Deconstructing Emma Jo

April 15, 2012 By Leave a Comment

April 15, 2012
On the Hard, Mazatlan Marine Services
Mazatlan, Sinaloa, Mexico

Demolition is always way easier (and much more fun) than actually fixing things, as the following photos will show.

Just one corner of the general chaos that is our home...

First, we covered every conceivable (and some unconceivable) surface with drop cloths, cardboard, and duct tape.

Then, they ground off all the bottom paint, right down to the bare fiberglass, took off the blue stripes, cut out the patches of damaged fiberglass on the fly bridge, and ripped the non-skid off the entire main deck. Dust everywhere. [Read more...]

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High and Dry — Let the Organized Chaos Begin!

March 24, 2012 By 2 Comments

March 24, 2012
Singlar Marina, Mazatlan

Emma Jo High and Dry

Here we are, high and dry, with the accompanying chaos.

Our Tuesday haulout didn’t go as planned, as the north winds kicked up and Miriam, the lift operator, plans methodically for a calm, stress-free haulout. At her recommendation we waited until Wednesday morning, which was perfect.

 

Miriam the Lit Operator at Singlar, Mazatlan

 

We entered the lift at 9:05 a.m., and were high and dry by 9:45, with guys armed with a pressure-washer at the ready. It’s the first time we’ve seen a travelift operated by remote control, and with a cute, petite woman at the command. She’s a pro, and doesn’t lift a finger unless everything is perfect.

It was also the first time we stayed aboard until the boat was supported by the sling – the travelift moved us forward, the guys organized a ladder at the front rail, and we just stepped off. Brilliant! [Read more...]

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Neptune Relents…and We are Grateful

March 24, 2012 By Leave a Comment

March 17, 2012
Singlar Marina, Mazatlan, Sinaloa

Well I guess we paid our dues the other night rounding Cabo Corientes in that mess.

Our 185-mile passage north to Mazatlan was … dare I say … spectacular. We had little to no wind, with the anemometer showing between 9 and 11 knots relative and subtracting our speed of around 7 knots we can safely say we saw less than 6 knots of real wind the whole 25 hours.

And with that little wind, the sea was almost mirror-calm with little cat’s paws raking the surface every now and then and a gentle swell of 0 to 2 feet most of the way.

During the night we passed two sailboats heading in our direction, giving me practice at identifying targets on the radar at night and verifying what running lights on a sailboat’s spreaders look like. The radio was quiet.

Arriving Mazatlan -- Humpback Whales at Dawn

The icing on the cake was a sighting of humpback whales just after sunrise, a mother and calf feeding not 100 yards off our starboard side. When they sounded, I ran for the camera and hoped they would appear again for a picture…and as luck would have it, they surfaced and blew about 50 yards off the port side.

I could get used to that – but probably shouldn’t. [Read more...]

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Adios, Banderas Bay…

March 24, 2012 By Leave a Comment

March 16, 2012
Leaving La Cruz and Banderas Bay

The Dolphin Statue at Marina Nautica Puerto Vallarta

We spent a pleasant four days at the marina in La Cruz, and Ole was in pig heaven wandering around the downtown chandlery Zaragosa Marine, saving me thousands of dollars by not buying everything that caught his fancy.

The bus system makes all kinds of sense here – for 16 pesos, the equivalent of a dollar and a half, we were able to take a 45-minute trip into town for supplies, lunch, and a much-needed haircut. Neither of us has been here since the mid-80s, and the development is astounding. [Read more...]

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Well, THAT Was Fun…

March 21, 2012 By Leave a Comment

March 13, 2012
Marina Riviera Nayarit, La Cruz
Banderas Bay

Well, THAT was fun.

When we left Chamela last Monday morning, we saw the only “hole” in the weather around Cabo Corientes would occur between 6:00 and 10:00 pm, when the winds would theoretically die down to less than 15 knots.  The forecast for the rest of the week was 20-25 knots for days.

We timed our departure accordingly, leaving Chamela just before 8:00 a.m. to travel with a few sailboats toward the Cape. The late morning hours were fine – certainly 5-7 foot swells, and apparent wind from 15-20 knots. I made lunch…then it all went horribly wrong. [Read more...]

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Dolphins for Breakfast…and a Raft-Up Dinner

March 12, 2012 By Leave a Comment

March 10, 2011
Departing Bahia Tenacatita

At anchor, TenacatitaWhat a wonderful few days it’s been here at Bahia Tenacatita, just over 30 miles northwest of Manzanillo. As far as anchorages go, this is one of our top 5 so far.  We’re snug as a bug behind Punta Chubasco and nestled among about 15 other boats (most of them with sticks). Afternoon breezes have come up, nothing past 10-15 knots, and at night, the wind lays down nicely and leaves us with a gentle “wrap-around” swell – just enough to rock us to sleep.

Both mornings have featured company for breakfast – dolphins feeding among the anchored boats. Way too unpredictable to snap a photo, so you’ll just have to take our word for it.

Mangrove estuary at Tenacatita

Our first day here, we lowered the dinghy to explore the famous mangrove estuary that winds 2-3 miles across the peninsula. Unfortunately, we didn’t make it all the way to the lagoon, as the last half mile or so has been blocked by storm damage and the locals haven’t quite finished clearing the path. [Read more...]

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On anchoring in “pudding…”

March 6, 2012 By 4 Comments

March 6, 2012
At Anchor, Barra de Navidad

Morning in Barra de Navidad Lagoon

Barra de Navidad is one of those magical places we dreamt about when we took off from Florida over 5 years ago. It’s a large, sheltered, shallow lagoon behind a long, crescent-shaped beach, offering protection from swell, lots of entertainment from the fishermen and competing seabirds, and a sweet little town well worth exploring.

Opportunistic Pelican

The French Baker -- Croissants at Your Doorstep!

We woke this morning to mirror-calm water, a spectacular sunrise, and fishermen casting large circular nets in the shallows. During the second cup of coffee, we were offered an offbeat treat: fresh-baked French pastry delivered right to our swim step with a hearty, authentic “Bonjour, masseur/dames.” (Cue Homer Simpson voice…yummmmm).

Once we were awake and alert, we called a water taxi to take us into town. It’s a great deal: hail them on the radio, they pick you up at your boat, you pay for the round trip (25 pesos) at their terminal in town – then return to your boat any time you want, day or night. [Read more...]

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Underway from Manzanillo to Barra de Navidad

March 6, 2012 By Leave a Comment

March 4, 2012
Underway from Manzanillo to Barra de Navidad

It’s been a wonderful few days here in Manzanillo, and it’s amazing how quickly we can settle into a routine once we’ve found a great place like this. Mornings puttering around getting chores done, then afternoons by the pool, with the obligatory margarita for me and Negra Modelo for Ole.

One of the best things about this lifestyle is connecting with people who share our passion for cruising…making new friends at each anchorage, and reconnecting with those we’ve met along the way. We’ve shared dinner and boat brand knowledge with Ron and Sheryl from Lazy Days, a 44+5 DeFever. We’ve reconnected with Barb and Gary from Hurrah, a Taiana double-ender we originally met in Bocas del Toro. And we met the wonderful Christophe and Marianne, Swiss friends of Gerry and Chris whom we’ve heard so much about.

Santiago Market

Many of us got together yesterday for a trip to Santiago, just a mile or two down the road, where we explored the weekly market. It was huge – a covered tent-like space featuring hundreds of vendors of everything from handcrafts to tools to the most beautiful berries I’ve ever seen. Two hours of pleasant meandering later, we all met for a great brunch at Juanito’s, a great little café run by a Canadian fellow who retired here in the 1970s. [Read more...]

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If things get any worse, we’re going to have to file a complaint!

March 4, 2012 By Leave a Comment

March 1, 2012
At Anchor, Las Hadas Marina

We’ve been at anchor off the spectacular Las Hadas Resort since last Monday. A small fee of 200 pesos per day or 1000 pesos per week gets us all the resort privileges…swimming pool, beach towels, gym usage, and discounts at the bars and restaurants. And nice staff who deliver poolside cocktails and snackies. Plus a great little marine chandlery with more stuff than we’ve seen in one place for the last 5 years!

There are a few other boats in here, making it fun to mosey over to the pool in the afternoon to catch up with old friends and make new ones. All in all, it’s a great place to pause before poking our way north. [Read more...]

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Enroute from Ixtapa to Manzanillo

February 28, 2012 By Leave a Comment

February 27, 2012
En Route from Ixtapa to Manzanillo

We’ve been underway since 2:00 p.m. yesterday, and are currently about 4 hours from our anchorage in Manzanillo, where we expect to arrive some time between 4:00 and 4:30 p.m.

Our principal weather sites, Magic Seaweed, PassageWeather, and BuoyWeather, indicated we’d have little to no wind, and very small swell today – and that conditions would begin deteriorating tomorrow. So off went the lines, and out we went, planning on a passage of about 27 hours to travel the 180 or so miles.

So far it’s been a great trip…with no wind beyond the normal onshore/offshore daily pattern, and swells less than 2-3 feet. Last night we worried we were the last people on earth, as we saw nothing on the radar for hours at a time (fine by me).

It’s been so quiet, as a matter of fact, that this morning until about 10:00 it was like glass…not a ripple on the water. There hasn’t been much in the way of sea life – but we’re noticing different birds here than just 400 miles south:  Caspian terns, brown boobies, and the occasional gull cruise by to have a look at us. More often than not, we’ll identify the location of a sea turtle because we’ll see a bird standing on its back to rest.

Filed Under: 2012, February Tagged With:
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