Bahia Navidad

We left Bahia Tenacatita Monday, Jan. 22, in 10-15k NW winds (finally) and did a chicken jybe in 6' seas to head south. It went off without a hitch.

We entered Bahia Navidad (20 miles north of Manzanillo) less than three hours later, saw the channel to Barra Navidad, but turned left and anchored in the beach harbor of Melaque, situated in the same bay. The bay is surrounded by beach with waves starting small in Melaque and growing to giants by the end at Barra (so named because it is built on a sandbar). Hotels (bungalows) and palapa cafes cater to Canadians and other norte Americanos. Street dogs bathe in the sun on the beach with everyone else. The cerveza, huevos rancheros, and view are mui bueno.

Mexicans vacation here and the kids have so much fun playing on the beach and in the waves. There are tables to sit at and strolling native indians sell their crafts or others sell pineapple drinks and mango or bread treats.

We met up with Howard and Gail and their dog Britta (Portuguese Water Dog who climbed our ladder to board Beltane) on Anu, who Steve met last year, and they shared a bottle of champagne with us for my birthday on the 25th. Thanks for the native handcrafted bowl. Steve liked it so much he bought 5 plates today from the same lady who painted that one.

Bob at Hogin Sails stitched up our canvas dodger. Now we just have to navigate the narrow channel to the fuel dock before heading north again.

Jungle Heat, Tropical Eats

South of Banderas Bay, they said we'd have light winds. But we expected it would still be from the north, the same as the prevailing winds in the Sea of Cortez, not from the south, the direction we are heading,which is what we found to begin with. Anyway, we anchored at Chemala Bay, about 50 miles south, for four days with about 12 other boats. This four mile bay was surrounded by a nice beach that is frequented by locals on the weekends. Then, we headed into the wind and went south 30 miles to Tenacatita Bay. More gorgeous beach with beachfront palapa cafes. It all looks great, but with humidity in the 90 percent range, it is always hazy and quite a change from dry Baja. At least the temperatures are in the 70s. I can't imagine this place in summer.

At Chemala, we had great pina coladas at one of the palapas and ordered shrimp cocktail. It arrived in a parfait glass, hot, with shrimp (camarrones), octopus (pulpo)), scallops, and carolones (sea snail). Steve said, "don't look at it; just eat it." Then, we went to the market.

This involved a walk down the beach and then up a block or two to the road and shopette. It's a typical Mexican mini-market, but they had no meat so we asked if there was a carniceria close by where we could buy chicken. The lady said, "can you wait 20 minutes?" Yes, so we sat outside and Steve conversed with the two locals about boats, fishing, etc. Their dog enjoyed the ice cream I dropped on the ground and the sausage Steve bought and fed to him. He didn't have a name, just "Perro." About an hour later, a chicken arrived, warm, right out of someone's backyard, but thankfully, dead, defeathered, and cleaned. When we cooked and ate it later, we discovered it was a rooster And with our preparation, "coc au vin" it was not. It was more like chewing calamari with chicken flavor.

Cabo Corrientes

Cabo Corrientes is the southern tip of Banderas Bay and forms the point of land where the Mexico mainland juts sharply southeast. Capes can be problematic because they form their own wind, wave, and current patterns, and should always be treated seriously. We left our anchorage in Bay of Banderas at 7:15 Friday morning and rounded the cape at noon in 20 knot winds and 5 foot seas, but it was in our favor, so not a bad rounding. We anchored in Ipala, the first small bay south of the cape.

All this happened in one minute as we were anchoring: Steve went forward to drop the anchor; I saw his bloody footprints; he didn't know his foot was cut; I fetched a bucket of seawater and dumped it on the deck over the footprints, but failed to see that the portlight was open over the nav station; Steve dropped the anchor and then saw his bloody trail; I went below to find the laptop keyboard wet with the seawater I'd pourerd to douse the blood. How can so much can go wrong in so little time? But, the laptop's touchpad seems to be the only thing affected by the seawater and we have a mouse to use in its place, so there's a work-around. Steve had only cut his toe slightly, and most of the blood came out of the teak deck.

Puerto Vallarta 1/5-9/07

Humid, hazy, big Bay of Banderas. We are anchored off La Cruz Huanacaxtle where, to go ashore, we have to beach our dinghy on a small, rocky beach in murky water that is suspiciously close to the water treatment plant in a man-made harbor that is being dredged. Once we got past that, we found expensive Gringo houses across from Mexican hovels on dirt streets with dogs sleeping here and there. Then we came to the town proper and found a cool, shady French cafe, Hikura, that serves sandwiches, quiche, and omelets, with a great salad.

We took the bus (that runs frequently, but by a mad driver) to Puerto Vallarta and found a nice old town section with huge waves breaking along the waterfront. Lots of norte americanos shopping along the streets. Also, steep cobblestone streets leading to narrow alleys with nice houses above it all.

Cap'n has now fixed the head problem and we plan to leave this week for Chemala Bay, 100 miles south, then to Careyes and Barra Navidad before heading north again (against the wind).

Leaving La Paz

We left La Paz Dec. 30 and anchored at Ballandra (balanced rock) close by, a lovely beach with aquamarine water, but it was very rolly due to the day's north wind.

Dec. 31 -We knew the wind would blow 15-20 today, but didn't expect the Lorenzo Channel to be unmarked. One hour after leaving Ballandra we had 15-26 knot winds in Lorenzo Channel and 6 foot seas. We never saw the channel markers but we were able to follow the path of an approaching ferry. The channel is a few miles wide with reefs on either side, so the navigable part is only 1 mile wide, and shallow (15m). Apparently, Hurricane John destroyed the markers and they haven't been fixed. Since this is Mexico, they may never be fiixed. After getting sprayed with white water on the dodger, we blew down the coast to Muertos on 10-20k winds. This was an excellent test for the rudder repair, but the steering works great with no leakage. It's always an adventure with Steve.

Happy New Year – Hello Puerto Vallarta
We met up with John, Dagmar, and Alex (and their 2 dogs) on Pavon in Muertos and toasted the new year with beers. It was around this time that we discovered the head's holding tank wouldn't empty. We left for Frailles on Jan.1 and snorkeled the Pulmo reef on Jan 2. It wasn't as good as we expected, but the beach and water, and the weather, was lovely. Thanks for the ride back by Michael Ambrose and Linda.

Jan. 3- we set sail for Puerto Vallarta when the weatherman called for 10-20 north winds. It was an excellent crossing (2 days exactly), if you don’t count the bumpy ride due to waves hitting the port stern and rolling us like a roller coaster the second day. We saw only four boats the whole trip and sailed all but the last 10 hours.

Jan. 5 – anchored in Banderas Bay, Puerto Vallarta, actually La Cruz Huanacaxtle which is just to the north in the bay of the formal town of PV. It’s summertime again, and humid. But we are glad to be here. www.puertovallarta.net/map/index.php

Fixed, Deployed, Tested

In my old job, it would have been "fixed, tested, and deployed," but in the world of oceans and yachts, when you have to put the boat in the water to test, it's a little different.

Cruising = Boat Repair in Exotic Locations
We were hauled out on Dec. 26 by the big travel lift at the Palmar yard in La Paz and all went well with that, but then we found that the rudder bearing wouldn't budge. Dec. 27, Robert drove us in his Prius to a ferreteria where we bought a giant $100 monkey wrench and Steve removed the bearing, then found he couldn't easily remove the seal because its surface was flush and there was nothing to grab to remove it. So, the yard guys removed the rudder shaft by chipping off fiberglass and then sanding to the brass plate, then found that one of the bolts wouldn't budge and had to drill it out. Once the rudder shaft was out, we could see that it was pitted where the seal had been. But Steve was able to remove the seals and replace them. All this with the limited help of technical drawings and instructions via email (delayed due to the time difference) from Hallberg-Rassy in Sweden. Their instruction to "draw out the simmer seals" didn’t mention how to do it. Beltane was back in el agua Dec. 29.

Feliz Navidad

Santa brought us the parts from Sweden on Dec. 22 via UPS. They took only 8 days to arrive, so we hope to make the repair the day after Christmas. No.1 found an English-speaking doctor who prescribed antibiotics to send Montezuma packing. Also found a basset hound living two doors down from the marina, which is a real treat for me, although she's a real barker.

The weather has really felt cold lately. Last night was 52 degrees. When the wind blows across the water, it really is cold. After two weeks here, we're ready to move on to what should be warmer temperatures on the mainland.

We have met new friends and visited old ones and enjoyed La Paz. We'll be back in the spring.

The Peace

We arrived in La Paz on Sunday, Deciembre 10 and found a spot in our friend from last year, Marina de La Paz. We like this marina because of its friendly and knowledgeable owners, proximity to town, and good cafe. And since La Paz is the capitol of Baja California Sur, it has everything we could want, or at least a good way to get it. La Paz means "The Peace" in Spanish and the town was so named due to the peaceful harbor in the midst of what can be dangerous seas.

Upon inspection of a testy auto pilot the night we arrived, we found a leak in the rudder shaft that will necesitate a haul out to replace a ball bearing. Gotta order the part from Sweden and getting it through customs will be no easy fete. So, we'll be here a while.

At night, the beat from discos mixes with the church bells and the city lights shine along the waterfront. Christmas decorations are up all over, even on boats in the marina. I shopped the local up-scale department store and found coats and gloves. I have been asked by locals if I'm not cold wearing a T-shirt and shorts or pants. But it's in the 80s here, although it cools off to the high 50s at night, which feels chilly in the sea breeze.

Three marinas harbor a lot of U.S. boats here and there are many U.S. boaters here. There is also an alcoholics anonymous group. Hanging out in Mexico seems to have its pitfalls.

Spin Cycle 12/11/06

Puerto Escondido - The norther lasted from Wed. evening 11/29 through Friday afternoon 12/1. The sky clouded over, the wind howled, the whitecaps slapped the hull, and the boat rocked and pivoted around its anchor. It was like being inside a washing machine. But we knew it could be worse: we'd heard accounts from those who'd had to reset their anchor overnight in other anchorages. After two days, boredom was almost palpable. We left the safety of the boat and tried the one and only restaurant in Puerto Escondido. It was good and we met two gents: one Canadian, one British for some interesting and different dinner conversation.

Then, Saturday, the wind let up and we hiked the boulder-choked canyon immediately opposite the entrance to P. Escondido on Hwy. 1, in the Giganta range. Steinbeck has an account of hiking a similar canyon here in "The Log from the Sea of Cortez." We hiked about an hour up until we could go no further. It was mainly dry but had a few pools of rainwater.

Since we were back at Hwy. 1 by noon, we took the bus into town (Loreto) again, planning on returning by the 6:00 bus. At 5:30 we were told the 6:00 would not be running, so we took a cab back ($30). The wind had picked up again and we spent Sat. night and all day Sunday in the grip of the norther, round 2, although on Sunday we did venture ashore for Sunday brunch held by the local long-time Norte American "residents." It was good to talk to some others about their experiences. We'd had enough on Monday and left for Agua Verde, about 25 miles south. We sailed in 10-20 knot winds, but had to motor also since the sea was so sloppy and had pretty big swells that rolled el barco. Ah, yachting!

**It Happens
I picked up a Montezuma-type bug (again) in Loreto. We're wondering why it happened to me when Steve is the one with the sensitive stomach. We managed to slice the satellite radio cable, but we made it to Los Gatos bay on Tues. in 10-20 knot wind with 3-6 foot swells. Maybe someone will have an extra cable in La Paz. (Hey, I can hope.) A few other misadventures have happened that I'll just refer to as "the Sammy incident" and "the dinghy incident," but we and the boat are OK.

A group of sea kayakers is camped on the beach here in Los Gatos. We're hoping to make it to La Paz (The Peace) by Saturday, 12/10/06. The wind is supposed to die before then, but the swells will still be rolling, and that's the uncomfortable part.

Weather 12/11/06

Unlike in the U.S. or Canada, Mexico braodcasts no weather for the Sea of Cortez, and if they did, we wouldn't be able to understand it in Spanish anyway. There are no weather buoys or much industrial or commercial activity here to warrant such an investment, so the yachties from the U.S. predict our own weather. Every morning there is either a short wave or VHF radio broadcast (or both) that we can listen to and either Rick or Gary (don't know what their background is) will give weather forecasts for Baja west side, Sea of Cortez, and northern and southern crossings from Baja to the mainland.

Now, that is really no indication of what will actually occur. So we take what we get. Should we leave today because they say the wind will be 10-20 knots, but we know the swells will still be big and besides we haven't explored this area? or should we stay and let the swell lie down and explore? We decided to stay and found ourselves with fresh yellow-tail tuna and lobster that we bought from a local fisherman. Today they said the wind would be light and variable, but we went anyway, leaving in the afternoon to get the sea breeze, and had an ideal sail: 5-15 knots and minimal swells.

Northers are more predictable: they occur when high pressure sits over the 4-corners area of the U.S. Diurnal winds -- those land and sea breezes that occur daily -- are also somewhat predictable, but the islands along the coast can play havoc with predicting them. The breeze may come across the island from the east or up the channel from the south. Your guess. Gotta be ready for anything.

Puerto Escondido 11/27-12/1

N25 49.068; W111 18.816
We reached this large harbor after another day of no wind, but we've heard on the net that a norther (high wind from the north common in winter) is coming and Escondido affords good protection. This is a popular spot with access to a good size town: Loreto. Many snowbirds/expatriates hang out here. With a backdrop of desert mountains (the Giganta range) and pretty green water, why not? About 30 other boats are here now.

A marina is partially constructed here, at least there's a fuel dock and some offices, but construction was stopped some time ago and now it has an abandoned feel to it. It takes about seven Mexican's to run the office, although no business seems to be conducted there. Another couple of men are at the fuel dock.

Then, we met Elvin who has been here for 10 years, after life in the U.S. and growing up in Bolivia. He gave us a ride to the store/lavenderia about a mile away and waited to bring us back while we bought a few things and dropped off our laundry, explaining that the walk back is a two-beer walk.

We're in Loreto now at an Internet cafe. Another couple we met gave us a ride here (after we waited 2 hours on the bus). They are picking up their van here so they let us drive their car back for them. Everyone helps each other here. It's a good and simple way of life. Isn't that the way it should be?

Desert Islands & Deserted Beaches

11/19 - 29/06 - We have anchorerd near several desert islands in Bahia Concepcion and since leaving on Nov. 21 have these observations: they attract birds, which leave behind something that attracts bugs; they are usually surrounded by dangerous reefs; they can be great for snorkeling, clamming, and scallop hunting; and getting used to your dive gear again.

Anchor spots:

• San Sebastian - we reached this tight anchorage with reefs left and right, at the end of a long day of no wind on the lowest low tide of the month. Of course, the wind came up that night and along with the poudning surf close by and the vision of a beached catamaran sporting a hole in the side, made for an uneasy night. A few days later we learned the cat was recently damaged by the reefs we thankfully avoided.
• San Juanico - a little bit of paradise. We spent Thanksgiving here along with 4 other boats. Dawn and Terry aboard the trimaran "Manta" hosted a Thanksgiving potluck: turkey, dressing, gravy, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, macaroni salad, asparagus, apricot cobbler and leftover cherry cheesecake. We didn't expect this and it was a real treat. Dawn and Terry are big divers and had some interesting stories, including a shark tale or two.
• Copper Bay (Isla Carmen) - A beautiful deserted beach with colorful pebbles on the beach and imbedded in the sandstone cliffs. That and the freshly caught tuna, and the classical Christmas music on XM radio made this a happy memory, although we spent a sleepless night due to a rolly sea.

Mulege 11/17

The days of the week and month come and go and we're not really sure what day it is. But today we explored the area a little in the dinghy, then hitched a ride to the nearest town: Mulege. 14 miles.

We had a taco lunch and explored the town's narrow streets and simple shops, stopping in a mercado for a few fresh veggies and bread. Mulege is an old town with narrow random streets and ancient one-story buildings. It is on the only (somewhat) navigable river in the Baja. Its exposed position permitted Hurricane John this year to wreak much damage. 27 inches of rain fell in a day. But the town is quickly recovering. Date palms profuse in the river bottom which is renowned for its voracious mosquitos. Steve always attracts the critters but had not a single bite while we were here. We sat in the town square and just enjoyed the simpleness of the town.

At the bus estacion we were told we'd have to ask the driver if he would let us off at Bahia Concepcion where the boat is. While we waited for the bus we had an ice cream and enjoyed the mosquito-less date palm forest. When the bus arrived the driver easily obliged our special stop. Steve preferred the bus to return instead of the US$20/person cab fare. The bus was air conditioned, driven by a professional, had lounge seats, and showed an American movie. For this we paid US2.50 each.

Back at the bay, we stopped in at Doug and Rita's for Rita to show us where to find clams. What do you know? The clams here just lay on the surface of the sand in waist-deep water. You can see them with goggles, just laying there. Cap'n is enjoying them now. He says the butter clams are tender but bland. The native Chocolates are tougher but more flavorful. He then mused about something to the effect of the similarity to white girls and others, but I didn't pay attention. He was on his third beer.

Crossing - November 15, 2006

We crossed from San Carlos to Baja on Tuesday, Noviembre 15 in light, variable winds. Departed San Carlos in the dark at 0400 (Note to self: it's a bad idea to leave in the dark on your first ocean voyage of the season), motored most of the way until cape affect winds nearing Baja gave us a brisk sail as we neared the entrace to Bahia Concepcion, then died out just as we turned to enter the channel. We started seeing the coast of Baja around 9:00 and around 1:00, the mainland coast was no longer visible.

Once in the mouth of Bahia Concepcion, we found our way through the channel and anchored at Santispac Bay at dusk - just in time. It is hard to navigate this new area with unmarked shoals and reefs. But the morning light showed it to be a beautiful place and the gringos seem to agree --they have lined the beach with campers (since Hwy. 1 is within sight) and other temporary housing. We are the only cruising boat here.

We moved to the next bay over in the morning and put up the awning (it's hot), finally went for a swim (Ah!), reassembled the dinghy, and went ashore where we met Doug and Rita. They split their time between Rita's teak farm in Thailand; Fort Collins, CO; and their house on the beach here. Tonite Rita is fixing us an authentic Thai meal.

I am trying to do some fishing but with no luck so far, although Steve says I should do well with bottom feeders since I managed to catch a lawyer. ;-) Steve is convinced that he is a jinx, fishing-wise, so the fishing thing is entirely my responsibility.

Amazing! - we can access Doug's wifi from about 100 yards out in the bay. We have had some blue-screen PC problems, but Doug has managed, so far, to isolate the problem if not yet solve it. According to Google, a lot of people are having the same problem. Oh yes, fixing computers in paradise -- can't escape completely.

Got my fingers crossed that after a system restore we'll have no more blue screens.

San Carlos Anchorage

SPLASH - Beltane was launched Nov. 15 at 8:30 a.m. We anchored just outside the marina to check out her systems in preparation for the season. Living on the boat close to town (and our truck) let us easily transition to boat life. That's more important to me (No.1) than to the seasoned captain. But I got used to finding things to occupy my mornings and afternoons instead of being productive by the hour like I was used to doing in my 9-5 job back in Denver. I spent my time watching other boats, watching pelicans, reading, getting into my new routine, and learning Spanish.

All systems were a go on the boat and Steve said "we need to start our blog. Make it so No. 1." so here we are. We were able to access the Internet and also to call home on Skype in the marina cantina. Steve liked to watch las guapas there.

Provisioning - the way to get propane in San Carlos is to flag down the propane truck. How do you find it? You look for it on the road or at a restaurant, etc. Or you go to the police station and ask if they know where it is. That's what Steve did and the police were very helpful: two got on the phone and one went down the street to ask someone. We had propane in about 20 minutes. Grocery shopping entailed two very large super Walmart type stores where we had to decypher Spanish labels and brands, but we got what we needed.

11/1-6/06 - Getting Ready

11/1-6/06 - YARDWORK - There are lots of Gringos en el barco yard (the boatyard) preparing their boats for departure. We are two of them. Early today, Steve went up the mast - removing bird nests from the radar and TV antennas on the way - and installed our new (we hope) bird-proof anemometer and a new windex with a bird spike. Last year a frigate bird perched on the anemometer and snapped off the wind vane. Can't use a shotgun because of all the sensitive equipment at the masthead, and you'd have to camp on the deck all day waiting for the !*#@!! to show up.

Washed all the lines (that's ropes to the unannointed) and loaded stuff on the boat (my 20 paperbacks), unloaded stuff we probably won't need (melted candles from last year), and washed the canvas cover that has shielded el barco from the hot sun in the yard all summer. We are not assured of a slip in the marina, so we are carrying stuff up and down the ladder to and from the boat in the yard. El barco (Steve's floating hardware store) is scheduled for launching Tuesday, Nov. 7. Then, Cap'n Steve hopes the engine will start. Until then, we are staying in a nice hotel room about a mile from marina seca (dry storage) and the boatyard and eating at local restaurants. San Carlos is known for the mountain shaped like goats tits -- Tetas de Cabra.

The Internet doesn't always work where we are told that it will -- so I'm in a bowling alley typing this entry. San Carlos is a nice town and the marina is very helpful with resources for boaters including a booklet called "Mexican bottom contours." You can let that mean what you want. :-) Lots of practice speaking Spanish at stores, restaurants, etc. Plenty of sun, but no sunburn yet.