December 4, 2010, Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur
Our second trip to Cabo was much better than our first! Some good friends of ours from Washington own a timeshare in Cabo and came down to spend last week there. Since we were still La Paz, they invited us down to see them for a day. So, we rented a car and drove to Cabo and enjoyed a great time with them. We stayed at the beautiful Hotel Finesterra on the Pacific coast of Cabo. The kids loved the pools and Tami loved the bathtub.
It was a great visit. We enjoyed some great company and great food. We didn't want to leave, but were eager to get back to the boat even after just one night away.
On our way home, we made the required stop at Costco. Our short drive through southern Baja was an experience to remember as well. The landscape is beautiful.
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November 20, 2010, Sea of Cortez
As we sailed up from Bahia De Los Muertos towards Bahia Balandra the other day, we threw a line and lure in the water and trolled a bit as we always do. Just before lunch, we caught one small dorado and threw him back. It was nothing to write home about.
But, about an hour later....Wham! A beautiful Blue Marlin! It only took a few minutes to get the fish up to the boat. Since Blue Marlin are not good eating and we didn't have room for a trophy above the mantle, we decided to let him go. So w took a few pictures then cut him lose. It was a fun catch.
On another note, the internet has been very unreliable and slow. Therefore, our blog posts are way behind. We are currently in La Paz and making our Thanksgiving plans. Hope all is well with our friends and family back home.
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Chuck, Michelle and Morgan
November 5, 2010, Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur
Well, we did what we said we were gonna do. We sailed to Cabo! We got into Cabo San Lucas yesterday morning around 1000 after a 25 hour motor from Bahia Santa Maria. We have had a great trip down Baja sailing with the fleet of the Baja Ha Ha.
The weather is beautiful and we are all happy and safe. The boat did great and we can't wait to continue our journey. We tied to the dock last night but are headed out to the anchorage today. We have already visited the local grocery and Tami made a Costco run today. Cabo is very Americanized and most everyone speaks English. We are eager to get away from the hustle and bustle of this tourist town.
For the family and friends who have been following our trip, thanks for all the prayers and support. We miss you all and wish you were here. We will post more soon as we get settled.
We have posted a few pictures of our trip down Baja in a new album. Check them out if you get a chance.
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October 28, 2010, Bahia Tortugas, Baja, Mexico
It was a great start to Baja Ha Ha 17! We sailed out of San Diego Bay with about 160 other boats on Monday morning, crossing the starting line at 1100 am. The wind was great and we sailed most of the day towards Baja Mexico. We sailed across the US-Mexico border a couple hours later and were instantly transformed into grateful Ex-patriates (is it ex-patriot or ex-patriate, we're not sure?) It's not like we are former patriots, but just US citizens relocated into a different country. But I digress...
Anyway, after 3 great days at sea we made it into Turtle Bay yesterday evening at 6:30pm. It was a very lumpy ride down the coast. We stayed anywhere between 15 and 30 miles offshore and saw winds up to 25 knots on occasion and following seas up to 10-12 feet. We rocked and rolled the entire way. The first night the wind calmed down and we had to motor for about 12 hours. Perhaps it was lack of sailing skill or the fact that our old fat bottom'ed girl doesn't like sailing in light wind. The next day brought overcast skies and decent wind. The seas were still big and confused but we were able to make 6 knots or better under full genoa and main. The second night, the wind picked up quite a bit and we moved along at close to 8 knots all night long. Since the wind was directly astern, we had to gybe back and forth down our course line which took a little bit away from our progress, but not too bad. We stayed pretty dry, but the air was colder than expected. The wind died early in the morning and we had to motor most of the last day. Even though there was very light wind, the seas were still big and lumpy making for a slightly uncomfortable ride. The last day was sunny and beautiful. We watched a huge orange sun set on the Pacific just before entering Turtle Bay and anchored in the huge bay with many other boats who are apparently quite a bit faster than our Andiamo.
We are so excited to be here. We made it with no major problems and the weather is gorgeous! Andiamo did great and our SSB even worked! We were a little concerned about it since we hadn't had much luck with it previously. The kids are stoked. We are now sitting in a small cafe on the beach drinking Negra Modelo and using the free WiFi. Life is great. We'll post more later, but for those who are following us, we are safe, happy and doing great! Thanks for the prayers and encouragement.
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October 23, 2010, USS Midway, San Diego, CA
The good news is we're landing...the bad news is it's gonna be a crash landing. (Madagascar fans will recognize the reference).
As a homeschool 'field trip' we toured the USS Midway a couple days ago. The kids had a blast and it is one of the best museums we have ever been too.
You know you live in a small space when the kids comment about how BIG the lower enlisted living quarters were! "Wow, we wish our beds were this big", they said.
The kids sat in the Air Boss' chair and pretended to be launching and recovering aircraft. They sat in the Captain's chair in the bridge and drove the boat, Christian also called the President on the phone to ask for guidance. They loved the combat control center where Christian sat behind the radar screen and warned us of impending danger. It wasn't all fun and games though. They did learn that one link in the anchor chain weighs 130lbs and that the entire anchor and chain together weigh almost 42,000lbs. They learned why a ship is called a "She" and that the purple painted pipes carry jet fuel. So in the end, it turned out to be an educational experience.
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October 20, 2010, Glorietta Bay, Coronado, CA
So our free ride ran out on Shelter Island and we had to move down here to the slums in Glorietta Bay just south of Coronado Island. Well, if you know anything about Coronado Island, you know that it is far from being the slums. The San Diego Harbor Police were nice enough to give us Baja'ers a free anchorage all to ourselves while we wait for our departure on Monday the 25th.
So far, there are only 4 boats in the anchorage. I guess everyone else is either still enroute to San Diego, staying in swanky marinas in North Bay or just hiding out. In any case, we are enjoying our stay. We are just a few yards off the golf course and a short dinghy ride away from the Coronado Yacht Club. The weather has been total crap (reminds us of Washington in the winter time)! It has been cool, overcast and rainy for the past several days. Where in the world is the sunny southern California weather? We dinghy'd in yesterday and it started raining just after we headed out. We were all soaked! We walked around town, tried to dry off in Starbucks, and laughed all the way.
The other night, we had dinner with Patrick, Tammy, and Jack from sv Santosha. They are another family doing the Ha Ha and the only other family we have met with a kid on board. Jack, Christian and Abby hit it off immediately and we all had a great time together.
While waiting for the Baja Ha Ha to start, we have been exploring the town, climbing trees, visiting West Marine and Downwind Marine, completing some menial boat tasks, homeschooling the kids, and trying not to hemorrhage all our money. Tomorrow, we hope to finish some laundry, run a few errands, top off the scuba tanks, get Toby washed and groomed, tour the USS Midway, and spend some time with a good friend from Olympia. Friday, we are headed back to La Playa anchorage on Shelter Island so we are closer to all the action for the start of the Ha Ha.
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