Music's sail from La Paz to La Cruz

We left La Paz at about 6:30AM on December 17, anchoring at Los Muertos at about 3:30PM. The next day we sailed down to Los Frailes in about 15 knots of wind, dropping the hook again at about 3:30 PM. Just after anchoring, 5 mantas made a couple of jumps in tandem as if to say "Welcome Back". The following morning, Sunday, we left Los Frailes at about 7:30 to head across to the mainland where we dropped the hook almost exactly 48 hours later off the beach of the small community of Jaltemba. After a breakfast of scrambled eggs, toast, and orange slices we raised anchor again, and headed the remaining 40 miles or so to here, La Cruz de Huanacaxtle (which everyone just refers to as La Cruz), just north of Puerto Vallarta. We'll be here at least through the holidays and into the new year.

Highlights of the crossing include sailing through a sea of jellies for miles on end (including both a great variety of jelly fish and siphonophores). Then, as we were passing the 3 Marias, Gail saw the complete lunar eclipse while on her watch from midnight to 3AM. Finally, on the short leg from Jaltemba to here we were privileged to see what we believe were 2 humpback whales breaching simultaneously, like bookends they arose from the placid water baring most of their massive bodies before falling on opposite sides not more then 50 yards from the boat. To give you an idea of just how close they were the report we heard when they hit the water was a thunderous "crack" rather than a splash - all together a most awesome experience!

Google Earth showing Music's current and recent anchorages

Sunset, Ensenada Grande, Isla Partida

December 4th, treated Gail and me to one of the most stunning sunsets we've seen together. To share the full experience with you, this photo has never been touched with a photo editor.

South Anchorage at Isla San Francisco

Our anchorage at Isla San Francisco came complete with a beautiful white sand beach in a stunning setting. We shared the anchorage with 4 other boats during the 2 days we were there.

A Note from John and Gail

We're heading back into La Paz in a couple of days to prepare for our trip south to Puerto Vallarta (PV). We should be heading south on about Dec 15-17. We'll work our way back to Los Frailes, then cross to the mainland, most likely to a place called San Blas, about 90 to 100 miles east of PV. It should be about a 36 hour trip from Los Frailes to an island called Isabella, where if conditions are right we will overnight, then finish the trip the next day.

So far, however, we are having a fabulous time up here in the lower Sea of Cortez on the "Baja" side. We just spent the last 2 days up at Isla San Francisco and area. Yesterday we did some fabulous snorkeling. What made it fabulous was that near the end of our dive we headed across a path of sand, about 20ft deep, and came across some "garden eels". Basically they look like grass growing, but if you wait and watch, or dive down and get close, they retreat into their holes when threatened. We'd seen some before while diving in Hawaii, but they are always a treat.

Gail doesn't free dive but I'd always done it, long before I knew there was a name for it. My max depth has always been about 30ft but I can stay down for about a minute. Don't worry, I always surface early because I know of lots of accidents where free divers stay too long and blackout - Don't need to go there. A few extra seconds are not worth dying for. Yesterday, one time when I was at depth, I thought "Gee I've been here for a while" but then I looked up at the surface and thought that's a long way up, so it's time to go!

Anyway, back to the end of our snorkel - at one point we counted 5 young Manta Rays swimming in our field of view. Sometimes they were zooming around scooping in all the food they could (like whale sharks - they survive on the ingestion of plankton and krill)while at other times they would move slowly and gracefully. It was really fun watching them change pace at a moments notice. As opposed to the slow and always graceful movements of mature Mantas these "kids" would dart off willy nilly as fast as they could in whatever direction inspired them at a moments notice! - Kids, they are all the same regardless of species!

This morning I was privileged to see another baby manta jumping out of the water. It made a series of three skips across the surface before disappearing. I hope I never grow tired of watching nature at its finest!!

"Working for Rewards"

"Working for the Rewards"

Before we left San Diego, my dive buddy, Jeff, asked, “Where will you be for Thanksgiving?”

“We think La Paz”

Then, “Where will you be for Christmas?”

“We think P.V.” (Puerto Vallarta)

Following that he asked “What are you going to do with all that time in between?”

Well, today is December 5th and we are anchored about 40 miles north of La Paz on the south side of Isla San Francisco. – If only San Francisco, CA were this nice. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

Backing up - It's a fact that cruising means doing boat maintenance in exotic ports. Our friends who have been cruising already know this while some of our friends who have never been cruising may not comprehend the reality of the statement. After the Pac Cup in 2008 while in Hawaii I'd already become acquainted with this truism and so for this trip I tried to get as very much prep done as possible before we left. Upon starting a journey like this it doesn't take much time, sailing, or wear to initiate the cycle of maintenance.

So, here we were pulling into La Paz, nothing major has happened - knock on wood. But the solar panels still aren't putting any power to the grid. The dingy wheels still need to be installed, and one of the D-ring patches that we installed in San Jose del Cabo already needs to be reattached – perhaps we should have done a better job the first time. This was my list of projects.

My sweetheart, however, had her own list of projects and upon asking what I intended to work on she asked if before I launch into those projects I could get the forward head straightened away. Not much work involved just installing 2 teak racks for toiletries and a teak plate to create a “finished” look on the watermaker overboard pump hose. I also needed to secure the overboard pump hose better than it was.

By the time we left, the forward head looked great. And, along the way, I made, varnished, and installed a teak cover for an unsightly hole in the aft head left over from changing our plumbing there. I also managed to get the D-ring pasty cleaned up so it can be reattached to the dingy, and removed the old wheel brackets from the dingy so I can install the new ones. Add to that, helping other cruisers solve some of their problems, and the myriad other things that go on in a day's activity and, well, things just take longer to get done when in Mexico.

Ahh! But a few days ago we saw, and went swimming with, our first whalesharks in the Bay of La Paz. They were not huge by whaleshark standards, but still 18-25ft. Yesterday we were anchored on Isla Partida at Ensenada Grande enjoying an absolutely stunning sunset, and now here we are in a beautiful Isla San Francisco anchorage, the wind is dying, the sky is clear, the weather warm, and we are out for a week in the islands enjoying the rewards of why we put all this effort into getting here - life just doesn’t get any better