svbeachhouse

Category: 2008 – 2009 Mazatlan – Revilligegedos Islands – Central Mexico – Central America – Costa Rica to Galapagos Islands Blog

  • Zihuatanejo…..

    Dear F&F,
    February 12, 2009

    Well if you had asked me if I thought we would spend 16 days on the dock at Ixtapa Marina when we first got there I would have thought you were crazy. But it is dawning on us that when we reach docks we do tend to stay longer than expected & get a lot of things done.

    And now that we are at the Zihuatanejo anchorage, 1 day & night feels like it will be plenty of time here.

    Benefits of the anchorage – free (vs about $65/night by the time you include the electricity & water charges).
    Negative of the anchorage – cruise ships come & go. They usually stay only 1 day /night but they bring a lot of baggage. Starting with the ugly giant cruise ship near the entrance of the anchorage. The many shuttle boats zooming to & from the dock (that only the cruise ship shuttle boats can use. Wet landing for us other boaters.) Jet skis tearing up the place. Parasailing boats freaking you out that they will slam their person up in the air into our mast!

    Motion of the ocean: how quickly I forget that I get seasick really easy sometimes. Easy to forget at the dock! But just this short little 6 mile trip from Ixtapa made me feel pretty lousy & I had to munch a Bonine & put on my patch. I am better now, but not perfect. I wonder if I will ever \”get over\” it? Or if it is just something I need to be more preventive about. It simply did not occur to me that I might not feel fine during a measly 6 mile trip.

    We anchored initially near 3 other catamarans. They were all \”bow & stern\” to keep their bow into the swell. We did not want to hassle with the stern anchor, well, because it is a hassle. And for just 1 night, not worth it if we can avoid it. So we picked up the anchor & moved over amongst the 30 or so other boats. The majority are leaners in the 40-something foot range. The anchorage is still what I would call \”rolly\” due to swell hitting us sideways.

    Photos we will post will show what has become of previously charming Zihuat. So much development. Just like every other coastal town in Mexico; over built. We went ashore in the dinghy. Nathaniel was there to take our 20 pesos & make sure our dinghy wasn\’t stolen. The cruise ship people were onshore which is sure to give it a more tourist town feel compared to when they are not here.

    Since it was after 5 pm, we sat at a beach palapa cafe & shared a burger with fries & chips with guacamole. So we are fed. Nice not to have to fuss with making dinner since I\’m still not feeling 100%. I do get hungry despite feeling a bit bleah. My seasick symptoms are mainly feeling very tired & headachy, more than stomach yucky. In only get that when conditions are really rough.

    Vendors selling every imaginable thing come up to your table: jewelry, sombreros, fabric sarongs/tablecloths, knick-knacks. You have to just ignore them or else you would run away screaming. Then the sell-a-song guys: one with a harp like thingy, one with guitar, a mandolin/accordion duo, on & on… Stand by your table, strum a few notes, see if you make eye contact then move on. Annoying as hell. We would happily have paid more for the food to avoid this routine, understand they are just trying to make a buck & that this is a prime time tourist trap. This season due to the US economy, tourism is down 40% in Mexico. The Mexicans are feeling it big time!

    On the dinghy ride back, we said hello to Monty on a small catamaran that sometimes joined us this summer as part of the multihull brigade. We also introduced ourselves to the boat my friend Sandy just left, \”Shanghai\”. We also said hi to Chuck\’s brother & sis-in-law of \”Sun Baby\”, who were near the 1st spot we anchored.

    So here we are, finally at Zihuatanejo. I hope to get my sea head after a night\’s sleep & the patch will have time to kick in. Tomorrow we will continue. We are only going about the distance of Marina del Rey to Avalon, to Papanoa. This stop is for the sole purpose of making the next leg to Acaplulco a day time trip, not an overnight. The sailing guidebooks do not say much about it other than it is a safe anchorage.

    Scott & Cindy
    ————————————————-
    Do not push the \”reply\” button to respond to this
    message if that includes the text of this original
    message in your response. Messages are sent over a
    very low-speed radio link.

    The most concise way to reply is to send a NEW message
    to: \”Scott & Cindy Stolnitz (s/v Beach House)\”
    If you DO use your reply button, be sure to delete
    the original message text and these instructions
    from your reply.

    Replies should not contain attachments and should be
    less than 5 kBytes (2 text pages) in length.

    This email was delivered by an HF private coast station
    in the Maritime Mobile Radio Service, operated by the
    SailMail Association, a non-profit association of yacht
    owners. For more information on this service or on the
    SailMail Association, please see the web site at:

    SailMail Association

  • Boat Projects & Friends at Ixtapa Marina…..

    Dear F&F,
    February 7-11, 2009

    Sailor friend Sandy took the bus from Zihuatenejo anchorage and was a big help writing the inventory as I stowed my pantry. All older canned goods are taken out, the new put deeper and the oldest kept most accessible. I label & date the tops of cans so I can quickly see what I am grabbing. The guest cabin still needs some work before we are \”guest ready\” but we have time before Carmina comes to fetch us from El Salvador.

    Scott has been working long & hard every day to install all the equipment I brought from LA. I am especially enjoying the newly installed shower sump that happily gulps away the water & helps keep our bilges dry. We still need to re-caulk the shower floor which leaks out beyond the shower. It never ends�

    While Sandy & I worked inside, Scott installed the port side of the new trampoline. I tried to talk him out of doing it in the heat of the day, but he was driven. The installing of the new went fine. It was the cutting away of the old that was a pain. I will help him do the final tightening of the new & that side will be done. He will cut the old out first on the starboard side & I will help him with the new installation. He was (justifiably) afraid of falling in the hole if the old was gone. But after having done the port, he feels that is the better was to go. I think only 1 or 2 hacksaw blades fell overboard….

    Scott arranged for in interior housekeeper to help me clean. We have not kept up to Eva\’s standards, so I was glad to have Deanna help me with the ceiling vinyl, walls, floors, counters, windows, wipe down, vacuum the saloon cushions, etc, etc. Big job, but necessary to be in ship shape. We worked side by side for 6 hours. It is good to have a clean \”Beach House\”.

    One night we were invited for happy hour aboard a very big fancy power boat, \”Quan Yin\”, down the dock. A super nice couple (Rob & Tami) are the Captain & Cook. Plus 1 other crew as deck hand. We brought along another power boat couple (Linda & John) that we had met last year. I brought pizza from the internet place. Linda brought homemade cookies. Tami put out delicious guacamole & chips. Rob poured wine – a good time was had by all. Tami is from Dallas & a live-wire. Very fun. She & Rob shared good info on Costa Rica, including a referral to a guide for seeing the rainforests and a mechanic that may be able to help solve our auto pilot mysteries.

    Tami invited me along to the mercado with her. Yippee! Another shopping opportunity. We walked a bit then waved down a cab. I had to make a quick stop at an ATM to get pesos, then on to the mercado. Imagine a Mexican version of the old Fairfax farmers market. The dead animals hanging in the meat market were a bit disconcerting. But the fruits & veggies were great. I bought asparagus, brussel sprouts, broccoli, zucchini, jicama, avocados, tomatoes, 3 colors of bell peppers, cucumber, mangos, apples, pears, peaches, plums, tangerines, bananas & one of those enormous papayas. Produce Heaven! We then went back to the supermarket where I picked a few things I\’d forgotten on Saturday: baby wipes (quick & easy clean/wipe up), more tortillas, more cheese, bay leaves, more rib eye steaks. A pint of coffee Haagen Dazs! So once again – we won\’t starve! It was very fun going marketing with a girlfriend.

    Scott had the starboard side trampoline installed by the time I returned from the market. It just needs to be tightened in a day or 2, then the lines trimmed & dressed. His hands are full of blisters & joints aching from the strain of pulling the lines tight all the way around. It was a huge job & he is happy to have it mostly behind him.

    We are doing some paperwork inside with the air conditioning on. It is such a nice relief from the heat in the mid afternoon. A big benefit of dock power. Overnight it cools down to a pleasant 68 so we can sleep without the AC. Unless one of the nearby boats are having a late party, in which case you can only sleep with the windows closed & fans on. Some neighboring boats are so rude about cranking up the music until all hours at night. But as we all know, excessive drinking can make a jerk out of many people. But overall. we have enjoyed our time here at Ixtapa Marina.

    We plan to move on down to the Z-Town anchorage (only 6 miles) on Thursday, February 12. We will probably stay 1-2 nights then mosey on down toward Acapulco.

    Scott & Cindy
    ————————————————-
    Do not push the \”reply\” button to respond to this
    message if that includes the text of this original
    message in your response. Messages are sent over a
    very low-speed radio link.

    The most concise way to reply is to send a NEW message
    to: \”Scott & Cindy Stolnitz (s/v Beach House)\”
    If you DO use your reply button, be sure to delete
    the original message text and these instructions
    from your reply.

    Replies should not contain attachments and should be
    less than 5 kBytes (2 text pages) in length.

    This email was delivered by an HF private coast station
    in the Maritime Mobile Radio Service, operated by the
    SailMail Association, a non-profit association of yacht
    owners. For more information on this service or on the
    SailMail Association, please see the web site at:

    SailMail Association

  • Ixtapa Marina & Cindy\’s Shopping Trip…..

    Dear F&F,
    January 26 – February 6, 2009

    A couple of months ago we had emailed Ixtapa Marina (just 6 miles from Zihuatenejo) requesting a slip reservation. The harbormaster told us they would not have room. Knowing that things can change, Scott decided to hail them while we were getting diesel at the Ixtapa fuel dock. Lo & behold, they had lots of slips available & we are happy to take one. It is so much easier to do boat projects, get cleaned up, schlep groceries onboard etc. from a dock than when at anchor. So Zihuatenejo will just have to wait.

    Boat washers descended upon us right there at the fuel dock & we signed up with one for the next morning. Always good to get the salt off after a long stretch at sea. There are many big, beautiful power boats in the marina. Mostly with crew, instead of owners, onboard. The owners of that type of boat just fly in once in a while. The hired captain & crew maintain the boat & move it to wherever the owner would like to visit it next.

    It is a 15 minute walk to a small boat supply store, liquor store & row of outdoor cafes. We become \”regulars\” at Z-Pizza because they have free WiFi if you eat or drink something. We buy an internet access card from the supply store, but it only works (sometimes) on 1 laptop from the boat, with a very weak signal. Not good enough for our Skype internet telephone.

    Our boat shopping list was growing long & it became apparent that it would be better to get some critical items sooner rather than later. The most substantial items being 2 autopilot parts, our new trampoline, shower sump pump and generator spare parts. Internet research showed that Alaska has nonstop flights daily to LAX from Ixtapa-Zihuatenejo airport. Knowing we are on a bit of a time clock to get down the coast to Central America, I did not delay booking my flight to LA for January 29.

    As soon as the flight attendant announced we were allowed to turn on cell phones my job began. The first 2 messages were from Don at M & B wetsuits. He discovered that my measurements from 10 years ago were not in the Stolnitz file, he only found Scott\’s. I got great use out of the custom 5 mm wetsuit he made me, but am due for a new one & opted to get the 6.5 mm since I get cold so easily. I called his house & he agreed to measure me at his Lakewood shop in the morning. If he had the measurements Day #1, he felt he could finish the suit in time for me to take it back with me.

    My LA Shore side Support Team helped from the minute I landed. Larry & Barbara Tenan graciously picked me up at LAX, despite the fact that my plane was 2 hours late. It was great to see these former patients, now friends. The extent of our visit was in the car from the airport to where I was staying in Santa Monica.

    Lori Rubenstein once again generously shared her lovely Santa Monica guest house with me, including use of her car for 2 days. She was busy seeing patients and managing her PT office, completing the final class for her doctorate degree and attending meetings for the Anti-Defamation League leadership program. So we were somewhat ships passing in the night. Her affectionate kitty Mika was happy to see whoever came home first.

    This was my first trip to California where I stayed in LA & did not fly up to see my No Cal family. I knew I would barely accomplish all I came for in a week, so the trip to Sonoma County would have to wait for our already scheduled visit in March. There were some pangs of guilt at not seeing my 92 year old father. But I have been mourning my loss of him for many years due to his dementia. Although still high functioning and very sweet-natured, in many ways he has already left us. Sister Alberta called my cell phone every day which is a rare luxury for us to be able to talk so often and with better-than-Skype connections.

    My eye doctor kindly saw me without an appointment. I am \”of that age\” when reading goes to heck. He decreased the strength of my right eye contact so I can now read again without reading glasses. Hallelujah!

    I was able to get an appointment to get my boobs squished (aka mammogram). One less thing to do in March.

    I shipped the video camera housing out for repair, as well as a strobe for the still camera system.
    I bought a new dive mask since I think I look like Zorro with my other one. You could not see my eyes that well. Being a frequent underwater model, it is important that my eyes can be seen.

    Skye & I had 2 dinner dates and it was great to catch up. During our first visit she showed me photos from a recent trip to DC & Italy. A great way to spend her brief time on unemployment. Truly. I have always encouraged her to travel whenever she can.

    Mike Lonnes is our sailing friend that does boat shopping for us & is our \”Ship To\” address. Our first rendezvous was at Redondo Marina Day #1 where he gave me the first 7 boxes. Juan, of Rainbow Canvas met us there & took our worn Sunbrella dinghy cover to use as a pattern for a new one. Mike had a job for him on his own boat so this connection worked out well.

    My second meeting with Mike was on Day #6 in the West Marine parking lot – many more boxes. On the last night, after a final transfer of goods in the parking lot of our storage unit, he & Beth took me to dinner at Alejo\’s. Great to see both of them & eat lots of garlic!

    I squeezed in a visit with my soon to be 100 year old former patient and friend Edith Robinson at her assisted living facility. I regret not having a video camera running as she told (& in some cases, re-told) her stories of working for the Nazis, escaping to England, and soliciting a sponsor to come to the US. Amazing stories that will be buried with her as she has kept no journals & has no close family. Her fianc was killed in the camps & she never found another love. She hoped I was the \”surprise\” that the facility promised her for her birthday gift Feb 25. I was touched & sad that I could not stay for her big day, but we had a lovely evening together & I pray she is still there the next time I return.
    Friend Linda van Zeyl, volunteered to go on my Day #6 shopping run and helped me pack it all up back at Lori\’s. Don at M & B had my wetsuit finished a day early, so we buzzed down to Lakewood to pick it up. It fits perfectly, as I knew it would.

    Packing is always an origami project. Two large hatch screens with plastic trim rings were simply too large to fit in any suitcase and I was already bringing the trampoline as a 3rd piece in its own box. So I stuffed my new wetsuit as padding between the 2 screens & shipped them via DHL to the harbor master in Huatulco (a soon and future stop on our way south). We did not want to risk them being held up in Mexico City customs, which would delay our departure from Ixtapa, so felt it best to send them to our next major port of call.
    The rest of the packing went well. It was a huge help to have Linda keep the process moving along as I was inclined to stare at the large piles & feel overwhelmed. Little by little the boxes were emptied, the packing material stuffed into Linda\’s truck, and the suitcases filled with boat booty.
    I even managed to tuck in a few Trader Joes fun items this time, not just vitamins. Dried cranberries, walnuts, flaxseed meal & chocolate covered pistachios to take back to Mexico.

    After being on \”rations\” for 40 days I ate Japanese food, Thai food, Indian food, plus all the fruit & veggies I could lay my hands on.
    I was gone 8 days & despite a hectic pace of \”hunting & gathering\”, I enjoyed it immensely. I have lived in So Cal since I was 18 years old & the Westside was home for 23 years. I\’m not sure if we will ever live in LA again, but it is sure great to visit. And there is nothing like a bit of time off the boat to make me eager to set sail. Being away from Scott is the worst part of these solo trips. Seeing his smiling face upon my return is the best part. Mission accomplished.

    Scott & Cindy
    ————————————————-
    Do not push the \”reply\” button to respond to this
    message if that includes the text of this original
    message in your response. Messages are sent over a
    very low-speed radio link.

    The most concise way to reply is to send a NEW message
    to: \”Scott & Cindy Stolnitz (s/v Beach House)\”
    If you DO use your reply button, be sure to delete
    the original message text and these instructions
    from your reply.

    Replies should not contain attachments and should be
    less than 5 kBytes (2 text pages) in length.

    This email was delivered by an HF private coast station
    in the Maritime Mobile Radio Service, operated by the
    SailMail Association, a non-profit association of yacht
    owners. For more information on this service or on the
    SailMail Association, please see the web site at:

    SailMail Association

  • Ixtapa Marina & Cindy\’s Shopping Trip…..

    Dear F&F,
    January 26 – February 6, 2009

    A couple of months ago we had emailed Ixtapa Marina (just 6 miles from Zihuatenejo) requesting a slip reservation. The harbormaster told us they would not have room. Knowing that things can change, Scott decided to hail them while we were getting diesel at the Ixtapa fuel dock. Lo & behold, they had lots of slips available & we are happy to take one. It is so much easier to do boat projects, get cleaned up, schlep groceries onboard etc. from a dock than when at anchor. So Zihuatenejo will just have to wait.

    Boat washers descended upon us right there at the fuel dock & we signed up with one for the next morning. Always good to get the salt off after a long stretch at sea. There are many big, beautiful power boats in the marina. Mostly with crew, instead of owners, onboard. The owners of that type of boat just fly in once in a while. The hired captain & crew maintain the boat & move it to wherever the owner would like to visit it next.

    It is a 15 minute walk to a small boat supply store, liquor store & row of outdoor cafes. We become \”regulars\” at Z-Pizza because they have free WiFi if you eat or drink something. We buy an internet access card from the supply store, but it only works (sometimes) on 1 laptop from the boat, with a very weak signal. Not good enough for our Skype internet telephone.

    Our boat shopping list was growing long & it became apparent that it would be better to get some critical items sooner rather than later. The most substantial items being 2 autopilot parts, our new trampoline, shower sump pump and generator spare parts. Internet research showed that Alaska has nonstop flights daily to LAX from Ixtapa-Zihuatenejo airport. Knowing we are on a bit of a time clock to get down the coast to Central America, I did not delay booking my flight to LA for January 29.

    As soon as the flight attendant announced we were allowed to turn on cell phones my job began. The first 2 messages were from Don at M & B wetsuits. He discovered that my measurements from 10 years ago were not in the Stolnitz file, he only found Scott\’s. I got great use out of the custom 5 mm wetsuit he made me, but am due for a new one & opted to get the 6.5 mm since I get cold so easily. I called his house & he agreed to measure me at his Lakewood shop in the morning. If he had the measurements Day #1, he felt he could finish the suit in time for me to take it back with me.

    My LA Shore side Support Team helped from the minute I landed. Larry & Barbara Tenan graciously picked me up at LAX, despite the fact that my plane was 2 hours late. It was great to see these former patients, now friends. The extent of our visit was in the car from the airport to where I was staying in Santa Monica.

    Lori Rubenstein once again generously shared her lovely Santa Monica guest house with me, including use of her car for 2 days. She was busy seeing patients and managing her PT office, completing the final class for her doctorate degree and attending meetings for the Anti-Defamation League leadership program. So we were somewhat ships passing in the night. Her affectionate kitty Mika was happy to see whoever came home first.

    This was my first trip to California where I stayed in LA & did not fly up to see my No Cal family. I knew I would barely accomplish all I came for in a week, so the trip to Sonoma County would have to wait for our already scheduled visit in March. There were some pangs of guilt at not seeing my 92 year old father. But I have been mourning my loss of him for many years due to his dementia. Although still high functioning and very sweet-natured, in many ways he has already left us. Sister Alberta called my cell phone every day which is a rare luxury for us to be able to talk so often and with better-than-Skype connections.

    My eye doctor kindly saw me without an appointment. I am \”of that age\” when reading goes to heck. He decreased the strength of my right eye contact so I can now read again without reading glasses. Hallelujah!

    I was able to get an appointment to get my boobs squished (aka mammogram). One less thing to do in March.

    I shipped the video camera housing out for repair, as well as a strobe for the still camera system.
    I bought a new dive mask since I think I look like Zorro with my other one. You could not see my eyes that well. Being a frequent underwater model, it is important that my eyes can be seen.

    Skye & I had 2 dinner dates and it was great to catch up. During our first visit she showed me photos from a recent trip to DC & Italy. A great way to spend her brief time on unemployment. Truly. I have always encouraged her to travel whenever she can.

    Mike Lonnes is our sailing friend that does boat shopping for us & is our \”Ship To\” address. Our first rendezvous was at Redondo Marina Day #1 where he gave me the first 7 boxes. Juan, of Rainbow Canvas met us there & took our worn Sunbrella dinghy cover to use as a pattern for a new one. Mike had a job for him on his own boat so this connection worked out well.

    My second meeting with Mike was on Day #6 in the West Marine parking lot – many more boxes. On the last night, after a final transfer of goods in the parking lot of our storage unit, he & Beth took me to dinner at Alejo\’s. Great to see both of them & eat lots of garlic!

    I squeezed in a visit with my soon to be 100 year old former patient and friend Edith Robinson at her assisted living facility. I regret not having a video camera running as she told (& in some cases, re-told) her stories of working for the Nazis, escaping to England, and soliciting a sponsor to come to the US. Amazing stories that will be buried with her as she has kept no journals & has no close family. Her fianc was killed in the camps & she never found another love. She hoped I was the \”surprise\” that the facility promised her for her birthday gift Feb 25. I was touched & sad that I could not stay for her big day, but we had a lovely evening together & I pray she is still there the next time I return.
    Friend Linda van Zeyl, volunteered to go on my Day #6 shopping run and helped me pack it all up back at Lori\’s. Don at M & B had my wetsuit finished a day early, so we buzzed down to Lakewood to pick it up. It fits perfectly, as I knew it would.

    Packing is always an origami project. Two large hatch screens with plastic trim rings were simply too large to fit in any suitcase and I was already bringing the trampoline as a 3rd piece in its own box. So I stuffed my new wetsuit as padding between the 2 screens & shipped them via DHL to the harbor master in Huatulco (a soon and future stop on our way south). We did not want to risk them being held up in Mexico City customs, which would delay our departure from Ixtapa, so felt it best to send them to our next major port of call.
    The rest of the packing went well. It was a huge help to have Linda keep the process moving along as I was inclined to stare at the large piles & feel overwhelmed. Little by little the boxes were emptied, the packing material stuffed into Linda\’s truck, and the suitcases filled with boat booty.
    I even managed to tuck in a few Trader Joes fun items this time, not just vitamins. Dried cranberries, walnuts, flaxseed meal & chocolate covered pistachios to take back to Mexico.

    After being on \”rations\” for 40 days I ate Japanese food, Thai food, Indian food, plus all the fruit & veggies I could lay my hands on.
    I was gone 8 days & despite a hectic pace of \”hunting & gathering\”, I enjoyed it immensely. I have lived in So Cal since I was 18 years old & the Westside was home for 23 years. I\’m not sure if we will ever live in LA again, but it is sure great to visit. And there is nothing like a bit of time off the boat to make me eager to set sail. Being away from Scott is the worst part of these solo trips. Seeing his smiling face upon my return is the best part. Mission accomplished.

    Scott & Cindy
    ————————————————-
    Do not push the \”reply\” button to respond to this
    message if that includes the text of this original
    message in your response. Messages are sent over a
    very low-speed radio link.

    The most concise way to reply is to send a NEW message
    to: \”Scott & Cindy Stolnitz (s/v Beach House)\”
    If you DO use your reply button, be sure to delete
    the original message text and these instructions
    from your reply.

    Replies should not contain attachments and should be
    less than 5 kBytes (2 text pages) in length.

    This email was delivered by an HF private coast station
    in the Maritime Mobile Radio Service, operated by the
    SailMail Association, a non-profit association of yacht
    owners. For more information on this service or on the
    SailMail Association, please see the web site at:

    SailMail Association

  • Home Sweet Boat…..

    Dear F&F,
    February 6, 2009

    All went very, very well with the return trip. The taxi driver came right on time. It was raining & still dark at 6:30 a.m. We talked story the whole way & the traffic was light. By the time we arrived at LAX I felt I had made a friend. He heaved my heavy bags onto the cart to wheel inside & we hugged each other farewell.

    At the Alaska baggage check in they said that First Class was all full, so they could not upgrade me, but I could ask again at the boarding gate. The agent had mercy on my for having to charge me $25 for the 2nd bag, $100 for the 3rd so even though he should have charged another $50 for the 1 overweight bag he did not. I wanted to hand carry the auto pilot parts because they are so essential. At the checked bag screening area, I asked the TSA lady if she thought my hunks of metal would be ok in my carry on. She said just to take them out of my suitcase, reveal them, ask to be checked & then I should have no problem. She was right. I zippety doo-dahed right through. They did hand check me but were so nice about it & I was in & through security still 3 hours ahead of my plane.

    I sat by a nice looking gentleman on his way to Santa Rosa & we chatted about an hour before he boarded his plane. Then I had milk & a warm bear claw. Then I chatted with a couple going to Z-town for the 3rd time then got yogurt with granola AND oatmeal at Starbucks. I did not starve.

    The boarding gate said all the First Class people for my flight had checked in so no luck with upgrading, but they put me in a window seat in the exit row so had PLENTY of leg room. The couple seated next to me were very nice. She is a retired Occupational Therapist who used to teach at Loma Linda of all things (where I went to PT school). She worked at the university after I graduated, but nonetheless we had plenty to chat about the entire 4 hour flight. So the time just flew as we flew.

    Since I was in the middle of the plane, although they exited from front & back doors, I was just about the last person off. This put me as almost the last person to get through the immigration line. Poor Scott was out in the waiting area apoplectic! – did I miss the plane? Did they confiscate our bags? Worry worry… Me, I had more time to chit chat with everyone in line. Everyone was in a great mood, at the beginning of a vacation, how wonderful.

    All 3 of my bags were there. A cute Mexican porter scooped them up in his cart & off we went to face CUSTOMS. The young bilingual gal only asked to see the packing list of the cardboard box. I showed her (my handwritten note) on the packing slip with the value of $93.32 for \”repairs\” of the boat trampoline. She then asked me to push the button & GREEN LIGHT!! Happy Days, here again. Hugs to the big guy waiting like an expectant father. He sends me out to the curb with my baggage handler while he finished paperwork to rent a car. Just as cheap as 2 cab rides. So we stopped at the Mega market & although an older one than some other cities, it certainly has everything I need. Although no walnuts, cranberries, flaxseed meal, decaf earl grey tea or good quality chocolate, so glad I brought those! We grabbed 24 bottles of wine to stow under the bed before we made it up with clean sheets. Got to get your provisioning priorities straight.

    All is semi put away. Happy & tired Captain & First Mate off to shower & get in my clean sheets.
    Although I missed seeing my No Cal special people, it was FAB FAB FAB for me to just stay in LA. And as happy as I am to be here with my sweetie & Home Sweet Boat I will most certainly be ready to jet back to beloved LAX (& next time No Cal too!) in about 6 weeks time!

    More real grocery shopping tomorrow via rental car. Unfortunately even sailors cannot live on just wine!

    Scott & Cindy
    ————————————————-
    Do not push the \”reply\” button to respond to this
    message if that includes the text of this original
    message in your response. Messages are sent over a
    very low-speed radio link.

    The most concise way to reply is to send a NEW message
    to: \”Scott & Cindy Stolnitz (s/v Beach House)\”
    If you DO use your reply button, be sure to delete
    the original message text and these instructions
    from your reply.

    Replies should not contain attachments and should be
    less than 5 kBytes (2 text pages) in length.

    This email was delivered by an HF private coast station
    in the Maritime Mobile Radio Service, operated by the
    SailMail Association, a non-profit association of yacht
    owners. For more information on this service or on the
    SailMail Association, please see the web site at:

    SailMail Association

  • Light Show…..

    Dear F&F,
    January 26, 2009

    When my alarm went off at 1:55 a.m., I knew I must have slept pretty well because I was a little grouchy about having to get up. If I am not sleeping well, I am eager to get up & go on watch. I have 2 \”night shifts\” & Scott 1. It just worked out that way & is fine with me. My best sleep is often after I am done with my 2-6:00 a.m. watch. Anyway, after splashing my face with water, putting on shorts & a tank top, I checked in with the Captain. We have a ship in view. The 3rd for his watch. I get the lay of the land & he hands the baton to me & goes to bed. Our handy dandy AIS (automatic identification system) tracker tells me the vessel\’s name, size, speed, direction, time & distance of closest point of approach. This is the most important to me. How close to me is it going to come & when. The software does a mathematical calculation between our boat\’s speed & direction & the same for the other boat. Commercial ships over about 200 feet long are required to have these devices on. They\’re very much like what an air traffic controller uses to track commercial airplanes. When it has calculated that there is no longer any possible chance of a collision, some of the information disappears from my screen. This frustrates me because I don\’t feel that relaxed until I can see with my own eyes that it has safely crossed my path, either in front or behind. There is only one thing for a concerned sailor to do: go get a piece of chocolate cake.

    As I enjoy my snack, the \”Kiwi Arrow\” heading to Guatemala finally passes 8 miles in front of me. Just as I am starting to breathe easier, here comes \”Carnival Spirit\” behind us, en route to Acapulco. I see it with my naked eye before it pops up as a target on the navigation screen. One good thing about cruise ships is that they are lit up like Christmas trees. They do have the proper navigation lights, but also a whole lot of other lights. To be festive & allow the crew & guests see easier as they walk around I guess. Anyway, this 960 feet long by 105 feet wide party palace is going to cross behind me with the CPA (closest point of approach) at 1.8 miles. A miss is as good as a mile, but at night at sea when an enormous ship is in my neighborhood, further is better. I am obligated to hold my course. They are the \”overtaking vessel\” and must avoid me. Right. If I was really concerned I could hail them on VHF channel 16 that all vessels monitor when underway and get verbal confirmation that they see me. But I trust our tracking program & just watch & wait. As the cruise ship is as close to me as it will get I can see its life rafts & other details of the ship with my naked eye. It definitely gets your attention to have something that big passing you. They are cruising at 20 knots, I am going 7.5 knots so we aren\’t talking any great speeds. On the other hand ships don\’t have brakes. Just as I am feeling a bit better about the Carnival boat someone talks on the radio. It startles me to hear a voice suddenly out of nowhere. They have a heavy accent & I didn\’t catch what was said. There is no reason they would hail me now that they have safely passed me. Then another boat replies, \”Okay, green to green\”. As I look out to my right, I now see \”Kew Bridge\” a 523 foot tanker, heading northwest to Topolobampo. Usually boats passing head-on will proceed as cars on a road, passing port (left) side to port side. But due to each boat\’s heading, in this case, it meant less alteration of course for each of them to pass starboard to starboard. The starboard navigation light is green. Thus \”green to green\”. Whew. \”Kew Bridge\” is no problem for me. I can see him clearly without binoculars. His CPA is 3.5 miles. With all those fading out of view I am looking outside & at my screen every 10 minutes, or more often, to see what may pop up on the horizon next. Ship traffic is one part of the light show.

    The second & much more fun part of the light show is bio-luminescence. When I took over watch from Scott it was really active. Our track behind us looks like glowing skid marks. There are intermittent lights that pop up, as if someone below has turned on a flashlight. There can be a wide area glowing, likely a school of fish or plankton. Then the really exciting one is zooming darting lights, like lightening on the water. Must be something swimming very fast. This is the first night of this trip that we have noticed so much glowing in the water. I don\’t know if there actually are more luminescent animals in the water, or because the sea is calm that we can more easily see them tonight.

    The third part of the light show is the shoreline. Ever since coming on watch I can see a distant glow. Not straight in front of me, so it is not Zihuatenejo. We are still 40 miles away & would not expect to see it until much closer. But there must be another coastal town of size somewhat west of Z-town. Keep in mind that the coastline here runs almost due east. Just a bit slopeing south, but mostly east.

    The fourth & final part of the light show is the starry sky. I can make out many constellations, including some I don\’t know the names of. There is no better place to stargaze than on the open ocean. Do you remember the song by Crosby, Stills & Nash \”Southern Cross\”? Well, it is out here too & a very cool thing to see. Being able to see the Southern Cross is another indicator that we are in the tropics. It looks more like a \”Southern Kite\”�.:)

    A some what busy but lovely evening. All the ship action made the time pass quickly. Scott will be up at 6:00 am (45 minutes from now) & I will get one more nap before we arrive midday. I really love to be at sea, especially with such calm conditions. But it is always exciting to arrive in a new place, set the anchor & discover our next temporary \”home\”.

    Scott & Cindy
    ————————————————-
    Do not push the \”reply\” button to respond to this
    message if that includes the text of this original
    message in your response. Messages are sent over a
    very low-speed radio link.

    The most concise way to reply is to send a NEW message
    to: \”Scott & Cindy Stolnitz (s/v Beach House)\”
    If you DO use your reply button, be sure to delete
    the original message text and these instructions
    from your reply.

    Replies should not contain attachments and should be
    less than 5 kBytes (2 text pages) in length.

    This email was delivered by an HF private coast station
    in the Maritime Mobile Radio Service, operated by the
    SailMail Association, a non-profit association of yacht
    owners. For more information on this service or on the
    SailMail Association, please see the web site at:

    SailMail Association

  • Isla Socorro Mantas – Day 8…..

    Dear F&F,
    January 21, 2009

    The day was cloudy & the sea grey which does not inspire us to zoom out diving. We felt so ho-hum about it that we even considered moving on up to Cabo Henslow today. But we did not feel like we\’d really done the diving justice here, so got ourselves together & dinghied out to Punta Tosca. Despite being awake off & on much of the night, I had good energy. Good thing because the first dive proved to be a workout.

    We anchored on the southwest ridge in about 50 feet of water & could see the current was pretty strong. Often more potential for bigger animals then. We saw a black-back manta pretty quick after securing the anchor, our first one underwater while here at Socorro. It didn\’t stick around long, just a \”fly by\”. We swam along the ridge which dropped off pretty deep, on the lookout for hammerheads or other sharks that we\’d heard can be in this area. The visibility was good, at 80 feet we could still see the bottom which was about 150 feet. No sharks seen today.

    On the return swim to the anchor we were really against the current. This is not what we like. We always try to swim against the current first so on the return it is with you. I was kicking like crazy & felt that I was not making much headway in the water column. I was breathing hard & fast, but it was like running in place. I could not afford to use up my air going nowhere, so dropped down to the ridge below me: 105 feet. My dive computer said I had 4 minutes before decompression mode. Not automatically dangerous, but something we try to avoid. Our computers help us to stay within recreational dive protocols. It only took me 2-3 minutes to combat crawl my way up the ridge which started to get shallower & my computer gave me more lots more \”no deco\” time. Scott knew what I was doing when he saw me sink down & crawl. He managed to stay 80 feet or less with his stronger longer legs and bigger stiffer fins. He swam right above me, watching me the whole time to make sure I was ok.

    I was a bit shaken & had really sucked down my air fast. It goes much much quicker that deep, just as keeping shallow you can really stretch a tank out a long time. Once in sight of our anchor line I could relax a bit. That is my way to the surface, the dinghy & all the air I need. I signal to Scott that I need to go up to the safety stop depth of 15 feet since my air is down to 700 psi. That is the minimum we like to surface with. He signaled back that he still had 1200 lbs & since 2 mantas decided he was the most interesting thing on the reef, the bum got to stay. I was thrilled just to hold on the dinghy line & watch another manta-photographer love fest. The two girls took turns swirling, circling, hovering over his head. Terry had told us that he had never ridden a manta in Socorro. After many minutes of close up video, eye to eye introductions & a few belly rubs Scott could not resist trying. It didn\’t shy away at all, in fact he could have ridden it much longer than he did. But having done it, he let go & returned to increasing the world\’s largest collection of manta video footage. Fantastic. At 15 feet I had enough air to stay longer than the required 5 minutes (2 mins mandatory due to my earlier depth & 3 mins usual safety stop). Scott finally got down to 700 lbs himself & popped the anchor. I hopped in the dinghy once he reached his safety stop. We were both grinning ear to ear. Another dose of mantas before leaving the Revillagigedos, terrific!

    We had brought 4 tanks out so we could do a 2nd dive. We drove the dinghy out of the swell to a more protected spot in order to swap out our BC (buoyancy compensators) & regulators, have our snack & do some surface time. We were hoping the mantas would stick around that part of the reef & we had marked it as a waypoint on the GPS so could easily return to it. After about 45 minutes we went back to check it out. Unfortunately the swell had really increased from earlier. We did not feel it was prudent to dive there a second time. We motored most of the way back to the anchorage for a 2nd go at the 6 foot pinnacle. The swell was much less there & we were already wet, so why not? The visibility was much less than yesterday. One electric ray seen on the sandy bottom. We did not go deep to chase it. We made a tour of the Matterhorn-shaped reef & called it a day. By the time we surfaced the swell had come up even there.

    Linda had hailed us in the morning that she baked ciabbata & wanted to share. We stopped by the \”Socorro Bakery\” before going home. It made for a fresh & delicious lunch. Chuck & Linda told us they were able to get very near the Mama & Baby whale in their dinghy, able to watch for a long time. Cool. Later, she swam ashore & explored the beach a bit. The terrain made for rough walking so she couldn\’t go far, or find the fresh water spring that is here somewhere per the book they have. Thus all the greenery & palm trees.

    In the afternoon I finished my Ellen MacArthur book (\”Taking On the World\”), reading the highlights out loud to Scott. It was a great companion to this offshore experience. I highly recommend it to anyone, especially if you are looking for inspiration on being your best & pushing yourself to the limits.

    I swapped all the remaining food from the main freezer to the extra unit in the \”camera room\”. It can be set for fridge or freezer. This way we can shut down the main freezer & hopefully save power. Being able to leave the door open on the primary freezer as long as I wanted allowed me to take an accurate inventory of my remaining frozen stores. We will not starve. But we have made a plan of setting sail for Zihuatenejo soon. Weather permitting, we will head to Cabo Henslow (just 5 miles north of here) tomorrow and dive the sites there 2-3 days. Once again, checking the weather, we will return to mainland Mexico, taking all our happy memories of San Benedicto & Socorro with us. It has been quite an experience. One we are so glad we did not miss.

    Scott & Cindy

  • Isla Socorro – Day 7……

    Dear F&F,
    January 20, 2009

    Scott listened to Chuck who was the Net Controller on the Amigo net this morning as I made breakfast. Eggs again – YUM!!! Today\’s version: scrambled with turkey chorizo on corn tortillas with a bit of cheese. And on mine the last slice of avocado. Sigh. A delicious but sad moment.

    We saw Mama & Baby whale not too far out so were eager to gear up & go out their direction for a dive. We easily found the 6 foot pinnacle again thanks to the handy GPS. Chuck & Linda tied up to our anchored dinghy to snorkel. But it was really more of a dive site. The top of the pinnacle is a fairly small area & not that much life. The rock broadens out deeper & we enjoyed exploring around it. We saw the largest lobster to date. Since it was out in the open, I posed next to it for the video so you can get an idea of the size. One octopus was seen tucked in amongst a crevice of urchins. The largest animal of interest was a stingray down in the sand at 90 feet. We dropped down to get a closer look & it swam right over Scott\’s shark shield giving itself a bit of a zap. Stingrays (versus Manta Rays) have vestigial Ampulles of Lorenzini which is the part of the anatomy on sharks that gets affected by the electrical pulse emitted by our shields. We always turned them off when playing with the Manta Rays. The shock they get does not harm them, not even a shark. They just don\’t like it. Kind of like a high pitched noise to a dog. We swam shallower once Scott got good footage of the stingray. No belly rubs for him! Very pretty site & we spent nearly an hour there. Chuck & Linda had moved off to snorkel near the shore, which was better for them.

    After my shower I started lunch. Just as Scott got out of the shower the bilge pump alarm on that side went off. Thank God he installed those alarms. It tells us with a loud audio signal not only that we have a problem, but by LED alarm light, shows the area on the boat with the problem. We had a lot of water in the starboard (right side) central bilge. Not normal – means something is leaking or not draining right. Upon investigation, it was the shower sump. You may not recall, but we had to switch to our back up shower drain about a month ago. And now the back up died. The only spare we have is installed on the port side, which drains the small sink where I usually wash my hands before handling my contacts.

    Our work was cut out for us for the next 3 1/2 hrs. I ran tool shuttle as Scott once again bravely contorted himself into impossible positions. And again he was cursing the installers (this time the builder in France) for not leaving a service loop of electrical wire. Each job takes so much longer when he has to re-do the wiring. First, take out the broken unit on the starboard side. Clean yuck (envision what your shower pipes might look like 3 feet down�). Scavenge any still working parts for spares. Go to the port side, take out the working unit & bring across for installation on starboard. Clean & dry that empty box so it won\’t leave a stinky mess. Put blue tape on my sink as a reminder that it is out of commission. I can deal with my contacts in the galley or our main bathroom. He re-routed the wires to get them mostly out of the bilge which is a wet area. He still put shrink-tube to help with waterproofing. Heat gun needed. Long extension cord for heat gun to reach working area. Invertor on for heat gun use. So many steps & details. I know I am repeating myself, but I really think it was so helpful that he is a dentist & can do these annoyingly tedious jobs.
    ***See below for hilarious response to this report from my friend Linda van Zeyl***

    Meanwhile I am standing by my man. I am tired, but this horrid job would be made excruciating if he did not have me to dump the bucket, turn on the invertor, hold the hot heat gun between use, shine the flashlight into the dark bilge, place a pad under his bony knees, etc etc. We are a real team & since he bears the brunt of the \”blue jobs\” I do my best to not let him down in the Vanna White department. To help me rise to the occasion, I swirl some instant espresso in a short glass of milk & gulp it down. I needed IV caffeine to keep me going.

    I mop up after he finished & put away most of the tools. As I was tossing overboard the last bucket of bilge water I saw my big bilge sponge go flying into the ocean! UGH!!! I was in my swimsuit & did not hesitate but jumped in to rescue it. Thankfully the ladder was down so I could climb out. I laughed hard at myself. I have really become a boater now – jumping in the ocean to rescue our bilge sponge! Yes, I have a bunch more, but our mindset is to use everything until it becomes unusable. No room for waste out here. I take a shower & we congratulate ourselves on yet another in-field boat repair. Chuck has an expression that you get a \”green flag\” when a fix goes well. We are collecting a few too many green flags! We wish stuff would just work. But since it is a boat & we know that is an unrealistic fantasy, thank goodness I have such a handy repairman on board.

    We still had to empty the dinghy of dive gear & rinse & hang it all. We had Mama & Baby whale not too far out to entertain us. Baby jumped a few times. There seems to be another adult whale with them tonight, maybe a male. We did hear likely whale noises underwater. Not the song type, but the drum banging type.

    Tonight\’s dinner, bowtie pasta with meat sauce. The Solmar V boat came & went. Panga driver, Jeronimo, if he is onboard this trip, did not call us on the radio & we were too busy & where they anchored for their dives was too far out to go out & talk to them. Good thing we were able to give Nautilus Explorer our trash the other day.

    We are down to our last 4 liters of milk. It did not occur to me to have Scott ask for that when he got the eggs from Nautilus Explorer. I have used up the 2 tubs of powdered I had. Will keep LOTS MORE (of everything) onboard next time.

    We hope to get another day of diving at Punta Tosca tomorrow then may move up the island a bit the next day to an anchorage called Cabo Henslow. A couple of days there then we are thinking of sailing back to San Benedicto again before our permit ends & we have to head to Z-town.

    *** Use it in a sentence today! Feel free to use it as a swear word! Many will not know what it is, some will not realize the \”zest\” of the phrase, and those that do understand, will appreciate its color!

    Gee! You two will soon be called \’bilge rats\’ for all your bailing and sloshing amidst the stink and grime! Here I Give You the Impressive, the Indefectible! TEAM STOLNITZ!! Watch their Fearless Descent into the Bilges! To Clean! To Repair! To Bail! As for me, a one way ticket home please! Well, it is good to know that you married such a great
    handyman. No shrinking violet he!***

    Scott & Cindy (with some poetic license from Linda van Zeyl (insert happy face here!)

  • Isla Socorro – Days 5 & 6…..

    Dear F&F,
    January 18-19, 2009

    Last night after an off & on rainy day, the wind piped up. Always seems to happen at night. My Captain goes on high alert when we are anchored & the wind gauge shows steady over 15-20 & gusts 25-30 knots. We really feel the effect of the elements especially the wind & swell. Different from a house where you can close yourself inside during rough weather, we have to be on the lookout that our house stays in its place! We have a lot of confidence in our anchor, it has never dragged yet (quick – knock wood!). But we are never complacent when the conditions outside are boisterous. We have to watch the relation of the boat to the shore of the cove as we swing with the wind, swell & current. From one wind angle we can be fine with plenty of room to swing, but if the wind shifts 90 or more degrees we can find ourselves a bit uncomfortably close to the rocks. We also keep an eye on Chuck & Linda\’s boat & how close we may be to them. We both keep our VHF radio on 24 hrs so that if either boat had a problem we can hail each other. Another thing we have to do when it\’s windy is secure everything outside, like all the dive gear. We don\’t want to lose anything that could blow overboard. After a fresh water rinse we hang our dive stuff on the lifelines so had to bring in all the still damp towels, gloves, & lycra stuff inside.

    To keep me occupied as we were on weather watch, I continued work on making playlists from the mp3s Skye bought for us & burned onto CDs. We love our 2 main stations: Spa & Coffee House on Sirius radio which still works all the way down here. She added some \”bonus tracks\” some of which are growing on us. I also made a not great version of brownies. It was a recipe from Runners Magazine. I chose it because I kinda had most of the ingredients. Instead of oats & wheat germ, I just used my whole wheat/white flour mix. Which frankly tastes a bit stale, which is not shocking since I think the flour was from California, so over a year old! Note to self – buy fresh of such items whenever you can! They turned out a bit dry due to the oven being a bit too hot again. Although I did not have the flame going out problem upon turning it down, so this is progress.

    Despite the windy conditions, Scott managed to sleep. I was pretty much \”on watch\” a lot all night. I was not worried or afraid, but the noise in the rigging & other parts of the boat make more noise than usual & I just was not feeling sleepy. It seemed an apt time to read my book about the solo sailboat racer, Ellen MacArthur. The part of the book I read was about her rounding Cape Horn. So to be tucked into a protected cove on this lovely Mexican island was quite a comfort compared to the hardships she was enduring. I did finally start feeling the eyelids get heavy at about 11:30 pm. At 11:50 pm I woke up thinking that several hours had passed. Darn! Only 20 minutes!! So it was one of those nights. I have felt quite good despite not that much deep or continuous hours of sleep. I have really been happy at how well I\’ve felt. I think all the excitement of diving & snorkeling with the mantas, sharks & now whales, has given me incredible energy.

    Until this morning… We got up at 6:45 am as usual. We were happy that the wind had finally calmed down in the early morning hours, but we had leftover sloppy seas, so just walking around making breakfast was more of a challenge than usual. I was ecstatic to have an abundance of eggs. Don\’t think I mentioned it yet, but Scott & Linda dinghied over to Nautilus Explorer yesterday to say hi & give them our trash. Not having to stow 5 weeks of trash onboard has been a real bonus! Scott also asked on my behalf if the chef he had any eggs to spare. He gave us a flat! Egg heaven. And a pound of margarine. I prefer butter, buy hey, beggars can\’t be choosers! So I\’m feeling really flush on breakfast again. Shared both with Chuck & Linda. Anyway, we hung up the load of laundry we\’d washed last night & then I really hit a wall. I was just soooo tired. Scott was eager to go locate the 6 foot submerged pinnacle Terry had told us about that is supposed to be a good dive site. Jeff the whale researcher emailed us the correct latitude/longitude so with the dinghy GPS it was easy to find. Scott took Linda out with him & they found it right away. He marked it as a waypoint for diving & snorkeling tomorrow.

    Before dinner Scott decided the boat was too close for comfort to one side of the cove. So we hoisted the anchor & relocated to another spot. Not able to clearly see the bottom, to know if we were in sand or on rocks, Scott put on his scuba gear & dove to check it out. Good thing because the chain was fouled up on rocks & if we needed to leave in a hurry for any reason that could have been a problem. He used another one of Terry\’s handy suggestions: clip on lift bags to a couple sections of chain to keep it lifted off the rocks. Lift bags are literally heavy duty plastic bags specially designed to hold air in them to life heavy objects off the bottom of the ocean. The anchor needs to be well dug in to keep us secure, but the chain does not need to all be lying on the ocean floor. More important that it can be raised fast without any hang ups. Mr. Safety Patrol keeps us safe once more.

    I made chicken tacos for dinner. It was a beautiful \”red sky at night\” sunset. Not much to tell Terry at the 6:00 pm radio chat since we did not dive these 2 days. We are doing another load of laundry while the generator is on. Chuck & Linda have to do their laundry in a bucket! I am so glad to have (almost) all the comforts of home onboard \”Beach House\”.

    We saw distant whales off & on today. No mantas seen. We are eager to get back in the water tomorrow.

    Scott & Cindy

  • Isla Socorro – Day 4…..

    Dear F&F,
    January 17, 2009

    Today\’s diving was not so much about what we saw as what we HEARD. On yesterday\’s dive, twice we heard a whap whap whap noise. Like someone was pounding against something hard on the ocean floor. That was new. Scott emailed Terry & the whale researcher that Terry had put us in contact with, Jeff, who both confirmed that was likely a whale song noise. Today we heard the more familiar whale songs that we first experienced while diving in Hawaii. It was not super loud, so likely they are quite a distance. We have been told the song can carry 1-2 miles underwater. Super duper cool.

    Otherwise we saw the usual suspects: lobsters, octopus, many colorful fish. Chuck & Linda enjoyed the snorkeling spot in the shallow area near our first dive at Punta Tosca. Scott & I had some strong current, hand over hand on the rocky wall again at times. Only one timid white tip shark, nothing exciting in the shark department. All the more dangerous aggressive sharks live mostly in cold water areas. We are NOT going to encounter great whites or makos & unlikely to encounter tiger sharks (but they are a small possibility in warm seas). However, we keep the shark shields on all the time so will not be caught unawares. The only time we turn them off here is if we want to get close to a shark & it\’s shallow & we are close to the bottom or if we see a manta ray (They are supposedly more sensitive to them than the sharks as they too have ampuli of lorenzini). When we can see well & we have a rocky wall to our backs, we aren\’t particularly concerned. Sharks generally attack from directions where they are difficult to see. That is why surfers & snorkelers are more at risk. Even kayakers. Also most attacks on humans are when the human is dragging bloody fish. We, nor Chuck & Linda, spearfish so will not be attracting them to us as a food source. Sharks are opportunistic hunters. They are in a constant battle to maintain their protein supply. Our shark shields are to insure we aren\’t part of it.

    Since the dive site Punta Tosca is about a 15 min dinghy ride each way, we pumped 4 tanks, brought Gatorade & granola bars for the break between. Both dinghies moved to a calmer area, away from the current for our surface interval. Lo & behold we spot mantas on the surface! At least 2. One black-back and one with white shouldered chevron patches. Linda jumped in & they did not run away. They were feeding though. Terry had told us that the Socorro mantas are generally not as approachable as San Benedicto so we did not have high hopes. Sure enough, by the time we switched our gear to the fresh tanks & rolled in they were out of sight. But Scott did get about 15 seconds of video of a very large wahoo! Of course when we took off the tanks, climbed back in the dinghy & drove a short distance we saw the mantas again. But after our experiences at San Benedicto, there is no need to go chasing skittish mantas here.

    We chose another rocky pinnacle for our 2nd dive which was halfway back to the big boats. We had seen mantas & dolphins in this area yesterday, but today it was a pretty sleepy dive. Just the usual suspects. It is always lovely to blow bubbles & explore. The underwater terrain that we\’ve seen so far is interesting. Huge slabs of rock & tumbling boulders, like underwater ancient temple ruins. Many of the rocks are quite light grey or white so really stand out. Not the usual black volcanic color, although there are those too. Back here at the anchorage there are jagged cascades of lava rocks that remind us of places we\’ve seen in Hawaii.

    It has been overcast most of the day, contributing to a lazy afternoon. I made another batch of pressure cooker popcorn. Funny, I used to limit myself on eating popcorn at the movies because it almost always gave me a stomach ache afterwards. I\’m not sure if I\’ve developed a more cast iron stomach or if it was some additive that they put on movie popcorn. My stomach is quite pleased with just about anything I put in it here! Prepare to roll your eyes…dinner will be lobster tacos. I am a bit reassured on our food situation after doing a thorough investigation of what is remaining in the freezer. I have a nice supply of raw chicken, mostly boneless thighs & a few packs of corn tortillas. We can eat that for breakfast if we run out of cold cereal! We are definitely not starving (yet).

    Scott is hollering for me gotta run. Whales Ho!

    LATER THAT EVENING�
    What Scott was hollering about was a Mama & Baby humpback just about 250 yds outside the anchorage. Fortunately we still had the dinghy in the water, tied off at the back. Scott grabbed the small digital camera & video thrown into waterproof bags. I grabbed mask, snorkel, fins, my easiest to pull on wetsuit, booties & weight belt. It was a miracle I had the presence of mind to take all that. Ever since we were onboard the Solmar V boat for dinner January 1st & saw the beautiful video footage of a Mama & Baby humpback allowing divers & snorkelers near, I have fantasized about swimming with a whale. They are the largest creatures on the planet & I was determined if I had the opportunity I would seize upon it.

    Our Mama & Baby were just hovering on the surface, not swimming in any particular direction. Just there. We motored very slowly & quietly until about 200 feet close. Then Scott cut the engine & rowed closer. (Good thing we put those rib bruising paddles back onboard!) At about 100 feet I quietly slipped in the water. I tried to swim as quietly as possible. The sky was still cloudy & it was about 5 pm so not good visibility. I could not see them underwater & kept kicking closer. Suddenly I saw the white belly & underside flukes of the juvenile. It was vertical in the water & obviously going for a jump. I raised my head briefly to see it jump, (body half out of the water) then quickly looked underwater through my mask again to see the freight train swim by. Mama was a big girl! At least 40-50 feet long & she was in a hurry. What a thrill! I was in the water with whales!!! Since they were not so keen with my presence on first glance I climbed back in the dinghy & we just hung back & watched them from a distance. Wow! Such a high!!! I have pet a baby whale & now I have swam, however brief, with a Baby & Mama. We continued to see them on the surface, spouting & the occasional tail until the sunset & it was too dark to see. We are hoping they adopt this cove as home so we may have another chance to get more acquainted.

    You know the expression \”Now I can die happy\”? I want to first reassure you that I have no intention of dying out here & fully plan on living to be a ripe old age & be able to have tea parties back on land. Besides, I promised Skye that I would not die on the boat & would be an active Grandma to her future children. But I have such a sense of fulfillment, satisfaction, peace, even elevation – high on nature & all the wonders that it is bestowing upon us. I am humbled, awed, filled with joy, gratitude & amazement. What a privilege to be here. Yes, this year in Mexico had its hard times, but we are being amply rewarded by these islands – the Mexican Galapagos. I cannot imagine that the real Galapagos can give us this many fantastic encounters with marine life or other animals. We do not take any of it for granted. We are thrilled beyond belief & let out whoops & hollers when we reviewed the 5 second video that Scott captured of me in the water with the Baby jumping just in front of me. That will make the website, I am sorry you have to wait for it.

    Scott & Cindy