Yelapa

We turned on and tested the repaired auto-pilot as we headed to Yelapa yesterday (across the bay from La Cruz), but unfortunately it would not work. As Yelapa was only 3 hours away, we decided to continue, arriving around 18:00 (N20°29.448' W105°26.646'). This is a small exposed bay with a rolly anchorage so we bargained for a mooring ball from the pangas that approached us, settling on 100 pesos for the night.

In the morning we dinghied ashore and walked through the little village and up to the cascading waterfall. No roads are in this village and the only vehicles around were quads.

Small waterfall in Yelapa Village

Walking along the cobblestones

We then headed back to La Cruz at 13:00 so we could deal with getting the auto-pilot fixed once again. But when we were almost all the way back, Jordan started fiddling with the controls again and it suddenly decided to work. So we changed direction and headed south at 18:00 for Chamela, about 18 hours away. What a relief it was to finally be on our way and not waiting for repairs! Hopefully, no more failures.

We've seen a lot of breaching whales during our travels but today we spotted one about 200 m off our port quarter that leaped completely out of the water - what a sight it was!

On our travels to and from Yelapa, we had the watermaker running but had to continually turn it on and off as we kept running into ribbons of red tide. Lately, there has been a lot of red tide visible in the waters.

As we rounded the point at Cabo Corrientes, a typically windy area, the wind died. Sigh...looks like we will be motoring once again instead of sailing.

Beautiful sunset as we motored towards Chamela

Tonight, we saw a lot of glistening phosphorescence in the waves alongside Sea Turtle.

Killin' time

As we are waiting to get our auto-pilot fixed back in Seattle of the United States, we are exploring La Cruz Mexico and the surrounding areas. So far, we have taken the 45-minute bus ride to Puerto Vallarta a couple of times for boat parts and other exploring.

1 of many fantastic sculptures at Puerto Vallarta

We had supper at the Mariscos El Colequita with a group of about 20 friends. This is a quaint restaurant at the top of a hill along the beach where they serve all the following for 109 pesos each (less than $10 Cdn): a bottle of Tequila on the table, tacos and salsa, shrimp cup-of-soup, choice of delicious main-meal seafood dish, dessert of banana flambe, and finale of Kahlua and milk. Definitely a place to go to!

One night, Jordan decided to play poker with several other amateurs at a place called Brittania. He lasted till around 01:00 for an evening of fun and limited amount loss! (One other night he played with the Mexican pros who play from 22:00 till 08:00 (yes, 10:00 pm till 8:00 am) and they bluff ridiculously. He didn't do quite as well that evening, but he had fun till 03:00.

We heard a gentleman on the VHF (Ron on SV Encounter) talking about music, movies, and audio books. We connected with him and copied about 14,000 songs, over 15 audio books, and about 200 movies onto an external hard drive - ALL of which we can play on our stereo through our MP3 player or watch on our DVD player, which means no use of a high-power computer. (These movies can also play directly on TV from the external hard drive but we do not have a TV on Sea Turtle.) I think we are now set for a long time for music, movies, and audio books!!

Vegetation grows like crazy here and small trees grow to gigantic sizes in only a few years. Nice to see grass in many places too, something that is hardly ever seen on the Baja side.

Colourful planting at the marina

We watched a comedic acrobatic show in the marina that was spectacular. Two young adults performed tremendous feats of acrobatics aboard their boat that amazed the crowd; they will be performing in Vancouver (Canada) in the near future. They had two different acts - one at 17:30 and one at 19:30 - both of which we attended.

No, he did not end up in the water!

At 19:30, we attended their night show, but it was becoming quite windy so unfortunately they cut it a little short...

They have very fluid acrobatic movements that you can see in any circus, I suppose, but it seems more spectacular seeing it performed on a boat as the boat is always bobbing and not stationary like a stage, making it much more difficult.

The Sunday markets at La Cruz are pretty fantastic - full of bakery, produce, clothing, and craft items. We always fill up with bakery and produce - especially the quiche! And one vendor created a turtle outline into a round piece of coconut shell that Jordan then inset the pearl that we bought at the Guaymas Pearl Farm last year to make a beautiful necklace for me.

Coconut with pearl inlay

After several weeks, emails, and phone calls, the part for our auto-pilot was finally delivered on February 10th!! We sure learned a lot about how-to and how-not-to deal with Mexican customs when sending an item across the border to be repaired.

Firstly, get papers from the aduana building (Mexican Customs) stating that you are sending an item to be repaired so that you will not be charged exorbitant duties on a "new" item when it is returned.

Secondly, in the event you didn't do the outgoing paperwork, when your repairman is sending it back, have him mark a lower value on the paperwork than what the item would be worth (if you were buying), or you will be charged duty on the amount that is marked on the paperwork.

Thirdly, have the item sent to a common address that is EASILY found by the courier company. And lastly, be patient, it will take a long time.

One good thing about being here for this duration was that we were able to get some good boat chores and upgrades done (upgraded bilge pump plumbing with new through-hulls, upgraded our pactor modem, etc.)

We celebrated our good fortune by joining other cruisers at a bonfire on the beach. Then the next day we went to Puerto Vallarta to get last-minute supplies and fill up with groceries as we get ready to head south. Our first stop will be Yelapa, a short hop across the bay...

La Cruz

Jordan got out the Hooka gear (diving apparatus) and dove Friday; thankfully, he was able to unwind all of yesterday's tangled fishing line pretty easily. After a lazy afternoon, we pulled anchor at 14:15 to head for La Cruz de Huanacaxtle, about 15 km from Punta de Mita.

We flew the spinnaker with only a whisper of wind. We set anchor (N20°44.855' W105°22.159') once again just as the golden sun was setting in perfectly calm seas at 17:30 on the 14th. Yeah, I know, almost 3 hours to go 15 km but it was a great way to spend an afternoon lazing in the sun, reading and watching the spinnaker fly.

Slow trip, minimal wind, but still sailing!

Early this morning after making some water, we went ashore to explore La Cruz and do some Skyping (making calls using our I-Touch "phone" with Skype). Then back at Sea Turtle, in Jordan's words:

...took in the dusk surroundings. The sun had just gone down leaving the sky a pinkish-orange at the horizon, fading to a pastel blue above, with the 3/4 moon above. I counted 43 sailboats that were now becoming silhouettes on a steely-silvery bay. They were all facing the setted sun and their masthead anchor lights were coming on. It reminded me of being at a rock band concert when the band had finished and left the stage. But the audience wouldn't leave, all looking at the stage, and throughout the crowd they were lighting their lighters, waiting for another song or 2 before it was finally over.

We must send our auto-pilot back to Seattle WA to be repaired before leaving La Cruz, here's hoping that it won't take too long...

Chacala and Punta de Mita

We pulled out of the estuary of San Blas under sail on January 12th at 13:45 and ran aground on the sandbar but managed to back off. We sailed all but the last 1.5 hours to Chacala (N21°09.773' W105°13.636'), arriving at 17:30. We spotted 3 whales and 1 dolphin along the way!

The next morning, we rode the surf into shore, without getting wet, where we checked out the little village and long sandy beach with lots of palapas. We noticed the contrast of several very fancy houses owned by gringos set throughout the poor village.

Sea Turtle anchored in front of Chacala

Trying to get through the surf in the dinghy back to Sea Turtle ended up getting Jordan completely soaked as he gallantly protected me from the waves! After drying out, we pulled anchor at 11:15 and motored in rolly seas with 2-metre swells, at which point our auto-pilot ceased working. This time, we only spotted 1 whale next to a panga of happy, waving fishermen!

Punta de Mita has 3 ominous rock reef hazards which we were able to spot by the cresting waves over them. We set anchor safely at 17:45 (N20°45.882' W105°31.'246') on January 13th just as the sun was setting. Unfortunately, for the second time, we forgot that a fishing line was trailing from the stern of the boat and once again the line wrapped around the prop. We need to figure out a way to remind us when a line is out!!

As we set anchor...

Punta de Mita is at the entrance of Bahia de Banderas, a bay that is about 30 km wide and runs eastward inland for 25 km. It boasts two 18-hole Jack Nicklaus golf courses for the exclusive use of hotel patrons. So much for boaters...

Crocs and avian

While in San Blas of beautiful Mexico, we met up with a few sailors that we already knew and also met some new friends - 6 of whom we joined to go on the infamous Jungle Cruise. This is a really cool panga (boat) trip through a varied landscape of incredible mangroves, reeds, marshes, and bamboo on our way to the crocodile refuge. We left at 08:00 while the morning mist was rising off the water...

Notice on panga edge: "Welcome, the tip depend of a good service"

There were so many beautiful exotic birds such as this multi-coloured one and the striking white egrets...

The many turtles, iguanas, and crocs were soaking up the heat of the sun's rays and some posed for us only a few feet away....

Our panga operator travelled slowly, pointing out the numerous species that our group did not first see. Upon arriving at the crocodile refuge, we were surprised to discover numerous other animals there too such as raccoons, white-tailed deer, exotic birds, tilapia fish, and even a beautiful jaguar. (We also heard the frightening roaring sound of a jaguar out in the surrounding forest!)

2 crocodiles at the refuge

Such a magnificent creature...

After 4 hours of fabulous sights, we headed back to the dock. Travel with us now vicariously by way of the 36 second video below.

After that, we hitchhiked the couple of miles back to San Blas.

One evening, we wandered around the plaza of San Blas, seeing all of the vendors' wares. Of particular interest was the beadwork of the jewellery, masks, and assorted animal items created by the Huichol Indians who come from distant villages. Their exquisite beadwork is considered collectors' items in European and US art galleries.

San Blas

We motored all night from Isla Isabela arriving at the entry to San Blas in the state of Nayarit Mexico (N21°32.634' W105°17.585') in the midst of a multitude of fishing pangas at 07:45 on January 8th. Crossing the shallow bar here is tricky so, using a copy of waypoints given to us, we crossed to the safety of the inner channel. As we had a few minor boat projects we wanted to do, we decided to stay at the dock, but on our approach to it, we touched a sandbar; we quickly reversed and were advised over the VHF a safe approach in.

After docking, from supplies we had brought from home, Jordan immediately put together some screens for our hatches and entry way to protect us from the evening no-see-ums, teeny tiny pesky bugs with a real bite. We then browsed through the Saturday morning market, bought lots of fresh produce at the corner store, and purchased fresh lobster for supper from a local vendor at a street stand.

Saturday market - What's over there??

Corner store - Do I want this or that?

We have found the landscape to be much greener on the mainland compared to the desert-like areas of the Baja. Here is a glorious sunset at the marina with all the gorgeous palm trees in the background...

Blue boobies

We hiked what is called "the blue trail" at Isla Isabela (Mexico) this afternoon. Hmmm...I wonder if that's because it's where you find most of the bright coloured blue-footed boobies? This trail goes through the forested area and up and down rock staircases, much different than yesterday's trails which were in more open grassy areas.

Our first stop was at the volcanic Crater Lake (Lago Crater) which is not potable and definitely not very inviting for swimming. Here is Jordan overlooking Crater Lake...

We continued on towards the rock spires (Las Moñas) that are 45 metres tall...

...and here is where we saw all the boobies with their bright blue legs and feet! What a thrill it was to finally see them and be so close as we walked amongst them. (This has been on my "to do" list since I first heard of their existence.)

Blue-footed boobies everywhere!

Foot colour - blue, green, or yellow - yet to be determined!

When we could finally tear ourselves away from this pristine setting, we headed back to Sea Turtle. And at 23:15 we pulled anchor for an overnighter to San Blas.

Isla Isabela

We arrived at Isla Isabela (Mexico) at 02:45 and stood off the south end, adrift, waiting for dawn's light for a safe entry as there are rocks known to be in the bay. We kept an eye on our GPS headings until we anchored at 06:30 (N21°50.585' W105°52.939') among 5 other boats.

Sea Turtle at Isla Isabela

Isabela is a tiny island less than a mile long and is a National Wildlife Preserve. Jacques Cousteau even filmed here in the 1970s. You know you have arrived when you see all the birds flying overhead! We put the dinghy in the water and went to shore. There were several seasonal fishing huts that lined the beach edge and we watched as the fishermen brought in their huge catch.

Fish for sale

Then everywhere we walked along the zig zag trail were frigate birds, brown booby birds with lime-green feet, or yellow-footed booby birds. They were nesting on the ground and in the low trees that were just above head level.

2 boobies inquiring "Where'd you come from?"

As long as you stayed a few feet away they were undaunted to have you around...

Many had new adorable chicks with fluffy down feathers and we listened to the clickety clack of the frigate birds' beaks as they seemed to scold us.

Frigate with chick

The island was also abound with iguanas sunning themselves with whatever rock or piece of concrete they could find, and like the birds, seemed unafraid.

Getting a tan?

After taking hundreds of photos, we returned to Sea Turtle for a nap to make up for our sleep deprivation of the last 3 nights.

Alarm - water coming in!

On our way to Mainland Mexico from the Baja and the Sea of Cortez. 08:00 Tuesday. Both bilge pump alarms blaring! We have a leak!

Jordan opened up the engine compartment to see how much water was really coming in and turned on the bilge pumps. To make matters worse, he discovered the bilge pump hose was also leaking, thereby some of the water we were trying to pump out was just leaking right back in. Jordan quickly taped up the hose and after a frantic search, we traced it forward through 3 bilges.

What we found was not good but it was a relief. We did not have a leak but found raw sea water spewing in through the broken filter housing of the watermaker which was turned on. We immediately turned off the watermaker and started sopping up the mess.

The watermaker is located in a closet, which meant salty wet clothes. Then the water from the closet drained into 2 of the pullman bilges, and from there, it drained into the salon bilge (which is 1 of our food lockers) and finally from there into the engine bilge compartment where it could be pumped out.

And of course, being boaters, every compartment was packed as full as possible. Everything had to be removed, washed, and dried.

But don't forget, our watermaker is now not functioning until we can get a new filter housing and determine why it failed in the first place. This meant being stingy with water, making cleanup more difficult. And to top it all off, we were sailing in rough seas so nothing stayed where you set it down while trying to clean up things!

Eight hours later, we were almost done. Just waiting for any cloth items to finish drying and be put away.

Who said cruising was all fun? But seriously, we're looking at it as just another adventure. No one hurt, nothing badly damaged, a new day tomorrow. Time for a hot chocolate and a good book!

Wednesday was a very uneventful day which, after yesterday, was a real pleasure. We had turned off the motor and set the head sail with a whisker pole when the alarms started sounding on Tuesday and have since sailed the last 2 days with no adjustments needed, staying right on course.

Around 23:30, we saw the streaking phosphorescent show of 2 dolphins in the bow of the boat and then the wind totally died. A cruise ship was coming up fast behind us so Jordan tried to start the motor. The solenoid stuck, causing the engine to rev wildly! I am so thankful that my man is engine savvy and he fixed it right away, otherwise it could have been a real problem.

La Paz errands

We passed this yacht transporter on the way into La Paz Harbour of Mexico...

So you think your boat is big!

Monday, December 27th, we spent running around trying to accomplish what we need to get done here, but almost everywhere we went, we ran into "Cerrado", meaning Closed, and usually until the 3rd of January. Seems many are away for the holidays or closed for inventory. But at least Jordan was able to meet up with the same welder that he used last time we were in La Paz (way back in January of 2010). Jordan fabricated an emergency tiller for Sea Turtle which the welder put together within the week.

The next day, we found a repair man for our old Mercury outboard which we will try to sell after it's been fixed. We are still trying to find a new impeller for the Evinrude outboard that we now have.

Charts, charts, and more charts. What do we still need for the next year or so? Another task to be taken care of before leaving La Paz. We borrowed charts from 2 other sailors (our thanks go out to AKA and Adios III) and had them photocopied so we are all set now for the next couple of years which should take us to New Zealand.

Our next destination of Isla Isabela is about 310 nautical miles from La Paz on the route that we have chosen, about 72 hours of non-stop sailing or motoring. We left La Paz at 17:30 with the engine running so we could make water to fill our tanks. We cleared out of the channel with all of its markers before night settled in.

The hazy broad band of the Milky Way was visible and the multitude of stars in the sky seemed extra bright as we noticed the trail of phosphorescence from the engine churning. Sea Turtle rolled in the steep sharp waves all night.

Frigates

Heading to shore in very shallow, clear waters

This morning we went ashore at Bahia San Gabriel (Mexico) to see if we could walk across to the other side of the island to check out Bahia Bonanza. But unfortunately, the sign on the beach said Bonanza was 8.6 km away and would take 4 hours to walk one way. As we couldn't spend 8 hours total, we only walked for about an hour to see the sights and then returned.

One lone red flower, but don't think the bush is dead - it's very alive!

On our way back to the boat we dinghied past a man-made breakwater, remnants of a long defunct Japanese cultured pearl venture. The only inhabitants visible now were a colony of frigate birds carrying on their mating ritual. We saw the males inflating their red gular pouch to attract a mate. They didn't seem too bothered to have us so near taking pictures, must have had other things on their minds?

Why are the males the attractive ones??

We pulled anchor and fished our way to La Paz catching a small mackerel then losing a brilliant green and blue 15-lb dorado (Mahi Mahi) after he put up a gallant fight. As soon as we entered La Paz harbour (N24°09.383' W110°19.731') at 18:00, Keetya I (sailors from Victoria BC), hailed us with a "Welcome Back". Later we went for an evening meal with them, exchanging stories and tall tales.

San Gabriel

We raised the anchor at 10:30 and sailed in a 12-knot breeze for about half way to our destination, after which we had to turn on the  motor til we reached Bahia San Gabriel (N24°25.717' W110°21.417') at 16:00. This is considered to be a day-time only anchorage, but as there were no winds in the forecast, we felt it was safe to stay overnight.

We walked the mile-long white sand beach with no one else around. After supper, with a brandy nightcap, we sat in the cockpit, looking towards the lights of La Paz in the far distance, our next destination. We were dreading the thought of leaving these quiet island solitudes of white sand beaches, and warm night air with the bright stars above.

Mamma Mia! The Coromuel winds kicked up the seas at 02:00 and rocked us from bow to stern. It was a restless night given that it was a lee shore and the lines creaked and clinked for attention. But the anchor was securely set and all was well.

Note: The Coromuel winds are a unique phenomenon to this area and blow south to southwest, thereby causing us a bow to stern rocking motion.

We can see again!

The wind was really blowing today at Isla San Francisco so we decided it was a good time to catch up on mundane boat chores (i.e. cleaning the interior). We also cleaned all the port and dodger windows with Strata Glass Cleaner and then polished all the windows with Strata Glass Polish. What a difference! Visibility is like brand new so if you don't already have some, we suggest stocking up before you head offshore. (And it even worked on our scratched up sunglasses!)

Most of the sailors gathered on shore around 16:30 for a get-together which was very well organized by SV Narama. One poor boater had no anchor or method of tying his large Boston Whaler (a hard-hull dinghy) to shore. The tide was coming in, so unfortunately he had to run or swim after his dinghy 3 times as it was quietly slipping away...but fortunately, at least he noticed it escaping!

A hearty group of boaters enjoying the evening

Isla San Francisco

Still in San Evaristo (Mexico), we went ashore to explore. We bought a few groceries at a small store and were surprised to all the satellite dishes for TV at so many of the humble casas.

The blue circle in the background is a satellite dish for TV

There were a few goats running around and also this adorable but shy baby goat in a pen...

We left San Evaristo at 11:00 and sailed with north winds to Isla San Francisco (N24°49.282' W110°34.198'), only about 2.5 hours away. We took the dinghy ashore and hiked for an hour up a very large hill for a great photo opportunity. (Note the "comma" shaped hook at the tip of Isla San Francisco below.)

That's us second from the right

After a much quicker descent, we visited the salt harvesting ponds and collected some for our galley.

When night falls, we become zombie sailors if we're not back on our boat. As you can see from the picture, we've been caught late on land and our legs are growing to frightful heights in the setting sun...

San Evaristo

As we motored back to Agua Verde from Puerto Escondido yesterday, Jordan worked on our recently acquired Evinrude outboard. As the impeller was damaged, he ingeniously decided to turn it upside down after which it seemed to work okay, at least until we get to La Paz where we can buy a new impeller. We went ashore, hiked up a trail, and then talked to a couple on a Canadian boat with their visiting family where we watched an AWESOME moon rise with a bright, brilliant orange colour!

View from top of hill with Sea Turtle on far left

Early this morning, we left Agua Verde to head for San Evaristo. Gap winds were blowing, at times up to 18-knots and then at times down to nothing, but for the most part we sailed with the help of SW winds on our beam. (Last year when my parents were visiting us in Victoria, we took them out sailing and heeled the boat with winds on the beam. My Mom hated it so she definitely would not have liked to have been with us this time with the wind on our beam!)

After 8 hours, we set anchor at San Evaristo (N24°54.818' W110°42.177'), alongside SV Verdia, a Canadian boat we had met previously.

North or south?

When motoring south to Agua Verde from Puerto Escondido on Sunday, the engine was revving up, an indication of a foul fuel filter. So on Monday, Jordan changed the 2 filters and bled the lines, which turned into a 3-hour job. We then departed from the beautiful, turquoise green waters of Agua Verde at 11:15 to...continue heading south??

No. We headed all the way back to Puerto Escondido.

Why?? While changing the filters, we received a call over the VHF from a man with a dinghy outboard for "swap or trade" (in Mexico, gringos are not supposed to sell items as this takes much-needed business away from the locals).

So we returned to Puerto Escondido to hopefully get a replacement motor for our dinghy, arriving at 15:15. It's unusual to have south winds at this time of year but this was in our favour as it meant we could sail instead of motoring. After meeting up with Mike of sailing vessel Joan D III, we discovered that the motor needed a couple of parts so we struck a deal for "as-is".

We watched the total lunar eclipse (when the earth is directly between the sun and moon) from our boat. Or should I say we kept peeking out at it as it took about 2 hours before the moon was covered. I thought the moon looked much more 3-D or rounder when it was in total shadow. It looked very pretty with a soft, hazy, orange glow behind it. Another total lunar eclipse will not occur again on the same day as the winter solstice in our lifetime. But of course there will be many other lunar eclipses.

This morning at 11:30 we left Puerto Escondido...once again...to head back to Aqua Verde...once again.

Agua Verde

We left Puerto Escondido, but a few minutes later, we had to turn around and go back. We had stayed 1 more night than what we had initially paid for so of course we returned to pay for the additional stay. At 14:15, we were on our way to Bahia Agua Verde.

The south wind was only 0 to 5 knots so we motored. During our passage, we went by the Mano de Dios (Hand of God) that marks the entrance to Hand of God Cove. The Hand of God is a rock cliff facing the ocean and the natural sculpture of the rock looks like a 21-metre-high hand (~N25°42.6' W111°12.85').

Looks just like a hand

We enjoyed a colourful sunset with the moon already visible...

...and shortly thereafter dropped the hook at 18:45 at Agua Verde (N25°31.333' W111°04.407') in the dark, something that we always try to avoid, but at least there was almost a full moon shining down and we had been in this same anchorage on our way up the Sea of Cortez in April so we were familiar with it.

We fell asleep to the sound of the waves gently lapping at the shore.

Puerto Escondido

We left behind beautiful Islas Coronados at 09:30. Motor-sailed most of the time, saw a lot of red tide, and at 14:15 on Thursday, December 16th we set anchor amongst all the mooring buoys at Puerto Escondido (N25°49.161' W111°18.761'), a nearly land-locked bay.

Puerto Escondido is about 185 km northwest of La Paz and 210 km south of San Carlos, so we are just over half way back to La Paz where we will do last-minute fix-ups and provisioning before crossing from the Baja back to Mainland Mexico to continue our journey south.

Early Friday morning, Jordan went fishing and caught 2 Sierras, 1 being the largest Sierra he has ever caught. What a great provider he is - enough to keep us eating for a week!

Senora, fish for you?

Checked in with the morning radio net at 08:15 and asked if anyone was driving to nearby Loreto. Dave with SV Moxie volunteered to take us so off we went. We walked down a funky street with merchants on both sides and arched trees overhead...

I checked out a classy hotel renovated in an old colonial building that Jordan had seen on a previous holiday. This picture was taken with me standing in the hotel looking up at the bottom of the swimming pool on the floor above me.

Then we had lunch at Mexico Lindo and went shopping at Conchita's Curios, a quirky store that reminded us of Chintz & Co. back in Victoria BC. Jordan bought me a beautiful sundress, necklace, and scarf at Conchita's which I wore later to the potluck at the Marina in Puerto Escondido.

Later in the evening, we had a fun visit with our friends hosted on board SV Nautilus, probably our last as we will be leaving them all behind tomorrow morning.

Islas Coronados

As we were alone in the bay yesterday, I had a solar shower and then lazed in the sun in the cockpit - what a beautiful day it was. Jordan worked some more on the borrowed 2-HP outboard trying to get it to run and was finally successful at noon!

We left San Juanico at 13:30 under hot sunny skies with both of us wearing our bathing suits. The seas were exceptionally calm so we motored all the way to Islas Coronados (N26°06.695' W111°17.015'), a volcanic island.

We dropped anchor at 17:00 and from that moment we could see we were in a picture perfect setting. Our anchor was clearly visible through the emerald green water over 9 m below with rays cruising the sandy bottom and fish were already about the boat. This is a national marine park that nobody should miss if in the area. We took our dinghy ashore for the easiest landing to date...just stepped out right onto the white sandy beach. There, with the other cruisers, we had appys under park thatched roof cabanas then watched the sun set over our flotilla. What a way to end a perfect day!

Is it sugar or is is sand? (photo courtesy of SV Salish Sea)

Today we went for a lengthy hike to check out the island after the guys got back from fishing (Jordan caught his 1st Trigger fish which was very tasty!) We saw a wide variety of desert vegetation that changed from one type to another as you walked along. At one point the path ended and we found ourselves traipsing over rocks with no end in sight so we turned around and returned the way that we came.

View from up top away from beach

It will be tough to leave this Caribbean-like island tomorrow, but time to move on.

San Juanico

We departed Domingo Point of Mexico bright and early yesterday at 06:30 and motored around the Point heading south in very light winds and calm seas. We put the spinnaker up mid-morning until around noonish when the winds started to gust at 20 knots - much too strong for our spinnaker sail - so we switched to 2 smaller sails and sailed "wing-on-wing".

Flying our bright spinnaker under sunny skies

Jordan caught a 10-pound Black Skipjack but released it as unfortunately we do not think they taste very good - but it sure put up a fight!

We crossed our April 5th path as we came into San Juanico (N26°22.041' W111°25.918') and set anchor. Dinghied ashore to meet up with fellow sailors from Moonraker, Salish Sea, Southern Cross, and Whirlwind on the beach for a nightcap, storytelling, and a bonfire.

Today I went to shore with Diane and Megan to walk to the next beach. The guys joined us later, but as Jordan was heading in, he ran over some rocks in the shallow water with the outboard and stripped gears in the bottom end. As he was unable to fix it, we borrowed a small 2-HP outboard from Salish Sea and will either buy another outboard when we get to La Paz or see if the Mercury dealer there has any luck fixing ours - crossing fingers and toes!

We made a new tree hanging for the "Sailor's Tree" and strung it up (last year, we hung a temporary shell that we wrote our boat name on). This time, Jordan hammered our boat name, our names, and the date on our old stainless steel tea kettle which should last for a long time. The tree is covered in many different items such as shells, scrub brushes, shoes...anything you can think of...and also has many engraved/carved rocks, driftwood, etc. beneath it. One piece of wood is dated as far back as 1987!

The Sailor's Tree