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

Lovin La Paz

I'm not sure why it's been so difficult to write for the blog lately.  It's not like we've crawled into a hole and been doing nothing.  And there has certainly been no lack of requests for something new to appear on this page.  Plus, the need to post something has been on our list for some time now. I don't know, but since today is something of a sick day, here goes.

Yes, I'm getting over a cold, and Claudia is in the full blown sneezing and sniffling stage.  It has slowed us down some, yet the computer still stares at us and beckons.  Today is another like so many here this season.  The morning started out cool in low 50's, but it is sunny and very promising.  We listen to the AM cruisers net on the VHF radio to find out what is lost and what has been found, who is looking for what service or repair in La Paz, who has come to and who is leaving the fair city, what activities are on for the day, who has what items to sell or trade, and what the weather is expected to be like.  It's sort of like a soap opera.  There's rarely anything actually new or exciting, yet everyone listens just in case.  There is a certain sort of fellowship too.  The net is best enjoyed in the cockpit with a coffee.

Then, as C was feeling poorly, I dinghied in to have coffee on Iver's boat and catch up on the local gossip. On returning, I saw our new neighbor in his dinghy still tied to his boat, so I went over to say hi.  We talked for a while and decided that even though our boats were anchored a bit close to each other, there was probably no cause for concern.  He turns out to be an interesting fellow who has been sailing in the Sea since the mid 90's and we suggest that a meeting later in the day over a couple beers is in order.

On returning to IRIE, it's time for me to do some sanding on the outside teak handrails.  We're sanding down all the exterior varnish in prep for new.  By the time an hour is up, the wind is picking up and I'm getting cold, so I head for the shelter of the cockpit.  Then Bruce from s/v Juce arrives by dinghy and we talk about possible solutions to a chain locker problem I'm trying to resolve.  We talk about going to town together for some lunch, but the whitecaps outside tell me that I'd have to be willing to get wet to make the dinghy ride in and back, so I'll probably not go this time.  In fact, I'll probably not even go visit my neighbor later for the same reason.  So, I go below and read for a while, nap a bit, and then finally, turn on the computer, pray for an internet hookup, and begin writing this.

It seems so lame, having an attitude about the weather.  The sun is shining, it's 70 degrees and we're on the water, IRIE is proving to be all that we hoped she would, so who could complain?  Why don't we just change the subject.

See Maxine!!  It's taken her a while, but now and then we get to see her scoping out life outside the box.  It's good to see her enjoying herself again, and I sense that she's excited about our upcoming journey. You may recall that the reason she was given to us in the first place was because of her need for travel.

As we've been at anchor for about four weeks now, I suppose it's time to write something abut that.  The word that most comes to mind is private.  Not the running around naked on deck kind of private, - it's too cold for that anyway.  No, it's the privacy you get when you simply leave the hustle and bustle of the boatyard / dockside environment.  Folks on the dock whether just wandering around or doing business or on their way up to empty garbage and take a shower are no longer able to interrupt.  Even the simple distraction of the motion or the noise of daily life at the dock is mostly gone.  Maybe a better one word description would be peaceful.  It's been four weeks now since we've heard the boat boys cleaning the big fishing boats with their loud Mexican music / karoke going on.  And it's also a lot harder for friends to stop by for a drink or to say hi too.  Therein lies the other side of the coin.

To sum it up, from my point of view at least, we really enjoy being at anchor.  But in La Paz, where there's so much to do in town, and we have so many friends around,  I believe we'll buy a dock in the future.  That way, when we're anchored somewhere else in a quiet little bay with no one around, we can really enjoy the solitude.  Something we expect to be doing a lot of in the near future.

Junk sailing by in the anchorage at La Paz

Like everything else, the dinghy has it's ups and downs too.  For the first two weeks out here we were in the far side of the anchorage.  That is an area somewhat protected from wind and waves, but maybe a half mile from town and the docks.  While there, we had the 15hp outboard mounted and on those occasions when the sea was flat, we could make that dinghy fly.  At least it seemed like it.  Only once did I open it up all the way, and that was scary fast. Otherwise it was really fun zipping around here and there.  We wanted a hot rod dinghy, and I'd say we got one.  

Another nice surprise has been our TV antenna up in the rigging.  We bring in six Mexican stations clearly.  No, we don't watch much Mexican television, though it's pretty weird to see the Simpsons talking Spanish.  We have been able to watch the NFL every Sunday though.  A bit of home here on board in Mexico.  We're talking about having a Super Bowl party just before heading North in the Sea.

Speaking of heading North, that is still the plan for February.  We have several hundred miles to go against the prevailing winds hoping to reach San Carlos on the mainland around the first of March.  We'll try to post to the blog here once more before we leave, but there will be very little or no internet once we do.  Claudia will keep you posted with the SPOT when we're travelling as she did on the trip down here.  And there are two cities on the way where we should be able to hook up, but this is still the Baja.    E

Merry Christmas from the City of Peace

Well, it's been a whirlwind of activity for the past - have we really been here for two weeks already?  It's so easy for us to relax and feel at home in La Paz, but so far, we've been trying to take advantage of being tied to a dock. I'll try to give you a run down on what has happened and what we plan for the future.

Cabo was pretty fun.  It was our first time in that City and what a time it was.  Following a week of anchorages in small to nothing fishing villages,  we found ourselves immersed in sensory overload.  Lights, action, and loud music around the clock for three days and nights.  We spent too much, ate well, walked a lot, and slept little (thanks to the loud music).

When it was time to leave, we looked forward to an easy 50 mile day to Los Frailes anchorage.  But the weather and sea had another plan for us.  We were out of the Pacific swell, but strong North winds in the Sea for the past several days - and continuing against all predictions - made the Sea really ugly.  I've heard it described as sailing into a sea of refrigerators, the steep, short waves beat us up.  We thankfully pulled into Marina Cabo del San Jose after only 22 miles.

Following a restful night there, we again headed out for Los Frailes.  Again, with an excellent weather forecast.  Well, we beat ourselves up again for the 25 or so miles but did finally drop the hook in Los Frailes.  The anchorage already held several boats, and to our surprise, our friends on sv Sea Boa were among them.  They had left Mag Bay - 150 miles prior to Cabo San Lucas - two days before us with plans to sail directly to La Paz.  So they had been waiting in Frailes for more than a week for decent weather while we had been partying in Cabo.     That's the best description of the weather this fall that I can give you.



Helping a neighbor

Long story shorter, we did sail into La Paz on
Friday, December 3rd, 1430 nautical miles from San Francisco.  It was by help from a good friend and good fortune that we were allowed a slip in our favorite marina for a month.  At almost $500 US per month, we will only be here for one, but it has been action packed. 

We got the big outboard motor repaired - no, I couldn't get a clear idea of what was wrong - but it now runs beautifully for 600 pesos, about $44.  Built and rigged a mount for the small outboard.  Had new glasses made and remade.  Rebuilt the aft toilet.  Sewed several areas of the furling jib where the threads had rotted away.  Changed engine oil.  Replaced our anchor chain with new (that's 300 feet of 5/16" chain).  Emptied our storage bodega and sold all the excess at a swap meet.  And we're getting our little freezer turned into a refrigerator / freezer, and having a full boat cover made for IRIE.  Whew.  And that's just the stuff I remember.

Emptying out our storage was really interesting and fun.  You recall that before we left Sojourner in April of 2010 we removed all our personal items - and we should have taken a lot more - and put them into storage so we wouldn't have to come to Mexico when she sold.  It was great seeing all our things again and, of course, Maxine was thrilled to be let out and see daylight.  She's been really camera shy as you might imagine, but I'm sure we'll have a photo op soon. 



IRIE from the fourth floor

The mess and confusion of having two of many things aboard is mostly over now, and we're getting down to simply enjoying the City of La Paz.  And, for us at least, that's really easy to do.  For one thing, the weather.  While it's not what most people imagine, the temps are pretty darn near perfect for just living.  A little cool for vacationing perhaps, but upper 50's at night and 75 in the daytime with no rain works for us.  Then there are the people.  The Mexicans are totally friendly and helpful when we treat them with just a bit of respect.  And, it seems, we have friends most everywhere we go here.  Then, to complete the package, there's always something interesting going on. And, if that's not enough, we

Birds eye view

can always go sailing to some very cool cove and

anchor out for some quiet and privacy.

For now, we have 11 days left with dock power, and we intend to use it to operate a heat gun for removing old varnish for one thing.  Yes, it's time to begin some cosmetic improvements.  Then, we plan to move 1/4 mile or so to the harbor anchorage where we will spend the month of January.  We intend to sail North and across to the mainland at San Carlos and Guaymas, but right now it's rather cold in that direction, so we get to stay here a little longer. 

Then, we plan to use the month of February to work our way North in the Sea with day trips and island hops to Santa Rosalia.  From there, we'll cross the Sea to San Carlos on the mainland where we should have a week or so to explore that area and select a place to store IRIE for the Summer.  At that point, we'll be looking for a way home and hope to be back in Grants Pass by mid March for the countdown to GRANDBABY.

E

Man of War Cove to Cabo San Lucas



Man-Of-War Cove



Live Shrimp on board



We spent 4 days in Man-Of-War cove, which is a small cove located inside of Bahia Magdalena, after an overnight on the ocean from San Juanico.  We were out about 20 miles from land during the trip & witness the passage of the giant cruise ship, shooting stars & lots of wave action from 15 knot winds.  Man-of-War was pretty small but we had a couple of fish taco meals that were great & were able to restock with a few items from their two mercados.  For the people of this town travel is by panga only & they use generators for city lights at night. We were able to catch up with cruisers that we met in Turtle Bay & Emrick worked with another cruiser to fix our engine/water pump issue. 



Dead Shrimp on board



On our way out of Mag Bay we had some fisherman pull up & offer to sell us some fresh shrimp.  We said sure & handed over a large baggie after agreeing on a price.  I was ok with all of that until I dumped the bag of shrimp out in the sink basket & they began to jump around . . . . so I am staring at live shrimp & wondering who I can call to tell me what to do next.  I reminded myself that sailing is about the next new experience (ya, right) so off came the shrimp's heads (which you can see in the pan on the stove).  My killing expertise became fine tuned & I was able to behead the guys with a minimum of trauma  . . . .I hope.  

More Dolphins

Our next bit of fun was traveling with the dophins.  They stayed with us for about 10 minutes which was a record for us.  If you leaned out of the boat you could almost touch them.  They keep up with the pace of the boat while under & over each other for a little added variety in the swim.  We are always sorry to see them go.

Outside Cabo, luxury living

So coming into Cabo we didn't know what to expect.  The last time we sailed down we covered these miles at night & didn't see much.  Cabo begins on the outside of the bay with hotels & some magnificent homes perched on the rocks.  Emrick & I picked out a few we might feel comfortable in.  I wonder what type of guarantee comes from the builder(s) of these homes. ...  I would always be wondering  when the next earthquake would arrive. 



Cabo surrounding us . . .



on all  . . .



We do not have pics of the bay because both of us were probably thinking "holly ____".  We were looking at motor boats, fishing boats, pangas, cruise ships, jet skis, pirate ships, odd looking ships & where the heck is the fuel dock??????  Emrick found the fuel dock, flipped us around, did a "Captain Ron" & slid us right up to the dock.  "We'll take 100 liters of diesel please".  Nice.  What was even nicer was the slip they assigned us.  We have added some pics to the left (or at least I think they will be on the left when I post this) of the scenes around the boat.  In Cabo you are surounded by high class, fairly expensive food, hotels, gambling, jewelry, watches, bars, food, trinkets, food, bars, trinkets, food, bars, trinkets . . . you get the picture.  The stores extend out for about 2 blocks all around the marina & when you step beyond the 2 blocks, poof, you are in Mexico, a lot like LaPaz.  This is motor city folks, with some huge, I mean huge, fishing boats &  sailing vessels.  We took notice of a 175 foot sailboat & went back to take a good look yesterday.  There is no way to put that boat into a camera.  Amazing.  The fenders are as big as a twin bed.  There was a crew of 7 outside "buffing" as we walked by.  Not a bad life.

Anyway, we are leaving for Los Frailes (the Friars) tomorrow am, then on to Ensenada de Los Muertos (Cove of the Dead) the next day & then finally LaPaz.  See you on the blog, C





sides



Sunset after the storm













Dolphins

Ya hooo, running with the dolphins!

Famous rock formation

"La Isla" getting ready to dock

Highs and Lows

 
We arrived in Cabo San Lucas yesterday morning for a few days of R & R and boat work after yet another fitful night at sea.  This is spectacular!  C will tell you about it, I just had to say something about the harbor itself.  We have been in and out of the largest, most glamorous, and busiest harbors in California recently, but nothing compares to the complete chaos that awaited us here.  Simply amazing.  And we were able to fill IRIE"s diesel tank and back her into a great, view friendly slip before the first beer came out.

Written underway 11/17:

Relief.  Yes, that's the feeling for this day.  Blended

with a nice dose of exuberance.  It's 0700, we're

underway doing 6+ knots with the engine and jib on

our way to Abreojos.  Off our starboard quarter is sv Sea Boa with Allan and Sharon aboard.  All around us for at least a mile are dolphins.  Hundreds of them probably.  Some near and many far, but everywhere.  We'll probably see whales today too.  Can you feel it?

We were supposed to leave Ascucion 24 hours ago, but as I mentioned, there was a problem.  And it could have been a serious problem.  We might have been in the middle of nowhere, Mexico with no engine.  Yes, I know, this is a sailboat.  We'll leave that one for another time.  

This time it's about the highs and lows, the friendships created, and ultimately winning out against circumstances.  It turns out that the expensive motor mount/pump mount bracket that was made for us in Alameda was well fabricated, but poorly mounted.  Thanks to the guidance of our new Canadian machinist friend Allan, and some Mexicans who had no idea the value of the bolts they found for me, I was able to get us back underway with a plan to permanently resolve the problem when we reach Mag Bay.

Much as we all do our best to avoid the problems - the lows, the downs - I wonder how we can fully appreciate and enjoy the highs without them.  Maybe that's why C and I put ourselves in these fragile situations.   

E

Onward and Upward

OK, so where were we?  Ah yes.  Ensenada.  Claudia and I really like Ensenada.  Even though in some respects it is Americanized, it is still clearly Mexico.  Big Bro is not anxious to fine you for not wearing a seatbelt, and you'd better watch your step when walking in town.  You could end up to your knee in a pothole.  With good food, friendly people, lots of Tavernas, and almost free tequila, what's not to like?  Well, this year, it was the weather.  Cold.  IRIE is proving to be a wonderful magic carpet for us, but she lacks any kind of heater, and we were waking up to low 50's with daytime highs in the 60's.  Not my idea of OK.

On Monday last, (I write this underway on Monday next, the 14th) Passage Weather was predicting 4-5 days of decent weather, so off we went.  Headed for Bahia Tortuga, the next protected anchorage and great little village to party and provision in, about 280 miles down the coast.

As we're travelling downhill, that is wind and/or seas behind, helping us along, IRIE averages about 5.5 knots or 6 mph.  Really scootin huh?  That's mostly motoring and using sails when we can.  So, on a god 24 hour day we cover about 125 miles.  One of us is always on watch when we're underway, and we really don't like doing the 24 hour thing more than one day in a row, so here's how it worked out.

We left Ensenada at 1030 on Monday.  Sunny with a light breeze, seas (seas = swell and wind waves) at around 8 feet, leftovers from the storm that had just passed.  At this sea height, when siting in the cockpit looking aft, about every 14 seconds, the horizon is replaced by the top of the next approaching swell.  You're at the bottom, looking at this rolling blue monster in the attack position.  The next thing you know, you're on top of it looking down and out at the horizon again.  It's only scary to think about it.  The actual experience is more zenlike.  You become entranced watching, and maybe wondering how, the boat does this so effortlessly.

That's the good part.  The other part is the motion that seems everpresent in following seas.  On this day, as on most of this trip, the seas are not reaching us from directly behind.  When looking directly aft, the seas are approaching from about 10 O clock. So, rather than a simple rise and fall, we get to roll side to side at the same time - call it wallowing.  It's not consistent, but it does follow a pattern.  You get about 20 to 40 seconds of nearly straight up and down - time to pour a cup of coffee or take a sip, or write a few words, or pee into the toilet, or chart your position, or "please let me get to sleep now!" - then the rolling side to side starts.  And you know exactly when it's beginning as you almost unconsciously brace yourself.  The rolling may be just a little bit, or it may be 20 - 30 degrees to each side, which is especially fun at night.  Then it eases off, and you get your portion of rest again.  Please understand that I'm not trying to say anything here.  It just seemed to be a good time to try and explain what this trip is like.  While the motion is rarely fun, we do get used to it, especially knowing that once into the Sea of Cortez, there's not much swell anymore.

Just now as I'm feeling a bit tired of the motion, we were visited by a handful of dolphins who thought IRIE was Big Momma or something.  When they're around, you can't help but be fixated by them - nothing else is happening.

All right, back to last week.  On Tuesday morning we reached the anchorage where we planned to spend the day and night.  But the sun was up.  It was a new day, and things were suddenly looking much better.  Plus, we had heard some pretty negative things about this place from other cruisers.  So, we decided to continue on to another anchorage at San Carlos, maybe six or seven hours ahead.

On our arrival at San Carlos it was showtime.  We've set our boat up to be completely independent.  That is, to take care of us just as well at anchor as tied up and plugged in at a dock.  She makes all the power we need from wind and solar, she makes lots of sweet fresh water from the sea, and she carries excellent ground (read anchoring) tackle.  But we had never anchored her before.  And there won't be a dock to tie up to even if we wanted to until maybe Cabo San Lucas, about 650 miles in our future.

We pulled into the tiny little cove, nosed into the wind, and performed the perfect "Dario drop".  (someday maybe I'll try to explain that one)  We were hooked up off a little fishing village of maybe a dozen homes and a few RV's with about an hour of sun left.  It was salsa & chips & beer in the cockpit.  Happy day!

We had some learning to do about using the electric windlass, and what are all those new noises?  At about 0200 we awoke to howling wind and more loud noises as chain worked in the bow roller, the rudder moved back and forth, and the dinghy swung in the davits.  But "I don't think we're dragging" was heard over and over.  The wind topped out at about 25 knots, and then, just as suddenly as it had started, it was over at 0330.  Too much adrenalin to allow sleep, but we had passed our first anchoring exam.

Wednesday morning we packed it up around 1000 and headed for Turtle Bay under sunny skies and a light following breeze.  I don't remember much about the day or the night, but Thursday daybreak about 20 miles from our target we found ourselves emerging from the channel created by Cedros Island and the major Point Eugenio - this is the point of the Baja that looks like a left facing fishook on a map - into 30+ knots of wind.  Had the storm front predicted for Saturday come early? Or was this just a wind creating geographical prominence that I should have seen coming? Duh.  Four hours later, the wind had calmed and we pulled into the friendly anchorage and village known as Turtle Bay.

Turtle Bay is a good time dirt street Mexican village.  There were about a dozen other boats already there and more following in behind us to wait out the storm promised for Saturday.  Thursday afternoon was strictly for R & R aboard and a good night sleep.  Slept in some on Friday AM too, but then it was time for our first steps on dry land since Monday.

The price for a water taxi had gone way up, so we decided it was time to check out our new dinghy.  As you know, the motor only runs with the choke on, but we thought we'd take a chance with it anyway.  It was just fine for the 3/4 mile trip to the town pier.

Once in town, we found all three mercados and bought from each one some of the best looking produce they had.  Another dinghy ride back to IRIE to unload, and back to town for party time.  There were familiar faces from Ensenada and some new folks too, but mostly they were just talking about their trip just completed.  Uninterested, I noticed a young man next door - maybe 40 feet or so away from the bar patio we were at - lighting up a homemade grill.  I brought a couple of beers over and said hola.  He spoke about as much English as I speak Spanish, but we were having a fine Friday afternoon together anyway.  Then, along came chef Kalel.  We had met him earlier as he was interpreting for another couple doing their shopping.  His story goes that he was stuck in Turtle Bay, providing any services he could for tips until he could save enough for bus fare back to Cabo where he owns property.  I didn't buy his story, but he was fun to be around and the beer was cheap enough that I could keep everyone happy.  Soon the young man, Israel, brought out a plastic bag holding about a dozen 10 -12 inch fish, cabrillo I was told.  They were too small to fillet, so they had been gutted and otherwise left whole.  Israel had been trying, completely unsuccessfully, to dissolve or blend a couple of boulion cubes in beer for seasoning I suspect.  Thank goodness chef Kalel came along just in time to make everything irie.  Pay attention now girls.  Here's a new recipe for fish tacos.

Kalel took each fish, cut a few slices into the flesh on each side, then smeared the whole thing with common yellow mustard.  He wrapped each in foil and onto the grill it went.  After about 15 minutes, tortillas were warming on the grill too.  Getting the fish into the tortilla without a lot of bones must be an acquired skill that Claudia and I failed at, but the fish with only the yellow mustard was a taste treat that we'll try again.  Maybe with a fillet next time.

The rest of our time in Turtle Bay was a further and more serious testing of our anchoring skills.  Let's just say that we won.  Today has been fantastic.  Sunny with a fair sailing breeze, only slightly rolly so we're not confined to the cockpit, motorsailing the 50 miles to Ascuncion where we'll anchor for the night.  We're on our way to Bahia Magdalena, another 200 or so miles ahead.  It's getting warmer.  Life is good.

E

Flash update:::::   Checking over the engine room last night, I noticed a loose belt.  It turned out to be caused by the shearing off of the four bolts that hold one corner of our diesel to it's mounting bed.  This is pretty bad as we can't use the engine this way.  I hope we can find a mechanic in this little village. Onward and Upward.