Mazatlán

Some places it is easy to run aground. One afternoon, this boat, "Easily Amused," provided conversation and entertainment for the entire marina here at Marina Singlar in Mazatlan. Coming into the gas dock, they mis-read the buoys and cut inside too early. As the four-foot-plus tide went out, they found themselves with a skewed perspective on the world. They were very calm about it all, and no harm done, the incoming tide floated them off eight hours later.




Chris Bennett, found here in Little Bugger, tender to Ladybug, has become a friend with good ideas about boat repairs, a strong arm in hoisting Marv to the top of the mast, and excellent conversation over dinner or drinks. He and Rani, aboard a Cal-29, Ladybug, are off to see the world. He also knows that, at times, the world is best observed from smaller craft, closer to the sea.

Casa Verde

Five years ago, Casa Verde was an empty sandlot, waiting for the creative hand of David Webb to shape it into one of the most comfortable spots for visitors to La Ventana. We would have never found it but for the fact that David is Linda LaBash's brother...and Linda is one of the best runners on my Hood-to-Coast team, Heart and Sole.

La Ventana

A kite surfer's paradise, La Ventana brings people from all over the world to spread their wings and, quite literally, fly! As we sat in the restaurant El Rincon, enjoying a late lunch, we counted 38 kites aloft and 26 windsurfers skittering over the surface of the whitecaps and swells in Bahia La Ventana.

Los Muertos

Pangas, pangas, pangas, and more pangas. The beach at Bahia Los Muertos is lined with them, waiting for the 25 knot winds to moderate so fishermen can go out on the Sea. Sand blows across the low spot directly into the bay, so the motors are wrapped with blankets or tarps for protection. We spent the day in La Ventana, coming back to find our boat covered with a thin layer of gritty sand.



"That's my Rambo baby," said the truck driver we hitched a ride with. "All the kids want him when they see it." We had scrambled up the three steps into his semi-truck cab, and scrunched into a jumpseat, had told him our story of coming to Los Muertos in a sailboat and wanting to get to La Ventana to see the brother of our friend, Linda, and his bed and breakfast/hotel, La Casa Verde. He shared his story as well...his Rambo baby keeps him safe.

Vamos a Barcelona

New Year's Day was a perfect day for sailing! With our La Paz friends, Patricia and Manuel (siblings of Maripaz), and Fernanda (Patricia's daughter) and friend Aldo, we sailed out the channel and into the bay with plans for lunch in Bahia de Balandra (Balandra Bay). We made it as far as Caleta Lobos (Sea Lion Cove) where we dropped anchor and enjoyed tacos, drinks and good company.




Manuel has a good touch for the helm, keeping us well on the wind. He also has aspirations of going to Barcelona ...where his son will soon be married... It was all we could do to convince him that Spain was really too far away and a bit off our course!

La tripulacion de Odyssey

Feliz Navidad y Feliz Ano

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone!



This photo is from our journey to Beijing, China in August, where all the family was together.

We celebrated Christmas 2008 and New Year's 2009 in La Paz, Baja Sur, Mexico with friends from Alameda, California (Doug and Carla Scott [Moondance] and Steve and Ana Hall [No Worries]) and from Portland, Oregon (Patsy Verhoeven [Talion] and Delphi and Mike Godsil [Trig]). There were lots of parties, excellent food, fireworks, games and fun...all good parts of the celebration. We missed the family...

Downwind Sailing

For some reason, our photographs just do not capture the nature of the sea. You must need a wide-angle lens, or maybe an action shot with sound to catch the full impact of the waves and wind!



Leaving Isla Danzante, we picked up weather and for the next three days enjoyed some serious sailing in a winter "norther" typical of the Sea of Cortez at this time of year. The winds were consistently 15 to 20 knots, and for several hours each day, 20 to 25 with gusts to 30.


The seas pick up wave strength and height as the winds come down the Sea, so by the time we got into Isla San Francisco on Friday, the 19th, we were seeing consistent 5 to 8 foot swells with a few 10-footers thrown in for good measure. Our boat usually goes about 5 knots per hour. At one point, Marv saw the knot meter reading 10.99 as we came down the front face of a big swell. For us, that's fast! We tried to take a picture...but it doesn't look like much! Trust us, we deserved the ibuprofen and sleep when we were successfully at anchor!