Life at Paradise Village

We are still at Paradise Village, mixing chores, exploring, socializing and relaxing.

Chores

Of course the first thing we did was to wash the boat. It was surprising how much salt was on the deck after the passage from Puerto Los Cabos, as well as a few dried squid, one of which got excited and inked before his demise.

As we were having problems with the engine and fuel during the later part of the passage from Puerto Los Cabos, Rich installed a new fuel pump and replaced the fuel filters.  Usually he replaces them after 300 hours of engine operation but he decided that while we are in Mexico we should do it after 100 hours. We have run the engine a few time since and everything seems to be a-ok. We also cleaned the oil pan under the engine and put in new 'diapers' so if there is a leak we can identify it early.

I have been working on polishing and waxing the stainless as well as compounding and waxing some of the deck as I do the stanchions. While it is rewarding to see everything nice and shiny I do realize that this is never ending and that I will be doing it again in the future. I am using a new wax which I hope will increase the time between polishing.

I am pleased to report that our mail finally arrived here at Paradise Village, on Tuesday, 12/27. After returning to Seattle it was sent on to Sarah in Portland. There was a little delay as Sarah's address was incorrect on the package but the error was corrected and it arrived shortly thereafter. We thank her for culling through the mail, removing the offending medications, packaging it back up and sending it on to us. I now have my new driver's license, ATM cards, as well as the new boat document. Of course there were a few bills but nothing major or unexpected. Rich was able to take his prescription containers over to the farmacia and get them refilled for about 2/3 of the cost in the states. Now we just have to work the paperwork with the medical insurance folks.

Exploring

We forgot to check out of La Cruz before arriving at Nuevo Vallarta on Tuesday, 12/20. We took the ATM bus from Paradise Village to the main highway, crossed the highway, dodging traffic and caught the bus to La Cruz and Punta de Mita under the overpass. At La Cruz we walked down the hill to the marina, stopping to see the crew of Convivia at the taco stand and then on to the port captain to get out check out papers. Then we reversed the process back to Paradise Village and took the water taxi from the Paradise Village Marina dock over to the Nuevo Vallarta dock to visit the port captain and have our check in paperwork stamped. All in all a simple process.

On Friday, 12/23, we took the ATM bus into Puerto Vallarta to walk to the Malecon. The Malecon is a wide walkway along the waterfront. On one side is the beach and on the other there are shops and restaurant. The walkway includes statues, planters and benches for sitting and enjoying the view and people watching. We stopped at an italian restaurant and sat on the second floor overlooking the Malecon and had great pizza. We continued our walk, checking out the shops and the statues. In the older section of town we walked along the shops where proprietors promised not to sell us time share condos but instead they had good stuff to sell us. It was an interesting marketing scheme. There are many buses going in and out of town but only the ATM buses go to Nuevo Vallarta and Paradise Village. We walked most of the length of town back past the other end of the Malecon looking for an ATM bus stop. We finally ask a woman waiting for a bus and she gave us directions, three blocks in the current direction, turn right and go two blocks, then turn left and go two blocks. We did and we arrived at the ATM terminal and got our bus.

On 12/26, we took the ATM bus to Marina Vallarta. We had spent some time here 10 years ago. There are more buildings surrounding the marina and a new golf course. We were please to find that the small restaurant that served fish and shrimp tacos was still there and the tacos are as good as ever. The marine store is now almost across the street from the marina and it a lot larger than before. We were able to purchase replacement zincs for our Maxi-prop. We walked down to the Galeria Vallarta, with some more upscale shops and a movie theater. I got Rich a new pair of sunglasses. We also checked out WalMart before heading back.

Socializing

We enjoyed sundowners and Christmas eve dinner with Heidi and Joe of SV Huck, whom we met in San Diego and also did the Baja Ha-Ha. Wednesday night we had Constance and Tim of SV Midnight Lady over for drinks and latkes. We had met Constance on the dock and struck up a conversation as they are from Victoria, BC and had spent some time in the US. This morning we met Kellie and Terry of SV Noah. They had found our website of our first trip and commented about our first check-in to Cabo San Lucas. They even sent us a new flowchart of check in at Ensenada, very funny. They are from Pt. Roberts, Washington.

Heidi and Joe of SV Huck

This afternoon our friends, Phoebe and Reg of SV Three Sheets arrived so we gave them a tour of Paradise Village and spent the afternoon with them enjoying nachos and drinks on the beach. They told us about their stay at Los Muertos in 35 knot winds and their visit to Isla Isabella.

Relaxing

On Christmas day we grabbed our beach towels and our books and found a palapa on the beach to hang out for the day. The waiters even come to your palapa and take your order. What luxury!

We are having chaps made for our dingy to help protect it from the ultraviolet rays here in Mexico. We will take the dingy to their shop next to the marina on Monday and hope to pick it up completed on Wednesday. So, our stay will be extended a bit before we leave and head south.

We want to wish everyone a Happy New Year and that 2012 will find you healthy and happy.

Feliz Ano Nuevo 2012

Mexico - extremes

20 41.670 N, 105 17.665 W

We are now at Paradise Village Marina in Nuevo Vallarta. We were here 10 years ago prior to heading off on the Pacific Puddle Jump 2002. Comparing it to Bahia Santa Maria, is like night and day.

Bahia Santa Maria was a large bay with no 'civilization' other than the wooden structures of the fishing camp on the hill overlooking the bay which are not even occupied all year round.

Paradise Village is like a city in itself. There are multiple hotels, condominiums lining the beach side. There are breakwaters on both sides of the entrance to the river where the marina is located. Across from the marina are large private homes with docks as well. They offer 'jungle tours' on a pange that goes up the river. There are signs warning you not to feed the crocodiles. Crocodiles? Affronting the marina are new villas, many of which are for sale. Paradise Village includes a shopping center complete with McDonalds, Subway, Dominos Pizza, Starbucks (this is new since we were here last), a grocery store, several restaurants. shops and a courtyard for eating including a large McDonalds style play structure for kids. Beyond the shopping center is another complex than includes a hospital with emergency room, offices and a casino. In between shopping center and some of the hotels is a small zoo with birds and 3 Bengal Tigers. Two cubs were born recently and there is another large zoo with more tigers in the middle of the golf course. Half way down the marina is the Vallarta Yacht Club. They were just starting the ground preparation for this 10 years ago. The yacht club includes a restaurant, bar, swimming pool, hot tub and shower facilities.

Ten years ago we would wake up to the sound of Simba, the lion, roaring in his cage at the small zoo. One of the villa owners felt that Simba's roaring was disturbing the peace, including their dogs so Simba is gone. Katmandu was always a little intimidated by the roaring.

There are many more hotels and resorts filling in the coast of the bay. Many of the tourists we see are Mexican. Of course the Westin and St. Regis resorts at Punta de Mita are famous for recent visitors such as Charlie Sheen, Lady Gaga and Courtney Cox. The Mexican press denies that Gaddafi's son wished to relocate here from Libya.

It is all a far cry from Bahia Santa Maria.

Adios

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Anchored at La Cruz

20 44.920 N, 105 22.236 W
We anchored this morning at 8:30 am just a short distance from the breakwater for the marina at La Cruz. After settling the boat, taking showers and having some breakfast we were ready for a long nap.
The best thing about passage is arriving at your destination, everything else can sometimes be distant tenth place or more. It is no fun to be sleep deprived and with the confused seas of the second day and night it was hard to sleep. We were on the same tack the entire trip which made it easier but the short choppy seas were not fun. We are getting better on stowing items so they remain in place during passage. I did not expect a piece of moulding on the port side above the settee to fall down but as it was not glued or screwed in but only on by friction I should not be surprised. We got quite a shaking. I did manage to read and finish two books. We also had many porpoises join us on the second day for over an hour. One jumped right in front of the boat over eight feet in the air. Very impressive. The first day we saw almost no signs of life.

Last night when the winds started to diminish we decided to motor a bit. Rich switched us over to the forward fuel tank. Shortly after starting the engine, it quit. We started it again and it ran for a bit, then quit. We suspect that we either got some bad fuel or some other cause. As we want to save the fuel in the aft tank which seemed to be okay for when we arrived, we unfurled the staysail to sail instead. We were only doing about 3-4 knots but that was okay since slowing down meant we would be arriving at sunrise and it would be light so we could maneuver more comfortably.

As we rounded Punta de Mita there are some rocks we need to avoid. Unfortunately the C-map charts show these in different positions than the Navionics Gold charts on the IPad. Which is correct? Not knowing we tried to avoid the rocks on both charts. We were successful and did not hit anything. Not sure if more information was better or worse.

Tomorrow we will listen to the morning net and then go into La Cruz for a reconnoiter. I need to buy more time on our Telcel Amigo Internet plan for the IPad. It expires today.

Adios
Sent from SV Windarra iPad

Almost there

21 14.994 N, 106 29.538 W

We are still on our way to Punta de Mita. We have been sailing most of the day as the winds built from 5-10 knots to 18-22 knots, from close hauled to beam reach to broad reach, all on the same tack. The waves are off the aft quarter making it very rolly and lots of splashing as the waves hit the side of the boat and go straight up in the air.

We have had many porpoises visiting us today, some staying for over an hour, lots of jumping and high leaps into the air. We also saw a turtle. Not sure where he was going, maybe to French Polynesia.

Looking forward to anchoring and getting some sleep. We have about 60 some miles to go.

Adios

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Passage to Bahia de Banderas

22 32.833 N, 108 45.492 W

Just past nine o'clock this morning we were on our way our of the harbor. We had just made a stop at the fuel dock to top off the aft fuel tank and the starboard water tank. So we are all 'tanked' up so to speak. Twice the engine just stopped, once as we were approaching the fuel dock and later as we were leaving. It was a little disconcerting. Rich had replaced the fuel filters while we were in La Paz which would have been our first suspicion. It is now past 5:15 pm and the motor has been running constantly since then without a hiccup so as they say in the movie, "Shakespeare in Love", "It's a mystery". We have been coming across more of these mysteries.

The winds have been light all day, anywhere from 0.0 to at maximum of 7.8 knots. We are motorsailing with the main so that helps our speed and we are putting it in the bank.

As we left Puerto Los Cabos we saw some fishing boats and we had an AIS target of a cruise ship but since 11:00 am we have seen nothing other than a boobie that flew by and a cup of noodles container. The horizon is clear. No green flash at sunset due to low lying clouds in the distance. I hope that the evening is just as uneventful.

I did manage to finish one book and have started another but had to stop when the sunset.

We have traveled 65 nautical miles and we have about 210 nautical miles to go.

Adios

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Puerto Los Cabos

23 03.620 N, 109 40.345 W

We arrived back at Puerto Los Cabos on Wednesday afternoon. We are again on the long pier that does not have power but that is okay, as the rates are cheaper. In fact, if you want to stay a month, the cost is the same as for staying 10 days. There are several sailboats here but most of the cruisers are not Baja Ha-Ha folks. As they recently arrived from coming down the coast, the idea of staying here for a month is pretty appealing, especially at this reduced rate.

On of the boats here is Reunion with Dennis and Marta aboard. We met them at Scarborough Marina in Australia. They also shipped their boat back on Dockwise as we did with Windarra. They sold their original Reunion and bought a different boat and renamed it. Dennis is an excellent craftsman and the boat is gorgeous.

On the way from Los Frailles we noticed that the autopilot was making a groaning sound as it controlled the rudder. It did not skip a beat and it held the course with no problem but there was a lot of groaning. We checked the autopilot and ran the 'at dock' tests with no problem we feel a lot better about the operation of the autopilot.

Later we joined Marta and some of the other cruisers at happy hour.

Today we took at taxi to Soriana's. It is a large store similar to Walmart with a great grocery section that is on the way to the airport. We did our shopping and returned to Windarra. The dingy is now deflated and mounted on the foredeck. We bought a new outboard motor mount for the aft pulpit and Rich tried to install it but the steel tubes of the pulpit have a curve near where the previous outboard was located. The new mount is larger and will not accomodate the curve, so the new mount will not work. Rich put the old mount back on. We will have to make our own mount. The new one will become a swap meet item.

Tomorrow we will make a crossing to the mainland. We originally planned to go to Isla Isabella and then on to Bahia Banderas but based on the gribs we think a wiser course is to head straight for Bahia Banderas. We will have a chance to stop as Isla Isabella when we head north, next year on our way back into the Sea of Cortez.

I will try to write a position update along the way, depending on the sea conditions. If not, I will post when we stop to anchor in the bay.

Adios

Los Frailles

23 22.725 N, 109 25.383 W

We are back at Los Frailles. It was a rolly night at Los Muertos so we hope tonight will be more relaxing. The anchorage is almost empty, just one power boat and ourselves (I won the guess as to how many boats would be here). We had a nice sail today a broad reach with all the sails out, winds were 10-14 knots, seas were rather sedate. We passed two sailboats northbound, and one container ship otherwise we had the sea to ourselves for 46 nautical miles.

The port side water tank is leaking again. This is one of the items we 'fixed' while we were at Emery Cove. Looks like the leak is in the same general area but we need to take the settee apart to look at it so perhaps at Puerto Los Cabos, our next stop.

It is time to have dinner so I will end this.

Adios.

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Rolly Los Muertos

23 59.228 N, 109 49.723 W

Yesterday was a long motorsail from Caleta Lobos. For most of the way the winds were under 6 knots, but the seas were flat and we had the current our way for most of the trip so it was not bad just boring. The anchorage was rolly last night so we did not sleep very soundly. There are fewer boats than when we were here after the Baja Ha-Ha. The only boat we recognize is Deep Playa.

This morning the winds are from the west but light. We are heading to Los Frailles today.

Adios

Caleta Lobos

24 17.924 N, 110 20.029 W

Saturday morning we prepared to leave the dock, pick up some fuel and head out to Caleta Lobos. As part of the preparation, Rich took a look at the engine. He noticed that there was some salt built up above the starter motor and below one of the salt water cooling hoses and a small drip of salt water. He started the engine and there was a lot more than just a drip. We could not leave in this condition. Unfortunately, curing the problem was a bit more complicated. The hose was not situated properly so Rich has to remove the starter motor just to get access to the hose, then slide it over the connections on each end and put on new hose clamps then reinstall the starter motor. So instead of our 10:30 am departure it was more like 1:45 pm. But after fuel we went to Caleta Lobos for a rest.

Today we spent reading and relaxing. Rich made some brownies (om nom nom). I am reading a book on the discovery of the source of the Nile and Rich is reading about South American history. The weather is warm and we watch the pelicans and boobies fishing in the anchorage. This evening we saw a turtle floating by. There is only one other boat in the anchorage and in fact I think it is the same boat we saw when we first anchored here.

Tomorrow we will head back to Ensenada de Los Muertos on our way south to Puerto Los Cabos.

Adios.

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The mail does not always go through

Since we were going to be in La Paz for a while we thought it would be a good idea to have some of our mail sent to us. We talked to the folks in the office of the marina and they suggest using UPS. So on Nov. 16, we sent an email to our mail service in Seattle asking them to box up our mail and send it to the marina via UPS. That sounded easy enough.

I monitored the tracking of the package as it went from Seattle, Washington to Louisville, Kentucky to Ontario, California, to Tijuana, Mexico, arriving there on Nov. 18. I thought, wow, this is great, we should get the package soon.  The words, “Your package has experienced an exception” on the tracking email did not sound good.

Part of our mail included Rich’s medications. Even though the medications were directly from the insurance company and unopened and with the prescription information, customs in Mexico do not accept the importation of medication. Our box of mail contained a restricted commodity. After numerous calls to UPS, I finally convinced them to send the package back to Seattle.

On Nov. 25, the package was sent from Tijuana, Mexico back Louisville, Kentucky.  Since the package was arriving from Mexico, it had to be processed through US Customs and specifically the Food and Drug Administration and/or department of AG PPQ (I am not sure who or what this is).  More phones calls are made to UPS. So even though the package originated in the United States, and never cleared customs in Mexico, the officials were not sure they should allow this contraband to enter the United States.

On Dec. 5, UPS had obtained documentation and submitted to the Food and Drug Administration and the shipment was released.  The next email indicated that the package was at Seattle but not delivered due to adverse weather conditions but later today I got confirmation that it had been delivered.

It cost over $200 to send the package to Mexico and send it back to Seattle, not including the numerous international long distance phone calls (800 numbers are not toll free when you are calling from outside the United States) and we still do not have our mail.

In Herodotus’ Histories is the following quote, referring to the courier service of the ancient Persian Empire:

It is said that as many days as there are in the whole journey, so many are the men and horses that stand along the road, each horse and man at the interval of a day’s journey; and these are stayed neither by snow nor rain nor heat nor darkness from accomplishing their appointed course with all speed. (trans. A.D. Godley 1924)

Apparently the Persians had not encountered Mexican customs officials or the United States Food and Drug Administration.

Some photos...

Here are some photos for your viewing pleasure...

The best ice cream store in La Paz

Robin of The Cat's Meow at the Thanksgiving potluck

Rich on the beach at Bahia San Gabriel

The remains of a puffer fish at Bahia San Gabriel

Waiting out the Northerlies

24 10.940 N, 110 18.223 W

As the northerlies built in the Sea of Cortez, we decided that hanging out in the anchorage, doing the La Paz waltz and getting soaked going back and forth in the dingy was not going to be a lot of fun.  So, on Saturday, we got a slip at Marina Palmira which is farther west and a little farther from town but it was available. We have not stayed at the marina before so it is a new experience for us. It is larger than Marina de La Paz and there are a lot more mega-yachts but the facilities include a hotel with a swimming pool, which is available for the yachties to use if they buy a drink at the bar, 2 restaurants, a small store/chandlery, a laundry that uses American quarters (6 for wash, 6 for dry) and a free shuttle that goes into town 3 times a day.

Sunday before the winds picked up Rich went up the mast to check the rigging. He wears a climbing harness that we attach to two halyards. I ran one of the halyards to a powered winch in the cockpit and the other to a self-tailing winch on the mast. We use the powered winch to pull him up with the other as backup. It is a lot easier than my grinding him up by hand! Everything looks good. All of the rigging pins are in place with split pins. There are two loose rivets on the mast conduit between the first and second spreader, but not coincident. The port site primary shroud below the first spreader has a deep scratch in the staylock cylinder. We are not sure what caused this but we will keep an eye on it. We may want to order a replacement. In the afternoon I cleaned the cockpit and washed the cushions. I found lots of granola bar crumbs! With the northeries, the temperature has gone down to the low 70s during the day and in the 50’s at night so I put on jeans for the first time since leaving San Diego.

In the evening we went out for dinner with Adam and Cindy of SV Bravo. They were on E-dock with us when we were at Shilshole Bay Marina. They spent the past summer in the Sea of Cortez which we plan to do this coming summer so we want to get some of their ideas. We walked down to the “Smiling Dorado” and enjoyed fish and shrimp soup. We had a great time talking. We were the only patrons and of course we closed the place as well.

This morning Rich and I caught the shuttle and met Reg and Phoebe for breakfast at the Dock Café at Marina de La Paz. I just finished the Game of Thrones series by George R. R. Martin so I am loaning them the series to read. I finished the last book, “A Feast for Crows”, only to find out that he did not finish the series in the last book and has written a fifth book, “A Dance with Dragons”, which I will have to find somewhere. After breakfast, Rich, Phoebe and I went into town to look for an electronics store and then to the grocery store to do some provisioning. Along the way we passed through a small street market.

We also stopped by the main cathedral in La Paz. A mission was first established at the site of La Paz in 1535 by Herman Cortes and he called it Holy Cross Harbor. In 1683 the Jesuits rediscovered this port and named it Our Lady of Peace, but later it was abandon. In 1720 more Jesuits founded a permanent mission of La Paz.

We continued our walk, stopping at an Ace Hardware store and then at the Tiendas Chedraui and did our provisioning. We got a taxi back to Marina de La Paz to drop off Phoebe and then back to Marina Palmira.

Tomorrow we hope to get a diver to check the zincs and replace if necessary.

Tsunami detection system in La Paz

Back at La Paz

24 09.661 N, 110 19.849 W

Last night shortly before midnight, the winds shifted to the southwest and increased to 20 knots. A fetch built up in the anchorage and it was hobbyhorse time. Not the most restful. This morning we decided it was time to leave and now these winds from the southwest were on our nose all the way back to La Paz but at least they decreased over time and the seas relaxed so it was not a hard slog back.

We are back in the anchorage off of Marina de La Paz, not to far from where we were anchored before.

Sent from SV Windarra iPad

Caleta Partida

24 31.924 N, 110 22.723 W

Yesterday we hopped into the dingy and went for a visit on SV Cat 2 Fold. It is a 40 ft catamaran with a cat rig on both amahs and it folds up so it is trailer able. On board is Bryan, his girlfriend Deidre and Bryan's two kids, Bao and Georgia who are just a little older than Miles and Ruby of SV Convivia. The kids are having a great time playing, jumping off the side and swimming under the trampoline. We visited for a while and then Rich and I went for a walk on the beach.

It is a long beach with sugar white sand and we have it all to ourselves, with a few birds. On the tide like we saw the remains of several puffer fish, some half inflated with the spines sticking out. We also saw the remains of a parrotfish. The shells are tiny but I picked up a few. It was great to get off the boat and take a walk. The anchorage was very peaceful last night and the sea was like glass with only a ripple from the large schools of small fish below.

This morning we left Bahia San Gabriel and headed north following the coast of Isla Espiritu Santo. We sailed a bit in the northerly and now we are at anchor at Caleta Partida, in a small bay in between Isla Espiritu Santo and Isla Partida. The bay is the remains of a volcano crater that eroded on the western and eastern sides. On the eastern side is a small fishing camp on the sand spit between the two islands. We are sharing the anchorage with 12 other boats. The sun has just set and it is quiet except for the slap of water against the hull of the dingy. Even the radio chatter has died down.

Tomorrow we return to La Paz. We hope to meet up with our friends on SV Three Sheets and SV Bravo while we are there.

Adios

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Bahia San Gabriel

24 25.604 N, 110 21.831 W

It was time to get out of La Paz. We were in "La Paused" mode, to quote Tucker on SV Convivia. The northerlies were starting to ease so we decided it was time to leave, at least for a while. While it was nice to be at anchor and to have wi-fi, it was tiring having the boat kattywhompus to the winds when the tide was going the other way, hearing the continual slap, slap, slap on the stern, the dingy rocking next to the boat.

So, this morning we weighed anchor. The waves were breaking over the bar that separates the La Paz canal from the bay but as we neared the entrance to the canal the wind subsided a bit and so did the waves. We left the canal and put up the sails. We were close-hauled doing as much as 8 knots. That is until the wind shift. We were on a starboard tack and at the leyline for the anchorage on Isla Espiritu Santo. We tacked, thinking that the wind would shift and we would be able to hold a port tack right into the anchorage at Bahia San Gabriel. But no, the wind did not shift, so instead we had it on the nose and it was a bit of a bash in. Ah well, it is over now.

We arrived around 2:00 pm. SV Convivia called on the VHF and invited us over. We anchored, lowered the dingy, lowered the outboard, grabbed the cooler and motored over. We were joined by Brian and Deidre of SV Cat 2 Fold. Their 2 kids are almost the same age as Ruby and Miles so the four kids were having a great time. We enjoyed some conversation and some liquid refreshment.

We returned to Windarra to fix dinner and watch the sun go down. We could see the signs of fish just under the surface, and occasionally the water would erupt like it was boiling from their movement.

After I send this off we are going to sit on the foredeck and watch the stars.

We are out of "La Paused" mode, back into play.

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Meeting a old friend

This morning we had our coffee in the cockpit and listened to the morning net. After the net, I got a call from Tucker of SV Convivia about the paperwork for getting a temporary import permit. We had to try about 5 different stations before we found one that was not already full of static or conversation. Next I got a call from Ethan of SV Eyoni. Ethan had seen our dodger while we were in the marina and he is building his own dodger and wanted to take some pictures so we said to come on over after breakfast. The next call was from Robin of MV The Cat's Meow. She asked if we were the same Windarra that was in Puerto Vallarta 10 years ago. Yes! Robin cat-sat with Katmandu while we flew to the states and left Windarra at the marina in Paradise Village. What a small world! After a quick conversation we agreed to meet up at the cruiser Thanksgiving dinner later in the afternoon.

Ethan came by and took pictures of the dodger. He and his wife, Nancy and their daughter, Zada have done some extensive cruising in the Sea of Cortez and he went through the guide book with us and made some suggestions of anchorages to stop at. It was great to hear his comments.

In the afternoon, I trimmed Rich's hair. I do need more practice but I think I did okay and he does not look too mangled. After showers we headed over to the marina to catch a cab to the cruiser dinner. One thing about cruisers, they are never late for a meal and this was no exception. So for those of us who arrived on time the only seats left were in the sun. So after a few minutes, I wanted to take another shower. The food was good and there was plenty. They cooked 25 turkeys for 250 people. So we eat our meal and talked to some of the other cruisers.

We also got a chance to catch up with Robin. Their boat is currently in Puerto Escondido and Martin, her husband, is in San Francisco doing the yearly medical thing. She asked about Jesse and Sarah and Katmandu. Her two cats, Toes and Squeaks are still doing well. We hope to catch up with them either in the Sea or on the mainland sometime during the next year.

Tomorrow we hope to get some gasoline for the outboard before heading out for a few days.

Adios.

Busy in La Paz

Sunday is a day of rest so no chores. There was a cruiser swap meet where I tried to sell a flourescent light fixture, bulbs and mounts. These are the same items I tried to sell at the swap meet in San Diego. Rich bought a vise that articulates in multiple angles. I still have my light fixture and stuff until the next swap meet.

Afterwards we went to a presentation on a cruising rally to El Salvador. We are not interested in this for 2012 but maybe for 2013. We will do more investigating before we commit to this but I may be a good way to go from Mexico to Costa Rico instead going non-stop or multiple days at sea.

The rest of the day was spent reading and relaxing. Rich also took a siesta.

The package of mail we had sent from the US got stuck in Tijuana. It contained refills of some of Rich's medications. This is not allowed. So I talked to UPS and they are sending it back to Seattle and we will have it sent to Sarah to sort. No sure what we will have to do to get Rich's meds but I am sure we figure something out.

Rich was able to talk to Dave Stearns over the weekend and get some tips as well as the web sites for our hydraulics system. He checked the fittins and got more air out of the system, neought that he had to put in at least a quart of more hydraulic fluid. He also changed the oil in the engine and the water maker. I have started cleaning stainless again. It is a never ending job but at least there is a breeze in the afternoon and afterwards we may take showers here at the marina.

Tuesday morning we walked up to the Port Capitan to change our crew list from 3 when we were on the Baja Ha-Ha with Dan to only 2, just Rich and I. The walk was a lot longer than it seemed on the map but good exercise. Rich's foot and knee are doing better so we try not to push it.

This moring we had breakfast with Reg and Phoebe. They are heading out to the islands for a bit. We will try and join them on Friday. After a provisioning trip to the Mega we left the marina and headed out the channel to check the autopilot. It is working great! We were unable to check it under sail as the winds were light, less than 5 knots, but it worked fine in the other navigation modes. We still need to check the autopilot motor brushes and perhaps order spares.

We returned to the harbor and now we are anchored across from the marina. As the tide goes in and out, the current changes and we do the "La Paz waltz" as all the boats at anchor change direction, regardless of the wind, which is thankfully low at this point.

Tomorrow we will attend the cruiser Thanksgiving dinner put on by the cruiser club of La Paz. Everyone brings a dish and the cost is $20 pesos per person. Such a deal.

We would like to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving!

Infrastructure

Thursday morning we caught a cab with Reg of SV Three Sheets to Pichilingue, which is north of La Paz. At the Banjercito you may apply for a Temporary Import Permit (TIP). A TIP is required if you wish to  leave your boat in Mexico for a period of time or you want to get boat parts from the US sent to you in Mexico. TIPs are good for 10 years and ours just expired on Nov 12, 2011 so we needed to get a new one. To get a TIP you need the original plus a copy of the following: 

                Boat document, this should include the hull id number

                Passport of owner (copy of picture page)

                Tourist visa of owner (copy of both sides)

You also need the following data:

                Diesel engine make and serial number

                Outboard motor make and serial number

                Dingy serial number

The cost is $50 USD, payable in cash (dollars or pesos) or credit card.

The woman at the counter spoke English which was a big help. With the above information we also had to fill out a list of the equipment on the boat. This list is in Spanish. A copy similar to what we filled out is available in the appendix of Charlie’s Charts for Mexico book. If someone is interested I can scan ours and post it on the blog. There is a place on the form to add items. I added watermaker, wind generator and solar panels in Spanish as well. There is no downside that we can see for indicating you have everything on the list even if you don’t at this time. You may decide to add it later. So now we have our TIP certificate. If we wish to have parts send in from the States, we will need to bring a list to a Banjercito of the parts to have the TIP updated and we will show this to customs when the parts arrive, such as at the UPS office.

Reg tried to get his TIP as well. Unfortunately the Canadian boat document does not include hull number so without this information he was unable to get the TIP.

After our taxi ride back Rich and I walked to check out the local marine stores. Boy, do we miss marine stores in Seattle, but there are a few stores and some of the clerks speak a little English. We bought some hose for our water pressure issue. We took a long walk to the CCC – a large store similar to WalMart that includes a grocery section. It was a good chance to stock up on some fresh veggies and fruits. I bought 2 chocolate croissants or should I say that is what they were called at the bakery section. This morning we had them for breakfast and they were more like hot dog buns with some chocolate chips in them. They definitely were a disappointment! We called a taxi to haul us and our purchase back to the boat.

Rich tried running some new hose to see if that would fix the water pressure pump not holding pressure but no joy.

In the late afternoon we joined the Baja Ha-Ha party at Stella’s and we sat with Phoebe and Reg.  With our entry we got two free drinks plus a meal and two raffle tickets. The entertainment included a mariachi band, another band with an accordion that played polkas later that evening and a Mexican Folkloric dance group. In between food and entertainment they would call out ticket numbers for the 60+ prizes. We anxiously listened, hoping our numbers would be called for the bottles of Tequila or gift certificates at the Dock Side Restaurant or the Lopez Marine store. No joy, our numbers were not called so we had more margaritas or beers instead. Throwing caution and rhythm out the window, us aging baby boomers dancied to the music of the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s. It was a site!

This morning, Friday, we were not moving so very fast (I wonder why). We took at taxi to the Telcel center to get 3G internet for the Ipad2. I thought I had everything but unfortunately I forgot my passport so we walked back to the marina with a few stops at marine stores looking for more hose, including fuel hose for the engine. No joy. Rich decided to stay on the boat and work the water pressure issue. I grabbed my passport and the Ipad and headed back to Telcel.

I arrived at 11:15 am. After waiting in line, I was able to work with Rene, who had a fairly good command of English (much better than I had of Spanish). With Telcel, I may get either a mini-SIM that will handle 3G internet or cellular phone service but not both it seems to my understanding. To get cellular phone service you need proof of a local address (like a bill from the marina). The phone number is local to that city. Calling to or from anywhere else in Mexico is considered long distance.  If I were to buy a cell number here in La Paz, I could call up to 25 different cell numbers in the US for $5 pesos for 15 minutes, but only if I were calling from La Paz, not from Mazatlan with the same number. Another catch is you may add time online, only if you have a Mexican credit card, otherwise you need to go to any outlet that sells Telcel, of which there are many, to buy more time. So I opted to get 3G internet instead. Much to my surprise, there is a promotion of one month’s free internet (max of 3 gigabytes of data), including the mini Sim card that goes in the Ipad2. Such a deal! After they had a copy of my passport, they got a mini Sim card and we started the process of registering the Sim, getting a number, and connecting with the Ipad. During the registering process, the password I entered was changed by ‘tbd process’, so I could not login. After a trip to the supervisor, we determined that changed password and were able to correct it. The Ipad was registered but it would not let me connect to the internet. Rene started making phone calls to Mexico City. I sat down for a bit while he was making his call. I met an American from Colorado who was trying to sign up for broadband access, and he was not able to connected with internet either.  By 2:15 pm, I was still at Telcel and still unable to connect to the internet. Since Rene did not know how long this would take, I decided to go back to the boat. I asked Rene to call me when I was working again. Rene said he could not call my US cell phone number. Send me a text message then? Nope. An email? No again. I finally gave him the phone number of the marina and asked him to leave a message. Telcel seems like AT&T before the break up. Having only one telephone/cell/internet company is not a good thing. Competition forces more quality.

Meanwhile back at Windarra, Rich moved the water pressure pump from above the water heater next to the accumulator in the aft head, to under the floor boards next to the shower sump pump. Running the blue tubing back to the accumulator pump was a challenge due to space limitation (it’s a boat) and not enough connectors (it’s Mexico) so he was able to make do with the tubing and plastic hose. Tomorrow we will run new electrical wires for the new placement. It just never ends.

So it has been a long day. Time to post this, and then watch a movie.

Adios.

At Marina de La Paz

24 09.349 N, 110 19.573 W

This morning we called and got a slip for 5 days at the Marina de La Paz. This is where we stayed 10 years ago. The dock side cafe is still here but the docks are all new and there are even some mega-yachts tied to the outside dock. We have a berth next to Arawak, the boat that Clark Straw helped Robin, the owner, bring south. After checking in we had lunch at the Dock Cafe. Reg and Phoebe of SV Three Sheets came in shortly after us and joined us for lunch.

We returned to the boat for some internet time and then off to walk the malecon. The broad sidewalk on the water side of the malecon has been extended almost to the marina. It includes nice iron work benches and statues. We stopped at the bank ATM for some pesos and and the bus station to find out the bus schedule to Pichilingue to get our temporary import permit. Walking down the malecon we saw some familiar places and some surprising new ones. We saw our favorite ice cream store, La Fuentas, with the tree that have polka dots painted on the trunk. Of course we stopped for some fresh coconut ice cream. We also saw the Hotel Los Arcos, where we had a chateaubriand dinner with Tony and Libby of Silkie C when we were here last. Unfortunately the hotel looks a little sad and we are not sure if it is even open or not. Much to our surprise we saw an Applebee's on the malecon. Who would have thought? Down the street was a Burger King and a Subway. All of these are new since we were here last.

Tomorrow we will try to get our temporary import permit. There is also another Baja Ha-Ha party in the afternoon.

Adios

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Caleta Lobos

24 17.918 N, 110 19.980 W

This morning we raised anchor and left Ensenada de Los Muertos and headed towards La Paz. The wind was light and on the nose most of the way but we did do a little sailing. We got through the pass at San Lorenzo canal before the ferry from La Paz to Mazatlan entered. We are in a small, protected and quiet anchorage with only four other boats. The autopilot worked well most of the way until we went through the canal. So it is better but not working completely 100%.

We had a little excitement just after we anchored. Down below it smelled of diesel. Rich looked into the engine compartment and saw that there was diesel all over the starboard side. So we spent some time cleaning that us and trying to find where it was coming from. Rich discovered that a hose from the fuel filter to the engine injector pump was leaking. So I dug through the storage compartment beneath the settee in the aft stateroom and found the spare engine hoses. Then I went under the lower pullman buck for small hose clamps and Rich replaced the hose. Hoping this did the trick.

We invited Phoebe and Reg of SV Three Sheets over for dinner. They are from Sarnia, Ontario and we had met them in Ventura as we came down the coast. We had a fun evening talking and laughing.

The sunset behind SV Three Sheets at Caleta Lobos

Tomorrow, La Paz.

Los Muertos Yacht Club - Nov, 17, 2001

On Nov. 17, 2001 we met on the beach at Ensenada de Los Muertos for a potluck and snorkeling with our new cruising friends. Here are pictures, then and now.

Sarah, Pete, Alyce, Sue, Marie, Lucie, Elaine and Rich behind the Los Muertos Yacht Club symbol

The hillside in the background has no development at all

Elaine and Rich holding our faded LMYC burgee

See the pangas, boat ramp and restaurant in the background at Los Muertos today, 11-13-2011. There is also a golf course, a resort and several private homes here at well

Meeting friends in Los Muertos

We decided to stay today at Los Muertos. The winds calmed down and the boat stopped rocking. Many of the boats left last night, calling the anchorage, untenable but us diehards stuck it out.

We got out our snorkel gear and headed for the beach. We met up with Reg and Phoebe of Three Sheets. They were headed to the 1555 Restaurant at the end of the beach so we decided to join them. There we also saw Tucker, Victoria, Ruby and Miles of Convivia as well as some other cruisers. We sat down for cervesas and nachos while Reg and Phoebe enjoyed their lunch.

The restaurant was once the Giggling Marlin of Cabo San Lucas fame. The 1555 is part of the Los Suenos development including a golf course. Apparently the development has bought a large part of the bay property and would like to rename the bay to Los Suenos which means dreams and put in a retirement community. The bay's current name of Bay of the Dead is not the name the marketers would like to use for a retirement community. We will see if the name gets changed in the future or not.

After lunch, we went snorkeling in the bay. There did not seem to be as many fish as I remember from 10 years ago but still the water was pleasant. Rich was on shore standing by our dingy and talking to Tucker when a gentlemen walked up to him and asked if he was one of the boaters. Rich said yes and then the gentleman asked if he knew the 'Windarrians'. Rich thought a moment and then replied that yes he was from the sailboat Windarra. Dave Larkman then introduced himself. Dave and I once worked together at Commercial Avionics Systems at Boeing. He and his wife, Jean, live at La Ventana just around the point from Los Muertos for part of the year. We had been in touch via email but we did not expect to have them walk up to us at the beach. We chatted for a bit and we will get together once we get to La Paz.

You never know who is going to walk up to us on a remote beach somewhere.

Depending on the weather and our moods we may continue on towards La Paz. We are in no hurry

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Ensenada de Los Muertos

23 59.098 N, 109 49.724 W

Today we got up early and left Los Frailles. The winds were light so we motored. Unfortunately the autopilot was acting up and we are getting a rudder response error. It got more frequent as the day went on to the point that we were hand steering most of the way. So we were glad the winds were light and so were the seas. After we anchored, Rich took a look at the hydraulics in the lazarette and in the binnacle. There has always been a small leak in the lazarette and he did not see any other leaks or more than usual output. The binnacle was topped off as well. We are theorizing that there were some air in the lines which was causing the problem so Rich would turn the wheel from over hard on port to over hard on starboard with the plug loose in the binnacle to let our any air. After doing this, the movement of the wheel seems more uniform but we will not know until we are moving and not at anchor.

About two hours after we anchored the winds picked up and so did the seas so we are hobby-horsing in the anchorage which is not fun. As a resulted we have decided to wait dinner for a while, hoping it will settle down. The gribs seem to give that indication, we hope they are correct.

Ten years ago we anchored in Ensenada de Los Muertos with some new friends we had met on the Baja Ha-Ha in 2001. The boats were Windarra, Kiapa, Saperlipopette, Aristos, Silkie C, The Great Escape and Siesta. We gathered on the beach for a potluck and snorkeling. Pete of Kiapa fashioned a flag of sorts out of sticks found on the beach. We called ourselves the Los Muertos Yacht club. Later Sue of Aristos made burgees of bright purple cloth with the image of the sticks in silver. We met later in La Paz and even had a cabbage salad contest. The title of commodore went to the person lucky enough to be given the purple sash. The only rule was that if a member of the yacht club caught you in port not flying your burgee, you had to buy them a drink. We still have our burgee but it is looking awfully faded.

We continue to hope that the seas will calm down and that we may go snorkeling tomorrow, just as we did ten years ago.

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Still here

23 22.678 N, 109 25.505 W
Los Frailles

One of the nice things about cruising is that you can change your mind and your plan. Originally we had planned to continue on to Ensenada des Los Muertos today but instead we stayed here at Los Frailles. Several boats left but others stayed like us and even more arrived as the day went on.

The winds did switch to the southeast (it was supposed to be yesterday) so it was a bit breezy and rolly in the anchorage. Rich and I read and did a few little chores. I made a set of straps to use for lifting the dingy. Rich check the hydraulic fluid for the steering. We had planned to go for a walk on the beach but due to the white caps in the anchorage we decided to pass.

Tomorrow we will see if the weather is conducive to heading north.

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Going uphill

23 22.678 N, 109 25.505 W
Los Frailles

This morning we listened to the weather report on the Amigo net. The reception was poor but it seemed to indicate it would be backing off today and the winds would be changing to an easterly.

So we followed the crowd and left the marina at Puerto Los Cabos behind. At first is was a nice beam reach, winds were from 8-15 knots, not too bad. When we turned the corner northward, the winds were on our nose. To make it worse, the seas were short and choppy and we were bashing into them and of course the winds built to almost 25 knots as the day progressed. This was not in the report, this was not supposed to be the plan, harrumpf. The foredeck as a wash and several times I watched the water run up the deck and splash into the dodger. To make matters a little more tricky, the autopilot was not happy. We suspect that this was another 'feature' of having the software in the autopilot updated in San Diego before we left.

We anchored at Los Frailles around 2:30 pm. Ken and Carole of SV Nautimoments came by on their dingy for a chat. As we were talking in the cockpit I looked back and saw their dingy floating away. As we quickly started to launch our dingy off the davits, another boat, Boboleta, motored by, grabbed the dingy and brought it by Windarra. The wandering dingy was returned.

There is a full moon out tonight over the anchorage filled with about 30 boats from the Baja Ha-Ha. In the morning we will listen to the weather again and see if we will stay or proceed on.

Adios

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Waiting for a weather window

23 03.617 N, 109 40.348 W

It is Wednesday and we are still here at Puerto Los Cabos, waiting for a weather window so we may head north towards Los Frailles.

On Monday we went to the fuel dock to fill up with diesel then returned to our place along the long dock. The marina staff brought over some long hoses and we may attach them to outlets for the garden sprinklers. We then attach our hose to it and now we are able to wash some of the dirt, grime and salt that has accumulated since leaving San Diego. Unfortunately Rich twisted his knee trying to favor his injured foot. He limped painfully down below. I continued to wash, enjoying the cool water on the hot deck. After a good scrubbing and rinse, and a change of clothes, Rich drove us over to the marina office with our load of laundry. The harbormaster’s sister-in-law does laundry for a fee, about $2 US per kilo. After returning I caught a taxi into San Jose dos Capos with Ken and Carole of Nautimoments, Doreen of August Moon and Sandy of I Yam What I Yam. We first went to the Walmart, where I was able to get some fresh veggies and fruits and some pesos out of the Bancamex ATM. We then caught a taxi to the Tropicana Hotel in downtown.  After walking around the block we came to the Riviera French Restaurant and Bakery, it was time for a snack and we were all hungry. Doreen and I split a ham and cheese crepe and a dessert crepe with Grand Marnier and coconut ice cream. Om nom nom. I bought two croissants at the bakery for our breakfast the next morning. Happily satiated we rode the taxi back to the marina. In my absence Rich as able to repair our pressurized water system using a replacement pump and replacing some of the old hose with the plastic tubing. The replacement pump is noisier but it works which is most important.

Tuesday the weather is still not cooperating. Several boats left the morning be turned around and returned as the seas were big, the winds were strong and they were not making much progress against both. The weather report from the Amigo net indicates that Thursday it will be more promising. Rich went over to the marina office with Carole to sign up for another night. Carole and Doreen thought it would be a good idea to have a small potluck on the dock but first it was happy hour. Carole, Ken, Doreen, Russ, Sandy, Rich and I walked over to one of the cantinas near the dock for happy hour. The Pina Coladas tasted great. After one drink we all walked to the next cantina where they were serving 2 for 1 margaritas, we could not pass up especially since that included free chips and salsa fresca.  By now it was time to get ready for the potluck. Sandy will be leaving for Vancouver shortly and wanted to cook up the wahoo they had caught during the Baja Ha-Ha. We brought some fruit salad. Doreen had asked the harbormaster if they had a table we could use to set up the potluck on the dock. He did not have one but instead he went out and bought a table and well as donating a pumpkin pie, chocolate chip cookies, a bag full of rolls and also brought down a cooler full of ice. What a deal! Unbeknownst to Doreen and Carole, word had spread like wildfire among the cruisers about the potluck. The little group swelled and covered the dock. Everyone brought something to share. We got a chance to meet some of the other Baja Ha-Ha’ers including the folks on Tabu who operate the sailboat Alaskan Eagle. We chatted with them about Chile and Peru as they have been at least 7 times on Alaskan Eagle. A fun time was had by all.

Today, Wednesday, is a lazy day. We will put the dingy on the davits for our passage up to La Paz. With it off of the foredeck, we reinstalled the dorade cowlings so we can get more air flow through the boat. With this warmer weather we need as much air movement as we can get. Later we will put the dingy on the davits, wash off the cockpit cushions and fill the water tank. The water is not potable for drinking but fine for showers and okay if it is boiled such as for coffee. Rich sent an email off to the watermaker folks but no reply as of yet. The watermaker works but the salinity is much higher than we were getting while we were in California.

Hopefully we will be leaving Thursday morning.

Puerto Los Cabos

23 03.617 N, 109 40.348 W

This morning we left Cabo San Lucas and the jet skis and pangas and cruise ships and headed toward the Sea of Cortez. Our first passage was a short one, only about 16 miles to Puerto Los Cabos, just on the other side of San Jose Los Cabos. We are at a marina on the transient dock. No electricity or water is available at the transient dock but the price is only $45 a night for Windarra. If we wanted power and water it would cost $110. So tomorrow we will go to the fuel dock to take on fuel and water instead.

The port also has some large pens with dolphins so tourists may swim with the dolphins. The dolphins could jump over the rim of the enclosure if they wanted to to escape but apparently they are well fed and don't see the need to escape. The area is very clean and pristine and we watched a few tourist go for a swim. The dolphins jumped and whistled and waved their tails.

Several Ha-Ha'ers are here as well. I suspect we are all making the journey towards La Paz.

We called Jesse and wished him happy birthday on his 26th birthday. We remember celebrating his 16th birthday at Turtle bay when we did the Baja Ha-Ha in 2001.

Rich is fixing dinner so I will keep this short.

Adios from Puerto Los Cabos

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Baja Ha-Ha award night

Today we stayed on Windarra doing some chores. Rich cleaned the watermaker but we are concerned that it needs to run a long time before the water is not salty. So Monday he will call them to see what to do next. Also our pressurized water system (pump and accumulator) has stopped working as well. We have had this system running for over 10 years so I guess it is tired. Rich tried replacing the pump but it is still not working right .I did a little cleaning and put a chafe guard on the boom brake. The line is being chafed by the wire for the boom vang. We may have to change how the boom brake is mounted.

This evening was the Baja Ha-Ha awards presentation. There is first, second and third places in each division and everyone gets an award so there are several third places! Surprisingly, we got first place in our division, mainly because we sailed the whole first leg after the rolling start. Other boats sailed the whole second leg but it was shorter. I think all of the boats in our division motored at least part of the way on the last leg. Our prize includes a t-shirt for first place, a painted wooden fish with a first place ribbon, a button with the map of the Baja Ha-Ha and a copy of Latitude 38. We also got certificates for each crew member that states: Baha Ha-Ha Survivor, by order of the Grand Poobah: This certificate acknowledges to all the world that the bearer (insert your name here) successfully completed the Baha Ha-Ha Cruisers' Rally from San Diego to Cabo San Lucas in the year 2011. It is definitely suitable for framing. Dan -- we will mail your certificate to you!

Other awards were handed out as well: Most Chatty on the radio which went to I Yam What I Yam, Nautimoments was second. The youngest sailor was Miles on SV Convivia (4 years old), the oldest sailor - 83 years old. Other awards were for best boat bite, aka boat related injury, which went to someone who had their toenail tore off, the first to sail naked, the most fish and to the person who came the farthest to sail in the rally - a tie between a man from Sweden, another man from Copenhagen and a woman from Switzerland. There were other award but I can not remember maybe because they also had free beer at the event.

Tomorrow we leave for Puerto Los Cabos for two nights in the marina. It will be a chance to do laundry and wash the boat. The boat is filthy and definitely needs a wash. After that we will make our way to La Paz.

Adios.

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Arrive at Cabo San Lucas

22 53.485 N, 109 53.660 W

It was a long evening with many boats around us to watch for. This morning we had to be on the look out for fishing floats with lines between them. We almost were caught by one. It is scary wondering how many we might have passed in the night, not seeing them at all.

We were escorted by a very large group of porpoises. Were they showing us the way? We also saw groups of flying fish scatter across the surface as we go by.

We crossed the finish line at 11:38 am and continued motoring around Cabo Falso and then Cabo San Lucas. There are many more homes, hotels and condominiums than there were 10 years ago. We anchored along the beach right behind the Walt Disney cruise ship with the jet skis, parasailing, hobie cats, etc zipping around. The beach is more narrow and drops off steeply due to the hurricane that hit this area some years ago. Lots of hotels but very few people on the beach and almost no palapas selling cerviche.

After anchoring and securing the boat we took well deserved showers, then a rest. Later in the afternoon we caught a panga into the marina area for dinner at the Baja Cantina. The food was good and we got a chance to watch some of the activity around the marina. After dinner we walked around the marina which is now surrounded by a series of restaurants and high end shops. It was a little more difficult trying to get a panga back to the boat. We finally asked marina security to get a panga / water taxi for us. It was a little hunting in the dark on the way back since we forgot to turn on the anchor light before we left.

So we are here for a few days but Dan leaves tomorrow. He is now a blue water sailor and he will be missed.

Adios

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The Big One that got away...... thank god!

24 00.862 N, 111 43.711 W
Part way to Cabo San Lucas

This morning we got up at 5:30 am to prepare for a 7:00 am start. Many boats wanted to start early so they would be only spending one night on passage. The winds were light but there were promises that it would build. It did for a while and we sailed until around 3:00 pm when the winds went down to under 5 knots. So we started the iron spinnaker.

As we crossed the Tropic of Cancer we christened Dan on the aft deck with a small bucket of water as it was his first time crossing it while at sea. We have the pictures to prove it.

At 4:20 pm the line from the fishing pole went ZING! Fish on! Rich quickly went to the reel to set the drag. The reel was burning hot and the fish was leaping multiple times out of the water. A MARLIN!!! and it was HUGE! Rich switch the reel to stop. and ZING, the line broke, the fish was gone. The reel was still very hot and the line was a knotted mess. There was still drag on the line as Rich slowly pulled it in and I wound it around an empty sunscreen bottle that Dan had used up. We wound and wound and pulled in all of the mono filament line but the leader was gone and so was the wahoo bomb, a lure that Rich had bought in San Diego. While we were sad we did not get a picture, we were secretly glad that it got away. The idea of trying to land a marlin much less cut it up on deck was a little concerning. But we now have quite a tail to tell.

Next stop, Cabo San Lucas

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Beach Party at Bahia Santa Maria

24 46.051 N, 112 15.107 W

This morning was leisurely. We sat in the cockpit listening to the morning net and getting all of the details about the check in, slip space in Cabo San Lucas and the beach party.

Typically with the Baja Ha-Ha you check in at Cabo San Lucas. If you do it yourself this is a several hour process visiting the port capitan, immigration and the bank in between each. Another option is to have an agent run the paperwork for you for a fee. This year, Bob Hoyt of Mag Bay Outfitters coordinated with the officials at Puerto Magdalena to do the check in here at Bahia Santa Maria at the beach party. Before we left San Diego, I sent in scanned copies of our boat paperwork, passports and crew lists. When we arrived at the party we stood in line to fill out more paperwork for the port capitan and pay our boat fee which is based on gross tonnage, for us it was $25. The official from immigration provided our tourist visas with a fee of $25 each. We also paid an agent fee to Bob Hoyt for coordinating, which was $40. Luckily we got our tourist visas since they ran out after us. Not sure if they will provide this service in the future for the Baja Ha-Ha but it worked well for us.

The beach party was up on the bluff overlooking the northwest corner of the bay. This is the site of a small fishing camp. We got the dingy off the foredeck and braved the surf. The trick is to watch where the pangas go and take the same route. Once you commit to go, go as fast as you can. We installed new wheels for the dingy in San Diego and they helped a lot with the beach landing.

The band traveled over 120 kilometers including 40 kilometers of dirt road and a ferry to provide the entertainment. I thought they played well, they were certainly loud enough. The food was $15 a plate and it included rice, mashed potatoes, salsa fresca, grilled mahi-mahi, and delicious shrimp. In addition you could get beer, margaritas, water and 7-up. The cruisers were having a great time. Dan also took a swim and said that the water was warm.

Tomorrow morning we will be up early for a 7:00 am start to head to Cabo San Lucas. We hope to be there some time on Thursday.

Adios

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At Bahia Santa Maria

24 46.053 N, 112 15.106 W

We crossed the 'finish line' for Bahia Santa Maria at 4:56 am. and by 7:15 am we were anchored in the bay along with most of the fleet. The weather is warm with a cooling breeze of 14 knots and the water temperature is 24 degrees C or for you yanks, 75.2 degrees F.

After showers and breakfast we crashed for a while. In the afternoon we did a few chores such as reroute the downhaul to go inside the shrouds and Rich checked the hydraulic fluid for the steering. When we were in San Diego we had the software in the autopilot updated and when we reinstalled it the sail to the wind feature was not working correctly. I changed a few settings and now it should be ready to test on the last leg to Cabo San Lucas.

I forgot to mention in last night's position update that we saw the green flash at sunset. This morning we were treated with a colorful sunrise and we saw our first frigate bird. The bay is quite large but there is not a tree in sight. Tomorrow there is a beach party so we will go exploring then. Right now we are recovering.

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Woohoo Fish on!

25 30.098 N, 113 02.281 W

We are continuing to sail to Bahia Santa Maria. There was a lot of activity today. We caught our first fish, a Dorado or Mahi-Mahi. We were sitting in the cockpit when we heard the zing of the line going out. Dan reeled the fish in and landed the fish. I grabbed some vodka to help stun the fish. Rich and Dan used the back deck to cut the catch into meal sizes. I fetched the supplies and stayed out of the 'blood zone'. Now that we have a fresh water hose connection on the stern of the boat, Rich was nice enough to clean up. So it looks like we will be having some fish while we are at Bahia Santa Maria.

In addition we saw humpback whales breaching about 100 yards off our port side. We had several visits from dolphins including leaps and jumps. I was able to take a short video as well of the dolphins playing off our bow. Later this afternoon we saw a marlin jumping several times not far from us. Not sure why it was jumping. One of the cruisers landed a 62 inch marlin. They have photos to prove it. They were using a lure made from a Heineken beer can.

We hope to cross the finish line early in the morning and then go into Bahia Santa Maria if the winds hold up during the night.

Maybe some more fish too.

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Slowly sailing to Bahia Santa Maria

27 01.558 N, 114 29.593 W

We are slowly sailing to Bahia Santa Maria. There was little wind when we left Turtle Bay but we gave it a fair try before we fired up the iron spinnaker (the engine). We motored from 10:51 am to 3:21 pm with the wind rarely going above 5 knots. In the late afternoon it started to pick up and now we are sailing in about 13 knots of wind from the northwest, with the main out to starboard and the yankee poled out to port.

Before we left we were hailed by Clark Straw on Arawak. They left San Diego early on Thursday and were just passing Turtle Bay on the way to Bahia Magdalena. We chatted a bit and later this morning I sent an email to Suzy back in San Diego letting her know where Clark was as they do not have an SSB to send email.

We tried fishing but were skunked again. We did see some Humboldt squid on the surface trying to grab some fish with their tentacles coming out of the water. Glad it was not a kraken! Other boaters mentioned catching some as well for calamari. We did hear of one boat landing a 46 inch Mahi Mahi.

Maybe we will have better luck tomorrow.

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Potluck on the beach

27 40.763 N, 114 53.258 W

This afternoon there was a Baja Ha-Ha potluck on the beach. Rich fixed a pasta salad for our contribution and we got a panga ride over. We will save the beach landing for Bahia Santa Maria.

On the beach were tents, tables, chairs, beach volleyball, etc. Folks who had caught fish on the way down from San Diego brought it to be barbecued. It was a great chance to socialize with some of the other crews. There was a tug of war between the women and the men which I participated in. A photographer climbed the hill behind and we all posed for a group picture. The one downside was one of the catamaran's was anchor too close to the beach and as the tide went out it went aground, despite the efforts of the captain, several pangas and sailors. We will find out in the morning if the boat is okay. Rich's knee is still sore and as we were leaving the party he was tackled accidentally by one of the ultimate frisbee players and now his foot is swollen.

Tomorrow we are off to Bahia Santa Maria, about 240 nautical miles south.

Adios

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Baseball at Turtle Bay

27 40.763 N, 114 53.258 W

We arrived early this morning at set the hook at 12:30 am. We settled the boat, Dan made margaritas and Rich zapped some tamales in the microwave. After showers we were ready for some sleep. I had set my alarm for 7:15 am so that I could report in at the morning net. When the alarm went off, I was still very sleepy so I hit the snooze button. This happened several times because I did not connect the alarm with anything much less the net. Finally I started to figure it out so I got up. I am looking forward to a more full night of sleep tonight.

Rich made us omelets this morning so we sat in the cockpit, having breakfast, watching the other boats arrive. Some 85 boats were here when we arrived last night and more have been streaming in. The weather is warm but the 15 knot wind across the harbor keeps things kool. I put the sun shade on the cockpit on one side to keep us out of the sun.

In the afternoon we got a panga ride to the old pier. It is the same pier as 10 years ago but now there is a dingy dock attached to the end of it. The stairs are still as rickety and rust covered as ever. The town has grown some. There are now a few restaurants on the beach providing cerveza and wi-fi.

We walked up to the new baseball stadium up the hill. Baseball is very big in Turtle Bay. They have 4 teams that play against other towns in Baja. The Baja Ha-Ha organized a fun game with the cruisers and the local school kids. It was a hoot to watch, not many rules and no one was keeping score. The local kids must spend a lot of time practicing since they were pretty good. One sported a Derek Jeter t-shirt. Dan joined the outfield and Rich decided to take a shot at bat. He had a good hit and made it to first. On the run to second base, something happened to his knee but he continued around the bases. I hope he did not injure it seriously.

We decided that cerveza was in order (well, at least it would not hurt the knee) so we walked up the hill to the Vera Cruz restaurant. It is still the same as when we stopped there 10 years ago except how they also have free wi-fi, all be it slow but free.

We walked back down the hill and caught a panga back to the boat. Time for a siesta.

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Crossed the finish line at Turtle Bay

27 53.63 N, 115 19.10 W

At 7:38 pm we crossed the finish line at Turtle Bay. We still have a little over 18 more miles from the line to go into the harbor. We are looking forward to anchoring and staying in one place for a bit.

We have been doing well sailing. Late this afternoon we had a large pod of Dahl porpoises come join us and play by our bow. I got some video but I don't think it is National Geographic quality. If any of it looks decent, I will post on the blog the next time we have internet.

Rich and I are now rigging preventer lines from the bow back to the end of the boom in addition to using a boom brake. We have not quite worked out all of the kinks but it seems to be working fairly well.

It has been a long few days so I will end this now. More later about Turtle Bay.

No worries,

Elaine, Rich and Dan

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Sailing with porpoises

29 54.464 N, 116 26.896 W

The rolling start finally ended at 7:00 am this morning. We had already stopped motoring and were sailing with the full main and the yankee out on the whisker pole. We were so tired of hearing the engine. The winds today varied from 6 knots to as high as 17 knots, with our speed over the ground from 3.0 knots to 7.0 knots. Of course the time at 7 knots was brief but we will take it.

This morning I participated in the Baja Ha-Ha net in the morning. This is where all of the boats check in and give their position, as well as asking for any medical or mechanical assistance. It was good to know that no one needed any medical assistance. But one boat got a 1 inch thick line wrapped around their prop last night and was waiting for this morning to try and dive the boat and cut away the line, while under sail. Another boat, a catamaran lost one of their engines, as they have one in each amah, their were still proceeding slowly.

This afternoon we saw a large group / school / pod / herd of porpoises. It is so fun to see these graceful creatures fly through the water as well as jumping and leaping. I had my camera ready but no luck getting a good shot. They are so camera shy.

While yesterday we had several boats around us, now it is a little lonely. There is only one AIS target broadcasting within 24 miles of us. Last night there was over 8.

One thing that was a little scary this morning is when Rich and I were preparing the pole for the yankee we saw floats marking a fishing line. We moved to starboard thinking we would be clearing the line and running parallel only to find out we were actually crossing the line like a slalom course. we cleared the line and shortly thereafter we saw the markers for the end of the line. We definitely did not want to get caught on the line.

Rich and Dan put out the fishing pole but no bites. We will try again tomorrow.

We have gone 139 miles from San Diego and we have 166 miles to go to Turtle Bay. We are looking forward to arriving.

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The Baja Ha-Ha begins

31 54.901 N, 117 08.352 W

At is 6:40 pm and I thought I would craft the position update before it became totally dark out.

We rose early this morning (read 6:45 am) and we grabbed showers before the crowds hit. Showers where you can just stand in the water, not have to worry about how much water you are using and you don't have to put in quarters either. In the near future, we will have navy showers on the boat.

We left the dock about 9:30 with the other 170 or so boats for the parade by Shelter Island, complete with the San Diego Fire boat spraying water everywhere and some other local sailboats parading as well, cheering us on. We passed a boat named "Stress Reliever" and they were definitely not relieved as boats were not as careful as they should be about the other boats in their vicinity, or should I say that not everyone was minding the rules of the road. Luckily we made it safely to the starting area for the 11:00 am start. The winds were light so they called for a rolling start, meaning everyone would motor at 6 knots or less until there was enough wind to sail and then they would start the rally. We all headed towards the Coronado Islands. At noon, 1:00 pm and 2:00 pm they continued the rolling start. Now it is after 6:00 pm and we are still rolling, motorsailing with just the main. The winds are now 5 knots from the west north west or a broad reach if we could sail. Hopefully the winds will fill in tomorrow.

We have seen whale blow and lots of Dahl porpoises, many of them jumping and leaping as they passed through the fleet in numbers over 50. Occasionally we would pass a sea lion who would lift his head to look at us and then quickly dive down under the surface.

We are all feeling well, munching on granola bars, hummus and flatbread, apples and peanut butter. Dinner was a bowl of pasta salad that Rich had made yesterday.

I am not sure how many of the 170 entries are still out on the water. One boat dropped out at the very beginning with a shaft problem. This afternoon we saw another boat heading back with their main draped around their cockpit. We suspect they lost their main halyard. Knock on wood, all systems are go on Windarra.

No worries,

Elaine, Rich and Dan

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Getting ready for the Baja Ha-Ha

The last couple of days have been hectic. You would think that with all of the boat projects we have been doing we would be all done and ready. Well, almost.

On Tuesday and Wednesday we did some chores around the boat such as cleaning all of the water strainers, going through our mail, bills, filing, etc. On Wednesday night we had dinner with Clark and Suzy Straw of SV Final Straw. The last time we saw them was in Australia before we returned to the US. We were joined by Robin Ryder, a friend of Clark’s, Robin is also preparing to sail to Mexico but not with the Baja Ha-Ha. His boat is a Mason 63 ketch, named Arawak. Clark will be joining him. We had great discussion at dinner about cruising and comparing some of the places we went to and catching up on other cruisers. Clark and Suzy were kind enough to loan us their Prius so we could run errands before we left. This was a life saver and we thank them very much for this assistance.

Thursday we did the big provisioning trip to Costco, Von’s and Trader Joe’s. Fitting it all in the car was one thing, finding a place to store it all on the boat was another. The larder is full!

Saturday we did a few boat chores. Rich put wheels on the dingy to assist with beach landings in the surf. I connected up the backup IPad navigation system. I am using iNavX app ($49) on the IPad with Navionics Gold charts for Mexico, Central and South America ($55). In addition to the software, I bought a DMK Yacht Instruments (www.dmkyachts.com) model 11A ($399) with the DMK app (free). The DMK box takes Raymarine SeaTalk, NMEA 0183 and NMEA 2000 inputs and transmits them via wi-fi as UDP packets. These packets are received by the apps on the IPad. Our current installation is for the Furuno AIS, FA-50. The AIS information is transmitted to the IPad and read in by the iNavX app and displayed on the charts, similar to the charter/plotter. At some point I will connect the other instrumentation. I will check this out more during our trip down to Cabo San Lucas.

Sunday we did last minute chores. Rich changed the oil and flushed the watermaker. He went to the skipper’s meeting while I stayed on the boat and did a little bit of cleaning. In the afternoon we attended the Baja Ha-Ha Halloween party in the West Marine parking lot. Many cruisers came dressed for the occasion. We saw Tinkerbell in drag, Peter Pan, Tick-Tock the crocodile, some pirates, parrots and other fictional characters. Later that afternoon Clark and Suzy stopped by to visit on Windarra and pick up the Prius. We got a chance to see picture of their newest grandchild, Charlie, who is their son Kevin’s son.

Later we went to the airport to meet Dan Sego, our crew member for the Baja Ha-Ha.

Now it is time for bed. It will be a long day tomorrow.