Loreto
Misión de Nuestra Señora de Loreto Conchó, founded on October 25, 1697 ENSENADA BLANCA - Staying in an anchorage in front of a resort has its perks. Not only do we get to use the pool, pool bar, showers and wifi, but also their shuttle service. Since there isn't a marina or decent anchorage in Loreto, it can be tough to get to and from [...]
How to Prepare Fresh Chocolate Clams
ENSENADA BLANCA - This is Cesar. He runs the palapa bar on the beach of Ensenada Blanca. Icons on map are clickable for more information on anchorages, marinas, snorkel spots, etc. Zoom out for others. There is no written menu and only three meal choices: Fish Tacos, Ceviche, or Clams. When you order the clams you better have some time to sit back and enjoy [...]
Bahia Aqua Verde
When looking at Bahia Aqua Verde from the water you would guess that there is not much of a town there. And you would be right. The goats seem to outnumber the people and the local dogs make sure the goats aren't harassed by curious gringos. Most front yards are adorned with mattresses on wooden frames. Right near the outdoor kitchens. We were told that [...]
Todos Santos
We took a short side-trip on our way back from the airport in Cabo last month and visited the "pueblo magico" of Todos Santos on the Pacific. After the heat of the Sea of Cortez, the cool ocean breezes were most welcome. It's a surfer and artist community lush with palm trees and funky beach homes. A sea of palm trees in the desert Cactus [...]
Mexican food made easy. And no fridge required!
Now that we are in Mexico tortillas have become a staple food, so I figured I better learn how to make them in case we run out. Corn tortillas are a breeze as long as you have Maseca (the recipe is right there on the bag and even I can decipher the Spanish instructions), water, and salt. The most important is a tortilla press! [...]
Useful Things
There are so many lists and guides on the internet of things you just have to have on a cruising boat that I didn't want to make yet another list, but I have found some things that I have not seen listed elsewhere which we use almost daily. Spotlight The rechargeable variety and the smaller the better. Not only useful for the obvious reasons like [...]
Isla Espiritu Santo
Icons on map are clickable for more information on anchorages, marinas, snorkel spots, etc. Zoom out for others. The past four weeks have been spent almost entirely without access to the internet. At first I was worried about missing important emails. Turns out I don't get any important emails. When I was finally able to get back on Facebook - which I usually check daily [...]
iPad on Board
Sailing the Sea of Cortez NOTE: This article was also published on the Women and Cruising website as well as being one of the 12 most popular articles of 2012. Women and Cruising is an excellent source for the cruising woman - whether out cruising or still in the planning stages. The iPad was one of the best purchases we made before heading south. We bought it at the last [...]
Between a Rock and a Hard Place
Icons on map are clickable for more information on anchorages, marinas, snorkel spots, etc. Zoom out for others. When we arrived in Bahia Puerto Balandra around 5pm we were stunned by how beautiful the bay was, with rugged cliffs and small coves of white sand beaches. We set our anchor as usual, in 12 feet of water at low tide, and paid out 75 feet [...]
Going Digital
Before moving aboard we converted as many of our things as possible to digital format. We knew there would be no space on a boat for years of paperwork and stacks of music CDs. We had originally planned on not keeping anything that wouldn't fit on the boat but there were just some things we couldn't part with so we bought a small cargo trailer [...]
Iguanas de La Cruz
Our favorite taco spot in La Cruz is nestled among the trees and all throughout lunch you hear things drop onto the awning above. Turns out it's the iguanas running around in the tree tops knocking down leaves and seed pods. Oh, and pooping... good thing that awning is there! Siesta time Look at the length of that tail!
Making Water
Remote panel above pillows. All other parts are under dinette seating. Mike wrote a testimonial about our water maker for Rich at Cruise RO and we wanted to duplicate it here. There are a lot of blogs out there who write "reviews" to get free gear. While we are not above getting free gear we just wanted to reiterate that we are very happy with our watermaker [...]
DIY Boat Cards
Traveling by boat we meet a lot of people - we live “next door” to them in marinas and anchorages. Having a common bond, we get to know each other quickly and “what do you do for a living” and "can you believe that traffic” is replaced with “what do you think of the upcoming weather” and “where can I find the showers”. It's nice [...]
La Cruz de Huanacaxtle
Copa Mexico Regata We are currently docked next to my parents' boat Prana in a very nice marina on Banderas Bay - about 20 miles from Puerto Vallarta. La Cruz de Huanacaxtle (pronounced wahn-a-caxt-lay) is a sleepy fishing town with cobble stone streets and an outdoor restaurant with live music on every corner. My folks arrived here a couple of months ago and have made themselves [...]
Cabo San Lucas and more Tales of Gales
After the sand storm we left Turtle Bay on a great weather window. Or so we thought... On the morning of our third day at sea the wind became gale force within a matter of an hour. Apparently the Northers that plague the Sea of Cortez during the winter months can make their way across Baja and blow into the Pacific without warning. With good sized [...]
Sand Storm in Turtle Bay
The day we had planned on leaving Turtle Bay (on a good weather forecast) a wicked sand storm blew in from the east. It lasted for two days and sand got into every nook and cranny on board. One of our neighbors, who also didn't know what was coming, had secured his dinghy by simply hanging it from a halyard - something a lot [...]
Turtle Bay
After a two day, three night sail we arrived in Turtle Bay at first light. It's only about 200 miles south of Ensenada but when you are moving at 4-5 knots things tend to take a little longer. Turtle Bay seen from our anchorage The dinghy and fuel dock The abandoned fish processing plant The lone sailboat in the distance is Camille
Feliz Dia Del Amor
This is the view we had over dinner the night before Valentines Day. We went out the night before to avoid the crowds and our cunning plan was a complete success. Some people (the two people that actually follow this blog) have been wondering where we've been? Here is what we've been up to. The Mexico-USA border fence. This is the old fence at Tecate. In Tijuana there is [...]
Celebrations
Some days ago Mike had yet another birthday. We hadn't really been out to a fancy dinner since leaving Portland and were happy to have an excuse to dine in style. Punta Morro Resort, just outside of town, has a fabulous restaurant over the ocean. When the seas are big, waves splash onto the windows just beyond the tables. Since the sun has been setting around 5pm here, [...]
Vaka Visit
Seven beautiful vakas (traditional polynesian voyaging canoes) pulled into our marina today. They are on their way to the South Pacific via the Galapagos while filming a documentary on preserving the oceans. More about their journey... Today was Australia Day and since we have a few boats from Australia here, we had a bit of a celebration and potluck. Mike and I even had our first [...]
