Microphone, continued

We were hailed by Lynda and Bob that they were at the beach, and didn't have the microphone!  They went to where we said the store was and couldn't find it.  So they wanted to take us into town to find it.  I (Marlene) went with them while Roy stayed at the beach.  Got to the intersection and they were right -- no Icom store.  Well, there is conflicting info on the list and internet.  At one time there was a dealer near 5th de Febrero.  The dealer I spoke with is near 5th de Mayo.  Ooops, about 20 blocks away.  Once I called and spoke to the woman (Spanish language only -- somewhat of a challenge) at the store (Fernando was not there), she said "Cinco de Mayo."  We hopped right over, picked up the mike, and all was well!  Tried out the new mike a few times so far by checking into some of the nets.  Was told by one friend that my voice was booming -- and they are in Barra de Navidad, way south on the mainland!

Yesterday Bob and Lynda drove back to our nice beach and we all ordered lunch from the restaurant.  The beach has pure white sand and is so shallow that you could wade out in knee high water for maybe as much as 200 yards.  After walking the dinghy out quite a way, Roy hopped in and rowed the dinghy even further before the water was deep enough to lower the motor.

We are leaving today to head over to Isla Espiritu Santo.

 

~~~ Marlene and Roy ~~_/) ~~

Bahia Falsa, near La Paz

Yesterday after running last minute errands in town and putting the car away, we looked at each other and said, "it's just 3 p.m. -- we have plenty of time to get to Bahia Falsa," which is just around the corner from our marina at Costa Baja.  Once out on the open water in the warmth of the sun and the glistening sea, we were relaxed, very happy to have left when we did rather than wait until the following morning.  We arrived here in plenty of time to prepare and cook our first pressure cooker meal of the season, pork chops with vegetables.

At 7 p.m. we tuned into the evening net on the single side band radio and went to grab the microphone to check in and let our friends that might be listening that we were in radio contact.  Yikes!!!  The microphone was missing!  After a thorough search of the boat we concluded that we left it at home on a shelf in the garage.  We had taken the radio home so Roy could clean and test the tuner.  We had several thoughts: contact friends that might still be in San Diego to ask them to pick one up for as at the ham radio outlet.  Another was to ask people here in La Paz if anyone had a spare microphone for our particular radio, and also to contact the local single side band radio dealer to ask if they have one in stock.  After many emails and phone calls to various venders in the U.S. to inquire about someone sending one to us, we learned that the local shop has a similar one in stock.

Friends Bob and Lynda from Tahoma are going to the store to buy it for us -- and they'll drive out to a small beachside restaurant near where we are anchored to bring it to us.  We often remark how wonderful our cruising friends are -- they even go way out of their way to help friends whenever they can.  This is but one of many stories that cruisers have about similar situations.

~~~ Marlene and Roy ~~_/) ~~

Heading out to the Islands

Much as we love La Paz, after one month of boat projects it's time to head out to the Islands!

The big job was having Damiana hauled out at a local boat yard to get a fresh coat of bottom paint, get a new through-hull installed for a new instrument, and install our new propellers. Upon arrival at the new, wider, lift, we were visited by a panga with boat yard workers telling us that we had to go to the old lift, and they led the way. They assured us that it was wide enough, saying that they had hauled Moorings catamarans out at their small lift. Well, if you flatten out the palm of your hand, that's how much clearance there was between Damiana and the cement wall at the widest part of the boat. It was harrowing at the least! Their work was quite good, a redeeming factor, so by the time they had to lower our boat down into the water, again with the smaller lift, we were a little more relaxed.

We've enjoyed a few get-togethers with friends and even discovered a new bakery (mmm, croissants -- Mexican style). Neighbors, Ruth and Ken, from Santa Maria are vacationing in Cabo. They drove up to La Paz -- we invited Lynda and Bob from Tahoma to join us for lunch at Tamarindo.

We've shopped and shopped for provisions -- not counting canned and packages in our pantry, we have enough goods in the refrigerator and freezer to keep us going for at least a month, maybe six weeks. Once you leave La Paz, fresh vegetables aren't available until you reach Loreto. This time we thought ahead and purchased several packages of frozen vegetables! With lots of avocados, limes, onions and tomatoes on hand, we'll make Guacamole as a salad substitute, using green and yellow peppers and cucumbers as dippers. Weather has been extraordinary. January 2013 was much colder than this year. We haven't used flannel sheets at night, and afternoons are so warm that we wear shorts, t-tops, no sweaters! So far, this season has gotten off to a great start!

~~~ Marlene and Roy ~~_/) ~~

2014 Season Begins

After a beautiful road trip down Hwy 1 in Baja California we arrived in La Paz on January 6.  The night before leaving California we had dinner with Bruce and Alene (Migration) in Los Angeles.  They were close to heading back to Thailand to resume work on rebuilding Migration from the bottom up.  Enroute we stopped in Loreto and visited with John and Patricia (Trick), in their in-town home.  It was great to see them again, and also to see their home which they bought last  year.  It has traditional Mexican style architecture and furnishings, and is very lovely.

Once in La Paz, we started the routine of recommissioning Damiana, getting her ready to sail.  So far, all the projects have gone smoothly -- in spite of all our worrying about all the things that could have gone wrong!  The new electronics have been installed, the sails have been rigged, the dishes and pots and pans have been washed and put away, as well as a few odds and ends.  Next on the list, Damiana will be hauled out to have her bottom washed and painted, the hull washed and polished and the props to be installed.  We've had nice times with Peggy and Don (Interlude) and Kiki and Craig (Oya) and will soon get together with Lynda and Bob (Tahoma).  We also had a nice short visit with Alex and Sue (Maitairoa).

Yesterday we took a day off from boat projects.  We took a short road trip to a small town about an hour's drive from La Paz. Interlude joined us in our car and Oya drove separately -- they were continuing on for an extended weekend out of town.  Triunfo was a thriving mining town in the 19th and early 20th century.  Today it is home to just over 300 residents, many abandoned buildings.  There are two notable destinations in Triunfo: a very interesting Piano Museum, several rooms with pianos, organs, guitars, violins,harps and paintings and Cafe Triunfo, a bakery-restaurant that serves incredible sandwiches and salads.  The bread is baked on premises in a wood fired oven.  The menu tells the story about the self-taught baker, that it takes 24 hours to prepare and bake each batch, and he does this every day.  We purchased a loaf to bring home to Damiana and had sandwiches last night for dinner with a small green salad.  It's crusty, large, oddly shaped, has different flours, a hint of garlic and delicious!

Across the way from the cafe is a hotel in progress.  A man from Los Angeles fell in love with this small town 13 years ago and decided he wanted to live the rest of his life there.  He sells real estate in a nearby town and uses all his earnings to build the hotel, brick by brick.  He incorporates art throughout -- very very nice.  We walked throughout the town, and as the afternoon was wearing down, not wanting to be on the road in darkness, we had to pull ourselves away.  The attached photo is the beginning of a renovation down the street from the Cafe.

  Yes, that's right, just the front wall is built so far.

~~~ Marlene and Roy ~~_/) ~~

Damiana is for sale!

Our sailing days are nearing the end as we make plans to do considerably more land travel. We've taken good care of Damiana and have updated and upgraded her systems so she is ready to resume cruising with her new owners. For more information or to arrange to see Damiana, please send us an email: mverdery@gmail.com or call us at 415-987-6477.

Our cruising season ends :-(

According to plan, we expect to leave La Paz tomorrow around noon and drive to Loreto, the first leg on our long drive home.  We have spent the last 10 days doing boat projects, getting Damiana put to "bed" for 7.5 months, and even found some time to visit with friends.  A big plus to staying at Costa Baja Marina is the chance to go swimming in their "endless pool," a gorgeous large pool that looks as though it's continuous with the Sea when seen from the beach chairs.  A last minute project, getting the front panel on the refrigerator repaired, got underway today by Pedro, the carpenter.  He'll finish up tomorrow (due here at 8 a.m.)  We are almost all packed and will do the last minute packing while Pedro finishes up.  Tonight, our good friend, Alex (Maitairoa) took us out to dinner as our final send-off for the season (Sue is stateside).  It is with heavy heart that we leave this year.  We have more than ever become quite attached to life here in Baja California, especially the islands, and, of course, La Paz, which has been our favorite for years.

We'll resume the Damiana Blog upon our return in January, 2014.

~~~ Marlene and Roy ~~_/) ~~

track our route:

http://www.pangolin.co.nz/xtras/yotreps/tracker.php?ident=kg6uhl

Last stretch

As planned we spent a few more days at Isla Coronados, celebrated Patty's birthday -- I made Rum Cake, my best ever -- Meridien and Gia joined in the festivities!  Eventually we headed south and met up with Jay and Barb from Jupiter's Smile, who we hung out with over in the Western Caribbean.  We spent an evening together at Punta Colorada, Isla Carmen.

As we were sailing toward the end of Isla Carmen before heading up to Punta Colorado, we saw a remarkable sight: hundreds, maybe even a thousand or more, dolphins swimming in a line across the width of the channel between Isla Carmen and Isla Danzante,  The line was perhaps 4-6 deep with dolphins with not much room to spare in-between them.  They stayed in that formation, heading north until we couldn't see them anymore.

The next day we continued heading south and stopped in our favorite: Agua Verde.  As luck would have it we had a chance to enjoy two evenings with friends from Interlude and Oya.  Both evenings we were treated to goats on the move.  The first night we saw about 50 or so spread across and along boulders right in our anchorage -- we got some spectacular photos.  The next night we watched as their herders, 2 dogs and a puppy that lagged behind, herded them single file over the boulders, onto the beach and then disappear through more boulders at the entrance to the anchorage.  What an unusual sight!

From there we continued on to Puerto Los Gatos for an evening, and yesterday we continued on our southward journey to Isla San Francisco, where we are today.  We'll head into La Paz tomorrow and send this off once we have internet contact.

~~~ Marlene and Roy ~~_/) ~~

track our route:

http://www.pangolin.co.nz/xtras/yotreps/tracker.php?ident=kg6uhl