PUERTO VALLARTA and Banderas Bay

January 2008

We left Chacala and made straight for Banderas Bay. It’s a huge bay with a large anchorage at La Cruz, in the northern part. D&K spent Christmas, in fact several weeks there in 2005 and talked often about how much fun they had, so we were anxious to check it out.  There were about 30 boats at anchor and just after we set ours, several whales appeared leaping and playing just a few hundred feet away.  We’re off to an exciting start! 

We were up early the next day and off to Puerto Vallarta, specifically Marina Vallarta to see if we could find a slip for at least some of the time that Ade’s sister and brother in law, Audrey & Don, were due in town to celebrate their 25^th Anniversary.  We’d been trying to make reservations since September at either Marina Vallarta or Paradise Village, two well located, and popular marinas.  Both had consistently told us they were pretty much sold out for the entire winter season. We’d called MV again the week before, spoke to someone, and were told that nothing was open, but to come in and check when we got to town…ah, a glimmer of hope.  We had backup reservations at the new marina in La Cruz, but it is 30+ km from PV, and while it’s a cool little town, dirt streets and the “Taco Stand” are just not what a girl pictures when she is away on her 25^th anniversary!  We were anxious to line up at least a few days “in town” with our fun-loving, active guests. 

We entered Marina Vallarta and saw how wonderfully situated she was, and also how many hundreds of boats there were, with nary an open slip in sight.  OhOh.  We called on Ch 16 and 22 and got no answer.  Darn.  I really want to be here now, I could see cool looking bars and restaurants, big beautiful yachts, and lots of activity…this is the place we have to be!  Then a cruiser with a lovely accent said come on over to G dock, there was a slip just recently vacated by a Nordhavn 43 and perhaps we could fit in it.  We located G22, and it looked too narrow, but all these guys on the dock were eagerly signaling us that ‘no problemo’ we could fit, and were there helping us with lines, so Ade cautiously and masterfully squeezed into this narrow slip, with literally 4″ between the hull and the dock.  Phew, we’re in. Then they said, with limited English “Daniel sent you”?  OhOh.  I said, “Who’s Daniel”?  They didn’t want to hear or understand that we didn’t know Daniel, asking only if we’d called, and we had, so we thought well, this just might work out.  But then there was much discussion, and they said, (in rapid Spanish) pointing across the way, G7 is larger (mas grande), you should go in there.  OO-kay.  So, Ade carefully extracted himself from that slip, went around the docks, and backed into another narrow slip (it only had about 10 inches to spare, but was roomy by comparison). By now we have at least 6 guys working on the docks (in various capacities) and one official from the marina.  Things are looking good. 

The official guy is talking to the office on the VHF and all I understand is ….’Daniel’, (drat-it’s still about the unknown Daniel, and now someone named Darrel) and they just keep smiling, and KNOW that we are the ones they are expecting, but at this point, I’m darn sure I am NOT the one they expect…but, Ade is giving me the “just shut up look”, so I smile and wait to see how it plays out.  More radio click clicks, rapid Spanish and the official Marina guy is shaking his head and tells us there is a ‘problemo’, (ohoh) but all he needs is for us to go back into in the G22 slip, and so, smile still plastered in place, Ade does another masterful job of backing out of one narrow slip and around back into the impossibly skinny slip. (Remember we weigh 56,000 lbs, a nice big girl)

There are now 8 guys working with us, and it’s become quite the party.  I quickly tip all of them, grab our papers to check in before we are asked to move again and head out in search of the marina office.  Adrienne, at the office, is most casual, but she too is talking Daniel and Darrel, (I really have to find these guys), and once again I am confessing that I don’t know them. But she didn’t seem to believe me, as if I was just confused… ‘No problemo’, she says taking our papers, “you know Daniel” (will no one listen to my confession? Catholic guilt is killing me!). Ade gives me the look again, hands her the money and drags me out the door before I blow it completely. We got back to the dock and low and behold, there was Daniel.  He says, “You are Darrel’s friend right”?  “NO” I say, I do not know a Darrel.  But he’s also a pretty kick back guy and shrugs, “well, no problemo”. I’m still terrified that at any moment the real friends of Darrel will show up and we will be out on our tail! 

We made a quick dash to the marine store and when we returned we couldn’t believe it, there are our pals on Chelsea Skye backed into the lone available slip. We said, “Sure hope you know Darrel”. Yep, that’s their buddy…it’s a small world.  Best of all, they were perfectly happy in that slip. We are so grateful that somehow, things always work out!  Proving that it is indeed a tiny world, later that day I am on a walk away from the marina and started chatting with a delightful lady about this and that and it gets down to the fact that she’s also on a boat, from California, and by the way her friends just arrived and are on G dock…. you know the rest, I started laughing and said, “your husbands name wouldn’t be Darrel would it?”  Well, of course it was! I finally feel secure…cuz now I know both Daniel and Darrel! 

That settled we went about discovering this great resort town.  We had a nice dinner with Rich and Sandy, and new friends, Darrel and Sam, at the elegant Tikal.  It’s a beautiful place and Sam filled us in on all the wonderful things to do while in PV with guests.  We followed up on all her leads and plotted out a fun filled week with the Hazen’s.

This marina is surrounded by dozens of great bars, restaurants and shops, and we checked most of them out.  We took the bus down to old town, walked the lovely Malecon and river area, checking on places Sam told us about.  We decided to rent a car, not only to provide airport transportation, but also to insure that we’d get to see everything that Banderas Bay had to offer. 

And we did do it all. While the Hazen’s were with us we did a fantastic canopy tour at Los Veranos, 14 zip lines over the rivers and through the jungle (more like a forest really) with really fun guides strapping us on and off the lines and running up and down the mountain…it was a blast.  We also went ATV’ing back into the woods - started out disappointing, but after the Tequila tasting things looked up!  Another day, we hired a panga and spent all day in the south part of the Bay visiting hard to get to coves like Yelapa, and beaches, waterfalls, seeing whales, dolphins, manta rays, etc.  It was fantastic.  We walked all over Old Town, the Malecon and the Romantic Zone and along the beaches near the marina.  We found great restaurants, places to dance and listen to music, and shopped for treasures they could take home.  For their 25^th we decided on the superb service, food and ambiance of La Palapa, with the jazz group playing the background and a full moon overhead.  Can you tell we really like PV? 

We wanted them to have the full experience, so we left our coveted spot at Marina Vallarta, and went out to Tres Marietas Islands and finally the water was warm and clear enough to enjoy snorkeling.  We went back into the La Cruz anchorage for a night.  We cooked aboard, watched the whales at sunset, danced on the back cockpit, fed the fish (they hate tortillas by the way) and were gently rocked to sleep on this calm night.

Then, we finally showed up for our reservations at the new marina in La Cruz.  We hit the ground running as it was Thursday, and if it’s Thursday, it’s Philo’s for open mike, great rock and roll.  It did not disappoint.  We saw old friends, chowed down on the ribs and chicken and then were thoroughly entertained by Philo and his regulars.  They let Don sit in on the keyboard and he rocked!  We had a blast!

We were so sorry our whirlwind week was over and we had to say goodbye to Audrey and Don, but they had Lexi at home, work, and of course more parties to attend for Super Bowl Sunday.  We all have a lot to be grateful for.

Ahh, we were sad to lose them, but what did we see?  More familiar, happy faces on fellow boaters that we were happy to spend time with. We had friends on a catamaran from Big Bear, a Nordy 46 who are on our same itinerary (south and thru the PC), another Wanderin’Star (beautiful sail with a pilot house) and others we’ve met here and there.   We looked ahead and the seas were building, so we decided to stay put for several more days to explore the quiet side of Banderas Bay.  Little La Cruz has a great music scene and restaurants, and thank goodness, lots of places to walk it all off.  We especially enjoyed the Black Forest, the Taco Stand (it’s sooo good), Ana Bananas for Sunday afternoons, walking to Bucerias … it’s changing fast however, with the marina almost complete, the condo’s along the shore in the immediate future…   

paved roads have to be just around the corner. 

We left late late Thursday night, to round bumpy Cabo Corrientes when the winds were down.  We had a date to keep this weekend with a neat couple we’ve been corresponding with for four years.  They’d chosen idyllic Chamela Bay for our rendezvous…we can’t wait to see them! 

Mazatlan to Chacala - the little anchorages

January 2008

Farewell to Mazatlan

We keep falling in love with these Mexican towns.  Mazatlan has it all, a nice small city, with beautiful beaches, good marinas, restaurants, all the amenities and really nice people.  But, we are drifters, followers of that wandering star…and so we move on.

Life in Little Anchorages

We left snug El Cid Marina in the late afternoon, with some goodbyes, and some ‘see you soons’ and set a course for Isla Isabella.  We quickly found those things that had not been sufficiently stowed after weeks in a quiet marina, they have a way of announcing themselves as you rock this way and that.  You hear them sliding, then clink, clank, and hopefully not…crash.  We enjoyed a fairly gentle night at sea and arrived at the islands, which are a Mexican Wildlife Preserve and National Park.  We launched the dink and took a good look around the islands and bays. New Friends on Chelsea Skye arrived later in the day and the next morning, together we went ashore to look at the nesting birds.  It’s a lot like the Galapagos, with blue footed (& brown) boobies and male frigates with huge red necks all puffed up (apparently it drives the females crazzzzy) and other seabirds.  The differences in the Galapagos are the numbers of these rare creatures, not that they do not exist anywhere else. It’s fantastic that Mexico and the Central American countries are all creating sanctuaries to protect these creatures.  With a weather window to take advantage of we were heading for San Blas by midday.  

We elected not to go into the estuary that takes you to the town of San Blas, but rather to anchor in nearby Matanchen Bay.  Rumors of bugs, the “jejenes” and “Norm” warn you off that.  The anchorage was great, little palapas line the beach and as it was the weekend the local families were out in numbers enjoying water sports and the “playa”.  We love that the families all go out together on the weekends for good old fashioned fun, the women (especially older women…like me) are modest, so often they are in the water almost fully clothed, splashing and playing with the kids.  Dad’s too, but usually with a cerveza in hand.  Teenagers are there too, not too cool to be seen with their embarrassing families.

The town of San Blas, is about 5 miles away along a dusty narrow road from the anchorage, so we found a cab and explored the town.  We located the lovely Hacienda Flamingos, where we saw a copy of Longfellow’s final poem, the “Bells of San Blas” which he wrote here just days before he died.  We stumbled into a great place for lunch, “Mike’s Place”, and saw that several of the other cruisers in port were here too.  In the square, still decorated for Christmas, there were little stands where we could buy small Huichol (Indian) beaded characters and other treasures.  We hiked up to the nicely kept 18^th century Spanish La Contaduria fort and church with a wonderful view of the city and sea.  We nabbed a taxi for the ride back, and on the way had him stop for fresh langusto’s (lobsters) we saw cooking on the grill of a roadside tienda just on the edge of town. 

Seeing as we’d “parked” our dinghy in front of the palapa with green poles, and he’d assured us he’d keep an eye on our dink all day, we stopped in to repay him by ordering beer, then salsa and guacamole…strictly as a repayment mind you!  We were actually working up our strength to drag the now waaaay far from the water dinghy without wheels or rollers back into the surf.  The saga of this dinghy continues.  It’s just been one of those things that, while a good dink, with an awesome motor, have just been problematic.  Today’s issue was the wheels.  The guy who put on the plates to which they attach didn’t get it exactly right, the result is that the wheels won’t go down into place as they hit part of the RIB.  We tried, hard, to figure some other way, and a local guy who was selling ice cream from his cart jumped into our dilemma with us, and with no English and our non-Spanish communicated a few ideas, and finally with a ‘lo siento’, showed us that he felt our pain.  Nice guy.  He was there again in the late afternoon as we starting lugging the 200#  beast back thru soft sand, and he jumped in with his buddies and helped us carry her back down to the waters edge.  

Rich and Sandy’s dink wheels work like a dream, so they picked us up the next day so we could experience the jungle cruise, we had no idea it was so organized and fun.  It is right there in Matanchen and goes back for miles past the fresh water spring of La Tovara, pretty waterfalls, to the ‘cocodrilario’…crocodile nursery, and a pretty good restaurant where we enjoyed lunch.  There are huge turtles and many species of exotic birds to see along the way, like spoonbills and flamingos, and these dark birds with huge wings that keep them extended like they were in flight as they rest - really different.  Afterwards, we went back into town for some minor provisions, parts, and to enjoy a cold cerveza at the fantastically seedy looking San Blas Social Club, with equally looking seedy characters.  We were seated next to a gentleman in a suit who told us he was the ‘el presidente’ (mayor) of the town.  Maybe he was.

Our next stop was Chacala Bay.  This marks the beginning of these smaller lovely coves with white sand beaches, lined with coco palms, palapas, and small hotels, the perfect looking anchorages. We couldn’t wait to go ashore and explore.  At this point, we had abandoned our wheels and used extra bumpers, as D & K do, to roll the dinghy up the beach, and it was soooo easy.  We were ashore in no time and taking a long walk down the beautiful beach, and thru the sleepy village.  It ended at an eco-style resort, The Mar de Jade, so naturally we walked right in.  When the sign-up sheets were for reiki, massage, yoga, meditations, etc., I was thrilled…woo woo’s right here.  Yea!  But, they were all sold out with a Sufi group from SFO, so all we were able to do was soak up the “vibes”, and find a rock to sit on and be in gratitude for this lovely peaceful place.  On a return visit, we were shown a path that led up the hill thru the jungle, past another spiritual type ecolodge, the Majahua, and to the caldera and a fantastic view of the bay, and of course our beautiful boat at anchor.  There are mountain goats all over, and evidence of the hillside being carved up for development - get here as fast as you can, it won’t be sleepy for long.

We stayed a few days, having adjusted to the rolly anchorage by putting out a stern anchor to keep us at least in concert with the surf as being sideways to it is NO fun for this Dramamine Queen.  In these little villages, we have lunch ashore, walk it off, then get in the dink, and are back aboard before the ‘jejenes’ know where we went.  We read, have a light supper, and then enjoy a movie before settling into our cozy beds and being rocked asleep.  Hard duty.

Next stop…wicked, wonderful Banderas Bay, and the port of Puerto Vallarta.

In a Nutshell …

In a nutshell…this is what we’ve been up to…
We were part of a group of 50 motor yachts, the FUBAR Odyssey, that journeyed from San Diego to La Paz.  There were mini-mega yachts to 30′ sports fishing boats and everything in between.
 
They wanted three plus member crews, so we asked our nephew John to join us.  He flew into San Diego and we had a great time with him.  He is very computer savvy and was able to make sense of our communications systems.  We’d purchased a T-Mobile Blackberry just before we left as we knew it made more sense than our Verizon North American plan, which doesn’t really work well in Mexico, but we just couldn’t figure out how to get the internet with it, or even how to use it in Wi-Fi places as we’d been promised.  He got it all working, changed our plan…and even was able to figure out how to get the internet on our Global Star Sat phone.  It’s one thing to have these things, and another to actually figure out how to use them.  Now, we just have to see why our Single Sideband unit won’t work.  We do this to keep in touch with family, friends and business, but a truly critical need is to access weather information.  With the internet we can pick up great weather info and actually plan our passages.  He also learned our navigation system and was a wonderful crew member, and a good fisherman too!
 
We left Ensenada on November 8th in the company of two other “Tortugas”, names we’ve given ourselves as we prefer to travel at about 7 to 7.5 knots and use very little fuel.  Others in the FUBAR fleet travel much faster, and even our fellow Selene’s (all the rest are 53’s) cruise at 8.5 + knots and that extra speed makes a big difference on these 150 mile plus passages.  Some of  these boats have 3000 gallons of fuel aboard and have to refuel along the way…ouch, but man are they beauties and fast too.
 
We had two overnight passages to get to Turtle Bay and I must say, having John aboard so we could split it three ways is a vast improvement over just Ade and I.  We took three to four hour watches, so in theory we could sleep 6 or 7 hours.  Truth be told, no one really gets much sleep on these overnighters.  But they are so beautiful with the stars shining brightly…no moon, so its quite dark.  The radar keeps track of others out there, but we have a keen eye out for any lights or signs of debris in the water, or small boats that might not show up.  Night watch is active…my iPod keeps me going, I put on oldies or folk songs and sing away.  that and Suduko puzzles.  I can’t read a book and pay attention, so I leave reading for more leisurely passages.  
 
Once in Turtle Bay, Dottie and Ken joined us, along with the other 50 FUBAR boats and we had a great party at Annabelle’s on the beach.  Lots of laughs, dancing and a Mexican buffet… we Selene’s have a reputation of being the last ones at the party, and so it was.  We are here for a good time!  Annabelle herself, a stout woman with a mean shimmy, showed us her  moves…we’re getting it…Ken somehow picked her up in the midst of all this, we thought he’d break his back…but it was funny.
 
The next leg was also an overnighter…took us to Santa Maria, next to Mag Bay and we stayed two days.  The rest of the fleet moved over to Magdalena Bay proper while we stayed to hike, dine with DK and other friends aboard DW and just have a nice time of it before we take off for Cabo.  We like this bay, and remember it well from the Baja HaHa 2005.  WE again took the dinghy’s and explored the estuary, admiring the neat fishing shacks that line the banks and the dozens of Pelicans that nest in the mangroves.  We tried to hike over to the sand dunes, but the mosquitos took a particualr liking to Sweet Dottie and I, so we took their dink back and left the not so tasty boys to make the trek to the old wreck on the ocean facing beach. 
 
San Jose del Cabo was a busy stop for us, Diane and Mike flew in and we had 24 hours to show John the bright lights of downtown Cabo, get crazy at El Squid Roe, do a Costco, and MEGA run and get John to the airport Saturday afternoon.  John had heard stories of the last time at Squid Row, but really wanted to see for himself.  What a riot.  It was the boys night to be wild, we girls were the designated drivers, so we watched the show.  Ken got the party started by going out onto the emply dance floor doing his crazy King Tut dance moves.  Girls ran out to join in, and John was right there - eventually the whole place got rocking…I had to literally drag them out at midnight, saying that John might fit in, but for we 50+ year olds, it was TIME TO GO.  I hate being the designated driver!  We got it done and were grateful that we were staying in the sedate San Jose (by comparison to downtown Cabo) and could relax with a nice meal at the Tropicale after seeing John safely off.  
 
Ade wanted to leave Puerto San Jose at Midnight Sunday, but then no one sleeps, so he compromised and left at 3AM.  I jump up, but once we were safely out of the harbor I went below to sleep and Mike stayed up and waited for first night so he could drop the hook… I am sure Ade’s log will go into our fish tales…. we really need a chart so we can determine what we have before we decide if we will release….something about several Tuna’s that looked like Bonita….ah well.  It was a rocky passage, too bad for Diane and Mike’s first day out. 
 
It calmed immedately as we came into Muertos Bay, the site of a fabulous new developement.  wow, really something where there used to just be the mini Giggling Marlin.  Its a large anchorage and the FUBAR fleet were lucky to have a lovely dinner at the Bahia de los Suenos, every time we go ashore we meet more people, and thats lovely.  This was just a quick overnight stop, so we left at first light to round the corner and get tucked into La Paz.  It was the final FUBAR night and while we are all pumped to have made it and know that we have a few days to just relax, it was sad as so many are will be going our separate ways…    
 
Tuesday the 20th was a pot luck with all the Selene owners togehter for hte last time, one boat is going by DockWise to Florida and their new home (and business, they have opened Selene Florida), another is home for the holidays (7 weeks), others to await their new 59′, and two boats will stay in La Paz for a few months.  Voyager, our leader, will be leaving for Mazatlan on Saturday…so it was a night of goodbyes and a good natured fishing tournament finale.  Dottie and Ken were adopted by the fleet and she wrote a great little poem that said it all.  She also won the happiest fish trophy…and I think you’d better check her log for photos of that big beauty!!
 
This was meant to be just a quick Happy Thanksgiving hello, but I am alone at the computer and its online and I just started typing.  Forgive misspellings, and my unedited copy….be sure to check out our website for a cleaner version and photos.  Ted has redone the site and its awesome.  thats mvwanderiingstar.com .
 
We wish you all a happy thanksgiving, we are having dinner for 200 here at the marina beach..should be fun!  Love You. 
 
jojo and crew   

The Alaska Experience…  

August 2007

Okay, so I don’t write often.  Ade is so thorough in his wonderful Captains Log that I feel no need to reiterate his narrative.  My contribution is as ships photographer, that counts doesn’t it?

But friends tell me I have to communicate from the First Mates perspective… so here it is… The Captain is always right.  I must obey my captain!  If you get that down, you have it made.  I’m convinced that is why men go to sea and why they want to do so on their own boat.  That my captain is ¾ German only exacerbates the condition.  That I am Irish makes it all the more ridiculous.  He bought me hearing aids so I couldn’t use the “I didn’t hear you” excuse.  It doesn’t matter, now I pretend I forgot to put them in.  It’s one of the secrets to a marriage that has lasted…gasp…almost 37 years! 

If you won’t tell him, I will tell you that he is actually a benevolent captain!

UNDERWAY

Most decisions are mutual and now that he “knows” this boat he is much more casual about its operation.  We share the driving duties, but he still does the docking.  With a new harbor almost every night, my confidence level just isn’t there.  I will leave slips, position the boat for anchoring, etc., but usually I am the deck hand in port…and that’s okay.
We decide on our itinerary together, and as we’ve been traveling with Dottie and Ken, often times it’s the girls telling the boys the ports we want to visit.  We read the cruising guides and consult notes from friends of places they recommend.  We plot out a week or so, and then may adjust as the week goes on.  We find a place in the vicinity we learned might be even “better” (such a subjective situation) or with the weather forecast, think might be a wiser choice.  If we find a place we are really enjoying and have no pressing need to move on, we will stay a day or two.  We are in that mode now and I love it.  I like flexibility.  Sometimes it seems we are just moving too fast, but it’s usually with a greater goal in mind…like getting to “do it all”.  Our weather has not been wonderful, nor has it been horrible.  It just never really gets hot or dry.  If we are sitting in a bay and its just pouring, we don’t feel like getting the dinghy down and slogging ashore to a rapidly disappearing beach.  So we do our boat chores, write postcards (or the log), read, cook, listen to music, watch a movie - all really great to do, but you can do that in the next bay, so up comes the anchor and we are off. 

ASHORE

When we are in a village of any size we always go ashore and explore - no matter what the weather. 

We are walkers and we like to hike the forest paths and mountain trails.  At first we were concerned about bears…so we “armed” ourselves with Pepper Spray and wore Bear Bells and walked cautiously through the woods, bracing ourselves for the inevitable bear encounter.  We spotted areas they obviously had been, found evidence of their last meal, but never saw them.  We saw a few from the boat those first weeks in Alaska, but since then - nada. They are hiding from us.  I’m willing to wrap myself in honey to see one at this point. 

Whales, dolphins, otters, seals, deer and eagles are abundant and we’ve really enjoyed spotting them, although you will have to take my word for it, as my photographs haven’t captured much.  If you look really really really closely and see that puff of spray or shiny black thingy in the water, you can imagine it’s a whale.   Whales are both too fast and too slow for me.  I spot them, usually when they jump and I’m wildly, happily shouting, “whale, whale” and reaching for my camera.  I grab it, finally get it turned on and aim towards the splash and find that it has disappeared.  But I am sooo ready now, poised to capture that magic moment when the magnificent creature leaps again, and this time I am sure, just ahead of the boat as we’ve headed in the direction we think they were going…and I wait, and wait - then Ade shouts, “they’re over here” and I scramble over him to see the spouts and then the shiny back and I have my finger ready on the trigger and snap…hoping he is making his turn and will show me his fluke, but I’m too soon…so I’m pressing, urging the camera to get a second shot off as he rears his back and makes that sassy “fluke you” wave… and still I’m pressing the button and finally I hear the shutter…just as the fluke vanishes.  All I get is that itsy bitsy speck of tail as he disappears again.  Argggg.  Repeat.  Repeat.  This can go on for a long time until Ade says, “can we go now?”  I will never be a wild life photographer.     

PROVISIONING

Onto more practical things…Provisioning has been pretty easy up here.  Because we left the boat for almost three weeks and did not have complete confidence in the shore power on the transient dock in Ketchikan we finished off a lot of the food in the freezer and of course all the fresh items in the fridge.  When we came back we had friends with us and were anxious to get back on the water, so we did a quick run through the wonderfully stocked and convenient Safeway near Bar Harbor.  I’ve been dreaming of that store ever since.  They had all our favorite brands; in the right size packages and flavors…you know how it is.  Although we have found everything we need along the way, I would have stashed a few more of the basics in the pantry and freezer, and just needed fresh fruit and veggies along the way.

In Juneau the Safeway is not near Harris Harbor, but a Foodland is just across the street and up a block.  It’s not a great store.  When we are back in Auke Bay next week we will have a car rental and I will check out the Safeway and revisit the Costco.  Note:  We returned to Auke Bay and indeed found several great places to shop.  We like the Fred Meyers most of all, but the Safeway and Super Bear Market at the Mendenhall Mall are also quite good. 

Almost every town has a grocery store of some sort and we’ve never had to go for more than a day without bananas, or fresh lettuce or veggies…or God forbid, wine or beer.  We’ve had many pot luck meals with Dottie and Ken, where they caught a fish or crab and we had fresh veggies - or we had the Tri-tip and she had potatoes and made cookies.  Really more than the meal basics are having things on hand for the inevitable Happy Hour gatherings when you are at a dock.  You don’t want to have just one dish that you always bring.  Everyone wants something fresh and different, especially if they’ve been “out” for a while. 

We have had a lot more comfort or winter type of food that we imagined, undoubtedly due to the cool wet climate.  Soup, potatoes and chili have made it onto the menu many times, and thankfully, they are easy to store and heat up on rainy blowy nights.  We’ve also been delighted to find artisan breads from bakeries like LaBrea in many places, sometimes fresh, other times frozen.  Most of the stores have an “organic” section with great whole grains and locally grown produce.  We’ve eaten very well indeed…as our snug clothing will attest to.

DINING ASHORE

Dining ashore has been more hit or miss.  While we all agree that our best meals have been on board with each other or friends, we still like to “go out” when the opportunity is present.  We did not find anyplace in BC that was better than OK once we left Vancouver, but then again, it was early in the season and things were just opening up, so we will try again on the way back down.  In Ketchikan we like the Bar Harbor and Ocean View for meals, and the skanky Arctic Bar for sipping and enjoying the local color (they will order great fish and chips from the take-out place across the street and the boys say it’s yummy). In Petersberg it was the Beachcomber Restaurant, a few miles out of town, but they send a driver for you.  For lunch we found Northern Lights, which was also good.  In Juneau we like the Hanger, but there were a few little places in the same building that looked interesting and if we’d had the time probably would have tried.  On the advice of  frequent charter guests, we tried the Thane Ore House, but found it seriously lacking.  Our last night there took us to the Twisted Fish and we had a very nice meal of fresh local halibut and salmon (which are so delicious in Alaska). 

We also tried the Glacier Bay Lodge for lunch and it was good, but the dinner was expensive, cold and ordinary.  Have an appetizer and a drink and eat on board would be my advice.  In cute little places like Hoonah (The Office Bar) and Pelican (Rosie’s) we knew that it was all about the pubs for a beer and maybe an appetizer.  In Elfin Cove the little grocery store is wonderful, the pub so-so and we found no real restaurants, although there are several lodges that obviously prepare meals for the high spending clients they serve.  It was raining both times we were there, so we were happy to eat onboard.  

We went up the Lynn Canal on our own as Dottie and Ken opted to do Sitka before heading home for two weeks for a family reunion.  We have not found any other cruising boats, just a few fishermen in delightful Haines and empty local pleasure craft here in Skagway.  So…we dine out.  In Haines we decided on the Lighthouse for dinner and were pleased with it. A very reasonable wine list, good fresh fish, crisp veggies and a killer view of the harbor and the mountains.  For lunch we found Mosey’s, a great little Mexican restaurant in the old fort area that was very popular with the locals.  Good, fresh, and spicy.  The other place that had been recommended was the Bamboo/Pioneer Bar and I would save it for lunch or happy hour at best.  Haines is a GREAT town - I will speak to that later, if I have time…but it is the most livable SE Alaskan town for me…I get why people live there, even in the winter.

We are now in the old gold mining “hell hole of the Pacific” - Skagway, with FOUR cruise ships…11,000 people hit the streets (and water/air, etc) on days like this…wow.  We walked thru it as quickly as we could, and at the end of the road found a new place, the Skagway Brewing Company on Broadway - and it’s just great.  Wonderful menu, servers, etc…highly recommended.  We then enjoyed a wonderful four mile trek in the sunshine back to the waterfalls and old graveyard, by way of the railway yard.  Ade loved picking through all of that.

Our last night in Skagway we found the wonderful Stowaway, a restaurant with actual tablecloths, great wine list, and sauces…honest to God sauces to accompany just caught fish - really good. 

AND JUST ONE MORE THOUGHT…

But tonight, with the wind now howling at plus 30 knots, and those ships still in port, we will dine aboard with a perfect harbor and mountain view.  Lets see, ah, I know - I have a yam from Haines, summer squash from Hoonah, red leaf and romaine lettuce from the great Elfin Cove grocer, frozen halibut from a recent catch and Napa wine.  And for dessert, big plump strawberries and sorbet from the Mountain Market health food store in Haines…. yes life aboard is grand! 

Christening the Baby…

April 2007

Well, after a long winter in Seattle, we are finally on our way.  Things started to really happen the week of our christening party-funny how when it absolutely positively has to be done, it is.  The Power of Intention I guess, or Ade’s steely eyed gaze at those who have promised to get ‘er done.  The christening weekend was fantastic, so many dear friends and family made the long journey to get a look at this new “baby” that had taken us over, body and mind.  She seemed to pass muster, some felt she was soooo big, while others look at us and think, you are going to spend five years together in this tiny space and start making bets as to how long the marriage will last.  Even Kei liked her, and as you recall from our last voyage, he is not our boat child.  To us, she is huge - she is the biggest boat we’ve ever owned and we have found a place for everything - in fact, we’ve already lost things…more on that later. 

Anyway, we started the weekend with a feast at a Buca di Beppo, which is a hoot.  We gathered around the “Pope’s Table” and a few  tables surrounding it and started ordering…its organized chaos, truly like a big noisy Italian family with people up and down, plates being carried to other tables, etc.  Just the way I like it, I am certain that in a previous life I was an Italian farmers wife, with vines growing, home made brew and a large family…I can just see ordering everyone around, “sit, eat,”  barefoot, hair in a scarf, large chest (that’d be different) and in my imagination I still had teeth. 
The christening party was at the Seattle Yacht Club.  The day started out bright and we thought we’d miss the predicted rain, (which is the standard Seattle forecast) but just as the first guests arrived the skies opened up.  So all 32 of us huddled inside, drank champagne and started nibbling - and just as we were deciding to christen her under umbrellas, the clouds parted and we had glorious sunshine.  We quickly cracked the bottle on the bow, cast off, and were off on a tour of Lake Union and Washington.  It’s a fun place to sightsee; there is the Sleepless in Seattle houseboat, Bill Gates House, floating bridges, etc.  We were an hour late for dinner, but the gracious staff was patient with us and we were able to have a nice dinner and great conversations.  How could this not be the voyage of a lifetime with such hearty wishes for our well being.  Again, we thank you all for coming and for the calls and messages of Bon Voyage.  We wish we could take you all with us.

THE FABULOUS FUBAR– San Diego to Baja  

November 2007

We had a wonderful November.  As you know we decided to make the trip down the coast of Baja California as part of a group, the first ever power boat rally to the Sea of Cortez - “The FUBAR”, and it was great. We joined it particularly because several couples who also own Selene’s, as well as several other couples we’d met with similar trawler type boats, had already signed on.  We also looked forward to meeting other “South-bounders” who will continue, as we will, down the coast of Central America and through the Panama Canal to the Caribbean during 2008.   With that commonality, we knew we’d learn a lot and have a good time with like minded people.  And we did!  

The FUBAR kick off was in San Diego the first weekend in November and began with seminars and parties.  One in particular was excellent.  We’d been to several classes over the years that focus on medical emergencies at sea, but this was by far the best.  Dr Jerry Kornfeld was great at explaining medical things to we lay people.  For example, he took a lot of the mystique out of stitching someone up by relating it to regular sewing - made it seem like something I could do, (except for the blood and screaming part)…Ade might survive this trip after all.  Heretofore I’ve told him all I can do is pray for and holler Mayday! 

We had a Selene get together the night before we left (they are officially now known as Awesome Selene Soirees -”ASS” parties) and it was great getting to finally know some of the people we’ve only had quick bits of conversation with at the rally’s. Les & Rose Dobbe on “Voyager” have a lot of experience having sailed their large Cat from Europe across the Atlantic, and then taking another Selene through the canal, and for many years they have traveled Mexico by land, so they are our heroes and the leaders of our clan.  Of all the other Selene’s, it appears that only Voyager, ourselves and John & Kathy on “Mystic Moon” (lovely couple, they cruised the PNW and Alaska for two years) will be on the same southward path, at least as far as Z-town.  We are hoping to rendezvous with them often.  The very nice people on “Annaruth” and “Rediscovery II” will take their time coming down, and “Kasekuchen” is being shipped by Dockwise to Ft. Lauderdale as the Klein’s are now Selene Florida.  They are a wonderful group of people, and we are just tickled pink to have had this opportunity to get to know them. 

Our Crew:

For our crew, we flew nephew John out from Little Rock to San Diego, and proved to be a wonderful addition.  He was with us from the first party and seminar until Cabo San Lucas.  He cruised with us on the Great Circle in 2000, and although he is a few years older than son Kei, they have always been buddies.  We wish Kei could’ve taken time off school to join us, but school is first and so John solo’d it.  He was a wiz at our communications.  We purchased a T-Mobile Blackberry just as we were leaving after learning the Verizon had difficulties with their Mexican counterparts and the North American plan we’d been on would only work in very selected ports. We didn’t have any idea that the T Mobile would do all that it did…but John saw the potential right away.  He hooked us up to the Internet, programmed it so that we can be cruising along and we hear blip blip blip, and we are getting a signal and downloading as we cruise along the barren Baja coast.  It’s Magic!  The internet hookups are rather cheap, but the phone calls are pricey at like $1.50 a minute…ouch, so we don’t use it much.  But we have Skype and can use that VOIP system for nada, and John figured out how to hook up the internet to our Satellite phone.  This was incredibly helpful as Ade and I had our hands full running the boat, getting her ready for sea, provisioning, etc. 

John’s replacement 2/3 of the way down was sister Diane and brother-in-law Mike.  They flew to Cabo to take over when John had to get back to work.  They’ve also joined us onboard WS I, and have “crewed” on DW with Dot & Ken.  Always ready to fix anything, catch anything, and cook anything…they were a wonderful addition. 

Getting Ready to Go:

*Ade’s Captains Logs covers the actual trip down, so I am just filling in with “color commentary” and to illustrate that there is always an element of chaos (mine) behind Ade’s orderly log entries! 

WS was already in Ensenada, so while the others were sailing from San Diego, we were zooming along the I-5 to San Ysidro, dropping the rental car that had been ours for several weeks, taking the train/trolley to the boarder, lugging our suitcases and supplies across on foot, finding a $100 taxi on the Tijuana side and then heading down the Baja coast for WS- and oh yeah, trying to find a place to get John’s Mexican visa.  WS was filthy having suffered through the fires of San Diego and amazing windstorms of late October, so before we could board, we had to hose her down and then load her up.  We’d loaded several boxes of supplies on Dreamweaver so we would not have to haul them across the border and were happy to see Dottie and Ken just a few slips away.  They’d left ahead of the group in order to line up for fuel, which is $1 cheaper per gallon than in the states.  That was an ordeal as the marina was not really ready for all the huge yachts that were arriving and requiring thousands of gallons.  They hung in there circling and taking temporary dockage, and finally just docked right at the fuel pump to be ready for the next trucks arrival.  Ken had it under control, so the rest of us were able to enjoy the great music in the bar and have a wonderful meal at the Coral.  The next morning DW fueled up and took off, we met them a few days later in Turtle Bay.  DW was not really on the FUBAR, they just sort of came and went, but were able to join most of the parties using Diane & Mikes passes.  

Once we were organized, we took a cab to downtown Ensenada to introduce John to ol’ Mexico, take him to the infamous Hussongs Cantina, ply the mean streets (actually they are quite nice now), provision, and dine in a great little restaurant.  John and I joined part of the group for a tour of La Cetto winery the next day, a nice contrast to the busy hustle and bustle of downtown Ensenada - a relaxing drive in the country to the beautiful vineyard and modern winery.  We enjoyed the tour and tasting several surprisingly good wines, even purchasing a few bottles to take along. 

And We’re On Our Way:

We left Ensenada on November 8th in the company of two Nordhavns.  We met, Patrick, Susan and young son Jonathan when “Paloma” was berthed next to WS I in Sausalito in ‘06.  They had cruised Mexico earlier that year and knew D&K well.  We also met Scott and Marian on “Alanui” a few months earlier in Sausalito.   We dubbed ourselves the “Tres Tortugas” as we prefer to travel at about 7 to 7.5 knots and use very little fuel.  Others in the FUBAR fleet travel much faster, and even our fellow Selene’s (all the rest are 53’s) cruise at 8.5 + knots and that extra speed makes a big difference on these 150 mile plus passages.
We had two overnight passages to get to Turtle Bay and I must say, having John aboard so we could split it three ways is a vast improvement over just the two of us.  We took three to four hour watches, so in theory we could sleep 6 or 7 hours.  Truth be told, no one really gets much sleep on these overnighters.  But they are so beautiful with the stars shining brightly…no moon, so it’s quite dark.  The radar keeps track of most other boats out there, but we have a keen eye out for any lights or signs of debris or crab traps in the water, or small boats that might not show up on radar.  Night watch is active, but usually very quiet, so my iPod keeps me going, I put on oldies or folk songs and sing away. and work on easy Suduko puzzles.  I can’t read a book and pay attention, so I leave reading for more leisurely passages.  With the group there was often VHF radio conversation, especially between the mini groups traveling together.  Even if you are not in on the exchange, it’s great to listen to fishing tales, or to boat problems being solved with the radio community or the ingenuity of the crews.
Once in Turtle Bay, Dottie and Ken joined us, along with the other 50 FUBAR boats and we had a great party at Annabelle’s on the beach.  Lots of laughs, dancing and a Mexican buffet… we Selene’s have a reputation of being the last ones at the party, and so it was.  We are here for a good time!  Annabelle herself, a stout woman with a mean shimmy, showed us her moves. Ken somehow picked her up in the midst of all this, we thought he’d break his back…but she loved it. 
The next leg was also an overnighter…took us to Santa Maria, next to Mag Bay and we decided to stay put for two days.  The rest of the fleet moved over to Magdalena Bay proper while we stayed to hike, dine with DK and Paloma aboard DW and just have a nice time of it before we took off for Cabo.  We like this bay, and remember it well from the Baja HaHa 2005.  We again took the dinghies and explored the estuary, admiring the neat fishing shacks that line the banks and the dozens of Pelicans that nest in the mangroves.  We tried to hike over to the sand dunes, but the mosquitos took a particular liking to Sweet Dottie and me, so we took their dink back and left the not so tasty boys to make the trek to the old wreck on the ocean facing beach. 

Sin City and Crew Change:

San Jose del Cabo was a busy stop for us, Diane and Mike flew in and we had 24 hours to show John the bright lights of downtown Cabo, get crazy at El Squid Roe, do a Costco, and MEGA run and get John to the airport Saturday afternoon.  John had heard stories of the last time at Squid Row, but really wanted to see for himself.  We’d had a SELENE sponsored dinner at the marina, so we of course attended that, and our gang was in rare form.  We hated to leave, but we’d promised.  What a riot.  It was the boy’s night to be wild; we girls were the designated drivers, so we watched the show.  Ken got the party started by going out onto the empty dance floor doing his crazy King Tut dance moves.  Girls ran out to join in, and John was right there - eventually the whole place got rocking, even Ade and  Mike…I had to literally drag them out at midnight, saying that John might fit in, but for we 50+ year olds, it was TIME TO GO.  I just hate being the party pooper, but such is the life of a designated driver!  

We got it done, but were exhausted after dropping John at the airport and knew we all needed a sober night, so went to lovely, yet sedate, downtown San Jose del Cabo and the Tropical restaurant we’d discovered on our last visit in ‘05.  It meant missing yet another ASS pot luck, but we hope there are many more in the future.     
Ade wanted to leave Puerto San Jose at Midnight Sunday, but then no one sleeps, so he compromised and left at 3AM.  I jumped up, but once we were safely out of the harbor I went below to sleep and Mike stayed up and waited for first light so he could drop the hook… I am sure Ade’s log will go into our fish tales…. we really need a chart so we can determine what we have before we decide if we will release….something about several Tuna’s that looked like Bonita….ah well.  It was a rocky passage, too bad for Diane and Mike’s first day out. 
It calmed immediately as we came into Muertos Bay, the site of a fabulous new development, where there used to be just the mini Giggling Marlin.  It’s a large anchorage and the FUBAR fleet was lucky to have a lovely dinner at the Bahia de los Suenos.  These gatherings are lovely as, every time we go ashore we meet more people.  This was just a quick overnight stop, so we left at first light to round the corner and get tucked into La Paz. 

The Finish Line - La Paz:

We were delighted to see that we had randomly been assigned a slip next to DW, so with only inches between our boats, it became our family compound.   It was the final FUBAR night and while we are all pumped to have made it, we know that we have just a few days before we have to say goodbye to so many as we go our separate ways…    
Tuesday the 20th was a pot luck with all the Selene owners together for the last time, as I said everyone is on a slightly different itinerary or time schedule. The Youngbloods crew aboard Mystic Moon, Mark and Roseanne Tilden were going home to await their new 59′ (and catch up with us all soon we hope), and two boats will stay in La Paz for a few months.  It was a night of goodbyes and the finale of the good natured Selene & DW fishing tournament.  Dottie and Ken were adopted by the fleet and she wrote a great little poem that said it all.  She also won the happiest fish trophy…and I think you’d better check her log for photos of that big beauty!!
There were a few more loosely organized events, meetings with other “south bounders” and a terrific Thanksgiving dinner.  It was really a fantastic affair outside on the grounds of the new marina but properly set up with all the traditional Thanksgiving food with a slightly Mexican twist.  It was very special to be so far away and yet have dinner with the three (of the four) sisters and husbands, and three+ tables of new found friends. . 

One final event stood out for me.  Thanksgiving weekend marked the official opening of the Costa Baja Beach club and development, and they’d brought in Mexico’s Pavarotti, a Fernando de la Mora, for a concert.  No expense was spared.  The grounds were elaborately decorated, sofa’s and tables and bars and buffets were set up.  Waiters were dressed formally, and the elite of La Paz were in attendance.  While we did not have tickets, we were invited to the parties and to watch from a private patio, or at the party site via big screen TVs.  Everything was truly beautiful

Master Electrician brother in law Mike watched all day as trucks were brought in with the elaborate sound system for the concert, noting the huge generators.  As we sat on the upper deck of WS waiting for the festivities to begin Mike said, “Oh Oh”.  All the lights at the concert site were suddenly dark.  He laughed and said “oh man, the system failed.”  Now really curious we quickly made our way over and were told by the hosts, “No Problemo”.  Oh sure.  We grabbed a drink and walked up the stairs to the private balcony we’d been promised, which just happened to be above the generator system for the entire resort.  The trucked in generator had failed and it was a muy major problemo.  We watched as a staff electrician worked with sweaty palms to jury rig the sound and light systems to the house generator so that the concert could go on - with all the honcho’s in silk suits watching his every move.  Mike narrated what he was doing and caught the attention of the honcho’s who realized he was an electrician and waved him down.  He assured them that their electrician was doing everything correctly.  When the lights came back on, there was a huge sign of relief, the honcho’s cell phones were flipped open, the electricians given a pat on the back (sweaty back) and the show went on.  The concert was good, but for me, not as good as the behind the scenes drama!

We stayed for a few more days, said goodbye to Diane and Mike, and other Fubarians before heading out for the islands and lovely Sea of Cortez.  The cruising community is really very small, and we keep running into boating people we’ve met at another time, in another port over the last 40 years.  So, it’s never really adios, more like hasta luego!

We are glad that we joined the fabulous FUBAR.  It was well organized, we met diverse interesting people, had numerous gathering and parties, and the money went to charity - so hats off to Bruce and Donna, and huge crew of helpers, you did a splendid job!

I’ll check back in from the mainland after the holidays.

Mazatlan for the Holidays  

December 2007

Sea of Cortez

We left La Paz the week after Thanksgiving and made our way north into the Sea of Cortez by way of the Islas Espiritu Santo and Partida.  The weather was still just not great, so we went to Punta Evaristo and tucked in out of the blow and rain.  Friends on Jammin were there and we finally had an opportunity to have drinks and a nice long visit after chasing each other from Alaska.  With more predicted bad weather, we made the decision to go to Loreto and into the new marina at Puerto Escondido.  Good decision.  With the Sea not an option for “sightseeing”, and the town of Loreto many miles away, we decided to rent a car and make a road trip.  The Sierra de la Giganta Mountains dominate the landscape and they are beautiful. We wanted a closer look.  We learned that the 308^th anniversary festival of the San Francisco Javier Mission was on, and so we drove the rugged dirt roads back 30+ km to participate. The mission was jammed, but we made it inside to look around and watched the faithful (some had walked there as part of the pilgrimage) at prayer.

We were the only gringo’s in town and outside the church there was a very large and jolly crowd. There were palapas selling food, everyone was selling (and drinking) beer and rows and rows of “stuff” for sale.  Bands were playing; horses were riding up and down the narrow paths, quite a carnival atmosphere. With the visible drinking and the narrow dirt roads, we decided it would not be an evening event for us, so we found sodas and yummy tacos to munch, and took off before dark.

The trip down was beautiful, the mountains are jagged and colorful, and while very dry and desert like, there is an oasis of palm trees and abundant vegetation and streams in the narrow valley.  Cave paintings are just an easy walk off the road.  We also passed about 100 more cars heading up to the festival with several people in each, and yes, everyone was drinking and driving their way up the hill.  We’re real happy that we were going the other way; it would have been quite a ride coming down with the crowds after dark. 

While we like the town of Loreto, we much prefer the village of Mulege on the delta of the Rio Santa Rosalina, located above Bahia Conception.  It’s very attractive, green and lush with another charming mission and lots of little restaurants.  We walked all over, talked to RV’ers and fishermen and hope to return someday, but don’t know when as while we think  Bahia Conception is beautiful, there are not many anchorages up here, so we have decided to keep WS south.

We left Escondido and spent a beautiful night at Honeymoon cove, the only boat in the bay.  We circumnavigated Isla Danzante and went down to Bahia Agua Verde, but again, it was just too cool to dive in, so we just explored a bit of the bay with friends from Jammin and their cruising buddies from HaHa07.  We decided to go to Topolobampo on the Mainland rather than go directly to Mazatlan.  Few boaters go here as it is just not set up for cruising sailors.  It’s quite shallow, a poor anchorage and no real facilities for visiting boats.  We lucked out however and got a guest spot at a local club.  They were most gracious and we had a great time walking around the small fishing village within this port city. 

Mazatlan

With an eye on the weather, we made the decision to go to Mazatlan straight away.  It was a good overnight passage and felt like old home week when we arrived - D & K were still there (yippee) as well as some of our very favorite people onboard Voyager, Paloma, and Alanui.  Everyone was geared up for the holidays and the parties and festivities began!  Patrick was home in San Francisco, but Susan & Jonathan were there, enjoying time with other cruising families with children.  There was a marina sponsored Christmas party at the hotel and we met lots of other boaters, and then ended up back on WS for a pot luck dinner.  Every night it was something different, and despite the “bug’ that at one time or another got us all, we had a blast. 

Les & Rose are really old hands at Mazatlan, anything we needed to know or find, they knew about - which is fantastic the week before family is coming in for the holidays.  Les’ parents, the delightful Katie and Gerry have spent many years down here in their motor home, and they just took possession of a spectacular condo in a new high rise on the beach, so they were busy getting everything installed and moved in, but not too busy to find time to go out on the town with us frequently to fun places to eat and dance.  D&K stayed and partied with us until the 18^th, but had to move onto La Cruz to keep on track to get south soon.  That night we were fortunate enough to have picked up tickets for the Nutcracker at the newly restored Angela Peralta Theatre in Plaza Machado.  It was great, and afterwards we went to the gaily lit plaza and found Lola & Pedro’s, a popular restaurant with live jazz!  Another magic night in paradise.   Kei arrived on the 20^th and we were thrilled to see him.  He had another great semester at Chapman with near perfect grades and lots of new experiences.  Heather & Ted came in on the 24^th and so we were all together for Christmas.  The Dobbe’s had us over for Christmas afternoon, but unfortunately it was Les’ turn with the bug.  Kei left on the 27^th, so then we had H & T to spend quality time with.  They are filled with enthusiasm for the new year and their many exciting projects.

New Year’s

New Years Eve was such fun!  We’d made reservations with the group from Marina Mazatlan at Chili’s Pepper on the beach, and it was a good decision.  H & T were with us, and Les & Rose had friends from Wisconsin, and Gerry and Katie came for dinner and part of the night, as well as Mary & Gary who were on the FUBAR with us.  It was an Open Bar, dinner, music, dancing, fireworks, bonfire - you name it, kind of night.  We danced like fools and even stayed up waaaay past midnight - always a big deal for we boomers (at this stage of the game)…the kids had to drag us out.  We thought last year with Laura & John in our new house in LV was as good as it gets, but this was fun too.

The kids left New Years Day and we began in earnest to prepare for the next stage of our voyage.  Many of the others have already left for points south.  The couple on our neighbor boat, Chelsea Skye finally returned, they are fellow Southern Californians here for the winter, but also working their way south to Zihuatanejo.  Voyager remains and will wait for Mystic Moon in February before continuing.   We will leave here and work our way towards Banderas Bay and Puerto Vallarta, where sister Audrey and Don will join us to celebrate their 25^th!  Will need rest for that!      

A few of our favorite places in Mazatlan

There are so many good places to go, things to see and do in Mazatlan; here are a few from the top of our list:

Markets

Sam’s is here, as is Wal-Mart, very good for meats and bulk supplies, but I found their veggies not as fresh as I like.  For fresh veggies I liked Gigante and Mega - if one doesn’t have it, the other usually did.  All these are easy to get to by bus, and if you are doing a major reprovisioning grab a cab back to the marina.  There is a high end butcher shop, Henderson’s very near El Cid Marina in a strip mall.  At Marina Mazatlan a truck comes a few times a week with veggies and shrimp.

Getting around town, and Car Rentals

The bus system is brilliant, easy to understand, inexpensive and frequent - don’t hesitate to use it.  The Pulmonia’s (sp?) are little white open air converted VW bugs that are everywhere and reasonable (and fun) and the red trucks are ideal for groups of more than four, also reasonable.  Always negotiate before you get in, and Les usually pays up front so there is no disagreement at the end.  With our family of five we decided to rent a car.  We shopped all over and found that National had good rates, good cars and were very pleasant.

Restaurants and Night life

Almost anything at Plaza Machado, just for the atmosphere.  For a real local Mexican treat, El Tunel across from Angela Peralta, Lola & Pedro’s for the art, music, patrons and even some of the food (!)  We also tried others in the square and were never disappointed.  On the beach we liked the big Yellow Marisco’s behind “This is the Place” as it is an easy walk from El Cid Marina, and has huge fresh seafood platters.  For pure Gringo flavor and some dancing, the Purple Onion.  For rock n’ roll fun, Canuks way down by the lighthouse.  Not my favorite Senor Frogs as it’s not laid out very well for dancing and people watching and is soooo loud.  Fine dining, Angelo’s at Pueblo Bonita and we also had a great meal at Villa Italia across from the El Cid hotel.  There are dozens and dozens of good restaurants - the throwaway guides will list them all.  Juanita’s is small and has great Tortilla Soup and seems to be a local’s (gringo locals) favorite.  The Golden Zone has lots of good places, but avoid it on cruise ship days.   

Beauty shop

Without a doubt, Gaby’s near Caravelle - ask for Rosa, she is a gem and very talented, she not only did my hair, but also Ade’s and Kei’s. 

Medical and Dental  

Thankfully we did not need these services, but many of our friends did and were thrilled with the professionalism, kindness and price.  Check with others, or in the marina offices for suggestions. 

Reflections of Alaska 

September 2007

Weather

We awoke to rain and more high winds and only one cruise ship.  Skagway will be very different today.  I believe that weather affects the way you feel about a place.  If the sun is shining, I love it.  If it’s raining, I take a harder, usually harsher look. Overall, we were told that the Alaskan weather we experienced was much better than last summer, but not as good as summers past.  It rained a lot.  It was never hot and seldom even very warm.  But visibility was good, it wasn’t freezing, and eventually we learned to just ignore it and do whatever it was that we’d planned.      

Alaska in reflection

It is beautiful here.  Even in bad weather, it’s still beautiful.  I finally understand why people want to live here, especially in the summer.  Many of the SE Alaskans we’ve met are just summer residents, and while some head for Arizona come fall, many just go to Anchorage.  Anchorage, ALASKA?  For the winter?  One lady explained to me that Alaska was her home, but she didn’t feel so isolated “up north” during the winter.  If the weather is bad, like it was last year, you are pretty much stuck on the islands for days…or for WEEKS! 

We are often asked what our favorite place was and we have a hard time coming up with just one.  The big ports offer the services you need and a chance to stretch your legs and I don’t mind them at all.  Of the big three, Ketchikan, Juneau and Sitka, I guess I like Sitka the best.  The rich history, the easy to see and enjoy places of interest, restaurants, Hank’s taxi, and a good market, all make it a great port of call.  Even the shops seem to offer different items to take home to loved ones. 

Ketchikan is also a good stop, very convenient and the people at the harbor are really great.  Juneau has it all, but it feels like a city, (it is a city, the state Capitol).  Auke Bay at the other end of town and Douglass across the bay from downtown Juneau are great little towns and residents can function away from the tourist corridor.  I think they are all worthy of a stop and interestingly, those are the harbors that are always full, so we are not alone in our thinking.  They all have good airports, and secure harbors, so they are great places for crew changes and to leave for a quick trip “home”.

The smaller towns, Petersburg, Wrangell, Craig, Haines and Hoonah, are all good stops.  Petersburg is well described in the guide books and it is lovely.  Wrangell is not bad, nice people, good espresso bars, okay market, and an interesting fishing harbor.  Craig we only saw briefly, but met a boater who has spent over 30 summers there and loves it.  A quick walk revealed a good market, convenient post office, nice bookstore and coffee shop.  Lots of fish boats.  Glacier Bay, the park stands alone in its grandeur, although I did not love Gustavus, but probably due to the incredibly high taxi rates - we expected more than a few roadside stores after paying $30 per person RT for a short few mile ride.

Our two favorites were Hoonah and Haines, and for different reasons.  Hoonah is great because Paul the harbormaster is very friendly and always has a good story to tell.  We like the variety of people who live and visit there.  The market and hardware store are good.  The Icy Straight Point enterprise at what our charts call Cannery Point is  a nice walk and it’s enjoyable to browse thru the exhibits featuring the Alaskan fishing industry, then and now…it’s all kind of Disney World, but with a nice local flavor.  We see the same people we meet at the Laundromat (in the Harbor office) working at the stores; one gal served us down at the Lodge, then again the next day at Icy Straight.  We were in and out of Hoonah three times, Paul said if we came in again, we had to register to vote. 

And Haines.  I just loved Haines.  I can’t say for sure why, but we found it just delightful, a very livable town.  We stayed for a few days, and rented a car and took a good look around.  It is spectacularly beautiful, surrounded by snow capped mountains, with waterfalls and peeks of glaciers.  It felt whole to me.  Complete.  It’s a nice little harbor, bigger boats probably have to anchor out, but we were the only pleasure boat in…(and this in late July!) so they tied us up near the gas dock.  We were there for great weather and lots of rain too.  We were there when a cruise ship was in, and on a day when no ships were in.  There are other travelers who make their way to Haines as it is connected by road to the Yukon and mainland Alaska.  Maybe that is what I like; I don’t think I would get ‘Rock Fever’ like I would in Ketchikan. There is a health food store (Mountain Market) that is fantastic, and a mini brewery that makes awesome beer.  It’s hard to find, and you are sure you have it wrong, but the Haines Brewing Company is just outside of the town.  Buy a “growler” a big jug of beer, but be prepared to drink it in 24 hours as it does go flat.  We liked the spruce tip brew and something so dark and thick it made Guinness seem like a light ale.  We German/Irish like our beer.  I could probably live in Haines….in the summer anyway. 

And don’t miss the little ports like Elfin Cove and Pelican as they are postcard perfect.  There are many good anchorages, but I guess we especially liked Boat Harbor and found Ell Cove just heavenly. 

Cruise Ships and the other travelers

Every cruiser we meet has a thought about cruise ships…and they aren’t usually favorable. Here’s my take;

When we first came into Ketchikan and saw all those huge cruise ships  we were less than thrilled with so many thousands of people crowding the (our) little harbor.  We encountered them in all the popular ports and they do carry a lot of people.  It was quite different when we took our Alaskan cruise in 1979 - we were on the very small ship the Veendam with dear friends and most often we were the only ship in port, so while we only unloaded a few hundred people, there can be 10,000 people a day now.

But, somewhere along the way, I changed my mind about them.  First of all, we cruisers can choose isolated anchorages.  When the ship comes in, we can be at a secure anchorage in a few hours.  So I realized that we are choosing to be in port to take advantage of all those benefits that come with tourism and stopped being so possessive of this beautiful place.

And honestly, I do get caught up in the enthusiasm of the travelers.  It is a big deal for most of them - the trip of a lifetime and they have great energy.  They love Alaska, the shops, the activities, fishing and flight seeing.  They are happy and having a great time.  When I ask servers and people in “cruise ship” towns, most of them have a good attitude about it, realizing that without tourism, and specifically cruise ships, they would be without work and would not be able to live there.      

Like it or not, Alaska needs tourism and we are reminded of that daily.  Naturally, Alaskans, particularly Southeastern Alaskans are divided on the subject. But something had to replace logging, canneries and the like and the cruise ships have, for now, provided jobs. 

The great thing about tourism is that they come and then go away.  The season is relatively short, and then you get your town back.  It’s like that in our small resort town, Big Bear Lake, CA.  If we didn’t have tourism, we would not have the markets, restaurants - the jobs - that we have. 

There are very real issues about the ships in SE Alaska, like the proliferation of cruise ship owned jewelry shops that dominate the main streets, and are owned and staffed with workers who are not from the local town, and who may even board up the shops 7 months a year, making the town look forlorn and abandoned.  But more and more the locals are getting organized and proudly display the “Locally owned and operated” signs in the windows.  Most travelers want mementos that were created in the places they visited, not the same stuff they can buy on board or in any other cruise ship port of call. 

You can tell I was a travel agent for years can’t you?  Defending their right to Be.  But, now I must confess, I just hate traveling on big cruise ships, they are not my thing.  I don’t think they look like boats anymore, no graceful lines, and they are just too big with too many people for me. I would only go on one again if it were a large reunion with people I want to be with and love, and that after trying to talk them into something else!  Picky picky Jo.

And yes, I admit, my favorite picture of Skagway was in the evening, not one car or person on Broadway…it looked like a well kept ghost town.  And of course I love best the frontier feeling small towns without ships, the ones filled real characters.  But that’s what we both like about Alaska; it breeds real characters, and character in those that appear “normal”.  

On our way at last…  

May 2007  

The San Juan Islands

We are away.  They finished up the must do items, the rest have been relegated to the fix it in September list.  We took off for Oak Harbor where Dot & Ken (DK from here on out) spent quite a bit of time this winter to position ourselves to head out across the upper end of the Straights of Juan de Fuca to get out to San Juan Island and into Friday Harbor.  We purchased our boat from Friday Harbor Yacht Sales, so it was important that she get to see where the idea of her was hatched.  We love this little town and have visited several times over the years.  Ken was under the weather, so Ade and I went out and enjoyed a meal at Downriggers on the waterfront. 
The next day we made our way over to Roche Harbor, the site of the Annual Selene Rendezvous.  It is a wonderful opportunity to meet new people, visit with those you’ve met before and compare boat and cruising notes.  We had a fantastic time and met so many great people.  Some we hope to connect with this summer in Alaska and several that will be going to Mexico in the fall.  We ohh’d and ahh’d over the fantastic details of each boat - of the six 43’s, boats “just like ours” - none were just like ours - one had the “two master stateroom” layout that we have, but their main salon was quite different.  We marveled at how Howard Chan can manifest all of our dreams into reality in such small spaces.  Each of us is certain that we have the best boat…it is the best, for us.  I also am thankful that our men cannot design wives, lord knows what we’d look like.  On Saturday night just as the “banquet” was finishing up,
Big Bear friends arrived to spend a few nights about Dreamweaver.  We had a lovely visit with them and a nice walk through the Sculpture Garden and over to the Mausoleum.  Most of the Selene fleet took off early Sunday, but those of us left behind had a dock party alongside the very lovely “Voyager”, a 55′ beautifully outfitted to take on the world.  I have no doubt that the Dobbe’s will continue to log the miles and show us the way.
The next few days were spent cruising around the San Juan Islands, re-visiting old coves we’d explored by ferry and car, and finding new ones that are really on accessible by private boat.  We met up with the always entertaining Jay and Denise on JaDeDa, another Selene 43′ who have been cruising up here all year.  It was a nice shakedown cruise.

Onto Canada

D & K slipped over to Vancouver Island and a few of the Gulf Islands, while we tended to final details.  Ken didn’t really want to bring DW to downtown Vancouver, but we wanted to go there to add the provisions, (mostly wine and alcohol that you cannot bring over the border legally) so they drove our car from Anacortes and we did a bit of sightseeing and maintenance, Ken finding parts for his heating system that were not available in the states.  They nicely put the car in storage for us, then by way of the Gulf Islands, joined us in Pender Cove - where we celebrated with a wonderful bottle of champagne (or two) the beginning of our Alaskan odyssey.

Ade’s log goes into detail of the journey from island to island, but I’ll tell you that my favorites have been the trip up Jervis Inlet to Princess Louisa Inlet and the truly noisy, and therefore aptly named, “Chatterbox Falls”.  Jervis itself is jaw dropping…sheer cliffs with a pine forest right down to the waters edge, those trees clinging to life, then backed by snow capped mountain peaks.  We laughing have decided that much of this area is the prettiest of coves on our beloved Big Bear Lake, at sea level with the snow-capped Sierras (think road to Mammoth Mountain) or Rockies close in behind.  But it’s better.  If it were just a wee bit warmer we’d stay forever. 
When we finally made our way thru the Malibu Rapids, which involved a lively debate between navigators Dottie and Ade, whose Nobeltec systems said two different things - we were still debating it, and arrived extra early from the earliest prediction for slack tide way back this inlet, when Ken just went for it - whoa boy, they ripped right around that little island that blocks the entrance and disappeared.  We looked at each other and said, what the heck, and followed.  What we hadn’t heard was his radio conversation with a tug on the other said that advised that it was a clear shot.  Once at the end of Princess Louisa, we were delighted to find several boats tied up to the dock - a couple on Posada, a Nordhavn 43 that we’d met a few years ago while researching that beautiful yacht.  They were traveling with another couple on a Nordhavn 36 that D & K met on the dock in Friday Harbor a week ago. 

There were sailors, and fast boats and it was a lovely welcoming community.  We did a tiny bit of hiking, but tales of the impossible hike up the mossy sheer mountain to a fallen down cabin didn’t interest us as much as the prospect of, now get this, putting on shorts and tanks and sitting in the SUN on the deck reading.  You cannot imagine what that is like after so many months of either rain, or sunny, but freezing days.  It was bliss.  D & K, on the other hand, having been told that it was impossible to get up the cliff, forged ahead.  It was nearly twilight before they returned, I had already arranged a search party, even finding a dog to lead the way.  We decided to press on the next morning and head up a little closer to Desolation Sound - another favorite place that we’d visited twenty one years ago on a charter trip. 

Before we left, we got to talking to the experts at the dock about the disparity between the tide charts on the computer systems.  We all pulled out printed books, all different, and various versions of the Nobeltec charts - and were more confused that ever.  You know how Ade is about these things, “its supposed to be science for goodness sakes, how can it be so different” - he likes answers…but what the heck, we all at least decided within a hour of the right time to take the rapids, so one by one, we left, each skipper smug in his knowledge that they had the right time…and they all did.  Seems we had a very small tide and the gap was wide.  They have since worked it all out and now almost agree on the best times to take the many rapids we encounter.

Desolation Sound

Desolation Sound is a very popular group of islands off the BC Mainland. There are a few cabins scattered about and the bays are shallow enough for the water to warm up nicely in the summer….but it was way too early for me to even consider getting in the water, the average water temperature is less than 50 degrees F.  We didn’t have a lot of time to explore the upper reaches of the area like we did the last time, but we managed a night at lovely Grace Harbor and arrived early enough for a nice dinghy explore and an encounter with a group of kids from an alternative school in Vancouver who were on day 10 of a wilderness trip.  They were swimming!  They were each sleeping on their own in little pup tents, and there are bears!  I am such a wuss.  One of the girls did confess to being ready to kill for a cheeseburger. 

Our next stop was Melanie Cove in the Prideaux Haven area and we did manage a hike, although I did not find the apple orchard or the remains of “Mikes” cabin, the place so beautifully described by Muriel W. Blanchett in the Curve of Time.  Dottie bought the book and had not yet started it, so I grabbed it and haven’t let it go. If you have not read this book, pick it up.  Not only does it describe the islands and environment of the southern part of our journey, it also tells the story of this incredible family.  Muriel was widowed in 1925 with five small children when her husband apparently drowned while off on their 25′ motorboat.  She went on to spent many summers with her children (and dog) in that smallboat exploring the inlets, islands and coves.  What adventures they had, what an amazing woman.  She writes with such humor and poetry, with just enough mysticism to really captivate me.  Poor Dottie will never get this book back (until I find a copy to buy!)  And now it looks like we are North to Alaska!