Month: May 2016

Big Ocean. Big Sky. Small Minds.

Big Ocean. Big Sky. Small Minds.

I asked Radu the night before last, if he was ready to go again. The next leg was our third 30 hour passage and the seas were big the last times making our sails exhausting. Yes, he said, he was alright and I was too, 

Sailing Tips 1.0. Pacific side of Baja California/Mexico traveling South from San Diego to Cabo San Lucas   APRIL 2016

Sailing Tips 1.0. Pacific side of Baja California/Mexico traveling South from San Diego to Cabo San Lucas APRIL 2016

Ensenada Cruiseport Marina helped with the entry docs and most we already prepared in the marina office. Make sure your papers all are made out to the exact same name, a couple of Americans had to have their coast guard docks changed to match their 

I sleep a lot.

I sleep a lot.

I guess I need to explain that a bit. I wasn’t always like that. I was spunky and full of energy. Terrier energy. And then one night I woke up, shaking like under electro shock. My whole body was shaking violently. They later explained to 

Plenty of Time.

Plenty of Time.

Radu is learning how to filet a fish, a Pargo rojo (Pacific Red Snapper). We met Antonio, the sheriff of this small village, when he secured our dinghy on the beach the tide had broken loose and was about to float away. They started talking 

A little bit of water can go a long way.

A little bit of water can go a long way.

Personal hygiene on a boat can be a challenge. It’s interesting to live on the water and to have so much water around us and not to be able to use much of it. We have two water tanks of 40 gallons/ 151 liters each 

That was a long and hard one.

That was a long and hard one.

Long passages can be like endurance training. When the day is divided into either on or off watch, this feels like work. We are as far away from away from work as one can be, yet we still get used to 30 hours of either 

Today was an exciting day!

Today was an exciting day!

People have been telling us in San Diego that we would have great winds and following seas down the coast of Baja California. I was hoping we would too, but we had been so unlucky the last month with winds right on the nose or 

Cruising life just started today.

Cruising life just started today.

We were all ready to go to our next stops down the Baja, the boat was ship shape on deck and below, when Radu turned on the engine and noticed that the oil level was very low. Not sure if this was because the engine 

Happy

Happy

I asked Maria and her son Victor, our hosts at cafe in Bahía del Tortuga, how is life? “Although we live a simple life… we are happy.” Well there you have it!  A large family… a piece of land by the sea … a little 

Arrival Bahia Tortuga 9:30 AM

Arrival Bahia Tortuga 9:30 AM

Today I had the last watch before arriving in Turtle Bay. We were tired when we left our last anchorage at Bahia del Rosario. We had wanted to hide out from 6/7 foot waves there and ended up anchoring in a spot, which shook Radu 

First Night Watch. First Sail.

First Night Watch. First Sail.

Radu woke me up 15 minutes prior to arrival. It was 7 am. After our first 21 hour passage from Ensenada to St. Quintin and going overnight, it was hard to get up. Once in the cockpit, I was awed by a different world. Round 

Hi. My name is Samba.

Hi. My name is Samba.

Samba. This pretty name was given to me by first mom, the lovely Lavinia Steer. She saw my potential as a pageant queen right away. Officially I go by ‘Kissable of Happytails’, but you can call me Samba. I don’t want to bore you with 

Trust

Trust

When our grandson Adam was two or three years old, he had a blast jumping in his father’s arms from the kitchen counter-top. He was laughing and enjoying every second of it, asking for more and more. That’s TRUST. You have to trust your partner 

We did it!

We did it!

We left San Diego, finally, at 6 am and crossing over into Mexican waters probably around one hour and a half later. We will check into the country with all formality in Ensenada tomorrow. The last days leading up to the departure were filled with 

Destination …

Destination …

May 15th, 2016. Today we cast off from Shelter Island Marina/San Diego at 0600 hours. Our destination …Ensenada Mexico. It’s been a year and a half of hard work, learning, good days and bad. We were fortunate to meet good people to help us along 

She Believes in Sustainability.

She Believes in Sustainability.

A while ago, back in San Diego, we had sundowners with a young couple who are renovating their powerboat in our marina. He has been fascinated with motors and is a mechanic from when he was a teenager. She defied her parents and studied marine