La Paz

Sunday morning early we left Puerto los Cabos (Cabo San Jose) for Muertos Bay. We were supposed to leave at the same time as Venture, Tony Flemmings boat as he had Bob Lane from Passagemaker aboard and he wanted to take some pictures underway. I got a call on the radio as we were just getting up from Bruce Kessler aboard Venture saying that they were just outside the breakwater and had left early, forgetting to let us know. A mad scramble to load the dinghy, make coffee and get underway ensued with all hands participating. It took an hour at 10 knots to catch Venture. We both slowed and I made 2 passes by so the Bob could get some good shots.

Soon after, the wind began to pipe up. It was right on our nose and built to about 18 knots. The whole rest of the trip the chop kept the windshield wipers busy clearing away the salt spray. We heard on the radio that several people were not feeling well, but we were happy as clams. The trip took 9 hours and we anchored about 3pm next to Pacific Escort, Jim Leishman's boat.

There was a grand party planned ashore at the Bahia de los Suenos resort there that evening. When we got ashore, we joined a small group that was getting a tour of the owners home that serves as a showpiece for the development. It is difficult to describe the property so the best way is for you to visit their website: www.bahiadelossuenos.com. It is truly a magnificent spot.

The last day.....Monday we left for La Paz. Bob Lane, our friend and writer for Passagemaker, rode with us for the 5 hour run up to La Paz. The trip was totally uneventful. Calm seas, no wind, and clear, blue skies. We arrived at the CostaBaja Resort and Marina about 12:30 and were soon nestled into our slip in the inner harbor. A grilled hamburger lunch with Bob and then it was siesta time. Monday night we had our final Fubar dinner and had (guess what?) Tacos, beans, etc. I love Mexican food, but I think I have had enough for awhile. While at the dinner, we met some long time cruising friends of mine that live aboard their sailboat here in La Paz. We are joining them for Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday. It is a cruiser's event with about 250 people attending. It is put on by Club Cruceros at the Palmira marina every year, I am told. It should be fun.

Well, that is about it for the Fubar Odyssey. It was a great event and I hope they do more of them. It demonstrated that power boats can safely travel the Baja coast and hopefully it will encourage more power cruisers to venture south.

We will remain here in La Paz for a couple of weeks preparing Nor'wester to be put on Dockwise for the trip back home. We also hope to visit a few nearby islands as we have been told that the snorkling is great and we haven't had much chance to just kick back and relax.

I will post more information as things unfold.

Do You Know the Way to San Jose?

We slept in this morning as we didn't need to leave for Cabo San Jose until mid morning. It is a 20-22 hour run depending on sea conditions. The morning was quiet with smooth seas. Some time after noon we saw several marlin jumping in our wake. Oh to have a fishing rod..... A little bit later we saw a school of dolphin off the starboard bow and soon they joined us for a free ride.

First there were 2
Then there were 4

Actually there were a lot more, but these were the only ones I could catch on film.
The day wore on and finally it was time to prepare dinner. I fired up the grill and soon had a pork loin cooking while we were 50 miles offshore. We have some electric candles that we set up at the pilothouse table and we all enjoyed a sumptuous pork dinner. (sorry no wine, we are on watch, you know).
The winds continued to rise slowly throughout the night and we were really rocking and rolling by the time we rounded Cabo San Lucas at 5AM. I am really sorry it was dark and I was unable to capture a photo of the stone arches that are so famous there.
We arrived in Cabo San Jose about 7AM and were greeted by Jim Effers (sp?), the marina manager, on channel 22. The marina is brand new (read, not yet completed) and we were very fortunate to be assigned a slip in the completed area. This is a very modern marina which is going to be one of the central amenities in the Puerto Los Cabos resort area which encompasses over 2000 acres. In addition to the marina are several upscale housing developments as well as 2 golf courses under construction. This is quite the spot.

We were getting low on some grocery items so we grabbed a cab and headed for town and the local Super Mercado. After returning, Bruce and I dinghied around the marina before we all headed over to the evening event at a local outdoor restaurant. Looking to the West

The above picture was taken from the center of the fairway looking at Nor'wester to the west at sunset. Bruce and I just sat and drifted in the dinghy watching the pelicans fishing for dinner for about an hour. They are fascinating to watch.We had yet another Mexican dinner of tacos, rice, and beans (this is getting a bit old). The ambiance was pleasant and being in the company of roughly 200 fellow travelers gave us a lot to talk about. We spent quite a while talking with Bo Larson, the skipper of Cadenza, a Nordhavn 78 that is powered by a Siemens diesel electric power plant. We took dessert "to go" and returned to Nor'wester and had carrot cake and tira missou. Yummy!!!

Sans Souci in the morning sun

The next morning dawned bright and clear. The above picture shows the cross on the hill and another section of the marina. Morning chores and then we got a tour of the resort area and then a reception at the beach club complete with mariachi singers. After the reception, Bruce, Janie, Jan and I went to town for dinner at a local restaurant that caters to gringos. Bruce I had Ahi tuna;Jan had sea bass; while Janie had crab. Yummy again!!
Above is another angle of the marina. This is where most of the Selenes ended up. Unfortunately there was no power or water installed yet.
Tomorrow, off to Muertos Cove......

Man O' War Cove......Mag Bay

On the Way to Mag Bay

It was a quick 3 hour run down to Mag Bay with calm seas and beautiful clear, sunny skies. We were one of the first boats to enter the cove and before we could even get the anchor down, a panga approached with a local fisherman grinning and holding up 4 lobsters that he would gladly sell us for $1 apiece. I only had a $5, so he through in 2 additional smaller ones instead of giving change.Entrance to Mag Bay

Right after that, another panga approached, this time with a better dressed driver who had his briefcase with him. This proved to be the port captain who would board us for our first boarding by a Mexican official. He spoke little English and we even less Spanish but with gestures, smiles, and a few words, we understood that he merely wanted to see our crew list and a copy of our documentation papers. After we signed his official log, we asked him to sign our guest book which he did with a big smile. After many "mucho gracias's" and more smiles, he got back in his panga and headed off to the next arrival who had just anchored.
Word spread fast that there was to be an impromptu potluck dinner ashore that evening. Bruce Kessler had arranged for a local restaurant (read shack that prepares local fish for the locals) to allow us to use their outdoor facilities for our party. Everyone brought wonderful dishes that they had prepared and the restaurant had beer and soda for $1.50 each. Eric Leishman, Jim Leishman's son, had speared a 60lb grouper earlier in the day and restaurant cooked it. (Jim is one of the founders of Nordhavn). Everyone had much to eat and drink and it proved to be one of the best gatherings so far. It seemed that we now all were getting to know one another better and friendships were beginning to form.
We returned back to the boat early as we had not yet cooked the lobster. They had been awaiting their fate in a 5 gallon bucket filled with seawater. I steamed them and we ate half of them with garlic butter and put the other half away for a lobster salad.
Again we retired early because we have another overnight run beginning early the next morning.