Happy Holidays!

Once again we are beginning a new year in La Cruz…one of the places we like to call “home”. We have finally gotten far enough south that we are seeing daytime temperatures in the 80’s and we were able to take one of the blankets off the bed at night. Whoo hoo!

Pat & Mary joined us in Mazatlan just before Christmas. Mary has flown down from Vancouver (WA) to spend the holidays with us for the past 3 years but this was Pat’s first trip. If she’s not having a great time it isn’t for lack of trying. We’re doing our best to show off “our little corner of the world”. Christmas in Mazatlan was lovely but the highlight was the cruiser’s dinner/dock party complete with turkey and all the trimmings. Bonnie (S/V Murray Grey), Janet (S/V Optical Illusion) and Fran (S/V Gosling) prepared the turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes and gravy while the rest of us brought salads, sides and desserts. Jean-Guy (Fran’s hubby) even provided a tub of “Moose Milk”. He says this is a traditional Christmas drink in Canada. I don’t know what was in it but it was smooth and delicious and definitely alcoholic. About 25 cruisers from the U.S. and Canada were there so plenty of story swapping, future plan sharing and good wishes were happening.

The day after Christmas we all got busy washing and cleaning the boat, filling the water tanks and getting things organized and tied down for the trip to La Cruz. We were finished by noon-ish so grabbed the Mexican Train game and headed for Gus y Gus, the restaurant at the top of the ramp, for lunch and Margaritas. Margaritas and Mexican Train can easily be a lethal combination but hey…the sun was shining…we were wearing shorts…the work was done…and we could walk home.

Next morning we cast off and headed out into nice, calm seas and light wind to make our way to La Cruz. It is a passage of about 30 hours and we set up a watch schedule where Chris & I would each stand 3 hour watches with Pat and Mary sharing a 2 hour period in the middle. The trip went well and we had lots of entertainment on the way. Not long after we left Mazatlan a large pod of dolphins came and swam with us for a good 30 minutes. Mary & I sat on the bow watching as they did their synchronized swimming routine back and forth under and around the bow. There were probably 20 or so in the group and it appeared to be mostly moms & babies as there were lots of “kids” playing. A little later we had our first whale sighting and it turned out to be a Gray. This was the first Gray I’ve seen and it was quite close to the boat so was pretty exciting.

The night was, thankfully, quiet and uneventful and morning brought glassy seas and no wind again so we kept on motoring all the way to Punta de Mita (an anchorage in the NW corner of Bahia de Banderas). If it weren’t for the critters it would have been a bit boring but they showed up and kept us entertained for most of the trip. The Manta Rays were busy doing back flips and acrobatics while the Bat Rays would just swim lazily past the boat with just their wingtips showing. The girls thought they were seeing shark fins until we made them look closer and they could make out the entire diamond shape of the rays. Lots of sea turtles were seen bobbing past (we stopped counting at 15), many of them with birds resting on their shells. It is great to see the turtles coming back, especially after having the opportunity to release some of the babies last year. As we got closer we got to Banderas Bay, we began to see the amazing Humpback Whales who come here every year to calve and breed. I was thrilled to see my first full breech and there was plenty of other surfacing and slapping the water with those big fins they have to keep us on alert.

We arrived in Punta de Mita about 4pm, anchored, opened a bottle of wine and threw some chicken on the barbeque while we watched a beautiful sunset. Following dinner we were on to another rousing game of Mexican Train. Mary suggested a “tournament” when they first arrived so that is what we are doing…so far I am in the lead. About halfway through the game we heard a “Pan Pan” on the radio. This means someone is in trouble and needs help. It turned out that a boat that was about ½ mile from shore had an engine that wasn’t working and there was no wind so he couldn’t sail. He was understandably worried about running aground. Chris & I launched the dinghy and went out to try to find him. I must admit it is kind of scary being that far from land in a dinghy at night but we knew if we were in his position we’d want someone to help us. We never did locate him but were in radio contact continuously until a panga from La Cruz found him and towed him in. He said he was very thankful just knowing someone was out there. Coming back into the anchorage we discovered that it is trickier than one would think to find your boat with a backdrop of big resorts all lit up on shore. We told Pat & Mary to turn on all the lights and stand on the bow waving flashlights and that did the trick. The new LED running lights, in particular, are so much brighter that they were a big help.

Next morning we were up early to scoot around the corner to La Cruz and by 10am we were in our slip. The girls have 3 more days and we intend to keep them busy. Today they off on a “booze cruise”!

First Passage

12/13/2010

As I begin this missive about our first passage of the season, we are about 25 miles off shore and about 70 miles from our destination. Once again we have gone “too fast” (when you are speaking of sailboats this is an oxymoron) so instead of trying to negotiate the dicey little entrance at Mazatlan in the dark we have decided to heave to and bob around for a few hours. We can have a leisurely dinner, catch a short nap, watch a couple episodes of Boston Legal and arrive after sunrise tomorrow.

This has been an interesting trip, and not just because we have a dog on board, although that has certainly been a new factor.

When we backed out of the slip in San Carlos Saturday morning Abby was in the cockpit saying good bye to “Auntie Linde” and “Uncle Ken” from “Rosebud” and wagging her tail at the novelty of having her house moving. It was a beautiful, calm sunny morning and Abby’s nose and ears were working overtime to take in all the sights and sounds passing by. A few hours out of San Carlos we finally had enough breeze to unfurl the jib. The seas were a nice, comfortable 1-2 ft and we romped along at 6 knots as all of us began to ease into our sea legs. As the day went on, Abby began to realize there was nothing but water around the boat and began to do a lot of pacing in the cockpit. When the sun set and it was full dark she decided she’d had quite enough of this adventure and was on her way over the side. Fortunately, she (like us) was on a tether. At that point she went below and that is where she has stayed until today. She may have had a bit of Mal de Mar or just been afraid but she parked herself on the settee (where I sleep when we’re underway) and did not move for two days. I can’t say I blame her.

After dark on Saturday, the wind started picking up and the seas followed suit. Before long we were rolling through 3-4 ft swells and surfing down good sized breaking waves. I have always said that I don’t know which I like less, daytime when I can see what is coming or night time when I can’t, but it was definitely a little un-nerving for my first night in many months. The waves would come up on the starboard quarter and lift “Faith’s” stern like a huge hand. As it rolled under us, the boat would, quite literally, surf down the face and we’d see speeds of 8, 9 and even over 10 knots from that push. I must say, I decided to be exceptionally grateful that we have a center cockpit. I can’t even count the times we could easily have been “pooped” (this is when waves break over the stern and into the cockpit…where you are sitting) if we had an aft cockpit. Chris had checked the gribs (weather predictions received via internet or single sideband) for several days before we left so we knew the wind would likely stay around 10-15 knots until late Monday. What I had forgotten was the seas build as the wind continues to blow. They were following (coming from behind) so it wasn’t uncomfortable but, for my “warm up run” (as we used to say in skiing) I had more hoped for glassy water. Sigh…

We stand 3 hour watches and, once again, I managed to get the “last watch before sunrise” which is my least favorite. I have resigned myself to the fact that I will continue to draw that watch until it is no longer my least favorite but I shall continue to complain about it. My 10pm-1am watch brought a beautiful half moon that didn’t set until after midnight, and when it did, it would turn on its side like huge, orange smile and slide slowly into the Sea. It was every bit as dramatic as the sunsets at sea are.

Both of us have suffered from the cold. The long underwear was left behind in the storage unit since we just knew we wouldn’t need them anymore. Hah! My ensemble for night watches has consisted of the only pair of jeans I have on board, a t-shirt, 2 sweatshirts and a fleece lined windbreaker. Since the knit hat I had on the trip down the Oregon coast is also in the storage unit I was thankful that one of the sweatshirts has a hood! It certainly isn’t as cold as the original trip down from Portland but, with the newly thinned blood we have acquired, it was plenty uncomfortable.

About 10:00 this morning the temperature dropped noticeably and shortly thereafter we found ourselves in a fog bank. Good grief. Fog in Mexico is not unheard of but exceptionally rare this time of year. It is also one of my least favorite things. On went the radar. Aha! There they were! Numerous shrimp boats just lurking about and waiting for night time to sneak out and surprise us!

Once the fog burned off we have been treated to a beautiful day with flat water, no wind and the occasional sea animal (I saw a whale and Chris has seen dolphins) to break the monotony. Abby is feeling better. She ate a little something, spent some time in the cockpit and has hauled almost all her toys out and made us play “fetch the obnoxious squeaky toy” with her. She doesn’t know it yet but tomorrow she will get to go for a walk in a new place where there are lots of cats and iguanas to get excited about.

Time to leave...already?

12/10/2010

It’s getting busy around here. We’ve been in San Carlos for over a month now and are getting anxious to be on our way. So are others. Some have overstayed to get their FM3’s, others to resolve newly found boat issues. We have been here this long mostly because it was cheaper to purchase a month of moorage than it was two weeks. But…that said…We are not the first to admit that we have enjoyed the luxury of putting the boat together at a more leisurely pace than in past years. Getting the boat ready to live and cruise on after its been on the hard for 5 months is not an easy job, especially given the fact that we are both over 60. Somehow it seems like each year the sails get heavier, the engine room gets smaller, the ladder gets higher and our joints get noisier. We’ve also both had to get through a nasty flu bug that was followed closely by head colds.

Still, San Carlos isn’t exactly the worst place in the world to just hang out for a while. Especially when we have a lot of friends, old and new, to socialize with, a dog who needs to learn how to live on a boat and a number of new eating establishments that must be investigated.

Tomorrow morning it is our turn to begin this year’s sojourn. It is cooling off by the day here and we’ve even had to purchase a small space heater to keep the chill off at night so it is clearly time to get south. Next stop will be Mazatlan…a 3+ day trip. It looks like we’ll have good weather but it is still a long passage to begin the season with. Personally, my preference is short hops. You know…day trips! Alas, there are just places you can’t get to that way. Besides, Christmas is fast approaching and we really must be in Mazatlan before the guests from Vancouver to share the holiday with us.

Stay tuned for further adventures of the good ship “Faith”, her dedicated crew and the soon-to-be-salty sea dog, Abby!

What would I do if I couldn't cruise anymore?

I really love cruising…both land and water, but especially water. It is an immense freedom to carry your entire household with you no matter where you go and not be rooted in one particular spot.

When I sold my house to buy “Faith” it was much more difficult than I had anticipated. For so many years I had dreamed of ‘selling the house and the stuff and sailing off into the sunset’ that I was taken quite by surprise at the emotional distress I suffered when it came right down to the act of giving up my cute little house and most everything I had accumulated in the previous 20 years of living. I had carved myself a very comfortable little niche and, even though I wanted very much to go cruising, it was a niche I felt great trepidation about leaving. Every dream, though, has its price. Since I couldn’t afford both a house and a large cruising boat it was imperative to shake off the chains of dirt living. If I didn’t, I would forever be doomed to the land of “what if…” and “I wish I’d…”

As I begin my third year of gypsy living, my occasional musing comes down to “what would I do if I couldn’t do this anymore? I don’t think I could ever go back to a “normal” lifestyle. There are pieces and parts of this style of living that are pretty difficult. Putting the boat “to bed” for a summer in dry storage and then putting it back together in the fall so we can leave requires a tremendous amount of hard work and it is usually fairly hot here in Mexico so that adds to the equation. Still, the rewards of seeing new places, meeting new people and enjoying some incredibly beautiful moments in life makes it all worth it.

Chris & I have begun a discussion during the past year about what we would do if we became physically unable to keep cruising. Anyone who sails knows that it is an activity that requires a fair amount of physical strength and coordination. Thus far we are still capable, but now that we are both over 60 we must face the fact that “something” could happen to one or both of us that would leave us in a much different position.

We have seriously evaluated a number of small Mexican towns that are particular favorites of ours and discussed finding a nice little palapa of our own in one…maybe with a smaller day-sailer close by. The down side is that it would mean we’d be in one place most of the time. Over the past couple years we have discovered that, while we both love being able to stay in one spot for a while, after a few weeks the “itchy-feet virus” seems to hit pretty hard and pretty soon one or the other is suggesting a new destination only to discover that the other person was just thinking that same thing.

We have also talked of getting a trawler (power boat) in order to continue cruising. Many of our friends have done just that. They are still living on the water and going where they want but it involves much less stress on your body. The down side is that trawlers are generally quite a bit more expensive to purchase and run.

Another option that has been discussed is getting a larger travel trailer or RV and just doing our traveling on land. That, too, is much more expensive than water cruising but still brings some wonderful rewards. The down side is that, as we’ve discovered, people who RV aren’t nearly as open and friendly as those who cruise on water (except, of course, for Canadians who have to be some of the nicest, friendliest people on the face of the earth). Nothing personal against RVer’s. It has just been our experience (at least in the U.S.) that they seem to stay in their own little plot and don’t really enjoy the camaraderie that cruisers do.

Just as an aside, we have some ideas why that might be true. First of all, cruisers don’t tend to have TV so they spend a lot of time together socializing, playing games, helping the local communities and each other, exploring (mostly on foot or by bus) etc. Secondly, water cruisers have a morning net wherever they go. Each day the cruisers who are in residence in a particular place come together via the radio to address possible medical emergencies, welcome newcomers, say goodbye to those who are leaving, exchange information about needed parts & repairs, find out about the weather (this is BIG when you are traveling by sailboat), learn about social events, trade things, and just generally get acquainted and help each other. That’s something the RVer’s don ‘t have. Also, all the cruisers understand that anything can happen when you’re “out there” (as Captain Ron said) and while we are all truly on our own, we are also truly all together. If ever someone is overdue or has an emergency, the entire community is on alert and ready to step in with whatever help they can provide, so, as a group they tend to become very connected, very fast.

So…what would we do if we couldn’t do this anymore? Well, I honestly don’t know for sure, but I’ll bet we’d find some way to stay on the water from time to time and continue traveling. The one thing I’m pretty sure we wouldn’t do is sit and vegetate.

It's Still Camping!

OK. For the longest time I thought that restroom facilities in marinas were the iffy-ist you could find but I stand corrected. RV parks have it all over marinas. During our travels this season Chris & I have begun to judge RV parks by their restroom facilities and, quite honestly, it boggles the mind what some people consider adequate. They run the gamut from “rustic-doesn’t-even-come-close” to luxurious 5-star-hotel-ish accommodations. As a woman who has never been a big “camper”, one of the aspects of traveling as a way of life I’ve had to get accustomed to is the fact that you are almost always using someone else’s bathroom. I have friends who always shower in their RV’s or on their boats but taking a shower in a closet where every cup of water must be rationed and the amount of hot water available is minuscule is something I prefer to do only when necessary. I don’t mind as much on the boat since the trade offs make it worth the slightly more primitive lifestyle, but, somehow, it seems to me that when you are staying in a land based “mini-town” I tend to expect a bit more in creature comforts.

So…on to the facilities: The park we stayed at for much of the summer had lovely showers. There were two buildings…a small one in the front (with one shower) for the “transients” and another at the back of the park for “long termers”. This second building had 5 showers in it. Each was a separate small room with a locking door, a shelf for your “bag of accouterments” and a couple hooks for towel, clothes, etc. The shower curtain was large enough to cover the entire shower entry (so the water stayed inside the stall), there were shelves inside for shampoo, etc., and there was ALWAYS hot water. In the main restroom area there was a large sink/countertop and mirror with 3 sinks and 3 outlets. Perfect. These people know how to run an RV park!

This summer we discovered state and federal parks where camping is available. There is good and bad to this. The good is that these are usually beautiful spots that are well maintained. There are camp hosts to provide guidance and do general cleanup and the park rangers make sure “rowdies” don’t disturb everyone else or cause a nuisance. Restrooms…well, sometimes they are wonderful and sometimes they are what you would expect at a campground. One place we stayed was in a lovely old growth forest at the edge of a lake. It was a beautiful, peaceful place and we would have been happy to stay longer if we’d had the time. The one thing I did balk at was, after paying over $30/night, the showers still required quarters. Another very nice state park had free showers but they were in a building open to the elements. Oh, they had doors and were private enough, but with cement floors and no heat it was a challenge getting naked and waiting for the water to heat up. This would have been fine in Arizona but Oregon is an entirely different climate zone…even in the “heat” of the summer!

One of the RV parks we pulled into in Arizona looked fine from the outside but the restrooms were brutally backward. There were clearly a number of “liveaboards” in this park so I was shocked at the facilities. The women’s room had a door that stayed open all the time and anyone walking past looked directly into the shower area which was only hidden by a very old, nasty, torn shower curtain. Beyond that there were 2 stalls…only one of which had a shower head and that was so low it hit me about tit level (too graphic?) so hair washing was a real trick. This restroom had two toilets but neither door had a latch and the sink did not work. Mind you, the nightly cost was higher than a number of better parks that we stayed at.

We found a real gem in, of all places, Bakersfield, CA. The park itself was beautifully laid out with nice, wide, paved driveways, level spaces, a strip of grass and picnic table for everyone and the cost was less than most. And the restrooms were amazing! The shower facilities were totally separate from the bathrooms and each of the 5 or 6 showers were beautifully tiled, had a locking door on the outside and a glass door on the shower stall. There was room to put a bag, hooks, shelves in the shower, unlimited hot water and a shower head that delivered lots of water above my head! The large vanity area was at the far end of the room and separated by a partial wall that kept the mirror from fogging up from steam. And it was impeccably clean.

We have begun keeping notes on the good, the “OK for one night” and the awful for future reference. Suffice it to say that part of the “experience” of traveling seems to be the unknown challenges one will face at the end of a long day of driving when you make that first walk to the shower to wash the stress and dust off.

The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum Trip

Last stop on our way south. Tomorrow we will be sleeping in San Carlos and getting ready to morph back into our water-people selves.

We have been busy, busy, busy finishing up that “to do” list in San Diego and here, in Tucson and I think we have finally reached the end of it. Although...Rosie just posted on Facebook that she was eating those mini Hershey bars on night watch and now I’m thinking that sounds like a great idea so I think we’ll pick some up before we leave here!

In between all the shopping and visiting, we did manage to get in a day of just plain touristy fun by taking in the Sonora Desert Museum here. It is an amazing place and, even with my snake phobia, I enjoyed walking around on the pathways through all the cacti and succulents and getting a chance to see some of the flora and fauna close up. They have quite a few animal exhibits there and we took most in but as the day wore on (and got hotter) we decided to return again another time to see the Javelinas rather than walk another long and winding road to their enclosures.

First thing…right off the bat…of course…Chris had to take me to see the snakes-behind-glass. Eww. I HATE snakes!! I dutifully looked at them all and then decided that, in addition to the run-of-the-mill rattlers I now had to worry about walking under bushes where a vine snake might be waiting to drop onto me. Sheesh. Well, just when I thought we were done with the snakes, we walked around the corner and there was a woman HOLDING a snake. My cue to exit the building, which I did. Chris insisted it was “just” a King Snake but, again, I have no interest in getting close to slithery reptiles.

Once out of that building we ran into a docent who told us all about the cute little Kangaroo Rat she had in a cage and then another that had a tiny Raptor on her hand. From there we wandered through the desert and just about the time I’d start to get tired of seeing cactus and watching for rattlesnakes we’d come upon an animal enclosure. The Bighorn Sheep were very stinky but the head guy in charge posed and I got a perfect shot of him. The Mexican Wolves were beautiful and appeared to be very well fed. We saw a Bobcat foot hanging down from a crevasse but the kitty himself was apparently snoozing. I love the little Prairie Dogs. They are so cute and they chirp almost like a bird. The Ocelot and the Coatimundi were hiding but the Desert Tortoise was stretching and enjoying the hot sun.

There are so many different kinds of cacti I can’t believe it but I think my favorites are the Saguaro and the Cholla (aka Jumping) Cactus. The Desert Museum is right in the middle of the Saguaro National Park so the drive there gives you the opportunity to see lots of them. I was surprised to find out that there are also a number of different kinds of Agave plants...one real stunner is the Queen Victoria's Agave. I also didn't know that the Century Plant is an Agave that only blooms once (at about 15 years of age) and when the bloom dies the entire plant goes with it.

The Museum has two walk-in aviaries which were great fun…especially the one that is specifically for Hummingbirds. I must have taken 50 pictures but those little devils are so fast that I could only catch them when they were sitting still…which they actually do more often than I’d have thought. There was a Parrot in the general aviary that was just sitting in a tree muttering to himself the whole time we were there. I wonder if he was someone's pet at one time and now misses the conversation.

One of the very cool things they do is they have a Raptor Free Flight twice a day where they release several breeds of birds of prey and give a talk about each bird’s characteristics while the audience gets to see them hunting in the wild. Chris & I were watching from a viewing station on top of a small building and a Gray Hawk landed on the roof in front of us. It was a beautiful bird and just as I snapped a picture of it, it went tip toeing across the roof and the photo shows that. Whoo hoo!

As we walked past the River Otter enclosure we came upon a beautiful grouping of flowers that were alive with butterflies. I have no idea what species they were but they were all busy slurping up the nectar and didn't seem to mind having their pictures taken though, like the Hummingbirds, it was hard to catch them fully extended.

We went early and by 2:00 we were ready to head for lunch and a beer. Our old joints were beginning to talk pretty loudly to us. I do hope we get a chance to go back next year as there is still a lot to see. I recommend it if you are going through Tucson, but go in the morning before it gets cooking hot!

New Kid on the Block

Meet Abby…the newest member of our family! Yes. Chris finally relented and the transformation has been very interesting.

If you don’t already know, I spent almost 30 years of my “other life” (before sailing) raising and showing dogs. I began with Cocker Spaniels and gradually switched to Pugs. My daughter got into Italian Greyhounds and between the two of us we usually had somewhere around a half dozen 4-legged “kids” running around the house at any given time. During those years Amanda and I finished quite a few Champions and earned numerous obedience degrees with the dogs. Most of our spare time was spent grooming, training, raising puppies, driving to/from shows and exhibiting. It was all fun and we spent a lot of quality time together. Amanda still has a houseful of dogs but after my divorce, I began to develop new interests (skiing, travel, sailing and dating among others) and I gradually got out of the dog biz. I worked my way down to just two house pets but never thought I’d be without a dog. In 2005 the last of my homebred Pugs died and all I had left was one rescue Pug who was fun and good company. When I bought “Faith” in 2006 and moved aboard, the marina didn’t allow dogs so I had to find Louis a new home. Over the past 4 years it has been pretty nice not having to think about anyone but myself (and Chris) when making plans but still…I have had to get my tail wags and slobbery kisses from OPD’s (other people’s dogs.

During the past two years I have been sort of babbling about wanting to get a dog but Chris has consistently reminded me of the difficulties inherent in our lifestyle. Still…other people on boats have dogs and seem to manage OK. Being the ex-breeder that I am, I knew Pugs would have some trouble with the heat in Mexico (although I’ve met several who live on boats there and seem to be fine) so I began researching other breeds for compatibility. It looked like a Chihuahua or Papillion would fit the bill nicely and began the discussion. Chris never said “no” but he was always reminding me of the difficulties a dog would present.

I wasn’t seriously looking for a dog but every so often this summer I’d check out a breeder or rescue service. Oddly, Chris was regularly looking at and sharing photos of rescue Chihuahuas that were available! Clearly he was warming up to the idea.

When we were in Sutherlin (OR) I found “her”. A darling Chihuahua mix named “Chi Chi” who was in the shelter in Ashland. From her photos she looked like she had great attitude and we decided to stop and check her out, knowing full well that she would likely be going home with us. Well…not so much. “Chi Chi” was cute alright but she was much too afraid of everything. The staff warned that she’d been a stray and had taken 3 months to catch. They felt that if she was ever off lead she would bolt and I agreed. However, on our way in from the parking lot, we had met a darling pup who had just become available so we asked to see her. The staff brought her in and it was all over.

Abby couldn’t come home with us until she’d been spayed so we had two days to begin gathering all the necessary paraphernalia. Was I ever surprised when Chris said, "This (having to wait) is worse than Christmas!" Mr "a dog will be too much trouble" was sooo excited. When we picked her up at the vet’s office she was very quiet and, aside from a short visit with the “Rosebud” clan, she just wanted to sleep. The next day we began to see an occasional tail wag. It’s been all positive from there.

Abby has been with us for 9 days now and she’s a member of the family at this point. She is pretty, she has attitude and she’s very smart. She is pretty much housetrained at this point and will wake us up if she needs out at night. She has adjusted well to all the traveling (and we have been on the road over half the time she has lived with us) and doesn’t seem to be distressed when we start packing up to leave…probably because she knows the house will be there when we arrive. She has learned “sit” and “wait” and is working on “down” and Chris is beginning to work on tricks (oh boy). Next hurdle will be living on a boat.

Stay tuned!