Hurricane Hilary

It all starts with a disturbance that shows up on the weather report.  So far, the disturbances that became named storms have headed west and spared the Sea of Cortez.  This was not the case for Hurricane Hilary.  In the early stages of a storm, the prediction models can vary by a large degree which leaves room for uncertainty and a lot of guessing.  Things will begin to align a few days out from the storm which allows for last minute decision making and planning.  You may be wondering, what things we need to decide on?  First and foremost is where do we go?  Secondly, what do we need to do to prepare the boat for the storm?  Should things change, what are the backup plans?  Then we spring to action.

When we first started cruising and spending the summers in the northern sea, there was only one place to consider to ride out a storm, Puerto Don Juan.  Don Juan provides nearly 360 degrees of coverage but does have its own set of undesired worries. Overcrowding, funneling winds, swell rolling into the anchorage, areas of bad holding or being anchored in deeper water which offers less scope.  Now that technology has improved and Starlink is available, we have access to more current and frequent information.  While choosing a place to hunker down, we take into consideration the direction of the predominant winds and their expected intensity.   Hilary was expected to show up with a strong E and SE wind direction which left us feeling really confident about choosing a place outside of Don Juan. Coincidentally it was the same wind direction that we had for Hurricane Kay, once again we chose the La Mona anchorage to hunker down.

Now that we had chosen a spot to go, we went into full preparation mode.  This meant last minute shopping trips for groceries.  It is common for roads and access to the town to be hindered after a storm so stocking up is the prudent thing to do.  Brad lugged our jerry cans of gas to the station in the sweltering heat so we could run our auxiliary generator if necessary.  Then began the prep of Perspective.  One of the main things we try to do when expecting high winds is reduce all unnecessary windage.  Down came our headsail which can be an easy job but due to a little breeze, it became a literal wrestling match as we dropped the sail and then folded it up on deck.  Having that task done, we motored to our intended hunkering spot.  It was a quick 6nm hop taking just over an hour to complete.  Upon arrival we made sure to give the anchor a really good set! This is when things begin to feel real. This was no longer an imaginary, what if situation. There is a storm coming.   Including us, there were 5 boats that chose to anchor in La Mona.  There is plenty of space for the boats to line up and be out of each others way.  3 of us coordinated and we were able to gather coordinates of where the anchors were dropped.  This is important because we could plot where each boat was during the storm, and see if they were dragging or staying put.

Perspective in the middle of the pack.

With our anchor set and with a little bit of time on our hands we continued preparing the boat for weather.  We took down our bimini canvas, flexible solar panels, stowed the dinghy on deck, lashed down the mainsail and strapped down our paddle boards.  Brad made sure to tie down anything and everything!

Brad lashing down the main to make the sail bag smaller for less windage.
Sydney was patiently waiting to go to shore…

At this time Hilary was ramping up and became a Cat 4 Hurricane on the outside of Baja.  Remember I mentioned that having Starlink is really nice?  Well sometimes it is not healthy.  This is when the emotional side of the hurricane begins messing with my mind.  I had access to all types of weather, Facebook groups, opinions and doom scrolling.  Opinions were posted that we should be expecting the absolute worst case scenario and the northern sea was not going to be a safe place to be.  At this point it was too late to safely go anywhere else! These posts led me down various rabbit holes of “where the heck are they seeing this info?!”  Our phones were blowing up with other cruisers asking “What are your plans and where are you going?”  There was no mental escape!  We had friends stripping their boats entirely while others chose not to do much at all.  Of course I worried for those that chose to take the “eh it is fine” approach.  It is fine until it isn’t.  And that is when injuries can occur, handling the things that start misbehaving in the high winds.    You are probably thinking, sheesh Sarah, you’re so dramatic.  And yes, yes I am!

We were expecting the storm to show up the evening of August 19th.  We began getting reports from our cruiser friends that were down south in the Loreto area.  Reports varied from a high gust of 37kts to 71kts.  They were dealing with a higher strength storm, but the eye was further west than it would be when it arrived to our area.  We would be seeing tropical storm conditions with the eye closer to our area.  The closer the eye, means the wind can get a little stronger as it whips around.  The day was super calm and then finally we begin to see a little wind and a lot of rain.  Boy did it rain!  We ran around the boat checking port lights and hatches for leaks.  Our bunk ended up getting soaked with fresh water as the hatch above it leaked something fierce.  Out came the trash bags and dive weights to cover the hatch.  We are a class act, don’t ya know?!

The wind began around 8PM and it was coming from an unfavorable direction for our location.  We were experiencing a lumpy/bumpy ride with our stern pointed at shore.  Not ideal!  We knew to expect wind from the North, as the storm was sucking energy towards itself, but when the wind switched to West…well, that was very unexpected!  Our anchor tripped due to the wind shift and intensity but quickly reset and dug in. The anchor alarm was set and did its job letting us know that we had drug slightly and changed position. Brad started the motor and went to the helm while I watched our position on the instruments below. It was also around this time that our bilge pump went off.  I immediately opened up the floorboard to check if water was flowing into the bilge but was happy to confirm it was just the rain water that accumulated from running down our mast.  Whew!!! 

Here is where things got really scary…Our radio picked up a call from our neighbor boat asking what our depth was.  We let them know that we had about 8ft under our keel and they mentioned they had 6ft.  Minutes later we heard another call to the fleet that the boat was now bouncing on the rocks and that their engine was disabled!  Their starter battery had died leaving them dead in the water.  This is every cruisers nightmare!  None of us could do anything to help which was the worst feeling in the world.  The only thing the fleet could do is to talk to them on the radio and make a plan to get them off those rocks.  We all knew the tide would begin rising soon and the wind was due to switch directions at any moment.  After bouncing on the rocks for nearly an hour, they were able to pull themselves forward by hauling in 50-100ft of chain with their windlass.  We all took a deep breath and hoped the damage wasn’t too bad.  At least they were safe!

Perspective is in the middle. As you can see, each of the boats had an anchor reset which led us closer to shore than desired.

Sure enough, the wind did switch direction and all was well as our boats swung around into deeper water.  The sea state and lumpiness disappeared and the anchor was once again dug in and doing its job!  We stayed up for awhile and then Brad asked if I wanted to see if I could get some sleep.  Amazingly I was able to!  The stress of the night had exhausted me.  Eventually Brad joined me and we both woke up to the largest gust that we would see that night, only 46kts.  All of the preparation that we did to our boat paid off, especially Brad’s lashing and tying everything down.  Nothing budged!  I never thought I would be able to sleep during a storm but rest was had between gusts.  It was very civilized!  

The next morning was a cloudy day, the rain had stopped and the wind was less gusty and more sustained.  The rain had washed Perspective from the top down and left our decks feeling squeaky clean.  If only it could stay that way forever!  But hey, we are cruising in the desert.  We stayed on board the entire day, enjoying the cooler temperatures, breeze and snuck in a nap.  We caught up with family and friends and were so grateful that Hilary had weakened to a tropical storm before coming our way.  The lead up to the storm was much worse than the storm itself.  I’ll be sure to try and remember that for the next one, but hopefully it won’t be this summer season! ;).

So there you have it. Our personal experience with Hilary was very civilized and left us with a very clean boat and a maybe a couple extra gray hairs. I know we have quite a few friends up in California, so please tell us what your experience was with Hilary.

Exploring the Gold Coast

Hola Amigos!

In previous years, Brad and I have rounded the corner from Banderas Bay and our journey always came to an abrupt halt in Bahia Carrizal. In fact, we’ve nicknamed it Cursed Cove! Our first year visiting Carrizal we had to hightail it out of there due to a family medical event. On our second visit we ended up getting Covid and completed our quarantine inside the cove. To be honest, I was a bit nervous to visit this time. We decided to throw all superstitions aside, dropped our anchor and hoped for the best. The good news is that the curse seems to have broken and we had a great time. We didn’t do the usual snorkeling but we did do a land hike that was fantastic! The walk led us to a beautiful beach which we later found out is a nature preserve where turtles come to lay their eggs. During our walk we saw a variety of birds which made lugging the camera gear worth it.

Our first stop after Carrizal was Bahia Santiago, a 5nm hop. We pulled into the anchorage and chose a spot to drop the hook that was a comfortable distance from shore. Unfortunately the peaceful anchorage turned into chaos as the jet ski rentals made their appearance. Our boat became a target to zip around as quickly as possible, rinse and repeat! Aside from the jet skis we found the anchorage to be quite pleasant. The shore is peppered with colorful umbrellas, fancy homes and restaurants. The anchorage holds a mostly sunken ship that can be explored if the water is clear. The vessel was built in England in 1892 and spent a long career transporting barrels of oil. Later she transported minerals and ore from Santa Rosalia, Mexico to Tacoma, WA. A fascinating article about the wreck can be found here. https://www.manzanillosun.com/the-san-luciano-shipwreck/

Another happy place in the anchorage is the lagoon. During high tide you can take a dinghy tour through the channels of deep water. We found that even on a high tide it can get very shallow and the exploring was limited. Even so, we had a wonderful time seeing all the birds, fish and general happenings. Next time I’ll be sure to pack the camera to capture the action.

After spending a few days in Santiago we decided to make another short 4nm hop to Las Hadas. The anchorage lies below a cascade of all white buildings which makes you wonder, are we still in Mexico?! We later learned that the buildings are a condominium complex and a resort. From a distance everything looks great but upon closer inspection, the condos are showing some serious wear and tear. Part of the issue is that the area is very seismically active. In 2022 there were 267 recorded earthquakes 4.0 and above within a 300km distance of the city. Another interesting fact about Las Hadas is that the movie “10” was filmed here. Our friend in the anchorage spent plenty of time looking for Bo Derek on shore, with no success.

We spent almost a week anchored in Las Hadas and during that time we made great use of the dinghy dock and taxi services. Taxis were cheap compared to what we had been paying further north. We enjoyed simple tasks such as wandering around a Home Depot and Walmart. Not to mention grabbing Starbucks and a blizzard from Dairy Queen! Sometimes it is nice to visit places that remind us of back home.

A cheap $8 taxi ride brought us to the Manzanillo Malecon. This is where you can see the iconic Pez Vela, aka the gigantic Sailfish, on display. The sculpture stands at 75 meters in height, weighs 70 tons and was installed at the water front in 2002. Apparently Manzanillo is known as a Sailfish Capital of the World and has been hosting fishing tournaments since 1957.

Brad and I continued our waterfront tour and came across several docked military ships. The ships had military personnel on board and I was surprised to see that the entry ramps to the ships were not blocked off or secured. So different than the US military. The gray hulled ship, Blas Godinez, has been servicing the Mexican Navy since 1991 as an Offshore Patrol Vessel. I suspect the ship has a history much longer but I was unable to find info prior to 1991.

In addition to the military presence in the harbor, there are also plenty of cargo ships. Manzanillo is considered to be the busiest container facility in Mexico. It receives ships from more than 40 countries. The main exports are fish, corn, lemons, bananas, canned food, wine, copra, lumber, cement, etc. 

The port is also host to incoming cruise ships. We saw evidence of their developments in town when we came across several casinos, Burger King, Carls Jr, KFC, Dominos Pizza, Pizza Hut, Dairy Queen, and a movie theater all conveniently located next to each other. It makes me sad to think that the cruisers are getting off of the ship and experiencing fast food joints as part of their tour of Mexico.

Speaking of food, Brad and I were starting to get hungry so we left the Malecon and took a tour into the streets. There were tons of shops selling trinkets and souvenirs and a surprising amount of hardware shops. As we casually strolled we were faced with a set of the most colorful steps. There was only one option. We needed to climb the colorful stairs! The stairway provided access to private homes. As we huffed and puffed our way to the top we had a good chuckle as we saw a boy carrying a 40 pound jug of water up the steps to his home.

Our noses guided us to a local cafeteria of sorts where we were met with various choices of seafood, soups and traditional dishes. Both of us enjoyed a lunch and a beverage for about $10US total! Armed with full bellies we began our waddle back to the water front to find ourselves a ride back to Las Hadas. We barely scratched the surface in Manzanillo and we look forward to doing more exploring the next time we visit.

Where are we heading to next? We are going to start our journey north. We aren’t in a real hurry and plan to take our time, enjoying the anchorages as we go. If you want to view more photos from this post, you can find them linked below…

Carrizal https://sarahbowlin.smugmug.com/Carrizal-/

Manzanillo https://sarahbowlin.smugmug.com/Manzanillo/

We hope each of you are doing great and we thank you for the comments and engagement with our last blog post. It is nice to hear from you all! Cheers!

Posting here, posting there, posting everywhere….but here!

Lo siento amigos! We’ve not kept this blog up to date and the last post was quite a dramatic one. So I guess it is time to face the music and get an update posted! Spoiler alert, the Chubasco didn’t break our will to keep cruising and we are still at it! Since the last post we have: planned a wedding, got married, acquired a Starlink, rode out a hurricane, Perspective got a new set of clothes, and we’ve hosted plenty of friends/family on board. Whew there is a lot to unpack and I’ll try to keep it brief.

We were married in Brookings, Oregon on June 25th 2022 in an intimate ceremony surrounded by immediate family. Planning from Mexico held its share of challenges but thanks to family pitching in, everything went off without a hitch. Capella by the Sea was our venue of choice as it included seating and gave us an option in case the weather went awry. Not to mention it sits in a beautiful forest setting with views of the Chetco River and Pacific Ocean. You can view more photos of our special day here… https://sarahbowlin.smugmug.com/Harley-Wedding-Gallery

People asked us where we would go for our honeymoon and guess what? We went back to the boat to cruise the sea for our honeymoon. It’s a magical place after all! Following protocol for hurricane season we sailed Perspective into the northern sea. It was a special summer as we cruised with some of our favorite cruisers! It felt like a treat to be around boats again after being so isolated last summer. Brad was up to his usual antics of spearfishing and I shot plenty with the cameras. It feels like no summer is complete without some sort of weather drama. This season we were faced with Hurricane Kay. Thanks to Starlink, we were able to keep an eye on multiple weather sources and make real time decisions about where to ride it out. As it turned out, we were in like minded company and decided to hunker down in the La Mona anchorage. Hurricane Kay was a polite weather event making its appearance in the daylight hours. Top wind speed for us was 55kts with plenty of rain to go with it. Aside from my calm being damaged, we had some damage to our already fragile canvas bimini. Brad and I had no choice but to go out during the storm to hold and stitch it together before it completely fell apart. Aside from that hiccup, everything else was completely fine! The storm was a great opportunity to test our Starlink and we are happy to report that it continued to work during the storm. I was grateful because we could communicate to our friends in the anchorage. Plenty of memes and videos were sent back and forth as the day went on.

Brad’s nifty programming allowed us to record storm stats and keep an eye on our friends positions.

And no storm is complete without a subsequent survivor party! Lucky for me, it ended up being on my birthday!

Ok next up…Perspective got some new clothes! Remember how I mentioned that we had to repair our canvas during the storm? We were able to get ourselves an appointment with a local canvas expert in La Paz to replace it. The only bummer was that we had to get to La Paz by October 16th which put us on a schedule. Even more tragic was the fact that we would be missing the best time of the year to cruise the Sea of Cortez! Argh! Brad coordinated with both the welder and canvas guy to come up with a new and improved design for the dodger and bimini. The bimini is now a couple inches taller allowing Brad to comfortably stand at the helm without having to hunch over. An additional 340 watts of solar have been added to the top of the bimini. And perhaps the biggest game changer of all is having a dodger with a zip out panel! This means we can sit in the cockpit with a breeze flowing through. It feels like we added an additional room to our house because the space was stifling and unusable before the upgrade. We are so thrilled!

This winter we have been blessed with lots of visitors! Perspective is a great platform for visitors as she has two cabins and two bathrooms on opposite ends of the ship. This allows for plenty of separation and privacy with a common area between to hang out. The visitors started with Bob and Karen in La Paz. We were able to spend quality time and escape the marina mid canvas project. We snuck out to a nearby anchorage, Caleta Lobos for a few days. We occupied our time together with paddle board lessons, snorkeling at the sea lion colony and plenty of games and relaxation.

Next up we hosted Ashley and Jason. We cruised with Ashley in 2020 and while we were trapped in Penasco, she was our apartment neighbor. She and Jason hopped on board in La Paz and crossed the Sea with us to Isla Isabel and ultimately ended their cruise in La Cruz. They were on board a total of 11 days and time flew! We had our best passage yet to Isla Isabel and once we got there we spent our time hiking, snorkeling, whale watching and diving. We spent Christmas Eve at sea and Christmas day in our favorite place along with great company, Silver Wings!

Next up we hosted Chris and Beth! We cruised the Barra and Tenacatita area together. What makes it super fun is that Chris told us about Barra before we took off in 2017. He had many fond memories of cruising this area on his own boat and now he could share this special place with Beth! We had a boisterous sail together to Tenacatita and acquainted ourselves with the local restaurants and palapas. We stretched our legs at the beach while Sydney dug for crabs as we went. We took the plunge at the aquarium anchorage and saw plenty of fish and coral Before we knew it, we had to return to Barra so Chris and Beth could hop a bus and head back to Puerto Vallarta for their flight. Their adventurous spirits helped us see and experience a new side of this place!

Last but not least, we hosted Jim and Jill! They flew in from Lawrence Kansas to Manzanillo Mexico. They were on board for a week and this was all new territory for them. We spent a couple of nights in Barra and then moved over to Tenacatita to explore the estuary and beaches together. We kept ourselves busy by exploring Melaque, La Manzanilla and Barra. It was fun to watch Jim reacquaint himself with cruisers that he met back in 2017-18. Speaking of fun, Jim whipped up some crepes for the crew! It’s tradition and we weren’t going to let him get away with depriving us. The days flew by and the nights were spent playing Mexican Train. It was an action packed week and now our boat is oddly quiet and lonely after their departure.

So what is next for this crew? We plan to turn our bow south and head to Carrizal, Santiago and possibly Zihuatanejo! Time will tell and for now we are going to revel in not having any specific schedules or plans. It’s been a wonderful season with lasting memories made along the way. We are grateful for it all! Cheers!

Exciting Photo News!

Hola Amigos!

In case we aren’t connected on Instagram or Facebook, I wanted to let you know that we’ve created an online photo gallery to share with all of you! I am able to upload full resolution photos and you’re able to download your favorites in full resolution- for free. How cool is that?! If you’ve been following this blog you know I’m a photo geek and this gallery allows me to display the photos in an easy to share/beautiful way.

https://sarahbowlin.smugmug.com/

There are printing options if you find something you can’t live without. The cost of printing is set by the photo labs so if it’s not in your ball park you can always download the image and print where it suits you best. Downloading the image is simple- just look to the left of your screen and click the icon.

If you’re looking to print on Canvas I’d recommend getting yourself a deal on https://www.canvasondemand.com/products/canvas-prints/ and printing through their website. I’ve used them a couple of times and have been very happy with their finished product.

If you’re a photography geek like me, you’ll be excited to see that theres an option to view the camera settings I used to get the shot.

I’ll be adding photos to the gallery as we have access to the internet, so be sure to stay tuned! If you do end up printing any of the photos I’d love to hear about it and see the finished product. Take a look around and let me know which is your favorite gallery.

In other news, Perspective is about to set sail from La Paz and head north to Loreto. Brad has been busy adding a life changing/powerful upgrade to our boat and with any luck he will be sharing with you soon. Until then…Stay safe out there and be kind to one another! Cheers!

Bahia San Francisquito

Now where did I leave off?  Oh that’s right.  We were just leaving Isla Estanque heading south to Bahia San Francisquito.  It was a 44 nautical mile hop south. This passage meant that we would officially be leaving the Bahia de Los Angeles area until next season.  We departed the anchorage, grateful for the protection and comfort it provided us the night before.  The winds hadn’t picked up yet, so we were once again motoring, charging up our batteries, laptops and electronics as we went.  It didn’t take long before the winds filled in and we were able to sail.

We had about 20kts of wind on our stern with following seas to go with it.  Little by little the seas began to build and Perspective started to get tossed around.  Perspective didn’t care.  She carried on beautifully, the stern getting picked up by the waves and happily gliding down the troughs until the next wave came a few seconds later.  As the hours and miles passed by, the conditions continued to build, with us seeing up to 29kts.  Brad and I already had a reef in our mainsail and it was time to start reefing our headsail to get the boat under better control.  Things got smoother once Brad took the helm and relieved our autopilot of its duty.  It’s at the helm where you truly feel what is happening with the boat.  Is she balanced?  Do we need to reef (reduce sail)?  In this case, all was OK and Brad was able to predict the upcoming swells and counter steer to them which made for a less rocky ride.  The crew definitely approved!

Along the way we “raced” another boat on the horizon.  It’s what you do when you see a boat going the same direction as you, you race.  This particular boat happened to be a catamaran captained by a couple that we met in Puerto Penasco.  We gave them a call on the radio and it turned out they were heading to the same anchorage as us.  On this passage we maintained an average speed of 6kts and maxed at 10.2kts while surfing down a wave.  It was a great sail, even if I was nervous for a lot of it.    

Our race competition and Brad having fun while hand steering.

There are a few anchoring options in San Francisquito and based off the conditions we opted for the west anchorage.  We settled in, made dinner and went to bed by 7!  I woke up the next day excited to explore the shoreline with the camera.  About a year ago, in the backyard of Brad’s childhood home, I became bird/nature obsessed.  I found myself getting lost behind the lens observing life happening before my eyes.  Fast forward to now, I was super excited to see a familiar place with a newfound appreciation for it’s critters that inhabited the shore.  We recently upgraded to a new camera body and purchased a couple of zoom lenses.  I call the largest lens the “bird bazooka”.  

Night time views from Bahia San Francisquito

Eventually we gathered ourselves, the dog and the camera gear to head to shore.  We heard coyotes crying the night before so we knew we had to keep a close eye on Sydney so she wouldn’t get lured away.  It was not a problem once she got ahold of her stick and got into fetch mode!  Brad kept Sydney entertained as I wandered the shoreline looking for victims to shoot with the bazooka.  I was in heaven!  There were tons of fly catchers landing on beautiful perches, butterflies happily fluttering along and hummingbirds chirping.  There was a lot of life here in this desert arroyo.  I slowly made my way to the end of the beach and found myself at the local watering hole.  A roadrunner quickly caught my eye and I was surprised that it hung around, completely unafraid of my presence!  Beep Beep!  There were herons, kingfishers, gulls and an osprey all within bazooka range.  Eventually it was time to go back to the boat and I could not wait to explore this area more over the length of our stay!

Tracks leading to a turtle nest, unfortunately the nest was raided by a couple of coyotes on shore.
A couple of night herons resting in the bushes.
The local flycatchers were so cute! The loggerhead shrike was a pleasant surprise to see!
The infamous roadrunner that let me take its photo over the course of our stay.
More photos of the cute roadrunner. Beep Beep!

The winds picked up and we found ourselves moving across the bay to another anchorage.  This would be our daily routine, moving from one anchorage to another in search of comfort.  This was Sydney’s preferred spot because there was a small sandy beach nearby without coyotes.  It was also next to a proven spearfishing spot which made Brad pretty happy too!  Speaking of spearfishing, Brad prepped all his gear and we took a spin to the nearby spot.  I snorkeled as he hunted and searched for a delicious cabrilla, a type of sea bass to shoot.  It only took one shot and Brad speared our dinner.  He cooked it up with fresh garlic and that delicious “everything but the bagel” seasoning on top.  Have you tried that seasoning yet?  It is delicious and can be picked up at Trader Joe’s or any of the stores in the spice section.

A kingfisher in flight, Osprey perched on a cactus, and a Phoebe perched and ready to pounce.
Gorgeous scenery views
Perspective anchored in some still water…

We spent a total of 5 days in Bahia San Francisquito, continuing to play musical anchorages.  Both of us were pretty darn happy just to be back in the water.  We kept our eyes on the weather and noted a good window coming up, it was time to make our move down to Santa Rosalia.  While I wasn’t stoked to be leaving, I was stoked to be heading towards civilization and a grocery store!  I had been feeling a little stressed as I watched our vegetable supply dwindle down to half a zucchini, half a carrot and half of a cabbage.  As a bonus, we would be meeting up with a couple of our cruising friends that were in Santa Rosalia!  I’ll tell you all about our stay in Santa Rosalia in our next post!  Take care, stay safe and have a great day!!! Happy Holidays from our crew to you!

Breaking free from Puerto Penasco!!!

After splashing Perspective we both took a sigh of relief knowing our time in the yard was finally done!  It didn’t matter that we still had lots to do, things just felt better in the water.  Our main priority was to get ourselves moved onto the boat and out of our apartment.  Luckily we were able to borrow cars from our cruiser friends which made this process much easier.  We figured we would move in stages rather than all at once.  I’m glad we did it this way because it kept the chaos to a minimum.  We would take a load to the boat, let the boat swallow it, then grab another load.  This process went on until mid October and then we were completely aboard.  It was great to be home again.  

We live on a boat again!

Aside from putting all our belongings away, we had a few chores to do.  One of which was sending Brad up the mast to correct the angle of our second spreaders.  Brad being the clever man that he is, created a special tool for the job so he could make sure the angles were correct while he was aloft, rather than going up and down several times to check.  We ended up borrowing a pulley system from a friend that made it much easier to send Brad up.  Rather than me cranking on the winch at the mast, he hauled himself up while I kept the line tight on the winch acting as a safety backup.  Once the spreaders were tweaked to their correct position, we sent Brad up with a hose and rag to wash the rigging of dirt and filth.  Boy was it filthy!  The water cascading from the rigging was completely brown, with no regard for our freshly washed deck. 

Captain Brad cleaning the rigging.

It wasn’t long before the jobs were ticked off the list and Perspective was ready to head out!  Our plan was to leave midday and arrive to our destination the following morning.  I had been dreading the overnight component to our “shakedown” sail,  but there was no getting around it.  We left the dock on Thursday, October 29th with plenty of nerves jittering.  We told ourselves if something goes wrong, we can always turn around and go back.  As we headed out of the slip we were immediately focused on dodging shrimp boats that were moving about the harbor.  Once we got a safe distance from the harbor, we focused on getting our sails up.  We decided to rig the first reef in the mainsail just in case the winds piped up mid passage. We then got ourselves on course and let out the headsail.  Ahhhh the moment the engine shuts off and the boat becomes powered by the wind is indescribable.  Rather than plowing through the water, you gracefully glide with sounds of lapping water rather than a droning engine.  

The happy crew sailing away from Penasco!

We continued to sail for as long as the winds allowed and then it was time to turn on the “iron genny”, the engine.  Brad took the first watch and I relieved him at midnight until 4am.  It was a calm night and I remember looking to the top of our mast, imagining it to be dancing with the constellations in the sky.  The moon was full, the seas were flat and the wind was calm.  Not a bad combo for our first overnight after 14 months in boat jail.  Brad came up at 4am and I was beyond happy to see his smiling face as he climbed into the cockpit.  Ahhh it was time for sweet, sleepy oblivion!  I came back up at 7am and it wasn’t long before we were discussing where we were going to anchor.  The weather forecast allowed us to comfortably anchor in the western side of Refugio.  It was our first time in this anchorage and I am so glad we dropped the hook there. We had beautiful mountain views that changed constantly with the light in the sky.  At times the mountains were shades of blue and gray, other times, it glowed a fiery red or orange!

Same mountains, different hours of the day.

Once settled, Brad went down for a well deserved nap and I sat the in the cockpit, camera in hand, marveling at the beauty of where we were!  We were finally free from the stresses that plagued us on land and were able to enjoy a moment of stillness.  I noted in my journal that “I am feeling so content and relaxed on anchor.  There is no crazy running around, errands to run, or obligations.  We make our plans and do as we please.” This is freedom at its finest!  Our plan that day was to cut Sydney’s hair, take her for a swim and get ourselves in the water.  Sydney agreed and we dropped the dinghy, loaded her up and zipped her to shore.  This kind of routine carried on for a few days until the weather told us it was time to head south.  

Sydney’s happy place, riding the bow of the dinghy!
Sydney the beach babe!
My heart is full with these two!
Spying on Perspective…
Beautiful Refugio….

Our next stop would be a new one for us, Ensenada Pulpito, located on the eastern side of Angel La Guarda island.  We’d heard great reports from other cruisers and were excited to see it for ourselves.  It would be a quick 5 hour hop south.  Along the way we picked up some escorts.  No, not those kind of escorts.  We picked up hundreds of dolphin escorts!  We were guided from every angle and I had no idea where to look!  I changed lenses on our camera three times trying to find the best way to capture them.  My favorite spot is at the front of the bow; sitting above the anchors, feet dangling, getting splashed by dolphin snot.  What more could you ask for?! 

Along the way Brad took the opportunity to make water.  He filled our water tanks and emptied our worries about the system not working after being decommissioned for so long. Having the ability to make water makes our quality of life increase exponentially!  Showers all around!

We approached the anchorage and watched as Sydney thrust her nose towards shore, sniffing wildly.  This was our cue to get the dinghy down and get ourselves to shore.  We had a large swell that day, creating breaking waves on shore.  We decided to anchor the dinghy in deeper water and all swam in, much to Sydney’s delight!  We did a little exploring and discovered a gorgeous estuary behind the sand dunes. Ensenada Pulpito anchorage is at the base of a valley with mountains sloping upwards on either side.  Absolutely stunning and we can’t wait to go back again for another visit.  We stayed two nights and decided to keep moving south.  

Views from the ground in Ensenada Pulpito
Views from the sky in Ensenada Pulpito
Playing in Sydney’s paradise!

As we departed Pulpito the winds were non existent. We motored, carrying our unwanted friends with us.  I haven’t mentioned these friends yet, but I will now.  These unwanted friends are called No See Ums. They are the biggest jerks!  In fact, Brad and I have been getting bit up ever since our first anchorage in Refugio.  This made for long nights of scratching, hiding inside the boat, and being a little cranky/crazy.  So you could imagine my disappointment that these buggers wouldn’t leave our cockpit while I was at the helm.   I steered the boat while simultaneously slapping my legs, ankles and toes. Killing those bastards one at a time.  Eventually the wind picked up and we were able to sail. Thankfully our unwanted friends were blown out of the cockpit! 

Clearly Brad was the crowd favorite.

Our plan was to sail to a highly recommended island known as Isla Partida.  You know what they say about plans?  We quickly got reminded that Mother Nature is in charge and that our plans were not going to happen that day.  What happened?  The winds picked up well above the forecasted amount. This meant our intended anchorage would be a no go. We figured the island was not large enough to create a protected area from the swells. Plan B had us heading over to Isla Estanque, a quick detour that was along our way.

We anchored on the south side of the island, protected from the seas and northern winds.  What we didn’t expect was a strange wrap around swell that came up as the tide went up.  We were getting rocked side to side but knew things would improve once the tide went back down.  Unfortunately for Sydney, the conditions were a little too wild for us to feel comfortable leaving Perspective unattended. We swung on our anchor for the night and made plans to voyage to Bahia San Francisquito the next morning. But first, we enjoyed a beautiful sunrise! Can you believe these views and colors?!

Sunrise views in Isla Estanque

I’ll fill you in on our passage south to San Francisquito in the next post. I hope you’re all having a great week! Take good care of yourselves and we shall see you in the next blog (which should be coming soonish). Cheers from the crew!

Before I wrap this up, I just want to give a huge shout out to Brad. The stress of preparing the boat, testing the systems and repairing the failures mostly fell on his shoulders. While we weren’t playing with Sydney on shore or taking a quick moment to relax, he was buried in projects. From repairing the water maker, fixing our dinghy motor and worst of all, servicing a plumbing leak, he got it all done. I know this wasn’t easy and it is much appreciated. Thank you, Brad, for all that you do to keep your girls happy! I love you!

Brad diagnosing the tilting mechanism that seemed to be stuck. Another surprise from being in Penasco for so long!

Splish Splash!

Thats right guys, we are back in the water! Brad and I had had enough of being landlubbers, so we drew the line and picked a date to splash. It was the day before Brad’s 50th birthday. After being out of the water for 13 months and 1 day, the idea of splashing was both an exciting and terrifying thought.  We were crossing our fingers and toes that we would not encounter any problems with the repairs we had done. We were worried about taking on water through any of the thruhulls or having the engine give us trouble.  A few days prior to splashing we tested the engine on land, just to check for any hidden surprises.  We used a garden hose to flush and provide the necessary water through the system and everything went as it should have. Which left us with the “we better not start sinking” worry. That would mean an immediate haulout and we were not looking to be on the hard any longer!

With the splash time quickly approaching, we had to prepare the boat to be back in the water. We removed all sun covers, cleared the cockpit, ran the dock lines, opened thruhulls, placed the fenders and prepared ourselves to be trailered across the yard to the TravelLift. Any time the boat moves on land it is completely unnatural and quite stressful. Somehow during this maneuver, Brad ended up on the ground while I was left on the boat with the trailer moving us. I tried to play it cool but in reality I was sweating bullets the entire time. Eventually we were trailered up to the TravelLift. The slings wrapped around Perspective’s belly and we were airborne.  Our boat was essentially flying through the yard at the mercy of the lift operator, no pressure Pancho, no pressure at all! As we crept forward towards the water the excitement was hard to contain and so was the fear of the unknown. Eventually Brad was let back onto the boat as we got closer to the water. He was immediately off to install a last minute part down below deck and I was on deck watching the water get closer and closer to the hull.  

After what seemed like forever, the boat made contact with the water. Brad and I both went down below to check for leaks. I had my eyes on the bilge, watching for rushing water but none came. Whew!!! Next up was to start the engine. Brad did the necessary steps, the engine cranked over smoothly and water immediately exited the muffler as it should.  We were golden!  Things happened in a giddy blur after this.  The dock lines were thrown back on deck by the yard workers and we motored forward out of the slings. Brad captained Perspective to her new slip in complete control.  As luck would have it, a nice gentleman was at the dock and took our lines as we approached. We tied up, took a deep breath, hugged, high-fived and celebrated with a well deserved rum and coke! The splash was a success but the work is far from done. Stay tuned as we get ourselves and the boat sea worthy! Cheers and thanks for reading.   I hope each of you are happy, healthy and enjoying the weekend!  

Perspective trailered up and ready to roll and one happy captain!
Going for a trailer ride to the lift…
Our amazing lift operator, Pancho, and views of Perspective approaching the water…
Splashed with a fancy new view!

Update from Puerto Peñasco

Hola Amigos!

It’s been a long time coming and we figured it was time to post an update. We’ve officially been out of the water just shy of 10 months, and I can honestly say time has flown and crawled at the same time. We hauled Perspective out of the water on September 5th, 2019 to spend quality time with family and to get a few projects done while she’s out of the water. We spent about 3 months in the states, enjoying the extended time with family, friends and all that the US has to offer.

After those 3 months were up, we headed back to Perspective while Brad handled one of the most labor intensive jobs possible. He peeled every inch of the bottom of our boat, 1/8″ deep. We’ve known all along that Perspective had blisters, and we figured while we were in one of the driest climates around, we would get the job done. You might be wondering what blisters are, let me explain. Back in the day when Perspective was being built in the shipyard in Taiwan, there was a slight hiccup in their process of laying fiberglass layers. This hiccup was not specific to Perspective, in fact, a lot of boats built in that era have the same issue. Ok, so back to what a blister is. There are multiple types and layers of fiberglass used while constructing a boat. When the yard laid up the top layer of fiberglass called the mat layer, it wasn’t completely saturated. This allowed small voids between the top two layers of fiberglass to appear. Over time, salt water crept it’s way into those voids creating a liquid filled pocket, a blister. The size of the blisters varied and we knew we needed to address the large ones. After some exploratory surgery, more like “pimple popping”, we discovered that these blisters smelled like sour vinegar and were quite acidic. Gross! Our girl could not be tainted with these unsightly and stinky pustules any longer! It was time for “Dr. Harley” to find a cure.

Unfortunately the cure, peeling, took 14 days of back breaking work and literally went inch by inch. The tool Brad used was heavy, weighing about the size of a bowling ball, and awkward to hold. If you know Brad, you know he is one to do his research before diving into a project and he does it right. The research he conducted paid off in spades when the peel was done and the bottom was smooth and blister free. After the peel was completed, we had to let the boat sit and essentially dry out. The hull was carrying moisture from those blisters and we wanted to make sure everything was as dry as possible before covering it back up again.

While the hull was drying out, we turned our attention to other projects. Such as replacing the gaskets in our 17 port lights, which in theory, will stop some of the pesky leaks we had been getting. Brad completed various plumbing projects, installed a new inverter which will power our blender and other power tools beautifully, removed and installed new chainplates (this was another major project), removed and sold our diesel generator that was no longer necessary, removed and sealed thruhulls that were no longer needed, and sealed up the old generator exhaust muffler. Oh and we have a shiny, newly painted transom (rear end of the boat). One could say that Perspective has gone through another refit.

While we planned for the projects to take some time, we didn’t plan on a global pandemic happening in the middle of it. We are super fortunate that we’ve been able to hunker down in an apartment near the boat yard and stay in complete comfort while we wait things out. We are also blessed that our family has remained healthy and that they are keen to use Zoom so we can get our “family time” fix. This goes for friends as well! It’s been 4 months since we’ve been to the states and we know we have at least one more trip north in our future. The timing of our return is still unknown, but I suspect we will know when the time is right.

You may be wondering what it’s like to be in Mexico during Covid. I can say that I am proud of the town we are in for taking Covid-19 seriously. Until recently Penasco was on complete lockdown and tourists were not allowed into the town. Our only time spent out of the apartment was to go to the boat, walk Sydney or grab groceries. Entering a grocery store goes like this: one person per household is allowed to enter, your temperature is checked, your hands and cart are sanitized and you are required to wear a mask. The great thing is that everyone complies with these rules, so shopping feels “safe”. About two weeks ago, the town surrendered and opened up to tourists, and with this opening, the port opened as well. This means Perspective could potentially splash and resume cruising once the projects are completed.

We are anxiously looking forward to getting back in the water but are also anxious about what is going to happen in the next couple of months. The virus seems to be spreading at an alarming rate and it is unknown what the next moves will be regarding port and town closures. Current cruising conditions are not what they used to be. In populated areas cruisers are tiptoeing, trying their best to be respectful of the rules. For some areas, this means no swimming or aquatic activities, and certainly no beach visits. One can get around this by staying in remote anchorages but eventually a trip to town for groceries becomes necessary. Our worry is that those visits to shore will not be welcome by the locals who are afraid of us spreading the virus to them. This is a legitimate concern because most small villages in Mexico do not have clinics or hospitals. Medical care is often several hours away on treacherous roads, bringing their risk even higher.

For now, we will continue to hunker down and chip away at our project list and dream of the day we can get back in the water. When that time comes, Perspective is well equipped for us to be able to quarantine for a few weeks to ensure the safety of others.

Well folks, there’s our latest update. We hope this message finds you healthy and happy during these unique and challenging times!

Sailing the San Francisco Bay

Yesterday we had the honor of going out for a sail on Perspective’s youngest sister, Esprit! Perspective is hull #20, Esprit is hull #30 which happens to be the last KP46 made. It was interesting being on a sister ship to Perspective. She looks like our boat, sails like our boat, but she’s not our boat. Makes us feel like cheaters. We met Esprit’s owners, Quincey and Mitchell through Instagram via a hashtag. Funny how that works!

Quincey and Mitchell, also known as Q&M Travels offer a variety of charter experiences via their website https://qmtravels.com/. We were lucky enough to score a sail in the San Francisco Bay with them and their friends Katie and Kat. It was a first for Brad and I and we weren’t sure what to expect as far as conditions went. The Bay is well known for its sporty sailing conditions but we knew we were in good hands aboard Esprit. She’s a KP after all, with a crew that could run her with their eyes closed!

The day started out foggy, so thick you couldn’t see land or other boats until they were right upon us. The light winds we started with eventually turned to nonexistent winds. This didn’t matter, we sailed/bobbed peacefully anyway! It always impresses me how well these boats sail in light winds. Snacks were set out, stories were told and a delicious, homemade soup was served for lunch. We were in heaven!

After a few hours of bobbing along, the winds picked up, the fog cleared and Esprit took off like a cooped up horse, finally free to stretch her legs. We enjoyed a couple of tacks and were chased back towards the marina from the fog rolling it’s way back in the bay. The fog was eerie; similar to a chemical monster enveloping the beautiful city, leaving only whiteness in its wake.

As we made our way back to the marina, Quincey doused and lashed the mainsail while Mitchell took us to the dock. Watching the two of them work together reminds me of our time on Perspective. The tasks become automatic and the processes are seamless which makes for a wonderful time for their guests. As far as docking goes, QM gets a perfect 10! I’ve never seen anyone dock the boat while sitting down, so confident and competent. Way to go you two!

Long story short, we had a fantastic time aboard Esprit! Thank you Quincey and Mitchell for the wonderful hospitality. We hope to see you in Mexico where you can meet Esprit’s older sister!

Two Year Anniversary

Holy moly you guys, it’s been two years today since we set sail from San Diego for good. Sorry for not keeping the blog up to date, but I figured this momentous occasion would be a good opportunity to do a post. This blog will be lacking in photos, but will be full of sentiment. Here we go…
Before embarking on this cruising journey two years ago I remember being told to be careful, that this break from work would make me stupid. While this may be true in a professional capacity, it’s certainly not true in other areas. This trip has opened our minds more than I could have imagined. Let’s dig in to our favorite life changing realizations.

  1. Let’s start with language. We’ve been able to speak and understand enough Spanish to happily navigate through all types of situations. My favorite memory is going to an auto parts store and watching Brad pretend to start a generator, complete with sound effects. While we don’t always know the words, there’s certainly other ways to communicate and get the point across. The locals are happy to help, especially if you’ve got a smile on your face and make the effort. As with anything else, a good attitude gets you a lot further than a bad one.
  2. Fish identification. Through our snorkeling exploits we’ve learned to identify numerous species of fish. I remember feeling overwhelmed by all the different fish we would see, and trying to find them all in our reference book. Now they’re easy to identify. Through Brad’s spearfishing efforts we’ve been educating ourselves on what tastes good too!
  3. Cooking. Being on the boat in Mexico has taught us to work with what we’ve got in our galley. A grocery store with everything we want or need is hardly ever an option. Plus the effort to get to one can be very time consuming. This has led us to be creative in the galley. We’ve learned quite a bit from other cruisers at potlucks, tasty treats and recipes are constantly being exchanged.
  4. Fishing. While hooking a fish is actually a relatively rare event, when we do hook one, we’ve learned how to handle it. With only two of us on board we each take our positions. Brad tends to the fishing line and I tend to the boat and sails. The goal is always the same, slow the boat down without causing a ruckus, and landing the fish! Brad can get the fish filleted and grilled in record time!
  5. 70mph is fast! After being on a boat going a top speed of a fast jog, you can imagine that driving 70mph can be terrifying! Brad and I have been known to set the cruise control just so we go fast enough. What an unexpected change this has been! Sorry in advance if you ever get stuck behind us on the road, we are never in a hurry these days.
  6. Being in the moment. This is probably my favorite part about the journey we are on. When you’re sailing along you’re often checking to see if any sail tweaks can be made, making sure your course is true and hopefully, enjoying the ride! The mind is no longer thinking about news, politics, traffic, and things we cannot control. Instead it is focused on what we can control. It’s quite liberating!
  7. Learning how to be a sailor. This might sound silly because you’d think this would have been achieved before the trip. But as with anything else, the experiences out on the water have helped to hone our skills. We are now confident in our anchoring skills, dealing with incoming storms and gale force winds. We even flew our spinnaker for the first time not too long ago (many thanks to Chris and Beth from CC Rigging for the lessons). Things in general are becoming much more proactive rather than reactive which makes for a happy boat and crew.
  8. Learning a new culture. This is one of my favorite things about our trip! My impression of the Mexicans has always been a positive one, but actually interacting with and viewing their culture on a daily basis is downright amazing! Did you know that it is quite often that a local will tell us “Buen provecho” as they walk by us in a restaurant? They’re telling us to enjoy our meal. The Mexican culture is so polite and I love that they treasure their children. In our two years of being here there are maybe three locals who have been rude to us. Think of being in the states, you’re lucky if only three people are rude to you on your drive home from work!
  9. Problem solving skills. I remember the days where broken or misbehaving parts were quickly ditched and new ones were sourced. Being on a budget, and often away from stores has taught us (mostly Brad) how to repair rather than replace. His skill sets have grown tremendously from plumbing, electrical, technical and any boat related item you can think of. He is our go to “fix it man.” The boat and crew are in great hands!
  10. Dinghy driving skills. We are each skilled enough to take the dinghy just about anywhere. Although, I rely heavily on Brad when we are taking the dinghy to shore in surf conditions. Otherwise taking the dinghy to a dock is a cinch with maybe a couple of splashes and soaking along the way.

    Bonus skill, diving! Brad has been teaching me how to dive and we’ve purchased a dive compressor to fill our scuba tanks. Learning how to dive has taken me WAY out of my comfort zone and Brad has done a wonderful job of teaching me all the necessary skills. I can’t wait to learn more as we continue our cruising adventure!

    Super Bonus skill, making lifelong friends. This is something I really struggled with before, but since being on the boat I feel that I’ve become less shy, and so has Brad. Plus the people we are meeting instantly have something in common with us, we all live on boats! The bonds we share as cruisers go far beyond potlucks and stories. We’ve learned that you’ve got to put yourselves out there in order to make those friendships happen. And often they happen quickly!

    So while I may have forgotten how to find the present value of a loan with seasonal payments, I’ve got plenty of other tricks in my bag and so does Brad. We’ve gained plenty of perspective and that’s what this trip is all about. Cheers to living and learning! May this post find you happy and healthy!