Whale sharks

La Paz is home to whale sharks.  Juvenile whale sharks.  We went swimming with them today.
Jen took the pics as I was driving and trying to not hit these beasties.  Saw turtles and rays also.  Lots of wildlife.
Thanksgiving in La Paz yesterday along with 200 other ex-pats and cruisers.  Great food.  We had fun.  Making new friends and generally just trying to slow down and enjoy our time.
Sam is difficult but I think we might be over the hump.  Maybe.  Hopefully.

Jen has some pictures of the boys swimming with them.  I'll let her post them.  This guy is about 15 feet long or so.

We had Adam (from Antipodes a 55 foot trawler), Ben (from Sea Otter, an Island Packet 38), Easton, Kaley, Nate, and Shauna along with Julie. Julie is Ben's mom and Shauna has Easton, Kaley and Nate.  

This is my Ben, the other Ben, and Adam. 

Dragging Max and Easton while getting to deeper water.

This bottom picture is Sam getting her hair trimmed by Jen. 

Well we are waiting for a weather window to leave for the mainland.  Big north winds are projected throughout the weekend so we will leave Monday or so.  We are going to hit Muretos again and do more snorkeling and such.  Then it is off to La Cruz in Banderas Bay.  We think. We might stop at Chacala which is a bit north of Banderas Bay.  That place has been on my hit list for awhile. We MIT have ourselves quite the convoy as Moments, Sea Otter, and maybe two others might join us for the crossing.  We definitely could have crossed earlier this week but wanted to do Thanksgiving here.

Jen is trying out a new nausea med called Sturgeon among other things.  Number 1 seasick for the Royal Navy.  We will see.  Fingers crossed.  

Spa day

Appa is getting treated to a full body wash, wax, and she will be buffed with a fine chamois!  Bottom cleaned also. She has been a good old girl for us. 

We are still in La Paz but now in a slip for a couple days getting some stuff done.  Jennifer is out shopping and I am helping friends with some of their boat jobs while Appa has her spa day.  Equalizing batteries also.  

We are staying here till thanksgiving and then either going to Mazatlan or PV.  Not sure yet.

Max prop is still a problem but not one that I can fix readily I fear.  I think we will just baby it and see what happens.  The main problem is that I don't know the thread pitch on the shaft.  Have to take off the prop for that and not sure if I want to haul her out for that.  The prop could get pulled in the water but it is difficult and I'm not 100% certain that I could find a diver to trust.  I'm still looking into it.

Till mañana 

La Paz

In the above chart, you can see where we came in (pink dotted line) and then left after two days.  That knot of pink is where we swung on the anchor kinda close to that reef.  

We left puerto de Los Muertos about three days ago.  We were going to leave at night and use the full moon to help do the 45 mile run but in the end decided to wait for morning.  The bane of most of these anchorages is the rolling.  In Muertos you are still getting some pacific swell and when the boat is laying abeam of those swells, the rolling can get down right dangerous.  Appa finally put her nose into the wind and the swell so we just hobby horsed all night which is much better than rolling so we decided to stay the night.

While at Muertos we hit Gran Suerto which is a very strange development on the beach of Muertos.  It is one of the fanciest hotels/resort I have ever seen.  It is almost entirely empty.  It is a sprawling compound with many different suites and pools.  The main restaurant has a brick catheredal ceiling with very ornate trimmings.  High end furnishings peppered throughout the space also.  There is a train set that runs along the upper level.  Here we were running around with 6 kids (we are still with Sand Dollar), using their infinity pool, pool table, and internet all the while dressed in swimsuits and bare feet.  This would never be tolerated in the states.  

It felt great to wash the salt and grime off in unlimited fresh water.  The dinner was excellent also.  The staff was great and super friendly. When JC and I reconned the place, the first thing they said to me was "Welcome home, señor!"  This place is owned by a NFL guy evidently. Not really sure.  Jen injured her foot a day prior to this so when JC and I were first there, I enquired about Jen getting a ride to the restaurant in one of the many atvs running around the resort.  They picked us up in a Rhino which is a 4 person atv.  The kids loved it.  Especially Sam. She laughed her head off the whole way. Every dip in the sand dune, every little bump, laughing. Uncontrolled laughing. She had us all laughing even the driver.  Infectious. 

In the morning we left in calm conditions for Puerto Balandra that has a mushroom rock in the entrance and is known for its beauty. The Cerralvo Channel is known for funneling wind and adverse current that causes steep waves during a north wind.  We chugged into the channel and were met by a 15 knot north wind but luckily the tide was with us and it was a fast ride. 

The San Lorenzo Channel is area that has a narrow channel that is shared by freighters, tankers, and pleasure boats.  The area is littered with old wrecks as the shoal markers keep getting destroyed in storms.  They were present this trip and all was good.  We were going to Balandra but decided to skip it as it is open to the north and the forecast was for north winds.  We instead headed 4 miles north to Bahia San Gabriel.  See picture below.

More pictures from the trip to Gabriel.

Sam waiting for the trip to end so she can swim.....

Ben doing schoolwork so we can play once in the anchorage.

Ben and Easton diving into the bay.  30 foot visibility.  

This is Sammy's "superhero" outfit for swimming.

Swordfish filleting at Muertos. 

Using bait that Max got from some fishermen in the bay.  Needlefish.

Jen filleting the fish.  This might be a repost.

Bahia San Gabriel's beach.  Lots of rays here.  Shuffle when walking so you don't step on them and then they sting you.

Sam helping to hang her swimsuit up.  She does it all by herself!  So cute!

The water maker decided it wasn't going to work once we got to Bahia San Gabreil.  It was getting power but kept kicking off.  This usually means low water flow which means clogged filters.  I used a flashlight to check the 5 micron and the 10 micro filters and they looked ok and then I checked the strainer for the salt water intake.  It had a mollusk looking thing growing or dying in it!  It smelled awful.  Cleaned that crap out of the strainer and while better the flow was still insufficient to keep the water maker running.  I decided to check the pre filters by actually looking at them and spinning the cover off.  Filthy.  The 10 micron was clogged completely. I wonder why it looked clean when I looked at them with a flashlight.  Anyway changed the filter and then checked the oil in the high pressure pump.  That looked ok and then I noticed some weeping from the dump valve on the high pressure pump.  This valve is the last ditch safety mechanism for the system.  If, for whatever reason, the electric high pressure shut off switch should fail and the pressure builds beyond 1200 psi or so, this dump valve opens and saves us all from shrapnel flying through the deck and puncturing us.  As a side note, I am reading To Rule The Waves, How the British Navy Shaped the Modern World.  Per this book, a British army lieutenant in 1808 developed a devastating new anti-personnel artillery charge.  His name was Henry Shrapnel. 

In reading the watermaker instructions, they tell you to tighten the valve if it is weeping.  I tightened and it seeped much worse.  Not that I noticed of course.  I tightened it and then ran the motor.  No weeping at that time.  I also decided to attached a hose to this valve so when it opened or weeped, it would drop on the oil pressure switch on the motor and the engine mount.  I attached said hose and off we went.  When we left Gabriel it was blowing like hell and we sailed for an hour or so then the wind died.  Started up the motor and engaged the watermaker.  Made 70 gallons of water and got into La Paz.  Opened the floorboards to get out some food and it was full of water.  The dump valve was dumping.  Took that off and walked around town.  Found a guy named Bill that does all the watermaking repair in the area.  He took the thing apart and cleaned it up.  I'm installing it today and we will see what happens.  No charge.  Also got a tour of his motor yacht.  It is an old wooden research looking vessel that was seized by the DEA.  They give you two things when you become a DEA agent, a gun and an axe.  They love their axes.  This boat was trashed and he rebuilt it all.  

Anyway we are in La Paz and enjoying it.  Every morning at 0800 on vhf channel 22 they have a radio net.  It is just like a radio show with people calling in.  Weather, current events, etc.  Very cool and depending on the announcer, it can be hilarious.  This morning as I type this, Gunther is the announcer and he is very German and funny as hell.  They have a portion of the show dedicated to trades and/or help needed.  Some boat wanted to know where a dry cleaner was.  Gunther comes back with "What the hell!  You don't need that crap!"  To show appreciation to you are to click your microphone repeatedly and it sounds like clapping.  Lots of clapping after that.  

We are anchored in the bay.  Rafted actually with Sand Dollar.  Eating well and having fun.  Today we are going to a marina, just us not Appa.  They have a pool and huge playground.  

I met up with Rebel Heart whose blog I have been following.  They have a three year girl named Cora and we have play dates scheduled.  Rebel Heart is leaving for Puerto Vallarta this Saturday and we will met up with them in La Cruz while they get ready to cross the pacific for the southern islands.  Charlotte helped Jennifer with getting a 3G card for her computer so now we will have internet most anywhere.  In theory.  Works here at anchor. 

More later.

Ensenada de Los Muertos

There is Appa hanging off the anchor in Ensenada de Los Muretos. Warm water and great weather. These clouds are actually welcomed. Gets that sun off you for a bit.

Caught two tuna at the same time while sailing, yes, actually sailing to de Los Muretos. Make that fish into a casserole after making steaks at first. Good eating.

We left Los Frailes after a rolly rolly night and a "wind event" during the day.  30 knots of wind out of the south that lasted for about 6 hours.  This is not a south wind anchorage.  The anchor held and was a complete beast to get out of the sand the next day but I am glad for spending the extra money on chain and the bridle. Boats broke their bridles and some dragged.  The next day we wanted to explore the beach but the wind picked up again and we left at 1300. 

Had a brilliant sail to Ensenada de Los Muertos and got into the bay at 2100 last night. Boat preformed great and we are really getting into trimming her up and getting the most speed out of her that we can.  It is nice being out on the boat and having the time to play with all the strings that make her go.  Small adjustments can add up to nice gains in speed.  It helps that we have friends with us and it is ALWAYS a race to the next bay.  Thankfully we aren't racing raising our anchors. We are still working on our technique.  A mountain of chain builds up under our windlass and you have to sweep it away to the clean part of the anchor locker. 3/8" chain weighs quite a bit and a mountain of it gets awfully hard to move.  We'll get the hang of it I'm sure. 

Max is getting better and better with the sailing and does all the heavy work.  Great to have him along for sure.  

Ben and Sam are doing great.  Sam swam (with me) by herself from our boat to Sand Dollar. Picture below.  The two boats to the left are ours. She swam between them. Back and forth.  Life jacket on but still. That is a lot of swimming for a 3 year old.  

 

That is Moondance at Los Frailes. She is a CS34. Just like Pete and Rachelle's boat. 

Here is Max with his first fish that he speared with our new speargun. 

Saw these guys fillet up this swordfish. Kinda sad. 

This trimaran anchored super close to us in Los Frailes and if we would have dragged anchor, they would have had to move first.  They moved on their own once the wind really picked up. 

Water maker working great.  27 gallons an hour right now.  Knock on wood. 

Today I woke up and stood on the bow of the boat and could see the anchor 32' below me.  Amazing. To me anyway. Love, love, love, jumping off the boat with just trunks on.  All night last night while sailing, we are were in shorts and t shirts. 

Well, we are staying here another day and will snorkel more and get a couple boat things out of the way. 

Stay tuned...

Bahia Los Frailes

Left San Jose del Cabo yesterday for Bahia Los Frailes which is the east cape of the Baja Peninsula. Not much here but a small fishing village and one hotel. So I am told. The anchorage is dominated by a peak that is almost 800 feet tall and is begging to be climbed. There are reefs here teeming with fish also.
We left in sunny hot weather and motored for about 2 hours. While motoring I saw a gigantic splash about 500 yards ahead of the boat. Humpbacks whales breaching. I have seen footage of the damage these big bastards can do so we adjusted course a bit and continued on.
San Jose del Cabo and Los Frailes are about 17 miles apart. No wind was forecasted so we used this opportunity to make water and charge our batteries. This also meant that Jen didn't wear her seasick patch along with none of the dishes were done prior to our departure. I swear to all that is Holy, we will never leave port till all the through hulls are closed and all the damn dishes are done and the boat is ready for weather.
So as we approached the wind, Jen and I were trying to get things stowed. Meanwhile I forgot the through hulls. Our boat is kinda low slung and if heeling water can come up the drains and put an alarming amount of water into the cabin in short order. I have done this damn near every time I have sailed this boat. Amazing, eh? Almost every time. Ben usually reminds me to close them. Let me type that again. Ben reminds me to not sink the boat by closing the through hulls. He is 8. I am theoretically wiser and more experienced than him. I have signs posted by the engine off switch to remind me to close those damn thru hulls. No idea what it is going to take to get me to remember to close them.
Things get stowed and Max and I raised the main and roll out the jib. 15 knots of true wind from the north. Where are we heading? North. The waves are steep and short interval. Put the wind to our port side and threw in a reef in the main. Full jib. Cranked the backstay down hard and tightened the babystay up. Check stays trimmed and we cranked on the jib sheet. Soon we are making 7 knots crashing through the waves.
CRACKKKK!! This enormous sound of a HUGE sail that has exploded under the strain or a large body falling into the water startles Max and I. I expect the jib to start to flog but the sound is in back of us. I wheel my head around to see the remains of the splash crashing into water and then we see the whale. 30 feet away. Way to close. Nothing we can do about it though. We make some final trim adjustments and steady as she goes.
80 degree water flying over the deck. It is 98 degrees in the cabin. Max, Ben and I go forward and spend about 3 hours on the bow getting fire hosed by the water. We are loving it.
We tack once and make the layline for the anchorage. Shake out the reef as the wind has dropped to 10 knots or so. We get to the anchorage and set our hook in 45 feet of deep blue water. Visibility of 30 feet or so. We can see our bridle almost to the attachment point on the chain. It is 40' long. We load up the speargun and jump in the water.
Didn't shoot any fish but we are getting practice in.
Had dinner at a Sand Dollar (buddy boat) and then hit the rack.
Today, we are doing some school work, sail maintenance, swim and Max says he is getting us a fish or three for dinner. We might rent a panga and go to Cabo Pulmo National Marine Park which is one of the last coral reefs in the Sea of Cortez. Not sure.
Next stop is Bahia de Los Muertos which is 47 miles away.


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test

Testing my satellite blog update thingy. Leaving right now for Los Frailes. This is en route to La Paz. Hot here and water is in the 70-80s.

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The Baja HaHa 2013

This is the AIS screen shot of us leaving San Diego heading down to Bahia de Tortugas or turtle bay, Mexico.  Wikipedia AIS for a quick lesson on what it is if you don't know.  120 boats left with us on a rainy morning in San Diego.  About a third of the boats in the race carried AIS. We are the blue arrow and everyone else is orange.  

This is also us leaving "sunny" San Diego. Record cold on October 28th. Typical. Pretty windy at the start.  Thanks to Michael and my step brother who took their boats out to take some pictures of Appa as we headed south.   Love seeing our boat under sail.  We had more wind than forecasted and I was still in my pirate outfit while all this was going on.  Those pirate boots are not good deck shoes.  

After the 1100 start we settled in for the 322 mile ride to Turtle Bay. We had a south east wind for most of the first day down south which we were told is very unusual.  Once I got out of my costume and trimmed the boat a bit, we were making pretty good time.  

You can motor during this "race" but it counts against you.   On the first leg we stated up the motor at night when the wind died and started to slowly, slowly start to come out of the northwest. We motored for about 4 hours.  The wind built to about 15 knots or so at 4 am so we rolled out the b and started sailing.  Once morning came, October 29th, we had all hands on deck and we raised the spinnaker.  That helped us a bit with our speed and we were making around 8 knots or so right on the rhumb line. Beautiful sunny day with a nice gentle swell pushing us along.

Had the spin up for most of the day and dropped it at night right after our sundowner drink. About 9 hours of great sailing. 

The 30th was another sunny nice day but the wind was pretty gusty so we decided to just sail with the jib and main up.  Almost raised the spinnaker but really, no sense in breaking us or the boat.  Had the fishing lines out but didn't catch anything.  At night we had to throw in a reef and finally crossed the finish line for this leg at 0130 on the 31st.  We then had to sail another 10 miles to the anchorage.  

We pulled into Turtle bay, dropped the anchor in 25 feet of water and went to bed.

In the daytime, we cleaned up a bit and then went to town.  Turtle Bay is a small fishing town with about 2000 people.  Most of whom are dreadfully poor but appeared to be very happy and indeed were very friendly.  Dust covered everything.  Had a couple beers on the beach and then back to the boat for dinner and getting the kids ready for trick or treating via dinghy.  Ben dressed as a pirate and Samey went as a pirate princess, complete with orange and black dress along with a sword.  Very cute.  Photos are on the camera and I'll get them on here soon.  Max drove them and our good friend's kids around in our dinghy.  They had a pretty good haul.

On the second we had a beach party with Max being picked to scale this big hill and wing frisbees over the crowd as we all posed for group photos. Pretty fun.  Not much for the kids to do though.  

We did see a CS34 in Turtle Bay named Moondance that was sailing in our race.  They had it tricked out pretty well.  Took some photos of that boat for Pete and Rachelle as they have the same thing.  Never did meet Moondance's owners though.   

Left the party at sundown and got into our bunks early for the next leg to Bahia Santa Maria or Mag Bay. 

Sam and Jen at the beach in Turtle Bay.

Petting the local hounds in Turtle Bay.

The local watering hole.

Just a portion of the dinghies at the dock.  The fuel dock at Turtle Bay was a rickety sob. Fuel was super expensive and I heard that they ran out of gas to power the pumps for the diesel.  Mexico. Gotta love it. 

Those blue support poles are very rusty and appear to be close to failing.  

The anchorage. Some swell but not bad and we slept well.  Had much worse swell up in California off of Catalina island. 

Jennifer doing the morning radio net.  You give your position in lat and long along with fish caught, funny stories, etc.

The next leg of the race was about 233 miles and the plan was to stay offshore a bit were there was reportedly more wind.  We found it. That and waves. 

Above is a screen shot of the AIS my nav program was showing.  The whole trip down had us dodging boats. We really had to keep a sharp lookout especially at night.  Challenging sailing for sure. 

We had 12 boats in our division. They were all Jenneaus, Beneteaus, Catalinas, and one Hunter 41.  

The boat that we seemed to sail with the most was Ariel IV. She is a Borghegn 49 sailed by a Swedish couple who have circumnavigated twice. 

The link is not English but it is them.  http://www.arielfyra.se/bat_och_utrustning.html

We have plans to meet up with them throughout this next year while in Mexico. 

The first day out of Turtle was brilliant. Good wind, from the right direction....nice. Spinnakered for hours.  The next day the wind got gusty and the waves twisty.  The swells were from two different directions and the wind caused another set of waves from yet another direction.  Crazy stuff.  It was exactly like the trip down from Seattle to San Fran. Same crap.  

All day and night we got slammed around by the waves.  The partners in the mast started to work loose so I had to repair them underway.  Not too bad.  The water maker hose ruptured the day before also.  Steering was ok.  No squeaking.  So really only two problems. When the hose for the watermaker went, it dumped 60 gallons of water into the bilge though.  Maybe 50 gallons.  A bunch.

Got into Mag Bay at 2130 and dropped the anchor in 30 feet of water.  Hit the rack right after that.  Long grueling trip. Max did great as did everyone else but Max really shined.  Hard to imagine doing this without him.  

Got up at 0730 and did the radio net check in thing and then checked the water temp.  75 degrees!  We went swimming.  After that I had to try and find watermaker parts (to no avail) and fix the partners in the mast. 

Had a party on the beach the following day.  They truck in a band and beer with food and have at it.  Pretty fun but again nothing for the kids so we went down to the beach and played in the surf.  Warm water and waves....perfect. 

Next morning we left for Cabo San Lucas.  188 miles to the south.  We still did our night watches with sweaters on till this leg.  Warm out and getting hot.  We also traded dermabond and lidocaine for fishing lures while in Mag Bay. Got us a cedar plug.  It works.

More mañana....