San Francisco Bay (No, not that one!)

December 3, 2012 By 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.

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Snorkeling with Sea Lions at Los Islotes!

December 2, 2012 By 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…]

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Our New Home in La Paz

November 27, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Marina de La Paz
La Paz, Baja California Sur

Given a favorable weather window, we decided to leave on Sunday the 25th to cross over to La Paz, with a rest stop in Ensenada de los Muertos. The crossing was another Emma Jo night of magic, with winds less than 5 knots and seas less than 2 feet, dropping off to nothing in the very early morning hours. Coupled with an almost-full moon, we were enchanted.

Ensenada de Muertos

The sea was like glass, the ocean swell disappeared about halfway across the Sea of Cortez (sheltered from the swell by the Baja Peninsula), and the water shone like a mirror. We dropped anchor in Los Muertos about 10:30 a.m., had our first anchor dram (the Emma Jo tradition upon our safe arrival) from a bottle of Norwegian Akavit called, oddly, Anker Dramm. [Read more…]

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Ole’s Birthday and Thanksgiving in Mazatlan

November 22, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Marina Mazatlan

Topolo Restaurant

We passed Ole’s 60th birthday quietly last night, with dinner out at Topolo, a fine Mexican restaurant near Plaza Machado. The building is an old hacienda, and the tables are spread among the open interior courtyard and garden. The waiter was hysterical, cracking jokes in both English and Spanish…the food was superb…and the wandering sax player lent great background. It’s such a treat to eat outdoors on a balmy evening in such an “old world” atmosphere. [Read more…]

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A Night at the Opera

November 17, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Marina Mazatlan

Another great evening at the Angela Perralta Theater – this time for a performance of La Boheme, featuring the Sinaloa Symphony, the Theater Chorus, the Mazatlan Children’s Choir, a brass band for the “tattoo,” and great sets and lighting. The singers, all local, were superb – fully as professional and up to Puccini as anyone I’ve heard.

And opera, being opera, the story is, well, an “opera.” Starving artists squeaking by in a Parisian garrett, boy meets girl, girl gets TB and dies. All set to music. Corny as it is, that Puccini knows how to evoke emotion in music, and there wasn’t a dry eye in the house as Mimi coughed her last! [Read more…]

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Elvis Impersonator in Mazatlan?

November 8, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Marina Mazatlan

With more and more cruisers coming “home” to their boats here in Mazatlan, the dock is jumping. Little did we know that just astern of our boat at slip 6-28 is the site of the nightly cocktail party, beginning at 4 pm. It’s hard to be a hermit with all the laughing, talking, and drinking just off my swimstep!

BJ and Merry off the sailboat Willow and I went down to Plaza Machado this past week for an Elvis tribute show. All I can say is wow – with a full brass section and 5-voice backup choir from Mexico City, the entire Sinaloa Chamber Orchestra, and his own 5-piece band, “Elvis” rocked the house with the whole Phil Specter “wall of sound” Vegas show. I continue to be impressed with the level of culture here in Mazatlan, with the Angela Perralta Theater, one of the finest modern dance schools in Latin America, and a full-on music conservatory with practice rooms open to the square. It’s quite a treat.

Also got bottom braces this week, just in time for my 61st birthday on the 11th and Ole’s return on the 18th. Que romantic!

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Day of the Dead in Mazatlan

October 31, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Marina Mazatlan

Well, a few of the regular cruisers are straggling back…and heard through the grapevine that Mazatlan has a great Halloween tradition. So a few of us went downtown to Plaza Machado to check it out.

Beer Cart Photo courtesy of Dianne Hofner Saphia at https://vidamaz.com

Instead of the traditional visit to the cemetery for All Saints Day, Mazatlan has more of a community costume party and parade…featuring the Catarin and Catarina characters…and four festive burro-drawn wagons with huge kegs that pass out free beer until it’s gone. So I joined Margy and Colin and their friends from Victoria, along with Rick from Magic Places, for a ringside seat and dinner at one of the restaurants – then a stroll around to meet the donkeys who were working so hard.

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On My Own in Mazatlan…Again

September 20, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Marina Mazatlan

Ole was contacted at the last minute to switch to the Azamara Quest for this contract…long story…but as usual everything worked out for him to join the ship in Barcelona.

It’s pretty empty here at the dock, with Rick and Goldene from Magic Places and Rick on Cape Star the only folks on the dock. The good news is that I do have company whether I want it or not – there’s a black cat on the dock who’s lived here on his own for nearly 11 years, scrounging and ingratiating himself with whoever strolls down the dock to feed him. In terms of feral cats, “Slacker” has it made. It’s clearly HIS dock…none of the other 40 feral cats venture down here except a timid little tabby named “Debbie” who Slacker seems to tolerate. [Read more…]

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Back to Mazatlan

August 20, 2012 By Leave a Comment

After 5 weeks in Norway, with Ole working like a lumberjack felling trees, chopping kindling, ripping down a storm-damaged pier with his bare hands, and generally buffing up with physical exertion, I was laid up with a bad back, lending not much more than hanging curtains, keeping the place clean and Ole fed, and “oohing and aahing” at the displays of manly skill.

We got back to Mazatlan to find Emma Jo in fine shape, and Ole impressed with the galley refit and general state of the work. He, of course, had his own punch list of little things for Marine Services Mazatlan and Rick to touch up…but all in all, she’s looking like somebody cares about her.

Ole’s got just a couple of weeks here, then he’s off to work again. I’ll be alone on the dock, pretty much, until the cruisers start coming back south in early November.

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The General Chaos Continues — With Progress!

April 15, 2012 By Leave a Comment

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.

[Read more…]

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