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LOG 90

  July 22, 2003 (Tuesday)

Bahia Ballena , Costa Rica  

We had one day to spend at Bahia Ballena so we planned to do it all.  We started with SB’s walk which was a mile walk into town.  This was partially along a typical Costa Rican unpaved road and partially along a beautiful tree canopied trail along the beach.  We checked out a small Swiss restaurant and had some cold drinks in the garden surrounded restaurant under the house of a Swiss family. Very pleasant. We continued the walk through town and returned to the Bahia Ballena Yacht Club about 12:30 .  The bay was a very quiet and tranquil place.  There is a large all-inclusive resort on the other end of the bay and they stay pretty much to themselves.

Now, I made a run to the boat to get some items we needed for our afternoon adventure.  The Yacht Club agreed to watch Scuttlebutt for the afternoon so we secured her to a wall and at 1:20 , precisely on schedule, Cary , of Paraiso Adventure Tours, showed up to take us to start our big adventure.  We went to his office/house and met Julio, our guide.  We got checked out in the almost brand new Suzuki Quad-Runners and soon we were headed down the trail.  This is the way to see Costa Rica !

The trails we traveled forded streams, climbed steep rutted hills and took us through jungle and farmland enroute to our first stop. At one point we crossed a washed out bridge where the trail was exactly as wide as the wheel span on the ATV’s.  This was sporting!  The stop was the Canopy Tour.  Here you wear a harness and slide on “zip wires” suspended from tree to tree in the jungle canopy.  Some of the runs are over 300 ft. long and you really get moving between the platforms mounted high in the trees. The brake is your hand with a leather glove on the wire.  The glove has a heavy piece of leather sewn into the palm so you can use it as a brake.  It worked! It is a pretty spectacular ride!  Near the end of the 11 platforms, we took a break and hiked down to a beautiful waterfall.  The pool under the falls was 25 ft. deep so we were able to dive off the rocks and swing on a rope out into the water.  It was a refreshing fun dip and a break from the jungle heat.

We continued down the last two zip lines where a van was waiting to take us back to our ATV’s.  Back on the quads, we headed for Montezuma.  This is a small, quaint and very pretty tourist town located on the coast.  We stopped here to look around and have a cold drink.  We were behind schedule a bit because there had been a pretty large group on the Canopy Tour so we cut our stay in Montezuma very short.  This was an extremely pretty town with lots of tempting hotels and restaurants.  It is a place to come back to and spend more time.

By now it was dark and we were headed back on the trails and rutted dirt roads of Costa Rica .  I had been riding Tail End Charlie all day and had been eating lots of dust.  I decided to pass Julio and get clean air for a change.  After leading the pack for a while I noticed Julio and Yvonne were gone.  I turned around and backtracked to find them.  Yvonne had lost control and crashed!  She was scraped up a little but no serious injuries.  There was a little skin loss on her left arm and her left leg but no broken bones and no bleeding.  In a few minutes we had her turned around and back in the saddle for the rest of the trip home. What a trooper!

Back at the start point, we cleaned up Yvonne’s wounds and then got Cary gave us a ride back to the Yacht Club.  Eden prepared a wonderful dinner for us, my beef tenderloin was just out of this world, and Yvonne’s fish was excellent, both accompanied by steamed veggies and I had a baked potato.  It was a feast along with some “Rock Ice” beer to wash down all the dust.  I felt great (Yvonne had felt better, I think) having had a wonderful day.

After dinner, we said goodbye to Eden (the oldest of 9 Heart Family children) and Craig and returned to the boat.  Now for the bad part!  I had to really clean out Yvonne’s wounds and dress them.  It wasn’t bad for me because I like all this EMT stuff but it was quite painful for her.  But, the risk of infection down here demands extreme care in treating open wounds.  A few tears were shed but she survived my playing doctor.  By then it was 11:00 pm and we went to bed.

Note:  Cary and Julio from Paraiso Adventure Tours send their regards to the Kevalli crew and thank them for the business referral.  I thank them for it too, it was a thrilling day!

 Yvonne’s comments:

Holly Moley!! Bill’s disinfectant-clean up-project was worse than the accident itself. I mean we used to use that stuff on our cows in Bolivia ….!! It burned the hell out of me and I have to say no man has made me cry like that in a loooong time!!

Other than that I had a fantastic day with a lazy morning and an adventurous afternoon.  

Riding the ATV was the BEST. Up and down the dirt road – in and out the rivers – I had a blast! Always hanging on tight –just like were told – riding it smooth like a horse!

Exploring the forest by air was something else.

Unfortunately we were quite a lot of people and it took a long time to get from one platform to the other but the adrenalin did its job and made me scream, sliding fast on a 300m cable from one tree to the next.

Last but not least and not to be forgotten our Waterfall dip including our 4 meter jump and Tarzan swinging rope into its pond.

What a day fulfilled with bits and pieces of everything!

LOG 91

  July 23, 2003 (Wednesday)

Bahia Ballena , Costa Rica to Flamingo , Costa Rica

This was to be a day at sea.  We pulled up the anchor at 6:00 am and were underway by 6:15 .  We motored out of the Bahia Ballena at sunup  and then the 15 miles out of the Gulfo de Nicoya. As we turned the point at Cabo Blanco it got a bit rough as currents and winds all came together but within a few miles the seas calmed down and it was a great cruising day.  We saw turtles, rays jumping out of the water, lots of fish, and of course there were dolphins to play in our bow wave.  The coastline was pretty as we spent the entire day running up the coast.

About 5 pm we anchored outside the Flamingo marina and took the dinghy in to look around.  The marina was full and somewhat rundown so we were glad we stayed at anchor outside.  We walked up the hill to the resort and Scuttlebutt accompanied us for a drink at the Monkey Bar.  This was a pool side bar at the Flamingo resort on a hill overlooking the bay.  The Knotty Mind made a pretty picture anchored there with a few other boats.  We drank our beers and ate complimentary chicken wings before returning to the boat for dinner.

Dinner was a masterpiece. I BBQ’d a whole fish for Yvonne.  It was a Red Snapper and bigger than her plate.  It came out superb.  I had some of her Snapper along with a T-bone steak and it was a great meal. 

I cleaned and redressed Yvonne’s wounds and then we went to bed to get ready for our next early morning departure and our planned overnight run to Barillas.

Yvonne’s comments:

Compared to yesterday this was a slow boring day! Smile!!

Bill’s early morning start and the Yachts engine dragged me out of bed – still tired from the last day’s excursion.

I enjoyed another day tanning on the fly bridge accompanied by SB.

LOG 92

 July 24^th & 25th, 2003 (Thursday & Friday)

Flamengo , Costa Rica to Barillas, El Salvador

The departure went smoothly.  At about 5:45 I took SB ashore for her quick walk and then it was back to the boat for an early departure.  Since this was about a 250 mile leg, I put an extra heavy duty tow line on the tender (stuck down due to davit problems) and rigged everything for the trip.  The winds were calm but my weather forecaster, Walter Hack, predicted strong Papagayo winds of over 27 knots for my route.  I doubted it and headed out.  The first decision was to either cross the infamous Golfo de Papagayo or hug the shore.  I decided to go straight across as the wind were still calm.  It was a 22 mile crossing and by the time I was half way across the winds were out of the ene at about 20 kts.  I diverted a bit to head for the nearest lee shore and then navigated through the Islas Murcielagos to avoid the winds and seas.  This was a treat.  The area was beautiful, the seas like glass, and the water deep. No problem getting through there.

Then I rounded Cabo Santa. Elena.  The winds were still blowing out of the ene but it was tolerable so I took a northerly course to head for the Nicaraguan shore so as to again be in the lee of the coast to mitigate the Papagayo winds.  This was a 22 mile crossing but as we closed within a mile of the shore, the seas went smooth and the ordeal was over.  Now we would just follow the coastline all the way to Barillas.

In the middle of all this we enjoyed the spectacular beauty of the Northern Costa Rican shoreline and the Nicaraguan coast.  We saw more dolphins, mating turtles (a rare sight), and some beautiful rock formations along the shore.  By 4 pm we were only 150 miles from Barillas in smooth seas and moderate winds astern.  The night had no moon and a cloudy sky so it was a dark one. There were some lights on the shore, almost 16 miles away and some occasional lightening some distance away but that was it.  However the radar and the GPS both worked flawlessly and we had following seas, following currant and gentle winds all night long.  Yvonne and I traded watches and at sunrise, about 5:30 am we were 36 miles from Barillas.

The weather stayed calm all the way in and the Panga from the marina met us at the right time to lead us the final nine miles through the surf, behind the reef and up the river.  It was a pretty ride with a couple of villages along the way and mangrove trees lining the river.

We rounded the final bend and there was a mooring field with about a dozen sailboats on moorings.  We were assisted with tying to a mooring and then we waited for the Port Captain, Customs, Police, and Navy to board. I took an unauthorized trip ashore at the insistence of SB as she could wait no more.  It had been 29 hours for her! All showed up promptly and within a few minutes and a round of Cokes, all the paperwork was done and the boat given a cursory inspection.  We then went ashore to visit immigration and check into the marina and that was it, we were done.  Very quick and very painless!

We got the tour of our marina facility and found it to be modern, well done, secure, and everything we expected.  There is good internet and phone access and the pool and palapas looked inviting.  There is a nice bar and snack shop and though this place is a bit remote, it is very nice.  The rest of the day will be spent relaxing, getting caught up on communication, and sleeping.

Yvonne’s comments:

Nice and smoothly Captain Bill lead us through the Papagayo and all the other

“…..-gayos” on the way crossing three countries on one leg of our journey.

Fortunately I had no fishing boat encounters at my night shift and stayed out of trouble maneuvering the boat around them in the moonless, darkness of last night.

Barillas seems to be a nice relaxed place were I will enjoy my day  recuperating  from our last 29 hour ride.

LOG 93

 July 26^th (Saturday)

Barillas, El Salvador

After our welcome drinks the night before and a round of margaritas on the boat, I was done for the night.  I think I was asleep by 8:30 pm and therefore awoke with the sun at 6 am this morning.  I started my boat chores and felt great as we sat on a secure mooring in this beautiful river.  The Gulf of Papagayo and the coast of Nicaragua are two of the rougher sections of the Pacific side of the cruise.  The Gulf of Papagayo turned out to be windy but not too bad and the Coast of Nicaragua, known for winds and many small unlighted fishing boats and fish traps, turned out to be the smoothest run of all so far with not a boat of any kind anywhere around for many miles.  I am glad to have this segment behind me but now we have the Bay of Tehuantepec (it’s winds known as “Peckers”) and 1000 miles of hurricane country ahead.  Oh well, one step at a time. (These bays are areas where Central America is narrow and the mountain ranges funnel winds out of the Caribbean in an accelerated manner out to the Pacific. These gale force winds are hard to predict and can be very dangerous).  As one famous mariner (I don’t know who) said, “Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!!!!!!!”

We picked a good time to arrive.  The marina had a fly-in scheduled for today and about 10 planes and 4 helicopters flew in from San Salvador for fun and games.  Yvonne and I were invited to join all the activities and before we knew it we loaded into a Piper Aztec and flew about 10 miles to another field, Los Puntos, where they had the first portion of the fly-in.  We watched some aerobatics flown by a Decathelon and an Experimental 300 hp _________and then we had flybys by several of the aircraft. Then Yvonne was invited to go for a ride in a Bonanza.  This was her first and second ride in a light aircraft and she was thrilled!  While aboard, her pilot and our new friend Hans won the spot landing contest with a landing right on the line.  It was a busy afternoon and all the aircraft were very well maintained and equipped.

A Bell Long Ranger arrived and I met the pilot, Roberto. He turned out to be the owner of TACA Airlines and we had an interesting chat about airline management.  His company seems very interesting.  There was plenty of cold drinks, “coco frio” (chilled coconut milk right from the coconut), and beer for those not flying.   We chatted with many of the group and were impressed with the friendliness and welcome given a couple of “gringos” by this higher echelon of El Salvador society. 

Suddenly it was time to go and we loaded everyone in all the planes for the 5 minute flight back to Barillas.  Here the staff had prepared a meal of fried stuffed plantains (stuffed with frijoles), empanadas aka. pasteles,  and ­­­­pupusa’s (cornmeal mass stuffed with cheese and/or pork).  We sat around the beautiful grounds of The Barillas Marina Club and drank, ate, and chatted with our many new acquaintances for over an hour and suddenly it was time for them to fly home.  Within minutes they were loaded in vans and taken to their planes to depart and the marina returned to its quiet self.  It had been an exciting day and a great experience of meeting some wonderful people of El Salvador .    Yvonne had her first flight in a light aircraft and a thrilling scenic one at that!

I finished the day off with a swim, a bath for SB, and an early evening on the boat.

Note: We expect to be in Acapulco around the 10^th of August if anyone would like to join the fun for a while.  Acapulco to Puerta Vallarta would be a good run.

Yvonne’s comments:

The “plan” was to have a quiet day – but somehow quiet days don’t happen with Bill!!

So instead I had a rather ultimate, exciting and spectacular day. When Bill came back from his “airport walk” and mentioned that we have a chance for an airplane ride, I couldn’t believe my ears. Quickly we had to put SB back on the boat and rush to the airfield. What happened after that is hard to describe in words.

The plane ride was breathtaking, we could see the Marina from the air and the pilot made some extra circles before we landed on a nice spot at the tip of an island – Los Puntos.

The people we meet were wonderful, friendly, warm hearted and fun loving “El  Salvadorian’s” that got  together in memory of a friend that recently died. To be amongst them and a part of their celebration made this day very special.

Hans’ invitation to ride in his plane, was the Best of the Best.

(I am now undecided on what I like best …Jungle tours, ATV rides, Canopy tours, or plane rides….what comes next ??? smile)

Flying at 160 mile/hr in the Beechcraft Bonanza along the beach, above the fishing villages and back again along the ocean was an experience I will never forget!

All I could think of, sitting next to the pilot feeling the thrill of the moment in my tummy, was “this is too good to be true”…… I like those days of doing “nothing”!!!!!!!

LOG 94

July 26^th (Sunday)

Barillas Marina Club, El Salvador

Well today marks the arrival of another crewmember.  While I was traveling through Atlanta last summer, I met Don Walter’s hairdresser, Rhonda.  Way back then I told her about this voyage and she said she wanted to join part of it. When Don returned from meeting me in Panama City a couple weeks ago he talked to her and she immediately bought an airline ticket to San Salvador !  Her timing worked out great as we arrived here a day before she did and now she will be with us to Acapulco , Mexico .

Getting her to the marina was a bit of an adventure.  I arranged with the marina to provide a van and driver and about 9:30 we headed to the airport.  It turns out that the marina is located about 6 miles off the main highway and is accessible by “3^rd world highways” (rutted dirt roads).  However, after reaching the main highway, the road was excellent and we were parked at the airport in about an hour and a half. The Delta flight was a few minutes early and now I had to find Rhonda in the crowd of people waiting for passengers to exit the Customs area and the constant flow of passengers exiting.  I hadn’t seen Rhonda in over a year and then only briefly so I was sure I would recognize her with her now very short (then very long) hair.  I sent Francisco, the van driver, out with a hastily made name sign, and carefully watched the masses of exiting passengers.  Finally a nice looking young “gringo” lady with short hair, duffle type luggage, and a lost puppy look exited the building.  She answered to the name “Rhonda” so I took her to the boat. (Yes it was the right “Rhonda”)

The ride back was scenic but uneventful.  The area is surrounded by volcanoes (one active) and the countryside is green and lush.  As we approached the marina, Francisco took us on a side trip to the Monkey Farm.  This is a small family living in the jungle that raises Spider Monkeys.  During the war the guerillas decimated the Spider Monkey population, killing them for food.  This family is trying to re-populate the area with their own unsupported efforts.  They have three very friendly monkeys in cages but most live wild in the trees around their farm.  We played with the caged ones for a while and then the farmer called the wild ones down for bananas.  They came swinging out of the trees to get the bananas and it was quite cute as they hung by their tails to get fed.  We said goodbye to our monkey friends and headed to the marina.

Here I introduced Rhonda to Yvonne and got Rhonda settled on the Knotty Mind.  Scuttlebutt was thrilled to have another girlfriend. We spent the rest of the day relaxing around the pool and the bar and just hanging out.  That evening, we were visited by our neighbors Gary and Carolyn off of “Eclipse” a sailing cat with no mast.  They brought over a huge watermelon and we feasted on that and shared information on our routes ahead.  We were going in opposite directions so we traded info on anchorages, marinas, etc.

We finished the night with some home video of the trip and watched our zip line footage from Bahia Ballena.  Good video!  Then we went to bed.  Tomorrow we decided to leave the boat for a few a few days and take a road trip by rented car through El Salvador and Guatemala .  So we have to get up early to make preparation for the next adventure.

Yvonne’s comments:

Every day brings something else and today it brought us Rhonda!

I finally had my relaxing day today. I took Bill on shore, checked my emails, cleaned the boat, read, wrote and hang around waiting for Bill and Rhonda to come back from the airport.

They returned all excited about the “monkey farm”. Together we chilled out at the Marina , drinking beer, swimming in the pool, getting to know each other.

Besides cruising charts Carolyn from the “Eclipse” also brought a delicious watermelon onboard, and so I ended my day with a nice Margerita and a juicy “sandia”.

Rhonda’s Romantic Thoughts:

The trip here was a lot shorter than I expected, flying over the ocean, the water is some of the most breathtaking colors I’ve ever seen. I found Bill very quickly which I was very grateful about and was soon whisked away in a van. We went down the main highway were there were trucks loaded with people all standing like cattle in the back, some of which were tiny children. Lots of free-range animals here in El Salvador . Then Francisco graciously took us to the monkey ranch. What a wonderful sight. One monkey decided he wanted Bill as a roommate. So he grabbed Bill with his long tail and held on as long as he could. All of this occurred within about an hour of my arrival… so this trip has gotten off to a fantastic start!

LOG 95

 July 28^th thru July 31^st (Monday thru Thursday)

  Barillas Marina Club, El Salvador

We started our day with packing and preparation to leave the boat for a few days and take a road trip. We had two destinations, Antigua, Guatemala and San Salvador, the capital city of El Salvador, as our planned stops with the intent of seeing as much as possible in between.   We shut down the boat and stored our frozen goods in the Barillas freezer.  Our rental car, a 1994 Toyota 4-Runner, arrived late, around noon, so we got off to a late start.  Our first stop was right outside the Barillas gate at the monkey farm.  Here Yvonne got to play with the Spider Monkeys.  Again, they were a laugh and after a short stop we headed down the highway.  First the 11 kilometers of “3^rd world highway” and then we joined CA-2.  In El Salvador this is a nice highway and we toured past the International Airport and up the beautiful El Salvador coast.  The road was lined with venders in places, the hottest item being huge watermelons.  There were thousands of them.  The road wondered along the mountainous coast which presented beautiful views of the ocean, the prettiest of which were occupied with small “restaurants” which were not much more than tables, chairs, and sometimes a palapa, that were just set up by local entrepreneurs.  It was an enjoyable drive with a few pit stops for SB and the girls along the highway.

Just before 5 pm we crossed into Guatemala.  The border checkpoint was a bit confusing with trucks everywhere but we found our way to the front of the line and the proper windows to check out of El Salvador and into Guatemala.  We need to exchange some currency so we asked a policeman where to find a “cambio”.  He directed us to the local black market currency exchange kid who delivered the money to our parked car and soon we had 775 Quetzales and we were on our way.  We continued on CA-2 through Guatemala but found the roads nowhere near as nice as in El Salvador.  As darkness fell, we approached Escuintla.  Here it started raining and since we didn’t have a good map we managed to get a bit lost.  We went in circles for a while on roadways that were more like rivers but finally, after asking directions a few times, we were on the road to Antigua, our destination, once again.

By 8:30, and after a few wrong turns, we entered Antigua.  Now there was the challenge of finding a hotel room for three of us plus Scuttlebutt. There was a big festival in town so rooms were hard to find. Our first attempt at a hotel that Yvonne was familiar with resulted in a failure but outside we met David, an 18 year old hustler who said he could find us a room.  Ok, I told him, “no room, no money” and away we went.  It took about an hour and a half and many attempts but we finally found a decent hotel that would take us.  I gave David a bonus for his extra effort and he was a very happy camper, as were we! My crew was getting tired, hungry, and a bit stressed and I think we found the room just before they were ready to lynch me.

We spent that night and the next day and night in Antigua.  This is a beautiful town dating back to the 1500’s that has been turned into a tourist town. There are wonderful restaurants, bars, stores, and you name it, all built into the old restored buildings many with just beautiful courtyards.  We ate, drank, shopped, and just wondered around this town for a day and a half and had a great time.  We met a young lady from lake Shasta, California, Gita Bushan, who joined us for a good part of the day as we toured the city. She was backpacking through Central America with a friend and was leaving to go home the next day.  Once again, Scuttlebutt made a nice introduction.

Wednesday morning it was time to leave Antigua so we loaded up the car and after a coffee and bagel breakfast, we were on the road again.  This time we had a map! We had to pass through Guatemala City to pick up CA-1 toward El Salvador.  This was a mess with the traffic and our map let us down with big gaps around the city.  We got lost again but after a few stops for directions we were again on track.  Our scenic route took us through the scenic heartland of Guatemala and after an hour border crossing on into El Salvador.  This is volcano country as there are volcanoes everywhere making a majestic scene in almost any direction.  We battled traffic, a little rain, and saw one fatal accident as we worked our way to San Salvador, the Capital.

We made one side trip to the Cerro Verde National Park.  Here we had a fantastic view of Lago de Coatepeque, a crater lake that we viewed from a platform 6000 ft. above it.  The platform was at the end of a short hike through the jungle in the National Park.  On the return to the main highway, we stopped at a hilltop “restaurant” overlooking the lake and Rhonda tried her first pupusa.

After this brief rest, we continued on to San Salvador.  We planned to meet Hans at 6:30 and we were right on-time.  We encountered very heavy rain but still made out meeting with Hans on schedule.  We followed him to his home where we met his wife, Maria and his youngest son David.  We relaxed for a while and had appetizers and drinks.  He lives in a beautiful house on a tract that he built. It was a real joy to visit while Scuttlebutt made friends with Kaiser, his boxer.

Then, we were the guests of Hans and Maria at their restaurant “Sal & Pimiento” (Salt and Pepper) where we had a great meal and lots of good wine. We were joined by Hans’s brother Norman and made plans to meet them all over the weekend at Bahia de Sol.  This was to be our next stop and turned out to be where they would be spending their holiday weekend at their beach house. The long miles of travel were rewarded by a lovely evening.  

After dinner we were guided to the Raddison Hotel where Hans had arranged a room for us.  Scuttlebutt was an accepted guest and she walked up to the check in desk using her best manners.  Soon we were comfortable in our two room suite and quickly we went to bed.

Thursday, my crew wanted a more restful day so we lounged around the hotel and had a Continental breakfast in the morning.  We checked out at noon and headed to Price Mart for some provisioning.  Then we got back on the highway and started back to Barillas.  I decided to make a short side trip to Bahia del Sol to check out our next stop.  This was an interesting, “happening” place and it looked like we would get a warm welcome.  We will be arriving at the start of a party weekend.  Ok, on to the party!

The remainder of the ride back to Barillas was marked by heavy rain and a highway that was shut down for about an hour.  Finally, just before 6 pm we rolled into Barillas.  The rental car people were waiting for us since 5 pm, our expected arrival time, so we unloaded the car quickly and moved everything to the boat.

Then it was time for the real fun!  Yvonne’s head had been itching for quite a while and Rhonda diagnosed it as head lice. We had stopped in a pharmacy and picked up the appropriate items so we could treat the problem on Yvonne as well as a possible infestation of Scuttlebutt, Rhonda, and me.  We spent a lot of time together in the Barillas shower room shampooing and combing out hair. Scuttlebutt got a medicinal bath as did we all. Upon return to the boat, we changed out all the bed linen and hopefully this problem will be behind us. By the time this process was finished, it was time for bed.

Tomorrow we will push on to Bahia del Sol, El Salvador.

Yvonne’s comments:
What a “Road Trip” this was – so much had happen I don’t even know where to start……..
Maybe I start with the end – the end of my lice attack !!!
ohhh how good it feels – its nice to have my head back to myself and not to share it with those creatures eating up my scalp! Luckily Rhonda didn’t have to eat them while delousing.

Or maybe I should start with our interesting search for a Hotel in Antigua at night during a festival with hunger in our tummy and the one way streets!!!!

Antigua, the city my Central America Trip started exactly 4 months. Being back was like coming home and it was nice to somewhat finish my Backpacking trip where I started!

Driving a car again, was fantastic. I enjoyed cruising through the countryside, carefully watching for cars, cows and cowboys crossing the roads, kids running around chasing chicken, and not to forget about the crazy bus passing maneuvers.

All in all it was a great, exciting trip on shore with lots of things to see, adventures and memories to remember, while being back on the boat cruising along the Ocean.

Rhonda’s Romantic Thoughts:
El Salvador is muy bueno!!!  Antigua has great architecture, landscapes, and parks. I love that all the homes and hotels {posadas} have indoor private gardens, filled with hanging plants, trees, fountains and an array of pottery. The indigenous women here are incredibly colorful in their clothing and crafty about all that they may carry. Towering baskets on the head full of wares to sell, baby slung up in a blanket across their backs and all done gracefully with a very calculated sort of walk. Central America is so esthetically pleasing to my eyes, especially after the road trip that we made. All of the people here are extremely helpful and very warm. So much eye candy… so little time. Now for all of you in Atlanta, the traffic there is nothing to complain about as compared to the chaos that goes on here, and not to mention the free-range animals that roam the streets like they are hitch hikers.

Cerro Verde is a national park surrounded by about four volcanoes with a crater lake in the center. We sped up to the top of one of the volcano and took a speed nature walk in the park. The nature trail had lots of air plants and trees that had assistant trees, and trees that mated for life {the tree de amor}. The smell there was a very rich olfactory experience. After our quick jaunt we then went back to the most beautiful roadside picnic area where you can overlook the lake with the volcano for a background. This was an utterly gorgeous place, where even the poorest of poor are happy and smiling.

We then went back and met Hans his wife Maria, and their son David. They have the most beautiful traditional style home here in San Salvador. This couple was gracious enough to us hungry travelers to take us to their hip restaurant. The food was incredible, especially after all the gas station eats. I felt like I had died and gone to foodie heaven.

Then another road trip back to Barillas… ugh
 

LOG 96

August 1^st and august 2nd (Friday and Saturday)

Barillas Marina Club, El Salvador to Bahia del Sol, El Salvador

As often happens, our planned departures don’t seem to work.  Hariberto, the Barillas manager came out to the boat at about 9 am and advised us against leaving until the high tide, late in the afternoon.  The surf in the inlet was high and he thought it might be unsafe.  However, this did not work for our arrival at Bahia del Sol so we had to wait for the high tide at 6 am the next morning.  Ok, so we had another relaxing day at Barillas. 

This gave us the opportunity to get the davit fixed. There is a pretty complete boatyard right next door to the Barillas Marina that mostly services the local “shrimper” fleet.  They have a very nice, modern railway for hauling boats and a complete machine shop.  They sent a mechanic over help change the davit cable and in a couple hours we were good to go!  I ended up with three mechanics working on the project, two for just a half hour to help with the re-assembly, and one for almost three hours.  When I went to pay the bill, the yard manager said “forget it, just give the mechanic $10.00” I gave him $20.00 and the two helpers $5.00 each and they were all extremely happy.  So was I.  They not only did a good job, but they were fun to work with.

We spent the rest of the day lounging around the Marina, swimming in the pool, filling the Knotty Mind with water and recovering our frozen goods.  I did the internet thing and made a couple calls, still trying to straighten out my electronic banking.  At precisely 3 pm, as directed, I paid my bill at the marina office and cleared us out of the country at the immigration office located right in the marina.  All very quick and easy!  I was advised that the Port Captain would be out at the boat at 4:45 am to sign our Zarpa and the panga would lead us out at 5:15 am.  Very well organized!

All that was left was a nice dinner at the marina restaurant and a long chat with Juan, the owner Barillas and a very nice man.  I cannot say enough about Barillas and the staff there.  Everyone, from the owner to the security guard, works very hard to make your stay as enjoyable as possible and cater to your every need.  The Barillas Marina was a great stop and I would recommend it to anyone.

The next morning our departure went off like clockwork.  The Port Captain showed up right on time and by first light at 5:09 we slipped our mooring and headed down the river.  There were two other boats leaving with us but by the time we made it to the breakers we only had our panga guide boat.  One boat stopped to prepare their fishing equipment, and “Eclipse” had engine overheat problems.  Our passage through the breakers went well until the last set.  A large swell grew into a huge wave which we took head on, thankfully, as it broke.  We crashed through it and took blue water on the flybridge!  No major damage but we took out another section of my front windscreen and broke a fender holder.  Once through the wave it was smooth cruising to Bahia del Sol.

Now, we had to go back through the surf to get to the harbor!  After arriving at the entry point at noon, we were advised to wait a couple hours for the incoming tide to make the passage safer.  So we motored about 3 miles offshore and shut down and drifted.  We relaxed, napped, and ate lunch.  By 2:30 we were ready for our next wild ride.  Carlos brought out an extra person to take our tender in and then we followed Carlos in his Bayliner through the surf.  This was a fun ride as we hit over 20 kts. literally surfing in on the breaking waves.  By 3 pm we were tied to a mooring directly in front of the Bahia del Sol Hotel dock.

Before I could get the boat secured, we heard Hans and Norman yelling from the dock and our welcoming committee was already in place.  I brought them out to the boat in the dinghy for a quick drink and then after we all got cleaned up from our day on the water, we headed to their beach house for a party.  It was Hans’s mothers 70^th birthday and the whole family was there.  What a party!!!!  Hans introduced us to everyone as there were several generations of their entire family, all together for the first time in many years. All I can say is WOW!  The family beach house is actually a combination of many houses for the various families all tied together with elevated walkways and balconies.  The lot must be a ¼ mile long from the road to the sea and it is just lovely. By the beach, they have a Palapa and several large patios overlooking the breaking surf. We watched the heavy surf break in their new breakwater and discussed such things as sand erosion and the forces of mother nature.  But, this is where the party was with the open bar, music, a great BBQ, birthday cake, then to top it off, early evening pupusas created by yet another talented pupusa chef.  I say again…WOW! 

Hans’s family was just great.  Everyone was so friendly and we were made to feel very, very welcome.  The children were all polite and well behaved and just adorable.  Han’s father fixed me the El Salvador national drink, a combination of Vadka, coconut milk from their own salt treated coconut palms, and mineral water. Very smooth!  Scuttlebutt was invited to the party and it turned out that almost everyone there was a dog lover so she had a great time as well.  This was a wonderful afternoon I will never forget.

Before we knew it, it was dark and the party was breaking up.  We got a quick tour of Norman’s house and his interesting interior decoration and then loaded into the car for the run back to Bahia del Sol.  Rhonda elected to stay ashore at the hotel for a while but Yvonne wanted to go to sleep as she had been invited to go fishing at 6 am with Norman.  This was a big fishing tournament and Norman promised to catch a Mahi Mahi for her.  After taking Yvonne back to the boat, I went ashore and chatted with Marcos, the owner of Bahia del Sol, for a while and then fell asleep listening to the band and waiting for Rhonda to call it an evening.  I had been up since 4 am and I was ready for bed.

Yvonne’s comments:

Barillas makes sure there is something for everybody – and I have to say - Bill can have his davit fixed again any time with a mechanic like Javion!!!!  smile

After our successful repairs in the morning I had the “fun” duty to take care of my

lice-laundry, washing and cleaning by hand!!! that took care for the hours to pass by in the Marina before we had a nice chill out in the evening.

Our departure out of Barillas was something I don’t feel like doing again. The waves were huge, powerfull, and helped me to get rid of my morning coffee!!!!

The ride to Bahia after that was smooth and relaxing – I took an afternoon nap while waiting for our Bahia de Sol entrance and enjoyed the quietness of the Ocean.

I was looking forward to spend some precious time together with Hans and his family.

We were lucky enough to celebrate his mother’s birthday party and I enjoyed a wonderful afternoon / evening meeting everybody and socializing amongst friends.

Rhonda’s Romantic Thoughts:

Today was a much welcomed day of relaxation. While the others were doing errands I sat by the pool and had a couple of Coronas with Mike and had a delightful chat. Later, after the water filling, we all went back for a dip in the pool. While Bill was chatting up the owner, Yvonne and I decided to lie next to the pool and look at the stars. The universe was ours for the night. I decided once back on the boat to sit out back and watch the stars for as long as I could stand their remarkable brilliance. El Salvador is really blessed by god, who is so revered here.

Tomorrow we will help celebrate “Fiesta de Augusto” I’m looking forward to having some lighthearted fun. Not only did we celebrate the fiesta but Hans’ mothers 70^th birthday. They have an enormous family all very close knit [no pun intended]. All of their children were very handsome. The family is very proud of their home and culture as they should be. I’m very jealous of them having the Pacific in their backyard! I felt immediately welcome with them and for that I’m very grateful.

LOG 97

August 3^rd (Sunday)

Bahia del Sol, El Salvador

We have found ourselves in the middle of the Fiesta de Augusto and the place is jumping.  We have been pre-occupied with Hans and his family’s separate party but the hotel has had a Mexican fiesta night, several large buffets, and a lot of entertainment.

Yvonne got picked up promptly at 6 am by Norman on his fishing boat and was off for the day and I took Rhonda ashore about 9:30 so she could go hang out at the beach.  I relaxed on the boat until around 11 am and then decided to take Scuttlebutt to the beach for a walk.  We ran into Rhonda and the three of us walked the beach for a while.  Rhonda decided she had enough sun and headed back and SB and I continued on.  We walked all the way to the inlet and found a small village where many of the locals were enjoying their holiday with vendors selling every imaginable sort of food.  Scuttlebutt and I “window shopped” (skipped the food) the event and headed back to the hotel via the road.  It was a hot hike on the roadway and we made it with SB’s tongue hanging way out.

Back at the hotel, I cooled off in the pool and hosed down Scuttles to cool her off.  For the rest of the day, I just hung out around the pool and the bar and enjoyed a relaxing day.  Rhonda disappeared for the afternoon as well so I had a restful day.

Around 4 pm, Hans and Maria arrived with a few of their family members and we all went out to the boat to wait for Norman to return from the fishing trip.  As it turned out they had already come in so we all jumped into the dinghy and motored over to the dock where the fishing tournament weigh in was in progress.  Yvonne had caught about 3 Dorado (Mahi Mahi) and was delighted and the boat had caught a total of 28 Dorado and 1 Yellowfin Tuna.  The trophies were awarded at the end of the weigh in and Yvonne won the “Biggest Fish Caught by a Woman” trophy and Roberto, I think it is Norman’s nephew, won the “Junior” award.  So the boat got two trophies and they all had a great day.

We then went over to the beach house and sat around and had drinks until the fish were cleaned.  That took a while with 29 fish to clean but finally the Mahi Mahi was on the grill and we had a wonderful fresh fish dinner.  Yvonne was all smiles as she tasted her now favorite fish.  By 9:30, everyone was exhausted so we returned to Bahia del Sol, went out to the boat and went to bed.     

 Yvonne’s comments:

I tell you – you don’t get bored with the Bodewig Brothers.

Last Sunday I went first time flying with Hans, winning the Spot landing and exactly a week later I brought home the fish trophy with his brother Norman.

There is a first time for everything in life and I end up doing it with the German - El Salvadorians Hans and Norman.

It was a great day in the Ocean. Getting up at 5 am wasn’t really what I had in mind after a party evening but it was worth while – Not even a hour passed by and we already caught 5 Dolphin fish! It was great, and to see the kids all excited even got me in the mood catching my own Mahi Mahi (I promised to Bill to bring home two)

I have to say it’s quite an exercise fighting the fish with its survival strength!

It’s funny there I am all day with Bill and the boat in the ocean and on me “free” day I have nothing better to do than being on the ocean again……..

Of course was our barbeque dinner at Hans’ place the most delicious!  I look back at a wonderful day with great people, lots of sun and fun.

Rhonda’s Romantic Thoughts:

Well, today I really felt as if I was on a vacation. I started off going to the pool wound up walking to the beach, hanging out there for a little while, people watching. I then decided to walk back to the pool area. Found SB and Bill walked the beach again and decided I wanted to go back to a more populated area. I sat near the pool ordering Corona’s watching all the eye candy. Then I decided it was time to order a festive drink and I soon realized I was out of luck with the little Spanish I know. I grabbed a man that I heard speaking English on the beach to come to my rescue. He willingly helped me and we wound up hanging out there at the bar chit chatting for most of the afternoon. Tom was a relief after feeling like a mute-alien most of the afternoon.  I had this huge green coconut handed to me with all the fruity ornamentation I could ever want. It was a lovely carefree afternoon with strangers.

Hans and his family are a lot of fun. What a great sense of humor that they have. The moonlit sky over the ocean was just a gorgeous way to have dinner. The fish was really wonderful, the best I’ve had in a while. Many thanks to them again for being such gracious hosts.

LOG 98

August 4th (Monday)

Bahia del Sol, El Salvador

We had a leisurely morning on the boat and then Norman arrived around 11:00 am in his whaler and we all piled into the dinghy and followed him to view the bird sanctuary and then to play at a sand bar.  This was to be a short stop but friends of Norman’s kept arriving in their boats and bringing more beer so we stayed for hours. It was a great afternoon as we met an interesting group of people from the business community and their families while we stood talking in the warm rising water and drinking cold beer.  It was a very warm and friendly crowd and we felt very welcome.  Of course Scuttlebutt’s favorite thing is playing on sand bars so she was in doggie heaven. 

Finally, the tide started to get too high and the beer supply too low so we left. After a beautiful dinghy ride up the estuary, the next stop was the Ordono house for snacks and more drinks. Our gracious hosts, Phil and Bertha Ordono had a lovely house on the water on the bay side with a nice private dock.  Being an avid fisherman, he had trophies galore from the many tournaments he won and the large fish he has caught.  

Mr. Ordono’s son Phil recently opened a Pit BBQ restaurant, “Smoke ‘n Blues”, in San Salvador.  He has an interesting past as a policeman in the US, a DEA agent (where he got shot on a drug raid), and private security person working mostly on US Government contracts in Central and South America. Now he has settled down to being a restaurateur in El Salvedor and soon to open another restaurant in Antigua.  He brought out a sample of his BBQ’d pork and some of his sauces and it was out of this world.

We met his other son, Arthur, who is now living in Cost Rica and running auto auctions.  Everyone was just wonderful and it will be difficult to say goodbye to these lovely people.  After several rounds of drinks and great food, we left with Norman and took the dinghy back to the boat to shower and freshen up. 

Norman picked us up by car and we returned to the beach house. I had taken a couple of good pictures of Hans and his father so I printed them and gave them to “Papa Hans”.  We then joined Hans and Maria and the rest of their family and yes, you guessed it, more drinks and more food.This time we had a delicious bean soup, plantains stuffed with “crema de leche”, and a wonderful fresh tuna dip, a product of yesterday’s fishing trip.  The local dishes here are the greatest! The party never ends! 

Yvonne’s comments:

A day of fishing made me sleep right through a heavy night thunderstorm. I neither felt nor heard a thing and so I awoke all relaxed and happy this morning for another day of party! And sure enough a couple hours later I played in the water with beer and Scuttlebutt meeting more people enjoying their company. It was a wonderful sunny day and together with Norman I caught up on my sunburn………

 LOG 99

August 5th (Tuesday)

Bahia del Sol, El Salvador

Today we had to prep for departure.  The first step was to fuel the boat.  This had to be done just after high tide to have enough water at the dock and no surge.  Finally by 10:00 am we had pumped 712 gallons of diesel on the boat and we were fueled for departure. 

Hans, Maria and David joined us for breakfast aboard and I played chef turning out bacon, cheese, and onion omelets as fast as I could.  Then we relaxed around the boat for a while planning what to do next.  Finally we went for a relaxing day at Hans’s beach house and while the girls played in the surf with the kids, Norman took me to Mr. Ordono’s house to use his landline phone to hook up my computer to get email and weather.  The weather checked good so we will be off with the high tide in the morning.

We had a leisurely day looking at my videos of the Barillas Fly-In and all the other stuff I shot during my stay.  I promised Hans a copy of all my photos and video so he could have a picture of his perfect spot landing.

We ate dinner at the house and then returned to Bahia del Sol where a party was in progress.  The Fiesta de Augusto rises in tempo until the grand finale on Wednesday and the Hotel was alive with people, music, dancing, and a late night disco.  Norman accompanied us to the party and Marcos, the owner gave us a bunch of appetizers.  Finally we danced to the Latin music a little and as the hour grew late, I decided to call it a night.  Norman and Rhonda stayed at the party and Yvonne and I headed to the boat.  We had a busy early morning planned so we needed some sleep.

 Yvonne’s comments:

The day has come and sadly I had to spend my last couple hours in El Salvador with people that became really good friends.

Time passes by fast on the boat, running time consuming duties like fueling and so it was already midday when we gathered with Hans and his family. It was nice to have company for breakfast and with it, Bill in the kitchen –smile-

Back at Hans’ place I ran off to the beach playing with the kids in the waves – while the adults where watching us from the terrace. We got soaked in saltwater and I have to say the waves were very strong and powerful, swimming was almost impossible.

Afterwards we made a Sand Castle out of David by buried him and then we returned back to the “grown ups” for some nice fresh ceviche and grilled shrimps.

Together with our “new” friends at the Marina we spent our last couple hours in El Salvador. After Hans and his son left I went dancing to the local band that played great Salsa, Cumbia and Latin Music.

LOG 100

August 6th (Wednesday) thru August 8^th (Friday)

Bahia del Sol, El Salvador to Hualtulco, Mexico

Our El Salvador departure had finally come.  Carlos, the hotel marina manager, called early and suggested we go at 8:30 for the best tide and surf conditions.  So we made a more hasty departure than planned and we were off the mooring at 8:30 and on our way.  Fortunately, Norman came by in his boat about 7:30 on his way out to go fishing so I gave him the video and picture cd for Hans.  Hans was supposed to come over for breakfast at 9:00 am but I am afraid he will find us gone.

Carlos was right.  The departure through the breakers was easy and by 9:00 am we were on our way up the El Salvador coast.  We settled in for over two days at sea as our destination. Hualtulco, was 463 miles away.  The first day was lovely.  We had calm seas and following winds and we motored right up the scenic shore.  That night, along the Guatemala Coast, we moved further offshore for safety and encountered a few thunderstorms but were able to miss the worst of them.

The morning was beautiful and we found ourselves along the Guatemalan shore about 6 hours from Puerto Madero, the first port in Mexico.  With the daylight we ventured closer to shore to see the scenery.  Around 2 pm we arrived at Puerto Madero and stopped long enough for me to take Scuttlebutt\ashore in the Dinghy. I made Yvonne the Knotty Mind Captain for about a half hour and I took a quick run into the harbor to the first beach I saw and then let Scuddies do her thing.  We loaded back up and motored out of the harbor, hooked up the dinghy and we were on our way in less than a total of 30 minutes and Scuttlebutt was a happy camper. I was too as we avoided the hastle of checking into Puerto Madero.

The next leg of the trip was to cross the dreaded Bay of Tehuantepec!  Here the winds funnel out of the Caribbean through a narrow part of Central America and create a dangerous sea condition on the Pacific side.  I called Walter Hack, my weather router, for a final check and he said we were good to go straight across.  The defensive strategy is to hug the shoreline around the bay so that the winds coming off the land don’t have any “fetch” to make waves.  But he assured me that it was a good time to go straight across so we headed out on the 225 mile crossing leaving Puerto Madero behind us about 3 pm.

The seas were calm as we motored into the night until about 2 am when we encountered a squall line with heavy thunderstorms, heavy rain, and winds to 40 kts. We had a rough ride and got really drenched.  Once again the Knotty Mind played submarine but other than a few little leaks, we came through just fine. This lasted about an hour but finally subsided and then the winds were out of the NW at about 15 kts.  That wasn’t comfortable but it was OK.

I went to sleep and let Yvonne take the early watch but awoke to the boat rocking and rolling about 8 am.  We had run into a “Tehuante Pecker”!  I guess Walter was off a bit on his forecast as the winds suddenly again hit a steady 40 kts. and the seas built rapidly to 10 ft.  This had me worried as the conditions continued to get worse.  We were 80 miles from Hualtulco and 50 miles from the nearest shore!  I was not a happy camper, nor was the rest of the crew, as we took the seas on the port bow and slugged along.  Of course I was towing my dinghy (I never learn!) so this was another concern.  The seas moved more to the beam and it was rolly but I was able to increase speed and along with the following current we had been blessed with since Puerto Madero, we were able to move quickly but uncomfortably through the 30 miles of really rough seas.  Had the seas gotten much worse, I would have had to either put my bow into them and slug my way to the nearest lee shore or put my stern to them and head further out to sea.  Either choice had terrible consequences.  But after 3 hours of misery, the wind and seas subsided, and though we were caked in salt, it was again a nice day. 

We started drying out and by 3:30 pm we were approaching the Chahue Marina in Bahia Santa Cruz (Chahue). Enrique La Clette, the Marina Manager, answered our radio call with directions into the brand new marina and soon we were tied to a brand new floating dock and hooked up to shore power.  Happy Day! This marina is not in any of the cruising guides but we heard about it from cruisers in Bahia del Sol and it is a lovely marina.

Enrique drove us to the Port Captain’s office to clear.  Then the Navy sent 5 Marines to inspect the vessel.  This was a very cursory inspection as they were just looking for something to do during the slow off season here.  Then, about 7 pm Immigration and Agriculture showed up at the boat.  They sat around for an hour or so chatting but the Agriculture Inspector didn’t know we had a dog aboard so he didn’t bring the right papers.  Also, since it had started raining, the Immigration Inspector didn’t bring his stamp or his paperwork, so they said we would have to go to the airport tomorrow to finish the process.  We never heard from customs. In all, we accomplished very little of the port clearance process.

With all this behind us, we headed down to the port to find a few drinks, a quick dinner, and then back to the boat for some much needed sleep. Rhonda will be departing tomorrow so she took the opportunity in town to get some last minute gifts and souvenirs.

 Yvonne’s comments:

Crossing Tehuantepec was an experience I don’t want to repeat and after all this rocking and long hours in the Ocean I am happy for dry land.

Driving the boat by myself with Bills absence was nice and different than cruising with the autopilot.

The marina in Mexico gave us a nice welcoming with a lot of paper work and after a good, delicious dinner I felt exhausted to bed. 

LOG 101

August 9^th (Saturday)

Chahue Marina, Hualtulco, Mexico

After our long ordeal of getting here, it was wonderful to get a good night’s sleep in a calm, protected, quiet, marina.  We lounged around the boat for most of the morning and finished drying out wet cloths, towels, and the forward cabin. (the forward hatch and chain locker leaked a little).  Then it was off to finish the “Paperwork Cha Cha”.  Rhonda and Yvonne had already been to the airline office to try to arrange a convenient flight home for Rhonda.  This was not simple because we were in Huatulco and her ticket originated in Acapulco.  The Mexicana Airlines agent was extremely helpful and with great effort was able to change her origination city with Delta for her flight home to Atlanta.

Then, we spent the rest of the afternoon between the Port Captain’s office at the harbor and the Immigration, Customs, and Agriculture offices at the airport.  Finally by 4 pm we were cleared into the Port and all that was left was to drop off the paperwork, now officially stamped by all the right people, at the Port Captain’s office.  On the way back from the airport, we stopped at the Oasis restaurant in the heart of the cute town of La Crucecita and had an enjoyable lunch.  Then we finished our chores with the quick stop at the Port Captain and a pickup of Rhonda’s new tickets at the Mexicana office.  The airline office is right around the corner from the marina so we walked back to the boat to relax for a while.

Since Rhonda was able to change her tickets this way, she now didn’t have to leave until the next morning so Yvonne and Rhonda decided on a girl’s night out (actually my idea) and took off to enjoy a busy Saturday night in Crucecita.  I headed down to town shortly after they went to enjoy some night life by myself and visited a few bars, got my inevitable ice cream, and watched a festival in the Central Park.   I was back on the boat by midnight but the girls were much, much later.  Rhonda will have a tough time making her 7:30 am taxi.

 Yvonne’s comments:

Our day was fulfilled with Latin bureaucracy and I even had fun bargaining with the Immigration officer for our stay in Mexico. At first he didn’t even want clear us into the Country. He seemed to have more fun talking to us and playing with his dry ink pad than required!!

I am amazed that things get done here with the pace they work – incredible.

But again I had my chance to practice my language skills and by know I can even explain the meaning of “Scuttlebutt” in Spanish!!

Back and forth we ran to the Mexicana Airline ticket office together with Leo Marino the Agent, we tried everything to get around Delta’s bureaucracy and Rhonda as cheap as possible to Atlanta. Thanks to Leo and his connections it worked out well and by 5p.m. it was a done deal!

Rhonda and I decided to celebrate and to have a “girl’s night out – going away party” in town. Oh how I danced and danced and danced until I couldn’t move, breath and sweat anymore. We started on the boat with one of Bill’s nice Margaritas and a couple of shots tequila and off we went!! First we went bar hopping through town and after another couple Margaritas we went dancing at “Papaya”. They played a nice variety of  Latin music and I had a wonderful time with a great dance partner I met. We partied till 5 and got a ride home from Leo, Rhonda’s “Ticket-Savior”.

LOG 102

August 10^th (Sunday)

Chahue Marina, Hualtulco, Mexico

The morning came early, especially for Rhonda.  She overslept and awoke about 8:00 am and had planned to be in the taxi to the airport at 7:30.  Not being the “at ease traveler” this really stressed her out but we assured her that their was plenty of time to catch her flight and she became more at ease when we discovered that the taxi driver with whom we had set up the pickup had waited the 45 minutes for her.  Rhonda was on her way and the boat was back to normal.

Anyway, this was to be a day devoted to boat maintenance.  I changed the oil and filters  on both engines, both generators, changed all the Racor fuel filters and cleaned bilges, plus a variety of other chores.  I had neglected these things for a while and it was great to get caught up on my maintenance.  I worked on the boat until 6:00 pm and then Yvonne and I headed downtown to check email, make a few calls, eat and drink.

We snacked at the fresh juice bar, ate at a authentic Mexican local restaurant, stopped for ice cream and walked through the Central Park.  Here we sampled liqueurs and other goodies for sale by venders.  Yvonne was still exhausted from her “girl’s all night out” so we headed back early.  I was tired too from a hot sweaty day of boat work.  I settled in for a few movies and Yvonne went to bed early. 

 Yvonne’s comments:

My morning came fast and before I even knew I was awake I was already dressed, walking Rhonda to the street to catch her taxi.

After that I tried to catch up on some sleep but it didn’t help my hang over much and so I suffered through the day.

In town I checked my emails but wasn’t really capable of writing much and even a big shot of fresh carrot juice didn’t help my misery.

Back on the boat there was only one thing I could do – be best friend with my bed and fight the fight of dreams……..

LOG 103

August 11^th (Monday)

Chahue Marina, Huatulco, Mexico

This day was devoted to more boat maintenance, preparation for departure and some last minute sightseeing.  We did our grocery shopping, picked up our laundry, and made a few other stops for needed items in town.  The “Supermercado” here was not so great and it required another stop at a produce store.  We only have 225 miles to go to Acapulco so we only bought enough to get us by.  We stopped at the internet café to check email and had lunch and snacks while in La Crucecita. I am hooked on the tacos sold by the local vendors.

At the boat, I repaired a leaky hatch, removed a broken door latch on the flybridge door, cleaned shower sumps and lastly raised the dinghy.  We will be going from marina to marina for a while and it will not be needed.  This is a good thing because it is broken again.  Towing it across the Tehuantapec caused the steering to jam again and cracked the oil tank.  Furthermore, after we raised it up on deck, the davit quit so now I can’t put it down even if I wanted to. It has an electrical problem.  This will not be a problem until after Cabo San Lucas so I have some time to work these things out.

Enrique arranged to meet me at 5 pm to go to the Port Captain’s office to get my Zarpe.  What he neglected to tell me was that after 2:30 you had to pay an overtime fee of about $49.00 so I got hit for a little extra.  I was a little upset with Enrique for setting me up for this but this is a new facility and he is just learning his job too.  Getting the Zarpe was quick and easy after the payment and there were no other stops on the departure procedure.  We were port cleared for Acapulco.  The “Paperwork ChaCha” here was a bit tedious and cost a total of $90.00.  Since we plan to hit only the big established marinas on our next 6 stops, I hope that the situation improves down the road. Enrique promises that soon he will have all the Port Clearance done right there in the marina but getting the old ways changed takes time. 

In the evening Yvonne and I decided to go to Bahia de Tangolunda to see what’s there.  This is a modern resort town on a beautiful bay.  The highlight of the bay is the big rock island a short ways off the beach which gave a spectacular view in the almost full moon light.  The Club Med here is closed and has been sold and the Sheraton Hotel is no longer a Sheraton (two landmarks listed in the cruising guide), but the beach resorts are beautiful so we stayed for several hours and relaxed with a few Coronas.  The Bahias de Hualtulco consist of 8 bays all right next to each other.  This is certainly a pretty part of the Mexican Coast.

By 11:00 pm, we were headed to bed in preparation for our morning departure.

Yvonne’s comments:
Today I took a slow boat, marina, town day. Finally, I had the time to read, write and hang around doing nothing but relaxing as well as socializing with the locals – practicing my spanish.

In town I went to the internet café whilst bill was having original tacos and ice cream.
We found this nice store with tons of fresh veggies and it was time to refilled our food storage. After running around running errand’s, it was time to go back to the boat.

The former Sheraton Hotel provided us with nice Corona from the tap and so we ended a nice stay at the beach bar in Tangolunda.

LOG 104

August 12^th  & August 13^th  (Tuesday and Wednesday)

Chahue Marina, Huatulco, Mexico to Acapulco, Mexico

The departure was leisurely planned for 9:00 am but as usual there were glitches.  First, Enrique asked me to wait for my receipt from the Port Captain.  This was to keep them honest.  By 9:30 there was still no receipt so I decided to go without it and then discovered a problem with the Glenndenning Cable Reel.  It would not wind in the shore power cable.  After playing with it for 15 minutes, I decided to throw the cable in the cockpit and get under way.

The departure passing the Bays of Huatulco was beautiful.  We motored about 2 miles off shore and the weather was perfect. It was a lovely, perfect cruising day.  In the late afternoon, thunderstorms started to build behind us and a huge waterspout appeared but soon dissipated.  By sunset, the sky was clouding up and by midnight we were surrounded by thunderstorms.  We missed most of them but got pounded pretty good by their winds.  I was happy to see the daylight but it was an overcast, rainy morning.  We continued along with winds that varied from calm to 20 kts and by the time we reached Acapulco Bay, we were ready for a marina.

At 3:30 on Wednesday we approached the Acapulco Yacht Club docks and got little response.  A voice on the radio said “What do you want?” and someone said “We are full”.  That was not what I wanted to hear.  I motored into the complex and found the fuel dock and tied up to it.  It closed at 4:00 pm so the fuel attendant said we could stay there for the night as the Dockmaster had already left for the day. It wasn’t a very welcome arrival at the Acapulco yacht Club, especially since we had made a reservation before we left Huatulco.  There was nothing left to do but secure the boat and relax.  We had to turn the boat around to make our shore power cord reach at power box so that took a while and the marina has a bit of a surge so maneuvering and docking is a bit of work.  Finally we were secure for the night.

Scuttlebutt made a much needed trip ashore and we settled into the bar for a couple cervezas. We took a walk around the neighborhood and didn’t fin much except a palapa bar across the street.  Time for another cerveza!  We went back to the boat, cleaned up and locked SB inside. Yvonne and I then took a cab downtown to explore Acapulco.  Wow, the place has changed since I was here twenty something years ago.  The main street is a lot like Cancun with hotels, bars, restaurants, shops, the works.  There is every kind of tourist trap you can imagine from bungie jumping to jungle rides.  It was fun and certainly a change of pace from all our other stops.  We checked out the “Gigante” food market to plan our purchases for tomorrow and then headed back to the boat, exhausted from a long day and an overnight passage.

 Yvonne’s comments:
What a welcome in Acapulco…. all I wanted, after a long night and day out in the ocean, was a dock slip-short power and get off the boat. Guess I adjusted fast to the live of cruiser’s – smile –

Since nobody was there to “greet” us we helped our self and docked for the night at a gas station. And so we had an interesting start in Party town Acapulco.

And after our “night hike” through town I am excited what we’ll find tomorrow at daylight.

LOG 105

August 14^th  (Thursday)

  Acapulco Yacht Club, Acapulco, Mexico

Acapulco is busy tourist city with heavy traffic, every kind of store imaginable, and lots of activity.  We spent the day fueling the boat, buying engine oil, grocery shopping at a Super Walmart, getting Yvonne’s film developed and put on cd, taking SB to the vet for some quick doggie maintenance, getting the dinghy steering repaired again, making some long distance calls, etc. etc.  It was a whirlwind day but we got a lot done. We hired a driver for $10.00 per hour and used him for 5 hours to run us around.  It was well worth it and the drive took us through much of the back roads of Acapulco.  The wild ride through traffic alone was worth the price!

We stopped by the Yacht Club Office to check in.  They took care of all the port clearance paperwork for $30.00 but they tried to charge a $53 fee for assistance docking in the marina.  We argued this point since no one helped us and our welcome the night before was less that nice.  They relented and dropped the fee.  The people in the office were quite nice but the check in procedure took about 45 minutes.  Our outbound Zarpe should be ready for us to pick up in the morning.

The only slips available in the marina were “Med-moore” type where you tie the bow to a mooring and bring the stern to the dock.  This is not an easy process with just two people on the Knotty Mind and after a little urging, they decided to let us stay on the fuel dock for the day.  Our plan is to leave tomorrow afternoon.

The fueling was expensive.  The price of fuel had add-ons of 8% just for using the fuel dock and 5% for the credit card.  The more fuel you buy, the more you pay to use their fuel dock. When all was said and done I paid about $2.05 per gallon for 511 gallons.  The combo microwave/convection oven died when a dock attendant plugged the boat into bad shore power.  Without asking us or anything, he just moved our shore power cord to a bad box and blew breakers and the oven.  I picked up a small microwave at Walmart to get us by the rest of the trip.  Oh well, the oven was 15 years old anyway.

Before we knew it evening had arrived and we decided that we must see the Acapulco Cliff Divers.  This was a short taxi ride from the marina and we got there in time to have some tacos, quesadillas, a couple cervezas, and catch the 10:30 pm show.  It takes place in a magnificent cove with the surf breaking into it and it is fun to watch.  The 5 divers put on a fun show with the finale of a torch dive.

It was now 11:30 and the day is done with two exhausted people.
 
Yvonne’s comments:
Acapulco seems to be nice, with lots of things to do and see, but after all those beautiful beaches, bays and small villages we’ve been to, its way too touristy for my taste.

One good thing there is – Walmart and with it a nice American way of shopping. Everything for everybody anytime.
Due to our “Dock slip’ a la “bomba” (gas station) I had an early start – they cut off the power to move our boat, for them to start working. Bill didn’t like that very much and so we took over the moving operation to make everybody happy.

After that I took it slow cleaned, took SB for a walk and waited around the boat for Bill to fix whatever there needed to be fixed.

Now it was time to explore the town! Luckily we had a taxi driver staying with us all the time – so we could throw everything  in the car and move to the next store.

In one of our errands I found out that I might need a VISA to enter “Estados Unidos” – There I’ve come so far and now I can’t get in????? what a misery.

I healed myself with a nice gin on the boat and enjoyed the Acapulco Divers at night.

LOG 110

August 21^st    (Thursday)

Marina de Puerto de Navidad, Barra de Navidad, Mexico

The long “overnighter” run and the partying last night took its toll.  I woke up at some unknown time and started my morning (I thought) computer chores, etc. It was a cloudy rainy day. Yvonne asked if I knew what time it was (I didn’t) and told me it was 1:00 pm.  I had lost half a day!  But I felt great after a long and much needed sleep.

I completed my chores and then Yvonne, SB, and I headed to town to get a bite to eat and check email.  We wondered around town for a while, ate at a sea food restaurant (I tried the fish soup, it was very good), shopped a little, and took SB for a walk on the beach.  Then it was back to the boat again.  Yvonne had discovered a hilltop view spot for some pictures so I followed her directions and climbed the hill to take some photos.  That was it for me, It was a warm uphill hike. I needed some more rest so I went back to the boat and relaxed for a while. 

Around 8:00 pm I was again hungry but Yvonne was already in for the night.  I took the water taxi to town and ate tacos at Taco Lindo’s again.  I made friends with the owner and I got to sample his BBQ’d cactus and grilled onions along with the tacos.  After that it was back to Piper’s Lovers bar where I again ran into my Hemet pilot friends.  A few margaritas there and it was time to stumble back to the boat and go to sleep.

Yvonne’s comments:

My morning started lazy with a sleep in and my morning run. In town we continued my quarrel with US Consulates and Bill finally managed to talk to a real person at the right place. Back at the boat I prepared some emails on Bills Computer to be sent at my next internet visit and called it an early night.

LOG 113

August 24^th (Sunday)

Marina Puerto de Navidad, Barra de Navidad, Mexico

Well, Ignacio has grown from an area of convective activity to a full blown hurricane with 115 mph winds in a matter of 3 days.  While it is a long way off to the North and moving away it is still generating some big seas ahead of us.  So, Walter recommends another 24 hour delay to let the seas subside as the hurricane moves further north. So, while we will never feel the direct effects of this storm, it is keeping us in port and delaying our passage somewhat.  But, here at the Grand Hotel at Isla de Navidad, tucked away in a beautiful marina with all the amenities of a five star resort, it is difficult to complain and far, far better than being ahead of an oncoming storm.  Always better to be lucky than good, I always say.

So what to do with another day in paradise?  It had been a slow morning again after a tough night on the town and then the trip to town to get weather and email took some time.  Since it was Sunday, most places were closed but we finally lucked out and found one internet place open.  Then the news: stay here for another 24 hours!  Oh well we will have to plan another outing to somewhere.

Barra de Navidad is getting smaller and smaller so we decided on another trip to Melaque.  This meant another bouncy bus ride but the three of us headed to the beach in Melaque anyway.  Finally on the lovely beach, SB and I went for a swim but found the water to be a bit dirty.  So, we beached it for a while and then took a hike to Punta Bahia, the northwestern point of Bahia de Navidad.  This was a nice walk and very scenic.  There was an interesting restaurant/bar built up on top of a huge rock, but though the sign said “abierto” it was closed.  We hiked over the rocks to the point, took a few pictures, and hiked back to town.  We had a mediocre dinner at the El Dorado restaurant, the same restaurant we had eaten at the trip before, and while we made poor menu choices, the view and ambiance were lovely.

Then we took the bouncy bus back to Barra Navidad, the walk through town, and the water taxi to the boat.  It was a pleasant afternoon and of course Scuttlebutt had a great time too.  Back at the boat, Yvonne opted for an evening swim, and I found the big screen TV in the hotel lobby and watched the news on CNN and Fox.  These were the only channels in English.  By 11:00 pm I was back on the boat and asleep.  I left a little dog food out in SB’s bowl as it seems we now have night visitors.  The local raccoons are pretty bold.  At night they walk right down the dock and onto the boats looking for food.  I didn’t want to disappoint them.  So far they have had good manners, taking the food and leaving no mess behind so they are welcome guests (better than some people).   Sure enough, each morning, SB’s bowl is empty.

Yvonne’s comments:

A “Margarita” night with Bill has its after effects and by the time I was ready to face the day it was already 2.30 p.m.!! “Barra de Navidad” is even more dead on a Sunday and I was already giving up hope to send my emails today when we found a nice, speedy e-café tucked away in a “shopping center”. The hurricane weather news Bill read to me wasn’t the one I wanted to hear but they also didn’t come by surprise, and so, I rather enjoyed another day on the beach with a cool drink and a nice Cevice dinner, than be on the boat in the Ocean and best friend with my little blue bucket again.

I decided to leave the Margarita in the Shelf tonight and rather went for a swim in the Hotel Pool. They are funny – those 5 Star people…..it was already dark and I was all by myself at the pool, BUT I had to use one of the white hotel standard towels instead of my bright colored beach towel. Anyway the swim was great and refreshing and by 9.30 p.m. I feel happy and tired to bed.

LOG 114

August 25^th & 26^th (Monday & Tuesday)

Barra de Navidad, Mexico to Paradise Marina, Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico

The question of the day was, has Ignacio moved far enough North so that we could move to Puerto Vallarta?  I headed into town at 11:30 to check email and get my weather update.  When I logged on there was no email from Walter so I was a bit perplexed.  I decided to wait an hour but there was still no update from Walter.  So, I decided to call him and finally got him on the phone.  He was a bit perplexed by the crafty little hurricane as it had slowed down its northward movement and may still present a threat of big seas on our route to Puerto Vallarta. It was pounding Baja. We decided after a long discussion that it would be ok to go so by 3:00 pm I was back in the marina making preparations for departure.

At 5:00 pm we untied our lines and head back out to sea.  Finally under way again!  The afternoon seas were calm and the winds light so the beginning part of the voyage was pleasant.  Yvonne took the first evening watch and managed to wonder 12 miles offshore by midnight where the winds picked up as well as the seas.  We slowed down and pounded along into the head seas for a couple hours until we worked our way back inshore to quieter seas.  The rest of the trip was pleasant.  Around dawn we rounded the infamous Cabo Corrientes, known for squirrelly winds and big confused seas.  We found the conditions quite mild and comfortable as we passed this “speed bump” on the long journey. (There are many “speed bumps” both ahead and behind me!)  The rest of the way into Nuevo Vallarta and the Paradise Marina was calm, pleasant and hot.

We were met by a team of guys led by the dockmaster, Dick Markie, who quickly got us docked in the modern floating docks.  We were set.  We walked to the office to check in and arranged for  “Paperman”, Karl Raggio, to do our port clearance.  Now we have found ourselves in another playground and 5 star resort in which to explore.  A very pleasant arrival!

After a brief rest, we took off to explore our surroundings.  Wow, this is quite a place! From a zoo right behind our boat, an air conditioned modern shopping mall right next door, and a five star beach resort surrounding us.  There is plenty to do right here and never leave the complex.  It is truly a magnificent place.  We may be stuck here for a while waiting for Ignacio to die but don’t worry about us.  We are more than fine!

After the “overnighter” I should have been exhausted but the call of a new port beckoned me on.  About 8:00 pm and after a short nap, we got restless so we jumped on the 10 peso bus to downtown Puerto Vallarta to check out the city.  I haven’t been here in over 20 years and it has grown tremendously.  The “Malecon” was a busy place with many bars, restaurants, venders, entertainers, you name it.  We wondered around and I got another of my favorites that I had found in Zwat, corn on the cob with crema, queso, and chili, and called that dinner with a pina tamale for desert.  Of course, the chili taste required a margarita at Carlos and Charlies to wash it down.

We continued our exploration for a while and of course missed the last bus back to Nuevo Vallarta.  After listening to some nice music in the square for a while, the hours had caught up to us and we took a taxi back to the boat.  A quick walk for SB who had been left behind, on this adventure the night was a wrap. 

Yvonne’s comments:

I took SB for a nice long walk around the Resort while we were waiting for Bill to come “home” with the weather forecast. I told him only to come home with good news – and so, after 3 hours of waiting I already saw myself running or swimming again whilst staying for another night. But back he came and soon after we were out and about to play with the waves again. I left my navigation skills somewhere in Barra and took a little detour playing too much with the waves!!!

The Paradise Resort in Vallarta is impressive. I like the Mayan Style hotel with its Waterfall towers all around its Cobblestone streets and not to forget the various pools and Jacuzzi’s. I think I wouldn’t mind another “Ignacio” in this place!!

After relaxing and exploring, I took off for a run, this time along the beach. Happy I was ready to explore Downtown Vallarta at night!

LOG 115

August 27^th (Wednesday)

Paradise Marina, Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico

This was a recovery day after our “overnighter” followed by our night out on the town.  I left the boat only once before noon and that was to send/receive email.  They have a phone line in the Dockmaster’s office just for laptops so I can connect once more.  The problem is that they charge $.40 per minute so I only will do flash sessions on AOL to send logs/email and receive.

Other than that we just rested, played with SB and took it easy until after noon.  Then, with our batteries recharged we headed downtown again to continue exploring.  SB went with us and we hit Old Puerta Vallarta, stopped in an internet café, walked the “Malecon”, and then on into the “Zona Romantica”.  During this escapade, I had wings at Hooters and we stopped for drinks at many of the local bars.  Scuttlebutt was invited into most places so she was a happy camper too.  The tourist area of Puerta Vallarta is quite nice with almost any type of tourist attraction you might want but in a much more quaint setting than Acapulco.

It was a hot day and by 7:30 pm we were hot and tired so we walked back to the bus terminal and took the bus back to Nuevo Vallarta.  There we made a quick stop for some ice cream in the mall and went to check out the Vallarta Yacht Club.  Here we met some of the local “yachties” and had another Corona.  That was it. After an hour there I was out for the count and ready for bed.  A quick walk for SB and a good night lick from the deer behind the boat and I was in for the night.

 Yvonne’s comments:

Puerto Vallarta is a nice place and I like its style and people. A hot day in the city gave us many opportunities to check out the street and beach bars. I finally found a speedy internet and got my website up to date and organized. After a long day in town with lots of walking, talking and drinking I was ready to go to bed early.

LOG 116

August 28^th (Thursday)

Paradise Marina, Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico

We again slept in and then stayed around the resort all day.  This included a couple trips to the local mall and walks around the hotel.  Yvonne did her swimming and scuttlebutt got several walks.  The port side of the boat got washed and all in all it was a restful and enjoyable day.

It turned out to be taco night at the Vallarta Yacht Club so we dropped in for tacos.  This was followed by an obligatory bingo game in which Yvonne won a bottle of Tequila.  After tacos and bingo, I fired up the blender on the aft deck and made strawberry margaritas for us.  Then it was already 11:00 pm and time for bed.  I spent an hour or so working on my pictures and then turned in.

Yvonne’s comments:

It was a “boat-marina” Day and a beautiful sunny one as well. After washing the boat I enjoyed a swim myself and cooled off in the swimming pool.

Somehow I was on the lucky side playing bingo and with my “Bingo-Tequila” we can have a lot more Margaritas on the boat.

LOG 117

August 29^th (Friday)

Paradise Marina, Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico

The plan is to leave for Mazatlan tomorrow so today is prep for departure day.  We had to go to the mall to do the internet thing and make phone calls regarding Yvonne’s visa.  Finally, after the expected red tape, we got her interview approved in Tijuana and  Germany, get a picture taken, make a $100 payment at a bank, etc, etc.  Entering the US if you are not a US Citizen is a real pain.

With that done and Scuttlebutt walked, we made a provisioning run to the Super Walmart and loaded up on supplies for the next leg of the voyage.  Of course it is really hot here now so all this was done in slow motion with many stops for drinks and ice cream.  The “Paperman” found us at the internet café at 1:00 (I was supposed to be on the boat but forgot) and delivered our departure papers to us there. (Great service!)  I then stopped by the marina office at the prescribed time of 3:00 pm to check out.  All very painless.

We had spent an hour washing down the cockpit in the morning and I had paid a local to do the stainless steel.  The boat is starting to look ok again after its 4 ½ month ordeal and all that was left to do before departure was check the oil and transfer some fuel.  This took about 15 minutes and we were ready to go.

The evening was spent restfully around the hotel and local establishments and it was an early night as we planned an early departure tomorrow.

 Yvonne’s comments:

I guess one of the most exciting happenings of my day today was, the time I spent in the Jacuzzi, relaxing my sore muscles after a run SB and I have done around the resort. It was wonderful to just lay there at night in a hot pool looking at the stars.

Walmart of course kept again its promise of “always” easy shopping and with it our bags and fridge full.

LOG 118

August 30^th & 31^st (Saturday & Sunday)

Paradise Marina, Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico to El Cid Marina, Mazatlan, Mexico

Our departure went smoothly and we were under way at 9:30 after saying goodbye to a few of the cruisers we met in the yacht club.  Banderas Bay was smooth and as we turned the corner at Punta Mita the seas stayed calm but with a current running against us.  The weather stayed nice through the night and though the wind picked up to about 15 kts. for a while, the ride was pleasant. 

Around midnight Scuttlebutt let us know she had to pee.  Of course we were 30 miles from land and a shore excursion was not a possibility so finally after 4 ½ months on the trip, Scuttlebutt finally pee’d on the deck.  Halleluiah!!  She finally figured it out.  Then about an hour later she did it again and both times got great praise and responded with a lot of tail wagging.  I hope we have overcome a big hurdle as the legs up the Pacific Coast of Baja are long and “up hill”.

About 10:30 we entered the lagoon at Mazatlan Marinas and called “Griffin” on Ch. 72 to arrange for fuel.  We found his fuel dock with no problem and proceeded to refuel.  The first tank I filled, 96 gallon capacity, took 102 gallons on his meter.  My 153 gallon tank took 163.  I pointed these minor facts out to him and he agreed to adjust the number of gallons purchased.  The guy is a crook and should be avoided.  He never would have said a word if I didn’t catch him and he was under pumping by 7%.  We finished topping off. Made the adjustment in gallons and then came the price in pesos.  He argued that the 11/1 exchange rate made it $1.85 per gallon so I said no problem.  I reversed the game in him and paid him in dollars using his exchange rate.  I ended up paying $1.84.9  per gallon for 811 gallons but not without a lot of hassle and cunning. 

Then we moved over to the El Cid Marina, another marina with a 5 star resort attached.  We rested for a few minutes and then went to the office to check in.  It was very slick and quick.  We quickly returned to the boat to plan the rest of our day.  It was very hot outside and the air conditioning in the boat felt great. After a few minutes of concentration, we determined it was too hot to do anything other than go to the pool and sit at the swim-up bar and get a cold beer.  We took SB to the pool, soaked her so she would be cool, put her under a palapa, and spent over an hour cooling off in the pool.

By 5:00 pm it had started to cool off a little so we organized a trip downtown.  We took SB along and hired a “Pulmonia”, (means pneumonia in Spanish but humorously refers to the open air taxis, part VW part golf cart, that scurry around Mazatlan) to take us down to Old Mazatlan.  The open air, seven mile ride was pleasant and then we walked around the old city, parts dating back to the 16^th century.   We watched the sunset from a noisy bar on the Malacon and observed some party activity at a nearby bar with a terrible live Mexican band.  Since it was Sunday, most everything was closed except bars and restaurants and soon after sunset, they started to close too.  The plazas had some activity but it was an early night in Old Mazatlan so we got a “Pulmonia” and headed back to the marina.  The “Zona Gold” or hotel/resort/tourist strip along the beach was active but we were tired and stayed the course back to the boat.

 Yvonne’s comments:

Happy not to be caught by any more hurricanes and ready to leave Vallarta I enjoyed another sunny day in the ocean. After all this rough sea we had, I was thankful for a smooth and easy cruise.

Strolling around another Marina and checking out the area I thought it’s interesting how different all the 5 Star hotel resorts look like. Some of them are really fancy some of them I found plain some are very strict, especially when it comes to Scuttlebutt and some are very easy going like here in El Cid. And so we could take SB with us to the pool and she  as well enjoyed a refreshing afternoon (but without a beer). Mazatlan itself was dead, like all cities in Central America - on a Sunday there is not much going on. We still found a nice place next to the beach and I could watch a beautiful sunset while drinking a gigantic, strong but delicious Margarita.

LOG 119

September 1^st & 2^nd (Monday & Tuesday)

El Cid Marina, Mazatlan, Mexico to Marina Cabo San Lucas, Baja, Mexico

We woke up to another beautiful day.  I checked the weather and it looked like a perfect day to cross the 193 miles of open water to Cabo San Lucas so I decided to make the crossing.  But first we enjoyed the wonderful pool at the El Cid Resort.  This pool had caves, waterfalls, Jacuzzi and rock formations that made it look very inviting.  So we checked it out and since SB was allowed poolside at this resort, we camped by the pool for a couple of hours and took a few pictures.

Then, at 11:30, we checked out of the marina and headed out.  Because we were there less than 24 hours, we never had to do the port clearance so we were saved the expense and the paperwork.  Our departure was quick at the boat was pointed right at the inlet and in minutes we were on our way.  On the whole 193 mile crossing we only saw one other boat except at the ports.  The seas were calm the whole way and it was a lovely trip.

The only excitement was the arrival, or should I say crash landing, of a small sea bird.  It thumped into the flybridge around 1:30 am and stayed with us until 10:00 am the next morning.  It was a small baby bird and liked to sit in the palm of your hand for hours.  It got very tame and would rather be held than anything else.  By 10:00 am it had recuperated from what ever was ailing it and it flew off and went fishing.  It never came back.

As we approached Cabo San Lucas around noon, it was a spectacular sight to see the rock formations around the bay and observe the many large rays jumping out of the water.  The famous arc rock was a welcome sight as we approached Cabo San Lucas Harbor. It was a hot, calm day and soon we were again tied up safe and sound in another wonderful marina.  Scuttlebutt was happy to get ashore and by 2:00 pm we were checked in and resting on the boat with a cerveza already consumed at one of the waterfront bars. 

I took a nap while Yvonne headed downtown to get some passport pictures taken for her Visa application.  By 6:00 pm I was ready to explore a little and Scuttlebutt needed another walk.  We walked around the marina which is lined with restaurants, bars, watersport businesses, and shops and Scuttlebutt met “Oley” a 3 ½ year old male Golden Retriever.  They played well together and Oley joined us for the rest of our walk.  I had to backtrack to return him to the dive shop where he hung out. The marina is a happening place with lots of people about and active bars and restaurants.

Tuesdays 8:00 pm to 10:00 pm was free drinks for ladies night at the” Nowhere Bar” so we took Yvonne and Scuttlebutt there for free drinks.  Of course my Margarita was $5.00 but Scuttlebutt and Yvonne drank for free.  The place filled up and there was dancing but by 10:00 I was ready for dinner somewhere else so I left Yvonne and Scuttlebutt to there party and I headed out to get a bite to eat and had a burger at “Johnnie Rockets”.  Then I found an open internet café, checked the email, and went back to the boat to bed.  Along the way, I picked up Scuttlebutt and called it a night.

Yvonne’s comments:

It’s great here at the Marina in Cabo; we don’t have to worry about bus, taxi or any other transportation to get to town not to mention fighting for Scutties’ rights to join! We just get of the boat walk down the dock and are in the middle of the happenings.

Cabo looks like a nice, dessert town with lots of artesania markets, restaurants, bars and friendly people; the only thing I am missing is my Jacuzzi and pool bar-smile-

I saw for the first time Manta Rays jumping out of the water. They have done a wonderful job impressing me.

It was great to see Cabo San Lucas alive at night and my “lady night” at the “Nowhere Bar” was very liquid. I enjoyed dancing until I couldn’t move any more.

LOG 120

September 3^rd (Wednesday)

Marina Cabo San Lucas, Baja, Mexico

STORMY, Today is the worst weather we’ve seen so far.  The good news is we are safely in port.  The winds are blowing up to 30 kts. and there are numerous thunderstorms with heavy rain on and off.  Then boat is rocking in its slip as we are on “K” dock which is partially exposed to the inlet.

Other than that, all is well.  There is a Tropical Depression (11E) to our south causing this weather but the forecasters say it will move west of Baja and not affect us directly.  So, we will wait here for another weather window and head north.

This is not a bad place to be stuck.  I rested aboard until almost 1:00 pm, only venturing on land to take SB for a couple walks.  Yvonne made a few trips out to do some chores for her Visa application and attempted to pick up our port clearance paperwork.  The port clearance folks keep some weird hours so it is hard to catch them in their office.

Other than that the afternoon was spent exploring the area between rain showers and resting.  Scuttlebutt needed shore time to get “regular” again and there are plenty of shops and restaurants to keep us occupied. 

Before I knew it the sun was down, there was no sunset, just more rain and then darkness.  My sister Lori sent me an email with information on two good restaurants.  The first was “Sancho Panza” which after some searching, it turned out top be practically right behind the boat.  She advised me to eat there and to find the owner, Rueben, and ask for info on the best \Sushi bar in town. She didn’t remember the name of it.  So, after finally locating Sancho Panza, I found that Rueban was no longer there.  I don’t think he was an owner.  I did find the owner, Ron, and he told me about “Nik-San” Sushi.  It was practically next door.  It was after 9:00 pm by now and I was in the mood for Sushi so I followed more of my sister’s instructions and walked in, sat at the Sushi bar, and told the chef to make me anything he wants.

What a treat.  The next hour and a half was an eating experience.  Probably it was the best Sushi I’d ever had with sauces that were extraordinary.  Any Sushi lovers that come to Cabo have got to try this place.  Score one for Lori!

Yvonne doesn’t like to eat late so she had taken off on her own.  I knew she would be at the “Love Shack” because it was Lady’s Night and women drink for free from 9:00 to 11:00.  I stopped by to check on her and it was a real loud and noisy bar.  Not my kind of place so I left her to the wolves and headed back to the boat to take SB for a late walk and then bed by midnight.

Yvonne’s comments:

Today I had to find out, that Cabo is a definitely a dessert town and not prepared for heavy rain. So,today’s storm brought a rainy chaos to the town. It wasn’t easy to cross the heavy, knee deep, dirty, muddy, flooded streets. After running back and forth between town and the boat and always in between the water streams I relaxed for a while to be ready to party in the “Love Shack” – where the people get together………

It was quiet in the beginning and I thought I will end my day with watching others playing pool. But after 12 a.m. it picked up and with the right the music the place was jamming. I met some interesting people: a photographer from L.A., his girlfriend a show girl from Cabo, with whom I had fun with dancing and shaking like crazy. Now my legs are sore and I could use a good massage.

LOG 121

September 4^th (Thursday)

Marina Cabo San Lucas, Baja, Mexico

The stormy weather continues as the day begins. So, its another relaxing day around the marina with walks and sightseeing.  Scuttlebutt is enjoying the cool weather and plenty of shore time.  I spent some time changing some fuel filters and getting the boat ready for the next big push, the “Baja Bash”, running up the Pacific side of Baja against the prevailing winds and seas.

The weather forecast is for clearing by Friday and Walter advises a late Friday or early Saturday departure but he also advises that seas will get rough in Northern Baja on Tuesday.  I spent the day working on a plan to deal with this and Scuttlebutt’s needs to go ashore and the timing is a bit complicated as stops are few and far between on the Baja coast.  An early start tomorrow will help with this problem so we will hope to wake up to good weather.

I spent the afternoon wondering around Cabo San Lucas with Scuttlebutt and decided to have another Sushi dinner at Nik San Sushi.  I had the same chef and again told him to make whatever he likes.  After 5 delicious selections, all different than last night, I was stuffed.  It again was an extraordinary meal.

Yvonne had taken off on her own again for the day.  She had made some friends the night before that she joined them again for fun and games.  I didn’t see her again until the next morning.  I was still tired from the previous journey so I went to bed early.

Yvonne’s comments:

With laundry my morning passed by quickly and by the time I was done it was already 2p.m. and time to explore Cabo at daylight.

The “friends” I’ve met the night before didn’t show up! So I was on my own wandering around town. While having a delicious coffee and still trying to wake up from the party the night before, I met a Canadian living out here and so I made him my tour guide for the day. Together we had a nice afternoon with more coffee, ceviche and a beautiful walk along the beach on the Pacific Side of Cabo San Lucas.

At 12 a.m. I decided it was time to call my best girlfriend at home – due to time change of 8 hours it was the perfect time to wake her up!

Oh it felt so good to talk to her at the other side of the world. Tired I could now happily fall asleep.

LOG 122

September 5^th & 6^th &7^th  (Friday & Saturday & Sunday)

   Marina Cabo San Lucas, Baja, Mexico to Magdalena Bay to Turtle Bay, Baja

The weather cleared and it was departure day.  The morning was a frenzy of activity as we made a final trip to the “Supermercado”, paid our marina bill, checked weather, and prepped the boat for departure. Everything opened late so we were delayed a bit on my planned 10:00 am departure.  We gave SB a final walk and then left our slip for a quick stop at the fuel dock to top off.  Then, by 11:30 am we were headed out of the harbor.  It was quite a sight as the good weather brought lots of activity.  The Carnival Cruise Line ship “Elation” was in port and small boats were running every which way.  The sights of passing the famous Arc Rock and Neptune’s Finger were spectacular in the bright sun and the rather large swell breaking on Cabo San Lucas.

We rounded the point and took the swell abeam which made for a rolly ride but the mission must continue.  Rounding Cabo Falso we turned more northbound and that helped somewhat with the roll.  As the day progressed, the seas calmed and by nightfall we were enjoying a pleasant ride.  Elation passed between us and land as we motored up the Baja coast.  It was a pretty sight. 

We took turns standing watch and we had a following current all night.  I had to slow down so as to arrive at Magdalena Bay after sunrise.  As dawn approached we approached the entrance to Mag Bay. At 7:30, with Punta Entrada to port and Punta Redondo to starboard, we entered the Mag Bay, a body of water the size of San Francisco Bay, and motored 3 miles inside to Punta Belcher. We were greeted by several sea lions as we entered the bay, a welcome change from the usual dolphins.  We had covered the first 164 miles of the Baja Bash in 20 hours burning 144 gallons of fuel (thanks to the following current) and so far so good.

The plan was to anchor here and go ashore, giving SB her much need walk.  However, upon attempting to anchor we found the anchor chain fowled in the locker and could not deploy the anchor.  This has probably been that way since we took the big wave exiting Barillas as the pile of chain in the locker sort of rolled over on itself.  So, Yvonne reluctantly volunteered to swim ashore with SB and I stayed aboard to untangle the 350 lbs of chain.

I finished untangling the mess in about 30 minutes and found that Yvonne and Scuttlebutt had hitched a ride back to the boat with a local fisherman.  I rewarded them with 100 pesos and 3 beers and thanked them for saving SB and Yvonne another swim.  I didn’t want to put the tender down if I could have avoided it because that would cost an hour and a lot of work.

By 9:00 am we were headed back out to sea, past Punta Entrada and its beautiful “Sail Rock” to continue our 240 mile journey to Turtle Bay. The day was perfect.  We had gentle swells and calm winds throughout the day and the night.  As we traded watches, the highlight of the cruise was the abundant sealife.  We passed many turtles sunning themselves, a few sharks, countless dolphin and our new friends, the many sea lions that inhabit the Pacific Coast.  This along with the many sea birds giving us an escort and boat chores like transferring fuel and engine room checks made the day pass quickly.  Sometimes as many as 50 dolphin at a time would approach the boat and play in our bow wave and our wake, all jumping out of the water as they breath.

I BBQ’d steaks and fish for our dinner and we had a small feast as the Knotty Mind motored along on the smooth seas.  We had a following current all the way to Turtle Bay and the night brought a ¾ moon with the moonbeams dancing on the glassy smooth water.  It was beautiful and almost eerie at times.  As the sun rose, we were only 50 miles from Bahia de Tortugas.  Now we were 27 degrees North latitude and we experienced the change of climates.  We were no longer in the tropics and we had morning low clouds, fog and drizzle.  I must be getting close to home! We continued on and motored into Turtle  Bay at 1:00 PM.  We were escorted in by numerous dolphin and sea lions.

Having been mostly under way for almost 49 hours, it was great to drop the anchor and go ashore.  Scuttlebutt was particularly pleased.  As advertised in the cruising guide, Jorge met the boat in has Panga and served as a water taxi.  This was great for again I did not have to put the tender down.  We walked around town for an hour and made 5:30 reservations at the Restaurant Veracruz which was closed Sundays but said they would open just for us. Very Nice!  We put in our food orders and told them we would be back at 5:30 for dinner.  Jorge gave us a ride back to the boat and agreed to pick us up at 5:00 pm.  This is working out almost too well!

At 5:00 pm sharp Scuttlebutt announced the arrival of a Panga and we were off to dinner.  We had to climb the steps to the long pier this time as the tide was lower but it worked out ok and we walked into the restaurant at exactly 5:30.  Dinner was not good.  My “pollo” was tasteless and consisted of only leg and thigh after I requested white meat.  The rest of the meal was not much better.  Yvonne’s fish was ok but this was a meal better skipped.  The service was awful as well and we were the only customers.

Anyway, we walked back to the pier to find Jorge waiting and at 7:30 we returned to the boat and an early sleep.  The plan was to awake at 4:00 am for an early departure so we made arrangements with Jorge to come out to the boat at 4:00 am so I could take SB ashore before departure.  I hadn’t paid him yet so I knew he would show up.

Yvonne’s comments:

Again, Bill’s plans, calculations and strategy worked out perfectly fine and I could enjoy a lovely cruise further north, along the Baja Coast of California.

Once we arrived in Mag Bay I had to face a new task of being a girlfriend - What don’t we do for our Scuttlebutt and so, after a rather short night and with not much sleep in my bones I was sent to go swimming as early as 7.30 in the morning!

Finally on shore I decided there is NO WAY I am going back in that freezing cold water….so off we went along the beach. Scuttlebutt all happy sniffing dead fish bones and me in search for fishermen to take us back to the boat. I was in luck and encountered not just 1 but 30 of them around the bay and in preparation to go out fishing. Luckily it wasn’t hard to achieve my goal and so I talked one of the fishermen into taking us back to the boat.

Turtle Bay was a very pleasant place to have a stop over and the besides the dust and heat I thought of it as a nice village with very friendly, helpful people.

LOG 123

September 8^th & 9^th   (Monday and Tuesday)

Turtle Bay, Baja to Cruiseport Marina, Ensenada, Baja, Mexico

Again Scuttlebutt announced the arrival of the Panga, this time right on schedule at 4:00 am.  Jorge was very reliable.  The almost full moon was still up so there was good light as we approached the long pier.  The tide was way down and we had to climb a wet slimy ladder to the steps that lead up to the dock.  Jorge lifted Scuttlebutt up to me and we were on our way ashore. Interesting!  Scuttlebutt is quite a trooper!  Scuttlebutt chased away the hundreds of seabirds resting on the pier and ashore we went.  Anyway, 20 minutes later with shore mission complete, we walked back out the old pier (with holes to fall through in the darkness and covered with fresh seabird shit), down the steps, down the wet slimy ladder and into the Panga.  We were back on the boat by 4:30 am.

We got set up for departure and at 5:00 am we pulled up the anchor and got under way.  We followed our GPS “snail trail” (track left on GPS Map coming in) and monitored our radar and shore beacon lights as we exited the bay to avoid several rock hazards.  The moon had set and it was now very dark.  Safely at sea we turned northwestward and on course.  Soon we were engulfed in fog and drizzle again.  And, it was cold!  I had to put on a sweatshirt and long pants (1^st time in a long time) as we motored up the coast.  Thank goodness for radar and GPS to keep us safely on course in the fog.

The dolphins were playing around the boat in the darkness.  There was phosphorous in the water so as they swam by they left a lighted glowing trail and looked like torpedoes flying through the water.  It was quite a sight.

We passed Punta Eugenia at sunrise going through the Canal de Dewey separating Isla Natavidad from Pt. Eugenia, then crossed the Canal de Keller to Isla Cedros.  Here we motored in the dead calm waters past the salt loading port and up the sheltered eastern shore for 20 miles before heading out into the open sea to cross the Bahia de Sabastian Vizcaino.  This is a 90 mile open water crossing where we will rejoin the coast at Punta Baja.  It will then be necessary to circumnavigate the Sacramento Reef in darkness.

Daylight came on schedule and the crossing went well. The northwesterly winds picked up a little and the ride was a bit choppy but we have to pay our dues somewhere on the Baja Bash.  Hopefully this will be the worst of it.  This should be our last overnight run so it will be day-cruising the rest of the way.  We continued northbound past “Roka Ben”, another hazard where rogue waves are said to come out of nowhere and upset boats, without incident, and we are looking ahead to our arrival in Ensenada around 3 pm.  This 275 mile, 34 hour leg is one of the longest of the voyage.

Our 3pm (2:00 pm Pacific Time) arrival in Ensenada went off on schedule and soon we were again safely tied up in a marina.  Gabriel, the dockmaster, checked us in and we were set in minutes with port clearance, arrangements for our departure paperwork, and directions for things around town.  A very warm welcome.

We rested in the quiet marina, gave Scuttlebutt the numerous walks she asked for and each took a walk to town to explore. I took Scuttlebutt on a walk of through the  newly renovated Ensenada waterfront and enjoyed the upscale marina area.  Then I had a burrito and a couple margaritas for dinner at a small restaurant and returned to the boat for a good nights sleep.

Yvonne’s comments:

Lots of water, clouds and sky is what I have to say for today.

It’s great to see the seal lions play in the water. One emerged just in front of me with a big fish in its mouth. It feels good to see that nature is still intact.

It’s hard to believe but we finally made it to Ensenada! Unfortunately this means we are almost at the end of our trip and soon I will just dream of dolphins, turtles, birds and water. But as far as today goes I enjoy being back in another Marina and able to walk on and off the boat whenever I feel like it.

LOG 124

September 10^th   (Wednesday)

Cruiseport Village Marina, Ensenada, Baja, Mexico

We awoke to the surprising sight of the Carnival Cruise Line “Ecstasy” moored about 100 yards away from the Knotty Mind.  Though separated by a fence, with its size it looked like we were docked right next to it.  It was to be a lazy day to recover from the Baja Bash.  We had spent 5 days beating our way up the Baja coast and finally the GPS says that San Diego is only 60 miles away and MDR is only 160.  The “Cats” can smell the barn!

After a slow start, I decided to take my laptop to the office and get caught up on emails and logs.  It was about a 10 minute hike to the marina office.  Oops, forgot the phone line, had to do the round trip walk again.  Then, I spent 15 minutes trying to find a live phone line in the office.  Ok, finally hooked up but for some reason unable to stay connected to AOL.  Probably bad phone line.  1 ½ hours later I gave up.  I went back to the boat, put everything on disk and headed downtown to an internet café.  I was able to make some phone calls from the office and now have my cell phone turned back on.  It should work when we go to Tijuana on Friday.

1^st internet café, I couldn’t connect to AOL.  I could only get AOL Mexico which doesn’t help.  This is a strange phenomena that I have been dealing with throughout Mexico.  I will call AOL when I get back to learn why this is the case.  2^nd internet cafe I got into AOL but their computer wouldn’t take my floppy disk.  Shucks!  OK, on to the third internet café and here I found high speed success!  The whole process took 4 hours and by now it was after 4 pm.

Time for strawberry margaritas made right on the boat.  Yvonne had spent the day finalizing her paperwork for her visit to the US Consulate tomorrow to get her Visa.  She had to find transportation to Tijuana and get some documents faxed to her from Germany.  With this done it was margarita time for her too.  I made a pitcher of margaritas and that was it for me for the night.  I went to bed very early, still tired from the Baja Bash.

LOG 125

September 11^th   (Thursday)

Cruiseport Village Marina, Ensenada, Baja, Mexico

Another lazy day!  I slept in and after I awoke I did a few boat chores to prep for the next departure.  Yvonne finished her paperwork for the US Consulate Visa application and we both wondered downtown a couple times to eat and check the internet. I chatted with a few other cruisers on the dock and now I seem to have a wealth if info for those heading South.  The logs make a great reference. Other than that, it was a do nothing day and get ready for the early wake up tomorrow to go to Tijuana and the consulate.

LOG 126

September 12^th   (Friday)

Cruiseport Village Marina, Ensenada, Baja, Mexico

Ok, this is a big day for Yvonne as we awoke at 6:00 am to go to the US Consulate.  Scuttlebutt got an early walk and then we left her with some friends, Mile and Jeri, on “Cloud 9”. First we walked 20 minutes to the bus station to catch the 7:40 bus.  It was cancelled so we had to take the 8:10 bus that actually left at 8:35.  Her appointment was at 10:00.  The bus ride was pleasant and arriving at the Tijuana Terminal at just before 10:00 we jumped in to a cab and made it to the Consulate just after 10:00.

After a short wait in line, Yvonne was admitted for her interview appointment but I had to wait outside.  Ok, I wasted the trip and she could have gone without me!  So, I got an ice cream and waited.  About an hour later Yvonne came out and she wasn’t smiling!  They had turned down her application and would not issue her a Visa!  They said she needed to apply in her own country and not while traveling.  She was quite unhappy.  She had put a lot of time and effort into the application process as well as about $200.00 and came away empty handed.

The bus ride back was very quiet.  After considering her options at this point, Yvonne will leave the boat tomorrow morning and stay in Mexico for a while and continue her travels.  I will finish the trip with only Scuttlebutt as crew.  She spent the evening packing all her things back into her backpack.  This was a complicated process as the number of her possessions had grown on the trip.  While I waited for the departure paperwork to be delivered, she went downtown to check her email and make some travel arrangements.  I had a steak dinner at Le Ficas’, a steakhouse just outside the marina.  Very good steak! Then I returned to the boar for a good night’s sleep before the final legs of my journey.

In the morning, I will depart for San Diego.

LOG 127

September 13^th   (Saturday)

Cruiseport Village Marina, Ensenada, Baja, Mexico to Shelter Island, San Diego, USA

Another early wakeup at 6:00am but this time it was to depart Mexico and say goodbye to Yvonne.  Since she didn’t get her US Visa, she decided to stay in Mexico for a while and see what she could find to do.  So, at 7:00 am, she helped cast off the lines but this time she stayed on the dock. Scuttlebutt was very sad as they had really bonded.

The day’s cruise began in low clouds and fog but cleared around 11:00 am.  I motored 5 miles offshore to see the Coronado Islands and then headed straight for the sea buoy for San Diego Harbor.  There were many boats out in this pretty Saturday day but I made it without incident to the harbor police dock on Shelter Island where you clear customs.

It was all very quick!  I called customs on the phone and they had an inspector there in 15 minutes.  He gave me a form to fill out and then asked me to dump my eggs and fresh vegetables and we were done in less than 10 minutes.  I had arranged a transient dock with the marina office and for $20 I had a slip for the night.  All very painless!  Unfortunately there were only 30 amp plugs on the dock so I didn’t have any shore power.  But the night was cool and I certainly didn’t need air conditioning. This was abit of a hangout for derelict boats but I was happy just to have a convenient place to stay.

After getting the boat secured, Scuttlebutt and I took a long walk to explore Shelter Island.  We ran into lots of people with dogs so it was a very pleasant afternoon and the area was beautiful with lots of grass for SB.  I found a burger place. Boll Weavel, for dinner and watched the UCLA football game.  Then the long walk back to the boat and bed.

LOG 128

September 14^th   (Sunday)

Shelter Island, San Diego, to Marina Del Rey, Ca. USA

The Epic Voyage Ends

My quiet peaceful dock was anything but that.  In the middle of the night, more derelict boats sneak in to use the facilities, making lots of noise, and then leave early in the morning so they don’t have to pay the $10.00.  In addition to that they find time to have a family dispute with lots of yelling etc.  I had thought about spending the day in San Diego but this changed my mind and I left at 6:00 am.

The run to MDR was pleasant but cold and overcast the whole way.  I never saw the sun!  The winds were calm until about 3:00 pm and then we picked up a little chop out of the Northwest.  I stayed way offshore but there were many boats about.  Passing the Port of Los Angeles, it was hectic with freighters, ferry boats from Catalina Island, and dozens of small boats running in all directions.  Vessel Assist and the Coast Guard were busy doing numerous rescues so there was plenty to listen to on the radio.  I was in cell phone range a good part of the time so I made calls as I cruised along.

At 6:15 pm I entered the breakwater at Marina Del Rey and by 7:00 pm I was tied up at the guest dock at the California Yacht Club.  It has been exactly 5 months since leaving Hollywood, Fl. and here I am, 5574 nautical miles later!  Scuttlebutt was happy to get her walk and I was happy to have finished the epic voyage though I will miss the cruising routine into which I have adjusted.

This is the final log but I will follow up with one more epilogue of thoughts and stuff about the trip overall.  I hope you all have enjoyed the daily account of my travels and I have enjoyed putting it out and getting back the comments from the many of you that contacted me along the way.