It's New Year's Eve and I am finally getting around to updating our blog - late as usual.

From La Paz, we headed to Isla Espiritu Santo for a couple of days, dropping anchor in Ensenada Candelaria. As evening fell, the hundreds of fish swimming around our boat created an amazing luminescence in the dark water. The sky was filled with stars, as was the water; it was difficult to tell where one ended and the other began. Pure magic! Strong north winds were predicted for the next few days and we had snuggled under the cliffs for protection; it was not too bad until around 2am, when the boat started bucking like the rodeo - the wind was coming from the west and there was no protection whatsoever! Ted decided to stand anchor watch, but our Rocna held solid and after a few hours it died down - had we just experienced a coromuel? The next day we decided to kayak only, as the norther was blowing strong and it was a bit too cool to snorkle. We had not planned to go ashore, except perhaps to walk on the beach; but true to form, we found a trail which led up from the beach to a well, and it appeared to continue on up the valley. The trail quickly faded and faltered and we ended up scrambling over rocks and cacti (sound familiar - there is a theme here). It was perhaps a bit more rugged than my flipflops were designed for! The next day, we tried all morning to get a weather report, but Ocens had "updated" their system and lost everything in the process. We waited until noon, when the winds and waves appeared to be subsiding (25 kts and 2m). We had an exciting ride south and then east across the Sea of Cortez until the norther finally blew out late afternoon the next day. We arrived in Mazatlan on Dec 19th after a 48 hr passage. The narrow entrance into the El Cid and Marina Mazatlan marinas deserves a mention. We had been warned about the narrowness, the currents and surge, and the possibility of a dredge working. Marina Mazatlan had confirmed that indeed the dredge was working near the entrance, but that we should be able to get through. As we came around the corner through the breakwater, sure enough there was the dreaded dredge and what seemed like an impossibly narrow gap betweeen it and the rocky shore; however, we were committed with no room to turn back. Holding our breath, we squeezed past the dredge with all its pipes and sharp bits on one side and the rocks on the other. What a thrill to see our friend, Maureen Tatem from Okotoks (Tarry-a-Bit) standing on the dock at El Cid, cheering and waving as we passed into the inner harbor. After the dredge experience, we thought we were safe; however, we failed to notice how strong our tail wind was. When we arrived at Marina Mazatlan, the marina staff were waving us into a very narrow slip. We didn't think we would fit and in hesitating lost steerage and ended up broadside with the wind pushing us down the line of moored boats. Yikes! Options... (while Ted is at the helm valiantly trying to regain steerage and get the boat turned around for another attempt)...I'm switching all the lines over to the other side so we can try for the next available slip (opposite tie)...realize there are many open slips further down (same tie) so switch the lines back...people running up and down the dock to try to help us... fending off other boats, dinghys, windvanes, etc...aaarrrggghhh...throwing lines...finally safe in a slip all to ourselves - what a way to meet your new neighbours! The only saving grace is that we have all been there. In the classic words of Dave Broadfoot (Air Farce)..."when I regained consciousness"...there were introductions all round, checking that no damage had been done and a huge sighs of relief. Tarry-a-Bit called - "hurry up we are going to the Old Town for the Christmas Fair" - so we rushed to get the dinghy off the deck, put the motor on, changed out of our passage clothes and off we went. At El Cid, we met another group of cruisers and were introduced to "red truck" group transportation. The evening was spent wandering through the Christmas Fair, having our faces painted, touring the fascinating area around Plazuela Machado, enjoying a delicious Mexican dinner at La Tramoya, and then another red truck ride back to El Cid. After a 48 hr passage, one might think that was enough fun; but when we got back to the boat we heard wonderful guitar music and singing drifting across the marina, so we followed the sound and ended up at Gus y Gus for a drink and dancing with several groups of locals and cruisers before finally heading to bed. It's a hard life, but someone has to do it! The next day we went shopping in preparation for Meghan arriving and found our way around Mazatlan with the help of the Tatems. Meg arrived safely with a bag full of presents, including Christmas decorations from Merry Jill (a brilliant idea). Meg and I spent the next day decorating the boat and it looked very festive. Christmas Eve we enjoyed a delicious dinner at Topolo in the Old Town with the Tatem family. It was great fun opening all the wonderful presents and cards from friends and family on Christmas morning - thank you all for thinking of us as we spend our first Christmas on the boat. Christmas week was spent touring Mazatlan, kayaking and a day of sailing (yes, out past the dreaded dredge, which this time had a cable attached to the shore which also had to be negotiated!). The week's holiday sped by far too fast and the boat seems very quiet now that Meg has gone home. Boat projects and planning for some inland touring will keep us busy for now. The night Meg left, Debbie took the gang to see the Santa Village and it was quite the experience - Casas de Santa of all sorts (my personal favourite was "Sushi de Santa"), antique rides all beautifully decorated, a train ride through the park, a nativity scene with live animals, photos with the "Three Wise Men" and an ice-skating rink! We were sorry Meg missed this.

Just a quick addendum to the Blog - New Year's Eve was spent in the company of cruisers and dirt dwellers alike, dining and dancing barefoot on the beach until the early hours - what fun!! Happy New Year to all our friends and relatives - may 2013 be a great year for you. Love Pam & Ted