60' up to the masthead for some routine work.

Here is a short vid of my trip up the mast a few days ago for some routine maintenance with the standing rigging and also the blocks and sheaves (rollers) at the top.  It is a bit sketchy up there and a little wavy movement down on the decks translates to some serious white knuckling, hang on for your life action 60' up on the stick.  Enjoy!

San Blas, a typical, quiet Mexican town.

San Blas is one of those typical Mexican towns.  Quiet and almost gringo free... complete with it's own historic cathedral, central market and super friendly locals.  THIS is why we are cruising.

Local fare.

Marne with the Chicken Man.

I know...a good look on me, right?

The captain gets a much needed haircut.  30 pesos ($1.67 US), complete with a straight blade shave.

 Dinner.  A nice Sierra.

 Restaurant on the beach of Matanchen Bay, home of the longest wave in the world.

At the market in San Blas.

Life is good.  We are grateful for every moment!

SV Liahona

Bret and Marne

Safety first!

About a month ago I invested in a Jordan Series Drogue.  I have done a lot of studying about sea anchors and drogues and although there are varied opinions and preferences when it comes to these simple but curious devices that no sailor ever wants to be in a situation where you would need to use one, I have come to the conclusion that the Jordan Series Drogue (JSD) is the best option of the group.  I had decided 2-3 years ago that at some point I would have one aboard as insurance against a dreadful situation that I hope that never crosses my path.

40' lengths of rode and mini chutes

In La Cruz they had their bi-weekly swap meet and among the piles of stuff were various pieces of equipment from SV Rage that sadly was crushed on the rocks just a few hundred yards from us here in La Cruz about a month ago.  One of the items for sale was a JSD.  I have looked at a few in the past but the size of the bag (that I will probably never pull out of the locker) is quite large and heavy as it has 350'-400' of large diameter line with 100 or so small cones attached to it.  Certainly, a downside as far as storage and weight is concerned.  This particular JSD was made with all Spectra line, weighs maybe 7 pounds and is stowed in a very small duffel.  The minimal size and weight is due to the very high tech characteristics of Spectra line.

One of the individual chutes

As for the intended purpose of a drogue...I will give you a VERY brief explanation.  If you want more just Google Jordan Series Drogue and you can read until your heart is content.  A JSD is basically a device that is deployed off the stern of the boat in extreme conditions in order to slow the boat down and stabilize it.  "Extreme conditions" being huge seas (20-60' waves) and gale to hurricane force winds.  When running from such a storm the boat can easily get out of control surfing down the waves and being blown into a broach position sideways to the waves...that is where a boat can get into serious trouble.  Once the JSD is deployed the boat takes on a much "quieter" disposition and slowing the boat from surfing speeds of 15+ knots down to 3-5 knots.  JSDs have been in use for over 20 years now and in every case where they have been put to use there has never been any loss to vessel or crew nor has any boat ever sustained damage while using the JSD.  Nuff said!

All packed and ready for easy deployment.

The Liahona is happy to have such a great piece of safety equipment aboard and with it we check off one more "must have" item off the list for our passage across the Pacific in the next few years.

SV Liahona
Bret and Marne

Mr. Magoo

After several great days enjoying the surf in Matanchen Bay we picked up the anchor before first light this morning and made the 8 hour, 42 mile trip up to Isla Isabel, one of our favorite anchorages outside of the Baja.  We sailed in near perfect winds and calms seas for the first 4-5 hours then lost most of the wind for an hour or so during the transition time when the wind changes directions from the east to the northwest.  The last 3 hours we motor sailed into the wind which was right on the bow.  Fortunately we got into Isabel before the chop built up too much.

Just before we got to Isabel we hauled in a beautiful Sierra.  The first edible fish we have caught in over 2 months!  We are pretty stoked to be having fresh fish this evening with our friends on SV Gene Butler that followed us up from San Blas.  The wind is blowing about 15 knots here but the water is beautiful and we are pretty protected hiding behind the two large volcanic spires that sit just a few yards off of the northeast side of the island.

After dropping the hook Marne went down below to tidy things up and flip the battery switch to allow the solar to continue to charge the batteries.  When she looked down next to the engine compartment there was a large pool of black oil spilling out onto the floor.  Yes, that can be a reason for alarm.  I immediately opened up the engine compartment and found oil splattered on the starboard bulk heads and over much of the motor.  Yikes!  It didn't take long to find the problem...the oil fill cap was not where it was supposed to be, covering the oil fill spout.  It was right where I left it after adding a 1/4 quart of oil to the engine about 2 days ago in Matanchen Bay, sitting right there next to the motor, covered in oil like everything else.  We were fortunate that we only lost about a quart of oil and other than a slight mess, it was an easy fix.

Who does that?  After banging my head against the wall for being so stupid I settled into a gratitude prayer that it was not any worse.  No damage, just a bit messy and a deflated ego.  And after that small debacle, all is well on board and we look forward to a day or two here in the paradise that is Isla Isabel.

See the yellow cap?  It was laying on the floor below there bathed in oil!  

Ciao for now,

SV Liahona
Bret and Marne

Swimming with Pilot whales.

Just when we thought it couldn't get any better...it did. 

The morning started off the way it usually does with coffee and checking into the morning cruisers net. Isla Isabel is a beautiful island. It is referred to as the Galapagos of Mexico. We have been here before and always enjoy the blue footed boobies, frigates, iguanas, and the reef snorkeling in crystal clear blue waters. 

 After the net we threw on our gear and headed out toward the pinnacle rocks. We had heard there was a school of tuna around the north side of larger rock. Go-pro and spear gun in hand, Bret and I jumped in the water and started the swim around the rock. We were both running out of breath as we are away from the protection of the rock and the current was super strong. Just as we were about to give up and float back, we spotted them. Hundreds of tuna just hanging out waiting for Bret and his trusty Riffe spear gun. Bret went 0 for 2, but we loved watching the huge school of fish split in 2 and then come back together to evade the spear. We got some good GoPro footage then hopped back in the dinghy to head back to the boat.

 Dolphin are always fun to see, so when we saw fins we moved in for a closer look. We followed the fins about a mile off shore, and soon we realized we were not following dolphins, instead we were in a pod of Pilot whales. There were 6 to 8 in a tight group, then about 5 solo rangers. Dolphin like to hang out when the dingy is making waves, but the moment you get in the water they typically bolt. The pilot whales were on the move, but not leaving the area. Bret and I both wanted to bail in and get a look from beneath the waves. Bret went first and was able to get some video as they swam by. Having no expectation that they would stick around, I slid off the side of the dinghy and into the water. Once the bubbles cleared and I could see them clearly and I had the most amazing marine life experience to date! A Pilot whale about 8 feet away came toward me. He swam beneath me rolling belly up and it felt like we were making eye contact. Looking at the others I could see that one of them had a tuna in his mouth and I could hear them singing to each other as they moved along. I could sit here at the laptop for hours and not be able to come up with any combination of words to fully describe how amazing it was.

 Marne and her "experience"

 The captain dives in!

The official vid.

The sun is now setting and we are 6 hours into an overnight sail to Mazatlan. We will rotate watches every 3 hours. Time to get some sleep before my first watch. 

Until tomorrow,

SV Liahona

Marne and Bret