Cruising

Sitting Out the Blow in San Francisco Bay

December 5, 2012 By The Pedersens Leave a Comment

At Anchor, Bahia San Francisco

Well, that was quite a blow yesterday, but not nearly as bad as those we sat out in Bahia Santa Elena in Costa Rica or the Golfo de Fonseca in Nicaragua. The northwest wind built steadly from about noon, gusting over 25 knots throughout the afternoon and into the evening. The bottom here in the bay is great holding, and we were snug as a bug all day.

Hiking Trail at Isla San Francisco

Before the winds kicked up, Ole, Colin and Margy dinghied ashore to climb the southeastern hill, on which a trail is visible zig-zagging all the way up. Once they reached the top, they found the trail along the ridge to be a little narrow for comfort, being nothing more than a shelf with a sheer dropoff on the southern side.

Wildlife spotted included a couple of lizards…and various insects.

All of us opted to stay in last night, not wanting to venture out in the choppy bay with the dinghy. So it was dinner and a movie aboard Emma Jo, with the luxury of devil’s food cupcakes baked in the convection oven. I think I like this!

Filed Under: 2012 Tagged With: Adventures, Cruising, Sea of Cortez, Weather

San Francisco Bay (No, not that one!)

December 3, 2012 By The Pedersens Leave a Comment

At Anchor, Bahia San Francisco

Isla San Francisco

At 10:00 this morning, we took off for a 17-mile run north to tiny Isla San Francisco to sit out a norther. Apparently great minds think alike, because by the end of the day there were 16 boats in the anchorage, both motor and sail, all seeking a calm place for the 20-25 knot winds forecast for Tuesday.

San Francisco is another beautiful, wide bay on the island of the same name. The bay is almost a perfect half-circle, with steep hills on the northwest side, smaller hills on the southeast side, joined by a sandy strip. The bottom is white sand, meaning the water is gradated turquoise all the way in to the beach. And the water is so clear, we can see the anchor itself in 20 feet. There’s a small sea turtle that seems to call this bay home, as we’ve seen him bobbing up for air from time to time between the boats.

Filed Under: 2012 Tagged With: Cruising, Mexico, Sea of Cortez

Snorkeling with Sea Lions at Los Islotes!

December 2, 2012 By The Pedersens Leave a Comment

At Anchor, El Embudo

Los Islotes

From Bahia San Gabriel, it was a smooth run up to the north end of Isla Partida and a tiny anchorage in El Embudo, a v-shaped cove with barely swinging room for the two of us – but protected enough in the wind and swell for us to overnight.

It was a short dinghy ride out to Los Islotes, a dramatic rocky outcropping consisting of two islets connected by an exposed reef, and home to a rookery for California Sea Lions. The Mexican Park Service has mooring balls set just offshore for pangas and dinghies, so we tied up and Colin, Margy, and I jumped in and snorkeled toward the reef. [Read more…]

Filed Under: 2012 Tagged With: Adventures, Cruising, Mexico, Sea of Cortez, wildlife

Bahia San Gabriel, Isla Espiritu Santo

December 1, 2012 By The Pedersens Leave a Comment

At Anchor, Bahia San Gabriel
Sea of Cortez

Image Source: Moon Travel Guides

Yesterday we hooked up with Colin and Margy from Pacific Raven out of Victoria, a great couple we met in Manzanillo and again in Mazatlan. After a dinner out last night, we decided to join forces and go out for a week’s exploration of some of the neighboring islands.

First stop was Isla Espiritu Santo, and anchorage in Bahia San Gabriel, a large, beautiful bay lined with a picture-book white sand beach and a bottom the turquoise of a swimming pool. (It’s the big bay on the lower left-hand side). It was a beautiful spot and a quiet evening, with cocktails aboard Pacific Raven to watch the sun go down.

Ole and I opted to take a snorkeling trip out in the dinghy to Punta Prieta on the northwestern corner of the bay on Saturday, and discovered so-so snorkeling but a lovely little cave on the point in which someone had erected a shrine hidden among the rocks. The island was a base for a pearl fishery many years ago, and it might have been a tribute to a long-ago pearl fisherman.

Filed Under: 2012 Tagged With: Adventures, Cruising, La Paz, Sea of Cortez

Arriving in Mazatlan to a Warm Welcome

March 17, 2012 By The Pedersens Leave a Comment

Singlar Marina, Mazatlan, Sinaloa

Humpback Whale Mother and Calf, Approaching Mazatlan

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. [Read more…]

Filed Under: 2012 Tagged With: Cruising, Mazatlan, Mexico, Underway, wildlife

Arrived Safe and Sound in Barra de Navidad

March 4, 2012 By The Pedersens Leave a Comment

At Anchor, Barra de Navidad

Morning in Barra Lagoon

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. [Read more…]

Filed Under: 2012 Tagged With: Cruising, Culture, Underway

Life is Brutal (Not)

March 1, 2012 By The Pedersens Leave a Comment

At Anchor, Las Hadas Marina

At Anchor, Las Hadas Resort

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

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! [Read more…]

Filed Under: 2012 Tagged With: Bocas del Toro, Cruising, Culture, Mexico

Leaving Huatulco for Points North

February 21, 2012 By The Pedersens Leave a Comment

Underway for Mazatlan…

After almost exactly 22 months, we finally threw off the lines and left Huatulco yesterday. We’re sitting in the pilothouse enjoying the second day of a pleasant 235 miles of our first leg to Mazatlan – hoping to either anchor in Acapulco if we need rest, or complete another 110 miles and drop the hook in Zihuatenejo for a few days.

Last night was magic…only one ship came up on the radar, the sea was like glass, and we got “torpedoed” by iridescent dolphins more than once. This morning there was a spectacular manta ray ballet, and we watched dozens of them leaping by twos to flap up to 10 feet in the air and land with a thwap. [Read more…]

Filed Under: 2012 Tagged With: Cruising, Mexico

Cruising Pacific Panama With Friends

November 30, 2009 By The Pedersens Leave a Comment

Isla Bayoneta, Panama

Leaving Panama City

Well, we made it through the Panama Canal without incident, stayed a few days at Balboa Yacht Club, and made our way out to the Perlas Islands southeast of Panama City to enjoy a couple of weeks cruising and familiarizing Dale and Linda with the systems aboard Emma Jo. [Read more…]

Filed Under: 2009 Tagged With: Cruising, Holidays, Panama

Crossing to Colon

October 20, 2009 By The Pedersens Leave a Comment

Maggie Crossing to Colon in Style

What fabulous weather- another “silver box” crossing! We fueled up, paid up, and left Bocas at 1100, planning to arrive in Colon by daylight. Given the following current of 2.5 knots, mirror calm swells with light and variable winds of less than 10 knots, even the cats had a good time – Maggie sacked out on the couch for the entire 15 hours, and Barclay found a spot on our bed. [Read more…]

Filed Under: 2009 Tagged With: Cruising, Panama