ADVENTURE AT SEA

Day 3 - Acanceh, Cenotes de Cuzama, and Mayapan

2012-01-28T16:16:00.000-08:00

We left Merida early this morning and headed south to Acanceh, a small Mayan ruin that is surrounded by and part of the modern town of Acanceh. Here Josh and I are standing atop the Pyramid, with the main church of Acanceh in the background. Our guide unlocked the fence surrounding the Pyramid (yes, something this large had a fence around it) and was kind enough to show us around.

From the top of the Pyramid, we could see into the neighbors' backyards. A second pyramid in the process of excavation is also seen here.

The top of the Pyramid in Acanceh has a roof built over the top because of an ongoing excavation of these large stucco masks. The previous palapa (thatch) roof was struck by lightening in a hurricane a couple of years ago and burned down.

After Acanceh, we drove to the small village of Chunkanan for a tour of the "Cenotes of Cuzama." To get to the cenotes, the local residents of Chunkanan have preserved and maintained a network of narrow-gage railway lines, which were once used to transport the annual henequen (a rope-like textile) harvest.

The local henequin plantations are no longer in use but the old rail lines and rail trolleys are used today to transport tourists to three cenotes. We traveled approximately five miles roundtrip on these rail trolleys today.

On our way back from the last cenote on the line, we encountered other rail trolleys inbound to the cenotes. The inbound rail trolleys had right-of-way and our conductor kindly asked us to exit the trolley so he could remove the trolley from the rail line. (The horse took this opportunity to find lunch). Once the inbound trolley had passed, our conductor pushed the rail trolley back on the rail line, reattached the horse, and we were off again!!

The cenotes themselves were breathtaking - all three were accessed by either a wooden stairway or ladder for an approximate decline in 50 feet from surface to cenote.

I took this photo of Josh halfway down the drop into the cenote.

Tree roots always seem to find their way through the ceiling of the cave and into the freshwater of the cenote.

Following our rail trip to the Cenotes of Cuzama, we lunched on a delicious lunch of cochinita pibil (marinated Mayan pork baked in banana leaves) and chile rellenos in Chunkanan. Next stop: Mayapan!! This small compact ruin (pictured above) was practically empty of other tourists and provided Josh and I with a great perspective of our surroundings.

Mayapan is one of the few Mayan ruins left where tourists can still explore every ruin on site. The above water-themed fresco was found on the top of the Templo del Pescador, or Temple of the Fisherman. There is a fish visible in the bottom-left corner of the photograph.

This stucco of the Mayan rain god Chaac (note the long nose symbolizing Chaac, a common theme in Mayan ruins) was found at the Observatory at Mayapan.

Between our stops in Acanceh, the Cenotes of Cuzama, and Mayapan, we could not have asked for a better way to spend a day. We shall see what tomorrow brings!

Maya Adventure, Destination Merida

2012-01-27T15:22:00.000-08:00

Day 2, Mayan ruins at Dzibilchaltun ("Place of Inscribed Flat Stones")
1500 BC to Spanish conquest 1500 AD

*Temple of the Seven Dolls (Templo de las Siete Munecas) (background)*
*Structure 12 with Monolith (foreground)*
This is our first taste of the ruins here on the Yucatan Pennisula. Spectacular! The site is a work in progress with ongoing restoration of many structures spread over 100's of acres. The precision of the placement for the Temple of the Seven Dolls is interesting. The three openings in the top of the structure precisely line up the the solstices and equinoxes at sunrise when viewed from the east.

*Temple of the Seven Dolls (Templo de las Siete Munecas)*
This temple is named for the seven dolls that were found in the first excavation in 1945, and are now displayed at the onsite museum.

*Structure #44*
The interior of this massive structure has been excavated. However due to clumsy tourists, it is no longer open to the public. Couldn't even bribe our way in... Behind this, stretching into the forest are numerous ancient foundations, which probably composed the living quarters of the local Mayan "elite".

*Structure #39*
This unique, flat-topped pyramid is still being restored but we were able to climb to the top from the east side.

All these Dzibilchtaltun ruins were most likely used for spiritual observances. All the buildings were built out of quarried limestone. Major building projects were undertaken when the Mayan calender began a new cycle (or every 52 years). There are 100's of structures in this group. Surrounding all these building, and stretching into the impenetrable forest, are vast mounds of rubble not yet excavated or studied.

*Cenote Xcalah ("old people" in Mayan)*
Cenotes were thought to be gateways to the Mayan underworld and are formed as water wears away and dissolves the surrounding limestone. Much of the Yucatan is at or near sea level, and covered with a very thin layer of topsoil over limestone. The water that is collected in these pools was essential to Mayan civilization since there are no other major lakes or rivers inland. The end that Emily dangles her feet is over 150ft. deep and has been explored nearly 1 mile horizontally for Mayan artifacts. Many of these cenotes are linked together and compose a vast underground freshwater spring system.

The cenote fish are not shy about "tasting" whatever is dangled in the water. It was funny to listen to our guide, whom otherwise spoke very good English, try to pronounce "exfoliate".

Even though it is the dry season here in the Yucatan peninsula, recent storms have caused blooms of beautiful tropical foliage all over the Dzibilchaltun ruins.

*Museo Regional de Anthropoligia "Palacio Canton"*
The palace of ex-governor General Francisco Canton Rosado in Merida has been transformed into an exceptional display for a vast collection of Mayan artifacts in this wonderful regional museum.

This statue of Chaac, the Mayan rain god, came from the nearby Chichen Itza ruins. Many of the more delicate Mayan artifacts from around the Yucatan peninsula are housed in this museum in an attempt to preserve them indefinitely.

Winter home in San Blas, Mexico

2011-12-28T11:58:00.000-08:00

So after spending last winter moving Estrella around quite a bit here in Mexico, Josh and I decided to spend this winter exploring our favorite places from last season, but at a MUCH slower pace. We left La Cruz in early November and ended up here in San Blas, a little town north of La Cruz and south of Mazatlan.

Needless to say, we have spend the past month or so in San Blas finding no shortage of ways to entertain ourselves. First off, we started brewing our own liquor again. But this time around, local pub owner Billy Bob allowed us the use of his galley and equipment in order to produce larger quantities of our liquor.

Josh has thus far run his homemade still three times at Billy Bob's pub. This particular set-up produced a liquor closest in taste to potato vodka.

The other two distillations produced liquor close to gin. The most recent batch Josh flavored with cinnamon sticks for proper holiday liquor.

Other daily activities include riding our bicycles to the beach. The local horses also provide a viable means of transportation in San Blas and oddly enough, produce the greatest number of traffic jams in town.

A few days ago we hitched a ride in our friends' (Charles and Lori's) VW bug and went driving on the beach. Rocky outcroppings interrupt the otherwise sandy beach and frequently we could see the remains of structures destroyed during past hurricanes. I should note the (mostly intact) house we are standing next to belongs to another friend here.

The columned building on the left is the San Blas cultural center, which was the original customs house when San Blas was one of the ports of the Camino Real. The Camino Real was the Spanish "royal road" between Veracruz, Mexico City, and San Blas. The Spanish empire used the road to transport cargo to San Blas and then onto the Baja California missions, western North America, and the Spanish colony in the Philippines via galleon. Consequently, extensive galleon building took place in San Blas.

The marina here in San Blas is one of our favorite in Mexico. Behind Estrella is a large estuary that continues inland for another fifteen miles. The bird viewing from the marina is fantastic!

Our Christmas tree for 2011. The giant Pacifico bottle was purchased at Carnaval in La Paz in 2008 and had proven to be the perfect vessel for flowers.

The marina also has a lovely pool which is rarely used, except when Josh and I decide to cool off and read there in the afternoon.

We have also traveled inland to Tepic, the capital of the state of Nayarit. A two hour bus ride from San Blas, Tepic sits in the sierras and is full of museums and churches of historical significance.

Over the past five years, Tepic underwent a city-wide beautification project. New parks have sprung up and I found myself on an elliptical machine near the main river, (which is dry at this time of year).

Regresamos a Mexico!

2011-10-21T12:26:00.000-07:00

Buenas dias! We are back in Mexico for another season of winter cruising on S/V Estrella.

S/V Estrella lived at Marina de La Cruz, (just outside of Puerto Vallarta on Bandaras Bay), for the summer while we were in Alaska working on M/V Ursa Major. The above photo is of our typical sunset here in La Cruz.

A couple of weeks ago, supposed-Hurricane Jova made an appearance in Bandaras Bay. We took this photo the day of the storm - note the completely calm seas behind us.

In preparation for supposed-Hurricane Jova, we took the head sails off S/V Estrella, tied down everything that could fly off, and added extra dock lines.

Most of the boats in the marina had the same idea as us for supposed-Hurricane Jova, but in the end, we received 20 minutes of 20 knot wind and some rain.

Time was not to be wasted just on hurricane-preparedness. Beer needed to be consumed regardless of the weather.

We did enjoy the company of these mystery songbirds on our docklines during supposed-Hurricane Jova. They didn't seem too worried about the weather either.

Cruisin' aboard Ursa Major

2011-07-04T14:59:00.000-07:00

Josh and I in Auke Bay, Alaska courtesy of Ruth and Bill Donovan. Ruth and Bill were aboard M/V Ursa Major for our trip from Seattle to Juneau in May. They are wonderful bloggers so check out the following link to their blog for many great stories and photos from our trip:

http://ruthandbilladventures.blogspot.com/2011/07/trip-to-alaska-via-inside-passage.html

Meanwhile, back in Alaska.....

2011-06-25T20:33:00.000-07:00

Sailing on the catamaran S/V Savannah

2011-02-11T14:37:00.002-08:00

Shortly before we left La Cruz for sunny Seattle, Josh and I were treated to our first catamaran ride on our friend's sailing vessel, S/V Savannah. Andy, Monica, and their son Jake will be leaving La Cruz in March for the islands of the south Pacific Ocean.

With Monica and Jake in the United States visiting family, we offered to participate in a day-long "sea trial" in Bandaras Bay.

Andy, Josh, myself, and the autopilot shared the steering duties for the day.

After a few hours of sailing, whale watching, and beer sampling, we determined with absolute certainty that S/V Savannah is ready for the islands of the south Pacific Ocean.

S/V Estrella in Marina de La Cruz

2011-02-11T14:36:00.000-08:00

In order to properly inspect and adjust the headsail roller furling system, I climbed in our bosun's chair and went up the mast one fine day in La Cruz. Josh was on deck support and together, we fixed the headsail roller furling system in no time.

This is my second time up the mast and as you can see from the photos, the view is spectacular from the top.

I enjoyed the experience and was amused by the birds flying by at my altitude of forty-five feet above the deck.

Puerto Vallarta

2011-02-11T13:41:00.000-08:00

On another adventure via the Puerto Vallarta public bus system, Josh and I headed downtown to the old part of Puerto Vallarta for lunch.

The trip took over an hour and needless to say, we were happy to get off the bus and head for the beach. Our first stop was the malecon, where we found a wonderful statue of Neptune (bottom), a pirate (middle), and a lady with a dove (top).

Since we happened to visit old part of town mid-week and almost off-season, the beaches were relatively quiet.

The remains of the winter sand sculpture season were still present. The sculptors continuously maintain their creations and accept donations for their efforts.

Our favorite sand sculpture was this highly detailed "grizzly" bear.

The malecon in old Puerto Vallarta also had bronze chair sculptures of either aliens or octupi, depending on your point of view.

Josh and I ended up at a delicious shrimp restaurant for lunch, which had a great view of Bandaras Bay.

After lunch, we stopped at the old cathedral two blocks from the ocean. This structure contained beautiful stain glass windows and was serenely quiet inside.

Upon exiting the old cathedral, this unknown priest stood perpetual vigil over his flock.

La Cruz

2011-02-11T13:25:00.000-08:00

Josh and I spent the month of January and part of February on S/V Estrella in and around the wonderful little town of La Cruz. Located on the northern shore of Bandaras Bay, (and near Puerto Vallarta), La Cruz turned out to be quite the cruiser's mecca and we found ourselves constantly reconnecting with old friends from La Paz and new friends from mainland Mexico.

Our first night in La Cruz found us at Ana Banana's bar and restaurant. Strangely enough, we found the telltale signature of La Paz friends, John and Liz from M/V Outta Here, on the kitchen wall of Ana Banana's.

As seen in the above photo, the kitchen wall of Ana Banana's has proven a popular graffiti spot for cruisers and land-based gringos passing through La Cruz.

Ana Banana's restaurant also has their own version of Margaritaville. This place regularly fills up almost every night as it is a popular spot for local bands to play.

La Cruz is also home to abundant, delicious, and cheap fruit and vegetables. Banana trees line one of the walkways to and from the marina in La Cruz.

Coconut trees were planted along the breakwater at the marina in La Cruz. Part of Puerto Vallarta is visible in the distance across Bandaras Bay.

The marina in La Cruz early in the morning. S/V Estrella is docked just out of range of the photo on the left.

Bucerias y Punta Mita

2011-02-11T12:56:00.000-08:00

Following our trip to the United States for the holiday season, I attempted to figure out the Puerto Vallarta public bus system. For those of you who have done so already, you understand that time, a good book, and spare pesos are the keys to this endeavor. Having already taken on the Mazatlan public bus system, I hoped for similar success in spending very little money and lots of time to go seemingly small distances.

I started out from La Cruz with a small juant over to nearby seaside town of Bucerias. With less then 20 stops in 15 minutes, I felt this to be a small victory at the cost of approximately $0.42. I happened to arrive on the day of the craft market and enjoyed a lazy stroll around the town.

The above wall displayed a nice cartoon version of Bucerias I found intriguing. The town square was full of interesting art and all sorts of folks out for a late morning walk.

Most people seemed to already be on the main beach in Bucerias. Eclectic waterfront restaurants were open and serving delicious seafood to the tourists passing through this otherwise quiet town.

After a relaxing morning in Bucerias, I hopped back on the bus and headed next to Punta Mita. The ride from Bucerias to Punta Mita (via La Cruz) took approximately thirty minutes and the bus seemed to stop less frequently. The road from La Cruz to Punta Mita was full of hairpin turns, precarious vehicle passing, and precious little room at the side of the road for waiting passengers.

Punta Mita is also home to a wonderful little beach and was full of tourists out for a walk on yet another beautiful day in Mexico.

Overall though, Punta Mita is more subdued and feels much less "Mexican" than Bucerias or La Cruz.

None-the-less, I spent the afternoon relaxing at a beachside palapa restaurant with a good book and a limonada.

On the way back to the Punta Mita bus stop from the beach, I spotted yet another delightful cartoon (paper) map of Mexico hanging on the wall of a local tour company. Gotta love Mexico!!!

Navidad in Estados Unidos

2011-02-11T12:53:00.001-08:00

Josh and I are still in Mexico but we'd like to post pictures of our means of transportation for the Christmas holiday season. We were in Connecticut and Ohio for two weeks and decided to rent an RV for our time there.

We enjoyed learning to drive the small beast of a vehicle and overall, found our first RV experience to be both fun and vaguely familiar.

Oddly enough, it turns out to be much like owning and operating a boat, (with shore power, generator, propane stove, etc) and sometimes rode like a boat in high winds.

Feliz Navidad y Feliz Ano Nuevo de La Cruz, Mexico!!

2010-12-23T12:00:00.003-08:00

Chacala

2010-12-23T12:00:00.001-08:00

The last anchorage we visited prior to the holidays was the beautiful anchorage of Chacala.

Chacala is a quiet little fishing village with cheap fresh fish, restaurants on the beach, and grand cliffside homes.

The clean, white sand beach of Chacala.

The modest swell here turned out to be a favorite for surfers, boogie boarders, and puppies alike.

The home and offices of the port captain of Chacala. The best dingy landing spot in Chacala was at the panga ramp to the right of the port captain's home.

A few of the large homes in Chacala.

The colors of the homes and businesses in Chacala were vibrant and matched the surrounding flowers in bloom.

Now for some requisite photos of S/V Estrella at Chacala. First, the dingy: our primary means of transport to shore.

Our new "Estrella" nameplate for the stern, which we commissioned in La Paz before we left in October.

S/V Estrella at anchor in Chacala.

More of S/V Estrella at anchor in Chacala.

The beach at Chacala is seen here behind S/V Estrella.

Hanging out the laundry following a swim around S/V Estrella at anchor.

We found the best corn tortillas (ever!) in Chacala and suspect they were laced with bacon fat.

San Blas

2010-12-23T11:59:00.005-08:00

Following our visit to Isla Isabel, we continued 40 miles south to the lovely town of San Blas. We stayed at Marina Singlar San Blas and truly enjoyed our time at San Blas. Most of the streets were cobblestone, (seen in the above photo), and the town itself operates at a very leisurely pace.

Just vertical of downtown San Blas on a bluff overlooking the town and the Pacific Ocean stands the remains of an old Spanish church (above) and a semi-restored fort.

We spent the good part of an afternoon meandering through the ruins and had the entire place to ourselves.

The semi-restored fort with the town of San Blas and the Pacific Ocean in the background.

The town again. In the middle distance, one of the many estuaries nearby is visible. (More on the estuaries below...)

There was a very large (nameless) statue of a man's torso at the semi-restored fort.

The actual size of the nameless statue is clearly visible here.

The cannon in the above photo was reinstalled following the near destruction of the fort by Hurricane Kenna in 2003. The fort reconstruction appeared to still be in progress during our visit.

We also took a jungle tour of the nearby La Tovara estuary with friends from the sailing vessel Savannah (Monica, Andy, and Jake). We hired a local guide with a fairly durable panga to take us for a three hour tour (a three hour tour...) of the estuary.

A standard issue great blue heron met us in the main river channel before we turned into the jungle for the majority of the tour.

An unidentified orchid that was at least three feet in diameter.

The remains of the set from the movie "La Cabeza de Vaca", filmed here in 1990.

More marine iguanas. They seem to be everywhere....

Just outside the entrance to the crocodile reserve and nursery, (at the back of the estuary), we saw clusters of turtles everywhere. I don't know the species name and didn't get a good look because they proved to be very skiddish when approached by the panga.

Once inside the gates of the crocodile reserve and nursery, we were treated to quite a lovely facility. The most prominent feature were the fenced-in pools set up as mating areas for the crocodiles. Per pool, one mating pair was allowed.

The mating ritual apparently involves some very slow chasing in the pool and some very enthusiastic tail slapping. And lots of sitting around with their jaws open, which is how they regulate their internal body temperature in the heat.

The products of the mating are placed in a separate cage from their parents and kept in captivity for two years before release into the estuary. In the bottom right corner of the above photo, a baby crocodile is seen. The tail accounts for almost half the total length of the baby crocodile.

Not only did this facility house crocodiles of various ages, wild boars were also kept here for rehabilitation and breeding.

As were jaguars - although this one seemed in fine health....

Isla Isabel

2010-12-23T11:59:00.003-08:00

Our first stop heading south on S/V Estrella from Mazatlan was an 80 mile journey to Isla Isabel. This beautiful island is considered the "Galapagos of Mexico" because of the extensive number of birds living on the island.

Sharing Isla Isabel with the birds is a commercial fishing camp. Seen behind Josh in the above photo, the fisherman's homes/storage sheds provide shelter for the island's permanent non-bird population.

Isla Isabel is an extinct volcano and the above "Lago Crater" (or "crater lake") is all than remains of the volcano. After the last eruption of the volcano, the crater collapsed and eventually freshwater seeped into the caldera to form the lake.

Hiking up and out of the caldera towards the far side of the island provided quite the vantage point. The anchorage for Isla Isabel is beyond the distance ridge in this photo.

There were hermit crabs living in and around the caldera.

Perhaps the most comical of the bird species on Isla Isabel, blue-footed boobies were found in every habitat on the island. And like all birds here, they were fearless when it came to human interactions (for better or for worse).

When I came upon this mating pair on the trail, they were practicing part of their mating ritual. This involves a synchronized dance in which each individual shows the other the bottoms of his/her feet.

Here the blue-footed boobies are perched on a cliff waiting to take their turn at fishing. Every few minutes, five to six individuals would take off fishing.

Nesting close to the blue-footed boobies, brown boobies were also found in abundance. This particular individual appeared to be guarding a series of females with chicks and followed me around until I left the area.

A nesting area for brown boobies. The white fluffy chick was nearly full grown in size but had not changed into adult colors.

Another brown booby who was on security detail as I walked by on the trail.

This magnificent frigate bird is a male with his red throat pouch inflated. They achieve this color in October and November to attract female magnificent frigate birds.

The noise emitted by these male magnificent frigate birds when the red throat balloon is inflated sounds much like a drumming rattle.

One observation I made quickly after entering the unpopulated portion of Isla Isabel (95% of the island) was the overwhelming noises made by the birds and other creatures on the island. Every step I took while hiking upset a marine iguana or three. The constant noise of the birds was pervasive on the ground and above in the trees.

A partially utilized research station was the home of a cluster of marine iguanas, some of the largest in length and girth I've ever seen.

S/V Estrella (center of photo) an anchor at Isla Isabel. The anchorage had the clearest water I've seen yet on the mainland side of Mexico. There is very little pollution of any kind here and the permanent commercial fishing operation here easily supports itself with the abundant fish around Isla Isabel.

Mazatlan

2010-12-23T11:59:00.001-08:00

We ended up spending 2.5 weeks in Mazatlan and had quite the adventure exploring this fabulous city, which turned out to be a wonderful mix of old and new mainland Mexico.

One of the first residents of Mazatlan we met after moving S/V Estrella to Marina Singlar Mazatlan (from our initial anchorage at Isla Piedra) was this lovely marine iguana. Note the size of the talons on this iguana. From tip to tip, it was approximately three feet long. And as it turns out, that is small/medium for the marine iguanas here.

On one of our trips to the downtown (and much less touristy) section of Mazatlan, we found that if one desired to hire a man to dive off a cliff, such things were indeed possible. We paid approximately $20 for such a service and were not disappointed. In the above photo, our diver is waiting for a large wave to pass for maximum diving depth. It was low tide.

Here is our diver (the small dot in the water to the left of the diving cliff) waving to us, essentially informing us that he survived. An odd novelty for sure, but we feel it was money well spent.

The diving platform is behind Josh. Note the precarious steps with lack of handrail.

We journeyed back to Isla Piedra for more beer and garlic shrimp pizza at Pizza Benji's. There is a small goat herd that lives on the hill behind the restaurant. I went for a hike while waiting for pizza and found myself quickly surrounded by loud goats conducting precarious rock climbing drills.

Also on this Isla Piedra hike were the requisite prickly pear cacti and turkey vulture.

Another wonderful hike in Mazatlan is the climb up the small mountain on the north side of the Mazatlan harbor entrance, where the world's second highest lighthouse is precariously placed. Only the lighthouse at the Rock of Gibraltar is higher in overall elevation (mountain + lighthouse).

This placard on the lighthouse marks the official latitude and longitude, the watts emitted continuously (1000), and the distance visible at sea (30 nautical miles or 50 kilometers). This lighthouse was clearly visible amongst the glow of Mazatlan as we approached the mainland on S/V Estrella.

This perspective overlooks the spit of land connecting the lighthouse mountain to the city of Mazatlan. At the center of the photograph is old Mazatlan, while the Zona Dorada (or touristy "Golden Zone") is at the left edge of the photograph. Unfortunately, the pollution emitted by the local power plant is clearly visible over the city.

We watched the Mazatlan harbor tugboats stage themselves for the arrival of the Baja ferry from La Paz. Our beloved S/V Estrella is visible behind the breakwater in the Isla Piedra anchorage.

The tall structure in the middle of the photo is the Pacifico beer (or Cervecería del Pacífico) bottling plant. Josh and I took advantage of the free brewery tour while in Mazatlan and highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys beer and German engineering. (Most of the facility is run by computers designed by German beer engineers),

Crossing the Sea of Cortez

2010-12-23T11:58:00.000-08:00

Josh and I crossed the Sea of Cortez on S/V Estrella in mid-October. Our point of departure was the northernmost anchorage of the Espiritu Sanctu island group (Ensenada Grande), just north of La Paz, Baja California Sur.

We crossed to Mazatlan, Sinoloa, (a distance of 234 miles) in less than 48 hours, and averaged 5kts/hour. We saw only two ships the entire time and the lack of moonlight made for fantastic night sailing.

Almost exactly halfway across the Sea of Cortez, we were briefly accompanied by two very enthusiastic sperm whales and a multitude of common dolphins. They put on quite a show as we sailed on by. (Sorry no photos of said marine mammals available as the camera was hiding below deck).

There was wind intermittently throughout the trip and we sailed with the motor off when we could.

For example, there was little wind at this point in the crossing. The headsail is rolled up and the staysail and mainsail were flown for stability in the ever-present (and sometimes directionally mixed) sea swell.

Land Ho! This is the Isla Piedra anchorage just south of the entrance to Mazatlan harbor. The little beach palapa on shore, Pizza Benji's, awaited us with delicious cheap beer and garlic shrimp pizza!

Squid vs. Whale!!!

2010-11-12T16:58:00.000-08:00

So, it's finally here. SQUID vs. WHALE!!! If you remember, Josh and I were involved in the filming of a National Geographic documentary last May in the northern Sea of Cortez. The subjects were sperm whales and Humboldt squid, the M/V Ursa Major was the vessel and Josh and I were the M/V Ursa Major crew for the production. More information on our filming adventure is a few entries further down our blog.

Check out the following link for SQUID vs. WHALE. Josh and the M/V Ursa Major are seen in the second (whale-based) short video above. We have yet to see the full episode, which aired yesterday twice and again next Friday, November 19th at 5pm EST on the National Geographic Channel. We will have DVD copies at some point of the full episode.

http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/nature-untamed/4332/Overview

Distilling the Proper Essence of Potato

2010-10-28T17:28:00.000-07:00

Approaching Halloween in La Paz, Mexico

2010-10-28T07:50:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween and Dia de los Muertos!

O' Canada....

2010-10-28T07:49:00.000-07:00

Now that Josh and I have made it to Mexico (as of 3.5 weeks ago), it seemed appropriate to finally update the blog with, (of all things), photos of our trip through the Inside Passage on the Ursa Major in September. More specifically, all of the following photos were taken on a sunny day in Prince Rupert, British Columbia.

This totem, located next to the Prince Rupert courthouse, is called "Eagle on Decayed Pole". It is the fourth version of the original "nishga" totem pole and was carved in 1978, depicting figures related to the migration of the Eagle people from the north.

This petroglyph is located next a Tsimshian (First Nations) longhouse in Prince Rupert.

A second totem pole located near the Tsimshian (First Nations) longhouse in Prince Rupert.

The above two photos of Kazu Maru memorial in the Pacific Mariner's Memorial Park are in rememberance of a Japanese fisherman lost at sea. According to a sign posted next to the vessel, "Kazukio Sakamoto left Owase, Japan, for a day of fishing aboard his boat, the Kazu Maru, and never returned. 18 months later the Kazu Maru was found empty and adrift off Queen Charlotte Islands and was brought to Prince Rupert where it was discovered to have come from Prince Rupert's sister city, Owase, Japan. The people of Prince Rupert have restored the boat and put it on display as a tribute to all those who have been lost at sea in the Pacific."

An interesting vessel docked near the Ursa Major in Prince Rupert. I found the style of the vessel similar to the Japanese memorial boat and the colors unique.

Hey Whale

2010-07-09T01:26:00.000-07:00

Whales,

Very interesting to start noticing trends in wildlife behavior. This is year 11, how much observation in that time. I suppose, if so motivated this would make some kind of advanced degree, but I just enjoy the watching. The whales are grouped in Frederick sound. Working close together but not organized they seem to be diving deep to feed. We have an exceptional tidal cycle coming up that should concentrate the herring schools and thus the whales should start cooperative feeding.

Lot's of herring this year. Noticing bait balls along the headlands and in the shallows. I'm not sure if this is atypical or if I'm just noticing more since the work we did with National Geographic videographers.

We just wanted to add something new, enjoy the photo

A Whale-tastic Adventure

2010-05-25T20:51:00.001-07:00

Our last charter in the Sea of Cortez this spring was not a charter in the usual sense. The M/V Ursa Major was used as the mothership for a documentary film crew for two weeks in April.

The subjects of interest were sperm whales and Humboldt squids. During the day, we followed and tagged sperm whales utilizing suction cup tags. At night, we chummed the waters for the elusive Humboldt squid with both bait and large sodium lights.

We spent the majority of the trip near Isla San Pedro Marttir, (above), which is located in the north-central Sea of Cortez. This unique island is home to many bird species and California sea lions.

The following photos are a small sample of the species we saw on our trip. Enjoy!

SPERM WHALES

FIN WHALES

PILOT WHALES

BLUE WHALES

COMMON BOTTLENOSE DOLPHINS

S/V Estrella Goes For A Ride

2010-05-25T19:53:00.000-07:00

Before we left for our last charter in the Sea of Cortez, Josh and I had our beloved S/V Estrella hauled out of the water in La Paz. We will be leaving her out of the water on the hard until we return to La Paz in the fall.

The approach to the travel lift for the haulout. We only had a short drive between the dock and the travel lift but the haulout took longer then expected because we had to locate and/or wake up all the yard workers.

The yard workers are here visible preparing the straps for the travel lift. The straps were lowered into the water and we drove S/V Estrella into the cradle created by the lowered straps.

Once the straps were properly positioned as to not catch on the rudder or damage the propeller, S/V Estrella was lifted straight out of the water until the keel cleared. Then the entire travel lift moved down to the haulout yard.

The four wheels of the travel lift moved independently, which allowed for sharp turns around sometimes awkward corners. Here the travel lift is seen making a wide right turn into the haulout yard.

Upon being lifted out of the water, it was great to see our bottom paint had prevented all but the most tenacious bottom growth from sticking. A ten minute pressure wash took care of any residual bottom growth.

The yard workers brought out their brand new tractor to move any objects in the way of the travel lift. Mostly though, I think they enjoyed riding around in the tractor.

Nothing like taking your boat for a walk.

Whale Shark Fun

2010-05-25T19:40:00.001-07:00

The whales sharks returned to the Bay of La Paz in March. Josh and I wasted no time in going out to visit them.

The largest whale shark we found was approximately thirty feet in length. We both jumped in for a snorkel and found that this gentle giant was followed by his own school of fish. Part of the school is visible in the above photo as the light area below the tail of the whale shark.

Yellowtail Tuna and Blue Whales

2010-02-27T14:44:00.000-08:00

The three charters we embarked upon over the past month took us on exciting adventures to new places. Same as it ever was one might say, but it's not every day one gets to see Bahia Conception for the first time by boat, or trade 2.5 gallons of gasoline for a fresh yellowtail tuna, or view an 85 foot blue whale feeding on a large school of fish.

The above-mentioned yellowtail tuna. This was given to us on our first charter by some local Loreto fisherman in exchange for much needed gasoline for their return trip home (with a boat full of tasty fish). We extracted four very large fillets for fish tacos and ceviche.

Just outside the entrance to Bahia Conception, this blue whale surfaced in pursuit of a large school of bait fish. There were also approximately 100 dolphins chasing the same school of fish. The blue whale's blowhole is visible on the forward part of the whale by the head.

The tiny dorsal fin of the blue whale is becoming visible toward the tail of the whale. This blue whale was estimated to be 85 feet in length based upon the M/V Ursa Major's length of 65 feet.

Blue whales typically do not show their tail flukes when they dive and true to form, this one did not either. The wake from the upcoming dive is visible behind the whale where the tail is submerged beneath the surface.

We also visited Punta Pulpito, (north of Loreto and San Juanico Bay), for the first time. The snorkeling here was amazing with sea caves to swim through and new fish to discover.

While I snorkeled, Josh explored the sea caves in the skiff. An obsidian vein ran through the land above and around the sea caves and Josh was able to collect some beautiful pieces of obsidian.

Bahia Conception is full of tiny rock islands that made for excellent snorkeling and kayaking adventures. The island to the left of Josh was home to an excitable collection of brown pelicans, pelagic cormorants, magnificent frigatebirds, caspian terns, and black oystercatchers.

We spent two days at Bahia Aqua Verde awaiting a northerly blowing 30-35 knot winds down the Sea of Cortez. The M/V Ursa Major is visible in the foreground and rolling white caps are seen outside the bay.

To the far right of the M/V Ursa Major, a Mexican navy boat also took refuge in Bahia Aqua Verde.

Luckily, the anchorage offers spectacular hiking and scenery, not to mention a wonderful village to stroll through.

The local goat herd was also out for a stroll in the mountains surrounding Bahia Aqua Verde. The farmer who owns this herd produces fresh goat cheese for sale in the village's tienda.

The cemetary in Bahia Aqua Verde. This peaceful spot was located a mile back from the water's edge and is carefully maintained by local families.

While hiking between Bahia San Gabriel and Playa Bonanza on Isla Espiritu Santo, we found many agave plants with their greenish-yellow flowers in bloom. The flowering stalk was approximately 15 feet high. The recent rains have allowed the desert flora to flower early in the normally dry spring.

Seattle to Connecticut (and back) Holiday Road Trip

2010-01-23T13:15:00.000-08:00

Ironically, we did not take many photos during our road trip. There always seemed to be something exciting going on that photos couldn't possibly do justice to, or people took photos for us. Here is a somewhat random assortment of the ones that survived the trip:

Josh and his father Jim worked hard over the holidays in Connecticut to restore a vintage Red Wing boat engine, (which was estimated to be over one hundred years old). The engine was found by Josh in a Seattle machine shop and transported to Connecticut in our Ford Focus.

Josh fabricated new pieces for the engine in his father's basement machine shop, including check valves and a fuel can.

The newly restored engine, complete with new/old ignition coil (Model T), new battery, and new paint job. With the assistance of Josh's brother Mike, the Haury men were able to get the engine to turn over and fire on our last day in Connecticut.

Christmas in Connecticut: Emily, Josh, Jim, Kathy, Megan, Ellison, and Mike

Emily learning to fire the new family Nerf automatic machine gun. Note the fired casings on the floor adjacent to the gun tripod.

Josh, already a master of the Nerf automatic machine gun, pondering his next move against Scooter the family dog.

Redwoods, Segways, and Hurricane Rick

2009-10-30T19:16:00.000-07:00

We left Seattle October 9th on the M/V Ursa Major for Mexico under a beautiful Puget Sound sunset. The seas were relatively calm and the crew, (Josh, Sheila, Teal, Becky, Nick, and myself), was excited for the journey ahead.

Three days into our trip south, a strong southerly storm approached Oregon and California with predicted 50-60 kts wind and heavy seas. We headed into Eureka, California on October 12th to wait a few days for the weather to clear.

Coincidentally, it also happened to be Teal's birthday. It only seemed appropriate to hit all the quality watering holes in Eureka to celebrate accordingly. We dabbled in (chip) hot dogs and pool at "Dave's", beer sampling at "The Lost Coast Brewery", and not to forget some extreme ping pong at "The Shanty".

The following day we rented a miniwan and toured the Loleta Cheese Factory and Humboldt Redwoods State Park. The mirrors had to be folded in to get to through this particular redwood.

Becky, Sheila, and I decided to get out of the storm inside this redwood tree house.

After spending time with the redwoods, we headed toward the Lost Coast to investigate the sea state and wind conditions. We stopped in the hamlet of Honeydew for gasoline and snacks. Besides this sign, the only other structure in Honeydew was the gas station itself.

The road to the Lost Coast with Cape Mendocino in the distance. Note the storm clouds and crashing surf in the distance.

Teal and Sheila on our favorite Lost Coast beach.

Josh pointing the way to open water. Only two more land days to go!!

The Fishermans Memorial Statue at the Woodley Island Marina in Eureka. This photo was taken just hours after the storm abated. We left the following morning for San Diego.

Almost four days later, we found ourselves in San Diego awaiting the passing of Hurricane Rick on the western coast of Mexico. As always, we managed to find entertain ourselves in some fashion. The above photo was taken at the Birch Aquarium at Scripps Institution of Oceanography in La Jolla.

Later that day, we took a segway tour of downtown San Diego. Most of us were new to the segway experience but we were able to see quite a lot in a couple of hours. Next to us is the ship used in the film "Master and Commander".

Our crew photo for the trip from San Diego to La Paz. Sheila and Teal "jumped ship" in San Diego for a vacation in Vermont and Bill, (center of photo), joined us for the remainder of the journey.

An Aero-tastic Adventure....

2009-10-21T13:21:00.000-07:00

During the final week of our stay in Seattle before departure for Mexico, Josh and I finally accepted an open invitation to go flying with a favorite (and repeat) guest of ours from the M/V Ursa Major, Bruce Booker. The following photos were taken by yours truly from the backseat of the aircraft because our regular blog photographer, Josh, was otherwise occupied flying the airplane with Bruce!

Alaskan sunset

2009-09-09T18:44:00.001-07:00

Josh took this photo our last night in Sitka. Mt. Edgecombe is seen in the background.

More photos to follow soon......

Octopus!!!

2009-08-19T13:18:00.000-07:00

Despite current economic conditions, Josh and I have been quite busy with our charter work on the M/V Ursa Major all summer and have had little time to work on our blog. Until we have time to catch up, here are some interesting pictures of an octopus that was caught on a bottom rod this past week near Sitka, Alaska.

Summer Solstice

2009-06-29T18:59:00.000-07:00

Since our last posting, we completed two charters on the M/V Ursa Major between Petersburg and Sitka. We had the opportunity to visit Tracy Arm, an ice-choked fiord south of Juneau.

The ice found in Tracy Arm is from the South Sawyer Glacier, (seen above).

Josh drove the M/V Ursa Major within two miles of the glacier face and close to many harbor seals and waterfalls.

My duties for the trip in Tracy Arm included netting small ice chunks for cocktails with the fish net and pushing ice out of the way with the boat pole.

Josh photographed these two brown bears near the Hidden Falls hatchery on Baranof Island. Brown bears can range in color from light tan to black. It is the shape of the head that distinguishes true brown bears from true black bears.

This family of killer whales were photographed outside Tracy Arm feeding on herring.

Dall's porpoise are known for their rooster-tailing behavior and are common bowriders on boats. These marine mammals are prey for killer whales.

Fishing in Sitka Sound

2009-06-05T00:12:00.001-07:00

We took a day off last week between charters to enjoy rare sunshine in southeast Alaska and to fish in Sitka Sound.

Joyce, our fearless leader of the M/V Ursa Major, reeling in her halibut just off Cape Edgecombe.

Josh holding the fruits of his labor for the day. He caught the first halibut of the day.

Emily hoisting up her delicious halibut. This one proved to be quite the fighter.

Glacier Bay National Park

2009-06-05T00:11:00.001-07:00

At the end of May, we took the M/V Ursa Major to Glacier Bay National Park with our fearless leader (and M/V Ursa Major owner), Dr. Joyce Gauthier.

The above photo of the M/V Ursa Major skiff was taken at the base of Reid Glacier, a tidewater glacier where we anchored for one night. Emily and Terry, a friend of Joyce's, were attacked by Arctic terns, (a sometimes angry bird species), when they accidentally walked too close to a hidden nest. No one was hurt but the wrath of nesting Arctic terns should never be doubted.

Part 1 of enthusiastic humpback whale breaching. Just when we thought we couldn't top the whale antics on the last charter, this humpback whale breaching just outside Glacier Bay National Park in Inian Pass took the cake. Not only did he/she earn bonus points for sheer acrobatics and enthusiasm, but this whale breached and taillobbed (vigorous slapping on the tail) for an hour.

Part 2 of enthusiastic humpback whale breaching.

Part 3 of enthusiastic humpback whale breaching.

Part 4 of enthusiastic humpback whale breaching.

Onto brown bears... This particular bear was caught him in the middle of barnacle tasting on the beach. Note the exposed tongue.

The brown bear kept turning over rocks in his continuing search for barnacles and seaweed.

Yes, we were really this close to the brown bear.... in a motorized skiff.... with a telephoto lens....

Glacier Bay National Park is also the home to numerous Stellar (or Northern) sea lions. This particular group was found swimming just off a Stellar sea lion rookery.

This juvenile Stellar sea lion was caught doing flips just off the rookery. Note the numerous Stellar sea lions laying on the rocks.

The park is also home to the elusive, and comical, Tufted puffin. They are designated as "Tufted" because of a yellow feather tuft found at the back of their head.

We managed to get pretty close to the Tufted puffins from the M/V Ursa Major but as seen in the above photo, they can be fairly skiddish.

Gray wolves were also present within the park boundaries. This pack was out for a morning stroll on the beach.

This whitish specimen of the gray wolf was also traveling with the pack on the beach.

Harbor seals were seen throughout the park on the ice flows near calving glaciers. The glacier behind this particular harbor seal is Marjorie Glacier.

This sea otter was seen on the way to Glacier Bay National Park. He was part of a flotilla of twenty sea otters found on the west side of Chichagoff Island.

Josh in front of Marjorie Glacier. This photo was taken just prior to the glacier calving into the bay. The wake from the ice fall was felt on the M/V Ursa Major moments later.

Emily enjoying the view from the sun deck prior to anchoring at Reid Glacier.

Our friends on the M/V Ursa Major for the trip: Nancy, Terry, Joyce (fearless leader), and John.

Steak night on the boat at Reid Glacier. The glacier can be seen just behind the barbeque grill.

The view between Marjorie Glacier and Reid Glacier. The weather and visibility for the trip was spectacular for both kayaking and wildlife viewing.

The Inside Passage

2009-06-04T18:39:00.000-07:00

Our first trip on the M/V Ursa Major for the summer season was a two week charter from Anacortes, Washington to Sitka, Alaska. The wildlife viewing along the way was spectacular, as seen in Josh's photos of the journey.

A brown bear foraging at low tide in Sergious Narrows near Sitka. The heavy snowfall received in southeast Alaska and coastal British Columbia at all elevations forced bears to the beaches earlier than normal this summer to forage.

Humpback whale breaching in Frederick Sound near Petersburg, Alaska (part 1).

Humpback whale breaching in Frederick Sound near Petersburg, Alaska (part 2).

Humpback whale breaching in Frederick Sound near Petersburg, Alaska (part 3).

Humpback whale breaching in Frederick Sound near Petersburg, Alaska (part 4).

Humpback whale breaching in Frederick Sound near Petersburg, Alaska (part 5).

The whale activity we've seen in just the past few weeks was more extensive than the whale activity we saw all last summer in southeast Alaska. We are expecting this summer to be quite exciting for whale watching!

We also caught 500 jumbo Alaska Spot Prawns in our shrimp trap. The largest shrimp we caught was almost 1 foot in length from antenna to tail. Delicious......

May 2nd, 2009

2009-06-02T22:45:00.000-07:00

After a brief engagement across two countries and two time zones, Josh and I were married at a little wedding chapel in Las Vegas on May 2nd.

We spent four days in Las Vegas between our Mexico and Alaska charter seasons and had quite the time. After we were married, we spent the rest of our honeymoon attending Cirque de Soleil shows, riding rollercoasters, driving go-carts, gambling, and relaxing in the desert sun. Viva Las Vegas!!

We also held a pre-wedding reception in Seattle for our family and friends prior to our wedding. Thanks again to everyone who attended our little party!

So Long (Mexico) and Thanks for All The Fish...

2009-04-13T12:25:00.001-07:00

Our trip from La Paz, Mexico to San Diego was filled with 20-30 knot NNW winds and 9-11 foot head seas. This is our 4th trip up from La Paz to Seattle and the weather always seems to be on our nose. We are stopped briefly in San Diego to pick up additional fuel and also fill up on full meals and a good night's sleep. A few more hours here and then we are off for an 8-10 day trip to Seattle.

While coming around Cabo San Lucas last week, Josh snapped some great action shots of common bottlenose dolphin playing around the boat.

Dolphin #1 launch

Dolphin #1 mid-air.

Dolphin #1 splashdown.

Dolphin #2 launch.

Dolphin #2 mid-air.

Dolphin #2 splashdown.

The crew on the bow of the M/V Ursa Major dolphin watching in calm weather off Cabo San Lucas.

Hard At Work in the Sea of Cortez

2009-03-22T13:27:00.000-07:00

Josh and I have been busy at work on the M/V Ursa Major for the past month and have been cruising around the Sea of Cortez between La Paz and Loreto. Josh has been behind the camera lens taking beautiful photographs and as seen in the following photos, the wildlife viewing has been spectacular.

Remains of a conch shell on a beach in Bahia San Gabriel, Isla Espiritu Sanctu.

Josh enjoying a skiff ride early in the morning in Bahia San Gabriel, Isla Espiritu Sanctu.

Emily kayaking on Isla San Jose.

Sperm whales, (mother and calf), cruising in San Jose Channel on a calm morning.

Sperm whale breaching in San Jose Channel (part 1).

Sperm whale breaching in San Jose Channel (part 2).

Sperm whale breaching in San Jose Channel (part 3).

Sperm whale breaching in San Jose Channel (part 4).

More sperm whale activity in San Jose Channel.

Common bottlenose dolphin playing in San Jose Channel.

Honeymoon Cove, Isla Danzante.

Pilot whales south of San Jose Channel.

Baja geology in action.

Josh's foot amidst the mangroves of Isla San Jose.

Brown pelican mid-flight in Bahia Aqua Verde.

Giant manta ray in flight near Isla Carmen. Actual color does not reflect reality.

More giant manta rays in flight near Isla Carmen. Note wingtips on giant mantas.

Josh's birdseye view of the giant manta rays near Isla Carmen. Photograph taken from ratlines.

Viva Loreto!

2009-02-22T09:03:00.000-08:00

We are leaving La Paz today for a charter on the M/V Ursa Major and will be in Loreto by the end of the week. The weather looks great for work!!

Our friends Heather and Shawn on the S/V Om Shanti, and authors of Sea of Cortez - A Cruiser's Guidebook, gave us a picture of our beloved S/V Estrella under sail. We passed them on our first cruise just outside La Paz and were cruising in 15 kts of wind with all sails flying. Thanks Heather and Shawn!

La Paz from an Ultralight Aeroplane

2009-02-17T17:37:00.000-08:00

For Josh's Feliz Navidad present this year, I gave him a half-hour ultralight plane ride over La Paz. At the time, the ultralight plane was flying over La Paz on a daily basis giving rides to tourists. Then it vanished from the skies for four weeks. Nearly on the verge of finding a replacement gift, the plane reappeared on a nearby beach yesterday. Josh and I rushed over with his camera to find the pilot and his assistant working on the engine. The plane was back in business (and in working order) so we made an appointment for Josh to take a ride an hour later.

After verifying with her lawyer that she did have rights to survivorship over the boat should I not make it back, Emily took a parting photo and waved goodbye...

I did have a little trepidation at first. To any whom have taken a ride in a mexican taxi can attest maintenance is a activity best suited for tomorrow. The ultralight had seen many an enjoyable flight leading up to my adventure. Buoyed by that fact, and that a 85 year old man whom was the previous adventurer survived I set off.

I tapped the pilot on the shoulder very gently so as not to spook him, and indicated I would like to fly over Marina Palmira. He generously obliged with a steep turn to port that brought us over Estrella. The perspective 500 ft. above the water is breathtaking. It is easy to think of La Paz as a big city. From above however she looks like a somewhat sprawling small town. No big skyscrapers here, just a rugged desert punctuated with small ranches and a blanket of modest homes that is La Paz.

I have always felt that the best photos are the ones accompanied by a long story. This flight will be remembered in the future when people ask me how my foot came to be in this shot. Composition is essential to photography, this photo may never sell but will serve to remind me of a great adventure! Thanks Emily!

Bienvenidos S/V Estrella!!!

2009-02-15T08:08:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, we held the official "denaming" and "renaming" ceremonies for our sailboat, now S/V Estrella. We decided Valentine's Day was a better day for such events than Friday the 13th.

It should be noted that Josh and I are each holding a bottle of champagne. The first bottle, from California, was utilized in the denaming of S/V Wind Spirit as she was a California vessel when we purchased her. The second bottle, from Mexico, was for the renaming to S/V Estrella as she is currently residing in Mexico with us. Each bottle was used in the "libation" portion of each ceremony.

The reason for two separate ceremonies (and two separate bottles of champagne) is due to paying respect not only to your sailboat, but the gods of wind and sea. Our friends Heather and Shawn from S/V Om Shanti gave us a copy of How to Rename Your Boat: And 19 Other Useful Ceremonies, Superstitions, Prayers, Rituals, and Curses by John Vigor for Christmas. The first chapter of this wonderful (and very entertaining) book details fully official "denaming" and "renaming" ceremonies. While most of the specifics of each ceremony is up to the owners of the vessel, certain rules must be followed.

For the three part denaming ceremony, first all articles with the previous name on them must be removed from the vessel. This includes paperwork, charts, and logbooks. I also sanded the old name off the stern. Second, a brief speech thanking the sailboat and the gods for good luck thus far is spoken from the bow of the vessel. Third, a libation of champagne is offered and sprayed over the bow. Josh handled the champagne while I gave the speech.

We allowed a two hour break between ceremonies to give our sailboat its necessary period of "namelessness" (per the book's instructions). Not wanting to tempt fate, we spent this time drinking tequila and cold saki with old and new friends (and dog Sophie) who came by to celebrate with us. The "renaming" ceremony was two parts long and consisted of a simple blessing with the new name and a libation with a bottle of champagne on the bow. Somehow, I think Josh and I ended up wearing more champagne than S/V Estrella!

Snorkeling in the Bay of La Paz with Tiburon Ballenas (or Whale Sharks)

2009-02-08T16:08:00.000-08:00

Following our most recent charter on the M/V Ursa Major, Josh, myself, and our chef Natalie had the opportunity to snorkel with whale sharks, or Tiburon ballenas (Spanish), or Rhincodon typus, in the Bay of La Paz. Our adventure began with the rumor on the La Paz cruiser's radio net that these creatures had returned to feed nearby. They were last seen briefly in early 2008 within the Bay of La Paz and we hoped to find them before they moved on again.

Needless to say, we found five individuals just around the corner from the marina feeding along the current line. They were following each other back and forth along the current line and were not at all afraid of our presence, (or for that matter, the presence of our outboard motor).

The large mouth, as seen in the two previous photos, takes in a certain amount of seawater at or below the surface. Once full, the whale shark will strain the seawater through its gills in an effort to extract either phytoplankton, squid, or fish for food. This also serves to oxygenate the gills and allows the whale shark to breathe. Adults are known to have over 300 rows of teeth whiles juveniles typically possess at least 100 rows.

The length of whale sharks varies from two to three feet at birth to over seventy feet as adults. The average size is approximately forty feet and thirteen tons. They have two dorsal fins, (as seen in the above photo), and tend to swim in schools in near coastal waters.

Mostly harmless, (except in a few recorded instances of whale sharks ramming fishing boats in the Indian Ocean), whale sharks are typically found in tropical waters but are described as "uncommon" in the Sea of Cortez. And the females lay eggs the size of footballs.

For Natalie and I in the water snorkeling, it was hard to imagine something the size of these whale sharks emerging from an egg the size of a football. The whale sharks we saw ranged from eighteen feet to forty feet and were covered in some variety of large sucker fish. The clarity of the water was poor and we had to swim within two feet of the whale shark to see it. None of the whale sharks we encountered in the water were aggressive and allowed us to get closer than we ever thought possible.

All photos courtesy of Josh Haury.

Sources for whale shark background information:

Eschmeyer, W.N., E.S. Herald. and H. Hammann. 1983. Pacific Coast Fishes. Houghton Mifflin Company, New York, New York. 336 p.

Gotshall, D.W. 1998. Sea of Cortez Marine Animals: A Guide to Common Fishes and Invertebrates Baja California to Panama. Sea Challengers, Monterey, California. 110 p.

Good Friends and Tacos de Pescado

2009-02-08T15:51:00.000-08:00

The story of our third journey on the S/V Estrella began with picking up our good friends Sheila and Teal at the Cabo San Lucas airport. Having spent the winter thus far in Olympia, Washington, they were anxious to work on their tans, swim in water above 55F, and consume many beers and fish tacos. We made sure to find them a quiet beach for swimming in the Sea of Cortez approximately one hour after their plane touched down.

After two days of acclimating to the Mexican winter sunshine and exploring La Paz and it's drivable beaches, we headed to sea with Sheila and Teal on the S/V Estrella. Our three night trip began with a sail in light winds to Bahia San Gabriel on Isla Espiritu Sanctu. Sheila and Teal are both experienced hands at sailing and were soon right at home tending lines and sails.

We relaxed our first night at sea in Bahia San Gabriel as Sheila and Teal cooked homemade soft pretzels and hot buttered rum for dinner. Sheila went for a night swim around the boat and with the phosphorescence in the water and lack of moon, she looked like an aquatic angel of sorts.

The following morning we embarked on a four mile hike across Isla Espiritu Sanctu to Playa Bonanza. This was a new hike for everyone and we were looking forward to the adventure of making our own trail across the island. Part of an established trail existed but the pieces we found were not interconnected in any fashion.

As we headed across the island, the S/V Estrella grew further and further away amongst the cacti.

Facing away from Bahia San Gabriel, one would think we were heading into the Arizona desert as Playa Bonanza was not visible for another three miles into the hike.

We found many living cacti intertwined with dead cactus wood.

The terrain elevated slightly during the hike and the flora changed toward underbrush and agave-dominate. The seed pods in the photo above are from an agave plant with a ten foot tall seed stalk. The plant put out the stalk and seed pods before dying.

We reached Playa Bonanza at last after a mild hike through the underbrush and cacti of Isla Espiritu Sanctu. The most rewarding aspect was the swim at the end at Playa Bonanza!

After our hike and swim, we turned around and headed back to Bahia San Gabriel for lunch and beers on S/V Estrella. We pulled up the anchor after lunch and headed north along Islas Espiritu Sanctu and Partida. There was no wind to speak of and we motored up to our next anchorage, Ensenada Grande. The anchorage was virtually empty except for a few sailboats and we spent the remainder of the day relaxing and playing endless cribbage.

From Ensenada Grande, we were perfectly staged to visit the California sea lion colony at Los Islotes. This rookery is an old stomping ground for Josh and I but for Sheila and Teal, it was a brand new experience. The wind was blowing hard from the south (strange for winter in the Sea of Cortez) so we dropped Sheila and Teal on the north side of the island for their snorkel with the sea lions. They were two of many snorkelers in the water but enjoyed their time with the sea lions and the abundant fish and coral on the north side of Los Islotes.

We next sailed down the east side of the islands to our last anchorage, Playa Bonanza. The wind switched around briefly to allow us to put up all our sails. The marine life was spectacular from the sailboat as bottlenose dolphins followed us for almost two hours. We also saw manta rays jumping and a green sea turtle just outside Playa Bonanza. Sheila caught a Pacific bonita on our brand new fishing rod just before we dropped the anchor.

We were concerned that her fish wouldn't be enough to feed the four of us sufficiently. So following an afternoon at snorkeling at Playa Bonanza, we cooked up her fish in conjunction with a giant bowl of garlic mashed potatoes. The fish was surprisingly tasty and each of us were able to enjoy a minor fillet with our potato dinner.

Note: Sheila is approximately six feet in height so the fish is larger than in appears.

The wind kicked at sunset from the north so our sail in the following day was a downwind leg in modest swells. We made marvelous time as we headed back into La Paz and didn't turn the motor on until we were physically inside the marina. We had good reason to celebrate our fabulous trip with a delicious lunch of tacos de pescado, buckets of beer, and mariachi music.

What a way to end our third trip!

Anchor Chain, Gale Warnings, and Winter Shorts

2009-01-30T18:48:00.000-08:00

Since our last posting, Josh and I have made three trips to the islands north of La Paz in our sailboat. (On a side note, she was purchased as "S/V Wind Spirit" but will soon be renamed in a proper fashion to "S/V Estrella"). The first trip was three days long and our anchorages included Bahia San Gabriel and Partida Cove in the Espiritu Sanctu islands. She sailed well and very comfortably and achieved speeds of over 5 kts. This was our first experience with a cutter rig sloop and it proved to be relatively easy to handle once we figured out the tricks of the trade.

The only notable deficiency in our first trip was an insufficient quantity of anchor chain. The initial amount of onboard at time of purchase was 30 ft of anchor chain and 250 ft of anchor rode (line). We decided we would feel more comfortable with at least 150 ft of anchor chain and no rode. The anchor itself worked beautifully and we decided to keep the 30 lb Delta as our bow anchor.

So between our first and second trips to the islands, Josh and I investigated the ins and outs of purchasing a large quantity of brand new anchor chain. We purchased a foot of the proper size anchor chain from three marine stores in La Paz for a test fitting in our anchor windlass, (including Triple B, proof coil, and high test varieties). It turned out the high test anchor chain was the best quality for the dollar so we bit the bullet and bought all 187 ft the store had.

And it was worth every penny (or peso). We took off on our second trip three days before a northerly that called for gale warnings and ended up closing the Port of La Paz for two days. Our first night out we sailed upwind to Puerto Ballena on Isla Espiritu Sanctu. A precursor to the upcoming northerly was blowing already at 15 kts and we pointed to weather at 45 degrees. We sailed fairly well in the slowly growing swell and made our anchorage by landfall.

After two nights in Puerto Ballena, we motorsailed upwind in 20 kts to Isla San Francisco a distance of 20 miles. We sailed well over the six hour trip but the building head sea (at 5-6 ft) was difficult to overcome without the aid of the motor. As we turned the corner into the anchorage, we saw other sailboats had the same idea as us. Isla San Francisco offers decent protection in a northerly and we joined the flotilla of boats for what turned out to be five nights of gale winds.

We dropped the anchor in 15 ft of water on almost 150 ft of anchor chain. And we didn't move an inch the entire storm! The maximum gust in the gale was 48 kts and we anchored in the corner of the anchorage near the beach, which offered protection from the extent of the sea swell and chop.

Among the highlights of our stay at Isla San Francisco was visiting with our friends on the S/V Om Shanti, eating homemade ice cream with new friends on S/V Scream on Josh's birthday, and hiking all over Isla San Francisco. We managed to climb to the top of one of the ridges overlooking the anchorage while nearly getting blown down the other side. It was comparable to getting sand blasted by a hair dryer while clinging to a cactus. Needless to say, it was well worth the effort to get a bird's eye view of the giant swells ripping around Isla San Francisco.

Following five nights at Isla San Francisco, we hauled up our new anchor chain and set sail downwind in 25 kts back to Isla Espiritu Sanctu. The genoa was flown and we debated whether or not to raise the mainsail. We already had a reef in the mainsail from our upwind leg to Isla San Francisco and were sailing with the original (30 year old) mainsail. But the wind proved to be too much for the old mainsail and it ripped right above the first reef point a few minutes after it was raised. The genoa alone proved to be a great sail in higher winds and we flew back to Isla Espiritu Sanctu in five hours. We anchored at Puerto Ballena again for the night and headed back to La Paz the following day on the genoa alone.

Josh had the foresight to have the other mainsail onboard recut for a better sail shape and with new reef points before we left. It was in La Paz being repaired during our second trip but we were able to utilize it on our third trip.

The story of our third trip will soon be told.....

P.S. On a side note, as for the debate between winter and summer shorts, something changes in short selection at approximately 85 F. For air temperatures greater than 85 F, the preferred material is synthetic with a significant reduction in both pocketage and length. For cooler air temperatures, pocket quantity increases and the material is of heavier consistency, such as cotton. But then again, we are lucky enough to work in a place where one can wear shorts in the dead of winter....

Nuevo Barco!

2008-12-28T12:19:00.000-08:00

Meet our new boat purchase!!!

Just kidding....

We actually purchased the mothership to this little rowing skiff, a 32 foot Down East sailboat!!

She was built in 1978 in Santa Ana, California by Down East Yachts, Inc. and is a cutter-rigged sloop. Her hull, deck, and superstructure are fiberglass and the draft is only 5 ft, (a change from a 65 ft wooden boat with a 10 ft draft). The mast is deck-stepped and she has a full keel. The displacement is 17,000 lbs and the 24 hp Universal engine is the original with 3 cylinders. The fuel tank capacity is 72 gallons and the duel water tanks hold a combined 95 gallons. A world cruiser for sure.....

We spent last week testing the boat's systems, raising all three sails, and cleaning every nook and cranny. Downsizing to a smaller vessel after working and living on the Ursa Major makes small work of any sailboat task. Engine maintenance this morning took only 22 minutes....

We were very lucky to find a sailboat in such great cruising condition and hope to leave this week for our first cruise around the islands north of La Paz.

2008-12-25T18:46:00.000-08:00

Isla Espiritu Sancto and Isla Partida

2008-12-06T18:59:00.000-08:00

On our 16 day trip, we stopped at two different anchorages on Isla Partida (Ensenada Grande and Ensenada el Cardonal) and one on Isla Espiritu Sancto (Bahia San Gabriel). The first week we stayed at Ensenda Grande, a popular anchorage for both powerboats and sailboats at Isla Partida.

Ensenada Grande

Ensenada Grande was a great location for staging ourselves for diving the second day of our trip. The dive boat from La Paz picked us up right from the Ursa Major and we spent the day diving with California sea lions at Isla Los Islotes. We followed a rock wall around the southern side of the island while the sea lions swam at or near the surface as we dove down to approximately 70 feet. The highlight of the dive was watching a juvenile sea lion play with a large lobster shell like it was a rubber ball.

The next day, our friends from the sailing vessel Om Shanti, pulled into Ensenada Grande. The authors of Sea of Cortez-A Cruising Guide, Heather and Shawn, were completing updates for the next edition of their book. They stayed in the anchorage a few days and taught us to play beach bocci ball, which in combination with rum, pineapple juice, and Zambian tea wine makes for an entirely entertaining afternoon.

We also began a series of projects while in anchorage at Ensenada Grande. Josh and I first constructed a work float from which sanding and painting could take place. By using an giant intertube, plywood, and fenders, the float supported both of us easily. We did find that in high winds, the work float only held for one person.

Josh's Laser 2 sailboat, which was acquired in San Diego on the way to La Paz, also proved to be a fantastic distraction from work in Ensenada Grande. Between the two of us, Josh easily has more time on sailboats. Learning to sail this little boat has proven to be a hilarious and worthwhile experience for the two of us. We hope to use it every time the wind blows, which in this neck of the woods is almost every afternoon....

Other highlights from our time in Ensenada Grande included clamming with Heather from the s/v Om Shanti and viewing the blue-footed boobie colony in La Cueva, a cove just south of Ensenada Grande. A resident sea turtle also made occasional appearances in the anchorage. That would explain the lack of jellyfish stings acquired while in Ensenada Grande.

Ensenada el Cardonal

After a week in Ensenada Grande, we moved to the next anchorage down the way, Ensenada el Cardonal. We continued our work on the Ursa Major but also spent time exploring our new surroundings. Ensenada el Cardonal contains the ruins of an old pearl aquaculture site. Rock and coral were the substrates of choice for the structures. These submerged ruins stretch across the bottom of the bay and terminate at what appears to be an old pier or ship careen. Clams were “planted” within these walled structures and allowed to grow and reproduce in the hope that one of them produced a priceless pearl.

Bahia San Gabriel

Following six days in Ensenada el Cardinal, we moved further south to our last anchorage of the trip, Bahia San Gabriel. We were only one of two boats in this large anchorage and rode out two days of coromuel winds with relative ease. A coromuel is a land breeze that occurs when the land and sea cool at different rates and typically blows from the southwest beginning in the early evening. Sometimes these winds will last all night, fall off the next day, and return the next evening. In our case, we were able to wrap up our Ursa Major projects during the day between the coromuels.

Viva La Paz!

2008-12-01T19:57:00.000-08:00

Josh and I are back in La Paz after 16 days of cruising and working on the Ursa Major. Stories and pictures of our adventures are soon to follow....

Ensenada Grande et al...

2008-11-13T21:04:00.000-08:00

Friday the 14th finds Josh and I leaving La Paz on the Ursa Major for the islands for a few weeks. Our first planned stop is the anchorage of Ensenada Grande on Isla Partida (just north of La Paz). We will be perfectly staged for a dive with friends at nearby Los Islotes on Saturday. Los Islotes is the home of a colony of California sea lions, which makes for amazing diving and wildlife encounters. We snorkled at Los Islotes last week and were frequently buzzed by juvenile sea lions. They don't seem to be shy at all around people who partake in their natural habitat.

Following our dive on Saturday, our time cruising in the islands will allow us to work on the Ursa Major. We will be busy painting, varnishing, and cleaning amidst fantastic scenery and unique exploration opportunities.

How to get started..

2008-11-12T16:23:00.000-08:00

O
Despite certain political opinions, I have, on occasion convinced Emily to see reason. This was taken a few years ago while weathered into Oxnard, CA. Not a lot to do in Oxnard.

We'll see what this post looks like.

Just got back from trip to islands. Emily is in charge of next posting...

back to mexico

2008-11-04T20:23:00.000-08:00

Hola,

regresamos a la paz!

We return and are off to the islands...

We are just getting started...

2008-11-02T18:11:00.001-08:00

Thanks for visiting. We are in the process of building our blog and will be adding lots of pics and posts.