At last - Underway Again!

We are now underway again. We left La Paz on Wednesday, the 27th of July. We just sailed for the day, anchoring at a place called Ensenada Grande on Isla Partido. It is the same island we were on before we got to La Paz, but a different anchorage. It is another gorgeous anchorage, with crystal clear water in varying shades of turquoise and blue. Mike, Walt, and Chelsea did some snorkling, and Mike took pictures with our brand new underwater camera. I stayed on board and did some chores and just enjoyed being by myself for a change. If there is anything I miss about shore based life, it is the chance to be alone. I don't get that too much anymore.

The first night in Ensenada Grande was rough, and I mean rough. We did worry about whether or not the anchor was going to hold. For purposes of anchoring, the amount of wind really isn't the issue. The problems arise when the wind kicks up waves, which can then cause the anchor not to set properly, or even come unset and start to drag. I had always thought that you just dropped a big enough anchor and th. was that, but not so, not even close. The anchor has to set properly. If the wave action is too strong, the anchor can come unset, and start to drag. That obviously can be really bad, especially if the drag takes the boat close to shore or close to another boat. Although our anchor held, the wave action caused a LOT of yawing and pitching. There was a locker door that wouldn't stay closed, and some things in one of the cabinets were clinking around ominously. I got up several times in the night top re-fasten things down and to try and arrange the locker so it would stay closed. I had varying degrees of success - MIke was unhappy about the locker opening and closing, but did not want me fooling with it either. So I just kept getting up and re-fastening it. We were tossed around all night, and only Chelsea slept well, and that was because she did not know there was any danger of anchor-dragging. The rest of us were nervous and didn't sleep at all well. I don't mind a rolly anchorage as long as I don't have to worry about anchor drag. Some rocking is just soothing as far as I am concerned.

However, the night passed and our day was a beautiful day. Like I said, there was snorkling, swimming, and just lounging around. We had been given some fish when we left La Paz, and that was our first meal. I marinated it in mustard, lime juice, and something I have forgotten now, and then sauteed it. We all enjoyed it,along with our salad. Salads are a treat while underway, because salad vegetables don't keep so well, and there is limited space in the refrigerator (the reefer). So we enjoy it while it lasts. Our second night in Ensenada Grande was great - the wind blew but no problems with waves. The wind howled and was magnified by the noise made by our wind generator, but the wind also keeps things cool (no air conditioning unless we are in a marina!). I slept like the proverbial log and as best as I can remember, did not wake up at all during the night, which is not the norm for me.

This morning (the 29th, a Friday) we took off again for San Evaristo, a little fishing village we visited once before. It is about a day's sail north of Ensenada Grande. Right now we are about half way there and it is about 2:30 pm, but being as we are in what I refer to as the afternoon doldrums, we may take many more hours to get there. The winds seem to die down in the afternoons, causing many sailors to turn on their engines. Mike is a purist and will not use the engine except in an emergency, for docking or anchoring and entering harbors, or if he decides he wants it on. We sit out in the water just drifting along. I have been known to insist he turn the engine on if we start drifting backwards. So far the current keeps us going at least one knot in the right direction even though the wind has dropped to less than a knot. It is the only time we actually seem to sail faster than the wind speed.

It has been interesting so far to have both Walt and Chelsea with us - the space doesn't seem to be an issue, and we have found places to store the things we used to just shove in the vee berth, which is now their bedroom. They help out with things, and last night made dinner. We also had Movie Night last night - we watched "The Sand Pebbles" and all of us enjoyed it, despite the fact nothing good happens to any of the characters in the film. My father took me to see that movie when I was about nine years old, and it may have scarred me for life. I still remember gripping the arms of my seat at the movie theater, thinking "What the hell is happening to all these people?" For those of you who have not seen it, it takes place in China in the 20s when Mao and Chiang were getting ready to duke it out, and Russia was trying to stir up trouble in the area. Steve McQueen plays an American sailor who is on a gun boat on a Chinese river. It is an excellent movie and an even better book, but not for a nine year old girl. There was some stuff about prostitutes that went completely over my head, but not so completely that I dared ask about it. I was always afraid to ask my parents about things that confused me because I thought they might start to censor my reading, and I did not want that. Once I stole one of my dad's Mickey Spillane novels - it had a lurid picture on the cover of a woman with her dress half off, so I knew it was forbidden territory. I remember one sentence: "She said her name was Helen Wilson, but I knew her as Roxy Coulter. She was a stripper." I was floored. A stripper? What was that? I thought it must be some hideous thing having to do with peeling skin off. I have no idea why I thought that, but I did. And of course I didn't dare ask, because they would want to know where I heard it. And then I would be busted for reading forbidden stuff, and the censorship would start. I had the same horrifying experience with both the book and the movie of "Lord of the Flies" - I was too young for it. That one actually gave me nightmares, especially because I identified with poor Piggy, knowing that would be my fate if I were ever in that situation.

But enough - this is supposed to be about sailing and travel, not my childhood traumas. We are drifting along slowly, fishing lines out. I could probably guarantee we catch a fish if I were to decide to thaw some meat for dinner, but I am going to let the chips fall and just see what happens. A dorado would be nice! I love dorado! Or a tuna, if it isn't too big. Fresh fish on a sailboat cannot be beat.

As soon as we have internet again, I will post some pictures taken with the new underwater camera. This and other stuff will be posted via SSB radio, hopefully tonight. I wish everyone a really great day - and I will post again after the next anchorage.

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Gearing Up to Get Underway

Although we were delayed by hurricane Dora, Mike and I have begun getting ready to spend the next three months living at anchor in some fairly remote areas of the Sea of Cortez.  Dora didn't do anything at all around here, but she got close enough to make the seas choppy.  Since we have a novice on board (Walt's girlfriend Chelsea) it seemed prudent to wait until the sea was calmer.  Choppy seas are a guarantee that someone will get sick.  Plus we are hoping the marine store gets some scuba gear in that we want to buy - according to the store manager, it has been held up in customs.  I am not sure how long Mike is willing to wait, although La Paz is a great place to be as I have said over and over again.  We are tired of being in marinas, but if one has to be in a marina, this is a really nice one.  It is clean, secure, and has all sorts of stuff like laundry service, a little store, and a number of restaurants right here.  The staff is really nice, too. 

Today Mike and I took a drive (we rented a car a few days ago - easier to transport all of our groceries and stuff like the new starter battery to the boat) and hiked around the desert a little bit - I made him cut it short because it was really really hot.  Here are some pictures of a huge fig tree we fopund growing out there.  These trees are amazing - I have seen them places so sere and desolate that I can't imagine how they survive.  There is virtually no water out here - they grow out of rocks.



Even with the heat, the desert has always had a strong draw for me.  Mike and I spent a lot of time in the desert between San Diego and Arizona, north to Blythe, and south to the border.  I can't really describe the feeling I get, but it is a feeling that everything is basically okay and coming along as expected.  It is not quite that mundane, but that is as close as I can get.  One time we camped near the All-American Canal - it was too hot to sleep, so we were night fishing for catfish.  There were wild burros all around us - they wouls bray and it sounded like they were right next to us, but we couldn't see them.  It drove our poor dog (Tempest) crazy all night long, trying to protect us from what must have seemed like braying ghosts.  When the sky began to get lighter but well before dawn, we saw the burros silhouetted against the first glimmer of morning, walking one after the other along a narrow ridge, disappearing off into a canyon in that really rough country.  We just sat there staring - even the dog was quiet - as we watched them go whereever they go during the daytime. 

There are wild burros down here but they aren't so shy.  I think that some of the animals that seem wild really aren't.  I think the livestock, which includes burros, are allowed to just wander around anywhere, including the road.  But who would steal another's livestock here?  There isn't anywhere to hide it so you'd get caught right away. 

We drove to Cabo San Lucas a couple of days ago to find scuba tanks for sale (we didn't.  No one around here sells them, only rents.  Now we are considering an air compressor, but that is for another post.) and on the way, we drove through a tiny farming community.  Everyone was selling mangos and I bought a big bag of them.  Then we saw people selling pitahaya (which is a cactus fruit) and I bought a bunch of that.  I made the pitahaya into a sauce that is going to go over the mango cake I will bake tomorrow.  It is a beautiful little town - in the middle of the desert, up pops this literal oasis of fruit trees and wild-looking gardens.  All that greenery in the middle of the arid looking desert is surprizing and makes the place all that more appealing.  I like it.

Our plan is to anchorage hop each day or so until we get to the Bahia De Los Angeles area.  It will take several weeks if we want to take our time.  There are a lot of incredible places to stop and anchor - the problem will be which to choose.  

Now that the girlfriend is here - apparently for an open-ended amount of time - our dynamic will change yet again.  I am curious to see how it all works out - it could be fun to have another girl around.  I also like introducing people to the wonders of Mexico.  So with that sentiment, I am signing off for today.  To all that might be reading this - have the best day possible!   

  

La Paz Is Wonderful as Always

La Paz has always been one of my favorite cities.  Before we got the boat, Mike and I had planned to come down here and live for six months after I retired.  It is well named as it is a really peaceful place.  I could stay forever!

Since we have been here, we got the bottom of the boat cleaned and the rest of it waxed and cleaned.  I don't think it has ever looked so good.  We got a new starter battery - the engine was at times being recalcitrant about starting but no more.  We are just waiting for Walt's girlfriend to show up and then in a few days after that we will head north in an attempt to avoid hurricanes.  There are so many beautiful anchorages to stop in - I think it will be hard to try and decide which ones to pick.  One could spend years here in the Sea of Cortez and not see it all. 

Walt and I got certified as open water scuba divers this week.  He of course took to it right away.  I had more difficulty - I already flunked training once back in the US.  This time I did it.  I have minor panic attacks with the gear on when I am out of the water, but once I am in the water I am fine.  We saw a moray eel (from a safe distance!) and incredibly beautiful fish.  Some of them were purple with bright yellow tails.  There were tiny tiny fish that poked their heads out of barnacle shells.  We saw garden eels - they stick their tales in the ground and then stand up like plants, fooling the other creatures who then get eaten.  We also dove near a sea lion rookery.  The sea lions in that area are used to people, so they approach you like dogs approach - they sniff your outstretched hand.  It was amazing - which is a word I over use but everything really is amazing.  Mike got a speargun, so I am expecting many good fish dinners from it.  I am so glad I passed the certification - it has opened up a new world.  You can hover and you can fly and breathe underwater.  Even though the equipment costs a small fortune, it is worth every cent.  I can hardly wait to go again.

It is really hot here - but I seem to be getting used to it.  Mike and I were crowing because the cabin temperature was "only 90" (it was over 100 outside) and we considered that pretty comfortable.  If my house had ever gotten that hot, I would have moved to an air conditioned hotel until the weather changed.  When it is in the 80s in the cabin, we are more than delighted.  Right now because we are in a marina with shore power, we have air conditioning (we got a window unit that we fit through the companion way hatch), but it uses too much power to just run it off the batteries.  However, we do have a portable generator that we could power it with if it is just too unbearable, but we plan not to do that.  If I can acclimate to this heat, anyone can.  I am the biggest heat wimp that was ever born.  Now I can actually keep on trucking even with big drops of sweat pouring off me.

Here is Mike in a sea cave.

Here is our anchorage at a place called Caleta Partida.  It is right between two islands - Isla Espiritu Santos and Isla Partida.



And as I have noted before, we had these incredible places to ourselves.  

Here is a sunset at sea.

Here is the Jack Cravalle Walt caught.  We had fajitas. chili, and steaks out of it, even though it is not considered edible by many people.  The Mexicans eat it and told us some techniques to improve the flavor, which we will try if we catch another one or if we catch a skipjack (same issues) AND do not get any dorado or tuna.  

Here is another sunset - this one at achorage.

 

So - today we all have a day off - no serious chores - and we pick the girlfriend up from the airport late tonight.  Tomorrow Mike and I are planning to drive to Los Cabos in an attempt to find an underwater camera and some more scuba gear.  Another couple of days here, and then we are off to the Sea.  All three of us really want to get back underway.  After all, this is a sailboat, not a floating condo.  And we are sailors.  And sailors sail.  That about sums it up.

Pictures, Finally

Since I am far from being a computer genius, this has taken me awhile for a lot of what are probably really stupid reasons.   But here goes.  Just a sample of what we have been experiencing. 

Here we are anchored in Isla San Francisco, an island near La Paz.  We had it all to ourselves at times.

Another view of Isla San Francisco.  We anchored on both sides.

Here is the little palapa we had beer at when we met the wonerful people who live in the fishing village of San Evaristo.  There are four brothers who married four sisters who live and fish here.  They have been here for generations.  The village is located north of La Paz near San Jose Island.

Here are some donkeys who live in San Evaristo.

Well, I have to get going now as it is time for my scuba class - no excuses this time, I plan to finish and get certified!

Walt Goes Up The Mast

It had to happen sooner or later - the halyard (the rope that pulls the mainsail up the mast) got fouled around the spreaders near the top of the mast.  Try as he might, Mike could not get it loose.  So that meant someone was going to have to go up the mast and get it loose manually.  This is something we have not done before, even though we have all the necessary equipment.  So Walt graciously volunteered.

We have this canvas chair-like thing you sit in, while one of the extra halyards is attached to the chair and the person is hauled on up.  We also set another halyard as a safety measure, which is attached to a harness the person going up also wears.  It was a raging success, the whole operation only took about a half an hour or so.  We were all pleased with ourselves, and with Walt especially.  It is pretty high up there, and Mike is afraid of heights.  Plus our fat asses would be a lot harder to haul up than Walt, who is slender as the proverbial willow reed.  Now all is well and ready to head into the marina in La Paz today.

Yesterday (the 12th) was Mike's birthday - I made him some brownies and we had clam spaghetti for dinner.  We also had a party the night before - we drank a LOT of wine (I discovered there was actually plenty of wine left - we keep it under a floorboard in the bilge, and I forgot that there is a section of that bilge area that is tucked up under the floorboards), laughed, sang, listened to music, stayed up til one in the morning to ring in Mike's birthday, and also jumped off the bow of the boat into the water.  It was a crazy good time and the best party imaginable, especially with only three people. 

We are anchored at Puerto Balandra, which is just outside of La Paz and fronts yet another amazingly beautiful beach.  Walt did encounter some jellyfish while snorkling a reef, but did not get badly stung.  So far we have been lucky with that.  Walt and I will be getting scuba certified here in La Paz - we are really looking forward to that.  We also need to get an underwater camera.  And a lot of other stuff as well.  Since we have been on our own, just cruising and anchoring for three weeks now, we have started to leaarn what we really need and want to have on board.  It is sort of hard to plan for it until you really get going.  I have learned that if you wrap each piece of citrus fruit individually in foil, they stay fresher longer.  Also, those green bags they advertise on TV do work - we had one tomato go bad, and finally used the last one last night.  We did not get enough onions, and eggs last about three weeks, likely no more than that.  Peppers do pretty well, and can still be used even after they get a little withered.  I now use poblano peppers instead of green peppers.  More flavorful and easier to get down here.  In San Evaristo, they had a little store where we were able to get some fresh produce, but we were lucky and got there on the right day, after delivery.  It is hard to imagine how remote it actually is down here - these little fishing villages are miles and miles down dirt roads from the main highways and very few people ever stop by unless like us they come by boat.  By the way, Mike and Walt now have special Spanish names.  Bandito names.  Noms de Guerre, if you will.  Mike is "El Propinero" (the tipper) and Walt is "Tostito Blanco"  which we have decided means White Corn Chip.  I am still looking for my new moniker. 

So - after today we will have better internet access and I will post some pictures of the wonderful places we have been.  I am looking forward to unlimited showers at the marina, and also using the air conditioning on occaision.  But I was listening to the Joni Mitchell song "Carey" the other day, and decided that my "clean white linens and fancy French cologne" have now become shower facilities at a marina and unlimited cold beer.  Not bad. 

The wind blows like crazy every night here - the winds are called "corumels" and blow directly out of the west beginning at sunset and go all night long.  The wind rings through the rigging and the wind power vane just screams.  The boat rocks, but not unpleasantly.  I like all of that as long as I am not worried about dragging anchor or anything like that.  And we have not had to worry about that since we have gotten good at anchoring and being sure the anchor has set.  Today our goal is to get underway as smoothly and calmly as possible.  Mike is nervous about pulling into the marina - docking is always a scarey experience, especially if there is any surge or current in the water.  But I have faith that today is going to go beautifully.  I can hardly wait to share my pictures!

Killing Flies

I have gotten to be very good at this. My nephew taught me how to do it after telling me he had not missed a fly with this technique since he was 12 years old. I have watched him and I am a true believer. I can do it now. It is much more effective than chasing them around with a fly swatter. We do have screens, but screens impair the air flow into the cabin, and when it gets hot and still starting at about 10 am, you will want to get every single bit of air circulating in the cabin that you can. When there is enough wind that the screens don't affect the flow, there aren't any bugs.

Right now it is 96 degrees outside and 89 here in the cabin. We think we have really scored a coup if the cabin can stay below 90 in the day, and something tells me that will not happen today because it is only 11:21 am and will only get hotter outside as the day progresses.

Mike and Walt have gone out fishing. Yesterday some fishermen from a tiny fish camp nearby came to the boat and traded us a baseball cap, two t-shirts, some fresh water, adn a bottle of shampoo for some excellent filets. I poached half of them yesterday, and will do the same tonight with the rest of them - EXCEPT for the fact I have no more white wine for poaching, so I am going to try it with red wine. Wish me luck. I have also learned on this trip to enjoy chilled white wine on hot summer nights. If I had known how good it was earlier, I would have laid in a lot more white wine. As it is, our wine cellar (a bilge compartment)is almost empty. There is only one more ballena (large bottle) of beer left. Anyway, the same fishermen came by today and got water and packages of gatoraid mix. They don't want money, they want stuff. I want to make a deal with them to take away our bags of garbage in exchange for whatever we can agree on. They wanted candy and soda, but we didn't have any. They also asked for tortillas - we didn't have any, but I will gladly agree to make them some if they take away my garbage.

I just finished doing laundry. That is an interesting chore here. We have mostly kitchen rags, t-shirts, and towels, but it is amazing how many of those there are and how often they need to be washed. I used a LOT more throw-away stuff when I lived on land and even in the marina. Mike likes to just take the stuff, put it in a mesh bag, and hang it over the side of the boat for two days, then rinse it in fresh water and let stuff dry. That sort of works most times, but sometimes the laundry does not smell fresh. Today I washed some things in the sink in fresh water and laundry soap, which took forever. I am looking forward to laundry service when we get to La Paz. I am going to wash everything I have worn.

When I look out over the water from our anchored boat, I can see lots and lots of sting rays, jumping out of the water and flapping their bat-wing like fins. They look like they are having fun. I hope they aren't jumping because they are being chased. The other night MIke and I saw an army of little fish fly out of the water en masse and were immediately followed by a huge bass. We took our dinghy along some sea cliffs and saw an amazing selection of fish and other marine life. We have also seen sharks.

My nephew told me "I am so done with seals. Fish stealing shark bait." He is really really funny, and has had Mike and I laughing hysterically. Plus he has good taste in music. And books. And he is smart and is already head and shoulders above me in how to deal with some of the technical stuff on this boat. I am reading a book called "Living on 12 Volts with Ample Power." If you have any questions about how a lead acid battery works, just ask me. Right now I am on alternators. It is slow going.

Our current plans are to work our way to La Paz so we can get stuff done before the girlfriend gets here on the 20th. Our plans redefine the term "fluid", so we'll see what happens. We do like this anchorage, and if the fishing is successful, Mike and Walt may never want to leave.

I am looking forward to being in touch again, but I am also sort of happy being in blissful ignorance of whatever may be going on outside of my boat here in the Sea of Cortez. I hope everyone has a great day!

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New Anchorage

After some discussion while enjoying the people and the scenery of San Evarista, we decided to head south so as to be ready to meet Walt's girlfriend on the 20th in La Paz. The winds will be against us, so this gives us plenty of time to get back south without having to spend days beating. (Beating means sailing against the wind, basically. It can be unpleasant at times.) So we left San Evarista (with every intention of coming back there on our way north later on this summer) and sailed back to Isla San Francisco, where we spent the night. Today we motored (due to the need to charge our batteries) to our current anchorage, Caleta Partida, which is on Isla Partida, located fairly near La Paz. There are a lot of different anchorages between here and La Paz, and I am excited about exploring them.

Mike and Walt always have fishing lines out, and we have twice eaten fresh caught dorado (mahi mahi) courtesy of Walt. I love dorado. They are both out now in the dinghy, seeing what they can catch for tonight's dinner. In anticipation of fresh fish, I made tortillas with my new tortilla press. I am pleased with how they came out.

It is hard to be so incommunicado - I miss talking and emailing everyone I love. I have no idea what has happened in the world in the last two weeks - except for the outcome of some soccer games we heard about in San Evaristo. There is a possibility that we may soon have cell phone contact or internet once we get around to the other side of the island we are anchored, so we will see.

I can't even begin to explain or describe all the stuff we see - and as soon as I can, I will post pictures. So - I am going to sit up in the cockpit and do a crossword puzzle (thank you Buffy!!!!!) and wait for Mike and Walt to arrive with my dinner!

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San Evaristo

Since I have a bad memory and I have no internet access and can't read my last postings, I hope I am not repeating myself. I think the last time I posted we were at Isla San Francisco. We stayed there for several days, and on the last day moved over to another side of the island. While we were at the original side, Walt caught a dorado just the perfect size to feed all three of us well. I dredged the fresh filets in seasoned cornmeal and then sauteed it. It was wonderful - the dream baja meal, fresh caught dorado.

The other side of the island had a beach that was covered with really old shells and agates and wild-looking rocks and minerals of all sorts. We hiked to a saltwater pond in the middle of the island that had thousands of fiddler crabs living in it. They were all along the shoreline but hustled back into the water when we approached. They are interesting crabs because the males have one huge claw that is used only to wave around to attract mates and another small claw that is used for eating. The females have two small claws. We watched them skitter around for a long time.

We also had a head (bathroom) emergency - clogged hose pipes. Yuck. They had to be scraped out. Seems like when you have salt water running through your system, stuff (and you know just what stuff I am talking about) just sort of crystalizes in your hose pipes. So now the head is running better than ever. One thing everyone wants is a reliable head, at least in my opinion. We also used our watermaker twice. The first time there were some glitches, no big deal, just getting used to operating it. We used it again today, and got 110 gallons in about three and a half hours. It is amazing to have a glass of drinking water that is way better than San Diego tap water, and to know that minutes ago it was salt water. It also frees us to use fresh water pretty liberally, especially for showering off salt.

For the most part, we had the anchorages at Isla San Francisco to ourselves. There were a few boats that pulled in in the later afternoon, spent the night, and left by the time we got up. Otherwise we were alone and it was wonderful. We jumped off the boat right into the kind of crystal clear water the guidebooks show. We also went to a little tiny island via dinghy called either Isla Coyote or Isla Pardito, depending on who you are talking to. There are about four families there, catching and processing fish. The kids go to school via panga to the place we stopped at next.

Two days ago we left Isla San Francisco and sailed north to the little fishing village called San Evaristo. It is at the foot of these huge mountains on a nice crescent bay. There are about 20 families living there, and all of them are related. They are also cousins to the people on Isla Coyote and to the people in the even smaller village about eight miles north. They are very difficult to get to by road, and get no tourists other than those of us who come by boat. There is a little store that had a good selection of fresh produce, and a little bar that operated out of someone's home. we had a great time there, drinking cerveza with Augustin, who knew almost everything about the area. He didn't speak English, but between Walt and I we were able to visit all afternoon long, translating for Mike. I had a wonderful time and really liked meeting all the people.

Today Walt went to the village while MIke and I stayed on the boat and made water and did laundry and stuff like that. Some panga fishermen stopped by the boat and sold us some lobsters - I am looking forward to a great dinner! Walt ended up playing parcheesi all day long with the townspeople and now knows everyone. It is a great place to be and in some ways reminds me of Bahia Tortuga where we stopped after we left Ensenada in January. We plan to leave here in the next day or two and work our way to the next unbelievable place. I can hardly wait until I have internet access again so I can post pictures. I am completely unable to find adequate words to describe this. Viva Mexico!

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Mas Adventuras en La Isla San Francisco

What an incredible anchorage! For the most part, we have had the place completely to ourselves. A few boats have come and gone, but that's about it. I am dying to post some of the pictures Walt took during his hikes over the island, but until we get to La Paz and an internet connection, that won't happen. At least we all have something to look forward to! We are in a beautiful crescent of turquoise water.

One of my cruising dreams has come true - I have often thought about how wonderful it will be to just jump off the boat into the water when it gets too hot. And now I can do that. I figure I can get exercise even when it is too hot to hike by swimming laps around the boat.

Now that we are in the Sea of Cortez, the weather has changed. The heat here is like the heat in the desert - really hot and dry. I do believe I was starting to acclimate to the humid heat in Mazatlan - when I went out, I still got hot and disgustingly sweaty, but it was starting not to bother me so much. It's hard to explain. I was still really hot and all, with sweat just pouring down in actual drops, but there was a difference all of a sudden. I felt hot but not miserable. BIG Difference. Here, we took a short hike across the island to another beach, and while it was close to 100 degrees, I was actually quite comfortable. I think I have crossed a line with being able to handle all this heat.

Another really good thing is that our water make works great, so we can take all the fresh water showers we want to, which makes things even better. I have been washing my hair in the sea with salt water shampoo, then rinsing down in a fresh water washdown in the shower. I really like the result, too. And I think the weight is starting to come down as well.

The other beach we went to on this island is called agate beach and it is aptly named. We found a lot of them - I found a beautiful green one I am planning to keep and someday have a piece of jewelry made from it. I have also started collecting shells to make myself and ankle bracelet. We plan to send some of the agates to Walt's twin brother Ray, who is a geologist. I hope Ray knows that by choosing geology, he is setting himself up to receive boxes and boxes of rocks.

Today we plan to move Magda Jean to another anchorage on the other side of the island. Walt found it when he went on this epic hike over the highest point on the island yesterday and said the water is even clearer over there. We will stay there a few days, and then move on to a new anchorage. There are many islands around here, and even the small ones have multiple anchorages to experiment with. The only bummer is we woefully underestimated our beer consumption rate and are now officially out of beer. Oh well - there is a small village near where we will be anchored next that MAY have a small tienda and MAY have beer for sale. Here's hoping! It not, it is going to be Countrytime Lemonade spiked with squeezed limes.

We are still eating the jack cravalle that Walt caught - and thank goodness we are almost done with it. I made some chili out of it that was really good, and we had fajitas and last night Mike grilled it. But while it is better than the fish book said (the book said it was inedible) it will never be my favorite. But Mike and Walt believe we should eat what we kill. OK, this makes sense when you are hunting. But fishing is different, and I don't plan to eat every single fish that gets pulled up. I flat out refuse to eat mackeral, for example, although I will make an exception for bonito, which are in that family. Bonito are doable. We are really hoping for dorado. One of our temporary neighbors caught one on his way in here - we were really jealous. Tonight if no bonito are caught, I am hoping to have chicken and rice. I also plan to cut up one of our the gorgeous mangos I bought in Mazatlan before we left. One of the big challenges with cruising is keeping fresh vegetables and fruit. I have been experimenting with those green bags, which seem to be working well. We do have a freezer, but it is very small.

Otherwise, except for swimming, snorkling, hiking, collecting shells and rocks, and just hanging out on the boat, there is not a lot of news. I have no idea what is happening in the world, there could be another war for all I know, or we could have yet again captured the third level commander in Al Queda. (Have you noticed how often the "third in command" has been killed or captured? That has to be the worst job in Al Queda.) It is kind of nice to be so remote, but scary too - I have no idea if my last packet of mail reached my sister to be sent out, and some things like that do weigh on my mind. But I think a lot of that is because I am new at this. I hope to have all this stuff nailed by the end of this year.

It is about time for me to start getting things prepared to move the boat - Mike and Walt will be awake soon. I am glad they are not early risers as I love this time of the morning all alone out on the deck, just watching the water and the birds and the fish. Adios!

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Life in Isla San Francisco and Before

We made it to Isla San Francisco in four days, after a trip with a lot of ups and downs - some of those "this is what I dreamed it would be" coupled with "I'm not sure I can do this." But now that things are great, those down times fade away pretty quickly.

Here are a couple of posts I wrote while underway.

June 24, 2011
We left yesterday (6-23) at about 10:30 am from Mazatlan. Although technically we had a great sail with good winds, we made very little actual progress as we had to tack north and south due to wind direction when where we really wanted to go was west-northwest. But it was so nice nobody cared. We had literally hundreds of dolphins following us for hours - some came right up to the boat so close I could almost have touched them. They had sort of leopardy-ish spots, and there were all sizes. They swam in front, behind, and on either side of the boat. They jumped out of the water and made some chittering noises. We did not motor at all, even though we could have motored into the wind and made more progress. And this is because isn't the whole purpose of having a sailboat to sail? We think so and at this point are not in any hurry.

I stood the 2 am to 6 am watch - it was nice and uneventful. No slatting sails. In fact, no problems at all except I got a little sleepy. I took a brief nap today (6-24) and hope to sleep some more after dinner. It is about 2:30 pm and Mike is sleeping. Walt (the nephew) is here in the cockpit with me, mesmerized by the ocean and the motion of the boat.

I made banana pancakes for breakfast. For dinner we are having chicken machaca burritos unless we catch a fish. We have two lines out along with a "psychedelic fish lure" that Mike devised using a plastic soda bottle filled with glitter, coins, and beads with hooks tied on the back attached to a hand line tied to the stern rail. IT is quite impressive but no bites yet, although the sea birds are quite intrigued.

Today we saw several big sea turtles, as well as a big shark and lots of shearwaters, boobies, and other sea birds. The water is a deep sapphire blue. Last night there was bioluminesence (no idea how to spell that) - flashed of light in the water. Dolphins swimming through it look like light sabers.

Here is an interesting thing that happened. We have a LOT of fancy electronic navigation and measuring instruments on board, and truth be told, even Mike does not know how to fully utilize them. But today he accidentally bumped into one of the buttons on one of the displays with his butt, and we discovered that it tells us the wind speed AND angle. Now we don't have to guess at wind speed, which I have always thought we overestimated, and we can use this information to more accurately trim (adjust) the sails using the wind angle, and it also helps me to helm better. We are ashamed it took us so long to discover this - and we now wonder what other marvels await our eventual discovery. I knew we spent all that money for something!

June 26, 2011
Back again after a wild night. I'll start at the beginning. I got up for my 2 am watch on 6-25. After a great day of almost perfect sailing in the right direction, there was suddenly no wind at all. Mike told me to just do my best to keep us pointed north and went to bed.

Now this is hard (difficult) sailing. Low to no wind means low to no speed, which means no ability to steer the boat. Walt was up with ME and did great - he seemed to really catch on to the steering dynamics way better than I have. But we poked along all day, at times having to make a less than desireable course change to keep us moving at all. It caused me and Mike to be very cranky. Later the wind picked up so we could sail again, but we broke down and did some motoring so we were at least making some headway.

Then, right in the middle of me making dinner, which included boiling water for pasta, the wind came up hard and fast. I immediately lost my appetite. The wind was screaming, and the sound of the wind power generator made things seem much worse (although in truth the sound of the wind power generator working hard is a good thing). Mike put the boat into a "heave-to" which is where you set the sails and the rudder to work against each other so the boat basically stands still. It is a good way to handle things when it is too rough or windy to sail or when continuing on would simply beat the holy crap out of you. You just bob around like a cord and go nowhere. That is what we did and we all just made the best of it, bouncing around uncomfortably yawing and pitching all at the same time. But we all got some sleep, and if we had tried to sail, Mike would have had to hand steer all the way, which is exhausting. However, nothing was broken, and the only things that flew loose around the pitching cabin were a few books that I immediately re-secured. I thought the whole thing was a little scarey, but Walt handled it like a pro, even sleeping the whole night in the cockpit instead of hunkering down in the cabin like I did.

This morning the winds are at 13 knots, which is a pleasent sail. We have taken reefs in and out, and Mike fixed a leak in the exhaust. Tonight we will put into Isla San Francisco and I will try and write some more.

Back to June 28
This is enough for now. We are at Isla San Francisco - it is beautiful and we are the only boat here. I will post pictures in a few weeks when I have internet again - this is going through the radio. Walt has been camping on the beach at night, although last night the bugs got bad and he will likely sleep on board tonight. The first night we got here the wind came up hard - and we discovered we had not chosen a good anchoring spot. The seas were so high we worried the anchor would not hold, but it did. Then we had to get up several times to re-attach the dinghy, and finally had to haul it up onto the deck by hand, which was very hard in all the wind and rollicking waves. IT was, to say the least, a bad night for me and Mike. Walt was smart to sleep ashore!

We moved the boat yesterday and last night had a relaxing sleep as we were more protected from the winds. We hiked around the island, and went to a beach on the other side that had a lot of agates and shells. Today Mike and Walt are hiking around up some ridges - and I am going to allow myself some much needed alone time with a book in the shady, breezy, cockpit. If I get hot, I will just jump overboard and cool off in the clear ocean water. Then on to make some chili out of a jack cravalle that Walt cooked - the meat is so dark red we are treating it like beef. People say it is not at all good to eat - they are wrong. It made great spiced fajitas the other night, and will be great chili today. That's it for now. We will be here for a couple more days, then on to a new anchorage.

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