Full Circle--Begone returns to San Carlos-3/26/11

Begone be back.  We cast off the dock lines at Santa Rosalia @ 0100 hours.  This would be our last sail on Begone for awhile and a fine sail it was.  Wind and waves cooperated (for the most part), we enjoyed the radio check in through the night with buddy boaters Juce and Circe.  We marveled at the dolphins, fish and phosphorescence that, in the dark of the night, lit up the water like little underwater flashlights.  

By 2:00 on Saturday afternoon, the Goat Tits of San Carlos were in sight (really, that's what they call those rock formations).  It was a melancholy moment. 

We had a slip reserved at Marina San Carlos and were greeted by new neighbors ready to catch our docklines.  John & Dorothy drove up shortly after us.  A very happy reunion.  Our circle for the winter was complete.  We cleaned, packed, changed the oil and enjoyed our last meals aboard Begone - at least for now.  John & Dorothy will sail her for the next month. 

Tom, Dorothy & John aboard Begone

The 3 months in the Sea of Cortez and Mexico's Riverera were amazing.  We saw beautiful places, met wonderful people, learned so much, and pursued a dream.  We couldn't ask for more.  If there was a question about what we should have done this past winter - Begone was the answer.  We thank so many people who made this trip possible and the people who made the trip so enjoyable.  Here's to the next season!  

Begone

Surprisingly Unique - Santa Rosalia - 3/24 - 3/26/11

The French influence in Santa Rosalia: We had planned to meet John & Dorothy Kiesling in Santa Rosalia.  They would ride the ferry from Guaymas, spend a few days with us in town and carry on cruising Begone for another month. We’d return on the ferry to our car in Guaymas/San Carlos. 

We arrived in Santa Rosalia mid-day and were met by Judy & Bruce on Juce (winners of the January La Paz Bocce Ball Tournament) who advised us that the Santa Rosalia Ferry was down for 10 days.  So we arranged with to meet John & Dorothy back in San Carlos. 

We had a couple days to enjoy the busy little town before the weather was favorable for the Northern Passage to the mainland.  Wandering through Santa Rosalia, had a very different look than other places we had been.  The French owned the Copper mines in the 1800's and early 1900's and their influence is clearly reflected in the architecture and the number of times we heard "Oo La La" as we walked down the streets.  

Buildings downtown were constructed from wood -- rather than brick and stucco.  The church was designed by Gustave Eifel (designer of the Eifel Tower) -- built in Europe out of steel and shipped to Santa Rosalia.  The main bakery features delicious French Bread.  Corner food stands.  

Here's a few pics from the town:

Looking down one of the main streets

Inglesia Santa Barbara - steel construction (notice the roof line)



Notice the ceiling line - the gap between the ceiling and the roof allows ventilation so as to not bake the parishiners 

Hot Dogs -- so good and so bad for you!

In the 1800's and into the late 1930's, Copper was transported from Santa Rosalia by ship and train.  Tom thought this old locomotive was really cool.  Anyone surprised?!

We would have loved to tour Santa Rosalia with John & Dorothy, but it turned out for the best to sail back to San Carlos to meet them.  We planned an overnight sail to allow us to arrive on the other side in daylight.    

A Piece of Paradise - Bahia Concepcion - 3/17 - 3/24/11

Tom and I struggled to balance “we’re cruising” with “we gotta get back to the Bay Area in 3 months”.  So most places we left sooner than we would have liked.  But, Bahia Concepcion was promised to be the place to totally decompress – and decompress we did!   Anchored in Playa Santispac, we had a splendid 6 days of paradise. 

The time was filled with all the things that the cruising brochure promised.

Beautiful scenery, great places to eat, interesting places to go, and terrific people to meet.  And time to just read and relax and polish the stainless.

Our dinghy "WoBegone" on the shore at Playa Santispac

Here's some of our favorite Concepcion memories...



Geary is the Sonrisa HAM net Weather Guru.
We listened for his SSB weather every morning or read his report on http://www.sonrisanet.org/ .
We were welcomed by Geary at his home/weather station palapa in El Burro Cove.
Geary is a gracious host and a key resource of all Cruisers in the Sea of Cortez



Bertha's Restaurant in El Burro Cove - great Fish Tacos!

Steve and Linda Warren of "Warren Peace" first met us when they installed their new Yanmar engine at List Marine in Sausalito.  It was terrific to reconnect with them in Bahia Concepcion.

The massive, bright full moon rising over Bahia Concepcion on March 22.

It was in the light of the full moon that we weighed anchor at 0430 on 3/24 to head for Santa Rosalia. 

Whales and the Cruiser's Shrine - Caleta San Juanico - 3/17 - 3/18/11

WHALES !!! On Suzanne's mid-day watch, as we motored north from Puerto Escondido to Caleta San Juanico, the rhythmic sound of the Yanmar engine was interrupted by -- yikes, it's the big blow of a whale -- and just 20 feet off our port beam.  Wait, there's two and they're huge!  "Tom, get up here!"  We were so busy watching as they cruised along side Begone that neither of us grabbed the camera until they moved a little further away.  A sailboat on the mainland side had been rolled by a whale (considered to be an accident).  So the separation was welcomed.

Our friends, John & Dorothy, say San Juanico was one of their favorite anchorages.  And we understand why.  Perfect protection for a north/northwest wind.  Excellent bottom for anchoring. 

The additional draw for Suzanne was the search for “Apache Tears” (small volcanic lava rocks) found along the trail near the anchorage.  Plus we needed to leave our mark at the Cruiser’s Shrine.   

Cruiser's Shrine @ San Juanico

Because the weather window was perfect for continuing our trip up and into Bahia Concepcion, we only enjoyed one night at anchor in San Juanico.  So off we go - leaving behind a flat stone at the Cruiser's Shrine where "Begone - Tom & Suzanne" was written with a Sharpie. 

Baja's Hidden Harbor - Puerto Escondido (and Loreto) - 3/13 - 3/16/11

After gorgeous overnight motorsail from La Paz to Puerto Escondido, we were thrilled to be welcomed with a pot luck dock party @ the Hidden Harbor Yacht Club.  Did they hear we were arriving?!!   Really, gatherings like this are frequent and such a great opportunity to meet new cruisers and find old friends.  This stop reunited us with Joyce & Odus Hayes Lavana J, Janice & Jay Hawkins, and Gretchen & Casey on HoyHoy.  Begone enjoyed a free mooring buoy in the well-protected “Waiting Room”.

We had a memorable evening with Jay & Janice at Joyce & Odus Hayes winter retreat home in Puerto Escondido.  Odus is a marine surveyor by day -- and winemaker by art.  And did we enjoy his delicious Napa Valley wine. 

 The next day, Jay gave us a ride into Loreto – just about 15 miles north of the harbor.



Joyce, Suzanne, Tom, Janice, & Jay @ the dock party





The search for Bruce:

Tom’s long time friend from Crockett had relocated to Loreta about 5 years ago.  We knew he was a couple blocks inland from “the lighthouse”.  Imagine our surprise, as we were walking up what we thought was the correct street, Tom heard a familiar voice – sure enough, there was Bruce Rodger on the phone at his home "Mi Cortez Zone"!  We enjoyed a great time with him and touring Loreto. 

Tom and Bruce in Loreto @ Mi Cortez Zone

The Loreto Fishing Harbor

While only 3 days in Puerto Escondido, we certainly had enough exposure to know we would return.  Here's a few more pictures from this anchorage...

 

Gretchen & Casey of "HoyHoy"

Jay & Janice just before heading back to CA after years of cruising the Sea

Puerto Escondido - Picture Perfect

  

La Paz – Carnival, Mexican Train and the Tsunami - 3/7 – 3/12/11

We left Mazatlan in the beginning of Carnival.  And arrived at the Marina de La Paz on the last day of Carnival ! Now that's some good timing.  Tuesday night featured a terrific parade with colorful floats along the Malecon.  The streets were lined with families, brightly lit carnival rides, and uncommon foods like cooked field corn layered with mayonnaise and cheese.  Note - Tom gets high for culinary courage. 

Who hasn’t played Mexican Train?  Really, you might want to give this dominos game a try!  It’s  popular amongst the cruisers in La Paz but I hadn’t gotten a chance to try my hand.  Luckily, our neighbors, Jim & Teresa on Pochteca were seasoned Sea of Cortez cruisers and Teresa invited me go along to join a game.  I’m hooked. 

Friday morning (3/11), listening to the SSB weather report, Don Anderson advised us of the Japanese earthquake and anticipated tsunami.  Tucked up in the Sea as we were, we were not expecting trouble, however, they closed the entrance to the La Paz channel.  We then heard that over on the mainland they evacuated La Cruz Marina and sailors headed for deep water.  There were no reports of damage, but we certainly felt for the people in Japan and along California's Pacific Coast who were impacted.

Saturday morning, with blue skies and calm seas, we headed northbound from La Paz.  It's tough to leave somewhere we both enjoy so much, especially when we realize there is less than 3 weeks before ending this trip on Begone.   

Last evening in La Paz - Tom, Susan & Bill "Sun Baby" and Teresa & Jim from "Pochteca".  Begone is a fine boat for a party! 

Don't hit the Ship - Mazatlan to La Paz

We didn't hit this ship, but just wanted to see if anyone would open the page.  We actually had a great 48 hour trip with calm seas and our breeze mostly light to moderate out of the south. 
Suzanne saw all the ship traffic.  Tom saw all the wind - 25-30 knots on the last midnight watch as we came into the San Lorenzo Channel.  By the time Suzanne came up on watch, the wind set down.  How delightful (for Suz)!

Mazatlan - Feb. 23 – March 6, 2011

Mazatlan was not high on our “must see” places.  The reputation as a gringo tourist trap that lacks the “true Mexico” ambience was a bit of a deterent.  But it is a much better place from which to make the hop back to La Paz AND it is the home of the Pacifico Brewery – so "hi ho hi ho" it’s was off to Mazatlan we go.  A 28 hour motorsail north from San Blas.

In Mazatlan, there are two popular marinas – El Cid and Marina Mazatlan.  We chose Marina Mazatlan where we enjoyed a friendly group of yachties on Dock 6. Many of these people had kept their boats there for many years and said this was their favorite harbor in all of Mexico.  So we through we should try to discover what they enjoyed so much. 

With an 11 day wait before the weather window opened for the 2 day sail back to the Baja side, we had time to explore.  Rather than writing a travel log (which others do so well) let me just share some memorable places and photos of our Mazatlan experience.

Old Mazatlan - This part of the city is enjoying a revival.  Buildings restored, restaurants and parks attract visitors and residents, the Central Market and Cathedral, and here we experienced the life beyond the gringo gold coast beaches. 

Tom at the Mercado Municipal

 

Plaza Machado - Home of the Restored Rubio Theater, Restaurants, and a School of the Arts

Plazuela Machado - the week before Carnival

Road trip to Copala - We rented a car and drove inland about 40 miles east of Mazatlan and up into the Sierra Madre mountains to Copala.  Formerly a mining town, it now relies on tourists.  Memorable were the cobblestone streets, the kids at play in the school yard, lunch at Daniels (known for their Banana Creme pie), the old woman who invited us into her home for a little souvenir shopping and the church built in the 1700's with the kids outside hawking hand carved wood items.

While most Copala residents are anxious for tourists, this school girl was unimpressed.

Pacifico Brewery - Pacifico Beer was started in Mazatlan -- so we felt obliged to take a tour, especially since they offer free samples at the end.  The tasting room?  A elevator ride up 8 floors for an amazing panoramic view of Mazatlan.

   

The Last Drop in Cerritos - A 10 minute bus ride beyond Marina Mazatlan is a tiny beach town named Cerritos.  We were surprised that many cruisers had never been there.  But we went!  As we walked toward a little open air bar called "The Last Drop" we heard the roar of a crowd watching a big screen TV - cheering at the top of their lungs - at Curling!  Yep, a bunch of Canadians were there.  We had a great evening...and Tom was invited to return with his fiddle on Friday night to stand-in with the band.  Which we did and he was a huge hit!

Mazatlan's Carnival - With 11 days in Mazatlan, we realized might be able experience the 2nd largest Carnival (Mardi Gras) in the world.  Sure enough, Friday night we braved the bus ride to Old Town and here are a couple pics of the festivities...





And the next morning we cast off for La Paz.  Bye Bye Mazatlan, I imagine we'll be back! 

 



We missed the Bull Fight by 3 days -- next time we'll plan better.

Amazing Roasted Beast lunch with "Just a Minute", "Victoria Dos", "Sun Baby"

 



There IS more to Mazatlan than we thought!














San Blas - departing for Mazatlan - February 22, 2011

A few thoughts and pictures from San Blas.

1.  The mosquitoes aren’t quite as bad as they say.  Except if you’re stupid enough to arrange a dock part at dusk.  Our last evening that’s what happened and I think we all got  a bunch of bites as parting gifts – despite the DEET. 

2.  Tom really does love fixing engines.  Our friends, Jeff and Sharon, on “About Time” had engine trouble and Tom was delighted to be able to resolve the problem.

3.  Small Mexican villages are amazing places.  Especially when you're on a quest.  Both for La Sirena AND for a hotel called The Bucanero Hotel where our friend Dave Case stayed in the mid-50's as he was searching for parrots to import to the USA.

3.  It’s great to have Spanish skills that are good enough to talk with 4 year olds and taxi drivers.  We were able to learn so much from a taxi driver in between his and our “Spanglish”.  Below are pics from our trip "up the hill" to see the "Bells of San Blas".  Absolutely beautiful and rich in history.

And now, off to Mazatlan.