Déjàlà

Mazatlán's Cathedral Basilica de la Inmaculada Concepción

2012-02-08T14:10:00.000-08:00

The Cathedral Basilica de la Inmaculada Concepción is the world’s only Roman Catholic Church with the Star of David displayed in each of its 28 stained glass windows. It was said that during the construction of the church a Jewish family in Mazatlán donated a huge sum for the construction and the grateful people included the Star of David to show their gratitude.

Construction began in the mid 1800’s, was interrupted, started again in 1875, and was completed in 1899. It was consecrated as a Basilica in 1937 in honor of the Virgin Mary. It is considered to be the most beautiful in northwest Mexico.
Unlike most churches in Mexico this Cathedral with its splendid combination of neo-Gothic, neo-Classical and Moorish architecture shows little sign of Spanish influence. Inside, the cathedral is furnished with an astonishing lush collection of Baroque altars, gold leaf decorated murals, crystal chandeliers (from France installed in 1950), religious sculptures, and an organ specially built in Paris in 1886 by Aristide Cavaille-Coll, considered the best European builder of the 19th century (organ is believed to have been first played in 1899).

Outside, large white sculptures of St. Matthew, St. Mark, St. Luke, and St. John stand at each of the four corner entrances. High over the apostles, the cathedral’s twin towers and their outer cupola are covered by yellow shiny tiles of European manufacture. Although beautiful during the day, the cathedral is absolutely stunning by night, when its yellow facade is accented with spotlights and the crosses that adorn the top of its towers are lit up in neon.

Night view, www.holeinthedonut.com, Barbara Weibel

www.sumazatlan.com

Interior of the Mazatlan's gorgeous cathedral - www.holeinthedonut.com, Barbara Weibel

To view a short video showing the inside of the Basilica, please go to: http://youtu.be/5k7wLNaDB_U

Copala, a Charming Colonial Town

2012-02-04T15:49:00.000-08:00

As in all travel, even at home, you keep wondering what is over the hill immediately ahead. The arrega we were riding in dropped us off just outside of town (Copalita) and we couldn’t see what the town looked like yet (or even if there was a town). We were first welcomed by three burros heading back to town in the middle of the day. The driver indicated we should be heading right but instinct told us to go left. We followed this beautiful cobblestone road to a small cemetery near where we found some shade to eat our lunch before entering town.

A ten minute walk and we were near the main plaza in town. We had been told to look or ask for la Casa de Colores, a colorful purple and lavender home behind palm trees. We looked for it but didn’t see it at first, the palm trees that were referred to had grown considerably and were hiding the house quite well if you didn’t know exactly what you were looking for. As for asking the locals about la Casa de Colores, the ones we asked didn’t know about it, they thought we were referring to the small art gallery near the plaza, also a very colorful building.

It didn’t occur to us for one second to ask about the ‘gringo’ house which would’ve probably provided instant locating. The town is so charming we didn’t mind the extra walk around. We finally found the beautiful little abode we were going to live in for a couple of days. What a beautiful gem it is.

Copala, as many small touristic towns, has been hit hard by the slowing of tourism. Many people fear the Mexican drug influence on crime and stay away from here – from major cruise ships to cruisers, RV’ers and weekend travelers. It is sad as we have yet to see any evidence of such crime since we have been in Mexico for 3 months. Cruise lines alone used to bring around ½ million people to Mazatlán and beyond per year; that number is now about a tenth of that (50- 60,000).

Copala, as a mining town, offers the obligatory mine tour and in this case it is a much shortened version. It is located underneath Daniel’s, a great restaurant and small motel known all over this area for their banana cream pies made to order, never made in advance. We ordered one on our way to visit the mine and it was ready for pickup when we came out. We had it for dinner later that night and it was delicious.

There used to be another restaurant and hotel but they are now closed and quickly suffering from disrepair. Tropical weather, high concentration of small critters, and poor construction quality quicken deterioration of structures when they are no longer in use. Vandalism adds to that but we haven’t seen much of it. In such a small town, it is fairly easy to know who does what so crime is quite minimal.

Locals are friendly and the ‘gringos’ who call Copala their home give a lot to the town by employing kids to do small chores, hiring adults to help with cleaning, landscaping, or construction, giving kids needed clothes and shoes, sponsoring kids to stay in school, eating locally, promoting the town to their friends and relatives to visit, etc.

The central plaza is bordered on one side by an old church built in 1740. Also in disrepair, priests were asked to no longer conduct mass in the church but they still do so twice a week. A hole in the floor (see the two 2x4 in picture) where it is presumed there is a mine tunnel is opening up and could mean trouble. The railings around the periphery of the church are also not to be trusted and leaned upon. An interesting critter is located above the main entry door. It is parallel to the ground, looking down at the ground. It has what looks like a Charlie Chaplin hat. No one I asked could help explain this curious creature. The steeple is full of weeds and is cleaned once a year by the locals. The bells are rung via ropes hanging outside the church. Unfortunately, these are sometimes stolen and have to be replaced regularly.

The town is full of sounds = singing from workers leaving for work in the wee hours of the morning before the roosters take over at dawn. Music from the various vendors: tortillas, gas, etc. Iguanas, geckos, military macaws, burros, pigs, cows, all take their turns at various times of day. Horn from the daily bus in and out of town and exploding seed pods from the sandbox tree (Hura Crepitans or also called Devil’s tree) complete this cacophony.

In June, the heavy rains start and flood everything around town. You will notice high above ground doorways with many steps. Houses are built where the torrents don’t seem to flow. Cobblestone streets are the best way for the quick water rushes to flow through with minimal damage.

Around the hills, are milpas (small fields) where the locals grow their corn for the year. They usually plant these just before the rains start then let Mother Nature do the rest. Unfortunately, last year’s precipitations were about 1/5 of normal so for this area, things are dry and crops didn’t do well.

We met with a third generation resident who now lives in his grandfather’s home on an acreage with many trees. He showed us around – the house was over 200 years old and had just been whitewashed. It was surrounded by tangerines, limes, lemons, grapefruits, oranges, guayabas, mangos, papayas, cloves, etc. Often, our first instinct when someone is really friendly with us is to go away because we always expect them to ask money for their services but in this case it was a genuine encounter. We had yoga and good nutrition in common.

State of the art municipal Mexican water distribution system waiting for someone to drive on it...

From Sails to Wheels

2012-02-04T15:29:00.000-08:00

This is the beginning of month four of our journey and we are going on our first foray inland, where we trade our sails for wheels and our leave driving to someone else. We decided to stay away from the sailboat while it was being sanded in the boatyard and visited Copala, Sinaloa, for a couple of days. Although the charm of this small town of 500 people is undeniable, it was our hosts that made all the difference. Gary and Lois are ex-cruisers (can you ever truly be an ex-cruiser?) and they had a lot of great information to share about the Sea of Cortez and the Gold Coast of Mexico, etc. They were certainly very helpful and gracious to let us ask them many questions about sailing and the town they now call home.

Copala was established in 1565 as a silver mining town; it is located in the Sierra Madre Mountains at 2,000 feet, and about 40 miles East of Mazatlán. It is a fairly well preserved Colonial Town full of cobblestone streets, numerous historic buildings and a small central plaza. Well worth a day visit.

The choices to get there are numerous and mostly low cost: taxis, arregas, pulmonias, bus, or tours. We all know what taxis are but here in Mazatlán, they are not necessarily your most expensive choice – there is room to bargain. We hailed a green taxi to the bus terminal after haggling over price, which you always do before getting a ride in this country. Once the price was confirmed and we hopped in with puppy in tow, another taxi came to park parallel to the one we were in. At that point the drivers exchanged some words then our driver asked us to move into this other red taxi. I later read that taxis are yellow (when they come from the airport), red or green (depending on the zone they cover and/or the company they work for). In the end, it doesn’t matter which way you go, you will usually have the chance to listen to local music once on the road.

At the bus depot, we hurried into a dedicated bus to Concordia (1/2 way to Copala) that was just about to depart. We paid when we first came aboard to later find out on that this is not how the locals do it. They pay when they leave or when someone who usually sits near the driver goes down the aisle to request the fares. Most of these buses are refurbished old school buses and the drivers seem to delight in the sound of grinding gears. Their favorite gear for downhill is neutral and the trick seems to be to shift in the highest possible gear as soon as possible so you can lug the motor at very low RPMs when the hill ends. Two partners, the driver and the helper (ayudante) seem to work on the bus. The helper loudly announces the destination, collects fares, and at times, helps with luggage. Road signs don’t seem to mean much to Mexican drivers – they often pass on solid double lines – this also applies to bus drivers. When we arrived back in Mazatlán, we saw a school bus from Grand Prairie, Alberta…. They hadn’t had a chance to repaint it to the local colors yet…

In Concordia, we transferred to an arrega (picture above is from www.mazatlantoday.net), a pick-up truck, normally painted red with seats in the bed and covered with a tarp, usually large enough to sit 8-10 people. We didn’t have time to ‘argue’ over price but the driver did make a joke/reference to the fact that we would have to pay extra for Nikki. We were surrounded by kids and locals. As usual, since we were the only Norteamericanos on board, we encountered quite a bit of staring and shyness from them but once we allowed the kids to pet Nikki, the ice melted and although we couldn’t exchange much in terms of words, smiles were quickly spreading around and locals seem to be more relaxed.

We have yet to try the pulmonias as they are usually the most expensive way to get around since they are the most “touristic” attraction. They are only found in Mazatlán, made of VW parts with fiberglass body. They started being used in 1965 and since the taxi drivers didn’t like the attention they were getting from the tourists, legend says, they started a rumor that you could get pneumonia if you traveled in them since they have neither doors nor windows. The name stuck and more than 45 years later, they are still very popular and come in a wide array of colors.

One the way back, we took an early bus (7am) back to Mazatlán. It was packed with school children and workers. Arregas and buses are a great way to be with the locals whereas taxis and pulmonias tend to be used by tourists. Copala only has schools up to grade 9 so if kids want to further their education, which unfortunately they seldom do, they need to take the bus to Concordia. Even the driver’s kids were in the bus. At one point, the bus stalled and a lady in the right front seat quickly jumped in the driver’s seat as the driver went outside to do something to the bus. She helped restart it and it seemed she had helped him do that a few times before. She went back to her seat when the driver came back in and off again we went. These drivers, as private owners, seem to have certain connections to various small businesses along their routes. You often see exchange of money for newspapers, food, coffee, etc. Since they spend long hours each day on their particular route, they get to know what to get where and when and all these interactions are very quick.

Everything went well on this first inland foray. We even had the good luck of sitting next to a third generation resident from Copala, who was able to continue the conversation we started with him when we met him in the small town (More on that in Copala, a Charming Colonial Town).

Mazatlán – Reaching Mainland Mexico

2012-01-22T16:43:00.000-08:00

Spending my first night watch after a month at dock, I am reminded of the night’s beauty, stars (shooting, or sparkling kinds), wedding veils of phosphorescent luminescence, accompanied only by the sound of Déjàlà in the water, the slight familiar hum of the running equipments (sails, radar, etc), the odd whale or dolphin swimming nearby, and my random thoughts. Though the seas are high and the wind is in the mid teens to 20 knots Déjàlà is sailing like a young boat at 6 to 6.5 knots. We were sprayed by an odd wave as high as the solar panels located on the dodger once (with only 5 dead squids on deck to show for in morning) while Mike who was sleeping below experienced being “airborne/weightless” for a split moment. Nikki who was with me managed to stay dry. She inhabits the best dry spot in the cockpit – wouldn’t have it any other way.

Back to more time to think and write, letting the thoughts flow as freely as the water along the boat. Time to rebuild calluses on the hands, working the upper body muscles from pulling halyards, ropes, and sheets and just the usual moving about in 3 dimensions rather than two. Time for broken nails, some bruises, easy hairdo, uncomplicated meals, more time to say “Je t’aime” and show it, etc. Time to sleep at different times (the hardest part of sailing for us)…

Mike finally got to see a shooting star or two on this third month of sailing. I was starting to feel bad that I would see them every clear night and he hadn’t had the chance yet. I think shooting stars are a little like lost words; the more you look for them the less you succeed, the moment you stop thinking or looking, they suddenly pop up. I would rather steer by stars than instruments so my mind focuses on a particular set of starts, zoning out and that is usually when the show of shooting stars begins.

Speaking with several other bloggers I hear many see writing as a chore or homework. Although at times I feel like that too when it has been a very long time between ‘reports’ what I like the most about blogging is that it allows me to relive and recount the GOOD deeds and things that happened to/around us. Too often, if not all the time now, we are bombarded with negative and meaningless information. It’s nice to take the time to zero-in on the good things rather than dwelling on the bad…

Speaking of bad things (did you see that quick turnabout?), coming towards us on starboard was what seemed like a large piece of an old dock made of what looked like ancient tires. Since we didn’t want to hit it, not knowing what else could be attached below (wood, metal, nets, etc) we swerved to avoid it only to discover it was a bunch of seals floating together on their backs, sunning/warming themselves up. The way they fold their flippers together in a circle motionless and high above their chests made them look like used tires… We were at least 60-70 miles from land at the time so I guess there are not too many buoys, docks, boats, or rocks to sleep and warm up on so you revert to rafting with your peers.

Since the winds slowed down during the day, we had a chance to experiment with a new whisker pole technique taught to us by David on Bluefin (thank you Dave)… We still need to do some tweaking here and there but it was much more efficient and safe than what we had been doing.

In the last hour or two of our trip here, we were suddenly surrounded by Flying Devil Rays. See more about them here: http://peicurmudgeon.wordpress.com/2012/01/03/flying-devil-rays/. This blog also includes a great BBC short video of both pelicans and rays by Edw Lynch (you can go to it directly here) http://laughingsquid.com/the-flying-devil-rays-of-the-sea-of-cortez/ – exactly what we have been seeing around the Sea of Cortez (was taken in this area in Dec 2011).

Picture from Roland and Julia Seitre: These creatures, which look similar to Stealth bomber drone planes, were spotted leaping 10ft in the air. Once airborne, the rays flapped their fins in what looked like an attempt to glide. And, if they were feeling particularly playful, some even managed a somersault before plummeting back into the water with an impressive splash.

One theory is that the males flapped their wings during the few seconds of flight, before hitting the surface with a loud banging noise. Some think it is a way to attract female attention as we saw pairs close by. The bangs are so loud it’s like you’re close to a hunting party with guns. Another is that they scare food up towards another ray by flapping in the water so loudly.

Rays can grow up to 25ft across (there are several species in the Sea of Cortez) and reached 2 tons. They live in tropical waters and feed mostly on plankton, which are filtered through their gills.

Interesting vessel name: Londolozi which in Zulu means protector of all living things

Leaving Puerto Los Cabos (finally!)

2012-01-22T16:41:00.000-08:00

It seems much easier not to be as distracted and thus able to take time to write while at sea especially during easy sails (one tack all the way here) so I am at last taking the time to update the blog…

We left Puerto Los Cabos Thursday 1/19 around 12:30pm when the winds finally picked up enough to move us safely offshore and towards Mazatlan (decided to go to La Paz later when friendlier winds lead us that way).

Leaving never seems to be on time since many come by to say their goodbyes, some take time to give you last minute advice, and others deliver delicious espresso to get you going.

We left with an electrical problem, which, for an electric boat could be a bit of a disaster but we’ll deal with that once on the mainland. We have back-up systems we can use in a pinch. While not as efficient, easy or quick to use, they will work for now.

On the way out, Shelly and Drew from sailing vessel Born Free, in farewell, zipped around Déjàlà a couple of times once outside the harbor. They hadn’t had a chance to say their goodbyes at dock. We met these two sailors due to the inclement weather combined with motor problems they encountered on the way up to Los Frailes around the corner from Puerto Los Cabos. They had to be towed into the marina rather than reaching their intended destination. The sailing community was there to help them dock safely. Despite these problems, they are in great spirit and their joie de vivre is an inspiration to me and hopefully many others.

We had been looking at purchasing an asymmetrical spinnaker for light wind conditions, some sorely missing piece of equipment on Déjàlà. Brand new they are quite pricy (in the thousands $$$) but Born Free’s crew happened to have a very slightly used one too small for their newly acquired larger sailboat. We were able to purchase it for a fraction of the cost directly from them – We would rather buy from owners rather than impersonal clerks behind desks working for large corporations. This deal seemed to help both parties. They also graciously shared some of their catch of the day – a dorado – good for two great dinners. Thank YOU!

The day before leaving, we had another freshly baked homemade sourdough bread ‘party’. It seems everyone goes crazy or yearns for warm bread just out of the oven – with lots of butter of course! People dropped by with other items to go with the bread (jams, coffee, and wine – yes wine at 2pm!) and it instantly became an excuse for an uncoordinated neighborly fun gathering. Mike makes great sourdough bread although since being in Southern Baja, we have been eating a lot less of it with tortillas being aplenty, cheap, and always fresh and delicious. Mike had to experiment with Mexican whole wheat flour which, it turns out, has a lot more bran in it than its US version so it can get trickier to work with (bran cuts the gluten up). The bread was delicious and just as in life and in sailing; we keep trying/testing out new ways of doing things.

Mike took out the knife sharpener to sharpen our own collection as well as those of sailors on our dock. We hadn’t realized that larger charter boats would be interested and willing to pay for this service. We ended up making a little unplanned money on the side. Too bad we took the sharpener out only on our last full day at dock. We could’ve probably had a little more business (although this sailing trip isn’t about work, it’s nice to have a little boost here and there). It’s also a great way to meet people you probably normally wouldn’t meet.

With others, Mike helped one of the larger luxury charter yacht (156’) dock and undock since they were shorthanded. In exchange we each (even though I didn’t do any of the work) received a nice yacht T-shirt (Piano Bar). The captain was also kind enough to provide us with a customized weather report for our way over to Mazatlan. For weather reports, we normally depend on websites (if internet is available) such as NOAA, Passage Weather, etc., or use our Single Side Band Radio to listen to the various localized weather nets. You then have to make up your own mind and use your own judgment to see if this feels like the right time for you (never forget to just look out the porthole too for actual weather! Sometimes we get too caught up on what the computers are telling us and forgetting the obvious.

Larger boats or people with more to spend than we do often rely on special customized reports that can be purchased. This is the type of report the captain of Piano Bar shared with us. It was a very kind and friendly gesture as most often people on larger vessels like these do not often communicate with small sailboats (by design or by request from the charter company/owners – who knows) and vice versa (although not from lack of trying). The sailing community often refers to them as ‘Stinkpots’. I don’t know if sailboats have nicknames from the motoring community. In all fairness, nearly all sailboats use their motors 50-65% (although most won’t admit this…) of the time so I’m not sure why the nickname and perceived antagonism. I only understand this as it pertains to motor vessels not following the rules of the sea (navigational rules) and threatening the security of sailors on much less powerful and maneuverable boats.

There are many who help make our stays at marinas safer, friendlier, and relaxing. The marina ‘attendants’, somewhat a mixture between a bell-boy or a concierge are there to welcome you, keep track of needs (water, propane, gas, haircut), help you find things or ways around town (best restaurant, store, etc) and at times give you rides on their golf carts to the office or showers… As for most of jobs in Mexico, these people are not paid very well and it is custom to give them a tip at the end of your stay. I am always wrestling with tipping with money as I do not like the impersonality of just giving money so when we left the US for our trip; I decided to take with me all the jewelry I had accumulated over half a century. It doesn’t take a lot of room, isn’t that heavy and can be easily given. One of the attendants had been really helpful in Puerto Los Cabos so I gave him some jewelry for his young daughter who lives far away from him. It seemed as though we hit the right key as he was speechless (not natural for him) and later called us to say thank you (received the message once we reached Mazatlan). Just a simple idea for other cruiser out there: think a little outside the box when giving/tipping it is highly appreciated. Heard also that the same attendant told many others about the great gift he received.

We owe Nikki a lot for “breaking the ice”. So many people stop to play/talk with or pet her. It has been very nice. Going back to the large luxury yacht, this is usually how we end up speaking with some of them. They enquire about Nikki, the barriers go down, and the conversation begins.

Life in the ‘sailing’ lane (= Going with the flow or is that too corny!)

2012-01-22T16:39:00.000-08:00

Read something interesting in a book the other day: No two people experience the exact same rainbow since we all see it from a slightly different angle no matter how close we are to one another when looking at it. Sailing allows you the time to see the rainbows, smell the rain, and have the time to experience your environment more closely and thoroughly.

Life is lived at what feels like a slower pace when sailing except of course when the weather decides to throw you a fast curve and you have to be on all ten toes and on the alert – which in the scheme of things is not that often but feels a lot longer than reality when you are entrenched in it.

Today I had time to watch the catch, and recovery of a couple of pelicans. I had noticed that for a while, probably most of the morning, a couple of pelicans were bobbing around the marina seemingly attached at the hip. I found it strange but didn’t pay too much attention. After a while however I started wondering why they were not more active. Pelicans are such characters and always seem to be on the move or at least curious about something or other. Suddenly, from the corner of my eye, as I was ready to complete a small project on the boat I caught sudden activity where the two birds had been. Two people in dive suits were trying to catch the birds. They (the birds, not the divers) were tied together with some fishing line. Of course, being wild, they didn’t want to be near humans (unless it’s on their terms of begging for food of course), but one of them was finally subdued (the worse one of the two in the tangled web of lines). They cut the one loose and worked on the other one for about 30 minutes. This happened near a pen where dolphins are kept captive for people to swim with, pet, etc., so there was a vet nearby and she and her assistant came to help save the reluctant pelican. It seemed the pelican had eaten a fish that still had a hook and line attached to it. The more he tried to get rid of the intruder of course, the more tangled it got. Wings, legs, another bird all became part of the mess. It was neat to see the true joy the helpers expressed when the bird shaking itself back to its senses for about 3 minutes after being released finally flew away. There were some whistling, happy yells, and fists bumps.

Although I have my reserve about such places as zoos and penned animals, I have to say these dolphins are treated really well. If one of these human to dolphin encounters changes the life of only 1 or 2 persons here and there and they become more conscious of living in a healthier fashion as it comes to the environment and nature, it may be worthwhile. People do seem in awe when they come out of their swim with the dolphins. Some pray to God, others are just stone quiet. You know they have been touched in some way. A baby dolphin was born a couple nights ago and it is magical to see the little one always coming up for air same time as mom as they swim around the pen they are kept in. We can see them from Déjàlà.

Having more time to help one another: Mike went up someone else’s sailboat mast today. Not a fun chore for most people who are afraid of heights and there is also the question of the safety of the tools used to get you up the mast of a boat you do not know. Mike fortunately is not afraid of heights although he respects what they mean and is extremely cautious before heading up. In exchange the person that was helped offered to pick up some groceries (with car rental) and propane – saving us many hours of bus or walk to get them prior to our departure from San Jose del Cabo. That is probably for me the best gift the sailing community has to offer = taking the time to help others…

Shopping for chocolate and coffee: A much as Mexicans love sweets, they don’t seem keen yet on desserts with dark chocolate. They are very hard to find and if/when you do, they are quite expensive and can often be stale. Mexicans use cocoa powder in their famous ‘mole’ sauces but not much in sweets. Same goes for coffee. We haven’t been able to find decent strong coffee anywhere we’ve been yet. Although Mexicans drink it a lot, it is rather weak. Just interesting differences we picked up on.

Great read: “A renegade history of the US” by Thaddeus Russell. You will rethink who the real heroes of our American history are after you read this one. A little repetitive, but excellent book.

Deal of the week. Delicious juicy grapefruits for 6.5 cents each.

Last week in San Jose del Cabo

2012-01-14T15:23:00.000-08:00

We are entering our fourth week in San Jose del Cabo. It has been a very enjoyable stay but we are starting to itch for new sites and experiences, especially now that most of the small jobs and fixes needed after the shakedown sail down the Baja coast have been finished.

We notice that living on a small simple boat is somewhat like being in a tent in that you are much more aligned/close to nature. You notice cold/hot days, windy/quiet days, air smells, animal behaviors, etc. Several mornings in the last two weeks we have been entertained with white cranes fighting (I think) over territories by flying at each other and hitting one another chest to chest accompanied with loud shrieks and continuing until at least one of them would fly away. Were we to be within the four walls of an air conditioned/heated home/RV we probably wouldn’t notice these things. Fish eating the green growth at our waterline. Ospreys are still looking for the tallest masts to ‘fish’ from. Thankfully we are not one of them.

Nikki has become too comfortable in this new boating environment. She has learned to jump off the boat onto the dock, something she hadn’t done for the 6 years she has been aboard. The other day she missed and had her two front legs on the dock while her two back legs were still on the boat. The boat was swinging away from the dock so the two back legs had to give way and Nikki was hanging by her front legs only on the dock. I had to rescue her but wondered what she would’ve done had I not been here to help her out. I am working on a net to keep her in the cockpit while we are away so she’s not tempted to do this again. At the same time however, I’m glad she’s comfortable enough to move about.

Fun English “isms” (Mexican business people are trying to entice the gringos with the following terms):

• ‘Dely’ for deli (hey, adding a ‘y’ at the end makes it sound English right?)
• ‘Shopping Cars’ for shopping carts
• ‘Sweet bagels’ for English muffins

Walking nearly every day, discovering new areas of town or noticing new things in the areas we already know we noticed the following:

• A stop sign in Spanish is ALTO. Mexicans must not pay much attention to this as we’ve seen additional signs put up under ALTO which say TOTAL (complete stop)…
• We have seen a yield sign at an intersection to a major highway followed by a stop sign 2-3 feet further… Which one are you supposed to follow?
• The post office is quite colorful: white, bright pink, and neon green. Mail is delivered by BMW motorcycles of same color scheme with drivers wearing helmets to match. Not sure anyone in the US would like to be caught wearing these colors around certain cities.
• When shopping at Home Depot, you need to pre-pay for anything pre-cut like wire, chain, rugs, etc. In the US you have it cut first then you pay when you check out, not here.
• To use most public restrooms, you have to pay about 5 pesos. An attendant is there keeping it clean and stocked up. Unfortunately this means a lot of public urinating as folks do not want to pay that fee. There are several signs on lawn areas stating ‘do not urinate here’; which at first I thought were meant for people with dogs but now know they are meant for the two legged kinds.
• In restaurants you can use the restrooms for free but can often find only one sink for both genders to wash hands. It is usually found outside the restrooms where staff and customers can easily see who washes and who doesn’t.
• Another style of public restroom is free, includes several stalls but only ONE (yes one) roll of toilet paper at the entrance. You need to measure and cut what you think you’re going to need before going into a stall.
• Most small car repair shops or part stores do not have parking lots. People pull on sidewalks, across sidewalks (beware as pedestrians) or on the road. If they cannot fix their ‘dead’ vehicle it sometimes stays there for several days with the hood up.
• Local public buses are decorated by their driver seemingly as they please. From Jesus on a cross with blinking red lights to the Virgin Mary surrounded by flowers to $2 US bills pasted above the windshield to having several chrome accents, mirrors, fuzzy dice, pompoms, or boom boxes made of 5 gallon buckets and curtains for shade. There are ALL kinds. It is kind of neat to be on different buses to see the various creations.
• At grocery stores’ bakery sections, you pick up what looks like a pizza pan and a pair of tongs to choose the various goodies laid out in various bins which you want to purchase. You return your ‘loot’ to the bakery counter where they’ll bag and tag everything before you head out to the check-out counter.
• Most everywhere you go, you get accosted by people trying to sell you timeshares (their own because they don't want them any longer or they work for a real estate or development company). This bar was, I think, very clever with this ad:

• One of my 'I couldn't help it' picture. Glad it is the human kind...

Walking the beach or taking the local bus along the beach we are still blessed with seeing several whales heading here for calving season. We have, unfortunately, yet to see a live turtle. We have seen large empty shells and one small dead baby turtle but no live ones yet.

The folks with the large fancy fishing boats coming mostly from Canada and the US sometimes check the local fishermen’s boats to see how the fishing is before heading out themselves. Interesting that with all their fancy boats, equipments, and technology, they would still depend on the locals to find out what the fishing is like.

The locals say fishing is not as good due to extra large foreign fishing boats invading this area. The Sea of Cortez was once full of oysters and they were over picked, it was once full of clams and they were over dug. Is the same fate coming up for fish? Although the locals get something out of helping the big fishing boats by providing them with bait it is sad to see that mere subsistence fishing is becoming harder.

Latest census says that Mexico has 5% unemployment and that minimum wage has now moved up to $4.79 (US equivalent) per DAY (not hour!)… The average Mexican works 10 hour days and many work 5.5 days per week (1/2 day on Saturdays) or all 7 days a week!...

Deal of the week: 1 kilo of carrots for less than 15 cents/kilo or 6.8 cents a pound.

Happy New Year, Próspero Nuevo Año, Bonne et Heureuse Année 2012

2012-01-01T15:34:00.000-08:00

I wanted to start this New Year by saying I wished I were a real writer to make things more interesting for you to read but these are just my meandering thoughts or descriptions of events, places, encounters, etc

Spring cleaning in exotic locales – Boating isn’t just about making repairs in exotic places but cleaning there too! Nikki had her first bath in 2 months today – what a way to start the New Year for that little girl… She’s all fluffy and soft, the first time in several weeks since everywhere in Baja Mexico is covered in find sand and dust.

Laundry is almost complete – 6 weeks of salty, smelly, dirty items piled up in every corner of Déjàlà are now neatly folded and stowed away. Floor has been taken out and washed. Stainless steel and deck have been scrubbed. Bright work is being varnished – one coat so far with 5 more to go to get to the 12 needed in tropical climates. It feels good to give Déjàlà, Nikki and ourselves a little TLC.

The day before yesterday we woke up to see what we think are angel fish while having coffee in the cockpit. Four of them near the stern of the boat, munching away. We couldn’t make a positive ID but you can see for yourselves. Admit it now; it makes it feel tropical to see things like these in the water.

Mexican resolution (not New Year) is to experiment with the various types of foods THEY eat locally, not what they serve to tourists: hominy, mole, pozole, machaca, fresh cheeses, salted fish, etc. Experimenting has been quite interesting so far.

Weird quirks seen around in the last 10 days we’ve been here:

1. At most local restaurants (not the touristic ones) you find salt on each table but no black pepper (which we seem to take for granted in the US and Canada)
2. Most streets are not paved so everything is dusty and bumpy. If the streets are being watered to keep the dust down, it’s usually with brown brackish water that can, at times, smell pretty strong.
3. Few streets have lights which can make for interesting walks with the dog at dark as we cannot see upcoming dogs approaching her.
4. Christmas is not nearly as big an occasion as New Year, which is celebrated all night long.
5. Manpower is so cheap that there are people taking care of landscape everywhere even when not necessary. There are 3 gas station attendants when only one could handle the workload. There are guards everywhere as well although we are not sure what exactly they are guarding except that it makes places look “official”. Most construction projects don’t even account for manpower’s cost as it is so low.
6. It is custom to tip grocery baggers as they don’t earn much. They are typically either students or retirees.
7. It seems like cow bells are only found on cows, not steers.

The “helping each other” cruising community = The cruising community reminds me a little of the 1960-70’s (yeah, I’m dating myself) where people depended on and helped each other much more. Nowadays, on land folks would rather call and pay a stranger (expert) to help them figure out or repair things. Most cruisers are very resourceful, knowledgeable, and willing to lend a hand especially since most of us end up in remote locations where few people live or where resources are limited and language can be a barrier. You learn a lot from all the cruisers as there are experts in so many domains: mechanics, single side band radios, solar energy, water purification, gray or black water systems, computers, sewing, etc. Pass it forward is very common in this community.

Nights are still in the high 50 F, days in the high 70 F however water has cooled down to around 65 F.

New lesson – it helps to be docked next to boats with taller masts as the ospreys (or fish hawks) like to perch on the tallest points to survey their domain, bring back their prey, eat them there, leaving behind many a noisy (especially when they fall from 60 feet) and smelly calling cards.

Below are a few pictures of things we’ve seen around this area.

Beer bottle chandelier

Home entryway with bell

Palapa (inside and out) – roof made of dried palm leaves. If built properly, they can last to 10 years.

Unidentified white flower

Xmas decorations in the “Plaza Mayor”

Mike and Marie-France eating banana leaf wrapped tamales at the organic farmer’s market (a Xmas tradition in the SW in US)

Mike and Marie-France at Ali’s for Xmas dinner, after some sangria

Gabriel (French Chef), Ali (Berber from Algeria), Bernie (German from British Columbia, Canada), and Mike at Xmas dinner

Cactus with cherry-like fruit on top

Horses on the beach with ocean on the left and estuary on the right

Playground at high tide, part of the estuary

Sunset at the marina

Some of these pictures were provided by Marta on Reunion.

Clever vessel name (although a little dark) – Fin Reaper

Puerto Los Cabos in San Jose Del Cabo

2011-12-26T09:03:00.000-08:00

Puerto Los Cabos in San Jose del Cabo only 15 miles from Cabo San Lucas but seemingly eons away. The marina is spotless with gorgeous xeriscape (there is also a cactus farm just around the corner) all around dotted with beautiful artwork from Surrealist Leonora Carrington, an artist who died a short while ago at the age of 94 and who befriended people such as Pablo Picasso and Max Ernst. Pictured below is myself sitting on one of her sculpture.

For the same price we paid for anchoring in noisy, bumpy Cabo San Lucas, we are quietly docked in this safe marina. The winds are persisting and upwards of 23 knots but we are faring much better than other sailors in La Paz and other places on the East side of Baja where we had planned on being by now. We are thankful we are here rather than experiencing 40 knot winds at anchor. Since the weather is also cold (for here only 59-75 instead of 65-85), we decided we would stay a little while to let yet another cold front run its course. We had planned on going north towards Los Frailes, La Paz and Santa Rosalia but if it does not warm up we will go towards Mazatlan and South when we leave here possibly in mid-January.

First day here we were welcomed by the sailors we have bumped into along the way. They had waited for us to celebrate someone’s birthday the night before but the winds didn’t favor us arriving until dawn.

We walked to “old San Jose” with its town square (Zocolo) which is very quaint and colorful but affected by the slow economy. Since 2008 tourism has really slowed down around this area and several places are closed. We met with locals and the theme seems to be you have 2-3 jobs to make ends meet: Interior designer also working at an art gallery and attending Saturday Farmer’s Market for example.

A long bridge spanning an estuary leads you to town. That area is very green and inhabited with horses, cows carrying bells around their necks, white herons or cranes, mules, and stray dogs. They seem to each have their small niches and do not bother each other.

Christmas ads are not as heavily imposed on everyone as in the US, although holiday theme songs and decorations are present, thankfully, they do not take over all other Mexican elements. Most stores are open on Christmas day and several people are working.

Each Thursday evening is an art walk – we attended for the first time the other night. There is a vast array of styles from crafts to true world renowned art. Mexican art is rich in weavings, embroideries, colorful paintings, while the crafts have more to do with religious symbolism of decorated crosses and Madonnas, baskets, small musical instruments, knife sheaths, and paper art from various tree barks/fibers, etc. Mexican amber (much less known than amber from other parts of the world) and fiery opals are prevalent in the local jewelry designs.
Each Saturday morning is an organic farmer’s market (not always easy to find in Mexico but the awareness of such products is expanding) obviously catered to the tourists. No Mexicans come here to purchase goods. Good variety of produce, cheeses, tamales, etc can be found but certainly at a tourist price rather than local pricing.

We visited the small hilly town overlooking the marina (La Playita), composed mostly of shacks and very small businesses along unkempt dirt roads. Many have for sale signs and are waiting to be bought out by the marina as it expands although that has slowed down a bit with the ‘recession’. The contrast between these shacks built as the money comes in (a few rebars and concrete blocks at a time) and the multi-millions$ vessels in the marina is huge. Some shacks are made of corrugated steel; others where cinder blocks are missing have these holes patched up with T-shirts, palm leaves, cardboard, etc. Many have missing windows but with such mild weather it doesn’t seem to matter much.

Roosters, chickens, and cats roam the streets sometimes chased by kids but in the heat of the day they are mostly left alone. Dogs are all curious about Nikki – the new girl in town. Roosters are heard from the boat every morning - - - feels like we are in the countryside.

For such a small area, possibly only 12 square blocks, there are probably 15-20 mini markets (also called mini-super). I don’t know how each survives but they seem to do ok. There you can get some basics like eggs, water, milk, dry meat, handmade tortillas with hand written labels, a few types of fruits and vegetables and of course beer and other drinks. Four to five restaurants are located at the edge of town nearest the marina. They also offer liquor, free wi-fi access in their attempt to lure the few customers roaming around.

We visited Ali’s restaurant the other night because it advertized they spoke French as well as a couple of other languages. As it turns out, the owner (you guessed it: Ali) is a Berber from Algeria who has been here since 1974. Visiting him that night was a French chef who has had restaurants in Mexico for nearly 20 years and a Canadian of German origin who has spent each winter in Mexico for the past 30 years. Although not technically true locals/Mexicans, they have each been here long enough to know the area quite well so it was nice to chat with them for an evening. Great stories were shared and we were invited for free coffee the next morning. I asked the European chef why we haven’t seen Europeans in Cabo and he said most Europeans go to Cancun as it is a 6-8 hours shorter flight to that area.

We have ‘filled-up’ with what seems to be taken for granted when you are connected to the grid: water, propane, and soon some gas; have purchased some provisions but still working on that before heading to more remote areas.

Very early in the morning I finally figured out what the pangas do at dawn. They hurry up to catch small fish as fresh bait that they try to sell to the large fishing boats as they leave the marina. Sometimes 3-4 pangas jostle for attention around the larger boats. It makes for very interesting maneuvering to watch and of course several birds intermix, trying to get a free bite as well.

The main modes of transportations are buses and taxis. To go to town, a bus gets you there for about 75 cents/person, a taxi for 6 people, $5.00 for the same distance. It is quite cheap but you do have to request pricing before accepting the ride.

Meeting sailors from Australia, New Zealand, Holland, and the usual west coasters. Some have no fridge so we are picking their brains as to how to survive without one as it seems to be the largest energy hog on the boat. The further south you go, the more it uses energy.

All sailors had a great pot-luck on Christmas day. We used Ali’s restaurant and invited him and his friend to partake in the meal for which they were grateful. Invited also was one of the marina staff working that day. Mike and he chatted for a while and this gentleman used to live/work in the US but with the slow economy there, he moved back here to earn a living while his family is still in the US. He earns about $1100/month – a pittance if you have to support your family up north. He still however seems very grateful to have employment. A main criterion to be hired is to know English. The brewpub we went to the other night also featured ads for hires that required 70% knowledge of English to get a job…
Clever vessel name: Dream Ketcher, Jobsite…

Feliz Navidad - Merry Christmas - Joyeux Noel

2011-12-26T07:21:00.000-08:00

Couldn't resist this picture of a type of cactus that looks much like a tree covered with 4oz cans of coca cola as Christmas tree... Inventive and fun.

Hope you are all having excellent holidays - last night we shared a great potluck dinner with about 25+ other sailors - great company and excellent food.

Thinking about all of you and wishing you all well.

Land's End

2011-12-26T07:13:00.000-08:00

Picture taken from Blue Fin a beautiful sailboat owned by an Australian couple of Dejala rounding Land's End in Cabo San Lucas. Our jib was rolled in as we were just coming out of some high winds and were rounding the cape not knowing what was around the corner.

The following picture is of the famous arch - we took that picture on our way out of Cabo to Puerto Los Cabos where we are spending the holidays.

Finally finish the outside passage: Cabo San Lucas

2011-12-15T11:05:00.000-08:00

Over 1,100 nautical miles later, we are finally here. Not finally as this is a great destination but finally as in it is the end of what they call the “Outside Passage” ending by rounding a cape. Rounding capes is always interesting (and has a special name: cape effect) as many of you have heard of Cape Horn and others and this one was no exception. Weather projection first spoke of only 15 knot winds but the closer we got to the cape, the higher they went. We hit our first 25-30+ knot winds and Déjàlà took it in stride (not sure we did as well as she did even though we felt really safe aboard). We weren’t so worried about the winds around the Cape as long as they would die down long enough for us to find safe anchor which is just what happened.

At some point in our first night from Santa Maria to Cabo, as I was trying to bring down the mainsail I heard the weirdest sound and thought some of the pulleys were stuck or needed oiling. Mike had heard the same thing but we just couldn’t figure out what it could be so we stopped looking for the culprit since everything seemed to be working fine. Later we realized it was a white crane like bird (too dark to tell for sure and we were at least 25 miles from any land). That bird just wouldn’t leave the boat. We had to keep pushing it away from the spreaders, the radar or the deck. I have never seen a bird so intent in make a moving sailboat their home (as well as leaving many ‘calling cards’ on the deck, the solar panels, the mainsail, etc).

During the day just as the clouds were breaking up a bit, we saw some very large fish (marlins?) playing around. Several of them, anywhere from 40 to over 200+ pounds were jumping very high out of the water, rolling, splashing, etc: new thing for us to witness. At first we thought they were dolphins but as we got closer, we realized they looked quite different. This area is known worldwide for this type of fishing.

After speaking with old salts (people who have been sailing the outside passage for 30+ years), they seemed to agree that it was a bit crazy for us to test an electric boat on such a rough and long passage. They seemed quite taken aback that we had only been doing this for 6 weeks.

Cabo is definitely a TOURIST area. There is nothing real Mexican about this place – it rather looks like the picture perfect representation of a timeshare town. Took pangas to/from town and visited around a bit. Had tried to dinghy to the marina but found no place to dock = that ensures all panga drivers extra work and keeps the economy going… Buying some groceries, updating this blog, checking emails and weather to see how soon we can leave as this is not a comfortable place to anchor. Jet skis zoom by the anchored boats all day long like mosquitoes on steroids, then you have water taxis ferrying cruise ship tourists around, gigantic cruise ships anchored close by with motors and machinery running all day long, fishing boats, dredgers, music party boats, sunset cruise boats, etc. From the beach side you have loud speaker music until the wee hours of the morning. The marina is extremely crowded and mostly for large (I mean very large) yachts.

Water temperature is now around 75 degrees – can’t go wrong with that! All lily-white tourists in bikinis and shorts enjoying nice weather (not sure it’s fair to end this on such a visual)……..…

Bahia Santa Maria, part II

2011-12-15T10:57:00.000-08:00

Have been here seven days since the winds are not cooperating to head anywhere (never mind south). Patience is this new virtue I never knew I could possibly have this much of. Have been lucky enough to enjoy great hikes, do some yoga on the boat (it is finally warm enough – we don’t like doing yoga in the cold), read great books, and take pleasure in beautiful weather and good company.

Had late afternoon appetizers with people from three other sailing vessels: Gallivanter, Reunion, and Sockdologer; was nice to meet such knowledgeable sailors. We can always learn from their stories or how their vessels are set up. With the provisions running a little low since we’ve been here so long, it is nice to have a little extra variety of goodies to sample. The main comment at the end of our nice visit was “Well, where else do you get people excited talking about amps, volts, solar panels, careful water usage, etc”… It is definitely a different world.

Have been drenched a couple of times already trying to dinghy out over waves but thankfully the water is a warm 69.8 degrees so it’s rather painless – just a little inconvenient (especially after just having had shower).

The desert around here is quite similar to Arizona so it feels a little like home. The ocotillo and various other cacti similarly found in Arizona are lower to the ground and tortuous rather than straight shapes in Arizona – not sure why (more wind, less water than Arizona?) but it is interesting to notice. Many are in late bloom so the landscape is dotted with oranges, bright reds, some yellow and hints of purple. Nikki even had a few chances to chase lizards, her favorite thing to do. We saw about 5 of them on our last hike. Along the way we also were ogled by many buzzards and a couple of gorgeous fish hawks were perusing the ocean. As long as we stay in areas where vehicles do not have access, things are pretty clean but as soon as we step near areas where vehicles roam, everything is covered with litter/trash.

Mike has been trying to fish with no luck so far, other sailors nearby are bringing in halibut, sole, etc. I guess one has to learn the technique over time…

There is a small fishing village at the north end of the bay. What a hard life these people must have: working with the tides no matter what the weather, always wet and cold (comparatively speaking but still cold). The village is without electricity and it’s interesting that for lobsters, they would rather exchange batteries for their GPS or candies for their kids – money seems not their main incentive. They live with very few things. There are no roads in/out of this area, just a barge bringing supplies and water once in a while. They are all seemingly happy and very friendly towards us.

After 5 days here, we moved to the south end of the bay (9.1 miles) to see different scenery and check out a small grocery store. It took 3 hours to get there (still no wind) and the grocery store (Man of War Cove – an additional 2.5 mile walk from the beach) was not open and all contents seemed to be covered with dust so no telling if it is still open. Mike noticed also that there were no sailboats anchored in the whole bay. It was just like a ghost town.

On the dinghy way there, I was knocked over by a four foot wave and pushed under water (wild ride down under). Mike and I had joked for some time that it was time to test (per manufacturer’s recommendation) the 1+ year old safety self-inflating vests we have = well that got done, mine still worked. Can’t say it was the most enjoyable soak but now I know just what it feels like – we survived that one. I was covered in red seaweed from head to toe. Thankfully Mike and Nikki were spared but on the way out, Mike got soaked and his safety vest inflated. Two for two! You just have to take these events in strides or you’d never get out (or be careful what you ask for – we should’ve had these tests done in a more controlled manner). It puts me outside my comfort zone but I come out of it stronger. Nikki thankfully stayed on the dinghy the whole time so we didn’t have to chase her down a wave however she does smell rather like fish. Seems like time for a puppy bath when we get to our next marina.

Perspective from the Gilligan’s Island Tour: While in Man of War Cove Mike met a couple from Olympia, WA. They were taking a “three hour cruise” of Magdalena Bay. Part of the cruise was to land ashore, climb the sand dunes and look over the bay where we were anchored. The guide portrayed this as such an idyllic sailing scene. Little did they know of what we had just gone through. From their perspective it was a single beautiful sailboat in a serene bay surrounded by clear aqua colored water, white beaches and gorgeous mountain backdrop. From our perspective it was heavy crashers (waves 4+ high) difficult to maneuver in a dinghy and making for a very bumpy anchoring and with a beach littered with trash… Of course it was quiet, we did remark on the cleanliness of the water, we watched several wonderful sunsets, rainbow right above the mast, and a full moon (missed the eclipse but heard about it) but certainly 2 days there was long enough -

Working on netting to put around the cockpit so Nikki can’t fall out should a wave come by while anchored. She is always harnessed when we are sailing but when we anchor we want her free to roam the boat safely. She used to roam freely when at dock but anchors can sometimes get a little rocky. Nice to have projects while waiting for proper winds to show up.

Speaking of no wind, we were just chatting about the perceived value of 5 knots of sailing. When you are fresh after a good sleep and the wind is going the direction you are going, sailing 5 knots is very enjoyable. When, on the other hand, the direction is wrong, and/or you are tired because you just sailed 70+ hours straight, you perceive the same 5 knots as almost too fast even though it is a very comfortable sailing zone. Perspectives really change…

We have been enjoying marvelous sunsets and tonight (12/10) there will be a full moon in the early morning hours. See if we are able to see that.

Time for warm popcorn (you’d think all I do is think of food!)…

Clever vessel names: Knotty Moment, Sailfish, Luckness

From Turtle Bay to Bahia Santa Maria and celebrating 1 month!

2011-12-15T06:28:00.000-08:00

Couldn’t help add this picture (is this a statement on foreclosures)? Taken from a side street in Turtle Bay

Before leaving the bay, heavy dew covered everything, a great opportunity to wash away all the sand from the Santa Ana winds and the salt from the last sail. Although I know it won’t last long it is satisfying to give Déjàlà a clean boost before her next leg.

Note: Looking back to Turtle Bay (since this bit is written two weeks later while in Cabo San Lucas) it overall was a nice place to anchor for a while since it hasn’t been spoiled by tourism like Cabo. It was a quiet, peaceful and rather clean anchorage where we were surrounded by dolphins visiting daily. We could tell it was a local pod of dolphins as one of them (a large male) sounded like he had a bad case of cold each time he blew. We recognized him instantly from that particular sound…

Left anchor without motoring around 8:30am. Out of the bay, the ocean was just like a washing machine, not the favorite of most sailors, being tossed around from all sides, swells from two different directions topped with wind waves. It took several hours of sailing and reaching away from land to finally get calmer waters without the 30 degree heeling (from the inclinometer also called the scare-o-meter by some)…. Later on while listening to the weather reports on the SSB we hear of 100 miles/hour winds in LA on 12/2 so we don’t feel so bad about our 18 knot winds coming out of Turtle Bay.

Cloudy skies give the distant ocean an opaque metallic hue somewhat reminiscent of dancing liquid mercury while nearby on starboard the ocean is deep blue and on port tinged with brownish kelp-like color. The swells are very far apart and deep enough that when we hit the trough between waves the container ship to our right and the cruise ship to our left that are both probably 100 feet tall disappear from view.

First night was calmer but our instruments played tricks on us. They were indicating winds that weren’t there and from the wrong direction. Instead of trusting ourselves however, we kept trying to cater the sails to what the instruments were saying and wondering why nothing worked. Precious time and nervous energy was spent before realizing our error. Restarted the instruments, recovered our wits realizing we hadn’t gone mad (yet) and once the reboot was completed things went much better. Lesson learned: trust our guts more…

Seems like we are sailing near a major large vessel route; have seen lots of activity. Eventually had to heave-to for a cruise ship heading directly for us - always kept on our toes!

As much as we may have ‘complained’ about seas too calmed and bobbing around instead of advancing and feeling like you are getting somewhere, we came to realize, by listening to many of the other sailors who mostly motor-sail that this ‘sitting around quietly’ allowed us to see/hear many whales that others didn’t. The last sighting was of a whale where the spout had to be at least 30 feet away from its nose/snout… The largest I’ve ever seen. Another crossed our stern just as we were cresting a swell near the entrance of the bay Santa Maria.

Mike has a touch of “la tourista” or a touch of sea sickness, not sure which. After a couple of days he’s feeling better but his energy was a little low so we took it a bit easier on the way to Santa Maria Bay.

Time zone has changed; we are now one hour earlier than California, heading more and more easterly.

Mike is having slight doubts about having gone all electric. It has certainly tested our patience to say the least, especially in really calm seas or when approaching land in not the best of conditions for easy anchoring. BUT it has forced us to learn more about sailing than anyone who can easily convert back to motoring (of whatever type). We have to say however that we now better understand why so many people motor-sail. We recognize also that this 1,000 mile leg from LA to Cabo was probably not the best place to learn/test-out so many new things on this sailboat (Hydrovane, water generator, whisker pole, etc).

Although we have overall sailed slower we seem to often catch up with several of the same sailing vessels due to some of them having to wait for parts and/or major repairs (new auto pilot, new props, no transmission, loose rudder housing, manifold fittings, motor no longer running, run ins with shrimp boat taking away anchor and adding hole under the waterline, etc). We don’t feel so bad about the fewer repairs we’ve had to make.

Another squid on the deck and this time also a flying fish (too small to eat however)…

Biggest winds encountered to date during this trip, around middle of the night prior to arriving at Bahia Santa Maria = 25 knots. Had to double reef the main and bring the jib 2/3 of the way in. With confused seas it was rather rocky and we heeled to about 45 degrees a few times. Sailing vessels already in the bay (only 3 of them) say it is flat as a pancake there, music to our ears. What they didn’t know was that even though it was calm at anchor, 18 knot winds were blowing up to 2 miles before the anchorage area making reaching it tiring after 70+ hours of sailing.
So much time spent quiet and contemplative at sea (even during the rocky times), especially during the night watches that it becomes almost difficult to shift gears and reconnect back to ‘noises” of internet, radio, people when anchored/docked (our own little world becomes more and more so I guess).

Some fishermen are trying to barter a lobster for candies for kids. Unfortunately this is not an item we carry (added to our grocery list for next time). We pay them with a few US dollars instead – they seem happy.

Looks like we may be here for a few days as the winds are really picking up until Thursday.

Total mileage for this trip: 301.3 nautical miles.

Mike’s sourdough bread smells pretty darn good – time to be off line for a while…

Bahia de Tortugas (a longer stay than planned)

2011-11-30T08:40:00.003-08:00

Turtle Bay, so called because of its shape is a good rest area ½ way along the Pacific Coast of Baja California. Imagine living at the end of a 135 mile, not so well maintained, dirt road from any major town, dirt road so rough some people wait for low tide to drive on the beaches rather than using the road when possible. At least the ocean waves smooth out the beach/access more than once a day…

This, unfortunately dying little town of 1,000 people or so is more reminiscent of 3rd world village than expected. The town’s largest/oldest cannery (only real large employer) closed down so only a few fishermen, restaurants (thank you sailing tourists), and stores support this little place.

People are very friendly although I often wonder what it is like for them to cater to sailors/visitors with vessels that are probably worth more than they would make in nearly a lifetime. After lunch at a restaurant our first day here, I was given a small shell and blue bead bracelet made by one of the daughters/nieces of the owner. They wouldn’t allow me to say no. They have so little but they are so giving.

We went to the beach with Nikki, her first day on tierra ferma (tierra ‘sanda’! in this case) in a week. On the way there two very large seals followed us hungrily and closely astern. I think they are trained to know that the sound of an outboard may mean fish leftovers so they follow their ‘stomach’ and chase after us until we get to the beach and they realize we are not fishing.

For such a small town, we have the luxury of choosing between 3-4 grocery stores, each with their own version of specific produce, beverages, cereals, snacks, dry goods, etc. The cruising guide had warned us of only being able to find eggs, avocados, and oranges (local wares) here but we have been able to find most produce we are used to as well as dairy products. Of course produce purchased at these little places need to be eaten nearly immediately but it beats canned goods in a heartbeat. For eggs, you have to provide your own carton, those are not available – it’s somewhat like buying in bulk.

There she blows and blows and blows!!!

The Santa Ana winds blew all day… up to 26 knot wind gusts. Everything is a dusty mess. The winds blew so hard that when they finally lessened (only at 16 knots) we endeavored to go to town with the dinghy to get the rest of the groceries and walk Nikki once more before departing first thing in the morning. Only to find that the ‘guest’ dock had been blown away from the main fuel dock. We therefore had to beach the dinghy (meaning we all got wet but it’s fairly warm so it’s livable). Sailors who left in the morning encountered 34 knot winds rounding the point on the way out of here. We are hoping for a little quieter day tomorrow.

Next paragraph and how very quickly things changed. No winds to speak of until Wednesday afternoon so we are staying put for a few more days. This allowed us to go back to town so I could take pictures to add here.

The locals are very resourceful and creative people who create/build/repair anything with what they find around them. In buildings you will find anything from tires to shells and from whale bones to lava rocks. You can also see driveways ‘paved’ with seashells for traction in the dirt. They mix and match unlikely colors, wood with concrete, corrugated metal with saguaro ribs, etc. Their tax code (so we’ve been told) states that if the house is unfinished, they pay fewer or no taxes so you find many homes with front doors leading to nowhere (no stairway, etc), and plenty of rebar showing at the tops/ends of walls, fences, patios, etc. The town only has one paved street so it is rather dusty every time someone drives by.

The best view of the bay seems to be occupied by the church and cemeteries (two of them, an older less colorful one due to faded colors nearest the church and looking full, and a newer one a little further away). They are filled with mini-house like structures (with roofs, doors, windows, etc) instead of tombstones (sorry if there is a name for these, I do not know what it is). These are very well maintained and cared for.

Water must be limited as very few plants/gardens are to be seen. It would otherwise be perfect weather to grow citrus, pomegranates, dates, etc.

We met a couple from British Columbia traveling with two large dogs: a Malamute and a Samoyed. I cannot keep up with the fur shedding and sand tracking Nikki brings daily on the boat. I cannot fathom how they do it. Speaking of dogs, there are several in town and Nikki is making friends. One followed us back all the way to the dock and stayed looking forlornly out to see after his new friend. Traveling with dogs adds another dimension to sailing: looking for best quieter areas for dogs to run free = usually meaning off the beaten path places but is also very often breaks down barriers and many people want to see the dog and they approach you more easily than if you were without.

While sipping on an afternoon beer at a small restaurant (La Palapa) off the pier, we watched the locals put their dinghies in the water. They actually put them in the water using their pickups in reverse pushing them with their back bumpers. They also use long paddles rowing standing up. It seems a little counterintuitive and very insecure but they manage to navigate very efficiently and quickly this way.

Birds (mainly pelicans) can be found everywhere you look: docks, dinghies, pier, roads, patios, etc. The smell of guano is quite strong but the natives don’t seem to notice or care. If you leave anything unattended for any length of time, you’ll probably come back to it covered with birds and their droppings. Mother Nature always being productive!

Being here so long has allowed us to complete a few more projects on the boat. Whipping sheets/halyards/ropes, creating a harness to pick up the dinghy to put it up at night (away from thieves), adding more secure tie-downs to the main sheet, fixing a hinge of a lazarette, etc. All projects that were postponed because we were always on the go or still debating how best to build/make it.

It still looks like the winds will be back Wednesday afternoon so ‘right now’ this is our new departure date but we’ll see how that goes.

Bahia de Tortugas

2011-11-25T13:26:00.000-08:00

Dolphins to starboard...

Left San Quintin around 11:20am when the winds finally picked up. We were able to leave anchor without motoring. Most marinas do not allow sailing in/out so it feels good to be able to depart on wind power. A small hermit crab came up onboard on the anchor chain to say goodbye. Just before we departed, another whale came so close to the boat that it lifted and swayed from the bulk of this massive mammal. A little too close for my comfort zone but I have to remind myself that many people pay lots of money to experience such closeness with various forms of nature.

Winds were very good and we averaged out 6.2 knots so we decided to finally test the tow-behind-generator (which needs an average of 5 knots to work well). Within the first 10 minutes it gets caught in kelp and we have to clean that out but for the most part it works very well. A little more caution and attention needs to be paid when towing. Later on at night, a piece of netting gets caught in it – we have to be quite far out to sea to use it without all the debris/plants in the way. Otherwise, the rotation of the propellers in the water makes anywhere from 4-7 amps. That with the solar panels gives us about 8-12 amps per hour (on sunny days and with winds of course)…

Déjàlà does amazingly well at keeping us dry even with waves crashing on the bow. With such a low freeboard it is surprising. Woke up this morning to find a dead squid on starboard yet didn’t think we had that many waves. Thought Nikki would enjoy a taste/smell but she didn’t want to have anything to do with it.

On our first 24 hours we clocked 134 miles – a great sail – and we passed 30 degrees latitude – somewhat of a “psychological number” to reach….

Winds died off so we tried our new whisker pole. Déjàlà looked like a beautiful butterfly as the sun was setting.

We reached Turtle bay a couple of hours after sunset – our first night anchorage. At the entry of the bay, we got within 2 boat lengths of another vessel coming in on starboard. Mike had to shine a spotlight to show we were sailing (they were motoring) to let them know they were that close. The next morning that vessel (Aries) called to apologize – the boater community is so kind and well meaning. When anchoring at night, our eyes are so fixated on all the instruments (radar, speed, wind, etc) that we sometimes miscalculate what is right in front of us.

Total mileage to date: 630

Clever vessel name: Merl’eau (it helps to know French to get that one!)

Today (11/25 – Happy Thanksgiving) is the first time (in 25 days) that we use fossil fuel to bring the dinghy to shore. It is definitely too windy and choppy to use the kayak safely. The Santa Ana winds are here for the weekend so we’ll ride them out safely anchored here before the next leg of our trip = Bahia Magdalena.

Bahia San Quintin

2011-11-25T13:24:00.001-08:00

This finally feels like traveling rather than preparing, now that we have completed the immigration and customs paperwork.

Today we are visiting Marie-France’s namesake. Quintin over time has become Cantin in some languages and regions. On the way in we notice the shell of a large motor vessel beached near the reef. A great reminder to always be on the look out!

At the entrance of the bay, we crossed paths again with Prairie Rose, heading for Turtle Bay.

Here to recuperate from 53 hours of sailing 185 miles with a weakened jib that we had to sail with very gently. We had planned to stop at another anchorage further North (Colonet) but it was too dark and too narrow an area to entertain anchoring in pitch dark so we kept going South.

We blew the jib’s clew in high winds and temporarily fixed it until we could get an anchorage to permanently fix it.

We arrived here at sun down (once again seems to be our time to arrive at all anchorages so far) to find only one more sailing vessel anchored in this 4-5 mile wide bay. We nearly have the place to ourselves.

The following morning, while fixing the jib in the cockpit, another whale comes inquiring. That in itself is not surprising since this is part of their calving area in the winter. What is surprising is that this is within 20 feet of Déjàlà and we are only in 13-15 feet of water. Neither of us knew that whales could be found in such shallow waters. Another beautiful wink from Mother Nature!

All is fixed on the jib. The clew had just been weakened by the constant UV rays it experienced while rolled up, always showing the same portion to the elements. While the jib was down, I decided to reinforce the tack and the head as well. Thanks to our hand cranked commercial sewing machine I was able to accomplish just about as good a job as a professional (I think). I guess it is now time to test my “fix-it” skills on the next leg of our trip, Turtle Bay – nearly 175 miles from here.

We have had 2 really quiet nights, no cars, sirens, airplanes, etc. only wind and the surf in the distance (we are ¾ miles from some protective reefs). We decided not to go to land to help teach Nikki that she has a “pet area” she needs to learn to use while at sea. It has been a difficult transition for her but she used it 3 times while we were here (no choice since it had been 60+ hours since land)… She obviously still doesn’t like soiling her home but I think she’s starting to get the picture.

Waiting for the wind to pick up we cook for the upcoming 2-3 days of sailing: beans, coleslaw, chicken casserole, bean sprouts salad, egg salad, etc.

Finished reading: Two years before the mast by Richard Henry Dana (the person Dana Point, CA has been named after). We heard about his writing and his life while visiting the Oceanic Institute and thanks to Kindle, were able to download the book immediately and read it on the way down the coast of Mexico. It is a very descriptive read of the ‘true’ life of sailors in the mid-1800. Richard H Dana then became a huge advocate of fair treatment of sailors once he became an esquire.

Picture above is of the various old volcanoes (Isla San Martin, Ceniza, Monte Mazo, etc) around the estuary in north of the bay we were anchored in. Quite the desert landscape – raw and unadorned.

Oh the Universe has a great sense of Humor (random tidbits)

2011-11-25T13:22:00.000-08:00

A marina in San Diego where we are docked for a night doesn’t have hot water when it is time for us to take a shower; we are offered a nice hotel room to take one. What a nice gesture!

On the night watch coming to Ensenada, we were followed by a cruise ship for 5-6 hours. The ship was fitted with some disco-like strobe lights shining bright invading the peaceful dark sky dotted with stars. Not sure why a cruise ship this size was only going 2 knots – perhaps not wanting to arrive in Ensenada before a set time but it is unnerving when such large vessels just don’t seem to ever get away from your path, especially at night when you are not sure what they are. On port side however, we were able to watch a ½ moon glowing bright burnt orange rising over the mountains, accompanied by several shooting stars – such a dichotomy from the cruise ship on starboard.

Leaving Ensenada – no wind or very light ones going in circles so after 12 long hours of bobbing and not getting away from two rocky points (islands on starboard, land on port), we finally break down and put the electric motor in to get a little more distance from land before complete darkness (peace of mind / safety zone)… No sooner do we do this, 11-17 knot winds come out of nowhere and off we go the whole night.

We had to take down the jib to fix the clew. While we were both deeply entrenched in taking the jib down as well as fighting the wind, a whale comes by for a visit.

These are just small reminders that you never know what is just around the corner. It’s nice to stay open and in tune to all that may come your way.

Ensenada, Mexico

2011-11-18T07:09:00.000-08:00

We arrived late on the 16th. We tried on several occasions to hail Cruiseport Village Marina with no luck. Sailing vessel Reunion ahead of us also was without luck in reaching them so we both ended up at Baja Naval (VHF 77 once in port) http://bajanaval.com instead. Prairie Rose had seen us come into port and suggested we tried them on that channel. I love that people in the sailing community are so helpful to one another.

This marina is small; a little dated, but has absolutely the best service possible and is quite safe. Free calls to the US, and a very knowledgeable staff, not to mention one of the cleanest and best organized boatyard we’ve ever seen. It’s all in the little details like telling you right up front which side to put your fenders on before you arrive, as well as excellent directions to finally helping you with the docking and the hook ups. They don’t even ask you to pay anything up front. You pay when you leave. The only drawback we’ve heard of but haven’t experienced during our stay were the heavy swells so be generous with the dock lines.

Above is a photo of the famous huge Mexican flag floating near the marina. Upon commenting on how proud they must be of their flags to have one so large, I was quickly and jokingly corrected that it was so the “gringos” could find their way… The flag was put up again due to Baja 1000 race starting over the weekend.

Entry process and paperwork has been painless – a total of 2 hours.

Walking through town we noticed it is definitely much more colorful than the US. Ads and architectural additions to buildings we see here wouldn’t be allowed ‘home’ (like an old bus as part of a bar and the Viagra man)…
This morning we are woken up by constant dive bombing fishing style of the pelicans. Birds are always busier at sun up.

Finally, I couldn’t pass up this picture of a scarecrow to help ward off the sea lions from lying on the dock.

We are off to Cabo Colonet

Anchoring (usually free) and what it can mean

2011-11-14T14:35:00.000-08:00

Anchoring (usually free) and what it can mean – Part I

It means it is not really your own area (like when you pay for a dock or mooring) – it is usually a public area and used by many recreationists: paddlers, swimmers, sailing classes, fishermen, etc
However at this anchoring (SD) that surprisingly also meant we had first row seats to several Sabot dinghy races. Over 35 small colorful sailboats slaloming and zooming by the anchored boats; it seemed we were part of the obstacle course for the race, making it more interesting to us and them.
Comments from the regular racers as they zoomed by enquiring about our boat and our destination was that there are not usually that many anchored boats at one time – many like us are heading to warmer weather now that hurricane season is over.
One of the ‘jollier’ racer said that we must be the ‘beer’ boat with a name like Déjàlà (already there). Interesting interpretation of her name.
The dinghies come inches from our boat, changing course at the very last minute. These old timers don’t even seem to sweat it. They are certainly good at this. It makes for great entertainment. One of them jokingly said that it was a good thing our kayak was attached to the side of the boat as a buffer against the ones that couldn’t turn in time, but they all did so we didn’t have to worry.
In the background a tall ship is now sailing by – the crowning of another beautiful day at anchor waiting for Mexico offices to open.

Anchoring and what it can mean – Part II

Imagine for an instant that your house faces a different direction each time you looked out? Unnerving at first until you get your bearings and understand what is going on and then just when you had everything thought out/figured out, a new ‘house’ shows up and you automatically recalculate everything: is there enough swing room between us and that new boat? What is the new plan of escape should there be a need for one, etc.
It is not a static environment like a neighborhood or condos but a very dynamic one. When a mast seemed to fly by from a perspective of sitting inside the boat looking out, you never quite know if it’s because your boat moved or if someone new is coming through.
Now go a step further and do the same thing at night when all you can see are outlines of boats, landscapes, and houses and perhaps a few anchor lights (the white one at the top of our mast), as well as street and house lights reflecting on the water, and perhaps the moon and stars. One moment you are in bed and the moon is on your right, the next it is on your left.
Now you leave the boat to walk the dog and have to use a slightly different route coming back to her as she swung a whole 180 degrees along with all the other boats, making a complete different looking course going home. Imagine coming back from the store and having to re-find the true location of your home? It would make for interesting driving in congested areas!!!
All this keeps you on your toes with a heightened awareness of everything in your surroundings.
The only constant (if only using stern anchor) is that the breeze will usually be to the front of the boat.

Anchoring and what it can mean – Part III

Because you move so much it can be a little challenging to line up the solar panels for best charging capacity. The minute you think you have the perfect recipe, the boat moves around and you have to realign everything (if you want a maximized charge that is – there is no reason to go crazy with this stuff). This could also be said for the perfect place to settle for a tan should you be into that sort of things…
Being on your own little island on the water I am reminded of some words in a song by Nancy Griffith: “From a distance there is harmony”. From here anything happening on land seems very peaceful.
After a while you notice the same boats heading roughly to the same places – from the beginning of our trip, we have encountered Prairie Rose and Katie G, both from Canada, more than once.

Clever boat name: Anchor Management…

San Diego Bay – Somewhat frazzled nerves

2011-11-12T10:29:00.000-08:00

Not much wind but we manage to sail to San Diego Bay. By the time we get near Point Loma however the quietness of the trip comes to an end. Helicopters hover over us from many directions, guns pointed and ready, we are also checked by US Navy boats and Coastguard. We suddenly feel like intruders in our own land.

We eventually reach the channel into San Diego Bay wherein we think things will quiet down but to our surprise we are being escorted by more police boats with flashing lights asking us to stay to the very edge of the channel, meaning we can no longer sail but have to motor in, because there is a submarine coming in behind us.

We closely monitor VHF channel 16 and hadn’t heard of this upcoming event – had heard of warships coming through but maybe submarines go by their own rules.

We are, by now, probably well known by the US Navy, US Coast Guard, Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Boarder Protection, San Diego Police, and who knows how many more agencies.

We finally make our way to La Playa Cove Anchorage near Shelter Island to find kids are racing several dinghies in that area, not paying attention to their surroundings (being kids of course). We finally have to make them aware of our presence so we can anchor.

Upon our arrival we are told President Obama and First Lady are in town, other than checking for smugglers, this may explain why all the extra security while sailing in.

We are joined again by S/V Prairie Rose who had sailed out before us out of Dana Point.

The surroundings are beautiful but with the Navy base nearby there is a constant roar of airplanes, helicopters, etc – not a quiet place to be in.

As all cruisers heading to Mexico from here, we make our last necessary purchases (parts, groceries, water, etc) and send out mail and emails.

Mission Bay, San Diego

2011-11-12T10:26:00.000-08:00

We enjoyed a very decent sail with winds upwards of 12 knots. 31.7 nautical miles in 7.4 hours, cool and sunny. Arrived at sun down, just in time to find a good anchorage in Mariner’s Basin, Mission Bay. We are surrounded by about 50 other boats – busier place than expected but quiet.

Finally figured out why our Hydrovane (autopilot) didn’t always keep us on track over the last few days. Its rudder would be jammed with kelp. I guess we had never sailed through such heavy kelp beds before. At least it’s something we can control, not a major problem needing a fix.

City work crews were pushing beach sand up in higher berms in preparation for the winter storms so we had no safe place to leave the kayak out. Some nice lady saw our predicament and said we could keep our kayak in her yard. It’s hard to believe this whole area is man-made, sand/mud dug out of swamps to make bays, coves, and living areas but there is the cost of constant upkeep to stay abreast of Mother Nature.

We have overall been impressed by the generosity and kindness of the people we have met so far on this trip.

This area brings back good memories for Mike who met Bäbel, his previous girlfriend from Germany, here.

With the high cost of anchoring in San Diego Bay and Ensenada not open until Monday, we decided to stay an extra night in Mission Bay

Tylar goes up Déjàlà’s mast (from before we left Long Beach)

2011-11-10T19:12:00.000-08:00

Angela’s daughter, Tylar, said she would love to go up our mast after watching Mike up there while he was installing the lazy jack. Angela, like most mothers, did not want Tylar to do it. After a little convincing, Tylar was allowed up the following weekend (weather permitting).

Tylar, very brave and gracious, went all the way to the top despite us adding to the sideways movements of the boat (we wouldn’t do that, would we!).

Tylar, I now have to go past the spreaders, the highest I (Marie-France) have ever gone – you are my new inspiration.

To Oceanside

2011-11-10T19:11:00.000-08:00

Depending on winds we are heading to Oceanside or San Diego. Since the winds were so light again we ended up in Oceanside. I noticed a small rip in the jib at the spreader area beginning to show so we took time to fix that while docked.

It was interesting to see Hwy 5 that we have driven so many times from CA to AZ but from an ocean viewpoint. How often have we searched the ocean for specks of light colored sails bobbing along while driving? Now we see a huge stream of vehicles heading north and south on this dark ribbon. The sounds from land carry out at least 3 nautical miles where we are located. We can make out the roar of engines, the whistle of trains, and various sirens.

Another pod of playful dolphins graces us with their presence – another 500+ or so.

Nikki is taking very well to kayaking to/from land/boat to attend to all the puppy news/tweets. A new Pavlovian reflex is settling in.

Entering Oceanside is quite rolly (as predicted by Charlie’s charts). Only one bag fell off the shelves despite the 40-45 degree angles experienced. We seemed to have found the right recipe for storing/locating items for least amount of shifting around.

Oceanside has one of the longest wooden piers on the West Coast (1/4 miles +). Unfortunately not much else to visit or do there.

Clever boat names: Fuelishness (of course a motor vessel, not a sailboat)… and Sailabration…

First Anchorage of the Trip

2011-11-10T19:10:00.001-08:00

We are still in Dana Point waiting for the weather to be our ally on our way to San Diego. The weather report is calling for another storm to come through on Sunday, so the choice was a quick day sail to Oceanside, spend the night and next day waiting out the storm, or just stay put in Dana Point and make a nice sail to San Diego on Monday. Dana Point is a very friendly place, and the scenery is nice, we’ll enjoy another couple days here. Speaking to the locals, we find out Dana Point is one of those very rare cities with a budget surplus in this slow economy.

Leaving the dock we anchor out trying our new Maxwell windlass, Rocna anchor and chain. All went without a hitch. Although not brain surgery, I always get nervous when testing out newly acquired/installed equipment. Around us are two floating pieces of history, the Pilgrim brig and the Spirit of Dana Point.

We are getting many comments on the beautiful lines and design of our Déjàlà. People kayak, paddle board or dinghy by to chat with us about her. From the picture above, you can see her next to the Pilgrim brig. It gives you a good idea of the sheer size of these older complicated vessels. We are lucky technology; trial and error and engineering have helped streamline newer designs that do not require crews of 100’s onboard.

With time to spare and better weather, Mike fixes the spreader boots and I whip some lines and attend to the general tidying up of Déjàlà.

It is Nikki’s first night at anchor. May she now be called a real sea dog?

The weather is quite cold; we are looking forward to the warmer climes of Mexico and beyond.

Dana Point and Learning How to Ask…

2011-11-04T10:16:00.000-07:00

Since we cancelled our cell phones it was hard to call the Dana Point Marina office after hours. Mike walked around for a while, found a pay phone, and lost 3 quarters trying to dial out unsuccessfully. He finally gave up and found a jazzercise class about to begin and asked someone to borrow their cell phone. One lady was inclined to do just that. It’s amazing how friendly and willing people are when you take the time to ask or talk to them. Later at a grocery store, the grocery bill would have been nearly $8 more if not for the help of the lady behind Mike in line who offered him to use her card for discount at the grocery store. She then asked about our boat and that perhaps she’d come by to visit it… Amazing what simply being open to ask can bring you.

Once the business end of settling in the marina were settled we took Nikki for a really needed puppy walk where she could read all the “puppy tweets” left from her fellow canines. She happily replied to many of them before remembering dinner was awaiting.

A good night’s sleep later we are exploring the vicinity of the marina. Fellow Canadian boat Prairie Rose docks next to us. They are also from BC (Pender Island, a sister to the Island we are from, Mayne)… such a small world.

We have a few things to fix/upgrade while docked. They are calling for a storm over the next couple of days so this is a good time to attend to these: Repair spreader boot on starboard side, reconfigure the preventer (a little too long and difficult to operate as-is), add missing reefing ties, re-screw/reinforce the electric motor mount, and tweak the new lazy jack.

Visited the Oceanic Institute www.ocean-institute.org. Mostly intended to teach our youth about the ocean and environment but worth checking out. Dana Point seems truly involved with environmental studies.

Perspectives

Mike’s: The big one can now hit S California since we are now out… Thank god for crystallized ginger to settle the stomach.

Marie’s: I’m the supposed cold blooded one since I’m from Canada but I have 5 layers on and I’m still cold, Mike is barefooted. Go figure!

Nikki’s: What’s this now? I have to learn to go number 1 and 2 on MY boat!!! Wait a minute, I didn’t sign up for that. Can we reconsider?

How Catalina Became Dana Point

2011-11-04T10:15:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately, the winds were so light and weather alerts were continually being broadcasted for all night gale winds on the eastern side of the islands that we decided to head directly to San Diego. However, the winds that way were so light that we only covered 30 miles in 30 hours so, as the sun was quickly setting down, we decided to stop in Dana Point for a rest. Whatever happened to the advertised gale force winds? Did we beat the record for slowest time from LB to DP?

Thankfully a ½ moon, stars, one whale, and dolphins were out for something to take pleasure in while bobbing around seemingly endlessly. The many splashes the dolphins created were highlighted by phosphorescence making for a great light display in the dark ocean.

At day light we finished reading a book by Gwenda Cornell titled Pacific Odyssey, 1985, where she recounts their 6 year trip around the South Pacific on Aventura with her family (husband Jimmy and children Doina and Ivan). Great descriptions of the exuberant zest for life the islanders enjoyed in the days teaching them that people are far more important than possessions.

We certainly had not planned for an all night sail our first day out but the universe had other plans for us which we could enjoy since we are not tied to any timelines, schedules, nor ultimate destination (other than heading for warmer climes)….

Well, now in a safe harbor we laugh at the incongruity that winds of 17 knots showed up just as we were docking (yep, fun one – can’t believe we did it unscathed), another wink from mother nature, reminding us who the boss is.

Leaving Long Beach

2011-11-04T10:10:00.000-07:00

Met our target departure date and just left the Long Beach Marina office to turn in keys, fobs, and parking passes, experiencing one last time the slow pace of dealing with Long Beach bureaucracy.

Extremely light winds coming from Catalina where we are tentatively heading for a couple of nights. Several tacks later we finally cleared LB Light. A pod of playful dolphins and a couple of whales swim near; perhaps a good omen of things to come.

For good luck, Kim gave us her favorite traveling Buddha figurine. It already has found a special place in the dining area. We were also graced with a pair of binoculars, some good knives, and a couple of Kindles that are already filled with 60 or so books to read. Several visits, dinners, books, bottles of wines, ginger liqueur and champagne later and Déjàlà is loaded to the waterline but not above!!! We were actually able to prove to Alan that we kept one whole cubby open/empty for whatever goodies we may find along the way. What we cherish most however are the memories and experiences we have shared with all of you.

Our last tie to the world, as most people know it, was to disconnect our 2 cell phones at 2pm once safely outside the breakwater. We are now solely dependent on radio and Wi-Fi…

Once we cleared the breakwater, we let our Hydrovane do the work. Only the second time it was tested, it performed remarkably well even in very light 3 knot winds.

Many marina regulars expressed their farewells and you could pick out a tad of envy from those who have dreamed of doing this for a while.

Fernando biked all the way over to take pictures of Déjàlà as she headed out of the marina. We may find him and his family on Aya (catamaran) in the Caribbean one day.

Thank you everyone for the good thoughts and the continued friendships.

More Varnish

2011-08-30T07:22:00.000-07:00

The varnish continues...
Another coat by Marie, so it is looking good.
You can see the radar transmitter in the background, a very cool safety addition to the boat. It's a Lowrance 3G HD radar, very low power draw and very good resolution of close-in targets.
Our new boat cards came in. With a bit of luck I can upload a copy for those we can't give one to in person.

Counting Down

2011-08-25T16:39:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since updating the blog. We've been busy getting ready to start the BIG trip very shortly: 68 days! (If your counting...)
There are lists of lists to insure we get everything accomplished before November 1st.
The reason for the date? Nov 1 is the official end of hurricane season south of the border. We'll keep a close eye on the weather charts, regardless. A few extra days getting started to avoid heavy weather is time well spent. That's one of our core sailing guidelines: no rush, wait for good weather. There is plenty of time... we'll be gone ten years or so.

Todays tasks revolved around varnish. The varnish job on the exterior wood was about six years old (with a couple zillion coats added periodically). It was time to take it all off and lay down some new. We'll keep building up the layers till we leave. We use Epifanes (from Holland). They recommend a dozen coats for tropical environments! We're up to four. Marie has even taught Mike to varnish! (you can still tell the difference...) Here is a picture of the forward port caprail:

Interior layout

2010-02-25T12:34:00.000-08:00

Time to upload some pictures of the 'inside' of Dejala, where we actually live (well, until it gets a little warmer, then it is mostly outside!)

Battery system and electric motor

2010-02-16T08:25:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures of the electric drive and associated batteries and switch system. The battery bank consists of ten Trojan L16 6V batteries in the deep part of the bilge. They are fitted with Hydrocaps to catalize the hydrogen generated while charging back into pure water, greatly reducing the addition of distilled water, and keeping the interior safe from the gas.

The electricity is routed through a knife switch array to allow changing the operating voltage from 60VDC for the drive motor to 12VDC for operating house loads (lights, fridge, pumps, etc.)

The motor is a 'Ray' electric outboard. It resides in a box above the outboard well when not in use. This helps the boat sail more efficiently by avoiding dragging a prop through the water. The motor is sized to drive the boat in and out of crowded harbors, marinas, anchorages, etc. It is not for long term 'motorsailing' for days on end. After all: it IS a sailboat!! We could motor at 3kn for about 12 hours to a 50% depth of discharge, but don't plan on it.

Charging the bank is by a combination of solar panels, tow-behind generator (waiting for the US$ to go up to buy, they are made and sold in GB), and shore power through a Xantrex 100A inverter/charger.

This is probably too much info for those that don't care, not enough for those with a technical bent, but it is a short overview of the drive system.

2010-02-11T14:40:00.000-08:00

The dodger is now complete!! Here are some pix... Those new Strataglass windows are sooooo nice. Check out the novel way of avoiding a zipper. (every dodger we've seen over five years old has blown-out zippers). With Tenara thread and Sunbrella fabric, this should last just short of forever. You can also see the 'doggie door' for Nikki in the center picture (the dark hatch next to the cockpit floor). She can now go below without anyone's help. To the left of the main hatch are all the lines from the mast. We can control everything from the cockpit, a safety feature important to us.

New additions summer & fall 2009

2009-12-05T12:56:00.000-08:00

Busy summer, added solar panels, windlass, and finally : "Dejala" is a properly named boat!

Sailing with the new Hydrovane

2009-05-06T11:48:00.000-07:00

2009-04-30T06:52:00.000-07:00

2009-04-30T06:51:00.001-07:00

Test post for svdejala