End of Summer 2000

September & October 2000

Tuesday September 19, 2000 – Bahía de Los Angeles

PJ and Loretta arrived last night just before dark.  We had a nice visit and dinner at Guillermo’s then decided to leave the emptying of the car until the morning.  Bill and I had spent the morning filling water tanks, gathering groceries and filling the dingy fuel tank with 4 gallons of gas.

This morning it was like Christmas around here as the car got unloaded of all the goodies and treats that were carried south for us.  Bill had placed an order with Downwind Marine while we were in Santa Rosalía.  Since we no longer remembered all that we had ordered, some of it was a real pleasant surprise.  PJ had also picked up some food items for us: receiving the 6 jars of crunchy peanut butter and some canned tomatoes was a real treat.  We spent the day anchored off the bay and enjoyed one more dinner ashore.

Thursday September 21, 2000

Yesterday we made an early morning run to the grocery store for fresh veggies, which were great as the store receives its fresh veggies each Wednesday.  About noon we upped the anchor and motored out to Puerto Don Juan.  Neither Bill nor PJ were feeling well so it was an hour-long motorboat ride even though we had fairly decent wind.  After setting the hook Loretta and I went into the shallows on the low tide and grabbed ourselves handfuls of clams.  Steamed clams were on the menu for dinner.

Today we again picked up more clams and whipped up a clam chowder and fresh bread for a dinner time feast.  PJ and Bill went claming with us this time and PJ and Loretta snorkeled in the shallows after we gathered our bag of clams.  Back on Lanikai there was much time for reading and resting.

Saturday September 23, 2000 – Ensenada el Pescador

Friday about noon we moved south to Ensenada el Pescador where we had enjoyed visiting with the caretaker of the rustic resort.  This area also has a great reef for gathering triggerfish and soon after the hook was set, PJ and Bill took of in the dinghy returning with three large triggerfish.  Two were turned into ceviche and the third was fried up for dinner.

Today we explored the marvelous beach of shells on the bird island that we have anchored behind.  The northerly winds began to blow Wednesday night and the air it brings is cooler and dryer than the summer winds.  So far the winds are light but S. California is expecting their first Santana winds of the season.  Santana winds in S. California usually indicate NW winds in the Sea of Cortez and are a winter phenomena.

Tuesday September 26, 2000 – Puerto Don Juan

Sunday after a morning snorkel we all went to shore and visited with Magdaleno, the caretaker at the resort.  PJ and Loretta took the opportunity to walk the beach and swim in the shallow warmer water.  The wind from the NW puffed all day even bringing up waves in the anchorage so it was a good afternoon to spend ashore.  We invited Magdaleno for dinner on the boat, but the wind never died down enough for him to paddle out in a kayak.

Yesterday we upped the anchor soon after the ham weather report on the Chubasco net and beat our way back to Puerto Don Juan, where PJ and Loretta enjoyed swimming in the more protected warmer water.  For the passage, we had good waves in the channel and wind gusts to 30 mph.  It was quite calm in Puerto Don Juan when we arrived, but by mid-afternoon there were swells and lots of wind in the bay too.  By early evening it all died out and we had a calm night.  Thus passed the first northerly of the season.

Thursday September 28, 2000 – Bahía de Los Angeles

Yesterday we again moved and now are anchored off the town of Bahía de Los Angeles again.  We needed to return here so that PJ and Loretta could pick up their car to return to S. California.  In the morning, before leaving Puerto Don Juan, we had gone to shore at very low tide to play in the sand flats at the head of the bay.  We watched the painting that was occurring on a boat bottom that had been beached on the sand for that purpose.  The boat is anchored in shallow water at high tide and when the tide goes out, the boat lies over on its side and the bottom can be cleaned and painted.

We spent the late afternoon sitting in the palapa at Guillermo’s, visiting with all who passed thru and stuck around long enough to enjoy an evening dinner.

Today we were ashore soon after the morning’s Chubasco Net weather report, ferrying PJ and Loretta’s luggage ashore.  They got the car loaded and by 8:30 AM were on their way north. 

Bill and I then spent the rest of the day on projects and clean up, getting Lanikai ready to start the journey home to Mazatlán.  Bill repaired the barbeque and watermaker, all with parts brought south by our friends.  We again did dinner ashore enjoying great hamburgers and fries at Guillermo’s.

Sunday October 1, 2000

Yesterday we moved back south to Ensenada el Pescador and after settling in we dinghied ashore to visit with Magdaleno.   We practiced our Spanish with Magdaleno and swapped some Spanish and English words with him.  Bill also helped Magdaleno with some English pronunciations.

Today Magdaleno took us out in his panga to visit the sea lion colony.  His son was with him and a friend, Mario, went along too.  We all had an enjoyable time watching the sea lions and visiting.  It makes things like this much more enjoyable to have an understanding of Spanish.  After returning to La Unica, the resort, we continued our visit for several more hours before returning to Lanikai.  A quick snorkel the north point off the point netted us a trigger fish for dinner but the water was not clear enough for enjoyable snorkeling.

Magdaleno and his son returned to the village of Bahía de Los Angeles for the evening and Mario was left alone at La Unica.  About sunset Mario paddled by in one of the resort’s kayaks and we invited him onboard.  He was rather quiet but we did visit some and he enjoyed dinner of filleted trigger fish with us.

Tuesday October 3, 2000

Yesterday morning was boat project time again.  We replaced several of our older fans with the new low-power kind.  In the afternoon we made one last trek into La Unica for a last visit with Magdaleno and his wife Lydia who arrived this morning.

Today, right after the Chubasco net weather report, we pulled the anchor and headed south.  We started out with light northerly winds that built enough to keep a main and jib full, but not enough that we felt comfortable with the speed that would result if we shut the engine off, as we were in an area of large tides and currents.  The wind died completely at dusk so we dropped the jib but about 10:00 PM the wind switched to SW and built.  We then pulled up the smaller jib and had a great sail the rest of the night in winds strong enough to keep Lanikai moving at 6+ knots and even over 7 for several hours.  We lost the wind rounding Punta de Tres Vírgenes but it picked up about 8 miles out of the Santa Rosalía harbor, which gave us a quick ending to our overnight passage.  There was one dock space and we tied up in the marina about 24 hours after raising the hook, at 9:30 AM Wednesday morning.

Thursday October 5, 2000 – Santa Rosalía

Yesterday after tying up at the dock Bill took off to do the check in with the Capitan del Puerto while I got sails put away and the boat back in order.  Since we had had little sleep Tuesday night, we spent the rest of the day relaxing.  Rick and Marilyn from Tortuga drove in.  Their boat is stored in San Carlos for the summer and they planned to take the ferry over to there, leaving the car here for their return via boat.  We went to dinner with them at the local yummy hot dog stand and topped dinner off with the first ice cream we’ve had since mid August.

Today we got the few chores done that we wanted to accomplish here and even rinsed Lanikai down with fresh water.  We ate dinner at Hotel Frances where the food was not as good as in the past but the view from the deck was still superb.  Hundreds of pangas were out squid fishing with bright lights like stars on the water.  We asked Angel, the marina manager here, to toss a squid our way as we have taken a liking to the tender meat.

Sunday October 8, 2000

Friday was a relaxing day and I took advantage of the shore power to run my sewing machine.  I completed a few minor sewing projects.  It sure felt good to do some sewing again.  We ate dinner at the taco stand near the bakery, enjoying our carne asada tacos while we watched the news from Mexico City on their little TV. 

Yesterday I seemed to have had the local "bug" and spent the day resting while Bill had to fend for himself.  Of course there are many good restaurants where he found food for the day.

We finally got out of Santa Rosalía this morning but, due to SE winds and ominous looking clouds, we anchored off Isla San Marcos instead of the planned destination off Punta Chivato. 

Tuesday October 10, 2000 – Punta Chivato

Yesterday we finished getting to Punta Chivato.   Although we had NW winds when we left the anchorage, the easterly winds picked up again about 11:30 AM as we were heading east passing between Isla San Marcos and Punta Chivato.  Going got real slow as the waves picked up also but we finally got around the point and picked up speed.  We looked in toward the Punta Chivato anchorage and it did not look promising but a call to shore-based Mooney Base folks and a guiding-in from shore landed us in a slightly protected anchorage SE of a secondary point.  A reef protected us from the larger swells but it was still rolly due to small waves rounding the point.  We went ashore and enjoyed the hospitality of Jim and Marry of Mooney Base for the rest of the afternoon and in to the evening until lightening to the north and east made us scurry back to Lanikai. 

Wednesday October 11, 2000

Yesterday the weather continued to be unsettled so we spent much of the day on Lanikai just watching.  We made a trip into shell beach but as soon as we were ashore Bill noticed rain clouds heading our way so after a quick look-see we returned to Lanikai.  Both of us were soaking wet by the time we got home due to the large waves that splashed us as the dinghy pounded into them.   We had beat the rain but not the swells.  The rest of the afternoon we spent closing ports and opening ports as the rain squalls passed through.   Evening came and we again went ashore to visit Jim and Marry.  I took a fresh loaf of sour dough bread and Marry made a lovely rice casserole, another very enjoyable dinner.

Today after a rolly windy night we upped the anchor and moved south to the north end of Bahía Conception.  After a relaxing light wind sail we anchored in calm conditions but by late afternoon the squalls were attacking us with wind (to 25 knots), choppy water and some rain.

Saturday October 14, 2000

Thursday morning Tom’s weather report on the Chubasco Net and the fax picture indicated that the southerly winds would turn around and we would soon have northerly winds.  Bill and I decided that it was time to up the hook and head to Mazatlán with the understanding that there were several bailout points during the first part of the journey.  The wind did shift by noon on Thursday and we have traveled under sail until this morning when the wind shut off.  We still have 36 hours to go and hopefully they will not all have to be under motor power. 

Last night during my watch, a pod of dolphins stopped by to play.  They romped along the port side and bow for several hours and one of them flapped his tail several time, splashing water on me.   Since we had a full moon, it was great fun watching them play and it sure makes the night watch go faster. 

Monday October 16, 2000  –  Back in Mazatlán

We arrived back in Mazatlán yesterday afternoon crossing into the marina channel about 3:45 PM.  We never saw the wind again after Saturday morning except as occasional puffs.  The seas calmed down to their glassy flat state as we motored the rest of the way south.  Bear, from Oceania, met us at the dock and helped us to tie up on the end of dock 3 where we get the afternoon breeze coming down the hatch.  Bear is soon to leave Mazatlán for the states; we will all miss him but wish him well.  Since Bear still has a car here we went off for tacos, with “Canvas by Christina” Christina too.  An enjoyable evening of visiting was spent afterwards at Christina’s condo.

The weather here is still hot in the day but comfortable in the evening although the humidity is quite high.  The decks were dripping wet this morning with the heavy dew.

Thursday October 19, 2000

The last few days have been spent cleaning up Lanikai after the long summer and washing off much salt.  Tuesday we went into Migration and the Capitanía del Puerto to check in and start the renewal process for our FM3 visas.  The renewal went much faster than expected and we got all the paperwork finished and turned in, in one day.  The renewed visas will be ready to pick up tomorrow, a much faster turnaround than last year’s 3 weeks. 

We are settling in nicely to dock life in Marina Mazatlán again and hope to be on a dock with electrical power by the end of the month so we can get started with this winter’s projects.