Mustta Log

LEG ONE: San Francisco to San Diego

Sunday, October 12

            After weeks of waiting for the mast and rigging work to be completed, we finally had our trial sail today late afternoon.  Chris Catterton, our rigger, went with us on a short sail – about 3 hours – mostly in the South Bay.  The weather was glorious!  It was also the final day of Fleet Week, so we watched the Blue Angels doing their stunts as we sailed and “tweaked” the rigging.

            When we got back in the evening, the folks on G-Dock had a little Going-Away party for us.  Jeff and I were both exhausted from weeks of relentless stress trying to get the boat ready to go, and weren’t much in the party mood.  But they were so sweet!  Frank and Lillan hosted the party on their boat, and Eva did most of the cooking.  They had roast chicken, green salad, and lamb tagine – all delicious food.  Abbie and Lucky wore their new “Bon Voyage” bandanas for the party, and were on their best behavior, impressing all the neighbors with their good manners.

            They even gave us useful gifts for our departure: a French press, brass bottle opener, and bottle of Turley zinfandel from John and Laurel; a cute card from Frank and Lillan that said “Saying goodbye to you is like washing my sweat socks……it’s got to be done, but it still stinks!” A tube of prepared wasabi and some home-smoked salmon from Chris & Patti; a Jimmy-Buffet “sound-alike” CD, cruiser’s medical hand-book, and cruiser’s guide to Spanish books from Eva and Milton; their card was adorable – a dog sitting on the beach looking out to sea at the boats.  She even drew the new Musetta logo on the envelope.  Someone else gave us a bottle of wine also, but I’m not sure who it was from.

            Several people came aboard to check the progress on our boat, and the last ones left around 8:30, so we still got to bed at a decent hour.

Monday, October 13

            Jeff still had one last trip to the hardware store, and Chris still had some work to do, so we didn’t finish up until around 4:00.  But, at last, it was time to shove off the dock!  We topped off the fuel tanks before leaving the marina, and headed out.  Of course, we didn’t get very far, leaving so late at night.  We motored over to Aquatic Park, which is right by Ghiradelli Square, and spent the night to get an early start in the morning.  We had Spinach roasted red pepper frittata with pasta salad for dinner.  The lights of the square and city were beautiful, but it was pretty chilly out, so not real pleasant to hang out in the cockpit; it was also rolly, so we didn’t sleep all that well.

Tuesday, October 14

            When we left in the morning, there were all kinds of swimmers in the park, some with wetsuits, some without.  Here Jeff and I were, bundled up in layers of fleece and fowl weather gear, and these people were swimming in that freezing water!  Of course, some people would wonder, which of us were the craziest. 

            It was about 8:00 when we passed under the golden gate bridge.  Light fog, but easy enough to see.  Seas were only 6-8 feet, and spaced far apart so it was a pretty easy ride.  The buoy reports had forcast storms all week, and today was the day it was supposed to calm down.  Not only did it calm, it died.  We ended up motoring most of the day, until late afternoon when we caught some 28kt winds. We got a chance to try out our new mast pole system, which worked much easier than the set-up we had before with the pole on the deck. 

            I had purchased some long-johns (Wisconsin lingerie, as my friend Ken would say) and socks from Cabelas, a hunting supply catalog, and boy did they come in handy today!  They’re designed for stationary activities – like sitting in a duck blind I suppose – or an open cockpit.  Although the cold still crept into my bones, the long johns worked better than the capilene set I used last trip.  And these have sleeves that go all the way down to the knuckles, with little thumb holes; I REALLY like that feature!  It made a big difference with my hands.

            We arrived in Monterey well after dark. It was a little hairy trying to find a place to anchor because most of the boats in the anchorage didn’t have their anchor lights on – DUH!  It was a moonless might, so that didn’t help.  Finally we settled in, had a late dinner of pastitsio and cole slaw, and tucked in for some major rollers during the night.   

Wednesday, October 15

            Up at dawn and headed out again.  Lucky stood at the stern and watched the baby seals jumping in our wake.  He was fascinated!  And probably couldn’t quite figure out what they were. 

            Poor Abbie and Lucky don’t have the hang of relieving themselves yet on the boat.  Abbie will go pee-pee up forward on deck if I walk her up there, and tell her to go, but she doesn’t really like it.  She hasn’t pooped yet since yesterday; Lucky is going to be a stubborn boy and hold everything.  Tonight I’m going to try soaking their food for 20 minutes, load it with olive oil, and give them lots of dried apricots.  Think that’ll do the trick?  I just hope they don’t let go in the cabin!!!

            We had little wind again, and ended up motoring most of the day. I’ve been listening to my Spanish language tapes, but I don’t care for the program much – you have to read the book to get the most out of the course, and I prefer tapes that are complete by listening.

            We arrived in San Simeon anchorage around 8:00pm. Chicken cobbler and Waldorf salad for dinner, cup of relaxing tea, and off to bed.  At least it’s not quite as rolly as last night!

Thursday, October 16

            Dawn comes early, it seems.  Thank goodness we’ve been able to take little naps during the day.  This is a beautiful spot – one that I’d like to stay at if we had more time.  There’s a small private beach, a few structures, and lots of lovely cypress trees lining the coast.  It’s one of those places that few people get to see, since it’s only available by boat.  This morning there was a layer of fog hovering just at the tree-tops, and as we prepared to weigh anchor, the fog rapidly enveloped us, like the Mists of Avalon.

            Hurrah!  My concoction for the kids worked!  Last night I heard Abbie scampering on deck, and later in the morning, Lucky went up too.  Lucky preferred to back up to the mast to make his deposit – I’d neglected to consider his male tendencies!  You should have seen the look on his face when he finally peed!  AHHHH RELIEF!!!  At last they feel better; Lucky was actually frisky this morning!

            Today the winds were light again, so we continued to motor-sail to Cojo, which is a sweet anchorage just past Point Conception.  About 5:00 our engine died – out of fuel!  Fortunately the wind had picked up just a bit, so we were able to sail.  Jeff was surprised at how much fuel we’d used – probably because we were running at greater speed than on previous trips, and because we’ve been running the generator twice daily to keep the freezer pulled down (which has been working like a champ, by the way!).

            Jeff was able to bleed the engine and switch over to the other tank, but that left limited fuel, so we began conservative measures (which we should have been doing all along!)  We sailed wing-on-wing the rest of the night.  It is extremely difficult steering straight and keeping the sails out like that when the wind is at your back, but Jeff did a good job of keeping her steady – he only lost his cool a few times J. 

            Fortunately for us, the night was lovely.  Point Conception is notorious for either having a lot of wind and confused seas, or no wind and flat seas.  We got the latter.  In fact, it was incredibly beautiful.  Lots of phosforesence, warm air, moonless night so billions of stars stood out with the Milky Way swath.  I don’t know the words to describe the feeling of peace and awe that filled me.  But I know this is why I like sailing!

            By the time we arrived at Cojo it was after 10:00p.m.  We were too tired for a full meal, so we just had some salami, cheese and crackers, fresh fruit and a cup of tea before going to bed.  Good thing we had a sturdy lunch to tide us over.  I’ve noticed that we function better on more carbs than our normal diet at home.

            At last, an anchorage that’s not too rolly!

Friday, October 17, 2003

            Abbie is our little alarm clock; she’s got the routine down now – up at dawn, poop on the deck, breakfast.  What a sea dog! J  She’s been great!  Lucky, on the other hand, has been difficult.  Poor boy, he just HATES getting out of his home routine; this has been trying for him.  Last night the crack of the sails scared him and he kept climbing on me and shivering, like when there are fireworks. This morning I had to coax him up on deck to relieve himself; he didn’t want to, but finally he did, although he still has to go big potty – I’ll feed him my lubricating dinner again tonight.

            When we looked around in the morning, we found we had anchored EXACTLY where we wanted to be, which was right in front of a culvert.  Since it was pitch-black last night, we were just guessing as to our position.  Yesterday we kicked ourselves for not being more diligent with the fuel, so can we pat ourselves on the back for doing a good job anchoring???

            This is another lovely anchorage, accessible only by boat.  The fog is just starting to roll in, so we’re heading out, motoring slowly in the wind-less day.  Jeff is convinced Chris rigged the boom break improperly, which contributed to some of our problems last night staying wing-on-wing; the break wouldn’t allow the boom to go out far enough.  That’s on our list of things to attend to in San Diego.  Good thing we’ve scheduled a few days for rest and repair before the start of the rally.

            Ugh!  The thought of putting on all those layers of clothes again is revolting!  Underwear, long-johns, light fleece, heavy fleece, foulies – it takes forever to take all this off to go to the bathroom!  And moving around in all those layers is no picnic either.  A switch to my lighter weight long-johns today might feel better – and smell better!  My friend Marcia said she could never spend much time on the boat – too much like camping.  Well, with a week cleaning with Huggies and no shower or shampoo, she’s not far off the mark. 

            But as we traveled throughout the day, the weather got warmer, and we could shed some layers, at least for a few hours.  At one point, the sky was deep gray, and the water was so flat, it looked like those mirrors in the fun-house where just a little ripple makes your reflection long and skinny or short and fat.  This mirror didn’t reflect anything but the sky, making the horizon line between water and sky almost indiscernible.

            We called Santa Barbara harbor to see if space was available, and were told there was one slip left, but he couldn’t promise it to us, as it was on a first-come first-serve basis.  Of course, by the time we got there, the slip had been taken – probably by that huge power boat that charged past us at the harbor entrance!  So we refueled, topped off the water tanks, and took off, heading for Santa Cruz Island.

            The sunset was incredible. Clouds like burning embers filled the sky, and there were four or five jet trails of pink and orange hues streaking across.  I found a cloud formation that looked like a stork trailing big feet, like Skyler in the comic strip.  I wonder if I’ll ever get tired of marveling at sunsets.

            The oil platforms sit on the horizon like grey lego structures, but their scent that carries on the wind is unmistakable.  At night they’re lit up like a football stadium.

            A bit of excitement perked us up around 8:00 pm.  A tug towing a petroleum barge hailed us on the radio and asked us to alter course, just to make sure we weren’t too close when crossing the Santa Barbara channel.  We did a 360 to slow down and let him cross.  I could see him on the radar, but it was difficult to interpret what he was doing.  This brought to mind my

Rising Tide group, and my goal to work on my radar-training course.  This is EXACTLY what I need that training for, and I haven’t gotten to that point in the course!  I definitely need to buckle down!

            Later we were joined by a pod of dolphin.  We couldn’t actually see them, we just saw their trails since there was so much phosphorescence.  They streaked along our hulls, across our bow, and behind our stern – like the ocean version of jet con-trails.  Totally cool!

            We knew it was going to be a late landing, so we ate our Pork and Sweet Potato stew while underway.  We arrived at Prisoner’s Cove anchorage around 10:15, but it was slow-going trying to anchor.  Being a deserted island, there are no shore lights or landmarks.  With another moonless night and this being a small cove, there was absolutely no distinction between land and water, so no way to tell how far in we were going.  It was like driving into a black hole.  Eerie!

            Finally, we settled on a place to drop anchor, put away the sail, tidied up the boat, had a shot of brandy and a lovely fresh red pear, and slept soundly.

Saturday, October 18, 2003

            What a lovely anchorage!  Turns out we were right by a pier and didn’t even know it; the lone red light at the end of it, we took for a boat.  Next to us was a huge square-rigged schooner – the boat that kindly turned on all its deck lights last night so we would be sure to see it.  This would be a great place to hang for a few days.

            Unfortunately we don’t have that luxury.  We REALLY needed the rest, so we decided to stay one day.  We slept in late – oh glorious sleep; had a nice breakfast – Jeff makes some mean biscuits; took a quick shower – water on, wet down, water off, soap up, water on, rinse, water off – just like camping, but oh so good!  Today is a day just to relax and revel in the sunshine.  Jeff’s putting up the barbecue so we can grill chicken with my cucumber salad for dinner.  Life is good.

Sunday, October 19, 2003

          Early start again – we’re getting better at dawn awakenings.  No wind today either, so we motor sailed most of the way.  Dolphins joined us a couple times during the day.  I went to the bow to watch them up close. Two-by-two, they would glide just a foot under the water surface, pacing exactly with the spend of the boat – turning on their side, rolling on their back, then upright and into the air in a graceful arc, like a well-choreographed pas-de-deux.  Dolphins are cool!

            The radio crackled all day with vessels calling the Coast Guard and Vessel Assist – I’ve never heard so many calls like that before.  Could it be that there are just more boats down here in SoCal, and the mariners are not as well prepared as Northern California boaters (who more or less have to prepare for bad weather each time they go out)?

            It was another challenging night-time landing.  We made Two Harbors on Catalina Island by 7:15, but by the time we got around the rocks, and settled in, it was close to 8:30.  There is a huge submerged reef at the entrance, part of which is marked with a buoy, but I wasn’t sure just exactly where the edge of the reef extended, so we played it safe and took the long way around to the East entrance.  The Harbor Patrol boat met us closer in, and escorted us to our appointed mooring buoy.  There was another first for me – picking up the pennant, grabbing the line, and cleating us off.  The guy in the patrol boat was very helpful, talking me through it as I reached for the pennant. 

            Since we were in a protected harbor and on a mooring ball, it wasn’t rolly at all – just that soft, gentle rocking motion I love – like being in a cradle.  We decided to celebrate our arrival with a nice bottle of zinfandel to go with our dinner – maple-grazed grilled pork chops with mashed sweet potatoes and sautéed garlic spinach.  Everything was SO-o-o-o good – I ended up drinking WAY too much wine; we finished off the whole bottle!

Tuesday, October 21, 2003

            Yesterday I was wondering why the heck I’m bothering with this log.  Who would bother to read it?  To any sailor, this would be totally boring; in fact, to any one reading it, it’s going to be dull since it’s just stuff right off the top of my head - no thesaurus, no rewrites.  But actually, I’m writing it for two reasons: in case any of my non-sailing friends want to know what our experience has been like; and for myself; after the last trip, there were so many cool, little things that I’d forgotten, until someone mentioned them.  This is a trip that we’ve been working towards for a long, long time.  I don’t want to forget one little bit!

            Two Harbors is a charming little village, somewhat reminiscent of an early Mexican town, with its dirt streets, old vehicles, and small houses.  But there are no adobes here; just cute little cottages or modular homes.  It’s much more quiet and laid-back than Avalon, and is definitely on my list of places at which I’d like to spend more time.

            We put the dinghy in the water and rowed to shore.  The kids had a ball running on the beach and catching their Frisbees in the surf.  We hiked up a short trail to one of the campgrounds and had a picnic overlooking the harbor. It was sunny and warm, but cool in the shade. Abbie loved exploring and trotting through the dry-grass fields.  She would have made a GREAT hunting dog!

            While we were there, a ferry unloaded a lot of kids, and a mountain of sleeping bags and gear bags.  The children looked to be about eight or nine, and there were a few teen-aged helpers.  I thought perhaps it was a school group going on a camping outing like AnnaMarie and the Cunninghams are doing for her class.  Sure enough, they started hiking up the opposite hill, towards another campground.  This would be a fun place to camp, but not nearly as nice as Yosemite, I would think.

            After our lunch, we walked across the isthmus to the other side of the island, and another harbor.  This one was not quite as nice as where we were moored, because the water was murky and somewhat smelly.  At Two Harbors its crystal clear blue all the way to the bottom.

            On our way back to town, we ran into Lou and Mary Dietz and their two children, Emily and Martin.  It was such a surprise.  They are Passport 42 owners who left the Bay Area 3 weeks ago on their 2-5 year cruise.  They’ve been very s-l-o-w-l-y working their way down the coast, and had been on Catalina Island for about 5 days when we saw them.  It was the first time in 3 weeks they’d seen the sun! 

            After our visit, we rowed back to Musetta.  Jeff grilled some halibut and I made a Caper Calamata Salsa for it, with basmati and green beans.  A bottle of Turley white went nicely with dinner, but this time I only had half a glass. J

            Have you been amused that I bothered to list what we had for dinner every night?  It’s because I’ve been told that on most boats sandwiches and hot dogs are the most common meals.  Since Musetta has the most awesome galley, I just thought it should be noted that it’s getting used properly. J  Lunches aren’t too shabby either, consisting mostly of my “planned-overs” where I cook extra of some ingredient, and turn it into an entirely different dish – usually a salad.  Forgive me for bragging; Jeffry is spoiled – he gets this good chow all the time, so there’s no one to praise my meals but me. J

            This morning Lucky was sick from taking in so much sea-water while playing.  Poor guy, he had no control over his bowels and bladder; unfortunately he was in the cockpit and cabin when he let go – not on deck where we could easily wash it down.  Needless to say, we weren’t happy, and he skulked up on deck for the rest of the morning.  This boy has been a pain at times!  The other day I tried to clip his toenails.  The way he was acting, you’d think I was trying to chop off each foot!  I didn’t even get the darned clippers up to his nails before he started squirming and pulling.  What a wimp!  Abbie, on the other hand, sat there like a princess being attended by her handmaiden.           

            Anyway, cleaning up after Lucky obliterated our planned early morning departure, so we’re motoring faster today to make up for the lost time.  Once again, Oceanside transient slips are available on a first-come-first serve basis, and they only had one end-tie available when we called.  Hopefully it will still be available when we arrive.  (Never in my life did I dream I’d be a “transient;” I always equated the word with “homeless.”)

            A 3-masted training ship – one of those early sailing vessel reproductions – was anchored outside the harbor this morning.  It was there when we arrived Sunday night, left Monday morning, then came back Monday evening.  I suppose they make daily runs from the mainland.

            Today the air waves are filled with the voices of the men aboard the US Navy Warships – hailing each other, hailing other vessels, posting security warnings of their hydrographic survey work, live missile testing, and who knows what else.  We’ve counted at least 9 active “warships” (as they identify themselves) so far today, although they’ve all been in different areas than us.

            This afternoon we saw a dark brown cloud of smoke on the mainland – different from the normal SoCAl brown haze.  It was definitely a fire of some sort, perhaps a grass fire?.  I thought to myself, “It’ll be in the news tonight.”  That’s when it hit me!  I haven’t read a newspaper since October 9^th!  It feels weird being completely out-of-touch with normal American life for so long, yet I didn’t even miss reading the news!

            A couple days ago I was thinking about how far we’ve come in our sailing skills.  Yes, we certainly have a LOT more to learn, but I still can appreciate what we’ve done so far.  We first took sailing lessons somewhere between 1990 and 1995.  After that, we chartered a couple times in the Bay, then in the Leeward Islands.  I remember how anxious we were when we got out of sight range of land, and how I had to make our lunches in the morning and pack them in a cooler because if we went below we’d get sea-sick.  Now, here we are, sailing well away from any land, sailing in fog and in the dead of night, entering unknown (to us) harbors at night, anchoring in unknown (to us) coves at night.  I feel comfortable with what we’ve accomplished. 

            It also feels good to shed these layers of fleece!  The chill in my bones is finally thawing, and our sunscreen bottles are now in the cockpit.  I started using Solbar 50 on my face – good stuff, I guess it has zinc oxide in it or something; when I use it, I rarely get any color.  Problem is, it clogs my pores terribly, even though I wash, then I get zits.  BUMMER!  Damned if I do, and damned if I don’t!

Wednesday, October 22, 2003

            Well, we arrived in Oceanside during daylight hours, and the end-tie was still available for us.  Now I know why.  It was a dock that is no longer used because there is construction in the area.  The power and water had been turned off, and there were no dock carts.  We ended up lugging 6-loads of laundry about half a mile to the marina laundry facility; what a pain.  But the worse thing was all he seagull guano on the dock.  It was entirely covered, and the stench was extremely unpleasant.  We finished up with our laundry about 8:30pm, and were so tired we decided to get some take-out at Joe’s Crab Shack (something I wouldn’t do again).  The evening was lovely, and we would have liked to eat in the cockpit, but the smell from the dock was so bad, that would have made our so-so dinner even worse!

            Actually, there WAS something nice about the Oceanside marina: each of the dock gates (except ours) was planted with a lush flower garden.  They were really pretty, and tucked down amidst the leaves and stalks were little “treasures” – figurines, painted rocks, shells, etc.  It was as if each time a renter comes in, they deposit a little something they found.  Really cute!

            When we arrived on the dock yesterday, there was an older couple just getting off their boat. They live in a motor home, and keep it parked in the near-by lot, then take their boat out fishing.  They gave us a package of Mako Shark they’d just caught. 

            Abbie and I got to take a short walk this morning, to return the gate keys to the harbor master’s office, about ¾ mile from our gate.  We got underway before 9:00 a.m. for the short motor sail to San Diego.

            Dolphins played off our bow again.  No, I won’t bore you with more descriptions.  It’s just that every time they join us, I feel as if nature has given me a gift.

            Something weird happened on the way to San Diego today.  We were going through a thick fog bank, so had our radar on.  There was a HUGE target on the screen, about 2 ½ miles off our port bow.  We kept watching it, trying to determine what course we should take to stay out of its way, but it didn’t appear to be moving.  We only had about a quarter mile visibility, so of course we wouldn’t be able to actually see what it was.  Every 5 minutes or so we would check the radar, and then after about 20 minutes, it DISAPPEARED from the screen.  We changed the ring range to 24 miles, and it still never showed up!  I think it was a submarine that dived.   Jeff thinks I’m silly, but he has no better explanation.

            Today we actually saw one of the Navy vessels we heard on the vhf yesterday.  Warship 53 was steaming down the channel as we were coming in.  I don’t know what type it was – there were only two guns – but it was HUGE!  The men standing on the decks looked like ants. 

            Funny, we had no wind all the way to San Diego until we rounded the point – then in blew 20 knots!  All the way up the 8-mile channel, it would go from 20kt, to 3kt, back to 20kt – it was really fluky.

            Our assigned slip at the Marriott was very narrow, off a narrow fairway.  There was a strong current and the wind was blowing strong but changing directions by the minute, almost circling.  Jeff had an extremely difficult time getting the boat in the slip, but finally we made it.

            My first order of business once we settled in was to give the babies a bath.  They smell SO much better! J Then I made a charmoula sauce for the Mako Shark, which Jeff grilled.  I also used the sauce with some orange juice to sauté some carrots, and we had mashed red potatoes with olive oil.  The dinner was delicious.  The shark had an interesting texture – more like meat instead of flaky like other fish.  They gave us enough for two dinners, so I’ll put the rest in a suck and seal package to freeze for later.

 Thursday, October 23, 2003

            Oh, I feel GOOOD this morning!  Abbie and I got to go for a nice long walk!  Since August 13, she and I had been walking daily, and worked up to 5 miles an hour.  That stopped after the auto accident I was in on Sept 11, because I just had too much pain.  Then, of course, all this prep with the boat, and our sailing schedule left no time for walks.  I really miss them.

            But this morning was great.  There are parks at both ends of the harbor, and Seaport Village (shops and restaurants) right next to the hotel, so we had lots to look at on our walk. Not to mention all the buffed Navy guys jogging around the parks!  WOW!  And, of course, everyone admired how Abbie heeled without a leash.  I’m so proud of her! 

            My neice and nephew, Marie and Frank would be excited if they were here.  SpongeBob Squarepants is making a live, personal appearance at the Seaport Village this weekend…………….don’t ask!

            There were lots of boxes awaiting our arrival:  Our monogrammed crew shirts, Jeff’s repaired sunglasses, the awning for our cockpit and foredeck, our boat graphics.  Tomorrow a local graphic company is sending out one of there people to install the graphics.  I can’t wait to see them!

            Being in warmer water now, the water critters are quite active.  At night we hear an incessant snap, crackle, pop outside the hulls.  Jeff says they’re shrimp, but I can’t figure out how they make that noise.

            I have lots of chores to do today – clean the boat, more laundry, and try to find an internet connection to send/receive e-mail.  Our dock neighbor, Jim, is arriving tomorrow morning, and the other two crew are coming in on Saturday.  Sunday is the kick-off costume party, where “Musetta and the Miracles” will make their debut.  I’ll try to get pictures.  Monday we leave for Mexico!

LEG TWO: Baha Ha-Ha Cruisers' Rally, San Diego to Cabo San Lucas (No log available for this period)

LEG THREE: Cabo San Lucas to LaPaz

Leg Four, LaPaz to Puerta Vallarta

Ahhhhhhh!  At last!  THIS was what I imagined cruising would be like!  We  are anchored in a cove on Partida Island, a four-hour sail from LaPaz.  There is a lovely, white-sand beach, beautifully clear blue water, and cool rock formations on the cliffs overlooking the cove.  There were two boats already here when we arrived, but by the second day of our stay, we had this little slice of paradise all to ourselves. 

When we first arrived, we were struck by the sound – or lack of it.  We heard birds calling, fish jumping in water, and . . . . . silence.  There were no engines, no phones, no radios, blaring music, nothing.  The nights are equally awesome; without ambient light from a city, the sky was black as night SHOULD be, and there were a gazillion stars twinkling at us.  One night we turned on the spreader lights and watched the water around the hull.  There were hundreds of fish drawn to the light, feeding on the smaller fish and krill in a swirling frenzy.  It was riveting to watch.

On our first snorkeling foray, we saw lots of strikingly-colored fish, blue stars, spiny urchins, ruffled bi-valves, white jellies, and all sorts of other sea critters.  When we described the large, scalloped shells to Jim, he thought they might be sea scallops.  So the two J’s went on a “hunting and gathering” mission for dinner the next day.  Their goody bag was so full, I had to pick them up in the dingy because they couldn’t swim with the weight of all the shells. But when they cleaned them, the darned things didn’t look like any scallop we’d ever seen.  Jim cooked a couple up, just to test them, and they were like chewing on a yellow eraser.  Not wanting to try the other “innards” in the shells, we gathered them all up and ferried them back to their rocky home.

We’re only staying here two and a half days, because we have to be in P.V. by Thanksgiving to keep our slip reservation.  If we had some way to reach the marina to let them know we’d be late, we possibly could stay longer, but VHF doesn’t reach that far, and they don’t monitor SSB.  I could easily stay here another week and not tire of it. 

It was especially nice to relax here after the hectic schedule we’ve kept.  It seems like we’ve been on-the-go since we left Emery Cove Marina.  Each town we get to, we have boat chores, laundry, provisioning, internet – there hasn’t been a lot of time to just do “nothing,” although our final day in LaPaz was nice.

We had decided to stay another day, simply because Jeff and I hadn’t had had time to see the town.  The day after we arrived, we carted our laundry to the “lavanderia” and sent e-mails.  That doesn’t sound like a lot, but you have to understand, we were anchored out.  That means we have to get all the “going ashore gear” together (water, bowls, leashes, Frisbees, bags, etc), then get everyone and everything in the dinghy, motor to the docks, unload, walk to town, etc.  Everything on the boat takes at least two, usually three, times longer than at home.

The day after we arrived, Jeff and I walked about a mile to a large grocery store for provisioning.  The streets of LaPaz are not in the best condition, and there are not sidewalks as we know them; they’re cracked, uneven, have huge holes, are built up at some residences or businesses and non-existent right next door.  Plus it was HOT! The good part was, the produce was decent and reasonably priced.  We filled our rolling cooler with beers and soda, and my five canvas bags were real handy for the rest.  Still, with the two dogs, all the bags, and the rolling cart, we must have looked a sight walking back to the marina!

On the way to the store, we found what looked like a neat restaurant with a huge outdoor grill.  It also had a lot of Mexican people eating there, so we knew it wasn’t one of those that catered to Americans.  We tried it for dinner and had one of the most awesome meals of our trip.  We tried the house special – I can’t even tell you what it was called.  The server spoke no English, and I could only understand a few words he said; it was almost as if he were speaking a dialect.  I also couldn’t translate any of the words on the menu, which is unusual.  But the platter of food was delicious!  There was chorizo, peppers and onions, carne asada, and some sort of pork maybe – all grilled of course.  He had also brought us a platter of condiments and tons of tortillas so we compiled and rolled to our tummies’ content. 

After dinner we found another internet café (they seem to be fairly prevalent in LaPaz ) but this one had English keyboards.  The others we’d been using had Spanish keyboards, so the symbols aren’t the same, and the placement of some of the keys are different that we’re accustomed to.  The programs are also in Spanish, so when a window opens or you pull down a menu, you have to translate/guess which is the function you want.  That REALLY slows you down.  Fortunately, the rates were much less expensive in LaPaz.  For example, in San Diego the rate was $20 per hour; $5 per hour in Cabo, and $1.50 per hour in LaPaz.

Our last day there, we walked a couple miles to a pottery factory, but it was a disappointment; there were few pieces to choose from, high prices, only one design style (which I didn’t care for), and they wouldn’t allow photos, supposedly for copyright protection.  But at least we got in a good walk.  Unfortunately I sprained my ankle stepping in one of those pot-holed sidewalks, and have been limping around ever since.  (Actually, the warm water here in the cove has had a great healing effect on it.)  We spent the rest of the afternoon in a palapa trying different items on the menu, including a fabulous ceviche.  The server, Salvador, had lived eight years in Chicago, so he spoke English quite well.  I asked him why all the people in LaPaz were afraid of our dogs.  He said many people there have dogs, but they don’t consider them pets; they are for “security.” The owners don’t feed them regularly because they want the dogs to be lean and mean.  Indeed, we saw countless mutts cruising the streets, looking for food or a fight.  He said it is one of the “bad” things about LaPaz; the populace is just not educated in humane animal treatment.  There is no such thing as spaying and neutering, and the city dog collector takes the dogs direct to a “kill facility.”

But LaPaz has lots to offer someone who wants to live casually and inexpensively.  Jim was so taken with it, he actually tossed around the idea of  moving there for awhile.  Although it’s large, it’s still low key.  You can get almost anything you’d need in this city, and the people are very friendly.  In fact, many cruisers get to LaPaz and that’s as far as they ever go.  One woman we spoke to had been there with her husband for two years and two hurricanes – they’d only planned to stay two weeks.       

Speaking of hurricanes, we saw the remains of the devastation caused by Hurricane Marty a couple months ago.  The LaPaz Marina was completely wiped out, docks destroyed, and there was still a boat in the water –just it’s mast sticking up.  I guess quite a few boats were destroyed.  It must be heartbreaking for those people to lose their homes.  To make matters worse, many said their insurance claims were denied; seems marine insurers are real slippery.

But hurricane season is over, and the weather has been gorgeous most of the time.  We had one storm come in late afternoon and into the evening.  It started raining big, fat drops right about the time we were going to have dinner.  So we decided to take the dogs back to the boat before dinner, so they wouldn’t have to stay outside in the rain while we ate.  The wind was up to about 20 knots, and the waves were about 3 feet by then, and it was dark.  Motoring back to the boat in the dinghy we were bashing against the waves and got thoroughly soaked!  Fortunately it hadn’t gotten too cold yet.  By the time we headed back to shore, it was pitch black out, and lighting was filling the sky like fireworks, with the loud thunder following.  It was totally cool to see, but a little spooky being out on the water in a lightning storm.  It wasn’t the kind of “bolt” lightning, so there wasn’t much risk of getting struck.  (Some people we know were hit by lighting and it wiped out ALL the electronic systems on their boat).

Our sail to PV was pretty uneventful; in fact most of the time there was no wind so we had to motor.  We were visited by a lone dolphin one afternoon, which is unusual because they usually travel in pods.  But the next day, there were a ton of them playing with the boat – Lucky was absolutely fascinated with them again!  We saw a sea turtle swim by; one morning there were squid all over the deck (again); and we had a seagull hitchhiker atop our mast for a day and night.  Our passage took two and a half days.

So now we’re in Nuevo Vallarta, which is a luxury resort outside of Puerto Vallarta.  We’ll have Thanksgiving dinner with a bunch of other cruisers here at the hotel.  They have a dolphin pool here where you can swim with the dolphin, which we’ll do, - too bad Lucky can’t go too!  In fact, we’ve found pets are not allowed anywhere on the hotel grounds, only the marina, so it’s a bit of a bummer.  Had I known this was not a pet-friendly place, I would have kept looking for a slip somewhere else.  In fact, we may still look and move the boat in March when we come back down. 

We’re told there are some nice anchorages to the south of PV, so we’ll probably sail down and back a few days before we leave Mexico. We ran into Jeff’s dad here yesterday – can you believe it?!  He’s down here with some friends who are financing a housing development in the area.  He’s considering buying a house down here.  He stopped by today to see our boat, and will be joining us for Thanksgiving dinner here at the marina; they have a special banquet set up for the cruisers. 

So, essentially, we’re at the end of our cruise, and this will be my last Musetta’s Log, although I may send notes here and there. I don’t know when we’ll be back in town, so I’ll wish everyone a happy holiday season now. 

Love to all,

Steph

THE DRIVE HOME: Return to the U.S. from Nuevo Vallarta

December, 2003

My goodness, how much STUFF we had to take home!  A life raft that we borrowed from an Emery Cove dock neighbor, books, tapes, clothing, a PFD, dog stuff (and dogs) filled our rolling cart to overflow.  After checking all our options, a rental car still seemed the best way to go, although the $800 drop-off fee was a killer. 

We spent our last full day in Nuevo Vallarta cleaning the boat, doing laundry and packing.  Jeff took Jim to the airport, and on the way was stopped by a local traffic cop.  He wasn’t going over the speed limit, but the cop disagreed; there was no radar, and he had already pulled over another rental car driven by a Gringo on the way to the airport.  He told Jeff if he wanted his license back, he would have to pay $40, or go to the station the next day and pay $60.  Of course, it was all bogus, and the guy made some easy money, since Jim needed to make his flight and couldn’t delay.  We found out later that’s a favorite spot for dirty cops to fleece Gringos, because they know they’re on the way to the airport and don’t have time to go to the station.  We also were told if you go to the station, the fee is about $3.  The Harbor Master in our marina told us he has photocopies of his drivers license laminated; that way, if he gets stopped, he doesn’t care if he gets the license back or not.  J

We stopped at gas stations, Wal-Mart and Office Depot, looking for a road map to help us, but couldn’t find any.  The woman at the rental car counter had a used one that she said she’d sell me.  Evidently my brain was on vacation because I misplaced the decimal in converting dollars to pesos; I gave her $25.00 instead of $2.50, and she took it!  When we were all packed up and driving out of the area, I realized my mistake so we went back.  She still had the money, but said I must pay her $5 for the map.  L

Map in hand, we headed north.  The signs were a little confusing at times, but we made our way okay.  Getting used to Mexican drivers was trying; they all drive like hell-bent maniacs, passing on double yellow lines around curves and over bridges.  And the roads and signal lights are different.  For example, in P.V, there are two lanes west-bound, a divider to the right, and another two lanes west-bound on a lower level.  The same configuration goes east-bound.  To make a left-hand turn from the west-bound lane, you have to be in the left lane of the outside section, turning in front of the inner two west-bound lanes.  There are breaks in the divider to go from the outside section to the inside section, but they’re tricky because you are either going uphill or down. 

We wanted to enjoy the drive through the country, and not wear ourselves out too much, so we’d usually take off around 8:00 or 9:00, after a breakfast of muchaca & huevos J, and would drive until around 6:00 p.m. when we’d look for a pet-friendly motel.

Our first stop was a little town called Escuinapa, south of Mazatlan.  The people here were obviously not used to tourist Gringos in their town because they stared at us like we were wearing the emperor’s clothes!  The only motel we could find was a tiny thing at the end of town.  It looked okay from the outside, and we were tired, so we decided to give it a go.  Only $15 a night too!  When we walked in the room, it was pretty Spartan; the two towels were like thin sandpaper, and the mattresses were on concrete blocks; there was half a roll of toilet paper hanging on a broken towel rack.  But that was okay, it was only to sleep in.  Morning light brought a different view!  It was filthy!  Jeff’s bed cover smelled like urine – but it wasn’t from our dogs; they slept on the floor!  I wondered if they even bothered to change the sheets between guests.

Ah well; it’s all part of the adventure!  We moved on.  The next night, after we unloaded our things into the motel room, we got a call from the front desk.  No dogs allowed!  So we packed everything up and checked every motel along the street.  Finally we found one – a nice one, a new Best Western – that would accept our babies.  It’s much easier in the states to find pet-friendly places.  In Mexico, animals are not treated as part of the family, so the Mexicans do not understand how well-behaved pets can be.

Our babies were incredibly good.  That week was the feast of the Virgin of Guadalupe, so there were celebrations in every town.  The fireworks really freaked Lucky out, so he was a bit difficult when we were walking the streets at night, but other than that he was fine.  It was interesting to see how the people live.  They have houses RIGHT ON the street – no lawns of course – with common walls to shops or other homes, so they look like shops.  The windows and doors on many were open, so I had to be nosy and peak inside.  Most of them had huge shrines to the Virgin, and all were very simply furnished; no carpet, no couches – only a dining table and chairs, some had beds in the front room.  So different from what we know.

We passed a festival of some sort for the Virgin in a field on the outskirts of one town. People were walking to it from the next town even – a good ten miles away.  It looked like a pilgrimage.  Some carried flowers, but other than that, they had nothing with them – no purses, backpacks, coolers, water bottles, nothing to get them through that long walk.

By the third night we’d entered the Sonora Desert.  It was pleasantly warm and sunny during the day, but incredibly cold at night – cold enough to see my breath in the air.  After being turned away from umpteen motels, I begged my way into one, with the promise the dogs would not sleep on the bed.  Unfortunately the whole room was tile – walls, floors, everything, and it was FREEZING!  There was no blanket on the bed, and the thin towels were about the size of our hand-towels.  I went back to the office, and in a weird mix of Spanish, Italian, and English, asked for a blanket.  They gave us one, and a couple extra towels, but it was still incredibly cold.  We took the floor mats out of the car and some towels we were using to protect the back seat, and laid them down for Abbie and Lucky; poor babies, they were cold!

The desert is amazing.  I can see why people die in it, trying to cross the border.  It stretches on forever it seems.  Seeing how they “prepare” for long walks, I’m sure the poor people crossing the border don’t have the luxury of capilene long-johns and fleece jackets for the cold nights.

There were lots of toll roads along the way, and even more military check points. Eighteen year olds with automatic weapons – scary!  At each stop they asked us where we were going, and checked our trunk.  None of them spoke English, and I remember very little Spanish from my high-school classes, but we got along ok.  Surprisingly, many of the boys were afraid of the dogs, so I guess it was easier just to let us go since we couldn’t understand anything they were saying, and they didn’t like the dogs. J

As we drove from Mexicali to Tijuana, we picked up our first American radio stations, and heard the news of Saddam Hussein’s capture.  That was the first news we’d had in over two months!

Finding the rental car drop at the Tijuana airport was a real ordeal.  We had to park in this “No Parking” section and wait for someone from a rental car company to come out to us.  Then they checked the car out while Jeff went into the airport rental counter to finish up the paperwork.  It was a big deal trying to get a taxi to the border because we had so much stuff in the trunk, and I don’t think any of the taxi drivers wanted two dogs in their car.  So, the rental car company attendant was kind enough to drop us off at the walk-through section of the border, about three miles from the airport.

There are guys walking around the area with hand-trucks to help you, for a small fee.  One guy helped us get through the line and up to the inspection building.  At that point, we had to use another guy’s service, who was an American citizen, or at least he had a California driver’s license. 

We put all our bags through the x-ray machine on the Mexican side, and answered questions about the life raft; understandable since it has a co2 cartridge in it.  Then we loaded everything back up on the hand-truck and walked through the line to the customs agent.  He asked me “What have you got?” I rattled off a list of stuff, and it must have been too much because he just didn’t look like he wanted to deal with anything.  “Okay.”  That was it!  He didn’t look at passports, rabies certificates, nothing!

Then we had to load all our stuff back into an x-ray machine on the American side, answer a few more questions, and we were home free.  The whole process, from getting in line to exiting the border, took only about thirty minutes.  Heck, we’ve waited HOURS in line in a car!

Jeff’s friend, Xavier, had picked up my car at the marina when we left, and had it at his lot.  So he sent it down with a driver, who picked us up at the border.  We took the driver to the Greyhound station, and drove to another Best Western for our final night on the road.  It worked out great.

All-in-all, were took about five days in Mexico and one in the US.  It was a great trip, especially because it gave us the opportunity to gradually get back to reality and cooler weather.

Our house looked SO BIG when we got home!  When we left, it was still warm and the thermostats were set for summer, so it was also COLD!  Our realtor had shown the house five or six times while we were gone, but there’ve been no offers yet.

The pile of mail and e-mails is horrendous, but right now we’re scrambling to get ready for Christmas.  What was amazing about being in Mexico for the holiday season is that is was so low-key.  For being a devoutly Catholic country, there was very little Christmas hype – a refreshing change.

Neither of us wanted to leave the boat – not only because she’ll be so far away – but also because we LOVE the lifestyle!  AT this point, we plan on flying back for a couple weeks in March, and will possibly move Musetta further south in more lush country.  Then in April or May, we’ll bring her back up to Emery Cove.  Of course, if the house sells by then, we’ll be on our way to permanent cruising!

We missed you all, and hope to see you soon.  In the meantime, we send our heartiest wishes for a happy and peaceful holiday!