San Jaunico to Puerto Escondido

One of lifes many beautiful moments

So we left San Jaunico on a quiet saturday  along with Searover II and Greybeard and motored south in the very light winds.  That night we anchored at Isla Coronados which was a favorite from last year.  This time we were treated to a spectacular sunset but only stayed one night and motored on early in the morning to anchor off Loreto for a resupply run.  We arrived early in the morning in calm weather.  Loreto is very open and we are basically just anchoring off a beach, so we all launched our dinghys and made the run into town as quick as possible.  Our goal was to be back on the boats with all our groceries before the winds picked up.  We nearly did it!  By the time we got back it was a little lumpy and the dinghy ride was a little slow and wet but not as bad as it could have been!  And now we had wind.  A pleasant 20 mile sail later we were pulling into Puerto Escondido, which is about as protected an anchorage as any you could wish for.  We spent a couple of days there hanging out, doing laundry and went hiking up what is known as the Steinbeck Canyon.  I had gone there last year with the crew of Falcon 7 but it was a first for Searover II and Greybeard.  The canyon is spectacular and I got further up this time with some encouragement from Gary.

One of the trickier spots

The water scours the canyon walls during big rains

The trickiest spot!  I did not get past this one last time, you have
to get behind the rock and climb up on the backside.

Getting past the scary bit was worth it!

Gary and  Bill enjoying the view.  We managed a swim in one
of  lovely fresh water pools as well.

Looking towards the canyon from the water.  I don't think we
really got all that far up......always more to explore.

To the Baja

Punta Chivato, Kialoa, Greybeard and Dreamcatcher at anchor

On December 3rd we made the 70 mile crossing from San Carlos to Punta Chivato on the Baja side of the sea of Cortez.  We left San Carlos at around 8pm following a couple of hours behind Greybeard, who reported fun sailing conditions ahead!  Fun sailing for Greybeard does not always mean fun sailing for Scott.  There was beautiful wind but it was still a bit lumpy from the earlier stronger winds and with the waves coming on the beam it was a little rolly on Kialoa, so yes, poor Scott, seasick again.  He was able to stand his watches which was nice and as we neared the Baja coast things got a little flatter and Scott felt better.
Anchor was down at Punta Chivato by noon Dec 4th and we had a beautiful spinnaker run to Santispac the next day, in flat water, so no Mal de Mer.  We spent just over a week at this lovely anchorage.  Searover II came down from Santa Rosalia and joined in the fun.  Santispac beach is a large campground and with the long sandy beach and easy highway access it is quite popular with the RVers.  We went to the friday night dance at Armandos and had lots of fun, although it seems one must beware the margaritas there!  Here is an excerpt from Scotts log entry for saturday.

"Hangover!!! Personal observation: "a sailboat is the worst place to have a hangover, it always moves and is not very quiet" my hair hurts, I must do my utmost to never (heavily underlined, lol) do this again, worse than seasick."

I was fine saturday having partaken in far less margaritas. I was feeling quite virtuous and was probably kind of annoying.....poor Scott.  We have since heard other sailors stories of the margaritas at Armandos, Scott was not alone in his misery!

Spinnaker up on our way to Santispac

Fellow Saltspringer Louis was camping on the beach with his
fifth wheel.  He also bought Scott that last "one too many"
margarita! Scott is only smiling because his  hangover is now gone!

Enjoying a hot pool soak near Santispac with Margy from
Dreamcatcher and Karina from Searover II

Pelicans hanging out on a reef Santispac

Our next stop was San Jaunico.  We had waited in Santispac for the strong winds to die down and then made the 53 mile trip down to our next anchorage.  It was mostly a motor and so we made 23 gallons of water on the way and filled all our tanks up.  We are really enjoying being able to make our own good clean water.  There is very good water in most cities and towns of Mexico now so travelling without a watermaker is very doable but we are enjoying the freedom from having to source and haul it!  We spent 4 days enjoying San Jaunico and waiting for more big winds and waves to pass on by.

There were some very cute mules and donkeys at San Jaunico.

Did lots of hiking as it was too windy and kind of cold for water
sports.  It was much warmer heading inland.

On another hike with Greybeard, Searover II and Falcon VII.

San Jaunico is a much more remote area than Santispac and it is a 45 km drive down a dirt road and through private lands to get there. People are allowed access to the beach and the intrepid do get there by vehicle but there are no RVs.  It is pretty much 4wd only to this free camping area.  I went hiking with one family that had been coming there for 20 years!  We had a fun potluck and bonfire on the beach with all the campers and boaters in attendance.  That was about 25 of us altogether.  Like I said, it is a little remoter than some places but well worth the effort.

We made friends with some of the campers at San Jaunico.
 Wade was feeling kind of primal after a
successful spearfishing excursion!

Guaymas

Guaymas, which is half way down the sea of Cortez on the Mexico mainland side is an interesting city.  And that is a good thing because we ended up spending nearly a month there.  First we were getting the boat back into sailing shape, and that took a while.  Especially when you are not really working too hard at it.........First I was sick with a bad cold, then Scott was sick with a bad cold, so we really did not have a lot of energy for boat work.  One thing a day felt like an accomplishment.  Also it is fun there and we had friends to hang out with and go do things like check out taco stands that are all over the place.  We did not end up having a bad taco once!

We had some high winds in Guaymas, another reason not to leave
this event had the power boat next to us trying to come join us.
Hence the dinghy fender.......

We were also there for the Independance day parade.  Every
school and youth group had an entry.  The parade took more than
two hours!  Lots of bright colourful dresses  and marching music.

There were also lots of revolutionaries.  And this cute  guy on
horseback.

Every night at on the dock and at the anchorage we could hear a marching band practicing.  The drums were pretty good but the trumpets were pretty awful.....sound carries well over water and they practiced for hours daily so we all knew the tune well.......Only later did we find out they were practicing for the Independance day parade.  Every marching band played the same song so it was hard to tell as they went by which were the ones that we had been hearing over and over

We had time to check out the Wednesday Street market, where
you can find anything.......yes, even the kitchen sink!  Along with
fresh produce, meat, fantastic cheeses, clothing, tools, toys,
we also found tacos.  Not sure what the meat in them was but
it was good!

Fun with Searover II, Greybeard and Avant.  Guaymas and
the harbour are in the background.

We did eventually pull ourselves away.......there was a weather window and we made the big 15 mile jump up to San Carlos.  It was a big day........
We reconnected with Coastal Drifter, fellow BCA members who we had last seen at the May 2014 rendezvous before we left BC.  They are heading south with their grandson Ethan on board and making plans to sail to the Marquesas.  Buen Viaje Coastal Drifter.
Along with Gary and Karina on Searover II we thought that maybe we could do some exploring further north.  This is generally not recommended at this time of year as the prevailing winds do come from the north and they can create for some bouncy and wet conditions if you try and go into it.  Well we thought the weather forecast looked pretty good for a trip up to Isla Tiburon.  The first day we motored in pretty calm seas to Bahia San Pedro.  It was a lovely bay, very isolated and peaceful.  We spent a day exploring there and continued further north the next day.  It was a bit of a bouncy upwind sail but pretty pleasant for all that.  Our goal Caleta Colordo did not get much mention in the guide, but there was a photo of shrimp boats anchored there so we figured it was all good.....not so much......it was by far the rolliest place we have ever been.  About midnight Scott and I resorted to wedging ourselves on the cabin floor, head to toe, and were finally able to get a bit of sleep.  Not much though, the next leg was 40 miles and we wanted an early start so we were gone by 4 am and heading north, but it was not the calm seas we had been hoping for and the wind was to build through the day.  After about an hour of bashing we called it and turned tail for the south.  Searover II sallied forth and continued the north bound bash.  The last VHF contact we had from them that day was "you made the right choicccceeeee".  They were fine but did not make Isla Tiburon and ended up turning south and crossing the sea of Cortez to Santa Rosalia in some quite challenging conditions.

Karina crossing the bridge in the sky, Bahia San Pedro

Distinctively red the remarkable Punta Colorada marks the
rolliest anchorage we have ever been in.

  

Back in San Carlos we did some provisioning to get ready for
our crossing over to the Baja side of the sea of Cortez

Polishing the stainless

Bill from Greybeard and I, along with Max whom we met
along the way, made the summit of Tetawaki.

. 

Just to prove I made it, all red faced and shaky legged............

Happily back on board

Just some of the family

 October was a month of preparation and time spent with family and friends.  Thanksgiving saw us in Sooke having turkey dinner with all the trimmings and getting some family time.  Scott finished up at work and then we got a little more serious about our preparations.  The plan was to be in Hermosillo by November 3^rd  at 4:15 to pick up Karina at the airport and then on to San Carlos for an important birthday party.

We headed for Vancouver on Oct 27^th, had a visit with Josh and stayed the night with Karina.  Next stop was Seattle where we had a few stops to make and some more boat things to pick up.  We also had a nice visit with Scotts long time friends Jim and Kathy.

Its not very often I get to hang out with all of my boys!

Good night Idaho

 The next day was our big driving day, we left Seattle in the early morning and headed east and south, through Washington, Oregon, Idaho and finally stopping in Wells Nevada for the night.  It was only a six hour drive into Las Vegas the next day, where we checked into the Treasure Island Hotel.  After losing enough money gambling we went to the Cirque de Soleil show Mystere on Halloween night.  What a fantastic bit of theatre, the performers are so incredibly talented and manage some phenomenal feats of athleticism. 

Good morning Nevada

The Hoover dam has the nicest parking building I have ever seen!

 We left Las Vegas on Nov 1^st and checked out the Hoover Dam, including the Power Plant tour, which is a 700 hundred foot drop from the top by elevator.  It is an impressive bit of engineering.  We spent the night in Kingman, AZ, and then on to Phoenix for a visit with the Wyse family.  It was so nice to see them again!

The resevoir at Hoover Dam is at 38% capacity.......................

Fred and Roberta Wyse in their backyard!   Pretty nice!

 We left Phoenix the morning of November 3^rd, heading south, past Tucson to the Mexican border, got our visitor visas and then on to Hermosillo.  Driving in Hermosillo looks easy on the map, but the reality is somewhat different and it was a good thing we had lots of time to get to the airport, we managed to be right on time picking up Karina!  With a little rearranging of the luggage there was a seat available and the three of us continued on our way.  The plan was to meet up with some other friends in San Carlos ( just ½ hour north of where Kialoa is) for a surprise 50^th Birthday party for Cindy of Namaste.  The plan went well and Cindy was surprised!  Happy Birthday Cindy!

 

Kialoa on her way back to her natural habitat!

      We spent that first night in Mexico on board Searover II and then headed to Kialoa in the morning to start putting her all back together.   Now Kialoa is pretty much all put together and we are enjoying being back on board and looking forward to another season of cruising.  

Summer(?) sailing adventures

Early morning departure from Port Angeles

 I have spent the last month doing boat things instead of land things.  Marshall, who figured large in our trip last year from Seattle to San Fransisco, allowed me to come along on his trip this year.  So August 30th I was on the Coho ferry headed to meet up with him and his other crew Rudy on the good ship Tenacity in Port Angeles.
Due to some weather in the straight of Juan de Fuca it was a couple of days before we headed to Neah Bay.  One night of rest in Neah Bay and we were on our way South!

Appropriately named!

The crew of Tenacity making the turn at Cape Flattery

A midday departure from Neah Bay and we were motoring in light wind and swell, as we made our way around Tatoosh island things got pretty bouncy and Marshall and Rudy got kind of wet trying to secure the anchor in bow roller as Tenacity gave them a few good splashes.  With the anchor secure we settled into our watch schedule and started passing by the washington coast.  On the second night we crossed the bar and went upriver to the docks in Newport.  It was an uneventful arrival except for the seemingly huge dredge with all its crazy lights working in the entrance.

Tenacity sitting at dock in Newport sandwiched between two
Westsail 32's

Marshall and Rudy have a fond goodbye.

With the weather around Cape Blanco looking rather unpleasant our stay in Newport was extended....until Rudy would no longer be able to continue.  Work was calling and he had to get a move on.  He had his gear packed and sitting on the dock waiting for the bus when the captain of the french boat Tanga came by looking for crew.  He wanted to make a straight shot to San Fransisco and his boat was fast enough to beat the blow that was approaching Cape Mendocino.  So Rudy and I both jumped at the chance for a quick ride to San Fransisco, Rudy would get to work on time and I would get to have the experience of a fast boat!  Plus we each got our own cabin!  Quite a change from the cozy quarters of Tenacity.

The dolphins loved Tangas speed and we saw lots of them playing with her.

After less than 72 hours and having travelled some 500 miles we had successfully rounded Cape Blanco, Cape Mendocino and were inside the San Fransisco Bay!  What a great experience!

Me, Captain Gabby, and fellow crew, Rudy on the approach
to the Golden Gate bridge.

The weather in SF was quite pleasant

Rudys sister in law kindly took me in to her lovely home in Oakland and I arranged to transport back to Newport and Tenacity.  I ended up on an overnight train ride back to Albany, Oregon, where Marshall picked me up in a rental car.  We did some Costco shopping and sightseeing and then drove out to Newport to prepare Tenacity for her departure.  We had a very early morning departure from Newport, in the dark again, and then headed south.  During the afternoon we started to hear weather warnings for further south so prudent seamanship dictated a stop in Coos Bay.......
Not in the plan and it became another night time bar crossing, this time an unfamiliar one!  A wee bit stressful, but in the end uneventful.  Thank goodness for radar and GPS!

Sunrise as seen from the train.

Potluck supper on Halcyon I in Coos Bay, yup its a hard life....

A fixer upper I spotted in Coos Bay, someone loved this boat once.

When we left Coos Bay we had another early start, in the dark, our goal was to make it around Cape Blanco with lots of  daylight.  The wind was calm and the seas were pretty flat and it stayed that way all night and well into the second day.  We got some sailing in later on and rounded Cape Mendocino in daylight as well, then as we approached Punta Gorda things got a little more exciting, in the dark of course the wind picked up into the 30 knot range and the sea got pretty bouncy, so we put in some reefs and didn't get too much sleep till it quieted down sometime in the middle of the night....

Sailing at night, with a nearly full moon, spectacular!

Entering into Fort Bragg, it is one of the most picturesque
harbours that I have seen, this photo does not do it justice.

Fort Bragg, another early departure but in the daylight this time!

We spent a couple of days enjoying Fort Bragg along with the lovely folks of Halcyon I, who are on their way to Mexico as well.
I was feeling some urgency to get back home, I need to spend a full five months in BC to maintain my medical coverage, and Marshall had a friend to meet in San Fransisco so we tore ourselves away from Fort Bragg as soon as the small craft warning was lifted, and headed out.  We did notice the rough bar light was flashing as we headed out but it looked fine from the inside......as we got further out we came to understand what was meant by rough bar.  We encountered some pretty big swells with some of them topping out at 10 feet.  The coast guard came out just behind us to do their morning bar report, at which time they reccommended that all vessels contact them before exiting....hmmmm....however we also saw an small runabout heading out for some fishing at the same time as us, they were able to travel much faster than we could and were out of the worst of it long before we were.  Once we were far enough out to no longer be affected by the rough bar conditions we turned left and headed south.

The coast gaurd doing their morning rounds of the bar.

Another sunset at sea

The next morning we were on the approach to San Fransisco Bay and I got to sail under the Golden Gate bridge for a third time in two years.  And we did actually get to sail, after motoring almost the entire distance the wind filled in just before the bridge and we had a lovely sail in warm sunshine all the way down the bay and under two more bridges to Redwood City.
I left Tenacity the next day to head back to BC and prepare for more Mexico adventures with Scott on Kialoa.

Golden Gate coming up.

The Golden Gate bridge

The Bay bridge

The San Mateo bridge