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