Well this is it! Craig Musseau and I are off to Hilo Hawaii on Ladybug tomorrow morning. We filled a taxi with groceries yesterday and somehow shoehorned them into Ladybug's lockers, rubbermaid containers, and Craig's suitcase. We replaced the batteries on the boat because they were not holding a good charge and I will go up the mast tomorrow to do a final rigging check.
Don Anderson, a cruiser and weather forecaster based in San Diego has advised us to sail south to Isla Socorro because that is where we will find the trade winds. The Pacific high is quite far south now and there is no wind to be found in a direct line from here out towards Hawaii for 1500 miles. This will add some time to our crossing but is a lot better than sitting around waiting for wind up here.
We hope to be in Hilo in about 4 weeks, but the crossing may take a bit longer. We have a good supply of books and movies on board as well as a few games, so hopefully boredom will not be an issue. We have 70 gallons of water, so will be strictly rationing it to 6 liters a day for at least the first half of the trip.
Rani is now back in Duncan staying with her cousin Rick and his wife, Am. She has been busy visiting friends and arranging hikes and pharmacy shifts. Rani may upload some videos from our Mexican travels but my next update will hopefully be from Hawaii...
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Off to Hawaii and BC
Tis the night before Rani leaves and all through the boat, pandemonium reigns.
We have been in Mazatlan for nearly a week and have been busy transferring our worldly possessions from Ladybug to Ladybug II, prepping Ladybug II for a summer to be spent here, making ready to sail Ladybug to Hawaii, packing for Rani's trip to BC, and socializing with fellow cruisers and the friendly marina staff.
It took about two days to clear out Ladybug and stow everything in the new boat. On Ladybug, most items were stored in Rubbermaid totes because she lacks dedicated storage spaces but in the new boat there are all sorts of small odd-shaped storage areas into which we have had to squeeze our lives.
To leave a boat in Mexico, you must anticipate blazing sunshine, torrential rain, humidity, hurricanes, insect infestations, nesting swallows, and intense heat. We removed all the external lines and fed them into the mast and boom or stowed them in lockers. Rani is currently taping tinfoil and cloth blinds on all 11 opening ports (it took all afternoon to locate long-life masking tape in Mazatlan – eventually found at the Walmart). We lashed down the dinghy and covers, and tied several extra dock lines with rubber shock absorbers. We also used the huge fender we found floating off San Carlos as a hurricane precaution. All sails are safely stowed in the V-berth after being washed and dried earlier in the week. Tony – a local expatriate Brit will be looking after her while we are away (he runs a boat-watching service).
Ladybug now has only the bare minimum in supplies and spares to get her back to BC. It is amazing how much stuff we had on her and she now floats quite a lot higher! I will be shopping tomorrow for provisions, so that should sink her back down a little. I thought I would be sailing alone to Hawaii but there is a chance that a fellow from Sidney, BC will fly into Cabo San Lucas and join me for this leg. I hope that a friend from school in Victoria will meet Ladybug in Hawaii for the second leg back to BC. I plan to leave on Saturday so that gives me two days more to prepare. Cabo is about 3 days away and then it will be about 4 weeks before we reach Hilo Hawaii, if all goes well. The trip from Cabo may be to windward initially but when we reach the trade winds we should have north easterly winds following us.
Rani flies out tomorrow on US Airways, assuming the Swine flu pandemic does not ground the flight. People are wearing masks here in the streets, but there are no local cases as we are 100's of miles away from Mexico city. She will be working as soon as she gets back to Duncan and is really looking forward to seeing her friends again.
We threw a party yesterday on Ladybug II for some of our 'dock mates' and the marina staff. Rani spoke lots of Spanish and I nodded and smiled and served cake and punch. People seemed to enjoy Rani's curry, rotis, and humous, which are novelties here.
Here are a few pics from Los Muertos that really go with the last posting:
The Train Room at "Grand Sueno" resort
Pool and suite at the same resort
Rani admiring the reflecting pool.
Archeological dig at Los Muertos
Ardy and Marv (off Odyssey) at Los Muertos
We have been in Mazatlan for nearly a week and have been busy transferring our worldly possessions from Ladybug to Ladybug II, prepping Ladybug II for a summer to be spent here, making ready to sail Ladybug to Hawaii, packing for Rani's trip to BC, and socializing with fellow cruisers and the friendly marina staff.
It took about two days to clear out Ladybug and stow everything in the new boat. On Ladybug, most items were stored in Rubbermaid totes because she lacks dedicated storage spaces but in the new boat there are all sorts of small odd-shaped storage areas into which we have had to squeeze our lives.
To leave a boat in Mexico, you must anticipate blazing sunshine, torrential rain, humidity, hurricanes, insect infestations, nesting swallows, and intense heat. We removed all the external lines and fed them into the mast and boom or stowed them in lockers. Rani is currently taping tinfoil and cloth blinds on all 11 opening ports (it took all afternoon to locate long-life masking tape in Mazatlan – eventually found at the Walmart). We lashed down the dinghy and covers, and tied several extra dock lines with rubber shock absorbers. We also used the huge fender we found floating off San Carlos as a hurricane precaution. All sails are safely stowed in the V-berth after being washed and dried earlier in the week. Tony – a local expatriate Brit will be looking after her while we are away (he runs a boat-watching service).
Ladybug now has only the bare minimum in supplies and spares to get her back to BC. It is amazing how much stuff we had on her and she now floats quite a lot higher! I will be shopping tomorrow for provisions, so that should sink her back down a little. I thought I would be sailing alone to Hawaii but there is a chance that a fellow from Sidney, BC will fly into Cabo San Lucas and join me for this leg. I hope that a friend from school in Victoria will meet Ladybug in Hawaii for the second leg back to BC. I plan to leave on Saturday so that gives me two days more to prepare. Cabo is about 3 days away and then it will be about 4 weeks before we reach Hilo Hawaii, if all goes well. The trip from Cabo may be to windward initially but when we reach the trade winds we should have north easterly winds following us.
Rani flies out tomorrow on US Airways, assuming the Swine flu pandemic does not ground the flight. People are wearing masks here in the streets, but there are no local cases as we are 100's of miles away from Mexico city. She will be working as soon as she gets back to Duncan and is really looking forward to seeing her friends again.
We threw a party yesterday on Ladybug II for some of our 'dock mates' and the marina staff. Rani spoke lots of Spanish and I nodded and smiled and served cake and punch. People seemed to enjoy Rani's curry, rotis, and humous, which are novelties here.
Here are a few pics from Los Muertos that really go with the last posting:
The Train Room at "Grand Sueno" resort
Pool and suite at the same resort
Rani admiring the reflecting pool.
Archeological dig at Los Muertos
Ardy and Marv (off Odyssey) at Los Muertos
Friday, April 24, 2009
Back in Mazatlan
Well we finally returned to Mazatlan, our friends who run the Singlar marina, and little Ladybug. First a bit about our sailing (my friend Jamie Orr has pointed out that we have remarkably little about sailing on this blog!)
We sailed south from La Paz with our friends Marv and Ardy, who are cruising on a Peterson 44. Our first stop was Caleta Lobos, which we reached ahead of Odyssey by about an hour. The winds were light and in our face, so we tacked across La Paz Bay with our big genoa and main (reefing the main as the wind built to around 20 knots). Our Monitor windvane steered the boat without a problem, so long as we made sure to keep the weather helm light (i.e., by reefing the main and letting it out on the traveller). We made up some score cards from sheets of paper towel to greet Odyssey as she came in to anchor. I gave her a 5.7 (the Russian judge) and Rani, a 5.9 (Canada) for her anchoring drill. Marv and Ardy are a good team and make it look easy.
Odyssey got us back the next day by beating us into the anchorage at Los Muertos by an hour and rating our less than well-oiled anchoring drill with their own score cards. The trip to Muertos began early in the morning with a few hours of motoring, but around mid-morning, a wind filled in behind and we were soon rolling downwind with partly furled jib winged out on a pole and the main on the opposite side. Again, the wind vane steered her quite well although she wandered a bit as the larger waves twisted her off course. We had winds well in excess of 20 knots - the most we have experienced with the new boat. She does seem to be a bit more solid and comfortable than the Cal, although there is surprisingly little difference between the two.
Los Muertos is a great anchorage, with the best snorkeling I have ever done on a small coral reef just off the large beach. In the crystal water, we saw many schools of colorful fish darting amongst corals and rocks, waving fronds of seaweed, and sea slugs on the sand bottom. Later, we enjoyed touring a very upscale Hacienda/hotel with stables, pools, 18 hole golf course (a bizarre contrast in this arid dessert) and a huge room full of model trains. Suites go for around $2500 US a night, so we limited ourselves to a beer each and had supper at a restaurant at the far end of the beach. The next day I baked a banana loaf and some fresh bread for our crossing. We said our goodbyes to Odyssey for this cruising season and look forward to seeing our friends again in the Sea next season.
The crossing from Muertos was much slower than our last crossing of the Sea (53 hours - about 20 hours more than last time) due to light winds that had us close hauled nearly the whole trip. The wind vane once again did an decent job of steering despite some big cross swells, but was no help during the periods of motoring (7 hours total) that we were forced into when the wind disappeared completely. We saw a few grey whales in the distance but there was surprisingly little wildlife on this crossing. We arrived late at night and had a stressful entrance through the narrow shoaling breakwater entrance, although it helped that we have been here before! We will investigate installing an autopilot to steer our new boat while under motor.
When we reached Mazatlan, we received a warm welcome from the staff at the Singlar Marina where Ladybug has spent the last few months. We are now tied up beside Ladybug and are beginning to load our possessions on the new boat and clean up Ladybug for the trip up north. There is another couple here who plan to sail to Vancouver via Hawaii in the next 2 weeks and I will compare notes with them on the crossing. Rani flies home to BC in a week.
We sailed south from La Paz with our friends Marv and Ardy, who are cruising on a Peterson 44. Our first stop was Caleta Lobos, which we reached ahead of Odyssey by about an hour. The winds were light and in our face, so we tacked across La Paz Bay with our big genoa and main (reefing the main as the wind built to around 20 knots). Our Monitor windvane steered the boat without a problem, so long as we made sure to keep the weather helm light (i.e., by reefing the main and letting it out on the traveller). We made up some score cards from sheets of paper towel to greet Odyssey as she came in to anchor. I gave her a 5.7 (the Russian judge) and Rani, a 5.9 (Canada) for her anchoring drill. Marv and Ardy are a good team and make it look easy.
Odyssey got us back the next day by beating us into the anchorage at Los Muertos by an hour and rating our less than well-oiled anchoring drill with their own score cards. The trip to Muertos began early in the morning with a few hours of motoring, but around mid-morning, a wind filled in behind and we were soon rolling downwind with partly furled jib winged out on a pole and the main on the opposite side. Again, the wind vane steered her quite well although she wandered a bit as the larger waves twisted her off course. We had winds well in excess of 20 knots - the most we have experienced with the new boat. She does seem to be a bit more solid and comfortable than the Cal, although there is surprisingly little difference between the two.
Los Muertos is a great anchorage, with the best snorkeling I have ever done on a small coral reef just off the large beach. In the crystal water, we saw many schools of colorful fish darting amongst corals and rocks, waving fronds of seaweed, and sea slugs on the sand bottom. Later, we enjoyed touring a very upscale Hacienda/hotel with stables, pools, 18 hole golf course (a bizarre contrast in this arid dessert) and a huge room full of model trains. Suites go for around $2500 US a night, so we limited ourselves to a beer each and had supper at a restaurant at the far end of the beach. The next day I baked a banana loaf and some fresh bread for our crossing. We said our goodbyes to Odyssey for this cruising season and look forward to seeing our friends again in the Sea next season.
The crossing from Muertos was much slower than our last crossing of the Sea (53 hours - about 20 hours more than last time) due to light winds that had us close hauled nearly the whole trip. The wind vane once again did an decent job of steering despite some big cross swells, but was no help during the periods of motoring (7 hours total) that we were forced into when the wind disappeared completely. We saw a few grey whales in the distance but there was surprisingly little wildlife on this crossing. We arrived late at night and had a stressful entrance through the narrow shoaling breakwater entrance, although it helped that we have been here before! We will investigate installing an autopilot to steer our new boat while under motor.
When we reached Mazatlan, we received a warm welcome from the staff at the Singlar Marina where Ladybug has spent the last few months. We are now tied up beside Ladybug and are beginning to load our possessions on the new boat and clean up Ladybug for the trip up north. There is another couple here who plan to sail to Vancouver via Hawaii in the next 2 weeks and I will compare notes with them on the crossing. Rani flies home to BC in a week.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Cruising in Paradise
See pictures at end of the post...
I feel as though we have finally arrived in the Sea of Cortez that I have read about and dreamt of during the last few months. We have anchored in the sheltered waters of Agua Verde, El Gato, Isla San Francisco, and Isla Partida. All along the Baja coast are green water coves with white powder beaches that invite bare feet, and reefs that entice snorkelers with corals and tropical fish.
At Puerto Escondido, we hiked through Steinbeck's Canyon dwarfed by giant boulders which had tumbled down from the mountains of the El Gigante range during the rains. We did not find the big horned sheep that Steinbeck described in his log from the Sea of Cortez, but the dry chutes of the canyon, fringed by palms and the imposing walls of multi-coloured rock, were awe-inspiring.
Chris shocked me by shaving his head the previous night, something he had meant to do for a very long time. The fact that he had done it in the shower with blunt scissors and left random tufts of hair did not make it very attractive. We tidied it up the next morning and as he scaled the walls and boulders in the canyon, he looked like Spiderman – see photos.
Our next anchorage in paradise was Agua Verde, aptly named as the water is truly green. We spent several days hiking the rocky bluffs and relaxing on the beautiful beaches. The water was so clear and shallow that we could see a sailboat wreck with the naked eye. The village of Agua Verde was typically Mexican with goats and chickens running around in the dusty streets, little kids shouting “ Hola” and people sitting around chatting in front of their homes.
Another couple, Keith and Debbie, came over with us to buy groceries at a little tienda where we stocked up on fresh vegetables and fruit.
We walked past a small farm with tiny piglets peeking out of their pens, kid goats bleating, and turkeys chasing each other. There was a cheese-maker across the road and we bought a couple of wheels of goat cheese for less than 3 dollars each to share with friends on another boat, the Faulkener family on Windfall. The Faulkeners, Jim and Meri, with kids Tim and Carolyne, have sold their small farm and an internet business in Colorado to sail for a few years. Strangely enough, they are thinking of emigrating to Nova Scotia (where Chris is from). Chris and I met with them for a glass of wine that evening to discuss the merits of farming on the east coast and found we had much in common.
From Agua Verde we sailed to Los Gatos, the azure waters of the bay backed by beautiful red bluffs. In the evening sun, the rounded salmon, pink and red coloured rocks at the base of the more jagged cliffs looked like soft pillows. We met a single-hander, George, a retired anthropologist and teacher from Yellowknife, who recognised Brisa and told us that he had made an offer to buy her a couple of years ago.
Our next anchorage was Punta Napolo, a tiny cove with one house and several pangas running in and out. We rowed ashore and met Angel, a lovely old man who showed us around his house and garden in which he grew tomatillos ( little green tomatoes ), onions and a few other vegetables. It was a very tidy little place and we were impressed that he had even raked the sand outside. He pointed us to a trail which led from the house to a dry river bed and we saw some burros and a two white horses watching us from the hills. We went to sleep that night listening to the braying of burros echoing in the arroyo.
En route to San Evaristo, we saw what appeared to be sharks' fins cutting the water around our boat. We were pretty excited by this, but later we realized that the fins were the wing tips of large manta rays. We are not sure why they swim close to the surface but enjoyed watching them cruise about the boat, jumping clear of the water and doing back flips. For the record, we did see what was clearly a small shark leaping out of the water. What was chasing it we did not find out.
San Evaristo has a large bay with a small village and salt pans still in operation. There were kayaks and tents set up in a small tourist operation at one end of the beach and pangas dotted along the length of the main beach. The village had a small tienda where we bought fresh vegetables and we enjoyed a walk to the salt pans and the wind swept beach to the north.
Isla San Francisco's 'The Hook' is a very popular anchorage with motor yachts and sailboats since it is easy distance from La Paz. Its gorgeous crescent beach and warm water is very attractive. Of course, we opted to hike the ridge for a birds' eye view of the whole bay. On the walk back to the boat we met some people dining under the a canopy and found out how the other half lives. They were cruising on a 130 ft yacht with a crew of 14 tending to 8 guests
in total and the owner was shocked when Chris told him we did not have any deck hands to help us on our 34 ft sailboat! Chris made the mistake of telling him that I was his deckhand and that he had bought me over the internet :)
The next 2 islands south, Isla Partida and Isla Espiritu Santo, are a National Geographic spread when viewed from a satellite. A sandy shoal divides one from the other and fingers of mountains along their west coast separate the stunning bays of clear blue-green water. Their only drawback is the nightly Corumel wind which blows from Baja
We stayed 3 nights in the islands and then sailed down to La Paz where we are currently anchored near Marina La Paz. We were met by our friends Marv and Ardy on “ Odyssey” as we arrived and we all enjoyed a night on the town, our first big city since Mazatlan. Chris is working hard on water-proofing the portlights for leaving Brisa in Mazatlan over the summer.
Yesterday we met the owner of the only other Coast 34 we know of in Mexico. Jackie and Mike are from Vancouver and came down the Baja last year after living on board Angelique for 14 years. Mike has gone home to work while Jackie prepares the boat for transporting back to B.C. through Dockwise, a shipping company with floating storage for yachts. The interior of Angelique was quite different from Brisa even though it was finished only 2 years later.
La Paz is a gorgeous town and we are looking forward to spending a few more days here.
Cathedral in La Paz
Sand sculpture in La Paz
Mermaid bronze on La Paz Malecon
Part of Rani's shell collection
Sunset at Isla Partida
Ensenada Grande anchorage
Hiking on Isla Partida
El Cardonal, Isla Partida
Climbing through a hole, Isla Partida
Cross over our anchorage - Isla Partida
Coral tower, Isla San Francisco
On the peak at Isla San Francisco
Panorama - Isla San Francisco
Peak trail - Isla San Francisco
Colourful rocks - Isla San Francisco
Sunset - Isla San Francisco
Chicken escaping a nosy dog - San Evaristo
Burros on the salt pans - San Evaristo
Paper nautilus shell - San Evaristo
Salt pans - San Evaristo
Red rocks - El Gato
Oasis - Agua Verde
Agua Verde anchorage
Climbing at Agua Verde
Balancing rock at Agua Verde
The Faulkner family at Agua Verde
Agua Verde turkey practicing for Thanksgiving escape.
Goats at Agua Verde (we bought cheese from their milk)
Chris's new cut
Puerto Escondido El Gigante mountains
Rani signing up for the marines.
Climbing in Steinbeck's Canyon
Hiking in Steinbeck's canyon
Leaping in Steinbeck's canyon
I feel as though we have finally arrived in the Sea of Cortez that I have read about and dreamt of during the last few months. We have anchored in the sheltered waters of Agua Verde, El Gato, Isla San Francisco, and Isla Partida. All along the Baja coast are green water coves with white powder beaches that invite bare feet, and reefs that entice snorkelers with corals and tropical fish.
At Puerto Escondido, we hiked through Steinbeck's Canyon dwarfed by giant boulders which had tumbled down from the mountains of the El Gigante range during the rains. We did not find the big horned sheep that Steinbeck described in his log from the Sea of Cortez, but the dry chutes of the canyon, fringed by palms and the imposing walls of multi-coloured rock, were awe-inspiring.
Chris shocked me by shaving his head the previous night, something he had meant to do for a very long time. The fact that he had done it in the shower with blunt scissors and left random tufts of hair did not make it very attractive. We tidied it up the next morning and as he scaled the walls and boulders in the canyon, he looked like Spiderman – see photos.
Our next anchorage in paradise was Agua Verde, aptly named as the water is truly green. We spent several days hiking the rocky bluffs and relaxing on the beautiful beaches. The water was so clear and shallow that we could see a sailboat wreck with the naked eye. The village of Agua Verde was typically Mexican with goats and chickens running around in the dusty streets, little kids shouting “ Hola” and people sitting around chatting in front of their homes.
Another couple, Keith and Debbie, came over with us to buy groceries at a little tienda where we stocked up on fresh vegetables and fruit.
We walked past a small farm with tiny piglets peeking out of their pens, kid goats bleating, and turkeys chasing each other. There was a cheese-maker across the road and we bought a couple of wheels of goat cheese for less than 3 dollars each to share with friends on another boat, the Faulkener family on Windfall. The Faulkeners, Jim and Meri, with kids Tim and Carolyne, have sold their small farm and an internet business in Colorado to sail for a few years. Strangely enough, they are thinking of emigrating to Nova Scotia (where Chris is from). Chris and I met with them for a glass of wine that evening to discuss the merits of farming on the east coast and found we had much in common.
From Agua Verde we sailed to Los Gatos, the azure waters of the bay backed by beautiful red bluffs. In the evening sun, the rounded salmon, pink and red coloured rocks at the base of the more jagged cliffs looked like soft pillows. We met a single-hander, George, a retired anthropologist and teacher from Yellowknife, who recognised Brisa and told us that he had made an offer to buy her a couple of years ago.
Our next anchorage was Punta Napolo, a tiny cove with one house and several pangas running in and out. We rowed ashore and met Angel, a lovely old man who showed us around his house and garden in which he grew tomatillos ( little green tomatoes ), onions and a few other vegetables. It was a very tidy little place and we were impressed that he had even raked the sand outside. He pointed us to a trail which led from the house to a dry river bed and we saw some burros and a two white horses watching us from the hills. We went to sleep that night listening to the braying of burros echoing in the arroyo.
En route to San Evaristo, we saw what appeared to be sharks' fins cutting the water around our boat. We were pretty excited by this, but later we realized that the fins were the wing tips of large manta rays. We are not sure why they swim close to the surface but enjoyed watching them cruise about the boat, jumping clear of the water and doing back flips. For the record, we did see what was clearly a small shark leaping out of the water. What was chasing it we did not find out.
San Evaristo has a large bay with a small village and salt pans still in operation. There were kayaks and tents set up in a small tourist operation at one end of the beach and pangas dotted along the length of the main beach. The village had a small tienda where we bought fresh vegetables and we enjoyed a walk to the salt pans and the wind swept beach to the north.
Isla San Francisco's 'The Hook' is a very popular anchorage with motor yachts and sailboats since it is easy distance from La Paz. Its gorgeous crescent beach and warm water is very attractive. Of course, we opted to hike the ridge for a birds' eye view of the whole bay. On the walk back to the boat we met some people dining under the a canopy and found out how the other half lives. They were cruising on a 130 ft yacht with a crew of 14 tending to 8 guests
in total and the owner was shocked when Chris told him we did not have any deck hands to help us on our 34 ft sailboat! Chris made the mistake of telling him that I was his deckhand and that he had bought me over the internet :)
The next 2 islands south, Isla Partida and Isla Espiritu Santo, are a National Geographic spread when viewed from a satellite. A sandy shoal divides one from the other and fingers of mountains along their west coast separate the stunning bays of clear blue-green water. Their only drawback is the nightly Corumel wind which blows from Baja
We stayed 3 nights in the islands and then sailed down to La Paz where we are currently anchored near Marina La Paz. We were met by our friends Marv and Ardy on “ Odyssey” as we arrived and we all enjoyed a night on the town, our first big city since Mazatlan. Chris is working hard on water-proofing the portlights for leaving Brisa in Mazatlan over the summer.
Yesterday we met the owner of the only other Coast 34 we know of in Mexico. Jackie and Mike are from Vancouver and came down the Baja last year after living on board Angelique for 14 years. Mike has gone home to work while Jackie prepares the boat for transporting back to B.C. through Dockwise, a shipping company with floating storage for yachts. The interior of Angelique was quite different from Brisa even though it was finished only 2 years later.
La Paz is a gorgeous town and we are looking forward to spending a few more days here.
Cathedral in La Paz
Sand sculpture in La Paz
Mermaid bronze on La Paz Malecon
Part of Rani's shell collection
Sunset at Isla Partida
Ensenada Grande anchorage
Hiking on Isla Partida
El Cardonal, Isla Partida
Climbing through a hole, Isla Partida
Cross over our anchorage - Isla Partida
Coral tower, Isla San Francisco
On the peak at Isla San Francisco
Panorama - Isla San Francisco
Peak trail - Isla San Francisco
Colourful rocks - Isla San Francisco
Sunset - Isla San Francisco
Chicken escaping a nosy dog - San Evaristo
Burros on the salt pans - San Evaristo
Paper nautilus shell - San Evaristo
Salt pans - San Evaristo
Red rocks - El Gato
Oasis - Agua Verde
Agua Verde anchorage
Climbing at Agua Verde
Balancing rock at Agua Verde
The Faulkner family at Agua Verde
Agua Verde turkey practicing for Thanksgiving escape.
Goats at Agua Verde (we bought cheese from their milk)
Chris's new cut
Puerto Escondido El Gigante mountains
Rani signing up for the marines.
Climbing in Steinbeck's Canyon
Hiking in Steinbeck's canyon
Leaping in Steinbeck's canyon
Monday, March 30, 2009
Brisa sailing video
Hi folks,
For those of you curious about our new boat, a brief video can be found here.
Cheers,
Chris
For those of you curious about our new boat, a brief video can be found here.
Cheers,
Chris
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Beautiful Baha Bays
Concepcion Bay provided a beautiful backdrop for a few days at anchor. The bay has numerous islands in the northern part and several islands have their own sand beaches. We met Jack on Mandan, whom we had heard on the radio nets, as well as Bob, another single hander sailing on a bright yellow wooden cutter built in the 1930's. Beach fires with roast potatoes and marshmallows, snorkeling, petroglyphs, and rocks that sound like bells when struck (due to their high iron content) are highlights of our stay here. We anchored in El Burro cove where Geary broadcasts weather for this coast of Mexico from his thatched beach front Palapa. Geary also generously allows cruisers to use his satellite link for email and we were able to do this while at anchor in emerald green waters.
Petroglyphs above El Burro Cove
These flowers grow out of the rock faces in arroyos (stream beds).
Large crickets and grasshoppers survive despite lack of grass and water.
Urchins, anemones and corals.
The terrain varies quickly from mangrove swamp, to beach, to mud pans.
We coasted south, anchoring at two remote beaches south of Punta Santa Theresa. Calm weather allowed us to explore this coast that would normally be pounded by northerly swells. The land is mostly empty with a few fishing villages and sporadic retirement homes. Beyond the pale sugary sands of beach and dune we hiked through a harsh arid land of volcanic rock, cacti, and hardy scrub bushes. Vultures rested on the vandalized and non-functional skeleton tower on the point. In stark contrast, urchins, crabs, coral, and anemones coloured the tidepools at the base of volcanic cliffs. We combed the beaches for perfect shells and skinny dipped in waters, pleasantly cool after the exertions of hiking the uneven terrain.
Further south is Punta Pulpito – the pulpit. This impressive pinnacle pushes far out into the sea, looking like a reposing lion from the distance. We anchored in its lee, rowed ashore, and landed on a tiny slip of sand at the end of a mile of cobble. The cliffs here are a treasury of fossils – mainly clams and scallop shells. We found our first obsidian flakes and 'apache tears' (rounded obsidian crystals) in the sandy bluffs above these cliffs. Climbing the pulpit, we stumbled over areas strewn with these glittering jewels, collecting some for use in jewelry making. The views from the 500' pulpit are impressive and Brisa looked like a tiny jewel herself floating above the green tinted sands of the bay.
View from Pulpito Point. Brisa is far below.
Fossil cliffs packed with clam and scallop shells.
Roadrunner bird on the beach at San Juanico.
On the rocks at San Juanico.
Dennis, Lisette, and Rani at the Cruiser's Shrine in San Juanico.
Cruiser's shrine signs.
Chris, Thomas, and Alejandero in San Juanico.
View from home out over San Juanico.
Fishing hut in Ballandera Bay.
Inside of fishing hut.
Shrine in a fisherman's hut.
Throw-away Thursday. We gave this box to a fisherman.
Sunset in Ballandera Bay.
Cacti and flowers in Ballandera Bay.
Miniature birch trees.
Bright green 'birches'.
Fossil cliffs packed with clam and scallop shells.
We found even better obsidian nuggets at our next stop – San Juanico bay. This unique bay has some of the most beautiful rock formations I have seen, as well as several excellent beaches and secure anchorages. A tree here is festooned with wood and stone and shell carved or decorated with ship and crew names (the so-called 'cruiser's shrine').
We shared our anchorage with a Norseman 44 foot sloop with Dennis and Lisette on board. Dennis looks a bit like Pierre Trudeau in his 60's and Lisette is from Quebec and still has an accent despite years of living abroad. I had my birthday (44) here and this charming couple invited us over for a delicious selection of appetizers and excellent wine (Dennis worked as a wine chemist and manager at the Gallo winery). We reciprocated with a curry dinner and my attempt at a cake (featuring snickers bars and oranges).
Roadrunner bird on the beach at San Juanico.
On the rocks at San Juanico.
Dennis, Lisette, and Rani at the Cruiser's Shrine in San Juanico.
Cruiser's shrine signs.
We also had Alejandro and Thomas over to Brisa for the birthday celebration. Alejandro and Thomas are caretakers at one of the 4 opulent houses that overlook our anchorage. The day before, we travelled into Loreto with them – a 50 km, 2 hour drive (the first hour is 10 kms of challenging dirt road). A 4 wheel drive is absolutely mandatory! At one point we met up with Thomas's cousin coming the other way in a pickup truck. The cousin pulled over to let us past and we had to pull them out of the soft river bed gravel with a tow rope. Even Thomas got lost once here, as the road is essentially a river bed and at times tributaries branch in several directions.
Chris, Thomas, and Alejandero in San Juanico.
View from home out over San Juanico.
Loreto is a fair sized town with a lovely church and beautiful leaf bowered pedestrian area. Tourism is definitely a major player here and we saw more white skin than we had in weeks. We reprovisioned with fresh food and staples, refilled our 5 gallon water jug (10 pesos or about 90 Canadian cents), and picked up some beer for the celebrations (< $5 Canadian for 6 cold beer). We visited Thomas's family and learned about the car accident in which Thomas lost his leg 2 years ago (despite which he drove us in and was able to get himself on and off Brisa and into our dinghy!). Sadly, Thomas's younger brother suffered severe damage to his head and neck and cannot speak or function normally. Despite not being covered by insurance for this family disaster, everyone seems to take things in stride and accept that they will have to look after the unfortunate fellow for the rest of his life. The closeness and supportiveness of extended families here is in contrast to our more isolated culture up north.
From San Juanico, we had a splendid sail down to Ballandera cove on Isla Carmen, We hiked into the interior of the island across dead level planes, along stram beds, and through gorges. We marvelled at dwarf birch-like trees with bizarrely stocky trunks and a tree that looks like our silver birch only bright green ('incredible hulk'-coloured). Back in the cove, we met a couple from Vancouver Island, cruising on a steel junk. They have been in Mexico for 6 winters, working up north for 6 months each year in the summer. They knew the Coast 34 sail boat and were very encouraging of our plans to continue cruising. The next morning, the trimaran, Flying Fish, and a large and somewhat decrepit wooden schooner joined us at anchor. These boats had been with us in Juanico, too. The schooner is owned in a partnership between a woman and two men and the woman's kids are on board. The boat was given to them and clearly needs a lot of love and affection. She was leaking profusely when we first saw her, lost her steering in heavy seas a day later, and dragged her anchor and drifted quite close to us that night. I admire the owners for taking on a project of this size (apparently they user her or plan to use her to deliver school supplies to remote places in Mexico).
Fishing hut in Ballandera Bay.
Inside of fishing hut.
Shrine in a fisherman's hut.
Throw-away Thursday. We gave this box to a fisherman.
Sunset in Ballandera Bay.
Cacti and flowers in Ballandera Bay.
Miniature birch trees.
Bright green 'birches'.
We are now in Puerto Escondido anchored off a marina where we have had our first good showers since Santa Rosalia (3 weeks ago!) The anchorage is backed by towering jagged peaks and is so large that even with 20 or so boats it seems empty. We plan to hike a canyon mentioned by John Steinbeck in his Log from the Sea of Cortez tomorrow.
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