Yes, I quit my job, bought a sailboat and moved to Mexico and what do I do.....I go back to school! Although I can get by with the very limited Spanish that I can remember from High School, I feel I'm missing out on so much and at times, wishing I could communicate better w/ the locals. So, with that said, I signed up for a crash refresher course at a local school.
I just had my first lesson and basically covered everything I had after a year in High School! The school is great, the teacher very skilled and knowledgeable. She taught elementary in a small town outside of La Paz for 4 years prior to the language school. The school's name is http://www.sehablalapaz.com/lapaz.html
The founder left the Hospital Administration field about 9 years ago and came to La Paz to start the school. I met her last week and got a great vibe from her so I signed up for a week. It's $250/week for about 10 hours of private instruction. Depending on what happens, I may sign up for another or take a month off while I sharpen my skills. Regardless, I regret cheating my way through Spanish in HS. If knew how much beer money it would cost me here in Mexico, I definitely would have thought twice about it!
Monday, October 29, 2007
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Boat Repairs
Since Miller left, I've been working on the boat. Not hard, just a little each day. When I'm not working on the boat, I've been snorkeling a lot and reading (yes, actually reading!). I just went clamming today with 2 girls from England, they're extremely nice and are sort of stranded here.
They were crewing on a sailboat and unfortunately, the owner's cancer caught up w/ him and he needed to go home for treatment. Abbie and Jackie have been "stranded" (and I use that word loosely) here in La Paz for 6 months. Today we went to Ballandra and clammed. We got about 100, with Dan grabbing 6 of them The beach out there was pretty cool, they're building a set to Adam Sandler's upcoming movie. It looks pretty funny...a castle/mansion from the front, a piece of plywood and some 2x4's from behind. Regardless, tonight we're having clams!
Danny, from Pacific Threadz showed up today and grabbed the main sail. We'll see what he ends up charging for fixing the tear. The last fix (for now) to be completed is on the pedestal. Can't find the part, the company is out of business (of course) so I'm going to have a steel fabricator make a new one. It's critical so I want to make it bomb-proof if you know what I mean.
Once I have all the repairs done, Abbie, Jackie and I are going to take off to the islands for a few days. I'm anxious to get back out there and not ready to do it solo yet. This week, Halloween! Next week, the "Day of the Dead"....the Mexican version of the same holiday. Should be trouble......
They were crewing on a sailboat and unfortunately, the owner's cancer caught up w/ him and he needed to go home for treatment. Abbie and Jackie have been "stranded" (and I use that word loosely) here in La Paz for 6 months. Today we went to Ballandra and clammed. We got about 100, with Dan grabbing 6 of them The beach out there was pretty cool, they're building a set to Adam Sandler's upcoming movie. It looks pretty funny...a castle/mansion from the front, a piece of plywood and some 2x4's from behind. Regardless, tonight we're having clams!
Danny, from Pacific Threadz showed up today and grabbed the main sail. We'll see what he ends up charging for fixing the tear. The last fix (for now) to be completed is on the pedestal. Can't find the part, the company is out of business (of course) so I'm going to have a steel fabricator make a new one. It's critical so I want to make it bomb-proof if you know what I mean.
Once I have all the repairs done, Abbie, Jackie and I are going to take off to the islands for a few days. I'm anxious to get back out there and not ready to do it solo yet. This week, Halloween! Next week, the "Day of the Dead"....the Mexican version of the same holiday. Should be trouble......
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Swimming with the seals!
Let’s just say the first night, neither Steve nor myself slept very much. The wind picked up in the evening and got stronger as the night wore on. We had wind from every direction, I mean every direction. There was a large fishing boat next to us, then rocks to our west. About every ½ hour, we’d poke our heads above deck and have a look. Every time the wind changed, you could feel the anchor re-position and “set”. Knowing that we wouldn’t have much time to react with the rocks so close made it all the more interesting.
The next morning, we motored up to a little cove just at the N. tip of the island. We anchored there and took off in the dinghy (dink) to swim w/ the seals. We packed 4 beers and 2 bottles of water. It was about a 20min ride out but well worth it. There are plenty of mooring balls to tie up on, we picked one square in the middle and nervously jumped in.
As we got closer, we could hear the seals above land. Then, before we knew it, we were just a few yards away from a family. The babies liked to play, swimming within a few feet, then making a sharp turn away and taking off. If they were trying to scare us a little, they succeeded. Every now and then, the mother would swim by and give us a look. This was fine but if we got too close, “el heffe” or in this case, the old male would swim by with a presence that screamed “back off”. We took the hint and slowly put it in reverse.
After an hour or so, we made our way back to the dink and had a beer. What an experience! We made out way back to Spirit and cracked a few more as we tried to recap what we just did. We had some Dorado fish tacos from the other day’s catch, and then finished the night sipping on some Tequila as the sun went down.
The next morning, we woke up and still had the entire bay to ourselves. We had minimal wind so we both slept most of the night. We decided to go back to the seals in the morning, then make our way south to another anchorage in the afternoon. This second trip was awesome. The seals were going off, we swam towards the tip of the island that had a little cave/canyon between the two. It looked like a giant washing machine that would spit us out if we tried to swim through it. As we decided to make our way back, 2 hot senoritas (and unfortunately, their boyfriends too), swam by and went right into the washing machine. Steve and I quickly followed the female flounders into the turmoil.
Girls were hot, unfortunately the dink and they got picked up in was bigger than my boat. Regardless, epic dive and a great morning. We then pulled anchor and motored back South to Ensenada Grande. We anchored between a sailboat and a yacht. It was a little more closer than I would have liked however it’s the best based on winds and protection. So far, the winds were good but you never know down here.
Ok, time to come clean and tell the truth. Steve is in bed and I’m drinking Maker’s. For those who are not familiar w/ Maker’s, pick up a bottle at Costco and call me in the morning. Then and only then will you appreciate where I’m writing this from.
We just went for a swim before the live Sirius broadcast of Jimmy Buffet from the Fillmore in SF. We used shampoo and the whole deal. I can finally say that “I’m living the lifestyle”. I’m not sure who said that or phrased it but whatever or whereeve they were at, I’m there. I’m sitting on a sailboat, watching the sun drop in Mexico, swimming in crystal or “gin” clear water as they call it down here, listening to Jimmy Buffet live via Sirius from SF. All I need is a few naked senoritas and I can literally call it heaven. We’re sailing back to La Paz tomorrow in search of the last piece of the puzzle.
The next morning, we motored up to a little cove just at the N. tip of the island. We anchored there and took off in the dinghy (dink) to swim w/ the seals. We packed 4 beers and 2 bottles of water. It was about a 20min ride out but well worth it. There are plenty of mooring balls to tie up on, we picked one square in the middle and nervously jumped in.
As we got closer, we could hear the seals above land. Then, before we knew it, we were just a few yards away from a family. The babies liked to play, swimming within a few feet, then making a sharp turn away and taking off. If they were trying to scare us a little, they succeeded. Every now and then, the mother would swim by and give us a look. This was fine but if we got too close, “el heffe” or in this case, the old male would swim by with a presence that screamed “back off”. We took the hint and slowly put it in reverse.
After an hour or so, we made our way back to the dink and had a beer. What an experience! We made out way back to Spirit and cracked a few more as we tried to recap what we just did. We had some Dorado fish tacos from the other day’s catch, and then finished the night sipping on some Tequila as the sun went down.
The next morning, we woke up and still had the entire bay to ourselves. We had minimal wind so we both slept most of the night. We decided to go back to the seals in the morning, then make our way south to another anchorage in the afternoon. This second trip was awesome. The seals were going off, we swam towards the tip of the island that had a little cave/canyon between the two. It looked like a giant washing machine that would spit us out if we tried to swim through it. As we decided to make our way back, 2 hot senoritas (and unfortunately, their boyfriends too), swam by and went right into the washing machine. Steve and I quickly followed the female flounders into the turmoil.
Girls were hot, unfortunately the dink and they got picked up in was bigger than my boat. Regardless, epic dive and a great morning. We then pulled anchor and motored back South to Ensenada Grande. We anchored between a sailboat and a yacht. It was a little more closer than I would have liked however it’s the best based on winds and protection. So far, the winds were good but you never know down here.
Ok, time to come clean and tell the truth. Steve is in bed and I’m drinking Maker’s. For those who are not familiar w/ Maker’s, pick up a bottle at Costco and call me in the morning. Then and only then will you appreciate where I’m writing this from.
We just went for a swim before the live Sirius broadcast of Jimmy Buffet from the Fillmore in SF. We used shampoo and the whole deal. I can finally say that “I’m living the lifestyle”. I’m not sure who said that or phrased it but whatever or whereeve they were at, I’m there. I’m sitting on a sailboat, watching the sun drop in Mexico, swimming in crystal or “gin” clear water as they call it down here, listening to Jimmy Buffet live via Sirius from SF. All I need is a few naked senoritas and I can literally call it heaven. We’re sailing back to La Paz tomorrow in search of the last piece of the puzzle.
Miller arrives
Well, 2 days before Miller was to arrive, we had the boat scheduled for a haul out. They literally pick the entire boat out of the water with some slings and a crane to allow you to do work on the bottom/paint/etc. Well, during the survey, we couldn’t get 2 of the sea cocks to close. Additionally, the depth sounder was bad (however I think the owner new it as he had a replacement on board). He agreed to have the sea cocks serviced and depth sounder replaced prior to close.
I spoke to Mike at La Paz yachts and asked if we could hold off on the service until I arrived. I thought it would be a good experience to go through the haul out process with an experienced captain as well as be on hand to observe the work (after all, this is Mexico). We scheduled the haul out for Friday morning, 8:30. The work would take 2 hours, back in the water before lunch……….not quite.
Servicing the sea cocks went as planned, unfortunately, the depth sounder was a challenge. It was the same size, just different style. To make a long story short, we had to shave the blocks on each side of the hull down, sand out a little bit of the hull itself, and cut the “ears” off the wing nut to tighten down the sounder. Then we had to epoxy the old holes, sand and paint. Due to this, we had to postpone putting her back in the water until 8:30 the next morning. Thus, I spent the night on “the hard” in the boatyard.
At around midnight, I heard Metallica and Guns and Roses blaring from a fishing boat down on the dock. I couldn’t believe I was in Mexico hearing a bunch of local Mexican fishermen cranking Metallica at 12am! I wanted to say something however thought that it was just payback for all the times I did the same to others. Regardless, I got to bed at 2am.
The next morning, the boat went in the water as scheduled however 2 of 3 valves were leaking. After several failed attempts to stop the leaks, it was decided to pull the boat back out of the water and replace all 3 valves. Although I’m glad we did it, we didn’t bet the boat back in the water until 2pm. No, we’re not done yet.
As I went to start the engine, something felt a little squirrelly with the transmission. We couldn’t get it in gear. Not a problem, we’ll just have Mike shift manually from one of the lockers under the cockpit (if you saw the size of these lockers, I was thankful that I was the “Captain” and could send him below). We got the boat back in the Marina around 3pm and began to take apart the pedestal to determine the problem. It turns out a piece of plastic broke off a bracket that held the cable in place for the shifter. At this point, we had to leave to pick up Miller. I made the decision to stay at the marina with Mike and work on our problem in order to have the boat ready to go out the next day. Miller arrived around 4pm via cab and we continued to work on the boat until dark. With some duct tape and 2 coat hangers, we got it working. Miller and I both crashed out early that night.
The next day we woke up at 5:30 and were on a van heading for Las Arenas by 6am. We were going fishing for Tuna and Dorado (Mahi Mahi). I’m not going to tell you about the day, except for the fact that our guide Jorge was great and the fishing was better. Please see the pics, enough said.
We were scheduled to push off Monday however a strong northerly came in and we thought it would better to hold off departure until the next morning. This worked out perfectly as the wind switched direction and we were able to catch the ebb out the following morning. We sailed the entire way. I’ll need to fill in the location later as I don’t remember how to spell the place! Tomorrow, we head north to swim with the seals, more later!
I spoke to Mike at La Paz yachts and asked if we could hold off on the service until I arrived. I thought it would be a good experience to go through the haul out process with an experienced captain as well as be on hand to observe the work (after all, this is Mexico). We scheduled the haul out for Friday morning, 8:30. The work would take 2 hours, back in the water before lunch……….not quite.
Servicing the sea cocks went as planned, unfortunately, the depth sounder was a challenge. It was the same size, just different style. To make a long story short, we had to shave the blocks on each side of the hull down, sand out a little bit of the hull itself, and cut the “ears” off the wing nut to tighten down the sounder. Then we had to epoxy the old holes, sand and paint. Due to this, we had to postpone putting her back in the water until 8:30 the next morning. Thus, I spent the night on “the hard” in the boatyard.
At around midnight, I heard Metallica and Guns and Roses blaring from a fishing boat down on the dock. I couldn’t believe I was in Mexico hearing a bunch of local Mexican fishermen cranking Metallica at 12am! I wanted to say something however thought that it was just payback for all the times I did the same to others. Regardless, I got to bed at 2am.
The next morning, the boat went in the water as scheduled however 2 of 3 valves were leaking. After several failed attempts to stop the leaks, it was decided to pull the boat back out of the water and replace all 3 valves. Although I’m glad we did it, we didn’t bet the boat back in the water until 2pm. No, we’re not done yet.
As I went to start the engine, something felt a little squirrelly with the transmission. We couldn’t get it in gear. Not a problem, we’ll just have Mike shift manually from one of the lockers under the cockpit (if you saw the size of these lockers, I was thankful that I was the “Captain” and could send him below). We got the boat back in the Marina around 3pm and began to take apart the pedestal to determine the problem. It turns out a piece of plastic broke off a bracket that held the cable in place for the shifter. At this point, we had to leave to pick up Miller. I made the decision to stay at the marina with Mike and work on our problem in order to have the boat ready to go out the next day. Miller arrived around 4pm via cab and we continued to work on the boat until dark. With some duct tape and 2 coat hangers, we got it working. Miller and I both crashed out early that night.
The next day we woke up at 5:30 and were on a van heading for Las Arenas by 6am. We were going fishing for Tuna and Dorado (Mahi Mahi). I’m not going to tell you about the day, except for the fact that our guide Jorge was great and the fishing was better. Please see the pics, enough said.
We were scheduled to push off Monday however a strong northerly came in and we thought it would better to hold off departure until the next morning. This worked out perfectly as the wind switched direction and we were able to catch the ebb out the following morning. We sailed the entire way. I’ll need to fill in the location later as I don’t remember how to spell the place! Tomorrow, we head north to swim with the seals, more later!
I arrive in Mexico
When I arrived in La Paz, it was a feeling that I never had before. Mike from La Paz Yachts picked me up at the airport, handed me some boat keys and a bottle of Tequila and dropped me off at my boat 15 minutes later.
That evening, I walked up to the corner store, bought a few beers and watched the sunset while listening to Kenny Chesney. Maybe it’s something in the air or maybe it’s just the location but a Pacifico in Mexico tastes 100% better than the same in the states.
The next week was spent cleaning the boat up, re-installing the canvas and starting the basic provisioning steps (cleaning out the water tanks, buying some necessities, keeping the beer inventory topped off, etc). I had my good friend Miller coming to town in a few days and I wanted everything to be dialed in. The plan was that once he arrived, we’d do a night in La Paz, then head out and cruise the islands for the remainder of the week. It was a great plan; unfortunately, we were dealing with a boat which is often worse than women when it comes to plans and schedules.
That evening, I walked up to the corner store, bought a few beers and watched the sunset while listening to Kenny Chesney. Maybe it’s something in the air or maybe it’s just the location but a Pacifico in Mexico tastes 100% better than the same in the states.
The next week was spent cleaning the boat up, re-installing the canvas and starting the basic provisioning steps (cleaning out the water tanks, buying some necessities, keeping the beer inventory topped off, etc). I had my good friend Miller coming to town in a few days and I wanted everything to be dialed in. The plan was that once he arrived, we’d do a night in La Paz, then head out and cruise the islands for the remainder of the week. It was a great plan; unfortunately, we were dealing with a boat which is often worse than women when it comes to plans and schedules.
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