Wind, wind, wind, and more wind

 The date on this gravesite was 1808, and it was in the middle of nowhere.

Our hike on a windy day.

The perpetual norther continues to blow.  Last night sleep count for either of us...ZERO, or close to it.  We are well protected here in Bahia Cardonal but with the boat sailing on the anchor with gusts up to 30 knots all night, it is very difficult to sleep.  Today has been another day of wind gusting into the low 30s.  Sunny this morning but this afternoon it is overcast.  We thought it was supposed to be warm in Mexico!  With the winds so blustery we just hang out below all day watching Breaking Bad, playing rummy cube or whatever. Today we did sneak in a nap which was very needed.  Later this morning we had 3 other boats pull in, the last two days we were the loan rangers.  

The wind is predicted to continue in the 20-30 knot range for another 3-4 days so here we sit.  Not exactly a day in paradise but I'm guessing someone reading this post might have a worse story than ours...just maybe.  Until next time.

SV Liahona
Bret and Marne

Heavy winds from hurricane Sandra

 Nice hike to the top

 El Cardonal, a beautiful anchorage.

We were the lone boat in the anchorage

Last night was not one that provided for a good night's sleep.  The wind wasn't howling but it did stay in the 15-20 knot range and by sometime in the wee hours of the morning there was quite a refractive swell bouncing around in various directions through the anchorage.  By the time we got up around 6:30am 2 or 3 boats had already picked up anchor looking for more protection from the wind and swell.  We finally decided to move to another spot and moved around the corner to a small, one boat, anchorage but after setting the anchor in the narrow cove I knew that sleep would evade me again as I would be worried about a wind shift that could put us closer to the rock wall on the north side.

So we picked up the anchor and decided to make the short hop around the corner to El Cardonal.  It felt like we were on the Oregon coast.  The wind was howling in the mid to high 20s and it was raining sideways.  Wet and cold we went outside the cove into the larger swells and stronger winds but fortunately it is only about 3 miles so we weren't out there long.  El Cardonal is a very long cove with a shallow sand bottom and plenty of room to swing with any wind shifts.  So we dropped the anchor, let out about 150' of chain, secured the snubber and went below to warm up.  

All afternoon the wind was pretty boisterous blowing around 10-15 knots but with sudden gusts into the low 30s.  Because the anchorage is well protected the sea state was and is pretty mild with very small, white capping swells but not large enough to make it uncomfortable.  However, with the strong gusts blowing through it leans the boat over and straightens out the anchor chain and when it hits the end of the chain it turns and heads the other way.  We call it "sailing on the anchor".  Not really fun but there is really nothing we can do about it.

The good thing is that we are securely anchored and we don't have to deal with rolling swell so we have just locked ourselves down below watching movies and snacking on Marne's delicious no bake cookies all day.  High winds are expected over the next several days so it looks like we are going to be on lock down for a while.  Hurricane Sandra has all but died but the effects of her weather patterns are definitely being felt.

That is about it from what is supposed to be paradise for today.  It's time to sit down to Marne's Thanksgiving leftovers.  Last night she cooked up a doosy post Thanksgiving feast with chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing and green beans with ham (bacon was not in the fridge but the ham did just dandy).  Until next time.

The windblown SV Liahona
Bret and Marne

Hurricane Sandra Update

Good morning everyone.  Just wanted to give an update about Hurricane Sandra which is now due west of Puerto Vallarta, heading north.  We, with all of the other cruisers, are very well informed about the weather on a daily basis and have been watching the developments of this storm and it's anticipated direction.  It is expected to move through the southern crossing, which is from Cabo to PV, sometime tomorrow afternoon and make landfall on the Mexican coastline late tomorrow near Mazatlan. 

We are very safely anchored on the islands just north of La Paz and will stay put until the storm has dissapated.  We are seeing some long reaching affects from the storm as we had some mild gusts last night to about 20 knots, some rain and this morning we awoke to very dark gloomy skies reminding us of home.  Other than the inconvenience of being pinned down and not being able to make our crossing to mainland Mexico, all is well onboard and it looks like after hurricane Sandra is gone we will still have several more days of strong northerly winds which will keep us where we are.  The good news is that we have NO schedule so there is no rush to push through anything that might be even a little uncomfortable.

As a side note, Hurricane Sandra is the first hurricane this late in the season for over 55 years.  El Nino, a global weather effect caused by warmer than normal water temperatures in the Pacific ocean, is definitely affecting this years weather patterns.  An El Nino effect happens every few years and if you want to know more specifics Google El Nino and you will find plenty of information.  Also, if you are curious about what is happening with any tropical storm/hurricane you can Google National Hurricane Center to see maps of current conditions, expected storm tracks, etc.  

That's it for the quick update. Happy Black Friday!  Do yourself and your pocketbook a favor and stay away from the malls and just enjoy the day!  Ciao for now.

SV Liahona
Bret and Marne

Happy Thanksgiving from beautiful Ensenada Grande, BCS!

The Group on Turkey Day

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone back home and around the world!  Although we are missing family we are surrounded by our cruising family here in Ensenada Grande on Isla Partida just 15 or so miles north of La Paz.  There are about 10 boats anchored here and most of us are gathering on the beach around 2:30pm for a Thanksgiving dinner, cruiser style.  We do have turkey, potatoes and gravy, cranberry sauce, stuffing, green beans with bacon, home made rolls, pumpkin bars, Kahlua brownies (our specialty) and who knows what else.  For tables we have the paddle boards sitting on top of buckets in the sand.  It should be a party.

 You like our fine dining table?

 Not bad for a Thanksgiving on the beach.

 Bret and Sheri from SV Cake

Dan from SV Dazzler providing some entertainment

This morning we held the first annual Ensenada Grande Turkey trot, attended by three of us.  The event was complete with numbered bibs and a special rock found along the way for the winner.  Actually it wasn't much of a race and not really a run.  It was more like a rock scramble to the top of the mountain at the head of the bay, probably about 1000 vertical feet above the anchorage.  It culminated on top of the hill where there is a cross placed there in memory of a family from Colorado who lost several members of their family to various accidents over the last few years and who visit here and climb the hill annually to remember them.  More on that possibly in another post.

 The 3 participants, hoping for more next year!

 On top at the memorial

The views from atop the hill looking down upon the boats in the anchorage were nothing short of amazing and worthy of any postcard you have ever seen.  As we gazed below at the Liahona and the other boats we were truly grateful for the life that we are blessed to live and the great people that we cross paths with and share various frames with of the film of our life that is being produced every day in this beautiful country.  We hope that wherever you are and whomever you are with you enjoy the simplicity and beauty of the moment.  Smile, enjoy and be present for every breath, they are all gifts.  We love you all and send our hugs and love from south of the border.

SV Liahona
Bret and Marne

Whale Sharks!!!

Marne and The Beast

Before leaving La Paz we wanted to make a run at seeing some whale sharks that winter here in the Bay of La Paz.  The plan was to head over yesterday and find a spot to anchor somewhere in the vicinity of their stomping grounds.  The winds were supposed to be light so anchoring on an "open roadstead" (no protection off of a 10 mile long beach) seemed reasonable and worth the risk.  The winds were not as light as we had hoped but not terrible.  As we entered the bay late yesterday afternoon we spotted one whale shark from the boat as we passed by.  Then after we anchored as the sun began to set we saw several more feeding along the surface a 100' or so from the boat.  It was fairly choppy so we didn't put the dinghy in the water and instead decided to wait until morning.  

The wind never got below 10-15 knots all night so it was quite choppy and rolly and did not make for a comfortable night sleep.  However, as we awoke around 6:30am the winds were down to around 5 knots and the water was much smoother so we dropped the motor on the dink and headed out slowly looking for the largest fish in the ocean, the whale shark.  We motored around slowly for over an hour before we spotted the first one as it swam along the surface.  Marne jumped in the water and swam with it for several minutes and even hitched a free ride for a bit hanging onto it's dorsal fin.  Saying she was pumped would be a MAJOR understatement.  

We cruised around for a couple of hours and then went back to the boat to get some lunch and do a sail repair.  It seemed as if the morning hours the whale sharks were moving around a fair amount and it was hard to stay with them.  So we spent about 2 hours aboard sewing the foot of the reacher sail that was in desperate need of attention.  

Around 3pm we went back out and quickly came upon a couple of large ones.  These were feeding on the surface and were content to have us hang around and enjoy their lunchtime with them.  For over an hour Marne and I were the only ones in the ocean with these gentle giants just enjoying their beauty and majesty.  All told we probably hung out with 8 or 10 of them, not all together, for about 2 hours laying on their back, riding along hanging onto their dorsals and generally just being amazed by it all.  There were definitely some big boys out there with the bigger ones in the 30-35' range.

We have about 50 GoPro videos that are nothing short of amazing.  We will try to upload a few short clips when we get internet again and then make a full video somewhere down the line.  After the whale shark fest we pulled anchor and headed a few short miles to Bahia Falsa just north of La Paz where we will stay the night, without rocking, and then head north to Isla Espiritu Santo where we plan to spend Thanksgiving with some friends.  If our plans go as we hope we will try to swim with the sea lions on Isla Los Islotes on Thanksgiving morning.  We definitely have much to be thankful for!  Words cannot describe how grateful we are to be here in the Sea of Cortez experiencing so much of God's amazing creations.  Wish only wish we could share it with everyone!

And that is a close to another "off the charts" day here aboard the Liahona.  Ciao for now.

SV Liahona
Bret and Marne