The Catch

TUNES

Zihuatanejo to Huatulco

Hi All, This is a delayed post but thought I best catch up before our new cruise within the Sea of Cortez begins. I meet Steve tomorrow in Loreto and we plan to be gone through the month of June. Steve may bring the boat to Hawaii (if you are interested in being crew contact him)or bash up the coast to San Diego.
Anyhow, we joined Vicki and Larry on Rocinante in March and had a wonderful two weeks cruising south of Zihuatanejo. Acapulco was disappointing as I swear we were the only tourists in town. Steve felt the people were a bit a cold, none the less we rode the bus around town and had a great swim anchored off a small bay just south on our way out. I don't think we'll go back there.
Huatulco is unbelievable! It is an area not a city and the cleanliness and beauty far surpass any place I have ever visited in Mexico. If you want a safe, cultural, tourist friendly place with the best food ever...GO to Huatulco.
Have a plane to catch so enjoy the photos and God bless every single one of you!
Rita

The Last Leg!

April 7th 2010

Hi everyone! I am home as I write this and arrived back in the USA April first. Boy am I glad to be here. I missed nearly everything...especially the water, food, family & friends and of course the toilet and bathtub. Here is what happened and what's happening:

After Amy and Tom departed in Mazanillo my daughter and her boyfriend came aboard and sailed to Puerto Vallarta with us. We had a great trip as we anchored a few nights in Bahia Navidad, Chameyla, Tenacatita and Yelapa. It was amazing how cold it got once we left Zihuatanijho....I think latitude matters when it comes to really being comfortable at sea and at night. Be that as it may, we had a fabulous journey north, the seas a bit rocky, a little bashing, but the fishing was great and all the villages had undiscovered surprises such as the French Baker arriving at our boat early am in Tenacatita. We did not do much snorkeling as I was recovering (again) from a cough and the flu. (I was sick five times on this trip). Ali, Daniel and I flew home from PV as soon as the boat hit the dock and we left Steve in the good hands of our buddy boat friends on Rocinante. It was great to see Larry, Andrew and Vicki. As I write, Steve and Amy are probably at Isla Isabela (please excuse all spelling errors of destinations as I no longer have my guide books for quick reference) and heading towards Mazatlan. Amy joined Steve at PV (thank you Amy...she is the best crew-mate ever)and they plan on reaching Mazatlan on Friday the 9th whereby Darin (my brother-n-law) will join Steve and the two of them will head further north to who knows where. Just kidding. The plan is to put Lady J 'on the hard' in Guyamus (north in the Sea of Cortez) for the summer. Steve wants to paint the hull and do some repairs and perhaps sail away again next winter. Today, I'm not crazy about sailing again in Mexico but maybe this will change in time. Overall the experience was extraordinary and I am soooooo grateful to have had this opportunity with Steve. Steve is amazing and really knows his stuff when it comes to the sea and sailing. I was never frightened (okay...the first leg was horrifying)and always had confidence in his judgement and ability. We have a few words of thanks to special people.
First, thank you Maria and Brandon for watching the homestead and Sassy.....we were always at peace knowing you two were keeping the home fires burning...and the hot tub humming (even though it blew up). Tom and Lois, you guys really made our departure special and my nerves were so calm due to Tom's sage advice and Lois's constant words of encouragement and positive on-going communication. Also, Rob and Bob...you guys rock! Steve always talked about how lucky he is to have you both together and in his life. He was and still is comforted by all the difficult decisions you had to make and grateful that you kept him in the loop during our journey. Also, Paul, you are a great brother and friend to Steve and without you the first run from Seattle to San Diego may not have happened. Nam, your spirit was with us along the way and thank you (and Zung) for the support and great food. Nam, where are you and why are you not with Steve now? I have to mention Amy once more because she was an ongoing crew member and chief organizer in our 'other life' as we sailed in Mexico. She coordinated everything and anything that needed to be done for us and I LOVE YOU, AND Tom is kinda cute too (breaks things a lot however, just kidding Tom) Blake and Ruth, you were spoken of often and Steve truly owes his nautical knowledge and inspiration (and DNA)to you. A big thanks to John and Katsy for helping out with a family crisis, I respect your commitment to family and thank you. Tim, you were our biggest fan and thanks for following with interest. Maryjo and Bill, BIGGEST THANK YOU EVER for all the goods you brought into Mexico for us: the oar,candy,peanut butter, clothes pins, and the list goes on and on and on...If it were not for Bill Troncones may have never happened, what an awful thought. (hey Bill, I have your shorts). France and Deren, what can I say, you not only sailed with us (and our stuff) but received endless phone calls at all hours some good, some whiny and I love you most. Alexandra May Williams, you and Daniel brightened our journey in so many ways and thank you for coordinating our trip to, from, and during, the final leg.
Lisa, you are the best friend ever and I will cherish your support in my heart for life(and thereafter). Shirley and Wad...okay I'm needy, and you both need religion!
Thanks you Providence and Valley General Hospital for keeping me on the payroll as I sailed into the unknown, I have always felt appreciated and valued at work. For those of you who I did not mention I am sorry.....but my heart will continue to overflow into all of your lives and Steve, my greatest love in life, thank you for giving me this opportunity and putting up with my stuff, I have learned so much from you and look forward to our next chapter together. Please stayed tuned everyone as Steve will post one more entry on this blog when he returns in May as it clearly is his turn!!!!!
Thank you all fellow cruisers: Rocinante, Jambo, Andres of Puerto Las Hadas, Vickey @ Vito Latrota, Bob & Margie on No Name, Susy from Chicago, Sea Bear, Paul Out of Poverty, Jarana, and my 'Lavender Angel' Trish Turner, and all the others who I'll never ever forget!

Leaving Zihuatanejho

March 14, 2010
Ok, here’s the deal: We just had to replace the starter to the boat (we are unsure as to why it blew up…lots of smoke)and Steve had a great time interacting with the locals to achieve this mechanical event. Currently, Steve is in a tizzy because he can’t find the valve tool extractor for the dingy. Yep, you guessed it, another leak in Amy. This time the floor board broke too. It is very mysterious as to how the damage continues to happen, but it certainly is a reoccurring theme that sucks a lot of energy from Steve (me too, as I have to live with him). He already has tore the entire boat apart three times and this means that everything is tossed around, sticky, dirty, unorganized and need I say, he is grumpy . I have tried to tell him that it will appear when he no longer is looking for it but ohhhhhhhhhhhh noooooooooo, he has a much greater time being totally consumed by its disappearance. Thus, the past nearly 24 hours have been miserable. Thank goodness Amy is on board because we just laugh, make jokes and try to guide him. His power is diminished considerable with two women underfoot. Amy arrived on Tuesday (the 9th) and her friend Tom will arrive this afternoon. The plan is to head north to Manzanillo on Tuesday the 16th. Our goal is first and foremost to have fun. We plan on stopping at a couple of good surfing beaches as Tom is a surfer. We will drop anchor, toddle around while the kids are shark bait, and then continue cruising once they are exhausted (if they survive). I must express how many comments and concerns I’ve received over various forms of communication regarding the Cocodrilos…its true folks, they are around but appear not to like humans as food…thank fully. We are still swimming daily probably a mile or more in open water. We love it! We plan on anchoring 14 hours after departure in a lovely bay called Caleta de Campos. This is one of our favorite villages and the one that Maryjo and Bill share great stories about cheap five star housing, crazy locals, tortillarias and great ice cream. Our next idea is to check out Maruata which is about 40 miles north of Caleta. This is the bay that gave me the creeps (unwarranted per Steve) coming down and we never explored the village so we look forward to doing this with Amy and Tom. Maruata is probably one of the most beautiful bays I’ve seen although I’ve declared this about many, many bays on this journey. Amy and Tom leave the boat on the 23rd in Manzanillo and Ali and Daniel (my daughter and her boyfriend) will board the same day. We are on our way home, see you April first! Favorite saying: “Dorkwadd”

Cocodrilo!!!!!

TSUNAMI

We survived, and thank you everyone for your phone calls and concern. We took the dingy into the beach the day of, and were notified by our 'beach friends' that in 30 minutes the tsunami was suposed to hit. I was a bit concerned and did not take my eyes off the water till 'the big one' had passed. A 3 to 4 foot wave came up to the shore and covered a rather large area, probably 25feet higher than normal. Our dingy was moved by the wave (and we thought we had it tied way high). So, needless to say, we did see abnormal conditions but they were definately non threatning.
Far more exciting was the visit from the cocodrilo last night....unbelievable! Right to our boat she came when I called. I hope the photo will upload...it is like dial-up down here! Love to all!