The north winds died down, so we moved a little farther north -- a whole 7 miles to the popular anchorage of Agua Verde.
When we arrived we were the only boat in the whole bay, because all the boats that had been here, moved on at the change in weather as well. That has been the pattern we've seen, everyone finds an anchorage reported to offer good protection in a north wind, they tuck in and as soon as it blows itself out they continue heading north sort of leapfrogging up the Sea.
Right now there aren't any new northers predicted for several days, so we're able to enjoy some anchorages that don't offer the north protection, and we've chosen a nice spot here in Agua Verde that is a little more secluded than the small nook that boats have to crowd into for the north winds.
We'll probably just spend a one day here doing some hiking and checking out the small tienda in the village, so we can get off to some other anchorages before another north wind comes up.
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We left Timbabiche yesterday and motored the 15 miles north to Bahia Santa Marte. What little wind there was, was coming from the north, so we decided it would be a good day to make water, and added about 12 gallons of freshly desalinated water to our tanks.
We tucked into this nice little anchorage with plans to sit out the next light norther here, that's predicted for Monday and Tuesday.
We've been enjoying swimming, snorkeling, beachcombing and hiking the area, then today we got a special surprise when a small pod of dolphin came into the anchorage! Terry got in the water, and for the first time since we were in Kealakakua Bay on the Big Island of Hawaii, he swam with the dolphin!
I didn't get a chance to get in the water, as I had a loaf of bread in the oven, but it was great to watch and I think I got a few good pictures.
We had a weird phenomenon today with the VHF radio. Usually reception on it is line of sight, 15 - 20 miles if there's not a lot of big hills around, Well, today we were hearing boats from Marina Palmira as clear as if they were right next to us! We tried talking to them, but the skip was pretty much one way apparently because they could hear us, but just barely and very scratchy.
It was a bit of a domestic day, too. In addition to the bread baking, I did a load of laundry (in the sink) and we went to shore and burned garbage. There's a burn barrel that some fisherman apparently set up at one time. We know it was fisherman because of all the small shark heads thrown around the beach near there! What a weird sight!
Three other boats came in today to wait out the weather, so it's not our secluded little spot anymore.
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We left San Evaristo yesterday morning to start our trek north. Knowing a Norther was going to begin blowing today, we searched our guidebook for what might be a good spot to sit out the wind and wasn't too far away. We first ducked into Nopolo, only 7 miles north of Evaristo, but the panga fishing fleet from the village appeared to be fishing right in the recommended anchorage area, so we pressed on.
Next stop: Timbabiche. It has a small spit of land that offers protection from the wind generated waves, which are the worst part of any strong wind -- it looked good and we were the only boat there, so we were able to pick what we felt would be the best spot. Last night we had a special treat, when Manuel came out to our boat in his panga and offered to get us lobster for our dinner that night! So off he went and a couple hours later he returned with 5 nice sized lobster. He only wanted 100 pesos (about $8) for the lot of them, so we think it was a pretty good deal -- and a very good meal.
We were able to row to shore this morning for a long beach walk and a hike up a small hill with a good view, before the winds picked up. Almost as soon as we got back on board the wind started gusting to 18 then 20. So far it's a pretty comfortable ride -- even though the wind is howling, there are just small wavelets pushing by the boat. The wind is supposed to be a little stronger tomorrow, so only time will tell if we've made the right choice to ride it out here. There isn't any danger to us, it could just be an uncomfortable rocky anchorage if the large swell from the outside begins to wrap around our little point of protection.
Once this one blows through we'll have a couple days to travel on before t he next Norther is expected.
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It finally feels like we're really out cruising now.
We've been in San Evaristo four days now and it feels good to be "settled in" to a spot like this. It's such a comfortable anchorage -- well protected, so even when the winds blow hard, there's not much wave action. There's great hiking in the hills around us, and several beaches accessible by dinghy, so we can get our exercise before working on the book or other projects in the afternoon. Follow that with an afternoon swim, dinner and a movie and you've got our typical day.
We'll enjoy this lovely spot for a few more days -- there might be some semi strong north winds coming Thursday and Friday and the anchorages we plan to go to next aren't quite as well protected as this one, but still well worth seeing. But for now, we're perfectly content here in Evaristo.
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Living on a boat at a dock is a whole different world than living on a boat at anchor.
In a marina, you have the security of being tied to dock in a , so there aren't many worries about what the weather might bring because anything short of a hurricane you'll just stay put. When out at anchor you're at the mercy of the wind and sea, so must keep abreast of the current forecasts so that you'll be in a good anchorage for what ever weather is going to come up. Here in the Sea of Cortez, there are lots of anchorages to choose from, all with varying degrees of protection from the different wind and sea directions. Our present location, San Evaristo, is a safe, comfortable spot in nearly all wind directions, so we're choosing to stay here for about a week, until the current unsettled weather system passes through.
In a marina you also have the comforts of life -- electricity, water, showers and laundry with grocery stores and restaurants nearby. When anchored out, you need to be mindful of your power consumption and your use of water. While we can make both of these aboard Cetus (with the wind generator, solar panels and our watermaker ( a small desalinazation plant), we still must conserve.
But the experiences out here far outweigh the benefits of life at the dock. Out here you experience life at a slower pace taking in all the wonders nature has to offer. Whether it is watching rays jumping out of the water like pop corn, pelicans dive bombing all around you, whales breaching in the distance or dolphin playing at your bow there's always something new to see. And you never feel so much a part of a sunrise or sunset, than when you're watching it from the bow of your boat and it simply envelopes you in color.
You can swim, hike and beach-comb to your hearts content enjoying each new anchorage until it's time to move on and find a new back yard to settle into. So despite the drawbacks, life on the hook is very good even on a gray cloudy day like we have today. Plenty of inside things to occupy our time since we're busy editing and revising Terry's next book, the sequel to Rick's Place.
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We're finally free of the dock and on our way!
After noon today we'll be out of internet and cell range for quite a while and will be back to communicating through our SPOT position reports and our winlink email. I'll do blog posts through the HAM radio, but no pictures until we get internet service again whenever we get up to Loreto.
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Today was the last of our daily hikes up to the Fisherman's Cross on the big hill behind Marina Palmira, as we plan to leave the slip tomorrow morning for a 3 month trek up into the Sea of Cortez.
As always, leaving here is bittersweet with a mix of excitement at what this adventure has in store and sadness at leaving new found friends and the comforts of life in La Paz. But we are ready to go!
It still remains to be seen if we'll be able to escape without one or two new passengers on board.... a couple weeks ago we discovered a batch of kittens in an empty storage room in the marina. We've enjoyed watching them playing and growing -- the mother cat taking very good care of them. We've been feeding them daily to help her along. The only reason Terry hasn't brought a couple of the little cuties on board yet, is because the storage room has a locked door -- there's about a 4 inch gap at the bottom that they go in and out and that we slide the food and water in. A big screened window on the side of the building gives us our view point.
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Here's a peek in the window at the kitties.....
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We were happy to have a visit with some good friends from Gig Harbor yesterday, when Dale & Diana took the time from their fabulous Cabo vacation and drove up to La Paz to see us! We also enjoyed meeting the friends they were traveling with, Jim & Phyllis, who are also from Gig Harbor.
After a short visit aboard Cetus, we went up to the marina's Panga Restaurant where they treated us to a nice lunch before they had to hit the road. One thing about driving between Cabo and La Paz is that you don't want to be traveling after dark -- because of the cows that cross the road!
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With winter passing it's time to head out in to the Sea for some more exploring. We've had a taste of what's out there on our several trips out to the nearby islands, but we've always returned to the comforts (read: showers, laundry, grocery stores, cell service, internet and shore power) of life at the dock.
This next adventure will be of much longer duration and have us traveling much farther north. We will leave on the 2nd or 3rd of March and don't plan to return to La Paz until sometime in June, when we need to be back to travel up to the Northwest for a wedding in July.
So, we're busily planning and preparing, very excited to get out there again. We won't have the large grocery stores we've come accustomed to here in La Paz, so we're doing major provisioning to sustain us for a full three months -- even though we will be able to replenish some along the way.
In addition to all the preparations for the trip, we've been spending several hours each day working on editing and revising Terry's new book -- a sequel to Rick's Place.
Monday we said goodbye to Vicky aboard Inspiration at Sea -- she's on her way to Zihautanejo and then El Salvador. She left her van here for us to use since we'll be driving it back north for her this summer. It was a great help today when we went to City Club (much like Cost Co) to do provisioning today -- and we're really excited to get to do the drive up Baja this summer!
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One of the best parts of Carnival is the parade!
Lots of brightly colored floats (flatbed semi's) carrying dancers, queens and kings and blaring loud music travel from one end of the waterfront to the next bringing great delight to young and old.
It seems half of the towns population is involved in one form or another, and even the bystanders get pulled into the fun to dance along with the passers by for a moment.
The floats sport signs announcing their sponsors and in addition to the Pacifico Beer, there is LaLa Milk and one of my favorites: Bimbo Bread.
We could tell that Carnival had ended for the year when the music emanating from town was finally silenced about 3 am this morning. Today, Ash Wednesday, signifies the start of Lent, and then the Easter Celebrations will begin on April 4th.
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One of the many fascinating sights of Carnival are the blanket sellers.
This year there are two of these stages where they put together a pile of about 5 blankets, pillows and and large beach towels and appear to be auctioning them off. They talk so fast I'm not really sure if it's an auction or just a good sales pitch and I'm sure they're selling for a very good price. Great entertainment to stand and watch!
I tried to upload a short video of the blanket sellers in action, but had no success, so the best I can offer this picture of the stand. I hope to post some more carnival pictures in the photo gallery today -- so check out the Carnival folder!
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Since our arrival in La Paz at the beginning of December, we have been awaiting Carnival! This 6 day extravaganza is quite the event and we had great memories of all the festivities from our visit to this area 10 years ago.
The main street along the waterfront malacon is closed off for blocks and stalls selling jewelry, food, blankets and even hair extensions are set up. There are also rides, for young and old, and stages for bands, singers and crowning of the queen. There will be parades and dancing. It is a good old country fair set up in the middle of town!
We've enjoyed walking through town the past two evenings taking in the sights, sounds and smells -- and are looking forward to getting in to catch a glimpse of the night life when things really get rocking and rolling in town.
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02/11/2010
While we had a wonderful visit back in the States, we were very happy to be back home aboard Cetus last night.
The main reason we so enjoy traveling in our own boat (well, besides the fact that it is the only way we can afford to travel all the time) is that no matter where in the world you are, you can always climb into your own bed at the end of the day.
And, as we all know: There's no place like home.
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