Carpe Vita Adventures

Io Arna from Tahiti

2009-08-29T14:05:00.001-07:00

Io Arna (hello) from Tahiti

Io arna (your ah na)! It seems like a long time since the last update, but since our PC went down last week there is no way of knowing just how long it's been. This is being typed on our Apple – the backup. Its speakers quit working months ago; so no more music or movies.

Anchorage in Ahe, Tuamuto Islands Anchorage in Apataki, Tuamoto Islands

We left Nuku Hiva plenty ready to move on. Taiohae, the capital of the entire Marquesas, was disappointing. Two grocery stores, one hardware store, one restaurant, and one snack shop for a population of 2,100 was it had to offer. The anchorage was crowded and rolly so it was great to be sailing again as we headed for Ua Pou 30 miles south and with good winds. Unfortunately the area had one of the strongest currents we had ever encountered and we could not go upwind enough to make our destination of Hakahau.That island's capital, with a population of 1000 had 5 grocery stores, one hardware store, one bakery, a computer store, a couple of boutiques for locals and tourists and friendly people. We arrived on July 11^thand were hoping that we'd find some sort of Heiva celebrations going on. Heiva is basically anywhere from two weeks to a month of singing, dancing, games for kids, etc. where each of the islands groups and islands within those groups celebrate their heritage. It also happens to center around July 14^th, Bastille Day, the French Independence Day.

The celebrations had been going on for a week already we were informed and the night of the 13^th we sat with six French cruisers, ate BBQ ribs and watched local dancers from around the island strut their stuff. It was a fun family atmosphere, with kids wondering in among the dancers and a female dog almost in heat leading a pack of "very interested" males in and out of the dance area. We had a great time. The 14^th was a bust. The French put up the flag and had a speech and then provided a live band and a free breakfast/lunch to anyone who turned out. Most of the town did. That was it.

A retired French teacher who taught English swam up to the boat and asked if we'd like a tour to the wild side of the island (the east side). We said sure and two hours later we were in an old jeep heading over the mountains and to the windward side. No one cruises the east side of any of the islands, as the trade winds always make very rough and dangerous. We ate lunch besides huge crashing waves on an isolated beach and then were invited to his house for coffee. He talked the whole time and we learned a lot about the natives and the French government. It is so easy to take advantage of the French that almost all do it some way or another. One example: you want a house; the French pay 90% of the cost; find/make you a job and pay you so you can pay the final 10%. So, you work for a year, living in your house, and then it is yours!The job is over and you go back to doing whatever you want.

The island is known for its giant, solid rock, monoliths and one of the most striking islands anywhere. On our trip we saw some of them but, as with most island climates, the tall mountains are almost always shrouded in clouds. From the anchorage we could see a couple of big ones and early one day before the clouds formed we saw one more. As we were leaving for the Tuamotu island group, the clouds parted for a minute and we got a picture of lots more.

Sunset looking at Moorea, Society Islands Mary climbed the mast to look for coral heads

As had been the case ever since the Galapagos, we had crazy seas and strong winds. The sailing was tiring as the slamming under the bridge deck really got to us. It had taken five different tries at fixing the autopilot but Mike finally won and we had "auto" back helping again. So we could sleep, read and eat a meal together again – it was great. We were flying at 8-9 knots but the boat was taking a terrible beating so we slowed down and life was better. Our goal was a small atoll named Apataki and as we turned southwest from south the winds and the seas conspired against us. With 40 miles to go and sailing as fast as we could on the course we would arrive in 8 hours dead tired. So we changed direction and went to Ahe. It was also 40 miles but now a down wind run to the NW and we made it in 5 hours.

The Tuamotus are a long island chain of atolls – old mountains that have sunk over the millennium leaving the fringing coral reef behind. The water inside can be crystal clear and depending on how fast and how far the mountain sank the inside can be deep or shallow and full of coral heads that are extremely sharp.Anchoring can be a real problem cause you don't want to get your anchor wrapped around a coral head – you'll never get it back!

None of the atolls where the cultured Black Pearl industry was in gear had good water clarity and, due to an ever-expanding population, the much advertised over abundance of fish to be seen and caught, etc. is no more. The big allure now is snorkeling in the passes that lead inside the atoll and the ability to have an anchorage all to yourself.

In Ahe, we anchored inside a lagoon, which was a lagoon inside the atoll, which is very rare. The water was clean and clear and we did some snorkeling. But the locals have grown very used to cruisers and the tourist industry over the years and so we were observed by them and nothing more. Ahe once was known as a very crusier-friendly atoll with lots to see and lots of fish. We met a cruiser that been there 36 years ago and he could not believe the change in the environment. The people remembered him and celebrated his return so that was great but nothing could bring back the "choose which fish you want and throw the fish hook in front of him" era.

The weather turned in the right direction and we left Ahe and again headed for Apataki. We went to the first anchorage and settled in with three Belgian boats. They left two days later and we had the place to ourselves. Went beach combing, snorkeling, swimming, etc. We were protected from the 30-knot winds so life was good. But as in all things sailing related, the list of stuff to fix never went down. The port engine had decided it didn't want to start and the radar the same. So, while we were planning on spending six weeks in the Tuamotus and hauling out at a brand new facility in Apataki, we instead headed for Tahiti where we thought we could get everything we needed done.

White dresses and straw hats in church - Papeete Local guitar player - Papeete

For the first time we had nice winds and nice seas and we had a great pleasant sail from Apataki to Tahiti. Having read the biography of James Cook, it was inspiring to see Point Venus, Cook Bay, etc and think he'd been here in the late 1700's. Tahiti is the largest island in all of French Polynesia, is bordered by its own fringing reef and is slowly sinking. Papeete is the capital of the entire group as well as that of the Society island group. It is a big city almost like any other. But unlike most large cities we found everyone here helpful and friendly – despite the fact that we were in essence tourists. Due to the worldwide recession and some stupid decisions by the government here the tourist trade is way down and many hotels have 80% vacancy. So all is not well in paradise. Word has spread everywhere about the extreme cost of coming here. A six pack of Bud = $20; grapefruit = $1.5 each; small watermelon = $40. A simple lunch is $20. So, it has lost its allure and tourists in the know are hitting other islands – the Samoas, the Fiji, etc.

We spent two weeks or so on a mooring ball outside of the major marina and the water was crystal clear down to 15 meters. It was especially amazing at night when the moonlight would light the bottom and it seemed we were floating on top of a gigantic swimming pool. We met our friends from the Marquesas and they gave us an "around the island tour". But like they said, once you've done this there is basically nothing else to do. The beaches are far and few between and far fewer locals go the beach than you'd expect. Don't know what they do but it isn't what the tourist brochures advertise.

We'd heard about the great singing at Polynesian churches so we went to the major Protestant church (actually known as the birthplace of Papeete). The women mostly dress in white and wear straw hats. The singing was as advertised – it was awesome!

We are now in "wind-down" mode as we get the boat ready for the cyclone season and get ourselves ready to head back home to avoid the cyclone season (and, of course, to visit lots of family and friends). We return in March of 2010 and will continue the journey and adventure then.

Hello from Nuku Hiva, Marquesas Islands

2009-07-11T09:14:00.000-07:00

Hello from Nuku Hiva, Marquesas Islands, French Polynesia

The last update was from Hiva Oa in the same island group so what's up with that? It sounds like we are still in the same place. Well we are sort of. The Marquesas have six islands that are inhabited with 3 in the south east and 3 to the north west. We started at the main island in the southeast Hiva Oa. Took our time getting used to paradise and then went to the other two islands: Tehuata and Fatu Hiva. The anchorages were spectacular and the famous no-see-ums (named "no-no's" here) never appeared.

We anchored beneath vertical cliffs in a small bay called HanaTefau on Tehuata just a dingy ride away from the village of Hanataponi. We went here because of the great protection from the big east winds and southeast swell that was making Atuona unbearable. The swell was so big in that bay that a big steel barge broke loose and destroyed the landing dock all the boats and tourists use for entry. Anyway our first night in Tefau was pure magic all stars, no swell and no wind. We went dingy snorkeling the next day. That is where you put your face in the water over the dingy and your partner drives you around the bay. It is easy and fun. Saw some great corral and some interesting fish but not the amount you think you're going to find in paradise. The weather changed and for the next couple of days the winds were coming in over the mountains from all directions. One moment we'd be facing north with 25 knots and just a minute later the wind would have clocked around and we'd be facing south. This went on and on and on

So, we decided to move to Fatu Hiva. The French say this is the prettiest anchorage in the world so we had to check it out. Well it was more awe-inspiring than pretty to us. It was drop dead gorgeous. With multiple volcanic plugs sticking up right at water's edge, catching the fading sunlight, etc. it was a sight we will remember a long time. The early French named it the Bay of Verges (penises) but the moment the missionaries arrived they added an "i" to the name and changed it to the Bay of Vierges (virgins) and that name has stuck. The people of Fatu Hiva all 700 of them seem to have been tainted by the various cruisers that have come to visit. It is the only island where the children beg for candy and the local men want to trade anything for Rum while the women want candy or for you to buy some Tapa from them. We traded for nothing as we were warned that the men once drunk on rum beat their wives.

While the anchorage was unique in its looks, it shared a trait with a lot of the other islands the anchorage is at the bottom of a great volcanic valley. Thus every night we'd get winds from 35 40 knots blasting down on the 8 boats that were there. We endured about four nights and said heck with this, let's go north to those other islands. We left at 10 am one day and arrived at the same hour the next day on the north side of Nuku Hiva. We had very rough seas, 30 knots of winds the whole way and even though we drifted behind Hiva Oa and Tehuata to escape the winds (a nice reprieve) we still did the 140 miles in less than 24 hours.

Anaho Bay is rated the finest anchorage in all the Marquesas. It was a good one with no swell from the big seas at all. But, the east winds still managed to blow like crazy and so we had it a little better; no fetch; no swell, good holding but lots of wind. This anchorage is one of the few in the islands with a sand beach and here is where we finally came to know the famous "no-no's". We anchored outside the coral and took the one pass into the beach where Mary got eaten and Mike went unscathed. We traded a home made coffee cake for 13 grapefruit on steroids called Pomplemose. These things are so big that we could only eat half at a time and then had to use our steak knives to cut them up into edible pieces. And boy, are they good eating.

We hiked east to an isolated beach one day and then, the next day, west to the adjoining bay and town of Hathieu. In Hathieu we met two locals and an American who was scoping out the area for a nano-technology based fertilizer plant. One thing led to another and soon we were being fed every kind of fruit known to the Marquesans, given a bed to "rest" on, and a shower a real shower (the first real shower in over 5 months). We saw the "sacred mountains" and visited an old ceremonial site before heading back. On the way back, we picked 33 mangos growing wild.

The next day our new friends plus the governor of the entire island and two more came to visit us on our boat. It was a great experience and what all cruisers dream about; or at least we do. We now have locals to visit in Papeete and relatives on the island of Huahine when we get there.

The winds were still howling but we grew restless anyway, so out into the winds and downwind the coast to a little known anchorage of Hakaaehu Bay off the Pua Valley where no oceanic plotting has been done. It was perfectly protected from the winds and just a little swell and we had it to ourselves for two whole days. While we were hiking a pickup truck stopped and basically said "how'd you like to take a ride to our watering spot over in the next valley?" We said yes, and climbed in back with two guys and a 10 year old girl and for the next 30 minutes saw the countryside from the back of the truck. We got to the springs and Mike joined in the bucket brigade to fill buckets while Mary talked with the wife of the driver. Once the water was all loaded the driver proceeded to find papaya and fill our backpack. Then back to his house where he showed us his almost completed solar house and gave us more papaya, some pomplemose, a coconut, some mantioc (tapioca root), a breadfruit, and some stuff we have yet to name but it makes great French fries. With another great experience under our belt we headed for south side of the island and the anchorage with Hauii Falls, the world's third highest waterfall.

The winds were still fierce and the ride around the west end of the island and up the south side for the last 2 miles was brutal. We arrived in Hakatea Bay tired and ready for a good drink. Up and early the next day found us hiking up the Hakaui valley for 3 hours to the waterfall. After getting lost once we asked for the correct path and found it and just kept going there are no arrows, no signs, etc like there are in the States and Canada. You can see the whole waterfall in thirds but never the whole thing all at once. Anyway we made it and Mike took a celebratory swim in the pool at the bottom after being warned that even pebbles falling straight down from 350 meters can really hurt. Then back to the boat and off to our last stop on this island the Capital of the Marquesas Taiohae. The town has a whopping population of about 2,000 (that's one fourth of the entire Marquesan population) with two grocery stores, one restaurant and one hardware store. The folks aren't nearly as friendly here as in the outlying areas probably because there are so many boaters that come here and the cruise ships stop here too.

We'll be here for just a few days to do some small re-provisioning and then head to the last island Oa Pou and then on to the Tuamotus. We really mean small re-provisioning! A can of Coke is $1.60 and a can of beer is $2.90! So getting a six pack is a major purchase. We spent $8 for two loaves of bread and $5.5 for a small cauliflower and a small bag of tomatoes today at the local veggie stand. The grocery stores don't even attempt to sell fruit or veggies. We'll try to get some water and some fuel and be on our way. The next internet location is 550 miles away so it will be some time before we finish our story on the Marquesas Islands and begin the story on the Tuamotu's.

Mike and Mary McCluskey
S/V Carpe Vita
www.mikemarymccluskey.blogspot.com

Hello from the Marquesas Islands

2009-05-31T11:04:00.000-07:00

Hello from Hiva Oa, Marquesas Islands, French Polynesia

We made it! It took us 23 days of seeing nothing but water but we made it. We officially left Isla Isabela, Galapagos at 1030 on May 1, 2009 and checked into Atuona, Hiva Oa at 830 May 24^th. We also crossed three time zones only to find when we got here that these islands decided to give themselves another 30 minutes of time so make that three and a half time zones.

Some may think that life would be boring on such a crossing but not for us. We always seem to pick a way that is always interesting or at least life seems to pick one for us. This time on Day 2 of the crossing, we were discussing watch schedules around 2 in the afternoon when the autopilot alarm went off and we rushed to take the wheel and find out what went wrong. Well it failed, pure and simple and we hand steered for the next 22 days! We set schedules for 3 hours on and 3 hours off for sleep, rest, eating, etc. Raymarine was no help in solving the problem (as expected) so even as we are now safely in the bay and anchored, Mike has it torn apart again and trying to get it to work again.

Other that a sailor's worst nightmare, hmmm, what else could go wrong. For us it was the solenoid to the propane tank that quit on Day 3; then there was the bat car that shattered in a violet gust spraying the boat with torlon bearings; followed by the spinnaker ripping as it was just coming out of the sock. For three days we sailed with no mainsail and finally, by moving bat cars, we were able to sail with a triple reefed main. Then a week later, once again by moving bat cars, we were able to finish the last part of the trip with only a single reefed main. We replaced the solenoid on Day 4 and only went without hot coffee for one day. We cut up an old pair of Mike's pants of rip-stop nylon and turned them into mending seams for the spinnaker. It took about 5 full days to find enough time and especially energy to glue the spinnaker back together but by then the wind was on our beam and we heading the final leg to the islands.

Days 20 and 21 we had no wind and chose to motor even though we didn't have enough fuel to motor the whole distance remaining, we figured the wind would eventually fill in and it did. But by then we were too close to the islands for a day time finish and had to sit 34 miles off Hiva Oa waiting for daylight. But of course even that was not easy as the wind really piped up and we were sitting across the huge swells being generated by the now 25 knot winds. Sick of rolling (we catamarans aren't used to this) we started up the motors at 3am and started a very slow trek toward the island.

The trip, other than tiring, was really quite nice. The various sunrises, and sunsets, the squalls dropping rain and wind, the various cloud patterns never let us get bored. We ran out of eggs, fresh fruits and veggies about Day 10 so we ate out of the numerous canned goods we bought in Panama City for the next 13 days. We were so occupied with hand steering that energy to fix stuff was limited and there was none available to try our hand at ocean fishing. When we arrived in Hiva Oa, our friends on the boat Mainly gave us some of the their freshly caught tuna and boy was it good.

We've been here a week now and are fully rested and ready to continue on with this adventure. The island is beautiful and pictures have shown up of this anchorage many times. It truly is stunning with vertical green cliffs dropping directly into the sea. The people are nice, not overly friendly. The prices on everything are pretty darn high. Diesel is $ 6 a gallon, but baguettes are $ 0.60 as they are subsidized by the French Government.

Hello from the Galapagos Islands

2009-04-17T14:54:00.000-07:00

It took a full seven days (and 1.5 hours) to make it from Panama City to Isla San Cristobal in the Galapagos Islands. Overall it was a good passage with extremely light winds - but still good enough to sail 67% of the time. We could not have motored the entire distance so we absolutely had to find some wind some time somewhere. And we did, so all ended well.

On, this our first real open water passage, we stayed amazingly busy and never felt bored. We adopted a modified cruising watch schedule that we learned of from friends on "Shilling of Hamble". Mike does the watch from 7pm to 1am and Mary does the watch from 1am to 7am. We both get enough sleep (you learn to fall asleep immediately) and then only need a small nap sometime during the day. During the remainder of the day, we sort of alternate looking around at the big blue ocean. After crossing the shipping channel in Panama (which took about 3 hours) we saw no one else except a couple of days later we saw two more ships heading for Panama and one heading for points north most likely coming from South America. One whale surfaced about 50 feet from the boat for about 15 seconds and that was it for sealife.

The Galapagos are on the end of the Cocos ridge which runs all the way to Costa Rica and of course the famous Cocos Islands (home of the movie Jurasic Park). At the end of the ridge is a "hot spot" that remains stationary and slowly builds new islands with volcanic outbursts. San Cristobal is on the eastern side of the island chain and is therefore one of the oldest islands. That means it has had about a couple of million years to erode, form grasses and shrubs, etc. So it took us by surprise at how green it was as were expecting all the islands to be desert islands. While it is not tropically lush (like Tahiti, etc) it is green, does have a fresh water lake (in an imploded volcano) and supports a wide variety of wildlife.

The sleepy town here at the harbor is quite nice and the people friendly. It seems they actually like sailors and view them in a different light than the bigger groups of tourists and backpackers that find their way here. So, that has been a pleasant surprise.

There are sea lions everywhere. They are part of the ecosystem and everyone treats them that way. They are on the same beaches with everyone. Children play around them, and they in turn play around the children. It is amazing. We went to Lobos Island, a sea lion rookery, and swam with about a dozen sea lions. One tried to nibble on Mary's fins and one tried to take her camera. They were literally inches away sometimes; making for emotions from slightly scarred to incredibly happy.

Then we saw a Galapagos Tortoise preserve/farm where they have been breeding these giant creatures since 2002. They protect them from rats and cats until they are about 30 cm across and then they can fend for themselves. Over 100,000 were slaughtered in the years past and obviously the island population is now pretty small.

Finally we went to a beach by the airport and swam with sea turtles. We respected their environment and only got within a couple of feet but others we know actually grabbed onto them and took a ride underwater. They are big and graceful and look like they could just open their mouth and snap your hand right off. But they are very gentle actually. That same day, in the same bay, we were standing in the shallows and three baby sea lions came up and started playing around us. We gave them a stick and they took it from each other. One swam round and round Mike and took little play bites from his ankles. Mike moved fast as it wasn't fun to him.

That is it for fun and recreation. On the work side of life, the new feed pump to the watermaker seems to overheat at one hour of use, so we'll make water more often now, and the VHF decided to quit transmitting so Mike might have to re-wire it. For shear bureaucratic bizzarness (?) it will nice to get out of latin America. We've been told "all paperwork will be ready tomorrow at 9am"; only to just begin the paperwork at 10:30, then take the next four hours to move about town and pay for taxis so that our state-required agent could process other peoples paperwork along with ours. We were "done" with everything when we realized that did not have our Autographo. "Oh, that, well it will be ready tomorrow or the next day -trust me". It did come the next day and it allows us to visit two other islands. So, we'll let you know about the other two after they are done.

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Look mom no shadow!

2009-04-05T14:40:00.000-07:00

Today we officially passed directly under the sun. The only shadow was straight down. We put out our hands and every shadow was straight down. It really works! We are at Latitude 03 10.24' North. Tomorrow we'll be further south and the sun will be further north. We will start casting shadows southerly for the first time in our lives.

It is funny how the little things seem so amazing now. Life is much simpler than in the old days back in the States. Of course so much stress is gone from the daily life of working and earning and paying bills and that makes a big difference but still - it is the little things that we notice most nowadays. Casting a new shadow; having to choose between practicing music or reading; etc.

We are in the ITCZ and about to move out of it - well unless it decides to move south and envelope us once again. We think we've moved through it twice now. Formerly known as the Doldrums, it is the Inter Tropical Convergence Zone where the north winds of the northern hemisphere meet the south winds of the southern hemisphere meet. All goes quiet, storms brew - mostly thunder heads or squalls. We motored between two enormous ones two nights ago; it was an eerie feeling - knowing that we could be hit with super gusts, heavy rain, etc enough to rip sails and everything off the boat if we were unlucky. We weren't and just got to look long and hard at potential disaster.

We did find our first squall ever on April 1st. We were just putting along when a dark cloud - nimbostratus - formed and came right for us in less than 15 minutes. It was not a thunderhead so we knew it was just rain but man was there lots of it. We went up on the foredeck and had our first "squall shower". More than enough fresh water, and warm water to boot. It was great.

We are now less than 400 nm to the Galapagos Islands. We've found rain, thunderheads, no wind, lots of wind, and strange currents in differing directions. In about four days we'll see the strange sites of the famous islands.

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The Panama Canal and preparations for the Galapagos

2009-03-28T14:55:00.000-07:00

After spending two weeks working on boat projects, working virtually every day, we helped Tim and Paula on Hooligan go through the Panama Canal. They are explorers and divers and snorklers and decided to make the visit to the San Blas Islands, Bocas del Toro, and the western Caribbean before crossing the Pacific because in their words: "once you've jumped the pond, it is a long way back to visit the western Caribbean". And so our friends from Mexico to Costa Rica to Western Panama have diverged paths with us and we hope to see them again some time in the Pacific.

But of course the real story is going through the Canal! Most people go through on a cruise liner and see the canal work from way up high. Not us! The Canal Authority requires that each small vessel have four "line handlers", not counting the captain of the boat. Each boat is required to have four 125' polypropylene lines - one for each handler. Mary was assigned port forward and Mike was assigned port aft. So Mary got the all the real action and the very best of views of gates closing and opening, etc. It is a totally different feeling when you are at the bottom of the canal - virtually water level - 30 feet below the level you left; the gates are closed and the water is either streaming in or flowing out depending on whether you are "locking up" or "locking down".

The sides of the boat are literally covered with old tires wrapped in plastic and then tied onto the side of the boat. This is done to prevent damage to the boat when slamming into the sides of the canal. In reality this rarely happens but boats have shown up in our anchorage with needed fiberglass repairs so accidents do happen. We were almost a case as in the second of the six locks, the tugboat we had tied to powered off upstream as the currents from the lake flooded the chamber. The poor monohull never had a chance. The Canal line handler up above took and long coffee break and when it was time for him to let the line go - he wasn't there!! So the boat was free on the port side and still tied to the starboard side. With the currents provided by the tug and the lake the boat lost all way and headed directly for a crash with the wall. Tim swung the boat around and almost got it straight but then the gates fully opened and 25 knots of wind from the north met the boat and off we went again.

This time Tim decided to try to literally turn the boat around inside the canal lock and he almost made it again. The doughnut was almost done when the wind hit us again and we slid back down the lock some more. Things were tight as the back end of the locks were now getting real close. By now the Canal line handlers were alive and alert and screaming back and forth to each other. We got lines back to the port side of the lock on the bow (Mary's side) and they were then able to hold the boat into the wind so Tim could get enough boat speed to control the boat and make progress. We escaped lock no. 2 with no damages but a lot of fright and swearing. Interestingly, this is the lock with the live video cam - of the Mira Flores Locks. So, a lot of folks got to watch us swirl around inside the canal that day.

The mess in lock no. 2 took so long that we got off track with our other boats of passage and we had to wait another hour to get to and go through lock no. 3. No problems there but it also meant that the likelihood of getting to Colon was pretty small. They fine you if you can't make the passage in one day so Tim was worried that he'd lose his deposit. Lock no. 3 is the Pedro Miguel lock about a couple of miles from the last of the Mira Flores locks. They made us wait one and a half hours and then let us go thru - all by ourselves. Guess they didn't want another show or more potential damage.

Sure enough, all the waiting and time needed at lock no. 2 made it impossible to get to Gatun Lock #1 by 6 pm. So we got to spend the night in the huge fresh water lake - Lake Gatun. We tied up to a huge buoy, had drinks and dinner and crashed. The next morning we took turns swimming in fresh water - boys first and the girls. Then at 11 am our next advisor showed up and by 1pm we had begun going down the last three locks. By 2:30 we were in the Caribbean; by 4:30 we'd moored in the Shelter Cove Marina; and by 7:30 the second night we were back on the Pacific side and on our boat.

Other than the memories of the waiting and inefficiencies and near disasters, the crossing of the continental divide; passing under the bridge of the Americas, the Century Bridge, and seeing the construction for the third canal (for gigantic ships of the future) were among the highlights of the trip. Six locks - 3 up and 3 down for 85 feet of rise above sea level was now a trip of the past and it was time to get ready for our own big crossing.

We had a list that we'd been preparing for crossing the Pacific to the Marquesas for some time. It had 39 items on it and still had 20 to go when we got back to the boat so it was time to buckle down and work. You can find virtually anything in Panama City but it takes time and money (taxis and prices that are 20% higher than in the States). The language barrier is pretty much gone by now as both of speak pretty good Spanish and some of the taxi drivers and merchants speak English. We'll leave two or three items that can be done anywhere for the Galapagos Islands and end up with 36 of 39 checked off our list.

We keep track of our expenses because Bruce (Sacramento) was always asking us how much everything cost. This March will definitely be our most expensive month in the four years we've been sailing. We decided that before crossing we'd better get the whole boat in shape - cause there isn't going to be another fix-it city until New Zealand. On top of that we have to buy food for the next four months while in French Polynesia (where internet cafes charge $27/hour and a hamburger is $14); and then for another three months when we return to the boat six months later (after cyclone season). So, we've made four huge shopping trips to the various markets here and the boat is nearly overflowing.

The two big issues still facing us are lack of wind and barnacle growth on the bottom. The nice strong north winds stopped about 10 days ago and now the anchorage is very calm - nice for an anchorage but terrible for a long passage. It is 824 nm to the Galapagos and most of the folks out there now are drifting with equatorial current rather than motor since they wouldn't have enough fuel to make it. So, we'll deal with that when we become becalmed. The bottom paint put on in El Salvador, at Island Marine, was not applied correctly and fell off. So the very bottom of our boat is unprotected and that means diving on the bottom once a week to keep the barnacle growth under control. The problem has been here in Panama City where the water is cold and murky and rich in nutrients. We don't know how bad the bottom is yet and will start diving soon to find out - but it does mean we'll be slower in the water than normal or very sore from hanging upside down underwater and scraping the bottom clean. But soon we'll be gone and on to another adventure.

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Panama City

2009-03-21T08:12:00.000-07:00

Hello from Panama City

This should really be titled welcome to the land of currents and tides and northerly winds but we’ll get to that later. For right now, though, we are anchored along with about 50 other boats in the Playita anchorage opposite the Flamengo Marina in/near Panama City. In the old days there were two islands about four miles off shore from the City that the City fathers decided to build a causeway out to and then turn the new connection into a tourist/Panamanian weekend retreat. Thus, this is the best anchorage to avoid the north winds but also means all supplies, etc. are in the City – a $4 taxi ride away and then pay again when you get back. But almost no one does the taxi in and out routine. The standard is to rent a taxi by the hour; go where you need to go; and then come back. The taxis go for $10 per hour. We usually go with another couple and so can split the cost but that does add to number of stops, etc.

Panama City is huge! The skyline looks like New York and there are skyscrapers going up all over the place. There is, naturally like everywhere else in Central America, a huge discrepancy between the rich/middle class and the working poor. There are neighborhoods where you simply don’t go – the locals will even stop you on the street and tell you not to go any further. Reminds me of areas of Stockton, Ca. But other than that fear thing, the people have been very friendly and helpful. Prices are about 20% higher than in the States for boat stuff and groceries are about the same except for locally grown produce. Meat seems to be cheaper; we had a great filet minion steak last night for $10.

The last update had us waiting out a big rain storm in a remote spot named Boca Chica. The storm passed but in its place came three days of 30-50 knot winds plus enormous tide changes of 12-15 feet that then caused swirling currents in the bay of up to 3 knots. A big 100 footer power boat almost swung into us in the middle of the night, so we moved to a new spot the next day. When the winds stopped on a Saturday, we had to keep waiting until the following Tuesday to rent a taxi for the day ($70) to get us to the City of David to reprovision because that is when the stores restock! So after a week of rain, wind and waiting we were finally able to leave Boca Chica and head back out for good warm water and snorkeling.

We enjoyed a day of good diving and that night with new friends on board, we heard a loud bang. Could not locate the source of the noise so thought it was a ray that had jumped up and into the bottom of our boat. Not so! It was the sound of our new dingy davit welds popping open. We got the dingy on board, and decided to head for Panama City to get it fixed. The next night while anchoring, our anchor board (holds the bow roller over the end of the boat) broke. So now we had to come up with a different way of anchoring. Well we figured it out and made our way to the dreaded Punta Mala (bad point). But, for us, it was a piece of cake as we had no wind and stayed in 10 meters of water to avoid the northerly current that has litterly pushed boats out to sea. It did take 18 hours of sailing and motoring to get into the next port – Isla San Jose – in the Perlas Islands. We anchored in the dark at 11pm and immediately fell asleep.

The Perlas Islands are touted to be absolutely wonderful. Again we got duped by the tourist industry. The waters of the Perlas are apparently actually wonderful in the rainy season, not the dry season when everyone comes. While the water temperature was 85 in the Western Islands, it was only 70 in the Perlas just 200 miles away. The very cold Humbolt current comes up from Chile and ends its journey in the Gulf of Panama. The big current at Punta Mala is the remnant of the Humbolt current returning south. So, west of Punta Mala the water is warm and east – well it’s chilly (assuming you are used to 85 that is).

We only stayed long enough to rest up and then sailed (8 knots) into Panama City. It was overwhelming the number of freighters, cruise liners, military, car carriers, etc. that come here and wait their turn to go through the canal. We counted over 50 at one time and that was all we could see due to the haze in the area. We dropped sail and motored through the maze of ships to get to our little anchorage. The water is calm here except at 5 am and 5 pm when the wakes from these ships heading thru the canal arrive to wake us up! We’ll be crew on a friend’s boat going through the canal in about two weeks, handling lines and keeping the boat from crashing into walls or other boats. It should be fun.

Our list of things to fix or repair is at 30 and now steadily dropping as we get ready for a projected March 20th departure for the 700 mile trip to the Galapagos. Everyday we get up and try to beat the heat and humidity and check stuff off our list. Haven’t really had time to do museums, restaurants, etc. but will get to that as the list gets really small. For now though, its time to work.

Hello from Western Panama

2009-02-11T10:58:00.000-08:00

We say Western Panama because it is like a different country than the rest of Panama. Panama has over 1500 islands and a great majority of them are in this part of Panama and most are just rocks sticking out of the water. But the tourist board knows how to put a good face on everything.

If you don’t know right off hand, Panama basically runs east and west. It has the northern side and the southern side. So we are on the southern side at the west end. There are almost no towns in this area. They have one – it is “David” and the third largest city in the country. But it is inland and we will soon be taking two different bus trips to get there in order to get fresh fruits and vegetables – since we are all out and have been for the last three days.

We left Costa Rica without any sadness, and headed straight for Isla Parida, the first island group in Western Panama. With a single overnight passage we arrived and were immediately offered lobster for $5 each from the local fisherman. We negotiated for $4 each and then paid $6 plus two packages of instant milk. Then we had to figure out how to clean and cook the things when our biggest pan was only big enough for ½ of one of them. We ended up dunking them head first into boiling water and holding them down for the count with a wooden stick. Finally the mess was over and we had a great dinner.

We snorkeled the area and found visibility to about 5 meters. That was the best we’d found since the Sea of Cortez back in 2006 in Mexico. We thought we were doing great when we got an email from another cruiser saying the visibility was fantastic at the next island group – the Isla Secas. We spent two days at two more remote and picture perfect anchorages (with pristine beaches) before getting there.

The main island is Isla Calvada and we found 13 – 20 meters of visibility and lots of fish and coral that hadn’t been killed by global warming yet. It was, as our friend promised, just great. We free dove to about 25 feet and gathered Conch for the first time and had to figure out how to get them out of the shell. The Pacific Conch is much different than the Caribbean Conch. The shell is 2-3 times thicker. We used a small sledge hammer to break them open at first. Then we heard about hypothermia treatment and that was much easier. You simply put them in the refrigerator for 8 hours, they basically go to sleep and lose control over their muscles. Thus you can them pull them out of the shell, clean them, and pound the meat to a pulp. Fry it up and voila, you’ve got a first class meal.

We spent 10 days in that one location; snorkeling every day, hiking some days, had two cruiser bonfires on the beach and one big potluck on the beach. Then within two days we all went on our way and the number of cruisers there went from seven to zero. We are in Boca Chica now waiting out a big rainstorm. Tomorrow is the trip to David to restock so we can head back to some more good diving areas. Then, alas, it will be onto Panama City and Perlas Islands for good anchoring but not very good snorkeling.

The Rich Coast: Costa Rica

2009-01-18T14:23:00.000-08:00

It is now 2009 and we are in the Switzerland of Central America. It is clean by Central American standards and the water is potable everywhere (a first!). Still can’t flush the toilet paper down but, hey you can’t have everything. Costa Rica translates “Rich” Coast. Supposedly, the first Spanish explorers exclaimed that when they saw how everything grows here. Little could they know that it would really come to mean – keep Costa Rican’s “rich” – bring money!! It is unbelievably expensive here. The economy is largely based on tourism and they have done an amazing job of getting the world to believe all their published information on how wonderful it is here. But we are getting ahead of ourselves as we need to bring you up to date on the travels to get here first.

Our last update had us waiting for a “haul out” in Bahia Jaltepeque, El Salvador. It came and went and they did a pretty good job. As the tide went out, we were supported above the mud by a group of four tire piles on either side of the boat. The crew would then wade into the mud and sand and scrape the boat. With the next tide change they’d wade in again, clean the surface and paint the boat with the new bottom paint. Then, with the next tide change, the boat got repositioned so the painted areas were now on the tires and the previous areas were ready to receive the sand, scrape, and paint routine. It looked really good. But three weeks later, while diving on the boat, we found that the four spots on either side were white and blue – not red. That meant that the new paint had sloughed off practically the minute we hit the ocean again. This means extensive diving on the bottom to keep it clean for the next year or two.

Leaving the Bahia was a new experience for us. The big deal is going “over the bar” and getting to open ocean. The hotel provides a guide to find the low spot and get you over the bar. He did this OK but once over the bar we faced the breaking waves of the open ocean and he directed us right at some huge breakers. We took one huge breaker right on the port hull and it swept all the bat poop and anything not tied down right off the boat. Two more big breakers that rode over just before breaking and we were finally in the open ocean and safe.

We chose to bypass Nicaragua and head directly for Costa Rica. There is not much to see in Nicaragua and besides there were riots going on at the time in various areas. The big issue in sailing this part of the world is Papagayo Winds. These are wind s generated by pressure systems from the Carribean that get funneled over Lake Nicaragua and can go from nothing to gale force winds in a matter of minutes. We did OK with the winds not exceeding 25 knots but unfortunately coming directly on our nose. We learned a new nautical term later: “noserlies”. We, and a lot other cruisers, get a lot of these winds.

It took about 44 hours to make the run to CR and we entered Bahia Santa Elena in the early morning. It was deserted and it was good to rest and relax. It is part of a gigantic national park and there is no development – just wilderness. We spent nearly a week there and when some other cruisers came in, we all took a hike to some small waterfalls.

Next was a short day trip from the Bahia to Playa Hermosa which meant crossing the Gulf of Papagayo. The forecast was good and we went for it. Had a great day sailing and hit up to 12 knots while running with the wind. It was there we first encountered the Costa Rican prices. We took a walk into the town and found an Italian grocery store of all things. The prices were higher than the States and twice as much as El Salvador. Diesel prices are fixed at $1 a liter ($4 a gallon). The country is one with numerous sanctioned monopolies. The only phone company charges over $120 for its cheapest cell phone; a big change from $17 in El Salvador! We have to eat but we didn’t need to buy a phone that bad.

We went to Bahia El Coco to formally check into the country and found it to be the worst country so far. From the Port Captain to a copy facility, to a second copy facility, back the Port Captain, then to the Immigration (who had decided to take an early lunch). Two and half hours later she re-opened and started to process us, only to find that the computer system was down for the next hour. We finally got that one out of the way and back to the Port Captain and to Aduana (customs). All was complete and as we were walking out of the office the secretary asked us if we wanted to sail anywhere else other that the Gulf of Papagayo? Of course, we said. Ah, then you’ll need a “domestic zarpe”. And thus, more paper work was required. It had taken all day to check into the country but at least it was done.

About this time, we got an email from Mary’s nephew, Eric, that he was nearby with Silke, his girlfriend. We’d talked months earlier about getting together somewhere in Central America and here was our chance. We finally connected in Bahia Ballena and they came aboard for the next two weeks. We went to Curu and saw a whole troop of Howler Monkeys, then onto Isla Tortugas for skin diving, spending Christmas in very clear water and seeing lots of fish. Then, onto Isla Cedros for one night only as it is a known spot for dingy’s being stolen right off boats. Then we found wind and sailed! Eric and Silke finally found out what sailing is about and loved it. We anchored at Isla San Lucas. The island was a former penal facility and we went ashore and toured old prison facilities – abandoned in the mid-80’s.

A last sail bought us into Puntarenas, an old and fading tourist and fishing town. Except for the prices, you’d never believe you were in CR. They are trying to resurrect the town but boy do they have a ways to go. Nevertheless, we put into the Costa Rica Yacht Club for $18 a night and the four of us spent New Year’s Eve at a great party put on by the Yacht Club. January 3rd found Eric and Silke heading for Cartegena, Columbia while we took off for the “must see” Arenal Volcano. What the guide books and the CR p.r. folks don’t say is that only about 20 days a year can you actually see the volcano and its active lava flowing down the hill. The dream is to relax in a hot tub at night and watch the lava flow.

Well we didn’t hit one of the 20 days. The entire volcano was covered in mist the whole time. It is rain forest after all. We did get to a cloud forest preserve and take a guided hike, walked down to another tourist facility where we walked numerous sky bridges over the top of the trees and forest, then to an insect museum. That night we did a night hike in the forest and saw coati, tarantulas, sleeping birds, leaf ants, etc. We did find a reasonably priced hot springs – Baldi – and for $20 spent 8 hours in various hot spring pools. They had 25 and we had to try them all. But beer was $6.50 and ginger ale was $5.00 so we didn’t eat or drink much. Our last day we signed up for a white water rafting trip on the Rio Toro. We did over 50 rapids in two hours and 12 km. It was non-stop fun and excitement. It rained on and off the whole time we were away from the boat but then again we were in the rainforest, and a cloud forest so it was to be expected. The tourist brochures never mention the reality – just the dream.

We got back to Puntarenas; spent one day getting ready to leave and got out of there. The estuary was more like a gigantic liquid mud flow moving back and forth. Most monohulls would keel over during low tide and even our rudders got stuck once or twice. We made a straight shot back to San Lucas for a night of making water and a quick swim. The next morning we sailed almost all the way to Bahia Herradura, the home of Los Suenos marina (the home of the big rich fishing boats and their fatcat owners. We anchored out! Then it was on to Quepos, an old banana town gone bust when the banana blight hit in the 1950’s. They are transforming it into a tourist town (like everywhere else). It does have charm and it would be nice to spend more time there later. We went there so we could see Manuel Antonio Park – famous for its animal wildlife that is not so wild anymore. But it was closed on Mondays so we could not get in the normal way. So we motored over to the park and anchored off its beach and just went in. We ended up having the park to ourselves and saw monkeys, tapiers, raccoons, birds, etc. Kinda cool being the only ones in the park. Then it was on to Golfito, the rain capital of Central America. Over 260 inches fall here so it is simply a matter of the less wet season versus the more wet season. We got two small rain showers while here. Had another chance to see somewhat tamed monkeys getting banana handouts, and went to the duty free store (another way to bring tourists here to help out yet another town that depended on the banana industry). Ended up staying five nights before heading off for Panama and the promised land of clean water, good snorkeling, and sand anchorages.

Back in the swing of things - Bahia Jaltepeque

2009-01-08T07:52:00.000-08:00

We’ve now been back on Carpe Vita for a little over a month having arrived on October 1st. We’ve been pretty much working on the boat constantly – getting it ready to take off for another chapter of our journey. The first thing we discovered was the salt water pump on the port engine had frozen up and needed repairs. Luckily, the bearings that were shot due to salt water incursion were easy to replace but finding a new stainless steel round spring to fit in the special O-ring was impossible. It had rusted and weakened and let the salt water get to the bearings. As with most cruising, we found an ad-hoc solution that will be better than Yanmar ever designed. It all took a week to fix and now both engines work fine. This also explains why we were starting to overheat during passages on that engine.

So, with both engines working fine, next came time to test out the water maker and it was time for the salt water feed pump to fail. Same round spring failed but this time it only meant that the pump would not pump rather than ruining something else. The O-ring needed replacing and we ended up using a master brake cylinder rubber ring that fit the space. Then cut a notch in the rubber ring to hold an inside O-ring to mimic the SS spring, then epoxy it in place to mimic the star retainer ring that had rusted away. Well, sounds crazy, but it works and we are back in business. This took two weeks to finally fix.

We are on a mooring ball outside of Murray and Collette’s house on the island here in the estuary. They have a haul out facility that they can use at high tide when the mud flats are well under water. One day we woke up and saw 18 young men standing around their house. Something was up. In about an hour they each had a shovel in their hands and were digging a trench in the mud leading to the travel lift. They got paid $7 for four hours work and boy were they happy as the average wage here is $6 for 12 hours work!

We are currently working on replacing the trampoline netting. Using netting material we bought late 07 and carried around with us throughout Mexico for a year, we decided it was time to get to work. Mary has been at the sewing machine for about a week and we should start installation in a day or so.

When we got here it was the last month of the rainy season. It rained every day, usually at night, and thus humid – very humid. Then on October 25th, the dry winds came from the North signaling the beginning of the dry season. For four days the dry wind blew and that was it; no more rain! We went from 85F/85% to 85F/30% in one day. Two of Mary’s violin strings just popped off. We went from sleeping under nothing to a sarong to a small lightweight blanket to our great quilt. The days are now hot/dry and nights cool. Stars are out and except for the no-seeums and mosquitos from 5:30 pm to 7:00pm life is great.

We took the 1 ½ bus trip for the 60 km to San Salvador for our 39th anniversary. We stayed at a B&B near the World Trade Center for two nights. Had Argentine steaks for dinner, got serenaded by the restaurant singer our first night. The next day we saw El Salvador’s only colonial city – Sugitoto (which, after you’ve seen Antiqua, was not very impressive). We did major food shopping – starting to provision – on the 3rd, rented a taxi and drove back to the boat. It was wonderful to get away for a couple of days.

Last night the local crusiers got together to have an election party (any excuse you know). Our group was half Americans and half Canadians. We negotiated for a free hotel room and had beer and dinners delivered. We stayed until Barack gave his victory speech. The feelings in the room were interesting. Every single woman thought McCain shot himself in the foot when he chose Palin. They all thought it an affront to all women; but these are pretty independent and self confident women. Everyone thought that no matter which one won, the USA standing in the world could only go up. The Mexicans (in person) were calling Bush a “payaso” (a clown) and that will now stop. With Barack’s win, it appears that most of America has grown past skin color and can actually focus on issues. We now have our first half white president in a land of immigrants from virtually the world over. Let’s hope that he can restore the faith in government and each other that Mr. Bush has managed to destroy. And hope that the Republicans don’t try to oppose everything and do business as usual but actually help make meaningful solutions. We will watch from afar and wish everyone back in the States the best of luck.

Well back to the netting, working on the anchor, and figuring out how/where to get propane. Oh – life is simpler here. Eat, sleep, work on boat, swim in pool to relax!

Bahia del Sol to Cleveland?

2008-07-05T09:15:00.000-07:00

Well we were inside and across the bar to the estuary at Bahia Del Sol. This isn’t the name of the estuary but it is what everyone calls it – after the resort that goes by the same name and caters to cruisers. We tied up at the dock of the resort where we were met by immigration and the navy. In about 15 minutes we were checked into the country and ready for a drink at the resort’s waterside bar. For cruisers only, the resort sells beer and Smirnoff Ice at $1, and gives 30% off all other items on their full menu. The burgers are usually $8 so we got them for $5.60. Not cheap but just the same the natives at the resort have to pay full bill. We ate out a few times but had drinks daily.

For $2/day we got full use of the their two pools, showers, two restaurants and ocean front property. For another $1/day we got full wireless Internet access. It was ideal – do a little boat work in the mornings and lounge in the pool in the afternoon!

The pride of the country’s cuisine are “pupusas”. They are sort of a tortilla that is layered with a bit of meat, beans and rice and then folded over on itself and grilled. They are totally full of starch and somewhat tasteless but they only cost $.30 and three of them fill you up for the night. We ate these for dinner twice in the month we were there. They also sell by the bulk: purple crabs. Mike found one in a soup he ordered – there was no meat and a straw flavor – ugh.

The resort had a “special” buffet one night of specialty Salvadorian food and hardly anybody ate any of the food it was so bland. The chef was really disappointed. So the next week the special was “Norte Americano” food. It was all you can eat burgers, pizza, sandwiches, etc. People kept going back for more until 10 pm.

The temperature was only in the high 80’s but so was the humidity; so life in the afternoons was very sticky. Therefore, it was almost mandatory in the afternoons to dingy into the bar, have a drink and then lounge in the pool for three hours or so. All the cruisers would meet at the pool and eventually decide what to do and where to go for dinner.

Well known among cruisers is the grapevine of recommendations, e.g. where to go for any known service, etc. We got a good recommendation for a great dentist for teeth cleaning in San Salvador (the capital). With another couple, we boarded the local bus and took the 90-minute bus ride. But the police stopped our bus 100 meters from the bus terminal for no apparent reason. After waiting onboard for 10 minutes while lots of natives piled off, we finally go off ourselves and found out that all buses were being pulled over and the drivers were being tested for alcohol and drugs. They had to do a urine test and a breath test right there. These folks are serious about preventing bus accidents. A young Salvadorian took us under his wing, negotiated a taxi ride to our hotel for us and came along just to make sure we made it OK. There is such a negative worldwide opinion of El Salvador that they go out of their way to show that the country is now safe and friendly.

The dentist was great and we got the best teeth cleaning yet (better than Mexico) for $52 USD. She took photos via a miniature camera and found three cavities in Mike and two in Mary. (We came back a week later and had them all fixed - $50 for large cavity and $35 for small ones.) The four of us went out for dinner at an Argentinean restaurant and had great Nicaraguan steaks for $12 each. The next day we went to the “poor peoples” farmers market (they have three separate markets). We saw one man making coleslaw right in his hand. The police were so concerned about us in this “dangerous” market that they stopped us, told us they were concerned and then assigned two more cops to follow us around at a discrete distance to make sure we were not robbed and able to return home and say what a great country is was; i.e. safe, friendly, etc.

We caught a taxi ride all the way back to Bahia del Sol for $30 (split four ways) and got back much quicker and less tired. BUT, it had gotten very dark and overcast on the way back and that night we had our first heavy downpour, with lightning and thunder all around. And then for the next 10 days it was rain, rain, rain. The rainy season had started and now won’t stop until mid-October. It got even worse when Tropical Storm Alma passed 90 miles to the east of us and brought even heavier rain. While we had been having lightning storms almost every night, it was now the full story every night and just a lot of rain in the daytime. The normal rainy season is just lightning and rain from 4pm to 9pm every day; even the locals were wondering what was going on – they’d never seen anything like it. Aboard CarpeVita, we found leak after leak after leak. We’d use the hour or so of non-rain to patch and fix leaks. We are 90% sure we got them all before we left.

El Salvador is very much tied to the USA and so they have their own TSA and go through your bags more than is done in the U.S. It is like night and day compared to Mexico. We got on our non-stop to Atlanta just fine but upon arriving had to be searched all over again (shoes off and everything) just to get out of the airport. That is what we call going overboard.

In Atlanta, we rented a car and drove to Charlotte, NC to see our daughter Jenny. We spent four days there and went to the US Olympics whitewater training facility where we spent two hours running the same rapids and getting as wet as the real guys and gals do. Then it was back to Atlanta for a family reunion (the Winkles clan – mike’s great-grandmother), which was really fun and interesting. Next was two days of driving a rental car to Michigan to buy a small motor home; then to Chicago to return the rental car and then finally on to Cleveland to see our son David. We had met many people along the way who had been from Cleveland and could not understand why anyone would choose to go there at all. David went because his girlfriend was from there and as Paul Harvey would say “and that’s the rest of the story”.

It truly is an old steel town – part of the rust belt – but seems to be trying to climb out of the mess. Unfortunately it got hit the worst of all US cities in the foreclosure mess with some blocks having 30% empty, abandoned homes (and some even stripped of copper tubing, copper wiring, etc.). But offsetting this is a wonderful botanical garden, a new modern art museum, and a great natural history museum. It also boasts a pretty good rail system for commuters that should see more business as the price of gas continues to go higher.

The last of Mexico and beginning of El Salvador

2008-06-10T06:23:00.000-07:00

We started the month fresh back from Oaxaca and started planning our next moves. Mike did the 500 hour engine service – first on the starboard engine and then two days later on the port engine. All went just fine on the first one, but on the second one the fresh water flush came out with a lot of grit from within the engine. A lot of gnashing of teeth trying to figure out how a brand new engine could have gotten so messed up so fast. The only solution had to be a leaking heat exchanger. So, off came the alternator, the fan belt, the exhaust elbow, then move a bunch of wires. That gets one to the six allen screws holding the heat exchanger in place. Of course, the parts manual sold to us with the new engine is incorrect when showing the construction of the heat exchanger so getting it out took about two hours longer than it should have.

Once out, the problem was how to diagnose a leak. The best we could do was a simple gravity test of each one of the 24 tubes and we found no leaks. It was pretty gunky (is that a word?) so a day long soak in vinegar and an old toothbrush got it looking like it would pass and exchange water again. We almost ordered a replacement but luckily could email a great mechanic in Mazatlan and phone call the original installing mechanic in Seattle to get their opinions. Both matched: “the heat exchanger is not the problem”. That was good but where, then, did all the gunk come from. The best answer seems to be the original Bainbridge Island water that was first put in the engine. So, from now on, only good "water-maker" water will go into the engine and we’ll see if we get more gunk at the next 500 hour checkup.

During this time of mass worrying, Mike had tools spread out all across the port side of the boat. Also during this time, Mary decided to shift weight around to better balance the boat. During one of many trips stepping over all the tools on the floor, her foot landed on some extra wedding tule (used for mosquito screening) and she did a HUGE splits – resulting in a torn hamstring muscle. Luckily, one of the cruisers next to us was a critical care nurse and immediately diagnosed Mary and got ice on the injury. The bad news continued as she said that it would take six weeks to heal and she’d be in pain for the first three of those. Then there was the bruising – lots of it from crotch to knee – one big long bad looking bruise. But by taking various homeopathic meds, nattokinase, and wobenzyme the bruising went away faster than any of her previous little bruises that just naturally happen on a sail boat.

One week after the accident, the local “people for culture” put on a string quartet concert, and as luck would have it, it was right at the marina. So we could just walk up and listen to a great evening of music. The moon was almost full, the stars were out, it was 78 degrees with a very light breeze and the music was fantastic. Three Russians and a Mexican composed the group and were all from Mexico City and with various orchestras there. The cost of just $6 was amazing and we sipped some nice white wine while the music played.

The next big event was the arrival of a 167’ mega yacht with its own helicopter. Unfortunately it also meant that we had to move to make room for it. This meant squeezing our 28’ wide boat into a 31’ slip. No small feat – but we did do it with the help of at least 10 other cruisers (virtually everyone in the marina). The owner, not wanting to be seen, arrived at the local airport (probably in his/her private plane) and then had the helicopter pick him up – rather than take the 15 minute car ride. We have no idea who it belongs to. The crew was made up of Americans and it flew a Cayman Island flag. It was huge.

Another week went by and a bunch of us decided to “get out of Dodge” for a day. So we rented two jeeps and six of us and a dog went up into the mountains to a coffee plantation that had some awesome water falls and swimming hole on the property. Mike did the rope swing thing out over the water while Mary watched and took pictures and wished her leg was healed. After about 4 hours of cool refreshing water, we went back to the plantation where half the group took a tour of a butterfly sanctuary and the rest of us got a guided tour of the grounds. Then at 4pm we sat down to a typical dinner at the plantation for the owner and his guests. The house was at least 100 years old and you had the feeling of being on a movie set the feeling was so authentic.

Three weeks of the six passed and Mary was ready to travel but still not able to do any “heavy lifting”. We left at 8pm and headed across the dreaded Golfo de Tehuantepec which most people say can be more hazardous that Cape Horn (on a pure wind and wave basis over a 48 hour period). But May is the most tranquil month for crossing and thus we sailed and motored the 440 miles to Bahia del Sol, El Salvador. There we had to cross the bar to the lagoon and it required a guide service since the bar is also notorious for breaking waves and in general not boat friendly. Once inside we were greeted with a our first true sense of tropical settings – palm trees, green everywhere, and of course humidity.

Huatulco and Oaxaca March/April 2008

2008-04-11T11:24:00.003-07:00

We left Zihutenajo with mixed feelings. It was a great place to visit, and very cruiser friendly. And yet with huge swells coming in from the south making the anchorage uncomfortable and just about all our friends leaving for points north, it was time for us move south and follow our plan to see the much talked about but little visited Huatulco.

Our first stop was Acapulco and we anchored in about 12 meters on Isla Rocetta just across from the City. The tidal surge made us feel uneasy about leaving the boat, so after one night of worrying, we upped anchor and took of south again. We stopped and anchored in Puerto Escondido – a renowned surf spot. We don’t surf but it still has a great reputation as a really easygoing place to be and really laid back. Unfortunately, it also has a reputation (well earned we found out) for a terrible place to anchor. The water is really deep (over 50’) to within about 200’ of shore- and the wave break at about 50 from shore. So by the time you drop the anchor and let out rode, the back end of your boat is almost on top of breaking waves. We were within about 20 feet of 6-foot breakers. It was a creepy feeling. We had to swim into shore for dinner and then swim back of course because we could not launch our dinghy so close to breaking waves. Needless to say, we there after just one night. The next day was a one-day affair to Bahia Huatulco.

There is actually no Bahia Huatulco; its true name is Bahia Santa Cruz. Huatulco is a name given to a series of bays – none of which is even named Huatulco. So it can get pretty confusing. The official name is Bahias de Huatulco and officially there are nine of them but you can count 11 if you try hard. The next day we motored into Bahia Chahue where the marina is and moored up; went exploring and found we loved the place just like everyone said we would.

The temperature has not exceeded 90 and the humidity hasn’t either – mostly staying in the 80’s but on a couple of occasions dropping to the 30’s. It is almost like being in Arizona or Texas. The wind comes up every afternoon to keep things from getting too hot and the nights cool down enough, so that by 3am, you need to pull a sheet or blanket over you.

The town of Crucelita is a planned community that officially opened in 1986 and so it comes with underground utilities (mostly until you get into the residential neighborhoods), potable water and a sewer system that actually treats the wastewater and doesn’t just dump it into the bays. That way the bays stay looking great, attract tourists and generate revenue. The whole area has gotten a green globe award from somebody. Thus it appears that Fonatur did its homework after botching Cabo San Lucas, Cancun, Puerto Vallarta, etc. It is truly wonderful here. But it is not cheap like other, bigger cities like Mazatlan.

The town appears to be the favored vacation spot for the wealthy of Mexico. We met many pure Spanish descendants and were dumbfounded that they looked just like us but spoke Spanish and English. It was a first for us. We spent a few days on the boat visiting about half the bays, doing snorkeling, swimming and just kicking back. The week of Semana Santa (the week before Easter and a national holiday week) we stayed by the boat because of all the parties and people going out to all the bahias. The town population grew astronomically. Monday of that week was also St. Patrick’s Day and we found Café Dublin in the morning with a walk around town. Mary asked if they had any live music planned, they said “No”, and then she asked if they wanted some. They said “sure”, so she and Bill from Mita Kulu showed up at 7pm and played Irish music for about three hours. The bar has room for about 20 folks but at one point 50 were inside with wild “sort of Irish dancing” going on. They played again 3 nights later but this time the crowd was only about 8 people.

The minute Semana Santa was over, we boarded a bus for a trip to Oaxaca; one of the oldest colonial cities in Mexico and Central America. The Cathedral there is virtually lined with gold; an amazing site. The zocalo (town square) is almost magical as there are people there all the time, musicians stroll the area playing for whatever anyone wants to pay. We saw a stand alone opera singer, four different mariachi bands, two different pan pipe bands, one amplified marimba band, one marimba solo, a children’s band, a full John Souza band, and whole bunches of live entertainment provided by the various restaurants that line the square. We spent time there every night – watching people, listening to music and enjoying the weather – with an average temperature of about 74 until about midnight.

Letting no grass grow under our feet, the first day was devoted to “church touring” within the City. The second day we went to the great ruins of Zapotec culture called Monte Alblan. Here, on the very top of a mountain, 20,000 people lived while lots more lived down below and did all the work, etc. These folks were gone by about 900 AD. The Mixtecs, who lived there until the Spanish came and conquered them, then occupied the City. Some of the findings are 3000 years old. It is amazing to think of these advanced cultures and what they were accomplishing when virtually nothing was happening in Europe.

Next day found us on a “tour” (for $20 – not bad actually) that included stops at a weaving demonstration, anther ruin – called Mitla, a mescal factory, the world’s largest living biomass, and some pools that drain spring water over the edge of a mountain. We had an English speaking guide until he discovered that he could attach us to another tour guide and then he split without a word. It was an interesting day but one we’d do differently next time. Mitla was the official final resting place for all the great ones from Monte Alblan. The one unique thing about it is that the Spanish did not totally destroy it and so it is very well preserved with stone stories that no one has been able to decipher yet.

Thursday we did museums, art galleries (where a giant statue decided she liked Mike), coffee shops, etc. and of course a trip to the zocalo. Friday, we took the local bus to the town of Ocotlan; about 30 kilometers from town with all the locals. The town is famous for its market on Fridays. We’d been to probably 30 or so Mexican flee markets but we decided to try one more and we were glad we did. This was the first one we’d been to where we found livestock for sale with lots of Turkeys! Apparently, the people in this particular area just love raising turkeys while the whole rest of the country eats chicken. We were the only gringos there and had a great time.
We returned to Oaxaca and took in a free concert in the restored 1850 operahouse. Saturday we shopped for stuff and Sunday did the return trip back to “Huatulco”.

We’ve been working on the boat getting ready for the next adventure – wherever that is. The weather has been warming up – May here is the hottest month of the year – and we’re sure we’ll be gone by then.

Zihuatenajo and the Mexican coast

2008-02-26T12:52:00.001-08:00

It has been a long time since our last big update. We’ve had a few smaller ones to a few folks but it is now time to bring everyone up to date. We last updated two days before leaving Nicaragua for Mazatlan and, to say the least, much has happened since then.

Starting at the beginning, the next day we were visiting the famous surfing beach in Bahia del Sur, Nicaragua and the rainy season had begun in full force. Every afternoon, the sky would cloud up and about 3pm there would be a heavy downpour of warm rain. Well, we were in a small beach side café along with a whole bunch of surfers. They had seen the storm coming and most were out of the water up with us. We saw that we could be trapped in the café for hours and might miss the bus back to the town. It was a two kilometer walk back to the pick-up point along a very beautiful and very remote beach. So we decided to hightail it back while we could. About half way back, Mary heard the words “dinero, dinero” and turned around to see a guy with a 10” knife, basically robbing us from behind. So, after a few moments of conversation, we came to realize that we were really being robbed, that he only wanted cash, and that he was new at this (cause he was trembling so bad). He got $60 worth of Nigcaraguan currency – a small fortune in this very poor country. He only got that much because we’d tried to pay in advance for a ride to the airport for the next day, only to be told that we’d have to pay for four people and then find two more to reimburse us. So, we didn’t buy the tickets and instead gave the money to our robber. If that wasn’t bad enough, the robbery took so long that two minutes after it, we got clobbered with a drenching downpour.

However, all was well, we were alive and made it not only back to our hotel but on to the airport and, via Los Angeles , back to Mazatlan where the boat was. We spent about two weeks putting the boat to bed and getting it ready for hurricane season. Then took one of the luxury buses from Mazatlan to Guaymas where our car was waiting for us – cloaked in about two inches of dust and dirt. As we got some lunch in Guaymas, Mike complained of a pulled muscle in his right calf – an odd occurrence since we had been doing nothing for 12 straight hours during the bus ride. Well six days later the ache turned out to be another Deep Vein Thrombosis and Mike was in the hospital in Lubbock , Texas for five days. He had great care but it was a shock nonetheless.

After the hospital stay, all our plans changed. Gone were visits to cruising friends and other relatives. Hello to getting back to San Luis Obispo where we could be with our daughter and grandson (Kristin and Aidan) and recuperate mentally and physically. This could have been the end of cruising and this was a lot to digest. But the pain was not to stop.

Two weeks after getting back to SLO, Mary complained of chest pains and trouble breathing. We thought it was a relapse of Dengue Fever and so treated with Tylenol and rest. When that did not work, it was another trip to a hospital where Mary was diagnosed with Pneumonia. In four weeks, she was back to strength while Mike played nurse and chief grandson sitter and entertainer. All the while, Mike was trying to find out the best source of treatment for the DVT and an answer to the cruising question. Ha! It still wasn’t over. In late August, we both went in for our annual skin exam and the doctor found an “in-site melanoma” in the middle of Mike’s back. Two weeks later he had a 3inch scar and mandatory two week recovery period. Then the bad news stopped – for a while.

We found a doctor in the USC Medical clinic who is nationwide known for his DVT knowledge. Got an appointment and got the go-ahead to keep cruising. He’s the doc to a couple of movie directors, big corporate hot-shots, etc. so we felt safe regarding his recommendations. It is a field that very few know about. And since there is so little promise of financial returns, there is little “big medicine” companies doing research into new products. In the USA , the standard treatment is simply to keep your blood from clotting in the future. There is no effort made to treat the clot in the leg and make it disappear, nor any effort to find out what caused the clot and try to remedy it. Thus, “treat the sympton, not the cause” standard medicine continues. So, Mike now takes Warfarin daily, for the rest of his life. It is an anti-coagulant and is often, and mistakingly, called a blood thinner. It is fairly dangerous but not dangerous enough to prohibit sailing.

Finally, with the go-ahead, we headed back to Mazatlan to get the boat ready to head to Equador. But the new solar panels and structure to hold them took 10 weeks to build and wire. By December 11th we were three days away from pulling away form the dock and a month behind schedule. Then on the 12th, Mary got a call from her sister, that their mom was dying and to fly home immediately. She did and Mike followed three days later. This was indeed the case, but Mom made a miraculous recovery and within another three days was sitting up, talking, more lucid than for the last 12 months. It was amazing. So, with things now going well, we spent Christmas with Kristin, Aidan, Jenny (our daughter from Dallas had flown out as well) and had a great time.

With Christmas over, it was time to head back to San Diego , see Mom again, and get ready for the January 3rd return flight to Mazatlan . Everything was great, but then on December 31st Mom took a turn for the worse, was rushed to the hospital from the nursing home. Three days later, on January 3rd she passed away at about 2 am. The funeral was on the 8th and we finally returned to the boat on the 11th. Mary’s back seized up on the 4th and would not relax until about a week ago! Funny what stress can do to you.

Within a week the boat was ready and on the 20th we shoved off, though now plans for Equador were on hold as we only had six weeks to meet the March 1st deadline we’d made for ourselves. We decided to just have fun in 2008 and that would mean cruising the coast of Mexico and going where we wanted, when we wanted and stay as long as we wanted. One of the great things about this lifestyle is the ability to change plans constantly and still enjoy life.

We made a straight shot sail from Mazatlan to Tentacatita – the isolated anchorage that is a cruisers favorite. There we found clean water, warmer weather (it had been really cold in Mazatlan – down into the forties at night) and easy living. After a week there, we sailed again straight to Manzanillo ( Santiago Bay – at the north end of Manzanillo). A short sail but fun never-the-less. Another 10 days went by. We went with Kathy and Hal from Airborne to visit a Turtle preserve that also serves as a refuge for iguanas, crocodiles, and various birds. They’ve put over 100,000 baby turtles into the ocean this year. We found great food buys in the town of Santiago, got our VHF fixed for $10, found a bar right out of Casablanca where for $2 you could get a beer and all your could eat of cevechi and guacamole.

We next sailed down to our current favorite – Zihuatenajo (Z wha tay nay ho). A very nice tourist town with lots of Mexican, American and Canadian tourist, it is still a great town. Like the rest of Mexico , it full of wonderfully friendly Mexican who are always willing to listen to your Spanish and talk to you until you can’t say anything more and then they start talking in English. The bay is not as pretty as it used to be as the town has grown and the sewage is still dumped into the bay. So, we sail out of the bay to make water and then come back and anchor in a new spot. We went to the movies last night and saw “Love in the time of Cholera” for a total of $4.

Thus life is good, we’re having fun, this is the Mexican Riviera where it is hitting 88 every day and cooling off to 70 each night. No clouds, light winds, warm water and good times.

Belize, Honduras, and Nicaragua

2007-06-12T12:43:00.000-07:00

Our biggest day in Belize was hiking for 45 minutes, wading across three rivers and swimming into a cave only to hike and swim some more in order to find skeltons, and 1500 year old pottery, etc. The next day, we floated down a river in innertubes going through three more caves. It started out ominously enough as big poisonous snake decided to swim the river right in front of us. So our guide simply took along a big stick and kept hitting the water to keep it away from our butts. It decided, after about half an hour, to go somewhere else. Just after the second cave, we got out and went exploring a fourth cave on foot. In this one we found more 1500 year pottery and got to handle it. So, if you get to Belize, be sure to go caving.

Then it was on to Placencia, Belize. A lovely beach town with the narrowest street in the world. Bascially it is a sidewalk that is over a mile long but it is the street that connects the town together. It was real hot and even the wind that came up in the afternoon didn´t help much. Four days of hot and muggy was enough and so we headed for the Island of Utila in Honduras. We ended up taking scuba lessons for beginning and advanced as it had been 35 years since we last dove and the technology had really changed. It was the best week ever as we got in 13 dives and saw some great sealife. A couple of the instructors were real sick so the others were chipping in to help. Our instructor was great and really helped us ´´old folks´´ get the hang of it. It is very interesting to always be so much older than the other tourists. This form of travel is almost exclusively for the 30 and less crowd.

The downside to Utila was Dengue fever. Turns out Mike got infected the first day there and Mary about two days later. Because seven days later, just after we left and were in the town of Trujillo, Honduras, Mike got a horrendous fever and ended up in the hospital in the capital city of Tecucigalpa. They tested for Malaria but it was Dengue. There is no way to prevent and no cure other than Tylenol. So for the next four days, we were both taking 750mg of Tylenol, three times a day to keep the fever down. Then it is over but swelling and itching and headaches linger a bit longer. It really knocks your system down and we are still not totally back to speed.

So, rather than spend time in the captial, a rather ugly non-descript city, we took the bus to Granada, Nicaragua for the time to recuperate. Got a room with AC and a TV and took refuge and waited for the fever to break so we could continue the trip. Granada is about 20 years behind Antigua, Guatemala but will look the same when it is fully restored. Nicaragua is an adventure compared to the other countries. We have not had one day without either water or power being out at one time or another. But, we feel very safe here as opposed to Honduras where there were armed guards in front of ice cream stores, hardware stores, etc.

They say the people here are reserved but passionate. We found that to be true. Once they open up and start to meet you, it is hard to get them to stop talking about how much they love their country. We found that in Belize also. We met a retired university professor who invited us to his island home for a month but we said no, we had to move on. We stayed on Ometepe Island, which it turns out is the sister island to Bainbridge Island, Wa. We met the folks there from Bainbridge and found out we knew some of the same people. Small world. Now we are in San Juan del Sur, the southern most beach city in Nicaragua and home to some of the best surfing on the west coast. It is now the rainy season and it rains every night with a great lighting show last night. So, we´ve gone from hot and humid to wet, hot and humid. Some change huh?

On our last day in Nicaragua we went to the much fabled surfing beach Playa Maderas. We are not surfers but it is supposed to one of the best on the west coast. We rode a truck/trolley sort of think way out to nowhere and were dropped off at Playa Matilda. From there is was a 20 minute walk to the surfer beach and a beachside palapa for lunch. There were about 30 surfers in the water but within 30 minutes or so, the curse of the rainy season was upon everyone with thunder and lightning. We ate and waited for a good moment to walk back to the spot for the return ride. We were about half way back to Matilda when from behind we heard the word "dinero". We were being robbed. The fellow had about a 10" knife and was nervous and only wanted todo su dinero - all our money. Well we gave it to him, rode back to town and reported it to the local police who were very nice. Kind of a bummer way to end a trip. The next day was less eventful - got the bus to Granada for a total cost of $4. Spent the night at a place with a pool ( a first!) then the next morning to the airport for the trip back to Mazatlan, Mexico via Miami and then Los Angeles.

Nearing the end of our haulout in Guaymas

2007-01-06T12:39:00.000-08:00

Well here it is the 6th of January and we are back in Guaymas starting a blog. Nothing got done while we were gone but today a new coat of epoxy was applied to the hulls and hopefully things are finally getting done. It has been a long time since October 16th. Hopefully, within a another week, we will soon be out of here and on our way to Mazatlan.

We had a great visit with Pam and Dick on Lady Pamela in Mazatlan the 31st, Jan. 1 and 2. Had a nice New Year's Eve at the cuban spin on mexican food in Mazatlan and enjoyed reading a novel in the sun and warmth on Lady Pamela.

Off to the boatyard to see what has happened today and keep things moving along. Wish everyone a happy new year.