I Am Delighted Beyond Belief

First of all, I just discovered how the comments thing works too.  So I was really excited when I found out people were commenting.  I can sometimes respond and sometimes not, depending on whether I am using the internet (can see them and comment back) or the short wave radio (all I can do is post).  But I will try to reply.  If I don't, it likely means no internet access.
We are currently in San Carlos, on the Mexican mainland in Sonora.  It is absolutely beautiful and I think this is one of those "I could stay here if I wanted to be in one place" places.  We are on a mooring ball out in the harbor, and on one side of us there are beautiful homes, on another side a pretty town area tucked in betweem two mountain ridges, two other sides have mountain and cliff views, and then there is the view of the harbor entrance.  As soon as Mike downloads pictures from the camera, I will post them, not only of here in San Carlos, but of all the other places we have been.

I mentioned in the last post that we stopped at an anchorage.  But what I didn't tell you was how gorgeous it was.  We had it to ourselves, and although we were really tired, we still just sat in the cockpit and drank it in.  It did get rolly after we went to bed, but it wasn't bad enough to disturb the anchor (we have been though a LOT worse than that with no dragging) and because I knew there was nothing to worry about, I was able to sleep quite nicely, even while literally being rolled from side to side in my bed.  I have discovered the best way to sleep in conditions like that is either flat on your stomach (my choice) or flat on your back (good when its really hot).  You don't roll around as much.  Before we went to bed we watched a movie - "Desk Set" with Tracy and Hepburn.  We didn't finish it because we started fallin asleep.  So the next morning, we had a nice breakfast and set off.  We found a friend of ours from Santa Rosalia out there - his engine had thrown a rod and was dead.  He has this 50 add foot gaff rigged schooner - a small version of a Johnny Depp pirate chip) and was having a terrible time.  He couldn't sail into the harbor because of adverse winds and currents, and had been going through this for a couple of days!  But he made it in today, with help from a big power boat he met along the way who towed him in.  He is in his seventies, had a man with him who is even older, and that is a big boat to handle.  But we came real close to him, and got some pictures of his boat under full sail.  It is really hard to get pictures of your boat under full sail, but Magda Jean and Sundancer will take pictures of each other when we leave here for Topolobampo in a few days.  I am hoping to use a picture like that for a Christmas card. 

We have met up with our friends on Sundancer, and we are all looking forward to the Copper Canyon and our trip and then heading south to end up in El Salvador in March.  It almost doesn't seem real.  And the best news of all is that my nephew will be joining us again - he sent us a wonderful email and we are eagearly anticipating his arrival.  Today we went shopping and reprovisioned - there are regular big supermarkets in the nearby city of Guymas about 10-15 miles away I think - we went with Sundancer's visiting parents in their truck, but we have heard it is easy to take the bus from the harbor to the stores in Guymas.  Maybe we'll try it if we need to go back for anything - but I can't think what it mught be.  We were pretty thorough. 

Tomorrow we are going to the marine store, and also to talk to a mechanic about our engine.  It is much better, but still acting up, and it acted up when we had to enter the harbor.  It calmed down, and no harm seems done, but it is too stressful not having a dependable engine.  I mean, this is a sailboat and can always be sailed, but we are not hard core enough to be cruising sailors without an engine.  It sometimes doesn't want to start, but Mike can always (so far, at least, get it to start after some messing with things, and the dipstick is not accurate because of the way our engine is installed.  It has been running great for quite awhile now, but it started smoking and refusing to accellerate or acellerating on its own (both of them pretty bad things I think) but then it simply cleared up.  But some of the places we will be going this winter require a reliable engine to get in and out of.  So tomorrow could be either traumatic (all our worse case scenarios come to fruit) to heavenly ("Gee it is just dirty connectors, $100 dollars to clean them"), that is if we get someone to look at it right away.  I hate mechanical problems. 

Well, I am getting tired and I think I will go to bed.  I can never think of any real good way to end each blog post, which is why I have taken to just saying different versions of "Hope your day today was great - and that tomorrow will be even better."  I do really mean it, but I have to start working on something better.  Buenos Noches. 

No More Magic Carpet

Well, I knew it was too good to last. I probably jinxed it by having such a good time yesterday. Today, right after Mike woke me up at 4 am after a really good sleep to take over watch, the weather changed for the worse. The seas built up to about 8 to 10 feet, with very short periods between them, which means we were slammed around a lot, could not make any speed, and ended up not making it all the way to where we wanted to go. Of course Mike got no sleep because everything went south just as he lay down. It wasn't that I couldn't handle it, but there was nothing to be done. We are pretty sure it is the effect of the hurricane down south - we are praying it does not come any further north. All the weather reports failed to mention any of the stuff we went through, just in case anyone thinks we go off without checking the weather! We are very diligent about that sort of thing, and check several different sources, which includes raw data that we have learned to interpret. The next time someone tells me there is no such thing as global warming I will slug them right in the nose. Mike was at sea for 20 years, and things have changed to the point none of the models or how things have always gone are valid anymore. It is very discouraging.

The only high point of the day was when we past two different pods of dolphins, who seemed to be there just to keep us happy. They were jumping and playing with the boat and made us laugh and smile despite everything going wrong. They came along at the perfect time - we were really getting sad and discouraged. Mike got some good pictures.

We stopped at an anchorage about 15 miles from where we wanted to be, but had we tried to go further, it would have meant arriving in the middle of the night in bad seas, which we did not want to do. It is sort of rolly, and may get worse, but there was really no way Mike could go on without getting some sleep, and he is pretty sure he can sleep through whatever this anchorage decides to throw at us. Tomorrow we should be able to make it all the way to San Carlos, where the anchorage is quite well protected. I guess we shouldn't complain too much - because all day we could hear a friend we met in Santa Rosalia who is on his way to San Carlos as well, and apparently he lost his engine and spent all day trying to sail into the harbor and was thwarted by the combination of wind, waves, and current. He is an older guy and is by himself. I hope things work out for him. We will know tomorrow.

I am going to stop now - I am absolutely exhausted and Mike is in worse shape than I am. Hope your day was better than mine!

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Magic Carpet Ride

That is what today's sail has felt like. I am writing this as we are underway from Isla Partida to San Carlos. I wish I had a map so I could put a virtual pin on it to show anyone reading this where I am. Perhaps I should start including the latitude and longitude so anyone who is interested could find me on a map.

Last night at Isla Partida was quite eventful so we were not unhappy to leave. The only direction that anchorage is unprotected is from the north - and wouldn't you know - we got winds up to 22 knots from that very direction. Now wind is not a huge issue - our anchor is strong and we have withstood stronger winds than that. But waves are a problem, especially if the boat is pitching, which means going up and down from bow to stern. That is the sort of thing that will pull an otherwise well set anchor out and allow the boat to drift. We had a few scary moments as the waves got up to four feet, which is not small for an anchored boat. Neither of us got much sleep as we kept getting up to check things. We did live to tell the tale. Unfortunately this is where our lack of an anchor windlass really hurts, because wave action makes it a lot harder for Mike to pull up that anchor by hand, and we had let out extra rode (anchor chain) in order to ensure the boat could swing on the chain and not uproot the anchor. The extra rode adds extra weight. But I am getting a lot better at helming, so I was able to move the boat back and forth to use the power of the engine to help Mike pull the anchor up.

After we left the anchorage, we spent a good part of the day motoring rather than sailing for two main reasons. One, there was virtually no wind, and we were in an area with lots of islands and strong currents. If we let ourselves just drift along, as we are sometimes likely to do while we enjoy the scenery, the boat could get into a strong current and we could get in trouble trying to get out. The other reason is that we have been having problems with the engine, and for some reason it seems like it behaves better the more we use it. But after we got through what is called the Midriff area where all the islands are (the part of the Sea of Cortez that is the narrowest) we turned off the engine and began to sail. Because we were through the islands, there was nothing blocking the winds and we have sailed along nicely ever since. It is nice not to have the winds and currents against us and to be sailing at a decent speed in the right direction.

We saw all kinds of stuff today, including more whales than I have ever seen. Big ones, too - and they were all around us, although mostly too far away to get good pictures, even though we got good looks at them. They were jumping clear out of the water! It went on for a couple hours, and was truly amazing. We have had fishing lines out all day, but despite seeing dorados jumping all over the place, we have failed to interest them in our lures. Too bad - no fish for dinner tonight unless something happens really soon.

I am not sure when we will arrive in San Carlos - we are making good time now but my experience is that could change at any minute. I hope we get some of the wind we got last night - we'd fly along in the right direction!

Well, I had better get going - I am writing this on batteries only as I want to save the power so Mike can send this via the SSB radio. I hope your day has been as great as mine has been!

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Good-Bye Isla Partida

We are leaving here tomorrow morning and will head directly for San Carlos on the mainland - it is about 122 miles. The fishing here has been disappointing - we got a tiny barracuda and a tiny triggerfish that we let go. We did catch two ribera cabrillas - a very strange looking fish with a huge head and mouth that seem way too big for the small body, but they were pretty tasty. I guess they are a variety of bass. (Bass must be the lilies of the fish world - so many different varieties that do not resemble each other at all sometimes.) Mike hooked a BIG dorado, but it threw the hook on its third jump and we were very sad about that. It would have fed us all the way across the Sea of Cortez and fed our friends when we meet up with them as well. Oh well - that is just how it is with fishing. Additionally, today has been the hottest day of the year up here according to tyhe other cruisers - although it didn't seem too bad because of really low humidity. There is absolutely no wind here at Isla Partida, although we just finished listening to the cruiser's net on the SSB radio and there are 20 knot winds at Bahia de Los Angeles - what a difference a few miles can make.

Otherwise, things are fine. We have had this anchorage all to ourselves just like last time, and I really enjoy it when that happens. There were a lot of boats around at Bahia de Los Angeles and most of the time there were other boats at Puerto Don Juan, but it seemed kind of clique-ish - I think most of the boats had been together up here for most of the summer. They weren't really unfriendly, though. It's hard to explain.

I have no idea what the crossing will be like - there is a hurricane many miles south of here, but all indications are it will not be an issue for the Sea of Cortez and what they call The Northern Crossing. The Southern Crossing means between Cabo San Lucas and Mazatlan. Here is is between Santa Rosalia and San Carlos. We are about 100 miles north of Santa Rosalia, andtaht s plan to head across before we get that far south. There are a lot of islands between here and the other side, and that means strong tides, currents, and winds that can get funky even when they are not strong - coming from strange angles and fighting the currents, which is what we had when we left here the first time and went to Puerto Don Juan. But we had to be in a narrow channel that time, and this time we won't, at least not for the majority of the trip.

We are waiting to see if the nephew is going to join us for the winter/spring trip to El Salvador.

I am not likely to write another post until we arrive in San Carlos, where hopefully we will have regular internet access and I can post some pictures of what we have been up to in the last month. So until next time - have a great day!

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Back at Isla Partido

We left Puerto Don Juan this morning at about 11 am and returned to Isla Partido for a day or so on our way to San Carlos. In case anyone is confused, there are two Isla Partidos in the Sea of Cortez. We have been to both of them twice. One of them is near La Paz, and we were there earlier in the summer. This Isla Partido is near Bahia de Los Angeles, which is in the middle of the Baja penninsula. We were here the first time right after we left Santa Rosalia, and now we are here again. We had good luck fishing here the last time - we got two triggerfish. So tomorrow is devoted to fishing, and the next day we plan to leave here and push on to San Carlos. This plan may be subject to change because there is a hurricane in the north pacific - Hurricane Hilary. It is not supposed to come up this way, but there may be some wave action that would make our passage across the sea uncomfortable, and if so, we will wait a few days. This is a really nice anchorage and we have it all to ourselves, not even any pangas. So that means we get to swim naked, and you know that we love to do that.

Yesterday while still in Puerto Don Juan, we went fishing and caught a yellowtail. I was really excited about that - we haven't caught one of those yet and they are really good. It was a team effort - I hooked it and Mike reeled it in while I dealt with the other pole we had out. Last night Mike cooked two filets in olive oil and garlic - to die for - and tonight we are having sashimi with soy sauce and wasabe. The fish was a small one - maybe five pounds - but it will be at least three meals for us, and maybe four. I can't really remember how much we have left at this point.

Before we left Puerto Don Juan this morning, we went clamming and got two big bags of them. Right now they are hanging off the side of the boat (in mesh laundry bags) and while we were underway we had them in a bucket with a sea water dampened towel covering them. We are hoping and praying (at least I am, Mike is not concerned about it) they last until we get to San Carlos, where we plan to have a big steamed clam party with our friends on Sundancer, who we are meeting up with in San Carlos.

Today we motored the entire way. We have been having a lot of problems with our engine, but the amazing thing (at least to me, anyway), is that the more we use it, it seems to be getting better instead of getting worse. I admit I know nothing about engines, but I have had a lot of piece-of-shit cars in my day, and my experience with car engines is that while a problem may develop slowly, they get progressively worse, not better. In the past, we could not run the engine over 1500 rpms without getting smoke and at times a runaway engine, which is where is speeds up without increasing the throttle. But as we use it more and more, it runs better. Today we had it at 1900 rpms consistently for several hours, and at times we went to 2000 rpms with no problems. I don't understand it, but I do know that this engine was basically unused for 10 years while the boat sat at a marina, and I think the only use it got was when the former owner ran it in the slip for a few hours. I read in the engine book that this kind of diesel engine does not like to be run at low idling speeds. So we think maybe it just needs to be used, and until recently, we did not use it much. So today's trip seemed to do it good. We plan to have it looked at in Mazatlan in November, so here's hoping there is nothing seriously wrong with it.

The other new thing that we learned is that there are some SSB (short wave) radio nets we can participate in without having a ham license. We have been listening to several for a while but until now had no idea there were some that do not require the license. Mike will likely get his license when we are in the US this November, but until then, it is nice to have one we can talk on. They have a lot of good weather information and other stuff of interest to cruisers.

Well, it is time for me to make dinner - which in this case means to fix the salads and cut up the fish. I already made the rice in the pressure cooker when we first anchored. So everyone who might be reading this - hope your day is/was a great one!

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Back at Puerto Don Juan

We left Bahia de Los Angeles today and went back to Puerto Don Juan. As we were leaving Bahia de Los Angeles, we saw three more whale sharks. I feel really lucky to have done so - they are really amazing creatures. I feel really grateful to see so much wildlife as we sail.

We will stay here in Puerto Don Juan for a couple of, mainly to get some more clams. Last night we had steamed clams with a garlic butter sauce, Mike's fabulous cole slaw, and a salad. We were able to get two heads of lettuce in Bahia de Los Angeles, so that means we will have salad every day until it runs out. Salad is a huge treat. Tonight we are having hot dogs cooked on the grill with more cole slaw and salad. Mike is a big hotdog fan - I like them okay.

There are nine other boats here - most of them we have met before. Most of them are very social, and like to organize things. One of the things they have organized is the 4 pm swim. Everyone gets in the water and swims to a point sort of midway between all the boats, and we float around and visit for an hour or so. It is actually a lot of fun. The first time I saw people doing it we were anchored a ways away, and from a distance I thought it was birds in the water. Then I realized it was people. I call it the Talking Heads Convention because it is a lot of people with their heads sticking out of the water yakking away. I have learned a lot, though, because a lot of these people have been out here much longer than we have and have a lot of good information they are willing to share. The currant topic among the women is how to make your own yogurt. I am not going to try it because neither of us are all that fond of yogurt unless it has fruit in it. It doesn't sound hard, though - too bad it isn't something I am really interested in making. I am still waiting to try making bread in the pressure cooker but I have to wait until we have eaten up the bread we have. I have a recipe that sounds pretty easy, and my usual problem with bread won't be a problem here - it is finding some place warm enough so that it rises.

Right now I am listening to what is probably my favorite Joni Mitchell song - "Carey." I also like "California" a lot too. It is kind of hard to actually name a favorite Joni Mitchell song, now that I think about it. There are so many.

Well, that is pretty much it for today. After we leave here in a day or so, we are planning to go back to Isla Partida and hopefully catch some fish to tide us over when we make the 122 mile sail to San Carlos. We weren't able to find any fresh meat in Bahia de Los Angeles, so if we don't catch any fish, there will be some rather lean days. Oh well - I make a mean vegetarian chili, so all will not be lost. So have a great day and eat something really good!

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Whale Shark Sighting!

We are anchored here in Bahia de Los Angeles - a nice little anchorage area just off a little village. This morning we were getting ready to head to town in the dinghy to get some more groceries and to drop off the laundry. I looked out over the water and very close to the boat I saw I fin. I knew right away it was not a dolphin or a sea lion (sea lions often lay on their backs with everything submerged except their fins) and I said to Mike "What is that? Is it a shark?" He looked and grabbed the camera and said "It's a whale shark!" It came closer to the boat and because it was near the surface and the water is clear I got a really good look at it. Mike took a picture but I am not sure it turned out because of the way the sun was hitting the water. But it is a nice blue grey color with spots and a really big mouth. They are the biggest fish (they are sharks, not whales, therefore not mammals) and this one was about 20 feet long, which is about half the size they can get. They only eat plankton, so are not dangerous in any way. I heard they were in this bay, but I never dreamed I'd actually get to see one. Now I am hoping to see more of them.

They don't have a laundromat or a laundry of any sort in this town, but we met this man (an American who has lived here for ten years) who took us to this woman's house as she does laundry. We will pick kit up tomorrow. Mike is going to look through the binoculars to see if she hangs it outside like the woman did in Turtle Bay. This woman is named Yolanda and she was nice and friendly and spoke really good English. This is a very interesting town - in spite of being so remote (it is many miles off the main highway, has no cell phone coverage and only one paved street) it has long been a fishing destination so they are used to tourists, especially boaters. and we were able to get a good supply of groceries and other related items - and things like the good plastic bags with secure zip locks - even Glad brand! I have always prided myself on not buying into brand allegiance - my sister Anne called me the queen of the generic brand - but I have discovered that there are some brands that are simply better than other brands and Glad storage bags are one example. I have never had to empty and clean my refrigerator and freezer (a huge hassle if one is not in a marina) because something leaked and stunk it up when I have Glad bags. Now we have a big stock of several different sizes, so all I have to say is bring on the fish!

So that is all for now. We are planning to leave here day after tomorrow, and head to San Carlos, where we should have regular internet so I can post some pictures of what we have been seeing for the past month. Have a great day!

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Bahia De Los Angeles

We arrived here at 11:30 this morning, a distance of only seven miles from where we were anchored. We are just off the little village here, and there are nine or so other boats here as well. I think one of them might be another Valiant 40, but we aren't sure, we will have to ask. Valiants like ours are rare, so it is always interesting to find another one. But there are a few other types of boats that are similar, so it is not always easy to tell.

We came through here the first time we went to Baja California by car, which was about 10 years ago, and this place has really grown, although it is still remote enough that it has no cell phone coverage. We took the dinghy out pretty much as soon as we got here and found a place to dump the trash we have been accumulating since Santa Rosalia. There is a big trash bin the equivalent of about three blocks from where we pull the dinghy up on the beach. On the way to it, we passed by restaurant/store/trailer park called Guierrmos, which is where we were told to dump the garbage by other cruisers. But we didn't do that, and I am glad we didn't because the woman who runs the placexpressed gratefulness that we knew the proper place to dump garbage. I can't believe other cruisers would be so lazy as to not be willing to walk the block and one half further on to avoid putting their trash in this poor woman's trash bins - it was obvious that people had been doing it because there were bags of trash spilling out of her bins and also obvious that animals were getting into it. By contrast, there was no way animals could get into the bin that was beside the road that we used. That is the sort of thing that gives all cruisers a bad name.

We also stopped at a little restaurant and had a nice lunch - it was fun to have a meal that we didn't cook and it was nice not to have to clean up and do dishes. We are planning to have dinner on board - barbecued ribs and baked potatoes on the grill (there is a hibachi-type grill attached to our back rail) and a salad, which is a big treat. We walked to the gas station today and filled up one of the five gallon jerry cans that we use for our dinghy engine and for our generator, and on the way back we stopped at a little grocery store and got lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, and a nice ripe avocado. Salad is not something you have regularly while cruising because fresh vegetables only last so long, and there is not a lot of room in the refrigerator. I am looking forward to dinner tonight!

We plan to be here for two or three days, and then we will leave on our 150 mile trip to San Carlos, on the mainland, where we will meet up with our friends on Sundancer. We figure it will take about four days, maybe more, who knows. We have not taken this long a trip since we went from Ensenada to Turtle Bay last January. This will at least be a lot warmer - we froze on that trip. I wore long underwear, jeans, sweatpants over the jeans, and rainpants because it got so damp. I also had a turtleneck, a sweatshirt, and my foul weather jacket. I huddled up next to the companionway in order to keep warm on night watch. This time it will be a lot more pleasant - if we don't have to deal with any storms. I really hope this crossing is uneventful. I'd rather be bored than scared to death!

Well, there isn't a lot more news. Tomorrow we will do some more exploring of this little town, and will find some place to drop off our laundry, which we are told is a five minute walk from Guierrmo's. It will be nice not to have to use the bucket and plunger, so I am taking advantage and washing all the big towels and the sheets. So - have a great day!

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Chowder

Not New England style, which I don't really like (too creamy, I don't like things with heavy cream sauces or cream bases, in fact I don't really like dairy except for ice cream, milk in my coffee, and yogurt if it isn't too sweet), but Manhattan Style, with more of a tomato based broth. Oh it was fabulous, and we have a lot left over. The recipe says it gets better after a couple of days. It was spicy, because he used poblano peppers instead of celery and carrots (we didn't have any of those). He also threw a few serranos in there just for good measure. Then canned stewed tomatoes, and a small can of tomato sauce because we only had one small can of tomatoes, and we needed more. We used the clams we gathered, as well as all the clam liquor after we steamed them open. Oh, and potatoes and onions. And bay leaves and thyme and basil. It was so good and I am looking forward to eating some more today. Oh I forgot - we also added a piece of the dorado I caught the other day, so I guess it was actually a seafood chowder. And white wine, three quarters of a bottle.

Tomorrow we are leaving this anchorage to go to Bahia de Los Angeles, about seven miles or so from here. We will stay there for a week before we head off to San Carlos to meet up with our friends.

Last night I dreamt we sailed the boat up to Carmel-by-the Sea, and when I looked out to shore from the boat I couldn't see the town, only a few mansions along the sea cliffs. Mike told me that because of a trick of geography, I had to look directly up to see the town. SO I did, and directly above my head, where the sky should have been, was the town, rows and rows of houses. It was very strange.

Last night I woke up and felt the boat rocking a little bit. I couldn't figure our why, because there were no waves or any wind to speak of. So I looked out the companionway hatch, and discovered another boat had joined us in the night - a great big power yacht, so I realized its wake had caused the rocking. Not a lot of rocking - just a little bit, but you really notice the slightest change out here right away. It's like when you have a new baby - all the baby has to do is sigh a bit from its crib in the other room, and you wake up immediately.

Today we plan to go fishing again. We think we have the good spot nailed - the mouth of this anchorage, where we caught both the sierra and the dorado. I'd really like to catch a yellowtail, but no luck with that so far. I am going nuts trying to think of some new ways to cook fish, but this time I will poach it again, using some of the soup broth. There are some things I could do, but I'd have to use the oven and we don't do that because it would heat up the cabin too much. Everything gets cooked on top of the stove. I even have a recipe for bread that utilizes the pressure cooker, without using the pressure part. We still have another big bag of clams hanging off the side of the boat, and I want them steamed with a little bit of garlic butter to dip them in. These clams are some of the best clams I have ever eaten.

Yesterday I spent most of the afternoon playing with my watercolors - I am out of practice and it shows, all three of those little paintings were pretty bad. Today I plan to play with charcoal and learn to draw sailboats by looking at the ones anchored near us. I have no natural aptitude for art at all, but I like to do it. If I ever stay in one place long enough, I will take some art classes. I took a drawing class once and I really liked it and I learned a lot. The class would look at my drawings and say "It looks just like Van Gogh!" The reason they said that is because everything was sort of crooked and my perspective is always off. The teacher ever so kindly pointed that out lest I became full of myself. No danger of that! I once did a painting of a flowering tree and my backyard fence on a postcard sized paper and sent it to my stepmother, and she framed it and hung it up. People likely think one of her kids made it in kindergarten. I was extremely flattered though because she is a real artist.

Well, I guess no news is good news. There is an internet cafe in Bahia de Los Angeles, where I will have access to the internet, so we can check our regular mail. We signed up with a service that receives your mail, and then scans each envelope and sends the scans to you via email. You then have the option of just having them shred it, save it to mail to you when you have a place to send stuff, or opening it and scanning the contents if you are not sure what it is. It has been a month since we have seen what we have, so I am curious. When we return to the US in late October or early November, we will have them send all the stuff they saved up to Steve's house for us to pick up. That and our new windlass we will order to schlep back here. At least the windlass will not be as heavy and unwieldy as the watermaker was. That consisted of a heavy motor that took up most of one wheeled suitcase (ruined the suitcase, thank goodness it was cheap) and several large heavy boxes that we duct taped to two dollys. The windlass will fit in a wheeled suitcase and may not even wreck it, but we don't care about that. So this time the trip back via bus and ferry won't be as difficult and the cab drivers won't blanch when they see all that we have.

Well, that wraps it up for today. The next post will be written from Bahia de Los Angeles. Have a great day!

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More Clams and Otherwise a Relaxing Day

This will likely be a short post as we had a calm, relaxing day and didn't do too much. We went to shore and I collected another dinner's worth of clams. Mike hiked over a shoreline ridge and discovered that people have been harvesting these same clams for hundreds, maybe thousands of years. The whole ridge was one big shell midden.

We no longer have the place to ourselves, as we figured would happen once the Big Party at Bahia de Los Angeles was over. There are now five boats here, which includes us. There is plenty of room here, so it isn't a problem other than the fact we now have to wear bathing suits. Too bad, but I can deal with that.

Right now we are listening to Elvis Costello and planning to fix some of yesterday's dorado for dinner. I am poaching it, and we are having fried rice with it. Someone asked me what we eat while out here - pretty much the same as we ate on shore, except the selection is limited to what we can get in the little tiendas here in these small Mexican villages here. When we are in La Paz or Mazatlan, we can go to supermarkets just like in the US. In Mazatlan we had Wal-Mart, Sam's Club, Home Depot, and Office Depot. But other places there are just little stores. We go to one for dry goods, one for meat, one for produce, and the beer outlets for that most important item. In fact, the reason we may leave here for Bahia De Los Angeles is that we will soon run out of the beer we stocked up with at the end of last month in Santa Rosalia. It always seems like we have plenty - but it can go fast! We never drink while underway, but once we are anchored a cold beer tastes real good. I have a strong feeling I have said all this before, so that is proof I have absolutely nothing new to add today!

I may skip a day or so here, so don't worry - I am just too laid back to come up with anything new. As usual, I wish everyone a really great day!

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I Caught the Mahi But I Did Not Catch the Tiny Bass

(Please note the above title is to be sung to the tune of "I Shot the Sheriff").

Yes, I did catch tonight's dinner, which was a fine dorado (aka mahi-mahi) and the biggest one we have caught yet! It will make three meals of delicious filets. It was at the very end of a long day of fishing, and we were beginning to think we would have to thaw some ribs for dinner as we had caught nothing, except for a bass that was about four inches long (caught by Mike) that was thrown back.

We were heading back into the anchorage after going all around the area in our dinghy to n o avail, and Mike decided we would troll our way back to Magda Jean. We went to an area where we caught a sierra earlier in the week, and I was holding the pole. All of a sudden I felt a jerk on the line and told Mike "I think I have something." We looked over at where the line goes out of the water and a dorado leapt out! I reeled it in - surprisingly easily as those things usually fight to the bitter end - and told Mike "Get the gaff!" He said "No, you have more work to do" and I said "But here he is!" And sure enough, I had reeled him (actually he turned out to be a she) right up to the side of the dinghy. Mike gaffed her perfectly and we returned to the boat and Mike cleaned her right away. Of course then he had to clean up the big bloody mess on the deck, but that is the price of fishing, what can I say. Mike is preparing the meal tonight and I can hardly wait. Tomorrow I will make the dinner and then after that who knows? Probably whoever comes up with the best recipe. My specialty is poaching fish in wine, olive oil, and herbs.

Tomorrow we are going to get some more clams. We were going to do that today, after fishing, but the fishing went so well that we decided to wait so as not to be greedy. The clams will still be there tomorrow. I want to have them steamed in wine and herbs and butter. I love steamed clams, almost better than clam spaghetti, but it is really hard to say which is better. They are deliciously different.

The weather is getting a bit cooler, but that might just be wishful thinking. At least the heat here is drier than other places we have been. We were told that this is the apex of the hot season and it will not get any hotter. I am glad about that. Even though I am more acclimated than I ever thought I could get, it is still hot and I really enjoy my swims and then a nice fresh water washdown in the shower. I am completely used to sweat running down my nose and dripping onto the computer keys. I am sure everyone is really bored with hearing me talk about the heat here (I guess I mean writing and reading, not talking and hearing) but I was more worried about how I would deal with that than I was about being eaten by a shark or getting shipwrecked in a storm. And I feel like I triumphed.

Otherwise, things are the same as always. I get up before Mike, make some coffee, and read as long as I can until he gets up. Then we eat breakfast, do chores around the boat, and fish, swim, talk, read some more, and watch movies. Or visit with other people when there are other boats around. We miss our friends on Sundancer a lot, but will be seeing them again in a couple of weeks.

I guess that might sound boring, but it never is. At least not to me. I spent more time being bored when I lived in San Diego and had a job, a TV, and plenty of places to go. Now when we are away from the boat, I miss it almost immediately. Everyone keeps telling me I should write a book. I have made some notes and a few outlines, but so far I can't decide where I want to take anything. I suppose I never will unless I just sit down and start writing. But all retired lawyers think they will write books. And some actually do, so why not me?

So that is all for today. Mike is starting dinner, so I had better get going and help him so he doesn't tear the kitchen apart looking for things. I know where everything is. And I want another beer. So I wish everyone a great day!

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A Productive Day

Today was one of those days to get things done. We sewed up our sail (breaking no less than three needles in the process) and were glad to get that done and not have it hanging over our heads anymore. It was in a lot of ways less hassle than I thought, except that my hands and fingers were not strong enough to get the needle through the many layers of heavy dacron and sunbrella fabric that was ripped. So Mike had to do most of the work and I felt bad about that. I think we need to start looking for a Sailright sewing machine - they are heavy duty and a lot of people have them. Maybe we can find a used one on Craig's List or ebay, who knows.

We also made water today and discovered that we are using a grand total of 12-13 gallons of water per day, and that includes drinking, cooking, washing dishes, doing laundry, and showers. We have made a concerted effort to learn how to conserve - for example, we wash the dishes in salt water and only use fresh water for the final rinse.

Last night Mike made the most AWESOME dinner ever - clam spaghetti with the clams we dug up ourselves. He did such a good job of soaking and cleaning them that we did not lose one nor did we get any sand in our food. It was even better than the clam spaghetti we love at The Venetian in Ocean Beach. And he also made artichoke hearts sauteed in olive oil and garlic, like at the Pomodoro in Point Loma. It was one of the best meals I have ever had. I think I may be the general cook and bottle washer, but Mike is the gourmet chef in the family.

Yesterday we were looking out to the shore and saw two coyotes on the beach, eating washed up fish and stuff from the rocky shoreline. They looked pretty healthy, which was sort of surprising as it is very sere around here and I didn't think they had much to eat except lizards. But they looked good, and after they ate, the lounged on the beach for awhile before trotting away into a canyon. We knew they were out there, because we saw tracks earlier when we took the dinghy to shore and hiked around a little bit. We both wish we could do more hiking, but it is really really hot for that sort of thing.

Today we had our privacy disturbed when at least 15 kayakers came into the bay and set up a camp on one of the shorelines, but they will probably be gone soon - most people who do that only do it for the afternoon. The weather has been cloudy and we even got a few drops of rain, but it is still hot. The water here is back to being warm again, unlike our last anchorage. It is still very refreshing, however. There haven't been any storms, although there was thunder and lightning yesterday all around us but not right here. We heard some people talking on the radio about 30 knot winds, but ours only got to about 16.5 or so, easily handled. We are really enjoying the calmness here, but we know that after today's party at Bahia de Los Angeles, there will be other boats here again with us. But that is not all bad - we also like visiting with other boats. So it is a win-win for us either way.

Again, as it has been ever since we got here, there is not a lot of thrilling things to report. We just take it day by day, enjoying things as they come. We like watching the boobies make their spectacular dives into the water, we like to see the seagulls come to the boat and beg for fish scraps, we like to see the rays jump high out of the water and do back flips, and we just never get bored with stuff like that. The sunsets are always worthwhile and the swimming is great. Tomorrow we plan to do more clamming and some fishing as well - we are due for a nice fish, hopefully a tuna. So all of you have a great day!

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Everyone's Gone to the Movies, Now We're Alone At Last

Not the movies, but seven miles over to Bahia De Los Angeles, where all the cruising boats are meeting for a big party, hailed as the Cruising Social Event of The Season. We were thinking about going, but decided against it because 1) we would have to haul anchor with no windlass and 2) it is really nice having this anchorage all to ourselves. That doesn't happen too often, and this is a really comfortable anchorage. We can swim naked, and I have developed a real fondness for that.

Yesterday we went fishing and caught a sierra. They are really good for ceviche, so that is what we did and had it for dinner. Our clams are still soaking so as to get all the sand out of them, and Mike is making the clam spaghetti for dinner tonight.

Also on yesterday we were busy on deck doing this and that when all of a sudden there were bees everywhere. We went below and put up the screens, and I herded all the ones out that got in. They were doing the bee equivalent of knocking at the screen door demanding entrance - it seemed like there must have been a hundred of them out there. The window screens are pretty secure, but the screen door, so to speak, the one that covers the companionway hatch, is not so secure. Mike got out the blue painters tape and taped as many areas of ingress that he could find. Luckily it was already close to sundown, and since bees are totally diurnal, they disappeared as soon as it started getting dark. I have no problem with bees, and neither of us are allergic to them, but that many bees was just too much to deal with. I hope they don't decide to make a daily social call! We think they were attracted by the 20 or so lime rinds that remained after we squeezed them for the ceviche. That or our beers.

There isn't too much news today. Again, we have changed our plans and decided not to get all het up about our windlass problems. Our friends on Sundancer are still at Santa Rosalia, and are crossing the Sea of Cortez in about a week as their parents are coming to San Carlos on the mainland to visit with them. We will probably leave here in about 2 weeks or so and will join them in San Carlos, then we will all head down to Topolobampo for our trip to the Copper Canyon. Mike decided he is willing to become a human windlass so we don't have to cancel all our plans. The trip to San Carlos is about 150 miles south-southeast, and then Topolobampo is about 150 miles south of that. We figure it will take about 3-4 days to get to San Carlos, wind and waves and currents permitting. Of course, this is all subject to change as is everything we plan. You just never know.

And another thing happened yesterday. There is this little brown bird, sort of like a large sparrow (we think it is a vireo) that has been visiting us and perching on the lifelines real close and looking at us. He (or she, who knows) is not particularly shy. And yesterday he/she came right into the boat. He/she flew into the bedroom and landed on Mike's shoulder and then his hand, since he was still in bed. Then he/she hopped down and wandered into the kitchen, where I gently removed the hatch screen and allowed him/her to mosey on out. I swear that bird made eye contact, and seemed to be curious. There was no crazy wild flapping around, just hopping, and controlled flight when he/she decided to leave. We will name him/her if he/she shows up again.

So that about winds it up for today's post. I have already hung the laundry to dry (after using my bucket and plunger technique) and there aren't too many chores to do today. Mike just got up and noticed that there are a lot of bees investigating my fresh laundry. I think they are attracted to the fresh water I used to wash the clothes. I guess if this keeps up, we'll hang the laundry at night, when the bees are sleeping. I would rather deal with bees than with mosquitos or biting flies or the tiny biting bugs called no-see-ums (jejenes in Spanish) that we have heard tons about but mercifully have not encountered yet. And these bees are aggressive about where they want to go, but so far have made no moves to sting us, even last night when I was herding them out of the kitchen and up through the overhead hatch. We do need to take the big genoa headsail down so I can sew the rip, but there is a little bit of wind and we need to do that when it is absolutely still, as it is a big sail and will be harder to deal with in the wind. I have all my sail repair gear standing at the ready.

So this is it - have a great day and don't allow any insects to bite, sting, or suck blood or whatever it is they want to do.

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I Feel Better Today Even Though The Windlass Is Still Broken

I just can't stay that upset. It must seem like I am bipolar. But despite the broken windlass - still a tragedy especially for Mike - things seem better. The anchorage is really nice and we don't have to go anywhere for awhile, so we don't have to use the windlass. We spent the day today fishing, but caught only one bass too small to keep, a disappointment, but hey this is not the only time I have fished and caught nothing, the anchorage was full of dolphins and they took all the good fish. We also went diving for clams, and had great luck with that - we have a whole bag full that will be ready for eating tomorrow in clam spaghetti. We were told by another boat that there were a lot of clams at the beach near here, and that you could dig them up at low tide. We did not want to wait for low tide, so we just put on our snorkel gear and dove for them. I have finally gotten the hang of diving with a snorkel and blowing the water out afterwards so you can take a breath without having to snorkel. I love clams and am very excited to eat them. They are hanging off the side of the boat right now. We also spent quite a bit of time just snorkling. Mike took a lot of pictures and as soon as I have regular internet access I will post some of them.

Last night I had a really complicated dream, a big part of which was me walking through downtown San Diego and realizing I could not remember where I lived. Not just that I couldn't remember how to get there - I could not remember where I lived. I knew I lived somewhere, but that was the extent of it. I knew I had forgotten. I even commented to myself in the dream "What is this, the onset of Alzeimer's?" It was like if you parked your car somewhere and then forgot what kind of car you drove. It was really weird, one of the strangest dreams I have ever had. Maybe I dreamed it because I don't live anywhere anymore, only where the boat is. There was a lot more to the dream, but that was the strangest part.

There really isn't too much more to report. I just wanted to let you all know that I was in better spirits. We are planning to spend pretty much the rest of the month around here, then head the 140 miles or so to Puerto Penasco and then by bus to the US to get a new windlass to bring it back. And then back by bus. Puerto Penasco is about 60 miles from Mexicali/Calexico (I think) so it should be easy to get buses. The windlass will be heavy, but nowhere near the size and weight of the watermaker we shlepped back last time. Then we will get it installed, hopefully have someone look at the engine as well, and then begin the trek down the coast of Mexico to be in El Salvador by the second week in March. At least that is the plan, always subject to change as is everything regarding sailing. Have a great day and I will write again when there is really something to say!

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Life Can Be Really Miserable Even Out Here

No, we didn't run into any more storms. It is worse - our anchor windlass is completely shot and now Mike has to drag the 55 lb anchor and pounds and pounds of heavy chain up by hand. And we are in the middle of nowhere. It totally sucks. In addition, our alternator is acting funny and the spare does not seem to fit the rest of the system. (Mike thinks he may have that fixed it is is acting okay now.) I have to sew up a tear in our biggest, most unwieldy sail, and the engine is still acting funny. This means we are going to have to change our plans and go somewhere that has repair facilities - none of which are less than 100 miles from here. The Copper Canyon trip does not seem possible, and there is a good chance we may lose our $700 deposit, but hopefully I am canceling in time. I am totally discouraged, beat down, and cranky. Mike is doing better but not by much. If one more thing breaks before we can get the already broken things fixed, I may have a nervous breakdown. Oh I forgot - not an option as there is no psychiatric hospital nearby! I guess I forgot that the definition of "cruising" is "fixing your boat in exotic places."

Yesterday's sail was the worst of our lives. I seriously would rather have had a storm. We are in the Midriff Islands, which means there are strong currents all around. And since we are heading north, and have horrible luck, we had an unseasonable north wind, which meant we had to tack back and forth, adding tons of miles to a simple 22 mile sail. AND those currents were against us most of the time, so even with 10-13 knot winds, we were only able to make about 2 knots per hour, and it took us from 9 am to midnight to reach this anchorage. We had to break our cardinal rule and enter a strange anchorage at night - and one with a very narrow entrance channel no less. Thank goodness for our electronic navigation suite - interfaced chartplotter and radar - as we would never have been able to find our way into this narrow channel without it. But we made it, and it is one of the best hurricane holes in the entire sea, so we don't have to leave anytime soon. But there is no internet, only shortwave radio, so communications are difficult. Hopefully we have the true information about the location north of here that supposedly has haulout and repair facilities - the one south of here is not in a good location for weather this time of year. The way to avoid the tropical storms is to be as far north as possible, and Puerto Penasco is about as far north as we can get. But without being able to check the net, it is hard to determine exactly what is there. I just can't seem to stop complaining.

But everything isn't all bad. we saw tons of dolphins, and were escorted along the way for a while by a pod of pilot whales, some of which got very close. So things aren't all bad. This is a nice anchorage with plenty of protection and no rocking and rolling at night from swells rolling in from the sea. We have a generator to charge the batteries if the alternator goes south (the alternator charges the batteries using the engine), our watermaker makes enough water for lots of comforting fresh water washdowns after ocean swimming, and we have plenty of food. The fishing around here is also rumored to be excellent, and we caught a dorado on our hand line that we trailed from the boat. I guess we will survive.

Anyway, I had better end this before I find more things to complain about. Nobody wants to read this crap, that's for sure. I hope you all have a better day than we did yesterday!

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Fish for Dinner!

We are still at Isla Partida and are still the only people here. We haven't even seen a panga. This means we are still swimming naked in the bracing 78 degree water and not wearing clothes when we come up on deck. It is a very freeing feeling and I like it.

The water here is only 78 degrees because of the depth and the currents, which bring cold water from down deep up to the surface. I like it. It is very refreshing and not so much like swimming in a bathtub. After a swim, you stay cooler longer. I like that part especially. And 78 is not really cold - if the water in San Diego got that warm I would have thought I had died and gone to ocean swimming heaven.

Today we decided to go fishing and see if we were going to have fish or pork chops for dinner. I chose pork chops because I didn't have to take them out of the freezer to thaw before determining whether or not we catch a fish. So off we went in the dinghy, to troll along an islet that is almost completely covered in guano. We were a bit concerned because there are so many boobies around, and I have already had the bad experience of having them dive for the lures and getting hooked. But today fate was smiling upon us. No boobies came near the lures. While we were circling the islet, we discovered that besides being a bird nesting grounds, it was also a sea lion rookery. The alpha male was not really pleased to have us there, and let us know in no uncertain terms by barking loudly and aggressively at us. It was a true cacaphony of sea lion noise - angry males, defensive females, and wailing babies. Of course we did not bother them or even try and get to close. I took pictures and I hope they came out well.

We had barely begun to troll when we caught a triggerfish. After taking it off the line, we put the lure back in and almost immediately caught another one. That is enough for dinner tonight - we never try to catch more than one night's dinner. There is not that much room in the freezer, and also it would be greedy. We have never had triggerfish, but the fish book says they are sort of the consistency of lobster tale with a crab-like flavor, which sounds positively delicious. I plan to poach the awesome looking filets in white wine, herbs, and olive oil. Mike did a great job of cleaning them - you have to do it differently than other fish, but luckily we have a book all about Baja fish that tells how to do it. You would have thought Mike had spent his life cleaning triggerfish. We are having the fish with brown basmati rice and canned vegetables zapped up with some chipotle peppers. That is the one problem with cruising - you use up your fresh veggies really fast, because even with those magic green bags they advertise on TV fresh veggies only last so long. We have plenty of fresh poblano peppers (which I use in place of bells), serrano peppers (really hot so they are more of a spice than a veggie), and a few tomatoes left. So canned veggies it is.

The weather here is good so far, but we keep our eyes on the clouds because a chubasco storm (short, angry squall with high winds) can blow up pretty quickly and we have already weathered two of them - one at anchor like we are now and one at sea. I think the one at sea was maybe not a chubasco because it lasted too long and did not rain on us. I think it was a storm, pure and simple. But I am probably splitting hairs in how I define things - either way, I want things to stay calm and peaceful.

Tonight we are having movie night - we have a bunch of DVDs and the way we decide what to watch is to reach in the basket that holds them a draw one. Most of our movies are movies we chose, but some were given to us and we have had some real duds. TOnight we drew "Rebel Without a Cause" - we like that one a lot and are excited to see it again. We tried to watch it last night, but discovered the first half of the DVD contained a documentary about James Dean. By the time that was over and the actual movie was ready to start, we decided to go to bed and leave the actual movie for tonight. If you want to now anything about James Dean just ask me - I now know everything about him. He was not a tortured soul like Montgomery Clift, and had no problems with drugs or alcohol. The accident that killed him was just that, an accident, and not at all his fault.

We have learned a lot about sailing and living out here and all that sort of thing - we both feel much more confident than we did even three months ago. If my nephew decides to come back, he will see that things are different. We are both a lot more relaxed about everything, and even I don't get as nervous and scared as I used to. Mike is more patient as well. We have perfected the art of loading and unloading the dinghy, as well as anchoring and raising the anchor (as long as that windlass keeps working, then all bets are off). We are not planning to leave this anchorage any time soon, at least until we need to go to Bahia De Los Angeles to get more food and stuff. The only commitment we have is to be in Topolobampo by October 10 or so, for our six day trip to the Copper Canyon area. Google it if you are interested - I have been wanting to go there for years and we are doing it with our good friends from Sundancer, which will make it even more fun.

Well, that is it for today. Just another day in paradise for us. I am starting to miss having regular internet access - this is really nice, but I miss regular email. Take care and have a really good day!

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Bird Dreams

And no, I am not talking about Mike and me. Although we have both had really odd dreams at times. I have been dreaming a lot about my family - my mom and dad, and my sisters. Mike had a dream that his father brought a Bengal tiger home. But what I am talking about here is the avian sort of birds. The anchorage we are at now is surrounded by islands and reefs that are home to many, many different kinds of seabirds - gulls, boobies, pelicans, cormorants, ospreys - the list goes on. The vast majority of those birds are diurnal. Yet late at night we can hear them murmuring quietly when we sit out quietly on the deck. Mike decided they were talking in their sleep and dreaming. I think he is right.

There has not been a lot of action since my last post, a post that I am afraid was a bit disjointed or chaotic. But that is how I was feeling. We managed to sail 78 miles in 12 hours or less. That is nothing for a car, but amazing for a cruising sailboat. We had figured that 78 miles would take about 24 hours or so, maybe a little less. Anyway, everything has been peaceful and calm since we got here. The water is a lot colder than it was further south, but it feels really good. It is about 78 degrees as opposed to 90 degrees. It is cooling and refreshing. And because we are totally by ourselves,we can swim naked and go around with no clothes on. So there are no wet bathing suits to dry, and very few things to launder with our five gallon bucket and plunger. Not a bad way to spend September. It is also a little cooler than it has been with less humidity. I am not complaining, believe me.

Last night we had lobster burritos for dinner. We had smoked marlin machaca for breakfast. Mike made some kick-ass salsa from scratch. We have plenty of cold beer and cold water. Our anchor windlass is still working and sounding good. It had been leaking oil, but today there was none to be seen. Our power situation is good - we seem to be using about 5 amp hours per hour, and with that we have a freezer going with ice in it and frozen solid meat. I almost hate to say it, but as I write this, there is not a mechanical problem in sight. I hope I did not jinx anything by saying that. I really think it is not the storms that would make me want to end this lifestyle, but what seems at times like constant mechanical issues. Even with Mike apparently being able to fix absolutely anything, I still get a terrible sinking feeling in my gut when something acts up. But I had better get used to it - I have not met anyone out here who doesn't have the same problems, regardless of the age or type of boat they have.

This will not be a long post, because things are nice and quiet and calm and since I can't post pictures, there is not a lot to talk about. We will be here another day or so, and then head further north. We haven't decided exactly where we will stop next - there is no need at this time for strict schedules. Last time we checked there were no tropical storms on the horizon, and I hope it stays that way. Everyone, everywhere - have a great day!

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Terror on the High Seas

No question of balance here - this last trip was just plain terrifying. It seems like a long time ago now, but it was only the night before last. Sometimes I think sailing was the dumbest idea I ever had and I wonder why Mike let me talk us into it!

We left Santa Rosalia on 9-1 at about 10:30 am. All appeared to be well, and we even had a little wind, so we actually got to sail, instead of just drifting along, or god forbid using the engine. The seas were sort of lumpy and disorganized, but that was just sort of uncomfortable rather than actually problematic. But by two pm we got our first blow. The only good thing was that Mike thought the clouds looked like trouble, so we reefed in the sails, battened everything down, and got ready for whatever was coming. And for the rest of the day and all through the night we battled big winds, heavy seas, and generally unpleasant conditions. It came in two stages. The first part was not so bad - it just caused us to race along, bouncing on the lumpy seas. Then it seemed to calm down, so we shook one reef out of the sails (leaving two in) and sailed along nicely for a little while. The whole time we were surrounded by evil looking clouds with lightning all around us. We were sailing so fast that we knew we would have to pass up our planned anchorage because instead of arriving the next morning, we would be arriving at night, and you never enter an unfamiliar anchorage at night. When night fell, and of course there was no moon, the worst of the storm began. We immediately had to reef up again, and I tore my hands up struggling with the lines. I didn't know anything had happened until I saw the blood later. This all began at 8:55. I know this for sure because I wrote it in the log. The wind howled, the waves batted us around, and we had to run the engine for three hours to avoid being blown on the shore, even though we were at least 12 miles offshore. The autopilot kept us going in the right direction, but it couldn't handle the crabbing, which is when the boat gets pushed sideways even though you are pointed in the right direction. SO Mike had to hand steer. This went on all night. Mike thinks we might have been able to avoid the engine use if our sails had been configured differently, but I am not so sure. I stayed with Mike in the cockpit the whole time, and even managed to fall asleep, which I am sure was pure escapism. (I have noticed a tendency to get sleepy when scary things are happening.) I didn't think we'd die, but I did think we might lose our boat, because the shoreline was nothing but rocks.

We passed our anchorage about midnight - the same anchorage we planned on arriving at in the early morning. Even if it had been light, there was no way we could have anchored in those conditions. So we just kept going. Finally we entered a channel (a channel we discovered later is NOT recommended in bad weather, but our guide did not mention it until a later chapter) and almost immediately the seas calmed, and the wind finally began to die down. By morning, it was absolutely still and we were just drifting. I didn't care - it felt great not to have anything to be afraid of. Mike finally got to get in bed and get some sleep, and while I was sitting in the cockpit watching us go nowhere, I was greeted by a big pod of pilot whales. I have never seen anything so wonderful in my life. One of them came very close, and I took pictures, so I hope they came out well. It was amazing and unbelievable all at the same time.

Right now we are in a beautiful, quiet anchorage and all the drama seems very far away. WHile we were drifting along yesterday, a panga approached our boat, and traded us five huge lobsters for 8 beers, one can of coca-cola (which is what they really wanted, I am thinking about stocking up on it because it is the first thing they ask for in trade) and a bottle of chianti. Mike fixed us an awesome lobster dinner last night - I was too beat to cook. I can't remember the last time I was so physically and mentally exhausted. Mike is a real champ - he stayed up all night, hand steered, made scary decisions, and - oh yes - had to fix our anchor windlass because when we went to anchor, the thing wasn't working properly. We managed to get the anchor down, and then he had to open the thing up, which caused oil to spill all over the deck. I had to get my poor bloody hands in the oil to retrieve all the screws that he took out of the windlass that got drowned in oil. Of course that was the easy job. Mike amazingly figured out what the problem was, and now it is working better than ever, at least for now. Again, I am truly impressed by all he can do. That is why I feel guilty for not making dinner - he even had to do that. He had much more reason than I did to be tired - and after battling a nasty storm, fixing a broken windlass, and being up all night, he still managed to make a gourmet dinner.

We are planning to stay right here at least through tomorrow - and then continue north until we get to Bahia de Los Angeles (BLA in cruiser lingo). There are a number of anchorages between here and there - it is about 30 miles away, which is only a day sail - and we will likely take time and meander our way there if weather permits. We heard a rumor that there are like 50 other boats there - hopefully that is only a rumor, because if it is true, the hurricane hole seven miles away from there would be awfully crowded. In a big group there will always be a percentage of people who have no idea what they are doing, and another group who don't care and think it is everyone else's duty to stay out of their way. I have no desire to play bumper pool in a hurricane, even in the safety of a hurricane hole, so I am hoping it is just a rumor. There is another fairly good hole about 75 miles further north, so if the rumor is true, we will just keep going. Rumors fly like crazy on the cruiser's net, which is the VHF radio broadcasts between boats. Wherever you have a concentration of cruisers, you have a cruiser's net. We are close enough to pull in the one from BLA, but this morning we slept through it.

I am sending this via short wave radio, so I better wrap it up. Think of me the next time you see lightning, hear thunder, and feel strong winds. I believe the winds got up to at least 50 knots. Not my favorite time to sail. But we lived through it, made good decisions, didn't panic, and actually enjoyed some of it (with an emphasis on some of it). As usual, I wish you all a great day!

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