Puerto Vallarta

December 18th,2009
Happy Holidays everyone! We are alive and well. Reluctantly, we left Isla Isabela heading southeast to San Blas around the 12th of December. We were a bit hesitant to explore San Blas as we were told the mosquitoes were prolific, I think we saw one during our brief stay at anchor. San Blas is a historical village immortalized by H.W. Longfellow’s final poem, The Bells of San Blas. Had a great breakfast, walk, re-provisioned and pushed off to our next anchorage: Chacala. What a beauty! If you ever want to get off the tourist track and stay on a lovely beach with a strong cultural component, this is it. If you enjoy the tropical jungle environment call us for an unbelievable hotel recommendation. Steve and I took a crazy walk one day and ended up on top of a crater and surprisingly this funky hotel built in the jungle (Anita, if you are reading this you would love this place) just appeared…..wild! This is where the picture was taken of Steve behind bars. Again, reluctantly, we left Chacala for Punta Mita, a rather first class place on the northern end of Banderas Bay. I was in need of primping and a bit whiny so Steve took me out to a fabulous Italian dinner. We found a hotel and almost checked into it but Steve was unwilling to spend $450 a night, maybe on Valentines Day. We then cruised another 10 miles south to La Cruz where are friends on Rocinante had a condo. Spent a couple of days boogie boarding, swimming in pools, listening to great music and re-provisioning via long expensive bus rides which prompted us to pull anchor and head into Puerto Vallarta which is where we are now. I have typed this entry in two segments and presently it is December 20th and things are beginning to look like Christmas around the Lady J. When we have power…….and everything revolves around power…..I hang up the Christmas lights in the cockpit. I guess I’d better take a picture! The boat is spic and span, Steve has spent the past couple of days upgrading our batteries, and tomorrow we will leave PV and sail out of Banderas Bay south round Cabo Corrientes perhaps to Bahia Chamela. We will be accompanied by our buddy boat Rocinante and no TV, internet, power, or family for Christmas. Vicky is baking a Turkey and I will bake the pumpkin pie. I so wish you all could join us for this fabulous journey we are on, but in my heart I truly would rather be with all of you for the holidays. Much love, and Feliz Navidad!

Jam Session on Lady J

ISLA ISABELA

December 11, 2009
I think we have found paradise! This is a remarkable island totally uninhabited except for the fishermen who populate a small beach off our bow. The island is 20 miles off shore, the exact position for those of you using google earth is: 21.50.6N, 105.52.7. Huge flocks of birds populate what feels like every square inch. Blue and yellow-footed boobies along with frigate birds, terns and gulls live in on the cliffs and nest in the trees. Even Steve tip toes through the groves so as to not disturb the mating pairs and babies. The blue-footed boobies are my favorite as their young are covered in snow white down. It is amazing how they allow us to walk literally a foot away, sometimes closer. I’m talking thousands and thousands of birds. Jacque Cousteau protected this island from development in 1980 as it was one of his favorite places. We have had some amazing walks along cliffs and lava shorelines. And the weather, well it’s always clear, hot, and humid with a slight breeze blowing.
Today is Friday (if it were not for this computer I would be unsure) and we arrived on Wednesday morning around 7:00am. Our departure from Mazatlan began around noon with the spinnaker gently blowing us past the tourist beach and south 150.° We had two remarkable encounters with whales on this journey the first being the most spectacular. We had just finished lowering the genacker into its sock (this is no easy task for just Steve and I…we miss you Amy) and literally 25 feet off our starboard side I saw a massive whale swimming parallel to us much like a dolphin would do. I shouted to Steve, as we are all a little paranoid of whales due to the incident that occurred during our first leg on the Haha, and he calmly replies, “Look, he’s playing with us.” So,this journey began playing with whales. There were two of them, which looked to be as long as our boat (39’) side by side and they gradually spouted away off our stern and we continued to have multiple sightings the entire way to Isabela.
I went snorkeling yesterday and saw a manta ray, turtles and lots of various tropical fish. I have never snorkeled in such deep water and the reefs were incredible off the cliffs. Great exercise! We spent hours mindlessly swimming amongst the treasures of the sea. Lots of jellyfish and the biggest danger is sharks……haven’t seen any yet but this bay is named Bahia Tiburoneros which means shark in Espanola.
We also had our first jam session on the Lady J. Our buddy boat Rocinante has musicians aboard and they joined us for dinner with a bag of musical instruments and five of us serenaded to the sound of the sea till the wee hour of 9:00pm. We have only two other boats at anchor with us and I’m sure we provided interesting entertainment for them and the fishing village! We leave tomorrow for San Blas 45 miles southeast. Things we need: A water maker, solar panels, more ice, scented candles, sunflower seeds (can’t find them in Mexico mainland) a bigger battery, sweet ginger for bread and chocolate. The fishermen love chocolate for trade. They arrive at our boat every morning with fresh fish. They really are not interested in money and ask for things like water, candy, clothing and smiles! Great people here and life is simple. However, there is a penal colony of four islands southwest of us called Islas Tres Marias which is patrolled by the Mexican Navy and is to be avoided at all cost. I’d love to do a research project on that! We often mention how the prisoners live in paradise out here in the middle of no where….yet I’m sure life is quite miserable for them. Enough said for now, love you all!

Local Drug Dealer

Feeling Groovy

Sunset crossing the Sea of Cortez

MAZATLAN

December 3, 2009

We did it! We crossed the Sea of Cortez. This crossing took us about 42 hours. We slowed way down and took the sails in around midnight as we had to delay our approach until daylight. This is typical when pulling into a new port as one never knows what may lurk close to shore. Speaking of………………… we were sailing ever so quietly and slowly into Mazatlan on November 30th (the morning of Steve’s birthday roughly 6:00am, and it was dark) and suddenly Steve heard a rather large splash. As I arrived in the cock pit we both witnessed a huge spouting whale with a rather intimidating growl sound. We should have turned on the motor (this is what THEY say) or at least music to let them know we were in their playground but ohhhhhhhhhhhh noooooooooooo we heard and saw a few more swashes and thankfully avoided a collision. There is definitely whale paranoia amongst the fleet (okay, mostly with the women). But seriously, you should make noise as their neuro-receptor sensors (just Google it, or call Ali) are different than that of the dolphin. It was a freaky event for both of us, exciting nonetheless. We are in the Mazatlan Marina, dock 4, slip 23 and for those of you interested in finances we are paying about $23 a night, that is with the baja haha discount and if we pay for four nights we get three for free. So much to Steve’s dismay we will stay an entire week before departing to Isla Isabela. Steve likes to keep going and I am one that likes to stop, relax, stay awhile, socialize, cook, eat and enjoy the new surroundings. Steve is taking very good care of me as he knows traveling is tough on my equilibrium. I did not get sick crossing the SOC but it was touch and go at times and hey, we are in no hurry to get anywhere. Therefore, Sunday morning the 6th we will push off again. Steve would like to get to Zihuantanejo for Christmas but I’m not sure we will sail that quickly. Apparently the anchorages between here and Z-town are absolutely divine and my plan is to enjoy, snorkel, fish and RELAX. Today we will pick up our new hammock that we special ordered from a local (cotton seat and nylon handles) and I need to purchase a few kitchen utensils such as a cheese grater and a juice squeezer. Our laundry is being done for a mere 45 pesos folded and all, and I do miss the simple act of a one flush toilet. We are walking several miles every day and our diet includes lots of shrimp here in the shrimp capital of the world. We are still traveling with new found friends on the Rosenante and are never bored or lonely. Thanksgiving was a tough day for me as I missed all of you and was sick. I was also irritated because there is a pumpkin shortage over here and I couldn’t even make a pie……we had to have Kahlua and ice-cream instead. I know, you feel sorry for us! We haven’t had any visitors yet but I did get to spend a few hours with Susie Webster, my sister-n-law who is a flight attendant for Alaska Airlines. We are thinking about a short vacation to the mainland in January to visit our parents and family……….but would much rather you all come visit us here in sunny Mexico. The above photo is of Steve caught in a squall while crossing the SOC, our first rain since we left Seattle on October 15th).

The Captain

SICK IN LA PAZ

November 21, 2009
SICK
I got it, Steve has not. The last 36 hours I have spent in bed or in the bathroom. It all starts with flu like symptoms and ends the same way. I have vomited more in the past 30 days than I have in the past 25 years. Once we arrived in La Paz the joy of not cooking was such a wonderful relief we ate out for nearly every meal. The night before I got sick we attended the last haha beach party hosted by the La Paz tourist center and the conditions of the buffet line were questionable BUT I WAS HUNGRY (as always). Enough said as it is painful to reflect on this subject as I am still a bit under. (Ali, it reminds me of your story with Shanda).
We started Spanish classes! Imelda is our teacher and she works for the local community center. Steve and I are beginners so this will be a long slow process. Our stay here in La Paz will probably be until the first week of December as we plan to enjoy Thanksgiving here and continue the Spanish classes. Internet is a constant challenge. Hauling in my computer on the dinging is what’s required and it’s a bit of a hassle (and risk). Most of the internet café’s will not allow me to use a flashdrive, thus the irregular emails. We are settling in therefore tomorrow we will move to a marina slip at Marin Palmira. We walked 5 miles out of town today to check it out. $24.00 a day for our 39 foot vessel and the facility is “almost new” (a famous Mexico saying). I am ready for a few amenities and the boat needs cleaning, water and time to “power up” our tech gear and refrigerator. Recent paranoia: Cockroaches. Tomorrow we will go to the Asian district to find Chinese Chalk. Apparently this substance has glass in it and somehow, someway, you coat the dock lines and base to prevent a cockroach march and infestation. Nice huh? It’s me or them as far as I’m concerned. Enough for now & love to all.

LA PAZ

November 17th, 2009

It has been an interesting journey getting to this place. Please keep in mind readers that I am not a sailor….I am learning how to be one and again my nautical jargon and overall familiarity is slim. Anchoring, we spend a lot of time anchoring. Setting the anchor (45 # CQR), testing the anchor, listening to the anchor, watching the anchor and finally pulling up the anchor. One needs to be very careful not to scratch the boat while bringing it up. We have this cool remote control device, kind of like the one you use for your TV that easily lifts the 100’ 5/16 chain and 250 or so feet of rode (rope) right off the bottom of the ocean. It’s a nifty thing for a country girl like me. Lifting chain and rode, that’s my job here on the Lady J, what seems like all day long sometimes, as Steve is quite particular as to where, when and how we drop our anchor. Heading toward La Paz from Frailes we anchored in this beautiful, what felt like a canyon, a bay called Puerto Ballandra. The boat next to us was dragging chain and came within 20’ of actually hitting us. The frustrating part of this situation was that Steve refused to move the boat “why should I move, he’s the problem.” So basically the game of chicken is played while this yacht just slowly drags right on by us with nobody seeming too alarmed but me. I’m learning how to relax but sometimes it’s just no easy task, and I miss my horse.
Okay, enough of my whining. Our anchorage in Puerto Ballandra was beautiful but as the evening progressed the winds rose to 25 knots and the swells kept us up all night. First thing in the morning we headed for a new spot as we were anxious to explore beaches, swim and continue slowly to La Paz…hey what’s the hurry right? Well the wind gradually increased and thankfully we hid just around the corner from Ballandra in a new cove called Caleta Lobos (Tim, I sure hope you are tracking all of this and if so the real name of this cove is El Merito). We tucked in behind a big island and barely escaped another tough night of heavy winds in our secure well protected spot (yes, it was a spot). Three nights with little sleep, did I say that life is really tough down here? We never did get to swim or explore the shoreline as the winds kept me snug in the boat and Steve was wanting to be watchful of our new anchorage (he really loves his boat). The truth: Caleta Lobos has mangrove trees on the shoreline that appear to thrive in the sand. After hearing that the birds love to nest in these trees and poisonous snakes linger to eat their eggs this confirmed my decision to stay aboard. We pulled anchor at 630am on Monday and slowly motored into La Paz which is a very long narrow channel probably 3 miles or so. I certainly would not want to pull into here at night. We have dropped anchor in a fleet of a hundred or so boats and spent the day yesterday walking around town and getting groceries. We must have had 10 bags stashed in our little dingy and off we went zipping back to our boat. The boat is home and is quite comfortable for us. Amy arrived with her friends yesterday and she plans on taking a flight home on Wednesday. We will entertain tonight on the boat. I plan on getting some fresh scallops from a fisherman on the wharf and making pasta. Today we will get a slip in Marina de La Paz, fill our water tank (yes we filter and treat it) take showers, do laundry, eat, drink, socialize, shop, walk, run, laugh, cry (I miss being the MOB) and just enjoy La Paz, 85° and the wind has finally subsided.
November 21, 2009

ADIOS

LOS FRAILES & ENSENADA de LOS MUERTOS

November 13, 2009
Lady J pulled anchor from Cabo early Tuesday morning. It is now Friday the 13th and we have a lovely anchorage in the Cove of the Dead (Los Muertos). Our first stop was Los Frailes (The Friars) about 43 miles northeast of Cabo. This was an eight hour journey and we probably spent about two hours of it sailing. The wind was light and the sun hot! Hook in the water but no fish. This really was the first journey for just Steve and I, as I mentioned above Amy is on another boat with some wonderful people and is running a day or so behind us. Adios (the boat she is on) pulled into our anchorage at Frailes late Wednesday evening and we didn’t even get to say hello to her as we pulled anchor early Thursday. We did however get her picture…….look how happy she is! The beach at Los Frailes is the highlight and finally we got to snorkel. A bit dangerous near the rocks so we puttered just off the beach and found some wonderful shells and saw some amazing fish. The water is close to 80 degrees and swimming, lounging, eating, drinking, socializing and gazing are our pastimes. Steve is constantly puttering on the boat and I’m happy to report that nothing major has broken yet. We seem to run the battery every five hours to keep the refer working and our computers charged (camera’s & cell phones too). Anyhow, Pulled anchor from Frailes Thursday morning and cruised north for 9 hours to Los Muertos. We saw dolphins! Buck naked, out in the middle of nowhere (okay it was 23°18.5’N 109°24.5’W) Steve shouts “Look!” Sure enough, a small pod of about eight or so dolphins was playing on both sides of the boat. What looked like a mom and baby took lead at the stern of the boat and jumped and frolicked with us for about 5-10 minutes. This was a thrill for me because I had never seen (only heard) of these close appearances. Beautiful creatures, lighter in color than what we have in the northwest and huge! I was too excited to grab the camera so maybe next time I’ll get a shot. This cove was once a thriving little port bringing in supplies and shipping ore from silver mines and salt. Apparently old sunken anchors exist and resemble the dead such the name. Today there is a single restaurant, The Giggling Marlin and Steve and I had a fabulous dinner there last night. We bought a bag of ice which the bartender dumped in two big plastic bags and then we jumped in our dingy and headed back to the boat in total darkness. This particular dingy landing was quite the challenge as it was literally a vertical rock wall about 20 feet high with manmade steps (thankfully). This is Mexico, definitely not Hawaii and not for the less adventurous. Did I say life is really tough? Twenty other boats are anchored with us. We have yet to feel unsafe, and have not gotten sick. Last night at dinner I was reminded of the two rules of sailing by a skipper ready to leave port: No bananas on board and never leave port on a Friday….especially Friday the 13th. Went to bed at 8:00pm and woke at 4:30am to a glorious sunset (photo above), no fish on the hook for at least a week, life is really tough.

Goodbye Cabo

Steve and I pull anchor tomorrow am...probably at the break of dawn which is roughly 630am. We will sail 43 miles north into the Sea of Cortez to a small bay called Los Frailes. Our journey will be 5-7 hours and we are excited to get out of the craziness of Cabo San Lucas and anchor in a quiet bay. We were snorkeling at Lovers Beach this morning making adjustments our new gear. Amy has decided not to fly home right away, instead she is continuing to La Paz on another boat named Adios with some new friends. This may be the last post for awhile so please continue to send prayers as we love all of you greatly!
(Steve requests special prayers)

Life is Good

Romance AFTER the Storm

The Start Line

A True Pirate

The Catch

The Fleet

Lady J Fan Club

The Wave

LEG THREE (Cabo San Lucas)

November 6th, 2009
We did it! Leg three of the Baja ha-ha is complete. We pulled anchor on Wednesday at 6:00am and sadly sailed goodbye from the beautiful bay of Bahia Santa Maria. We covered 180 miles in roughly 33 hours to our slip. Yes, our slip. We are staying in the luxurious Marina Cabo San Lucas. It is very expensive, probably the priciest place we’ll stay on our entire trip. But we need the amenities, i.e. rest showers, laundry, easy access to groceries, restaurants and the whole tourist thing are fun. The sail was relatively easy compared to leg one, 15-23 knot winds, swells 5-8 feet and at times we had no wind and resorted to motor sailing. We are having interesting moments playing with our genacker which is used for light breezes and is sooooooooooooooo beautiful with its florescent colors. AND we caught a Mahi Mahi (unsure of the spelling) and grilled it an hour within catching (the best fish I have ever had). Our first night in Cabo (we arrived in the dark at 9:00pm) the fleet had a bash at the ever famous Squid Roe. This is a huge bar that probably accommodates 400+ crazy, dancing sailors. We danced, probably got to bed around 1:00amish. Amy continues to function beautifully on little sleep, and she easily establishes wonderful (and very cute) friends. Yesterday she attended the beach party while Steve and I did the wallmart shopping to reprovision the boat. Today is the closing Baja ha-ha ceremony. Perhaps some you heard about the sailboat that sunk during our first leg due to a whale attack. The fleet is trying to fly down the captain of that boat to share the story. My hope is she will be present at this closing event as we have all been a little on edge regarding the fluke episode and wish to know the details and lessons learned. CAN YOU IMAGINE? (The skipper spoke at our closing event last night and please note that it was not a whale attack. For the details of this event, which is quite fascinating I suggest you purchase Latitude 38, January issue) At present, our challenges include: Language, laundry, banking, water, and the heat (loading things on the boat require long walks with heavy items). Amy will probably fly out of Cabo within the next few days (although I think she is open to staying for the season) and Steve and I will putter north to La Paz. We plan on having Thanksgiving with our new friends Dan and Rainy in La Paz but who knows anything can happen between now and then. Anchoring in Punta Los Frailes and then Endenada de los Muertos before reaching La Paz is the projected itinerary. The internet connection continues to be a problem as we have yet to get online from the boat and wireless café’s are scarce. It is a really tough life here dealing with the fresh fish, lovely culture, warm breezes, fellow sailors and warm water. I will probably not be able to post again for a few weeks so please, don’t worry too much about us, I think we’ll survive.

LEG TWO (BAHIA TORTUGAS to BAHIA SANTA MARIA)

November 3, 2009
The fleet has arrived to Bahia Santa Maria. We are roughly two thirds of the way down the Baja of Mexico. Leg two was a vastly different experience than leg one. The seas were calm, winds never higher than 11 knots and the swells were basically nonexistent. We sailed the first 36 hours with the genacker flying and then ran out of wind. Finally we gave up, dropped the sail and motored in arriving at a breathtaking 11 mile long beach. The trip was 48 hours of pure bliss compared to our first leg and the most exciting part: We caught a blue fin tuna! Amy started her watch at 7:30am and 20 minutes later “FISH ON!” Steve rigged an amazing hand line and it actually worked. Maybe a 15 pound catch. There is no town in this bay only a handful of fisherman. However, specifically for our fleet accoutrements were shipped in by water taxis and the local villagers served us a fabulous lunch. The locals here are poor, badly bruised by hurricanes, yet happiness is abundant. Collectively, we all agree we are in heaven and our only concern is how to feed Steve for the next four days. We are out of bread, have very little ice, smell just a wee bit, and are salty, warm and content. We leave tomorrow at 6:00am (San Diego time) for Cabo San Lucas. Hasta luego amigos!

LEG ONE (SAN DIEGO to BAHIA TORTUGAS)

First, we feel it necessary to mention our send-off from San Diego. Tom and Lois followed us out in ‘Dela’ and cheered us on as we paraded with the rest of the Baja Haha fleet of 190+ boats. They went above and beyond by creating signs, checking in with us in the early am, and simply being our best support system preparing for this event. THANK YOU TOM AND LOIS (and the boys: Kevin, Kyle & Keenan). Departing San Diego Bay with 190+ beautiful, bright colored genackers (Steve is only 93 percent sure of this spelling) flying was truly a sight to be seen!
We arrived at our 1st anchorage in Bahia Tortugas (Turtle Bay) at approximately 3:00am Thursday. The moon had set around 3:00am and yes; it was pitch black, windy, the crew severely sleep-deprived and needless to say a bit eerie entering into this unknown bay. Especially, after we had just covered 350 miles (64 hours straight sailing) in mostly 12 to 15 foot swells (with intermittent 30+ footers) and 25 to 30 knot winds, gusting to 35 knots! Rita was hearing voices, Amy was seeing things, and Steve was one cool cat. It was a very spiritual experience for all. We are now seasoned and securely anchored for a couple days of rest. The captain remains strong. Rita is recovering from sea sickness and Amy is our champion sailor. Currently we count 50 to 60 of our fellow haha members and are praying for the rest to arrive safely. The officials encouraged those sailing with children, and the weak of heart to head into shore due to heavy weather conditions. But ohhhhhhhhhhh no, not this crew. WE DID IT! Leg one complete. Our new Moto: Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.
An important side note from Steve to Paul and Nam: There were a few times I wished you were there to take a watch but the ladies came through when things got tough and their feminine energy made things rather interesting.

Wireless in Mexico

Hi all. Finally got to a working computer here in Cabo and it will not accept my flash drive. Stay tuned as we have lots of great pictures and stories. Notably, we are safe after a horrific storm and enjoying the hot weather. I will hopefully be able to post tomorrow! Adios till then!
Rita

Via Italia Trattoria!

Last night we spent a glorious evening with Lois and Tom Hirsh (Steve's brother). Graciously, we were invited to experience a fabulous evening with their friend Paolo. Paolo and his wife own an authentic Italian restaurant located in downtown Encinitas. The evening, without question qualified as FUN and the food, wine and entertainment pure Italian. Yep, we are definitely preparing for the Baja Ha-ha. Amy arrives on Saturday, the skippers meeting on Sunday am, costume party Sunday evening and Monday am is the start of leg one from San Diego to Turtle Bay.

Going Green!

Sunny San Diego

Steve and I arrived in San Diego on the 15th. At this point there is not a whole lot to report except the adjustment to boat life and city life are going well. We rented a Smart car much to the dismay of Steve as it does not quite handle like a F450, but it is economical and FUN (which is our theme). At night we have shrimp munching on our boat hull and we are sleeping well. We both ran yesterday, toured mission beach, and today we have the first Baja gathering. Sorry about the absence of a photo the transmission is in failure mode.

Captain & Crew

Nam

San Diego Arrival

The guys arrived on Saturday morning and I await photo's from Steve so we can share all their exuberant happiness. Thanks Tom and Lois (and boys) for your hospitality and thank you Zune (Nam's wife) for sharing a meal with the boys after arrival. Steve is getting around in Tom's flat- bead pickup which he loves and will move the boat from the police dock to Tom's marina on Thursdayish this week. Amy should be arriving there this week and may babysit the boat while Steve comes home to button up the Carnation hatches before the Baha ha ha festivities begin. Estimated departure from San Diego in October 26th.

Catalina Bay

I spoke with Steve yesterday around 1:00 pm. "We are arriving early so we'll check out Catalina." The run from Monteray Bay was foggy, "On our three hour watches we were on the edge of our seats." Steve says the had two days of strong wind, clear skys, and absolutely no problems with the boat. "We hauled ass around point Conception in a 35 knot southerly wind, all night." Auto is their best friend, and Nam continues to teach unknown details about the instruments on board. Thanks Nam, I'm sure I'll appreciate this while sailing south to Mexico. The boys are eating Macaroni and cheese compliments of Paul, and Nam is cooking stir fry for dinner. Steve's last words (other than I love you), "We're cutting our toenails and drying out."

ONE WEEK AT SEA
No word from Steve today, yet................ I hope he'll call but reception is lousy and I am certain they have their hands full.
The picture to the left of Steve and his brother Paul was taken at the dock in Everett (from my cel phone) prior to departure. The few I took of Nam disappeared (sorry Nam).

Hello Monterey Bay!
Steve called this morning after four nights sailing without communication. They are all doing excellent however it sounds like they are running out of healthy food, "eating crap" was his reply to my enquiry. I had to remind him of exactly what I packed for him as taking the time to look is the challenge. Fifteen to twenty foot waves and fog have been the nightly challenge, and the traffic around the San Francisco Bay was hairy. (Please excuse my lack of nautical verbage, I'm sure this will improve with time). Paul continues to provide excellent navigation support and Nam is just Nam....absolutely an asset! How lucky you are Steve! We only spoke briefly, so more to be revealed. Apparently Paul has a flight out of San Diego next Monday so the race is on for the four boys in a tub, I mean..............The four men on a ship!

DAY FOUR

Hi everyone! It is currently 6:00pm Saturday evening and I just got off the phone with Steve. They were in Coos Bay around 3:00pm refueling and the boys were taking showers. They were unable to go through the 'hole in the wall' due to overall conditions ie fog, tide and currents. The most important thing about this report is that Steve sounded absolutely positive and clearly in his prime. Nam and Paul are a great crew! Apparently Nam was sick for awhile, a normal beginning for him, but his computer skills and Vietnamese food are appreciated big time! Paul and Steve are working as a team and are bonding in brotherhood. I have to say that Paul, Steve and Nam are a handsome crew and 'fit' beyond belief. Babe magnets as my daughter would say. I'll try to figure the photo thing out soon.
Apparently crossing the bar at Coos bay was exciting and challenging. The coast guard was there to greet them for directions and support. At present they are motoring south and Steve thinks Monteray Bay will be their next stop. "We are sailing very little. This is a delivery not a sailing trip." Sounds all business to me, yet he was smiling while speaking...I just know it!
I'm up in the hills with my horse till Wednesday and will report when I return.
Rita

Received a call from Steve yesterday morning around 9:00am. They were 35 miles off the coast, they figure close to Seaside. Fog was ever present all night yet at the time he called the crew was up and it was clear and 65* all were in good spirits, rested and having a good time.
Steve said that they were probably heading into Newport for fuel although I did not confirm that with him yesterday. Again, no news is good news, yet he has called every day since departure. Our reception is always poor and I just get bits and pieces. To be continued..................

Everett Departure

Welcome to our blog site and thanks for your interest in our sailing adventure to Mexico. It started yesterday when Steve and I picked up Paul at Meagan and Chris' home in Seward Park. Paul left his car there and I then dropped the guys off at Everett Marina. Nam is the other crew member who will be sailing with them to San Diego. (Paul is Steve's brother and Nam and Steve have been dock neighbors for years). I received a call at 7:30am that they had left port at 6:30am today. All very excited, no wind, no fog, slight rain. Steve gave me the marine forecast website ndbc/nwsforecst, apparently they use this often. The goal is to head south around the bottom of Whidbey Island then north through the straights of Juan De Fuca and around the corner at Cape Flattery. This part of the journey alone may take 24 hours. I will await the next phone call. Apparently they are looking forward to crossing the hole in the wall which is some special, narrow pass that Captain Blake Hirsh (Steve & Paul's Dad) recommends. Our motto is: No news is good news. - Rita