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