October 31 – Marina Costa Baja

We arrived in Cabo on October 1 and rented a car for the drive to La Paz.  We made a quick stop at Costco on the way.  I forgot to buy coffee, which I remember too late was excellent, but we picked up some beautiful U S New York strip steaks and great French cheeses.  We arrived at the marina at about 6, unloaded the car and made a dash for Azul, our favorite local restaurant where we ran into friends.  Peter and Mary Rose and Jay and Liza who are fellow Nordhavn owners.  They had elected to keep their boats in La Paz for the summer.  It was a first for them and most probably a last.  Both couples found it much too hot.

We had little time to cruise when we first arrived. Earl had brought parts with him – membranes for the water maker and pistons and bushings for the stabilizers.  Replacing these is normal maintenance, although in the case of the water maker, the unit itself had let us know that it needed the new membranes.  It has made lots of water for us since 2008 and the membranes had had it. 

I had pretty well cleaned out the pantry and frig before we left, so while Earl was overseeing the maintenance, I was doing provisioning.  Finally, a week after arriving, we left the marina, with Earl chomping at the bit.  Fishing was supposed to be great!  Within 20 minutes of leaving the marina we were stopped and boarded by Mexican security wanting to inspect our papers.  They are always very nice and polite, but, all the same, the machine guns put me off a little.

We headed up to Ensenada Grande.  Earl put his fishing lines out and everything was just fine.  I was sitting in the air conditioned salon reading and Daisy was chilling upstairs in the pilot house.  When Earl found that he had lost all 400 yards of line, as well as an expensive lure, from one rod, he tried to pin the blame on us.  No way!  We had not been told that we were on duty and were not taking the blame!  (And how was Daisy to hear the fish if someone did not put the clicker on the reel).

Other than the fishing fiasco, it was a lovely ride: beautiful water, porpoises and mobulas.  We were in the water as soon as the anchor was set.  What heaven!  We had the place to ourselves – 85 degree water as clear as could be and no suits needed. 

Unfortunately, the next day, I started to feel under the weather.  By mid afternoon, Earl was concerned and headed back to the marina.  He took care of everything, including getting the name of a doctor to see me, Dr Touchman (612-157-0126) who was wonderful.  Earl wanted to go to the hospital at 8 pm.  I told him I would go the next day if I was not any better.  That I was willing to consider a trip to the hospital was enough to convince him I was at death’s door – He has never let me forget the “false labor” that resulted in our son birth shortly after arriving at the hospital.  

The next day I was still not well, so off we went.  This was my second experience with Mexican medical care.  My first was having Dr. Veronica sew up the back of my scalp at 9 pm on the boat.  Once again, I have to say that I am impressed.  Earl had spoken to the doctor on the phone and he said the best place to go would be the old city hospital since they have the best diagnostic equipment and that he would meet us there.  We went to the hospital and Earl called the doctor who came out and led us back to an examination room.  After he checked me out, he said an ultrasound was in order.  So we followed him down the hall.  The first room he tried was occupied, so he took us down a hall to another.  There he and the ultrasound tech  checked me out.  Following that he told me that the good news was that no surgery was required and that basically everything was great except I had an irritated colon that could be treated by diet and medication.  He gave me some prescriptions and told me to call if I did not feel better in 3 days.  At that point, I asked him how we were to pay him.  (Keep in mind that we had not filled in one piece of paper at this point- let alone the norm for the US).  He said the ultrasound was 600 pesos and his fee was 400 pesos.  I gave him 1,000 pesos and we were off at a total cost of less than $75. 

Getting the prescriptions filled was also novel.  I had three medications.  Unlike the US, here the pills come in packages, the quantity having little to do with the prescribed amount.  I was given 10 of medicine A that I was supposed to take 4 time a day for 3 days (12 needed), 15 of medicine B that I was supposed to take 2 of, 4 times a day for 3 days (total of 16), and 24 of medicine C that I was to take 3 times day for 10 days (30 ).

Whatever, within 3 days, I was feeling significantly better!

While we were in La Paz, Earl replaced the switch in our grey water tank for the second time. Although almost everything in this boat is great, Nordhavn did some things oddly, the grey water system being one.  All the grey water, including the kitchen sink went to the tank.  No matter how careful one is, the water from the kitchen sink can be greasy, unlike the water from the washing machine and showers, so a bypass is be nice to have to keep grease and such out of the tank. Last year, we finally put in a kitchen sink bypass.  The automatic float switch in the tank had stopped working shortly after we bought the boat and PAE had replaced it for us in the fall of 09.  It failed again within two months. This time, Earl and Fito replaced it.  When Earl and Fito pulled it out, it was a disgusting sight, even though we had tried to clean it by pouring large amounts of cleaner down the shower.  After spending a few hours cleaning out the tank, they discovered that the switch may have shorted out since it was installed inside the tank itself.  The new set up has the switch outside and dry.  We will see if it does better.  It is certainly lovely to have it on automatic!

There is always something that can be done on a boat!

Finally on Monday the 14^th we took off again.  We were in such a hurry that Earl refused to be impressed by the tropical storm Octave that was heading toward the Baja.  After all, it was going to Loreto not La Paz.  The air was heavy and wet, but we did not care.  After the winds picked up, we moved from Gabriel to Caleta Partida, our bulletproof anchorage between the islands of Espiritu Santo and Partida.  We had a lovely pasta dinner on the back deck watching the clouds race across the sky and then the storm hit.  Rain harder than we have seen here before and winds, building and building.  Earl finally resorted to taking his clothes off to keep them dry when he went out to check things.  It was actually exactly as forecasted, except instead of maximum winds of 30 we had gusts of 55 or more before the storm passed in the morning.  (Turned out that Octave went south and probably closer to us than Loreto).  It was a pretty wild night, but with a good anchorage, good anchor and lots of chain, we really did not have anything to worry about ourselves although our flags took a beating.  About 1 am someone anchored in a nearby bay started calling mayday.  That continued for the next 4 hours or so.  There was really nothing we could do.  We would have been nuts to go out and did not try.   The next day, we saw a sailboat grounded on the beach there.  Pick your anchorages with care!

The next day we finally caught some dorado.  Daisy has remembered that she is on watch and lets us know when she hears the line on the rod going out.  The first fish flopped around the back deck and splattered everything with blood.  Earl took off his shorts and shirt and soaked them in cold water before going down to get fresh clothes.  Bam!  Another fish on!   This one fought by a naked Earl.  He has special strap on pole holders for fishing into which the rods fit, but the original belts have failed and he replaced them, not particularly well, with twine.  Since the twine was loose, I had to stand behind him, holding it up.  Sorry – no video.

Some friends told us yesterday that we should pour cheap tequila over the gills of the fish when we bring it in and will pass out, thus avoiding the blood spatters.  I will get a bottle rot gut and put it with the gaff hook.

W returned to Costa Baja on the 15^th so that we could pick up our friend John (in his car) at the airport in La Paz and get the boat ready for our next cruise.  Our son Jon and his wife Becky came down to spend 10 days with us on the 19^th.  What a treat for us!

Maybe to compensate for Octave and the relative lack of fish earlier in the month, we had a fabulous trip on both counts with the kids.  The 20^th we headed out south towards Cerralvo Channel on beautiful seas.  Fishing was supposed to be good, but not for us so we headed north to anchor at Bonanza on the SE end of Espiritu Santo.  The kids took the dingy to the beach and walked for a couple of hours – a bit further than I think they had intended.  Everyone swam and we had stir fry chicken, then Jon and Becky hung their feet over the swim step and played with the fish swimming in our blue lights before going to bed early!

Off the beach at Bonanza

Gin clear water

After leaving Bonanza, Becky caught the first fish – a bonita – the first of many fish for the week.  We ended up at Gabriel for the night – more swimming, running around in the dingy and dorado for dinner.  The next day, Tuesday, we headed north to Isla San Francisco and had good luck catching dorado.  Just as we headed into the anchorage, we got a bonus – a sailfish.  What an unexpected thrill!  Releasing it was also exciting.  The fish first got its bill under the swim step and then managed to come up and slash Earl’s leg.  (He is very proud of the injury!)

Becky's dorado

Sailfish!

Earl's war wound

The kids hit the beach and we tried to give away some dorado, since we had more than we could eat for dinner.  Jon and Becky climbed up the ridge and down the back to the beach on the north side where they went skinny dipping.

The next day we were hard at the fishing again.  We went north up the west side of Isla San Jose, around the tip, and south back to the anchorage at San Francisco.  Right away we started catching (and releasing) fish.  After about an hour, Earl was afraid that we would not make it around the island, so we pulled in the lines for a few hours.  Later, the lines were out, and Jon was napping in the salon while Becky was watching.  Zing!  Fish on.  Jon jumped up and knocked over the table in the cockpit in his rush to get the fish.  Lots of yelling!  Within 2 minutes we saw a huge marlin jump, just about the time that Jon announced that all the line was gone.  Apparently there was some issue with the drag.  Boy, did Earl give him a bad time! 

 

Pelicans waiting to feed at our lights

Laundry day

Wasn't Becky's larger?

We got into the anchorage around 4:30, with just enough time for a swim before John and Maria Luisa came over from the Viking Spirit for dinner. Our boat is not really big enough for 6 comfortably at the table, so we had a picnic style evening on the boat deck under Earl’s pavilion.  Scallop ceviche and pate, followed by fabulous (if I do say so) Thai chicken curry and rice, topped off with vanilla ice cream and baileys.  A hard life, but someone has to do it!

The next day John and Marie Luisa took us in their big dingy to Isla Coyote, which I have long wanted to visit, but Earl always had some reason not to go.  It is a rock on which there are few houses.  The families there live off of fishing and the sale of some really lovely shell necklaces.  Up until a few days before our visit, one of the sights was a collection whale bones – whole skeletons as I understand.  Sadly, just a few days before our visit a bunch of Mexican marines came to the island and took all the bones, some of them 40 + years old.  The locals suspect that they were taken to be sold.  It is very sad.  These people have so little and they were very proud of these whale bones. 

Jon and Becky atop Isla Coyote

Coyote fisherman and crab

After our visit to Coyote, we fished east of Isla San Jose for 4 hours, but caught nothing.  Back to Isla San Francisco, this time to the northeast side, for the night.  The kids explored the beach and Earl and I swam before going over to the Viking Spirit for dinner with John and Marie Luisa.  As usual, it was wonderful.  John’s specialty is huge, half pound, beef filets accompanied by equally large baked potatoes and masses of butter.  It was delicious.  I am ashamed to say, I ate all of mine. 

Three ladies watching dolphin

The next day we decided to make one last attempted to get some big fish for Jon.  We ran quite far off shore to a underwater sea mount that is known for good fishing.  It worked.  Actually everything worked, the seas, the fish, the fisherman etc.  John hooked a large marlin. We guess over 300 pounds.  It was everything it should be, fighting, jumping and wonderful.  It left John exhausted and in seventh heaven.  Not very long after, he caught another smaller marlin.  We pulled into Ensenada Grande around 6:30 and collapsed into the water.  It was a wonderful day.

Marlin jumping

Marlin by the swimstep

The next day, we all decided there would be no fishing.  The kids went for a kayak ride – Becky’s first – while we stayed on the boat and took multiple swims.  It was Saturday and a good number of boats came and anchored.  We decided it was too crowded and headed south to San Gabriel for our last stop.  It was much more private and Jon and Becky enjoyed a long kayak around the bay.  The high point may have been the discovery of a treasure trove of shells, some of which they have taken home to Oregon. 

 

Kayaking at Ensenada Grande

Sunday morning we headed back to the marina.  Jon and Earl stayed at the boat while Becky and I went to refresh our provisions.  By this time we had no eggs, no oranges, no onions, no tomatoes, no fruit, and almost no vegetables.  We had been given only an hour to shop, so we were very efficient and managed not only to get groceries but also to stop by Ibarra’s pottery to get some bowls for Becky to bring home.  We got home in time for lunch at the golf club as promised, only to find that we had changed from daylight savings time that morning and it was consequently only 11 am.  We must have looked tragic, because they agreed to serve us lunch instead of breakfast.  Later that afternoon, Becky and I hit the public market for ‘princess dresses’ for Becky’s granddaughters and did some other souvenir shopping.  It was very successful shopping.  The day was finished by a wonderful dinner at Azul.

 

Our pretty neighbors - Giada and Alba - who love Daisy

Monday, the last day, Becky and Jon spent mostly at the beach club, catching more sun and some swimming in the infinity pool.  We broke long enough to get real Mexican food at Rancho Viejo for lunch.  That night, the kids went to eat sushi - Earl and I were still full from the past few meals and stayed home.  Then sadly the next morning the taxi came to take them back to the airport after a wonderful time for all four of us.