Jacaranda Journey

2012-02-07T05:13:00.000-07:00

Hi Folks

We are slowly getting our new website up and running. Thanks to our son Joe for putting it together for us.

http://www.jacarandajourney.com/

All the best from Puerto Vallarta

Chuck & Linda

2011-04-15T13:50:00.000-06:00

La Paz Update

Just a quick note for those folks that thought we sailed off the edge. Have been firmly settled into Marina Don Jose in La Paz since Nov. We are not marina rats and look forward to departing in a few weeks.

The time spent here has seen an 80 item refit on Jacaranda completed.
Linda passing her 2 HAM exams and now officially becoming a Hamster. KJ6NYI
Chuck doing another stint working remotely working for CSC.

More updates to follow as soon as we can

Chuck & Linda

2011-02-04T18:49:00.004-07:00

COPPER CANYON TRIP SUMMARY
From Chuck and Linda on svJACARANDA

What: Copper Canyon is a must see! Located in the state of Chihuahua, Barranca del Cobre actually refers to a mountainous area of the Sierra Madres (Sierra Tarahumara region) that is 4 times the size of our Grand Canyon (25,000 sq. miles) with six major canyons, several of which are deeper than the Grand Canyon.
Here’s what’s so great about Copper Canyon:
• Spectacular scenery and breathtaking vistas
• Great hiking and horseback tours
• Raramuri Indian culture
• El Chepe scenic train ride
• Hair-raising trip to the bottom of the canyon at Batopilas
• Pueblos Magicos (Magic Towns) of El Fuerte and Creel
• Experiencing a wide cross section of eco-systems

When: Oct. 27- Dec. 5, 2010
Length: 10 days
Strategy: We left the boat in Topolobampo, took the train (El Chepe) from El Fuerte to Creel, and used Creel as a base to travel to other parts of Copper Canyon.

Weather: Topo and El Fuerte were warm; it was quite chilly in Creel where the poplar trees sported their golden fall colors and in the mountains (7500’ + elevation) at night; the bottoms of the canyons (Batopilas and Urique - 1600’ elevation) are hot and subtropical.

Prices: Although it was tourist season, there was hardly anyone around. Most hotels were nearly empty. We were able to bargain on many prices which are given below in pesos.

To Begin: We docked the boat in Marina Palmira in Topolobampo. The Marina is new - clean but still under construction - and had lots of space. Rates: $163 pesos/day (US $13/day) or US $216 for 16 days (Jacaranda is 39’).
In a country that we consider very friendly, the people of Los Mochis are over the top friendly!!!

If you spend any time in Los Mochis, eat some great seafood at Mariscos El Gordo on Zapata Street, or bullfog legs at El Farallon. We also took a short bus ride to Playa Maviri, walked the beautiful beach and had great seafood at palapa restaurants. (Note: Many friends took a 6 hour bus from Mazatlan to Los Mochis and stayed overnight to begin their journey).

Itinerary:
Day 1: Topo - Los Mochis - El Fuerte•
Transportation: Taxi from Topo to Los Mochis ($150) to catch an early bus to El Fuerte. Two bus choices: green Norte de Sinaloa bus - $65/person; the blue bus Azules del Noroeste is comparable; they leave from two different station locations.
• Accommodation: Rio Vista Hotel ($500/nite) - Chal or Nacho is at the front desk.
Upscale alternatives: Torres El Fuerte, El Fuerte Hotel, or Posada del Hidalgo Hotel** See Note at end of Itinerary.

• Eating:
Breakfast: El Mexicano, Juarez St. west of the market ($40/person)
Lunch: La Canastilla (Lobina Flameada) ($90/person with drinks)
Dinner: El Meson de General (Lobina or Cauque -Crayfish, Tortilla Soup) ($420/ two persons)

• Orientation: Stop in to Three Amigos office at 100 Reforma on the Riverfront (Ivan and Yolanda) and get a local map as well as other info on the Copper Canyon area.

• Activities: Explore this Pueblo Magico (Magic Town) on foot to see its colonial architecture and pretty zocalo; Visit the Museum ($10 admission)

Day 2: El Fuerte•
Activities: River birdwatching trip (early morning by boat with guide) which includes a short hike to see petroglyphs ($250/person without breakfast)
Walk along the short “malecon” along the river
Every Friday morning there was a band playing in the zocalo bandstand

Day 3: El Fuerte - Creel•
Breakfast: Hotel La Choza (chilaquiles) - ($70/person)
• Transportation: The famously scenic El Chepe train ride. (The train station is a 20 minute $50 - 80/person taxi ride from the town.) We went second class ($417/person). Sit on the right hand side of the train. Bring a sandwich and snacks with you. It is about 8 hours to Creel. The train stops for 15 minutes at Divisadero - the only time you will see the actual Copper Canyon from the train. ** See Note at end of itinerary

• Activities: take photos from the platform between the train cars; buy baskets from the Raramuri women either from the train windows when it stops or at Divisadero when you get out to walk from the train to the overlook; marvel at the beauty of the canyons at the overlook in Divisadero

• Eating: get a delicious snack from the food vendors at Divisadero (Lucy’s is one of the first stalls you’ll see). We loved the chile rellenos and the blue corn tortillas filled with carne asada. Buy some of the delicious locally grown apples for snacks.

Day 4: Creel•
Accommodations: Casa Margarita - $300/room includes breakfast and dinner. (Upscale alternative: Best Western - The Lodge at Creel)

• • Activities: Half-day Tour ($250/person not including tip and $40/person entrance fee for the Falls) to Cusarare Falls, San Ignacio, Arereko lake, Valley of the Frogs, Valley of the Mushrooms, Tarahumara cave

• Eating: Veronica’s (comida corrida) ($67/person)

Day 5: Creel• Activities: Tour to Divisadero ($200/person not including $20/person admission fee to Barancas del Cobre Park)) - spend more time at the overlook, eating (see Day 3); walk out on the Volada (Balancing) Rock; take the new Teleferico (cable car) if you think it is worth the expense; buy baskets and crafts from the Raramuri; look around in the Posada Divisadero Hotel

Day 6: Creel - Batolpilas • Transportation: We took the white-knuckle 5 hour ride on the public bus from Creel to the old mining town of Batopilas at the bottom of the canyon ($220/person); the narrow, steep switchback road is exciting! (Upscale alternative: hire a van and a guide to drive you - Three Amigos has a great reputation)

Day 7: Batopilas•

Accommodations: Casa Monse ($125/person) which was a little too basic for us but Señora Monse is very sweet); instead stay next door at Juanita’s. Upscale alternative: Minas de Real.

Activities: See The Lost Cathedral of Satevo; take a tour of a mine; explore the ruins of Alexander Shepherd's Hacienda San Miguel

Eating: Cafe Doña Mica, a house on the small plaza (comida casera or homemade food) - $60-70/person

Day 8: Batopilas - Bauhachivo - Cerachai - (and Urique)• Transportation: We took the early morning bus (departs at 5 a.m.) from Batopilas to Creel ($220/person) and caught the first class train to the train station in Bauhachivo ($364/person); there is a bus from the train station to Cerachaui but instead we paid $50/person to take the van from El Mision Hotel to town.

• Accommodations: Hotel Plaza ($250/room); Maria is the owner of the hotel and the tienda. (Upscale alternative: El Mision Hotel or Hotel Diego del Oso)

• Activities: We arranged for a guide (Alberto - good english) from the Hotel Jade to take us to Gallegos Overlook - the best view of Copper Canyon and the town of Urique at the bottom; if you have time, go all the way to the bottom and walk around the charming town of Urique on the river with its “main street” air strip and purple church; buy some locally grown citrus fruit (especially the local limas - sweet lemons) and Mennonite cheese. Tour to Gallegos only - $150/person; tour to Gallegos and Urique - $300/person.

•Visit the beautiful Mission Church and the Tarahumara Girls Boarding School.
•Eating: Arranged with Hotel Plaza to make us breakfast ($40/person) and dinner ($60/person)

Day 9: Cerachaui -Batachivo - El Fuerte• Transportation: Our guide from Cerachaui drove us to the train station at Bauachivo and we took the second class El Chepe back to El Fuerte ($382/person)

• Accommodations: Torres El Fuerte - Jesus is the owner ($800-1200/room). Mention Jacaranda and if he remembers us, you could get a discount. (Upscale alternatives: El Fuerte Hotel or Hotel Posada Hidalgo)

Day 10: El Fuerte - Los Mochis- Topo• Transportation: We took the green bus from El Fuerte to Los Mochis (once again to the Independencia Market) and then the local bus to Topo. Next time we will take the blue bus since this bus station is closer to the local bus stop to Topo (at the Sugar factory).

WE RECOMMEND:
• Before you go: Download the Lonely Planet chapter from their website for US $4.95
• Eat good seafood (the crabs were great) at Mariscos El Gordo in Los Mochis
• Don’t miss El Fuerte - spend at least 2 days here. Upscale suggestion: Stay at Torres El Fuerte - tell Jesus that Jacaranda sent you and you may get a discount. Eat the Lobina Flameada (freshwater bass) at La Canastilla).
•Stop in at Three Amigos in either El Fuerte or Creel - check out their website before you go; they are a wealth of information and give it freely to boot; get free local town maps as well as Copper Canyon maps; Upscale suggestion: Sign up for a private tour with excellent english-speaking guides in a 4 wheel drive vehiclethe tour price is fixed and accommodates up to 6 people so you can reduce the price for yourself if you find 2 other couples to share the expense.
• Go to the bottom of at least one canyon - Stay overnight in Batopilas or Urique
• Make the waterfalls a higher priority if you go during the wet season
• Sit on the right side of the El Chepe train
• Say hello to the Raramuri in their own language - Kuira-va (Qweeba) (Thank you is “chiriqueraba”; goodbye is “adyóchiba”)
• Stop at Divisadero and eat at Lucy’s food stand (blue corn tortillas with carne asada)
• Buy baskets directly from the Tarahumaras
• Don’t miss the Gallego Overlook (get there from Cerachaui)

** NOTES

Raramuri or Tarahumara Indians
Raramuri is the name that the indigenous people of this remote region gave themselves - it means “people of the swiftly running feet”. Tarahumara was the spanish name for these people. These indians (there are about 50,000) are small, shy, and reclusive, retain their traditional ways (including colorful dress and living in caves and log cabins) and have a most interesting value system. They are world renowned for their long distance running ability and often outrun and exhaust the deer they are hunting. “Born to Run” by Christopher McDougall is an interesting read about the grueling 100+ mile non-stop foot-races they run in their formidable topography. Their affordable crafts are made from natural materials they find around them - pine needle baskets, handmade violins, belts, pine bark carvings. The modern world is now beginning to impact their heretofore isolation and they are under pressure from drug traffickers.

Interesting websites:
About the Tarahumaras - *http://www.questconnect.org/tara_cc_ethnic.htm
Tarahumara Folk Art and Culture - http://www.festivalofmexico.com/tarahumara.html
Tarahumara Mission in Creel - http://www.companymagazine.org/v193/loveofapeople.htm
Tarahumara Running - http://www.lehigh.edu/~dmd1/art.html
The Tarahumaras: An Endangered Species - http://www.mexconnect.com/articles/1924-the-tarahumaras-an-endangered-species
The Land of the Tarahumaras - http://www.tarahumara.com.mx/english.asp

Train Info
What’s the difference between the First and Second Class El Chepe train?
Price: The first class costs about twice as much as the second
Schedule: The First class train ran every day; the second class ran only certain days of the week. The first class departed at different times of the day than the second. With a first class ticket, it is possible get off at 3 intermediary stops if you specify where and when at the time of purchase. There is no such option for the Second Class ticket.
Length of trip: The first class takes shorter because the second makes more stops along the way from El Fuerte to Creel.
Comfort: There is no real difference - the second class uses the same cars except they have vinyl floors instead of carpeting. The first class has “porters” and you get a colored tourist magazine.
Food: No food allowed on First Class because they expect you to buy from the restaurant car; there is no restaurant car on the second although they do have a snack bar.
Ridership: Tourists and gringos are on the First Class trains - too expensive for the locals; Budget minded tourists, backpackers, Mexican school groups, Raramuris, and locals take the Second Class train - we didn’t see any livestock though!!

Hotels
There is quite a variety of accommodations - from hostels, family run cabins, small hotels, to expensive hotels and haciendas. The Baldarrama family of hotels can be relied on for comfortable upscale accommodations - they are the Santa Anita Hotel in Los Mochis, Posada del Hildago Hotel in El Fuerte ($1365/room), Hotel Mision in Cerocahui ($2572/room), and Posada Mirador Hotel at Posada Barrancas ($2985/room includes 3 meals).

Left for Next Time
There is so much to do and we wished we could have gone to Basaseachi Falls, Arepo/Posada Barrancas, Sinforosa Canyon, Recohuata Hot Springs near Creel, and by horseack to Bisabirachi (Valley of the Erect Penises). We had also wanted to take side trips to the city of Chihuahua and town of Alamos. Too much to do and not enough time!! Next time!

2010-12-08T05:13:00.012-07:00

Jacaranda Passage Note #42 (12-2010)
We Survived Summer #3 in the Sea of Cortez
La Paz, Baja Sur

It is winter here in the Sea of Cortez, bringing cooling temperatures to the Sea and friends returning to their sailboats that had been put on the hard for the summer months - and we can now say we survived another summer in the Sea - our third!!!

The excruciating heat experienced by those on the East Coast this summer - their deadly heat wave - was what was a normal part of our lifestyle here during the summer - hot Hot and HOTTER temperatures!! Plus just a few hundred miles to the north of us in San Diego they were having the coldest summer for many years. Go figure! Our strategy to try to stay cool was being in the warm waters (mostly 86 degrees) for a good part of the day - swimming or snorkeling - and showering on deck to then sit below in the cabin under an army of 12 volt fans that ran day and night. And a fresh cold limonada never tasted so good!! Our tiny 12V water-cooled fridge ran more than 14 hours a day just trying to keep up. The warmest water temp we saw this summer was 91 degrees! We always looked for anchorages that had a small piece of land as protection from the sea so as the wind blew across it, the temperature would not rise to a blow dryer inferno.

But the Sea of Cortez is the place to be if you want to stay on your boat in Mexico outside of a marina during the summer hurricane season which runs from June 1 to Nov. 1. That’s why we do it - along with 47 other boats this year - a record number!!! Last year we only had about 27 boats.

Once you learn to deal with the heat, the joys of being in the Sea of Cortez for the summer are many - camaraderie of a small group of fellow cruisers, spectacular sunsets, strikingly beautiful desert scenery along the coasts and the numerous islands, the ability to have an anchorage all to yourself if you want, beach walks, hiking and shelling, fantastic fishing with fresh fish for dinner every night (not to mention other edible delicacies from the sea), and close personal experiences with marine wildlife - dolphins, seals, and whales.

This summer was one of the mildest hurricane seasons on record - a mere seven named storms compared to an average of 17. These storms brew in the “Tropical Kitchen” in southern Mexico and then move north and - if we are lucky - then west. This year we were very lucky as the 7 named storms never became a threat to us by moving up into the Sea. Good thing too - the best hurricane hole to be in, affording the best protection - Puerto Don Juan near Bahia de los Angeles (BLA) - would not have been able to hold the cadre of boats up here this year....maybe 35 at the most. We never even once went into Puerto Don Juan (affectionately know as Puerto Pollo or Port Chicken) this summer. Although it is a nice enough anchorage, it has an unfortunate association with weather threats, and we were glad to have the choice to avoid it this time. “There are no warnings California to Panama”, Don Anderson, our weather guru forecasting from Oxnard, CA. would say on the radio, and it was music to our ears.

Some of the most memorable events this summer were social ones. We reunited with long time friends Jack and Hermy (Linda’s comadre) aboard IWA who returned to Mexico after being in Ecuador for a few years. Darrel and Rita on OVERHEATED, who were preoccupied with their new condo in Mazatlan for the last couple of years, headed for the Sea once again after a hiatus. Darrel and Rita were the first cruisers we met in the Sea when we visited IWA for a week in 2000 at a time when we were only dreaming of being there ourselves on JACARANDA. It was a great threesome reunion and we spent some fun time together, especially when both boats accompanied us up to Gonzaga Bay on our way to San Felipe in late August.

And it wouldn’t be the Summer in the Sea without our good buddies Sandy and John on MASQUERADE - with them, for the third year, the Sea felt like home. Linda started beading sea shells she collected with Sandy and now Sandy is doing a whole collection as Christmas ornaments for her family. Gourmet meals are the hallmark of our get togethers - boy, do we eat well!! Sandy is the sushi queen rivaling any Japanese restaurant. So here’s one of our unforgettable dinners we made after a delivery from an expert free-diving friend - fresh sea scallops with vodka and creme fraiche over Jasmine rice, zucchini casserole, and Sandy’s homemade blueberry turnovers (which rival her cinnamon buns).

With these folks and lots of additional friends, new and old, our days were filled with fishing, beachwalking, shelling (“just how many pustulatas do you need?” I asked when Linda found a bonanza of these hard-to-find cowries), snorkeling, beading, and sharing stories over good food. Every evening when the sunset lit up the sky with streaks of color, Linda would blow the conch shell in salute to another beautiful day in the Sea.

The Full Moon Party held near Bahia de Los Angeles every year is the opportunity for the cruisers to gather and have yet another reason to celebrate together. Mentioned everyday on the radio net by social director Jake on JAKE, the August bash drew more than 25 boats. Covered in our last 2 summer passage notes in greater detail, it’s a great locale to get together, dress up in costume and float out of the lagoon when the tide changes. This year Linda did her usual outstanding job of building a costume out of aluminum foil, showing up as the Star Fish Witch (a good witch)! The evening pot luck on the beach under the rising full moon was great fun as usual except for the fact there were no musicians in the fleet this year to entertain us! But we did watch the sky in unison as the space shuttle orbited overhead!

After the full moon party we headed north to San Felipe, one of the northern most towns in the Sea of Cortez that is accessible by boat. We left the boat in a marina and hauled our anchors and 340 feet of chain to get galvanized in Mexicali, then continued onto San Diego for 10 days. The trip to SD was a whirlwind of activity with revamping the garden of our rental house, visiting with friends and family, and seeing son Joe play his music at a local venue. We were excited to be there to greet son David who returned from a year of teaching English in Seoul, South Korea. Sadly, we received the news of the death of Linda’s Dad on September 5, after several years of debilitating decline. Stan passed on his love of sailing to Linda and it was a joy we were able to share together whenever he would come visit us.

Most of the anchorages we visited this year were repeats from previous years and already covered in past passage notes. Therefore, we were familiar with many of the good fishing spots and we did well this year. I had one lure that I kept count of the number of fish caught and was hoping to retire it at 100 -- but then I finally lost it when a large yellowtail took it and ran. The tally on that one lucky lure was 82 fish in 5 weeks!! And that wasn’t the only lure I used during the summer but the only one on which I kept track of the catch. The yellowtail were larger than last year and just as tasty! We had a really exciting day when, leaving Puerto Refugio on Isla Angel de la Guarda, we sailed through a school of mahi mahi and had 3 double hook ups within 30 minutes!! We only kept 2 of the six since we only keep what we can eat.

Late in October we departed Bahia Concepcion and headed eastward across the Sea of Cortez to Topolobampo on mainland Mexico – the place to jump off and go inland to visit Mexico’s famous Copper Canyon. The trip across was uneventful except for the rather rough sea conditions that were strange - we never saw more than 7-8 knots of wind yet the sea state appeared as if it should have been blowing 25 knots. We later learned that there were major earthquakes occurring in the Sea along a fault line right underneath us during this time!! No wonder the sea was so agitated – luckily there were no tsunamis! Topolobampo (Topo as the locals refer to it) is a small fishing village renown for its fresh seafood, located about 150 miles north of Mazatlan. Marina Palmira has nice new docks but is still under construction. This was a convenient spot to leave the boat in a safe place while we traveled inland by bus and train to Copper Canyon – a definite “must see”.

Copper Canyon (Barrancas del Cobre) is Mexico’s version of the Grand Canyon. Located in the state of Chihuahua, it is actually an area four times the size of the Grand Canyon and contains six canyons, several of which are deeper than the Grand Canyon. At the top, the 8000 foot elevation is cold and forested with pines yet the bottom of the canyons are hot and semitropical with orange and mango trees. We traveled by local bus and also by train. The famous El Chepe railroad is one of the most scenic railways in North America and is very exciting! Running alongside the edges of canyons, it offered fantastic views of stunning scenery.

The area is home to the isolated Tarahumara Indians and we saw many living in the area in simple log or stone houses or in caves. They call themselves “Raramuri” and are known for their unbelievable long-distance running ability. They hunt deer for ceremonies and run them down until the deer collapse from exhaustion! The men compete in races over 100 miles lasting 2-3 days where a small ball is knocked along using a curved stick (similar to a lacrosse stick). These races are run not on the flat but over the mountains. The women also compete in similar races but use a hoop in place of a ball. These shy people are dressed in wonderfully bright clothes and wear sandals of leather with straps around their ankles. The women and girls weave remarkable baskets out of pine needles and grasses. Everywhere the train stopped, all through the towns, and at every scenic overlook where there was likely to be a hiker or tourist, dozens of women and girls were selling their work. The prices were ridiculously cheap and yes, we came back with an arm load of the beautiful woven handicrafts.

Taking a local bus 6 hours down to the bottom of one of the canyons to the old silver mining town of Batopilas was in itself an experience…..a white knuckled one! The dirt switchback road was just barely wider than the bus itself with no guard rails, drops of a thousand feet, and the bus tires within inches of the edge. And the bus driver chatting with his girlfriend who was standing in the door well next to him had the locals on the bus crossing themselves and saying prayers! Linda said she was doing fine until we had to squeeze past a cement truck that had gone off the road – well, not completely, it still had two wheels on the dirt while two wheels hung in the air.

We returned to Topo after 10 days of traveling mostly with Mexican tourists. In many places we were the only people staying in the hotel and the locals told us tourism was down in that area almost 85% due to the US State Department warning for the Mexican State of Chihuahua. We never saw any indication of trouble during our whole journey although we heard the stories of marijuana growing in these remote areas and drug-related friction with federales. After all, many of the new SUV’s and Ford Explorers we saw in the canyons were not purchased with basket money.

We departed Topo on November 10 and our trip westward back across the Sea to La Paz was a motor boat ride with very little wind and flat sea conditions. In fact this summer we motored more than the previous two summers combined. The generally light wind conditions this summer put many hours on our not-so-new-anymore engine.

We are currently in La Paz on the Baja peninsula after just returning from our annual Family Thanksgiving in Philadelphia and New York. We plan to spend about 6 weeks doing maintenance on JACARANDA and preparing to head to Central and South America this season.

We would love to hear from you so please drop us a note and let us know how you are!

Wishing everyone a good holiday season and a healthy new year!

2010-08-10T12:49:00.003-06:00

Jacaranda Passage #41 (7-2010)
Back to Baja
Bahia de Los Angeles, Baja Norte
Air 95 Water 85

We are back in Baja California - spending our third Summer in the Sea of Cortez for the hurricane season - and it feels great to be back eating fresh fish for dinner every night, snorkeling in a warm sea- aquarium, and watching the night skies for shooting stars. Of course, we are enduring the heat again too - right now sunrise temperatures of about 82 rising to near triple digits during the afternoons. Comes with the territory. After our three months in cosmopolitan Puerto Vallarta, most of our old routine is returning - day-hop sailing to new anchorages (and old favorites too), daily swimming, fishing and beachwalking, listening to the morning and evening radio nets for weather forecasts and connections with cruising friends, blowing the conch horn at sunset to gratefully say “adios” to another day in a most magical place - the Sea of Cortez - where the sea and the desert meet and the water is filled with all variety of marine life from the biggest whales to the smallest nudibranchs.

When we left Puerto Vallarta on June 1, we sailed north, stopping for two days at Isla Isabella, before reaching Mazatlan to haul the boat out of the water to paint the bottom. The Singular boatyard there is fairly new and is one of the most spotless yards we have been in, with really nice amenities (clean bathrooms with hot water, comfortable lounge, strong wifi, friendly staff). Besides, where else can you sit in a second story swimming pool/jacuzzi overlooking the yard and watch the work progress on your boat? We stayed at the Singlar dock rather than go to Marina Mazatlan this time. The haulout went smoothly and once we were lifted, pressure washed, and blocked in our spot, Bob and his crew at Total Yacht Works went right to work sanding the old paint, putting on two new coats, readjusting the propeller, and getting a check-up on the Yanmar engine that we installed through them about two years ago. We were in the yard for 6 days before being returned to our slip at the Singlar dock.

Finally, on June 16, we left Mazatlan and the Mexican mainland and crossed over to Agua Verde on the Baja side of the Sea of Cortez, a trip that took three days. We anchored at Nautilus Cove and were joined in short order by John and Sandy from Masquerade with their 8 year old grandaughter Lizzy who were waiting for us with a few deliveries that we had arranged to be sent down to Mexico and had been handed off through a network of friends. We were also joined by s/v Outrider with Peter and his two sons Liam (age 9) and Kai (age 11). We were the first cruisers they had met in Baja when they arrived last year and it has been great to see how the boys have progressed as sailors, fishermen, snorkelers, and personalities on the radio.

We sailed NE to Catalina Island which we had been trying to reach unsuccessfully for the past few years due to uncooperative winds. This time it was perfect weather and we spent a few days exploring anchorages that were not in any guide books. Off the beaten track – we love that!! The snorkeling was good with 40-45 foot visibility and heaps of reef fish. So different from the Catalina Island that’s part of the Channel Islands off of LA in California where we did our initial shakedown: no quaint Avalon with a Casino (we did look), no mooring buoys, no other boats, and not a single person around. Just barren desert beauty with unique rattleless rattlesnakes and the hugest barrel cacti in Baja. If it’s not in the cruising guide we can expect to have it all to ourselves or, at the most, share it with the local itinerant Mexican pangueros.

After that, it was back to familiar territory - a few days on the north side of Carmen (V-Cove and Bahia Oto), snorkeling Isla Cholla, Isla Coronado, and a quick day in brutally hot Loreto to re-provision (and have a great dinner at the Mita Gourmet restaurant). July found us visiting favorite La Ramada and San Juanico, where we hiked, collected apache tears (small shiny volcanic obsidian nuggets), visited the tree that is the Cruiser Shrine (hung with all kinds of objects inscribed with boat names), and ate clam and lobster dinners thanks to some local Mexican pangueros. Then on to Santo Domingo and Sweet Pea Cove on Isla San Marcos. Here we finally caught up with long-time friends Jack and Hermy on IWA who had returned from Ecuador after 4 years. We had been looking forward to being with them in the Sea.

Then it was a quick 2 days in Santa Rosalia Marina for reprovisioning again, before leaving on the only overnight trip we have to make - to get to San Francisquito. Boarded by the Navy. We anchored in the cozy small inner harbor for a week waiting for IWA who had been delayed in SR. We were driven out by bees. Joined Masquerade at Isla Animas where we also rendezvoused with Iwa. So cool…one of coolest place in Baja.

As we make our way north this year, our third summer in the Sea, we are struck by the relative absence of birds and fish in the southern and central Sea of Cortez compared to the last two summers. And we have only spotted a few fin whales so far, although the dolphins and sea lions are here in generous numbers. It remains to be seen whether more whales will appear and what the whaleshark sightings will be later on in our journey.

We are especially concerned about the dorado population which seems to be way down in numbers and size. Dewey, a friend in Loreto who participates in an annual dorado tournament reported that there were few dorado caught this year and the largest one was only 16 pounds. We have become even more alarmed after seeing a video on YouTube called El Oro de Cortez (link) - a documentary about illegal dorado fishing in the Sea of Cortez.

From the email we received from friends in La Paz
"El Oro de Cortez is a documentary about illegal fishing in the Sea of Cortez. Through interviews with government officials, scientists and fisherman we expose the huge amounts, thousands of tons, of Dorado that are illegally exported to the United States each year from the port city of Guaymas, Sonora Mexico. Also exposed in this documentary are the tremendous number of marine turtles that are shipped off to the black market each year due to the illegal fishing of Dorado." The link below doesn't work, go to youtube and search

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vN_g2-JU_E
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXp0U8yXsoY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0__kyyAXSUU

We are currently in Bahia de Los Angeles where we are happy to report a large number of bird’s and that usually means a good catch for dinner. Starting north of San Fransquito the bird life started to increase. Large numbers of boobies and pelicans almost always insure a large number of bait fish and that my friend’s means larger fish are around. This year the yellow tails are much bigger than the past few years. While stopped in Isla Partida Norte the yellowtails were in abundance in the 12-15lb range with larger ones mixed in. Dinner is usually on the hook within 10-15 minutes of launching the dink.

2010-06-30T20:26:00.006-06:00

Jacaranda Passage Note #40 (6-2010)
3 months in Puerto Vallarta

We recently left Puerto Vallarta after a wonderful three month-long sojourn--- the longest we have stayed put anywhere on the boat (not counting the two summers we were in Boston with son Joe while Jacaranda remained in Mexican marinas). It was all my idea (Linda’s) - in the name of “balance” - we have been nomadic, moving around from place to place for almost five years now - since we started cruising...and I wanted to stay put for a little while so I could work on my spanish, get involved with a community activity, and most importantly, do some artwork (new directions - in collage and mapping personal geographies) that I have been unable to do on the boat because of space limitations.

Puerto Vallarta or La Paz (Baja) were the two candidates for this stopover but PV won out when our friend Sam, owner of the BandB Hacienda Mosaico said she was going on vacation for 3 1/2 weeks and needed a hacienda -sitter. I volunteered immediately, convinced Chuck, and the next thing we knew we had ourselves a “job”!! Hacienda Mosaico is my dream place - check it out at http://www.haciendamosaico.com/ Speaking of jobs, Chuck decided that as long as we were shore bound with good internet, he might as well work remotely for his old IT company, CSC, and fatten up the cruising kitty. This worked out well!!

Here’s a synopsis of our stay in Puerto Vallarta:

1. My birthday celebration: Cuddling tigers, zipping in trees
After anchoring in La Cruz for a few days (where we left off in our last Passage Note), we moved the boat into Paradise Village Marina. I had rented a nearby condo for two weeks: March 1- 14. Friends Elise and Jerry Lazar from Salt Lake City joined us and son Joe came down from San Diego for a week. Where can you hold a baby jaguar and cuddle with baby tigers? The Vallarta Zoo lets you hold the cats born in their breeding program and also feed the animals. See the photo of Joe with the 3 month old tiger who was a little feisty by then.

Old town Puerto Vallarta is activity packed and we enjoyed strolling along the sculpture filled malecon (seaside walk) , seeing the intricate sand sculptures and rock balancing artists, viewing sidewalk art and the tourist flea market, and having mexican food atop a restaurant with a view - in one direction the sun setting on Banderas Bay, in another, the voladores from Papantla (4 traditionally dressed men twirling upside down from the top of a high May pole to the sound of indigenous flutes), and then live Norteño music and dancing taking place below us in the zocalo’s public bandstand. In early March we had a birthday party at the condo and got to see lots of our friends! We had scrumptious birthday cake for me and Joe (whose birthday is at the end of March), delicious potluck food, and Joe joined Burke from Isis (mandolin) and Dave from Dolce Vita (guitar) in some music-making and singing. Three evenings we walked a block down the beach from our condo to the Oliver Ridley Turtle Sanctuary and got to do a turtle release - holding these small hatchlings at the edge of the sand at sunset and letting them go so they could make their way across the sand to the water under cover of dark, hoping to avoid avian predators.

But perhaps the highlight of the two weeks was when Joe, Chuck and I went on a half-day Zipline Adventure with a well-known outfit called Vallarta Adventures. A half-hour early morning inflatable boat ride took us and about 20 others across the bay where we took a safari-truck into the mountains followed by a half-hour mule ride high up in the forest above the treeline to the first of our zipline platforms. Harnessed into the line above us, ziplining was like flying with the birds, soaring from platform to platform, at one point rappelling down a waterfall, and then speeding down and dunking into a cold pool of crystal mountain water. Great fun - and each of us would love to do it again!!! The next day Joe swam with the dolphins at the Vallarta Adventures facility, most of which were born in captivity there. No lack of adventure here!!!

2. Banderas Bay Regatta (BBR): A Busy Bay
This major sailing race for cruisers was a bit anemic in the past but this year’s 17th Regatta was a premier event thanks to the outstanding organization of our friend Laurie Ailworth, regatta chair for the past two years. Over 40 boats in six classes participated in the three day competition and the top-notch ceremonies, awards, and parties, parties, parties were enjoyed by a large crowd. I got involved with selling tickets and filling in where needed in the volunteer corps but got bitten by the Regatta bug! I found a crew position on a 47 foot catamaran called Moontide - there were 9 of us in addition to owner/skipper Bill. I worked the mainsheet and traveller. Since the major goal of the Regatta was fun, each of the boats put on some antics as they paraded past the public on their way out to the Bay for the start of the race. Friends on Maluhia wore hawaiian garb, inflatable tubes in the shape of fish around their waists, and danced on deck to blaring hawaiian music; skipper Christy of Bright Wing hulahooped her way out of the marina; we had the barbeque on high, trailing a thick cloud of rib-smelling smoke in our wake and toasted our wine glasses high to the crowd......which is what we repeated for the Committee Boat as we passed them at the finish line on the last day of the races - coming in second place in our class all three days. Chuck left his work on Saturday at the computer and joined us for the last day. We met a lot of new friends and loved getting an award at the Closing Ceremonies!! Banderas Bay is a great venue for wind sports - you can pretty much count on good afternoon winds every day - so the youth J-boat races, windsurfing and wind kiting championships were all being held at the same time as the BBR.

3. San Miguel de Allende for Semana Santa: Angels, art, and exploding Judases -
There was time in between the BB Regatta and our hacienda-sitting to go on the road for some inland travel and I had been wanting to visit San Miguel de Allende (SMdA), a charming colonial town and artists’ mecca in the rolling hills of neighboring Guanajuato State. The only trouble was it was Semana Santa, the two weeks surrounding Easter, which is a zoo here in Mexico with crowds of families jamming into the beaches and some inland cities for roisterous vacations. Normally it is best to stay at home and avoid the masses. Puerto Vallarta was one place they swarmed, SMdA was another. So I thought I should avoid it - until I read Charlotte Bell’s website (http://www.charlottebell.com/tears/). Charlotte is a photographer from Texas living in SMdA who has published a photo book and guide to the Semana Santa processions there - and lo and behold - I felt this epicenter of festivities was THE place to be, indeed not to be missed. I called Charlotte who convinced me this was the time to go, and booked one of the apartments in her house for a week. Then I went to the bus station and bought a ticket for the 10 hour journey. Chuck had just returned from a quick trip to Long Beach for a business meeting and was bogged down with work (yikes! the W word)!

Laurie Ailworth (of BBR fame who was in recovery mode) came with me. I was excited since I hadn’t seen much of Laurie and this was our time to catch up - besides Laurie is an experienced traveller in Mexico, having moved to the Puerto Vallarta area five years ago, and speaks spanish well. We left early on the morning of March 3, arriving at Casa Caracol at 10:30 that night...and walked in on a pot luck party Charlotte and husband Wolf were having with their charity group. We were immediately invited to take part. What a welcome!!! After a long bus ride, we had a gourmet dinner and met some interesting local expats.

Our one bedroom apartment was perfect for the two of us - nice kitchen, sitting area with TV and wifi, hot shower, and balcony with a view overlooking the town....for $50/night. It was a fifteen minute walk into the center of town downhill but we ended up taking a taxi back in the evenings. We wasted no time walking and exploring this national monument with its central “jardin”, fabulous architecture (now festooned with purple and white Easter banners), art galleries galore, and good restaurants.

For the next few days, Laurie and I attended all the high drama of the Easter celebrations in public processions and parades....the reenactment of Pontius Pilate with the condemned Jesus and Roman soldiers standing guard, the amazing statuary of saints (especially the tearjerker when the statue of Jesus lifts his head to look at his mother), little girls dressed as angels in white with wings, little boys in purple burlap and crown of thorns carrying skulls, grieving women with their black dresses and mantillas, biers, reliquaries, flowers, crushed camomile blanketing the cobbled streets, solemn bands, trumpets blaring mournfully, candlelit parade routes, crowds of onlookers, private and public altars decorated with flower petal designs and oranges skewered with gold flags.

On the Saturday night before Easter Sunday we were at the impressive pink gothic parroquia (cathedral) to watch the bonfire burning outside the front door from which the priest lit a monstrous candle, then returned inside where hundreds of parishioners were waiting in the pitch dark; slowly slowly the interior of the cathedral began to glow brighter and brighter as each person lit their own candle as the priest walked by. Add some hymnal voices of the masses and it was very awe-inspiring indeed! By midnight we were back in our little apartment overlooking the countryside - just in time to see bursting fireworks light up the sky accompanied by ringing church bells from all over.

But perhaps our most highly anticipated celebration was Easter Sunday’s “Explosion of the Judases”. About twenty life size paper mache effigies, blowing gently in the morning breeze, were strung on lines spanning the street from the municipal building to the jardin. In concept they represented the traitor Judas, but in brightly painted form there were a few familiar faces - political figures from Mexico and the US, two witches, Sponge Bob Square Pants. One by one a fuse leading to gunpowder entrails was lit and the figures burst into pieces with a deafening bang. A child ran out into the middle of the street and collected the prized heads to be sold later.

Our souls now filled with spirits (I now had more photos of angels than fish), culture, and art (from special craft fairs, the artisan mercado, Instituo Allende, Belles Artes, galleries, Fabrica Aurora art complex (a converted cotton mill), Casa de la Cuesta private mask museum, and a visit to artist Anado McLaughlin’s house), we left San Miguel de Allende and took a short bus trip to nearby Guanjuato. We packed it all in a too-brief overnight stay - a tour of the centro with its fabulous architecture and tunnel roads, the sprawling indoor marketplace, dramatic hillside overlook, good food, and habitation in a grand hotel right on the jardin with its chaotic and colorful activity. And of course, an experience of Guanajuato wouldn’t be complete without an evening with the callejoneadas - a troupe of traditionally dressed musicians that lead a robust mob through the ancient winding alleyways - singing, drinking, and joking. I returned to Jacaranda full of creative stimulation and artistic inspiration and ready to.........spend a week stripping the cockpit to bare wood and revarnishing.

4. Hacienda Mosaico: hacienda-sitting a little piece of heaven -
We moved into Hacienda Mosaico, an artists’ BandB, on April 19 when friend/owner Sandra Leonard (aka Sam) left for a three week trip to Guatemala. I was in heaven - a gorgeous walled “compound” with lush gardens, 7 rooms in the BandB, the main hacienda building with lounge and dining room, a pool, a complete outdoor kitchen, a complete indoor kitchen, a huge outdoor art studio, a fully equipped indoor art studio, an extensive art and fine craft library..... and everywhere you look , art, art, art, and beauty. All we needed to do was be there as a presence, feed and cuddle Stella (Sam’s little white maltese), oversee the cleaning and gardening done by Cristobal and his wife Alicia (great spanish practice), and pay some bills....oh yes, and I was to mosaic a big cement couch in the yard that was built in an earlier artist workshop. Otherwise we were just to enjoy ourselves!

During the three weeks, a cadre of ex-cruisers, friends and family came down to visit from the states, and a slew of local and cruiser friends joined us for dinners and afternoon swims. Chuck, hard at work at the computer/phone during the day, was comfortably ensconced in our airy room which had a back door that opened on to a private outdoor seating area with red handblown hearts hanging from the palapa roof, surrounded by red lobster-claw heliconia flowers, gingers, and passionflower vines. I was ecstatic to commandeer the indoor studio and spread out my collected collage treasures from the boat and begin to do some new artwork.

The cement couch was a lot of fun (great to be mosaicing again, especially with 25 boxes of mexican tiles Sam had bought and a variety of saws and tools) but proved to be a massive undertaking - taking five of us (including two faithful local friends) working for about a week and a half every day.

In the evenings, everyone gathered at the outdoor dining area by the pool and cooked communal dinners together. Then we sat for hours eating and enjoying each others’ company as night began to fall, lighting candles and watching the fruit bats wing from mango to lychee to mango tree, scooping a drink from the pool.....until we all toddled off to our respective spaces.

We were all so comfortable here that we hardly left the Hacienda except to venture to centro Puerto Vallarta a few times (you had to experience it!) and to eat dinner “out” at the best taco stand in all of PV, located on the sidewalk in front of a mexican home three blocks away. Three weeks went fast and before we knew it, everyone had gone, I packed up my sash of artwork, and Sam returned with a box the size of a small refrigerator filled with all her Guatemalan goodies - fabrics, masks, and bowls.

So next year, Do It Again, Sam!

5. Wrap-up: Back to the boat!!
Jacaranda had been waiting for us in Nuevo Vallarta Marina and as wonderful as Hacienda Mosaico was, it felt great to be back home living on the water again. We stayed in Puerto Vallarta two more weeks while Chuck finished his work project for CSC. Our friend Naomi Kitamura, who had just left to go cruising with Andrew on s/v Amizade, was kind enough to let me use her now unoccupied condo, a short dinghy ride to Paradise Village Marina, as an art studio to continue some of my collage artwork. After finishing boat projects in the morning, I went over and spent some very creative afternoons there. On June 1, we said goodbye to local friends and headed north to Mazatlan on our way to spending the summer in the Sea of Cortez.

2010-06-12T17:10:00.008-06:00

Jacaranda Passage Notes #39 (06-10-10)
Mainland Mexico,

Squall Magnetism Continues

We departed Barra de Navidad after about 10 days of getting readjusted to civilization as we recently arrived from the marine wilderness of Socorro Island in the Revillagigedos. It did take a while to get our “land-legs” back after 7 weeks of not stepping foot on land. We’re always sorry to say goodbye to Emmerich, the French Baker, and his morning arrival to our boat by panga loaded with fresh bread and pastries. Of course we stocked up before departing!

We made the short trip over to Tenacatita Bay, about 20 miles to the north, which is the social center of the cruising season for many boats. Here we caught up with many friends we had not seen for a while - especially long-time friends Jack and Hermy on IWA who had reentered Mexico after a few years in Ecuador.

We needed to press on northward towards Puerto Vallarta since Linda’s birthday was coming up - friends Elise and Jerry Lazar along with Linda’s son Joe were due to arrive and share a condo for two weeks as part of the celebration. So the plan was to depart early and if the north winds (“noserlies”) began to build, we would stop in Chamela for the night. Otherwise we would continue on around Cabo Corrientes and into Banderas Bay. Departing early on a bright sunny morning, the breeze was out of the south and much to our delight, it followed us up the coast most of the day. Later that afternoon, boats coming down from Banderas Bay to the north now appearing within our view began complaining of the strong southerly that they were having to buck against. We smilingly said to each other: “How nice for us for a change that we have the wind with us from behind going north instead of the usual northerlies! ” But it wasn’t to last long. These same southbound boats gave us reports of just encountering very strong winds and heavy rain closer to Banderas Bay.

Soon, 20 miles south of Cabo Corrientes, we could see a huge black wall of clouds to the north of us stretching from sea level to tens of thousands of feet upwards. The ominous black wall continued to get closer and closer and fairly suddenly it began to drizzle with the wind veering 180 degrees coming at us from the north. Soon the southbound boats that had passed us disappeared altogether with visibility dropping to about 100 yards as we entered the squall with driving rain and 35 kts of breeze on the nose. The radar screen flared bright red. Not again!!!! What’s going on with this unusual weather...and what’s up with our timing? At this point, we did have a choice..... continue sailing through the squall or duck into Ipala to wait it out at anchor.

Ipala, just to the south of Cabo Corrientes is a very small anchorage - only big enough for a few boats - and you have to navigate around the numerous fish pens and floats that pose obstructions throughout. An hour earlier, we had heard a vessel on the radio report that Ipala was completely closed out with breaking surf caused by the southerly winds. Well, now the winds were coming from the NW, and we heard friends on a catamaran called “Just a Minute” say they had just pulled in and anchored there. We called Patrick and he said it was fine protection but rolly.

Ipala http://www.sailsarana.com/maps/maps.htm?20,14.10,N,105,34.30,W,Ipala!,8
(Thank you to Eric on Sarana for helping me setup the above link using his website and Google maps.) If you click on the link and then once open click on the "+" bar you can zoom right in for a bird's eye view. Click Hybrid on the upper right hand corner for both map & satellite We have also incorporated these links into our previous Socorro posts.

We abruptly changed course and 6 miles later we anchored in Ipala in gusty rainy conditions. At sunset, we could see the rays of the sun breaking through black clouds far to the north as the worst of the squall was ending. We spent a rolly night with 5 other boats.

The next morning we had a pleasant, sunny, no-wind, motor boat ride into Banderas Bay, anchoring in La Cruz (northwest of Puerto Vallarta) about 2 pm.

But with this, our second storm, our reputation had been sealed. The rumor was: “Don’t leave with Jacaranda or you’ll have the curse of the weather gods follow you”.

Our next Passage Note (#40) will cover the events of our three month extended stay in Puerto Vallarta - from Feb. 28 until June 1.

2010-06-05T20:50:00.029-06:00

Jacaranda Passage Notes #38 (05-20-10)
2010 Socorro Sojourn Part II:
Socorro Island: A Whale of a time in the Revillagigedos

This is a follow up to our Part I note from the Revillagigedos posted 2 months ago. Wow are we behind on passage notes!!

On the morning of January 7, we left San Benedicto Island and headed south to Socorro Island after Lady Lexi cut Hopalong's chain and freed them from the rock. We had a beautiful sail to the south side of the island, accompanied by an acrobatic show of jumping dolphins at sunset as we passed Cabo Pearce. We anchored just after dark at Binner's Cove, guided by the anchor lights of Masquerade, Hopalong, and a sport fisher. Binner’s is a shallow anchorage (40’) and all sand - a real rarity in these islands.

The next day was bright and sunny - the warmest one we had so far - and we snorkeled the beautiful shallow reef at the head of the cove in the morning, seeing turtles, eels, white tipped reef sharks, and plenty of colorful reef fish - while we waited for the Mexican Navy to arrive to check us in. Since there were three of us they said they would come over to Binner’s to do the formalities instead of moving us around to the other side of the peninsula to Navy Cove.

That afternoon, the wooden panga carrying two uniformed officers and 6 rifle-toting men in fatigues and flack jackets pulled alongside each sailboat in succession: one man with a rifle stepped aboard and waited on deck while the two officers sat in the cockpit and checked our paperwork to see that it was in order and that we had our permits. Satisfied that all was well, after a little small talk, they left.

Interestingly, Cirque reported that the day after their initial check-in at Binner’s Cove, the Navy returned and asked to see the contents of their freezer - looking for fish or lobsters which are illegal to catch. They must have looked like shady characters!

After a few days at Binner’s Cove, we moved further north up the west side of the island to explore a new anchorage Spirit Quest and Ambar had told us about called The Aquarium. Anchoring in 90 feet of water, the area, marked as the “Alberca” (Swimming Pool) on our Mexican Chart, was a series of pools tucked into the mainland of Socorro, surrounded by a few small outer rock islands with several pinnacled reefs dotted about on the inside. We could see how easily this could be a wonderful dive site under optimal conditions, but the huge swells rolling in over the reefs, the surginess, and the poor water visibility made our exploration rather mediocre. Still we did see lobster and turtles, and Chuck saw some octopus and eels, especially near the inner pinnacles as opposed to the outer point of the small island. We swam east around the corner to the inner wall that was surprisingly uninteresting. As the afternoon wore on, the sea swells began to increase, making our open roadstead too rolly for comfort. It was time to leave. We decided to head for the better protection afforded by the next anchorage north - Grayson’s Cove, our old haunt where we stayed so much of the time last year with Beach House. Masquerade, who had moved to the Aquarium with us, had difficulty raising their anchor, tripping their windlass breaker numerous times. They decided to return to the safety of Binner’s Cove, where Hopalong would remain the rest of the trip, content to stay put in the unobstructed sandy bottom with a huge amount of rode out.

We thought we would feel comfortable back in familiar territory at Grayson’s in 45 feet of water but the anchor chain growled and popped ceaselessly the first night, with everyone else’s anchor troubles making us more paranoid than usual. The next day Linda snorkeled the small anchorage to survey and locate the two narrow fingers of sandy, clear bottom that we knew existed from last year. We re-anchored and repositioned ourselves in one of the fingers and buoyed the second finger for Masquerade to anchor in. At this point we were all gun-shy about getting our anchors wrapped. Masquerade came up the next morning and anchored in the spot Linda had marked with the big X that said “anchor here”. We spent four days here together, sidled up very cozily about a boat length apart. We watched the swells breaking on a nearby rock formation called “Old Man in the Sea” on our charts, but, try as we might, just couldn’t see the old man; John renamed it “Chicken Butt Rock” but I tell you, the rest of us couldn’t see that either.

Hopalong departed Socorro and headed to Barra de Navidad on the mainland and a few days later Masquerade left for Puerto Vallarta.

Punta Tosca: http://www.sailsarana.com/maps/maps.htm?18,46.90,N,111,02.75,W,Punta,11

We moved up to Punta Tosca, one of the best dive sites we explored last year when we would dingy 20 minutes from Grayson Cove, snorkel for a few hours, and then dingy back. Unfortunately we couldn’t return as often as we would have liked because of our limited fuel capacity. Envious of the commercial dive boats that stayed by the point, we thought it was just too deep for us to anchor. How elated we were when Spirit Quest and Ambar gave us the coordinates for a lava free spot in 100 feet of water that gave us the confidence to feel secure there - even though 100’ is very deep for us. The continuing forecasts called for strong winds and big swells of 17-20’ to pound the island but, tucked in behind Punta Tosca, we rolled around but were comfortable. Well let’s put that into perspective….. we couldn’t have done it without our trusty flopper stopper (an essential device that, when hung from a pole and thrown overboard, dampens the boat’s rolling and makes life worthwhile). Made by Mr. Scully for us 25 years ago, it died 3 times this trip. But we just kept adding pieces to resurrect it and threw it back in - what a difference it made to our livability in these kinds of conditions!!

Punta Tosca was also a whale nursery.....and we spent three glorious weeks observing the development of a baby humpback whale just yards from the deck. Soon after we anchored, a humpback mom moved in with a calf just days old. We watched in awe as Mom would swim by the boat lifting the baby to the water’s surface on her flipper to breathe. We could see the dorsal fin of the baby was still folded over and creased from being in the womb - a telltale sign that it was a newborn. For the following few weeks we watched “our” mom and baby interact every day, and they seemed to be very comfortable with us being there. Little by little Mom taught the baby to tail slap, fin wave, breach and do all those things whales need to know - and our observations kept us occupied. The baby grew rapidly and soon swam next to, rather than on top of, the mom’s body. Little by little, she took the calf further afield from the nursery to teach him to dive deep and give him the experience he needed to make the long distance migration north to the summer feeding grounds off of Canada. We often were busy below in the cabin when we would hear the “whoosh” of loud exhales next to us, and run out on deck to see the pair swimming around the boat. We listened to the baby and mom calling to each other thru the hull of the boat. They were not singing as the male humpbacks are known to do but were vocalizing back and forth, sounding rather like a low pitched elephant’s trumpet, answered by a high pitched call. Linda spent many hours with her head down on the cabin sole and her ear against the hull enabling her to hear them more clearly. We would lie in bed at night and all of a sudden would hear them, saying to each other, “Ahhh the whales are back!” Such an incredibly intimate connection over a good period of time with these amazing animals made our hearts sing!!! How privileged we felt!!!

We dove the reefs around Punta Tosca and were joined by “the Lexi boys” - Dave and Cory, two hard-core divers from the sailboat Lady Lexi. They dove many of the areas around the island and we always received first hand reports as we viewed the photos and movies from each day’s adventures. It was great to have them as neighbors and we shared many evening meals (Cory was a gourmet chef) and dive lies with them. They had numerous encounters with hammerhead sharks, dolphins and giant manta rays and some great video and still footage.

We moved further around the island to Cabo Henslow for a few days where we anchored in a 45’ sandy spot. Here there was a lagoon and one of the few sandy beaches on the island. In fact it is a turtle nesting site and on our brief excursion we spotted a few carapaces. Along the shore of the lagoon toward the north entrance was a huge vertical blowhole like a chimney that would shoot spray 150’ or more into the air. The sound it made was like an air compressor gone loco!

From Cabo Henslow we moved back to Punta Tosca and anchored in our old spot (actually Ambar’s spot). Lady Lexi returned from Roca Partida where they showed us a photo of a gigantic lobster that they called “Lobzilla”; it was so big across that you would have trouble getting your hand on it. The photo showed Lobzilla sharing a hole with a large moray eel!
A few days later Lady Lexi departed for Puerto Vallarta and we were left on our own. Our Mom and baby whale were still there and occasionally another adult female whale would come in for a short time to buddy with the pair. But when a male humpback moved in too close, Mom would rush out and start breaching and tail slapping, driving the male away.

Now we were at the six-week mark of our 8-week planned stay. The water visibility had cleared up somewhat but was still not great (45’ on a good day) and the surge and swells were becoming increasingly annoying. Our provisions were holding out just fine and Linda had the bread making down to a fine art producing fresh bread every few days. We started looking for a good weather window to sail back to Puerto Vallarta a little earlier than planned. We had been trading emails with Stan the weatherman in Santiago Bay for the past week. We brought the dinghy onboard and generally got the boat put together to do the sail back to the mainland. Not quite finding the perfect weather window we continued to snorkel and swim from the boat....and bid a wistful adieu to our whales who were on increasing longer trips away from the nursery.

About this time, we noticed three vessels out on the distant horizon speeding around each other like big jetskis. A look through the binoculars revealed three large inflatable ribs manned by a small platoon of navy guys. That afternoon a large antique helicopter (WWII vintage?) buzzed us overhead. The next day, one of the inflatable ribs came over to us and the Mexican naval officer in charge, surprised at our presence, asked us what we were doing there. “We have a permit to be here, we’ve checked in with your armada, and it’s valid for 2 more weeks,” we answered. He reviewed our paperwork and made a radio call to the base; that afternoon the officer who had originally checked us in arrived in an old wooden panga and informed us that “Sorry, you have to leave right now because we have closed the island - we are doing military exercises and all permits have been canceled, even for the large commercial dive boats”. Luckily we had already prepared Jacaranda to leave. “But not today- the weather isn’t good for us”, we half-lied, “so we will leave tomorrow - on Saturday”. We didn’t tell him that we adhere to the old sailing superstition that it is bad luck to leave on a Friday.

Anyway, Saturday morning dawned with a weather report from Stan that said we might want to be out of Socorro by Tuesday or Wednesday since there was a forecasted low expected to develop over the islands. Don’s report (from Summer Passage radio) did not mention any disturbed weather and called for moderate north breezes. Cautiously, we worked our way around the NW side of Socorro Island mindful that the charts we were using had NO soundings (water depth) marked and the water we were sailing in was not surveyed. I felt that by Tuesday, we would be at anchor or close to the mainland should this bad weather develop. My, how things didn’t shape up the way I expected! Time to pay the piper for all the good sailing we have had this past year.

As soon as we cleared the island we started sailing slowly close-hauled (wind toward the front of the boat) and made reasonable progress although we were not able to make enough northing to lay Puerto Vallarta. So we decided we would try for anyplace we could get into, Chamela, Tennacatia or Barra. Sunday evening we started seeing a bank of dark clouds to the south of us and the wind became more easterly and increasing. Squalls with rain bands started to sweep through and the barometer dropped 4 point in 4 hours. We spoke with Don after his weather report that lightly touched on a possible trough forming and mentioned our conditions. That got his attention and his report the next morning was much more detailed and forecasted drafty conditions with rain to continue. His report started to now line up with the other weather reports we were getting through the SSB.

On we slogged, sometimes able to lay Acapulco as the wind was now a noserly (on the nose). Monday the conditions continued to worsen - we were experiencing continuous squalls with rain and lightening. The trough was now deeply developed and stretching from SW to NE and that put our course almost parallel to the weather system with us right in the middle of it. Not much we could do at this time but try to keep the boat moving - reefing when the squalls hit us, shaking out a reef as the winds eased.

Monday evening’s forecast from Don was even worse - 40-45 knots easterly with heavy rain as the trough continued to slowly move across us. We were now about 60 miles from Barra de Navidad and had continuous rain squalls showing up on the radar for the past 24 hours. Linda called us the “squall magnet” as anytime we saw a red blob on the radar it seemed to always change course and come right over the top of us. Kind of like the Peanuts character Pigpen, who always traveled with a cloud over his head. We had now reefed and unreefed the main and jib probably 25 times since leaving Socorro in an attempt to keep us moving and on our feet as the squalls bumped the wind speed up.

As the wind started to intensify (now 40 knots) and come directly from the way we wanted to go, we were not making much forward progress, fighting the increasingly large waves as well. So we decided to “heave to” (park or stop the boat with the main backed) and Jacaranda seemed to settle into a comfortable position, albeit with all hell breaking loose around us!!! We would have to wait another day to get those almond croissants from the French Baker in Barra! By midnight there was pounding, stinging rain accompanied by menacing lightning bolts that lit the sky like daylight all around us. All we could do was hope we would be spared a direct strike that would fry our electronics - an expensive act of nature indeed ----hope that is, and put our computers, camera and hand held GPS in the oven to try to protect them (the oven functions like a Faraday cage). The seas had continued to build with the wind and now were running about 15 feet. We seemed to be ok despite the storm - until an hour later..... at 1 a.m. the boat was lifted up high out of the water by a very large swell and then suddenly dropped down on her side at almost a 70 degree angle, putting the leeward deck into the water. Everything inside the boat that was on the starboard side came flying across. What a shambles!!! A glass container holding a candle broke as it hit the floor, vegetables and fruit rolled around, beads littered the rug, books and papers scattered everywhere, all interspersed with the shards of glass. The cockpit was a jumble of lines and cushions and the spray clothes were flapping in the wind. The dodger had a slight tear where a fastener ripped out. A full 2 ½ gallon sun shower that was laying on the cockpit seat was swept overboard..

The wind was now blowing a steady 45 knots, gusting to 50. I hadn’t seen conditions like this since I was in the southern ocean! And Linda now claimed she was no longer a “heavy weather virgin”. Within minutes of this excitement the wind abated a little and then shifted to the WNW with rain coming down sideways. What a radical wind shift! Now the seas really started to get confused with the large easterly swell crossing with the WNW wind waves. The only good news out of all of this was that we were now able to start sailing again .....and head towards Barra. We dropped the main completely and rolled out a small bit of jib. Within an hour the wind had calmed down into the mid 20’s and started to move back into a NE component. The rain eased a bit as we came out of this large squall.

Barra de Navidad: http://www.sailsarana.com/maps/maps.htm?19,11.75,N,104,40.43,W,Barra

We finally arrived in the lagoon in Barra de Navidad mid-morning and anchored in its protected calm waters. For the first time in almost 7 weeks the boat was sitting completely still. Like last time coming from the Revillageigedos, it was a strange feeling and a readjustment to be back in civilization with lots of radio chatter, friends coming by to say hello, and anchored boats surrounding us. I was exhausted by the four days of our journey (last year it took us three with no incident) and by 6 p.m. I was out like a light. That night in an unseasonable deluge it rained 6 inches, giving us a fresh water wash down. Linda was able to collect the rain water to top off our water tanks and fill buckets for laundry. I slept through the downpour and awoke to a bright sunny morning without a trace of breeze.....AND to the French Baker.

It has been very strange weather this winter - typically it is dry with not a drop of rain. Yet our experience is only one story .......I think you’ll find the account of the weather “bomb” that hit La Cruz in Banderas Bay from friends on “Just a Minute” VERY interesting. Just page down a little on their blog to get to their story... http://svjustaminute.blogspot.com/2010/02/problem-with-big-anchors-or-one-hour.html. I don’t know - I think we may have been better off at sea during these blows after all instead of at anchor.......

........and this was just a taste of bad weather we would experience this weird winter - our next post will describe the next front that we found ourselves sailing through a few weeks later.

2010-03-30T23:26:00.013-07:00

Jacaranda Passage Notes #37 (03-28-10)
Socorro, Mexico
2010 Socorro Sojourn Part I:

San Benedicto Island: A “Swell” New Years in the Revillagigedos
Just like last year, we spent the holiday season in the remote Revillagigedos 300 miles south of Cabo San Lucas , having a “swell time” - both literally and figuratively - with the giant manta rays and humpback whales. Last year we spent 5 weeks but this year we are planning to stay 8 weeks before returning to mainland Mexico. So far itʼs been a very different experience than we had last year - still magical yet different.....but more about that in a moment.

To back up, I (Linda) returned to Mexico from the annual Thanksgiving gathering at “The Farm” and the family circuit in San Diego, Philadelphia, and Florida (all except for son David who is in South Korea teaching english for the year). It was a whirlwind three weeks made especially crazy by the 150 pounds of luggage I had to gather and lug around (repaired watermaker, repaired autopilot, new snorkel gear, and of course, heavy on the Trader Joeʼs comfort food). Chuck lamentably stayed behind in La Paz on Jacaranda this year, but in so doing surprisingly enough got to spend time with some of his family - brother Bill and wife Sue who left their catamaran Sunbaby in San Diego and rode down on the Fubar power vessel rally. Highlights of our stay in La Paz this fall included celebrating John on Masqueradeʼs birthday at an upscale restaurant with Two Can Play, getting to know Mike and Sherry on Ambar III and becoming involved in Seawatch (a Save the Sea of Cortez environmental action organization http://seawatch.org/), and having a wonderful dinner at Carlos and Daniellaʼs (owner of the La Paz Pearl Farm) house with Carlosʼ aunt from Chiapas who treated us to some regional food specialities of hers. Carlos let me cut a handful of mabe pearls (what treasure!) for a necklace collection highlighting his La Paz pearls - maybe weʼll have an exhibition in La Paz when I get a few made.

We readied Jacaranda to depart for this yearʼs sojourn in the Revillagigedos (Islas San Benedicto and Socorro) but were delayed because of problems with Chuckʼs
prescription dive mask from San Diego. We had to have another made quickly but how
to get it to us? As luck would have the timing, friends Alex and Sue (Mai Tai Roa) were driving down to La Paz and stopped in San Diego to pick it up. Such cruiser networking!

One important difference about our Socorro Sojourn this year is that we had the
incredible knowledge and advice from two Revillagigedos veterans - Spirit Quest (Kathy and Doug) and Ambar III (Mike and Sherry). Both couples are on power boats and
have been visiting the islands to dive for many many years now. They shared with us
descriptions of areas and waypoints for new anchorages. Mike and Sherry gave us
updated charts and their local knowledge - which is considerable since Ambar has
carried most of the film makers, researchers, and world-class divers that come to see
and report on these islands.

With Jacaranda stuffed to the gills with provisions for 8 weeks of living at sea, we
departed La Paz on Saturday morning Dec. 19, had a nice sail south through the
Cerralvo Channel (where we caught a four foot mahi mahi but released it - no freezer
room - what were we thinking?), and met up with John and Sandy on Masquerade in
Los Muertos. They were going out to the Revillagigedos with us (as were a few other
boats we had been consulting with about permits). Sandy is my shelling buddy and a
cook extraordinaire (infamous for her sushi) but she is also the only one I know of who is ready to jump into the water to snorkel with me anywhere anytime at the drop of a hat.

We then went further south and spent a couple of days at Los Frailes where we left on
Dec. 22, a day after Masquerade, and had a nice sail and uneventful three day trip to Isla Benedicto. We sailed down the western side of the barren volcano island since we had done the eastern side last year, past The Boiler (the renowned dive pinnacle where we had our manta ride last year), and around the south side to the anchorage at the Lava Delta.

San Beneditco: http://www.sailsarana.com/maps/maps.htm?19,17.91,N,110,48.41,W,San Benedicto!,8

We arrived the morning of Dec. 24 and there we found Masquerade and other friends, Hopalong (Dave and Sally) already anchored and waiting for us. We had a wonderful gourmet dinner aboard Hopalong. The following evening, we celebrated Christmas with dinner on Masquerade and the table was set with all the trimmings Sandy had thoughtfully packed for the occasion (roast chicken, yams, homemade rolls, pumpkin pie). We were treated to Sallyʼs famous “sabering of the champagne bottle” and were in awe when she took out her special little sword, held the bottle up, and in one smooth swipe cleanly whacked off the top of the glass neck, cork and all, into the sea...without spilling a drop!

Last year, we had arrived the exact same time - on Christmas eve day - and joined
divers/photographers extraordinaire, Scott and Cindy on Beach House for 5 weeks...the
only two yachts there. This year, due to publicity and word-of-mouth, a lot more boats came out. Quite a crowd actually! We missed, by one day, Mandan and Distant Shores who had preceded us by about a week and had just left for Socorro Island. This year we traveled in company with Masquerade and Hopalong and were joined later by Cirque and Lady Lexi. Amizade and Stella Maris were due out toward the beginning of February. We also saw three power boats during our stay. Itʼs a good thing our schedules were staggered since the small anchorages donʼt accommodate more than a couple of boats at a time.

But perhaps the biggest difference from last yearʼs Socorro Sojourn was the rougher
weather and poor water visibility. At Isla San Benedicto we rocked and rolled from the time we arrived until the day we left. The weather was much more unsettled this yearand large swells came into the anchorage so that we curtailed our stay and left after only two weeks for the more protected anchorages at Socorro Island. Spirit Quest had been surprised when we told them that we had stayed at Benedicto for 3 weeks last year in calm conditions since they said they usually get blown out after a week. I guess we experienced more “normal” conditions this year. On December 29, a squall came in from the west with winds of 25 knots gusting to 30 and we stood ready to move Jacaranda to the other side of the Lava Delta. We didnʼt but it sure would have been more comfortable if we had -Solmar V, one of the large commercial dive boats, spent the night over there rather than coming into our anchorage.

Maybe that was why the water visibility was so disappointing this year. Instead of clear 100ʼ like last year, we often only had 40ʼ. The best this year was the worst we experienced last year. There seemed to be large translucent patches of plankton and krill streaming by clouding our vision (the food source which of course attracts the manta rays and whales), and thick masses of jellyfish (mostly venus combs which the turtles like). Windblown ash from the volcano in front of us added to the lack of water clarity. The day after the squall passed, the water was filled with floating pumice rocks and pebbles and Cirqueʼs two toilet pumps became plugged and stopped functioning.

Even so, we wasted no time jumping in the water with the giant manta rays, one of the
most spectacular creatures in the sea. We saw more mantas this year than last, especially in the mornings when they were feeding on the surface. The first day at least 6 or 7 - a combination of chevrons and all-blacks - were swimming off Turtle Point. Later that day, I spent the whole

afternoon snorkeling with 3 or 4 right off our boat. You can get right up next to them and even touch their sandpaper like skin but they donʼt like to play when they are in feeding mode. Several afternoons we anchored the dinghy off the pinnacle near the anchorage to wait for mantas that arrive to be cleaned by the Clarion angelfish - this is when they like to play and it is possible to ride them. But we were disappointed - they rarely came around the pinnacle and then they didn't stay.

We did see large yellow fin tunas swim right past us with a couple of playful dolphins following. The occasional curious hammerhead and white tipped reef shark came up to see what we were about but they posed no threat. And then there were always the large schools of jacks and colorful red triggerfish we call “chirpers” for the sound they make when they are feeding at the surface. The poor visibility hampered the snorkeling around Turtle Point at the end of the lava delta but we did see a few turtles, some big Socorro lobsters clinging to the rock walls, and lots of colorful reef fish.

We took the dinghy to The Boiler one day when sea conditions seemed the calmest but it was a long 25 minute rough ride out to this famous dive site. Masquerade and Hopalong followed in their dinghy. Chuck and I had fond memories of riding an all black manta that stayed within 15 feet of the surface as if it knew we were free diving and couldnʼt go any deeper. Hoping to repeat the experience, we zeroed in on the top of the pinnacle which was within 20 feet of the surface and dropped our anchor.....without the bitter end tied on! Whoops! Chuck dove down to retrieve the line but the current was so fierce that we decided to abort the swim. Disappointed by the conditions, we returned to the boat.

A blue moon preceded by a gorgeous sunset ushered in the New Year on Jacaranda with Masquerade and Hopalong joining us. After eating dinner (wild rice with scallops in tequila creme fraiche) and more champagne sabering, we continued the tradition of last yearʼs Silver Manta Awards - every one received an aluminum foiled (my specialty) manta badge, awarded for different feats of daring in our time together at the Islas, New Years Day was a highlight for me and I know I will never ring in another year with such a delightfully off-beat experience. After a lazy grey morning, I noticed 5 mantas swimming around the boat in the afternoon. I jumped right in, of course, and found myself drifting slowly to the west in the company 9 mantas coming towards me from all directions, swimming by me, receding, and coming back again as if I were a busy interesection.

There were 4 all blacks and 5 chevrons, skimming the water near the surface with their cephalic fins uncurled and arced in a half circle, pushing the krillladen water to their large mouths. A smaller all-black manta was barrel-rolling (feeding by somersault) and his antics were a delight to watch. His body was in pristine condition with no nips or bites on his wings (from sharks), no sores or tumor growths near his tail, and no sneaker-shoe prints - the tell-tale sign of remora suckers - on his beautiful black velvet topside. I read this to mean that he was a relatively young manta although he was still about 14 feet wide. I knew I could count on Sandy to join me, and Louis on Cirque dove in also. After two hours we had moved along with the mantas and drifted about a mile from the boat. I reluctantly swam back to Jacaranda because I was having company over for dinner that night - a crowd of 11 of us. I felt exhilarated as I climbed aboard and started to prepare a community Tortilla Soup, to which everyone had contributed some ingredients . Although Jacaranda was the smallest boat in the anchorage, we have the largest cockpit and everyone - 2 from Masquerade, 2 from Hopalong, 5 from Cirque, and Chuck and I - was able to squeeze in to one space for more raucous socializing.

By January 6, we were all tired of the rolly conditions and disappointed by the poor
water visibility. With Cirque already departed, Masquerade and Hopalong planned to
leave for Socorro Island that morning. Chuck and I delayed our departure from San
Benedicto to wait for Nautilus Explorer, one of the regular commercial dive boats,
because we had arranged a meeting with the two manta researchers who were on
board. Masquerade weighed anchor but Hopalong had trouble - their anchor wouldnʼt
budge. They tried all types of maneuvers but they were not able to raise it; and none of us had scuba gear to get down to it. Luckily, Nautilus Explorer arrived shortly thereafter and we asked Sten, the divemaster, if he could assist Hopalong by diving on their anchor to see if he could free it. Sten came over to Hopalong in a skiff and spent about an hour trying to free it but part of the anchor chain had wrapped around a big underwater rock and sawed its way underneath it; it was hopelessly stuck in 70 feet of water. Sten buoyed the anchor to mark it and had to leave, already late for the boatʼs next dive excursion at The Boiler.

“There are two kinds of people in the world....those that have ridden mantas and those who havenʼt” said foremost manta researcher Bob Rubin with a twinkle in his eye, as we pulled up alongside the skiff from Nautilus Explorer in our dinghy. We had been corresponding with him and his assistant, Kerry Kumli, from Santa Rosa Community College, and were delighted to meet them both in person when they arrived as paying customers on the NE. They were here to survey the manta scene and check on their transponder stations which track the signals from their tagged mantas. Our meeting was brief and we were unable to connect with them a second time since the NE left and we never shared the same anchorage again.

Meanwhile, back to Hopalongʼs predicament. Before the arrival of Nautilus Explorer
and Stenʼs assistance, Dave and Sally were faced with the growing realization that they would have to cut 250 feet of chain and lose their anchor. Losing an anchor is certainly one of the risks that anyone takes who ventures out to the Revillagegidos; our friends on Ambar say they have lost at least 3 or 4 over the years. However, now, with the anchor buoyed, it would be possible to at least raise it to the surface and recover it, but still lose a lot of their chain. At the eleventh hour, as fortune smiled, another boat, Lady Lexi, pulled into the anchorage with Dave and Cory aboard - ace salvage divers. The next day Cory dove on the anchor but still could not free the portion of the chain that was under the rock. Bolt cutters in hand, he returned to the 70-foot depths to cut the 3/8” links on either side of the rock, thereby salvaging most of the chain and the anchor too. Hopalong left San Benedicto with everything but about five feet of chain. What luck!! A major problem averted!! !

Part II and III to follow

2009-11-19T14:53:00.002-07:00

Jacaranda Passage Notes #36 (10-28-09)
Bahia Concepcion, Baja Mexico
Temp 79 Water 81
Heat and Hurricanes: We survived another Summer in the Sea – Part III

Finally, we left Don Juan on October 20 and traveled south directly to Santa Rosalia in a brisk northerly breeze (20-25 knots) in seas of 4-5 feet – a wonderful rollicking overnight sail that definitely got our sea legs working again after a summer of most benign conditions. We arrived at the Singular Marina in Santa Rosalia about 7am the next morning and could begin to see the damage from Hurricane Jimena on Sept. 2. The old marina, a fixture for many many years, is no longer there and the inner harbor looks strange without it. The adjacent headquarters for the fishing and squiding fleet was also washed away. When we walked past the red cross relief packages stacked high at Singular and into town to get our “famous Santa Rosalia hotdog” fix, we saw that many streets were torn up and some shops were no longer in the same place from earlier in the season. But we were amazed, given the photos we had seen on the web, at how “normal” the town looked; our Mexican friends told us it took a lot of hard work but the residents pulled together and cleared out all the mud and debris. We heard the Mexican Navy was there with bulldozers and generators BEFORE the storm actually hit so that the impact was dealt with immediately. The U.S. could have learned a lot for New Orleans from the Mexicans.

Friends Alex & Sue from Mai Tai Roa were in the marina during the hurricane and posted some photos http://picasaweb.google.com/svmaitairoa/SantaRosaliaHurricaneJimenaSeptember2009?authkey=Gv1sRgCJes5ant4rTiwAE#

I renewed my visa, we said hello to our friends there, bought homemade tamales from Fran’s madre, did the laundry, gave the boat a quick fresh water bath, and departed for San Marcos Island. After stopping at Punta Chivato for a night we are now anchored at Santispac in Bahia Concepcion, a large bay that slices into the Baja about 12 miles long, waiting for the current Norther’ of 30-35 knots to blow itself out. We are now on our way south in earnest while still keeping an eye on the hurricane formations.

The weather has cooled, water temperatures have dropped, we are sleeping with light blankets on at night, and Linda is once again using the oven. Our goal is to be in La Paz by Nov. 15 so Linda can fly back to the states for Thanksgiving with the family. We have survived another Summer in the Sea of Cortez – one of the most wonderful and magical places on earth! By the way – this has been some great sailing too – in 3 months we have only used 12 gallons of diesel!

http://www.pangolin.co.nz/yotreps/tracker.php?ident=WTF6014 (We update our location every time we move to a new anchorage so check it out and book mark it)

2009-11-19T13:42:00.003-07:00

Jacaranda Passage Notes #35 (10-28-09)
Bahia Concepcion, Baja Mexico
Temp 79 Water 81
Heat and Hurricanes: We survived another Summer in the Sea – Part II

After two days of putting our boats back together after Hurricane Jimena’s dissipation, everyone headed off more or less in the same direction – to the BLA pueblo to provision for food and then over to La Gringa for the annual Full Moon Party on Sept. 6. Here it is customary to gather on the beach near the lagoon just as the high tide switches direction in the afternoon, draining the lagoon at a flow of 2-3 knots, and ride the swift current out on anything that floats – Styrofoam “noodles”, fenders, rafts, kayaks, tubes, surfboards,etc. This year for the first time prizes were awarded for the best floaty. And guess who won? Linda as the Sea Horse Queen – she used tinfoil to fashion one end of her noodle with the head and the other end with the tail of a seahorse, wore an elaborate tinfoil crown, and carried a tinfoil seahorse scepter. Her creativity carried the day although it put a serious crimp in our ability to barbeque.

After the party, we crossed the Ballena Canal (Whale Channel) and settled into one of our favorite places in the northern Sea of Cortez – Las Rocas anchorage at Isla Coronado (Isla Smith). We stayed in our “spot”, protected between the small rock island and large island for nearly three weeks, much of the time by ourselves. The cooling wind was welcome and clear water meant many happy hours of snorkeling along the island and shoreline. Shelling and beachwalking also kept Linda occupied. Fishing was terrific, usually taking no more than 15 minutes to land dinner each day – delicious sierra or yellowtail. The scenery here is wonderful and we explored the nearby lagoons and hills. A pair of ospreys called to each other, separated at night to sit on their respective cactus perches, and then reunited during the day on a nearby nest in the beginning of their mating ritual. These huge scraggly nests are reused year after year, one of them 70 years old say the ornithologists, and are built on no-nonsense rock pinnacles overlooking the sea where no predators can reach them. We found this out when we decided to investigate the tallest nest we have ever seen that exists on a tenuous perch south of La Rada Lagoon – a virtual chimney of a nest. The climb was steep and dangerous with crumbling rock so that our handholds and footholds easily disappeared from underneath ourselves. But slowly, cautiously we inched our way to the top. The four foot high nest was built of successive layers of sticks and trash – a landfill of an aerie. There were thick branches, palm fronds, turquoise fishing nets, pieces of material, green plastic, and even a flip-flop sandal.

When friends Max and Sandy from the Australian boat VOLO arrived at Las Rocas, we hatched a plan to summit the volcano on Isla Smith (1554’). We started at 6:15am along a ridgeline of skree and hardened lava and reached the summit about 11am, often stopping to admire the spectacular views. When we reached the level top, Linda and I had our picture taken in the same spot we had taken a photo 8 years ago, alongside the same cactus, when we hiked to the top with friends Jack and Hermy on IWA. The cactus was a bit taller, we were much grayer, the eastern edge had slumped 30 feet in an earthquake earlier this summer, but otherwise it looked the same. We telemarked down the descent in the heat and finally plunged fully dressed into the water below at 1p.m. Linda says that rather than climbing the volcano again 8 years from now, she’ll Photoshop a picture of us instead.

One of our best adventures this summer was a National Geographic moment that occurred just 100 yards from the boat when we were joined by Sandy and John on MASQUERADE.

While I was out fishing with John one morning, a group of 5 huge finback whales surfaced all around us with throat pleats extended and mouths wide open – lunge feeding it is called. These enormous 70’ creatures were swimming sometimes within a few feet of our dingy, herding schools of baitfish into the shallow water alongside Isla Mitlan and then scooping them up. We called the girls on our VHF handheld to come out for the whale activity. For over an hour the four of us floated in two dinghies as these whales, knowing we were there, completely ignored us and continued to feed and surface and blow all around us. We knew when a whale was about to surface as the baitfish would be exploding out of the water in all directions in an attempt to get away from the huge mouths. One whale surfaced so close to us that I started to pull the outboard engine up thinking the whale would bump it with his back. Both John and I stared in disbelief as this big whale (all 70 feet) traveled about 4 feet below the dingy careful not to hit us with his tail. Finally, their appetites satiated, they moved north out into the channel and disappeared in deeper water with not even a blow to be seen. WOW what a show!! Plus John caught a nice 12lb yellowtail for that evening’s sushi delight.

After three weeks we traveled back to the Bahia de Los Angeles village to re-provision…which means a lot of walking, schlepping and hauling all over town, made especially arduous in the heat. This routine of topping up on veggies and food (from 5 different stores), getting diesel and gas, sometimes propane and laundry, and water for those who do not have water makers, was made infinitely easier by Alan, from the motor vessel NATIVE SON, who has a house in La Mona (south end of bay) with wife Barbara. Every Friday Alan drove into Guillermo’s restaurant with his pick-up truck and trailer to make the rounds with us cruisers. In the center of the trailer was Alan’s big black pila or container for water which he filled for his home use from the town spring; around it we loaded colorful jerry jugs of all sizes and colors for gas, diesel, and water; then aluminum propane tanks; in one corner were bags of our garbage he took to the dump. Instead of an onerous task, it was a fun morning with his trailer full of guys and the back of the pick-up packed with women and kids…as many as 20 of us. The “Gringo Mobile” was like a parade float driving through town stopping at every possible store, with Mexican locals stopping to stare or wave back. Afterwards, chores done, we would retire to Guillermo’s to have a cold beer and toast to Alan. For in the Summer in the Sea 2009, Alan and his Gringo Mobile made cruiser legend in BLA.

We anchored down in the southern end of the bay with the intent of attending a second Full Moon Party but strong WSW winds made coming ashore uncomfortable for most and the party only semi-materialized. On the first sunny light-wind morning we dinghied ashore to go clamming in the nearby estuary with a few other boats. It was low tide and we stood around socializing as we collected clams in inches of water. When we finished, the tide had begun to rise and we had to ford the entrance, now with water waist-high. I turned to a friend and said premonitiously that I didn’t like doing this because of the number of stingrays. Although I was shuffling, the strong current made it hard to keep a footing. Then, sure enough, BAM! I stepped on one. A spike of red-hot lightning injected into my right heel had me bleeding and in “intense” pain for at least three hours. Deb, a nurse on ALMA INQUIETA, and Casey, a veterinarian on ISIS came over to JACARANDA to clean and flush the wound. The only relief I could get was immersing my foot into the hottest water I could stand while taking strong anti-pain medication. I immediately started a heavy dose of antibiotics and am glad to report that the wound healed quite rapidly and easily after a few days with no sign of dreaded infection. Believe me when I say that the Stingray Club is one that you do NOT want to belong to!!

With the last of the hot summer days and southerly winds almost over, blustery north and westerly winds were beginning and it was time to think about heading south again towards La Paz. We stopped at the village for one last food shop. BLA pueblo is known for quite drafty conditions when the “Elephantes” (westerly winds) are blowing. They are called Elephantes because the clouds stream over the mountains in long elephant trunk-like trails. One night we had winds to 45 knots but being sheltered by the beach in front of the pueblo all we had to contend with is the breeze, no fetch. We provisioned the next day during a calm period and headed south to beautiful Alacran Bay for a few days, stopping first for Linda to beachcomb Pescador Island.

But although the summer was over, the hurricane season was not (not officially until Nov. 31). Alerts about Hurricane Rick had us turning around and scurrying back to Puerto Don Juan on October 16. “Places everybody! Hurricane Hideout, take two!” But this time with a slightly different cast of characters since some new boats came from the north or from San Carlos and some boats had already gone south. We watched Hurricane Rick start to track north. Lucky again for us it never even got close but hooked east at Cabo San Lucas (at the southern tip of Baja) and went over the top of Mazatlan, reduced as a tropical storm.

2009-10-30T17:00:00.000-07:00

Jacaranda Passage Notes #34 (9-24-09)
Isla Rocas, Baja Mexico
Temp 90 Water 85
Heat and Hurricanes: We survived another Summer in the Sea – Part I

We slipped into the marina in Santa Rosalia in order to attend the festival in San Ignacio, a small oasis of a community 2 hours north by bus on the Transpeninsular Highway. We had such a good time last year that we planned to return and mentioned to a few friends what we were doing. They had never heard of it before but were so intrigued from our account that before we knew it 5 other boats wanted to attend and were busy making reservations… So we rented a van and driver and all had reserved air-conditioned yurts at the San Ignacio Springs Bed and Breakfast, run by a Canadian couple and located on the banks of a fresh water lagoon. The yurts were comfortable and the food – sumptuous breakfasts and a special pork roast dinner – was delicious.

The San Ignacio festival was a bit different than last year. Louder band music at the Big Dance in the town center in the evening drove us gringos with sensitive hearing away back to the quiet sanctuary of our yurts. The crowd this year was considerably smaller and fewer horses during the Sunday Cabalgata (horse parade) and procession changed the whole atmosphere. Local festival leaders attributed it to the economic difficulties of Mexicans this year. The highlight for us was a private mariachi concert hosted by friend Jane, proprietress of Casa Leree, in honor of the birthday of a neighboring 90-year-old Mexican woman. The Los Reyes, a mariachi band of nine musicians from Tijuana, were the special musical guests of the festival and the best mariachis we have ever heard. They knew every song the smiling toothless old woman requested except for one. The small audience of 25 people, including us cruisers and many of the woman’s ancient peers, sat on plastic chairs on the dirt lawn under an old laurel tree in front of her house listening to the music for two hours non-stop until it became dark and everyone departed to the zocalo (town square) for something to eat at the festival food booths.

San Ignacio seemed like a real vacation with its festive atmosphere and respite from the overwhelming heat of the Sea of Cortez. Cooling breezes from the Pacific wafted through the groves of date palms and we all remarked how wonderful it was to awake in the morning and be dry instead of moist from sweat. We all appreciated Gary and Terry’s hospitality, the comfort of their B and B, and the fun of swimming in fresh water. Leaving the oasis behind, approaching Santa Rosalia through the dry desert, down the steep escarpments near the spectacular Tres Virgenes volcanoes, the sensation of heat returning, our driver turned to me and said in Spanish, “we call this The Inferno.” And so it is. Santa Rosalia was so incredibly hot that when we returned we wasted little time in getting provisioned and leaving.

It was a beautiful day with wind aft of the beam when we left Santa Rosalia headed north for Punta Trinidad. With the spinnaker up and the fishing lines out we were kicking back when we were approached by a very large Mexican navy panga with almost 1000hp of outboards on the back. They came along side and asked for a favor - the GPS coordinates of our location. We gave them the exact position and they happily zoomed off, only to see them coming out of the Trinidad anchorage just as we were headed in 3 hours later.

We intended to stop for an overnight at Trinidad but, finding it very rolly and figuring it couldn’t be any worse at sea than in the anchorage, we instead headed out about 5pm for an overnight passage to San Fransisquito. We were watching a large bank of thunderstorms with lightning moving across the sea from mainland Mexico. Certain chubasco (summer storm from the east) in the making. About 2am, in the blink of an eye, the wind went from a very light westerly to a 35-40kt easterly with no rain! Two hours later the wind returned back to its original direction and speed. We sailed along with wind on the beam with reduced sail coming into San Fransisquito in the dark early hours.

We stayed a few days, anchoring upwind of the decaying whale carcass on the beach, and then decided to sail across the Channel to Isla Animas which we knew from last year would have much cooler temperatures than anchorages along the coast. Yes! Some relief from the heat!

An area we wanted to explore that we did not get to last year was Animas Bay further north back along the coast. So we left the island and sailed across the channel again to the coastline of Baja, putting the hook down in the western anchorage of Animas Bay. Indeed the conditions were very hot because of breezes coming across the sunbaked Baja landscape; the daytime temps often reached mid to high 90’s. But it was such a beautiful area that we stayed two weeks. A fishing highlight for me was that I landed a 20lb+ dorado from the dingy which provided a good fight and numerous dinners. We snorkeled in a large man made walled off fish trap that we think may have been made by indigenous people years ago, full of live sand dollars, crabs, and clams.

Around the corner, Animas Slot, a one boat anchorage, became a favorite place. Linda gathered mussels and saw her first black sea bass (an endangered species) which she estimated to be 4 feet long with an enormous girth. They swam face to face and scared each other. I fished from the dinghy close to a huge bait ball with 1000+ boobies hitting the water like missles and hundreds of dolphins churning the water as they corralled and dined on the sardines. Being in the midst of so much activity is exciting! A hungry booby dove on my lure and while I stopped to unhook the angry dude a 70’ fin whale surfaced and blew about 4’ from the dinghy. I had the bird by the neck and we both turned our heads so fast in astonishment it looked like a ventriloquist comedy routine.

We proceeded north, heading up to the Bahia de Los Angeles area, where we hang around as the hurricane season gets stronger. The BLA area is a beautiful part of the Sea with its small village and bay known for its fishing and whale shark watching, surrounded by wonderful bays and islands to explore. This year we spent more time in the south part of the Bay called La Mona, off a gringo-home lined beach where the whale sharks like to swim. We connected up with Rick and Sharon on Limerick, my brother’s former catamaran, and spent a few days with them cruising the bay following the whale sharks (the largest fish in the world) and getting in the water to swim with them up close and personal. There were five of these polka dotted giants, 12-16 foot juveniles (they grow to 40 feet), and it was exciting to be a few feet away as they swam on the surface, gracefully swishing their bodies and large tails, mouths agape, taking in the plankton rich waters, seeing them look at us with their small eyes. It was easy to spot them from the high freeboard of Limerick’s deck and Rick took some extraordinary photos. While in La Mona, we met a few new local gringo residents, including Mary (aka Baja Gal) who is building a home on the beach. She hosted us for barbeques and clambakes (and internet) and it was great to connect with her and some of the others we had met last year (Native Son and Rancho Pacifico).

This hurricane season (June 1-Nov. 30) was an unusual one. There are an average of 17 storms each season. While we religiously monitor the activity in the hurricane nursery near Acapulco, most of the early hurricanes are not a threat; this year many turned west and hit Hawaii. In Sept. we got word of Hurricane Jimena – a category 5 (the strongest) coming north toward Baja. With winds of 165 knots at that point, it was the most powerful hurricane our weather forecaster had seen in the last 20 years. So we ran to the best hurricane hole called Puerto Don Juan (affectionately known by cruisers as Puerto Pollo, or Chicken Port), and anchored with 25 other boats. Here we prepared ourselves for a big blow of 70+ knot winds - we stripped the boat of all the canvas, took the headsail down, rolled the dingy up on deck, deployed the huge hurricane anchor….and waited…to see where Jimena would track. Fortunately it stopped south of us, veered east and passed us by with no more than 20kts and a few drops of rain. There was an audible sigh of relief among the fleet!! Jimena had passed over Santa Rosalia, the central Baja, and then crossed over the Sea to San Carlos on the Mexican mainland. Then in an unusual move, Jimena turned around, much reduced in force, and retraced her steps back to Santa Rosalia. The news started to arrive about the terrible damage Jimena did to Santa Rosalia (town buried in 4 feet of mud and the old marina destroyed), San Carlos (25 inches of rain in 14 hours, town disabled with no electricity or passable roads, boats knocked over in the boatyard and others lost ashore), Mulege (flooding and mud slides), and Puerto Escondido, (90 knot winds drove some boats on the beach). We felt really lucky to have dodged that bullet!
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2009-08-26T09:39:00.004-06:00

Jacaranda Passage Notes #33 (7-29-09)
Isla Animas , Baja Mexico
Temp 90 Water 85
Summer in the Sea 2009 Begins!

It’s been a while! Our last note was sent last April after we left Mazatlan on the mainland and crossed the Sea of Cortez to La Paz on the Baja peninsula. During May, Linda returned to San Diego for her annual visit to do taxes, celebrate son David’s birthday, see friends, and then drive to Tucson to visit son Joe and family and friends down there. Instead of her normal 2 week visit, she stayed for a month to help son David (who is moving to South Korea to teach English) renovate his condo in Mission Valley to rent out – painting, cleaning, new carpeting, packing, repairs, furniture donations, property manager, paperwork, finding tenants. The housing situation remains bleak in San Diego – property values have taken a nose dive, home sales are off, “For Rent” signs abound from owners not wanting to sell at a loss (making it a renters market) and finally and sadly, foreclosure notices posted on too many a door. Luckily the property manager found good tenants and got everything squared away so she could return to La Paz with peace of mind on June 12.

I stayed on Jacaranda to do boat projects and save the budget from expensive marina fees. The day after Linda departed in mid-May, I went to nearby Isla Espiritu Santo to hang out, swim, fish and do boat projects. Complaining to my friend Gary from Santa Cruz about how I wasn't catching much fish, he wrote back: “Just a second…here Linda has gone back to SD to slave away painting and cleaning the condo, do yard work at the LJ house, taxes, etc and you’re complaining how tough the fishing is? It is a man’s world after all!”

We were united less than 24 hours after Linda returned to Jacaranda from her hectic stateside schedule when I left to do a boat delivery from mainland Mexico to La Paz for an owner whose transport company offloaded it there instead of Baja. With Dennis from “Two Can Play” and Casey from “Radio Flyer”, I flew to Puerto Vallarta and then took a bus down to Barra de Navidad to bring back a PDQ 44’ catamaran. It was a quick one week trip north. The only excitement was being chased by the first tropical depression of the year - 1E - which uncharacteristically swung east and clobbered Mazatlan with 60kt gusts, doing some damage to boats and condos lining the marina.

On June 19 - with both of us back on Jacaranda once again - it was time to begin our "Summer in the Sea" cruising season of 2009! One of our goals this year will be to explore as many new anchorages as possible while returning to a few of our favorites from last year. Linda and I just love Baja and think it’s the best cruising that Mexico has to offer. Great anchorages, good diving, great fishing and in the summer months hardly any boats. We even get to sail quite a bit!! Why no boats you ask? The summer temps run in excess of 100 on the Baja and slightly less on the islands. The heat and the risk of hurricanes make most cruisers leave their boats in a marina and high tail it back north of the border for the summer and cooler temps. Dealing with high temperatures is at times difficult and I am sure our little fridge run time almost doubles in the summer months. Being able to jump in for a swim 3-4 times a day sure does help. Sleeping under the stars in the cockpit at night to take advantage of any breezes and to view the most stunning sky imaginable is worth it. But sometimes during the hot part of the day we go into “survival mode”, laying low, usually reading, hardly moving until the sun sets and things cool down. It’s pretty warm here now during the day - and will soon get unbearably so as the summer wears on and we move further north - but the La Paz area has spring and summer nighttime winds that come across the Baja from the Pacific called “cormuels” - La Paz’s version of air conditioning. Almost like clockwork, every evening by 6 pm the daily wind dies off and then switches to the SW. Ahhhhh! the temps drop quickly and it does feel like a big AC. These winds can blow with some force (up to 30 kts) and require careful attention to anchoring here in the islands. Sometimes you have to anchor in one spot for the daytime breeze and then move to better protection from the cormuels in the early evening when the wind switches direction.

So we moved into the marina for two days after being at anchor in the bay, provisioned, cleaned the boat, did laundry, had our dinghy repaired, had the last of “goodbye until the fall” dinners with friends (including Carlos and Daniella of the La Paz Pearl Farm that Linda is involved with), and left for the beautiful nearby anchorage of Balandra to clean the bottom and propeller. On June 29 at 4 am, we headed northward, reaching with the 20kt cormuel wind and riding it to within a few miles of San Evaristo where we stayed overnight anchored off the small town there. The next morning we hoisted our chute and sailed all day to Agua Verde. We described Agua Verde in one of our earlier Passage Notes but it’s a very pretty place as you can see by this aerial picture taken by a photographer in an Ultralight. We found the fishing to be as good as last year and immediately started getting back into the daily fresh fish scenario.

After 4 days of enjoying the lovely anchorage of Nautilus Cove west of Agua Verde we departed for our favorite magical anchorage, Candelero Chico (see Passage Note #??). It was just as delightful as last year. Clear water, good fishing, osprey still on the cactus eating a fresh fish... and squid. Last year we had our first squid experience there right off the boat; this year we were hoping for more calamari dinners. So one evening Linda wanted to go out in the dinghy and fish for squid since we didn’t see any in the bay. “Ahhhh, sure,” I said to myself, not believing for a moment that she could catch one since they didn’t appear to be around. Just after dinner and after it got dark we went with the squid lure. "Don’t we need a bucket in case we catch one?" she asked. “Nah no problem we probably won’t catch one” I replied. So off we went and just outside of the anchorage she held the flashlight up to the glow in the dark lure and tossed it over. Five feet of line went out and she yelled “I got one!!!” Ahhhh sure sure…. Much to my amazement, a two foot squid got pulled up squirting and flashing in protest. With no bucket in hand we dragged the angry squid back to the boat laughing that Linda now holds the Jacaranda record for quickest fish catch beating my 5 yellowtail in 5 minutes from last summer. With the bucket in hand, we went back out for her other 5-second squid catch of the night. Yum, fresh Calamari and humble pie!

From Candelero Chico we headed north to Puerto Escondido, a large totally enclosed bay, to visit friends Lance and Jo on "Milagro". Lance was recovering from a short stay in Constitution's hospital (an hour and half drive) for a sudden and potentially life threatening condition of Deep Vein Thrombosis; it was great to see "Milagro" surrounded by so many boats with friends standing by to help in whatever way they could. Puerto Escondido is a perfect hurricane hole with access to at least 20 anchorages on the islands all within a day sail. Thus a few boats spend the whole summer here using it as their base. The Mexican government began to construct its overambitious development plan for Puerto Escondido that would include a grand marina, lots of slips, residential lots, and hotels......a "build a marina and people will come" mentality. As you can see by the photo, no lots have been sold, and its success as a tourist destination never materialized. Indeed, Puerto Escondido was part of Fonatur's (Mexico's Department of Tourism) misguided "Escalera Nautica" project to accommodate and attract some thousands of U.S. boaters in its planned string of 10 marinas spanning the Sea of Cortez coast of Baja. Any of us cruisers could have told you that their economic consultants were in fantasy land; now each of the only 5 partially completed marinas are for sale. Before government involvement, you could anchor for free anywhere in the huge protected bay but now you have to either pick up a mooring or anchor and pay a fee to the marina. We dropped the hook in the outer lobe known as "The Waiting Room" for free. To my surprise, next to us was an old neighbor of mine from when I kept Jacaranda on a mooring in San Diego many years ago...Dario on "Ballena". He had a car and drove us and Jo into Loreto for the Sunday market to provision, saving us the $70 roundtrip taxi fare into town. Taxis are unionized here and are probably the most expensive in Mexico. After spending time with Lance and Jo and adding our voices to friends' encouragement to return to the safety and convenience of La Paz rather than stay in that outpost, we departed for Isla Carmen the next morning. (P.S. "Milagro" is now back in La Paz to everyone's sighs of relief and Lance continues to make good progress; life is easier for Jo with the independence of having their own car and tennis practice for more tournament wins next year.)

From Puerto Escondido it was a quick 6 mile trip over to Bahia Marquer on Isla Carmen - a big beautiful bay with crystal clear water, good diving, beach combing, and lots of room for other boats to space out. We enjoyed a few days here encountering our first "chubasco" one evening with lots of thunder and lightning and wind in the low 20’s. We have left the land of the cormuels and now are in chubasco country. Chubascos originate from the west over mainland Mexico during the hot part of the afternoons and by early evening churn down the Sierra Madres, cross the Sea of Cortez, and slam into anchorages on the Baja. You can watch the tall thunderheads forming. Some chubascos just bring wind, others bring rain, high wind, thunder and intense lightning. Our first chubasco that swept through late one evening gave us breezes in the low 20’s with thunder and lightning but no rain. While in Marquer, we met up with Bill on "Rocky an Brew", a wonderful storytelling singlehander who owned a bakery in Canada for 30 years. After the murder of her sourdough starter from the Alaska Clondike, Linda had been expressing to Bill her interest in improving her breadmaking skills aboard. Apparently, many others had the same desire. So here in Bahia Marquer was held the first "Breadmaking for Cruisers 101" with Bill giving an all day demonstration to 7 "admirals" aboard "Mai Tai Roa" - Linda, Sue from Mai Tai Roa, Leta from Panoya, Cindy and granddaughter Misty from Masquerade, Lisa from Rumiko, Casey from Issis. From one batch of dough Bill made hamburger buns, parkerhouse rolls, foccaccia, cinnamon rolls, croissants, and a few other goodies. The tasting was everyone's favorite part of the day - with us captains acting as "quality control".

Never having anchored in Bahia Oto, an open roadstead on the northern side of Isla Carmen, we thought we would give it a try. The next day we snorkeled small Isla Cholla nearby and had one of the best snorkel experiences we've had in Mexico! The water clarity was only about 35 feet and it was a cloudy day but the amount of fish and the variety rivaled my time in the Red Sea. Schools of fish in the thousands teemed around us for the few hours we were there. We also saw a turtle, eel, and lobster. Next day we went back with Mai Tai Roa - the sun was shining so the color was better but there were relatively few fish. That night we had our most intense chubasco yet this season. We had a lot of thunder, black clouds and such a huge amount of lightning overhead that we moved our computers, cameras and portable GPSs into the oven which acts like a Farraday Cage (hopefully protecting these important electronics from a direct strike). By 4 a.m. the lightning was so intense that the sky was illuminated as if it were daylight. To top it all off we had a very strong current which made the boat lay beam on to the swells and the wind…pretty uncomfortable.

After the morning Amigo net ended, we motored a couple of hours to Isla Coronado and anchored in the middle of a big group of cruisers and a few power yachts. All around us was the sight of small manta rays - about 3 feet wide - jumping high in the air like popcorn (thus Linda calls them "palomita" rays) and the sound of them bellyflopping back into the water. This is a common sight in this part of the middle Sea of Cortez but usually not in such high numbers. Linda jumped into the water and snorkeled over to one area where most of them seemed to be. I watched as she floated along with them, in the midst of the "popcorn trail" for about an hour. Actually I watched from the deck while I repaired a deflated dinghy pontoon - it had two very small punctures from the sharp dorsal fin of a delicious pargo I had landed yesterday while fishing. When Linda returned she reported that there a few hundred rays beneath her - like a dark flying carpet...and that they looked like miniatures of the giant manta rays we had swum with in the Revillagigedo Islands. Underwater they would dive and roll and seemed to be chasing one another as they swam along and rocketed toward the surface for a leap. Our friends thought she was amazingly brave (and a bit crazy) under the misinformed belief that they were like sting rays and had very dangerous and venomous barbs. In actuality these were a type of small manta ray known as mobulas - and none of the 7 species comprising the manta ray family have stingers. After lunch we left to make some tracks further north...but not before meeting the current owners of "Limerick", my brother Bill's former Fontaine Pujout catamaran which was anchored only a few boats away. It's such a small world in the cruising community - I always say you better not make anyone angry because it will always come back to get you.

We had a great spinnaker run from Isla Coronado to La Ramada, a small lovely anchorage north of San Juanico. We dove for some clams called "chocolate" (pronounced chako- latay) - the sweetest, cleanest clams there are and Linda made her great "linguine alle vongole" (that's italian for delicious). They are different from the butter clams and chinese clams that we have also found in Baja. Three other boats arrived later in the afternoon and we had a very nice group snorkel along the west side of the little bay. We left the following day with Panoya and Aquarius headed for Conception Bay.....perhaps the hottest heat sink of all of Baja. Gary, who lives in Conception in a palapa and is our weather guru on the Sonrisa Net, often reports temperatures in excess of 110 degrees for the day with the heat index. That's hot!! While our friends decided to go carry on to Santo Domingo, just inside the Bay where you turn the corner and get hit with a wall of hot air, we peeled off and anchored at Los Pilares, a small picturesque anchorage just before the Bay. The swell prevented us from staying here last year but this year it was comfortable and cool. Oh - I forget to mention that the dorado were running in this stretch of the Sea - we caught one, Aquarius caught one, and Panoya had a double hookup.

Continuing on our way north, we stopped in at Punta Chivato because the breeze was out of the north, on our nose. But inside the bay the breeze blew very hot that evening as it passed over the land mass. Ed, one of the few year-round residents here, stopped by to say hello in his Boston Whaler, returning from his daily morning fishing trip. He told us about the community of gringos in beautiful homes there as we watched a small private plane land on the airfield and the pilot walk over to the adjacent upscale hotel and restaurant.

On July 27 we anchored in Sweet Pea Cove on the island of San Marcos, outside of Santa Rosalia. That night in Sweet Pea Cove we had the coolest night in a long time and we slept in the cockpit under the stars with gentle breezes, the sound of rays jumping, and the blow of 5 finback whales swimming nearby. There's nothing like it! We don't normally have an agenda but we had reservations at the Santa Rosalia Marina the following day where we planned to leave the boat to attend the fiesta in the inland town of San Ignacio. More about that in the next passage note.

2009-05-15T13:00:00.006-06:00

Jacaranda Passage Notes #32 (4-25-09)
Isla Partida , Baja Mexico
Temp 88 Water 76

We last left off with our return to the Mexican mainland (Barra de Navidad) from Socorro Island, a 3 day trip.

We arrived safely in the Barra lagoon where the saying goes: “It’s better to be in a bar in Barra than on the bar in Barra” because so many boats run aground in the shallow entrance. It was great to see many friends and catch up with folks we haven’t seen for 3-4 months. Besides socializing, we were quite busy with cleaning, laundry, and food provisioning to be ready for our friends Dan & Beryl who were flying to Puerto Vallarta from San Francisco and then taking the 4 hour bus to visit with us on Jacaranda for a week.

Linda and I dinghied in from the lagoon and were sitting in a street corner café finishing lunch when Dan and Beryl got off the bus and started to walk to our designated meeting place at the nearby Sands Hotel. They did a double take when they walked down the street, turned the corner and saw us sitting there! Well, Barra isn’t that big to not bump into whomever you want to see!!

We got them settled on Jacaranda, poked around Barra and Melaque for a day, and then sailed to Tenacatita, catching a small mahi mahi on the way. Fresh dorado for dinner! – we were all excited except for Beryl who is a vegetarian. We stayed in Tenacatita for a few days, just long enough to get in plenty of swimming, beach walks, the mandatory jungle trip up the mangrove estuary, and snorkeling in the Aquarium before heading back to Barra for a farewell dinner with a big table of friends, good food, and music by a wonderful singer. Sunsets, star watching, reminiscing, and listening to Dan and Beryl’s camping and travel tales….the week went very fast and they were on the bus heading back to Puerto Vallarta and a few days in Yelapa before we all knew it!

Next on our agenda was a 2 day nonstop trip south to Zihuatenajo to meet more company! We were greeted at the entrance of the large Bay by two whales and then anchored off La Ropa beach alongside brother Bill and wife Sue onboard SunBaby. They had been in Z-town for more than a month entertaining consecutive visits from their 3 children. We missed two of them and their spouses but got to spend some time with my oldest niece, Erin. Shortly afterwards, SunBaby headed back north, slowly making their way to the Sea of Cortez in anticipation of returning to San Diego in June for the birth of Bill and Sue’s first grandchild (Kerry and Brownie’s first child).

Now the big day of February 20 came – Linda’s birthday and the much awaited arrival of her cousins from the frozen north of Philadelphia. When we met Chuck and Ros at the Zihua airport, they were tropically dressed in their finest flip flops and were ready for some relaxation in the warmth!! They spent the first night aboard Jacaranda and we celebrated Linda’s birthday at a restaurant overlooking the Bay with Chuck, Ros, Bill, Sue, and Erin, and good friends John and Sandy from s/v Masquerade. The next day Chuck and Ros moved into the magnificient Casa Que Canta - a boutique hotel built in several levels over a rock outcropping jutting out into the water. Each bedroom suite includes a sitting area and patio (and even the bathroom) with a beautiful view of the Bay. We’ve never met anyone who stayed here and didn’t return for repeat visits – in fact, Linda’s friends Saundra and Hersch have been coming for the last 18 years except for this year because they relocated to San Diego. We thought it only fitting that Chuck and Ros take their place this year in Room #8. Since our usual location in the Bay was very rolly this year, we moved into the harbor in front of their hotel. Everyday Chuck and Ros would exclaim – “What a gorgeous view!” and we would reply “yes, and we live in the view!”. The entire week felt like a celebration thanks to Chuck and Ros’ visit and included a cooking class, guided visit to the farmer’s market, swimming, snorkeling at Isla Grande off Jacaranda, relaxing under a palapa on Los Gatos Beach, a spa treatment for the girls, and dinners/breakfasts galore. We’ll see if they succomb to the Casa Que Canta spell and return to meet us next year!!!

We had no sooner bid them goodbye back to the snow when Louise, Linda’s sister, arrived from New York to thaw out with us on Jacaranda. We met her at the airport and caught the local little bus back into town. Considering Louise has been known to suffer from motion sickness at times, she did wonderfully staying with us for the week, repeating the mantra “The waves are my friends” when she felt a little movement. We took a cooking class from Monica together, preparing “Fish a la Talla.” We each gutted and cleaned a fish bought early that morning from the fishermen at the pier by Monica’s father. Monica’s husband helped us prepare the fish and then we “painted “ it with a spicy marinade and grilled on a banana leaf over the open fire. Shopping and swimming and relaxing was the order of the day. We know she returned to the cold of winter with a mellow and relaxed attitude which we hoped would linger for a while.

After Louise departed we began to work our way north, eventually reaching Banderas Bay and anchoring in La Cruz. We were surprised to see how sophisticated the new La Cruz Marina looked since we had not seen it finished. Rafael, the former manager of the Puerto Vallarta Yacht Club had been hired as the new marina manager and is doing a great job of being “cruiser friendly”. Of course there are changes to the town of La Cruz – it’s not as sleepy as it was a few years ago – and there are some great upscale restaurants but we caught Latcho and Andrea at Black Forest playing their last flamenco gig of the season. We stopped to visit friends in PV and do some much needed maintenance in the old Nuevo Vallarta Marina. Ahh the joys of having a fresh water hose to give everything a clean scrub. It had been almost 6 months since we had pulled into a marina.

When we departed PV we again went north and stopped for the night at Jaltemba, followed by a few days at Isla Isabella, and then into Marina Mazatlan to have the mechanics give the new engine a check-up. During the week that we stayed there, news came of the Swine Flu scare which began in Mexico City. People kept a low profile and all the waiters at the restaurants were wearing surgical masks. We were very vigilant at the time, not knowing how serious this potential pandemic was going to be. Since Linda and I had gotten sick with a flu before we left Zihuatenajo, we were cautious to not tax our immune systems again. All the more reason to hurry and leave mainland Mexico for the isolation of Baja and the Sea of Cortez where will spend the summer again. We left Mazatlan with La Ballona, had a calm and comfortable crossing, and put the hook down in Caleta Partida (Isla Espiritu Santo) where we are now. That first night we sat out in the cockpit in the desert warmth, looking over a glassy sea and sighed to each other “It’s great to be back in Baja!”.

www.pangolin.co.nz/yotreps/tracker.php?ident=WTF6014 (We update our location every time we move to a new anchorage)

2009-04-18T14:07:00.007-06:00

Jacaranda Passage Notes #31 (2-25-09)
Zihuatanejo, Mexico
Temp 90 Water 80

This Passage note is a continuation of our trip to the Revillagigedo Archipelago (see PN #30)

Isla Soccorro
With the time allowance on our permit running out, we decided we needed to explore our other destination, Isla Socorro, so we sadly said goodbye to “our” mantas at Isla Benedicto and sailed 27 miles south in company with BEACH HOUSE. This larger volcanic island was much older and covered with low green vegetation, capped by a large hill, Volcano Cerro Evermann, which we could see was still steaming with active fumaroles. Our first stop was on the southern end of the island in Bahia Vargas Lozano, also known as Navy Cove, to check in with the Mexican Navy. We anchored and waited for them to come aboard and check our paperwork and permit. They arrived in full uniform with battle gear (flak jackets and machine guns) but were very cordial and friendly. 100 men are stationed on the island for 3 months at a time. What they all do there is a mystery to us but the small base with the whitewashed houses built into the side of the hill for hurricane protection looked neat and very tidy.

The Navy allowed us to anchor in this sheltered cove overnight and the following day we motored along the west side of the island, exploring and trying to identify the landscape and coast from our 1874 chart and the descriptions in our 1971 Cruising Guide. This proved to be a bit of a challenge since the hand drawn maps were so outdated and a bit distorted in scale and placement. After gunkholing around shoals, lava fingers, and submerged rocks, we finally found the anchorage we were looking for – Caleta Grayson. This was a beautiful little cove with bushy vegetation and palm trees growing behind the pebble and rock beach. To the south was a rocky ridge imaginatively named The Old Man in the Sea and on the north was Sundial Rock and dramatic Pinnacle Point, harboring a few tunnels and caves big enough to explore by dinghy. We carefully anchored in a small sand patch in 40 feet of water at the forefront of a bottom of white rocks and small coral heads towards the inner end of the cove. Grayson Cove became our “base of operation”. Unlike Isla Benedicto, the most active dive site was not right in our anchorage but a 30 minute dinghy ride north of us at Punta Tosca. There we saw an incredible richness and variety of reef life and swam with two mantas. Linda was circled at arm’s length by a 6 foot wahoo which was just curious. Cindy and Scott dove off the point and saw several other mantas and some hammerhead sharks. We heard there was a friendly pod of dolphins that came in early in the morning but we never did get there at the right time. Although the commercial dive boats anchor there, it was too deep and rocky for us.

We were delighted to see that the humpback whales had begun to arrive. We snorkeled the edges of Grayson Cove, listening to humpback whale songs from the distant deep. Almost every day a mother humpback and her newborn (we could see the creases in its dorsal fin from being in the womb) relaxed on the surface about 300 yards from our boat. The mom would just lie motionless, conserving energy while the active calf nudged her, jumped all around her, spyhopped and breached. We went out in the dinghy a few times and rowed to within 20 yards and stopped to watch. Once Cindy slipped into the water and saw them underwater for about 15 seconds before the baby breached out of the water and they moved away for more privacy.

We had another wonderful close whale encounter the day before we left.

It was late morning when we were out on deck and noticed two young adult humpbacks playing together - breaching over and over - jumping almost totally out of the water and landing with a loud WHOMP! and giant splash. We’d seen this behavior often before – from a distance. But this time they were very close by – less than 100 yards from the boat! All of a sudden it became apparent that one of them had spotted JACARANDA during his breach and decided to swim over to investigate. We watched as a huge black underwater shape started heading directly towards us. As the whale approached, he lifted his head way out of the water as far back as his eyes so he could get a good look at us….and as he did this his head created a bow wave (similar to a bow wave from a moving ship). And on either side of the whale’s head - we were astonished to see - was a dolphin surfing his head wave!! (If only Scott had been there to get it on video!) On the whale came, a direct “T Bone” situation, closer and closer until he was less than 20 feet away. Linda and I were both standing on the bow and I yelled to Linda she might want to hang on since I knew he would have trouble squeezing under us. At the last moment he veered parallel to the boat, perhaps realizing our keel was not a play companion after all. Now, maybe less than 10 feet away, the whale stretched longer than the boat. At our bow he raised his head for a good eyeball to eyeball look at us and then turned away to swim out into deeper water toward his buddy…..meanwhile the dolphins kept surfing right alongside. What a great show!!

…and a great ending to our Revillagigedos experience. The permit time clock had run out, Scott and Cindy had already left several days earlier, we were just about out of food essentials, we had not stepped foot on land for 5 ½ weeks, and a prearranged rendezvous with friends Dan and Beryl awaited for Feb. 6 on the mainland in Barra de Navidad, 380 miles to the east. We delayed our departure from Isla Socorro three times trying to obtain the best weather window for the passage. As luck would have it, we had wind right out of the box and had two wonderful days of close hauled sailing in breezes under 15kts. Having to power the last 80 of 370 miles was not a perfect ending to the short passage but all in all we had a terrific trip. We were glad to see the old girl could still lift her skirts and rumble right along. (Linda wants me to be clear I’m talking about JACARANDA here).

So…. 6 weeks of quiet, remote living without a store and no shoreside leave and then suddenly we find ourselves in the lagoon at Barra de Navidad with 40 other boats, the Zee French Baker and almond croissants each morning, constant chatter on the VHF radio, and numerous friends coming by to welcome us. Back to civilization!! But we recovered nicely from the shock of reentry in time for our friends Dan and Beryl to arrive from San Francisco via Puerto Vallarta a few days later.

One more note….about notes, in a bottle, that is. Once, when Linda was growing up at the New Jersey seashore, her younger brother Steven wrote a note with his name and mailing address, sealed it in a bottle, and sent it adrift by throwing it off a jetty near their home. About half a year later, he received a surprise letter from someone who found the bottle, read the note, and responded …from the Azore Islands!! It had crossed the Atlantic with the currents. Before we left Socorro, Linda sealed two bottles with notes containing her name and email address (after all, times have changed) and set them adrift – one from the east side and one from the west side of the island. She hopes Steven’s experience is duplicated and some one will respond from some distant place, the bottles making an oceanic journey via some traceable Pacific current.

www.pangolin.co.nz/yotreps/tracker.php?ident=WTF6014 (We update our location every time we move to a new anchorage so check it out)

2009-04-15T13:42:00.013-06:00

Jacaranda Passage Notes #30 (02-25-09)
Zijuanteno, Mexican Rivera,
Temp 90 Water 80

We can hardly contain our excitement from being out in the marine wilderness of the Revillagigedos Archipelago for the last 5 ½ weeks! This remote archipelago in the middle of nowhere is located 250 miles SW of Cabo San Lucas and consists of four islands: San Benedicto, Socorro, Roca Partida and Clarion. We only visited the first two. Like most wilderness environments, it is pristine, uninhabited, far from man’s worst intrusions, where you can see lots of fauna that are native to the area, and where you find the BIG animals. And, like most “designated” wildernesses, in this case a marine preserve, it is protected, or there is an attempt at protection, by the government. In Mexico this means commercial fishing is prohibited and you need a permit to visit. Linda and I had wanted to go out there from the beginning of our cruising when we met some friends who mesmerized us with glorious tales of their interactions with giant manta rays and whales….but the fee of $1500 USD was prohibitive for us. So when we found out that this year the government eliminated this exorbitant fee for small pleasure craft, we jumped at the chance to go! Our permit did NOT allow us to go ashore and that in itself keeps most of the cruising boats away. The Mexican government is hoping that having a few more boats out in the islands will help them protect the Revillagigedos from poaching and illegal fishing. The Navy maintains a small base on Socorro with 100 personnel and a few small pangas. They really need a few helicopters.

Scott and Cindy on the catamaran BEACH HOUSE arrived at Isla Benedicto 5 days before us. We were the only sailboats in the islands the entire 5 1/2 weeks we were there. Although we had met earlier in the season, we didn’t know them very well and soon became fast friends. They greeted us on our arrival on Dec. 24 with a wonderful Christmas Eve dinner which became only the first of several shared celebrations (New Years and Cindy’s birthday) and many laughter filled times together.

Two commercial dive boats, each carrying about 22 divers, regularly run 8 day scuba trips to the Revillagigedos from Cabo San Lucas and we became friends with the captain and crew of each. About every 10 days, the Nautilus Explorer and Solmar V would show up in our anchorage and stay just for one day before moving on to another dive location. They were wonderful to us, sharing dive tips and good spots, allowing us to offload our garbage and supplying us with 40 gallons of fuel, some butter and fresh veggies. They even offered to do some food shopping in Cabo if we needed anything brought out. Linda did such a superb job at provisioning that we had just about everything we needed for the 6 weeks – cabbage, potatoes and jicama lasted to the end, and we had brought enough boxed milk and unrefrigerated eggs. Linda and Cindy shared homemade (boatbaked) challah, sourdough, French and beer breads. Our larder was supplemented by two 35 pound wahoos (one caught trolling in the dinghy, one off JACARANDA

And now that we’ve been there and back, we have glorious tales of our own to tell.

The Revillagigedo Archipelago is considered one of the top 10 dive spots in the world - known for its BIG animals (300 pound yellowfin tuna, 6 foot wahoos, sharks, whales, and whalesharks) and featuring giant manta rays with 20 foot wingspans uniquely famous for their friendly interactions with divers. The islands certainly lived up to this reputation for us.

The diving and snorkeling were fabulous with visibility of 100-120 on some days. Although Linda and I are scuba divers, we do not have the equipment on Jacaranda so we were limited to snorkeling and free diving. Scott and Cindy live to scuba dive so BEACH HOUSE was outfitted with all the necessary gear including a compressor. They were kind enough to invite us to use some of their spare gear and both Linda and I did a few tank dives…..otherwise we stayed within 25 feet of the surface.

Another of Scott’s passions is underwater photography and an entire large stateroom on their boat was devoted to electronic equipment and cameras (video and still). We were glad to have such professional documentation of our adventures to look at later and share with you all! To see his fabulous photos and videos (not only of our trip but of their other experiences) go to http://www.beachhouse.com/.

Isla San Benedicto and the friendly mantas

Isla San Benedicto was an eerie looking island dominated by a high, deeply furrowed ash cinder cone formed by a volcanic explosion in 1952. With no vegetation, it was barren and sculptural like a moonscape. A large dark lava delta had oozed from a vent at the base of the Barceno Volcano and spread out dramatically like a black fan on the southeast side of the island. We stayed in an anchorage that was an open roadstead (in 50 feet of water) at the edge of this delta for 3 weeks, swimming every day with the friendly mantas that were right in our back yard so to speak. Because of the unique markings on the underside of each individual, we were able to identify each one and even gave them names. Most mornings we awoke to 4-5 mantas swimming right around our boat, feeding on the surface with the tips of their pectoral fins breaking the water just enough to look like a pair of sharks swimming in tandem.

And the premier dive site was only a 100 yard dingy ride from the boat! Here, around a semicircle of underwater volcanic pinnacles called “cleaning stations” is where these gentle giants would come to have small fish rid them of parasites and clean any sores. In the afternoons, after their morning feeding was over, we went out and played with them every day. They would recognize us, swim over for a belly rub and if we were lucky would allow us to climb aboard for a ride! Everyday we snorkeled and everyday we saw mantas. They are very intelligent creatures and actually invite you to go for a ride. There is a protocol we followed for approaching them and going for a ride was an incredible experience! Cindy shows how to do it the best aboard Buttercup in Scott’s terrific 3 minute video called Cindy’s Manta Magic at http://svbeachhouse.com/videos/view/cindys_manta_magic/ Check it out. It may take a moment to load so be patient.

Very little is known about mantas but they are considered to be the most intelligent fish. Unanswered questions abound about breeding, life expectancy, migrational patterns, and most of their behavior. They are filter feeders consuming large amount of plankton each day and when they were feeding they were never interested in playing. Often mantas pick out a favorite diver among a group and befriend that person, following them and staying close by; there was an account of a diver becoming claustrophobic when a manta continually hovered over his head. We saw this behavior firsthand with Buttercup who loved Scott. Research performed at Benedicto by a California biologist confirmed that they recognize and differentiate among individual divers….. through eye contact!! A diver who was chosen especially by a particular manta exchanged gear (different colored wet suits, tanks, etc.) with other divers in his group on subsequent dives but was always recognized by his manta who came over to be with him. On one dive, however, the divers put on their original gear but covered the inside of their masks with tin foil so their eyes were not visible. In this case, the manta did not come close to anyone. Indeed, one of the first things the mantas did with us - and the first step of the protocol - was to swim by us closely, eyeball to eyeball, looking us over with their large pupils. We were also astounded by two other things when we climbed aboard and held on to their upper jaw for a ride: (1) they dropped you off where they picked you up, and (2) they stayed within 20 feet of the surface when Linda and I were freediving as if they knew they could not dive deeply with us. Amazing creatures and we never got tired of swimming with them!

There were plenty of other fish and animals among the coral heads, reefs, and pinnacles– and nothing much was very small. It made for great snorkeling, especially around Turtle Point where we saw 4-5 turtles each time (including 2 that were mating at the surface). Large schools of blue and green jacks, nocturnal octopus and eels out and about during the day, big Socorro lobsters that clustered 10 to a hole, beautiful orange Clarion angelfish and fragile Moorish idols, shimmering clouds of roving convict tangs. Dense aggregations of colorful clown-like red-tailed trigger fish made such loud chirping sounds when feeding on the surface that we came out on deck one day thinking it was a flock of birds.

Shortly after we arrived, Linda cultivated her own private aquarium under the boat. It consisted of 20-30 brown chubs, 4 of which were in a bright yellow phase (these were her “lemony snickets” ). They were joined by several blue jacks. She handfed them, swam with them, and could even touch them and delighted that they hung around every day.

Linda’s fish boil
One afternoon the commotion of a fish boil occurred a few hundred yards from JACARANDA. Birds pounded the water, the darkened patch of sea looked like it was boiling, and you could see yellow fin tuna jumping in the air as a feeding frenzy took place around a huge sardine bait ball. Linda decided to investigate it and took the dinghy out to get a closer look.. Little did she realize that the entire beleaguered bait ball would try to cram under the dinghy for protection from the carnivores! The sardines were huddled so densely that you could easily scoop large handfuls of them at the transom. Soon yellowfin tuna were jumping over the dinghy, the birds were diving all around inches away, Linda was soaking wet, and the large marauders below her (yellowfin tuna, sharks, and large jacks) started pelting the bottom of the dinghy so hard after the bait that she was fearful that she might be capsized by all the action. When she started the engine and made it back to Jacaranda, we had a hole in the bottom of the dinghy. We patched it and it seems fine but she won't be doing that again anytime soon!

At the end of our third week, we concluded our stay at Benedicto with a wonderful dive at another site called “The Boiler”, a 30 minute dingy ride up the west side of the island.

The next Passage Note will have our adventures at Isla Socorro and mainland Mexico.

2009-02-27T14:09:00.005-07:00

Feb 21, 2009
Z-town, Mx
Temp 90 Water 80

Hi Folks

I know we are way behind in our posts but thought I would enclose a couple of links from the Beach House gang for your viewing pleasure. We were lucky to have them as neighbors while out in the Revillagigedos Archipelago 250 miles SW of Cabo San Lucas.

Check out Cindy and Scott’s terrific 3-minute video they made http://svbeachhouse.com/videos click on Cindy’s Manta Magic. It may take a moment to load so be patient.

Also Scott & Cindy have some great photos of our time together in Isla San Benedicto and Socorro. Have a look at http://svbeachhouse.com/gallery/album/C34/

Cheers

Chuck & Linda
Jacaranda

2009-02-14T14:03:00.000-07:00

Jacaranda Passage Notes #29 (12-31-08)
Isla San Benedicto,
Revillagigedos Archipelago, Mexico
Temp 80 Water 80, Visibility 80+’
Happy New Year

Happy New Year and our wishes for a healthy and happy 2009!!!

We are starting the New Year with a special adventure: spending the holidays off the beaten track in the remote Revillagigedos Archipelago swimming with giant manta rays. These four isolated offshore islands 220 miles southwest of Cabo San Lucas, known as the Mexican Galapagos, is a pristine marine wilderness famous for "big animal" diving….especially these giant manta rays. Few people ever venture out here.

These islands are of volcanic origin and Benedicto (which is the one closest to Baja California where we are now) actually erupted in 1952. The island is totally inhospitable and barren and we are protected from NE winds by a dramatic lava delta which oozed out of a small vent at the bottom of the huge cinder cone. It is pretty rolly here where we are anchored next to our friends Scott and Cindy on BEACH HOUSE.

We have been having one of the peak experiences of our lives swimming with these mantas with wingspans of up to 20 feet. We go out twice a day and cavort with these gentle giants, often giving them belly rubs and even going for rides!! They are magnificent creatures. We’ll be in the water when all of a sudden out of the deep blue comes this giant B-52 with graceful pointed wings flapping like a prehistoric bird in slow motion - winging its way right toward us... They are very intelligent, playful, and seem to genuinely enjoy their contact with us.

Big animals also include sharks (so there are no night dives here), 200-pound tunas and whalesharks.

Water temps have been 80 degrees and will drop to 72 - 74 soon -- which is OK because that's when the humpback whales and their babies show up. In fact a few years ago, friends of ours on OREA witnessed a humpback birth right next to their boat.

Scott is an award winning amateur photographer and has taken some amazing imagery (still and video) of our experiences together with the mantas. Until we can post some, here are some videos from the web, which show similar footage of the giant mantas:
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/yt-gq9i-3W03WM/diving_with_mantas_at_socorro_island_from_solmar_v/

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-841009770038825973&ei=_XRISZvUApSM-QGQxPXrBQ&q=socorro+island

We’ll write more of our manta ray adventures in our next passage note.
We plan to stay here until late January - then we will sail east to the Mexican mainland.

All the best in 2009,

Chuck & Linda.

2008-11-01T17:19:00.000-07:00

Jacaranda Passage Notes #28 (11-01-08)
Santa Rosalia, Baja California
Temp 86 Water 80, Visibility 8’
Survived the summer in the Sea!

When we last left you, tropical depression Julio was moving into the Sea of Cortez, the first named storm of the season to do so. We were located in the Bahia de Los Angeles (BLA) area - a deliberate choice based on a strategy of safety during the hurricane season because here is where you find the best hurricane hole in the northern Sea of Cortez – Puerto Don Juan. Don Juan is almost totally enclosed with protection from about 340 degrees with room for lots of boats, close to BLA village for provisions and fuel, and near lots of cruising destinations in the islands and on the Baja coast. So it’s easy to run to if need be. The only issue is it’s a bit too deep at 30-40’; with the recommended anchoring scope of 10 to 1 during a blow, the proper anchor scope is difficult to achieve for most vessels. So we ran into Don Juan (with about 20 other boats) in anticipation of riding out the forecasted storm. While we watched Julio’s track and prepared the boat, we caught up with friends not seen since the Fourth of July party and did some great fishing and clamming (love that linguine and clam sauce with more clams than pasta)! Luckily, Julio’s course veered way to the south and turned into a non-event for us: one day of 25kt winds and about 15 minutes of light rain (not even enough to wash the boat). The town of Mulege to the south was not so fortunate as they took the brunt of the storm and experienced severe flooding, winds of 60 knots, and a few deaths.

After Julio dissipated, all the cruisers began to go their separate ways again. We sailed over to BLA village to so some badly needed provisioning – we had been anchored out for one whole month and had not spent a single peso – our first “Zero-Dollar Month”!! We had done very well with boxed milk (it’s as delicious as fresh and needs no refrigeration until opened), canned vegetables replacing fresh ones, Linda’s homemade bread (or not) when Bimbo loaves and tortillas were gone, and fresh fish supplementing our frozen chicken and meat.

During the next month we hung out in the Bahia de Los Angeles (BLA) area enjoying some of the beautiful islands close by. There are at least 2-3 dozen great anchorages all within 15-20 miles of the village giving us lots of choices.

A few highlights were:

Whale sharks! These unusual plankton-eating creatures can reach the length of 40-50 feet and return to the B of LA every summer. About 8 or 9 were sighted this year, more than in the past, and some folks even got a chance to swim with them (we did too when we were here a few years ago visiting friends on IWA). Their size is daunting but they are very gentle giants. This year we saw a young one (15-18’) and sat in the dinghy as it swam around us, coming right underneath. Black with white spots that looked like large freckles, they swim along the surface with their mouths wide open like a huge cave, taking in thousands of gallons of water and filtering out the small plankton and krill.

Full Moon Party: The September full moon party really happens during the afternoon. Most of the boats in the area (18-20) gathered at La Gringa where a salt-water lagoon offered e-ticket rides out of the entrance when the high tide started to ebb at 2 p.m. Hours spent floating out of the lagoon at up to 4 knots was a kick with people (and a few dogs) on colorful boogie boards, rafts, kayaks, blow-up lounge chairs, noodles, and all kinds of inflatables. The partying continued into the next several nights with it culminating in a dinghy raft up at HIPNAUTICAL for a special music concert featuring Bobby Jo on flute, harp (fullsize!), vocals, and guitar, and husband Roger on guitar and vocals (no piano but they do have keyboards). They need a large boat for their traveling symphony!

Good Fishing and Eating from the Sea: Once again we had a terrific time in the dingy dragging a tasty looking Yo-Zuri lures. What fun catching dinner every night - - it was yellow tail season (our favorite), as well as trigger fish, grouper, cabrilla and sierra. We had fish grilled, sautéed, pan-fried, fish sausage, salads, ceviche, poisson cru…..but the best was the sushi and sashimi made by Jo on MILAGRO!!! In Este Ton on Isla Angel de la Guarda, the yellow tail was abundant and catching dinner took 10 minutes! Boy did we eat well during our week here – especially when you add the lobsters and scallops from some local fishermen. And on the way from San Francisquito to Santa Rosalia we finally caught our Dorado for the season – a nice 4 footer!!!

Snorkeling: Even though we would rate the diving in the Sea of Cortez as fair compared to places like Fiji or Australia, this year the water clarity was the best it had been in at least 6 years. Visibility in the 30-35’ range was not uncommon. So we spent many hours each day bobbing around enjoying the various tropical fish, corals, and sea fans. Linda’s standard for a good snorkel, among seeing the usual suspects, is to at least spot a king angelfish, Cortez angelfish, and a golden grouper or two.

Water temps: Most of the time the water temperature was in the mid to upper 80’s. That suited us just fine, as we have quickly become major whimps when it comes to cool water. Linda’s kids always teased her about needing bathtub temperatures to go swimming….and we sure had them in the northern sea….. it even hit 90 degrees in shallow San Felipe!!!

Puerto Refugio: We loved it here! Located on the north end of Isla Angel de la Guarda, this wild and scenic area offered numerous small bays to anchor in and protection from every direction. We had it all to ourselves and spent each day exploring, hiking, snorkeling, fishing and relaxing. We harvested mussels and found scallops and oysters. It was hot but the water was refreshing. One day a school of 100 yellowtail swam right by us as we were snorkeling around Cave Island. Sea lions from nearby Isla Granita kept us entertained as they hunted around the boat at night. We even endured no-seeums in order to stay in this gorgeous place!

While we were in Bahia de los Angeles (BLA) we received a sailmail message from our oldest son David that he had injured his neck and was going to need surgery on a herniated disk. We couldn’t return to San Diego to be with him from BLA – no bus service (50 miles to the major highway), no rental cars, no banks, no where to leave Jacaranda. We had two choices: (1) go south to Santa Rosalia (putting us closer to potential hurricanes that normally track closer to mid Baja) or (2) head north 150 miles to San Felipe to the brand new Singlar marina there. We decided to go to San Felipe. Few cruisers go this far north in the Sea but it is an interesting place of shallow water (near the Colorado River Delta) and 22 foot tides. Shrimping season had just begun and the large fleet of 100 pangas (and 5-6 shrimp boats) left early every morning and returned at sunset to a crowd of waiting friends and relatives who eyed the day’s haul from the rocks and pier above the water. It was quite a lively social scene. Tons of shrimp were retrieved from their nets and a kilo of jumbo shrimp could be had for $10. While we were there, we also had a chance to meet the members of an international scientific expedition who were studying the Vaquita – a small dolphin found only in the northern Sea and the world’s most endangered cetacean (only 150 left). We rushed to put the boat to bed and jumped on a 6 hour bus to Tijuana, then across the border to SD. David had the operation a few days later and it went very well – his pain was alleviated and he was quickly back on the road to recovery. The timing was good for brother Bill and wife Sue: they were leaving October 27 on the Baja Ha Ha rally (180+ boats heading together to Mexico) so I was able to help them cross a number of projects off their long list. And a bonus - our old friends on IWA happened to be in town from Ecuador so it was a fortuitous timing to see them again!

We returned to San Felipe just in time to prepare for hurricane Norbert, forecasted to come across the southern Baja and move across the Sea of Cortez. Being so far north we were not too concerned except that the harbor is totally open to the NE and any wind or swell from that direction would not be fun. The next day we started to get a breeze of about 10-12 knots from the NE and with a 80-100 mile fetch the swell started to roll in making the 10 boats at the marina look like a herd of bucking broncos. The concrete docks undulated and walking on them was a challenge - like those crazy rope bridges at a fun park. We had 10 docks lines and 4 fenders trying to keep JACARANDA from destroying herself. Many boats broke mooring lines, ripped out deck chocks and other fittings, and in some places the docks started to break up. One small boat had a 6” crack in the hull where it slammed up against the dock. Once it settled down we got the first Norther of the season. The air temperature dropped 30 degrees and the water temp dropped 15 degrees (from 90 degree water to 75). Even though the North breeze did not blow directly into the harbor just the 30-40 knots across the harbor caused the waves in the harbor to break over the marina docks and once again we bucked around like a crazy horse. We would have left San Felipe for a brisk sail south but we were trapped by the fuel dock and harbor rock wall which were too close to us to allow us to maneuver safely in such high winds. We would have to wait for the winds to die down a bit.

Finally, we departed San Felipe at 3am with winds forecast in the mid to upper 20’s and had a rollicking sail south arriving in Gonzaga Bay in the mid afternoon, sailing all but about 3 miles. The next day we headed back over to Puerto Refugio on the north end of Isla Angel de la Guarda just in time to have an elegant dinner aboard MYSTIC MOON with friends from PANCHITA. The following day we motored south to the tiny anchorage of Este Ton, on the west side of Isla Angel de la Guarda, where we stayed for a week….another beautiful anchorage to add to our favorite list. This tiny bay with its south-facing opening had room for 1-2 boats and we shared the space with John and Sandy on MASQUERADE who arrived later in the afternoon. The towering pink and red mountains rose almost from the edge of the anchorage changing color as the day progressed. Fishing was almost too easy – the yellowtails just jumped on the hook (so did the barracudas which we threw back). We watched with interest as two fish camps sprung up on the beaches near us – these hardy pangueros from Bahia Kino were after sea cucumbers (“pepino” in Spanish). They would dive with hookahs in the evening and in the morning they would gut these slug-like animals and throw them into vats of boiling water. Sea cucumbers are a delicacy in Japan and there is a big market for them. The men would sleep in the heat of the afternoon and repeat the process for a few days until they had collected enough to justify their trip. They were short on drinks so we were happy to oblige when they came by and asked us if we wanted four lobsters in trade for four sodas! We also rescued one of their pangas when we saw it drift away dragging its anchor – I hopped in the dinghy and took one of the fishermen out to retrieve the wayward boat. The next day, after packing up their camp, they stopped by on their way home to thank us with a big “gracias” and a bag of 8 huge scallops. We were in seafood heaven!!

The week went by quickly, MASQUERADE had already departed, and it was time to head south again. We stopped overnight in BLA to do a little provisioning (it’s too expensive to do a full shop here), get some fuel - and most importantly: Linda wanted to see the BLA Natural History and Cultural Museum and meet our local friend Lois there on Friday afternoon during her shift as volunteer. This Museum, begun by a gringa who has lived in the town for many years and assisted by the San Diego Natural History Museum where Linda had worked, has an incredible collection of land and sea flora and fauna, several whale skeletons, mining and vaquero items, and archeological artifacts. It is an amazingly impressive resource for such a remote and off the beaten track community.

From BLA we spent two days at Isla Salsipuedes where we watched sperm whales playing in the distance, an overnight in the inner harbor at San Francisquito, and then arose at 2 a.m. for a long day sail to Santa Rosalia. We arrived in the Singlar Marina late in the afternoon.

www.pangolin.co.nz/yotreps/tracker.php?ident=WTF6014 (We update our location every time we move to a new anchorage so check it out)

2008-09-25T17:08:00.000-06:00

Jacaranda Passage Notes #27 (09-03-08)
Isla Ventana, Bahia de Los Angeles, Baja California
Temp 94 Water 84, Visibility 35’

We had recently started having problems with our SSB HF radio – the ICOM 802 had a known design flaw and after 3 years of flawless operation, ours began showing symptoms of “clipping” as well as shutting down while in use (possibly caused by the same clipping problem). Not being able to transmit or receive sailmail was unacceptable to us so we made a sudden decision to go to Santa Rosalia where there was a safe marina to leave Jacaranda and take the bus back to San Diego in order to send the radio to ICOM for repairs. Besides, we had an ulterior motive – we would now be able to attend nephew Brendan’s wedding in Newport Beach, which we had disappointedly thought we would miss.

So the morning after Gary’s Fourth of July Party in El Burro Cove, we pulled the anchor up at 06:30 while all the friends around us were hardly starting their day. We had a terrific sail north to Isla San Marcos arriving in a beautiful cove (north of Sweet Pea anchorage) in the late afternoon. Early on July 6th we headed for Singlar Marina in Santa Rosalia and the very next afternoon we were riding one of the luxury Mexican buses headed for Tijuana with radio and antenna tuner under our arms. Fourteen hours and four B movies later, we arrived in Tijuana, caught a local bus to the border, walked across through customs, and caught a trolley to downtown San Diego where brother Bill picked us up.

Ten days later – after the fantastic wedding and having received the repaired radio from ICOM, we were back in Santa Rosalia once again, busily installing the radio and tuner in the sweltering heat of the marina. Santa Rosalia has to be one of the warmest places we would visit: very little wind and HOT stagnant air. We wilted. A good thing about the new marina is it has a small swimming pool but even so the water approached 90 degrees. We often traipsed up to the pool at night before bedtime to sit in a plastic chair in the water up to our necks to cool off.

Santa Rosalia - what an interesting place - is a former mining town developed by the French and is very unlike any other Mexican town. Night fishing for the Humboldt Squid – the Red Demons – is the current economic activity, in conjunction with a Japanese cannery there. Linda will tell you about it in a separate passage note.

We so enjoyed nearby Isla San Marcos that we decided to go back for a week of fishing, snorkeling and cooler temperatures. Our plan was to return to Santa Rosalia the following Friday (for the weekly shipment of fresh vegetables arriving in the Fruteria) to stock up on food and pesos (this is the last bank and there are no food markets of any size further north where we are going). Isla San Marcos turned out to be one of our favorite spots. We anchored by our selves just to the north of the light tower in crystal clear water teeming with fish and a nice breeze each day to take the burn of the heat off the boat. The sunsets were spectacular. And we were treated to a real show of jumping manta rays. We raved about it so much to friends that they started calling this unnamed anchorage “Jacaranda Cove”. It was hard to leave but Linda learned that the town of San Ignacio near Santa Rosalia was having their annual patron saint festival and we decided to take a short road trip to attend. So we arrived back in Santa Rosalia a little early and jumped onto the same bus we had taken to the U.S. border for the 2 hour trip north to San Ignacio. We had a ball and Linda will also do a separate write-up on our experiences there.

Both of us were exhausted from our overnight in San Ignacio but we made a last minute run to the veggie store and bank and departed early the following morning heading further north into the Sea. This leg would be our longest day trip (78 miles) since leaving La Paz. The forecast was for a southerly of 15-18 kts and we departed a day earlier to ride the nice breeze north to Bahia San Francisquito. The wind filled in from the quarter and we sat back with a cool drink and watched the miles click off at 6-8 knots (gaining 1-2 knots of boat speed thanks to a northerly flowing current going with us). These great conditions held until about 5 pm (12 miles S of San Francisquito) when the boat speed abruptly dropped to 3 knots and the sea started to get a bit lumpy. We were suddenly bucking a southerly tidal current which slowed us right down. After a few hours of this, we turned on the engine and arrived in Bahia San Francisquito about 9 pm in the pitch black using radar.

San Francisquito is an interesting anchorage consisting of a tiny land locked inner harbor and a larger outer harbor where we anchored. The three boats in the inner harbor had moved there the morning we arrived, having experienced a 35kt Chubasco the previous evening and an uncomfortable swell at anchor; the inner harbor would still get the wind but no waves. We spent a week anchored in San Francisquito fishing everyday for dinner, snorkeling and exploring the numerous bays around the area. Luckily we had no Chubascos but we were always ready to run into the inner harbor if we woke up to one in the early morning hours.

From San Francisquito we sailed 9 miles across the Lorenzo Channel to the Midriff Islands and Isla Animas (north anchorage) where the fishing was fantastic (usually only 10 minutes to get dinner). The weather was still in the mid 90’s during the day but the water was a refreshing 84. We spent about a week anchored here, most of the time by ourselves. This anchorage was also home to a large pelican rookery and we were always amused by the antics of the large juvenile pelican population as they practiced their newly acquired fishing (about 1 in 10 dives to catch something) and flying skills. The anchorage teemed with small fish and it was a safe place for the youngsters to figure out how to become master hunters and survive. At night there were strange noises coming from the rocky shore, like what you might expect banshee cries to sound like…and after all, Isla Animas means “Island of the Spirits”. An exploratory hike up a wide valley revealed hundreds of empty pelican nests in low shrubbery and on the rocky ground; a few large but unfledged babies still remained, waddling off as we approached and making the strange banshee-like screeches (kind of like a cross between a tiger cub meow and a donkey). Guess the ghostly noise was their protestation about disturbances - from us and from other pelicans in the ‘hood – since they couldn’t fly yet…..or more likely they were hungry and calling mom & dad for their next meal.

The next jump was 9 miles further north to Isla Partida Norte where we spent another week anchored by ourselves, occasionally visited by a Mexican Floatel from San Felipe. Like a floating motel, this large boat had two levels of sleeping rooms arranged side by side for gringo fishing fanatics and an aft deck equipped for cleaning and storing fish and filled with fishing rods. It rarely stopped more than a few hours, launching their guests off to fish in the small 8-9 pangas that dragged behind it, retrieving them and then setting off to another location. Here in the anchorage we found the young tasty yellowtail that we called pan sized. Fishing was excellent and again we were able to provide a fresh fish dinner everyday. We dove both ends of the bay and the north end, a large rocky point with a wall drop off, had 35-40 foot visibility with tons of small to medium size fish including a turtle. This spot remains one of our favorite snorkeling sites in the Sea of Cortez.

From Isla Partida we motored a short distance north to Isla Estanque near the SE corner of Isla Angel de la Guardia , looking for an anchorage protected from the forecasted northerly winds. We anchored in the lee of the island, but later as the wind switched back to the more typical SE direction, we moved around and anchored in a small unnamed cove on the SE corner of Isla Angel de la Guardia (this is the largest island in the Sea). It was shallow (less than 18’) and the wind blew very hot over the large expanse of land. By 9 pm we knew it would not cool down at all and it felt like a blow torch. We also experienced many insects (mainly flies and moths), probably due to the close proximity of a lagoon. Sleep was difficult in such uncomfortable temperatures and we both slept outside in the cockpit to try to gain relief from the hot winds. At 8 am we had enough sleep deprivation and left.

We moved 12 miles across, back to the Baja peninsula, and stopped in Ensenada Alacran (Scorpion Bay). We had anchored here years ago when we visited with friends Jack & Hermy on s/v Iwa. Now this picturesque spot sported 6 fancy Yurts on the beach, part of an all-inclusive wilderness camp reachable only by boat that is active in the winter whale watching months. Linda was excited to snorkel with a school of 13 small manta rays in the turquoise water right near the boat. We then dinghied to a reef on the south side of the bay to swim with the large colony of sea lions that call it home. Although several of the large bulls swam all around us to check us out, it was the large gangs (20 or so) of cautious but curious adolescents that had us enchanted. As we swam toward them they would move away, as we turned away, they swam toward us, and when Linda stood on the rocks in neck deep water and looked out of the water at them, they all stopped and strained their necks to look back at her. As I sat in the dinghy, Linda returned with a report of spotting a large shark near the sandy bottom at the edge of the reef – an unusual sighting since most of the sharks have been killed in the Sea from over fishing.

Due to a wind switch and swells, we left Alacran, bypassed the lovely but rolly El Pescador anchorage, and dropped the hook in Ensenada Quemado, about 10 miles north. We stayed for a few days, enjoying the large bay and good fishing although our attention was somewhat distracted…… now we were keeping a vigilant watch for news of tropical storm Julio, currently smacking Cabo San Lucas - the first named Pacific tropical storm of the season to track into the Sea of Cortez.

www.pangolin.co.nz/yotreps/tracker.php?ident=WTF6014 (We update our location every time we move to a new anchorage so check it out)

2008-09-25T17:07:00.000-06:00

Jacaranda Passage Notes #26 (08-15-08)
Isla Partida Norte, Baja California
Chubascos, Close call (Dragging Tuna Boat) and July 4th Party!
Temp 95 Water 84, Visibility 35’

We’re on the way northward - our destination: Conception Bay and the annual 4th of July Cruiser’s Party.

With the forecast of a 15kt northerly we anchored in the lee of the impressive 475’ headland of Punta Pulpito, a beautiful spot where a giant streak of black obsidian on the cliff shore makes a sharp contrast to the sand colored hills. By 5pm the northerly had switched back to the normal southerly wind direction so we moved around the corner 3 miles to Bahia San Nicolas to get protection from the south. Good thing too!! That evening we experienced our first Chubasco.

Chubasco!! Sounds like a Mexican pepper sauce or a type of salsa – but it’s a kind of seasonal storm we encounter in the Sea of Cortez. It is a violent but brief summer squall caused by convection, originating from the mainland, accompanied by strong winds and often lightning, thunder, and rain. It’s Chubasco season now, peaking in August. We’re on the alert for one every evening since they can’t really be forecast.

The drama begins on mainland Mexico where huge thunderheads build up during the heat of the day in the inland mountain ranges. We often see them forming, like bouquets of full white peonies or gobs of mashed potatoes. When evening comes and it begins to cool off, the thunderstorms move down to the coast and then across the Sea of Cortez. These Chubascos can pack up to 60 knot winds! In the dark, sitting on the bow of our boat in the cooler night air, we are often treated to fantastic sky shows of lightning flashing far off to the east of us. But sometimes the flashes move closer and the wind picks up. These chubascos cannot be readily predicted but the best indicator is the movement of the convection cells that shows up on satellite imagery. We get a chubasco report from a fellow cruiser every night at 9 p.m. on sailmail. Our first chubasco in San Nicholas hit at 3 a.m. with 30 knot winds, no clouds, and no pressure drop on the barometer. Usually by noon the clouds, if any, are gone and the wind is back to the normal 10-15 kt range or less.

From Bahia San Nicholas we had a stellar sail all day to Bahia Concepcion, riding the last few hours of the chubasco with wind aft of the beam and then building to a 20kt sea breeze towards the end of the 38 miles. We actually stopped at Las Pilares, a picturesque anchorage just before Bahia Concepcion hoping to spend the night, thus delaying our actual entrance into the bay until the last possible minute because we knew it would be 10 degrees hotter there. Unfortunately, Las Pilares had a southern swell that made it too rolly and uncomfortable to stay so we sailed around the corner to Santa Domingo, the first anchorage inside Bahia Concepcion, and WHAM!, we were hit with a wall of hot air. Temperatures were now close to 100 as we anchored and we quickly jumped over for a swim in the 86-degree water. By the time we got out and reached for a towel we were almost dry and hot again.

That night, our second chubasco blasted us with 30+ knots starting at 5am. Again we were glad we moved out of Las Pilares anchorage which would have been dangerous and very uncomfortable; here in Santo Domingo we had excellent protection from the strong E-SE wind. At 6 a.m. a 100 foot steel Mexican tuna boat sought the same shelter and moved into the anchorage a safe distance away to the side of us; he anchored but continued to run his engine. However by 8 a.m. the strong wind switched to the southwest, turning us all in the direction of the 20-mile head of the bay with the wind swells starting to build to 3-4 feet. This put the Mexican tuna boat directly upwind of us and we started getting his engine fumes below; we closed our hatches. I was running the Amigo net that morning and copying weather from Don Anderson, the weather guru in Oxnard, California. I mentioned to Linda that as soon as the net was over we would move to get away from the fumes from the Mexican boat. I was busy talking on the SSB radio when suddenly Linda heard loud whistling and yelling outside and what seemed to be a helicopter overhead. She ran on deck to investigate and stuck her head below, eyes the size of dinner plates. “We’re just about to be hit by the Tuna boat - they are dragging down on us!!!” I dropped the microphone and jumped up on deck. By this time the tuna boat - with no one on deck - was less than 5 feet from our bow and drifting down fast. No time to cut and run; Linda ran forward as the stern of the Tuna boat crashed into Jacaranda’s anchor roller. We were pinned and could not move. The Tuna boat continued to drag along side and quickly, before I could yell “stay away”, Linda leaned over the side and pushed us away from the runaway vessel, thus averting any damage to our hull. We were yelling at the top of our lungs and 2 neighbor boats were also shouting, trying to gain the attention of the Mexican crew. Even though their loud engine was running they must have been below having breakfast and were oblivious to the problem. Finally a crewmember popped up and looked at me like “what are you doing here”? The skipper immediately rallied the troops and began to get underway. He quickly steered away while they worked to get their anchor up, finally succeeding in getting the anchor aboard and staying away from us, then motoring off and out of the bay, never to be seen again. Did we expect them to come back and check our damage? That would have been the proper thing to do but we were not surprised that they didn’t. Luckily the damage to Jacaranda was so very minor - there was a piece of rusty tuna boat metal embedded in the flair of the bow roller which I easily filed off. Thank you Es Iverson for building us a very stout bow roller! Even though it was extremely dangerous for Linda to push us apart we both believe that it saved us from major damage. A 4’ swell and a steel boat do not mesh very well with a fiberglass hull. Big giant thank you’s to “Beyond Reason”and “Hipnautical” for alerting Linda to the danger with their shouts and whistles! What a close call!

The next day we moved 12 miles further into Concepcion Bay to join the 25+ other boats at El Burro Cove for the traditional July 4th festivities at Gary’s place. Gary, a gringo who lives here full time, occupies one of the many palapas lining the beach. He has enclosed his, making an interesting palm roofed cabin on the beach; a few others keep theirs open and drive their RV’s or set up tents underneath. Gary, who gives daily weather reports for the Sonrisa Net, invites all the boats in the area to join him for hotdogs and beer every year and the gathering is heartily anticipated by all the cruisers as the early social event of the summer. In addition to the all day partying with good food and company, there were fireworks in the evening. Oh – and Linda won second place in the Rubber Ducky Race - her favorite rubber ducky, “Dearie”, was the second one to wash up on the beach after it was released with 40 others from a dinghy in the bay. Her cash prize of 70 pesos bought us a round of cold limonadas and a handsome propina (tip) to the local bartenders.

www.pangolin.co.nz/yotreps/tracker.php?ident=WTF6014 (We update our location every time we move to a new anchorage so check it out)

2008-09-25T17:06:00.000-06:00

Jacaranda Passage Notes #25 (08-08-08)
Caleta Blanca, Isla Animas, Baja California
It’s the Bees Knees
Temp 95 Water 84

From Bahia Canderlos Chico where Linda reported on our magical squid experience, we sailed north with a light southerly, stopping off at a beach on Isla Danzante for lunch. We continued on a bit further north, bypassing Puerto Escondido (“Escangringo”), to Punta Nopolo, 4 miles south of Loreto. It’s so great to have so many choices of places to stop: we read that there are over 300 anchorages on the Baja side!

I must include a short blurb about the great sailing here compared to mainland Mexico. We motored much more than we sailed on mainland Mexico due to not having much wind – and we often found either no wind at all or “noserlies” (wind from the direction we wanted to go). There, with the normal winter wind pattern coming from the north, we usually waited for a weather report of strong wind warnings before going south and looked for a forecast of light breezes when we headed north, often sitting in an anchorage and waiting until the right conditions materialized.

We are enjoying the best sailing we have had in Mexico where we are now on the Baja side of the Sea of Cortez….sailing about 90% of the time!! For the most part, the wind has always been blowing in the direction we have wanted to go. The summer southerlies have been with us for a couple of months - great for heading north! We plan to wait for the northerlies to start in October before heading south again. Since leaving La Paz we have kept the main sail covered and only use the headsail; it’s so much easier especially since we have our 4 solar panels tied to the top of the furled mainsail.

Most of the cruisers who were planning on leaving their boats in a safe marina and abandoning the hot hurricane season in Mexico have already departed - gone home, back to work, on a road trip, visiting family, housesitting for friends, or vacationing in other foreign places. The SSB and Ham “nets” (radio communication networks) are much shorter now and there appears to be less than 25 boats spending the sweltering summer in the Sea…a small community whose camaraderie and shared experiences make us a pretty tight knit group, as diverse as we are.

The bee, bobo (small flies), and no-see-um reports we pass along to each other are listened to with interest every morning when we check into the local cruiser nets; sometimes these insects can make a beautiful anchorage unbearable. For those of you who have not cruised the Sea in the summer before, perhaps the bees are the most surprising. Bees usually send out scouts looking for flowering plants but here in the arid Baja these guys are thirsty and are searching for fresh water. They can smell it miles away!! Many times we are buzzed by scouts before we even have the anchor down. They are not aggressive but more of a nuisance; luckily we have never been stung although others have. We have tried several folk remedies to keep them away – hanging sheets of Bounce fabric softener, using citronella crystals, etc - but unfortunately we concur with the experienced Baja cruisers that the most effective way is to kill the scouts before they go back to the hive and alert the troops. There have been a few times when we were ashore and came back to find 40-50 bees swarming around our sun shower or the faucets in the galley.

We stopped at the lovely town of Loreto to stock up on veggies at the excellent Sunday open market and stayed to explore the historical sites and quaint central pedestrian street with its topiary archways. After a few days we left restocked with food and sailed 7 miles eastward to Isla Carmen. Because our first stop, Bahia Ballandra (pronounced Bye-on-dra), was too warm due to a dry HOT wind blowing over the island and the bees were out in force, we moved around to the north side to Puerto La Lancha. La Lancha (Port of the Launch) is the spot where workers from the now defunct salt pond operation at Bahia Salinas on the southern end of the island used to be picked up and dropped off. We enjoyed 3-4 days there with a great cool breeze and found the fishing on the reefs excellent. We never came back empty handed and always had a few tasty trigger fish or grouper in the bag. In fact we even gave a trigger fish to my mentor Lance from Milagro who spent hours tutoring me a month earlier(payback time).

A sudden mechanical problem caused us to backtrack to Loreto. The fridge starting acting up and would not shut off. Looking at the bright side, having it run continuously was a good sort of problem as opposed to the bad kind where it would not turn on at all and we would lose all our frozen food. At least it was still working and could be controlled by a switch. We spoke with Hector the refrigeration man in La Paz via a friend’s Mexican cell phone and he diagnosed the problem as a faulty thermostat. He shipped a new one to us in Loreto via Baja Pack where it arrived the next morning on the bus. But the replacement didn’t solve the problem either - the fridge continued to run non-stop. Luckily we had a 12V timer that we wired in place of the thermostat and that did the trick!! – allowing us to program the on/off cycles as needed. In fact it works so much better than the thermostat we may just leave it installed. (highly recommended for those heading out cruising). Now the majority of the run time is during the day when there is plenty of solar power and only a few hours during the night.

After leaving Loreto this time we went north to Isla Coronado (the southern anchorage) and had another night of squiding! At dusk the squid came in force by the thousands and the bay was alive with splashing, jumping, squirting and color flashing all evening. This time we had a special squid lure that we purchased in Loreto – a three inch elongated barrel of florescent plastic that glows in the dark when activated by flashlight, sitting atop two rings with multiple small sharp hooks. Since our fridge was totally topped up with fresh food from Loreto and there was not a spare inch of room for even one tasty calamari steak, we taped up the hooks with duct tape so as not to land any and satisfied ourselves with just playing with them. Linda had a ball getting the squid to run with the lure and then let it go. She brought the flashing squid to the surface around the boat amidst squirting jets of water while hooting and hollering til all hours of the night.

Further up the track, we sailed through San Juanico, a scenic and popular cruiser anchorage, but opted to stay at La Ramada Cove just to the north. La Ramada is another tiny cove very similar to Candeleros Chico. We shared the anchorage with one other boat and were fascinated by hundreds of young pelicans diving the large schools of sardines all around us.

Soon it was time to move on – we had a date to keep – Gary’s legendary 4th of July Cruiser’s Party at El Burro Cove

2008-09-25T17:05:00.001-06:00

Jacaranda Passage Notes #24 (07-26-08)
Isla San Marcos, Baja California
Temp 93 Water 85 Humidity 65%

We had a most magical evening on the night of the full moon last month!! It was a peak experience that we will always remember.

The setting was on the Baja mainland, south of Loreto. Anchorages don’t get much prettier than Caleta Candeleros Chico, a small cove barely big enough for two boats, and we had it all to ourselves on this sparkling stellar day in June. It was our own private paradise.

The high rocky cliffs on either side wrap around the bay like enveloping arms making it feel cozy and intimate; the eastern side is punctuated by a view of the Sea of Cortez where an awash reef connects a rocky island to the shore. At the head of the bay the turquoise water laps onto a crescent white sand beach; beyond that is a narrow desert valley with large multi-arm Cardon cacti and scrub brush that runs back about a mile to another bay. In the far distance the craggy silhouette of the Sierra de la Giganta Mountains form a dramatic backdrop.

The day began simply enough and heralded the wonderful evening to come. Our alarm clock was the braying of two black donkeys standing under a large cactus near the beach. In the morning coolness we hiked the desert trails to reach another sand beach and then up the nearby ridgeline for a breathtaking view of the coastline; a hummingbird hovered midair to check us out, songbirds chorused, a turkey vulture alighted on a Cardon cactus, and a rattlesnake skeleton bleached in the sun.

Early afternoon was spent snorkeling in the fish rich reefs off the shore and searching for clams. We sat contentedly in the cockpit in the heat of late afternoon watching a pair of ospreys circling overhead and around their large untidy nest built high on a rock ledge. Their cries echoed off the cliffs. One perched on top of a tall cactus on the rocky island with a big silvery fish (a dorado?) glinting in the sun, dangling from its talons. All was so tranquil.

The magic began at dusk, as the suns light began to fade. While below having dinner, we heard something hitting the side of the boat. I went up on deck to investigate and yelled below “Look at all those yellowtails!” A large school of two foot long yellowtails (great eating) were milling around the boat. Chuck came up with his fishing rod and I grabbed a hand line and the hunter in us took over. For about an hour we tried in vain to catch one and although they were curious about the lures we had in the water, they were generally uninterested in swallowing one. Suddenly we were distracted by some commotion at the entrance of the bay. We looked up to see a large stampede of flying fish coming our way like a swarm of locusts, whizzing through the air right at us; something was herding them into the beach, a common feeding technique used by many large fish.

Without warning Chucks rod bent almost in half as ZING! - The line played out and was taken under the boat. Thinking he had finally hooked a yellowtail he quickly started to reel in the lure and as we looked down into the darkened water, we saw a large swarm of 2-foot long squid darting and tearing around at high speeds. As they darted, they color-flashed from red to pink to white. They would grab the lure, hold on for a while, squirt a fire-hose jet of water if brought to the surface, and then let go, boomeranging the lure out of the water and making us duck as it flew overhead. We closed the hatches to prevent water from going below and didn’t mind being sprayed ourselves (as long as it was water and not black ink). Time after time they would grab our lures, running with our lines but then let go after a 30 second tussle. We didn’t have a special squid lure but were using regular hooks. Finally Chuck yanked the line as one grabbed hold and foul hooked it so it was solidly caught on the lure.

OK - so now we have this angry squid that is not very happy. It is squirting water and flashing colors as Chuck holds it midair with the rod doubled over looking like it was about to break. We turned to each other and said at the same time: “Now what do we do?” Into a bucket went the writhing squid. We scurried about the boat gathering up our materials and decide to clean it ashore rather than on the boat seeing as how we wanted to avoid the mess of stinky black ink and guts on the decks. By now it is almost pitch dark as we get into the dinghy with the bucket - Chuck brings the headlamp, knife, and cutting board; I have my arms filled with three cookbooks, each describing a different method of cleaning the thing. As we head to the beach a huge full orange pumpkin moon rises from the water framed in the opening of the rocky cliffs to the east - a wondrous sight!!

We returned to Jacaranda a half hour later with a lot of clean squid that would last us many meals (and challenge the variety of recipes I could find). The water had quieted down once again with the departure of the marauding squid pack; the excitement was gone and tranquility restored. Now we heard the gentle exhale of dolphins in the cove while the wild donkeys in the valley brayed goodnight as we stepped back on the boat and put our catch in the fridge. Exhausted from our evening’s adventure, we showered on deck under the full moon and slept really soundly that night.

http://picasaweb.google.com/chuckhoulihan/CandelerosChicoBaja

2008-07-22T12:30:00.002-06:00

Passage Notes 23 Photos

Please note: This photo link is also in the bottom of the Passage Notes #23. Please refer to Passage Notes #23 for details.

http://picasaweb.google.com/chuckhoulihan/PassagePhotos23

Passage Notes #24 coming soon

Cheers

Chuck & Linda

2008-07-06T22:34:00.001-06:00

Jacaranda Passage Notes #23 (06-18-08)
Bahia Candeleros Chico, Baja California del Sur
Temp 93 Water 75 Humidity 30%

After a few weeks of going north in the Sea of Cortez, we turned around on May 7 at Agua Verde and headed south to return to La Paz – we had planned a special rendezvous with friends and then Linda was flying back to the States.

We departed Agua Verde on a good northerly breeze directly behind us and had a lovely sail south (with two head sails poled out and no main) to Isla San Jose. We anchored behind Punta Salinas and walked along the beach among the building ruins and rusted truck remnants of an old salt pond operation. The next day we moved across the large bay to anchor once again in La Amortajada (The Shroud). There is a very large lagoon with a narrow inlet behind the long sand beach (upon which now lay a decaying whale carcass) and this time we took the dinghy in to explore it – lots of fish and bird life. We had a quiet night but the tiny no-seeums (nearly invisible biting insects Mexicans call “jejenes”) were out in force at sunset – they’re so small that they go right through our screens!! So at first light we scrambled to get out of there as quickly as possible – they pack a powerful itch that lasts for days!

We moved over to the northern side of neighboring Isla San Francisco to have breakfast and let the strong southerly breeze subside before heading south to the islands off La Paz 25 miles away. The slog down to Espiritu Santo introduced us quickly to going to weather (into the wind) in the Sea of Cortez. Normally ocean swells are hundreds of yards apart as they have been traveling for thousands of miles. But in the Sea of Cortez in 15 knots of breeze the waves are new and hence very close together. So we bashed south with two waves per boat length. Lots of water sluicing the decks and at times slow boat speed but the new engine just kept purring. Hmmmm lesson for going into the wind in the Sea of Cortez: plan for a bumpy ride.

Back in La Paz, we set the hook off of Marina de La Paz and positioned Jacaranda carefully. Because of the strong tidal currents and wind against tide, the boats anchored here do what is known as the “La Paz Waltz”. Instead of normally facing bow into the wind, all lined up in orderly fashion, boats often lay willy-nilly - beam on or even stern to the wind! Or at times the boats charge to one side like a wild horse being brought up short by the chain and then tear off again in the opposite direction. When there is another boat anchored in close proximity the Waltz can get pretty exciting as the two boats hurtle towards each other.

Cruising friends James and Loisanne flew down from Oregon to see us and go sailing with Jim and Chris on La Ballona who had just made the trip over from Mazatlan…what a fun reunion for the 6 of us!! Soon afterwards Linda headed back to the states for two weeks to do taxes and visit family in San Diego, Tucson, and Florida. It was a whirlwind trip that left Linda pretty tired…. and after flying 7 hours to Cabo San Lucas she still had to take a 4 hour bus ride to La Paz. Like every good cruiser who makes a trip back to the states, she returned with the requisite heavy bag loaded with boat parts…..and American food treats in another (most from Trader Joe’s).

Intense project completion, provisioning and socializing ensued for a few days before we were ready to leave again. The latter category included a lovely dinner on Jacaranda with Laura, a 29-year-old Mexican biology student from Mexico City who Linda met on the bus from Cabo and her two biologist friends, Pancho and Karla. Lots of talk about politics, environmental issues, sustainability, and what the term “high maintenance” meant in reference to some women… in pretty good spanglish for all 5 of us! Another evening Linda and I ate dinner at Bandito’s - an open air restaurant where they cooked burgers on the engine-cum-grill of a truck parked in the middle of the courtyard - and then we finished it off with corn ice cream from La Fuente, a La Paz landmark.

Finally we were off - let the summer cruising in the Sea of Cortez begin in earnest!! Since it is the beginning of summer, the northerly winds have now stopped and the winds from the south have just begun. So we look forward to good sailing (and minimal motoring) as we work our way northward to the Upper Sea where there will be good protection as the hurricane season (which we are now in) progresses.

We began with a terrific sail 23 miles up to the north side of Isla San Francisco to meet our long-time friends Paul & Susan on Elenoa. They are celebrities in our cruising world and this was going to be a farewell of sorts… after a 25+ year circumnavigation they are headed back to San Diego! Could be a record! We’ll miss spending some mighty fine times with them out here but plan to see them again somewhere soon (how about on their canal boat in the south of France?)

Another terrific sail north to the Agua Verde area brought us to beautiful Nautilus Cove where we met Lance and Jo (and boat dog Rocky) on Milagro. Lance is a fantastic fisherman and he was generous enough to take me under his wing and show me how he does it. In the two hours we fished together he brought in at least 25 fish - one right after another - from the first two minutes we were out there in the dinghy trolling near the reefs. All were released except 2 for dinner that night. Meanwhile I was catching nothing - zero, nada, zilch. It wasn’t until he took his own line out of the water, changed my lure and gave me countless tips that I started having success! Just before heading back to Jacaranda I caught a very nice 15 lb. sea bass in addition to a couple of tasty trigger fish. Oh boy, was I stoked! and the next morning I went out and caught 4-5 fish within an hour. I’m hopeful I was able to absorb a small amount of Lance’s expertise and patient training….and will be able to supply us with lots of fresh seafood dinners!!

Next we sailed up to “Yellowstone Beach” on Isla Monserrate - just 10 miles north from Agua Verde – taking care to avoid the reef in the middle of the bay. This anchorage aptly takes its name from the brilliant ochre colored limestone bluffs that glow brilliant yellow in the light of a sunset. We have been fishing and snorkeling since we arrived - the visibility has been fair (20-30 feet) but we understand that it will improve as the water temperatures (74 degrees now) increase. A pod of about 25 dolphins swam around us while I was in the dinghy and Linda was in the water. They seemed curious about the dinghy but when Linda tried to swim nearer they dove deep below her and she could hear their whistle calls underwater.

A few days ago we arrived at Bahia Candeleros on the Baja mainland, beam reaching in about 15 knots of warm breeze. Doesn’t get any better than this! The spectacular Sierra de la Giganta Mountains jut straight up from the water along this coastline of Baja and we feel like we are sailing in the Grand Canyon. The rock formations change as the sun moves across the sky; sunrise is the special time with fantastic colors as the suns hits the exposed rock striations and layering. We are located about 7 miles south of Puerto Escondido now.

Photos http://picasaweb.google.com/chuckhoulihan/PassagePhotos23

That is about all the news for now.

2008-05-15T13:09:00.002-06:00

Jacaranda Passage Notes #22 (05-06-08)
Agua Verde, Baja California Sur
Temp 85 Water 74 Humidity 30%

We’re now in the Sea of Cortez!! The east coast of the Baja California Peninsula is new territory for us and we are excited about seeing new places and spending time in new anchorages. Jacques Cousteau called the fish-rich waters of the Sea “the world’s aquarium” – it supports 875 fish species and 30 species of marine mammals. The beauty of this special place has inspired writers such as John Steinbeck and Edward Abbey. Indeed it is a place of spectacularly stark, rugged landscapes edged by white sand beaches and dazzling turquoise water. It’s where the desert meets the sea and looks like Death Valley and the Grand Canyon have come to the beach.

Our intention is to spend the summer on the boat exploring the Sea of Cortez (also known as the Gulf of California). The extreme heat is forefront in our minds and we are hoping we can cope with temperatures reaching 100 degrees with no air conditioning (well, we do have small fans and spray bottles of water). Being in anchorages where we can jump over to cool off will hopefully make it bearable although 85-degree water may not be as refreshing as we would like.

Most of the sailing we did this past season on the Mexican mainland coast was to old haunts and in most cases we were so familiar with the area that we didn’t even need to have a chart out. Use of the charts has to be put in perspective as in many cases they are off by more than a mile; often we are sailing on land according to the GPS. The only places they appear to be somewhat accurate are major harbors like Mazatlan, Manzanillo and La Paz that have been updated due to the major shipping centers. So we get close and revert to the age-old method of eyeball navigation and common sense. Lastly we have at least 6 cruising guides for the Sea of Cortez area - from the first one published (1971) to the latest (2007) - that really does spoil us. Being able to read about an anchorage or an area before entering does have a calming quality and gives us reasurance. For those folks who have never cruised in areas with guides, you get a whole different perspective about navigation and anchorage approaches.

So – back to our travels - we departed Mazatlan on Sunday morning, April 20, for the 43-hour trip across in what is called the “southern crossing” to Espiritu Santo Island outside of La Paz. It turned into one long motorboat ride as we were only able to sail a few hours. The wind was right on the nose and thankfully light so we could motor sail (motor with the mainsail up). We were planning for a bit more northerly shift in the breeze that would have allowed us to sail but it never materialized. Everything had to be closed up tight as we had constant spray coming over. Thankfully, we sealed a few deck leaks before departing PV a month earlier. Fishing report… one tiny mackerel that we tossed back and our favorite lure chomped off by something big since the 300lb test wire leader was shredded. Fish 2 Jacaranda 0.

Our ETA was estimated at 2:30 a.m. but we have grown much more comfortable with the use of radar since leaving SD and there was a full moon to help us see. We changed arrival locations to a more easily approachable bay with no off lying dangers. A bay called Bahia Bonanza had no obstructions, a Nav light on one end and a 2 mile brilliant white sandy beach that glowed under moonlight. We dropped the hook about 2a.m. in 20 feet of water and could see the bottom under full moonlight! Everything we touched on the exterior of the boat had a very thick coating of salt from all the wind driven spray. But the fresh water rinse (love that watermaker!) could wait till the next day as we crawled into the v-berth, thankful for a bed that was not rolling around.

The next morning we awoke to a beautiful turquoise bay and white beach with stark dry landscape all around…. and we had it all to ourselves. Cactus and a few birds were the only living things we could see. The water was 74 degrees and clear. We cleaned up the boat, went for a swim and just relaxed. We hung around for a few days, walking on the beach to stretch our legs and swimming in the clear water.

Thursday we sailed the 23 miles to the city of La Paz to restock our supply of diesel, stopping at beautiful Bahia Ballandra for lunch and a swim (this beautiful bay is known for its landmark “El Hongo” mushroom shaped rock, which actually fell off its pedestal a few years ago but was rebuilt with resin and rebar). By the time we departed, the wind had come up and we were able to sail all the way down the long channel right into the anchorage in La Paz, settling in front of Marina de La Paz near the downtown. La Paz is a wonderful town with a beautiful long malecon adorned with bronze sculptures, the place to be to watch sunsets! We stayed just long enough to get diesel, provision for food, and have a few good seafood dinners with friends we haven’t seen all season!

We sailed out of La Paz on Monday, stopping in an old haunt of mine called Caleta Partida on Isla Partida. I had stopped there in Jacaranda in the 90’s before departing for the South Pacific and did a few Sea of Cortez Race Weeks there in the 80’s onboard Runaway and Pioneer Spirit. The anchorage is part of a blown out volcano crater with large cliffs rising on both sides and a white sandy beach with a Mexican fish camp on one end. We had one night of totally flat calm with mirror like conditions; but the next night we had a 25 knot Coromuel (strong south westerly evening winds typical of this season in the La Paz area) which had enough south in the wind to keep us very protected and keep the wind generator happy.

The next morning the forecast was for southerly winds in the 15-18 knot range so we jumped on it and sailed north 28 miles to Isla San Jose with the wind vane driving beautifully in the warm breeze. We sailed past the beautiful hook on Isla San Francisco, close to the colorful tiny village perched on Isla Coyote, heard the sea lions barking on Rocas de la Foca and pulled into the large anchorage of La Amortajada (The Shroud), rolling the headsail up just before dropping the anchor. This bay is located on the SW side of Isla San Jose and is made up of a long 5-mile white sandy beach with vivid turquoise water. Protected from the southerly breezes it offered fantastic views of the rugged and very dramatic Sierra de la Giganta mountain range on the Baja Peninsula. The mountain range gives the impression of rising straight from the depths of the Sea of Cortez and reminds us of Utah’s Lake Powell.

Last night while leaving a friends’ boat after dinner, their stern spot light showed the water full of activity. Tons of krill, small crabs, plankton, fish, fat centipede-like worms, a few colorful sea snakes plus the bottom in 30 feet of water. It really looked like a live soup—just the kind of rich food chain necessary to support such biodiversity here!

From La Amortajada we headed north 28 miles to Los Gatos, an incredibly beautiful anchorage with pink rock cliffs surrounding a double lobed anchorage. A boat is protected from the north winds on one side and from the southerly winds on the other side. When the sun rose in the morning it appeared that an artist took a paint brush and brushed the cliff faces with soft pink paint. We enjoyed a tequila welcome from friends on “Angelfish”, lobsters purchased from a local fisherman, good snorkeling, and the sunset conch-horn reveille blown each evening by Eric on “Miha”. The anchorage gave us views of the colorfully striated mountain range that runs along the Baja coast, and we went ashore for a 5 mile hike into this spectacular desert landscape with friends from “Sweetie”. Walking on goat trails and along a dirt road to the neighboring northward anchorage called Punta Telmo, we saw a hawk, turkey vultures, lots of jack rabbits and the tracks of wild burros and coyotes.

Yesterday we traveled north again another 15 miles, skirting a number of shallow reefs to anchor at Bahia San Marte, a secluded spot so thick with tiny silvery fish that it created dark shadows on the bottom and churned the water into a large boiling surface. Pelicans and cormorants were diving all around us, gorging themselves on the fry. Linda jumped over with a snorkel and swam in the midst of these huge schools of sardines, watching packs of larger fish dart through and raid the buffet! Unfortunately, the wind came out of the south during the later part of the afternoon making for an uncomfortable anchorage in the building swells. So after three hours in this treasure of a place, we moved 7 miles further north to popular Bahia Aqua Verde.

Beautiful Aqua Verde offers good protection from every wind direction except East depending on which of the three anchorages you choose. During the evening the catabatic winds hooted (bullets of 30 knots) and we were very glad we did move to a more protected anchorage. San Marte in those conditions would have been awful and rocky to the point of being unsleepable! Bahia Agua Verde is popular for a reason – it is spectacular scenery with lots of good hiking and diving…and there is a small tienda in the fishing village of 200 people for a bit of reprovisioning when the tomatoes, avocados, bananas, and other fruits and vegetables have all run out. There is also a tiny church, a school, and a small dairy for freshly made goat cheese. In the evenings, you can hear the tinkle of bells as the goats roam the hillsides.

Today, by the time we returned to the boat from shopping at the tienda, the tiny anchorage started to get packed with many vessels traveling across the 1 mile bay to get set for the 20 knot northerly breeze forecast to start this evening. Also boats came in from both anchorages to the south and north. So we are crowded into a tiny corner of the anchorage with just a few boat lengths separating folks. It feels like Avalon on Catalina Island in California on a busy weekend.

This is the furthest north we will travel for now – 95 miles north of La Paz. We are planning on heading back south in the morning hoping to take advantage of the northerly that is predicted to blow all tonight and tomorrow. We need to be back in La Paz by the 12th to meet friends and then Linda departs on May 15th for 2 weeks in the states (San Diego, Tucson and Florida) before resuming our cruising in the Sea.

That is about all the news for now. We sure enjoy your emails and hearing your news…. so please keep them coming.

Warm Regards

Chuck & Linda

2008-05-15T13:07:00.001-06:00

Jacaranda Passage Notes #21 (04-17-08)
Mazatlan

This season the furthest south we traveled on the west coast of Mexico was Barra de Navidad. So early March found us still on the Mexican Gold Coast, turning around, going north again to Puerto Vallarta. Linda planned to go to Spanish language classes there for a week, we had annual medical exams scheduled, and we also wanted to do some inland travel before we started northbound to the Sea of Cortez. We stopped in the islands of Chamela Bay for a couple of days before receiving an excellent weather forecast for rounding Cabo Corrientes (which can be very rough). We left early in the morning and had an easy, fast trip with light winds and calm seas, arriving in Banderas Bay at sunset and anchoring in La Cruz at about 9:30 p.m. The next day we moved to our favorite place to stay here - the affordable pile moorings in Nuevo Vallarta Marina. While Linda was attending classes everyday at the Spanish Experience Center I got some projects crossed off the work list.

The following week we traveled by bus to explore Guadalajara, Mexico’s second largest city of 4 million people, which claims to be the birthplace of tequila, mariachi music, the sombrero, and charreadas (Mexican rodeos). It was Semana Santa (Easter), a major Mexican holiday when residents of the interior of the country move to the beaches for two weeks. Mexican families arrive in the truck-and bus-loads and camp, cook, and sleep on the beaches all along the coast. It can be quite a zoo!! After consulting with a few of our Mexican friends, we decided that it was a good week to leave Vallarta and visit a quieter and less crowded than normal Guadalajara.

The five hour bus ride past hills and agave plantations (for tequila production) also had us excited to see the great numbers of jacaranda trees in full purple bloom both in the countryside and the city. We stayed in an old hacienda hotel in a wonderful location in the Historical Center, near the cathedral and its surrounding green plazas. We enjoyed days of exploring the city’s colonial architecture and being out in the cool evenings listening to mariachi music in the public squares while watching the friendly tapatio (Guadalajara-born) families socializing, playing around the fountains with their children, and riding in the quaint horse carriages around town. Sights included the Jose Clemente Orozco murals in the Government Palace, the Instituto Cultural de Cabanas (a UNESCO World Heritage site), the regional museum, and the impressive Teatro Degollado (we saw a light and sound show about the history of the city projected on its façade one evening). We love local markets and the huge 3-story Guadalajara market is one of the largest we’ve seen. The Sunday charreada (Mexican rodeo) was a highlight with the elegantly dressed charros (cowboys) showing their skill at riding and roping. Sunday is also the day that the suburb of Tonala is transformed into an overwhelming warren of market booths for crafts, arts, and food that covers more than 30 blocks. This is a center for glassware and ceramics and many designers come here to also have custom work fabricated by the skilled craftspeople. Tlaquepaque, its upscale neighbor, is full of galleries and renovated mansions filled with expensive handmade furniture, glass chandeliers to rival Dale Chihuly’s, and other expensive but high quality arts and crafts. The public square called El Parian, main pedestrian shopping street, and zocalo are charming spaces.

Once back in Puerto Vallarta, after recovery from a case of the flu for both of us and our reluctance to visit with land-bound friends for fear of passing it on, we made an overnight trip without stopping to Mazatlan to do a few more projects (never a shortage) and provision for food before heading “across” from mainland Mexico to the Baja side of the Sea of Cortez. Linda organized a great “Dock 6” dock party at Marina Mazatlan on Sunday with over 50 friends showing up, tons of good pot-luck dishes, and music provided by a few of our fellow cruiser musicians.

We had been communicating with friends Mai and Dave on DOLCE VITA, a 53-foot catamaran, about helping them bring the boat north from PV to Mazatlan if they needed crew (their two friends had a medical emergency and couldn’t go with them). So last Tuesday we jumped on a bus for the 8-hour trip to PV, slept at Mai’s house at Marina Vallarta that night, and then the four of us departed the next morning on DOLCE VITA. The trip back to Mazatlan was even faster than our quick trip north on JACARANDA the week before. We kept Mai resting and off-watch since she had bronchitis; even with Mai feeling poorly we had a wonderful time with excellent company, gourmet food (Mai’s Vietnamese spring rolls and Dave’s chicken curry) and wished we could have taken longer and stopped along the way to play (they had a haul-out date at the yard scheduled for the following day). We stopped for a couple of hours outside the entrance to the Old Mazatlan Harbor while we waited for the fog to burn off early in the morning. After anchoring and spending the day with Mai and Dave, we said our goodbyes, got a dinghy ride to shore, and took a bus back to Marina Mazatlan at the opposite end of the city.

One interesting item from the trip north (besides the hundreds of sea turtles with birds resting on them): I came on watch at 6am and both Linda and Dave mentioned they had been tracking a boat on radar headed north about 4 miles inshore of us during their watches. But neither Linda nor Dave could see any running lights on the vessel. I didn’t think much of it saying that probably the running lights were only visible for a couple of miles although it did seem a bit strange that we wouldn’t be able to spot them visually. But once we got back to JACARANDA we heard that a sailboat heading north on a similar path at the same time found 3 large bales floating on the surface. They stopped and dragged one onboard to discover it was a cargo of marijuana. Instead of prudently tossing it back into the sea, they carried it to Mazatlan and called the Mexican Navy! So maybe the running lights on the radar target were really turned off since they were carrying contraband! Can you imagine the hassle they created for themselves? Paperwork galore and countless authorities (Police, Navy, Federales) getting involved probably had them wishing they had just sailed by without stopping.

Our next news letter will be going out within the next few days to catch up to our current position in the Sea of Cortez

Warm Regards

Chuck & Linda

2008-04-04T14:18:00.002-07:00

Jacaranda Passage Notes #20 (04-05-08)
Puerto Vallarta

Hola

We are currently in Puerto Vallarta getting ready to head north to Mazatlan on Monday. Then into the Sea of Cortez. We have included some photo's of our trip this season.

Please click on the links below then click slideshow.

http://picasaweb.google.com/chuckhoulihan/BarraDeNavidadCarreyes

http://picasaweb.google.com/chuckhoulihan/Guadalajara

http://picasaweb.google.com/chuckhoulihan/JacarandaJourney

Next Passage note is being worked on and should be posted soon.

Warm Regards

Chuck & Linda

2008-03-09T16:04:00.004-07:00

Jacaranda Passage Notes #19 (02-26-08)
Barra de Navidad
Mexican Chickens & Popcorn Manta Rays

We headed south 80 miles from Nuevo Vallarta sailing around Cabo Corrientes(Cape of Currents) directly to Chamela Bay. Corrientes can be a lumpy drafty point if the wind is up but for us it was light air and a motor boat ride for most of the way. We arrived before dawn, made a radar approach and hung just outside the anchorage of Perula for 30 minutes waiting for first light before anchoring. ENCORE (Mo & Buzz) arrived mid morning and anchored close by.
Ahhhhh Chamela! -- one of our favorite places on mainland Mexico where we like to stay for an extended time. Most people just stop for the night and then rush down the coast. There are numerous small islands to anchor off of, a beautiful long walking beach, and the tiny village of Perula has a remarkable variety of food for provisioning and lovely palapa restuarants. So we hung out in Chamela Bay for a week with Mo & Buzz, caught up with lots of sailing friends we had not seen for awhile (always the case at the beginning of the cruising season) and swam every day.

One day we went with friends from DOLCE VITA on board SPIRIT QUEST to explore. We anchored at nearby Isla Passavera where we snorkeled all morning - fun even though the visibility was not so good. Then we motored over to the far islands in the south part of the bay and anchored in front of the fishing village of Chamela (behind Isla Pedro) to eat lunch and spend the afternoon before heading back to the anchorage where our boats were located. We had not been over here before and it was fun to see this side of the Bay with its long stretch of pristine beach - especially since we understand that a massive resort development is slated for this area in the near future.

A week went quickly and it was time to move on. On Saturday, we went into town with Mo and Buzz to do our provisioning and load up with fresh vegetables, milk, bread, and other necessities from several small abarottes (grocery stores). There was a very nice pescaderia (fish store) selling shrimp, scallops, Dorado, and other fish as well as a carniceria (meat store)that had a long line of customers waiting to buy Sunday dinner and the chicharones that were being fried in the large open kettle out front. But Linda was on the hunt for chicken. "Walk down past the zocalo (main square) turn left then make a right on to a dusty road that looks like it leads to nowhere, pass the trailer park, and eventually you will come to a small white house that has a sign that says "Se vende pollo" (chicken for sale) on the gate" we were advised by a local Canadian transplant with the nod of the onlooking Mexican woman who tended the grocery store where we had just stocked up on some avocados and tortillas. Off we went and after a healthy walk we found the house. A short plump Mexican woman waved us into the yard and onto the covered patio on the side of her house. Her husband brought out 4 chairs and set them up audience style facing an outdoor stovetop with a large pot of boiling water and cleaning platform for plucking. Beyond that was a pen of clucking white chickens. Sparing the details, we left about 40 minutes later with the freshest chicken we ever had for our larders.

We left the islands of Chamela with the intention of finding a small cove we had heard about in the south bay called "La Virgen" but that was not in the guidebooks. It was a breezy day with a solid NW swell running so we decided to pass up the tight anchorage when we found it. Downwind a few miles was the lovely cove of Rancho Paraiso, home to a large private estate nestled in a coconut plantation on a long white beach. The name "Lobo" was spelled out in white rocks on the lawn below the pool. Our cruising guidebook says there are armed guards and landing on the main beach is prohibited. We pulled into the turquoise water of the small bay and anchored. Although we had some protection from the swell by an offshore island, we spent a very rolly night. The next morning we swam to a small side beach and snorkeled before leaving for the next anchorage of Careyes. Careyes is a gorgeous spot surrounded by multi million dollar homes hanging on the cliffs, brightly painted condos, and posh resorts in two of the three lobes of the bay. We anchored in front of the now deserted Club Med with barely room to swing at anchor between the rocky islands on both sides and mooring buoys behind us on the beach side.
Above us was a bright blue mansion on a high sheer cliff with a rope swing bridge linking it to the small island sheltering us from the sea, and a funicular negotiating the 100' rock wall from the house to the beach below. At the base of the cliff we noticed 200-300 chairs sitting on the rocky beach and we watched from the cockpit as a bundle of 4-5 folding tables were being lowered down the cliff by rope. Some of the tables dropped a little too quickly, crashing and bouncing off the cliff making them hard to catch by the host of workers waiting for them below. Then we heard a loud KAAABOOMM!! The explosion turned out to be workmen dynamiting a walkway thru the cliff so people could take the funicular down and arrive at the stone beach without having to wade across the slippery rocks! The sound of insistent jack hammering was followed by a short silence, workmen scurrying out of a cave at the base of the cliff, and then another KAAABOOOOM! We speculated that there must be a wedding planned for Saturday - it was now Wed. and the "Patrone" must want the work completed in time!! It would be close but the crew of 40 men worked industriously like ants from 8 a.m. until 11 at night. We decided we had enough entertainment of the sort and left after breakfast the next morning. Linda did some snorkeling the previous afternoon and said even though the water was not super clear there were great fish and live coral.

The next day we sailed down to Tenacatita and met up with Mo & Buzz who had left a few days earlier. This wonderful anchorage is well known to the cruising community and a number of boats spend all winter anchored here. We were thrilled to see a couple of whales as we sailed into the bay and they stayed around in the anchorage for a few days. We took the dingy up the river and did the "jungle trip", joined the dingy raft up for the Mayor's night out and did some swimming.... (similar to last season's activities covered in previous passage notes).

After almost a week JACARANDA and ENCORE left for the town of Barra de Navidad to pick up my niece Kerry and her husband Marc for a week's visit onboard. We followed the waypoints on our chart plotters and both successfully entered the tricky lagoon at Barra de Navidad, keeping off the mud bars and sand spits. As the saying goes, "It's better to be at the bar in Barra than to be on the bar at Barra." The lagoon was very crowded with 45+ boats and can get to be a bit of a circus. The very narrow entrance channel to the lagoon is not marked and the water is murky so running aground on the way in or way out is an everyday occurrence; one has to also be cognizant of the tides. When the call goes out on the VHF radio that a boat is "stuck", everyone available jumps in their dinghy to help by forming a flotilla to push the boat off the bottom. Mostly they are successful and very few boats get so stuck that they have to wait heeled over for hours for the next high tide to float them off. In addition, when the typical brisk afternoon winds come up, calls would come out on the VHF radio that a boat was dragging its anchor - often sliding back toward a neighboring boat. Despite the lagoon being a very shallow 8', it is a very slippery bottom and is not the best holding, therefore requiring extra anchor scope.....instead of the typical 5x the depth rule (which would be 40' of anchor chain), most boats put out 120-150' of chain here! When the radio call to attention comes for a boat dragging, the dinghy round-up reassembles to commandeer the wayward vessel back to a safe place to be reanchored, hopefully by its skipper. Often, however, the owner is ashore and other cruisers have to jump on the boat and try to reanchor it temporarily. Fortunately, we have never seen any instances where damage has occurred. Cruisers helping each other is one of the best traits of this lifestyle out here on the water!

Kerry and Marc flew into Manzanillo from San Diego on schedule and took a taxi to Barra de Navidad, 10 miles away. The expanded Houlihan clan of 6 spent a day or so exploring Barra, watching the sunset from a great hotel bar, eating at fun restaurants, and doing some shopping in the neighboring town of Melaque (a 20 minute bus ride to the other end of the bay). We happened upon some fisherman unloading their catch in a small fish store. The back of their pick-up truck was piled high with more than 150 large mahi mahi!! (Now I know why the fishing has been so poor for us!) After waiting to buy almond croissants from "Zee French Baker" who delivers them to your boat in a panga every morning, we traveled back to Tenacatita where we introduced Kerry and Marc to the regular activities and socialized with many friends. We were entertained by the two whales that still hung around nearby and large schools of small Manta rays that leapt out of the water like popcorn in an aerial ballet! The time flew by and before we knew it the week was up and we were headed back to the lagoon to the delivery of fresh baguettes and croissants!!

So now Kerry and Marc are back at work as lifeguards in San Diego where it's cool and rainy. We said good bye to Mo & Buzz as they go southbound to start their trip down to Costa Rica (we heard them check-in on the evening radio net a few nights ago from Zihuatenajo). We are turning northbound again, heading slowly toward Puerto Vallarta...that is, once we get our outboard engine working properly again (dirty fuel in the carburetor). I stripped it down twice with no success so I drove the dinghy to the local Mexican Yamaha shop on the beach. I imitated the sounds the engine made so the guys understood the problemo - like a marine version of NPR's "Car Talk"! - and they got the outboard running again. It ran fine until a little while ago - so I'll take it back in for a readjustment.

By the way we have put our flannel sheets back on and dug out our sleeping bag as it has been unseasonably very cold. Ok Ok low 60's to us is cold. But someone said they should rename this area the Mexican Cold Coast this year instead of the Gold Coast as it's known. The water temp dropped from 79-80 degrees at Tenacatita to 68 degrees in 10 days!! In addition we have had numerous days of southerly winds ......in winter on the gold coast?..hmmmmmmm very unusual. And thick fog banks move in once in a while. Even the Mexican fishermen are talking about the unusual weather this year and we are seeing many of the locals bundled up at night/early morning with ski hats and heavy coats.

2008-01-26T11:11:00.000-07:00

Jacaranda Passage Notes #18 (01-27-08)
Puerto Vallarta
Warmth at last!!

Our New Years resolution is to make more of an effort in more timely Passage Notes - sort of like promising yourself you will go to the gym or not eat that piece of chocolate cake…… well let’s just say our intentions are good…

We departed Marina Mazatlan a day earlier than Mo & Buzz on Encore so we could put a few hours on the engine under “at sea” conditions rather than just at the dock. We motored south past Mazatlan’s old harbor for a few short hours to anchor at Stone Island where we could get some movement to the boat and start getting our sea legs back. Both goals were successful since the engine ran great and there was just enough roll to the anchorage that helped us become acclimated to the motion. Being at anchor again sure felt great after 10 months of being dockside and shore bound!

We left Stone Island the next afternoon with a favorable weather report and with Mo & Buzz calling us on the VHF to say they would pass Stone Island in about 15 minutes! We both sailed south towards Isla Isabella (88 miles) in moderate NW breezes of about 15-18 knots and as the evening progressed the wind continued to lighten. Finally, about 15 miles from Isabella, we turned the engine on and anchored mid morning. Closing the island we had two baby humpback whales swim over to check us out. Isla Isabella still had tens of thousands of frigate birds soaring overhead - a sight we had enjoyed from previous stops there. The next day we went ashore with Encore and Janet from Tupo and had an excellent hike on the island. Overhead, within two arms length, the frigates perched in the branches of the tall bushes shading the trail. On the ground were nests of blue footed Boobies, many filled with chicks in their fluffy white plummage. The Boobies were totally unafraid of us and we had to gingerly step over many of the nests that were built right in the middle of the hiking path. Last time we were at Isabella and wrote about the blue footed boobies, a friend from work remarked that she also encounters many brown-nose boobies at work each day and wondered if they were related!

The following day we left at 3 a.m. for the 65 mile jaunt down to Banderas Bay, bound for Punta de Mita. We motored for the first 20 miles and then had a wonderful sail with the wind from behind right into Banderas Bay, where we could see the humpback whales jumping and tail slapping. Mo & Buzz had to sharply alter course to keep from hitting a rather large humpback whale that surfaced directly in front of them. They joked that if anyone saw a whale with green bottom paint on it, it was their whale!

We spent a few days anchored out at Punta de Mita, going ashore one day to see all the new buildings that have sprung up since we were here last year. Its really is a boom town/village with many new homes going for more than a million $US. The place is out of control with construction on every street corner.

We wanted to visit our friends in Puerto Vallarta so we moved to our old haunt - the pile moorings in Nuevo Vallarta. The few days we had were quickly filled with socializing, some boat projects and getting ready to head south. It was wonderful to connect with old friends we hadn’t seen since we departed PV last March.

One evening Linda walked up the beach to a sea turtle conservation area. Each night they release between 200-400 endangered baby Oliver Ridley sea turtles. Every attendee is given 12-15 new hatchlings to set on the sand near the water and point in the right direction. When the female turtles come ashore to lay their eggs each year, the eggs are dug up the next day and placed in new nests created by the turtle researchers within a secure pen. Poachers and development (loss of beach habitat) join natural predators as the threats to these creatures. Each nest is placed side by side with others, marked with a stick and identified by date and number. Moving the nests and then releasing the hatchlings in the evening just at dusk reduces the chances that these baby turtles will be snagged by birds and hopefully they get a head start to the deep sea. Even so, only very small numbers of these turtles will reach maturity and find their way back to this same beach to lay eggs. Hopefully these conservation efforts, Mexican law enacted a few years ago making it illegal to eat or disturb them, and the huge public educational campaign to save the turtles is working. Indeed, every year we seem to see more and more large sea turtles along the coast. (Remember the Pitt Helmet association from earlier passage notes).

Saturday morning we are headed south around Cabo Corrientes (Cape of Currents) to either the tiny anchorage in front of the village of Ipala or if that is full (the Ipala anchorage now only holds 2 boats due to extensive fish nets, etc) then we will travel the additional 48 miles down to the lovely bay of Chamela.

We are happy to report that the engine appears to be working just fine.

2008-01-01T17:10:00.001-07:00

Jacaranda Passage Notes #17 (01-01-08)
Mazatlan
Feliz Ano Nuevo!!

It’s been ages since we have posted an update so we’ll take advantage of it being January 1st to wish everyone a very Happy New Year and all the best of health and joy in 2008!!

Like last year, we spent the summer in Boston with our son Joe. Boston rocks and the summer time is a great time to be there. Linda traveled back to Boston in early July and I followed a couple of weeks later after preparing Jacaranda to survive the hurricane season. We had been in Mazatlan installing our new engine and awaiting the interminably delayed opening of the new boatyard to complete the work. Mazatlan grew brutally hot by the time we left. Most everyone had departed for cooler climes by then; we bought an air conditioner and joined the few cruisers who were still onboard their boats in Marina Mazatlan, hiding below during the day in air conditioning and popping up like Meerkats from their burrows in the evening when it got a bit cooler.

After last summer’s residency there, we found the familiarity of Boston’s South End very comfortable and filled with recognizable places, faces, and old haunts.
Linda rented a room in a home in a South End brownstone for July and August but we needed to be out by Sept. 1st. Accommodations beginning in Sept. are tough in Boston as 300,000 college students flood the city. Kay, our previous landlady and now very good friend from last summer (known for guiding great local travel explorations we dubbed “Kay’s Forays”) introduced us to a friend of hers who had a brownstone up the street. We made arrangements with Addie to fix up one of her vacant flats getting it ready to rent in exchange for rent. It worked out great for us and also for Addie. We departed Boston Nov 1st and drove down to Linda’s cousin’s house outside of Philadelphia (adjacent to her aunt’s “Farm”). Chuck and Ros were such wonderful hosts and we so enjoyed our month there. We stayed to attend the annual family Thanksgiving celebration on “The Farm” and always love our reunion with everyone (including son David who flies in from San Diego).

Linda and I returned to Mazatlan the beginning of December from Philly. Jacaranda survived the hurricane season in good shape and was well looked after by Ruben, the Mexican diver whom we hired to check on her every couple of days.

We shifted into overdrive as the new boatyard was now open and hauling boats out of the water everyday. We scheduled a haul out to have the bottom painted while I attended to replacing the prop shaft, installing a cutlass bearing and getting the new engine connected. The new yard is very posh with an immaculate concrete hardstand area, swimming pool, Jacuzzi, laundry room, cruiser lounge, wifi, huge shower rooms etc. Believe us when we say you can lounge in the pool and look down at the workmen toiling away on your boat!

So we have the new engine hooked up and running everyday at the dock trying to get 50hours on it for service before departing for points south. All seems to be good with the installation now and the new enlarged prop is able to get the engine up close to its rated specs. We will know more when we get away from the dock and are able to do some sea trials.

Early Christmas morning brought an expected Christmas present. My sister Maureen and her husband Buzz sailed into Mazatlan on their boat Encore. They had been delayed leaving San Diego due to poor weather and really had to push hard to get here for Christmas. They are in the slip right next to us and the proximity reminds us of our raftups together in La Playa in San Diego …..so we have been enjoying the holidays with M&B and are able to chat from boat to boat. They are headed to Ecuador soon so we do not know how much time we will be able to spend with them in Mexico. We are hoping to maybe travel a little south with them but it all depends on when we are able to get away.

We are getting a late start in the cruising season so our “plan”, provisional as always with us cruisers, is to head down to the Gold Coast, 300-400 miles south where the living is easy and hang out in various anchorages. Hopefully son Joe will be down to visit; older son David just started a new job and vacation time is nonexistent at the moment. In early spring our plan is to head north into the Sea of Cortez and see where we end up.

We were glad to escape the East Coast before the snow and were looking forward to warm weather again but it is considerably cooler here than we anticipated. Now we are too cold with lows in the upper 40’s at night….unseasonably cold. We have pulled out all our cold weather clothes including wool blankets and a sleeping bag. The heater has been fired up for the first time since November of 2005! We watch the disappointed vacationers on the beach shivering in their bathing suits, thinking they are either from the far reaches of Canada or just determined to do what they came down here for.

We sure enjoy your emails and hearing how you are so please keep them coming.
>>>> >>>Please remember to remove this note before you reply. <<<

Have a safe and especially Healthy New Year (as one of our favorite people in the know writes: “With healthy you have happy!”).

Chuck & Linda

www.jacarandajourney.com (Website with more info – old and not updated)

www.pangolin.co.nz/yotreps/tracker.php?ident=WTF6014 (Goggle map shows where we are and where we have been). Our Google position for the Marina Mazatlan shows us a bit south east of the actual location. Zooming in you can clearly see the old harbor of Mazatlan and further north the marina basin

2007-12-16T18:15:00.001-07:00

Jacaranda Passge Notes #16
Photo slide shows
August 2, 2007

We have uploaded a few photo's for your viewing pleasure. Click on the links below and then click slide show. You can adjust the speed by the use of the speed button. Our suggestion is to set the speed for 5-6 seconds.

We will try to incorporate photo's in our upcoming passage notes but wanted to have a few from our past travels.

Monarch Butterfly Reserve (see Jacaranda Passage Notes #14)
http://picasaweb.google.com/chuckhoulihan/ButterflyReserve

Colima day trip from Manzinillo (see Jacaranda Passage Notes #13)
http://picasaweb.google.com/chuckhoulihan/ColimaInlandTrip

Melaque Saint Patricks Day Fiesta ( Jacaranda Passage Notes #14)
http://picasaweb.google.com/chuckhoulihan/MelaqueSaintPatricksDayFiesta

More soon

Chuck & Linda
Currently in Boston

2007-06-12T22:26:00.000-06:00

Jacaranda Passage Notes #15
Mazatlan

It’s either the Sea or A.C. this summer!!
(06-12-07)

Hola,

Thanks to those who have inquired if we were still floating around since we haven’t written for a while. Well the truth of the matter is we are being held hostage in Marina Mazatlan by our new engine installation! Yes, the engine saga continues but we are still looking ahead to the summer: It will be either the Sea (of Cortez) or A.C. (an air conditioner in the hatch while in our slip in Mazatlan). Why the choice? Let’s back up…..

The last passage note from months ago found us in Nuevo Vallarta tied up to a pile mooring while Linda went back to visit son Joe in Boston. Once she returned we departed and began our trip north to Mazatlan with the intention of putting in a new engine and transmission there with Mechanic Bob. We spent the night at Punta Mita on the edge of Banderas Bay stowing away all the items that seem to come out of the woodwork when we are in shore side mode.

Departing before sunrise the next morning we began our trip north to Mazatlan thinking we would make a direct shot with the option to stop at Isla Isabella since it was directly on the rhumb line. We approached Isla Isabella at dusk and stopped for dinner. Anchoring just as we lost daylight we decided to spend the night since it was so flat and calm. The next morning we awoke to thousands of frigate birds and boobies flying around and the usual clear water we have experienced from our previous stops here. The following evening happened to be Easter Sunday and we departed for the 100-mile trip north. It turned out to be the perfect time to be traveling, as we normally would have been surrounded by many shrimp boats, forcing us to be hyper attentive on our watches to track each one and stay clear. But on this night trip we did not see one boat – even the shrimper crews were home with their families on this most major of holidays in Mexico - and that made for very relaxed traveling. We arrived to a reserved slip in Marina Mazatlan and were reunited with many old friends!

Bob the mechanic came the next day to verify that the new engine we wanted to purchase (Yanmar 40) would fit in the engine room and had the same transmission angle. Assuring us all was well, he placed the order. I disconnected our antique engine (35- year-old Westerbeke 4-107) and we pulled it out, necessitating the removal of our hard dodger and using the boom as a lift. Luckily we were able to sell it to the Blues Brothers (it happened to be running fine just now…. like a persistent toothache that mysteriously disappears the day of a dentist appointment) and they carted it off the next day. Work now began in earnest while Linda went back to Boston to spend three weeks with Joe (hoping she would return and Voila! all the engine work would be completed and off we’d go!).

But the combination of “boat” and “Mexico” undoubtedly conspires to mean that things will not go like clockwork. I spent about 2-3 weeks rebuilding the engine beds (reshaping, fiberglassing, adding metal plates), removing the years of grime and painting everything white. So far, so good. The plan was to replace the old shaft (with a slightly longer one) while in the water, averting the need for a haul-out. A loose and apparently worn cutlass bearing changed all that! Glitch #1: now a haul-out was required….but the new boatyard was not scheduled to open until June 1. Although the travel lift has been tested on one boat, there are still no jack stands or cradles - and there hasn’t even been a Grand Opening Party yet – and nothing can open in Mexico without the party!! As I write this, the date for the yard opening is still “manana”.

Linda arrived back in Mazatlan for a quick stop to take a look at the shining new engine in its crate on the dock, pick up papers for her taxes, and head to San Diego to celebrate son David’s 24th birthday. I was to follow her a week later. Just before traveling to San Diego, Bob and I lowered the new engine into the engine room. Two things became quickly apparent: (1) the new one was a few inches taller than the old one, making access to the rear of the engine totally impossible (with the old engine I jokingly said I had to exhale to slither in to check the transmission fluid or do any adjustments), and (2) the new engine beds I so carefully built with daily directions from the mechanic appeared to be too high for the back of the engine. Glitch #2: Technically the engine did fit but I couldn’t get in to service it! Upon returning from SD we pulled the engine out and placed it back on the dock until we could come up with a creative solution…which is to cut out the galley counter top and sink that sits above the engine and hinge it so it can be lifted up, giving me the access I need. That work is currently underway and we’re hoping to get it completed by early next week. The mechanic will modify the engine struts so luckily the engine beds will not need to be changed.

We just bought a window air conditioner for the midship hatch of the boat – a very chilling thought, both literally and figuratively. Literally, the summer heat switch really flipped on here while we were in San Diego - the temperature increased by 6-8 degrees to mid-afternoons in the high 80’s and the humidity went up by 20-30% (to 85% in the mornings)…. each climbing a little every day. Figuratively, committing to an air conditioner means accepting that we may indeed be stuck in Mazatlan for the whole hot and steamy summer until the boat yard opens (??). We didn’t want to delay buying one too long on the hope that we would be leaving soon because these small air conditioners tend to disappear fast in the stores with the approaching heat.

Even with the unfolding saga, we remain optimistic that we can resume cruising for the summer. We could get everything installed and working by mid July and attempt a trip up to the Sea of Cortez before we get too far into the hurricane season (which has just begun). It’s been blowing out of the south for the past 3-4 weeks and we could still jump on a southerly and hustle up to the Baja side so we could be close to a couple of hurricane holes and just hang out in the Sea for the summer.

All the best
Chuck & Linda
www.pangolin.co.nz/yotreps/tracker.php?ident=WTF6014 (Goggle map shows where we are and where we have been). Our Google position for the Marina Mazatlan shows us a bit south east of the actual location. Zooming in you can clearly see the old harbor of Mazatlan and further north the marina basin

2007-03-29T21:20:00.000-07:00

Jacaranda Passage Notes #14
Puerto Vallarta
Butterfly Magic and Malarkey in Melaque
(03-30-07)

Hola Everyone,

While we were in Zihuatanejo with friends Elise and Jerry from Salt Lake onboard, we took what turned out to be a most awesome inland adventure to the Monarch Butterfly Reserve (El Rosario) with stops in Patzcuaro and Morelia in the neighboring state of Michoacán.

The Santuario Mariposa Monarca was such a magical experience that it could be out of a fairy tale: Once a upon a winter time, in a fir forest way way up in the mountains of Michoacán, 200-400 million monarch butterflies make their way back to the trees of their ancestors in one of the longest migration of any species on earth. They congregate together in clumps so thick that tree branches hang down vertically and the bark on the trunks is covered. The forest is painted in splashes of tangerine and the tiger-striped patterns of black veins on white underwings. Then, in the afternoon when the day starts to warm and shafts of sunlight reach the clumps through the forest canopy, the butterflies start to release themselves and fly away, filling the air like an orange snowstorm. It is really a sight to behold, especially if you reach the top of the arduous trail and can sit in the silence of the trees and fluttering wings. They land in your hair, float by your face, and litter the ground around you. Halfway up the well-trodden pathway we passed an open meadow where the monarchs blanketed the grass, fed on yellow wildflowers, and drank water in hoards along the edge of a small stream.

The science of these creatures is amazing, especially when you realize that the butterflies returning each year to hibernate are the 3rd or 4th generation born of the butterflies that left the previous year. The males die after mating and the females lay their eggs in the feeding grounds of milkweed plants in the southeastern U.S.; their offspring then fly to points north as far as the Great Lakes and Canada where a new generation is born. So the butterflies we were now watching had never been here before. It is not known how they find their way south but it is thought that it has something to do with the sun and the magnetic force in this part of central Mexico. It took 40 years of observing and following the butterflies to locate where they were headed - the 5 reserves in the oyamel and pine forests of Michoacán. Our required guide, a young man from the local ejido, accompanied us up the moderately difficult trail (640 steps with numerous seating areas along the way…at an elevation of 8,000 feet - boy did we feel the altitude!), answering all our questions (no English here) and helping to corral the hundreds of schoolchildren straying from the path.

Although the Sanctuary is protected as a Reserva de la Biosfera, the habitat has been threatened by illegal logging as well as land clearing for agricultural and grazing. The communities here are very poor and their buildings are all built out of wood of course. The Mexican government is making the ecological protection here a priority by intervening with economic incentives to local farmers; we also saw thousands of tree seedlings that were part of a reforestation project. We hope this will ensure the existence of this special place.

www.picasaweb.google.com/chuckhoulihan/ButterflyReserve

We had rented a car at the Zihua airport to drive to the Sanctuary (an 8 hour trip if driven directly) and took the toll road to Patzcuaro, only stopping briefly in this picturesque town for lunch before going on to Morelia, the capital of Michoacán. We fell in love with Morelia and were sorry we couldn't spend more time in this sophisticated city with its gorgeous colonial architecture and street scene vitality that comes from being a university town. We checked in to the classy Hotel Virrey de Mendoza and when we stepped out of the elegant lobby to find a restaurant for dinner, it felt like we were in Spain! We'll make it a goal to return and explore more of this very cultured European city.

Back in Zihua, after Jerry and Elise departed for the snowstorm (!) in Utah, we began getting the boat ready for the trip back north again. Our fridge had been leaking salt water for a week and we were hoping to make it back to Puerto Vallarta to have it repaired (we thought the copper coils surrounding the pump had corroded through). Also, the engine temp had been running a bit too warm so we removed the heat exchanger and had it cleaned. We cleaned the bottom, the anchor chain and stern rode (Oh those damn barnacles!) and departed north bound (actually from Ztown it was westbound).

Our plan was to do a direct shot from Ztown to Barra or Tenacatia but once again engine problems forced us into Caleta de Campo (déjà vu from last year). I thought the clutch was slipping so I adjusted it and then headed out the next day to Maruata only to find it doing the same thing. I adjusted the clutch again - this time forcing it tighter than normal in a desperation move. Now we were looking for a 10-15 knot breeze to be able to sail north 78 miles to Manzanillo because we felt the clutch was still slipping. Our friends on Adam Cara left and experienced 50 knots on the nose trying to get into Mazanillo Bay. They have a 48-foot Choey Lee powerboat and were taking spray over the top of the bimini. We waited a few more days for a bit calmer weather.

The trip up to Manzanillo was in southerly winds (we were so surprised because it's usually out of the north on the nose) so we really enjoyed the sail! About 4pm when the wind began to lighten, we motored and then the engine stalled! It quit completely and we thought the transmission went belly up. I spent some time trying to get it started without any luck. By 7pm the wind died completely and we just drifted for 5 hours with a slight current pushing us towards our destination. We would have to wait hours more for the morning land breezes to start. Luckily for us, our friends on Elenoa were coming up from Ztown and when we called them about 12am they were only 4 miles from our position. They offered a tow and we gladly accepted. 13 miles later found us anchored in front of the Las Hadas Hotel just as the sun was coming over the hill. The next day I dove into the engine and found that the problem was air in the line caused by a bad primer squeeze bulb. I replaced it and - voila! - it appears to be working fine now….. (fingers crossed)

We moved the 20 miles to the Barra de Navidad lagoon making the passage at 4:30am from Carrizal (the engine ran fine) due to strong wind predicted later in the day. We arrived in the lagoon around 8:30am just in time to flag down "Zee French Baker" and have warm almond croissants and a baguette delivered to the boat. What a luxury!! We provisioned for food at Maria's Tienda and found a good source for block ice for our newly deceased refrigerator from Maria's uncle who runs the fish market.

Melaque, next to Barra de Navidad, is a quaint town known for its annual blow-out St. Patrick's Day celebration in honor of their patron saint. The festivities are a week long. We took a bus over one evening with Paul and Susan of Elenoa and wandered around the town. We enjoyed watching the small procession of locals carrying a statue of St. Patricio and waving their glittery green cardboard shamrocks around the zocalo headed for the church. The priest, dressed in a green robe, stood at the entrance under a canopy of shamrock streamers sprinkling them with holy water. We returned for the big party on Saturday night - St Patrick's Day - with Eric and Terri on Miha along with most of the cruisers in the anchorage. The town was packed with people and the huge 80ft tall fireworks tower, a lacy bamboo structure with spinning wheels and disks topped with a wood crown, was being assembled when we arrived. The structure is laid on the ground horizontally while all the fireworks, wiring, and fuses are attached and then raised up vertically in front of the church. A 17 piece band (horns, tuba, drums, singers, etc) blared from the raised bandstand in the middle of the zocalo while numerous mariachi groups wandered through the crowds playing music. Crowded food stalls occupied many of the closed streets. A raucous carnival with games and rides (probably old condemned U.S. amusement park machines) was in full swing adjacent to the plaza. More and more people crowded the zocalo as 11pm approached. Suddenly, with a roar, sections of the large tower began to spin faster and faster like pinwheels, shooting fireworks and sparks everywhere! Underneath the tower, children played in the sparks, running back and forth with cardboard on their head. OSHA would have loved it. Just before the grand finale when the crown on the top of the structure becomes engulfed in flames and shoots into the air, we found the only cab we had seen for hours and luckily 4 of us were able to pile in. Stuck in traffic, we enjoyed the rest of the show before leaving for Barra de Navidad. Funny thing, though, not a green cerveza in sight all night!!

http://picasaweb.google.com/chuckhoulihan/MelaqueSaintPatricksDayFiesta

A few days later we headed out of the lagoon with Elenoa. We were headed to Chamela and up to PV and Susan and Paul were headed directly to La Paz. The breeze was light and we planned to head the 35 miles to Chamela and if the wind was favorable continue the 75 miles additional miles around Cabo Corrientes (Cape of Currents) into Banderas Bay. As we moved up the track the wind was about 10 knots and slowly started to swing towards the NW but we decided to keep on moving. The closer we got to Corrientes the more confused the seas became and our speed kept dropping as we punched into the seas. For hours we were barely making 2.5 knots and the track seemed to stand still. Finally it eased enough to increase speed and early in the morning we rounded the cape and headed into Bandaras Bay. By noon we were anchor down in La Cruz and relieved that the engine ran perfectly.

That afternoon the anchorage in La Cruz was being buffeted by 20+ knot winds when a shrimp boat towing a huge barge wove his way in and around the 20 anchored boats into the inner harbor that was under construction. Everyone was on high alert ready to slip their anchors and bail if the captain of the shrimper lost it and started to crash into the boats. There was a panga on standby ready to push the anchored boats out of the way if needed. Well he made it through all the boats safely but either he could not get into the inner harbor due to low tide or the workers told him they were not ready for him so out he came once again zig zagging between all the anchored boats. He went out and anchored for about two hours and then transferred the huge barge to two small pangas(small Mexican open fishing boats propelled by an outboard) and the two proceeded to pull the barge into the inner harbor! Once again everyone was on alert. Nothing like a little excitement to make the windy afternoon really interesting.

We were lucky to snag a spot in Marina Vallarta as people had been waiting for weeks for marina space in Bandaras Bay. Our friends on Mai Tai Roa arranged for us to move into their spot as soon as they left. We fixed the fridge, used massive amounts of fresh water washing everything in sight, saw lots of friends and when a pile mooring(cheap seats) became available in Nuevo Vallarta we moved the 3 miles up to our old neighborhood.

2007-03-19T16:50:00.000-07:00

Jacaranda Passage Notes #13
Las Hadas, Manzanillo, Mexico
March 11, 2007
Air Temp 78
Volcanoes and Birthdays

The last Passage Note left off with Jacaranda in the Barra Lagoon ready to head south. It’s been almost 2 months since our last note and we have lots to tell. We left Barra in the RAIN (imagine rain in the winter!!) and sailed all day long in rain and very light air the 20 miles down to Santiago Bay (Manzanillo). Last year we did not experience one drop of rain from Dec to June and this year we have had 7-8 days of rain! So unusual!! Late afternoon we anchored in one of our most favorite spots - Carrizal, a small fiord-like finger with cliffs rising up almost vertically on three sides just west of Santiago Bay. Great snorkeling!! Later, Walkabout (Luders 33) sailed in making two Allied’s anchored together in one bay – a pretty rare occurrence since there are so few of our make of boat. Monday morning friends radioed us from a nearby anchorage and invited us on a day trip to the City of Colima, capital of Colima state. They had organized a van with a guide; we quickly accepted and moved Jacaranda to adjacent Santiago Bay to join them later that day.

Early Tuesday morning, we dinghied in to the beach with TenTen and White Star where we met our guide, Alejandro, in front of a local palapa. The one and a half hour drive took us south along the coast past urban Manzanillo, Mexico’s busiest port, and its huge inland lagoons, and then east through fertile agricultural lands and the valley of Tecoman, the “Lime Capital of the World”. Lining the road was palapa booth after palapa booth each selling the same things - limes, pineapples, mangoes, coconuts, bananas, tamarind, and bags of sugar. With no differentiation, we always wonder how all of them manage to stay open for business! A short while later, the twin volcanoes that form Colima's dramatic backdrop came into view. El Volcan de Fuego, lazily puffing away, is Mexico’s most active volcano while Nevado just sleeps these days. We spent the morning walking around Colima, “City of Palms,” with its beautifully landscaped central zocalo surrounded by a number of outstanding colonial landmarks, remnants of the impressive architectural heritage that has been slowly eroded by volcanic eruptions (last one in 1941) and earthquakes (last one in 2003). Colima is one of Mexico’s oldest cities and we enjoyed a photographic exhibit entitled “Colima Then and Now” with comparative views around town. There are several museums and we opted to go to the Museum of Folk Art. (Museo Universitario de Artes Populares) which had excellent displays of all kinds of arts (basketry, masks, ceramics, shellwork, textiles, tin work, and mojigangos-giant paper mache puppets) not only from Colima but from all over Mexico. A real highlight of the day was when Alejandro took us to Villa de Alvarez to see a most unique bullring - a one of a kind structure called a "petatera" erected for 2 weeks every February for an annual celebration – and this was the 150th year anniversary!!! This bullring was built of wood planks, tree limbs, and woven palm frond mats (petates) lashed together (no nails). Each section is owned by a different family who stores the wood and then can sell seating during the festival. OSHA and U.S. fire marshals would have heart attacks!! Afterwards, climbing in elevation, we drove to the village of Suchitlan for lunch in an outdoor garden shaded by coffee trees (another local crop). We concluded our sightseeing at a small town called Comala - known for its wood furniture, whitewashed buildings, and botanero custom (snacks eaten in restaurants located under colonnades around the plaza). We also enjoyed going to Hacienda Nogueras, now a University of Colima Museum but originally the home and studio of artist Alejandro Rangel Hidalgo. He was known for his gouache paintings of Mexican-themed child angels used as UNICEF cards for many years. There was also a terrific exhibit of archeological items found in the ancient shaft tombs nearby - including the most beautiful Tepezcuintle dog we saw all day. The Colima region is famous for these clay dog figurines sculpted by the nahuatl culture who believed they aided the spirit’s passage in death….and there are actually real dogs that were used as models - one of the oldest and rarest breeds in the world (strange looking hairless dogs with back skin and blond tufts of hair on their heads that we saw in Zihuatenejo). Replicas of these clay figures are EVERYWHERE - even 2 giant dancing dogs erected in the town's main traffic roundabout.

http://picasaweb.google.com/chuckhoulihan/ColimaInlandTrip

We left the Las Hadas anchorage a few days later heading south to Ztown. As we exited Manzanillo Bay, close to the southern point of the bay, we landed a large (30lb+) mahi mahi – our favorite kind of fish to eat! It’s a beautiful fish also – bright yellow in color that flashes gold in the water. It totally filled our freezer and we immediately put the fishing line away, satisfied we had done our duty to the Jacaranda food supply. Ceviche, fish tacos, fish sausages, fillets cooked a hundred ways…so many delicious meals with plenty to share with friends!

The direct 180 mile shot down was in light air and we motored sailed about 60% of the time. We had arranged to meet our friends Alex and Sue on Mai Tai Roa at Isla Grande, off of Ixtapa, a few miles before Ztown. We hadn’t seen each other yet this cruising season and wanted to catch up before they headed north and we passed each other like proverbial ships in the night. We arrived just as evening fell so Alex talked us into the small anchorage in the dark. We had a great visit for a couple of days sharing dinner, Valentine’s Day mimosas, and lunch ashore at a palapa on the beach. The next day we moved the 10 miles over to Zihuatenejo Bay and anchored near other friends on Masquerade and Bold Spirit off La Ropa beach close to the spot we were in last year.

The next evening we met San Diego friends Saundra and Hersch at their gorgeous hotel for dinner. They have been returning to the same room at Casa Que Canta for the past 17 years and we could immediately see why. This sophisticated upscale resort straggles a rocky promontory jutting out into the Bay with multi-leveled rooms, lounges, vanishing edge pools and the most incredible views. Their villa was something right out of Conde Naste Travel Magazine.
On Feb. 17 friends Elise and Jerry from Salt Lake City arrived for a 10 day visit. It was great to see them and get the goodies they brought – Linda’s new laptop computer to replace her old dead one, our mail, some boat parts (of course), and some special order gourmet items. Beach walks, excursions into town, a visit to an indian school, carnival festivities in the zocalo, morning swims to the beach, good cooking, reading and talking time, and movies in the cockpit –the time flew by! We went back out to Isla Grande overnight for some great snorkeling and lazing around. Anchored back in Zihuatenejo Bay with a balloon-festooned salon, we celebrated Linda’s birthday at a fabulous restaurant called Amuleto high on the hill overlooking the ocean and bay. Incredibly gorgeous, terrific food, sunset views, and an atmosphere that was muy romantico! Thank you Jerry & Elise!

That is about all the news for now. We sure enjoy your emails and hearing how you are so please keep them coming. >>>> Please remember to remove this note before you reply.

2007-02-10T08:45:00.000-07:00

Jacaranda Passage Notes #12
Tenacatita, Mexico

Jan. 27, 2007
Air Temp 78
Buenos Vientos!!!

The last Passage Note left off with Jacaranda in Puerto Vallarta awaiting Linda’s return from her quick trip to the east coast. I had completed numerous projects while Linda was gone like varnishing and installing an elaborate alarm system that included engine alarms – eng temp, oil pressure, water in the fuel, cooling water flow, fire and the bilge pump. If any of these are triggered then an alarm will sound and a light will appear next to the specific alarm.

Departing Puerto Vallarta we first sailed 12 miles out to Punta Mita hoping to spend a few days seeing the many humpback whales that were now hanging out in Banderas Bay. Plus we needed to clean Jacaranda’s bottom of the thousands of barnacles that had attached themselves in just 3 weeks. Fresh bottom paint or not – those barnacles are tenacious and grow amazingly fast. Guillermo, the Mexican diver, uses a 16” wide drywall knife when he cleans the boats in the marina!
Anchored at Punta Mita (where I cleaned the bottom), we began to listen to the radio networks to identify a good weather window to start heading south – to our first stop at Chamela 75 miles away. Don Anderson, the weather guru from Oxnard, Ca. who analyzes many meteorological sources to predict the weather in our cruising grounds of western Mexico, is an ex-cruiser himself and does an amazing job. Most cruisers rely on his predictions to plan safe and/or advantageous passages. The next morning’s weather report called for 18-20+ knots of wind (NW) later in the day and increasing to 35 knots NW the following day. Oh boy! wind in the right direction!!! I say this with excitement because it is surprising how much of the time we sailboaters either have no wind or noserlies (wind on the nose) down here - which means we motor (instead of sailing) more than we’d like.

So in the late afternoon as soon as the anchor was up we rolled out the jib and started sailing towards Cabo Corrientes. During the 20 miles it took to cross Banderas Bay, we must have seen about 25 humpback whales spouting, splashing and sometimes jumping almost completely out of the water! What a great show the whales put on! (By the way, the January issue of National Geographic has a great article on the latest humpback whale research with fantastic photos.)
Cabo Corrientes was as windy as forecasted and the seas were very lumpy with the NW swell meeting and bouncing off the point. Even though we cleared the cape by 5 miles, it was still quite rough (and it was going to get a lot nastier the next day with 35 knots). As we proceeded south and got further away from Cabo Corrientes and closer to Chamela, the wind continued to lighten and we ended up motoring only for about 3 hours out of the 20-hour trip (better than most). We arrived in Chamela Bay mid-day and anchored in the main anchorage in front of the village of Perula on the north side among 5-6 other boats. The next day it did indeed get even windier around Cabo Corrientes and a number of boats came into the anchorage with torn sails and damage.

Chamela Bay is a great place that most boats heading north or south use as a brief stopover…sometimes just overnight. That’s a shame because the area – a huge Bay with two islands in the middle - has just been recently designated a world heritage site by UNESCO. We promised ourselves we would give it a longer look this year so we stayed a while instead of leaving after just catching up on sleep after our overnight from Punta Mita. We spent a few days exploring the small village (what a surprise to connect with Kavenga on their land trip from Puerto Vallarta!), snorkeling and fishing (no luck) with friends on Blue Pteron and Cuervo. We then headed down to the south end of the bay and anchored behind Isla Passavera. We had the place to ourselves! The water was crystal clear and we could see the anchor on the bottom. The snorkeling here was great - a good variety of fish and huge schools of small fry and bait fish kept the birds diving all day long. We hiked the island, stepping over bright red land crabs to get within feet of nesting blue footed boobies - again very much like our stop at Isla Isabella last Nov. on our way north to Mazatlan.

We left Chamela after 10 days, once again jumping south to take advantage of the strong wind predictions for Cabo Corrientes to the north of us with good wind extending down the coast (oh boy more wind). The 25 mile jaunt down to Tenacatita was made in building breeze and seas. The wind was a steady 25-30 knots gusting to 35 when we turned the corner into Tenacatita Bay with our tiny reefed jib and no main. What a great downwind sail! When we turned into the bay, the seas flattened out, the wind started to lighten and we were flying a full jib as we sailed right up to the anchorage!

Ah Tenacatita! We described Tenacatita briefly in one our earlier Passage Notes. It’s a large beautiful bay with two anchorages on the north side. The first anchorage, called “The Aquarium”, is very picturesque with its rock formations that provide great snorkeling. It fronts on a beautiful wide palapa-lined beach called Playa Tenacatita and rarely has more than a few boats. (We snorkeled here with Paul from Cuervo one splendid morning- we saw tons of fish and a leopard ray). The main anchorage around the corner, “Boca de Iguanas”, is the destination for many cruisers departing from their summer hurricane stay in a marina or the Sea of Cortez; some boats hang here for months and it is often crowded. As a result of this relative stability as a community, quite a cruiser culture has developed here!! It’s as programmed with daily activities as a cruise ship!! A “mayor” is appointed every year (usually one who has spent the most time here); Legacy was reelected this year and Chris hosts a “Mayor’s Night Out” every Friday night. This is a dinghy raft-up pot-luck where one dinghy anchors and 30 or more others tie up to them, each with a dish to share; there is also an exchange of books and boat cards. The mayor then chooses a question everyone answers as an introduction to themselves. This night’s topic was to describe an interesting time you have experienced - other than sailing. The answers were so varied - from leading hunters on caribou hunts in NW Canada to crazy travel experiences. (Last year the mayor’s raft up we attended was on Valentines Day and everyone had to describe how they met their partner). The afternoons are filled with organized swims to the beach and beach walks, Boccie ball tournaments, Mexican train (a dominoes game), beading for the women, a jungle trip up a river to Tenacatita village, special dinners at the palapa restaurant (next to the two small buildings that were constructed as the set for McHale’s Navy), and a Wed. night movie schedule on the mayor’s boat. So we immediately jumped into catching up with friends and the social scene continued.

We stayed a few extra days to attend the birthday celebration for Rita on Overheated (Jack and Hermy of IWA introduced us years ago when we visited them in the Sea Of Cortez). Every year Darrell and Rita spend 2-3 months in Tenacatita and Rita’s birthday there is a tradition. Seven couples went on two boats, Legacy and Harmony, (dragging seven dingies) across the bay to the wonderful little village of La Manzanilla. Darrell had made special lunch reservations at Martin’s Restaurant and they even had a fresh carrot cake all prepared for her. After a great meal, we walked through the village and down to the edge of town to the estuary where we saw a number of large crocodiles floating around.

We then left the following day to head the 10 miles south to Barra de Navidad where we anchored in the back lagoon with about 30 other boats. Lots of folks stay here in Barra and travel back and forth between Tenacatita and Barra for weeks on end. We made it a rather quick stop for laundry, provisions, fuel and water –and most importantly- the French Baker (who delivers his goods by panga each morning to your boat) and then we headed south to Manzanillo Bay - our last big stop before going on to Zihuatanejo.

All the best

Chuck & Linda

www.pangolin.co.nz/yotreps/tracker.php?ident=WTF6014 (Goggle map shows where we are and where we have been)

2006-12-27T14:58:00.000-07:00

Jacaranda Passage Notes #11
Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
Dec. 27, 2006
Air Temp 82
Happy New Year!!!

The last Passage Note left off with us in Mazatlan heading to NY and Philly via Puerto Vallarta for Thanksgiving. Since we were ticketed out of PV we caught a car ride with our friends on “At Last” departing 4am to PV. We stayed with friends Laurie and Jay (“Strange Bird”) for a few nights in their beautiful condo close to the marina in PV where we had kept Jacaranda for the summer. Thanksgiving with Linda’s 40+ family members at “The Farm” was the usual fantastic time with the added bonus this year of a surprise birthday party for Aunt Aileen and a first-rate fireworks show! Afterwards we enjoyed an impromptu accapella concert by son Joe, cousin David W., and sister Louise.

We returned to Mazatlan from PV via a 7 hour bus ride. Long-range Mexican buses are top notch – they are inexpensive, clean and very comfortable with cushy reclining seats, lots of leg-room, a TV system with movies, and a bathroom in the rear. We had been warned how refrigerated they are so we had our sweatshirts ready. A few days after getting Jacaranda ready to go, we left early in the morning before the channel dredge started up in the entrance and began motoring south to PV. Motoring seems to be a way of life in Mexico….we never seem to be able to sail as much as we’d like. The wind is usually very light and we sail until the boat speed drops below 2 knots or the swell causes the sails to slat.

We sailed directly to Matanchen Bay where we had stopped in Nov. while coming up the coast. This time the water was cooler at 87 degrees (down from 91). The next morning we backtracked northwest 2 miles and traveled up the river estuary to the village of San Blas. Today San Blas is a quaint Mexican fishing village with a small shrimp harbor – its sleepy character belies its major historical importance. Back in the day, (16th-19th centuries) San Blas was the most important pacific port from which Spain launched her fleet of naos (trading galleons with China). These were the golden days of pirates and John Clipperton was captured and hanged next door in Matanchen Bay. While in San Blas we met local expats Norm and Jan Goldie who have been befriending cruisers for 35 years. Originally from New York, they came to San Blas for their honeymoon to fish, fell in love with the place, and relocated here. Norm is in his 70s, gruff and over bearing at times but with a heart of gold. Jan is a fantastic water color artist whose works could be sold world wide but she is content to sell them out of her home. A bit of trivia – Longfellow’s last poem “The Bells of San Blas” was written about the settlement’s original church, now in ruins on the high bluff next to the fort.

San Blas is known for its lush tropical jungle and abundant birdlife. One morning, we rented a panga for a 5 hour bird watching trip up the San Cristobal Estuary and departed at 6:30 a.m. with friends on “Southwind”. It was well worth the 15 dollars each and we saw more birds and crocodiles than in all our previous 12 months in Mexico. The highlight came at the end of trip at the Bird Sanctuary where we entered a huge lagoon with islands that were breeding grounds for Roseate Spoonbills. Hundreds of shocking-pink birds sat sunning themselves in the vegetation or took to the skies in large flocks. We were able to get close enough to see fluffy white chicks in their nests. From the front these beautiful birds look almost comical with their elongated spoon shaped beaks that are almost too large for their small heads.

That evening, we went into town and hung out with the crowds of locals in the zocalo or town square. Things were lively with celebrations for the Virgin of Guadalupe, twelve days of parades and dancing culminating on Dec. 12, the birthday of Mexico’s patron saint. During this fiesta, every night a different neighborhood marches through the streets in procession from their homes to the cathedral to be blessed by the priest. They each follow a float they have decorated around the focal point, a young neighborhood girl dressed like the Virgin of Guadalupe. They carry flowers, food baskets, offerings, lighted candles, and their children, singing traditional chants and often accompanied by musicians. The babies are dressed like Mexican “Indians” in indigenous costumes with small sombreros, carrying baskets or bamboo “cages” on their backs representing rural life. Many had their faces painted with mustaches and beards. After the blessings, everyone gathered in the main square to watch the dancing by a troupe in traditional costumes, stomping out rhythms in their wooden sandals much like clogging. Three teenage boys dressed as “devils” chased the large gang of screaming, taunting children around the square, pretending to “capture” them and bring them back to the center of the dancers. Fireworks punctuated the sounds of community camaraderie and laughter. It was truly a memorable experience.

Many cruisers unfortunately skip San Blas because of its reputation – deservedly so – as a place infested with jejenes or no-see-ums, small, almost invisible sand flies with voracious appetites for humans. These pesky tiny biting gnats were terrible at dusk and would fly right through the screens. We were able to deal with them by spraying the screens each afternoon with “Off” and then spreading a repellent called “Autan” all over our exposed skin. But they were persistent – even the next day when we moved back out to adjacent Matanchen Bay they hunted us down – and we were anchored ½ mile out from the jungly shore! Both of us were scratching those damn bites til it looked like we had fleas!

We left Matanchen Bay at 05:00 for Puerto Vallarta and I took the first watch. Even in the dark it was a beautiful morning, warm with the slight offshore breeze beginning to build. Seven brightly lit shrimp boats were clearly visible 5-6 miles off ; the radar screen tracked seven blips. We were making good time heading SE towards Bandaras Bay. About 15 minutes before it started to get light I checked the radar and stood up to peer forward from the cockpit. Suddenly a light came on dead ahead of us. It took me maybe thirty seconds to process the image and realize the light was not 5 miles off and one of the shrimpers but a local fisherman in his panga - only 3-4 boat lengths ahead of us. I threw the autopilot into dodge mode to port and passed this poor fellow by a mere 10-15 feet. As we sped by, I could see the whites of his eyes as big as large saucers staring at me. As I turned around to stare at him and tell my thumping heart to be still, he turned off his light. Later Linda asked me who I called out “Buenas Dias” to in the middle of nowhere while she was in her sea berth below. A close call with a too-common Mexican hazard of local pangueros fishing in the dark without lights….. except for the one he turned on when it became apparent we were going to crash into him!

A few hours later we saw our first group of humpback whales. We switched off the autopilot and chose to hand steer around them. These beautiful creatures are headed to Banderas Bay to either give birth or mate. Even though we passed them under sail by a few boat lengths they knew we were there and lazily dove just as we got close. Four hours later we encountered another 4 humpback whales directly ahead and we again switched off the autopilot so we could be sure to pass behind them.

It was almost noon when we hooked a nice three-foot Mahi Mahi, our favorite fish to eat! By the time we brought it aboard, cleaned, bagged the steaks and washed the deck off, the wind went very light and we resorted to using the engine again. Nice to have fresh fish for dinner!!! Fishing was good this trip as we caught a smaller Mahi Mahi and a Mexican Bonita between Mazatlan and Matanchen Bay!

We anchored later that day at Punta de Mita in Banderas Bay and a few days later pulled into Nuevo Vallarta Marina. The Marina was totally full and the only available space was the pile moorings so we are now tied up between two concrete pillars where docks once existed. No electricity or water and a 20 yard dingy ride to the marina docks means we were in the cheap seats….. $8 a day versus $40+ a day at Paradise Marina just across the harbor!

We spent a few days in isolation recovering from a flu bug and waited til we were no longer contagious to reenter the frenetic social scene that exists here especially around the holidays. Linda went downtown to watch some of PuertoVallarta’s festivities for the Virgen de Guadalupe – some of the most extravagant anywhere, with processions day and night and masses of people in elaborate costumes walking behind large motorized floats and full bands of musicians. At midnight on the evening of Dec. 11, hordes of people filled the beautiful cathedral and surrounding streets for blocks while the bells rang and rang to herald the virgin’s birthday. Quite spectacular! For us, the ensuing weeks were filled with cruiser gatherings, potlucks, parties, a musical pre-Christmas program at Federico’s Estudio Café, and a huge Christmas dinner at Philo’s Bar in La Cruz. In addition, Linda has a show of her necklaces at a very prestigious jewelry store in downtown Puerto Vallarta called Viva where her price tags are $3500-$4000 (and one just sold after the second day)!!!

Although many of our friends have headed south already, the majority of our friends are leaving now that the holidays are over to begin this year’s cruising season. We’ll be joining most of them soon. But first Linda is going to join Joe in Boston for New Year’s and then fly down to Florida to meet up with her sister to celebrate her dad’s 80th birthday. I’ll hang here in PV getting the boat ready to head south as soon as she returns.

All the best
Chuck & Linda

2006-11-16T07:10:00.000-07:00

Passage Notes #10
Mazatlan, Mexico
Nov. 14, 2006
Air Temp 86
Water Temp 86
“Sergio the Spoiler”

The last Passage Note was more of a summer synopsis but now we have a bit more to share along the lines of cruising. Our return to Puerto Vallarta and Jacaranda from San Diego on Oct 2nd went without a hitch, especially when we got the green light at customs and sailed through the airport inspection line with our bags full of boat parts (whew). The boat survived the rains and winds of hurricane season in Paradise Marina in great shape and all the hard work we put into getting her ready really paid off….. especially the work that Linda did on the inside, cleaning and wiping the entire interior down with a bleach solution to combat any mold. We had left 12V fans running 24/7 with solar panels charging the batteries and we think that also helped eliminate the mold.

Early October in Mexico brought the heat on with a vengeance. Mid to upper 90’s everyday with humidity in the mid 80’s was like a sledgehammer. By noon it was very tough to do any work and since it only cooled down to mid 80’s at night we had fans running all the time. Projects seemed to be worked in slow motion and cold water was consumed in vast quantities. Our small 12V fridge that uses seawater to cool the freon was working overtime since the water was 92 degrees in the marina. Once we got everything put back together we moved from our D dock hurricane location out to A dock near the harbor entrance to try to get a little relief from the warm breezes. Late afternoons we headed to the lap pool to “cool off” and do our 20 laps in 86 degree water.

We were greatly dismayed to discover that our “repaired” injection pump was still broken! It was leaking from a seal into the pan below the engine so badly that we had to close the fuel lever when the engine wasn’t even in use. The mechanic in PV confirmed the pump had to come out again for the fourth time since last April. This time we removed it and sent it to Total Yacht Services in Mazatlan instead where the injection pump shop found it with old seals and old gaskets……….Grrrrrr. Total Yacht Services completely rebuilt it and had it back in our hands within 5 days. That kind of turnaround timeframe is totally amazing in the Mexican shipping system!!! The PV mechanic installed the pump once again, started the engine, and still a leak – probably from the pipes rather than the pump. By this time the mechanic had washed his hands of the deal…..Grrrr But the good news was the tiny leak was negligible and could be tolerated. If it had not been for the pump we might have already left PV for Mazatlan but sometimes things work out for the better as the hurricanes keep forming and charging north (the average is 15 hurricanes annually and we now are up to 22).

We headed out to Punta de Mita on the NW edge of Banderas Bay for a few days of life at anchor to make sure all systems were working. It was like a breath of fresh air to actually sail and be swinging on the hook again - plus being able to jump into the water for a swim. Much cooler than the marina and we enjoyed the cooling breeze and the 86 degree water!!

Back to PV for 2 days of provisioning, checking out with the Port Captain, fueling up and…. we were off for a quick trip 185 miles north to Mazatlan. The plan was to explore the cruising grounds northward, see our friends in Mazatlan, meet with Bob (the mechanic in Mazatlan) to check the engine pump and discuss obtaining a new engine from him, and then sail back to PV to fly back East for our Thanksgiving family gathering on Nov. 20. Linda and I have been discussing repowering (installing a new engine) for months and in hindsight we should have removed our 36 year old Westerbeke in San Diego before leaving last year.

The trip north was really great. We did it in 4 stages: Punta de Mita to Chacala, Chacala to Matanchen Bay (water temp. 90 degrees), Matanchen Bay to Isla Isabela and then 90 miles to Mazatlan. We were able to sail about half the time and motored the rest.

Isla Isabela was the highlight. This national park, about 40 miles off the coast, was the subject of a Jacque Cousteau documentary film many years ago. It’s the nesting site for Blue Footed Boobies, Brown Footed Boobies and Frigate birds. We anchored by the dramatic Las Monas rock pinnacles in 20 feet of the most beautiful crystal clear water we have seen yet; schools of colorful fish and a black and white spotted leopard ray swam under the boat. A short distance away around the base of the pinnacles was fantastic snorkeling with tons of fish and 80 foot visibility. The sky over our heads was filled with tens of thousands of large black frigate birds riding the updraft off the island, swirling in the warm air like a swarm of ants there were so many. They can’t walk or swim but they are fantastic soaring machines and look rather like huge flying batman insignias with forked tails. Sitting in the cockpit we looked up and watched a half dozen curious frigates hovering directly overhead pecking at the red arrow on top of our mast (the windex).

We hiked ashore on Isabela for as long as we could in the intense heat. Past the shacks of the small seasonal fishing camp, we entered the low scrub “forest” of the frigate nesting grounds. The 8-10 foot tall trees blocked any breeze so we only walked a mile before retreating to the boat for a swim. But the path had taken us past the interior lagoon of this volcanic crater island and through vegetation where hundreds of frigate birds sat nesting at our eye level. The birds were not afraid and we could pass within arm’s length without them flying away. Many males sat in the trees with their scarlet`throat sacks inflated like red balloons. Isabela is truly a magical place that reminded Linda of her Galapagos Islands experience.

After 3 days at Isla Isabela we left in early evening for the 91-mile trip north to Mazatlan. The forecast was to have the winds lighten and the swell drop down to 2-3 feet for the next couple of days. For the first 20 miles the wind was right on the nose (another famous Mexican “noserly”) with a 4 foot swell and we motor sailed at times with speed dropping down to 3 knots. Gradually the wind died off and the swell flattened out and we averaged 5 knots for the whole trip. Happily the engine ran great for the whole 18 hour trip. We kept a sharp eye out on our watches for the large shrimp boats that are based in these waters, Mazatlan being the shrimping capital of the world.

Mazatlan is a beautiful city and our friends, Susan and Dennis on “Two Can Play”, graciously drove us all over town and showed us the sights. The older center of the city is charming with many of the older colonial buildings being restored and painted bright colors. The famous malecon (waterfront walkway) stretches for miles and miles, studded with sculptures and providing a picturesque site for the city’s renowned Carnival celebration every February.
One night we enjoyed a musical/dance performance in the Angela Peralta Theater, Mazatlan’s cultural pride and joy, built in 1860 and restored to pristine condition in the 90’s. We took the local bus into town had dinner in El Tunel restaurant, an old hacienda style building across from the theater where the grandmother had relocated the kitchen in the downstairs courtyard and served great Sinaloan fare – we had the best Tortilla soup! The theater was located on Plazuela Machado, a delightful plaza full of people, outdoor restaurants, music and booths selling jewelry.

Plans do change in a hurry…after all, this is cruising. We were prepared for an early departure for Puerto Vallarta this morning at 07:00 but after seeing the weather report online last night on the web and the newly formed tropical depression 22E we decided to wait for the weather forecaster’s interpretation. Well 22E was quickly upgraded to tropical storm status and given the name “Sergio”. Sergio was predicted to go to hurricane status with 24-36 hours, located about 300 miles SW of Manzanillo and tracking NNW. Since we needed to head southeast we thought it best to stay in Mazatlan. The 190 mile trip to Puerto Vallarta would probably have been fine with 20-25kt NW winds predicted but sometimes its best to err on the conservative side in this game and be prudent. So now we’ll rearrange our plans to get to Puerto Vallarta by land so we can catch our flight to NY for the holiday.

A Happy Thanksgiving to All!!

That is about all the news for now. We would love to hear from you so please drop us a note and let us know how you are doing. Please remember to remove this note before you reply.

All the best

Chuck & Linda
www.pangolin.co.nz/yotreps/tracker.php?ident=WTF6014 (Goggle map shows where we are and where we have been)

2006-09-28T08:51:00.000-06:00

Passage Notes #9
San Diego, Calif
Sept. 28, 2006
Air Temp…. Time to get south

Puerto Vallarta > Boston > San Diego > Puerto Vallarta (whew!)

Passage notes doesn’t seem to really fit, as we are not on Jacaranda yet but staying on my brother’s catamaran in San Diego (Does that count? Probably not).

May was the last time we sent a passage note out and that was from Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. For those of you expecting a sailing based letter this time you may want to close now and wait for the next one to arrive.

We left the boat secure in Paradise Marina in Nuevo Vallarta (in Banderas Bay, a few miles north of PV), keeping fingers crossed that no hurricanes would hit Paradise. Hurricane John got very close but PV did not have a bull’s eye on its head this time. We left the high heat and humidity of PV for the heat and humidity of a summer in Boston. Linda’s youngest son Joe lives in Boston and that was the reason we decided to head to the NE.

Linda found a 2-bedroom sublet in a beautiful 3-story brownstone on the Internet using “Craig’s List” (arranged before leaving PV!). She scored big, as it was a great spot in Boston's artsy South End, within walking distance of Joe’s apt and downtown. It was the top two floors and was airy and bright. Two girls, Margaret and Tori, lived there. Margaret was gone for the summer attending classes in NY and it was her room that we rented. Tori, just graduated from Harvard Public Health, was waiting for a position to open up in Haiti. She is a delightful lady and we were so lucky to have her as a roommate. We became good friends and enjoyed her company and that of her boyfriend Nick. She finally got the job in early August and will be in Haiti for at least a few months.

Boston has to be one of the most interesting cities in the US! History is in your face just about every place you look! Parks all around us were scheduled with free summer evening music series every week.... in our neighborhood we listened to Latino music by Berklee School of Music faculty, jazz and alternative rock. A block away was the Puerto Rican festival. And Boston owns the Fourth of July - an incredible display of fireworks from 5 countries, the Boston Pops in the band shell, and 3 million people lining the banks of the Charles River to celebrate! Boston has one of the best subway systems in the US called the “T”, yet most residents curse and swear about it all the time. (Little do they know how lucky they are. We told them to take a trip to San Diego and that would cure their whining). An amazing experience was to be there for "Move In Weekend" over Labor Day when Boston's population explodes with over 250,000 college students returning to school. It's a young person's town with a college on almost every corner, rivaling the frequency of Starbucks cafes.

Kay, the owner of our brownstone who lived downstairs, became a great friend and Linda was in heaven when Kay told her she could do anything she wanted in the small garden in the front. Off to the nursery they went and came back loaded down with plants. I must admit it looked very nice when she was finished and Kay was delighted she didn’t have to pull weeds or be concerned with anything related to digging in the dirt. Besides going on fun excursions in the city with Kay as historian and tour guide, they occasionally went to dinner together to discover new ethnic restaurants.

We rented a car for a couple of weeks and went on some side trips. We spent 5 days in Philadelphia at Linda’s aunt’s farm. For me it was a bonus since I have only seen “The Farm” at Thanksgiving and never lush and green as it was in the summer. What a lovely visit with our great relatives and special friends! Linda met up with her friend Elise from SLC and they spent a day with well known mosaic artist Isaiah Zagar. We also drove down to NY to visit Linda’s sister and her family. Her dad and Nicole were there from Florida and announced that they had finally tied the knot! Congratulations to the newlyweds! Our family adventures included a surprise ferry cruise around Manhattan and the Chihuly glass exhibit at the NY Botanical Gardens. Thanks Weez and El! A short weekend trip up to see friends Robert and Gina and their beautiful baby, Olin, in Booth Bay provided a quick glimpse of Maine, complete with blueberries and lobster. Robert skippers a brand new 98’ ketch recently launched and owned by the Campbell Soup family. As soon as the boat is completely configured they are off to Antigua for the winter with Robert taking the boat down and Gina flying down with Olin. Welcome to the flying wives club Gina!

We extended our Boston stay a week into September to attend a 60th birthday bash for Jesse Jupiter whose wife, Beryl, was Linda’s college roommate. They live nearby in Weston and we enjoyed spending time with them when they were in town and home from their extensive travel schedule - which was not often.

One of the things I accomplished while in Boston was getting all the documents I needed to apply for Irish Citizenship. The Irish Embassy in Boston was a huge help and now I have to wait for the 6-month processing period to hear the results.

The best part of the summer was we were able to spend lots of time with Joe. Joe just started school, is working a couple days a week, playing and writing music, has a new apt and a new roommate - all keeping him very busy. We explored the city together, volunteered at the Watermelon Festival, and visited with his friends. Joe, Linda and Linda's sister Weezi spent a week at the Omega Institute in NY where Joe and Weezie took a CircleSongs workshop. I honestly think he was glad to see us and also glad to see us go! Hanging out with the old folks is not nearly as fun as hanging with your friends and playing music.

San Diego was like old home week - seeing family, friends and sailing with the family. Linda’s oldest son David lives in SD - he is doing great and it’s always fun to hang with him. A recent grad of San Diego State, he is starting a new job soon with a mortgage broker. The travel bug has bitten him and he has plans to go around the world, maybe starting with teaching english in South America next year. My niece, Kerry, gets married on Saturday and Joe is coming in for the wedding so we will have a mini-family reunion.

We are headed back to Mexico and the boat in Puerto Vallarta on Oct 2nd. It will take a few weeks for us to put everything back together that we removed to make Jacaranda hurricane ready. The current plan is to head north for a month and then return to PV so we can fly to Philly and “The Farm” for our annual Thanksgiving gathering. Afterwards, the rest of the cruising season awaits ahead of us and we have lots of options.

Want to know where we are? We started using a web tool called YOTREPS for position reports that includes a map. If you copy and paste the following address into your browser it should drop you into our most recent report. The interesting thing about this reporting tool is that it allows you to zoom in or out on the map giving you a good birds-eye view of our location. Plus, if you click the position indicator it will display our lattitude and longitude, etc. We will update this from time to time. It also allows us a brief message.

www.pangolin.co.nz/yotreps/tracker.php?ident=WTF6014

Warmest Regards,

Chuck & Linda
www.jacarandajourney.blogspot.com (where we have now posted all our Passage Notes)

2006-07-06T18:26:00.000-06:00

Boston Schedule May 31, 2006

Hi everyone – Just a short note to say that Linda found a nice 2 bedroom apartment sublet via Craig’s list. The apt is located in the SouthEnd a short walk from son Joe’s apt.

Thanks to everyone who has been contacting friends in the Boston area for us regarding housing. We appreciate you making the effort for us!!

Summer schedule
Linda will arrive in Boston on June 6th and Chuck will follow on June 16th.
We will be in San Diego sometime mid Sept.
Back to Puerto Vallarta first week in Oct.

2006-07-06T18:12:00.000-06:00

Passage Notes #8
Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
May 28, 2006
Air Temp 85
Humidity 80-85%

What? Still in Puerto Vallarta?

We did actually check out and leave to head north to Mazatlan with our friends Christy on ISLAND GIRL and Gordon & Suzy on SPIRIT. We got as far as Punta Mita (15 miles) on the northwest end of the bay and discovered that the newly rebuilt injector pump was now leaking fuel. Feeling that it was best to resolve the problem before continuing on, we turned around and went back to PV. Little did we realize that it would take removing the pump and returning it to the injector shop three times before it stopped leaking. If the pump had been easy to remove and replace, it would have been one thing but the whole port side of the engine had to be disassembled just to get to the pump. I did it so many times that the first time it took me 5 hours but the last time only took 45 minutes (with greatly reduced curse word combinations) . It turned out the problem was a tiny O-ring that split when the pump was being reassembled….a very minor thing that would have been caught right away if the pump had been bench tested like we requested to the mechanic (all three times). So, finally, a simple repair begun before Easter just got resolved a few days ago. Ahhh the joys of cruising. Needless to say we were not happy campers.

When returning to PV from Punta Mita we decided not to go back to Marina Vallarta but to go to a second harbor a couple miles north called Nuevo Vallarta, still inside Banderas Bay. At first we stayed in Nuevo Vallarta Marina, a once beautiful but now quite dilapidated marina, tied to pile moorings (between two steel posts) - a cheaper and more comfortable place with its cooling breezes and absence of mosquito’s. We use the dinghy to get in to the showers and access to buses into town, and you take your life in your hands when you step on the decrepit docks. After a week we decided to move next door to upscale Paradise Village Marina so we could use the numerous pools, beaches and facilities of the associated resort hotel. It really is first class here with beautiful concrete docks, 24-hour security, a yacht club, a mall with restaurants, shops, and a supermarket, numerous pools and even a zoo with tigers on the grounds. The lap pool that we use every afternoon is set in a tropical flowering garden with peacocks at one end and scarlet macaws at the other. But “Paradise” is not free!

Our plans have changed a bit since we last sent out a passage note. We thought we might spend the summer up in the Sea of Cortez but we have decided to leave the boat here in Puerto Vallarta in Paradise Village Marina and go to Boston for the summer. This will allow us to spend lots of time with our youngest son Joe, plus see son David when he comes to Boston on business. So we are madly trying to book flights, find housing and get the boat prepared to leave for the hurricane season that runs from June until November. (Know anyone in Boston who needs a house sitter?)

Puerto Vallarta / Nuevo Vallarta is one of the best safe hurricane spots in all of mainland Mexico. The marina is very secure and we will have a boat management company look after the boat for us. Of course much needs to be done to prepare to leave Jacaranda. All the sails must come off, washed and bagged. Also halyards and lines must be removed, washed, dried and packed away. The whole interior cleaned (wiped down with bleach to prevent mold). The engine will be flushed with fresh water. Water maker needs to be pickled, etc.

I will also try to obtain some work with the company I worked with before leaving SD (CSC) that I could do remotely from Boston. So I have folks in CSC keeping their eyes open for some work.

That’s the new news from us onboard Jacaranda. We will be back on board in early Oct ready and eager to start the next cruising season.

The radio transmission of the email is very slow and we are monitored on the amount of usage. Don’t use this as an excuse not to write - just strip off our message before replying.

Warmest Regards,

Chuck & Linda

2006-07-06T18:11:00.000-06:00

Passage Notes #7
Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
April 22, 2006
Air Temp 85

Bad Transmission!
Bad Engine!
Bad Dingy (Bad Chuck)!

The last note left off in Zihuatanejo with the boys heading back to the states and our departure a few days later north to Puerto Vallarta to meet up with our friend Trish from San Diego. After doing our last minute shopping, pulling the stern anchor up and scrubbing all the algae and barnacles off the line (we did this with mask and snorkel every couple of days just to try and stay ahead of the growth; friends found seahorses clinging to theirs!), loading the dingy on deck and then scrubbing the anchor chain link by link we finally departed mid afternoon. We had been in Zihuatanejo almost a full month!

The winds were light and the seas were a bit sloppy as we began the 400+ mile trip north, against the wind that normally blows following the contours of the coast. We motored along only to find the seas continuing to get lumpier as we moved further from Z-town. About 7 hours out we noticed the transmission began to slip. At this time we were motoring into seas that were 2-3 feet with an occasional larger swell with no wind. We immediately slowed the boat down and changed plans to divert to Caleta de Campos so I could crawl back on top of the engine and try to adjust the transmission. Our friends on PERSISTENCE, who left about 4 hours after we did, caught up to us at about 2 a.m. and stayed along side until we limped into this little anchorage. By this time the transmission was slipping big time and was extremely hot. After the engine cooled down I adjusted the clutch and changed the transmission oil. The oil smelled burnt and was full of clutch plate material.

Early the next morning we got underway to Maruata, the closest anchorage about 45 miles further west. Once again we saw lots of turtles floating on the surface (the beach at Maruata is a nesting place for sea turtles). As we arrived in the small anchorage, Linda noticed a large fish bait ball just ahead of us on the surface so she tossed out the lure. Bingo! Immediately it was hit and she was dragging a large jack crevelle alongside the boat. Instead of releasing it (not good eating for our tastes), we flagged a nearby panga (Mexican open boat) that was returning to town and asked the fishermen if they wanted the fish (they find them delicious). Tossing the fish into their boat brought smiles all around and a big “Gracias”. We only stopped for a few hours to check the transmission (which now seemed to be working fine), transfer fuel from jugs into the tank, take a shower and have lunch. Maruata looked like an interesting place with a tiny village, enramadas on the beach (shade palapas for horses) and not much else.

We departed at 3 p.m. for the next destination, Manzanillo, 78 miles up the track. About 10 p.m. we noticed the transmission beginning to slip so we throttled back and the engine died. We got it started again but for the next 12 hours we fought the engine stalling. At one point, just 15 miles off the entrance to Manzanillo Bay, we drifted around without power for a couple of hours with our headsail up in a ½ knot current and 3 knots of breeze. We finally limped into the bay to the small calm cove of Las Hadas, anchoring in front of the white Moorish resort where the movie “10” was filmed (Bo Derek & Dudley Moore) and next to Kiwi friends on VISION. The following day I adjusted the transmission again and began work on the engine to diagnose the problem. It appeared as if the engine was being starved for fuel yet it would start up shortly after stalling, at times with no power.

Early the following day we motored 6 miles west across adjacent Santiago Bay to Carrizal, the tiny but gorgeous northernmost anchorage on the bay. We usually carry the inflated dinghy on the deck when we go short distances but today we were towing it since the day was so calm. The engine ran fine at ½ throttle but as we were approaching the anchorage I looked back and noticed …….No Dingy!!!!!!! We immediately did a 180 and started to retrace our track back using the binoculars to spot the “bad dingy”. We called our friends on AT LAST who were still anchored in Las Hadas and Mike jumped into his dingy to look for it from his end. We searched for a few hours with no luck. Imagine our relief when finally Mike radioed us to say he had found it!! Some fisherman had towed it ashore around Punta Santiago after seeing it floating alone and unidentified in the middle of the bay. We were overjoyed and gave the fisherman a reward for their rescue. Who tied the dingy on the transom? --- Bad Chuck! (Linda adds: In between my prayers to find the dingy, one thought went through my head: “Thank God it wasn’t me that tied it!!!”) .

Finally arriving in Carrizal early afternoon, it reminded us of anchorages in the Channel Islands. The small narrow cove was edged with high cliffs and had a small rocky beach at the head. Linda did some snorkeling along the western wall and reported lots of beautiful fish and some live coral.

We left at 5 a.m. the next morning for Tenacatita, 48 miles NW. We tried running the engine much harder than before and found that it hiccupped a few times, only stalling when we throttled back to anchor. We made it to Tenacatita by 1 p.m. and shortly afterwards the wind came up to blow 20+ knots for the rest of the afternoon. Our friends on ENDEAVOR left 4 hours after us and had a rough go of the last 10 miles, wishing that they had got going earlier. We were glad to be safely anchored and enjoying a cold drink as the wind generator took over keeping the batteries charged up.

From Tenacatita we left again at 5 a.m. for Chamela 28 miles to the NW arriving about 10:30 a.m. with the engine running strong but once more stalling as we approached the anchorage. By this time we had it down…. charge into the anchorage at full speed (we called it the “Captain Ron” approach after the movie) and when we picked a spot to anchor throttled back expecting the engine to stall and we would glide into the desired stop with main up in case we need a little extra power to maneuver. Not so great for backing down to set the anchor but it seemed to work just fine as we never did drag.

Chamela is a great spot; we spent 4 days there waiting for the strong NW winds to die down and feeling a bit better about getting closer to Banderas Bay 99 miles away to meet Trish in Puerto Vallarta. While in Chamela we met a Polish guy named Janusz who used to be a successful architect in Chicago. The story goes something like this: While driving between job sites he got a cell phone call from an irate wealthy client complaining about a custom Italian chandelier just delivered from Milan. He got so angry at the whole scene that he threw his cell phone out the window, drove to the airport and headed to Mexico. Ending up in Chamela he kept telling his office he would be back “next week”. Next week turned into 3 years. Now Janusz is married to a local woman and has a beautiful little girl. He has a small palapa restaurant on the beach and is trying to start a service for the cruisers that stop at Chamela. He would call the fleet on the radio in the morning to let them know what he was making that evening. One night he made a fantastic eastern European hamburger plate with hot polish mash potatoes (a recipe from his mother). Another evening he made a great fish dinner for about 20 folks. The next night he made Pirogues (eastern European dumplings filled with cheese and potatoes). A wonderful surprise to have these great eastern European meals served in a tiny town, on the beach in Mexico. Janusz is a great guy and the yachties are lucky to have him in Chamela.

A 24-hour weather window was being forecast by Weather Guru Don for the Tuesday evening-Wednesday time frame. A one day window is very short and difficult to call but Don constantly amazes us with his accuracy. It had been pretty drafty for the past week and that evening we counted 25 boats all waiting to get the jump around windy Punta Corrientes. A group of 8 boats (including us) left Tuesday evening with the rest of the boats leaving very early Wed. morning. The trip north was excellent with calm seas and a light wind from the north. For 5 hours we had very thick fog that kept us glued to the radar screen. The boats were spread out but we did have 3 boats within a few miles of us all night. At one time one boat was only a few boat lengths away until we asked them to please move further away while passing! The engine ran perfectly at about ¾ throttle and we did not touch it again until we slowed down to anchor in La Cruz in Banderas Bay. As soon as we throttled down to anchor - you guessed it - it died. So the next day we made arrangements to move into a slip in Marina Vallarta in Puerto Vallarta where we would be able to begin the repair work. We also made arrangements with two friends from boats already in the marina to standby with their dingies to act as little tugboats to get us in the slip. As soon as we throttled back after our approach - we knew it - the engine died, then started back up with no power. Thankfully Alex from MAITAI ROA and David from ELYSIUM pushed us into the slip. We should have done a Captain Ron! (He drives into the slip at full throttle driving over the end of the slip with people scattering every which way …)

Marina life means plenty of fresh water, unlimited electricity, flat calm and an excellent British mechanic called “Teapot Tony”. He stopped by the next day and said he thought it was the fuel injection pump. Plus he said he had a shop in town that specialized in injector pumps. So we spent the next few days doing projects, removing the pump and socializing with other yachties in the marina. Trish arrived loaded down (90lbs) with boat parts, 4 months of mail, food and special treats for the both of us. Plus she carried a huge box containing a watermaker pump that needed to be swapped out. Customs let her through with only a short chat and no duty required. Yeah Trish… Many Thanks!

Linda and Trish did lots of the sights in PV and one day took a panga (large open boat) to Yelapa, a small village across the bay with no roads or cars (some burros and horses). Another evening they did an “Art Walk” seeing a number of galleries that were open in the evenings. Linda stayed with Trish in her hotel room enjoying the air conditioning and hot showers (hot showers - what’s that?) plus getting lots of time together. I used this time to tear into a number of projects that had been on our to do list while joining Trish and Linda for dinner and a few nights in the hotel.

It’s about 10-12 degrees cooler here in PV than in Z-town but because we are in the marina, most of the breeze is blocked and it feels much hotter. I also think the large condos surrounding the marina radiate the heat. We have resorted to the sensible Mexican way of life of taking a siesta for a couple of the hottest hours in the afternoon with fans generating a little air movement . Boy, how are we going to make it up in the Baja in the summer?

We should have the injector pump repaired in a few days and most of the items crossed off the work list. Hopefully the engine will be happy with the rebuilt pump. If all goes according to plans we should be headed north towards Mazatlan soon and then across the Sea of Cortez to the Baja side.

For those of you who have sent us emails, we thank you and can’t tell you how much we enjoy hearing from you. For those that haven’t written please do. We really do enjoy getting mail from you!!! So please write us to let us know how things are going! Helen thank you for chocolate treats!!!

Remember: if replying to this email REMOVE our message first before sending.

The radio transmission of the email is very slow and we are monitored on the amount of usage. Don’t use this as an excuse not to write - just strip off our message before replying.

Warmest Regards,

Chuck & Linda

2006-07-06T18:09:00.000-06:00

Passage Notes #6
Zihuatanejo, Mexico
March 20, 2006
Water temp 78
Air Temp 95-98

Floating Army Helmets!

Our last note left off in Barra de Navidad in the lagoon awaiting the arrival of zee French baker. Departing Barra early in the morning in company with Jack & Hermy on IWA we closely followed our chart plotter track to insure we did not run aground since the narrow channel in and out of the lagoon is unmarked. We had almost run aground going into the lagoon as we got off the intended track and quickly saw the depth sounder register 6’. We draw 6 feet! Luckily Carmen and Arne aboard GWENAN OF CAMBRIA were right behind us and we ended up following them in.

Our plan was to go nonstop directly to Zihuatanejo about 217miles SE (a three day and two night sail). The trip down was a real mixed bag with winds from many directions and some light patches. Once again we had to motor much more than we liked. On the way down IWA showed us her backside and we never did see her front side until we entered the harbor. Jack & Hermy had her moving very well, kindly keeping us in sight the whole way to tease us. On one part of the journey we passed dozens and dozens of sea turtles floating on the surface - there were so many that we had to occasionally alter course to avoid them. They looked like army helmets bobbing around. As we passed close by they would look up in amazement and then start to dive but by then we were already abeam of them and quickly left them astern.

While I was off watch Linda noticed what looked like hundreds of white Styrofoam packing peanuts floating on the water, initially appearing as if some container had fallen off a ship and broken open…… until she captured one in a bucket. It turned out to be a finely crafted bubble sail and when she carefully turned it over she found a small lavender sea snail attached on the underside. The bubble sail gave the snail transportation via the wind and current. As she tried to pull the snail away from its semi clear sail, it exuded a dye that turned her fingers bright purple….possibly a deterrent to other sea creatures that might be tempted to snack on packing peanuts.

Approaching Zihua, IWA was about 3 miles ahead of us. We had been keeping a vigilant eye on the radar most of the night as there were a number of freighters and fishing boats passing by. Just before sunrise our screen showed that IWA and a very large cruise ship were converging at the entrance to the bay. I kept saying to myself “gee, that is looking like a collision course.” Sure enough, IWA got a call from them on the radio: “Sailboat on our port, what are your intentions?” Hermy replied, “We are headed into the Bay” The cruise ship responded “So are we, do you see us?” The massive, towering cruise ship was lit up like a Christmas tree and couldn’t be missed. Hermy’s amazed reply was “Of course we see you!” She kindly offered to move aside and let them enter the bay first.

Zihuatanejo is a beautiful bay with five gorgeous palm tree lined sandy beaches and a very colorful Mexican resort/fishing town. It’s very warm and tropical here and we are about the same latitude as Hawaii. 50+ boats were at anchor. Many remained from the February Sailfest, an annual cruiser charity event that attracted more than 100 boats this year and raised $57K for the local schools. We saw many boats that we knew and met many more that we had only heard on the radio checking into the daily nets.

We met a local Mexican, Antonio, who came fishing with us early one morning. Trolling in the bay Linda and Antonio hooked up 2 fish at the same time. Unfortunately Linda lost her fish but Antonio was able to land a 20lb crevalle jack. Twenty minutes later Linda hooked up again and this time it took her almost 20 minutes to land an even larger jack. At one time the dingy was being towed around the anchorage as Linda fought the hard fighting fish. These jacks put up a great fight but are not to our taste buds so we gave them both to Antonio for his family.

Linda and I were just about ready to leave the boat on a windy afternoon to head to the airport to met Joe (Linda’s youngest son). I had been watching a parasail speedboat trying to launch a tourist off the beach and they were having difficulty because of the strong breeze. It took 2 speedboats tied together to get the guy up and then the first boat cut himself free. I figured this was not a good sign and watched as the boat started around the bay with the guy up in the air about 10-15 stories. It came pretty close to an anchored boat about 150 yds away and was headed towards us. I kept an eye on him as he came around us but luckily he was not too close. Our friends on LAST RESORT who were anchored next to us were not so lucky. When the parasail speedboat tried to circle around the bow of their boat he got dragged down closer to them and the line from the boat to the chute got caught in the mast and rigging. The guy up in the sky attached to the parachute quickly dropped in the water. The speedboat driver tried to power the line off the mast. Before Steve and Susan could cut the line it ripped the spreader off the mast and bent their radar mast and destroyed a couple of lights. Luckily no one was hurt and after cutting the parachute towline free someone picked up the poor tourist in the water. So the parasailing boat not only had LAST RESORT screaming at them but I am sure when they went to retrieve the guy in the water they got a sound thrashing from him as well. The harbormaster is the cousin of our Mexican friend, Antonio, so we got him involved and the end result is the owner promised to pay the $900 in damage. Steve and Susan have $200 in hand with a promise to recoup the remainder in a few days… don’t hold your breath. Bad news is that LAST RESORT was planning on leaving this week and now will have to wait for parts and make the necessary repairs. Luckily their spreader is a stock item from a rigging shop in the US, unlike our spreader that would have required a custom one to be manufactured.

Joe arrived on time having a good flight from Boston. It was great to see him; we were worried about him being on a rolly sailboat at anchor but he did great and only needed a couple of seasick pills the first 2 days. The next evening we went up to the “Blue Mamou” blues club where the band invited Joe to play a few songs with them. He rocked!

David, Linda’s oldest son, arrived a few days later coming down from SD using Spring Break to forget about his last semester at SDSU. We went from the airport (by local bus - 60 cents versus $35 for a cab) to town, had dinner and then back up to the “Blue Mamou” to listen to Joe jam with the house band.

The following day Antonio took us along with his family about 1 hour south to their family’s watermelon ranchero. They live in a lush green valley and were in the process of harvesting tobacco. David and Joe got his kids playing baseball using a grapefruit and a palm frond. We had an enjoyable day coming back to Z-town loaded with watermelons, green coconuts, corn and chilies. Those chilies would later cause David undue “caliente” (heat) as he and Antonio munched on them while in a local restaurant. In fact David’s face turned red, veins stood out on his forehead and beads of sweat ran down his face. Now he will be more careful when he say he wants hot! Antonio said these family chilies were a 5 on a 1-10 scale.

Friday night we went up to Rick’s Bar for “Open Mike” and Joe played for a couple of hours making $45 in tips! It was St. Patrick’s Day so of course there was green beer. Rick kept plying Joe with tequilas and beer that somehow ended up in front of Dave. Last night we went back to Rick’s Bar for an encore where Joey again jammed to a crowded house and closed the place. Nonstop music for 3 hours had the joint jumping and put an additional $55 bucks in Joe’s pocket. It was so much fun!! Imagine going on vacation and going home with more money than you arrived with!

The boys left this morning to head back to the US, Joe to Boston and Dave to San Diego. The week has flown by and Linda and I will need a vacation from a vacation. Clubbing with the boys every night and not getting to bed until 1-2am or later is a total contrast to our normal cruising lifestyle of being in bed by 9:30. It was so great to have the boys onboard and we look forward to having them visit again. The sun showers, sleeping in the cockpit, getting wet in the dingy every time we motored to shore added to the whole package!

We should be heading north tomorrow. Our friend Trish is arriving in early April for a week in Puerto Vallarta. We have reserved a spot in Marina Vallarta and will use that time to give the boat its first fresh water wash down since our departure in early December. Plus projects awaiting a calm spot and the use of a dock will also be attacked in earnest. Trish will be staying close by the marina in a small condo and we are both looking forward to her visit.

For those of you who have sent us emails, we thank you and can’t tell you how much we enjoy hearing from you. For those that haven’t written please do. We really do enjoy getting mail from you!!! So please write us to let us know how things are going!

Remember if replying to this email to remove our message first before sending. The radio transmission of the email is very slow and we are monitored on the amount of usage. Don’t use this as an excuse not to write just strip off our message before replying.

Warmest Regards,

Chuck & Linda

2006-07-06T18:06:00.000-06:00

Passage Notes #5
Zihuatanejo, Mexico
Feb 20, 2006

Zee French Baker calling!

Our last note left off in Banderas Bay in Puerto Vallarta. We left the anchorage of La Cruz in company with Jack & Hermy on IWA headed south around Punta Corrientes for an overnight stop in Ipala. Leaving at first light we motored across the large Banderas Bay seeing those wonderful humpbacks jumping around us. It wasn’t until we rounded Punta Corrientes that the wind filled in with a light breeze and we were able to sail. Once we began sailing we saw a whale jumping near IWA. For the next 20 minutes as IWA slowly sailed SE the whale, heading north, was jumping nonstop up the coast. Finally, at long last, we caught a fish we could eat, a nice Sierra (beautiful mackerel that is firm white meat and very tasty). Another much larger fish must have hit our cedar plug because when we pulled the line in to check it the hook had been snapped off!

Ipala is a tiny anchorage (large enough for 5-6 boats) tucked into the cliffs about 15 miles SE of Corrientes. It does provide protection from the wind and swell but there are patches of smooth rock on the bottom and we had some trouble getting the anchor to bite. Like Punta Mita it is really just a staging area for boats waiting for weather to head north around the windy Corrientes point or for those making the trek headed south. We were up early and headed SE for Chamela before the sun peeked over the mountains to the east. A few minutes out of the anchorage we were able to hoist sail and take advantage of the light offshore breeze for a few hours before it died off later to fill in from the NW.

We did have a nice sail for the latter half of the trip, down this stretch of the coast called the Mexican Riviera or Gold Coast where some of the most exclusive and luxurious resorts are located; indeed we passed many a “Hearst Castle” overlooking the beaches. We arrived in Chamela late afternoon to find 7-8 boats swinging at anchor. We awoke the next morning to see dolphins swimming around the boats in the anchorage. One of the boats, OREA, purchased a very large Mahi Mahi from some fisherman and invited a number of boats over for a fish taco potluck. Also sharing the anchorage with us was the folks on GWENAN OF CAMBRIA, a sistership of Jack and Hermy’s IWA. They have lived and worked in the Yukon (North of the Artic circle) for many years. Arne is Danish and Carmen is from the US. Lots of entertaining stories of hunting, dog sledding, trapping and cold weather. Always great to listen to when we are in warm weather shorts and tee shirts.

After a few days in Chamela we departed and had a rollicking sail down to Tenacatita in 20+ knots NW. Just before we jibed into the bay we hooked a large 20-25lb Cravalle Jack. Of course it was at the moment we needed to change the sails and head in to reach into the bay. After rolling up the jib to try and slow the boat down (now 6 1/2 knots) we muscled (my tiny muscles) the fish in, got the book out to try and determine what kind of fish we had caught and finally tossed him back (poor eating). Once we sorted out the fishing gear, we carefully jibed the main and altered course; we now had the breeze on the beam. We reached into the inner bay with the full main (should have reefed), rail down doing 7 knots. As we got further in the bay we could see the 30+ masts of the boats at anchor.

Tenacatita is a large protected bay that appears to be a social hub for many boats. Some boats park here for a month or more. Staying put would be very easy to do as the days just fly by. On the beach… Bocce ball, Mexican train (dominoes), hearts tournaments, volleyball, group swims to the beach, dingy trips up the jungle river… One evening we had a “Mayors night out” (a “mayor” is elected from the cruising fleet) dingy raft up that consisted of at least 20 dingies all tied to each other in a calm part of the bay. Everyone brought something yummy to share and books to trade; it was a great way to meet everyone in the anchorage.

One morning at close to high tide we took the dingy up the river to the village at the other end. The small river (2 miles in length) is lined with mangroves, in places completely covered over in a tree canopy with just enough room for a dingy or panga (Mexican fishing boat) to pass. It was a delightful couple of hours and we saw numerous types of birds (such as egrets, ibis, herons) and mangroves so thick they were virtually impassable. The small village at the end of the river is very near the NE corner of the bay, (known as “The Aquarium” for its excellent snorkeling) and was filled with small shops and beach palapa restaurants. We walked the length of its beautiful mile long beach of fine white sand where a few Mexican families were out for a day at the beach.

On Wed we departed Tenacatita for the 15 mile jaunt around the corner into Bahia de Barra Navidad where we entered the narrow channel and wound our way into the inner lagoon. Part of the channel is marked but once we passed the marina (very posh and $2.10 a foot per day), there were no markers and we followed previously noted GPS waypoints into the lagoon. It’s easy to run aground coming in and many boats have to be pulled off shoal areas by dinghy brigades! The huge lagoon is completely landlocked with mangroves surrounding the shore and it contained about 20 boats anchored in 7-8 feet of water. Only about 15% of the lagoon can be used by the boats because it’s too shallow. Roseate spoonbills and white egrets nest here. We reunited with Silver Gater Christy on ISLAND GIRL who acted as tour guide around the village of Barra, showing us the best places to provision, do laundry, eat out, and shop. The next morning about 9am on the radio we heard the announcement that “Zee French baker is now entering the lagoon”!! We had been waiting for his arrival because it meant fresh baguettes, almond croissants, and quiches delivered to your boat. Se Magnifique! (That’s Spanench). Elvin was from Bordoueax and settled in Barra, opening a bakery and coffee shop. His daily arrival by panga into the lagoon was eagerly awaited by everyone at anchor. One boat called on the radio, “French baker please stop at Trinity. Then a few seconds later another boat called requesting him to stop at their boat. Finally a third called to Elvin stating “Heck just stop at EVERY boat!” Ahh such a simple life that fresh croissants gets us all excited. After all, it is a treat after eating Bimbo bread (Mexican wonder bread) and tortillas for weeks!

We are now down in tropical Zihuatanejo, our furthest southern stop and will include it during our next passage notes. It’s hot, the water is very warm, the butter melts and the mode of dress is shorts and tee shirts 24/7. Mighty Fine!

For those of you who have sent us emails, we thank you and can’t tell you how much we enjoy hearing from you. For those that haven’t written please do. We really do enjoy getting mail from you!!! So please write us to let us know how things are going!

Remember if replying to this email to remove our message first before sending. The radio transmission of the email is very slow and we are monitored on the amount of usage. Don’t use this as an excuse not to write just strip off our message before replying.

Warmest Regards,

Chuck & Linda

2006-07-06T17:44:00.000-06:00

Passage Notes #4
Banderas Bay, (Puerto Vallarta), Mexico
Air Temp: 82 degrees in the cabin. (yeehaaa!!)
Water Temp: 75
Feb 1, 2006

Jumping with the Humpbacks!

Our last note left off 75 miles out of Banderas Bay. We had left Cabo with forecasts of winds easing, going moderate and then filling in again. Well that’s not really the picture that we saw. The first 15 hours out of Cabo were great sailing with winds in the 18-20 knot range and we were close reaching at 7- 7 ½ knots in confused seas. The boat loved those conditions and we just let her romp along eating the miles up while we held on and tried not to get wet with the spray flying over the deck. By 3am the wind had dropped to less than 4 knots so we turned on the motor. For the next 30 hours we ambled along at 4 knots trying to conserve fuel and enjoying the flat seas and calm weather but hating the noise of the engine and the cost of the fuel being burned.

We tried our new fishing lures with no luck. But I did notice one of the lures we had been dragging had the large hook almost straightened out. I know it was the “big one that got away”! Now 75 miles away from Banderas Bay the wind filled in and we began to sail. The wind continued to build to 15-18 knots and we pushed hard thinking we just might make it in during daylight hours. About 20 miles out we saw a couple of humpback whales jumping out of the water and putting on a great show. We are always in awe of the majestic beasts that can propel their immense weight almost totally out of the water. Arriving before sundown did appear to be a long shot and as we got close enough to see the islands (Las Tres Mariettas) at the entrance to the bay the wind picked up and the sun went down.

The moon was not due for another 4 hours, we knew the charts for this area are off by more than a mile compared to the GPS so once again using radar we entered the bay and anchored in the north corner near the village of Punta Mita. My nervousness during night approaches to unfamiliar anchorages seems to flow over to Linda and we are usually both stuffed by the time we drop anchor. I am sure I will be more comfortable using the radar as time goes on but I don’t think the intensity will ever completely disappear. Maybe that’s not such a bad thing as it keeps us on our toes and off the rocks.

Banderas Bay is very large and is the mating center and marine nursery for several species. The giant Mantra Rays mate here in April and during that month fly out of the water. Humpbacks are the bay’s most numerous and oft sighted whales. They hang out here from Nov to March to mate and have babies. Numerous other whales are occasionally seen in the bay. From the cockpit yesterday evening we watched as two humpbacks tail smacked and generally caused a ruckus not more than ¼ mile from the boat. Yesterday morning Linda noticed a large group of small fins just breaking the surface close to the boat and it wasn’t until one jumped out of the water and did a flip that we realized they were a group of baby rays. Dolphins also use the bay as breeding grounds.

The anchorage at Punta Mita appears to be a staging area with boats coming and going all the time. The anchorage is close to the entrance to the harbor and a safe place to come into at night. When we first arrived there were about 15 boats and now it’s just Jacaranda and Begone from Crescent City (friends we met in Turtle Bay in December).

After 3-4 days at anchor and a trip ashore to explore the village we moved further into the bay to La Cruz (within sight of Puerto Vallarta). Now we have lots of boats neighbors as there are between 20-30 vessels anchored around us. We also now realize that there are hundreds of boats in PV as we can now gain access to the VHF net in the morning and hear many folks checking in. There are many more stores close by, easy access to PV by bus, Internet cafes and numerous restaurants within walking distance of where we leave the dingy. Our long-time friends from San Diego aboard “Iwa” arrived a few days ago from Matzalan and we will start heading south early next week. Jack and Hermy have been cruising Mexico for the past 6 years onboard their Tayana 37 and are a wealth of information that we will continue to milk until they depart for El Salvador next month.

While we were having lunch in the cockpit we noticed a mother humpback and her baby swimming through the anchorage. It was a great show as the whales surfaced next to many boats and slowly zigged and zagged throughout the anchored boats. Then about 2 hours later the same mother and baby put a great show on for us not more than a few hundred yards away. Mom was teaching the baby how to tail slap. For the next 30 minutes Mom would tail slap and then baby would try it. Wow! Having whales not more than a few yards away sure made for an entertaining afternoon.

For those of you who have sent us emails, we thank you and can’t tell you how much we enjoy hearing from you. For those that haven’t written please do. We really do enjoy getting mail from you !!! So please write us and let us know how things are going!

Remember if replying to this email to remove our message first before sending. The radio transmission of the email is very slow and we are monitored on the amount of usage. Don’t use this as an excuse not to write just strip off our message before replying.

Warmest Regards,

Chuck & Linda

2006-07-06T17:40:00.000-06:00

Passage Notes #3
Cabo San Lucas, Baja, Mexico
Jan. 16, 2006

Hola from Loco-land!

Our last note left off from Bahia Santa Maria – about ¾ of the way down the Pacific coast of Baja. Santa Maria is such a stunning place and we enjoyed it so much that we stayed 9 days! Terrific hiking, fantastic beach walks (a 4 mile beach all to ourselves and excellent shelling), lots of wildlife and really nice weather led us to say “just one more day”. In the evenings our anchor light located on the stern quarter about 6 feet above the water attracted numerous Mexican pelicans. The light attracted schools of small fish that these magnificent birds would scoop up in their huge bills. These large birds would float in the water not more than 2 feet away from the side of the boat. Linda would quietly sit in the cockpit for hours watching them fish, so close she could reach out and touch them. She called them her Bobbles (like those bobble-head dolls people have in the back window of their cars) as they just floated along side the boat occasionally giving a few kicks to remain on station and bobbing up and down, like rubber duckies in a bathtub. One night after dinner, not sure what I was seeing, I peered out into the darkness only to see a pelican looking in! We were both very surprised!

The next stop was around the corner to Bahia Magdalena, 20 miles south of our anchorage in Santa Maria. Magdalena is a huge bay with numerous entrances but only one deep enough for boats larger than shoal draft fishing skiffs . It’s one of the three major areas for whale calving on the west coast of Baja. We were too early for any viewing but enjoyed a few days anchored here - it was so calm that it seemed as if we were in our slip in SD. We spent two days in the village of Puerto Magdalena and a couple days anchored further up near Punta Delgado just off another long desolate sandy beach. We hiked across the sand dunes of Delgado to reach the southern end of Bahia Santa Maria Bay (about a 30 minute hike) and had terrific beachcombing finding lots of shells, clams and all different things washed ashore. Once again we had this long beach all to ourselves and spent hours walking in complete solitude.

Listening each day to the light wind conditions forecasted we picked a day with a bit more breeze (10 knots) and began our jaunt down to Cabo San Lucas (165 miles). We sailed on and off during the day and even flew the spinnaker for an hour just before sunset. By 7 pm the wind had dropped to about 5 knots so we motored until the wind filled in at 2 am. The wind continued to build all through the night peaking out at 25 knots just before sunrise. We had a great sail all night in beam reaching conditions and 4 am found us with no main and sailing with the jib, power reaching at 7-7.5 knots. As soon as the sun peeked over the horizon the wind dropped back to 5-8 knots and we motored the rest of the way to Cabo arriving early afternoon. As we were sailing past the large dramatic rocks that make up Land’s End at the entrance to the bay, we looked across the outer harbor, and there, framed by the rocks, was a large Costco building! We knew we were in trouble!

I was amazed at the growth of the city since I was here last in 1993. The population has more than doubled . There are new hotels, shopping malls, and a Costco; the inner harbor is totally filled with marinas and hundreds of large power boats. The marina rates are more expensive than San Diego. Friends paid $157.00 for a one night berth for their 42 foot sailboat. The development has been so rampant that many of the local areas only get water turned on once a week for a couple of hours. Each house has a large cistern used to store water. A desalination plant is currently under construction due to be completed in 2008.

We anchored out in the outer harbor, attacked each day by hordes of jet skis, water taxis, paragliders, kayaks, wake boarders and at least 1 cruise ship every day (with abundant tenders). By 10 am we were rolling so intensely that it felt like we were on the high seas. The first few days we provisioned, did laundry (5 weeks worth), got fuel, etc. . Because the forecast called for a couple of days of extremely high winds (35-40kts) between Cabo and Puerto Vallarta we stayed and had a few days to sightsee. One day we went to San Jose del Cabo, a pretty colonial town that is a short bus ride from Cabo. Linda and some girlfriends took a 1 1/2 hour bus to Todos Santos, a charming town known for its art scene composed mainly of expat artists from Santa Fe and other American cities. I stayed and worked on a few pieces of gear that needed mending and capped off our heater vent (yeah, it’s now warm!).

We are quickly learning that when it comes to wind in Mexico it’s either feast or famine: light, nonexistent, or “very” drafty. And any forecast greater than 2 days is extremely suspect. We departed Cabo San Locos for Puerto Vallarta (PV) on January 18 - the first day that the winds eased with forecasts of 15-20kts the first day, 10-15kts for the second day filling back in to 20kts the third day.

We are now (Friday) 75 miles out of PV, motoring more than we would like but having some good sails too. We are seeing whales, the ever present dolphins, a marlin jumping, and lots of small tropical flying fish. We are planning to make landfall sometime tomorrow night.

Remember if replying to this email to remove our message first before sending. The radio transmission of the email is very slow and we are monitored on the amount of usage. We will be posting a log on the website with photos once we arrive further south and can get to an internet café.

Chuck & Linda

2006-07-06T17:33:00.000-06:00

Passage Notes #2
Bahia Santa Maria, Baja, Mexico
Jan. 1, 2006

Feliz Ano Nuevo and a prosperous 2006!!

Our last note left off with our stop in Bahia de Acunsion.

One evening we had our new local friends, expat Shary and Mexican Fisherman Juan over for dinner and the next morning Juan’s 20 year old daughter Marta and her friend Cindy came by for breakfast. It was the first time for either of the girls to visit a velero (sailboat) and it was fun for us to see such excitement! Well Marta and Cindy took tons of digital photos and that afternoon when we were in the village, people recognized us and came up to us saying “Ahhh, you’re the gringo friends of Marta’s!” (Like celebrities being big fish in a little pond).

We spent Xmas evening with Shary and Juan and their family. Her brother, sister-in-law, and nephew flew down from Canada to San Diego, rented a car and took 2 days to drive down to Bahia de Acension. It was the first time she had seen them in 9 years and as you can imagine was jumping for joy. Juan is from this area so he has many relatives in the village and surrounding countryside and we were able to meet many of them. We couldn’t imagine what the culture shock must be for her brother and family with no running water and an outhouse, plus packed into a tiny house but they seemed to cope rather well. The house was primitive but the location on a seaside bluff overlooking a reef and blowhole was a 2 million dollar view!

Xmas Eve in Acension was not quite what we had expected but interesting. During that day we went with Shary and her sister-in-law to every little store in town (10) looking for fresh cream so they could make some pumpkin pies. No such luck as everyone was completely sold out but it gave us a great chance to meet all the shopkeepers and view the available merchandise. Late that afternoon we went ashore with some garlic mashed potatoes, deviled eggs and a cucumber salad Linda made to contribute to the feast (turkey and lobster). We were told that dinner was to be served at 8pm with Mass at 10. Shary said to come anytime in the afternoon. So we arrived about 5:30 not realizing that things really didn’t get started until after Mass at midnight! Well a number of folks came and went throughout the evening and we finally managed to get some Xmas dinner about 9:30 and headed back to the boat by 11 (Way past our bed time). Next day we found out that they didn’t get to bed until 6:30 a.m. Christmas here really requires quite a bit of stamina!

We had planned to stop at Abrejos so we could visit San Ignacio and view the whales. Linda did this trip with the boys many years ago and has raved about it ever since. We had not seen any whales while coming down the coast and Shary (a retired whale researcher) said we were way too early. So with sadness we passed on stopping at San Ignacio and headed directly towards Bahia Santa Maria (180 miles SE). Leaving early on Boxing Day (Dec 26th) we were able to sail within an hour of hoisting anchor. A light NE breeze continued to build all morning and by 11 am we had put in a couple of reefs giving us a pleasant sail at hull speed. Early that afternoon we saw a huge whale breaching (jumping out of the water), spyhopping (poking their upper body out of the water to look around) and tail/fluke thrashing less than ¼ mile away. (Linda was very excited about the show and I was excited it was so far away. About an hour later I heard a very loud splash right next to the boat. Jumping up I could see a whale making a dive and turn to miss us. It was so close we could easily see the white markings on its flukes and underside. Enough already! You definitely don’t want a collision with one of these giants!

The rest of the trip required quite a bit more work on our part. There was a large swell generated in the Gulf of Alaska (W) a confused cross sea (NE & NW) and it made for a bumpy ride. In addition the wind stayed out of the northern quadrant moving from the NE to N to NW to WNW during the next 30 hours. The constant wind change, at times directly behind us required numerous jibes (moving the head sail from one side to the other and also required us to move the spinnaker pole along with the jib).

About 20 miles from Santa Maria the wind started to drop and we decided to turn the engine on and motor sail. We could have continued sailing but an arrival of 9pm versus 4am made the choice fairly easy. This would be our first nighttime landfall but with a large open bay with no obstructions and newly installed radar we felt reasonably comfortable with the approach. But we have found that the electronic charts and paper charts were off by up to on half mile based on the GPS position making us leery of any GPS chart plotting closer than a half mile. Amazing - as soon as we crossed the Mexican border the accuracy of the charts stopped! The approach into the bay went without any problems but as soon as we started to turn into the bay we ran into a pea soup fog bank. It was perfectly clear with heaps of stars one moment and the next we could not see the bow. The radar worked very well and we anchored safely in 25 feet of water at 10pm.

We awoke in the morning to foggy surroundings and later that morning the sun burned off the fog to reveal a stunningly beautiful bay. Plus it’s getting warmer!! Bahia Santa Maria is a large 4 mile wide open bay formed by the coast line making a sharp 90 degree turn so the indent runs north to south. On one side is a ridge of small barren mountains (large hills) and the rest of the bay is a 4 mile sandy beach. A tiny fishing village is nestled in one corner alongside a small estuary.

Today we went for a long walk out to Point Hughes and enjoyed great scenery. The surf here is normally high but now is exceptionally large fueled by the big swells coming down from the Gulf of Alaska – the same swells causing beach closures in Santa Barbara, CA. and chaos for lifeguards in San Diego. The exercise was something we both were craving and we returned to the boat tired in body but refreshed in mind.

We will probably stay here a few more days before heading down to Magdalena Bay about 20 miles further south. From Mag Bay the next stop will be Cabo San Lucas.

We wish everyone a great New Years and thanks to all who have sent us email. We love hearing from you!

Remember if replying to this email to remove our message first before sending. The radio transmission of the email is very slow and we are monitored on the amount of usage. We will be posting a log on the website with photos once we get arrive further south and can get to an internet café.

Chuck & Linda

2006-07-06T17:29:00.000-06:00

Passage Notes #1
Bahia de Ascension, Baja, Mexico
December 22, 2005

Greetings from Baja,

After a delightful week visiting Linda’s family in New York and Philadelphia over the Thanksgiving holiday we were back in SD and up to our eyeballs in last minute details before our departure. Linda did her last minute provisioning and Chuck continued to work on the autopilot and buy more spare parts. Jacaranda continued to settle lower in the water and started to bulge from all the items we loaded onboard. It always amazes me how many details have to be resolved before leaving on an extended trip. Needless to say these last few weeks were crazy.

Finally on Wed. Dec.7 we shoved off from the dock, stowed fenders and dock lines and headed SW. Our first stop would be the Coronado Islands off the coast of San Diego, located in Mexican waters. The wind was light and we motor sailed the entire way putting time on the autopilot trying to make sure all the adjustments I made worked as planned. We had not been out to the Coronados in more than a year and were very surprised at the large number of fish pens. The large circular nets hold tons of live tuna being fattened up for the markets. There were floats, lines and huge nets all within a couple mile radius making us glad we did not try to pass through this area in the dark. We anchored closer inshore to the islands and had a restful night.

The next morning found us headed towards Ensenada at daybreak and hoping the wind would fill in later in the morning. It was glassy calm all the way down (45 miles) and we continued to burn diesel. We arrived in Ensenada mid afternoon and anchored in the inner harbor directly off of Baja Naval Marina. The weather forecast was for little wind for the next 3-4 days. The next morning we did all the paperwork required by the Mexican Government. The government recently changed the policy and now only requires one major check in upon arrival in the country rather than at every port. Copies of vessel documentation, passports, driver’s license, crew list, insurance, etc. were required by the officials. We were forewarned by friends who recently did this dance and were armed with heaps of copies. In Ensenada they moved all the officials together in one building so it made our check in so easy that we were finished in 2 hours!

After a few days in Ensenada waiting for wind, we headed south 225 miles to the San Benitos Islands. For the first 10 hours we motored in very light breeze but finally it filled in from the NW at 18-20 knots and we were able to sail for the first time since leaving SD. It was not as cold as we expected but some of that may have been due to our new plastic zip-in curtains in the dodger that allowed us to sit outside to keep watch yet inside the clear enclosure. During the day it reminded us of a solarium with just a little sun; we were toasty!

Linda did great on her first real passage (two days and two nights) and I was proud of her ability to easily move around in a seaway and stand her watches. We ate great meals, listened to NPR on our Sirius radio and tried to sleep when we were off watch.

We stopped a couple of days in the San Benitos Islands to catch up on some sleep and then had a great 20 mile sail to Bahia del Sur on Cedros Island. Early next morning we headed toward Bahia de Tortuga (Turtle Bay). For the first part of the way we were able to sail and the fishing lines were out. No sooner than the lines hit the water we had a fish on each line. These small mackerel were 4-5 lbs and since we didn’t care for mackerel we tossed them back only to hook another couple within a few minutes…about 8 in all. We were hoping for a tuna but no such luck. The route took us down the Dewey Channel and it contained a large amount of lobster floats. We dodged them the best we could but they were very difficult to see with the sun glare on the water. The first indication that we might have a problem is when we heard the “thump thump” on the hull from a float passing by. One float passed on the stb side of the boat and the other float passed on the port side (1 float attached to a long line connected to the pot and a 6 foot line & float attached to the first float used as a pickup line). The line caught the propeller and held fast. We immediately dropped sail and tried to dislodge the line with no luck. I thought I might have to go for a swim to cut the line free but a couple of Mexican fisherman came by and helped us free the line. Luckily there was no damage and we were on our way again.

Turtle Bay has not changed much since I was there with friends Jack & Hermie 12 years ago. We obtained a couple jerry jugs of fuel from Jorge who came by in his panga. He has a small business tending to the needs of boats by filling jerry jugs, water taxi and anything else you may need. Again we waited a few days for the wind to fill in, passing the time by walking around the village, trying out our atrocious spanish, visiting with the other sailors in the harbor and doing projects on the boat. (Linda has completed a necklace that she had started in SD)

The next stop is where we are located at the present. 50 miles south of Turtle Bay, Asuncion is a village of about 2000 people tucked into the NE corner of a large bay. The primary business is lobster and abalone fishing. We met Shary, a Canadian expat and whale researcher, and her husband Juan, a lobster fisherman, and visited them at their house located on the cliff at the entrance to the harbor. What an incredible view they have both to the north and south. If this property were in the US it would be worth millions!

It’s the same old story of the weather gods taking the wind away. The current forecast is for little or no wind for the next 4-5 days so we may just sit and hang out. We’ve been invited to Shary and Juan’s house for Christmas where they are awaiting a visit from Shary’s family for the first time in 17 years. There is a huge swell being generated by Alaskan storms and the waves are crashing with huge sheets of water directly in front of Shary and Juan’s house but little of the swell is making it into the anchorage. This village has much more to offer than Turtle Bay with the exception that you have to bring your jerry jugs for fuel ashore and get a ride to the Pemex station. The small stores have a much greater variety of supplies than those in Turtle Bay. Plus Shary and Juan will drive you to obtain whatever you might need.

The weather has finally warmed up and for the first time since leaving San Diego we are in shorts and tee shirts during the day and light sweats in the evening.

Wishing everyone Seasons Greetings and Happy Holidays. It’s always hard to be away from friends and family this time of year and we miss you all! We would love to hear from you if you can find a few moments to drop us a line. Remember if replying to this email to remove our message first before sending. The radio transmission of the email is very slow and we are monitored on the amount of usage. We will be posting a log on the website with photos once we get a bit further south.

Warmest Regards

Chuck & Linda

2006-07-06T17:23:00.000-06:00

Log 3 Channel Islands Summer Shakedown Aug. 2005

Sunday, JULY 24, 2005 - Becher's Bay, Santa Rosa Island
Santa Rosa, California’s second largest island, has a varied landscape of rolling hills, deep canyons, fresh water streams, a coastal lagoon, and sandy beaches with dunes. Our return here was prompted by Dave on Betelgeuse who told us of the beautiful scenery and great hiking - especially in Lobo Canyon. Since we had never been ashore, we decided to explore new territory.

Becher’s Bay is a large open bight (4.5 miles across) on the northeastern end of the island. A long wooden pier extends out into it, a vestige of the extensive cattle operation begun in 1901. It’s easy to get ashore either by tying up to the pier and climbing the iron ladder or by landing on the wide sandy beaches to either side of it. A path from the pier leads through the historic Vail and Vickers Ranch with its old farmhouses, barns, and a one-room schoolhouse from the 1870’s; ancient wind-sculpted cedars tower over the structures like umbrellas. We stopped to say hello to Angie and EK, the former owners (EK’s dad attended the school there), who now run an exclusive private hunt for stocked elk and deer (the largest mule deer in the country) for a few months every year under a special license with the National Park Service (due to expire in 2011). We continued another mile toward the impressive campground - drinking water (unlike most of the other Islands), toilets, and two dozen camping spots, each with its own picnic table, concrete pad, and windbreak screen - located in a beautiful valley with a fresh water stream.

No one was there........except Miriam. Miriam, a Jewish-Cuban published poet who organizes poetry slams in San Jose, had driven down to Ventura and taken an Island Packers commercial boat to the island to camp by herself for a few days. At our request to hear her poetry, she gladly obliged. Since slams are as much about the performance as the verse, she drew herself up and collected her theatrical persona before launching into rhythmical recitations laced with fortissimos, whispers, and flamboyant spanish word-trills. We arranged to hike Lobo Canyon with her the next day and cajoled a National Park Service employee into driving the three of us the six miles to the trailhead.

Lobo Canyon is legendary for its beauty and was a highlight of our island exploration. The two mile trail begins at a Chumash Indian cave and follows a narrow stream with riparian vegetation, winding through dramatic wind-carved sandstone cliffs, and ending at tide pools at the sea’s edge. There’s lots of wildlife here - birds, hawks, lizards, dragonflies, and hundreds of thumbnail sized emerald green frogs and black tadpoles. We saw a huge mule deer and Miriam almost stepped on a garter snake. After reemerging from the canyon, we walked back the six miles along Smith Highway to Becher’s Bay and reached the pier about 3 p.m., just as the usual afternoon wind began to howl.
A short excursion to Water Canyon Beach one day was lovely (where throngs of birds, like bees, swarmed at the outfall of the fresh water stream) but the other hike we really enjoyed was to a stand of rare Torrey Pines. After four miles along the flat Coast Road, past the landing strip and a field of horses, the path veered steeply up to the top of a plateau. On the slope along either side of the trail was a stand of Torrey Pine trees found nowhere else in the world - a different subspecies even from those found in a small area of La Jolla. Returning along the upper Wreck Road we had terrific views of the coastline and the rolling scrub brush hills of the interior - a glimpse into what California originally looked like.

We enjoyed a week of unseasonably sunny, calm, warm weather at Santa Rosa Island but it was time to leave; we had a rendezvous to keep with Linda’s dad, Stan, and his wife Nicole, who were flying into Los Angeles from Florida to spend a week on the boat with us.

Sunday, JULY 31, 2005 - Marina del Rey, Los Angeles
At daybreak we set sail from Smugglers Cove, Santa Cruz Island where we had stayed the previous night, broad reaching past the dramatic rocky spine that is Anacapa Island (aptly named “mirage” by the Chumash Indians). Shortly afterward the wind switched directly behind us and we were able to sail wing on wing all the way to the harbor entrance at Marina del Rey. From port to port with no motoring!!!!!

It was happy hour when we pulled into the guest dock at the Pacific Mariner’s Yacht Club and four very happy members came down from the bar to greet us and take our dock lines. This friendly group immediately made us feel very welcome and helped us over the next few days, orienting us to the area and offering to drive us to the supermarket. The next day, as he was walking up the dock toward the restrooms in his early morning stupor, Chuck passed a boat and did a double-take. “I know that bow-roller” he said to himself and realized he was looking straight at Runaway, a Spencer (NZ) 36 that his good friend Gary Titchenal from Santa Cruz built and owned for many years. Gary had just sold the boat a few months earlier and here she was a few yards away - what a small world! We spent a lovely evening with Eric and Robin, the new owners.
Stan and Nicole arrived Tuesday afternoon and we celebrated Nicole’s birthday with their friends Barry and Ilana. The next day we left for beautiful Catalina Island, 26 miles across the sea (as the song goes).

Wednesday, AUGUST 3, 2005 - Avalon Harbor, Catalina Island
We sailed all day, turning on the engine only when the wind died at Palos Verde and then to scoot across the shipping lanes, getting out of the way of two freighters heading south. As we approached Avalon Harbor, we passed Descanzo Bay and gave a shout to Bill and Sue, Chuck’s brother and sister-in-law aboard Limerick, their 38’ Fontaine-Pugeot catamaran. It was the height of the busy season and it was difficult to get a mooring in Avalon’s inner harbor. Luckily, Buzz and Maureen, Chuck’s brother-in-law and sister, were already on a mooring inside the harbor so we rafted up (tied together) with Encore.
Here we stayed and the week just flew by with lots of swimming, land excursions, and social gatherings with the Houlihan clan and other boating friends. One morning we boarded the “yellow submarine” for an underwater tour of Lovers’ Cove where fish have been fed by tourist boats for generations and generations. The fish mob the below-water windows so densely that they block out the sunlight from the surface. Among them were large bright orange “goldfish”, the Garibaldi, California’s state fish and a protected species. As our young guide quipped from his scripted dialogue: “The Garibaldi is good-eating.....it tastes a little like bald eagle”.

Stan and Nicole did well in Jacaranda’s cramped quarters with few of the amenities they are accustomed to on Infinity, their 47’ Mainship...as long as Stan was able to dinghy into town for his daily ration of chocolate ice cream.

Monday, AUGUST 8, 2005 - Catalina Island - Avalon and White’s
After a week, we all dispersed - Linda flew to Boston to see her son Joe perform at the Berklee School of Music; she was there six days with her sister Louise who took the train up from New York. Stan and Nicole took the Catalina Express ferry (about 1 and 1/2 hours) and returned to the mainland. Chuck moved the boat from Avalon north to Hen Rock, our favorite anchorage at White’s Landing....a great place to await our next boat guests - Neil and Hilary. When Linda returned, we hung out there for a few more days, hiking, swimming, and visiting with Kristen and Jason on No Strings (and dog Teaka and 2 cats). Since Jason was harbor patrol at White’s, they resided there all summer and we saw them often.

Monday, AUGUST 22, 2005 - Catalina Island and Santa Barbara Island
Neil and Hilary flew down from Bainbridge Island, WA. for a week with us - a much anticipated event! Both are knowledgeable naturalists and have been talking about buying a sailboat so we were eager to share our experiences with them. We spent a few days in Avalon - hiking the hills, taking a tour of the Casino (the famous Art Deco ballroom), and walking through the Wrigley Botanical Gardens - before leaving for Santa Barbara Island on Thursday morning. Past Catalina we rolled out the sails and with Neil and Hilary taking the helm, we put in a few tacks and anchored at the Landing by late afternoon. That first night was pretty rolly - Hilary and Neil fought each other for the more secure outboard edge of the bed - but putting out the “flopper-stopper” the next day helped reduce the rocking quite a bit. This clever device is a flat metal screen covered by a piece of plastic that is slit diagonally into four flaps. When attached to a pole and hung off the side of the boat, the plastic flaps open and close, counteracting the boat’s side to side motion.

Our sunny days at Santa Barbara Island were spent hiking, dinghying around to see the elephant seals and sea lion rookeries, and bird watching. This late in the season the bird nesting areas were virtually empty - only feather-covered ground and some expected chick fatalities remained. Sea lion pups were weaned and on their own now. After cockpit showers and cozy dinners, we spent several evenings listening to Neil read aloud from his wonderful manuscript, Near the Wild Heart, which Hilary was editing before final submittal to his agent. Before we knew it, we were sailing back to Hen Rock, enroute to Avalon at the end of a great visit. We said goodbye to Neil and Hilary as they boarded the ferry and then stayed overnight to do laundry, reprovision, and run errands.
Tuesday, AUGUST 30 , 2005 - Hen Rock at White’s, Catalina Island
We settled in at Hen Rock for the Labor Day weekend and the onslaught of boats, jet skis, and water toys of all sorts. Linda fished in the dinghy at the edge of the kelp off Long Point one day, using a flying fish that had landed on the boat at Santa Barbara Island as bait. She caught two small Blacksmiths for a panfried lunch. The late summer water was warm (72 degrees) and snorkeling was great in the kelp beds and rocks nearby.

We had plenty of time to read, do boat chores, visit other boats, and for Linda to work on her art projects. One night we had a delicious prime rib dinner with Kristen and Jason on No Strings, followed by a movie (DVD on the computer).
One of the biggest perks of going to the Channel Islands is being able to tune in to four national pubic radio stations on the boat - from Pasadena, Santa Barbara, LA and San Diego. Four! It’s NPR heaven! What an incredible selection of music, cultural reviews, and intriguing stories we were able to choose from! Unfortunately, this time, they were bringing us the news of the worsening catastrophe in New Orleans with Hurricane Katrina. The reports were distressing as Weather, that supreme overlord of the cruising life, wreaked its havoc on this very special place. We listened with the humility and respect weather commands from people like us living a life of exposure to its power and its vagaries.

Monday, SEPTEMBER 5, 2005 - San Diego
Reluctantly acknowledging the end of summer, we said a final goodbye to the Channel Islands at sunrise. Our Summer Shakedown ended with an all-day motorboat ride back to our slip at Silver Gate Yacht Club. Let the preparations for Mexico begin!

2006-07-06T17:16:00.000-06:00

Log 2 Channel Islands Summer Shakedown June/July 2005

Tuesday, JUNE 8, 2005 -Silver Gate Yacht Club, San Diego
Back in San Diego, June Gloom settled not so much in typical cloudy mornings but in our hearts instead. Chuck’s mom, 94-year old Marcella, passed away the day after we arrived home. Later in the month, a celebration of her feisty spirit, independence, and love of adventurous travel in the company of family and friends helped to soothe some of our grief.

Friday, JULY 1, 2005 - La Playa, San Diego
The July 4th holiday sneaked up on us and we decided to spend it in our traditional fashion - rafted up in La Playa (an anchorage right near our Yacht Club) with front row seats for San Diego Bay’s triple fireworks extravaganza. On one side was Limerick, brother Bill and sister-in-law Sue’s catamaran, on the other was Mary and Scott Gossler’s Pleiades Lady. The weekend was filled with visits from lots of friends, good food, and mega$bingo at San Diego Yacht Club.
On Saturday night, Linda’s son Joe, on summer break from University of Oregon, went with us in the dinghy to join the floating audience at Humphrey’s Concerts to see Lyle Lovett (the three of us had seen Keb Mo a few weeks earlier). It’s a jovial crowd that gathers in the waterway next to the seated, ticketed fans - jostling, nudging, bumping and hanging on to each other in freeloading camaraderie while enjoying the music in small power boats, dinghies, kayaks, paddle boards, inflatable rafts, anything that floats. People bring their dinners, dogs, guitars, beach balls, binoculars and barbecues. The only downside to these free concerts is the occasional urgency of needing a bathroom - extricating yourself from the floating mass and rowing or motoring to an appropriate dock takes a bit of time as Joe found out.......

Wednesday, JULY 6, 2005 - Leaving San Diego
In the same early morning hours that Linda’s sons were headed to the airport (David was taking Joe to catch a plane for Boston and a 5 week Berklee School of Music performance program), we were leaving our slip for Part II of our Shakedown, returning to the Channel Islands for the rest of the summer.
We again hopped up the coast (rather than do a direct overnight ) beginning with a night in Mission Bay.

Thursday, JULY 7, 2005 -Mission Bay/Oceanside/Newport Beach: Like Chocolate for Water
We motored northward in the early windless morning a few miles offshore to avoid the extensive kelp beds. Just past La Jolla we were excited to see huge numbers of bottlenose dolphins in several pods heading straight for us, as many as 75 in each group! As they leaped out of the water toward us in their transit south, we felt as if we were on the wrong side of the nautical freeway at rush hour, traveling in the oncoming traffic lane!

After a beautiful afternoon sail, we entered Oceanside harbor at 4:00 p.m. The water was chocolatey brown and even looked a little viscous; it had a peculiar smell, like marine decay. The condition was caused by “Red Tide”- which is neither red nor a tide - but a huge proliferation of microscopic algae often occurring in the summer in coastal waters. It can bloom and grow in such profusion that it affects the color of the water and, depending on the concentration and type, can poison fish, birds, and marine mammals. During these times, shellfish often become toxic for human consumption, leading to the old folk tale that you shouldn’t eat shellfish in months with no "r" in their names! But at night there is magic - - the algae bloom intensifies the phosphorescence in the water, creating a circus of moving underwater lights. Near the shoreline, the black plane of shallow water was etched with neon like a living x-ray film, pulsing with ghostly striations, sparkling milky ways, and shimmers of darting fish and other small creatures. Glowing concentric green rings spread outward on the surface from tossed pebbles. Around the boat, deeper water flashing with intermittent streaks of light as far as you could see evoked memories of darkening backyards twinkling with fireflies on hot summer evenings back East - and the same sense of childhood delight and wonder!

A great sail to Dana Point was followed the next day by our entry into Newport Beach. We threaded our way into the diverging channel past a fork here, an island there, past restaurants and large houses obscured by even larger power boats parked in private docks in front of them. As we approached the small quadrilateral anchorage area south of Lido Isle, we realized it was the location of a race course for 50 Sabots in a regional youth competition and the committee boat sat right where we wanted to be. We patiently waited for the race to end. Saturday night is party night in Newport Beach and we had lots of activity around us once it got dark. Booze cruises plied back and forth in the main channel (no where else for them to go) and a few little “jitney-like” boats with overhead awnings filled with happy music-blasting, dancing, singing, cellphone talking teens circled around us. A young couple in a small open power boat anchored, drifted too close to us, interrupted their romantic activities, reanchored, and resumed where they had left off. After listening to their anchor being reraised and relowered the fifth time within the hour, I decided they should look for “Lover’s Lane” somewhere else and shone a flashlight down on them. They got the idea and jetted off. The next morning we left Newport Beach, crossed the Channel, and arrived at Catalina Island in the afternoon.

Tuesday, JULY 12, 2005 -Catalina to Santa Barbara Island
The day was windy and foggy as we motored around the southern end of Catalina from Avalon (a departure from our normal northern route) and then headed northwest to Santa Barbara Island. Lots of fishing boats were sniffing about but there aren’t any anchorages on this end of the island. We passed Church Rock and Sentinel Rock - names that challenge the imagination conjured up by someone who never passed a Rorschach Test.... probably still better than calling them Guano Rock 1, Guano Rock 2, Guano Rock 3, etc.
Wednesday morning dawned Charley Charley (ham lingo for Clear and Calm) but didn’t remain that way. Two fellow Silver Gate Yacht Club members, Jubel (Pete and Venda) and Mis-Behave II (Steve and Debby) , who we had been encouraging to make a trip up from Catalina Island, sailed in and anchored about noon. We were excited to see them and arranged to pick them up in our dinghy to bring them ashore for a hike at about 2 p.m. after the National Park Service supply boat left the pier. At 1 p.m. the wind started to come up and by 2 p.m. was blowing a full 25 knots - conditions not conducive to dry dinghy trips or comfortable hiking. Sometimes timing is everything - we had a very nice non-visit since they departed early the next morning.

Over the next few days, in much improved weather, Chuck and I revisited our favorite hikes and lookout points on the Island, observing the big change in life stages of our wild friends. In one month’s time since our last visit, an obstreperous colony of bachelor sea lions had commandeered the Landing Pier and its surrounding rocky ledges. They bellowed indignantly when we climbed the ladder to the lower dock and peered down at them over the railing. A few feet away we could see every eyelash, tooth, whisker, toenail (flippernail) , wound, cut and scar. Around the island, sea lion pups were at least doubled in size and gathered together in nursery school groups, curious and playful.
Seagull chicks were as big as the parents by now and chased them around relentlessly, nagging to be fed. When we hiked past them, they would run and stick their head in a bush, the strategy being “if I can’t see you, you won’t be able to see me”. The pelican rookeries were empty. Lots of new young birds were in the skies and feeding on the water.

Sunday, JULY 17, 2005 - Santa Barbara Island to Santa Cruz Island
We were hoping to get to San Miguel Island by now but the weather reports had been calling for small craft warnings for the past few days. San Miguel, the outermost and least-visited island, gets battered by strong northwesterly winds, rough seas, fog, and severe weather from the open ocean (and the harsh influence of Point Conception). You just have to find the right weather “window” to get up there and anchor in Cuyler Harbor. We loved visiting this island a few years ago, highlighted by the day-long hike to Point Bennett, the largest pinniped rookery outside of Alaska and one of the largest concentrations of wildlife in the world. Here, in the company of a biologist who had been monitoring it for many years, we looked out on to an enormous stretch of beach where over 30,000 seals and sea lions (5 species) breed and haul out each year. A spectacular and unforgettable sight (and sound)! So instead we went to Smuggler’s Cove on Santa Cruz Island (California’s largest island), situating us further north and closer to San Miguel if that weather window were to open.
We left Santa Barbara Island early and motored in the overcast morning to finally reach sunny Smuggler’s Cove, anchoring in front of the olive grove on the hill, a remnant of the old ranch and agricultural community that existed in the 1880’s. The evening was warm and beautiful and we had a great dinner on Decadence with Capt. Dave, Gary, and Lindy, whom we had met two days earlier at SBI. Our plan was to leave early the next day - in the middle of the night, actually. Since the wind is usually calmest (or even nonexistent) in the night and early morning, this would be a good time to try to get to San Miguel Island.

Monday, JULY 18, 2005 - Santa Cruz Island to Santa Rosa Island - We’ve been slimed!
It was pitch black at 2:30 a.m. when we pulled up our anchor and headed west following the coast of Santa Cruz Island, heading for San Miguel Island. There was no wind and the night was calm. We saw nothing but bobbing anchor lights as we left Smuggler’s Cove and passed Albert’s and Coches Prietos Anchorages further to the west. (We stopped one summer at Coches Prietos - meaning “Black Pigs” - and were ambushed on the hiking trail by 3 or 4. Our initial reaction was fear since wild boars can be dangerous; we soon discovered they were just good-sized piglets expecting a handout from boaters who came ashore. Currently Santa Cruz Island is being rid of all the feral pigs by hunters from New Zealand in an effort to restore the island so hiking is prohibited.)
But how quickly things change out here! By daybreak we were passing Gull Island and crossing the Santa Cruz Channel with a reef in the main and dressed in our foul weather gear and safety harnesses. The westerly wind on our nose was 20-25 knots and getting stronger and the rough sea was filled with “white horses”. We decided to abort the attempt to get to San Miguel for today and ducked into Johnson’s Lee on the southern end of Santa Rosa Island (supposedly the island’s best anchorage). Out of the wind, the water was as placid as a lake - not a ripple! We guided Jacaranda into a clear finger of water between thick kelp beds and dropped the anchor. The day was sunny and warm as we eased out of our foulies into shorts and T-shirts - it felt like we were in Catalina!

To our starboard was a sandy beach with elephant seals that made us giggle whenever we heard their deep gurgling sounds, like a drain emptying. To the port, we could still see whitecaps streaming by offshore and watched two humpback whales breaching ,diving, and slapping their flukes. We were settled in!

But I repeat - how quickly things change out here! Suddenly, about 5 p.m. the wind started to build and by 6 p.m. it was howling at 40 knots. Coming over the island, the air was very warm, almost hot. We sat under the dodger, secure but vigilant, enjoying the strange blustery heat and watching the transformation in our surroundings.

Now, there are certain inanimate things that the wind makes animate, like a beautifully crafted sailing boat.....and like kelp. As the wind increased, the kelp awoke from its watery sleep on the surface and began to stretch and flex like hands and fingers arising from the water, twitching in motion. Soon, like a supple climber, it grabbed the anchor chain, handhold by handhold, and ascended to the bow, and on to the deck.

Suddenly Chuck uttered those three dreadful words - “We are dragging”. Now the verb “drag” may have special significance to transvestites or chronic anemics, but to sailors it means one thing - our anchor was no longer holding on the bottom and we were drifting. It also meant that we would have to get the anchor up and drop it again. Fighting 40 knots of wind, we pulled the anchor up as the kelp monster climbed on deck like a pirate boarding a galleon or a feudal warrior scaling a castle wall. Chuck was on the bow fighting the oncoming intruder with his machete as the chain slowly filled the locker below (at the foot of our bed - technically, forward of the v-berth), bringing with it loads of kelp as well. Meanwhile, decapitated kelp was blown back on to the boat everywhere.

Finally we moved the boat forward and dropped the anchor again in 40 feet of water, letting out 300 feet of chain. This time it took and held us firm. Luckily this episode happened while we still had daylight! We spent a watchful night as the wind abated at 11 p.m. but switched 180 degrees when the island wrap kicked in, pushing us into the middle of the kelp. “Kelp bed” took on new meaning since that’s where Jacaranda slept that night. When we awoke at daybreak, there was not a breath of wind. We were totally surrounded by kelp but were able to use the windlass to winch in enough chain to just get us over the edge into clear water so we could start the engine! As we did this, the wind appeared again. Chuck was at the helm and held us in position in the 15 knot breeze while I alternated between unclogging the anchor chain of more kelp as it came up at the bow and running below to flake the chain in the locker. Finally we were outta there!

But we had been slimed - kelp was sticking to everything - to the deck, toe rail, windlass, spinnaker poles, lifelines, etc.- - think large vats of cooked spaghetti dumped on the boat and drying everywhere. And below, the inside of the chain locker at the foot of our bed looked like a nori farm. Soon the smell was pervasive. The scented candle I lit just mingled with the odor to create a new fragrance - “Vanilla Seaweed” - a delicately strong yet sweetly pungent stench.

Tuesday, JULY 19, 2005 - Santa Rosa Island to Santa Barbara City
Santa Barbara City was a nice daysail away from Johnson’s Lee and we knew it would afford us a fun recuperation and comfortable place to clean the boat. Our assigned slip was next to Cheerio where Coloradoans John and Susan were living aboard for the summer. They made us immediately welcome and incorporated us into their “neighborhood”, giving us the locals’ lowdown, introducing us to their friends, inviting us to dinner, and driving us to Trader Joe’s. One evening, along with Dave and Ella on Betelgeuse, we walked to a nearby park for a Flamenco concert. The marina is well situated for enjoyable forays onto the pier or downtown which are easily accessible by foot or free trolleys. Shower and laundry facilities are clean and convenient. The docks are also interesting because commercial boats are intermingled; we met several crab fishermen and were fascinated by their business, lifestyle and bountiful catches. Hundreds, no thousands, of rock crabs were packed in colorful plastic crates lowered into the water next to the boats to keep them alive until they could be taken to market the next day. Multiply one fisherman’s haul by the number of other commercial boats multiplied again by several days a week and it’s unbelievable that the sea could yield so much abundance!! We also learned from them that Johnson’s Lee had a reputation for being unsettled and unpredictable and that our experience there was not surprising. “Yup, that’s Johnson's Lee”, fisherman Ron responded, “Shoulda gone snug up against the cliffs where we go” but of course they have huge cutting spurs on their props and just power through the kelp beds like they don’t exist.
After a delightful few days of socializing, relaxing, cleaning the boat, and reprovisioning, we said goodbye to new friends and left to return once again to Santa Rosa Island - but this time to the north side and Becher’s Bay.

2006-07-06T17:03:00.000-06:00

Log 1 Channel Islands Summer Shakedown May 2005

Tuesday, MAY 17, 2005 - Leaving San Diego
We're heading north for California's Channel Islands and the start of our Summer Shakedown, an important precursor to our global travels and the opportunity to test new equipment to see what repairs the boat needs before we leave for places where parts and materials are difficult and expensive to get.
This will be the third summer we have spent sailing here, mostly in the Channel Islands National Park and Marine Reserve - a remarkable place known as "California's Galapagos" for its isolation and richness, diversity and accessibility of wildlife. It is one of the least visited and most unique parks in the country. There are 8 islands in the Channel Islands chain. The 4 southernmost lie off the coast of Los Angeles; the 4 northern ones are off of Santa Barbara and Ventura. The National Park consists of five of them - Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, Anacapa, San Miguel (the 4 northernmost) and Santa Barbara Island. The latter two islands are our favorites and will be where we plan to spend most of our time. The sixth in the group, Santa Catalina, is the only one that is inhabited and is well known for the picturesque town of Avalon, quite the glamorous resort in its earlier Hollywood heyday. The last two southern islands, San Nicholas and San Clemente are controlled by the military and are generally off-limits.

In the early afternoon, we sailed from San Diego Bay to Mariners Cove in Mission Bay, a favorite spot that puts us within the sound of the delighted screams of the roller coaster riders at nearby Belmont Park and gives us a front row seat for evening fireworks displays at Seaworld. Finally leaving San Diego a few days later, we hopscotched up the coast, stopping in Oceanside and Dana Point before crossing the Channel, escorted by a welcoming party of cavorting dolphins, and arriving at Catalina Island .

Monday, MAY 23, 2005 - Santa Catalina Island
Bypassing touristy Avalon Harbor, we anchored up the coast at White's Cove, a beautiful spot off of Buffalo Beach where several Southern California yacht clubs have adjunct camping facilities for their members. Here Catalina's buffalos, the Hollywood movie props that have flourished since their abandonment on the island in the 1930's, sometimes make their way from the steep rugged interior to the sand.

Our next stop was a short distance northward to the Two Harbors area and The Isthmus, the eastern cove that faces Los Angeles - a grey smudge on the distant horizon twenty miles away. This is a relatively busy summer beach area with a decent sized harbor consisting of neat rows of white moorings surrounding a central dock. We dropped anchor in front of a campground and the Wrigley Marine Science Center located on the southern headlands of the harbor. USC runs this small research facility. When we were there a few years ago, we spoke to a young woman who was fussing over several frothy sea water tanks containing small blue and red striped fish called gobies. She had explained that a goby can change its gender: if one male and several females are placed in the same tank for a few days and the male is removed, the dominant female changes her sex and fertilizes the eggs of the other two females. Can't wait for a human application for that one!!!!

We shared the harbor with two large square-riggers and watched a few intrepid guys swing out over the water on a rope hung from a yardarm and drop into the frigid water...for fun. We dinghied ashore and after showers at the public facility near the outdoor bar where you can order buffalo milk (a vodka based drink), we stretched our legs by ambling a few hundred yards across the narrow spit of land (the isthmus) separating us and the second harbor - west-facing Cat Harbor.

Thursday, MAY 26, 2005 - Santa Barbara Island
We left the Isthmus early, motoring in the grey windless morning past the West End of Catalina Island and continued for five hours until reaching Santa Barbara Island. We're now in the National Park, at the southernmost and smallest of the five islands. It's chilly - time to get the sweat suits on!! This is the earliest we've ever been out here and we're all alone - even Randy Ranger is gone. It's even too early for the raucous crowd of barking sea lions who usually take up residence on the rocky shores adjacent to the cove's wooden landing pier. Now, only a few curious adolescents slip in and out of the water, stretching their heads high above the surface to see what we're all about.
We settled in and were reading quietly after dinner when we suddenly heard a "Thwunk" - something hit the boat. A few minutes later, another "Thwunk" from the other side. I went out on deck and looked into the darkness. We were under siege -- a night time attack by sea and air. Peering down into the black water it looked like green torpedoes were being launched and deflected from our boat at the same time that small green missiles appeared to skip along the water surface and become airborne....It turned out that four or five sea lions were having a feeding frenzy chasing flying fish that were attracted to the boat by our anchor light! Because of the bioluminescence in the water, everything that moved glowed so you could see the sea lions swimming, then hear them snorting and huffing as they surfaced. The flying fish were skimming the water as they were being chased and a few of them landed on the deck of the boat. They were quite large, about a foot long, and made a lot of noise flapping around. It was hard to fall asleep with all that activity!

The next day, after washing flying fish scales from all over the deck, we went ashore and hiked one of several trails that loop along the island's edge. We took the short dinghy ride to the pier, tied the dinghy, climbed the vertical metal ladder, and walked up the steep sets of stairs cut into the cliff to the top of the island near the ranger station. There are 6 miles of trails and we took one to Elephant Seal Rookery on the opposite side of the island. After walking a short uphill distance through meadows of dried grasslands, we crossed a ridge and started down through a large seagull nesting site. Santa Barbara is the second most important seabird breeding site in the Park with 11 nesting species that are monitored every year by scientists. Thousands of California sea gulls were nesting this year and many of the shallow straw nests were on the ground right next to the path. Most had 1-3 olive speckled eggs but several already held furry spotted chicks. Walking through here is straight out of Alfred Hitchcock's movie, "The Birds". We were flown at, strafed, dive-bombed (and even pecked once) by hundreds of screeching gulls who rose up indignantly to defend their nests.

Forty minutes later we were eating our picnic lunch on the edge of a cliff overlooking Elephant Seal Cove. Below us was the noisy activity of hundreds of California sea lions. Large harems of pregnant females were sprawled along the entire length of the cove, each watched over by a huge bellowing dominant male who swam back and forth aggressively guarding his family's piece of waterfront property. Immature seal lions slept, waddled along the sand, frolicked in the surf, or chased each other in the kelp beds.

When we looped back on the trail to our starting point at the Ranger Station, we saw we had been joined by a few boats, a handful of the eventual 20 or so that would make up the Memorial Day Weekend crowd. We also noticed that the flag was flying from the park flagpole, indicating that Randy Ranger had arrived. Redheaded with a ruddy complexion, Randy Nelson has been the ranger here for many years and loves his square mile of rock. He has residential quarters in the one building that houses a small visitors center and a bunk area for itinerant scientists but he has a wife and house on the mainland. As always, he is full of stories and wildlife watching tips.

Saturday we explored the island perimeter by dinghy. The cold water was crystal clear with lots of fish, especially around the columns of kelp that rose up from the sea floor. Just around the corner of the anchorage heading south was a small sandy beach with two dozen sprawling elephant seals, looking like sausages about to be packaged. The sea lions scattered among them were dwarfed by these enormous animals with their big fleshy probosces. The Visitors Center has a photograph taken in the late 1800's of a spunky woman (one of the island settlers of the era), looking like granny in the Beverly Hillbillies, holding a shotgun point blank in the face of a huge male the size of a small elephant. Further up the rocky shore we passed an extensive sea lion rookery below a large pelican nesting area on the dry grassy bluffs. Above all the animal and bird hubbub, Chuck and I thought we heard bagpipes! We looked over at one of the dive boats that regularly ferry mainlanders out here and sure enough, there was a man standing on the upper afterdeck serenading the divers as they slipped into the water.

Over the next few days we hiked, explored, and spent hours observing the wildlife from some favorite perches. From the top of the island we spent many an afternoon watching the sea lions below. The females had started to pup and the rocks at the edge of the sea were full of new mother/baby pairs. Amid the baritone barking of the dominant males and deep baying of all the others combined came high little cries, like kittens, as the pups struggled to nurse or stay curled up next to their moms. The mothers are very attentive as we observed close up when the solitary female next to the landing dock had her pup. We scanned the beach and saw two brand new births, heralded by flocks of sea gulls swooping in to fly off with the placenta as a tasty treat.

The pelican babies were in all stages of development, from snowy white balls of fluff waiting in the nest to be fed to brown "toddlers" with translucent gullets roaming around play fighting with nearby buddies. Some fledglings took off and shakily flew a short distance to the kelp beds below to try feeding themselves. Once in a while an adult would return from fishing and stand by a nest, trying to balance and stay upright as a chick inserted its entire LONG beak down its throat. And I thought breast-feeding was bad!

There was tide pooling with noisy oystercatchers, the singing of the pigeon guillmots as they bobbed together on the water in packs, and the sighting of the endangered Xantus's murrelet which flew at night. An ornithologist monitoring these interesting birds showed us an empty nest located in the middle of a low bush near the Visitors Center. The chicks are only two days old when they tumble from the nest and go out to sea with the parents, never returning to land again except to breed.

After Memorial Day we thought we'd be alone again but a ship from Long Beach University arrived with students in a Recreation Class to camp on the island for a week. We watched the never-ending assembly line as large white buckets were hauled up the trail all afternoon to the spartan campground adjacent to the ranger station. One morning I watched one of the students make a gyotaku print (the Japanese art of fish printing) of the slippery fresh perch she had just caught near the tide pool. In the 1800's, Japanese fishermen took newsprint, ink and brush out to sea with them to record their catches. Prints were brought back and displayed in their homes to be used as conversation pieces and to relate proud and heroic stories.

Thursday, JUNE 2, 2005 - Back to Catalina Island
The wind was atypically from the southeast when we left Santa Barbara at 9 a.m. so we motored all day back to Santa Catalina Island in a slight drizzle. We bypassed White's because it looked pretty rolly, and anchored further south near Frog Point. The evening cleared and we watched as a few small power boats pulled in good sized fish all around us.

Friday, JUNE 3, 2005 - Avalon, Catalina Island
We're in the tropics now! No more sweatsuits as we sit at our mooring in the bright sun in picturesque Avalon wearing shorts and t-shirts! It’s busy here but it’s the beginning of the weekend so activity in the harbor and the pretty little town - filled with golf carts instead of cars, strolling tourists, and hawaiian shirt shops - will amplify as the day goes on. Avalon has a decidedly Mediterranean feel and is full of color - from the unique Catalina tiles with their distinctive palette adorning buildings and fountains, to the mint green pier with its assortment of Fisher-Price-like tourist boats. In the background the bell tower on the hill peals out the time at half-hour intervals.

On Saturday, we attended a real treat in the afternoon. But first we had to stay on the boat to fend off the sleek expensive power boat attempting to pick up the adjacent mooring. The captain wrapped the lines around his prop, called a diver to free him, and then promptly rewrapped it again. Luckily the frustrated diver had taken up residence on his stern. Anyway, back to the treat - the 18th Annual Silent Film Benefit in the Casino’s wonderful art deco theater. The round Casino is Avalon’s unmistakable landmark - as exquisite inside (murals) as outside (Catalina tile mosaics). The movie was the first film version of “Peter Pan” made in 1924 and was thought to be lost until rediscovered in a Rochester, NY theater with its original organ score. The Casino boasts an old Page organ - one of only two left. Therefore, we watched the film just as 1924 audiences would have experienced it. An added bonus was the retirement salute to Avalon’s beloved organist, replete with gushing small town sentiment and fanfare. It was an afternoon of ceaseless clapping between the farewell organ concert, excited acknowledgment of Catalina as the movie location for Captain Hook’s pirate ship, and, of course, the entreaty to keep Tinkerbell alive!
David, Linda’s son, took the ferry from Dana Point and stayed with us for two days. We explored the area with the requisite golf cart loop through the surrounding hills, took a shuttle to the airport at the top of the island, and sighted a few buffalos.

Tuesday, JUNE 7, 2005 - In San Diego Again
We left Catalina to return to San Diego at 6 a.m. and were able to maintain a beautiful sail at 6 knots for most of the afternoon, finally quitting when the wind lightened up past La Jolla. We pulled into Silver Gate Yacht Club at 7 p.m. to a group of welcoming friends. We'll be here for a while and get a chance to do some of those boat projects that arose on the trip.

Jacaranda Journey

2006-07-06T13:54:00.000-06:00

The Beginning So the Journey Begins.........
We cast off more than our docklines when we left our slip at Silver Gate Yacht Club on May 17, 2005. We sailed out of San Diego Bay for the first time on JACARANDA as live-aboards, leaving a comfortable and familiar land-bound way of life behind in our wake. For Chuck, it meant coming home again, to the way he lived before he chose to temporarily leave it in 1997 so that we could be together. For me, it was the beginning of a major adjustment to a new and foreign lifestyle I had only glimpsed. For both of us, it was the realization of our 7-year-old dream to go cruising.

Although it is considered bad form in cruising to announce any plans (since the only thing that stays constant is change), here are our thoughts about a vague and general itinerary: after a summer shakedown cruise in the Channel Islands (California's Galapagos lying off the coast of Los Angeles and Santa Barbara), we'll return to San Diego in September to complete boat projects and reprovision, leave for Mexico in late October, head further south one of these days, and then eventually turn west.

There are some people who live in a dream world, and there are some who face reality; and then there are those who turn one into the other ........Douglas Everett