50 days of captivity and 9 cocodrilos!

We had great plans of getting our boat ship shape today including oiling our external teak, but you know what? We didn’t do any of that! Instead we had a relaxed morning, took Sydney to the beach and then headed up the estuary on a crocodile hunt.The crocodile hunt was a family event, with Sydney on board. We had her tied into the dinghy so she was forced to behave and stay in the boat. Safety first! Both Brad and I were scanning the shores like hawks and we finally had our first encounter. Bummer for us, it was over before it really began. But it was enough to spark our excitement to keep looking. Brad spotted the next two, they were 2 little guys sun bathing on a concrete slab. Very cute!

Along the way we saw iguanas in the trees and tons of large birds which we believe are egrets. Their wing span is incredible as they completely spread out and fly. You an actually hear the air whooshing when they are close. The estuary was getting more crododily by the minute as we went into the thick of it. We didn’t have another encounter for quite some time, but we did see lots of small crabs on the shore, more egrets and interesting views.Here are the creepy crabs!Brad was steering the dinghy and it became somewhat like a video game. He was dealing with currents, obstacles, and trying not to run aground in the shallow areas. He did a great job and nobody got their eye poked out by low lying sticks. What more could you ask for?! By the time our trip up and down the estuary was over, we counted 9 crocodiles or cocodrilos as they call them here in Nuevo Vallarta. Each of them were very exciting and tricky to catch on camera as they were quick to scurry into the water once they saw us. Estuary views…We are amazed that 50 days have happened in the blink of an eye and are both afraid our time on this adventure is going to zoom past us before we know it. Can’t wait to see what the next 50 days has in store for us, and can’t wait to share it with all of you!

As a bonus, check out our new dock friend. He’s as large as a dog and apparently likes to check himself out in the glass. What a vain iguana!

Isla Isabela, the Galapagos of México!

We arrived on Tuesday, got ourselves situated and headed to a neighbors boat for happy hour. We met the owner, Scott, as we pulled into the anchorage. There is little sand and lots of rocks along the bottom making things tricky. Scott found us a sandy patch and guided us to drop the anchor, then he watched to make sure it set. If only every anchoring experience could go down like that! 😉 There were 4 boats in the small anchorage and we all piled onto Muskoka to chit chat. We didn’t stay too long and made our way back to our boat for dinner and an early bedtime.

The next morning we woke up early with a mission to get to shore before it got hot outside. We couldn’t wait to check out the island and all it had to offer. We pulled the dinghy on shore by 9am and started exploring. As you look up into the sky there are hundreds of birds circling in the air.As you look down the beach is covered in little coral pieces.As you look forward there are fishing shacks and nets along the shore. We made our way to a trail that lead to an abandoned research facility. It was huge and unfinished, which is a bummer! We saw plenty of iguanas along the path, lizards, and of course birds!This part of the Island is saturated with frigate birds and their nests. In the trees you’ll find females laying on their nests, juveniles hanging out in the branches and males with their throats puffed out for all to see that they are ready for love.   I was so surprised to see that the frigates are not territorial and did not seem to mind humans coming so close. We back tracked and headed to the fishing huts to find the start of the next trail. This one would lead us to Lago Crater. As we made our way up the path we found plenty of holes in the ground which belonged to crabs. I felt creeped out, Brad was fascinated! One was a little irked as it came out to say hello. It reminded me of the crabs you see in cartoons. He came out with arms spread wide and ready to pinch!The paths along the island are well maintained and marked which makes it easy to navigate. As you walk the path your ears are inundated with bird noises- it was pretty cool to stop and just listen. We went up a steep hill and came down the other side to the crater. It’s full of stagnant, rain water and from what we could tell, no wildlife present in the lake.We followed the path further and were halted to a stop when we both heard a whistling noise. Was a researcher trying to get our attention? Nope, it was a blue footed boobie talking. We kept going down the path that ended at the ocean cliff. There were boobies everywhere! They were so cute with their bright blue feet as they waddled around. We saw a couple of the mamas laying on their nests while most of them were in the thick of courting season. A pair will do a little dance and I suppose the rest is history if the partner likes the dance moves.  I spent way too much time geeking out with the camera and Brad caught some great footage with the iPhone. Perspective on anchor… The gorgeous cliff views…

We peeled ourselves away and walked back to the fishing huts and decided to do another path that leads to a lighthouse on top of the hill. The hike was very steep, but not too far so it was manageable. We enjoyed the burn going up because we had been restless on the passage coming down. We needed the exercise! As we climbed higher and higher the views got better and better. At the top there were more boobies. We walked around while taking in the amazing views below us and made our way back down. Brad found one last area to explore, this was my least favorite. It was low tide and a portion of rocks were exposed. As we climbed up the rocks and peered down, we saw tons of crabs scurrying away! They reminded me of spiders! The crabs were a shiny black and a few were red. I’ve never seen black crabs before.  Also located on this stretch of rocks are brown footed boobies. It was interesting that each bird was segregated to their own sections of the island.This was by far my favorite place of the trip making any uneasy parts of the passage completely worth it. It’s times like this that need to be savored because there will be other tough times coming up.

Words from the crew…Sydney’s Perspective.

You know what I’m tired of? This island! Did you know my humans told me I am not allowed on shore? Something about a nature preserve or some garbage like that. I’ve been pouting every chance I get. I especially get angry when my parents come back to the boat smelling like sand. They locked me on deck for hours while they explored the island. The boat was rocking like crazy in the anchorage and I feel abused. They told me I can go to land at the next place, they better not be lying! Puerto Vallarta or bust!

Leaving La Paz: The good, the bad, and the ugly!

I was going to write some long winded post about our passage and thought, nah, let’s not bore everyone! So instead I will give the good, the bad and the ugly about our 3 day, 2 night trip to Isla Isabela.

The good…

1. We got plenty of sailing in on this passage. We sailed 27 hours without the motor on, this was amazing! The boat handles so well and continues to amaze us with her speed under sail. Best of all, it’s so quiet!

2. The stars were visible the second night. I was able to count 13 shooting stars on my 12-3am shift. The moon was also a spectacular orange color as it rose up from the horizon.

3. Neither of us fell overboard- (more about this in the ugly section.). We decided to wear our PFDs and clip in when leaving the cockpit, no exceptions!

4. Along the way we saw a wall of dolphins to our starboard surfing the waves and heading straight towards us. This was the COOLEST dolphin siting to date!

5. Brad let out our fishing line and it was instantly struck by a dorado. He saw the whole thing go down as the dorado’s fin skimmed across the surface. Too bad it got away!

6. I saved a life- at least I hope I did! I was awake on my midnight watch when I heard a bunch of slapping noises. What the heck?! Then I smelled a fish. Upon further investigation I spotted the culprit. A flying fish landed in our boat and could not get out. I tried to grab him but he was so slimy and gross, and kept slipping out of my hand. So I told him to hang on little buddy, I’ll be right back. I grabbed a paper towel and tossed him back overboard. I hope he lived to see another day.

7. More dolphins! We had a group escort us just outside the island. They stayed at the bow for a few minutes and went off their own way. Dolphins never get boring, they are so awesome!

8. Bioluminescence was visible each night and was a great distraction from some large waves passing under the boat. Look at the pretty sparkles and ignore the rest. 😉

9. We got to our destination with plenty of daylight to spare and were met by friendly boaters willing to give us a hand in the challenging anchorage.

Ok enough gloating, let’s get to the bad.

1. We were grossly unprepared! The headsail lines were not run back to their appropriate winches. This meant going up and down each side of the deck in crappy conditions to set them up. Doh!

2. We chose not to raise the main in calm conditions, we thought we would do it when we got around the corner and into the channel. Big mistake!

3. Our dinghy wasn’t securely attached and was threatening to launch off the davits. We should have hauled it up on deck before we left. Tisk tisk!

4. Our boom vang broke and fell down. The day before this happened Brad and I both heard something fall from the mast, it was a nut, an important one albeit. We assumed it came from our radar mount but you know what they say about assuming! This was an exciting moment, luckily Brad rigged up a solution and all is well until we can get a new piece fabricated in Puerto Vallarta.

5. Our main halyard chafed even more due to us sailing with our main fully up and eased out. Looks like we need to have our new sail reshaped at the top to prevent this problem.

6. We caught a fish but he was too small so back in the water he went.

Now it’s time for the ugly.

1. I got so scared that I burst into tears. Has this ever happened to you before? Oh dear, how embarrassing! We were making our way into the San Lorenzo Channel and got our butts handed to us. All of the guidebooks tell you this is a sketchy place and it’s notorious for kicking booties. Here’s what happened. We were in 20-25 knots of wind, fair enough. The problem was we were taking huge waves on our port beam crossing to starboard and our boat was not prepared. These waves were so tall and angry looking due to the wind that they literally made me burst into tears.

2. Brad had to go on deck to raise the mainsail in the conditions noted above. Talk about taking the anxiety to a whole new level. Let me clarify, it was my anxiety, not his. I am so thankful he did not fall overboard!

3. Brad lost his breakfast while working in the above noted conditions. We are still finding specks of oatmeal on deck and on the lines. But imagine being on a nasty carnival ride and working on tying things with your hands. It’s bound to make anyone sick! He is my hero for getting all of the work done in such scary conditions.

4. We took on a huge wave on our port side that soaked Brad head to toe while on deck, and soaked our entire cockpit including me.

5. A squid found its way to our deck. Ewww! Brad found and disposed of him before I saw it.

6. Hygiene- this is also embarrassing to admit but hygiene goes out the window on passages. Luckily these have been short passages so far! Back in real life we were religious about showering daily, now it just seems like so much work! 😉

Well, there you have it. There’s the good, bad and ugly on our 3 day, 2 night passage to Isla Isabela. Not every day is easy and there are tough times along the way. But the overall result is amazing and so worth the hard times. I cannot wait to share the next post with you all. Until then, cheers!

La Paz so far…

We left Bahía de Los Muertos early in the morning and were escorted out with a dreamy sunrise. Could you ask for a better view while enjoying coffee? I think not! Brad and I visited La Paz not long ago while looking at a potential boat to purchase. We fell in love with the city and were very excited to have our own boat here. The passage from Muertos to La Paz took the better part of a day and we were able to sail for a few hours before surrendering to our motor. The scenery along the way is untouched, rolling hills that dip into the ocean. We rounded the corner between Isla Espiritu Santo and El Tecolote and made our way to the La Paz channel. We were nervous making the entrance because we have heard horror stories of boats running aground. As we made our way closer there were the trusty red and green channel markers showing us the way to go. As long as we kept the boat between the markers we would be fine. A couple of our friends were already anchored in La Paz and we were looking forward to reuniting with them. The odd thing about La Paz is that you can essentially anchor anywhere, as long as you aren’t in the channel. We chose a spot near our friends and quickly got down to the task of having dinner. We were starving! Sunset as we arrived…The following day we met up with our friends Jim and Steve and explored the city a bit more. Jim located the mother of all ice cream shops, and even Sydney gets to enjoy the tasty delights that they sell. We make a point to visit daily. It’s a decent walking distance from the dock so it kind of makes up for it. 😉 In other treat news, we were all spoiled when Jim came aboard and made us crepes, with all the fixings. Talk about amazing! The next morning Steve returned the favor with a delicious breakfast, with fruit and orange juice to boot! As our turn arrived we made pancakes, bacon and eggs.We spent a few days anchored in La Paz and decided to move to a new anchorage, one that we could enjoy a bit more. We wound up in Caleta Lobos. The first night there the winds were very strong, but the remaining nights were smooth as glass. Roca Lobos is just outside the anchorage and is phenomenal for snorkeling or diving. Boy were we impressed! The water was clear, there were plenty of fish to see and to top it off we had a sea lion join our party. She was very sweet, curious and playful. We swam with her for a few minutes and made our way back to the dinghy for a break. We were all in awe of her playfulness and agreed it was a wonderful experience.

Caleta Lobos was the prettiest anchorage we’ve been to so far. The water shifts from dark blue to a gorgeous light teal color as it shallows. You have to see it to believe it. For once Sydney seemed to be impressed! Or maybe she was just happy to get off the boat and run around. 😉 We stayed at Caleta Lobos for 3 nights and turned around back to La Paz. We were having a serious case of ice cream withdrawals….ok I’m lying, just a little bit though. We had plans to grab a slip and one happened to be available.

Sydney’s Perspective- La Paz la schmazzz the only good thing about it here is I get ice cream. Sometimes my humans take me to the beach but not as often as I’d like. They did take me to a cool beach, but made me suffer for a couple of hours while we traveled there. I guess this boating thing isn’t so bad as long as they keep giving me beach time and ice cream- in that order please!We hope everyone had a lovely Thanksgiving and happy holidays ahead! Cheers!!!

Bahía de Los Muertos

Ahhh I know what you’re thinking…doesn’t Bahía de Los Muertos mean bay of the dead? Yes my friends, it sure does! We didn’t let the name scare us away. In fact we had a great and memorable time there.

Our first task as we arrived was to drop the hook, this went off without a hitch. The water was so clear I could see our anchor drop to the bottom, not too shabby! Our passage from Los Frailes to Muertos wasn’t very long but we were roasting hot. A swim was definitely in order!After the swim Brad was doing his best to cheer me up and suggested a nice dinner on shore. I’m not one to say no to food so we “dressed up” and headed to shore. There are two choices, a locals restaurant and the resort restaurant. Of course we chose the locals spot! We dinghy’d to shore and were greeted by a rally member named Steve. He gave us a hand with pulling the dinghy up the shore and he accepted our offer to join us for dinner. Turns out Steve has been single handing his 57 foot boat since Cabo. We got to chatting over dinner and really enjoyed getting to know him. It was a great distraction from the traumatic event of losing Zorra the day before. The next day we went back to the same restaurant for lunch time. We sat outside with Sydney and we met another single handed cruiser, Jim, from Silk Purse. He joined our table and it turns out he also knew Steve. As luck would have it we’ve all become great friends since meeting in Muertos.

We stayed in the anchorage for a few days and finally made a point to explore the resort side. I am so glad we did because it was absolutely gorgeous there. On shore the sand was super soft as it squished between our toes. Sydney also had a wonderful time at the resort beach swimming and digging on shore. What a life!

Resort side…Locals side…Our time was well spent in Muertos but at some point the anchorage went from a calm and pleasant place, to a rolly and frustrating place. If the boat is going to be rolly, I’d rather be on the move! Off to La Paz we went the following morning.

Sydney’s Perspective- I’m getting much better at knowing when the passage is over. Usually I can smell the land first, it makes me so excited! Then the humans scramble about the deck, drop that noisy chain in the water, then eventually lower my shore car. I make a point of being needy and ultra pathetic until they acknowledge that I must be taken to shore. It works every time!