Who's steering the boat?

Hi, yang here.

Well, we just had to turn off some of the instruments to contact a weather source on a frequency that causes the instruments to beep and cycle through displays and in some cases reset themselves.

Hope was attending to galley chores (galley slave that she is at times) and, after getting a confirmation that we've picked a good window to cross the Tehuantepec in a couple of days, I was doing some marlinspike work on a chafed line. When finished I looked up at the sails and made some small adjustments for the point of sail that we were on. Got all the telltales flying, picked up a little speed, and said, 'what a good little boy am I!'

Then I decided to check the course (we should have been sailing to a waypoint) when I noticed that our course was about 10 to 15 degrees off what we should be sailing. Then I noticed that the autopilot had become disengaged. Who knows for how long.

Whether a reaction to the radio frequency or an oversight by one one us, who knows. But there was ceilidh merrily sailing herself along on almost the right course, not complaining, not veering off, nor heading up, just nicely balanced with the wheel centered, unrestrained, and unmoving.

And who needs you guys, she was politely asking.

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Mutiny in Nicaragua

My own fault for not stocking it but the crew must mutiny. WE ARE OUT OF RUM! Ok. I'll live. But no more evening delicious drinks, no more splashes in morning beverage (I didn't say that), no more cooked banana deserts with happy rum flavoring. Sigh. Ok, I'm over it. [[secret yang editorial comment: no she's not!]] We still have a few beers, a glass or two of wine and all the delicious water we can drink. Life is actually pretty good onboard. We are motoring past the Gulfo de Fonseca about 20 miles off shore headed towards Mexico. Gulfo de Fonseca is chuck full of volcanic domes and more islands that I can name and has the unique claim of three different countries sharing a portion of it's shore: Nicaragua, Honduras, and El Salvador. I'll get Rich the magician to post the coordinates so you can Google map it. We skipped it heading South and thought to visit on this northbound journey but we have a possible window of opportunity to get across the Tehuantepec without getting our butts kicked so we are moving on towards Puerto Madero to stage for the crossing. I took some photos of the distant volcanos this morning and hope they'll turn out well. If so, I'll post them to the blog when we arrive in Huatulco in 4 to 7 days depending on the happy sailing goddess.

So, what I would like to do is siphon off excess wind on crazy gale type days and bank them for days when we just don't have quite enough wind to sail. Hmmm. I'm working on how to accomplish that miracle. It is the container that is giving me the most problems. In the meantime it looks like the wind has answered my prayers so I'll end here and up some more sail and rest our trusty dinosaur burner. Love and hugs to all of you from both of us.

from the yin side

ceilidh's location: 12.7768.33N, 088.084167W
Gulfo de Fonseca is approximately 35 nautical miles to the northeast.

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A Perfect Moment

OK, dust off your maps.google.com

We just arrived in Bahia Santa Elena, Costa Rica

10.922933N,085.791833W

and is this place ever beautiful ... not to mention that we have the whole place to ourselves at the moment! It's cloudy and overcast right now (great cloud formations), we have a light breeze, Hurricane Sergio is well off to the northwest and going to move north, we're in a great protected spot in any event, Hope has all the green she can absorb, and there are parrots and monkeys on the shore. Water temperature is a fraction under 85F.

We had to skip this anchorage on the way down last January because the Papagayo winds were blowing so hard, but this time they haven't started up and if they do, we're again in a protected spot. Have the stereo playing some Alistair Fraiser modern Celtic and feeling thoroughly centered and grounded.

Wish you could all be here, one by one to share the energy, it's that special.

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Galapagos stories and photos

are finally posted! Photo link: http://public.fotki.com/svceilidh/galapagos-isla-isabela/

8 days at Isla Isabela were not enough but served as an appetizer for future visits. It is spendy to visit the islands and go on all the available tours - so bring your $$$$'s and plan to spend them. We skated by on less than $200 all told for port fees, tours and food so we really did it all on the budget plan. We anchored in Isla Isabela, tucking into the reef that protects Puerto Villamil's anchorage from the southern ocean swell. Already posted about the trips to and from the Galapagos and introduced you to our penguin friends. What a hoot - to have penguins swimming by to say hello each morning. Wish I had some photos of the small colony (around 30 or so) on the reef at Puerto Villamile but when we went with camera to snap a photo they were not at home. Hung out the sign "gone fish'n" and there you go. Do have some shots of single penguins at Cabo Rosa so we are able to deliver proof of existence.

Think I mentioned that our friends on s/v's Carina, Isla Encanto and Otter all came into port just after us so we went as a group together on our adventures. We did a walking trip to see a lagoon with flamingos. There was only one standing in the center of the lagoon. It was so colourful I thought it was a buoy or ball. No, it was a flamingo and he/she kindly posed for pix. Didn't know it but the underside of the flamingo's wings are rimmed in black. A very striking contrast to their other colouring. We continued from the lagoon long a winding path thru small trees, scrub, lava and more lagoons leading to the turtle sanctuary. There are 6 or 7 active volcanos on Isla Isabela and the last eruption was only a year ago, with another just 5 years earlier. Because of the lava flows and fires that accompany the eruptions the giant tortoises are endangered. But mainly the tortoises are endangered by the animals introduced by early settlers: rats, ants, goats, horses. They attack and kill the eggs or immature tortoises either intentionally or unintentionally (horses walking over buried egg nests). Park officials created a special sanctuary where all the different species are protected. The facility is beautiful and the turtles have lots of room with a variety of habitat in which to roam and mate. The sanctuaries ultimate goal is to see the various species increase in numbers and then to introduce them into the wild again as adults. In the meantime conservationists are trying to figure out how to remove non-native animals from the islands. Standing at the edge of their enclosures I watched the tortoises as they returned my gaze. A fantastic experience.

We took a trip by truck and then horseback to Volcan Siera Negra. It is the second largest volcanic crater in the world and Isabela's most recent eruption - a year to the day from our visit. We sat in the back of a truck and bumped along thru expanses of lava and scrub which gave way to lush green farm land, trumpet trees and huge avocado trees. The earth is rich and reddish in colour. Rich and I were surprised at the depth of the soil. Since the island is of (geologically) recent volcanic origin we didn't expect fertile and plentiful soil. The road grew steeper and became a rutted track, no longer passable by the truck. We got off and walked to where the horses were saddled and waiting. Yes, Rich had his first horseback riding experience and handled it like a veteran. We rode up the mountain thru scrub and grass until the path became covered in sharp lava stones. Here we left the horses and continued on foot to view the crater. It is huge and awesome. The vegetation around the crater is still brown and dead from the fires that spread after last year's eruption. We could see the crater on one side and the ocean on the other. Quite a view. We ate our lunch and walked about as our guide, Joseph, provided information on the various types of lava and pointed out islands and bays in the distance. Then came the trek back to the horses and ride back to the truck.

Our last adventure was a ponga ride to Cabo Rosa. It is about half hours trip south along the coast of Isla Isabela. There was an 8 foot plus swell that day along with a bit of a wind chop that made the trip there very bumpy and wet. I knew we would be slipping in thru some lava reefs at the end of the ride and was a little concerned as to how it would all sort out. No worries were needed. The ponga driver was a pro and we surfed into the calm protected lava reefs to a magical world of huge fish and turtles, calm clear water and a myriad of caves and tunnels to snorkel and explore. I have never been in such a place as this. After snorkeling for an hour or so we ate lunch and then climbed up on the lava bridges and were able to look down and see the fish and turtles swimming below. One turtle was as wide as a VW bug and almost as long! The fish in the photo link were around 2 feet long. On the return trip we circled a rock that sticks up alone off the coast. There were seals, sea lions, blue footed boobies resting in the sun. The waves churned around and up the sides showing green and blue as the sun shone thru. We don't get that close to rocks in crazy surf in Ceilidh so it was a treat.

Saying goodbye to the Galapagos and to friends we won't see again for many years was difficult but our memories are happy ones. I'll post this before we leave Bahia del Coco on Tuesday so you can all see the photos. Take care all and look forward to hearing from you, as well.

Love
from the yin side

Going North

Well, we've been thinking it over for many months now (since getting to Ecuador), and even now we re-think the decision occasionally.

We're headed back to California.

There are many factors that brought us to the decision. But having made it a little while ago, it felt right away (and still does) as if we were starting another, new adventure. The next chapter in our lives. The main reason, of course, is money. While we can maintain this lifestyle indefinitely on our current budget, we're tapping our emergency kitty every year. Most of the money has gone into parts, maintenance, and repairs on ceilidh ... without her partnership we wouldn't be here. Next biggest chunk has been our food (but when you think about it we have been eating excellently for about $300 a month). However, our current lifestyle has included only two inland trips to see the countries we've been anchored at and only one trip back to the US for Hope to see her daughters. They really miss her and she misses them. (And Adam and Tieg, believe it or not, I'm missing you too.) We don't have the money for travel and didn't plan on it as a budget item when we started out.

For us to go on to new cruising grounds would mean either going to the Caribbean or the South Pacific. Both are very expensive places, much more expensive than the Pacific Coast of Central America. And we've both decided that staying up a river estuary for 4-6 months each year is the pits. Dirty water. No jumping off the boat. No day sails or change of scenery. No snorkeling nearby. Staying up an estuary for 4-6 months each year is our only cruising option in Central/South America region unless we want to brave the major thunderstorms and squalls of Panama or Costa Rica. Every year a few boats get hit by lightning ... no thank you, NOT an option.

Another reason to go back now is that we can arrive with enough of a financial reserve to give us the necessary time to find new jobs and settle in.

So we're planning to go back and earn some money. I (yang) am 4 years from collecting social security payments. Social security alone would give us enough monthly income, but still no inland or US travel. In 4 years or so we'd be looking at retirement anyway unless I want to continue working until I drop dead at my computer workstation. Affording a retirement in the US requires continual working for us. Living on ceilidh while we were getting her ready to leave cost us about $40,000 to $50,000 per year. Living on her while cruising Central America costs us about $15,000 per year and we live well. A little more money for travel and a little more money for a monthly income and we can live quite well.

We don't want to give up ceilidh, she's become the third party in our relationship and our life. So we've started looking for a live-aboard slip in California. Not the easiest thing to do, but the best choice for us. We'll be back in Mexico in a week or two and plan to meet Peaches (Hope's youngest) in Zihuatanejo for the last week in December. A couple of anchorages and then meet friends Jay & Laurie in Puerto Vallarta in February. Then on to La Paz in March and a trip to the US in either March or April. Gotta get over that forthcoming culture shock at some point. Check out the job market too, dust off the resume, and see what clothing is required for aspiring job seekers. Also visit some marinas to introduce ourselves and make our plans real to them. Then do the Baja Bash in late Spring. Maybe toodle around the LA cruising areas and drop in at the Catalina rendezvous on Catalina Island in July. Then up to SF Bay in early to mid summer. Of course all the last dates are contingent on finding a live-aboard slip. Somebody has one on a certain date ... we're there.

We'll have been out almost 4 years but we feel like we're just getting the hang of this life-style. A little more money right now and we'd be hard pressed to decide to go through the canal or start a circumnavigation. Another posting later on what this life choice is like, now that we've got a handle on it.

love from us both,

yang & yin
s/v ceilidh

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Fast Passage

Hi, yang here. Well, we just completed our passage from the Galapagos to Costa Rica. Almost 900 miles in 6 days. The last day-and-a-half we had to motor across the ITCZ (inter-tropical convergence zone) and its associated doldrums and keep our speed down so we wouldn't arrive in the dead of night. Winds of a whopping 1/2 to 1 knot for 12 hours at a time. Then we'd be slammed by a 3 knot gust.

But the way up here was in 20-25 knots from behind. Ceilidh, with a theoretical maximum hull speed of just over 8 knots registered 9.20 on the knot log (through the water speed) and 9.6 SOG (speed over ground, and that was merely the max we saw once ... our GPS doesn't track max speeds).

Convection builds around the ITCZ, the more severe areas further north become low pressure systems, and of those a few become the Pacific hurricanes under the right conditions. But we just had rain with wind gusts to just under 40 knots to push us along even faster. Nothing slamming us over and ceilidh got a good washing. All the Ecuador dirt, volcano ash, and passage salt are now things of the past. Instead of squalls, think of them as sail-thru boat washes. So right now we're tucked in safely north of the ITCZ but still south of the hurricane formation zone.

The convection clouds under moonlight was a spectacular sight. Too bad we couldn't get any pictures, but I've tried to take long-exposure photos on a moving boat ... don't waste your time unless you like an image that crosses impressionistic art with acid rock-concert poster art. If the boat ride doesn't, the photo will make you seasick. Fortunately all the cells with lightning stayed far away where they appeared only as fantastic firework shows.

We plan to stay in northern Costa Rica for a couple of weeks visiting anchorages that we had to zip through coming south last January. Then take off again ... another posting in a couple of days with our plans.

Enjoy!

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