November 11- 18: Our ride from La Paz to Los Muertes was  very calm with a perfect temperature of 81degrees. We need to use lots of sunscreen! When we neared Muertes the wind came up to about 12 knots then died down at sunset. We looked forward to another nice day going to Los Frailes where we want to snorkel near the coral reef. The morning of the 12th was very calm, but at noon the winds whipped up to more than 15 knots right on our nose. It took us 6 hours to go 19 miles! Plus the seas were coming over the bow and we are bashing into the waves. So, no snorkeling for us because we got the anchor down just as the sun was disappearing. The anchorage was rockin' and rollin' all night. Because we would cross the Sea we started out of the anchorage at  6:00 a.m. to go to Mazatlan.  Wierdly, the sea was calm and the winds were only 4 knots. We motor sailed until the winds got up to  10 knots and put the jib out to make good time without the motor. During dinner we took the jib in and straightened the boat for a nice meal up in the cockpit. The night sail was quiet and we even had a nice dolphin join us for a while, The morning sunrise is always gorgeous!  But mid morning we noticed the sky behind us getting darker and darker.  The clouds were building and the winds were picking up again. We took the jib down when the winds got more than  20 knots; we were still going more than  6.5 knots with just the main and the seas were building and hitting us on our aft starboard side which made the boat roll and yaw. The auto helm was busy keeping us on course.  It wasn't long before it started to sprinkle, then rain, and rain some more! We had about 4 drenching rains over 4 hours of rough seas.  The canvas was dripping,  we were dripping,  and the boat was crashing through the surf. What an E RIDE! As we were coming into Mazatlan HOT (7.5 knots)....with the main up  and the seas big.  A decision was made to duck in behind the islands that are offshore of Mazatlan so we could take the sail down and find a place to anchor.  The marinas in Mazatlan are accessed through a narrow channel and when the wind and surf are strong, it is too difficult to enter. The very  old anchorage of Club Nautica that is located in the main shipping channel was our best option.  We finally put the anchor down at 2:30 after 20 hours of being on the water.  We were very happy to have the shelter, although Club Nautica's best days are behind her. It was only 50 pesos a night to stay there and they do  have showers and internet service, but the cleaning crew obviously has been gone for while. Ah...the glamorous cruising life!! ha ha.
Our intention was to spend just one night in Mazatlan and then go south to Isla Isabella. But, Bob, another boater in the anchorage said the winds would still be from the south and that if we waited an extra day we would have north winds and following seas; we were all for that idea! So, we took the famous VW Cab service into town to get fuel and did some other work on the boat while we rested.  On Wednesday, Nov. 16th we left at 6:30 for another overnight  sail all the way to Bahia Chacala. As we left the main harbor and started to head towards the south Dennis noticed the engine temperature gauge was registering  a low temperature. We stopped the engine and drifted while  he went down  to check the engine water and temperature. When we tried to start the engine again...nada...nope, not happening. Turns out the Engine Starter battery was not working well, so he used jumper cables to hook the started motor to  the house batteries to get the engine started. The gauges were still not working properly because the starter motor had such a low charge, but we thought it would charge as the engine ran.  Well, that turned out to be wrong,  and about 4 hours later the engine quit. Turns out the starter battery runs the fuel pump apparatus. So, again, Dennis went below and hot wired the house batteries through the starter battery which resulted in the instruments fully functional.  I don't know how  anyone can do any cruising without the mechanical skill that Dennis has; there are so many things that need fixing and sometimes we are way offshore when it happens. I am thankful every time he is able to  overcome some obstacle on the boat! We arrived in Chacala at 8:30 a.m. after a relatively fast and nice motor sail all night. The only other problem we faced during that time was missing all the fishing pangas and fishing nets that are spread out over miles of seabed! The track on our chart looks like we were doing a mambo instead of sailing to a direct point!
Chacala is one of my favorite anchorages! It is small, lovely water, tropical foliage and fun beach palapas for good food. After resting for a while, we took the dinghy onshore for a delicious mid-day meal of fresh fish, rice and salad. It was so good that we  didn't even need dinner! We saw Bob, from  the anchorage in Mazatlan when he arrived. The evening and the night at anchor was perfect!
Finally we are heading into Puerto Vallarta! Again, we did the sea mambo missing the miles and miles of buoys and line marking the underwater nets the fishing fleet have put out. We now know to head into shore  when we see these hazards since they tend to spread the nets out to sea.  We arrived in Paradise Village Marina at 2;45 p.m. and were welcomed by Eddie, our dear friend from 2 years ago who is on the same dock.  After tying the boat down, we headed straight to the beach for the sunset! whew....it has been some adventure!

November 10th:  The weather forecast is telling us that the high winds and bad seas will subside tonight, so we will leave tomorrow morning and go "around the corner" to Ensenada de Los Muertos which is 58 nautical miles away. After that we will go 48 nm to Los Frailes and anchor for one night, then we will cross the Sea to the mainland side again. Depending on the wind, we will go 168 nm to Mazatlan, or we will go 217 nm to ISla Isabella. We only go an average of 5 knots per hour, so those two destinations means that we will sail at least one night and possible 2 nights without stopping. Again we are so happy to have our auto-helm working!
We repaired the forward head and the running lights on the boat while here, so our wait has been worthwhile. We find La Paz interesting, but not as friendly as our San Carlos, nor as pleasant as the lovely anchorages along the way. We do feel it is fortunate to have this shelter during a "northern blow". Unfortunately there is not very good internet service here, so not sure we can upload our posts until we get to Puerto Vallarta.

November 7th;  We are sitting in Palmira Marina in La Paz, Mexico after a very quick trip down the Baja coast. We  really wanted to stop and stay in some  of the amazing anchorages along the way, but our late start from San Carlos, and the forthcoming heavy weather, has forced us to speed up and bust our butts to get south to a sheltered marina.  We sailed from San Carlos on Thursday for a 26 hour sail to Agua Verde on the  Baja side. The winds and weather (25 knot winds and 6-8 foot seas) made our journey less comfortable than we had hoped.  But, the good news, we caught a 15 pound Dorado on the way. Sailing into Agua Verde at 8:30 a.m. gave us all day to take a nap and then do some snorkeling along the rocks where we saw nice Sergeant Major and other reef type fishes.  Watching the sunset and relaxing made us realize why we do those long sails.
We got up early and headed for San Evaristo, a very sheltered anchorage, but, as with Agua Verde, the anchorages  along the Baja during this time of the year get hit by the late night warm winds that come down the mountain.  We experienced 20 knot winds from about 10:30 -  5:00 a.m. in Agua Verde and in San Evaristo.   They can be unnerving as we continually wake up to check to see if we have moved off anchor. The one nice thing is that we gathered with other friends in the anchorages and exchanged stories, had food and drinks, and felt like a community. 
We left San Evaristo at 6:35a.m. and headed tor La Paz. The trip was too calm - no wind, so our trusty engine, "The Beekster" gave us the power to get into  the marina at 3.35 p.m. We will  stay here until Friday, mainly to avoid the big winds of a "norther" coming down the Sea of Cortez from Monday to Thursday. We try to avoid those 25-30 knot winds as much as possible.  Our plan is to stay in La Paz until Friday when we will go around the corner to Los Muertes, and then to Los Frailes, and after those two stops we will sail about 40 hours to Isla Isabella  and then down the mainland to Puerto Vallarta.

November 1st:  The installation is almost complete and we are crossing our fingers that it will work. The highlight of the last few days had to be Halloween! We had plenty of candy ready for the children who came from the nearby homes and who were bused to the marina; all the boats welcomed the trick-or-treaters! Then Becky and the grandkids and their friends came! How fun! They all looked great in their costumes and were hamming it up for the camera (go to Photo Gallery). 
If all goes well we will leave Thursday  morning very early and head to the Baja coast (see below for itinerary).

October 29th:  We've been busy getting ready to sail south; we've replaced the hoses on the engine, replaced the rebuilt carburetor for the dinghy motor, protected the canvas with UV spray, replaced the auto-helm after driving to San Diego to pick it up, checked the water-maker and the solar banks, updated the ditch bag, added the fuel cans onto the  deck, altered the anchor roller, installed new dock lines, repaired the forward head, and charted our sail plan, among other things. It takes a lot of work to sail 750 miles! We had hoped to leave on Oct. 25th but these tasks took longer than expected, therefore, we will leave Nov. 2nd and sail 24 hours to Isla Carmen on the Baja side of the Sea of Cortez and then make our way  down the coast and then across to the mainland and down to Puerto Vallarta, arriving on November 16th.  Here is the map of our trip from San Carlos and down the Baja coast. We will, weather permitting, stop in  Ballandra Bay on Isla Carmen, Agua Verde or San Marte, San Everisto, La Paz, Bahia de los Muertos, Bahia Frailes, and then cross the Sea towards Isla Islabella and down the mainland coast to Chacala, Isla Pena, and into Banderas Bay towards Puerto Vallarta..

We expect to arrive in Paradise Marina on Nov. 16th. Updates on this trip will be done after we arrive, as we won't have internet connection unless we we find one in La Paz. The majority of the trip will be spent in small coves where only a village of fishermen live and work - absolutely beautiful. Come back for the pictures!
 

First Posting: We arrived in San Carlos on Oct.7, 2011 after stopping in San Francisco to see Cam and Amanda. As usual, they provided lots of laughs and fun times for us while we stayed at their house. We are sorry we could not help them finish the roof, but we hope they get it done before the rain starts. After spending Friday-Sunday, we left and drove the 12 hours to Phoenix where we were graciously hosted by Carol Jennings at her beautiful house. We spent a nice day with Wendy who made us a traditional Mexican lunch and worked on some projects at the Clinton Street house that we have rented. Raul and Kellye Serrano provided a delicious dinner the night before we left for San Carlos.
   The boat welcomed us back by being immaculately cleaned (by Jesus, who watches over Pura Vida while we are gone) and cooler-than-expected weather. We didn't even have to get the air conditioner out! After unloading the many boxes onto the boat, Todd Pendleton and Heather visited us. They are here to do scuba dives. 
   Becky and Gabriel are busier than ever; he is competing in a fishing tournament for the weekend and Becky competed in a triathalon on Sunday. The children are attending parties or playing with friends. We hope we can see them often when they squeeze us in between the many activities they do.

Winter - 2011

We arrived in San Carlos on January 15, 2011 and plan to be in  San Carlos until April.  Here is our log:
The boat is in excellent condition; Jesus and Eduardo have taken really good care of her. We need to install the new depth meter and check the wiring and plumbing now that Pura Vida went through the hot summer.
    We saw Becky and the family the 2nd night here and enjoyed a nice late Christmas celebration.  It is always fun to see the children having fun. We hope to see them a lot these next couple of months.
    There are many new boats in the marina; I love hearing the stories of those sailors who have traveled such long distances. Across from us sits "True Companion", a beautiful sailboat who's owners, Fred and Cathy, have sailed from Oregon down the Pacific Coast, through the Panama Canal, through the Caribbean, up the East Coast, and back again. They are much braver than me! We have another new neighbor from New Mexico and are meeting some of the sailors through the morning "Net" radio broadcast.
     Thursday, 1/19/2011 caught us hiking up Tetakawi, the mountain you see behind the marina. The name means "goat tit" and it does look like that.  The hike goes from 87 feet to more than1220 feet, much of it very steep and difficult terrain. We learned that it is good to have gloves, as you need to pull yourself  up along the rocks and  slide down using your hands.  The views are amazing. See the Photo Gallery.
     The marina has space for Roseanne to offer fitness classes, so today, Friday, I attended Zumba! I love this class - dancing and working out! What a combo!  Tonight there is a Blues Jam at the Palapa...gotta go!
February 1, 2011
     The days go by quickly because we seem to find lots of things to do. Dennis has been working to fix a few things on the boat; the depth meter has been changed, the batteries are all working/charging as they should, the new roller for the anchor, and general cleaning. An assessment of the various food items we  have on the boat resulted in throwing a few things out and trying to use as much as possible soon.  Of course, the local grocery stores are excellent, so we can re-supply whenever we want. Plus a wonderful gentleman comes to the dock to sell fresh shrimp and scallops and very fresh veggies.
    Lynn continues to attend the fitness classes, especially Zumba. We rode our bikes over the hill to Paradiso and have done many lovely walks in the mornings.  Lynn joined Ligo de Arte, the art league that consists of people interested in any form of art, where workshops are offered and feedback is provided. She has been painting to practice.
    The grandchildren are getting so big! we joined Becky when she took Gabrielito and Valentina to the bike track to learn how to  ride without training wheels. We took  Siena and Andrea to the Bellas de Gallerie for a special showing of paintings. When there the girls indicated they liked a particular type of painting and the President of the Ligo de Arte said she would teach them how to paint in that style. We went to see Gabriel's parents to celebrate Luzacena's birthday. We will have the small children on the boat for a 'MOVIE NIGHT' next weekend.
    Since we are in San Carlos for  the winter we decided to drive to Ciudad Obregon to explore local areas.  Obregon is the 2nd largest city in Sonora and is a very nice city. We especially liked the Yaqui Cultural Center; the city is located in the Yaqui Valley and there are 8 Yaqui Villages located around the area.  The history is similar to the Indian tribes in the US and they practice similar celebrations. The Mexican government has designated their villages as protrected areas after many years of desecration and discrimination.

February 7, 2011
The week brought a very cold spell that started in the US and carried lots of gale force winds and cold temperatures. Very unusual 30+ degree nights and low 50 degree days kept us inside with our little space heater running all day. Today it will be back in the  70's and sunny, although we wish the afternoon winds would die down.  If we want to go sailing we have to go very early and come back before 1:00 p.m. otherwise we cannot get back into the sllp. So, we are taking this time to change the oil in the engine and repair the refrigerator, which is not freezing at this point.
   We also are having so much more time with Becky and the family. On Saturday night Valentina and Gabrielito spent the night on the boat and we watched movies and ate popcorn. Of course we played lots of games and laughed at how cute they are.  Monday was a holiday so Becky brought the crew out to a beautiful canyon where we all did some bike riding and a lovely hike back into a wash where there are palms and huge boulders for the kids to climb. They all came back to the boat for spaghetti dinner and more games. The coming week will offer an opportunity for the older girls to get special art instruction in acrylic paints. 

March 4, 2011
I have been remiss in writing, but I must admit that we have been doing a lot of the same things...getting with the grandchildren, working on the boat, exercising, painting, and enjoying the company of other boaters.  Dennis has joined a group of guys who ride their bikes each Monday and Thursday for some pretty strenuous rides out through the desert or around the bay. The tend to go 20 miles or more.  This is great because they are fun "old boys" who laugh and enjoy each other's company. Dennis and I have taken rides together, one where we followed the San Carlos Challenge route and hiked into the lovely canyon. I have gotten more involved in the painting group and help with art shows or charity events.  We were happy to help Becky and Gabriel by babysitting the children so  they could have an evening out, and we have seen them regularly. Next week we will drive to El Fuerte, Sinaloa, where we will catch the train to go up into Copper Canyon, a canyon larger than the Grand Canyon. I hope to bring back lots of pictures and stories.

March 19,2011
   The trip to  see Copper Canyon and Alamos was a true highlight. We loved the small town of El Fuerte (the Fort) which was founded by Captain Francisco del  Ibarra in 1564, and is one of the most beautiful and  tropical towns of northern Sinaloa.  El Fuerte preserves many stories. It is said that here in 1795 the legendary Zorro, Don Alejandro de la Vega was born and lived until he was 10 years old.  He fought the Spanish to help the poor. We stayed at the Posada del  Hildago which is apparently on the grounds of the de la Vega home.  Each evening at happy hour, Zorro appears to entertain the guests with songs and flirtations! We explored the local Municipal building that has outstanding murals depicting the history of the Mayo Indians and the settlement by the Spaniards. The Mayo tribe celebrates and lives much the same way as the Yaqui culture.
   We caught the Chepe train, built more than 50 years ago, that runs through the 6 canyons that make up Copper  Canyon. The train is very comfortable and offers excellent scenic views.  The conductor described various areas in English and Spanish.  The train goes all the way to Chihuahua, but for the first leg we went to Posada Mirador. This hotel sits on the rim  of the Barranca del Cobre, Copper Canyon.  The other canyons include Urique,  Sinforosa, Batoplilas, Candamena, Chinipas, and Oteros.  The highest elevation is at Candamena at 8,333 feet, but the greatest depth occurs in Barranca Urique at 6,135 feet. Overlooking Copper Canyon, it is easy to see why the Tarahumara Indian tribe, known for incredible endurance running, are so strong as you look at the depth of the canyon and see the  trails they use on a daily basis.  The Mirador offers a walking tour down the canyon to a Tarahumara household. These people  don't like "neighborhoods"; they build homes with relatives, but dont build next to other families. Rather, they distance themselves in their living arrangements, yet are close knit in celebration and culture. The females and children concentrate on daily life chores and making their famous baskets. Their sewn handcrafts are beautiful. The men work  in the mines, (gold and silver), agriculture, or construction. We saw few men. School is  valuedby some of the members, but others feel the traditional ways aremore important and don't want them diluted. Most finish the 3rd grade, few go beyond at the Tarahumara boarding school. The Mirador overlooks the wide expanse of the zip line that spans several promontories.  There is also a gondola, although the only way to get to the bottom of the canyon is by 4 wheel car/truck.
   The next day we caught the train and went to the town of Creel where we stayed 3 days. This town offers more information about the Tarahumara and more varied terrain.  The Museum provided an excellent overview of the indigenous people and the history of area.  The Tarahumara say they have lived here forever - the original people of the world. Other accounts say they have existed since 1,300 BC, and documents show they have been in the canyons for 400  years.  It is acknowledged  that few know much about these interesting people.  In 1602 the Franciscans started to arrive and a few Missions were built.  The priests wanted to organize  the people into communities and baptize them into the Catholic religion.  As mentioned, the people live in separate, but  equal, households and do not prefer community. They rebelled. There are accounts of many rebellions by the  Tarahumara people; they burned the Missions/churches and did not join the church. The Franciscans did bring corn seeds and taught them agriculture. It  was not until  1990 that a functioning church mission was accepted. The Mission church we entered  had the pews along the wall because the people want to  see each  other; they use the church as a meeting place to discuss loacl problems. They are democratic and allow for differing views and come to a mutual agreement.  The Tarahumara have combined their belief system with that of the Catholic system. The don't recognize the cross as the symbol of Christ, rather it is seen as the 4 points going towards north, south, east and west. They do not believe in evil or sin. They are philosophical and focus on consciousness. They use peyote for very special celebrations to achieve a higher level of  spiritual attainment to find the  god within. They think young people are ready for marriage when they can commit to being responsible for themselves, can commit to loyalty and faithfulness, and commit to caring for their family and the culture. They are not  influenced by our modern world of  materialism, as a matter of fact, the believe they will be the ultimate survivors of the world since they live  so close to nature. The first priest reported in 1602 that the people were docile, friendly, self sufficient hunters and fisherman, and excellent at bartering for goods. This is still the  case. All  of the women wear very colorful skirts and tops with beautiful shawls - most of which has been  sewn by hand.
   The people are internationally known for their  long distance endurance running, most often using sandals made from rubber tire soles and leather thong straps. When the terrain is slippery they go barefoot.  Recently a race was held through the canyons - 50 KM non-stop. International athletes competed, but the winner was Tarahumara who finished in 8 hours, almost 2 hours ahead of the next runner. An annual Ultramarathon is held here and to date no athlete other than a Tarahumara has won it. The men play a game using a carved wooden ball the size of a softball where they kick this ball running for more than 20 K-the  game may last as long as 40 hours. The women have a game they play  that is similar to Jai Lai using a stick with a hook that they catch and toss a 5" diameter ring. This game also goes on for hours. There are few cars in the canyons so most travel is by foot. It is no  wonder they are fabulous athletes. Like other Indian cultures, they do have trouble with alcoholism, but stay away from any involvement with  the drug trade/cartel groups, according to a professor in international studies in Mexico City we met. Interestingly, we also heard that marijuana is widely grown in the back country of the canyons, but not by the Tarahumara people.
    We hired a local tour guide, Rafael, who turned out to be a wealth of information and a very kind/gentle man. He is 65 years old and has been guiding people in his hometown for 30 years.  We not only learned about the area, we learned about Rafael  and what his life has been like, especially the pride he takes in talking about his daughter and son, who both attended college.  He is also a singer/song writer and won an award for writing and performing a song about  Creel in a national competition. We loved the song.
    We found very good restaurants in Creel that were exceedingly inexpensive. The Indian women sell their baskets and weaving in the town square or at areas where tourists visit. We also hiked 2 miles to the bottom  of the canyon to visit the hot springs. This turned out to be a treat; the  water was crystal clear in 3 separate pools that cascaded to the river below. Very relaxing after the hike down and  prepared us for the steep hike up.
     We brought the train back to El Fuerte and stayed another night at the Hildago. The next day we drove to Alamos, the former capital of northern Mexico and an interesting historic city. We stayed at the Posada de Don Andres near the town square. It is a city that has seen vast wealth from the silver mines and has struggled with loss of employment.  Many  of the old mansions are now owned by American or Canadian people who have refurbished them. The town center can be found by looking for the church steeple which dominates the downtown.  Many of the old homes of the wealthy times have tunnels going from their  homes to the church; they hid their silver  wealth in the tunnels. One of the main mints of Mexico was located in Alamos.  There is a Festival Cultural (Art Festival) each January and some of Mexico's leading artists come. The art galleries were not open when we were there since it is past their high season, but Jorge, our hotel owner, is an outstanding artist, so  we  did get to see  local art. We took a walking tour with an older gentleman who told us much about  the history and about all the famous people who have lived in Alamos.  Be sure to see the pictures