Log Book
May 2009
May 2009
 |  |  |  |  |  |
| May 2009 |
Puerto Escondido, BCS, Mexico
After Loreto Fest 2009, on Monday May 4 we took the boat up to Loreto and anchored outside
the little harbor there. Sam took the dinghy ashore and got provisions at Pescadero, the
biggest grocery store in Loreto. We ran the watermaker on the way and filled the water tank
completely. We left for this little jaunt a little late in the day, so we did not get back to our
mooring ball in Puerto Escondido until a little after dark, but we didn’t hit anything and Sam
caught the mooring ball on the second try, with Susie at the wheel.
Tuesday May 5 we went to the docks for a quick wash down with the hose – getting the single
water source hose away from the people who clean the big fancy boats that sit there all the time
and get cleaned EVERY DAY anyway is a major headache. There is one hose for everyone to
use and we managed to have it for 10 whole minutes, enough only to wash off the solar panels
and get a little bird doo doo off the deck. We had a leisurely motor trip down to Agua Verde, a
little wind from the south of course because that’s the way we were going, but we were able to
use the jib for assist coming into the anchorage. We anchored in a favorite place, where we
found Aegean Odyssey, Faith and Panasea. Sam went for a swim and Susie had a warm
shower. Had a calm night.
Agua Verde, BCS, Mexico
We decided to spend several days here, because this is one of Susie’s favorite places to hang
on the hook. We didn’t even need the sun shade up, just the panels in the back of the cockpit.
Susie got down the ladder and into the water to swim, and was able to get back up the ladder
directly from the water – good show! We saw turtles sometimes during the day in the
anchorage, the first time we have ever seen them anyplace other than up near Bahia de Los
Angeles. Kismet showed up the afternoon of May 6, with Captain Maggie and crew Gina and
Mary Shroyer aboard, on their way to San Carlos to put the boat on the hard for the season.
Esprit and Swan Song arrived the next day, also the boat Kiss. May 7 was a big day for Sam –
all his medication finished and the special dietary restrictions are over! Karen on Aegean
Odyssey brought us some trigger fish and we made fish tacos for dinner. On May 9 Sam
dinghied ashore and bought a few provisions at the little tienda in the village, and made
“reservations” at the local restaurant which we had heard about but not yet been to. You have
to let them know ahead of time you are coming for dinner, so they have something for you.
That something was simple fare: fried fresh fish, salsa, refried beans and flour tortillas. Not
anything to write home about, but it was fine. Sam had to walk back to the tienda to get
something for us to drink – a big bottle of Sprite – because the only thing they had was the
usual cruiser favorite – beer! Sam got a bee sting today on the back of his thigh, but we used
the sting extractor kit and hopefully it won’t swell up as bad as the stings he got 2 years ago.
We had to use the screens to keep bees and wasps out of the boat – they come in looking for a
source of fresh water, usual for this time of year.
Punta Telmo aka Prieta, BCS, Mexico
We finally left Agua Verde on Monday May 11, spending that night at Telmo. We had not
planned to go ashore, just wanted a place to spend the night between Agua Verde and San
Evaristo, our next planned anchorage. But we did go ashore and walked the beach with Gary
and Phyllis of Apolima, one of two other boats anchored there. Susie rowed the boat ashore,
Sam rowed back. The water here was too cold to swim.
San Evaristo North, BCS, Mexico
From Punto Telmo we headed south again, for Evaristo. Because the winds had been
southeasterly at night for several days, we did not anchor inside the main harbor near the
village of San Evaristo, instead we anchored on the north side near the salt pans and had a
calm evening and night. Only stayed one night here, May 12.
Amortajada Anchorage on Isla San Jose, BCS, Mexico
We had been hearing Swan Song and Esprit on the radio over the last few days, talking about
Amortajada. The last time we were there, 2 years ago, the bird guano and dead squid and
bugs all combined to drive us away, so we had never been into the mangrove swamp. Swan
Song reported light winds in the anchorage there during the day and night, which keeps the
bugs down, and they said had been very nice during their stay. So we decided to give it a try.
On May 13 we sailed off the hook at Evaristo and Sam decided to tack back and forth across
the San Jose Channel over to Amortajada. Had we motored it would have taken about 2 hours;
sailing took most of the day, but it was a beautiful day for sailing and we had good wind: 6
tacks in 6-18 knots of wind (mostly 10-13) later, we dropped the hook in Amortajada behind the
sand spit. The wind was coming over the spit to keep things cool and the bugs away, but the
water was calm. Unfortunately, the bees were very persistent until sundown the first night here,
so up with the screens. Friends Gary and Phyllis from Apolima (whom we met at Telmo)
showed up and we took a little picnic lunch and dinghied up through the mangroves and into
the lagoon on the other side of the sand spit, where the water was very warm. Susie sat on the
bow of the dinghy and hung her feet over the front, in the water, to keep an eye on the depth of
the water. In some places we had to pull up the motor and use the oars to get over or around
sand bars. It was an interesting trip; we are glad we got to see it this year. Our last night here
was May 14 and a small mini-cruise ship anchored near us and kept up the noise until 10 PM –
hey, when cruiser midnight is 9 PM, we think 10 PM is LATE!
Caleta Partida Anchorage on Isla Partida, BCS, Mexico
On Friday May 15 we left Amortajada and headed towards Islas Espiritu Santos and Partida.
We decided to anchor at Caleta Partida, because there is the best wind protection from most
directions, and the wind was variable. We started out the day motoring, but were able to cut the
engine and sail for about 90 minutes before we ran out of wind. We dropped the hook about 3
PM, this time on the south side of the anchorage instead of the north side where we usually
hang. There was a good breeze over the sand spit on this side, so it kept us cool. On May 16
while Sam sailed the dinghy around the anchorage and visited other boats, Susie prepared the
website update for April, ready to post when we arrive in La Paz and get an internet
connection. On a Moorings charter boat Sam met Nancy Pettingill from Richmond Yacht Club –
where we are members – who remembered him but said she didn’t recognize him with the new
crew cut he wears these days (he cuts his own hair with the clippers and Susie trims up what he
misses). On May 17 Sam rowed ashore so Susie could walk on the beach and get some
stretching and exercise. And since the trash can and the dirty laundry bags were full, we
decided that the next day we would go on to La Paz.
La Paz, BCS, Mexico
So we motored from Caleta Partida to La Paz on Monday May 18 – what we considered our
“home port” when we are in Mexico. On the way down the channel, we turned on the cell phone
and got a signal, so we found all our voice mail messages from family wondering where and how
we were. Susie called her parents, her brother and her daughter, to tell them we were alive and
well and now in La Paz. We had a non-eventful day until we went to drop the hook out near El
Mogote – we neglected to pull up the dinghy with its long tow line and while we were backing
down on the anchor in reverse, the prop wash sucked the polypropylene floating tow line down
under the boat and we managed to wrap the prop good enough to instantly kill the engine.
Sam got into the water with a knife and tried to cut most of it away, but it’s wrapped good. Since
we need a diver to come out anyway to clean the bottom, we will have him take care of it. We
were well-anchored for the night. We went ashore that night with the trash and recycle, had
dinner – salad – at The Dock Café and came back late.
So we started taking care of the things we needed to do in La Paz on Tuesday May 19. Got the
outboard problem resolved with Sea Otter Jimmy; called Kaiser to report Sam’s little medical
emergency in Puerto Escondido last month; donated the folding portable commode Susie used
during her recovery from surgery to Club Cruceros; took in the laundry for fluff-and-fold (one of
our favorite things here in La Paz); went shopping at CCC for fresh fruits and veggies, meats,
cheese, etc.; contacted friends Joe and Sandy Perez on Wind Song; arranged for a diver to
come out the clean the bottom and unwrap the prop; checked email and updated the website;
got our teeth cleaned at the dentist; bagged up the things we don’t need to keep for donation to
Subasta (the annual fundraiser of Club Cruceros); got Susie a haircut; got the rugs steam
cleaned; invited friends over for sourdough blueberry pancakes; faxed our boat documentation
renewal paperwork. By May 25 most of that was all done. Of course, on Saturdays and
Wednesdays Susie (and sometimes Sam) played bridge, and on Mondays and Thursday Susie
(and sometimes Sam) played Mexican Train. And we visited on occasion with old friends here.
A little mishap occurred on May 26 with our solar shower. Because we are on the hook and can
only make hot water for showers by plugging into shore power at a dock or running the engine
(which heats up the boat) we use our 8-gallon solar shower for warm water. We fill it up in the
morning and let it heat up during the day, and hopefully if we get back to the boat before it
cools off, we can take a warm shower that evening. On this particular day, while we were on
deck pulling the dinghy out of the water for the night (we haul it up on the side of the boat with
one of the halyards on the mast and let it hang there to avoid accumulations of slime and
barnacles) we dropped the hose of the solar shower down inside the V-berth hatch near the
shower. After we got the dinghy up and ourselves back inside the boat, Susie heard running
water. She discovered the pull-out shower head at the end of the hose had opened and the
solar shower was draining into the floor of the V-berth – completely soaking the newly cleaned
white rug and covering the floor boards with 2 or 3 inches of water. At least the hose had not
landed on the bed, or we would have had a new “waterbed” to sleep on that night. Sam used
the 12-volt wet vac he had purchased while we were in Arizona earlier this year to suck up all
the water from the floor, and then we took a cold shower because all the warm water was gone.
Maybe we should have left the water on the floor and taken a warm bath! But the floor is nice
and clean now in the V-berth and the rug dried out in the sun the next day.
On May 27 we went to immigration to deal with our expired FM3’s. Instead of a regular tourist
visa – which is permission to be in Mexico from 30 to 180 days – we applied for and received 2
years ago what is called an FM3. It is renewed annually and does not require a trip back to the
US for a regular tourist visa every 6 months. We got our original FM3’s here in La Paz in April
2007 and renewed them in April 2008. Unfortunately in April 2009 Sam was in the hospital in
Constitution on the day we should have been in La Paz renewing. So we didn’t worry too much
about it and figured we would deal with it when we arrived in La Paz. But since the FM3 is a
legal document – somewhat compared to a green card in the USA – there is a little more
involved than just walking in to immigration and asking to get a regular tourist visa instead. We
had to prepare a letter in Spanish (done with the help of a very nice person fluent in Spanish
and English) explaining that we wish to officially cancel our FM3’s and why we were not in La
Paz on the expiration date. It is not considered appropriate to ask for any penalty involved in
the FM3 expiration to be waived, as we were wisely advised. So we took in our letter and turned
in our FM3’s and will need to return on June 4 to see what the penalty fee will be (someone has
told us it wouldn’t be too bad financially) and what kind of document we will be given to stay in
the country until our planned departure back to California in June or July.
Our Plans
Which brings us to the next subject: our plans for the immediate future. For economic reasons
we are returning to California this summer, with the boat. Our rental house has declined in
value (like everyone else’s property) and it will be financially advantageous for us to actually
live in the house for at least 2 years so that when it increases in value in the future it can be
sold without paying capital gains tax. That would amount to a considerable amount of money,
just to live in the house if we did nothing else. Susie, and maybe Sam, will go back to work full
or part time to replenish the cruising kitty. We may live some on the boat and some in the
master bedroom suite of the house which would enable us to rent out the other 2 bedrooms to
single persons or college students and still have some income from the house. We don’t have
a specific timeline for all this to take place, but for now we are planning our return to California
in June or July 2009.
So we are enjoying a few more days here in Mexico, whether we hang about in La Paz or go
back out to the islands near La Paz before we make the trip – at the most appropriate weather
window – back up the coast to California.
After Loreto Fest 2009, on Monday May 4 we took the boat up to Loreto and anchored outside
the little harbor there. Sam took the dinghy ashore and got provisions at Pescadero, the
biggest grocery store in Loreto. We ran the watermaker on the way and filled the water tank
completely. We left for this little jaunt a little late in the day, so we did not get back to our
mooring ball in Puerto Escondido until a little after dark, but we didn’t hit anything and Sam
caught the mooring ball on the second try, with Susie at the wheel.
Tuesday May 5 we went to the docks for a quick wash down with the hose – getting the single
water source hose away from the people who clean the big fancy boats that sit there all the time
and get cleaned EVERY DAY anyway is a major headache. There is one hose for everyone to
use and we managed to have it for 10 whole minutes, enough only to wash off the solar panels
and get a little bird doo doo off the deck. We had a leisurely motor trip down to Agua Verde, a
little wind from the south of course because that’s the way we were going, but we were able to
use the jib for assist coming into the anchorage. We anchored in a favorite place, where we
found Aegean Odyssey, Faith and Panasea. Sam went for a swim and Susie had a warm
shower. Had a calm night.
Agua Verde, BCS, Mexico
We decided to spend several days here, because this is one of Susie’s favorite places to hang
on the hook. We didn’t even need the sun shade up, just the panels in the back of the cockpit.
Susie got down the ladder and into the water to swim, and was able to get back up the ladder
directly from the water – good show! We saw turtles sometimes during the day in the
anchorage, the first time we have ever seen them anyplace other than up near Bahia de Los
Angeles. Kismet showed up the afternoon of May 6, with Captain Maggie and crew Gina and
Mary Shroyer aboard, on their way to San Carlos to put the boat on the hard for the season.
Esprit and Swan Song arrived the next day, also the boat Kiss. May 7 was a big day for Sam –
all his medication finished and the special dietary restrictions are over! Karen on Aegean
Odyssey brought us some trigger fish and we made fish tacos for dinner. On May 9 Sam
dinghied ashore and bought a few provisions at the little tienda in the village, and made
“reservations” at the local restaurant which we had heard about but not yet been to. You have
to let them know ahead of time you are coming for dinner, so they have something for you.
That something was simple fare: fried fresh fish, salsa, refried beans and flour tortillas. Not
anything to write home about, but it was fine. Sam had to walk back to the tienda to get
something for us to drink – a big bottle of Sprite – because the only thing they had was the
usual cruiser favorite – beer! Sam got a bee sting today on the back of his thigh, but we used
the sting extractor kit and hopefully it won’t swell up as bad as the stings he got 2 years ago.
We had to use the screens to keep bees and wasps out of the boat – they come in looking for a
source of fresh water, usual for this time of year.
Punta Telmo aka Prieta, BCS, Mexico
We finally left Agua Verde on Monday May 11, spending that night at Telmo. We had not
planned to go ashore, just wanted a place to spend the night between Agua Verde and San
Evaristo, our next planned anchorage. But we did go ashore and walked the beach with Gary
and Phyllis of Apolima, one of two other boats anchored there. Susie rowed the boat ashore,
Sam rowed back. The water here was too cold to swim.
San Evaristo North, BCS, Mexico
From Punto Telmo we headed south again, for Evaristo. Because the winds had been
southeasterly at night for several days, we did not anchor inside the main harbor near the
village of San Evaristo, instead we anchored on the north side near the salt pans and had a
calm evening and night. Only stayed one night here, May 12.
Amortajada Anchorage on Isla San Jose, BCS, Mexico
We had been hearing Swan Song and Esprit on the radio over the last few days, talking about
Amortajada. The last time we were there, 2 years ago, the bird guano and dead squid and
bugs all combined to drive us away, so we had never been into the mangrove swamp. Swan
Song reported light winds in the anchorage there during the day and night, which keeps the
bugs down, and they said had been very nice during their stay. So we decided to give it a try.
On May 13 we sailed off the hook at Evaristo and Sam decided to tack back and forth across
the San Jose Channel over to Amortajada. Had we motored it would have taken about 2 hours;
sailing took most of the day, but it was a beautiful day for sailing and we had good wind: 6
tacks in 6-18 knots of wind (mostly 10-13) later, we dropped the hook in Amortajada behind the
sand spit. The wind was coming over the spit to keep things cool and the bugs away, but the
water was calm. Unfortunately, the bees were very persistent until sundown the first night here,
so up with the screens. Friends Gary and Phyllis from Apolima (whom we met at Telmo)
showed up and we took a little picnic lunch and dinghied up through the mangroves and into
the lagoon on the other side of the sand spit, where the water was very warm. Susie sat on the
bow of the dinghy and hung her feet over the front, in the water, to keep an eye on the depth of
the water. In some places we had to pull up the motor and use the oars to get over or around
sand bars. It was an interesting trip; we are glad we got to see it this year. Our last night here
was May 14 and a small mini-cruise ship anchored near us and kept up the noise until 10 PM –
hey, when cruiser midnight is 9 PM, we think 10 PM is LATE!
Caleta Partida Anchorage on Isla Partida, BCS, Mexico
On Friday May 15 we left Amortajada and headed towards Islas Espiritu Santos and Partida.
We decided to anchor at Caleta Partida, because there is the best wind protection from most
directions, and the wind was variable. We started out the day motoring, but were able to cut the
engine and sail for about 90 minutes before we ran out of wind. We dropped the hook about 3
PM, this time on the south side of the anchorage instead of the north side where we usually
hang. There was a good breeze over the sand spit on this side, so it kept us cool. On May 16
while Sam sailed the dinghy around the anchorage and visited other boats, Susie prepared the
website update for April, ready to post when we arrive in La Paz and get an internet
connection. On a Moorings charter boat Sam met Nancy Pettingill from Richmond Yacht Club –
where we are members – who remembered him but said she didn’t recognize him with the new
crew cut he wears these days (he cuts his own hair with the clippers and Susie trims up what he
misses). On May 17 Sam rowed ashore so Susie could walk on the beach and get some
stretching and exercise. And since the trash can and the dirty laundry bags were full, we
decided that the next day we would go on to La Paz.
La Paz, BCS, Mexico
So we motored from Caleta Partida to La Paz on Monday May 18 – what we considered our
“home port” when we are in Mexico. On the way down the channel, we turned on the cell phone
and got a signal, so we found all our voice mail messages from family wondering where and how
we were. Susie called her parents, her brother and her daughter, to tell them we were alive and
well and now in La Paz. We had a non-eventful day until we went to drop the hook out near El
Mogote – we neglected to pull up the dinghy with its long tow line and while we were backing
down on the anchor in reverse, the prop wash sucked the polypropylene floating tow line down
under the boat and we managed to wrap the prop good enough to instantly kill the engine.
Sam got into the water with a knife and tried to cut most of it away, but it’s wrapped good. Since
we need a diver to come out anyway to clean the bottom, we will have him take care of it. We
were well-anchored for the night. We went ashore that night with the trash and recycle, had
dinner – salad – at The Dock Café and came back late.
So we started taking care of the things we needed to do in La Paz on Tuesday May 19. Got the
outboard problem resolved with Sea Otter Jimmy; called Kaiser to report Sam’s little medical
emergency in Puerto Escondido last month; donated the folding portable commode Susie used
during her recovery from surgery to Club Cruceros; took in the laundry for fluff-and-fold (one of
our favorite things here in La Paz); went shopping at CCC for fresh fruits and veggies, meats,
cheese, etc.; contacted friends Joe and Sandy Perez on Wind Song; arranged for a diver to
come out the clean the bottom and unwrap the prop; checked email and updated the website;
got our teeth cleaned at the dentist; bagged up the things we don’t need to keep for donation to
Subasta (the annual fundraiser of Club Cruceros); got Susie a haircut; got the rugs steam
cleaned; invited friends over for sourdough blueberry pancakes; faxed our boat documentation
renewal paperwork. By May 25 most of that was all done. Of course, on Saturdays and
Wednesdays Susie (and sometimes Sam) played bridge, and on Mondays and Thursday Susie
(and sometimes Sam) played Mexican Train. And we visited on occasion with old friends here.
A little mishap occurred on May 26 with our solar shower. Because we are on the hook and can
only make hot water for showers by plugging into shore power at a dock or running the engine
(which heats up the boat) we use our 8-gallon solar shower for warm water. We fill it up in the
morning and let it heat up during the day, and hopefully if we get back to the boat before it
cools off, we can take a warm shower that evening. On this particular day, while we were on
deck pulling the dinghy out of the water for the night (we haul it up on the side of the boat with
one of the halyards on the mast and let it hang there to avoid accumulations of slime and
barnacles) we dropped the hose of the solar shower down inside the V-berth hatch near the
shower. After we got the dinghy up and ourselves back inside the boat, Susie heard running
water. She discovered the pull-out shower head at the end of the hose had opened and the
solar shower was draining into the floor of the V-berth – completely soaking the newly cleaned
white rug and covering the floor boards with 2 or 3 inches of water. At least the hose had not
landed on the bed, or we would have had a new “waterbed” to sleep on that night. Sam used
the 12-volt wet vac he had purchased while we were in Arizona earlier this year to suck up all
the water from the floor, and then we took a cold shower because all the warm water was gone.
Maybe we should have left the water on the floor and taken a warm bath! But the floor is nice
and clean now in the V-berth and the rug dried out in the sun the next day.
On May 27 we went to immigration to deal with our expired FM3’s. Instead of a regular tourist
visa – which is permission to be in Mexico from 30 to 180 days – we applied for and received 2
years ago what is called an FM3. It is renewed annually and does not require a trip back to the
US for a regular tourist visa every 6 months. We got our original FM3’s here in La Paz in April
2007 and renewed them in April 2008. Unfortunately in April 2009 Sam was in the hospital in
Constitution on the day we should have been in La Paz renewing. So we didn’t worry too much
about it and figured we would deal with it when we arrived in La Paz. But since the FM3 is a
legal document – somewhat compared to a green card in the USA – there is a little more
involved than just walking in to immigration and asking to get a regular tourist visa instead. We
had to prepare a letter in Spanish (done with the help of a very nice person fluent in Spanish
and English) explaining that we wish to officially cancel our FM3’s and why we were not in La
Paz on the expiration date. It is not considered appropriate to ask for any penalty involved in
the FM3 expiration to be waived, as we were wisely advised. So we took in our letter and turned
in our FM3’s and will need to return on June 4 to see what the penalty fee will be (someone has
told us it wouldn’t be too bad financially) and what kind of document we will be given to stay in
the country until our planned departure back to California in June or July.
Our Plans
Which brings us to the next subject: our plans for the immediate future. For economic reasons
we are returning to California this summer, with the boat. Our rental house has declined in
value (like everyone else’s property) and it will be financially advantageous for us to actually
live in the house for at least 2 years so that when it increases in value in the future it can be
sold without paying capital gains tax. That would amount to a considerable amount of money,
just to live in the house if we did nothing else. Susie, and maybe Sam, will go back to work full
or part time to replenish the cruising kitty. We may live some on the boat and some in the
master bedroom suite of the house which would enable us to rent out the other 2 bedrooms to
single persons or college students and still have some income from the house. We don’t have
a specific timeline for all this to take place, but for now we are planning our return to California
in June or July 2009.
So we are enjoying a few more days here in Mexico, whether we hang about in La Paz or go
back out to the islands near La Paz before we make the trip – at the most appropriate weather
window – back up the coast to California.
| NO PHOTOS May 2009 |