San Carlos

Motorsailing to Santo Domingo

Hola from San Carlos, Sonora, Mexico.  We got here yesterday, a day earlier than we planned  -that weather thing again.  What a great place!  We took a dinghy ride around and took some pics. We have from now until March 7th to get IRIE all ready for the dry storage here which will be very HOT and dusty.  The list has been getting longer each day instead of shorter.  Right now she's getting a spa treatment by a couple of locals.  Body wash and nails buffed and polished. Looking good!

We've managed to visit three local bars/restaraunts so far - all good - and met up with old friends from s/v Circe who we played volleyball with in La Paz a couple years ago.  So much to do, and so little time.  We dedicate ourselves to boat work until mid afternoon each day, then it's time to enjoy ourselves.

Reach out and touch some...

Escorted into Bahia Conception

Hitchhiking to Mulege

From the dinghy in San Carlos

This shot was supposed to be posted after the next one as that would be the way it actually happened, but either way, pretty fun time.

San Carlos harbor entrance

There were probably 20 dolphin playing around us here in Bahia Conception.  Sorry I couldn't get a better picture of it all.








No one had a working telephone in the little bay we anchored in (el Burro) so we had to hitchhike to Mulege about 16 miles away for supplies.  This was a new experience to say the least!  And yes, we did find a taxi to bring us back.








San Carlos is an exceptionally beautiful place with all sorts of rocks and caves, islands and bluffs, bays and mountains, and homes to match. A small town with a large percentage of Americans in residence.  Most of the locals speak some English which sure makes it easier for us.  It's easy to see why people like it here.

The marina is very nice, but at California prices, it should be.  Yet, the dry storage facility is really quite reasonable at about 1/2 to 1/3 the cost of putting up a boat in La Paz or other ports.  That's one of the main reasons we're here.

So, it's back to work for now.

E

View from the Yacht Club

Northbound

Anchorage at San Juanico

Loreto from about 4 miles out

More San Juanico

Cruiser's "Shrine?"

This guy will do anything to get his picture on the blog

Fifteen days since we left La Paz, and eleven magnificent anchorages.  What can I say!!

Something has to make up for little or no internet availability, and these places have done it all.  

If you've been receiving the SPOT notices, you know that we've been taking only rather short hops up the coast.  The most recent was a scant 8 miles and the longest has been about 40 miles.  All told, I think we've only covered a couple hundred miles, but we've been in all kinds of scenery and had plenty of good times.

About a week ago, we met Greg and Janis from s/v Gitana who actually sailed aboard IRIE when she was owned by Pete and Sue Simpson and known as "Pipe Dream".  That was in the early nineties and included two separate cruises in and around the Mexican Riviera.  The more I learn about the history of this boat, the more I appreciate her.  And she continues to be good to us.  We're actually getting pretty good at anchoring too.  

Presently, we're at Playa Burro in Bahia Conception.  A totally magnificent place for scenery, with rock islands and quiet little bays everywhere.  This is the home of a fellow named Geary, an American who wakes up at about 3:30 every morning so he can give cruisers who listen to the Sonrisa net on Single Sideband Radio an accurate weather update.  

Every ting is irie, as they say.  C and I are doing well.  It's been a cool Winter for Mexico, but not altogether bad.  It has been very windy, which, of course, compounds the cool temps and makes doing a good job of anchoring all the more important.  But overall, a good time is being had!

Next on the agenda is the 80 mile crossing of the Sea from where we are to San Carlos on the mainland where we will prep, haul, and store IRIE for the Summer.  It looks like this Friday may be a good day/night to make this trip.  Not locked in yet, but you'll see the SPOT notice indicating that we're on the way.  Where's that extra crew when we need him/her?  

Once we get to San Carlos, we figure a week or so to relax and enjoy ourselves get the lay of the land, prep IRIE, and get ourselves a ride to Tuscon where we can fly home to Medford.  Hoping to get home to Grants Pass mid March.  

OK, that's it until we can get online again sometime in San Carlos.  

See ya,

E

Fine dining in Evaristo