Friday October 27
Well were off to paradise. Up at 3:30am and drive to our son Kevins house as he is driving us to the airport. We arrive and are concerned we may get charged extra for the heavier baggage. We are taking boat parts, SSB radio, new roller furling and other stuff for our new boat SV: Victoria Dos. Fortunately the ticket agents are busy and dont weigh our bags. We have a great flight to Mazatlan with a 45 minute stop in Phoenix. We arrive in Mazatlan and have a 2 hour wait before leaving for La Paz. Its hot and boy do the cervezas taste great. After a short 50 minute flight to La Paz we arrive at 6:00pm and take a taxi to the marina and are happy to see our new boat. The previous owner left quite a bit of stuff on board including bedding, but the admiral didnt feel comfortable sleeping between the sheets until they are laundered, so we head into town to get some new bedding. We also stop for supper at one of our favorite restaurants for supper and a couple of cool ones.
Saturday October 28
Up early, after spending a very comfortable sleep aboard Victoria Dos, to a beautiful morning in paradise. As we have no provisions, the admiral and I go to LaPanga café at the marina for breakfast. Following the breakfast we get all our documentation together and check into the marina. Once again we are welcomed by the friendly marina staff that remember us from previous stays aboard OLE.
After we get the paper work out of the way, we go back to the boat and wait for Jeff the rigger to arrive to install insulators on the boats backstay so it can be used as an antenna for the SSB radio. Jeff and his wife arrive at 10:00am and start work at removing the back stay. Jeffs wife is the one that is hoisted up the mast to disconnect the back stay. She told the admiral she has another business translating and processing legal documents, but prefers doing the rigging work with Jeff that they have done together for 8 years now.
Once they get the back stay down they take in to there shop to install the insulators and will return Monday.
The admiral and I take the shuttle from the marina into town to get supplies. La Paz hasnt changed; its as beautiful as we remember with wonderful smiling and friendly people. We spend some time walking the streets looking through the windows of the various stores. Once we get supplies we return to the boat and relax. Once again another hot day and we must be aware of dehydration, so we have a couple of cervezas. We sat in the cockpit and enjoyed the evening. After dark we came into the cabin and oooooh-no !! LA CUCARACHAS, unwanted guests.
Sunday October 29
Up early and take the 8:00am shuttle into town and church. We meet many old friends from previous years in La Paz. After church we have brunch and go to the store to get some cucaracha poison. We take the long walk along the Malacon back to the marine. Once back at the boat we start going through the drawers, cupboards and hatches ands cleaning. The previous owner was like myself and didnt throw anything out, so we kept some stuff but threw a lot out. Overall the boat is quite clean and well kept. After we have the cupboards cleaned out we place the cucaracha poison paste in strategic places to attract the fellows. The paste contains Boric Acid that when eaten by the little buggers it will kill them.
Before dinner we relax in the cockpit and enjoy a sundowner. Lucy Goosy comes over for a visit. Lucy was blown into La Paz during hurricane Marty in 2003. She is not native to the area and has been adopted by the cruisers in the marina. Lucy is getting quite tame, she use to swim up to the boat for a treat, now she walks along the pier and up to the boat asking/quacking for a treat.
Monday October 30
We enjoy breakfast aboard and wait for Jeff the rigger to return with the back stay and start the installation of the roller furling. Jeff arrives at 10:00 and installs the back stay but doesnt have time to start on the roller furling and will be back Thursday to start the installation. I spend the afternoon changing the oil in the transmission and engine a very messy job. To get the dirty oil out I use a suction pump with a small line that goes into the dipstick hole. (Mucho messy.)
After I complete the fluid changes clean my mess up and have a shower, the admiral and I head into town to check out the night life.
Tuesday October 31 Halloween
Today is the start of a 3 or 4 day celebration to recognize the dead. During the celibration the mexicans build small shrines for relatives that have passed on, putting their favored drinks and food under the shrine. We lost a cruising friend Mark Saunders to sailing accident. The sail boat remains here waiting to sell. Mark was very well respected, the marina staff put beads and a white rose on the bow of his boat in recognition.
After a long day cleaning the boat the admiral and I go to town to check out the activities. Like in Canada the children go house to house for candy hand outs.
Wednesday Nov 1
Another beautiful morning in paradise. We are having a difficult time getting a good nights sleep as its not cooling down much at night (24C). We enjoy breakfast while listing to the cruisers net on the VHF radio. The cruisers net is held every morning at 8:00am on Channel 22. One of the cruisers that are moving for a while hosts the net, with an agenda and sets up a protocol for people calling. Its a great venue to get local assistance or fined out whats happing in La Paz and swaps and trades
We spend the day working and cleaning the boat. For supper we go to Cio Molinas restaurant were they have 50.00 peso spaghetti and an amateur jam session. The musicians are of various talents some good and, some think they are good. But any way we enjoy the evening and take the long walk back to the boat.
Thursday Nov 2 (La dia de los mueretos)
Later in the day the admiral goes to town with Madeline from SV: In the Mood. They go to the grave yard to see the shrines and observe how the people honor the dead. At one grave-site there was an eight piece brass band playing music while the family and friends visited and enjoyed a meal. Unfortunately I was busy and couldnt go with them.
Jeff the rigger arrives at 10:00am and starts work on the instalation of the roller furling. During the installation Jeff discovers a crack on the bow stem. This is the fitting the attaches the forestay to the bow of the boat to hold the mast. We will have to get this repaired before we make the crossing. Its been a busy day and Jeff doesnt get finished until dark.
Friday Nov 3
Another beautiful morning The admiral enjoys and delicious omelet el rancho prepared by the captain. After listening to the cruisers net we motor to the other end of the bay to Aboroas boat yard to get the cracked bow stem plate repaired. The boat yard was recommended to us by Jeff the rigger, as the boat yard has a very qualified stainless steel welder. We arrive at the boat yard and tie up to the dock. I talk to the shop foreman and he sends the welder down and tells us he can repair it. He brings his welding equipment down to the boat and grinds out the crack and fills it. This only takes an hour! Great!. The hole in the bow stem requires reaming out so the welder goes for a 5/16 bit. He returns and tells us its lunch time and he will be back in 1hour. No problem. So the admiral and I go to the Dock café at Marina del La Paz for a ceviche and a cerveza. We return in one hour no welder. I check with the office and they tell me he will be there in 20 minutes. 20 minutes later no welder. Anyway after numerous delays I find out the fellow with the key to the drill bit cabinet will not be back until 4pm. Finally we get the hole drilled out to the proper size to reattach the forestay. We go to leave and the motor wouldnt start. We get help from the yard staff get the motor started and get back to our slip.
Saturday Nov 4
Try to start the motor no go. After breakfast I pull out the starter and give it to Mario a mechanic here in the marina. He disassembles the starter to discover the armature is shot. It will take until Wednesday to have it repaired. Well this will delay our crossing to Mazatlan, as we were planning to leave Tuesday. Anyway we are enjoying La Paz and meeting old friends and making many new. Today we are going out for cheap shrimp & cervezas. 1 kilo camaron for 100 pesos & 1 liter cerveza for 25 pesos. We stuff ourselves. We get back to the boat after dark and discover we are not winning against the cucarachas. We decide its time to declare chemical warfare and hire a fumigator.
Sunday Nov 5
Up early & off to church. Following church we go to one of our favorite restaurants, the Gorilla Grill. We the go to the hardware and get an electrical connection to connect the antenna tuner to the insulated backstay. I brought my SSB radio and tuner from home but unfortunately I left the mike and power cord at home. The installation has been a low priority.
Monday Nov 6
Contacted the fumigator to give us a quote on getting rid of the little buggers. He comes down to the boat and we make arrangements for him to come back Wednesday and fumigate the boat aeds we have some extra time in La Paz waiting for the starter. We offer the new owner of OLE to get the boat rigged a ready for its launch in a couple of weeks. The admiral & I spend the day in the hot boat yard on OLE
After a shower we get back to the boat just in time for the dock technical meeting (happy hour) There are more cruisers arriving each day so the meetings are growing. Today Lucy the goose decides to join us and mingles with the crowd. I set my sundowner down to take a picture of Lucy. She heads straight for my Tequila and has a quick drink before I could stop her. Lucy hung out for about 10 minutes and was treated to hordeovres of veggies and a cool one, (a glass of water) kindly provided by Pelican John, her main provider.
Tuesday Nov 7
During the cleaning of Victoria Dos I discover new blades for the wind generator that had the blades damaged during a hurricane a couple years ago.
I find a long board in the boat yard that I use as a scaffolding plank on the boats arch. I replace the blades and the generator is working.
Wednesday Nov 8
Mario the mechanic shows up with the rebuilt starter at 9:00pm, installs it and it works great. Later in the afternoon the fumigators show up and begin the process of removing articles from storage areas, then spraying the boat with the ????? a Mexican Lacucaracha killer stuff.(totally harmless to other living creatures) hmmm! When finished they close all the hatches and tape the door closed, so the spray stays contained in the cabin. As we must wait 4 hours before we can get back on the boat, we decide to go to Caio Molina restaurant for dinner and the jam session.
We return to the boat and find the fumigators waiting for us. They open the boat and return all the articles back into the storage areas. We were pleasantly surprised as there was very little odor from the spray as we were concerned that we would not be able to spend the night on the boat.
Thursday Nov 9
We are now ready to cross the Sea of Cortez to Mazatlan and plan to leave tomorrow. We just need to get supplies. We take the marina shuttle into town and walk to the supermarket, stock up with supplies and return to the boat. One of our boat friends informs us of tropical storm Sergio that has developed of the south coast of Mexico and is predicted to develop into a hurricane and is headed our way. All though Segio is 5 or 6 days away, we decide to stay in La Paz and wait out Sergeo. During our afternoon technical discussions on the dock the experienced cruisers say that engine problems most boaters have are one of three things 1.fuel, 2.fuel, 3.fuel. As we will be here for 5 or 6 days I decide to do some preventive maintenance on the engine and remove the fuel injectors for testing. I remove the 3 injectors as per manufactures maintenance manual and will take the into La Paz in the morning
Friday Nov. 10
After another one of the Captains popular omelet el rancho for breakfast, we listen to the cruisers net and then to town to take the fuel injectors to get tested. We are going to a shop that specializes in this type of work called the Diesel Laboratory. We arrive at the shop and are pleasantly surprised at how clean the shop is and the high tech testing and repair equipment they have. Two young fellows great us at the desk and one of them speaking quite good English. We tell him what we want and he tells us that he would be able to test the injectors while we wait. He returns in about 20 minutes and tells us the popping pressure on the injectors are good, but the spray pattern is not good and recommend they be cleaned. Cleaning the injectors will take about an hour as they must soak in an acid solution. The shop appears to be a family operation with the living quarters in the back. While we are waiting a young girl probably the sister offers us coffee and water. We get the injectors back and they are like new and Im given the bill, 264.00 pesos about $26.00. Wow great work and cheap to. I thank the two young technicians and give them each 10 pesos for a cerveza after work.
We return to the marina and share our experience with the other boaters then just relax before dinner. Victoria Dos has a nice large Bar B Que were I enjoy cooking most of our dinners. Its much to hot to cook inside the boat.
Saturday Nov. 11
Today there is a swap meet at one of the local boat yards were boaters bring their treasures of the bilge. Im looking for a larger anchor for Victoria Dos and hope to find one at the swap met. We take the shuttle into town and enjoy brunch with friends from the Marina. Following lunch we walk over to the boat yard. Yes there is a CQR anchor complete with chain for sale. I negotiate a price and we have a new anchor.
Sunday Nov 12
Its Sunday so the Admiral and I are off to church.
Spend the afternoon putting the injectors back in the engine and bleeding the fuel system. I have to bleed the system 3 or 4 times before I get all the air out of the system. Once I get the all the air out the engine runs great. Ron and Anita from the SV: Liberty Call II stop by and tells us that tropical storm Sergio is now a category 3 hurricane. All though its a long distance away we are glad we didnt make the passage to Mazatlan earlier this week as planned.
Monday Nov. 13
Listened to the cruisers net this morning and weather prediction is that Sergio is heading for cooler waters and is expected to weaken and is also turning west, away from the Baja good news.
We must import our boat into Mexico. Although we have 3 months to do this, we decide as we are waiting out Segio we will do it now. We must go to the immigration office at the ferry terminal at Puerto Pichilingue about 10 miles from La Paz. We get our documentation together. We are told we require three copies on boat documents, visa and passport. The admiral and I go to the bus depot and take the bus to Pichilingue. We arrive there, locate the immigration office and present our documents. The fellow does not want all this documentation just one copy of boat registration and copies of our passports. 30 minutes later we have our import permit and sticker to place on the boat window (good for 10 years). Much simpler than 3 years ago when we imported OLE which took us 3 or 4 days.
Tuesday Nov.14
The morning cruisers net reports hurricane Sergio as still and category 3 hurricane, but now weakening. We spend the day enjoying La Paz and the beautiful walk along the Malacon. The Malacon is the long walkway along La Paz Bay that we enjoy, especially on hot days with a breeze blowing off the sea. On the way back to the marina we hear music coming from a palapa restaurant. A palapa restaurant is of very basic construction with straw roof and sand floors. We enjoy a great traditional Mexican dinner and music.
Wednesday Nov 15
Another beautiful day in paradise. We spend the day at the boat, the admiral does landery at the marina launder mat. Its Wednesday so we will be going to Cio Molino restaurant for the 50 peso spaghetti and jam session. The marina is now full with the arrivals of the cruisers from the Baja Ha Ha. This is an annual trip (fun race) sponsored by Latitudes 38, a California cruising magazine. This year a record 160 boats (156 sail & 4 motor yachts) left San Diego on October 30th. The race ends in Cabo San Lucas. There they have a banquet and awards presentation. From there the cruisers head off to various destinations. Some stay on the Baja (La Paz) and some head to the mainland ( Mazatlan or Puerto Vallarta)
Our afternoon technical discussion (happy hour) are growing with the new arrivals. We enjoy hearing the various sailing stories and meeting new friends.
Thursday November 16
Sergio is now a tropical depression and headed west out to Sea and will not be a threat to us, but we will wait a couple more days to let the sea calm down. Sergio also created a low pressure weather system in the sea bringing northern winds and swells from the north.
Friday Nov 17
Our plans are to leave for Mazatlan Sunday. Today we spend the day getting supplies for the crossing. The crossing will take us two days to make it to Mazatlan.
The admiral takes the opportunity to do the laundry. One of the topics for todays happy hour are experiences cruisers have had making the crossing. Bill from SV: Rocky and Brew suggests we all go out to the shrimp place for cheap shrimp and cervezas tomorrow. John from the SV; Pelican has a van and offers to pick us up tomorrow.
Saturday Nov. 18
Another beautiful morning, although we will miss our friends in La Paz we are excited to be sailing to Mazatlan tomorrow and meet old friends and new.
John from SV: Pelican arrives at 12:00 and were off to El Cameron for the shrimp feast. We meet the fellow cruisers there. The admiral and I order a ½ kilo of steamed and ½ kilo of fried. The shrimp come in a large bowl then we shell them and throw the shells in another bowl. It does get a little messy.
Today the new Costa Baja marina is hosting the Governors dinner to welcoming cruisers to La Paz and the Baja. John also drives us to the marina where we enjoy our food and cervasas. The marina has set up a movie screen on the side of a cliff in the maria. They showed a great movie filmed on the Baja call Ocean Oasis.
Sunday Nov. 19
Up early to have breakfast. Its a warm clear morning. If the seas are rolling during the crossing we will have difficult time cooking. Following breakfast, I Bar B Que some chicken to eat during our journey. We get the attention and comments from our neighbors with the smell of Bar B Que chicken. We have a shower and at 11:00am say good- bye to all our friends and they help us with our dock lines as we leave La Paz. We motor out of La Paz bay and reach San Lorenzo channel about 2:00pm. This channel is quite wide but has only a narrow passage through the shoals. The channel is open to the Sea and with the current there is some good size swells making it a rolling passage. Once out of the channel the sun starts to set and the winds calm. There is not much of a moon but the stars light up the sea. The big dipper looks much bigger that at home and its upside down.
Monday Nov 20
Although the night was cool it wasnt cold and the sea became flat making it comfortable for the admiral. We watched as the sun rose over the horizon and it quickly warmed the air. We are happy with the performance of the boat and it uses much less fuel than OLE We brought extra fuel but will not require it.
During the day we see a pod of dolphins in the distance they join us swimming along the bow of the boat and perform for us. We are always overwhelmed when the dolphins join us as they appear to being showing off to us, with their jumping and swimming under the boat.
We enjoy a dinner of chicken tacos aboard. Later the sun goes down and we are enjoying our second night at sea. We expect to arrive in Mazatlan approximately 9:00am tomorrow. The sea is large and we have not seen any other boats as yet.
Tuesday Nov 21
Its midnight and we are 65 miles from Mazatlan. The wind is starting to pick up but its out of the east and right on our nose so we cant sail and continue to motor. At about 4:00am the admiral notices the engine temp gauge starting to rise and we can smell the odor of antifreeze in the cabin. I remove the cover over the motor and discover the exhaust gasket is leaking coolant. We add water to the heat exchanger and the engine cooling temp drops. About ½ hour later the temp starts to rise again and we add water once again. We continue adding water and if looks like we will be able to manage the leak until Mazatlan. Morning comes and we can see Mazatlan in the distance. The GPS has us arriving in Mazatlan about 9:30am.
Well 3 miles from Mazatlan the exhaust gasket fails completely and we have to shut the engine off. There is very little wind, we try to sail but no go. We radio friends on SV: Falcon V11and they arrange for a fishing boat to tow us into the marina. Once into the marina the tow boat unties us while under way and we are able to maneuver into our slip with the help of other cruisers on the dock and Falcon VII in their dingy. Once tied up we get a little teasing from our friends, as last year aboard OLE we ran out of fuel when approaching Mazatlan and Falcon VII cam toe the rescue.
Once we have the boat secure and things tidied up go for a soak in the pool. Boy did that feel good after the long trip.
Wednesday Nov 22
Even though the night was quite hot we have a great sleep as we were very tired from the crossing. We enjoy breakfast and then a second cup of coffee as we listen to the Mazatlan cruisers net. I the remove the exhaust flange to discover a self made rubber gasket was installed. The rubber gasket did not hold up to the hot exhaust gases.
During the survey on Victoria Dos the exhaust system was identified as requiring repair. The previous owner had a local boat yard replace the exhaust system but unfortunately they installed a gasket of the wrong material. Fortunately here in Mazatlan Bob Buchanan from Total Yacht Services is across from us at El Cid and is able to make us a new gasket of the proper material. Also I must replace the outhaul cable in the boom, but due to the temperature boat work only takes place in the morning
We spend the afternoon around the pool with friends. The Captain enjoys a game of pool volleyball as the admiral enjoys a couple of cool margaritas. Its a bit hotter in Mazatlan than La Paz, especially in the afternoon so the pool feels great.
Thursday Nov 23
Following breakfast and listening to the cruisers net, I remove the main sail and the boom so as I can replace the out haul cable, The outhaul cable runs internal to the boom so to get at it, I must remove the end caps from the boom. A big chore as they have not been removed since the boom was manufactured. It takes me all morning but after drilling out the attachment screws and lots of penetrating oil I get the caps off.
Its now hot so we head to the pool, there are not a lot of guest at El Cid; too early in the tourist season so there not enough for volley ball. We enjoy the pool and a couple of pool drinks and a game of bingo. Susan on Falcon VII wins 2 bottles of tequila.
Friday October 19
We are off on another adventure to La Paz Mexico and our sail boat Victoria Dos. Our travelling luggage consists of mostly boat parts and a new main sail. One of the Admirals checked baggage is the battens for the new sail. The battens are long plastic strips that insert into the main sail to keep its shape. The tube holding the battens is 10 feet long. The Admiral gets a few curious looks caring the tube through the air port. We arrive at the air line check in counter and are told one of our bags are more than 50lbs and would have to pay and additional fee. We move stuff between luggage and get each piece of checked luggage below the 50lbs. We have short flight to Seattle were we will change planes and then off to Los Angeles. We have a sleep over in Los Angeles then a short 2 1/2 hr flight to La Paz
We arrive in L.A. a pick up our baggage; once again the admiral gets curious looks and comments carrying the tube through the airport. The hotel shuttle van takes us to our hotel. The hotel is not a 3 star, but it’s clean and will do us for the night.
It’s a beautiful California night so the Admiral and I walk down the street to a sports bar for some supper and a cool one or two.
Saturday October 20
It’s a beautiful morning and our plane doesn’t leave until 12:00 noon so we go for a long walk to the ocean. We get to the ocean bur there is no access to the beach, but a nice view. On our way back the admiral and I find a small coffee house were we enjoy a great cup of java. We hear on the news there is Santa Anna winds heading to L.A. later this afternoon, bringing high winds and unusual hot temperatures as the winds originate from the dessert.
We arrive at the small La Paz airport at 3:30pm. once we leave the plane the heat hits us (37C). It’s hot. We get our luggage and go through the Mexican customs without any problems, even with the Admiral carrying the long tube. We have rented a car for four days. The Admirals tube will not fit in the car so we strap the tube to the side of the car and away we go. We drive to the Hotel Gardenia, another 2 star hotel. We are pleasantly surprised to see the hotel under renovations. We are given one of the rooms recently renovated with new furniture and a new air conditioning unit. Once we get checked in we drive down to the boat yard to check on Victoria Dos. She looks great and we are very excited to get started to get her ready for her launch Monday. It’s now getting dark so we decide to go to one of our favorite restaurants for dinner and a couple cool cervezas. Boy do those cervezas taste great!!!
There was lot’s of excitement at Marina Palmira where we will be taking Victoria Dos. A large motor yacht (92 feet) caught fire and burnt. There was no one aboard and the cause of the fire has not been determined. The fire fighters were unable to put the fire out so they towed the boat outside the breakwater to burn. Only the aluminum hull remains. See pictures on web page below
Sunday October 21
Up early and off to the boat yard to start getting Victoria Dos ready for launch. We stop on the way to get a couple of coffees and bottled water for the day. It’s still dark when we arrive, but it’s a warm morning with a nice warm breeze blowing off the water.
The Admiral takes all the window and hatch covers off. I check the electrical out to discover batteries are dry. No problem we will get some distilled water and charge batteries with the solar panel.
As we need some distilled water we decide to go to Marina Palmira for breakfast and water. We discover the Marina office is open so we check in and get the paper work out of the way and our rent paid.
While having breakfast our sailing friend Norman from the SV: Anya walks by and after “hellos and good to see you”, we agree to meet back at his boat later in the day for a couple of cool ones.
The Admiral and I return to the boat get the batteries topped up, the foresail up and some cleaning done. We have the boat ready for launch tomorrow.
Well it’s now 12:00 noon and very hot (37 C). We drive back to Marina Palmira and enjoy a couple of cervezas and conversation with Norman.
We get back to our hotel and it’s a quick change and into the pool. Ooooh! does that pool feel great.
Once refreshed we go to another one of our favorite restaurants for dinner.
Monday October 22
Up early to check out of hotel as we will be stay on our boat tonight and off to the boat yard. We’re excited as today’s the day we launch. Once at the boat yard we meet with Abel the owner of the boat yard and settle our account for storage. Abel tells us there is one boat ahead of us and he will launch us at about 2.00pm this afternoon. The admiral and I spend the morning washing the boat inside and out.
2:00 pm approaches and the boat ahead of us is still not in the water, their waiting for high tide. Looks like we aren’t going in the water today. Well in Mexico we have learned to relax and things most always go as schedule.
The admiral and I go back to the hotel and check in for another night, clean up and go out to our favorite palapa restaurant for dinner.
Tuesday October 23
Once again were up and off to the boat yard. Abel tells us they will put us in the water right after they pull a large motor yacht out. We spend the morning watching the boat yard staff pulling the yacht out. They gets the yacht out and Abel tells us it’s our turn. Victoria Dos is in tight and the staff has quite the challenges getting the boat out. I’m sure if it wasn’t for the experience of the yard staff and the Mexican way, the boat would not have been able to move out of it’s storage space as other boats were stored next to Victoria Dos after she was put in her place.
It’s 5:00pm and Victoria Dos is wet. The Admiral drives the car to the Marina and I motor through the bay to the marina. Well on the way the engine overheats and I have to shut the engine off. It’s a sail boat so I roll out the Genoa and sail to the marina and into the slip where Donna and others are waiting. Our neighbors Ron and Anita on SV: Liberty Call II, who we have met previously in Mazatlan, were also there to help. I get into the slip and tied up without incident and once secured to the dock, we enjoy a sundowner with neighbors.
Wednesday October 24
We enjoyed our first night aboard Victoria Dos. It felt great to get up and enjoy a coffee in the warm morning sun and listen to the local cruisers net. The “Cruisers Net” happens each morning, except Sunday on the VHF radio. Various cruisers host or MC the net each morning with local news, locals assistance and my favorite, “swaps & trades”
Over the summer storage our refrigerator has lost it’s charge. The refrigeration mechanic will be coming by later today to repair fridge. Important to have Cervesas frio (cold beer)
We have to take the rental car back this afternoon and as our frdige is back working, we go to the supermarket and load up with supplies.
Tonight is the weekly jam session at Chao Molina restaurant. The Admiral and I join Norman and neighbors Mike and Lisa on the SV: Blue Suede Sue for the evening. The restaurant is famous for it’s $5.00US spaghetti and meet balls. Well it’s now $7.50, I guess because of the falling US dollar. We have an enjoyable evening, listening to the music, great conversation and a few sun downers.
Thursday October 25
Another beautiful morning in paradise, it’s going to be another hot a sunny day 37 C. There is a nice northern breeze helping keeping us cool or at least cope with the temp. We would like to hoist our new main sail, but we will have to wait for calmer weather.
I spend the day trouble shooting our engine cooling system . I discover the exhaust mixing elbow plugged. The mixing elbow injects cooling water into the motor exhaust as it leaves the engine cooling the exhaust gases. After removing the exhaust outlet header, I spend the day pouring acid into the tee to clean it out. Boy is that sun hot and it’s a good thing the fridge is working well and lot’s of frio cervezas. Must be careful of dehydration.
It’s cooling off after the sun goes down so we are able to get a goods night sleep
Friday October 26
Once again a beautiful morning, no breeze so we will hoist our new main sail after breakfast. There is a concern raised on the morning VHF net that Lucy the goose has not been seen at the marina for a couple of days. Lucy is the goose that was blown into the marine during hurricane Marty of 2003. Lucy is not native to the Baja and has been adopted by the cruisers at Marina Palmira. So the search is on for Lucy
The Admiral and I get the new main sail out and start to hoist the sail the sail looks great. The sail has the boat sail numbers and we added the letters “CAD” indicating we are a Canadian boat. We get the sail just about to the top of the mast when we discover one of the sail slides is too large for the mast groove. Try to shape it smaller with my Dremel tool but with no success. I call Danny at Pacific Threads on the VHF radio and arrange for him to remove it and sew a proper size slide in. I also call North Sails and voice my displeasure. They apologize and agree to pay for the replacement of the slide.
The cooling system elbow is still plugged and I spend the rest of the day adding small amounts of muriatic acid every couple hours to flush out the hardened salt and grime. Lots of salt and rust coming out with each flush.
For dinner the Admiral and I Bar B Que our favorite Mexican chicken and enjoy a great dinner under the stars and a bright full moon.
Saturday October 27
Lucy the goose has been found, she has made a nest on a boat a couple slips away from us. She has laid 6 eggs and is sitting on the eggs, hoping they will hatch. Unfortunately she doesn’t have a male partner so the eggs will not hatch. I guess no one has told Lucy.
Our neighbors Ron & Anita from Liberty Call II are flying to San Diego today. The will be joining friends as crew for the Baja Ha Ha. The Baja Ha Ha is a fun race from San Diego to Cabo San Lucas. Last year there were 130 boats in the race. Once the cruisers arrive in Cabo there is a party & awards, then the cruisers are off to various Mexican sailing locations. The Marina we are staying in currently has quite a few empty slips but reserved for the Baja Ha Ha group. We will be expecting many new neighbors around Nov. 15th .
Still trying to get the cooling elbow cleared, flushing the elbow with acid every couple of hours. This involves pouring acid into the elbow and sitting with a cerveza in hand and watch the acid bubble.
It’s been a busy day and it’s Saturday night, so he Admiral suggests we go out for dinner. I agree and we walk over to the local palapa restaurant were they have great music, food and frio cervezas.
Sunday October 28
Up early and off to church, while waiting for the marina shuttle van we feed Lucy some carrots. She is getting quite domesticated and eating out of our hand. She even allows some of the marina staff to carry her. We have an hour before church starts, we stop for breakfast at a local restaurant.
After church we walk back to the marina. It’s a fairly long walk but we like the exercise and the walk along the Malecon back to the marina is along the water front so there is a nice breeze.
Once back to the boat I have symptoms of dehydration so I quickly get a cold cerveza and this appears to help, so I have a second. The Admiral claims that water works just a well but…..
Monday October 29
Today Mario the mechanic is coming over to change the motor mounts. We have been experiencing a vibration while motoring and as the original motor mounts are seized we were unable to align the engine. Included in our heavy luggage were new motor mounts.
Mario arrived and we set up the rigging to hoist the engine to remove and replace the mounts. Well the job didn’t go without challenges as two motor mount studs broke and we had to drill them out. We got the mounts changed but it was a long hot day in the cabin working on the engine.
Mario agrees to come back tomorrow to carry out the final alignment after I install the exhaust riser.
Tuesday October 30
Motor mounts installed and the exhaust riser elbow acid cleaned and clear, I reconnect the exhaust. Mario arrives and we start the engine; it’s smooth running and has great cooling water flow. Great job Mario!
We are informed on the morning net that our new dodger has arrived from the US. John from the SV: Pelican offers to drive us to DHL courier depot to pick it up. We arrive at DHL to find out the packages are at their warehouse and will not be at the depot until 5:00pm. Well it’s Mexico so we go back to the boat and relax until 4:00PM when John arrives and we have a cool one then off to DHL. The packages are there so we load them into Johns van and then we take John for dinner at Rancho Viejo were they have great beef tacos. The sun is now down and it’s cool so we sit on the patio and enjoy a couple of cervezas, tacos and great conversation.
Wednesday October 31 Halloween
Start to install the dodger, well the instruction aren’t as clears as they should be, but after a couple of phone calls to the factory the installation starts to work out not too bad. It’s a hot day with no breeze, I have to wear a sweat band to keep the sweat out of my eyes. It’s a bit of a frustrating day, so the Admiral suggest we walk into town buy some candies and got to church were there having games for the children.
We walk home through town an see the children out trick or treating.
Thursday November 1 Day of the Dead
The Mexicans celebrate the day after Halloween as the day of the dead. They set up mini shrines for their loved ones, who have passed on. In the shrines they place the loved ones favorite items and food, believing during the night they will awake from the dead and visit their shrine, eating the food. I don’t know how they explain it when the next morning the food that was left fore their lost love ones is still there.
Our sailing friends from last season, Ron & Karen from the SV: Aegean Odyssey, arrive and tie up in the slip next to us. Ron & Karen have sailed down from San Carlos (5days)on their way to Mazatlan. With a stop over in La Paz for a couple of days to rest up and get supplies.
The Admiral and I enjoy La Paz and especially the walk along the bay called the Malecon. Attached are some pictures of the walk along the bay.
Friday November 2
The dodger is installed. It looks really nice and will provide shade from the sun and most important shelter us from the ocean spray over the bow when sailing in rough sea. Last year Jim and I got wet and chilly during the crossing from Mazatlan. The dodger manufacturer forgot to install some fasteners and openings for the halyards to go through, so Danny from Pacific Threads is coming over to pick up the dodger and make the necessary adjustments.My morning walk to the wash room and meeting Lucy at the fountain has become a regular event. She now recognizes me and starts to quack loudly when she sees me coming. Her favorite is carrots and the occasional cucumber.Our boat maintenance is just about complete and we are wanting to get out sailing and away from the marina.
Saturday November 3The great exchange with the Canadian dollar is really helping with our cruising budget. Example: a 10 peso cerveza last year cost me $1.07 Canadian, this year the same cerveza cost $.91 Canadian. This could be the definition of paradise “hot weather and cold cheap beer”.When I mentioned this to the Admiral she quickly came back with “It’s cheaper to eat out than cook dinner” She is right! Dinner for two and a couple cool ones at our favorite restaurant is 150 pesos with tip, or $13.65.Another cruising couple we met last year have just arrived. John and Lisa on the SV: Andiamo are here. Well it’s enough reason for our first dock party and some great conversation.
Sunday November 4Off to church. The church we attend is English speaking and non-denominational. Each we week meet new people as there are boat people coming and going. Yes there is a regulars attending congregation that keep things going.We walk the long walk along the Malecon back to the marina, not sure how far but it takes us about 45 minutes. Once again it’s a pretty walk along La Paz bay with numerous statues and boats moored in the bay. It’s a hot day like every other day and when we get back I have this feeling of dehydration. We relax in the cockpit, feet up and a cool cerveza.As the sun goes down it starts to cool and I light the bar b que and I cook our favorite. Mexican chicken.
Monday November 5 Well we are ready to leave the marina, we are going out for a motor sail as we want to check out the motor operation with the new mounts.There is a large ship anchored out in the bay. It has two large cranes and is creating a lot of speculation among the local cruisers. One report is that it’s here to hoist Spanish treasure from a sunken Spanish ship that sank in the northern Sea of Cortez in the 18 century. We will motor out to the ship and check it out.We motor out of the marina and the motor is running smooth (great job Mario). It’s a very calm day so we would not be able to sail anyway. The ship we are going to check out is anchored quite a ways out. It will take us a couple of hours to get to it. The Admiral takes her normal position of sitting on the bow of the boat looking for marine life and after not too long she spots 3 or 4 seal lions. One swims with us for a short distance.We arrive at the ship and yes it has two large cranes that could be used for hoisting articles of treasure from the sea. We circle the ship take several pictures and start our voyage back to the marina. It’s at hot day, the breeze from the boat is very refreshing.As we approach the marina, the Admiral gets the lines ready. We arrive at our slip, the Admiral cleats the lines and without incident we are tied tightly to our slip. If you’re a sailor you can understand how embarrassing this task can be if things go wrong. The Admiral is getting to be a very experienced crew member.
Tuesday November 6 Today we are going for supplies (food and beverage) but first I must go and feed the goose. Yes like other mornings she is waiting by the marina fountain.We take the 10am shuttle and Jose takes us into town. We do some window shopping before going to the supermarket. La Paz has most of their streets named after famous historic events. Not sure what happened on September 16th back in history, but this street has many small shops. The shops are all organized together, not sure if this was planned. Example; most of the shoe stores will be with in the same couple blocks, the eye ware and eye doctors together and then the plumbing and hardware stores. Great for shopping and comparing.Well it is lunch time so the Admiral and I stop for a taco and cool one, at one of our favorite taco restaurant called Bismarks. We order our tacos and they are cooked on an outdoor grill, then you add your own condiments to the tacos.We walk up to the market get our supplies. They are too heavy to carry back so we take a taxi. Unpack the supplies then sit back and enjoy a beautiful sunset.
Wednesday November 7We listen to the morning net on the VHF radio, this is a regular event. The weather prediction is winds; light and variable 10 to 15 knots. The Admiral says lets go sailing and check out that new main sail.We pack things away. When out sailing the boat will heel (lean over) with the wind so if thing aren’t stowed away they tend to fall off tables and off shelves.We motor out of the marine and out the bay. The La Paz bay is quite large and it takes us 45 minutes to motor out of the bay and the channel markers. Once out of the bay there is a nice wind, we point into the wind, hoist the sails and turn the motor off and we’re sailing. It’s a great sound when the engine is off and the only noise is the water splashing past the bow. We have a nice wind and are sailing between 5 and 6 knots. Not to much heel, this makes the Admiral happy.We have a Sirius satellite radio and cockpit speakers, we tune into some oldies and we are “enjoying the day”!!!
Thursday November 8 Following breakfast we walk into La Paz there is a lot of action in town as Paramount Pictures are filming a new Adam Sandler movie. They have blocked off the main street and have set up lots of tables and beach chairs by the water. The set looks like a beach resort. No Adam Sandler but the cast are beautiful female models in swim suits. After we watch them filming for a while the Admiral suggest we go for an ice cream. La Paz has the best ice cream and a couple great ice cream stands.We spend the afternoon washing the boat as we are heading out sailing Monday morning for 5 days or so.
Friday November 9
Another beautiful morning, once again enjoying breakfast while listening to the VHF cruisers net.
5 slips down from us there’s a young cruising couple Mandy and Casey and their 18 month old daughter Vianne. This morning Mandy comes over, asks the Admiral if she would watch Vianne tonight. The Admiral accepts gladly. Casey works on a charter boat and is away quite often on charters. Mandy and Casey want to go out for an evening dinner, at a local restaurant and enjoy.
We spend the afternoon relaxing, walking the dock checking out other boats and enjoying great conversation with neighbors.
After dinner Mandy and Casey bring Vianne over to our boat. The admiral, Mandy and I walk down to the marine store and enjoy some great Mexican ice cream. Once finished we return to our boat where the Admiral and Vianne spend time drawing fish pictures and playing dominos. Vianne enjoys the Admirals company and is very good, her parents return about 9:30pm.The Admiral also enjoyed Vianne’s company as she misses her grand children and gets her baby fix.
Saturday November 10
The Admiral and I walk down to Lopez Marine, a marine chandlery store. We need a few items for the boat. It’s a long hot walk as there is no breeze, so we choose the shady side of the streets.
One the way back we stop for a taco and a cool one and rest to regain our energy for the rest of the walk back to the boat.
Sunday November 11 Remembrance Day
Off to church. We take the 8:00 am shuttle to town. As church starts a 9:00am the Admiral and I stop for breakfast.
Following church we go the market and get a few supplies as we are going out sailing tomorrow morning.
Once back at the boat the Admiral unpacks and the Captain goes over the boat in preparation for early start. Water tanks topped up etc.
Monday November 12
Following breakfast we untie from our slip and motor over to the fuel dock to top up our fuel tanks. All fueled up we leave the fuel dock and oh no!! The low oil pressure alarm activates. I shut the motor off and we float back to our slip to the wondering faces of our neighbors. Once in our slip, I check the engine to discover the oil pressure switch has failed and leaking oil. This is a bit of relief as it doesn’t appear to be a problem with the engine lubrication system.
With the help of Mario the mechanic we remove the switch, not an easy job as it’s in a tight spot behind the exhaust manifold, we have to remove the starter to get access. We remove the switch, I go into town, purchase a new one. We install the new switch & starter the engine, every thing OK. It’s now 4:00pm so we will leave tomorrow morning.
Tuesday November 13
We get an early start and are in the La Paz channel at 9:30. The weather forecast on the SSB radio is for winds light and variable. Leaving the channel there is a large oil tanker anchored and unloading at the oil unloading dock. We have to manoeuvre around the tanker, careful not to hit its anchor lines. Once out of the channel we raise the sails and off with the engine. We sail past 3 or 4 seal lions that appear to be waving at us. (picture)
Once we approach the San Lorenzo channel the wind picks up and so also do the waves. The dodger keeps us dry as there is the odd wave that splashed over the bow. The San Lorenzo channel is a wide channel between the Baja main land and Isla Esperito Santos, a large island. Once we pass by the channel the winds lessens as we are in the protection of the island. We then motor to our favorite anchorage of Caleta Partida. We enjoy a dinner, and beautiful sunset and quiet nights sleep.
Wednesday November 14.
Following breakfast we head out of Calita Partida anchorage; no wind, the sea is flat. We are heading to Isla San Francisco the sea are flat no wind so we motor. The Admiral takes her usual location on the bow of the boat looking for marine life. As we pass the small island of Los Islotes the admiral sights a pod of dolphins, about 150. (Please see short movie). A couple of the dolphins from the pod swim with us for awhile, but it appears as though they are on a journey and continue to swim past without stopping. We arrive at Hook Bay in Isla San Francisco where there are two other sail boats anchored, we drop anchor in 20 feed of clear bluish green water. Once we have confirmed the anchor is holding, we drop the dingy and go to shore for a walk on the beach. The Admiral collects some very interesting sea shells.
Once back on the boat we have a sun downer and bar b que some of our favorite Mexican chicken.
Thursday November 15
We enjoy a great sleep and wake up to a great morning in a beautiful bay.
We leave Hook Bay and head for San Everisto, a small fishing village approximately 15 miles away. We have been told by other cruisers about another beautiful small fishing village called Nopolo about 7 miles north on San Everisto. The Admiral suggests we motor to Nopolo and check the village and bay out. The cruisers are correct it’s a beautiful bay with a few small homes along the beach. We take some pictures and return to San Everisto to anchor for the night. We are the only boat at the anchorage, but just before dark another sail boat arrives. It’s a calm evening and after enjoying dinner in the cockpit the Admiral suggests we have a game or two of cards outside in the cockpit. Great idea but just as we get the dishes washed and put away, the wind starts to pick up. We enjoy a couple games of cribbage inside. Yes, the Admiral wins and we are off to bed.
Captains Log #5, Fall 2007
Friday November 16
Well, we didn’t get much sleep last night as about midnight the winds pickup at midnight to near gale force, So we were up most of the night on anchor watch. ( That’s watching to be sure the anchor doesn’t loose it’s hold.) The boat next to use does drag their anchor and have to reset. Morning comes and as the sun comes out the wind stops a quickly as it started.
When out sailing away from the marina we listen to the Single Side Bad Radio (SSB) each morning. The SSB is a Ham radio allows us to receive and transmit long distances and get good information on weather forecast for the sea. The VHF radio transmits line of site and is only good for transmitting for about 12 miles. The SSB radio signal bounces of the ionosphere allowing long distance communication. We listen to today’s weather report for the Sea of Cortez from a weather forecaster from Oxnard California and the prediction for today is for “no wind and hot.”
We decide to leave San Everisto early in calm seas for Isla Espiritu and eat breakfast along the way. The seas are calm and as we approach Isla Espiritu we decide to continue on to La Paz. We arrive back in La Paz at about 5:00pm to the welcome of the other cruisers on the dock. We enjoy and couple of welcome back sun downers then head to the showers for a refreshing shower.
Saturday November 17
As we were tired from a sleepless night in San Everisto, we had a very sound sleep and woke up refreshed.
Tonight Costa Baja Marina is hosting the governor’s dinner welcoming cruisers. Free food, beer and a souvenir shirt are a part of the package!( Great for the cruising budget) John and Lisa from the SV: Andiamo offer us a ride as they have a car here.
We arrive at Costa Baja a little early and visit with Tracy and Julie of the SV:.Eagle Dancer. After a cool one and conversation we walk up to the dinner. The marina has done a great job with the dinner setting around the main fountain. We sit with other cruising friends and enjoy a great meal. The MC announces the free Cervezas are not here yet , but on the way. The free cervezas never do show but we enjoy a great dinner and laughs with friends. Fortunately there was a small tienda near by selling beer and wine.
Sunday November 18
Off to church we are unable to take the shuttle as the police had impounded the van. (Some sort of documentation problem). We share a taxi with Mandy and here daughter Vianne.
November 22nd is US thanksgiving and as there are many Americans in La Paz the church is having a pot lock dinner following service to celebrate American Thanks Giving. The Admiral and I enjoy a great dinner and I always enjoy these gatherings as there are other cruisers and I get to hear their sailing stories and we discuss boat stuff.
Monday November 19 Mexico’s Revolution Day Holiday
Tomorrow is, Revolution Day a national holiday in Mexico but today is the business holiday. There will be a parade along the Malecon, so the Admiral and I head into town to see the parade. We arrive. No parade We ask and are told, tomorrow is when the parade will happen. Typical Mexican way, holiday today, parade tomorrow on actual day. So there will be a lot absent from work tomorrow to watch the parade.
We return to the boat relax. The weather forecast is for light winds and calm seas for the next 4 or 5 days. The Admiral suggests we sail out to the islands for a couple of days. I agreed and we plan to leave Wednesday.
Tuesday November 19
We are getting new cockpit cushions made for the boat, we arrange to meet with Danny from Pacific Threads this afternoon after the parade.
The parade is to start at 08:00am, the Admiral and I get a late start. We arrive at the parade route at 9:30am and luckily for us, the parade starts at 8:00am Mexico time (late as usual) so even though we are late, we were in time for the parade. The parade was much larger than the one we watched 3 years ago. There was a larger presence from the military. Also the governor and military dignitary’s were under lots of military security with machine guns.
The Admiral and I enjoyed the parade and took lots of pictures.( For Jimmy) there was the Baja Bikers in the parade with their Harleys.
We return to the boat and the Admiral works with Danny to make patterns for our new cushions.
Wednesday November 20
The Captain cooks his very delicious omelet ranchero for breakfast. We enjoy breakfast while listening to the net.
We untie our lines and leave the Marina at 9:30am. Once outside the marina we are passed by a large yacht creating a wake and giving us a couple of rolls. Once out of La Paz bay we hoist the sails and enjoy a good sail for approximately two hours. We arrive at Ensenada Grande on Isla Partida. Drop the anchor and go to shore to explore. We meet another Canadian boat on the SV: Desperados. The captain tells us that it got quite rough and windy in the bay last night. The Admiral and I decide to spend the night in the protected anchorage in Caleta Partida. At about 4:00pm we lift the anchor and motor to Caleta Partita about 4 miles away. Yes the winds did pick up during the night, but we have a great sleep in the protected anchorage.
Thursday November 21
After enjoying a restful night and following breakfast we lift the anchor and motor back to the lovely Ensenada Grande Bay. Beautiful white, sandy, clear water. We can see our anchor in 20 feet on water. We dingy into a small beach were I snorkel along the rocks and see many colorful fish among the coral and rocks. The Admiral also saw the fish, but from a different vantage point…perched on a huge bolder, overlooking the same waters. We meet another Canadian boat SV: Don Pedro from Vancouver. The Captain and crew are on a 5 year circumnavigation. The captains nephew lived in Stony Plain for 3 years and worked in Acheson. We have a great conversation and later we watched them taking turns being pulled on a knee board behind their dingy.
After enjoying the day we return to the safe anchorage at Calita Partita for the night.
Our 2008 Caribbean Adventure
Our Caribbean adventure is to charter a 36 foot sail boat in the British Virgin Islands (B.V.I.) with our good friends Jim and Karen Shinn. We will join our son Kevin, his wife Kendra and their children Keana, Cole,Tyler and Luke, who are cruising the Caribbean for 7 months on their 42 foot catamaran “SV: One Life”. They started their trip at the beginning of November 2007 in Granada and will complete their adventure in Miami Florida in May 2008. They plan to be in B.V.I approximately January 12, where we will meet up with them. Our daughter Krystal, her husband Curt and there children Joshua, Kendal & Jake will join the crew on “One Life” on January 18th for 7 days.
Captains Log #1
Friday January 4th
We arrived in BVI at 10:00pm after three long, but uneventful flights: Calgary to Dallas to Porto Rico to British Virgin Islands.
Getting off the plane we enjoy the warmth of the island air and the smell of the ocean (the feeling of paradise). We take a speedy taxi ride through a narrow winding road to the marina and our charter boat, “SV: Thermo Fossicle”, where we relax and enjoyed a tall night cap before going to bed (love that island rum).
Saturday January 5th
After a sort of relaxing sleep, as it’s quite warm and humid during the night we woke up to a beautiful hot sunny day. We walked over to the restaurant at the marina and enjoyed a delicious breakfast. We then attended a chart briefing, where the charter company rep. recommended sailing routes of the islands and what passages not to venture into, because of reefs and shallow areas.
We then walked into Road Town to enjoy the sites. The admiral cautioned us of the heat and risk of dehydration. We found a small bar and enjoyed a couple of cool ones along with Caribbean music from a Bob Marley look alike. After an enjoyable afternoon we walked over to the supermarket were we got supplies for the start of our journey next day. Back at the boat and supplies stowed, Karen suggested we dingy over to a restaurant across the bay for dinner. We arrive at the restaurant and enjoyed great drinks, food and the music of a Caribbean steel drum band.
Sunday January 6th
Up early, First mate Jim made us a hardy breakfast on the boat, then we’re off to Peter Island. Once underway we passed the cruise ship “Queen Mary Two” anchored just out side the Road Town Bay. The ship is to large to enter the bay where most cruise ships dock, so it must anchor out and bring guests ashore in water taxis.
Underway we experience a rain storm, but it was warm and refreshing. We arrive at Peter Island, anchored in a beautiful bay and decide to dingy ashore and explore. Jim & Karen discovered a nice little beach bar, were we enjoyed a couple of cools ones.
Once back at the boat we lit the charcoal Bar B Que and enjoyed a wonderful dinner of the captain’s famous Bar B Que chicken.
Monday January 7th
A bit of a restless night for our guests as we did experience a few ocean swells in the bay (rocky boat) and the noise of the anchor chain on the anchor roller. Following breakfast we hoisted the anchor raised the sails and were off to Great Bay on the island of Jost Van Dyke. Yes this is where the famous Foxy’s beach bar is. We had a nice sail with moderate winds but a bit rolly from the ocean swells. We sailed around the island of Tortola and headed for Great Harbor on the island of Jost Van Dyke. Approaching Great Harbour we spotted the channel markers and followed them into the bay (red right returning). The captain mistakes a red mooring ball for a navigation marker and “oops”,we are aground. Fortunately it’s a soft sandy bottom and we got off without any great trouble. This added some entertainment for the boats at anchor in the bay watching us. Once we had the anchor set we went ashore to explore and get some ice for a sundowner. We stopped by Foxy’s Bar for a cool one and met Foxy himself. He shared a few stories/jokes with us and told us he does not sing any more, due to a throat illness. We enjoyed the afternoon and decided we will return to Foxy’s after dinner aboard “Thermo Fosiccle”
Tuesday January 8th
Things are moving slowly this morning with first mate Jim, who took a fond liking to Foxy’s rum paralyzers last night. Would you believe that we enjoyed Foxy’s until midnight!!! Once we had breakfast we hoisted anchor and sailed over to the island of Sandy Cay a beautiful small island with a great sandy beach. We anchored, took the dingy ashore and with the swells (surf) on the beach the dingy took a turn and we got wet. We had a laugh and dried off quickly from the hot sun. There is a path through the mangroves on the island. We took the journey and we saw some great views of the ocean breaking against the rocks on the other side but unfortunately Jim and Karen get quite a few insect bites. Not sure what they didn’t get the admiral or captain??? We spent some time on the sandy beach looking for shells, then it was time to get back to the boat. Well the surf has built up since we came ashore so we pushed the dingy through the surf, started the engine, jumped into the dingy quickly, hit the throttle and away we went! There was not much for wind so we motored to Cane Garden bay on the island of Tortola. We decided to take a mooring ball for a fee of $25.00 rather than anchor so as to get good nights sleep. We went ashore and we walked the beautiful beach. The admiral discovered this great beach bar, Myetts, with free internet, happy hour drinks and live music. (Jimmy Buffet style). They also have the best complimentary spiced meat balls in B.V.I.
Wednesday January 9th
We left Great Garden Bay and sailed to the island of Virgin Gorda (6 hours), where we stayed in the Spanish Town Marina to get more supplies (rum & beer). Tomorrow we will take a taxi to the Baths to enjoy the view and do some snorkeling. We walk around Spanish town and enjoy the scenery of the brightly painted homes. Karen spotted a great little beach bar, over looking the marina, where we enjoyed a couple sundowners and dinner.
Thursday January 10th
We hired a taxi and took a tour of the beautiful island. We had a great tour guide/taxi driver, who took us to some great sites on the island of Virgin Gorda.
We returned to the boat, enjoyed lunch aboard, then took a taxi to the Baths where we enjoyed a afternoon on the beach, snorkeling and a few cool ones.
The baths are a unique place on B.V.I with very large granite boulders found no were else on this island or any other islands here.
Friday January 11th
The days are hot (30C) and the nights don’t cool off much and there are short rain showers that go over several times a night. This makes sleeping a bit of a challenge as you open all the hatches on the boat when you go to bed and then have to wake up after a couple hours to close them again. Once the rain shower goes over (2 or 3 minutes),up again to open the hatches. Repeat 4 or 5 times a night.
Our son’s sail plan is to meet us at Great Harbor on the island of Jost Van Dyke, January 12th. Once we leave the marina we will not have access to fuel and water so we top up the fuel tank and fill the water tanks before leaving.
We don’t have much for wind so we put up the main sail and motor sail the 14 nautical miles to Great Harbor.
We arrive at the anchorage about 3:00pm, drop anchor and enjoy a sun downer. Great Harbor is a beautiful anchorage and the crew comments on the view from the cockpit. Another great day in paradise!
Caribbean Captains Log # 2
Saturday January 12th
We enjoy breakfast and hale on the VHF several times for our son and family on “SV: ONE LIFE” At about 10:00am we here “One Life” calling us on the VHF radio informing us they are about 30 minutes away. We are real excited as we have not seen Kevin and family since October. “One Life” sailed into Great Harbor with the crew standing on the bow of the boat waving. They are wearing the white shirts with the boat name on the front (Our gift to them for Christmas). It’s a beautiful sight! It’s like they’re arriving in uniform. Once “One Life” is anchored, we dingy over for hugs, kisses and stories. The captain and crew of “One Life” have been sailing for several days and suggest we enjoy dinner ashore at Foxys restaurant and bar. We agree. We dingy ashore, walk to Foxies and short time later Foxy himself arrives. The grandchildren meet Foxy and get their picture taken with him. After a great buffet dinner we enjoy the great music by a Caribbean band and also some dancing. We dingy back to our boat in the dark, good thing First mate Jim suggested we leave our navigation lights on as it would have been difficult to find our boat among the many boats anchored in the bay.
We are also looking forward to our daughter, Krystal, and family joining us Jan. 18th
Sunday January 13th
Following another great breakfast prepared by the first mate Jim, we lifted anchor and along with “One Life” started sailing to Prickly Pear Island on the north side of the island of Virgin Gorda. It is a rolly sail as we are open to the water of the Atlantic Ocean with 8 foot swells. Proud of our crew as they took the voyage very well, no sea sickness. We arrive at Prickly point about 3;00pm and anchored at a beautiful sandy beach. Karen suggests we celebrate our voyage with a cool one, which we agreed to! We then dingyed ashore, walked the beach, and waded through the warm ocean water. (Paradise)
“One Life” arrives about an hour later, as they stopped along the way at Lee Bay for lunch and snorkeling. We dingyed over to “One life” were we enjoyed many laughs and dinner.
Monday January 14th
We once again enjoy a nourishing breakfast prepared by first mate Jim. Today is another warm day sunny 30C. The weather is the same every day with hot sunny days and the occasional isolated cloud that goes over with a 1 or 2 minute warm refreshing shower. Our towels etc get wet, but within 30minutes they dry again from the hot sun.
We dingy ashore and enjoy the day at the beach building sand castles, snorkeling & kayaking. Yes it’s a hot day and we must dingy back to the boat a couple times to replenish our cooler, as we don’t want to experience dehydration.
After a long day we enjoy dinner aboard, then dingyed over to “One Life” to say goodnight to the grandchildren.
Tuesday January 15th
On the way to Prickly Point “One Life” stopped at Lee Bay on the island of Great Camanoe where they discovered a great bay for snorkeling. So we are off to Lee Bay. We arrive at Lee Bay about noon and as soon as anchored the grand children are in the water swimming and snorkeling. The children are like fish; very comfortable in the water. It’s amazing how they have learned to hold their breath for so long and dive down 20 feet or so, to pet the sea life and get a closer look at the coral.
We dinghy ashore to a nice little beach were we put on our snorkel gear and spend the afternoon snorkeling. They were right, great snorkeling as we see lots of colorful fish and coral. It’s great to be snorkeling with the experienced grandchildren as they would dive down a point out fish that were camouflaged in the coral.
After a great afternoon we went over to “One Life” were we enjoyed a sundowner and a game of chicken foot, a game using dominoes that our grandchildren taught us.
Wednesday January 16th
We decide to spend the day here in Lee Bay then sail the short distance to Marina Cay later in the afternoon where “One Life” can do there laundry and we can fill our water tanks.
We dingy ashore to explore the island. The grandchildren find many hermit crabs along the way and play with them and scare grandma. We find some palm trees, our grandson Cole climbs one and gets us three coconuts. The boys show us how to break the outer shell off, the break the inner shell to drink the juice, then break the shell into small pieces and enjoy the meat of the coconut. They’re learning a lot of new skills.
Back at the boat we enjoy lunch then decide to go snorkeling. Keanna tells us of a great snorkeling site on the north side of the bay, by some large rocks. We dingy over to the site were Karen and the admiral decide they will view the fish from the dingy. We tie the dingy to a rock ledge. Jim and I join the others snorkeling. While snorkeling the swell start to build in the, creating some challenging conditions for Karen and the admiral as the dingy is washing into the rocks and the leg of the motor hitting the rocks. Thanks to Keana! She stands on the rocks holding an oar and the dingy away. Luke swims over and tells us to return quickly which we do. Well despite the conditions Karen and the admiral, a little concerned, are handling things well. We get the dingy away from the rocks and return to the boat. No damage.
We lift the anchor, motor 2ktm to Marina Cay were we tie to a mooring ball. “One Life” loads their laundry into their dingy and goes ashore. We were told that there was a great beach bar on the island with cheap drinks and great entertainment.
Kevin and Kendra do the laundry thing and their Crew joins us for happy hour. Yes children are allowed in the bars here. Micheal Bean the happy hour entertainer takes the stage and is great. The theme of his act is pirates, so his music and stories are pirate related. The children along with us have many laughs.
Well laundry done it’s time to return to the boat. Oh oh! we were having so much fun we stayed past sunset. We must dingy back to the boat in the dark, no flash light and we did not turn on any light on the boat. Well after a bit of searching we found our boat.
Thursday January 17th
The crew of “One Life” is excited as tomorrow morning their cousins the arrive. We sailed over to Trellis Bay on Beef island and take a mooring ball. We will be able to walk the 3 blocks to the airport in the morning from here. While in Trellis Bay, Kevin and Kendra take a taxi into Road Town to get supplies. The grand children spend the day with us walking the beach and just checking things out. We spent a great afternoon playing games and enjoying the fine company.
Later we spend the evening aboard “One Life” enjoying a game of chick foot and many laughs.
Friday January 18th
Excited, we dingy ashore and walk to the airport to welcome the Hooples. They arrived on time and felt the warm sun of the Caribbean (paradise). After hugs and kisses we walked back to the dingy dock. Along the way Luke and Tyler tell Josh how great it is here, even kids can go into the bar!. They tell the story of the great time we had last night with Michael Bean and his pirate songs and stories.
Once everyone was back at the boat and settled we lifted anchor and sailed across Sir Francis Drake Channel to Cooper Island. The seas were a bit lumpy but the Hoople’s did well with their first journey in a sail boat. Once at Copper Island and soon after we were anchored the kids were swimming in the warm ocean. A new experience for them; swimming in the ocean and the taste of salt water. It wasn’t long before Josh, Jake and Kendall also grew fins and gills and were happily leaping and diving off the back of Uncle Kevins boat! The Hooples also adapted quickly to snorkelling in the salt water and were amazed at the great sights of the colorful fish and c oral.
We enjoyed the evening aboard “One Life” having a sundowner and listening to the excitement of all. Our friends Jim and Karen commented on how much they are enjoying watching the kids and hope that our niece Janelle will also be able to join the voyage before it’s over in May.
Caribbean Captains Log # 3
Saturday January 19th
Another beautiful morning. Following breakfast, we sailed along side “One Life” to Norman Island. Norman island has many pirate stories, also a pirates treasure was discovered here in the late 1800s on what is now call Pirate Point. There are also the ruins from the Pirate Captain Black beards home!.
Once anchored we went ashore were the children played on the beach, building sand castles and swimming. There was a local boy ,Jason (2 years) ,that joined them and has a great time. We were so proud of how the kids included him. He seemed to relay enjoy playing with Kendall and she was very kind to him. Karen and Jim suggest that we spend the day just relaxing on the beach, relaxing and enjoying sipping a cool once. We took a vote and the unanimous decision was yes we would like to do that.
Later in the afternoon we hiked up the hill to see the remains of Captain Black Beard’s home. It was a long walk up what was not much more than a goats path. Along the way we would look back and see the beautiful bay and the many boats at anchor. It was a long walk and some of the crew SV: Thermo Fossicle decided not to continue and turned back. The rest of us the continued found the ruins and admired the great view of the backs on both sides of the island.
Sunday January 20th
We did not get to sleep until midnight as the music from Pirates Beach Bar was loud and went on until midnight. On the bright side the music was very good.
As we are enjoying Norman Island and we decide to stay for another day. There is great snorkeling just outside the bay at pirates point, where there are lots of caves to snorkel in, with many fish and beautiful coral. We took some crackers crumbs with us to feed the fish. The grandchildren would release the cracker crumbs close to their face and the fish would surround their heads. (See pictures).
We returned to the beach and once again enjoyed swimming, building castles and a few cool ones.
Monday January 21st
We woke up to an overcast and rainy morning. We had breakfast and were off to Little Jost Van Dyke bay, on the other side of the island of Tortola. Karen and the admiral stayed below out of the rain as Karen was having some back pain and was more comfortable there. First mate Jim and the Captain were at the helm in our foul weather gear. The wind was brisk and the ocean swells 8 to 9 feet. We were motor sailing at 6kts with only the main sail up and one reef in the sail. After a couple of hours the rain stopped, so Karen and the admiral came up out of the cabin. Once we reached Sopers Hole on the south end of Tortola the clouds started to break up and the sun shine. By the time we reached Little Jost Van Dyke the clouds were gone and the sun was shining. Once anchored we dingied ashore and took a short walk to the Bubbling Ponds. The Bubbling Ponds are created by ocean swells crashing through an opening in the large rocks allowing the swells to come into this small beach pool. These swells would take us body surfing back to the shore of this small pond. We would stand in the pool watching for the breakers to come in and wash us ashore. Lots of sand in the bathing suits. We had a great time!
Tuesday January 22nd Full Moon
Up early and off to Cane Garden bay for supplies, rum and beer. “One Life” decided to stop at Sandy Cay beach for the day and met us in Cane Garden Bay later in the afternoon. We arrive in Cane Garden Bay where we are able to get rid of our garbage and get supplies. Disposing of garbage is a bit of a problem as most islands don’t have garbage collection. Some islands that do will have charge$3.00 per bag.
Once we hade all our shore chores done and back at the boat, first mate Jim suggested we have a rum punch and Karen offered to mix us all one. As we were just finishing our punches, we could see “One Life” approaching the channel entrance. Once anchored they gave us a call on the VHF radio to join then at happy hour. The grandchildren had purchased some musical instruments drums etc. The happy hour entertainer at Myett’s Beach Bar encourages audience participation and the crew of “One Life” enjoyed themselves here last time and are anxious to show the cousins. After happy hour we returned to the boat to get ready for supper at Quito’s Restaurant. Great beach restaurant with great food and great music. Unfortunately by the time the music started the grandchildren were wiped and were falling asleep in our arms.
Wednesday January 23rd
Cane Garden Bay has a beautiful long sandy beach so we decide to stay here for another day and just mellow on the beach. We had a great time as the ocean swells were bringing in great surf for us to enjoy body surfing. We had a great time walking the beach, making sandcastles and watching the grandchildren play in the surf.
Thursday January 24th
The Caribbean adventure is coming to the end. Our daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren will be going home tomorrow and us on Saturday, so we must head back to Beef Island (airport). We set sail for Trellis Bay.
Along the way we stop at beautiful little bay on Guana Isle, which is a private island and enjoy lunch. The kids go swimming while lunch is being prepared.
Following lunch we sail to Trellis Bay. We go ashore and enjoy our last happy hour at the Loose Mongoose beach Bar. We all get together on “One Life” for our last dinner together a game of chicken foot and more laughs.
Friday January 25th
Up early 5:00am to see the Hooples to the airport. We dingy ashore and walk to the airport with them, wish them happy trails with tears, hugs and kisses. Once they are through security we return to our boats and wait for the plane to take off. The end off the run way is at Trellis Bay and the plane will fly over us. The plane takes off and once over us we all are standing on the bow of the boat waving.
Well we must now say goodbye to our son and family and return to Road Town to return our charter boat “Thermo Fossicle” as we leave tomorrow.
We say goodbye, hugs and kisses all around and are motoring out of the bay when the admiral reports smoke in the cabin. First mate Jim goes down to the cabin to much blue smoke. Jim opens the motor cover to discover a burnt, broken alternator belt. We return to Trellis Bay as the belt also operates the engine cooling water pump. Once back on a mooring ball I contact Footloose Charter Company. They tell me they will send a mechanic with a new belt. To our amazement within an hour a mechanic arrives in a boat with a new belt. He replaced the belt and we are off once again. We arrive back at the charter marina spend some time cleaning the boat, take showers, go shopping, and enjoy dinner at the marina restaurant with great musician playing Caribbean music on the steel drums. Following dinner we enjoy a couple of rum punches reminiscing with our good friends Jim & Karen with which we had spent three great weeks cruising the British Virgin Islands. Thanks Jim and Karen for sharing our adventure! All good things must end but we will have more good times together soon!
Our grand daughter Kiana has become quite the accomplished photographer. Most of the pictures taken while snorkeling of the fish and coral were taken by Keanna. Please enjoy
Back to Mexico from the British Virgin Islands
Well it was a long day coming back from a fun filled three weeks in the British Virgin Islands with our friends Jim & Karen, our son and family on the SV: One Life and our daughter a family who joined the crew of “One Life” for 10 days.
We flew back to Calgary from BVI to San Juan, Porte Rico then Dallas Fort Worth arriving in Calgary at 7:00pm. We got a room at the airport hotel and had about 4 hours sleep, then caught the 7:00am flight to Seattle changing planes in San Diego and arriving in Cabo San Lucas at 3;00pm. We were met by our good friends Tim and Susan who were staying on Victoria Dos. Tim and Susan drove us back to La Paz a 2 ½ hour drive through some very pictures country side. We arrived back just as it was getting dark. We dropped off our luggage on Victoria dos and enjoyed a great Mexican Dinner at a new restaurant Tim and Susan discovered. It was great to get back to our winter home on the sailing boat Victoria Dos and the large comfortable bed. As Tim and Susan were not returning home for a couple of days we had the opportunity to spend some enjoyable time with them.
Lloyd and Sylvia long time friends from our school days arrived in La Paz and stayed at the beautiful beach hotel La Concha. We visited back and forth, enjoying the beach and many sundowners aboard Victoria Dos. One evening we went out to a local restaurant the Terra Mar and enjoyed and delicious Mexican dinner and beautiful sunset over the bay. Following dinner the Baja South Band entertained us to some good old rock and roll. We danced and danced. I don’t believe Sylvia and Lloyd danced this much sent they were courting.
We are spending a lot of time at the marina enjoying our good sailing neighbors and a few sundowner dock parties. We did go for the odd day sail
It’s Carnival time again in La Paz the theme is “Discovering the Orient” It seams unusual for the Mexican floats with an oriental design and the beautiful Mexican ladies dressed like Orientals. Yes very beautiful ladies. The admiral and I watched the crowning of the 2008 carnival queen by the governor at the central stage. The queen and the other contestants had beautiful long gowns. It was a great show with the governor and her delegation arriving to officially crown the queen. (Lots of security). After the crowning there was entertainment by a famous female rock star. Although the songs were in Spanish we enjoyed the music and her great voice. We did not stay to the end as it was 10:30, way past our bedtime, so we headed home to our boat. It seamed like everyone from the Baja had come to La Paz for the Carnival as we had a difficult time walking back to the boat along the Malacon, with shoulder to shoulder people. Every night at the central stage there is different musical entertainment by famous entertainers. The entertainment was free so there were always lots of people.
The weather has been great and we wanted to get away from the dock, so we went for a long day sail and just enjoyed the day. The winds were light and the sun hot. I am really impressed with our new full batten main sail, as the boat moved quite fast in the light wind. As we were sailing (no motor) we came across 3 or 4 seal lions sunning and sleeping floating in the sea. We got right beside them before they awoke and dove down (see pictures).
Once again this season we have met many new boating friends and enjoying friends we have met from the past. Yes and enjoy the sundowner dock parties. As boats are coming and going there are always new cruisers to meet and listen to great stories of their adventures. One Canadian couple from the SV: Prairie Oyster who we enjoyed great conversation with and have gone out to dinner and dancing with are off to the Marquesas Islands in the South Pacific and then to Australia on a two year voyage. We will be looking forward to updates on there voyage for the next two years. Unfortunately they do not have a blog yet, so we will keep in touch by email. Next week we plan to rent a vehicle with friends and drive over to the Pacific side of the Baja and se the migrating whales and there young.
Cheers for now
Keith & Donna
SV: Victoria Dos
Yes we are back in Mexico for another season. We arrived in Cabo San Lucas to hot sunny 34C weather. Going through customs my luggage was flagged for inspection, as I had lots of boat parts packed.. When the inspector opened my luggage and saw what the contents were, he called his supervisor over. After much conversation and unpacking they let me through customs. We had a rental car booked so we loaded our luggage into the air condition car and off to La Paz. About ½ the way to La Paz the highway was blocked as there was a serious accident involving two buses. We had to turn around and take an alternate route to La Paz.
We arrived safely in La Paz and checked into our hotel at the marina where we will be staying while doing maintenance of the boat in the boat yard near by. The admiral was quite happy with the nice clean air conditioned room.
After a comfortable sleep we have breakfast at the dock café where we look at the boats at the marina. Breakfast seams to take forever as I’m wanting to get to the boat yard to see Victoria Dos. Well, we finish breakfast and walk to the boat yard along the way we meet “Lucy the Goose” Lucy is a Goose that was blown into the marina during hurricane Marty in 2003. She has become a resident and mascot of the marina ever since and the boaters feed her and she even allows some to pet her. We arrive at the boat yard and Victoria Dos is sitting pretty waiting for our arrival. We find a ladder and climb aboard and remove covers and open the hatches to air the boat out. It’s only 8:00 am and the heat of the sun is causing us to sweat with very little activity.
“Jeff the Rigger” arrives and we start getting the rigging ready to remove the mast Monday morning. It’s now getting uncomfortably hot for the admiral so she returns to the air-conditioned room at the hotel. At about noon Jeff was complete with the rigging and the heat was starting to get to me. I go back to the hotel have a shower and were off to a local Mexican restaurant for tacos and mucho frio cervezas.
After a restful nights sleep and as it’s Sunday the admiral is off to church and I return to the boat to carry out some maintenance. Today the boat will get anti fouling paint. I was going to do this myself but decided to hire a local to do the paint job. (hot and messy job)
Once again by noon the heat in the boat yard is unbearable and by 1:00pm the boat bottom is painted and I return to the air-conditioned hotel for cold cerveza..
It’s Monday morning and Jeff and the crane arrive to pull the mast. The mast is lifted out with the crane without incident. Jeff inspects the rigging and no issues are discovered so we carry on with new wiring, lights and the admiral waxes the mast.
We spend the next couple of days doing boat maintenance and putting the mast back and replenishing body fluids with cold cervezas.
It’s now Wednesday and we’re ready to splash, we are third boat in line. Well as things go in Mexico by the time it’s our time to get loaded onto the trailer to go into the water the sea is at low tide. Well tomorrow.
Up early and to the boat yard and yes we’re into the water, but motoring over to our slip we experience lots of motor vibration. As I have replaced the prop shaft more coupling alignment will be required. Once in our slip we are welcomed by some old friends and new ones. Great to be in the water and out of the hotel.
Well it’s a hot night and sleeping is uncomfortable with the heat, but that’s part of being in paradise.
I ask Mario the mechanic to come over to the boat to assist with the engine to prop shaft alignment. Well after numerous adjustments and frustration we are unable to align the engine as we discover the transmission output shaft coupling bent. Well to make a long story short we are waiting for a new transmission from the states.
While we are waiting, I have another boat upgrade (shitty job) replacing the head with a brand new flush toilet.
We are spending the evening enjoying the lovely sites and people of La Paz. Yes things are changing. The bus depot has nice clean washrooms that we used to have free access to. . Well they are still nice and clean but costs 3 peso to use. Entrance to the washrooms have a large security turnstile preventing anyone from sneaking in without paying. Well we just smile and enjoy the culture.
Halloween in La Paz
Halloween in Mexico is a three day event. The first day October 31st is similar to the Canadian Halloween. Costumes and trick of treats. The following two days is la dia de los muertos or the day of the dead and is believed the days the dead return. Family member visit the graves of departed friends and family bringing gifts to place upon a shrine that is built in memory of the dear departed. The shrines have a picture , memorabilia of accomplishments and interests, and samples of favorite foods and drinks.The Admiral and I spend the 31st at one of our favorite outdoor restaurants enjoying cervezas and passing out candies to costumed children walking by. Just like at home, the children tend to migrate to the more populated business sectors, hoping to get more treats! On la dia de los meurtos we went to the city theatro where families had gathered and set up their shrines. The Mexican people take a much different attitude toward death; there were food stands and places to buy souvenirs and even a stage set up with great entertainment to enjoy! It is a celebration and a chance to remember all the good things in life! Maybe we could adopt some of those positive attitudes and traditions. We are enjoying our time on the boat even though it is a bit like living in a garage as I have parts removed from the engine waiting for the hew transmission to arrive in the next couple days. Night are still hot, making it a bit uncomfortable to sleep but winter is coming so the temperature should drop to a more comfortable sleeping temperature in a week or two. We are enjoying our long walks along the Malacon (Ocean front sidewalk) with the ocean breeze coming off the water. The walk along the Malacon to town takes about 40 minutes and the admiral warns me that I must be concerned for dehydration, so we stop at one of our favorite sidewalk restaurant for tacos and cervezas. We spend the afternoon walking along La Paz window shopping on the shady side of the street, yes once away from the ocean front the sun is very hot.Evening aboard the boat always has a beautiful sunset as we cook our dinner which usually involves bar- b-quing . Life is good.
New transmission and off to Mazatlan
We have been spending a week now since we discovered we needed a new transmission. It hasn’t been much of a discomfort, as we really enjoy La Paz and our boating friends here. Yesterday we had sundowners with new friends Craig & Deb on the SV: Lions Paw along with John and Lisa on SV: Andiamo. Craig and Deb are leaving for Mazatlan tomorrow and we will meet up with them when we get to Mazatlan. Tonight we take in the local Wednesday evening jam session at a local restaurant. Well the musicians gave it there best and the cervezas were cold. As always we enjoy the long walks along the Malacon (our daily exercise)
Our transmission has arrived and our amigo Mario the mechanic helps with the removal of the old and installation of the new. This is no easy task as we also have to pull the engine to get access to the transmission. Well all went well and the engine is running smooth no vibration.The admiral is quite satisfied now that we have everything back together and she is no longer living in what appears to be a garage with parts and tools spread throughout the cabin.
We listen to the weather report on the Single Side Band radio and it looks like we will not have much for wind and we will be motoring across the Sea of Cortez. Well the admiral agrees that we will leave for Mazatlan tomorrow so we go the market an get supplies for the crossing and once the provisions are stored away, we walk over to our favorite restaurant for tacos and cervezas. We are up early, breakfast on the boat I start the engine to warm up but no cooling water temperature. Well the temperature sensor has failed, fortunately I am able to get a new one at the marine store.
Off to Mazatlan
I replace the temperature sensor and temperature is now indicating normal. We say our goodbyes to our friends and we’re off. We leave a little later than planned 2:00pm but we should be through San Lorenzo channel before dark. Entering San Lorenzo channel the seas are very choppy and I have developed a case of Montezuma’s revenge. I’m sure glade that I installed that new head (toilet). Well we just get through the channel and the engine stats to over heat. We are getting exhaust gassing into the cooling system reservoir displacing the cooling water. We decide to carry on to Mazatlan anyway, which means that we will have to stop the engine when the temperature starts to rise and top up the cooling system with water. This is about every 25 to 30 minutes. So between filling the cooling system and dealing with my Montezuma revenge, not much sleep is had. The crossing should take about 44 hours but with the frequent stops it takes 51 hours. The seas are come a not much for sea life, we see one turtle and lots of flying fish. Yes fish with wings that come out of the water and fly about a foot above the water to get away from their predators.
Arrive in Mazatlan
We arrive at Marina El Cid in Mazatlan at 5:00pm to the greeting of some off friends; George on SV: Amee Sean and Harry and Evelyn on SV. Maria. They are there to welcome us and take our dock lines. Well once secured to our slip and all items put away we wash the salt from the boat and discover a flying fish that must have flew aboard during the crossing.
Once all the chores are done I have a couple of long conversations with my buddy Jose Cuervo (tequila).
The admiral and I then have a shower and to bed for a well deserved sleep.
Enjoying Mazatlan
It’s now November 23, one month since we left the cold white north. We are now happy to be in Mazatlan, not that we didn’t enjoy La Paz, but it was a long uncomfortable trip. Now that we had a good nights sleep, it’s time to trouble shoot our engine cooling system. I speak to Bob Buchanan from Total Yacht Works as to what the problem could be. He suggests that I remove the exhaust manifold and he will check it for leaks. The engine exhaust manifold is a intrigue part of the cooling system reservoir and Bob said from experience he has seen them get a internal crack and exhaust gases can enter the cooling system. We met Bob two years ago with our previous boat Ole’ and Bob grew up in Seba Beach what a coincidence. Well I remove the exhaust manifold and take it over to his shop in the dingy. Bob tests it and sure enough it has a leak. Well to get a new one from the states would be near impossible and very costly. Bob can get a new one manufactured at a local metal fabricating business, and will take as week or two. Well we will wait and enjoy paradise
Enjoying Mazatlan
The Marina El Cid we are staying at is located in a 5 star resort and we are able to enjoy the 3 pools, large hot tube and take part in the social activities. Yes my favorite (pool volleyball). We also enjoy the long walks along the beach. We take the water taxi across the channel and walk to the end of the beach about 2 miles and at the end is a nice palapa bar were we replenish our body fluids with a couple cold cervezas. This is also a popular surfing beach, so we watch the surfers as we drink our cervezas.
The weather is much different in Mazatlan compared to La Paz. La Paz is hot, dry and brown. Mazatlan is hot, humid and green. We wake up in the morning to 100% humidity and a wet boat. It doesn’t take long for the hot sun to dry things off.
We also have the opportunity to take the hotel shuttle to the other El Cid hotel and enjoy the pools and beach there. Our good friend Rosie that worked at the pool bar at the marina has moved to the other hotel so we went to the other hotel to say hi and enjoy happy hour. We also walked the beach there, but as this is what’s called the golden zone, Lots of hotels so there are lots of peddlers bugging you to purchase their items (Junk).
One of our favorite night spots is the Purple Onion were we enjoyed the music of Dick Damoran and his friends from Alberta over a couple of cool ones. We also return for the Friday night ½ price ribs with friends on the SV: Air Born.
It’s time to go for provisions at the Super Mercado. Getting around in Mazatlan is quite easy with the local public busses and the learning we have from the past. In Mazatlan there are quite a few large markets like Safeway to choose from. With the groceries the admiral suggest we take a taxi back.
Provisions away. Our daily ritual is to got to the pool for a dip and a game of bingo. Yes as in the past they have three bingo games with the prizes being a bottle of tequila. (We have not won as yet).
We enjoy going to the Public Market not like a Safeway, but with meat and fish being sold with the minimum of refrigeration.. This is were the locals shop and is located in the older part of Mazatlan. They are restoring old town with some freshly painted buildings. We walk around the streets and by some very interesting shops and come across a very nice little art studio. The Admiral is impressed a as she ahs been looking, but without success for a travel gift for the grandchildren and she has finally found something impressing for them. They are small clay people with leather cloaks that are to be put on your window shelf to keep you safe.
Later in the week we walk the Mazatlan Malacon along the beach and view many nice statues. It’s a hot walk but the breeze of the ocean is refreshing. We also stop and watch the cliff diver’s dive into to be shallow water among the rocks. They must time their dive to when the surf is coming in or the water would be to shallow.
It’s Saturday night and were off to the ball game: The Mazatlan Venados are playing the Mexically team. We join 4 other cruising couples and enjoy dinner at a local restaurant then of to the game. It’s great ball and a nice warm evening to sit back drink cervezas and watch the game and the others in the stands. The venados win 7 to 2.
Our friends Deb and Graig on SV: Lions Paw is leaving for PV tomorrow, they ask us to join them for a couple of sundowners aboard their boat. They are going to Bara de Navida after Christmas, so we hope to get together with them when we sail off to Bara when we return on January 5, 2009
No one talks about the weather as each day is the same as the last, hot and sunny
Just another day in paradise
Computer soaked
Our computer got soaked and is no longer operating. We lost all our files and pictures. We are now doing the log the old fashion way. Write our story on paper, go to the internet café and type our stores on the web page
Boat Projects in Mazatlan and Home for the Holidays
Enjoying Mazatlan; the long walks in the warm sun on the beach and of course bingo and cervesa by the pool! Bob Buchanan from Total Yacht Works had a new exhaust manifold/ cooling system reserve built at a local metal fabrication place, Well, we installed the manifold but unfortunately it leaked and another manifold will have to be manufactured.
Donna is getting ready to return to our beautiful home for the holidays. There is much work to be done there in preparation for Christmas! Shopping, sewing, baking , gift wrapping, etc. There is also more importantly school Christmas concerts to be enjoyed and luncheons with old friends to attend.
Fellow cruisers from Cochrane, AB on the sailing vessel Mopion arrived at ElCid and are 2 slips over from us. John introduced me to his crew. Tracey Cameron is a friend of his daughter and is spending a month sailing in Mexico. Tracey is an Olympic bronze medalist. She made Canadians proud by winning a medal in 2008 . We shared many conversations on the lifestyle of an Olympian.
Bob arrives with the second new exhaust manifold which has been pressure tested following manufacture. There is still problems with exhaust gases pressurizing the cooling system. Next we pull the cylinder head off and discover the head gasket had failed and further checks find the head is warped and beyond repair!! Well, maybe it is not too late to ask Santa for a new cylinder head for Christmas. I have been a fairly good boy.
The time has come for me to join the admiral in the great white north for the holidays. I arrive home to -30 weather. It is very cold but it is also very good to be home. The admiral tells me my first assignment is to make a skating rink for the grandchildren on the frozen lake in front of our home. Yipee!! Our neighbor, Harvey, bless his heart, has cleaned the snow off the lake so I just have to drill a hoe in the ice, install mu pump and flood the ice to make it smooth.
As always , we are looking forward to Christmas! Great-grandma and our son, daughter-in-law, their children and our daughter, son-in-law and their children will come and stay at our home for a few days over the holidays for a good old fashioned Canadian Christmas! What Joy! When the grandchildren arrive, they immediately run down to the lake to check the rink! Grandpa is very proud he took the effort to build it. Way to go Grandpa!
The Admiral once again outdoes herself with a lovely Christmas dinner with all the trimmings. After dinner we enjoy playing the new Wii game the grandchildren got from Santa. We also had a great time skating snowmobiling and sledding. There is a lot to be said for snow!
New Years Eve we have neighbors Mike and Diane Dea and Harvey and Liz Verbeem over for dinner. After dinner we donned our snow suits and walked down the road to bring in the New year with Ben and Jo-anne Kuhn and their family. They provided us with a great display of fireworks, courtesy of Mike and Leanne. We had a great visit there!
With the holidays over it is now time to return to Mazatlan with, you guessed it, my new cylinder head in my suitcase. Life is good!
Back to Mazatlan and off to Barra de Navidiad!
We arrived back in Mazatlan Jan. 5 with a new cylinder head in our luggage; fortunately, we did not have any issues going through Mexican customs. This time they never even asked for our passports! Thanks to our good friend George on SV Aimie Sean , the hatches on the boat were open and the cabin was aired out and cool on our arrival. More importantly, the fridge was turned back on so we were able to relax after the long flight with a nice cool cervesa!
After a good restful nights sleep aboard <<<<<I got up early to meet with our boat mechanic, Bob Buchanan of Total Yacht Works and give him our new cylinder head to assemble the valves. Bob tells me this will take 2 days so we have time to enjoy Mazatlan.
As we have not purchased supplies yet, the admiral and I take the bus to one of our favorite restaurants on Bruha Beach for breakfast. After breakfast we take the 3 mile walk along the beach back to our marina. Even with the cool ocean breeze, we work up a sweat on the walk back.
After our cylinder head is installed by Bobs mechanic, I reassemble the rest of the engine. Following some challenges venting of the fuel system, the engine starts and NO bubbles or exhaust gases in the cooling system {Problem solved} Bob recommended that we run the engine for several hours before heading out to sea on our adventure to Barra de Navidad. We ran the engine under load in the slip over the next 2 days and there were no issues so we decided to leave Mazatlan for Barra.
We are looking forward to meeting our long time dear friends Jack and Judy from Sherwood Park in Barra de Navidad on, Jan. 31. They will spend 2 weeks with us on the boat.
We check out of the marina with the harbor master and get the necessary documentation. Yes, documentation is very important when travelling from one port and entering another port in Mexico.
It is Sunday, Jan 18 and we begin our 350 km journey to Barra de Navidad. There is no wind but 4 – 6 ft. swells at the stern and so it is a bit rollie. As night falls there is still no wind and the motoring continues. There is a beautiful full moon to travel by and we are always surprised to see how much light there is when you are away from the city lights.
It´s a bit of a cool night so we have to put on long pants and use a blanket to keep warm during the night while sitting in the cockpit. We take turns sleeping while the other is on watch.
Morning comes and the sun warms us quickly and back to short pants and light shirts. The admiral is on look out and spots a pod of dolphins. She spots a pod of about 25 dolphins 4 or 5 come over to the boat check us out but then return to the rest and carry on with their journey. A little later the admiral spots a large whale breach. As the day passes we see many whales along the way.
We were to stop at one of the lovely anchorages near Bahia de Baderas but listening to the weather on the SSB radio we are informed that we have a good weather window to go around Cabo Corrientes. Cabo Corrientes (Currents) this is a point south of Bahia de Baderas and projects out into prevailing winds, the winds and currents are accelerated causing turbulent disturbed seas and creating strong currents. We round Cabo Corrientes at 10 pm with a full moon, with out an issue, but once around the point the wind picks up with 25 to 30 kt winds and 8 to 10 foot swells on our stern. We are surfing at 7.5kts with only the main sail up and one reef.
The wind last for about 1 ½ hour and then back down to 5 to 10 knts and the seas calm. Morning comes and the sun rises warming us once again and 34 C by noon. Along the way we see a large turtle with a brown footed boobie(bird) riding on the turtles back. By the time we get the camera we are to far away for this unique picture.
We are now in what is called the ¨Mexican Gold Coast¨ the weather is much more tropic (hotter and more humid). We planned to stop at one of the many bays along the way but as the seas are calm and things going well we decide to go all the way to Barra.
We arrive in Barra de Navvidad bay about 4 pm and call the marina harbor master for directions into the marina on the VHF as the entrance is difficult to navigate if you are not familiar with the entrance channel. No response from the harbour master, fortunately a couple of other cruisers hear our calls over the radio and respond. One of the cruisers comes out to the channel in his dingy and guides us to our slip. As we have found were every we have sailed, what ever the issue there is always other cruisers willing to assist or help.
It has been 54 hours since we left Mazatlan and once in our slip the admiral and I enjoy a large sundowner, take a hot shower, enjoy a lovely dinner at the hotel resort restaurant, then to bed for a well deserved sleep tied to the slip and no rolling seas
Enjoying Barra de Navidad Barra de Navidad is by far one of the nicest places we’ve been to visit in Mexico! The quaint little village with narrow cobblestone streets, not much traffic, and happy people walking the streets; tourists and Mexican families enjoying life. The marina we are staying in is at a 5 star resort. There are beautiful pools and beaches , and may lovely walking paths to enjoy. We take a water taxi from our slip to cross the bay where we can enjoy the village. There are many lovely palapa restaurants along the beach serving great food and icy cold cervesas. There is a French baker in Barra that comes by boat to the marina to sell his wares each morning. He has lovely baguettes and croisants etc. Hard to resist when you see him going by!We visited the villages of Malaki and Cehuatan via the local bus for $1.00 each trip. We always enjoy taking the public transit as the buses go through the little villages and barrios off the main road allowing a glimpse of the local communities. We also went into Manzanillo by bus. Manzanillo is about 50 km. Away and so requires a trip on a bigger Greyhoud-type bus complete with foot rests, air conditioning, movies , snacks etc. Manzanillo is the largest port on the Mexican west coast. There was an amazing number of sea containers stacked as far as the eye can see and many huge cranes working to move them around. We took a local bus to the central part of old town Manzanillo and had lunch and a nice cold cervesa before returning.We are meeting many new acquaintances and fellow cruisers while relaxing by the pool. The afternoons are very warm..30 – 34 degrees and so the dip in the pool is very refreshing!Shopping for supplies is a bit different than we have experienced in other larger Mexican centers. There are no big supermarkets here and so we must go from tiny tienda to tiny tienda searching for what we need. It is all available, but it requires some looking for! There is a fresh fruit and vegetable truck travelling around town each day and that is a nice way to buy produce. It is a unique place!The marina is having a three day fishing tournament with many new large motor vessels arriving. There is a viewing area set up for us guests to watch as the trophy fish are brought in, weighed and then filleted. There is also a cervezas tent with 10 peso cervezas and of course the Tecate girls.What is Paradise?Today as we were sitting by the pool in a semi sleep state, I heard ”Victoria Dos, Victoria Dos”. Some one was hailing us on the vhf radio of the couple sitting next to us. It was Deb ad Greg, a couple we had met in La Paz aboard the s.v. Lions Paw, inviting us to join them for a sundowner at a local palapa restaurant. We happily accepted as we had enjoyed their company in La Paz and in Mazatlan and were excited to reunite and hear of their recent adventures. We returned to our boat , changed out of our wet suits and into some shorts, Hopped into our inflatable dinghy and motored off , out of the marina into the bay and down to Fortinos restaurant where we beached our trusty dinghy and found them waiting with some cold cervesa and delicious guacamole! Life is good!
We are back in La Paz Mexico for another winter adventure.
We are staying in the Marina hotel as we will be sanding and painting the hull of Victoria Dos before putting her in the water. We arrived in La Paz October 31 at 1:00pm to great weather; hot and sunny. Once checked into the hotel we go to check on Victoria Dos in the boat yard. She has spent the summer well. As it’s Halloween we head to town to purchase some treats at the Supermercado. We enjoy watching the children from a favourite breezeway café, where we hand out treats and enjoy a cerveza. Halloween is a 3 day celebration, including All Saints day, followed by la dia de los muertos (the day of the dead)
Well it’s time to start the boat project of sanding and painting the boat hull. The boat had some scratches and scrapes from Hurricane Marty in 2003 and the repairs were done well. The boat yard used a semi gloss paint and it was quit noticeable in the repaired area by the different paint shades. So we decided that we would sand and repaint the hull while it was in the boat yard. I hired a local fellow Jessy Cortez to help me. We started work each day at 9:00 am and worked to 2:30 as that is all that I could stand with the heat. By 2:30 it was cerveza time and on some days a siesta. It took us 10 days to complete the job and the hull looks much better now with a nice gloss. We must leave the boat for 3 or 4 days now to let the paint harden before we put the boat in the water, so we will enjoy La Paz.
We got a pleasant surprise with an email from sister inlaw Jody that her cousin Ron and his wife Michelle are in Cabo San Lucas and looking to see if we were still in La Paz. We gave them directions to the hotel and they rented a car a drove to La Paz and we spent a fun day with them showing them some of the sites and enjoying a great lunch a one of our favorate tako stands. Yes cervezas Ron and myself and margaritas for Michelle and the admiral. It was also nice to take a day off from work in the boat yard.
During our work in the boat yard we watched a helicopter next to the boat yard take off and land most days. We were curious about who owned the helicopter and where it was going. While having lunch at the marina restaurant one day we met Brian the owner and he told us that it’s his private helicopter and he uses it for pleasure flying from his condo at the marina and out to his ranch where is growing palm trees to harvest in about ten years when they are mature. The next day the admiral and I were walking along the marina when we met Brian again. He asked us if we would like to go for a helicopter ride as he was flying out to a ranch where they grow asparagus. We gladly agreed and went for an exciting ride into the hills where he landed in the farmer’s field and purchased 40 pounds for his personal use. (see video)
It’s November 21st and we have been in La Paz for 3 weeks now, how fast the time went by. We will be putting the boat in the water tomorrow and were looking forward to getting out of the hotel and onto the boat. Today is Revolution day so we will be watching the parade, which is mostly school children proudly marching, carrying the Mexican colours. In the evening there is entertainment at the main square. The admiral suggests we have dinner and a cerveza at Moyeyos palapa restaurant then walk into town for the evening entertainment. It‘s a nice evening and the 30 minute walk to town along the Malacon is very refreshing.
We now have the boat in the marina and have an opportunity to meet old Canadian friends Diane and Jim on Prairie Oyster who we met here 2 years ago. They have just completed a sail to the south Pacific, Australian and New Zealand; Vicki on Inspiration at Sea and a long time friend Bill on Rocky and Brew. Our first night on the boat we had a great sleep and woke up to listening to the cruisers net on the VHF radio then the Captain cooking his famous Mexican Omelette for breakfast.
Over the years we spent on the boat in La Paz we have always had challenges with dinghies, patching etc. This year the admiral suggested we purchase a new one and we did. We purchased the dingy from a marine chandlery in Puerto Vallarta and it arrived to day. With excitement and many on lookers from the dock. We unpacked ii and filled it with and adored our new dingy. We put it in the water and I put the outboard on and went for a trial run through the marina.
Last night we had Jim and Diane from Prairie Oyster over for dinner and after dinner we looked at their many pictures and videos of their trip to the South Pacific. Yes quite the adventure.
We still have one more boat project to do; installing a new autopilot before we are off to Mazatlan. Installing the auto helm goes well as I get lot’s on unsolicited advice and suggestions from my good friend Prairie Oyster. We meet many new boats as about 4:00pm daily people from the boats get together on the dock with a cool one and pretty soon we have a gathering and a technical discussion on what ever, and enjoy a sun downer.
Auto pilot installed, the admiral and I motor out into the bay to commission the auto pilot. The commissioning goes well but the admiral smells exhaust fumes. Once we return to our slip, I inspect the exhaust system and discover the exhaust tail piece/mixing elbow is cracked. I remove the tail piece and take it to the local metal fabrication shop to have new one made. Long story short, 2 day job takes 4, as they have a few challenges with the fabrication of the new one. We are waiting to get the tail piece back and installed, as we have a weather window for crossing of the Sea of Cortez. We get the tail piece back installed and we’re ready to leave La Paz for Mazatlan tomorrow December 2nd.
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Off to Mazatlan from La Paz
It’s December 1st and we have been in La Paz for a month so we are going across the Sea of Cortez to Mazatlan. La Paz is our favourite place in Mexico and we have made it our home port in Mexico, where we leave our boat for the summer season and where we start and finish our winter adventure. La Paz is not a touristy town with the large hotels, but is a large sailing community with 4 large marinas so we have many old and new friends with common interests (boats). The local people are very friendly and the admiral and I enjoy their friendly smiles and greetings (buenos dias) as we walk along the Malecon along the La Paz bay. Also, La Paz has many great small restaurants with delicious Mexican food and low prices.
Last night there was a dock party over on dock #4. We enjoyed snacks, drinks and laughs with fellow cruisers, and a beautiful sunset.
In preparation to our crossing I listen to the morning weather forecast on our SSB radio for conditions at sea. The forecast is for calm seas and no wind for the next week, so will have to top up the fuel tank and will leave in the morning (Dec. 2nd). Although we could make it to Mazatlan on one tank of fuel, we take additional fuel in containers strapped to the deck rail just in case.
We wake up to another beautiful morning have breakfast and we get ready for our journey. Fellow cruisers help us with our dock lines and wish us good bye and we are off at 10:30 am. Out of the bay in calm water we put up the main sail in the event we get some wind. During the night there is a full moon that lights up the night; surprising how far we can see with the light of the moon! During the night Donna and I share watch duties allow the other to get some sleep. In the morning we wake up to a beautiful sun rise and calm seas, and enjoy breakfast and coffee and look for sea life. Following breakfast the Admiral takes here normal position on the bow enjoying the warm sun and watching for sea life. Not long after she settles, a pod of dolphins arrive and swim with us along side the bow. We watch them with excitement as they come out of the water then dive below and we can watch them swim in the clear water.
During the day we experience an ocean current in our favour and we are motoring at 6.5kts; about 1 kt more than normal. Yes still motoring as there is now wind with flat seas. During the day we have more visits from dolphins and have turtle and sea lion sightings. Night comes for our second night at sea and we have not seen another boat on our journey with the exception of a ferry early last night. Once again it’s a warm night with the brightness of the moon to light up the sea. During the night the admiral notices a school of jelly fish that are phosphorescent and lit up as bright purple.
As the GPS shows us arriving at Mazatlan before day light we throttle back the engine to about 3kts boat speed so that we enter the narrow channel to Marina El Cid during day light. We arrive at El Cid at 6:30am (44hrs) and tie up to the fuel dock to wait for the harbour office to open.
Once in our slip and boat securely tied we are welcomed by further cruisers on the dock. The admiral and I decide to lie down and take a bit of a rest before enjoying Mazatlan.
Enjoying Mazatlan for a few weeks, then home for the holidays!
Once settled in our slip and rested we go to the pool and enjoy a happy hour margarita and relax in the sun. We meet friends on the SV: Mariah who invite us to join them for dinner at the Purple Onion tonight (Friday). The Purple Onion has a generous portion of delicious Bar B Que ribs on special; 2 for 1.
Up early after a wonderful dinner with friends and a good nights rest we listen to the morning net on the VHF radio and enjoy one of the Captains delicious Mexican omelettes. Then we are off to the market to get supplies. We take the local bus to the market and are always amazed at the driving skills of the drivers. (fast and through tight spots)
We enjoy Mazatlan and the El Cid Resort, with the pools and the pool activities. The weather is a bit warmer here than in La Paz, so cooling off in the pool is welcomed. Also the captain enjoys the afternoon pool volley ball games to work off some of the cervezas. About cervezas; yesterday there was a beer drinking contest at the pool. As I have been practising regularly, I though I would have a good chance at winning. Unfortunately not, I lost to a women who soon after winning regurgitated the beer next to a near by palm tree.
One of our favourite restaurants is at Playa Bruha (witch’s beach). The restaurant is 3 miles down the beach, so we take the bus to the restaurant then following breakfast we walk back to the boat on the sandy beach when the tide is out.
Following a trip to the public market we were told about the release of the turtles to take place at 5:00pm in the afternoon. The Mazatlan aquarium collects turtle eggs which they incubate and hatch. They baby turtles are raised to about 4 inches in the protection of the aquarium and the then juvenile turtles are released to the ocean.
The Admiral thought it would be great to see this, so we took the bus to the Malecon (sidewalk along the beach) to find the location where the turtles were to be released. It was a beautiful warm afternoon and walking along the Malecon there is always interesting sighting, please see picture of donut vender. We arrived at the turtle release sight about 4:30pm and there was already a large group of people waiting along the beach. There were several aquarium staff with coolers containing baby turtles waiting for release. They wait until near sundown (5:00pm) to release the turtle so that the large birds can’t see them and so they successfully make it to the safety of the ocean. Just prior to release they asked adults to move back allowing children (nino’s) to move to the front. Then the aquarium staff gave each child a turtle and at the count of 3 the turtles were released by the children. By instinct the turtles headed for the ocean and safety. Much cheering and laughter followed!
Mornings are always interesting as while enjoying our first coffee the iguanas come out from behind the rocks as the sun warms them up. Iguanas are getting quite tame as later in the day they mingle between the sun tanners on the deck chairs at the pool looking for food. This is interesting to watch as not all sun tanners welcome these prehistoric looking creatures and some are terrified of the iguanas.
It is December 7th and time for the Admiral to return home to get ready for the holidays. I will be staying until December 18th carrying out boat maintenance project and also happy to enjoy a game of water volleyball in the afternoons. As the volley ball pool is not heated, following the games I go to the hot tub to warm up, where I have met many interesting people, both boaters and tourists and have had some great conversations.
I return home for the holidays to the warm arms of the Admiral. The first task we have upon my return is to build a skating ring on the lake in from of our home. The grand children look forward to skating and a hockey game. I also purchased a couple of snowmobiles last summer that allowed me to enjoy snowmobiling adventures with neighbours and friends. Also the grand children enjoyed riding the snowmobiles on the frozen lake.
Back to Mazatlan following the Christmas Holidays
Back to Mazatlan without the Admiral as she wanted to stay home to help celebrate her sister, Doreen’s 60th and our granddaughter Kendall’s birthday as she will be turning 10 (double digits, very important)!. She also had the need to spend some more time with her mother and just to do some maintenance things at home. My good friend Jim Shinn from Kamloops agreed to join me in Mazatlan and help me with a few more boat projects. Once we have most of the boat projects complete we will set sail for Puerto Vallarta where we will meet our wives.
Yes Jim is also a great volley ball player so he adds to the strength of our pool volleyball team. Jim arrives on January 15th, 4 days after I arrived. Once on the boat and after a couple of sundowners we walk into town for ribs and a cerveza at Purple Onion, one of our favourite bars. Then early to bed and up early to watch the iguanas coming out from the rocks while enjoying a coffee in the cockpit of the boat.
For exercise Jim and I have been walking the long 3 mile beach at low tide. During one of these walks Jim got the urge to wear his hat backwards! He thinks it’s kewl???
An old friend I worked with; Keith Kivett and his wife Jane along with friends from Wabamun, Don and Betty Meredith are staying in a condo across the channel from the marina. Later in the day they join us for a couple of cervezas and conversation.
Our day has been fairly routine; boat projects ( see picture of new galley sink), until 12:00 noon, pool volley ball then off to the hot tub for happy hour (2 for 1)at 5:00pm. As most cruisers are quite frugal there’s always a good gathering and great conversation. During one of the happy hour discussions we meet Keith and Cathy from Kamloops B.C. and they ask us to join them for a game of golf. As Jim and I need a break from boat projects we agree. Our game was not great, but it was fun day with great people and we also made it back for volley ball.
Jim and I decide to skip volley ball and meet up with Keith Kivett, Don Meredith and there friend Earl and walk the 3 mile walk down the beach to Bruha Beach Bar for cervezas and stories. Well after several cervezas and many stories the Keith, Don and Earl, their wives arrive. As they are going out for dinner Jim and I set out for our 3 mile walk back. It is now starting to get dark and we arrive at the channel entrance at 6:10pm. Oh No!!. The water taxi stops working at 6:00pm so we have to walk back to the street and as we only have 50 pesos left between the both of us, we have to negotiate a 50 peso taxi ride back to the marina.
Well it’s time to set sail for Puerto Vallarta so our last night in Mazatlan we join Keith and Cathy, our new friends from Kamloops for dinner, drinks and stories. As Jim and Karen are also from Kamloops they exchange contact information and agree to meet once back in Canada.
Jim and I are up early and are out of the channel at 7:00am, no wind so we are motoring. Ride is a bit rolly as there are 6 to 8 ft swells. We motor all day and all night as there is no wind. The swells subside during the night and the ride is much smoother. The morning brings the hot sun and by 9:00am we are in our swim trunks. Jim is getting a bit of a sun burn as he can’t rub sun block on his back and the captain has a problem rubbing down another male. During the day we have two large whales breach next to us and we are quit excited as we have only been seeing turtles for sea life along the way. We reach Banduras Bay at 2:00pm and round the corner and realize we will not reach Puerto Vallarta before dark. We call the marina in La Cruz for a slip for the night. Another fellow Alberta sailor Kirk Wagner on SV: Freedom Kirkland hears us on the radio, hails us and tells me that he has Perry Barber on board as crew. Perry and I worked together for many years at Keephills. We agree to meet in the next couple of days once we are in Paradise Village Marina in Puerto Vallarta.
Once in our slip in La Cruz, Jim and I head into town to call our lovely wives to tell them we arrived safely. It just so happens the phone booth is across from Philo’s Bar so we decide to stop for a couple of cervezas before heading back to the boat.
Enjoying Puerto Vallarta
The morning comes to another sunny day in Paradise. Jim and I decide to go to the Marina restaurant for breakfast before heading to Paradise Village Marina. The trip to Paradise Village Marina takes us about 3 hours of motoring as there is now wind and smooth seas. Once in out slip and checked in with the Port Captain, we tour the resort. Jim’s quit impressed as the resort is design with a Mayan theme. They also have a small zoo with lions and many tropical birds.
We enjoy a few cool ones and conversation with other boats at the yacht club then return to the boat for dinner. Our good friend and neighbour Harvey back home gave me the third season of “Two and a Half Men” so following dinner we enjoy a couple of episodes on the computer in the cockpit. Our neighbours in the boats next to us probable were wanderings what all the laughing was about. Oh well enjoy.
Next morning we decide to walk down to the yacht club for breakfast. Following breakfast we set off to the pool to enjoy a relaxing day. We were pleasantly surprise to see there will be pool volleyball later and happy hour at the beach bar starting at 5:00pm. Following volleyball we return to Victoria Dos and are pleasantly surprised to see sailing vessel Freedom Kirkland a couple of slips down from us with Kirk & Perry. We say hi have a cool one with them. They were fishing on their way to the marina and caught a large Sierra Mackerel (fish) and invited Jim and I to join them for dinner and gladly accepted. Kirk did and great job with delicious dinner and following dinner we had a few sun downers and great conversation and laughs until the wee hours of the morning.
The morning comes and another beautiful sunny morning, but the Captain and crew of Victoria Dos is moving a bit slowly this morning as a result of to much fun last night. Even though we are moving slowly we have one last boat project to do before the wives get here and that’s to put the last coat of primer on the boat. We get started and have the boat masked and painted by 3:00pm. So to allow the paint to dry; it’s off to the pool to cool off and relax. Lying by the pool half a sleep, Jim asks me “what time is it” and I say “5:00pm”. He replies “holy shit!! We are going to miss happy hour we don’t hurry”. So off to the beach bar we go and enjoy a couple of sun downers and conversation with other patrons. Yes it’s another night of 2 1/2 men episodes.
Up early and listen to the cruisers net on the VHF radio and the weather prediction is; it’s going to rain today. So we decide to go into town by bus and tour old town Puerto Vallarta and walk the Malicon along the beach. We walk along the Malicon for an hour or so and the rain starts, so we look for a place to get out of the rain. Fortunately there is a nice Mexican bar not far away. We get a table by the open are window and order a couple of cervezas. Another good fortune is the waiter tells us “it’s happy hour”. We spend the afternoon out of the rain watching the pedestrians walk by the bar in the warm rain. It’s time to head back to the boat so we decide to share a taxi ride back to the marina. Another night of 2 ½ men, but this time inside the boat.
Morning comes and the rain has stopped and the sun shinning. Jim and I do the long walk down the beach then later in the afternoon enjoy a game of pool volleyball. We return to the boat and decide to do the jungle cruise. The marina is built in a river that flows into the ocean. We are able to travel upstream in the narrow part of the river in our dingy were there is mangrove trees, lots of tropical birds, iguanas in the trees and crocodiles. Yes it’s actually a jungle river. So we pour a couple of sundowners and dingy up the river. We see lots of birds and iguanas but no crocodiles so back to the boat for dinner. Following dinner Jim and I are sitting enjoying some great conversation when the wind suddenly picks up and starts to blow significantly. I turn on our wind instruments and the wind is blowing at 35kts. We turn on the VHF radio and there is cayous in the marina and anchorage in La Cruz with boat dragging anchor and one boat blown ashore. The wind at La Cruz was at 88Kts hurricane force. We were lucky with only 35kt winds as we are sheltered by the hotels and a big office building. The storm only last for a couple hours and the wind subsides.
After a restful nights sleep we awake to another sunning morning and tun into the VHF morning net. There are reports of many trees down, windows being blown out of condos, most of the boats in the La Cruz anchorage dragged anchor with 4 boats loosing there anchors. Jim and I decide to go to the yacht club for breakfast and there is much conversation on last nights storm and we can see many palm trees down near the resourt.
Well two days and the wives will arrive so the next two days will be spending cleaning the boat and laundry.
After a wonderful busy summer in Canada enjoying our family and friends, our adventure in Mexico for 2010 - 2011 has begun. We arrived in La Paz October 20th to very warm weather, 31C. The first week we are staying in the hotel at Marina Palmira as we re-commission our sail boat “Victoria Dos.” It’s difficult to work on the boat past 12:00noon due to the heat in the boat yard, so the air conditioned hotel is a great relief. For my good friends back at TransAlta I have made a quick transition from my regular lunch of chicken and brussel sprouts to tacos & cervazas.
In the evening the admiral and I walk into town about a 20 minute walk along La Paz bay on the beautiful Malecon, where we enjoy watching the many Mexican families out for the evening walk. The local people always give us a smile and a polite buenos noches as we pass. There are many nice little restaurants and coffee bars along the bay in La Paz were we enjoy dinner and the nice cool ocean breeze. One of our favourite restaurants is El Calleon where we were pleasantly surprised and happy to see our good friend Sergio still singing there. Sergio is a great singer and guitar player. The admiral and I spend the evening enjoying great music and a few cool cervazas. Sergio joined us to say that his life is now very satisfying as he has a day job helping distressed people recover and that he loves to end his days singing as that is what relaxes him.
We are anxious to get the boat in the water so we decide to hire the boat yard staff to paint the boat bottom. Prior to putting the boat in the water a special paint is applied to prevent marine growth on the bottom. We are also getting the interior of the boat re-upholstered by a local fellow who has a great reputation for quality workmanship.
It’s October 28th and we are ready to splash; nautical term for boats going into the water. Although, all the upholstery is not done, we have the V birth complete so we will be able to sleep on the boat tonight. The newly upholstered cushions look great.
Once in the water I start the engine…Oh, oh, problemo…. The admiral informs me that “no cooling water is not coming out the exhaust!!” I check the water pump impeller, cooling hoses and all ok. I pull the hose off the thru-hull, no water?? (plugged). Apparently a common problem is insects will build a nest in the thru-hull opening while in the boat yard. I use a wooded skewer to clean the opening and we have water flow. Re-start the engine and off to our slip in the marine. Once in our slip we meet some old and new boating friends.
Our first night on the boat was very comfortable as it’s cooling off nice at night. The admiral comments that new V birth mattress is just right, firm but soft and comfortable. We enjoy coffee in the warm morning sun in the cockpit and as we have not got any provisions yet, we walk to the Dock restaurant at the marina for breakfast. Later we take the marina shuttle to the Super Mercado for groceries. With our supplies put away the admiral and I sit back relax and enjoy a cervaza frio and enjoy watching the fish jump, pelicans soaring and another beautiful sunset.
That’s all for now and a word of thought;
There was once a crossed-eyed teacher who couldn’t control his pupils
It’s another beautiful day in La Paz. We enjoy one of the captain delicious omelettes for breakfast and listen to the local cruisers net on the VHF radio. As today is Halloween the Admiral suggest we get some Halloween treats to pass out to the children, so we walk into town to the Dulceria (candy store) and load up with treats. After walking around town it is now lunch time and the Admiral suggest we stop for a taco and cervesa before returning to the boat. The sun is hot and we must insure we don’t experience dehydration so I quickly agree.
In the evening we return to town and enjoy a cool one and pass out treats to the ninas & ninos.
Halloween is a 3 day event in Mexico with the traditional American trick or treat day of October 31st and Dia de los Muertos (day of the dead) November 1 &2. During Dia de los Muertos, Mexicans go to cemeteries to be with the souls of the departed and build private altars containing the favorite foods and beverages as well as photos and memorabilia of the departed. The intent is to encourage visits by the souls, so that the souls will hear the prayers and the comments of the living directed to them. Joe and Sharon on SV: Lucky Lady Two ask us if we would like to join then and go to the Festival de Dia de los Muertos at the central theater to view the private alters where this is also local music and theatrical entertainment. There is also a Catrina dress competition. Catrina’s are part of the day of dead celibration and are beautiful girls dressed up as a skeleton wearing elegant clothing typical of the Spanish ladies from the revolution period in Mexican history. They put a lot of work into their costumes. We enjoyed a great evening of Mexican culture.
Burro Mas Largo Del Mundo (largest burrito)
Yes the city of La Paz is going to attempt to beat the previous Guinness world record for the longest Burrito in the world. The admiral and I walk along the Malacon as they get ready. They have blocked off the 3 km street along the bay and are setting up tables. As we walk along we see the various restaurants setting up as each of the 60 restaurants participating will manage a section by filling the burrito. As we get to the start we see the truck with a special tortilla press/cooker in the back. The truck is moving slowly along the way dispensing a continuous tortilla on the tables; a strip about 12 inches wide. It will take about 8hrs for the truck to make the 2km continuous tortilla so the admiral and I go back to the boat and carry out some boat chores. We return back to the burrito at 6 pm and although the 2 km tortilla is complete, the filling of dried fish, beans, rice and salsa still must happen. There are many people on the street to celebrate the achievement. The crowd is estimated at 27,000. At 9:00pm the burrito is complete and the representative from Guiness World Records acknowledges the new record to much cheering.
http://community.guinnessworldrecords.com/_El-Burrito-Ms-Grande/blog/2952293/7691.html?b=
As we are enjoying La Paz once again, we are still spending lost of time in the marina completing boat chores, before we head to Mazatlan. I have some engine maintenance to do and also put the final coat of paint on the boat hull. Our re-upholstery work turned out just great and we are very pleased with the workmanship. Unfortunately I did not estimate the correct amount of material to bring down, so we will wait until spring to get the aft cabin done.
There are more boats arriving in the marina each day so it looks like tommorowwill be the first dock #3 party of the season. Yes we are on dock #3 and dock #3 has a reputation of being the social place to be.
Cheers for now
Keith and Donna
A Man who rode in a carpool felt sick whenever they passed under a certain tunnel
His doctor diagnosed this as carpool tunnel syndrome
The admiral and I take a day off from boat projects and decide to relax and walk into town to do some shopping. Tonight we are having our first dock party of the season with fellow cruisers. Every one brings some finger food and drinks and Scott on the SV: Scott Free will be playing his guitar and singing.
After a great evening of great conversation and song we wake up to another warm beautiful morning. Following breakfast we get back to our remaining boat chores as we are just about complete. Tomorrow we are going out for a shake down cruise to Balandra Bay, a beautiful bay about 3 hours from La Paz. During the morning radio nets we listen for a weather window to cross the Sea of Cortez to Mazatlan. It looks like Monday November 15th would be a good day to leave La Paz.
With our internet connection in the marina we are able tune into CHED radio and listen to the Oilers on game nights.
Following breakfast and the morning radio net we leave the marina and are off to Balandra Bay. We choose not to sail but motor as we want to ensure all is working well before we head to Mazatlan. It’s a beautiful warm sunny morning with not much wind so we would not be able to sail anyway. As we leave the La Paz channel entrance we meet several boats from the Baja HaHa arriving. The Baja HaHa is an annual fun race from San Diego to Cabo San Lucas. This year there were 165 boats in the race. Follow the arrival and celebrations the boats head off to different locations; La Paz, Mazatlan Puerto Vallarta etc. There are about 60 boats expected to come to La Paz. We can tell the boats in the HaHa as they fly a bright pink burgee (flag).
We arrive at Balandra Bay without incident and every thing operating well. There are 5 other boats anchored in the bay including our friends Joe and Sharon on the SV: Lucky Lady II. We drop the anchor and relax to enjoy the beautiful bay. The admiral suggests we go ashore with the dingy and walk the beach. I lower the dingy into the water and off to shore we go. Our outboard motor for the dingy is in the shop getting serviced so I must row to shore. Once ashore we climb the small mountain to take pictures of the bay and Victoria Dos anchored in the bay. Yes we are getting our exercise today.
Back down the mountain and back to the dingy as it’s time to get back to the boat so we can get back to our slip before dark. I pull the admiral in the dingy out to deeper water and must be cautious shuffling my feet so as I not to step on a sting-ray. There are many sting-rays in the Sea of Cortez and I had stepped on one and got stung back in 2003. Very very painful. The bay is fairly shallow so the boat is anchored quite a ways out. I sure wish we had the outboard motor. We load the dingy and as we leave the bay we wave good bye to Joe and Sharon. We have a nice uneventful trip back to Marina Palmira and our slip, with every thing on the boat working well we are ready to head across the Sea of Cortez to Mazatlan.
Morning comes and we listen to the weather forecast on both the VHF and SSB radios. Forecasts confirms that in two days, Monday November 15th will be a good weather window with light and variable winds. We will spend the next couple days getting provisions and say good bye to friends.
Did you hear about the pirate's parrot that fell in love with a duck? The bird kept saying, "Polly wants a quacker".
Is time to leave for Mazatlan. We check out with the harbour master, said goodbye to our friends at the marina, untie our lines and off on our journey across the Sea of Cortez. It’s a warm calm morning so we will be motoring. The weather forecast is for 10 to 12 kt winds so hopefully we will do some sailing. The La Paz bay is very large and it takes us 6 hours before we are out of the bay and into open sea. Once out into the sea no wind so we continue to motor. Night comes and we are always amazed at the brightness of the stars and we see what appears to be a satellite moving through the sky. The moon rises providing more night vision for us, as it’s almost a full moon. We have not seen any other boats during the night as it appears we are the only ones on the course to Mazatlan. As morning comes 4 to 5 foot swell begin to develop from the north in the sea, making it a bit uncomfortable. As we are travelling east across the Sea of Cortez and the swells are from the north making the boat roll side to side.
Out in the middle of the sea with now one around the admiral suggests maybe it’s a good time to clean up and take a shower.
As the day progress the wind starts the build so we put up the sails which help smooth out the boat and making it a bit more comfortable. Unfortunately as night comes the wind reduces and we are back motoring to a rocky ride, making sleeping difficult. At 3:00am the sea starts to calm down and we can see the lights of Mazatlan on the horizon. We are still 40 miles from Mazatlan and should be at the marina about 10:00am. The admiral takes the opportunity to get some well deserved sleep. As the sun raises the seas be come flat and we can now see the large hotel towers in Mazatlan. We arrive at Marina El Cid after 47 hours at sea with not much sleep. After checking in with the Harbour Master we meet with some old cruiser friends and share some stories then off to the pool to relax.
After a great sleep we wake up to a beautiful warm sunny morning. We are located next to the breakwater in the marina so while enjoying a coffee in the cock pit we watch the iguanas coming out from behind the rocks to the warm sun. Although La Paz is one of our favourite places in Mexico, Mazatlan is also one of our favourites as there are many nice little restaurants were we enjoy local food and cold cervezas. One of our favourite restaurants is at Bruha beach. We take the public bus to the restaurant and following breakfast we walk the 3 miles back to the beach.
We had some sad news before we arrive in Mazatlan that the Purple Onion one of our favourite restaurant had closed. We were happy to here that it is reopening with new owners and now will be the “Three Amigos” restaurant.
We receive an email form our friends and neighbours from home that they are going on a cruise and one of the stops will be Mazatlan. We give them directions to the marina and agree to meet and go for a sail when they arrive.
As I have a few boat projects to do and I don’t have my good friend Jim Shinn to help this year. Jim and the wife Karen have purchased a 5th wheel trailer and are travelling southern USA this winter. Jim had promised me last year that when he comes down this year he would re-finish the cockpit table. With Jim not showing up I had to hire a Mexican fellow to re-finish the table.
Our days are consisting of the odd boat project during the mornings then off to the pool for pool volley ball at 1:00pm.
We have a surprise visit from a fellow worker John Ryan I worked with at TransAlta he is here with is wife Debby. We had a great visit and enjoyed a couple of cervezas on the boat. We agreed to meet to watch the Grey Cup game this Sunday
The admiral suggests we go to the Three Amigos Bar to watch the game as they have Canadian Satellite coverage. There were a lot of Canadians there mostly Roughrider fans so we had lots of fun and a laughs. Yes the roughriders did it to themselves again.
Cheers for now
Keith and Donna
SV: Victoria Dos
An actual clinical study carried out by the University of Tijuana
A herd of buffalo can only move as fast as the slowest buffalo. And when the heard is hunted, it is the slowest and weakest ones at the back that are killed first. This natural selection is good for the herd, because the general speed and health of the whole herd keeps improving by the regular killing of the weakest members. In much the same way, the human brain can only operated as fast as the slowest brain cells. Now, as we know, excessive intake of alcohol kills brain cells. But naturally, it attacks the slowest and weaker brain cells first. In this way, regular consumption of cervezas eliminates the weaker brain cells, making the brain faster and a more efficient machine. And that is why you always feel smarter after a few cervezas.
We are back in Mexico once again for our winter adventure. This will be our 9th year enjoying life on our sailboat away from the Canadian winters. We arrived in La Paz Wednesday October 26th to a very warm 36C. The taxi ride from the airport to the hotel took us along the bay through La Paz. It was exciting to once again see its beauty as we traveled along the Malecon (walk along the bay). La Paz is one of our favourite places in Mexico. We checked into the hotel at the marina were we will be spending 3 nights as we get Victoria Dos cleaned and ready to put back into the water. The air conditioning of the hotel room was welcomed, as it will takes us some time to get use to the heat. We changed from our long pants to shorts and tee shirts then walked to the boat yard to check on our boat and schedule the launching. The boat was sitting there waiting for us, but very dusty from the accumulation of dessert sand over the summer. The boat yard manager reviewed the tide tables and we have schedule the launch for Friday. Tomorrow will be very busy for the admiral and I getting the boat ready for launch, (decks washed, sails on, batteries charged & engine ready to go). Back to the hotel for a quick cooling shower, then we walked down the Malecon to one of our favourite Mexican restaurants for a couple of cerveza frio and a dish of ceviche. They have a guitar and keyboard player singing great songs, in Spanish of course. It was a long day so early to bed.
Up early and following breakfast, off to the boat yard to get the boat ready. It’s 08:00 am and it’s already 26C. We start by getting the dingy and sails out of the cabin, then the admiral starts dusting and I work at getting the engine ready for launching (it’s hot in the cabin). It’s now noon and the temperature is 36C. It was a good thing that I started the refrigerator yesterday so we could stop work and enjoy a cool cerveza, as to prevent dehydration. We treated ourselves to a new shiny barbeque this season. We gave the old one to the boat yard staff who were very happy to receive it. It’s 2:00pm and boat’s ready for launch so we return back to our air conditioned room for a cool shower. We are schedule for launch 10:00am tomorrow at high tide.
Once again up early and following breakfast off to the boat yard. We get the bow and stern lines installed for the yard workers to manage during launch. We watch as the workers back the large trailer under the boat and remove the stands. All goes well with the launch and we are soon in our slip on dock 3. We meet some old boating friends and some new ones, once in our slip. As we still have more dusting and cleaning before we move onto the boat, we spend one more night in the hotel.
It’s now Saturday and we check-out of the hotel and take our luggage to the boat. With all thing put away it’s time to go into town to do some shopping and get povisions, On the way we stop for a toco and cerveza, then to the super mercado. Once back at the boat with supplies put away, the admiral suggests we sit back in the cockpit to relax and enjoy a sundowner. We watch the sun goe down and it cools off to a comfortable 24C. We enjoy our dinner cooked on or new shiny barbeque. We have a restful first night on the boat. Sunday morning we go to church and meet some of our friends from last season. Following church we go to the candy store to get some treats as tomorrow is Halloween.
Monday morning during breakfast we listen to the local cruisers net on channel 22 of our VHF radio. The cruisers net happens each morning at 08:00 where the net controller coordinates conversations with cruisers giving the local weather, tides, locals assistance and most important “swaps and trades”. Later in the evening Joe and Sharon of the SV: Lucky Lady Two join us as we go into town to one of the patio restaurants to hand out Halloween candy and enjoy a cool cervaza. It’s enjoyable to watch the children dressed in costumes call out Halloween with there limited English and Spanish accent.
Following Halloween November 1 & 2 is Dia de Muertos (day of the dead) this is a time when Mexican family members celebrate loved ones that have passed on. It’s quite the celebration as these family members build small shires with the food, drink and memorabilia from the loved one that passed on. Joe and Sharron along with Will and Marilyn neighbours here at the marina joined us for to the Dia de Muertos celebrations and the city center. Another tradition is people will dress up as Catrinas skeleton like figures. We enjoyed the evening as we were entertained to traditional music, dancing and culture.
Now that we have all our boat chores complete, we plan to sail out to the nearby islands about 4 hrs away to enjoy the beautiful beaches and do some snorkelling as the water is still nice and warm and clear with visibility to 30 feet.
Cheers for now
Keith & Donna
Well it’s time to go out into the sea for a shake down cruise to see if every thing is working on the boat, before we cross the Sea of Cortez. We have a reservation at the El Cid marina in Mazatlan for Nov. 17th so we plan to leave La Paz on the 15th (48 hr trip). So we untie our lines and we are off to the island of Espiritu Santo which is a large island about 25 nautical miles from La Paz. Along the way we seen three whale sharks so we stop the boat to watch and the whale sharks swim over to the boat to check us out, we got a good look at them and some great pictures. After watching the whale sharks for about and hour we continued on to Espiritu Santo, the island has many nice bays with beautiful sand beaches. It’s late in the afternoon when we arrive, we anchored at a nice bay called Caleta Partida drop anchor enjoy a cool cerveza. Later we have a nice dinner cooked on our new Bar B Que.
The next morning we sail to another beautiful bay, Ensenada Grande were I snorkel in the warm ocean water, and see lots of fish. The admiral doesn’t join me snorkelling she sits on a rock like a mermaid and watches the fish swim around her. We return to the boat and enjoy a cool cerveza before returning to Caleta Partita. Once back at the anchorage we drop our dingy in the water and go ashore to look for shells. After walking the beach for a while in the hot sun we return to the boat. There are now 12 boats in the anchorage and we get hello waves from the cruisers as we pass by in our dingy. Back at the boat we enjoy a sun downer and watch as the sun sets, yes another beautiful sunset. The next morning we sailed around the large island and seen a colony of sea lions and later in the afternoon 3 or 4 dolphins came along side the boat and swam with us. As there is high winds forecast to develop in the next day or two we returned to our comfortable slip at the marina in La Paz.
Back in La Paz we hear on the morning net that the Baja South band is playing at a local bar. The admiral suggests we go out for supper and enjoy the great music. The Baja South Band has been plying in La Paz for about 5 years and we have gotten to know Laura the singer and Henry the key board player. Henry is originally from Edmonton. We enjoy a great evening and even had a couple of dances. Well now it’s time to get ready to make the crossing, so tomorrow Monday we will go to the supermarket and stock up with supplies in preparation for our departure from La Paz
November 15th and it’s off to Mazatlan and crossing the Sea of Cortez once again. The weather forecast is for moderate winds so we will be sailing. After fuelling up we leave the fuel dock at 10:00am and are on our way. It’s a beautiful hot sunny morning with little wind, once out of the bay we put up the main sail in anticipation of wind developing later. Once out of La Paz bay and through San Lorenzo channel the wind starts to build it is now 4:00pm. Night soon comes and the stars light up the sky and later when the moon rises the added light we can see further into the night and even have shadows in the cockpit.
Morning comes and the sun quickly warms the air. We have wind from the stern at 10 to 15kts with the odd gust to 20kts. We achieve 7 to 7.5 knots under sail which is fast for our boat. (great sailing)
Later in the day a pod of dolphins join us and swim along side the boat jumping out of the water as if they were performing for us. After a long day evening comes with a beautiful sunset. We still have good wind and continue to sail at 7 knots, our GPS shows that we will arrive in Mazatlan at 2:00am in the morning. We will have to slow down as we don’t want to enter the narrow channel to the marina a night. We take the main sail down and role the fore sail in 50% to slow the boat down.
We arrive at the Mazatlan channel entrance at day break and make our way into the marina. The admiral spots the end tie on “A: dock and suggests we tie up there until the marina office opens to assign us a slip. Neither the admiral or I had much sleep the past 48hrs, so we are a bit uncoordinated and still have our sea legs. We reached the dock the admiral jumps of the boat to the dock slips and falls, no hurt but misses the line I toss her and the goes into the water. I through her another line and she gets it. In the mean time the first line I tossed her gets tangled in the prop. I give the transmission a quick shift to reverse then back into neutral and fortunately the line released from the prop.
It’s a good thing every one is still asleep to see our entry. Anyway we get tie up and prepare ourselves breakfast and notice the SV: Kwinhagak in the slip next to us with Bill and Trish aboard who we met Barra de Navadad 2 years ago.
Once the office opens we check in with Gladys the harbour master an she welcomes us back once gain and assigns us our favourite slip on “A” dock, with our stern facing the rock breakwater were we can enjoy a morning coffee in the cockpit and watch the iguanas come out from behind the rocks so sun themselves in the warm sun.
We meet some old cruising friends and some new ones to enjoy good times with, which is part of the enjoyment of being part of the cruising community. We were happy to see our good friend Maureen and Dick on the SV: Blue that we have known from the start of or cruising adventure 9 years ago when we hade the sail boat “OLE” Also we met up with the Captain Kirk and crew of SV: Freedom Kirkland, friend from Alberta with crew Perry Barber that I worked with a Keephills. Happy time is had with all in the resort atmosphere in Marina El Cid.
Cheers for now
Enjoying Mazatlan and home for the holidays
Once again we are staying at the El Cid Marina where we can enjoy the pools at the resort and of course pool volley ball at 1:00pm
The Americans celebrate Thanksgiving Oct. 25 so we join friends on dock “A” for the celebration sponsored by the marina at a great restaurant in old town Mazatlan. Great time, lots of laughs, drinks and yes turkey in Mexico.
The weather has been great hot days and the nights have been cooling off making for a comfortable sleep. Owning a boat mean continue maintenance or boat projects. As we painted the boat hull two years ago we still had the portion above the rub rialto do. We hired Demiti a local Mexican to complete the painting, he did a great job and the boat looks great. With Demiti doing most of the boat projects this give the admiral and I the opportunity to check out Mazatlan. Mazatlan is famous for the large shrimp that we love. As we have invited Kirk and Perry over for dinner We take the buss into old town Mazatlan where there is one street where the shrimp ladies sell the fresh shrimp. ($8.00 a kilo). We buy 2 kilos. We enjoy great conversation and schrimp dinner aboard Victoria Dos with Kirk and Perry
It’s now Grey Cup day so the admiral suggests we go to the Saloon Bar to watch the game. The Saloon sports bar is owned by 2 Canadian ladies and always has Canadian sports on their TVs. The Saloon was full of Canadians mostly from BC so it was a fun afternoon with lots of cheering.
Had a couple of cerveza’s with Santa here in Mazatlan (See picture). He’s enjoying the warm weather and the cold beer. I’m concerned that he’s really enjoying it here and may not make it back to the North Pole for Christmas.
Donna and I have returned home to Canada for the Christmas season to enjoy time with family and friends. The weather here has been unusually warm with above freezing temperatures. We do have snow and the lake has frozen over allowing for great snowmobiling. We will be back in Mazatlan January 4th and plan once again the do some inland travelling by bus to experience the people and culture of central Mexico, Last year Donna and I traveled to Morelia where the Monarch butterflies migrate and Guanajuato both world heritage sites.
A Little Mexican Christmas Humour
It was a romantic full moon when Pedro said, "Hey, mamacita, let's do Weeweechu."
Oh no, not now, let's look at the moon!" , said Rosita.
Oh, c'mon baby, let's you and I do Weeweechu. I love you and it's the perfect time," Pedro begged.
"But I wanna just hold your hand and watch the moon." , replied Rosita.
"Please, corazoncito, just once, do Weeweechu with me."
Rosita looked at Pedro and said, "OK, one time, we'll do Weeweechu."
Pedro grabbed his guitar and they both sang.....
"Weeweechu a Merry Christmas, Weeweechu a Merry Christmas, Weeweechu a Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year."
Felice Navidad y Prospero Nuevo Ano
Keith & Donna Matwichuk
SV: Victoria Dos
Wabamun Alberta, Canada
Current Position 52.31 North 114.36 West
Home for the holidays
Well it’s time to head back home to the great white north for the holidays to enjoy time with family and friends. Donna had gone home a week ago to get things ready for Christmas and the holidays and I had to stay behind to carry out some boat maintenance. It was great to get home; not much snow but the lake was frozen over so I got our snowmobiles ready for when the grandchildren come as they enjoy riding the machines on the lake. Friend and neighbour Walter Webb asked me it I wanted to join him and 2 other friends Harvey & Rob to go on a snowmobile trip to Swan Hills, northwest of Edmonton where there was lots of snow and great trails. The weather was great, lot’s of snow so we had a great time. Five of our seven grandchildren are boys and all play hockey, so we were able to watch some of their hockey games while at home.
Christmas came and we enjoyed the holiday with our sons and daughters families. They stayed over Christmas night so we had a great time snowmobiling and sleigh riding and we built a camp fire on the frozen lake to stay warm and enjoy a couple of cervezas. The ice is about 16 inches thick to there were no worries about the camp fire melting through the ice. We celebrated New Years eve at the Wabamun Community Hall with old friends and neighbours we had not see for a long time. It was a great time!
The holidays over and it’s January 4th, time to head back to the boat in Mazatlan.
We returned to the warm weather and met up with friends from Duffield, Ivy & Mark Ganier and son Cory who are staying at the other El Cid resort. They come over to the boat and we enjoy some great conversation and they even joined in for a game of pool volleyball. That evening they joined us for dinner at one of our favourite Mexican restaurants at Playa de Bruha (Witches Beach). We enjoy a great Mexican dinner and music played by a mariachi band. Also we meet up with Friends Keith and Cathy from Kamloops for a visit.
As we are planning to do some inland tour by bus to Mexico City, San Miguel de Aellende and Guanojuato we must start booking our bus trips and hotel reservations. Travelling by bus in Mexico is very safe and comfortable and allows a great view of the countryside.
Off on our inland Mexico adventure
We are off to Mexico City. We board the bus at 8:00am from Mazatlan to Guadalajara, for a 7 hr trip. The bus is comfortable but not as clean as we have previously experienced. The trip is along the 4 lane toll road so the bus must stop at several toll stations along the way. As we are travelling inland and to higher elevations the landscape changes to agriculture with many sugar cane and agave fields. Agave is used in the fermentation of tequila. We arrive in Guadalajara at 4pm (1 hr time change). We check into the hotel that we have stay at last year when we were here. It’s a beautiful hotel dating back to the 1800s. We drop our bags off and we are off to find a restaurant where we can get a couple of cool cervazas and some food as it was a long bus ride. Following dinner, we went back to our room and early to bed as we have another 7 hr bus trip from Guadalajara to Mexico city in the morning.
The trip to Mexico City is with another bus line that provides us with a bag lunch and drinks. The admiral is much happier as this bus is much cleaner. We arrive at our hotel at 4:00pm and are a bit discouraged by the appearance of the entrance and lobby of the hotel. But once you get past the front desk to the main hotel you experience the wonderful ambiance of this beautiful 18th century restored building. Once we drop our baggage off we once again go searching for a restaurant where we can enjoy a couple of cervezas and dinner as it’s been another long trip. Our hotel is located in the historical area of Mexico City with the buildings dating back to the 16th century and beautiful Spanish architecture. Three blocks from our hotel is Madero street, a large street which is only for pedestrians. We are overwhelmed bay the number of people walking this street (thousands). All with happy faces.
It’s a nice afternoon so we walk down to the Zocolo square, about 15 minute walk were the admiral spots a very nice restaurant over looking the square. It’s now 6:00pm and we are able to watch from the restaurant the daily tradition of taking down of the Mexican flag by the military with the military band playing the national anthem. A beautiful site!
Mexico City is a large city of 10 million people and during the day another 10 million come to the city from the surrounding area to work or attend university. Also it has a reputation of not being a safe city. We take the necessary precautions and don’t walk the streets late at night. No problems. We like to get up early to go exploring so early to bed works out great for us. Tomorrow we plan to take the city bus tour to get a guided tour of the city and a better idea of what we want to see.
Mexico City, capital of Mexico is the country's largest city as well as its most important political, cultural, educational and financial center.
It is located in the Valley of Mexico, a large valley in the high plateaus at the center of Mexico, at an altitude of 2,240 meters (7,350 ft).
The estimated population for the city is 10 million people and another 10million in the surrounding area come into the city during the week to work or attend university making it the second largest metropolitan area in the western hemisphere
The city was originally built on an island of Lake Texcoco by the Aztecs in 1325 as Tenochtitlan, which was almost completely destroyed in the 1521 siege of Tenochtitlan by the Spaniards, and then redesigned and rebuilt in accordance with the Spanish urban standards. In 1524, the municipality of Mexico City was established, known as México Tenochtitlán, and as of 1585 it was officially known as Mexico City. Mexico City served as the political, administrative and financial center of a major part of the Spanish colonial empire. After independence from Spain was achieved, the Federal District was created in 1824.
The admiral suggests that today we take a bus tour of Mexico city to see some of the sites as the city is so large it will take us weeks to find interesting places on our own. We purchase tickets on a double Decker tour bus with the upper deck open. The weather here is warm 24 to 26C during the day. During the tour we see many lovely statues and sculptures and notice that Mexico City is also a very modern city with many new sky scrapers. On route the admiral suggest we get off the bus and take a tour the Museum of Anthropology. The museum supply audio players with head sets that translate the exhibit descriptions in English. We spend the rest of the day in the museum as there many exhibits of archives from the Mayan temples. As we will be visiting the Mayan temples north of Mexico City in the next couple days, this gives us a heads up on what to expect. After our tour of the museum we get back on the tour bus for the rest of the tour around the City. We enjoy many more sites but towards the end it starts to rain, so down below we go into the bus.
Enjoying Mexico city
We have reservations at the hotel here for 2 nights and we will be moving over to a Bed and Breakfast 3 blocks away. Following breakfast we check out and walk down to the B&B. We leave out luggage with the owner as the room in to available. Well the admiral wants to go on another Mexico City adventure. She suggests we go to Xochimico which is part of Mexico City were the Aztecs had once built an amazing series of raised gardens, by first laying down canes of bamboo and adding vegetative matter to raise the beds above the water which formed canals. There we would rent a wooden boat called “punts” that are poled by a boatman through the canals. To get there we must take the subway to the end of the line and then take a smaller light rail train to Xochimico were the canals are located. We purchase tickets for the subway 3 for pesos each (25 cents Canadian). The Mexico City transit system is designed to move lots of people and is very inexpensive to accommodate the large lower class population. We walk down the stairs to the subway train below the street. The train has 12 cars and looks to be about ¼ long. We get on the train and travelled for about 45 minutes. Then onto a smaller train for another 20 minutes.
Once there we spend some time negotiating the price for the canal boat ride. This is normal as once they see that you’re a gringo the price goes up and you must spend some time negotiating to get the price back down. Renting the Punts is a very popular activity for the locals as the boat are fairly large and have a table down the centre so they can have food and drink while being poled through the canal. There are small boats with musicians aboard that will come along side and entertain you for a price. Also there are other vendors that come along side to sell you food, drinks, souvenirs etc. We enjoy the afternoon ride through the canals, sighting some birds and many greenhouse type gardens along the way. Watching the Mexican families enjoying their celebrations was fun! We then return to Mexico centre on the subway.
Once back we spend some time walking around Zocolo square where there are many street vendors with their goods and trinkets for sale. The Admiral sees an Aztec Indian and talks to him about her allergic reaction to smoke. The Aztec Indian gives the Admiral a spiritual blessing (500 pesos). The Aztec then blows smoke all over here body and face and no allergic reaction (see pictures). This is great as she will now be able to spend time with family and friends around the camp fire this summer.
On the way back to the B&B we are caught in a thunder storm with lots of rain, hail and lighting. We take shelter under a store front awning withy several others a wait out the storm (about 20 minutes) Once back at the B&B we enjoy a sun downer and conversation in the common room with other guests.
Well, tomorrow we are off to the pyramids.
Tour of Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe then to the Pyramids at Teotihuacán (City of the Gods)
The admiral suggests we hire an English tour guide so that we can take full advantage of their knowledge and our time in Mexico City. Our tour guide arrives at the hotel at 9:00am and we are joined by a young couple and their daughter from Colombia.
Our first stop is Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe and view the beautiful church built in 1531and the cloak of Juan Diego, imprinted with the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
The story
Our Lady of Guadalupe (also called Our Lady of Tepeyac or the Virgin of Guadalupe) is a manifestation of the Virgin Mary who first appeared on Tepeyac Hill outside Mexico city to a native Mexican peasant named Juan Diego in 1531. She asked him to speak to the bishop and tell him that she wished for a temple to be built in that place in her honour. The bishop required a sign as proof. Juan Diego returned to the Virgin and she presented him with some roses and he carried them to the bishop in his cloak. When he went back he opened his cloak, the flowers fell out and, miraculously, there was an image of the Virgin imprinted on his garment.
Juan Diego's tilma, or cloak, with the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe is displayed at the Basilica of Guadalupe.
We take a comfortable 45 minute van ride to the Pyramids at Teotihuacán City of the Gods. As we approach the ruins we can see the pyramids from the highway. The site is very large it’s about 83 km² and was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987. There are many remains of pyramids but the two intact large ones are the pyramids of the moon and the sun. The admiral and I climb both pyramids, a bit of a workout but we make it to the top of both. The civilization that built the pyramids were also very knowledgeable with regards to astronomy. Example during equinox the sun shines directly down the center of the walk way down the pyramid of the sun. This was interpreted as the right time to plant their crops. Also they constructed a building with an open roof and a pit in the floor below, that they filled with water (reflective pool) and this they used as a mirror to observe the galaxy. Our tour of these ruins is one of the many highlights of our adventure in central Mexico.
The early history of Teotihuacán is still debated. At first, archeologists believed the city was built by the Toltec people. The Toltec were an early Mexican civilization. Archeologists believed this, because it is what the Aztecs wrote about the city. The Nahuatl word Toltec means great craftsman. There are some cases where it does not refer to the Toltec civilization. Teotihuacan also seems to be older than the Toltec civilization. This means the Toltec have probably not founded the city. This mystery endures.
After a wonderful day we return to Mexico City and enjoy dinner at the historic Tacuba Restaurant built in the 1800’s. Great ambiance.
Catching up with my blog entries.
It’s now Jan 18th. After 7 days in Mexico City we’re are off to San Miguel de Allende, a 3hr bus ride. We arrive at 1:30pm and take short taxi ride to the hotel. The hotel was built in the 1769 and has been restored and maintained to original state with the exception of adding water & power. The room we have is on the second floor over looking the central court yard (see pictures)
San Miguel de Allende is delightful colonial town with many large churches, parks and statues all connected by narrow cobbled streets. The weather here is very comfortable; 24C during the day and does not fluctuate much through out the year. San Miguel de Allende has become a popular destination for retired Canadians that want to spend the full year in Mexico. After settling into our room we go for a walk through the narrow cobble streets checking out the many shops in the area.
Our good friends Steve and Sharon on the SV Si Bon: a few slips away from us at the marina in Mazatlan introduced us through email to their friend Sharon Milligan who lives in San Miguel de Allende, so we gave her a call and arranged to meet at 11:00am for lunch tomorrow.
After a delicious dinner in the court yard restaurant at the hotel we return to our room and surf through the TV channels looking for a station in English.
Up early; but not by choice. 90% of Mexicans are Catholic and each town or city we visit has many beautiful churches and cathedrals. Problem is that they start ringing the church bells each day at 6:30a; more often Sunday mornings, making it difficult to sleep in. Well this allows us to get started early and make a full day of it. We walk down to the open air court yard restaurant for breakfast. The ambiance of this area gives you a great feeling sitting among the orange trees and the historic architecture of the building. Following breakfast we walk through the narrow cobbled streets down to the park.
Back at the hotel we meet Sharon Milligan and after formal introductions we walk to a near by roof top restaurant that she recommends. Once at the restaurant located on the roof of a historic building with a great view on the city we enjoy great conversation and a great lunch. Sharon tells us she is an artist and moved here in 1987 to concentrate on her art work. Following lunch Sharon offers to drive us around to see the sites of San Miguel de Allende. After a guided tour Sharon takes us to her home that she designed and built with the help of a local contract. The home is absolutely beautiful and unique with her artistic touch. After a lovely day Sharon take us back to the hotel. Once back at the hotel the admiral suggest we pour ourselves a sun downer and sit out side the room on the balcony and enjoy the surroundings.
Once again up to the sound of church bells then later in the morning catch the bus and we are off to Guanajuato.
January 22, 2012
After a 3hr bus ride from San Miguel de Allende we arrive Guanajuato at 1:30pm and take a short 15 minute taxi ride to our hotel,
Guanajuato is a world heritage site declared by UNESCO in 1998 and is one of Mexico’s most beautiful silver cities that climbs out of a rugged ravine and up hills that once supplied a quarter of the silver mined and sent to Spain. The city has the appearance of pictures we have see of Greece with the homes of many different colors built on the hill sides. Some of the underground silver mine tunnels from the 16th century have been converted to underground vehicle roads. The city is also where the famous painter and womanizer Diego Rivera is from.
We came to Guanajuato last year, and as we enjoyed the city and also I accidently deleted the pictures from our camera. So the admiral insisted we came back again this year. We stay at the same historic hotel as last year built in 1862. It’s also a great location in the historic center of town across from the square where most of the action happens. Once checked in to the hotel we take a walk through the narrow streets that is common to these historic cities, admiring the architecture of the past.
Morning comes early once again as we are awakened to the sound of church bells at 6:30am. We slowly get out of bed, get ready for the day, then go down to the hotel open air restaurant. It’s a cool but comfortable morning so we sit outside and watch the people walk by as we enjoy breakfast. Last year we visited the Cathedral de Valenciana a beautiful church. The admiral suggested that after breakfast we check out the local public market then walk up to the Cathedral.
We walk to the public market but we are a bit early and not all the vendors are open, so we carry on heading to the cathedral. We walk for about 1hr and then stop to get further directions. We are advised that we should catch the bus as the cathedral is quite distant and a steep climb up the hill. Great advice as the bus travels in first gear most of the way up the hill due to the incline. We traveled to the cathedral last year and our guide explained to us many of its features. The large pictures on the walls were painted using the same technical as Leonardo DaVinci, as you walk the eyes of the people and birds or animals in the paintings continue to follow you. Also the cathedral has three large golden altars with many statues. The main altar has a statue of the Virgin Mary and on her right side is a Saint with his foot on the devil’s head! (see picture).
We take the bus back to the market and decide we should stop for a cool one. I spot a nice bar and once into the bar we are told “sorry no women; men only”. I look at the admiral and can see on her face that she was not going to shop around to allow me to enjoy a cerveza with the other men in the bar. So we go to the market and now it’s very busy as the central market is where everyone shops. There is just about every thing here from food to fresh vegetables and pottery. Even current CD’s and DVD’s at discounted prices as they apparently don’t enforce the copy right laws in Mexico. It’s been a long day so back at the hotel to relax a bit. Later we have dinner at the hotel side walk restaurant. It’s a warm evening so following dinner we walk around the streets. We hear the laugher in the distance as there are buskers performing in front of the Teatro Juarez entertaining people sitting on the theatre entrance stairs. We stay and watch the buskers for a while unfortunately the jokes are in Spanish. We return back to the hotel and after a full day it’s off to bed.
Church bells again and another early morning. During breakfast the admiral suggest we take a trip on the cable tram up to the top of the hill for a view of Guanajuato. We walk over to the Trams station and board the tram/car that holds about 6 or 8 people. The car is pulled up a track by cable, the energy to pull the car up is offset by weight of the car going down the track in the opposite direction. Spending time in Mexico you start to suspect their maintenance standards so I do a thorough check of the cable and clamps before entering the car. Once at the top we have a great view of the city and the many colourful home and building on the hill sides.
Once back to the central squire we have lunch and a cerveza or two at a nice little sidewalk cafe. During lunch we see numerous musicians dressed in middle evil minstrel costumes. The musicians are promoting an evening walk through the narrow streets with the mistrals singing. The admiral suggest we join the walk so we arrange to meet back later in the evening. We enjoy a relaxing afternoon in park in preparation for our walk with the minstrels later.
Following dinner we walk down the other side of the square where we join the minstrels and pay our 100 pesos each. We sit on the steps and are given a flask filled with tequila to enjoy during our walk. Before we start we are entertained to a couple of songs by the minstrels while sipping from our flasks. Then off through the narrow streets singing with the minstrels in Spanish. As our flask becomes empty there is someone there to fill it up once again. The farther we go, the more sips we have from our flasks, the louder the singing and the better our Spanish becomes. It was a wonderful evening and we had mucho fun and laughs.
Back to the hotel as we are off to Guadalajara tomorrow
January 24
Back to Guadalajara and a day trip to the town of Tequila then home to Mazatlan
We are now on our way back to Mazatlan with a 4 hour trip from Guanajuato to Guadalajara, where we will stay for a couple of days before we return to Mazatlan; a 7hr bus ride.
We arrive at our hotel at 3:00pm and after settling into our room the admiral and I go to the roof top pool to enjoy a sun downer. The admiral takes the opportunity to make a few phone calls home on skype. As we are only 1hr from the town of Tequila the admiral suggests that we arrange for a tour for tomorrow. I check with the hotel lobby and they arrange for a guided bus tour for the morning.
Up early, breakfast then on the tour bus to Tequila. Once on the bus we travel to 3 more hotels to pick more tourists before we head out of town.
On the way the scenery is of fields of blue agave. Some fields are controlled by the government and blue agave is the only crop that may be grown there. The pineapple from the blue agave plant is used in the fermentation of Tequila and only spirits made from this area is allowed to be called Tequila. We arrive at the Tres Mujeres (3 ladies) Tequila distillery named in honor of the owners 3 daughters. This distillery is totally organically operated. We are given a great tour of the process of making Tequila from the harvesting of the blue agave plant to the cooking of the agave pineapple that converts it from starch to sugar, crushing the agave to remove the juices for the fermentation and distillation process. Once we complete the tour of the process we are given samples of various different tequilas. We are told that the tequila making is regulated by the government. They also explain that when purchasing tequila make sure that the label shows 100% agave as it’s acceptable to blend 51% agave with 49% sugar cane in fermentation and distillation process and still be called tequila. The tour guild informs us that if your drink tequila from 100% agave we will not wake up with a hangover. Good info! After our tour and many tequila samples we are taken into the central square of town to do some walking site seeing, then dinner at a restaurant overlooking a beautiful canyon. The bus ride allows the captain to have a power nap, not sure if it was the tequila sample.
Another great day in paradise
After two wonderful weeks touring central Mexico we are now returning to our boat, Victoria Dos in Mazatlan.
Enjoying Carnaval in La Paz
Carnaval comes each year prior to lent and is a very large 6 day celebration for the Mexican people. As Mexico is 90% Catholic, Carnaval is a large event with lots of celebration ending on Fat Tuesday. The Roman Catholic season of Lent begins with Ash Wednesday and continues on until Easter. It’s a nice warm afternoon, and the admiral and I always enjoy the parade with many floats and beautiful costumes. Just like a couple of years ago when we were here in La Paz we watched the parade from the second floor balcony of one of the local restaurants across from the bay with friends from SV: Inspiration at Sea. Even though that we are about 5 km from town in our slip, we can here the music and celebration well into the morning. Today is Fat Tuesday the last day of carnival and the beginning of Lent. During Lent, many of the faithful commit to fasting or giving up certain types of luxury as a form of penitence so it will be party hard by many all night long.
We plan to go out sailing to the islands near by Friday to enjoy the sea life and the many nice anchorages. We are scheduled to have the boat hauled out March 10th and we have flight booked to return home March 12th.
Well it’s time to end our adventure for another year. Put the boat on the hard in the boat yard and spending a couple of days in the hotel here in La Paz. We will be taking our friends Mark and Vicki’s truck from La Paz to San José del Cabo Monday were we will be catching the plane (Westjet) back home.
Chhers to all for now
Back in Mexico for another season we left Home Monday October 29th temperature -8 degrees arrive Cabo San Lucas 4 1/2hrs later 32degrees (40degree difference). After a 2 hr drive we arrive at our hotel La Paz. Once check in we walk to the boat yard and check out Victoria Dos and she is a bit dusty but spent the summer well. We will be replacing the shaft tube in the boat hull before we launch, so we will be staying in the marina hotel for the next week.
We wake up to a beautiful sunny warm morning and enjoy breakfast at the dock café before starting work on the boat. After consulting with a local boat surveyor we decide not to carryout the replacement of the shaft log ourselves and hire an experience boat repair mechanic. So I spend the morning moving stuff around in the boat to allow access to the stern tube. Later we walk the docks at the marina to check out our slip we will be moving into, we meet our friends Joe and Sharon on SV: Lucky Lady Two. It’s Oct 31 so we agree to join Joe and Sharon this evening and hand out candy to the costumed children.
Starting on the boat repair the workers start by cutting out the old stern tube, then they will fit and epoxy the new tube back in, it looks like we will be staying in the air conditioned hotel until Nov. 7th until repair is complete. This make the admiral happy as the day time temperatures are 30 to 32 degrees.
With Halloween past the Mexicans now have a 2 day celebration of the dead.
Day of the Dead Día de los Muertos) is a Mexican holiday. The holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died. The celebration takes place on November 1 and 2, in connection with the Catholic holidays of All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day.
We join Joe and Sharon in the evening and go down town to view the celebration and the Catrina contest. The Catrina’s are people that dress up like skeletons (see pictures).
Our days are; following breakfast off to the boat yard to assist workers on boat until about noon then back to the hotel to cool off and a swim in the pool.
Looking forward to launch Nov. 7th
Boat project complete and we are reading to go into the water tomorrow November 7th. So one more night in the hotel.
The admiral and I are up early and following breakfast it’s down to the boat yard to get ready for our launch at 1:00pm (high tide). We get the sails out of the cabin and up and then get the mooring lines ready. All goes well with the launch and we are on our way to the marina for our first night on the boat. Once in the slip we still have lots of dusting and cleaning to-do before we can relax for a cool one.
We are on dock #3 in the marina and it’s quite full of boaters. We meet some old boat friends and also some new ones. We are informed that there will be the first annual sundowner party for the season this Sunday, as a tradition of dock #3. Sundowner parties are an on the dock pot luck party with lots of “where you bin” and “where you go’ in” conversation. There is always a musician or two in the fleet that brings there instrument and entertains with song.
Once boat chores are done the admiral and I walk down to he local supermercado for some previsions. We spend a very restful night on the boat, but it was a little warm for the admiral. We wake up to a beautiful sunning morning and enjoy a coffee in the cockpit while listening to the local radio net on the VHF radio. We plan to stay in the marine for about a week before going out to the islands for a shake down cruise. (check things out).
It’s Sunday and the admiral and I walk down to the English speaking church for the morning service, where we meet some old friends from last season. Then it’s back to the boat to relax and get ready for the sundowner party. It’s a great evening and many boaters show up with there favorite finger food and later we are entertained with great music by 4 great musicians and singers.
After another great nights sleep and while enjoying our morning coffee, the admiral suggest we go out for our shake down sail Wednesday Nov. 14
It’s time to go out for a shake down cruise.
With all the boat chores complete the admiral suggests we go out into the islands in the morning for a week or so to enjoy. So morning comes and we button up the hatches untie the dock lines and we are off. Leaving the La Paz bay we have to maneuver around a large oil tanker unloading. Once past the tanker up with the main sail, but not enough wind to sail so we continue to motor. We head towards Isla Espiritu Santo about a 4 hour trip; the seas are calm making the admiral happy. The admiral suggests that I should through out the fishing line to see if we can catch a fish for dinner. Traveling along the shores of Isla Espiritu Santo we enjoy the great scenery of the island with the white sandy beaches.
We arrive at Caleta Partita at 4:00pm one of our favorite anchorages. No fish for dinner, we just got the lure wet. The anchorage is quite large and there are only three other boats in the bay, so we are able to tuck in around the corner of the bay for protection in the event the wind picks up over night. Once in the bay were we drop the hook and relax with a sundowner and watch another beautiful sunset.
It was a calm night so we had a fairly restful sleep although a bit warm in the cabin. Following breakfast we are off to the little fishing village of San Evaristo. We put up the main sail and once out of the bay, no wind so we motor along. San Everisto is about 6 hrs away and once again I let out the fishing line. It’s another warm sunny day and we are enjoying the sea while listing to music on our satellite radio when the admiral say’s “I think you have a fish on the line.” I grab the fishing rod from the rod holder and sure enough there’s a fish on the line and it’s giving a good fight. As I get the fish closer in jumps out of the water and we see it’s a good size Dorado. We get the fish to the boat and the admiral give the fish a drink of vodka, this gets into the gills and kill the fish quickly. I get the fish onboard filleted and we now have fish for dinner in the frig.
Along the way we pass SV: Lucky Lady Two with our friends Joe and Sharon aboard heading back to La Paz. We wave and chat on the VHF radio and they tell us that they caught 2 Dorado’s, so the fishing is great in the Sea of Cortez. We arrive at San Everisto anchor then put the dingy in the water and we’re off to shore to walk the beach and explore. We meet friends Steve and Charlet on the SV: Willful Simplicity who tell us about a small palapa restaurant. The restaurant has no menu but great food with the usual catch of the day. Steve and Charlet join us and we enjoy a great meal and great conversation. Following dinner it’s starting to get dark so we get in the dingy and head back to Victoria Dos in and enjoy a restful sleep.
Up in the morning we are off to a bay that Steve and Charlet told us about, on the lee shore of Isla San Jose but as we rounded the south shore we experience 4 to 6 foot swells so we turn and head back to Caleta Partita it’s a rock ride as the wind picks up to 15 to 20kts NNW with current from the south creating what is called confused seas. We are happy to be back in the calm of the anchorage and enjoy a great dinner of the fillets from the Dorado caught the other day.
Up in the morning and following breakfast we have a major equipment failure The Discharge Line From the Head Plugs!!! With no toilet the admiral gives the orders and “we are heading back to La Paz.”
Definition of cruising: “Working on Sailboat in Exotic Places”.
Well I have been living up to the definition of “cruising” as the head gasket in our diesel engine has failed and I had to pull the cylinder head and accessories off the engine. We must wait 10 days or so for a new gasket to be shipped from USA, no gasket available here.
Well the weathers been great and we have been enjoying long walks in the mornings before it gets to warm. We continue to enjoy the beautiful city of La Paz and the many boating friends here and in the marina. Christmas starts here on Dec 1st with the setting up of many Christmas scenes
There are a couple of local restaurants with great live music, so we have been going out with friends to enjoy the classic rock and even dancing. This past Friday we went to Tailhunters Restaurant with friends and enjoyed the great music. Our Canadian friend Kirk from Alberta on SV: Freedom Kirkland got up and treated us to a couple of songs with the band.
The admiral is getting ready to return home to the white north Dec. 1st, I will stay here until Dec. 18. So I will stay back and enjoy the weather and work on the boat.
Boat engine back together and now it’s back to the white north for Christmas. Got the boat engine back together and running fine. With the admiral at home the boating friends on the dock have been looking after me with invites to dinner on their boat. The weather been great so I have been enjoying the walks along the bay on the Malacon.
Tomorrow (Dec 18th) its time to return home for the holidays. It feels a little different hear in La Paz with the Christmas carol music in the stores and great Christmas decorations, but no snow and 25 degrees weather. Anyway it will feel go to get home to the admiral, family and friends.
Back to Mexico.
We had a great time at home over the holidays enjoying time with family and friends. . After 2 days long days of travel with a lay over in Los Angeles we are back in La Paz to the warm weather currently 26 Celsius and our cruising friends First chore is to get food and supplies at the local super Mercado that the locals call the cow store. Then get ready to do some cruising around the islands.
Our Mexican Adventure Comes to an End
After 10 great years with our adventure in Mexico on our sail boat “Victoria Dos” we have decide to move on to another adventure. We have sold our sail boat in Mexico and are planning our next adventure in Florida.
This past season kept us in La Paz Mexico as we had an issue with the engine and we had the boat listed with a broker in La Paz. This last season was one of our greatest as we were able to relax, enjoy the beautiful Mexican city of La Paz and spend wonderful time with friends. Our friends Jack and Judy joined us for 2 weeks aboard Victoria Dos and we enjoyed their friendship and visit greatly.
Carnival in La Paz is a big celebration and party so we enjoyed the great carnival parade and the fun of carnival and yes, the partying.
Yes many great dinners with fun conversations were had and we enjoyed weekly dancing to good old classic rock and roll tunes at a couple of our favorite restaurants. Also another activity the captain enjoyed was the marine swap meets (large garage sale) where cruisers would bring the stuff to trade. One of the vendors at the swap meets was the German sausage
Off to Florida to look at Boats
We are in Florida looking at boats for our Florida adventure of next winter. We arrived February 25 and have been putting on many miles travelling the state of Florida looking at boats. Our newly purchased GPS navigator has been very beneficial with guiding us to the various locations. We have seen several boats, but most have not met our criteria of “Hurricane model in as new condition” We did find a nice boat in Leesburg Florida that we would like to purchase and are currently dealing on.
We were in Florida 3 different times in the past 20 some years, so we returned to a few of our favorite places. One being Frenchy’s Salt Water Café, that has the best grouper sandwich in Florida.
We are now staying in Cape Coral at a nice motel at the end of one of the canals. Cape Corral is a canal city with over 400 miles of canal, so instead of a back alley like we would have back in Canada there is a canal that allows you to travel by boat through the canals to the ocean.
We will be staying in Florida until March 13 travelling the state enjoying the sites and shopping for boats. We are looking at travelling to the Florida Keys later in the week.
Cheers for now
Keith and Donna
The New Victoria Dos
After two long weeks driving around the state of Florida (2000 miles+) we have found the boat of our wishes. A 23 ft Hurricane with a 225 hp Yamaha engine.
We arrive home from Florida yesterday to a late winter snow fall. Looks like we are going to have to wait a couple of weeks for spring???
Well we arrive in Cape Coral Florida October 17th to hot weather (30 to 32 Celsius). The Admiral is have a bit of a problem adjusting, fortunately with the pool at the house we can cool off. We spent the first week getting the boat ready polishing and getting some routine maintenance done at the boat yard. A couple of blocks away we found a nice little biker bar, where we would enjoy lunch and a couple of cool ones. Yes biker bar, not the Hells Angel’s type, just a bunch of retired fellows living their dream of owning and riding a Harley.
Once we got the boat in the water and back in the lift at the house, there was more cleaning (labour of love for the Captain). Once all cleaned up it was time to cruise the canals and find a nice canal access bar for happy hour. No problem the admiral spotted one after about an hour cruising.
As we will be spending the winter here we will need some transportation, so we went shopping for a car. We found ourselves a 2006 Jaguar with only 60,000Km at a reasonable cost. So the admiral has a new ride.
Weekend arrived and temperatures in the 30’s so admiral suggests we head out to the Caloosahatchee River for a boat ride. The river is about 6 miles wide but very shallow in palaces, we take special note to the river channel markers so as not run aground. We arrive at the mouth of the river where it enters the Gulf of Mexico, we anchor at one of the islands and enjoy lunch.
Halloween arriving so we go shopping for candy. We don’t know how many trick or treater’s to expect, the admiral loads up expecting many. Unfortunately we only have about 15 treaters come by the house.
We are now in the relaxed mode and enjoying Cape Coral
Cheers for now
Keith and Donna
Well we are adapting well to the snowbird life style. It’s much different from our days living on our sail boat in Mexico. While on our boat it seems that we were doing constant repairs and maintenance on the boat that kept us busy. Here in Cape Coral many different activities to keep us busy. There are many nice local bars with happy hour priced drinks and live entertainment that we are enjoying. We have joined the gym located walking distance from the house. This allow us for what is called “Net Zero” no weight gain as a result of our change in life style & happy hour enjoyment.
We are also enjoying golfing as there are many nice courses nearby that are very affordable. We do have a favorite course the El Rio golf club, a par 60 short course, with many par 3 holes
Last week we drove to Tampa, were meet up with our son Kevin and his wife Kendra to watch the Oilers play the Tampa Bay Lightning. They played well, but unfortunately lost. The arena is first class with one mega huge time clock with a high definition screen that reaches from blue line to blue line. Also we had great tickets for only $23.00.
The first Monday of each month there is a car show in the parking lot of one of the Fort Mires restaurants. As it’s only about a 20 minute drive, the admiral suggest we checkout the car show and have a couple of cools ones.
We are enjoying our boat and cruising the many canals here in Cape Coral. We have not made it out to the ocean yet as there have been many windy days and large waves. We check the weather each morning for the wind forecast, as we are anxious to get out to the Gulf of Mexico to catch some fish.
We are enjoying the great weather (low 30’s), a bit warm for the admiral. Fortunately there are a number of beautiful beaches nearby, where we walk alone in the cool ocean breezes.
We are staying very busy and active. We walk to the local gym 3 times a week to work off the previous day’s happy hours calories. (Net zero). We are also enjoying golf a couple times a week. Our son Kevin recommended the Cape Coral Yacht club as a great place to enjoy great music and dancing. Tuesday night is biker night where local Harley Davison owners come, display their bikes, and enjoy the music and a beer. The past 2 Tuesdays we enjoyed the music in an open court yard, dancing, walking around viewing the bikes and yes the people. We had a pleasant surprise while enjoying the great music of Deb and the Dynamics. A Biker wedding; about 8:00 pm the music stopped, the bride groom and wedding party road up into the court yard and wedding vows where exchanged. Yes this was a biker night
Last week was the Fort Myers Boat show, so the admiral suggested that we go and admire the boats on display. We saw a great pontoon boat with a large bar, complete with refrigerator, ice maker and bar sink. Wow this is quite the party barge.
This past Sunday we went fishing. On the way down the Caloosahatchee River we stop at a floating bait shop. We purchased a dozen live shrimp and put them in the boats live well. We traveled to a popular fishing spot, between Sanibel and Pine Island. Got lots of bites and nibbles on the shrimp, but no fish. Going to one of the local fish bait shops this week to pick some brains and get some fishing advice and technics.
The weather has been a bit warm for the admiral 30 degrees with high humidity each day. It’s nice to have the pool to relax around, enjoy a cool one and cool off.
Enjoying the warm weather in Cape Coral. Fortunately the cold weather that has hit the USA did not make it south to Cape Coral. Since it’s important not to become dehydrated I have switched to 64 calorie beer sold here to support our “Net Zero” weight gain program
We’ve been out fishing and have caught some nice ocean spotted trout. As the admiral suggested I went to one of the local bait shops to gain some local knowledge and technics. The owner was very helpful and sold me a float with a rattle in it that supposedly attracts the fish. I was a little sceptical as fish don’t have ears, but apparently they feel the vibration. Well we went out fishing and yes it works!! I’m now catching fish. I bought an extra float to see if it will work with fishing in Lake Wabamun.
With the hot weather we have been driving to the beach to enjoy the beautiful Fort Myers beach with its fine white sand. It’s great to just sit there, soak up the sun, have a cold one and watch the interesting people. Also there is a nice eco- park not far from the house where we walked the board walk through the mangrove trees to the Caloosahatchee River.
The admiral has been keeping us busy with a day trip to enjoy Naples Zoo. It was a great day.
We were not aware that Thomas Edison and Henry Ford were very close friends who also enjoyed great times together and had large winter estates in Fort Myers next to each, we spent an interesting day touring the estates. The grounds and buildings are beautiful and the volume of interesting artifacts and information was mind-boggling. Those were two AMAZING individuals!
Last week was the Fort Myer beach sand castle competition and the admiral suggest that we take drive and have a look. Wow, was there some great sand castles!
We had a nice visit and sleep over from out boating friends that we spent great times with in Mexico; Maureen and Dick formally of the “SV: Blue” as they have recently sold their boat.
This week is the St Petersburg boat show, so we are going to the boat show then off to Daytona Beach for a couple days.
Cheers for now
Keith and Donna
Road trip to Daytona Beach
Enjoying Cape Coral and the activities, but the admiral suggests that we take up on the offer of our son and daughter in law to stay in their apartment/loft in Dayton Beach. Our son and daughter in law have a small apartment or loft that they use when in Daytona Beach. So we load up the car and off to Daytona Beach a 4 ½ hour drive, we arrive there at about 5:00pm. We unload out luggage and then off to find a restaurant/bar that has happy hour. We have learned with our stay in Florida that restaurants with happy hour drink and food prices are more affordable. We find a nice ocean front bar where we enjoy a nice dinner and a few sundowner’s. Then back to the loft for a restful evening. Daytona Beach is on the Atlantic side of Florida and has a beautiful beach that goes for miles. The loft is located across the street from the beach, so we are looking forward to a day at the beach tomorrow.
It’s another hot day (30 Celsius) as Florida is and has been experiencing near record high temperatures. So after breakfast we load up the cooler and take our beach chairs and it’s off to the beach to enjoy the sights and people passing by. The beach is not very busy so there are only a few others in our area. We set up our chairs relax and the captain opens a cool one. The beach is patrolled by the lifeguard’s touring in their vehicles and they are also law enforcement officers, so I must not be very conspicuous with my beer.
It’ been a great day at the beach (toes in water, ass in the sand, beer in hand, life is great). As the day goes on we are starting to get a little too much sun so the admiral suggest we go back to the loft change and go to Riptide Restaurant for Oysters and an beer. This is a restaurant that our son recommended and he was right as we enjoyed two dozen oysters each. Then back to the loft for a quiet evening.
After a very restful sleep and off to the local diner for breakfast and it’s another day at the beach. Dayton Beach is unique as you can drive your vehicle down the beach when the tide is out. The admiral suggest that she take a drive down the beach to enjoy the experience.
Christmas is coming and the local yacht club is putting on a sail past this evening with boats decorated for the occasion. We drive down to the river and as sun sets we watch the boats sail buy decorated and some playing Christmas carols. What a wonderful evening.
After another restful night we are up and again off to the diner for breakfast then back to pack up for our tip back to Cape Coral. We make a brief stop in Venus Florida to say hello Maureen and Dick our friends and house guest from a couple weeks back.
Back in Cape Coral it’s time to get one last fishing trip in before we head home for the holidays on Dec. 13.
We wish all our friends a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year
Keith and Donna
Relaxing after 2 weeks with our friends Jim and Karen
After a wonderful 2 week visit to Florida from our good fiends Jim and Karen, that went by very quickly as we kept them very busy. The weather was mostly sunny and warm. We had a day of clouds and a bit of rain so we went to the dog races. Donna got lucky and won two quenelles, so we went home with a few extra bucks.
One of the high lights was our trip to the everglades and the air boat ride through the swamps. This was very exciting as the air boat pilot added some thrills with high speeds through the mangroves and a couple 360 degree turns. Yes we also seen many alligators.
As the weather was warm and sunny we enjoyed boating, with fishing and happy hour trips to a couple of different boat access restaurants.
As the water temperature is dropping the Gulf of Mexico the manatees are migrating to warmer water. The admiral suggested we go see the manatees, as they are gathering in the warm water discharge canal at a local power plant. Yes many manatees there and a naturalist giving a talk on the life of the manatees.
The evenings were enjoyed with games of Mexican Train or cards with many laughs and enjoyment.
Donna and I are now relaxing in preparation to visit from our other good friends Jack and Judy and Walter and Karen
Our Florida adventure is winding down for the season
The admiral and I have enjoyed a great winter here in Cape Core, Florida. But with mixed feelings we will be heading back home around March 15th. Looking forward to being home, seeing family and friends, but will miss the great weather here. We will be driving and estimate it will take approximately 2 weeks.
We were fortunate to have friends Jim and Karen visit us in January and Jack, Judy, Walter and Karen visit this past two weeks. It was great to have friends visit, to enjoy activities with us.
The weather has been super with temperatures between 25 and 30C allowing us to enjoy golfing, boating and fishing. We have not had great luck with catching any keepers when fishing. Walter caught a couple of sharks, but this past Saturday Jack caught two nice mackerel’s that we enjoyed for dinner.
Boating through the canals and enjoying happy hour at some of the water front restaurants has bee a great experience. Boating out to fishing, we would always see dolphins swimming in the distance, make our guests excited.
We wanted to show our friends the beautiful Fort Myers beach with the nice white sand this past week. We decided to drive and with the hot weather it appeared that everyone was going to the beach. With the traffic a 30 minute drive took us 2 hours and the beach was so crowded it was difficult to find space to set up our chairs. Anyway we enjoyed the walk down the beach and then a couple cool ones at the beach.
Cheers for now
The admiral suggested that we go for a boat tour, before we start to put the boat away for the summer until our return in October. It was a warm day and the seas were calm making it for a comfortable ride for the admiral. We stopped at one of the islands on the way back where the admiral was able to soak here feet in the ocean water and the captain enjoy a cold one. Our departure back home will be this Saturday morning with an attempt to make it to Nashville Tennessee in 2 days where we will stay for a couple of days.
Cheers for now
We were up early yesterday, Saturday and on our way at 7:00am to start our travels back home. We arrived in Byron Georgia about 100km south of Atlanta at 3:00pm (800km trip) with a two quick stops at rest stops along the way. We made great time travelling the interstate freeway, even though the posted speed is 70mph (115kph) the average speed of motorists is 80mph (130kph). One we checked into our hotel we enjoy dinner and a couple of cool ones at Jack Crab Shack.
We are off the Nashville Tennessee today and will stay three four 3 or 4 days to enjoy the sites
We woke-up to rain and cooler weather in Bryon Georga, but looking forward to our trip to Nashville. We left shortly after 7:00am with fairly heavy rain most of the way to Nashville and arrived at noon (time change 1hr back to central time). Weather was cool 5C and raining, ooooh do we miss that Florida sunshine.
After checking into the hotel went into town to enjoy the sights. Lots of little bars with upcoming county singers, yes ever bar had live entertainment and the main street in one bar after another. So the admiral and I checked our several establishments and enjoyed the music, then back to the hotel for a quiet evening.
Today we enjoyed more sights touring the County Hall of Fame and the Grand Old Opry (Ryman Auditorium). The weather is still cool but no rain, forecast is for warmer weather and sun the rest of the week.
Tonight we are off to a nightclub that was recommended to the admiral by a lady we met in Cape Coral.
Cheers for now
What a surprise;
When we were in Cape Coral the admiral met a lady from Nashville, as they were talking the admiral mention that we would be passing through Nashville on our way back home. The lady told the admiral to make sure that we stop at the night club “3rd & Lendsely” as there are times when well-known singers stop in to sing with the band on stage. So last night we went there to see the band “The Time Jumpers” to our surprise this is Vince Gill’s backup band and yes he showed up and stayed for the night singing and playing the guitar (2 ½hrs). He is quite the accomplished guitar player. The music was great with that old type country music with 2 fiddle players. There was also a country music hall of famer yodeling. All the musicians were very accomplished and the mode was very relaxed with lots of laughter and joking among them all
What a night
Yesterday we toured back stage and attended the evening show at the Grand Ole Opry
Yesterday was a great day as when went through the back stage tour of the magnificent Grand Ole Opry, experiencing some of the charm and history of the Opry house. The original Grand Ole Opry was at the Ryaman Auditorium. When the new Opry building was built, a circle of the stage from the Ryman Auditorium was cut out and placed in the stage in the new concert hall (May the circle be unbroken). It was explained that this circle is very sentimental to the artist performing here. The back stage tour was very informative, viewing the dressing rooms and plague of all the inductees.
Last night we attended a great performances by:
Even though our seats were in the upper baloney the music and view was ok.
Today is our last day in Nashville, so we continue our travels home in the morning
We are now in Columbia Missouri 200km east of Kansas City. After 4 days in Nashville it was time to leave, we had a great time and enjoyed all the sites and music. Last night we enjoyed a great band in the “Roberts Saloon” on Main Street. As I mentioned before the main street (Broadway) is bar after bar and they are not very large. Anyway the admiral and I stay out later than usual but had a great time on our last night.
We were up early this morning and were on the road shortly after 7:00am and arrive in Columbia about 2:00pm this afternoon. Today’s journey took us from Tennessee through Kentucky & Illinois to Missouri. Tomorrow we are off to Colby Kansas. The weather has be cool but sunny.
Anxious to get home to family and friends.
After leaving Colby Kansas we headed west, were we turned right at Denver Colorado and now on our way north. Not far north of Denver we experienced quite the snow storm with slippery road conditions for about 150 miles, making the admiral a bit nervous. Snow stopped and conditions got much better as we reached Cheyenne Wyoming. We arrived at Casper Wyoming about 2:30 pm were we will spend the night. After checking into the hotel we went down town for some lunch and cool one. Casper is a fairly large city and also quit the cowboy town. The admiral though she should go shopping for a pair of cowboy boots a bit of a holdover from Nashville.
Anyways travels going well and planning to head for Montana in the morning
Continue our journey home. Got a bit of a late start but we left Casper Wyoming this morning at about 08:00. Not much for traffic and we can made good time, as the posted speed through Kansas, Colorado, Wyoming and now Montana is 75 mph (120 Kpa). If you do the posted speed limit your will be travelling in the right lane (slow) as everyone will be passing you. We once again made good time and arrive in Great Falls Montana about 2:00pm this afternoon. The hotel we are staying in also has a casino so the admiral enjoyed some time on the one armed banded. Fortunately she broke out even.
Tomorrow we arrive at the border, so we are hopping all the documentation is in order and we don’t have any issues with importing our car into Canada.
See you soon
We arrived home yesterday afternoon about 3:00pm. We left Great Falls Montana early in the morning to snow and a bit icy roads. The farther north we got the snow stopped and the road conditions improved.
We were a bit concerned that we may be held up at the border with processing documentation for exporting our car from the USA and importing into Canada. As we had submitted required documentation to US customs prior to arriving we were only about 10minutes at USA customs. We then went to the Canadian customs office. They were very helpful with filling out required documentation. After paying duty and taxes we were on our way. This took approximately 30minutes.
Happy to be home, but missing the warmth and sun of Florida
Our Florida adventure starts again for the winter. We arrived in Cape Coral this past Tuesday afternoon after travelling from Edmonton to Toronto on the red eye. Once we arrived at the house and unpacked shopping for groceries we went. Last season we always enjoyed biker night and great live music at Cape Harbour Marina Tuesday nights, so the Admiral suggests we check it out. On the way we get a few drops of rain and wonder if things are still a go as the venue is out doors. We arrive as the band is packing up due to the weather forecast of more rain. We enjoy a pizza and a couple cool ones then return home. During the night as per the weather forecast we experience a thunder storm, with lots of lightning, thunder and rain. We wake up to a sunny morning and enjoy the warm weather and breakfast outside by the pool.
Once settled in we start traveling the west coast looking for a vehicle to use here in Florida. After 3 days of travel we find a 2006 Ford Explorer right here in Cape Coral. The vehicle is in good shape and within our budget.
Now it’s time to get our boat out of storage and to the house. The boat has been stored inside a storage warehouse, we were pleasantly surprised at how clean it was after leaving it there for the summer. After a couple of hours of cleaning and waxing, the boat is loaded and put in the water and we are off.
After a good day of work cleaning and getting things in ship shape, we settled down on the dock for a cooling off and low and behold there was a big old iguana cooling his jets on the neighbors dock! There are lots of iguanas around but up until now we have not seen one in our canal! We will budget for an extra head of lettuce next shopping day! After dinner we went for a lovely stroll down the street and were lucky to see two families of burrowing owls sitting and cooling themselves. A great way to end our
day!
The weather here is much more comfortable than last year due to the lower humidity. The temperature is still about the same 28 to 30C, but last year with the humidity in the 90’s it felt like 35 or 36C.
One last task for me is to resume my role as the pool guy. Then we will start relaxing, playing golf and yes look for a place to play pickle ball.
Quote from a senior citizen
”When you fall down, you wonder what else you can do while you’re down there”
Now that we have completed most of our tasks it’s time to enjoy, so the admiral suggests we make a tee time and go golfing. I make a tee time at the El Rio course a par 60 course that we enjoy with the scenic canals and the wild life. A great day and not too hot as there was a nice breeze blowing. With the heat and the exercise from golf on the way home we stop at Perico’s bar for a natchos and a cool one. One of our favorite places with great happy hour prices and great entertainment in the evening. Once home we enjoy cool refreshing swim and then dinner outside in the lanai.
Up early and after a pot of coffee and breakfast we decide to go for a boat ride to Fort Meyers beach,, Get the boat all packed and go to start the engine but no go. The batteries are dead as I have left the ignition on. Oh well into the car and we drive to the beach. We had packed a lunch and our beach chairs so we set up to enjoy watching the scenery and walking on the beach with the cool ocean breeze to cool us off from the heat (30C).
The week end is arriving and the annual snow crab festival in Naples, so off to Naples we go, about a 45 minute drive. We were hoping to see one of our favorite bands “Deb and the Dynamics” but unfortunately they played the night before. Anyway they had a great band playing called the “BOSS” playing Bruce Springsteen music. We enjoyed the music and watch some of the older dancers living their dream once again (see video).
In September the admiral and I took up pickle ball back home and have joined a group here that meets Mondays and Thursday to play pickle ball. Great exercise and the players are very patient with our beginner skills.
We are enjoying the warm weather and trying to stay active. We have not been doing much boating as either the wind has been blowing or it’s been Pickle Ball. We did go out for a short cruise last week and stopped at one of our favorite canal bars for happy hour. One of the windy days the admiral suggests we take a trip to Bonita Springs and make a few wagers at the dog track. Although we had a few dogs finish close, we only had one winner in the 7th race. Any way we enjoyed the day and on the way home we stopped a Trader Joes for their famous Charles Shaw wine, nick named “2 buck chuck” as it was sold for $2.00 a bottle (now $2.99).
It’s Tuesday night (Bike night) and we are off to Cape Harbour for the great music and dancing in the court yard. The evening is unofficially called “bike night” as the locals ride their bikes (Harleys) and show them off. We see some friends that we had met last season and we share stories of our summer back home. Andrea shows us her new scooter that her boyfriend bought as a gift. She was very proud.
Golfing has been great and to improve my game I treated myself to a new set golf clubs. I decide to only get new irons as my driver was working well, so we travel to PGA super store in Naples where they will custom fit the clubs to your swing. I decide on a set of Ping irons. The technician asked me if I was Canadian and if I had played hockey. I said yes and why do you ask. He tells me that it is mostly Canadians that golf left handed. I was fitted for the new clubs and was assured the clubs would be delivered to our house in 5 days. The clubs arrived as he said. Excitedly, I unpack the clubs and off to the course we go. On the first hole I have a great drive and I get down the fairway for my next shot and I pull out my new club. To my disappointment it was right handed (wrong clubs)! Well, back to the club house where I rented a set of left handed clubs.
We get back to the house and make a call to PGA super store and they apologize for the mistake. They will have the proper set sent by air freight and will give me a $150.00 gift car for the inconvenience.
The big news has been a large alligator spotted not far from our house that can up from one of the canals. See video below
Life is great
This past couple of weeks we have been very active with our pickle ball each Monday and Thursday and golf. We have not been doing much boating as it has been windy, but we did make it out one calm day and did some fishing and took a trip to Fort Myers Beach. We were surprised when we stopped at the bait boat to purchase some bait shrimp. The bait boat has been replaced by a floating building and now offers ice cream and snacks.
The breezy days were appreciated by the admiral on the hot days. One of the hot days we drove to the beach for a walk and a couple of cool ones (Don't want to get dehydrated). During our walk the admiral spotted a sign advertising 94 cent draft beer. Stop we did and have marked this bar for future reference.
We went on a nature walk at the Caloosa Nature preserve last Sunday. A very close to nature trail led us through a cypress forest alongside a creek. We finished our walk in time to view a presentation of some local snakes and reptiles followed by a winter star presentation at the planetarium. A nice way to spend a Sunday afternoon.
This past week we had a cold front come through with cold weather. Monday we woke up to 12 C and the high for the day was only 18 C. Cold for the locals but just a bit chilly for us. Tuesday we had a storm come through during the night with a thunder storm dump and record of 4 inch of rain within about 4 hours. No flooding but our pool level was near over flowing.
This week is the annual sand castle building competition on Fort Myers beach, bringing sculptors from all over the world including Canada We spent the afternoon touring the beach and admiring the great works of art.
The admiral suggested that we go on a road trip so tomorrow (December 1st) we are off to Daytona Beach for a few days. Once there we plan to spend a day at Disney Worlds’ Epcot center. We also have tickets to Kennedy Space centre and the test launch of the Orion Space craft that will eventually take astronauts to Mars
http://blogs.nasa.gov/orion/
Road Trip to Daytona Beach
Up early Monday morning and after an uneventful 4hr trip across Florida we arrive in Daytona Beach on the Atlantic coast. We unpack at our son and daughter-in-law’s apartment then off to one of our favorite restaurants for happy hour oysters and a draft or two. We have tickets for the Orion Rocket launch on Thursday at Kennedy Space Centre, so as Disney World is bout 1 1/2 drive away we decide to travel to Epcot center for the day (Tuesday). We enjoyed viewing the various country pavilions at the world show case, but the excitement was the training for a Mission to Mars Space ride. The ride had two entrance lines; one green and one orange. The access through the orange was to be a bit more exciting or scary. The admiral suggested that we take the orange line. After we were given some instructions and the opportunity to move to the green area we chose to continue with the orange adventure. We were loaded into space ship, the doors where closed and taken though a visual and rocky space ship adventure, to our amazement and excitement. Another adventure we enjoyed was “Soarin” where we were taken through a flight across America as though we on a hang glider. It was beautiful! It was a long day and we didn’t get home until 9:30.
Up early in the morning and following breakfast, as the beach is just a short walk from the apartment, we decide to go for a long walk on the beach. The weather is nice and warm but very foggy. The admiral suggests that we walk to the main pier and back. Well we walk for quite some time and still not site of the main pier. With the fog we underestimate the distance to the pier that was 3.5 kms away (7km round trip).
We get back, clean up and off to the Ponce Inlet light house and museum at the south end of Daytona Beach, where we toured the largest light house in Florida. The light house was built in in 1887 and is a historic site, but is still in operation as a navigational aid for boaters. We tour the out buildings but as if we didn’t have enough exercise with the walk on the beach we decide to climb to the top of the light house 203 steps 175feet. Once down and reaching near dehydration, we go looking for a place a have a burger and draft. We find a nice restaurant on the river. Once home, exhausted, its off to bed early as we must get up at 2:00am to travel to Cape Kennedy Space Center for the test launch of the Orion Space craft at 7.05 am. Orion is the craft that will take mankind to Mars in approximately 20 years. Cape Kennedy is a 1hour drive away with not much traffic so we arrive at 3:00 am. As expected there are lots and lots of people and the line up to the busses to take us to the launch site is 45 minutes. We arrive at the viewing area and the bleachers are near full but we find a spot to sit. Although we have a 3 hr wait until launch there are monitors set up and a communication feed to launch control so we can vew and listen to the activity in the control center.
7:05 arrives and the control center announces that there is a boat in the water with in the launch area safe zone and the countdown will be delayed until the boat is escorted out.
The countdown starts about 7:45 and 10 minute down. At 3 minutes to launch the countdown is stopped due to wind gusts and count down will be resumed once winds subside. The time goes by quickly as an astronaut arrives and shares stories and answers questions from his 7 flights into space aboard the shuttle. Over the next hour we have one more countdown stop due to wind and then at 9:30 a “fill/drain” valve of the fuels system malfunctions and the launch is scrubbed until tomorrow. Home we go and early to bed again and up at 2:00am.
Had a great time in Daytona Beach. We stayed at Kevin and Kendra’s loft over the garage at their apartment complex a block off the beach. The beach here is unique as you’re allowed to drive your vehicle on the beach and we did. We had a busy time enjoying Epcot Center in Orlando at Disneyworld, climbed to the top of a very tall lighthouse at Ponce Inlet and enjoyed other sites in Daytona, but the highlight of our trip, was the trip to Kennedy Space Center and the test launch of the space ship Orion. Orion is the space capsule NASA plans to send people off to Mars in 15 – 20 years and needs to be tested to make sure it is capable in all ways. One of the critical tests was the reentry and heat shield that went well. With this test launch travel it has now been proven we will be able to go farther into outer space than any previous space ship. On Thursday the original launch date, there were many delays; a wayward boat in the restricted area, too much wind, a mechanical issue and the launch was finally scrubbed until the next day. We had purchased tickets to the up close viewing bleachers (8 miles away from launch pad). At the viewing area there were closed circuit monitors set up with live feeds from the control center with commentaries. Also astronaut Jerry Ross, veteran of 7 shuttle missions was there up close and personal. He shared many interesting stories not only of the shuttle missions but personal stories of his career in the air force. So the long wait during the delays turned out to be a real bonus.
We were up again a 1:30 am Friday morning and back to Cape Kennedy (1 hr. drive) for the launch. There were no delays and off into space the rocket went and about 4 1/2 hours later after circling the earth once and then being slingshot out into the extra-terrestrial and making another loop she splashed down about 500 miles off the Baja coast.
There were several venues throughout Kennedy Space center with real time views and commentaries of the space capsules flight, so we were able to watch the complete journey from launch to its splash down. There was a lot of hype with clapping and cheering by the spectators during the launch, and the flight, especially when the various rocket stages separated and capsule splashed down. Yes we also got caught up in the excitement. I guess you had to be there to appreciate the experience!!
Absolutely amazing!! Great job by NASA.
We had a full day as there were many great displays to view; l Saturn V rocket was there. There were 3 rockets built and not launched when the Saturn program was canceled. There is also a building built around the Atlantis Space shuttle that even shows the damage to the tiles near the engines that were damaged by debris during the launches.
Check out the vidio of the launch in the ovie tab
After our great adventure we headed back to Cape Coral this past Saturday as we didn’t want to miss pickle ball on Monday. We are into another busy week focusing on getting our Christmas preparations done before Kevin and family arrive next week. We have a very short window of time to spend with them and wish them the joy of the season before heading home for Christmas and New year’s celebrations with Krystal and her family. Life is good!
Cheers to all
Home for the holidays….. then back to Florida
It’s December 18th and time to head back home to the white north to enjoy Christmas with family and friends. Our granddaughter Kiana arrived Dec. 15 for a few days early to spend some time with us before the rest of the family arrived. Kevin, Kendra, Luke and Tyler arrived on the 17th . Cole arrived from his Australian adventure a few hours later and we were able to spend time with them all and catch up, looking at pictures and sharing stories before we had to leave the next afternoon.
We flew back to Canada to cool weather and snow, but road conditions were clear for our drive home from the airport, stopping along the way to get our Christmas house guest……..Max! (Kevin’s family dog) We enjoyed a great Christmas day with Krystal, Curtis, Josh, Kendal and Jake at their house. After a delicious dinner we enjoyed a challenging game of monopoly and believe Jake had beat us all. We played a game of ‘sticks’ that Kendall received from Aunty Kendra and couldn’t finished before we ran out of energy and had to quit. It was a great day! As the weather was mild for most of the days we were home, Max took us on many walks. He is a fun house guest.
Neighbours and friends Walter and Karen organized an afternoon of bowling for the friends and families of Rosewood beach the afternoon of New Year’s Eve. Later in the evening after our dinner, a Yahtzee game with the kids and a nice bonfire we walked up the hill to Benny and Joanne’s to bring in the New Year. New years day was a day of outside activities with snowmobiling, sledding and yes sitting around the camp fire and sharing stories and jokes. With the holidays over, Mother Nature brought in the snow and colder weather (-20 degrees C). With our return to Florida in 3 more days we will put up with cold weather.
Jan 4th and off to the airport and now the temperature had dropped to – 40 degrees C with the wind chill. With the weather there were many flight delays and our flight was delayed 1 ½ hours. As we had a 3 ½ hour layover in Toronto we were not concerned with making our connecting flight to Fort Myers. We arrive at Fort Myers at 2:00pm to sunny warm weather (24 degrees C). Even though we very tired the admiral agreed to go out for a nice dinner. We went to a new beach restaurant at the Cape Coral marina were we enjoyed a nice meal and cool one an great live music.
After a few days of recovering we are now settled in and rested we will now get back to our activities with pickle ball today.
Back to the warm weather
Weather has been great 24 to 28C and mostly sunny.
As we noticed last year it gets much busier following Christmas, with a lot of Snow Birds from the northern USA here. For example, before the new-year we would play continues Pickle Ball one game after another with the occasional slight wait between games. Now there are many more players with 10 minute waits between games. That’s ok as there are a lot more competent and experienced players making the games more challenging. Also, the restaurants are much busier with wait lines at some.
Kevin and Kendra told us about a new restaurant at the Cape Coral Yacht club overlooking the bay with live music in the afternoons that we enjoy. We seem to eat out fairly often as the food prices are quite affordable, and a draft beer is normally around $2.00.
My golf game has been struggling so I decided to take a lesson. Well the lesson helped, but even with my improved game the admiral beat me our next time out. Any way that evening was biker night at the Cape Harbour marina with great music in the outdoor court yard and after a few beers, happier times prevailed.
Today we went out fishing and caught and couple of small Flounders, a Mackerel and a nice Pompano fish.
The Oilers are playing Tampa Bay Lightning tomorrow so the Admiral suggest we go on a road trip and see the Oilers.
Field trip then to the Oilers Game
Following Breakfast we are off to Tampa Bay to watch the Oilers Play the Tampa Bay Lightning. The admiral suggest we leave a little earlier and stop at Clear Water beach and Tarpon Springs. Our first trip to Florida was many years ago and we had stayed at Clearwater beach near Tampa. We arrive at Clearwater beach with overcast skies and light rain. The beach is as beautiful as we remember, the hotel we stayed at is no longer there and a new building is under construction. We enjoy a walk on the prier.
The admiral also suggests that we drive to the Greek town of Tarpon Springs made famous by the sponge divers. The nearby ocean is abundant with natural sponges and the Greek divers still dive for the sponge. Once at Tarpon Springs we enjoyed a delicious Greek dinner at Demitri’s on the waterfront and walked the streets shopping at the many small shops.
Now off to Tampa and the hockey game.
We arrive at the arena a bit early and so decide to find a restaurant for a beer and wings. The only place close by was a Hooters restaurant. The place was full with hockey fans, the waitress said there was room at a large table and asked if it was ok with us to join in and meet some new friends. To our surprise the other fans at the table were Oilers fans and also had just met. One couple was from Sask. And the other parents and son from Vermilion Alberta. What a coincidence.
We enjoyed great conversation then we walked over to the game. We had great tickets as I had purchased them at a discount price ($24.00) through Stub Hub. We enjoyed all the pregame hype with the lightning flashes and the loud thunder in the arena. Also they have a very large pipe organ with music adding to the hype.
The Oilers out played the Lightning, but unfortunately coughed up the puck a couple of times resulting in goals. The Oilers outshot the Lightning 32 to 19 but the score ended up 3 -2 for the Lightning. We had a great day and the 1 1/2 hour trip back to Cape Coral seemed to go by quickly as there was not much traffic.
Off to the largest Red Neck Event In south Florida.
We continue to enjoy our adventure in Florida with golf, pickle ball and boating. The past week we went fishing but no catching, so we decided to do some boat touring through the southern canals. This involved travelling through one of the locks. We enjoy travelling through the canals checking out the various homes along the way.
The past Sunday we travelled to Naples for the “Winter Classic Swamp Buggy” races’. These races are “World Famous” and can only be seen 3 or 4 times a year right here in S.W. Florida. Quite the event! The dress of most of the spectators was camo, as this is a poplar event for the hunters and gathers (AKA red necks). There were many concessions selling many unusual fashion items and interesting things to eat. During the opening ceremonies they introduced the swamp buggy queens and the runner up contestants (Short skirts and cow boy boots). After several misfires, a cannon was fired by gunners in southern confederate dress to start the races; very appropriate. The swamp buggies were high octane machines with lots of noise and speed. It was a fun day and a new experience.
This past week end the admiral suggested we go to “Fort Myers Antique Boat Show”. There were many great restorations and samples of quality workmanship there. Looking at all these boat has given me the ambition to possibly refurbish our old Vanguard boat this summer. There was also an antique gas driven ice cream making machine. Yes the admiral had to sample the ice-cream.
I had to take a couple of days off pickle ball as I had sprained my knee, but I am all better and back playing.
We always look forward to Tuesday evening at Cape Harbour Marina and the great music in the open air courtyard. Yes and I enjoy a couple of cool ones. This past Tuesday one of our favorite bands “Deb and the Dynamics” performed.
The admiral is excited and preparing the house and I’m getting the fishing gear ready for our friends, Walter and Karen’s arrival this Sunday. We are looking forward to a fun week with them.
This past week was full of fun and activities with our friends and neighbours Karen and Walter. The weather was great with a couple of cool days when we enjoyed golf. One of the highlights was the arrival of the Budweiser Clydesdale team in Fort Myers and the up close experience with the team and, yes, the Dalmatian dog. We also spent a couple days’ boating and one of those days fishing, but no luck catching with the exception of Walter who caught a small one. We did experience many up close Dolphin sightings. When we passed one pod of dolphins, we slowed the boat down and trimmed in the engine to create a large wake behind the boat and one of the dolphins joined us swimming in the wake (Very exciting).
We spent one morning observing the Manatees that gather in the warmer water of a local power plant. Nice to observe the Manatees up close.
On the warmer days we enjoyed the pool during happy hour and breakfast on the pier on the canal one morning. There is a large iguana that nests at the top of a palm tree next door that comes down to enjoy the day on our pier. We are trying to befriend him by feeding him. He is enjoying the juicy lettuce, but so far hasn’t shown any signs of wanting to be friends.
This past Friday night Walter suggest that we go to a place with live entertainment and dancing, so off to Fletcher’s Club for a fun filled night of music, food and dancing. Also there were many interesting people to watch.
Saturday was a great day for the market and then off to do some biking on beautiful Sanibel Island. Before biking we stopped to energize and hydrate with chicken wings and beer. After about 8 – 10 miles of biking and a walk on the beach to see the lighthouse, we had a need for ice cream. The evening was short and after a few quick games of 31 it was off to bed.
Sunday morning was another great time at the golf course. We were done in time to follow that with a boat ride to Ft. Myers beach. On the way back we stopped for dinner at the Cape Coral Marina. There is a neat little Tiki style restaurant on the beach there. After a nightcap (water) and our last card game, we collapsed in bed.
As flight time was not until late afternoon it was decided we needed one more round of golf before lunch. We fitted in a game and had time for burgers on the deck by the pool before heading for the airport.
Thanks for sharing a great week with us guys! Looking forward to next time.
The admiral suggested that we take a road trip to New Orleans and check things out. After a quick 12 hr drive from Cape Coral we arrived last night about 6:00pm (Thursday) (I hr time change). Quite the temperature change with overnight temp a 4C, forecast is to warm up tomorrow. We are staying in a nice but older hotel just 4 blocks from the French Quarter, so we are able to walk to most places. More New Orleans adventures to come.
Thursday
After a quick 12 hour road trip from Cape Coral Florida we arrived in New Orleans at 6:00pm. Once checked into our hotel we are off to check out the French Quarter. Fortunately the hotel we are staying in is only blocks away and walking distance to many clubs, bars and many other interesting attractions. The weather here is cooler than Florida, so it’s jacket time, but forecast to warm up. Walking through the streets reminds us of our visit to Nashville last year with streets full of bar’s with live music, except instead of country and western it’s jazz or blues music. It was a long day so following dinner and a couple cool ones listening to a great band it was back to the hotel for a good night’s sleep.
Friday
Up early, following breakfast that I brought to the room for the admiral to enjoy, we set off site seeing. The admiral suggested that we take a bus tour to see the sights of New Orleans. Walking along the water front of the Mississippi river we come across a tour guide office and purchase the tickets for the bus tour. The bus driver/tour guide was great, with a strong southern accent and was very informative and entertaining. Many of the homes are built on narrow lots therefore homes are long and narrow, with a long hallway from the front to the back door, these homes being nick named “shot gun” homes, as the tour guide said “you could open the front and back door and fire a shot gun through the house.
The tour took us through the streets of the French quarter and to an area of the city where there is still the remains of the devastation of hurricane Katrina 10 years ago. The city has a program to auction off the abandoned properties, with the condition they must be refurbished within one year. These derelict homes still have the paint markings on them from the rescuers that came by boat to search for people following the hurricane. The tour also took us by the grave yard where the caskets are in concrete tombs above ground due to the high water table.
It’s spring break, and bars and restaurant are very busy. Bourbon Street is blocked off from vehicles in the evening, to allow from the crowds of people to cruise the streets and the many bars with music playing along the way. Partying goes on most of the night, but the admiral and I are back to the hotel by 9:00pm.
Saturday
Once again up early to a sunny morning and much warmer weather. It was recommended by some friends in Cape Coral to take the river steam driven paddle boat trip. The steam boat Natchez is one of two actual steam boats remaining in the USA with actual steam boiler and engine turning the paddle wheel. Had a tour of the engine room that brought back memories of when I worked as a power engineer in the boiler house. The ship ride down the Mississippi was narrated by the Captain, pointing out interesting points along the way. We could see the Mississippi River is a major shipping channel with many tugs pushing barges and cargo ships and cruise ships traveling along the way.
Sunday
We took the trolley train to the down town area to check out the large casino. We dropped a few $$ in the machines then carried on in our tour of the town. We decided to take the water ferry across the river to Old Algiers where the slave ships docked to unload their cargo in days gone by. This is one of the oldest areas in New Orleans and has many beautiful historical structures. Here we walked along the levy that protects the area from the rising water of the river. We could see that many of the homes are below the water level of the river and are protected by this levy.
Monday
Heading back to Cape Coral with a stopover in Tallahassee, the capital city of Florida. Here, after dinner we spent a quiet evening before a good nights rest.
Tuesday
Back in Cape Coral to 33 degree weather
Our Florida adventure for the season is quickly coming to an end. Returning home once again with mixed emotions. Missing the nice weather, but returning home to family and friends.
This past Sunday we went out for our final boat ride for the season. The weather was perfect, 33 degrees and no wind. We travelled, out to the Gulf of Mexico, then anchored of the shores of Sanibel Island and enjoyed a swim in the warm ocean water.
Well now it’s time to put the boat away and get things ready to return home.
Yesterday was a busy day with getting the boat waxed and ready to be put away for the summer, until our return October 13th. It was a warm day, 33 degrees, so we worked up quite the sweat and needed to go to one of the local bars to get rehydrated.
Last night was biker night at Cape Harbour with the St. Patricks’ day theme. Great music, cooled beer with friends, lots of fun.
We are now waiting for friends to take us to the airport. Scheduled to be home tonight at 10:30pm
Back to Florida for an endless summer
Yes back in Cape Coral again, I arrived October 13th and Donna will be arriving on the 27th. Thngs are a bit different as I’m currently recovering from a back injury as a result of a fall from a ladder Sept 29th resulting in burst (crushed) vertebrae. The good news is I’m still walking and doctors tell me that I should not have any long term back issues, but it will take some time to heal. I had to wear a clam shell body brace for 6 weeks, but now have a smaller brace allowing me mobility. Will have an assessment by the Doctor when I home in December. So no golf or pickleball for a while.
My days are very relaxed with spending most of the day around the pool and the occasional 15 minute dip in the pool, then evenings on the dock enjoying the Florid sun set.
Yesterday I drove to Fort Myers Beach, walked to the end of the pier and enjoyed the warm ocean breeze and the sights of the many swimmers and sun worshippers. Had to stop at one of our favorite beach bars for a beer and wings before returning home.
Yesterday was a busy day trimming trees. I hired a local handy man, recommended by Pat our neighbour across the street. He's a great worker and very reasonably priced. It’s surprising how much the trees have grown sense we were here last spring. The banana tree had gone wild and required significant pruning. Unfortunately one of the stocks landed damaging the neighbour’s fence. So today it’s fence repair. We had a nice banana crop (cluster) so I looking forward to some banana bread when the admiral arrives next week.
Enjoying my morning coffee and the great view down the canal this morning with the trees pruned.
I have been busy the past few days getting our boat out of storage and into the water. The trip back home from the boat house takes is out into the Caloosahatchee River, then though the canals to the boat lift at the back of the house. Great to feel that ocean breeze once out onto the river.
The handy man that has been doing yard work for me came along for the trip and helped getting the boat into the lift. (Don’t want to stress my back).
Looking forward to the admiral arriving Tuesday and the now that the boats clean, hoping to go fishing soon
The admiral arrives and things are great.
Donna arrived last Tuesday following a very long day of flight delays and a long layover at the Houston airport. She is having a bit of problem adjusting to the temperature difference here with near record temperatures and humidity. 30C feeling like 34C. Following a couple of days relaxing, the admiral suggests we go to the Dog races in Naples, as its Friday and dollar days at the track. (Beer and hotdogs $1.00). Our luck was with us as after staying for 5 races a hot dog and a couple cool ones, we come ahead about $10.00.
On the way home we take the scenic drive along the coast to Fort Myers beach, we stop at one of the many beach bars for happy hour and a light lunch.
Saturday and its Halloween and we are not sure how many trick or treaters will come as we only had about 10 last year. Anyway we plan for many, but once again we only have about 20 treaters. Lots of treats left over of us.
The last few days we spent cleaning; lots of algae growth. I purchased a pressure washer (new toy) to make the cleaning more fun. With temperature in the low 30s, can’t work much past noon, then a dip in the pool to cool off.
Managing the hot weather
Even with my back I’m able to stay busy with yard & pool maintenance and power washing the dock. Thanks to Donna's help.
On Monday we went to the monthly car show at Fort Myers Beach to view the many custom cars and a cool beer ($1.50).
Tuesday evening is biker night at Cape Coral Marina, with great live music in the court yard. We really enjoy going, as there are always interesting people to watch, along with great music.
We have been experiencing recorded temperatures, with temperature Wednesday at 34C. With hot the weather the Admiral suggest we go to Lovers Key State park, to enjoy the beach and the ocean breeze. The state park is on the Gulf of Mexico and not far away (45 minute drive) where the great beach is not as crowded. It was very refreshing swimming in the ocean as the water temperature was 82f/28c.
Off to the Hockey game last night
Last night we went to watch the local hockey team, the Florida Everblades take on Wheeling, West Virginia Nailers (ECHL). The admiral suggests we go as it was Wednesday with $2.00 beer and hotdogs at the game. Beer was cold and hot dogs were hot dogs. Oh yes great looking cheer leaders.
Great hockey and exciting finish with the Everblades pulling their goalie in the last minute of play, but unfortunately the Everblades were unable to score and lost 6-5.
The Florida Everblades may be a great team for our grandchildren to play with once they finish their minor hockey careers.
Cheers to all
This past week end was USA thanksgiving, so the admiral suggests we go on a road trip to Daytona Beach and take in the largest car show in USA at Daytona Beach Speedway "TheTurkey Run". We leave Cape Coral early and after a short 4 hour drive, we arrive at our son and daughter-in-law’s loft were we will stay for the weekend. Once unpacked we are off to the beach across the street, for a refreshing walk. It’s a bit windy but a warm breeze, with large breakers coming in from the ocean.
We then head off to Riptides one of our favorite restaurants for happy hour and fresh oysters. Along the way we see a satellite car show with many hot rods set up in the nearby shopping center and hotel parking lot. As we are a little early for happy hour we stop and tour the site. It appears that the car show is an opportunity to buy a hot rod or a project, as many of the vehicles have for sale signs.
After an enjoyable dinner we go back to the loft for an early to bed, as we want to get an early start in the morning for the car show.
Up early Saturday morning getting ready to go to Daytona Beach Speedway for the “Turkey Run” car show.
Last night was very noisy as many of the hot-rodders were ripping up and down the street. It appears as though the Turkey Run is to Hot-Rodder’s as Sturgis is to Harley Davidsons. It appeared that anyone with a hot rod was here. The local police seem to have other things to do, as they were no were to be seen.
We arrive at the race track to quite the sight with approximately 6,000 cars on display. (A bit overwhelming). There were many beautiful restorations and cars from the 50s that brought back memories of the cars I owned during my teen age days.
One area I really enjoyed was the garage area with a display of historic race cars and a large commercial area were you could buy all sorts of parts and accessories for a vehicle rebuild.
As the day went on the crowd increased and the temperature got warmer, fortunately I was able to get a cold beer at one of the vendors.
After a few hours of walking around the many cars started to look the same, so the admiral suggested we leave and find a nice beach bar to relax and enjoy Happy Hour.
Enjoying the east coast of Florida
There is a lot of history on the east coast of Florida, so the admiral suggested that we travel along the coast to the city of Saint Augustine the oldest city in USA, founded in 1565.
It was a nice short scenic ocean one hour drive. Saint Augustine has a lot of historic architecture. The original narrow roads have been converted to walking streets with many shops and restaurants. Like most of the east coast the beaches are great. Unfortunately we did not allow enough time to enjoy the city, so the Admiral says we must come back again next season.
On the way back to Daytona Beach we stopped at Flagler Beach at one of the beach Bars that has roof top dining. Great food and drinks and happy hour prices. On the beach there were many unique kites being flown for us to watch and enjoy during dinner.
Getting ready to head back home for the Christmas. We are heading home tomorrow Dec 10th a little early this season, as I have a Doctor’s appointment. I’m hoping the Doctor will give me the OK with my back recovery, so I can return to normal activities.
This past week has been busy for the admiral with getting ready for Christmas here with shopping and decorations.
Yes we had one last night out at Biker night at Cape Harbour marina with one of our favorite bands. Yes even dancing.
We have a couple iguanas living in the palm trees next door that enjoy sunning on our pier
After a great and fun time with family and friends over the holidays, we arrived back in Cape Coral this past Tuesday. The weather here is a bit more comfortable with a high of 24C rather than 32C prior to the holidays.
As I have recovered fully from my back injury, it is back to normal activities. On Thursday it was back to pickle ball and yesterday we had our first golf game, since August of last year. We had a great time and will not discuss my score (room for improvement).
Enjoying the warm weather here, but have been getting some unusual weather with thunder storms and even a tornado touched down in Cape Coral about 5 miles from us. The news reports tell us this rain is highly unusual for this time of year as it is normally the dry season. (El Niño).
Anyway we are enjoying golfing, pickleball, and have joined a local gym to help maintain our health.
Our good friends Jack and Judy arrived last Thursday from Turtle Lake Sask. and we are enjoying fun times with them with evening card games over a beer or glass of wine.
Yesterday we went fishing, this was very exciting for me as this was the first time out in the boat since I injured my back. It was a great day, warm weather and calm seas. We caught many different fish, but no keepers.
Great fun with Friends
Enjoying time with friends Jack and Judy from Turtle Lake Sask. To join us now are our friends Dennis and Lorna (milly) from Price George BC. Dennis is a Pickleball player, so it was great to team up with him in a game this past Thursday. The weather although warm has been windy and days of rain. We did get out in the boat for a tour of the canals (and a cool one to prevent dehydration). Yesterday we drove to the manatee park to view the manatees lounging in the warm water from a local power plant. On the way home we found a nice beach bar for happy hour and a game of Corn Hole (Florida’s name for bean bag game).
Fun with friends and Airboat rides in the Florida Everglades this past weekend
Off on a road trip to Dayton Beach where Jack and Judy will be staying for the next couple weeks. We will stay with them until Monday then head back to Cape Coral. The weather here is great, the admiral and I enjoyed a great walk on the beach this morning. Off to the giant flee market the back to relax on the beach later.
Dayton Beach with Friends Jack and Judy
Enjoying nice warm sunny weather, a time relaxing on the beach.
Yesterday we took a trip to Ponce De Leon Light House toured the facilities a got our morning exercise by climbing the 203 steps to the top of light house and enjoyed great views from the top
This past Tuesday evening was Biker Night at the Cape Harbor Marina. This is a regular outing for the Admiral and I. The event has been nick named “Biker Night” as many Harley riders come on their bikes and park along the street entering the court yard.
Deb and the Dynamic’s one of our favorite bands were playing. The band sets up in the main court yard and chairs are set up near the outdoor bar were we enjoy a couple of cool ones and dancing. Also there is a coffee shop nearby that sells delicious ice cream that we enjoy.
After fun times in Daytona Beach with friends Jack and Judy, we returned to Cape Coral. We have been experiencing cooler weather with a lot of rain through January, but still enjoying our endless summer.Weather has returned to normal, sunny with temperatures in the mid 20C. Last week we took advantage of the warm weather and went out for a boat ride and fishing. (no catching just fishing). Saturday we went golfing at one of our favorite courses and had to be careful on the 18th hole with alligator sunning himself along the fairway. Sunday the admiral suggested we rent bikes and go biking on Sanibel Island. Went for a long bike ride to the end of Sanibel Island and walked the beach to look for sea shells. Still enjoying Pickle ball on Monday and Thursdays.
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Tuesday we took a road trip to Tampa to see the Tampa Bay lightning play the Arizona Coyotes. We left Cape Coral early and took the scenic route along the ocean, stopping at Clearwater Beach for lunch and ice cream. As we still had lots of time before the start of the hockey game, the Admiral suggested we drive to Tarpon Springs. Tarpon Springs is an interesting city as it’s a Greek settlement famous for their sponge divers. Following a great afternoon touring the streets and sponge vendors we were off to Tampa and the hockey game.
Great game with lightning winning 2 to1. We enjoyed lots of hype in the area with lots of special effects, (thunder and lightning) get the fans going. It was a great day
We have had a super event filled past week with Uncle Ed and Aunty Jean. The weather has been great.
We spent a full day at the Naples Zoo. This is a great conservation zoo with informative talks by the zoo keepers during you tour of the facility. A unique area is the monkey habitat as the monkeys live on islands with no fences. We toured around the islands on a boat with great narration by the boat Capitan. My favorite was the alligators and probably second were the giraffe’s.
On Friday it was one-dollar beer and hot dogs at the Naples dog track, so off to the races we go We lost a few dollars but no serious casualties. On our way back home we stopped by Fort Myers beach at one of our favorite beach bars for happy hour.
Sunday we were off to the Florida Everglades and an airboat ride through the everglades. We choose Jungle Erv’s air boats this time and we were happy we did, as the ride was very exciting and a bit scary. Jimmy the air boat driver that took us through the mangrove at what we though were very high speeds and a couple of 360degree turns in the open swamp. We also had the opportunity to view their alligator talk and hold a baby alligator.
It has been a great visit so far. Having great company for cards and games in the evenings and a bonus private breakfast chef (Uncle Ed) has been wonderful.
Our winter adventure comes to an end for the season. Yes, will be leaving the tropical weather of Florida and returning to the white north this afternoon. Donna returned last Thursday and I stayed an extra week to carry out some yard maintenance and put the boat away.
It was a great winter here were we enjoyed fun with guests. Donna and I enjoyed great golf as we have discovered an another nice course 30 minutes away and yes Pickleball each Money and Thursday.
Looking forward to my return and meeting up with friends and family.
~~The love of my life has been here now for a week, following a couple of long flights from home. The temperature here has dropped a bit with highs around 27, with a light breeze making it comfortable. We have got back into our relaxing routine. Last Thursday we enjoyed a nice walk on the Fort Myers beach and a great game of golf on Friday. Sunday the admiral suggested we go to the Ortiz Latino farmers /flea market. The market is located in a district of Fort Myers that is predominately Mexican. Walking around the market gave us the feeling of the time we spent in La Paz, with the majority of the vendors and patrons being Mexican and speaking Spanish. Yes, they even sell live poultry. Enjoyed a great Mexican taco before we left.
Last night we enjoyed Halloween with many goblins coming to the house. Between kids arriving we managed to have a game of crib, which I gallantly let the Admiral win. Enjoying the endless summer.
~~
Our son and daughter in law have decided to sell their home in Cape Coral, that we have been spending the past winters in. The good news is that they have purchased a very nice home in Ponce Inlet Florida where we will be able to continue our winter adventures and endless summer. Ponce inlet is a suburb south of Daytona Beach.
The house is a great location just a ½ block off the beautiful beach. We arrived at Ponce Inlet this past Tuesday, met up with our son and daughter in law and enjoyed time on the beach, a great swim in the ocean and long walks on the beach. They headed back on Wednesday but we are staying here until next Saturday to scout things out. We will be bringing our boat and need to find a marina here to store the boat. One of the highlights is the great large Pickleball facility. Yes, we have already got in a couple days with a great mixture of talented and friendly players. The beach access is also a great bonus to enjoy and helps us maintain an active lifestyle. Yesterday we went for a long bike ride on the beach to a great beach bar where we stopped for a cool one. Careful not to get dehydrated.
~~Well it’s time to return home for the holidays. We have been enjoying great weather and times in Cape Coral Florida. We made two trips to Ponce Inlet where we will be moving to our new winter home in February.
Although it will be a cold on our return, we are very much looking forward to meeting up with friends and family.
~~Enjoying the great weather here, fortunately the cool weather experienced in other parts of the US did not arrive in south west Florida. We are enjoying some great golf and of course pickleball twice a week. This past weekend the admiral suggested we enjoy the great weather and a walk on the beach, so we went to Manasota beach that we had not been to before. Enjoyed a great day and dinner at the marina restaurant.
We are getting excited about our move to Ponce Inlet Florida, February 10th. We have purchased a trailer to move the boat there. I have been busy carrying out maintenance on the trailer (breaks and new wheel bearings). Also, loaded the boat and took it in for servicing.
As the boat is a bit large for our vehicle and it’s a 2006 model, we have decided to rent a truck to pull it to Ponce Inlet.
~~Enjoyed a great day at the Punta Gorda craft beer and chili cookoff. The admiral heard about the Chili cook off at Punta Gorda a short drive away, so off we went. One of our favorite bands “Deb and the Dynamics” were playing there, so we were excited to go and enjoy the music. We enjoyed great chili by some very interesting contestants with some unique displays. One group of creative contestants we enjoyed were dressed as hippies with a make shift hippy van.
As expected we enjoyed the great music and a couple of cool ones. To our surprise the band that followed Deb and the Dynamics was a band from New Orleans that played great Cajun music and were great entertainers. The music reminded us of our trip to New Orleans. Continue to enjoy our endless summer.
We are all moved in and enjoying Ponce Inlet Florida (Suburb of Daytona Beach). Thanks to Kevin and Kendra for the help getting all our things and our boat safely across the state. It would have been a much harder job without their help.
After getting settled in we had a great time with them; lots of fun games of pickleball, walks on the fantastic Dayton beach, boating and a trip to Kennedy Space center with granddaughter Kiana and Ty who are here visiting for a week of R&R after a week of exams. The weather has been great, we were able to launch our boat and take a trip down the inter coastal water way; even venturing out into the Atlantic Ocean.
The day at the Space center was very interesting and a lot of fun for all; an exhausting, full day!
This week is race week here and very busy with races, time trials in preparation to the Daytona 500 next Sunday. Yesterday to start things off there was a parade with many vintage race cars along the original race course with the east leg on the beach. We took our chairs down to the beach and watch the cars go by.
~~There has been quite the transformation of the Ponce Inlet home since our son and daughter in law purchased it a year ago. This past week Kevin and Kendra can to Florida with a detailed work plan to work on the installation of a sprinkler irrigation system and landscaping, scheduling work around pool, sod and tree contractors. We must compliment Kendra with her great imagination with the design of the pool and yard landscaping. While it was a busy and physically demanding week, the end result was very, very satisfying with the beautiful end product.
Now back to our endless summer; pickleball ball, golf, long walks on the beach and yes happy hour at our favorite beach bars. Also looking forward to friends who will be visiting in the new year.
~~We are off on our new adventure touring The Maritime and Atlantic provinces. This will be our first vist to eastern Canada and we are looking forward to the beautiful sites and local people.
We arrived in Halifax, following our red eye flight, to a beautiful sunny morning. Once we picked up our rental car we drove to Halifax Harbour, the water front board walk, to stretch our legs, enjoy the beauty and a cup of coffee. We will be visiting Donna’s cousin Lee and his wife Betty in Halifax for a long-awaited visit and reconnection. On the way we stopped at the famous site of Peggy’s Cove and at the memorial site of the crash of the Swiss Air flight where all 249 passengers and crew perished.
Following a short drive, we arrived at the beautiful water front home of Lee and Betty. Following a nice lunch, we were taken for a great site seeing tour of the area. On return we were given a tour of Lee’s wine ceiler and wine making system. He has done a super job there! That evening we were entertained to a great dinner and conversation over a glass or two of Lee’s wine (thanks much Lee and Betty).
Following a great sleep, we enjoyed a wonderful breakfast cooked by Lee. We were then off on our adventure with a promise to return for a visit Oct 1st toward the end of our Maritime tour.
Donna and I enjoyed a lovely drive to Grand Pre’, a UNESCO site where the Acadians originally settled in Canada. There we learned a lot of details of Canadian history about the Acadians and how they took advantage of the large ocean tidal swings and the building of dykes that held back the ocean tides to reveal the rich land that they were then able to farm.
Then off to the Annapolis valley the location many wineries and vineyards. We stopped at Luckett’s vineyard for a lunch and a tour. We were surprised as we were greeted by owner Pete Luckett who we recognized from his past CTV garden show fame. Very nice!
During our adventure will be staying at AirBnB suites. So, it was back to Halifax area where we were pleasantly surprised by our 4 night accommodation; a newly renovated suite above a garage, beautifully appointed with everything we need! Very comfortable!
Today we are off to Lunenburg (Bluenose II) and the scenic drive along the South shore of Nova Scotia.
~~Continue our adventure in Nova Scotia
Tuesday’s weather was forecast to be cloudy with occasional showers, so the admiral suggests we drive to Lunenburg, home of the Bluenose II and the Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic. Lunenburg is a beautiful city with the Atlantic historic homes painted many different bright colors, we enjoy a nice walk along the board walk along the bay and fortunately the Bluenose II is at port for our viewing.
Enjoyed a great tour of the Fishermen’s museum with lots of history including a tour of a fishing vessel. Later in the afternoon we take a walk along the streets of Lunenburg and spot a nice bar for a happy hour beer. It’s important that we acquire a taste for the local brew and culture.
Wednesday is a beautiful sunny morning as we travel to Digby Nova Scotia on the south west side of the island. Digby is famous for the Atlantic Scallop fleet. Once in Digby and following a short walk the admiral suggest we continue to the “Digby Neck” a long narrow peninsula south of Digby. We enjoy a nice drive along the Digby neck to the end of the peninsula. We then take a small ferry to Long Island; location of the Balancing rock. We arrive at the Balancing rock parking lot and take the 1.7 Km hike through the woods and down 227 steps to the Balancing rock. Much appreciated walk as we have been doing a lot of sitting and driving. On our return to Digby we stopped for a great dinner a local restaurant for dinner, Scallops of course. Delicious!
~~Farwell to Nova Scotia
Its our last day in Nova Scotia and we wake up to another beautiful day, so we take the short walk from our AirBnB to Fisherman Cove. Fisherman’s Cove is a typical cove with the lobster boats and fish house. The cove also has many small shops to attract the tourists. We spend the afternoon back at Halifax harbour front wajking the board walk. We take in the Halifax harbour museum with lots of history of the massive explosion resulting from a ship full of war time explosives with another ship in 1917. Yes we continue to gain lots of knowledge of Canadian history. Craft beer is very popular in the restaurants in Nova Scotia , so we get to try some very tasteful and different brews at our happy hour stops.
Well its Friday morning and up early for our 2hr drive to the ferry terminal that will take us from Nova Scotia to Prince Edward Island. We arrive about an hour early so we walk around the harbour and chat with other passengers. We board the ferry for the 75 min. trip expecting a scenic crossing as it’s a warm clear day. Unfortunately, once we get out to sea fog appeared, so we just enjoy the trip. Once we arrive in PEI we drive to our Airbnb in Charlottetown and drop off our luggage. The admiral suggest we take a drive to the coast to check out the unique red sand beaches and fishing coves. It’s a warm day; 26C with the humidex it feels like 31C, so we enjoy a walk into the surprising warm ocean. Then it’s back to our bnb, looking forward to beautiful sites tomorrow and yes we need to find some Celtic culture.
~~Great time in PEI
Continue to enjoy great weather and sites in Prince Edward Island. Our 2nd day in PEI we are up early and off for drive along the south coast and view the red sand and rock cliffs unique to the area. We stop along the way at a little fishing harbour for lunch and a cool one. We watch the fishing boats arrive at the harbour to unload their catch. The lobster season is over, so the lobster boats are converted over and are out fishing for cod and other fish species. Following lunch we continue our drive to Skinners Pond the home of the famous Stompin Tom Connors. We tour his home and interpretive center, but unfortunately the live show reflecting his life and music we were looking forward to was cancelled for tonight.
Another day and we are off to Green Gable PEI yes, the home of “Anne of Green Gables” I never read the book but fortunately I had a good guide as the admiral had read the book and was able to share quotes. For those that read the book we did the walk down lovers lane holding hands. Its was then back to Charlottetown to get ready as we are off to an evening kitchen party at Stanley Bridge hall. Fortunately, we arrive a bit early as there is quite the line up. We are entertained by some great maritime toe tapping Celtic fiddle music by Richard Wood.
Today we are off to the south eastern area of the island famous for the great red sandy beaches. We stop for lunch and guess what’s on the menu!…..Cauliflower bites. So, its a beer and bites for lunch. Can’t get to enough of the Celtic music so after dinner we are off to Clinton Hills to see the Ross Family. What a great venue it is; a beautiful old renovated dairy barn converted to a Dance hall. The Ross Family entertained us for a night of great toe tapping Celtic music and dance. The group featured two sisters and their brother John, who was quite the comedian. He kept us laughing between sisters dancing and playing and changing instruments.
We really had fun in Price Edward Island! And now its off to New Brunswick!
~~Enjoying New Brunswick and the Bay of Funday
Leaving PEI, driving over the long and impressive Confederation Bridge. It was a foggy morning, so we didn’t get a great view of the Bay of Fundy. Once we arrived in Moncton we checked into our Airbnb and were pleasantly surprised, as it’s a beautiful 2-bedroom apartment. Then it was off to the famous Magnetic Hill. As instructed we drove down the hill put the car in neutral and back up the hill we coasted. We know its a optical illusion but we couldn’t finger it out.
As the Admiral’s great grandmother family had settled in New Brunswick when they arrived from England, we drive to Fredericton and near by Williamsburg to see if we could discover some their history. We met with some of the locals got some history and toured the local grave yard for descendants. But no great success.
After a great sleep and breakfast, we are off to see the famous Hopewell Rock to view the tidal swings. The Bay of Fundy is famous for the largest tidal swings in the world up to 50 feet. We arrive at high tide to take a few pictures. As it will take approximately 10 hrs until low tide we are off to Saint John to view the reversing falls on the river. Here the flow of the river reverses due to the rapid rise in the tide from the Bay of Funday. It is very impressive with high flow currents.
We then return to Hopewell Rocks to view the bay at low tide. Wow! What a change. We walk down the now exposed large beach. The caves along the shore are roped off with danger signs as there has been reports of people getting caught by the water rushing from the tide as tidal water rushes in a 13 feet per hour. The park interpreter tells use about the tidal bore on the river in Moncton where an actual wave is developed when the tidal water rushes up the river during the transition from low to high tide.
Once back in Moncton we go to the Moncton river to view the tidal bore. Very impressive!
~~Enjoying Newfoundland
Its time to leave beautiful New Brunswick and off to Newfoundland. We decided to take the overnight passage (7hrs} to sleep on the ferry crossing so we can enjoy the day light for touring. We arrive at the ferry 3 hrs early as loading takes place 2 hrs earlier than departure. The ferry is a bit more upscale that we are accustomed to and we realize why they have early boarding. The ship has a large lounge/bar. Once on board most passages are off to the lounge.
Following an uneventful crossing we arrive in Newfoundland to sunny morning. We have a 2hr drive to Rocky Harbour located in the beautiful Gros Morne National Park. We check into our Airbnb, unload our luggage then off exploring. First stop Lobster Cove light house. It’s a bit windy but we enjoy the walking around the light house point. At the light house interpretive centre we enjoy the historic description of the light house and area by the park interpreter.
Following a great sleep, we are up, and as suggested by friend and tour guide Cathy, we are off to Western Brook Pond for a boat tour; a short 30-minute drive. We get our morning exercise as it’s a 3km walk to the dock where we board the tour boat for the 2hr cruise. The boat tour guides provide great information on how the pond was created millions of years ago. Great sites with the large cliffs and water falls. During the return trip on the boat, we are entertained with Newfie music and playing of spoons by the tour guides.
Following 3 wonderful days in Rocky Harbour we are off to Baie Verte, but before we leave the admiral suggest we return to the lighthouse and walk the trails. Great views and we now understand how the name Rocky Harbour came about.
We arrive in Baie Verte, following a short 2 ½ hr. drive. Upon arriving we unload our luggage and then off for a walk along the bay. We had made arrangements to have dinner with Ken and Vicki, our Airbnb hosts. We enjoy a great traditional Newfoundland Jiggs dinner and interesting conversation. A super evening!
~~Newfoundland then back to Nova Scotia
Continue enjoying the great sites of Newfoundland. Fortunately, we are still enjoying great weather, but we did have had a few showers in the mornings. It seams like we’re always about ½ late for some reason here in Newfoundland. Also I have a bit of challenge understanding the locals with their local dialect. Fortunately, after a few beers I seem to speak the language fluently. We enjoy a couple of days touring the sights of Twillingate then we are off to Dover to meet our friend Blairs’ parents, Robert, Sandra and guest Sharon. We have a wonderful stay at their home great conversation and feel we have now made some great new friends.
Well its now getting close to the end of our adventure in Newfoundland and as it’s a long trip back to the ferry terminal for our crossing back to Nova Scotia the admiral suggests we stop for an overnighter at Deer Lake along the way. We reserve an Airbnb near Corner Brook and tour the Blow Me Down provincial park. At Lark harbour we enjoyed the hike along the board walk and climbed to the point for great sites and pictures.
As we are sailing on the overnight ferry (7hrs) we like to take advantage of as much day time touring as we can. Once again, a smooth overnight crossing. Once off the ferry we travel back to Lee an Bettys. They take us to the local lobster broker where their friend, the owner gives us a tour and great description of the lobster fishing industry. Lee purchased 4 large lobsters then we returned to their home for a great lobster dinner prepared by Lee and Betty and a super evening with great conversation.
After a wonderful 3 weeks our Atlantic adventure has come to an end and we are off to Ontario to visit cousins, niece and nephew.
Do to technical issues our last leg of our Maritime adventure to Ontario/New York state did not get posted.
Following a quick flight from Halifax to Toronto we drove to Kitchener and had a great visit with our nephew Billy and his wife Cindy and their lovely family. Cindy’s mother and father Terry and Barb joined us for dinner and later great conversation over a drink of Newfoundland rum.
Up in the morning then off to Saint Catherine’s to visit and stay with cousin Laurel and husband Tony and their lovely daughter Erin. Uncle Ed and Aunty Jean were visiting from Edmonton, so we were able to spend time with them touring while Laurel and Tony were at work and Erin at school. We went to the near by Welland Canal lock #3 and watched a large ship maneuver through the lock. Great up-close view from the observation platform! Wayne Gretzky has a Winery/ Distillery in Saint Catherine’s, so it was a must stop on our way back to Laurel and Tony’s.
After a wonderful visit and great hospitality in St. Catherine’s , we meet up with Donna’s cousin Richard for lunch and conversation. Richard ( then Dicky) and I chummed together when I was young, and this may have had something to do with meeting up with Donna as Dicky was staying at her house back in the day. Thanks Bud!
Then off to Darien New York to visit our niece Danna, husband Chris and their two beautiful daughters Ellie and Grace. We arrived Columbus Day weekend. It was also home coming weekend with a parade by the various classes form Graces school. Although Graces class float did not win the art work on the float done by Grace was very impressive. Grace plays in the school band so following the parade we went to the high school football game where Grace and the band marched and played during half time. Very impressive! We shared our experience of our day at the Welland canal and how we were so impressed at how the locks work. Danna and Chris suggested we take a boat tour through the locks in the Erie Canal. This was very impressive with a close-up tour and narrative by the captain of the history and working of the canal lock system. Following a wonderful weekend stay and hospitality we traveled back to Toronto to board the plane to Florida to start our endless summer.