Up Baja to Bahia Concepcion!

After a quick stop in Puerto Escondido to resupply, we headed to Honeymoon Cove on Isla Danzante. Two years ago, Jeff and I stood on this island, after being brought there by a local panga during a visit to Loreto, and said “our boat needs to be here”. Well, here we are…

We met up with Betsy and Derek and their super chill goldendoodle Wilbur, again on Taj. The Mobula Rays were all around our boats; between them and the pelicans, it was a feeding frenzy on the bait balls and small krill in the cove. We sat on our boats and were entertained as if watching a Blue Planet show. The next day we headed north to anchor off the town of Loreto. The town does not have a marina and the anchorage is wide open; but we had incredibly calm winds that made for a peaceful night. That evening, we went to town as we heard about an art and music festival. We caught an all girl band from Ensendada that was brilliant. Well, for awhile. They started with awesome blues but diverged after their break into some more hardcore, headswinging riffs. Time for dinner and a margarita. While at dinner, we chatted with the young waiter who spoke fluent english. He should, he is from Chicago. He came down here to meet his d

ad for the first time and although it hasn’t turned out to be an Oprah episode, he was so mature, and was determined to get the best out of it. He was a gem of a young man.

We went to Puerto Escondido (again!) to prep for our friends visit and meet them on Monday. We also had our first real “rescue” on the dock. As we were washing down Salpare, I saw an elderly sailor struggling to bring his boat in to the dock.I suggested to Jeff that he go lend a hand. Within a minute, Jeff yelled to me “get our swim  ladder; there is someone in the water!”. I wrestled our ladder off and ran down the dock with it to find an older woman clinging to the dock by her fingertips. While they were approaching the dock, she leaned over and the lifeline stanchion gave way on their rather tired boat. She went in and was oh so lucky she didn’t hit the dock while falling. Jeff found here hanging on the dock 2’ above her, her husband overwhelmed with what to do, their outboard engine still running and the boat still not tied up. Jeff quickly had a plan, turned off the motor and yelled to me. We put the ladder on the dock and Jeff and her husband held it in place while I helped her climb out. She was a bigger person and had recently had back surgery so pulling her out would never have been an option. As, we were the only ones on the dock at the time. Jeff’s quick thinking under pressure; literally saved this from being a tragedy. As we reflected on the whole scene later that night, we looked at how many other outcomes this could have had; all bad. Jeff said “our first rescue; it won’t be our last”. We might just put smiley faces on our boom for lives saved…

Our friends arrived Monday afternoon. John and Sheri are members of Weber County Search and Rescue in Ogden, UT. I met both of them while leading a Mt. Rainier climb during a conference years ago. Jeff is also on the national Mountain Rescue Association Grant Committee with John so lots of mutual ties. Although the high winds prevented us from leaving on Tuesday, we hiked Steinbeck Canyon. If you’ve read the Sea of Cortez, by Steinbeck, then you know this canyon. Beautiful rock formations with cold, clear pools and a picnic lunch made for a stellar day. That night we went to Pedro’s in Loreto Bay for a late dinner. Pedro, the owner, is a larger than life character who makes his restaurant more than great food and margheritas. He welcomes everyone personally with hugs and warm holas! Two young musicians played Spanish guitar while we dined. During the dinner, Pedro grabbed one of the guitars and sang a rousing rendition of GLORIA from the 70’s to, who else but Gloria, at the next table. I sang along and Gloria and I become quick friends. She spoke no English and my little Spanish didn’t stop us from bridging the language gap. We’re now Facebook friends; yes, the world is a small and wonderful place.

The next morning we had a super fun sail to Punta Colorado on the eastern side of Isla Carmen. We guessed not more than 5 boats a year come to this anchorage as its off the beaten path. This was evident by the incredible shells that covered the beach; nothing picked over! A dark, calm night left us feeling like the only boat in the sea.

Back to our favorite, Honeymoon Cove for the next 2 nights and another sporting sail. The “Mobs” were still there in force. After seeing them heading for our cove from a hike to the hills above, we jumped in the dinghy and grabbed snorkeling gear. I practically leapt out of the dinghy as we got near and swam right into them. As with our time swimming with the whale sharks earlier in the trip; this was AWESOME! There were hundreds swimming from the surface to about 30’ deep. They just swam right around me as I marveled at their elegance. One little flutter of their wings and those suckers move! Back in the dinghy, Jeff and Sheri got a kick out of my squeals of delight sounding through my snorkel! I left the water tired but totally jacked up from the swim!

The winds continued to howl but we were safely tucked in the cove. At night, we had astronomy lessons from John and during the day we explored, snorkeled and swam. This cove will always have a special place in our hearts and memories.

As we said our goodbyes to John and Sheri after a fun week, we helped Betsy and Derek with a fuel issue while back in Puerto Escondido. We all headed north the next day for San Juanico. Betsy and Derek had driven their camper down a few years ago and stayed on this coast; so they were terrific and gracious guides for this area. San Juanico is a cove filled with jagged islets, small islands and a beach with a few campers.  Everyday at 5pm, those on land and sea gather at Whit and Jan’s - the local duke and duchess of SJ. I found these folks to be so laid back, friendly, open and generous. I’m sure each of them has an interesting story that brought them to this place; it would make for an great book. Most stay for a few weeks to a few months and come back each year. The bay has terrific snorkeling, crystal clear water and gentle hikes. It would be just another beautiful anchorage but the hospitality makes this place ever so special.

Happy Holidays and much love to all our friends and family!

Cruising North Along the Coast

Above Agua Verde

Isla San Francisco is one of those picture perfect anchorages; a large crescent shaped, turquoise  bay edged with a white sand beach. Straight out of a postcard. Plenty of room for a number of boats and pretty good protection from the ever present north winds. The hike on this island rose to a ridgetop above that gave views of the bay and the other side of the island as it narrowed at our anchorage. The plant life here confirms that its hard to improve on mother nature’s landscaping. Cactus tucked perfectly in to rocks, windblown twisted trees, flowering (but thorny!) small shrubs and towering Saguaro’s cover the hills. I had thought the primary color would be brown due to the desert feel of the area. But the rocky hills are covered with a lush, green blanket and backed by the Grand Canyon-like Sierra de la Gigantea mountain range. At Isla San Francisco, the mountains guide our port side for hundreds of miles. Truly like having an ocean in the Grand Canyon.

The winds picked up and died each day as we droned, snorkeled, swam and visited with a couple other boats in the bay. We stayed 4 nights to let the winds die down before we would continue north along the Baja coastline.

On our 3rd day, Jeff woke early in the dark and said “we have a cruise ship in the bay”. Huh??? It was Andromeda, the 360’ private yacht we saw out of La Paz. She and her two 70’ security/scout/servant boats had arrived. Word among the cruisers is that this is Mark Zuckerberg’s yacht now. I guess Facebook is making money. Andromeda is a stunning vessel that rises 6 stories, has a crew of 30 and the requisite helicopter sitting aft of the bridge. It was a bit crazy and amusing to watch them prep for the owner’s arrival. The scout boats made a small compound on the beach with umbrellas, poofy lounge chairs etc… Meanwhile, Andromeda vomited out more boats and toys than a water park. Two boats - 40’ and 30’ - were craned off the bow while 2 to 3 other smaller 25’ runabout types emerged from somewhere down below. A “garage door” opened on the side and the crew unfolded a 50’x50’ dock and 3 story waterslide. I guess you need that to tie all your small boats and the 4 jet skis and foiling wake boards and god knows what other toys they have stowed away. The helicopter flew away and came back a bit later with 2 on board - Mark and his wife? Then flew away again and came back with a few more. We watched with binoculars and cameras on the first flight. By the second, we became bored with the whole show. Oh, and the beach blanket bingo area set up by the support boats earlier; never used. After picking the water toys out of the water after the guests just left them there, they packed everything up during the night and all, including the big girl, were gone by daylight. Absolutely crazy, beyond any idea of excessive and as Jeff noted “we have the same view of the sunset as they do”. 

As we headed north towards our next anchorage, Agua Verde, the San Jose Channel entertained us with a dolphin show and Mobula Rays jumping! Lots of them! These little guys (maybe 3’ across) lob themselves (should they be called Lobulas?) 5-10 feet out of the water and bellyflop down. No knows why they do this but it looks like fun. There were so many we would just point and say “mob” when seeing one. Five hours later, we pulled in to Agua Verde and quickly joined our friends on Taj for happy hour. As usual this “hour” led to 3 more of meeting two other couples (and their smart, mature 10 yr. old daughter Ellie) stories, laughter and fun. They all weighed anchor early in the morning and we were left with only 1 other boat in the bay. I’m still wondering where is everyone? Still in La Paz I’m guessing.

We took the Hobie and SUP down the bay to Brisa del Mar, the very, very small restaurant. Small as in 1 table, in the sand, under the palapa. But, oh the food was good! And, Leonor and her “staff” were incredibly gracious and lovely to meet. We walked to the Tienda (store) which was more like a garage with old coolers and found most everything we needed for a quick resupply. The produce truck had just arrived the day before so plenty of fruit and veggies. I paid for an hour of wifi and sat on an old plastic chair, in the dirt yard among chickens while suffering through the slowest wifi. Sounds tough? It wasn’t. I also had a stunning view of the hills and steep mountains - the Gianteas - that made all cares and worries of slow internet fade. I turned off the iPad and listened to the family laugh and chat at their outside picnic table and watched the world go by. Simple, quiet and oh so nice.

Table with a view at Brisa Del Mar

The next day we hiked to the ridge for stunning views and to see the goats! A small goat dairy lets their critters free range the area. While sitting in the cockpit, you can hear the tinkling of their bells as they make their way across the steep hills. The main billy goat shoed his girls away from us as we hiked closer; pretty possessive and camera shy. Agua Verde is aptly named as this was the greenest water I have ever seen; not turquoise like the other bays but deep green. A swim around the point, with Jeff as my ever-present Hobie escort, was surreal with the color of the water. The winds had kicked up so it was a bit murky but a bit like swimming in emeralds. Another windy night on the hook with the moon lighting up the small bay like a spotlight.

After 3 nights in Agua Verde, we left for a quick stopover in Puerto Escondido. This is the only marina north of La Paz and its just 14 miles south of Loreto; where our friends John and Sheri arrive next week. Puerto Escondido is a hurricane hole - called this because the bay surrounding the marina is nearly completely enclosed by hills. Super protected! About a hundred moorings and room to anchor make this a popular stop for many. There were transiting boats here like us but many stay here as they have a small but active cruiser community. The marina was formerly a government investment (they developed a number of marinas in the Baja area over the last decade) but is now privately owned. Very modern, excellent staff but I worry how will they make it. There were plenty of open docks. The side streets are paved with street lights around the waterfront just waiting for development but nothing happening. We see a lot of this in Mexico; big dreams that seem to wither for different reasons. Fingers are crossed this one makes it and remains a great marina for cruisers. 

We hung out with new friends from Agua Verde, Sharon and Rich. Great dinner at the small but elegant restaurant at the marina and killer margaritas led to a late night for all of us. Well, 10 pm is really late for us. A quick trip to Loreto with a rented car and we are off again tomorrow for Honeymoon Cove on Danzante island. The plan is to stay the weekend there and head back over to Puerto Escondido on Sunday night. We pick up our friends on Monday afternoon and will stay a day or two in port. Another big wind is coming - they predict bigger than the string of northerlies we’ve been having - on Monday and Tuesday. Plenty to do around PE with a great small town, Loreto, beaches, hikes (Steinbeck Canyon) and history.

Two weeks on the hook so some catching up!

The Thanksgiving Dinner hosted by Las Cruceras (local cruising club at La Paz) was a hit for the 170 cruisers in the area. Jeff and I volunteered for a shift of serving out the main courses and general cleanup. Always good to give back a bit and a great way to meet new people. 

Speaking of meeting people… remember back at Cabo Pulmo the woman, Lisa, who dove with us and was made to walk the plank and dropped off at the next port after the owners wife got wind she was onboard? We thought we’d never see her again. Well, she popped up at the dinner and quickly flagged us over to sit at her table. Sure, what’s the harm in that.  I can honestly say I’ve never had such a weird conversation as that day… Most of which I cannot put in this blog - my DAD reads this! She is one crazy lady. When she started asking about our guest cabin; we made for the door. (Although her conversation led me to believe she wanted to sleep in OUR cabin with us in it too). Enough said there. We walked fast out of there and decided to walk back to our marina (2 miles). Periodically, with a bit of a  look of stalked prey on our faces, we peered behind us to make sure she wasn’t following. She did at first but we dropped her within a few blocks. She must be used to that…

The walk back on the Malecon that evening was just sublime. Lots of locals out using the beautiful esplanade around the bay. Runners, bladers, cyclists and walkers, both young and old, just out enjoying the beautiful sunset. La Paz is a really cool town. Back at the marina, we met up with Betsy and Derek for a late night snack (hey, we didn’t have any leftovers!) and margheritas. We were both taking off the next day in different directions; although we hope to see them in Loreto.

On Friday, we headed out to Isla Espiritu Santo; the 9 mile long island national park. What a fantastic place! The crossing was a bit windy and rolly but nothing we are not used to at this point. We chose a southern anchorage and were the first ones there. With 150 more boats in the area from the Baja Haha, I just expected there to be crowds. Many were not leaving La Paz for another few days due to the winds which was their loss as the island has many protected anchorages.

Bahia San Gabriel is a large bay that is open to the southwest. A gorgeous white sand beach wraps the inner bay.We snorkeled, swam, dinghied to land and hiked. Once again, the guide books led us astray on a hike. Book: A 2 mile trail leads to the largest beach on the island Playa Bonanza. Reality: A 4 mile hike each way with no trail but a few random rock cairns left by other lost souls takes you to the other side. However, when a north wind is blowing, the dune is breached and creates a large lagoon that blocks your access to the beach. Its a Wizard of Oz story… We never had to look any farther than our own bay and beach for perfection. 

Bahia San Gabriel

Two nights later, we headed north on the island to Ensenada Del Candolero where the winds howled for 2 days. Just a little chop in the bay where we and 2 other boats were anchored. It became a bit of a joke when I would say “but Predict Wind says they’ll dissipate this afternoon”. It never did let up. But, another fantastic snorkeling venue at Roca Monumento; the large rock that splits the bay. On land there was a fairly fancy camp set up for Swim Trek. This is a company that provides open water swimming vacations. Yes, there are people who will pay to do this! Their clients camp at the main camp in the bay and they get shuttled to different areas to swim each day. I hadn’t swam any distance since July but I thought I’d see how it would go. I swam over to them in the biggest chop/waves I’ve swam in and chatted a bit. They inspired me to do more distance swimming each day rather than just around the boat. We also visited with the kayak tour that was on the other side of the bay. They were looking longingly at Salpare bobbing in the bay as they prepped for their windy paddle.

Working our way up the island, our next stop was El Cardonsita. This is the small anchorage that sits between two of the more popular ones. When I say popular, I mean there might be 4-6 boats in it. I have no idea where everyone is… still waiting in La Paz???? This new site was a dream. Small enough to feel intimate yet long enough to have a primo snorkeling reef, long sandy shallow area and hidden sandy beach. Perfect for drone flying (see video), snorkeling right from Salpare and more swimming. The gulls and their yammering kept us laughing, too.

Needing to charge the batteries a bit, we left to check out the Sea Lion colony at the top of the island. Isla Islotes is jagged with raw beauty. The critters were out playing as we lazily circled the island. As the northerlies were supposed to start up again in a day or so, we decided to head to Isla San Francisco and start our journey towards Loreto.

Cabo to La Paz!

Cabo to La Paz!

As soon as the Puerto Capitan opened the port for departures after Tropical Storm Raymond roared by, we headed out to sea. Our original destination was a mere 15 miles (due to the later start time) of Puerto Los Cabos. However, the seas were still significant (BIG) and that port had not opened yet! So, we pushed on to Bahia Los Frailles at Cabo Pulmo. We arrived just before sunset and put out the anchor in a very rolly bay. The only other boat was National Geographic’s Sea Lion, a small cruise boat (maybe 30 passengers). The next morning we woke early (did we even sleep in the swells?) and put out a stern anchor to stop the crazy rolling.

As other sailboats joined us in the bay, I made reservations for us to dive Cabo Pulmo the next day. This area and reef were brought back to life by a combined effort of the local fishermen, conservation groups and the government. I had really anticipated a super cool dive on the reef and seeing the “Jack Tornado”   (2’ long fish in a giant school that spins like a tornado) Rays and other sea life. On a good day, I think the diving would be stellar. Unfortunately, ours was not a good day.

The dive boat (a 18’ open Panga) was almost an hour late picking us up. They also stopped at another boat to pick up 2 other divers; they were not ready and added to the late arrival to the dive site. The sites are regulated by rangers who strictly control the amount of divers, boats and timing. By the time we arrived, the Jack Tornado area had 3 boats and was closed to us… Ok, on to another cool area. 

The 2 other divers with us were a drama unfolding. The crew of his 50’ Jeanneau had left at Cabo so he picked up Lisa from another boat to crew with him. They both made it clear, in a half joking way, that they were “advanced” divers and that we better not screw things up or slow them down. (huh? They were the ones late…) As the dive began, both were having issues of ear equalizing and buoyancy management. We just went on our way with the guide along the reef; not seeing much in the way of critters but the occasional lobster and panting Morey eel in a crack. 

After the 1st dive, we had to drop the guide off and pick up another. To say the transfer of personal and tanks was a bit unorthodox would be an understatement. The captain drove the boat up on the beach, folks threw tanks out and new ones in the boat, picked up the guide and we were off. But during this time we saw how the pangas were launched. The panga is driven with a manly gunning of the engines on to makeshift trailers which are tied to pickup trucks with ropes. The trucks pull the trailer up on the beach and occasionally bury their wheels in the sand. More manly gunning of engines; this time the trucks. It all had the feeling of “hold my beer and watch this”.

The second dive went no better as the new guide now lost Lisa at the surface still working on her ears and buoyancy and Jonathan disappearing in the murky water to find her. Jeff and I patiently sat on the bottom for 10 minutes for all to regroup. Then on to more lobsters and the ever-present panting Moreys. Now, I don’t mean to sound jaded like I have hundreds of dives; but if I don’t see another panting eel for awhile, I’ll be just fine.

After the dives, we invited Lisa and Jonathan over. However, his wife,  who was to meet him in La Paz, put the kibosh on his new crew. They pulled anchor and quickly departed to drop her off at the next port. Such drama!

The next day we motor sailed to Los Muertos. Or Los Suenos (dreams) as the new resort likes to call it  - a bit of a marketing thing I think. We sat at the open air restaurant and had a great dinner. On the way out, I congratulated a young guy who had anchored next to us on his voyage. He was single handling his boat, Darwind, down from Seldovia, Alaska! We kept an eye on his boat that night as he was staying on land with his aunt who lived here. Super cool kid and you can follow him on: www.svdarwind.blogspot.com. We hope to see him as his plans are the same as ours!

The next day we  left early for Cerralvo Channel in ideal conditions. It was our first upwind sail in weeks and weeks - just perfect. This 25 mile channel has a bad reputation with winds and steep waves. For those boaters in the PNW, think Johnstone Strait. Within an hour, the wind went to zero; then changed direction to directly on the nose and increased to 25 kts. Yep, we were in for it then. No way to bail out and we bashed our way up for hours. Greenwater coming over the cabin top and even Jeff said “these are crazy steep waves!”  We rounded the top of the channel and had a beautiful anchorage in Caleta Lobos, just 6 miles from La Paz. 

If you told me that mangrove would grow in the same area as Saguaro cactus, I’d would say “not”. But, what a unique landscape this small bay had with both thriving. A sunset walk on the beach and back to the boat for a good night of sleep.

We arrived in La Paz the next morning at Marina Palmira. Our great friends, Lynda and Bill, were coming down from their vacation rental in Loreto to visit us and another Canadian couple Betsy and Derek. We talked and talked and talked the entire day and evening; catching up on our lives. Such a lovely visit and we hope to see them again in February and then in Tonga later in 2020!

I’d often heard that many with dreams of cruising the world get stuck in La Paz and I can see why. It’s just so damn easy here. It’s a huge group of cruisers at 5 different marinas. They have a “net” every morning (radio show where you can find everything ever needed for a boat), events for cruisers, yoga, movie swaps etc… It makes living here so super easy… Many just spend the rest of their cruising lives in La Paz. Not our plan but we sure enjoy the place. Tomorrow, we head to the Thanksgiving Dinner with 150 others. Jeff and I volunteered to help set up and serve. Thank God they didn’t ask me to be on the “turkey stuffing” detail…

I had seen advertisements for Swim with Whale Sharks around the area and I’d seen plenty of Blue Planet shows on these magnificent critters. Oh yea - sign me up! So, we and Betsy and Derek, and a German tourist went out on the tour. It was one of the coolest things we have ever done! The juvenile males are only about 2 miles from DT La Paz in a tightly regulated area. Boat, captain and guide must all be certified and only a few boats at a time can enter the site.

These gentle giants are about 25’ long and have 3’ wide mouths. Although they are sharks, they are plankton eaters so no worries about bites. The boat nears them, you dive in with snorkel gear (no scuba or free diving) and start swimming around them. They are close enough to touch but that is not permitted. No rides or selfies on them! You have to maneuver in fins around them as they slowly turn while they feed. You would be on one side of them one moment and the next looking into their humongous gaping mouth. We swam with them for over an hour and never tired of admiring their beautiful spotted coloring or effortless swimming. We just keep saying “I can’t believe this - its so cool!” We made a quick movie on Facebook of the swim but below is a short clip.

Friday, we are off to Isla Espiritu Santo; a UNESCO World Heritage site and National Park. We’ll spend a week or 2 gunk holing  (hopping from anchorage to anchorage) around the different anchorages on this pristine island.

We wish all our family, friends and their families a super Happy Thanksgiving!

Ensenada to Cabo San Lucas and a change of plans - a bit long as we haven’t had any decent cell coverage for a bit!

“Clearing In” to Mexico is certainly made easier by paying a mere $60 to the staff at Marina Coral. They get your paperwork together and make sure all is in order - even establishing your own important looking, large manila envelope with just your paperwork and various sticky notes attached. Juan and Jesus drive you and the other cruisers in the marina down to the Aduana (customs), where you sit obediently until one of them calls you to the various windows to sign papers and pay money. There is the Tourist Visa window, the Port Captain window, the Temporary Import Permit for the boat window and the Aduana (Customs window). After a couple hours, you head back to the marina and wait for the final paperwork to be delivered. At first we were told 2 pm, then 3 then 4 which was eventually correct. I went up, grabbed the papers, said muchas gracias to Juan and Jesus and we pushed off from Ensenada 

While waiting, we hung out on Mazu - a well-maintained Outbound 45 with the most interesting crew. Three Mariners - no, not the baseball players! Much more interesting to us - they were retired ship captains and 2 were San Francisco Bar Pilots. They are headed south to La Paz where one of them has a winter home. They were great guys and we hope to see them further down the road.

After fretting about high winds all the time, we were on the opposite side of the spectrum. No wind…And, the ever-present big seas. So we motored… and motored… and motored…. Any wind we could find, we’d hoist the sails. Now, I don’t know what I’ve been doing there last 9 years of sailing in Puget Sound, but it doesn’t seem to be the same sailing. It’s been a steep learning curve as I learn the dance steps to working the foredeck in ocean conditions. The waves increase in size, it seems, every time I go forward. Being a tad slow in locking off a halyard, will have the wind cause mayhem; wrapping it around the top spreader. And, the 14’ boom bucks like a bronco in the waves before the wind fills it and brings peace.

Jeff has risen to a new level of infinite patience with me on my steep learning curve. He has to, of course, as he is a bit stuck with me as crew. Each day we pick a new sailing subject to practice. With a lot of new sails and equipment on the boat, its nice to have the time to run through the steps and refine their use.

With no wind for a couple days, we started the ad nauseam fuel calculations. You know the type: If a train leaves Chicago at 60 mph and another train leaves New York at 70 mph, will Salpare make it to Cabo with no wind? We are happy we look like gypsies with 11 additional jerrycans of diesel! We passed Turtle Bay and stopped 50 miles south of it at Asuncion. We had reached the 150 hour oil change time on our beloved Yanmar and stopped to do the change. Ah, Spa Day for the engine. We also got a good night of sleep together in the same bed!

The next leg brought us the wind we had hoped for and more. As it picked up in mid afternoon, I went to the foredeck to ready the main. The motor was still running and I heard a very loud groan/moan. I, always the Debbie Downer, immediately thought we had wrapped something around the prop or the engine was in trouble. I looked behind the boat and 2 gigantic humpbacks surfaced in perfect unison 15’ behind the boat. The sound was theirs. THOUGHT-I-WAS-WAS-GONNA-DIE! They were soon joined by a pod of bottlenose dolphins. These suckers are big! They look like torpedoes as they speed towards and around the boat in the Gatorade blue water. Perhaps, they hear my shrieks of excitement and think there is one of their own aboard. The “Flippers” seemed to be hanging out and feeding with the humpbacks and I could almost hear Sir David Attenborough’s voice “is this opportunistic feeding or do they just enjoy each others company?” I’ll take the later as we all hung out for about an hour.

The winds on the second leg were definitely higher as the last night of 3 brought storm squalls and 25 kts of wind. Again, the seas just build so high as there is unlimited fetch. They were roaring all around us the entire night. They subsided a bit as we neared the Cape but then built again with only 15 miles to go. Rounding a Cape is always a crapshoot for weather. Earlier in the day, the electric autopilot had made some struggling noises, so we shut it off and used the Hydrovane. As the winds died, it was handsteering (ok, truth be told I use my foot to steer wile in the Captains seat)  for the last 4 hours of my watch. With no wind, it wasn’t tough to do. I was steering like this when the winds at the Cape hit. A call down to sleepy Jeff and he came up to help with the rest of the watch as wind and seas again built up. During these last few miles, we also started hearing a high pitched whirring sound. Like metal grinding on metal… we would have to explore that mystery in Cabo.

We arrived at Marina Cabo San Lucas and were met by the professional and friendly staff. This harbor is Las Vegas in Mexico. They seem to think that all Americans do is drink and eat. Well, the tourists certainly lived up to that from what we could see and hear! Staying at this harbor is a bit like living in eternal spring break - but with older people. We were off to the yard to see about options for figuring out the weird sound. Sorry if you are not a boater, this part may be boring. Long story short: a haul out showed nothing wrong with the prop/shaft area. It must have been a slow day because we had 3-4 mechanics and the manager on board trying to figure out what made the noise. I felt like I was on Car Talk as I described the high pitched sounds over and over to them. They really went above and beyond to figure this out. In the end, they tracked it to a new vent put on a hose from our packing gland (shaft seal thingy) that didn’t vent… I called the mechanic in Gig Harbor who did the work and he said “oh yea, I just talked to the manufacturer about that and yep it makes a high pitched scream when not vented - but you’d have to be in really big seas for that to happen”. Sigh… Cracking the valve a bit open did the trick. 

Now a day to replace our steering cables (makes life easier for our autopilot) and then off to the Sea of Cortez.

Another quick update and a change in our plans!

As you may have noticed, we have had a pretty intense schedule for the last 2 months. In order for us to get to Panama and then to visit the Galapagos, we need to keep moving every 2-3 days. Going to the Galapagos adds 2500 miles to our trip. Most folks doing this are either coming through the Canal from the Caribbean or spend an extra year in Mexico and Central America. At this pace, we only have 10 days in the Sea of Cortez. Too crazy!

We realized that we just blew by 800 miles of pristine pacific coastline to get here and keep that schedule. We had a long talk and decided to forego the Galapagos leg. That means we get to spend our winter relaxing more and really seeing the Sea of Cortez and depart from Puerto Vallarta in March for French Polynesia. Way more relaxed, way more fun. And, that’s the point of this! So after we leave Cabo, we will head slowly up the coast to Los Frailles, La Ventana, La Paz and Loreto. We now have the time to explore and enjoy!

Hola from Ensenada!

You have no idea how weird and crazy saying the title to this blog is to me! Jeff is probably getting tired of me doing a little dance and saying "I can't believe we did this!".

We left Oceanside and had a bashing good time (not!) heading to San Diego. What a long day... 15-20 kts of wind directly on our nose and steep wind waves. Now, they were nothing compared to the WA and OR coast but we were now lulled into the SoCal weather - warm, soft winds etc... Not that day. We only made about 4 kts/hour by motor of the 40 mile trip. Yes, that calculates out to 10 hours. And, lets not forget the GIGANTIC kelp bed around Pt. Loma that stopped our boat in its tracks. Surrounded by crab pots and kelp it took a bit to get out of the area.

Just as we entered the SD shipping channel, along comes the USCG joyriding in their fast moving inflatable. I kept driving and Jeff chatted with them. Which consisted of:
Coastie: where you coming from?
Jeff: Tacoma, Washington
Coastie: Cool. Where you going?
Jeff: Eventually New Zealand
Coastie: Really cool!
And, that was that - have a nice day.  Just when we thought we passed all the obstacles of the day, we were greeted by another US Navy inflatable with big guns! Apparently a sub was coming out and we had to stay away. Duh! Why don't those subs just go in and out underwater - isn't what they do?

Anyways, we kept motoring through the busy San Diego Bay, past the many, really cool Navy ships, across a shoal area with only 5' below our keel and ended up at Coronado Cays Yacht Club around 6pm. A long day but the greeting on the dock from my brother, Charlie and his wife, Darleen, was so worth it! I remember telling him 2 years prior that we would stop by and see them on the way down to Mexico. And, here we were!

The next 5 days were a fantastic mix of Charlie showing us the beauty of the SD area, running around and getting our boat chores done, eating in fantastic restaurants and spending great time with both of them. They were so super helpful to us by driving us around to all the stores as we provisioned for the upcoming weeks. We had a blast at the SD Zoo, The Hotel Del, Balboa Park, The Mission and San Diego Yacht Club. Charlie has been stationed around the world for most of my adulthood - he retired 4 years ago as a 3 Star Admiral. This was a really special time that Jeff and I had with both of them. Thanks so much guys!

We left SD Bay for Ensenada for an easy overnight sail. The light winds died after a bit and we slowly motored south. Slow was key as we wanted to arrive in daylight. We entered Ensenada at Marina Coral at 7:20am and made our way to the fuel dock. As we were almost there, out of the fairway barrels a big 60' powerboat that nearly hits us as he cuts us off to rush to the fuel dock ahead of us. Yes, assholes are in in all countries (he was from Marina Del Mar, US). We docked and made our way to the office. Jesus was super confirming that we had all the paperwork already sent to them for clearing customs. A fee of $60 is well worth having local assistance with the process. We both agreed that a bit of money helps ease us into the ways of entering and exiting foreign countries.

There are a few boats here from the Baja Haha (160 boats that travel together to Cabo San Lucas) but its a fairly quiet marina. Until 10 pm that is, when the kinda weird "outdoor nightclub" on the rock jetty gets rolling.I was dancing in the cockpit to their jams as Jeff just shook his head. But, I couldn't dance all that long and we retreated to bed finally with earplugs. Today we explored downtown Ensenada and picked up a few last groceries. A nice relaxing day before the push down the coast.

Tomorrow, at 8 am, we head for customs to do the bureaucratic dance! Then a 300 mile, 3 night passage to Turtle Bay. From there, its 250 miles to Bahia Magdalena then another 220 to Puertos Los Cabos (20 miles past Cabo San Lucas). That will probably be the next time I get enough good cell coverage to add another post.

Hasta La Vista!
Fran and Jeff

The Many Personalities of Catalina and a Surprise for Jeff!

We arrived at Catalina Island after another light wind, smooth motor/sail. With the Santa Ana winds a bit unpredictable, we decided to anchor in Catalina Harbor on the west side of the island. This is part of Two Harbors which is well… 2 harbors. The island narrows much like an hour glass and Two Harbors is on 1 side and Catalina Harbor on the other. Yeah, a bit confusing.

After a rolly night at anchor, we grabbed a mooring the next day. In season, this harbor has room for 200 anchored boats and 115 moorings. But, there were just a handful of boats moored and only 3 had folks on them. Perfect for us! Quiet, beautiful and isolated enough for skinny dipping!

The day after we came in, our friends Peter and Tom moored over in Two Harbors. If you remember back a bit, we rafted next to them in Santa Cruz. They are a blast! With them, we did a long hike (aka Death March for those of us not accustomed to the heat) along the ridge of the island and the eastern side. Fantastic views and we did see one of the elusive and oh so cute island foxes! Ending that day with a swim off the back of the boat and back to Two Harbors for drinks with Peter and Tom.

We hung out at Catalina Harbor for 4 nights and just relaxed. Another hike along the many trails, kayaking, paddle boarding, snorkeling, swimming and a couple projects. We ended our last night there with nearly 4 hours of laughter with Peter and Tom. We hope to see them along our respective journeys again. Until then, it will be Facebook and Instagram to stay in touch.

Then south to the famous Avalon for a night. Catalina Island is a bit schizophrenic. The Two Harbors area is quiet and rustic. The west side of the island is remote and wild. You turn the corner to Avalon and its a bit like a Las Vegas version of the Island of Capri. The cliffy hills are stacked with beautiful white hotels and homes with red tile roofs. The harbor has a nice waterfront with shops and restaurants and 315 mooring buoys! As we are off season, only a quarter of the moorings were taken but I can’t imagine how crowded it is in summer.

These moorings are not like any we’ve ever encountered either. They have a 6’ stick on a float you grab, then pull it up to find the big hawser line with a loop. Put that on your bow cleat then pull up the attached line until you get to the stern. Put that loop on your stern cleat - if you’re under 40’. We are not. So, get a line through the loop and then back to your cleat. Sheesh! We did fine but then it’s not crowded right now. Half the fun is watching others try to do it.

The payment system is a bit wonky too. We didn’t do an online reservation as its not that busy. So you find the red harbor patrol boat, hand your credit card to them on their small boat (while rocking and rolling at the entrance to the harbor) and he tells you what mooring to use and kinda how to get to it. I imagine there is a giant pile of credit cards at the bottom of the entrance where the handoff has not gone quite as planned. 

AVALON IN SUMMER

One night at Avalon was enough and what we planned so we headed to Oceanside on Friday. They don’t have a lot of guest moorage and the 40’ slips were taken. Although we had made reservations a week prior, we were given the end tie of the guest docks. No problem! Well, tell the resident sea lions. As we approached, there were 4 or 5 lounging on our dock. I scared them off as we approached but when I jumped to the dock, I promptly landed in a thick slime of sea lion poop. They barked in happy revenge!  And I found that dock lines are attracted to this same poop.  There wasn’t much of a chance to keep them out of it as the dock was covered… Around this time, our friend Glenn Henderson, from Riverside Mountain Rescue, arrived to help with lines. Glenn’s boat is at the same marina. As he and Jeff tried to clean up the dock, I walked  a sandal caked with poop and scaring the sea lions that had jumped right back up on the dock) up to the harbor office. After explaining that this just wasn’t going to work, they gave us another slip in front of the local restaurant. We cast lines and motored over - nice and clean! Glenn joined us on our boat, then we went to check out his beautiful Hunter 36 and then, like most sailors and mountain rescuers; we went to Happy Hour! We discussed the ups and downs of mountain rescue, getting older and life in general. Glenn, like us, has given decades to mountain rescue and is still active. It was a terrific visit and we hope to see him down the road (maybe in Mexico or Central America).

During the week, I had told Jeff I had a surprise for him. He thought I picked up some new gadget on Amazon. What he didn’t know was that our great friends from “home”, Pete and Linda Jung, were down here visiting family. After some late night texting with Linda, they planned to come to Oceanside to see us. Thus, Jeff’s surprise. We were ready to go to West Marine by Uber and I told him the the driver, Pedro, was waiting for us in the parking lot. Yep, Pete and Linda drive up! They were our “Goober” drivers for the day and ran around with us picking up last minute things. A great lunch and visit with them and some help on boat projects. I can’t tell you how jazzed Jeff was (and me of course!) to see them. What a great treat to see loving, familiar faces! 

Tomorrow we point south to San Diego and Coronado where we’ll see my brother Charlie and his wife Darleen. A week of more last minute tasks (does it ever end?) and visits.

On course,

Fran and Jeff