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November 2011 Cruising Expenses

Dec 12th, 2011
by Sara.
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After a mere month in Mexico, we have already reached cruising budget nirvana! We were delighted to find in November that cruising Mexico really is still cheap. Here’s what we got for just a touch over $1500 USD for the month of November: time at the dock in both Ensenada and at the luxurious new Marina Riviera Nayarit in La Cruz, full diesel tanks, four 6-month Mexico tourist visas and one Temporary Import Permit for the boat, a three-year birthday party, a delicious Thanksgiving dinner at the gourmet marina restaurant I didn’t need to lift a finger for, countless taco cart visits, trips to the ice-cream freezer, and ice-cold Pacificos consumed at various palapa bars, taxi ride home with a huge load of groceries, a used Seatiger 555 windlass (story coming soon…), laundry dropped off and picked up washed, dried and folded, two haircuts, and high-speed cell internet service right on our boat. Living in the lap of luxury at thrift store prices — thanks in large part to our excellent exchange rate (nearly 14 pesos per $1USD).

S/V Wondertime’s November 2011 Cruising Expenses

bus/taxi – $12
cat supplies – $5
cell phone – $32
clothing – $30
diesel – $263
eating out – $264
gifts – $20
groceries – $260
haircuts – $13
tourist visas – $78
internet (banda ancha cell card) – $50
laundry – $34
marina water/electricity – $11
moorage – $242
mp3 download – $7
skype – $10
souvenirs – $44
temporary import permit for boat – $50
used windlass – $150

total: $1,575

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Video: Riding the bus home to La Cruz

Dec 10th, 2011
by Sara.
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While there is a ton of live music around La Cruz and Banderas Bay at night (for example, on our boat here at the La Cruz anchorage at 10 pm we can hear at least three “musical” events coming from the beach right now), due to our having young crew we don’t get to stay out late very often to hear it close up. No matter, more often than not we are treated to live music right on our bus rides to and from Puerto Vallarta. Truly the best live entertainment around.

 

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Racing Out of Our Comfort Zone

Dec 4th, 2011
by Sara.
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“There’s cheap beer and tacos up at PV Sailing tonight!” announced our new friend and La Cruz dock neighbor Tami on Andiamo III one afternoon last week. Without thinking twice, we packed up the kids and headed over.

It turned out to be a meet and greet for cruisers and local sailing vendors and we enjoyed meeting all sorts of new folks. And while the beer was very cold and cheap and the tacos muy delicioso, the goal for the evening was to get boats to sign up for the Banderas Bay Blast, a four-day charity fun-race being held the following week.

As dusk fell, the girls were tired and had had enough of our yakking and we quietly snuck out with them. “It would sure be fun to do a race like that someday,” I said to Michael. “Hey…maybe we should do it now?”

“Let’s go for it!” he replied and I ran back inside to put our name down on the list of race boats.

One of our goals for this trip is to not pass on opportunities that lie outside our comfort zone, which we tend to want to do, as do most people I assume. There’s been a number of chances we could have taken in the past – both large and small – and few things are worse than regret at “what would have happened if we had…?” Whether it’s taking a job opportunity in Alaska, or sailing across an ocean, or just talking to someone we really want to meet, we are learning not to let these types of adventures pass us by.

Riding a panga in through the Punta Mita surf to the after-race moonlit beach dinner

Sailing in the Banderas Bay Blast was not to be one of them. Believe it or not, it was the very first time I have ever raced a boat and Michael’s first since he was a kid. We were a little nervous at what to expect as we motored Wondertime up to the start line but with the help of our crew (the Del Vientos, who we originally met in Olympia when they drove through in their car on their way to their boat in Mexico and who our girls are over the moon to have now reunited with in La Cruz) we soon had the sails up and were across the starting line right on time. With a bow full of giggling girls, we tacked back and forth across sunny and warm Banderas Bay all afternoon, making our way to Punta Mita and the finish.

We certainly weren’t the first to cross the finish line, and it’s entirely possible we were the last in our class, but we didn’t care. It was an awesome challenge sailing upwind in very light air (yes, we can point higher than the big cats!) and as we and our crew took a panga ride to shore through the Punta Mita surf for dinner on the beach we were all grinning ear to ear.

The following day was the final leg, a downwind spinnaker run to Paradise Village (this one with just the Wondertime crew aboard). Once again, our sailing skills and patience were challenged as we struggled to keep the boat moving at a decent pace in the 5-8 knots of wind from astern. In the end, we folded that race as we were moving 1.5 knots still 6 miles from the finish with the time limit looming. No matter, we were hardly bummed at getting to our free slip at Paradise, enjoying a scrumptious dinner at the Puerto Vallarta Yacht Club and taking a dip in the huge pool.

While the two free slips and three parties had enticed us at the beginning to sign up for the Blast, it really was the racing that we’ll remember. I dare say that our sailing skills have improved a touch with the added factor of competition thrown in. I mean, we gybed our cruising spinnaker in three minutes flat! While Michael and I have sailed together as a team for years, it was an entirely new experience to try to do things quickly – which is what you do in a race it seems but not too often when sailing a slow cruising boat southward — and remain calm at the same time. And definitely not least, we also had an amazing day of taking our new friends out sailing.

As always happens when we don’t let an opportunity pass by, we gain much more than we ever think we will.

Click here for Latitude 38’s coverage of the Blast (with photos of the Wondertime girls tossing water ballons at the Poobah and Wondertime at the start line!)

Photo by Gato Go

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Thoughts on a Crossing

Nov 29th, 2011
by Sara.
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450 miles, all barefoot

We arrived in La Cruz, in Banderas Bay next to Puerto Vallarta, nearly a week ago. It was the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and so we’d arrive in time for a nice big helping of turkey and mashed potatoes we sailed nonstop: south from Bahia Magdalena, past the taunting lights of Cabo San Lucas and then 275 miles across the southernmost portion of the Sea of Cortez. 450 miles, four days and nights of sailing.

Holly quietly passes the time underway

When I think of the distances it’s possible to travel nonstop on a small sailboat, our little trip was like a daysail. But for us, it was the longest passage so far on this journey. Along the way, I thought of so many things I wanted to write down but usually I was laying in front of a fan and didn’t feel like getting up. Now, it’s like looking back at a dream: some of it I strain to remember while other parts are unforgettable, details totally clear in my memory.

We left Bahia Magdalena in the late afternoon and inched our way south to Cabo that first night and day and night slowly, two and three knots at a time. We flew our spinnaker during the day then took it down at night and poled out the genoa to catch the very light following breeze. We rounded Cabo Falso in the early morning hours and were happy to have the wind pick up with us as we scooted around the cape, pointing the bow more easterly.

Once clear of Cabo the wind died down to nearly nothing so we took the opportunity to charge the batteries, depleted in the overcast skies. Then only an hour or two later the wind turned on like a faucet; a light norther was blowing down the Sea of Cortez, 20-25 knots forecast at times, and we were now in it.

Here is where the dream really starts: 20 knots of wind just slightly aft of the beam for days and days, or so it feels like. Our main is double-reefed, the genoa furled in a touch. Wondertime just romps along, delighted. This time, we are just passengers, reefing and unreefing as the steady northerly winds rise and fall slightly over the next two days. Miles and miles passing under our keel and all we really have to do is hang on and eat and play.

Our guest one afternoon

I’m trying to remember details but mostly it’s just feelings that come back: nausea and tiredness from holding on as the boat rolls to starboard again and again with the waves rolling down from the north; dry mouth trying to chew cheese and crackers (the only thing I can manage to serve up to my hungry crew for dinner that first night across), dripping with sweat in the humid, tropical 85-degree interior cabin, trying to keep my heavy eyes open during my 4 am watch.

The third day we are halfway across the sea, nearly 150 miles from the closest land. That’s when the magic happens.

It is night, the clouds have cleared, the crescent moon is not yet up and the sky is a mess of stars. The rest of the crew is below asleep, I am outside in the cockpit, Ulrich Schnauss on the iPod, gazing around in the blackness which is lit up by our phosphorescent wake. The boat is romping along through the night on the same port tack we’ve been on for a whole day and a half. Shoooosh, shoooosh, shoooosh. I feel like I am floating. Happy. Suddenly this seems so very easy. We could do this forever.

Maybe we will.

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October 2011 Cruising Expenses

Nov 26th, 2011
by Sara.
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Perhaps I should label this month “Cruising in California Expenses” as well as September. The money continued to bleed out like crazy and we hope crossing the border will finally put a tourniquet on our budget once and for all. We knew our anchoring choices were limited in Southern Cali and we’d have to pay to moor the boat at times but ouch. (Why we didn’t join a yacht/cruising club to get free/reduced moorage I have no idea. Sigh.) We also bought lots of new bits for Wondertime (some new halyards, a whisker pole, engine oil, spares, fans, guidebooks and all sort of other junk to stuff in our lockers “just in case”). We stocked up on our favorite foods at Costco and Trader Joes as well as tubes and tubes of Toms of Maine toothpaste. There was also a trip to Disneyland which was worth every penny.

S/V Wondertime’s October 2011 Cruising Expenses

allowance (Leah) – $8
activities – $317
boat bits – $2,269
boat insurance – $54
books – $59
camera – $38
car rental – $227
cat supplies – $63
cell phones – $23
clothing – $50
computer – $211
diesel – $211
DVDs – $20
eating out – $359
faxes & copies – $15
galley – $78
groceries – $964
hotel – $104
laundry – $27
mexican fishing licenses – $180
guidebooks – $141
moorage – $629
parking – $15
personal care – $186
propane – $14
rental car gas – $37
supplies – $268
toys – $18
wifi – $10

total: $6,595

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A Third Birthday in Magdalena Bay

Nov 23rd, 2011
by Sara.
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“What do you want to do for your 3rd birthday Holly?”
“I want to jump in the waves!”
“OK!”

When I wrote Holly’s birthday down on our family calendar months ago, turning the pages ahead to November, I had no idea where we would be when our little curly-haired sprite turned three. I tucked away some cake mix, some pink frosting with sprinkles (her choice) and a few gifts in preparation for Holly’s day.

Small sweet gifts from new friends

As it turned out we were in Magdalena Bay for the celebration. On her birthday morning, Holly opened her gifts, we enjoyed fresh scones with butter and jam and then set off for — where else? — the beach. We’d spread the word to the few other cruising boats also anchored in Man o War Cove and as we stood on the shore watching them come in by dinghy, Holly jumped up and down with excitement that all her “best friends” were on their way to her party. With a small picnic in tow, we hiked across the isthmus to the Pacific side, the southernmost beach of Bahia Santa Maria.

The water was turquoise and warm, the sand like flour, and the waves just the right size to jump through and ride in to shore a little ways. Our new friends brought little gifts and cards for Holly, so touching and sweet and it made her feel very special. After dinner that night she blew out her three candles on her pink sprinkled cake, grinning from ear to ear.

Third birthdays are the best: they are the first one that a kid truly understands, when they know that it’s their special day. I think this particular one was one of my favorites as well. Simple, low cost, fun, memorable. And most of all our three-year-old was filled with joy the whole day long during our celebration of her.

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Action Packed Days in Sleepy Turtle Bay

Nov 12th, 2011
by Sara.
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I don’t know what it is about this dusty little Baja outback town but what should be the sleepiest little village on the coast is once again full of adventure for us. We first visited Bahia Tortugas nine years ago having sailed down from San Diego with a small entourage of other boats with 20-something crews. In the week we spent here, we somehow managed to pack our days full, which included kite surfing and BBQs on the beach, spending hours at the beach palapa slurping down 10 peso Pacificos with other cruising crews and even finding a hopping discoteca up on the hill one Saturday night.

Of course, our time here this visit has been spent a little differently, but so far Turtle Bay has not disappointed us in excitement, despite appearances. Our first day here was actually pretty quiet as one would expect here; we spent a few hours just wandering around the town taking it all in. Nestled in barren desert hills, the entire village is covered with at least a centimeter of caramel colored dust which billows up each time a car zooms down a narrow dirt road. We found ice-cream at a small well-stocked tienda, fresh flour tortillas (a Baja specialty), and (can you guess?) a playground which was surprisingly new in the town square overlooking the bay and fisherman hauling their pangas out of the water.

Unlike wandering around other small towns in the U.S., however, where residents typically eye strangers with suspicion, when we would pass a local Turtle Bay resident we’d get a huge smile and a wave and a ¡buenas tardes! whether the person was walking or driving. We met a local woman who spoke very good English and enjoys helping passing cruisers; when she found out we were looking for tortillas she told us to hop in her car and she’d drive us the two blocks to the tortilleria. We thanked her profusely but explained that since we hadn’t been off the boat in three days we didn’t mind the walk.

Yesterday, on our second morning in town, we tune into the morning VHF net and hear an announcement that bocce ball will commence on the beach by the beer palapa at 1 pm. Now, back when we were kids ourselves cruising down here we always snickered a little at the old farts playing bocce ball on the beach. This time, we packed up a picnic lunch, the sand toys, swimsuited girls and a pocket of pesos for beers and arrived ready for bocce at 1:05 pm.

The delightful afternoon was spent doing what we’d come to Mexico for: spending time with members of our fellow cruising community as well as the locals who love to come and practice their English while we practice our Spanish. As a warm wind ruffled in from the bay, we enjoyed ice-cold Pacificos from Regelio’s La Playa palapa bar, shared appetizers and stories and plans with our new friends, watched as Leah and Holly made new friends of their own of all ages and nationalities, danced to music blaring from nearby speakers, and played several rounds of bocce ball.

We returned to Wondertime yesterday evening smiling from ear to ear after our fun-filled afternoon. We noticed that the anchorage had filled up considerably; apparently the FUBAR powerboat rally from San Diego to Cabo had caught up with us and about 50 powerboats had joined the (thankfully very large) anchorage. The VHF radio was buzzing with talk about the impending front coming through with southerly winds (again!). We’d been expecting the front to arrive this weekend and knew that there may be some light southerly winds that night but the really honking stuff was due to come today (Saturday).

As we fed the girls some dinner, read books and tucked them into bed, indeed the wind had come up from the south already; we soon had some lively bucking action going on due to the 2-mile fetch across the south side of the bay. An hour later, the wind abruptly died dead still. Then a few minutes later it came up again, clocking around 90 degrees to the west. This time the wind was coming off the hill to the west of town and the wave action was much calmer and we slept at last.

With the wind expected to pipe up again from the SW today, we ate breakfast this morning while underway to the south side of Bahia Tortugas where we’d be in the lee of the shore, a much more comfortable and safe place to be in a blow. Most of the boats anchored near town slowly trickled south as well and the fleet of 50 or so are all tucked in, hanging on as 20-30 knot winds buffeted our ships around.

A long windy day stuck in the boat turns into a wind measuring experiment for Leah with our hand-held wind meter

We’ve spent the day listening in on our VHF radio (think cruising boat party line if you’ve never listened in on one before). There was chatter about the boats being tossed about that were still anchored on the north side of the bay, [power]boats that had headed out to sea towards Cabo, originally attempting to outrun the front and limping back defeated, people requesting rides from the local pangas to a party being held in town for the FUBAR (and then the excitement of getting home in the dark across the rough bay).

So far, everyone is safe, anchor watches are being held and anchors are holding on tight. Just another action-packed day in sleepy little Turtle Bay.

*2300 update: the wind has dropped to nearly nothing and it’s raining(!) buckets. What will tomorrow bring??

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Somewhere off Baja, nightwatch with a full moon and wind

Nov 9th, 2011
by Sara.
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We are sailing to Bahia Tortuga, nearly 300 miles south of Ensenada and halfway down the Baja peninsula. It’s our second night at sea and we’ve been pleased to have much more sailing than not this trip so far. We currently have about 18 steady knots from astern and while we roll crazily at times from side to side as we slide down the waves with only our reefed genoa we are so glad to be scooting along with wind power. It’s a dreamy ride tonight.

Everyone else is asleep on the boat and I get three hours of peace and quiet to look after the sails, watch for other ships, eat chocolate, listen to whatever albums I want to on the ipod. It’s awesome. The sky is finally clear; at last we’ve left the fog behind us. There is a sky full of stars, I am sure, but due to the nearly-full moon being so bright that it makes my eyes tear up when I try to look at it only the brightest planets and satellites shine through.

I scan the horizon for other sailboats but see nothing. Last night there were seven boats around us but over the past day we’ve all spread out as our various speeds and courses will do. We spent longer than expected in Ensenada as we were waiting for two fronts to roll through with their rain and wind and thunderstorms. The marinas filled up with so many boats waiting for the good weather to sail south this week that a breakfast meeting was called to set up an SSB net for those interested, and we dubbed ourselves the Hee-Hee (as opposed to the much larger Baja Ha-Ha rally). Truly, we didn’t mind the wait. There were plenty of amazing fish tacos to eat, streets to explore, pan dulces to try and many friendly people to practice our Spanish with.

Today we finally, finally broke our trend of catching only seaweed on our fishing lures. We have caught: a 2′ long squid (which we threw back because it was hissing at us and was terrifying, even through we were drooling at the thought of fresh caught calamari), three small yellowfin tuna (the smallest one we threw back, the largest is currently marinating in lime juice in the fridge for tomorrow’s ceviche lunch), and a seagull, sadly (who we were able to free quickly thank goodness).

The day before we left the city of Ensenada (where it was pouring rain and in the 50sF and we actually had to dig our electric heater out of the bilge), Leah asked me: “Mama, when are we going to get to the real Mexico? You know, with a huge sunny beach and palms trees I can tie my hammock between and wild horses to ride on?” Apparently our promise of what lies ahead has not been forgotten. I told her that Turtle Bay has a huge beach that will likely be sunny but it was mostly lacking in palm trees from what I could remember. And probably not a lot of wild horses there either. Still, she was satisfied with that.

Tomorrow (Wednesday) we’ll arrive, too late to visit the beach probably, but we’re all looking forward to playing in the Mexican sand the next day. In the meantime, I’m going to relish the last hour of this nightwatch. I should probably go do something productive but Tetris is calling my name. And there’s no one to hear it but me.

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Delightfully Messy Mexico!

Nov 3rd, 2011
by Sara.
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We arrived in Ensenada yesterday (Wednesday) afternoon; we have officially sailed to Mexico! It took us two tries to leave the San Diego Police Dock however. The first time we departed was at 0200, which would give us plenty of time to make the 65 miles to Ensenada, our first port in Mexico by afternoon. We had motored out the channel past Point Loma in the dark and about two miles out I noticed the cat was not in her, I mean Holly’s carseat where she usually rides when the engine is on. We searched all over the boat but quickly knew it was fruitless: she was not on the boat.

A gritty sunrise over Mexico

We did consider not turning around, but for want of a suitable explanation to the girls as to where their cat had gone we turned Wondertime around and  motored back to the Police Dock, cursing once more at our difficult feline crew. We were still a hundred feet away from the dock when we heard the MREOWWWW! of our panicked cat and spotted her standing on the end of the last finger pier waiting for us. We nudged the bow toward the dock, Xena jumped aboard and we were finally off to Mexico.

The next 65 miles held a little of everything for us. Motoring in a glassy sea under a starry sky. Then as the sun rose a startling hot wind began to blow from shore and we had a romping sail for an hour or so in about 20 knots. Dust was blown out to sea, little bits from Mexico and it gave the morning sky a caramel hue like in a Coen Brothers movie. We could feel the grit in our eyes and in our teeth and it stuck to the salt spray on deck. It even brought with it the smell of Mexico: earthy, smoky and human.

Our fun was soon over though and we found ourselves motoring in calm seas once again. Then the southerlies started. Being no purists, or rather not wanting to arrive in Ensenada in the dark (a good thing since the Mexican charts are horrific; our path on our electronic chart travels right over the charted breakwater…) we motored on through light winds on our nose the rest of the day.

Patiently waiting while Mom and Dad ping-pong around the Centro Integral de Servicios completing check-in papers

We arrived in Ensenada at 1530 and docked at Baja Naval, with employees catching two of our lines and a fellow cruiser catching the third. A lovely warm welcome! After securing the boat the four of us meandered up to the marina office through the spotless Baja Naval boatyard to check in. The super friendly manager completed our paperwork quickly. He mentioned that the CIS offices were closed early that day due to it being Dia de los Muertos so we wouldn’t be able to check-in with immigration, customs and the port captain until the next day. “Go have fun in town!” he said with a grin. “No one is going to come chasing you down!”

So we did. We wandered around until we found a restaurant that was a few blocks out of the tourist areas. Oh, how delightful it is to be back in Mexico! It’s such a messy, comfortable place, like going to someone’s home with toys and books everywhere and a fluffy couch with holes and a few stains and you are encouraged to put your feet up. You have to watch your step everywhere you walk because pieces of the sidewalk are bound to be missing. There are unfinished – or under demolition? – buildings scattered amongst hopping, thriving small businesses. Everything is painted in bright colors with bars on the windows. Chickens and dogs dart down alleyways. My favorite part is the people. Friends, couples, families: groups of people everywhere just walking around, sitting, talking, eating standing up around a crowded taco stand. Kissing. Loitering is expected here.

Back to our restaurant. We found a place with the menu in pesos, wooden tables, Mexican music blaring from overhead speakers and señoras busy making fresh tortillas in the open kitchen in the back. We sat down, ordered, and minutes later our waiter returns with delicious carne asada and piping hot corn tortillas. Paired with 27 peso (that’s less than $2USD!) bottles of Negra Modelo it was a celebratory feast we’d come a long way for. And for only $22USD for a family of four, a bargain.

A little dangerous maybe, but still fun

Today we walked over to the Centro Integral de Servicios to check in with Migración, Capitánia de Puerto, and Aduana (customs). While all these offices, including the bank and copy centers, are all located in one building now (hurrah!) the process wasn’t exactly as smooth as promised. Maybe it was because the office was closed early the day before or the workers were a tad hung over from Dia de los Muertos but the lines were long and things got a little confusing at times as we shuffled back and forth from the immigration counter to the bank, back to immigration, to the port captain, etc. The woman helping us with our port captain papers up and went to lunch right in the middle of our turn at the counter. But the customs fellow loved the girls and let them each push the button for the red/green streetlight that indicates if your boat is going to be visited (red) or not (green). It was green both times. After nearly three hours of ping-ponging around the building, he took the customs forms from Michael, and not even looking at them, smiled with a hint of a wink and said “Muy bien!” We were done, officially checked into Mexico.

We gathered up all of our stamped papers and went back outside, blinking in the bright Mexico sun. Smiling, we walked back down the malecon, towards the waterfront playground to let the girls play after being cooped up all morning waiting patiently for all our paperwork to be completed. Some things stay the same.

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The Hum of Southern California

Oct 22nd, 2011
by Sara.
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We’ve been in Southern California for a week and a half now. We wanted to love it down here, what with all the sunshine and palm trees and beaches. Trips down here in years past hold memories of wild times. Perhaps we are different people now, as we find ourselves only wishing to experience the wild again.

It’s a bustling coastline, bursting with people, cars, stores, buildings, houses, highways and every now and then a green park. Every time we find ourselves in port, as we are now in San Diego, we can’t help but write out a list of Things That Must Be Done/Bought/Fixed Before Leaving wherever we happen to be. Then we walk around as fast as we can and check them off, dragging our young charges with us, dangling the promise of an ice-cream cone in front of them.

It’s enough to make one dream of islands, of deserted beaches, of quiet protected harbors, of silence. We remember all our weeks up in the splendor of British Columbia and our heart hurts for the memory of beauty and stillness that seems impossible now. Maybe that is homesickness.

But there are islands ahead, and beaches and beauty and wildness. One more week of checking the items off our list, a night of trick-or-treating, then we’ll sail to Mexico. There is a hum of excitement aboard, that sometimes drowns out the exhaustion. We are surrounded by boats at the police dock here also in the last throes of preparations to head south, to a country that really feels foreign and doesn’t have fog. The energy is contagious. We’re almost there.

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