Day Four

Day 4 down, 17 more to go. We had a good day today though this morning there was not much wind so our mainsail was just flopping around making a lot of noise. We decided to take it down and just sail with our screecher (big sail that is similar to an asymmetrical spinnaker). Though there was little wind we were still able to do about 3-4 knots. Later this afternoon however, we raised the main as the wind picked up. We started doing 7-8 knots and even a 9+ which was fun. All in all though this was our slowest day as we only made 144 nautical miles. We've been eating well at all meals and we've had stir fried veggies with beans and guacamole on tostadas for breakfast (we had this at the yoga retreat we were at), chicken stir fry and great salads -- need to use up all those veggies we have on board! Barb has done an excellent job organizing all the food and meal plans. Its a huge job.

Barb and I also did yoga today in the cockpit (or as I like to call it the Lido deck). Its a little tricky doing those balance exercises with the boat moving around as much as it does, but nonetheless, its a good exercise. We have also begun to get into a daily routine and ironically, there has been very little downtime. Mornings include organizing the boat, breakfast, home school, making water and charging batteries as well as checking into the morning Net on the single sideband radio and checking weather. Afternoons include finishing home school, reading up on where we are going, fishing, repairs to the boat that might be required and perhaps a project or two with the kids. Evenings include dinner and checking into the Net again. We actually have not had any time yet to do any of the projects or games Barb brought along. But.....there are 17 days to go.

Regarding boat repairs, prior to leaving La Cruz, I had installed some cables and a block and tackle system to take out the slack in the lazy shroud. (Shrouds are the part of the rigging that hold up the mast and the lazy one is the one on the opposite side of where the wind is coming from. It is lazy because it is not supporting the mast when the wind is coming from the other side as the one closer to the wind (the windward shroud) is doing that.) Anyhow, this set up, called a slack sucker, was to take out the slack from the lazy shroud because when we hit waves there is a lot of oscillation that runs up and down the shroud. This oscillation and slack is not great for the rig because it puts unnecessary stress on the connection points to the boat and mast. By the second day however, the cable that I had attached to the rig was not holding and came down (why, that's another story, but West Marine did not rig the cables the way I had asked and I could only work with what they made). So, I needed to figure out a jury rig. I grabbed some line (rope) and attached a rolling hitch knot(used when a sideways pull is required), but that only worked for a day. Then, using our handy dandy knot book and a recommendation from a friend on another boat, I tried a knot call the icicle hitch -- named for the fact that it apparently can hold to even a tapered icicle. That did the trick and it is still holding. Seems there is a knot for everything!

This evening as we were furling up the screecher it would not come in all the way so we ended up dropping the sail completely and storing it in our sail locker. Tomorrows project will be figuring out why it wont furl!

Fortunately, we have only had minor issues to deal with, such as the ones above, along the way. Two boats that had left La Cruz in the last four days have turned back. Seems one lost a propeller blade and the other was getting water into their oil in their diesel engine. Hopefully they will get those fixed quickly and be back on their way to the South Pacific.

Our Stats for the last 24 hours:
Day 4:
Distance: 144 miles; Total trip: 620 miles
Average Speed: 6 knots; Average overall speed: 6.46 knots
Sea Conditions: Gentle; 3-5 foot waves; overcast much of the day but some sun; NNE winds much lighter today with about 8-10 knots for most of the daylight hours, making us slow right down to about 3 knots for a portion of today. It felt like we were bobbing for much of it. Wind picked up in late afternoon to 15-20 knots and we had the boat doing 8+ knots.
Incident Report: Asymetrical sail tangled as we tried to pull it in this eve; will address it in the a.m. Other than that, nothing much to report.
Fish caught: zero.
Produce Inventory: We lost one tomato to spoilage.
Meals/Snacks: Breakfast was oatmeal with nuts, raisins, cranberries and goji berries with fresh blueberries on top. Morning snack was peaches, kiwis and watermelon (i.e. anything that is on the verge of going off). Lunch was turkey sandwiches with lettuce and peppers. Afternoon snack was carrots, jicama, cucumber and pretzels with hummous. Dinner was tuna croquettes (buns for some) with salad. Need to find more things to do with avocado as they are getting very overripe.
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At 4/14/2011 06:30 (utc) our position was 15°47.05'N 115°13.43'W

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Day 2

We had another good day today aboard Whatcha Gonna Do. The watches seem to be working with me taking the 7 pm to midnight-ish shift while Barb sleeps and then Barb takes the midnight to 5 am shift while I sleep and then I pick it up again at 5 am. She seems to like midnight to 5 am timeframe so I am happy to sleep then. We've actually been getting a good amount of sleep.

Today when I woke and walked the boat I counted six flying fish that had flown aboard as well as one squid! This evening as I write, we have a yellow footed boobie sitting on our solar panels free riding -- does it know we are going to the south pacific?

The big excitement for today was fishing. We caught a shark -- guessing it was about 6 feet. What an amazing fight we had bringing it to the boat. Once we had it by the boat I was trying to think of a way to get our squid lure back (not the hook -- I was not going to go that close to it) when the line broke. With the fight we had with it I am surprised the line did not break sooner!

Other than that we did home school, prepared meals, fixed some chaffing on a line and hoisted our screecher (big white sail for use in lighter winds).

Today we sailed 159 nautical miles averaging 6.6 knots! As I write this we are doing about 8.5 knots though heading more west then south west to try to get to the trade winds.

Michael -- somewhere in the pacific
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At 4/12/2011 02:55 (utc) our position was 17°22.32'N 110°11.98'W

(Semi-)New Blog Links on our Sidebar

A while ago we added links to our blog sidebar that will take you to a few more blogs owned and operated by some new friends.  Each of these friends is unique and interesting.  I’ve mentioned before that time cruising is like the time spent at overnight camp where a day is like a week and a week like a month.  This is unavoidable since you essentially live together and see each other every single day.  You borrow onions from each other, you help a friend heal from a fall, you sight-see together, you eat together, or you just chit chat as they pass you on the dock or in the yacht club. Here’s a bit about some of them:

Andiamo III:  While there are four in the Andiamo crew, we don’t know Gene very well as he’s been back in the States working as a helicopter pilot for most of our time here.  But the coolest thing is that Tami is also a helicopter pilot.  If she wasn’t so incredibly nice and positive and chipper all the time, she’d be totally intimidating.  She’s one of those ridiculously capable women – she does the pink jobs (a great cook, etc) but also the blue jobs (changing propane tanks and fixing the heads as examples) since Gene is gone so much. AND she runs the La Cruz Kids Club out of the goodness of her heart.  She and Gene have both served in the Armed Forces too.  And she does push-ups with a dress on! Her kids are great too.  Christian and Harrison are the same age and have become best friends – inseparable.  They do not get on each other’s nerves eventhough they spend every waking moment together (and sometimes their sleeping moments too).  While Abigayle is only 9, she and Danielle get along really well too – she’s adorable and fun to be with.  We’ve spent a lot of time with them, and their dog Toby (also known as Cookie, due to his resemblance to Michael’s first dog).  They left for the States on Wednesday for a short visit with Gene, and it was a sad goodbye.

Eyoni – Ethan and Nancy and their 6 year old daughter Zada were friends of ours from cruising last year, but we’ve only just added their blog to our sidebar.  They too are knowledgeable, generous, smart and funny.  Nancy is perhaps one of the best story-tellers I know with a quick dry wit and I love spending time with her.  She’s had two recent medical set-backs (all healable), the latest being a severe fall with a torn meniscus which she is currently mending.  She’s also more creative than anything I can ever catch up to – making Easter bags out of felt, no-bake cookies, painting eggshell pieces glued to paper, making party hats for Zada’s Littlest Petshop animals, and the list goes on. They’re not sure whether they’re headed south to Central America or back into the Sea of Cortez this summer, given the medical delays.  We’re waiting to see.

Ceilydh-  This boat’s name is pronounced Kay-lee, but notwithstanding I passed their boat for days, I had no idea where Diane, Evan and their daughter Maia lived thanks to the Gaelic? Celtic? spelling.  Anyway, Ceilydh is crossing the Pacific and leaving at the same time we are, so I’m sure you’ll be hearing lots more about them.

Hotspur- We met Meri, Jim and their kids Tim and Carolyne last year in Mazatlan but our paths keep crossing.  They are a fun bunch, and Meri writes a beautiful and honest blog.  They’ll be spending their summer in the Sea of Cortez and after that, who knows.

Toast Floats – This is actually the name of Karen ‘Toast’ Conger’s blog about her journey with husband and 3 kids aboard their sailing catamaran Don Quixote, which has been in La Paz for the last year while they lived on land in New Zealand.  They’ve recently returned to Mexico to make the jump across the Pacific.  Toast and I have spent a few emails comparing notes for preparation.  And she’s a great writer too.

Del Viento – Interestingly, we’ve never met these folks but made an exception to our rule about really knowing the people whose blogs we follow.  Michael and Windy plan to set sail soon with their two young children after buying a boat which is currently in Mexico. This has been a life long dream for them, and they’ve carefully planned for years to make it happen. They just put their house on the market, a huge step towards cutting the dock lines.  We’ve been in touch through emails and comments, and wish them well on their journey.  Besides, Michael is an awesome writer.

There are other friends too (Safety Cat and Taking Flight to name a couple) who aren’t keeping blogs so to them we say: Get started!  We want to know where you’re at each step of the way.

As we are rushing to get going, I wish I could write more, add photos, and so on, but Michael is calling me to complete these last minute tasks before we pull out.

-Barb

La Cruz Sunday Market

While this post may be somewhat out of context, I’ve been meaning to post these photos of the Sunday Market held, well, each Sunday in La Cruz de Huanacaxtle, this quaint and beautiful town that we’ve called home for the last little while as we prepare for our ‘jump’ across the Pacific.  Although small, the market is a top-notch market for anywhere.  It used to be in the town square but has been shifted over a few blocks to be located right beside the Fish Market at the water’s edge. It’s location adds to the whole experience: you can enjoy the breathtaking beauty of Banderas Bay as you shop or visit with friends. Scents of home-cooked tamales, spinach and mushroom empanadas, and delectable pastries greet you long before you arrive.  We’ll miss the live music, the local crafts, the fresh produce (I found dill!) and other delicacies.  Our favorite stops have involved the purchase of flax seed tortillas, smoked mozarella, huge bunches of basil and mint, and fresh
*crusty* bread.  We have never missed any stall that involves tasting – all kinds of sauces, dips, and marinades including humous, tahini, and chimichurri.  We’ve found fresh pure organic peanut butter and almond butter.  As for the crafts, there are many one-of-a-kinds.  Fresh orange juice in a huge supersized cup costs 20 pesos (about $1.75).  We haven’t missed one since we’ve been here.
 









-Barb in La Cruz

TODAY'S THE DAY

Today is the day. We're cutting the dock lines and departing the safety of what we know for the adventures of the unknown en route to, and once we get to, the South Pacific.    We hope to make landfall on the island of Hiva Oa, which is part of the Marquesas Islands of French Polynesia, in approximately 21 days after 2700 miles of sea, sea, and more sea. We'll be joining a group of about ten boats departing today making the same passage.  It's nice to know we'll have company out there and we'll all be checking in with each other twice daily to get updates on location and anything else that anyone wants to share.

I'll write more later today too, but must get to the last minute Departure Day items before we pull out:  Take out the garbage; top up our water tanks; top up the fuel tanks; stow shoe bin (21 days without wearing shoes - weird!); stow remaining items in cockpit and salon; add VHF radios to our ditch bags; finish charging all electronics; tie on jack lines (these are the lines that run along the boat to which we tether ourselves if we need to go on deck to check sails, watch dolphins, or anything else); check out of the marina.

We also hope to be posting blogs at least every other day along the way.

-Barb in La Cruz for only a few more short hours

P.S. So sorry to Carla, Ken, Eric, Ian and Alexis, who are arriving tomorrow (!) - we considered waiting another couple of days so that we could see you, but realized that it is most prudent to take advantage of this weather window as we keep an eye on the five day forecast.  We know you'll have fun in Banderas Bay - it's awesome! But we sure will miss seeing you.

Dress Rehearsal and Anxiety

The waiting has been a little anti-climactic, to say the least.  I thought if we left the dock yesterday just for a day outing, it could build some of the excitement back up.  I can't say that it has.  You see, the waiting has only created a bit more anxiety in me.  I've had a lot more time to think about the what if's:  What if I didn't bring enough produce? Or worse yet, what if our refrigeration breaks down? What if we don't have the right spare parts and some key system like the autopilot or the watermaker or the generator or the motors break down?  What if we don't have the right meds? Forget the meds: What if something happens to us along the way?  So while I should be enjoying this time, I find I'm a bit on edge.  And I really want to be feeling that elation of Kate Winslett in the Titantic as she hung out at the front of the ship with the wind blowing in her hair - with a better ending of course.  I'm not usually like this, and it's disturbing me.  Here we are embarking on a trip of a lifetime and my mind is too cluttered to enjoy it.  This makes me even more unhappy.

As I mentioned, we left the dock yesterday with all four of us on board as required to check out with the harbor master in Nuevo Vallarta.   All went smoothly and quickly.  On our return, while out on the water, we took advantage of a gorgeous afternoon of sailing. We took the opportunity to check the sails and rigging, which we'll have to do daily en route.  We turned on our generator, our water maker, and even our air conditioning (which we've only used twice).  All seems to be operating well.  We practiced hand steering (in case our autopilot goes), and 'heaving to' (when you allow the jib to back into the wind, let the boom go, and you come very close to a halt - this maneuver is used in rough weather conditions when you need to take a break).  And we also practiced our Man Overboard drills, using a fender instead of a man (or woman or child).  As soon as Michael demonstrated a Man Overboard rescue, the wind died, so I had the luxury of practicing mine under motor. Still not easy, but we'll have to practice again with more wind as we set out for real.  Let's hope we're in warmer waters if I'm ever the one to have to make the rescue, as the victim will likely have to wait for a while. I'll get to him, but it will likely take me a few tries.

The very mention of Man Overboard drills stops many in their tracks.  It really shouldn't.  It's sort of like making a will for when you die - you need to address it even though it's uncomfortable.  There is one BIG difference, however. You know you're going to die eventually so you'll surely need a will, while we hope never to have to use a Man Overboard drill. Why do the drill? I think it's important to know what's necessary in a situation when something goes wrong, especially because when something goes wrong, it's not generally a good time to start leafing through the manuals to figure out how things work.  It's also not enough to think it through, but rather it's important to play it through.  

We have also addressed our Emergency Procedures the same way.  We talked about fire, and went through the motions of operating a fire extinguisher. We practiced calling out Mayday calls, what buttons to press and which channels to use. We reviewed how the EPIRB (emergency location beacon) turns on and situations that would require us to abandon ship.  We have also reviewed the contents of our 'ditch bag', also known as the Abandon Ship Bag, how and when to use flares, and how to turn on and dial the satellite phone.  We also reviewed each of our roles if in fact we'd need to abandon ship.  And most people know that they need to get into their liferafts if they must abandon ship, but how many people actually know how to deploy the raft itself?  We watched several videos of how this is done (for example, we watched this video as well as this video).  Because of its cost and complexity, deploying and repacking your own liferaft is rarely if ever done unless someone is having their liferaft recertified (there's an expiry date) - and even then it's usually done at a manufacturer's facility behind closed doors. We are all familiar, however, with what is needed to get our liferaft out of its stowage crate, and how to get it inflated.   

We know that many have great safety equipment on board but don't know how to use it. We also know that many cruisers never go through these exercises for reviewing emergency procedures or Man Overboard drills. For me it's been a crucial step in becoming a comfortable cruiser.  Knowledge is power.  Knowing how and what to do makes all of us a lot less anxious about the what ifs.  And hopefully being prepared means we'll never need to use any of it. In fact the statistics are on our side: the likelihood of ever having to use any of it is very low.

I can't say my cold feet and anxiety have subsided completely, but with the drills, I am feeling a bit better. Danielle actually said that it would be terribly embarrassing if we backed out now. Her honesty cracks me up but pulls me back to earth.  That's not why we're continuing on, emotionally plugging away to make this happen. Her comment actually reminds us of why we're doing it.  We're heading out on an even greater adventure and excitement than setting out in the first place when coming to Mexico (and that was pretty huge).  We're taking advantage of more time with our kids and each other.  We're challenging ourselves beyond our comfort zones and showing our kids and ourselves that anything's possible if you really want it.  We're challenging the boundaries of self-sufficiency.  We're doing something different. We're going to get to see a pristine and fascinating part of the world that one is not likely to see in their lifetimes, and certainly not without a boat coming from very far distances.  We'll be expanding our minds with what we see, something that is so fulfilling to me. A sense of accomplishment and confidence building is a huge component.  We are taking advantage of the time we have to do this. 

I'm feeling slightly better already.

-Barb (guess where I am???)

P.S. As a humorous aside:  The country check-out procedures with the harbor master are followed by a boat walk-through with an immigration official.  Apparently the immigration official is searching for stowaways. Confused?  So are we - especially since we aren't leaving for another couple of days (we hope it's no more), which would give any potential stowaway plenty of time to climb aboard.  But this is one of those Mexico-isms, otherwise known as TIM (This Is Mexico), when things don't make any sense at all, but as visitors we just accept them and chuckle -sometimes I wonder if there's something that I'm missing, not them.

...And Waiting...

Still no wind to carry us to the trades.  Still waiting.  But tomorrow we'll head to the harbor master to check out of the country.  We're being optimistic because we have only a couple of days to leave the country once we officially check out.  Unofficially, people leave whenever they can.  We know of a couple of boats that set out but encountered problems within 20 miles of shore and returned for repairs before setting out again.  This means that they were in the country 'unofficially'.  We'll unofficially say that this may unofficially happen to us unless the wind picks up.

I must make a clarification.  Michael astounds me with how much he knows about reading weather information.  I think I may have suggested otherwise in my post of yesterday.  What I was trying to say yesterday is that the weather information we got did not immediately make sense to him, so he decided to spend the afternoon understanding that particular weather phenomenon, which was in and of itself an anomaly.  Our weather-related decisions are always educated opinions based on several, not just one, sources.

Kids will begin homeschooling again tomorrow - they've taken the last few days off to be with friends, in particular the Andiamo crew who left today for the States for a few days.  At this rate, we may still be here when they return.

-Barb (yes, still in La Cruz)

Still Waiting...

It's now looking like Thursday for departure day at the very earliest.  The weather report this morning on the VHF radio net advised that there is still no wind to take us to the trade winds, and in fact no trade winds in the trade winds.  That last part sounds a little ridiculous, I know, but I don't profess to understand weather at all.  We are used to waiting for wind, though, so that's not a problem.  The problem seems to be a weird weather phenomenon that is bringing severe weather cells into the Pacific over the next week that are out of character for this time of year.  Or so the morning net reported.  Again, I don't profess to understand the weather, and up until now, we've been satisfied to listen to the nets and go when they say we should go.  However, this time around, Michael decided he needed to understand this so-called phenomenon, and spent the day today learning to read the weather reports and the trends.  Since we've been ready to go now for two days, what else does he have to do?  He is pretty convinced after a thorough study, review and collaboration with other cruisers heading to the South Pacific that Thursday is the day to go.  That's when the winds will pick up to carry us to the trades, and that's when the trades will come alive doing what the trades do best.  He is also assured, through various sources and cross references, that these weird weather cells will not interfere with our passage.

And what did I do all day on the wait?  I feel like I'm waiting for a baby to come.  I'm all ready for it, but not sure when, over the next couple of weeks, it'll be here.  So I'm nesting.  I cleaned today.  I vacuumed the cockpit and salon rugs, which required me hauling out the real heavy duty vacuum from under Harrison's bed. I cleaned and waxed the chrome plate on the faucets in all the bathrooms.  And I tidied and stowed away a lot of stuff that I had planned on doing while underway.  

I also started checking my produce, which you need to do every day for some things, every 3 days for other things, and every week for yet other things.  I can start smelling the melons, so at least one will need to be eaten tomorrow.  I also noted that some of the bins are getting sunlight in the late afternoon which will hasten ripening, so I moved the bins and closed the curtains. Everything else seems to be doing fine.  For how long, I know not.

Citrus wrapped in tinfoil

Tomatoes wrapped in paper towels

We had a great dinner tonight with most of our friends at a restaurant called Xocholatl (pronounced Sho-ko-la-tay) on the highway at La Cruz, which has the most incredible view of Banderas Bay and the marina (the food's pretty good too).  Within the next few days, many of our friends will sadly be heading in different directions.  After seeing each other every day and sharing meals, kids, recipes, boat parts, stories and much more, it will be hard to leave.  

-Barb (and yes, I'm still in La Cruz)

Weather Delays, or How to Mess Up my To Do Lists

We awoke this morning to the daily VHF net weather report that a weather trough (cold and nasty weather) has stalled around coastal California, which has resulted in attracting some bad weather cells into the Pacific and right into our travel path.  This, coupled with the fact that there is no wind to carry us to the trade winds about 300 miles offshore, has delayed our departure yet again.

At first we thought it would be until at least the weekend.  While the delay carried with it the happy possibility of being able to meet up with good friends of ours who are coming to the area for their spring break, can you imagine what that would do to my produce provisioning???  After the hours I spent picking produce and getting everything ready, a long delay would mean that I would have to keep track of what I used, and then replenish yet again but only with very unripe produce to be used at the end of the voyage after all the other older produce was used up.

However, we have since received a revised weather report and think we can pull out of the marina on Wednesday to check out in Nuevo Vallarta, and then head out Thursday morning.

Either way, we slept in this morning - something we haven't done in I-can't-remember-how-long.  We spent the day in lazy mode as there was not much to do.  For the first time in a long time, we weren't bleeding money from all the purchases necessary to get ready either.  We even ate dinner at home, something else we weren't doing very often given the hectic schedule and the turmoil of the boat galley as I was putting provisions away.  And we couldn't even make phone calls because the internet cafe in town is closed today.  In the afternoon, we went to the pool down the beach from the marina and just hung out with friends. It felt like we were cruising again, with little stress and enjoying the moment.  We've heard that many people set a target date to leave on a long voyage, and then just go out to an anchorage for a day or two to chill.  The stress leading up to departure date is excruciating, so this allows you to unwind and start the voyage in a better frame of mind.  I sure feel this day was just what the doctor ordered.

-Barb in La Cruz for a few more unexpected days

A Produce Frenzy

I had a much more productive day today than yesterday, after finishing up our laundry, our Emergency Procedures review, a trip to the farmer's market, and some great calls to family.  We made it to the Puddle Jumpers' meeting and shared good information on weather (how to get it, how to read it), routing (places not to miss, where to spend the cyclone season, where to make landfall), Single Sideband Radio Nets (which help you get the weather and keep in touch with everyone else who's out there doing the 'Jump'), and the ITCZ (Intertropical Convergence Zone) which was perhaps the scariest topic for us all.  You'll be hearing more about the ITCZ as we go, I'm sure, and you can read more about it here, but it's essentially the band of wacky and unpredictable weather on either side of the equator due to the fact that the currents and winds on either side of the equator run in opposite directions.  The aim of anyone heading to the South Pacific is to cross the equator at the narrowest part of that band so that the unpredictability of the weather is experienced for as short a time as possible.  The tricky part is that the narrowest section is constantly changing. More on this later.

At 6 p.m. Diane (s/v Ceilydh) and I headed over to the produce warehouse in La Cruz which provides produce to all the local tiendas.  The proprietor heads to Guadelajara on Thursdays and Sundays to get very fresh produce, and makes it available to the public as well.  The tricky thing here is that there are about 10 boats jumping the puddle this week, which means a lot of cruisers sifting through the produce for the best stuff.  Diane and I wanted to get there as early as possible.  It worked out well.  We both managed to get great looking produce for ridiculously low prices.  This batch here, which should last us 3-4 weeks, cost a total of 1400 pesos, which is just over US$100.

The process took us about 2 hours total.  The time was needed to painstakingly pick out each piece of produce so that it would last.  No bruises whatsoever. Firm.  At various stages of ripeness. I had spent a lot time researching what lasts for how long, how to choose each piece and how to store it so that we'd get the longest time out of it.  I have very limited refrigeration space so much of the produce will be stowed outside the fridge, but it must be a dark, cool and well-ventilated area. I'm thinking 'cool' is a relative term.

Oranges and cabbages were soaked first in a mild bleach solution and let to dry completely before stowing.  All produce must be completely dry before stowing out of the refrigerator. Onions and potatoes are never to be stored together.  Citrus should be wrapped in tinfoil and not stored with anything else, and even at that, not even remotely close to anything else.  Apples, pears, tomatoes, mangoes should be wrapped in paper towels or tissues.  Everything has to be stored without movement so that nothing bruises.  Everything has to be checked regularly for bruising or it can ruin an entire batch of produce.  Long life 'GreenBags', available only in the US and Canada, are used wherever possible, both in and out of the refrigerator.

The best part of this two hour exercise was our friends' involvement.  Anne from s/v Taking Flight had loaned us her cart to help shlep it all back, and she spent the entire 2 hours helping us pick out 3 dozen fat carrots, 4 dozen firm purple and white onions, 3 dozen smooth potatoes, 1 dozen large jicama, 2 dozen firm oranges, 3 dozen green limes, and the list goes on. Then, just as we were bringing our produce to be weighed after the selection process, several of our friends showed up to help us carry it all out.  I was so touched and grateful that I nearly cried.  Thank you Anne, Tami (s/v Andiamo), Nick and Andrea (s/v Safety Cat).  It was totally unexpected and so appreciated.  It took 6 of us to carry it all back to the boat.

Produce for s/v Ceilydh and s/v Whatcha Gonna Do - and a lot of great friends

Tami hung around and helped us prepare the produce for stowage, including wrapping all citrus in tin foil, and all tomatoes, apples and mangoes in paper towels.  Everything is stowed away in vegetable bins that we got for free from the produce warehouse.  They are stacked up under our salon table, in the cockpit and in the starboard cabin.  I'll be checking all of it every few days.

Believe me, I've learned more about picking produce and stowing it for long keeping than anyone should have to know in their lifetime.

Tomorrow I'll head to Mega (chain grocery store) to pick up my dairy, 10 dozen eggs, and breads.  After that, we have only very minor details to take care of.  Whew.... almost done.

-Barb in La Cruz

Cross-blog References

Two of our cruising friends blogged about two separate events we blogged about two days ago.  Make sense?

Diane on Ceilydh (pronounced Kay-Lee) blogged about the karaoke night here.

And Meri on Hotspur (pronounced Hot-Spur) blogged about the challah making here.

Both did a much better job at describing each of the events than I did, given the exhaustion I'm experiencing due to the planning frenzy and the hour at which I finally get to sit down and write a blog.

And sorry if I'm popping out these blogs at a faster rate than you can read them.  It mirrors the rate at which we're moving these days.  We're sure things will slow down - REALLY slooowwwww dowwwwwnnn - once we're out to sea.  Which won't happen now until Wednesday as the winds will be better for our departure then than on Tuesday as originally planned.  I love it when I get an extra day.  We plan to spend it with friends doing nothing but hanging out at the beach and the pool and not worrying about anything we need to do but be present.

In Need of a Re-do

Yesterday (Saturday) was one of those days where I really needed a re-do, a do-over.  I started by getting up late, which I cannot afford to do given my to do list. Our departure date is closing in on us and I'm stressed with all the things I still need to get done.  I've given up on some things, like buying art project-y things for the passage, or green beans, or getting a mani/pedi.  But there are other things I must do, including calling my family to speak to them one last time before we make the crossing.


Yesterday morning we had scheduled a review of Emergency Procedures and our Abandon Ship Bag (known as our Ditch Bag), but only got part way through by the time I realized I would already be late for my hair appointment in Puerto Vallarta.  I quickly hopped a bus, which took almost twice as long as usual to get me there.  Haircut went smoothly, but then I decided to take advantage of Starbuck's internet, paid Starbucks' prices for a coffee so I could get the password, and proceeded to waste an hour and a half trying to make calls. My computer took nearly 20 minutes just to get booted up and launch the phone software. Then, most calls didn't go through, but when they did, they didn't last long. Plus, I was in the middle of a mall so the sound was awful.  When I finally got through to my mother, I had to tell her that I had to call her right back because I had a nervous stomach attack and had to get to the bathroom (sorry if this is too much information).  Which meant I had to pack all my computer stuff up to take it with me, and then come back to re-set it all up again.  Still no phone calls that worked. I finally packed it in and went home without being able to cross anything off my list.  Nothing.  Okay, so I crossed off haircut. With the time shrinking on us, I cannot afford to have nothing else crossed off my list.

Last night many families on the dock ordered pizza and had dinner on the dock but I didn't even get off the boat. I was trying to make up for lost time, but I'm not sure I was able to cross anything off the list either way.  Today is our last day on the docks and there is a serious amount to be done:  Start the day with final laundry items, then complete the emergency procedures review session; then the farmer's market at 10 a.m.  This will be followed by a trip to Mega to get all my dairy and breads for the passage and then I'll have to find space to put it in.  At 4:30 we have a Pacific Puddle Jump final round table meeting for any of us doing the 'jump' that are still around - to discuss weather, radio nets, routing, and so on.  Finally at 6 p.m. we'll head to the produce warehouse up the street to get the bulk of our produce for the passage.  Then, if I'm still awake, I'll have to wash some of it in a bleach solution and allow it to completely dry overnight before stowing it.

And where will I fit in those telephone calls?  Internet here at the marina is the most frustrating thing around - sometimes it's here and sometimes it's not.  And it's certainly not good enough for a phone call.  On top of that my computer has been acting up - just days before we depart.  AAARRRGGGHHH.

So, at 2:30 p.m. (daylight savings time, finally -- Mexico just sprung forward one hour last night) on this, a new day, I've done the laundry, I've been to the market, we've completed our emergency procedures review, and I've abandoned Mega for today in place of making calls at an internet cafe down the street.  Wish me luck - I hope I get through.

Barb in La Cruz for one more day

Making Time for Friends

As the stress levels get a bit over-emphasized, we've still managed to make a bit of time for good friends we've made here at the La Cruz Marina.

Yesterday, I lead the multi-staged Kids' Club activity over the day:  1 p.m. was mixing ingredients on our dock for Challah, thanks to the famous recipe given to me by our good friend and quasi-family Daniel Saal.  At 4 p.m. we re-united at the Sky Bar to braid the challahs, and at 6 p.m. they were baked and given out.  Most never made it home as they were devoured hot out of the oven. The amazingly inventive Kids' Club is lead by our good friend Tami on Andiamo - we'll be so sad to be saying goodbye to her and her kids in a couple of days.  We've grown very close to them - in only 3 weeks! Living at the dock is like being at camp - relationships blossom and a week is like a month in real time.

Mixing ingredients in our outdoor kitchen on Dock 4

One of the trays, ready to be baked

Last night, Michael organized a karaoke night up in the marina Sky Bar.  It was a hoot, and most of our good friends came out.  I woke up this morning with a sore throat because of all the singing.

Tami (Andiamo) and Andrea (Safety Cat) belt it out

Father and son singing together

Father and Daughter (Evan and Maia of Ceilydh) doing a duet

The crew of Hotspur (Carolyne, Jim and Meri - only son Tim is missing)

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun!

Michael's new favorite pasttime

Kids are having a great time - when the adults let them have the mike!

The list is getting shorter, but there are still items to get done so I'm in a bit of a panic.  I'll have to keep this post short.

-Barb in La Cruz for 2 more days

The Countdown and Answers to Questions you may have pondered...

WHAT's with the new blog design?  Michael's been working on some changes, especially because the current template allows us to include a location tracker.  We hope you enjoy it.  It's still a work in progress, while we still have internet.

WHAT are all these new blogs we've linked to on the right hand side of our blog?  These are new and (some old) friends that we've made, plus one up-and-coming cruiser.  Hopefully I'll have time to write a blog or two about these friends and who they are.  It's actually pretty miraculous that we've made some new friends here in La Cruz in the last 3 weeks given how hectic and busy we've been, but that's cruising.  Cruisers seem to form a wonderful warm and inviting community. This is for better or for worse -- on our tight schedule, we've been doing perhaps a bit too much socializing.  It's hard to avoid though, and believe me, we're not complaining.

WHEN are we leaving for the South Pacific?  The optimum time to leave is during the first two weeks in April.  This allows us to take full advantage of the sailing season in between the cyclone (i.e. hurricane) seasons in the South Pacific (November to April).  So we plan to be ready around April 1 (yes, that's tomorrow), but given that it is April Fool's Day and a Friday, and given that sailors are very superstitious and won't commence a voyage on a Friday, we plan to leave on the following Tuesday, putting the departure date at Tuesday,  April 5.  All this is, of course, weather permitting.  With such a long voyage, we plan to save as much fuel as possible so do not want to turn on our motors.  This means that we'll need enough wind to take us sailing out to about 300 miles off shore, where we'll pick up the trade winds that will carry us west and south.  In addition, the Tuesday departure allows us to head to the produce warehouse, which is open on Sunday nights, to choose our 3 week supply of produce.  This gives us Monday to stow all the produce, take the boat as required to Nuevo Vallarta to the harbor master to check out of Mexico, and while we're at it we'll fill up with fuel.  We'll sleep on the hook (i.e. at anchor) on Monday night so that we can start getting our sea legs.  Then Tuesday morning, we'll be off.  The countdown is on: That's in only a few short days. It may (and does) feel as though the deadline has just been sprung on us, but we have been preparing for a while, even while we weren't sure we were going.  But then again, we are experts at getting ready in a short time - you may recall that we bought the boat, moved aboard, and got it ready in 6 weeks...

WILL we be taking crew?  We've decided not to take crew.  The decision was not taken lightly. We deliberated a long time on this one, and while another crew member could help with the night time watches, we have weighed that against the fact that we have a good crew already in the four of us.  We also took into account the fact that it's a long time to have someone on your boat, especially if it doesn't work out. It's not just the three week passage, because you'd need to let that crew off in a place where's there's enough civilization for him/her to get home - like an airport - which is likely three months into the trip.  As far as our current crew (i.e. our family), we've had the kids take day watches before, and we may add an 8-10 p.m. watch for Danielle. Plus, after a few days, you get used to the night watches.  If it were just Michael and I, we would definitely take crew.  But with the four of us on board, there's always an extra set of eyes or hands if absolutely necessary.  For example and in the worst case scenario, if someone goes overboard, we have at least two other sets of eyes to keep a watch out for the person who fell in, while someone else can still drive the boat (we have practiced man overboard drills in the past, and plan to on our way to Nuevo Vallarta before checking out).  Our kids have really grown into fine crew members, and I'm looking forward to the time together with nothing to do but school, play games, and hang out together.

WHAT's our route?  We don't know.  We think we'll follow the route known as the Coconut Milk Run, but exact places and dates can and almost positively will change.  So, tentatively, it looks like this:
April - Passage to the Marquesas
April/May - Marquesas Islands (French Polynesia)
May - Tuamotu Islands (French Polynesia)
June - Society Islands including Tahiti, Bora Bora, Moorea (French Polynesia)
Late June/early July - Cook Islands (Suwarrow in the north or Rangaroa in the south)
July - Nuie
Late July/early August - Tonga
Late August to late September - Fiji
Late September/ Early October -Vanuatu
October - New Caledonia
End of October - Make landfall in Bundeberg, Australia
November/December - Explore Australia

But as with all our plans, they are fluid...

-Barb in La Cruz (for only a few more days...)

Lists, Lists, Lists …. Getting Shorter, Shorter, Shorter…

As we are now into our final week of preparation our lists are beginning to get shorter.  Of course, we have lists of lists and even as they get shorter new tasks are added.  That said, we are getting close.  We have had our rig inspected by a rigger and our engines serviced.  We have our paper charts and electronic charts.  We have loaded electronic charts on two computers and have backed up our hard drives.  We have gotten our entry visas/permits for French Polynesia and have changed our navigation coverage with our insurance company.  We have reviewed the weather fax information we will be able to receive while underway and have even given our blog a facelift which now includes the ability to track our progress – provided all our communication systems work and are able to send updates. 

In the process, we came upon two ‘situations’ that needed addressing.

We updated our emergency beacon transponder information (known as EPIRB’s - we have two) with the US Coast Guard and have tested them both.  In the process we decided to speak to the manufacturer about the life of the built-in batteries on the beacons given that the expiry date was one month ago, and we’ll still be cruising for another 6-8 months.  The manufacturer informed us this was fine and there is no need to replace it in the near future – we’ll keep testing it every month. During the conversation however, he inquired about the age of our hydrostatic release mechanism (this automatically deploys the beacon if the release mechanism is submerged a few feet underwater).  In the course of our conversation he had no concern with the battery life of our beacon but was concerned that the release mechanism  would not work as it had likely expired.  So, we ordered a new one from West Marine – the Nordstrom of the boating world – and our good friends on Safety Cat, who were visiting family in the US, brought it down for us.  We installed the new one and decided to see what would happen with the old one if we submerged it.   So, we took a break from homeschooling and went out to the dock and started spraying it with water.  Nothing happened.  It needs to be submerged!!  So we tied a rope to it and put it in the water, but it floated!  So we added a weight and lowered it about six feet (2 meters) and still nothing happened.  We finally lowered it about 15 feet (5 meters) and then they hydrostatic release responded by snapping a pin that, had the beacon been attached would have deployed it.  Its good to know how they work and that we replaced ours.  I would not want to be 15 feet underwater before it responded.  Though, I have not tested the new one (as I need it) to know for sure at what depth it would respond.

We also had our standing rigging checked.  This involved sending an experienced rigger up to the top of our mast who then inspected all the connections.  It turned out that everything looked great except for a tiny hairline crack in one of our turnbuckles (this connects the rod rigging to the mast).  We had him immediately replace it and I am thrilled we had him check our rig.  All these efforts are the types of things that we believe are critically important to do as we set out on a voyage of this scale.

I think we are now almost ready though we still need to get our bottom cleaned (the boat bottom so we can go fast, not our personal bottoms); make a test call on our satellite phone; fill our diesel, gasoline and propane tanks; check smoke and carbon monoxide detectors among other things; and review emergency procedures at sea including the viewing of a life raft deployment.  I am sure things will still get added to our list (or our list of lists), but hopefully at a rate now that is slower.  We are now also feeling like we are crossing more things off than we are adding.   

Michael (in La Cruz)