Some time ago I posted a stream-of-consciousness list of some of the things that have worked well for us on the Fox after a full year of cruising. Now’s time to discuss what has not worked. Fortunately, there has not been much that has broken or not worked according to expectations. I feel that’s partly…
Our voyage from Mazatlan took us from Isla Isabela, 90 miles south, and then turned southeast following the curvature of mainland Mexico. The weather was generally calm and even traveling downwind we were only able to sail about 2-1/2 hours before the wind dropped below 7 knots and the Fox’s sails could not stay filled. …
Yep. It was inevitable. The booby post. This is where we experiment to see how much our blog traffic increases with all those adolescent saps Googling for pr0n in mom’s basement, when we mention the word "boobies." Here we go. Isla Isabela has a fairly large population of at least two species of booby –…
A while back GB posted about our visit to Isla Isabela, a logical waystop between Mazatlan (90 miles to the north) and points further south such as San Blas (about 45 miles south and east) and Puerto Vallarta (errm….further south and east). A cruising couple we know, both marine biologists, had told us that a…
Isla Isabela east anchorage – very rolly – we were here for three days.. We left Mazatlan on a Friday – which is notorious as a bad luck day for departures. Are we superstitious – well – there was good wind, or so we thought, and dead calm predicted for the next day. Reluctantly, MS…
After a year of cruising, both having anchored-out and stayed at docks in 3 countries, we were pleased to find how much went well with the boat and its gear under the conditions we encountered. Some of what follows may be irrelevant for some readers (for example, vacation-style cruisers may not care about how much…
January 28, 2008, marked one full calendar year since we sailed away from the dock at Shilshole Marina in Seattle, Washington, with no intention of returning. The year has been…interesting. Rewarding. Complicated. Satisfying. We have successfully avoided killing each other – though on a few occasions bad words were muttered sotto voce. And sometimes, not…
The cruising life is challenging. So many things demand one’s time: procuring fuel takes longer than simply sidling up to a fuel dock; doing laundry is more complicated*; getting groceries and seeing a doctor require negotiating buses and taxis and speaking in a foreign language in addition to just buying the groceries or walking into…
Mazatlan has a tropical climate. For the likes of me, even in December (winter, here) it’s been in the 80s (F), with 70% humidity, man. I get sweaty, sticky, and short of breath. Also? I got attacked by a gang of no-see-ums, the likes I haven’t seen since BC. Check this out: Insects love to…
One disturbing event on our crossing of the Sea of Cortez. About 1500 (3:00pm) on November 19, out in the middle of freakin’ nowhere, we heard a little bird twittering. Looking around, I saw the critter, in a tiny flash of yellow, black and white: an Audubon’s warbler. Heading east from the Baja peninsula. This…