Nature Walk.

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

We decide to spend some time here at Los Muertos. The anchorage is peaceful, the water is clean (though a bit cool) and there are reefs to dive and trails to walk. Early morning hikes are the best….and since the dinghy landing is easy (read that as no surf), we can bring along the camera to share some of the sites. Enjoy!

…

Mar 2008 Ensenada De Los Muertos

Southern Sea of Cortes.

20.8N 105.5W to 22.9N 109.9W. Southern Sea of Cortes, Mexico.

Our journey northward started off rather rocky. We weighed anchor on a day predicting light winds which we had at first but we encountered brisker winds as we approached Bahia Palmilla loading up on some pretty stiff wind waves generated from farther north in the sea. We had never anchored at Palmilla and were unhappy to see that the entire anchorage was occupied with moorings. We set down as best we could in a slot between some moorings with enough distance from the reef. The winds died back, but the wind waves rocked the boat very uncomfortably. Steve set a stern anchor to set us to more comfortably which was nice until the offshore winds picked up later that night. Needless to say, the night was long and we started the next day tired and grumpy…only to find that the stern anchor had gotten caught on a mooring cable some time during the night. Steve had to dive the anchor – down twenty four feet – in order to release it. The whole process added an hour to our start and we left the anchorage with concerns over how this new day would play out wind-wise given our experiences of the day before.

It was nice to be under way. The day started with about ten knots of offshore winds that made for a nice motor sail. The winds soon died and we ended up motoring along on our way. We started to relax – the sun was warm, the air was clear and there were whales all around us. We glassed the shoreline checking out many of Steve’s old surfing haunts. After about two hours, we observed a significant wind line up ahead. Within minutes, our smooth sailing was over. In spite of the fact that we were facing only about ten to fifteen knots….it was right on the nose. The wind waves generated from heavier winds much farther north in the sea were the real problem though…the wind enhanced these to at times four feet high and about four feet apart. The steeper wind waves pushed Gitano’s bow off track by almost 90-degrees, working the autopilot pretty hard. Gitano’s decks were getting washed with sea water pouring off the tow rail from bow to stern. The worst part was our speed -- we slowed from just over five knots to at times less than two knots. This was turning in to a very long day! The whales made light of our discomfort as they continued to swim by our side, out in front or to our stern…they really were something. We finally reached the anchorage at Los Frailes by mid-afternoon. It ended up taking over five hours to motor those last fifteen miles.

Los Barriles is just to the north of Los Frailes and is known for its winds making it a Mecca of sorts for windsurfers. We want to wait for a nice windless day to continue our journey north and end up staying put for the rest of the Easter Week holiday. We set out early on Monday morning at 0300 under the light of a nearly full moon. This passage was very smooth with just a bit of wind picking up mid-morning to push us along our way. We arrive at Ensenada de los Muertos by noon looking forward to our stay at this peaceful anchorage.

…

Mar 2008 Sea of Cortes

Spring Break.

20.8N 105.5W to 22.9N 109.9W. Cabo San Lucas, BCS, Mexico.

We find ourselves coming to an end of another season on Gitano. We found ourselves deep into Spring Break for our final two days at Cabo San Lucas – what a zoo!

Passage Notes.

20.8N 105.5W to 22.9N 109.9W. Southern Crossing, Sea of Cortes, Mexico.

Our passage was "about as perfect as it gets" with one exception – the winds were very light and variable and we had to motorsail most of the way. The days were clear and warm and the nights perfectly dark for star gazing. Late the second day and into the night, our decks were soaked as we bashed through choppy seas. We slowed down to try to smooth out the ride…but it was bumpy, wet and wearing. After two full days and nights, we arrived at Cabo San Lucas….very tired but glad to be across before the next big Northerlies.

As in November, we are both impressed and shocked by the place. We will be here for about a week – take the routine tour of the many government offices needed to check in, get provisions for the next few weeks, and make plans to head back to La Paz.

...

Mar2008 Underway

Sail On.

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

The surf this season ended up being “bearable” as those great winter storms in the north were followed quickly with an early start to south swell season. The good surf along with reports from down south of unseasonably cold water led us to decide to stay here for several months. Nevertheless, the time has come for us to make our departure.

We will set sail heading northward to Mazatlan and then across the Sea of Cortes. Near term predictions are for the winds to be light northerlies and the swells to be diminishing though sizable and confused. When I first wrote down this note, we were going to head out on Saturday…but after the latest weather forecast may end up leaving on Tuesday….quien sabe…

Ciao!

World Class Yacht Racing.

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


Sailboats under full sail – especially those under the command of a master sailor -- are beautiful watch. A day after re-anchoring at the surf point of Punta de Mita, we found that we were at the finishing line to the San Diego to Puerto Vallarta Yacht Race. The race is a “premier international racing event since 1953” and included World Cup class yachts and captains. For several days we had the best seat in town...with the official finish boat just a radio call away for whatever bit of news we wished to know about the boats or race. These racing yachts are nothing short of stunning and it was absolutely fascinating to watch these masters speed through and maneuver in at times almost zero wind. Talk about a pair of “armchair sailors”…while we sipped our early morning coffee in the cockpit we would watch and wonder why a certain boat would change course a certain way, etc. For me, the most scene occurred in the blackness of a moonless night, where we watched two yachts within minutes of each other approach the finish line through a maze of pangas and fishing nets….we could only see the navigation lights of the two yachts thread their way through the small lights of the pangas…making incredibly tight turns in almost no wind…it was simply mesmerizing.

...

Feb 2008 PV Yacht Racing

Incident Report.

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


Sometimes a little sailboat gets no respect. I am not talking about the probable lack of respect some larger-newer-sleeker boats may have towards our “classic racer style” (lively) well-sailed (a little beat up looking) little (a bit over 35 feet and six tons “dripping wet”) 1969-era (old) Cal Cruising 36 sailboat. No, I am talking about others...who apparently because of their superior size and stealth feel that they can simply do whatever they want to us like we were just a plaything.

Believe or not, we were bumped by a Humpback Whale! To be clear, Gitano del Mar didn’t bump it…it bumped or slapped her! We were under-sail from Punta de Mita to La Cruz de Huanacaxtle. There was just enough wind to let us sail at just over three knots and we decided to sail the whole way to the anchorage no matter how long it took…just sit back and enjoy the sail. The bay was pretty busy that afternoon with over a dozen other boats underway around us…fishing boats, whale watching boats, cruising boats…all under motor but us. Needless to say, we were keeping watch on the traffic and our route as we meandered to our destination. At one point, however, while we were both in the galley munching on a leftover piece of our favourite BBQ chicken…the boat lurched port-side. It lurched more than the usual-for-that-day swell that was pushing our boat…it actually felt like a bump with the boat quickly righting herself. We both looked at each other and said “what was that?” I popped out to the cockpit in time to see a slick (of stilled water) pass by our port-side….from past experience it was a slick the size of that left by a whale. We were both looking at the slick and thinking “no way”…there was no way that we hit a whale….there are too many boats…making too much noise… We kept looking around our boat trying to figure out the source of the “bump” and sure enough in less than a minute we sighted four Humpback whale spouts just to our stern along with a flipper wave. A Humpback whale can reach fifty-two feet and weigh over fifty tons...more than three times the size of Gitano. The only thing we can think is that the group of four included at least one lively yearling…very playful...and our boat looked like a cute little bath toy…"let’s just slap it around and see what it does." It was an exciting moment and one of the closest whale sightings of the season.

werd (as SK would say)….

...

Feb 2008 Simple Things

Out and About in Bahia de Banderas.

20.5N 105.3W. Quimixto, Jalisco, Mexico.

In between anchorings at the point at Punta de Mita, we wanted to check out a bit more of Bahia de Banderas, so once the northerly winds backed we crossed over to the south side of the bay from La Cruz de Huanacaxtle to see what there was to see. Because of its remoteness and, in some cases, lack of road access, the south bay is still wrapped in untouched rain forest. It reminded us so much of parts of Central America…we started to think that...maybe...we should head south again. What roadway there is on this side of the bay, ends just the other side of Quimixto so it is accessed only by boat. Very charming…but the surf was too rough for a dinghy landing and the dock is made for hard pangas and large boats only … so we decided to BBQ a filet and mushroom dinner in the cockpit and just sit back and enjoy the surf and scene. No complaints.

...

Feb 2008 Bahia de Banderas

Gitano del Mar, s/v

20.8N 105.6W. Marina Riviera Nayarit, La Cruz de Huanacaxtle, Nayarit, Mexico.

We haven't tied to a marina since we left La Paz in very early October. But a few system "issues," the need for fresh water and the need to clean the boat of the incredible amounts of dirt and dust that the winds have packed upon the ol' girl pull at us to pull up anchor and head in for a few days.

It is unnatural for us to be tied in....to us, boats, like Gitano, fare better at anchor riding the winds and tides. That said, however, the experience here has been a good one. The marina is new and under construction. There is a lot of dust and noise and not all the services are in place. It is wonderful to take long, hot (some of the times) showers without worrying about the water supply. The walk in to town is a long and dusty one, but it seems quite a bit easier without having to deal with landing the dinghy on shore to sync up with tides and sometimes strong winds. We have washed down the boat several times -- inside and out ... and we are, for the first time, "power sluts" as we are able to plug in to shore power here at no cost and charge up the house bank batteries and run all the electrical equipment we want to no end.

We will be heading out tomorrow, so I thought I would put up this quick post with another view of Gitano del Mar.

Ciao!

The Other Side of the Life.

20.8N 105.6W. La Cruz de Huanacaxtle, Nayarit, Mexico.

Our refrigertion system on the boat started having problems that quickly transformed into "not working." So, Steve researched the available resources and including asking other cruisers and locals for information on where to go to get what we need to at least begin diagnosing the problem. We needed refrigerant and a hose to recharge the system. Long story short, we tied in to the marina and headed in to town...walked to several hardware and automotive stores...then took a bus to another town...then another even longer bus ride to the big city ... and after four or five hours we finally found refrigerant but no line. OK, now what do we do? Steve -- never one for simply giving up -- buys a bicycle pump that he cannabalizes the line from, and then with some vinyl line, masking tape, a couple of hose clamps, a piece of fuel line and a connector makes what we need to get the job done! It wasn't perfect but it worked. It worked so well, in fact, that Steve's efforts ended up fixing the problem...at least for now. Excellent.

The Life.

20.8N 105.6W. La Cruz de Huanacaxtle, Nayarit, Mexico.

It is Super Bowl Sunday and we are still in Bahia de Banderas. Hard to believe as we were getting ready to head south just over a week ago but…the water warmed up and a new swell arrived…so here we are. Steve surfed for four days straight. The Humpback whales have finally arrived with the warmer water – very late this season. We enjoyed a wonderful sighting two days while under sail to La Cruz de Huanacaxtle – where a cow and very little calf swam very slowly only forty feet off our starboard side. The calf appeared to be keeping full contact against the cow and when they surfaced for air…it almost looked as if the cow was very gently lifting the little guy up to show him how it was done. Probably not what was really happening…but that is how it looked us as we watched entranced by this elegant and quite touching duo.

Waves, wind, water, whales....the life.

We are here in La Cruz de Huanacaxtle in order to tie up to the new marina here to get some work done on the boat. She really needs a good fresh water cleaning after all the wind born construction dust she has been subjected to both here and in Cabo San Lucas. We also need to do some troubleshooting on our battery bank and refrigeration systems (though it looks like Steve may have fixed the refrigeration this morning while at anchor here).

Anyway, we are looking forward to watching the Super Bowl at Ana Banana’s and getting to work first thing Monday when we arrive at the marina.

Go NY Giants!

...

Jan 2008 Punta de Mita

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.

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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.