S/V Tenacity

Tenacatita Bay

2010-03-01T13:43:00.000-08:00

Barra de Navidad

2010-03-01T13:29:00.000-08:00

Chamela Bay -challenge of panga from shore to sea

2010-03-01T13:22:00.000-08:00

March 1, 2010

2010-03-01T13:18:00.000-08:00

RAIN, TSUNAMI AND BEES

It has been an interesting season here in Mainland Mexico. After arriving in Barra de Navidad (one of our all time favorite destinations), we were surprised by gale force winds and torrential rain. We were not prepared for rain and at first thought we would maybe get a sprinkling. However, as the rain poured with a force, we scrambled to get things out of the cockpit and into the safety of the boat. We have always been very relaxed about leaving books, pillows, hats etc in our little yard (cockpit). The dodger and bimini usually give us enough protection from the dampness, but, certainly not in this amount of rain and wind. I have never seen anything like this storm. The worst of it hit our area at about 0100. Terry stayed awake to be on anchor watch (we were anchored in the Lagoon in Barra de Navidad). I did go to sleep earlier in the night but was wide awake for the winds that had the power to heel our boat and looked out to see a boat that was dragging anchor very near our boat. In as much as I was happy to be anchored in a lagoon and not out at sea, the concern at anchor is being near other boats and being at the mercy of their ground tackle and ability to have anchored securely with chain and anchor. It was raining so hard, it was difficult to see the boats next to us. Some boats had mast lights and others had solar lights arranged on different parts of their boats. Besides the rain, we also had a thunder and lightening show! There were some good things about the rain. The boat got a good wash down and I was thrilled to be collecting buckets of fresh water. I set up one bucket on each side of the dodger and was able to fill the buckets in a matter of minutes. The water filled three sun showers and I felt that I had accomplished something. It was such a strange feeling to close up the boat. In all of our time in Mexico, we have never needed to close all ports and hatches. We experienced three episodes of this rain during the month of February.

We did enjoy some sunny, partial cloudy days in Barra de Navidad before we moved on to the anchorage of Tenacatita. It finally felt that we were enjoying Mexico waters the way that we had remembered and loved when we were awoken by a guy in a dinghy yelling “TENACITY, TENACITY”, there is a Tsunami warning. We turned on the Sirius radio to hear of the earthquake in Chile and the warnings for the Pacific Ocean. Channel 22 VHF radio (our way of communicating with local cruisers) was busy with discussion about possible changes in our conditions here at anchor. We decided to waste no time with talk, we quickly prepared to motor out to sea. Certainly the fastest we have pulled our anchor and left an anchorage. So fast, that we later realized we had forgotten to pull the swim ladder. It must have been amusing for any one behind us to see our ladder dangling in the water. Every boat in the anchorage left (about 30 were anchored near us). It was quickly named the Tsunami regatta, and actually turned out to be one of the nicest sailing days we have had while in Mexico. We motored for a while, turned on the water maker and filled the tanks. We then enjoyed a nice sail back a few hours later to the same anchorage. We heard of some changes of tide on shore, however, we noticed nothing as we were out in 400-500 feet of water.

The next “adverse event” was the incident of BEES. It all started while we were aboard the boat “40 Love”. Joel and Terry thought it was a fire on a neighboring catamaran- it turned out to have been a fire extinguisher. The catamaran had been “attacked” with the bees. Chris and I stayed on the boat “40 Love” where we swatted at bees and quickly closed all ports and hatches. Terry and Joel motored the dinghy over to Tenacity to find bees attached to our boom. Literally thousands of bees that formed the size and shape of a football. As they attempted to get them off the boat, the bees flew up to the top of the mast. To make a long story short, there were thousands of bee carcasses to clean the following morning and we were thrilled to find that they were no longer clinging to our mast.

The way I see it is that things happen in threes. So, we are done with adverse conditions and situations- Rain storms, Tsunami warnings and Bee invasions. The sun is shining today and the air and water temperatures are in the 80’s. We are ready to enjoy Mexico the way we have always enjoyed it with kayaking, swimming, snorkeling, dolphin and whale watching.

We are thinking of everyone at home and wish you all a happy day and a great month of March!!

We will start our trip north on Wednesday or Thursday with the usual stops in Chamela and Ipala. We plan to spend a few weeks in La Cruz before heading back to Mazatlan. We have decided to have the boat hauled (boating lingo for taking it out of the water) to have the bottom paint done and a few other projects before we venture into the big seas and sail home to San Francisco.

boat parade - La Cruz- Banderas Bay

2010-01-27T13:06:00.001-08:00

Mazatlan to La Cruz

2010-01-27T13:01:00.000-08:00

Today is Tuesday January 26, 2010

We are currently anchored in La Cruz, located in the largest bay on the west coast of Mexico, indenting the coast more than 15 miles and having an opening to the Pacific Ocean over 20 miles wide. We are approximately 8 miles north of Puerto Vallarta.
It was an uneventful trip south from Mazatlan. The first over night trip was a motorsail with quiet seas (a nice start for a cruising season). We motored most of the way, with the help of main sail and at times the head sail. I did my usual 0100 to 0500 shift of duty of the boat. It works out ok for us because I can go to sleep early in the evening and get a good rest before the start of my shift. And, I get the treat of watching the sun come up at sea. This is always such a special time as the water is beautiful and shimmery and not usually a boat or land to be seen!! Terry had a little more activity during his shift before 0100 as there is some sort of “shelf” at about 10 miles offshore- apparently a good fishing spot, because we had to make our way thru the fishing boats and this is a little more complex at night. Of course we rely on our radar, but, the distances seem so different in the dark. Everything seems much closer then it truly is!!

The first night of rest for the two of us was at the small village of Chacala. The surf was huge and the anchorage was rolly, we therefore decided not to go ashore. We had the entire anchorage to ourselves. Enjoyed a beautiful sunset and got a good nights sleep. As we headed south the seas were calm and the wind was coming out of the south-Not so good for sailing. We motored with the use of our mainsail most of the distance. The exception was the entrance to Banderas Bay, the wind picked up, we turned off the motor and enjoyed the peace of sailing! And, a group of whales came near. My delight in hearing the loud noise of their spouting! I am a little more anxious about them getting as close as I heard of a sailboat that was hit by a whale and SANK! The people onboard were rescued!

It as been an adjustment back to the boat life! As I have always said, “when it is good it is SOOO GOOD and when it is bad it is SOOO BAD! An example is the constant rocking- ok when you are getting from A to B, but, gets a little frustrating when you are at anchor and everything in the boat is rocking back and forth. Some cruisers spend a lot of time in marinas and I really do see why. It is nice to step on a dock when leaving the boat. We each take a line and release our dinghy “our car at sea” from the davits on the back of the boat. We then climb down and balance as the waves are crashing onto us. It takes some getting used to always being splashed with salt water . Not one of the more glamorous aspects of cruising.

Anyway, we are enjoying meeting up with friends of last year. Today we had lunch with friends who sailed with us the last two years. They now own a condo in Punta Mita and they have the luxury of having a car (the real thing) after a great lunch, they drove us to the Mega market in Bucerius where we were able to provision with the treat of walking to a car and being driven right back to our dinghy.

We plan to leave here tomorrow morning with destination SOUTH! Probably staying the first night at the small anchorage of Ipala, Chamela , Tenacatita and Barra de Navidad. I am looking forward to the fun in the water. Swimming, kayaking and snorkeling.
Thinking of all of you! Take Care to everyone!

Happy Cruisers In Mazatlan

2010-01-20T09:45:00.000-08:00

Arrival and departure Mazatlan

2010-01-20T09:26:00.001-08:00

Hi Friends and Family!
Yes, we miss you! We arrived in Mazatlan 8 days ago and are preparing Tenacity for the sail south. The weather here has been perfect. 80 degree day temperatures and down to 60's at night. We have been having a great time with meeting up with our cruising buddies- Many good meals and of course grande margaritas.

Terry has worked on Tenacity projects and we have listed her for sale with Vallarta Yachts. We are looking forward to pulling the docking lines and sailing south to La Cruz anchorage with a few stops between.

We would love to hear from you. We have heard of stormy weather in Northern California. Take care! Stay warm and dry!

2009-12-07T11:23:00.000-08:00

Tenacity is For Sale!!!

2009-08-17T13:35:00.000-07:00

After preparing Tenacity for the summer- she will spend hurricane season safely attached in Marina Mazatlan. We have returned home to Northern California and have decided to advertise Tenacity for sale. This has been a difficult decision, as we have enjoyed two years of cruising the beautiful waters of mainland Mexico and the Sea of Cortez. The boat has been everything and MORE then we had expected. She has been a flawless cruising boat and all of Terry's hard work of preparing her for the trip certainly made our cruising experience a successful adventure. However, we have decided that this dream has been fullfilled and we are now ready to venture into yet other adventures. So many places to see and places to go!!!!!!

Puerto Escondito

2009-03-26T18:14:00.001-07:00

Hola friends and family!!!

I have a little catching up to do! Since the last posting in January, we have sailed the boat back to Mazatlan and traveled back to northern Cal for the month of
February. Between snow storms, Terry burned slash and down trees and I went to work! We headed back to Mazatlan via pick-up the first of March. Enjoyed the company of Barb one week and and Pat Carol the next in Mazatlan. A couple of great day sails to Stone Island.

We are currently anchored out (actually on a mooring) at Puerto Escondito. We made the crossing from Mazatlan to Muertos on the baja on March 15. We were fortunate to have Patrick as crew for the trip! He just left today and we will miss his constant enthusiasm.

The weather here has actually been quite cool as well as the water temp of about 70 degrees. A little too cold for snorkeling!! I am so looking forward to warming of water temp. The sea of cortez is just as beautiful as we remember, and, we are reminded once again of the quick changes of wind and wave condtions. This really dominates our destinations and activities! I have never even heard of the terms "souther or norther", but, find that they are very meaningful here in the sea of cortez. And, if not constantly aware of these weather condtions, it really makes for a bad day or a sleepless night.

We have met up with our friends Bill and Karen on the boat "Miela". Looking forward to hikes and dinners together.

We will be traveling North- leaving tomorrow morning. And, plan on going as far north as Santa Rosalia. Visiting several islands and beautiful anchorages before heading south to La Paz in Mid May.

Best wishes to ALL!

sunset at sea

2009-01-03T17:51:00.001-08:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!!

2009-01-03T11:04:00.000-08:00

Today is Saturday January 3, 2009
Wishing you a HAPPY NEW YEAR!
We are now on our way north- left Isla Grande near Zihuatanejo on Jan 1 and arrived in Las Hadas on Jan 2. We have been enjoying our cruising season this year and have met so many wonderful people. We celebrated my birthday aboard friends Barrett and Renee's boat "Serendipity". We sailed about 5 miles south of Zihuatanejo to a great place for a day of snorkeling. We celebrated Christmas with Rena and many other cruisers for a turkey dinner at a restaurant on the beach in Zihuatanejo. The southern coast of Mexico has been beautiful and extremely warm and humid. Any coastal cities near the ocean in Mexico seem to be very crowded during the Christmas, New Year's and Easter weeks. It is amazing how quiet and relaxed the anchorages are, that is until the sea doo's, parasail boats and ski boats arrive! And, some of the biggest mega yachts I have seen. So many areas of Mexico seem so very poor and yet these Mega yachts are owned by Mexicans. An interesting culture! We are still working on our spanish, and enjoying the Mexican people.
We want to wish everyone a Happy 2009!!!
I have had a problem with internet connectivity from the boat-and am unable, at this time to send pictures. I will keep trying!

Barra de Navidad

2008-12-02T12:08:00.001-08:00

Enjoying Mainland Mexico

2008-12-02T11:55:00.000-08:00

Happy Belated Thanksgiving!! We are sure that your turkey dinners were tastier than our fish and shrimp dinners, no pavo at a palapa on the beach in Tenacatita. We did enjoy our meal with the company of friend Bill, (on the boat “Miela”) from Chico whose wife Karen was unable to join us. In as much as we enjoyed our warm weather and beautiful scenery, we missed family and the traditional turkey dinner with the the yummy mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, etc.

We have sailed one overnight passage from Mazatlan. We experienced a few minor problems. First it was the radar, luckily checked before night fall! This repair required a trip up the mizzen mast to the ray dome. Judging by the bruises Terry wears, this wasn’t a fun activity. The problem was a dislodged drive belt. I must admit, this is not one of the “fun” parts of sailing, seeing Terry fling around in the top climber as we were sailing with the head sail and main sail, It flashed thru my mind how frustrated it could be to turn the boat around to collect any dropped parts. The other problem was the collecting of some type of plastic that lodged on the prop-this required that we turn the motor off and we sailed thru the night-(luckily 15-20 knots of wind) we averaged 7 knots. The repair of diving under the boat and removing the plastic occurred after safely anchoring the following morning.

We have revisited the anchorages from last year to include: Chacala, La Cruz, Chamela, Tenacatita and currently anchored in Barra de Navidad. We have enjoyed meeting up with cruising friends, swimming, snorkeling and kayaking. The weather and water have been perfect. The ocean water appears clearer with better visibility and more pleasant for swimming and snorkeling than last season. Many dolphins have swam at the bow of the boat, however, only one day of sighting whales. Looking forward to many more! Our plans are to sail back to Tenacatita tomorrow and leave for Zihuatanejo about December 11 for the overnight passage from Bahia Santiago.

First posting for the cruising season November 2008

2008-11-10T14:32:00.000-08:00

We arrived in Mazatlan on Tuesday November 4. It was a long three days
of driving with a two day stay with friends Tim and Julie in Phoenix. The dreaded border patrol was uneventful. Not one inspection of the truck. If we had only known-we could have loaded up with good red wine (not so easy to find in Mexico). Oh well!!! We had a short stop at the border, obtained the visas and were on our way again. We were happy to arrive at Marina Mazatlan and step onto our boat home. And, happy to report that Tenacity weathered the summer just fine. No bugs or mildew! Only minor issues with glue(things that were stuck are no longer stuck to the walls). One of our PFD (automatic inflate life jackets) decided that it was too hot and damp in the cabin of the boat and exploded! We were lucky enough to purchase a replacement cartridge from a fellow cruiser.

Even though it is very HOT and HUMID here, we are enjoying the company of meeting up with our cruising friends and discussing plans for the season! Comparing notes regarding anchorages, etc. It is always interesting to learn of the plans of the many boats heading to Costa Rica, Ecuador and either thru the Panama Canal or into the South Pacific.

Lots to do with unloading the truck and loading up the boat. It is that excitement
once again of the anticipation of sailing off!! Such different weather conditions this trip. It was a little easier packing the boat from the cold bay area, but such a long trip to get into the warm weather and water!! We have been working on projects such as getting the sails in place and re-installing the packed away canvas. We purchased 6 new batteries today and Terry is in the process of installing them.
at
Our plans are to leave Mazatlan Marina on Wednesday or Thursday morning with the destination of Chacala, approximately 140 miles. Depending on the wind conditions, it will take us 28-30 hours.

In as much as we have once again enjoyed the city of Mazatlan, we are anxious to get out of the marina to enjoy sailing, swimming- and, of course, my favorite past time -Watch for whales, dolphins and other sea life.
We look forward to hearing from you.
Hope this this message finds everyone happy and healthy!

Tenacity in Agua Verde

2008-04-27T08:31:00.000-07:00

Isla San Francisco

2008-04-27T08:21:00.000-07:00

The Sea of Cortez

2008-04-27T08:08:00.000-07:00

Today is Saturday April 26
We are currently at a small marina in the town of Santa Rosalia. Inasmuch as I appreciate some of the conveniences of being "tied" to the dock such as fresh water from a hose and stepping off the boat and onto semi firm surface (the dock), and communicating via internet, I am ready to leave tomorrow morning for another quiet anchorage. Santa Rosalia is a nice, very friendly little town with few gringos. Many small tiendas; fruiterias with a great supply of fresh fruits and vegetables, and a panaderia with good bread and cookies. This town has an interesting history of French influence with a the remnants of an old smelting foundry. We toured a museum where we learned about the history of mining copper. There are many old buildings and quaint streets. and we toured a church that was designed by Gustave Eiffel in 1884 was pre-constructed for the World Exposition in Paris of 1889, it was purchased and shipped, unassembled across the Atlantic for assembly in Santa Rosalia. Who would think that we we find this in Baja California Sur. This weekend has been a celebration of "the squid", complete with carnival and VERY loud music-so close to the marina that I can feel the base from the music as it rattles the inside of the boat-this goes on until 2:15 AM!! So-its not ALL paradise out here! On the other hand, I had no idea that the desert, surrounded with the beautiful aqua colored, crystal clear water could be so beautiful! Unfortunately the water is cool at about 70 degrees and the winds have been rather intense-not so good for snorkeling. And, one day we paddled our kayaks to shore, had a great hike and found that rowing against the waves was not as much fun as a calm sea offers! So, we are ready to "pull" the dock lines and be on our way to the next anchorage. We will be heading South to find the warm water and sail down the sea of cortez to La Paz and then the jump to Mazatlan. We think of family and friends often and wish that you were here! Hope all is well with everyone!! Pictures of Isla San Francisco and Aqua Verde.

Baby whale 15 miles out of Mazatlan

2008-04-11T14:27:00.000-07:00

I have decided that pictures speak a million words

Mazatlan to La Paz

2008-03-31T07:38:00.000-07:00

Sunday, March 30 - Thank you to family and friends who read and have sent comments regarding the blog. I appreciate the feedback! Hi from the Sea of Cortez! We left Mazatlan on Tuesday at 12 noon and arrived in La Paz at exactly 12 noon-how did that work out so perfectly?? It must be Terry’s great navigating skills. The two overnights were easy! I had the midnight to 4 am shift-and, I was reminded of the nights that I worked on southwing. And, of my friends who say they prefer night shift at rehab. What are they thinking? Anyway, the ocean is full of sparkle as we glide on thru -the radar becomes your best friend as that is your only way of knowing just what is “out there” in the darkness. There are the random fishing boats or cruise ships which are traveling at a fast speed. The unobstructed view of stars without any sign of light for 100 miles on the water is a very special site. Another boat did leave Mazatlan behind us-two guys from Minnesota on a boat called 40 Love (yeh, he is a tennis player) Anyway it was fun to occasionally check in via the VHF radio and know that somebody else was out there with us. They were usually within a few miles. Terry had a little bit of excitement-I was off shift and sound to sleep. One of the short stints when we were sailing . Suddenly the boat came to a stop and he realized that we had caught a long line. One of the methods of fishing used by local fishermen. Luckily the motor was off, therefore the line did not get caught in the prop-he had to grab it with the boat hook and cut it. This probably irritated a fishermen, but we had no choice. If we see these lines during the day, we do everything we can to avoid them. They usually have empty plastic bottles on the line. This one had Styrofoam attached, but no way of seeing it in the dark. Most of the time the wind was about 5 knots with the exception of the last morning-from about 0500 we had about 20 knots of wind-much of it on the nose and not great for sailing. Even with the lack of good wind, we motor with our main sail up-this provides for stability and will take advantage of even the slightest amount of wind. The first part of the trip was so mellow-it was hard to believe that we were actually in the ocean-it felt more like sailing on a lake (on a calm day). With the exception of whale sightings! What lucky sailors we are! About 15 miles out of Mazatlan we were treated to a show put on by a mother and frisky baby whale-the baby breached repeatedly and I was able to capture a photo and numerous videos. We were able to walk around-without hanging on to things, cook and eat food, read , take wonderful , long, hot showers. When we are motoring (using the diesel engine) the engine coolant circulates thru our water heater and provides us with endless amounts of very hot water. In addition to the luxury of hot water, we are able to make fresh water from the sea water while motoring. Our water maker is called a “village marine, little wonder” , and that it is! This trip would not be as much fun without it! I didn’t realize how irritating it would be to have salt water on my skin-so, we always have a solar shower (we have 3 of them) on deck. Even when we are at anchor, and not heating water via the engine we have hot water. We fill them up in the morning-lay them on the deck of the boat and before the sun goes down or when we need to rinse off the salt water, we take a solar shower. Now you know what I mean about different priorities while traveling by sea. We don’t have to worry about looking for the car keys or being late to work or even what to wear to work. We are concerned with the filling of the sun shower and being sure that our refrigerator is always stocked with food and cerveza. And, planning our next destination. Currently that would be the islands in the Sea of Cortez. After being here in La Paz since Thursday afternoon we will be “pulling the anchor “tomorrow and heading for Isla Espiritu Santo and Isla Partida. We have found the city of La Paz to be pleasant and clean . The water is clear and beautiful blue green in color. Today we enjoyed a long walk and lunch with fellow cruisers. This was our last chance to provision for a while as the next ciy we will visit is Loreto in 3-4 weeks. Sending you best wishes and happy days!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!I continue to miss family and friends and look forward to visiting with everyone on our return in June.

Leaving Mazatlan

2008-03-25T11:45:00.001-07:00

Tues. March 25. Hello and Happy Spring! This is frustrating-I have spent hours on the creation of a post and LOST it! Yes, I am technically challenged and a little irritated right now. Anyway- I will make a very long story short. We have been here at Matatlan Marina for 20 days and anxious to leave. Three of the days were spent on a long bus ride (13 hours)to guymus to pick up the truck and drive back to Mazatlan. If I ever get a chance, I will write about that trip-quite an adventure. We have had fun with the luxury of traveling in our own vehicle and provisioning for our next adventure. We are pulling the dock lines and sailing into the shiny sparkling ocean to La Paz. This will be a two overnight passage-approx. 240 miles-40-48 hours. I am really looking forward to the beautiful blue green clear waters of the sea of cortez. I am so ready to snorkel, swim and kayak!

pics of Chacala-pongas;sunset;shopping from fruit truck

2008-03-25T09:31:00.000-07:00

Cruisers celebrating New Years aboard "Miela"

2008-03-13T15:25:00.001-07:00

January thru March 2-Barra to Chacala

2008-03-13T12:13:00.000-07:00

Blog 3-2-08

It has been so long since the last posting-Partly because I am a GREAT procrastinator ; and I really wonder what anybody wants to hear about. I remember reading a blog written by cruising friends, and, honestly I got sick of hearing of every detail! It is difficult to know where to start and what to include. By the way, is anyone reading the blog??? If so, is there any thing particular that you would like to have included. Any feed back can be sent to our email.

We are now in a quiet small village, Chacala, about 46 miles north of Puerto Vallarta-we have spent 2 nights here, sharing the anchorage with only a few other boats. We have had very successful dinghy landings thru a large surf. It seems that the gringos are especially interested in this cruising thing. We met 2 nice couples, one from Edmonton Canada and another from Seattle. This beach was busy with local Mexicans enjoying their weekend with fun in the water, LOUD music, vendors selling ice cream and the usual jewelry and misc. stuff. We sat at a palapa, drank cerveza and bought stuff that we probably don't need. After we bought the stuff we had the challenge of the dinghy ride thru the surf back to the boat. Luckily this was a good day of surf riding-unlike another day when we offered friends a ride to shore and we all arrived dripping wet!! One thing I have learned is that you do not leave the boat in a dinghy and expect to stay dry! This is especially irritating when you are going to dinner! All I can say, is that it is a good thing that restaurants are palapas on the beach with plastic chairs. It is interesting how time is consumed so differently and priorities are so different then those on land. The bottom of "our floating home" must be cleaned on a regular basis-algae and barnacles collect quickly in warm water. Terry is now cleaning the bottom of the boat with the use of a “hookah rig” and generator. This isn’t really his favorite part of cruising, but, a necessary part! We plan to leave this anchorage tomorrow early morning and will get to Mazatlan in approx 30 hours later.

The most recent excitement was the incredible viewing of about 4 whales, one was a baby and we watched it breach over and over!!! I was able to capture much of it on video.

To fill you in since the last blog: We spent New Years in a beautiful little anchorage called Carizol near Santiago Bay with 6 other cruising boats-Kayaking was great in this area and Tiffany (from the boat Blue Plains Drifter) and I had a great time kayaking, swimming and snorkeling. After a few days in Santiago Bay, we headed back to Barra de Navidad. I flew home for two weeks to visit family and friends and work ONE day. I certainly can’t complain about that.. My friends and supervisor at work are all so supportive and interested in our adventures. I realize how fortunate we are to have this opportunity to be enjoying the beautiful scenery as we sail thru the waters of Mexico. It felt good to be home. It was nice to NOT have the language barrier and the familiar feeling of HOME. Even though we really don’t have a house! I stayed with Rena in the dorm for a few days and with Bill and Jan and Karen. My brother in law gets the “good guy” award-He had my car detailed - spotlessly cleaned inside and out. This was a treat to drive a car, and a clean car at that! Considering that I had stuff from moving up to the property, stuff that I thought I would take sailing but changed my mind at the last minute. So, Bud being the nice guy, had all of this junk packed neatly into plastic bags! Upon my return to Puerto Vallarta, I stayed one night at a hotel before leaving on a bus for the 4 hour trip back to Barra de Navidad. I was met at the bus station by Terry and Bill from the boat Miela. It was a little tough with the suitcases on the uneven cobblestone streets-but, it felt good to be back to the warmth and comfort of our floating home. Terry was busy while I was gone, he studied and took his ham license (passed with 100%) pretty impressive since he was sick for a 24 hour period before the test. He was so excited he took off in the dinghy and lost his wallet (he believes that it sits on the bottom of the barra lagoon) We purchased a Pactor modem which provides a way to connect via SSB radio to transmit and recieve email! This should be a great way to keep in touch while we are away from internet in the sea of cortez.

more pics-Bahia Tenacatita-

2007-12-19T12:14:00.000-08:00

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

2007-12-19T11:40:00.000-08:00

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

2007-12-18T08:49:00.000-08:00

2007-12-17T16:08:00.000-08:00

Mazatlan to Barra de Navidad

2007-12-17T14:57:00.000-08:00

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"

2007-11-18T19:26:00.000-08:00

Good bye to Patrick in Mazatlan

2007-11-18T08:26:00.000-08:00

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"

2007-11-18T08:02:00.001-08:00

trip across the sea of cortez-arrival in Mazatlan

2007-11-18T06:59:00.000-08:00

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

2007-11-14T10:57:00.000-08:00

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

2007-11-13T20:58:00.000-08:00

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

2007-11-12T15:29:00.000-08:00

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

2007-11-05T09:56:00.000-08:00

Turtle Bay stop on Mon Nov 5.

2007-11-05T09:44:00.000-08:00

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.

2007-10-26T12:09:00.000-07:00

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

2007-10-09T16:02:00.000-07:00

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

Monterey to Channel Islands

2007-10-09T15:48:00.000-07:00

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"

2007-09-25T15:07:00.000-07:00

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

2007-09-16T11:05:00.000-07:00

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

2007-09-03T11:18:00.000-07:00

Preparing Tenacity

dock lines still connected

2007-08-19T15:45:00.000-07:00

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...