Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Enjoying Mainland Mexico
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.
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.
Monday, November 10, 2008
First posting for the cruising season November 2008
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!
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!
Sunday, April 27, 2008
The Sea of Cortez
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.
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.
Friday, April 11, 2008
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)