PacificSailors.com

The Hard Life in Mexico Isn't All Bad

2013-06-03T13:27:00.001-07:00

We are back in the water after four days in the boatyard. It feels good to be floating again. Every night when the Coromuels blew the boat would shudder and I had visions of us falling over.

Living in the boatyard wasn't so bad thanks to our freshwater-flush head and huge holding tank. Some people actually climb down the ladder in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom! During the day we collected wash water in the sinks and drained it at night when we were sure no one was under the drains.

We now have two coats of black bottom paint (with extra coats in all the important places), new flax in the stuffing box, freshly waxed topsides and most importantly a new cutless bearing (yup, that is spelled correctly - it's a brand name). Unfortunately the cutless bearing we had bought in the US turned out to be the wrong size so we had to buy one here for twice the cost.

While the boat was being hauled out there was a lot of excitement on where to place the slings because the stickers were hard to see. Mike had the brilliant idea to stick blue painters tape where it can easily be seen from all angles making it easier for the yard crew. This is something we'll do before getting to the yard next time.

So, what does all this fun cost in Mexico? About 14,000 pesos in yard bills and another 8,000 for antifouling paint. In dollars that is around $1,700. Here is the breakdown. I'm curious how that compares to US prices? Would love to hear your comments!

$750 haul out / put in, all labor and consumables (same price if we had done the labor ourselves)
$120 new cutless bearing
$200 to build tool to pull cutless bearing without having to pull the shaft
$45 new propeller key (ours was falling apart - good thing we found it now)
$600 for 3 gallons of antifouling paint

Curious about all of our cruising costs? Check out our Dinero page!

Marking the sling location

Pretty barnacles

Pressure washing

Keeping cool

Ice cream man

Removing the Cutless Bearing

Packing the stuffing box (where the propeller shaft enters the boat)

Wax-paper on slings so our new paint-job doesn't rub off when we get lifted back in the water

Safety First! :-)

Lunch at the beach bar next door with view of Camille in the travel lift

Renting a car in Mexico

2013-05-27T09:04:00.000-07:00

La Paz, Mexico

Once in a while we rent a car for a day to go grocery shopping and run errands. If there is a lot of running around to do it is just so much more convenient than riding the bus and taking a taxi back with loads of groceries.

We start by reserving the car online via Priceline. There is no need to pre-pay or give them a credit card. All they want is a name. When I first saw that we could rent a car here for $5 per day I couldn't believe it. Well, don't believe it. That price does not include insurance and basic liability is mandatory in Mexico ( I believe in the US liability insurance is included in the rate quoted online).

We then call the rental office and ask them to come pick us up. If the only rate-quote available online is the airport location we call the location nearest to us and ask them to move our reservation to them. When we get to the office we pay with a Visa card because Visa will cover* the CDW (Collision Damage Waiver) insurance in case of an accident (be aware that they will put a hold on your credit card for several thousand dollars when you decline CDW).

Here in La Paz we WERE renting from Fox. Last year they picked us up and drove us back to the marina. No more free rides! So we walked to every major car rental place in La Paz and asked them for their insurance prices and whether they gave free rides. The prices** below are for basic, mandatory liability insurance. To learn more about car insurance on rental cars in Mexico take a look at this great article by the SFGate.

After checking Priceline here are the total prices I would be paying for an economy car today in La Paz (not including taxes). If there are better deals please let me know!

BEWARE: After renting from Fox we noticed that they give all quotes in US dollars. Before charging our credit card they used THEIR OWN exchange rate to convert to pesos as all charges have to post in the local currency. By doing this they are making a few extra dollars on every purchase and we ended up paying even more.

Thrifty
$5 car + $12 insurance = $17
Free rides

Alamo
$8 car + $11 insurance = $19
Free rides

Fox
$5 car + $15 insurance = $20
No rides

Budget
$10 car + $20 insurance = $30
Free rides

Hertz
$9 (I was told all online prices include insurance - I doubt it!)
Free rides

Avis
$20 car + $28 insurance = $ 48
Free rides

* I am not guaranteeing anything. Please check with Visa yourself.

** These are merely prices I was given when I walked into the rental car office in La Paz. Please double check before renting! No guarantees here!

I bet you've never seen that before!

2013-05-24T17:21:00.000-07:00

La Paz, Mexico

We're back from spending the last two weeks in the national park islands near La Paz - where there is no internet...

We snorkeled, swam, kayaked, watched wildlife and paddle-boarded.

While sitting on the beach on Isla San Francisco we saw a fish that looked like he was poking his head into the water with his tail sticking up. When we went to investigate we found that a moray eel had tried to eat a fish much larger than his head and must have choked on his meal.

manta ray

trigger fish ceviche!

How Does One Week Turn Into Three?

2013-05-03T07:08:00.000-07:00

La Paz, Mexico

We had planned on being in Mazatlan for one week. It took us three to get out of there and we finally made it to La Paz a couple of days ago. So what took so long?

When we arrived in Mazatlan our Yanmar had logged just over 1,000 hours; and since there is a Yanmar service center in Mazatlan we decided to have them help us with our 1,000 hour service. We believe that our engine is one of our biggest safety features and it needs to be treated with lots of TLC. So far "the beast" (our engine's serial number ends in 666) has treated us with nothing but respect in return. Knock on fiberglass.

A mechanic came by to remove our heat exchanger, fuel injectors and various other things to be serviced. Turns out we had some pitting in the heat exchanger and it would need to be sent to a machine shop to get welded. This was supposed to take a couple of days. After one entire week(!) and many inquiries of progress we were finally told that the heat exchanger won't take the weld and we would need a new part - and it would take at least 10 days to get the new part! This being Mexico there is no guarantee for that and 10 days is probably being overly confident as things tend to get held up in customs.

So rather than wait for the new heat exchanger to come to Mexico we took action. We ordered the part to be overnighted to the Yanmar dealer in Los Angeles and booked a flight for Mike to fly to LAX the very next day.

Since his trip coincided with the weekend, Mike had some spare time and was able to do some other shopping for us as well - such as Trader Joes's, REI and West Marine. Best of all, Mike's cousin Randy was headed to Cabo by van and was able to bring everything down for us (including a new battery), rather than Mike carrying it back on the plane. How about that for serendipity?!

If the machine shop had been successful we would have looked at a bill of about $700. Here are the numbers for what really happened. At least now we have a brand new part and lots of goodies from the US.

Air travel (using some air-miles): $270
Yanmar parts in LA (new heat exchanger, gaskets, misc): $1,300
Overnight shipping from east coast: $70
Rental car (three days): $85
Gas (for rental car): $46
Bill from Yanmar dealer in Mazatlan: $450
Boat moorage for two extra weeks beyond planned: $260
Total: $2,381

Of course there were other expenses like food and shopping but I'm not including those in this total. If you're interested in this month's total expenses take a look at our monthly expenses.

Our fourth crossing of the Sea of Cortez was a breeze. Literally. We even got to sail some in the south-westerly winds that appeared as forecast on our favorite weather website stormsurfing (check it out - this site has much higher resolution wind forecasts than other free weather sites).

Arriving in Bahia Balandra (10 miles from La Paz) after our crossing this was what we were greeted by: Sunrise to the east and a full moon setting to the west. Beautiful!

Sunset over the Baja peninsula

The ice-cream man in Bahia Balandra makes in-water deliveries

We're currently in a slip for just a few days to replenish food and fuel

Mission in La Paz (founded 1720, built 1861)

Goodies from the US

How to make "Ice Cream" on Board

2013-04-22T06:57:00.001-07:00

Who doesn't love ice cream? We sure do, but our freezer will not keep it frozen in this heat so I had to figure out a better way to get our fix.

Sorbet is a super-easy and fun treat to make on a boat. Pretty much any fruit can be used. Raspberry-Banana is always a winner, as is Banana with some chunks of dark chocolate. Here I use fresh mangos.

Don't over-freeze sorbet as you want it to be the consistency of a nice smooth gelato. I pour the sorbet into small ziplock bags and stick them right onto the evaporator plate of our freezer for a few hours. When I'm ready to serve I knead the bag until the sorbet is smooth. Then I cut a small corner into the bag and squeeze the sorbet into a bowl.

I use my stick blender to mix up the sorbet. It works well on the inverter and doesn't take up much space.

1-2 ripe Mangos or other fruit
2 Tablespoons Honey
1 teaspoon vanilla
1-3 limes* or lemon to taste

Whip everything together with a blender, food processor or stick-blender. Add more of any ingredient to taste. Pour into ziplock bag. Freeze.

* I use the tiny Mexican limes so add regular sized limes/lemons slowly

How to Store and Use Glass on Board

2013-04-15T09:36:00.000-07:00

Many boats come complete with a set of plastic dishes - as did ours. It seems that the general consensus is that because an item is on a boat it has a tendency to break and therefore should be plastic. Not so! Mike and I really don't like to eat or drink from plastic as it seems to take on a taste after some time. We also try to use as little plastic in our lives as possible, so as not to further contribute to the plastic debris we find on every beach.

The first thing we gave away were the plastic plates and replaced them with our ceramic plates from when we lived on shore. No plastic taste and the plates keep food warm a lot longer than plastic plates do. Underway I toss a towel into the cupboard with the plates to stop things from shifting and rattling. When my parents and I sailed from Germany to California in the 80s we also used ceramic plates and my parents still use those same plates on their current boat to this day. Zero breakage.

Next we got rid of the plastic cups. We now use mason jars for drinking glasses which are very thick and sturdy. And used with these screw-top lids it's like having a built-in storage container or drink-shaker.

We use real coffee mugs and for our wine we use real wine glasses. A glass of wine just isn't the same drank out of a plastic cup. I have broken one wine glass out of sheer clumsiness - not due to living on a boat.

We did keep the plastic bowls to use when we are underway since they have non-skid bottoms and are nice and deep.

To store glass bottles and jars I use "6-pack wine bags". They are about $2 from Whole Foods or Trader Joe's or if you buy enough wine they will sometimes toss one in. I have about a dozen of these bags and store everything from wine and liquor bottles to jam and sauerkraut jars in them. There is no rattling and if anything should break the spillage will be contained within the bag.

Fiesta Mexicana for Travel Secrets TV Show

2013-04-12T13:04:00.001-07:00

Last night, along with my parents, we were invited to film a Mexican Fiesta for the next (fifth) episode of the Travel Secrets Mexico TV Series. We enjoyed delicious food from several states such as Jalisco, Guerrero and Sinaloa as well as dances from different regions around Mexico. The highlight of the evening was the fire-dance where the dancers/warriors show off how much heat their skin can handle.

The TV series is produced by my parents aboard their sailboat. The hope is to help restore some trust in Mexico's tourism and get tourist to once again visit this beautiful (and safe) country. They do the work out of their love of Mexico and pay for most of the airtime out of their own pocket - save a few sponsors. The show airs every Saturday at 9 pm (PST) on FamilyNet Television. To watch any of the episodes right now visit the YouTube channel.

Margaritas

Old Town Mazatlan

2013-04-09T15:40:00.002-07:00

This is our third time in Mazatlan and each time we come here we want to stay longer. There aren't many gringo tourists here as some bad press from the US has converted this vibrant city primarily into a tourist destination for Mexican nationals.

The ease with which we can get around Mazatlan without a car must be the towns biggest perk. Simply wait at the side of the road for a few minutes and when the right bus passes by stick out your index finger - no need to find a bus station. When you are ready to get off the bus they will stop anywhere along their route for you.

Yesterday we took a trip into Old Town which is at the other end of town from the marina. To get there you travel along the eight kilometer-long malecon (boardwalk) that meanders down the beach and the turquoise bay. In this case we opted to ride in one of the open VW Thing taxi cabs. For about 100 pesos (US$8) you can get to most places in town and they like to take you on the scenic routes to show off their beautiful city.

Open air taxi on malecon

Mercado Pino Suarez, Indoor Market est. 1899

Plazuela Republica

Catedral de Mazatlan

Fresh Churros

More Tangled Wildlife

2013-04-04T12:02:00.000-07:00

After nearly eight months in Banderas Bay we are finally on the move again. Hurricane season and then some personal issues kept us in a marina much longer than we had anticipated.

We just arrived in Mazatlan after a nice two night passage. Considering we could have driven here in a few hours (it's only 170 miles as the boat travels) we made pretty good time. We had mostly no wind which was a good thing as the prevailing winds this time of year are from the north (the direction we were heading of course).

We saw amazing phosphorescence, spinner dolphins, some late season whales, caught a dorado and watched lots of birds catching rides on sea turtles.

At our about half-way point we came across a disturbing sight. If you remember last July we were lucky enough to save a sea turtle trapped in some derelict fishing gear. We were in just about the same place yesterday when we once again noticed a strange tangle of debris. When we slowed to take a look there was a trapped manta ray. Unfortunately we were too late, but I find it odd to keep seeing things like this...

Manta Ray caught in derelict fishing gear

Mahi-Mahi for dinner!

How to Stay Safe

2013-03-23T17:45:00.000-07:00

It seems to me that many people over-think this whole cruising thing before they set out and buy things they would never use in their land-lives. For example, if you didn't own a gun before, why is it necessary to own a gun when you move onto your boat?

Much like I would not make my home in the slums of (insert some city here) I would not take my floating home to the slums of (insert some country here).

Our boat is our home and we plan on living in places we like, and feel safe and comfortable in. We never owned a weapon to protect us in our houses, so why do we need one now? We chose to live in safe neighborhoods onshore and now we choose to live in safe anchorages or marinas.

Though I have to admit that we do own a gun - a flare gun. And if you've seen the movie Captain Ron you will know how much damage one of those can inflict. But if scary men with weapons want to rob my home I say let them! We're insured and I think fighting back would just tick them off and make us all the more unsafe.

Oh, and if that's not enough: Guns are illegal in Mexico so we didn't really have a choice anyway.

Why do we Cruise?

2013-03-11T08:00:00.000-07:00

There is a stereotype that says that most cruising couples are out cruising because the male instigated the lifestyle. On our boat this is not the case. I am the instigator of our current cruising life but in actuality it was the male in my family that started this whole thing.

Back in the late 80s my dad got the cruising bug and over the course of a year my parents and I sailed from Germany to California as we immigrated to the US (more on that here). This ruined me for a "normal" life... no longer would I be able to happily hold down a 9-5 cubicle job with healthcare and a retirement plan. A life of quiet desperation would not do for me. So when I met Mike I started telling him about sailing and cruising. After some adventures aboard our pocket-cruisers we started saving to make full-time cruising a reality.

I imagine preparing for cruising was easier for me than for someone who has never been. I had a pretty good idea of what to expect and what the lifestyle entailed. What I didn't expect is how much the cruising community had grown. There are cruisers everywhere! With the advent of GPS, global communications, solar, watermakers and the like, this lifestyle has opened up to any adventurous soul with some money in their pocket.

Long gone are the days of listening in on people calling home over the VHF* (via the marine operator), asking big ships to confirm positions and weeks spent without any news from home. With up-to-the-minute updates via blogs and Facebook some of the allure of cruising has gone missing.

Of course we revel in all of this luxury ourselves. We have 3 huge solar panels to keep the gadgets going, a watermaker to take daily showers at anchor, 6 or 7 GPS units, a sat phone and countless toys. But our boat is also ready to run without all of these things - comfortably - just like we did it in the 80s.

Heading out to cross the Atlantic aboard Joy in the late 80s.

Camille at anchor

* After crossing the Atlantic we tried calling my grandma in Germany via the Marine Operator. The operator asked my dad with whom he would like to be connected. Rather than giving the phone number my dad simply said: "My mother-in-law".

This post was written as part of a blog-hop. Visit the Monkey's Fist website for posts about this topic written by other cruisers or check out these topics:

Relationships Aboard
Pink and Blue Jobs Aboard
Leave it or Bring it: Stuff
Provisioning
Fear
Swag and Approaching the Natives
Clothes and Laundry

How to Make the Perfect Margarita

2013-02-22T09:14:00.000-08:00

Happy National Margarita Day! We sure are glad to be in Mexico for this special day.

Here is the recipe for our favorite Grapefruity Margaritas from our very own GalleySwap!

1 fresh squeezed grapefruit
2-3 fresh squeezed oranges

1-2 fresh squeezed limes

2/3 cup Grand Marnier

1 cup Good Tequila

I try to do about a 1:1 ratio of juice to liquor, so add more liquor if you have particularly juicy fruits.

Shake and pour over ice. Serve in a salt rimmed "glass". Garnish with a wedge of grapefruit or lime.

Relationships on Board

2013-02-11T08:00:00.000-08:00

Without 9-5 jobs, cars and a big house Mike and I spend a lot of time together. People who don't live on boats are often amazed at how we are able to cope. They think their mate would drive them nuts.

While we do sometimes drive each other nuts I don't think much more so than when we lived "normal" lives. In the past we worked for the same company and drove to work together, had lunch together if we didn't eat at our desks and lived far away from close friends and family. We've always spent a considerable amount of time together.

To get some space on the boat we usually end up in different parts of the boat - Mike likes to do his boat-chores in the cockpit and does most outside maintenance. I'm more of an inside person. When we lived in a house Mike liked to work out in the garage and I was in the house or yard.

When fights do erupt - and they do! - luckily neither one of us is one to hold a grudge very long. And after a bit of cooling off time we usually can't keep a straight face when when our eyes meet. Most fights really are silly when you think about it. And thankfully both of us had great role-models. Both of our parents have been married over 40 years!

It's also important to get off the boat. Experiencing the world around us just shows us even more how petty most of our issues really are. And at the end of the day we live on a boat in paradise!

This post was written as part of a blog-hop. Visit the Monkey's Fist website for posts about this topic written by other cruisers or check out these topics:

Why do we Cruise
Pink and Blue Jobs Aboard
Leave it or Bring it: Stuff
Provisioning
Fear
Swag and Approaching the Natives
Clothes and Laundry

Anatomy of an Overnight Passage

2013-02-04T09:49:00.002-08:00

This is a play-by-play account of our short overnight passage from Tenacatita to Banderas Bay. It seems like blogs are always about destinations so I thought I would share real-time how we spend 30 hours at sea. This passage was a bit tricky as it involved the rounding of a cape - Cabo Corrientes at the south end of Banderas Bay. All weather forecasts suggested benign conditions and favorable winds. Here is what really happened.

All icons are clickable for more info. You can also view this map in a new window.

SATURDAY
0400 We're at anchor in Tenacatita and I can't sleep. I grab a headlamp and start reading my book. Mike wakes up 10 minutes later and is wide awake as well. We had planned on weighing anchor around sunrise (0730) but since we we're both up we decide to get going now. We run lifelines, get out our harnesses and tethers, and make sure everything is secured and ready to go.

While underway we are always tethered to the boat. We use harnesses because they are more comfortable than life jackets and we feel it is safer to be attached to the boat if someone goes over than to float away in a life jacket - especially when only one of us is on deck. When the weather gets nasty we wear life jackets with an integrated harness.

0530 The anchor has been weighed and we're making our way out of the anchorage. Luckily there is a bright quarter moon because some boats didn't turn on their anchor lights and others simply use little solar powered garden lights or a string of christmas lights. The boats who do have proper anchor lights are easy to spot because their lights cast a long beam of light across the water. If you have ever considered using anything other than a regulation anchor light please try leaving a crowded anchorage in the dark first.

0630 I go back to bed to a windless morning and the droning of the engine.

1030 I wake up with a slight case of mal de mer after our week at anchor. I put on my harness and relieve Mike who is ready to get some more sleep. I have a light breakfast of a hardboiled egg, avocado and water. We're heading north, nearly straight into waves which are on top of a long swell. They are steep and short and Camille is pitching and heaving uncomfortably. I feel better now that I've gotten some fresh air and can see the waves coming. It's a clear blue sky and just over 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Wish I could go for a swim...

1045 I settle into my favorite chair on the landing above the companion way. Out of the sun and wind and with a 360 degree view it's a great place to sit out a watch. The autopilot is steering the boat and all I have to do is confirm we are still on course using the same iPad I'm using to take these notes as well as keep our boat log. Every few minutes I confirm we won't be colliding with anything and every couple of hours check the bilge and engine.

The watch seat

1130 I spot what appears to be a panga (small open fishing boats the locals use). As we get closer I start to notice a long string of evenly spaced soda-bottle-floats right in our path. I slow down to figure out where I could pass when the panga speeds over. The fishermen pick up one of the soda bottles to retrieve their lure and then motion for me to pass through the opening they have created in their mile long "fence". I thank them and continue on my way.

1320 In a steep wave right in front of the boat I suddenly see something floating just below the surface. It's a small group of manta rays gliding along peacefully until they notice the boat coming at them and dive off in a panic at the last second.

1340 Mike gets up and starts cooking lunch. Half way through cooking we run out of propane and have to switch to our other tank.

1500 Lunch/early dinner time. While we eat our cabbage and potatoes (we're a bit low on fresh food) a large pod of dolphins surrounds our boat. They are hunting for their dinner and we hope that whatever they are chasing will hit our lure to make our next meal a bit more exciting. We're making 2 knots over our usual cruising speed due to some unusual current - everything we've read says we should have a counter current here - though we're not complaining.

1330 40 miles to go to the cape and the seas seem to be settling. A nice onshore breeze has picked up. We get ready to hoist the main.

1345 Sailing!

1500 Whale off the starboard bow!

Whale

1515 We've slowed to 2 knots and decided to take in all sail. A little sad the sailing is over but we hope this means an easy rounding of the cape.

1530 As we clear the last of the lines the wind suddenly picks up to 15-20. On the nose!

1540 Motoring into wind and seas. Hoping the wind models are correct and that this wind will die out by sundown. When rounding a cape winds and seas can double in strength near the cape - called a cape effect.

1600 Fish on! Another skipjack... Mike had already caught one in the morning and made ceviche so we let this poor fellow go.

1800 Mike goes to bed. Usually he goes to bed after sundown to rest up for his watch but we both want to be awake for the rounding of the cape. My normal watch starts after sundown and lasts for six hours. Mike stands the next six hours until sunup. After that there is no real schedule but we each take a nap sometime during the day.

1835 Short steep waves are building and we're starting to get a little bit of spray over the bow. I'm debating zipping up the dodger but I like the breeze - it's still pretty warm. A balmy 82 degrees.

1900 Sunset. I turn on nav lights, zip up the dodger and put on a light sweatshirt. Still 80 degrees out but the wind is a bit chilly. The wind, waves and current have slowed us to 3 knots.

Sunset from the watch seat

1945 25 miles to the cape. We are occasionally falling off a crest and slamming into the trough - a sound I despise. I'm still hoping the wind models were correct and that this will abate to a light (southerly) breeze shortly. Also hoping that the earlier push from the current was due to a rising tide as we are now at slack tide and about to go back up.

2000 It's pitch black out now and the moon isn't scheduled to appear until midnight. The wind is still picking up and we're taking water over the bow when we fall off a crest.

2030 The weather is getting worse. After a particularly hard slam I slow the boat to 2 knots. Mike is up on deck as well now.

2145 Surrounded by cresting waves - the big ones sound like a freight train going under the boat. Whenever a particularly big one rolls under us we try to slow the boat to keep from slamming. We've discussed turning back but have decided to give it a couple more hours to see if the wind lets up.* We're now hand steering because the autopilot can't correct at these slow speeds and high winds.

2245 18 miles to the cape. The wind seems to be laying down a bit - there are a lot less cresting waves and we're able to go a little faster. Making nearly 3 knots - unless we slam into a wave which stops us dead in our track. Mike went back to bed and the autopilot is back at work.

SUNDAY
1230 Mikes starts his watch and I get to go to bed.

0500 While I haven't been sleeping well per se, I am now very awake because the motion of the boat has changed. I get up to investigate. We are at the cape (standing 5 miles off) and rounding into Banderas Bay! Instead of pitching we are now rolling. I go back to bed for a little more rest.

0630 In the protection of the bay the seas have settled. I was just starting to get some good sleep when Mike wakes me up to take over.

0730 It's light out and I'm just waiting for the sun to rise over the Sierra Madre mountains so I can take off this jacket and open up the dodger (note that I've been barefoot and wearing shorts all night - it never really got below 76)

0750 Sunrise. A welcome sight after a long night.

Sunrise

0800 Everywhere I look there are fish jumping. I toss over the hand-line in hopes of catching something for lunch.

0830 15 miles to go across the bay to Punta de Mita where we will anchor for tonight. Tomorrow we will do the last 15 miles back to Paradise Village Marina (Mike's parents are flying in Tuesday).

0930 Dolphins are doing acrobatics just off the bow. They are rather small so I'm guessing they are spinner dolphins.

1030 Bottle nose dolphins are following us off the quarter. I have read that Banderas Bay is a nursery for dolphins - there were a lot of babies in this pod.

Dolphins in Banderas Bay

1130 Whales, whales, whales. Everywhere we look are spouts and pangas full of tourists following the whales. We even see a few of them breach. These last few hours made us forget all about our not so fun night and reading back over my notes I think "Was it really as bad as it sounds?"

1230 Anchor down in Punta de Mita. Mike is the first one in the water.

1400 Tacos on the beach

1730 Pina Coladas in our cockpit

* At no point were we in any danger. It was just a very uncomfortable ride and the wear and tear on the boat more than we like.

Bahia Tenacatita

2013-01-26T15:05:00.002-08:00

Use your mouse to zoom around and click to get more info or view Anchorages in a larger map

After reading and hearing about a 2.5 mile water-trail through the mangroves in Bahia Tenacatita we could not wait to go. Especially since there were supposed to be excellent snorkeling and great tacos at the end. We first tried tackling the trail near low water but soon found that we would need a machete or saw to make it through. So we waited a couple of days until high tide was at a more decent hour of the day and tried again.

The first part of the trail is wide open, teeming with fish and birds. About 1.5 miles along it starts to narrow and we had to navigate sharp branches attacking from above and below. Since our dinghy only has two air-chambers we were very mindful not to puncture it. We had already encountered one - albeit small - crocodile.

We moved a couple of large branches and got a few new scratches but finally made it to the lagoon at the end of the trail where we were expecting to see a small dock and palapa bustling with tourists, as well as a trail leading to the beach. What we found is some abandoned buildings, a dock that was falling apart and a fence blocking acces to the beach.

When we returned to the boat we did some research and it turns out that a big resort has bought the town and it is closed until further notice.

Whale Tails... or is it Tales?

2013-01-17T09:54:00.000-08:00

After nearly six month of waiting out hurricane season, we are finally on the move again. We had planned on leaving just after the new year, but weather and a cold delayed us until now.

Yesterday we made the short 15 mile hop over to Punta de Mita to get back into the groove of being away from the dock. Banderas Bay is teeming with whales right now and while we observed most of them from a distance I got a few lucky shot with my zoom lens.

After fairly strong winds in the Sea of Cortez over the past few days the anchorage is still pretty rolly. We'll be here a couple of days until the winds are favorable to head further south.

Pink and Blue Jobs Aboard

2013-01-11T12:00:00.000-08:00

Pink's Point of View
Our division of chores hasn't changed much since moving aboard. Mike used to drive us to work (we worked for the same company) and now he mostly drives the boat - he is a much better boat-handler anyway. I've always been the organizer and cleaner. Mike's used to fiddle with things in the garage, now he fiddles out in the cockpit. We both cook and we both stand watches underway. I like to make the boat cozy and comfortable just as I always did our homes on shore.

Mostly we just divide chores by what we each feel like doing and what we're good at. The problem on a boat comes when he's better at fixing things than I am, so he ends up with a lot more work sometimes. Like maintaining the engine, outboard and generator and fixing things like waterpumps and watermakers and going up the mast. I try to pay attention and learn but I think guys just have more years on us in learning about engine stuff. Maybe it's an innate guy thing, who knows?

So I do the laundry, keep everything clean, handle our finances, research parts for repairs and organize some more. All of our food stores and spare parts are tracked in an iPad app and there is nothing we can't find (except for that one part we actually need). And I take pictures to make sure our lives are documented. Lots and lots of pictures which also need to be organized and then shared with friends and family.

Blue's Point of View
I do blue jobs... I do pink jobs... I do green jobs, brown jobs and even black jobs. I have a hard time categorizing by color. This is probably why I am so disorganized in the "home".

For example, a few days ago we heard the oh so dreaded sound of a dying macerator. I disassembled the macerator and cleaned up the chopper blades. What color would one ascribe to this job? Isn't cleaning a pink job? But I was "fixing" a pump, which sounds "blue" to me. The pump is for "black" water though, so I would categorize this as a black job.

I would like to get on my high horse and say that I am an awesome team player and that on a boat, if you see a job that needs doing, you should get on it. I feel as though I am selfish when it comes to cooking which most would categorize as a "pink" job. I mostly do it because I am very hungry. But how about grilling meat? Burning meat over a fire has to be a "blue" job! When cooking is done outside of the kitchen how does it become a "blue" job?

I do the vast majority of the "blue" jobs on the boat. I fix this and fix that, lube this and lube that. However a lot of times the pink worker comes over and tells me there is a better way to do a blue job. She does have a very good eye for detail and when she applies her good eye to a task there really is no better. I have to catch myself sometimes, set my ego aside, and listen to the pink worker. Though sometimes she is wrong... ;-)

Snowy Egret on the beach

Walking to the beach

View from our boat of the Sierra Madre Mountains after heavy rains on New Years Day

This post was written as part of a blog-hop. Visit the Monkey's Fist website for posts about this topic written by other cruisers or check out these topics:

Why do we Cruise
Relationships Aboard
Leave it or Bring it: Stuff
Provisioning
Fear
Swag and Approaching the Natives
Clothes and Laundry

Well that just flew by - a year in review

2013-01-02T15:18:00.001-08:00

After buying and moving aboard Camille Thanksgiving 2011 we set sail for Ensenada, Mexico just a short week later. With Ensenada being just a couple of hours from the border we were able to head back to California to easily buy gear we wanted to add to Camille.

January we celebrated Mike's birthday, continued installing gear like solar panels and watermaker, got a new dinghy, explored Ensenada and made countless trips back to San Diego.

After some final trips to San Diego to buy food and to sell the van we were finally ready to leave at the end of February. At the last minute we bought a used SUP which fit perfectly under the new solar panels. On our way south along the Baja Peninsula we arrived at our first anchorage in Turtle Bay.

March and Turtle Bay brought our first storm at anchor - and a sand storm to boot! When we finally made it out of Turtle Bay we sailed for Cabo. Our first warm water destination.

In April we sailed across to Puerto Vallarta on the mainland to meet up with my parents on their boat. A couple of weeks later we headed over to Mazatlan and then back across to Baja to start exploring the Sea of Cortez.

May brought our first visitors. Together with Mike's parents we explored the national park islands near La Paz.

In June we continued exploring the Sea, but with the start of hurricane season our time was running out. We visited some great anchorages as far north as Loreto and found a new use for the SUP.

In July we made our way back to Puerto Vallarta where we would be spending hurricane season. We beat against the wind to La Paz and then back across the Sea to Mazatlan. On our way to Puerto Vallarta we came across a sea turtle entangled in derelict fishing gear and were able to set it free!

In August we explored around Puerto Vallarta and spent a lot of time at the resort's pool. We rented a car and took a roadtrip into the mountains to get away from the heat.

In September we had special guests fly in for the TV series Travel Secrets Mexico and then my mom and I flew to Germany to visit family.

We spent all of October in California. The main reason was to upgrade and renew our captains licenses but also to get away from the heat. Now we are both 100 ton nearshore masters! We lived out of a rented mini van and visited every national park from the Mexican border to Yosemite.

November was spent waiting for the heat to subside - which it eventually did - in December. We finally got a sunshade between the bimini and dodger and spent lots of time on the beach.

In December Mike won third place in a SUP race and we spent Christmas with my folks who are still here as well.

With hurricane season finally over we had planned on heading south after Christmas. Right now I'm sitting here with a bad cough and it's pouring rain. We haven't seen any rain since the end of the rainy season in September and I haven't been sick since 2011. So I guess we're not meant to go quite yet. Oh well, maybe mañana....

A few of our favorite things... under $20

2012-12-19T09:43:00.000-08:00

Need some last minute gifts for the holidays - all while giving us a little present? If you buy anything from Amazon after clicking on one of these links we get a small kick-back and you get the same low Amazon price as always. Win-win for all, don't ya' think? Happy Holidays from the crew of Camille!

Laundry Dryer - $7 - Great for small personal items you might not want to hang on the rail. Folds flat.

Removable Hooks - $7 - If I need a hook I add it, if it's in the wrong place I move it. Simple, strong and no holes in the boat.

Memoryfoam Bathmats - $15 - Very cushy on the feet and non-skid on the bottom.

Handmixer - $20 - I don't really use 12V galley gadgets. They are too expensive and how long do you really need to mix the cake batter? Though I am considering a 12 volt slow cooker.

Small plastic tubs - $8 - We use these for everything! To hold tools while doing projects, small batches of laundry, cleaning fish, shoe rack, rinsing snorkel gear, temporary aquarium, etc....

Grip Clip Clothes Pins - $9 - They are a bit pricey but after loosing a few clothes overboard due to cheap clothes pins I feel they are well worth it! Super-grippy! One pin easily holds a towel in a blow.

Lady Shaver - $10 - It's not a very close shave but doesn't use any water. Great for when you can't get to a real shower.

Liquid Bandaid - $7 - It's waterproof so you can continue swimming even in areas with staph. Also lets the skin breathe. Do not buy the spray-on kind - it's expensive and empty in no time.

Silicone Baking Pans - $10 - I have a loaf pan and an 8x8 pan. Easy to store because they are flexible, don't make any noise underway and quite non-stick. Easy to clean-up too!

S.P.A.C.E.

2012-12-13T12:00:00.000-08:00

I am a bit obsessed with organizing. I drive Mike nuts because I'm always "organizing his stuff away". I try to go through one area of the boat at least once a week, reorganizing and tossing things we no longer need. On a boat there is not much space for any unimportant items.

Our "garage" is the guest bed, there are boxes of tools in our bedroom, and food and spare parts under our bed. As I'm writing this I'm sitting next to a pillow filled with spare blankets. We're surrounded by our stuff! Living in a house it was easy to put stuff out in the garage or into a closet. No need to look at it day in and day out.

The garage

When we lived on land we had a vacuum to keep the carpet clean and a big mop-like sweeper to keep hardwood floors clean. But what to do on a small boat with not much floor space and varying availability of electricity? You buy smaller versions of the same items - either rechargeable or 12 volt - the best is to have both!

Our boat came with a rather large upright rechargeable vacuum. Our first thought was to get rid of the thing. Mike already had it sitting on the dock to sell or give away. I brought it back aboard to vacuum the rugs and it hasn't left since. I use it everyday to sweep up and am grateful I kept it. So much easier than crawling around on the floor. The best part is that a little handhelp pops out to reach small spaces!

There are larger items than the vacuum on board, but this is the biggest item that we really could do without.

Do you need some help getting organized? I use the SPACE formula when I organize. To learn more about organizing check out books by the organizing expert who came up with this.

S - Sort - make piles of like items
P - Purge - get rid of what you don't need
A - Assign - assign every item a "home"
C - Containerize - use drawers or bins to keep like with like
E - Equalize - take 5-10 minutes every day to maintain

This post was written as part of a blog-hop. Visit the Monkey's Fist website for posts about this topic written by other cruisers or check out these topics:

Why do we Cruise
Relationships Aboard
Pink and Blue Jobs Aboard
Provisioning
Fear
Swag and Approaching the Natives
Clothes and Laundry

VIDEO | It's not all palmtrees and sunshine

2012-12-12T14:21:00.001-08:00

Kids receiving school supplies

We now have a SHOP on our website. I know, I know, not another blog with a store... Please watch the video below to understand what drove us to create this store. The video was created by my dad for the "Vacation with a Purpose" section of Travel Secrets Mexico.

Seven years ago a small group of Americans and Canadians went to Puerto Vallarta's city garbage dump and discovered that people were living and working inside of the dump in conditions that are unimaginable to most of us. These people were outcasts of society and their children were destined for the same.

What we have noticed about poverty in Mexico is that, unless crippled, hardly anyone simply begs for money. They will always have a product or service to offer. Chiclets?

In thanks entirely to donations and volunteers the families living at the dump now have fresh water, food, access to health care and a place to live just outside of the dump. The workers call themselves "recyclers" because their source of income comes from finding recyclables amid the garbage. This is how much of Mexico recycles!!

Since primary education is not free in Mexico they had to take their children to work and leave them to play in the rotting garbage. Thanks to this charity the kids can now got to school or attend daycare ran by volunteers while their parents work.

Mike and I have spoken to "head volunteer Winnie (the lady talking to Mike in the video), about the charity at length. With only 2% of donations going to operating costs this is a charity we can really get behind.

We will donate ALL proceeds from our SHOP to "Families at the Dump" - an organization made up entirely of volunteers near Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

If you just want to make a donation to the charity you can use the donate button on our website. We will give all donations posted before the new year to Families of the Dump.

A word of warning, there are some scenes in this video that might break your heart, but know that it used to be much worse...

Mike cooking up hot dogs paid for by donatins

School supplies paid for by donations

SUPer

2012-12-10T07:30:00.000-08:00

After our walk on the beach this morning we passed by the Vallarta Yacht Club and noticed a bit of commotion. We went in to investigate and next thing I knew Mike was signed up for the Crocodile Classic SUP Races.

It's named the Crocodile Classic after the crocs that live in the estuary where the races are held - also our current home: Paradise Village Marina. I was surprised by how many people jumped into the water knowing what's lurking in the mangroves. Luckily everyone survived and we had a great day. Best of all, Mike placed third in the sprints - right after two guys from Mexico's national SUP team!

Video | Dual Use Foot Pump

2012-12-03T11:48:00.001-08:00

When we first moved aboard Camille, we added a freshwater foot-pump to our galley sink so we would have a backup if our pressure waterpump failed. The foot-pump also helps us conserve water and electricity while at anchor. But we haven't used it much. A cardinal rule of living aboard is that everything needs to serve at least two functions, so our foot-pump needed to become more useful.

What we needed was good drinking water, and while our watermaker makes excellent, very drinkable water, we are a bit leery of our water tank. In the marina we use water from the dock to refill our tank and buy gallon jugs of drinking water. At anchor we refill the gallon jugs straight from the watermaker. The jugs take up a lot of space on the boat and are creating way too much waste!

We decided to use the faucet attached to the foot-pump for drinking water by adding a carbon filter. Carbon filters are quite large and I wasn't really happy about losing space under the sink. (I'm sure by now you have seen the area under our sink....) After buying a new filter we noticed it looked a lot like a filter we already had on board: The filter we use to back-flush our watermaker. Boat-brain! Good thing we were able to return it.

We also wanted a way to be able to pump saltwater into the galley sink in case we really needed to save freshwater - washing the dishes takes up a big chunk of our freshwater supply. So Mike connected the foot-pump line to the raw intake for the watermaker with a tee connector. Check out the video to see just how he did this.

Ring around the tub

2012-11-29T08:58:00.001-08:00

Our current marina is located inside of an estuary. Filled with mangroves and even some crocodiles, the water has a visibility of about zero. It's muddy and coconuts and other debris float by with the tide. Sometimes the coconuts knock against the hull and more than once have we thought somebody was coming to visit.

Camille gets pretty bad "ring around the tub" - what we call it when the white part above the waterline gets brown - and grows a lawn of marine freeloaders on her underbelly. All of this is not good for her gelcoat and fiberglass. If left too long it can leave permanent damage.

When at anchor in clean water, we usually scrub our own bottom (the part of Camille that is underwater) to remove marine growth. But in this water we let the professionals come out and scrub her up. At a dollar a foot it's really not a bad deal. Guillermo comes out with his team of helpers and the three of them get to scrubbing, scraping and poking for about an hour.

The divers also inspect the sacrificial anodes (commonly known as zincs because that is the material they are made of) and replace them as needed. Good zincs are very important because they work by dissolving (or sacrificing) themselves, before the piece of metal that they are attached to does due to galvanic corrosion. We have zincs attached to the propeller shaft and the strut which holds the propeller shaft.

We don't have much of a schedule for getting the bottom cleaned - just whenever the ring around the tub gets too ugly. How often do you clean your bottom? Do you have a set schedule or just wait until it needs to get cleaned?

Divers leave their dive tanks on the dock and use long hoses to breathe so they have better mobility.

Removing the ring around the tub

The big stink and boat-brain

2012-11-26T06:00:00.000-08:00

View from our mast top

For a couple of weeks now there has been a peculiar smell every time I open the cabinet under the galley sink. At first I didn't think much of it and tried to remedy it by getting rid of an old sponge and looking for a leak for possible mildew. Everything was dry and clean. Odd.

Yesterday I decided to investigate further. Below the cabinet (in te bilge) is our main canned goods storage and I thought maybe a can of food had leaked. So I started removing all canned goods and washing them. Before breakfast. I figured it would be a quick task in the cooler part of the day and we could have breakfast after I was done. Au contraire.

After removing all cans and deeming them in good condition the smell seemed to be getting worse. I started digging deeper and removed more items from the cabinet (wait, didn't I just do this last week?). Soon the entire galley was filled with stuff. Mike brought in the dock hose so "while we were at it" we could rinse the entire bilge.

After much rinsing, scrubbing, spilling water and sniffing around we figured out that the big stink was coming from the sink drain hose. Apparently after 12 years it needs to be replaced. Who knew? So instead of putting everything back we went into town to try to find replacement hose. Of course they are not available at the local chandlery but luckily my folks are currently in California and will bring us some new hose when they get home. We finally did have some lunch in town.

Lesson learned: Never think a boat project will be quick!

Do you ever get BOAT BRAIN? While I was soaking up the rest of the water from the bilge into a bowl I got a case of boat-brain. I dumped the entire contents of the bowl back into the galley sink - the galley sink we had just removed the hose from.

Mid-investigation

The inside of 12 year old galley drain hose. I promise I won't post our head hoses when the time comes....

I didn't want to leave you with that last image so here are some pretty palm trees