Check out more photos of Ensenada here!


Vibrantly colorful spices in the "flea-market" spice shop. NO artificial colors here, these are actually a wide variety of ground up peppers! SO beautiful!

Happy New Year from Ensenada! Although the weather here is WAY too reminiscent of the Seattle winters we thought we had left behind, we've been enjoying Ensenada in spite of the rain. Luckily there have been a few dry-spells in between the downpours. So happy we still have plenty of fleece, wool, and down jackets aboard, cuz we've been wearing them pretty much since we left Morro Bay! Hard to believe we are in MEXICO?! However, it is December, in an El Niño year...and it's all beyond our control so we're learning to just go-with-it!


SO FUN to meet up with our Seattle friends Susan & John from Nord Sail One. Shared the same dock in Seattle, now on the same dock in Ensenada, what are the odds?!

Six-Degrees of Elliott Bay Marina K-Dock here at Cruiseport Marina Ensenada: One nice big surprise upon arriving at Cruiseport Marina, was running into our old Seattle friends John & Susan aboard the Nordhaven motor-sailor Nord Sail One. Susan & John used to be on our same dock in Seattle, and Heidi and Susan were Zumba Buddies! SO FUN to spend a wonderful New Years Eve with these great friends, and catch up. Also, when we were checking into the Customs & Immigration offices just after our arrival, we ran into another old Elliott Bay Marina K-dock-mate, Dave and his wife Kathy from s/v Lightspeed. They have cruised all over the globe and were just headed back to San Diego. The cruising world can be such a small one!

One of the benefits of staying at Cruiseport Marina in Ensenada vs. the other marinas here is that the marina managers assist all new arrivals with a ride to the Customs & Immigration office, then oversee helping to check in, get your TIP (temporary import permit for the boat), and Mexican Visas (which last 180 days, then can be renewed for another 180 days.) Although you could certainly do all of this on your own if you had to, the back and forth between different windows and offices within the Customs & Immigration building, round-and-round with this piece of paper going here, and that piece of paper going there, was very daunting. We were thankful for the help of Harbormaster Enrique for this service, as well as helping to arrange water delivery (via truck...see below), and lots of other recommendations for shops and restaurants.


Cruiseport Marina with cruise ships in background. Photo taken from near where Due West is docked...we can't get away from them!

The Cruiseport Marina is adjacent to the Cruise Ship Docks which host 2 cruise ships per day. When we leave the marina to walk to town we are sometimes amongst the hordes of cruise-ship passengers, and get hit up by all of the vendors. We've learned to say "No gracias. No necicito nada." (No thanks. I don't need anything.) We've sought out the more "local" areas of town for groceries and other shopping, and try to avoid the cruise ship masses if at all possible.


Produce stand at the local "flea market".

This means we've been walking a LOT all over Ensenada, averaging 5 miles per day. On Sunday we took a long walk with our friends Maryalice, Rick and dog Harley from s/v Notre Isle, and new cruising friend Jim from s/v Anore, to find the local "flea-market", carrying everything from used toys, nuts and bolts, to fantastic fresh produce and spices. Turns out Jim used to live in Jackson Hole and is friends with some of our JH peeps! Jim is a NOLS instructor and is fluent in Español, which has come in handy. We really need to start doing our Rosetta Stone Spanish Lessons nightly and bone up! We're feeling very rusty.


Rick, Heidi, and Jim browsing the local "flea market".

As some of you may know, "Baja-style" fish tacos means the fish is breaded and deep-fried. That won't do for Heidi, who has Celiac disease and can't eat gluten. So when we stopped for fish tacos on the way back from our hike across town, Jim was able to help Heidi order her tacos camarones (shrimp) al la parrilla (grilled), not breaded and fried. With a little cabbage, pico-de-gallo, and fresh squeezed limes, they were delish! Thanks Jim!!


Rick, Maryalice, Heidi & Kirk waiting for our Baja Fish Tacos.

Monday was the last day of forecasted sunshine for the week, and we took advantage, running around town getting errands done, including stocking up on food: more fresh produce, and piping hot corn tortillas by the dozens. We also discovered a new-to-us fruit, Guyaba (Guava) that has rapidly become Heidi's fav new fruit...until we can find passion fruit that is!


Before the Deluge...

Tuesday brought hours of torrential downpour that flooded the streets and made them nearly impassable to vehicles, let alone walking...washing sewage, tires, and other debris out into the harbor. We were warned by the marina staff and other cruisers not to venture out. Sadly, we heard that a homeless encampment up the river was washed out too.


After the first deluge.

We have met a lot of other friendly cruisers also waiting for the weather window to leave. Fortunately for all of us, Cruiseport Marina has a Cruisers Lounge with couches, tables, and free wifi (that doesn't extend beyond the doors.) So during these monsoons, most cruisers have been hanging out here, checking the weather, checking email, and updating their blogs! Tuesday was no exception and with all the rain and wind it was very cold in the un-heated cruisers lounge. No doubt typically people are wearing shorts and tank tops here and warming the room is not a concern. There are 6 boats all waiting for a weather window to head out together, down the coast of Baja to San Jose del Cabo, with potential stops at Turtle Bay and/or Bahia Madgalena (where the gray whales are calving), all hoping to leave on Saturday.


Hanging out in the Cruiser's Lounge, checking email and the weather ~ in full foulies with poor postures and all. This is what cruisers do when it's pouring rain and blowing 35kts and rocking-and-rolling inside the marina!

Tuesday night the winds picked up to 30kts steady, gusting to 35kts for several hours. Some of the boats in the other marinas nearby were forced to move out onto the hook (anchor out) as the docks were moving so wildly they were afraid the docks would break apart like they apparently did last year. Generally we monitor VHF radio channel 69 when we are home, the main way that cruisers get a hold of each other here, and look out for one another too. On the VHF we heard about several boats dragging anchor through the anchorage Tuesday night and we were very glad to be safe and sound at Cruiseport's new-ish Bellingham Marine docks.

A BIG THANKS to HAM operator Terry Sparks, who helped us get our SSB (single side band long-wave) radio all programmed so we can now participate in the Marine Band Cruiser's Nets. If you're a cruiser and just getting up to speed on your SSB or HAM, we highly recommend checking out Terry Sparks SSB Made Simple for Cruisers website and getting a few of his books, they are very well done.


Captain Kirk on the Can-Mex SSB Cruiser's Net at 0730 each morning. Slowly but surely we are learning all of the new radio protocol and lingo: "This is the sailing vessel Due West, Whiskey Delta Echo five five four two on the Can-Mex Net in Ensenada, Mexico, calling any cruisers anywhere that wish to check in, please state your boat name and call sign now." Our radio call sign is WDE5542, but you use the maritime phonetic alphabet and say each numeral individually to avoid confusion.

The Nets are a great way for cruisers to check in with each other and keep in touch as well as get weather reports while out at sea. We've been on the Can-Mex net each morning this week, which reaches from Canada to Baja (if the propagation is good.) This morning we had cruisers from as far away as part-way-to Hawaii, and Mazatlan join the net. The local VHF radio (line of sight only) Nets also offer pertinent cruiser news from local events, to people offering rides, and project assistance. Everyone is very friendly here, offering loads of help for almost anything you need. Our new friends Don & Lisa on s/v Windcharmer drove up to San Diego yesterday and kindly brought back a boat part that we had ordered, many thanks guys!

We still need to get our HAM licenses so that we can use all of the bands on the radio, hoping to get those in La Paz or Puerto Vallarta later in the season. We even managed a chat with our good friend John Carscadden in Seattle via the SSB today. For a few minutes he came in loud and clear like he was right next door! Then the radio waves started bouncing off the ionosphere in a weird way and just like that we lost connection. Such is the life of the SSB/HAM radio. If any of you are HAMs let us know and once we get our HAM licenses we can try to connect. Or if you are on a boat you can try us via the non-HAM Marine bands, just send us a text or email first to set a time and frequency.

Our whole adventure, since we left Seattle, has been an exercise in the lessons of "patience" and "going with the flow", while we wait out weather windows, or wait for things to be repaired. Now in Mexico where fabled "manaña" is a way of life, our new-found patience is coming in handy. We had ordered 40 gallons of water to be delivered Wednesday at 9am. 0900 came and went with no sign of water other than what was pouring out of the sky. Then we were told it would arrive at 4pm. Again 1600 came and went and no water truck. There were four of us cruisers waiting for water and apparently the guy just decided he couldn't help us, and told us to go elsewhere. Huh... with Enrique's help, we had water (from a different guy) ordered for 0900 this morning. This guy actually showed up and filled us up with "agua purificado" (purified water) from 5 gallon orange jugs.


El hombre de agua finally arrived!

On the VHF cruisers net earlier this week, we heard several cruisers asking about diving services. The water is extremely nutrient rich here (see sewage overflow mentioned above!) and all kinds of sealife are taking hold on the bottom of our boat! The upshot of the VFH conversation was that divers here are few and far between, and it could take weeks to get one. Then yesterday, a diver appeared on the dock right near Rick & Maryalice's boat. Rick quickly snagged him and asked him to clean his boat. Kirk happened by at just the right time, and asked the diver to come and clean our bottom next. What a lucky break ~ pure serendipity! For only $55 US we got the whole bottom of our boat and waterline cleaned, and zincs and prop checked. Everything looks good, and for about half of what it costs at home.


Due West getting her bottom cleaned by one of the illusive Ensenada divers.

During a short break in the weather on Wednesday, Heidi and Maryalice trekked off to find a new Organic Produce market and hit the grocery store for yet more food. Our upcoming voyage down the coast of Baja will be a 5-6 day trip all the way to San Jose del Cabo, and since most people don't like to cook underway, we're all trying to make food ahead of time and provision with easy grab-n-go foods. The girls loaded up their backpacks, but they were way too heavy, so they called the guys to come and carry them back! What would we do with out our Sherpas?! ☺ Walking back, stopping to take photos, Rick reminded us that the packs weigh the same whether you're moving or standing still... a subtle reminder to keep the pace up!


Heidi shopping at the organic produce market, just look at the size of the cauliflower!.


Sherpas had to stop and refuel, while the gal out front was advertising "We've got Uppers and Downers, and All-around-ers!" Harley didn't know what to think!?

Via the VHF net, we heard that fellow cruiser Isabel had a car, and was going to Home Depot if anyone needed a ride. It's an odd thing: as much as we're trying to get away from the big-box stores and experience more of the off-the-beaten-track Mexico, when you need a part or to stock up on something it is nice to have that option too. And with the US dollar being high compared to the peso, prices here are a steal, so we decided to go hit the big-box stores one more time before heading south.

We left the marina in yet another deluge and were somewhat afraid the roads would be flooded again before we got back. In fact when we parked at Home Depot about 200' from the front door, the monsoon was so intense that our jeans were soaking wet by the time we got to the door! As it turns out we were there long enough to dry out as we searched up and down the isles for a few last items: bolt cutters (to cut our rig away from the mast if god-forbid we got dismasted); cable locks (to lock all of our fuel jerry-cans onto the boat); a plastic funnel (to fill water tanks from jugs); and a garden hose (to make a rain-water catchment system from our bimini to the water tanks.) No matter how hard you try to plan ahead, there's always one more thing you forgot to get in the states...

After Home Depot we were off to Costco for a case of black olives; AA batteries (to trade with the fishermen in the Sea of Cortez for fresh fish); night-watch snacks (nuts, dried fruit, and of course chocolate!); white vinegar (for cleaning everything from the head to fresh produce); and several bottles of local Ensenada wine (who know this was wine country?)


Between all the rain we had some amazing sunsets.

Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes...
As we've said before, our plans are written in sand at low tide, and so it is with all the King Tides of late, our plans have changed yet again... We have decided to spend a whole year in Mexico! Due to all of our weather delays, we're getting so late in the season that if we were to continue on to Panama this spring as originally planned, we'd really have to fly through Mexico and miss seeing the Sea of Cortez. Since the Sea of Cortez is one area that we really wanted to explore via kayak and snorkeling, and the best time of year to be there is spring/summer, we just couldn't see passing it up. Looking at our cruising guidebooks with photos of all of the turquoise waters and beautiful remote anchorages, we want to have photos of Due West in some of those places too! Conversations with a few friends who've summered there, plus the fact that we'll get to do more cruising with our dear friends Roger & Karen this spring, confirmed our decision.


Beautiful Guadalupe Cathedral, can be seen from many areas of Ensenada.

NEWS FLASH!...
As of today (remember, our plans are written in sand at low tide!) we have decided to stay in Ensenada for a few more weeks and take advantage of their fantastic boat yard with excellent work and cheap prices to get some work done on Due West. We need to replace a through hull (for the saltwater intake to cool our engine), which is currently stuck open. Being able to close this off is a very good thing, so we need to remedy that asap. And we need to replace our sea-strainer that keeps the seaweed out of the engine, with a newer, more effective model. We also need to move our waterline UP. For you non-boaters, the bottom of our boat is painted with a special type of paint that inhibits marine life like barnacles from growing on it. As is typical of many cruisers, when you start to load on all of your cruising gear, your boat sinks a few inches lower in the water. We are sitting low enough in the water that we're starting to grow barnacles on the hull above the bottom paint, so we will get the waterline raised. Several of our friends have had their waterlines raised 2 or 3 times, we are hoping to only do it once... as a lighter boat is a faster boat.

We did lots of recon on the pros/cons of heading south on Saturday with the other 5 boats including our friends Rick & Maryalice, and going to La Paz to haul out there. After talking with friends with first-hand experience including: Roger & Karen, Don & Lisa, and our good friend Jim Knapp from Kula Marine back home in Gig Harbor, (plus the sage advice from the Women Who Sail FB page!), we ultimately determined that the haul out prices in Ensenada are much more reasonable than in La Paz, and the work is excellent here too. There will be more weather windows, and Ensenada is a nice and inexpensive place to hang out...if the weather isn't all that warm yet! Maybe soon it will be!


Tikka & Tosh are quite happy to not be heading back out to sea yet...


Once we do leave here we plan to head on down Baja (possibly stopping at a few place along the way) then to San Jose del Cabo to visit our friend Sara, before sailing across to Mainland Mexico and as far south as we can, maybe Bara de Navidad, or Tenicatita, then working our way back north in the spring to Puerto Vallarta (for Banderas Bay Race Week!?), and on up to Mazatlan, La Paz and into the Sea for the summer. In the spring the prevailing winds change to southerly, making for a nice run back up the coast. Stay tuned, as our plans may very well change again!! LOL! We're cruisers without a schedule! If any of you plan to be in Mexico in the next few months, please let us know where you'll be, and maybe we can meet up.

Fair winds and following seas to all of our Cruiseport friends who left this morning! We miss you already, and hope to meet up with you again down the way soon...