Scramble and patience

are the description of our last few days. Under way for 1 1/2 days and in the middle of Gulfo De Tehuantepec. As always there are more tasks than you think and they always take longer. We did do things better this time. Took time to talk with people who are important to us and met new friends as well. Ceilidh is full of provisions, clean inside and out, shiny and in perfect working order. So, off we went on Wednesday, Dec 28 at 6am and left our last port of call in Mexico. We are now 129 miles from the Mexican/Guatemala border and 65 miles off the coast. And what a wonderful trip so far. We decided to take our time and sail as much as possible - even just inching along rather than using the engine. So, into our 2nd day we only have 6 hours on the engine.

As a trade off, we are going fairly slow most of the time - only 2 knots or so. Surprisingly, life is very interesting at 2 knots. We have been watching these amazing jelly fish egg pods float thru the water like 6 foot feathery boas. Rich caught on first that they might be some kind of egg sacks. Today we saw thousands of small jelly fish hatching out of these things as we sailed thru the middle of extensive swarms. Rich took a video that we'll figure out a way to share with you all. Wow. Also, turtle watching is supreme when you travel at their speed. The dolphins aren't quite as interested in us but they still come for visits.

During our few 5 knot plus stints we caught 2 yellow fin tuna. They don't seem interested in the fishing lines unless we are traveling 5 knots or greater. Hahoo! Sushi rolls and sashimi is so delicious when absolutely fresh. Seared tuna for dinner tonight and more in the freezer for future treats. No fishing today because the freezer is full and so are we. Today has been a lovely lazy day lolling thru the water watching sea life and taking naps. And this is the Tehuantepec crossing that we have been dreading! He he. There is a 5 day window and we'll be in Costa Rica before it turns ucky again out here. Making it all the way to Costa Rica with our limited amount of fuel is where the patience part of this journey comes in. Going slow is ok and very restful. Who would have figured? New learning for new lands.

Looking forward to posting monkeys and tropical type pics when we make landfall. All is well and life is a blessing. Love to you all!
Latitude: 14 56N
Longitude: 94 31W

From the Yin Side

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Sailed into Bahias De Huatulco yesterday

and rested the rest of the day. Today I started the water celebration - wash all the salt off Ceilidh, start rinsing out all the cushions and airing all the bedding. Yahoo! It took exactly 72 hours from Zihuatanejo to the marina here (marina Chauway). We were able to sail about 1/3 of the way. Oh so nice not to have the engine droning - just the lovely bubbly sound of water under the keel. So many happy sea creatures this passage. As we left Zihuatanejo a huge pod of dolphins (100+) traveled with us for 1/2 hour. They were the smaller variety and jumped through the air and danced in Ceilidh's bow wake. The next day in the morning while Rich was napping I heard a great splashing off the bow. Last time I experiences such it was a whale. Jumping up and looking forward I saw a dolphin swimming along side the port bow and splashing Ceilidh with his tail. And I do mean splashing! Water was on the deck. I made my way forward and watched the display. What a hoot. I laughed so hard. Have never experienced quite that behavior before but this dolphin repeated the performance many times before heading off to the beautiful blue pacific and new adventures. Next? More dolphins as we came into the Huatulco area. They squeaked and dived and showed soooo much joy playing in Ceilidh's bow wave. What a thrill. Then there were the marvelous turtle buoys marking our way along the path. Then, as we made the last turn to port towards the marina I saw 3 whales frisking before us. We slowed down and let them pass. Way cool. Other features of the passage? Full moon, lovely geniker runs at night and contimplative quiet times. Yummm.

So we are in the marina and working on things that require much water and 110 electrics. Looks like the next weather window for crossing the Gulfo De Tehuantepec is next Friday (today is Sunday) so we'll try and be ready to head out then. Next? Not sure. Might be El Salvador, could be Nicaragua or Costa Rica. I'll keep you posted. All for now and sorry for the Sailmail disclaimer at the end of the post. Can't seem to get around it. I'll edit it out the next time we visit an internet cafe.

Love to all from the yin side.

Just when you thought it was safe (yang side #2)

Greetings from Zihuatanejo (17.625183N, 101.547867W). For those of you who were here with us just about a year ago, thought you might like to see some of the friends that have joined us around ceilidh.

The first is from the trip here out in the Pacific.











The others are from just off La Ropa beach here in Zihua (it’s the one we’re anchored off of if you look at google maps … same as last year).















Needless to say we haven't been jumping over the side for our daily swim. We notified the port captain who happened by in his panga, but the beaches weren’t shut down and no notice went out.







This one, at 6 feet, is too small to present a threat.




Eventually they will catch it and relocate it to another swamp. It’s a fresh water croc and is protected in Mexico.

The good news on the cruising front is that the parts for the engine problem came in, have been installed, and ceilidh is back to her effervescent self. It took 5 oil changes to get all the water out of the crankcase, but the last change was 100% oil and nothing but water and exhaust fumes are going into the outside water. Of course, I had to remove (it seemed) about one-half of the engine to get to the one part that needed changing … air cleaner, intake manifold, fuel shut-off and transmission shift cables, two of the four fuel injector lines, the governor bracket, the exhaust mixer elbow, and the fuel filter. And I only made one small mistake. The governor bracket has three bolts holding it together … of course they don’t tell you there is an order to removing and installing the three and I started with the wrong one. That added only an hour so all in all, not too bad.

Plus I must add that Hope is a great assistant. You just can’t appreciate how much of a blessing it is to be able to ask for a tool after you’ve just spent 5 minutes wiggling and wedging yourself into a cramped space with the wrong tool.

So we’ve lost a week in our schedule and the cruising kitty has taken another hit, but the money will be made up in the next tax year. So we’ll be off the Huatulco next week after a bottom cleaning out at Isla Grande. That’s right, I’m not doing it here near La Ropa.

Photo catch up #2

We had breakfast overlooking the harbor entrance. The waves were really crashing into the beach. There were some surfers taking advantage of the action and a few families watching from the side lines.


So many interesting shops and restaurants. Beautiful vibrant colours and friendly people.
This little saw my camera and asked to have his photo taken. What a cuttie!
And finally, for Heather and Zack. Didn’t eat here (a bit spendy) but look what’s on the menu!
So that catches us up photo wise to Zihuatanejo. I’ll take some more snaps and do another posting before we leave. Love to you all!
From the yin side.

Photo catch up #1

We are anchored in Zihuatanejo just off playa de la ropa. Many fun hours spent in the playa palapas with littles and their friends last December. Wish you were all back here with us frolicking in the sun. We arrived here after a 2 day/2 night motor sail from Manzanillo. As we put the anchor down we noticed a large oil slick in the water all around Ceilidh. UGH! Is that from us? Unfortunately (sorry Neptune!) it was indeed coming from us. The sea water engine oil cooler has developed a leak in the inner tubes and oil is coming out and water in and that is all bad. Good news is that it can be repaired. Parts are on order from the US – courtesy of a lovely gent named Smitty – and Rich can replace the broken with the new. In the mean time we are putting fresh oil in and pumping it back out each day to clean out the water that came into the engine crank case. So, we will be in Zihuatanejo for a week or so more than planned but hey, it is a beautiful place to be. The mercado trip yesterday was exciting. Fresh spinach! Dark green broccoli! Yahoo! Ok, so some people are easily pleased. Better that than jaded?

Now for the catch up. I mentioned seeing tigers in Paradise Village, Puerto Vallarta. Couldn’t put the photo in because it needed editing. So here are the gorgeous beings we saw.

And during passages we frequently have feathered hitchhikers along for the ride. We were 12 – 20 miles off shore when this little one came to visit. Happy to be a perch and provide a breather for the little sweetie. Now on to Bara De Navidad. It is so lush there. We anchor in a shallow lagoon in only 12 feet of water, using squishy, our dingy, to get back and forth from town. The Sands Hotel is “cruiser friendly” and allows us to tie up to their sea wall while visiting the town. Check out the hotel murals and lush garden area. As you walk the street from the Sands hotel towards Bara central you come to a beautiful huge tree. It reminds me of the tree outside the Cotati Cabaret that. Littles, do you remember the party tree?

Word Pictures

We visited Bara De Navidad and actually took a whole day walking around the town. The town is divided into three distinct areas, or so it seems to me, a day pass visitor. First, it is GREEN. Yikes is it green. I practically went bonkers just looking at all the trees plants and flowers. The distinct areas are the tourist area (not my favorite, the actual working part of the small town with little tiendas (stores of all kinds) and the residential district. Traded some of our "been read" books for "new to us" books at Beer Bob's take one leave one. Found a fantastic one by Linda Lay Shuler. She is the author of "She who Remembers". This book, Voice of the Eagle, is a continuation of the story with the same characters. I am almost done with it, sigh.

Ok. Why the title "word pictures"? On the day prior to our walking around town day I did not have the camera. Wished I had and found myself thinking back to the photos I would have taken. Here are the descriptions.

First: A young mother holding a little (a girl somewhere in the walking but very small range) and grandmother are standing under a flowering tree's gentle shade talking and whistling to a large green and red parrot. The parrot chimes in every few notes with an imitation of the sounds and the little laughs and claps her hands. Her mother and grandmother share a smile and continue with the parrot serenade.

Second: A young father comes around the corner of the block riding a bicycle, holding a very small little - no larger than 6 months old, with one arm, guiding the bike confidently with his other. Both are smiling as the father proudly cycles the little, making a small breeze to cool them both as the bicycle passes us along the street.

Third: A young man and woman (late teens?) pass us on a motor scooter. She is riding pillion behind the man, holding onto his waist with casual companionship. She is very pretty, dressed in tight slacks and top with her mid drift showing. A second young man walks out of a store and turns to watch as she passes with a look of ? in his eyes. Humm. I could make up so many stories for this word picture.

So the day in Bara De Navidad was ever so enjoyable. I did go back and get some actual photos and will post them when we arrive in Zihuatanejo and have access to an internet cafe again. Actually, there was a rumor that Zihua harbor might actually have a wireless internet connection? I'll know tomorrow. We are well into the second day of the journey between Manzanillo and Zihua and will arrive sometime tomorrow (Sat) afternoon. It has been a restful and quiet passage. Could wish for a bit more wind so we could turn off the engine. No wind above 6 knots. Did sail makeing 2 and 3 knots of speed for a while yesterday but it is a lot of work to keep forward momentum at that rate. One very interesting occurrence, however. About an hour ago I was in the cockpit keeping watch and reading while Rich wrote emails below. I suddenly felt liquid spray of some sort on my arm and jumped up to find out what was going on. We are motor sailing with flat calm seas so it couldn't be waves splashing. Hummm. Next thought was birds and their kindly offerings from the sky. Checked for that in the cockpit and saw nothing so I started up towards the bow for further investigation. Just as I reached the bow a LARGE whale surfaced just off the front of Ceilidh and blew again. I jumped and yelled and had to wait for a more reasonable heart beat before calling Rich to come and see. That is indeed the closest encounter I have ever had with a whale. It was a small (for a fin back) whale - probably just a bit longer than Ceilidh at 40+ feet. It stayed around us for another 15 min or so, diving under the sea and surfacing again and again, but never as close as the first time. Rich did get to see it, for which I am happy.

I'll sign off for now with more stories later. Love to all from the yin side

A word from the 'yang-side' (1)

Greetings from Rich, the 'yang-side' of this cruising adventure. In true male fashion, some technical advice on how to follow our passage.

We are currently anchored in the lagoon behind Barra de Navidad. Our latitude and longitude coordinates (to obscene detail) are:

19.190433N, 104.673367W

If you (1) copy those coordinates, (2) go to maps.google.com, (3) click on the 'satellite' tab, (4) paste the coordinates into to address box, (5) click 'go' or 'locate' or whatever, and then (6) move the zoom slider bar back up a bit (because no one has high-resolution photos of the places we plan to go and so google displays an error message initially on the screen I just sent you to), you will then see a pin stuck in the spot where we are anchored. You can then fool with the zoom bar more to get a little bit closer in or a lot farther out.

Using this tool, Hope can include the name and coordinates of where her messages are originating from and you can get a feel for where we are geographically. As well as how it feels from her commentary.

I hope the pin is always in water, because right now according to the official government charts, our GPS position puts us on land. You see, the official government charts for most of Mexico were made by a US warship back in the 1870's and their clock was off so all their measurements of latitude and longitude were off as well. GPS gives you an exact and correct location, but the charts are wrong. Makes for fun passage planning.

Enjoy! yang-side signing off for now

Interesting anchorage this Bahia De Tenacatita

On many counts. First, there are usually MANY other boats here - anywhere from 10 on the low side to 50 on the yikes side. When we first arrived two days ago there were 2 other boats. They have since left and we are now the ONLY boat in the entire anchorage. Goes to show you that the early bird does sometimes fly alone. Today the wind is off the cove bank at a goodly breeze and it is the first day in weeks that the air temp exceeds the humidity. Yahoo! Strange. Looking out across the bay we have seen nada - haze and more haze. Our solar panels were not cutting it. Had to start up the engine to recharge and make water. This morning after the only other boat left we upped the anchor and moved, tucking further into the corner of the bay near the "party beach" to get out of the swell. Just as we got the anchor down 4 large dolphins came to visit. They found great fun in using our anchor chain as a loofa - scrapping their bodies along the chain over and over - sometimes swimming between the snubber loop and chain. I so wanted to get in the water and swim with them but I am just at the ucky chest stage of a nasty cold. That is why we are still here in Tenacatitia. Rich says we are staying until I am well and can't say as that is such a bad idea. Also today we saw 50 or more large butterflies flitting around Ceilidh. All colours, shapes and sizes. Fantastic!

That covers some of the interesting nature adventures - all without leaving Ceilidh! On to the human/boat interactions and points of interest. Pontoon boat dragging anchor on 2 different days and floating out to the middle of the bay before retrieval. No damage done and no close calls. Whew. On our 2nd morning here I was out wiping the dew off Ceilidh when I looked up and saw the other boat in the anchorage reversing rapidly towards the rocks pulling their anchor in front of them. What? The must have accidentally knocked the boat into reverse and the anchor did not hold. We tried to call them on the VHF. No answer and they were getting within 3 boat lengths of the rocks. Next Rich used our load hailer to broadcast a warning. No answer and they were within 2 boat lengths of the rocks. Rich started YELLING. Someone popped up the hatch and ran to put the gear in forward - they were just about on the rocks. YIKES. That was a very scary experience. We have not inflated the dingy so we were basically unable to do any more that we did. So happy we were not helping in a salvage situation and that they could just motor away looking very shook up. As the littles may remember, you never know what you'll see on the way down Mulberry Street (he he).

So we'll be here another day or so. Tomorrow if I'm feeling better we'll inflate our new 2 person KAYAK! Thanks to Laurie and Jay of Strange Bird I finally got my wish. We'll test it out by paddling around the edge of the bay and do a beach walk. Tonight I think I'll try my luck fishing off Ceilidh and see if the dolphins left any fish for us. We're not sure of our next stop. Might be Bara De Navadad, Mazanillo, or straight on to Zihuatanejo. Ahh the choices we are faced with.

Love to all from the yin side

Friends – La Cruz anchorage, Banderas Bay, Mexico

This has been fun and insightful. Our friends Laurie and Jay arrived at the anchorage in their sailboat Strange Bird the day after we pulled in. They spent the summer season in Paradise Village Marina (about an hour east of here). Laurie and I toured the downtown and did a grocery run in their car while the boys stayed and did projects on the boats. So enjoyable to see both Laurie and Jay and hear of their summer adventures and developments.
This visit to the Puerto Vallarta area is the 3rd since entering Mexico 2 years ago. It is amazing how rapidly the area is developing. New condos, homes and shopping areas are popping up everywhere. Jay and Laurie purchased a lovely condo near Paradise Village Marina and plan to sell Strange Bird and do a land based chapter. They found a community they enjoy and broad spectrum of fun and volunteer work to keep them busy for years to come. And, of course, they have the option to come and sail with us on Ceilidh when they feel the urge to get out on the sea once again.

The grounds of Paradise Village are very lush with vegetation. There are large swimming pools, genuine (he he) imitation Aztec statues and pyramids, complete upscale shopping mall and so many gringos you might think you were back in the US. The best part for me are the tigers. Yes, tigers. Don’t ask me why but they maintain a small zoo. I saw tigers, a panther, cougar mother/father and 3 cubs, pair of strange badger like creatures, deer, monkeys, bob cat and birds. Ostrich and peacocks strut around the area as well.

Laurie and Jay will be leaving this morning – returning to the marina for a bit before heading Strange Bird north for the US and the sales dock in Alameda. We plan to leave as well after a visit to the internet café to post this and catch up on land based emal. Another 24hour sail south east – around Cabo Corrientes and on to Chemela. Chemela has a very nice anchorage and some islands to explore if the weather is calm. Think we’ll wait for some happy north wind to continue the journey further south to Zihuatanejo. There are many other anchorages between and we have no set schedueles. How wonderful! We’ll take our time, go when the wind blows and enjoy the Mexican Riviera.

All for now. Look forward to hearing from you all via our Sailmail email. I’ll continue to post to the blog as we work our way down the Mexican coast.

From the yin side

Back in the Pacific again

and it is calm and rolly. 2 and 3 foot swells rolling us around as we motor from La Paz, Baja to Banderas Bay, La Cruz on the Mexican mainland. 2nd day of travel and the most wind seen has been 9 knots. Rich and I are both thinking of future travel plans that entail long stretches where we'll need to conserve fuel and use whatever wind there is rather than fire up the engine. Sitting in this rocky rolly sea without any headway would be a rather washing machine like experience.

Last night the sea was calm like melted chocolate with ripples as Ceilidh slid through on our journey. Directly overhead the sky was clear and stars studded the velvet sky. In the distance to the west was a glow from Cabo San Lucas and to the east a dimmer glow from Mazatlan. This early afternoon on Nov 4th 2005 finds us 100+ nautical miles south east of Cabo, Baja and 50 miles west of mainland Mexico. Out here in the pacific with the turtles. So many sea turtles that you might think they were buoys set to direct you into harbor. Fishing report: 0 Dolphin report: 0 whale report? 0. Have seen a remarkable number of flying fish and a few excited fish boils. Today Rich and I will work on putting together the new fishing lures I purchased while in the US in Oct (some assembly required). In the meantime I will catch up on individual emails that are way over due and post this via sailmail to the blog.

Onward and south east bound...

Last night in La Paz?

Kind of hope so. The sunset was spectacular with more colours and patterns than my eyes could see in one glance. Stopped cooking and ran for the camera the photo is showing only the last rays. La Paz sunsets are amazing. Don't know why that is so.

If the weather (wind/waves) have calmed down a bit this will be the last internet posting for a while. I'll send in posts via email and save the photos to add in when we get hooked in again.

Off to sleep or tomorrow will come WAY to early. 

Peach! This one is for you

strange fruit in La Paz Central. Not as much fun without you there to share the experience. We'll need to check out the offerings in Ecuador and compare them with Egypt and Mexico. What say? We were out early walking the streets and found an equal amount of people munching on fruit while others choose shrimp and fish tacos. Watching the town wake up was a new experience. 

Outside the best ice cream shop in La Paz

I know. There is no ice cream in the photo. I do, however, have a large smile on my face. Love the limon ice on a stick. Yummmm. This shop is so well know here in La Paz that it is frequently used at a gathering point. Everyone can find the pokadot tree. It is rather hard to miss. Just across the street is the public warf. There was a US flagged tall ship tied up today. We tried to read the name but could not quite make it out. Something Roberts. It must have been 100 feet and who knows how broad. Two masts and huge sails all lashed to various parts of mast/booms and other bits I haven't a clue on what they are called. 

Still in the marina waiting for calmer weather

Strong northern winds so we have stayed 2 days longer than planned at Marina Palmira in La Paz. Really ready to get "out there" and also don't want to get hammered. So, we will try again on Wednesday Nov 2nd.

Strong winds that blow the length of the Sea of Cortez build up an interesting pattern of waves - basically square and short in duration. Ugh. So while we are waiting there are fun things to do and small projects to finish. Life is good. 

Rich says marinas are no fun. Hummm

Says we never have any fun while in marinas. Not true. We had a huge amount of fun in Mazatlan when Heather and Zack came to visit. Main problem with marinas? We don't go into a marina very often so when we do it is work dog work. Unlimited water and power equates to wash and wax everything inside and out of Ceilidh and do tasks that require large amounts of power while hooked into 110 at the dock. Oh, and walk everywhere in the town finding boat bits and such to complete above mentioned projects.

Don't misunderstand. We actually like doing these things. It is now 3 weeks into our stay at Marina Palmira in La Paz, Baja Sur and we are both feeling it is time to get on with the adventure. Time to head south and enjoy some sailing and new anchorages along the path. There is the temptation to stay a few more days just to play, visit and rest. Might not be such a bad idea. Just found out that we have the use of the hotel pool. Jumping into cool water after a day in the sun rinsing running rigging was heaven on earth. Went with Robin from the M/V Cat's Meow. What a lovely lady. Could have talked for days and never run out of things to say. Small world. She lived in Boulder Creek/Felton area as well. Didn't know her then but do know some of the same people.

Tomorrow is another fun filled day of figuring out what to purchase at the mercado and grocery stores to fill the frig and lockers for a 3 week period. To accomplish this well catch a bus to the general area and wask for an hour or so to end up at the various places we need to purchase the items. We then find a taxi to return us to the marina. Hey, it could be even more interesting. We could be anchored out and bringing the food back in squishy (new name for the dingy) thru large surf and breaking waves. We have it easy here and know it. La Paz is such an interesting town, as well, so the walking is a joy. It is the only place in Mexico where we found motorist consistently stop for pedestrians. Takes some getting used to. On with the tasks and such. Hope to have internet connection again to add more photos before we leave.

Best photo under sail so far

Hard to capture good photos of Ceilidh with her sails up when we are both onboard. Don't know if you have seen this one or not. Need to spend some more time buddy boating with others so we can trade photos and such. Thought we had a boat lined up to make the trip south with in the next few months but it turns out that we are on a much faster track.

I am getting excited about heading to Central America. Reading the new Ecuador and Peru guide books purchased during the whirlwind visit to the US last week. The land is soooo much greener than what we have experienced the last two summers in Baja. Duh - Baja is a desert and Central America is a rain forest. Now for something completely different!

Was able to cross off many of the items on my ready set go list today. Departure day from La Paz is now only 6 days away. Yikes! Ahh well. We can always take the lovely list with us and continue as we go. 

Can this really work? Posting via email?

If this works I can post via email and then upload photos
when we reach ports with internet cafes. Wonders of
technology in the year 2005 and counting. Yes, guess this
means I can still read instructions and my brains didn't all
leak out with the snorkeling this summer. He he

The Adventures of Ceilidh

Thanks to Peaches I now have a space to share the next phase of Ceilidh and teams excellent adventures. Won't be long before you are seeing parrots and monkeys - no - not up my ++++. In the trees and such. We'll be in La Paz, Baja Mx for another week or so and then off across the Gulfo De California to Banderas Bay. Visit with friends and then south to Zihuatanejo for Thanksgiving. Continuing south to Bahias De Huatulco by early December. The grand plan. What next? a jump further south/south east to Central America and then???

Broad plan outline with details to follow. I'll post photos when possible and try the email link via ssb radio to keep you all posted in mass. Check out the photo upload tomorrow!