Looking for a Catamaran Cruising Blog?

If you found this blog via a link from a cruising site ~ we did cruise Mexico on our Ocean 49 cat for a season. See the first text box on the right for links to our preparations, trip down Baja, life in Mexico, cruising and trip back up to SoCal. Unfortunately we are back to the grind in the USA...

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Rust

Twenty-two years of living by the ocean.
Twenty-two years of living by the ocean means salty ocean air on my cars.
Twenty-two years of living by the ocean means salty ocean air on my cars creates rust.
So after Twenty-two years of living by the ocean, with the salty ocean air on my cars creating rust, I figured I should buy a car that won't rust.
Hmmmmm... think, think, think...
Hmmmm... my boat is not rusty.
I should buy a car that is similar to what my boat is made of.
Fiberglass.
Fiberglass!
Fiberglass means one of these.Yeah, well wishful thinking.
Sort of like wanting to get a dog.
Not going to happen.
But I did have fun driving this thing in High School when my parents were somewhere far, far away traveling.

Monday, June 28, 2010

Leftover Lump, Willows, South Swell, Scorpion & One Barracuda

That pretty much describes the weekend.
We really wanted to go out Friday afternoon and I was even lucky enough to sneak out of the dirt pit office at 3:00 pm.
To wind.
Snuck out to wind.
It didn't look too bad from the pier at the yard but didn't look too good on the buoy reports.
Five feet at five seconds.
Sounded like the waves were stacked on top of each other.
A wise choice was made to wait until morning.
If you call 4 am morning...
Ugh.
Out of the slip and at the lumpy entrance by 4:30 am.
We had a bright full moon and an incredibly neon blue phosphorescence show.
Dual trails of iridescent blue followed the boat.
Splashes of neon blue lit the surface of the water surrounding us.
Due to the leftover lump...
Every lump lit up.
Bright, neon blue.
Beautiful but ugly at the same time.
Ugly enough for me to "allow" Stan and Jim to be in charge and me to go back to my bunk.
For the next couple of bouncing, slamming hours.Well, it got good after an hour and a half or so, but since I was drifting in and out I wasn't really counting.

Motored up the backside to Willows ~ a favorite!And we were the only boat there!
But we were tired...
Got up way too early.
So read, napped, ate.
Stan and Jim went halibut trolling in the dinghy.
I read.
They came back.
Empty-handed.
I read.
Then we watched the wind circle around.Read some more.
Had a glass of vino.Watched the south swell start up.Remember those two hurricanes off of Mexico?
It always amazes me that the swell can be felt 1000 miles away...
BBQ'd tri tips and made awesome garlic mashed potatoes.
Ate.
And went to bed before it was even dark...

Woke up to a few big swells coming in from the South.
Ok, time to get OUT of here as the rocks were looking really close.
Then the seaweed fight began.
Armed with knives teeth and brawn, Stan and Jim fought with the largest kelp monster entanglement around the anchor chain.
Ever.
Lots of that crap seaweed slid past them into the anchor locker.
Mmmmm, mmmmm, mmmm.
Guess what the boat then smelled like?
Then in trying to feed the crew, I intermingled the lovely smell of bacon with the seaweed stench.
Now the boat was smelling really great!
So bacon, eggs, bagels and seaweed for our motor down the backside.
And a minke whale sighting!Did some fishing and reading (me) on the way and dishes too ~ I did dishes! ~ and ended up anchored at Scorpion for a few hours.
Peaceful.
Quiet.
Except for the 250 hikers and kayakers dropped off by Island Packers for the day - hey IPCO, where the hell is my ice cream?
Beautiful.
I kayaked around the bay and enjoyed a beer.
Tecate in a can ~ yeehaw.

Time to head home.
Jim had thresher shark on the brain again, so we pulled out the headsail and left the main down.
Yep ~ blame it on him wanting to thresher shark fish, not being lazy!
Actually we learned last time, when we hooked one and had to drop the main in a hurry.
No sharks, but one slimy barracuda!





Doesn't my drawing look just like that fish?







Lots of dolphins.
Swimming with the bows.Feeding and jumping.
Frolicking and doing whatever dolphins do.

Back into the harbor, where I parked the boat!

Friday, June 25, 2010

Too Early. Too Creepy.

Not one, but two hurricanes in the Eastern Pacific.
In June.
Yes, June.
Way, super early.This means I should be happy to be in SoCal.
Okay...
Happy to be in SoCal.
I'm working on that.

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Deck Deck Deck Goose

So our every-other weekend going to the islands is pretty much on schedule.
I think.
We had an off weekend, so finally kept our promise to Margi and headed to her house to stain her decks.
Jim, being a painter forever needed to be there to prep and direct us.
He went up Friday morning and I headed up after work.
Food and drinks were needed to get us through the first night.Huge steaks, rosemary potatoes and salad with fresh dressing.
We never go hungry at Margi's...

In less than 24 hours, we cleaned, prepped and stained deck #1, off her dining area.












Deck #2, at her front door.And deck #3, off her bedroom door.We also managed to enjoy her flowers.






Eat three more meals.
Torment her dog.
Sit in the hot tub with wine in the afternoon.
Watch most of War of The Worlds and are now forever afraid of tripods.
Catch up with each other.
View some pics.
Clean up our mess.
Put most of the plants back on the decks.
Even shower.This weekend?
ISLANDS!

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Prisoners with "Vela"

No, we were not "Prisoners" with Vela, but went to Prisoners with "Vela".
The usual spot.
The eel grass gone rampant.
Halibut fishing with no halibut to be seen.
The pier.
The dinghy dock.
The hike to the guard shack, which isn't really a guard shack but what the hell else do you call it?...




The awesome view.



The traditional dork pictures on the guard shack steps...
Flowers.
Sea lions.
No whales.
Food.
Drinks.
Dinghy cruise to Pelicans.
Conversation.
Socializing.
Blah, blah, blah.

"Vela" was one of our Baja Bash Buddy Boats.
Try saying that fast three times.
Heidi & Aaron were on the bash and once again joined Chris for the trip from Ventura to San Francisco.
Cecil was just getting used to the whole idea.
And barfing a little...So anyway, nice trip out.
Dolpins the entire way.
First boat to the anchorage.
First to go halibut fishing.
First to come back without halibut.
First to make the offer of "want us to take your trash in?" and "Vela" gave us Aaron's dad.
New nickname for him: "White Trash".
He seemed to like it.
Of course why not ~ he got to spend two nights with us in a queen bunk and not have to curl himself around the dinette on "Vela".
What's not to like?
Don't answer that!

Plants that should have been in Avatar."Vela" and "Meerkat" anchored next to each other ~ a first since Cabo San Pucas Lucas!Watched the newlyweds be newlyweds.Saw dead things that made pretty patterns.Uh, what else?
Oh yeah...
Dinner on "Vela".
Yeah, dinner on "Vela".
Hot dogs in a piece of bread, wrapped in a tortilla with chili on it.
I think it was a Chris invention for underway chili dogs.
Dinner.
Interesting.

A kergillion stars.
More halibut-less fishing in the morning.
Giant breakfast prepared for me for Jim and the white trash Aaron's dad, the other Jim.
Motorsail back in.
Stopped half way to thresher shark fish.
And caught ONE!
But between turning the engines on, turning into the wind, dropping the main and panicking it jumped and got off.
Good thing.
Jim said it was huge.
Way huge.
We'd probably still be out there fighting it.

Once again, all good!

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Back!

Just busy.
Lazy.
No really, busy!
Work.
Dealing with Mom being sick.
Laundry.
Still haven't put the covers on the enclosure.
But Tim, Stan and Jim are going thresher shark fishing tomorrow, so they can just put the covers back on.
Still haven't washed the eel grass off of the bow, but Jim said he would wash the boat when we got in.
Yep, lazy!
I never said we weren't.
So another GREAT trip!
And one picture til I am not so lazy busy and can take the time to put the rest up.

Friday, June 11, 2010

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Either Happy or Appalled, Not Sure Which

California.
The State of confusion.

If you live in California you probably have read something similar to what I swiped out of an un-named CA newspaper:

In a 41-27 vote, the Assembly on Wednesday passed a bill that would prohibit grocery stores from offering plastic bags starting January 2012. Instead, consumers would either have to carry their groceries in reusable bags or pay 5 cents or more for a paper bag made of partially recycled content.
Convenience stores and drugstores, as well as mom-and-pop shops, would have to ditch the plastic bags as of July 2013.

The law, if enacted, would be a milestone for environmentalists who have long thought of plastic shopping bags as the scourge of the planet, especially for the ocean and marine animals that often ingest the bags.


My thoughts:
Not that anyone gives a rat's ass.
I have re-usable bags!
I have loads of re-usable bags!
All boaters do.
All cruisers do.
Packaging is the bane of boaters and cruisers.
I cringe at the amount of paper, plastic and crap I have after a trip to the grocery store or that other full of packaging products store, Target.
However I do have to give Target credit, as they refund 5 cents for every bag brought in.
Fresh & Easy?
Cool store, good idea, but their packaging is horrifying.
These one-use plastic bags are everywhere.
Floating in the ocean.
Getting wrapped around boat props.
Getting eaten by turtles when mistaken for jellyfish.
Beside every road in Mexico.
Hanging off of cactus spines all over Baja.
In fact, we call plastic bags "The State Flower of Baja".
Horrifying.
So I will have no trouble going along with this.
If I can remember to take my bags...
No worries, will invest in a few more small foldable ones to always keep in the car.
Yes, every once in awhile I will have to pay a nickel if I made an un-planned stop somewhere.
But maybe not.
If I start NOW.

The appalling part?
The disturbing part?
The comments some of the readers made in our local newspaper in reaction to articles about this bill:

Can I bring in cardboard boxes? I live in the country (10 miles from the nearest town). I shop once every 3-4 weeks and buy 12-15 sacks of groceries. I also shop for an elderly lady who lives close by. No way can I carry in an armload of reusable bags.

My response:
I really don't think the store is going to give a shit what you bring in.
Seriously, you can't carry in an armload of reusable bags, but you can carry in armloads of boxes?

“Our oceans are in danger,” Dawson said. “The problem is huge. One thousand miles off our coast is a big pile of garbage twice the size of Texas. Something we use for two to five minutes shouldn’t last for 500 years.”
So true, but there are not grocery bags in the mess.


Are you insane?
I saw three floating in the harbor today.
I see them EVERY day I am on the water.
Floating just below the surface.
Draped across the rip-rap.
Stuck against the pilings.
Slithering their way towards my props and intakes...

If free plastic grocery bags are eliminated, I will have to start buying plastic bags. Where is the savings there? Are my grocery bills going to be less because I don't get plastic bags at the store? Sure. Don't start holding your breath. Bring your own bags, ring up your own groceries, put them in the bag yourself -- when do we start stocking the shelves for the grocery chains?

Are you too insane?
Do you think you do NOT pay for those bags now?
Believe me, you pay for them.
You just didn't think before you typed.

I bet all you tree huggers drive your gas drinking cars to the store with your little reusable bags. Your Green as long as it is easy for you,then you judge other people for how they live. Its like Bono flying around in his jet and preaching Green to everyone,what a joke. Don't forget Europe dumps all their Nuclear waste in the ocean.

Your should have been spelled "you're".
You need a space between "you" & "then".
"Its" needed one of these little ' things.
Forgot another space there after your other comma.
Because California wants to take a step in a positive direction, you attack Bono and Europe?
Stay on topic.

And people in Europe only get enough food for one day at a time because they live next door to the grocery store! They also complain that Americans use too much toilet paper...should we all quit wiping and use bidets like they do????????
Nope...I can't wait to see the face of the clerk when I tell him/her to just reload every item I buy back into the grocery cart. Then I'll wheel it to my truck and unload it there...can, bottle, and jar at a time...into the boxes I'll be carrying. I do love Costco giving away the boxes.


Not all Europeans live next to a grocery store.
You do not know what a bidet is for.
Uh, why don't you just take your cardboard boxes in with you?
Or maybe you simply have too much time on your hands to load each item individually.

More enviro-nazi crap. Sure the grocers love it. No more having to buy bags. When are you people going to catch on that the enviro-nazis and their Democrat buddies are killing this Country?

The grocery stores make money on the bags now, I am quite sure.
And the rest - huh?

Reuasable bags are great. I use them, but I also use disposable diapers, so I'm not a full fledged tree huger. I think people should use the reusables, but this shouldn't be forced on people with a ban, instead a curb type refuse tax should be levied on bags, diapers, etc. The cost to clean up after these wasteful items should lye on the shoulders of who uses them. If you're using it as a can liner, great, just pay the tax. Do small trash cans really need liners?

Ok, this person made some sense here.
Having never had children, I did not have to make the big diaper decision.
Maybe they should charge for bags now and credit the people who bring their own.
That would work for me.
Kind of scared of the lye on the shoulders thing though... doesn't lye hurt skin?

This is the problem I have with the Dirt-Worshippers: They are against cutting down trees, endlessly preach against it, and then what do they do? They go home to their WOOD framed houses, sleep in their beds with the WOOD framed box springs, watch tv with their smelly feet on their WOOD coffee table, and so on and so on. Remember all the trees that were cut down in Montana under Pres. Bush? It was in the Star. Some clown had a sign that said, "more trees, less Bush." The only problem was that the sign's long handle was - you guessed it - WOOD !!

Ha ha ha.
Sort of.
One, I live in a fiberglass house.
Not much wood on this boat.
I hardly watch tv.
My feet aren't smelly.
I don't worship dirt.

I'd be okay with bringing in my own bags. Just have to remember to put them in my car. It takes a bit of time to adjust but all in all it's better for the environment. Why the hell not? Count me in.

Finally.
Someone made a comment that stayed on the topic.
Made sense.
Understood.
Got it.
Can adjust.
Not a moron.
Not a whiner.
Thankfully, not all of the people in this county are completely embarrassing.

Sunday, June 6, 2010

Memorial Day Fun!

Aussie vino courtesy of Kim!
The perfect boat wine container too.
Portable.
Non-breakable.
Three servings.
Good for dinghy.
Good for kayak.
Good for taking to rolly boats.

Unfortunately Mr. Bill may have had more than his allocated serving...Awesome huge breakfast at anchor.The fog rolled in and out several times.The trawler is Dave & Cherryl's new boat "Shining Star"!

Had a little afternoon zin in Mike and Bibi's wedding glass!With a toast to them of course.

Tacos on "Meerkat" with "Bodi" and "Shinola" "Shining Star".Amazingly enough we ate before dark...
That never happens at the islands!

We spent two nights at Yellowbanks, then headed up the front side to Prisoners.
Stopped at a small "secret spot" to fish, kayak and watch the whales go under "Shining Star".Then up to Prisoners, where the holiday yacht club crowd had all bailed from earlier in the day ~ yay!
Only three other boats!Then enjoyed an awesome humpback whale show!
Lunge feeding IN THE ANCHORAGE!


Right.
In.
Front.
Of.
The.
Boat.








Awesome weekend!

Friday, June 4, 2010

The Fearless Crew Together Once Again!

Or so we will be tomorrow night.
Stan had to go home today to feed his cat...
But he will come back tomorrow.
Hora Feliz tonight with Timay Tim and Spam Pam!
Then dinner.
Catching up.
Wine, fun, laughter, jokes, teasing.
Tomorrow all five of us once again on "Meerkat" for dinner!Not sure who that Raymarine guy is...
I don't remember him being on board when we sailed from SoCal to SoBaja.

Thursday, June 3, 2010

"Tis Magic"

I found out today that another friend has passed away.
It just doesn't seem to end...

Tom of "Tis Magic".
A good guy.
Always with a smile.
Always with laughter that followed the smile.
Always with a positive attitude.
Full of fun.
Full of life...We always seemed to anchor right in front of him.
He was on a smaller boat.
Probably wondered why this big fat cat was always right off his bow.
It was a conversation starter.
I think it was meant to be.
It was the start of a nice friendship.
One he cultivated more than we did.
Thanks for the fun Tom...
The laughter.
The effort.
The friendship.
Thanks Tom.

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Memorial Day Entertainment

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, right?
Well here is a thousand words about Memorial Day at Santa Cruz Island.
Lunge feeding humpbacks.
In the anchorage...I'll post several more thousand words later.