Bittersweet time … and ready for surgery

Just saying good morning

I say, bittersweet, as we always enjoy our many experiences in Mexico*. As all good things, this amazing journey must come to an end and so this Thursday we are heading to Portland.

And saying goodbye to Punta Pulpito

Synchronized showoffs!

Thanks, Kay, for capturing us actually working,
the saltwater removal patrol at Guaymas

Graceful dinghy exit
at the dock

Team work always pays off. when washing the hull in a dirty bay (no one fell in)

In mid-May, we made our crossing from Punta Pulpito on the Baja to the mainland. Punta Pulpito is a pretty remote, chill anchorage with no beach access (we hadn’t been going ashore much anyway due to local restrictions). I kayaked around the point and we spend time with our new Dutch friends who kindly shared some of their freshly baked bread! A treat for us, since we rarely eat bread in Mexico.

We arrived safely, happily, a bit tired, after about 19 hours, to the beautiful and familiar Bahia San Carlos. The time zone changed during my night watch so I wondered – do I add or subtract that hour from my shift? I was on from 7 to midnight with a fantastic sunset followed by an incredible volume of stars and the spectacular milky way. This light show provided a nice glow of ambient light and enhanced my night watch experience. During Mike's watch, the waning moon provided some bold late-night illumination, a startling surprise when suddenly there’s an orange ball on the dark horizon.

The captain enjoying our last days in the Baja sun and fun

We arrived after sunrise into several hours of bigger waves banging across our beam than we’d had all night. Rock n roll! As we approached the bay, a mile abeam of our vessel, highly turbulent waters moved toward us in a long line. A quick glance with the binocs revealed a large pod of dolphins who were quickly abeam of our boat, swimming and jumping across our wake. What a joyous moment – and oh so hard to capture on film!

San Juanico, one of many beautiful anchorages on the Baja -
a great place to spend our quarantine for a few weeks

Anchored happily in San Juanico, the southern lobe

Once at anchor in the bay, we looked forward to walking around after a few days on board. We happily met up with several long-time friends, secured fresh foods and even dined out, socially distant and thankful for the great meals.

While crossing the sea, Kaiser Permanente left me a voice mail offering me a spine surgery appointment on June 2nd. We'd been out of internet/phone range but I'm still not sure why that Thursday message didn't show up until Saturday. First thing Monday, I called and secured the one appointment to get this surgery done! If they hadn’t kindly held that spot, I’d fall “to the bottom of the list”. Super thankful!

Enjoyed a wonderful walk and talk to the point
with Marion & Theo, "Double Dutch"

Life's been moving fast ever since. We’ve been working to prep the boat for haul out tomorrow at Marina Seca. Then we’re off to Phoenix where I’ll fly to Portland and Mike will drive our rig full of our stuff, hopefully to arrive before my surgery. He’ll be on the road on his birthday, so a quick note from you would greatly appreciated (by me, anyway …). We have some crazy times ahead in the next couple of weeks, and hopefully safe and healthy times as well.

* this rich kaleidoscope includes the people, culture, country, food, experiences and the exchange rate

Sigh ... I am trying to upload a photo I took today of a huge AC unit in the back of a small sedan in downtown Guaymas, unfortunately my bandwidth from Telcel says "no more data for you!" The big message is ... time to go, it's getting hot here and it's hurricane season.

Courtesy of Jacomina on Tara. Love these ospreys

Sailing north into the Sea and beyond

Pizza to go! at Puerto Escondido Marina

We have been safely and thoughtfully enjoying our time in anchorages along the Baja, as we head north toward Guaymas and our haul out sometime later this month. Life permitting, we plan to be in Portland in early June as Mike will begin teaching sailing lessons immediately upon our arrival.

Dolphin show - Candeleros

Everyone we encounter is very cautious and considerate, all wearing face masks, keeping appropriate distances and respecting people’s space. It’s a weird dance we all do, much less friendly and interactive yet we share a common concern for all our safety. As we are certainly all experiencing, a lot of communications happen non-verbally and it’s hard to know if a smile lurks behind the mask.

Dolphin cruising by

We have been blessed with good health during our time here, and I am most thankful to report that my leg pain has subsided substantially. I continue to be super careful with walking and maneuvering around. Several friends let us know that elective surgeries have begun in Oregon so you can imagine, I am on it. To follow up, I’ll call the scheduler today to chat about my position in the queue.

Pelican feeding frenzy - they get really crazy 

Pelican feeding frenzies were frequent in Candeleros Bay, south of Puerto Escondido where we stayed a few days enjoying a bit of internet and cell service on board after 20 days in Agua Verde where internet was spotty at best at the one tienda in the fishing village. We don’t usually stay in one place that long, but we had nowhere in particular to go, having been suggested by a few friends and family north of the border to stay put rather than risking the trip north when things were so crazy.

Lenticular cloud over Pura Vida - San Telmo

The large resort at Candeleros, which includes an oddly bright green golf course, is vacant except for the occasional worker. We’ve not been allowed to walk anywhere on the beach. A few days ago, a Navy boat came by with a message to “stay at home”. Photos and videos of each boat were recorded as they passed. We waved to confirm our understanding of the safety message in English, for our benefit, and Spanish.

We come north to the US with trepidation, although we hear things are opening up and life is once again, blooming, along with May flowers. Once we leave this anchorage, will be out of internet coverage as we head north into the sea. Next communications will be from the mainland side, if all goes well. 

Pelican on take off

Puerto Escondido bay and marina - nice place to hang out