Last Call.

24.2N 110.3W. Marina CostaBaja, La Paz, B.C.S., Mexico.

Monday is our last day in the marina as we haul out Tuesday morning. We are sure going to miss our early morning workouts in the little gym and the endless supply of fresh water for Gitano. We will make the most of our day running errands and doing a few more little chores...

Cheers!

Artisan Festival.

El Triunfo, B.C.S., Mexico..

On Sunday, we took a run in land to the old mining town of El Triunfo to check out an Artisan Festival. The festival was small but the music and the dance troup were fun and we enjoyed our dusty day in the sun amongst the ruins.

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Apr2009ElTriunfo

Marina Life.

24.2N 110.3W. Marina CostaBaja, La Paz, B.C.S., Mexico.

We tried to haul out on Monday, 13 April, but found the high tide to be 2” too low to do so. So…..we bash back to Marina Costa Baja for another nine days of marina life.

Our typical routine these easy days include early morning workouts, listen to the local radio nets starting at 0800, do a few boat chores here and there as most of the work has already been done in anticipation of the earlier haul out…and, then….

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Apr2009 Marina CostaBaja

"You Know You Are A Cruiser When...

1) People offer you food they were going to throw away — and you accept.
2) You take a shower, then put on the same clothes you were wearing before the shower.
3) A swim in a pool or a hot tub counts as a shower.
4) Your friends try to nail you down on a time and place to meet, but you just can't commit.
5) You feel proud when you serve drinks that have ice cubes."

-- www.zialater.com

We could easily add to this list....

Crossing Back.

20.8N 105.5W to 22.9N 109.9W. Southern Passage, Sea of Cortes, Mexico…aka “We Should Have Waited Another Day” Passage.

It is the second day of March and we are hauling up our anchor and heading across. We had to bide our time, waiting for a Norther to blow its way through…but, finally, we think it is time to get going. We depart at dawn with winds from the Northwest at 10-12 knots. The going is smooth…IN the anchorage. However, once we pass through the rip outside of the bay, we find ourselves in confused seas with some pretty prominent cross chop. The time is now, though, we say…with more northerlies predicted in less than a week. We need to get going…giving ourselves a buffer of time to deal with some potential transmission issues that might make us divert to Mazatlan.

Oh…what a mistake. There should be a cardinal rule in cruising that says something like “though shall not manhandle your boat.” OK, there already is probably a rule…but we were thinking “wind” and not “boat”…so we kept going. We got slapped around pretty hard and to add insult to injury ended having to head up to Mazatlan…because we did, indeed, end up needing more ATF. The passage was rough. Gitano’s decks were awash the entire way…the boat leaked...when we could rest, one at a time when the other was on watch, we did so in a wet birth…we bumped, we groaned, we cursed, we ached...that was just us...who knows what we really put the boat through.

To sum it up…we should have waited another day!

The transmission is leaking oil…and our supply is almost depleted. We decide to change course for Mazatlan in order to restock and head out the next morning. What a difference a day makes! The seas have calmed way down…and, while we will have to motorsail across the Sea…it is a much nicer crossing than the past two days.

Another overnight passage and we begin our approach towards Ensenada de los Muertos in the early afternoon. Steve puts out a line and catch a nice fat little male Dorado. Ten pounds of fresh fish meat. Wonderful!

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Apr2009 Crossing

Lifeboat.

From time to time, we come across an article or letter that speaks to our own spirit...here is one we thought to share with you all.

SHE'S THE LIFEBOAT OF MY BODY, MIND AND SPIRIT

As I watch the value of my investments wither, lament my diminishing net worth, and listen to news of worse to come, I am gladdened to remind myself that, among my many ventures, I deigned to own a little boat. Though her value tallies poorly on my accountant’s balance sheet, whenever I cast off from the dock under a press of sail, the dividends come tumbling in. The follies of greed, avarice and envy vanish in her wake. I am lifted free of all petty concerns. She is the lifeboat for my body, mind and spirit. As for the accountants, financial advisors and other bean counters, I say damn their eyes! She is my one truly recession-proof investment.

Marc Hersch
Songline, J/42
Santa Cruz / Ventura

Marc — We know what you mean. Latitude 38.

Cazar Ballenas Canción.

20.7N 105.3W. La Cruz de Huanacaxtle, Nayarit, Mexico.

We often are treated to humpback whale songs...especially at night while in the berth...with our ears at the water line. Last night's experience was profound. Early one morning, Steve noted the whales...as he often does. I was also awake listening to the distant songs. It sounded to us like three whales...each taking a turn at answer-and-call. As time rolled on, the whale songs continued...progressing, in sophistication and nearness. At one point, we felt that we were surrounded by the whales...one calling from one side of the boat...another answering for the other side. It was truly incredible. We kept awake for hours listening to their songs. Before dawn, the whales had moved on...our experience, however, held us in awe. Amazing.

Come morning...and the morning boat chores...it was interesting to hear one boat to another hale each other, asking if they had heard the whales. Yes, yes...was the answer...all over the anchorage....of fifty or more boats at anchor. Yes!, we heard them. I had an image of the whales singing along the bahia...hearing the voices of mariners tucked in their berths...asking each other if they heard the whales...the buzz from the anchorage enticing the whales to swim closer....sounding along...more voices...more songs...more voices...for hours...

I will never forget this experience. It was magical. There was one sailboat, however, that had an even closer experience with the whales in the anchorage. Interesting enough, the boat hails from Arcata. You can read about their Ballenas Interruptus if you are wish.

La Bahia de Banderas.

20.8N 105.5W. Bahia de Banderas, Nayarit, Mexico.

…surf…whales…warm water…more surf…more whales…good home-cooked food…tropical air…waking to whale songs at night…a few worrisome mechanical problems…problems fixed…more surf…

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Jan2009 Banderas Bay

The Crossing.

20.8N 105.5W. Bahia de Banderas, Nayarit, Mexico.

We begin our passage on New Year’s Day. The Sea is in chaos – roiling with wind waves and chop from a near week of northerlies. We leave the anchorage under power but are able to shut down the iron genny and enjoy being under sail for as long as it lasts. Unfortunately, favorable sailing conditions last for only a few short hours. The wind fades by late morning and Gitano gets slapped around smartly. We decide to suck-it-up and keep moving on, expecting the seas to smooth out over the next few days.

Morning turns to afternoon…turns to night watches…to morning…to afternoon…to night…and, come sunrise, days later, our eyes are greeted with much-appreciated glassy seas. The sea is pocked with turtles slow in awakening to the sounds of our passing. Signs of a groundswell grow as we approach land and we glass the shoreline looking for surf. By mid-morning, we are at anchor at the point of Punta de Mita.

Happy New Year!

Christmas Morning.

23.5N 109.5W Ensenada de Los Muertos, BCS, Mexico.

We are free. Free of dock lines, free of the several-times-daily-made-stations-of-the-cross-type-walk (marina version), free of the much-too-enjoyed high-speed internet, free of shore power, free of endless hot water, free of easy access to land and stores.

Gitano slips out into the Sea with a sprightly step. The air smells fresher. We feel younger. The sun rises and we are underway, once again.

We shut down the engine and hoist our new main, testing her out in the light Northwest winds.

We enter the Ceralvo Channel under dolphin escort...lovely!

We set anchor by early afternoon with the expectation that we will spend some time at anchor here as Northerlies are predicted to commence soon and last for most of a week.

Feliz la pura vida!