The Sea of Love

The Sea of Cortez stole our hearts.

After two weeks of preparing the Buena Vida  for another  cruising season, we overcame the gravitational pull of the marina complete with electricity, cell reception, wifi, access to groceries and restaurants, and sailed up the Sea for our shake down cruise.

It is a strange sensation that overcomes many of us cruisers and causes some fear about going into a marina, it is hard to leave.  We get lulled into complacency about the weather, electrical use and water supply.  One can just step off the boat if there are no tomatoes or the trash can is full.  But once out of the orbit of the marina the pace of life settles into a beautiful rhythm worth mourning the loss of wifi.

Our first sail to Isla Partida was a lively romp in 15-20 knot winds with a bit of chop.

We tacked out and back a couple of times to take advantage of the fun wind and remind ourselves how to handle the lines.  Cruisers hardly ever tack or hand steer so this was a fun and playful start to season two.  The Buena Vida was healed over romping along like a horse out of the gate!  She sailed beautifully and we were super stoked cruising along at 6 knots in swim suits.  (Stop what ever you are doing and bring your boat to Mexico - This is just to good to miss!)

  " Kilo Kilo 6 Alpha Mike India"  aka Jeff since he passed his
Technician and General Ham Radio License exam.
So proud!

The stunning colors of Ensenada Grande, the rock walls and the pale blue water was spectacular.  We passed the time snorkeling, hiking, snorkeling, reading, snorkeling and gathering with other cruisers for group dinners.
I lost my battery charger for my underwater camera and missed out on the best photo opps of our Sea of Cortez snorkel trips.  Gin clear water with 40- 50 foot visibility.

Tons on diverse fish life, I saw a big green eel swimming freely around the rocks, we saw a gorgeous octopus moving along the rocks changing color and texture with every move as we hovered, mesmerized.  Jeff saw a young turtle resting on the sandy bottom.  Our snorkeling in Ensenada Grande was far superior to our Dive trip the week before and it always feels good to swim freely with out all that gear.

Once in a life time opportunity to see the Baja so green.

After four years of sever drought the Baja Peninsula received record rainfall this summer as well as a visit from Hurricane Paul so every plant that has been laying dormant is now alive and in bloom.  People tell us this is a once in 20 year kind of event and to enjoy it while it lasts so... we are.

The red cliffs of the mountains are now scattered with lush green plant life, magenta, blue and yellow flowers and delicate yellow butterfly’s.  With all the extra water this last year there are also lots of little bugs.  Nasty little Bobitos fly in your face and hover around your nose and eyes.  In response, a new feature to the SSB nets are a bug report.  In the morning we listen to Sonrisa Net for weather, to hear the location of other boats, the conditions where they are anchored and this year, a bug report.

Thanks to the information from other cruisers were were able to pick anchorages with as few bugs as possible but on occasion we were swarmed too!

 Julie protecting herself as we sailed by an island and were swarmed with Bobitos.  
Got to take the bad with the good.

Spectacular hike up the canyon on Isla Partida.

Do you see the crab in the upper right corner?

No trail, rock scramble.

Buena Vida laying contently in Ensenada Grande

We connected with our friends Bob and Sheri aboard S/V Nirvana and S/V Eagles Tom an Jeanie via SSB and sailed over to San Everisto to meet up.  After a couple of nights in Evaristo we all traveled back to Ensenada Grande and spent a few more nights there.  We couldn't get enough.  

Good Morning Sunrise and Moonsettting at 6:00am, San Evaristo

Now we are all back in Marina Palmera each of us dealing with various and sundry issues with our floating homes.  We had a coolant leak so Jeff was able to fix that out at the anchorage, one of the boats received some bad fuel up in the sea and need to deal with polishing the fuel and cleaning their fuel tank.  We do not hear about that happening very often but it only takes once to really  screw things up for someone.

It probably is related to shortages that are taking place up in the Sea of Cortez as a result of Hurricane Paul.  Many roads were washed out and supplies are short up in the Sea.  Cruisers report fuel shortages, folks without water makers were struggling to find water and the likes.  So as the fuel was running low at the station up in Puerto Escondido our friends must have gotten the dredges along with all the debris.  Bummer.

We have loved our time in the Sea of Cortez so much we actually considered staying here all winter, but we know it will get too cold for us.  Since one of our cruising goals is to avoid being cold, off we go heading south in a few days.  We will likely be at passage crossing the Sea of Cortez on Thanksgiving day, I am a bit sad about that.  I always miss our family on the holidays and the next best way to celebrate is with our fellow cruisers but, we are waiting for just the right sailing weather so that is how it will be.

Happy Thanksgiving and Hasta Pronto

Back home aboard the Buena Vida

We are back in Mexico aboard the Buena Vida lying in Marina de La Paz, BCS where every night is Friday and every day is Saturday.

We returned to find the Buena Vida in great shape.  We had heard horror stories of boats filled with rodents, bugs, birds, exploded cans of tomatoes, fouled fuel, fouled water and nasty odors so we of course took all to heart and over cleaned and prepared the boat for three months of solitude and possible hurricane strength wind.  We also had a boat  management team care for our home away from home.  So with all the extra work we did in the summer, we had a happy return, not even the notorious "boat smell" to contend with.

Three months is not very long off the boat but we made good use of every minute of it.
We spent a month in Ventura CA, in the home that we share with our son Josh and  his new wife Rachel.  They welcomed us home with a lovely dinner and a warm inviting spirit.  
Returning home after nine months made us appreciate more then ever how beautiful Ventura is.

The Bayshore Yacht Club or Our Home!

Hibiscus

Chris, Josh and Rachel

Solamar Beach with Josh & Rachel

Pierpont beach is full of whimsy.

A day in the life in Ventura:  Beach, Farmers Markets, Family & Friends.  Qué Bonita!

Picnic with the Atwaters

After a month of catching up with family and friends in Ventura we flew to Hawaii to visit Jeff's daughter Rebecca and her husband Chris.  The Big Island of Hawaii offers a great diversity of activities, amazing diving and snorkeling, farmer markets, and a real Hawaiian feel.

Not to leave anyone out, we flew to Spain for a month.  We spent three weeks with Jennifer, Jeff's oldest daughter, her husband Carles and two daughters Sara age six and Lisa age three.

We then rented a car and drove to the mountains in the Castillo-Leon area then down into Valencia for some serious city life.  It was so hard to leave our beautiful grand daughters but that is the curse of having a family that lives all over the world.

Gorgeous city of Cuenca, a World Heritage Site.

After one last visit to our home in Ventura, enjoying time with our family, friends, yacht club and the comforts of life in So Cal we found we had mixed feelings about returning to La Paz.
Life is so good in Ventura, why are we leaving?  Why would we leave Chris, Josh and Rachel and my parents?  What kind of priorities do we have?  Shouldn't our family come first in our lives?  But after wrestling with these thoughts we packed our bags and boarded the small commuter jet to La Paz.   The lure of life aboard the Buena Vida was calling us home.

We really enjoy La Paz and did not want to rush our time there.  The boat was really ready to go within a week, but we wanted to remain for some local events such a Balandra Beach clean up, scuba diving with Whale Sharks and the Dia de Muertos celebrations.

Mexico is working hard to improve the 
cleanliness of its beaches.  We often see
trash and recycle bins at the beach and
Signs are posted to encourage trash disposal.  There is still a long way to go but at least the effort has begun.

We decided to go diving with a local outfitter and after a wreck dive, then a reef dive, we were surprised with a swim with some Whale Sharks.

Go to the link to learn more about 
Whale Sharks in the Sea of Cortez

http://www.bajainsider.com/baja-california-travel/baja-adventures/eco-travel/swimingwhalesharkseacortez.htm   




Swimming with Whale Sharks is probably a once in a lifetime event and the highlight of our dive trip.  The diving was OK, not world class but still fun, but watching and swimming with the largest fish in the sea was spectacular.








Our last night in La Paz was also the main celebration of Dia de Muretos. The Mexican tradition celebrating Dia de Muertos is actually founded in Pre-Hispanic civilizations.

Jeff with a live size "Catarina"

An altar to honor the deceased

The festivals and traditions that are practiced now began at the beginning of the 19th century and the playful characters called "calaveras" (skulls) made by José Guadalupe Posada and later became wildly popularized by Diego Rivera's calavera image named "Catarina" which is now an international symbol of this fun and playful event.  You can find Catarina images on 
t-shirts, posters, and life sized dolls everywhere in Mexico all year long.
Dia de Muertos is a time when souls may return to earth and visit their loved ones.  An alter is placed in the home or at the cemetery with symbolic items placed as a way to invite the lost soul back for a visit.  Traditional items are a picture of Christ, marigolds, and some candles usually placed in four corners or  in a cross representing north, south, east and west to be used as navigational aides back to earth.  Also, incense is burned and the smoke creates a navigation path. Salt will be placed on the alter symbolizing purity, and the favorite foods and drinks of the deceased are placed on the alter.  Families often have a fiesta with BBQ, beers, music and festivities.  The Dia de Muertos is not a scary or dark time for the Mexican people but a joyful, playful time to remember those who have past and invite them back for a short visit.

 Halloween Buena Vida style.  A tangerine.

From the bow of the Buena Vida, Marina Palmera

We are now sailing north to visit a few anchorages in the Sea of Cortez before the notorious

Northers begin to blow. Before the winds get too fierce we plan to cross the Sea and head south

to Mazatlán or Chacala mid to late November.

Hasta Pronto.

Mar de Cortez part 2

Another last leg of our journey in Mexico aboard the Buena Vida.

The stark beauty of the Sea of Cortez

 has inspired nauralist, photographers, oceanographers, novelists and us to document and share what they found.

We were surprised by our 

reaction to this area, it offered a different 

kind of beauty and peace that we did not expect.  Although, the beauty, at times was interupted by bouts of strong winds.

 New Vocabulary words for the Sea of Cortez:

Yuma Low:                A thermal low, generated by the hot summer temperatures around the 

                                 Yuma, AZ area.  As the hot desert air rises around Yuma, it causes a

                                 flow of air north from the cooler Sea of Cortez. The result is a
                                 welcome south  southeasterly wind that blows up into the Sea durning 
                                 summer.  Thank you Yuma Low, we had great sailing!

                               

                         

Chubasco:               Not the hot sauce, that's Tabasco!   These are strong but short lived 
                               squalls that occur in the summer months in the Sea of Cortez.
                               No Tabasco for us please.
                               

Coromuel:              Winds found around the La Paz area that begin in the evening and 
                             usually blow all night, often up to 30 knots. We really did not need those
                             extra hours of sleep.

                              

Elefante:                A localized westerly wind generally around the mid to northen Baja

                             Peninsula, similar to Coromuel only a bit stronger.  Named for the trunk 
                             like shape of the clouds that often proceed these winds not Jeff's appitite.
                               

The Sea of Cortez is full of narrow channels between islands and high mountains called the Sierra de la Gigantas that create some unusual wind patterns.  This added a fun and exciting element to our time in the Sea.

Our first night in Candeleros I woke up to the boat lurching and swinging wildly.  The wind was so hot and dry that it was hard to open my eyes and my skin literally hurt form the dryness.  

After I was awake for a few hours Jeff got up to take a turn.  It was to hot for our bedroom so I slept in the cockpit with a sheet and pillow.

Around 4 AM Jeff woke me up as a sport fisher was dragging across the bay toward us.  They had all the doors closed and air-conditioning on so I guess they could not hear or feel the wind.  We tried to hail them on the VHF, shined lights in their window to no avail.  About 8:00 am the next morning I heard a "Oh Shit!" from their boat.

Good Morning Sunshine!  

Ahh, the calm befor the night winds begin.

Yes, I was a little bitter as we were up most of the night on anchor watch and worrying that they were going to hit us so, when they spent the first several hours of the beautiful morning trying to get their boat out of the sand I only felt a little bad.

We were hailed by our friends on Nirvana, they were anchored at Agua Verde so off we went to spend a few days with them on our way back to  La Paz.

The Buena Vida anchored near the fishing village in Agua Verde.
Notice the lush date palms ashore.

The Catholic Church in Agua Verde

Agua Verde con pez

Our dink anchored off a great snorkeling spot in Agua Verde

We happily met up again with our friends Bob and Sheri.  Our final dinner party together this season was aboard the Buena Vida so we invented a new cocktail in honor of the occasion.  "The Agua Verde"

We moved to the secluded cove with verde a gua!

Notice the drink in Sheri's hand is the same color of the agua verde above.

The Agua Verde

• Mix Tropical fruit, if desperate canned will do, with 1 1/2 Cups of Vodka and marinate in the freezer for several hours.  
• Just before serving mix 1/2 of the fruit and all liquid mixture with a bottle of white wine and 1/2 a bottle of Fresca.
• To serve, spoon some frozen, marinated fruit into each glass, pour wine mixture over.
• As you serve, drizzle some Curazao Azul on top and watch your Sangria Blanca turn into an Agua Verde!
• Oh and please embellish your glass with a lime and tropical umbrella!

Now before you raise an eyebrow over the canned fruit situation remember, if up in the Sea of Cortez for any period of time there is very little access to fresh fruit and veggi’s.  So... One must be prepared to take drastic measures.  
But for heavans sake... Never compromise on the quaility of your Vodka!

We went ashore to the tienda in hopes of anything fresh, tomatoes, fruit whatever.  I inquired if they had tortillas but no.  The clerk said that the women in the store with us makes them though.  I asked if we could get some tortillas and she said yes, it would take about 20 minutes. Great!  She then puchased a couple of scoops of flour from a large bag in the store, a jar of crisco like stuff and prepared to leave.  I asked her if I could go with her and learn how to make tortillas.  (puedo ir contigo porque quiero aprender que hace tortillas?)  The women smiled warmly and said yes, so off we went to her charming and simple home.  One room with a small kitchen, a bed and a dresser.  The outhouse is out back and the sons bed is open air in the front yard.  When we arrived her husband was sitting on the bed practicing guitar.  While Martina and I made tortillas Jeff had a good conversation with her husband.  He is quite ill with heart failure and felt compelled to show Jeff all of his medications.

Tortilla making was a great experience, the husband thought that I should return one more day for practice then I would really have it!  What a nice family.

Tienda in Agua Verde

Rolling out the dough while Marina cooks.

Jeff and Raul.

As we departed Agua Verde we knew our time in the Sea was coming to and end.

We had mixed feelings as one could spend months here and still never visit the same anchorage twice.  Each place is so beautiful.  But, it was time to head home and be with our family and friends in Ventura.  

We stopped at several more anchorages on the way to La Paz with the only stipulation that we get in the water and snorkle each day.

Ashore at Los Gatos

Reef Fish.  

  

Dolfins

Buena Vida all alone in Punta Prieta.  Swim suits optional!

People often ask us if we are worried about our boat getting boarded, well, it finally happen.

"Polly" The Pelican came right aboard, she was really friendly.

OK little miss... Not the Spanish books!  
(And yes, we are that geeky that we still study Spanish.)

After we got "pooped" we had to defend ourselves from the intruder!
Jeff picked her up, threw her overboard but she would not give up!
We had to take drastic measures to insure our safety.

Our last anchorage was back where we started, Caleta Partida.  It was like the Sea was telling us it was time to go home.  As we arrived the wind was blowing out of the north making the cove a bit sloppy but it was already 6pm and we wanted to drop the hook.  Wind be damned, we dinghed over to a protected area at the side of the cove where the water cleared to a pale blue. I swam around looking at the sandy bottom, watching puffer fish, rays, little fish then all of a sudden...A SEA SNAKE!  OMG! it was white like the bottom with dark brown spots.  Super poisonous and deadly.

I really wanted to look at it but then it turned and looked at me.  Sheeze! 

I turned around and swam for the dinghy as fast as I could.  That really scared me.

That night the Corumuels blew pretty good.  Starting around 9:30 and building.  By 10:30 it was really howling and I could not sleep.  The boat was lurching and swinging with gusts consistantly between 25-30 knots.  Gee this is fun.  

I sat up and read and watched to make sure we were not dragging until 2:00am.  This was the second time the Buena Vida endured 30+ knot winds overnight in the Sea and lucky for us both times she did great, never moved and inch!

It was still howling the next morning and predictions were the same for the next night due to the low pressure system in the Sea - the pressure gradient was creating some exciting wind conditions.   Ugh!

  

The calm before the Corumuel in Caleta Partida

 

Dangerous sea snakes, big winds, murky water, this is untenable!  We took it as a sign that it was time to go Home. 

We are now in La Paz decommissioning the the Buena Vida and readying her

for Hurricane Season.  This means cleaning every nook and cranny, storing any jars and canned goods in bags in the lowest coolest part of the boat.  (We have heard stories of canned goods exploding from the heat.) Cleaning and removing all sails, lines, dodger, solar panels, stowing the dink, surfboard whisker pole etc.

The less windage on deck the better outcome in a big blow.  Also, we do not want to risk something flying off some other boat and breaking one of our precious solar panels.  This is hard and hot work but we will sleep better while away knowing we have done all we could to ensure the safety of the Buena Vida.  She has taken great care of us this year and we appreciate her now more then ever.

We should be home early July and we are looking forward to it.  We have been out of our home for 9 months and it will be nice to be with our family and friends in lovely Ventura again.  

Hasta Luego Sea of Cortez