No Mas

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggity Jig!

brightwork — Fri, 13 Apr 2007 16:30:00 GMT

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggity Jig!

After extensive discussion, we decided that we would not stay in San Carlos until May 1^st . After 2 months of living aboard No Mas, we knew that we would like to spend more living aboard but with standing headroom, an enclosed head & a galley with at least 2 burners. No Mas is a remarkable boat & we love her but she was never meant to be a liveaboard to begin with.

It was also beginning to get really hot & Sanctasantissima, Most Holy Day, or Easter was upon us. San Carlos with its beaches is a magnet for thousands of Mexicans who pour into this small town for Easter week. The parking lot of the marina had been cordoned off as well as the shower/bathrooms. The marina office was to close from Thursday through Easter Sunday; many businesses in the town also closed. Easter is the ultimate fiesta in Mexico & people party hardy. Mexico is a Catholic country so it seemed contradictory that natives don’t observe Easter in the traditional reverent fashion. Things were also beginning to heat up with music well into the wee hours of the morning. I remember lying in the forepeak listening to the beat of a particular piece of music: One two three, One two three, One two three, ONE; One two three, One two three, One two three, ONE…ad infinitum.

We made arrangements to have the boat lifted out of the water on Tuesday, April 3^rd. We had thought to unstep her mast after she had been lifted out but upon further reflection, we unstepped her mast on the water on Monday. We picked up Chica from the vet’s Monday evening, picked up the trailer from dry storage early Tuesday morning, lifted out No Mas at 9 a.m. & were on our way at 10:30 a.m. after making doubly certain that she was secure in her trailer cradle & that everything was tied down to a fare the well. Anyone who knows Rich would not be surprised at how many times he walked around the boat, trailer & van, trying to anticipate what might come loose & tightening & tightening yet again.

Our two travel concerns were Benjamin Hill & U.S. Customs:

Benjamin Hill is infamous for its military checkpoint which on occasion backs up truck traffic for 15 miles or so. We did not look forward to being in this kind of traffic jam on a hot day towing a heavy boat & trailer & the possibility of Brunhilda (the ValkyrieVan) getting huffy & overheating. We didn’t turn on the A/C in an attempt to treat her more kindly. As luck would have it, because we were a passenger vehicle, we were waved through in the right lane. The lengthy line of motionless trucks looked at us enviously but stoically (what else could they do?) as we drove past them.

We also didn’t know what kind of or how long the delay might be getting through U.S. Customs. We had our Important Papers file out; our passports, dog immunization records, boat, trailer and van registration, Mexico & U.S. insurance EOI’s covered the dashboard & console & slipped & slid off my lap onto the floor, between the door & the seat – we had Important Papers everywhere. I frantically tried to keep tabs on everything so it wouldn’t also fly out the window (See A/C note above). I even had the receipts for the allowable liquor we were bringing in: 3 bottles of tequila & 1 of orange liqueuer ( one can bring in 2 litres of liquor per person). We got to the border at 5 p.m. There was a huge traffic jam of people going up to and down from the States. We sweated, crawled, inched, squinched, crept forward.

Finally it was our turn. The Customs agent asked us if we had any fruit or vegetables: Yes. Did we have any meats or cheeses: Yes. He investigated everything we had told him we had then after careful consideration decided that the packaged ham was forbidden & confiscated it. Rich whispered darkly that the agent had probably forgotten his sandwiches & our ham was destined to be his dinner that night. The agent asked us to get out of the van with Chica & Duke, leave the doors open & walk across the parking lot while he entered. He came out of the van faster than he went in: We had stuff everywhere. He had that “Get-these-people-out-of-here-ASAP” look on his face; I can’t fault him for that…

We weren’t asked for our passports, for the dogs’ immunization records, nothing. (We had really stressed about the trailer sticker expiring while we were gone, wondering how much trouble we’d have over this at the border coming back. Kent Nordenberg bailed us out by getting the renewal sticker & FedEx’ing it to us at the marina.) Perhaps they thought that only Americans are nuts enough to live out of a tiny boat & a van with 2 dogs so decided to be merciful & passed us through. We were ever so grateful. We were on our way again about 6 p.m.

As a matter of fact, we were almost to Mountainview RV Park (just north of Nogales where we had camped on the way down) with its welcoming banner “Home of the Bewildered” emblazoned above the office door before we realized we had made it through Benjamin Hill AND U.S. Customs absent the huge problems we had anticipated with such apprehension.

We walked Chica & Duke then secured them to the van & sat there in the lovely soft Arizona twilight watching the sun go down & munching cheese & crackers, sliced cucumbers & tomatoes & The Last Avocado. It was deliciously cool as the sunset flamed across the sky & the sun slipped below the horizon.

I’m not certain how much precipitation San Carlos received while we were there but it was only a spit of rain, and a small one, at that. Despite that lack, Spring makes the desert simply burst into bloom. I don’t know what resources the vegetation has to be able to celebrate Spring in such a profligate fashion. New green leaves decorated every tree; some bushy trees were covered with yellow & red blossoms; a whip-like plant that shot its arms 15 feet or so into the air exploded with scarlet flowers on its ends. Desert landscape is dramatic but its colors are normally so subtle. There is nothing subtle about Spring in the desert – the Life Force is indomitable & will not be denied.

The next morning, Wednesday, found us on our way again at 6:30 a.m. We got through Tucson before rush hour but I missed the Maricopa turn-off for the loop around Phoenix & we found ourselves in typical Big City Construction Season Traffic with lanes that compressed & expanded, trucks, buses & cars darting & swooping in & out, delays, backups, complete stops – it gave us abundant time to carefully examine Arizona highway overpasses. Seriously, the concrete work is riveting: The designs worked into & on the concrete are very specific to the area & culture. Someone gave a great deal of thought to the motif & its implementation; they're not just your ordinary concrete highway overpasses & abutments.

Brunhilda chugged mightily up the grades we had forgotten we had come down. Her fan went on with enough frequency to worry us. She was letting us know that she just wasn’t enjoying the heat or the grades or the heavy trailer/boat we were asking her to pull. But she, & we, prevailed, although those were some tough upgrades.

That’s one of the reasons (the other obvious reason was the nerve-wracking Phoenix traffic through which I’d directed us) that when we reached Mund’s Park, about 15 miles south of Flagstaff, Rich pulled off the road at 2:30 p.m. & declared we were staying at Mund’s Park RV Campground for the night. He didn’t care what the cost, he wasn’t driving another foot. It was a good call. The elevation was about 6,700’ so it was cool even in the sun. We took Chica & Duke for a couple long walks. It was a tonic for all of us.

We aimed Brunhilda orth again, toward Flagstaff, about 6:30 a.m. Thursday morning. We decided that no matter what it took, even driving at night, we were going to get home. Suddenly Rich struck his forehead with the heel of his hand & exclaimed, “Omigod, do you know what weekend this is?”

I looked at him as if he had taken leave of his senses. “Of course,” I replied, “it’s Easter.”

“No, no, NO!” he shouted. “Don’t you remember?”

“Remember what?” I asked blankly.

“What happens every Easter?”

“The Easter Bunny…?”

“Nope.”

Suddenly I did remember…the biggest baddest most gi-normous 4x4 rally in the world: The Moab Jeep Rally! It’s always on Easter weekend – there are jeeps, trailers, RV’s, people, dust everywhere. I immediately brightened up. “Well, then I’m certain of a large DQ Pecan Cluster Blizzard”. This news flash didn’t cheer Rich to any appreciable degree; it only meant that he would have to find a spot in this seething mass of humanity & 4x4’s & park while his wife (me) got her ice cream fix. Now the fact that I ALWAYS also get him a large malted milk shake didn’t cut his gloom one whit. But I was unshakeable; I had had one measly little ice cream bar in the entire time we’d been away & I WOULD HAVE MY DQ!

Alas, the DQ in Moab had closed! How could this be? No DQ in Moab? What was the world coming to? Now I was Miss Gloom as I sat in the van with my arms grumpily crossed on my chest, muttering about the injustice of it all. Rich, on the other hand, relieved of the prospect of parking, immediately cheered up. Some things are just not fair!

We got home late Thursday. Our neighbors, Laura & Bob Litschein, had generously agreed to watch the house & all was well.

It is good to be home but bittersweet. We loved being on the road, in the marina, at anchor. We are looking forward to doing more of this, to being able to spend more time living aboard a boat. We met wonderful people & hope we’ll be able to see them & San Carlos again. If we can find a boat, we’d like to trailer her up to Lake Michigan this Summer & find a slip in Waukegan, Racine or Kenosha.

There is much to look forward to. There is much to be grateful for. We are so very very fortunate.

Hasta la vista, amigos!

Sara/Rich

Anchoring Out

brightwork — Fri, 13 Apr 2007 03:24:00 GMT

Today is Saturday, March 24, 2007, & we’re at Marina San Carlos. I can’t help but be discouraged after spending 3 or 4 hours day before yesterday updating our blog only to have it go…somewhere in the ether. The internet service, to which we subscribe, is so intermittent & spotty that I suppose I should have known better. Despite criticism from all of us here in the marina, there are many who also use this service & personal visits to boats by the staff, XPro definitely is not my first choice; the other options are going to Barracuda Bob’s or an Internet Café…all pleasant but I would need to take my maps, charts, binders, etc. as I have a specific way I’d like to enter our last trip.

So I’ve decided to post to blog by entering first in Word, then copy & past into it. I’ve done this in the past &, as Rich points out, I have a copy in the

computer.

Here’s an overview of our trip:

We buddy-boated with Walt & Linda Wilson who are from Bay Center WA. They are sailing a Watkins 25 with their dog, Jack, a rat terrier. Walt has sailed all over the world; he is a wonderful teacher & mentor with a wealth of knowledge matched only by his patience. Linda is an RN who works at a nursing facility near Bay Center. They are wonderful people. We really enjoyed being with them & learning from them.

SAN CARLOS TO ENSANADA SAN PEDRO: Excellent anchorage; 15 miles from San Carlos; sandy bottom

Departed Marina San Carlos 7 a.m. Wednesday, March 14^th

Winds out of the NE. We sailed on a beam reach from San Carlos to the southern end of San Pedro Island. Wonderful sailing; cooked along at 4.5 – 5 knots, heeling nicely. We sailed into a small pod of whales; we were so close we could see their eyes as they came up to breathe, hear the “PHHHHHFFFFTTT!” as they blew & feel the spray. They swam with us & between us for some distance then just slowly headed for the coast. We’ve never been that close to whales. Other people tell us that they frequent these waters at this time of year.

San Pedro Island is 17 miles from San Carlos; it is steep to, not an anchorage. We changed tack at the island & sailed directly into San Pedro Bay. It’s a rather large bay & can accommodate quite a few boats. There were already 2 boats there & another came in later in the day. The beach is stony & steep; the shelling is excellent.

We stayed here 2 nights, leaving early Friday, March 16^th.

ENSANADA SAN PEDRO TO CALETA VENECIA: Excellent anchorage; 21 miles from San Carlos, sandy bottom

Departed San Pedro 8 a.m. Friday, March 16^th

No sailing today! Motored the whole way into this small anchorage with a large stony beach ahead & a small beach to port as you head in. Lovely little bay, quite protected with Ensenada Chica, a fishing port, just over the hill in another bay. We chose to anchor here not wanting to worry over much about our dinks &/or motors disappearing overnight.

I went for a swim; it was a chilling experience even for me! The water at this time of year is invigorating – one could even say quite cold. I washed off the algae that had grown on the bottom sides of the boat, mainly to keep warm since I was already in the water & had to do something.

We stayed here 1 night, leaving early Friday, March 17^th.

CALETA VENECIA TO ENSENADA LAS COCINAS: Excellent anchorage; 27 miles from San Carlos; sandy bottom

Departed C. Venecia 8 a.m. Saturday, March 17th

St. Patrick’s Day! It certainly brought back memories of Dad & other St. Patrick’s Days. This was one of his favorite “holidays”; we always had the obligatory corned beef, cabbage, onions, potatoes & carrots.

Las Cocinas was more what I had expected from Mexico: The water was about 12’ deep with a wonderful sandy bottom. The beach was white sand & not at all rocky or steep. The water was aquamarine. Lovely! I went for a long swim. The water was warmer than C. Venecia; perhaps because it was so shallow.

But the insect in this paradisiacal ointment were the bees/hornets! They came visiting in the afternoon; they appeared to be after water or anything sweet. We had a beach potluck that night to which these intruders invited themselves & were truly pesky.

Las Cocinas appeared to be a popular beach for people from the large city of Hermosillo. There were probably 5 families either picnicking or camping the day we were there. They were almost all extended families from kids to grandparents & were very friendly & welcoming.

We stayed there 1 night & decided that we’d better head back to the marina as we were pretty sure our water supplies were running low. We had a third of a 2-gallon sun shower, a full 3-gallon jerry can & what was left in our on-board bladder tank which was difficult to determine how much water was in it.

Walt & Linda had decided to go up to the Midriff Islands & then across to northern Baja so we were on our own from then on.

ENSANADA LAS COCINAS TO CALETA VENECIA: 6 miles

Departed 9 a.m. Sunday, March 18^th

We came around the headland that encloses Las Cocinas from the open sea to be confronted with rough seas & wind out of the SE. In retrospect, we probably should have turned right around & gone back into Las Cocinas but we pressed on.

The seas & wind kept building; we don’t have an anemometer onboard so don’t really know what the wind speed was (maybe that was a good thing…); the seas we estimate at 3 – 4’, choppy & close together. This was not fun. Obviously, we motored. The SE wind decreased our speed substantially to about 2 mph. We were bouncing, wallowing, pitching, & cold with spray coming over the bow.

This was challenging stuff made more so by our navigating by dead reckoning using Gerry Cunningham’s “Cruising Guide to San Carlos on the Sea of Cortez”. This is a wonderful guide stuffed with vital information, pictures, & photographs of the area. We could not have done this trip back without it. It is not easy to pick out landmarks when you’re in these conditions.

There was a panga between us & the coast that appeared to be heading into shore. We were about where we thought we’d find C. Venecia but we were not certain as we were coming down from the opposite direction from where we came in the first time. It was now about 1:30 p.m. & the wind & seas were getting worse. We knew that there is a nasty rocky reef at the entrance of C. Venecia so we were absorbed in trying to identify & avoid it.

We could identify Ensenada Chica by its fishing village so we knew that C. Venecia was but a little way south of it. The panga fishermen were headed there also so we had somewhat of a guide to help us get into this tiny bay. We were vastly relieved as we motored in & dropped anchor.

It had been a harrowing day!

CALETA VENECIA TO CALETA SERIMUERTO: 3 miles

Departed 7 a.m. Monday, March 19^th

We made tea & motored out of C. Venecia finding winds again from the SE and a large bank of thick fog blanketing the coast between San Pedro Island & the mainland. We watched it carefully &, sure enough, it crept up the coast toward us. The sea was getting rough even at this early hour & the wind was increasing.

We motored for about an hour then decided that the fog was advancing much too quickly & was much too thick for our liking. We had looked at the map & the cruising guide as soon as we saw the fog & had decided on where we would motor if it became troublesome. We motored into C. Serimuerto, a tiny bay with sandy bottom & steep cobble beaches. We had our breakfast, a 2^nd cup of tea & read for a couple hours until we felt it was safe to poke our bow out & make a judgment about proceeding. It is strange to be in total fog but see blue sky above you. It was like being in a ground blizzard.

We found that although it was foggy, it was burning off quickly so we felt confident that we could make it down to San Pedro.

The seas were up & the wind was blowing so our progress was slow but steady.

CALETA SERIMUERTO TO SAN PEDRO: 4 miles

Departed about 11:30 a.m., Monday, March 19^th

We were glad to drop anchor in San Pedro! Although this trip hadn’t been as challenging as the previous day’s, there was plenty to keep us absorbed in keeping ourselves & our boat safe.

It was really rough that day & night. The winds were WSW into the anchorage. It was a roly-poly day & night. Thank Goodness for the SS grab rails Ron & Terrel Chappell had securely (the operational word here) mounted on the dodger. It would have been almost impossible to climb in/out of the dink safely without them. I personally blessed them both every time I got in or out of a pitching plunging wallowing dingy.

It was so rough that when we looked up at the wind vane to see where the wind was coming from, the wind vane was looking down at us! The metal arm must have fatigued during the night from the rough sea. This would mean another trip up the mast for Rich when we got into the marina.

SAN PEDRO BAY TO CALETA BANDITO: 6 MILES

Departed 9 a.m., Tuesday, March 20th

We awakened about 6:45 a.m. confused as to why we had awakened so late – until we looked out over the stern of the boat: We were totally fogged in! We couldn’t even see the boat that was anchored off our starboard about 30 yards away.

When the fog lifted enough to marginally see the shore, Rich set off for the beach in the dink with Duke the WonderWater Dog. Five minutes after he left, the fog came in again. He spent a little time getting back to the boat in this dense fog. That was really worrisome. Although we could hear the surf on the shore, I couldn’t hear the dink motor, which is not all that loud to begin with. I was poised with the emergency horn thinking I would let off a blast every 10 seconds or so but he made it back.

We waited a couple hours & the fog began to fade & burn off.

CALETA BANDITO TO SAN CARLOS: 11 miles

Came in about 11:30 a.m.; left again about 1:00 p.m.

The fog closed in on us again; again we had looked at the map & chart to determine where we would head if this should happen. We had chosen this tiny anchorage & were glad we’d prepared for another foggy intermission. We did the same thing we’d done the day before: Had breakfast, a 2^nd cup of tea & read.

By this time we were eager to get into the marina. The wind was down & the seas gentle; we knew we could make good time if we could just avoid the fog. We poked our bow out of C. Bandito to see thick fog south of us but decided that we would motor until we had to duck into another anchorage.

But as luck would have it, the fog retreated down the coast ahead of us. We were putting along at about 5 mph, keeping a close watch on the coast, the map, the chart & the fog.

We made it into the marina late Tuesday afternoon. Everything was salty & sandy: The boat, us, the dog. We didn’t know what to do first: Take a shower, get ice cream or have a large iced tea.

To celebrate, we went to Tequila’s for dinner & their huge icy margaritas. We each would probably have had 2 of ‘em if it hadn’t been so late.

The next day, Wednesday, March 21^st, I did the laundry while Rich cleaned the boat.

Some observations:

Although Rich & I have been together for almost 15 years & have hiked, biked, kayaked, backpacked, skied together, we’ve each always been on our own bike, in our own kayak, carried our own backpack, etc. This was the first time we had to work together because we were on one boat. We had to communicate clearly, not get impatient with our partner because he/she didn’t understand (probably because the communicator was not being clear enough to the communicatee), and not yell when he/she was frightened or anxious. We had our moments & lapses but we did this together & are very grateful to have survived. Maybe we didn’t exactly flourish this time but we made a huge first step &, most important, we’ll do it again.

Anchoring we found to be a challenge enough without having to cope with a shaley bottom, mud or rock. Because No Mas is so small and to date we’ve anchored only in shallow water with a sandy bottom, I’m the anchorer while Rich is at the helm. We reverse the process when we’re raising the anchor. We’re very careful to back down on the anchor when we drop it & to let out the correct amount of rode depending on the bottom & the wind conditions. We’ve never had an anchor drag. Also because No Mas is only 23’, we can communicate verbally (See Below for additional comments on communication) but we also rely on hand signals per Nigel Calder’s suggestions. This is good practice for the possibility of our buying a larger boat.

We had blown up our dingy before we left & found that it fits perfectly on the foredeck. Its 6’ so we’re like 3 mice in a teacup but, as you can imagine, if you don’t have a dink, the only way you’re going to get into shore is by swimming (See Above for comments on water temps). The little Motor That Could just chugged away, started every time. Landing a dink in rough water on a steep cobble beach is something else again. (I managed to fall out of the dink with an almighty splash & much arm waving in 2’ of water on a gentle sandy beach in front of a beach bar crowded with people.) If you’re a sailor, dinks are a vital park of your life & you’re bound to get wet, especially if you’re sailing with a dog.

Interestingly enough, most of the beaches &/or public areas in Mexico are just filled with trash. One picnicking family at Las Cocinas carefully put their trash in a cardboard box - & then left it on the beach. We’re wondering if there is not regular trash pickup or any trash pickup where they live so they just leave stuff behind when they go.

It’s amazing that so many sailors have so many pets; most of the sailors in the marina have dogs of all shapes, sizes, breeds, ages & temperaments. We have 3 dogs on our dock alone; we did have 2 more but their boat left day before yesterday. Chica is still boarding with the vet as she was never able to accept the marina environment or the boat. Duke is a Golden Retriever, about a year & a half, who wandered into our house, skinny, cold, hungry, fur matted & tangled. We tried to find his owners but to no avail. He is a wonderful sailing partner. Even in the roughest seas, he will generally fall asleep or go below into the forepeak. He is accepting of his PFD which has a handle on the top so if necessary we can help him in/out of the dink on trips to shore. Duke loves the dink to the point that he wants to jump into any dink that happens to come alongside. When Rich gets into our dink, Duke knows it means a trip to shore; he patiently waits while I put on his PFD, sits in the dink until we get it onshore then steps onto the beach with immense dignity. He loves the water & will retrieve endlessly plastic bottles thrown into the water for him. His athleticism is amazing: He can launch himself from the dink onto the boat with one leap. If we had to write a description of what a good boat dog would be, Duke would exemplify it.

He & Rich are best buds. When they go for walks around the marina, Duke is “date bait” – everyone wants to stop & pet him. I never know how long they’ll be gone. This morning, for example, one of the charter boat companies was shooting a commercial so they commandeered Duke to walk across the set which, according to Rich, he did with great aplomb (Duke, not Rich).

After trying 3 different times with 3 different systems, Rich got to the top of the mast this morning to get down the broken wind vane. Unfortunately, although he was able to get a piece of aluminum stock to mend it, he can’t get it back up as there is a screw that is under the backstay that he can get to. We’ll finish our sailing here with telltales & complete the wind vane repair when we step the mast. I was just as happy that the first 2 tries yesterday were unsuccessful because it has been blowing hard & cold the past couple days. Today the wind has moderated & it’s a little warmer. Going up the mast is not for the faint-hearted. It’s amazing how strong you have to be to do this; it’s equally amazing how strong you have to be when you’re the one on the boat belaying. I’d like to take a firm stand & say that I’m not going to participate in this but I know that a day may come when I don’t have that option so I’d better learn now in “safe” conditions.

We’d like to share this with you because this is how we feel about our sturdy little boat: No Mas “…our tough little home that has so patiently protected us from the vagaries of chaos and our own inexperience…was bringing us safely home…”. “Log of the Ithaka” Cruising World July 2004.

I’ll stop now as we’d like to get in a sail today. We wish you all could be with us enjoying the water, the boat & the area.

Adios then, for now, amigos!

Blown Away!

brightwork — Fri, 2 Mar 2007 17:00:00 GMT

Well, crud, it's blowing like crazy...again today. And it's supposed to blow through Sunday. Red flags on Buoyweather.com for all 3 days. I think we came down at the wrong time of year. I thought we'd be sailing much more than we are. Everyone in the marina is poised to go across to Baja so they're as disappointed as we are. Not to mention that the big Boaters' Swap Meet scheduled for tomorrow morning will probably be completely disrupted, as well as the Boaters' Chili Cookoff Sunday. The Chili Cookoff is a fund-raiser for the San Carlos Rescate (Rescue) Service.

Last night we went to a restaurant/bar down on the beach. La Palapa is very nice, the margaritas were marvelous...but most of the food was Greek! There was a singer/guitarist who knew all the Eagles' & America songs & did them very well. Everyone there was norteamericano & of the vintage to enjoy the music of the 70's. It was really kind of weird to be in Mexico, in a crowd of gringos, eating Greek food & listening to 70's folk music. But Rich had a couple margaritas which he almost never does & I got him to dance with me. We really rocked! I haven't reminded him of this today...

We got out sailing day before yesterday. Believe it or not, it was very warm & we just ghosted along with the big genny up. It was almost a little boring. But any time we can get out on the water is a good time.

We have left Chica boarding with Dr. Orosco but have Duke with us on the boat. He is such an entirely different dog from Chica; he snoozes in the cockpit, walks up & down the pier to greet his buds, Jack & a big black Lab mix, runs up to the gate to go out. We've taken him sailing twice & he doesn't turn a hair. We took him down to the beach the other day with another boater who has a huge trimaran & a Chesapeake Bay retriever. Duke bounded down & into the water, then turned around, his eyes the size of dinner plates: Who pulled the land out from under me? was the question in those big eyes. We don't think he's ever been in the water before because when we'd throw in a plastic bottle to fetch, he's swim back with his head held quite high & his feet churning. By the end of about 15 minutes, he was an old hand at this swimming business, readily leaping into the water to get the bottle. The wind was blowing offshore so Duke had to react quickly in retrieving his beloved bottle before it was blown completely out of his reach. He was like a little kid: We finally had to put his leash on him & get him back to the boat because he was shivering but still willing to go after his bottle in the water.

Not much more to report at the moment. More later.

Weather Reports?

brightwork — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 05:06:00 GMT

Saturday, February 24, 2007

I’m sitting here in the cockpit exasperated because I can’t get into the Internet; there’s some glitch I can’t figure out (& neither can another sailor who’s down the dock from us & who has the same Internet access) so I’ll wait until 9 am or 10 am & then schlep up to the computer store to get it figured out.

Yesterday it blew with small craft advisories; the same is indicated for today. Getting weather info is really difficult here: We’ve subscribed for a free month to www.buoyweather.com; we get the wind, wave & tide info but interestingly enough, it doesn’t give temps. We’re accustomed to having the weather usually posted outside the marina office but that isn’t the case here.

As I’ve said previously, this marina is beautiful. The walks, the embarcadero, that surround the marina are works of art. They are about 10’ wide & inlaid with beach cobble & brick work in intricate patterns. Some of the patterns are geometric, some are wavy lines. There are areas that require replacement. An older man levers up the embedded bricks & stones, forms out the replacement pattern with small strips of wood as he squats or kneels or sits on his side, supported by one arm, as he works. A young helper brings him buckets of concrete that he pours into the form. He then carefully selects exactly the right beach cobble to place in the concrete. His helper has already sifted through a larger pile of beach cobble & dumped his selections in front of the old man. I say to the older man, “Que bueno!”. He looks up, nods, “Yes”, & unsmilingly goes back to his work. He is secure in his knowledge that he is an artisan & needs no acknowledgement from me.

Yesterday we picked up the dogs for a walk on the beaches north of here. There are homes galore being built – most of them quite large. The are being built by hand. We watched a dump truck being loaded by the shovelful. Rich wondered how many shovelsful it would take to load that 6-wheeler. The footings & foundations are all dug by hand. Concrete is used almost exclusively in these homes. Some of the homes have brick walls laid up, then covered with concrete. These homes must be like fortresses I expect that they are also easy to maintain, keep clean & cool in the summer.

Some of the beaches that are exposed to the sea are lovely with light sand. There is extensive beach cobble here & the shelling is not so good as the shells are ground to bits by the cobble & the wave action. The water here is more typical of the tropics being light green, aquamarine, shading into the deeper blue of deeper water. This area, of course, is where the old Club Med, hotels & time shares are.

The deep circular bays south though are dusty, gray and the sand granules are quite large. They appear to be mostly steeply shelving beaches surrounded by rugged rocks & crags. I need to explore the geologic history of this region to better understand the composition of these rocks & beaches. I really need the Internet!.

More Later...

San Carlos, Sonora

brightwork — Fri, 23 Feb 2007 08:40:00 GMT

Somehow or another, the journal entry from January did not make it into our blog.

In it we had talked about what most of you already are aware of: Dad passed away on Christmas night. It's been a big adjustment for all of us. His funeral was in Chicago & Rich & I decided to drive. It gave us some time to reflect & accept. Kitty Simon, Dad's niece, Rich's cousin, took us & Chica in for the week. It was a gesture of hospitality that was, & still is, very much appreciated.

We had the opportunity to have brunch with Andrea & her family on our way out of Chicago. Gunnar, her & Glenn's son who celebrate his 2nd birthday on January 3rd, used to be nicknamed ThunderPants; I think BuzzBomb would be more apropos. You never know where he's going to land or what devestation he will wreak! Kylie, LuLu & Hailey are all growing much too fast & much too beautiful. But I digress albeit proudly. It is always hard to leave.

We got back home Tuesday, January 9th, & began packing in earnest. One forgets how enormously disruptive packing is for an extended period of time. But we got it done.

Many thanks to our next door neighbors, Laura & Bob, who kindly agreed to watch our house & collect our mail while we are gone & to Kent & Rose Nordenberg who are running interference in getting our trailer registration sticker & FedEx'ing it to us here in the marina so we won't have to be refused entry into the States at the US Border because we have expired registration on the trailer.

February 20, 2007

Some random thoughts as we sit here in Marina San Carlos:

If you’re traveling from Western Colorado to Flagstaff on I40, the only RV site is at Cameron and is only for “self-contained” RV’s. There are no toilets, showers or ambience.

The road from Cameron through Kayenta and Tuba City is probably some of the bleakest territory you’ll ever drive through except for I10 into CA: There are trash and broken glass everywhere.

I never really understood the attraction of Phoenix and Tucson until I saw the first sunset and sunrise. They are incredibly beautiful in that country. People probably don’t go down there entirely for sunrises and sunsets but I’m certain they have to be a large part of residency there.

Progresso soup, good crusty bread and cheese make a fine supper on the road.

There are two RV sites just south of Tucson, about 10 miles north of Nogales AZ. The northern most is also only for self-contained RV’s meaning the big diesel pusher buses or fifth wheels. We were most not welcome there because we have no shower aboard.

The southern RV site however is somewhat less elitist. The banner over the office door reads “Home for the Bewildered”. Now we were not exactly bewildered but were quite taken with this. This RV park was most welcoming and while it did not have splendid facilities such as pools, etc., it did have clean showers and toilets. There was a dually parked in front of us with a Rottweiler chained to a small trailer next to it. The truck had a Confederate flag spread across the windshield. Down the way were three mean who were in the throes of erecting a teepee-like, well, teepee, I guess. The juxtaposition of the elegant RV park and the hippie-dippie RV park cheek by jowl was remarkable. We were quite comfortable there.

When we got to the US-Mexican border, there was a truck route noted but I in my ignorance thought that we shouldn’t take that because we weren’t sure were the Immigration stop was so Rich had to drive our rig smack through downtown Nogales MX. It was an immediate immersion into Mexico: Narrow streets, tight turns, cars and taxis darting in and out, horns blaring, pedestrians stepping into the street with casual disregard for the vehicles hurtling toward them, stray dogs everywhere. Rich was white-knuckled but he navigated van and boat through it all.

Immagracion is about 10 miles south of Nogales MX. We arrived there at about 9:00 AM on Wednesday, February 6^th. It must have been a good time/day because we didn’t encounter the crowds we thought we would. We first attended to our visas which went smoothly and cost about $22.00 USD for each of us. With silent thanks to Ron and Terrel Chappell who had advised to make certain we had the ORIGINAL registrations for the boat, trailer and van, we navigated through this paperwork. However, the boat permit we had gotten through Vagabundos Del Mar we were told was improper. The Mexican authorities said that what we had was a fishing permit. We discussed this at length but the language barrier and our rapidly waning patience eventually convinced us that we’d better just fork over the $57.10 USD for a boat import permit that is good for 10 years. That was the only bump we incurred except for Vagabundos not being able to secure our visas for us. Apparently when the US tightened up the borders, Mexico retaliated but not allowing any third parties to process US applications for visas.

We were officially now on our way!

Speaking of bumps: There are speed bumps called “topes” here in Mexico. Some are marked, some not, but all are approximately the size of 55-gal drums laid on their sides. They are huge and some spaced quite close together. Speed deterrents they definitely are.

There is a toll road south of Immagracion. It is two lanes north and south. There are plenty of Pemex stations in both directions and we saw the famed Mexican Green Angels several times. But these toll roads are narrow, rough and have steep drop offs in lieu of shoulders and it is virtually impossible for a rig like ours to pull off the road. The very last item on the list of things we definitely didn’t want to happen was to topple the van and boat by driving off the road. There are pull-offs available but you come upon them quite suddenly and they are full of trash and broken glass. Very unappealing.

We also noticed a miles long backup of traffic, primarily trucks, going north through a Mexican check point. We understand that this is routine and will have to allow extra time, fuel, etc. when we head home. Getting our diesel engine serviced is proving to be very difficult here. We had the oil changed yesterday that involved a saga that I am not ready to share…if adventure is defined as the unexpected happening, this truly qualifies! We are now trying to find a quart of transmission fluid which is proving to be a challenge. We never thought this would be a problem but have gone to an Auto Zone, Midas, Mesos and a few other stores that were closed yesterday due to Carneval…Ash Wednesday being tomorrow, everyone is stockpiling naughtinesses enough to last them through Lent.

Chica and Duke have proven to be great travelers. While a little disconcerted to find that their home was now on wheels, they were quiet and well-behaved while we were under way. De-watering them at the pull-offs as described above was problematic. There was an extremely dead horse in an advanced state of decay at one such pull off that made them absolutely crazy. The smell was enough to make your eyes water and I can only imagine with what delight they would have enjoying rolling in this fetor. It’s just too gruesome to imagine: Two dogs in a van, temps in the 80’s, who have rolled in the noisome stuff they delight in rolling in…

We got into San Carlos about 5 pm on Wednesday, February 7^th. We couldn’t get the boat lifted in until Friday, February 9^th, so we camped out in the parking lot. The people who work at Marina San Carlos are not only competent but are helpful almost to a fault. The crew that lifted in No Mas really knew what they were about. We stepped her mast and got her rigged Thursday. Rich really did a good job getting everything figured out while I helped and the dogs directed and made snide comments as they lounged under the boat in the shade.

Since we had spent two nights in the parking lot adjacent to the marina office, we discovered that this area was a popular meeting place in the evening which meetings inevitably included mariachi music played at some considerable volume so we elected to berth in a slip that is across the marina just down from the fuel dock. We haven’t regretted being here. There is plenty of parking; our van is parked practically at the entrance to our dock. Entry onto all the docks is by electronic keycards that also admits you into the toilet/shower buildings. Everything here is clean and tidy. We are very comfortable with water and electricity dockside. We can walk up to a Super T tienda for ice or other small purchases. We have discovered Tequila’s, a rather large Mexican restaurant overlooking the marina – their margaritas are to die for! The fish tacos and tortilla soup aren’t too shabby either.

The major shopping we have done is at the Mexican equivalent of Wal-Mart which

is Ley’s. Virtually anything you need can be purchased there. We have bought wonderful romaine lettuce, limes, avocados, tomatoes, jicama, oranges, bananas and, a recent discovery, bolillos! Bolillos are small crusty loaves of bread, pointy at either end. You go to the bakery in the store, pick up a pair of tongs and a round aluminum tray then go around and pick out what you like and put the item on the tray with the tongs. There are bakery carts with these bolillos fresh from the oven that I immediately home onto and make a concerted attack. Then you take your filled tray to a clerk who packages your bakery goods in a bag, and return your tongs.

When we got back to the boat, we designated a bucket as a “clean” bucket, filled it with cool water and bleach then separated the romaine leaves, soaked them for ½ hour, carefully cleaned the leaves, rinsed them and wrapped them in a dish towel and into the cooler they went. We did this with the tomatoes also. We’ve been drinking the purified water and have it in our on-board tank; so far we haven’t experienced any problems but with San Carlos as Americanized as it is, I don’t anticipate that we’ll have gastrointestinal problems if we continue to be somewhat cautious. But I digress: The vegetables and fruit are wonderful. We put lime juice on anything on our plates that isn’t moving away from us.

Chica and Duke are now boarding with a Mexican vet Dr. Salomon Oroczo, who calls them (and his nine other dogs) his “bebbies”. We and they tried hard to acclimate to this new temporary home but alas, it wasn’t to be. There are no convenient places to walk them without running into the hoards of stray dogs and cats that abound here. The broken glass and trash continues to be not only an eyesore but also is unavoidable when walking virtually anywhere. Being on the water was a sore temptation to them both with pelicans plummeting suddenly out of the sky, anhingas popping up out of the water like some sort of avian genies and gulls landing close to the boat. There are many folks here who have dogs, some of them QUITE large. There is a family with two small children and one large lumbering Newfie! They’re on a sailboat too. Another boater, this one on a trimaran, has a good-size Chespeake retriever. There are dogs of all sizes between the Newfie and the typical Chihuahuas. We usually try to walk Chica and Duke in the evening from the vet’s office. Last night we were on the sidewalk that runs along the Bay just east of San Carlos. They would have loved to have gotten into the water but I couldn’t imagine what we would do with two wet, salty dogs. Dr. Orozco definitely would not have approved. Case in point in re strays: As we were trudging back along the dirt road to the clinic, a large black stray started to bark, snarl, and bare her teeth, hackles raised. We managed to pull, drag, and stumble our way beyond her but it was an experience that we’d prefer not to repeat although we’re sure it will be at some point in the future.

It’s blowing like stink this afternoon and cool enough for us to put on long-sleeved shirts and close the forward hatch. It’s usually warm and very pleasant. The harbor here is really quite large but has a very small entrance with high cliffs. People who know tell us there is a Venturi effect with the wind funneling through this narrow inlet and blowing the ears of anyone foolish enough to stand in it. It probably isn’t blowing at all inland. There hasn’t been any rain here since we came. It is indeed a desert landscape with tall saguaro cactus standing as prickly sentinels all over. This harbor is protected from all weathers and has a tidal surge of about 2 ½ to 3 feet. The peaks surrounding the harbor are jagged and abrupt. The evening star rises just above one such peak; last night a thin slice of moon and the star were just above this peak. Sunsets are particularly lovely ranging from dramatic to pearly translucent colors.

This just about brings you up to date with out perambulations and peregrinations. We’re going sailing tomorrow. WOO HOO!

More later.

December 16, 2006

brightwork — Sun, 17 Dec 2006 09:00:00 GMT

We've been somewhat delayed dealing with some medical issues but feel they are all addressed/resolved and are now moving to get things staged before loading the boat and van.

We usually get a cold spell right around Christmas with temperatures hovering around 0⁰ F for about a week. This year the cold snap came earlier, hit harder, stayed longer. It also came with 8" of snow; highly unusual here in the VAlley. This has really slowed us down as we can't get anything packed that contains any liquid because it will freeze. Between packing clothes to come out of the frigid North to go into the (it is fervently hoped!) balmy South and getting our food assembled, our Master Bedroom is beginning to look like Wal-Mart/REI. Both Rich and I tend to try to pack to cover every possible contingency, or variation thereof, so it's getting kinda cramped already. Am I also sounding kinda stressed already?

Please don't misunderstand about our weather: Western CO has THE best weather in the world! We have been skiing on Grand Mesa in late October in our shirtsleeves. But this kind of cold weather is like Winter in Chicago: Cuts right to the bone. I have a pot of split pea soup simmering as we speak. We're accustomed to biking/hiking/grilling/anything outdoors year 'round so we're pretty spoiled when it comes to good weather. Yeah, it gets pretty hot in the Summer but the rest of the year is primo.

We got an e-mail & pictures from our good friend, Tony Quilico, who is in the Mazatlan area on his boat, Sea Tub. The weather does indeed look balmy. People are walking around in shorts! In December! Wow!

After reviewing what the CDC website recommends, we went to Mesa County Health Department yesterday for the first round of the Hepatitis A and B vaccines. It's a series of three Hep A and 2 Hep B. We should get the second round in a month but since we won't be here, we'll get that round in April, when we get back here and then the third shot and final in May. Rich also had a tetanus booster a couple years ago. I'm going to call my doctor and arrange for one myself; I can't remember when I had a booster but think it was when we went to La Paz in 1995, or thereabouts, to sea kayak around Espiritu Santo.

Chica has had all her vaccinations already; I have made an appointment with the vet for December 28th so she can get her International Health Certificate. I understand from the CDC website that she needs to show proof of rabies vaccination before she can come back into the States; she, of course, has her county rabies tag on her collar but we decided we'd get the Health Certificate in order to attempt to head off any problems getting her back across the border. If I haven't already mentioned it, Chica is a Border Collie/Black Lab mix, black with four white feet, a white chest blaze and white tail tip. She'll be 2 y/o in February. She's a good traveler; she's sure gonna get a tummy-full of it in the next three months!

Our good friends, Kent and Rose Nordenberg, are introducing us to the intricacies of digital photography and Photo Shop Elements so I'm hoping that I'll be able to include some photos in the near future.

I'll sign off for now. Thanks for your comments, Kent (you know who you are...) and Mary. We love hearing from you!

Sara/Rich/Chica

Saturday, 11/25/2006

brightwork — Sun, 26 Nov 2006 07:11:00 GMT

Soooo we've made the decision to leave for San Carlos MX on or about January 1st. We think beginning a trip on the first day of the New Year is auspicious.

In order to bring some order to the packing process, we bought two 6'0 plastic folding banquet tables which we've put in the Master Bedroom; one is for staging food and kitchen-related items and the other is for clothes. Rich made shelves that go on top of the tables out of miscellaneous shelf stock he had. I am a visual person: I like to collect what needs to be packed and go with us and see it all in one place prior to packing just before we leave. If stuff is packed, I am always worrying and wondering if I've packed, whatever, because I can't physically see, whatever.

Unfortunately, the best-laid plans of women, and men, are aft gang alee. Not only have we had Thanksgiving to deal with (and a very nice one it was), Rich has been down with a vicious cold for the past couple weeks so our packing and preparation have been delayed somewhat.

Hmmm, I seem to have somehow gotten ahead of myself. Perhaps I should tell you that we have a Compac 23 sailboat which is on a dual-axle trailer which we are towing with our E-350 diesel van down to San Carlos MX; we refer to No Mas as our floating condo. Choosing a location for a second home has always been virtually impossible for us because we've loved almost everywhere we've ever been (not to mention the obvious - the expense of a second home)thus we thought because we love the ocean as much as we do, we'd buy a sailboat and, voila, a second home that we can trailer wherever we've a yen to go.

You've come in at the beginning of our odyssey: This is our first extended trip with/on No Mas. We'll try to keep you abreast of all the details - the Good, the Bad and the Downright Ugly.

As the major news channels say, "Stay with us for this developing story."

'Til then,

Follow Your Bliss~

Sara, Rich & Chica