Los Suenos in Bahia de los Muertos

[This post was ready to go last week but for various technical reasons we could not post it then.  Now that we are in La Paz at a marina, we have shore power and internet!!].

Yesterday (Sunday, November 15, 2009), instead of swimming in the ocean, we went to go swim in a pool.  I don't really know why we weren't just swimming in the ocean but a resort called Los Suenos lets you swim in their pools. There were booths, tables, and palapas that were in the pools! Also, there was a water slide that was steep, short, and fast. It would zoom you down into a pool deep enough that you couldn't even stand in. Once, I said something and Harrison asked "What?", but before I could answer I had already splashed into the pool beside him. In one area of the resort, there were three pools connected to each other, one of which was the water slide pool. Another pool was higher than the water slide pool and had one of those cliff rock waterfalls. Harrison and I would jump from the higher pool into the water slide pool (because it was deep enough to do so).  I had so much fun!

-Danielle

 

New Photos Posted

San Diego to Cabo San Lucas to La Paz

Bay of the Dead

Well, it’s been a little while since my last post.  It seems there is always something to do on the boat – fixing chafe points on lines, changing the oil on the engines or cleaning the bottom of the boat.  Whoever thought that cruising was just sitting around drinking margaritas was gravely mistaken!  It’s been a lot of fun so far, sailing around the east cape from Cabo San Lucas to La Paz.  On our way, we had planned to spend two nights in Bahia Los Frailes (23^o22.863’N,109 ^o25.286’W and 45 miles from Cabo), Ensenada de los Muertos which translates as Bay of the Dead (23^o59.215’N,109 ^o49.620’W which is 45 miles further) and Puerto Balandra (24^o19.268’N,110 ^o19.868’W which is 12 miles outside of La Paz).  Anyhow, because a Norther (a wind that can gust over 30 knots and blowing straight down the Sea of Cortez) was forecasted, we decided to spend a couple of extra nights in Los Muertos to weather out the storm.  In fact, the wind blew so much one night, our anchor began dragging and we had to reset it at about three in the morning.  It was great fun hanging out there though – there was a beautiful boutique (14 room) high-end hotel on the beach with, I think, six guests.  It had one of the most impressive model train exhibits I have seen outside of the train museum in Balboa Park.  The hotel was more than happy to have cruisers hang out at their pool and there were lots of cruising kids there so it made for a good time for Danielle and Harrison.   Barb even had a moms’ night out with many of the other cruising moms if you can believe it!

Once the Norther had blown through, we decided to head north from Los Muertos to Balandra Bay through  Cerralvo Channel (24^o15’N,110 ^o00’W).  While the Norther had died down somewhat it did make for some serious San Francisco Bayish sailing as the wind and swell coming down through the channel was still pretty strong.   But, once we made it to Puerto Balandra it was all worth it.  Puerto Balandra is perhaps one of the most beautiful bays I have seen.  The water was crystal clear water and we anchored in about eight feet of water.  There were about six other boats here (as compared to the 30 or so in Los Muertos).   The beaches were pristine and you could walk out from the beach for probably a quarter mile in knee deep water.  Harrison and I dingyed around trying to catch some fish and discover all the inlets while Barb and Danielle discovered the bay by sea kayak.  Harrison and I even found our way deep into the bay where there was a huge protected mangrove area.  The water was so calm we could have water skied!

This morning (Thursday Nov. 19^th) we cleaned the bottom of the boat and, since we are beginning to run out of food, we decided that we would head for La Paz (24^o09.376’N,110 ^o19.650’W) and spend some time reprovisioning and discovering the city.  We will likely be in La Paz through Thanksgiving.  Anyone want to come visit?

I should also hopefully upload some more photos today (or tomorrow) and will put out another post when they go up.

More later,

Michael

A word on Fishing

Fishing is one of my favorite pastimes on this trip. I learned to fish by many people but I'll just tell you about two of them. The first one is Glenn, who was our next door (boat) neighbor at a dock in San Diego for a bit and then he went to a mooring. The second guy is Mark. He is (or was, depending on when you read this) our crew on our boat.

There are four different types of ways to catch fish. First is trolling, which is when there is a long line out the back or side of the boat. The second way is casting. You throw the line and wheel it in. The third way is to let the line down and wait, wait, wait and wait until you get a bite. Finally, the fourth way is to have a hand line. It's like the first way but it isn't on a pole.

I fished in the Pacific and in the Gulf of California. I caught lizardfish, a big-eyed tuna and a bloody mackerel. I saw striped mullet but we didn't catch them. I also caught a puffer fish but you can't eat it.

I like fishing because it is a game of patience. I can't wait to catch our next fish.

Signing off from Bahia de los Muertos, Baja, California
11-16-09

Stretching an avocado, tomato and an apple

The last few days have been what I suspected a cruiser's life would be. Gorgeous weather, some smooth homeschooling, swimming and hiking, kayaking and fishing, family games at night, and reading. We moved on from Cabo San Lucas and anchored overnight at Bahia Los Frailes. Did some of the above the next day in Los Frailes, including swimming the 1.5 miles to and from shore for some added excercise with Danielle. Yesterday morning we decided to move on to our next anchor point on the way to La Paz - we try to do no more than a day's worth of sailing to avoid those exhausting overnight watches, and now with one less crew, we'd get even less sleep if we sailed all the way through to La Paz.

We arrived at Bahia de los Muertos after a gorgeous afternoon of sailing. Along the way we hit some clouds with what may have been some sprinkles. Arrived in the bay during sunlight hours, with plans to stay the following day, and head out on Sunday early to get to La Paz by Sunday night. We heard on the radio that a norther (cold strong wind blowing from the north) would be heading in Monday so we hoped to avoid this.

We settled in to a shabbat dinner with homemade challah, Trader Joe's soup, and fish tacos (unfortunately, the frozen kind - haven't had much luck with fresh fish over the last few days, but I'll leave it to Harrison to post about that) with cabbage, tomatoes and guacamole, plus rice and beans. Desert was homemade oatmeal raisin/pecan cookies. Hey, there's lots of time to cook on board...

We played a great game of hearts after supper and I headed in early. Apparently, that's when the winds started picking up. I sensed in my sleep that we were tossing a whole lot, and realized that Michael had been up several times to check the anchor. I too did my own checking at around 2 a.m. to make sure the boat hadn't dragged - all seemed fine although the winds were steady at 15 knots and gusting up to 25 knots. Standing out there, I must say that the winds felt more like hurricane force. The boat was wagging back and forth around the anchor, which made me a bit anxious, but it was a relief to know that the anchor itself hadn't moved. At 3 a.m. Michael woke me to tell me things had changed. Our anchor was dragging, and we had come much closer to a fishing boat that had been moored what seemed like hundreds of feet away when I had gone to sleep. After debating some, we lifted the anchor and moved the boat to re-anchor further from shore. Apparently, several boats did the same. We learned this morning over the radio that few boats got any sleep at all due to their own anchor watches, dragging, and re-positioning. We've also learned that this norther has moved in early and won't settle out until Monday evening. We are stuck here until then.

The only fresh produce left is one tomato, an avocado and an apple. Any suggestions for how to make those stretch for five people over four days? How do we ration the remaining two fresh eggs when there are five of us swooning over them? But still loads of Trader Joe's packaged food. I know we won't starve but what I wouldn't give for a fresh glass of orange juice and a crunchy colorful salad.

I think I'll make some pancakes to try to brighten up the crews' spirits. Am thinking we need those two eggs for the batter. Will serve with Trader Joe's real maple syrup.

More later.

Snorkeling at Pelican Beach

[This blog entry was a culmination of a descriptive paragraph (using adjectives) and ordering events (such as instructions) that Harrison was assigned as part of his homeschooling. The snorkeling took place a few days ago.]

When I went snorkeling at Pelican Beach, I saw hundreds of different colorful, beautiful fish. We swam around different shaped and colored rocks that were wet and rough. The waves were tall from all the pangas that were zooming by. The current was so strong, pushing us out and into the shore. The sand under the water looked like waves and when the real waves came, they made the sand waves go flying. When Mark (our crew) and I went walking along the rocks and beach, the sand under our feet felt rough.

Our friends from Journey, another kid boat, came to Pelican Beach with us.

Glossary:
Kid Boat: a boat with kids
Pelican Beach: a beach in Cabo San Lucas

How to Put on Snorkeling Gear:
1. Put on mask and snorkel.
2. Put on fins in the water.
3. Breathe in and put head in the water to see if snorkel is of the water.
4. Walk backwards.
5. Start swimming and breathing with hands on your back.

The Start of Adventures

The Start of Adventures

Yesterday was the most fun on the trip so far! We went to a place in Cabo San Lucas called Pelican Beach. Pelican Beach has the best snorkeling in Cabo (rated by locals). When you snorkel, you always have to use the buddy system so that you stay safe. My friend and crew member, Caren, was my buddy. She taught me how to equalize under water when your ears start to hurt. I was fascinated by all of the sea life that I'd never seen before (it was my first time snorkeling). Caren showed me many beautiful fish. There was so much coral growing on the rocks and many schools of fish below. We saw fan coral-brown, tree-like coral-purple, orange, and brown, bubbly coral-orange, and mossy coral-lime green. The fish we saw were angel fish, trumpet fish, and fish of many different colors. One of the fish was black and was even spotted with blue sparkles-literally! But crossing from rock to rock is harder than it sounds, for it is like crossing a street with broken traffic lights, no police officers, no cameras, and speeding cars because of all the pongas. It was best day trip ever!

 

 

Glossary:

Pongas-small fishing boats used as water taxis.

Cabo San Lucas-Mexican city at the point of the Baja Peninsula

Trumpet fish-long skinny fish

 

 

Life at Anchor in Cabo

We are anchored at Cabo San Lucas.  It is very loud because of all the pangas, jet skis and music.  The only problem is that we cannot swim around the boat.  The good thing is that we have a catamaran and we can swim under the boat.  We get to shore by dinghy, kayak or panga which is a water taxi.  I love Cabo!

Safe and Sound in Cabo San Lucas

We arrived in Cabo San Lucas on Friday morning at approx. 8 a.m. It was a beautiful site seeing the famous arch in the morning sunshine. It is definitely warmer here.

We are anchored along the main beach just outside the marina and it's been pleasant, although a bit noisy. Pangas (water taxis) and jetskis go by from early in the a.m. until after dark, and music from the beachside restaurants goes on pretty much all day and night. Still, it's a bit surreal being here under anchor. Am feeling incredibly fortunate to be able to be doing this.

Friday morning, while Michael and our crew went to the immigration office to report in, the kids did some schooling and I cleaned the boat after 8 days at sea. We then hopped on our dinghy to head ashore for the Baha Haha beach party after which we enjoyed Shabbat dinner - meat and potato stew and salad. Didn't have enough time to make challah this week.

Saturday morning we loaded our 8 loads of laundry onto our dinghy - weren't sure we'd stay afloat - and headed to shore for the laundromat. We managed to find one a couple of blocks in from the marina where things are not so pricey and found one where they do the laundry for you. In this heat, it would have been torture spending 3 hours inside a heated laundromat. We walked along the marina and through the streets but ended up vegging at a restaurant until our laundry was done. Saturday evening was the final event of the Haha - rewards were given out to all the boats that finished the rally and one that did not - the JWorld boat that sank due to being hit by a whale. The boat's captain had flown down to Cabo and told her story to the awe-struck crowd. It turns out that the boat had not been attacked at all, but rather sailed in the middle of a pod of whales. The swells were pretty big, and going down on one of them, the boat's keel hit one of the whales and tore right off leaving a gaping hole in the hull. After bailing water for 40 minutes, the crew decided to abandon the boat, which sank shortly afterward. The US Coast Guard was summoned via their EPIRB, and rescued them a couple of hours later. The crew, it turns out, were on an offshore sailing course - what an initiation!

Today was a fabulous one. We started out with school while Michael and our crew attended to more trouble shooting - a slow leak in our water maker which may need re-plumbing. The kids then swam around and under the boat (between the hulls). We then took a water taxi to Pelican Beach, almost at the Cabo point/arch, where we snorkeled for several hours. It was like swimming in an aquarium.

We said goodbye to one of our crew, Caren Edwards, tonight. We will miss her as she was an incredible source of wisdom and advice for us as we prepared for our trip - she sailed with her family for five years, and is from the Bay area. Danielle and she got along incredibly well, and not just because of her swimming stamina. Our other crew, Mark McNulty, will stay with us until we get to La Paz (and perhaps longer?). He has become Harrison's buddy, as they play on boat building computer programs together, do boat repairs, and just hang.

We will attend to more boat maintenance tomorrow and leave for La Paz the day after (Tuesday). Signing off from Cabo.

A Relaxed Day on Anchor

Well, we arrived yesterday afternoon (Tuesday Nov 3rd) in Bahia Santa Maria two thirds of the way down the coast of Baja. It has been an awesome trip! We finally caught up with the rest of the Baja Ha Ha fleet and it was quite an impressive view to turn into this bay in the middle of nowhere and see nearly 200 boats all anchored. We joined up with the party going on at the beach and then came back to the boat for an excellent steak dinner. Today, the fleet planned to depart at 0600 to begin the final leg to Cabo San Lucas. Given that we had just arrived at Bahia Santa Maria only late the prior afternoon, we decided that we would take it easy today, sleep in, have a late breakfast, swim and then go for a late afternoon hike. Once all those other boats had left it was pretty awesome to see ours and just two others anchored in this bay. After two over nights at sea we figured we deserved a little break. Overnight sailing, which requires doing two hour watches, can be tiring after a while. We are doing 2 hour on, 4 hour off shifts with Barb and Caren sharing one of the shifts.

Catamarans are great and here is just on reason why! On Barb and Caren's shift two nights ago all of a sudden the port (left) engine alarm went on and the rpm's went to zero. We could not figure out what was causing the alarm so we turned the engine off and decided to look into the problem the next morning. Well, when we got up that next morning and went to look inside the port engine compartment we discovered that the engine room was over half full with water! We thought maybe there was a leak caused by the rope getting wrapped around the propeller but found that hard to believe. When we looked closer there was a lot of water further aft of the engine room and that was the water that was leaking into the engine room. What the #&$*@! We started pumping all the water out with a hand bilge pump (which took about four hours -- there was a lot of water) and during that time tried to figure out how all that water could have gotten into the boat. Was there a hole in the boat and if so where was it? We had not hit anything. Anyhow, we kept looking and went down onto the sugar scoops (the steps behind the boat) and there they were -- two very little holes on the bottom step. The boat has these nice outdoor carpets that are usually snapped onto the steps but we have taken them off for this passage and stowed them. My guess is that these two tiny little holes were left when the carpets were originally installed and not properly sealed! Only with extended time at sea in a boat heavy with gear and water constantly slapping up on the lower steps could that water have slowly leaked in. Well, we patched the holes with a sealant that we had, finished pumping out all the water and then finally sat back to have lunch. Now the reason catamarans are great is that if this had been a mono haul the whole boat may have been underwater (or worse), but because this was a catamaran, with built-in buoyancy, this was much more of a nuisance than a safety concern. Needless to say, it made for an exciting morning.

Well, after a great day of relaxing in Bahia Santa Maria today with the kids swimming in our outdoor swimming pool all afternoon :) followed by a sunset hike, we have departed on our final leg to Cabo San Lucas. We hope to get there sometime on Friday but as I write this there is not much wind, so we may be motoring for a while.

More later,

Michael

Gentle Seas

Am on my 3-5 a.m. night watch as I write this. The seas have been gentle and pleasant and my seasickness patch has been working wonderfully. Last night on this same watch with an almost full moon, we saw a pod of whales - we've been trying to identify which kind but we think they were false killer whales or melon-headed whales due to the fin we saw. While the sight was pretty spectacular, it was also a little unnerving: During the first night of the Baja Haha Rally, a very experienced crew had to abandon their boat which had been attacked by a whale. The crew waited about 2 hours in their dinghy but were rescued by the coast guard. Their boat, however, sank. While this type of thing is incredibly rare, when you are sitting in the middle of the ocean, 20 miles offshore, you feel rather vulnerable. For more info on the Baha Haha and the whale incident, you can go to their website at http://www.baja-haha.com/index.html (thanks for that link, Mimi).

We've now reached warmer climates. It's 75 degrees at 3 a.m. and we hope to swim tomorrow if we get into Bahia Santa Maria before nightfall. We've been covering a lot of ground (or should I say ocean) and even overtook a monohull in the rally yesterday. We all dashed onto deck to be able to see other humans. We are no longer in last place! As for the rally, there is a party in Bahia Santa Maria today at 1. Not sure we'll make it, but the rally leaves there at 7 a.m. tomorrow morning, so we'll have caught up (even though we left 3 days after everyone). The kids are ecstatic about that.

Interestingly we haven't really had a dull moment. There are always things that need to get done. Yesterday is was pumping water out of the port engine room and sealing a leak. We've also had to trouble shoot issues with our water maker. Another day it was the battery charger. The list goes on. In addition, I spend at least half the day home schooling the kids (actually, we learn for only about 3 hours, but there's a lot of time getting ready for school - some things never change :) . At this point we've completed 4 weeks of school so will need to do school on Sundays for a while to catch up.

Harrison is feeling much better. Still a cough, but fever free for the last 36 hours. Feeling very relieved.

You'd think on such a small boat that Michael and I would spend loads of time together but it's actually been like two ships passing in the night (literally). We are on opposite watch schedules, nap at different times, and attend to completely different tasks. Am grateful for the smooth division of labor though.

Had pasta with sautéed onions, broccoli rabe and swiss chard, plus salad for dinner. Yum. Produce has been lasting very well.

More later.
25 degrees 16.315 minutes N
113 degrees 14.183 minutes W

Turtle Bay

We arrived in Turtle Bay on November 2nd around 2am. As we dropped anchor we accidentally had one of our lines (rope) in the water which, with the engines running, ended up getting caught around one of the propellers. Damn! Fortunately, with a catamaran we have two engines and we were therefore able to get the boat safely anchored. Given it was 2 am there was not much that we could do about the propeller so we all just went to sleep. Of course, I got up just about every hour or so to make sure the anchor was holding and the boat was not slipping -- its like parents of a new born baby up checking on them constantly.

Once I got up in the morning, I put on my wetsuit, goggles and snorkel and jumped (or rather slowly worked my way) into Turtle Bay. The water is still relatively cold. I dove down to take a look at the line around the propeller and began to untangle it. It came loose very easily and fortunately did no damage to either the propeller or the line. Its just another reminder of how important it is to make sure there are no lines (or people for that matter) ever in the water when the engines are on! Anyhow, with that adventure behind us, I was able climb out of the water and enjoy Danielle's walnut pancakes for breakfast. They were awesome.

We spent the remainder of the day doing some home schooling while Caren and Mark used our two-person kayak. Later that afternoon we all went ashore using our dingy to check out the town in Turtle Bay. This took about 5 minutes as it is a pretty small town! We had a late lunch, and then made our way back to the boat for an evening departure. We are now on our way to Bahia Santa Maria and are about 20 miles off shore at 27 degrees 12 minutes north by 114 degrees 43 minutes west. We have absolutely no wind and the seas our very calm. Good thing we have engines as we've been motoring for the last five hours!

We will likely spend the night in Santa Maria before making our way to Cabo San Lucas.

Arrived in Turtle Bay

After 2 and a half days of sailing and motoring (when the winds die down), we arrived in Turtle Bay at 2 a.m. this morning (sunday). We were welcomed by at least a dozen dolphins - quite a spectacle in the full moon light. We anchored and went to bed. Slept in, did some homeschooling, Danielle and Caren went for a swim (its still too cold for me!). Mid afternoon we headed out in our dinghy for our first mexican meal of fish tacos on the beach, and then to an internet cafe. Unfortunately, i do not have my computer with me which contains all the email addresses for famly and friends, but worse yet, dont have my sign in informtion for my email accounts so i am unable to pick up my email. It will have to wait unitl our next stop, 2 to 5 days from (depending on whether we stop at Magdalena Bay). Weve been eating very well - turkey chili, lemon lentil soup with spinach and potatoes, chickpea chicken, to name a few of our dinners. We definintely wont starve.

We left San Diego 3 days after the Baha Haha since Harrison was not feeling well but it appears that this was the right thing to do as many of the boats in the rally anchored along the way due to very strong winds. Apparently the last boat just left Turtle Bay this morning so there is a good chance we will catch up.

So far, so good. Its getting dark so wed better head back to the boat. More later.

Dolphins on our Bow

It is now the morning of day 2 (Saturday -- Happy Halloween) (by the way don't expect updates every day)! :)
We finally stopped motor sailing yesterday morning after running engines for about 15 hours. Its good to know they work. We've been sailing ever since and this morning I have the generator running to charge the batteries and to run the water maker. Once I have the water tanks refilled it will be nice to take a shower!
Yesterday we had a few firsts -- we caught our first fish (a bonito) and made fish tacos! and -- we had a school (or is it a pod) of dolphins sailing beside our boat and under the trampoline. If we tried we probably could have reached down and touched them they were that close!
Last night was our second night at sea and things went smoothly. As it is now Saturday morning and we have left over challah I now have to begin making my traditional French toast.
Location wise, we are 240 miles south of San Diego and hope to make it to Turtle Bay tonight. Turtle Bay is just over a third of the way down the Baja. If you are interested in seeing where we are, pull out a map and look for 29 degrees 14 minutes N by 115 degrees 30.8 minutes west.
We all look forward to getting your comments through this blog. Since we don't have any internet connections, commenting on the blog is much better and easier than trying Facebook updates. Facebook and linked in though probably have apps for providing updates by email but I am not aware of them.
More later.....
Michael

Barb's First Post

This is my first of what I hope to be many blog posts. Why have I waited so long? First because we have been so incredibly busy preparing for the trip in only 7 weeks. Now I can fully appreciate why most people spend 2-5 years getting ready. In addition, I don't even know where to begin. There is so much to say. And so I'll start right now.

We just completed our first overnight sail after departing San Diego yesterday mid afternoon. Actually, I can't say we sailed overnight since there was no wind and had to motor the entire evening and night. My watches from 9-11 p.m. and then 3-5 a.m. were uneventful and quite enjoyable. Caren and I were on watch together so the time went quickly. I must say that now that we have left the dock, I am finally more relaxed. The best part of the departure was when we passed a dock and someone shouted: "WhatCha Gonna Do: Safe voyage. See you in Mexico". It gave me the chills.

Many have asked exactly why is it that it takes so long to prepare. Michael and I have an excellent division of labor. He has taken over the role of 'tech guy', ensuring the various systems aboard are working and are getting properly repaired or serviced. I started out home schooling the kids although at this point we've missed so many days (one of the sources of my anxiety). Aside from finalizing our affairs on land (paying bills, etc.) my duties included the First Aid, both training and assembling a mega kit for our boat and our 'ditch bag' (what you take with you when you must abandon ship). Another major task has been to provision the boat. It included galley (kitchen) supplies, toiletries, cleaning supplies, storage solutions and organization, and of course food. For anyone who has camped with our family knows that we will be eating well. I prepared stew, bolognese sauce, soups and chili ahead of time, and have a fully stocked pantry for this two week leg to Cabo San Lucas. Challenges for food have included a very limited chest fridge/freezer space as well as limited storage space. We have placed extras under the floor boards. Needless to say, our boat is sitting very low in the water. You can be sure I will insist that the crew eats lots and often.

Another anxiety is how to say goodbye for the year and extend my gratitude for my friends in a meaningful way. I want to thank everyone for coming out to Mitchell Park to say goodbye and everyone who has emailed or wished us well. I still would like to plan to respond to everyone individually as I apparently will have a lot more free time - it's feeling hard to believe. Email will be my lifeline.

As I am writing this, Harrison just caught his first fish on this trip - a bonitta in the tuna family. Mark helped him and then did the filleting. Fish tacos for lunch!!

Will continue more later.