Steve
09/23/2011, Southern Mexico

Since earlier this morning the forecast has changed and as the weathermen say "Hilary is how spinning harmlessly out to sea". The weathermen obviously have not spent any time at sea. The weather guessers could change their minds again after lunch.....so I will continue to keep a VERY close eye on things and will also keep my blog updated.

Comments [1]

Steve
09/23/2011, Southern Mexico

Hurricane season in the eastern Pacific runs from mid May thru the end of October. History shows that the Northern sea is pretty safe until September and October. Tropical Storm Hilary was upgraded to Hurricane status yesterday and is currently gaining strength off of the Southern Mexico coast...and headed north. Sharon and I were already planning on leaving Tucson Tuesday morning on the Autobus, we should be in San Carlos by Tuesday afternoon and will be able to take care of any final preparations should Hilary end up in The Sea of Cortez as the current forecast shows.
Sharon and I will be staying at a condo for the first week of our return and so there is no need for family/friends to worry about us. Si Bon will remain in her slip at Marina San Carlos, so no need to worry about her either. If Hilary does indeed come up the sea as forecast, we will be as prepared as we possibly can.

Comments [1]

Steve and Sharon
09/21/2011, Mexico

Sharon arrived in San Diego yesterday. We are now in final preparation for our return to Mexico next week.
When telling our friends about our lifestyle most people express a desire to join us somewhere. We have learned from past experience that it is best for visitors to have their own hotel room to use as kind of a base of operations...its not that we don't want people to stay on Si Bon, but a 42 foot sailboat loaded with cruising gear and equipment gets a little to cozy for most people. That being said we can do day sails and maybe an overnighter and of course spend plenty of time lounging in the warm Mexican sun sipping something cool.
There will be a couple of good spots for friends and family to join us, where it is easy to fly in and out of. Mazatlan..we will be in Mazatlan from early December until mid January (Sharon will return to the states from 12-17 thru 1-07). Mazatlan is a very popular vacation destination located on the Pacific Coast of Mainland Mexico.
Puerto Vallarta... we will be in the PV area for most of the month of February and possibly into March. PV is located within the largest bay on the Pacific coast. PV has many marinas and anchorages within a few hours sail from each other. There are many resorts and hotels throughout the area that offer some pretty decent travel packages.
So...if you want a nice inexpensive break from the gloomy winter months we hope that you will join us for Mexican fun in the sun.

PS. We are not sure at this time where we will go from Puerto Vallarta.

Comments [0]

Steve
09/17/2011, The River (Colorado)

It kind of funny that after sailing, my other boating interest is high powered Jet boats and/or waverunners. I Sold my 215 HP Seadoo before I left on my cruise and I haven't been back to "The River" since. My good buddy Frank also sold his waverunner and purchased a high-powered Yamaha Jet boat.
We left san Diego early Monday morning for our guy trip to Lake Havasu and Laughlin Nv.. We were able to get to Havasu early enough that we launched the 17 foot rocket and headed out on the lake. Now I gotta tell this little boat hauls ass, it turns on a dime...and you can even spin 360's on it. As we were flying along Frank decided without warning to crank the wheel and spin the little boat into a 360...completely unaware, I grabbed the first thing I could, which happened to be a support for the bimini cover, which in turn snapped right off. We secured the Bimini and Frank gave me a turn at the wheel (pic). Driving the small Yamaha was a blast...and after a few practice turns I was cranking it around in tight circles.
Being in the warm desert environment made me very homesick for Si Bon, the landscape looks the same as most of the areas that I've been in in Mexico, only instead of a lake or river, there is an ocean. I have rented a condo in Mission Beach (San Diego) next week and Sharon is flying to San Diego on Tuesday. Within the next two weeks we will be returning to San Carlos to begin our next adventure together.

Comments [1]

Steve
09/11/2011, San Diego

Well I finally made it back to San Diego. I had an overnight weather delay in DC, but arrived in San Diego Thursday morning and within hours was in the middle of a blackout which effected over 7 million people. There seems to be a rumor going around that there is some sorta black cloud following me around. I have been in several areas over the past month and a half that have experienced some sort of weird weather or other strange occurrence. I have decided that I'm going to blame it on Global warming.
It's nice being back to my hometown. Thursday night I spent a dark night at Amber and Jeff's house (pic) and Friday Amber and I drove up to visit Ashley in her new condo in Angura Hills. It was REALLY great seeing both the kids (now adults) and after Ashley gave as a quick tour of the Pepperdine campus we went to happy hour at a place right on the beach at Malibu. I have been more and more anxious to get back on Si Bon and as we sat sipping drinks we watched a sailboat heading out into the sunset, my mind wondered to the tranquil waters of the Sea of Cortez.
Right now I'm at Kim and Paul's house where we are going to watch the Chargers opening game later this afternoon. Tomorrow Frank and I are taking his Jet boat on a five day trip to Lake Havasu and Laughlin Nv.. As anxious as I am to get back to Mexico and Si Bon....there's no place like home.
PS. This pic is looking across San Diego towards Downtown..an area that would normally be awash in city lights.

Comments [2]

Steve
09/05/2011, Brattleboro, Vt.

Today is my last day in Brattleboro, tomorrow I'll start my journey back to San Diego where I will spend about three weeks visiting my Daughters and my friends. While in San Diego I will also start the process of stocking up on things we will be needing to take back to Si Bon. I have had an amazing time here in New England, Shaybo and I have been camping, we've been to New York City and we visited Boston and Portland. We've attended many parties, a Pop Warner fundraiser, a couple of birthday celebrations and a funeral. I've met so many new friends it's almost unbelievable...I was going to try to list them all on my blog...but the list was soooo long I decided to just give out a few thanks and hope I don't offend anyone I didn't mention. Thanks to Lara, Delaine, Chris, Matt, Pam, Courtney and Chris for allowing us to stay in your homes while visiting and/or after drinking to much. Thanks to the McKenney's, Ogden's, Currier's and Millerick's (pic) for welcoming me into your circle of friends with open arms...I will always refer to you guys as the Kampersville Klan. Thanks to Ryan and Brian for showing me the proper way to drive a golf ball. Thanks and condolences to the entire Fletcher family. So many other people are popping into my head right now...Megan, Robyn, Pat, Karen....ohhh s*&$ I've gotta end this blog now before it gets any longer. Last but not least A VERY special thanks to Kathy Brooks for welcoming me into her home...there's a saying comparing house guests and fish, that after three days they both stink...well Kathy put up with me for over a month. New England is a beautiful place but you guys (and anyone I may have left out) are who makes it a special place.
God Bless, and I hope we see you in Mexico soon.

Comments [1]