NORTH INTO THE SEA OF CORTEZ

April 11, 2019

The Great Blue Heron's Panga

With no more painting to do, I had hoped to get up early and exercise but it was perfect sleeping weather and we had gone to bed so late that I slept until nearly 8:00.  We listened to the net and, after a quick shower, we walked up to Super Burros on Abasolo for breakfast.  I tried to order a banana smoothie and bacon and eggs for breakfast but they were out of both bananas and bacon.  I ended up with eggs scrambled with hot dogs (what passes for sausage in Mexico) and a glass of horchata.  The beans were especially good and I enjoyed the breakfast, anyway.

We intended to go to Walmart to provision but Greg had some paperwork to do and the internet was down all afternoon, so we never left the boat.  Lance picked up a printer cartridge for Greg on his own trip to Walmart.  They carried a small motorcycle called a Honda Grom on their boat, which gave them great mobility.  Greg was fascinated with that motorcycle.  It was slick.

Evening on the Malecon

We had organized a trip to Dragon d' Oro for Chinese food that evening.  Don from Comet and Lance and Pam from Shamaya joined us.  We walked up the Malecon and made a left just before the Los Arcos Hotel.  The restaurant was a couple of blocks up on the left, across the street from Bob Marlin’s.  We all ordered a family style package meal.  We had chicken chop suey, egg rolls, fried shrimp, beef broccoli, barbecued pork, fried rice, and something like lemon chicken.  It was the most tasteless Chinese food I had ever eaten, but it wasn’t greasy.  The fried rice was very good and had lots of pork in it.  We had enough left over for a couple of lunches for Greg and me.  I found the food disappointing, but no one else seemed to mind.  Maybe I was just spoiled, having grown up in the San Francisco Bay Area where the Chinese food was fantastic.  It was a nice restaurant with good service and it was fun eating out with our friends.

It was a beautiful evening and the sun was setting as we strolled back along the Malecon.  We stopped at the polka dot trees (La Fuente) for ice cream on the way back.  That did not disappoint.

April 12, 2019

La Paz Sign Before Dawn

I finally went for a run on Friday morning.  The city was building a skate park and exercise center in the highway median across from Marina Palmira.  Our friend, Kevin, had bought a long skateboard and used it to travel between Palmira, where he kept his boat, and Marina La Paz.  When the wind was out of the right direction, he could use his body as a sail and just roll all the way.  It was probably a good thing that the skate park wasn’t completed because I could just see Kevin trying to do tricks there.

Skate Park Under Construction

Our plan for the day was to go to Walmart for provisioning but Greg had some paperwork that he needed to complete and send to the States via FedEx.  We sent our laundry out to be done before we left for the islands and I decided to make the bed.  That led to trimming the memory foam topper in the forward cabin to fit the bunk which then led to checking the water in the batteries under the bed.  That reminded Greg that he thought there was something wrong with the way he had wired the batteries after replacing them, so he decided to take a look at that. 

Greg & Victor Working on the Batteries

The batteries under the forward bunk powered the windlass and bow thrusters, both of which took 24 volts.  They had been wired in parallel, which only put out 12 volts.  They worked, but weren’t as strong as they could have been.  When sparks started flying, Greg decided to call the electrician.  Victor, the electrician, came right over.  He quickly rewired the batteries in series, which made everything work great.  The trouble was: they wouldn’t charge.  The charger only put out twelve volts and with the two twelve-volt batteries converted to one 24-volt battery, they wouldn’t charge.  After much investigation and the passage of several hours, Victor put them back the way they started.  Greg would require a 24-volt charger or some type of converter to be able to use those batteries to put out twenty four volts.  This puzzled him because he swore they had worked when he bought the boat.  The cables, however, had been replaced and I secretly suspected that there might once have been a different set-up.

FedEx Office in La Paz

By the time Victor left, it was nearly 16:00 and we had to rush to get to FedEx before they closed.  We called an Uber, which worked beautifully, although we got dirty looks from the marina taxi drivers.  Forty pesos (just over $2) got us to the FedEx office.  A taxi would have cost a minimum of fifty pesos and likely more.  Greg sent off his documents and then we caught another Uber to the Walmart for forty-five pesos.  We did our shopping and caught another forty-five-peso Uber back to the marina.  I was convinced that Uber was the way to go in La Paz.

Koko's Restaurant

It was 19:30 by the time we got back from Walmart and too late to go to the cocktail party we had intended to attend.  Neither of us had been able to get our prescriptions filled at Walmart, so we walked up to the nearest Farmacia to take care of that errand.  Then we decided to patronize our friends at Koko’s who were just starting to open for dinner on the weekends.  Greg didn’t much like his chicken taco, but the beef and shrimp ones I had were delicious.  We shared a ballena (40 oz) of Pacifico and chatted with the staff, since we were the only customers.  It was nice to relax after our rather frustrating day.

April 13, 2019

The day had finally come to leave La Paz but we were in no real hurry.  We had to pick up our laundry and check out after 9:00.  We followed our normal morning routine and then loaded the dinghy onto the foredeck and returned the spinnaker and lines to the bosun’s locker.  It was nearly 11:00 by the time we pulled out of the marina and headed for the islands.

La Paz in the Rear View

There was plenty of wind but it was on the nose.  It was so hazy that we couldn’t see the islands when we left.  We motored out of the channel and headed across to Espiritu Santo.  The port had been closed for a couple of days and there were numerous boats making a break for it.  The wind continued on the nose and we never did get to sail.  We motored along at a good clip and arrived in Ensenada Grande on Isla Partida about mid-afternoon.  Unleashed and Sea Note were already anchored there, having spent the wind event in Caleta Partida.

Sea Note in Ensenada Grande

We were in no mood to launch the dinghy.  The wind was cold and I had spent the entire day in long pants and a fleece.  I got chilled standing on the bow operating the anchor windlass, so went below to make a hot drink and warm up.  Greg took a nap and I spent the rest of the afternoon reading and dozing.

Once we were both awake again, we opened a bottle of red wine and sat in the cockpit.  The wind had finally died down.  Westerlies were predicted for that night, which would have made the anchorage a lee shore, and we hoped they wouldn’t reach us where we were.  Eventually, we got hungry and I cooked pork chops and mashed potatoes with salad for dinner.  By the time dinner was consumed and the dishes done, it was time for bed.  The west winds still had not appeared and the anchorage was calm.  We passed a quiet night and slept like rocks.

April 14, 2019

Gulet  at Anchor

It was chilly when I got up and I sat, bundled in a blanket, writing in the cockpit and drinking hot peach drink.  Coffee and even tea gave me an acid stomach, so I was constantly searching for warm drinks that did not.  I had started the season with Postum, which worked fine but turned to a rock in the humid environment.  I had ground the rock in a coffee grinder but the resulting powder was even more rocklike by the following morning.  Hot Zuko, the local version of Tang, seemed to be the best alternative.  When it was warm in the morning, I just didn’t bother.

When Greg got up and had consumed sufficient coffee, I made improvised latkes out of the leftover mashed potatoes from the night before.  There seemed to be a huge quantity, but we somehow managed to consume them all.  A Turkish gulet was anchored next to us and we admired it while we ate.  Having sailed on one that leaked like a sieve in Turkey, I wondered how it had ever managed to survive the trip to La Paz.  Maybe I had just been assigned the worst gulet in Turkey.  It had been a last minute substitution.

Once the dishes were done, we pulled up the anchor and set out for Isla San Francisco, leaving the anchorage in Ensenada Grande about 10:45.  Winds were light and pretty much on the nose.  We motored north at nearly eight knots.

Motoring Towards Isla San Francisco

The trip to Isla San Francisco was uneventful.  We arrived off the “Hook” at 13:30 but elected to motor around to the far side because we were expecting wind out of the south that night.  The wind was still out of the north when we arrived at 14:00.  We dropped the hook in twenty-five feet behind the island.  The catamaran Orion soon joined us.

We ate a little lunch and then I napped.  Isla San Francisco offers a fun hike to the top of the ridge overlooking the anchorage, but we had not launched the dinghy.  Greg decided to make green sauce before taking his own nap.  I always preferred to nap in the cockpit but was awakened by annoying little flies that didn’t bite but insisted on landing on my face.  By 16:00, I gave up on sleeping and set about practicing the guitar.

Anchorage Behind Isla San Francisco

Greg got up shortly before 18:00 and fixed us cocktails.  That quickly put an end to my guitar playing.  Greg did his best to make chicken enchiladas for dinner even though we had only flour tortillas.  It was lovely to have someone else cook dinner on the boat and I enjoyed the meal.  I put on Bach violin concertos while I did the dishes and we spent the rest of the evening reading and listening to music.

The wind did eventually turn around and blow from the south, which set off our anchor alarm and made Greg uncomfortable.  He stayed up after I retired at 23:00 to assure himself that the anchor was not actually dragging.  Once the wind shifted, we found ourselves a little outside the most sheltered part of the anchorage and we rocked whenever we turned broadside to the swell.  Still, we passed a fairly peaceful night.

April 15, 2019

It was sunny when I first poked my head out the companionway, but quickly grew overcast.  I had to put on a third layer to be comfortable sitting in the cockpit.  I had hoped it would warm up enough for a shower but quickly gave up on the idea until later in the day.  The wind was still blowing from the south, but it was cold nonetheless.

Orion at Anchor Behind Isla San Francisco

I sat, writing, in the cockpit while Greg drank coffee and tried to determine what Unleashed, Sea Note, and Shamaya were planning.  This was Unleashed’s first cruise in the Sea of Cortez and it would be a shame for them to miss anchoring in the “Hook,” but the south wind made conditions unfavorable.  As much as we wanted the other boats to join us, we favored the idea of heading for the north side of Punta San Evaristo while the wind was favorable for sailing north.

Sailing North

As soon as we determined that everyone was headed for San Evaristo, we pulled up the anchor and motored around the south side of the island to peek into the anchorage on the other side.  Many boats had already departed and it looked like we had made a good call to stop on the far side.  It was windy and we put up the sails as soon as we cleared the island and sailed up the San Jose Channel towards San Evaristo.  The wind was coming out of the south and pushing us along nicely.  Predictions called for strong wind from the south and west, so we headed for the north side of Punta San Evaristo, arriving by 14:00.  It was a shame to pass up visiting the village but we valued a calm night's sleep and determined we could stop in the main anchorage on our return.  Unfortunately, our friends decided to anchor in the main bay.  We were alone.

We ate lunch and Greg took a nap while I practiced the guitar.  When he got up, we made pizza, enjoyed the sunset, and watched a movie.  The wind did, indeed, howl out of the west that night but our anchorage was flat calm.  By the next morning, Unleashed was ready to join us on the far side, but we were ready to move on.

April 16, 2019

Greg Sailing North

The wind was still blowing strongly from the west when we got up and we decided to leave before breakfast to take advantage of the wind to sail north to Agua Verde.  Once we were well underway, I went below to make a frittata.  The wind gusted to twenty-eight knots as we passed some deep canyons and we were over canvased.  We heeled over so far that Greg’s printer, a carousel of poker chips, a bowl of fruit, and anything else on the port side of the boat that wasn’t tied down went flying across the salon.  I paused making breakfast to hurry on deck and let out the main sail.  It took me quite a while to track down all the poker chips and stray fruit before I could resume cooking.  It was definitely another episode of “Extreme Galley.”

Unseasonable Weather

We made eight and nine knots nearly the whole way to Agua Verde.  The wind was very cold and I dug out my foulies, wool socks, and watch cap.  The wind dropped off after noon and we slowed to a crawl, eventually electing to start the engine.  Once again, we arrived by 14:00 despite having covered forty-four miles.  Agua Verde was one of my favorite anchorages and Don and I had been forced to skip it the previous year because a norther had kept us pinned in Puerto Escondido for five days and we were behind schedule.  We cruised through the anchorage to see who was there and then settled in the southern lobe of the anchorage where we hoped to be protected during the southwesterly winds predicted for that night.  By the time the hook was set, we were quite close to the rock wall and it took a lot of faith to stay there in the belief that the wind would soon blow us away from the wall.  The protected part of the bay was quite crowded. 

Rock Wall Just off Our Stern

Palapa Restaurant in Agua Verde

Once the hook was set, Greg took a nap and then we lowered the dinghy into the water, mounted the engine, and set off around the corner to the beach in the main bay where someone had constructed a palapa restaurant on the sand.  Most of the items on the menu required reservations for the following day, but we were able to order fish tacos and beer on short notice.  We sat, waiting for our food and watching several pick-up trucks trying to pull another pickup out of the water where it had become mired in the soft sand.  Semana Santa was in full swing and many people were camping on the beach.  All of them seemed to be involved in rescuing the unfortunate pick-up.  Eventually, the two strongest trucks trained themselves together and, with a line long enough to allow them to avoid driving uphill, managed to free the pick-up from the water.  Our food arrived about that time.  The fish was very tasty.  Greg had his a la plancha and I had mine al mojo de ajo.  Both were very good. 

Our Anchorage in Agua Verde

We headed back to the boat as soon as we paid our bill, paddling the dinghy through the surf until the water was deep enough to lower the engine.  The boat had, indeed, turned around by the time we returned.  The wind never did blow very hard and we passed a very calm night.

April 17, 2019

Scout at Anchor in Agua Verde

Not wanting to be close to the rock wall when the wind started blowing from the north, we got another early start.  By the time we said goodbye to Agua Verde, the wind was on our nose and we never even unfurled the main.  As it was not very far to Puerto Escondido, we towed the dinghy behind us which limited our speed to six and a half knots.

Towing the Dinghy Through the Gauntlet of Islets

It was a cold and windy trip, but not so cold that I needed to dig out my foul weather gear again, although I did make the trip in long pants and wool socks.  I made French toast underway but did not experience the excitement of the previous morning.  We threaded our way between the islets that line the coast between Agua Verde and Puerto Escondido and then slipped into the entrance to Puerto Escondido.  

Entering Puerto Escondido

We found new moorings in the ellipse (an elliptical bay just outside the main bay), but all were full.  We had to venture to the far end of the main anchorage before finding an empty, intact mooring.  The wind was blowing nearly twenty knots and we had an interesting time securing the mooring line to our bridle because the anchor interfered with the lines when they were led through the chocks.  Eventually, we bypassed the chocks and led the lines directly to the cleats which allowed the lines to drop far enough to clear the anchor.  We were sailing around the mooring but were firmly moored.  We had a snack, Greg went below for a nap, and I settled down to write.

The wind had dropped somewhat by the time Greg arose from his siesta and we decided to go ashore for dinner.  I was not a big fan of zooming around in dinghies, so I white-knuckled it as Greg took the dinghy up on plane and screamed for shore.  On shore, I headed for the showers while Greg visited the marina office to check in.  Once we completed our respective business, we adjourned to Pepegina’s Restaurant on the second floor deck for dinner. I had a large and tasty burrito and an excellent margarita.  We enjoyed the view and the Wifi until the sun started to set and we decided we had better head for the boat.  Greg convinced Frank, the fellow who did the shopping for the market in Puerto Escondido, to stop by the pharmacy in Loreto and pick up his prescription for him the following morning, thus saving us a trip into Loreto.

The wind had calmed down considerably and Greg took pity on me and returned to the boat at a more sedate pace.  We spent a quiet night on our mooring.

BAYFEST 2019 IN LA PAZ

April 4, 2019

Itzel, Ana, and Trisha

We had to get up early on Thursday because Bayfest was in full swing and Greg had entered Scout in the “Rock to the Dock” sailboat race that started at 11:00 off Roca Lobos.  Our crew, was scheduled to arrive at the boat at 8:30 because we needed at least an hour and a half to reach the starting line.  Greg had agreed to bring the Municipal Director of Tourism and her assistant along as guests.  They were late, so we didn’t leave the dock until after 9:00 and had to hurry.  We did manage to arrive at the start line before the committee boat, which had to begin the starting sequence before they got an anchor down.

Itzel and Ana, from the Tourism Board, brought Greg a very nice carved conch shell as a thank-you gift.  Sailing was a new experience for them and they had a good time.  I chatted with them in Spanish when I wasn’t busy trimming the main or serving lunch.  Greg let each of them drive for a little while.

Gift from the Tourism Board

In addition to the girls from the Tourism Board, we had Trisha and Derrick from Interabang, Ray from Sea Note, and Paul and Carol from Unleashed as crew.  It was a crazy race because we started with our spinnakers up, the whole race being downwind.  It was a pursuit race, but not handicapped, so the catamarans soon left the monohulls behind. 

Our Nemesis, Talion

The Foredeck Crew Working Hard

Our goal was to beat our nemesis, Talion, which we should have been able to do.  Unfortunately, we elected to go wide to get a faster sailing angle, a gamble which did not pay off.  We had a great spinnaker run with a few textbook gybes, but still finished behind Talion which had sailed a shorter distance.

I was trimming the main sail.  The main sheet was so stiff with dirt and salt that I could not trim it without tugging it through the chocks a few inches at a time.  I vowed to remedy that situation at the first possible opportunity.

The race was over by mid-afternoon and that gave me a much-needed chance to relax.  There was a wine tasting at Club Cruceros at 17:00, but the wine was disappointing.  From there, we strolled over to La Costa where Greg was hosting a Texas Hold’em tournament.  I’m not a poker player but I had a good time playing darts with the other cruisers and met some new people.  I hadn’t played darts in a few years, but I had my moments.  I held my own, at least.

The Racing Crew of Scout

April 5, 2019

Sweeping the Malecon at Dawn

I got up early on Friday to run along the Malecon to Marina Palmira and back.  The street sweepers were out, sweeping the sand out of the bike lanes with brooms and off the polished concrete of the new section of the Malecon with giant dust mops.

I went to a seminar on boat electronics in the late morning and then walked downtown to get my nails done.  I never found the salon I usually used in La Paz, but found a local place where I got them done for a mere 150 pesos.  

That afternoon, I began the process of washing the main sheet.  I removed it from the boat and soaked it in a five-gallon bucket with the Mexican equivalent of Woolite.  The water was soon black with dirt.  It would take nine buckets of water before I was satisfied that most of the dirt had been removed.  Finally, I rinsed it in fabric softener and stretched it out to dry.  When I reinstalled it, I switched it end for end so that the really crispy part was then out of the sun.  We would see if it ran any better when we set out to sail to the islands.

There was a dinner at La Costa that evening which was supposed to have a disco theme, but no one was dancing and it seemed rather sparsely attended.  The food was mediocre and we didn’t stay long.

April 6, 2019

Work Underway on the Malecon

Saturday, I went for a walk along the Malecon in the morning.  The renovations continued and a large section was cordoned off.  When completed, the new section would reach all the way to the theater.  They were also renovating the parks and plazas along the Malecon and were removing the concrete from the area around the bandstand with jackhammers.  It was very busy in the cool of the morning.

I had finally heard from Don on Comet and visited him in Marina Don Jose after breakfast.  I hadn’t seen him since September and we had a lot to catch up on.  It was good to see Comet again.  I missed her nimbleness and the ease with which we had explored less popular anchorages.  Scout was a beautiful boat, but Greg was disinclined to risk her in unfamiliar waters.

I attended a seminar on the sea life and park regulations later in the afternoon.  I was interested to learn that residents of a municipality (the equivalent of a county in the USA) do not need to purchase wrist bands to visit the parks in their home municipality.  Everyone else, Mexicans and foreigners, needed a day pass or an annual pass which was available at any CONANP office for 371.91 pesos or from other vendors for an additional fee.  Technically, these passes were required to visit any of the islands in the Sea of Cortez, although in three years of cruising, no one had ever asked me for one.  This was news to me.  We were told that passes were available online, but that turned out not to be the case.

Saturday night was the big Bayfest party at La Costa.  The dinner was exactly the same as the previous night, but they had a fairly decent blues band and people danced. 

April 7, 2019

Greg gave a seminar on the Baja Bash on Sunday morning and I attended that.  We gathered contact information from the boats planning to bash for later use when we began the journey.

The Crowd at La Costa for the Chili Cookoff and Awards

The highlight of Bayfest for many people was the chili cookoff on the last day.  Chili was served at 13:00.  There were nine contestants, although one of them didn’t arrive until after we had already voted.  Some of the chilis were interesting.  My favorite was one made with shrimp.  There was also a vegetarian one with chocolate that tasted more like Indian food than chili but was unique.  One resembled thin refried beans.  We were disappointed to see that the winner was a bland concoction that our large group of chums all thought was the very worst one.  We had a big noisy group and enjoyed the food and beer.  Awards were presented to the winners of various contests during Bayfest and then, exhausted, we were finally finished.  It had been hard to proceed directly from the crossing to a full slate of activities without a chance to decompress and catch up on domestic tasks.

Daylight savings time had begun in Mexico on Saturday night and our internal clocks were not yet aligned with the actual time.  By the time we were ready for dinner, it was already 19:30.  We decided to walk along the Malecon to a Chinese restaurant that Greg liked.  We got a little turned around and it was 20:00 by the time we arrived.  The restaurant, Dragon D’Oro, was closed.  We then tried to go for fish tacos, but found that place closed, also.  We continued down the Malecon, looking for someplace to eat, but found nothing but bars and dessert.  The Malecon was packed with locals enjoying the evening light.

The Malecon at Dusk

Eventually, we found a restaurant in Callejon La Paz that served tacos and excellent pozole.  Sixty-five pesos got me such a big bowl of pozole that I had to share it with Greg.  His tacos were also nicely presented and our waiter was friendly and attentive.  We were so full after dinner that we actually passed up ice cream at the Polka Dot Trees, returning directly to the boat to watch Jack Ryan on Amazon Prime which was our latest obsession.

April 8, 2019

I got up to run on Monday morning, but my joints didn’t feel up to it so I walked to Marina Palmira and back (about 5.4 miles.)  It was a pretty morning, but promised to be hot later.

Still Morning in La Paz Harbor

After the net, Greg and I scrubbed the boat in preparation for sealing the teak decks, a project that was long overdue.  We relaxed after our exertions and then met Trisha and Derrick, Ray and Chaquila, Paul and Carol, Lance, Kevin, and Greg for ribs at Bandido’s at 17:00.  They were a bit overwhelmed by such a large party at that hour, but they managed and everyone got his or her food eventually.  The plates of beef ribs were huge but all but one of us managed to finish them.  We had been talking about ribs for days and had saved our appetites.

After dinner, Paul and Carol from Unleashed  and Lance and Pam from Shamaya came over to play Mexican Train Dominoes.  We all managed to stay up until 21:30 when people started to fade.  Greg and I then stayed up until nearly midnight watching the last episode of Jack Ryan and starting on Narcos: Mexico. 

April 9, 2019

Sealing the Teak Decks

I woke up at 5:45 and couldn’t go back to sleep.  I finally got up at 6:30, showered, made coffee, and sat in the cockpit until after the net.  As soon as the net finished, we tackled painting the decks with a sealer called Semco.  It was thin and easy to apply. I cut in along the edges and around the deck fittings while Greg painted the wide spaces with a large brush.  By noon, we had completed the side decks and it was too hot to continue.  The sealer was drying before it could soak into the wood and my feet were burning.

It was ninety-four degrees out and too hot to do much.  We took a short walk around the corner to Koko’s for a quick lunch and then hid in the boat all afternoon.  Greg hosted another poker game in the Vista Room that evening and I remained in the boat to catch up on my blog and practice the guitar.

We were hungry when Greg got home, having won the poker game.  Unfortunately, they hadn’t been playing for money so we decided to go to Gina’s for fifty peso burritos, or burros as they are called here in La Paz.  Lance and Pam from Shamaya joined us.  Gina was closed, so we walked into the surrounding neighborhood a couple of blocks and ate tacos at Chino’s.  Chino’s made fabulous beans and a delicious dessert called pastel de galleta which was made from many layers of white cake alternating with a pudding-like concoction and topped with strawberries.  We shared a piece.  Chino’s was crowded with boat people, being the only place open at that hour on Tuesday night.  We enjoyed our dinner and then returned to the boat to watch Netflix.

April 10, 2019

More Deck Sealing

I was determined to get an early start on sealing the deck, so skipped my morning walk/run.  As soon as the net ended, we started work on the deck.  I cut in around the edges and under the lines while Greg did the open spaces.  We finished by 9:30, before it began to get hot.

Once we finished the deck, we hiked up the hill and had breakfast at Olimpia, a hole in the wall café that served a complete breakfast with juice and coffee for seventy pesos.  We ran into Trisha and Derrick from Interabang who had finally taken our advice to try the restaurant.  They were duly impressed.

Strong winds were predicted to arrive from the north that afternoon.  It was windy in the morning, but the wind was coming from the south.  It calmed down momentarily about noon and then started blowing up to thirty knots from the north.  The radio was swamped with calls for assistance as several unattended boats dragged anchor and began to wander around the anchorage.  One fetched up against the breakwater at Marina Cortez and was eventually lassoed and brought inside to safety.  Another went aground on a sandbar and a third became tangled in some pilings along the Malecon where the navy tried to free it. Residents of the anchorage launched their dinghies and rushed to assist with securing the drifting vessels.

I had already had a gin and tonic and was practicing the guitar about 18:00 when we rather suddenly decided to go the the open mic at Bob Marlin’s.  I hastily put together a set and decided to try to play.  Lance and Pam came with us and we headed up there shortly after 19:00.  Bob Marlin’s was an outdoor palapa bar a couple of blocks inland from the Malecon.

Someone was playing country music when we arrived.  Lance and Pam ordered guacamole and chips.  I stuck with mineral water as I was still trying to recover from the gin and tonic I had consumed earlier so that I could play with some accuracy.  They had a drummer and a rudimentary bass player available to accompany those of us who wanted to play.  A fellow named Russ played some nice rock ‘n roll and then it was my turn.

Me on Stage at Bob Marlin's

My set went very well.  I played a mix of familiar and original songs, which were well received.  The Mexican audience especially liked my song, Da Me Un Beso, and laughed in all the right places.  I played four songs and then ceded the spotlight to others.  They asked me to play another set later that evening.

A few other musicians got up to play with mixed success.  One Mexican fellow played endless Jaracho songs and appeared to be high as a kite.  He was a stark contrast to Sergio, who played a few lovely, romantic ballads in Spanish that we all enjoyed very much.  I played another couple of songs, later, mostly as a means to get the stoned guy off the stage.  I hadn’t had time to prepare more.  Greg got a chance to take a couple of photographs and record some of my performance.  We all had a really good time.  The organizers were hopeful that I would hang around La Paz, but I had other plans.  I promised to return if I found myself in La Paz on another Wednesday.

Greg and I hadn’t eaten and it was then after 21:00.  We stopped by Gina’s on the way home and finally got our burritos.  This time, I asked for mine without mustard and mayonnaise.  She left out the mustard, but just couldn’t believe I’d want it without the mayo.  I did, but at least it was edible without the mustard.  Mustard just made me gag.  The hot sauce mostly disguised the taste of the mayo and I was hungry.

It was late by the time we got home but we still stayed up to watch another episode of Narcos.  It was interesting to learn about the history of the marijuana trade in Mexico since we were living there.

LA CRUZ TO LA PAZ 2019 - TAKING WHAT COMES

March 30, 2019

I didn’t sleep well, fearing to oversleep, and got up before my alarm went off.  I did one last load of linens, packed up the last of my food and clothing, and slipped out of the house to make one last trek across town to the marina.  I always got very sentimental when leaving La Cruz and it looked very quaint in the quiet of early morning.

I arrived at the boat at 7:15 with just enough time to stow my belongings before we left for the fuel dock.  It was busy, so we had to wait for room at the dock.  We put 120 liters in each fuel tank and finally left the marina by 8:30.  I took the short watch until 10:00 when we started the real rotation and then retired to nap until almost 14:00.  I needed to catch up on sleep.

Sun Setting Over the Marias Islands

By the time I awoke we were off La Penita and heading north.  It was hazy and we could barely see the shore.  I sat in the cockpit with Paul for the remainder of the afternoon and then took my watch at 18:00.  Carol cooked chicken and veggies with curried rice for dinner.  Winds were light and mostly on the nose, but we did manage to put the jib out for a few hours around sunset.  Sea Note, who had left just before us, fell far behind until we could barely see their lights when darkness fell.  We passed the Marias Islands at sunset.

My Bunk on Unleashed

I tried to sleep from 21:00 to 2:45, but something was banging in the head and I couldn’t secure myself well in my bunk.  We were heeled just enough for my face to fall into the lead cloth and I couldn’t turn around because I needed to leave access to the snack locker.

March 31, 2019

I got up before the alarm went off at 2:45.  I had finally silenced the banging about 2:00 but was too afraid to oversleep to drop off by that point.  The wind had died down and my watch from 3:00 to 6:00 was uneventful except for the moonrise at 4:15.  Carol relieved me at 6:00.  I had meant to stay up to watch the dawn, but was too tired.  I went below and napped in Carol’s bunk on the low side for three hours.

The Seas Were Very Flat

I got up when Carol came off watch at 10:00, dressed, and ate breakfast.  Then I sat down to write for a couple of hours.  It was pleasant below decks with the portholes open.  The sea was very flat and the wind still on the nose.  Paul checked the weather and we made the decision to bypass Mazatlan and head straight for Muertos.  The north winds were receding up the sea and we were betting they would be gone by the time we reached the other side.

Actually Sailing

My next watch began at 14:00.  The wind came up and we were able to sail, but not in the direction we wanted to go.  We elected to tack and sail southwest while we had the wind to do so.  We had been north of the rhumb line when we thought we were making for Mazatlan.  We needed to get west somehow, since La Paz was on the west side of the Sea.

Cooking on Unleashed

The seas grew increasingly lumpy and Carol started to feel queasy.  She was unable to prepare dinner before coming on watch at 18:00.  I cooked the dinner as soon as I came off watch.  We had saffron rice with a stew made from potatoes, tomatoes, and ground beef.  We stayed on that southwest heading until I finished cooking because it was easier to cook with the stove on the downhill side.  Once dinner was prepared, we tacked back over and headed north again.  I went down for a nap after dinner.  It was very lumpy but I was so tired that I had no trouble sleeping.  I slept until 23:30. 

The wind had died as soon as the sun set and we were motoring again when I came on watch at midnight.  It was quite choppy, but there wasn’t much wind. It was pitch dark and I could just barely see Sea Note’s  lights a couple of miles off our port beam.  We continued on in that manner for my entire three hour watch.

April 1, 2019

Paul and Carol of Unleashed

It was still quite lumpy when I went to bed at 3:00, but I had no trouble sleeping.  In fact, I slept until 9:00 when I awoke feeling quite refreshed.  The seas had died down and we were motoring along the rhumb line to Muertos.  Unfortunately, we were only making about four knots.  Even in the relatively calm seas, Unleashed hobby horsed a lot and the tide was against us.  Winds were frustratingly light and variable.

I grabbed a light breakfast of yogurt with granola and a quarter of an apple that was lying about the galley before taking the helm at 10:00.  Sea Note had pulled ahead of us during the night, probably because he had been more diligent in using his sails while we plodded along under motor power alone.

The winds grew lighter and lighter during my watch until we had only one and a half knots.  To make matters worse, the wind was shifting from one side of the boat to the other. 

Carol took over at 14:00 and I went below eat the leftovers from dinner and take a shower.  It drove Carol crazy that Sea Note was pulling ahead of us.  She put out the jib and tacked over to take advantage of what little wind there was.  Ray reported more wind ahead, but it was gone by the time we reached his position.  Ultimately, she abandoned her efforts because we had to sail too far south to catch any wind and it wasn’t giving us enough speed to justify covering the extra distance.

Another Sunset at Sea

We motored slowly north at four to five knots.  When dinnertime came, Paul took the helm and I boiled noodles and finished preparing the spaghetti with meatballs that Carol had made ahead of time and thawed for use that night.  It was amazingly lumpy for the non-existent wind we were experiencing and the sea state really slowed us down.

My watch began at 21:00.  It was pitch dark, as the moon didn’t rise until shortly before dawn.  Skies were clear and I could see the Milky Way.  Winds continued light but there must have been wind somewhere because we continued to battle swells.  For some reason, I was tired and slept like a log after I got off watch at midnight.

April 2, 2019

Crescent Moon at Dawn

I slept until my alarm went off at 5:45 for my 6:00 watch.  We were moving along at a good pace and I hoped for wind but found that it was just the tide that was scooting us along at six knots.  The crescent moon rose just before dawn and the sun rapidly followed.  When the glare from the rising sun abated, we were excited to see land off our port beam.

Entering the Cerralvo Channel at Dawn

The Ferry to Mazatlan

Late Afternoon in Puerto Balandra

After my watch at 10:00, I ate breakfast and then hid below, reading and napping, most of the day.  Carol woke me in the mid-afternoon, as we were exiting the Ceralvo Channel, because she said we were about to die and didn’t want me to wake up in heaven.  It turned out that we were just crossing paths with the Baja Ferry.  They missed us by half a mile.  Seas were finally flat and we continued making nearly six knots all day.  Due to the unexpected speed, we arrived in the anchorage at Puerto Balandra before 17:00.  We anchored easily and enjoyed a celebratory gin and tonic before Carol made us chicken tacos for dinner.  I played the guitar in the cockpit until it grew too dark to see.  We were all in our bunks by 21:00.

April 3, 2019

I got up early to watch the dawn but it was nothing to write home about.  I made a hot drink and sat in the cockpit until Paul and Carol got up.  They were surprised to see that I had been up for some time because they hadn’t heard me moving around.

Sea Note at Anchor in Balandra

They wanted to enter the marina at slack tide, which wasn’t until 14:41, so we were in no hurry.  I made pancakes and we had a leisurely breakfast.  Then we left for La Paz, arriving off the marina at 13:00.  

Sea Note  had already entered Marina Cortez and told us it was okay, so we decided not to anchor out and wait for slack tide.  The fairways in the marina were wide and there was not another boat sharing the double slip with Unleashed.  This turned out to be a good thing because the current and the wind were both pushing the boat off the dock and we ended up diagonally in the slip.  The stern line was barely long enough to haul the boat into proper position.

Marina Cortez was a nice, new marina with concrete docks.  They didn’t have the hard-wired internet connections and potable water that Marina La Paz offered, but it was otherwise a nice marina.  It remained to be seen how the docks, which lacked pilings and were attached to the bottom with heavy rubber bands, would hold up in a hurricane.

Paul at Marina Cortez

We were hungry, so headed up to Rancho Viejo for arrachera stuffed baked potatoes as soon as Paul and Carol checked into the marina.  After lunch, they helped me drag my baggage over to Scout and visited with Greg for a bit.  It was good to be back aboard Scout with all my gear in one place for a change.

We met up with Paul and Carol, later, for cocktails and then walked up to Gina’s for burritos.  Never imagining that anyone would think to put mustard on a burrito, I neglected to tell her to hold the mustard.  That rendered the burrito inedible as far as I was concerned but I really wasn’t hungry, anyway.  Greg started to bring it home to eat later but ended up giving it to one of the marina taxi drivers.  It had been a long day and we were ready to retire.

FINAL WEEK IN LA CRUZ

March 25, 2019

I finally felt almost normal, so got up and went to the gym on Monday morning.  After returning from the gym, I walked over to Mario’s grocery store to buy a little food before it got too warm.  I had eaten all my food and anticipated being in town for a few more days, so I needed supplies.

No sooner did I get home from the store than I received a message informing me that we would likely leave on Wednesday morning.  We didn’t have a long enough window to get to La Paz but would head for Mazatlan and wait there for a window to cross.  I was sorry to leave La Cruz so soon, but hadn’t been to Mazatlan since 2013 and had a friend to visit there.  It seemed like a good plan.

I spent most of the afternoon practicing the guitar and packing and then shot off a quick blog post.  It didn’t take long since almost nothing had happened the previous week.  Soon, it was time to head to the Octopus’ Garden to see Cheko Ruiz’ last concert of the season where he was scheduled to be joined by Diego Mondragon. I couldn’t miss that.

Cheko Ruiz and Diego Mondragon

Karen and I shared a table with six Canadian condo dwellers who were big fans of Cheko.  We enjoyed chatting with them while I ate dinner.  The show was fabulous.  Each musician outdid himself and even the owner, Alfredo, chimed in with his trumpet at one point.  They played some music I had never heard them play before.  One piece by Rodrigo y Gabriela rocked and the flamenco guitarist, Juan Ramirez, had a chance to shine.  He seemed to be better every time I saw him.  He had come a long way over the course of the season and I looked forward to hearing him, again, in the future.

Diego Mondragon played a few pieces with the band and added another level of complexity to the music.  Their grand finale was Cheko’s new single, Afinadito.  I decided to take a video just in case it became a huge hit.  The band jammed for over nine minutes and my arms felt like they were going to cramp up if it went one minute longer.  Diego and Daniel, the trumpeter, just kept playing and the drummer didn’t want to be outdone.  Even Juan took up some bongos and played a decent solo.  No one wanted to stop playing and the audience didn’t want the show to end, either.

It was my last show at the Octopus’ Garden, as Alfredo was losing his lease at the end of the summer and it would be converted from a restaurant to a hostel.  It was emotional for me as I had many wonderful memories of hearing and playing music there over the years.  It always seemed to take a long time to get comfortable again after my regular haunt closed.  I hoped that Alfredo would succeed in finding and establishing a new location before I returned.

March 26, 2019

I thought it was my last day and I had a lot to pack in.  I got up early and went for a run in the marina.  I had not done so for a couple of weeks and it was noticeably lighter.  I almost missed the dawn.  When I got home, I did a load of laundry and spent most of the day packing and storing away my belongings.  I practiced the guitar one last time and then packed my guitar and music.  I would be delivering my things to Unleashed later that afternoon.

I Never Got Enough of This View

I cooked up the chunk of arrachera I had bought when I thought we would be staying longer so that we could munch on it easily during the crossing.  I was leaving most of the perishables behind but was bringing along any transportable food that would go stale before I returned.  If we didn’t use it on Unleashed, we could use it later on Scout.   

I found a few minutes to update my blog before Cherie came home to give me a ride to the marina with my bags.  We were going to the beach at Destiladeras for the late afternoon/evening and dropped my things off on the way. 

Big Waves at Destiladeras

A number of our friends had gone to the beach, earlier, by bus and already had a table set up on the sand.  We arrived around 16:00 with our friend, John, in tow.  We ordered food and drink and played in the water for a couple of hours.  Our original plan had been to stay for the sunset but the tide had reached our table and our friends were ready to go when the restaurant employees came to relocate us.  It was very windy and the surf was big so I was not inclined to go in the water, anyway.  We packed up and headed for La Cruz by 18:00.

The Beach at Destiladeras

Having returned early, I decided to accompany Cherie to the Brittania for the evening.  We were hungry, so stopped at the Octopus’ Garden for Tuesday burrito night.  The burritos were made from shredded pork and were huge.  We split one and both of us got plenty to eat.  I got a chance to say goodbye to the owner, Alfredo, without a big concert crowd around.  I promised to find him at his new location in the fall, wherever that might be.  I knew he would keep us informed via his frequent Facebook posts.

The Band at the Brittania

It was not very crowded at the Brittania but I did get a chance to say goodbye to John and Janice, Mark and Rosie, and Connie and Ted.  I danced with Keith from Poco Loco Dos and had a good time we didn’t stay late because we were planning to leave in the morning.

I looked at the weather when we got home and the weather window seemed rather dubious.  I mentioned that to Paul in a text before going to bed.

March 27, 2019

I looked at my messages when I awoke and received the news that Paul agreed it was not a good time to go and had scrapped our departure.  All my clothes were on the boat, so I couldn’t go to the gym.  I had a lazy morning and then rode the bicycle down to the marina to collect my guitar and enough clothes from the boat to make it until our next possible weather window on Saturday.

Unleashed, My Ride to La Paz

While I had been ready to leave, I had been sorry to miss Geo’s dance party at Oso’s Oyster Bar on Wednesday night.  Geo was playing rock 'n roll and blues that night, which he normally does not do.  I was interested to see that.  With our departure delayed, I got the chance to go.  I met Paul and Carol at Unleashed at 17:30 to share a glass of wine and eat the chicken I had bought in anticipation of leaving.  Then I bicycled over to Oso’s for the music. 

Ted, Rosie, Marc, Janice, and John at Oso's

The usual music groupies had reserved a table for eight.  It was a beautiful night.  We didn’t have a good view of the stage, but we had a lovely view of the marina.  Oso’s was absolutely packed and they had even set up tables outside on the Malecon.  The service was terribly slow and it took me over an hour to get a glass of wine.  That was probably a good thing, as the glasses were generous.  As it was, I was a little bit tipsy by the time I was asked to dance.

Leon Playing Washboard with Geo at Oso's

My partner was a good dancer, but a terrible show off.  He spun me all over the floor and several times dipped me nearly to the floor.  At one point I was upside down with my head practically on Geo’s feet.  It was a very strange perspective and I was not comfortable.  It took me three dances to escape his clutches and, by then, I felt I had made up for missing the gym that morning.  I stayed firmly anchored to the table after that and managed to pay my bill just before the show ended about 22:00.  As usual, the crowd thinned noticeably after 21:00.  We were not late night partiers.

March 28, 2019

Dawn at the La Cruz Marina

Having retrieved my exercise clothes, I got up early to run on Thursday.  Karen, Marc, and I planned to spend the day at a music festival at La Postal in Bucerias which started at 11:00.  I needed a nine volt battery for my guitar and wanted to go to the bank before we left.  I took a combi to the Mega where I ran into my friend, Graham, but failed to find a nine volt battery.  I did find a great pair of sandals in a shop in the mall.  It had always been impossible to buy shoes with any arch support in Mexico, but Birkenstock knock-offs had finally appeared in some of the tourist areas.  While they weren’t quite the quality of true Birkenstocks, they were about 20% of the price and were often more stylish.  I bought a great pair from a brand called Nomads for 549 pesos (about $28.)

I met Marc and Karen at La Postal.  The festival (if you could call it that) was small.  It was a fund raiser for a group of parents trying to start a Waldorf school.  They had a silent auction but the minimum bids were set too high and no one was bidding.  We camped there all day, moving from table to table so as not to monopolize prime real estate.  Karen ate three meals there and Marc and I two.

Javier and Diana Gutierrez Singing Opera

While the “festival” was not a great success, the music was surprisingly good.  They started off with Diana and Javier Gutierrez, a pair of opera singers who were among the organizers.  I wasn’t expecting much, but they were so good that even the neighbors came out to see what was going on.  

The second act was Chema Chendrix, composed of Andra (formerly the singer from Ana Banana’s and now the Drunken Duck) and some friends.  She was normally quite good, but was not used to playing with those musicians and was put off by the sound system.  (The soprano, beforehand, had overwhelmed the sound system completely on a few high notes.)  It wasn’t her best performance, but it was nice to see Andra, again, since I don’t frequent the Drunken Duck and had been wondering what had become of her.  Keith, from Poco Loco Dos, joined us and remained with us with the exception of slipping out for a dentist appointment in the late afternoon.

Diego Chavez

Andra was followed by Matt Storch, who played at the La Cruz Inn.  He went through just about my entire repertoire and it was all I could do not to sing along.  Next, came Cesar Velasquez, a Mexican saxophone player who played Kenny G-like soft jazz and then Elaine Canineo and Chris Gomez, the Brazilian singer and bass player that we had seen at Chacala.

Diego Chavez came on at 17:15 and I had been waiting all day for his set.  I had enjoyed his performance at the San Pancho Music Festival and was happy to get the chance to hear more of his mostly original music.

Dueto Aguamarine at La Postal

We had moved to another table further from the stage when a birthday party of thirty mostly children invaded the upper level where the stage was.  Cherie and John joined us there and we eventually moved to a larger table nearer to the stage.  We couldn’t hear much of Olivia de La Cruz or Caravane who played while that party was going on.  They finally left in time for us to hear Dueto Aguamarine, who played from 20:00 to 23:00.  They were very good and, using looping technology, made a lot of music for two people.  They played all the traditional Mexican songs and the woman had a lovely voice.  The young man playing the guitar sounded great, but I could barely stand to watch him playing Spanish guitar with a flat pick.  He must have been self-taught.

We stayed until the end and we were amazed that they managed to produce correct bills for all that we had eaten and drunk over the course of twelve hours with friends coming and going.

March 29, 2019

I made one last trip to the gym on Friday and said goodbye to Fred and Judy from Wings.  I stopped at a farmacia on my way to the bus stop and purchased some packets of electrolyte powder to use on the crossing.  The packets were much smaller and lighter than bottled drinks, although they had a salty taste and weren’t very inviting.

I spent the afternoon doing a last load of laundry and practicing the guitar.  Then I schlepped across La Cruz with my guitar and backpack full of computer and heavy music to drop them off at the boat on my way to meet Karen.

"Noche Mexicana" in Nuevo Vallarta

Vallarta Azteca

My last night was spent in Nuevo Vallarta at “Noche Mexicana,” a fundraiser for Tierra de los Ninos, an organization that teaches life skills to underprivileged children.  Karen drove a truckload of us to the party, which was held in one of the covered structures behind the San Javier Hospital where the Nuevo Vallarta market is held on Tuesdays.  They had food vendors, a raffle, and a singer who entertained us while we ate.  I had a bowl of tasty pozole and a couple of tacos al pastor from Tacos Junior.  After everyone had eaten, there was a show put on by the award-winning dance troupe Vallarta Azteca.  They performed traditional dances from Jalisco.  They were very good and the costumes were outstanding.

Excellent Mariachis

After the dancing, there was mariachi music.  These mariachis were excellent.  All the violins were in tune and they stayed together.  The violinists strolled through the audience.  I was tired, but still glad to stay to hear them.  Karen, who loves mariachis, would not have been budged, anyway.  She dropped me off just before 23:00 and I went straight to bed, needing to get up at 5:45 the next morning for our departure.