The Sound of Pelican Poop

The Cathedral in Guaymas, seen from the bench
while we shared a fruit cup 

Soft. Deliberate. Distant. Close. A gentle yet firm
sound. The sound is hard to describe...

Photo courtesy of the internet- I am not
fast enough to get a shot like this

I know, it’s an unusual topic, that is, unless you are on a boat, in an area with lots of pelicans. Anyone who’s hung around pelicans knows they are avid flyers, divers, entertainers and yes, poopers.

Fruit cup with
'the works' - hot sauce

The myriad of birds we enjoy watching are the very same ones that can wreak havoc on your floating domicile. Sometimes it’s the magnificent frigate birds trying to land on your mast as you are underway, blue footed boobies catching a free ride on the bowsprit, osprey perching on the mizzen mast with their recent fish kill using that handy platform as their dining table, armies of pied billed grebes diving in rapid sequence under and around your vessel. And the pelicans sometimes diving so close you’d think they’d hit the deck on their focused, downward trajectory. I've tried to capture an image of the dive, but they dive way too fast.

The fruit cup vendor's cart outside the church

One recent windy night we’d closed the very large hatch over our sleeping area to keep out the howling winds. A few minutes into my repose, I hear this noise. As noted above, it's hard to describe the sound but somehow I know what it is. It’s a message from a pelican flyover. Good thing that hatch was closed or this story would have a different ending…

In the morning, I spend a chunk of time cleaning that nasty stuff from the solar panels, the life raft case, the entire back deck. Good thing we happened to have a bucket of used - but fresh - water handy for this very fun task. We've all had these episodes in some form. You have to laugh, it's all part of the fun, and we keep in mind that we are visitors, fortunate to share their world. 

Hiking the trails in Puerto Escondido - looking 
at the marina

Pod of dolphins frolicked all morning around us
in Bahia Catalina

Our explorations

After our brief yet amazing inland trip to Topolobampo, El Fuerte and Los Mochis in the agricultural state of Sinaloa, it was time to move on to new ventures. Waiting for the right ‘weather window’ meant a delay of a few days but worth it, as our passage southwest about 120 nautical miles from Topolobampo to La Paz was thankfully smooth and uneventful. We motor sailed across the sea to the Baja faster than our estimated time and decided to bypass our intended anchorage. We arrived at 6:30AM, the sunrise was beautiful, the skies were blue and seas calm so we decided to continue on for the day, heading to the bay outside of La Paz.

We spent some great days with a variety of friends in the magical town of La Paz. We managed to score a coveted spot at our favorite marina on the outside perimeter. Cheaper rent, with fresh water but no shore power but we have plenty of solar. The walk from the dock to the exit gate was 8 minutes which meant planning our outings accordingly (as in, bathroom, shower, doctor visits). 

Selecting my crown at a shop in La Paz!

In addition to walking a zillion steps every day on the malecon and throughout the town, most importantly, Mike got a shot in his knee to extend its life - to avoid knee replacement.  He went back to Dr. de la Toba, who’d done the 'clean up' knee procedure 11 months earlier. The same day as his appointment, Mike was able to get an X-ray and the diagnosis! A little different timing than in the US with doctor visits... We were sent off to the pharmacy to purchase Mike's injection and the pain pills so the procedure could be done - the following day. All good.

We were fortunate to spend quality time in a few of our favorite anchorages along the beautiful Sierra de la Giganta mountains on the Baja. Incredible vistas - it's hard to capture the colors and textures of that peninsula.

Mike up the mizzen
to bring down the 
wind generator

Judy tearing out the 
47 year old walls 
from the V berth

No blog would be complete without work photos, lest you think it's all fun and games. 

We are now back in Guaymas, on the short dock, and we begin our journey north to Portland tomorrow - after our dental appointments. The travel lift is down at Marina Fonatur - which is fraught with oh-so-many stories - so we have an alternative plan slated for our haul out. Once the lift is repaired and it's our turn, the pilot boat, Piloto, will tow us across the bay to the ways where Mario will haul us to our resting spot in the yard. Alejandro and crew will be on board to manage lines, etc. Fingers crossed this will go smoothly without our being here. We are relying on our excellent vendors to take care of our beloved vessel. 

We are motivated to arrive in Portland as we are flying to Paris on May 1st where we'll take a train to the Burgundy Region. We're renting a small canal boat for 10 days to explore the Loire region with our neighbors from Portland. New adventures await!