Lake Tahoe, Sacramento and home

We drove north from Las Vegas and it was so dry that there were dust devils swirling across the desert. We turned off the freeway and saw this hill of rocks, the amount of weathering on the stones was amazing. 

It was a lovely drive with some beautiful vistas in small town Nevada. We climbed up over a mountain pass almost to 8,000 feet on the way into Lake Tahoe

We stopped in there for the evening. It is a beautiful spot and we had time in the morning to go for a hike. Then we drove up the west side of the lake from south to north and then we headed for Sacramento. 

We had a great visit with our friends Pat and Carole whom we first met in Mexico in 2006. On our way to San Francisco to catch our plane Pat drove us through the delta that is east of San Francisco Bay. It was an enjoyable drive along the levees that were constructed after the gold rush in the 1800's.

We drove through vineyards and pear orchards, a very rich growing area. We took the rapid transit into San Francisco where the temperature dropped about 25 degrees and was rainy.

We are back home and I probably will stop blogging now that our life will be fairly predictable. Check back in the middle of January 2019 when we will return to San Carlos and the boat.

Las Vegas

We took the bus to Tucson, Arizona and then rented a car and drove to Las Vegas. It was a pretty boring drive until we got close and we went through the old mountain range. We stopped at the Hoover Dam, it was really something. It was so hot, 107F or over 41C, it was a very dry heat though so we weren't sweating like we did in Costa Rica. 

Barry had been to Las Vegas as a kid in the 50's and I had never been so we were astonished by the number of hotels and the opulence that was on display.

We cruised down the strip gawking like the tourists we were. The Las Vegas hockey team is in the Stanley Cup finals so signs of Go Knights Go were everywhere. In the Excalibur Casino the knight was wearing a hockey jersey.

I am not sure if you can read the sign but they bet on just about anything in Las Vegas, including first team to score a goal. They had golfing odds as well and we were surprised to see Tiger Woods was given 10-1 odds for winning the Fed-Ex Cup.

We went into the Coca Cola store and I had to resist mightily the urge to buy a pair of these pyjamas.

I finally got lucky and won $113 USD at the slot machines. I cashed in and walked away. That is thing if we win we just leave with our money. It was early in the evening and I now understand gamblers, it was very difficult not to try and win some MORE money, but I resisted and it paid for our dinner at Bubba Gump's Shrimp restaurant.

Here is Barry who was extremely pleased to have a whole roll of paper towels with which to wipe his fingers if he chose!

Getting ready to haul out!

We stopped at a spot that used to have a salt industry. It employed 200 people at one time, but closed in the 80's. There is a hunting lodge on the island, they have introduced big horn sheep to the large mountainous island and now you too can hunt for a week for a mere $70,000. We went walking around the old salt ponds and Barry started across and got stuck in the gooey, salty muck.

We crossed over to the mainland last week and now are in the process of getting ready to be hauled out. It seems as if we have to clean everything, I washed and waxed all the deck and cockpit. I figure that the wax will protect the fibreglass from the blazing sun all summer. Barry and I have washed and put away the staysail and the main, tomorrow the Genoa.  It has been so windy here that we are getting up at first light to wash the sails as there is no wind then. I have also waxed the topsides, my elbows and wrists were getting so sore from all the rubbing I had to insist that Barry help, so he has polished about 3/4 of the boat. All the lines that has been salt encrusted have been soaked in fresh water and dried in the sun and wind. Barry has changed the engine oil and washed and cleaned the chain and the chain locker. We still have the inside of the boat to deal with, food to be disposed off, fridge to be cleaned, teak to be oiled so it doesn't dry out too much and cock roach traps to be prepared and set.

We get hauled out on June 1, then we are taking a bus to Tucson AZ, where we will rent a car and drive to Sacramento CA, to visit with some old friends before flying home.

This is cruising!

We are in Honeymoon Cove just across from Puerto Escondido which is just south of Loreto. We have been slowly working our way north, spending three or four days in each anchorage we stop in. We have been hiking everyday ending up looking at these lovely vistas. 

The three pictures above were taken in Honeymoon Cove, the one immediately below is Agua Verde. The last two were in Los Gato.

It is really quite beautiful around here. The other day we had a weiner roast on shore. It was great to have a fire, it has been a long time since we did that.

Yesterday we were privileged to have a close up view of porpoises feeding in the cove. We watched and timed them and they would be on the surface and then dive for about two minutes before resurfacing and feeding on the surface again.  We watched them from the top of the hill and they were still there when we reached the bottom.  We rowed our dinghy out from the shore and they came up about 30 metres away, they paid no attention to us whatsoever.  It was fascinating to watch.

(Backup) Sea of Cortez

We have made our way up into the Sea of Cortez, we are about 50nm north of La Paz. We are really enjoying revisiting anchorages that we were in 11 years ago. 

This is the gorgeous Isla San Francisco. We spent four days here and hiked all over the south side of the island.

We walked all the way along the top of the ridge enjoying the spectacular views. 

Today we are at San Evaristo. There is spotty internet coverage here so I hope I am able to publish this. The cell and internet coverage is poor along this stretch so you may not here from me very often.

La Cruz

We are in the anchorage at La Cruz which is just north of Puerto Vallarta. There is a nice little town here with restaurants and shops so we can get what we need. Our larders were getting pretty empty so we have done three shopping trips. Today we took the bus around Banderas Bay to Bucerias and wondered around the upscale streets where there are lots of art galleries.
We have become fish taco aficionados, trying them wherever we stop for lunch. Today Barry pronounced that we had found the best place yet. You could have fish, sharp, marlin or octopus tacos, empanadas, or burritos for 25 pesos a piece, that is about $1.50. I had 2 and Barry had 3 and we both found that amount was just right for lunch.

In my worldwide collection of pictures with animal crossing signs, this one rates right up there with the best. We have Ted and Barbara from Vermont with us, the four of us seemed to really hit it off. Too bad they are hauling their boat out in PV so we will not be seeing them anymore. We were walking down the road to the marina today and an iguana ran across in front of us, so there was a need for the sign.

Barra we Navidad

The French Baker was alive and well in Barra. I had my almond croissants and they were as good as I remember them.  There were only twelve other boats in the anchorage so he was only making baguettes once a week so we missed them. 

One day we decided to go Melacque which is a town just around the bay. When we started walking we went down to the water to have a look and decided to walk all the way around. 

Barra is all the way around the other side of the bay. We left the next day and are currently at some islands just south of Chamela. Next stop after a 20 hour sail will be La Cruz, just north of Puerto Vallarta. It is getting cooler as we head north and we have gotten out a blanket for the night. We had to put on jackets yesterday morning as we headed out just a fee per sunrise. I am enjoying these past few days more as we are anchoring each night and are able to get an uninterrupted sleep. Hopefully the hops won't be all overnighters after PV so we can get some decent rest.

Tropical Fruits

We are in Zihuatenajo and are enjoying the tropical fruits that we can get at the market. The bowl contains mangoes, limes, bananas, guavas, avocados and tomatoes, missing are pineapples, papayas and watermelon. The bananas are unlike any you have ever eaten in Canada, they are so sweet, it is unbelievable.

Here is a guy up on a fence harvesting mangoes. They are fresh off the tree when we buy them and ripe, dripping with goodness when we cut them open. Often breakfast underway is half a papaya each, we just scoop the seeds overboard and then dig out the fruit with a spoon. 

Besides fruit there are beautiful flowers in abundance. We arrived on Easter Sumday and there were gorgeous bouquets in all the flower stalls.  

The winds look good for heading further north tomorrow, there may be some following flow, if not at least it will not blowing on our nose. I think our next stop will be Barra dear Navidad where we are hoping "ze French bakuer" is still plying his trade. He has a boat and comes around every morning selling fresh baked goodies. After 10 years my mouth still waters when I think of his baguettes and his almond croissants

Turtles, turtles turtles, yeah yeah yeah, mmmmm I love turtles

We must be on the turtle super highway, they are everywhere. I have had fun trying to capture them on film. They kind of look like helmets when you first see them. We are slowly sailing at the moment so we can sneak up on them. Once they figure out there is danger, they dive. It is the most uncoordinated thing I have ever seen. Their flippers flap about in the air as they try to head down. Eventually they make it and swim away. 

Fisherman Extraordinaire

Barry caught a mahi-mahi the other day. It was just a small one but it was delicious. Today he caught a dorado, it only took about two minutes after he put the hook out. 

There were lots of birds around the boat, floating on the water and then you would see splashing and the birds would alight and go fishing. Barry took one look and decided he would try his luck. We had a very tasty fish stew for lunch. 

We are on a three day passage from Puerto Angel to Zihuatanejo. We sailed for about an hour just after we left when the engine overheated. As usual when something goes wrong with the engine I stay on deck and sail and Barry troubleshoots and try’s to figure out how to fix the engine. After checking all the normal culprits, the impeller, the raw water intake, the oil level, the coolant level, and not finding a problem, then the doomsday scenarios arise. “It has to be the water pump.” Me “Do we have a spare?” Barry “No and you have to take the engine apart to install a new water pump, it’s a huge job.”  I sit, staring, trying to figure out how we are going to order a new water pump, much less install one. Barry,” It can’t be a water pump they supposedly make a lot of noise when there is a problem.” Me, feeling relief that it might not be a water pump, in my ignorance asks, “Could it be a lift pump, we have a spare one of those don’t we?” (Apparently lift pumps lift fuel not water, and since we have an overheating problem fuel is not involved) Baffled, Barry starts the engine again but it is still overheated so we shut it off and raise the main, I have been sailing with the Genoa alone which I managed to unfurl by myself. We are not making much progress, the wind is directly on our nose and the current is against us so when we tack instead of our normal 100-110 degree tack, this one is about 160-170 degrees. We are slowly going back and forth making very little progress towards Zihuatanejo. 

Barry goes below and rechecks all the problem areas, after an hour of fiddling about he decides he should jump in the water to check the water intake valve to see if it is blocked. Before he dives in he decides that can’t be the problem because there is lots of water coming out of the engine when it is running, so it can’t be blocked. He decides to restart the engine again and lo and behold it has cooled off and seems to be running at peak operating temperature. He drives me to distraction for the next half hour demanding to be told the engine temp. every minute it seems. This results in me loosing it and screaming at the top of my lungs at him, it is all I can do to refrain from hitting him.

The problem seems to be resolved, we will not have to wait weeks for a part in some oddball little place and spend an arm and a leg having someone help us install it. The relief I feel at having the engine purring away again is tempered by the need to keep a very watchful eye on the temperature gauge, and not knowing what caused the problem in the first place. My only thought is some random piece of plastic got sucked in the intake valve and blocked the water, when we shut the engine off, the suction was lost and the piece of plastic floated away. That’s my theory and I am sticking too it. 

These two hitched a ride for most of one night. First there was one, then another joined. I put my foot down at three and flapped some clothing around until they departed. I was worried about spatter on my sails. Watching them land is a real lesson in aerodynamics. Barry said at one point one of them was hanging of the pulpit by his beak!

Random thoughts

I got bitten by something yesterday and have a whopping big itchy swelling around bite site. I took an antihistamine just at supper time and promptly fell asleep. It is now 0430 and I am wide awake!!

The other day I awoke at dawn and got up for my shift. I looked out and saw rough grey seas raging past the portal. I was warm and dry and still fuzzy from just waking up from a sound sleep. I actually marveled at the concept of a sailboat. We were in the middle of miles and miles of water, we were healed over, about 10 degrees, all around us the waves were pounding by, relentless, never stopping and we were safe and warm and dry, skimming along the top of the water, propelled by only the wind.  I can use the toilet, wash my hands, make myself something to eat, and then go out on deck and supervise the wind vane as it manages to steer the boat all by itself. 

The concept that man has made something that can harness nature is awesome. It is a thrill to be able to participate in that feeling and I suppose that is one of the reasons we have sailed todo el mundo. Thanks for listening.

Heading North

We are in Puerto Angel about 20 miles north of Huatulco, Mexico. We crossed the Gulf of Tuanapec when the wind was not blowing, sailing 80 nm in a 260 mile voyage. If you look at a map the narrowest point on Central America is here so if there is a nasty weather system in the Gulf of Mexico on the Atlantic side it blows a houlie across the peninsula and you have a Tuanapecker, a gale with nasty seas. The forecast was very benign so we motored straight across the Gulf, which is a no no, and made it with no problems. 

We are going to have a rest today and for the first time since we got here we felt like tourists. We went and had lunch, with a cerveasa and a margarita to accompany lunch we looked out at the boat and just relaxed.

This is Barry’a choice for lunch, sopa Moriscos, seafood soup!

I bought a new bathing suit, the first new one since 2011 as did Barry, after much nagging from me. A dress also caught my eye and for $12 it was a bargain. After a rest we went for an hour snorkel, we finally had a day like you all think we do. 

I am going for a dive tomorrow and then we may hop north to Zihuatanejo the next day. It is over 300 nautical miles north.