Author Archives: Lisa Britt

Season Three: Panama!

Panama Posse

Class of 2018-2019 at Barra de Navidad

Each season begins with a plan. This season Michael and I shook hands on taking the Central American route to Panama. We thought we would have made it there last season, but plans changed. This year we seem determined, albeit somewhat scared to leave what has become our familiar and friendly cruising grounds around Mexico. Not scared exactly, just a bit uncertain. Uncertainty is one aspect of the cruising life that you have to get used to. What lies ahead? To bolster our knowledge and bravado, we have joined the Panama Posse, a support group of sorts for like-minded cruisers on the less traveled Central-American route.

Now in its second season, the Panama Posse is not a race or an organized rally whereby we all depart and travel together until we cross the finish line. Rather this group was created to provide information and a supportive community for people traveling this route. Some boats may buddy boat together, others may travel to a different schedule. Either way, the Panama Posse will be there to check in with along the way.

Posse kick-off in Barra de Navidad

November marks the start of many cruising seasons. The Marina Puerto de Navidad (a Panama Posse sponsor), hosted this season’s Posse kick-off shortly after Thanksgiving. The week featured daily seminars to learn more about the route, weather and safety, provisioning and finally the kick-off party. Dietmar of Sailing Vessel (S/V) Carinthia is the organizer/presenter for this week’s event. He with his wife Suzanne traveled with last year’s Posse to Panama, so he has first-hand knowledge and lots of stories to share.

Community

The Panama Posse is created with community in mind. Not to be repetitive or cliché, but believe me when I tell you that cruisers are the most generous of people. They gravitate to helping out and building community. Perhaps it’s because we are a minority, when you consider there are really only about 25,000 small boats cruising worldwide. While cruisers tend to be self-reliant types, they also seek out others. Whether to troubleshoot an engine problem on someone’s boat or to wait out a weather system or commiserate over a rough passage or to share a snorkel or a taxi to Mega to provision, cruisers join together. So far, there are about 58 vessels signed up for this season’s Posse, with 19 attending the kick off. Others will join the route later in the year. Some will travel the distance to Panama and others may stop over in El Salvador or elsewhere for the season. Like always, plans and routes are unique to each boat and crew.

Communication

Chris and Monica on S/V SeaGlub have volunteered to be the lead vessel, which means they will be coordinating the communication. In the past, Single Side Band (SSB) Nets were the primary means of checking in with boats underway.This year we will use an online application,“Line”, to do weekly check-ins, plus there is a 24-hour chat room to pose questions, etc. Knowing there are people who are listening and watching our boat’s progress is a comfort. Should we have a medical or other emergency out there, we feel better assured of some assistance. More than likely we will hear mostly about the best restaurants, calm anchorages, and interesting inland trips not to be missed. In addition to Line, Dietmar will send out regular Posse updates by email with information that members of the Posse share. We are asked to provide detailed information (e.g. latitude and longitude of a good or bad anchorage, phone number for a mechanic in El Salvador, how to check in to Costa Rica, etc.) All of this is being recorded for the next guy. We learn by doing, but also from shared information. Fortunately, we hear that wifi and satellite coverage is strong along this route — most of the time.

Sponsors

Dietmar and others have cultivated relationships with marinas and other services along the route to Panama. Thanks to their efforts, there are now many sponsors offering significant discounts to Panama Posse members. One notable sponsor is Vista Mar Marina in Panama where we plan to park Footloose at season end. These sponsors and discounts are another welcome benefit of joining this group as we prepare ourselves for some sticker shock when we leave Mexico!

Plan, Work, then Go

That’s the plan for now. Our departure date is unfortunately delayed a few days while waiting for our DHL mail delivery. Patience. Oh well, another dip in the pool, read a book, a couple more boat items checked off the list, a delicious dinner out at Bésame Mucho. A tropical storm system passed through last week, likely the last one of the year. The weather and seas look calm for departure tomorrow. I’ve enjoyed our time in Barra and meeting new friends with the Panama Posse. Our next stop is only 20 nm south to a small, serene anchorage at Ensenada Carrizal. Slowly we make our way south!  

Barra De Navidad, Thanks for the Memories…

Summer 18: What to do in the Off-Season?

Michael, “In Search of Reason”, by artist Sergio Bustamante

Before going cruising there are of course many questions ranging from boat parts to the weather to navigation to safety to the inevitable Why are we doing this? Once you answer the majority of the top 100, you set a date and go. Along the way you find answers to some deferred questions or ponder new ones regarding challenges you didn’t even know existed.  One thing I gave little a care to was what we would do during the hurricane season. I knew for insurance purposes where we needed to be, which was basically parked somewhere in a safe designated hurricane hole and wait it out May to November. Wait a minute, that’s half the year, not trivial.

Camping, Heron Lake State Park, NM

Some cruisers stay with the boat for the long haul (perhaps simpler & cheaper). Others, with brick & mortar houses, spend their off-season back home on land. But we don’t have that place any more. Last year, we did a lot of road trips and “couch-surfed” at the homes of willing friends & family. Living out of a suitcase is tough for that length of time (5 months). This year we decided to shrink the time away from the boat down to 10 weeks. We stayed in Airbnbs in California and New Mexico and took our first camping trip with our new (1985) Winnebago, we named “Winston”. It was all pleasant enough – still, there were the suitcases. And then there was the expense, which turned out to be way more than anticipated. The Airbnbs were reasonable enough compared to hotels, plus we saved some money by cooking in. There were, however, some unexpected vehicle repairs leading to additional flights and hotels, plus the fact that everything really does cost more in the states, from haircuts to groceries to dining out.  Turns out 10-weeks was not quite enough time back home for everything and everyone we wanted to squeeze in, but it was a tad too much time for our credit cards.  c’est la vie!

Coffee at Dawn on Footloose

It has been a good summer and continues to be back on Footloose. Feels good to be home on our boat with all our stuff and our suitcases stored away. It is hot and humid with frequent thunderstorms usually after dark. We enjoy walks in the early mornings and swims in the late afternoons. We are puttering about on the boat and getting ready for the season which officially starts Nov 1. We’ve started to plan our itinerary, Mexico to Central America. If all goes according to plan, we should be in Panama by May. No hurricane risk there, but man does it pour in the wet season. Can’t even begin to think about what to do next summer. No rush.

At last, here are some photos from our spring-summer! It’s been awhile since we shared. (Remember to click on photo in gallery to open up slideshow for better viewing, hit esc to exit and resume with post.)

May-June 2018: Before departing for the states, we had some fun in between working at putting the boat to bed for the off-season.

Cowboys & their horses along the beach near La Cruz

La Cruz de Huanacastle: We attended an amazing festival in May. This annual festival celebrates the Patron Saint of La Cruz and features a sight to behold, the run of the horses from Bucerías into La Cruz!

Fun around Puerto Vallarta

New Mexico and California

We flew to New Mexico on June 22 and had a great time seeing our family and friends in the states. Although-  we did get an overdose of politics!  LOL- Wish more of you could visit us aboard Footloose sometime, hint, hint.

September, Paradise Village Marina, Nuevo Vallarta

This is how it starts… Kids learning to sail Optimist Dinghies in our backyard.

We plan to haul out in mid October for new bottom paint and sail drive seals….(they keep the water out of the boat.)  In the meantime, we are waiting for the weather to cool off and doing indoor projects, programming the Single Side Band Radio, fixing some small bits and pieces that while not critical, make life better…We have lists.  A biggy is our recent install of a new anchor, a stainless steel Rocna “Vulcan”, which fits perfectly in our bow roller, and will help Michael sleep at night while anchored.  We have no idea why it comes with such a high polish since every anchor spends its life getting dragged through sand and rocks.. Must be for the Marina Queens!

Wishing you all peace & some adventures of your own-

Lisa (& Michael)
S/V Footloose
Paradise Village Marina (aka lovely hurricane hole)
Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico

Policía, Pastries, Pelicans, and Pus? 

Playa Paraiso, Jalisco

Peaceful  Jalisco

We are in the state of Jalisco, which according to the news reports, should have me cautious or even in retreat from this place of crime–danger. Yet, all we experience are peaceful friendly people living their lives.  When I hear reports of the homicides (which is rare, since I’m somewhat tuned out to the news) – I’m perplexed. Jalisco, I read to Michael, is at the center of the drug-gang warfare. Most recently four film students were reported missing, most likely they were kidnapped and slaughtered!   Hmmm? I think I’m living in a parallel-universe or something. The place I see is beautiful. The people warm, joyous, open, and helpful beyond belief.  Hmmm? I do wonder “why are there so many policía on this desolate beach?” – as we found at the Aquarium/Tenacatita.  Is this a hideout for the cartel or is it something else?  Are the policía there to protect these people living on the beach, running beach palapas and fishing? Hmmm?  not sure.  We come in peace and find it here, but we are careful.  Politics & crime watch aside – the Costalegre (happy coast) region is a cruisers’ delight. 

Barra de Navidad

We arrived in Barra with high expectations as it tops many boaters favorite stops along the pacific coast. It did not disappoint. Granted, we stayed in the marina, not in the lagoon anchorage where many a boat have gone aground or drifted.  We were there in April, notoriously the windiest month (who knew?).  It did blow hard in the afternoons, but we were tied up to the dock safe and sound.  Our friend George (Circadian) served as our excellent tour guide and we quickly settled into the Barra lifestyle with french pastries delivered daily to the boat by the french baker, water taxis to town, beautiful walks in lush landscaping, and delicious food and fun with friends.   

Beautiful walks & views around the Marina Puerto de la Navidad

Poolside:  You get full use of the pool at the Grand Bay Hotel when staying at the Marina.  nice perk.

Great Restaurants in Barra (Simonas, El Manglitos, Barra Galeria de Arte…)

Michael’s Birthday, April 5: his day began with a sunrise dinghy ride with George of Circadian through the lagoon for bird watching & photo shoot. We had a few friends over for a toast before dinner at the hotel restaurant, Antonios.  He even wore long pants for the occasion.

Bahía Tenacatita

If Barra hails as the favorite town, Tenacatita is the favorite anchorage. Some friends lovingly refer to it as “summer camp for adults.”  Depending on your childhood experience, that could be  good or bad.  We were late getting here (winter months are the busy season), so the camp activities were scarce. We did just fine making up our own with the help of some friends we met at anchor: Dinghy ride thru the mangroves/lagoon; snorkeling at the “aquarium” beach; game night on Nellie Jo until midnight; a day at La Manzanilla and the crocodile preserve; a kayak sail in the bay; and fun on the boat watching the critters and doing boat projects.

We took our dinghy twice for the lagoon ride, once with our friends to the beach notably called the “Aquarium”.  We hoped for better snorkeling there, but the visibility and conditions were poor. Oh well, we enjoyed the dinghy ride and a nice lunch after the swim.

The second dinghy tour was all about the critters & photos.

One day we took a panga ride to La Manzanilla and visited the Crocodiles!

Lots to do while at anchor and we made the best of it.

Paraíso

peaceful place

Peaceful place

Paraíso is a small, quiet anchorage, a road less traveled. Only one of our friends had ventured here and reported it pristine, though rolly with large swell, bow & stern anchors are recommended.  Only 22 miles from Tenacatita, we decided to have a look. We were the only boat there and for four days it was our private oasis.  The water was clear & cool for swimming and the pelicans & seagulls our sole companions. We did paddleboard to shore to check out the colorful house, thinking we could enjoy a cerveza and walk the beach. Turns out it is private property and no cervezas were for sale. You can rent the house called La Casa del Abuelo for $400 per night all meals included, including the infinity pool, a private beach and many toys.  The proprietor gladly gave us a tour. http://www.paraisocareyes.com/

Chamela

A popular stop off for boaters waiting for good weather window to round Cabo Corrientes. It’s a friendly spot with Palapas and many families enjoying the beach.  We stopped for a bit, but not for long. Hunh,whaat, what did you say? Hunh….Michael’s ear was pounding, his canal opening blocked, hearing muffled, and one morning pus was found on his pillow. Enough!  The poor guy has been to three doctors since November for varying ear ailments. In Mazatlan, the clinic rinsed the eardrums & gave antibiotics. In la Cruz in January, the doctor prescribed drops and another antibiotic. Michael has tried his own alcohol and vinegar remedy. He wears earplugs when swimming. The condition switches from one ear to the other, the discomfort fades then returns. This time it was the worse. We tried to find a clinic in the small town of Chamela, but ran out of patience looking for it while walking in the dusty heat and getting puzzled looks from the locals. clinica?  No sé’. us either. We reviewed the weather and decided to depart earlier than planned. Back to La Cruz, Nayarit (96 miles) and known medical help. The weather, with winds from the north (on the nose) instead of the predicted south. As we approached the cape we excitedly prepared to sail the last few hours into Banderas Bay. As we turned 50 degrees away from the wind and rounded the point we began to sail towards La Cruz.. 15 minutes later, wind on the nose AGAIN. They call it geographic effect, the wind bending around the mountains that line the bay; I call it annoying.  We anchored out in La Cruz by 10 am, Michael went to the clinic first thing the following morning and after a round of antibiotics and steroids, I’m happy to report he can now hear me! — And he feels a whole lot better.

La Cruz—Nuevo Vallarta

We are now back in Marina Riviera Nayarit, in La Cruz figuring out various plans and projects.  We will soon check Footloose into Paradise Village in Nuevo Vallarta for the summer hurricane season. Before we launched this cruising plan – we agreed to give it a try for two years and then see how we both feel after the steep portion of the learning curve.   As with life anywhere there are good days and bad. Sometimes you feel strong and energetic, others you hurt or feel lethargic. Some days you are grateful and brave, others cranky or fearful. Same goes for the places we visit. As one long-time restauranteur in La Cruz commented- “it’s not paradise here, but it’s close.”  Amen to that. The two-year mark is upon us and we both concur- bring on season three!  And so the adventure continues. We will surely face new challenges with the Tehuanapec, the Papagayos, bar crossings, and the Panama Canal; we will also share fresh experiences with the new cultures, colorful wildlife, explored miles, and friendship. Today we say yes to all of it and therein lies the true gift. 

Still having fun!

Still having fun!

Traveling North, Tracking our Nautical Miles

A watercolor-esque landscape, Isla Grande

A watercolor-esque landscape, Isla Grande

525,600 minutes, how do you measure, measure a year?  So go the lyrics to a song I like from the musical Rent. As cruisers, we measure our time in nautical miles (NM), as in how long will it take us to travel x number of nautical miles, from point a to point b?  We log these miles and track our lat/long, speed, wind, and fuel. What happens in between these miles is what we’ll likely remember the most.

Zihuatanejo to Isla Grande, 10 NM

Mabula Rays!

Mabula Rays!

I am a patient watcher of the sea. I can stare at the water so intently, as if anticipating a mermaid or loch ness monster to suddenly emerge and startle me from my perch.  My steadfast gaze comes with rewards. Without it, I may have missed the mysterious dance of the rays while underway to Isla Grande. Off the port hull, I saw them leap from the water. I’ve seen lots of rays jump, but this was a different. It was a group of them, leaping 6 feet out of the water and then bellyflopping -Slap/Splash! and repeat over and over. I marveled- what is this? next- – they seemed to follow us into the anchorage with a repeat performance!  And then they were gone and all was quiet. I have not seen them before or since like this, but I’ll keep watching.

We stayed a few days at Isla Grande reviewing the weather for the best time to leave.  While waiting, we cleaned the bottom of the boat-again. Frustrated with our recent anti-fouling bottom paint!  At least it is a good workout, cleaning the bottom. I go around the waterline with snorkel and Michael dives with the hookah to get the bottom and sail drives, together it takes us about 3 hours.  Then rest, read, review the weather, cook, watch a movie, plan, depart, 0430 Thursday. 

We planned to stopover at Caleta de Campos to break up the passage, but the swell was big and our anchor dragged. Onward to Manzanillo, 114 NM.  Unfortunately the weather was not as predicted, again.  We were safe alright, but damn uncomfortable, with wind on the nose, and waves crashing, our hulls taking the wave and bashing down the other side. WAAP (that’s the sound of the wave banging over the front cross bar)  AHHH (that’s Me screaming). I wish I could share the noise the water makes crashing over the ledge under our hulls in these conditions, quite close to our bunk. Try sleeping off watch with that! It’s rare we have breakage while underway, but this trip took out one of the last red wine glasses. It really is the noise that stirs up the anxiety, terse language and shrills.

In reality, the boat is fine, just pushing onward & resolute to our destination. On watch, 0230 am, the seas calmed and I did too. Dolphins even visited, playing in the bow wake, offering encouragement.  Anchored at lovely Bahia Santiago, 191 NM, 36 hours later, 1654 pm Friday.

Bahia Santiago

Bahia Santiago

Bahia Santiago

There is a beautiful long beach here, which we admired from the boat, but never stepped ashore. The breaking waves were just enough to dampen our bravery. Our dinghy is great to drive and haul freight, but it’s heavy to land and bring ashore.  It has us considering other options for our tender.  At any rate, it was a relaxing view and we enjoyed a few days there.  Saturday, St. Patrick’s Day, all alone at anchor, had us feeling nostalgic, a wee homesick, and hungry for corned beef.  Michael made delicious clam sauce & pasta and we soothed our melancholy with a rendering of Danny Boy and chilled Reservado.

Bahia Manzanillo/Las Hadas Resort (4 NM)

Footloose, Las Hadas Anchorage

It was crowded on arrival and we anchored in close, a bit too close to the rip-rap come morning. We re-anchored in a safer zone when a boat departed. Wow – it’s as pretty as the pictures and the anchorage is calm except for the occasional speed boat and jet ski! Here we did go ashore, paying 250 pesos per day to park at the dinghy dock, but easy access to the marina walk with restaurants and the resort pools. (no swimming without another fee).  We visited el centro of Manzanillo, by the fisherman’s wharf, stopping at the mercado on Cinco de Mayo. We spent a restful week, dining out some, watching the action around the bay, boats coming and going. The beach was closed for a couple of days due to sea urchins!  Hopefully, they cleared out in time for semana santa, a busy time for all resorts and beaches in Mexico.  We departed 2 days before the vacationers all descended on Las Hadas.  By the time we left, we were the only boat at anchor, most anticipating what was to come during holy week.

Ensenada Carrizal (6NM)

So happy to stop here, an anchorage reminiscent of the ones we found most in the Sea of Cortez last year with rugged rocks and desert landscape. Going ashore is not an option, too rocky and steep for any tender. Quiet & desolate it seems; yet, there are frequent container ships going by in the distance, passing through the busy Manzanillo harbor or perhaps  all the way from the Panama Canal. We wonder as we watch them go.

We were happy here, swimming, paddle boarding, bird watching and Michael thinks the best snorkeling he’s seen in Mexico with clear water, beautiful coral & interesting fish.  I admit I am a relative newbie to snorkeling. One day everything was perfect. My mask didn’t leak or fog, my toes didn’t cramp in the fins, the water was clear, and I was calm, swimming in the underwater wonderland. I was almost in a meditative state. That is until Michael pointed out the moray and I almost choked on a cup of water in retreat. I calmly cleared my mask and went below again for another glimpse of him. 

Serafina at Ensenada Carrizal

Serafina at Ensenada Carrizal

Boat work continues. We cleaned the bottom- again – after 2 weeks it was looking swampy. Michael has been checking off the maintenance list. One day while servicing all winches, he was surprised by a visitor rowing over from a boat that had come in the night before at sunset, didn’t catch the name of the vessel. Turns out it was Serafina! Serafina was anchored next to Footloose at the police dock in San Diego where we left from on the Baja Ha Ha, 17 months and so many nautical miles ago. They joined us later for happy hour. While exchanging stories and plans, we spotted whales diving in the near distance right before sundown.  A delight to catch up with Eliza & Ted and their crew “C”!

Much to do and see along the way. Some things are routine (a few annoyingly so); Other things surprise, startle, and even scare you. And somewhere in between, there’s this quiet peace and pleasure of cruising along, logging your miles.  Next stop, Barra de Navidad, 20 NM.

Postcard from Z-Fest

Playa Principal Anchorage

March 11, 2018

We are wrapping up our time in fabulous Zihuatanejo.  Checked out with the Port Captain, provisioned, got fuel, saying good-bye to friends. We spent a month here, a memorable time.  Here are the highlights:

Raft-up Concert on Muskoka, Sail Fest

Raft-up Concert on Muskoka, Sail Fest

Sail Fest por los Ninos

Unfortunately, we arrived at the tail end of this event. Cruisers donate their time and boats taking local people and tourists out for short cruises. We did enjoy one sunset cruise aboard Muskoka with gracious hosts, Scott and Laurie. The cruise ended with a raft up concert featuring José Luis Cabo, a renowned & beloved local artist.  By all accounts, Sail Fest was a huge success with proceeds going to help fund education projects including the building of schools, scholarships, and more. Schedule permitting, we’d like to participate next year.

Bahia Zihuatanejo

Mateo, Dinghy Attendant extraordinaire

Mateo, Dinghy Attendant extraordinaire

There are 4 beaches here: Playa Principal, Playa Madera, Playa la Ropa, and Playa las Gatas. We anchored primarily in the main anchorage in front of Playa Principal. Pros and Cons for sure. The water is green and gross which means no swimming or water making for us. It can also be rolly. We had a few days with big swells coming through the anchorage. We were able to dinghy to shore in spite of the wave breaks thanks to the friendly ever-present dingy attendants waiting on shore to help with all landings and launches for 10-20 pesos. We did have a couple of rough landings/launches when the waves were big, but no permanent injuries, just some wet clothes, groceries, dirty dinghy and frazzled nerves. A big plus here is Hilda & Ismael’s concierge service for boaters. With their service, we had laundry, diesel, and even beer delivered to the boat. 

Cooling Off

Footloose at Isla Grande/Ixtapa

Footloose at Isla Grande/Ixtapa

It’s quite warm and humid here. We went to Playa Ropa and nearby Isla Grande/Ixtapa and Petatlán just south for some cooling off, water making, boat cleaning, snorkeling and relaxation.

Cruising Community and Town

Dining with Friends, Patrice & Lou (Sonamara), Lisa (Footloose), Maureen & Bob (Paradisea)

On average, 20-25 boats were anchored here with us. There is a cruisers net Monday-Saturday, at 0830, on Channel 22 with volunteer hosts. We caught up with friends here, enjoying many meals and the Guitar Fest!  With the heat, cooking is less fun. Fortunately, Zihuatanejo has no shortage of good restaurants. Every Thursday is “Posole” night. We tasted some at Any’s, delicious. Spectacular dinner at Kau Kan, serious food (tuna tartar with ginger, grilled lamb chops…) with a stunning view. There is no shortage of entertainment either with live music all around and sports. A few friends were able to watch the Olympics from one of the many sport bars here. Curling and Cerveza anyone?  And the best is the basketball court right in the center of the beach walk. There is a very active league with players of all sizes, ages, and abilities taking it to the court. Very popular with the locals, who surround the court to watch in the warm evenings, snacking on popcorn or ice cream.  I must give a shout out to Cuattro Cycle, a cool (air-conditioned) cafe, with excellent service, food, coffee, WiFi and is pet friendly. We spent hours parked at a table with laptops, coffee, green tea, and baked goods catching up on business, surfing, and writing.

International Guitar Festival: XV Anniversary 2018,  Mar 3-10

Opening Night, Carlos Uribe & Jossy Gallegos

What a week this has been. A stage is set up right off of Playa Principal with beach concerts every night, 8-11, as well as gala events at various restaurants. Opening night on the beach stage was a great introduction to all artists.  We thought we could listen to some concerts from our boat, but often there were conflicting sounds drowning out the guitarists. Better to go to the beach to hear concerts for only $100 pesos each ($5 cover)!  We also attended a couple of gala events, seeing Jossy Gallegos and Nick Vigarino at Coconuts and Goh Kurosawa and Tom Lumen at Bistro Delmar. Many different styles. We really liked Leonardo Parra Castillo who played “delta” blues. Listening to him, I’d swear he was from Mississippi, not Colombia.  Another night featured Eric McFadden and Omar Torrez. Wow. I could go on and on. We have some new music for our boat collection!

Moving Day

Last night we enjoyed one more meal on the beach with our friends, listening to the Guitar Fest finale. Today it’s quiet. Many boats are pulling up the anchor, time to move on. The fleet is changing once again, as new boats come in replacing the departed. We will linger another day and then it is our turn.

Thank you Zihuatanejo, next stop somewhere near Manzanillo…

La Cruz de Huanacaxtle

Time flies while cruising. Writing now from Zihuatanejo, let us not forget about the two-plus months we spent in La Cruz de Huanacaxtle.  We didn’t intend to stay quite that long, but we decided to fly home for a visit while taking advantage of the plentiful services around La Cruz,  chipping away at some ongoing boat projects. After some waxing, varnishing, and fiberglass work, Footloose is looking pretty good if I do say so myself. 

Fresh Varnish by Lisa

Fresh Varnish by Lisa

It’s not all about the boat work though; La Cruz and the surrounding Banderas Bay area was a lovely place to spend the holidays and to jumpstart the year. Here are the highlights.

Marina Riviera Nayarit, A Review 

With several Marinas in the area, how do you choose?  We decided to stay at La Cruz based on cruisers’ reports and choosing to be off the beaten path of Puerta Vallarta. While I think it was a good choice for this visit, there are pros and cons.

Cons:

Expensive

No Potable Water, no water making in this bay

No Pump Out Service

Poor Dock Maintenance

No Laundromat: not an issue for me, but there is no facility to do your own. There is however a drop-off service at the Marina VIP room or many local lavanderias in town. You can’t beat the price or service.

Location: for some, the location is out of the way. You have to travel by bus or taxi for banking, for large provisioning (Nueva Vallarta), or to visit old town Puerto Vallarta, Sayulita, etc.

Poor Wifi: While they provide a wifi password, connection is poor. Most days required us going ashore or the VIP room for internet.

Pros:

The Small Town:  I loved being able to walk to the friendly town with many restaurants (a favorite: Masala Bar & Grill), small stores, park, and music venues. Taxis or buses are easily accessible for travel to Bucerías, Puerto Vallarta, etc. We took a taxi to the airport for $350 pesos.

Weekly Movie Night at the Amphitheater: bring your comfy chair, enjoy a hotdog or popcorn and cerveza, sit back and enjoy the show under the stars…

Katrina: Kat is a wonderful concierge for the marina, super friendly and knowledegable resource. She maintains a busy calendar of events and activities for boaters and the surrounding community. 

Sailing in Banderas Bay:  We went out several times to take care of business (watermaking, etc)  The whales were spectacular and plentiful this time of year in the bay. PV Sails organizes weekly beer-can races for those so inclined.

Fish Market and Sunday Market:  The fish market is a standout. We wish (still trying) we could catch our own, but grateful to stock up here. Open 7 days a week.  The Sunday Market is also a gem. We did our weekly shopping there with fresh produce, french cheese, a real baguette, bagels, spices, and a variety of seafood. It is crowded with tourists, locals, and cruisers, but worth it.

Velmar Professional Boat Care: Horacio and his team provide quality work. Horacio speaks good English and coordinates a variety of boat sevices. He also provides boat care for boats stored in the off season.

Weather and Walks:  There is a lovely breeze most days in La Cruz, with average temperature 75-85 degrees F. I enjoyed many sunrise walks around the marina taking in the views of the bay. Easy place to walk dogs too.

Last thoughts

New Years Day on Footloose

New Years Day on Footloose

As with most places we visit, the people make it. We had a great time catching up with friends in and around La Cruz. This season is a bit different as we find ourselves at a crossroads. Some friends are leaving for the Puddlejump, crossing the Pacific to the Marquesas Islands and beyond. Others are braving the Gulf of Tehuantepec for the Central America to Panama passage. Planning to do this ourselves next season, we have joined the Panama Posse to learn from this season’s travelers. Others will linger longer in Mexico.  Cheers to all of you, bon voyage, and thanks for the memories shared.

That’s all for now. Time to go explore more of Zihuatanejo! 

Postcard from Mazatlán

Catedral Basilica de la Immaculada Concepcion

Catedral Basilica de la Immaculada Concepcion

We spent 3 weeks or so in Mazatlán both anchored at Isla de la Piedra (Stone Island) and docked at El Cid Marina. It was a relaxing time reconnecting with cruising friends from last year and meeting some new ones. The photos tell the best story.

Footloose at El Cid Resort & Marina

El Cid Marina is very “resorty” and we took advantage of all the amenities. What’s not to like about a drop off laundry service and afternoon swims at your choice of pools? We especially liked the pool with the caves and slide!  There was always a happy hour going on somewhere. Footloose was on an end tie in the fairway right between the fuel dock and the Aries fishing boat fleet  & catamaran adventure boats.  We got to know the water taxi driver as he shuttled folks back and forth to the beach across from us all day long. We witnessed quite a few brides being escorted over to the  popular wedding site. It was entertaining to watch the action from our back porch.

Friends

There were many familiar faces & boats on our dock. Cruising friends reunited!  We hosted a couple of shindigs on Footloose, including the Thanksgiving potluck (see holiday post coming soon). We also met some new people like Mark & Cindy on Delta Swizzler also from Northern California and another couple on C’est La Vie who pulled in for one night and tied up in front of us. We had one short conversation walking back to the boat after a swim. I don’t remember their names because we didn’t exchange boat cards, but something he said stuck with me. This couple has been cruising for 17 years and are still excited about it. Now in his 70’s, the man of the boat swears – “Cruising keeps you young.”  I hope he’s right!

Critters

Iguanas rule at El Cid

Iguanas rule at El Cid

Marveling at critters is one of my favorite pastimes. At El Cid, I had my first encounter with Iguanas! Wow, they were everywhere. They especially liked the cave pool area. One day I saw one on a lounge chair and a lady was petting him/her like a cat. Tame and used to resort life and its inhabitants I’m sure.

Old Town

Our best adventure off the Marina was a visit to Old Town Mazatlán. I love the colorful streets & celebration.

Art Walk Tour

Welcome to Art Walk, Dec 2017

Welcome to Art Walk, Dec 2017

The first Friday of each month there is an Art Walk tour in Old Town. Creative artisans display their work in galleries and shops throughout town. Masks & Sculptures delight! No room on the boat for art collecting, but we were happy to look.

Isla de la Piedra

Many cruisers like this spot as a place to prepare for an early morning departure. Much easier to leave in the dark from this anchorage then the marina, which has tricky tides, currents, and dredging to contend with. We left El Cid Marina after sunrise and motored around the corner to anchor. I immediately jumped in the water and cleaned the spluge from our waterline. Spluge: the oily grimy crud that we collect when at a dock a little too long. We stayed two days at anchor and then left for Isla Isabel at 0430.

 It’s peaceful here. Wish you all the same.

Lisa & Michael

Now at La Cruz, Marina Riviera Nayarit

San Carlos–Copper Canyon–Mazatlán

Our friends Laura & Rich arrived Oct 30. Boat is ready to go and so are we!  First stop Topolobampo, 196 NM. We departed at 0130 Nov 1 with an unfortunate “south wind”, and a bumpy ride come mid morning.  I overcame some queasiness, and we arrived Topolobampo marina Nov 2 mid day.  We docked for a couple days in Topolobampo and got ready for our Copper Canyon Tour, Nov 4-10.

Copper Canyon Tour

 Copper Canyon, view from El Chepe

Copper Canyon, view from El Chepe

Sometimes you have to get off the boat and explore on land. Our Copper Canyon excursion took us by train (El Chepe), atop a “van” to the bottom of the Urique Canyon, by foot (hiking paths through Rarámuri villages), and even by Zip Line across three canyons at 65mph!

The Copper Canyon (Spanish: Barrancas del Cobre) is a group of canyons consisting of six distinct canyons in the Sierra Madre Occidental. According to Copper Canyon Insider, Mexico’s Copper Canyon is seven times larger than the United States’ Grand Canyon, spanning the 372-mile Copper Canyon nature preserve.

Cristina, Rich, & Lisa

The success of our tour rested first on the small, but capable shoulders of our tour guide, Cristina. When we booked this tour with Authentic Mexican Travel, we were at first skeptical of having a guide, usually preferring to be spontaneous and independent intrepid travelers. Having this guide turned out to be the right choice for us. Cristina surprised and delighted us with her knowledge, humor, great conversation and tenacity to make our trip all we had hoped for. 

El Fuerte

Our first stop was El Fuerte.  Cristina began with a walking tour of the center of town. She is passionate and wanted to share much history with our tired brains. We laughed a lot as Rich blatantly admitted “ less history” is better.  She laughed heartily, but still insisted on slipping history in as often as possible. A funny thread that continued throughout our week’s tour.  At the Palacio Municipal there is a large mural with a pictorial history of El Fuerte. She asked us how many minutes should I explain the story in? We challenged her to do it in five, which she almost did!

Tarahumara, Rarámuri, Ralámuli

The Rarámuri or Tarahumara are a Native American people of northwestern Mexico who are renowned for their long-distance running ability. They live remotely in and around the copper canyon. Amongst the caves and cliffs of the canyons, they raise families, farm, make crafts for sale at markets (baskets woven with apache pine needles and sotol leaves a speciality), and  they run.  Cristina referred to the indigenous people in three ways: Tarahumara, Rarámuri, Ralámuli. In some ways, we learned they are synonymous; yet, there are cultural and language distinctions among the groups

Cristina talks & we listen!

Cristina talks & we listen!

For us it was all about the pronunciation. Each day we tried and by day seven, we could pronounce each word, almost. (Patient Cristina, more laughter). However we say it, we all appreciated the spirit of the people, their vibrant colors, their simplicity, their strength and joy.

 click here to hear Cristina

El Chepe to Cerachaui

Day 2 we boarded El Chepe for Cerachaui. Cristina arranged for a driver to meet us at each train stop. It was all organized and efficient. The train ride was comfortable, though occasionally hot and smelly with exhaust fumes between the cars — but the scenery was spectacular. Cristina alerted Michael of photo ops at every turn. She pointed out the native plants such as the Blue Agave, Sotol and the Apache Pine —and sprinkled in some history as we travelled along, snacking on delicious corn cookies we purchased earlier at the roadside horno.

San Isidro Lodge (Near Cerachaui – Urique Canyon)

Staying at San Isidro Lodge was a highlight of the trip.  Tito and his brothers Mario and Luis with their families live and operate the ranch, passed down from grandparents. The ranch includes several log cabins for guests.  We took great hikes around the property, beautiful vistas, so peaceful. We ate meals family style in the main dining room off the kitchen. The food was homey, fresh and delicious. I loved the coffee after dinner with cinnamon and the popcorn passed around the campfire each evening before sundown. We were entertained by the roosters and chickens, turkeys and guinea hens all roaming and living together in relative peace. Kitties (Tuna and Memo, short for Guillermo) followed us around. Memo was fond of Michael’s lap with morning coffee or afternoon cerveza on the chair swing. 

Our second day featured a harrowing trip for me & Laura on top of a GMC down to the bottom of Urique Canyon. Especially unnerving to see the numerous “memorials” left along the narrow road. We enjoyed a beautiful lookout along the way and a walk and lunch in Urique at the bottom of the canyon. 

Our last quiet evening at the lodge we shared the campfire with other guests, which happened to include Manuel, a renowned Tarahumara featured in Born to Run. 

Divisadero for two nights at Hotel Mansion Tarahumara El Castillo

CopperCanyonTrip (102 of 236)

Hotel Mansion Tarahumara El Castillo

On Day 4, Gustavo drove us to Divisadero, stopping at Cerachaui along the way. Cristina gave us a quick tour and history of this town, where she had once worked at the hotel. Quite a Mission & boarding school for girls founded by Padre Andres Lara. The distances that the Rarámuri must travel for school by foot are daunting. Understandably, the boarding school is a viable option.

To say we had rooms with a view at the Hotel Mansion Tarahumara is understated. However, we did have to climb 223 steps to reach them! And for each meal we had to descend them. Let’s just say we were extra careful to not forget anything in the room. We relished the workout, feeling a bit of the Tarahumara spirit and the view was beautiful.  We had our own table in the large dining room. We enjoyed our meals with Cristina, chatting about the day, practicing our Spanish and she English. Mas laughter.

Day 5 at the Parque de Adventura, Rich & I braved the ZipRider,  reportedly the longest zipline in the world, 2545 meters (8,350 feet) long with a max registered speed of 135 km/hr (84 mph)! with a vertical drop of 450 meters (17% grade). For us is was a 2 minute ride at 65 mph, with 2 initial seconds of terror followed by an exhilarating peace. We hiked up to where our group was waiting for us to return by the Gondola.  The park offers other excitng attractions for thrill seekers and challenging hikes. We celebrated with hamburguesas and cerveza.

Winding Down

Day 6, after a lovely morning hike, we left to catch El Chepe back to El Fuerte for our final night. It was a longer ride back. As the daylight dimmed, so did our view. Perhaps sensing our restlessness, Cristina led us in some spontaneous spanish lessons. Standing in the train isle, she led us reciting the names for body parts and sharing proverbial phrases of our cultures. One example Cristina shared: Camaron que se duerme se lo lleva la corriente: says that Sleeping Shrimp the current will take it away….is referring about lazy people…when people do not do anything we use it.

Arriving in El Fuerte, we dined together at the hotel restaurant, toasting with tequila shots, and tasting black bass.

Day 7, Breakfast, a brief walk about town and a return trip to Footloose at Topolobampo Marina.  We invited Cristina aboard to see the boat and to say our goodbyes to our new Amiga.

Onward to Mazatlán

Back on the boat, I made chicken soup and we prepared for the next day’s journey, 222 NM to Mazatlán, with possible stop at Altata at 128 NM. The approach to Altata turned out to be a no-go zone,  due to the current, big breaking waves and indistinguishable entrance. Decision made to avert, we set our sights on the next waypoint, Stone Island Anchorage, Mazatlán.  We enjoyed a beautiful long sail throughout the day and night. Finally, got the right wind! Wanting to arrive in daylight, we decided to reef the main and gennaker to slow down our progress.  Gorgeous, calm & starry night made for peaceful watch standing. The wind died around 0530 so it was time to motor, leaving the main up for a bit to help. What a morning, warm and steamy.  For their last watch, Laura & Rich were treated with many Dolphin visits, along with the sunrise and then there was Mazatlán in the distance. The only disappointment of this trip was our fishing. We caught 15 skipjacks at last count, all released. Where are the Dorado?   next time?

Anchored at Isla de la Piedra (Stone Island), 0900, Nov 13

We swam to cool off and enjoyed boat naps. Went to shore for garlic shrimp pizza & cervezas at Benjis, one of a few restaurants on shore. It was dark as we were seated on the beachfront and Michael requested some light. Expecting a candle? no – out they come with a string of christmas lights to hang above our table!  We love anchoring out, so many unexpected stories.  The next day, Laura & Rich hiked to the top of Isla los Chivos (Goat Island) while Michael & I rested. That evening we had a party on Footloose with a feast of grilled Arrachera and veggies, rice, coleslaw and música, including some bucket drumming and singing our hearts out to Eagles Hits.

El Cid & Farewell

We moved to the El Cid Marina and Resort where we have a reservation for a few weeks. We enjoyed a few days here with our friends at the pool and visiting old town before their departure on Nov 18. Our last evening together we went to dinner at El Presidio, great ambiance and food.

We were sad to see our friends go after such a fun time shared. We think we gave them a fair glimpse of the cruising life. We are excited for them, knowing that they are that much closer to finding their own boat to take cruising.  ¡Salud!

What We Did This Summer

After putting the boat to bed for the summer season to avoid hurricanes and hot muggy weather, we flew to Albuquerque, New Mexico and rented a small SUV for the summer.  We drove to my parent’s house near Roy and hung out for a week.   

Then we started driving to California for some serious “Couch Surfing.”  We stopped in at Flagstaff, and took a day trip to Sedona. That day we received word that Lisa’s long-time friend, Page had passed away after years of battling Lupus.  So we diverted to Phoenix Sky Harbor airport so that Lisa could fly to the memorial in Oregon, while I continued to drive to the Bay Area. 

Along the way I stopped in Fullerton to have dinner with Sandy’s Mom, Jeanette, at Morningside, spending the night in one of the guest rooms there.  If you need to go to the “Home” this is the one.

The next day I drove to Oakland stopping for Lisa at Oakland International. Our first “couch” (beautiful room) was with our old neighbors Michael and Carolyn in their freshly remodeled home overlooking the bay.  We had a sail on Michael’s beautiful Jeanneau “Santa Fe”, and saw a lot of Alameda friends at a great party they hosted. 

2017WhatWeDid-6

Nice Couch

After almost a week we moved across the way to another old neighbor’s house, Andy and Elise, where we again enjoyed a water front view and had the chance to sail on Andy’s Wyliecat ,a sweet sailing 30-footer with an unstayed mast and wishbone rig…. Much Fun.

2017WhatWeDid2

Sailing with Andy

Then off to Felicia and Paul’s to enjoy a stay on Bay street in Felicia’s cozy new Yoga Studio and the annual 4th of July festivities.  We had a great time cooking together and catching up.  The fourth of July parade, a longstanding Alameda tradition was one of the best, and a real celebration of diversity.

Then off to the Northbay.  While we were in La Paz, My friend Dennis recommended we have dinner with Jim and Honora.  We had a great dinner out and at the end of the evening, perhaps under the influence of the wine, they offered us the use of their Casita when we were back in California. We took them up on the offer and the Casita was wonderful. We enjoyed several days lazing under the Redwoods.  Across the way, hundreds of acres of Bolleto grapes were ripening in the sun. We enjoyed a stunning morning walk through the vineyards, and had the pleasure of making the acquaintance of Honora’s chickens, even to the extent of enjoying a few fresh eggs!

A few days later— our next stop was in Petaluma with Rich and Laura, members of our Baja HaHa crew last year. We got a tour of their families’ ranch along the Petaluma River, had drinks at the Petaluma Yacht Club (Who Knew) and kayaked on the Petaluma River. 

One evening I met with the  Marconi Cove Yacht Club, Me, Mark, Doug, and Dennis.  We’ve been sailing together for years. With much regret, I missed the annual Bachelor party and the Labor Day regatta. 

In the meantime, a couple of other options cropped up.  House sitting for Allison and Jerry meant a week in Pt Richmond in a great artful house with a view straight down Raccoon Straits—to the Golden Gate Bridge.  Wow.  Enjoyed the Brazillian restaurant.  Interesting one time experience… A lot of food, MEAT.

Then another to spend time at Dennis and Sharon’s house in Santa Rosa.  Great video/Sound system for movies at night, beautiful garden for watching the sun go down and miles of walking path along the nearby Piner Creek. 

Along the way, we dined with: Dana, Matt, Owen, Shelly, Barry, Christy, Patrick, Peggy, Deirdre, Angie, Sandy, Jacqueline, Dennis, Mary, Allison, Jerry, Doug, Rose, Mia, Anna, Lynda, Norman, Carol, Charlie, Joann, Rick, Ed, Heidi, Earl, Janis, Colleen, Dennis, Sharon, Rich, Laura, Mary Jo, Scott, Shana, Andy, Artie, Sam, Joe,  and… wow, I’m sure we missed a few.

After almost two months, it was time to leave the Bay Area to drive to Farmington, New Mexico where my brother & his family live, via Nevada and highway 50, coined the loneliest highway. It may be a lonely desolate highway, but it was stunningly beautiful as we wove our way through Nevada-Utah on into New Mexico.

We spent 4 days with my brother and his family camping in the mountains of Southern Colorado. Amazing fly fishing at 9000 feet.

We like to bother realtors wherever we go.  It’s a great way to learn about a place and get a feel for the area.  My brother just bought a house in Farmington and introduced us to his realtor, Leah Thomas.

We didn’t intend to like it as much as we did, but we found a beauty on the Animas river with a main house and a sweet casita.  We are certain this will be a great place to live when we get older… In the mean time we will hold the houses as rental property.  The property will be managed by Independence Capital Property Management.  They have already rented one of the houses.  We plan to hold them as Income properties until we are ready to swallow the anchor.  We spent a week camped out there and really loved sitting by the river at sundown with a glass of wine.  Best of all, this will be a great place for our friends to visit once we settle there. 

After three weeks in Farmington, we drive to Mom and Dad’s place in Roy.  Our rental SUV,a jeep, has a service light on, so on our way back to Mom and Dad’s, we trade cars with AVIS.  The new car is a Ford Edge Titanium… Wow, Very nice car.

We spent a week visiting with Mom and Dad and helping them finish a home project, then back to Farmington for some details on the new place.  Next, it’s back to California to get our stuff out of storage. Did I say that the river house comes with a 4-car Garage?  One for my car (Mercedes), one for the stuff and two for the tenants.  Stalls are separated.

We drive the Mercedes to Albuquerque for service.  The courtesy guy drives us the rest of the way to the airport, so no long-term parking.  We flew to Oakland, rented a U-Haul, and emptied our storage locker.  Our friend Mike helped us load the truck and then treated us to dinner at Trabocco, one of our favorite Alameda Restaurants.  What a relief to be done with Public Storage.  This place is really run by sharks.  They just keep raising the rent no matter what. I started at $150 or so and ended at $345 per month.

We drive the Uhaul to New Mexico, 1200 miles, in 2 days. We unload and store our stuff at the River house, then return the truck to Albuquerque and drive the Mercedes back to its new home.  In the last few miles, we pick up a metal thing and have a flat tire which completely tore out the side wall.  But luckily things are cheaper in New Mexico.  The same tires are 25% less than I paid in the Bay Area. Gas is $1.00 per Gallon cheaper.  My Mercedes service was half of what it was at RAB motors in Marin…   

Guess what, More driving.  We drive to Guaymas to bring boat parts through customs.  Turns out you can take your rental car to Mexico if you buy Avis’s exorbitant Mexico coverage.  We were worried about paying 30% duty on our new propellers and other stuff we were bringing to the boat or worse getting lost in shipment… They wave us through at the border in Nogales.  no problema!

We visit Footloose in the boat yard. Lisa’s hard work cleaning the boat has paid off.  While the boat feels a little humid inside, there is no mold… A big win.  Except for typical boatyard dirt that rinses right off, the boat is looking good.  We are happy. It’s like greeting our old friend. 

2017WhatWeDid2-10

We meet for drinks at the Soggy Peso Bar with Scott and Laurie from Muskoka.  Three days in Guaymas and we’re back to New Mexico. We stopped off at Las Cruces and tomorrow we’ll return to Mom and Dad’s in Roy. In a couple weeks, we will turn in the rental car and fly to Hermosillo, back to Footloose and Cruising, Season 2! 

Lisa’s Chimes in:

Whew! Reading that make’s me somewhat weary (enough driving, done with the suitcase), but mostly filled with great memories.  When choosing to go cruising, one of the “cons” is leaving your family, friends, and the fondness of the familiar. When we decided to sell our house in Alameda before going cruising, it ramped up the separation anxiety a bit. We said goodbye to our home, but more importantly, to our friends, with vows to keep in touch, we’ll be back, please join us along the way… We meant it.  I still miss home and for me that has always been California. One year into cruising though, something has shifted. I miss the people, family & friends and truly think about them often and try my best to stay in touch. But, the place – the Bay Area, is no longer a stronghold. I feel happy traveling, as I always have to be honest. Perhaps that’s one reason the adventure of cruising held an appeal for me. I know that we will make a home base again, now likely in New Mexico. In the meantime, what I’ve learned this summer is that for me, home is where my family & friends are. That’s where a big chunk of my heart is. I was so happy to see all of the people we could in the time we had this summer. It does take effort to maintain friendships, and when you are traveler perhaps even more so than when you live in the same zip codes. We’ve learned that when we hear “let’s get together”, we must also nail down the where and when. Without that, the plans get lost in the complexity of busy modern life. Indeed, when you’re a traveler, the friendship time becomes even more precious. We know that not everyone will be able to join us on the boat; however, we can still stay connected by phone call, email, text, maybe even a postcard…thank goodness! 

Season End

May 2017

Season End, Haul Out Time

Our first cruising season has come to an end. The last bit of business was to get Footloose settled for her summer home, hauled out of the water in Guaymas. Guaymas is the only yard with a travel lift large enough to handle our beam. We first visited San Carlos, another popular place for people to haul out or leave boats for the hurricane season and then moved on to Guaymas for the final work and haul.

San Carlos

Entering San Carlos

Entering San Carlos

We arrived San Carlos Marina on May 8. The only available slip for us was a bit dicey. We anchored out first, then dinghied in to get a closer look before committing. The space was very tight (29 feet wide) for our beam (25 feet) Plus, one side of the space was not a “dock” but rather a cement wall. We decided to go for it since we wanted a break from windy anchorages. Our friend Joanneke from Witte Raaf kindly offered to come along and help with our landing. She was able to fend off on the starboard side (next to the cement wall), while I took care of getting the lines tied off on the port side. Michael backed her in while the wind did its best to push us toward the wall. Sailing or docking, the wind direction has generally not been our friend this season. Still, no harm done, only a bit of an adrenaline rush. We settled in for a week and began prepping the boat for haul out and dry storage. We made our list of things to do and began chipping away. I cleared the pantry and donated some food to local orphanages. We checked off the list slowly. We both felt lethargic, a bit melancholy. Not sure if it was the work at hand, the heat, or the realization that we would soon be leaving Footloose, our home, for the summer.

Oops

We planned to leave early on May 15 for Guaymas, hoping to shove off before the wind picked up. We got up early, but had to wait until 0900 to checkout. By this time, the wind was up and had too much west, which was eager to push us directly into “the wall”. Michael recruited several to help with lines to hold us off the wall until he could pull away. It all worked well as he pulled out of the slip and turned down the channel. As soon as the stern cleared the dock, the men threw the lines, which I scrambled to retrieve from the water, first from the stern and then from mid-ships. As the boat was being swept to port, Michael was doing all he could to keep Footloose in the center of the narrow channel. I heard Jan yell to me – get the mid ship lines – and I ran from the stern step to pull them in. Too late – the prop was fouled on the line and Michael had lost steerage. Luckily there was an empty side tie dock and the wind pushed us on. The guys helped tie us off. I sat down and cried. Michael quickly put on his wet suit and dive gear and dove to look at the prop. He cut away the mess of lines, then tested the engines. All clear – we were off to Guaymas. We always debrief after things go well or awry. What could we have done better?  In hindsight – 1) we could have anchored out and avoided the risk of the questionable dock space. 2) I could have brought up mid-ships line(s) first; or if docked and using line handlers, we could limit the number of lines, with four being too many for one person to bring in efficiently. 3) we could have brought Jan aboard to help with line retrieval. 4) Michael thought he could have built more speed allowing the rudders to work and steer the boat. Always learning.

3/4 three strand in a propellor

3/4 three strand in a propellor

Guaymas

untitled-69

First, we docked at Marina Fonatour. Again, we took the only space we could fit. The wind helped us this time, with Michael bringing Footloose into position and letting her drift to the dock. Others welcomed us and quickly tied us down.  Countdown time — one week to get ready for the haul out. We did manage some breaks from the work detail to walk and eat in Guaymas. We were blessed to find our taxi driver, Jesús, who became our personal driver for the week. Whenever we called, he was there! He recommended Mariscos El Rey, which we enjoyed twice, with delicious seafood cocktails and grilled Pulpo. He drove us around to every Ferreteria in town looking for a fuel filter for the Gen Set. Jesús is married, has five dogs, two cats, and five niños all grown up. I adore him. His air-conditioned rides and our fun, albeit language-challenged conversations, were a pleasant diversion from the work and haul out dread.

I won’t detail all the boat prep here, but, oh my, it was more work than anticipated. We thoroughly cleaned the inside, polishing all wood trim, scrubbing floors, walls to headliners, cleaned the leather settee cushions, emptied all cabinets to clean some more. No mold will live here!  Michael took down all lines and we wrangled in the sails. The main sail was the toughest. We tried to plan it for a windless moment, but when is that really? We got it down late afternoon and began to fold it (950 square feet, 250 pounds), with Michael at the tack and me at the clew. The wind puffed and a section of the sail billowed up over the side. AAAH, NOOOOO. Michael flopped on top of the wad and pulled it back down. Disaster averted. We began again, trying to keep the folds as tight as possible in order to fit sail into the bag for storage.  Success. tick tock, tick tock. Watermakers pickled, check. Oil changes, check. Heads cleaned, check. All laundry cleaned and stored check. Suitcases packed, (UGH), check. The list got smaller, we got wearier. On Sunday, with heads now shut down, provisions all gone and nowhere to sit or sleep, we checked in at the Holiday Inn Express where we would stay for the week while we did final work. And then it was Monday morning.

Haul Out

untitled-114

After a fitful night, we go, both nervous. It’s my first time. I love our boat. It’s unnatural to take a boat out of water, yes?  The space is irregular where we’ll be hauled, narrow and jagged. We carefully placed fenders around the boat. Michael marked where the straps should be placed for hauling under the hull’s lifting points.

We motored over at 0740, hoping to get there just at the right moment for the haul out scheduled for 0800. This is a very shallow area and we did not have much room for circling. As we approached, the travel lift was not in place and there was no one there yet to catch the lines. We radioed Gabriel at Marina Guaymas for assistance. There was some back and forth and around 0830, the men walked down to the dock. I handed off the bow lines on starboard and then stern line on port. Footloose was secure, but where was the travel lift? An hour later, Gabriel called to tell us there was a flat tire on the lift. It would be a couple hours. ok.  We waited. We walked to OXXO for some ice and snacks. At 1000, Michael wandered out to the travel lift to check on progress on the tire. Two men were wrestling with the huge tires and were almost ready to remount the wheel. Michael returned to the boat. We waited. It’s hot. At 1300, Michael goes back to investigate and learned that no further progress had been made. He checked with the office about leaving the boat and returning the next morning. The owner of the travel lift agreed to haul the boat at 0900. We walked over to Gabriel’s where the boat will be stored and informed their office that the boat haul was delayed until the next day. Jesús picked us up and we went on our way shopping for filters and pausing for ice cream.  At 1500, Gabriel called Michael, “where are you, your boat is in the sling ready to haul.”  Michael – “What???!”  The operation stopped. 

The next morning, Jesús picked us up at 0730 to drive us back to the yard. This time the travel lift was in place and before I’d made a cup of coffee, it was show time. I climbed off the boat, turned my head away from the lift and Michael caught me making the sign of the cross. I bravely turned back to watch and took some photos. Footloose rose and they pulled her out. The travel lift proceeded up this rough roadway to the storage yard with Footloose swaying in the sling. yikes. (Deep Breathing required) 

They parked Footloose and put her down on blocks.  Relief, temporarily. Unfortunately, when we got back aboard and walked to the bow, we were horrified to find hydraulic oil spots all over the place. It apparently had leaked from the lift overnight. If only they had waited for us, we could have averted the mess by covering it properly. Instead, our custom kayak cover is stained. And our deck was a mess. We spent an additional day cleaning as best we could, but still no bueno. Captain very unhappy.

All Shall Be Well

untitled-148

We cleaned up today, secured the dinghy on deck, and said our farewell to Footloose. We’ve stored her the best we know how and pray that she’ll be safe for the summer. We’ve met Alejandro, who will likely do some sanding work for the bottom paint job. Everyone in the yard, workers and boaters alike are cheerful about it all, which is reassuring — sort of. Workers are confident in their work and of the safety of the yard. Boaters love to meet you and share their hurricane or other boat yard horror with a chuckle. No problema!  What if a hurricane hits? It happens. A guy we met in the yard told us how his boat was hit by a falling wall – without a hurricane.  Never mind.

Next

We’re leaving soon, catching a flight to Albuquerque on Wednesday. What an amazing first cruising season from California to Mexico. We are excited to see family and friends this summer and looking ahead to next season, what will it bring?  It will begin with putting the boat back together and likely cleaning off all the red dust. But then, Footloose will splash and we’ll be off — Mazatlán, Puerta Vallarta, Banderas Bay, La Cruz, Zihuatanejo, making our way to Panama maybe. All to be determined. Plans and crew are flexible.

We’re tired after the haul out. I’m reminded that it’s best to never make decisions about cruising after a rough passage or grueling boat work. Be mindful that there are far more sunsets than there are fouled props; many more friends than boat yards! 

2016-17 Cruising Season

This slideshow requires JavaScript.