After leaving Zihuatenjeo we made an overnight in Acapulco, but didn't linger in preference of more quiet, low key anchorages. Our timing was perfect for a two day stop at Punta Galera, which is a funky backpacker/surfer destination. It just so happened a pretty good south swell was coming through so Mike enjoyed 2 days of overhead surf with rides of over 300 yards. He's living his dream..... surfing good waves in warm water, with his catamaran just outside the surf break. Not to mention kayak shuttle service from the line up back to the boat with a cold beer and lunch ready and waiting. We also made stops at Puerto Angel, and Chachacual before resigning ourselves to a marina.
Marina Chahue, in Huatulco bay is the last stop for cruisers before crossing the Gulf of Tehuantepec. The Gulf of Tehuantepec is notorious for strong gales, AKA “T-peckers”. As it turned out we arrived in the marina on Tuesday with the next T-pecker forecast to blow beginning Wednesday through Saturday so we were staying put until at least Sunday. The first order of business when entering a marina is; I have a major cleaning frenzy with the hose from bow to stern, top to bottom, inside and out, while Mike fixes all the recent breakages. This time in the starboard engine compartment a very mysterious vibration developed. This was not an easy fix and took 2 long days of diagnosis through process of elimination to determine it's cause. With never a doubt in my mind, Mike found the problem, fixed it and in the process of elimination checked and serviced both props and engines, so we were good to go sailing again, but we still had three days left to wait out in the marina. Road trip!

So far our overall impression of mainland Mexico is the wild life, both natural and man made. Since arriving to the mainland we've been sailing a slalom course of dozens of sea turtles, bobbing along sunning themselves then diving just before our boat hits them, or not. Between Mazatlan and Barra de Navidad we had numerous close encounters with humpback whales, many of which were mothers with their newborn calves. There were at least a hundred humpbacks showing off breaching and tail slapping as we sailed into Banderas Bay. It felt like being in Yellowstone National Park with geysers erupting all around us. We had read about the wild crocodiles swimming in the rivers and lagoons so in every anchorage with a river we'd peddled our kayak in search of these wild reptiles, eventually spotting two 3-4 foot prehistoric monsters lurking in the mangroves in the busy lagoon off Zihautanejo. They were so cute! Also in the rivers and mangroves we spotted green parakeets and roseate spoonbills which look just like pink flamingo's but with a spoon for a beak. Snaking through the narrow jungle rivers was like a deja-vu of Disneyland's jungle boat ride but without the hippo.
Then there's the other wildlife that exists between Mazatlan and Zihautenjao, which I refer to as the Cruiser's Circuit”. The majority of cruising boats are stored for the summer up in the Sea of Cortez for hurricane season and then come November they beeline it down from their summer hibernation to winter on the mainland. Never more than a day or 2 between anchorages, boats will stay put for weeks at a time before moving onto the next stop in the “Circuit”. Yatista Villages are established and mayors are appointed. At 9:00 am the radio nets broadcast over the VHF. This is where everyone in the anchorage checks in or out, shares information, initiates daily and special activities and makes sure peace and harmony exists amongst the floating residents. There is daily bocce ball on the beach, birthday parties, boat raft-ups, beach BBQ and music nights, and each evening as the sun sets a chorus of conch shells echo a continuous round through the anchorage as a good night to all. A lot of the popular anchorages are also vacationing tourist destinations. This is where the real wildlife is found. The beaches and hillsides are lined with fancy resorts and restaurants, beach bars and night clubs, fish taco stands and souvenir shops. The bays are a-buzz with jet ski's, pull-toys, panga fishing boats, super yachts and an occasional snorkeler. The party starts up at midnight and seems to never end. There is no solitude, no silence, no stars and the bits of natural beauty are exploited with with wealthy mansions, tacky resorts and golf courses. Again, quite a contrast from our experience in the Sea of Cortez. But, I have to admit we have had a blast sailing through the Cruisers Circuit. Each stop has been a wonderful surprise, meeting up with old friends and making new ones. Dining out every night, listening to good music, cruising around the anchorages in our kayak visiting, parties etc. We even had an improv Hootenanny on Rum Doxy!
Alas, we now have now sailed beyond the circuit. From now on the boats we meet will be on a similar path, that of adventure cruising and heading to distant far off places looking for new and exotic experiences.
One of the things I love the best about cruising is you ALWAYS run into someone you know along the way, and the further from home you go the quicker and easier it is to connect with the new friends you make.

February 13, 2018, another one of life's bittersweet moments as we motor out of the 4 mile channel exiting La Paz. Over the last three years the Sea of Cortez has become like a second home to us; comfortable ,easy and absolutely one of our favorite, most cherished places. However, the desire to move on and explore new places is beckoning us south. From the desert to the tropics we sailed 300 NM, southeast for 2 nights and three days, to Isla Isabela, nicknamed "The Mexican Galapagos" which is located off the coast of Pacific Mexico, between Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta.
It was a good crossing with light to moderate winds from behind, so we sailed most of the way, including an entire day and night with the spinnaker. On the morning of the third day we were greeted by a large pod of spotted dolphins, which we have never come across before, who eagerly escorted us for quite some time until they got bored and decided to move on. Then as we were approaching Isla Isabela we saw a turtle floating on the surface sunning itself, then another and another until we had to keep a close lookout so we didn't run any over. There were dozens of them on our course. At the same time the humpback whales made themselves known and began breaching, tail slapping and spouting all around us, at least a dozen of them, as well. And above us was an air force of surveillance birds, frigate birds, white tail tropic birds, blue-footed boobies, brown boobies, pelicans and Heerrmans gulls. What a welcome!
Isla Isabela is rookery for the boobies and, having never seen one, we had to check them out. A short steep trail took us to the top of the bluff and landed us smack in the middle of their breeding grounds. It appeared they were in all phases of reproduction. There were couples engaged in they're mating rituals, females sitting on one egg in their nests (which were merely holes in the dirt), downy white chicks peeping out from underneath moms, larger chicks spouting feathers, teenagers studding their stuff, it was a very busy place. I felt like a complete intruder walking through their tribe, tip-toeing carefully, trying hard not to step on the unattended eggs and avoiding the "evil eye " and sharp beaks of the mothers on their nests. At the bottom of the bluff along the waters edge littered high and low thought out the shrubs and trees is where the frigate birds had their colony. Wear a hat and don't look up! The iguanas were either laying in wait or doing push ups on the rocks nestled among the shrubs and tress that the frigate birds were nesting in. They were all one big happy island family.

More photo's in the gallery located just above the blog.

In preparation for bottling day we realized that we were going to need about 48 empty bottles. So we bought 2 cases of the local lager and got to work. It was a thankless job, but we persevered and by the appointed day we had out quota of empties. After two weeks of waiting patiently (not!) for the fermentation of the beer to happen, it was finally bottling day.
First we set up buckets, hoses, filters, and nozzles then sterilized everything, including 48 dark brown bottles to fill with the beer and sugar water combination. We had 5 and ½ gallons of beer to transfer into bottles. I was the "filler upper" and Mike was the "bottle capper". The first few bottles were filled and capped just fine (those bottles just happened to be bottles we had saved from beer we had brought with us from the states), but when we tried to cap the Mexican beer bottles we were foiled. As it turns out the Mexican beer bottles don't have a lip on the bottle neck which our "home bottle capper" needs in order to fasten down the cap. So now what? Luckily, in addition to the old IPA bottles we had saved a number of my plastic mineral water bottles to see how well the beer did in plastic, but still those weren't nearly enough. So we ended up emptying all the rest of my precious mineral water over board for the bottles, and dug out an empty growler we kept from a local brewery in Loreto.
Technically one should wait at least 2 weeks before sampling, this is to allow the sugar and yeast to carbonate and for the residue to settle to the bottom. After just 3 days the plastic bottles had become firm with pressure and we're hoping that the bottles are strong enough. For experimental purposes, after 7 days we had to open and sample our first Rum Doxy IPA. It was a bit sweet and very foamy but very promising.
One week later..........much better, tasty even.
Now a month after bottling day I can say that our first beer making attempt was a success. the plastic water bottles work fine and, as an extra benefit, are 20 oz instead of 12. We are now enjoying the fruits of our efforts like "nectar from the gods".

It was a no brainer.
The idea to brew our own beer on board Rum Doxy came about while we were in the boatyard in Puerto Penasco, where we met fellow cruisers Jack and Nicole on the catamaran "Let it Be", who brew their own beer on board. They spoke of how easy it was, inexpensive and fun, even with two small children aboard and very little room to spare. They said it was well worth the time and effort. As we sat with them, drinking our precious last bottles of IPA smuggled down from home, discussing how wonderful craft IPA beer is and how difficult it is to get any such beer south of the boarder, it became obvious that this is what we must do!!
The next day I emailed my brother Peter , who has been brewing beer for over 10 years and is well known for his outstanding beers and the original Rum Doxy IPA. I told him of our idea and asked him for his thoughts and comments. We immediately received a very enthusiastic response offering us his expertise, a personal home brew demonstration and a 24 hour hot-line support. With that we were committed and excited to get started. But now we had to wait.....we were setting off into the remotest part of Baja, Mexico without any contact to the civilized world so ordering stuff on-line to get started wasn't an option. Since we were going home for Christmas and spending time with family, this also became our opportunity to invest in our beer making endeavor.
As promised, Peter was on board right from the start by arranging a Brew Day demonstration at his home so that we could witness step by step what the process was all about. It was 48* outside where we brewed and we (I) froze my ass off but it was a blast and an incredible tutorial. Peter is a brewmaster and a good teacher and he LOVES making beer! He gave use specific instructions on what equipment and supplies we would need in order for us to brew our very own Rum Doxy IPA, suggesting modifications and adjustments for brewing on a boat. After our tutorial we rushed over to More Beer in Concord and bought a Home Brew kit, accessories and all the ingredients to brew our first batch of Rum Doxy IPA.
I have to mention there are two home brewmasters in our family, Peter as I have already mentioned and Allan Gomes, our nephew who has been brewing since he got out of diapers. Shannon and Alan hosted a wonderful Christmas celebration at their home in San Francisco which for us also became another treasure trove of additional beer making knowledge.
Now the hard part; packing up all the supplies, and ingredients to bring with us on the plane. An 8 gallon stainless steel kettle, a 6 gallon fermenter, a 6 gallon plastic bucket, 15 pounds of malted barley, hops and all the other miscellaneous beer making stuff. This in addition to all the cheese and boat parts we usually smuggle down. It's been several years since we've had to use the airlines to get stuff to our boat (we normally have our mules smuggle the stuff in) so we paid close attention to weight but kinda forgot the agriculture restrictions until we arrived in Loreto and had to go through customs. Needless to say we looked very suspicious loaded down with boxes labled "Brew Kit" and " 8 gallon Stainless Steel Pot", both weighing 50 lbs each. So of course they pulled us aside and asked to x-ray our stuff. Everything went through x-ray without any alarms going off, but in the time it took for Mike to gather up all the boxes I was pulled to the side and questioned about the contents of my little black suitcase, and carry-on. "Do you have any food with you" the customs officer asked me?", I showed her my lunch bag but she was not interested, "anything in the black suitcase?" she asked. Darn, that's were I had $50.00 of gourmet cheese (also difficult to get in Mexico). I couldn't lie so I said I had some cheese and gave her my Tillamook Sharp Cheddar block, thinking that should do it. "Anything else is in the suitcase?" and pointed to the insulated bag with the remaining cheeses.
Crap, I was totally busted standing there like a criminal being scolded, having my cheese confiscated. I was humiliated and sad because I LOVE my cheese, but as the customs officer went over the list of prohibited items with me which clearly listed grains,seeds, nuts etc I was relieved to see Mike standing outside the security area with our boxes intact waiting for me, grinning. We got lucky. Now there was only one more item that had to make it through security at the airport and that was the high output propane burner that Brian and Alison were bringing down with them; the price they were willing to pay in order to sail around the Lorteo area for a week. Like I said before we have our mules bring in the really suspicious stuff. When we saw them walk from customs into the terminal dragging a ginormous black suitcase and smiles on their faces I knew we were home free, and they earned their vacation.
So after a wonderful week of sailing, playing games, and drinking margaritas the party came to an end, Brian and Alison left us and it was time to make beer. The day before brew day we got all the equipment set up, we went over the notes and instructions Mike's been gathering, texted Pete alerting him of tomorrow and a few preliminary questions then emotionally entered into the beer making zone.
1/09/2018 at 9:00 am, the big propane burner was fired up and the fun began. It was an all day project from start to finish. 88 text's and photo's were exchanged between Peter and us. It was if he was there with us the whole time, guiding us every step of the way, Thank you Pete!!!!! It was truly a wonderful sense of satisfaction and accomplishment when at the end of the day, a wet towel was wrapped around the fermenter full of beer. Now we wait for the bubbles through the airlock, inhaling the strong aroma of fermenting "wort", Aaaaaah. Mike is religious about checking on his beer at least every hour from the first moment he wakes up till just before he turns the light off for bed.
We had been debating on what to do with the middle port hull, the last unfinished part of the boat. The plan had been to make it a kind of guest bathroom with a second toilet, but never mind that, our guests can pee outside, it's now our dedicated brewery.

See the Gallery (click on the "Gallery" button underneath the "A Boat Too Far" banner above) for more photos.

The hills are turning brown, the nights are cooling off and a heater is needed in the mornings it's time us snow birds head south for the winter. Southern California is just way too cold! So October 31 we packed the Element with a “boat load” of stuff and drove down to Puerto Penasco, where we left Rum Doxy for the summer. Before we left last spring we hauled the boat out and stored it in the boat yard, a large sandy, empty lot. When we hauled out there where only two other boats in the yard, when we got back the yard had filled up... old friends to see again, new friends to meet. We spent the next two weeks sanding, grinding, painting and patching up the boat getting ready for our next sailing season. While working and toiling away in the boat yard it's hard to imagine sailing around in beautiful sparkly water, gently rocking to sleep, waking up to silence and solitude but that's the reward when you finally launch and that's what happens and it all becomes worth it!!
Starting at the very top of the Sea of Cortez feels like we are cheating. At this time of year the predominate winds blow from the north so it's mostly down wind sailing and we did not have to sail against the wind for 700 miles to get to this most remote corner of the Sea of Cortez. Unless you have a boat you will not see the places we have been to. There are no roads to speak of, no villages,commerce or tourist boats to take you out on day trips and no cell service, not even many cruisers venture up this far north. From the moment we sailed out of the Puerto Penasco harbor on November 15 until we arrived in Santa Rosalia 18 days later we had no contact with civilization (except via satellite phone or ham radio) nor any pressing schedule. We surrendered to the wilderness, weather and the immense, overwhelming beauty of the Northern Sea Of Cortez. We made our first stop after leaving the boat yard at the very northern part of Isla Angel de la Guardia. It felt like being reborn. We could feel the energy of Puerto Penasco and their Annual Motorcycle Rally (a gathering of 5000 motorcycles competing to see who was the loudest and baddest) which happened to be going on while we we there, drain from our bodies. After three days we blew further down to the midsection of the island and the anchorage at Este Ton, the most picture “postcard” perfect anchorage, where we stayed for 4 days. After detoxing and reclaiming our sea legs we set off to explore new anchorages, zig zagging back and forth between the many islands and the east side of the Baja peninsula. What has made this trip even more spectacular is our new toy that Mike got for his 60th birthday. Something I've always wanted, a 2 person peddle kayak! It has added a whole other dimension to our cruising experience. It is unbelievable comfortable, cruises at 3-4 knots, we don't ever have to paddle and our butts stay dry. We get a great workout (exercise being something that was really lacking while cruising) all while seeing so much more of the coastline and underwater aquatics in the 6-8 miles we can cover. Check out the gallery for pictures of things we saw, and places we stayed.
The party is over now. We're docked here in Santa Rosalia waiting out the “First Northerly Blow” of the season, anxious to get going because we still have to sail another 100 miles down to Loreto (3 days travel) where we will leave the boat and begin our long journey home for Christmas. After securing the boat in Puerto Escondito (Loreto) we have a 5 hour bus ride to La Paz, a plane to Hermosillo, a 5-7 hour bus to Puerto Penasco and a 3 day drive to the Bay Area with a stop in Santa Barbara for my friend Judith's very special birthday party which I do not want to miss!
I just love being home with family and friends at Christmas. The times we've been away for the holidays have always been very hard for me. This year is an extra special Christmas as the “Torch of the Ringenberg Christmas Tradition” is being passed on from Gordon and Grete (Grandpa and Grandma) to Sabine (grand daughter) who is very happy to take on this responsibility, skipping a generation (me) which I am grateful for. Thank you Sabine!
After Chrismas we'll fly back and bring in the New Year aboard Rum Doxy with Brian and Alison who are coming down join us for a cruise around the Loreto area for a week before we make a serious effort to sail south toward mainland Mexico, Puerto Vallarta and beyond.