It's about time!

Okay, okay, okay. So I'm incredibly lame and haven't posted ANYTHING in 6 months. Sorry, it's been a little busy.

Since our last post in May, we've taken Cheers out to the islands on four separate trips, we've worked in Southeast Alaska for 9 weeks (me) and 12 weeks (Mark), I spent 5 weeks working in the eastern Mediterranean and Mark came to join me near the end of that time so we could explore a little together. Whoa. Incredible experiences, but LOTS of time on airplanes and in airports.

Here's the brief synopsis, with some photo albums to do most of the talking.

It was pretty bloody hot here in La Paz this summer, so we got out to the islands whenever possible. We went out for a week in May, a week in mid-July and 2 weeks in late October / early November. We also went out for a week with our 13 year-old nephew, Collin, which was great. We explored a little at Isla Cerralvo, and spent a lot of time snorkeling, swimming and diving at Islas Espiritu Santo, San Francisco and San Jose. The water was so warm and clear! Completely different from what we're accustomed to when we're working here in the winter. We watched as many sunsets and moonrises as possible, and stargazed nearly every night. We even listened to election night coverage on our satellite radio while anchored at Isla San Francisco under a star-filled sky! Don't you know we feel incredibly lucky?!

Summer 2008, Cheers cruising and Collin's visit

Our time in Alaska was also great. We had good weather in June and early July, with great wildlife sightings on every trip. Check out the photo album to see some of my highlights.

Alaska 2008

My time in the Mediterranean was, well, interesting. The places we went were amazing, and I loved being immersed in new cultures. You'll see from the photo album that I went a little nuts. Unfortunately, the ship that Lindblad had chartered was far from ideal, and I faced some of the biggest challenges of my Expedition Leader career. No stories here, but I'll tell you in person if you ask.

Mediterranean 2008

Mark & Michelle Mediterranean

It's now mid-November, and Mark's just gone back to work on NG Sea Lion. He'll be in Alameda, California for the next month, or so, working the annual shipyard. In mid-December, he'll bring the ship down to La Paz, and we'll both work one trip, over New Year's. I'll try not to be such a lame-o, and post more often. At least a few photos now and then.

Take care & Happy Holidays!
Michelle

Out and back again, to Europe that is.

Underway on board the National Geographic Endeavour in the English Channel

I was at home on vacation in La Paz and Michelle was just about to get off of the Sea Lion when my good friend Dwayne Stevens gave me a call. He asked if I was interested in joining him on the National Geographic Endeavour to help him with a safety audit. The ship was just about to leave dry dock and head for Europe on a repositioning voyage with guests on board. I talked to Michelle when she got off for vacation a few days later and she was gracious enough to insist that I go with Dwayne and not miss this opportunity. It was going to be a good chance to spend some time with a good friend, observe another ship from our fleet in action and cruise the western coast of Portugal, Spain, France and then to Great Britain. Not a bad work week for a sailor.

On May 4th I boarded a plane in La Paz for Lisboa, Portugal via Mexico City. The flights went very well and my bag actually arrived on time as well. Due to a delay Dwayne and I had a night in Lisbon together before Endeavour arrived. There was a nice waterfront strip across from the hotel so we were able to take in some local cuisine before we dropped in our tracks due to the time change. The next day we boarded the ship in Lisboa and started our ship inspection while the guests were in town on tour. Later in the day the Endeavour got underway for Oporto, Portugal. That night we were able to catch up with Isaac Klinger and Beth Anne Robertson both are co workers with Lindblad, former crew and good friends. There were also many of the natural history staff on board that I have worked with on the Sea Lion so lots of familiar faces on the ship. There's a young guest named Lisa from Alberta (possible Lindblad recruit) and Kay (repeat guest and almost staff member) that were part of our troup.

We arrived in Oporto, Portugal late in the morning and the guests were ashore for a tour of the town and a local distillery. Dwayne and I continued with our safety audit in order to make it into town later in the day. The skies were cloudy with some rain in the morning but the skies opened up to sunny and warmer in the afternoon. Our time in Oporto late that afternoon and evening was delightful. It is a beautiful city built on two steep shores overlooking the river. It was a great dinner with some exceptional seafood. We basically had the place to ourselves. As the gang exited the restaurant (Isaac Klinger, Jason Alexander, Beth Anne Robertson and a guest Lisa Laurenson joined us) the sun set and the light on the far side of the river was great. Upon arrival back at the ship they pulled the gangway and we were headed for Spain.

On Thursday, May 8th the ship anchored off of Finesterra, Spain and the guests were tendered via zodiacs to shore. They departed for Santiago de Compostella for the day but we stayed aboard to continue the audit. It was a nice ride up the coast of Spain and the ship was very quiet which made for some productive interviews. In the evening the ship docked at La Coruna, Spain the guests came back aboard and we departed for France. For the next day and a half we were underway crossing the Bay of Biscay in route to Sta. Malo, France. Dwayne and I finished up the safety audit and a few other items in order to take advantage of the next port call.

Last night we arrived in St. Malo and got to watch the ship pull into a small lock chamber that guards the tiny and very old harbor basin. It was fun to watch and the night lights on the local fortifications were great. After the ship came alongside Dwayne and I went ashore and ventured inside the fort's walls. It's really a small section of St. Malo that is the original sight of the city center that had been protected by the walls. We found a local cafe, had a glass of wine and then turned in for the night.

Today we joined the guests for a trip to Mont Saint Michel. This is a local abbey or cathedral located on the north shore of France that could not be anymore picturesque. It's built on a small island serviced only by a narrow causeway and then surrounded by tidal mudflats and pasture land. Over the centuries many have made religious pilgrimages to this site and this still continues today. For our visit it was a local holiday so there were many visiors to just see the site and take in the great views. It was sunny and warm and you could see quite a ways from the top. It's hard to believe what they were able to construct on a rocky islet back in this day. For the afternoon we opted to have lunch off the ship in St. Malo and it was delicious. French food by no means comes fast nor is it light but man is is delicious! Cheese, cream crepes and a dry white wine. Over two hours later we arose from the table and wandered the streets for some shopping. The ship had to depart the harbor due to some low tide levels so we made it back to the ship via zodiac. We were second to the last boat back and everything was stowed quickly, the anchor aweigh and we are now off for Portsmouth. As we departed the harbor the number of sailboats returning to the harbor was impressive.

We are now heading across the English Channel for Portsmouth, England and the end of our journey. I'll be heading back to La Paz via London and Mexico City while Dwayne, Isaac and Beth Anne all return to Seattle. It has been a lot of fun as well as very educational and it was nice to ride under another Captain's command. I truly enjoyed getting to catch up with everyone especially Dwayne.

It's time to get back to Cheers, grab Michelle and get out in the Sea of Cortez for a week. A day on the water is always a great day in my book.
Cheers, Mark

Home Again

La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico

Working, April in Baja

Wow. The 7 weeks since my last post certainly flew by in a hurry. Mark went back to work on March 1, and I followed a week later. We wrapped up another Baja season on the Sea Lion, running for 6 weeks straight, and now taking a few minutes to reflect.

The wildlife was amazing, as it nearly always is down here, and we traveled with some really wonderful people. Between the morning laugh-a-thons at the staff breakfast “meeting” and some great conversations with guests that have been sailing with us for years, the good parts far outweighed the frustrations. I’m really not sure how to collapse six amazing weeks into a single blog entry, but I’ll try to give the highlights. The photos say a lot.

My first three weeks of work were the last three gray whale trips of the season. It’s such an amazing time to be in Magdalena Bay, with the calves getting bigger and more playful and the moms giving them a little more freedom. I was fortunate to have a couple of incredible friendly whale encounters. To watch a wild animal that was hunted to near extinction voluntarily approach my boat, roll underneath and look up at me, is nothing short of miraculous.

The last two trips were Photo Expeditions – without doubt my favorite trips of the year. On these trips, we go north in the Gulf of California, to islands we visit only a few times per year. We saw every species of marine mammal I could have hoped to see, and good sea conditions for watching almost all of them. My absolute favorite though, was a glorious flat calm morning, when Mark was getting tired and a little crabby about being directed by me and the photographers, on how to drive around some dolphins. As we pulled away from the dolphins, I asked if I could drive the ship, so he could listen to the weather forecast. We spotted a large pod of pilot whales out to the east, and I turned the ship toward them. It’s funny, because I’ve never really driven the ship before, but I’ve watched Mark do it for years, and it came pretty naturally. My heart was racing as I tried to get as close as possible for the photographers, without causing the animals to change their behavior. For nearly an hour, I was able to keep the ship right beside this pod of about 50 short-finned pilot whales, while the photographers fired away. Unfortunately, I have no photos of my own, but I couldn’t stop smiling for the entire day.

I’m still learning how to photograph whales, and need to buy a longer lens, so the diversity of our whale sightings isn’t well depicted in my photos. However, we had it all... fin whales surfacing through glassy water in early morning light, humpbacks breaching right next to the ship, my fourth killer whale sighting in 10 years, blue whales, sperm whales and so many dolphins that even I could take a few decent pictures.

We also stopped at Isla Rasa, a tiny island where 95% of the world’s population of Heermann’s gulls and elegant terns nest. The sight and sound of this island is incredible, with half a million seabirds courting, defending territories, mating and, fortunately, still finding enough food to raise their young. They’re both such beautiful birds, and their courting displays are fantastic to watch.

We leave Saturday, for a few days in Seattle, then Mark flies to Lisbon for a week with Dwayne on the Endeavour. Although they’ll be working on an audit, I imagine they’ll be able to do a little sightseeing and catch up with each other. Once Mark gets home, we have a week to take Cheers out, for a little diving and island exploring.
More later, Michelle

San Diego to La Paz, February 2008

Click this picture to see all of the photos from our most recent trip.

San Diego to La Paz Feb '08

Catalina Island, October 2007

Click this photo to see an album from our trip last October.

Catalina Island Oct '07

San Francisco to Southern California, May 2007

Click this photo to see an album of photos from our trip last May.

San Francisco to SoCal May '07

In La Paz

It’s been over a week since our last post, and I apologize. By now, many of you know that we arrived in La Paz, and are finally settled into our new slip. We had a rough transition from islands to town, but everything seems to be working out now.

Our first challenge was that our permanent slip wasn’t vacant, so we had to move around a bit. Then we discovered some holes in the holding tank hose. Not pretty. Next, we learned that the wi-fi here in the marina is spotty at best, and doesn’t like my Apple. Finally, after multiple frustrating attempts to send email, we learned that either AT & T, or Telmex have blocked our outgoing mail. So, we rolled up our sleeves and got to work. I learned how to say “sanitary hose” in Spanish, and we purchased 5 meters of the stuff at the (amazing) local hardware store. We then spent an entire day removing the old hose and snaking the new one into place. I don’t think either of us had ever been in more twisted, uncomfortable positions in a single day, and we both felt pretty old and creaky the next day. The good news though, is that we fixed the problem, and figure that this new hose will last longer than we’ll own the boat. As for the wi-fi and email issues... once we moved into our permanent slip, Mark managed to get his computer to connect easily, and I did some online sleuthing to figure out how to “work around” the block on our outgoing email. I still can’t connect to the marina wi-fi on my Mac, but I can walk across the street to a café, where they have a great connection. After a week, most of our issues seem to be solved (knock on wood).

Mark went back to work last Saturday, and I’ll return this coming Saturday. We’ll both be on the Sea Lion, Mark until April 12th and me until the end of the Baja season, on April 19th. We probably won’t post much here until late April, when we take Cheers back out to the islands, but you can click the “Where’s the Sea Lion?” link to the right, and read the Daily Expedition Reports to know what we’re up to. I’m also working on posting a few photo albums from our trips on Cheers, so check back soon. I hope you enjoy them.
~ Michelle

Haven't Budged

We arrived into Ensenada Grande, what was it, two days ago? Since then we haven't moved the boat more than 60'. It's been pretty calm, sunny and warm since we arrived. Yesterday we were working up some energy to hit the long hike until we saw the Sea Lion pull around the corner and head in for the anchorage. We contemplated "bugging out" for another bay to the south but decided it was as good a day as any to be social. Michelle started baking cookies and I got the dinghy ready. Throughout the morning we had many friends come by to catch up and see our home. Bud Lehnhausen (longtime friend and expedition leader) and Tom Niessen (friend and one of Michelle's professors) got to stop by just before the ship left. It was great to see both of them due to the fact that Tom was about to head home and Bud would not see Michelle before he got off the ship. We made a quick delivery of some of the leftover cookies to Ryan Foley and Singyn Hunter (see Mag Bay stores delivery) before the Sea Lion headed out for Los Islotes.

For the rest of the day and through the evening last night we had the entire bay to ourselves. After dinner last we stayed on deck until the stars came out. It was glassy calm so the stars reflected off the surface of the water and there was enough bioluminescence in order to see schools of fish being chased across the bay. We found it hard to go below until it got too chilly to stay on deck. This morning Michelle got us moving early to get up the arroyo before it got too hot. We spotted many lizards along the way as well as a black jackrabbit at close range. The trail took us to the far side of Isla Partida and the cliffs on the East side. From our high vantage point we were able to look down on a peregrine falcon flying by as well as a pair of red tailed hawks flying up above. The seas were calm enough for a distant view of some dolphins swimming north. On the hike back to the beach I contemplated whether to head out for another spot or stay put. We got back to the dinghy took one look at our ideal anchorage, great conditions and no other boats in the bay and decided that we weren't budging, at least not today. Two other boats have joined us in the anchorage but they're keeping a very 'polite' distance so life is good. So, besides moving our anchor 60' closer into our little cove to secure our 'spot' we haven't budged. Mark

In the Gulf

Last night's run north from Cabo was phenomenal! We pulled out of the slip around midday, and set a northeasterly course. Seas were calm, and we even had enough wind to sail for a little while. We saw several humpbacks and gray whales, a sea turtle swimming and had a masked booby give us a close fly by. We also had a large group of bottlenose dolphins play "Sea World" with us. Although they're much larger than the other dolphin species we've seen so far, several came in to ride the bow and started leaping out of the water right next to us! The perspective is so different from this low to the water. I'm seeing things I've seen dozens of times before with fresh eyes because it's all so much closer.

Then things got even better... A cloud layer had moved in, and created the conditions for a mind-blowing sunset with the peaks of the Sierra de la Laguna in the foreground. The sky, sea, clouds and mountains turned every shade of orange and red that you can possibly imagine, and it lasted for nearly 45 minutes. At the same time, a gorgeous full moon rose out of the ocean to the east. I was disappointed for awhile, because the clouds obscured the beginning of the lunar eclipse, then the most amazing thing happened -- about ten minutes before the total eclipse began, the clouds cleared. Seriously. They were gone for just over an hour, exactly spanning the time of the total eclipse. During this hour of darkened moon, we were able to see some stunning bioluminescence. At one point, we had an entire sky full of stars, a burnt orange orb of moon halfway up the sky and the glimmering fairy dust of millions of bioluminescing plankters all around us. Like I said, the perspective is so much different from a dark boat, low on the water.

I was just coming into Cerralvo Channel at sunrise this morning, and watched the full moon set behind the ridge above La Ventana. Gorgeous. We'd hoped to stop at Isla Cerralvo on our way north, but local weather sources say the northerly winds are supposed to pick up today and blow through the weekend. So, we scouted the shoreline, and plan to come back in late April when there's less chance of getting blown out of the anchorage. Right now, we're on home turf -- sailing up the west side of Espiritu Santo Island to anchor in Ensenada Grande for tonight. It may seem crazy to stay in a place we know so well, but tomorrow, I FINALLY get to do the long hike.
~ Michelle

Lunar eclipse tonight

February 20, 2008 Cabo San Lucas

After the solitude of the past week and a half, we were more than a little nervous about coming into Cabo. However, we needed diesel and a calm place for Mark to do a little mechanical work, so we rounded the Cape and prepared for madness... but we never found it. It was about 11 a.m. and the fuel dock was totally quiet, so we filled the tank (at the miraculously low price of $2.54 per gallon!), bought some more lube oil and were out of there in under 20 minutes. Wow. Then we called the Marina for our slip assignment, and headed to G-25. While I went up to register and do a few loads of laundry, Mark started on the projects. Our beautiful old engine has some leaky seals, and running it for about 150 hours over the past two weeks put a fair bit of lube oil in the drain pan, so clean up was in order. Although this marina is ridiculously expensive, it’s got great facilities and it was really nice to clean up a bit. We spent the afternoon cleaning the boat top to bottom, then enjoyed some amazing water pressure at the marina showers. Shortly before sunset, we headed up to the Whale Watcher Bar at the Hotel Finisterra (remember Cinco de Mayo 2001?) for a margarita, and watched the Sea Bird head north to Magdalena Bay. Dinner was delicious, and we were sound asleep by 8 p.m. Not your typical Cabo visitor...

We’re planning to leave around noon, and head north into the Gulf. It sounds like the seas should be calm, and the winds light for the next few days. Our Astronomical Calendar says that there’s supposed to be a total lunar eclipse tonight, so I’m really looking forward to watching it from sea. Check out NASA’s Lunar Eclipse website (in the Links list to the right), for the eclipse times in your part of the world. It’s between sunset and midnight for most of North America, so most of you should be able to see at least a little of it. Plus, it’s the last total lunar eclipse until December 2010... so check it out.

We’re still formulating our plan for the next few days, depending on what we find for sea conditions around the corner, but tonight will be our last overnight passage. I’ll miss the stars, sunrises and solitude, but not the lack of sleep! I've added some photos to our earlier posts, so you might want to go back and look at them again -- especially the Fish On! post.
~ Michelle

Crossing into the tropics

It was hard to get motivated for at 0430 for Cabo San Lucas this morning. Especially after three days of exploring and relaxing in Magdalena Bay. But we did it and followed Scorpio south to La Entrada. Mid morning, off of Pta. Tosca we came across an enormous bochinche. Hundreds of dolphins, dozens of sea lions and thousands of seabirds were all engaged in a feeding frenzy and we sailed into the midst of it. The wind has been light and from variable directions so the engine has been going most of
the day but we are making good speed. Lots of other wildlife including cavorting grey whales (cue Barry White) and a pair of blue whales heading north. We probably have at least 100 pictures of bow riding dolphins at this point so we'll be sorting these later. If all goes well we'll make it into Cabo around mid day tomorrow, take on fuel and then grab a slip for the night. Our current position puts us about 33 nautical miles from the Tropic of Cancer and tropical waters. We will make that boundary
sometime this evening. Mark and Michelle

Last Day in Mag Bay

Yesterday was a very social day for us. We were running low on fruits and veggies, the Sea Lion was going to be in the area so we called in a few favors and got some items added to their order. The problem was that we were a good 15 miles from the Sea Lion's location and it would take us a good 6 hours to get there and back to our anchorage via Cheers. The Sea Lion's bos'n Nikki Chatelain offered to deliver the goods and she brought Singyn Hunter (executive chef) and Ryan Foley (sous chef) along for the ride. It was great to see them all and we had a great visit in the cockpit aboard Cheers. I have to admit it was a bit surreal to have fresh produce delivered to us in the middle of nowhere by good friends. After our rendezvous with the Sea Lion crowd we made contact with the sailboat Pangaea with Ben and Shawn aboard. We met them in Turtle Bay and they arrived just a day behind us into Magdalena Bay. The produce order was split in two, bagged and then delivered in that they were right next door in the anchorage. We agreed on dinner together aboard Cheers and Michelle prepared a great meal with what was left of our fresh bonito. It was great to get to visit with Ben and Shawn again.

With all this socializing we did not have time to go ashore so today we took full advantage of our last day in Magdalena Bay. First on our list was an exploration via dinghy of Howland's lagoon. This small mangrove lined estuary was right off our bow but we had to get moving early before the tide dropped too far and the lagoon cut off until tomorrow's high tide. We saw loads of good shore birds and the channel went on much further than we had expected. Eventually we ran out of water and had to get "out of dodge" before the tide dropped much lower. After exiting the lagoon we made our way back to the beach and spent some time exploring the dunes and the shoreline before we head out for Cabo tomorrow. It will be an early call to get moving bay 0430. We hope to make good time and arrive into Cabo San Lucas sometime on Tuesday, fill up our fuel tank and then get a slip for the night. If all goes well we should make it up the islands near La Paz sometime on the 21st. Mark

Fish on!

Right after our last posting, Mark laid down to take a short nap before his 5-9 watch, and I blissed out on deck. Just at the moment I was settling into complacency about our daily routines, I noticed that the snubber on our fishing line was stretched taut. I ran below and woke Mark with a shout of "fish on!". After years of practice going from sleep to being absolutely awake, he didn't waste a minute. We hauled in a beautiful 10 lb. striped bonito, and put it to death with an amazing technique I'd
read about in a cookbook my friend Debbie gave us for a wedding gift. Vodka. Yes, it's true, a healthy squirt of inexpensive vodka to the gills of this fish, and she never knew what hit her. It was so much more civilized and humane than the usual bludgeoning. Bonito is in the same family as tunas, so the meat is delicious. We had seared fillets for dinner that night, ceviche yesterday and tonight's dinner is a Sicilian recipe for slow-roasted tuna with tomatoes and spices. I was very grateful for
this beautiful fish, and I'll post a picture when we get to an internet connection.

We arrived in Bahia Magdalena yesterday afternoon, anchoring around 3 p.m. We saw a number of gray whales, both outside and inside the bay. We found a spot to ourselves, a little to the north of Puerto Magdalena, in 15 feet of water, looking at the dunes of Isla Magdalena. It was great to turn off the engine, and get a good night's sleep last night. Today, we inflated the dinghy and went ashore. It felt glorious to walk, so we spent a few hours on land, hiking across the dunes to Bahia Santa Maria,
and back. We had two coyotes come near, got incredibly close looks at a peregrine falcon and savored the absolute peace and quiet. Tomorrow we're planning to explore Howland's Lagoon in the dinghy at high tide. It looks interesting on the chart, and from the water with binoculars.

~ Michelle

Roadtripping at 5 knots

It's as if you were driving to a far distant destination in a large car at a very slow rate of speed. You have your music, your snacks, you swap out driving, take naps but you just do it all at about 6 mph. Of course you're taking your home with you, things move a lot more and then throw in some beautiful coastline, some marine mammals, loads of seabird and you've got it.
We are a little more than half way between Turtle Bay and Magdalena Bay. Early this morning we passed Pta. Abreojos and San Ignacio Lagoon off in the distance to the East. For the most part we have been motor sailing but during the morning we had enough wind to just sail and secure the engine for about an hour. It was a nice respite from the noise. Sometime around noon we passed into 'blue water' with depths dropping off to 3,000 feet beneath the hull. Since our departure from Turtle Bay we have
seen nary a soul or vessel save one. The Spirit of Nantucket, formerly the Nantucket Clipper and soon to be the Spirit of Glacier Bay passed us close by on their way north to Seattle. It's odd that this would be our one contact for the day in that this was the first ship that I sailed on as a deckhand back in 1986, go figure. The weather forecast continues to be fair so it should stay pretty smooth from here until our arrival in Magdalena Bay tomorrow afternoon (knock on wood). We plan to stay in
Mag Bay at anchor near Puerto Magdalena for a few days. If all goes well we should cross paths with the Sea Lion before we depart for Cabo. Mark and Michelle

Turtle Bay

Yesterday we awoke to hundreds of Xantus' Murrelets in the water around the boat. We were underway from Islas San Benito at first light with many other odd sounds coming from the darkness (elephant seals from the beach, assorted seabirds and a dog barking from the fishing boat next to us). We had a sail up for most of the day but still had to use the motor due to light winds. The seas remain pretty calm and it was a good ride all the way to Turtle Bay. During the day we passed a dozen grey whales
heading south as well as thousands of shearwaters (seabirds)in the area. We pulled into Turtle Bay before sunset. Two enterprising young men in a fuel panga pulled up as soon as our anchor was set to provide us with diesel, took our trash and told Michelle that she spoke like a "pura Mexicana". This made her very happy. Shortly thereafter we had an invitation to dinner with Wayne (Moonduster) and Ben and Shawn (Pangaea). We took them up on this and it was nice to visit with them and swap sea
stories. Today we ventured into town, did some local purchasing and will soon be on our way for Magdalena Bay. It's a 267 nautical mile run to our next anchorage so it will be a bit of a haul. The weather forecast continues to be fair so we don't want to dally. Mark

360 Degree Stargazing

February 10, Islas San Benito

Until we were passed by a cruise ship at 8:30 this morning, we'd seen no other evidence of humanity, and virtually no sight of land for more than 24 hours. No planes, no boats, not even any floating debris. I feel so grateful to be reminded that there are still places on the planet were I can get some good "crazy alone time" (as Mark calls it).

Enough philosophizing, now back to the reportage. The only mammals we saw yesterday were each other, but I did get a few good pelagic bird sightings (Northern Fulmars, several species of shearwaters and Xantus's murrelets). I searched for albatross for hours, with no luck. The big excitement, though, was spotting a group of 4-6 small ocean sunfish, easing up to them and watching them jump out of the water several times before they dove. I know, I know, ocean sunfish are solitary, and I've sure never
heard of them breaching, but I have a couple of blurry photos to prove it.

The fog rolled in again at sunset, but was gone by the time I came on watch at 9 p.m. The stars were amazing for the entire night! With no light pollution, and a 360 degree view, I found stars and constellations I've rarely seen. Back on watch at 5 a.m., I watched Isla Cedros appear on the southeastern horizon at first light, with Venus, Jupiter and all of Scorpio bright above it.

We arrived and anchored at Isla San Benito Oeste at 11:30 this morning, and have been enjoying a little less motion for the past few hours. I bought a few spiny lobsters from the local fishermen for a bottle of "Two-buck Chuck", so we're looking forward to dinner at anchor, and then a full night's sleep. We can hear the California sea lions, and a few juvenile elephant seals around the corner. We're planning to leave at first light tomorrow, and be anchored in Bahia Tortuga by dinner time. Life is
good.
Saludos, Michelle

Skipping San Quintin

Last nights' run was so smooth and the weather outlook was too good to pass up so we opted to keep on going. We passed Isla San Martin and Cabo San Quintin in the early morning hours then pointed the bow for the San Benito Islands. At our current speed we should arrive there sometime between noon and 2pm local time tomorrow (2/09). The stars last night were fabulous. The big and little dipper, Sirius, Taurus and Orion kept us company until about 11pm and then the fog set in. We were motoring
along in our own little 100' diameter world until about 10 am today when it began to clear. Not many critters yet today except that Michelle was very excited to spot a school of Humboldt Squid feeding at the surface at first light. It's just after noon and we're about to cross 30 degrees north and get into the 20's. We're 14 miles offshore and about to cross Bahia Vizcaino from Pta. Baja across the north end of Isla Cedros. The winds are less than 10 knots from the WNW and the seas are pretty
flat except for the low but broad swell that has kept us company since San Diego.
Mark

Southbound from Ensenada

This morning we wrapped things up in Ensenada and got ready to head out. We were full of water, diesel and food as we headed out of Ensenada harbor around 11 am this morning. Since then it's been a motor boat ride with smooth seas (4' WNW swell) and winds less than 10 knots. Bad weather for sailing but good for wildlife sightings. We passed some bottlenose dolphins on our way out of Todos Santos bay then it was on to some groups of common dolphins further south and a group of 5 grey whales.
We'll be underway all night to arrive at our anchorage in San Quintin tomorrow morning. The weather outlook for the next few days is looking pretty good.
Mark

Finally in Mexico

February 7, 2008
Ensenada, Baja California Norte, Mexico

We finally made it past the border! Although we’d planned to leave San Diego on Tuesday, Feb. 5th, the “High Surf Warning” and buoy reports of 13-foot seas just offshore kept us in the slip for one more day. So, at 0430 on Wednesday, Feb. 6th, we took off from Sun Harbor Marina, and headed for Ensenada. Although there was a good westerly swell running, the wind only blew 5 – 15 knots for most of the day. We motor-sailed almost the entire 63 nm from Pt. Loma to Ensenada, in order to be sure and arrive at Marina Baja Naval before 7:00 p.m. We actually made great time, and were secure in the slip by 4:30. During the day, we had some great marine mammal sightings, including a couple of very cooperative bowriding Pacific white-sided dolphins. We also saw 6 California gray whales, and several groups of fast-moving common dolphins. No pelagic birds of note, but we were never more than 4 miles offshore.

Today we took care of business, clearing customs, immigration and paying for a “temporary import permit” for the boat. Now we’re legal. I made Mark push the button at customs, since I almost always get the red light. His luck held, and I breathed a sigh of relief when the green “PASE” lit up. I really didn’t want the Customs officials to come down and see how much wine we have stored!

We’re leaving tomorrow around 1000 for an overnight run to Bahía San Quintín. We plan to anchor there for Saturday night, then continue to either Cedros, or San Benito Islands. We’ll try and post via an email over the SSB radio, but that technology may be more than we can handle. Enjoy these photos, and know that we’re thinking of you.

Ready, Set, Go

February 1, 2008
San Diego, California

We’re just a few days away from sailing out of the U.S., and prepping like crazy. After multiple trips to Trader Joe’s and Target, I finally feel like we’re well stocked – both for the trip itself, and for being out of the U.S. until June. God forbid I should run out of my Tom’s all-natural toothpaste!

Now we’re on to final details... Mark’s checking all the lights, rigging and lines, while I file our taxes, plan menus and optimize stowage below decks. Today we filled up with diesel and gasoline for the dinghy. At $3.80 and $4.15 per gallon, we’re highly motivated to sail as much as possible down the coast.

We consult multiple weather websites daily, searching for the perfect window. Right now, it looks like we’ll leave early Tuesday morning. We’ll sail to Ensenada and spend two nights there, taking care of all our customs and immigration paperwork. Then we go south.

Our current voyage plan has us sailing from Ensenada to La Paz, with possible stops in San Quintín, San Benito or Cedro Islands, Bahía Tortuga, Punta Abreojos, Bahía Magdalena, San Jose del Cabo, Los Frailes and one, or more, of the beautiful anchorages on Espiritu Santo Island. Mark will try and post our position daily via the SSB radio, so you can check the link in the upper right corner of this blog (Where is Cheers?) to see where we actually end up. Once we arrive in La Paz, we’ll post some pictures and fill in the details of the trip. We’re hoping for good sailing conditions, some good pelagic bird sightings, and maybe a marine mammal or two.