June marks the end of our cruising season

We watched hundreds of Rays slapping the water on our last morning sail. I was told by a fisherman that the females jump straight up and slap the water, while the males do flips. It is quite a mating dance. Better than any Vegas light show!

Made the passage from the Bay of LA to San Carlos with our friends on SV Terrapin. Having been a boat kid himself, Bret loves meeting new kid boats.

Sailing through the largest pod of dolphin we have ever seen. It was a river of dolphin stretching for miles. Even standing on the bow I could almost not believe how many dolphin there were. 

Another first for SV Liahona and crew. An albino dolphin swimming off the bow.  

A friend on another boat told us that dolphin like high pitched noises and lots of movement. I looked like an entire kindergarten class on the bow clapping and jumping and squeaking. 

Fisherman down from the US were limiting out on yellow tail and gave SV Terrapin and the Liahona each some fish. We had sushi 2 nights in a row and sashimi on passage. Doesn't get any better.

The cruising community is always willing to help out a fellow cruiser. Haul out day was no exception. 25 knots of wind made it a bit more hair raising than I prefer but with 2 dinghies in the water and extra hands on deck it went off beautifully. Thank you to SV Discovery, SV Desert Find, SV Windcharmer, MV Capo Doste and the guys at Marina Seca for another safe haul out.

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Bitter sweet.

For those who have never seen a ship yard. 

Heating up the lead keel to try to bend back the damage from the reef.

Feeling a bit like the Karate Kid...wax on wax off. Being budget cruisers we chose to clean and wax the hull ourselves. Doesn't sound like much....but 45 feet of all overhead shoulder work is not for the light at heart. 

Nothing  on boat is easy to get to. Bret is wedged down inside the lazarette ( a locker accessed from the cockpit) changing the oil in the generator. Amazing how he contorts his 6ft frame. I should add that the outside temp is 99. The locker is a deep fryer. So grateful for everything Bret does to keep us running.

The back deck becomes an auto garage when the dinghy motor needs servicing. 

 Last couple of nights we had dinner with friends. SV Cake, SV Milagro, and SV Harmony. Making new friends is a big part of the cruising life. People from all walks of life. What a blessing!

Dinner with friends on SV Fan. We met under emergency circumstances. Diede got her hand caught in the windless. Long story short... we were there and heard the call. Bret speaking fluent Spanish was a great help in taking Diede to the hospital. As you can see by the smiles all is well and new friendships were formed. We look forward to sailing with them next season.

Tomorrow morning we start the 1500 mile treck back to Southern Oregon. What is normally broken up into 3 days will be spread over only 2. I have barn syndrome and am ready to see family and my home town tribe. Hasta luego Mexico. See you in October.

Ciao for now,

Marne and Bret

SV Liahona

WARNING. This may be too graphic for some viewers.

During our crossing from the Baha to the mainland in the northern Sea of Cortez we were able to witness the circle of life in full scale. Our friends on SV Terrapin were able to catch it all on video. Birds fish and even a shark were feeding off the dead hump back whale. I was able to look past being sad for the whale, and see the good for the other marine animals. Nature is an amazing.

Women who sail.

Hello from the First Mate,

I am enjoying life aboard and south of the border very much. Living the dream does not come without a cost. The cost for me is the missing of my family, dear friends, and my poodle. Distance does make the heart grow fonder as they say, and I have found it shines a light on gratitude as well. Newly added to my gratitude list is the gift of reading. I have been devouring books. My mom and step dad Jim have always been avid readers, sometimes reading more than one book at a time. In the past my biggest reads were the long comics in the Sunday paper. What a decadent treat reading is. Who knew!

One of my favorite books of the season!

  I have been practicing my Spanish almost daily, about 15 minutes of book time each morning added to emersion and bit by bit its starting to stick. Brets being able to speak fluently is a major help, but he is not always with me on trips in town. If only I had taken spanish instead of 3 years of German in high school. I have traded das is gut for esta bien and Guten Nocht for Beinas Noches.

Women Who Sail seminar

 We are entering into our 6th month and I have already met so many women cruisers. I have become part of a network of women who truly love what they are doing. Some are part of a crew, many are first mate or Captain, and some amazing women are single handers. I recently attended a women who sail seminar. One of the speakers told of how her vessel was hit by a whale. The boat did end up sinking, but she was able to get the entire crew off. Another speaker has been a single hander for the 15 years since her husband passed away. During those 15 years, she has circumnavigated several times. As with my Spanish, we have been adding more to my sailing education. I no longer just pull in the main sheet, or drop the anchor when asked. In preparation for the South Pacific, and anything that can happen at sea, I have to be able to single hand the Liahona. That means I have to be able to sail her with or without the motor, I have to be able to transmit on Ham frequency, I have to be able to be the Captain if ever need be. Bret is not only amazing at sharing all he knows with me, I can tell he enjoys it. I hope it will help him to sleep more on long overnight crossings as well. The majority of my work life has been spent behind the wheel of a truck and my dad always said I had diesel in my veins. Now at the helm I am hoping to add a little salt air to the mix.

Urchin shrapnel 

The surf report for the south end of Matanchen Bay...NOT happening!

 I am looking forward to more surfing when the broken toe and sea urchin spines feel better, and if I can let go of more ego I will enjoy it even more. We were looking at magic seaweed surf report the other day checking swell and conditions in some spots we wanted to surf. One of the spots had a nice soft long rolling wave, and apparently was less " Sharky" than the neighboring break. At first glance we both thought it was a play on words and that the wave just had less of a bite. Turns out there is a break further up the coast that happens to be near a fish plant. Needless to say we will not be surfing near the fish plant, and my fear about black urchin spines is gone....

Catching a wave together in San Blas.

 I can here the anchor chain being raised, so I had better end this letter.

Hope everyone has a charlie charlie day,

SV Liahona
Marne and Bret

Much ado about May

Anchored in the beautiful bay at Isla Coronados

View from the top of the volcano at Isla Coronados.

Writing a blog is basically the same thing as keeping a journal or diary maybe with a few less personal details. The further from civilization we get, the more it becomes therapeutic. I love being out in beautiful remote anchorages and off the grid. It is so freeing to be able to unplug from cell phones, texting, facebook, email, ect. 

Bret holding the Frigot bird who flew into our rigging and knocked itself into the water. I popped up on deck to see what the noise was and saw her, wings spread, floating next to the hull. Although sea going birds, they cannot get wet as they have no oils on their feathers. We put a call out on the local net and within minutes we had a small rescue opp in place. We would take Lucy to the dock where a car would take her to the local vet. Bret wearing our kitchen mitts to avoid losing a finger in Lucy's(nicknamed by the rescue team) large snapping beak. A few days later we received an email saying Lucy was doing well and would soon be released. 

How does one on a budget send flowers to mom on mothers day from another country?

1.) Ask the man who owns the shop if you can take a photo holding the most grand bouquet.

 2.) Post the photo to facebook and tag mom. Happy mothers day mom. Your the best mom ever!!

Visiting the dermatologist in La Paz. Thanks Doc for a job well done.

 We saw this on a wall in a back alley short cut to the mercado.

Translation ..."Counsel from the Air (or universe)

Every time I think I'm important, a fly arrives and say's

You are nothing"

 I guess Chevy's do run forever. This one ran on charcoal briquettes and grilled the best burgers in LaPaz

Last sunset of the cruising season in marina La Paz.

We woke in the morning to the bugal of the Mexican Navy in formation. 

Towing local boys around the bay in Agua Verde. 

Practico mi Espanol todos los dias...um poquito... Apparently caped super heroes must help short people cross the dirt road at 10 km per hour.

Dinner with SV Loomba Loomba on the beach in Agua Verde. A three sided beach shack transformed daily into a delicious Tacqeria

Maria is making fresh tortillas for our fish tacos.

The mini super in San Everisto is in the family room of one of the locals.

We were able to buy some fresh produce and a few Coca Lights.

We hiked with friends from SV Agave Azul to the top of Isla San Francisco where we found a climbers log hidden in the rocks.  

 

.We all took a moment to write a note to Emily Pickering, the journals originator.

Isla San Francisco is one of my top 3 favorite anchorages! The water is crystal like the Caribbean, without the rain and the wind. We hiked to the top of the highest peak for a 360` view( AWESOME!). Having the island to ourselves on the 3rd day we decided on the hike back to host our own episode of naked and afraid bending the rules slightly and allowing for flip flops and a sombrero. I spent both mornings diving the reef for more fish to spear. The water at night has been glassy and prime for Bret's favored night dives allowing us to share an amazing meal with 2 other boats on board the Motor Yacht Trinity Rose. 

Shell beach at Punta Chivato. The white sand here is replaced by miles of sea shells.  A beachcombers paradise!

A tip from the sea lions Sometimes its best just to float on your back..fins up..in the sun 

 The month was filled with blessings and yet at times I  allow myself to succumb to frustration. The wind picks up in  mid afternoon and the swell can sometimes rolls into the anchorage just as I commit to starting a project. I don't mind the waves, but is it to much to ask that the waves wait for me to finish what I need to get done? Needless to say we both soon realize how ridiculous we are being. Another opportunity to turn it over, let go and realize I am not in control.