Haul out in La Paz

One of the projects we had to get accomplished while in La Paz was getting the boat hauled out and a survey completed for the insurance. They are such picky devils, you know! Our surveyor, Cecil, was recommended by a cruiser we met in Los Muertos who lives here year round. His recommendation was "he has forgotten more about boats than most people will ever know". Sold! He was right. As it turns out, Cecil built boats for many years in Port Townsend and when he stopped doing that he started cruising. He spent 30 years in the Sea of Cortez before he finally sold his boat and moved to La Paz permanently with his current wife, Carmen. He is a great guy with many fascinating tales to tell and it takes no more than a sit down at his table at The Dock restaurant to set the stories in motion. We arranged for the haul out before we took Hank to the Islands for a week and the big day was yesterday. I awoke at 4:30 am to the sound of howling wind and my stress level pegged just knowing the very restricted maneuvering area I'd be negotiating at 9:00. Besides the wind, there are very strong, bizarre currents here so it is a double whammy. As it turned, out the line handlers at the boatyard are beyond compare and the crew on "Faith" were perfect so I got her into the tiny (my view) space between the lift and the catamaran tied up on the dock like I was using a shoehorn and looking like a pro to boot! As an added bonus, the line handlers turned her around so that when she went back into the water I could just drive straight out and not have to try to back up and turn around. Wonderful!
As she was lifted out of the water we got our first look at the junk growing on the bottom and it was certainly impressive. Since we have the bottom cleaned about every 2 months (divers are very reasonable here) it wasn't nearly as bad as it could have been, but still it was quite apparent that we were supporting an entire ecosystem!
While the young man at the boatyard fired up the pressure washer to begin the job of cleaning the bottom, Cecil, Kevin (his apprentice) and I climbed the ladder to the cockpit to start tearing the inside apart and going through everything. And I mean everything! It was reminiscent of Alison's 9-hour survey before I purchased "Faith". Yikes! I was pretty nervous to begin with but I kept hearing "excellent, excellent, beautiful..." and answered a million questions and was finally able to relax. Then, when Kevin was inspecting every screw and cotter pin in the steering system there came a "Cecil, can you come and take a look at this?". Uh-oh! I began to sweat and thought, "Now what? Is it something awful? Are we going to have to leave her on the hard? Oh no. Oh no. The world is coming to an end." Well...maybe that is a bit more melodramatic that it was but still there was an element in that as I asked Kevin what he was seeing. It seems there is a pin that goes through a shiv on each side of the steering quadrant and the cable that turns the boat goes through those. Both pins had lost the their cotter pins and were in the process of falling out! Needless to say, this would NOT have been fun to discover in big seas! That was the only issue that was found and Chris already has it fixed and it is better than new. As an added bonus, the steering feels much better now - not nearly as "loose".
While the three of us were inside the boat, the guy from the boatyard was busy pressure washing and scraping barnacles and gungy stuff off the bottom. Chris was checking the prop, shaft, stern tube and all that stuff as well as putting new zincs on. This environment eats zincs like crazy and for the 2nd time the collar zinc on the prop shaft was totally gone (we replaced it in December). We anchor out much of the time and when in marinas throw a sacrificial zinc over the side but still the high salinity and warm water really makes critters and plants grow on the bottom and zincs shrink.
Finally, after 2-1/2 hours, the survey was completed, the bottom was cleaned and it was time to dunk "Faith" and "Elvis" back into the water. From the boatyard we made the short trip to our waiting slip at Marina de La Paz and, after a picture perfect landing, we WALKED up to The Dock for lunch and some cold Pacifico before Hank had to leave for the airport. A successful day with a perfect ending.
Next stop...the Sea of Cortez!!

La Paz (24˚ 09.65' N, 110˚ 19.33' W)

La Paz. I hear tell that Cruisers get here and don't leave again but we are just picking up guests and provisions so we can start cruising the islands. We are in the "virtual" marina, which is actually nothing more than a large anchorage where for $6/day (US) you can use the dinghy dock and showers. It is windy and rolly and there are very large currents that flow in different directions so you must allow extra "swing" room and the boats in the anchorage are said to do the "La Paz Waltz" as they move around on their anchors.
Chris and I made the crossing from Mazatlan without Patty and, other than longer than usual watches, it wasn't bad at all. It took 2 days to cover the (approx) 200 miles and just as we were getting close to Ceralvo Island the engine started acting weird. It was slowing down, down, down. Since we were going to have to negotiate a reef to the north of the island as well as the San Lorenzo channel and very long, narrow entrance channel into La Paz, we decided to divert south to Bahia de Los Muertos (Bay of the Dead). I was very glad we did. Muertos is a beautiful bay and we ended up staying for 2 days. The beautiful turquoise water is so clear we could see the white, white sand beneath us. On the south end of the beach are about a half dozen large, fancy homes and the north end has one restaurant (the Giggling Marlin). With only 4 or 5 other boats in the anchorage and none of the loud music and night life so many places have it truly was Paradise! The engine problem was an easy fix. Turned out both fuel filters needed changing and once Chris did that the engine was back to its purring self and we were on our way to La Paz again. In the meantime, Chris & I got to spend some quality time alone together in a beautiful place.

Mazatlan Vortex (23˚ 16.272' N, 106˚ 27.281' W)

We are in Mazatlan and I must admit I really, really like it here. Cruisers call it the Mazatlan Vortex because people arrive but they don't leave. It is beautiful, warm, friendly and all those other things we have found in most all the destinations in Mexico, and, in addition, there is some great shopping. We've made two trips to town with Angus & Rolande from "Periclees" and both times have managed to make it to the Panama pastry place. Jeez! One could become very large if this place was closer than a 20 minute bus ride. Mazatlan has some wonderful historical buildings. We toured the beautiful Angela Peralta Theatre which is close to 150 years old and was built to feature it's namesake who was a celebrated child prodigy from Mazatlan. Rolande & I defied the prominantly posted signs and performed a short soft shoe exhibition on the stage.

Another very cool place here is the Melville Suites. Yes...it is named for Herman Melville (author of Moby Dick). The building has been completely refurbished into a beautiful bed and breakfast hotel. The plaque reads, "As for me, I am tormented with an everlasting itch for things remote. I love to sail forbidden seas, and land on barbarous coasts." Herman Melville. In Mazatlan, March 28 - April 16, 1844.

One of my favorite places is the Mercado Municipal. You can find everything there and it is a visual feast with colors and textures to boggle the mind. Fresh meat and poultry cut to order and acres of beautiful vegetables fresh from the field beside booths loaded with t-shirts, leather goods, jewelry and trinkets.


Unfortunately, there are also numerous people with physical and mental disabilities who are sitting in the aisles begging for a few coins. We all tend to put a little something in their cups. We consider ourselves so very privileged to be living this life it is the least we can do.

The first day we went into town we concluded the day by having lunch at La Copa De Leche and then going to the top of the Freeman Hotel to look at the city and have a cold drink by the pool. The view is spectacular and it was a special thrill for Chris as he had frequented both places with family as a young man.

Patty is flying out tonight as she is meeting friends in Loreto and we will not get there in time via sailboat. Chris & I like it here so much we could just plain stay but there are many more places to experience before the "season" is over so tomorrow we leave for La Paz. This will be our first passage without Patty and is expected to take around 48 hours (plus or minus a few...depending on weather) so will be good practice for next year when she won't be with us. Prediction is for perfect wind and seas for the crossing. As always, I hope the weather guys are correct in their prediction.

I look forward to returning to Mazatlan in June. We have secured a slip reservation to leave the boat here instead of on the hard in San Carlos. Until then...we are off to do more exploring!

Magical Isla Isabella

Last Sunday Sue arrived for a visit and we left La Cruz for a fast trip to Mazatlan to get her back here to catch her plane home today. We had some great wind and were able to sail much of the time. Sue was thrilled when the boat was surfing at over 7 knots while she was at the helm. We made overnight stops in Punta De Mita, Chacala, Mantanchen Bay and Isla Isabella so we were able to show her a few different anchorages and introduce her to some of the wonderful people we have met through cruising. Isla Isabella was the showpiece of the trip. I was a little nervous about going there because of the reputation the island has as an "anchor-eater" but everyone has raved about the place and Tom (from "Hooligan") gave us a tip on where the best place to anchor was. Turned out to be perfect and easy. When we first arrived we were the only boat there but by the next morning two more had come in and before we left there were 4 more making the small anchorage a little on the crowded side. Still, what a gorgeous place this island is! It is a bird sanctuary and a nesting site for many different breeds of sea birds - most notably Blue Footed Boobies. There are birds everywhere and when the fishermen come into the anchorage to clean their catch they have quite an audience. The Babel of bird languages as they squabble over scraps is pretty amusing. The fishermen don't appear to be the least bit put out by the company they attract and, obviously, are not averse to the inevitable guano deposits they must receive. There were whales frolicking all around the island and the crystal clear turquoise water close in is home to beautiful tropical fish. The photo of fish was taken from the deck of the boat looking down. We were in 30' of water and could clearly see all the different patches of rock, sand and coral as well as all sorts of fish AND our anchor (very handy!). We only had one day so gave Sue the choice between snorkeling and going ashore to see birds. Since her career is as a shore bird specialist and she had just spent a week at a convention centered around birds she said she could forgo that for some warm water time and that is what we did. We were a bit short on gear so Sue and Patty went first and when they returned to the boat they were bubbling over with enthusiasm and descriptions of all the fish they'd seen. The topper was two Spotted Eagle Rays they'd seen on the way back to the boat. Chris and I were next. I have always loved snorkeling because it is like being part of an aquarium but, honestly, the thing that was the most fun for me this time was being able to see the underside of the boat! Is that strange or what? It was so cool being able to see what shape the bottom was in and to be able to follow the anchor chain out and see how well the hook was set. It is always such a mystery from the top and I'm never quite sure we are as secure as it seems. After our swims and a leisurely lunch it was time to weigh anchor for the final overnight leg to Mazatlan. We knew it would take about 18 hours to complete the trip and wanted to time it so we would arrive during daylight hours. Our plan worked perfectly and we pulled into a slip at Marina Mazatlan at 8:30 the next morning. Now we are in another beautiful Mexican city that is just waiting to be explored. Again we are short on time but we'll do our best. In the meantime, we have put Isla Isabella at the top of next year's destination list. It is a beautiful, magical place and there is so much we have yet to see there that we need to return for a longer visit.

Dolphin Fun

What fun! Swimming with dolphins! I have always been fascinated with these graceful, intelligent animals and no more so than when they appear out of nowhere when I am on night watch and feeling alone. They have often swum alongside the boat for hours as if they want to keep me company and it is not unusual to see them actually look up and make eye contact. We have had a lot of encounters with dolphins in the wild and many is the time I have thought that if I could just get close enough to the water to trail my hand in it that one might actually touch it. Alas, the boat is too high for that experiment. Yesterday was my opportunity to get up close and personal with a dolphin for 30 whole minutes. There were 8 of us in our little "pod" of people and, along with much touching and stroking of the animal each of us had the opportunity to get and return a dolphin kiss, "hold hands"(or fins as the case may be) with her, give her a big hug and go for a ride "belly to belly" around the pool. What a thrill! If you have never touched a dolphin they feel like very smooth rubber...kind of like a wetsuit but more velvety. They seemed to enjoy the touching and attention as much as we did. Gracias "Alii" and "Lluvia" (our dolphins) for a wonderful day!

Jumping the "Puddle"

The flurry of activity here in La Cruz is the result of many things but the most frantic are those who are preparing to leave for the South Pacific. Just hearing the mention of the area is enough to send shivers up my spine and set me into fits of daydreaming. Since I first learned to sail it has been a constant dream of mine to visit the islands of French Polynesia, Vanuatu, Tonga and so many more. These, then, are not just the dreams of men but of sailing women as well. My mind conjures up pictures of beautiful, deserted beaches, water the color of aquamarine, friendly and welcoming people, the scent of exotic flowers and the taste of sweet, juicy fruit fresh off the tree. Hawaii without the tourists.

Just walking the dock where many of the Puddle Jumpers are moored can raise my adrenalin level to a near critical state. They are all frantically checking every part of their boats from the top of the mast to the bottom of the keel, repairing or replacing anything not up to snuff, adding new equipment, pouring over charts, plotting a course and filling every available space with food, spare parts, tools and water toys. The excitement is contagious and even seeing the extent of their exhaustion at the end of yet another 16 hour day does not diminish the shine in their eyes when they begin to talk of their upcoming passages. The names roll of their tongues as if they are honey-coated: the Marquesas, the Tuomotos, Tahiti, Bora Bora, the Cook Islands, Tonga, Fiji, the Solomons and on and on. Some have been planning this journey for many years. Others decided within the last few months that it was time to go. They all share the same steep learning curve, the anxiety of month-long passages, the concern about their readiness and the excitement of an incredible adventure.

I have met and become friends with many of the Puddle Jumpers over the last few months and while I’m very excited for them, I will miss them terribly and wonder what the chances are that I will ever see them again. It feels a little like a small child watching their big sister go away to college.

This year is my first year of cruising. Even though I always wanted to “sail off into the sunset” I still have to pinch myself from time to time when I realize I really am on my own boat in Mexico. I was never actually convinced that the dream would become a reality and the day we cast off the docklines in Portland it still didn’t seem real. Everywhere we go now is a new experience. A new beach, a different community, another beautiful destination from which to watch the sunset. Mexico is a wonderful place with amazingly diverse destinations and I believe we could spend years here just exploring and re-visiting favorite places. I do, however, still hear the call of exotic ports of call. Who knows…maybe next year…….

Is Anybody Out There?

All three of the authors aboard "Faith" have been asking ourselves this question for a while now. Once in a while someone will post a comment on one of the blogs but it is rare. We usually hear from the same people all the time. Kudos and thank you's to those who take the time to comment! We truly appreciate hearing from you. We would love to hear from the rest of you. There ARE more, aren't there? We wonder: Is anyone reading these postings? Are they interesting? Are you sick and tired of the mundane "We are here..."? What exactly, would you like to know about? We're having a great time exploring Mexico and want to share that with all of our "readers", but would like some feedback as well. How about making a quick note next time you look at one of the blogs?