Mazatlan

The fuel dock at El Cid Marina allowed me the opportunity to meet with most of the first mates and some skippers moored here while Paul was taking care of business with the marina office. One after another the local yachtistas stopped by to hand out tidbits of information which would prove useful during our stay at El Cid. By the time Paul returned to the boat I knew which bus to take to get into town, where to go to get groceries and what was going on socially during the next 3-4 days. It was a really nice way to start our visit.

The marina is part of a huge resort which is north of town. There are two wonderful swimming pools, a water taxi, full resort amenities and activities which are available to the boats within the marina.  There is a deep pool with cool water, waterfalls and slides. It has a warm shower to rinse after your swim. There is poolside food service and a great view of the entrance to the harbor. The pool closest to our dock is the warm pool with a cold shower. This is the pool we use most often as it is convenient to dip into after doing projects or returning from downtown adventures. The pool has a full day schedule of activities including water aerobics, water volleyball, poolside bingo (in Spanish), darts, yoga, poker games, poolside bistro service and nighttime movies shown on a sheet suspended between two trees. We tried the pool volleyball and found it to be without rules, harder than it looked and dominated by cruisers over the age of 55. I also tried water aerobics and if I had more time I would have probably made it a daily ritual.

We are getting the boat cleaned up with more varnish, some buffing and a cleaning of the bottom. It has been too easy to find services as most of the cruisers here have been here for a while and know the best resources.  We were able to order new shade cloth which was custom made here in Mazatlan. The service and quality was great.

Each day we’ve tried to have what we call a grand adventure (adventura grande). This usually means taking a bus to a neighborhood in town to explore the sites, eating with the locals and finding hidden treasures. So far we have enjoyed the monthly art walk which takes place on the first Friday of each month in the art/historic district around Plaza Machado. It is very colonial and wonderfully restored. There are numerous sidewalk bistros, galleries and specialty services. The night of the art walk we went into town with Barbara and David from sv Zoe. We explored several galleries, had lots of appetizers at various sites, enjoyed beers, basil ice cream (ultra rich creamery) and dinner on the malecon. We rode home in a golf cart taxi called a Pulmonia. The driver gave us several suggestions on places to eat as he took us back to the marina. We’ve enjoyed live jazz at  Isla Marina on a Sunday afternoon. Our neighbor at the dock told us about this event and gave us a ride over in his car.

Mazatlan has the second highest “manned” lighthouse in the world. It’s not a tall structure but is located at the top of a hill, so it still counts. We went out by bus and proceeded to hike up the hill to El Faro. It was a good climb and well worth the effort.

Our neighbor Ron also told us about the organic market on Saturdays. This is a certified market and we were told there was a pie lady that made killer pies. It sounded too good, so this was another adventure. By the time we got to the market the pies were sold out. We were told she was going to be at another event mid week, so we marked our calendar and ordered two chicken pot pies!

Meanwhile we met some expats from the NW that had started a coffee roasting business here in town. We bought some coffee and decided this would be another adventure to visit their shop in Cerritos.

Well I’m sure you can see how all this works. One thing leads to another and pretty soon you are completely busy going to all these places, trying new things and meeting people again and again. The midweek event that featured our chicken pot pies was very successful. Paul took Barbara and me to the bar and we had some beers while we waited for the holiday boutique to open. We scored a couple of wonderful chicken pies, a fruit pie, homemade cinnamon rolls, breakfast sausage (specialty sausage which is so common in Seattle is not available here), and spices. Barbara and I came back to the docks very happy with our loot.

There is a man that pulls up to the employee entrance at the resort every Saturday morning around 9:30. He sells homemade tamales which his wife prepares. Last week we bought two. This week we bought four and I brought Barbara with me so she could stock her freezer. They are stuffed with beef, carrots, potatoes and chiles and are totally delicious.

There is a carneceria across the street from El Cid. I went over a few days ago and picked up 3 beautiful new york boneless steaks, 4 large bone in pork chops cut to order and a 4# whole chicken. The cost was about $16.00 US. The quality so far has been great. I’m finding that a whole chicken can be cooked in the pressure cooker. I get 3-4 meals from the meat by making enchiladas and tacos with some of the meat and tortilla soup with the rest. The chicken stock from these birds seems much richer than what I have been used to in the states.

There is a street in the centro area which we call the shrimp lady street. The city block is lined with ladies and tubs of ice housing shrimp arranged by size. We have bought shrimp for the BBQ and been really happy with the outcome. There is also an employee here at the resort that has shelled/cleaned camerones on a weekly basis. Barbara and I split a kilo of his shrimp a week or so ago and found them absolutely delicious.

The grocery shopping has been pretty easy with the bus system and 3 major super market chains close by. My favorite so far is the MEGA store which is very big and sells just about everything I could need. They have a nice selection of produce and prices are reasonable. We explored the Mercado Centro which is the historic old style market in the town center. It is a great place to go for the experience of traditional market style, but I prefer the sanitary standards in the modern super markets when buying our food.

One of our latest adventures was going to the movies. Super exciting to find “007 Skyfall” the new James Bond movie in English with Spanish subtitles. Barbara and David joined us on this adventure. The Cineplex housed 14 screens, all stadium seating. The tickets are sold with reserve seating. You choose your seat at the time of your ticket purchase. The concession service presents your drinks and snacks on a special tray which attaches to your assigned seat when you enter the theatre. The space between rows is wide enough to allow someone to move thru the aisle without bumping or upsetting your food tray. It is all very nice and very clean. The best part is the cost….$3.28 US for the movie ticket. The popcorn and two drinks was maybe another $3.00.

Some of the cruisers have said Mazatlan is a “suck hole” or a “vortex”. I can understand this now that we have been here almost 2 weeks. It is too easy. The weather is good, the community has a lot to offer and people are friendly. That said, however, we are planning our departure for Thursday.  We only have two more days to enjoy it all, but plan to return in the spring on our way north when we head back to the Sea of Cortez.  Our first destination will be Isla Isabella, the Galapagos Island of Mexico and then on to Banderas Bay.

The Old Mercado in Old Town Mazatlan.

We went to the aquarium and saw the sea lion
show.

Janet and Barbara trying to decide which vendor to
visit first.

El Faro, the second tallest lighthouse in the world.  We
climed up the trail to take a closer look.

Janet at the base of El Faro.

The view from the top, Mazatlan and the comercial
shipping channel.

El Faro itself.  Not too impressive.

Inside the Angela Peralta Teatro.  We paid 15 pesos each to
go on a self guided tour.

Paul at Plazuela Machado.

The Hotel Machado facing the plaza.

Marina El Cid, our home for the last 2 weeks.

Janet enjoying a stroll along the walkway at the marina.

We had use of the resort amenities, including their
two pools.

Janet enjoying a dip in the pool.

Crossing the Sea of Cortez

It's about 230 miles across the Sea of Cortez to Mazatlan.  At 5 knots, the speed we use for planning our passages, it would take just shy of 48 hours.  Not wanting to arrive at night, we planned our departure from Ensenada Grande at about 8:30 AM.  We would have two full days and nights of sailing and if all worked out, we would arrive in Mazatlan in the morning.

It was a fairly uneventful crossing, with winds on our beam at about 10 - 15 knots and seas less than 1 - 2 feet. We sailed most of the way across, with the exception of a few times when the wind dropped off.  Air temperatures were in the low 80's during the day and low 70's at night, so shorts and t-shirts were the uniform of the day and night.  There were a few whale sightings early on, but other than a small squid that we found on deck on our second morning and a few boobies that tried to land on the mast, it was just us and the sea.

The biggest problem we had, was that we were going way to fast and if we didn't slow down, we would arrive at our destination in the middle of the night.  The solution was to furl in the head sail and reef the main.  That slowed us to about 4.5 knots and averaged with our speed on day one, would put us there about on schedule.

The only other issue was just before arriving in Mazatlan we over ran a fishing line.  Janet was at the helm and immediately reduced power and went to neutral.  No harm was done and the fix was to cut the line, walk it back to the stern, re-tie it and toss it back in.  We talked to another boat who said they got a line wrapped around their prop shaft and they had to dive in to cut it off.  I think we were pretty lucky.

We arrived at Marina El Cid in Mazatlan at about 9 AM.  A quick call to the marina of VHF 16 scored a slip were we will stay for a yet undecided length of time.  Life is good.

Ensenada Grande

Ensenada Grande was the highlight of our visit to the islands.  A definite repeat for when we return in the spring.  There are three lobes to the anchorage and we choose the one on the south side as it was close to the trail leading up the arroyo to the other side of the island.

The hike up and across was a welcome reprieve from being on the boat and as it turned out a fair amount of exercise as well.  Our friends David and Barbara from sv Zoe, as well as Ray and Chikala from sv Sea Note joined us for the hike.  We took the dinghies over to shore, made sure they were secure and headed out.  The trail went right up the middle of the dry creek, so we had to climb up and over the sometimes large rocks and boulders that had tumbled down from the cliffs overhead.  We couldn't help but wonder if some of these had been dislodged during the recent heavy rains from hurricane Paul.

It was hot and humid, so there were many stops along the way to rest in shady spots under the large boulders.  Our reward at the end was an expansive view of the east side of the island where the land dropped off with cliffs about 400-500 feet straight down to the ocean.

The following day, Janet and I decided it was time to make the crossing to Mazatlan.  The weather report was calling for light to moderate winds and rather calm seas.  David and Barbara on sv Zoe decided they were going to head a bit further north to Isla San Francisco for a few more days before heading across, so we would be on our own for the 48 hour passage.

Paul putting his shoes on in preparation for the hike up
the arroyo.

David and Barbara making ready to land their dingy.

Heading up the arroyo.

Their were many wild flowers and greenery, courtesy of
the rains from hurricane Paul.

A look back toward our dinghy landing.

The group pausing for a quick break.

Paul and Janet before tackling the next let of the hike.

Paul at the cliffs on the east side of Isla Partida.

The view was spectacular.

Janet enjoying a moment before we headed back down the trail.

Caleta Partida (Partida Cove)

We finally broke the hold from La Paz and headed out to the Islands.  Our first stop would be one of the many anchorages along the east coast of Isla Espiritu Santo and a smaller island just to the north, Isla Partida.  Our friends David and Barbara on sv Zoe are makeing the run with us.  The plan is to hang in the islands for a few days before heading out accross the Sea of Cortez for Mazatlan.  This will be a do nothing but relax and hang out experience.

We motored out of the narrow La Paz channel and as luck would have it, the wind was from the north and right on our nose.  We opted to motor the short distance (about 15 miles) north to the islands.  An hour or so out, we looked back and Zoe was under sail.  The wind had made a bit of a shift and not to be out done, we hoisted our sails fell off a bit and were making about 6 knots on a close haul.  This lasted for about an hour, when the wind just simply died.  Once again dropped the sails and motored the rest of the way.  Our destination would be Caleta Partida, a sweet little anchorage between the two islands.

We found a spot close in to the northwest side sheltered by the cliff that surrounds Isla Partida.  The water shallows fairly quickly so we set the anchor in about 15 feet and figured that if the boat swung toward the islands we would still have 8 feet or so under the keel.  For the three days of our stay, the plan worked.

The following morning we inflated the kayaks and went for a tour of our new surroundings.  Very aired, but beautiful.  The recent rains from the remnants of hurricane Paul has allowed the area to green up quite a bit.  This will be a fabulous place to just hang for a few days.

Late that afternoon, Barbara invited Janet and some of the other ladies from the boats anchored around us over to Zoe for a little gathering, women only.  It didn't take David long to abandon ship and head over to Talos IV.  We spent the afternoon talking and enjoying a few beers.

The swimming off the boat was another great experience.  The water was nearly 80 degrees and clear.  Another spot where you could see your anchor at rest of the bottom.  The fish and rays were quite plentiful.  Over the duration of our stay we spent a fair amount of time diving and swimming.

On day four we decided to pull anchor and motor over to Ensenada Grande, about 4 miles further north.  Zoe followed suit.

Talos IV under sail on the way to Caleta Partida.

The sea water temp was pushing 80 degrees, making
this the perfect swimming hole.

Janet displaying the perfect kayaking technique at
Caleta Partida.

Talos IV at anchor, snugged up against
the shoreline of Isla Partida.

We went on a dinghy ride and found this private little
beach around the corner from our anchorage.

We found this abandoned well a short hike up the arroyo.

There were all kinds of interesting rock features along
the shoreline on the way back to the boat.

La Paz

We arrived at Marina Palmira in La Paz before noon.  This was to be our home for the next ten days.  As usual, the first order of business was to fill the tanks with diesel.  Something we like to do straight away so that when we do leave it’s simply a matter of backing out of the slip and pulling out of the marina.

Once in our assigned slip, we made an effort to get the boat cleaned up.  The Sea of Cortez has a much higher salt concentration than the Pacific and after only a week away from the docks the boat was covered in dry salt.  Unfortunately, we only were able to do a quick rinse off before the water on our dock was turned off.  Apparently a supply hose had broken and it would be several days before it was repaired.  We’ve come to expect these inconveniences here in Mexico.  It’s the sort of thing that happens on a regular basis and certainly supports the saying we all can recognize, “Manna”.

There is an active cruising community in La Paz.  Among other activities, they have a morning VHF net.  The usual format is to check on everyone’s well health and well being, followed by arrivals and departures, swaps and trades, weather, and assistance in finding what you need while in La Paz.  We started every day by listening to the net at 8 AM.

There was much to do while in La Paz.  We of course wanted to experience the city and all that it had to offer, but there was some boat maintenance, laundry, provisioning, etc.  Life goes on.  In the end, we managed to limit the chores and maintenance to a few hours in the cool of the mornings and made daily runs into town.

The malecon (water front or something like that) is typical of most Mexican resort communities, but much less in your face when it comes to being hit up to buy something every step you take.  We did stroll up and down the water front on several occasions and even had dinner out at a couple of restaurants.  Our favorite activity though was heading up into the neighborhoods and exploring off the beaten path.  Janet found an artisan shop called Casa Parra that had traditional art from all the regions of Mexico.  Prices were very reasonable so of course she couldn’t resist, buying a beautiful hand made shawl from Chiappas.

On our third evening in La Paz, the La Paz Marina threw a party for the Ha Ha boaters in town.  It was quite an affair with dancers, mariachi, dinner, free beer and door prizes.  We didn’t win anything, but it was great to see all of the people from the event again and to share our boating plans for the next several months.

 We spent Thanksgiving in La Paz.  Janet made up a tasty pork roast and the two of us celebrated on the boat.  Our invited guests had to cancel because of an illness.  Much of that was going around.  Maybe it’s the water?  Or maybe that shrimp salad at the Bahia Santa Maria Ha Ha party?

After a wonderful ten days, we made plans with David and Barbara on sv Zoe to head out to Isla Espiritu Santa for a few days before heading across the sea to Mazatlan.  A few days at the islands would be great to just relax and let this Mexico thing settle in.

Sunset from the back of the boat at Marina Palmira in
La Paz on Thanksgiving.

The Thanksgiving pork roast.  It was mighty tasty.

Paul and Janet at McFishers in La Paz.  This place had
the best fish even though the name was a bit funky.
Note Paul's cool haircut.  $5 at the local
peluqueria (barbershop).

Bahia Balandra

Before reaching La Paz, we decided to make a one night stop so that we wouldn’t be too tired when we finally arrived.  We ended up at a pretty cool anchorage called Bahia Balandra about 15 miles outside of La Paz.  The bay is famous for “El Hongo”, a rock formation that has been eroded by the seas and winds into a mushroom like shape.  Apparently people climb on top of it for photos and such and after many years of abuse, it finally toppled over.  What is there now is a recreation using parts of the original El Hongo.

We dropped our hook in about 8 feet of water and had our swim suits on and were in the water almost before the boat stopped.  The water temperature was 80 degrees and was pretty clear.  It was fun to pull yourself down the chain to the anchor, something I’ve never done before.  Later, we fired up the BBQ and had a relaxing dinner as the sun was setting over the colorful ridge to the west of La Paz.

The following day we were up early and off to La Paz.

Isla Espiritu Santa marks the entrance to the La Paz
Harbor.  We'll spend a few days out at the island
on our way out of La Paz.

Janet and Louie setting the anchor at
Bahia Balandra.

Note El Hongo on the left center.  There's even a
replica of it in the La Paz town center.  I'm not sure
of the significance, but it must hold something
for the locals.

Ensenada de Los Muertos

We pulled anchor early (again) and headed north, this time planning to stop at Ensenada de Los Muertos. This was a 46nm sail/motor with settled seas and wind that never got up much more than 15kts. It was a much better day than we had leaving Cabo. The name Ensenada de Los Muertos was given due to the vessel mooring style. The muertos or mooring blocks buried at sea were where the freighters would tie up. They would come here when this was a silver mining port. Now it is a sheltered beach and ramp for the sport fisherman. A developer has tried to promote properties here and wants the bay to be referred to as Ensenada de Los Suenos. I think he really is dreaming. There is a nice little bar here with cold beers and a spotty wifi connection. The waters are really clear and warm. I do not see a land rush to buy and develop the beach front. There is a golf course here and an air strip. I suppose it is a start. We met up with Chris and Chris aboard scintilla at night. Chris cooked up some great pasta and a warm spinach salad. We spent the evening in conversation about boat issues, food safety and how to deal with bats caught in spinnakers (yes, Chris had a bat encounter while under sail). We are both feeling pretty tired at this point in the trip. We were planning to head for La Paz which will be a week or ten day layover for rest and some routine maintenance. After some discussion with Chris and Chris we opted to delay the La Paz arrival for a day and spend another night at anchor somewhere between Muertos and La Paz.

Janet was able to catch up on some sleep
while enroute to Muertos.

Bahia Los Frailes

We departed Cabo at the first light more than ready to get out of the cluster. The seas were about 1-2 feet with small wind waves. The wind was off the nose at 12-15kts. We had been waiting for the weather system to clear and believed this was the last of the big blow and rough seas. As we headed north the seas built and wind pushed up to 24kts. It was right on the nose and radio reports from vessels ahead indicated no relief any time soon. We reefed down the main and motor sailed changing tack by 10-15 degrees. This helped to stabilize the boat and kept us on course and on time. The conditions would have allowed us to sail except we had to make Los Frailes before nightfall. The 45 nm passage was uncomfortable to say the least. The up side was the arrival in Los Frailes by around 4PM, entering a beautiful anchorage with pristine waters and cooler temps. Los Frailes is interesting because there is a very deep undersea canyon which runs right up the middle of the bay. Apparently a few years ago the sand along the canyon rim had developed an overhang. The overhang reached a point that it could not be supported. An undersea avalanche occurred which took a large portion of the shoreline as well as the shelf along the canyon edge. We decided to hang out there for an extra day to decompress from the Cabo experience. Our time was well spent swimming, snorkeling and taking a dinghy adventure to shore. Paul opted to don his snorkel gear and snorkel to shore at one point. He reported lots of fish sightings on the nearby reef and grossly under estimating how far shore really was from the boat. By the second day at Los Frailes we started to see more of the Haha fleet coming in. Many of them had opted to wait another day before a Cabo departure. Some had gone in to San Jose del Cabo marina to wait out the weather.

Baja Ha Ha 2012 - San Diego to Cabo

We pulled anchor and headed into the marina which was to be our "home" for the 8 days prior to departure. This was a welcome change that allowed us clean shower facilities, access to a swimming pool, on site laundry and a short dinghy ride to Shelter Island with the chandleries, cheap eats and pre departure seminars. We had a lot of things to accomplish prior to our departure including bright work, vet appointments for the furry crew, provisioning and parties. The marina was just perfect for all of the above. Approximately 30 of the 115 boats in the fleet were tied up at the marina so it gave everyone there a chance to get to know each other. One night we had a group of boats coming from the Pacific Northwest gather for dinner and drinks. There were lots of stories to share about the run from the NW to San Diego. I took care of the dreaded provisioning by utilizing Vons.com which offered free delivery to the marina. It was better than I had hoped as far as quality and convenience. Everyone one else was renting cars and spending their day grocery shopping. I ordered online and went for a swim. Bill and Claudia joined us before the party and were settled onto the boat in plenty of time for departure.

The Talos IV Ha Ha crew the morning of departure, Bill, Paul,
Claudia and Janet.  The furry crew was down below.

The following morning we pulled out of our slip and headed toward the parade route. The fireboat was spraying a salute, local dignitaries and media were on hand to take pictures and be seen by all. We positioned ourselves for a good starting position and readied the new drifter for a quick start. When the start was announced we popped the shoot and headed south with the rest of the fleet who also felt they were perfectly positioned. To my knowledge no one was injured and there were no stories of boats getting banged up. The next 72 hours was a pretty mild sail with drifter, main and various other sail configurations, all for the sake of picking up a little speed as the wind settled and freshened. Unlike the Haha in 09, we did not see any pangas, nets or other navigational hazards during the night. We were not fishing but many of the fleet were and the fish stories were being broadcast throughout the days into Turtle Bay. The first leg did not seem as tiring with the help of a good crew and one hour night watches. This schedule allowed us each to get 3 hours sleep between night watch. Sailing into Turtle Bay we were fairly well rested and ready for shore leave.

The 2012 Baja Ha Ha fleet heading out of San Diego
Harbor.

We had to negotiate a larger freighter inbound.  Bet
the Captain wihes he'd wait a few hours to come in.

There was much fan fare and many dignataries were
on hand to see us off.  We even made the evening news.

Bill and the rest of the crew were ready to go.

Paul was pretty excited to on the way as well.

Paul and Janet enjoying breakfast at Maria's Restaurant
in Turtle Bay.

Turtle Bay is a small community with very friendly residents. They have a medical clinic, several stores and a several bars serving food. Fuel was not a problem. When you drop anchor the competing fuel providers come over in their pangas and service the boat quickly. Water is delivered in 5 gallon jugs and the provider "guarantees purity". We had a Panga take us into town for a cold beer, breakfast and a walkabout. The next day was spent watching the baseball game between yachtistas, town folk and kids. It was not your usual baseball game…and I think the kids whooped the yachtistas. I had an unpleasant experience of falling thru the jagged metal stairs that lead from the dock to the pier. It laid open my shin with about a 3 inch gash. So far it is healing well and has not become infected.

The beach party.

The crew enjoying a stroll down main street in
Turtle Bay.

Everybody enjoyed the beach party.

The local panga taxi service made it easy to get from the
boat to town and to the beach.

Departure for the next leg was early. We headed out and really got into the groove with the drifter. Talos IV was smoking along while the others in her division floundered under light winds. We had a 48 hour passage with very little excitement. We arrived in Bahia Santa Maria a little more fatigued but ready to explore the bay, attend the beach party and rest. The layover is 48 hours.

Talos IV at sunset enroute to
Bahia Santa Maria.

We arrived in Bahia Santa Maria at sunrise.  Many of
the fleet was already there, but there were quite a few
boats still behind us that trickled in throughout the day.

The fleet at anchor in Bahia Santa Maria.

Yet another party to celebrate the passage.

Janet heading back to the boat.

The last push to Cabo San Lucas was about a 30 hour run. We sailed most of the way making about 5-6 knots. Paul spotted a sea turtle swimming beside us. It was headed north. The last few hours at sea we started to really feel the heat. Arriving in Cabo we were hot, tired and ready to get off the boat. We were one of the lucky boats in the fleet to have registered early. We had a slip assignment which allowed us to motor into the marina and tie up without delay. Bill and Claudia were able to head into town to gain internet access. Paul and I settled into the slip, registered with the marina office and found a cold beer in the Baja Cantina. We all had to rest up in preparation for the party at Squid Roe….I will not be able to share details about this party. I will just say there were a lot of sailors celebrating.
The closing ceremonies had many surprises. The most unexpected was finding out Talos IV finished 2nd (plus) in her division. She got special mention from the Grand Poobah who said the "plus" was due to the amount of sailing combined with her overall time. I think she is a fine vessel indeed!

The last night out enroute to Cabo started with this
beautiful sunset and it was warm enought to wear
shorts and tee shirts on watch.

Los Arcos marks the entrance to Cabo.

So here we are in Cabo. It is hot, expensive and everyone in the fleet wants to be on their way to somewhere else. We moved out of the marina yesterday and dropped a hook off the beach. It was good to be away from the dock but the huge numbers of jet skis and tour boats keeps the bay rolling in swell. Stealing a line from a famous author who commented on the weather in San Francisco, we felt as if the roughest passage we ever made was the anchorage at Cabo. There is a weather system creating a bit of mess in the Sea of Cortez which has delayed our departure. It looks like it will be letting up tomorrow. Our plan is to head north into the Sea of Cortez to Los Frailes.

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