Nothing much happens here in the summer unless there's a hurricane. We spend most of the time hiding from the 100° heat and the intense sun. It helps to have the air conditioning; without it we couldn't survive the hot weather. The weather starts to cool down in October and we begin making ready for sea again.
I heard of no damage to any boat in Marina Real and, apart from some minor flooding and a few downed palm trees, San Carlos weathered the storm intact.
We had several unusual, foggy days this fall; the warm, southern winds set up a marine layer as they come across the cooler waters off San Carlos. Visibility gets down to less than 400 yards. Another good reason to get radar.
That's a classic, Columbia yacht in the slip behind us.
Boats get hauled in & out of the water almost every day at the marina, here's Venture Forth in the parking lot for an out-of-the-water survey. Captain Mac and Admiral Carole Baade own Venture Forth, a large Nordhaven trawler with an apparently unlimited beer supply.
We had the hull waxed, had our bottom cleaned, and cleared and cleaned the decks before stowing the rail fuel and the dinghy on deck in preparation for crossing back to the Baja.
Judy's looking good, as usual, and Chen, as always, is enthusiastic.
Our dock has barely enough room for two Catalina 36s, close quarters for sailboats!
We did the usual, routine maintenance and inspections, and we also did some repairs this year.
• CLEANED AND RE-MARKED OUR GROUND TACKLE.
Our primary anchor is a 35 pound CQR on 75 feet of 5/16" high test chain, backed by 200 feet of 5/8" nylon rode. Our secondary anchor is a 15 pound, high-strength aluminum Fortress on 20 feet of 3/8" high test chain with 250 feet of ½" nylon rode. We mark the ground tackle every 50 feet so we can set proper scope.
• REPLACED OTTO, THE AUTOHELM WHEEL DRIVE.
Our autopilot wheel drive went wonky on the crossing from San Juanico last spring, we'd noticed him getting hot and noisy a few days before then, but on the crossing we had to shut him down 2 or 3 times and hand steer while he cooled off for an hour.
RayMarine bought Autohelm a year or so ago, abandoned the 4000 series - probably the most common sailing vessel autopilot there is - and so we had to purchase a new 6000 series.
Battery 1 short-circuited itself inside, got hot and wouldn't go no more, battery 2, being the same age, had to be replaced at the same time.
The little, yellow flag-like thingy is the Xantrax battery temperature sensor.
We had to connect pairs of the 6 volt batteries in series to get twelve volts out of each pair, and then connect the pairs in parallel to provide two batteries worth of electrical service. We made two new, heavy gauge jumpers and, because of the lengths of the existing cables and the positions of the new batteries' terminals, connected things up creatively to get the equivalent service.
SAN CARLOS TO LA PAZ
December 2007 - January, 2008
• San Carlos to San Juanico
• San Juanico to Escondido
• Escondido to El Gato
• El Gato to Evaristo
• Evaristo to Caleta Partida
• Caleta Partida to La Paz
WILDLIFE OBSERVATIONS
December 5, 2007
A ray jumped behind us as we left Bahia Algodones.
December 7, 2007
The ospreys are still nesting on Moon Rocks at San Juanico.
December 9, 2007
A whale blowing as we came down toward Escondido.
December 10, 2007
The flounder incident at Escondido.
January 3, 2008
A whale breaching all around a sport fisher off the south
end of Danzante.
Passed through a nice pod of dolphin having lunch.
January 4, 2008
Passed through a very large group of dolphin having
lunch off La Habana, dozens and dozens spread out
over a couple of miles at the north end
of the San Jose channel.
January 5, 2008
We thought we saw a shark leaving Evaristo but it was a grebe;
there were hundreds of grebes between Evaristo
and San Francisco.
Saw an eel jump. Well, it was either an eel or a very long,
thin fish or a snake.
CLICK FOR WILDLIFE OBSERVATIONS
We left from San Carlos at 5:00 PM December 5th, and set course due south to San Juanico. We kept radio company most of the night with Vagari, who was headed for Matzatlan, and with Amiga, who was going straight down to Evaristo.
After a dark but uneventful night crossing we arrived at San Juanico about 9:00 AM December 6th and anchored in between Moon Rocks and Prudential Rock in the same spot we occupied a year ago.
The anchorage was a bit rolly so we deployed the flopper stopper; even so, the first night was not entirely comfortable. Things settled down a bit after that and we relaxed for a couple of days.
Judy tried out her new wetsuit and snorkel, swimming about on Moon Rocks, that's her on the right, halfway back from Moon Rocks.
Chen doesn't need a wetsuit.
December 9th we cleared San Juanico and proceeded south to Puerto Escondido.
We could see the clouds of a 'pineapple express' blowing over the Sierra la Giganta behind Puerto Escondido; the weather was going to change.
The picture to the left looks almost due south toward Puerto Escondido, the enormous, 7,000 foot mountains in the background, the low hills and the 'windows' on the anchorage.
+
N 25° 50'
W 111° 19'
PUERTO ESCONDIDO
HIDDEN, REMOTE, DESERTED
Early in the morning of our first day here we heard a scrabbling on deck; it was a seagull, it flew away but left a small flounder which Judy returned to the sea - it swam away.
We spent a week and a half on mooring ball number 111; the weather was fairly windy, but then the northers really started to blow…
… after a couple of days in 20 knot winds we took advantage of a relatively calm morning and moved onto the Singlar docks. We'd been having a bit of trouble with the dinghy outboard; I'd let the carburettor clog up over the summer so it was running too lean, then I whanged the prop on a rock in Martini Cove, and so tying up to the dock let us get conveniently ashore for dog walks, showers, internet email & weather, visits to the Hidden Port Yacht Club library, games and lunches at Tripui, and rides into Loreto.
Diane and Ward, from the Sailing Vessel Footloose, with one of their two pugs at Cesar's Tacos, Loreto.
Some 13 miles up the coast, north from Puerto Escondido, Loreto is the oldest town on the Baja. The Jesuit Mission at Loreto dates from 1697.
For some reason a taxi ride into Loreto & back from Puerto Escondido costs an exorbitant USD$75; the shopping is good, but not
that good. It is legal to share a cab but gringos who give each other rides in
their own vehicles run the risk of fines from the taxi police; the gringos still do it though.
We sat on the dock for another 2 weeks, observing the wind, the winter solstice, Christmas Day, Boxing Day, our nineteenth wedding anniversary, and New Year's.
The Hidden Port Yacht Club: picturesque, mysterious.
The weather forecast for December 22nd. called for NNW winds blowing 22 to 30 knots. It blew so hard that by 11:00 AM our dinghy was shipping water and we had to pull it out onto the dock. The canvas cover was starting to tear and one of the oars had fetched away. Our oar showed up behind the motor yacht Altamar across the dock from us, three hours later. Captain Bones fished it out and returned it, thanks, Captain.
The poor weather continued for days, we stayed in Escondido for almost a month. We'd walk out to Tripui and Judy would entertain herself by playing dominos and cards with the locals. We are learning to be patient…
The little hotel and restaurant
at Tripui are lovely.
There used to be a small groceria - a tienda - at Tripui, originally operated by the now dead Willy, the store was run by a young couple until last May, when they were evicted. The closest store now is down Highway 1 about 10 kilometers at Luiui <lee-wee>. They just got electricity at Luiui, in December.
January 3, 2008
We get a decent weather window and set off to the south. We passed the next night at El Gato, where we rocked & rolled all night long; not comfortable. Pressing on the next day we made Evaristo; as we turned in to the little bay there the wind blew up from the north pretty ferociously, gusting over 25 Kt and sending the buffalo running outside. We spent a comfortable night at Evaristo and pressed on to Caleta Partida, arriving there on January 5th. where we spent another comfortable night in company with 11 other boats.
The morning of January 6th. was windy, from the west, which set a swell running into the anchorage, so we pulled up the hook and beat our way outside. We spent the next 3 hours in a washing machine but made good time to the south. Things calmed down once we crossed the San Lorenzo Channel just north of La Paz.
We arrived at Marina Palmira La Paz early in the afternoon and got into a slip on 3 dock - a promotion! We'll be here through March repairing & repainting the mast and rerigging the boat. … more later.
+
N 24° 6'
W 110° 12'
O spare me a little,
That I may recover my strength
Before I go hence
And be no more seen
SOME TIME ASHORE
John had his right hip replaced in July, 2008 so we rented a couple of houses for his convalescence, one for 3 months, and another one for a month.
Both houses were in the Vista Hermosa section of town; here's what John says:
BACK ON THE WATER
Pegasus spent the summer in the yard getting her bottom done; she had some blisters so she had to sit and dry out for a while.
We replaced the cutless bearing, and put on two coats of bottom paint.
She splashed the last week of October and we moved back aboard on Saturday November first.
2009
A new year finds us here, still. Life is swell, well, except for the regular northers that wither the days. John's hip recovery is progressing, it should, he's working at it.
The loyal, old sea dog Chen has been having a few sick days, we have been nursing him and he's come back, his great, goofy self, a couple of times this winter.
Judy's remarkably happy considering. She's exercising herself, playing cards with the ladies, learning more about the boat and its upkeep and repair. John has had to rely on her so much the last six months and she's happily taken to single-handing a life for two. Love that girl.
It really is beautiful at Marina Real.
The evening sun lights the spectacular scenery and fills the sea with sky.
We see the same thing, day after day, yet its still lovely, still changing, still the same.
The weather's good, the weather's not so good; sometimes its warm, sometimes its a little cool, its always lovely.
We have a few people around, lots of birds and fish. Some of the seabirds are in breeding plumage, fancy colors and bright patterns.
I've been trying to catch the splendor and variety of life here, I got a new cardboard camera, it takes remarkable pictures
Most days are quiet, peaceful, we have a bit of fun, and my daily visits to the gym are starting to bring results. I'm still healing so these days are good for me.
Some mornings are colorful, some are not.
Some evenings are calm, some cool, and some are windy. It is lovely here all of the time.
SUMMER IN THE MOUNTAINS
A road trip to Durango, then on to Broomfield to spend some time with the kids & grandkids.
Judy at ease underway, she loves driving her big truck in the mountains,
especially on dirt roads along appalling dropoffs,
hurtling downhill through tunelled ravines,
until we arrive safely in Broomfield, Colorado, to see the grandkids, Aiden, who is 4, and Glynnis hardly a year old.
Broomfield is built out on fields and marshes north of Denver,
still lovely country. The farmers grow condos out here now.
Its sometimes a bit gloomy out here on the prairie,
it was always nicer when the kids came to visit
and Chen likes them too, he had a wonderfully doggy time.
It wasn't very hot in Broomfield but the pool across the street was a good spot to cool down the afternoons.
There's a picnic shelter in the kid zone among the buildings where we'd eat and play. Judy's always so happy when she's with the kids; she's a proud mother and grandmother too.
We would visit the kids at home, too, near Boulder, where they've got a great backyard swingset.
Chen learned about lawns; we never had one in Durango and there are none in Mexico, but the condos are surrounded by well-kept lawns and the kids' backyard is a great play space. Chen had a wonderfully doggy time there too. He knew right what to do with a lawn.
We spent a delightful couple of months up in Colorado… and got back to San Carlos just in time for a hurricane.
Sunday, August 30th, 2009
Departed Denver 09:34 on I-25 south, weather overcast, some rain. Pike's peak invisible behind low-lying cloud. After a pleasant 430 mile drive via Raton Pass, Las Vegas NM, and Santa Fe, arrived Albuquerque around 18:00, where we dined with our artist friend Ken Saville. Good to see him, raddled as he is by medical and aesthetic issues.
Monday, August 31st, 2009
Breakfast, ironically, at Hurricanes Restaurant & Drive In on Lomas. Departed Albuquerque 10:30, again on I-25 south, weather clear and hot, some wind from the SW. Drove all day, via Hatch and the Demming cutoff to I-10 west. Arrived Tucson about 18:00.
Tuesday, September 1st, 2009
A rest day, some shopping, repacking the truck, checking the tropical weather; Hurricane Jimena (4) threatening the Baja. Tropical Storm warning for the Mexican mainland north of Matzatlan, on the lower Sea of Cortez. Tucson weather partly cloudy, scattered thundershowers.
Wednesday, September 2nd, 2009
Departed Tucson 09:15 for Nogales and San Carlos. Weather overcast, wind from the S & SSE, no rain. Cleared Adauana (customs) & Inmigracion (immigration), proceeded south along M-15. Arrived San Carlos about 17:30. Weather overcast, warm, some rain, wind from the south.
Spoke Don & Denny who were anxiously observing the boats moored in the Bahia. They told us the weather would continue to deteriorate until about 11:00 PM and then improve. We had seen spectacular surf along the seafront as we'd arrived in San Carlos. We went in to Marina Real, checked Pegasus - lines all doubled, decks clear, just as we'd left her 2 months before. We went back into SC to get a few groceries and then out to a house in Costa del Mar, a vacation development on the beach at the end of the old Catch 22 runway, beside the great sand dunes on Algodones bay; our friends had offered the place as a storm shelter. Rain and wind continued to increase.
Thursday, September 3rd, 2009
The power went off at about 02:00, wind and rain increasing all night.
Dawn showed minor flooding in the street, waterfalls coming off the roof drains and, ominously, a boil of water scouring under the boundary wall along the landside of the development.
The house we're in is number 21, next door to a vacant lot, now a brisk, wide stream of water coming under the wall. Winds and rain still increasing at 11:00 AM, other friends stop by, the water in the street is now 2 to 2 1/2 feet deep, the front yard is flooded and water is seeping under the doors.
There must be 4 or 5 feet of water behind that wall.
We try sandbagging with pillow cases and kitty litter. We began picking up small items, decorations and belongings off the floors and stack them in higher cupboards. We get the dog up off the floor - onto the couch.
By noon it looks like a hurricane outside, the water continues to rise. I stuff a large onion in the truck's tailpipe. 
At about 16:00 the concrete block fence behind the lot next door collapses, the water rises rapidly outside the house and squirts in around the door above the kitty bags, becoming knee deep inside the house in a matter of minutes.
16:20 we climb out of the kitchen window clutching a bag of food, water, a bottle of tequila, and a handheld VHF radio we'd found in the guest room, and climb the steps up to the margarita deck on the roof. We huddled under a comforter, on a plastic lawn chaise, our backs to the driving rain & wind coming from the east. We are able to contact the some folks on boats back in the Marina, they say they've had gusts over 70kts, that dock fingers had broken and several boats were sunk.
Up on the roof we were soaked, absolutely soaked. After about an hour we start to get cold and, seeing that the waters were if not subsiding, at least not rising any more, we went back down the stairs. I had locked the kitchen window behind us so I waded around to the front door and sloshed it open. Helped Judy and the dog back into the kitchen where we camped on the kitchen counter while the waters slowly subsided.
We swept a great deal of water and muddy silt back out of the house.
Friday, September 4th, 2009
The water receded but the wind and rain continued with tropical storm force, all night. By morning the storm was lying down so we threw our kit into the truck and went back to the boat. It was fine, as were the half dozen or so souls who'd stayed on their boats. By evening we learn that all of the houses in Costa del Mar had been flooded, some as deep as 5 foot indoors, and that 3 houses, along the sea front, had collapsed onto the beach. San Carlos and Guaymas were disastrously flooded, having received more than 26 inches of rain in 24 hours. Tha main road into San Carlos was breached by a flooding arroyo, leaving a gap 40 feet wide and 20 feet deep across the entire, four lane boulevard. Out on Mexico highway 15 the interchange overpass at the Guaymas & San Carlos/Cd. Obregon has collapsed and broken the roadways underneath it. In San Carlos there is a new inlet from the sea now, it comes right in to the main boulevard in front of the boat storage yard, where more flooding runoff broke gates, walls, utility poles and the roadway into thrashed mounds of debris. The runoff collected many trailered boats in the storage area and piled them along the edge of the yard, and put 3 large (30' plus) motor yachts into the roadway.
From Empalme in the southeast past La Manga in the northwest, more than 20 miles of this country was running ankle deep in flooding rains: over 26 inches within 24 hours. In places where gullies or obstructions affected the waters' flow, disaster followed.
You'll find more pictures of Jimena's aftermath
here on flickr.
Friday, September 11th, 2009
Compared to others' disasters ours was minor, people's lives were disrupted, and their homes and belongings trashed. Within the last week electrical power and water supplies were restored with temporary facilities and tremendous hard work. So we are finally comfortable and reasonably clean aboard Pegasus. We have yet to get the truck de-mudded, we've been drying out our rented bodega on the bahia, where our sails, dinghy, parts and paints were stored, and where the runoff washed out the right hand lane of the bay road, creating a new inlet on the bahia. Catch 22 beach has mostly gone, and one end of the famous sand dunes has disappeared. Almost all of the gringos have gone too, we few remaining are doing what we can to help but its going to be weeks, if not months before life returns to scorching, peaceful normalcy.
Forecast
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SV Pegasus Home
La Paz
Our first house was called the Cactus House, we had really nice, helpful neighbors; Karen lent me a wheeled walker for the first two weeks then Bruce lent me a zimmer frame walker for another two months. I plodded around the house and worked my way up to walking with a cane. The Cactus house had a small, fenced 'yard' which was great for the cat & dog, who adapted to housing in no time.
In October we moved a couple blocks toward the sea, to number 22 Vista Hermosa. A cactus at number 22 looked like a hot air balloon.
Apart from the normal geckos, spiders, snakes, butterflies, birds, bees and flies we saw some unusual wildlife too: a large moth lived out in the cloister (I had no idea that moths lived anywhere), a ringtail came by along the fence on several nights, and the largest osprey in San Carlos lived on the crane over at the Posada project.
Number 22 was but a short distance from Palapa Cove where the Posada project and our favorite restaurant are.