Susan, Sequoia, and Todd go sailing

Our friend Ross lost over 40 pounds last year. He blogged about his formula for weight loss: Eat Less, Work Out. (I have since been trying out a corollary- Work Less, Eat Out- with limited success. Total failure, actually.)

The last five afternoons, the wind has been so strong in the anchorage that we’ve had to stay on the boat, in case the anchor drags. Late one afternoon, having finished a book and a crossword puzzle, not to mention countless games of Boggle on Toro’s iPod Touch, I was ready for a little physical exercise. I thought Capn Built-In Swim Ring might want to join me.

“Wanna work out?” I asked.
“Chuh!” scoffed Toro, taking another swig of tequila. “I’ve hardly eaten anything today. I don’t need to work out!”
“You just gonna drink yourself skinny?” I replied, trying to point out the empty calories in his plastic mug.
“That’s right!” he boasted, slamming the mug down. “I’m drinking myself skinny!”

Well, he’s certainly come to the right place- or rather, chosen the right lifestyle- to do just that. There are far too many reasons to drink when you’re cruising: you’re getting together with other cruisers, it’s hot, it’s cocktail hour, the sun’s going down, your boat has problems so you need consolation, you fixed your boat’s problems so you need to celebrate….

Sometimes you drink because you want to send an email (because some restaurants/bars offer free internet), and you have to order something before you can whip out your laptop. When we first got to San Carlos, we went to two different bars, trying to get online, and both places were having connection problems. Toro was exasperated, and uttered one of those instantly classic quotes: “How many beers do I have to drink to get an internet connection?!”

I try to remind him that this is one of those problems that is good to have. Kinda like being stuck on your boat all afternoon because it’s too windy to leave her.

We’ve got the new windlass all wired. As soon as we get a good weather window, we’ll be leaving for Santa Rosalia. It’s about 75 nautical miles away (a short overnight sail), on the Baja side.

Check out how great our brightwork looks (if I do say so myself!):

And while I’m bragging, I just have to add… Ladies (and some of you men), eat your hearts out! This man is all mine!

We had a lot on our minds when we left Sacramento on Weds, Feb 10. Our most immediate concern was whether our car’s transmission would fail; the fluid had contained metal shards which apparently is not ideal. Plus, we were carrying a ton of stuff- mostly clothes, books, and the like, but also bottom paint and a new electric windlass, and we hoped not to be searched by customs. In the back of our minds we worried about the condition of our boat and her batteries. And to top it all off, this year Sequoia has decided to take up “rock star cruising” (she’ll let her crew move the boat to desirable locales, and just fly in here and there for a week of fun). Knowing we wouldn’t see her until April made us so sad!

Despite a certain snobby tenant of ours (Omar) scoffing at our road trip itinerary, we were excited to stop in Bakersfield and Tucson on the way down. Our friend Adam has a huge, cool apartment in an older Bakersfield neighborhood close to downtown. It was great to walk to the new Padre Hotel for a drink and dinner, and catch up with Adam’s fascinating work and romantic life!

Though it’s about 600 miles from Bakersfield to Tucson, the drive was uneventful and there are definitely worse ways to spend a day than blasting through the desert at 75 mph. There was no room at our usual B&B, but luckily we found a great little cottage on craigslist, and the two-night minimum suited us fine. That way, we had a day for relaxing and last minute shopping, and two opportunities to indulge in what really draws us to Tucson: Magpie’s Pizza! (more…)

Yesterday we got a comment from Marcus, ex-Restless, former owner of Sugata. “Have you heard how she fared in the tropical storm?” About the same time we got an email from Lisa of Beyond Reason. “Have you guys heard anything?!”

Turns out, while the winds were not substantial, an unprecedented amount of rain fell on San Carlos, resulting in massive flooding and washed-out roads. And Marina Seca, where Sugata is on the hard (or maybe, on the soggy) is basically ground zero!!! (more…)

Days in the work yard were not as bad as we’d expected. Sure, it was hot, but there was a breeze. In the evenings, though, the mosquitos came out, so we had to cover our hatch with netting. Unfortunately the netting we had was for no-see-ums, which are tiny. The net stopped the mosquitos, but it stopped the breeze too! We survived by putting wet washcloths on ourselves, and sleeping under fans.

We planned to get an early start to beat the heat on our drive from San Carlos to Tucson, but with last-minute details and our farewell breakfast of huevos a la mexicana, it was 10am when we hit the freeway. After just a few minutes on the road, our air conditioner gave out. We’d had problems with it occasionally blowing a fuse, so we’d stocked up on fuses, and just popped a new one in every once in a while. Well, after pulling over twice (having blown 3 fuses in a row), it became apparent that our solution was no longer cutting it.

We decided to stop in Hermosillo (about an hour from San Carlos) to look for a garage. As the temperature crept up in the car, we sat in silence, contemplating the misery that lay ahead of us. I checked the clock; 10:24. An eternity later, I checked it again; 10:28. The drive to Hermosillo turned out to be one of the longest of our lives! But happily, the Pemex guys directed us to a garage, where the mechanics quickly diagnosed a short. They had to pull the alternator to get to it, so it took a couple of hours. Final cost: $22! We were on our way with A/C baby! (more…)

As North winds were in the forecast, we decided to stay another day at Agua Verde. We talked to a couple of boats via the VHF, and though one was Northbound and the other Southbound, both reported wind “right on the nose”! We scratched our heads a bit at this, but then again, we’ve often suspected that winds in the Sea of Cortez have a magical “noserly” component!

So the next day, despite our 3.2 knot average, we were pleased to be able to sail most of the way to Bahia Salinas on Isla Carmen. With such light winds, there were no seas to speak of, so en route I used my solar oven to bake a huge chocolate chip cookie. All the while I chanted the tongue-twister that Koiya made up for such occasions: “Slowly solar cooking Susan’s solar cookies!”

The Sea is teeming with life here (near Loreto), and we saw countless mantas jump and flip themselves. We also watched a humpback whale surfacing and diving nearby, and suddenly, it exploded into the air in a full breach! The sun sparkled off its grooved white belly and long flippers, and it hung in the air for an impossibly long moment. We both cried out “Whoa!”, but our voices were drowned out by the whale’s splash. Amazing! (This isn’t our photo, but it gives you an idea of what we saw. “Our whale” went more vertical than this!) (more…)

We left La Paz for the last time this season on Saturday, June 6. As the coromuel winds blow pretty reliably from the Southwest at night, we decided to make an overnight passage up to Isla San Francisco with our buddies on Theophilus. At first, it seemed we had picked the one night that the coromuel wouldn’t blow, but it finally filled in around 10pm.

When I came on watch at midnight, Capn Micro Manage told me, “We’re a couple miles off of it, but watch out for that island.” I looked in the direction he indicated; to hit the island, I’d have to turn us 90 degrees and continue for half an hour on that course. Does he think I’m a complete moron? Perhaps I’d get bored and start playing “Spin the Helm” to entertain myself? I’d have to be an idiot to hit that island (no offense, Ron!). Luckily it was dark and Toro couldn’t see me roll my eyes. “I’ll do my bestest, Capn,” I responded with a mock salute. Despite my incompetence, we somehow made it to Isla San Francisco the next morning.

I had wanted to do a long hike over to the North side of the island, but though we got an early start, it was quickly apparent that it was too hot even for gringos to be out walking. I always imagine that Mexicans think we’re crazy to go hiking at all, and once it’s June, I have to agree. So, we decided for a shorter hike and a swim instead. That night, Toro and I began sleeping in the cockpit because it was too warm in our berth. (more…)

We left La Paz on Sunday, May 24 for a last family trip out to the islands. We had a good Southwesterly wind, so we sailed out of the anchorage and up the channel. Halfway into the bay the wind got pretty light and we were doing just over 1 knot, so Todd and Koiya jumped in for a cooling swim. Koiya enjoyed jumping off the bow, then quickly surfacing to catch the swim ladder. Toro preferred just being dragged along, yelling things like, “We’re picking up speed, I can feel it!” and “That’s right, we’re heating it up!”

We’d hoped to catch up with Third Day, who have two kids aboard. But when we pulled into Ensenada Grande, there was no sign of Third Day… just a swell rolling in from the West. Surveying the building swell and increasing wind, Capn Anxious asked me, “What do your instincts say?” Although it was already sunset and we’d just got the anchor down and everything put away, I replied, “I think we should move.” “I think so too!” he shouted over his shoulder, already heading up to pull up the anchor.

Luckily Caleta Partida, a great all-weather anchorage, is just a couple miles from Ensenada Grande, so we still had plenty of light for anchoring. Given that the night-time coromuel winds were predicted to continue through the week, we decided to just stay put. Todd thought that I would get antsy after a few days, but I was determined to embrace my inner slacker. (more…)

Over the past couple of months, we’ve been debating what to do with the boat this summer. Should we bash back to San Francisco, or leave her down in Mexico again? We’ve gone back and forth, leaning one way and another. Some days I’d be in favor of one option, while Toro was inclined to the other. But, I think we’ve finally settled on…(wait for it)…Mexico otra vez!

Money was a big factor in the decision. We worried that if we took her back to San Francisco it would mark the end of our cruising not to mention the slip fees, insurance, and property taxes might lead us to sell her. So while we’re still nervous about the heat and sun in San Carlos, we figure that if we leave her down here, we’ll be able to afford to keep her (inshallah!). And of course, we’ll be motivated to do more cruising!

So we’ll be heading out to the islands for one last leisurely trip, then come back to La Paz. We’ve got Koiya booked on a flight out of Cabo on June 3, and then Toro and I will head back in to the Sea.

When discussing a departure date for our next trip to the islands with our buddies on Theophilus, at first we were a bit hesitant. We’re having the UV cover on our jib replaced, and we didn’t want to make a trip without it. But then Ron casually mentioned that he’d also been talking to Isis and Monsoon about all making the trip together.

“Theophilus is our buddy boat!” ranted Capn Envy. “Did they even think about how this would make us feel?” “Relax,” I said, trying to calm him. “I’m sure Ron is just using them so he’ll have enough bodies for a volleyball game. It doesn’t mean anything.”

But of course, we couldn’t just sit by while these upstarts tried to weasel their ways into Theophilus’ hearts. Jib or no jib, we had to join that floatilla, and do all that we could to drive a Sugata-sized wedge between Theophilus and any crew foolish enough to try to steal them away from us! (more…)

On Thursday, April 23, we set out from La Paz for another trip out to the islands. I could tell Capn Cranky Pants was not pleased as we got underway. “Are you unhappy about going out?” I asked.

“Yeah,” he grumbled. “I’d be glad if Theophilus were coming with us. As it is, I’m just gonna have to read and snorkel.” “That is pretty rough,” I agreed. I thought about putting him in charge of cooking for the week, you know, to give him something to do; but the thought of meals consisting only of ham, cheese and eggs gave me pause.

Our first stop was a new to us: Playa Bonanza, on the East side of the islands. Its emerald waters and 2-mile long white sand beach make it a beautiful anchorage. Koiya and I swam ashore to get a closer look at some goats, and ended up meeting Mrs. Gull, who squawked and flew at us because we unwittingly got too close to her nest. Later, we were happy to be visited by dolphins feeding on the fish in the bay. (more…)