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

----------
radio email processed by SailMail
for information see: http://www.sailmail.com

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.

----------
radio email processed by SailMail
for information see: http://www.sailmail.com

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

----------
radio email processed by SailMail
for information see: http://www.sailmail.com

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

----------
radio email processed by SailMail
for information see: http://www.sailmail.com

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.

----------
radio email processed by SailMail
for information see: http://www.sailmail.com

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.

----------
radio email processed by SailMail
for information see: http://www.sailmail.com

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

----------
radio email processed by SailMail
for information see: http://www.sailmail.com

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

----------
radio email processed by SailMail
for information see: http://www.sailmail.com

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.

----------
radio email processed by SailMail
for information see: http://www.sailmail.com

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

----------
radio email processed by SailMail
for information see: http://www.sailmail.com

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

----------
radio email processed by SailMail
for information see: http://www.sailmail.com

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

----------
radio email processed by SailMail
for information see: http://www.sailmail.com

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.

----------
radio email processed by SailMail
for information see: http://www.sailmail.com