March ‘95
*Additional notes may appear in italics after my mom’s initial journal entries.
A ladybug means you should check the comments at the bottom of the page to see what Mom has chimed in on after reading these!
March 1, Wednesday
We all headed in to town, had a little lunch at a palapa on the beach – John and Arne did some body surfing and on the boogie board.
Once we were back on the boat, the owner of the restaurant, Las Brisas – Piedra – swam out to the boat to say hello – she likes practicing her English. Maryann told her tomorrow is my birthday, so Piedra is gonna make a cake for me.
We stayed on board tonight.
*I love this! I remember the cake being made, but I forgot that the owner swam out to meet us. It makes me so happy to think about - the total kindness and openness of strangers who were just so happy to welcome newcomers and passers by. I understand how lucky we were that this was the norm for us during our adventures. I am grateful that this is the human behavior I learned about first. ❤
March 2, Thursday
Happy Birthday to me #40!
Nice relaxing day. Samie and Maryann swam off the side of the boat again.
We all went in to eat – sunset was beautiful. Lobster was great and the cake was fantastic, we shared with everyone there. Wonderful people.
What a way to spend a 40th birthday – great friends, new and old, beautiful sunset on the ocean.
*My sweet Momma was only 4 years older than I am now, and that’s just so wild to me! I love seeing all this from her perspective, and while I have read these journals before - it’s a whole new bag this time around, due to life context, time and age. I can appreciate it all from a whole new perspective.
March 3, Friday
6:45 am – anchor up and underway. Still NO fish today. We had a beautiful sail back to P.V., 10 knots out of the SW down to the point, around that and we have 15 to 20 out of the west. We saw a small humpback breaching for about 10 minutes – cool!
We went in to the P.V. Marina at 4pm, slip A-12 this time, much better.
Peg called.
March 4, Saturday
We cleaned the boat and John and Maryann paid to fuel it up – they also paid for the slip. We all took a taxi in to old town, walked around some, and had lunch. I bought a shorts outfit with the $20 Mom sent me.
We went for pizza tonight and I got a cute summer dress for my birthday. The peso is $5.75 exchange today.
March 5, Sunday
Very lazy morning, we all went out for breakfast.
Samie had the “trots”, so we didn’t go to the airport to see them off. They flew out at 2:20 pm. I talked to Dan, and Peg called. Also talked to Marion G. and Danielle and Chelle – she said the baby is kicke'n like crazy – neat!
March 6, Monday
We left the marina at 9:30 am and were anchored in La Cruz at noon.
Gosh it’s hot at 98° - that’s about the hottest I can remember it getting.
-Cardon J. Born!
March 7, Tuesday
John shined the windless – wow – pretty. It’s really rock’en and roll’en today.
Kimberly from Nordic Beauty came over for several hours and then Samie went over there. They are leaving tomorrow – but we’ll see them in the sea.
March 8, Wednesday
John rode the bus in to P.V. to have the cellphone reconnected – you have to pay in advance. He called the Norwest to see if this year’s (95-96) credit card had been mailed. Not yet and in the conversation found out the account # had been changed. After an hour on the phone between the bank and Homestead it’s all fixed.
March 9, Thursday
John took the bus back to P.V. to mail federal express to Homestead.
The wind picks up about 11 am every day and blows between 20 or 30 knots – really rocks the boat around, then dies down around 3:30 pm.
I’ve read 3 books in the last 2.5 weeks – if anyone cares?!
*Lol her book statement here makes me laugh! I do miss all the time we had for reading! When I read for long periods of time these days, I feel like maybe I’m somehow being lazy? But on the boat, it was a necessary time-filler!
March 10, Friday
John put another coat of varnish in the cockpit.
Samie played with Jena at Cruise Quarters.
True Blue came in to P.V. anchorage – so mañana we will go in. We ate BBQ ribs at Dos Felipe’s tonight. Yum!
March 11, Saturday
Happy B-day Cammie!
We took a taxi van, along with several others, in to Marina Vallarta and saw the True Blue gang for a while. Also saw Bud and Gloria on Unity, they are leaving for the South Pacific – bummer!
Garth from Absölute called from P.V. on Pacific Vision to say he was making his way back to the states via bus, and then on to Australia. Said Joann had flown from Acapulco back to Australia and Elizabeth had made it back aboard Absölute.
Tried to use the phone it doesn’t work again.
March 12, Sunday
Samie spent most of the day ashore with Jenna. John painted all the floor cubby holes white. Between Samie and I, we mailed 14 letters and post cards.
March 13, Monday
John took the bus in to have the phone connected again. Samie did test #100 – she only missed 1 math problem. Great!
The last 3 days, every time the water maker runs and gets full, the fresh water foot pump leaks and runs all over the floor – that’s tomorrow’s fix.
Goon called, she got the pictures that Maryann mailed for us. Talked to Renegade on 6 alpha – Arne’s B-day, they are in Z-huat.
March 14, Tuesday
John is painting the brown on the cap-rail. At noon, I noticed we were dragging anchor, the wind was blowing its usual 15 to 20 knots, but we had never drug before. We reset and reset – it took 7 times and a new spot and all the chain anchor before it finally set.
So from noon till 3:00 we had “anchoring 101”. Now – we’re tired!!
We went in to Cruise Quarters for dinner with Tropic Tramp and Avenger II. We picked up mail from Mom, Ang, Jo and Goon all came at the same time.
Rane called, she had Cardon on the 6th ; he weighed 8lb 1oz. Cardon was Sam’s dad’s middle name.
March 15, Wednesday
John tried to fix the fresh water foot pump, but it was the wrong kit – so he traded with the salt water pump – fresh water works – but no salt water, that’s ok.
The swell that comes in to La Cruz lately is a big one, which might be why so many boats are dragging anchor. It’s bring’en a big surf in to the beach, which makes landing and take offs a bit tricky.
*Our kitchen sink had foot pumps we could use instead of nozzles for drawing water into the sink. I would actually love one in my house now, because it’s so much better for water conservation! There was one you could use to draw fresh salt water straight up through the keel, but we never used it, which resulted in a rotten egg smell coming from the faucet if you ever accidentally hit the left foot pump instead of the right! lol I remember we’d curse ourselves once we realized our mistake, or tease each other when that smell would waft to our noses: “Wrong pump!!”
March 16, Thursday
John and Samie went to the airport to pick up Bob and Jan – I stayed on the boat to make sure it didn’t drag – all is well. They dinghied out and got soaked, it was still blow’en and real choppy. We went ashore and ate at Dos Felipes. It was a rolly night, they both puked once.
I called Shine for a few seconds, he was busy.
Bud and Gloria on Unity got as far as the point on their way to the South Pacific and the motor just stopped with a bang. So they came back in to figure it out.
* I’m a bit blown away by how many visitors we had the first year! We enjoyed having friends and family out, but obviously the space is a bit cramped, so especially after the first year, it seems we laid back on the visitors, lol. The majority of the time, company meant the guests stayed in my room and I was booted to the couch for a few days. No biggie for me, really, just the way it was. What makes me laugh here, though, is that the only bathroom was back, basically in my parents bedroom, so I wonder if they felt awkward having to vomit right outside their hosts’ bedroom in the middle of the night, lol. When you gotta, you gotta!
Also, this is totally a boat thing - to be about to embark somewhere epic, only to have some major component of your vessel throw you a curve ball and stop working just as you’re getting out of the harbor. Sometimes it’s a huge fix, sometimes it’s minor, but it all keeps you on your toes! And of course, better to happen before you’re in the middle of nowhere! So, while frustrating, these things are definitely blessings in disguise!
March 17, Friday
Weighed anchor about 8 am and slow-poked in to the marina. We saw 2 meiki whales and a manta ray. We made it in before the wind really picked up. Slip A12 again. BBQ chicken on board tonight.
Unity did get the motor started last night and motored back in, but they need to dig down in and find the problem – maybe transmission.
*I’m pretty sure Mom meant a minke whale here… I always loved running to get my identification books whenever we saw dolphins and whales. I was Johnny-on-it and would immediately be looking for specific marks, coloring and whatnot to discern what fantastic breed of creature we were experiencing! 🐞
March 18, Saturday
Bob and Jan took a cab in to town. Samie and I did school. John took the stanchion on the starboard side gate off to be welded where it snapped when he was climbing over from the dink last night. He almost fell in the water, but he was able to hang on. Stanchion is fixed and back on. We went out to eat.
*I don’t remember this happening, but it makes me laugh to picture my dad scrambling to keep from falling in. My imagination has him dangling off the side of the boat, but I don’t think it was that dramatic, lol. 🙃
March 19, Sunday
We all met True Blue at the pool for a couple hours – ate out again. Peg called. Danielle called, she is trading in her car for a mini blazer. They gave her $2,000 trade-in and her payments are $232 a month.
March 20, Monday
Left the marina at 10:30 am or so, had a nice sail until the wind picked up to 25 knots. We were anchored at 3pm – all chain out again, it sure is rolly. Bob was sleeping in the fore-cabin when we picked up the 25 knots headed in to the wind and waves – he got so sick, poor guy. We BBQed hamburgers and stayed on board tonight.
*The fore-cabin is also known as the v-berth, seeing as the mattresses are together at the bow and split off to on each side of the boat in a v-shape. Much like the front seat of a roller-coaster, the bow does tend to be the wildest ride on the boat, taking the brunt of the waves and motion especially when pointed into the wind.
March 21, Tuesday
Everyone except me went to the beach and to Cruise Quarters for most of the day. Another day of 20-25 knots here in La Cruz.
March 22, Wednesday
Happy B-day Delores.
We left La Cruz about 8:30 am headed for Tres Marietas. We anchored there until 2 pm. It was to surfy to go to the beach, but John, Samie and Jan swam by the boat. Samie had on her wetsuit and no life jacket, her first in the ocean.
We saw 2 whales, a sea turtle and 2 manta rays today. We talked to Renegade on SSB. We anchored in La Cruz again and went to Dos Felipe’s for dinner.
March 23, Thursday
Relaxed this morning on the boat, went in to La Cruz and put Bob and Jan in a taxi for the airport; they flew back to Phoenix, Az at 2:20 pm.
Bud and Gloria on Unity anchored at La Cruz tonight, so we took them in to Cruise Quarters for ribs. They are leaving for the South Pacific in the morning. They never did find anything wrong with the boat last time – they tried to leave and the motor quit.
*Too funny that nothing ended up being wrong with the engine. Sometimes it works out that way! It can be frustrating, but who knows? Maybe they missed some crazy storm all because they werer delayed a week. Sometimes it’s good to trust that what comes up is going to help things work out for the better, even if it seems to set you back at first. 🐞
March 24, Friday
John went ashore to have the diesel cans filled and while he was gone, the boat drug anchor again. I started the engine and was able to keep it from dragging in to an old, wrecked boat that is sunk with only part of it out of the water. I think that at one time I was over it because the depth showed 5 feet. It’s not real easy to stay forward far enough and still not foul the anchor chain in the prop. People in dinghies from 2 other boats came out to help, but John was on his way by then. We re-set the anchor and now have out about 300 feet of chain. Keep your fingers crossed.
Samie and I went in to Cruise Quarters while John stayed on the boat. Samie played with Jena and I watched a movie – nice break.
We got a letter from Michael and a fax from Mom. Janet’s dad had a heart attack and a triple bypass – ok so far. Ben L., Melissa’s dad, died on the 21st. He had been sick for a while. Michael will be one of the pallbearers.
*Ok, now seems as good a time as any to talk about anchoring! You can tell we’ve had quite a go of it our first year, which is expected. It sounds like a simple, basic tasks - but especially when still new to all the technical details of boat life, a “small” mistake can truly turn into a life and death situation if a storm comes in. If you’ve got a few minutes to spare, this video is a very thorough tutorial on all the important aspects of anchoring. Also, they are in the beautiful Sea of Cortez in the video - bonus!
As the years went on and we gained experience, we went from being the noobs in the anchorage to being the veterans, eyeballing the green sailors coming in, anchoring too close or not letting out enough chain… There’d be lots of “What the hell are they thinking?!” and “Don’t you dare drop that anchor right there!” mumbles amongst the crews of already anchored boats. Occasionally there might be an altercation with some cocky combo of noob vs. vet, but it wasn’t a regular occurrence. The worst of cases left an un-manned vessel dragging through an anchorage - this puts everyone else at risk of the boat dragging into them or dragging over other anchors, causing others to drag with them. I remember at least one time, several other boaters having to “commandeer” a runaway vessel to keep it from running ashore or into other vessels. That’s one thing about the sea, it’s all fun and games until it’s not. The heart of sailing is serious business and one must always be prepared for anything. This year was definitely a learning curve of do’s and don’ts. We were so lucky that Mom stayed on the boat this day; I can’t imagine what could have happened. And actually, as I’m thinking about this, I do remember being inland with Jena at the time, and I think I remember Dad scrambling out to the boat and watching some of the chaos from the Crew’s Quarters upstairs balcony. He would have heard a call on the radio and got out there asap. Poor Momma must have been so scared! Kudos to her for keeping her cool and keeping our boat safe. ❤🐞
March 25, Saturday
The wind wasn’t quite so bad today, but now that we have drug anchor twice, I sometimes get paranoid. Samie played most of the day at Jena’s, John puttered around on the boat, and I took a nap; I didn’t feel too good. John got some fresh shrimp and we made scampi – best shrimp I’ve had since we left home. I don’t care for it the way it’s fixed here.
True Blue anchored here tonight.
We have been talking to Renegade every day at 3 pm. They are on their way back up here.
March 26, Sunday
Tameron came over for a while this morning and then True Blue headed on up to San Blas. The wind blew 20-25 knots for about 2 hours. John waxed the sides of the boat and I did some varnishing.
March 27, Monday
Today was a lazy, cloudy day weather wise. John sanded down and put a primer coat on the floor in the head. We went in to town for a while after the wind stopped blowing.
Unity = 16 – 28N / 110 – 33W
Pacific Visions = 10 – 52N / 120 – 06 W
March 28, Tuesday
Talked to Unity this morning again, they have not had much wind at all yet.
John varnished again and painted the head floor blue, I think it will look nicer than the white.
The wind wasn’t quite so bad today. John and Samie went in for a while. We all went in for dinner and to watch My Girl II – good.
Unity = 15 – 44N / 111 – 40W 8K N/E
March 29, Wednesday
John painted under our bed today. Samie’s writing little story things on the computer. Talked to Renegade, they probably won’t get here until the 5th.
Unity = 14-43N / 113 – 08W KN N/E
*Lol, I knew exactly what she was talking about when she mentioned these! I remember loving the Babysitter’s Club books and wanting to be a part of clubs and groups, which was unfortunately hard to come by in the capacity for which I was looking. What I didn’t know at the time, was that I was becoming part of one of the coolest clubs known to mankind: The Cruiser’s Club. ❤
March 30, Thursday
Happy B-day Sherry on Valiant Lady.
John equalized the batteries. We called Peg, Chelle and Danielle. Chelle and Faron moved in with Jacque and Danielle. All is well.
Unity = 13 – 26N / 114 – 40S 10K N/E -Cloudy
Pacific Visions = 05 – 55N / 122 – 34W 10K N/E -3 hours of rain squall in the night
March 31, Friday
John put a second coat of paint under our bed and painted inside the medicine chest. He took an 8:30 bus in to P.V. to get more pesos, since we still don’t have the new VISAs yet. It was cloudy and looked like rain all morning – but only ended up being real muggy and hot. Last night was real windy, 20 knots from the north at one point.
Talked to Shine, he’s doing ok. Goon called.
