San Carlos, 2012

OK…OK…OK! Last night when I called Mary I was severely admonished because I haven’t posted a blog entry in so long. I explained that since we haven’t left San Carlos since we got here it seems like life has been kind of boring. She said no matter what we are doing, the mere fact that we are on a boat in Mexico makes it not boring. So, I will see what I can come up with.

Algodones Beach (aka Catch 22 Beach)

Today the wind is screaming and we have whitecaps bouncing through the marina. The boat is being pushed every which way and the dock lines are straining to keep us attached to the dock. Just getting onto or off of the boat is a challenge as you have to coordinate your step up or down with the back & forth rhythm of the boat. We have had this wind more often than not as San Carlos creates a kind of Venturi effect and the afternoon breeze outside just funnels down the entrance and builds in strength as it gets further in. It usually starts around 11am and builds until sunset.

Local Fauna.

Once the sun goes down the wind normally dies. In this case, however, we have what is called “Norther”. It is a front that has started in the Pacific NW and goes all the way down the coast and across the Baja peninsula and Sea of Cortez. The wind has been a pretty steady 25 knots but some gusts have gone as high as 40. Eww! We are quite happy that we are at a dock. At anchor would be uncomfortable & stressful…sailing would be totally ugly. Abby just hates big wind and tends to curl up in her bed with her stuffed dragon and shake, which is exactly what she is doing now.

View from the Restaurant At The End Of The World (in La Manga)

So what have we been doing all this time? Chris has been servicing all the parts & pieces of the engine (we have a 50 hp Yanmar diesel), replacing batteries and water tanks, re-running all the halyards, re-installing the aft head, re-building the forward head, checking the gribs (on line weather reports) and all sorts of other odds and ends jobs. I have been oiling teak, cleaning heads, making beds, organizing, stowing & inventorying food, doing laundry and all manner of domestic chores that everyone else does albeit in a house on land. Our friends, Ken & Linde (S/V Rosebud) are still here and living in their RV as they have decided to sell the sailboat and move up to a trawler so we have spent a bit of time hanging out with them. Linde & I have played quite a few games of Baja Canasta in the past few weeks!

Since we knew we were going to be in one place for at least a month I decided this would be a good time to take a Spanish class. What a great idea that has turned out to be. I have been able to attend for almost 8 weeks and I’ve really learned a lot. Over the past three years I’ve picked up a lot of words but now I am actually able to form sentences and I’m not afraid to initiate an actual conversation. Still have lots to learn but I am making great progress and have even taught Chris (who speaks excellent Spanish) some new things.

View from the Mirador (Viewpoint).

The weather is supposed to calm down some tomorrow and by Thursday we are looking at a nice long weather window so we are preparing to leave that day. In the meantime we are doing last minute chores so we can be away from marinas for a couple months. Yesterday Chris changed the fuel filters and tomorrow he will change the oil. I defrosted the freezer, made a trip to Tony’s to stock up on fresh veggies (which are much harder to come by on the Baja) and got my hair cut today. All these great veggies for about $16!

Later today or tomorrow Chris & I will make one more trip to Guaymas to stock up on wine & beer, make a stop at the bank and the Santa Rosa Market to get meat. Tomorrow morning we’re invited over to Leonard’s boat for breakfast and then I am meeting Linde at the Laundromat to get all our laundry done and play a few last hands of Baja Canasta. Tomorrow evening we’re having Ken & Linde over for dinner and Thursday morning we are outta here. Our first stop will be Bahia San Pedro (28° 03.443’N, 111° 14.782’W for those who like to look on Google Earth) for a couple reasons. First of all it is only 15nm north of San Carlos so is an easy 3-4 hour sail. It is a protected anchorage that has no amenities (ie: no people or town). It is also the very first place Chris & I went in the Sea. When we were first getting to know each other I flew to Tucson for a weeklong visit and we came to San Carlos to sail on his 26’ boat. This was where he took me so it has a bit of romantic background for us. We’ll anchor there for a couple nights and then scoot across the Sea and start working our way south through some of the beautiful anchorages on the Baja.

So…that is what we’re doing. Sounds pretty boring to me but the sun is shining, the sky is blue and we have watched some spectacular sunsets. We’ve visited with friends. We’ve done a little local exploring. We’ve read a few books. We’ve gone out for some great meals. As Chris likes to say, “It’s all good”. San Carlos Sunset