Yup, the local weather forecast for the Sea of Cortez was for romping buffaloes; a phrase that basically says the wind and the seas are not conducive for any small boat activity. Except sitting inside, listening to the wind howl and feeling the boat wallow and wander around the anchor.
And this forecast -- well, it is supposed to be like this ALL WEEK, with today's winds the strongest. We moved east from San Evaristo to Punta Salinas on Isla San Jose on Sunday in anticipation of the wind. We got ashore early on Sunday morning, but by mid afternoon we were racing to get back to Magic through the building swells and get the kayaks back aboard. And since then we have been hunkered down. Reading, cleaning sea shells, doing Spanish drills, playing cards, and wondering what the devil we are doing HERE...and not down on the Mexican Coast with light, balmy tropical winds.
We console ourselves with knowing this is typical winter weather for the Sea -- and it too will pass. But not soon enough!
Monday, February 25, 2013
Thursday, February 21, 2013
Cruising Days
We are tucked into San Evaristo and somehow, slowly, the days pass.
During our first night we had an "elephante" -- a terrific wind right off the hills. No warning, no forecast. Just 40 kts of wind all night. Believe me that is ALOT of wind; but no fetch. Three boats dragged anchor here; another went aground at a nearby island. We slept through it all. That is what oversized ground tackle buys you: sleep!
We did a bit of shelling on a rocky beach -- found a few treasures: a small piece of purple branch coral and a perfect, dried sea star.
This morning we awoke and could hear a panga quiet near the boat. Earlier a small sailboat that basically "lives" here in San Evaristo was crossing the bay and their outboard bounced OFF the transom of their dinghy as they were towing it. This is not a good thing: both the towing a dinghy with an outboard attached OR having it loosely attached so it jumps off ship easily. They marked the spot (the stern of our boat) and returned with a panga full of men to dive, find, and retrieve the outboard. It was quite the community effort and with our Brownie's Third Lung (hooka), their generator, and a young Mexican diver the outboard was brought to the surface within a couple of hours. Outboard mechanics are found in every fishing village -- and by noon -- the outboard was purring sweetly and put back on the dinghy, firmly attached with a second leash/control line!
We wandered the village and got clued into some local hiking, er, desert scrambles for tomorrow. We bought sashimi grade yellow tuna fresh from the sea.
We are here till the next Norther passes through -- so a few more lazy days.
During our first night we had an "elephante" -- a terrific wind right off the hills. No warning, no forecast. Just 40 kts of wind all night. Believe me that is ALOT of wind; but no fetch. Three boats dragged anchor here; another went aground at a nearby island. We slept through it all. That is what oversized ground tackle buys you: sleep!
We did a bit of shelling on a rocky beach -- found a few treasures: a small piece of purple branch coral and a perfect, dried sea star.
This morning we awoke and could hear a panga quiet near the boat. Earlier a small sailboat that basically "lives" here in San Evaristo was crossing the bay and their outboard bounced OFF the transom of their dinghy as they were towing it. This is not a good thing: both the towing a dinghy with an outboard attached OR having it loosely attached so it jumps off ship easily. They marked the spot (the stern of our boat) and returned with a panga full of men to dive, find, and retrieve the outboard. It was quite the community effort and with our Brownie's Third Lung (hooka), their generator, and a young Mexican diver the outboard was brought to the surface within a couple of hours. Outboard mechanics are found in every fishing village -- and by noon -- the outboard was purring sweetly and put back on the dinghy, firmly attached with a second leash/control line!
We wandered the village and got clued into some local hiking, er, desert scrambles for tomorrow. We bought sashimi grade yellow tuna fresh from the sea.
We are here till the next Norther passes through -- so a few more lazy days.
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Slowly Heading North
Hello from the small fishing village of San Evaristo. We left La Paz on Sunday morning; spent two nights at Playa Bonanza on the south east corner of Isla Espiritu Santo; and then took advantage of the remnants of the night's southwesterly wind to push on to San Evaristo.
We have been blessed with fine sunny weather and light to moderate wind. We have seen dolphins, sea lions, rays, and fin whales! Playa Bonanza was a 2 mile long sandy beach with lots of shells -- and I found a perfect small paper nautilus shell! WOW!
Our plan is to hike the arroyos around this village and do a bit more shelling. We will be here a few days and then continue our journey further into the Sea.
We have been blessed with fine sunny weather and light to moderate wind. We have seen dolphins, sea lions, rays, and fin whales! Playa Bonanza was a 2 mile long sandy beach with lots of shells -- and I found a perfect small paper nautilus shell! WOW!
Our plan is to hike the arroyos around this village and do a bit more shelling. We will be here a few days and then continue our journey further into the Sea.
Thursday, February 14, 2013
Feliz Dia le Amor y Amistad
Yes, Happy Day of Love and Friendship from La Paz.
During our tenure here, Alan and I became involved with a small group of students at the orphanage supported by the Cathedral. Nancy, a gringa from San Diego, volunteers and teaches a conversational English class several months a year to the students. The schools here teach English but it is often just rote work and the conversational opportunities are limited. SO....we agreed to be in the classroom two afternoons a week and have 1:1 conversations with the students.
After a long school day (starts at 7am) and then lunch, the students come to class -- ready for fun & English. And those are Nancy's rules: have fun and it must be in English!
Yesterday the class celebrated Dia le Amor y Amistad and like school kids everywhere, they made Valentine cards for each other, decorated cookies, and relished the creativity of an art project.
Working with the class has been a highlight of our time in La Paz. As I try and learn Spanish, I can appreciate how much effort is involved in learning another language. These kids rock!!
During our tenure here, Alan and I became involved with a small group of students at the orphanage supported by the Cathedral. Nancy, a gringa from San Diego, volunteers and teaches a conversational English class several months a year to the students. The schools here teach English but it is often just rote work and the conversational opportunities are limited. SO....we agreed to be in the classroom two afternoons a week and have 1:1 conversations with the students.
After a long school day (starts at 7am) and then lunch, the students come to class -- ready for fun & English. And those are Nancy's rules: have fun and it must be in English!
Yesterday the class celebrated Dia le Amor y Amistad and like school kids everywhere, they made Valentine cards for each other, decorated cookies, and relished the creativity of an art project.
Working with the class has been a highlight of our time in La Paz. As I try and learn Spanish, I can appreciate how much effort is involved in learning another language. These kids rock!!
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| Conversation drills; English speakers on the left and students on the right. Simple questions are best! |
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| Getting ready to share Valentine's Cards |
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| Nancy brings such energy and commitment to the class. They love her back. |
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| See the future of Mexico! |
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| Francisco is really dedicated to his studies -- he wants to be a pilot. |
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Carnaval Parade
The Carnaval parade occurs 3 times: goes west to east one night. Then turns around and the next night: east to west. Finally -- back again west to east. Same parade; same bands; same waves and smiling faces. The parade starts at sundown -- sort of -- and takes its time marching along through the crowd. Folks wait patiently -- and clap and cheer for everyone.
The theme for Carnaval 2013 was Mysteries of the Sea so we expected lots of mermaids, fish, whales, pirates, sharks. And we were not disappointed!
We were wearing jackets & there was a cool wind blowing. But -- all the participants kept up the dancing & waving & singing for the parade. It was such a positive evening.
We were back on the boat after the parade; the old gringos could not stay awake until the music venues open around midnight. It is an all night party!
The theme for Carnaval 2013 was Mysteries of the Sea so we expected lots of mermaids, fish, whales, pirates, sharks. And we were not disappointed!
We were wearing jackets & there was a cool wind blowing. But -- all the participants kept up the dancing & waving & singing for the parade. It was such a positive evening.
We were back on the boat after the parade; the old gringos could not stay awake until the music venues open around midnight. It is an all night party!
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| Here comes the Parade! |
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| Playing to the crowd |
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| Waving to all |
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| Kids & Adults -- everyone can join in |
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| King of the Parade? |
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| Love the monster in the background! |
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| Happy to be Here! |
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| Smiles Around... |
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| Child King and Queen of the Parade |
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| What? No mega truck to pull the float? |
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| Lots of creativity -- and lots of recycled bits everywhere |
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| One float was protesting a proposed mining operation... |
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| That's a shark... |
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| My final fish |
Carnaval! Let the Party Start! part 1
La Paz embraces Carnaval in a huge way -- 6 days, parades, street booths, rides, fast food, games. The event stretches for 2 miles along the malecon (the water front sidewalk/street). The theme this year was "Mysteries from the Sea."
Last week the rides began showing up along the route from the mainland ferry. The rides are what one might expect in a small town carnival in the US: geared only for younger children and held together with bailing wire and a promise. Along with the rides came the "carni" workers: living in trucks and campers that were now parked along the main road.
A few days later the street vendors began setting up -- games of chance, food vendors, stalls with masks & hats, hollow eggs with confetti. By now the malecon was pretty much closed to traffic except in the morning and police were EVERYWHERE.
I'm not sure where the cops and vendors and carni folks are other times of the year: but for Carnaval, they are all in LaPaz.
We went to Carnaval the other night -- what a hoot. Of course, I took alot of photos. This blog is shots of the games and vendors and crowd. Parade pictures are in the next blog.
Last week the rides began showing up along the route from the mainland ferry. The rides are what one might expect in a small town carnival in the US: geared only for younger children and held together with bailing wire and a promise. Along with the rides came the "carni" workers: living in trucks and campers that were now parked along the main road.
A few days later the street vendors began setting up -- games of chance, food vendors, stalls with masks & hats, hollow eggs with confetti. By now the malecon was pretty much closed to traffic except in the morning and police were EVERYWHERE.
I'm not sure where the cops and vendors and carni folks are other times of the year: but for Carnaval, they are all in LaPaz.
We went to Carnaval the other night -- what a hoot. Of course, I took alot of photos. This blog is shots of the games and vendors and crowd. Parade pictures are in the next blog.
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| Down from the north |
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| What a cutie--her folks are just off camera taking pictures. |
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| Quite the Golden Gate |
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| Hat, mask, and churro. What a special day! |
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| A future Baja 1000 rider |
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| Playing Loteria with dried corn pieces -- a game of chance widespread in Mexico. Bingo with pictures.... |
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| Snacks for All....Beware of the red powders.... |
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| Dried fruits of all sorts -- the bees were happy customers! |
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| Fresh potato chips (gotta love the open flame!) |
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| Another game of chance |
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| Fresh hot pecans in a sugar coating -- see them cooking? YUM |
Sunday, February 3, 2013
Christmas Season Ends
The Mexicans can make a holiday season stretch for months. And Christmas is a prime example; it also showcases their ability to link family and friends and fiestas.
Christmas starts in mid December: celebrations for the Virgin of Guadalupe that stretch a few days. Then the Christmas posadas. Then Christmas. Then New Years. Then Dia de los Reyes, Day of Kings, -- which here is when traditional gift giving occurs. Kings Day features Rosca de Reyes, a special sweet bread topped with dried fruits and stuffed with a few plastic baby Jesus figures. Yeah, plastic baby Jesus figures. So, the lucky person who finds a Jesus figure then hosts a party 40 days after Christmas, on February 2, Dia de la Candelaria. The party traditionally features tamales and champurrado, a special hot chocolate drink.
The local cruisers club had tamales and champurrado at coffee hour yesterday.
And that wraps up Christmas Season. Constitution Day is celebrated this week; Carnival starts; then it is Valentine's Day (more broadly targeting friendship here). The place knows how to party.
Christmas starts in mid December: celebrations for the Virgin of Guadalupe that stretch a few days. Then the Christmas posadas. Then Christmas. Then New Years. Then Dia de los Reyes, Day of Kings, -- which here is when traditional gift giving occurs. Kings Day features Rosca de Reyes, a special sweet bread topped with dried fruits and stuffed with a few plastic baby Jesus figures. Yeah, plastic baby Jesus figures. So, the lucky person who finds a Jesus figure then hosts a party 40 days after Christmas, on February 2, Dia de la Candelaria. The party traditionally features tamales and champurrado, a special hot chocolate drink.
The local cruisers club had tamales and champurrado at coffee hour yesterday.
And that wraps up Christmas Season. Constitution Day is celebrated this week; Carnival starts; then it is Valentine's Day (more broadly targeting friendship here). The place knows how to party.
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| Special treats for Dia de la Candelaria |
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| Coffee Hour crowd |
Dinghy Days
Living at anchor means one has to get back and forth from the "house boat" to the land. And that means a dinghy -- think of it as our car for getting from the house to just about anywhere. And powering our dinghy is an outboard. Yeh, some folks row or better yet sail in, but not me. Rev it up.
Our dinghy and outboard require their own care and maintenance. And to keep them from the clutches of opportunistic thieves, we take the outboard off the dinghy every night and raise the dinghy out of the water. And lock everything up...
So to get ashore, it takes us a bit of prep time. And that is when the current isn't honking or wind waves aren't cascading through the hulls. We can do the drill in about 10-15 minutes, but I'm sure in a panic we'd cut that time in half! Ha.
Here are some pictures of the drill:
Our dinghy and outboard require their own care and maintenance. And to keep them from the clutches of opportunistic thieves, we take the outboard off the dinghy every night and raise the dinghy out of the water. And lock everything up...
So to get ashore, it takes us a bit of prep time. And that is when the current isn't honking or wind waves aren't cascading through the hulls. We can do the drill in about 10-15 minutes, but I'm sure in a panic we'd cut that time in half! Ha.
Here are some pictures of the drill:
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| Starting point: dinghy up on davits and outboard locked to boat stern (hard to see) |
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| The dinghy is now in the water; Alan is ready to step aboard. The gas can lives in the dinghy while at anchor. Alan will also turn the dinghy around so the stern is by the outboard....it doesn't fit otherwise! |
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| Alan getting the outboard ready to lower. I lower it via a 3 part block and tackle -- it weighs 80 pounds! The dinghy is secured to the boat with multiple lines....no chance for adventure! |
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| Outboard attached, Alan gets the fuel line attached and starts the motor. |
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| Meanwhile, I'm getting our load ready -- that be trash, backpacks, dry bags (think computer!) and stuff. Imagine laundry day loads...yuck. |
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| Our goal: the dinghy dock at Marina de La Paz. We are not alone! |
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