So far, we have executed our overall cruising plan just as we planned it back in Seattle–that is, sail from Seattle to San Francisco with the Coho Ho Ho rally, reach San Diego by early November, sail to Cabo San Lucas with the Baja Ha Ha rally, sail up into the Sea of Cortez to La Paz, cross the sea to Mazatlan, and head south to Banderas Bay. Between those major stops, we had numerous anchorages on islands and remote villages and saw some pretty amazing things. We are now almost 1/3 of the way through our 14 month adventure. It would have been easy to spend 3 more months in Puerto Vallarta getting ready for the Pacific Puddle Jump to the Marquesas, but we want to see as much of Mexico as possible, so we planned a 670 mile round trip journey down the coast to Zihuatanejo during the month of January. We will then spend February and half of March in Puerto Vallarta preparing for the crossing. So once again we parted ways with other boats we have become friends with, and began heading further south. Our sail plan was to break the trip to Zihuatanejo up into 4 legs and visit places like Tenacatita, Manzanillo, Santiago, Ixtapa, and others.
Tenacatita
We caught a nice wind out of Banderas Bay (La Cruz), sailing downwind at 7-8 knots for 8 hours under full main and genoa. Steady winds of 20 knots moved us along nicely and since we were ahead of schedule, we decided to go all the way to Tenacatita, 122 miles from La Cruz. Unfortunately, the wind died suddenly and we found ourselves motoring the second half, but still reached Tenacatita by 10am the following day, where we anchored in a nice bay alongside a dozen other boats. We went ashore and met 2 guys gathering coconuts. The method was to find trees that had reachable branches with coconut clusters BELOW them, and shake the branch until some coconuts fell. Not easy work but well worth the effort. Jacintha helped with reaching some branches that were too tall for us to reach! We spent another full day at Tenacatita and played Bocci Ball on the beach with fellow cruisers, then joined them at the restaurant/bar along the beach afterwards. Jacintha played on the beach with a girl her age who was vacationing with her family from Guadalajara. Towards evening we took our dinghy about a mile up an estuary that weaved its way through thick mangroves. It was like a real jungle cruise (as opposed to the one we did a few months ago at Disneyland) with lots of Pelicans, Herons, Egrets, crabs, and insects. We didn’t spot any, but crocodiles are known to make this their home. We rushed out of there at the first hint of mosquitoes. Back at the boat, Karen finished covering some port inserts with fine mesh for mosquito protection and we lit a mossy coil (our first night there we were unprepared and left the ports open until we realized we were inviting many blood-thirsty mosquitoes inside).
We started getting into the habit of raising our dinghy up to the lifelines every night using a halyard. We were advised that although most places are safe, every year there are cruisers who wake up in the morning to find their dinghy gone. We also remove the engine from the dinghy and hoist it up to the stern bracket overnight. Keeping the dinghy out of the water overnight has the added benefit of slowing down barnacle growth on the bottom.
Shaking Down CoconutsIt Took Teamwork to Reach the Higher BranchesSuccess!Refreshing Coconut Water (Karen’s pretty good with the machete)Jacintha made another friendDinghy Cruise up EstuaryMotoring Slowly Along Looking for CrocsHeronCrabPelicanHurrying Back before Mosquitoes Attacked
Manzanillo
A morning departure from Tenacatita put us in Manzanillo at 2pm. Winds were light so we motor-sailed the 36 miles. We anchored in front of the Las Hadas Resort, known for its unique white-stucco architecture with domes, spirals, and arches. For 200 pesos ($18), we could dock our dinghy there and use the amenities–a huge pool, showers, wifi, and restaurants. There was also a well stocked marine store and a fabulous gelato store within the resort.
We spent 3 days anchored in Manzanillo using the amenities of the Las Hadas Resort. The view at the anchorage was great, the price was right (free!), and we enjoyed the 5-star resort for less than $20 per day. It was hard to leave, but Zihuatanejo was calling….
Unique Restaurant Hut Near AnchorageDrinks and Lunch at HutFor a 10 peso bribe, Jacintha tried OctopusLas Hadas ResortLas Hadas ResortPool at Las Hadas ResortLas Hadas ResortLas Hadas ResortLas Hadas ResortLas Hadas ResortApropos from Las Hadas ResortPrivate SuitePool at Las Hadas Resort
We spent 3 days at La Cruz, mostly hanging out at the marina where we were docked next to kid boats Family Circus and Pelagic. Some fun things we did there were counting down the seconds to the New Year alongside a bonfire on the beach, watching an outdoor movie, and celebrating Jacintha`s birthday (again) on the beach with her friends. Her b-day piñata proved difficult to break but finally spilled out its candy and toys onto the sand kamagra reviews. We walked into the small town paved with cobblestones to eat lunch and re-provision at a small tienda. We really liked La Cruz and our plan is to return after our trip down the coast to Zihuatanejo.
Birthday Party on BeachBreaking the PiñataHanging Out on SV Family Circus Catamaran
Jim has been busy keeping the blog up to date since San Diego and I have to admit being a bit apathetic to this task.
Firstly, I have been adjusting to living on a boat, detoxifying from city life and the rat race and trying to get used to the change in my role. It has been an adjustment for me to go from a professional where others are relying on me for advice and care of their loved ones to mom, wife and sailor where those relying on me are a n=2. My responsibilities have shrunk and grown at the same time.
I’m the full time cook on board, something I’ve dreaded since I’m not very proficient in the kitchen, I just cope. Cooking is not a passion of mine, just a chore. I’ve envied friends of mine who have a pantry full of exotic ingredients and manage to whip up something fabulous in 30 mins and love to do it. Both my mum and sister have that passion for cooking but I prefer to eat what’s put before me! Food shopping is another chore that I dislike and I hate having to plan meals as I’ve no idea what I want to cook from one day to the next, let alone the next week like we have to do when cruising. Met Market is not just around the corner from us. Going to the mercado is an interesting experience as I’ve no idea what to buy and what to cook and now it’s in a foreign language as well. It makes it 10x as onerous as it does in English. So for now the menu is whatever recipe I can find in the book with the ingredients I’ve gotten. I’m limited to broccoli, carrots, green beans and cucumbers as vegetables that I can deal with. I’m not a salad person so don’t tend to make it.
I do like baking though, so have made some bread, some peach crumble, I’ve perfected my pizza dough recipe and even made a birthday cake for Jacintha, although I did decorate it with shocking pink icing from a box. But we can’t just live on cake alone.
I’m also the teacher on board and haven’t been doing too well on that score as I’m so slack about it. Jacintha whines and complains about having to do her math and journal writing. She started out great and completed half her math coursework by the time we left San Diego but both Jim and I were so busy with preparation/sailing that we’ve been pretty slack at checking her work and keeping a schedule. So now she’s not as interested in it as she was and getting a bit frustrated with fractions. Plus there’s always something more interesting to see and do like going to the markets, swimming at the beach, walking around an island. I’m really glad I didn’t purchase a strict program to work with as I don’t think I could spend that much time enforcing school work and administering tests. And during passages we both get a little green around the gills so no schoolwork on sailing days is a rule!
Having my social circle cut down to 2 people has been somewhat frustrating for me. I have been used to interacting with lots of different people in the hospital and having friends that I could do things with that Jim wasn’t interested in. Now my world has shrunk to Jim, Jacintha and the boat. We go most places together as we only have the one “car” – our dinghy. So I’m limited with what’s within walking distance or a bus ride away, and what either Jim or Jacintha want to do. We do meet people on other boats but it’s not the same as calling Agnes for a coffee, going for a pedicure with Jennifer or catching a chick flick with a bunch of the girls. And socializing is easier when we’re at a dock at a marina as opposed to anchoring out far away from everyone else, then one feels even more isolated. Jacintha feels the lack of friends as well, so I do try and and make an effort to find other boats with kids that she can play with. So far we’ve met Amaia and Alina on Family Circus, Gracie and Billie on Seahorse V, Bucket on Velvet Sky, Hannah on Ohana whom we just met at Mazatlan. She’s had a couple of boat sleepovers so far! We even met a couple of nice land based kids at the El Cid Marina Resort that she enjoyed playing with. Samantha from the Canadian Okanagans was real special as she gave Jacintha a birthday present!!
I was surprised at how noisy sailing actually is. In my mind, I always thought it would be a quiet commune with nature! How wrong I was. At the dock I was surprised to hear pitter patter of what sounds like raindrops. Turns out they’re shrimp eating at night that make that noise – they were loudest in San Diego bay. The first time I heard it I wanted to close all our hatches!
When we turn off the motor it means there’s wind enough to sail. There is always the sound of water rushing past the hull as we travel along, sloshing, splashing and gurgling. Then there’s the boat that sways to the waves, whether it’s from the big lazy long Pacific Rollers that rock the boat from side to side like a cradle or from the shorter, sharper chop of wind blown waves that lifts up the boat and surfs underneath. All these movement makes the boat creak and groan with each wave. Pots bang against each other and the spice jars rattle. Things in the cupboards rattle all adding to to noise on the boat. The sails may flop and pull on the sheets causing some banging. Lastly, there is the wind. You don’t hear it below 10 knots. From 10-20 she is a low hum. From 20-30 she starts to sing. Above 30 she starts to moan. I do not want to hear her past 30 knots as I am unable to sleep for the din in the cabin.
What do I like about cruising?
I love waking up and finding myself in a different place and not having to think about work. I couldn’t get enough of watching the pelicans dive bomb into the water to catch a fish in Bahia Tortuga. I was amazed by the amount of different butterflies we’ve seen along the Baja Peninsula. I love dropping the anchor and being able to see it on the sandy bottom with the chain lying in a straight line behind it.
The amount of fish at the anchorage and marinas has been spectacular. At Bahia de Los Muertos we shone a light into the water and it attracted so many fish. We managed to put a net into the water and catch a fish. My favorite watch is when there’s a moon out casting a silver light on the sea and the boat.
When we meet other cruisers I love hearing their stories. How they made it there, how long they’re staying, where they’re headed to, how long they intend to sail. The cruisers net in the big towns like La Paz and Mazatlan make one feel like a part of a community. This is a daily 8am VHF radio check-in every cruiser listens to in the town. They ask if there’s any emergencies out there. Then give a tide and weather report. Then ask if anyone is new in town or leaving. Then if anyone needs boating help and is anyone willing to help them with it. Plus organizing activities for the community.
I am amazed at the growth in my daughter both physically and mentally the last 3 months. She’s more confident in talking to people and very sure of herself. She’s not afraid to speak up for herself and is independent when we have to do an overnighter. She’s brave when we have choppy seas and doesn’t complain about it. She comes on deck with her life jacket on and hangs onto the mizzen mast in the cockpit till things settle down. A real trooper in trying times. She loves adventure and was excited to walk around Isla Isabella to see the nesting frigate birds and blue footed boobies.
All in all cruising has so far been a wonderful experience and there is still more to come.
With Christmas and Jacintha’s birthday falling on consecutive days, Jacintha has been very excited. On Christmas Eve, after our night swim, hot tub and shower, we watched The Polar Express and ate popcorn. Jacintha put out milk and cookies for Santa and could hardly keep her eyes open for the whole movie. She went to bed without a fuss as she knew St Nick would be coming down the hatch at midnight!
On Christmas morning, the stocking was full of presents and there were some under the tree as well! Santa must have a real good GPS as he found us here in Mazatlan. After opening the presents, I started cooking Christmas dinner, whilst Jim called his parents in Florida, then took Jacintha to the beach where she saw some girls she met at the pool the day before and was soon building a large sand castle. Roy from SV Mabrouka joined us for Christmas dinner and he brought over the mashed potatoes. We had roast chicken with gravy, greek salad, peach crumble and Roy’s mashed spuds. After that it was over to the pool for some relaxing (grown ups) and playing (Jacintha). What a pleasant Mexican Christmas day.
Holiday Decorations aboard AproposOur Miniature Christmas TreeGingerbread House by Jacintha
Birthday–Jacintha wanted a party and piñata for her birthday and we found the piñata in La Paz. It’s been hanging in our port-side salon (not so inconspicuously!) for the past 300 miles. Our original plan was to be in Puerto Vallarta for Christmas to meet up with other kid boats, but we were delayed leaving La Paz and decided to spend a week in Mazatlan. Jacintha decided to wait until we meet up with some of her friends to have her birthday party. She was excited to be in a “resort” with pool and beach, I think it reminds her of our vacations in Hawaii. The day began with a surprise birthday announcement on the morning radio net (thanks Scott from SV Velvet Sky). Then Jacintha spent half the day at the beach with Hannah from SV Ohana and Bucket from SV Velvet Sky where they enjoyed eating Karen’s homemade birthday cake on the beach. For the second half of the day we all went to the pool where the kids played in the water and the adults relaxed.
Birthday Cake at the BeachUsing El Sid Resort Pool
After 5 days in La Paz, we headed north for 10 days to explore the rugged coast. Our goal was to see as much as possible but not go too fast that we wouldn’t have time to relax and enjoy the sights. I charted a course that included short day-sails of only a few hours. Our guidebook (Sea of Cortez, A Cruiser’s Guidebook by Shawn Breeding and Heather Bansmer) was amazingly helpful in choosing where to stop and anchor. Most of the places that we visited were because they sounded interesting from the descriptions in the guidebook. We wanted to meet local people from the small villages that dot the coastline along the Sea of Cortez. We also wanted to do some hiking, snorkeling, paddle boarding, exploring, and relaxing.
Winter Northerlies—The Sea of Cortez normally has light northerlies in the summer, but can get heavy northerlies during winter. We use the SSB radio to plot GRIB files to get weather data (both current weather and predicted weather). When we left La Paz to head north for 10 days, a cell (high wind area) was moving in a southerly direction towards us down the sea. We decided to find a cove to duck into until the cell passed. Our guidebook said Ensenada de la Roza on Isla Espiritu Santo was good for northerly protection. Espiritu Santo is a national park island 20 miles north of La Paz. When we pulled in there were 2 other boats anchored in the cove, so there was plenty of room. We put out 100’ of chain in 20’ of water for a 5:1 scope since we knew we’d be here during the blow, which would begin the following evening and last for 36 hours. We swam around the boat in warm turquoise water and relaxed. The next day we took the dinghy ashore to look around and have lunch. By then the other 2 boats had left so we had the whole cove to ourselves. With the wind starting to pick up, we sailed the dinghy back to the boat by holding up a beach mat (good thing it was directly downwind)! Back at the boat we prepared for high winds by making sure everything was lashed down or stored down below. By evening the wind picked up to a steady 20 knots with higher gusts. For the next 24 hours the wind blew steadily with 30+ knot gusts, but Apropos held well to the sandy bottom. Aside for the howling wind-noise, we were comfortable since the cove was protected from wind-generated waves. Karen baked bread, Jacintha did lots of schoolwork, and I did some misc. boat work. We all read a lot on our 3 Kindles—Karen with “Game of Thrones”, Jacintha with “Judy Rudy”, and me with “Steve Jobs”.
When the wind died down the following day, we decided to leave the sheltered bay and head north. Karen was a little bit concerned by the whitecaps we saw outside the bay but I said don’t worry, we sail in this stuff all the time in Puget Sound, so lets just stick our nose out and see what it’s like. So we left the cove and as soon as we got beyond the wind shadowing small islet just outside the cove, everything changed. The wind wasn’t that bad, maybe 15 knots, but the chop was extremely steep with a period of about 2 seconds and hitting us head-on. In the 10 years that I’ve been behind the wheel on Apropos, including coming down the Washington/Oregon coast, I’ve never seen waves that square. When they began breaking around us, we decided to head back into the cove. Even turning the boat around was worrisome because that would put us abeam to the breaking waves until we turned through 180 degrees. Fifteen minutes later we were back in the relatively calm cove where we would stay for another day.
Ginormous Cactus on Isla EspirituHiking on Isla Espiritu SantoAnchorage on Isla Espiritu SantoPreparing for the high wind with an anchor snubberSailing the Dinghy with a Beach MatVertical Cliffs inside Encenada de la Roza
Isla San Francisco—A hard 5 hour upwind sail in medium chop was rewarded with a postcard perfect, crescent-shaped beach surrounded by warm, turquoise water. On our 2nd day there, Jacintha and I paddle-boarded to shore then hiked along a ridge overlooking the bay. Along the way we watched Turkey Vultures soar overhead. At around 1000’ we ate our snacks (skittles and peanut butter cups) and enjoyed the view. After descending back to sea level we cooled off in the water before paddle boarding back to the boat. While we were gone, Karen sewed 2 mesh bags that will be used for our diving gear.
Hiking along the Ridge Line on Isla San FranciscoTaking a Break Near the SummitBreak Near the SummitTurkey Vulture Soaring OverheadView of Anchorage from Ridge Summit…and when I found out the Seahawks beat the 49ers!
Punta San Evaristo—San Evaristo, about 2 hours north from Isla San Francisco, is a quiet little fishing village with about 20 families living there. A 70-mile road to La Paz is mostly dirt and ends here. We anchored and went ashore to buy some fish from fishermen who had just arrived in their panga with their catch of Trigger Fish. We also stopped at the Tienda for a few snacks, eggs, and produce. Back at the boat, Karen and Jacintha made cookies and bread, so the boat was smelling wonderful! We fried the Trigger Fish in garlic, pepper, and olive oil and dipped it in a wasabi sauce. The next day we went ashore and Jacintha met 2 little girls, ages 3 and 5, who live in the village. They communicated with few words but soon were playing catch with a nerf ball and singing songs from the movie Frozen in 2 different languages (the older sister wore a shirt with Olaf printed on it). When it was time for the girls to join their family to drive their fish catch to La Paz, Jacintha gave them the colored drawing of the 2 girls and their dog that she was working on, plus the crayons and ball. I thought about about the huge difference in the girls’ lives in terms of how and where they lived, their schools, and what they did for entertainment. Next we hiked to the salt evaporation pools a mile north of San Evaristo, passing a small escuela (school) and a couple of burros along the way. The pools were still full of water from when Hurricane Odile went through a few months ago. Later that day we up-anchored and motor-sailed 5 miles north to an anchorage on the north-west side on Isla San Jose.
Buying Trigger FishHomemade Bread and CookiesSpotted this Burro along the hikeSalt FlatsEscuela (school) for VillagePlaying with Nerf BallSketching and Coloring (and trying to communicate)Jacintha Sketching a Picture for her FriendsThe Girls’ HouseSmall TiendaTurkey Vultures
Isla San Jose—Another hour north from Punta San Evaristo is an anchorage on Isla San Jose called Mangle Solo. A highlight of this anchorage is the large carson cactus forest. These cacti can grow to 70’ tall and 4’ wide. Natives use the flesh of the cactus for its healing properties and the long straight ribs for fences and beams for housing. I did some snorkeling around the boat and removed some barnacles that had accumulated in the thru-hulls and bow thruster. We spent the night, then up-anchored after breakfast and motor-sailed to Isla Coyote.
Giant Carson Cacti on Isla San JoseJacintha and her “Friend”Starfish
Isla Coyote—Half way between Isla San Jose and Isla San Francisco is a tiny rock island with a few houses. We anchored in 30’ of clear water and took the dinghy ashore. We were greeted by a friendly fisherman who gestured for us to go up the steep path where houses were built into the rock. At the very top was a small building that looked like a chapel. Jacintha picked out a shark-took necklace from a woman who was selling hand crafted jewelry from her porch. Her friendly husband came out and we attempted to have a conversation. We pulled out our spanish phrasebook and he got an atlas so we could show him where we are from and where we are going. The men on the island fish for a living so we bought another large Trigger Fish for 50 pesos ($4). Back at the boat, Karen found a Greek stye fish recipe using tomato, herbs, onions, goat cheese, and lemon and served it with a Greek salad and rice.
Houses on Isla CoyoteView from Isla Coyote overlooking the bayHand-Crafted JewelryJacintha’s Shark-Tooth Necklace and its creator
Back to La Paz—We were planning on a 2-day sail from Isla Coyote to La Paz, but woke up to a strong northerly and ended up sailing the entire 50 miles, getting in just before dark. Almost the entire sail was in 20 knot winds and steep, lumpy seas. The genoa was enough to keep up moving at 7 knots most of the way. As we neared La Paz and the wind decreased, we pulled up the mizzen sail and sailed all the way through the La Paz channel.
The past 10 days of cruising in the Sea of Cortez were very enjoyable. It felt great to be self-sufficient in a number of ways:
Meals—There were no restaurants! We provisioned in La Paz before departing, and found just one small tienda along the way. We didn’t have any luck fishing (aside from a small puffer fish I caught while jigging at anchor), but were able to buy some great tasting Trigger Fish from local fishermen.
Energy—We only used the Honda generator once when anchored in Ensenada de la Roza on Isla Espiritu Santo for 2-1/2 days. The rest of the time, the solar panels would do their job during the day, and the engine driven generator would make up for the evening’s lost Amp-Hours when we motored the next day.
Water—The Spectra watermaker has been working great. Whenever we motor, we make water. We start by filling up a 5 gallon plastic container that we use for drinking. This lasts around 3 days and we use it for making coffee and tea and to fill up drinking bottles that we keep in the refrigerator. Then we switch the watermaker output to the water tanks in the bilge. This water is used for cleaning dishes, brushing teeth, filling solar shower bags, and doing laundry. The only salt water that comes into the boat is for the head. We’ve been running the watermaker every other day for 2 to 3 hours, which makes 32 to 48 gallons. So far the only maintenance has been to replace the paper filter once, and I brought a dozen along on the trip.
Laundry—A lot of our clothes are quick-dry type (my years of running races got me a locker full of tech shirts!). We have 2 8-gallon buckets we use to launder our clothes—one for washing and one for rinsing. Plenty of lifelines and good clothespins (some old fashion wooden ones and some stainless steel ones where you go Oh shit! when one falls overboard). A laundry plunger is used for the wash cycle. We get by by washing just the lightweight, quick-dry things and leave the cotton shirts and towels for when we find laundry service. We use the leftover water to rinse the salt off the cap rails, gunwales, and coach top.
We also kept life pretty simple—no cell phones, no internet, no media (an occasional email via SSB was our only contact with friends/family). When we weren’t out exploring, we read a lot, played games, and did a few boat chores.
Jacintha’s Blog:
Make New Friends–Rrrrrrrrrrr! went the dinghy engine. Me, mommy, and daddy were going to San Everisto in our dinghy. We brought crayons, paper and a water football for kids we found at Everisto. Once we got there, we parked at the beach. Then a five and a two year old caught up with us. We tried to talk but too bad they spoke Spanish. Luckily we had a Spanish book. After a little bit of talking, we gave them the crayons and ball. The next thing I knew I was playing catch with the five year old girl. Then mommy and daddy left us to play. We found a trigger fish and a puffer fish. After that we did a little bit of coloring, then my new friends had to go to La Paz to sell fish. So I looked for my mom. When I found her I found a dog who caught rocks you throw in the water. The end.
Just 2 day-sails from Cabo, we found a little bit of paradise in Bahia de las Muertos. We anchored with around 10 other boats in warm, crystal clear water where you can watch your anchor drop to the sandy bottom 30’ below. This is a fairly remote area of the Baha peninsula and has just 1 restaurant and a small resort. The snorkeling was great, the food fantastic, and we were among friends from the Baja Ha Ha rally (“kid” boats as well as boats from Seattle), so we decided to spend some extra days since we were in no hurry to go anywhere. The white-sand beach with big dunes provided an afternoon of relaxation and fun for the kids.
At restaurant with Roy (sv Mabrouka) and Kevin (mv Andante), both from SeattleZach from mv AndanteFish Tacos and CevicheView from the restaurantJacintha climbing a coconut palm….…with a little help from dad!Snorkeling at Bahia de las MuertosRolling down the sand dunesSledding on the sand dunesJacintha and Sophie exploringJacintha with crew from sv Stochastic
Fishing—So far we haven’t had too much luck fishing. Aside from an Albacore Tuna off Oregon, a Striped Bass off Catalina Island, a Skipjack Tuna in Mexico, and a Needle Fish that happened to land on deck, fishing has been a challenging experience. Determined to change our luck, I rigged up 2 more hand lines so that I towed 3 lines–2 with squid lures and 1 with a cedar plug, and then even brought out a rod and reel with another lure. We trolled with this setup from Cabo to Bahia Friars, a 45 mile sail. When we pulled into the small bay at night, it was very dark and was already packed full of boats. Our minds were occupied with figuring out where to anchor, a big challenge at night, and we forgot to bring in the fishing lines. As I was backing down on the anchor with 100’ chain out, one of the fishing hand lines got fouled in the propeller! Since we were pretty sure we would hold for the night, I waited for morning to dive down and cut the line away from the shaft. I used the Hooka diving gear so it was actually fun (plus the water was 80 degrees)!
Trailing 3 hand lines and rod & reelTrying to stay cool sailing in 90 deg heat
Compared to our last 2 ports coming down the Baja peninsula, Cabo seems like a big city with lots of tourists arriving by cruise ships. It’s also a big sports fishing town. We spent the first few days anchored out in the bay and used the dinghy to get to shore for the Baja Ha Ha beach party. We also snorkeled around the boat in 30’ of crystal clear water. I noticed some of the zincs were gone so I used the Hooka system (tankless diving) to dive down and replace them. It was only 5 months since I last replaced them but being in quite a few marinas and salt water shortens their life.
Formalities—Cabo is the first port of entry for immigration check-in. We spent about 4 hours walking from place to place—first the immigration office to hand in paperwork, then to a bank to exchange dollars for pesos, then to the port captain office for importing the boat, then to a bank to pay the fee, then back to the port captain to finalize the paperwork and show the receipt. Aside from finding the various offices and the long walks, everything went well. We could have paid an agent 750 pesos to do it but we figured we better get used to it since we’ll be checking into lots of countries over the next year. We celebrated the accomplishment with a nice lunch along the marina.
Hurricane Odile, which went through Cabo in September, was a powerful Category 3 hurricane–the largest ever to hit Cabo. The damage was evident everywhere we went, from the marina with quite a few damaged docks and boats, to hotels with missing windows and roof tiles, to banged up cars on the streets and damage to houses.
Highlights: Getting our first real shower in 2 weeks (we used our solar showers after salt water rinses). Finding some great Mexican restaurants. Enjoying 2-for-1 Margaritas. The Baja Ha Ha beach party. Finishing in 3rd place for the 750-mile Baja Ha Ha rally (all boats that finished were awarded 3rd place except for the 1st and 2nd place boats!!). Watching the Seahawks stomp on the Giants from a Cabo bar. Relaxing for a few days without any sailing.
Tattoos and AwardsTattoos and AwardsMexican Dinner with Roy from Seattle (sv Mabrouka)
Jacintha’s Blog: Beach Party at Bahia Santa Maria!!!!! I was going to a beach party in a dinghy. When we got there I found my friend and we jumped in small puddles along the beach, then we jumped in a puddle that had a crab in it! After that we found shells, pointy ones flat ones bumpy ones and even colorful ones! Then it was lunch time. I had some prawns, then my mom found a hermit crab and we found three more crabs! Then we let them go and found sand dollars and then we made a (crab sized ) maze and put a crab in it . It just ran into a dead end so we trapped it and we put water in it. Then we put a dead fish in it but it just pushed it away! Then it was time to go home. THE END!
The Baja Ha Ha is a 10 day rally from San Diego to Cabo San Lucas. There were about 140 boats that completed the 750 mile ‘course’ to the Cape. The rally is sponsored by Latitude 38 magazine and this was the 21st year. While out at sea, boats keep in contact through twice-a-day nets on VHF and SSB radio to report positions. VHF was also used to report fish catch, wind and sea state, or just to say hello to a nearby boat at 3am. There were 2 stops along the way–a remote village in Bahia des Tortugas (Turtle Bay), and a quiet bay in Bahia Santa Maria. A fun beach party potluck was held at Turtle Bay with lots of fresh fish caught along the way adobe cc master collection for macpouvez trouver sur cette page. At Bahia Santa Maria, they brought in a small band that played rock and roll during the party. Some cruisers relaxed on the beach while others hiked in the rocky hills. The comraderie of the fleet was amazing and we got to know the crew from other boats, especially “kid” boats. We also kept in contact with other Seattle boats including Mabrouka, Andante, Friday, Abby Normal (the same boats that left with the Cojo Ho Ho with us from Anacortes).
Here are some pictures we took along the way….
Skipjack Tuna caught near Bahia des Tortugas (made great-tasting ceviche)Jacintha in baseball game against the locals in Turtle BayTheir new baseball field with artificial turfTypical house in village of Turtle BayWater balloon attack of Richard (Grand Poobah and founder of the Baja Ha Ha)Small village in Turtle Bay (the Baja Ha Ha fleet is the most boats they see all year)Jacintha made friends with Bucket and Anna at the baseball game in Turtle BayEating at one of a handful of restaurants in Turtle BayOur only “catch” on 2nd leg of Baja Ha Ha–a huge Needle Fish that landed on deck in the middle of the night!Needle FishJacintha flying a kite off stern at anchor in Bahia Santa MariaBahia Santa Maria (large sheltered bay along the Baja peninsula) where we spent 2 days.Jacintha in portholeBahia Santa MariaHiking up to peak in Bahia Santa Maria–the Baha Ha Ha fleet at anchorCacti , ridges, sand dunes, and Pacific OceanView from top of peak (we hiked along the ridges)Moonrise at sea on way to Cabo San LucasRounding the point to Cabo San Lucas
Jacintha had a blast at Marina Cortez at Harbor Island as she met some friends there, Tennyson and Asher. They spent many hours together playing, exploring and doing stuff.
One day we found her covered in mud from head to toe. They watched movies on their boat and also help pick up screws from a boat their parents were re-outfitting.
On October 27th, San Diego gave us a great send off with fireboats spraying water and an official media boat. It was exciting to be part of a large fleet sailing out of the bay. We had Asher and Tennyson who joined us on our boat while their parents followed us in their dinghy. After we passed the start boat we transferred the kids back to their dinghy whilst still moving. A very exciting transfer. Jennifer kindly took photos of our boat for us during the festivities.
We arrived in San Diego about a month and a half after departing Seattle with 1550 nautical miles behind us. We got a taste of heavy weather sailing off Cape Blanco and between Points Arguello and Conception, had some nice sails south of Santa Barbara, and did a fair amount of motoring between LA and San Diego.
This completes the US West Coast chapter of our year-long voyage, and after 4 weeks in San Diego, begins the next chapter–5 months cruising in Mexico!
In San Diego, we found a marina with a pool next to the Point Loma Yacht Club. Jacintha enjoyed swimming and Dad and I mostly relaxed.
We reprovisioned, did some boat chores, and had some fantastic fish sandwiches at Point Loma Seafood, which was recommended by a cruiser we met in Santa Barbara. After a few days, we moved to Southwestern Yacht Club for 3 days, where my dad took off to fly back to Pennsylvania. It’s been a blessing to spend a month cruising with him. We harbor-hopped between Santa Barbara and San Diego, visiting 6 ports and 1 island, and covered 250 miles together. Life on a sailboat can be physically challenging, much more so than on a motor yacht–climbing into cave-like bunks, getting on/off the boat into the dinghy (especially when my lifeline gates are blocked by solar panels), and maintaining balance while underway with the ocean swell. To be doing that at 80 years of age is a great accomplishment! It was also nice to see Jacintha get to spend so much time with him. I think he really enjoyed cruising and meeting people along the way. We hope to see dad and mom in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico for a visit early next year.
Dinghy ride to shoreFull Moon over San Diego
Varnishing–I brought some varnish along that was left over from last summer and since we have 3 weeks before the Baja Ha Ha rally starts, I decided to use some of it. I started with the outer cap rail and top cockpit combing since they are always in full sun. And with all the work being done preparing the boat for the trip, most of the varnish around the cockpit was looking bad. As usual, I’m applying 2 coats of Pettit Flagship varnish to get a mirror-like result… Will see how it holds up in the tropics!
Jacintha’s Blog—Snap, Click, Splash, Ouch. We were sailing and I was down in the cabin. Poppy and daddy were up in the cockpit. Then I saw something that looked like a giant spider in the cabin. So I ran up to the cockpit to get daddy. At first he did not believe me so I made him come down to see, then he saw it too. It was not a giant spider, it was a cute crab! Daddy brought it up with a glove and showed poppy! Then daddy took off the glove and dropped the crab, it did not hurt him, but it surprised him. Then we saw him breath bubbles. At last we threw him out the boat and saw dolphins. The end…
