on shore last night before we left to go to the party. I think it is a family of 4. They make their walk along the water’s edge each night. Their den must be close by.
Dave was up at 6:30am and listened to the net at 7:00am. There is no weather on Friday but he checked in and then he listened to the other cruisers on the VHF talk to each other about when they were leaving. A couple of boats had already left. So at 7:30am I was up and Dave had already prepared most of the boat for getting underway and I helped with securing the dinghy and then turning on the radar and instruments and starting the motor. We pulled anchor and said goodbye to those who remained in the anchorage. A few of the boats are already starting their trek south. There are about 8 boats that will be in Bahia de Los Angeles until the first of the week and other boats that are going north or just hanging around the islands until November then heading south. We are planning on leaving to head south on Sunday or Monday. Depends of what the weather is doing. There is another system brewing way south of us so we want to keep an eye on that.
It took us an hour to get over to Bahia de Los Angeles and then we found a spot to drop our anchor. Once we were settled and we knew the anchor was dug in good, we shut down the engine and started putting things away and then I put up the awning and the windshield cover over the dodger. Dave hooked up the antenna for the computer and connected to the internet from and checked email and looked at the weather map. In order for me to post my blog I have to take my computer into the village and do it at the internet place.
We had something to eat and then we got our computers ready for the trip into town. Once we got to Guillermo’s we walked to the internet store. The internet was very slow so I had to wait a while before I could post the blog but eventually I did so that is done now. I tried getting into Yahoo to check emails and it was just too slow so I decided I would check them on the boat. Dave finished with what he needed to do and we packed up, paid and walked back to Guillermo’s and had some lunch. It was nice sitting at the table outside looking at the water and mountains with the blue sky. There is no wind today so it is a little warm but it isn’t hot.
We are beginning to see the snow birds come down for the winter months. More trailers are showing up and more gringos. I guess it gets pretty busy here in the winter. I imagine more money flows with the snow birds than with the cruisers. That is good for their village.
After lunch we came back to the dinghy and took off for the boat. When we got back on board Dave and I filled the fuel tank with the diesel we had in the 4 jerry cans and we will fill the jerry cans back up when we get to Santa Rosalia. Then Dave emptied out the starboard back locker so he could put the line back in that we had out in preparation for the hurricane. Then once that line was tucked away, we put the rest of the stuff back. That is all we are doing this afternoon. Now I am going to read while Dave does his thing on the internet.
It is kind of sad to be leaving here as we have enjoyed this area so much. It is really beautiful if you like a rustic atmosphere with mountains, sand, cactus, marine animals, fish, water, and hot summers. The sea life is incredible. Well we will probably be back next year.
We went to Costa Del Sol tonight for dinner with Peter, Marni, Tim, Michelle, Sally and Jerry as our last time here in Bahia de Los Angeles. It was fun. After tomorrow everyone will be leaving on different days. Peter and Marni are leaving tomorrow afternoon to head south. We will leave on Sunday and probably catch up to them in San Francisquito and then we will travel together to La Paz.
After dinner we walked back to where our dinghies were and said goodnight and came back to our boats. There is no wind and the sea is calm. It is a beautiful night. The weather is perfect in the day and at night now.
Tomorrow we will go in for the last food, gas can fill, and propane. Allan from will take us around to the stores and gas stations to get what we need. So it will be a busy day.
Here’s to a peaceful night.
Saturday, October 10.
We had no winds last night and so we slept well. Dave got up and listened to the net weather and I slept until 8:00am and got up and had my coffee. We got things ready for our village excursion for food and fuel. Dave decided he would take 2 of the diesel jerry cans in to have them filled and leave the other 2 for Santa Rosalia. We headed off to shore around 8:45am. There were some cruisers already there having breakfast or just sitting talking and waiting. By 9:30am everyone was there that wanted to ride in the truck. So most of the guys rode in the trailer that is towed behind the truck with a large water container for water for his house, and the rest of us were split between the truck bed and the back seat of the truck. There was a family of five who came with us. The family is off s/v Totem and they have a son who is the oldest and 2 daughters. The kids are towheads and very fair. They are adorable. I think they enjoyed riding in the back of the truck even though it was with other adults.
We stopped at all the grocery stores and one of the gas stations. They actually had diesel. Then we headed back toward Guillermo’s where we started and stopped at 3 more stores. When we were all done we came back to Guillermo’s loaded our dinghies with the fuel cans and groceries and then went back to the restaurant. Before I went to the restaurant I went to see Herman to tell him so long and take care. He is such a neat man!!! I walked to the restaurant and joined the other cruisers there and Dave and I had a lemonada. After visiting with everyone while drinking our lemonadas we had to say goodbye. We needed to get the groceries on the boat and then move the boat down to Gecko beach to look at a beach house. We had asked Allan at his beach party about any places around the area we could rent and maybe own and he said there were a couple. He told us there were some listed on the internet so we looked and found one that was interesting. So we sent an email to Allan and asked him about the place. He said he would talk to us when we came in on Saturday for the grocery and fuel run. So when we went in this morning Dave talked to Allan and asked a bunch of questions while I was talking with some of the other cruisers. Dave filled me in later on what was said. Anyway, Allan knows the people that own the house so he knows where it is and he could meet us in Gecko and show us the property and have us look around. We thought it would be easier to move the boat and have him meet us down there than take us there in the truck and have to bring us back. It would be a lot of back tracking for him as he lives on the opposite shore from Gecko further south. So I put the groceries away and then Dave took the engine off the back of the dinghy and laid it down on the dinghy floor so we could tow the dinghy better. The wind was coming up and with the engine on the back of the dinghy it pulls the front of the dinghy way to high out of the water. If we don’t have the dinghy close to the back of the boat when towing it, a wave or the wind could flip it over. So when all that was done we hoisted the anchor and drove to the end of the bay. We weren’t sure where this house was and so we had to wait to see Allan before dropping the hook. We circled around outside the area Allan told us to be and waited to see his truck. We finally saw it and when it stopped we went ahead and found a spot to drop the anchor. Once we were set, and the snubber line was on, Dave put the engine back on the back of the dinghy and off we went. The wind had picked up quite a bit and we knew we were going to get wet on the ride back to the boat. We brought the dinghy as far as the motor would allow without it touching rocks, and I jumped out and started pulling the dinghy to shore. Dave got out and helped and we were able to get it up on the sandy beach in front of the house. Allan was waiting for us and talking to a couple of the ladies that live close by. He introduced us to the ladies and then they left and Allan showed us around. He told us a little about the area and said the people want to sell the home because they built another one up the road.
This house is situated on an acre of desert land and it has a cute house with a guest house in front of it. The trailer is the sleeping and cooking area and then a living room and a dining area was built off the trailer. Allan said he would contact the owner because he has his email address where it wasn’t listed on the internet ad we saw. So Allan will contact the guy and have him get in touch with us to see if he would be willing to lease it to us with the option to buy in a year or two. We would have to sell the boat and all that kind of stuff. We fell in love with this area as it is perfect all year round for us. It does get hot but there hasn’t been a hurricane here and everywhere south is so humid and has the potential of getting hit by one. So we shall see what happens. We won’t know anything probably until we get back from our visit to the States. Allan seems to think they might be open to just about anything as they have had the house up for sale for a year with no offers. So we shall see. We decided when we were coming north to the Sea that we liked the climate better and there are all kinds of fish here to eat and other neat things so it just seems it would be our piece of paradise. The house is on the beach and there aren’t very many of them available here anymore that people aren’t living in. It is in pretty good shape just needs a little tender loving care. So we shall see what develops. We were not able to see inside the house except what we could through the shaded windows which wasn’t much. The guy is selling it with a small run about boat, and a 1977 beater truck. I think if we do get it we will end up tearing down the guest house, get rid of the trailer sell the boat as it needs a lot of work, and then build another house where the guest house is because that is where the beach is. The main house would become guest quarters. It has a single car garage and a work area. The main house is a two story with the garage and work space under it. We would prefer to have a one story place since we aren’t getting any younger. Some of the cruisers don’t understand why we would want to live here in Bahia de Los Angeles. Well we like rustic with the mountain and water view, cactus and most of all the weather. It just makes sense for us to settle. We made up our minds that we weren't going to cross the Pacific and go to the tropics as we found we don’t like a lot of humidity. Here it doesn’t rain much but when it does it is a drencher. The nice thing about this place is it is close to the village and the road doesn’t wash out like it does in La Mona. The people are very nice and we have met a few of the residents that live there and at La Mona year round. The other nice thing is family and friends could come and visit as we would have a place for them and it isn’t that far to San Diego and then a road trip from there. The other nice thing too is if this works out we won’t have to make the overnight crossing from La Paz to Mazatlan. Dave doesn’t want to make night crossings any more. We have lived aboard a boat for 16 years and we are looking for a place to settle. So there you go. We want our beach paradise. Dave just sent the owner an email so we will know soon enough if they are willing to work with us or not. So wish us luck. Oh by the way they are asking 79,000 U.S. for the house and pretty much everything in it. Yep you heard correctly. When these places sell they leave most of their items behind. So we wouldn’t have to buy any furniture or anything like that which helps us tremendously. Allan got the house he is living in now for 40,000 U.S. and the person left everything behind even clothes. That seemed weird but I guess that is what happens sometimes. So it is definitely a doable thing. We will still be able to see Mexico but by car. We can take a ferry from La Paz to Mazatlan or from Santa Rosalia to Guaymas and then tour different countries and see the things we want to. There is so much to do and see here it is unbelievable. And the art and culture is great. O.K. Enough of that.
After we looked at the house and talked to Allan about it, we found out we could renew our FM3’s in Ensenada and have that as our home base. That is what Allan and Barb did. There isn’t anything here in Bahia de Los Angeles to have anything like that done.
Tomorrow morning at first light we will be heading out of Bahia de Los Angeles for San Francisquito. It is about a 52 nautical mile trip so it will be an all day trip, but we should get there before sundown and meet up with Peter and Marni. They left today and stopped at Animas. One of the places we stopped on our way up. We should be in Santa Rosalia Wednesday.
So there you go. Now you know everything I know. We will be flying home in just a few weeks so we will get to see all of you and share our stories. I’m looking forward to that.
It’s time for a night cap and read some more of my book.
Sunday, October 11. Bahia de Los Angeles to San Francisquito.
We departed between 6:30-7:00am from Bahia de Los Angeles for San Francisquisto. It is a little lumpy right now due to current and a little wind. We have just past Puerto Don Juan anchorage and heading out to the point to turned right and head south. We have 11 knots of wind on lumpy seas and it is 9:10am. We have traveled 14 nautical miles and have 38 nautical miles to go. We are motoring as there isn’t enough wind to keep the sail full and our speed is anywhere from 6.2 to 7.0 knots. The current will be changing here pretty soon so we will end up going a little slower. So far so good.
After being at anchor and only doing short trips around Bahia de Los Angeles, I have to get my sea legs again. I do not like the rolly polly stuff. I did it before and I will do it again so no worries. The skies are clear and it is a beautiful day and we can see a couple of boats heading in the same direction as we are. Looks like there may be a few boats in San Francisquito. It’s roomy so no worries.
We put our headsail out to the second reef point and motor sailed then the wind died so we had to roll the sail in. As we get further south the wind is starting to pick up but I’m sure once we get around the point it will die down. The sail is out again because the wind is 19 knots behind us. The waves are about 5-6 feet and with the headsail out it keeps the bow from yawing us around. We are half way to San Francisquito and we are having a real rolly ride. We have been driving with the auto helm on but when we got hit by a good size wave on our beam it was time to hand steer. So I did that until I felt that the waves were calming down. It was a while before that happened. Items slid off the table and a couple doors slammed shut but other than that we fared well. One good thing about having the wind at 19 knots and the sail out is it pushed us along quite nicely to where we were going 7.8 knots. Sweet!!!! It wasn’t the best ride we have ever had but definitely not our worse either. We are making good time. Looks like we will be in San Francisquito around 2:30pm. We have 25 nautical miles to go.
With the weather system that is brewing way south of us, we are supposed to get some strong winds tonight and tomorrow from the south. The prediction is for 30-35 knots. We won’t be going anywhere with those kinds of winds. There were 2 sailboats that left San Francisquito as we were getting closer and they made it out around the point and one of them decided to come back into San Francisquito. It was blowing 17 knots and they would be traveling all night to get to Santa Rosalia at 6:00 or 7:00am. The one boat didn’t want to be in the wind and waves rocking and rolling all night and they knew the wind was going to pick up so I think they did the right thing. Each cruiser has to make that comfort level and safety decision. The other boat kept on going with 2 reefs in his sails. I hope they have a safe trip.
Auto is driving now since the wind and waves have subsided to where it is comfortable again. We are having a nice motor sail right now. The waves are now about 2-3 feet with the wind about 13-14 knots.
We saw a lot of dolphins swimming and jumping out of the water around our boat. They swam alongside the boat on both the starboard and port sides and also in front of and under the bow. I grabbed my camera and went to the bow to get some pictures. They move so fast it is hard to get a decent one. We’ll see. After a while they disappeared. We think they were feeding.
It is 1:12pm and we only have 14 nautical miles to go. The wind is at 13 knots on our beam having a great ride.
Before we got to the entrance to the bay we got a fast wind change which was out of the south. It luffed the headsail to where it was flogging so we rolled it in quickly and finished coming into the bay. We went over to where the other sailboats were on the west shore and found a spot to drop our anchor. Once that process was completed we settled in. Some of the cruisers were saying the wind was going to be south westerly’s and others said it was going to blow from the south. Well it won’t matter to us as we will be protected from everything but the north wind. Already we have only been here a little over an hour and the wind is blowing out of the south. We are getting a little wave swell from the outside, but it should be alright. If it isn’t we can move over to the other side of the bay. No worries.
ARRIVAL: 2:40PM
LOCATION: 28̊ 26:282 N/112̊ 52:684W
LOG: 6906.6 NM
TRIP: 45.01NM
ENG. HRS: 1334.3
There is no weather on Sunday nights so we don’t know what the winds will be like until tomorrow morning. So we will listen to the net weather at 7:00am and if it is going to be alright we may leave later that morning and go to Trinidad and anchor overnight and then go into Santa Rosalia the next morning. If it is going to be nasty on the seas with high winds tomorrow we will stay here and hopefully head out Tuesday for Santa Rosalia. We’ll know more tomorrow.
Just after the sun set I saw a sailboat come into the bay. I watched it for a little while and then I had to dump coffee grounds into the water and go do dishes. Dave watched the sailboat through the binoculars and it was getting dark and the boat had no lights on. He tacked back and forth for a while before dropping his anchor about 600 feet from where we are. We wondered if he lost all his navigation lights and engine as he was totally under sail even anchoring. I guess we will either find out tomorrow or not at all. It was just strange.
The wind seems to be coming out of the WSW right now. Don’t know if it will blow a lot or a little. We will know early in the morning as that is usually when all hell breaks loose.
Dave and I are just chilling tonight. I finished my Clive Cussler book, Navigator. I will start a different book tomorrow.
Monday, October 12. San Francisquito.
We didn’t do much today. The wind blew a little last night but was really blowing this morning until around 9:00am or 10:00am when it started warming up. Then the wind died but then we had rollers coming from the outside into the bay due to the current change. So it was a little rolly this afternoon. It is suppose to blow hard tonight.
We ran the generator this morning to make water and also so I could defrost the refrigerator and freezer. When that was done I finished my project of a crochet purse and read some of my book. Dave put his leg up for a while and then played cards. Later in the afternoon we emptied out the back guest room so Dave could put his dive gear away and some tools then I straightened out everything and made it look more orderly. Then we had a cocktail in the cockpit and listened to the weather.
We listened to the weather and it doesn’t sound good. Tropical storm Patricia is doing her thing and going to cause a lot of wind throughout the Sea of Cortez. It sounds like we will have strong winds tonight anywhere from 25-30 knots and then suppose to get more wind again tomorrow. So we will have to listen to the weather tomorrow to figure out what we will do. We are hoping Patricia will turn left and go out to the Pacific. Only time will tell.
The wind picked up before sundown and it looks like it will be increasing through the night. That won’t be fun because we don’t sleep well when it is blowing and we are at anchor. So we will have to make anchor checks through the night. It looks as though Dave will be sleeping on the couch or outside in the cockpit tonight.
I made some lasagna so we could freeze some for later and have a quick meal. We will have some tomorrow night for dinner. Tonight we had chili with coleslaw.
A charter fishing boat came in after dark and dropped anchor. It went right behind us. They leave all their lights on and usually run a generator all night. They have been in here before when we were here the last time. I don’t see how they can see anything with all the white lights on the deck. You would think it would ruin their night vision. It would us. But maybe they just lock into the radar and not bother with what is outside. Who knows?! Once they were anchored we felt it was safe to go below so we did.
We stayed down below when the wind started to howl because it was warmer. We ended up closing down all the hatches to keep it warm. I read my book by Luanne Rice titled, Beach Girls. One of the other cruiser ladies gave it to me to read. So far it is a really good book. About 11:00-11:30pm I went to bed and Dave stayed up. I will try to get up and check things out during the early morning hours.
Tuesday, October 13. San Francisquito to inner harbor of San Francisquito.
The wind blew all night last night and finally stopped sometime after 3:00am then it picked up again and stopped after 5:00am. I got up at 2:30am to look outside and make sure we were still anchored in the same place and found Dave sleeping and snoring out in the cockpit buried under an afghan. I looked around and took note of where we were and knew we hadn’t drug anchor. So I went down below again and went back to bed.
The alarm went off between 5:30am and 6:00am, and I thought I had set it for 6:00am. So I didn’t wake Dave yet. He had moved down below from the cockpit because it got cold when the wind picked up. So he was sleeping on the settee couch. At 6:00am I got up and turned the burner on to heat water for coffee. I got dressed and retied the dinghy lines onto the stern cleats for towing. We would be ready to leave after the weather if it was favorable to go. Dave wished we had left at 4:00am and I told him if he felt that strongly about it we should have done that. But the wind was still blowing pretty good at that time so there would have been confused seas. The wind settled down and I thought we might be able to leave today and then we listened to the net weather and it was suppose to blow to 30 knots today from the north and possibly tonight due to Patricia. So we had to stick around. One thing we needed to do is move out of where we were anchored because we were right in the line of the rollers coming from the tide change. So we pulled anchor and drove around the side of the bay we were on to look for a smoother riding anchor spot. The problem was it was either going to be a shallow spot or waves would wrap around the point so it would not be a comfortable anchorage. Peter and Marni suggested we come into the inner harbor where it was calmer. We didn’t think it would be deep enough as we draw 7 feet but they and the other cruisers said there was a spot for us. So we went ahead and anchored in the harbor. We had 8.8 feet under us coming through the harbor channel. There were a couple other boats out there in the bay that came in as well. There was the little sailboat that came in under sail with no lights, and we found out the captain is a woman single handing. And then one of our friend cruisers, s/v Windward Bound anchored in front of us. So there are 9 boats in this little harbor and we are all tucked in nice.
ARRIVAL: 9:54AM
LOCATION: 28̊ 25:747N/112̊ 51:881W
LOG: 6908.1NM TRIP: 1.31NM
ENG. HRS: 1335.3
The wind blew all day pretty good and I think it must have gotten to 20 knots. I decided today was a good day to clean the stainless steel. So that is what I did after we got settled and had something to eat. I started at the bow and worked my way back to the dodger. I did everything accept the handrails to the dodger and the gate stations. My back and shoulders were starting to hurt so it was time to quit. I will finish the job tomorrow.
After I finished with the stainless steel, I had lunch and then sat in the cockpit and read for a while then went below and took a long nap.
When I got up from my nap I went to the cockpit to read and enjoy the sunshine and breeze. It wasn’t as windy any more. We have to listen to the weather tonight to see what Patricia is up to. Dave went on line, as there is a military compound on shore and they have internet, so he was able to get onto the weather satellite page and check out the progress of Patricia. He said she wasn’t there anymore. Wow!!! That is really good news but we will have to listen to Don tonight to see what he says. So that is what we did and he doesn’t think she is there anymore either. But he had to give a forecast of if she were still there so he was calling for winds tonight out of the west and winds from the north tomorrow around 15-20 knots. We are thinking of leaving tomorrow but not until late afternoon and then we would motor all night and get to Santa Rosalia early the next morning. So after we listen to the weather tomorrow morning that will tell us if the winds are going to be favorable to leave in the afternoon tomorrow to go south. I hope so. There seems to be another disturbance brewing again south of Mazatlan but we won’t know anything until next Sunday or Monday on that one. So we just keep plugging along. I will be glad when we are finally in La Paz. Hurricane season is not officially over until the end of November so we have a ways to go.
Well it is calm right now and Dave is in the cockpit smoking his pipe. He hasn’t done that in a long time. I needed to catch the journal up so I stayed down below to do that and now I think I will join him in the cockpit. Hopefully we will have a restful night tonight. I sure hope so.
Wednesday, October 14. Inner Harbor of San Francisquito.
Another beautiful morning has arrived. We listened to the weather and we were originally going to leave this afternoon around 4:00pm and motor all night to get into Santa Rosalia in the morning of Thursday. Since listening to the weather we have had second thoughts. A couple of the reports said there would be wind from 15-20 knots, then Don said there would be anywhere from 20-30 knots out of the northwest. Tomorrow is supposed to be about the same and Friday the wind goes away. We may have to wait until Friday to leave. We just don’t want to rush out of here and end up being in nasty seas and wind all night long. So we talked to Peter and Marni and they are leaving today, heading out of the harbor around 3:00pm and will motor all night and be in Santa Rosalia in the morning early. We told them we weren’t sure what we were doing yet but would let them know. So Dave and I talked about it and I told him I didn’t want to get out there and have such sloppy seas that it would be miserable for us. I told him that if the wind is supposed to taper off each day, maybe we could leave tomorrow late afternoon and arrive in Santa Rosalia on Friday afternoon. So we decided to play it safe and stay here today and find out from Peter what it is like out there and whatever it is today it will be like that tomorrow so we will know whether to leave tomorrow or stay again. Right now we are looking at possibly leaving at 3:00am tomorrow morning and we will be in Santa Rosalia early afternoon. It doesn’t sound as bad as we will only be in the dark for 2-1/2 hours at the most and then we will be able to see everything. This is all subject to change due to what weather we hear tonight on the net and what Peter and Marni tell us after they have gotten out and around the point here. My back is just starting to feel better after our trek down here. I was using every muscle in my body hand steering and keeping upright and my body let me know it did not appreciate that treatment so that is why I am not willing to go out and get sloshed around for 12 hours. We’ll know here in about another hour as Peter and Marni will be leaving the harbor soon.
So what did we do today? I helped Dave clean the engine seawater strainer and then I went out and finished my stainless steel to the dodger and the handrails on each side of the dodger. It looks so much better. It was starting to get a lot of rust stains on it and once that is allowed to continue it starts eating at the stainless steel and pits it. So I don’t want that to happen. I will be glad when I can wash her up and make her pretty again. As far as getting to La Paz, by leaving Bahia de Los Angeles on the 11th, we have built in a little cush time for weather hold ups. So we will still be in La Paz at the end of the month. We may make it there 3 days before having to fly out, but at least we’ll be there. Patricia has gone away and the winds we are having are left over from her. The unsettling news is another system is brewing way south and we should be hearing what it is doing on Sunday or Monday. So I don’t think we are going to be staying anywhere too long on the way down to La Paz. We will do long days but if we have to move at night we will do that too.
When I finished the stainless steel, I sat in the cockpit for a while reading my book while Dave checked on the computer for the weather page to see what was going on and then he worked his Sudoku puzzles. I was getting hungry so I came down below and made us a tuna sandwich. After lunch I went back into the cockpit and read some more. I am almost finished with the book. It’s an emotional book so I will be glad to get back to a Clive Cussler one with adventure and all that kind of stuff.
It has been breezy in the harbor all day which is nice. Not to hot and not too cold. We can’t see what it is doing on the outside so we will be anxious to hear from Peter and Marni when they go out.
Dave and I slept well last night as the water was calm and there wasn’t much wind. I hope it will be like that tonight. Don did say we are supposed to get 30 knots of wind so we shall see.
We were going to deflate the dinghy a little and put it on the bow so we wouldn’t have to tow it, but the wind blew all day so we weren’t able to do that. Peter and Marni took off at 3:00pm and made it to the outside and called us later saying it was lumpy getting over the current waves but once they got out there they are having 12-15 knot winds and 2 foot seas which are really nice. The wind is from the NW and they are enjoying the ride. So we figured we would leave at this tomorrow morning and head out. We have to go when the tide will let us, as the mouth of the harbor gets really shallow. Another boat in the harbor is looking at leaving around midnight. We will check weather tonight to see what Don has to say. It is windy right now and it has even picked up to about 20 knots. Hmmm. I think it is because the wind is funneling down through the bay and the narrow opening to the harbor. So right now it looks like we will be leaving in the wee hours of the morning and getting to Santa Rosalia in the early afternoon tomorrow. Again it depends on the wind. It is 7:37pm and the wind seems to be lessening so we’ll see. I have never left anywhere that early in the morning in the boat so I’m looking forward to it plus Dave and I are glad we aren’t making an overnighter as it makes for a very long night. So I guess we might turn in a little earlier tonight so as to get some rest before we leave.
Thursday, October 15.
Well we didn’t leave this morning like we wanted to as the wind started picking up around 11:00pm and it blew all night around 25 knots until around 4:00 or 5:00am. By that time the tide was too low for us to get through the channel of the inner harbor so we had to stay put. Peter and Marni got down to Santa Rosalia around 3-3:30am and ended up having to maneuver through 6 foot swells into the marina. Dave tried to tell them it only took 12 hours but they thought it would take them 14 so that wasn’t so good for them.
The wind has picked up again this morning and is supposed to blow all day and into the night. We are still deciding whether to move out of the harbor and anchor in the bay or just wait and see what the wind does and if we are still facing to the north we will have a straight shot out of the harbor at 2:00am. This is the frustrating part about boating. Even if we have to stay here until Friday, we are still in good shape to get to La Paz at the end of the month. We will just make long day passages until we get close to La Paz. We want to get to Puerto Escondido before the next systems comes our way. Even though hurricane season is officially over 30 November, he sea is going to have winds no matter what from the north and you just have to be careful about weather and have a plan of where to go if there is a hurricane or tropical storm like we are experiencing. Some years there is nothing and other years you have all kinds of weather and seas. Just like it is at home. Up here in the Sea of Cortez our travels are centered on what the weather is doing. So we are always making decisions of whether to leave an area or stay.
So for now we are just waiting to see what is going to happen. We had one boat leave this morning but most of the boats are waiting for Friday. So I have started another crochet purse and I finished my book last night and I will be starting another Clive Cussler book titled Black Wind.
Dave and I made the decision to leave at 4:00am tomorrow. It seems that the wind is worse inside here than it is out there so we are going to just go for it. We have to get to Santa Rosalia so we can make phone calls and email people in case this storm tracks to the Baja. We are so hoping it turns right and goes out to sea and dies, or if it turns left soon it will go toward the mainland and go away. If it goes north and then curves the track will bring it right over La Paz. So let’s hope and pray that doesn’t happen. Dave was able to call the airlines and ask them about our tickets to find out if we could change our reservations if the hurricane comes across the Baja. They told us we could since we have first class tickets. So that was good to hear. The thing that worries us about this hurricane is it will be a force 4 which packs a powerful punch. So we will check the weather on line again at 8:00pm and see what it is doing. It is moving fast and that always indicates a powerful system. We are praying it goes away.
I crocheted for a little bit but with the wind blowing I just couldn’t sit still so I cleaned the leather settee. I thought it was going to be dirtier than it was but I was pleasantly surprised. The wind blew 18-20 knots all day today and all we could say was “Go away”!!!!! Well it did finally at about 6:30pm and then it came back again and was 25 knots right away. We just don’t want it blowing hard in the morning because that would make it difficult to keep the boat under control as the anchor is coming up. The wind has gone down to about 15 knots which doesn’t make noise like 18 knots do. I’m really hoping and praying we will be able to get out of here tomorrow morning and have a good ride down to Santa Rosalia.
The dinghy is tied to the cleats so it is ready to go and I got lines out so I will be ready to set up the boat for docking as we get into Santa Rosalia Marina. So I think we are set. We will stow what needs to be down below and when it comes to the wee hours of the morning we will be ready to start the engine, pull the anchor and leave. Dave has already checked the tides for tomorrow morning so we will have enough water under our keel to leave the harbor.
Who says our lives are boring?! Not us that is for sure!!! We would prefer not to have this much excitement though.
We have finished dinner and I am waiting for the water to get hot so I can wash dishes. Dave went to start the generator tonight and it sounded funny and it didn’t start the first time. So he tried it again and it started but he was not happy with the way it sounded. So he looked at the start battery and sure enough it needed lots of water. So we filled it and now we should be good. Well I better get some sleep as 3:00am comes pretty quick.
Friday, October 16, 2009. Inner Harbor of San Francisquito.
Woohoo!!!! We have left the inner harbor and are heading south. Dave and I didn’t sleep soundly. We would get up to check things out when we heard the wind. The anchor chain was clanking and I could hear the lines stretching when the wind came up. At one point I got up to look outside to make sure we were still in our same location. We were so I went back to bed. The alarm went off around 2:45am so we got up and heated water for coffee and then we finished up last minutes stuff to get underway. We were planning on leaving around 4:00am so we were having our coffee when Dave heard a thunk on the hull and wondered what that was. I told him I have been hearing that all morning. So he went to the bow to check the anchor and found that the anchor snubber line broke. The wind had been around 10 knots but as we were standing on the bow it started to build and I told Dave we needed to leave the harbor and get into the bay before the wind really picked up. So he took the snubber off the chain (the metal piece was still on the chain just one side of the line came loose). Then I went back to the cockpit and went below and turned on the instruments and radar and turned on the start battery and then went back to the cockpit and started the engine. Dave started to hoist the anchor and as soon as it was up I throttled up a little and headed out to the bay. The bad thing was it was still pitch black and I couldn’t see much so had to rely totally on the radar. So I held a course to go straight down the middle of the entrance to the harbor and watched the depth. We did just fine and then when we got out into the bay we slowed down because we didn’t want to go to the outside yet due to current waves. We weren’t sure where they were so we wanted to wait until we had a little more light. As it worked out, another boat left right after we did and they have been cruising around here for 10 years so he knows where to go. So we called him and said “lead the way”. So he did. We were catching the current on an ebb so it was pretty benign. It was good. It was so much better leaving early in the morning and only being in the dark for about 2-1/2 hours as opposed to traveling all night in the dark. I have never done that before so it was kind of cool. As s/v Sea-tacean past us and took the lead we followed until it got light and then we were o.k. We watched the crescent moon come up which was really unique as the crescent was lit and it cast light on the rest of the moon so you were able to see the outline of the moon. It was neat. Then Venus or Mars was not far from it so they were coming up together. It got lighter and lighter and pretty soon the sun came up. It was nice. I was surprised of how warm it was for so early in the morning. I thought it would be cold so I wore sweats and a t-shirt. When the sun came up it got warmer and I definitely didn’t need sweats and a t-shirt. So I went below and changed into a short sleeve shirt and shorts. Ahhh!! Much better!!! A little bit of a breeze came up so we pulled out the headsail to the second reef and motor sailed. It was a really nice ride and we were enjoying it very much. We were so happy to be underway and have the seas calm and the wind calm. We did have some rolling waves while we went through the current but that wasn’t unpleasant. As the morning progress we saw a whale water spot on the horizon. I was wondering if we would be able to see any up close. I don’t know because after spotting the water spout, it sounded and I didn’t see it anymore. Shortly after that Dave was sitting in the cockpit and he said there were porpoises swimming alongside the boat. I was on the other side of the cockpit so I went to his side and watched and sure enough here comes a pod of dolphins. They were playing under the bow and alongside the boat and weaving in and out and then one jumped way out of the water right next to our boat. Did I have my camera at ready to get that shot of a life time? Nope!!!! Another spectacular photo op missed. Darn!!!! No other dolphins jumped out of the water so I missed my opportunity. The only thing about trying to get pictures like that is you have to be poised and ready to shoot hoping they will jump. When you are trying to keep an eye on where you are going and what is around you, it is a little hard to do that. Oh well. At least it is imprinted in my mind of how beautiful it was. I went to the bow to watch them swim and weave in and out from under the bow, enjoying how fluidly they move through the water and how fast they are.
They are really beautiful creatures. I even got a chance to hear them talk to each other as they came to the surface. That was cool!!!As we were motoring along, we ended up having to roll the headsail in as the wind was having a hard time making up its mind which side of the boat it wanted to blow on. As we went along I crocheted for a little while and then I took notes on our trip so I could enter it in the journal/blog. As we got closer to Santa Rosalia we hit a current. We slowed way down and Dave was thinking the bottom of the boat was really dirty or there was something in the prop. As we went along we found out it was just current and it lasted a long, long time. We tried going to the right but no change. We were still going about 5.7 knots. We went to the left and it didn’t change. We found out we were on a shelf that went really deep and the current ran for miles. On the shoreline I saw a lot of whale water spouts and I looked out off our port side and saw a whale on the surface feeding. We think it was a fin back.
That was kind of cool. Then we started to come around the point that is just north of Santa Rosalia and we picked up some wind so we rolled out the headsail to the second reef. The wind and waves are intensified around the point so knowing that we didn’t want to have all our sail out. We were still bucking current and at 2500rmp we were only going 5.7 to 6.0 knots. We should have been flying with the sail up and 15 knots of wind. So it was a slow trip down. As we got further around the point the seas became confused so we were being tossed a little but with the sail up and auto driving it wasn’t too uncomfortable. We wanted to get fuel as soon as we got into the marina, but when Dave called the marina to see how late the fuel dock would be open they said it closes at 5:00pm. That is the time we will be getting in there so I guess fuel will have to wait. No worries there. We were getting a little concerned about how we were going to get the dinghy up to the back of the boat and get lines on and try to back into a slip when we got in. Dave called the office and asked where they wanted us to moor and they said anywhere there was an open spot. But we had to get inside the marina to see anything and it didn’t give us a lot of time to rig the boat for docking. I tried to pull the dinghy up while underway in the waves and it just was not going to work. It was putting a lot of strain on the dinghy. So I forgot about that and said I would do it when we got to calming water. So instead I got lines ready to attach to the cleats once the dinghy was pulled up and off the aft cleats and then I went to the bow and put the bow line on the deck so all I would have to do is put it on the cleat to where we were going to moor to the dock. Being we were coming from the north and the wave action was pretty crazy, we would have to turn right to go into the marina which meant we would have the waves on our beam which is not good. So I went below to check and make sure everything was secured in case we had a really rough rolly ride, then came back up into the cockpit and braced for our entrance. Dave took the wheel and steered us into the marina and did a very fine job. We made it safe and sound and didn’t have much wave action on the beam which relieved us to no end. Now once inside the marina where were we to go. Since it was really windy it would have been really hard to back into a slip so we chose an end tie. We had people helping us with lines and so we were in and got tied to the dock. The head guy, Carlos was there and he said we could move tomorrow if we wanted to to a slip up the dock. He was going to put us in that slip but decided it was too windy for that. So we will move tomorrow morning when the wind is calm. So we are here now and so glad to be out of the sloppy seas. We WERE enjoying the ride until we were almost to the marina and then it got a little nasty. But we made it and that is what counts. ARRIVAL: 5:13PM
LOCATION: 27̊ 20:282N/112̊ 15:771W
LOG: 6978.0NM TRIP: 69.91NM
ENG. HRS: 13483
After we got settled and got the dinghy situated alongside the dock behind the boat, we were told there is a fund raiser party tonight up by the office. We are so tired, but we will probably go up to check it out. I didn’t feel like cooking so we had a rum and coke, cheese, crackers, and apple slices for dinner. After that I cleaned up and we took a shower and got dressed to go to the festivities. We walked up and found the cruisers upstairs at the little pub up there drinking beer and eating snacks. The fund raiser was for those who need help after the hurricane. So they had food and drinks and what you bought went toward helping the community. So that was great. The beer was good and I was so full from dinner I didn’t eat anything. Around 9:00pm music started to play and then dancing started. Lena from m/v Hobo wanted to dance but her hubby wouldn’t dance with her so she asked me to dance. So went down to where the band was playing and other people were dancing and we joined in. Pretty soon we had other cruisers dancing. It was a lot of fun. It was getting late so Dave and I needed to call it a night. So we said goodnight and by this time everyone else was pretty much ready to do the same. So we came back to the boat and went to bed. It didn’t take us long to fall asleep!!! Gee!!! Go figure!! We are happy to be back in Santa Rosalia. This is a neat place and the marina is great and it is a little cooler than the last time we were here thank goodness.
Saturday, October 17, 2009. Santa Rosalia.
I was a little hung over this morning ya think?! So I had my coffee and Dave was already up and talking to people on the dock. We need to move the boat this morning so we are waiting for the wind to stop and then we will. The wind seems to stop at 9:00am for an hour and then picks back up again. That is what has been happening the last few days. So we got everything ready and we fired up the engine and got the fenders down and lines switched and started moving to our new home. We got in without any problems and we had plenty of help. After getting in and getting settled we went back to the end tie we just moved out of and brought our stuff that was on the dock to where the boat is now. Then we paddled the dinghy to the new slip and tied it to the dock. We were going to wash the dinghy and all that kind of stuff but quite frankly Dave and I just didn’t feel like doing that. Also we have been so use to cooler weather I was sweating up a storm and it was pretty warm. So we decided to hold off on cleaning and do it tomorrow. Dave and I pretty much didn’t do anything all morning and part of the afternoon. He checked us in and we told them we weren’t sure how long we were going to stay as hurricane Rick is brewing south and is predicted to make landfall at Cabo San Lucas and come across the land toward La Paz. So we need to just wait and see what it is going to do and where it will go. It is a fast moving system so we just don’t know. We are supposed to be in La Paz at the end of this month so we can fly out to come home on November 1. If this hurricane comes ashore our plans will change drastically. So for now we are waiting and we will stay here. The hurricane is not predicted to come this far north so we will be safe here.
Early this afternoon I got tired of sitting around so I decided I would start my cleaning. So I chose to start in our stateroom. I emptied out all the cabinets and vacuumed then put the clothes back then vacuumed the shelves then the floor and even under the mattress. I changed the sheets, and shook the bathroom rug. I was expecting to see some dead flies on the shelves but I didn’t it was pretty clean. But at least I know it is clean and I feel better now. I will be doing each room like that so as to get rid of dust and dirt. Tomorrow is dingy cleaning day. So little by little we will get the boat back to a clean state again, inside and out.
Tomorrow I will need to do laundry too. It will be nice to have really clean clothes. Washing them by hand doesn’t get them really clean, but at least they smell better and the sweat is out of them.
We had dorado for dinner and then after dinner Dave checked the hurricane status and I send some emails and caught up the journal. The wind didn’t come up today so it was pretty warm. We rain the fans all day but later in the afternoon it was pretty warm down below so we turned on the air conditioner. Then when we go to bed we will run the fans.
Tomorrow dawns another day to clean something and to see what ole hurricane Rick is up to. Right now some of the models are showing it turning further south. One has it directed to Mazatlan. That is not a good sign. This guy is packing some furry!! We will know more in the morning. It is getting close to bed time. I’m sure we will sleep very well tonight.
Sunday, October 18.
Today is another beautiful sunny warm day. We have been watching the track of the hurricane and it looks better for us each time we do that. It is curving more to the right and now is expected to make landfall at Cabo San Lucas and then shoot over to the mainland side. It is a good thing we are not in Mazatlan because they are going to have some serious winds and waves there. The way it looks now we won’t be getting any major winds here. So we are just going to sit tight. We are using this time to get our boat cleaned inside and out and today we washed the dinghy, took the barnacles off the bottom that were starting to grow and then when it was all dry we rolled it up and it is ready to put on the deck when we wash the boat which is tomorrow’s project. So little by little. Hopefully by the time we get to La Paz a lot of the boat will be clean so we won’t have to do much. As we go further south the weather gets warmer.
Dave game a weather lesson this afternoon for the people that are on the other side of the dock from us. She is afraid of the swells the hurricane might generate, but Dave reassured her it isn’t going be much. They were here when Jimena hit and so understandably they are nervous. They want to cross over to Guaymas and we told them about 3 to 4 days after the hurricane has gone is a good time because the seas will have a chance to calm down. Some people are leaving tomorrow to go a little further south and some are going north. We are just staying here. I don’t think we will get more than 40 knots of wind. We have been through that much wind so no worries. Tomorrow will be the time to know where Rick is going. Then we will be able to make our plans for going home. Cabo San Lucas is going to get hit big time so even if we get to La Paz in time for us to fly out on the 1st of November the airport probably won’t be operating. So we just wait and see what will happen.
It was a warm one today. It must have been 90. I am glad we got the dinghy cleaned. It looks really good and came pretty clean despite all the fish blood, sand and salt water.
We had tamales delivered to the boat last night which we thought would be here today, but that is alright. They are chicken so we will have them for dinner tonight with some refried beans. Not much else going on here. We are going to relax, have dinner and relax some more. We are now an hour later than when we were in Bahia de Los Angeles. It is nice to have the light a little longer.
We are finished with dinner and dishes and now we are having a glass of wine, enjoying music and air conditioning. It’s going to be a great night. Tomorrow we will know if we have to change our flight reservations and when we will be leaving here. Our greatest concern here is to have enough rum and coke onboard!!! Ha!! No worries.
Monday, October 19.
It is going to be another warm day. There is a little breeze which helps. Dave and I washed the deck and then I washed all the screens in the hatches and then the inside of the hatch as they were filthy from being open all the time.
I defrosted the freezer and will defrost the refrigerator tomorrow. We turned on the air conditioning and will probably leave it on since after it cools the boat, it will click off and just run the fans.
When the boat chore was finished I took clothes up to wash and dry. When I was finished with that I was done!!! I brought the clothes back to the boat and didn’t even put them away.
Later that afternoon we walked into town and went to the bakery to buy some french bread and then went to about three stores looking for gin and rum. The last store we went in we found gin but they didn’t have the rum we wanted so we bought the gin and then walked back toward the marina. We went to the mini market just across the street from the marina to see if they had any tonic water and we found the rum we wanted but no tonic water. Well that wasn’t bad. We bought the rum and walked back to the boat. I fixed us a gin and tonic before dinner and then heated leftover lasagna in the microwave, made a green salad and had the french bread and wine.
After dinner and dishes, we listened to music and Dave went outside to smoke a cigar. I messed around on the computer and did a little crocheting.
It was a nice night but it was warm. We are nice and cool down below as either the fan is running or the air conditioner is.
Tuesday, October 20.
Today is another work day. I rinsed down the windshield and dodger, the screens around the cockpit and the cockpit. It felt really good to get all the sand, dirt, and salt off. I took the cushions out and rinsed them off and the lounge chairs and then set them out to dry. When everything was dry I put it all back. Looks so much better. Our boat is white again!! When I started the rinsing project I had low water pressure then it got even lower so I had to stop and wait until later. Finally it came back to full force and I was able to finish the job. I am soaking one of the lines in a bucket because there was so much salt in it it was stiff. I should be able to hang it to dry tomorrow.
I put the clean clothes away and washed the dishes that were in the sink. I took a shower and got dressed for dinner. We are going to a Chinese restaurant up the street. We have had a couple cruisers tell us it was good.
When Dave and I walked through town yesterday it was sad to see all the destruction left over from hurricane Jimena. We saw where the mud rushed down the street toward the water and a store that was along the street there got demolished. The building next to it was heavily damaged. All kinds of wood debris are up and down the beach. It is a mess. They have done a remarkable job in getting the town back to where it can function but you can see where a lot of places and roads need to be repaired. Santa Rosalia got hit twice by the hurricane. At least Rick won’t be coming up here. It is headed for Mazatlan. We know some people who are there so I really hope their boats and the marina (El Cid) holds up. We are starting to see winds around 25-30 knots which will continue all night and until tomorrow afternoon. Once the storm reaches the mainland the winds will die.
We went to the Chinese restaurant and it was good. There wasn’t anyone else eating there so when we walked in they took us to a table right away, gave us menus and then a young girl came and stood by our table until we were ready to order. Then she took our order and a few minutes later we had our ice tea. Then about 10 minutes or so after that dinner was served. The young girl spoke very little English and no Spanish just Chinese. So it was interesting. When we were done with dinner we sat and sat. The family ate dinner and so we figured when they were finished we would get the bill. We waited and when we saw the girl we asked for the check. So it was an interesting experience. We wondered what sparked them to move to a Mexican town like Santa Rosalia and start a restaurant. Mazatlan is the only other place I know that has a Chinese restaurant. At least this one here was owned and run by Chinese with Mexican helpers.
When we got back to the boat the wind had picked up and we put another line on the bow and re-secured the electrical cord so it wouldn’t go in the water. I’m hoping we can sleep tonight. As least we have a big power boat on the windy side of the dock so we are somewhat protected.
Wednesday, October 21.
We had winds through to the wee hours of the morning and then all went quiet for a while and then they picked up again. So Dave and I didn’t get much sleep. Dave woke to a clanging on the deck so he went out to find out what the racket was and it was the halyard. So he tightened it and came back to bed.
We can’t get the net in the marina so we go online to get the weather maps to see what it will do today and tomorrow. It still looks good to leave Saturday morning.
I defrosted the refrigerator and made ice. Then I went to the cockpit and cleaned the consul then polished the stainless steel under the bimini. Dave finished the rest of it for me which was under the dodger. He started on the stairs going down below but didn’t finish. He said he would finish it tomorrow.
For the last 3 to 4 days I haven’t been feeling well and suspect I have a bladder infection. So I emailed my doctor at Group Health and told him of my symptoms and wanted to know if that is what I had. Well of course they can’t tell you without a test so the response was I would have to see someone here. Carlos, manager of the marina walked by the boat while I was still in the cockpit working and I asked him if there were any doctors in town that spoke English. He said no. He asked if I needed a translator and I said yes. I told him what I suspected but needed to have it confirmed and then start medication. So he offered to have his wife pick me up in the morning at 9:00am and take me to the doctor. That was really nice. So I thanked him and went back to work and he went back to his office.
I crocheted a little bit, sent some emails and that was about it. The boat is looking much better. I was really tired so I took a nap.
Three semi trucks pulled up to the marina and the military guys and the Red Cross people were there to unload the trucks that were filled with boxes of emergency supplies. What had happened was after the hurricane Jimena, Santa Rosalia and also Muleǵe used up all their emergency supplies of necessary things like tooth brushes, tooth paste and that kind of stuff plus laundry detergent, mops and the like. So these shipments were to give back to the people what was used and depleted. They filled three rooms here at the marina and a lot of the left over boxes that can’t fit anywhere are under cover outside. They put tarps over the stacks of boxes to protect them from the elements. I imagine this weekend there will be groups coming from all over to pick up these supplies.
We were invited to a little girls’ birthday party up in what we call the ‘cold room’, as it is air conditioned, at 6:30pm. Dave and I planned on going to the restaurant that serves really good rotisserie chicken. So we figured we would have desert first, which will be the birthday cake, and then go to dinner. Well we ended up getting an invite to for with another couple to get a hot dog and then come back to their boat for beer. So we accepted. We all will go to the birthday party and then go to dinner. At about 6:20pm Dave and I changed our clothes and headed up the pier to the ‘cold room’. The family was there with a couple of the Mexican women that work here with their kids, and then a couple more Mexican people showed up plus a few of the gringo cruisers to help Skyler celebrate. It was fun. We all sat around and talked and had some snacks then cake was served. We stayed a little longer after cake then left to go to dinner. Lynn, Rick, Dave, and I walked to town and ordered a bacon hot dog from the hot dog stand on the corner by the church. When we were finished we walked to the ATM machine as Rick and Dave needed to get money and then we walked to a store that sells Pacifico beer and then we walked back to the marina to their boat which was just a boat away from us. We had a nice visit and finally around 10:00pm we said our goodbyes and walked over to our boat. I was tired so I headed for bed. Dave stayed up. The wind did finally die down and now it is nice outside. I think we will be able to sleep tonight. I hope!!!
Thursday, October 22.
It is a beautiful morning. I got up and had a cup of coffee before I walked up to meet Carlos’ wife, Rosie. She drove Carlos to work and then we took off for the doctor’s office. The doctor she took me to doesn’t takes walk-ins and being it was early, I was his first customer. Rosie explained to the doctor what my symptoms were so he took us to an exam room, asked a few questions then took my temperature, which was the old fashion way of under the arm pit. He asked me questions and Rosie translated. He checked my ears and throat and had me do the breathing thing where he listened with the stethoscope, listened to my heart, took my blood pressure and said I had a blood pressure of a 15 year old. I gave him a thumb up sign. He laughed. Then he did an ultra sound to look at the kidneys and bladder and all the other organs. Everything thing was fine except the right kidney and bladder which confirmed what I had expected, a bladder infection. So he wrote out a prescription and then a lab ticket. So I get to go drop off my urine specimen tomorrow morning at 8:00am. Rosie is picking me up and taking me to the lab and then she will bring me back to the marina and will come back again in the afternoon to go get the results and take them to the doctor. I can’t believe how cool it is to have someone doing all that for me. She use to live in Arizona and went to school there and college so she speaks very good English. Her husband Carlos is a lawyer and also helps manage the marina, and he also speaks good English. So it is really nice to have those kinds of people who are willing to help a perfect stranger get the help they need. So I have started the medicine and will be taking it for a few days. I am really glad I was able to get this taken care of now instead of waiting until we got to La Paz. I didn’t feel real good now but can you imagine how I would feel when I got to La Paz? So all is good.
We didn’t do much today. I did wash the bow awning and was going to shine the stainless steel on the back of the boat but I just didn’t feel like it. I can do that when I feel up to it. I crocheted a bit and then Dave and I worked on my computer to get it working again. Somehow when I turned it off the other day I did something and now my desktop is corrupt. Oh yea! So we worked on that all afternoon and it still isn’t right but at least I can get to this file so I can update the journal. He will take another look at it again tomorrow. What a bummer.
Fran, who is one of the ladies that clean the bathrooms here at the marina, came by to write out and explain how to make tamales. She wrote it in Spanish and there are only a couple ingredients I didn’t know what they were so I will look them up which is a good thing for me!! What is really neat is she only speaks a little English but we understood each other just fine.
Boats are starting to arrive from up north, working their way south. John and Sandy on s/v Masquerade came in this morning along with s/v Jackaranda after doing a 24 hour passage from Puerto Don Juan to Santa Rosalia. There are 2 boats heading to Santa Rosalia from San Francisquito, s/v Windward Bound and s/v Juniata. S/v Windward Bound had their starter die so they ended up being towed by s/v Juniata. They should arrive in the morning. S/v Windward Bound will be here for a few days I’m afraid. The marina has filled up quickly but about 3 or 4 boats, including us, will be leaving Saturday so it will make room for the rest of the cruisers heading south.
We visited with John and Sandy for a little bit this afternoon on their boat and then we came back to our boat, changed clothes and walked to town to have our chicken dinner. The food was really good but there was a lot of it and I really didn’t feel all that great so I took most of it home. Lunch tomorrow. We are now relaxing and I think I will be going to bed early tonight.
Friday, October 23.
I got up this morning just in time to dress and head up to wait for Rosie. She was running a little late but no worries as I had all day. Carlos is off work today and they had errands to run so they came and got me, took me to the lab so I could drop off the specimen and pay so Rosie can come back and get the results this afternoon and then at 5:30pm pick we up and take me back to the doctor. That way he will know for sure there isn’t anything else going on.
Today is Rosie and Carlos daughter’s birthday so they are picking her up from school at 1:30pm and taking her to a restaurant to celebrate. She already opened her gift this morning before she left for school so she is a happy girl.
When Carlos and Rosie dropped me back at the marina I was walking down to the boat and noticed a sailboat off the pier. It looked really big. Mind you, I haven’t had any coffee yet!!! As it turned out that was s/v Windward Bound and Juniata coming in. They did a great job in getting to the dock and there was lots of help. The most wind they have had through the entire trip was right here at the marina. With an offshore breeze it made it a little difficult to dock but they did it. Now everyone is in safe and I think Jim off s/v Windward Bound is going to order a new starter and have it delivered to the bus station right next door. So that will be good.
I have finally been able to have my coffee so I’m good. After that it is time to clean heads and get the boat ready for travel. Then I have to walk to town and get some fruit and a couple other supplies for our trek to La Paz. If I am energetic enough I may shine the aft stainless steel. I also have to wash clothes too. So another busy day.
Well the shining of the stainless steel isn’t going to happen today. I cleaned the forward head and then the sump pump needed cleaning so I was in the process of cleaning that and ended up cleaning up another mess. Since we can hook up the water hose to the boat so we don’t have to use the water in our tanks, I am taking advantage of being able to wash things without having to worry about whether we will run out of water or not. So I was running water into the sink so it would drain into the sump pump to allow me to really clean it well. I was doing well and then all of a sudden the water sound changed and I look up into the head and water is over flowing out of the sink. Oh boy!!! So I turned the water faucet off and grabbed towels to sop up the water. It was everywhere to the point I had to take everything off the shelves and wipe them off and let them dry and in the process everyone of my towels got wet. So instead of having just a load of clothes to was today I have 2. O.K. So I got the plunger out and used it on the sink. I couldn’t believe how much crud came loose from the hose and drained into the sump pump. So I was taking chunks of gunk out of the pump and then I was able to run the water to clear out the rest of the stuff. What a mess. When that was done I just took all the towels and put them in the dirty clothes basket and left everything sit out on the counter to dry and then it was Dave’s turn to make a mess with pulling the knot meter. My miss turned out to be bigger though. We needed to pull the knot meter to make sure it wasn’t all gunked up with critters growing on it. We need that to calculate our trip mileage. So now I can do laundry when I get back from going to the store. I needed a break from cleaning and I wanted to get to town and back before it got too hot. So I had my list of what I needed and grabbed my backpack and away I went. I got everything I needed except the kind of milk we like. I didn’t go to every store but I figure when we go to buy coke and hopefully tonic water, I will be able to get it then. So my backpack was loaded and I was also carrying a sack. When I got back to the boat I put the groceries away and made lunch. I had my leftover chicken from last night’s dinner and there was enough chicken for me to make Dave a sandwich. After lunch I finished putting the forward head back in order and then I cleaned the aft head. So now that chore is done. I am currently doing laundry.
We aren’t sure if we are going to leave tomorrow or Sunday. It depends on how Dave is feeling. He has had a bought with hemorrhoids’ and the only thing he can find in town is the cream which really hasn’t helped him. In our medical bag I had tucks wipes so he has been using those and it is helping but the supply is soon to run out. When I go back to the doctor this afternoon, I am going to ask him if he has any witch hazel or something similar. If not we will just do what we can. So there are always these little things that pop up so even when you make plans they usually get changed. No worries. We are wondering too whether to stay here and take the bus to Cabo to meet our flight, or go to La Paz. We need to go see the people that own that house we are interested in and talk to them but there are no rental cars here or in Guerro Negro to get to Bahia de Los Angeles. So we would have to find someone who would be willing to let us borrow their car for a couple days. So Dave is going to talk to Carlos and see what possibilities there are. The other possibility is one of the cruisers has a car here and they will be driving to the states on the 28th of this month. If we leave the boat here, we might be able to borrow their car and make it back before they need it. So there may be a way. It would be cheaper to leave the boat here than in La Paz but there are so many questions that need answering so I guess we will just take it one step at a time. If the house thing doesn’t work out---no big deal. There will be another one down the road somewhere, sometime.
Dave just got up from a nap and I am getting ready to go up and put the clothes in the dryer. Then I think I will do some crocheting. I have one side of a purse done and need to start on the other side. So there ya go.
Three sailboats came in later this afternoon. They are starting to come south now. It was good to see those cruisers again.
Rosie was supposed to pick me up at 5:30pm to see the doctor but he had an emergency so it was changed to 7:00pm instead. So in the meantime we got to visit with the new arrivals on the dock and then I went up a little before 7 to wait for Rosie. She arrived and drove to the doctor’s office and when we got there he was with a patient so we had to wait a little bit. That was nice because I was able to get to know Rosie a little more and hear about her family. When it was my turn to see the doctor we went into the exam room and we sat down and he looked at the results and confirmed it was just a UTI (urinary tract infection) and not anything more. So that was good to hear. He told me I couldn’t have any beer/alcohol, but I could supply him with beer. I like it when a doctor has a sense of humor!!! So all is well and I thanked him and Rosie took me back to the marina. I did ask the doctor about hemorrhoid treatment for Dave and mentioned the cream didn’t help him and the doctor said that Dave needs to come see him so he could do an ultrasound to see if there is anything else going on. So now I need to convince Dave to go. Rosie said it would be Carlos turn to be interpreter!!!! So when I got back I told Dave about what the doctor said so I think he is thinking about going if Carlos can get off work. I did my job in passing on the information so now the decision is up to him.
While I was gone, Dave sent an email to Larry and Lois, the owners of the house we are interested in, asking them some questions and telling them we are trying to figure out a way to get there from here and letting them know we are going home for a couple of weeks so we probably won’t be able to get there until we return. Then Dave sent an email to Alan and Barbara who live in La Mona asking how much it costs them a month to live there. So I guess it all depends on what he has to say as to whether we continue with this or not. If we don’t hear anything by tomorrow, from Alan, or if we hear that it will cost too much to live on land, we will be heading to La Paz on Sunday.
We went to dinner at a restaurant in town that serves pizza and we ordered a Mexican one. It was really good. We ate all but one piece and that was mine so maybe I’ll have pizza for breakfast tomorrow morning!!! We walked back to the boat and all was quiet on the dock. Everyone had turned in for the night. So I crocheted and Dave checked emails and played some solitaire and then he played his sub game on my computer. Then it was bedtime.
Saturday, October 24.
We haven’t gotten an email from Alan yet. So I am going to get the boat ready for leaving tomorrow. Dave told me he wasn’t sure he wanted to move off the boat. I fully understand that. We have lived aboard for so long and to change it now would be strange. Plus we really love our boat but Dave is done going distances anymore. I can’t say I’m done, but it really doesn’t matter to me if we don’t go places in our boat. I am pretty open about traveling. Neither one of us likes to get going on a passage and have the wind come up and the seas and have it be uncomfortable and that is usually how it works up here. We have had a few (very few) great passages. It is just something we don’t enjoy and that is why we are thinking about land. Even starting on this journey to Mexico and beyond, we said that if we fell in love with a place and it was what we wanted we would settle. I did tell Dave that it would be a shame to leave this boat sit and have it not go anywhere. She needs to move and go places. Oh yeah, the other thing too is repairing the stuff on the boat. Dave was so tired of working on the boat all the time to fix things and everything is just a struggle to get parts that you need and are also very expensive. So that all enters into the picture as well. There just are a lot of emotions going on inside both of us and we want to make the right decision. We could not afford to live at a marina down here like we did back home. It is just too expensive. So------can you tell we are wobbling on everything? It’s a huge change and I don’t want to later say----we should have stayed aboard the boat. We did talk to Tori at Signature Yachts and she said we could easily ask $250,000 for it and it would be up there with the other hunter sailboats for sale at our length. We have an advantage of it being already in Mexico as the boat is ready for cruising and it is already here. She told us the other hunters advertised don’t have as much stuff on the boat as we do. So that was good to hear. So I don’t know.
Dave left to go to the doctor. He said he thought the hemorrhoid was much better but he was going to go anyway just for my piece of mind.
Well he is back. The doctor wasn’t there. He must have had to make a house call or something. He told Rosie and I yesterday that he was going to be there today. So Carlos is going to call him later to see if he comes back.
Well it is time to get busy and ready the boat for travel. Then I can sit back and work on my crochet project or shine stainless steel.
Dave never did make it to the doctor as he never showed up. But Dave said he thinks the condition is getting better.
We haven’t heard from Alan yet but we did get an email from Larry, the owner, saying the truck could be part of the lease but not the boat. That is good because we didn’t want the boat anyway. Larry has skype so we will have to email and skype him to get questions answered and when we get back from our trip home we will see about meeting with them.
We made the decision to leave tomorrow for La Paz. We think it will be better in the long run. We found out there are 3 buses that stop at the bus station right next to the marina but they don’t have a schedule and they come at different times. Now THAT was helpful!!!!! Getting to San Jose Del Cabo and the airport wouldn’t be too difficult by bus from Santa Rosalia, but getting back from the airport to Santa Rosalia could be more than an adventure we want to handle after coming back from our home visit. It would also cost us for the round trip for both of us, $300.00. That is way too expensive. So there ya go. It doesn’t make things easy. So we are leaving at first light and it will take us about 12 hours to get to La Ramada. We are going back to a select few places from when we came up. We should be in La Paz at the end of the week.
I shined the aft stainless steel and it looks really nice and stowed everything in the cockpit for travel. I put things away down below so we are ready.
After dinner I crocheted and Dave was on his computer for a while and then he played his sub game on my computer while we listened to music. It will be bed time soon.
Sunday, October 25. Santa Rosalia to La Ramada.
We were up at 5:00am so we could have our coffee and get last minute things done and wait for first light. It started getting light just before 6:00am so we had lines pulled and we were moving out of the slip around 6:20am. We were on our way. We saw lots of pangas fishing and a long liner but he didn’t have his nets in the water. We listened to the net weather and it sounds like we are going to get winds from the north starting late Tuesday through Thursday. We are hoping we can make it all the way to Caleta San Juanico today. The further south we go the less wind there will be. We are plugging along right now at about 6.7 knots and it looks like we are making good time as the current is with us. So we will see. If we can’t make it to San Juanico before dark we will stop in Pulpito for the night and leave at daybreak and trek further south. We weren’t supposed to have south winds today. We weren’t supposed to have any winds today. So that is slowing us down a little, however, the breeze is only about 5 knots so no really big deal. As we were going past pots that fisherman put out, we saw a huge whale shark just off our port side. He was beautiful with his white dots. Then we saw wind waves ahead of us and knew we would have the wind on our nose. Dave just said he doesn’t like the wind and waves on the nose because it slows us down and it doesn’t allow us to sail on our course. It just isn’t fun anymore. It seems to be a lot more work than it is enjoyment unfortunately. We said when it wasn’t fun anymore we would look for other options. The cruisers have a saying down here. It is, “It is what it is”. So you just accept it when you can’t do anything else.
So far it is actually a pleasant ride we just hope we get far enough south by Tuesday evening before the predicted winds come up. It is suppose to blow starting Tuesday night around 25-30 knots from the west. The further south you go the less it will be.
Well so much for 5 knots of wind. We ended up with 19 knots on the nose and seas that were 3 to 4 feet and very lumpy. We were eventually pounding into the waves which make us shudder because that is what it does to the boat. So we pretty much had that condition for 10 hours. Unfortunately it slowed us way down so we weren’t able to make the time we thought we would had it been calmer. Since the wind was from the south we didn’t want to anchor in Pulpito because it wasn’t protected from south winds, so we chose to continue on to La Ramada. We have been there before and knew it was protected from south winds. Unfortunately we won’t arrive there until after dark. We don’t like anchoring at night, but there is another boat in there that we know and we are familiar with the layout so it is pretty much a straight shot into the anchorage from the north. It can’t be any worse than coming into a marina at night. At least I won’t have city lights in the background that make it very difficult to see where you are heading. The other boat turned it’s lights on so as to guide us in and then once we were inside the anchorage it was flat calm and we dropped anchor and now we are relaxing. I fixed us dinner after we got settled and then I washed dishes and Dave is out in the cockpit relaxing. We will leave in the morning and go to Puerto Escondido to top off our fuel tank and if there isn’t any room at the dock, since they only have one long enough for our size boat, we will leave and go over to Honeymoon Cove which is about 3 nautical miles from Escondido. Then after that we will go to Everisto and finally to La Paz. We want to keep moving away from the winds. It really isn’t any fun to have that much wind because it over powers the boat and causes large waves and makes for confused seas. No thanks. Been there done that. Matter of fact both of us had déjà vu about our ride today and we thought we were back on the ocean.
We only have 47 nautical miles to go tomorrow so we may be able to sleep in a little. We are both tired. It was a long day. Thank goodness I didn’t have to steer much. We had to push the rpms up so we could make some speed. Well that is over now and we can sleep well. I am enjoying hearing the crickets outside. That is a soothing sound for me.
Tomorrow will bring new adventures or something anyway to talk about.
ARRIVAL: 6:45PM
LOCATION: 26˚22:944N/111˚25:860W
LOG: 7048.3NM TRIP: 77NM
ENG. HRS: 13704
Monday, October 26. La Ramada to Puerto Escondido and then Agua Verde.
We were up at 6:00am and pulled anchor just before 6:30am to head south. We had some rollers from the north coming into the anchorage and wondered what that was all about. When we listened to the net we found out they had winds that came up early in the morning north and so this was the residual from that. It was a little rolly getting out from the anchorage because we had to get far enough away from land so we could turn south. Once we turned we had the waves and wind on our stern and it was a much better ride than it was yesterday. We motor sailed quite a while this morning until we got close to Puerto Escondido, then we rolled in the headsail and motored into Puerto Escondido bay to get fuel. We took on 30 gals of diesel and then we were out of there. We don’t like Escondido. The wind is always blowing in there and to us it isn’t a pretty place. There wasn’t any room at the dock either so we decided to go ahead and leave and go to Aqua Verde. Because the winds were being predicted from the south, Honeymoon Cove is not protected from south winds so we decided to move on to Aqua Verde where the protection is much better. It is only 23 nautical miles and it was only 12:00pm so we had plenty of time. It was a little on the rough side coming out of Puerto Escondido due to the wind waves on our beam, but once we got further out and turned south the wind and waves settled down but not before we got tossed pretty good and I had to hand steer. I really don’t like when our boat rolls far to one side and then the other and I’m trying to keep the boat going straight. It isn’t fun but we got through it. We put out the headsail again to help steady the bow and for a while it worked and then the wind died so we motored the rest of the way to Agua Verde. The wind never got above 16 knots which was nice. Southerly winds are suppose to pick up tomorrow afternoon so I think we will leave here in the morning, if the weather report is good for going, and go 44 nautical miles to Evaristo. If we have to hold up there for a couple of days it will be no big deal because we will be in La Paz after that. We left Santa Rosalia just in time because now the boats that are there are stuck for at least 2 more days. It is really going to blow hard up there. So I am glad we left even though our ride was not a good one. I’m also glad we came here to Agua Verde as the winds won’t be as strong from here to La Paz. We’ll make our decision tomorrow morning after the net weather of whether we will go to Evaristo or stay another day here in Agua Verde. Hey----I get to sleep in tomorrow until at least 6:30am. Woohoo!!!! Dave and I are both tired and looking forward to getting to La Paz. I’m getting excited about going home so I have that to look forward too.
You know, after all the cleaning and shining of stainless steel we did in Santa Rosalia? It was pretty much all undone yesterday. We have salt on everything so we will have to give her another thorough washing when we get to La Paz. Oh well. We knew it was going to get dirty/salty, but had no idea we would be taking water over the bow to the dodger!!
We had a hard time finding a spot to anchor when we got into Aqua Verde as the anchorage protected from the north winds is a small bay. There were already 2 sailboats there and then m/v Hobo came in and took the more shallow spot on the other side of the sailboats. We had looked at the anchorage just across from there and it looked a little lumpy so we decided to join everyone else. Well between the power boat and the 2 sailboats the depth in the middle was 40 to 50 feet. We didn’t want to anchor in that deep of water. We drove all around the boats to see if we could fit somewhere where it was 19-20 feet and there wasn’t. There wasn’t enough swing room between our boat and the others. So we decided to drop our anchor behind m/v Hobo and back down from him in 43 feet of water. That is just the way it is.
We had bean with bacon soup and B.L.T. sandwiches for dinner tonight. It is a little warmer here than it was in La Ramada. You can tell we are heading south. After dinner we listened to the net weather and checked in and we think we can leave tomorrow but will check the weather in the morning. I washed the dishes and put everything away and now we are enjoying the sound of the crickets and watching the starry sky with a half moon. Where we are anchored we are getting some of the rollers from the outside which isn’t totally bad but once in a while there is a strong one. No worries. It will all die down as the night goes on. It was a good day and for the most part a very good sail/motor.
ARRIVAL: 4:27PM
LOCATION: 25˚31:346N/111˚04:376W
LOG: 7106.0NM TRIP: 64NM
ENG. HRS: 13713
Tuesday, October 27. Agua Verde to Punta San Evaristo.
We didn’t wait for the weather this morning. It looked calm and another boat from the anchorage left so we contacted them and they said it was a little lumpy from the winds up north but other than that it was fine. So we pulled the anchor just before 6:30am and left Aqua Verde. We got out around the point and it was indeed lumpy, but the wind was on our stern and so were the waves so we were good. We wanted to put the headsail out but there wasn’t enough wind so we just motored. The waves did get a little big later in the morning to about 4 feet, but it was an o.k. ride. I actually got to finish the purse I was making. We made good time. We averaged about 6.5 knots and it took us 7 hours to Evaristo. The skies are blue with a little breeze about 5-10 knots from the north and then as we got closer to Evaristo it became 5-12 knots from the south. I am really glad we decided to leave and get this far because now we have tomorrow and we will be in La Paz. We are supposed to get west winds tonight and it probably won’t be more than 15 knots. North is going to get hammered again with up to 45 knots from the north. Even in a marina that isn’t fun. I still am very, very glad we left Santa Rosalia when we did, otherwise we would still be there. It’s a good feeling to know the trip is almost over. We will see what the weather report has to say tonight for tomorrow and then when we get up in the morning see what it is doing outside the anchorage and make the decision to stay another day or go to La Paz.
ARRIVAL: 1:45PM
LOCATION: 24˚54:529N/110˚42:386W
LOG: 7148.5NM TRIP: 44NM
ENG. HRS: 13789
We are now anchored and running the generator so I could defrost the refrigerator (which I did) and the freezer (which I am doing now). This is a quiet anchorage and there are 3 other boats in here. One happens to be a catamaran and they hadn’t heard the weather report and they were going to anchor between us and another boat and Dave told him not to anchor there as we are expecting winds tonight and we need swing room. The guy in the other sailboat told him the same thing. So the cat goes right behind the other sailboat and anchors. He puts out both anchors on each pontoon which is not a good idea because it doesn’t allow the boat to swing very well and if it does those two lines are going to get tangled. We told them if they wanted to come over we could give them the weather but they were in the middle of fixing dinner so I said no worries and we would be here if they wanted to know. That boat is a charter boat and it looks like they are here to have fun and party all night. The other sailboat that is in front of the cat is also a charter boat but the guy knows about boats because he has one back home in Canada. He came over to our boat to ask us about weather. He is a nice guy. They need to get back to La Paz by Saturday, so they want to get in a day or two earlier if they can so if they see we are gone in the morning they figure it will be safe to leave too. Oh boy!!!! That is dangerous to count on us!!!! Ha!!! We told him we would let him know if anything changes on the weather after we listen tonight.
The freezer is defrosted and now we are just cooling it down. It really likes the cooler weather/water as the thermometer was at 10 degrees which it hasn’t seen that temperature since before we left home.
There were a couple of crickets that flew on the boat this afternoon and I shoed them off but then they landed in the water. Oh well. Some fish will enjoy a meal. Speaking of fish, I had to throw 2 sierra fillets overboard as they got thawed and it isn’t safe to eat them when that happens. We still have lots. So we now have sierra fillets, chicken tamales, some lasagna, and some clam broth for linguine. I think we will be able to eat all that before November 6. If not someone will be getting some good food. We will be serenaded tonight by crickets unless the party boat is loud.
There is a storm brewing on the north end of the Baja and the Baja Ha Ha started yesterday and will be in the middle of it tonight. Their destination is Turtle Bay. There isn’t anywhere to go and once you start you aren’t suppose to stop until you get to your designated anchorage. This should be interesting. I understand the guy who is organizing it this year isn’t very good. I sure hope no one gets hurt or worse. If this were my first time down the coast of Mexico, and heading into a storm that will bring 45 knot winds and 20 foot seas, I think I would call it quits. I pray they will all be safe.
We heard the weather forecast for tonight and tomorrow. Whatever wind we get tonight we will have tomorrow but there won’t be any seas as the wind will be from the west. Don, the weatherman, wasn’t sure how much wind this area would get. It might get15-25 knots or nothing. We are leaving tomorrow no matter what because if we don’t we will get caught in the northerly that is suppose to blow Thursday which WILL create some pretty good size waves. We’d rather handle the wind with no seas than wind with seas. It is 51 nautical miles to La Paz so if we leave at first light in the morning we will make it there in 8 or 9 hours. Then we will be tucked in at our slip in Marina Palmira so let it blow. So another morning to get up at O dark 30 but then we can relax and focus on cleaning the boat again and getting ready for our trip home.
It is a beautiful night tonight. Can’t see a lot of stars because of the ½ moon, but it is pretty none-the-less. The catamaran wasn’t a party boat after all. It is 8:00pm and most of the lights are out on the boat. We have a little breeze now but the ‘wind’ isn’t supposed to develop until 12:00am. So we shall see.
I am going to read for a while and then go to bed. 5:30am comes really quick.
Wednesday, October 28. Punta San Evaristo to La Paz.
The alarm went off at 5:15am so I stayed in bed until 5:30am. Dave had slept in the cockpit all night as we got those westerly winds that were predicted. They started at 11:00pm and went all night. We didn’t have more than 25 knots which was good but with the anchor lines stretching I didn’t sleep much and Dave didn’t either as he was on anchor watch. So needless to say we are really tired. We fixed coffee and Dave called s/v Reflections to see if they were underway and if so where they were. They had been in Santa Rosalia with us and had left a day before we did. They are heading for La Paz today too. They anchored in Isla San Francisco last night and took off really early this morning. They said it was lumpy and there was about 10 knots of wind from the west. We decided we were going to take what the seas give us today as we don’t want to dawdle too long with that northerly coming. So we are moving while we can. We poured our coffee, turned on the instruments, running lights, and started the motor and Dave brought the anchor up. We were underway before 6:30am and the sun wasn’t up yet. It wasn’t too bad outside of the anchorage. There were some rollers, but nothing uncomfortable. As we went further south and got into deeper water we did come to rollers that were about 3 to 4 feet and coming from the west. The nice thing about that was they were small enough that when they hit the side of the boat it didn’t react strongly like if a big wave hit. So that was comforting. We bounced a little up and down from the wave action but really the boat road well and we were not too uncomfortable. The wind did come up later on in the morning and we had 25 knots on the nose for a short time so we got some spray over the bow but the nice thing is the wind slacked off which made the waves smaller so the ride was much better. We then had anywhere from 10 to 19 knots. It wasn’t consistent. At one point we put the headsail out to the second reef because we had wind on the beam, but it was too much for the headsail so we rolled it in. We didn’t need to have a broken roller furling. So we just motored riding the waves. The further south we went the less the wind got and the seas and pretty soon we could put the headsail out again. That made for a nice ride and it increased our speed from 6.6 to 7.5 knots. That was awesome. Then that fun ended as the wind died. The seas were little lumps now and we were almost to La Paz. I am looking forward to being able to get off the boat and get some walking in as my back is starting to tell me it doesn’t like all this sitting and standing. I am so glad we are here now. The funny thing is we changed our flight reservations because we didn’t think we would make it back here in time to make our November 1 flight, and here we are in La Paz 3 days before November 1. It works out better this way though because we can spend some time getting the boat cleaned up and taking care of a few things before flying home. So it is all good.
The only exciting thing I saw today was a large dorado jump out of the water 3 times. It was beautiful. We had beautiful blue skies and of course blue water. It wasn’t a bad day to be on the water.
Once we got to Marina Palmira, we went to the gas dock, got fuel then went to the office and checked in and took care of all of that then moved the boat to the slip we chose. They were really nice to let us change the slip assignment they gave us to one where we could back in with a starboard tie to the dock. So we will be here in this slip for 2 months. During that time we will have Thanksgiving here and probably make a trip to Bahia de Los Angeles to see the house and talk to the owners. Then we will have a better idea if we want to live there or not. Or better yet if we can afford to live there. We will also be able to visit our vacation place, Royal Solaris in San Jose Del Cabo for a week of pampering. Both Dave and I are looking forward to that!!!
ARRIVAL: 2:00PM
LOCATION: 24˚10:963N/110˚18:227W
LOG: 7194.4NM TRIP: 52
ENG. HRS: 13871
After we got into our slip and tied up, we hooked up the water hose from the dock to the boat, plugged in power and then Dave had to print out a copy of our renewed insurance so he could take it to the office. So while he walked back to the office, I rinsed off the boat. It had a lot of salt on it. After that was done, we had a cocktail and then dinner. We can’t get internet until tomorrow afternoon as they are working on the system. So I will have to let everyone know we are here safe and sound when it comes back up. Tonight we are relaxing and enjoying not bouncing around. We will sleep well tonight.
I feel sorry for the other cruisers that are stuck in Santa Rosalia for the rest of this week as a low just went by last night and then a high is building which will bring the northerly. So if anyone does leave they are going to get stuck somewhere else for a couple of days until the seas and winds calm down. We heard tonight on Don’s weather forecast that a boat that was in the Baja Ha Ha ran into trouble and the people onboard had to abandon ship. They are safe but the boat is gone. That is really sad. Especially if this was their first time coming to Mexico!!! If I was aboard that boat I think I would hang up my boating boots and call it quits!!!! One good thing for the boats in the Baja is they stopped in Ascension to wait out the storm. But not everyone travels at the same speed so some boats made it in probably before the storm and others were stuck in the first part of it.
Well I guess that is all the fun for now. Tomorrow is either a rest day or a work day. Depends on how we feel. We have a few days to relax before coming home. Yippee!!!
Thursday, October 29. Marina Palmira, La Paz.
We woke to partly cloudy skies and a breeze. It was breezy last night before the sun went down and then early in the morning a strong breeze came up and Dave had to go out and secure the halyard as it was banging around. Then he took the flag down. He woke up at 2:30am wide awake so he stayed up. Not me man!!!!
It’s been a gusty day with white caps on the outside water. We are so glad to be here and not out there. It would have been an ugly ugly ride.
The only thing I did today was wash the few dishes in the sink, make a cabbage salad, and wash out the garbage can. Just doing that made me tired!!!! Oh yeah I forgot to mention putting the windshield cover over the dodger window!! I walked to the laundry room to check out the books in there and found a 2008 Mexico AAA book. I figured that would help us get an idea of where we would like to go. Then I walked back to the boat and sat down and started to read and look through it. Dave was playing his sub game. He was very energetic too!!!! After lunch I read some more of the Mexico book and Dave went up to get some fishing stuff. I was tired so I decided to take a nap. Tomorrow we are going to go to Lopez Marine and see about getting a sump pump and maybe a couple other things. So there won’t be much with boat work tomorrow. By Saturday we should be able to feel energetic to wash the boat and get things clean. We also have to pull out the anchor chain, rinse it off and repaint the depth marks. The anchor well needs to be rinsed out as well. So there are a few things that we can do on the boat before flying home.
We have no internet yet. The office said we should have it by 5:00pm but we aren’t counting on it. It would be nice though so I can drop everyone an email to let them know we made it to La Paz safe and sound. Soon!!
Dave mentioned this morning that we can watch movies now since we have electricity. You know what THAT means? Popcorn! I usually don’t like making it when we are at anchor because then I need hot water to rinse the butter off so it becomes a hassle. But here at the dock I can just flip the switch and make hot water without running the generator. No worries. So we probably will watch a Will Smith movie we bought and never watched.
I can’t forget to get a chocolate cake mix so I can bake Dave a birthday cake for Saturday—Halloween!!!! The lady at the marine office said she would make him one, but I’m not counting on it. If she does that means we will have lots of cake!!! It’s sweet and its chocolate so what more can a person ask for?! Ha!!
We lost power around 5:00pm and got it back around 7:00pm. Shortly thereafter we had internet. Then everybody and their brother were online. All is good. I checked email and sent some letting everyone know we arrived here safe and sound. Dave was checking his mail and doing other stuff for insurance for the boat which is suppose to expire November 3rd so time is of the essence. I went on line to read about the boat in the Baja ha ha that sank and found out it was attacked by a whale and put a hole in it but everyone got off the boat safely and were rescued. Wow. Nothing at all weather related like we thought. Both of us have been pretty tired lately and our energy level is not what it usually is so tomorrow I am hoping to get some more of the Vermox 500 to ward off the intestinal bugs that can grow from eating and drinking in Mexico. I think that is why I ended up getting a bladder infection as the doctor said it was from something I ate or drank. One pill is good for 3 months so that will work out good and then we just get some more when the time comes. So we are catching the shuttle to be dropped off close to where we need to go for marine parts and then we will walk to the grocery store where they sell the vermox. Busy day tomorrow.
Friday, October 30, 2009. Marina Palmira.
We caught the 9:00am shuttle to where they let us off and walked a few blocks to the marine store. We looked at everything thinking of what we needed and were able to price things. We found out that they will deliver if we have a big order so that was nice to know that we didn’t have to worry about lugging the stuff back to the boat. They didn’t have sump pumps in stalk but they are on order so should be in soon. Another thing we don’t have to worry about bringing back with us from the states. We stopped into a wine shop and priced wine, gin, and rum. Not bad prices. We will have to come back and get the wine we like later on. Then we walked to a marine parts store looking for snaps to repair a couple on the screens around the cockpit. We found some but they only came in a package of 100 and we don’t need that many. Plus we didn’t want to pay for that many either. Then we walked to a Mercury place and Dave found a propeller for the outboard. We had to go to the grocery store first and then we would buy it on the way back. That was on our list for boat parts to buy when we went home so now we don’t have to worry about that. The best thing about it is it is the same price as it would be at home which again saves us from having to carry it back with us on the plane. We left there and walked to CCC (pronounced, say,say,say) and priced booze, got some milk, chips, salad dressing, bread and Vermox. Then Dave walked over to the ATM and got some money and then we walked back to the Mercury place and bought the prop. Then we had to walk back to where the shuttle dropped us off as he was due to pick us up there at 1:00pm. We were going to go to a restaurant called California Chicken, but we couldn’t remember what street it was on and we didn’t have enough time to have lunch anyway even if we found it. We’ll do that another day. When we got to the spot to be picked up we had to wait a while and then Dave called the marina office and let them know we were there waiting for the van. About 15-20 minutes later the van showed up and we were taken back to the marina. We came back to the boat and put our stuff away and took the vermox medicine. I am taking Dave out for a birthday dinner tonight as when we were at the grocery store he looked at steaks and had a hankering for one but I told him we had to eat what we have in the freezer which didn’t include steak. When we got back to the marina, being Friday, they have a BBQ special which on the list of many different meats there is steak. Rib eye or T-bone. So I told Dave I would treat him to an early birthday dinner tonight. The restaurant is just by the marina office so it is close. I was so tired and my whole body hurt from walking all over the place that I took a nap after we had lunch. I felt better when I got up. Then we got dressed and went to dinner. We both had rib eye steak, baked potato with all the fixings, green salad, roasted onion on the side and a glass of red wine. This was the BBQ special. Dave had a second glass of red wine and then we had a flan for desert and a shot of brandy and coffee. It was really nice and it cost us $57.00. Not a bad price at all and the dinner and desert was excellent. After dinner we came back to the boat and just relaxed. We went to bed around 11:00pm or so. It was pretty quiet here for a Friday night. We were surprised. There was a party on a big power boat two docks over from us but we couldn’t hear them so that was good.
Saturday, October 31.
Happy Birthday to Davie-------AND Happy Halloween!!!! We won’t be dressing up this year. Mexico doesn’t really celebrate Halloween like we do. Their celebration is more on November 2 when they celebrate the Day of The Dead. I saw a couple kids dressed in costume on our walk yesterday but they were young and there had been a party at school. They do decorate the offices and restaurants with Halloween decorations, but don’t go overboard. It is like they recognize the event but it isn’t a big deal. Tuesday, banks and certain other places will be closed in observance of the Day of The Dead. Actually I think they have a great idea and the way they celebrate puts a brighter outlook on losing a loved one.
I woke up this morning feeling better and my body didn’t ache anymore. I was so relieved because I was so stiff and tight from being on the boat coming down from Santa Rosalia. Now I can do some walking and get back into shape. I plan on taking a walk on the breakwater here pretty soon.
I took my last penicillin pill this morning. Yippee!!!! I don’t feel like being too energetic but I do feel better. I washed clothes and bedding so that chore is done and I washed the dishes in the sink left over from yesterday, then I made brownies for Dave’s birthday. The gals in the office didn’t bake Dave a cake, which I wasn’t surprised.
Dave spent the day doing what he wanted and listening to music and relaxing. He didn’t have much energy either so we just took it easy. He ended up talking to one of the guys on the boat next to us about our boat and all that. Brian, was asking all kinds of questions about it so he came over and he and Dave got to talking and then he came down below for a tour and then we sat and talked for a bit. He is looking to buy a boat so he is looking as several different ones. Luckily I had made the bed and put the clean clothes away so things looked decent.
Not much is planned for this evening. We are having leftover lasagna with garlic bread and a green salad and white wine. Then for desert I will serve him a brownie with chocolate wine sauce over it. Nummm!!! We will probably sit outside and have wine and a cigar, if it isn’t too cold. Another thing we talked about was going up to the restaurant and have a brandy or something special to drink to celebrate. It is up to him.
Well it is time to get pictures in the blog and get it posted so I am signing off. Happy haunting tonight!!!!!
