Greetings!

20.8N 105.5W. Punta de Mita, Nayarit, Mexico.

It is Christmas morning and our thoughts are with family and friends. We hope all is well with you and that you are enjoying the holidays and winter season. ~Steve and Sandy.

Unexpected Pleasure.

22.9N 109.9W. Cabo San Lucas, BCS, Mexico.

Well here I sit, rocking around on the boat at yet another surf spot. We are at Monuments. While there are hordes of surfers in the area that are riding north swell waves elsewhere, three locals…most likely on a break from work…along with Steve are here. It has been almost twenty years since Steve last rode Monuments. It is a little but substantial left that breaks with a westerly swell.

After consulting with Alpha Marine Systems, we spend several days researching how best to ship the autopilot out and back again for repairs. On the shipping matter, out is no problem….but actually receiving the item back, requiring a pass through Customs is the big challenge here in Mexico with odds being that you may never see the item ever again. We removed the autopilot from its mount and retested the ram to make certain that we had the details down for the diagnostics. With the retest, the autopilot starts to work again…unbelievable. While we don’t trust that it is “really” working again, we definitely can’t ship it in for repair. So we end up remounting the autopilot and retesting it…to witness a repeat … it does not work at first but then starts working again. The worst thing in the world is for a problem to “magically” fix itself as you never know what the real problem was and have no idea what may cause it to recur … very "iffy."

At the marina office, we picked up the November issue of our favourite sailing magazine, Latitude 38 and found that Steve has been published. He submitted an article on our experiences in El Salvador and about some of the changes being implemented at one of the remote but oft-used anchorages there. Pretty cool.

December is settling in and we are still here in Cabo San Lucas. We are surprised that we are enjoying our stay here so much. The marina is well set up and it will be easy to get fuel and water (a chore that is amazingly difficult in Mexico with the exception of La Paz). There is surf. The water is clear and warm. It is easy to get around town on foot or via a collectivo. We have found a few very good taco stands and a nice sports bar for football games. The anchorage is a zoo during the day with every water toy in abundance buzzing about as tourists pour from land and cruise ship…but it all goes totally quiet before sunset as the crowds turn to land for the restaurants and bars…or leave altogether on the cruise ships.

So we are back to reviewing our cruising plans and waiting for the best weather window to setting sail once again..."and so it goes."

...

Nov2007 CaboSanLucas

Austere Paradise.

24.8N 112.2W. Punta Hughes, BCS, Mexico.



On 26 October 2007, we pull up anchor and sail off hours before sunrise. The much anticipated Baja-Bash with strong North winds and swell was simply … not! It was a dream passage ... a gift given the potential for anything but … a light headwind with moderate swells. In spite of the fact that we ran the motor for half of the thirty-plus hour passage due to light winds, we were very pleased with the passage.


Going back a bit in our passage, we have been sailing since leaving La Paz. It has been wonderful...just the sound of the wind in the sails and the waves against the hull. We are even setting down anchor under sail...like real sailors. We ended up spending an extra week anchored at Ensenada de los Muertos waiting out Kiko. Once the coast was relatively clear, we sailed to Los Frailes and then to Cabo San Lucas and then set sail northward along the Pacific Coast of Baja.


Punta Hughes is at the northwestern tip of Bahia Santa Maria. This place is remote and quite austere. The bahia is surrounded by long, low stretches of sand capped at either end with dramatic rocky points jutting up out of the ocean.

Less than a day at anchor and a second sailboat arrives … asking if we “want some fish?” Of course! Steve stops by the next day and finds that the Drifter landed a fifty pound Wahoo along with some Dorado. Steve returns to Gitano with almost twenty pounds of fish. Aaah...the good life!

There is no real access by car though a vehicle can make a run to and from a ferry access point when the tide is very low. Primary access is by boat. Believe it or not, people actually trek in … for the surf, the fishing or the whales … by flying in to Loreto or La Paz, bussing or trucking in to San Carlos, taking a panga across part of Magdalena Bay, walking or trucking across a sand spit and then taking another panga across the bay to camp out in a tent on a windy spit of land for around $1,000 USD a week (the cost only covering the travel from La Paz, the tent and meals…beers and sodas are extra at $2 a can). Worth it? ... perhaps, time and money being less fleeting than the existence of such land as this left like it on our planet…

Punta Hughes needs a south swell to break and our late-October arrival was out of season but there was still some surf about. A surfer buddy from Todos Santos told Steve that the wave was substantial but he was beginning to believe that Hughes was the “mushy” wave that two other sailor/surfer types had described to him the season before. In spite of the odds, however, a “freight train” rolled in for a few days and Punta Hughes showed her true colors. Great for the few surfers that showed up for the swell ... but bad for the almost two hundred sailboats that sailed in to the bay as part of the Baja Ha Ha run from San Diego to Cabo San Lucas. Long story short, monster rides for a few surfers and a long night for the seventy-plus Baja Ha Ha party-goers stranded on the beach after dark due to the big surf and low tide.

By 16 November 2007, the weather and water is steadily getting colder and there is no more hope of surf. It is time to set sail southward. The weather and swell predictions are positive for this day and we pick up anchor and set sail southbound on the Baja coast. In reality, however, the swell is much bigger and more confused with the winds much more mild than predicted … not a very comfortable start. After rounding the point, Steve catches a twenty pound Yellow Tail. Great to have fresh fish … but in the swell conditions the whole process of catching and cleaning and packaging the fish is quite a struggle. “Why is this turning in to such a hassle? Oh, wait, is it Friday????” There is a mariners’ rule that says “never to begin a passage on Friday.” uh-oh. Technically, we were looking at this as an extension of our original run out of La Paz … but it was beginning to look like fate was looking at it differently. Another, “long story, short,” the passage “sucked” … Steve cut his finger pretty seriously while catching the fish. The wind intensified way past prediction, and while remaining downwind, it was strong enough to produce five to six foot face wind waves pushing our boat forty-five degrees off course as they passed off stern. By ten that night, Steve had the boat as balanced as possible with less than a half-gib out. We were under sail power only but the boat was surfing. It was a wonderful site to see both a diminishing of the wind and the sunrise. The following day was a rather nice motor sail but as we were getting ready to continue on with the next two days’ passage to Banderas Bay, the autopilot froze up – most likely due to the prior night’s workout on the system – and we were faced with spending the next three hundred nautical miles hand-steering the boat or putting anchor down at nearby Cabo San Lucas in order to get the system repaired. Not as easy a decision as you would think … but we set down anchor at San Lucas.

...

Nov2007 BahiaSantaMaria

Not so fast...

23.5N 109.5W. Ensenada de los Muertos, BCS, Mexico. As always, we are keeping a keen eye to weather. As of last night, Tropical Storm Kiko was predicted to keep to mainland and blow out in about five days time. As of last night it was looking good to set sail this morning, head south to Los Frailes and then onward to Los Cabos. Once the Northers let up and the north swell backed down a bit for that coastland passage, we would set sail north to Bahia Santa Maria. As of this morning, however, things look different... Kiko is now predicted to become a hurricane by most, if not all sources, but predictions vary her position between the mainland (our vote!) and the Baja area. So, we are staying put for now....where we can proceed onward when the weather clears and remain close enough to La Paz to make a run for it, if Kiko starts to head this way.

As for places to be "stuck," Ensenada de los Muertos is a great one. We are the only boat at anchor here, though there are a few sport fishers on moorings. The water is warm and we have already enjoyed a few swims to check out the reefs. There is a little swell making its way in the anchorage...but not enough for surf...though, if Kiko makes the right move, Steve may get a little surfing in before we leave.

UPDATE: 22 October 2007. Kiko is heading west and is, by most sources, no longer threatening the Baja Peninsula. We were going to head out this morning but decided to wait one more day to let the south swell from Kiko lie down a bit ... and the same for the Northers that are making their presence known for the first time this season in the Sea of Cortes. One much larger boat left the anchorage this morning, only to return within the hour... so we are thinking that we made the right decision. The day here in the anchorage has been on the windy side...but we like the "free electrons" charging up our batteries via the WindGen. In spite of the fact that the wait here has been a bit of a trial, the extra time has been spent to some advantage. "Patience" after all is a virtue...especially on a sailboat.

Fair Winds.

24.1N 110.1W. La Paz, BCS, Mexico. We have been here for two weeks. The weather is hot and stiffling when the air is still...but thankfully, there have been more days with a breeze than not. We enjoyed having the Lincoln in La Paz to travel around in order to gather provisions for the boat...much easier than taking collectivos and taxis. Even got to sneak out for a day of surf at Pedrito. I am writing this at 0600 Tuesday morning. The weather is right (fingers crossed!), the boat provisioned and full of water and fuel...it's time to cast off the lines and head out.

...

Sep2007 La Paz

A New Season.

Fall is here. The air is crisp and the apples we have been greedily eyeing since April are finally ripening. It is time to head south. Next post will be from Mex'. Ciao!

From Mexico to the States.

Note to anyone driving the Mexican highways….do not, ever, do so during the Easter holidays -- ever. Easter is a very big holiday in Mexico. Mexicans -- in very serious party mode -- flock to the beaches in hordes. Stores are crowded and their shelves left empty. Roadways are jammed with holiday traffic. As we traveled, we found ourselves gawking at beaches completely covered by people, tents, and sun umbrellas. It was an incredible scene – not to mention a bit concerning. While we were very lucky and found ourselves traveling in the least traveled direction – north – and at the very least popular time – very, very early -- we still were unfortunate as to come across several serious accidents. That type of experience definitely puts things in perspective.

On Easter Sunday, we crossed the border and descended into a very different world. Border crossings are always bittersweet. We miss the boat and life on the water in the tropics. On the other hand, we look forward to seeing family and friends and living in luxury in a house with running water, electricity, and the ease of simply jumping in a car and taking only ten minutes to pick up a few groceries.

We have enjoyed our summer in the states immensely. It was great visiting with family and friends and camping out – in Humboldt County, Yucca Valley, Lake Tahoe, Seattle, the Catskills, Rainier, Kennewick, and along the Rogue River.

Summer 2007

A Season in Mexico.

This season we decided to try something new and just hang out in Mexico sailing to wherever the weather was warm and the surf up. We arrived in La Paz, BCS in November 2006 via the Lincoln on its third round trip to Baja. We set sail aboard the Gitano del Mar in December. It was wonderful to be underway…once again. With the wind filling the sails, and the sea bumping and humming under the hull, the horizon enticed us to destinations not yet known. As I write this, my mind is full of wonderful memories of dolphin escorts, whales, waves and rare blue footed boobies…amazing sunrises and sunsets and falling stars…and anchorages at Bahia de los Muertos, Mazatlan, Punta de Mita and La Cruz de Huanacaxtle. In April, we returned to La Paz, put the boat up on the hard and found ourselves back in the states looking forward to visiting family and friends, and, of course, doing all those loathsome tasks that pile up while we are elsewhere.

from last season

We're back.

It’s been a long time… and I am finding it hard to remember where we left off on our reports of our sojourns. Over the past three seasons, we have sailed over 11,000 nautical miles. Our experiences have been challenging, wonderful and incredibly rich. In lieu of trying to summarize all of this into words, we will leave you with a few photographs and a promise to keep better in touch in the future.

...and just a few more.