Friday, March 27, 2009
Home sweet home!
So this is the final. We're home! We pulled into SD on my birthday (3/12), and flew home the next day. We decided to sail the boat back to SF when the weather is warmer! So we're safe and sound, skiing, biking, horseback riding, and job searching :(.
Two thirds...
So here we are in Turtle Bay, but I’ll start from the beginning. Our stint from La Cruz to Cabo gave us a pretty good idea of what was to come. Don Anderson, weather guru, had excitedly exclaimed “there’s just no wind out there, it’s flat as a pancake on the southern crossing!” Eff you Don. Although our total faith in Sonrisa weather nets was shattered, the 21 knots of wind from the south and manageable swells for the first 24 hours had us optimistic about our bash back. But, as always, going downwind is easy. The next 24 hour stretch into Cabo had us tossing around in our home that seemed to be doing belly flops off of high seas. No eating. No sleeping. The constant motor droning (we love the motor though, so I don’t want to jinx it now). It was wonderful to drop anchor, even with all the jet skis and parasail boats jetting around. We had breakfast at the cantina, did our last minute shopping, and napped before our early departure.
Our second leg was much like the first, periods of good and bad. We had weather we expected, and were ready for the jumble. The last night was a bit rougher than we had hoped, and set us back from Turtle Bay by a day. We pulled into Bahia Ascencion for the night to sleep, eat, and catch our breath. The day sail to TB was nice, and we found out we’re migrating north with the whales (always making Kat a happy sailor). In TB we met and befriended Sky, another boat heading north… We have a buddy! It’s been wonderful to spend time with him and his crew Paco, a sailor and DJ from PV.
We’ve actually had a pretty good time here in TB. When we first got here, we joked that it hadn’t gotten any more charming than when we were here the first time on the Haha, but I’ve changed my mind. Yes, the town smells like bird poop and dead fish, but the people are incredible. Everyone in town is welcoming and wonderful, it’s been really cool to see the town as it is without the hustle and bustle of the Haha.
We also met a few other boats during our stay in TB, being sailed by some really rad people. My favorite was Sarah and Lydia on Gabriel… Sarah (26) just bought the boat, took a sailing lesson, and is finishing her travels around the world by sailing to Australia. Lydia hopped on to crew and had just finished her first passage… we wish them safe sails and lots of luck!
We pulled out early this morning, Sunday, with Sky to make our way further north. It was a bit stormy today; rain, winds, heavy seas… not quite the climate we’re used to. But all is well so far. I’m sitting on my night watch as we speak, and it all looks good to pull into San Quentin manana!
Our second leg was much like the first, periods of good and bad. We had weather we expected, and were ready for the jumble. The last night was a bit rougher than we had hoped, and set us back from Turtle Bay by a day. We pulled into Bahia Ascencion for the night to sleep, eat, and catch our breath. The day sail to TB was nice, and we found out we’re migrating north with the whales (always making Kat a happy sailor). In TB we met and befriended Sky, another boat heading north… We have a buddy! It’s been wonderful to spend time with him and his crew Paco, a sailor and DJ from PV.
We’ve actually had a pretty good time here in TB. When we first got here, we joked that it hadn’t gotten any more charming than when we were here the first time on the Haha, but I’ve changed my mind. Yes, the town smells like bird poop and dead fish, but the people are incredible. Everyone in town is welcoming and wonderful, it’s been really cool to see the town as it is without the hustle and bustle of the Haha.
We also met a few other boats during our stay in TB, being sailed by some really rad people. My favorite was Sarah and Lydia on Gabriel… Sarah (26) just bought the boat, took a sailing lesson, and is finishing her travels around the world by sailing to Australia. Lydia hopped on to crew and had just finished her first passage… we wish them safe sails and lots of luck!
We pulled out early this morning, Sunday, with Sky to make our way further north. It was a bit stormy today; rain, winds, heavy seas… not quite the climate we’re used to. But all is well so far. I’m sitting on my night watch as we speak, and it all looks good to pull into San Quentin manana!
Friday, February 27, 2009
Chamela, Ipala, and La Cruz...again.
So we headed out of Tenacatita for Chamela early morning. As Escapade would say, "it was like sailing through the Monterey Bay Aquarium." There were so many jellyfish of all shapes, sizes, and colors. It was incredible. No wind and calm seas made for a very clear view. Not long after we started heading throught the jellies when the sea turtles made their appearance. Although they're not to exciting to watch, there were hundreds, and they wouldn't move as we motored right past them in our boat. Thank goodness they did decide to make last minute dives beneath our hull, we would have been having turtle soup for a year with all the turtles we would have run over!
The turtles, apparently, weren't the only ones who liked to snack on the jellies.Hundreds of Bat Rays were jumping out and swimming with the turtles. And once the jellies thinned out the Manta Rays put on a show for us. They can jump so high out of the water and then they belly flop. It was pretty amazing. Our wildlife excursion lasted all the way up to La Cruz, but I'm getting ahead of myself.
Chamela was pretty uneventful, except for the fact that we totally changed our plans and decided to bash the boat back up immediately. We were anchored out at the islands at an intense red tide, I thought something had been ripped to peices in the water, it was really crazy. We headed up to Ipala before heading around Cabo Corrientas, and we had an amazing lobster dinner. We had oysters for aps, and we watched the kid go down and get our oysters out of the water for us! Delicious.
The most wind we've had in weeks was in Banderas Bay, and we pulled into La Cruz and got in gear provisioning for the bash and getting everything ready. Our last night was spent with Eager Dreamer and Escapade, and it was hard to say goodbye. Ok, we're pulling out of the gas dock and heading out, so no more time! I'll update in Cabo!
The turtles, apparently, weren't the only ones who liked to snack on the jellies.Hundreds of Bat Rays were jumping out and swimming with the turtles. And once the jellies thinned out the Manta Rays put on a show for us. They can jump so high out of the water and then they belly flop. It was pretty amazing. Our wildlife excursion lasted all the way up to La Cruz, but I'm getting ahead of myself.
Chamela was pretty uneventful, except for the fact that we totally changed our plans and decided to bash the boat back up immediately. We were anchored out at the islands at an intense red tide, I thought something had been ripped to peices in the water, it was really crazy. We headed up to Ipala before heading around Cabo Corrientas, and we had an amazing lobster dinner. We had oysters for aps, and we watched the kid go down and get our oysters out of the water for us! Delicious.
The most wind we've had in weeks was in Banderas Bay, and we pulled into La Cruz and got in gear provisioning for the bash and getting everything ready. Our last night was spent with Eager Dreamer and Escapade, and it was hard to say goodbye. Ok, we're pulling out of the gas dock and heading out, so no more time! I'll update in Cabo!
Tenacatita
So here we are in Tenacatita. We said goodbye to SueBee and Andanzas and cruised up here with Eager Dreamer. I can’t tell you how much I’ve been looking forward to being able to snorkel and “the aquarium”… so of course we got here at the start of a red tide. Visibility sucks. Regardless, it’s been a pretty eventful few days.
Day 1: We pulled into anchorage and headed into the beach Palapa. My parents got a drink and I was off on a run. I had heard of this trail through the jungle, and decided to have a nice little jungle run… of course I missed the trail. I ended up on the trail next to the mangrove marsh. I was running along, listening to my iPod and not paying much attention, when all of sudden something huge lunge at me from the water. A huge crocodile, mouth open, wanting very much to eat me for dinner, was thwarted (thank god) by the steep bank. In all honesty, I almost pissed myself. I have NEVER run so fast in my life. When I finally reached the bar, crying, I told my parents what had happened. The advice from the other cruisers who overheard: “Oh yeah, you didn’t know there were crocs back there? You gotta be careful.” I no longer run near marshes.
The next day, of course, was the jungle tour on the dinghy with ED. Through the “gated side” of the marshes. I was not pleased, and spend the ride on high croc alert. But it was pretty fun, and we ended in the bay with the snorkeling. Along with the red tide, and because of the cool water current, the sting rays have moved into shallow water. Luckily no one in our group got stung, but we saw quite a few bandages. We snorkeled, had lunch, and cruised back to the boats for a dinner.
Day 3: Dinghy trip to Manzanilla. This was a blast. You take your dinghy about 5 miles across the bay to an adorable little town (my favorite town thus far). We, once again, had our adventure with ED, and had a lovely time looking at B&B’s and snacking on the fresh baked bread and pineapple muffins. The ride back was a bit wetter, but still lots of fun. Of course, the day wouldn’t be complete without pre dinner drinks. Pre dinner drinks turned into dinner (meaning the drinks were dinner, don’t you hate it when that happens?) and the folks got pretty wasted.
Day 4: I kayaked around the point and went for a run. The swells were a little bigger when I finished, so I was happy to see my folks waiting with the dinghy. Unfortunately, while trying to launch the kayak, the swells got the best of me and took my shorts as a souvenir. I will say, getting to ride the two miles back was much easier than paddling. Jay went and played bocce ball on the beach with the guys, and Kat and I cleaned up the boat (ok, mostly kat did the cleaning but I was VERY supportive).
The next couple of days we spent playing beach volleyball, bocce ball, and Mexican Dominos (yes, a bit retirement home-ish), but really fun. We took the KDR across to Manzanilla to provision then over to another day anchorage close to the aquarium to give it another try... it was more clear but we think the fish must have been hiding. Escapade and Endless Summer came in and we had fun catching up with friends. We're off soon, I'll update soon promise!
Day 1: We pulled into anchorage and headed into the beach Palapa. My parents got a drink and I was off on a run. I had heard of this trail through the jungle, and decided to have a nice little jungle run… of course I missed the trail. I ended up on the trail next to the mangrove marsh. I was running along, listening to my iPod and not paying much attention, when all of sudden something huge lunge at me from the water. A huge crocodile, mouth open, wanting very much to eat me for dinner, was thwarted (thank god) by the steep bank. In all honesty, I almost pissed myself. I have NEVER run so fast in my life. When I finally reached the bar, crying, I told my parents what had happened. The advice from the other cruisers who overheard: “Oh yeah, you didn’t know there were crocs back there? You gotta be careful.” I no longer run near marshes.
The next day, of course, was the jungle tour on the dinghy with ED. Through the “gated side” of the marshes. I was not pleased, and spend the ride on high croc alert. But it was pretty fun, and we ended in the bay with the snorkeling. Along with the red tide, and because of the cool water current, the sting rays have moved into shallow water. Luckily no one in our group got stung, but we saw quite a few bandages. We snorkeled, had lunch, and cruised back to the boats for a dinner.
Day 3: Dinghy trip to Manzanilla. This was a blast. You take your dinghy about 5 miles across the bay to an adorable little town (my favorite town thus far). We, once again, had our adventure with ED, and had a lovely time looking at B&B’s and snacking on the fresh baked bread and pineapple muffins. The ride back was a bit wetter, but still lots of fun. Of course, the day wouldn’t be complete without pre dinner drinks. Pre dinner drinks turned into dinner (meaning the drinks were dinner, don’t you hate it when that happens?) and the folks got pretty wasted.
Day 4: I kayaked around the point and went for a run. The swells were a little bigger when I finished, so I was happy to see my folks waiting with the dinghy. Unfortunately, while trying to launch the kayak, the swells got the best of me and took my shorts as a souvenir. I will say, getting to ride the two miles back was much easier than paddling. Jay went and played bocce ball on the beach with the guys, and Kat and I cleaned up the boat (ok, mostly kat did the cleaning but I was VERY supportive).
The next couple of days we spent playing beach volleyball, bocce ball, and Mexican Dominos (yes, a bit retirement home-ish), but really fun. We took the KDR across to Manzanilla to provision then over to another day anchorage close to the aquarium to give it another try... it was more clear but we think the fish must have been hiding. Escapade and Endless Summer came in and we had fun catching up with friends. We're off soon, I'll update soon promise!
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Melaque
We absolutely love Melaque. We’ve been here about 5 days now, and it’s been wonderful… especially since we’ve been reunited with our friends! The marina at Barra de Navidad is beautiful, and just so happens to be connected to a gorgeous resort… not that we’re in the marina, but the rest of the gang is so we’ve been visiting frequently (The pool days and playing on the slides has been a nice change). We’ve all been shopping and swimming, walking through the towns and drinking pina coladas (yes, even pops). There is a fantastic run from Melaque to Barra, a french baker who makes baguettes and croissants, and really really good fruit.
We even had a visitor! Remember Brett, the harbor patrol from Catalina? Well, he was headed from Zihuat to PV and stopped in for a couple days to hang out. It was a lot of fun to have another kid around, and we had a birthday to celebrate. Suebee put together an AMAZING potluck, and there was lots of tequila involved. We snorkeled and kayaked and ran a ton, even if it to get croissants at the bakery…
He hopped on a bus this morning and we’re headed south for a few days before we get up to Tenacatita.
Quick note on Las Hadas because I was slow to post! It was a pretty nice anchorage in Manzanillo Bay, right off of a few huge resorts. We had a lovely Valentines Day celebration with Eager Dreamer, Suebee, and Andanzas… and a less than lovely day in Manzanillo itself (the city is pretty loud and intense!). We head north tomorrow!
We even had a visitor! Remember Brett, the harbor patrol from Catalina? Well, he was headed from Zihuat to PV and stopped in for a couple days to hang out. It was a lot of fun to have another kid around, and we had a birthday to celebrate. Suebee put together an AMAZING potluck, and there was lots of tequila involved. We snorkeled and kayaked and ran a ton, even if it to get croissants at the bakery…
He hopped on a bus this morning and we’re headed south for a few days before we get up to Tenacatita.
Quick note on Las Hadas because I was slow to post! It was a pretty nice anchorage in Manzanillo Bay, right off of a few huge resorts. We had a lovely Valentines Day celebration with Eager Dreamer, Suebee, and Andanzas… and a less than lovely day in Manzanillo itself (the city is pretty loud and intense!). We head north tomorrow!
Sunday, February 8, 2009
The Cruising Grounds
We headed out of La Cruz Tuesday morning for Yelapa, our last stop in Banderas Bay. It was an awesome sail, and Yelapa is another gorgeous, tropical anchorage in Mexico. Kat and Jay headed into the small beach town and ran into some interesting characters: one gray haired man with dreadlocks who passed out under the table and a band that makes most garage bands look like The Rolling Stones. Unfortunately, it rolled all night and NONE of us slept much. We ended up heading out earlier than we needed, but we were ready to hit the road.
Wednesday was spent heading around the point to Ipala, where we arrived early afternoon. We swam in, grabbed a drink, and really enjoyed the tiny little town. We tried to cook up the 30 pound fish we caught during our sail. We had spend so much time and energy racing around the boat and reeling this thing up that we figured it had to be good… it wasn’t. Note to reader: don’t ever eat a jack crevelle.
We left at the crack of dawn Thursday morning for our longest sail this leg, to Chamela. This is, according to my father, the beginning of the cruising grounds (Ok, seriously? What have we been doing all this time then?) Chamela was pretty cool though, a good bay, no rolling, and an awesome running beach. I even made some friends from Norway. We went into the town for dinner, where a woman cooked for us in her tiny little restaurant/house. It was easily the most authentic meal we’ve had, and delicious. We got to have a later start this morning, so Kat and Jay headed to town and I went for another run.
We’ve just arrived in Barra Navidad, opting to skip Tenacatita for now and meet up with SueBee and Eager Dreamer. After a bit of trouble with the stern anchor we’ve cooked up some dinner and are ready to chow down!
Ok, skip forward two days! We met up with SueBee, Eager Dreamer, and Andanzas... it is so good to see everyone! We love Melaque, i'll write more soon!
By the way, Cam I missed your birthday on the fourth, so Happy Belated! Hope it was a good one!
Wednesday was spent heading around the point to Ipala, where we arrived early afternoon. We swam in, grabbed a drink, and really enjoyed the tiny little town. We tried to cook up the 30 pound fish we caught during our sail. We had spend so much time and energy racing around the boat and reeling this thing up that we figured it had to be good… it wasn’t. Note to reader: don’t ever eat a jack crevelle.
We left at the crack of dawn Thursday morning for our longest sail this leg, to Chamela. This is, according to my father, the beginning of the cruising grounds (Ok, seriously? What have we been doing all this time then?) Chamela was pretty cool though, a good bay, no rolling, and an awesome running beach. I even made some friends from Norway. We went into the town for dinner, where a woman cooked for us in her tiny little restaurant/house. It was easily the most authentic meal we’ve had, and delicious. We got to have a later start this morning, so Kat and Jay headed to town and I went for another run.
We’ve just arrived in Barra Navidad, opting to skip Tenacatita for now and meet up with SueBee and Eager Dreamer. After a bit of trouble with the stern anchor we’ve cooked up some dinner and are ready to chow down!
Ok, skip forward two days! We met up with SueBee, Eager Dreamer, and Andanzas... it is so good to see everyone! We love Melaque, i'll write more soon!
By the way, Cam I missed your birthday on the fourth, so Happy Belated! Hope it was a good one!
Sunday, February 1, 2009
the Triumphant return...
Leaving home was awful. It was just as hard as the first time we said goodbye as we flew south for the next four months. Mike Justice (shout out!) gave us a ride to the airport in the early morning. None of us seemed all that excited, but as soon as we got back to the boat we were feeling a lot better. We met up with Triumph and Whisper for street tacos, and they were easily the BEST tacos I have ever had in my life. A family at the edge of town opens their house up for three nights a week, and people spill out into the sidewalk and the streets just to get their hands on the famous dinner. It was so good to catch up with the Triumph crew, I missed them! The first full day in Mexico was spend grocery shopping; Jamie, Kat and I headed on the bus for the Mega while Jay fixed the watermaker. Triumph had us over for dinner (Emmett- awesome job on the fish!) and E and I kicked butt in a game of “Nouns”.
The next day we headed out to Punta Mita. Of course, I abandoned ship and hopped on Triumph for the day sail, leaving Kat Den Rie for her first sail in 6 weeks! We had an awesome day. A whale, deciding to put on a show, breached about 30 times and then waved his tail and flippers at us. Apparently that is how they get off the barnacles! Who knew? It was really amazing to watch… even an hour and a half later when he was still going at it! We pulled into Punta Mita, grabbed the surf boards, and paddled in to catch some waves. It was my first time surfing in awhile, but Jamie, E, and I all caught some waves and were exhausted as we paddled/swam back to the boats. The next day the kids headed around the point to “the cove”, where we spend half the day surfing again. I even tried short boarding and got up! We came in for lunch, a nap, then headed out again to “la launcha” to an evening session. Kat and Jay headed to town and attempted boogie boarding. Surfing during sunset was so incredible I can’t describe it. Incredible. (In case you guys haven’t gotten the picture, I am officially obsessed with surfing) We had dinner on the Kat Den Rie and, exhausted, went to bed early. The next day held more surfing and a trip to town, where Jay quizzed the local fisherman about what lures to use for Dorado.
We all headed back to La Cruz for propane, laundry, and Superbowl, stopping first at Tres Marriettas for snorkeling. Kat’s underwater camera is totally awesome… too bad the damn fish are so fast. I’ll work on it. The first night back we ran into Double Play and their grandson Kyle, 11. The last couple days we’ve spent running, swimming (the kid is active, and I’m his playmate…), listening to live music, and reuniting with friends. We spend one day in PV which was quite an adventure. It was a pretty cool town, and definitely a good change of pace. Plus we took our lives in our hands while riding the bus in Mexico, so that always gets the blood pumping…
Triumph headed out today, so I won’t see them for a few weeks. Di’s Dream came in to watch superbowl with us this morning. We head south tomorrow… I’ll keep it updated!
HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY CEEJ! WE MISS YOU LIKE CRAZY! LOVE YOU!
The next day we headed out to Punta Mita. Of course, I abandoned ship and hopped on Triumph for the day sail, leaving Kat Den Rie for her first sail in 6 weeks! We had an awesome day. A whale, deciding to put on a show, breached about 30 times and then waved his tail and flippers at us. Apparently that is how they get off the barnacles! Who knew? It was really amazing to watch… even an hour and a half later when he was still going at it! We pulled into Punta Mita, grabbed the surf boards, and paddled in to catch some waves. It was my first time surfing in awhile, but Jamie, E, and I all caught some waves and were exhausted as we paddled/swam back to the boats. The next day the kids headed around the point to “the cove”, where we spend half the day surfing again. I even tried short boarding and got up! We came in for lunch, a nap, then headed out again to “la launcha” to an evening session. Kat and Jay headed to town and attempted boogie boarding. Surfing during sunset was so incredible I can’t describe it. Incredible. (In case you guys haven’t gotten the picture, I am officially obsessed with surfing) We had dinner on the Kat Den Rie and, exhausted, went to bed early. The next day held more surfing and a trip to town, where Jay quizzed the local fisherman about what lures to use for Dorado.
We all headed back to La Cruz for propane, laundry, and Superbowl, stopping first at Tres Marriettas for snorkeling. Kat’s underwater camera is totally awesome… too bad the damn fish are so fast. I’ll work on it. The first night back we ran into Double Play and their grandson Kyle, 11. The last couple days we’ve spent running, swimming (the kid is active, and I’m his playmate…), listening to live music, and reuniting with friends. We spend one day in PV which was quite an adventure. It was a pretty cool town, and definitely a good change of pace. Plus we took our lives in our hands while riding the bus in Mexico, so that always gets the blood pumping…
Triumph headed out today, so I won’t see them for a few weeks. Di’s Dream came in to watch superbowl with us this morning. We head south tomorrow… I’ll keep it updated!
HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY CEEJ! WE MISS YOU LIKE CRAZY! LOVE YOU!
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