Family Friends and Fun

  Que Onda,

The motor is on and we are in route to our next local. It always seems to be a good time for the first mate to take time to write. Our visit with Tallen and Rawly has been fabulouso! When we left Cabo we sailed first to Frailes. Frailes is beautiful and the perfect preamble to the Sea of Cortez. Next stop.... Muertos. Another winner, we all got in a little dinghy surfing followed by slack lining(provided by Tallen), and some awesome guacamole.

Bret getting his slack line on!

Tallen surfing behind the dinghy

Isla Espiritu Santo was our next destination. The Island never disappoints with its crystal clear water filled with beautiful fish, coral, and other underwater delights(Lobster). We were all experiencing something new as we had never anchored on the east side of the Island. The landscape is equally beautiful with its white sand beaches, flowering cacti, and high canyon walls begging to be climbed. I took a solo hike one day looking for the goats that Bret claims he saw last year. I believe him, but then I also believe in Bigfoot. I kept hearing a noise that sounded like a rattle snake and then would get high pitched. Sounds pretty uneventful, but earlier this year I read a thriller based on the ruins in cancun about a plant that lured its victims with strange clicking noises. I decided to investigate(sound reasonable). Turns out after throwing several large rocks that it was a flying bug the size of a quarter. I could have used Google at that moment. Sitting alone on top of a high peak with a 360' view of the Sea is nothing less than breath taking. 

A tiny puffer bit the hook. He unpuffed and swam away without injury.

Father and son enjoying the sail.

Dinghy ride through the canal to the other side. So beautiful!

Heading out to the sea caves. 

We moved north to the east side of Caleta Partita. Protected from the swell on the west side by a low lying peace of land with a shallow canal connecting the 2 anchorages it was a gold mine! Sea cave snorkeling, lobster diving, and spear fishing! Sounds a bit like a adventure vacation advertisement to me. The sea caves were pretty extensive, twisting north and south, leaving plenty of unexplored places for the next trip. This was the day I speared my first fish. The spear gun is tough to load,so Bret has to do the muscle work. Instructions were as follows...

1. Do not hit the rocks it will damage the spear.
2. Don't shoot at anything small, its not worth the work for the meat it yields.
3. DO NOT HIT THE ROCKS.

Got it...and I'm off never thinking I would actually hit a fish. Intent on not hitting the rocks, finding a big fish, and all with only one shot. Hmmmm, what to do? Just keep swimming, breath, be patient, oh... wait... SQUIRREL! I saw a large male Parrot fish. I let some air out of my lungs so I could dive down,get parallel and avoid hitting rocks. I flipped the safety with my thumb, pointed, aimed and fired. Somewhere in there I crossed my fingers. When the dust cleared and I saw I had speared him I was out of my mind excited. That night we shared fish tacos and Lobster with friends on board SV Shindig.

Short video I took snorkeling. Feels like 'Im part of the finding Nemo cast.

On the hunt for dinner.

Just after I surfaced with the fish. I was pumped!

A friend shared a little gem with me while we were talking about some of the things live aboard cruisers find difficult. I used one of my favorite quotes and referred to them as "Luxury problems",reminding myself that I am lucky and blessed to get to live any life at all. She said a local women from Puerto Vallarta referred to them as "First world problems". Adding that to my gratitude list the day was perfect!

Our cozy dining table serving up a  Lobtser dinner!

Ciao for now,

Marne,Bret,Tallen,and Rawly
SV Liahona