more pics-Bahia Tenacatita-

Tenacatita has been our favorite spot-included are pictures of the bay and the entrance to the jungle trip via our dingy.

pics-isla isabella south to Barra de Navidad

It is so difficult to decide which pictures to send. I have many pictures of animals and I can never get enough of the beautiful sunrise and sunsets!

Mazatlan to Barra de Navidad

Mazatlan to Barra de Navidad

Hi to Family and Friends!! We miss everyone and wish that you were ejoying this peaceful place with us!! Today is my birthday December 17 and the first time I have enjoyed my birthday in a warm and sunny climate! We are currently anchored in Barra de Navidad. So much to catch up on since our last writing in Mazatlan. We enjoyed Thanksgiving dinner and dancing to a live band with fellow cruisers. We spent one week of warm and humid weather at Marina Mazatlan. We toured the city, ate some great meals and liked the convenience of stepping out of the boat to a dock at a Marina, however, we were ready to sail away into the peace and quiet of the ocean. Our first distination was an overnight passage to Isla Isabella. The best "overnighter" we have had! Warm weather and calm seas on a full moon of glittering ocean. We arrived at Isla Isabella at sunrise. A bird sanctuary compared to some as a "little gallopagos". Thousands of frigate birds nesting in trees and flying around the island-see attached photo of male frigate with large red explanded chest (a mating thing). We hiked the hills and enjoyed the sounds and sight of many types of birds and reptiles-these animals were oblivious to our presence. I loved it!! After enjoying this place of serenity with sea life shared by 3 other boats-we were off to our next distination- Chacala was just a day sail away and we enjoyed three nights of quiet anchorage, swimming and visiting with fellow cruisers for dinner and drinks at palapas and one day dinner at a local womens home. She spoke NO engish-this was challenging but very fun and a great meal. Off to anchorage and fun in Punta Mita and La Cruz. A bus ride to Puerto Vallarta-very busy tourist filled areas. We were ready to head south. Day sails to anchorages in Ipala and Chamela-saw many turtles and continually thrilled with the dolphins that play at the bow of the boat. We went ashore in both little villages and enjoyed cerveza and meals with locals. Off to Tenacatita-one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen! Our first dingy landing was quite humerous and makes me smile every time I think about it! It would have been a great home video. It can be tricky with the surf-Well-we had trouble with the outboard at a bad time-got it restarted in time for the wave to break onto us-we jumped out and the dingy kept going as the motor was now running fine-it would have been hilarious to see two people chasing the dingy (motor still running) thru the waves to shore! Some other cruisers who were at the only palapa got a good laugh! We anchored out for seven nights in this beautiful place and truly believe this is Paradise! We swam, snorkeled and even heard the whales singing- we took the infamous dingy thru a jungle ride to bahia tenacatita-our only place to buy groceries at a little market. We celebrated with a local cruiser for his birthday and watched a video of their dive trips to Sacorro island-they are divers and photographed swimming with humpback whales, 18 foot manarays and dolphins.

This brings us to our present distination of Barrra de Navidad-we will be here thru Christmas. This is a quaint little area of small villages with cobblestone streets -We feel so very lucky to be enjoying the culture, beautiful water and meeting so many interesting people. We wish everyone a MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! It doesn't really feel like christmas-except in the morning I can hear the local church playing christmas carols. We miss family and friends and send love and happy days to you!Have a wonderful Christmas!

Patrick and his "whole fish"

Good bye to Patrick in Mazatlan

We were so sad to see Patrick leaving! He was the aboslute best crew! Not one single complaint about the food, limited living space, lack of sleep in the overnight passages or rough ocean waters!! His continual statement-even when things didn't seem all that fun-"it's all part of the adventure"-He thanked us numerous times every day for the trip. We will miss his optimistic outlook on life, sense of humor and excitement for the "next adventure". A huge THANK YOU to him!! We will take his enthusiasm as we continue on "the adventure". Patrick left in a taxi on his way to the Mazatlan airport with his usual smile!

We will also miss our friends Tim and Julie as their adventure has taken them in a different direction. They are on their way to La Paz for work on their boat engine - I was so looking forward to spending the holidays with them!! I will miss talking to them on the radio and "wine time" on their boat "Luna Sea". We hope that all goes well for them and look forward to keeping in touch.

Terry's BD pics and "The best restaurant in Cabo"

trip across the sea of cortez-arrival in Mazatlan

Sunday, November 18

We arrived at Mazatlan sunrise on Friday. On our first day and night out the ocean was calm with very little wind-this required that we motor sail. We felt relief from the previous overnighters. The sea of cortez was the most beautiful blue color-I only wish that we could capture the clear blue color in a photo. The sunrise and sunset are also spectacular as the water sparkles - very little traffic with no sight of land. We did pass cruise ships and are always amazed at the amount of lights and the size on the radar of these giants. We saw dolphins and whales at a distance. The flying fish were the excitement for the night time. They look like flying lights. As we progressed into our second night at sea and I planned dinner-the winds picked up along with the waves which seemed to come from all directions and once again the boat was rocking and rolling. It was difficult to stand up-Pots and pans flew in the galley as we attempted to prepare and hang onto our dinner! It is just hard to explain - The simplest things become quite complicated! As we progressed into the night-the winds were pushing us further then our planned arrival-we reefed the sails and stalled a little so that we did not arrive in Mazatlan in the dark. It was a little challenging for the three of us to be on the look out and see the exact location of entry to the harbor. As we arrived into a slip, we were welcomed to Mazatlan by staff f rom the Marina and fellow cruisers. It felt so good to be tied to the dock and feel the calmness of NO MOVEME NT. We enjoyed some rest tme and a walk around the marina. Everyone is so friendly here-have we sailed to pleasantville?? Enough for now I will attempt to add a couple of pictures and wite more later.

Cabo pictures

Tuesday November 14

Pictures from our Cabo stay. We will be leaving this achorage today at approximately 2:00pm -destination Mazatlan in approx. 40 hour.

Cabo San Lucas

Tuesday November 13
We went ashore and to dinner on Saturday night-the night owls that we have been - we needed sleep and were back and in bed by 7:00pm. Sunday morning we awoke to warm air and beautiful clear water. We did a few chores -got the lap top out -Patrick got the internet working and the program for skype working. This was thrilling as we could call friends and family and if they have skype installed it is free to talk and talk. After all that work-we needed a break and dove in the water and drank our cerveza-what a treat! we truly felt like we had landed in Paradise. Terry and Patrick scrubbed the bottom of the boat while Vicki talked on Skype to family and friends. After our solar showers on deck we joined Tim and Julie for wine on their boat. We then dingh=ied to town and enjoyed a wonderful fish dinner-and back to the boat. Monday was chore day-We visited the immigration department to obtain our visas-a time consuming ordeal=immigration office, banco, and port captain office. We then relaxed w ith the coldest cerveza I have ever had and salads for lunch and onto the grocery store and home to the boat. The oil was changed by Capitan Terry and Patrick and I worked on the computer -blog, pictures copied and organized. Tim and Julie visited our boat-we had burritos for dinner -Their agenda has changed due to mechanical issues with their boat engine. They will be going to La Paz and are not sure of the rest of their crusing plans. We will miss them and plan to keep in close touch as we head South.
Today Tuesday November 13 - We went snorkeling today. It was WONDERFFUL we saw many kinds of colorful fish and and eel. It was quite an experience with the many pangas and glass bottom boats visiting the area. Two cruise ships were anchored near by and the waters were full of sea doos and tourists. Our little achorage felt so much more relaxed when both cruise ships left. Tim and Julie joined us on our boat for a glass of wine and we dinghied to town for an equisite comida on Tim and Julies recommendation -and such a great place =We recommend this place to anyone visiting Cabo= PUERTO SAN LUCAS . Tim and Julie treated Terry to a band singing happy birthday. The waiters made a birthday hat shaped into a viking hat (made of foil) We all sang happy birthday-see attached photo. We all agreed that this was truly a memorable evening. The owner of the restaurant was an extremely generous kind person. He toured us through the barbacue area of the restaurant and gave us a large amount of fresh Marlin fish.

Turtle Bay to Cabo San Lucas

We spent the first night at Turtle Bay aboard the boat. The next day we bought fuel which was delivered by local men in pangas. The following morning we
took the dingy (our transportation) into the town and enjoyed a long walk and a great lunch at an outside cafe. No menus- a husband and wife made fish tacos,
salsa and lots of guacamole. We walked by a school and gave some children bubbles (they seemed to love and appreciate them). When we returned to the
boat we saw many dolphins swimming in the anchorage. Getting our laundry done was quite an adventure-a local woman took on the task-this turned out to be
quite a fiasco-much longer then originally planned. Terry and Patrick went to retrieve the laundry at dark to find out that it would be 15 minutes-and then 15
and then 15 on and on for 1.5 hours. Terry thoroughly enjoyed a long discussion with a nice local guy-good practice of spanish. As the guys headed back to
the boat with a sigh of relief that they actually retrieved the laundry-, but wait- the dingy engine quit and they had to row home. Just another day in Paradise-Tuesday 11/12 we left Turtle bay -escorted out by the dolphins and into the big ocean. The sun game out-great wind all three sails up!! We arrived in our next
anchorage (Bahia Ascencion) just before dark-we decided not to leave the boat. Tim and Julie dinghied over to our boat-we enjoyed a glass of wine. after our
showers-lucky us the water maker is working flawlessly and any the hot water is heated by the enjine or the generator. The next morning we left early as our
next distination was one day and night ahead. We had great sailing-however, the waves made for a rocky-rolling ride. We were able to video the many
dolphins. At one point we saw about 200 dolphins swimming behind the boat. The night of sailing seemed to go on forever with the wind and huge swells.
We were more than ready for a good nights sleep. We were able to get just that at the achorage at Santa Maria. The next morning we were ready to face the
wind and waves and another day and night for our next distination Cabo San Lucas. We left Santa Maria at 6:00 AM (we think-the time change along with the
daylight savings has been a challange in knowing the time). We enjoyed a wonderful FAST sail (wing on wing) wind about 20 knots-our speed 6-7
knots-beautiful warm and sunny day. BUT, once again after dark-the winds increased and the waves grew. We were in for another VERY LONG NIGHT of a
ROLLY, ROUGH ocean. We were in constant motion and surfed sideways thru the waves. Needless to say, not much sleep on this overnight leg of the trip.

pics of san benitos and tortuga bay

Turtle Bay stop on Mon Nov 5.

We are here in Bahia Tortuga, at an Internet cafe. Sorry for the strange text and fonts. I had to cut and paste from Works to notepad to this post.
We are having fun checking things out. Below is a snippet of our log. Good luck reading it.

UPDATED post for 11/5==========
=========================


Tenacity S/V Trip log from San Diego south. (October - November 2007)
We arrived at Coronado on Friday night (Oct. 26th) and stayed at Los Glorious anchorage for two nights before moving over to the Police Docks at Shelter Island, San Diego on Sunday Oct. 28. Although, before moving over, we just explored and went for walks. We actually helped rescue a grounded sailboat from the rocks.
On Tuesday (October 30) Patrick joined us before leaving for San Quintin. On Wednesday (October 31) we left San Diego at 6:30am. We were expecting warm and sunny weather. After getting out of San Diego bay, we turned left and went south to San Quintin. Enroute we passed the Islas Coranodos on our starboard (right) side. We sailed for approximately 30 hours, 150 nautical miles. Unfortunately we did not have enough wind to sail, so it was a long “motor” stretch. Throughout the day we just checked the charts, GPS, and worked with the auto-pilot. We continued to motor through the night, and arrived at San Quintin around 10:30 am, (on Thursday Nov. 1) sooner than we thought. This bay was somewhat disorienting. After pulling into our anchorage we all aboard thought north was actually west, and we felt like the “protected anchorage” was sitting out in the ocean. We spent the rest of the day taking showers, and just checking things around the boat. In reality it was a very calm and protected anchorage.
On Friday, November 2, we pulled out of San Quintin around 7 am headed to San Benitos islands. On Friday we motored until about noon, when the wind finally picked up. We were lucky enough to have 15 to 25 knot winds from Noon Friday until about 6 am, Saturday 3. We tried a few different sail combinations, including the mizzen sail, or no mizzen sail and went wing on wing, or just the main sail shortened. We continually got speeds of 6 knots, and occasional 7 knots of speed “over land” (not just through the water). We arrived here in San Benito Islands today Saturday, November 3rd around 9:30 am. After anchoring a local came out in his row boat asking if we wanted lobster. The crew on our partner boat actually took him up on his offer. After that three of us kayaked out and about our boats. We landed on the “beach” of the little village, and went exploring. This afternoon we just goofed off and cleaned up the boat etc. Tomorrow we are planning on leaving around 6 am headed to Turtle Bay (that has a decent town).
Sunday (November 4th) we left San Benitos Islands at 6 am. We motored with no winds, and cloudy sky, with no sun. Actually we had very calm seas. Finally as we passed Cedros Island the sun came out and we thought we finally hit the warm Mexican climate. Psych!!! The sun went behind clouds after only about two hours. Around noon we actually got some wind, so we used both the motor and the sails. At some point around 2 in the afternoon, several dolphins joined us, and swam with and near the boat. Terry was driving and was the first to notice them, only because he saw one jump higher than the deck of the boat. Then Vicki and Patrick went up on the bow to watch them. At one point we decided to get a camera and try to catch them on film / digital. We did get some video, but mostly of the water. We decided they were camera shy. We pulled into Turtle Bay around 4:30pm. After dropping anchor, we sat and had wine on board and soaked in the surroundings. Several pangas came close and asked if we had trash (basura), if we needed fuel, and if we needed laundry done. So tonight is enchiladas on board, and tomorrow we are going ashore to check out the little town here. We will also get fuel for the boat.

A Quick HELLO and update-Today is Thursday, October 26. We are in Oceanside Marina and have been here for a few days. We plan to leave early tomorrow morning for San Diego. The weather has been warm and extremely smokey. We seem to be following the fires as we sail south. The ashes are a mess on the boat- We were able to spray the outside of the boat at the fuel dock at Newport beach - We saw black debri and ashes in the ocean and a grey sky of smoke as we sailed and then motored with the lack of wind. Once again a thorough washing of the boat at Oceanside Marina. It is so nice to hook up to fresh water for the cleaning. It is difficult to complain about our trivial time spent on cleaning when we hear and talk to so many people who have lost their homes to the fires here in Southern Cal.

I have never experienced the Santa Ana winds and never want to again. I spoke of "THESE" winds while visiting the Channel Islands-Well, we had a reprieve of about one week while sailing to Santa Catalina Island. We enjoyed the beautiful clear water and anchorage at Two Harbors and then at Avalon. We found Avalon to be a fun place-until the power boats overwhelmed us on the weekend. We heard news of the "SANTA ANA'S"-so off we sailed to Newport Beach-the wind blew mostly non-stop with gusts of 38-we were on a mooring and felt secure as the boat rocked. "the winds" suddenly stopped on the ocean- and we actually had to motor sail much of the distance to Oceanside.

We are so anxious to sail out of Southern California and into Mexico!! As previously mentioned-Destination San Diego tomorrow -meet up with Crew Patrick Fahey in San Diego on October 30 and off to Mexico we go.
We miss our Friends and Families and send happy wishes to everyone!!

Pelican Bay Santa Cruz Island

This is a picture of the beautiful water at Pelican Bay Santa Cruz Island

Monterey to Channel Islands

Hi Family and Friends!! Just a quick update-It is Tuesday October 9 and we are at a Marina in Oxnard. We had a nice sail from Monterey to Morro Bay-and enjoyed the hospitality of the yacht club and the sunny weather. We left early in the morning for an overnight trip to the Channel Islands. We enjoyed a wonderful day with great sailing conditions and many sightings of whales (some a little to close). As they approached the bow of the boat and UNDER the boat. Many playful seals along the way. After dark we passed Point conception without any problems and at about 3:00 AM the winds picked up and the seas were "confused". This went on for hours and with the speed of the wind we arrived "too" early to our destination of San Miquel island. So, we stalled for a while to approach the anchorage in the day light. San Miquel was beautiful, but still very windy. The anchorage felt safe and we slept for hours. The next day was calm and we sailed off to Santa Cruz Island-beautiful sunny day and more whales. We enjoyed one day of beautiful weather and took a very long hike on the island. The next 6 days were filled with the Santa Ana winds -we moved from several anchorages and found more wind. We changed plans several times finally settling at a small anchorage at anacapa island. Once again a beautiful place with beautiful water-until the santa ana's picked up again. So we decided to head to a marina and here we are in Oxnard. Actually a nice place with grocery store and laundramat near by. But, we are ready for the ocean again and will leave early in the AM for Catalina Island.

sailing "out the gate"

We actually motored out the golden gate bridge on Friday September 21. Our friends Tim and Julie are motoring out with us on their boat Luna Sea. The sky was clear and we smile as we say good bye to San Francisco Bay. The wind provided us with a nice sail to half moon bay. As we arrived into the anchorage at Half Moon Bay the sky was cloudy. It rained off and on throughout the night and the next day. So, we decided to stay for two nights-took the dingy to the wharf area. We left for Monterey at 6:00 AM. The ocean was like a lake with very little wind-so, we motored onto our destination. the ocean was beautiful and sparkled as we saw many dolphin, a whale and areas that were covered with jelly fish. We arrived into the Monterey Marina at 4:30 PM. The weather has been sunny and warm. We have enjoyed walking the Fisherman's Wharf, and watching the many sea otters and seals. We will be leaving here on Wednesday to Stillwater cove and then onto San Simeon.

Dock Party

The dock party was a great success with family and friends. Many bottles of good wine, good conversation and much laughter. We greatly appreciate the support and gifts from all who attended. Our excitement is escilating as our departure day of Thursday September 20 gets closer. We still have some "loose ends to tie up at home". We will leave the property in Forbestown in the morning-drive to Santa Rosa to leave the car at my sister Lori's house and our friend Varrick will pick us up to drive to the boat!!! We will then be without a car-so off we will sail to spend our first night of the adventure in Sausalito and leave Friday AM to Half Moon Bay.

Preparing Tenacity

Preparing Tenacity

dock lines still connected

Last half of August, and we're getting closer to cast off date, somewhere between
Sept. 17th and the 22nd, we hope. Vicki will be making entries and taking pictures, as she is much better suited to this than I. Stay tuned...