Author: Simply Dog Walk

I am planning to write quite a bit about our visit to Germany, France, Holland and the Swiss Alps. It has been magnificent! Even though not on a sailboat, they ARE travel adventures and dear to us. Plus we will soon be back in the real working world.

But we are back on our sailboat now and reflecting what has been quite an adventure to all of us. And collecting some more.

It’ll be plenty for me for a while, I believe. The time with my family back in Germany has shown me, what really matters. Maybe that’s what happens, ones you start having kids. Or, I was blind, or I am getting old?

Anyways. Hope you enjoyed the blog and be assured, it is not over yet. It might just be slightly “slower”.

Thanks for hanging in there with us, through thick and thin.

XOXOXO,

US- To Sail or Not To Be ?

Meanwhile a lot has happened. After our “see you later” to our buddy boats in May, the Captain, myself and Mats sailed to Cabo San Lucas. I will get back to that, once we return to California.

Mats and myself took a flight out of Cabo to San Francisco, stayed with my dear friend MIRI for a few days and got together with Gunnar T, James&Maggie & Gang. 😊 Fun and such a nice place to call home- SAUSALITO!

(Notice the sentence above our heads! :-). )

Gunnar T is Mats best buddy. He said the cutest thing while we were at sea in Mexico: “Mats will always be in my heart”!

Those two have a special bond.

We found a cheap flight with Norwegian Air (thanks Peter!) and continued our journey; via another 2 day stop in Barcelona; to Germany. I just HAD to see my family!

The Captain had found some crew to bring the Sailboat to San Diego, ideally to L.A. How that went down, or not,we will let you know in a separate post from the Captain himself, when he finds the rhythm and blues to write about it. It was intense, to give a small idea.

In Barcelona we had an interesting stop to see parts of the city, but we were glad to finally arrive in Basel, where dear Dad/Opa picked us up and made our way to his home close to Freiburg. It was special to be together! We enjoyed endless matches of Backgammon, accompanied by beer or wine with fresh strawberries. And of course ice cream!

Doing yard work in the heat of the sun. Getting that body moving- priceless. And experiencing wild life close by.

Happy time!

My dad had offered to lend us his cool VW and we truly treasure this gesture!

After about a week we packed up the van and continued our journey towards Holland, where we wanted to meet my brother and family on a camping weekend. Perfect timing!

The Captain wanted to join us after he accomplished his mission of bringing the sailboat back up north! So the plan…

Puerto Escondido has a small Marina and a mooring ball field. It’s not allowed to anchor there and a mooring ball costs $25 a night, versus $125,- in the Marina.

We left San Marte in the morning and had to watch out for many reefs and hidden rocks under the water. Carefully we set waypoints recommended by our guide books into our Navionics App to make sure we don’t get close to any danger. And we kept our eyes open. We motored a lot but could sail a little as well. S/V Isabella went to the mooring balls first and we got a heads up on how deep the channel was, as we were approaching on low tide.

We grabbed a mooring ball, which is not the easiest task and rowed to shore. The office was already closed, but everything very relaxed there. It was nice to have a fresh water shower and we had Pizza and beers in the restaurant at the Marina. We also finally had Wifi again, after over a week of remoteness. Nice to be connected again.

There are always more things to do, when you are in civilization. Laundry, Provisions, washing the boat, fueling, repairs. Sometimes it is more relaxing being on anchorage. We weren’t “quite” in the Marina, but they had a big dock and portable water. So, we were able to pull in and take care of the things which needed to be done.

Having friends around, the beer started flowing around 3pm. We were planning to head to Honeymoon cove the next day which was close by and have a last bonfire with everyone and say “see you later”. After hanging out with everyone and having a burger at the Marina restaurant, we headed back to Alsager.

Checking the wind forecast it seemed smart to hang for a while. We rented a car the next day and together with our friends from S/V Isabella, we first found a Notary; as I wanted to take a permission letter from the Captain for our travel to Germany; and checked out Loreto afterwards.

There was a nice plaza with a church and some tourist shops. While the guys had a beer, Julie and I walked around and checked out the shops. We don’t get to do that too often, so that was very enjoyable. When we got together again, we walked around some more and had dinner at Super Burritos.

The next morning was busy. We took Alsager to fuel at 8:45am, so fuel dock was supposed to open at 9am and we wanted to make sure we are the first ones and have plenty of room and hopefully no wind to pull-in nicely. Nobody was to be seen at opening. We contacted the Marina office and they confirmed someone coming in the next 5 minutes. The Captain meanwhile started washing the boat and Mats and I went to get some last groceries, ice and check-out of the Marina.

Fantasy and Isabella were also at the big dock washing and preparing boats. We checked the weather one last time and had to admit, that it did not look good for the Honeymoon cove. We all decided to skip it and went back to the mooring ball, where we had a big shocker. The Captain tried to make it easy for me and somehow the mooring ball was not set up right. I did not know and tried to reach it. The hook got stuck and Alsager ended up right on top of it. The Captain was furious and mad at himself, but to me, since I had the hook in my hand and could not hold it, the force was too strong, felt attacked by all the cursing. It felt like he was mad at me.

Luckily Alsagers prop did not get stuck and we just drifted over it, the mooring ball popped up with the hook still attached and I jumped into the dinghy and got it back. We went to a different mooring ball and all went fine.

We decided to head south the next day and our new friends wanted to have a little potluck good-bye dinner for us and after a rest, we all went back to shore. We got a tow from Fantasy’s dinghy with motor, since the new mooring ball was a bit further away and a long way to row. We left Noah on board, since he had plenty of walks over the day already and sometimes, he just likes to sleep.

The potluck was fun, S/V Nomi joined as well and we learned, that they had gone to Honeymoon cove in the morning to meet us there later, but at that time we were still all planning to go.

When we all said our farewell and headed back to Alsager, we arrived and called for Noah. He was not on deck and I also could not spot him in the cabin. Did he fall overboard? We called him again and heard something… oh noo… did he fall down the hedge? It was dark and I jumped quickly from the dinghy onto Alsager. I looked down the hatch and yes, there he was. I ran into the boat to check if he is ok. Fortunately the bungee cord which was attaching the Mosquito netting around the hatch, must have easened the fall. He had the cord around the middle of his body, just standing there. I helped him out of it and let him slowly walk through the alley of the boat. He seemed ok. We carried him up the stairs and he layed down in his bed. What a shock at the end of the day. Thank goodness he is alright!

Aqua Verde turning into Aqua gross !

We woke up kinda early and checked the books on how to get to Aqua Verde. There are lots of reefs around and we must pay close attention. We sailed far out to go around reefs and use the wind. After we tacked the wind got less and less. We had to motor and were now far away from track. Even though all other buddy boats left 3 hours later, they came close to beating us into the anchorage. The Answer went inside the reefs, brave them and motored into Aqua Verde 10min before we did. A four-mile sail turned into many hours again! Sometimes it is just hard to be patient on these sails, when you know you could get there much faster.

Mats had to do business and when I tried to pump out the toilet, nothing happened! The Captain went to try, also nothing. After we had anchored, we took a closer look, thought maybe the seals were dirty, but also after more thorough cleaning, nada. Now we had a bowl full of POOP! We had a fun few hours, I put some gloves on and started scooping the poop from the bowl into a bucket. And yes, I don’t have any video footage of it, in case you wonder. My hands were literally full in shit. I am pretty sure, nobody wants to see that anyways. Luckily it was Mats poop.

After that was done, the Captain took the toilet apart and soaked everything in vinegar. The pump turned out to be a big gross mess and had never been cleaned. It was disgusting.

We luckily have this toilet seat which fits onto any 5 Gallon bucket. So, that would have to be our replacement until, who knows. Getting spare parts in Mexico? Very unlikely. Hurray! So ein Sch…

We made it to shore around 6:30pm. There was a Palapa and also a very well stocked market. Ones again, we sat together with our friends and had cold beers and food together. We hadn’t had a cold beer in a few days, so that one was now very tasty! Even though my good friend Jenny would say, “no way” to the “Pippiwasserscheiss”! 😀

AQUA VERDE was beautiful. I put together this clip which includes drone footage of our buddy boat “The Answer”, who were so kind sharing. And I think this clip turned out stunning, it was a lot of work editing, but also pleasure! Enjoy. 🙂

Some pics from the drone, credit: S/V The Answer

Colored rock formation

Approaching the anchorage

Goats running around everywhere with there bells ringing

The Captain attending the non working pump of our head

Beautiful calm anchorage Aqua Verde

Going on a little hike with S/V Fantasy and S/V Isabella

Beautiful view from up the hill

Shane and Julie from S/V Isabella

I woke up to a beautiful sunrise!

While these two snuggled in bed a bit longer.

We all had a restful night and I felt much better! After a Pancake and egg breakfast, we cleaned the boat a bit and left with our buddy boats towards the next destination. They wanted to stop 4 miles south of Aqua Verde, as it was supposed to be great for diving. We did not mind and just enjoyed having friends around. There was no wind, so we had to motor and again, we did not catch any fish. Nobody did. That seems worrisome! Have they all been caught? Are the schools of dolphins eating them all? Or did they get too smart to get caught?

After we anchored, Nick, Andrea and Pari from Fantasy came for a visit and swam around. We had seen a lot of dolphins on the way and now they were quite close by the shore. Andrea and Pari paddled closer on their SUP and the dolphins swam really close by them. One of them dove up right next to their board for a quick peek, but they only heard a splash and did not get a glimpse of it, but it scared the hell out of them…

It seems that the sea life is improving, the further we head up north. Just not the fishing. But we have been seeing a ton of dolphins, Manta’s, Whales.

Mats was so tired in the afternoon, that I read him a book and told him to close his eyes. 30 seconds later he slept and did not wake up before dark. We had a quick dinner and had the first movie night in ages. Shane had given us some movies to watch and we picked Jumanji. It was a very enjoyable day!

We woke up early to the anchor alarm. The boat had shifted, it wasn’t 7am just yet. We were up a few times at night, as a strong westerly was blowing over the anchorage. We left the anchorage while Mats was still sleeping to use the favorable south wind, which was blowing when we woke up, to head to the little fishing village San Evaristo. S/V Fantasy and soon after also S/V Isabella and The Answer followed. We had about 15 min when suddenly the south wind died off. We started he motor and half an hour later a northerly started quite strong.

We made it into the anchorage, looked for a good protective spot, but re-anchored to one which had more room all around. After a little rest, we went to shore and walked around a bit. We found a small store inside a family house, where we were able to pick up some groceries. The teenage boy in the store spoke English very well and told us about a restaurant by the beach. We decided to check it out and it was a super cute little Palapa, decorated with shells everywhere. Someone had put a lot of love in this little place. They had cold beers and we let our buddy boats know as well. They all arrived soon after, we moved a few tables together so that everyone gets a seat and had again, a nice afternoon/evening.

At the end we even scored some ice for our fridge.

We stayed another day and now I woke up with a sore throat and felt a bit tired. But nothing major. We walked around to find some goats and found a salt farm, cows and donkeys.

We wanted to go to the cute restaurant again, but it is closed on the weekends, the teenage boy from the store told us. We bought some fresh potatoes and other veggies instead and I started making a stew. Our buddy boats had also planned to head back to the restaurant. We invited SV Isabella to return the dinner favor, but ended up with the stew on their large boat instead. Fantasy and also the Answer joined with drinks in their hands a little later and we had again, a lovely evening together. 🙂

 

 

We left Ensenada Grande at 9am, Isabella and Fantasy did the same. While we headed out of the calm anchorage, the Captain noticed choppy water right outside the cove and we quickly closed all windows and hatches. That was a good call as it got very rolly soon after.

Behind us was Fantasy and it did not look like fun being on the Catamaran in these conditions either. The 9 mile sail turned out to take up most of the day. I was happy when we finally arrived at Isla San Francisco.

 

The next day we explored the island. The night had been a bit rough as Mats cried at night and started to have a runny nose. But he wasn’t doing too bad, so we went on a small slow hike. The view was fantastic and the cove of Isla San Francisco just so pretty.

We also enjoyed having some buddy boats around, who had the same anchor spots in mind. We returned to Alsager so Mats could get some rest and asked the others, if they were up for a bonfire in the evening. We did not find much wood, but SV Isabella, Fantasy, The Answer as well as another cruising boat we had met a while back called Sherpa, joined in. It was another nice evening sitting together talking about cruising life, just the bonfire was short lived. As we did not find much wood. Mats had a good time with the teenage girls, who are super nice with him. I don’t think I played with much younger kids, when I was a teenage girl. It’s great to watch, how they all grow closer together.

Around noon, when we were about to head to the next anchorage which was only 4 miles away, we saw a familiar catamaran passing into the same direction. Our friends Fantasy. We called them on the radio and learned that they had the same destination.

Now even more excited, we headed out and informed SV Isabella as well. Even though it was only 4 NM, we had to watch out carefully due to volcanic reefs under water.

Approaching Ensenada Grande, we found a good anchor spot close to Fantasy. There were a few other boats already and we immediately liked the spot. SV Isabella arrived soon after and Nick from Fantasy came over and told us, they had a bottle of rum and wanted to get together by the beach at sunset.

We chilled on the boat for a while, Mats took a nap and around 6:30pm we packed our bottle of Vodka and some juice and headed over to the beach.

One dinghy after the other came to the beach from 4 different sailing vessels (Fantasy, Isabella. The Answer and Alsager) and the glasses were filled a few times. The 3 teenage girls climbed all over the cliffs and I was glad, I did not have to watch Mats do that just yet.

It turned out to be one of the nicest evenings on the whole trip! Noah ran around like crazy eating fish skulls being chased by Mats who tried to make him stop eating all that crap.

The sunset was beautiful and bathed the anchorage in magnificent light and soon after the moon was rising over the horizon. I took lots of pictures and had great conversations with friendly like-minded people. I hoped we can do this soon again, what a memory!

Our first stop north into Sea de cortez was a big and protected anchorage between the Islands of Espiritu Santu and Caleta Partida. We left the Marina around 10am, went out into the La Paz Channel and pulled up the main sail and motor sailed a bit.

The fishing lines were out, but we did not catch anything all the way to the islands. We anchored on the south/east side, even though most boats were on the north side. It seems a bit of a gamble, as the wind switches a lot in the Sea de Cortez.

We were called on the radio from SV Isabella, who wanted to have us over for dinner. We were very excited, packed up some beers and when the wind got a bit more mellow, we got into our rowing dinghy. Isabella was anchored on the other side, but the Captain is a good rower.

We had a wonderful first evening, Isabella is a big boat and lots of love put into it. Julie was so good to Mats, showed him her little treasures she finds on the beaches and I got a bit nervous when Mats held a fragile seahorse skeleton in his hands. She knows a ton about sea life due to her former profession and we learned a lot.

Another moment I remember very well, when we rowed back to Alsager, the phosphorescent was unbelievable. It looked as the boat was creating a green glowpath, while the bow was splitting the water. And lots of green sparkles all over the pedals. It was insane and felt like a different world.

Everyone had a good night in either anchorage.

The next morning while it was nice and calm, we rowed Noah to shore and explored a bit. The beach was full of shells, left by pearl hunters long ago.

Alsager looked nice in the morning sun in the calm waters. We headed back and ones again cleaned the hull of the boat as much as we could reach. Around noon we headed out towards Ensenada Grande, another anchorage on Caleta Partida.

YAY, Mats is 4 years old! Happy, happy Birthday, cutie!

After we had checked into the Costa Baja Marina, where a not so friendly lady gave us the hardest time due to a missing paper and let us sit for 1 1/2, we had a chill day by the pool in Costa Baja. The Sushi place “Odayaka” is AMAZING! Order the Tuna Nigiri, should you ever make it there. It just melts on your tongue. 🙂

It was pretty remote though, no kid boats around and since Mats Birthday was approaching, we decided to go to another Marina and Palmira had a spot for us. Also a pool and a playground close by. So, after we had Mats unwrap his presents, we motored through the La Paz channel to the Marina not far away.

By the pool at Palmira Marina, we hung up Mats Pinata full of candy and he beat onto it, for about an hour, to get all the candies out. He had a blast!

A nice lady told us about a restaurant just past the playground and we had a great birthday dinner with beautiful sunset. Lovely day!

After Mats birthday, his buddy Charlie from SV Lea Scotia arrived in La Paz. We got together at a wine tasting and all had dinner at El Mesquite Grill. It was very good and Michele and myself continued drinking red wine. I suffered the next day with a big hungover.

 

 

We enjoyed the Palmira Marina in La Paz. Despite that they did not have a key for us for about 4 days and we had to wait for people with keys letting us on and off the dock and bathrooms. Boat owners had not returned there keys despite a $ 50,- deposit and it seems difficult for the Marina to get new ones. So, we had to wait till someone checks out, which did not happen due to a strong northerly. Everyone, including us, stayed put.

But they had a lounge area with good Wifi, I could complete all the bookings of flights and an Airbnb. We have an adventure ahead. The Captain got us a flight with his miles out of Cabo to San Francisco, which took a while, as it had to be done via phone.

In San Francisco we get to stay with one of my best friends and hang out with more and I need to take care of a few things while we are there. After 3 days we fly from Oakland to Barcelona, just because I found this stellar deal on Norwegian Air. Mats and I will stay in an Airbnb for 2 days and I booked a photo session, where we get to see different parts of the city. Than onto Basel, where my Dad will pick us up, he only lives an hour away.

I wanted to have all of that done before heading to nowhere land. I knew, I would enjoy my time more, knowing all is set for the next step.

I also did a lot of blogging prep and we had food at great restaurants and started running into cruising buddies here and there. Mats enjoyed the playground and pool several times.

On the last day, we went to La Paz and checked out the whale museum and stocked up on provisions.

Someone by the Marina had arranged a movie for kids by the pool called “Coco”. It was a very cute one, but when the holiday “day of the dead” was displayed with lots of skeletons, Mats got scared and wanted to go back to Alsager.

We are now ready for new places!

Below are some pics from the Costa Baja Marina and the impressive former Yacht fr””om Steve Jobs called “Venus”!