This morning we got up around 7:30am, checked into the Sonrisa net on the ham radio then started in on some chores. The first item of business was to defrost the freezer. I have noticed over the last couple of weeks that the fridge and freezer were drawing more amps per day than what it usually does or what I think it should. After thinking through the problem my feeble brain came up with the thought that frost in the freezer might be the culprit as frost actually insulates the cooling plates. So the thermostat hits the set temperature where it tells the unit to kick on and because the cooling plate is frozen it is trying to put out cold into the box to satisfy the thermostat but it can't because it is somewhat insulated due to all of the frost buildup. Ok...that was probably a little detailed. haha. Long story short, we defrosted the freezer/fridge, cleaned it and turned it back on. Viola! Things are working as they should and pulling a reasonable amount of power to do the job. The captain is happy. lol
While the freezer was defrosting we jumped on a local bus and went into old downtown Mazatlan for a stoll through the park, the Cathedral Basilica de la Inmaculada Concepcion and then back to the Mercado Municipal for a few more items. The cathedral, which was completed in 1890, was amazingly beautiful. The architecture with the amazing concrete work, spires, stained glass, statues of saints and ornate ceilings is something to behold. After a stroll through there and a quick stop in the confessional to shed some extra weight of sin I have been packing around, lol, we were off to the Mercado Municipal. We went to a ceramic shop and bought some cabinet pulls for the boat, took a bunch of pictures and then grabbed a fresh cut of rib eye steak that Luis personally marinated with some special black sauce, garlic and other spices mixed with salt and fresh squeezed orange juice. It is currently marinating in our newly more economically running fridge (haha) and we plan to savor that flavor tomorrow night for dinner.
After taking the local bus back to the harbor we began replacing cabinet knobs and rearranging and organizing various things in the boat, mostly in the galley. Karla, you would really like the new touches to the boat with the colorful Mexican painted ceramic knobs. They look pretty good actually. Marne is really jumping in and treating the boat like her home. Once again...the captain is happy. :).
After the chores we pulled anchor in an attempt to get out of the busy Mazatlan harbor with giant cruise ships, small tour boats filled to the gunwhales with Mexican tourists and the tour guide announcing over the loud speaker to entertain them and the general smells of the big city. We didn't go far, only about 4 miles up to Isla Venado, just a mile off of the coast of new Mazatlan. It is a bit breezy here but we are anchored off an uninhabited island with a nice little sand beach that we will probably visit tomorrow. That pretty much wraps up another day in the life of the crew aboard the SV Liahona. Ciao for now!
Bret and Marne
SV Liahona
Mom - did you get checks from Scott and the renters yet and are they deposited?
Tarren - no word from you yet dawg...would love to hear from you.
Tanner and Tallen - Love my boys! Miss you guys and hope all is well.
Karla and Chubbs - Missing you guys down here!
Syd - Mucho grande hugs from your mom!
Thursday, April 9, 2015
Wednesday, April 8, 2015
April 8, Mazatlan
Welcome to Mazatlan! Marne and I arrived in Mazatlan this afternoon around 1pm after a very nice 93 mile, overnight passage from Isla Isabela. I know that I already mentioned it plenty but Isla Isabela is such an amazing place with things you just don't get to see every day. So grateful. After our short stay on Isabela, followed by a fantastic steak and lobster dinner we picked up anchor around 8pm and headed northbound into the night toward Mazatlan. My track record, with or without weather reports, is not that good for the last 2 or 3 passages and as we headed out of the anchorage I was seriously concerned that history might be repeating itself as we instantly were in 15-17 knots of wind. 15 knots is no big deal but if it built or even continued for many hours through the night the sea state would become very uncomfortable. That added to the fact that it is pitch black and you can't see anything which makes everything you do more difficult. However, once we pulled anchor we were committed because getting back into that small anchorage surrounded by volcanic rock and a bottom that was very unpredictable, at night, to drop anchor again for the night was simply not an option. Fortunately the winds abated within about an hour and a half and soon the motor was off and we were comfortably and cheaply (ha) sailing toward Mazatlan. We wound up sailing for 3-4 hours before the winds headed us and died off considerably. However, I was happy to spend some pesos on diesel and motor over calm seas up to our destination. Whew...actually an enjoyable overnight passage. lol.
Today we took the bus into old town Mazatlan to the Mercado Municipal to get some fresh fruits, veggies, shrimp and cheese. The market is amazing. It is a two story public market overflowing with sights, smells and sounds. Farm fresh produce, locally made cheeses, fresh caught seafood, spices, and painted pottery are among the items that tantilize your eyes, ears, nose and taste buds. Tomorrow we will go back to old town to explore the parks, cathedrals and other sights.
Fishing report...ZIP! We got skunked. 18 hours in crystal clear aqua water and there was not a singe fish that wanted what we were offering. What's up with that? We did, however, see two sea turtles pass by the side of the boat so closely that we could have jumped off the side and landed on them. The first one that I spotted had a bird standing on it's back and that is actually what initially drew my attention. I thought it was an old plastic jug or a log or something. Nope, just a large green turtle enjoying the sun on the surface with his little pal Senor Pajaro. ha. And that's a wrap for today mis amigos.
Bret and Marne
SV Liahona
Clint - I am comfortably in position to be Johnnie on schedule to pick you up in Cabo. Marne and I plan to spend 3 or 4 days here before finding a good time to make the crossing which will take us 2 and a half days.
Syd - More love and hugs from you mom. lol
Karla - Any progress on the personal property list from Scott for the insurance company? I got your message about Leonard and I would like him to bid without the pipe room or shipping room but keeping the balcony above the shipping room for storage with a hand rail around it. If you have Lenny's email, that would be helpful Thanks. Love you.
Gregg - Yo! Sup pal? You said to email you that night...about a week ago...which I did and I haven't heard back from you! Hope all is well and hope to hear from you soon.
Today we took the bus into old town Mazatlan to the Mercado Municipal to get some fresh fruits, veggies, shrimp and cheese. The market is amazing. It is a two story public market overflowing with sights, smells and sounds. Farm fresh produce, locally made cheeses, fresh caught seafood, spices, and painted pottery are among the items that tantilize your eyes, ears, nose and taste buds. Tomorrow we will go back to old town to explore the parks, cathedrals and other sights.
Fishing report...ZIP! We got skunked. 18 hours in crystal clear aqua water and there was not a singe fish that wanted what we were offering. What's up with that? We did, however, see two sea turtles pass by the side of the boat so closely that we could have jumped off the side and landed on them. The first one that I spotted had a bird standing on it's back and that is actually what initially drew my attention. I thought it was an old plastic jug or a log or something. Nope, just a large green turtle enjoying the sun on the surface with his little pal Senor Pajaro. ha. And that's a wrap for today mis amigos.
Bret and Marne
SV Liahona
Clint - I am comfortably in position to be Johnnie on schedule to pick you up in Cabo. Marne and I plan to spend 3 or 4 days here before finding a good time to make the crossing which will take us 2 and a half days.
Syd - More love and hugs from you mom. lol
Karla - Any progress on the personal property list from Scott for the insurance company? I got your message about Leonard and I would like him to bid without the pipe room or shipping room but keeping the balcony above the shipping room for storage with a hand rail around it. If you have Lenny's email, that would be helpful Thanks. Love you.
Gregg - Yo! Sup pal? You said to email you that night...about a week ago...which I did and I haven't heard back from you! Hope all is well and hope to hear from you soon.
Tuesday, April 7, 2015
April 7, Isla Isabela
Honestly, I don't know where to start today. As for travels, we left San Blas at about 5:30 this morning and headed north toward Isla Isabela, the Galapagos of Mexico. We had light winds all day so it was a day of motor-sailing but the seas were calmly rolling with a long 1-2' swell ever so gently whisped with a 5-8 knot breeze. Very relaxing. All told it was about 42 miles which took us about 8 hours. About mid day Marne spotted a large humpback whale breaching just 100' yards off of the starboard bow. We watched carefully for several minutes but we never saw it again. Dang. Shortly after the whale sighting we hooked up with a small to mid sized Jack, landed him but threw him back. Then about an hour later we got a nice hit on the handline and had another Jack on but he released himself before we got him to the boat.
When we got to Isabela we anchored off of the east side of the island on a small spit of sand between two other sailboats. We decided to just go tandem on the paddleboard to get ashore in order to do some exploring. The paddle ashore was a little sketch with two but we made it without taking a swim and then started picking our way up the hill through the thickets amongst thousands of frigates, boobies, both yellow and blue footed, gulls and iguanas. Honestly, it was amazing. We walked up to the main crater lagoon in the middle of the island which looked really cool but kind of dirty. The blue footed boobies are SO cool with their light turquoise, easter egg blue colored feet. We also saw several yellow footed boobies along the volcanic cliffs. Iguanas from small juvenilles to 3' long adults seemed to just appear on trees and rocks almost everywhere we looked. Small, orange billed gulls were protecting their newly hatched chicks and Marne was not very pumped on the mother's very aggressive dive bombing over our heads trying to scare us away from their white and brown spotted little fluffy chicks. Catherine, Marne said that Jim would be in heaven here!
After the island exploration we took the dinghy in to the temporary fishing village and asked a couple fisherman about some lobster. A very polite young man named Edgar had two small lobster that he sold to us for 50 pesos, about $3.00, and then told us where to go to find more. Dave...I know where to go to get lobster on Isabela now! Marne and I put on some snorkeling gear and found a couple lobster within the first 10 minutes. At night...it would be a hey day! The snorkeling was seriously world class with huge coral heads and a maze of cracks and crevaces that you could swim through in between all of the volcanic rock and coral that was teeming with every fish imaginable.
To top the day off we lit up the grill and tossed on our marinated steak and 4 lobsters that was complimented by an excellent zucchini and tomato, garlic saute made by Marne. I hate to brag but life is GOOD! Today did NOT suck! We just finished our delicious dinner and after a little boat prep we will leave for Mazatlan around 8pm tonight. The trip is about 93 miles and should take us about 18 hours so we should arrive around noon-ish tomorrow. We have a calm weather window for today and tomorrow and then it is supposed to get a bit blustery for 2-3 days which we will sit out in Mazatlan then look for a good weather window for our crossing to Cabo. One last note...having Marne here is SO FRICKIN AWESOME! We are having such a great time and I love having someone to share all of this with and someone who just jumps right in and goes for it, no matter what we are doing. I'm a happy sailboat captain! Ciao for now.
Bret and Marne
SV Liahona
Syd - Your mom said she loves you TONS and can't wait for you to come and visit. Hug from me.
Dave - Night diving here would produce some serious results as I found two lobster in like 10 minutes in the middle of the day. The hot spot is right in front of where we were anchored after we moved to the small sand spot, between there and the beach. We were only about 100 yards away my friend.
Aven - Thank you so much for the email! Love hearing from you! Love you mucho and will soak up some rays for you. ha
When we got to Isabela we anchored off of the east side of the island on a small spit of sand between two other sailboats. We decided to just go tandem on the paddleboard to get ashore in order to do some exploring. The paddle ashore was a little sketch with two but we made it without taking a swim and then started picking our way up the hill through the thickets amongst thousands of frigates, boobies, both yellow and blue footed, gulls and iguanas. Honestly, it was amazing. We walked up to the main crater lagoon in the middle of the island which looked really cool but kind of dirty. The blue footed boobies are SO cool with their light turquoise, easter egg blue colored feet. We also saw several yellow footed boobies along the volcanic cliffs. Iguanas from small juvenilles to 3' long adults seemed to just appear on trees and rocks almost everywhere we looked. Small, orange billed gulls were protecting their newly hatched chicks and Marne was not very pumped on the mother's very aggressive dive bombing over our heads trying to scare us away from their white and brown spotted little fluffy chicks. Catherine, Marne said that Jim would be in heaven here!
After the island exploration we took the dinghy in to the temporary fishing village and asked a couple fisherman about some lobster. A very polite young man named Edgar had two small lobster that he sold to us for 50 pesos, about $3.00, and then told us where to go to find more. Dave...I know where to go to get lobster on Isabela now! Marne and I put on some snorkeling gear and found a couple lobster within the first 10 minutes. At night...it would be a hey day! The snorkeling was seriously world class with huge coral heads and a maze of cracks and crevaces that you could swim through in between all of the volcanic rock and coral that was teeming with every fish imaginable.
To top the day off we lit up the grill and tossed on our marinated steak and 4 lobsters that was complimented by an excellent zucchini and tomato, garlic saute made by Marne. I hate to brag but life is GOOD! Today did NOT suck! We just finished our delicious dinner and after a little boat prep we will leave for Mazatlan around 8pm tonight. The trip is about 93 miles and should take us about 18 hours so we should arrive around noon-ish tomorrow. We have a calm weather window for today and tomorrow and then it is supposed to get a bit blustery for 2-3 days which we will sit out in Mazatlan then look for a good weather window for our crossing to Cabo. One last note...having Marne here is SO FRICKIN AWESOME! We are having such a great time and I love having someone to share all of this with and someone who just jumps right in and goes for it, no matter what we are doing. I'm a happy sailboat captain! Ciao for now.
Bret and Marne
SV Liahona
Syd - Your mom said she loves you TONS and can't wait for you to come and visit. Hug from me.
Dave - Night diving here would produce some serious results as I found two lobster in like 10 minutes in the middle of the day. The hot spot is right in front of where we were anchored after we moved to the small sand spot, between there and the beach. We were only about 100 yards away my friend.
Aven - Thank you so much for the email! Love hearing from you! Love you mucho and will soak up some rays for you. ha
Monday, April 6, 2015
April 6, Bahia de Matanchen, San Blas
After pulling the anchor before it was yet light we quietly slipped away from Punta de Mita, around the northwestern point of Banderas Bay and headed toward Bahia Chacala in the wee hours of the morning. There was no wind. The water was calm and glassy and the beginnings of light were just starting to reveal themselves as Marne slept down below trying to catch up from a sleepless night in the Denver Airport. As a rule, I am not a morning person but there is something about being on the water as the sun makes it's first appearance for the day over the eastern skyline. Pretty impressive and something that I definitely don't take for granted. I know that I am one of the few lucky ones.
Marne awoke around 7:30 or 8:00 and joined me in the cockpit as we motored along in the quiet of the morning up the Mexican coastline. Around 9am a nice little breeze came up so we put out the main and the reacher, shut off the motor and sailed along in about 6-12 knots of wind toward Chacala. The wind stayed with us for the rest of the afternoon and slightly clocked around until it was a perfect beam reach. Myself, Marne and not a single sound except for the water slipping past the hull through the aqua blue water. The gentle breeze stayed with us all the way until we pulled into the small bay lined with date palms and white sand beaches that make up Bahia Chacala.
We put the dinghy in the water and motored ashore weaving our way through throngs of swimmers, families that have come to Chacala to celebrate La Semana Santa. After walking the cobblestone streets we finally took a table at a small beach restaurant to have a taste of Chacala's famous smoked fish. We had red snapper that is filleted in half with multiple diagonal cuts to soak up the garlic butter, lime, salt and other seasonings that they put on it as they slowly cook it over the smoldering, smoky coals. I have been eying those smoked fish the last two times I visited here and I can honestly say I was NOT disappointed! It was crazy delicious.
After a bite we bought some fresh vegies and fruits from a local market and then successfully pushed the dinghy out through the surf and back to the boat. Tonight we will make an attempt at some lobster in the same area that I had success before. Oh, the fishing report...well, there is nothing to report. We drug lines all day and didn't have a single hit. However, we did see a couple of whales breaching in the distance about 2 miles off toward the east.
Bret and Marne
SV Liahona
Tanner - A big shout out to my number one son! Tanner turns 25 today! Sorry I am not there to celebrate with you pal, I hope you have a fantastic day and always know that I am SO proud to be you dad. Love you forever...and then some more!
Karla - The smoked fish was amazing!
Everyone - HAPPY EASTER!
Marne awoke around 7:30 or 8:00 and joined me in the cockpit as we motored along in the quiet of the morning up the Mexican coastline. Around 9am a nice little breeze came up so we put out the main and the reacher, shut off the motor and sailed along in about 6-12 knots of wind toward Chacala. The wind stayed with us for the rest of the afternoon and slightly clocked around until it was a perfect beam reach. Myself, Marne and not a single sound except for the water slipping past the hull through the aqua blue water. The gentle breeze stayed with us all the way until we pulled into the small bay lined with date palms and white sand beaches that make up Bahia Chacala.
We put the dinghy in the water and motored ashore weaving our way through throngs of swimmers, families that have come to Chacala to celebrate La Semana Santa. After walking the cobblestone streets we finally took a table at a small beach restaurant to have a taste of Chacala's famous smoked fish. We had red snapper that is filleted in half with multiple diagonal cuts to soak up the garlic butter, lime, salt and other seasonings that they put on it as they slowly cook it over the smoldering, smoky coals. I have been eying those smoked fish the last two times I visited here and I can honestly say I was NOT disappointed! It was crazy delicious.
After a bite we bought some fresh vegies and fruits from a local market and then successfully pushed the dinghy out through the surf and back to the boat. Tonight we will make an attempt at some lobster in the same area that I had success before. Oh, the fishing report...well, there is nothing to report. We drug lines all day and didn't have a single hit. However, we did see a couple of whales breaching in the distance about 2 miles off toward the east.
Bret and Marne
SV Liahona
Tanner - A big shout out to my number one son! Tanner turns 25 today! Sorry I am not there to celebrate with you pal, I hope you have a fantastic day and always know that I am SO proud to be you dad. Love you forever...and then some more!
Karla - The smoked fish was amazing!
Everyone - HAPPY EASTER!
Sunday, April 5, 2015
April 5, Chacala
After pulling the anchor before it was yet light we quietly slipped away from Punta de Mita, around the northwestern point of Banderas Bay and headed toward Bahia Chacala in the wee hours of the morning. There was no wind. The water was calm and glassy and the beginnings of light were just starting to reveal themselves as Marne slept down below trying to catch up from a sleepless night in the Denver Airport. As a rule, I am not a morning person but there is something about being on the water as the sun makes it's first appearance for the day over the eastern skyline. Pretty impressive and something that I definitely don't take for granted. I know that I am one of the few lucky ones.
Marne awoke around 7:30 or 8:00 and joined me in the cockpit as we motored along in the quiet of the morning up the Mexican coastline. Around 9am a nice little breeze came up so we put out the main and the reacher, shut off the motor and sailed along in about 6-12 knots of wind toward Chacala. The wind stayed with us for the rest of the afternoon and slightly clocked around until it was a perfect beam reach. Myself, Marne and not a single sound except for the water slipping past the hull through the aqua blue water. The gentle breeze stayed with us all the way until we pulled into the small bay lined with date palms and white sand beaches that make up Bahia Chacala.
We put the dinghy in the water and motored ashore weaving our way through throngs of swimmers, families that have come to Chacala to celebrate La Semana Santa. After walking the cobblestone streets we finally took a table at a small beach restaurant to have a taste of Chacala's famous smoked fish. We had red snapper that is filleted in half with multiple diagonal cuts to soak up the garlic butter, lime, salt and other seasonings that they put on it as they slowly cook it over the smoldering, smoky coals. I have been eying those smoked fish the last two times I visited here and I can honestly say I was NOT disappointed! It was crazy delicious.
After a bite we bought some fresh vegies and fruits from a local market and then successfully pushed the dinghy out through the surf and back to the boat. Tonight we will make an attempt at some lobster in the same area that I had success before. Oh, the fishing report...well, there is nothing to report. We drug lines all day and didn't have a single hit. However, we did see a couple of whales breaching in the distance about 2 miles off toward the east.
Bret and Marne
SV Liahona
Tanner - A big shout out to my number one son! Tanner turns 25 today! Sorry I am not there to celebrate with you pal, I hope you have a fantastic day and always know that I am SO proud to be you dad. Love you forever...and then some more!
Karla - The smoked fish was amazing!
Everyone - HAPPY EASTER!
Marne awoke around 7:30 or 8:00 and joined me in the cockpit as we motored along in the quiet of the morning up the Mexican coastline. Around 9am a nice little breeze came up so we put out the main and the reacher, shut off the motor and sailed along in about 6-12 knots of wind toward Chacala. The wind stayed with us for the rest of the afternoon and slightly clocked around until it was a perfect beam reach. Myself, Marne and not a single sound except for the water slipping past the hull through the aqua blue water. The gentle breeze stayed with us all the way until we pulled into the small bay lined with date palms and white sand beaches that make up Bahia Chacala.
We put the dinghy in the water and motored ashore weaving our way through throngs of swimmers, families that have come to Chacala to celebrate La Semana Santa. After walking the cobblestone streets we finally took a table at a small beach restaurant to have a taste of Chacala's famous smoked fish. We had red snapper that is filleted in half with multiple diagonal cuts to soak up the garlic butter, lime, salt and other seasonings that they put on it as they slowly cook it over the smoldering, smoky coals. I have been eying those smoked fish the last two times I visited here and I can honestly say I was NOT disappointed! It was crazy delicious.
After a bite we bought some fresh vegies and fruits from a local market and then successfully pushed the dinghy out through the surf and back to the boat. Tonight we will make an attempt at some lobster in the same area that I had success before. Oh, the fishing report...well, there is nothing to report. We drug lines all day and didn't have a single hit. However, we did see a couple of whales breaching in the distance about 2 miles off toward the east.
Bret and Marne
SV Liahona
Tanner - A big shout out to my number one son! Tanner turns 25 today! Sorry I am not there to celebrate with you pal, I hope you have a fantastic day and always know that I am SO proud to be you dad. Love you forever...and then some more!
Karla - The smoked fish was amazing!
Everyone - HAPPY EASTER!
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