Adios La Paz

This morning Magic and her crew left La Paz and began the slow cruise north -- eventually returning to Guaymas by mid May. We spent 5+ weeks in and around La Paz; thoroughly enjoying the Mexican city, the cruising community, and hosting our family. We could not have enjoyed ourselves more. Well, the captain wishes he had caught some fish but we are hopeful that soon his luck will turn.

We are now anchored in Ensenada Grande and once again the National Geographic cruise ship is sharing the bay. We kayaked throughout the anchorage this afternoon and watched the sun slowly set over the Baja peninsula.

We expect to leave in the morning for Evaristo, a small village about 25 nautical miles north on the Baja peninsula. We will be on the look out for winds with a southerly component!

Driving in Mexico

Alan's Story:

Back in December, when making plans for Bryan to visit us in La Paz, we realized it was half price to fly to San Jose del Cabo (40 k. North of Cabo San Lucas) compared to La Paz. It was a big difference so we booked his round trip and also told Caroline’s sister to fly there, saving them money too. The hidden cost however was how to get from Cabo to La Paz. Standard busses don’t go directly between the airport and La Paz. It became clear renting a car was the least expensive way to go. We walked between 5 car rental companies and found a 50$ deal with Thrifty, and reserved a car each day folks were arriving and departing. It was also a way for us to provision and even visit Home Depot in Cabo.

That first round trip opened our eyes to the hidden costs of time, fuel, and our sore butts. We were lead to believe it was less than a 2 hour drive when in reality it was more than 3. The stress of being over 1 ½ hours late to pick up Alisa & family (their flight was 40 minutes early) was another hidden cost not planed on. But the drive is actually nice, being mostly a 4 lane highway, going through a delightful town along the way, Todo Santos. We chanced upon a taco stand we’ve eaten at almost every trip. We’ve also learned to take extra cushions to protect us from the cheap car seats. But there was another hidden cost not seen until our last round trip to Cabo.

Driving in Mexico is an adventure. There is road work along two stretches (making two lanes into four) and unlike the USA road projects, signage is often lacking when making transition from old to new road ways. Stop signs are ignored unless a cross traffic car is present. And I haven’t figured out just how much faster than the posted speed limit I can drive without being stopped. When the signs say 90, I’m doing 120 and regularly being passed by other drivers, it makes me thing the speed rules are very flexible. However, 10 minutes into our last round trip (yesterday) I learned about another road rule down here. Imagine an intersection with lights. They aren’t on every corner, but just in the middle overhead. So I learned the hard way you don’t venture out to the middle to make a left hahd turn, because you can no longer see the sign. I couldn’t see it had turned red when I made the turn, after the oncoming traffic passed. The motorcycle cop behind me had no problem seeing the light, and I was soon parked and hearing about my error. My Spanish is rather poor but his saying “rojo” was one word I caught, and his hand signs also gave clear meaning to what he didn’t like about my driving. He had my driver’s license  and his ticket book in hand and was telling me he was going to keep the license until the ticket was paid. Amongst all this Spanish came the words (in English) “Two Hundred Dollars”. I asked “Pesos?” “No, Dollars”, but he flipped the ticket book over and wrote out 2,300. Then it became clear he wanted payment now, in cash and there would be no ticket and he said twice, no receipt. MORDIDA! I pulled out the wallet and found the exact amount and he gave me the space to slip the bills between two pages of his ticket book, we shook hands and said good by. After the shock of what had just happened, I realized the car rental had just doubled in price, thanks to my new friend the cop.

Spring Break for All

We had a fabulous week with Bryan sailing to the islands north of LaPaz for relaxing, small boat sailing, snorkeling, kayaking, and fishing.   We saw incredible sealife--dolphins, seals, jumping rays, turtle, and most special:  breaching fin whales!

Here is a shot of the dolphins swimming off our bow as we left LaPaz.  We were overwhelmed with their presence and playfulness around our boat.

We anchored in Caleta Lobos to wait out a day of strong northerly wind.  We put the sailing dinghy in the water and with Alan in the kayak and Bryan in the dinghy they tore around the anchorage.

Then we headed up to Ensenada Grande for a few days in a beautiful anchorage with tall red cliffs,  blue-green  waters, and sandy beaches.  We kayaked and snorkeled and had siesta!

The we sailed back to LaPaz.  We had a great sail and Bryan could totally experience the difference in sailing a cat vs monoholl.  CATS rule.  On our sail home we experienced the breaching whale.  We were fishing and Alan saw an area with many pelicans and a bit of water disturbance.  So he opted to head that way.  I was scanning the water disturbance and suddenly a huge whale just lifted out of the water!  This was less than 1/2 mile from us.  And the whale breached again.  We all screamed!  (Sorry no pictures -- it is too incredible to watch through a camera lens!  Plus you never know where they will come up.)  There were only 2 other sailboats in the area and we all slowed/stopped to watch.  And after 4-5 breaches the whale rolled and submerged.  He was next spotted well off our beam and by his markings we knew it was a fin whale.

As we approached the LaPaz channel, the Mexican Navy approached and did a boarding.  We showed them our import permit, Coast Guard papers, passports and visas.  He asked to see our communication equipment (VHF radio).  All was done quickly and professionally.  We gave them cookies as they left!

We got into LaPaz and had the hook down by sunset.   Two thumbs up!

Bryan Joins us in LaPaz

We welcomed Bryan to Magic on Sunday. It was a long day for all of us -- but he escaped a wet, stormy weekend that capped off winter quarter finals. Bryan was suitably impressed with the boat and how different she is from Silhouette. We ate at a few familiar LaPaz places; had some long time cruiser friends for dinner (who remember Bryan as a little boy!); and walked the malecon. Enjoyed an afternoon ice cream cone at the polka dot tree creamery.

Today we were leaving LaPaz and heading north but the weather threw us a norther -- so we left and tucked into a nearby anchorage called Caleta Lobos. We were escorted out the LaPaz channel by 20+ dolphins who were riding both bow waves, spinning and jumping ahead of the boat. All of us stood on the foredeck just screaming with delight. It was incredible to watch them just playing and having fun ahead of us.

Bryan spent the afternoon dinghy sailing. Plenty of wind to get around the anchorage today!

We hope to head north tomorrow....

Dining with Dolphins

Every evening as the sun sets and the breeze picks up here in LaPaz, the dolphins arrive for dinner.  One night we estimated 40-50 dolphins of all sizes.  At times one dolphin will just jump out of the water; another twists tight with other dolphins; or one swims under the boat.   We sit on the back step of Magic and simply watch.  It has become a pleasant evening ritual to hear the breathing of the dolphins signaling that dinner is about to be served!

Dancing in LaPaz

Anchoring in LaPaz is an art and a science and a crapshoot.
There is a strong current that often is at odds with the wind.  So boats go every which way and one must allow extra space in all directions.

When we returned for the drive to Cabo, our neighbors let us know we had come within a half a boat length to them earlier in the day.  Time to re-achor.   And re-anchor and re-anchor.  About 6 times later, 90 minutes and several miles away we found a spot all to ourselves.  Of course, these moments are best at night with it blowing and the current going every which way.

And then we got up and moved again in the morning.  But now we are in the Magote anchorage (not off water front) and we have a whole lot of swinging room.  Feels fine!

We spent Saturday on the boat.  Sobered by the earthquake and tsunami.

Family Vacation in Mexico

We were delighted to host my sister Alisa, her husband Joe, and son Dave for a spring break in Mexico.  They wanted to get a taste of our cruising lifestyle AND escape the Colorado & PA winter.  It was a fabulous experience for all of us.

They joined us in LaPaz just in time to celebrate Carnival!  Parades, music, food, and rides all along the malecon.












Then we set sail for Ensenada Grande on Isla Partida for several days of snorkeling, dinghy sailing, kayaking, hiking, and siesta.

Dave tried everything and safely drove Magic out the channel for our trip.

















Alisa and Joe were naturals at kayaking around the bay.


















A hike to the top of the ridge and a prominent white cross -- a monument to a young man from Colorado who died several years ago.  I am not sure this was a hike -- more like a rock scramble!















We also took them to Los Islotes for an opportunity to snorkel with the seals.

This is one of my favorite pictures of Joe and Alisa -- smiling together!













Safely back in LaPaz for dinner out before the morning ride to Cabo airport.  (Honestly, I'm just holding Al's drink while he takes the picture.)
We had a blast!   Thanks to Alisa, Joe and Dave for coming to visit and share memories for a lifetime.

All in a Day Hike

We set off with high hopes for a hike up the arroyo behind El Mezeno on Isla Espiritu Santo.   Our goal was to reach the ridge line that formed the southern lip of the Caleta Partida anchorage.  The anchorage is the remains of the crater of a large, extinct volcano.  The east and west ridges have eroded leaving only the southern and northern walls.

Off we went to El Mezeno -- around the corner from the anchorage -- expecting to be gone about 2-3 hours.  A fine, Sunday morning hike.  We hauled Gun Rock (the dinghy) up the beach and set off up the arroyo.

We assumed there would be a trail, and quickly realized that we would be walking up the arroyo, crossing boulders, whacking around brush, and making our way slowly between the canyon walls.  Back and forth; up and down.  Occasionally we saw a small bird; a few goats; ancient cactus, a fig like tree.  Everywhere the rocks showed signs of volcanic origin.

Eventually we decided the top of the canyon was close enough and not too steep -- it was time to scramble up for the view.  We left rock cairns so we could find our path back to the arroyo.  And as we stood on the ridge -- what a reward!

We ate our snack and wished we had figured it was an all day hike and not a morning stroll.  Oh well.
We made great time going downhill and soon enough we were back to the boat.

It Runs HOT and COLD on Magic!

We have been in the marina here in LaPaz for a few days to get our refrigeration installed and do a few other dockside projects.  Top of the list was to figure out why the hot water heater (which also can heat the boat) had suddenly stopped working.   That is sort of like a boat -- it may be working today, but that should not imply it will be working tomorrow.

We had acquired a new compressor for the refrigerator while back in the states.  They recommended Hector in LaPaz for the installation.   Hector sent David for the job -- he and a co-worker installed the compressor; did some other required steps; charged it with gas and turned it on.  Soon enough it was chilling down the box.  Oh my!  Just in time for the warm spring days ahead!

Now,  the heater had been working; in fact several parts had been replaced while we were in Guaymas.  Alan had been in email communication with the company and no one could figure out why it was no longer.  So, we had a Victor, a Mexican technician come to the boat -- maybe new eyes and a new approach would yield ideas.  Sure enough.  He checked everything out (fuel and electrical) and could find nothing wrong.  But he showed Alan one spot of corrosion on one connection.  He left to come back again on Monday to take the unit apart.  So Alan decided to just redo the connection to see if that had any impact.  VIOLA!  Within a few minutes, he turned on the heater and it fired right up.

So today we are running HOT and COLD on Magic.
 

MAGIC Lessons

UM, we have been on our own for a week now.   Our goal for this season was to "swallow" the boat -- essentially to learn and become familiar with Magic as our new cruising home.  And the lessons have been coming fast and furious.  Here are a few of them:

1.  Tie the dinghy up to docks and the davits with at least 2 lines.  In LaPaz, one line parted (at a splice) and without the second line...well, we would have been out our dinghy.   The current can run 2+ knots in LaPaz, so who knows where the dinghy would have landed.  The dinghy is like the all purpose station wagon--used to get around when the boat is at anchor.  An essential piece of gear.   We call our dinghy:  Gun Rock to honor the UC Davis mascot.

2.  We have learned to get all our water toys on and off the boat using lifting bridles and halyards -- so no heavy lifting.  Our toys include:  2 hard shell kayaks, 1 sailing/rowing dinghy, Gun Rock, and the outboard motor.  That is alot of lifting and securing...but we love our toys!

3.  Anchor scope...yup, we dragged anchor the other day.  We had honking winds from the north, then the south, and then the north again.  And we were a bit careless in calculating how much chain was out.   So thank goodness our lesson came with the northern winds -- dragging into deeper water and during daylight.  But it scared us, yum, good.

4.  Leave the VHF radio on.  We have always turned it off when the anchor was down, not wanting to hear the chatter.  But, we missed calls from several nearby boats to advise us we were probably dragging.  Our new best friends from s/v Apolima, actually picked up their anchor to motor over to us and give us the heads up.  That is another lesson:  the cruising community watches out for each other.  They said it was "nothing" just a bit of exercise for the anchor.

5.  Use the GPS anchor alarm when the winds are honking or you are cautious about fetch in an anchorage.  We now know how to do this.

6.  Alan accidentally hit the emergency button on the HAM radio.  It did not generate any emergency signals, etc, but we could not figure out how to clear the emergency.  So we read the totally not well written ICOM radio manual and found the reset button.  I guess we need to be sure we really can send an emergency message in the right situation!

So it has been a busy week -- all these learning moments balance out the fun of being on the water, watching the sea life, trying to catch fish, sailing the boat, and exploring the anchorages.