Both Mike and I have been sick - some sort of flu-y or cold type thing. He had it first and just as he was getting better, I got it. I just wanted to be well (or at least well on the mend) by New Years Eve and I think I will make it. At least we got sick now and not just before leaving. Of course, once we are underway we are not likely to get sick since you have to be exposed to other sick people in order to get that way yourself.
We discovered that in Mexico, Christmas Eve is a big celebration with people shooting off fireworks that cumulate at midnight. Christmas day is quieter, but there were still lots of restaurants and shops open, especially since Christmas fell on a Saturday, which is one of the days the cruise ships dock for the day. The Carnival cruise comes here every Wednesday and Saturday. Those are big days for the merchants and restaurants here. There are some other cruise ships that come less regularly, like Holland America and one other. The sidewalk vendors are starting to recognize Mike and me and no longer try to get us to buy their stuff, they just say hello. We are known in our favorite restaurants, and some of them now know automatically not to put cheese on any of my food. One woman who works at our favorite breakfast place brought to our table the other morning tamales she made at home. She had brought them for her coworkers and us. None of the other restaurant patrons got any. I felt really honored and special. Mexican people have a way of making you feel special. I think that is one of the reasons I like it here.
We are spending New Years Eve with some friends we have made down here, Margo and Tony. They live in another marina in their Catalina 36 and we had dinner on their boat. It is more homey than ours, but truthfully interior design has been put on our back burner since there are plenty of more necessary things to do. We all spent the day together on Monday, just having coffee and talking and walking around and I had a great time. So we made plans to spend NYE together, and the first stop will be a casino. Now, that is not our first choice by a longshot, but we are open minded and it should be fun, if for no other reason than it will be something new. I haven't gone out and celebrated a New Year since 1999-2000.
The work on Magda Jean is almost done, and were it not for the rain that is expected later tonight, we would be back in the water this weekend. Oh well - I think we will be out of here and on our way south sometime this next week. I hope so, anyway. As much as I like it here, we need to move on. I am tired of being cold (with apologies to anyone reading this who has snow and ice) and want to start wearing my shorts and bathing suit instead of my jeans and sweatshirts. We are going to start preparing our charts for the trip south, and although our plan is to go straight to Bahia Tortuga (Turtle Bay) which is a three day trip, we will also set alternate routes along the coast so we could stop and anchor at night if we want to. I also discovered two possible seasickness remedies from some other cruisers, so I plan to stock up just in case. I usually don't get seasick, but I sure did coming down when the seas were rough. I want to be able to pull my weight, and being seasick does nothing to further that goal. There are so many sailing skills that I need to acquire, that I find it sort of overwhelming at times and I get scared I will not measure up. Then all the work will fall on Mike, and that can't be sustained for any amount of time. I am a terrible helmsman. I can't hold the course to save my life. I believe it will come with practice - to tell the truth, it took me a long time to learn to drive. I even flunked the behind-the-wheel portion of drivers ed and had to take it a second time. I think maybe I am starting to get the hang of it - famous last words!
Anyway - that is what is happening to us these days. I got Mike a nice hat with earflaps as his watch cap blew off his head on the way down. This hat has ties under the chin so it won't blow away. The number of hats, particularly baseball-type caps that Mike has lost in the ocean is astonomical. I make fun of him about it. A good present to get Mike will always be some sort of baseball type cap as he always needs new ones.
One very interesting thing has happened - I spotted a pigeon with pink markings on his otherwise white feathers. I have seen many pigeons in my life, but never a pink one. The pink is peptobismol pink, and he has a magenta racing stripe across his forehead. I look for him every day because I know where he hangs out, and I have pictures. If I ever learn how to post pictures on here, his will be one of the first. I like pigeons anyway, and this one is spectacular. Nothing like him in the States!
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Christmas Eve Eve
Tomorrow is Christmas Eve. The town is decorated up real nicely - the palm trees have white lights strung around the trunks with green spotlight-type lights shining up under the fronds. It is fun to paint here because everything is so colorful. There are also creches everywhere you turn, and I like that. I am as strong a supporter of separation of church and state as anyone could possibly be, but (with apologies to all the druids and such) without the whole Jesus-being-born-thing there would really be no Christmas as we know it today. Obviously it has evolved into a cultural experience as well, with Santa and shopping and trees and all that, but isn't it kind of stupid to pretend it has nothing whatsoever to do with Christianity? It's not like nobody knows.
We lost a week's worth of work because of all the rain, so we aren't likely to get out of here before the new year. And because it is up on stilts in the shipyard, we have been staying in hotels. Patience, patience. This will not be the first time we are at the mercy of the weather. Even had we been ready to leave, we would likely have been here anyway, waiting for a weather window. A bunch of Canadians left today, because there is not supposed to be anymore rain until maybe Sunday. I'd sure rather wait out a storm than be all wet and miserable at sea if it is avoidable. By the way, the woodwork that has been done looks really good. The wind generator appears to be working well, and we are dying to check out the new performance of the solar panels since Mike changed most of the connection points. He did all the work while it was rainy and overcast, so we haven't been able to test it out. But interestingly, it was showing some generation even while it was overcast. We had not noticed this in the past. So now we are eager to see how much it generates since the repairs once the sun comes out.
Being as energy independent as possible is one of our biggest goals. We can always charge our batteries by running the engine, or hooking up to shore power, or even using the gas generator we have on board. But none of that makes us really independent, because of the reliance on diesel or gas. We enjoy our creature comforts (like the refrigerator, the stereo, the computer, hot water,and so on), and some of those use a lot of power. There are a number of people who sail without all that stuff, even some who sail around the world engineless, and while I admire that, I want things more comfortable. At the same time, I am looking forward to long stretches at sea without being able to get more diesel or gas or some marina slip's shore power cord. The solar and wind will be great when we are at sea or at anchor, the frequency of which I am really hoping with improve shortly!
It is sort of strange to be away from everyone during Christmas. It isn't like I was always surrounded by family in past Christmases, but it is strange to be completely on our own, not even going back to work in a couple days to familiar faces or waiting for my son to come home from his father's house. He will be spending Christmas with his girlfriend and her family - he now celebrates almost all his solidays with them. He needs to get a passport to come and see me - I have told him I will pay for it but he is not getting that done - is he trying to tell me something? Now I really am ridiculous, ha ha ha. I am not lonely here, but it is unsettling a bit. There have been so many changes this year, I almost wish I could take a couple days from my life just to take a breath and review the whole thing. Less than six months ago I was employed with a house and a car and everything that goes with a so-called normal life. That is a lot of change to absorb.
Just one last note about life here in Mexico - and the great food. Last night I had quail in rose petel sauce - the recipe from Like Water For Chocolate. I would not have minded dying at that moment, it was that good. And just for the record: hotels are nice but I miss my snug cozy boat!
We lost a week's worth of work because of all the rain, so we aren't likely to get out of here before the new year. And because it is up on stilts in the shipyard, we have been staying in hotels. Patience, patience. This will not be the first time we are at the mercy of the weather. Even had we been ready to leave, we would likely have been here anyway, waiting for a weather window. A bunch of Canadians left today, because there is not supposed to be anymore rain until maybe Sunday. I'd sure rather wait out a storm than be all wet and miserable at sea if it is avoidable. By the way, the woodwork that has been done looks really good. The wind generator appears to be working well, and we are dying to check out the new performance of the solar panels since Mike changed most of the connection points. He did all the work while it was rainy and overcast, so we haven't been able to test it out. But interestingly, it was showing some generation even while it was overcast. We had not noticed this in the past. So now we are eager to see how much it generates since the repairs once the sun comes out.
Being as energy independent as possible is one of our biggest goals. We can always charge our batteries by running the engine, or hooking up to shore power, or even using the gas generator we have on board. But none of that makes us really independent, because of the reliance on diesel or gas. We enjoy our creature comforts (like the refrigerator, the stereo, the computer, hot water,and so on), and some of those use a lot of power. There are a number of people who sail without all that stuff, even some who sail around the world engineless, and while I admire that, I want things more comfortable. At the same time, I am looking forward to long stretches at sea without being able to get more diesel or gas or some marina slip's shore power cord. The solar and wind will be great when we are at sea or at anchor, the frequency of which I am really hoping with improve shortly!
It is sort of strange to be away from everyone during Christmas. It isn't like I was always surrounded by family in past Christmases, but it is strange to be completely on our own, not even going back to work in a couple days to familiar faces or waiting for my son to come home from his father's house. He will be spending Christmas with his girlfriend and her family - he now celebrates almost all his solidays with them. He needs to get a passport to come and see me - I have told him I will pay for it but he is not getting that done - is he trying to tell me something? Now I really am ridiculous, ha ha ha. I am not lonely here, but it is unsettling a bit. There have been so many changes this year, I almost wish I could take a couple days from my life just to take a breath and review the whole thing. Less than six months ago I was employed with a house and a car and everything that goes with a so-called normal life. That is a lot of change to absorb.
Just one last note about life here in Mexico - and the great food. Last night I had quail in rose petel sauce - the recipe from Like Water For Chocolate. I would not have minded dying at that moment, it was that good. And just for the record: hotels are nice but I miss my snug cozy boat!
Monday, December 20, 2010
A Rainy Day In Mexico
So much for warm, sunny Mexico - at least that is what I heard some Canadians bitching about today. I could have told them the warm doesn't start here, but no one asked me. But it rained all day today, rain I am sure the area could use. I never mind when it rains, but I will admit I am not sorry to be staying in a hotel. It is scary up there when the boat is "on the hard" and even more so when it is wet and slippery.
Since there is some wind accompanying this storm, we finally got to see the new wind generator in action. It spun like crazy and we also got to see the amp gauge register it actually charging the batteries. And since Mike reworked all the connections to the solar panels, it was actually showing about half an amp in this weather. That is interesting because there is no sunshine. We can hardly wait to see what a sunny, windy day will look like. We are pretty sure our battery charging capabilities will be able to handle what we need vis-a-vis our power needs.
Since it rained all day today and is supposed to rain for most of the week, they aren't going to do any work until maybe Thursday, when the weather is supposed to change. You can't do varnish work in the rain. So that means we will be here until Jan 4 or 5. We spent the day watching movies and I did some painting. I liked elements of each one of them, but none were really any good. I am just glad to be using the stuff I learned in the workshop. Until it stops raining, I plan to read, paint, write, and maybe go to the movies. And get a pedicure and a facial. There is plenty to do. This will be my first Christmas as an expat.
Since there is some wind accompanying this storm, we finally got to see the new wind generator in action. It spun like crazy and we also got to see the amp gauge register it actually charging the batteries. And since Mike reworked all the connections to the solar panels, it was actually showing about half an amp in this weather. That is interesting because there is no sunshine. We can hardly wait to see what a sunny, windy day will look like. We are pretty sure our battery charging capabilities will be able to handle what we need vis-a-vis our power needs.
Since it rained all day today and is supposed to rain for most of the week, they aren't going to do any work until maybe Thursday, when the weather is supposed to change. You can't do varnish work in the rain. So that means we will be here until Jan 4 or 5. We spent the day watching movies and I did some painting. I liked elements of each one of them, but none were really any good. I am just glad to be using the stuff I learned in the workshop. Until it stops raining, I plan to read, paint, write, and maybe go to the movies. And get a pedicure and a facial. There is plenty to do. This will be my first Christmas as an expat.
Friday, December 17, 2010
The best things in life
We have had a lot of interesting experiences since we have been here. We aren't bored, and that is not only because we exhaust ourselves working on the boat. By the way, the wind generator is installed and all we need now is wind. We did some checking on the solar panels, and discovered that the panels themselves are putting out power nicely, but power is being lost as we traced wires back. It doesn't seem like we will need new panels, only new wiring that we (Mike) can do ourselves (himself).
Last night we went to a Posada. For those that aren't familiar, it is a traditional Mexican celebration of when Mary and Joseph had trouble finding a place to stay and give birth. Everyone gathered at this art center, and walked around with candles, singing about needing a place to stay and then being denied. Finally, entrance is granted and there is a party. There were tamales, posole, and different drinks. One was a fruit concoction that tasted like a cross between hot cider and wassail. There was no alcohol in that one. Then there was this drink made out of almonds, or pecans, or coffee, or vanilla that was thick like eggnog and packed a wallop. MIke bought a bottle of it.
There were pinatas as well. Apparently, pinatas were frowned upon by the Spanish missionaries as they represented the Aztec worship of the stars (the traditional shape of the pinata.) But the people didn't want to give them up, so the missionaries changed it to a symbol of the devil, and the purpose of whacking it is to beat the devil down. The pinata stars have seven arms, which represent the seven deadly sins. The first pinata was for the children. That was funny enough. Then there was a second pinata. We were just about to go when the master of ceremonies grabbed ME and had Me whack away at that thing blindfolded. Apparently the second pinata is for the adults! I whacked away at it and then horror of horrors - the stick flew out of my hands! I am lucky it didn't hit anybody. Every one started booing (in a good natured way of course). It was a LOT of fun, and we attended the event with some of the new friends we have made here.
The next exciting thing was that I had ostrich for dinner one night - cooked with poached pears in a merlot reduction. , Delicious! It was like thinly sliced beef, real tender and I can hardly wait to have it again! We had that plus Mike had a huge steak and we had wonderful appetisers and soup and a fantastic bottle of a local cabernet and all for less than $75.00! And that is by far the most expensive meal we have had here. We eat most of our meals out (we always have, even in San Diego before we retired and all that) and our food bill has dropped to half if that. And we eat well.
Another exciting thing was the singing cab driver. We have been staying in hotels while the boat is out of the water. We could stay on it like that, but you can't use water or the bathroom normally and it makes me nervous to climb up the ladder we have to use. So hotels are it for now. We chose one for a few days that is a little ways north of here, but right on the beach. We enjoyed it a lot, listening to the surf break just outside the window. We took the bus to town in the daytime, but took a cab home at night. One night our driver told us about how he used to be a professional boxer, and now referees professional boxing matches. He is also a songwriter and singer with a mariachi band. As we were riding along, he serenaded us with a lovely rendition of "Mona Lisa". Just another wonderful day in Mexico!
Last night we went to a Posada. For those that aren't familiar, it is a traditional Mexican celebration of when Mary and Joseph had trouble finding a place to stay and give birth. Everyone gathered at this art center, and walked around with candles, singing about needing a place to stay and then being denied. Finally, entrance is granted and there is a party. There were tamales, posole, and different drinks. One was a fruit concoction that tasted like a cross between hot cider and wassail. There was no alcohol in that one. Then there was this drink made out of almonds, or pecans, or coffee, or vanilla that was thick like eggnog and packed a wallop. MIke bought a bottle of it.
There were pinatas as well. Apparently, pinatas were frowned upon by the Spanish missionaries as they represented the Aztec worship of the stars (the traditional shape of the pinata.) But the people didn't want to give them up, so the missionaries changed it to a symbol of the devil, and the purpose of whacking it is to beat the devil down. The pinata stars have seven arms, which represent the seven deadly sins. The first pinata was for the children. That was funny enough. Then there was a second pinata. We were just about to go when the master of ceremonies grabbed ME and had Me whack away at that thing blindfolded. Apparently the second pinata is for the adults! I whacked away at it and then horror of horrors - the stick flew out of my hands! I am lucky it didn't hit anybody. Every one started booing (in a good natured way of course). It was a LOT of fun, and we attended the event with some of the new friends we have made here.
The next exciting thing was that I had ostrich for dinner one night - cooked with poached pears in a merlot reduction. , Delicious! It was like thinly sliced beef, real tender and I can hardly wait to have it again! We had that plus Mike had a huge steak and we had wonderful appetisers and soup and a fantastic bottle of a local cabernet and all for less than $75.00! And that is by far the most expensive meal we have had here. We eat most of our meals out (we always have, even in San Diego before we retired and all that) and our food bill has dropped to half if that. And we eat well.
Another exciting thing was the singing cab driver. We have been staying in hotels while the boat is out of the water. We could stay on it like that, but you can't use water or the bathroom normally and it makes me nervous to climb up the ladder we have to use. So hotels are it for now. We chose one for a few days that is a little ways north of here, but right on the beach. We enjoyed it a lot, listening to the surf break just outside the window. We took the bus to town in the daytime, but took a cab home at night. One night our driver told us about how he used to be a professional boxer, and now referees professional boxing matches. He is also a songwriter and singer with a mariachi band. As we were riding along, he serenaded us with a lovely rendition of "Mona Lisa". Just another wonderful day in Mexico!
Thursday, December 16, 2010
More about life In Mexico so far
After spending a few days back in San Diego tying up some loose ends, we are not back home in Mexico. Mike is raring to get further south, but me not so much. I like it here and am starting to make some friends. But they are all heading south eventually as well, so we can stay friends.
Yesterday Mike and I installed a wind generator. We have to finish up that job today. It wasn't easy - first we had to assemble the thing. Then Mike had to cut wires apart and solder them back together with this melting metal stuff made out of lead. The interesting thing about that was the smell - I thought it would be a horrible chemical smell but it actually smelled sort of good. But inhaling melting lead is a bad idea so I kept my distance. After he soldered the wires together he put this black tubing around the cut part and used this heat gun to shrink all the tubing so the wire connections are waterproof. Then we had to run the wires from the unit itself on the stern rail all the way to the batteries. I figured out that if we took the ceiling off the inside of our bedroom, we could run the wires in existing holes. It worked out well and I was proud of myself for figuring it out. I even got to put it back together again with the screws. I usually don't get to actully do anything other than hand Mike tools and get yelled at for locating them too slowly!
We also have to rework our solar panels to see if we can get more power out of them. They are old, but not so old they shouldn't be working. We think we can take all the electrical connections apart and work them over and things will work better. We (I) also want to go over the bilge again and make sure all is working properly so there will be no repeats of our last trip. And so on.
Tonight we are going to a posada - a traditional Mexican Christmas celebration. I am not sure what is involved, other than walking around with candles and singing. That is actually good enough for me.
Well, I have to go now. Have a great rest of the week!
Yesterday Mike and I installed a wind generator. We have to finish up that job today. It wasn't easy - first we had to assemble the thing. Then Mike had to cut wires apart and solder them back together with this melting metal stuff made out of lead. The interesting thing about that was the smell - I thought it would be a horrible chemical smell but it actually smelled sort of good. But inhaling melting lead is a bad idea so I kept my distance. After he soldered the wires together he put this black tubing around the cut part and used this heat gun to shrink all the tubing so the wire connections are waterproof. Then we had to run the wires from the unit itself on the stern rail all the way to the batteries. I figured out that if we took the ceiling off the inside of our bedroom, we could run the wires in existing holes. It worked out well and I was proud of myself for figuring it out. I even got to put it back together again with the screws. I usually don't get to actully do anything other than hand Mike tools and get yelled at for locating them too slowly!
We also have to rework our solar panels to see if we can get more power out of them. They are old, but not so old they shouldn't be working. We think we can take all the electrical connections apart and work them over and things will work better. We (I) also want to go over the bilge again and make sure all is working properly so there will be no repeats of our last trip. And so on.
Tonight we are going to a posada - a traditional Mexican Christmas celebration. I am not sure what is involved, other than walking around with candles and singing. That is actually good enough for me.
Well, I have to go now. Have a great rest of the week!
Monday, December 6, 2010
Living in Ensenada
Well, we have been here for a few days now. We arrived on the 30th, and spent that day clearing customs, getting something to eat, and then falling into bed at (I am not joking) 4:30 pm (3:30 for Mike) and slept through til Wednesday. We then spent most of Wednesday cleaning up the boat after our harrowing sail down here, and then were in bed by something like 7 pm. Thursday we worked on our bilge and the bilge pump to make sure there were no more problems and our theory about how the bilge filled in the first place was correct. (We are sure it was correct.) We strolled around a bit, had some food, and stayed up until after 8 pm! I can't remember Friday - Saturday I made it to 9 pm. We watched the Chargers game Sunday, had dinner, and finally we are keeping normal grown up hours. At our age, it takes a while to recover from being up all night and being traumatized.
Now I must admit that after we dissected the trip down several times, we realized that but for the flood, the rest of it was handle-able. The strong winds lasted only a few hours, and had I kept up on the barometer, theoretically we would have been aware some drama was about to occur and the sails would have been ready for it. Things had actually begun to die down a bit by the time we discovered the flooded cabin, so without that, our story would not have been so, well, harrowing. Not to get cocky, though. There are still tons of mistakes we can make if we are not on top of things. And me being sick was no help at all, although Mike said I toughed it out well. He told me he was feeling pretty awful when he went below and was manning the manual bilge pump. So it is nice that he understood and wasn't thinking I was being wimpy about anything. I also recently discovered a remedy for seasickness - it is called sturgeron (not sturgeon!) and is not available in the US. It has no side effects like the sleepiness one gets from dramamine, and better yet - you don't have to take it in advance - it is effective even after you start to feel crappy. I don't normally get seasick and even if I do feel funny, I can usually cure it with ginger candy. This time the ginger couldn't do its job because nothing was going to stay down at that point. I am excited to try this stuff.
I learned about it from a fellow sailor we met when we attended the weekly meeting of the Ensenada Cruisers Yacht Club - a loose group of people who live here and who are passing through. (I consider myself living here now because I have no home anywhere else.) They were fun, interesting, and a font of knowlege. One of them has an art studio here and is giving a workshop on watercolors, which I hope to attend. Maybe I will finally learn to use those paints I bought properly!
It is strange to be living like this. I feel sort of like a helium balloon after some kid let go of the string. I feel completely rootless, and it is taking some getting used to. I called my son just to hear his voice - would that he was more of a phone talker, at least to me! But he isn't, so the sound of his voice is about all I got. (I am pretty sure he doesn't read this.) It is also strange not to be working yet not having to worry about money too much. I have had some sort of a job since I was 14 years old (earlier if you count babysitting) and I sort of feel like somehow everything can come crashing down at any moment. I'd like to get to know some of the other cruising women better so I could talk about this stuff. Mike is pretty good - we share a lot of these feelings - but nothing beats talking with another woman who knows where you are coming from. My anxiety level is higher than I'd like it to be, but I guess no dramatic life change can happen without some discomfort. I am still concerned about my blood sugar, as I am really worried about being diabetic. It runs rampant on my mother's side of the family.
We are going back to San Diego in a couple of days to take care of some loose ends, and to pick up some boat spares and other things we (Mike) decided we needed. No argument from me. After his masterful repair-while-underway of the recalcitrant bilge pump, he is my shipwright hero. Anything he thinks we need, he can get. We will take a bus up - there are several options, all pretty easy.
I discovered a wonderful drink - they take clamato juice, zap it up with salt, pepper, worcestshire (I know this is spelled wrong), and a dash of tabasco sauce, and then they add real clams. Its like a meal in a glass. They do make them with vodka or something, but with the diabetes threat, I am staying away from alcohol til things are more under control and the numbers are better. But I love clams, and this drink is heavenly with lots of protein due to the clams and vitamins from the clamato. All without a lot of sugar as best as I can tell. And since I have very little appetite these days, it keeps me going. The loss of appetite is not a bad thing, since I desperately need to lose some weight. That is one area that is going nicely - I have no access to a scale, but there is a dress that I couldn't even get zipped in September that now fits pretty well. And of course the expensive pants I bought at the marine specialty shop are getting loose. But that is all good stuff.
Anyway - that is what is happening now. The woman in one of our new favorite restaurants always gives me a Spanish lesson when we come in, and my Spanish gets better every day. I get a lot of compliments from the people I talk to. I like to speak Spanish, and at times, I am getting to the point it just comes out without having to translate everything in my head first. My immediate goal is to learn to speak in more than just the present tense! Adios amigos, hasta luego!
Now I must admit that after we dissected the trip down several times, we realized that but for the flood, the rest of it was handle-able. The strong winds lasted only a few hours, and had I kept up on the barometer, theoretically we would have been aware some drama was about to occur and the sails would have been ready for it. Things had actually begun to die down a bit by the time we discovered the flooded cabin, so without that, our story would not have been so, well, harrowing. Not to get cocky, though. There are still tons of mistakes we can make if we are not on top of things. And me being sick was no help at all, although Mike said I toughed it out well. He told me he was feeling pretty awful when he went below and was manning the manual bilge pump. So it is nice that he understood and wasn't thinking I was being wimpy about anything. I also recently discovered a remedy for seasickness - it is called sturgeron (not sturgeon!) and is not available in the US. It has no side effects like the sleepiness one gets from dramamine, and better yet - you don't have to take it in advance - it is effective even after you start to feel crappy. I don't normally get seasick and even if I do feel funny, I can usually cure it with ginger candy. This time the ginger couldn't do its job because nothing was going to stay down at that point. I am excited to try this stuff.
I learned about it from a fellow sailor we met when we attended the weekly meeting of the Ensenada Cruisers Yacht Club - a loose group of people who live here and who are passing through. (I consider myself living here now because I have no home anywhere else.) They were fun, interesting, and a font of knowlege. One of them has an art studio here and is giving a workshop on watercolors, which I hope to attend. Maybe I will finally learn to use those paints I bought properly!
It is strange to be living like this. I feel sort of like a helium balloon after some kid let go of the string. I feel completely rootless, and it is taking some getting used to. I called my son just to hear his voice - would that he was more of a phone talker, at least to me! But he isn't, so the sound of his voice is about all I got. (I am pretty sure he doesn't read this.) It is also strange not to be working yet not having to worry about money too much. I have had some sort of a job since I was 14 years old (earlier if you count babysitting) and I sort of feel like somehow everything can come crashing down at any moment. I'd like to get to know some of the other cruising women better so I could talk about this stuff. Mike is pretty good - we share a lot of these feelings - but nothing beats talking with another woman who knows where you are coming from. My anxiety level is higher than I'd like it to be, but I guess no dramatic life change can happen without some discomfort. I am still concerned about my blood sugar, as I am really worried about being diabetic. It runs rampant on my mother's side of the family.
We are going back to San Diego in a couple of days to take care of some loose ends, and to pick up some boat spares and other things we (Mike) decided we needed. No argument from me. After his masterful repair-while-underway of the recalcitrant bilge pump, he is my shipwright hero. Anything he thinks we need, he can get. We will take a bus up - there are several options, all pretty easy.
I discovered a wonderful drink - they take clamato juice, zap it up with salt, pepper, worcestshire (I know this is spelled wrong), and a dash of tabasco sauce, and then they add real clams. Its like a meal in a glass. They do make them with vodka or something, but with the diabetes threat, I am staying away from alcohol til things are more under control and the numbers are better. But I love clams, and this drink is heavenly with lots of protein due to the clams and vitamins from the clamato. All without a lot of sugar as best as I can tell. And since I have very little appetite these days, it keeps me going. The loss of appetite is not a bad thing, since I desperately need to lose some weight. That is one area that is going nicely - I have no access to a scale, but there is a dress that I couldn't even get zipped in September that now fits pretty well. And of course the expensive pants I bought at the marine specialty shop are getting loose. But that is all good stuff.
Anyway - that is what is happening now. The woman in one of our new favorite restaurants always gives me a Spanish lesson when we come in, and my Spanish gets better every day. I get a lot of compliments from the people I talk to. I like to speak Spanish, and at times, I am getting to the point it just comes out without having to translate everything in my head first. My immediate goal is to learn to speak in more than just the present tense! Adios amigos, hasta luego!
Thursday, December 2, 2010
The Revenge of Tempest
I am writing this from Ensenada, Mexico. It is nice and peaceful here in the marina. Things were not so nice, however, on the way down here. Let me begin at the beginning . . .
We left San Diego on Monday, November 30, at three pm. We had a nice motor out of the harbor, and then put the sails up. We sailed along nicely for a couple of hours, and then the wind went all screwy. It didn't exactly die down, but rather was coming from all different directions. This made it extremely difficult to set the sails. We basically drifted along with the current (which thankfully was going south, just the way we wanted to go), with the sails slatting around all over the place. The seas also began to act up, causing big waves that battered the boat about in a very uncomfortable way. I do not usually get seasick, but I did this time. This was the situation from about seven pm until about one am, at which time the wind shifted to the east and began howling at about 20-30 knots. This would not have been so bad had it not been for the mounting waves, which were reaching 10-12 feet. I know that when I looked at Mike standing in the cockpit at the helm, the waves were as tall as he was and even taller. We were surfing down waves at 9 to 9.5 knots, which is faster than we are supposed to be able to go.
This part was actually pretty exhilerating. It would have been more fun for me had I not been so sick. Being seasick is more than just being sick to one's stomach - it also makes one disoriented and and sleepy. And slow on the uptake. All I could really focus on was trying not to throw up too much. We had to reef the sails (make them smaller) in order to handle the strong winds. Reefing is one of those things one needs to do BEFORE one actually needs to do it. The reason we did not do it sooner was because I was so sick I did not try to read the barometer when I logged our hourly position, because being below trying to read it made me even sicker. That is not an excuse, believe me. I have learned my lesson. Had I done so, and told Mike how much barometric activity there was, we would have known we needed to reef those sails - a skill we have not practiced - in plenty of time before it all got so wild. So we had to struggle with the sails in a strong wind. Very difficult and not fun. But we got that done and thought everything was reasonably settled, except for my stomach. Little did we know.
At about when three thirty in the morning, Mike looked down into the cabin and discovered to our horror that the floor of the cabin was covered with water. He lifted the floorboard to discover the bilge was completely full of water. He hollered at me that we were in danger of sinking. I cannot tell you what I was thinking, because I wasn't. The only reason I wasn't ABSOLUTELY TERRIFIED was twofold: I was too sick to really process it all, and I could still see land, so I figured rescue would be possible. Probably not true, but it was a comfort at the time. Mike and I immediately started using the manual pumps to clear the bilge - a physically exhausting job. I called to Mike "Shall we get on the radio?" He hollered back "Not yet!" So I figured at that point he must have a plan. He was on his stomach digging around in the bilge while the boat rocked all over the place and we went completely off course. That was the least of our worries. Our big concern was that we could not tell where the water was coming in from. Mike finally got the bilge pump working again, which was clogged with - you guessed it - DOG HAIR! (Hence the title of this post - Tempest did not like us making her live on a boat and punished us for it.)
Once the pump was working again, the seas also began to calm down, but by this time we had dropped the sails because the wind was against us and we were too tired to diddle around with the tediousness of tacking back and forth, and we also felt a need to get to safety. We turned on the engine to make better time. We noticed that as soon as the seas calmed down we were no longer taking on so much water, so that narrowed the possibilities as to what was going wrong. By the time we got into the harbor, the sun was shining and there was almost no wind. Mike docked like the champion he is, and I was never so happy and relieved in my life. It took another two or three hours to go through customs and all that stuff, we got something to eat, and went to bed at four in the afternoon and did not get up until Wednesday morning. I have never slept so long or so hard.
Later, we figured out the water came in through the anchor hawse pipe, which is the space where the anchor chain comes out of the bow (front pointy part) of the boat. Because the seas were so high, hundreds of gallons of water poured through that space, and the dirty bilge caused the pump to clog and therefore short out. We now know to plug that space! This morning we tore the bilge open and cleaned it out. That is one nasty, disgusting job. But it is done, the bilge is clean, and the pump seems to be working properly.
We didn't have any idea the weather would get so bad. We can no longer blithely assume the weatherman will be right. I should have kept track of the barometer. Next time, even if I am sick, I will do that first, no matter how close to throwing up I come. We will plug the anchor hawse pipe, and will also make sure we have a spare bilge pump - just in case. I am proud of us, because we kept our heads, I didn't cry, Mike was awesome with his mechanical skills and diagnostic ability, and we didn't need to call for help. (I did forget one other problem - it was REALLY cold out there on top of everything else, but as soon as everything started going south, we worked up a sweat with the manual pump and the cold was not much of an issue compared to the rest of it.)
But we are really happy to be here in Mexico. The people are wonderful and I have been speaking Spanish like crazy. If this keeps up, I will be fluent before I know it. We will be here for a couple of weeks, because we want to get all the wood on the outside of the boat redone. I love it here and don't care how long we stay. Viva la Mexico!
We left San Diego on Monday, November 30, at three pm. We had a nice motor out of the harbor, and then put the sails up. We sailed along nicely for a couple of hours, and then the wind went all screwy. It didn't exactly die down, but rather was coming from all different directions. This made it extremely difficult to set the sails. We basically drifted along with the current (which thankfully was going south, just the way we wanted to go), with the sails slatting around all over the place. The seas also began to act up, causing big waves that battered the boat about in a very uncomfortable way. I do not usually get seasick, but I did this time. This was the situation from about seven pm until about one am, at which time the wind shifted to the east and began howling at about 20-30 knots. This would not have been so bad had it not been for the mounting waves, which were reaching 10-12 feet. I know that when I looked at Mike standing in the cockpit at the helm, the waves were as tall as he was and even taller. We were surfing down waves at 9 to 9.5 knots, which is faster than we are supposed to be able to go.
This part was actually pretty exhilerating. It would have been more fun for me had I not been so sick. Being seasick is more than just being sick to one's stomach - it also makes one disoriented and and sleepy. And slow on the uptake. All I could really focus on was trying not to throw up too much. We had to reef the sails (make them smaller) in order to handle the strong winds. Reefing is one of those things one needs to do BEFORE one actually needs to do it. The reason we did not do it sooner was because I was so sick I did not try to read the barometer when I logged our hourly position, because being below trying to read it made me even sicker. That is not an excuse, believe me. I have learned my lesson. Had I done so, and told Mike how much barometric activity there was, we would have known we needed to reef those sails - a skill we have not practiced - in plenty of time before it all got so wild. So we had to struggle with the sails in a strong wind. Very difficult and not fun. But we got that done and thought everything was reasonably settled, except for my stomach. Little did we know.
At about when three thirty in the morning, Mike looked down into the cabin and discovered to our horror that the floor of the cabin was covered with water. He lifted the floorboard to discover the bilge was completely full of water. He hollered at me that we were in danger of sinking. I cannot tell you what I was thinking, because I wasn't. The only reason I wasn't ABSOLUTELY TERRIFIED was twofold: I was too sick to really process it all, and I could still see land, so I figured rescue would be possible. Probably not true, but it was a comfort at the time. Mike and I immediately started using the manual pumps to clear the bilge - a physically exhausting job. I called to Mike "Shall we get on the radio?" He hollered back "Not yet!" So I figured at that point he must have a plan. He was on his stomach digging around in the bilge while the boat rocked all over the place and we went completely off course. That was the least of our worries. Our big concern was that we could not tell where the water was coming in from. Mike finally got the bilge pump working again, which was clogged with - you guessed it - DOG HAIR! (Hence the title of this post - Tempest did not like us making her live on a boat and punished us for it.)
Once the pump was working again, the seas also began to calm down, but by this time we had dropped the sails because the wind was against us and we were too tired to diddle around with the tediousness of tacking back and forth, and we also felt a need to get to safety. We turned on the engine to make better time. We noticed that as soon as the seas calmed down we were no longer taking on so much water, so that narrowed the possibilities as to what was going wrong. By the time we got into the harbor, the sun was shining and there was almost no wind. Mike docked like the champion he is, and I was never so happy and relieved in my life. It took another two or three hours to go through customs and all that stuff, we got something to eat, and went to bed at four in the afternoon and did not get up until Wednesday morning. I have never slept so long or so hard.
Later, we figured out the water came in through the anchor hawse pipe, which is the space where the anchor chain comes out of the bow (front pointy part) of the boat. Because the seas were so high, hundreds of gallons of water poured through that space, and the dirty bilge caused the pump to clog and therefore short out. We now know to plug that space! This morning we tore the bilge open and cleaned it out. That is one nasty, disgusting job. But it is done, the bilge is clean, and the pump seems to be working properly.
We didn't have any idea the weather would get so bad. We can no longer blithely assume the weatherman will be right. I should have kept track of the barometer. Next time, even if I am sick, I will do that first, no matter how close to throwing up I come. We will plug the anchor hawse pipe, and will also make sure we have a spare bilge pump - just in case. I am proud of us, because we kept our heads, I didn't cry, Mike was awesome with his mechanical skills and diagnostic ability, and we didn't need to call for help. (I did forget one other problem - it was REALLY cold out there on top of everything else, but as soon as everything started going south, we worked up a sweat with the manual pump and the cold was not much of an issue compared to the rest of it.)
But we are really happy to be here in Mexico. The people are wonderful and I have been speaking Spanish like crazy. If this keeps up, I will be fluent before I know it. We will be here for a couple of weeks, because we want to get all the wood on the outside of the boat redone. I love it here and don't care how long we stay. Viva la Mexico!
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