Allymar hauling out in La Paz

Hola

When I flew into La Paz in October of last year it was refreshing to see Allymar sitting there in the yard as we flew over the marina. Now she sits there again and the big question now is which side of the plane I will need to be on to see her as I fly out. Put her on the hard yesterday and spent the night up on solid ground (althouth 12 feet up in the guess air) for the first time in quite a while. Suprisingly the boat seemed to be moving still as I adjusted to the lack of movement. Getting to the travel lift was the usual difficult maueuver as the old girl just does not back up well. I do like having a mizzen mast but times like the travel lift backing in and lack of a place to put solar panels makes me yern for a cutter rig.

Now that I am putting her up and remember all of the many tasks to do so, I guess that lack of memory is a survival mechanism.

Luckily I am not alone as there are 3 other boat slaves doing the same as me. Gives us something else to talk about rather than sailing stories

Ken

April 8th

Found these three pictures when I was going through the mess seeing what to keep. They represent the best and worst of the time I have spent here. The best is the meal in San Evistro at the restruante of a locasl fishing family. Two tables, a palapa roof and you can have anything you want to eat, as long as it was fish, rice and beans (plus cervesa). She was out of fish and had to send her daughter down to the boat to get one to cook. Prfetty good and fresh. To see Steve and Claudia again after a year, and sit with Tom who we were buddy boating with (Dean took the picture) made it all better.

Ah, the worst. Working on your boat in exotic places. The 40 year old deck was fast going south in the hot sun and needed immediate repair. A 10 grand or more new deck was out of the querstion. The solution for now is a pl=olymer rubber based roofing paint to seal and pprotect what is left. I have it on fairly good referral that it works OK in the short term (3-5 years)

Harp (that water dog of a girl) swimming in the bay at Tenacatica. Hard to keerp her out of the water.

Great vista on the east side of Isla Partita. Good hike up the dry wash and over the saddle on the other side.

Gonna haul Allymar out tomorrow and continue the process of putting her away for 7 months.

Wondering on April 1st 2011

Crocolile in San Blas Bird in the estuary in San Blas

Gringo's doing what gringo's do Allymar in the sparkles

Do

Don't poop on the beach

Me eating pasta with my garlic pressure cooker bread

Bringing in a fish on the hand line

What a great Yellow tail tuna

Well, here I am back in La Paz B.C.S. winding down my trip and stay in Mexico. Iyt has been a great time and adventure the past 5 months traveling both in the Sea of Cortez and mainland Merxico on the west coast since October of 2010. I am ready to go home and resume my real life with memories that will last forever. I have mixed feelings with doing this without my wife Harp (doing it alone with crew etc) balanced against the many wonderful experiences and challenges that were met and surpassed. I have to thank her for this opportunity to travel while she stayed home and worked. I also must thank my wonderful mother who saved my first kindergarten finger painting which was of a sailboat. She also reminded of the many times I made boats out of scrap wood that always had a sail. As I plan for next year the need to maintain focus on what I want foe the rest of my like is most important. Sailing is like life, once you loose your focus it is so easy to get off course. It is remarkable how good an autopilot and windvane steers Allymar, never getting tired, needing a bathroom break or whinning about something. I have tendencies to put my life on autopilot, a thing that does not work for us organic vessels. I have once again learned to not trust the instruments. To look, feel the wind on my cheek and feel the motion on Allymar. To not envy the yacht that passed us, or the large one with microwave and a dishwasher. Thay have their own problems and my life is all that I can handle right now. So, as I remember and ponder the last months of fun and life, it seems like going into a northger when I am trying to go north. Than happyness is always just one step behind frustration. The sunsets and sunrises were great although there was no green flash this year. The small towns and slow anchorages were quiet and fulfilling. The Mexical people are so industrious and capable with so little in comparison to us rich northamericanos. I will try to remember to say hello, good by and thank you to the people I deal with back home. Those few words are spoken all the time and not just as a rote thing. Smiles and communications were extendedto me all the time in ways not seen in the US. Sailing made me appreciate the unexpected. To change plans for safety, smooth sailing or just to go somewhere else became easy. There was always another day to get to that harbor and the place we did go to was usually a pleasant suprise and had hidden gems of wonder. Many time I wrote in my log that we up-anchored and had a ????? as to where we were going. hard to cast something in ce3ment on the water eh. Speaking of instruments (earlier in this message I was) that wind indicator on the top of the mast that was supposed to tell me the direction of the wind was sold to me incorrectly. It is actually a directional pointer telling us the way to go. We sure had noserlies a lot especially coming northg from Barra de Navidad. I saw the southern cross, made a correct sun sight with the sextant and worked out our position with the sight reduction tables, drank too much cervesa and usually ate good. I made new and revisited with old friends. Hopefully to see them again on the seas. I will be heading home on the 14th of April, and expect the rain to stop (did you hear that rain gods). As to next season, who knows.

As for now it is time to play out one of the truisms of sailing "Having the opportunity to work on your boat in fun and interesting locations".

Fair winds and an exciting life to all Ken

Back in San Blas

Hola from San Blas

Arrived back here the other day heading back north. There are times that I wish to be more connected to the news of the world than I am now. To hear of the devistation in Japan was saddening to me both from a personal and practical perspective. From a practical and safety perspective, it would have been great to know that the tsunami wave hitting the coast here was due to arrive at the same time we crossed the bar into the estuary of San Blas. Thankfully it was only 2 foot as the constricted opening to the harbour and shallow depth would heighten any serious wave. For some reason time tyc was not given to mariners. We had been anchored in the large Mantachen Bay south of the harbour and it was suggested we should move to the harbour as there was a potential of some heightened wave. Called on the radio and noone came back with any information for our location. Later on we found out that the marinas in La Crus, PV, Cabo and many anchorages were warned and boaters left and went out and motored around in the deep bays. Luckily the wave was only 2 foot hight and posed no danger to us. How many mariners can say they rode a tsunami (even a little one). It was very interesting to look out to starboard and see the ways line as far as we could see into the distance. It was also very interesting to see all of the people on the roofs of the building and observation towers looking out to see to watch it and us come in.
Heard about Crescent City and Brookings damage and hopefully no fatalities. Pictures on the internet of Japan very sad. nature in all of her majesty can be crewel and thoughtless. I am not following the story and hope that aftershocks are minimal and loss of life in small. Japan always seeme3d to be prepared for earthquakes better than most countries.
Leaving tomorrow for mazatlan and thre big cith. Spend time there and head to the sea for the final wrap up prior to La Paz and heading home on April 14th. I am really ready to get home and off the boat for the season. It has been fun but enough is enough (without Harp here).
Hopefully can post some pictures of the travels today

Hasta Luego

Ken

Photos from Barra and environs

Resting under the sunshade in Tenacatita Bay

Getting ready to dive on the boat for a bottom cleaning

Ken and friend Parky never missing an opportunity to fool around

Making tortillas on the boat

Harp in the shade of an old tree in Barra de Navidad

Here are some pics from Harp's visit.

Ken here adding to what Harp posted. It was great to have her here withme in mexico on Allymar. We really did not go far, rather went to Tenatatica from Barra de Navitad and had a relaxing time walking on the beach, visiting with sailing friends and refreshing our relationship. Harp had the opportunity to add to her life bird list with a pink sided scooped billed something. She was so excited.

Currently back in La Cruz working our was north and then over to La Paz and home on the 14th of April.

Ken

Frenzy in the Laguna

Hello all

Well, yesterday was a very interesting day in the laguna here in Barra de Navitad. Woke up to a wind out of the east and quite quixkly noticed that the boat dpwn wind from me was 10 feet away from my stern. Rreceived 2 calls on the VHF in the next 2 minutes to lety me know. When that boat anchored 2 days before I mentioned to him that I was a little concerned about his anchoring close to me and could he please keep a good watch as the wind in the afternoon quickly could build to 20 knots out of the west. He acted somewhat responsive and said he would set a good watch. he then left and went ashore for the day and 1/2 the night. Tom. Ron and I had to stay there and drink beer all afternoon just in case, Fortunately the wind did not blow and all was well. Yesterday morning he did not answer on the radio and it toot my yelling and a friend pounding on his boat to gbet him up. He did them re-anchor, but only after a discussion as to who was the cause of our closeness. I reminded him who was there first and my concerns when he first anchored. He dithered a bit but finally re-anchored, but in a place too close to another boat. I do not understand the herd instinct to place your boat close to another when there is enough room for all. Similar to parking your car in the far corner af a parking lot anf return to find 3 cars parked next to you. There was sufficent space for all actually to anchor correctly.
Next a large power boat started drifting into the pack. It took 8 of us to corall her ( 4 dingies pushing and tuggung, Carl on the anchor windlass and me on the wheel steering the power boat). Was left open but there was no key in the ignition. If we had not been able to stop her she would have taken out 2 sailboats downwind. It does not take much to get a bunch of yachties working together to protect our homes. The owner came back to his boar sometime after 9 pm to find it anchored in a different place.
2 other sailboats were aground and 3 re-anchored as a result of the east wind. Just goes to show that we should always be alert and not complacent.

The worst part of the day was that I was planning a trip to Melaque to get paint to work on Allymar, and was late and the paint store was closed for siesta. Bummer.
Went back there today and had a great time.
Today was great with warm sunny day and good friends.

Ken

Barra de Navitad Manzanillo

Hello everyone from what has proven to be the best cruising grounds in Mexico. Not sure why they call them cruising grounds as the last place you want to be in the boat is on the ground. I am in Barra do Navitad which is in Jalisco state just north of Colima State. The weather is warm in the day and cool at night, which is just about perfect. Since my last post we have visited Chacals. Chemala and Tenacatica, All three of which were small, relativly isolated and picture postcard of the Mexican Rivera, The towns (villages) ae all small when they exist and the beaches are sandy, long and invite strolling for hours. Tenacatica was my fravorite in that there was a cruising community that met and played volleyball, frisbe and Bacche Ball on the beach. When I remember my camera I will add pictures of the dingy raft-up there. Took the dingy up the estuary to the lagoon, a trip on 2.5 hours on a small gas tank. I was somewhat concerned about us being stuck up there as the tide turned but sure love that gas sipping honda. Hard to believe that it still runs great after being under water (salt) all night last year in Cabo.
Barra is another world from the isloated spots, but still vfery interesting and fun. Barra has been designated by the Mexican government as a tourist zone and it sparkels in a simple non condo vein. I anchored in the lagoon and spend the day doing boat chopres (re-wire, paint cabin top and bulwarks and maintain the batteries for the extra load of keeping the cooler operating. This si the furthest south I will go on the boat and will stay here for Harps arrival. Carl and Pam have chosen to go ashore as there will be no further destination for them. Manzanillo the prior farthest south destination is 30 miles south of here and has no draw for me. I did go there to get paint and found it to be typical of large Mexican towns. You need to get to the old centro area and there you find the real city. As with our cities and outskirts are loaded with Walmarts and Home Depots, restruants with familiar names and seem to be the focus of the gringos what haunt the resorts and condos. We saw 2 gringos in 3 hours in the old city.

Must mention gthat in Tenatacita the Mexican navy boarded all of the boats in the anchorage. They took pictures of all the instuments including radios, clocks, barometers and computers. They were very pleasant and courteous in comparison to our coast guard and customs.
Pictures arre of Tenacatica (up the laguna, yachties on ther beach and in the raft up, Mexican navy) Manzanillo ( big fish sculpture, me eating in the marcado central) and Barra (Malacon)
Forgot to mention, watched the Packers win and what a great game. Both teams have nothing to be ashamed of. Competative and entertaining.

Fair winds

Ken