Our Destiny

Our beautiful grandkids on Halloween!!!

2010-11-07T18:29:00.000-08:00

As reported by Hillary, Fancy Nancy and a Ballerina Fairy ready to tackle the neighborhood on Halloween.

Brynn and Callie - Thanksgiving 2010

2010-10-29T18:33:00.001-07:00

2010-10-29T06:47:00.000-07:00

The Family departed Mexico for Colorado Springs in mid-June. Scott drove their overloaded Jeep while Hillary and the girls took the easy way by air. They seemed happy to be leaving behind the difficulties of living in Mexico in exchange for the good life in Colorado. We're confident that having us close by was not one of those difficulites ;-)

Our next task was to get ready for our own trip to America. We loaded up the Blazer with items The Family could not squeeze into their car which included one of Hillary's rescue dogs. Hillary was vigilant right to the end of her time in Mexico finding dogs that needed help. She arranged for training and adoption through a program run by the Colorado prison system and we provided the delivery service. We ended up bonding with this sweet dog but had no way to keep her.

Shortly after arriving in Colorado we flew to Chicago for a weekend with our friends Bill and Bonnie Nurre. The plan was for John to fly on a vintage World War II B-25 aircraft which would have been very cool except for mechanical problems that cancelled the flight.... Oh well, we had a good time anyway. The next weekend we flew to Charlotte to see Nick and Natalie for a planned drive to Charleston, SC. Charming city and lots of fun.

Once back in Colorado Springs we shopped for items that are hard to find in Mexico (read Gilly's Asian spices) and best of all were involved with the Brynn and Callie's activities. Brynn's participation in the City and State swim meets was a big highlight. She made us all proud and John felt like he was back in the days when Nick and Hillary were doing the same thing. Outstanding 3 week stay with The Family.

We departed Colorado Springs in early August headed for Alameda via Sedona, Grand Canyon, the Four Corners, Hoover Dam and Las Vegas. Beautiful drive and everything was perfect except for Vegas which was a little much for us.

Our friends Chuck and Cathy put us up in their lovely Alameda home for 10 days. We spent several days tossing out and consolidating our stored items and in time we'll hopefully get down to nothing. While doing this we caught up with friends and did our best to stay warm.

In mid August we departed the Bay Area for Punta Mita and along the way stayed with our friends Jo and Michael Gilliam in Rancho Mirage where it was plenty warm. Our subsequent trip through Nogales and on down to Punta Mita was uneventful. This despite all the negative news about the dangers of travelling through Mexico.

Two days after arriving at our condo the skies opened up with non-stop rain. Fortunately we had no damage but roads were washed out, bridges collapsed and homes destroyed. The ever resourceful Mexican people have rallied back from most of this.

We've been working to prepare Destiny for the upcoming cruising season. Our ambitious plans (for us) include cruising the Mexican Gold Coast and the Sea of Cortez and then going to southern California for the summer before sailing back to Mexico in November, 2011. We'll let you know how it goes.

Still loving retirment!

Click on photo to view album

From Mexico to the States and back....

Updated photos of our condo in Mexico

Our condo in Mexico

January to May 2010

2010-06-07T07:54:00.000-07:00

2010 has been quite different from our Mexico experience of the past two years when we spent considerable time on Destiny cruising the Mexican "Gold Coast" and up into the beautiful Sea of Cortez. John's daughter, Hillary, and family have been living in the nearby community of San Pancho since last August and we've been fortunate to spend spend a good deal of time with them. We've bonded with the grand kids in a way that would otherwise not be possible from some distance away.

We simply call the four of them "The Family" probably because they represent to us what the nuclear family is all about. Mom, dad and two young kids living together more or less harmoniously. How does a family like this living the American dream in Colorado Springs give it all up to spend almost a year in Mexico (rhetorical question). We're not talking about moving to a beach front condo in relatively affluent Punt Mita where we are lucky enough to live, but rather to a modest home in a real Mexican working class neighborhood. Their street is narrow, dusty and comes complete with all the sounds that make up Mexico. Endlessly loud music blaring from the neighbor across the street who must singlehandedly keep Corona in business, roosters that do much more than crow in the early morning, a constant parade of noisy trucks selling everything from donuts to dishware, stray dogs at the front door looking for food and water and it all goes on and on....

Imagine Scott, who was able to get permission from HP to work remotely for one year, having to endure this noise while involved in constant conference calls. He became an expert at using the mute button so his colleagues would not think he was just partying in Mexico. And then there is Hillary who dearly loves animals..... How could she not bring in these strays to make a better life for them?? And then there is 7 year old Brynn and 5 year old Callie attending a Spanish speaking school and having to make a new set of friends from another culture.

A must see video of their not-so-quiet street... Make sure your sound is up.

The Serenity of Calle Nueva Galicia from Hillary Dickman on Vimeo.

You might ask, "How did they handle all of this?" They did it with absolute flying colors! They all adjusted as necessary to their new life style and will soon go back to Colorado with a wealth knowledge about Mexico and the unique culture that makes up this most interesting of countries. And, they will carry back a new appreciation for what they have in America.

What about us?? We've been able to bond with the grand kids and enjoy special time with Scott and Hillary. Had they not decided to move to Mexico for 11 months none of this would have been possible. We can resume the cruising life style next year knowing that we were blessed by the presence.

Check out the photos to give you some idea of what we have been doing since we returned to Mexico at the end of October.

Double click on picture then click slideshow....

Photos

June '09 to January '10 - A catch-up.

2010-01-04T07:27:00.000-08:00

Here it is at the beginning of 2010 and we have not posted ANYTHING to our blog since last June. Shame on us as we try to bring you up to date on our various happenings as briefly as possible.

We decided to spend most of the hot and humid summer in Punta Mita to see what it was all about. By the end of June we were experiencing afternoon and night time thunder showers accompanied by spectacular lightning displays. For two people from coastal California where this kind of thing rarely happens, we were in awe of mother nature's awesome power. There were nights when we would be out on our deck at 2:00 AM mesmerized by what we were seeing. Truly spectacular especially compared to the benign and very pleasant winter time weather in this part of Mexico. Fortunately our condo home has great cross ventilation, so for the most part we were comfortable during the day with just the overhead fans churning away. We did finally get to the point where we fired up our bedroom air-con at night. Oh, what a treat to be under a blanket when the rest of our place was hot and steamy!

We made a quick trip to Colorado Springs at the end of July to pick up the grand kids and fly them to Mexico in anticipation of Scott and Hillary arriving by car for their 11 month stay. We said goodbye to them in their Jeep Cherokee loaded down with a dog, two cats, a year's supply of dog food and various household and kitchen items. There was barely enough room for the two of them, but they squeezed in and made record time to their new home in San Pancho which is close to our Punta Mita condo. A real treat for us to have them near by and we've taken full advantage of it.

We flew out of Puerto Vallarta on September 12 headed for the Bay Area where we had much to do before embarking on our 31 day cruise to Australia. We had doctors' appointments, friends to see, boat parts to buy, upgrades to our Alameda condo as well transporting our storage container to a new facility. After three years our fantastic tenant was moving out presenting us with another challenge. Our good friends, Lance and Sue Bateman, were ready to find new housing, and to our good fortune, they settled on our Alameda condo. We love the place and are thrilled to have them living there. We managed to get in one EYC cruise out with Jeff and Adrienne aboard "Bon Voyage" which was over the top fun. This gave us the opportunity to visit many of our friends and renew our appreciation for being part of Encinal Yacht Club.

After our hectic time in the Bay Area we boarded the magnificent "Star Princess" for our long awaited 31 day cruise to Australia. We can't begin to cover everything we did, but suffice to say it was fantastic to be on a vessel where we didn't have to do night watches, tackle mechanical problems, prepare and clean up meals, worry about the weather, etc, etc. We had lovely accommodations, great food, super entertainment and we quickly morphed into a totally relaxed mode. Our itinerary included two stops in Hawaii, three in French Polynesia, both Samoa's, Fiji, and four stops in New Zealand before arriving in Sydney. There were several times when we looked out of our stateroom window and thanked whoever was listening that we were not out there on our Destiny in those nasty conditions. A 109,000 ton 950 foot stabilized ship is quite different than a 42' sailboat. They both go on the water but that's the only thing they have in common.

Our long time friend, Lyn Cuttriss, met us on the dock in Sydney and graciously hosted us for four days. We both love Sydney and it was a treat to once again visit what we believe to be one of the world's great cities.

We flew back to San Francisco and spent 3 more hectic days before arriving back in Punta Mita on Halloween. The next day we got Destiny out of "mothballs" and moved her to the close by marina in La Cruz. Other than minor damage from hurricane Rick, we found her to be in surprisingly good shape.

Our next big event was Thanksgiving when we stuffed 29 people into our condo for a turkey dinner with all the trimmings. This is our favorite holiday and having so many friends and family here to celebrate with us made it even more special.

Since returning to Mexico we've been spending a good deal of time with Scott, Hillary and the grand kids as we want to take advantage of the limited time they'll be here while the grand kids hopefully pick up Spanish. We won't be doing any real cruising this season, but Destiny will be standing by ready to enjoy it all once again in 2010/2011.

We wish everyone a happy and prosperous 2010.

To view full size and read the captions, double click on a photo...

Back in Punta Mita...

2009-06-30T09:11:00.000-07:00

We've been back to our Punta Mita condo for several weeks after completing our second season of cruising the west coast of Mexico. Hurricane season runs May 15 through October 31 and brings with it warmer more humid weather along with frequent afternoon and evening thunder showers producing sometimes dramatic lightning. Since it's generally not a good time to be on the water we have Destiny safely tied up in La Cruz. Near the end of July we'll move her to the even safer venue of Paradise Village in case we experience some really nasty weather.
Our last posting had us still in the Sea of Cortez getting ready for an overnight crossing to Mazatlan where the boat was scheduled to be hauled before coming on home to Banderas Bay. We were able to get in a little sailing but motored most of the 170 odd miles without incident except for an alternator that kept overcharging the batteries. We disconnected the alternator which temporarily solved the problem enabling us to keep going. We arrived in Mazatlan on a Friday morning for our scheduled haul out on Monday. The boat yard and marina are all in the same complex complete with amenities like swimming pool, hot tub, very clean bathroom and shower facilities, WIFI and laundry room. We stayed on Destiny while she was out of the water and took full advantage of what the place had to offer. We, like most other boaters, dread the time out of the water but this was a fun and enjoyable experience. We partied with other cruisers at pot lucks and movie nights, and had a chance to further explore much of what Mazatlan has to offer. Best of all the work done to the boat was excellent and reasonably priced.

Mexico has a huge shrimping industry with Mazatlan at its center. On two occasions when the boat was hauled out we bought shrimp from a street vendor, and then took it to a nearby restaurant where they boil the shrimp for free and the beers are $1.00. The restaurant will prepare the shrimp in many other styles for around $3.00. Our favorite is sauteed in butter and garlic which is so yummy. It's a true Mexican setting with loud music no tourists around to spoil the ambience.

Being somewhat anxious to get home we decided to blast back to Banderas Bay without stopping somewhere along the way. We got in some good off wind sailing during the day and saw no other vessel traffic at night. In the early morning as we were approaching Punta Mita and Banderas Bay a series of nasty looking thunder storms materialized in front of us but dissipated as we started to make our way around them. All and all a good trip without incident.

Two weeks after returning, our friends David & Susan Sherrill arrived for an 9 day stay. We introduced them to the area around Punta Mita and then took off on Destiny for Chacala which is one of our favorite anchorages 35 miles to the north. Luckily we had a breeze out of the south so for much of the way we flew the spinnaker in ideal conditions. We caught our first dorado (mahi mahi), a fish that has alluded us since coming to Mexico, so it was sashimi later that afternoon.

Unfortunately, the anchorage at Chacala is open to the south so that afternoon and evening felt like we were on a floating trampoline. The next day things calmed down and with water in the mid 80's we kept jumping in and out. Our next stop was Guayabitos 7 miles down the coast where we understand 3,000 bikers visited the weekend before. That must have done in the place as we could not find anything open for dinner, so back on the boat Gilly and Susan put together a fantastic dish that will likely never be reproduced. Our trip home home in normal NW winds was another good one and we caught a second and larger dorado supplying our protein requirements the next few days. Who could ask for more??

We had planned to drive the Sherrill's into Vallarta but our Blazer decided to have an electrical problem which took a couple of days to sort out. It's such a shame as they were stuck swimming and surfing in front of the condo but somehow they adapted. We had a wonderful time with them and hopefully they'll come back for another visit. Soon after they left the weather got nasty so their timing was perfect.

During this past cruising season we went as far south as Manzanillo and subsequently well into the magnificent Sea of Cortez. We visited 22 different anchorages and overall covered about 2,000 miles. Not impressive when compared to what many others do, but certainly was a wonderful experience for us and we look forward to doing more of the same in the coming years. Right now we'd love to be enjoying the summer on San Francisco Bay where we have so many great friends and memories. Someday it will happen but for now we're happy having Destiny domiciled here.

Photos

2009-05-10T10:48:00.000-07:00

There are six slideshows - sorry, way too many photos, but difficult to edit. All have such good memories. Hopefully, you can go through one or two and come back another day and go through the rest. They are in date order from when we came back from the south in March to now. You can click on the slideshow to control the speed, then when finished either close or click gillyfoy's gallery to view another.

Heading back to Punta Mita - Feb/Mar '09

2009-05-09T16:13:00.000-07:00

The Whale Tail experience. Each photo is a separate raising of the tail. It went on for a long time.

2009-05-09T16:10:00.000-07:00

Back in Punta Mita - reuniting with Chuy

2009-05-09T16:09:00.001-07:00

La Cruz to La Paz - late March '09

2009-05-09T16:07:00.001-07:00

Sea of Cortez week - Early April '09

2009-05-09T16:03:00.000-07:00

Our Trip up into the Sea of Cortez - April '09

2009-05-09T16:00:00.001-07:00

February through April 2009

2009-05-05T12:34:00.000-07:00

The last time you heard from us was mid February when we were in Barra de Navidad which is about 160 miles south of our home base in Puerto Vallarta. We started to work our way home on February 20 with three stops along the way before reaching Punta Mita early in the morning of February 28 where we anchored in front of our condo. Our passage by the dreaded Cabo Corrientes (sometimes called Mexico's Point Conception) was nowhere near the challenge we encountered last year during the same passage. Staying comfortably anchored in a rolly Punta Mita became quite a challenge so before nightfall we headed east to the marina in La Cruz. While enroute we were treated to a thrilling tail splashing show put on by a mother whale and her calf. We were able to get as close as we dared as the whale splashed her tail over and over, each time with a tremendous thud on the surface of the water. After a while we saw this little tail come up and do the same thing. Very exciting for us to witness this unexpected show put on by two large residents of Banderas Bay.

We settled into life ashore while getting ready for John's college friends Bill & Bonnie Nurre and Bruce & Nancy Barley to spend time in Punta Mita. They stayed in a condo close to ours and by the time they left we had learned all kinds of new things about the area in which we live. This due to their outgoing personalities and thorough exploration of the whole area. It's crazy when visitors end up knowing more about the local area than we do. Super time was had by all.

Three days after their departure we had Destiny ready for more adventures and we took off, loosely traveling with our friends Louis & Laura on Cirque, with the ultimate goal of visiting the astoundingly beautiful Sea of Cotez. Our first leg was a day trip to Matanchen Bay which is just south of the town of San Blas into which Spanish galleons once sailed. From there it was an overnight trip to Mazatlan. During this leg we encountered an engine fuel leak, discovered just as we were entering Mazatlan. Through other cruising friends who were already there we found a mechanic who was able to diagnose and repair the problem. We also had him install our spare alternator as the old one sounded like it was about to give up the ghost. He and his partner were so professional that we decided to use their services to haul the boat on our return trip to Puerto Vallarta.

Three days later we departed Mazatlan for the sometimes bouncy overnight trip to an anchorage on the Baja side called Muertos (death in English)and from there it was a day trip on into La Paz. We had been told that the wind can come up at night in the Sea of Cortez and we were initiated the first night in Muertos when it gusted up to 35 knots. We were not really worried but as you will later read we should have been.

Upon arriving in La Paz we hooked up with 30 other boats to participate in a Latitude 38 sponsored event known as Sea of Cortez Sailing Week which started on April 1. This consisted of informal racing on four legs of 20 odd miles each and overnight stays in two beautiful anchorages. The sailing conditions could not have been more perfect with off the wind sailing in good breezes on all four of the legs. Although clearly not among the fastest boats participating, Destiny was never far behind the leaders and our red and white spinnaker really helped us out. Clearly one of the best sailing and socializing events we've ever done.

When the event was over we were back in La Paz (a town we very much like) to get ready for more adventures further into the Sea of Cortez. Our first adventure was anchoring in La Paz where the ever changing winds and tidal currents, not to mention other boats close at hand, make it a real challenge. We thought our anchoring experiences in the wind and currents of San Francisco Bay would give us the background we needed for La Paz. Wrong!! We could not take the anxiety anymore and went into a marina at 9:30 PM on our last night there and slept like babies.

We departed La Paz on April 9 for Ensenada Grande about 27 miles to the northeast. This was just the first of many beautiful anchorages that we've enjoyed in the Sea. The water in most all places is a clear emerald green with white sand beaches. The swimming, snorkeling, kayaking, hiking and boat bottom cleaning are among the best we've encountered in Mexico. Because there are so many attractive anchorages close by we've tended to move around much more to explore as much as possible while we're here. Compared to mainland Mexico the anchorages are generally quite calm and dinghy landings are easy without any kind of surf to survive. On the other hand, the wind can come up strongly from almost any direction so it's not unusual for the boat to turn much more than 360 degrees over any 24 hour period.

Since we've been in 16 anchorages we cannot describe them all but here are some highlights (actually, maybe low lights):

San Evaristo. Although there was a 14 knot breeze, we were enjoying ourselves on Easter Sunday afternoon when we noticed Destiny dragging. We got the engine fired up and went to pull the anchor only to find to our complete dismay that the anchor was not attached to the end of the chain. Had this happened when we were off the boat or sleeping at night, it would have been a real disaster probably resulting in loss of the boat, or at the very least serious damage. Our very fancy and expensive Italian made stainless steel swivel shackle had broken. We re-anchored with our spare, close to the place where we thought the anchor might be and spent the rest of the afternoon recovering and trying to figure out how to retrieve this bulky 55 pound object buried in the sand. The next day we used our GPS to spot where we thought it might be and then placed a marker over the spot. Gilly was the first to swim out there and found the anchor in short order. John then dove down in about 13' of water and attached a line and we then pulled Destiny over the top of the anchor and wrestled it on board. Had we not been able to recover the anchor it probably would have meant cutting out the balance of our cruising plans for this year. We've since heard of two other boats in Mexico with the same type of shackles that recently broke resulting the loss of their anchors. We strongly recommend to anyone using this type of shackle to toss it in the garbage. We were sooo lucky.

Isla Coronados. The Sea is a fantastic place but bees can be a problem. We were taking an afternoon nap (something we seem to do often) with our bedroom door closed as the generator was running when bees took over the boat. We opened the door to find them all over the main cabin. While John hid away from the action, Gilly quickly went on the offensive and ended up killing more than 100 of the pesky critters. She looked like a swatting fool and did a fantastic job saving her man.

As this is being written we're in an anchorage known as Los Gatos making our way back to La Paz and then on to Mazatlan which requires an overnight trip across the Sea of Cortez. Our Destiny will be hauled there to have the bottom sanded and painted with hopefully not too many other items to be done. After that it's back to Punta Mita where we're very much looking forward to a visit from David & Susan Sherill in early June.

December through February 17

2009-02-17T11:26:00.000-08:00

Gosh, it's been 2 months since we last updated our blog which unfortunately is about right for us.

In our last addition we talked about Destiny's transmission dying just as we were entering the marina in La Cruz. Fortunately, the actual repair turned out to be a minor one but it took time and a few $$ to figure out what went wrong. Everything is now better than new so we'll just wait to see what's the next item to have some kind of issue.

We loaded up Destiny and took off from La Cruz on December 13. Our goal was to reach Barra de Navidad by December 24 with intermediate stops along with way at Punta Mita (right off our condo), Chamela and Tenacatita. All went well except for our success in fishing which seems to have escaped us. Other friends are catching nice fish but we might as well be in the Dead Sea. Fortunately fresh fish is easy to buy in Mexico so it's not a big deal. Our friend, Debbie Bledsoe, who lives in La Cruz drove to Barra to spend Christmas with us and then gave us a ride back to Punta Mita in time to meet Scott, Hillary, our cute and constantly active little grand-girls, and their dog, Libbie, for their two week visit. Prior to leaving Barra we spent Christmas day at a cruiser's pot luck that included turkey and ham with all the trimmings and many wonderful side dishes. Definitely not your traditional Christmas around the fire with family but very enjoyable.

The family visit was fantastic and it looks like we will be seeing much more of them as they're planning to spend the next school year in San Francisco (known as San Pancho by the locals) which is a half hour drive north of our condo. The girls will be immersed in Spanish during their stay and will hopefully be fluent when they go back to Colorado Springs. Scott's employer has given him permission to work away from the office as long as he has an internet connection. As you can imagine we're very much looking forward to this.

Hillary took and posted fabulous pictures of the girls during their stay - please check out their blog and the photos, on the attached link - "Our Grandkids"...

On January 18 we took a 4.5 hour, first-class bus ride, complete with movies and a snack from Puerto Vallarta to Barra de Navidad. Cost at the current exchange rate was $12 pp. Destiny was waiting for us at the spectacular Grand Bay Hotel marina. The hotel is 5 star rated with beautiful facilities but only a handful of guests. We're not sure how the place stays open as the staff must outnumber the guests by 10 to 1. After enjoying the hotel facilities, provisioning and getting the boat ready to go, we headed out for Santiago Bay 20 miles to the southeast. We were in the area two years ago for a one day stay with David & Anneke aboard Freedom so we had some idea what to expect. We spent two+ weeks in the three very different anchorages and we enjoyed them all. First was Santiago, the more traditional Mexican anchorage with a broad beach dotted with palapa restaurants, followed further along by magnificent multi-million dollar homes. The second, Las Hadas (where the movie "10" was filmed) has a real Mediterranean feel with hotels and restaurants looking down on a relatively small anchorage.

The last anchorage was the beautiful and remote Carrizal, which has no shore side facilities but fantastic scenery and snorkeling, with live coral, right off the back of the boat. One afternoon, after a bout of snorkling, Gilly was sitting in the cockpit reading when a shark cruised two feet from the boat. It had spots, dorsal fin and the classic shark tale, but as we didn't see it's head it was hard to identify. We guessed it was about 10-12 feet long. Other cruiser's think it may have been a whale shark. Regardless, we were glad to be out of the water when it decided to come calling.

All of these anchorages are just north of the port city of Manzanillo which we also enjoyed visiting several times.

On February 11 we made the trip back to Barra where we're now anchored in what they call 'the lagoon'. We can see the Grand Bay Hotel but staying in the lagoon is much easier on the budget. Last year we came here with the idea of staying 2 days and ended up hanging around for 2 weeks. We love the feel of the place and the little town of Barra which is an easy dinghy ride away. We'll stay here until around February 20 when we start our trek back to La Cruz in time for visitors to the condo. After that we plan to be in La Paz by April 1 for another event sponsored by Latitude 38. Very much looking forward to this plus spending more time in the Sea of Cortez.

No matter what we're doing, our time in Mexico seems to fly by faster than we realize.

Click on the photos to view....

Christmas to Feb 17 in Barra de Navidad

Chuy...

Chuy - our semi adopted beach dog...

2009-01-03T09:15:00.000-08:00

Alameda to Punta Mita - October 8 / December 9

2008-12-09T09:53:00.000-08:00

After a wonderful 10 day stay with Chuck & Cathy during which we had doctor's appointments, we departed from Alameda for Punta Mita on October 8 in our seriously overloaded Blazer looking a bit like the Beverly Hillbillies. Our first stop was Rancho Mirage to spend a couple of days with Jo & Michael which turned out to not be enough time with our very good friends. After more than three months away we were anxious to get back to the boat and condo and that seemed to overwhelm all else. Our next stop was Nogales, AZ where we needed to stay for an extra day to let hurricane Norbert pass through our exact route to the south. Although we saw flooding and various kinds of wind destruction along the way, the highway was in good shape and we were able to make it Punta Mita with only one overnight stop during the 1,100 miles we traveled in Mexico.

We arrived to find both the boat and the condo in excellent condition after the hot and humid summer. No bad smells, no mold, nothing with either one. We had a dehumidifier going in the condo and two fans on the boat, which had been completely emptied of all our stuff before we left. We spoke with others who were not so fortunate and ended dealing with mold and other nasty things. Although we arrived back to Banderas Bay in mid-October the weather was still summer time hot and humid with spectacular displays of lightning and thunder in the late afternoons and nights. As coastal Californians, this kind of weather is something we're not accustomed to seeing so we were wide eyed much of the time. We're told that Puerto Vallarta received over 45 inches of rain while we were gone resulting in lush jungle growing everywhere around us. When we left in late June, the area was brown and scrubby so you can imagine our excitement upon seeing intense greens laced with flowering vines that greeted us on our return to what has now become our home.

It took us while to get both the boat and the condo into livable shape which we wanted to do prior to David & Anneke Dury's arrival in early November as our first guests of the new season. On November 1 we moved the boat from its summertime home in Paradise Village Marina to the much closer new marina in La Cruz which is a short 18 minute drive from Punta Mita. We would have done this last year but the rental rates at that time in La Cruz were way too expensive for retirees on a fixed income. We had a fun time with the Dury's and managed to actually catch a fish during one of our two sails in Banderas Bay. Ceviche and sashimi were the order of the day.

Three days after the Dury's left we departed on a one week shakedown cruise to test our various systems after the boat had been sitting idle for more than four months. Our destination was Chacala, an anchorage we visited twice last season which is 35 miles north of Punta Mita. We had nifty sail from La Cruz to Punta Mita, and after an overnight stay during which we stared at our condo, we motored the rest of the way to Chacala with all systems seeming to work well. We ran into friends from last year who were anchored in Chacala and made new friends with others. After a f ew days there we went six short miles south to Guayabitos where we caught up with our friends Louis and Laura on the Alameda based Cirque. We then had a fun sail down the beautiful Nayarit coast to our slip in La Cruz. Looks like we have to change our lures as we've have had no real luck fishing.

Our next adventure was having 19 people to our condo for a traditional Thanksgiving dinner with two turkeys and all the trimmings. We have so much to be thankful for and this was a perfect way for us and our friends to count our blessings.

On December 3 we took off on something called the Banderas Bay Blast which is a three day event sponsored by Latitude 38. It consists of three casual races with overnight stays in La Cruz and Punta Mita and parties each night. What could be more to our liking? The weather and sailing conditions were perfect, and even though our boat was not close to the fastest boats in the fleet, she did very well. Unfortunately, upon returning to La Cruz the transmission would not engage our engine so we ended up having to be towed to our slip. The transmission is now out of our boat for repair and our departure for points south has been delayed. A real bummer but it could have happened in a much worse place than outside of our slip.

We're looking forward to the arrival of Hillary, Scott and family shortly after Christmas. In the meantime we'll let you know how things go with our transmission.

Those of you who have sailed in Mexico know the charts that were created in the 1800's by the English are notoriously inaccurate. We thought it would be fun to show you just how inaccurate.... Check out the following photos...

Double click on the photo, so you can read the captions....

Our Trip back to the U.S. - End June to End September

2008-09-20T14:45:00.000-07:00

The time has flown by since our end June departure from Punta Mita for Colorado Springs in our trusty green Blazer. Since we're now better acquainted the Mexican roads and the sometimes very impatient Mexican drivers (in a big hurry to go who knows where??), our trip north seemed much easier than the drive south last December. Most of the time we could even come up with the correct peso amount at the dozen or so toll booths along the way. We also went through several check points set up by the Mexican military which we presume is part of the country's effort to slow down the flow of illegal drugs. In almost every case when they saw two confused and harmless looking gringos we were waived right through while they carefully searched others. It would save a lot of hassle if our TSA could use the same tactics. After one last $2.70/gal fill up at Pemex we went through the boarder at Agua Verde into Douglas, AZ and headed for Albuquerque, NM where we spent the night. The 2.5 day drive through Mexico went well but it was great to be back on American roads and know that if something bad happens we could find help much more easily than in Mexico.

The next day we arrived in Los Alamos, NM where we spent the night with John's high school friend, Brad Duni and his wife Patti. They have a beautiful home nestled in a forest setting at 7,500 feet with a spectacular view. We also had a chance to visit Taos and Santa Fe both of which are must return places so, Brad & Patti, watch out because we're coming back!!

On July 2 we arrived at Scott & Hillary's home in Colorado Springs and liked it so much that we decided to stay for the whole month of July except for a brief five day visit to Nick & Natalie in Charlotte. We absolutely love being immersed in Scott & Hillary's family life which gives us, among many other things, almost unlimited time with Brynn and Callie and their various activities. Trust us when we say we were on the go from early in the morning until sometime after 8:00 PM when the kids finally settle in for the night. It's a true all-American household with 2 young kids, 2 cats, a dog, a productive vegetable garden and more love than you can imagine. Colorado Springs has a wonderful family environment and we're so happy to see the Dickman family living it to the fullest. Check out Scott and Hill's hike, two weeks ago, to the top of the 14,200' Mt. Yale.

Even though it was way too brief, our stay with Nick & Natalie was super . We had not been to Charlotte since shortly after Nick bought what we think is the cutest house ever with tons of curb appeal. Last time we visited we had to sleep on a blow up mattress on the floor but things have changed and this time we slept on a real bed. While in the area the four of us drove to Asheville, NC to visit our friends Pat & Susie Cunningham who have a lovely summer home in the Smokey Mountains. It was a real treat to catch up with them while we had an opportunity to fish and even do some skeet shooting which was a first for all of us. Unbelievably, Nick the rookie shooter, was the man by hitting his first two clay pigeons.

On August 2 we loaded up the Blazer with way too much stuff purchased for the boat and condo and headed for the Bay Area. We were both blown away by the gorgeous scenery along the way. After being constantly bombarded by the media about how bad things are in America, it's so refreshing to get out on the road witness the magnificent beauty of our great country. Our infrastructure may have some problems but compared to what we see in Mexico, driving down the road here is a breeze. We're sick of America bashing and can't wait to get back on the boat where we have our own set of responsibilities and problems away from the constant haranguing.

Our first stop was Wendover, UT and then through Reno, NV and on into Carson City, NV where we spent the night. Whoa, have those two cities changed!! Neither of us had been there for some time and were amazed by the growth. The next day we arrived at South Lake Tahoe where we spent two nights with sailing friends, Steve & Pam Lannen whom we met in Mexico. They live in a beautiful mountain setting and we got an insider's tour of the area from two long time residents as well as an introduction into “Mexican Train”. We're really looking forward to seeing them again this winter in Mexico.

Our next stop was Lafayette where we spent two nights with Jeff & Adrienne Rogers before heading to the Delta for our 11th consecutive year, this time aboard Mike & Ina's Catalina 42, "Nova". Wow, it was great to once again be on a boat and spending time with many of our good friends from Encinal Yacht Club. Our Baja Ha-Ha crew, Rod & Peggy Kidd, gave Mike & Ina a break by taking us for two nights. After coming back from the Delta George & Maxine were so very generous in allowing us to stay on their power boat "This is It" for three weeks. It was very much like, "Old home week" as their boat is docked very close to where we lived aboard "Destiny" for six years. It's unbelievable how much we did during those three weeks and we really cannot cover all of it here. The list of friends who invited us for dinner or, in some other way made us feel so warm and welcome, was overwhelming. We are truly blessed to have so many wonderful friends which is what we really miss the most by being away in Mexico.

On September 2 we left the Blazer at Jeff & Adrienne's and flew back to Colorado Springs for another stay with the Dickman family. We will fly back to San Francisco on September 27 for some last minute doctor appointments and then take off for Punta Mita. While in the Bay Are we picking up more items for the boat and condo and are not really sure how we will get everything stuffed into the car, but we'll find a way. After three months away from "Destiny" and our condo we're anxious to get back and plan new adventures for the winter.

Sea Turtle visits our beach

2008-09-20T14:20:00.000-07:00

Late one evening in June, a couple of weeks before we headed back to the U.S., we were sitting on our deck watching the surf and spotted something crawling out of the ocean. We guessed it was a turtle and ran down to the beach accompanied by our building’s security guard to check it out.

A turtle had crawled up the beach to lay her eggs. Surprisingly, she headed straight for our fence and, with her back to the security lights, started digging her hole. It was amazing to watch her awkwardly dig with her flippers. She worked at it for about 20 minutes then suddenly turned and filled in the hole. We assumed it was because of the bright light.

She wandered off and got stuck in a drainage ditch, our security guard and his friend lifted her out and she made her way back to the water.

It was so sad, the turtles come back to the beach where they originally hatched up to 30 years before to make their nests. With all the development and the security lights dotted along beaches it is disorienting them and likely limiting their nesting locations. It would be great if, during their nesting season, the buildings could turn off the lights.

The Mexicans are very protective of the turtles. The Marines are in charge of collecting the eggs when a nest is found and taking them to a secure location to hatch.

Following are some photos we took.

2008-06-12T13:51:00.000-07:00

Double click on the photo to see larger size and captions...

What happened to May?? And - our condo's finished - check out the photos above...

2008-06-12T13:16:00.000-07:00

While at Catalina last September we met Barritt & Renee from the San Diego based Peterson 44, Serendipity, who were just ending 8 years of cruising including a lot of time in the Caribbean and a double transit of the Panama Canal. We caught up with them again in San Diego as we were preparing take off for Mexico in late October. They were kind enough to help us out with timely advice on many subjects as well as drive us all over town so that we could provision Destiny. They flew down to Puerto Vallarta in early May and the four of us had more fun that we could really handle. We had a typically great sail on Banderas Bay and three semi-crazy days at the condo in Punta Mita. We really look forward to seeing them again this winter when they bring the new upgraded Serendipity back to Mexico.

After recovering from Barritt and Renee's visit we took off on Destiny and enjoyed a terrific sail from Paradise Village to Punta Mita where we spent the balance of the day and evening staring at our condo from the water. Have to say it looked very inviting. The next morning we left under calm conditions for the 40 odd mile trip north to Chacala, a beautiful anchorage we visited last November on our way south.

Our friends Louis and Laura Kruk of the Alameda based Beneteau 42s7, Cirque, were anchored there having just done the overnight run south from Mazatlan. We had a good time visiting with them for a few days before they left for Puerto Vallarta where Cirque will spend the summer with Destiny. Our stay in Chacala was delightful marred only by our non-working refrigerator, which meant that we had to keep throwing in ice every day to keep our beer and other essentials cold. After 5 days in Chacala we enjoyed a splendid light air sail back to Punta Mita for a night and then on to Puerto Vallarta.

Shortly after this JoAnne & Michael Gilliam (she was Gilly's matron of honor) flew down to celebrate our first and their 20th wedding anniversaries. Hard to imagine that a year has gone by soooo quickly and how much different our lives are than just a year ago. We had a tremendous time with them and they left just before the rainy season made its debut in the Puerto Vallarta area.

We're now concentrating on getting Destiny ready for the summer which includes making sure she can handle a big storm (meaning hurricane) should that happen. We moved her to a much more secure dock and we're not anticipating any big problems, but one never knows what will happen.

At the end of June we'll drive up to Colorado to spend time with Scott & Hillary and grandkids before flying to Charlotte to visit with Nick & Natalie. At the end of July we'll drive from Colorado to Alameda arriving just in time for the EYC cruise to the Delta where fortunately Mike Pernitzke and Ina Tabak have taken pity on the boat-less Foy's and are giving us a ride. Very much looking forward to catching up with our Bay Area friends, as being away from friends and family is the only thing we don't like about Mexico....

Our condo is pretty much furnished and decorated so please check out the photos above to get some idea of what it's like.

March & April Happenings in Mexico - photos below

2008-05-06T14:12:00.000-07:00

Once again we have to start off with an apology for our tardiness in bringing everyone current as to what we’ve been doing. Guess what??? There’s no good excuse so we won’t bother trying to come up with some lame explanation.

Scott, Hillary, along with the very cute and always active Brynn and Callie, were here for nine fun filled days. Nick was also able to make it down from Charlotte for a shorter period. This was the first time we had guests for more than one night in our new condo. Everyone took full advantage of the pool, beach and other amenities that we’re trying to not take for granted. Things started off on down note when, due to his overly stressful retirement lifestyle, John got Hillary’s arrival date mixed up and so nobody was there to greet the little family at the airport. Fortunately we just happened to be close to the airport when Hillary called wondering what in the world had happened. From then on all went well and it was hard to see them leave us.

Next we were off to La Paz aboard Richard Spindler’s 63’ catamaran “Profligate” to participate in the Sea of Cortez Sailing Week. The SOC sailing week is an event started a number of years ago by Richard who is the founder, editor and publisher of Latitude 38, a magazine which has become an icon not only for sailors in the S.F. Bay area, but all over the world. Our sailing friends all know who he is so the introduction is for the benefit of others who’ve likely never heard of him. Richard’s long time girl friend, Donna, was also aboard so it was just the four of us for the next 12 days. We departed Puerto Vallarta on March 28 at 7:30 PM for the 350 mile trip to La Paz and arrived 36 hours later at Balandra which is an anchorage just north of La Paz. We motored the whole way with the big catamaran charging through the relatively light conditions at just over 9 knots and, with four of us on board, watches were only two hours long with six hours off so the whole trip was a breeze. Over the years, the Sea of Cortez Sailing Week died out so Richard and others put quite a bit of effort into reviving the event with an eye toward keeping it intimate with very relaxed racing and that’s exactly what happened. Everything took place relatively close to La Paz with four races between two different island venues in conditions varying from no wind to 25 knots. There were 14 boats with just under 30 people hanging together for six days, so we had the opportunity to make new friends and revive some earlier friendships initially made during the Baja Ha Ha. The biggest thrill for us was sailing “Profligate” in 25 knots of wind flying a huge Santa Cruz 70 spinnaker doing a steady 15 knots (even hit 16) and successfully executing a gybe. The catamaran was extremely stable under these conditions with the only real sense of speed coming from looking at the knot meter or looking back at the rooster tail wakes made by the two hulls. Richard and Donna were wonderfully entertaining hosts and the whole experience was fantastic for us.

Reality set back in when we had to make our way back to Puerto Vallarta. There are only two ways to do this trip via public transportation. One is by air which we deemed to be too expensive so we opted for an overnight ferry ride from La Paz to Mazatlan and then a bus ride to P.V.. We’d heard horror stories from someone who previously rode the ferry saying it was impossible to get a cabin and the food was not edible so we made our way to the downtown ticket office expecting the worst. Fortunately there turned out to be plenty of cabins available and we’ve had worse meals in many places. The ferry is definitely old and needs more than a bit of sprucing up, but the always friendly Mexicans made us overlook whatever shortcomings might have existed. Our cabin was quite small but functional and what the heck, we were only there for one night. Unlike the Dawn Princess, which we took to Alaska last June, we were more than ready to disembark the ferry in Mazatlan. Unfortunately we had to wait all day for the next bus to P.V. and ultimately did not arrive until 1:30 AM.

Our next big project was getting the condo painted. Gilly was determined to do the place in, “real Mexican colors” but agonized for days over which colors to chose. She was buried in color books and paint samples with ever changing ideas about which way to go. John was of course no real help only indicating that he didn’t want the place to look like some kind of Mexican odd-ball circus. We found a great painter who did the whole condo for $500 plus the cost of paint/supplies and we think it turned out super. Others who’ve seen it agree and hopefully they’re not just trying to be nice. The condo is now about 97% furnished and decorated so that’s behind us.

Jeff and Adrienne Rogers were here for six very enjoyable days. The last time they were in Punta Mita it was a true adventure just to get here and the level of development was nothing like it is today. We think they walked away a bit amazed by what’s happened in this part of the world.

Early next week we’re taking Destiny to Chacala which is an anchorage 40 odd miles north of Punta Mita that we visited last November on our way south. This will probably be our last cruise before putting the boat to bed for the expected hot and muggy summer months. We plan to spend July through mid October visiting various places in the U.S. Be careful, we might show up at your place….

Publishing today's email...

2008-03-28T15:49:00.003-07:00

If you've read all these emails, please scroll down to the photos that follow....

The last time you heard from us we were enjoying Tenacatita Bay for the second time before heading back to Puerto Vallarta. During this stay there were large swells coming through the anchorage and crashing onto the beach with an almost deafening roar. Because of this, dinghy landings on the beach were all but impossible so we were sequestered on the boat until the swells eased up a bit which finally happened after 3 days. We were ready to get off the boat for a walk along the beach and a tall cool one at the local palapa restaurant so we bravely took off and landed the dinghy without any problems. Embolded by our success in landing, John thought getting out would be a "piece of cake" since we could see what was coming at us even though Gilly did not show the same degree of optimism. As we stood on the beach getting ready to go we saw another dinghy going out and literally flying over four large and very steep waves. The trick (we're told) is to wait for a calm period as the waves come in sets so that's what we did. We got in the dinghy and took off as fast as we could but all of a sudden a big wave was on us and we got tossed out into the water. John had not fastened on the "Kill switch" to his wrist so the outboard kept going, but fortunately at slow speed and the dinghy came back to John who was able to reach up and stop the engine. He jumped in and made it out through the surf but had to leave Gilly who soon after swam out through the surf and got into the dinghy. With most of the anchorage watching us we provided the afternoon's entertainment, but fortunately no one was hurt and we'll try it again with hopefully better results next time.

We departed Tenacatita with calm seas in the early morning of March 1st headed for Chemela 44 miles to the northwest. Our plan was to stay there for a few days before making it the rest of the way back to Puerto Vallarta. The large swells were once again running and we found out from other cruisers that the anchorage was very rolly and dinghy landings impossble so we decided to continue on to Cabo Corrientes (Cape of Currents), another 50 odd miles further north, which is the entrance to Banderas Bay and Puerto Vallarta. The weather forecast was for little or no wind so we felt confident in continuing on through the night. Unfortunately forecasts are not always accurate and we got slamed with 24 knot+ winds and steep seas. The boat handled it very well and we got some good experience taking only 1 hour watches throughout the night. We arrived off our Punta Mita condo at 6:00 AM dropped the anchor and slept until 10:00.

We've since being doing more work to the condo which has turned out better than we ever anticipated and had a wonderful 9 day visit from Scott, Hillary and the grandkids as well as Nick making it down for a few days.

This weekend we are heading to La Paz with our condo neighbors Richard Spindler and Dona
aboard their 63' catamaran where we'll do something called La Paz Race Week. Should be a lot of fun and we're very much looking forward to it. We'll then take the ferry from La Paz to Mazatlan and then a bus back to Puerto Vallarta.

We'll soon be posting some new photos to our blog later today.

Publishing our February 26th email

2008-03-28T15:48:00.001-07:00

Sorry it's been almost 3 weeks since we last brought everyone up to date with our travels. The stress of retired life is such that we don't always get around to the most important things we should be doing each day. In fact, we're not sure what we actually do as the days just fly by, and before we know it another sunset marks the onset of a star filled night making us promise to, "Let people know what we're doing".
Enough for shabby excuses... We departed Tenacatita on February 11 in the company of our new friends on two other boats for the short 12 mile trip further south to Barra de Navidad. Unlike our nice sail from Chemela to Tenacatita there was no wind so it was motoring all the way presenting a good opportunity to charge our always hungry batteries. One year ago we visited Barra de Navidad with David and Anneka Dury aboard Freedom so we had a reasonable idea of what to expect. On that trip we stayed in the upscale marina adjacent to a 5 star resort hotel with full privileges to all the facilities. However, on this trip we were planning to anchor in the nearby lagoon which we understood to be muggy and loaded with bugs ready to suck the blood right out of us. Our plan was to fuel up with diesel, fill our water tanks and stay for maybe 2 days before heading back to Tenacatita. The great thing about cruising is being able to change plans on a whim.
The Barra lagoon reminded us of the California Delta which we've always enjoyed. The water is about the same color (but salt rather than fresh), it's shallow with a mud bottom, nice and warm, the wind comes up every afternoon and there's no rolling in the calm conditions. We looked around and felt so comfortable that we ended up spending 2 weeks rather than 2 days. And, the bugs never really attacked us as advertised. The afternoon wind is sometimes brisk so some unattended boats end up dragging anchor (called the "Barra Shuffle"). A call goes out on the radio and a whole fleet of dinghies quickly descend on the wayward vessel to keep it off the surrounding shoals or other boats. The same thing happens as boats stray from the narrow unmarked channel into the adjacent shoals when entering and departing the lagoon. Great entertainment for all except those receiving the help.
The little town of Barra de Navidad is a low key tourist destination with small hotels and plenty of inexpensive sidewalk restaurants. We ended up going there at least every other day to mostly wander around enjoying the ambiance and resupplying our always dwindling supplies of wine, beer and rum. We have not had any luck catching a Dorado (otherwise know as Mahi-Mahi and Dolphin fish), but there is plenty of VERY fresh Dorado available in Barra for much less than we'd ever pay at home. No need for us to put out our fishing lines for a while.
All good things must come to an end so we departed Barra on February 23 for Tenacatita as we begin our trek back to Puerto Vallarta. We had a nice breeze from the SE and ended up screaming into Tenacatita Bay at more than 8 knots. We'll stay here for several more days and make one more stop before reentering Banderas Bay and readying our condo for Hillary, Nick and family to visit (Yippee!).

Publishing our February 6th email

2008-03-28T15:46:00.001-07:00

We departed the small anchorage of Ipala at 0730 on January 26 bound for Chamela 52 miles further south. Not enough wind for sailing so we motored the whole way and were unlucky enough to catch two large Toro's (otherwise known as Jack Crevalle). With the first one we thought we had a real catch until Gilly started to fillet the large fish and found nothing but very dark red (almost purple) meat. We found out they're really bad eating so we ended up tossing it back which we really hated to do. We hooked another one, had real trouble removing the hook but we're finally able to release it.
We found Chamela to be a very pleasant, although a bit rolly, anchorage. There are several palapa restaurants on the beach with $1.00 to $1.20 Pacifico's so this gave us an excuse to further hone our dinghy landing skills through the surf. Fortunately we never crashed and burned getting on the beach, but we did have one case where the dinghy took on lots of water on the way out so we had to go back empty in it out and try again. We're making good progress, but it is a bit nerve racking every time we do it. We ended up spending time with new friends who also have Catalina's which participated with us in the Baha Ha Ha from San Diego to Cabo San Lucas back in November. We explored the little village together with each of us contributing a bit of knowledge to assist the others in finding what they needed. Lots of fun to share this experience.
We departed Chamela on February 1 in the company of our friends on Moody Blues (Catalina 50) and Jammin (Catalina 42) for the 30 mile trip to Tenacatita with an unusual 11-13 knot breeze from the southeast. It was an absolutely fantastic sail as we tacked our way down the coast under warm and pleasant conditions. We had our fishing lines out and ended up catching two more Toro's which after some difficulty we released to be caught by someone else. We're beginning to think these are the only fish in this part of the world as our friends were catching the same thing.
We were fortunate enough to visit Tenacatita one year ago with David and Anneke Dury aboard Freedom, which is our all time favorite boat. We knew then that we wanted to come back and spend much more time in this very special place. The anchorage is large enough to accommodate many boats but right now there are only about 30 with people coming and going each day. Although there is an all inclusive hotel at the very far east end of the beach, there is nothing else except one small palapa on the beach. No provisions of any kind are available here. On Sunday in the company of 5 other dinghys we did what is known as the "Jungle Cruise". There is an estuary on the west end of the beach with just enough water coming out so that under the right tidal conditions it's possible to float through and then proceed about 2 miles up the river into thick vegetation that ultimately becomes a canopy blocking out the sun. Lots of wildlife to see along the way and then it ends in large lagoon where we beached the dinghys. We then walked a short distance to palapa restaurants on a nice beach where we enjoyed lunch with the 9 others who did the trip. All and all a fun trip that exceeded our expectations.
Yesterday, with our friends from Moody Blues and Jammin, we did a totally different kind of dinghy excursion this time going across Tenacatita Bay to the 4 mile distant village of La Manzanilla. We left at 10:00 AM in calm seas with no wind and after a quick ride Gilly did get completely drenched with our less than perfect beaching but we were able to walk away from it. La Manzanilla is one of the typical villages that we love so much, supported by panga fishing and some degree of tourism. While enjoying what was probably the best lunch we've had in Mexico, the sea conditions were building to at least 25+ knots so no way we were going to tackle that in our dinghys, but it gave us more time to explore La Manzanilla and return to the same restaurant for a light dinner while things became a bit more suitable for the trip home. While assisting us in launching our dinghy through the surf, Dave from Jammin stepped on a sting ray and received a very serious wound. We know this is extremely painful and today after proper treatment and antibiotics to hold off any kind of infection he seems to be doing as well as can be expected.
Speaking of medical issues, Gilly's elbow seems to finally be on the road to full recovery. The swelling and pain have much subsided so we're hopeful this marks the end of this episode in our cruising adventure.
As soon as we get to an internet connection, we will be posting photos to our blog.

Publishing our January 25th email...

2008-03-28T15:45:00.001-07:00

Sorry it's been so long since we've brought you up to date with our adventures in Mexico. For the last six weeks it's been fairly mundane as we've been living in our Punta Mita condo while working to furnish and take possession of the place. The developer has done a fantastic job and most everything has exceeded our expectations. When we first saw the vacant lot two years ago and put down a deposit we wondered how in the world this strange looking piece of overgrown beach front property could ever be turned into what has become a gorgeous six story structure. Our two bedroom two bath unit is on the third floor with a great view of the pool, palapa and the ocean. Furnishing the place has been a bit of an adventure but gave us a good opportunity to explore Puerto Vallarta while trying to find everything from bar stools to bedroom furniture. With most of this now behind us we're back on Destiny which after six years of living aboard truly seems like our home.
While working away on the condo we kept the boat at Marina Vallarta which is in a super location with shops, restaurants and other amenities located close by but the marina itself is in a sad state of disrepair. Security is non-existent and the marina staff avoids anything that might cause them to do a bit of work. Fortunately we had only a few small problems with the boat while we were away doing other things.
Last Saturday we planned to sail Destiny to Punta Mita and anchor off the condo for a day or two before heading further south in Mexico. Unfortunately Gilly's elbow flared up again and the original doctor who treated her could not see her until late Monday afternoon. After seeing her he declared that she needed to go back on antibiotics and start icing the elbow which she has been religiously doing and it all seems to be working. So Tuesday we took off on a brisk sail to Punta Mita and caught two sierra fish while pounding to weather in 19 knots with gusts to 22. Gilly quickly filleted these great eating fish and it was sashimi for the crew of Destiny that night.
Early Thursday morning we departed Punta Mita for the 40 mile trip to the fishing village of Ipala where we are presently the only boat anchored. The anchorage is only a 1/4 mile wide with a few palapa restaurants on the small beach and neat looking little homes in the village. Sorry that we cannot send along any photos until we are able to get an internet connection which may be some time from now.
At every turn we have found the people of Mexico to be very warm and friendly. We feel honored to be guests in their country and fortunate to have the ability to explore this wonderful land.

4th and last stop. Barra de Navidad. Probably our favorite spot.

2008-03-28T15:41:00.000-07:00

La Manzanilla - a wonderful little town on the other side of Tenacatita Bay.

2008-03-28T15:13:00.000-07:00

We, with two other couples, dinghy'd the four miles across the bay to visit this little town. We were stuck there for 9 hours as the wind piped up to 25+ knots. This was where our friend, Dave from Jammin, was stung by a stingray.

3rd stop - Tenacatita and the jungle cruise

2008-03-28T14:55:00.000-07:00

Our great sail from Chemala to Tenacatita - some super wild life shots compliments of our friend Susea McGearhart....

2008-03-28T14:25:00.001-07:00

2nd stop - Chemala - we really enjoyed this anchorage

2008-03-28T14:07:00.001-07:00

January 22, 08 - heading south: First stop, Ipala...

2008-03-28T13:55:00.000-07:00

December '07/January '08 in Mexico

2008-03-28T13:47:00.001-07:00

Early December - Banderas Bay Blast

2008-03-28T13:10:00.000-07:00

Chacala

2007-12-06T09:40:00.000-08:00

We wish all of our friends and family could enjoy this rustic little village before it becomes an overbuilt tourist attraction. It’s only about 50 miles north of bustling Puerto Vallarta making it inevitable that sooner or later big changes will come. We anchored bow and stern 250 feet off the sandy beach giving us a perfect view of the half dozen palapa restaurants tucked in under rows of palm trees. The hills around Chacala are thick with the intense green vegetation that one finds only in tropical locations. Although the water is not particularly clear it’s a pleasing green color and deliciously warm and inviting. The shore break is relatively mild and we had a good chance to practice our dinghy landings and so far nothing bad has happened, but stay tuned as we try our skills in more difficult locations. Other Ha-Ha participants have been arriving here so we’ve had a chance to renew earlier acquaintances and make some new ones. All hands agree this is a special place and we’re glad for the opportunity to spend a few days before moving on to Punta Mita where our soon to be finished condo is located. If all goes well we should be anchored in front of the condo around November 29.

Almost forgot! While enjoying an early afternoon beer in one of the Chacala palapas we noticed whales spouting not far off the anchorage so we quickly cleared up the bill and jumped into our dinghy for a closer view of these magnificent animals. (Check out the photos). What a treat…. We were cruising along no more than 125 feet away while four or maybe five humpback whales including what appeared to include juveniles cavorted with each other as they slowly made their way down the coast. Probably a once in a life time experience even for people like us who spend so much time on the water. Since we were low on fuel we could not stay as long as we wanted and headed back for Destiny otherwise you’d be reading about missing gringos out to sea in their little dinghy.

After four days we had to head to Punta Mita. Gilly had a bad infection in her elbow which needed professional treatment. Check out December 3rd's Lectronic Latitude...

To view larger pictures and captions, click on a photo... Also, check out the pictures of the whales..

Mazatlan to Chacala

2007-12-06T09:37:00.000-08:00

Our next leg was a 140 mile overnight trip further south to a small anchorage off the village of Chacala. The weather forecast was good so we expected an uneventful trip. On the morning of November 24 we awoke to clear skies but as we were departing the marina black clouds appeared and soon the rain was coming down in buckets. As we approached the dreaded entrance to the harbor mentioned earlier, we soon saw what the guide books were talking about. Large swells coming in and breaking on the jetty but fortunately not yet across the entrance which is so narrow that turning back was not an option. John gunned the engine and Destiny bashed into the steep swells like a high performance Coast Guard vessel and we made out with our hearts pounding away like overworked jackhammers. It was sloppy in the relatively shallow water outside the harbor so we kept on heading out to sea as fast as possible. Once safely offshore we set a course straight for Chacala with Destiny rolling like crazy as we motor sailed with the large swells on our beam. The squalls let up during the day but as darkness approached they were back again with a vengeance accompanied but what appeared to be the whole Mexican shrimping fleet. We spent the night dodging the hard working fishermen and many times losing them to the rain squalls as they moved across our radar. Despite all of this we both managed to get reasonable sleep as we have confidence in each other and our equipment. At daybreak we found ourselves right on target 1.5 miles off Chacala.

Mazatlan

2007-12-06T09:35:00.000-08:00

The El Cid marina/hotel complex is a high end facility and we had access to the pool and other hotel amenities. The docks were clean and our neighbors were friendly so our 6 day stay was most enjoyable. Our next door neighbor, Tony, had a car and graciously agreed to show us around a city that he clearly enjoys. Mazatlan is known for shrimp so he took us to street vendor where we purchased 2 kilos of big shrimp (guess you’d call them prawns) and then on to a restaurant that cooked them for free and served $1.10 Pacifico beers. We met some other cruisers there and stuffed ourselves with all the shrimp we could eat. This is the kind of thing we’d heard about in Mexico but had not yet experienced. A few days later we took the bus to the Gigante supermarket where did some provisioning mostly for beer and to restock our seriously low wine cellar. In between we had Thanksgiving dinner at an annual affair held by the local cruising community. It was not all that we expected but we still had a good time. We enjoyed our stay in Mazatlan but it was not nearly long enough to see and do all the place has to offer so we’ll be back again at some point.

Cabo San Lucas to Los Frailes (The Friars) and Mazatlan

2007-12-06T09:31:00.000-08:00

Before departing Cabo we needed to top off with diesel and water so we pulled up anchor and made our way into what must be the busiest Pemex fuel dock in all of Mexico. We managed to time our arrival with the return of sport fishing fleet from their daily expeditions out into the Pacific loaded with gringo fisherman. We found ourselves fighting for dock space during the local rush hour but somehow it all worked out and we got away without a scratch and ended up paying only $2.50 per gallon compared to the $4.25 we paid in San Diego for diesel. While heading back to the anchorage for one more night we realized that in all the commotion at the fuel dock we forgot to take on water. Neither one of us wanted to go through all of that again so we fired up the watermaker and made 44 gallons.

The next day was November 14 (our departure delayed due to Customs losing our paperwork) and so after 6 days we were happy to leave the hustle and bustle of Cabo with jet skis, speeding pangas and other craft creating constant noise and making Destiny into roller coaster. We motored about ¾ of the time in fine weather on our relatively short trip to Los Frailes. We arrived to find 10 other boats in a pristine and calm anchorage. We quickly sat back enjoyed the scenery and went into full “Cruiser Mode”. We would have stayed longer but we had a hard to get reservation for a slip at El Cid in Mazatlan so after only 2 days in Los Frailes we headed off on the 162 mile jaunt across the Sea of Cortez. We thoroughly enjoyed what was probably the best sail we’ve had since leaving San Francisco. We had 16-20 knots of wind on the beam all through the day and night and actually had to slow down the last few hours so that we would not arrive at Mazatlan before day break. Both our guide books told us there was a potentially dangerous entrance into the harbor that constantly silts up so we did not want to take any chances arriving in the dark with a large swell. Fortunately it calmed down just as we were arriving so our grand entrance was without any fanfare.

Baja Ha Ha - San Diego to Cabo San Lucas

2007-11-12T14:04:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the long delay in posting anything to our blog. Through a combination of limited internet access and being busy doing whatever retired people do it just didn’t get done. We departed San Diego way back on October 28 in the company of 156 other boats on the first leg of the “Baja Ha-Ha” race/rally to Cabo San Lucas located at the tip of Baja California. Our first scheduled stop was Turtle Bay some 360 nautical miles from San Diego. The wind was almost non-existent until about 5 minutes before the 11:00 start and then filled nicely so we took off like a shot near the front of the fleet. Was a real thrill for us to look back on the fleet with Point Loma in the background. We were fortunate to have good winds all along the course enabling us to sail all the way for just over 2 days while most boats resorted to using their engines at some point.

With our hand trolling lines we caught two very nice yellow fin tuna (maguro for you sushi fans). Rod and John wrestled to subdue the fish and then Gilly did a great job of filleting them. Sashimi was soon the order of the day. We arrived at the small village of Turtle Bay after dark at 8:00 PM on October 31 and had to feel our way in using radar and some assistance from our fellow boats. The very important auto pilot died during our last night at sea, but fear not as “Mr. Fix Anything”, Rod Kidd, was able to trouble shoot the problem in Turtle Bay (broken magnet in the drive motor) and repair it while John stared on in amazement. Although it worked fine on the next two legs we decided to replace the whole unit so as to avoid any future problems. While this was going on Gilly was ashore passing out candy to the very cute village kids. These people have very little but could not have been more friendly and helpful to the 500+ gringos invading their village for 2 days. On the second day in Turtle Bay we were part of a large pot luck beach party for all the Ha Ha-ers, which was totally fun. Gave us a chance to talk to our new friends and catch up with people from the 4 other Encinal Yacht Club boats in the rally.

We departed Turtle Bay at 9:00 AM on November 3 for the 240 mile leg Bahia Santa Maria. We again had good wind which unfortunately didn’t last long enough and we ended up motoring for a total of 13 of the 37 hour leg but still had a another night arrival. We had a successful day fishing and this time it was 2 big yellow tail tuna (hamachi) which made up for the lack of wind and by now our catching and filleting skills were much improved when dealing with these great eating fish. Bahia Santa Maria is huge with an easy entrance so coming in at night was not much of a problem for us. The area is uninhabited save for a few small structures which we understand house some transient fishermen. Despite the remote location someone not associated with the Ha-Ha drives for many miles over dusty roads to put on a dinner for the fleet accompanied by a small rock band. Because of huge swells coming through the bay making beach landings difficult we decided to stay on the boat. Probably turned out to be a good decision as more than 70 people we unable to get off the beach before dark and were forced to spend the night ashore. We enjoyed a good night’s sleep and departed the next morning for the last 180 mile leg to Cabo San Lucas. By this time the weather had turned much warmer so our last night at sea was spent in shorts and t-shirts while moving down the course under a beautiful star filled sky with a good breeze directly behind us.
Unfortunately the wind starting dying around 3:00 AM and by 8:30 it was down to almost nothing so we started up the engine for the last 4 ½ hours to Cabo and arrived in the early afternoon to a beautiful setting. Because of movie filming, starring Adam Sandler, in a location where they didn’t want to see any boats we were forced to anchor in close proximity to other boats with jet skies, pangas, and para sailing boats speeding all around us. An unbelievable scene….. Despite all of the commotion and confusion around, we’ve enjoyed our stay in Cabo.

We bid farewell to our able crew of Rod and Peggy on November 11 and plan to leave here on November 13 for an anchorage called Los Frailes which is about 40 miles away. From there we will go to Mazatlan where we’ve arranged welcome space in a marina for 6 days and will spend Thanksgiving there before heading down to Puerto Vallarta.

To see larger photos and captions, click on one of the photos...

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Dana Point to San Diego

2007-10-25T17:28:00.001-07:00

We departed from Dana Point at 5:45 AM under clear skies and calm winds. As we headed out of the harbor we could see a large very dark cloud of smoke on the horizon. It took us about 2 hours to reach this cloud and once under it we could not see the sun and were constantly bombarded by ash and soot. Destiny’s light gray decks were soon layered with black. It took several hours for us to transit through this into something that was smoky but not quite so bad. While we were about 7 miles offshore, we picked up a passenger, a baby Warbler according to our Bird book. We think he was probably blown out to sea by the strong easterly winds and may not have made it were it not for our being there. He stayed with us for 2 to 3 hours and once the air cleared a little and we were closer to shore he was gone.

We were able to secure dock space at the very primo San Diego Yacht Club where we’ll stay until we depart for Mexico on Monday, October 29. We’ve already heard about SDYC members who lost their homes and everything in them to the devastating fires now happening in this area. We can wash the soot off the boat but their lives have been turned upside down for quite a while. Rod and Peggy Kidd will join us Friday and night and will be our welcome crew until we reach Cabo San Lucas. The four us have been talking about doing the Baja Ha-Ha rally/cruise for at least the last 5 years so it’s very exciting to know that we’ll actually be doing it. The next time your hear from us we should be somewhere in Mexico.

Catalina to Dana Point

2007-10-25T17:27:00.001-07:00

We departed Cherry Cove on October 16 for the 12 mile trip along the beautiful Catalina coastline to Avalon. Our trolling lines were out but no luck catching anything from the sea, but we did see 3 magnificent bald eagles soaring above the steep cliffs. We understand they were reintroduced to Catalina 10 years ago and the population is now growing. Despite the town being overrun by 2,000 people off a cruise ship anchored just off the harbor, we had a delightful time in Avalon and departed the next morning for Newport Beach. Although small craft warnings were in effect when we cast off we never saw more than 20 knots of wind which died out to nothing about halfway through our trip. After motoring for an hour the wind came up again allowing us an easy sail for the last 6 miles. The harbor department in Newport has moorings available for $5.00 a night so we soon had our humble Destiny comfortably tied up while we gawked at the gorgeous multimillion dollar homes along the shoreline. The next evening we had dinner with Leslie and Dennis Power former northern California residents and Encinal YC members who, two years ago, made the move to southern California which has all of sudden made a lot of sense to us. Our friends David and Anneke Dury were visiting Newport and kindly made berthing arrangements for us. After one night on a mooring we had a much sought after slip right in the heart of Newport. We enjoyed a lovely dinner with them and the next day they joined us for the short 12 mile trip to the spectacular Dana Point Marina with little wind to push us along but made up for by good company and beautiful scenery. John’s college friend Doug McAdam and his wife Diana joined us Sunday afternoon in beautiful weather which turned ugly later that night with strong Santa Ana (offshore) winds. Large areas of southern California are now engulfed in flames and Destiny is completely covered in dirt (inside and out) but so far no ash. We plan to make the 53 mile trip to San Diego on October 23 and according to news reports the area is covered in smoke from the terrible fires. Stay tuned for the next episode and we’ll let you know how it goes.

To view larger photos and captions, click on photos.

Colorado!

2007-10-13T13:54:00.000-07:00

October 2 we motored (no wind) 20 miles from Catalina to Cabrillo Beach Yacht Club in the port of Los Angeles. We encountered a lovely facility with friendly, helpful members and a secure place to leave Destiny right in front of their club. Since our TV had died and one of our almost new toilets was not working, we rented a car and spent Wednesday taking care of those items. The next day we dropped our rental car at LAX and flew to Colorado Springs. We spent a very busy 5 days with the Dickman family and loved every minute of it. Even though we saw Brynn and Callie in early June, they both had grown and matured so much that it was hard to believe. They are non-stop activity and that does not even include their current ballet, tap dancing and ice skating lessons. Lots of fun for us be part of their lives if even for only a few days. John mentioned to Hillary that the tires on her car were not wearing evenly which combined with some other issues made to her take to the internet to find a new car. Before we departed there was a sporty red 5 speed Mazda in the driveway! After sad goodbyes at the airport we flew back to L.A. provisioned the boat, installed our new TV and headed back to Catalina. Even though it, “Never rains in southern California” it’s rained on us twice but it’s like a free wash down for the boat so we don’t care. Next week we’ll head to Avalon which is only 12 miles away for two days and then start moving to San Diego. We love retirement!

Double click on the photos to see larger size and captions...

Catalina Island

2007-10-01T11:57:00.000-07:00

We are nearing the end of our 17 day stay at beautiful Cherry Cove and have thoroughly enjoyed the experience. The weather has not been as warm as we had hoped and we even experienced a very unseasonable two days of rain, but overall it’s been lovely. We hiked, swam in the clear somewhat chilly water, read our books and made new friends along the way. Gilly has enjoyed paddling all around the cove in her little red kayak. We have watched the cove fill up with boats on the weekend and then empty out during the week making us more grateful than ever for retirement. We have been “off the grid” since leaving Santa Barbara on September 12 giving us the opportunity to further test our systems. By using our diesel generator and solar panels we have produced our own electrical power which in turn has enabled us to make water and keep the fridge and freezer running. We’ve had great meals and most all the comforts of home so no real hardship for us. Several days ago the generator pooped out, but between helpful advice from Liem who installed it last January and our own trouble shooting we were able to get it running smoothly again. Tomorrow (Oct 2) we depart for San Pedro where we’ll stash Destiny for a week while we visit Scott, Hillary and the grandkids in Colorado Springs. We then plan another visit to Catalina before making our way to San Diego with several stops along the way. We will leave San Diego for Mexico on October 29 in the company of about 160 other boats as part of a race/rally called the Baha Ha-Ha.

To see larger view of the slideshow and the captions, double click on the photo.

Our Punta Mita Condo - update

2007-09-17T15:59:00.000-07:00

Our Punta Mita condo, "El Farito" (Spanish for "Little lighthouse"), is finally starting to look like a real building that could actually be occupied by someone other than the workers who are constructing it. Located on the beach about 45 minutes northwest of Puerta Vallarta on beautiful Banderas Bay the place is scheduled to be completed around he end of November. The interior is well on the way to completion with contstruction on the pool, hot tub and palapa soon to commence. We anticipate arriving at Punta Mita via the water route about the time it's done. Right now we don't have any place to stick the boat while we take possession and furnish it but something will work out. After all, we're not on any kind of schedule. Check out the most recent photos sent by the builder.

To view photos and captions, click on the photos.

Monterey to Catalina Island

2007-09-17T15:27:00.000-07:00

Since our first attempt to leave Monterey was less than successful we decided to try again at 10:00 PM, Friday, September 7 and to head for Morro Bay which is about 20 miles further than our original destination of San Simeon. This time we had no headwinds and unfortunately no wind at all so it was motor sail all the way. Although we’ve done a number of overnight trips on other people’s boats this was a first for us on our own. Everything went well on a beautiful star lit moonless night with the Milky Way shining brightly above. At one point our trusty Yanmar diesel engine began to sound like it was not happy with the fuel filter so we switched to another and all else was fine for the rest of the trip.

The clear weather enabled us to see the famous Morro Rock from some distance away and we arrived at the harbor entrance at 3:00 PM under calm conditions. We took on fuel from a dock clearly designed for commercial vessels only with Gilly doing a great job of keeping Destiny from getting scratched up while John tried to wrestle with a filler hose big enough for the Queen Mary II. We then proceeded to the Morro Bay YC where we enjoyed showers and later a super fish and chips dinner at one of the nearby restaurants. A great night’s sleep for both of us that night.

Morro Bay to Santa Barbara
We departed Morro Bay on September 9 at 3:00PM hoping for the right amount of northwesterly breeze to help push us along but it was not meant to be, so it was another fantastically beautiful night of motoring under a brightly lit sky. Gilly saw a number of whales just before sunset including a full out of the water breach. During the night we both saw a number of dolphin shooting toward the boat leaving a big phosphorescent trail. Really looked like torpedoes coming right for us. We rounded the very famous Pt. Conception at midnight in only 4 knots of wind and then headed east for Santa Barbara arriving there at 8:00 AM and secured a slip in the marina . Four other boats scheduled to participate with us in the Baja Ha-Ha were already there so we quickly made friends with them.

John discovered a damaged belt on the engine and further found that our spares were a bit too large. He made a trip to Pep Boys to secure proper replacements. Since it was his birthday Gilly treated him to a great dinner at Chuck’s Steak House located right a the marina. The next day we provisioned the boat and generally enjoyed just being in Santa Barbara which has a lovely climate and overall atmosphere.

Santa Barbara to Santa Cruz Island
On September 12 we departed Santa Barbara at noon in calm conditions headed to Pelican Bay which is just over 20 miles away. Ever since John was a boy he’d heard nothing but great things about Santa Cruz Island so our expectations were quite high. We’d heard about “Windy Lane” which must be transited on the way to the island so we started out with a reefed main and were prepared to reef our new big jib if the wind started to howl. The wind did build to 31 knots so we were flying along at 8.3 knots with the jib reefed to about 80% and it did not abate until we were within a quarter mile of the island. We found that Pelican Bay was crowded with only a few boats and the anchoring looked difficult so we headed east to Prisoner’s Harbor just a short distance away. It was lovely when we arrived and easily anchored under a cliff to the west so we could enjoy a cocktail and pat ourselves on the back for surviving “Windy Lane”. Unfortunately during the night it became very rolly so we scratched Prisoner’s off our list of places we want to revisit.

Prisoners to Smugglers
On September 13 we departed Prisoners for Smugglers on the SE corner of the island hoping for an anchorage with much better conditions than we were leaving behind. The wind still had not laid down from the day before and since we knew our trip would be way off the wind, we sailed with just a reefed main and had a fast trip to our next destination. Smugglers proved to be a much better anchorage and quickly filled up with other boats including two of our new Ha-Ha friends. In the late afternoon the wind started to come up off the hills built to a steady 27 knots with gusts to 30. A great way to test our new oversized anchor and it came through like a champ. Fortunately by 10:00 PM the wind died down to about 15 knots so we scrapped our anchor watch rotation which could have gone on all night. We’ve had enough of Santa Cruz Island which we still think must a nice place but so far it has eluded us. We plan an early morning departure for Cherry Cove, Catalina Island which is only 62 miles away.

Santa Cruz Island to Catalina Island
We departed Smugglers for Cherry Cove as planned at 5:00 AM on September 15. Since we were anxious to leave it wasn’t difficult to get up and underway. The sun rose to clear skies with good visibility but no wind so our trusty Yanmar pushed us along at 7 knots but right into a ¾ knot current. For a long while it seemed like we were back dealing with the currents in S.F. Bay. About half way through our 10 hour trip the fog closed in to ¼ mile visibility. As we approached Catalina we never saw it except on the radar right where it was suppose to be. We arrived at Cherry Cove to find bright sunshine and perfectly clear emerald green water. A true delight to be back to the same location where John spent so much time during his youth. We plan to stay here relaxing until early October when we’ll fly back to Colorado Springs to see Scott, Hillary and the grandkids. In the meantime we’ll be using our solar panels and small generator to make power for our water-maker and other goodies on board, and enjoying the true delights of this island paradise that is so close to one of the world’s major population centers.

To view each photo and captions, double click on a photo.

Our Departure

2007-09-07T11:43:00.000-07:00

After several hectic weeks of making our final preparations to leave and saying very difficult "Good byes" to friends who are so special to us, we cast off our dock lines at 0800 on September 1 and headed for Half Moon Bay. Since we were part of 18 Encinal Yacht Club boats going to the same location for the Labor Day holiday it meant further extending our "Good Byes". We think most people were happy to see us finally get out of town. The weather in HMB was uncharacteristically nice with sunshine being the order of the day instead of the normal gray gloom.

After two great evenings of good food and libation we were ready to set off for Santa Cruz which is normally about a 6-7 hour passage. The first three hours were dull motor sailing but then things got much livelier with winds from behind at 30 knots and gusting higher. Even loaded down with our extensive cruising gear, Destiny has never gone so fast through the water with both of us hanging on to our romping home. We arrived safely at Santa Cruz to find Jeff, Adrienne and Ina waving at us from the jetty. Since Mike Pernitzke also sailed down from HMB on Nova it was once again party time. We departed Santa Cruz on Wednesday, September 5 for Monterey. The wind filled in nicely at 13-14 knots from the port quarter making for a very pleasant sail. We celebrated the Wednesday night races at the Monterey Peninsula YC with Mike and Ina and Paul and Ann, from Annalise, with plans to leave at 0400 Thursday morning for San Simeon which is about 90 miles away. We had what we thought were our final good byes and Mike cast us off on schedule. As soon as we were out of the harbor the engine began to overheat and John soon found enough cabbage like seaweed in the raw water intake to make a nice salad. With the engine again running smoothly we encountered building wind and sea conditions right in our face, so after two hours we decided it was wise to head back to Monterey. We later found that three other boats including a very large and sturdy power boat enroute from Alaska to L.A. also made the same decision.

Weather permitting we plan to leave at midnight Friday for San Simeon. In the meantime there are worse places to be stuck than Monterey.

We want to give a special thanks to our friends who have given us lovely cards and been so gracious with numerous offers of places to stay when we are back visiting. It's difficult to express how much all of this means to us. We are just beginning huge change in life style and right now we're taking it one day at a time to see what develops.

To view each photo and captions, double click on the photos.

Our Honeymoon

2007-07-10T10:27:00.000-07:00

The newlyweds took a week off to recover from the wedding festivities before heading off to Alaska on June 10 aboard the beautiful Dawn Princess. John was not that excited about going to Alaska (said it was too cold), but Gilly had been talking about going there for what seems like forever. It turned out to be a fantastic 10 day experience with great food and service aboard the ship and beautiful scenery. Our favorite part of any cruise is being at sea, and fortunately it's a long way from San Francisco to Alaska so we had almost 3 days on aboard before reaching Sitka. Although we brought along plenty of alcohol and mixers, we realized that we forgot bloody mary mix so we needed to find a store in Sitka to satisfy our morning cravings. I guess they don't do bloody mary's there because the only thing we could find was small cans of spicy V-8 juice which worked out just fine. Problem solved

Our next stop was Juneau where the fun really began as we did a "Zip Line" adventure. We'd never heard of zip line until our friends Bill and Carol Blackburn told us how much fun they'd had doing this on a recent trip to Kauai. A zip line basically consists of cables strung between trees and you go "Zipping" along from tree to tree after being fitted with a body harness that's attached to rollers running on the cables. A simple concept that we're told started in the Costa Rican jungle where supplies were moved by zip lines over small valleys. Then someone got the bright idea that riding on the cable would be more fun than moving supplies. We did a total of nine zips with the longest almost 900 feet and at times we were 180 feet off the ground. We're told that you can reach speeds up to 35 mph. We had two guides and 6 other people in our group and all of them had a blast. The tour also included a jet boat ride to the zip line venue as well as going across two suspension bridges and repelling to the ground from the last tree. We then enjoyed our only dinner off the ship at a local watering hole in Juneau and spent the whole meal reliving our earlier experience.

Our next stop was Skagway where we wondered from bar to bar. Gilly could not stay out of the many jewelry stores that populate all of these small towns catering to tourists. She ended up with very nice whale's tale earrings and pendant which fortunately satisfied her need for further shopping. Skagway is a nice clean little town and we very much enjoyed our brief stay.

At 5:00 am the morning after leaving Skagway, we entered the Tracy Arm Fjord, it was an amazing experience to see the skill involved in maneuvering a huge ship through a relatively narrow fjord filled with some rather large icebergs.

Because the ship is required to visit a foreign port before returning to San Francisco, our last very brief stop was in Victoria, BC. We had a lovely walk into town bought some post cards for the grandkids and headed back to the ship. Victoria has grown considerably since our last visit but still retains a charm that we both enjoy. Our Canadian friends Doug and Teresa are building a home on one of the Gulf Islands which is not far from Victoria so we hope to spend more time there when we're away from Mexico.

Our trip down the coast was delightful with a bit of sunshine, the wind behind us and the ship doing a steady 20 knots. We didn't want to get off but alas it was time to return to the real world and continue the preparations for our own voyage south to warmer digs.

Our June 2 Wedding

2007-07-10T09:11:00.000-07:00

There were many people who thought it would never happen, but all of them were proven wrong when we got married on an overcast day in June. The outdoor ceremony and indoor reception all took place at Encinal Yacht Club where we've enjoyed so many good times with our boating friends. It was the perfect venue to say our vows and then celebrate the joy both of us felt on this very special day. The actual wedding party itself might have been the world's smallest considering the number of people attending, but John's son, Nick, and Gilly's long time very good friend, JoAnne, were the perfect people for us. Having John's daughter, Hillary, do a very special reading made sure there were few dry eyes on that overcast day.

We were a bit overwhelmed by the number of people attending and the distance some of them travelled to reach Alameda. Without them it would not have been the same very festive event that it turned out to be despite the gloomy weather. Actually our photographer said the weather made for great picture taking so even that was in our favor. Many people have told us they shed tears of joy during the ceremony so it's good to know that we were not the only ones with laughter bringing on tears.

Gilly's lady friends were so very helpful in decorating the dinner tables and building the beautiful arbor under which we were married as well as decorating Destiny for the occasion. Without their help EYC would not have been the same perfect wedding venue. Several of our boating friends brought their boats to the club complete with decorative signal flags. The club staff and new chef provided outstanding service and a great meal for all to enjoy. The band was so outstanding that most everyone was up dancing away as soon as the bride and groom were finally finished with the traditional first dance.

We are truly blessed to have so many good friends and it was wonderful for us to be able to share our wedding day with most all of them. Hillary put it in the right perspective two months before the wedding when she said to John, "Dad, this is a once in a life time experience when you and Gilly can bring together family and friends from all walks of your lives to celebrate with you. When people get to be your age (that hurt a little) they rarely, if ever, get the chance to do this. You and Gilly will cherish this day forever." Not that we ever really doubted it, but it turns out that she was absolutely right. We had a fantastic time and there's nothing better than having been able to share it with those people that mean the most to us.

Our photographer posted all our wedding photos on her website - there are a lot of pictures in 14 separate galleries. You can look at them on: www.hansenimages.net/weddings/330004

Our New Genoa

2007-06-08T08:07:00.000-07:00

We finally got to check out our new genoa jib over the Memorial Day holiday. We actually ordered it last December but the sailmaker built something that was outside of our original specification. After trying to talk us into taking something we didn't want they agreed to make a new one for us and we love it. Unfortunately all this took a bit of time but the sail looks beautiful and it should help move the boat along in the generally lighter winds of southern California and Mexico. Check out the photos and also the brief video of the boat sailing along in the south part of S.F. Bay in 16 knots of wind."

"In other news our good friend, Rod Kidd, will soon be installing our single side band radio (SSB). This will allow us to communicate over much longer distances than our current VHF radio, and we can also send and receive email while at sea or in a secluded anchorage where there is no WIFI or internet cafe. Should be a great tool for us to keep in touch with family and friends as well as an added measure of safety should we need it.

Our new mainsail

2007-03-20T07:34:00.000-07:00

As part of the process to ready Destiny for our upcoming cruise we splurged with the purchase of a new main and jib. There are still some outstanding issues with the jib so we don't have it, but we had a chance to try out the new main last Saturday and it looks great. John also got himself soaked making some adjustments to our new standing rigging. We were out in the middle of the Bay near Alcatraz with a good breeze when a couple of ferry wakes got John while he was on the leeward rail fumbling around with some tools. No photos are available to chronicle this event and no audio which is fortunate because he wasn't very happy.

Click on any of the below shown photos to see a slideshow...

Our cool new main

Long weekend in Colorado

2007-03-16T07:38:00.000-07:00

We're not sure how this is going to help us prepare for retirement or our extended cruise to Mexico, but we spent a delightful weekend in Colorado with John's daughter Hillary and family. We flew to Denver on March 8 rented a car and drove to a condo in Keystone ski area just off I70. For those of you have never done this, I70 goes up to 11,150 ft elevation and through the Eisenhower tunnel at the summit. A spectacular engineering marvel amid beautiful mountain scenery. On our flight home we were able to look down at it from 34,000 feet. Spectacular.

Because Hillary had discount lift tickets at Copper Mountain, the next day we drove for there some great skiing. The weather was perfect and the runs were super for us old folks, and more importantly, we were able to witness little 2 year old Callie's first time on skis. She was so relaxed that on her second run down the hill in between her dad Scott's legs she slept the whole way! Four year old Brynn now looks just like the other little kids you see whizzing down the mountain sans poles having a great time. A few years from now the Dickman's will be a true Colorado skiing family spending the better part of the winter on the slopes. I know mom and dad cannot wait for this.

On Saturday we spent a couple of hours ice skating on a 5 acre lake in Keystone which was an easy walk from our condo. Not as much fun as skiing but since it was free we got over it. That evening we took a two stage gondola ride to a fantastic mountain top restaurant specializing in fondue to celebrate Callie's big 2nd birthday. Good food, good wine and lots of laughs with the family.

We left the snow and cold on Sunday arriving home to "Destiny" sitting in 82 degree weather wondering where we had been. This weekend we plan to try out our new sails and we'll let you know how it goes.

Our weekend in Colorado

Australia and Mexico trips - Jan and Feb 2007 - Plus work done on our boat and the QMII arriving in San Francisco - check it out...

2007-02-20T11:44:00.000-08:00

We started out 2007 with a trip to Australia. John had a meeting in Sydney and Gilly came down to join him after first spending a few days with her friend Lyn Cuttriss and daughter Katie. They toured around Sydney and had an all around great time. Once the meeting was over John was also able to join the three girls for a bit more sight seeing before we flew down to Melbourne. We rented a car at the airport and John mastered driving on the left a bit faster than our trip downunder two years ago. At least the windshield wipers didn't come on quite so often this time when signaling for turns. We spent two fun days with Gilly's childhood friend Carmen, husband Francois with visits from their kids Steve and Robyn. We then drove further east into the Gippsland area where we spent two nights at Helena at Parnassus which is a lovely B&B type facility that does weddings and other special events. The proprietors, Val and Helena took wonderful care of us with outstanding meals and fantastic wine. It was then back up to Sydney for one more fun filled day before heading back home.

(Click on the caption under each photo to view the slideshow)

Australia trip

Destiny's upgrades

While we were away in Australia "Destiny" was having some major work done which included installing a new generator, water maker, hot water heater and inverter. All this plus a few electrical upgrades, new sails and new standing rigging (thanks Doug Darling!). We are doing this as part of our ongoing preparations to make the boat ready for our upcoming extended trip to Mexico. Completing this big job took about 10 days longer than we originally anticipated so we found ourselves "homeless" after our 13 hour flight from Sydney. We ended up spending four nights in hotels followed by a delightful stay with our good friends George and Maxine for several nights and then one night with more good friends, Chuck and Cathy before we could get back to our floating home. We really appreciate their combined hospitality!

Once we got "Destiny" put back together it was a real treat to admire the tremendous amount of work done by Liem Dao who is a true craftsman in every sense of the word. We could not be more happy with the work he did which we know will serve us well in our upcoming adventures.

Why we were homeless

The arrival of QM 2 into SF Bay:

On February 4 we joined our friends Doug and Teresa Darling on their boat to watch the arrival of the Queen Mary 2 into San Francisco bay. It was quite an event. Here are some photos.

QM 2

Our trip to Mexico on Freedom:

On February 9 we flew to Zihuatanejo to meet our friends David and Anneke Dury for a fun filled week aboard their lovely boat "Freedom". This was our second time with them in Mexico and made us even more anxious to head south with "Destiny". While anchored in Zihuatanejo we ran into former EYC members Jo and Doug Levitt who are now enjoying their second year cruising in Mexico. We're nothing but jealous about how much they seem to be enjoying the cruising life style. We ran into a few hours of sloppy weather during an overnight passage from Zihuatanejo to Santiago where our one day stay was perfect. We enjoyed an inexpensive palapa lunch on the beach in Santiago and admired the lovely beach front homes while trying to walk off some of our lunch. The next day we took off for a day trip to Tenacatita and had a couple of adventures along the way. David had been told to look out for several-mile long fishing lines laid out along this part of the coast and marked only by empty plastic water bottles. It wasn't long before we spotted one and could not find the end so we cut the small line and went through (David had also been told this was OK to do). A bit further up the coast we found another line but we were near the end so went around it. Soon after the wind built to around 25 knots which would have made it almost impossible to spot these long-lines.

We arrived at beautiful Tenacatita and found the large anchorage loaded with boats. It took us a few attempts to get "Freedom" anchored in a spot where we were not on top of our new neighbors. After settling in we spotted Stan on "Why Knot" who was our former neighbor at Marina Village. We launched the dink and had a nice visit with him. We also introduced ourselves to fellow Catalina 42 Mark I owners Dave and Donna Bolding who are spending their first year cruising in Mexico. They invited us aboard and we helped them get rid of a few Pacifico's while draining as much knowledge from them as possible.

The next day we took the short 10 mile run back down to Barra de Navidad which is an absolutely delightful setting. David arranged for a slip in the marina which is right next to the most beautiful hotel either one of us had ever seen. As marina tenants we were able to use the hotel facilities including a pool complex that's difficult to adequately describe so I won't try. The small town of Barra de Navidad is a short water taxi (read panga) ride from the marina. Very cute town with nifty restaurants and numerous little shops. We had two great dinners there and generally just hung around the marina and hotel complex admiring some very large sail and power yachts. There were many more "normal" sailboats anchored in a close by lagoon which is probably where we will be spending more time next year than in the marina.

Our Trip on Freedom Feb, 07

Onto Puerto Vallarta/Punta de Mita to check on our condo:

On Friday, February 16 we said goodbye to David and Anneke thanking them for a super week and boarded a bus for the 5 hour ride to Puerto Vallarta. The bus trip was easy and included two American movies with Spanish subtitles. Since most of the passengers were Americans and Canadians I don't think the subtitles were really used. We were picked up by our friends Jane and Jerry Hinsdale at the very attractive Puerto Vallarta bus terminal (honest!) who were kind enough to take us Punta Mita to check out the progress of our beach front condo.

Punta Mita. Our condo's progress