svbeachhouse

Category: 2008 Blog

  • Passage Mazatlan to San Jose del Cabo and reprovisioning…..

    Dear F&F,
    December 12-13, 2008

    We were happy that the windlass worked flawlessly as we upped the anchor at 6 am. It was still dark, with dawn coming about 40 minutes later. We took 3 hour shifts being on watch, although we were both awake most of the day. The 175 mile trip took us about 24 hours, timed for a daylight arrival.

    We stayed, in this two year old marina, 2 nights in February so were familiar with the entry. They now had power at most docks & now sell diesel. We puttered around until the fuel station opened then tanked up. We hold 115 gallons in each tank, one port one starboard. We also filled all 8 of our 5 gallon jugs. For scuba diving, we use our compressor to fill tanks. We have to run the generator to use the compressor, desalinate water & charge our batteries for lights, laptops & general household usage. The generator takes diesel. Since we hope to stay out at the Revillagegidos a month or longer, and there are no facilities there, we want to be topped off.

    When the office opened we radioed to get our slip assignment. Since we stayed here last, they installed power supply to most docks, which is nice. A WiFi connection is available on the boat. All the luxuries of a full service marina. And for the price of $100 per night you expect that.

    We had been in email contact with Ken Williams of m/v \”Sans Souci\” & knew he lives part time in a house in this area. We enjoyed his visit onboard \”Beach House\”, meeting him in person for the first time. He recommended a restaurant in town so we treated ourselves to dinner out. I have found dining out at \”nice\” restaurants to be overpriced & disappointing 80% of the time. Unfortunately this was one of those ventures that was just ok. Local, simple food is generally a better choice. I did enjoy strolling around town seeing the Christmas lights & ornaments. Being the week before most people\’s Christmas vacation, the street & shops were very quiet. A sign of the North American economic slow down.

    Food shopping is a 3 part event.

    Part 1 Gathering:
    The next day we taxied to my favorite Mexican grocery store, \”Mega\”. We had done a pretty major shopping for staples 2 weeks prior in Mazatlan, but spent another $500 here. Now I was stocking up on produce, bread, tortillas, and other perishables.

    Part 2 Get it Onboard
    It takes several trips to transfer the many, many bags of food from the taxi, to dock carts, carefully go down the ramp, happy for a rising tide (low tide = steep downhill ramp). Push the carts way down to the end where we are tied (always at an end because catamarans are so wide). Then schlep it all onboard, taking care to throw out in the dock trash cans all cardboard packaging (with potential cockroach eggs hidden in the seams).

    Part 3 Processing & Stowing
    This to me is the most exhausting part. Probably because I am already exhausted from Parts 1 & 2.. Meats: I want to vacuum bag & freeze. This requires de-boning and creating the proper portion size. Cans: marked so the content is easily viewed from the top & the bought date. All older cans have to be taken out & the new ones stowed deepest so my supply is rotated. I am always so proud & amazed at how much my pantry will hold. We definitely will not starve.

    Finally ready to set sail for the Revillagigedos!….

    Scott & Cindy

  • WRENCHING DEPARTURE from MAZATLAN…..

    Dear F&F,
    December 4-11, 2008

    Wrenching, because we had to use wrenches.
    Wrenching, because it took us 3 attempts to finally get out of Dodge.

    Attempt #1 Dec 4
    In preparation for departure we hired a local diver to clean the bottom of the boat. The water in the marina is gross, so it was worth the price to have it done by someone else. Oscar who has worked steadily on Beach House for 3 months did his final \”spit & polish\” cleaning of the fiberglass & metal. We took down our extra awning that shades the house. We got our propane tanks filled. We had checked the weather & it looked favorable for the next 2 days. We fueled up at the El Cid marina & waited until the dredge stopped working for the day to head out. The entrance to this harbor gets shallow with silt. Too shallow for safe passage in negative tides. We waited with another sailboat for the dredging equipment to move to the side of the harbor so we could get out. By 5 pm we had motored the 20 minutes to Isla Pajero (Deer Island). The plan was to anchor out for the night to help me get my sea legs; then make an early departure.

    Scott was at the helm & I was at the remote anchor control. It is a simple up/down switch. Scott picked his spot a safe distance from the 3 other boats out at the island & told me to drop the anchor. I push the down button. Nothing happens. I push it again, a tiny noise from the windlass motor. I switch places with Scott. We check the breaker. We had used this anchor windlass all summer without a glitch. Sitting at the dock the past 3 months we did not use it once. It was clear that something was broken, so we zoomed back into the marina & tied up to the dock before it got pitch dark.

    We hailed Bob & Rafael on the radio. They are the mechanics who did so much work for us the past 3 months. Bob said he cringed when he heard us call, knowing something was broken. He said he was relieved to hear us say that it was something new & not work he had done previously gone wrong. We were so discouraged. They came quickly to our aid & after much effort, they removed the windlass to take it to their shop for diagnosis & hopefully repair the next day. This is a critical piece of equipment for safety & ease of anchoring. If we had not tested it, we would have been very stressed to discover the malfunction out at San Benedicto, 300 miles from the nearest boat repair center in Puerto Vallarta.

    Parts Needed Dec 5
    Scott made several phone calls to the windlass manufacturer. We got the word from Bob that the seals were bad & this failure caused corrosion of all the internal bearings. Parts needed to be sent. DHL is the only reliable delivery method for Mexico. The folks in Riverside, CA were quick responders and got the parts out that afternoon. We anticipated arrival Monday or Tuesday.

    Weekend
    Friends John & Sharon whom we had met in Ensenada a year ago arrived on catamaran \”Sunbow\” to Marina Mazatlan on Friday. We enjoyed having them over for dinner & catching up. We would have missed them completely if our departure had gone as planned. We asked marina manager Elvira to call Cabo for us, to see if we could get our permit to visit the Revillagegedos Islands extended. She got a verbal ok & they said they would send an email Monday confirming this.

    One project we were glad to have a chance to get to was taking measurements for a new trampoline. About a month ago Scott stepped on it & his foot went right through. Not good. We found a company, Sunrise Products, in Florida that has already replaced the trampoline on other Switch 51 cats like ours. Richard Leng told us that our builder used the cheapest quality of net, so for it to show sun damage at 4 years was not a surprise.

    We took Larry of s/v \”Viking Son\” to dinner Saturday night. He was the first friendly face we saw in Mazatlan & had given us rides many times. It is very helpful to know someone with a car. We had been out at night only a couple of times. The pizza was decent and we enjoyed the camaraderie very much. Scott had managed to decline Larry\’s request for Scott to teach a winlink & sailmail seminar to the cruisers in the marina. Knowing we were laid up he asked one more time. Scott conceded & spent the entire day Sunday preparing.

    Monday Dec 8
    We were so impressed that DHL got the parts here so fast. Scott & Larry intercepted the driver at one of his stops at 10 am to fetch our package. Bob got on the job right away & was back onboard with the finished product that evening. But it didn\’t sound right. The motor was loud & working too hard. So now the windlass was left in place & the motor was taken to the shop. Diagnosis: new bearings & bushings needed. Oy veh.

    Scott\’s ham radio email seminar was a big success. Twenty boaters attended, most with laptops following along the steps that Scott taught them. Over half hung in there the full 3 � hours, with about 6 diehards asking more questions as we were trying to pack up & go home.

    Tues Dec 9
    Larry helped us once again by taking me to town to pay the bank for our fishing license. We have no intention of fishing, but do have a hook & some gear onboard. If we are boarded & searched we must show a license to go with our equipment. Last year\’s permit was due to expire in January, so we decided it was best to renew it while we had the opportunity.

    The office in charge of the Revillagedos Island permits did not emailed our extension yesterday. It took several phone calls by Elvira to produce results. Thankfully they gave us until the end of January, so the pressure to leave here quickly is reduced. We want to leave ASAP, but there is no pressure to be somewhere on a certain date.

    Bob showed up to reinstall the motor late in the day. As the shadows lengthened & the installation was not going easily, we saw our departure opportunity escaping us. Wrong bolts. Mallet banging. Cursing. Wrenching.

    Weds Dec 10 – Attempt #2
    The windlass installation was not elegant, but successful. It seems to be working better than ever. We are ready to go, but now the weather is not right. Big swell predicted that would make for an uncomfortable passage. We are restless to leave, but decide to delay 24 hrs. I cook some dinners up ahead: chicken mole & shrimp pasta. We get the mattress pad washed at the commercial laundry here & change the sheets. We meet Sunbow for happy hour.

    Thurs Dec 11 – Attempt #3
    Weather looks good to go. We are told the dredge is clear of the harbor entry from 10-1040 am. Oscar comes for one more wash down. We have many friendly sparrows that have decorated the boat. We put away the hose, stow the power cord, put away lines & fenders – on our way. I see the dredge is across the exit. We hail El Cid on channel 16. They tell us the window of opportunity to leave was 9-940 am (not 10-1040 as we were told). UGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Nothing to do but return to the dock. There is a full moon & extreme tides. The dredge is open again 2-230 pm, but that is exactly the time when the tide is the lowest. We now have to wait until after 5 pm to leave. Departing at that hour would time us to arrive at Cabo at night. We go back to our December 4 plan: we will anchor at Deer Island & leave early Friday morning. It is a 25-30 hour trip depending on the wind sea conditions & what speed we are able to maintain. We usually calculate 6.5 knots to be conservative.

    We are pretty depressed & don\’t do much all day. We have done all the doing we can. It is time to be gone. We just wait for the day to pass so we can make our exit. It is pretty dark by 5:30 pm, but Scott could still see to get out safely. The swell was 4-5 feet & the shallowest spot we saw was 7 feet deep. Piece of taco. We are free�

    So here we are folks. It is 7:15 pm & we have after 102 days made our escape from Mazatlan. The spot we are anchored is protected but rolly. I put on my scopalomine patch yesterday hoping we\’d leave then. It seems to still be working. Tomorrow, we set sail & our adventures begin again.

    Our experience at the end of our Mazatlan stay reminded us of the song \”Hotel California\”. The lyric is, \”You can check out, but you can never leave\”��.:)

    Scott and Cindy

  • Repairs

    Dear F&F,
    October 12th – December 11th

    When we returned from Copper Canyon, we had to get serious about getting the boat ready for the upcoming season. Many of you know, our boat was built for us in France and new in 2004. Despite having professional shipright Bill Bornemann in Marina del Rey, work 2 days on \”Beach House\” for two years; we\’re still teething.

    The amount of maintenance required on a boat is relentless. Unfortunately boat products are far more expensive that household equipment. And in the marine environment are far less reliable. Doing various chores related to the boat and our daily lives takes up at least one third to one half of every day. Our engine transmissions look like underwater outboard engines. These had small seal leaks and we needed to haul the boat to replace the seals. While out of the water in Mazatlan, we also repainted the bottom with anti fouling paint. We had air conditioning, refrigeration, engine work, canvas work, woodwork, new shades and screens installed, electrical work… the list went on & on. This took us the better part of two months as we had to compete with other boaters for the time and expertise of our technicians.

    Scott did the most \”invasive\” projects while I went to California for 2 weeks just before Thanksgiving. Our shopping list was lengthening and I wanted to visit my Dad for his 92nd birthday. Mazatlan to Los Angeles is less than 3 hours nonstop flight. Best to go while it is still so easy.

    We thank Bob, Raphael and Jesus of \”Total Yacht Works\” in Mazatlan for doing a wonderful job in helping us get ready for the new year. We also thank Elvira Lizarraga, the manager of Marina Mazatlan for constantly being wonderful and helping us over and over with the many details we had to take care of. And of course Mike Lonnes who is our stateside support & supplier for all things boat.

    Scott & Cindy

  • Copper Canyon….

    Dear F&F,

    October 2nd though 9th
    When Cindy and I returned from our trip up to LA and Santa Rosa, we were looking forward to our long awaited inland tour of Mexico\’s Copper Canyon. This is the Grand Canyon of Mexico, but 5 times bigger. Several rivers and most of the canyon complex is deeper than the Grand Canyon of Colorado.

    Part of the experience is the 6 hour bus ride from Mazatlan to Los Mochis and then taking the famous \”Chihuahua Pacific Railroad\” from sea level to 8000 feet. This is considered one of the most spectacular train rides in the Western Hemisphere. It took 90 years to complete the tracks from Los Mochis in the west (on the Sea of Cortez), to Chihuahua City, capitol of the state of Chihuahua.

    We left Los Mochis where the daytime temperatures were in the 90-100 degree range to arrive at Creel (the top of the mountain) where the night time temperatures were in the mid 40\’s. Needless to say, after the \”Sea\” in the summer, this was quite a shock to our systems. After only one night in a hotel that had no electricity and a fire place for warmth, we took a spectacular and quite harrowing ride down to the silver mining town of Batopilas. We sat on top of an SUV with race car style seats, strapped in and looked down into gorges over 1000 feet below us. This was a one lane, unimproved dirt road and the ride took 8 hours! We had some spectacular views and some disappointments.

    Our driver, Pedro was a terrific guide and we did our best \”Spanglish\” with no real communication problems. Once we arrived in Batopilas, we found an active town of about 1000 people with 100 Mexican Federal troops, M-16\’s and flak jackets. Drug wars go on in these areas and unfortunately there had been some recent killings of town folk by the bad guys. The town itself was nice, we stayed in a restored hotel but were the only guests. We went for a day trip to the \”Lost Cathedral\” of Satevo, built in the 1700\’s.

    We lucked upon a horseback group leaving for a 13 day trip to re-enact the old mining days and celebrate the 300th anniversary of people living and bringing silver out of the Batopilas area. After two nights, we\’d had enough and frankly, didn\’t understand the big attraction of the area other than the beautiful scenic drive. The bumps and bruises down and up the dirt road made this a \”no recommendation\” unless you had a very specific reason to want to go there.

    After a 10 hour trip UP the same road, we arrived at what was to be our \”luxury hotel\”, the \”Posada Mirador\”. The accommodations were 3 star, the food was horrible and the views were spectacular. Unfortunately, the staff was used to \”cattle caravan tours\” coming and going on a daily basis. This didn\’t help many of the \”old timers\” attitude toward the tourists. We had been told they had internet access and even satellite TV here. The only internet was at the front desk, the only TV at the bar. We watched the last US presidential debate from the bar at the Posada Mirador. We did some hiking and did get to see the very interesting Tarahumara Indians. These people have had many books written about them. Here, I\’ll be brief. They are short of stature and LONG on endurance. They represented Mexico in the 1968 Olympics and did \”middle of the pack\”. Why such a poor showing? They complained they had to wear shoes and the distance was TOO SHORT! They have since entered and easily won 100 mile running races.

    The Tarahumara live in caves, caverns and wooden houses. They are renowned for drinking huge quantities of \”corn beer\” and are very private and shy people. They are also the Indians that made \”Peyote\” famous. We visited a Tarahumara cave dwelling or two, but alas, they have become part of the \”tourist world\”.

    We would only recommend a trip up here for SERIOUS BACKPACKERS. For those folks, this is heaven. The canyon we did not see and is reputed to be the most spectacular is \”Sinforosa\”. Sheer cliffs going straight down for half a mile! If we had to do it over again, we would have stayed only at the Posada Mirador, not traveled anywhere as much as we did which was exhausting and done day trips or hikes from the hotel.

    We left to go back to El Fuerte and stay the night on the train. The train was 7 hours late!
    Welcome to Mexico! A track had come loose with a heavy freight train coming up from Chihuahua. By the way, we saw exactly ONE Chihuahua in all of Chihuahua. : )

    We arrived at El Fuerte exhausted from our long travel day. This is the city in Mexico reputed to be the home of the legendary \”Zorro\”. They even have a show and a statue commemorating the one who took from the rich and gave to the poor.

    We left El Fuerte by public bus to go back to Los Mochis to catch the long haul bus back to Mazatlan. Here we were robbed. Our luggage was separated from us and we lost approximately $2000.00 of stuff including 85% of my photos. Fortunately, no camera gear was lost, but it left a bad taste in our mouths to a trip we had so looked forward to as our \”vacation\”. In retrospect, we would only recommend this trip to train buffs and backpackers. Also, we moved way too much and were not counseled correctly about how much traveling was involved with our itinerary. We should have known better, but live and learn. Most of the photos we posted on the website were from our little Canon point and shoot and whatever photos were on my Nikon at the end of the trip. Stay tuned, we know it\’s going to get better.

    Scott and Cindy

  • French Polynesia Long Stay Visa Application……

    September 22, 2008

    This was the main reason that we both came to California at this time. I had
    a trial run applying for the visa when in Los Angeles by myself in June.
    With our boat documented at my sister\’s address, we were deemed no longer
    residents of Southern California, so the LA office rejected my packet. We
    had to apply at the French Consulate office in San Francisco. We do not
    intend to cross the Pacific until early next summer, but it is takes time to
    get the Long Stay Visa. Once they accept a packet it takes 3-4 months to
    process. Something about SF-Paris-Tahiti bureaucracy. If you are approved
    you have 90 days to pick it up. One person, of a married couple, must
    personally return with both passport to pick up the visas. You then have 90
    days to check into the country.

    If you do not go through the hoops to get a Long Stay Visa you can only stay
    in French Polynesia for 30 days with a 1-2 month extension. That is a very
    long way to travel for such a short period of time. Once you have the L.S.
    Visa you can get it renewed. You do have to leave from time to time, but it
    is a much better way to go. With great diving throughout this large region
    of the Pacific, we were motivated to do whatever it took.

    Here is a list of requirements for this visa application:

    · Application forms, in French (3 copies)

    · Passport valid for 1 year (3 copies)

    · Passport photos (3 copies)

    · Proof of health insurance that is valid outside the US and
    guarantee of return of our remains in case of our death

    · Financial guarantee/proof of income: minimum $1700 per month per
    person (2 copies of statements from bank or brokerage firm)

    · Letter written in French certifying that we will perform no paid
    activity

    · Police clearance from the city where we reside or last resided in
    the US – translated into French

    · Letter written in French explaining our purpose of applying for the
    long stay visa

    Friends in Paris, Clark & Vincent, provided the translation service. Our
    French was never very good & has not been helped by a year in a Spanish
    speaking country.

    Applications for this visa are accepted by appointment only on Monday and
    Wednesday afternoons. The No. Cal portion of our trip was scheduled around
    our Monday Sept 22 appointment at 2 pm. It was a happy coincidence that my
    Dad\’s side annual family reunion fell the day before. Scott & I brought Dad
    & enjoyed visiting with my sister Alberta & her husband David as well as all
    the other Brain\’s relatives.

    We had everything in order on Monday September 22 except the paper from the
    Sebastopol Police Department verifying that Scott was not a known criminal.
    I had gotten my clearance in June, but just for good measure got a current
    one. Our translating friends used my June clearance as a sample for what we
    needed, just changing the date. As soon as the secretary got in, we were
    there with our $20 cash fee and were soon on our way to SF, our packet
    complete.

    We were early along with several others at the Bush Street office, near the
    gate to Chinatown. We showed our appointment slip to the security guard, our
    bags were searched & we walked through a metal detector. We were happy to
    get the young, sweet looking woman behind the glass, not the more stern
    officious looking man. She went down her checklist & we handed her the
    documents one by one. Or in most cases: three by three. She neglected to
    ask for our proof of health insurance, so we volunteered it and she said
    fine.

    If it goes as expected, my sister will get a call from the SF office in
    early January. I will wait until nearly the last of the 90 days to fly from
    wherever we are to pick the visas up. We want as much leeway as possible in
    getting there, not to be rushed. We figure they must have to make allowances
    for weather or repairs, since we will be arriving by boat. But no sense in
    getting the officials suspicious by checking in \”late\” if it can be
    prevented. As we left, we breathed a small sigh of relief that it was out
    of our hands & now just a waiting game. If we don\’t qualify for this thing,
    we don\’t think anyone can.

    After the No.Cal trip, Scott went back to So.Cal ahead of me to pick up and
    pack up the umpty umpty amount of boat stuff we needed to take back with us.
    We stayed in LA mostly with Scott\’s Aunt Barbara who was very tolerant of
    our taking over her living room; making it look much like a cross between a
    SCUBA store and Yacht Chandlery…..

    Scott & Cindy, just back from L.A., Mazatlan, Mexico

  • Quick Trip to Cabo San Lucas…..

    September 9-10, 2008

    There are certain things you never send in the mail: passports, original
    boat documentation, original import permits, etc. These happened to be the
    things that the office in charge of issuing permits to visit the
    Archipelagos Revillagigedos required. So we flew to Cabo San Lucas.

    Just reaching the right office to find out what was required to get a permit
    was tricky. If it hadn\’t been for the patient & persistent assistance of
    Elvira Lizarraga we would not have succeeded. Elvira is the best marina
    manager in the entire world. I know we have not been around the world yet,
    but we can say that without hesitation. She made multiple phone calls & sent
    multiple emails on our behalf. The only private boats that go there are
    divers. And not many cruisers are divers, so getting this permit was not a
    commonly known procedure.

    Once we found out the long list of original documentation required, we
    realized we had to travel in person to the Oficina de Proteccion de Flora y
    Fauna de Cabo San Lucas. We could have taken the ferry but that would have
    been an all day trip each way & we were running short on time. Our flight
    back to Los Angeles was booked for September 13. So Elvira booked the once
    daily Mexicana flight to Cabo for us. Initially the price showed as $525 per
    person, so Scott was going to go alone. But when Elvira pushed the \”Buy
    Now\” button on the Spanish language Mexicana website, the price dropped in
    half. Very interesting & noted for future reference. We decided it would be
    more fun together since it was the same price we\’d planned to spend for
    Scott alone.

    At the end of the short flight we were assaulted by the Cabo hawkers for
    taxis, timeshares, and rental cars. It turned out to be less expensive to
    rent a car for the day than take a cab. After a few wrong turns we made it
    to the office in town. Sr. Biol. Carlos Eduardo Narro Flores was most
    helpful & we were glad to hear that they are now welcoming private boats to
    the islands and that the permits are free. The area has a sad history of
    fishermen slaughtering the manta rays & sharks that are an unintended
    by-catch. It is now a marine sanctuary with a 12 mile \”no take\” zone. There
    is a Navy outpost and they will investigate & prosecute reports of illegal
    fishing. The islands were completely closed to visitors for 3 years, but now
    the wildlife has recovered enough that they issue permits to a few live
    aboard dive charter boats and as many private boats that wish to go. We were
    only the 3rd private boat requesting a permit for this year.

    Our planned visit to these islands is for the month of December. It is a
    good thing we started early on the permit application process because once
    Sr. Flores copied all the required documents he mailed copies to the La Paz
    office for rubber stamping. The permit that was to be delivered via DHL to
    Marina Mazatlan in \”1-2 weeks\” appeared (after much follow up from Elvira) 6
    weeks later.

    Scott posted a detailed outline of the process required on a cruising weblog
    called the \”Southbound Net\” so that others might benefit from our
    experience.

    All our business was accomplished that first day. But there is only 1 flight
    each way per day so we took it easy at the Comfort Inn, listening to the
    rain. Strolling around Cabo\’s marina & town was not enjoyable due to the
    aggressive hawkers everywhere. We felt accomplished & relieved to get back
    to Mazatlan where the approach to tourists is much more mellow.

    Scott & Cindy, Mazatlan, Mexico

  • Marina Mazatlan……

    September 2, 2008

    Scott did a brilliant job of navigating us through the breakwater in the
    dark. I know that because I didn\’t hear any crashing noises as I had my eyes
    closed. The navigation lights are hard to distinguish from the lights on the
    land. So the visual is very confusing. We had our prior track on the chart,
    which we knew was a safe path, so he just followed that back in. Still scary
    for me.

    The dock master, Elvira had left instructions for security that we would be
    a late arrival so they were expecting us. It was great to see our Tres
    Amigos (security guards) there to catch our dock lines. There had been quite
    a lightening show all evening, not close enough to be scary, but quite
    impressive. We were so exhausted after 2 full days & 1 ½ nights at sea we
    couldn\’t crawl into bed fast enough. I made the big big mistake of leaving
    hatches open. At 4:30 am I awoke to a deluge of rain pouring inside the
    boat. Scott was absolutely passed out & of no help. Yikes! It took me an
    hour to scurry from cabin to cabin closing everything, mop up some & finally
    get back to bed. Needless to say I was pretty tired all day & took it pretty
    easy.

    September 3-8

    We met 2 other folks on boats. There are only 12 boats with anyone aboard
    out of over 300 boats in the marina. It is called \”off season\” for a reason.
    It is unbearably hot & humid day & night. We are so glad we spent the big
    bucks to install air conditioning because we would not be able to tolerate
    this climate otherwise. . Most other boaters do not have air conditioning
    which is why there are so few people here at this time of year.

    We get slow WiFi on the boat which is adequate to send & receive email. But
    we can walk 10 minutes up to the marina office to hard wire the laptops to
    use Skype. The office is blessedly air conditioned.

    It seems a slew of business was waiting for us & we are busy busy busy. For
    me the main concern is my Dad. He fell again, without injury, but it is hard
    to know what is best for him now & I feel so far away. Our flight to LA is
    September 13. I wish it was sooner.

    Our other immediate project is to obtain a permit to dive in the Islas
    Revillagegedos (San Benedicto & Socorro Islands).

    Scott & Cindy, Mazatlan, Mexico

  • Crossing \”The Sea\”……

    August 29 & 30, 2008

    Turns out these were our last 2 days of diving in the Sea of Cortez. We took
    Monty, of catamaran \”The Heavenly Star\”, diving. He is certified, but hadn\’t
    been on scuba in a very long time. Scott & I kept a close eye on him & he
    did great. He was thrilled & very appreciative to have had the opportunity.
    Very few boaters, even those certified to dive, carry the full array of gear
    needed to be a self-sufficient dive boat. Terry has been providing & filling
    tanks for JJ, Mick & Joyce. We have gotten good use out of our scuba
    compressor this summer and will be installing some upgrades soon to help it
    last even longer.

    Our very last dive we got to see something spectacular. It is rare to see
    zebra moray eels, and we saw two that appeared to be fighting (or mating?).
    They are black with white stripes about 3 1/2 feet long. They were
    completely wrapped around each other like tangled lines. Wrestling &
    struggling for over 10 minutes. Finally 1 extracted itself & swam away to
    another hole in the rock (with another species of moray eel!). We guessed it
    was a territorial battle, but such fierceness right in front of us was
    really unusual to see. They paid us no attention at all.

    It seemed that every species we had seen all summer swam by to bid us
    farewell. We enjoyed every minute of diving in the Sea of Cortez, but it was
    time to move on.

    August 31, 2008

    The Weather Guru Don Anderson is convinced something will develop off
    Acapulco mid week, but NOAA is not reporting it yet. We also heard the news
    about Hurricane Gustav that may hit Louisiana. Not a danger to us, but we
    hope that it does not cause a lot of damage there.

    We decided prudence was the better part of valor & took off across early
    this morning. We like 6 hour watch shifts, more opportunity to get sleep
    when you are off. It was calm & hot all day. I am barely wearing clothes. It
    is 88 degrees with 76 percent humidity. The ocean breeze makes it
    comfortable. It will get better as the sun goes above the bimini & there is
    more shade in the cockpit.

    Just what you want when underway: an uneventful passage.

    Sept 1, 2008

    I love waking up to a new day at sea. After a long dark night it is
    wonderful to have the sunshine & be able to see as I move around inside &
    out. I stayed alert for about half my 9 pm to 3 am watch. Scott had
    convinced me that we were unlikely to see any other boat traffic so I did
    not have to stand watch like Hiawatha. So when I got drowsy I went to the 20
    minute timer watch. I was a bit nervous at first that I would not hear my
    wristwatch beep, it is not that loud. But did not want to use the kitchen
    digital timers since they are really loud & might disturb Scott\’s sleep. At
    first I lay down in the cockpit on a cushion, staring up at the stars. But I
    could feel the boat\’s movement a lot & it was emphasized by watching the
    navigation light at the top of our mast wig wag around. A bit queasy
    inducing. So I moved some of the blue cushions in the salon, so I could lie
    on my side for napping. That worked out great. The next 3 hrs flew by. I
    usually woke up just a few seconds before my watch timer was about to beep.
    I couldn\’t believe 20 minutes had passed, so I knew I had been asleep. I was
    alert enough to go outside, confirm the auto pilot was maintaining the
    correct course. Note our speed, check the barometer, wind speed & direction
    & scan the horizon for lights that could be another boat. Since we did not
    stay along the coast of Baja to La Paz, but cut across directly from Agua
    Verde there was not much likelihood of traffic. There is a La Paz – Mazatlan
    ferry & cargo ships, but we are not in their path.

    Despite pretty good rest from my cat naps, I happily turned over the boat to
    Scott when he got up at 3 am. I made him a cup of tea. Put out cold cereal.
    Gave him my report & went down to our cabin for a wonderful sleep. I took a
    Sonata to make sure I really slept soundly. It worked great. I woke up 2
    times, but went quickly back to sleep. Being well rested makes all the
    difference in the world in my attitude & sense of adventure vs. enduring
    something grueling. I got up at 8:15 am so we could have some overlap time
    together. Scott reported to me, we put both the main & genoa up & are motor
    sailing. We have fuel to burn since we don\’t really want to be loaded to the
    gills for our haul out in mid Oct & between now & then we\’ll be on dock
    power so not using up diesel running the generator.

    At our current pace we will arrive at about 2 am tonight (early Tues a.m.).
    I had designed our watch schedule so Scott would be up for both the 8 am & 7
    pm HAM radio nets. We may switch to 3 or 4 hr shifts after that since Scott
    will definitely want to be up when we take the boat into the marina in the
    dark. Because we\’ve been there before he says he feels confident to do this
    & not slow down & spend 2 full nights out here. Always better to have the
    shortest exposure to the elements if there is a risk of unfriendly weather
    cropping up. It is hurricane season around here, but it seems we picked a
    nice calm window so are taking full advantage of it. Arrived at 1 a.m. and
    we were met at the dock by the security guards who were expecting us. A
    nice night\’s sleep at the dock.

    Scott & Cindy, Mazatlan, Mexico

  • Crossing \”The Sea\”……

    August 29 & 30, 2008

    Turns out these were our last 2 days of diving in the Sea of Cortez. We took
    Monty, of catamaran \”The Heavenly Star\”, diving. He is certified, but hadn\’t
    been on scuba in a very long time. Scott & I kept a close eye on him & he
    did great. He was thrilled & very appreciative to have had the opportunity.
    Very few boaters, even those certified to dive, carry the full array of gear
    needed to be a self-sufficient dive boat. Terry has been providing & filling
    tanks for JJ, Mick & Joyce. We have gotten good use out of our scuba
    compressor this summer and will be installing some upgrades soon to help it
    last even longer.

    Our very last dive we got to see something spectacular. It is rare to see
    zebra moray eels, and we saw two that appeared to be fighting (or mating?).
    They are black with white stripes about 3 1/2 feet long. They were
    completely wrapped around each other like tangled lines. Wrestling &
    struggling for over 10 minutes. Finally 1 extracted itself & swam away to
    another hole in the rock (with another species of moray eel!). We guessed it
    was a territorial battle, but such fierceness right in front of us was
    really unusual to see. They paid us no attention at all.

    It seemed that every species we had seen all summer swam by to bid us
    farewell. We enjoyed every minute of diving in the Sea of Cortez, but it was
    time to move on.

    August 31, 2008

    The Weather Guru Don Anderson is convinced something will develop off
    Acapulco mid week, but NOAA is not reporting it yet. We also heard the news
    about Hurricane Gustav that may hit Louisiana. Not a danger to us, but we
    hope that it does not cause a lot of damage there.

    We decided prudence was the better part of valor & took off across early
    this morning. We like 6 hour watch shifts, more opportunity to get sleep
    when you are off. It was calm & hot all day. I am barely wearing clothes. It
    is 88 degrees with 76 percent humidity. The ocean breeze makes it
    comfortable. It will get better as the sun goes above the bimini & there is
    more shade in the cockpit.

    Just what you want when underway: an uneventful passage.

    Sept 1, 2008

    I love waking up to a new day at sea. After a long dark night it is
    wonderful to have the sunshine & be able to see as I move around inside &
    out. I stayed alert for about half my 9 pm to 3 am watch. Scott had
    convinced me that we were unlikely to see any other boat traffic so I did
    not have to stand watch like Hiawatha. So when I got drowsy I went to the 20
    minute timer watch. I was a bit nervous at first that I would not hear my
    wristwatch beep, it is not that loud. But did not want to use the kitchen
    digital timers since they are really loud & might disturb Scott\’s sleep. At
    first I lay down in the cockpit on a cushion, staring up at the stars. But I
    could feel the boat\’s movement a lot & it was emphasized by watching the
    navigation light at the top of our mast wig wag around. A bit queasy
    inducing. So I moved some of the blue cushions in the salon, so I could lie
    on my side for napping. That worked out great. The next 3 hrs flew by. I
    usually woke up just a few seconds before my watch timer was about to beep.
    I couldn\’t believe 20 minutes had passed, so I knew I had been asleep. I was
    alert enough to go outside, confirm the auto pilot was maintaining the
    correct course. Note our speed, check the barometer, wind speed & direction
    & scan the horizon for lights that could be another boat. Since we did not
    stay along the coast of Baja to La Paz, but cut across directly from Agua
    Verde there was not much likelihood of traffic. There is a La Paz – Mazatlan
    ferry & cargo ships, but we are not in their path.

    Despite pretty good rest from my cat naps, I happily turned over the boat to
    Scott when he got up at 3 am. I made him a cup of tea. Put out cold cereal.
    Gave him my report & went down to our cabin for a wonderful sleep. I took a
    Sonata to make sure I really slept soundly. It worked great. I woke up 2
    times, but went quickly back to sleep. Being well rested makes all the
    difference in the world in my attitude & sense of adventure vs. enduring
    something grueling. I got up at 8:15 am so we could have some overlap time
    together. Scott reported to me, we put both the main & genoa up & are motor
    sailing. We have fuel to burn since we don\’t really want to be loaded to the
    gills for our haul out in mid Oct & between now & then we\’ll be on dock
    power so not using up diesel running the generator.

    At our current pace we will arrive at about 2 am tonight (early Tues a.m.).
    I had designed our watch schedule so Scott would be up for both the 8 am & 7
    pm HAM radio nets. We may switch to 3 or 4 hr shifts after that since Scott
    will definitely want to be up when we take the boat into the marina in the
    dark. Because we\’ve been there before he says he feels confident to do this
    & not slow down & spend 2 full nights out here. Always better to have the
    shortest exposure to the elements if there is a risk of unfriendly weather
    cropping up. It is hurricane season around here, but it seems we picked a
    nice calm window so are taking full advantage of it. Arrived at 1 a.m. and
    we were met at the dock by the security guards who were expecting us. A
    nice night\’s sleep at the dock.

    Scott & Cindy, Mazatlan, Mexico

  • Me and Julio down by the school yard…..

    Aug 24-25, 2008

    Remember that song?

    We have been on weather watch for days as tropical storm Julio is heading
    our way. Not sure when we will go \”OUT\” next. Our next \”OUT\” will probably
    be our last. This is the trickiest weather month, we must watch for our
    weather window to get the boat across the sea to Marina Mazatlan for our
    scheduled trip to Los Angeles on September 9th.

    11 am

    The weather report indicates that tropical storm Julio is due to affect our
    area about midnight tonight. Seems like weather challenges always occur at
    night. We are anticipating AT THE WORST 50-60 knot gusts, maybe sustained 35
    knots for a few hours. I was in that amount of wind in Gibraltar so I know
    what it feels like. I am very calm & even feel somewhat excited. You should
    hear the chatter on the radio & group hysteria that is brewing.

    Because of the geographic peculiarities of the Baja Peninsula & Sea of
    Cortez we cannot anticipate which direction the wind will blow from. Our
    best guess from the info we have right now is that it may come from the
    South & East. So we moved Beach House closer to the mountains enclosing this
    mooring area on the S & E side to get some wind protection from those
    mountains. Scott scuba dived on this mooring & secured the bridle lines (one
    from each bow, like reins on a horse) to the mooring float ball. He is
    confident that we are secure. As the day progresses we will do a thorough
    scan of everything on the boat that could potentially blow overboard or get
    shredded from strong winds.

    A local problem is many boats are tied to a mooring & left unattended for
    months or years. No maintenance & no one watching if the lines are chafing.
    Two days ago one of these neglected boats broke loose from its mooring.
    Luckily it did not hit another boat, so no damage, but it jacked up the live
    aboard community & they are pretty irate with these negligent boat owners.
    Many of them now live in homes in Loreto which is 20 miles away. The owners
    of these boats should just sell or sink their old boats. Now with this storm
    coming, the ante is up & tension is high. The unattended boats in the area
    near us seem well secured. Our closest boat neighbor is now Ray on s/v Adios
    who has been down here 4 yrs & through 2 hurricanes. He is very mellow & I
    am hoping he will be a calming influence as the night progresses & the wind
    picks up. The spa radio is a good seratonin drip, usually Scott is content
    to have it on. It is a sign that he is really worried when he turns it off.
    The sky is dark & cloudy.

    3 p.m.

    Just after I wrote the above the rain started coming down. Scott zoomed back
    from shore in the dinghy. We secured everything outside, including the
    dinghy & got soaking wet. Several other boats came scurrying into the
    mooring area. Scott uploaded some large satellite images via Satellite phone
    (which can handle much large files than our HAM radio connections). The
    satellite images look pretty impressive. Sure glad we aren\’t in Cabo. We are
    tracking the barometer, wind speed, direction & trying to get some rest
    since it could be a long night with the most action expected then.

    August 25 morning

    We are happy to report that the anticipation was much worse than the actual
    event.

    It is overcast & there is some wind, but the weather is almost back to
    normal. It turns out that Julio brought far more rain than wind, which was a
    big relief. We got a good soaking: 8 inches in 24 hours. Scott & I were both
    up several times during the night, but never saw wind speed over 25 knots.
    Whew!

    So now you know the story of \”Me (we) and Julio down by the Marina Yard\”……

    Scott & Cindy