I found a post I wrote in January, on the way to Santa Maria Cove from Bahia Tortuga. I was on watch, and wrote it out on longhand because I couldn't deal with the computer on deck. I had planned to transcribe it, but I lost it and just found it. So here is an OLD entry.
1-27-2011, 8:47 am
I am on watch and writing this in longhand because I am still afraid to have the computer in the cockpit when I am alone. There are times when things in the cockpit go flying about - even in calm conditions. If I broke the computer, I'd be really upset. And since my hands aren't broken - here goes! I will transcribe it later.
It is in the 70s (I think) with clouds but comfortable. Winds are slow, we're going only 1-2 knots and the sails are beginning to slat around. I have learned to hate that. I'd almost prefer to be reefed down, going 7 knots, worried about heeling over too much. Famous last words, of course.
Mike is asleep - for maybe an hour, he keeps waking up. Now those slatting sails will wake him. Getting enough sleep in him on these multi-day passages is hard - like all good control freaks, he doesn't trust anyone but himself. And truthfully he is a much better sailor than I am and there are plenty of things I can't handle alone, or maybe even recognize as a problem until too late. So it isn't entirely unreasonable on his part to supervise closely.
But - I have improved by the proverbal leaps and bounds since we left San Diego. The trip from SD to Ensenada was almost traumatic to me - mostly because the seasickness rendered me almost useless. But when the boat flooded I rallied and was able to manually empty the bilge. I said to myself "Yes, you feel like death but you will not die from this. Worse case scenario (I always use this approach) is that I puke all over myself and this already wet cabin floor. We will all survive that." And so I pumped. After we got to Ensenada, I found myself surprizingly shook up and discombobulated. I knew we were never in any real danger, but I was really worried that I would never be able to pull my weight; that I would continue to have problems being seasick, therefore useless and an albatross around Mike's neck. (Aside : we are just ghosting along, minor slatting, epitome of peace.) I truly worried about this and was not too disappointed when we had to stay in Ensenada for that six weeks. It took me that long for me to become eager to get going and try again. Plus I had some new seasick remedies to try.
So comes the time to leave Ensenada. I took my Stugeron Forte which worked so well - better than dramamine because you can take it later (I took it as we cast off) and it does not make you sleepy. Truth be told, I felt a bit of a buzz.
The trip between Ensenada and Bahia Tortuga was everything the previous trip was not. I did not get sick - I fixed meals - stood watches - Mike got more sleep - and my confidence came back. Maybe I can't sail the boat alone, but I can handle things and Mike decided I would be able to identify any emergencies requiring assistance.
So then we learned to live at anchor. We spent 10 days in Bahia Tortuga - most people are in and out on their way elsewhere. We had a great time! I fixed meals on the boat, we learned to handle our power situation, and were astonished to discover how water we use! RIght away I began new dishwashing techniques - most of the water is used for food prep and dish washing. We went to bed early - nothing to do at night - and got up with first light. If we slept til 7, it was like sleeping til noon. People were friendly and I got to practice my Spanish every day.
Now we are in the middle of our next leg - heading towards Bahia Magdalena. We plan to anchor at Santa Maria Cove, which is just outside the bay itself. I have no idea how long we will stay. While in Bahia Tortuga, we spent less than $200, which included topping off the fuel tanks and getting about 50 gallons of water. We didn't eat out because the food in the only two restaurants was not very good. We had better luck shopping in the tiny stores and getting beef, chicken, and sausage - none of it packaged - the sausage was obviously homemade and came tied in little plastic bags. Not even zip lock! But it was the best chorizo ever.
I can't believe how much I have improved. I was eager to start this trip. So far I have done a fair amount of sail handling alone in the cockpit. That was unfathomable only last month. I used to feel panicky if Mike even left the cockpit to use the bathroom. Now I look forward to sailing her alone, trimming the sails, adjusting the course for better wind, all good things. This might not sound like a huge big deal to anyone else, but it is to me. Deep down inside, I'd like to be a single hander. Not likely to ever happen, but I feel now like maybe if I really wanted to, I could handle something like that.
Of course, now the wind has almost completely died. We are still doing 1 knot in the right direction because of the current. If the sails continue to slat around too much, I will sheet them in and even furl the jib. Since we haven't yet learned to set a spinnaker, we just have to deal with this.
Here is where that post ends. It seems strange to read it now, like it happened a lifetime ago. With the new watermaker, no more problems using too much water. Mike is even rigging a system where we can use our own fresh water to wash down the outside of the boat - it gets very salty and that is hard on the equipment. Plus we can wash ourselves down and not have to use the indoor shower. Hot water for showers is not an issue - I have not taken a hot shower in weeks, because the weather is too hot and a cool shower feels better.
My nephew will be here June 10, and after he gets here we will be leaving Mazatlan to spend the summer in the Sea of Cortez. We plan to be at anchor for at least a month in the islands off La Paz. Then we will sail north for awesome fishing, diving, swimming, etc. Walt and I will get our scuba certifications when we head to La Paz for reprovisioning prior to heading further north. Things have been wonderful here in Mazatlan, and although I think I could stay here forever - it is time to move on.
Monday, May 30, 2011
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Beach Day
Yesterday we decided to go to the beach. We haven't done it before - mainly because, well, there really is no good reason. Except spending time by this great pool right here. But we decided it would be fun to take a long walk down the beach and see how far we could go. Normally long walks on the beach are out because of Mike's bad knee - the uneven soft sand surface is really hard on it. But we decided to do it anyway.
To get to the beach from the marina, you take a water taxi across the entry to the marina. There is beach on our side, but you can't walk as far because of rocks covering the shoreline. And the other side is where the little restaurant that sells beer is. So we got there and started to walk. It was wonderful! There was one part where we had to scramble over some rocks, but it wasn't that hard, even in flip flops. Then we had this miles long expanse of golden sand beach. The waves were really big and breaking hard on the shore at first, so we thought we would not go swimming, even though we are both experienced ocean swimmers. But as it got later and the beach curved around a bit, the waves changed enough and we went in. The water was warm and lovely. I could see my feet even through the sands churned up by the waves. I remembered why I love swimming in the ocean. We walked about 12 miles round trip (Mike said it was that long, I don't think so but I am not a good judge of distance. It was a long way). By the time we got back, my ankles and feet were aching in a really good way, like I had accomplished something. Mike's knee did not seem too bad, but we will see how it is today after he gets up. I have no idea what we will do today - since the watermaker is in, Mike said we could take it easy for a few days and have some fun.
While Mike was working on the watermaker, I was going through out storage lockers, making a list of what we have and rearranging things so as to make it more "user friendly." The arrangements that seemed to work when I was figuring things out theoretically in San Diego are not as convenient and sensible as I thought. Plus I never wrote everything down, so we had stuff we had forgotten about and didn't have stuff I thought we had. So I have taken care of all but the vee berth area, which can now be dealt with since all the watermaker stuff that was stored there has been installed. There is also a tiny bit of reorganization left in the kitchen - oops - I meant galley. We used to have one locker in the vee berth that contained only luggage, but since we ruined our suitcase by loading it full of watermaker parts to get it across the border, we have more room back there. We also decided to remove some of the cleaning products that we rarely use from under the galley sink and put them with other cleaning stuff in the outside storage locker (the lazarette - everything on a boat has a special boat name) which means we can move all the pots and pans from the locker behind the starboard settee (right side storage bin located behind the couch). That then frees up space for more canned goods and other provisions. This is important, because we plan to cruise some islands in the Sea of Cortez for a month, and there will be no grocery stores or restaurants. It is no fun to run out of all the good food and be reduced to eating the same pot of beans for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Even though I make great bean dishes.
We are going to stay here until mid June for two reasons. Number one, that is when our nephew will be ready to come, and it is cheaper and easier to fly him here than it is to fly him to La Paz or Cabo. That would involve some marina time in La Paz or a trip to Cabo, and we don't want to do that. Number two - and most important - we discovered we had martins nesting in the mainsail under the sail cover. Now most sailors would never let this happen - the sail cover would have been removed the instant we even suspected there was nesting activity. But we have a soft spot for birds of all ilk, and the worst that will happen is there will be a small mess to clean once they are gone. We love hearing them chirp to each other while they are sitting on the jib sheets (all "ropes" become "lines" once they are taken aboard a boat. The lines hauling the sails up and down are called "halyards." The lines controlling sails once they are up are called "sheets." The lines used to secure one's dinghy are called "painters."). These are tiny little black and white birds - and they may not even be martins. I am still perusing the bird book to try and figure it out. Anyway, it is the closest thing I have these days to pets. I miss my dogs!
Speaking of bird books, I would add an index that would group birds by some outstanding characteristic, such as all birds with yellow stomachs, or all birds with black stripes on their wings. It might get a little long, but I think it would work. It would sure work for me. I had a wild flower book that indexed the flowers by color as well as by their names and classifications.
Another really good thing that happened was this: when we flew out of St. Louis to come back here, we started talking with the woman from US Air who checked us in. It turned out she and her husband were planning a trip to Mazatlan to look at property. We told them to look us up when they got here, and they did. We spent two fantastic evenings visiting over dinner before they had to leave. It was great fun and we all got along really well. Great food and great friends - a wonderful combination!
I will end today's post - and hope everyone has a wonderful day!
To get to the beach from the marina, you take a water taxi across the entry to the marina. There is beach on our side, but you can't walk as far because of rocks covering the shoreline. And the other side is where the little restaurant that sells beer is. So we got there and started to walk. It was wonderful! There was one part where we had to scramble over some rocks, but it wasn't that hard, even in flip flops. Then we had this miles long expanse of golden sand beach. The waves were really big and breaking hard on the shore at first, so we thought we would not go swimming, even though we are both experienced ocean swimmers. But as it got later and the beach curved around a bit, the waves changed enough and we went in. The water was warm and lovely. I could see my feet even through the sands churned up by the waves. I remembered why I love swimming in the ocean. We walked about 12 miles round trip (Mike said it was that long, I don't think so but I am not a good judge of distance. It was a long way). By the time we got back, my ankles and feet were aching in a really good way, like I had accomplished something. Mike's knee did not seem too bad, but we will see how it is today after he gets up. I have no idea what we will do today - since the watermaker is in, Mike said we could take it easy for a few days and have some fun.
While Mike was working on the watermaker, I was going through out storage lockers, making a list of what we have and rearranging things so as to make it more "user friendly." The arrangements that seemed to work when I was figuring things out theoretically in San Diego are not as convenient and sensible as I thought. Plus I never wrote everything down, so we had stuff we had forgotten about and didn't have stuff I thought we had. So I have taken care of all but the vee berth area, which can now be dealt with since all the watermaker stuff that was stored there has been installed. There is also a tiny bit of reorganization left in the kitchen - oops - I meant galley. We used to have one locker in the vee berth that contained only luggage, but since we ruined our suitcase by loading it full of watermaker parts to get it across the border, we have more room back there. We also decided to remove some of the cleaning products that we rarely use from under the galley sink and put them with other cleaning stuff in the outside storage locker (the lazarette - everything on a boat has a special boat name) which means we can move all the pots and pans from the locker behind the starboard settee (right side storage bin located behind the couch). That then frees up space for more canned goods and other provisions. This is important, because we plan to cruise some islands in the Sea of Cortez for a month, and there will be no grocery stores or restaurants. It is no fun to run out of all the good food and be reduced to eating the same pot of beans for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Even though I make great bean dishes.
We are going to stay here until mid June for two reasons. Number one, that is when our nephew will be ready to come, and it is cheaper and easier to fly him here than it is to fly him to La Paz or Cabo. That would involve some marina time in La Paz or a trip to Cabo, and we don't want to do that. Number two - and most important - we discovered we had martins nesting in the mainsail under the sail cover. Now most sailors would never let this happen - the sail cover would have been removed the instant we even suspected there was nesting activity. But we have a soft spot for birds of all ilk, and the worst that will happen is there will be a small mess to clean once they are gone. We love hearing them chirp to each other while they are sitting on the jib sheets (all "ropes" become "lines" once they are taken aboard a boat. The lines hauling the sails up and down are called "halyards." The lines controlling sails once they are up are called "sheets." The lines used to secure one's dinghy are called "painters."). These are tiny little black and white birds - and they may not even be martins. I am still perusing the bird book to try and figure it out. Anyway, it is the closest thing I have these days to pets. I miss my dogs!
Speaking of bird books, I would add an index that would group birds by some outstanding characteristic, such as all birds with yellow stomachs, or all birds with black stripes on their wings. It might get a little long, but I think it would work. It would sure work for me. I had a wild flower book that indexed the flowers by color as well as by their names and classifications.
Another really good thing that happened was this: when we flew out of St. Louis to come back here, we started talking with the woman from US Air who checked us in. It turned out she and her husband were planning a trip to Mazatlan to look at property. We told them to look us up when they got here, and they did. We spent two fantastic evenings visiting over dinner before they had to leave. It was great fun and we all got along really well. Great food and great friends - a wonderful combination!
I will end today's post - and hope everyone has a wonderful day!
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Only Two Days to Go . . .
Until we all get raptured up, or so they are saying. Of course, the "they" I am talking about would tell me I am not a candidate for early release. Oh well - we will just have to see what happens.
Mike is almost finished with the watermaker install. He says the hard part is done. (And no, I did not get to paint the engine compartment. He said he was having too much fun.) I am pretty excited to see how it works. It is supposed to make 30 gallons in an hour, and we can utilize our portable generator to power it. The generator runs on gasoline (as opposed to diesel) and is very fuel efficient. We could make many, many gallons of water off of one tank of gas. Once this is in, we will be free to do pretty much whatever we want to, wherever we want to. Not bad at all.
Last night when we were coming back to the boat from dinner, we saw some phospheresence (spelling??) in the water. It was just some tiny little green dots, and they were swimming around really fast. It was like they would all come together and then the whole group would vanish. We couldn't figure out what it was. Mike went and got a flashlight, and when we shined it on the water we discovered the water was full of these little tiny worms. It was cool but also sort of icky - I am not real crazy about anything that looks like snakes, even tiny ones. It also made me happy that I haven't tried to swim in this water. Marina water is always dirty. I have no idea what these things are, but I will try to find out.
This is in great part why it is never boring here - if worse comes to worse, you can always just watch fish. They are always doing something fairly interesting, even if it is just swimming around in patterns. Some of then stick their heads out of the water. Other ones jump. In Cabo I watched a little fish jump high out of the water - and discovered it was being pursued by a big rooster fish, who jumped out right after it. Rooster fish are really pretty. Even the guys running the tourist boat anchored nearby were impressed by that one. And while underway, I saw a real flying fish. When they soar, their fins flutter like wings. Here in the marina, there are millions (I do not think I am exaggerating) of little minnow-type fish. One group is real tiny, maybe a 16th of an inch, tops. Then there are some that are about as long as a half inch, but skinny. They have nice blue stripes down their backs. There are others that are about an inch and are striped. Late in the day,the bigger fish come into the marina, usually mullet, which like to stick their heads out of the water.
Yesterday we had a nice surprize - visitors! We met this woman in the St. Louis airport on our way to San Diego. I said something about Mazatlan, and she told me they were interested in buying a house here for retirement. She worked for the airline. We talked for a bit, and I gave her the name of the boat and where we were docked, and they actually showed up! It was great to visit with them and we are all having dinner tonight. The other interesting thing is that they own vacation property in Mountain Home, Arkansas, which is where Mike's brother is a sheriff. They told us that the lakes we saw when we were there in April are all now overflowing. I guess we missed that Mississippi flooding by only a couple of weeks. We drove all along the Mississippi from Wisconsin down to Cape Girardeau, Missouri. I wonder how much of what we saw is now under water. I think the real bad flooding was south of there, but we were not that far from Cairo, Illinois. It is too bad that the farmers will lose this year's crop, but periodic flooding is what makes that land so fertile. But I think if your house spends days in the water up to its rafters, you can pretty well forget about living in it anymore.
The other thing that is new is that we are using our air conditioner. I have mixed feelings about it. On the one hand, it is really nice to be cool and comfortable in the cabin, especially when it is time for sleeping. But I don't want to get totally dependent on it. I really need to get used to being hot and sweaty, as ridiculous as that sounds. It is in the high 90s here, and humid. When we are in the Sea of Cortez this summer, it will be in the 100s, but dry. I think the dry heat is easier to deal with. Plus we will be anchored instead of being in a marina, so if I get too hot, I can just jump into the water and cool off. My nephew will be here soon, which means that Mike will have a partner to accompany him if he wants to go on some hellish hike through the desert at high noon. This is a kid that hiked down the Grand Canyon and back in the summertime, so I think he can handle anything Mike can throw at him. I will just sit on the beach and swim. After all, someone has to guard the dinghy! Listen to me - again obsessing over how hot I am going to be!
Well, I guess this is enough for today - I am likely to just start babbling at any moment. I will spare everyone that. Now will begin another day here in paradise!
Mike is almost finished with the watermaker install. He says the hard part is done. (And no, I did not get to paint the engine compartment. He said he was having too much fun.) I am pretty excited to see how it works. It is supposed to make 30 gallons in an hour, and we can utilize our portable generator to power it. The generator runs on gasoline (as opposed to diesel) and is very fuel efficient. We could make many, many gallons of water off of one tank of gas. Once this is in, we will be free to do pretty much whatever we want to, wherever we want to. Not bad at all.
Last night when we were coming back to the boat from dinner, we saw some phospheresence (spelling??) in the water. It was just some tiny little green dots, and they were swimming around really fast. It was like they would all come together and then the whole group would vanish. We couldn't figure out what it was. Mike went and got a flashlight, and when we shined it on the water we discovered the water was full of these little tiny worms. It was cool but also sort of icky - I am not real crazy about anything that looks like snakes, even tiny ones. It also made me happy that I haven't tried to swim in this water. Marina water is always dirty. I have no idea what these things are, but I will try to find out.
This is in great part why it is never boring here - if worse comes to worse, you can always just watch fish. They are always doing something fairly interesting, even if it is just swimming around in patterns. Some of then stick their heads out of the water. Other ones jump. In Cabo I watched a little fish jump high out of the water - and discovered it was being pursued by a big rooster fish, who jumped out right after it. Rooster fish are really pretty. Even the guys running the tourist boat anchored nearby were impressed by that one. And while underway, I saw a real flying fish. When they soar, their fins flutter like wings. Here in the marina, there are millions (I do not think I am exaggerating) of little minnow-type fish. One group is real tiny, maybe a 16th of an inch, tops. Then there are some that are about as long as a half inch, but skinny. They have nice blue stripes down their backs. There are others that are about an inch and are striped. Late in the day,the bigger fish come into the marina, usually mullet, which like to stick their heads out of the water.
Yesterday we had a nice surprize - visitors! We met this woman in the St. Louis airport on our way to San Diego. I said something about Mazatlan, and she told me they were interested in buying a house here for retirement. She worked for the airline. We talked for a bit, and I gave her the name of the boat and where we were docked, and they actually showed up! It was great to visit with them and we are all having dinner tonight. The other interesting thing is that they own vacation property in Mountain Home, Arkansas, which is where Mike's brother is a sheriff. They told us that the lakes we saw when we were there in April are all now overflowing. I guess we missed that Mississippi flooding by only a couple of weeks. We drove all along the Mississippi from Wisconsin down to Cape Girardeau, Missouri. I wonder how much of what we saw is now under water. I think the real bad flooding was south of there, but we were not that far from Cairo, Illinois. It is too bad that the farmers will lose this year's crop, but periodic flooding is what makes that land so fertile. But I think if your house spends days in the water up to its rafters, you can pretty well forget about living in it anymore.
The other thing that is new is that we are using our air conditioner. I have mixed feelings about it. On the one hand, it is really nice to be cool and comfortable in the cabin, especially when it is time for sleeping. But I don't want to get totally dependent on it. I really need to get used to being hot and sweaty, as ridiculous as that sounds. It is in the high 90s here, and humid. When we are in the Sea of Cortez this summer, it will be in the 100s, but dry. I think the dry heat is easier to deal with. Plus we will be anchored instead of being in a marina, so if I get too hot, I can just jump into the water and cool off. My nephew will be here soon, which means that Mike will have a partner to accompany him if he wants to go on some hellish hike through the desert at high noon. This is a kid that hiked down the Grand Canyon and back in the summertime, so I think he can handle anything Mike can throw at him. I will just sit on the beach and swim. After all, someone has to guard the dinghy! Listen to me - again obsessing over how hot I am going to be!
Well, I guess this is enough for today - I am likely to just start babbling at any moment. I will spare everyone that. Now will begin another day here in paradise!
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Music and Migas and Me
"Migas" is Spanish for ants. And as best as I can tell, there are no benign ones here in Mazatlan. No, they did not get in the boat. But they are fierce nontheless.
Tuesday night we went out to a restaurant and club in the old section of Mazatlan. The restaurant, called Pedro and Lola's (after the famous Mexican entertainers Pedro Infante and Lola Beltran) is located on Machado Square. Mazatlan is divided up into a couple different sections. Old Town Mzatlan (which includes it's big harbor) is on the south end of town. The architecture is colonial, many of the streets are cobbled, and it is where the big cathedral and museums are, as well as the municipal market. Further north is the Gold Zone, where all the tourist hotels and stuff like that are located. Our marina is at the north end of that area. Then there is Nuevo Mazatlan, which is north of here and I have not seen much of that. So anyway, we went to this restaurant in the Old Town area. I was sitting happily at a sidewalk seat, looking over the menu and wishing it were possible to have ten different entrees at once because everything looked so good. Then I felt the top of my foot start to sort of itch and tingle in a burny way, like with stinging nettles. I wondered what I had gotten into. How could I have walked through nettles when all I did was take a cab from the marina hotel to the restaurant? The sensation got worse, and I finally asked Mike what I could have gotten into. I looked at my foot and did not see anything. Mike looked under the table and informed me our table was on top of a big bunch of ants. Yikes! They were biting me! We moved to a different table, and since I didn't have my dictionary with me, I simply said "insectas" hoping that was right. The waiter started saying "Migas! Migas!" and moved us. I didn't see them do anything about the ants, but the next people to be seated at that particular table were a group of men with closed shoes on.
The music that night, however, was worth any amount of ant bites. There was an electric piano, drums, a five string electric base, and a guitar. The musicians were a mix of Mexican kids and gringos. Later a harmonica, trumpet, saxaphone, flute, and conga drums showed up. I am not very well versed in jazz, but this music sent me to heaven and back. And this was an open mike night! The kid on the guitar could not have been over 20 at the very oldest - he looked about sixteen. (Had to be at least 18 because he was drinking beer.) His slender fingers flew over the frets in a way I have rarely seen. It was hard to believe that most of them did not play together on any kind of a regular basis. It sounded like each piece had been practiced over and over - and yet very spontaneous at the same time. I have never really been to a jazz performance - I thought I really didn't like it because my only experience is either Kenny G or some sort of shrieking, squawking horns that don't make any sense. I was certainly wrong! I can hardly wait for next Tuesday night at Pedro and Lola's!
The previous Sunday we went to a different marina than ours where some friends have their boats. The way we met these people is interesting. It also requires some background and is a window into how things work for us these days. Way back in Turtle Bay, we lost one of our dinghy wheels. (Dinghy wheels are small wheelbarrow-type wheels that fit into slots on the back of the dinghy. They are handy for pulling the dinghy more easily up onto the shore after landing it on a beach. They can also be used to raise the back of the dinghy up so you can keep the engine on to power yourself through shallow surf.) So we needed a new wheel, and discovered we couldn't get one here. We then contacted the company in Long Beach that sells them, and the guy we talked to felt the wheel was lost due to a design flaw. He said he would just send us a new one (we were prepared to buy a whole new set) IF we would do him a favor and look up a friend of his who was living here in Mazatlan on a boat at a different marina. We agreed to do so. This all happened before we left for the US. So we found the guy and took him out for beers and burgers. We really liked him and he liked us, so now we are all good friends and also friends with his friends at his marina. Anyway, this marina is not as fancy as ours, but it is hipper, for lack of a better term. (We were informed that we are at the "yuppy" marina, not the "hippie" marina or the one where the "boat bums" are.) This new marina has a big palapa bar and restaurant, and every Sunday and Thursday they have live music - old time rock and roll. It is wonderful!!!! All sorts of people our age, dancing and playing music. I just wish I played well enough to join them. And everyone is unpretentious and down to earth and friendly.
Since beginning this lifestyle, for the first time in my life, I feel like I really fit in. Like I have found my niche. I always felt as though I had to tailor myself to the people around me if I wanted them to like me, and of course that isn't possible. Here, I don't feel any pressure to make a presentation. I am just ME. And that seems to be enough. Life is good. I don't want to come back. I want this to go on forever.
Tuesday night we went out to a restaurant and club in the old section of Mazatlan. The restaurant, called Pedro and Lola's (after the famous Mexican entertainers Pedro Infante and Lola Beltran) is located on Machado Square. Mazatlan is divided up into a couple different sections. Old Town Mzatlan (which includes it's big harbor) is on the south end of town. The architecture is colonial, many of the streets are cobbled, and it is where the big cathedral and museums are, as well as the municipal market. Further north is the Gold Zone, where all the tourist hotels and stuff like that are located. Our marina is at the north end of that area. Then there is Nuevo Mazatlan, which is north of here and I have not seen much of that. So anyway, we went to this restaurant in the Old Town area. I was sitting happily at a sidewalk seat, looking over the menu and wishing it were possible to have ten different entrees at once because everything looked so good. Then I felt the top of my foot start to sort of itch and tingle in a burny way, like with stinging nettles. I wondered what I had gotten into. How could I have walked through nettles when all I did was take a cab from the marina hotel to the restaurant? The sensation got worse, and I finally asked Mike what I could have gotten into. I looked at my foot and did not see anything. Mike looked under the table and informed me our table was on top of a big bunch of ants. Yikes! They were biting me! We moved to a different table, and since I didn't have my dictionary with me, I simply said "insectas" hoping that was right. The waiter started saying "Migas! Migas!" and moved us. I didn't see them do anything about the ants, but the next people to be seated at that particular table were a group of men with closed shoes on.
The music that night, however, was worth any amount of ant bites. There was an electric piano, drums, a five string electric base, and a guitar. The musicians were a mix of Mexican kids and gringos. Later a harmonica, trumpet, saxaphone, flute, and conga drums showed up. I am not very well versed in jazz, but this music sent me to heaven and back. And this was an open mike night! The kid on the guitar could not have been over 20 at the very oldest - he looked about sixteen. (Had to be at least 18 because he was drinking beer.) His slender fingers flew over the frets in a way I have rarely seen. It was hard to believe that most of them did not play together on any kind of a regular basis. It sounded like each piece had been practiced over and over - and yet very spontaneous at the same time. I have never really been to a jazz performance - I thought I really didn't like it because my only experience is either Kenny G or some sort of shrieking, squawking horns that don't make any sense. I was certainly wrong! I can hardly wait for next Tuesday night at Pedro and Lola's!
The previous Sunday we went to a different marina than ours where some friends have their boats. The way we met these people is interesting. It also requires some background and is a window into how things work for us these days. Way back in Turtle Bay, we lost one of our dinghy wheels. (Dinghy wheels are small wheelbarrow-type wheels that fit into slots on the back of the dinghy. They are handy for pulling the dinghy more easily up onto the shore after landing it on a beach. They can also be used to raise the back of the dinghy up so you can keep the engine on to power yourself through shallow surf.) So we needed a new wheel, and discovered we couldn't get one here. We then contacted the company in Long Beach that sells them, and the guy we talked to felt the wheel was lost due to a design flaw. He said he would just send us a new one (we were prepared to buy a whole new set) IF we would do him a favor and look up a friend of his who was living here in Mazatlan on a boat at a different marina. We agreed to do so. This all happened before we left for the US. So we found the guy and took him out for beers and burgers. We really liked him and he liked us, so now we are all good friends and also friends with his friends at his marina. Anyway, this marina is not as fancy as ours, but it is hipper, for lack of a better term. (We were informed that we are at the "yuppy" marina, not the "hippie" marina or the one where the "boat bums" are.) This new marina has a big palapa bar and restaurant, and every Sunday and Thursday they have live music - old time rock and roll. It is wonderful!!!! All sorts of people our age, dancing and playing music. I just wish I played well enough to join them. And everyone is unpretentious and down to earth and friendly.
Since beginning this lifestyle, for the first time in my life, I feel like I really fit in. Like I have found my niche. I always felt as though I had to tailor myself to the people around me if I wanted them to like me, and of course that isn't possible. Here, I don't feel any pressure to make a presentation. I am just ME. And that seems to be enough. Life is good. I don't want to come back. I want this to go on forever.
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Mother's Day in Mexico
Well, it is Mother's Day here in Mexico. It is a big deal here, maybe bigger than it is in the US. They celebrate it on May 10th, regardless of the day of the week, so Mother's Day here is Wednesday. But we are celebrating it today. Mike has promised that I can go where ever I want to for dinner and can order whatever I want to. It is just a shame with all the dangling in front of me that I have little appetite in all this heat. But I suppose that is a good thing - I need to take some of this weight off!
Over the last two days we (Mike) has been tearing things out of the engine compartment to make room for the new watermaker. I helped some - mainly getting tools and holding bolts on one side while Mike unscrews them on the other side. Here is a picture of me helping out in the engine compartment.
Over the last two days we (Mike) has been tearing things out of the engine compartment to make room for the new watermaker. I helped some - mainly getting tools and holding bolts on one side while Mike unscrews them on the other side. Here is a picture of me helping out in the engine compartment.
All we have left to do is to paint the engine compartment and then we (Mike) can install the watermaker. One good thing is the guy who designs and sells these things is right here in Mazatlan, and since he is inheriting the old heater, we may be able to get him to help us if needs be. But I personally think Mike will be able to handle it. I have been asking Mike to let me do the painting. I don't really WANT to, but since I am capable of painting, I would then feel like I am doing more to pull my weight. He says I can, but I think he will likely end up doing it himself because that is just how he is. Good for me, bad for him!
But I have to give him credit in that he has been very sensitive to my problems with heat. He does not share these issues. No matter how hot it is, he just keeps going and never seems to be suffering, even when he is sopping wet with sweat. I, however, have a hard time with it (you are all probably sick and tired of hearing me complain about my problems with heat). In the past, he has wanted to take walks in it and hike and all sorts of things that I just can't do without a tremendous amount of discomfort. But these days he has been great - encouraging me to take it slow, do things in steps with rests between, and most importantly, taking buses and taxis instead of walking. I love to walk, but not in this.
We do have an air conditioner, because we bought a portable unit before we left. But we haven't used it yet because we are trying to learn how to keep the cabin cool without it by strategically manipulating the opening and closing of hatches and windows and because we want to acclimatize ourselves as much as possible. And so far it is working. Mike rigged up some small fans that keep our little bedroom quite comfortable for sleeping. During the day, the temperature in the cabin gets into the high 80s, but it is bearable. If we get too hot, getting wet helps a lot. Thank goodness for the shower - a fresh water washdown feels great, as does a good hosing, or - best yet - a dip in the hotel swimming pool. While we are in the Sea of Cortez this summer, it will be hot but not so humid. There won't be a swimming pool because we won't be at a hotel marina, but we will be able to jump off the boat into the sea to cool down. We plan to anchor out for the vast majority of the summer, exploring islands and more remote areas without big towns.
I will close today's post with a couple pictures of Magda Jean anchored out in Turtle Bay and Santa Maria Cove, on the Pacific Ocean side of Baja California. These were taken from our dinghy. My goal is to get some pictures of her under full sail, which will be a little bit trickier, as it means one of us has to sail the boat while the other one takes pictures from the dinghy. It is possible that we might get someone else to take pictures while we sail - we will just have to explore all the options.
Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers reading this!
Friday, May 6, 2011
Back Aboard
We made it into Mazatlan at about 10 am after the 15 hour ferry ride. All the things I worried about (mainly logistics as to how to haul our ton of luggage all over the place) did not come to pass. They had a really organized system, so all we had to do was to put the stuff on a tram, which was then driven on to the ferry along with all the trucks. Really, the boat was like a floating truck stop, like one of those Flying J places. We had our own little cabin with two beds, a desk, and a bathroom with a shower.
Here are pictures of the cabin and the luggage - with Mike.
Here are pictures of the cabin and the luggage - with Mike.
They also served dinner and breakfast - we didn't eat dinner because we weren't hungry, but it looked good. We did (Mike did - I will not eat eggs that have been gang scrambled in a big chafing dish) eat breakfast, and Mike said Navy food was better. I didn't really care. It was fun to take a long boat ride with no responsibilities. We went to sleep after it got too dark to see anything. Here is the sunset we got leaving La Paz.
The boat was in great shape when we got back. It has been two days and we are still getting it back together. I haven't felt too well - it might just be getting used to the heat and the humidity. Yesterday we went shopping, got our banda ancha internet access going again, and also visited with some friends from our marina in San Diego, whose boat is also here. It was great to see them. I have more of a social life now than I ever did in San Diego, despite how many years I lived there.
Mike is currently tearing apart the engine room and removing stuff we don't use to make room for the new watermaker. We have found homes for some of the old equipment. We removed this heater I know we will never use, as well as the old watermaker that is too small. I spent the whole day just lying around doing nothing but occasionally getting up to find tools and stuff like that to help. Mike is doing a wonderful job - we should have a new watermaker in about three days if nothing goes wrong. That, of course, is always a real possibility. Anyway, it is great to be back here and I am already looking forward to heading out to sea again.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Off to Mazatlan!
At seven p.m. tonight, we board the ferry for the 15 hour trip from La Paz to Mazatlan. I can hardly wait. Besides wanting to get back "home" to Magda Jean, this will be the longest trip I have ever taken on a boat where I was not in part responsible for piloting. We reserved a little cabin so we can have a place to lie down and a private bathroom. We went over there this morning to find out what we need to do, because we have a ton of stuff and don't want to have to run around the place trying to find out where we are supposed to be while dragging all that stuff. We found out we have to clear customs yet again - we did it already when we came into Mexico so I am not sure why we need to do it again. But I have no choice, so that is how it is.
Here are some pictures of the beach we went to last week. Mike climbed up a big sandy hill and took the pictures from the top. The water is beautifully warm and clear as you can see. We get to spend the whole summer looking at beaches like this:
Here is a picture of the famous mushroom rock here at Tecolote Beach.
This beach is in my opinion the best beach in Baja California. And I have been to a lot of them.
We plan to spend the next month back in Mazatlan installing the watermaker and getting the boat ready to spend a month or so at anchor at some islands near here. That will mean I have to think hard about provisioning, so we don't run out of decent food too soon. Our freezer is small and not all that great, so I have to be pretty creative since we can't carry a ton of frozen meat. I anticipate complaints if I serve bean dishes too often.
I have to get back to my preparations for leaving now - so the next post will be written from Magda Jean's nav station desk!
Here are some pictures of the beach we went to last week. Mike climbed up a big sandy hill and took the pictures from the top. The water is beautifully warm and clear as you can see. We get to spend the whole summer looking at beaches like this:
Here is a picture of the famous mushroom rock here at Tecolote Beach.
We plan to spend the next month back in Mazatlan installing the watermaker and getting the boat ready to spend a month or so at anchor at some islands near here. That will mean I have to think hard about provisioning, so we don't run out of decent food too soon. Our freezer is small and not all that great, so I have to be pretty creative since we can't carry a ton of frozen meat. I anticipate complaints if I serve bean dishes too often.
I have to get back to my preparations for leaving now - so the next post will be written from Magda Jean's nav station desk!
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