Nov 19, 2012, Monday, Pichilingue to La Paz
We take our time getting started in the morning, reluctant to leave this beautiful harbor. There is a tinge of melancholy because we are coming to the end of this phase of our adventure. I need to leave in a few days and Alan will get to work on all of those projects that did not get finished before we left; installing the water maker and painting the cabin being among the top priorities. I really don’t want to be here during all of that chaos and it will be good to get this ear thing taken care of. During the last weeks we have learned a lot. But it will be January when I get back, leaving only 2 months to get down to Puerto Vallarta, ready to head across the Pacific in March. We are tired of deadlines and rushing from place to place so we have come to a major decision. We have decided to spend another year exploring Mexico and take off for the South Pacific the following year. This means our journey will last longer, but there is no real reason to rush home anyway. And it gives lots of chances for people to come visit us in Mexico before we take off.
And now back to our current journey. We motor very carefully along the twisting channel into La Paz proper and drop anchor just off of the municipal pier in the midst of lots of familiar boats. Once we are settled and secure we take the dingy ashore and spend the evening wandering around La Paz. We find and ATM. We buy Alan a hat. We fail to find a grocery store but do buy some bread and tortillas and eggs. We learn that the mercado is open from 5 am to 3 pm. Eventually we settle at a sidewalk cafe and have a wonderful dinner, shrimp tacos and chiles rellenos this time.
Back at the boat, I make a start at packing. I am not bringing much home, just a few things that did not work out for the boat but that we don’t want to just toss. The wind is blowing and it is much cooler than it has been. I have put the quilt away but the blanket feels good tonight..
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Nov 18, 2012 Sunday, Puerto Pichilingue, Bahia de la Paz
The rest of the night is just as beautiful. Typically, we arrive at the entrance to the bay in the dark and need to stall until dawn. So here we go, up and down beside Isla Spiritos Santos in the dark. There are lights but it is still very dark and we are pretty close to shore. I have it all figured out, exactly how far I need to go until I can turn around and arrive the channel entrance in the daylight. And then, just as I make the turn to head back for the last time, the wind changes from a gentle 7 knots to 16 knots and once again we are flying along. My watch is over and I turn the tiller over to Alan to deal with and crawl into bed. When I get up, the engine is on, the radar is on and we are carefully steering up the channel into the bay.
Once inside, we pick up a light wind and are able to turn the engine off again. We have no reservation for a slip in La Paz and we understand that everything is full so the plan is to drop anchor at one of the outlying coves and send a few emails to see if we can get anything. We want to be close to the center of town so I can get to the airport on Wednesday. We settle on a little place called Pichilingue and drop anchor in crystal clear water around noon. We have the place all to ourselves, except for a few fishermen. Turns out my shy quiet husband is a closet nudist. Off come the clothes at the first hint of warm weather. I had noticed that every time he dove into the ocean from the boat his swim trunks seemed to come off but I had put it down to the fact that he is losing weight. Now the truth is out, he does it on purpose. If there were no one around, he would not even bother to put a swimsuit on. As soon as we are anchored we both dive in. We have not had a shower since we left San Diego but somehow we don’t feel the need for one. I did take a washcloth full of soap into the water with me in Cabo, but other than that, a swim seems to do the trick.
It looks like a restaurant on the beach and there is not much left to eat on board and I have not caught any fish since the giant dorado on the way down, so we unfold the dingy and row ashore. Sure enough, a charming cabana restaurant with friendly staff and cold beer. I am dying for ceviche. The waitress says they don’t have any but the tostado de mixos de mariscos turns out to be almost the same thing. Alan has tacos de pulpos. Both are delicious and now we know we are in paradise. There are a couple of other families on the beach but it is surprisingly quiet for a Sunday afternoon.
Eventually we head back to the boat where Alan settles down to study the charts of La Paz harbor. It is a narrow channel with lots of shallow spots. I am realizing that we were spoiled by 3 years in San Pedro harbor with it’s lovely deep water. We never had to worry about following a channel to get in and out. Since we were surrounded by ocean going tankers, we knew the water was deep. While he is dong that I get on the radio to see if i can contact anyone. I get and answer and find out that the English speaking sailing community has a radio net at 8am where we can get answers to lots of our questions.
The rest of the night is just as beautiful. Typically, we arrive at the entrance to the bay in the dark and need to stall until dawn. So here we go, up and down beside Isla Spiritos Santos in the dark. There are lights but it is still very dark and we are pretty close to shore. I have it all figured out, exactly how far I need to go until I can turn around and arrive the channel entrance in the daylight. And then, just as I make the turn to head back for the last time, the wind changes from a gentle 7 knots to 16 knots and once again we are flying along. My watch is over and I turn the tiller over to Alan to deal with and crawl into bed. When I get up, the engine is on, the radar is on and we are carefully steering up the channel into the bay.
Once inside, we pick up a light wind and are able to turn the engine off again. We have no reservation for a slip in La Paz and we understand that everything is full so the plan is to drop anchor at one of the outlying coves and send a few emails to see if we can get anything. We want to be close to the center of town so I can get to the airport on Wednesday. We settle on a little place called Pichilingue and drop anchor in crystal clear water around noon. We have the place all to ourselves, except for a few fishermen. Turns out my shy quiet husband is a closet nudist. Off come the clothes at the first hint of warm weather. I had noticed that every time he dove into the ocean from the boat his swim trunks seemed to come off but I had put it down to the fact that he is losing weight. Now the truth is out, he does it on purpose. If there were no one around, he would not even bother to put a swimsuit on. As soon as we are anchored we both dive in. We have not had a shower since we left San Diego but somehow we don’t feel the need for one. I did take a washcloth full of soap into the water with me in Cabo, but other than that, a swim seems to do the trick.
It looks like a restaurant on the beach and there is not much left to eat on board and I have not caught any fish since the giant dorado on the way down, so we unfold the dingy and row ashore. Sure enough, a charming cabana restaurant with friendly staff and cold beer. I am dying for ceviche. The waitress says they don’t have any but the tostado de mixos de mariscos turns out to be almost the same thing. Alan has tacos de pulpos. Both are delicious and now we know we are in paradise. There are a couple of other families on the beach but it is surprisingly quiet for a Sunday afternoon.
Eventually we head back to the boat where Alan settles down to study the charts of La Paz harbor. It is a narrow channel with lots of shallow spots. I am realizing that we were spoiled by 3 years in San Pedro harbor with it’s lovely deep water. We never had to worry about following a channel to get in and out. Since we were surrounded by ocean going tankers, we knew the water was deep. While he is dong that I get on the radio to see if i can contact anyone. I get and answer and find out that the English speaking sailing community has a radio net at 8am where we can get answers to lots of our questions.
Nov 17, 2012, Saturday, Los Muertos to Pichilingue
And so on we trek. Despite the strong wind, we are only going 1-2 knots and it is almost impossible to hold a course. Finally Alan decides to turn on the engine to see if we can get back closer to shore where maybe either the wind will be less or the seas calmer, or both. He is starting to get that look he gets when he has not had enough to eat and needs sleep. We are definitely going to stop at Los Muertos for the day to rest. Eventually we get close enough to land that things do calm down. And then they calm to the point that there is now almost no wind and we take down the staysail, too, leaving just the mizzen. Finally I can heat some soup and get a quick nap. Alan finally decides that it is safe to leave me in charge while he gets a nap.
Now we have the problem of time to kill until it is light enough to anchor safely. And so I zigzag my way up the coast, offshore until I come out from behind the lea of the point and hit rough waves again and then inshore until I am too close and then back off shore again. Since the engine is running we have the radar on, which is nice since it is fairly shallow close to shore. The radar uses so much power to run that we usually do not turn it on unless we also have this engine on. This works out pretty well actually because we usually have the engine on when we are going in and out of a harbor or in some kind of tricky situation. There are an amazing number of lights along what we thought was a deserted coastline. Way off in the distance is a glow from Cabo San Lucas. The moon went down about 9pm and the stars are bright as usual. Back and forth I go until eventually I decide that this is a silly waste of gas. It is still four hours till dawn. If we are not going anywhere anyway, we might as well turn off the engine. We drift along until we can see the lights of the anchorage then heave to to wait for the dawn. The minute it is light we turn on the engine, motor in, drop anchor and fall into bed.
The day is spent sleeping, swimming and cleaning up the mess of stuff that crashed. Actually it is not as bad as it seemed last night. There is the usual pile of books and charts and pencils and glasses and small screws and washers that never got put away but everything that was in it’s proper place did just fine. It is lovely and calm here, and hot. We set up the wind scoop over the hatch and the cabin is instantly cooler.
Once we catch up on our sleep we get out the charts and cruising guides and study the next leg. This time we will be prepared for anything. First we realize that we will be going through a narrow channel between and island the the shore. Charlie’s Charts strongly suggests this be done at slack tide. Somehow we had missed that note earlier. Now we need to see if we have functioning tide app on the iPad. OK, low tide at 6:30 pm. We figure a couple of hours to raise anchor, get out of the harbor and around the point so a 3:30 cast off should work. It is going to be another all night sail, ending with another narrow passage into the harbor at La Paz. We would like to get there at dawn. It looks to be about 30 miles. At this point, we have absolutely no average speed to use for estimating, so we just pick 4 kts, randomly. That gives us around 10 hours straight sail and more with tacks. That should get us there in the morning.
After one more round of naps and swims and a big lunch, we set off. Everything is tied down tight. (By the way, the fenders cam through the wild night ride just fine). Food for the night is ready. Thermos is full of hot water. Alan has a plan for exactly what to do with the sails, depending on how much wind we get. At this point is seems useless to try to get a forecast, since they never seem to have any relation to the actual conditions. Much like sailing in the Santa Barbara Channel.
There is almost no wind when we come out of the harbor and around the point. It is a beautiful evening. As we enter the channel we pick up the tide and soon are going at 7 kts. Well this is going to wreck havoc with our careful plans. One thing we did not expect was extra speed but is is early and anything can still happen tonight. Since it is lovely and calm and everything is under control and the engine is on, Alan opts for another nap. The sun sets in a blaze of lovely colors. Little by little the mountains on shore turn to silhouette. There is a new moon following the sun down in the west and the stars are getting brighter. Only thing wrong is the sound of the engine running. Then I feel a puff of air. Gradually, as we pass the end of the island the wind picks up and finally I can turn off the engine. Now it is perfect. Alan wakes up and cooks dinner and we eat together in the cockpit and sing silly songs.
After one more round of naps and swims and a big lunch, we set off. Everything is tied down tight. (By the way, the fenders cam through the wild night ride just fine). Food for the night is ready. Thermos is full of hot water. Alan has a plan for exactly what to do with the sails, depending on how much wind we get. At this point is seems useless to try to get a forecast, since they never seem to have any relation to the actual conditions. Much like sailing in the Santa Barbara Channel.
There is almost no wind when we come out of the harbor and around the point. It is a beautiful evening. As we enter the channel we pick up the tide and soon are going at 7 kts. Well this is going to wreck havoc with our careful plans. One thing we did not expect was extra speed but is is early and anything can still happen tonight. Since it is lovely and calm and everything is under control and the engine is on, Alan opts for another nap. The sun sets in a blaze of lovely colors. Little by little the mountains on shore turn to silhouette. There is a new moon following the sun down in the west and the stars are getting brighter. Only thing wrong is the sound of the engine running. Then I feel a puff of air. Gradually, as we pass the end of the island the wind picks up and finally I can turn off the engine. Now it is perfect. Alan wakes up and cooks dinner and we eat together in the cockpit and sing silly songs.
And so on we trek. Despite the strong wind, we are only going 1-2 knots and it is almost impossible to hold a course. Finally Alan decides to turn on the engine to see if we can get back closer to shore where maybe either the wind will be less or the seas calmer, or both. He is starting to get that look he gets when he has not had enough to eat and needs sleep. We are definitely going to stop at Los Muertos for the day to rest. Eventually we get close enough to land that things do calm down. And then they calm to the point that there is now almost no wind and we take down the staysail, too, leaving just the mizzen. Finally I can heat some soup and get a quick nap. Alan finally decides that it is safe to leave me in charge while he gets a nap.
Now we have the problem of time to kill until it is light enough to anchor safely. And so I zigzag my way up the coast, offshore until I come out from behind the lea of the point and hit rough waves again and then inshore until I am too close and then back off shore again. Since the engine is running we have the radar on, which is nice since it is fairly shallow close to shore. The radar uses so much power to run that we usually do not turn it on unless we also have this engine on. This works out pretty well actually because we usually have the engine on when we are going in and out of a harbor or in some kind of tricky situation. There are an amazing number of lights along what we thought was a deserted coastline. Way off in the distance is a glow from Cabo San Lucas. The moon went down about 9pm and the stars are bright as usual. Back and forth I go until eventually I decide that this is a silly waste of gas. It is still four hours till dawn. If we are not going anywhere anyway, we might as well turn off the engine. We drift along until we can see the lights of the anchorage then heave to to wait for the dawn. The minute it is light we turn on the engine, motor in, drop anchor and fall into bed.
The day is spent sleeping, swimming and cleaning up the mess of stuff that crashed. Actually it is not as bad as it seemed last night. There is the usual pile of books and charts and pencils and glasses and small screws and washers that never got put away but everything that was in it’s proper place did just fine. It is lovely and calm here, and hot. We set up the wind scoop over the hatch and the cabin is instantly cooler.
Once we catch up on our sleep we get out the charts and cruising guides and study the next leg. This time we will be prepared for anything. First we realize that we will be going through a narrow channel between and island the the shore. Charlie’s Charts strongly suggests this be done at slack tide. Somehow we had missed that note earlier. Now we need to see if we have functioning tide app on the iPad. OK, low tide at 6:30 pm. We figure a couple of hours to raise anchor, get out of the harbor and around the point so a 3:30 cast off should work. It is going to be another all night sail, ending with another narrow passage into the harbor at La Paz. We would like to get there at dawn. It looks to be about 30 miles. At this point, we have absolutely no average speed to use for estimating, so we just pick 4 kts, randomly. That gives us around 10 hours straight sail and more with tacks. That should get us there in the morning.
After one more round of naps and swims and a big lunch, we set off. Everything is tied down tight. (By the way, the fenders cam through the wild night ride just fine). Food for the night is ready. Thermos is full of hot water. Alan has a plan for exactly what to do with the sails, depending on how much wind we get. At this point is seems useless to try to get a forecast, since they never seem to have any relation to the actual conditions. Much like sailing in the Santa Barbara Channel.
There is almost no wind when we come out of the harbor and around the point. It is a beautiful evening. As we enter the channel we pick up the tide and soon are going at 7 kts. Well this is going to wreck havoc with our careful plans. One thing we did not expect was extra speed but is is early and anything can still happen tonight. Since it is lovely and calm and everything is under control and the engine is on, Alan opts for another nap. The sun sets in a blaze of lovely colors. Little by little the mountains on shore turn to silhouette. There is a new moon following the sun down in the west and the stars are getting brighter. Only thing wrong is the sound of the engine running. Then I feel a puff of air. Gradually, as we pass the end of the island the wind picks up and finally I can turn off the engine. Now it is perfect. Alan wakes up and cooks dinner and we eat together in the cockpit and sing silly songs.
After one more round of naps and swims and a big lunch, we set off. Everything is tied down tight. (By the way, the fenders cam through the wild night ride just fine). Food for the night is ready. Thermos is full of hot water. Alan has a plan for exactly what to do with the sails, depending on how much wind we get. At this point is seems useless to try to get a forecast, since they never seem to have any relation to the actual conditions. Much like sailing in the Santa Barbara Channel.
There is almost no wind when we come out of the harbor and around the point. It is a beautiful evening. As we enter the channel we pick up the tide and soon are going at 7 kts. Well this is going to wreck havoc with our careful plans. One thing we did not expect was extra speed but is is early and anything can still happen tonight. Since it is lovely and calm and everything is under control and the engine is on, Alan opts for another nap. The sun sets in a blaze of lovely colors. Little by little the mountains on shore turn to silhouette. There is a new moon following the sun down in the west and the stars are getting brighter. Only thing wrong is the sound of the engine running. Then I feel a puff of air. Gradually, as we pass the end of the island the wind picks up and finally I can turn off the engine. Now it is perfect. Alan wakes up and cooks dinner and we eat together in the cockpit and sing silly songs.
Nov. 16, 2012, Friday, Los Frailes to Bahia de Los Muertos
We set out from Los Frailes in the morning after a good night’s sleep, intending to sail straight through to La Paz. Several other boats had weather reports and it sounded good, 15 k winds from the NW, getting lighter in the evening and over the next several days. (We have not quite figured out how to get weather on the radio. We are fine as long as we have internet.) When we got outside the harbor there was a brisk breeze. We set the sails to tack off shore and away we went. We had expected heavy winds so we had the staysail up along with the main and mizzen and settled into our routine of snacks and naps to get us through the next 2 days of sailing. Sometime in the afternoon, Alan decided that the wind was not as strong as he expected and put up the regular jib. For whatever reason he did not take down the staysail so now we had 4 sails up. He just loves to play with the sails, try this one and then that one and various combinations to see what works.
And then, instead of dying down as predicted, the wind began to build, close to 20 knots. Seas were coming at us from all directions. I guess they were not really very big, just short and choppy, but they seemed huge. Of all the sailing issues, I think I dislike swells and waves the most. Either we were rolling wildly from side to side with things in the cabin crashing around or we were plowing nose first into waves that sent sheets of water clear over the deck. At least the water was warm. Good thing, because we were both soaked before I got out our waterproof jackets and pants again.
We were actually still on our carefully plotted course for once and it is more or less time to tack. Unfortunately the new tack is no smoother than the old one. The wind is still howling and the waves are still coming. Of course now it is getting late in the day and we need to do something about the sails before it gets dark. First down comes the main. This involves Alan clawing his way up to the mast while I try to head up into the wind so that he can get the sail down. Once that is done we sail easier but still have 2 jibs up. He finally decides to take the bigger one down, leaving the smaller staysail up. Again he struggles to the bow while I hold the tiller. Only this time it is not just a matter of holding onto the mast and dropping the sail. He has to first loosen the lines and then grab hold of the wildly flapping sail and roll it towards the bowsprit where it gets tied down. We bless our wonderful bow pulpit every time this happens. Finally here we are, new tack towards shore, mizzen and staysail up, winds mostly over 20 knots, crazy waves and it is dark. And oh yeah, we have not eaten since peanut butter sandwiches for lunch. It is impossible to try to cook in this mess. Not only are things sliding all over but the minute I go below I start to get seasick. Out come the power bars. The hot water that I put in the thermos this morning is luke warm but I find some instant coffee packets and at least it is something. Obviously neither one of us is going to get any sleep tonight.
While we had secured thing fairly well before setting out this morning, we had not expected this. Our 4 large fenders sit in front of the cabin, 2 on each side of the mast. We keep thinking that we need to find a better place for them but until the projects are done there is no room. They have never slipped before but with this crazy crashing to all sides I am not sure they will stay. I guess we will find out since there is not much we can do about it now. As far as I can remember, everything else on deck is tied down. Sometime during the dark night there is a loud thunk and a dark object about a foot across flies past. We lost something although I can’t figure out what. (Next day in the daylight the fenders are fine and I can’t find anything missing. I finally decide it was some kind of sea life, a fish or ray, that hit the boat and went flying past)
I am starting to think that we should stop in Los Muertos to rest before we go on to La Paz. If I knew that it was going to be quiet tomorrow so Alan could sleep all day, I would say keep going but I need him to be rested and alert. He needs sleep and food. The next obstacle is going between a large island and the shore.
We set out from Los Frailes in the morning after a good night’s sleep, intending to sail straight through to La Paz. Several other boats had weather reports and it sounded good, 15 k winds from the NW, getting lighter in the evening and over the next several days. (We have not quite figured out how to get weather on the radio. We are fine as long as we have internet.) When we got outside the harbor there was a brisk breeze. We set the sails to tack off shore and away we went. We had expected heavy winds so we had the staysail up along with the main and mizzen and settled into our routine of snacks and naps to get us through the next 2 days of sailing. Sometime in the afternoon, Alan decided that the wind was not as strong as he expected and put up the regular jib. For whatever reason he did not take down the staysail so now we had 4 sails up. He just loves to play with the sails, try this one and then that one and various combinations to see what works.
And then, instead of dying down as predicted, the wind began to build, close to 20 knots. Seas were coming at us from all directions. I guess they were not really very big, just short and choppy, but they seemed huge. Of all the sailing issues, I think I dislike swells and waves the most. Either we were rolling wildly from side to side with things in the cabin crashing around or we were plowing nose first into waves that sent sheets of water clear over the deck. At least the water was warm. Good thing, because we were both soaked before I got out our waterproof jackets and pants again.
We were actually still on our carefully plotted course for once and it is more or less time to tack. Unfortunately the new tack is no smoother than the old one. The wind is still howling and the waves are still coming. Of course now it is getting late in the day and we need to do something about the sails before it gets dark. First down comes the main. This involves Alan clawing his way up to the mast while I try to head up into the wind so that he can get the sail down. Once that is done we sail easier but still have 2 jibs up. He finally decides to take the bigger one down, leaving the smaller staysail up. Again he struggles to the bow while I hold the tiller. Only this time it is not just a matter of holding onto the mast and dropping the sail. He has to first loosen the lines and then grab hold of the wildly flapping sail and roll it towards the bowsprit where it gets tied down. We bless our wonderful bow pulpit every time this happens. Finally here we are, new tack towards shore, mizzen and staysail up, winds mostly over 20 knots, crazy waves and it is dark. And oh yeah, we have not eaten since peanut butter sandwiches for lunch. It is impossible to try to cook in this mess. Not only are things sliding all over but the minute I go below I start to get seasick. Out come the power bars. The hot water that I put in the thermos this morning is luke warm but I find some instant coffee packets and at least it is something. Obviously neither one of us is going to get any sleep tonight.
While we had secured thing fairly well before setting out this morning, we had not expected this. Our 4 large fenders sit in front of the cabin, 2 on each side of the mast. We keep thinking that we need to find a better place for them but until the projects are done there is no room. They have never slipped before but with this crazy crashing to all sides I am not sure they will stay. I guess we will find out since there is not much we can do about it now. As far as I can remember, everything else on deck is tied down. Sometime during the dark night there is a loud thunk and a dark object about a foot across flies past. We lost something although I can’t figure out what. (Next day in the daylight the fenders are fine and I can’t find anything missing. I finally decide it was some kind of sea life, a fish or ray, that hit the boat and went flying past)
I am starting to think that we should stop in Los Muertos to rest before we go on to La Paz. If I knew that it was going to be quiet tomorrow so Alan could sleep all day, I would say keep going but I need him to be rested and alert. He needs sleep and food. The next obstacle is going between a large island and the shore.
Monday, November 19, 2012
Interlude - The mystery of the missing flags
When one is a sailing vessel in foreign waters one is expected to fly the flag of one’s own country and also the flag of the host country. These are called courtesy flags and Alan had climbed up the mast to attach a special pulley and line so that our flags could be raised when appropriate. I had been collecting flags for the countries that we expect to visit for several months. They are not cheep, costing as much as $30 each. I had been searching the internet and checking the shelves at various marine stores while waiting for Alan to complete his next extravagant purchase and had amassed a good supply, although not all of the South Pacific islands. They were kicking around the boat in plastic bags. During one of the last frantic organizing spells, I finally found the perfect container for them. I folded them neatly, all labeled with the name of the country visible and put them ....? Where? That is the question. We both remember me saying “I’ll pt them here with the ... for now, but that is not their real place” Trouble is, we cannot remember where I put them.
Sailing down the coast during the Baja HaHa there were a couple of discussions on the radio about flag educate. Apparently one is to hoist the yellow quarantine flag until cleared by customs and from then on fly the country flag. So when we finally completed all of the paperwork at Cabo on Monday we were ready to get out our Mexican flag and hoist it. Except that we could not find it. Sure that the box would turn up, we went on about our business. The next time we had a free minute we looked again for the flags. No where to be found. Where had I stuffed them? All the obvious places were searched, many of then several times on the theory that they must be someplace. This gradually became a huge issue. One by one nooks and crannies were emptied and repacked. Not only can I not remember where I put them but I also cannot visualize the container I used. This is starting to get personal. I am the queen of organizing. That is what I do; clean up and organize and know where everything is. and how to find it. A long career as a librarian, remember. It has been over a week since we cleared customs in Cabo and tomorrow we have to clear in La Paz. Several storage spaces have been completely emptied and repacked and still no flags. Not in the medicine cabinet. Not in with the beef jerky. Not with the wine or the books. Not in the junk pile behind the head (also called “future projects”). Not even in the engine room or with the cookie stash or in with my underwear.
Tuesday I pack to go home. If they are not found by then, Alan is to go to the tourist shops downtown and buy a cheap mexican flag and hoist it. Maybe, as he eats his way through all the stored food over the next 2 months without me, it will turn up. If not, I guess we will just have to buy a new one every time we get to a new country.
When one is a sailing vessel in foreign waters one is expected to fly the flag of one’s own country and also the flag of the host country. These are called courtesy flags and Alan had climbed up the mast to attach a special pulley and line so that our flags could be raised when appropriate. I had been collecting flags for the countries that we expect to visit for several months. They are not cheep, costing as much as $30 each. I had been searching the internet and checking the shelves at various marine stores while waiting for Alan to complete his next extravagant purchase and had amassed a good supply, although not all of the South Pacific islands. They were kicking around the boat in plastic bags. During one of the last frantic organizing spells, I finally found the perfect container for them. I folded them neatly, all labeled with the name of the country visible and put them ....? Where? That is the question. We both remember me saying “I’ll pt them here with the ... for now, but that is not their real place” Trouble is, we cannot remember where I put them.
Sailing down the coast during the Baja HaHa there were a couple of discussions on the radio about flag educate. Apparently one is to hoist the yellow quarantine flag until cleared by customs and from then on fly the country flag. So when we finally completed all of the paperwork at Cabo on Monday we were ready to get out our Mexican flag and hoist it. Except that we could not find it. Sure that the box would turn up, we went on about our business. The next time we had a free minute we looked again for the flags. No where to be found. Where had I stuffed them? All the obvious places were searched, many of then several times on the theory that they must be someplace. This gradually became a huge issue. One by one nooks and crannies were emptied and repacked. Not only can I not remember where I put them but I also cannot visualize the container I used. This is starting to get personal. I am the queen of organizing. That is what I do; clean up and organize and know where everything is. and how to find it. A long career as a librarian, remember. It has been over a week since we cleared customs in Cabo and tomorrow we have to clear in La Paz. Several storage spaces have been completely emptied and repacked and still no flags. Not in the medicine cabinet. Not in with the beef jerky. Not with the wine or the books. Not in the junk pile behind the head (also called “future projects”). Not even in the engine room or with the cookie stash or in with my underwear.
Tuesday I pack to go home. If they are not found by then, Alan is to go to the tourist shops downtown and buy a cheap mexican flag and hoist it. Maybe, as he eats his way through all the stored food over the next 2 months without me, it will turn up. If not, I guess we will just have to buy a new one every time we get to a new country.
November 15, 2012, Thursday, Los Frailes Bay, Baja California
This was a wonderful lazy day, the first day that actually felt like the dream We slept late and had pancakes for breakfast, Trader Joe’s pumpkin pancakes. Puttered around the boat for a bit and then rowed over to the beach to do some snorkeling. We had heard that there is a coral reef on the other side of the headland and we had considered walking over here but a quick hike up the dunes changed our mind. It was going to be a walk through the scrub brush of at least an hour in the hot sun. So we just swam around the rocky point of this bay. It was beautiful,. The water is clear and warm, so warm. The fish are so tame that I swan right through a school of them and they did not even scatter, just drifted off. I am sorry I don’t know the names of any of them. Guess I need to get a book on mexican fish. Little yellow stripped ones in schools, bright blue ones about as big as a quarter, always alone and close to the bottom. A sea snake, not an eel, black with white stripes around his body snaking in and out of holes in the rocks. A broken fan palm branch hanging in the water is home to dozens of tiny transparent fish hiding in the folds of the leaf. Lots of variations on grey/brown with yellow heads, yellow tails, yellow spots, etc.
Eventually we swam back to the beach, had a picnic and slept on the hot sand. For the first time in my life, I am not trying to get a tan. We are both quite tan enough, thank you and have gotten very little sunburn. The worst problem is Alan’s bald spot. He keeps forgetting to put lotion on it since he can’t see it. There is a cluster of huts up the beach and fishermen bringing their boats in and out but it does not seem worth the energy to walk up there and investigate. After a while we drag the dingy back down to the water and row to the boat. It is truly the most beautiful boat here. A number of other sailors come by in their dingys and comment on how beautiful she is.
Back on board Alan finally gets a haircut. This is my first time using the electric clippers but we figure however it turns out it will be fine. There is no one we are trying to impress any more. On a side note, I am loving my short, short hair and getting envious looks from some of the other women who are struggling with blow dryers and conditioners and various hair clips. I have even gotten compliments from some of the men. Maybe I will start a new trend. Anyway, back to Alan’s haircut. Here we go. Clippers in hand, I start at the back of the neck. Within moments there are long pieces of beautiful red hair blowing al over the deck. Break. We should have cleared everything away and closed the lazaret first. OK, back to work. It goes smoothly for the first few buzzes and then won’t cut. Oh, you did not say I have to stop and clean out the hair. One half is done and I am just getting the swing of it when the clippers stop again. Not caught hair this time. The battery is running low. He looks pretty crazy with half short and half long hair. Guess I can’t stop now. Time for the scissors. Time to find my good sewing scissors. (Maybe I will find the flags while I am at it) I settle on a technique of cutting a patch and then banging the clippers to make them work for a minute to clean it up. Works pretty well and eventually it is done. Nice neat short hair, with just a few uneven patches.
Alan decides it is time for a nap after all that hard work. I hang out on deck and haul up buckets of water to clean off all the hair. As I am finishing I hear lout smacks on the water, like something hitting it hard. I can’t see anything that would be causing such a noise, no racing dingys, no one playing football. Then I see it, a manta ray leaps out of the water and lands with a loud splat, once more, wings flapping, splat. Two jumps and it is gone. I see it a few minutes later way across the bay. But then there is another one right here, and another. For about half and hour I am entertained by leaping rays.
When Alan gets up, we haul up the dingy, fold it flat and lash it to the deck. It actually folds up quickly and easily. It is the unfolding that is difficult. We plan on heading out early tomorrow and sailing straight through to La Paz so everything is picked up or tied down tightly. Dinner is from some more of the rusty cans. After dinner we get out charts and plot a course with possible variations depending on the wind. It is predicted to be moderate and from the NE. That should give us a nice course with a few long tacks.
Early to bed, but what’s new about that. When it gets dark it really gets dark and there is no where to go and nothing to do. Looks like there is a party on one of the other boats but we already put the dingy away.
This was a wonderful lazy day, the first day that actually felt like the dream We slept late and had pancakes for breakfast, Trader Joe’s pumpkin pancakes. Puttered around the boat for a bit and then rowed over to the beach to do some snorkeling. We had heard that there is a coral reef on the other side of the headland and we had considered walking over here but a quick hike up the dunes changed our mind. It was going to be a walk through the scrub brush of at least an hour in the hot sun. So we just swam around the rocky point of this bay. It was beautiful,. The water is clear and warm, so warm. The fish are so tame that I swan right through a school of them and they did not even scatter, just drifted off. I am sorry I don’t know the names of any of them. Guess I need to get a book on mexican fish. Little yellow stripped ones in schools, bright blue ones about as big as a quarter, always alone and close to the bottom. A sea snake, not an eel, black with white stripes around his body snaking in and out of holes in the rocks. A broken fan palm branch hanging in the water is home to dozens of tiny transparent fish hiding in the folds of the leaf. Lots of variations on grey/brown with yellow heads, yellow tails, yellow spots, etc.
Eventually we swam back to the beach, had a picnic and slept on the hot sand. For the first time in my life, I am not trying to get a tan. We are both quite tan enough, thank you and have gotten very little sunburn. The worst problem is Alan’s bald spot. He keeps forgetting to put lotion on it since he can’t see it. There is a cluster of huts up the beach and fishermen bringing their boats in and out but it does not seem worth the energy to walk up there and investigate. After a while we drag the dingy back down to the water and row to the boat. It is truly the most beautiful boat here. A number of other sailors come by in their dingys and comment on how beautiful she is.
Back on board Alan finally gets a haircut. This is my first time using the electric clippers but we figure however it turns out it will be fine. There is no one we are trying to impress any more. On a side note, I am loving my short, short hair and getting envious looks from some of the other women who are struggling with blow dryers and conditioners and various hair clips. I have even gotten compliments from some of the men. Maybe I will start a new trend. Anyway, back to Alan’s haircut. Here we go. Clippers in hand, I start at the back of the neck. Within moments there are long pieces of beautiful red hair blowing al over the deck. Break. We should have cleared everything away and closed the lazaret first. OK, back to work. It goes smoothly for the first few buzzes and then won’t cut. Oh, you did not say I have to stop and clean out the hair. One half is done and I am just getting the swing of it when the clippers stop again. Not caught hair this time. The battery is running low. He looks pretty crazy with half short and half long hair. Guess I can’t stop now. Time for the scissors. Time to find my good sewing scissors. (Maybe I will find the flags while I am at it) I settle on a technique of cutting a patch and then banging the clippers to make them work for a minute to clean it up. Works pretty well and eventually it is done. Nice neat short hair, with just a few uneven patches.
Alan decides it is time for a nap after all that hard work. I hang out on deck and haul up buckets of water to clean off all the hair. As I am finishing I hear lout smacks on the water, like something hitting it hard. I can’t see anything that would be causing such a noise, no racing dingys, no one playing football. Then I see it, a manta ray leaps out of the water and lands with a loud splat, once more, wings flapping, splat. Two jumps and it is gone. I see it a few minutes later way across the bay. But then there is another one right here, and another. For about half and hour I am entertained by leaping rays.
When Alan gets up, we haul up the dingy, fold it flat and lash it to the deck. It actually folds up quickly and easily. It is the unfolding that is difficult. We plan on heading out early tomorrow and sailing straight through to La Paz so everything is picked up or tied down tightly. Dinner is from some more of the rusty cans. After dinner we get out charts and plot a course with possible variations depending on the wind. It is predicted to be moderate and from the NE. That should give us a nice course with a few long tacks.
Early to bed, but what’s new about that. When it gets dark it really gets dark and there is no where to go and nothing to do. Looks like there is a party on one of the other boats but we already put the dingy away.
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Nov 14, 2012 Wednesday, Los Frailes, Baja California.
Finally it is time, we tack and head back to shore. The motion is easier this way, but now we are only making 1-2 knots of speed. I have been watching some lights in the distance for a while, thinking they are fishing boats. Eventually I figure out that the flashing one is a shore light and we are heading straight for it, although it is still quite a way off. We are 9 miles from our destination. It is 3 hours till dawn. We are going about 2 kts so that is about right, except that we cannot point in the right direction. We keep heading towards the shore, rather than parallel to it. We are going to have to tack and head back out to sea again. Don’t want to do that. Finally we decide to start the engine and drop the jib. It sky is gradually lightening, we can start to make out the shoreline. There is our destination, a small cluster of lights. As it get brighter we see about a dozen boast anchored there. We drop anchor about 7am and tumble into bed.
We spend a lazy day, sleeping and swimming and straightening up form the overnight sail. Listening to radio chatter. There is a party tonight on one of the other boats. Someone has made a huge bowl of ceviche that they want to share. During the afternoon other Haha boats start to arrive and by party time there are 20 or more boats in the little bay. Everyone crowds on to the party boat, a beautiful catamaran. Stories of the sail up are exchanged and everyone talks about where they are going next.
Back at the boat, we get out our charts and plot our course for La Paz. We will spend one more day here and then sail straight through to La Paz. We have to get there by Tuesday so that I can catch my flight home on Wednesday. Alan is gong to stay with the boat and work on all of those projects that never got done. I have to go back and have 28 days of radiation for an enlarged blood vessel in my neck right by my ear. We found out about this a couple of months before we left. At first the doctors said that it would be fine to just watch it and not treat it right away, but they wanted me to come in for an MRI every 6 months. After several more discussions, CAT scans and doctor visits, we decided that we might as well get it taken care of now and then we would not have to worry about it any more. It is not malignant, although it is called a glomus tumor, and it is not causing any problems now. But if it suddenly starts to grow fast I could loose my hearing and lots of other bad stuff. So I will be home for the holidays after all and all alone. Invite me to all of your parties
Finally it is time, we tack and head back to shore. The motion is easier this way, but now we are only making 1-2 knots of speed. I have been watching some lights in the distance for a while, thinking they are fishing boats. Eventually I figure out that the flashing one is a shore light and we are heading straight for it, although it is still quite a way off. We are 9 miles from our destination. It is 3 hours till dawn. We are going about 2 kts so that is about right, except that we cannot point in the right direction. We keep heading towards the shore, rather than parallel to it. We are going to have to tack and head back out to sea again. Don’t want to do that. Finally we decide to start the engine and drop the jib. It sky is gradually lightening, we can start to make out the shoreline. There is our destination, a small cluster of lights. As it get brighter we see about a dozen boast anchored there. We drop anchor about 7am and tumble into bed.
We spend a lazy day, sleeping and swimming and straightening up form the overnight sail. Listening to radio chatter. There is a party tonight on one of the other boats. Someone has made a huge bowl of ceviche that they want to share. During the afternoon other Haha boats start to arrive and by party time there are 20 or more boats in the little bay. Everyone crowds on to the party boat, a beautiful catamaran. Stories of the sail up are exchanged and everyone talks about where they are going next.
Back at the boat, we get out our charts and plot our course for La Paz. We will spend one more day here and then sail straight through to La Paz. We have to get there by Tuesday so that I can catch my flight home on Wednesday. Alan is gong to stay with the boat and work on all of those projects that never got done. I have to go back and have 28 days of radiation for an enlarged blood vessel in my neck right by my ear. We found out about this a couple of months before we left. At first the doctors said that it would be fine to just watch it and not treat it right away, but they wanted me to come in for an MRI every 6 months. After several more discussions, CAT scans and doctor visits, we decided that we might as well get it taken care of now and then we would not have to worry about it any more. It is not malignant, although it is called a glomus tumor, and it is not causing any problems now. But if it suddenly starts to grow fast I could loose my hearing and lots of other bad stuff. So I will be home for the holidays after all and all alone. Invite me to all of your parties
Nov 13, 2012, Tuesday Cabo San Lucas to Los Frailes
Last night we carefully planned our trip to Los Frailes. It is about 40 miles up the coast. If we can do 4 mph that is 10 hours. Then add an extra 5 hours of time spent tacking back and forth because the wind will be coming from the north, the direction that we want to go. So 15 hours, maybe more if the wind is light and we go slower. We do not want to get into a strange anchorage in the dark. So rather than get up early in the morning and race to get there before dark, we decide to leave later and sail al night.
We weigh anchor about 11am, just as a Carnival cruise ship is coming in and anchoring right next to us. There is quite a strong wind blowing as we head out of the harbor but the super strong winds of that past 2 days are supposed to die down today. We motor out past the point and raise the sails. Ah, it is nice to be underway again. As predicted, there is a light wind coming from the north west, so we tack offshore. My turn to steer. This is a different kind of sailing from the downwind flapping that we experienced last week, a nice reach that moves us along nicely, for a while. And then it dies and not only are we going in the wrong direction but we are loosing ground. This is one of the many parts of sailing that drives me crazy. We keep thinking that if we can just get beyond the next point we will pick up some wind.
Finally, after 2-3 hours on not getting anywhere, Alan gives up and starts the engine. And so here we go, motoring up the coast. There are hotels along the coast for quite a way and then another town. After that nothing but brown hills. I take a nap, then it is my watch and Alan sleeps. The sun goes down and little by little the wind picks up. The sails are set all wrong for this wind but I am not sure that I want try to reset them by myself. It will require securing the tiller while I leave the cockpit to reset the main and jib sails. I can’t turn the engine off until the sails are reset. So I adjust course the best I can and wait for Alan to wake up. I want him to sleep as long as he can because he has the first night watch.
Finally he is up and we get the sails reset and the engine off. When he plots our position we realize that because we had had the motor on for so long we are probably going to get to Los Frailes about midnight, just what we did not want to do. New plan. Since the wind is blowing us to the east, we will just sail in that direction for a few hours. Then when we have killed enough time we will turn and head back and get there just at dawn. The wind keeps getting stronger and stronger and the sea is really messy, no big rolling swells but waves going every which way. The Sea of Cortez is a long narrow body of water and the waves have nowhere to go, so when they meet the shore they bounce back into the middle again and pretty soon you have a mess, sort of like a bathtub with 2 grandboys in it.
After dinner it is my turn to sleep but it is really hard to get any sleep with the boat bouncing all over the place like this. I give it up after a couple of hours and go out to the cockpit to see if Alan would like a break. The wind is up to almost 20 knots and he is having a great time. Good, because there is no way I am gong to take over this mess. Now that I am up, it is time to lower the main sail. We have found that she sails better and almost as fast with just the jib and mizzen and taking the main down all together is actually easier than trying to reef it. This makes it easier to sail but Alan has decided that he is just going to stay up as long as it is blowing like this. So much for the light winds that were predicted. Oddly, our speed is only about 3 knots, even though the wind gage shows gusts over 20. It is actually a beautiful clear and warm night. We keep reminding ourselves that we are just wasting time until it is close enough to dawn to turn for shore. Believe it or not, I am not only not scared but actually enjoying it myself.
Last night we carefully planned our trip to Los Frailes. It is about 40 miles up the coast. If we can do 4 mph that is 10 hours. Then add an extra 5 hours of time spent tacking back and forth because the wind will be coming from the north, the direction that we want to go. So 15 hours, maybe more if the wind is light and we go slower. We do not want to get into a strange anchorage in the dark. So rather than get up early in the morning and race to get there before dark, we decide to leave later and sail al night.
We weigh anchor about 11am, just as a Carnival cruise ship is coming in and anchoring right next to us. There is quite a strong wind blowing as we head out of the harbor but the super strong winds of that past 2 days are supposed to die down today. We motor out past the point and raise the sails. Ah, it is nice to be underway again. As predicted, there is a light wind coming from the north west, so we tack offshore. My turn to steer. This is a different kind of sailing from the downwind flapping that we experienced last week, a nice reach that moves us along nicely, for a while. And then it dies and not only are we going in the wrong direction but we are loosing ground. This is one of the many parts of sailing that drives me crazy. We keep thinking that if we can just get beyond the next point we will pick up some wind.
Finally, after 2-3 hours on not getting anywhere, Alan gives up and starts the engine. And so here we go, motoring up the coast. There are hotels along the coast for quite a way and then another town. After that nothing but brown hills. I take a nap, then it is my watch and Alan sleeps. The sun goes down and little by little the wind picks up. The sails are set all wrong for this wind but I am not sure that I want try to reset them by myself. It will require securing the tiller while I leave the cockpit to reset the main and jib sails. I can’t turn the engine off until the sails are reset. So I adjust course the best I can and wait for Alan to wake up. I want him to sleep as long as he can because he has the first night watch.
Finally he is up and we get the sails reset and the engine off. When he plots our position we realize that because we had had the motor on for so long we are probably going to get to Los Frailes about midnight, just what we did not want to do. New plan. Since the wind is blowing us to the east, we will just sail in that direction for a few hours. Then when we have killed enough time we will turn and head back and get there just at dawn. The wind keeps getting stronger and stronger and the sea is really messy, no big rolling swells but waves going every which way. The Sea of Cortez is a long narrow body of water and the waves have nowhere to go, so when they meet the shore they bounce back into the middle again and pretty soon you have a mess, sort of like a bathtub with 2 grandboys in it.
After dinner it is my turn to sleep but it is really hard to get any sleep with the boat bouncing all over the place like this. I give it up after a couple of hours and go out to the cockpit to see if Alan would like a break. The wind is up to almost 20 knots and he is having a great time. Good, because there is no way I am gong to take over this mess. Now that I am up, it is time to lower the main sail. We have found that she sails better and almost as fast with just the jib and mizzen and taking the main down all together is actually easier than trying to reef it. This makes it easier to sail but Alan has decided that he is just going to stay up as long as it is blowing like this. So much for the light winds that were predicted. Oddly, our speed is only about 3 knots, even though the wind gage shows gusts over 20. It is actually a beautiful clear and warm night. We keep reminding ourselves that we are just wasting time until it is close enough to dawn to turn for shore. Believe it or not, I am not only not scared but actually enjoying it myself.
Nov 12, 2012, Monday, Cabo San Lucas
Monday morning, time to take care of immigration paperwork. Everything goes smoothly today, although not quickly. Walk up the street to one office. Stand in line. Fill out forms. Pay money. Walk back up the street the other way to a different office and do the same thing again. Everyone is very nice and we run into several other Haha sailors dong the same thing. Eventually it is all done and we are officially in the country. We get a quick lunch, buy a few groceries and back to the boat one last time. Tomorrow we leave Cabo.
It is an odd city that reminds us a lot of Cancun. Fancy hotels, restaurants and shopping malls along the beach and a sleepy little mexican village behind. Everything new and not particularly well done. Loud music and party boats everywhere. Street vendors and cheap drinks. Sports fishing is much more important here than sailing and our 100+ boats make barely a dent in the daily life. We will be glad to leave it behind.
Monday morning, time to take care of immigration paperwork. Everything goes smoothly today, although not quickly. Walk up the street to one office. Stand in line. Fill out forms. Pay money. Walk back up the street the other way to a different office and do the same thing again. Everyone is very nice and we run into several other Haha sailors dong the same thing. Eventually it is all done and we are officially in the country. We get a quick lunch, buy a few groceries and back to the boat one last time. Tomorrow we leave Cabo.
It is an odd city that reminds us a lot of Cancun. Fancy hotels, restaurants and shopping malls along the beach and a sleepy little mexican village behind. Everything new and not particularly well done. Loud music and party boats everywhere. Street vendors and cheap drinks. Sports fishing is much more important here than sailing and our 100+ boats make barely a dent in the daily life. We will be glad to leave it behind.
Nov 11, 2012, Sunday, Cabo San Lucas
We are not going to be able to go ashore today. The dingy motor is electric and solar powered and it takes forever to recharge. We had a full day of blazing sun and it was still only at 70% We need to get hold of the company and see if they can offer a more efficent charging panel. Meanwhile, we are just going to stay on the boat all day and let it charge.
So here we are at the bottom end of Baja California, 1,000 miles from home. Somehow we made it and not only that but won first place. If it had not been for the Haha we would still be sitting at home working on one more project. I wish it had not been such a fast pace. It does not seem like we got to see anything on the way down. Our idea of the sailing life was no deadlines, just go where the wind takes us. So far it has been nothing but deadlines and destinations; cast off, sail day and night, anchor and party and off again. On the other hand, we have a lot of new friends that we will be meeting again all over the pacific during the next few years. We know how to use the radio. We have learned a lot about how to sail Rhapsody. We know that we can sail at least 4 days non-stop. And we are here, started on our new adventure.
We are not going to be able to go ashore today. The dingy motor is electric and solar powered and it takes forever to recharge. We had a full day of blazing sun and it was still only at 70% We need to get hold of the company and see if they can offer a more efficent charging panel. Meanwhile, we are just going to stay on the boat all day and let it charge.
So here we are at the bottom end of Baja California, 1,000 miles from home. Somehow we made it and not only that but won first place. If it had not been for the Haha we would still be sitting at home working on one more project. I wish it had not been such a fast pace. It does not seem like we got to see anything on the way down. Our idea of the sailing life was no deadlines, just go where the wind takes us. So far it has been nothing but deadlines and destinations; cast off, sail day and night, anchor and party and off again. On the other hand, we have a lot of new friends that we will be meeting again all over the pacific during the next few years. We know how to use the radio. We have learned a lot about how to sail Rhapsody. We know that we can sail at least 4 days non-stop. And we are here, started on our new adventure.
Nov 10, 2012, Sat, Cabo San Lucas
The official offices are closed today so immigration and customs will have to wait until Monday. Today’s project is the internet. A long hot walk up the street to the Telcel office and another long wait in their air conditioned office and we are set. Everything is working fine, we just needed to put more money on it. Apparently we ned to do this once a month, find a Telcel office and put more money on. We walk back toward the beach and settle in an ice cream store in a mall and spend the afternoon checking the internet, reading e-mail and updating the blog until it is time for the final Baja Haha awards party.
The parking lot of the marina office has been set up with chairs and as the sun goes down, the crews from all 100+ boats gather. One by one each division is called up. Everyone gets a prize with special recognition for first and second place. When our group is called we go expecting to be among the also rans. One by one, each boat is named and no Rhapsody. Suddenly they are announcing 2nd place. We turn to each other in amazement as Rhapsody is announced as first place winner! We have no idea how we did it. It does not seem possible. Alan is is a daze of glory. First time he has ever won anything.
And so it is time to say goodbye to the Haha and head back to the boat.
The official offices are closed today so immigration and customs will have to wait until Monday. Today’s project is the internet. A long hot walk up the street to the Telcel office and another long wait in their air conditioned office and we are set. Everything is working fine, we just needed to put more money on it. Apparently we ned to do this once a month, find a Telcel office and put more money on. We walk back toward the beach and settle in an ice cream store in a mall and spend the afternoon checking the internet, reading e-mail and updating the blog until it is time for the final Baja Haha awards party.
The parking lot of the marina office has been set up with chairs and as the sun goes down, the crews from all 100+ boats gather. One by one each division is called up. Everyone gets a prize with special recognition for first and second place. When our group is called we go expecting to be among the also rans. One by one, each boat is named and no Rhapsody. Suddenly they are announcing 2nd place. We turn to each other in amazement as Rhapsody is announced as first place winner! We have no idea how we did it. It does not seem possible. Alan is is a daze of glory. First time he has ever won anything.
And so it is time to say goodbye to the Haha and head back to the boat.
Monday, November 12, 2012
Nov 9, 2012, Cabo San Lucas.
We are here. We made it. I send off a spot but the internet still will not work. Hopefully we can figure that out today. The morning projects are to unfold the dingy, put up the solar panels, put up an awning for shade and then go to town to take care of the customs/immigration paperwork. It was possible to pay $50 in San diego for someone to take care of all the Mexican paperwork for you but we decided to do it ourselves. We figured that we will have to do it a lot over the next several years and we might as well learn how it is done here, where we have lots of help from other people. As you might expect, all of the getting ready took until after noon. We finally launched the dingy, rounded up all of our paperwork and took off.
First stop, the marina office to get a map and directions on where to go. The waterfront of Cabo is a combination of american style luxury condos and shopping plazas and unfinished projects and taco stands and souvenir shops. We promptly got lost. Bu the time we found the customs office it was closed. Office hours are 8-1, M-F. This is Friday which means we can’t do anything until Monday. At least we tried. Back to the dingy and on to the Haha party on the beach. Margaritas and tacos and friends from other boats. Some are heading back, some are going on. The party ends with the From Here to Eternity kissing contest in the surf. Yes, we entered and no we did not win. Coming from LA, I am finding it hard to believe how warm the water is, 75-80 degrees.
We headed back to the boat early and once again were in bed before 9. The sun goes down about 6 and once it is down, it is really dark. It will be interesting to see if we keep this pattern of going to bed early. I have always been an early to bed person, but Alan typically stayed up till midnight and slept as late as possible. I think he is just adjusting to a new life.
We are here. We made it. I send off a spot but the internet still will not work. Hopefully we can figure that out today. The morning projects are to unfold the dingy, put up the solar panels, put up an awning for shade and then go to town to take care of the customs/immigration paperwork. It was possible to pay $50 in San diego for someone to take care of all the Mexican paperwork for you but we decided to do it ourselves. We figured that we will have to do it a lot over the next several years and we might as well learn how it is done here, where we have lots of help from other people. As you might expect, all of the getting ready took until after noon. We finally launched the dingy, rounded up all of our paperwork and took off.
First stop, the marina office to get a map and directions on where to go. The waterfront of Cabo is a combination of american style luxury condos and shopping plazas and unfinished projects and taco stands and souvenir shops. We promptly got lost. Bu the time we found the customs office it was closed. Office hours are 8-1, M-F. This is Friday which means we can’t do anything until Monday. At least we tried. Back to the dingy and on to the Haha party on the beach. Margaritas and tacos and friends from other boats. Some are heading back, some are going on. The party ends with the From Here to Eternity kissing contest in the surf. Yes, we entered and no we did not win. Coming from LA, I am finding it hard to believe how warm the water is, 75-80 degrees.
We headed back to the boat early and once again were in bed before 9. The sun goes down about 6 and once it is down, it is really dark. It will be interesting to see if we keep this pattern of going to bed early. I have always been an early to bed person, but Alan typically stayed up till midnight and slept as late as possible. I think he is just adjusting to a new life.
Nov 8, 2012 at sea to CAbo San Lucas
When I get up for my 1am watch the engine is on again. The air is warm. The stars are so bright there is no need for a moon and the water is full of phosphorescent stars playing with the reflections of the overhead stars.
The water is flat calm. With the motor on we can use the autopilot to stay on course so I just need to keep a lookout for other boats and read. A tiny bottle of energy drink from the 99 cent store keeps me alert for 4 hours as promised. I was not sure about these but they seem to work just fine. Wish I had gotten more. We do pass a number of brightly lit fishing boats and I can see the lights of other sailboats in the distance around us.
Thursday morning there is still no wind. Since we have the engine on we are staying on course. Last day at sea. The radio is full of chatter about docking in Cabo San Lucas. The Baja Haha is arranging for slips for boats that want them. Since it is going to be $60/night we decided to save the money and anchor. As the discussions go on we are really glad we made that choice. Boats will be packed in 3 deep, tied to each other and end to end. The people on the outside boat will have to walk across the other 2 to get on and off. Sounds way too cozy to me.
All day it is still and hot with just enough breeze to fill the sails but not enough to give any speed so the engine stays on. I am starting to worry about gas, but Alan checks and calculates and says we are fine. . I get to work scrubbing the fish blood from last night off the deck and doing a general clean up. Given how big the fish was, there is surprisingly little blood. As the day goes on it gets hotter and hotter and there is no shade except down below. Somehow some of the buckets of water for cleaning the decks get dumped on each other and soon clothes come off. This is the dream, well except for the part that there is no wind.
Typically, the wind comes up late in the afternoon, just as we are almost there and would prefer to have it calm. About 5pm we round the cape and come in the harbor of Cabo San Lucas. There in front of us in the giant Disney cruise boat that we had last seen in San Pedro. The wind is really blowing now but we get the sails down and drop anchor with the rest of the fleet. There is a party ashore but we are too tired. We have a quick dinner and tumble into bed together.
When I get up for my 1am watch the engine is on again. The air is warm. The stars are so bright there is no need for a moon and the water is full of phosphorescent stars playing with the reflections of the overhead stars.
The water is flat calm. With the motor on we can use the autopilot to stay on course so I just need to keep a lookout for other boats and read. A tiny bottle of energy drink from the 99 cent store keeps me alert for 4 hours as promised. I was not sure about these but they seem to work just fine. Wish I had gotten more. We do pass a number of brightly lit fishing boats and I can see the lights of other sailboats in the distance around us.
Thursday morning there is still no wind. Since we have the engine on we are staying on course. Last day at sea. The radio is full of chatter about docking in Cabo San Lucas. The Baja Haha is arranging for slips for boats that want them. Since it is going to be $60/night we decided to save the money and anchor. As the discussions go on we are really glad we made that choice. Boats will be packed in 3 deep, tied to each other and end to end. The people on the outside boat will have to walk across the other 2 to get on and off. Sounds way too cozy to me.
All day it is still and hot with just enough breeze to fill the sails but not enough to give any speed so the engine stays on. I am starting to worry about gas, but Alan checks and calculates and says we are fine. . I get to work scrubbing the fish blood from last night off the deck and doing a general clean up. Given how big the fish was, there is surprisingly little blood. As the day goes on it gets hotter and hotter and there is no shade except down below. Somehow some of the buckets of water for cleaning the decks get dumped on each other and soon clothes come off. This is the dream, well except for the part that there is no wind.
Typically, the wind comes up late in the afternoon, just as we are almost there and would prefer to have it calm. About 5pm we round the cape and come in the harbor of Cabo San Lucas. There in front of us in the giant Disney cruise boat that we had last seen in San Pedro. The wind is really blowing now but we get the sails down and drop anchor with the rest of the fleet. There is a party ashore but we are too tired. We have a quick dinner and tumble into bed together.
Nov 7, 2012, at sea, Bahia Santa Maria
After a windy night, the morning was still and calm. Up at 5, radio net at 6 and the fleet was underway at 7, with absolutely no wind. All day we motored along down the coast. For once we mostly kept up with the group, although the bigger boats with bigger engines and bigger fuel tanks gradually began to pull ahead. Late in the afternoon we finally got enough of a breeze to put the sails up and turn the engine off for a while.
As the sun goes down and it starts to get dark, I decide to clean the deck for the night. I have had a fishing line out all day with no luck. No one seems to be catching anything. Speculation is that the water is too warm, it is close to 80 degrees. As I start to pull the line in to put it away I realize that there is a fish on it! I have no idea how long it has been there. As I start pulling, it is seems really big. Alan was sleeping and comes on deck half awake and half dressed when I start yelling. When I finally pull it to the back of the boat and start to hoist it up, I realize that this is a really big fish. I can hardly lift it. It is now full dark. Thank heavens the autopilot is steering the boat. There is hardly any room to move on the back of the boat. The mizzen sail is up so we have to keep ducking under the boom. Finally we pull it aboard. It is indeed huge, at least by our standards, 44”. We think it is a dorado. In the flashlight it is all yellow and green, with a sail fin on it’s back. Now what? First find the spray bottle of booze. Forget spraying, just dump it into the gills. It works, giant fish is now lying quietly in the cockpit. It is really too big for the 2 of us to eat and it won’t keep in this weather but I am not going to throw it back. First take a picture (which unfortunately did not come out). Cut off it’s head. Hang it by the tail over the bucket to let the blood drain out. Now cut it into frying pan sized pieces. There is a lot of fish here. Some gets fried for dinner, some made into ceviche and some cooked and deboned for sandwiches tomorrow. The rest I am sorry to say goes over board. We both stuff ourselves on fish. It has a really sweet flavor.
After dinner it is Alan’s watch, my turn to sleep
After a windy night, the morning was still and calm. Up at 5, radio net at 6 and the fleet was underway at 7, with absolutely no wind. All day we motored along down the coast. For once we mostly kept up with the group, although the bigger boats with bigger engines and bigger fuel tanks gradually began to pull ahead. Late in the afternoon we finally got enough of a breeze to put the sails up and turn the engine off for a while.
As the sun goes down and it starts to get dark, I decide to clean the deck for the night. I have had a fishing line out all day with no luck. No one seems to be catching anything. Speculation is that the water is too warm, it is close to 80 degrees. As I start to pull the line in to put it away I realize that there is a fish on it! I have no idea how long it has been there. As I start pulling, it is seems really big. Alan was sleeping and comes on deck half awake and half dressed when I start yelling. When I finally pull it to the back of the boat and start to hoist it up, I realize that this is a really big fish. I can hardly lift it. It is now full dark. Thank heavens the autopilot is steering the boat. There is hardly any room to move on the back of the boat. The mizzen sail is up so we have to keep ducking under the boom. Finally we pull it aboard. It is indeed huge, at least by our standards, 44”. We think it is a dorado. In the flashlight it is all yellow and green, with a sail fin on it’s back. Now what? First find the spray bottle of booze. Forget spraying, just dump it into the gills. It works, giant fish is now lying quietly in the cockpit. It is really too big for the 2 of us to eat and it won’t keep in this weather but I am not going to throw it back. First take a picture (which unfortunately did not come out). Cut off it’s head. Hang it by the tail over the bucket to let the blood drain out. Now cut it into frying pan sized pieces. There is a lot of fish here. Some gets fried for dinner, some made into ceviche and some cooked and deboned for sandwiches tomorrow. The rest I am sorry to say goes over board. We both stuff ourselves on fish. It has a really sweet flavor.
After dinner it is Alan’s watch, my turn to sleep
Nov 6, 2012, Tuesday, anchored in Bahia Santa Maria, Baja California
Now that we are close to shore the internet should work. That is what I was told. There is a Telcel signal but no internet connection. The best I can do is send a spot so that they will know we are OK and keep writing. Actually, the writing is also a problem I can’t write when we are at sea, it is too bouncy and there is too much going on. So I am always behind. It takes about 2 hours to write one day, which is about as long as a full battery charge lasts. The batteries can not be charged with the 12 v system which we use for the phones and ipads. I have to plug in a special inverter that uses more battery power. If and when we get internet, it will not be on my computer, only on Alan’s. Alan’s computer however, will not charge from the inverter but must be charged when the engine is actually running. We have the world’s biggest tangle of wires and cables and antennas and electronic stuff and still can’t communicate. What I am going to have to do is write on mine and save to a flash drive and then use that to upload to the blog, if I ever get access.
Anyway, this is a beautiful and almost deserted bay, just a few fishing shacks. Once again we get a ponga to the beach rather than open up the new dingy. This is a really flat beach, warm water. The party is up on the cliffs. There is no shade except a few small tents that have been set up. We can’t help but notice that it is the Canadians that are hogging all the shade and complaining about the heat. I am glad it if finally warm enough to take off the long johns. Margaritas, beer, music and food, all brought in by the local fishing community from somewhere up river about 30 miles. There is much less a sense of being the animals in the zoo this time. There are a few locals watching us but not nearly as many as last time. Everyone has stories about the last leg of sailing and several crew members are changing boats.
After lunch we take a walk down the beach. It is so beautiful and quiet. We are in a wide flat estuary at the mouth of a small river. The tide is out and the beach is covered with shore birds looking for food. I find sand dollars and then clams, not clam shells but actual closed up clams, just barely covered by the water. Too good to be true. I fill Alan’s pockets with them, not sure if we should eat them or not. Back at the party I ask the women who cooked the lunch if they are good to eat and the agree that they are.
Back at the boat, a little pasta, a splash of wine, steamed clams, coffee and cookies. What could be better?
After dinner we checked and potted our course for tomorrow. Even if everything goes perfect and we manage to stay on course with good speed, we won’t get in until dusk on Thurs. Knowing our track record it will probably be later than that.
The bay is just beautiful. Every boat has a light on the top of the mast and there are no other lights anywhere for miles. I feel like I am in a field of stars. It is hard to tell what is sky and what is water and what is land.
After such a lovely evening the wind blows hard most of the night, 20-25 kts. Thank heavens for our fancy new anchor and all the anchor practice we did at catalina last year. We sleep without a worry.
Now that we are close to shore the internet should work. That is what I was told. There is a Telcel signal but no internet connection. The best I can do is send a spot so that they will know we are OK and keep writing. Actually, the writing is also a problem I can’t write when we are at sea, it is too bouncy and there is too much going on. So I am always behind. It takes about 2 hours to write one day, which is about as long as a full battery charge lasts. The batteries can not be charged with the 12 v system which we use for the phones and ipads. I have to plug in a special inverter that uses more battery power. If and when we get internet, it will not be on my computer, only on Alan’s. Alan’s computer however, will not charge from the inverter but must be charged when the engine is actually running. We have the world’s biggest tangle of wires and cables and antennas and electronic stuff and still can’t communicate. What I am going to have to do is write on mine and save to a flash drive and then use that to upload to the blog, if I ever get access.
Anyway, this is a beautiful and almost deserted bay, just a few fishing shacks. Once again we get a ponga to the beach rather than open up the new dingy. This is a really flat beach, warm water. The party is up on the cliffs. There is no shade except a few small tents that have been set up. We can’t help but notice that it is the Canadians that are hogging all the shade and complaining about the heat. I am glad it if finally warm enough to take off the long johns. Margaritas, beer, music and food, all brought in by the local fishing community from somewhere up river about 30 miles. There is much less a sense of being the animals in the zoo this time. There are a few locals watching us but not nearly as many as last time. Everyone has stories about the last leg of sailing and several crew members are changing boats.
After lunch we take a walk down the beach. It is so beautiful and quiet. We are in a wide flat estuary at the mouth of a small river. The tide is out and the beach is covered with shore birds looking for food. I find sand dollars and then clams, not clam shells but actual closed up clams, just barely covered by the water. Too good to be true. I fill Alan’s pockets with them, not sure if we should eat them or not. Back at the party I ask the women who cooked the lunch if they are good to eat and the agree that they are.
Back at the boat, a little pasta, a splash of wine, steamed clams, coffee and cookies. What could be better?
After dinner we checked and potted our course for tomorrow. Even if everything goes perfect and we manage to stay on course with good speed, we won’t get in until dusk on Thurs. Knowing our track record it will probably be later than that.
The bay is just beautiful. Every boat has a light on the top of the mast and there are no other lights anywhere for miles. I feel like I am in a field of stars. It is hard to tell what is sky and what is water and what is land.
After such a lovely evening the wind blows hard most of the night, 20-25 kts. Thank heavens for our fancy new anchor and all the anchor practice we did at catalina last year. We sleep without a worry.
Nov 5, 2012 Monday, at sea, 25.28N 113.19W
My shift began at 2am. The moon is up and Alan is looking very tired. Check the course, adjust the sails. He is off to bed and I am sailing alone through a beautiful night, lots of stars, bright moon, rolling seas but not too big, strong wind. I have finally figured out the system for logging our position every hour. Find logbook and pencil. Find flashlight. Find GPS and turn it on. Scroll through the screens to find the data I need. Put GPS down. Hold flashlight in teeth while writing info in log book. Put flashlight down. Check course and adjust position. Pick up GPS and go to next screen. Hold flashlight in teeth... You get the picture. The course is one that I can steer without too much difficulty but I can’t take my eyes off of it for even a minute, so when I have to log our position we drift off course. Alan had set the wind vane but about 1/2 hour after I came on watch, it popped out and I could never get it set back so no auto tiller for me. Since I can’t read or write I entertain myself by singing and looking at the moon and stars and listening to chatter on the radio from other boats. Apparently there is a group of them close together and close to the finish line and they are trading locations to be sure no one runs into anyone. From time to time there is a light in the distance from another boat but no one comes close.
Somehow 4 hours pass. I am bored but not sleepy soI let Alan sleep as long as he can When he gets up it is time for the morning radio roll call to see where everyone is and be sure everyone is OK. Alan takes the log book to plot our track and compare it to the course that we plotted before we left. Unfortunately, during the night, despite my best efforts, we had drifted well to the west. We need to sail east and south to get to Bahia Santa Maria and we need to get there before dark. Because of the wind direction, if we sail east we don’t go south and when we sail south we get pushed to the west. We spent the day trying different tacks and different sail combinations and taking turns napping. Eventually in the afternoon we started the engine. According to the radio chatter other boats were having the same problem. We finally arrived about 5pm, along with 2 other boats. We found a spot to drop anchor, cleaned up and picked up all of the stuff that had accumulated over the past 2 days, had dinner and went to bed. We are definitely not the party animals of the fleet.
My shift began at 2am. The moon is up and Alan is looking very tired. Check the course, adjust the sails. He is off to bed and I am sailing alone through a beautiful night, lots of stars, bright moon, rolling seas but not too big, strong wind. I have finally figured out the system for logging our position every hour. Find logbook and pencil. Find flashlight. Find GPS and turn it on. Scroll through the screens to find the data I need. Put GPS down. Hold flashlight in teeth while writing info in log book. Put flashlight down. Check course and adjust position. Pick up GPS and go to next screen. Hold flashlight in teeth... You get the picture. The course is one that I can steer without too much difficulty but I can’t take my eyes off of it for even a minute, so when I have to log our position we drift off course. Alan had set the wind vane but about 1/2 hour after I came on watch, it popped out and I could never get it set back so no auto tiller for me. Since I can’t read or write I entertain myself by singing and looking at the moon and stars and listening to chatter on the radio from other boats. Apparently there is a group of them close together and close to the finish line and they are trading locations to be sure no one runs into anyone. From time to time there is a light in the distance from another boat but no one comes close.
Somehow 4 hours pass. I am bored but not sleepy soI let Alan sleep as long as he can When he gets up it is time for the morning radio roll call to see where everyone is and be sure everyone is OK. Alan takes the log book to plot our track and compare it to the course that we plotted before we left. Unfortunately, during the night, despite my best efforts, we had drifted well to the west. We need to sail east and south to get to Bahia Santa Maria and we need to get there before dark. Because of the wind direction, if we sail east we don’t go south and when we sail south we get pushed to the west. We spent the day trying different tacks and different sail combinations and taking turns napping. Eventually in the afternoon we started the engine. According to the radio chatter other boats were having the same problem. We finally arrived about 5pm, along with 2 other boats. We found a spot to drop anchor, cleaned up and picked up all of the stuff that had accumulated over the past 2 days, had dinner and went to bed. We are definitely not the party animals of the fleet.
Nov 4, 2012 Sunday, at sea
After a difficult night watch trying to stay on course, it is a beautiful morning. The weather is getting noticeably warmer. After breakfast, alan gets to work with ropes and pulleys and creates a system to stop the sail from crashing around when we are on a downwind tack. It is officially called a “preventer”. Wow, what a difference. No more crashing at the slightest miscalculation or wind shift.
We are out of sight of land but see other boats off in the distance from time to time. Another day and another night of sailing along, writing down our latitude and longitude every hour and checking the chart to see how we are doing.
After a difficult night watch trying to stay on course, it is a beautiful morning. The weather is getting noticeably warmer. After breakfast, alan gets to work with ropes and pulleys and creates a system to stop the sail from crashing around when we are on a downwind tack. It is officially called a “preventer”. Wow, what a difference. No more crashing at the slightest miscalculation or wind shift.
We are out of sight of land but see other boats off in the distance from time to time. Another day and another night of sailing along, writing down our latitude and longitude every hour and checking the chart to see how we are doing.
Nov 3, 2012, Saturday, Turtle Bay, Baja California
One by one, all the boats are coming to life, weighing anchor and heading out of the bay. It is so beautiful to see 130 sail boats raise sails and sail off. There is very little wind and everyone drifts around trying to find a good course. Quite a few decided to keep the engine on but we turn ours off. We are determined to stay with the fleet today and not get way out to sea all by ourselves. Unfortunately as usual, the wind does not blow directly to where we want to sail so we are back to balancing. Steer one way and the sails flap and go crashing to the other side, jibe. Steer the other way and we race along, fast but off course. Alan cannot get the wind vane set so it is what they call hand sailing all the way. Alan is actually having a wonderful time with all of this wind. Actually, I am enjoying it too. I am finally getting a chance to sail, to learn the boat and how the wind and sails work together. My muscles are less sore than I expected. I am making a point of pulling with my stomach muscles, not my back and twisting and stretching whenever possible.
I have not been seasick up until now. I put on one of the patches the first night and I have been fine. But it is really rough today and I am starting to feel sort of woozy so I dig through the medicine cabinet for another patch. On it goes and I am fine. These things are amazing. It is another day and night like the others; taking turns sailing and sleeping, eating at some kind of regular intervals, listening to the chatter on the radio. Watch schedule is supposed to be me from 1-5am, Alan from 5-9am, me from 9-1pm,
Alan from 1-5pm, me from 5-9 pm and Alan from 9-1am. We are not following it exactly but it gives us something to go by.
Alan decided in San Diego that there was no point in buying ice for the icebox, so any fish we catch must be eaten right away. Lots of other boats are catching fish today, including someone who caught a 7’ shark but I don’t really feel like fish tonight. Think we will have mac and cheese. There is nothing much in the icebox except drinks and cheese. We bought a lot of cheese on the theory that it would keep. One by one, each package has been put into tupperware and tossed into the ice box. Most of them are doing fairly well but there is a huge hunk of brie that Alan bought at Costco that is getting very ripe. The smell is adding to my problems. Glad when it is my turn to sleep.
One by one, all the boats are coming to life, weighing anchor and heading out of the bay. It is so beautiful to see 130 sail boats raise sails and sail off. There is very little wind and everyone drifts around trying to find a good course. Quite a few decided to keep the engine on but we turn ours off. We are determined to stay with the fleet today and not get way out to sea all by ourselves. Unfortunately as usual, the wind does not blow directly to where we want to sail so we are back to balancing. Steer one way and the sails flap and go crashing to the other side, jibe. Steer the other way and we race along, fast but off course. Alan cannot get the wind vane set so it is what they call hand sailing all the way. Alan is actually having a wonderful time with all of this wind. Actually, I am enjoying it too. I am finally getting a chance to sail, to learn the boat and how the wind and sails work together. My muscles are less sore than I expected. I am making a point of pulling with my stomach muscles, not my back and twisting and stretching whenever possible.
I have not been seasick up until now. I put on one of the patches the first night and I have been fine. But it is really rough today and I am starting to feel sort of woozy so I dig through the medicine cabinet for another patch. On it goes and I am fine. These things are amazing. It is another day and night like the others; taking turns sailing and sleeping, eating at some kind of regular intervals, listening to the chatter on the radio. Watch schedule is supposed to be me from 1-5am, Alan from 5-9am, me from 9-1pm,
Alan from 1-5pm, me from 5-9 pm and Alan from 9-1am. We are not following it exactly but it gives us something to go by.
Alan decided in San Diego that there was no point in buying ice for the icebox, so any fish we catch must be eaten right away. Lots of other boats are catching fish today, including someone who caught a 7’ shark but I don’t really feel like fish tonight. Think we will have mac and cheese. There is nothing much in the icebox except drinks and cheese. We bought a lot of cheese on the theory that it would keep. One by one, each package has been put into tupperware and tossed into the ice box. Most of them are doing fairly well but there is a huge hunk of brie that Alan bought at Costco that is getting very ripe. The smell is adding to my problems. Glad when it is my turn to sleep.
Sunday, November 11, 2012
November 2, 2012, Friday, Bahia de las Tortugas
It is so nice to sleep a whole night straight through. I was up about 7 to catch up with my blog entries. 7:30, turned on the SSB radio to listen to the morning net. Nothing. Tried again at 8, thinking maybe they were letting people sleep in. Still nothing. Sometime after 9 I realized that I could hear radio chatter coming from the other boats. I went out to the cockpit and turned on the VHF radio and there they were, half way through the roll call. Apparently someone had reported in for us because we were not among the missing. Only one boat was unaccounted for. We were all told in no uncertain terms to always check in when we arrive. While this was going on I got out the iPad with the telcel sim card that was supposed to let us communicate in Mexico. It worked, abeit very slowly. There was facebook and I was able to get off a quick post to let everyone know where we are.
The party is at noon on the beach, potluck. I had not really thought ahead about potluck dishes but I had some cheese that was not going to keep much longer and some crackers that had not yet been unwrapped and so were presumable still fresh. Looks like there will not be time to unfold the dingy and explore the village. Time to get Alan up. Breakfast. Put on the solar panels. The frapping on the rope holding the main sheet is wearing thin and Alan wants to fix it before we go to the party since we leave at 8am tomorrow. The bay is full of pongas going from boat to boat offering rides to the party site so as soon as we were ready we flagged one down and climbed aboard. After several stops at other boats to collect more passengers, we were off for the beach, racing along with the spray flying.
The people from the village had set up tents, tables and chairs and were selling beer, tacos, ceveche and jewelry. As the afternoon went on more and more of the local people arrived in their pick ups. Soon there was a long row of trucks lined up along the road full of people from the village just watching the crazy boat people as if they were at a soccer match. I could not help but wonder what they thought about all of this.
The beach party was like all beach parties; music, food, beer, silly games. The grill was loaded with all of the extra fish that had been caught on the way down, huge slabs of really fresh tuna. The best part was meeting and talking to people from other boats. I had been hearing their radio chatter for 3 days, now I could put faces to names and boat names. Gradually I came to realize that everyone had had the same problems that we had; no wind, wind from the wrong direction, etc. We were not the last ones in and we definitely were not the only ones to use the motor. Only 5-6 of 130 boats had actually managed to sail the whole way.
As the party was winding down a small group of us gathered on the sand for a quick yoga session, then it was time to pack up and climb aboard a ponga for a ride back. The boat we chose was carrying a trumpet player from one of the other boats who serenaded us all the way back.
It is so nice to sleep a whole night straight through. I was up about 7 to catch up with my blog entries. 7:30, turned on the SSB radio to listen to the morning net. Nothing. Tried again at 8, thinking maybe they were letting people sleep in. Still nothing. Sometime after 9 I realized that I could hear radio chatter coming from the other boats. I went out to the cockpit and turned on the VHF radio and there they were, half way through the roll call. Apparently someone had reported in for us because we were not among the missing. Only one boat was unaccounted for. We were all told in no uncertain terms to always check in when we arrive. While this was going on I got out the iPad with the telcel sim card that was supposed to let us communicate in Mexico. It worked, abeit very slowly. There was facebook and I was able to get off a quick post to let everyone know where we are.
The party is at noon on the beach, potluck. I had not really thought ahead about potluck dishes but I had some cheese that was not going to keep much longer and some crackers that had not yet been unwrapped and so were presumable still fresh. Looks like there will not be time to unfold the dingy and explore the village. Time to get Alan up. Breakfast. Put on the solar panels. The frapping on the rope holding the main sheet is wearing thin and Alan wants to fix it before we go to the party since we leave at 8am tomorrow. The bay is full of pongas going from boat to boat offering rides to the party site so as soon as we were ready we flagged one down and climbed aboard. After several stops at other boats to collect more passengers, we were off for the beach, racing along with the spray flying.
The people from the village had set up tents, tables and chairs and were selling beer, tacos, ceveche and jewelry. As the afternoon went on more and more of the local people arrived in their pick ups. Soon there was a long row of trucks lined up along the road full of people from the village just watching the crazy boat people as if they were at a soccer match. I could not help but wonder what they thought about all of this.
The beach party was like all beach parties; music, food, beer, silly games. The grill was loaded with all of the extra fish that had been caught on the way down, huge slabs of really fresh tuna. The best part was meeting and talking to people from other boats. I had been hearing their radio chatter for 3 days, now I could put faces to names and boat names. Gradually I came to realize that everyone had had the same problems that we had; no wind, wind from the wrong direction, etc. We were not the last ones in and we definitely were not the only ones to use the motor. Only 5-6 of 130 boats had actually managed to sail the whole way.
As the party was winding down a small group of us gathered on the sand for a quick yoga session, then it was time to pack up and climb aboard a ponga for a ride back. The boat we chose was carrying a trumpet player from one of the other boats who serenaded us all the way back.
Nov 1, 2012, Thursday, at sea 28.32N 116.06W
Another long dark night followed by a gloomy morning. We check in on the radio net. Lots of boats are already anchored in Turtle Bay. There is to be a discussion of the party and activities in Turtle Bay on the VHF radio this afternoon but we are too far out of range to hear it. Around noon we turn on the engine and finally make it into the bay and anchor about 6:00, sunset.
We have finished the first leg! Dinner is fresh mackerel, Trader Joe’s cornbread and champagne.
So here we are a lot has settled down, a lot still to learn. This business of not being able to hold the course when the wind is downwind has got to be sorted out. Logging our position every hour has gotten routine. Enough food has been eaten that there is starting to be room in the cupboards although there is still too much stuff floating around the cabin.Despite alot of ups and downs, we are learning again how to work and live together.
Bed time.
Another long dark night followed by a gloomy morning. We check in on the radio net. Lots of boats are already anchored in Turtle Bay. There is to be a discussion of the party and activities in Turtle Bay on the VHF radio this afternoon but we are too far out of range to hear it. Around noon we turn on the engine and finally make it into the bay and anchor about 6:00, sunset.
We have finished the first leg! Dinner is fresh mackerel, Trader Joe’s cornbread and champagne.
So here we are a lot has settled down, a lot still to learn. This business of not being able to hold the course when the wind is downwind has got to be sorted out. Logging our position every hour has gotten routine. Enough food has been eaten that there is starting to be room in the cupboards although there is still too much stuff floating around the cabin.Despite alot of ups and downs, we are learning again how to work and live together.
Bed time.
Oct 31, 2012, at sea, 30.31N 116.41W
When I come on deck, for my watch it is stormy looking with a good wind and rolling seas. It seems to be impossible to keep the main sail from crashing from side to side. Finally we just take it down and go along with the jib and mizzen. Once again I am hand steering, only it is not so much fun any more. With all the crashings, neither one of us is getting much sleep.
The day never really warms up and there is still a strong wind. There is also discussion of a “tropical disturbance” and possible squalls. We turn the power on for a couple of hours to try to get back with the rest of the fleet. Finally there is a sail way off in the distance which I follow as long as I can. The moon comes up an hour later every night so there are 2 hours of darkness between sunset and moonrise tonight. It is really dark.
When I come on deck, for my watch it is stormy looking with a good wind and rolling seas. It seems to be impossible to keep the main sail from crashing from side to side. Finally we just take it down and go along with the jib and mizzen. Once again I am hand steering, only it is not so much fun any more. With all the crashings, neither one of us is getting much sleep.
The day never really warms up and there is still a strong wind. There is also discussion of a “tropical disturbance” and possible squalls. We turn the power on for a couple of hours to try to get back with the rest of the fleet. Finally there is a sail way off in the distance which I follow as long as I can. The moon comes up an hour later every night so there are 2 hours of darkness between sunset and moonrise tonight. It is really dark.
Oct 30, 2012 Tuesday at sea
1am, my watch. It is cold. Time to put on the layers, tights and t-shirt for the first layer, then fleece pants and jacket followed by deep sea overalls and my LA County Fair high point jacket. Woolly hat, fuzzy mittens and my japanese sock/shoes. Over all this goes the safety harness which clips onto the safety line. Nice and cozy. The only problem is that I have to take it all off to go to the bathroom. Technically I don’t get to go to the bathroom while I am on watch anyway. Once I am all suited up I crawl over to the cockpit to relieve Alan. He has the wind vane set so I should not have to do much but watch for other boats. It is so beautiful with the full moon. The wind vane is not really holding the right course so I end up hand steering all night. It is hard work but also a chance for me to finally start to get a feel for how to balance wind and sail. Of course the direction that I am supposed to go is not the direction that the wind wants to take me. 5am, I am relieved and fall into bed.
Morning brings our first roll call at sea. The Baja Haha has a roll call on the radio every morning to check in with everyone, see where they are and be sure there are no problems. It turns out we are way offshore, away from all of the other boats. So the day is spent with Alan fussing with the wind vane, trying to get it to hold the right course so we don’t have to steer every minute. He gets it right for a while and then loses it. Meanwhile, it is still cool. A couple of layers come off but most of the day is spent in fleece jacket and pants. We have a large school of dolphins with us during the afternoon. Once they are gone I throw out the fishing line and within 1/2 hour we catch a fish, a yellow fin tuna. That’s our dinner tonight. We get the wind vane to hold for long enough to eat dinner together in the cabin. Time for me to sleep and Alan to watch
Sleep is not nearly so restful tonight. The wind has picked up, along with some swells and the sails keep crashing from side to side with a loud crash as he tries to hold a course downwind. At one point he decides to change the course to hopefully bring us back closer to the rest of the fleet. This is accomplished with much crashing and grinding of winches. The cabin acts like a sounding board and amplifies every noise on deck. Eventually we will get used to the normal noises of sailing but right now every one sounds like something is wrong.
1am, my watch. It is cold. Time to put on the layers, tights and t-shirt for the first layer, then fleece pants and jacket followed by deep sea overalls and my LA County Fair high point jacket. Woolly hat, fuzzy mittens and my japanese sock/shoes. Over all this goes the safety harness which clips onto the safety line. Nice and cozy. The only problem is that I have to take it all off to go to the bathroom. Technically I don’t get to go to the bathroom while I am on watch anyway. Once I am all suited up I crawl over to the cockpit to relieve Alan. He has the wind vane set so I should not have to do much but watch for other boats. It is so beautiful with the full moon. The wind vane is not really holding the right course so I end up hand steering all night. It is hard work but also a chance for me to finally start to get a feel for how to balance wind and sail. Of course the direction that I am supposed to go is not the direction that the wind wants to take me. 5am, I am relieved and fall into bed.
Morning brings our first roll call at sea. The Baja Haha has a roll call on the radio every morning to check in with everyone, see where they are and be sure there are no problems. It turns out we are way offshore, away from all of the other boats. So the day is spent with Alan fussing with the wind vane, trying to get it to hold the right course so we don’t have to steer every minute. He gets it right for a while and then loses it. Meanwhile, it is still cool. A couple of layers come off but most of the day is spent in fleece jacket and pants. We have a large school of dolphins with us during the afternoon. Once they are gone I throw out the fishing line and within 1/2 hour we catch a fish, a yellow fin tuna. That’s our dinner tonight. We get the wind vane to hold for long enough to eat dinner together in the cabin. Time for me to sleep and Alan to watch
Sleep is not nearly so restful tonight. The wind has picked up, along with some swells and the sails keep crashing from side to side with a loud crash as he tries to hold a course downwind. At one point he decides to change the course to hopefully bring us back closer to the rest of the fleet. This is accomplished with much crashing and grinding of winches. The cabin acts like a sounding board and amplifies every noise on deck. Eventually we will get used to the normal noises of sailing but right now every one sounds like something is wrong.
Oct 29, 2012, Monday, San Diego, CA
Everyone is up. Last trash dump. Turn in keys and say good-bye. One by one, engines are started and boats head down the channel. The radio comes to life and now we know that the radio works just fine. Wave to the cameras, single file past the committee boat, blow horns, ring bells. It is a beautiful day. Our first official radio roll call to see who is actually going. A couple of boats have left early there are some who are having problems and will catch up later. The official start time is 11:00 am. 10 minutes, 5 minutes, there is the gun! It is the America’s Cup rifle starting us off. 130 boats head out to sea past Point Loma. WOW!
Since there is not much wind a rolling start is called which means you can keep your engine on with no penalty. Even so, spinnakers start to fly. It is so beautiful. Rhapsody holds her own. We have no spinnaker but still manage to move along nicely. They keep saying this is not a race just a fun cruise but you know how sailors are and there will be prizes. Everyone is to keep track of how many minutes they sail and how many minutes they use the engine. One of the categories is for any boat that makes it all the way under sail alone, no engine except for coming into port and anchoring. We are hopping to be in that group.
People start to catch fish, yellow fin tuna and dorado. There are excited announcements over the radio. We are told to take pictures and measure it before cutting it up to eat. Dolphins come and play around the boats. All of a sudden we are in a fog bank. It is fascinating to see it ooze across the water. One by one the other boats disappear. We can only see a half dozen of the closest ones. Then even those are gone. We are all alone, sailing along with white on every side. Then, just as gradually, the fog lifts, or we sail out of it and there is the rest of the fleet. The wind is still very light and getting lighter but we are determined not to turn on the engine. On and on we go in a very light wind. Gradually the fleet spreads out. Some keep their engines on. Some head way out to sea to try to catch some wind. Late in the afternoon, a small bird lands on the boat. it hangs out for a while, resting its wings and going for a ride, then takes off again.
At 6pm the sun sets with a beautiful sunset and at the same time an enormous full moon rises. It is absolutely beautiful, only thing missing is warm weather. As the sun sets it gets cooler and cooler Time to dig out our woolies. We have figured out a watch schedule. Alan will steer from 9pm till 1 am while I sleep and then I will take the watch from 1-5 am while he sleeps. So after dinner I am off to bed where I fall asleep almost at once.
Everyone is up. Last trash dump. Turn in keys and say good-bye. One by one, engines are started and boats head down the channel. The radio comes to life and now we know that the radio works just fine. Wave to the cameras, single file past the committee boat, blow horns, ring bells. It is a beautiful day. Our first official radio roll call to see who is actually going. A couple of boats have left early there are some who are having problems and will catch up later. The official start time is 11:00 am. 10 minutes, 5 minutes, there is the gun! It is the America’s Cup rifle starting us off. 130 boats head out to sea past Point Loma. WOW!
Since there is not much wind a rolling start is called which means you can keep your engine on with no penalty. Even so, spinnakers start to fly. It is so beautiful. Rhapsody holds her own. We have no spinnaker but still manage to move along nicely. They keep saying this is not a race just a fun cruise but you know how sailors are and there will be prizes. Everyone is to keep track of how many minutes they sail and how many minutes they use the engine. One of the categories is for any boat that makes it all the way under sail alone, no engine except for coming into port and anchoring. We are hopping to be in that group.
People start to catch fish, yellow fin tuna and dorado. There are excited announcements over the radio. We are told to take pictures and measure it before cutting it up to eat. Dolphins come and play around the boats. All of a sudden we are in a fog bank. It is fascinating to see it ooze across the water. One by one the other boats disappear. We can only see a half dozen of the closest ones. Then even those are gone. We are all alone, sailing along with white on every side. Then, just as gradually, the fog lifts, or we sail out of it and there is the rest of the fleet. The wind is still very light and getting lighter but we are determined not to turn on the engine. On and on we go in a very light wind. Gradually the fleet spreads out. Some keep their engines on. Some head way out to sea to try to catch some wind. Late in the afternoon, a small bird lands on the boat. it hangs out for a while, resting its wings and going for a ride, then takes off again.
At 6pm the sun sets with a beautiful sunset and at the same time an enormous full moon rises. It is absolutely beautiful, only thing missing is warm weather. As the sun sets it gets cooler and cooler Time to dig out our woolies. We have figured out a watch schedule. Alan will steer from 9pm till 1 am while I sleep and then I will take the watch from 1-5 am while he sleeps. So after dinner I am off to bed where I fall asleep almost at once.
October 28, 2012, Sunday, Cabrillo Isle Marina, San Diego
Last day in port. A day of final meetings and parties. Projects are done. Everything put away. There is no way anything is going to come loose. Not because it is stowed so well but because everything is crammed in so tight it cannot move. The new dingy is folded flat and tied onto the top of cabin. One last trip to the pool and hot tub.
This is it. I am excited and nervous and ready for bed. It’s been a long month since we cast off from Wilmington.
Last day in port. A day of final meetings and parties. Projects are done. Everything put away. There is no way anything is going to come loose. Not because it is stowed so well but because everything is crammed in so tight it cannot move. The new dingy is folded flat and tied onto the top of cabin. One last trip to the pool and hot tub.
This is it. I am excited and nervous and ready for bed. It’s been a long month since we cast off from Wilmington.
Oct 27, 2012, Saturday, Cabrillo Isle marina, San Diego
The shuttle is taking people to the grocery stores this morning, Von’s and Trader Joe’s. Even though there is very little place to put things, I can’t resist a last trip to TJ’s. It turns out Alan considers it essential to have cookies with our after dinner decaf. An hour later I have 5 bags full of irresistible things to add to our already bulging lockers, waiting for the shuttle to take me back to the boat.
Remember several days back when Alan was running an electrical wire down from the mast? Well, that project is still going on, so everything that I took out of the food cupboard looking for the leak is still out until he finally finishes running the wire all the way to the control panel at the back of the cabin. Finally, finally, finally it is done and I can start putting everything away again
I realize that I am becoming sort of obsessive/compulsive about putting things away. There is just not enough room to have anything sitting around and as fast as I get an area organized it is all torn apart for another project. It seems like i am constantly picking up and putting away. This has lead to not a few upsets but hopefully as we settle into living on the boat we will both learn where things go and keep them put away.
The shuttle is taking people to the grocery stores this morning, Von’s and Trader Joe’s. Even though there is very little place to put things, I can’t resist a last trip to TJ’s. It turns out Alan considers it essential to have cookies with our after dinner decaf. An hour later I have 5 bags full of irresistible things to add to our already bulging lockers, waiting for the shuttle to take me back to the boat.
Remember several days back when Alan was running an electrical wire down from the mast? Well, that project is still going on, so everything that I took out of the food cupboard looking for the leak is still out until he finally finishes running the wire all the way to the control panel at the back of the cabin. Finally, finally, finally it is done and I can start putting everything away again
I realize that I am becoming sort of obsessive/compulsive about putting things away. There is just not enough room to have anything sitting around and as fast as I get an area organized it is all torn apart for another project. It seems like i am constantly picking up and putting away. This has lead to not a few upsets but hopefully as we settle into living on the boat we will both learn where things go and keep them put away.
October 26, Friday, Cabrillo Isle Marina, San Diego.
There are 3 seminars today, one on rigging and one on Puerto Vallarta at West Marine and one on stormy weather at Downwind in the evening. And today is the day that the dingy should be delivered. I am delegated to go to the first 2 seminars and take notes while Alan collects the dingy and puts it in the water. Then we will meet for dinner before the final seminar.
The first seminar on rigging is, of course, all about things that break when you are hundreds of miles from land and what to do about it, complete with examples of gear that is cracked, broken or bent. It also includes all the latest high tech stuff that they just happen to have for sale in the store. I take frantic notes for Alan, not understanding more that half of what is said but convinced that we need to completely replace everything. When I go over my notes with him later, it turns out that he already knew all of this stuff and Rhapsody is in fine shape. Most of the problems apply to the modern boats with aluminum masts and stainless steel fittings where galvanic corrosion sets in. We have wood masts and hand forged bronze fittings and they are strong as the day they were made. I thought he preferred the brass or bronze fittings for the look. turns out it is also for the strength and safety. Let’s hear it for old school, classic boats.
Second seminar is supposed to be about sailing the Sea of Cortex and the west coast of Mexico. It turns out to be mostly about Paradise Village Marina and hotel in Puerto Vallarta. It actually sounds like a wonderful place to stay before we leave for the South Pacific. Any chance any of you could come and visit us there in early March?
While I have been doing seminars, Alan has collected the dingy. So I head on over to the dock to meet him. He has it all put together, the motor is on and he is just about ready for a test drive. It is cute. Sort of round, very plastic, quite stable. We need a name for it. Keeping to the musical theme, I have been thinking about Scherzo, although now that I see it I like Rondo better. Possibly B flat? Any ideas? Anyway, time for the test drive. He reaches for the key and ... Oh No!! He forgot the key. What to do? What to do? We finally decide to call the shuttle driver and ask him if he can take Alan back to the boat and wait while he gets the key and then bring him back again. This is the free shuttle that West Marine has for the fleet so were not sure if they would pick up from someplace else.. Luckily the driver was glad to help so Lan went off to get the key while I investigated happy hours. I found a lovely pub just up the street where their 1/2 price appetizers were big enough for dinner for 2. Alan made it back with the key in time for food and a beer before the last seminar of the day.
This seminar is all about storms and what to do, complete with pictures. Lots of the horror stories came from the Fastnet race several years ago where people were just not prepared for the horrible storm that blew up unexpectedly. Once again, Alan has done a wonderful job preparing and we have all of the safety equipment that we need. Admittedly we have not done enough drills but if the weather stays as lovely as it is right now, we can do them on the way down.
End of the seminar, off we go to the new dingy and back across the bay to Rhapsody. It handles nicely. It is slightly wider so Alan can actually sit on the seat and work the motor, instead of sitting in the bottom like he had to in the sabot. We even found the hand held running light. It is the first day of fishing season and the bay is dotted with little lights marking the nets. Almost full moon. Lovely.
There are 3 seminars today, one on rigging and one on Puerto Vallarta at West Marine and one on stormy weather at Downwind in the evening. And today is the day that the dingy should be delivered. I am delegated to go to the first 2 seminars and take notes while Alan collects the dingy and puts it in the water. Then we will meet for dinner before the final seminar.
The first seminar on rigging is, of course, all about things that break when you are hundreds of miles from land and what to do about it, complete with examples of gear that is cracked, broken or bent. It also includes all the latest high tech stuff that they just happen to have for sale in the store. I take frantic notes for Alan, not understanding more that half of what is said but convinced that we need to completely replace everything. When I go over my notes with him later, it turns out that he already knew all of this stuff and Rhapsody is in fine shape. Most of the problems apply to the modern boats with aluminum masts and stainless steel fittings where galvanic corrosion sets in. We have wood masts and hand forged bronze fittings and they are strong as the day they were made. I thought he preferred the brass or bronze fittings for the look. turns out it is also for the strength and safety. Let’s hear it for old school, classic boats.
Second seminar is supposed to be about sailing the Sea of Cortex and the west coast of Mexico. It turns out to be mostly about Paradise Village Marina and hotel in Puerto Vallarta. It actually sounds like a wonderful place to stay before we leave for the South Pacific. Any chance any of you could come and visit us there in early March?
While I have been doing seminars, Alan has collected the dingy. So I head on over to the dock to meet him. He has it all put together, the motor is on and he is just about ready for a test drive. It is cute. Sort of round, very plastic, quite stable. We need a name for it. Keeping to the musical theme, I have been thinking about Scherzo, although now that I see it I like Rondo better. Possibly B flat? Any ideas? Anyway, time for the test drive. He reaches for the key and ... Oh No!! He forgot the key. What to do? What to do? We finally decide to call the shuttle driver and ask him if he can take Alan back to the boat and wait while he gets the key and then bring him back again. This is the free shuttle that West Marine has for the fleet so were not sure if they would pick up from someplace else.. Luckily the driver was glad to help so Lan went off to get the key while I investigated happy hours. I found a lovely pub just up the street where their 1/2 price appetizers were big enough for dinner for 2. Alan made it back with the key in time for food and a beer before the last seminar of the day.
This seminar is all about storms and what to do, complete with pictures. Lots of the horror stories came from the Fastnet race several years ago where people were just not prepared for the horrible storm that blew up unexpectedly. Once again, Alan has done a wonderful job preparing and we have all of the safety equipment that we need. Admittedly we have not done enough drills but if the weather stays as lovely as it is right now, we can do them on the way down.
End of the seminar, off we go to the new dingy and back across the bay to Rhapsody. It handles nicely. It is slightly wider so Alan can actually sit on the seat and work the motor, instead of sitting in the bottom like he had to in the sabot. We even found the hand held running light. It is the first day of fishing season and the bay is dotted with little lights marking the nets. Almost full moon. Lovely.
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