We finally received the new autopilot that was ordered just after Christmas. It arrived Monday Feb 12 and it took Steve a few days to install and run the dock side test. Yesterday, Saturday, we took Sea Lady out to program the autopilot and everything went well.
Our plan is to leave early tomorrow morning, Monday, sail to Los Muertos and anchor there for the night. Then we will take off early the following morning for the crossing to Mazatlan. The crossing should take about 27 hours, calculating a hull speed of about 6.5 to 7 knots per hour. The weather report is for light winds Monday and Tuesday with the winds picking up to about 15-18 kts and seas picking up to 4 feet on Wednesday. I'm so excited to finally be able to go after having spent over 7 weeks just waiting for the autopilot arrival.
It's carneval time here in La Paz for which La Paz is very famous and proud of. It began Feb 15 and runs through Fat Tuesday, Feb 20. It seems to be a combination of county fair and street fair, similar to the Asian night market in Vancouver BC and just packed with people. There are rides and food stands, booths selling toys, dishes, clothes, blankets and whatnot's, and several stages with very loud bands. There is a King and Queen and her court dressed in spectacular costumes attended by Mexican Naval officers in full dress whites. They set off fire works Friday night directly over head of the crowd along the malecon (street fronting the sea) and will have parades each night Sunday through Tuesday. Beer distributors, banks, cell phone companies and dairy products are featured, similar in flavor to the sponser hype connected to the Tour de France. It is wild and we enjoyed ourselves immensely.
A great on-line e-zine for life here in La Paz is www.bajainsider.com. The author lives on his boat, along with his dog Abby, here in Marina Costabaja. So....we are ready to go I just need to bake some bread and muffins before we take off. Happy sails to me.............
Sunday, February 18, 2007
Sunday, December 31, 2006
A home of an American couple, friends of fellow cruisers
The home is a remodeled theater in Todos Santos on the same little street
Monday, December 04, 2006
10 Days to La Paz
We left San Carlos on 16 Nov and arrived Sunday 26 Nov in La Paz. Because we wanted to arrive on the Baja in Bahia Concepion during day light hours and our transit was expected to take 12 to 15 hours, we left our slip on the high tide at about 8:30 and made our way south to Bahia Catalina. Also, Hop Along was slated to be put in to the water from the work yard and had the slip following us.
This was a small jewel of a cove about 3 kilometers from the big port of Guayamas. We were the only boat in this small, very protected cove with white sandy beaches and pretty green waters that rivaled any of the coves we visited on the Baja. Facing the mouth of the cove, we watched all kinds of traffic pass by, from fishing pangas to a large tanker, yet the waters remained calm in the cove. Then when we left after sunset, we had to thread our way through a bay full of fishing boats. The seas were very rough and we discovered that our autopilot did not work. Bummer. The wind had dropped so we were motoring and had following seas off our starboard quarter. Thus, in order to maintain our course the wheel had to be turned every moment, almost 20 degrees each side of our heading. This was hard work and of course, I was sea sick again. So, Steve was at the helm and I was below trying to lie down. But things were falling from where they were stored and I was being knocked about the cabin.
I tried to sit my watch, but only lasted about 30 minutes. Steve tried to rest by lying down in the cockpit. We changed positions and I managed a little nap. We shortened our watches but each of us really only got to sleep about and hour and a half for the entire transit. We also discovered that we had a problem with our raw (sea) water intake when we couldn’t flush the heads. Since this is the engine cooling system, we had to turn off the engine so we could bleed the air out of the sea chest and thus refill the chest with sea water a couple times during the night. Evidently the intake was restricted. Finally when we were about 8 nm off the Baja coast in the dark of the early morning we dropped our RPMs and were only making 5 kts to maintain the water balance and limped into Bahia Concepcion. Steve cleaned the intake hose at anchor the following day and removed a couple of mussel shells! The procedure had to be repeated after our next transit from Bahia Concepion to Bahia San Juanico and we found even more mussel shells in the through-hole. Since there is a slotted screen on the hull at exterior of the through-hole, we never expected such large critters could get in.
Bahia Concepcion is a very large, but shallow bay. We finally arrived at our destination, El Burro Cove, and dropped anchor at about 11:00 that morning. After securing our anchor we both jumped into the water for a quick swim. It was so warm without a whisper of wind and the little bobos (small flies) were driving us nuts. Lots of folks are camped in the palapas ashore and many permanent homes line the western shores of the bays.
We stayed in Bahia Concepcion for 4 days then made our way south slowly, staying a couple days in Bahia San Juanico, then one night or two each in Ballandra on Isla Carmen, Bahia Agua Verde, and the small southern cove on Isla San Francisco. In Ballandra, directly east of Loreto, we were able to make a few cell phone calls home for Thanksgiving. We were hailed by a female kayaker in Ballandra who thought she had been stranded as the boat hadn’t returned for her return to Loreto. The snorkeling was fabulous in Bahia San Juanico with very clear water and a huge varity of fish. A fellow cruiser on Mantra went diving one day an brought us some fish, Cabrilla
We motored most of the way as is our usual luck with favorable winds. Although, the couple of times we actually were able to hoist the sails and actually sail, Kay was at the helm, making Steve quite jealous. We saw porpoises on our voyage. It was really quite thrilling as I got to stand on the bow sprit and watch 2 or 3 porpoises swim directly below in our bow wave. The water was so clear that I could see the scars on the back of one of the creatures. On another occasion, we passed a small pod of porpoises, when one large porpoise tail-slapped the water 4 or 5 times. The pod had stopped swimming and we felt as though they were calling a couple of their members to return to them. Fantastic!
So we are in Marina Costabaja in La Paz and expect to be here until after Christmas because we need to fix the autopilot. In fact, if we cant fix it we won’t go across to Mazatlan or Puerto Vallarta; the Mexican Riveria. We have met up with friends from our stay here last year. And if we are lucky, we will catch up with them over on the Mainland. A norther has blown in with overcast skies and strong winds and big seas so a lot of boats are waiting for the weather to clear to permit them to make the southern crossing.
This was a small jewel of a cove about 3 kilometers from the big port of Guayamas. We were the only boat in this small, very protected cove with white sandy beaches and pretty green waters that rivaled any of the coves we visited on the Baja. Facing the mouth of the cove, we watched all kinds of traffic pass by, from fishing pangas to a large tanker, yet the waters remained calm in the cove. Then when we left after sunset, we had to thread our way through a bay full of fishing boats. The seas were very rough and we discovered that our autopilot did not work. Bummer. The wind had dropped so we were motoring and had following seas off our starboard quarter. Thus, in order to maintain our course the wheel had to be turned every moment, almost 20 degrees each side of our heading. This was hard work and of course, I was sea sick again. So, Steve was at the helm and I was below trying to lie down. But things were falling from where they were stored and I was being knocked about the cabin.
I tried to sit my watch, but only lasted about 30 minutes. Steve tried to rest by lying down in the cockpit. We changed positions and I managed a little nap. We shortened our watches but each of us really only got to sleep about and hour and a half for the entire transit. We also discovered that we had a problem with our raw (sea) water intake when we couldn’t flush the heads. Since this is the engine cooling system, we had to turn off the engine so we could bleed the air out of the sea chest and thus refill the chest with sea water a couple times during the night. Evidently the intake was restricted. Finally when we were about 8 nm off the Baja coast in the dark of the early morning we dropped our RPMs and were only making 5 kts to maintain the water balance and limped into Bahia Concepcion. Steve cleaned the intake hose at anchor the following day and removed a couple of mussel shells! The procedure had to be repeated after our next transit from Bahia Concepion to Bahia San Juanico and we found even more mussel shells in the through-hole. Since there is a slotted screen on the hull at exterior of the through-hole, we never expected such large critters could get in.
Bahia Concepcion is a very large, but shallow bay. We finally arrived at our destination, El Burro Cove, and dropped anchor at about 11:00 that morning. After securing our anchor we both jumped into the water for a quick swim. It was so warm without a whisper of wind and the little bobos (small flies) were driving us nuts. Lots of folks are camped in the palapas ashore and many permanent homes line the western shores of the bays.
We stayed in Bahia Concepcion for 4 days then made our way south slowly, staying a couple days in Bahia San Juanico, then one night or two each in Ballandra on Isla Carmen, Bahia Agua Verde, and the small southern cove on Isla San Francisco. In Ballandra, directly east of Loreto, we were able to make a few cell phone calls home for Thanksgiving. We were hailed by a female kayaker in Ballandra who thought she had been stranded as the boat hadn’t returned for her return to Loreto. The snorkeling was fabulous in Bahia San Juanico with very clear water and a huge varity of fish. A fellow cruiser on Mantra went diving one day an brought us some fish, Cabrilla
We motored most of the way as is our usual luck with favorable winds. Although, the couple of times we actually were able to hoist the sails and actually sail, Kay was at the helm, making Steve quite jealous. We saw porpoises on our voyage. It was really quite thrilling as I got to stand on the bow sprit and watch 2 or 3 porpoises swim directly below in our bow wave. The water was so clear that I could see the scars on the back of one of the creatures. On another occasion, we passed a small pod of porpoises, when one large porpoise tail-slapped the water 4 or 5 times. The pod had stopped swimming and we felt as though they were calling a couple of their members to return to them. Fantastic!
So we are in Marina Costabaja in La Paz and expect to be here until after Christmas because we need to fix the autopilot. In fact, if we cant fix it we won’t go across to Mazatlan or Puerto Vallarta; the Mexican Riveria. We have met up with friends from our stay here last year. And if we are lucky, we will catch up with them over on the Mainland. A norther has blown in with overcast skies and strong winds and big seas so a lot of boats are waiting for the weather to clear to permit them to make the southern crossing.
Friday, November 10, 2006
We Were Lucky In The Yard
We had Sea Lady moved from the storage area to the work yard at Marina Seca after we got to San Carlos. Then we needed to remove all the foil and tape we put on her to protect her through the summer. We were damn lucky and found only a bit of dirt on the deck clogging the scuppers with a little standing water. We had left the bilge pump on, but turned the batteries off so we had a little water in the bilge. The worst thing for me was the heads (thats marine talk for toilets) boiled out the enzyme-water mixture and the oil we put in to keep the seals flexible. It smelled putrid and I had to wipe it out. We’ve heard some horror stories though. Shadowfax had bees nesting in the mast and he told of another boat that had ants because sugar was left aboard. One gal on an Island Packet said the cockpit drains plugged up and the water flowed into the lazerette and soaked the new sails, so now they were red, purple, blue, green and yellow with mold and needed to be cleaned. Water also went below and soaked their aft cabin custom-made mattress. She said she was lucky because another Island Packet had water back up into the cockpit and flood the engine. I guess it’s all in the perspective.
So we have spent about a week here in the yard. We’ve been sleeping aboard, but dry camping as we haven’t taken on any water. First we (Steve) wet sanded the entire bottom and then we put on a new coat of Trinadad Red oblatetive paint. Two gallons cost over $400 and only did one coat! Then we cleaned and rigged the halyards and lines. By the time the boat is up on blocks and stands we have to use a straight ladder to get aboard. I guess it is about 13 feet from the land to the deck. A couple times Steve had to climb the mast to run the new jacklines. So he’s up there pretty high. The first few times I climbed the ladder it felt as though I was climbing 2 stories.
So we have spent about a week here in the yard. We’ve been sleeping aboard, but dry camping as we haven’t taken on any water. First we (Steve) wet sanded the entire bottom and then we put on a new coat of Trinadad Red oblatetive paint. Two gallons cost over $400 and only did one coat! Then we cleaned and rigged the halyards and lines. By the time the boat is up on blocks and stands we have to use a straight ladder to get aboard. I guess it is about 13 feet from the land to the deck. A couple times Steve had to climb the mast to run the new jacklines. So he’s up there pretty high. The first few times I climbed the ladder it felt as though I was climbing 2 stories.
Monday, October 30, 2006
Terzians in Mexico 2006
Steve and I are on our way to Mexico. When we left Bend, rain was in the forecast and we experienced temperatures of the low 20’s and saw freezing fog south of Chemult. We stayed with Karen and Dan in Mt View, muchas gracias you two. While in the Bay Area, we visited Paula and Dad at Leslie’s house where I made dinner and we all watched the ball game. There was a little bit of betting going on! The annual Terzian/The Point meeting was on Friday, also at Leslie’s. On Sunday, Karen and Dan treated Kay to a birthday (late) dinner at an Indian restaurant, whooooo, hot but good. Then on Monday, we drove south to Jacques’ place in Palm Springs. The temperature in Palm Springs was in the high 80’s. We stayed just 2 nights and completed a couple of household projects. Again we packed up the car again and on Wednesday drove east to Tucson to stay at Rancho Vistoso, the Worldmark Resort just north of Tucson. So far, each leg of our drive has been about 8 hours and very manageable. Especially for Kay, since Steve did most of the driving and we listened to a book on CD.
It was so nice in Tucson, we stayed an extra day just to relax, read and soak up the sun and to watch the World Series. Yea SLT Cardinals! I think someone might have lost her bet! In Tucson we went to the Mexican Consulatado to obtain our Visas but although we picked up the forms we were told that we had to pay and get them stamped at the border. We took our time on Saturday did laundry and had the brakes on the car checked out before we headed south. We stopped in the historic town of Tubac for a picnic lunch and a little exploration. It is a huge artist community since the 1920’s, but was first established in about 1751 by the Spanish. We intend to return and explore the town more thoroughly in the spring.
It was a breeze going through the border and immigration, taking only about 20 minutes, passing through at about 14:30. Steve estimated that it would take us about 4 hours to get to San Carlos and he was right on. The sun set around 18:00 and boy was it dark. I kept remembering the cautions we received last year about traveling on Mexican roads, “where the cows are white in the daytime and black at night”. No, we did not see any cows or owls on the road. Highway 15 is two-lane all the way with fast moving traffic traveling at about 110 kl/hr. (We are now in a metric country, Steve reminds me).
South of Nogales, we passed the stand with the big copper pots on display where we bought the big pot for Karen and Dan last April, and promised ourselves that we would stop again on our way north to get a pot for Richard.
Arriving in the dark in San Carlos, it took us a little while to find the little hotel, La Posada del Desierto where I called and reserved a room for two nights. I read about the little, very economical hotel in the Lonely Planet’s Mexico book and called while on the road. Hey! Our phones work in Mexico this year. We couldn’t be happier, except it cost $1.49 per minute for all calls, including voice mail. Oh well. Email is still the best and preferred method to communicate with us. Each of the 7 rooms has a little kitchenette, air conditioning, a TV (though we haven’t turned it on) with showers and overlooks Marina San Carlos. It’s neat and clean, painted brick red with turquoise trim (even inside) and lush vegetation gracing the patio. The only downside is that it is wide open to the bar music and noise of the Marina.
We walked down for coffee and breakfast at Baracuda Bob’s and hooked up for free wifi. We are rich! For as the Tarahumara Indians say, we have everything we need. Hasta luego.- Kay
It was so nice in Tucson, we stayed an extra day just to relax, read and soak up the sun and to watch the World Series. Yea SLT Cardinals! I think someone might have lost her bet! In Tucson we went to the Mexican Consulatado to obtain our Visas but although we picked up the forms we were told that we had to pay and get them stamped at the border. We took our time on Saturday did laundry and had the brakes on the car checked out before we headed south. We stopped in the historic town of Tubac for a picnic lunch and a little exploration. It is a huge artist community since the 1920’s, but was first established in about 1751 by the Spanish. We intend to return and explore the town more thoroughly in the spring.
It was a breeze going through the border and immigration, taking only about 20 minutes, passing through at about 14:30. Steve estimated that it would take us about 4 hours to get to San Carlos and he was right on. The sun set around 18:00 and boy was it dark. I kept remembering the cautions we received last year about traveling on Mexican roads, “where the cows are white in the daytime and black at night”. No, we did not see any cows or owls on the road. Highway 15 is two-lane all the way with fast moving traffic traveling at about 110 kl/hr. (We are now in a metric country, Steve reminds me).
South of Nogales, we passed the stand with the big copper pots on display where we bought the big pot for Karen and Dan last April, and promised ourselves that we would stop again on our way north to get a pot for Richard.
Arriving in the dark in San Carlos, it took us a little while to find the little hotel, La Posada del Desierto where I called and reserved a room for two nights. I read about the little, very economical hotel in the Lonely Planet’s Mexico book and called while on the road. Hey! Our phones work in Mexico this year. We couldn’t be happier, except it cost $1.49 per minute for all calls, including voice mail. Oh well. Email is still the best and preferred method to communicate with us. Each of the 7 rooms has a little kitchenette, air conditioning, a TV (though we haven’t turned it on) with showers and overlooks Marina San Carlos. It’s neat and clean, painted brick red with turquoise trim (even inside) and lush vegetation gracing the patio. The only downside is that it is wide open to the bar music and noise of the Marina.
We walked down for coffee and breakfast at Baracuda Bob’s and hooked up for free wifi. We are rich! For as the Tarahumara Indians say, we have everything we need. Hasta luego.- Kay
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