A Taste of Cruising Mexico
| Vessel Name: | Journey |
| Vessel Make/Model: | Passport 40 |
| Hailing Port: | Ventura, Ca |
| Crew: | Jeff and Dori Beller |
| About: | We're home ported out of Ventura, California. Jeff is a software engineer and Dori is a special ed teacher. We're both on sabbatical from our carreers or early retirement. We're not too sure which and don't really care. Cruising fits us real well right now. |
| Extra: | This is our third extended cruise to Mexico. I guess we like it there! We hope you enjoy reading this journal of our cruise. |
19 March 2020 | Ventura, CA
Another Taste of Mexico
This is a photo from back in 2008, the first time Journey went cruising to Mexico. The boat was full and overflowing with guests come to wish us Bon Voyage before we set off on our travels. It is a memory we still cherish.
12 July 2012 | Ventura, CA
Home Sweet Home
Journey has been home for just over a week, after sailing into Ventura harbor on the Fourth of July.
20 June 2012 | San Diego, CA
Survivors of the Un-Bash
It seems there is no rest for the weary. (OK, after resting four days, I guess being weary isn't an excuse anymore.) Anyway, we've received a few 'gentle' hints from some impatient readers. They've noticed that our position reports show we've reached San Diego, but our blog hasn't been updated to reflect [...]
12 June 2012 | Turtle Bay
A Night at Anabel's
Last night we debated whether or not to leave Turtle Bay early this morning, but one day's rest just didn't put a dent in the sense of exhaustion we were feeling after this last week. So we put off our departure until tomorrow. Our reward for making that decision was spending this evening at Anabel's. There [...]
11 June 2012 | Turtle Bay
The Half Way Point
Arriving at Turtle Bay is a milestone because it means you've reached the half-way point in your trip up or down the Baja. Several of the boats who left Cabo with us had a little celebration by having a scrumptious potluck lunch hosted by Mary and Jack on S.V. Oriana. We also attended to mundane details [...]
04 June 2012 | Bahia San Juanico
The 'Un-bash'
With one-third of the trip north completed, the good news is that we haven't really been 'bashed' much at all. The closest we've came was the passage around Cabo Falso early Saturday AM which Jeff described in his last post. As he mentioned, once that was behind us, it was all motoring in calm seas [...]
Holiday Travels
At 6 A.M. on Tuesday morning,a fellow cruiser drove us from the marina to the airport at La Paz. We boarded a very, small 12-passenger plane for the flight to Guaymas. It was a bit disappointing to find thick cloud cover for most of the hour and a half of flying time, but the skies cleared as we approached the mainland, and Jeff got some nice aerial photos. The photo here is the approach over Guaymas bay.
We still needed transport from the airport at Guaymas to San Carlos where the truck was waiting. A taxi driver quoted us 300 pesos as the fare, but since we have more time than money, we elected to take two buses for 16 pesos instead. That still got us to San Carlos in 10am in the morning. The bus dropped us off a mile down the road from the storage facility where the truck was waiting, so we humped our bags the rest of the way on foot.
We filled the gas tank (9.7 pesos/liter or about $2.74/gallon) and were on the road headed for the border by 11am. The highway through Sonora is a good four lane divided highway for most of the way to Nogales.
The further north we drove, the more rain we encountered. Drivers, in both Mexico and the U.S., did not do well on those wet, slippery roads. We came across a half dozen accidents, some very serious. Jeff was careful to keep his speed down and maintain a safe distance between other vehicles. It took about a half hour to cross the border and we were in Tucson, AZ by 6:00 P.M, having covered almost 700 miles as a crow flies.
After a good night's sleep, we completed the final leg of the trip, arriving home in Ventura on Wednesday afternoon. Our son greeted us with homemade Christmas cookies and a delicious meal.
After a few days to get our stuff together, touch base with friends here and make some long-distance calls to my family in North Dakota, we'll be moving on to Idaho to spend Christmas with Jeff's family.
Feliz Navidad
Dori
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We've posted our favorite photos from this year's cruising in the Sea of Cortez
46 Photos
Created 8 July 2012
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Four glorious days of surfing "the longest wave" at Matanchen Bay in warm water, tropical surroundings, and no crowds.
11 Photos
Created 13 April 2012
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Dori shot these photos of a morning surf session at Barra de Navidad. She was standing on the breakwater which adjacent to the surf break, giving great access for pictures.
15 Photos
Created 22 February 2012
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This is a morning spent touring the estuary and river above Matanchen up to Tovara springs.
28 Photos
Created 27 January 2012
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Yelapa is a unique little hidden away village on the south side of Banderas Bay. No roads reach it and the only way to get there is by water.
14 Photos
Created 15 March 2011
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