More words from Paula

As with all blogs the latest entries are on the top. So to catch up you have to go down the blog and work your way up. These are more of Paula's email to her husband and I think this group is in order. I am not certain that they were sent in order but either way I am sure I will get all of her emails mixed up but the info is there, enjoy.
Sunday morning in Abreojos and I'm sleeping in. Don't know what time it is, Don't care. Can't even remember what day it is. Wow, I must be a cruiser. This morning we're going in for a few provisions. We have to do a beach landing with the dingy. It's going to be interesting because there are small waves to deal with. Glenn took us over in groups to test out the landing and we successfully made it with only our calves getting wet.
We walked a couple of blocks into town to a little market told to us by Paco the panga driver. It is definitely small and had most of the stuff we need. As we walked back, we were passed by "a truck." No other vehicles could be seen in either direction. Very eerie! When we got to the beach we called Glenn on the radio for a pick up.
Glenn timed his arrival well in between waves. However, our exit was not so gracefully. We scrambled to get into the dingy, but the dingy turned sidewise and by the time we got it facing the right direction, we had missed our window of opportunity. Our combined weight loaded the dingy down so that instead of going over the next wave we sank down in front of it. Needless to say, no one was spared from the shower that cascaded over the front. It was a soggy ride back to the boat, fortunately the groceries were prepackaged and we had a casualty of only one egg.
We decided to leave that afternoon for Cabo. A weather system was moving in that we hoped would further our sailing to warmer temperatures. So far, we had been bringing the cold, overcast climates along with us.

Monday was another all day sail. The sea's were not so kind and both Monica and I were a bit queasy. I was a little disappointed that after sailing for over a week, I could still get seasick. But I guess under the right sea conditions and the awkward shifting of the boat it can still take you down!
Later that day Glenn put out three fishing lines as we were approaching shallower depths, but we had no takers. We left the lines out trailing behind the boat in hopes of a nibble. Later when we were distracted with other things, we crossed over a seamount(submerged mountain top) and suddenly all three lines at once took a hit. There was chaos on deck as Rebecca throttled back on the engine, Glenn grabbed on line and Monica the other. Unfortunately, Monica's line got fouled with the third line which stopped the reeling in process dead in its tracks. Eventually, all lines were brought in and to the disgust of our captain, the fish turned out to me mackerel. Lucky for them, they got a "Get out of the frying pan" FREE CARD, and took a one way trip back to the sea.
My night shift(6:00pm-9:00pm) turned out to be interesting. The moon was just a sliver and the clouds finally parted so that we could see a multitude of stars. We could see the Red glow of Mars clearly in the night sky. The sea was phosphorescent that night and we identified, what looked like torpedoes, as dolphins running along side our boat. Traffic picked up as we headed toward Cabo. WE had to avoid two cruise ships as they passed two miles to our port side.
24 54.4N 112 35.0W 1100 hours (our 3 fish log entry)
More email to come. Love Paula


Tuesday - Today the seas were "Lumpy" as per Captain Glenn. It must be a nautical term! Despite the chop, I seemed to be doing better than the day before. The winds were blowing between 20-25 knots. We hauled up the Jeniker and at one point we briefly hit 14.5 knots. We were able to sail (no motor) for 12 hours. This is the most we have sailed at any one time. Glenn's arms were sore the next day from working the Jeniker, but he was a happy camper.
Later in the afternoon we were treated to the sight of a pod of dolphins (25-30) racing towards us in the distance. They were leaping through the air, diving in and out of the waves. When they reach us, they dove under the boat and disappeared. Just when we thought the show was over, a short time later we saw more of them. This time they were more playful and were doing summersaults in the swells at the bow of our boat.
We arrived at Cabo that night and set anchor at around 9:00 pm. We had time for a quick nightcap and then promptly hit the sack.
0700 hours 23 31.5N 111 03.0W
I trying to catch up on the email, I had a few down days.
Love, Paula


Wednesday - Another leisurely morning sleeping in. The sun is shinning and the bay is a hub of activity. There are the parasailing boats, glass bottom boats, jet skies, and fishing boats. All of whom's wake send our boat rocking violently at times because there are no wake restrictions.
In the early morning when its calm we hear the call of the seals and see the occasional sting ray jumping high into the air. Could there be a correlation between the two - seal, ray . . . snack!
We head into town for a few provisions in the dingy. We ping-pong around the harbor trying to find the dingy tie-up so that we can go ashore. In our wandering we ran across two of Mr. Terrible's boats (normally docked in Newport Harbor.) So this is where he's hiding out! The harbor is very commercial, however, we were happy to take ad advantage of the internet cafe before heading to the market. Later as we headed back to the boat we managed to arrive high & dry despite the wake issues.
In the late afternoon two of the New Zealand "America's Cup" boats came out for a cruise and passed by our anchorage. Quit a sight to behold!
Sunset brings boaters into the bay for the best view, but it is by no means the end of the evening. We could hear the night clubs well into the evening.
2119 Hour 22 53.2N 109 53.9W
That's all for now, Paula


Thursday - got a weather update reporting 35 knots winds in the Sea of Cortez for the next few days. We experienced 25 knot winds and decided that was about the max we wanted to deal with. Rather than holding up in Cabo and endure the bay traffic, we headed 15 miles around the bend to San Jose del Cabo. Glenn has an old friend living there that he hasn't seen in years and he wanted to touch base with him while we were in the area.
Our cruise started off well. We saw more whales and of course tour boats chasing them down. It was like watching a cattle drive. There didn't seem to be any restrictions as to how close the tour boats where allowed to get. I can't help but think one flick of the tail and . . . well, I guess that wouldn't be fair to the tourists.
Our trip was about three hours and what a spanking we got. We had white cap waves and frequent swells that left the bow of the boat drenched. We made it to Marina Puerto Los Cabo. It was newly opened and significantly sheltered from the mess outside. We checked in and took some time to sit and enjoy the sun.
Later a fellow cruiser stopped by to chat. Renee from Ahi Kali was in serious need of female bonding and we were happy to oblige. Glenn took that moment to vacate in search of something, anything at all.
We went into town for dinner and spent the evening wandering through an art festival Renee had told us about. It's great meeting new cruisers and getting the low down on where to go and what to see.
1155 hours 23 02.9N 109 40.3W
____________________
Friday was a productive day. The girls did some house cleaning, washed the boat down and did a little laundry. Glenn went parts hunting with his friend. It seems to be a common theme about boats. They're always in a state of repair!
The girls treated themselves to lunch in town and continued their exploration from the previous night. Later after dinner we looked through the extensive movie collection on board. The choice was unanimous and the classic "Captain Ron" was popped into the player. You know it was a hit when days later, "Ronisms" kept coming up in our daily activities.
Along those lines, one of the things our captain stresses is crucial to running a smooth ship is that there be ice for his Captain Morgan. And one of the most important jobs on board the boat is the ice maker. We have none! Therefore it is the responsibility of some lucky crew member to refill the ice trays as often a possible in hopes of outrunning the captain's consumption and thereby creating a reserve. I would therefore like to announce the promotion of swabby Rebecca to Ice Mechanic 1st Class, for a job well done in creating a stash above and beyond the captain's wildest expectations.


Monday is another day of firsts. This morning the captain found a stowaway on board. Flying fish are commonly found on deck, so it is advisable to patrol the deck each morning before the offender in question begins to emit unpleasant aromas. This mornings specimen was a squid, about six inches in length. Unfortunately, by the time it was discovered it was rather stiff and jerky like. The crew's decision was unanimous, the stowaway was sentenced to walk the plank, or in this case, a quick shuffle of the foot and it was helped over the side.
Today Glenn is determined to catch something edible before we reach land. The lines were spooled out and the waiting game began.
Meanwhile, Rebecca is taking her turn on watch. We soon heard her cry out "Sea Turtle," and the rest of us rush out on deck. We are just in time to see the smooth rounded shell of a turtle bobbing up and down in the waves as we cruise by. Must have been solar powered!
Again, when we least expect it, the fishing line took a hit. All activities stop and "who's on first," routine begins. Rebecca throttles back on the engine, Monica goes to reel in the second line (Don't need to complicate matters with two fish at once.} Glenn yells "It's a big one," and Paula reaches for the gaff instead of the net. As the fish is dragged closer, he can see that it is a Dorado. Glenn is elated! He has been waiting all trip to land this fish. It was a great team effort and if a picture is worth a thousand words it would look something like this. . . Glenn poised on the swim step, filet knife in hand. Monica is sitting on deck reading out of fishing guide how to filet a fish. Rebecca is standing watch to make sure no shark fins appear near the back of the boat, as Glenn is only inches from the water level where he is throwing undesirable fish parts over the side. Paula brings the boat back up to speed and has the dubious pleasure of being and encouraging on looker.
0700 Hours 20 30.4N 106 33.6W
______________________________
Tuesday morning we arrive at Tenacatita. It's a beautiful bay, relatively unspoiled and is the location where they filmed the remake of McHales's Navy. It is a favorite destination one can tell as there are 29 other boats anchored in the area.
We set anchor, have a little lunch and sit back and enjoy the sun. A short time later another boat pull into the bay. The cruise up to our boat and introduce themselves. "Our brother, Bill told us to look for you," they said. The boat name is ENCORE. We met Bill a the San Diego marina. His boat was docked just down from ours. He said his brother and sister would be cruising the same direction and told us to keep a eye out for them. It is surprising what a small world the cruising community is and how friendly they can be.
Later the girls decide to head for the beach. Rebecca and Paula on Kayaks and Monica swimming along side. Rebecca's initial getting into the Kayak was less than graceful and she promptly tipped it over. Her beach landing did not fair much better as she made like sea glass and tumbled her way in through the surf. It's about this time Monica remembers to tell us to shuffle our feet in the water to stir up the sand so that we scare off any sting rays sleeping on the bottom. We heard on the radio net that one of the other cruisers in our anchorage stepped on one the day before and was not a happy camper.
Once all were on shore, we headed down the beach to the Palapa(structure with a roof made of palm frond's.) The bar is closed on Tuesdays and today is Tuesday. Monica and I checked out the entrance to a river where we can take a self guided jungle tour through Mangrove trees. We plan to do this tomorrow but it looks like we will have to navigate the entrance at high tide to avoid rocks and sand bars. Meanwhile, Rebecca is at the other end of the beach schmoozing a local out of one of the coconuts he was harvesting. He even lopped the top off it and put a straw in it. Leave to Rebecca to find the only drink available on the beach.
That night we heard an update on the net regarding the sting ray victim. Apparently, he received another shock that night when he went to use the toilet and found a squid staring up at him. His toilet was also a salt water flush which didn't have a grate to filter out the biologic's. The person who was acting as net control, said on occasion one could expect to find baby crabs swimming around as well. "Cover your ass!" has a whole new meaning when traveling the high seas.
0905 Hours 19 17.9N 104 50.2W


i Byron,
We made it and are now in Bar Navidad. Glenn has a delivery to make and needs to be on the boat (which is here) on Wednesday getting it ready for departure. We're going into town tomorrow to find an internet cafe. Rebecca is determined to book the flight from here. She says she can't stay until Monday or Tuesday if it can be avoided. She has too many commitment she needs to get back for. So we will check it out and let you know what the flight schedule will be.
If you have any comments send an email to Rebecca's account before tomorrow. Might get it faster. Otherwise you can direct anything to Glenn's email.
Love, Paula