Jasdip "Live Slow, Sail Fast"

The Deck is Done!!!!

2012-02-16T11:06:00.000-08:00

Yes! Yes! Yes the deck is DONE!!
I have my boat back and it is relatively
orderly again. What a task. It looks
beautiful and feels wonderful!! Almost
sensual at least to those of us who
really appreciate teak. Everyone who
looks at it has to touch it. It is actually
kind of funny. I personally love
walking on it with bare feet.
Well this was cause for celebration
and as if the upcoming Carnival is not
enough celebrating we had to have
a "deck warming" on Jasdip. It again
must have been some sort of record for
the # of folks in the cockpit. We truly
packed in the bodies and it was great fun.
The usual suspects, those who already
had their deck done and those who will
have theirs done (it is highly contagious).

There are several though,
that don't even want to have
anything to do with teak, or
any other wood for that matter
and those folks can appreciate teak
from afar only......

Got to get going, Carnival
starts today and I must be ready.

In Between the Deck work there is some fun to be had!

2012-02-02T09:04:00.000-08:00

Getting Ready

Last Friday and Saturday
there were two shows each
night of these extraordinary
acrobats! The show took
place on their sailboat and
they virtually swung in the
rigging and climbed all over\
the boat. The first show was
sort of a Keystone Cops type
with exaggerated slapstick
of the trials and tribulations

The Audience

of couples sailing. Very
Funny!! The next one (this is
the one I got pictures of) was
a romantic "Dance" on the
boat. They were great!
The gratuities they received will
be used to fund their cruise around
the world and some goes to local
charities in the cities they visit.
Bravo on them!!

The beginning

Middle

End

They left me almost
Speechless!

Then of course the Deck. It is almost done today (Thursday).
Got to get back to work!!

The deck is moving forward.....

2012-01-26T19:34:00.000-08:00

Doug and Lynne

Managing to secure the wheel over the curb and avoid the rebar on the sidewalk was a magnificent first park job in Mexico for Brenda ( and no there was no wine involved!)!

Don the Birthday Boy!

But first a goodbye to S/V Miramar. Doug,
Lynne and Higgins. Off to the mainland and
a trip down to the south for fun.
They will be back sometime in the spring to sail the Sea of Cortez.
Then a trip to town just to get out with Brenda of S/V Firefly and Lisa of S/V Gypsea. The first thing we had to do was jump the Explorer then off we went. Took a bit of time.
Then it was Don's Birthday! A cake, a musical
light house and a candle. Then dinner at El
Corazon. Another great night.
Saturday was one of the lowest tides of the year and Don and Kathy and I took the dinghy
out to the Magote (big sand Island in the Bay)

A Birthday Dance!

and navigated around all of the sand bars in the
Bay. It was amazing to see how
shallow parts of the Bay are. There were
many folks out just walking on
the Bay. Kathy has the pictures so
I need to get a few. I was driving.
It was a great excursion and the
Bay was calm and warm!

Monday the deck started. The old one came
off. It apparently came off fairly easily
because the teak had not adhered properly
from the very beginning. The deck itself
was in good shape and the new teak is
going down. There are screws only on
the outside piece. It is starting to
look like a deck.
Anyway I am excited but tired and
we have to do it all again tomorrow.
Good night for now.

Jasdip is getting spiffed up!

2012-01-20T08:06:00.000-08:00

Slowly but surely Jasdip

Removed the old varnish and this is what it looks like.

is getting some things done

to spruce her up. I have been

wanting to do this for a long time.

Here are a few pics of the

updates. A new awning for the

sun that I can actually put up/ and

take down by myself! No poles

to slip, with great fanfare never to

be seen again! Leaving the

hapless crew with no shade!

The floor is being varnished

a little at a time due to the fact that I

A New Sun Awning

must continue to live on her. Hector

also made me a new main sail cover

that has the slits for the Lazy Jacks!!

Yeah!!

The new deck began last

Monday. As of today (Friday)

the old deck is off and it has been

ground. Today is the beginning

of the wood placement.

Old Deck Electrolysis on the screws

The Old deck.....

Removal of all the deck fittings

Luckily I don't have to many.

The head finally got painted and the varnish is being done.

Yet another Party!

2012-01-17T08:29:00.000-08:00

Adrianna, Carlos, Pamela and Nelva

I almost forgot the Marina Palmira
Christmas Party. It was at the patio
outside the Marina office. Carlos
(the boss) had appetizers and wine and we cruisers definitely put a dent in
the Tienda's supply. We saw one of
the girls who used to work there
whom we all just love. Marcella came and brought her sister. The ladies at the
front desk are the most friendly and
helpful people in the world.
Marcella was the one who found
me a slip when I first got here
and the Norther was blowing
me to heck while at the
Anchorage. She was and still is
my guardian angel. She and
Adrianna. It was JASDIP!

Marcella and Kathy

Tale of two Gulets !

2012-01-14T11:44:00.000-08:00

Gulets are Turkish built yachts made of wood especially for chartering.
They are replicas of old Turkish trade ships. There are two here at Marina
Palmira. Do not know what is going on with them but one is definitely in better

shape that tho other! A few
weeks ago the less sound one
started to sink and tip. It was sad
but it has been thought that it is
a hazard to all the other boats
if it ever breaks loose in a
blow. Folks at the Marina
hired some people to attempt
to right it. It was a 3 week
project and it was most
entertaining. They did keep it from
falling over and blocking the
Marina fairway. There were small
tow trucks and bigger tow trucks
"dead heads" (large blocks of cement with an eye bolt sticking out of the
top). Then there were pangas, divers
and then cisterns. This was by no means a professional salvage
operation and there was damage to one of her masts but they did it!! I am
truly amazed. They tied those
cisterns to her starboard side, put
pile-ons through her open ports and
pumped the water out while
tugging on her masts with a two truck!

Only in Mexico!!

Still loving my Diggs!

2012-01-14T10:05:00.000-08:00

Christmas came and Jasdip was decorated!

It was quite cozy for me!

The Marina makes a great home base

Jasdip in her spot

This happy face reminds me of my friend Ellen!

Every color of bouganvilla (sp?) in one row!

Oops!

2012-01-14T08:49:00.000-08:00

Well I published that post without
adding the rest of the usual suspects
so here we are!!

Jim (Kanga), Ken (Bungee)

Miss Molly

This was my

Jeff, Anne (Outrider) Rob, Karen.(China Doll)

last party for

a few days!

I had to go

underground and rest.

The "do not disturb" sign

was hung and I hibernated!

It was glorious and I

was renewed!!!!

More opportunities to gain weight and add to the cholesterol levels!

2012-01-14T08:29:00.000-08:00

Windy as Heck!

Christmas and New Year encompass
a potentially very bad time for our
bodies. There were more parties and
more great food. Dock 4 had a Christmas gathering at Marina
Palmira. It was so windy that day
(25-30 knots) that a few folks asked
the marina manager if there was a
place we could have it that was
slightly sheltered. He replied with
of course and took them to one of the

vacant offices. That was great! So we had a great time and it was warm!!
After the party Rob and Karen from
SV/China Doll, fellow Passporters, came to Jasdip and we had a great
visit and dinner.

The party consisted of many of the
usual suspects and a few new ones
as well. It is too much work keeping
up with all this celebrating. Next year
I am going to have to start training
in October!!!

Miss Ana

Miss Judy

Jeff and Darryl

We had to persevere.

" I'm Baaaaaaaaaaakk" but wait I need coffee!

2012-01-11T09:44:00.000-08:00

Sharon & Crit

Christmas is past and now it

is the New Year. The holidays are

tough on me as well as many of us

I know. Two very special women in

and another very special man in my life died last year. One in March (Steve), one in October

(Sharon) and the other in December

(Diana Jesse). I had just

seen them and for that I was grateful.

I also know that I am carrying on just

as they would want me to. Guess I am

getting to that age when your friends and

family members can....without notice....

leave you behind. Well that is all the

more reason to get on with what we

want to do!!!!!

There were many gatherings around the holidays so persevere I

did. This one on Mimia ( Mark and
Mimi's boat). We had a great time
laughing, singing (or rather trying to sing). Luckily we had a few good
guitar players there. And generally annoying our neighbors.
Then there was a nice gathering

Ingo on His Valiant 40 Seaaddler

on Seaaddler with Ingo and Espe!
They just slid out of town two
days ago, very quietly, because
Ingo is very broken up about
selling his boat. They were the
sole owners of Seaaddler and the
time has come but he isn't liking it.
They will be missed.

Ingo and Espe

Sergio Gallinda then invited a bunch of gringos to his house and fed us
tamales, wine, other delicious food and generally kept us up until after 9pm.

Sergio and Lupita

He had us wide awake, although
blindfolded, whacking at a
beautiful Piñata. We were forced
to "sing" (and I use the word
loosely ) in Spanish (we did not
know the melody or the words.....
one can only imagine what we sounded like!) Several "sick
cows with their feet caught in their
mouthes" to quote Bob Dylan.
The tamales were fabulous
and the company was great.
After the Piñata was summarily
destroyed.......given i couldn't
find a lampshade.....I donned
one of the pointy ends of
the lovely piñata while others
dived for the candy!
There is Michael (Milagro), Lupita
and her mom, Maria. The ladies
made the tamales that day. The house was decorated for Christmas
and a few neighbors joined in the
fun.

Then there was the Casa Ana

Cruisers Party. The food was the best yet and the company, delightful. For some

strange reason I did not take very many pictures. However we were not as close to home that evening so lamp shades were not donned!
It was a bitter sweet occasion due to the absence of Mr. Steve who shall remain ever missed and forever in our hearts.......

One Fish Dinner in Marquer

2011-08-03T15:18:00.000-07:00

The Two Hunters back from the Hunt

Kathy Watching the sunset (a requirement down here).

Hunters Dishing out the Fish

Don entertained us all evening with "Fish Tales"!

Bahia Marquer

2011-08-03T13:38:00.000-07:00

Breakfast

The next morning I took off
in my kayak. I explored the whole
bay and part of the next one. There
was truly a lot to see! The water
was so clear that a mask and
snorkel was not needed. While I was
paddling everyone and everything was
going about their business.
Including this turkey buzzard who
must have found breakfast on
the rocks. Just past these rocks and
on the other side of the channel is
Puerto Escondito. Known as
"the Hidden Port" because it is nearly
impossible to see unless you know
it is there. I kept going around this
corner into the next bay and the water
got deeper and the fish got bigger.
Then decided I had better turn around
because my arm hurt already and just
because I turned around doesn't
mean I am really headed home. It
takes just as long to get back to the
"Mother Ship" if not longer, for me
anyway. On the way back there were two
guys from the other sailboat in the bay
fishing. They were very good and
kept catching fish. They threw
most of them back because they
already had plenty to eat. They were
just catching them because they
could. Fishing is quite the pastime
here. Every morning Dave, from
Free Spirit would get in his dinghy
and disappear for hours at a time.
He was out "HUNTING"!!! As it
turns out Don from Wild Rose had
not been fishing and did not know
much about it so a budding relationship
formed and then Dave and Don would
go out every morning to "Hunt".
Dave
taught Don all he knew and then
some and Don and Dave are now
thick as thieves. They had so much
fun and it is always fun to see Don
get excited . Kathy and Don are so
into life that they get excited about
everything and I love being with them.
We took turns hosting dinner and
had a great time!

Catch and Release

The Mother Ship

Oh the Water

Cactus Garden

Drying the wings

Oh the Water!

Wow!

North From Bahia Agua Verde

2011-08-03T12:18:00.000-07:00

Mazu, Mel &Elaine Went South

Found these guys again in Escondito!

Time to say good bye to
Aqua Verde and
some new friends!
Enticed aboard by
promises of Bombay Saphire
and very cold
beer! Had a great visit and then
off to our respective
boats.
The scenery the next day was very pretty
but it was hot as usual. Removed the
windows from the dodger and only
have the top of it on as well as the
Bimini. No wind to speak of and the
shoulder still hurt.So no sailing that day.
I had to weave in and
out and by all these beautiful "Islands"
(ROCKS). Many of the obstacles and
reefs are marked but there is always
a chance of finding one accidentally and
that was not on my dance card for that
day. I was sort of headed to Escondito
for a place to fix the alternator, get water,
get internet and some provisions. I was
also still looking for friends on Voyager,
Wild Rose and Free Spirit.
As I approached
Los Candelleros (where some friends
were headed) I decided to pass it by
and check it out on the way
back. On the approach to Puerto
Escondito I hailed Free Spirit
and Wild rose
and I found them both at
Bahia Marquer.
I was excited about getting to
see some friends
and finding a place to
just hang for a while.
Marquer was about the

Los Candelleros Little did I know...

same distance as
Escondito from where
I was so I changed
course and headed there.
When I got there I was astounded. It was
as pretty or prettier than Isla San Francisco!
I felt like I had died and gone to heaven.

Jasdip at Bahia Marquer

Anchored, found a bathing suit, got a
gin and tonic, got my noodle and jumped
in the crystal clear water!!
Dinner and wine with Dave on Free
Spirit. A happy camper was I.....

Heading North From Isla San Francisco New Territory All by Myself

2011-08-02T22:02:00.000-07:00

Well I headed north. One is really never alone out here. There are thousands of critters everywhere.
These dolphins came up to the boat and hung with me for at least an hour. My voice was raw from
talking to them. I can't help it I
get so excited! They are just such beautiful
creatures!

I love studying the markings on them
and trying to decide what it was that
made the scratches in their hide.

After they left there is always the
occasional seal resting with flippers up.
They hardly even get out of the way anymore!

Then there are the ever popular
"Flippin Rays". They jump right out of the
water then slap down and do it again.

Agua Verde from the Bow

Often there are several at once and

Flippin Ray

they seem to be having such a good
time that I can't help but laugh and wish
I could flip with them! They are mighty hard
to get on film though.

I actually stayed in Timbibachie the first night and
again the second night.
It was not too pretty and the water was green
and not so clear. Didn't take any pictures and it was actually a pretty rough two days. Let's see if I
can remember....I try to block these days out
as best as I can.....I hadn't been getting any charging from the engine. Only the solar panels.
The little generator was acting up so I couldn't even make power with that. I thought I was going to have to bleed that thing but tried changing the fuel filters and running some really clear and clean fuel through it. It took a while but I finally cleared out the dirty fuel
and it started to run OK.
Now I have one fuel filter for the Mr Perkins
and one for Mr Generator. It was pretty hot so
I couldn't run the generator for more that about
30 to 45 min at a time and I did have to make some
water so....i tried the old hook up the field wire
to the generator, right on the positive pole of
the alternator. Well it worked! For a bit.
I a pretty sure that is when the
alternator failed completely. Made bad noises.
Couldn't cope with changing it yet so I just
decided that after a few days of rest I might
be able to cope.
Then I decided to take the big engine
off the dinghy cause Jasdip was running a bit hotter
thank usual and I was towing the dinghy.
Well....it took me almost two
hours. Everything that could have happened
seemed to happen. I tried a new and I thought
perhaps better way to lift up the engine. Turns out
it was a disaster. Three times I almost had the
engine up only to have to let it down again, crawl
back in the dinghy and untangle something.
The last time I tried to pull it up it just stopped
coming and I
couldn't figure out why it wasn't lifting until I looked
down and the fuel hose (which I accidentally left on)
was caught under the handle of the dinghy plug
and was stretched to it's limit. So down it
went again. The whole thing was a series of
things just like that! Then this fella came out
to try to sell me lobster. Hell I was so tired that
unless he brought it in a 3 course meal with a
chilled bottle of wine and then did the dishes I
couldn't even think about it. He said he had
6 kids and he needed to sell some lobster. I said
sorry and thought of that line of Groucho Marks's

Agua Verde from the looking off the stern

in the 50's when he was talking to a couple with
5 kids..." I like a good cigar but I take it
out once in a while!" So that stop was a real
grind. It is times like that that I wonder what the
heck I think I am doing and feel that a good head
examination is in order!!

So that night I slept very well and left to
head north the next Morning. I Figured I would
perhaps make it as far as Agua Verde and I did.
I wasn't alone as you can see but there was
plenty of room for me. Pretty sure I stayed there
two nights. It was a pretty and relaxing place
unlike Timbabachi so that is what I did....relaxed!

The Bungee cord tied to the dock finally broke! I'm outta there!

2011-07-25T12:59:00.000-07:00

Reward

Well, I finally fired the folks I hired to fix my instruments! When I called them
I had everything but GPS. By the time they
left the only thing I had was depth, and GPS.
No more AIS, wind and radar. I think there
are other things that went "away" too but
I can't remember them now. Just glad there
is no fog here and I am not usually traveling
at night (radar)!
Art and Jaye just happened to be heading out for a few days as well so we took of for Isla Partida and
Calita Partida. Partida is one of Jay and Art's favorite places. There is a bay on one side and
a "river" separating Ispiritu Santos and Isla Partida.
The bottom is sand with good holding and there
are turtles that live there. So we hung for a bit
and decided to have hamburgers on Arione.
Jaye cooked and Art sat waiting not so patiently
for his burger. Great dinner, great wine, great place and of course great company!
The next evening I put my beach chair on
the bow, got myself a Bombay and tonic and
watched and waited for the wild life to appear.
It is great to have the time to just sit and
watch and wait. it is actually hard to do at
first. Believe it or not it takes practice.....at least
for some of us!. My reward was watching a
Mama sea turtle and her offspring cruise around the
bay for several hours. I finally got a picture of
Mom's head. Difficult critters to capture on
camera.

The next day we headed to Isla San Francisco. ISF happens to be one of my favorite places here.
It was a bit crowded as I guess it gets at this time
of year. Probably due to it's close proximity to
La Paz. Also I keep forgetting but it is
summer and the kids are out of school so they are

everywhere!. ISF
is still beautiful even if
there are other boats
there.I got my kayak out again
and went exploring along the
rocks and shore all around the bay.
It was amazing. The rocks and shallows are
teeming with life. There were these amazing
colorful crabs EVERYWHERE scurrying
on the rocks when I cam close. Boy can
they scurry. Name: Sally light foot. I do
believe I can say they came by their name
honestly. At one point I was staring at the
rocks right under my kayak at something
green. I couldn't quite make it out. I tried
to position the kayak so I could get
a better look and as I did so a big green
Moray Eel came out and swam under the
Kayak. That was what I was looking at
but couldn't quite tell what it was
until then. Of course my camera was
in it's zip lock!

Art and Jaye came by as they were out
for a row around the Bay. I swear they
looked like something out of Pride
and Prejudice! I told Jay she must
find a Parasol for the next time!
Their dinghy is a sailing/rowing dinghy. I haven't
tried it yet but hope to sometime in the future.
It really looks like a hoot to sail and Art has
a wonderful time when he goes.

It seems like Jasdip and I just travel
through all of this life. They hardly even
give us a second look and sometimes
we don't even get a first! This guy was
clearly nonplussed by our proximity.
" Art ,could you row a bit faster I want to
water ski!"

Oh the Life

Needs a Parasol OR a Bull Horn

Stroke. Stroke. Stroke. Stroke Stroke!

Big Sister Comes to Visit

2011-07-16T10:03:00.000-07:00

A Cold One at Cafe Triumpho

Well they made it to Mexico and I made it

to San Jose Del Cabo on time even! So we jumped in the car and took off heading for La Paz.
It was a pretty nice drive over some mountains with a quick stop in Triumpho!
A very quaint, cute town and a great half way point for a servesa. Made it to La Paz in time
for sundowners on the boat and planned the next day.
Decided to keep the car for a couple of days
and the next day we went touring the town and
had to check out the best margaritas. La Costa
restaurant good drinks,good food and on the
beach.

Outside the Mercado Bravo

Another stop was the Mercado Bravo
where one can get great produce,wonderful
seafood, just butchered chicken
with the feet and lunch for almost nothing.
These are places one must see when
in Mexico. That was enough for one day

Inside Chedraui (provisions)

so back to the Marina we went to hit the pool.
I for one
was very overheated! It was
almost too hot. I actually wasn't sure
I was going to make it. One can't really
just use the hose by the boat cause
the water is very hot in the pipes and a hot
shower is NOT what one is looking for.
Since we were planning to take the boat
out into the islands it was necessary to
head to the local super market and provision.
We got lots of great stuff and I was looking
forward to the food. On the way home from
Chedraui we made one stop to check for

Requisite shopping for the girls Ron, entertaining himself

really cool shirts. We didn't know
whether they would be open or not but
since they were we headed in. Pea got a real
cool shirt ( and I mean that literally and
figuratively). Ron found a great belt but he
had trouble finding his size.
The next day we headed out into the
Sea. First stop was Caleta Partida. A bay between Ilsa Ispiritu Santos and Isla Partida. I have now
been there quite a few times because it
is very close to La Paz and quite pretty.
We had borrowed a kayak from
Art and Jaye for Pea and Ron and Diane
used mine. Definitly not as sleek as those guys

Happy hour at Isla Partida

have at home but it was the only game in town
and they had fun.
One of my neighbors, Dave, on Free Spirit
decided to come out with us. That night we got together for a great happy hour and dinner.
Then it hit and all of a sudden it was "cruisers
midnight" (9:00 pm).
The next stop was Ensanada Grande. It was very
quiet and peaceful but not quite as clear
as it had been the last time. We hung at the
beach then took a dinghy ride to the next cove to view the blue footed boobies. They were very
sparse this time. The young had all hatched
and flown the coop and we only saw one.
The next stop was Isla San Francisco!
That has to be one of my favorite places
even now after I have been to several more
farther north. Thanks to Dave, we planned
a dinghy trip around the island and to
the near by Island of San Jose where
there is a beautiful lagoon and lots of
mangroves. This was one of the bays
and there was a kayaking excursion
hanging out there at tie time. We visited
and of course we had a couple of cold ones
and some wine (can't leave home without
it). Back to the anchorage for another
splendid dinner and a long nap like a baby.

Diane Posing at the Bow

I am really sorry I just didn't take
very many pictures. I am trying to get better
and am succeeding now but at the time
I just didn't think about it. I think we were
pretty busy.
Pea,Ron,Diane and Dave all went for a hike
up to the top of the Northern end of San Francisco.
I had put a hole in the bottom of my foot
with one of those blasted "push the dot" canvass
fittings and could hardly walk. Plus I wanted to
make water and just sit for a moment. I always
feel so very responsible when others are on the

Diane, Pea and I had Bloody Mary's on the Bow

boat. (Since returning from up in the Sea by myself
I am feeling even more confident and I think

that each visitor from now on will benefit from

that experience).

It was a very wonderful time with Ron and

Pea and a great time getting to know Diane

better.

My Beautiful Happy Sis

Leaving the Lagoon at San Jose

Pea with the Escape from the Lagoon in the background

Isla Coyote

Back to the Marina and great Margarita at La Panga

On the last day we wound up at a truly
good Mexican Restaurant! Everybody
got something different and we all tasted.
It was a lovely place and the food was GREAT!
Ron was very happy and we all stuffed
ourselves. Sad to be back in La Paz but probably
those guys were ready to leave.

A Happy Ron!

Those sweet guys took me to Chedraui
and got me some more provisions before
they left. They insisted! I have never heard
of guests provisioning before they leave!
Only in my family! That is just how they are.
Diane left me with the ultimate comment
every host loves to hear! "This was the best
vacation I have ever had!!!" Boy was I happy!
Hopefully they will return and each week,
month etc., I am getting better and better at this
so that I can make the experience even
better next time! If that is possible!

A Happy Diane!

In Between Visits

2011-06-25T14:09:00.000-07:00

Pamela & Paul from Tug Tub

Well there was the great fun I had with Pamela and Paul. They returned the end of May and we were supposed to meet up and travel North into the Sea.
Alas I was having problems with my instruments
and wanted them to be fixed before I left so I
got behind. In retrospect I should have left.
I would probably have all my instruments except
GPS. Now I have GPS but nothing else!!
Oh well. Finally got in touch with them just as they were leaving for San Carlos to put their boat on the
hard for the summer. Alas, our visiting will have to
wait until next year.

Richard and Carol on Vela

Then Romaine, Christy and Dave came down to La Paz. They had signed up for a Kayak trip around
Isla Ispiritu Santos. The outfit that they signed up with is just a block from Marina Palmira so I got to see them and hang for a bit. Their schedule was
tight so not much time but any time is better than no time. They had a pretty good trip but there was a
Norther that blew through and made wind and waves and made for hard kayaking.
Met a great couple on the sailboat Vela. They are from Oregon and are just the greatest folks. We were neighbors for quite some time and had many a

One of my favorite pictures of Steve and Ana

happy hour and dinner together. Carol and I were
frequent visitors to the pool as it was getting very
hot. Alas the co-owner of the boat wanted her to be in San Diego for the summer so Fletch and Richard headed around to Cabo San Lucas and waited for a weather window to go North. They tried twice but it was just too nasty so they turned
back. Last I heard.....Richard went home to OR and Fletch was going to bring Vela back to La Paz.
Haven't heard yet.
There were lots of parties, especially if you know Steve and Ana. They were always getting invited
to them and I got to tag along. Got to meet many folks that way and it was always a great party.

Crit, Ardy and Ana

Then there were "Girls" luncheons. This one was

Dinner and Dominoes aboard Momo

a great lunch at La Marmollera. The food was
GREAT and the price was even better.
One evening I was invited over to
SV/Momo for dinner and dominoes. Beverly
and Dick were there as well. Beverly and
Dick had been cruising for 13 years and have
been around the world at least once maybe
twice. Dick is a very funny guy and between that and Bruno's English (he occasionally needs some translation help from Ivonne) it was a rollicking game of dominoes and we all laughed almost too much.
Did I mention the dinner was fabulous!

A Yogurt Trip

Did I mention the new Yogurt place on the

Malecon in La Paz? Well there were a few trips to

get yogurt in there as well. My mouth is now watering for some and I think it might be the first

place I hit when I return. Dave and I really loved it.

Speaking of Dave (from SV/Free Spirit) he has a truck AND he just got his air conditioning fixed in it!!

He has given me many a ride to the store or Lopez Marine for boat parts and food. He likes to take road trips as well and I was the recipient of that as

well. One day we went to Triumpho. It is a beautiful little city on the way to Cabo. We looked at the

Triumpho Cafe

Hand laid stones and brick

architecture and

we also took a hike to the old gold smelter in the

back of the restaurant.

Hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil.

It is a very cute, quaint town. The cafe had
fresh baked bread for sale and what looked like
great food however it might take two days to get
a sandwich and three for a Pizza. Oh well......
next time.

Dave in front of Mr Harley Davidson's house on Harley Street

Gold Smelter Plant and Triumpho Cafe in the Foreground

Beautiful Brick Wood fired Pizza Oven

Mexican " Fuller Brush Man"

Dave trying to get an artistic shot up the chimney!

Reward for a hard day of playing tourist!

David Foy came to town!

2011-06-17T21:45:00.000-07:00

Well David Foy decided to come
for a visit. First thing we had to do
was provision. Anyone who knows David knows he likes his wine.
In retrospect I should have given
him the Boxed Vino Blanca Seca.
It is not too bad if it is real cold.
Of course everything is an adventure
including shopping.
We decided to wander in town
and play tourist. It was really just
a ruse. We did however see
this great little hotel in the
middle of town. Very cute and
lots of things collected and hanging
around. I think it is

not very pricey
and is in the
center of it all. If one likes
to be in the center.
I for one look for fairly
quiet,white sandy beaches and clear,
clear water. David however
likes the people and the Night
Life. It was a pity. There was
no festival or carnival going on
so there isn't much night life and
very little live music. I do
confess that he tried. His efforts were
no less than heroic. Alas he was stuck with Moi.
During our
tourist time Dave was
also trying to find the perfect sangria.
This one was pretty but not
very effective.
I think we wandered around and then
decided to go out to eat. Dave took
us to El Patron. I had never been there
and the food was supposed to be
very good. The Martini's were good and the wine was excellent.
The place got Five stars for location, setting and view. My fish was
Pargo and it was pretty good.
Time to head home. I am an
early bird and Dave a night owl. We did well. We both tried to adjust our sleep habits

as much as we could.
Headed out in the boat not
planning to go anywhere but out for
a bit and wound up going to
Bahia San Gabriel on Isla Ispiratu
Santos. Didn't have a dinghy cause
we weren't planning this but it turned
out to be quite a bonus.
It was very pretty and close to
La Paz . There was a Frigate
rookery on the island and the babies
had hatched a bit ago so the
birds were a bit territorial. I blew up
my kayak and took a trip to get a

Sushi at an Italian place.

closer look. Very cool.
It was a nice trip and we stayed two
days then headed home. I think we actually might have sailed a bit.
When we returned Dave took
me to a place I had been wanting
to go. It was sort of a Birthday dinner
I think. It was Italian (in Mexico) and they even had sushi as an appetizer!
Amazing! Anyway we tried the sushi and it was great but the best thing was
the buffalo (besides the whine of
course...it was yummy). The chef and
his staff do a great job and one is treated like a queen or king. The
piano player was also very, very
good. Well we had a good time
and actually made it for the whole
week without killing each other.. Then fare well to Mr Foy.

The Lagoon at Bahia San Gabriel

Perhaps he will bring Manana
to Mexico someday! It sure is
nice!!

Back To San Francisco (briefly)

2011-06-14T22:05:00.000-07:00

Had to go back to SF to renew my drivers
licence. Thought I could do it on line
but I guess I had been doing it that way
and now they wanted to see just how decrepit
I had gotten over those years. The woman
behind the counter was fabulous but she
couldn't take Pesos or a credit card. I had
to go in search of an ATM. Got some
cash and headed back to the DMV and
she let me cut right in. As I said she was a
Saint but she told me I had better wear my
glasses when driving as I had failed the

eye test miserably.
Dave and Cati let me bunk with the
Tripster and it felt like home. Had a great
BBQ with Neil and Marion and group
over at Neils shop. Visited the Gang at
Gate 11 and off to Martinez to hang with
Joyce and Mark for a few days.
Boy those guys can cook. I never get to
eat like that on a regular basis. It was so good to
see those guys.
Apparently I had timed my trip to coincide with
the Strictly Sail Oakland Boat Show. What a

Yoshi and Crit with my new scissors!!!

Ben and Casey

coupe. I made a date with Ben to go to the Boat show on Friday. I think I saw everyone else I know
in the Bay area at the show over the next two days.
Got a few cool items and saw Casey again a fellow
cruiser who is waiting for his wife to retire to go with him. Casey I hope Judy stops soon so you can enjoy this together more often. The next day I headed over there with David Foy. We had a good time and I
got to see most of the Passport folks. This was a whirlwind trip with lots of business added to it so I
tried to get the business out of the way first so I

Joy and Lynne and the new addition to the family.

wouldn't have to fret as time got short. I did see

my financial guy, got my teeth cleaned and a
crown re-glued. Told him to use the good glue this
time. Picked up my mail and all the stuff I had ordered through Amazon, etc. and had mailed to
my address. I also had to do some shopping. There are always things we need down here that you just can't find here. I came with two suitcases one inside the other and went home with 2 suitcases filled to the brim and a rolling backpack full as well.
While I was in Alameda I of course had to have my hair cut and highlighted. I headed to Yoshi's
establishment. It was great to see those folks and
of course he did a fabulous job on my hair. I told him I was cutting hair in MX and it was coming out ok. But that I didn't have a good pair of scissors and asked him where he thought I could get a pair. He Promptly went back to his office and care out with
a pair of really good scissors and gave them to me!!!
I wanted to at least buy them but he said "No!" they are a gift. I was thrilled. Now it is time to cut my own hair and at leasts I have a good pair of scissors. Yoshi is the best!!
Well it was then time to head home. I knew I would be back so I wasn't too sad. I caught the
plane to San Jose Del Cabo then the bus to La Paz
where Jasdip and my new bike were waiting
patiently for me.

PS I tried to get these photos in order but I gave up so it is what it is. Life is constantly changing and I am trying to embrace it. I hope you are all able to do the same. Love, Critter

Isla San Francisco

2011-05-31T19:24:00.000-07:00

Had a great sail to Isla San Francisco (ISF).
Lazy womans sail (jib only). When we arrived there
was only one other boat but a few pulled in.
The National Geographic boat was there
and their passengers were kayaking all over.
That evening they had a Beach Party complete
with tiki lights and beach chairs. I think those
guys treat their passengers pretty well. And
well they should for $1,000.00 a Day.
Just another beautiful beach. The water was
still a bit cold but so inviting. I swam a bit

but my sister is a fish and

cannot stay out of the

water long.

We hung and the next
day headed up the
mountain to see what
we could see. We parked the dinghy
on the beach and left it anchored.
I don't have wheels so I have to
leave it in the water. It was warm
and we had some problems
finding the path but all went well and
we climbed. The vegetation here is

very different but equally as beautiful
in it's own way. We were headed
up to look for whales and whale spouts.
We were not disappointed. They
could be seen off in the distance. We wanted to
get closer but it just didn't happen.

Jasdip at Anchor

Jasdip (just another swell day in paradise).

On our way

2011-05-30T11:21:00.000-07:00

Next stop, Isla San Francisco. Just off the
tip of Isla Partida is a set of rocks called
Isla Islotes. This is a sea lion refuge.
The locals take tourists out to the rock in Pangas
and let them snorkel with the baby seals.
I have heard it is a blast but I have also heard
the seals are not tiny babies and they get quite
frisky. They are also not a bit shy around
humans and if you get too close Ma or Pa
might get it in their head that you could hurt
their young and then........well.........I am not
going there!.
All that was to justify why I didn't snorkel with
them. Also I would have had to anchor
and the water was still COLD! I asked Lisa
if she wanted to try it but she was content
to just look and take pictures.
You could see the parents on the rocks.
There were several boats around as well as
the National Geographic Research and Tour boat.
Must be nice. It costs $1000.00 a day to be
aboard that thing. It followed us to Isla San
Francisco.

We circled around in front of the Island
and got several good looks. We also
noted that the rocks above the Islands
were nesting grounds for Boobies and Frigate
Birds. There were tons of them. Their feet
really are blue. And those Frigate Birds are
BIG!

Boobies and Frigates

What a great Kayaking spot

After circling a few times we turned and
headed North. There was a little breeze
so we put up the Jib and had
a Lazy sail to San Francisco.

Sailing to Isla San Francisco

Lisa's Visit (cont)

2011-05-30T10:15:00.000-07:00

Well we arrived in Calita Partida fairly late so we decided that we needed to stay at least one more
day. It is just impossible to go to an anchorage and
leave the next day. At least for me it is these days.
We took the dinghy off to the "river" that separates
the two Islands (Partida on the left and Ispiratu Santos on the right) at high tide. There were
a few fisherman there but they were men of few
words. We took our leave and headed back to the boat. Lisa took another long kayak ride and I
hung at the boat. (only one Kayak).

Next day was off the Ensanada Grande. I hadn't been there yet and boy did I fall in love!!! We had our own private beach with clothes optional.
White sand, clear water and blue sky!
We were anchored alone and then a friends' boat was on the radio and I said Hi, told them where
we were and we had Company.
This kind of company we love. It was Marv
and Ardy from Odyssey. Fellow Gate 11'ers.
They were on their way back to La Paz
to take their friends back to the airport.
They were hosting a couple that had been friends
with them for at least 40 years. What a hoot.

JASDIP

Marve took a hike on the Island to find the Geo
Cache and too also, I think, plant one of his own. We wound up
having cocktails and snacks on Odyssey then hit
the sack with the sun.
Next day was a dinghy ride to the next bay where
there is a Blue Footed Boobie Rookery. We were

Sister in Paradise

rewarded by many Boobies on many nests. It was
delightful to watch them. Back to the boat and
beach for a swim and snacks.
Ardy and Marve took off but We had just said hi to
Tug Tub as they had been hanging out in Ensanada Grande
as well. They invited us over for cocktails and a "hot tub".
Yes I did say HOT TUB and I meant it.
They invented a floating hot tub for boaters and we
got to test it out. It is a salt water hot tube with it's own
heater. You tether it to the Mother Ship and heat it
up to 105 then take it off it's short tether and let it
loose on it's long tether. One only has to come back to the Mother Ship if one a) runs out of wine
or b) the tub needs to be heated again.
There was a full moon and the wine was
flowing It was a JASDIP evening and
Lisa and I couldn't ask for anything more.

Paul Preparing for out Hot Tub

I Was Lost But Now I'm Almost Found

2011-05-24T07:42:00.000-07:00

Hi there! To all my dear friends and Family, I am
sorry about the long hiatus from my blog. As you
know I had a shoulder replacement a couple of
years ago and have been having a heck of a time
getting my strength back and stopping the pain.
Well....contrary to popular belief one can teach an
old Dog new tricks. It just takes longer!!!!
Sitting at my computer has caused a great deal of
pain and suffering for me. I realized this sometime
around Feb. this year. I just couldn't find a comfortable
position. Well I finally figured out that just like I had
learn to walk, stand, wash dishes, brush my teeth, brush my
hair (you get the picture) etc., etc., using proper body
position, I have to learn to sit at my computer in the proper
position as well (but first.....I have to experiment enough to FIND it). I have not quite gotten it down yet but
it is getting better. I am really looking forward to starting it up
again especially if it doesn't hurt. So thanks for your Patience
and don't give up on me. I am alive and it is gorgeous here and
I can hardly wait to share what I have been up to with you.
I just need another week or so of practice. Bad habits die HARD!!!
But they do die. I think I left off at my little sis's visit so hopefully

tune in soon for more exciting adventures (Not.....) of Crit and
her trusty vessel Jasdip.

Back to La Paz

2011-03-04T10:39:00.000-08:00

We took the mountain road back to La Paz.
Stopped in a beautiful village on the way and
had shrimp tacos. Very good! We were of course
the only folks in the restaurant and she made us
a wonderful meal. This is us with happy thoughts
and full bellies.
   The scenery was beautiful and we tried to get
to Cabo Pulmo to check it out. It is also one of
the marine sanctuaries on the Pacific side. We
had no map so we were winging it. We finally
found the road to Cabo Pulmo. It was dirt and
it was probably an hour to the town then back
to the highway. Unfortunately we elected to

continue on to
La Paz to arrive just at or before sunset.
   We made it just in time and relaxed with a
glass of wine and watched her set. JASDIP!
   In the next couple of days we did a great
deal of touring La Paz, tasting great coffee,
tasting great food and a lot of procuring for
our trip to the Islands.
   We practiced our Spanish. Actually Lisa is very
good at it and a few more months and she would be
speaking like a native.
   We wandered down to El Centro and said a prayer for Mom and all of out lost and still living
relatives (Mother would be happy) at the
Cathedral. Hopped across the street and
sang in the Gazebo in the Square. Did you know
that if you stand right in the center of the Gazebo
and it is built correctly the acoustics are GREAT!
   We also went to the local big Mercado.
Mercado Bravo. It is a great place to get
seafood produce and a great lunch for
not much money. We had a delicious chili
rellano and some tamarind juice. Never had it
before . Pretty good. The vender's at the Market

take such pride in displaying their wares. It is akin
to art work in my opinion. We wandered, admiring
all the stalls.

  I think it was Saturday so we went to find the
Saturday Organic Farmers Market. We
succeeded and procured more great food
for our voyage. It was across the street from one
of my favorite dining places.
  El Corazone! We stopped just to see the
courtyard and say hi to Vespar, one of the
fine waiters at the place.

   I think the sign says "The unassuming (or happy) Heart
has room for everyone".

However there may be times when it is
hard to get a seat there.
Apparently this fellow had to wait a bit
too long in the waiting room.

We had been trying to get to Ballandra Beach
before sunset for a couple of days and
we just couldn't seem to make it. However we
finally did. Close though and the clouds
were lurking so the beach wasn't quite as
colorful as it can be. It was also a bit
cold. Nevertheless it was still a fantastic
place. This balancing rock has always
been a landmark for the area. A few years
ago they actually cemented it because they saw that it was not going to be around for much longer if they didn't. While walking on the beach I saw
this white blotch on the rock from
a distance and thought someone had
been painting on the rocks but on
closer inspection it was a paper mache mask
that someone had placed on the rock.
Very artistic.
Lisa, being from Oregon, hardly ever got cold.
I on the other hand, was always cold
those first few days she was here.
It doesn't take long to get acclimatized
to this warmth. We wandered around the
whole bay. We spied (according to Lisa)
some oyster catchers. Lots of rocks and shells.
I swear she never did meet
a shell or a rock that she didn't want
to take home with her. She plans to
put them into her gardens around the
house and some of then will probably
wind up in her rock steps for the back
porch that she is starting to build.

Oyster catchers. Pretty cute. Guess I
should have blown them up. Too late now.

While on the beach we met these two
"kids". Both engineers in electrical and
computer science, who were visiting from
Guadalajara for the weekend. Very nice folks
and we told them we were headed
to Tecolote for some Chocolate Clams and
a drink. They asked if they could tag along
and we had a great visit in the restaurant along with
the food. Turns out that this woman, Carla,
had to push and push to get to go to
school for her engineering degree. Of course her
mother was proud after the fact but
now Carla says she is being pushed to get
married and have kids. She just doesn't
want that for herself right now. I told her I
had no kids and now no husband and
that you can take care of yourself and
have a very full life as long as you are
doing what you want to do. She says she will go
home fortified in the knowledge that she really
isn't the only one and that it can be done. It
must have been very hard in here culture to do the
things she has already done and to continue
doing those things that she want's to do. I wish
her the best of luck, She has what it takes that's
for sure!
The next day was a trip to Costa Baja Marina.
I have been wanting to get out there for a
long time and since I had a rental car We took advantage of it. We checked out the marina and
I got some info about the summer situation.
Then of course we were thirsty and hungry
and we passed this lovely Italian waterside
cafe. They had great wine and pretty good
Pizza. We both liked the wine and the
atmosphere.

Well finally it was Monday and the
weather was fully cooperating so we set sail.
It was JASDIP! Headed over to
Caleta Partida. A lovely bay right between
Ilsa Ispiritu Santos and Partida. The first thing
Lisa did was hop in the Kayak and take a spin.
I had a few chores to do and only one
Kayak so I proceeded to get the dinghy and
motor down for our road trips.
It was a beautiful place, great company, great weather, good food and good wine. What's not to like?

Preparations for and Lisa's Arrival

2011-02-25T11:47:00.000-08:00

Hot tub and infinity pool and wine

Most of the week before Lisa's arrival I had
Bronchitis and was trying to recover. Luckily
I did. Just in time to welcome two wonderful
Friends from Colorado. They had been in
San Jose Del Cabo (SJC) staying just above
the Marina where Jasdip and I spent a couple of weeks. They were staying in one of Klaudia's
client's home. When I was well on Monday, she and Jane drove to La Paz for a visit. We had a great time and of course they wanted margaritas so guess where we
wound up? La Costa. The BEST margaritas in
Mexico. Good food too.

The folks here are starting to Love me!I feel so welcome!

  We sat in the sand and ate, laughed and drank.
Then the girls took off back to SJC.
  Tuesday I picked up a rental car to take to
SJC the next day and fetch Lisa. I was a bit nervous
at first driving in MX but I hate being afraid of anything so I persevered. I now don't mind it and actually rather like it (except at night).
  The rest of that day I was able to do errands
and best of all...grocery shopping with
no one waiting for me. I must have spent
3 hours in Chedraui. It was a gift. I bumped into
Kathy on Wild Rose and offered her a ride home
with her groceries as long as she had no time
frame. We finished up and wound up at

Lisa enjpying the sunset from the rooftop deck

El Corazon for a snack and a glas of wine.
  Back to our respective boats. I was still
getting ready for my company.
  Next morning I left in plenty of time and sat
at Terminal One waiting. There was no sign of a
flight from Los Angeles.I talked to a woman there
who explained that if it was Alaska that she might
be coming in at Terminal Two. Terminal Two????
Didn't even know there was a Terminal Two.
Hightailed it to Terminal Two and low and
behold there was the flight from LA. Thirty minutes
later Lis came out through customs! After the
reunion we decided it was too late to
drive back to La Paz so we decended on

the home Klaudia and Jane were staying in  (We were actually invited).
   Wow we felt we had just landed in Conde Naste
Travel Mag. We sat in the hot tub,drank wine, watched the sunset, swam in the infinity pool
we cooked ourselves a Five Star Meal.
What is not to like! It was the perfect start
to a two week visit.

Our Fantastic Dinner. Girlfriends!
This was Jane's "room". It is really a separate
casita with a courtyard.

It was with much difficulty that we pried ourselves
out the door and home.

Famous (Infamous) in Mazatlan

2011-02-25T09:47:00.000-08:00

Funny....I just got a note from our Captain on Outrider to inform me that we were finally discovered
while having Shrimp at Bruja's. Check out the URL then go to page 87. Will wonders never cease!
www.fasesmagazine.com/revista/fases25/revista.html

Long Time

2011-02-24T09:32:00.000-08:00

   To Mazatlan! On Outrider a Westsail 42.
To my right is the Ship's Mascot Perkins.
He took his watches only when there was food
involved. By the time we made it to
Mazatlan he actually let me pet him.
  Then there was the Captain and the Admiral.
Two great new friends from Marina
Palmira. They were my neighbors
and they were great. Jeff is quite the
raconteur, a great Captain and knows a heck of a lot about boats and other things too. Ann is a great musician, artist, photographer and writer
(published even). Plus a great, caring fun loving new friend that I do miss.
  Then there is Ken. Well...Ken if you are
reading this I am just kidding. We had a great time
sharing the Saloon for two weeks. He put up with my snoring until I finally gave him a pair of
earplugs. All in all it was a great time and a
great bunch of folks.
  On the trip over we saw lots of turtles and other
creatures of the sea. The turtles could often be
recognized by the Birds on their backs seemingly
sitting on a rock. The birds rested on the backs
of the turtles
that had surfaced for air and sun.
   It was on the crossing that we celebrated Ken's
birthday. It was a surprise and he had to bring
his own cheesecake. Candles were involved
and singing and only one beer cause it was
during our crossing. Indeed we did make up for it once we arrived in Mazatlan!
   When we arrived it was foggy and not a comfortable tide for Jeff to go in past the
breakwater so we anchored near one of the
Islands just off the City where it just so happens
the sun was shining. I think it was the only
place there was sun. Maz was engulfed in fog for several days. Very odd. Thought I had left San Francisco.

   We went to the Giant Mercado in Mazatlan.
Boy what an experience. Note the meat
stall to the right. I think the pig whose nose
is sticking up from the cooler in the middle
is not too happy. The folks use every part of
the animals here and don't waste any part.
It is really amazing to see the entire cow and
watch them cut the specific piece asked for from
animal. I think I am on my way to vegetarianism.
I thought so before but I think it is coming again.
It would take hours to cruise the entire market.
I lost everyone and also wound up buying the
coolest pants. Probably paid too much but the
woman was an amazing saleswoman
and I could not refuse her.
   The next two pictures are out of order, The bottom one is a typical square in Mazatlan.Or for that matter
in any city here. Maz has many and they are all quite
pretty. The mask is from a group of families who have formed a Co-op of artists and have a gallery in
Mazatlan. This is from Nidart. I wasn't going to buy it only take a picture but I couldn't help myself.
It is now hanging on Jasdip. It is a goatskin Masquerade Party Mask. I fell in love with it.
This is actually the last picture my camera took.
The lense did not take another one again.
The camera is now on it's way back to the
factory hopefully to be repaired. It was
still under warranty so I have my fingers
crossed.
   Ken and I were supposed to catch the ferry
back to La Paz. It has been running for oh....
about 20 years or so. What we didn't know
was that while we were crossing the Sea of Cortez
they decided to change the ferry. It no longer left
from Mazatlan. Ken and I tried everything and
we finally decided to take VivoAerobus (a plane)
back. It only flies Mon and Fri so we got tickets and
informed the Captain and the Admiral that they were
stuck with us for another 4 days whether they liked it or not. They were great and we continued to have a wonderful time in Mazatlan with out great friends.

A Day In The Life

2011-01-15T09:44:00.000-08:00

I covet this bike

Well it has quieted down here a great
deal. Art and Jaye of Arione have been
nice enough to let me borrow one
of their folding bicycles. They have
really cool ones. I have been having a
great time riding around town and
getting to know La Paz. It just doesn't
seem very big when you have a bike
but very big when you
are walking.

Too Fun

Quanto Questa?

My feet have always
been the pits so I have have been trying
to break them in to walking and many
blisters, shoes and moleskin by the yard I am
now able to walk quite a bit. Funny.......it
was never about the exercise I love that.
It was always about my feet hurting.
On one of my outings the other day
I found this beautiful house with the
most beautiful stained glass window.
I executed an immediate U turn (it wasn't
pretty) in front of about 8 Mexican
construction workers taking a break

Ever Present Lovelies

and almost ran into them. I was laughing
and making noises and they were just laughing
and shaking their heads. "Crazy Gringo
Lady". We all smiled and I managed not
to hurt myself or any of them and got a few
pictures to boot. On that same ride I
found a great little coffee shop that has
latte's, espresso and also organic medium
roast coffee beans from Veracruz. I
bought some to try and it is the best I have
found in Mexico! I am so happy because
Lisa and I DO LOVE OUR COFFEE!

Did I mention that the Norther has left us
and it is around 80 and sunny again? I was
getting worried about the weather for when

Might even be warm enough to get in.

Lisa visits but I now know that it comes
and goes and it will probably
be very nice when she gets here in Feb.
Meanwhile....back at the "ranch" I checked
out the pool again and this time I found
a hot tub! Will wonders never cease.
It is such a beautiful Grotto like affair.
There is also a huge bird cage with parakeets
galore and even a few Java Temple birds.
Haven't seen one of them since I owned one
when I was 7.

I followed the sounds

I had been told that some of the
ladies on the docks get together for
coffee every Wed. I decided I would head up
and say hi and meet them. When I got
there they were playing dominoes so I
sat and met everyone, had a bit of
coffee and headed back to the boat.
Very nice folks but the coffee is much
better on Jasdip except for the fact
that you don't have to make it
yourself.

Ladies Coffee

Post Christmas

2011-01-12T15:29:00.000-08:00

Sunrise

Oralia and Ana

Christmas on the Beach

Another Group Feast

Christmas day
we all piled into Steve and
Ana's two cars and headed to the
beach. Our first stop was Balandra which
is a very beautiful place. It was also a very
popular place and was packed.
So we drove down the road to Tecolote.
Another beach out towards the Islands in
the Sea of Cortez east of La Paz. Tecolote
has a view of Isla Espiritu Santo. It was a
beautiful day and there was very little wind.
I had my first Chocolate Clam! Boy those
critters are good. As usual there was laughter,
beers, a bit of wine and some getting
wet.
   Headed home for a delicious filet minion roast
Doug cooked. And a gift swapping. I must
say I was once again not prepared! I am
not good at that. Carla did receive an
unusual but handy Gift from Karen which will
come in handy this summer I am sure. It is
a decorative Ice pack to be worn in the
cleavage for keeping one "cool as a cucumber".

Carla modeled it but I hesitated and then my opportunity was gone.

  La Costa is one of our favorite hang outs.
The food is good and the margaritas are GREAT!
Even I like them!! And soooooo consistent.
They were so good that those guys
convinced me to take Jasdip to the Islands
for New Years. We packed up food and drink
and Hotel California, Odyssey, Coral Rose
and Jasdip headed out.
   The first night I anchored a bit out in the
middle of the bay so we were forced to suffer a bit of wave action that night.
Next morning I moved and tucked in closer to the
Shore so New Years Eve was windy but not

New Years Day

  bouncy. We did the "Chicken Dance" on the beach to bring in the new year and motored home.
My jib still wasn't fixed.
   The boat is getting back together and things are getting done. There were a several days of
rather cool cloudy weather and I was getting
worried but the sun has returned and all is
well with the world.
   My jib is fixed and I will put it up as soon as the wind stops blowing. It has been blowing about
20knots today in the marina and there are white caps
and breaking waves out in the Bay.

Caleta Partida

I was sorry to see Karen and Tim leave. We had

such a good time. It was like old times at Gate
11.
Now it is a New Year and back to boat projects.
More about those later.

Pre Christmas

2010-12-28T11:38:00.000-08:00

   Well I have finally finished sanding and then (yes Danno I taped before I varnished) taping and have since put one coat of varnish on the bathroom (port side). I have also put 2 coats on all the doors. It has taken me a while cause it takes a bit longer to dry
and I am still attempting to master the "floating a coat" thing.
It is looking pretty good however.
  While I was varnishing Sergio came by with my new ladder.
This is a safety thing (as well as a beautiful piece of art) so if I fall off the boat and no one else is on board I can deploy this ladder from the water!!! It is a thing of beauty
and piece of mind.
   All that took a couple of days and then I struck out
on foot to get cash and see a bit more of La
Paz. I walked and walked and decided I was hungry so I stopped at the "Kiwi" place and sat by the
water and had a Bloody Mary and Eggs
Benedict ala Mexican Style. It was really pretty

A view of Marina Palmyra from the Kiwi place

tasty. There was the poached eggs, the sauce,
the ham but it was all on a very delicious
toasted bagel. I am still trying to find the
bread store and the bagel store early enough
in the day so that they are still opened.
It is very peculiar how everyone tells you
where someplace is by landmarks with
an occasional street name interspersed.
Like "the restaurant has a pink awning and
if you are standing facing the "flying cow" (that is another story all by itself) take a
left for three streets then right 1/2 block and
it will be on your right between a fettatarria (hardware) and the Modelerama". I guess it is

My New Ladder

partly because there are no street signs. Being someone who just wants the address with no landmarks it has quite the adjustment for me.
There is another thing. The Kiwi place for example. I don't now it's real name but I think it is owned by some Australians so hence the name.
Takes a bit of getting used to.

Sunrise

   So here is a photo of a beautiful Sunrise
lest you all think I only watch it set. I am
up early quite frequently. It is a time for the
internet. It is hard to be inside when the
Sun is shining so while it is still dark and cool
it is a great time to attempt to catch up. The sunrises seem equally as beautiful as the
Sunsets.

   Jasdip's Christmas Tree has a new addition
this year. The Pancho Villa Topper.He was a gift from Doug and Carla. It is
actually a bell and it has a dual purpose.
After the holidays I will be using it to
summon "the help" aboard Jasdip. (Don't
I wish!)
   Then there was the Christmas Party at Casa
Ana. Wow! That was the BEST!!!

Jasdip's Christmas Tree

I have never seen such a feast! There were
millions of homemade tamales, chili, dips,
homemade bread, cheeses, rice and countless
other delights. Then there were the desserts!
So many tastes.....so little room.
A good time was had by all and everyone
finally left Casa Ana so they could get some rest.
It has been a wonderful Christmas. This year
was a FRIEND Christmas or at least some FRIENDS. Hopefully the next holidays will be
spent with other FRIENDS and FAMILY!

Missing all of
you guys that
weren't here
but wishing you
a Very Merry and Prosperous
New Year!!!

MMMmmmmmmmmm!

sunsets.

Settling In A Bit

2010-12-17T19:10:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I had to recharge my
Banda Ancha. This is an internet
access device like my sprint device at
home but it is in Mexico. I have a 30 day
program and since there is no mail
to speak of here everyone goes to the
offices and pays their bill. It was an excuse
to get out, walk, see the town on foot and
practice my Spanish. Got to the Telcel
(wish I had some stock in that Co.)
store but they weren't open yet. I just
happened to walk by the electronic
store where I had left my remote mike for
my VHF radio to be fixed. I thought I would
check on that.Went in and wound up talking
to the repair person for close to an hour in English
and Spanish. Apparently it is ready for testing so
I need to go and pick it up. It was great talking to
Victor. I hope I can show him that I learned
something since I talked to him last.
The architecture and the streets I have been
walking down are beautiful. I don't think my camera
catches the beauty. This sidewalk 10 yards from
Ana and Steve's house has birds carved into the
cement before it set and they are beautiful.

I guess I need to enlarge the picture and zoom in
so you can see the birds. I will work on that.
   I just love the houses with the verandas up high for the evening breezes and to watch the world go by from above.

This sidewalk outside the house also has beautiful rocks placed sort of like a zig zag stitch on a sewing machine all along the front of their property.
   I think it is beautiful.

  With all of that walking I worked up a "powerful
thirst and hunger". Guess I decided to stop and eat.

Wound up at Rancho Viejo for lunch. The best
Arracchara in the neighborhood. I had lunch and then headed out for the rest of my errands. Got a seam ripper and some needles then the Marina
shuttle picked me up. By the time I was home I was pooped. So there goes JASDIP.

hes

These Calle Lillies I thought were beautiful. I happen to have a love for them since my years living in
Martinez and hanging out with the Linnetts.
It was a lovely day and I came home with better Spanish and several blisters.

Odds and Ends

2010-12-11T13:20:00.000-08:00

Jasdip

If you look real closely you can see the
requisite cross up on the hill above the bay
(Marina). As usual we are well protected.
There are crosses everywhere and I feel so
safe.

La Paz from Marina Palmyra

Well I took
a dinghy
ride into La
Paz from the
Marina for
the first time.
It sure didn't
take very long
but the waves

were not high and the wind was light. I was flying. I love my dinghy and motor! I came back
from town with a case of wine in my rolling backpack. As of today I am very glad it
made

Just Another Sunset

the cut on the boat. I think I will venture
farther and farther as I get more confident
and make sure I have everything in the
dinghy for all possible scenarios.

I love these lamp post Dragons

Odd Fishing

One morning I heard drumming and stepped
out on the deck. At first I thought I was dreaming (or having a nightmare) that I was back in Oakland and the Dragon Boats were out practicing on the estuary. There was a Panga moving along the breakwater outside the marina. The man in the
red shirt was periodically throwing a "spear" attached to a line out in front of the boat. It didn't
look like he ever speared anything but then I think there was another man behind him who speared
the fish after they came over to see what that thing
in the water was. Anyway I will try to find out
but that is the theory so far.

This is the beach along the main drag in La Paz. I just love the Palapas. I do hate that I must

have put my grubby fingers on the lens though. I have since cleaned it.

Dinner Party on Jasdip

2010-12-11T12:28:00.000-08:00

So many of my friends are always
hosting things and I figured it was my turn.
I also wanted to introduce some like
like minded folks. We had a great visit on the dock
while watching the sun go down (seems like I do that a lot lately) and then in for dinner.

Steve and Ana drove down from the other end of town. Luckily Steve
brought himself a few beers. When he finished those and I gave him of one of mine I could hardly stop laughing. I have those mini corona beers

in the little bottle. One is about 2 sips for any self respecting beer drinker. For me though they are perfect.

My New Home (for a while)

2010-12-09T11:02:00.000-08:00

I went to Subasta on Sunday which is a fair that benefits education for the youths of Mexico. It was very nice.I ate tamales and had a couple of beers
as well as donated some more money to the local
educational organization. I also met up with
friends who were doing the same thing. It was
a great reunion and then I went home.
I was beat. I slept 12 hours and woke up ready to
do projects. Changed fuel filters( my generator
does not like dirty fuel) and got that running smoothly.Then I decided I needed to varnish something.
I always feel better after having varnished
something.
Before I started to varnish I had to marvel
at the clear water next to my boat. And at the
vast quantities of fish in them. That same
afternoon I looked down again and I
could see the bottom. I am in a Marina
and I can see the bottom!!!!! Who'd a
thunk.

I started with galley and then moved to the head.
It was so rewarding. I actually felt like
I could rest on my laurels, get out my dock
chair and with cocktail in hand watch
the sun go down. It was a beautiful
pink sunset. My neighbors
Jeff and Anne joined me on the dock
we all watched the sun go down together

Anne

2010-12-01T11:47:00.000-08:00

Well I missed a few days here and there so I wanted to catch up. This video (if it actually loads) is of a pod of
dolphins that swam with us for over an hour. Ben was hanging off the bow taking videos of them. He actually touched this one right before the dolphin looked up, to the right, smiled and then swam away.
The smile is right at the end. You will have to look closely. Ben kept that camera amazingly still for this.
Speaking of Ben...I was just talking to Don (of the yellow shorts) and he figured out how you got

those fins on the lifelines and now, (bless my heart),
I feel pretty stupid. Anyway every day is always a learning experience around here.
Last Friday Don, Kathie ( from Wild Rose) and I went in to La Paz to wander and then go to Milano's for
a Friday Special Pasta Treat. It was a full meal with tastes of as many pasta's as you wanted. It seemed like a good deal so I tagged along. We wandered the Malecon and there was a big shindig going on by the
municipal pier. It was a high school function where 10 teams of kids got together and designed, engineered and built prototypes of something that is useful for the community. Then each team had a booth where they
explained and were marketing their product. After visiting each booth we were then asked to vote for 1.
The kids were so enthusiastic,well spoken and bright that is was a wonderful experience. We wound up
voting for three different teams but they were all great. One example was an amazing water purification system
that really didn't cost the user anything but time. Another was a portable stove, BBQ and oven all in one...
very light and beautifully built. Another one was an amazing fold able house frame for emergency housing that
is portable and sturdier than tents and such. Anyway...you get the idea.
Don and Kathi on the Malecon and
the team with the water purification
method..
So we finally got to Milanos and the

pasta, wine and company was to die for.
Kathi and Don were also the folks
that I went to see the Whale Sharks
with.
Then I can't believe Jaye and her turkey missed
the food section of the Thanksgiving Blog.
What was I thinking!!! So better late than never.....
here is Jaye de-stuffing the Yummeeee turkey.
Boy was it tender and delicious. My mouth is watering
just thinking about it.
So here I am still at Marina Palmyra but now out toward the bay in a 40 ft slip. It is less expensive here
and It seems a great place to spend Christmas.
Steve and Ana are in town so I think I will shower and go find them. Later.

Whale Sharks

2010-12-01T06:25:00.000-08:00

Wow!!! What a treat! I know the

pictures won't do this justice. The video

might but I don't have that yet. There were

5 of us paying customers a videographer

and the boat Captain. We went out into

the La Paz Bay and there they were. It

seems that you just drive around slowly

and they can be spotted by their fins

or their white bellies as they feed. They are

the biggest fish in the world and live on

Krill. They are very docile as I am not

too sure if they have any enemies other

than man of course.

The first order of the day was to reconnect my fin straps!

I finally brought my fins with me as I have

tried and tried to get the strap back on.

Ben "bless his heart" (you are just so strong) used them in Cabo

and nicely rinsed them and hung them on the

lifelines to dry. It took me several days

before I decided to take them off and

realized that I wasn't sure how to do that.

I finally got one off but the other one was

hanging there for weeks. So on the way to

the dive shop and then again at the dive

shop it became a challenge for everybody to

put them back together. These two finally

succeeded but Don (yellow shorts) said

he wanted to meet this Ben fella.

I was so happy to have my favorite fins

back and I needed theem to keep ip with

these fish. When they are feeding they stay

sort of in the same place but when they

start to move they are fast!. I had to move

a few times cause they will suddenly turn and they don't care if you are there or not. One is not supposed to

touch them so I was back peddleing

with gusto.

We picked a very calm warm day and

were so lucky. The next day there were

whitecaps in the bay and it was terribly

windy (a Norther is still with us). How

fortunate can one be. Our original guide

apparently could not reach the fella that set

it up the evening before so she cancelled

and took someone else but the ladies at

Marina Palmyra found us a company and we

were thrilled and glad that the other

folks cancelled.

The videographer made a CD of the whole

day and of course I had to buy it. Pricy

but it is really well done and it is actually all of

us with our whales.

Came back to the Marina, sat in the sun

had wine and bacon wrapped camarones

(shrimp) and basked in the sun with

the fresh memories of an incredible

experience!

Well I am moving today to a 40ft slip and I had

best get a move on.

Jasdip in her berth from the resturant

Pictures?

2010-11-28T20:20:00.000-08:00

Art & Jaye

Sarah & Darryl

Brie en Crute(sp?)

The People.....then the Food ....
then the fun!! the pictures downloaded
but it is hard to put text to
all of that in the proper order!
Every day is a learning experience
around here. Feel free to come and join
me any time. Let me know when and I
will try to tell you where and hopefully
we can meet up.
All in all it was a lovely Thanksgiving dinner and I
felt so lucky to be with friends thinking about my family. Tomorrow I am going to swim with the
whale sharks. They are the biggest fish in the
ocean and I have always wanted to do
this. Film at 11pm.

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Just for Fun

Oops! Wrong button......

2010-11-28T19:53:00.000-08:00

could. It was so sweet. I am having the most terrible time uploading or downloading pictures to my blog that for the time being I am going to just forget about. My hopes are that if I write for a while the pictures might download. Thanksgiving day I went to Art and Jaye's boat for dinner at 3pm. I was so looking forward to this. Jay had cooked a turkey and made gravy and stuffing. Sarah brought stuffed mushrooms (mmmmm...)
and pineapple upside down cake. I brought champagne, wine and Brie en crute (sp?). No puff pastry dough on hand but pie crust worked. I even cut out a palm tree with my palm tree cookie cutter that David Merrick and Cati Merrick had given me for a gift a while back and it looked perfect on top of the Brie. Hopefully pictures will follow. We hooted and howeled and enjoyed good company, good food and good wine and just had the best time.

Thanksgiving

2010-11-28T07:48:00.000-08:00

Well...there were many Turkey Dinner
Parties all around La Paz.
It was so amazing. The people here
kept wishing us a good Thanksgiving.
They don't celebrate the day per se but did
know that we do and so they were wanting
to make us Gringos all as happy as they

It will probably be La Paz for quite a while.

2010-11-25T06:46:00.000-08:00

Marina Palmyra

The anchorage off the city is a lovely place.
It is great holding in 15 feet. There is quite
the tidal flow and the boats at anchor
frequently face the opposite way the wind
is blowing. It is very strange. The current
is often much stronger than the wind and
that is what causes it. They call it
"The La Paz Waltz". I was so ready to get to
a place where I could wash, wax, clean
dinghy and do varnish that I made a pest
(nicely of course) of myself until the girls who run
Marina Palmyra finally relented and gave
in. I am now in a great place to do the
work and spend the holidays. Thank you

Marcella and Adrianne!
  The other day I took a long walk along the city front on the Malecon. It is a beautiful sort of cobblestone
walkway that extends all along the city. Everyone is
out walking or jogging in the Am and Pm. It isn't
quite as popular during the heat of the day though.
  There are beautiful Bronze Statues all along the
the way.
   The one below I just love. On my way here as I was passing through the Canal De San Lorenzo (the passage between the mainland of Baja California Sur and
Isla Del Espiritu Santo) I was scanning the

horizon looking for the channel markers when
I saw this huge something hurl itself out of the
water and do 2 360's and then dive back in! Then
there was another and another....it was amazing.
I had heard that Rays do that but
I had never seen them do it. Wow. Can hardly
wait to see that up close!
As I was walking back to the boat I passed this
tiny boutique hotel. This is the kind of place
I look for when I want to go to a hotel. Reminds
me of my favorite places in Mendocino the Albion.

I am having
Thanksgiving dinner
with Art, Jay, Sarah
and Darryl on
Arione. They too
are in the Marina so I best get the
potatoes a boiling. Happy Thanksgiving to
all. I know I have a lot to be thankful for!!!

Bahia De Los Muertos Then La Paz

2010-11-23T09:29:00.000-08:00

Moon Rise Over Muertos

Well I was just informed by Doug and Carla on Moondance that there will be many more beautiful places to anchor and see beyond Los Frailles. I do have much to look forward to.
I arrived in Los Muertos late that afternoon
and was planning to stay but the weather
looked as though it would turn bad
pretty quickly. Since I had already been to Los Muertos and the bay was rough I didn't want to try to get the dinghy motor on it or
for that matter try a beach landing and take off with the dinghy at night. I decided to hang on the boat and leave again the next morning.

Red Sky In the Morning Sailors Take Warning

The next morning the sky was deep crimson. I headed out right at sunrise for La Paz.
I had plan a,b and c. One was to anchor in
Ballandra Bay at the mouth of the La Paz
Channel. It was still light enough so I proceeded
down the Channel.
I passed that big ROCK and was glad that a) it was daylight and b) that is was lit up at night.
It was really a beautiful afternoon...fairly long
day thought and I was glad to get in.
I anchored off of Marina De La Paz for the night
and slept like a rock (as in Rocna). The next morning I decided Iwas a bit close to the
channel and moved the boat closer to shore.

My next spot just happened to be right next to

Sunrise Over the Life Raft

Camelot. It was good to see Laurie and Tom

again. They seem to be adjusting just fine.

I have tried to get a spot at one of the Marinas

but they are all pretty full. Who da thunk. Anyway

I headed into town to just scope out a bit

had a margarita and then back to the boat.

On my way back I saw a Passport 40 anchored fairly close to me so I checked it out.

Come to find out that it is none other than Rondeau

Bay. She once belonged to Jim Ellis formerly of

Gate 11. This fellow was the second owner since

Jim. What a small world.

I visited for a bit then home to Jasdip.

Coastline Around the Tip of Baja

Coctail hour and evening breezes. Ah Bombay,
tonic and lime. The nectar of the Gods.
Slept like a baby and now I am going to explore again and see what kind of trouble I can get into
today. Adios me amigas.

Moon Rise Over La Paz

Sunrise Over La Paz

Wouldn't want to come up on this puppy in the dark.

Los Frailles

2010-11-22T19:33:00.000-08:00

Well I have finally arrived. This place is what
I have been waiting for. The water is 89 deg
and you can see for miles underwater,
The color of the water is just beautiful
and there are fish everywhere.
There are several Palapas to pick from
while enjoying the beach and maybe a picnic.
I was hard pressed to leave but
I guess there will be more places. I really can't
remember why I left. Perhaps it will come to me
someday. This was my first beach landing
with my dinghy as well as my first beach launch.
Sounds simple to most of you I know

but the truth is that it can be quite

lethal. I actually did it twice. Once that day

and again the next morning.

There was a truck that came by two or three

times a week. Literally a pickup truck with ice chests in the bed. There were fresh homemade

tortillas, a few cucmbers, I got a banana and a 1/2 gallon of milk. It was a great reason to do a

dinghy landing. Kim, a fellow single hander, got

some chicken and 1 homemade tamale. There

was only one left. Guess the fisherman beat us

to it. Apparently the truck and driver are furnished by the government as a service to the fisherman

so they can stay and fish and still eat.

It was so much fun swimming off the side

of the boat. We had a few dinners on the

boats. One night I made Tacos with

beef Arrachera that I picked up at

Costco of all places, in Cabo(something I must learn

to make). Then coctails on Corvedae,

an Island Packet 36, Nona and Steve.

Nona is a retired Operating room nurse.

Nothing in common there.

Alas Arione showed up after having all of their

fuel lines replaced in San Jose Del Cabo.

Very glad to see them as I was worried when I left.

Next thing I know it was morning and

they had decided to leave after listening to

the weather report. It wasn't so good. I can now get reports on the Single Side Band but at the time I was having

a bit of trouble getting that channel so I decided

to get out of Dodge. Well maybe that's why I

left........it was enough to get me going.

So sadly I pulled up stakes (my anchor) and slipped out of Dodge. Headed for Las Muertos.

So sorry to leave...I hope I find some places just as beautiful.

Cabo

2010-11-15T15:36:00.000-08:00

The Arch at Cabo

We rounded the corner and anchored. It was very rolly and windy but apparently it was also very dangerous in the marina. Too expensive as well. Launched the dinghy and set off for the Ha Ha parties. The beach party was wonderful. The food was GREAT!!! Tuna shishcabobs and pork arrachera. It was also a tremendous deal, 12.00. Then the awards ceremony was next

on the 6th. We of course got 3rd place......as did most of the fleet. Ben left the next day but before he left he did so much work around the boat it was amazing. I really felt bad cause we finally got somewhere warm and he had to leave.

He has a friend of a friend in Cabo who did take him to the airport and I got to meet him on the 5th

Big Fish

of November.

Norm and Ellie got a hotel room and we

met back up at the Awards Ceremony.

I must admit it was good to have my boat back

to myself. It was so salty. I finally went

to Marina Baja and rented a slip for

2 days. Got my boat washed and did

a bunch of provisioning.

The day I was going to the market there was

a very nice man at the dinghy dock by himself.

He invited me to breakfast and we chatted. Wound up going to Home Depot and Costco by bus.

We of course got too much stuff for the bus and

got a cab home. Then he cooked me dinner

on his boat. He is also single handing. I am

actually very surprised at the number of

single handed folks there are out here.

Good for me I guess. While at the dock in Cabo Jorge washed my

The Pirates Invaded Constantly

my boat for me. I gave him Jam and Black Seal and Coke and the next day he brought me a

proper hand fishing line with leaders and all and

showed me how to tie them on and told me which

lures would catch which fish. He also brought me

a breakfast burrito and helped me with my spanish. He became a very good friend. So nice and always watching out for me.

His picture is below.

My dinner on Kim's boat, Philiosophy, was excellent. What a great cook. I am afraid I was a bad influence on him (are we surprised) and he wound up with a hangover from the wine while for me it was an

average evening. I left the next day and thought I would meet up with him in San Jose Del but when he came by I had taken advantage of some folks that rented a car and were headed to TelCel for a Banda Ancha (internet usb device) so I didn't get back until late. Anyway I do hope to meet up again.

I will be leaving SJDC in the am for Frailles.

It has been great being here. Lots of familiar characters as well as some wonderful new ones.

The local hang out here is "The Container". A great little place right by the Harbor Master's office. I actually closed the place down the other night. I actually stayed up until 9:30.

Ben Was The Fisherman

I keep going back and forth between Cabo

and San Jose Del Cabo...have patience with me.

Hopefully once I catch up I will remember where

I am currently. This is the life!!!!

So on the way home from the Container I met

these two guys. We chatted for a couple of minutes

and they told me how much fish they had caught and

either they offered or I asked (can't remember) to give me some FRESH tuna. Are you kidding.....I drove them 100yards in the dinghy and they gave me two huge pieces of ahi tuna.

I invited Jay and art over the next evening and we had Sushi, Tuna rolls, sashimi and seared ahi tuna on

a bed of lettuce with sesame ginger dressing and

toasted sunflower seeds and sesame seeds,

wasabi and pickled ginger.

Best dinner I have had in a very long time.

The Grand PooBah and his Sweetie La Donna Demonstrating the Endless Kiss for the other contestants

Jorge Mi Amiga in Cabo

who joined us and just seemed

to need to socialize.

Guess I will go take some pictures and head

back to the boat. Soon Amigas.

Bahia Santa Maria

2010-11-15T14:01:00.000-08:00

Well, Here I am at San Jose Del Cabo.
I am finally back at Tommy's Barefoot Cantina
for guacomole and Chili Verde Burrito. It is as good as I remember! I am way behind in my blog.cause I am still trying to figure out the connection
stuff. For those of you who haven't received any e-mails from me (David Foy) I cannot send from crit @ svjasdip.us. I can receive but not send. I am working on it.
  So I will "breeze through until now. There was a wonderful party at BSM. I wandered around and interrupted this crab who was guarding his territory.
He actually snapped at me.
  Ellie and Norm enjoying one of my breakfasts.
And a picture of the fleet in BSM.
   It was starting to get warm but the water was
still 74 deg. and it just wasn't swimming time yet.
   When we left to head to Cabo there was no
wind so we pretty much motored most of the time.
  Just outside of Cabo the wind went from 4 knots to 30 knots of course on the nose. It took us forever to get around the corner but we were ready to be there.

Turtle Bay

2010-11-07T14:38:00.000-08:00

First stop, Turtle Bay. Reminds me a bit of

Lake Powell. At least the hills and the

color. Of course we arrived at night

but it was somewhat familiar since I

had been there before. We safely anchored and slept for a couple of hours then went into town

to look around. We were thinking of having

lunch there. I walked by the place I had been before which was great but I thought we should

try a new place. Wound up at Enrico's for a

margarita. I think the whole fleet decended on

the place at once. Poor folks, no two glasses were the same and I am afraid it was just a bit of lime

juice with no tequila and they were very busy so it took a bit of time. We decided to go back to

the Mother Ship and have lunch. We did however contribute to the local economy. I am pretty sure

they make enought on the three days the Ha Ha is there to live on all year.

The rest of the day was a lazy rest day(sort of) and we didn't have to get up till 7 am. I was pooped. I think my crew slept better than I did.

I stopped asking Norm how he slept cause I was jealous of his answer. I am convinced that man can sleep anywhere and probably through anything.

The next day was the Pot Luck BBQ on the beach. I spent all morning making deviled eggs

only to have them smushed in the dinghy.

I brought food for us to eat, ice and wine cause

I remembered the last time there wasn't

much food. Well...was I surprised!!! There was enough food to feed all 600 folks and have some

left over! It was a great gathering. The surf was really nonexistant even though when Richard

(the Leader aka PooBah of the Ha Ha) wound up

in the water. We came later and the tide was way out.

Ellie and Norm went back on a Panga and Ben and I came back with the dinghy.
An early night for me cause the next leg started at
730am.
The sunsets and sunrises get prettier and prettier
as you go south. The weather was warm but not
really hot yet and the water temp was only 75. No swimming yet.

Where do I start?

2010-11-07T12:44:00.000-08:00

Made it to Cabo San Lucas. It is very warm here and the water is

81 degrees. Finally found warm. How did I get here you ask, well I will try to explain but it is all a bit blurry.
I picked up Norm and Ellie at the airport and we headed for Mission Bay where we stayed one more night.
Then off to San Diego Bay to a Marina on Shelter
Island. We had a great spot for the weekend.
Very close to West Marine and the parties as well
as places to get provisions. Provisioned the boat with
the greatly appreciated help of Mr Jesse. We were
able to get a guest dock right next to him that weekend.
It was a great spot and very pretty in spite of being a boat yard.

We pretty much filled the

boat with stuff and
were off to the West Marine Kick Off Party
in our brand new Baja Ha Ha XVII Jasdip hats
and Shirts, complements of Norm and Ellie.
They saw to it that we had something that was
cute and that matched. Our green shirts and
flamingo pink Jasdip hats.

NT ET

Eric and Marilyn

Lobster in a Pot

The motley crew just before the start.
Exhausted but happy. Then out to the bay
and start line. It had finally stopped raining.
I swear that from the second day
I arrived in San Diego it rained every night
and every morning.
  Still cloudy but not wet.
As I recall we had light winds and motor sailed out to the ocean and then sailed.
  Ben taught me how to rig the cruising spinnaker
and we got to fly that for a while even.
  The fact that you can't see all of the boat
in the picture is because the swells were a bit large.

  It was smooth sailing for quite a while.

  The next two days, or maybe almost three
were spent rolling with the waves and trying to hold on. It was quite the exciting ride. Lots of wind and big swells. Pictures never do it justice.

We ate well and nobody got hurt so I consider that to be a great Leg!

Social Days

2010-10-15T14:26:00.000-07:00

Marnie in the Middle

So Many Wines So Little Time

The Birthday Party

I must admit that it has been very busy
socially around here. Tuesday David Foy
decided to fly down and visit. We went to the
Gaslamp District and wandered around looking for wine,
food and live music in that order. We found several places but this little wine bar was really cute. It was down some stairs to a small area with 3 doors. We finally found the right door and went in only to find that for some the entertainment is watching on a monitor inside while the folks come down the stairs and try to figure out where to go. So they have a camera that plays above the bar.
Finally wound up at a place called "Shout" with "dueling pianos". The two musicians take requests and depending on how much money is attached to your request they will play the songs.

Carla and Monique (the Birthday Girl)

Or... if one thinks that the other can do it better

he throws the request across the pianos for the

other guy to sing and play. I guess you had to be

there but they were all amazing musician.

The next morning we took a cab to Shelter Island to check out the Police Dock (they have guest slips) and where West Marine is etc. It was a good walk and I got to get the feel for where I might be going next.

Thursday evening Marnie picked me up and took me to a birthday party for a friend of hers. It was great! It was held in a wine bar and the pizzas and cheese was to die for as well as great wine and fun folks. I might have to go back to that place before I leave.

Slept in a bit this am it was almost raining.

I really do want to see the sun. I get blue when

I don't get my vitamin D. Not much being done on the boat as far as what I need to do but I do hope to get motivated pretty soon. Come on Sun.

Still having a bit of trouble getting the pictures where I want them but I now know how to get rid of that big space at the bottom that sometimes appears out of nowhere.

A Wonderful Time In Ben's San Diego World

2010-10-12T14:43:00.000-07:00

Pau Hana from Jasdip

Well it is finally warm on a regular basis.

I haven't had to close the hatches since I

arrived. The fleece blanket is about to be

history as well. Bob, the Harbormaster,

found a place for me for a few days
and Jasdip is getting a bath, inside and
out. Boy do boats get dirty.

Ben did a drive by and visited in Mariner's Bay

Since I have been here I have gotten to

meet several of Ben's local friends. Boy,
they are all GREAT!! The night before
we wound up at Tender Greens with Michael
( below on Bravado) and Marnie.
   Last night we met Jeff and Kathy at
a local hang out called the High Dive. Fun place and Jeff and Kathy were great. Kathy is a nurse
and Jeff has an Erickson 38 named Pau Hana.
    They went home to cook because they had
just
started a new plan of cooking at home
for a month  and didn't want to break it
on the first night. Good luck you two.


   Well we met up with Marnie again and well.....back to Tender Greens. It really is great and not
very expensive.

Kathy, Jeff, Ben and Moi

Michael

Went home sated and tired and curled up on Jasdip and slept like a baby wondering what the

next day will bring.

Mariners Cove

2010-10-11T10:49:00.000-07:00

Mariner's Cove is a lovely little anchorage

in Mission Bay. It is a weekend getaway and very popular for many boaters in the area. There
is a 5mile and hour speed limit in Mission Bay so it
is a comfortable anchorage. Pau Hana is
docked across the main channel in Quivera
Basin just a short dinghy ride away.

Ben, Chris and I ate our way through the

Hillcrest Farmers Market. From Thai coconut pancakes to homemade chicken and green

chili tamales. The fruit is great too. I am always

on the lookout for a tomatoe as good as

the "Dry Farmed" ones I used to get at the

Alameda Grocery. There were some from Russian seeds that are fairly close. I am happy

now.

Ben and Chris went sailing and then came visiting on Pau Hana and tied up with

Jasdip for a while and we sat and enjoyed the
beautiful blue sky, sunshine and warm weather.
Finally got to meet wome of Ben's friends
San Diego and they sure seem great.
Dinner at Tender Greens with Michael and Marni. Delicious fresh food and wonderful
Company.

Found this great lamp for Jesses boat.
I think it will add to the decore.

View from Jasdip to Driscol's Marina

Mission Bay Here I Come

2010-10-11T09:39:00.000-07:00

Well I had plans for an early dinner and sleep

but I guess things don't always go as we plan.My neighbor came by in his dinghy and asked if I wanted to catch a movie....then confessed he

had seen the movie and really just wanted popcorn.

We chatted and I told him I could make

him popcorn. Alas it was a delightful evening

and I really enjoyed our exchange, I mean really,

enjoyed it. Alas.....complications...and I waved goodbye in the AM. He raised my spirits and gave me hope though that

there might just be someone out there that I could

share some time with.

I didn't leave at 4am. It was just too dark and

cold. So it was around 6am. There was

no wind in the am so I motored and tried to book

as fast as I could since Ihad 64 miles to go.

Got to Mission Bay as the sun was setting.

Man it is hard to see where one needs to go

until one is right on top of the entrance. I looked

and looked but it wasn't till I was very close that I

actually saw the entrance. While I was crossing

there was a pod of dolphins that stayed with me for almost an hour. I finally went below to get a sandwich and stopped talking to them and they

left. I could hear them talk and I tried (good thing I was alone) to answer them. God they are beautiful!!

Where did the Sun go?

2010-10-08T21:39:00.000-07:00

I got a Moring ball for 4 days in Avalon.

Quite the treat. Also the weather wasn't

sunny and every anchorage is 90ft.

I finally caught up with Art and Jaye

on Arione! It was sooooo good to see

them. They both look great and so does

the boat. We talked for a bit and made plans for lunch the next day.

That evening I went to Double Dharma for Dinner and had a wonderful time chatting with Dena and Dale. What a great pair. When I left my camera there (because I wanted to take pictures) they took some and returned my camera the next morning. That is what I call a "full service boat".

They were headed out to the back side of Catalina that am. Note the wine was (it's empty) one of the few remaining Roxy Anne Pino Gris's from Medford. Just another special occasion. I think this Ha Ha will be a bit more Merry for moi.

To the right is the poole player/teacher who

attempted to keep us in line at the Marlin

Club.

Here on Catalina I think they have taken golf carts to a new height. This one is a 4 seater WITH a trailer hitch. I thought Mark, Beth and Lisa might enjoy seeing it. My favorite picture (and I lost it) was of a dinghy with the seat made from one of those ubiquitous white plastic chairs. I think that will be a "must try" for me on the Ha Ha. Grocery shopping and back to the boat for an early evening. I had planned to leave for Mission Bay at 4ish in the morning.

Off to Avalon

2010-10-06T12:39:00.000-07:00

Well Avalon. It isn't as crowded as I have seen it before.I had to go to the pump out dock first and that was a real challenge. I guess if you keep doing this you have to get better at it.
Once again the Harbor Patrol showed me to my mooring (top the farthest boat to the right). These moorings are even closer together than the ones in Two Harbors. I just can't imagine what it is like if they are all filled. This time I actually did it by myself. Perhaps there is hope.
As I was cleaning up the boat a dinghy came by with some other Ha Ha folks in it and invited me to breakfast the next morning. I cleaned up the boat went to bed and then went ashore for breakfast and a hike with these folks. Had a great time and just as they were going off to play Miniature Golf, Ricki and Pam showed up. It was a nice reunion and we walked around a bit then went up the hill to a little Mexican place that had $1.00 tacos. They were actually quite good and so was the gathering of the usual suspects. Even Lori and Tom joined us for a few tacos.
Well someone said something about the Marlin Club so we wandered over there and played a bit of pool
and the evening went downhill from there. Actually

it was a lot of fun. One of the guys that I met who is doing the Ha Ha is quite good at pool and very good at teaching as well. He gave us some good pointers. That would be Dale and Dina from the boat Double Dharma.
I am gathering some laundry (very exciting) and will take it in to do some wash. Waiting for Jaye and Art to arrive. Haven't seen them for years and am looking forward to seeing them again.

Underground

2010-10-06T10:57:00.000-07:00

Well...after the Tornado (funnell cloud of some sort) came through Isthmus I think the anchor must have fallen off it's 80ft shelf and gone to 120ft. Needlesss to say I was uncomfortable and was pretty sure I was moving so I pulled up stakes and got a mooring. Just another challenge. I drove through the Mine
(Mooring) Field and found mine. A nice young man from the boat in front of me hopped on my boat and caught the bow line for me then helped me drag it back to the stern. It was the first and it went ok.
THere were quite a few folks there getting ready for Buccaneer Days. The funnel cloud flipped a dinghy, ripped a bimini off a boat and destroyed the tent on shore. I hung out there until Fri and they told me I had to move cause the owner of my mooring ball was coming in.
I then moved to Cherry Cove and it was quite beautiful. Out of the wind and in 10ft of very clear water. I spent my days Kayakin nand working on the boat. Then I got involved in reading and went underground for a few days. Good books. Hardly came up for air. Hence no postings. I am back now though.....

"OY" What a Day I Had Today

2010-09-28T11:53:00.000-07:00

Where's Danno, he shoulod see the messes I make now!

My " Rube Goldberg". Who was he anyway?

Much Better

Wow....Have I been working hard all day! I have really earned this Bombay and Tonic that I

am drinking right now. As you can see the jib now looks normal. Yeah!! And..no rats nest any more. It took a bit of time to think things through

and it is nice to have the time to do that without

anyone looking over your shoulder. As Dan and Ben always say "It ain't Rocket Science".
I must admit it took me several tries and lots of do overs as I learned what I needed to know. I also
felt that I needed to add another block to the lead cause it was supposed to be 90 Deg. and it didn't look like that to me. A bit of a "Rube Goldberg"
affair, with a hose clamp and a schakle but heck it
seems to work.
   The drum (roller bearings)got some WD40 and it looks
clean as a whistle too.

   Next project for the day was to change
from the little motor to the big motor.
Well my spirits were lifted by fixing the
Jib but they were not to remainj high
for long.

There were more and more dinghies making wakes as the time went on so I thought I would
at least try to get it off the dinghy.
Well.....I followed procedure (my procedure gets more and more specific every time), tied the engine to a line and waited between wakes. As I lifted the engine something came out of nowhere and YEP, you guessed it, back in the water again
engine and all! At least this time it was warm and my ladder was right there. Well I pulled up my little engine and went to work. I soaked, doused and cleaned that thing with fresh water as best I could. Took off the covers, put more WD40 on it. All the gas ports were sealed and the vent was not open. Well It didn't start after a long time so I will keep trying. I will look up how to take the carborator apart to see if there is water in there.
At least there was no phone or camera in any pockets, the engine was tied to the boat and I
had not yet taken a shower. It actually felt
good to get wet.
Then after revising my procedure yet again I
very carefully, lifted the big engine down
to the dinghy. This actually went very well. With my track record I was nervous.
She started up right away and I now have a
faster mode of transportation. Just hope
I didn't ruin the little motor.

I finally finished just in time to take a shower

and head over to Lori and Tom's boat for Dinner.

Lori made us Pasta (ummm), foccia bread (double

ummm) and lemon merange pie for desert.

Note: I am having a heck of a time getting the pics where I want them and the writing where I

want it so bear with me.

It is a very small world out here. Yeterday a couple came by to say hi and it turned out it was Elaine and Jamie. Elaine was at the Harbor Masters office before Linda and Sondra. They know Ana and Steve, Barry, Ann, Trish, Derrick, goodness

and so many more folks. Turns out Elaine is the Harbormaster at Cabrillio Island Marina in San Diego. I met Elaine in 1997 when we first moved to gate nine with the Catalina 22. I tell ya.........