Culture Shock

We are back in the States and already it is proving to be quite the adventure.

After a week of hard work getting "Faith" clean, stripped down and put to bed (having Patty's help really cut down on the time it took) we made the drive back to Tucson on Sunday. Saturday evening at dinner we realized we had forgotten to close the thru hulls so "someone" would have to make a trip back to the yard on Sunday morning. My first-in-seven-months manicure/pedicure had taken place that afternoon so the obvious returnee was Chris. Enough said. At any rate, even with the unexpected trip to the yard we managed to have everything loaded up and were on our way by 10 am.

The drive to Nogales was uneventful and it was nice to see that the construction from last fall was all completed. Then we got to the border. Ahem. The line was actually quite short...there probably weren't 20 cars ahead of us...but for some reason the border patrol guys were really taking their time so it took 30 or so minutes to get to the front of the line. For those who don't already know, Chris has already been "busted" twice for having an undeclared apple in a cooler so now we are searched every time we re-enter the U.S. This time was no exception and having the trailer just opened the options for the Homeland Security guys. Really, though. "Our" guy was very laid back and nice and had a great sense of humor. We'd been careful to get rid of all fresh fruit & produce but I had no idea eggs would be a problem so the last 4 we had were surrendered to the border guy. We dropped Patty off in Green Valley where she was planning to visit a friend and by 6:30 Chris & I were settled into the Prince of Tucson RV Park where we'd stayed last fall. A long day but, thankfully, without emergencies.

We'll be in Tucson for about a week visiting Chris' friends and family and it is nice to be kind of settled for a little bit. Now begins the process of getting used to life in the fast lane again. Yesterday we started off by going to AT&T and getting cell service. Chris has had Verizon for quite a while but it is useless in Mexico and we'd heard about a new AT&T plan that has cell coverage for both the U.S. and Mexico with no additional charges. It sounded great and, as it turns out, is exactly as we'd heard. It is so nice to have a phone again (we each have one) and now I will be able to call home anytime...even when we're in Mexico.

After the trip to AT&T we spent some time catching up on emails, etc. and then went to the grocery store on the way back to the trailer. Holy guacamole! We bought meat for 3 meals, a few veggies, 1/2 gallon of ice cream, 3 bottles of (cheap) red wine, 2 loaves of bread, teeny packages of sugar & flour, a dozen eggs, tub of margarine, bottle of shampoo, bottle of shower gel and 2 toothbrushes. The bill came to $95 and I about dropped my teeth!!!! We can eat for two weeks (sometimes longer) for that much money in Mexico! Even if we go out to dinner every night! How in the world do people in the States afford to eat???

The other shock was the heat. I can not believe how hot it is here! Yesterday it was 107 and today (I haven't looked yet...I'm afraid) & tomorrow are predicted to be 109! It is so hot that I don't think I could walk all the way from the trailer to the pool without expiring! It is so hot that it will be a relief to go to the laundromat where it is air conditioned! It is so hot that the locals are fish belly white because they can't stay outside long enough to get tan! OK...maybe a little exaggeration but it is hot nevertheless. Believe it or not the weather guys are very excited that "any day now" the "monsoons" will start and there will be rain and flash flooding!

So that is the latest episode. We will be here for about a week and then start working our way north. Lots of people to visit on the way but we have decided that this time we will be taking our time and doing some sightseeing.

Stay tuned!

Snotty Weather and Sunken Dinghies

I began this blog entry as we were anchored in Willard on Tiburon Island. The wind was blowing 15-25 knots out of the east and did not let up for 3 solid days. The weather gurus got it wrong again.

When we left Isla las Animas and crossed the Sea of Cortez, the wind was a nice, comfortable 10-12 knots out of the southeast. We put up the sails and were sailing nicely for quite a while. The farther east we went, the higher the wind got and pretty soon we were rollicking through 2-3 ft swells and wind chop and having a great time. As we all know, all good things must end and as the day went on, the wind built to 20, 22, 25 knots and gusts over that. Down came the headsail and still we were roaring on. We had hoped for some protection in Willard but it was not great. Since the wind was coming off the land, there was no fetch and the water in the anchorage was quite flat so we aren’t rocking, rolling, bouncing, etc, but the wind never went below 15.

The plan was to go around the corner to a place called Dog Bay but with the wind out of the wrong direction that option was no longer available. We really didn’t have any driving need to leave but Chris thought the unusual weather might have been some sort of phenomenon that was exclusive to that island so we decided to go to Los Cocinas…an anchorage about 75 miles away on the mainland coast.

We anticipated the trip to Los Cocinas (The Kitchens) to take about 14-15 hours so at 4am we had the anchor up and were leaving Willard in order to arrive at our destination during the daylight. Ha! This little trip turned out to be our worst ever passage since the Oregon coast.

As we left Willard, the wind was still blowing 20 knots but we weren’t concerned as we thought it would help us. What we hadn’t planned on (or looked at) was the tide. It was just beginning to flood and in that part of the Sea the tides are often as high as six knots. We were moving pretty fast but the boat speed over ground slowed to an incredible 1-2 knots. We continued to slog along for a while and then Chris & I discussed the option of turning back. We even turned the boat around for a short while. After some discussion we re-evaluated and decided that the tide was going to be a factor pretty much every day so back around to the south we went. As the day wore on, we didn’t see an appreciable difference in the tidal effect and the wind (which was still out of the southeast) never went below 16 knots but mostly stayed above 20 knots. The waves started out at 3-5 feet but the farther south we got the bigger they became and they were only 3 seconds apart so it was a real trial.

“Faith” is a big, heavy boat and she is quite happy to slog through pretty much anything you ask her to deal with but it was still uncomfortable for us. The wind would build to 25-30 knots and we’d slam into huge waves and then it would die back down to 15-20 knots for a while. Fortunately, we have a pretty dry boat and it was rare for a wave to get water into the cockpit.

We kept waiting for the tide to change in hopes that it would help our boat speed but, alas, the wind and water direction mitigated any reduction in the tide. It finally became apparent that this trip was going to take considerably longer than we had anticipated. As it turned out, it was 34 hours before we finally arrived and got anchored! To add insult to injury, the rough seas broke loose all the crap that was in the bottom of the fuel tank and both the fuel filters clogged up. The engine never quit but it wouldn't go above 1600 rpm's.

Once we were safely anchored in Los Cocinas, we were n-o-t leaving until the wind died off. The wind continued blowing a sustained 25 knots with gusts as high as 30…in the anchorage…for three days and we were absolutely not interested in jumping back out into those big seas any time soon. Even the pelicans weren't happy. They just stood on the beach for hours on end and when they attempted to fly somewhere they were working very hard. The day we arrived two boats from Tucson Sailing Club arrived…both considerably smaller (27' & 28'), and the folks on board were very tired and very, very wet. The one boat had lost its engine and it was pretty dark when they got here. Chris guided them in past all the rocks using lights and the VHF and talked them through anchoring under sail so they got safely settled next to us. Next day, Doubloon, a boat that was there when we arrived, decided they couldn't wait any longer and took off...like a shot. Both sails were reefed down but they were going north so were going with the wind instead of against it. They were out of sight in no time at all.

After 3 days of waiting, the weather guy said things were going to start calming down. Whoo hoo! Still, I had no intention of leaving until it was nice and flat “outside”. Alas…you know what they say about best laid plans!

Our third night turned out to be pretty rolly. Sometime during the night the wind and well had switched to the southwest and was coming straight into the anchorage. Sleeping was uncomfortable at best (actually, none of us got much) but when we got up we discovered that the stern was now facing the beach and we were just barely beyond the surf line. These huge rollers would come in and lift the boat and then break no more than 50' behind us and crash on the beach. As soon as I saw what was happening I knew we had to get out of there right away and started getting things below stowed. Chris went topsides to secure things and then I heard him make some unintelligible noise and tell me to come up and look. The dinghy was deflated and sinking, the outboard was totally underwater and the seat & gas tank were beginning to float away. The only way to get it hoisted out of the water and onto the davits was for Chris to go in. The next 30 minutes or so were hair-raising. Chris got in the water, handed the dinghy seat up to me, then detached the gas tank from the outboard and handed that up. By now the swells had turned the dinghy upside down making the next chore even more difficult and hazardous. I handed the line for the outboard lift to Chris and he had to get under the dink, attach it to the harness on the outboard and detach the outboard from the dinghy so Patty & I could lift it. We were both very concerned. He was between the stern of the boat (which was being lifted out of the water and then slammed back down into it by each big swell) and the dinghy as he worked to get all this done, all the while trying to avoid being carried to the beach or smashed by “Faith”. It was very, very scary. He finally got the outboard ready to lift and then moved away from the boat while Patty & I lifted it. Unfortunately, the line was twisted and we couldn't get the outboard on its stand so Chris had to climb back on board to accomplish that. When the motor was secured, he was back in the water to attach the davit lines to the fore and aft of the dinghy so we could raise that. Once he was safely back aboard "Faith" we raised the dinghy and then hurried to get out of there. Oh...by the way...did I mention that he did all this in the buff??? He'd had shorts on but as soon as they got wet they slid down and off so he decided to use that as an advantage.

I started the motor and began raising the anchor. I wasn't totally sure how close to the beach the anchor was set so I was plenty concerned that it might be inside the surf line. That would create a whole new set of problems. It all turned out fine and as soon as the anchor was up we powered out to sea.

The rest of the trip, on into San Carlos, turned out to be much better than we’d anticipated. The swells were still quite large (4 to 5 ft) and the wind stayed around 20 knots of wind but with the wind out of the SW we weren't fighting it and were able to make some decent time. We arrived in San Carlos 7 hours later and were able to pull into a lovely slip at the Marina Real. It was a real relief to sleep on a boat that was still and quiet.

A Visit From the Navy

We left Santa Rosalia Wednesday at 8:30 pm and motored all night so we could meet up with the Tucson Sailing Club in San Francisquito. Fourteen hours later we pulled in and set the anchor but, alas, they were pulling theirs and heading off to the next anchorage on their itinerary. We were pretty beat so we told them we’d meet them there on Thursday and went to bed.

Thursday morning was beautiful and we had the anchor up and were on our way by 9:30 am to make the 18 miles trip to Isla las Animas. This island is the middle one in a string of three and we were headed for an anchorage that none of the cruising guides mention. Turns out it was a lovely place with good holding, pretty green water and good protection from the wind.

We had almost reached Isla San Lorenzo (the southernmost of the three islands) when the Mexican Navy arrived. They had been in the area and had already stopped most, if not all, the Tucson Sailing Club boats to do “inspections” so it didn’t come as a surprise that we were next. They came alongside in a fast boat, told us to stop our engine (which we did immediately) and tied up to our port side. This boat had 9 men on board, most of which were wearing black ski masks and bulletproof vests and carrying machine guns. Most of them looked like teenagers to me but I have also noticed that the older I get the younger all the authority figures appear. What’s with that?? At any rate…as they were maneuvering their boat next to us a couple of the guys were taking photos. We weren’t sure if it was part of the inspection or because Patty & I were in swimsuits so we decided it would be best to “strike a pose”…well…Patty did anyway! Once they were tied to our port side, the man in charge took out a clipboard and began asking questions. He spoke fairly good English but when Chris began replying in Spanish the sigh of relief was audible and he switched to his native language. Mostly he just asked for some basic information, checked our TIP (import permit for the boat) and asked if we had any guns on board. Then he thanked us and said that if we have any problems the Mexican Navy is here to help and all we need to do is call them on channel 16. As they disengaged their lines I asked if I could take their photos and they said yes. All in all, it was a very pleasant experience.

Once the Navy left, we were on our way again. We rounded the tip of the island and started up the east side. We had spoken with the cruise leader that morning and discovered that they were moving on again…back to the Baja side…but two of the boats we were most anxious to visit with were staying to wait for us. We got a latitude/longitude which showed up on the NE side of the island on the, as usual, incorrect Mexico chart. Unfortunately, we ended up going all the way around all three islands to get to the anchorage, which was on the NorthWEST side. We did mention to our Tucson friends that evening that that would have been a helpful bit of information to have. The bonus, however, was that as we were rounding the northernmost island we passed a group of hundreds of dolphins on their way south. They were leaping and diving in rows of four and five…it was like being at Sea World. What fun! I tried to get a video but my cinematography skills are primitive at best. Somehow I just can’t watch what’s happening and film it at the same time. Still, it is always a thrill when the dolphins come out to play!

We finally arrived at 4:30pm…7 hours later to go 18 miles! Stu (“Sea Peace”) invited us over for burgers and a movie and Wally & Sue (“Toucan”) joined the party. We had a fun evening and the anchorage was flat and quiet so we slept like babies. Next morning “Toucan” was off early to go to Isla Rasa so the grandkids (who are traveling with them) could see the birds and then to catch up with the TSC cruisers. Stu went on to re-join the TSC cruise. Since we seem to be perpetually a day late…and…after 7 months of cruising Sandy is ready to take a breather…we gave up on trying to catch them and decided to continue on across the Sea of Cortez to put the boat away for the summer. There are 5 anchorages we plan to stop at on the way so the whole trip will take about a week and the weather looks exceptionally good for this last leg.

Note: For those who don’t know, the Mexican military is on the front line in the drug wars so they are everywhere. Not only is the Navy in evidence all over the Sea and the coastal waters, but pretty much anywhere you go ashore you’ll see large trucks driving around filled with young men in fatigues and carrying machine guns. Sometimes it is a little disconcerting but they are working hard to put an end to the violence that has been going on here.

San Juanico

This year we finally made it to San Juanico. Even before we left Portland I wanted to go there. Chris had sent me photos of this beautiful anchorage and I just fell in love with it. That feeling has not changed! What a magical place this is and how very, very lucky I am to have had the chance to experience it.

When we arrived at San Juanico last year the wind was out of the south and this anchorage doesn’t provide protection from that direction so we had to go around the corner to La Ramada. That is a perfectly nice place (though small) but I was very disappointed as this wasn’t where I wanted to be. We hiked to the top of the hill separating the two anchorages to look at San Juanico and that made me want to go there all the more.

This year the Gods were with us. We tucked into a wonderful spot close to the beach and enjoyed a perfect view of all the amazing rock formations that are unique to this place. Everywhere you look there are cliffs or pinnacles or beautifully colored layers of rock that have been created by wind and water over thousands of years. The water is that beautiful turquoise color we all love and there is a white sand bottom that provides perfect holding.

We stayed in San Juanico for several days so we could do some in depth exploring. One day we took the dinghy and went to several of the beaches that are tucked in amongst the rocks to look for shells and check out the cliffs up close and personal.

Another day we made the trek to the Cruiser’s Shrine (a tree that has become the recipient of all sorts of bizarre memorabilia placed there by the cruisers who have visited. Some items are hung on the tree and others are placed around the base of it but each is a unique piece that tells the world pretty much, “Kilroy was here”. It was great fun to check out all the boats that had been here and was especially fun to see that we know quite a few of them. Naturally, we left a little something from “Faith”. Chris had found an old piece of a bedpost on one of the beaches and carved and wrote our information on it. He located last year’s contribution, added that to the new item and hung it on the tree for all to see.

After taking care of this little bit of business, we hiked over the hill (that would be through the desert…think cactus galore and Sandy & Patty looking for snakes at every step) to La Ramada. Because the weather was out of the northeast, this anchorage was empty and rightly so since the swell was pounding through it and would have made for a very uncomfortable place to be. Once you get over the hill, there is a dirt road that goes to La Ramada (and eventually on to the main highway). This area of the Baja is known for its Apache Tears (beautiful black obsidian pebbles) and they are everywhere on the road. We gathered a small handful to bring home.

The story about Apache Tears is that in the late 1870’s a group of Apache Indians after several raids to steal cattle for food, were cornered by the US Cavalry at the top of a mountain. Outnumbered, out of arrows and having no way to defend themselves, the proud apache warriors chose to leap to their deaths rather than surrender to the enemy and suffer a fate which would be far worse.

When the apache women arrived and found their loved ones they cried for a whole month. So sincere were their tears that the apache gods turned them to dark translucent stone as they hit the earth and these stones are now known as Apache Tears.

The belief is that if you give a friend or loved one an Apache Tear it will bring them good luck and they will never need to cry because the Apache women have already cried the tears for them.

Every afternoon the cruisers who are gathered in San Juanico dinghy to the beach to play Bocce Ball and socialize. We always seemed to be engrossed in some other activity at that time so we didn’t participate but that just means we’ll have something new and fun to try next year. Don’t fret, though. We did still manage to get together with friends several times for happy hours on each others’ boats.

After three wonderful days in this anchorage it was time to get going again. I hated to leave but time waits for no (wo)man and we had to get north. Still…I was very happy to have had the opportunity to experience this beautiful location and am hopeful that we will visit there many times in the future.

San Juanico has definitely made it to the very tippy top of the “My Favorite Places” list.