Author Archives: Michael Britt

A Funky Mexican Town – Chacala

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20171213-5DS-28

Before our arrival at La Cruz, we spent two days anchored off the little town of Chacala.  This is a very cute town and we would have stayed longer except the anchorage was pretty lumpy and a lee shore, meaning that the boat would drift onto the beach if the anchor lost its grip…  One of the differences being in “Pacific” Mexico, is that the pacific swell comes into many of the anchorages.  Many boats use a bow and stern anchor here to keep the boat more comfortable.

We had a great day walking around the town and enjoyed a meal in one of the Palapa’s on the beach.

Beadwork

Beadwork

Lisa bough a cute necklace in this shop where the woman is busily creating these beadwork masterpieces.  I couldn’t believe how fine the work was.  I kept wondering if she was highly nearsighted.

Hector

Hector

If we were planning a land trip to Chacala, we would stay here at Casa Pacifica. We haven’t seen any of the rooms, but suspect they are somewhat funky.  The owner is an American woman who has lived there for 19 years.  She is clearly a bird aficionado and told us that the best time to see birds was before 9 am, and that almost 300 species visit her piece of paradise at various times of the year.

The hotel operates as a B&B and Breakfast is served on the roof top in the Mauna Kea Café with a view of the ocean.   Hector the cook has been in the US and worked for Whole foods for nine years.  As an exemplary worker, he was promoted many times within the organization and finally Whole Foods sent him to the Culinary Academy in SF.  A few years later he was deported……

If I wanted a week or two of peace and quiet in a funky off the beaten path place in Mexico with a beautiful beach, I would really consider Chacala as an interesting and safe place to visit…..

School kids

 

Happy Holidays from Footloose

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HappyHolidaysBeing a cruiser makes the holidays a little more difficult than you might expect.  We miss getting together with family and friends.  Savoring, that quiet space between the years.   We don’t however miss the zoo of shopping, cards, newsletters, post-office, and UPS.

As a cruiser, the friends you are with change literally with the tide.  Here today and gone tomorrow.  We feel best trying to maintain traditions.   While you can always have a holiday meal at a hotel or restaurant we prefer doing things on the boat… It’s our home.

We decorate with lights, put up ornaments, invite friends to share a meal.

Here’s a funny video from our Thanksgiving dinner.

We are thinking of you and wish you the happiest of holidays surrounded by Peace, Love and Harmony.

Lisa and Michael

Tovara River Tour

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After a few days at Isla de la Piedra we left for San Blas and anchored at Ensenada Matanchen. On the way we anchored for a few hours at Isla Isabel but felt that the conditions were too unreliable to stay overnight.

Here are a few pictures from Isla Isabel famous for its birds including thousands of Frigate birds and the famous Blue Footed Boobie.

Frigate birds
You put your right foot up….. Mating Dance
South Anchorage

After a few more hours of boat time we anchored at Ensenada De Matanchen just three miles south of San Blas. We spent one day taking the Jungle Tour on the Tovara River….. Ever seen a wild crocodile? In the middle of the trip there is an optional stop at the crocodile farm. Here huge American crocodiles enjoy snacks while basking in concrete ponds. Also at the crocodile hatchery are 5 jaguars. Both the Jaguars and the alligators are a little sad in their captivity, Your entry fee to this small zoo contributes to help save these endangered species.

Why does everyone think I'm a Dentist

Why does everyone think I’m a Dentist

We put a lot of work into our blog and as a result we have discussions with other cruisers about blogging. The consensus seems to be that the most popular sailing Blogs feature Bikinis, Videos, and How to articles. I’m not about to put on a Bikini, but here is a first attempt at creating a video to showcase the Tovara river tour. Let me know what you think. We are also planning some how-to articles on fascinating topics like rebuilding your steering ram, and designing a lithium Ion Battery system. Stay tuned.

Land your dingy on the beach and it’s a short walk to the River tour, but along the way there are many vendors selling of all things banana bread and fruit empanadas. The huge volume of baked goods present didn’t seem to match the number of customers. At any rate, warm banana bread with chocolate chips on top. Empanadas with a fruit filling but not too sweet. Warm with Vanilla Ice Cream OMG.
The next day we ride the bus to downtown San Blas, 14 people in a packed minivan, 60 pesos for 4 people. I ride backwards sitting on a hump in the floor behind the front seat. Seat belts…whatever. We tour the Mercado. The church in San Blas is right next door to its predecessor which is almost falling down. I wonder to myself about how the transfer of “churchdom” would have occurred. Was one building consecrated then the other deconsecrated…. In what order. On the same day? It must have been a big deal.

Benito Juarez ????
Climbing to the Fort
Inside the counting room
Great view from the fort
Sunday Mercado
Visit to Marina

We hike up the hill to visit the fort from 1790, the “Contaduria”, a fort but also a counting house for the Spanish. Leave it to the occupiers, to make their conquered laborers haul all their loot up a steep hill for counting.
At the fort, having walked 13000 steps and feeling a little sweaty we call a cab. 80 pesos (less than 5 dollars) for 4 people back to the beach, where we launch the dingy for a ride to our floating home.

Back to Guaymas

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Lisa (1 of 1)

We land In Hermosillo, and are greeted by our old friend Jesús, cab driver extraordinaire. A smiling face in the heat. It’s hot and the cool air conditioning of the Guaymas Holiday inn Express is a welcome relief after our drive.

The next morning we get up early, enjoy the included breakfast and head off to the boat with Jesús, our driver. Stopping at the OXXO store (like a 7-11) we load up on ice and drinks. We won’t have refrigeration until the boat is in the water but the yeti is ready to keep things cold while we work in the dusty heat of the boatyard.

We have planned to replace our exhaust elbows, a normal replacement after about 2500 hours of operation and mandatory after breaking one off last year. We also have new props in the hopes that we can improve our motoring performance. I remove the elbows and discover that the exhaust manifold is more than 90% blocked with salt and soot. I had inspected the elbows but did not expect this buildup in the manifold. Now it will be hard to tell if our new propellers helped at all. I am amazed that the engines were running at all. It’s a lot like the engine had a severe case of asthma.

Asthmatic Volvo
New Flexofold

We spend six days getting the boat ready to splash, the heat is oppressive and we barely make it to three o’clock each day before the heat wins and we scuttle back to the comfort of the hotel and its pool. Jesús stops at the store to let us buy vodka, cranberry juice (jugo arándano), and limes, to make a sea breeze which we sip by the pool.

All of cruising seems to be filled with characters, and the boatyard is no exception. A few boats away a large monohull is on stands, which hasn’t moved since we left 5 months ago. Its occupant, a wizened old man, spends a significant amount of time wandering around the yard with Blackie, his sweet dog.  Blackie is a new dog, a “boxerish” animal that runs around with a friendly zest for life. This ancient mariner tells us his previous dog passed away during the summer and that after several months of mourning, a friend brought Blackie to him from the animal shelter in Tucson. They are still getting “used” to each other. He clearly dotes on the dog. We wonder if the ancient mariner, who lives on his boat with Blackie, will ever leave the yard.

Blackie gets lowered for a walk.

Blackie gets lowered for a walk.

Silly us, we use the last day to wash the grit and grime off the boat in preparation for the launch. Launch day comes and we squeeze out into the bay dodging a large Tuna boat that was partially blocking our path. The boat of course is covered with tire marks from the launch fenders.. We are thankful that there was no repeat of the hydraulic oil baptism we had when the boat came out of the water on the same hoist.
We had planned to stay in Guaymas after our launch but decided on the fly to motor to San Carlos, making fresh water along the way. We stayed at San Carlos to provision and then went a few miles north to Algodones bay. There we finished putting the boat together gladly accepting the assistance of Scott and Laurie from Muskoka in putting the mainsail back on the boom.

Michael, Laurie & Scott attaching the lazy jacks

Michael, Laurie & Scott attaching the lazy jacks

While it was still pretty hot, the jobs were much easier at anchor rather than in the boatyard. We took breaks swimming off the transom steps and snorkeling.

With the new cleaned out manifold and the new props the boat is basically 2 knots faster at any RPM and has a new wide open throttle of 3500+ rpm. A definite improvement. We now plan passages with minimum speeds 7 knots instead of 5!

 

In the afternoons, the wind at Algodones can pipe up to 25 knots. While Footloose would have a couple of reefs at that point, the kite surfers are loving it.  Just watching is great fun.


After 5 days in Algodones, we took over Muskoka’s slip in San Carlos to wait for the arrival of our friends Rich and Laura from Petaluma, who plan to join us cruising on their own boat in the not too distant future.
We bought provisions at Walmart and then arrachera (hanger steak) and amazing bacon from the local San Carlos meat market…WOW, now we are ready for our next adventures.

Goats in the Boatyard

Goats in the Boatyard

July 4th

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Many have asked about my eye.  Thanks for that.  I just want to say that the eye issue from April has been resolved.  As suspected, it’s a huge floater that should become less obvious over the coming months.

We have been couch surfing with our friends… you know who you are.  It has been a lot of fun to spend time and share in their lives for a few days.  One of our stops was on Bay Street in Alameda where we enjoyed Alameda’s huge 4th of July parade.  I thought that the parade was very good this year,  a proud celebration of Alameda’s and California’s diversity.

Here are a few pictures for your enjoyment.

Santa Rosalia, Midriffs, Crossing the Sea

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Santa Rosalia, April 17 to 28
A blinding light through the stateroom window and a loud horn. I wake up at 2 am with a spotlight shining through the window. AHHHH. It’s the ferry entering Santa Rosalia Harbor. We took a slip at the Fonatur Marina for a week hoping to do an engine repair and perhaps find a doctor to look at my eye. Again, no doctors here, only La Paz, but the eye seems stable and Guaymas is only a day a way or so.

Santa Rosalia
Santa Rosalia
Engine for ore cars
Church by Gustav Eiffel
Stairs to Hospital, If you can climb these you are not too sick.
City Hall
Fearsome Hunter
Tonka’s Grill
Rowing from San Felipe to La Paz

The marina is butt ugly. Black walls surround you with mountains of rip rap. The water is brown…no water making here. Down the dock the Mexican navy keeps their patrol boat and a couple of fast marine rescue boats. The Navy guys seem great– wish I spoke more Spanish. One morning we wake up to the sounds of three guys scraping hard marine growth off of the floating docks that keep the fast boats out of the water with smooth bottoms while they are not in use. They swim for exercise most days in the funky water. Probably keeps them more resistant to disease. These guys look tough and athletic.
The town is a true Mexican town. This is a mining town owned by a French company Compagnie du Boleo and the French influence is there. Represented by the colonial architecture of the city hall and the church was designed by Gustav Eiffel and imported from Belgium. A later remodel of the church added more traditional construction to the sides of the metal church. The remodel was respectful and the new eaves have the same scalloped metal trim as the original structure. The town has many mining artifacts left after the French closed their operation in 1946 after copper prices fell. In 2010, a consortium of Canadian and South Korean companies reopened the mine to extract copper and cobalt an important mineral for newer battery chemistries.

Lisa and I cook on the boat a lot and enjoy the process, but towns are a chance to take a break, and we like checking out the different places. In Santa Rosalia, we had delicious ice cream at Splash where a handsome young Mexican man enjoyed practicing his English on us. At Tercos, we enjoyed the rotisserie chicken although the whole meal was a little heavy for us. We ate Chinese food at both of the Chinese restaurants in town. There are quite a few Chinese people here who came to work the mines at the same time they were coming to California for the gold rush to build a railway… gotta love those immigrants. Our favorite was probably Tonka’s Grill, where we enjoyed a steak and great margaritas.

Repaired with JB Weld

Repaired with JB Weld

Our raw water pump was leaking, sending a good bit of salt water over the engine block. The water pump went together much easier than expected as we have full rebuild kits aboard but in the process we cracked the raw water connection to the exhaust. In marine engines like ours, fresh water with coolant circulates inside the engine block in the same way as most cars, but instead of a radiator to cool the water, we have a heat exchanger to lower the coolant temperature. The raw water pump provides cool seawater to the heat exchanger and then the seawater is discharged into the exhaust system. This is a pretty slick trick since it cools off the hot exhaust gases both muffling the noise and cooling the exhaust allowing your exhaust to be in a hose instead of requiring a heat proof steel pipe, like an auto. The point at which the cool seawater is injected back into the exhaust is a crazy place as cool salt water is hitting the 500 degree exhaust gases. This makes for a pretty corrosive brew and our cast iron fitting cracked from the pressure of the hose clamp. A leak here is a pretty big problem since you will be dumping the saltwater into your engine room instead of back into the ocean. This part is a Volvo part and would take weeks to get in Mexico. I tried something I have never done before and used an epoxy product called JB Weld. First gluing the pieces of the casting back together, then giving the whole thing a wrap with fiberglass cloth and more JB weld. So far so good.
Our next stop was to be Bahia San Francisquito. We first set off on the 23rd, but as we rounded the first cape, Cabo Virgenes, we had winds gusting to 25 on the nose. With 65 miles to go and our general distrust of weather forecasting, we returned to Santa Rosalia for another 4 days.

Bahia San Francisquito, April 27 – May 2
This time we got around the cape, and motor-sailed to San Francisquito. While we had choppy conditions on the beam, it felt good to be using sails to help us get there. The midriff Islands form a line from San Francisquito to the mainland side of the sea, and their presence accelerates the tides as they pass between the island or the land. As we were approaching San Francisquito, the tide was ebbing and we found ourselves going against two or three knots of swirling current.
More heavy wind, and we spent the first 2 days on the boat. Wow, we have never been so isolated. The scenery is stunning. Groups of Dolphins sweep through the anchorage feeding on the fish. A coyote walks the beach in the evening. We hear them howling in the hills. Ours are the only footprints on the beach. Unfortunately, there are still signs of man. We have not visited a beach that does not have plastic litter. This beach has 4 or 5 black plastic crates, pieces of polypropylene rope from fishing equipment, and the number one item is plastic drink containers.
Typically, we have several other boats anchored with us, but here we are alone and enjoy some peaceful contemplation. After the winds die down, one boat spends the night leaving before sunrise the next morning and one panga ventures out to fish. We can see all the way to Isla Tiburon, which will be our next stop, 65 miles away. We will be crossing to the mainland in preparation for hauling our boat for the summer in Guaymas.

Footloose, San Francisquito
Grebes
Chicken Fajitas
Puffer Fish
Coyote tracks
Exploring by dingy
Feeding Frenzy

Bahia Cruces – Isla Tiburon May 2 – May 3
We cross the Sea of Cortez on a windless day to the Midriff Islands. The sea is a mirror. Above us hundreds of seabirds fly to visit the various bait balls that appear and disappear. We watch sea birds and dolphins plunging into the water which seems to boil with jumping fish and diving birds.


Early in the afternoon we anchor at Bahia Cruces. The Jejenes are relentless. These little flies don’t bite but they exist to be annoying. They walk around on your body preferring your skin to anything else around. There isn’t enough breeze to drive them away. On the beach, an apparently abandoned structure that looks like it may have been a museum, has several stone Monuments surrounding it. Makes you think it was a visitor center or something except there are no visitors here. No roads, no nothing. The front wall of the building is defaced with large white graffiti. On the beach are a bunch of bags and a large black cooking pot. As the afternoon progresses, three pangas arrive and set up camp on the beach. They shelter under the front overhang of the building preparing their meal. No one spends much time in the building. The fisherman are asleep on the beach as the sun goes down.

Panga at Sundown

Las Cocinas, May 3- May 5

Sunrise is coming

Sunrise is coming

We leave Tiburon at 4 am to ensure a daylight arrival for our next anchorage. Glad to be free of the Jejenes. Leaving at night always feels a little eerie. The instruments glow red in their night setting and the cabin lights are red. The plotter is turned down to preserve night vision. Behind us our twin wake glows with phosphorescence in the water. We have a radar return on our port bow, but see no lights. We turn toward our new course, which brings us closer to the return. Suddenly the lights come on. An unlit fishing boat, or Panga has seen us change course and concerned about a collision turns on a lantern of some sort. Two hours later the sun begins to warm the horizon. Best of all we have wind. We sail on a close reach in 15 knots. The seas are pretty lumpy, but we enjoy the boat speed.
We anchor in the lee of a headland with good protection from the southeast winds. A little swell wraps around the point, but we are liking it. We take a walk on the beach and enjoy some of our best snorkeling. The water is clear and the bottom is scattered with starfish, anemones, Lots of fish school past us.

Bahia San Pedro, May 5 – May 6
We move to the next anchorage sailing downwind under the gennaker. Later, we take the dingy past the spectacular cliffs and caves on the northern side of the bay and enjoy a walk on the beach. The next morning an ugly swell has the boat rocking and rolling, and the weather promises more to come. So we move on.

Bahia Pedro

Bahia Algodones, May 6 – May 8
We are definitely back in civilization. The soggy peso bar is at our end of a beach lined with custom homes and resorts. Just like La Paz, the music pounds into the night with the places shutting down at 4 am.

Musica

Musica

We are anchored at the north side of the bay expecting a northwest wind and swell. For most of the first day the wind is southwest and the resulting swell leaves us in less than perfect conditions. The swell would make a mono-hull really roll, but we are pretty comfortable; however, the resulting swell makes a beach landing tenuous. We stay on the boat for two days without going ashore. And finally move on to San Carlos where we will get a slip.

Foiling Kite
Tourists at play
Foiling Kite Board

The weather has been the biggest difficulty so far. Our weather provider “Predictwind” gives us 4 models that are based on US and European data. One model comes from NOAA, one from a European Agency and two come from Predictwind which processes the US and European raw data separately with its own algorithm. The problem is that there is often no clear winner. Instead, I find myself looking for a consensus. One page of the forecast can give you a print out of the weather just as a data table. I have seen all 4 compass points represented for one hour of the forecast. We don’t actually care what the weather will be as much as we would just like to be able to plan our next move with some reliability. Where you anchor and when you go are pretty much weather based decisions.

North from Puerto Escondido

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Ben, Mike, Donna, Rosie, Michael & Lisa

Ben, Mike, Donna, Rosie, Michael & Lisa

After Bahía Salinas, we spent about 2 weeks in Puerto Escondido. It’s amazing how time flies even when you are standing still. During that time we rented a car for provisioning and took a trip to San Javier to visit an old mission. We did a few minor repairs that had accumulated.

We spent a couple of nights on the dock in Puerto Escondido preparing the boat for our friends (old neighbors) visiting from Alameda. The boat had not seen a fresh water hose in almost 2 months, but it’s amazing how much cleaner the boat stays when it is not in a Marina close to the dirt of a city. Car exhaust, construction dust, brake dust, jet exhaust, and other sources all deposit a tremendous amount of debris into the air which settles onto the boat leaving a brown film within just a few days. But after months on the ocean or at anchor, there was very little to remove except dried salt.

The Other Woman

As we were scrubbing the boat, a power boat pulled in behind us. They were talking about one of their four engines not revving fully. This is terrible thing for a boat with only 1400 horse power. Yes, the four motors were custom painted Yamaha 350’s. I casually sauntered down the dock to listen in. They narrowed the problem to a leaking fuel tank valve that was letting air into the fuel line.

It was time for a test drive, they offered -“Hey come on aboard and check it out.”  (Me) “Hey honey, I’ll be back. I have to go for a ride on The Other Woman.”  We leave the dock idling; the boat has six airline style seats with headrests that are kind of narrow between the arm rests. We are six aboard including the owner’s taxi driver who has been on standby all afternoon to run parts etc. We idle through the anchorage taking pictures on the cab driver’s cell phone that make it look like he’s driving the beast. He knows nothing of boats and we explain the purpose of the throttle levers.

The engines are running smoothly. I am amazed by how quiet these engines are considering their size. The owner throttles ahead. We are flying.  A 3-4 foot swell is running in the channel and we are taking these almost on the beam. The boat seemed to just power through with a gentle up and down motion… Ok, not that gentle, but much less than you would think.  The guy sitting next to me is familiar with the boat and I ask him how fast we are going…48 miles (not knots) per hour. I comment on the smoothness. He says the boat is 42 feet. I would have guessed 35. Weighs 32,000 pounds, carries 800 gallons of fuel. (probably not enough).  I would guess this boat burns 60 gallons an hour easy. We cross the roughly 7 mile channel in a few minutes and idle in a small bay on Isla Carmen. They snap a few pictures and then roar back across at 55 mph because the swell is now hitting us a little on the stern quarter.

It’s been a busy day for The Other Woman. They left San Carlos on the other side of the Sea of Cortez at 7 am, crossed to San Juanico 112 miles away, had lunch, and got to Puerto Escondido by 1:00 PM after another 44 miles.  And I didn’t have my camera along for the ride.

1400 HP
The Other Woman

Mission San Javier

On a whim, we decided to visit the mission in the hills above Loreto.  A 45-minute drive up a twisty mountain road led us to the town of San Javier.  A cart full of flowers welcomed us to the mission which dates from 1699.

Welcome to the Mission
San Javier Town

Our friends arrived April One for their 10 day vacation, and they accompanied us on our trip north to Bahía Concepción.

Isla Coronados April 2-3

Rosie driving to Isla Coronados

Rosie driving to Isla Coronados

We spent two nights here enjoying this little bay. The second day we anchored off of Loreto for six hours because it became obvious that we had seriously under provisioned tequila, limes, white wine, and milk. The beautiful white sand beach gave our guests their first snorkeling experience in the Sea of Cortez.

 

Caleta San Juanico April 3-6

San Juanico (22 of 25)It was pretty rough and windy at San Juanico, so we stayed there a couple of nights anchored under the protection of the point. Lots of boats were there to wait out the stronger winds. At sundown on the second night, a single hander came in and anchored. Testing all of the worst places and clearing a mountain of weeds each of the six times he had to reset his anchor.  In situations like this I find myself dying to give advice,but refrain knowing that each person is the master of their own ship and unless they ask your advice, you need to hold back. and so, I watch as they anchor, but don’t say a word – despite the fact that when their boat goes adrift at 2:00 in the morning, it may be drifting straight toward our boat!

Sunset at San Juanico
Dad & Ben (alias Jacques Cousteau)

Playa Santispac, Bahía Concepción April 7-8

visit (5 of 6)A calendar is the worst enemy of cruising, so rather than risk being pinned down by high winds, we pushed on to Playa Santispac so that our guests could be assured of not missing their flight home. This was to be a long passage with our friends, 44 nautical miles, 7-8 hours.

Fishing Consult
Looking for fish through the trampoline
Lisa & Ben on whale watch

Along the way, I started to notice a smeariness in the vision of my right eye. After fiddling about a bit, I figured I was having a vitreous detachment (although most people my age have already done that) or a retina detachment which is less common, but much more significant.  I felt I had a small hemorrhage in my eye because I could see red blood cells (they look like tiny life savers) and a red color shift.  As a retired optometrist, I have advised my patients many times on this condition. My words to them “don’t finish your Mexican vacation, find someone locally to look in your eye and tell you what is going on, then decide what to do”.  So, now it’s my turn. We meet Carlos, one of the proprietors of Ana’s Restaurant, which has been at Playa Santispac for 38 years. He is all about helping. He drives me to nearby Mulegé, where my internet and cell phone works. I call my international health insurer and they give me a doctor in Tijuana, a 20-hour drive away. He takes me to the local clinic where a couple of harried doctors are caring for a large waiting room of patients. One of them steps away and offers the information that there is a good ophthalmologist in Ciudad Constitución about 3 hours distant. No phone number. We go back to Santispac, no better off. Carlos is a good, but aggressive driver.

Pina Coladas & Margaritas

Pina Coladas & Margaritas

Later that evening we are off to Ana’s for dinner.  We are the last ones dining and Carlos sits with us telling us how he learned to speak English as a runaway 14-year old in Portland, Oregon. While he was in Oregon both his parents died. I think Rosie is a little taken aback by the story.  She may never have met anyone like that. Carlos offers to drive me to Ciudad Constitución.

My symptoms have been stable for 3 days with good vision when I’m not trying to look through the huge floater. We decide that the risk of Carlos’ driving may exceed the risk of retina detachment, and if things start to change we could sail to Guaymas in a day which is a large city with resources.

Decision made, I try to put the eye out of my mind. Playa Santispac is getting crowded in preparation for Easter Week, which is a big deal in Mexico. The beaches are filling in with tents. Jet skis and dirt bikes make their presence widely known; a traveling Carnival begins to set up miles from nowhere. Trying to escape the noise we move a few miles south to:

Playa Coyote April 8-9

We have been told there are Whale Sharks here. Whale sharks are huge animals up to 35 feet in length weighing up to 35 tons. They eat krill, plankton and small fish by filtering and grinding huge gulps of water through their 2mm teeth. Their grayish body is covered with a pattern of large white dots. Bring the dingy alongside (or SUP board), roll in with your snorkel gear on and provided you can kick fast enough, you are swimming with sharks. Very cool, and a highlight of this trip I’m sure.

Whale Shark Mission

Whale Shark Mission

On one of his trips to the beach, Mike meets Anita Stalter, whose husband brought her here 38 years ago. Now a widow, she spends half her year at playa Coyote and half in Santa Fe New Mexico. Her late husband started the NOLS school, which is an off shoot of the outward bound program. They have a beautiful campus right next door.

Snorkeling, Playa Coyote

Snorkeling, Playa Coyote

Later that day we snorkeled along the north side of the bay, enjoying myriads of small fishes who seem as curious about you as you are about them. Best snorkeling to date. We ate out at Pollo Bertha, which is out of chicken “pollo”, rice, and doesn’t make margaritas.

Our guests are off at 8 am to catch the 9 o’clock bus to Loreto where they will fly home.  Ben and Mike are feeling a little queezed out and so am I. Turns out Bertha did have a bug for the boys in the group as all of us were sick. At 11:00 am the wind is kicking up and a weird swell is coming.  Lisa & I return to Santispac with much better wave protection and I spend 20 of the next 24 hours asleep. The wind is in the high teens gusting to 25, while I sleep with the anchor alarm on. The eye is unchanged.

Great Visit with Friends
Ben ready to take us ashore
Whale Shark!
Nighttime on the Bow
“Got my base”
Good TImes!

Semana Santa (Holy Week), April 9-15

Playa Santispac

Playa Santispac

While Michael slept recovering from likely food poisoning, Playa Santispac and all the neighboring anchorages filled in with people celebrating Semana Santa. Apparently, a great family tradition to camp out in Bahía Concepción and other places I’m sure. We walked along the beach to check out the happenings. Everyone was in great spirits. We chatted with a man, recently retired from a government job in Tijuana, enjoying the celebration here for the first time. We watched anxiously as boys, ages 7-10, raced their motor dirt bikes on the road in back of the tents. The Jet Skis were towing squealing kids on their inflatables. The air was filled with the smell of campfires and barbecued meat. Family dining tents alive with laughter, sharing meals and drinking. Good times, but noisy for us. We visited Isla El Requesón (also lined with tents) & then left to return to  Playa Coyote, hoping to see the Whale Sharks again.

Isla Requeson
Carnival at Santispac

The Lore of the Lucky Box

As we started to turn into Coyote Anchorage, we noticed a kayak towing a crowded inflatable raft way off shore. The wind had picked up and the afternoon sea was choppy. Was the kayak in trouble?  It looked to be stationary up against the waves. Michael turned the boat and we went to offer help. At first, the man in the kayak said no help was required, “we are OK”. Two women and their young children (without life jackets) in the vinyl raft (with 3 inches of water)  – were also at first dismissive. But, as we talked with the waves pounding, the kayaker agreed that it would be easier without towing the others. We brought the women & children on board. They sat quietly. They were not very concerned, though they admitted it was taking very long to return and they were tired. The wind had caught them by surprise. It didn’t look that far to the island and back and the snorkeling was supposed to be great. They were grateful for the ride. The kayaker insisted on staying with his boat, still towing the now empty vinyl raft. We got to the Playa Burro Anchorage where they were camped and  watched and waited for the man to return. He was not making much headway. Michael dinghied to him and towed both boats back to Footloose. Michael then offered to dinghy the women & children to shore. Two of the women said they would swim. One took off, but the other one clearly did not know how to swim. Realizing this, she tried to board the kayak with her boyfriend, but capsized it in the effort. Michael then towed the kayak and the whole bunch to shore, righted the kayak emptying the water and all was well. I read recently in “Harmony on the High Seas” about the lore of the lucky box, which states an imaginary treasure chest is implanted in the heart of each boat during its construction. When we go out to sea, we have the opportunity to fill this box with Lady Luck’s intangible treasures of fortune or good karma. We felt that we added to this box on this day. We do marvel at the helpfulness of the boating community and we’re glad to contribute.

Punta Chivato, April 15-16

Chiavato (6 of 10)

Chiavato (3 of 10)We enjoyed 2 nights anchored here. We walked the infamous “Shell Beach”, and found many shells for our collection. There is an active community living here, with some 200 homes we’re told, plus an aircraft landing strip. In the evening, a helicopter repeatedly buzzed over the anchorage, treating his friends to a thrill ride. We watched a motor boat cruising fast to get a close up of some dolphins. We try not to judge, but seriously people. We met a couple guys walking their dogs on the beach, both long-time residents. One reported, “I started coming here in 86’, first there were tents, then RVs, then houses.”

Ahmeek & Attitude

Ahmeek & Attitude

We anchored next to two boats, Ahmeek and Attitude.  We met Dennis and Sherie on Ahmeek for Sundowners when we found out the restaurant was closed for Easter. We remembered meeting the couple from Attitude when we first arrived in La Paz. They are long-time cruisers and we recall having enjoyed listening to their experiences. They stopped by in their dinghy to say hi and to share some news. They bought a home at Punta Chivato! They were swallowing the anchor. Attitude was soon for sale. We could tell that it was a sudden decision, and while Neil seemed excited, Kathy wasn’t yet sure. It’s hard to say goodbye to a boat and to a lifestyle. They were off to share Easter dinner with some new friends in the community. We wished them well. We are still on the other side of this cruising journey, still just getting started. We do wonder when our moment will come, when we’ll choose to return to land and settle somewhere. Not today, tomorrow- Santa Rosalia!

Petrified Sand Dollar
Lisa Beachcombing
A Welcome Visitor Anytime

Santa Rosalia, April 17-24

We docked here yesterday afternoon. It’s been awhile since we’ve stayed at a Marina. We slept well last night without any anchor angst.  We will be here a week. We will be provisioning, doing laundry, fixing and cleaning. We’ll also get out to enjoy this working-mining town. We walked this morning and found breakfast at Tercos and bought some eggs, limons, cheese, and hot sauce at the small mercado. Michael found fresh baguettes at the bakery. We’ll venture to Ley’s later this week to truly stock up. We may try a Chinese restaurant tonight, first Chinese we’ve tasted in Mexico, reported to be fresh & good. We were hoping to find an Eye Doctor for Michael here, but we checked at the hospital and there is not one in town. His eye is stable, still it’s worrisome not knowing. The things we once took for granted in California -like abundant fresh produce and abundant choices of medical care – are not as accessible here.  It’s all a part of the adventure.

Puerto Escondido and Surround

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Puerto Escondido

Puerto Escondido

Puerto Escondido 2/23/17 – 3/3/17

We hurried north to Puerto Escondido to hide out from a forecast norther. This was a great place to hang out.  We met up with some old friends from the HaHa and La Paz.

Hiking Tabor Canyon (Steinbeck Canyon)

We took a walk, crossing Highway One to see this famous canyon that climbs up into the Sierra Gigantes with beautiful rock pools and palm trees–amazing.

Ted, James, Deena, Eliza (Nellie Jo & Serafina)
Bat in Daylight
Honeycomb
Old Building on the way

Carnival in Loreto

We rented a car for a day so we could get some shopping done.  Carnival was happening across Mexico, and for the sleepy little town of Loreto, this meant a parade.  We had a great time taking photos of the participants.

Loreto
Loreto
Loreto, carnival princess

Mission in Loreto

We walked through the mission in Loreto which was the first Spanish mission in Baja California that inspired the other missions in California.

Gary the vegetable guy

So we are walking over to the hotel to get lunch and we hear some chatter on the radio, sometimes we carry our portable VHF, about Gary is at the hotel… we are confused, several people are talking about it.  Who is Gary?  We arrive at the hotel and Gary has a table set up to sell produce.  He is an expatriate American with his wife he live in a fifth wheel up in the hills.  They have a vegetable garden and come here once a week to sell produce.   Cabbage is a staple vegetable of cruisers because it holds up a long time without refrigeration.  And Gary has CABBAGE, and kale, chard, beets and other great stuff. That cabbage was amazing. I hadn’t had a cabbage roll in decades, these were delicious.

Cabbage Rolls

Agua Verde 3/3/17 – 3/10/17

After the weather calmed down we went back south to an anchorage called Agua Verde.  Another great place to hang out with more wind coming. We anchored alone, but in the end, seven other cruising boats were hiding out in our little cove.

After the Blow

After the Blow

The first day we stayed on the boat and read all day- guess we were tired.   Had a couple of meals at the beach restaurant including Chicken Mole.

Lisa paddle boarded and even dove in for a swim and then got ambitious and cleaned the 192 feet of waterline which was covered with brown slime.

Cleaning the bottom of the boat

We went to the local Tienda and bought the world’s best cantaloupe and the world’s worst bacon. Lisa will often ask me what I want for breakfast. She’s thinking yogurt and fruit or oatmeal, but  I ask “bacon and eggs?”  Kind of a joke, since we generally don’t have bacon. So, I buy this package of bacon at the Tienda. When we open the package, the bacon is actually made of pressed pieces of unidentified pork meat rather than the strips you would normally think of as bacon. The strips are very fragile and impossible to cook in the standard bacon way.  We wind up with a pan full of browned bits that smell somewhat like bacon, and taste somewhat less like bacon. We add it to a scrambled egg burrito, still pretty yummy.  Oh—what I’d do for a package of Dailey’s with pepper on the edges.

Lisa has been nursing a sore knee since we hiked the Ensenada Grande trail, so I went by myself to visit a prehistoric site with cave paintings.  About five miles there and back. I didn’t see a soul. Sitting in this cave, high above the beach by myself, I looked out over the ocean enjoying what must have been a very familiar scene to those those people who left their hand prints at the entrance to the cave.

Handprint cave (6 of 11)

I’m Watching You
Thousand year view
Inside

I spent the last day cleaning the bottom of the boat.  With the aid of the hookah, I could go down deeper to clean where Lisa couldn’t reach. It is getting dirty faster as the water warms up and our bottom paint approaches the 2 year mark. The clean bottom gave us a ½ knot of boat speed!

Bahía Candeleros 3/10/17 – 3/11/17

We began moving north again hoping to circle Isla Carmen before returning to Puerto Escondido to meet our neighbors from Tideway who will be joining us for a few days.

We anchored off a hot spring near San Cosme, but never found the hot spring. Later that day we anchored at Bahía Candeleros off a large new resort. We enjoyed a late lunch/dinner. The resort has a golf course, but so far only 11 holes have been completed. A group of golfers next to our table at lunch reported that it’s a beautiful course, complete with whale watching. Quite a site from the 17th tee box!

Bahía Marquer 3/11/17 – 3/12/17

We had planned to stop at Honeymoon Cove, but it turned out to be a little on the small side with one boat already in the “sweet spot” and rocks too close for comfort, so we moved on to Bahía Marquer.

We even enjoyed about a half hour of actual sailing. If you get the right conditions this boat really goes.  With only ten knots of wind we were faster than we are motoring.

This bay has many large Manta Rays basking in the water and occasionally jumping out of the water. The rocky shoreline had lots of colorful fish to see. Dolphins visited too. Unfortunately, so did the flies.  We’ve had an increase of pesky flies aboard. We’ve misplaced our repellent, so we’re motivated to go buy some at Loreto.

marquer (1 of 2)

Loreto Landing Lights

marquer (2 of 2)

Moonrise

Loreto 3/12/17 – 3/13/17

We had very light conditions and were able to anchor off the town of Loreto, which does not have a marina big enough to take yachts of any size. There is a small enclosure for pangas and a dingy dock.  Loreto is a roadstead anchorage and not a good place to be if the wind is blowing.

After dropping anchor, we were boarded by the Mexican Navy. Two young men boarded and checked our passports and boat papers. These guys were totally pleasant and beamed when we mentioned how much we were enjoying our stay in Mexico. I would much rather deal with these pleasant yet earnest young men rather than the self- important Homeland Security Officer we dealt with on our entry to the US from Canada a few years ago.

I took a trip to the store to top off our coffee supply and buy some bug repellent! That night we sat on the porch and had the unusual experience of hearing both the music from Loreto and the sound of a large number of Whales passing in the channel between Loreto and Isla Carmen.  The whales sounded like a person exhaling through a piece of 3 inch plastic pipe… Amazing.  As the sun was setting, I was able to see the large humps on the far side of the channel.

The next morning we took a walk on Loreto’s Malecon and enjoyed breakfast at The Oasis. While walking about we met an American couple walking their dog, Gilroy, who have lived here for 25 years.  It was interesting to hear them talk about the early days of Loreto when they were the only gringos in town and the fishing was bountiful. Loreto is pretty “gringofied” these days and the fish are fewer- sadly.

malecon (1 of 1)

Loreto Malecon

Isla Carmen

We circumnavigated Isla Carmen.  Isla Carmen is across the channel from the town of Loreto.  This is the largest Island by far, in the Loreto National Park.  This island is privately owned and visitors must stay below the high tide mark.  The Loreto National Park is intended to reduce fishing pressure from large trawlers, and preserve the biological diversity of the region.  At Isla Carmen, Desert Bighorn sheep have been re-introduced.  As the herd increases in size, some are relocated to other islands in the sea.  I found this interesting dissertation on the topic of preservation efforts in the Sea of Cortez.

Puerto Ballandra 3/13/17 – 3/15/17

In the afternoon, we moved Footloose across the channel to Puerto Ballandra. The only other boat in the bay was Tinmar, a Bruce Roberts steel boat. Aboard were Ed and Charlene who live in Farmington, a small town in Northwestern New Mexico, which is also where my brother lives. Charlene does graphic design and has designed brochures for the San Juan College Automotive Technology program, where my brother works. Small world?

As we waited for the Tinmar crew to join us for dinner, I was scanning the hillside around the small bay and just as I was remarking to Lisa that I was surprised that I never see any animals, I spotted three Bighorn Sheep at the top the ridge.  I have never seen a bighorn in the wild before.  Pretty cool. Wish I had a longer lens for that picture

bigHorn (1 of 1)

Find the Bighorn Sheep!

The next morning,  a panga showed up with three North Americans in fatigues, who got out and began to hike toward the ridge where I had seen the bighorn. I was rooting for the wily sheep.

Bahía Salinas 3/15/17 – 3/18/17

The next day, we motor sailed around the corner to Bahía Salinas, Our third salt works. This one also abandoned years ago.  This time however part of the remaining town was torn down and in its place was hunting lodge.   Three women lay basking in the sun.  Waiting for their men to return from the hunt.  The place has a lot of no trespassing signs as the whole island is owned.  In an odd juxtaposition, a hunting lodge dedicated to killing the animal that they are also trying to preserve.  One reference I found indicated that as of 1999, people were paying $50,000 to take a single big horn sheep. While we were restricted to the beach area we did sneak in to take a look at some of the old abandoned structures.  I would have loved to see the salt pond but the presence of the hunting lodge gave the place an unpleasant threatening feel.

Painted Cliffs at Isla Carmen
Painted Cliffs at Isla Carmen
Painted Cliffs at Isla Carmen
The swimmer
Cruisers
Plastic Bighorn Target

Plastic Bighorn Target

The next day, we got one of three wishes, wind on the beam for about 45 minutes and had a good sail towards Puerto Escondido..

 

 

 

 

 

La Paz Northwards

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La Paz North

After sitting in the marina for two months, it’s time to move on.  We loved exploring La Paz… always in search of the perfect loaf of bread.  Exploring the restaurants.  We loved Dolce Romero for bread and baked goods.  A great California’ish breakfast.  Favorite restaurants would be Trocadero, Il Rustico, Pizza place next to Dolce Romero was also very nice.  You might be wondering why we wouldn’t seek out a Mexican’ish breakfast.  In my view they weren’t very satisfying always with sort of thin refried beans, fried tortilla chips on the side, weird sauces.  Never had one I wanted again, and I am an adventurous flexible eater.  Mexican breakfasts certainly didn’t compare to bagel and lox from the Bagel shop near the farmers market.  We loved the farmers market Saturdays and Tuesdays. The Italian sausage lady had great products and would make you a sausage sandwich on the spot.  Yummy.  Bella sold her restaurant, but still sells French pastry, Quiche,  organic sauces at the Market.  Then there’s the produce guy, Martine with mountains of organic lettuce, carrots, tomatoes fresh herbs, oranges.  We had great meals and met lots of fellow cruisers in La Paz.  In summary, we loved La Paz, but Lisa has already covered this.

Caleta Pardita – Feb 8 2017

The first day we motored into headwinds and lumpy seas getting to Caleta Pardita.  This popular anchorage is an ancient volcano.  It was a pretty windy night so we wound up staying on the boat for fear of the anchor dragging.  It didn’t.  We spent time there with our guest in January, but since the winds didn’t seem to be lightening up there was no hope to explore the sea caves on the east side of the island.

El Cardoncito – Feb 9, 2017

A stone’s throw up the coast from Caleta Pardita is El Cardoncito, a very small one or two boat anchorage.  We planned to stop there or go on to Ensenada Cardonal.  Being this close to La Paz, there are usually other boats in the popular anchorages.  Cardoncito was empty as we passed, so in we went anchoring in 20 feet of water.  The winds funneled down the Arroyo and through the anchorage.  At one point a gust came through that was so strong there was “smoke” on the water…  We debated moving to a larger space. The walls of Cardoncitio are perhaps 700 feet apart where we were anchored, so it felt pretty close when the boat would swing in a gust. As the afternoon wore on, the wind died and we were treated to a still evening with amazing moonlight glittering on the water.  We played an album with Chet Atkins and Mark Knopfler, and there was a pelican who came to hang out with us. He stayed about 10 feet off our stern, following the boat as it slowly swayed back and forth… great taste in music.  After about twenty minutes we moved onto the back step to see if we could get closer, but after a few minutes he departed. Was it something we said?  The next morning was flat calm, as we enjoyed our coffee and the sunrise.

Footloose at Cardoncito
Footloose at Cardoncito

Ensenada Grande  – Feb 10-11, 2017

The next day we moved a few miles north to Ensenada Grande, anchoring in the southern most of the three lobes.  Lisa, always a hiker, suggested we take the trail up the Arroyo to see an amazing view of the sea.  We were sharing the anchorage with a small cruise ship from the National Geographic Society with 56 passengers.  When we came ashore, me met the “expedition leader” who told us the trail was about three hours up and back.  In describing the trail he said “First it’s like this, a sandy trail, then you get toasters, then microwaves and then refrigerators.”  By the time we were getting into the “refrigerator” section, we felt we were at least half way so we persevered all the way to the top to be rewarded with the amazing view.  On the way back our footing seemed much less secure as we only had sneakers on.  Lisa’s shoes were giving her no ankle support, so we wound up slowly picking our way downhill.   As we watched the National Geographic boat pull out along with the other cruisers from the anchorage, we realized from halfway down that we were really on our own.  Luckily we had enough water and a little time and patience got us off the hill with no injuries.  Note to self, get hiking boots next time we are home.

The Refrigerator Department
Ensenada Grande Hike

Isla San Francisco – Feb 12-14, 2017

With a pleasant southerly, we got to sail off the wind to our next anchorage.  First time in a long time to put sails up.  So far we have spent a lot of time motoring into big chop with the wind on the nose.  Isla SF was beautiful with a huge crescent shaped beach. The first night was pretty windy and the boat dragged about 50 feet during the night.  We use the anchor alarm all the time so we know these things.  We took long walks on the beach littered with shells.  One day we walked through the salt marsh and walked the pebbly north beach. This was an amazing rocky beach with an osprey nest overlooking it all.  Supposed to be a good place for a blow from the south, but with lots of submerged rocks, you would need to know what you were doing.  We spent three days at Isla San Francisco with Kingfisher (Allison and Jerry) and Nellie Joe (Deena and James).

Moonrise

Isla Coyote

Three days later we motored to Isla Coyote, a quiet fishing village, but decided not to stop because of the exposed anchorage. It also felt like you would be walking into someone’s living room.  A guy in bright yellow rain gear was working on a panga.

Bahia Amortajada (Isla San Jose)

We stopped for lunch behind this sandy spit and then explored the mangrove forest and coming out in a big lagoon on the south side of the spit.  On the eastern end of the lagoon there were hundreds of pelicans, seagulls, and frigate birds.

Frigate birds

San Evaristo – Feb 15-19, 2017

That evening we motored over to San Evaristo across the San Jose Channel. The late afternoon breeze had kicked up a lively chop, and once again we were motoring into it.  We expected a large storm Saturday with 20 to 25 knots predicted from the south, so we anchored in a great position in the southern turn of the bay.   We didn’t want to rush up the channel to Aqua Verde which might be a better stop.  The plan was to stay in San Evaristo through the storm – until Sunday or Monday.  Lupe Sierra operates a beachfront restaurant there where 15 dollars buys a couple of delicious prawn dishes and several beers.  Fisherman come and go all day in their pangas.  The first night there was an amazing lightening storm with a little rain to rinse the salt off our newly waxed boat.  We were anchored under the towering Sierra Gigante range…more eye candy.  The next day we hiked out to the salt ponds north of town and to the church on the hill with its white cross overlooking the bay.

Velero
Harbor at Evaristo
School, but no teacher
Salt miners home
Man and two boys harvesting salt.
At the tienda
Lupe is a great guy

Casting for Bait

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Blow out at Evaristo

We were expecting a lot of wind based on Predictwind.  The forecast was stable for days in advance.  So we were in the anchorage because it is a good hideout for southerly blows. When we arrived (days early) the anchorage was pretty full but we found a position closest to shore where we would not interfere with two deeper draft vessels.  On the big day, those two were gone and there were only four other boats in the anchorage.  At the predicted time, 11:00 am, the wind began to blow mid-teens with a few gusts into the twenties. We got some rain and then the winds went light and shifted 180 degrees.  We drifted across our anchor to the other extreme as the winds shifted north. Things slowed down and I thought we were done.  Then suddenly more wind now holding mid-twenties with lots of gusts into the 30’s and our max of 42.2….  our anchor held. But despite that, I had both engines running as the wind direction had us too close to the point, a lee shore.  During the blow, two of our neighbors dragged.  The third moved and then ran aground when the wind shifted.  One dragged with three aboard, and were able to self-rescue.  The owner of the second boat adrift was ashore when it happened.  Three pangueros rushed out in 30 knot winds to rescue his boat. When the owner started rowing his walker bay dingy through the chop to try and get to his boat, the Panguero came and got him, then tied the row boat to Footloose and saved the guy’s boat. The fourth boat in the anchorage had a dingy hoisted at the side of the boat and this dingy flipped, no motor, but the owner was still out there in the height of it trying to re-establish order.  My faith in our Delta anchor was increased as some of the puffs had pretty big direction changes bringing the boat hard against the anchor rode.

Max Gust
Rainbow after the storm

Punta Salinas – Feb 19, 2017

Just across the water from San Evaristo is the remains of an old salt mining operation.  Judging by the abandoned vehicles probably in the 60’s or 70’s.  Vehicles look 50’s to me.  Amazing view as we walked on the salt flats. I think there is reddish/ochre bacteria/algae that forms in the high salinity ponds making for some interesting colors.

Old Salt Mining Equipment

On raising anchor, we discovered that things were not normal.  The stripper arm was gone… Not one of those strippers, rather the anchor windlass has a little piece of metal that kicks the chain off of the drum as it goes by called the stripper arm.  We still had our back up anchor rigged from the Big Blow, so we decided we would use it in the light airs expected at our next anchorage at Mangle Solo as a practice run.

Dyneema Prussik knot
Snatch block keeps rode straight off of the roller
To the windlass

Mangle Solo has great views of the San Jose channel and the Sierra Gigante mountains.  Whales are often seen there.  Sure enough a pod of Pilot whales passed us around sun down.

 Return to San Evaristo – Feb 20, 2017

The next morning we needed to unrig the back up anchor. This was a lot of work with 150 feet of ¾ line attached to 50 feet of chain followed by our 40 lb fortress anchor.  Lisa worked to drive the boat towards the anchor creating slack, so I could haul more easily, but the wind would catch the bows and send the boat away forcing me to give up my hard earned hauling.  Finally, I dug out the snatch blocks I had purchased (so that’s what they were for) and rigged the rode to one of our powered sheet winches. The winch was able to hold the load so when we took up slack we kept it.  Finally we recovered the anchor.  But it was obvious that we needed to get the windlass fixed.

We returned to San Evaristo where Lupe Sierra, the restauranteur, helped me find a vice. With a little help we were able to twist the strippers arm…into the right shape then drill and tap for new bolts since the old ones were pulled out of the winch body.  I reinstalled the winch and it seemed to be in working order.  Meanwhile, we remained anchored with the backup.  We saw gusts to 30 knots and everything held, but I’d much rather have had my all chain set up.  We waited for the winds to lighten so that we can recover our back up anchor.  My best guess as to what happened to our one year old, looks like new windlass, is that during the height of the storm the stretch in the nylon anchor bridle took up all of the slack in our chain giving a forceful jerk on the windlass… some of the mounting studs were also bent.  Another reminder to be sure there is no chain tension on the drum once your bridle/snubber is in place…. We had some in, just not enough.

Bahia San Carlos/ Timbabiche – Feb 22, 2017

We departed San Evaristo.  Next stop is Timbabiche, Bahia San Carlos.  Another deserted beach where a few Pangueros make their living fishing. In the past, the Sea of Cortez was an active pearl fishery. Here, Spaniards used slaves to harvest the pearls.  A huge pile of these shells remain at Ensenada Grande.  The Spaniards came back years later to mine the pile of shells for Mother of Pearl.

Here at Timbabiche, there is the remains of a once big beautiful house built in the 20’s.  The Story from the Sea of Cortez book (Excellent) is that an impoverished fisherman found a 5.5 carat pearl. This allowed him to buy a fleet of fishing boats and to build this house, aptly named Casa Grande. When he died, the relatives couldn’t agree on what to do with the house and it slowly fell into ruin with many of the parts and pieces being carted away to build other structures.

Coyote

 Puerto Escondido – Feb 23, 2017

Starting a few miles north of San Evaristo, the coast slopes northwest and there are very few anchorages that provide good protection from the predominant north winds.  For this reason we skipped a few stops and are now on a mooring at Puerto Escondido

This post sounds a little travelogue (y) and our activities might seem boring to an outsider, but I am amazed at how quickly each day passes. The scenery changes constantly and I find myself just staring at the horizon until two hours later I realize I haven’t moved.  Lisa says you can spend a lot of time rating pelican landings.  The boat is holding up well with only minor fiddles here and there.  For much of this leg, we have had no internet and life feels calmer without the around the clock political news.

José the Driver

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Hotel California

Hotel California

We wanted to see Todos Santos, a small community on the Pacific coast of Baja. We stopped at “Hotel California” had breakfast and otherwise enjoyed our day in this cute little town.

Our travel was on board a large Volvo bus with comfortable seats and good air conditioning. We

bought reserved seats from La Paz to Todos Santos with open ended seats for the return. So we could leave when we were ready.

After enjoying the town and an early dinner at the Santa Fe Café. We went back to the bus station turning in our open ended tickets for seats on the 6:40 bus. When we tried to board there were only two seats available and we were a party of three. So even though we had confirmed tickets we had no seats.

The terminal has two companies present; Eco Baja Tours and Aguila a scheduled bus line. They seem to be related as the Eco people sold us our Aquilla seats.
The Aguila driver returns with us to the terminal counter where José, an Eco-driver is leaning on the counter finishing his paperwork in preparation to go back to La Paz for the night. José hears our plight and says, that he is returning to La Paz empty with his van. Without prompting, he makes about six phone calls to get authorization, then takes our tickets as full fare to La Paz even though Eco trips usually cost more than Aguila trips.

José has an accent, but his English is very good. I compliment him on his skill and ask how he learned to speak English so well. Watching movies with the subtitles on and then off to practice. He also loves to sing along with 70’s rock. Queen, Pink Floyd, some Beatles etc. I tell him I thought he sounded a little like George Harrison. We laugh. He is 33 years old. I ask him about his education and he tells me he took IT classes at the La Paz institute of technology but didn’t finish.

Our driver is very upset with his president and we discuss the current oil crisis. The government just raised oil prices 20 percent and people are protesting and blockading highways and gas stations. They raised the minimum wage to 80 pesos per day (US $4.00) per day in January, but gas is now 18 Pesos per liter ($3.40/Gal). He feels the problem exists because the president opted to use Texas refiners instead of building refining capacity in Mexico.

Somewhere along the way José reveals to me that he makes $16 US per day as a driver. His day is six hours driving then 4 hours waiting then 6 driving. After he is done José often has to deliver vehicles for maintenance and so forth “It’s a long day”. I feel guilty about the 600 peso breakfast we enjoyed at the Hotel California.

The modern divided highway unrolls as we drive towards La Paz. He is a single dad and you can tell by his voice that he loves his 12 year old daughter, and desperately wants to give her a better life. I tell him that undocumented workers outside a home depot in the bay area make $20 per hour. He tells me he is unwilling to risk exploitation in the US, the risk of deportation, imprisonment, because of the potential for ill effects on his daughter “family comes first”. He spent $250 (15 days work) for a US Visa application to come to America legally, but despite the fact that he has a clean criminal record, a home and family in La Paz, he has “insufficient reason to return to Mexico” and his application was denied.

He has since discovered that Canada will allow a Mexican to travel there without a visa. If he can find work, an employer only needs to fill out a form stating the duration of that employment and the visit can be extended for up to a year. (Why don’t we do something like that instead of building a wall?)

We talk about quality. He tells me that all Volkswagens sold in America are built in Mexico to German standards. He mentions that Haute Couture designer Carolina Herrera makes her clothing in Mexico. Then he points out his white shirt, “This shirt is Oscar de la Renta, it’s very high quality, and made in Mexico “. As I lean forward between the front seats I notice his clean white shirt, carefully pressed even at the end of a long workday. Previously unnoticed, the fold of the collar is completely frayed where the fabric rubs on his neck. He probably has to buy his own uniforms.

As I leave the van, I triple his income for the day, and wish him the best of luck in his plans to visit Canada. I would hire this guy in a heartbeat.

Shopping
Early Mission Church
Hotel California