Still in La Paz

Kellie's Comments-- Cruising for us is divided up into three parts. Sailing, living and fun--these pretty much encompass the majority of activities. Sailing takes up about 25% of our time. So far I figure we've sailed about 625 hours worth in 2500 miles. Some have been 24 hour days and some just half day hops. We hope to decrease that percentage, now that we've "arrived" in cruising territory and the push to get warm is over. Sailing also takes a fair amount of preparation time. I figure a half a day to prepare food, stow everything and clean. It's hard to cook if the weather is rough and I'm still amazed at the amount of boat motion that sends loose objects (sometimes people) careening around the cabin. I always like to have the heads (bathrooms) clean before we leave. It's hard enough to battle sea-sickness without strange smells coming from below. (Boat heads are notoriously smelly and take constant aggressive action.) Then when we arrive, it takes half a day to do up all the loose dishes, put away all the toys, put the cushions back on the settees and clean the heads again (I'll leave that one to your imagination.) Living includes school, shopping, boat maintenance, cooking, cleaning, laundry etc. Just like at home, people get hungry, dishes get dirty, windows leak onto the beds, and salt has to be washed off the handrails (OK, maybe not like at home.) Everything takes longer on a boat. Here in La Paz there are great resources. Laundry is an easy walk from the dinghy dock, groceries are readily available and we've been here long enough to do some boat projects. However, sometimes there are no facilities so we eat what we have, wear dirty clothes and try to have some fun. Fun--that's the goal right? Pete has enjoyed some hikes, we've collected some amazing shells, seen some terrific wildlife, snorkeled with Manta Rays and had a Christmas potluck on the beach. Yes, there is fun. We're looking forward to heading out of here on Saturday and being back in Los Frailes. We're meeting Pete's sister and Loon is there waiting for us. Socializing is another aspect of the fun that is very important. Only other cruisers truly understand and can relate to the challenges and the rhythm of cruising. I met another couple yesterday who are returning from a 13 year circumnavigation. She never did enjoy long passages or truly acclamate to the cruising lifestyle, but the fun of sightseeing and meeting new people was enough to keep her going. We still have a picture in our minds of white sandy beaches, palm trees and torquoise water. So far we're not there, but we've had a taste and the drive to fulfill the dream is strong. Our rough plan for the next couple of months is to leave Frailes in mid-January for the mainland. We'll aim somewhere between Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta. Then we'll slowly make our way down to Ixtapa for the month of March. After that, we're talking a lot about crossing the Pacific. That was our original plan, but will take more effort than we imagined. Again, the dream is yet to be fulfilled and we want to go home with a sense of accomplishment. Our backup plan is the Caribbean, time will tell. Right now we're imagining a 2 year trip. I'd like the kids home for the school year of 06-07. That's a long time from now and a lot of miles, though, so keep praying for us and we'll keep you posted. Happy New Year, Kellie PS--the weather is still cool here and overcast. We hear it's hot in Puerto Vallarta.

Christmas preparations

Kellie's Comments-- A normal day at home translates into an adventure when you're cruising. Today was a pretty typical day with plans to grocery shop, bake, clean and have a shower. At home that would be a busy but normal day. Here it's a challenge. Grocery shopping involved a long wet dinghy ride, a mile walk, and then the search for familiar ingredients. I had two things on my list for Christmas cookie recipes that are usual ingredients at home, -molasses and buttermilk. I prepared my list, looked it all up in the Spanish dictionary and set off. Molasses in Spanish is molaza. I couldn't find it on the baking aisle so I asked a clerk. She said "si" and motioned that I follow her across the store. We arrived at the "Mayonaisa" aisle and she smiled and left. Well I don't suppose that mayonnaise works in gingerbread. So then I searched the dairy case for buttermilk. There is butter, milk, cream, sourcream, half and half, milk, yogurt etc. So I ask for suero de leche. He tries to give me soy milk. Strike 2. Oh well, when in Rome. So we're out of luck for gingerbread but my trusty Better Homes and Garden cook book tells me how to substitute lemon juice and milk. I can at least make my grandmother's Kringla. Baking is still a challenge, but getting easier. I miss my Kitchenaid mixer, but my arm muscles are having a good workout. Ellie rolled the chocolate crinkles in sugar and licked the beaters. Showering is still a pain. We are out of hot water now until we run the engine again, so I heated it on the stove and poured it in the sun shower. Viola, hot shower. It's actually quite cool here this week. Grey clouds and wind dominate the weather. It's a bit like home. Christmas should be cold right? We have some meals planned with friends and have decorated the boat a bit. It's not the Christmas I'm used to, but the "reason for the season" hasn't changed and we can worship our loving Father from anywhere. Pete had a long drawn out process of checking in. First the office was closing, next day the computer was not working and the next day it was the printer. After 3 days we're officially legal in La Paz. Our pace is slowing down and we're getting used to only accomplishing a little bit each day. We're looking forward to getting back to the rural areas where we can swim and hike. Cities are not our first choice, but about once a month we'd like food, water and internet. We'll be here until about the 3rd and can get wireless internet, so send us your christmas letters and other news. We're eager for news from home. Kellie

La Paz

We arrived in La Paz on Sunday after anchoring just north of here Friday and Saturday nights. We're anchored out and still working on the "check in cha-cha"... (the final step remains unfinished - the port captain closed his office just as we walked up at 3pm, after about a 2 mile trek across town...) Oh well, Manana. The search begins for where to get groceries and how to haul them back to the boat. We've already found a market, bakery, and Mercado (grocery store) in our wanderings around town, but I'm not sure we could find our way back to them. It seem that at most of the intersections, on top of the stop signs, where normally the street names would be displayed, there is instead a small Pepsi advertisement. A few of the intersections that do have name plates seem to have them arranged at such an angle that it's uncertain which name goes with which street. Iain and I found the most reliable method of navigation was by counting the blocks on the map... then there's the problem of deciding if the cross street you're passing is significant enough to be shown on the map! Christmas is coming fast - it's hard to get in the sprirt when the sun is shining and we're wearing shorts and walking barefoot... Yesterday it occurred to me that the weather here is probably not unlike Bethlehem this time of year, and that all the nativity scenes showing snow around the stable where Jesus lay in the manger were perhaps a bit off... Still, tradition and conditioning are hard to let go of. We've got a little fake fir tree decorated with shells on the countertop next to the sink, and are excited to take part in some of the Christmas festivities here. More will follow...

Los Muertos

Kellie's comments We've sailed about 265 miles since Pete posted last. Our trip around the end of Baja involved a bit of everything that the sea could throw at us. Good wind was forecasted, so we set out, only to be becalmed and forced to motor a good way to Cabo. Rounding the point at about midnight, the lights of the hotels twinkled out at us and the stars twinkled down. The waves began to increase as we entered the Sea of Cortez, left over from a gale the day before. The risk in rounding the point is that if the gale is still blowing, we'll have wind on the nose for the next 25 miles or so. But we trudged on and entered the sea in the morning. Sure enough the gale still had life left. We had been traveling with Loon and were about 5 miles ahead. We hardly ever reduce sail area in heavy winds, but they only weigh half as much as we do, so they reef often. I radioed back to warn them. They chose to duck into shore and wait for a better time. We only had 10 more miles to go to Los Frailes so we pounded on instead of backtracking. What are the chances of 2 gales in 2 weeks, I ask myself? We went as close to shore as possible, trying for some shelter below the points of land to reduce the 10-14 foot seas, held buckets for Carter and tacked back and forth. Arriving in the anchorage to find friends was a great end to a 47 hour trip. Los Frailes offered fabulous fun and sun. The water finally reached swimming pool temperature, the air felt like summer and the nights don't require fleece jackets. Manta rays live there and played in the surf right around our feet. The kids snorkeled for the first time and saw "Dorie" (Finding Nemo). Lots of other boats that we know came in within a couple of days before or after so we had another potluck. Last time I hosted and we had 16 people. This time Homer's Odyssey hosted and we had 11. There was not a vegetable to be seen at the dinner since none of us had shopped since San Diego. We did find a nice group of Canadians who "snowbird" there in motorhomes each winter. Grocery trucks come almost every day to sell to them and the little hotel and restaurant. So we mobbed them for vegies, fruit and milk the next morning. Cruising offers for me two extremes. Seeing the amazing sights, making new friends and getting a tan in December are great. It's the opportunity of a lifetime to travel to places that don't even have any roads, eat fresh lobsters and learn more about ourselves and others. The flip side is that the everyday life is difficult and tiring. Overnight passages fatigue us all, seasickness takes it's toll, and lack of modern conveniences makes raising a family a huge challenge. The other day I washed 50 pairs of underwear in buckets. I strung up lines under the dodger to hang them all after using all my clothes pins to hang other clothes on the life lines. For 2 days we had to duck under them to get in and out of the front cabin. Pete tried to invite friends over and I stopped him, since I figure no one else wanted to duck under. Another thing for me is showering only occasionally (the kids love it). We only have hot water when we run the engine for more than an hour and only seem to do that once a week. At least now it's hot and cooler water is OK. Home-schooling is another extreme challenge. When we are at sea, no one feels like reading and writing. When at anchor we want to be off the boat sight seeing and running off pent up energy. Ellie does not like doing school and makes it 10 times worse by crying, fussing and whining. I'm trying a point chart and other incentives, but so far it's not working for anyone. Carter is usually happy go lucky and is adapting well. One thing we are considering is having crew. Our major dilemma is where they would sleep. I could use help with the kids, and or the sailing. It's a lot to make 3 meals a day, teach school, keep house, do laundry, shop and try to have a little fun. Then you throw in overnight trips etc and it's tough. We would appreciate your prayers for us. I think we've pretty much decided that we'd like help to cross to the south Pacific. Pete is still really set on crossing, so I think we have to have help. Several friends have mentioned wanting to crew, so maybe we won't have to look far. Now we have arrived in Los Muertos. Pete is crashed out after 2 more nights to get here. Only in the middle of the night do the 25 knot northerly winds die down enough to head north. Yesterday, we spent the day at a friend of a friend of Loon's. They are a retired couple who live here year round. Their house was incredible and they offered us great hospitality for the day. We left for the second night in a row at 2 a.m and finally made it here with Loon this morning. Everyone is exhausted and cranky. I've made sugar cookie dough with the last of my flour to perk everyone up, but since it doesn't seem like Christmas it's a bit strange to make reindeer shapes. Anyway, that's our news. We hope to be in La Paz by the weekend and will check our e-mail then. I'm desperate to hear the news and read what you all are up to this winter - hint, hint. Kellie

Heading south from Bahia Santa Maria

We had an excellent hike across the point to the ocean beach. It began with a mile long dinghy ride up into the mangroves. We beached the dink at a little fishing camp and treked through the front and back yards of all the little shacks until we got to the other side of the camp and followed a sand road a mile or so to the beach. We found the battered remains of a a shipwreck, lots of interesting shells, some whale bones, including a whole skull (about 8-10ft long), and a bunch of turtle shells. Some of the turtle shells still had remains of the turtle still inside (rather mumified from the desert air). We looped back through the sand dunes and had a great time sliding down the steep sides. There were piles of shells behind the dunes that must have been deposited by hundreds of years of storms... up to a mile or so inland! We hauled back a load of interesting shells and the kids are having fun cleaning and sorting them. They're real troopers - the hike was 6 miles long and they probably put in an extra half mile running up and down the dunes! We were all pretty tired as we tromped back through the camp and piled into our dinghy. Fortunately the surf wasn't too bad going back out and we stayed dry (and didn't break any of the shells... like we did yesterday). We're planning to head south Wednesday, leaving just after noon with hopes to get to Los Frailles in the daylight 46-48 hours away. We may nip into the anchorage at Cabo San Lucas if the timing or weather isn't cooperating for a daylight arrival. Nice winds for the trip down to the end of Baja are forcasted for the next couple days, and it'll go light by the weekend. Icarian left yesterday, and Loon will leave with us tomorrow. It's a tough balance - trying to pick enough wind to make a fast passage without getting beat up. I'd rather have a bit too much wind than not quite enough, in which case you slop around in the swell left over from some wind somewhere else, and there isn't enough wind to keep the sails full. We seem to break things rolling around in not enough wind and don't seem to when it's blowing like stink.

great hike and preparing to head south

We had an excellent hike today across the point to the ocean beach. It began with a mile long dinghy ride up into the mangroves. We beached the dink at a little fishing camp and treked through the front and back yards of all the little shacks until we got to the other side of the camp and followed a sand road a mile or so to the beach. We found the battered remains of a a shipwreck, lots of interesting shells, some whale bones, including a whole skull (about 8-10ft long), and a bunch of turtle shells. Some of the turtle shells still had remains of the turtle still inside (rather mumified from the desert air). We looped back through the sand dunes and had a great time sliding down the steep sides. There were piles of shells behind the dunes that must have been deposited by hundreds of years of storms... up to a mile or so inland! We hauled back a load of interesting shells and the kids are having fun cleaning and sorting them. They're real troopers - the hike was 6 miles long and they probably put in an extra half mile running up and down the dunes! We were all pretty tired as we tromped back through the camp and piled into our dinghy. Fortunately the surf wasn't too bad going back out and we stayed dry (and didn't break any of the shells... like we did yesterday). We're planning to head south tomorrow, leaving just after noon with hopes to get to Los Frailles in the daylight 46-48 hours away. We may nip into the anchorage at Cabo San Lucas if the timing or weather isn't cooperating for a daylight arrival. Nice winds for the trip down to the end of Baja are forcasted for the next couple days, and it'll go light by the weekend. Icarian left today, and Loon will leave with us tomorrow. It's a tough balance - trying to pick enough wind to make a fast passage without getting beat up. I'd rather have a bit too much wind than not quite enough, in which case you slop around in the swell left over from some wind somewhere else, and there isn't enough wind to keep the sails full. We've broken more things rolling around in not enough wind than when it's blowing like stink.

the quest for some milk...

We're out of milk... not a crisis, but it comes in handy... and I like it in my coffee. Yesterday Brian and I embarked on an adventure to get some provisions in San Carlos. We had hoped to dinghy across the bay here (about 6 miles) to a narrow part of land that separates this bay from Magdalena Bay, then portage the dinghy across land to the other side, and run the 3-4 miles into "town". We left the boats at around 9am and there was some pretty good chop due to the wind. We decided to follow the beach around, just outside the surf line to try to get some protection from the wind and chop. Eventually it calmed enough that we could speed up and plane the dinghy, but the wind kept clocking around so that it was on the nose the whole way so we got pretty wet. The surf breaking along the coast was pretty impressive - at least 6-8' waves crashing on the beach... needless to say we didn't feel like landing. We both agreed that we could probably time a landing and make it in on the back of a wave, but we'd never make it back out again thru the breaking waves. We kept following the land around to the end of the bay hoping that we'd find a sandbar or shoal that would cause the waves to break and expend their energy off the shore and we could tuck in behind them... didn't happen. The next option was to continue along the coast to the south end of the bay where a mountain might offer a bit of protection from the western swell. If we were able to land there, it was much too far across land to portage the dink, but we figured we might we able to walk to Man-o-War, a little fishing village, and maybe find some provisions. Sure enough, there was a little nook that looked land-able, and there were a bunch of pangas on the beach and a truck. The locals would beach their pangas, load them on a trailer and truck them across to Mag Bay. It was about a three mile walk, and when we got there we found that there were TWO grocery stores! The first had some cans of stuff... beans, spam, and things like that. I inquired if they had 'leche'. I could pick from canned condensed milk, or powdered. I inquired about 'leche fresca' and she smiled and shook her head. I bought two packs of powdered. The other store had some fresh things - about a pound of potatos and a couple of onions... other than that, about the same selection of cans. Brian was hoping for some beer, but struck out there, too... plus we both agreed that transporting beer back to the boat would not be worth the effort. Launching the dingy thru the surf was a wet experience. After we cleared the surf, the wheels wouldn't retract, so we had to land again, monkey with them for 15 mintutes, relaunch on one wheel only (and get even wetter). The wind was on the nose all the way back to the boats, strangely clocking around again... So, 28 miles travelled (about 5 of that walked), about $10 worth of gas burned, 6 hours spent... all for two packs of powdered milk. And people back home wonder what we do to keep busy each day...

Bahia Santa Maria

We're having a great time here in Bahia Santa Maria. We feel that we're finally on the fringe of what we've been searching for - nice beaches, warm water, and a "cruising atmosphere" There's nothing here but beach, surf, mountains and mangroves. Yesterday we had a long walk on the beach and a dinghy excursion thru the mangroves. It was very nice to be surrounded by green vegetation after looking out on the arid, rocky landscape of Baja for the last few weeks. The day before I went on a hike with some of the guys off other boats to the top of the 1275ft peak to the northwest of the anchorage - what a spectacular view! We made our way back down following an arroyo (valley/gully) and were all amazed at how much vegetation there is on these hills that look totally barren from a distance. The kids are collecting all sorts of new seashells and the beach is great... once you get the dinghy thru the surf and over the shoal... we seem to get wet each time we head for shore. Jessie from "Rasa Manis" invited me to go surfing with him yesterday, and we had a great time catching waves in water that was only thigh-deep with a nice sandy bottom. Last night we had a potluck on our boat and ended up with 16 people onboard. We had a great time, and it was nice to spend some time with some of the folks that are heading to mainland Mexico from here, and we may not run into again. If the weather (wind) cooperates today, Brian (from "Icarian") and I have a plan to go get some fresh groceries in San Carlos. If we take the big boats around into Bahia Magdalena it's about a 40 mile trip (8-10 hours), and we'd have to check in and out with the Port Captain... $16 each way, which makes for an expensive gallon of milk and some oranges! From here, we should be able to make about a 6 mile dingy trip across the bay to the narrowest part of the sand spit that separates Bahia Santa Maria from Bahia Magdalena. It appears on the charts to be about 350 yards across the spit to the other side, and another 3-4 miles across the water to San Carlos. Brain has landing wheels on his dingy which should make the portage across the spit possible with the two of us. Hopefully the sand is firm and flat - and the water on the other side deep enough! We've become very dependant on our computer - for weather, e-mail, navigation, occasional videos. Several boats around have had their laptops die in the past month or so, and we've realized that it'd be very comforting to have a backup... Anyone have an old laptop that they wouldn't mind selling cheap or donating?

It's sometimes a pressure cooker out here.

Kellie's comments-- I've been trying to think of a good metaphor for life out here on the sea. I keep coming back to a pressure cooker. Things seem to simmer along nicely and then all of a sudden the steam begins to build and wham we're under more pressure than we can handle. Our most recent pressure situation was caused by Mother Nature and until she decided to turn down the heat, we were just along for the ride. For the last few days we have been listening to the weather, trying to decided if the gale that was working it's way down from Oregon was finished or not. On Monday afternoon we got reports that the wind would be in the 20-25 knot range over night. Sometimes for strategy we plan an overnight trip. We aim to arrive places in the daylight and sometimes leaving in the afternoon gives us the best chance to arrive the next day before dusk. There were five boats in Asuncion planning to leave together. The first boat gave the word that they were pulling anchor at around 4:00, so with a herd mentality, we all got ready and headed out together. Homer's Odyssey was in the lead and radioed back to say that the seas and wind outside of the bay were great. So one by one we left, Loon, Imagine, Solmate and Icarian. At first it was a dream sail. We had the main sail reefed down to make it smaller and the large head sail out. The seas were calm because the wind was from the east, so if we stayed within a few miles of land, the swell didn't have a chance to build. We set our sails and Pete went to bed right after dinner. As a few hours went by we averaged speeds around 7 knots. We passed Loon and then the wind began to build. I put the kids to bed around 7 because I felt very nervous to have then in the cockpit. The moon had not risen yet and the darkness was thick. The wind was beginning to take the tops off the waves and create spray. Again the Lord was taking care of us because shortly after getting them tucked in, a wave came over the side and slopped into the cockpit right where they had been sitting. When sailing in a group we all remain in radio contact. I was feeling like we had too much sail up since we had now reached a maximum speed of 10.5 knots. I gave Icarian a call to ask the wind speed and their sail configuration. Sure enough we had about 22 knots and I felt we were overpowered. Pete heard me on the radio and got up to put our big sail away and put up the staysail which is about 1/2 the size. Shortly after that we got slopped by another wave, this time it got my hair wet and soaked my feet. Luckily the rest of me was covered in rain gear. Some of the splash went below and Pete mopped it up. We put in our hatch boards to ward off anymore water and got out more heavy duty rain gear. You can imagine tension and frustrations. We switched watches then and I tried to sleep. Sleep didn't really come due to the constant motion of the boat and the interruptions of the radio calls. The wind vane did a great job steering and the boat handled the conditions well, but adrenaline levels remained high. I think the 5 men were having an adventure and the women were having a nightmare. The kids slept through it all in a heap on the downhill side of their bunk. I got up around 2:30 to give Pete a break in the cockpit. I wish I could describe better how it feels to be out in the dark with the waves crashing all around. By the time I took over watch, the winds were a consistent 30-35 knots out of the east, or NE with gusts to 46. Every few minutes we had spray over the windward side dowse the aft end of the cockpit. I stayed dry under the dodger but it's instinct to duck and tense up when a bunch of water comes at you. My muscles remained tense which is exhausting. I kept feeling like I needed to check on the kids, but going back there across the wet cockpit, into the path of the spray was more than I could do. I stayed clipped into my harness on the beanbag chair, bracing myself against the steering column and praying. Before my watch was over around 5:30 the wind had died back down to a reasonable 20 or so. Things smoothed out and we relaxed a bit. By morning we actually had to use the motor occasionally to make it all the way into San Juanico. The only equipment difficulty we has was a fouled prop. Pete had to jump in and remove two lobster pot floats. It's unfortunate that we ran them over, but understandable why we didn't see them. We've had some good chats with the other boats about everyone's experience, and many said it was the most weather they'd been out in. The good thing is now we know that we and the boat can handle those conditions with no problem. I hope though to never have to handle then again. Now we're waiting for the wind to pick up a bit so we can make our way to the next stop. Funny how things change quickly. I guess the steam is let off and now we'll just simmer along for a little while longer. We aim to be in La Paz within about 10 days where we will get real showers, internet, laundry, groceries and hopefully some fun. Kellie Pete: Yeah, but it would have been perfect wind for windsurfing! The beach here is nice - not many shells, but nice, flat and sandy with an easy dingy landing. There's a perfect, small, sideshore break along the north side of the bay, and I can see why it's a popular spot for surfers. We may have to break out the boogie boards if we end up staying here another day. The water has warmed up some more - up to 68F, so swimming is possible without risk of freezing. When I had to snorkle to cut free the lobster pot floats, it was almost pleasant (although a bit unnerving - bottomless blue below me!) Cheers. -Pete PS - Leni (my sister)... your e-mail account won't accept my messages... I've been trying since San Diego. We're planning to stick around La Paz area so we can meet you in January. We may cruise past Cabo close enough to the beach to try to pick up a wireless network from one of the hotels and try to get all our Imaginecruising e-mail, else it'll have to wait until La Paz.