Anchorage here was a little better than being at sea. Rolling and hobby horsing were the familiar motions of our boat as if at sea. Bay of the Virgins was spectacular. Its green peaks resembled the shrouded Virgin Mary on the right side and buttressing pillars on the opposite side. Many cruisers sheepishly say that they stopped here mainly for the photo op. For us it was the southern most island in the Marquesas we were willing to embark. As…
Our friends had gone on a tour run by a tour guide named John. He had been running a tour operation for the tourists for over 29 years. It’s funny how things happen at the washing stations. Like in those old stories where women gather at the well or at the river to wash clothes. Well, the washing station by the dinghy dock in Atuona, Hiva Oa was the place to be seen and to see. It was there that…
May 8, 2018. The day greeted us with a heavy downpour. It was nice to get our boat washed of the salt crystals we accumulated during the crossing. However, our 45 min trek into town for mass at 8 am was a wet one. We did not see many boaters heading to shore unlike us. We and the crew on Banyan were the only crazy Catholics getting up at 7:30am and dinghying to shore in the heavy rain. Despite the…
May 7, 2018. Sophia was first to spot land as Monica was busy working with the bread dough. ” Mama, I think I see land!” That statement was enough to keep our heart alight with hope and anticipation . The green blob in the distant seemed so far away. Was it really land? Yes, our navigational chart confirmed it. We were greeted by Jean Rene on sv Baloo, another family boat we met in La Cruz, Mexico. It was so…
April 27, 2018. UTC 1905 Lat 00°00’N Lon 126°16.4’W. SOG 6kts. 20% cloud cover. We knew we would be approaching the equator when we got up today. Many have made momentous events out of this crossing. Most have kept the tradition of toasting to King Neptune for safe passage. We also decided to make it a celebratory event but with food. Although it was festive, Monica spent most of her waking hours preparing a Key Lime Pie, ginger ale, and…
April 19, 2018 UTC 0310 Lat 12°9.8′ N , lon 114° 12.4′ speed 4.3kts , 100%cloud cover. Dark looming clouds are coming our direction from the East as we point 330°T. Jeff was able to set up a nifty function (MARPA) on our radar to detect movement detected by our radar. It’s all good to have technology but it’s a bit daunting to look at the computer screen to see that you are surrounded by all kinds of movement (weather)…
For us to cross, lots of preparation is required: from medical kits, safety gear, about a year worth of food, school supplies and resources, boat gear and their spares to charts and navigational tools. In the midst of our chaos, we we’re blessed to have visited with Jeff’s parents who got to taste a bit of Mexico that we know and love. In the midst of our chaos, one of the other boaters prompted me about getting our boat blessed….
We finally finished all the boat work in Puerto Penasco, Mexico. That was painful while the boat was in the boatyard for six months. During this time, Monica went to work in Bellingham, Jeff and the girls drove up to Bellingham, and we all drove down together back to the boat. It was a whirlwind of a summer with long distances, too many purchases, and lots of driving between Penasco and Phoenix. Once we were back on the boat, we…
It was so good to see old friends. Our family friends from Bellingham visited us in La Paz, Mexico. They were really patient with us and finally met up with us after having to change plane tickets once already. The story behind that was that we were for sure we’d be in La Paz area by late December 2015. Well, those who have been following us know that we didn’t cross the border until the second week of January. …
Bahia Tortugas’ waters were clear blue. We were beginning to feel like we were getting closer to what we have seen in those glossy photos of the guide books. Looking at those pictures when we were at home, these destinations seemed so far away. In fact they were but now the paradise was now in our grasp. We were making it! From our Sandy Point home to Bahia Tortugas, we are amazed at the distance we have covered and the…