I recommend a visit to La Paz to anyone. La Paz is a nice city for cruisers and landlubbers alike. Many charterers provide boat excursions to the nearby islands for snorkeling, scuba and kayaking trips. During the winter when the whale sharks gather in the bay, you may be able to sign aboard a boat…
[Photo by Darlene Topilko.] Kia Ora arrived at the Cazadero anchorage on December 11, 2016, ahead of a third boat unknown to either of us. The next morning the crews of The Fox and Kia Ora hiked up the arroyo that spills into the sea a short distance to the east of the anchorage. The…
December 7, 2016: The wee hours saw some breezes from the SSW of about 12-17 knots that quickly decreased to the 10-12 knot range. By sunrise the bay was calm. Conditions were much lighter throughout Agua Verde than had been forecast for the region, which was lucky for the anchored fleet. One less-than-cool sailboat arrived,…
There are reasons why Agua Verde is such a popular cruising destination. Opportunities abound for swimming, snorkeling, paddling, and fishing. The seashell enthusiast has a selection of beaches with good collecting potential. The fishing village of Agua Verde welcomes you to look around; maybe you could bring some basic supplies for their school while you…
November 8, 2016. The Eastern Pacific hurricane season was thankfully drawing to a close. Marina Seca San Carlos shifted The Fox from the dry storage yard to the work yard for a week's worth of projects to complete before splashing. The Fox had survived Hurricane Norton well, but sadly, several friends' boats that were stored…
April 6, 2016, haulout: We had prepped The Fox very well for its seasonal haulout while we were in Marina San Carlos's slip. We had to (re-)learn that it required an extra 4-1/2 hours to cover The Fox's deck with landscape fabric and finalize our other dry-storage tasks. Problem was, once Marina Seca places one's…
The Great Stern Pulpit Refit of 2015-2016 came to completion. We waited for a good weather window to cross the Sea of Cortez and start a very long-delayed (and now-very-short) cruising season. In the meantime Mr. Truck was just parked there at the marina, all empty and everything. Except for the fine metal chest we'd…
For fans of antiquities like GB and me, no trip to Durango is complete without visiting the two very distinct sets of ruins at La Ferrería, about 5 miles south of Durango proper. The more recent site of La Ferrería (= "The Iron Works") comprises the 19th Century hacienda and private foundry/smelter outbuildings that had…
We spent February 2, 2016, through February 7, 2016, sightseeing in Durango (in the state of Durango, Mexico) while there was a break in the Great Mazatlan Stern-pulpit Refit action. Mr. Pickup Truck handled the new (well, just 3 years old) Durango-Mazatlan highway 40D just fine. Climbing up this highway from the coastal lowlands over…
The upgrade of our cockpit included a new and enhanced stainless steel stern pulpit; a stern arch on which to mount our radar dome and a couple of new solar panels; and a brand-spankin'-new dodger and bimini combo platter made out of Stamoid. This entire refit took four months exactly to complete, from late November…