Nopolo

La Familia Leon...residents of Nopolo Sur and always a welcome sight as we anchor off shore.

Yuvia. Gotta love the hat!

Stylin' sunglasses on Jacob who is just learning to walk.

The panga tied up just at shore...back from a trip to La Paz with Senor Leon (grandfather of the children) aboard...

Photos by Breton!

Los Gatos

Beautiful sunrises are better in Los Gatos. Such a lovely, lovely anchorage! Thanks for the memories, Breton!

Okay, what would you think if you were just sailing along in quiet seas, minding your own business when a whale spouts a couple hundred yards away? Exciting to see, right? A reminder that we are sharing this space with lots of other creatures, a humbling realization. Then what if this whale doesn't go away, but follows after you? Getting closer and closer to your stern each time it surfaces to spout? Are you a little nervous yet? We were. But it turns out (at least this is what we think...but, then, who are we to know what the whale was thinking?) the whale was curious about who we were...this large hulk silently slipping through the water in its territory. Once it determined we were 1) not food, 2) not a threat, and 3) not able to speak whale, it altered course and disappeared.

Puerto Escondido to Los Gatos

The stretch of Sea from Puerto Escondido to La Paz is filled with amazing creatures. Here we watched manta rays take flight again...can anyone tell us WHY they do that!?

We were fortunate to have a companion on this leg of our trip...Breton Shwartzenberger was hitching a ride south. He had just finished a stint with the NOLS program and was on his way home to Vermont. Yes, you can get to Vermont by sailing south along the Baja peninsula...you just have to know how.

Already an accomplished photographer, Breton put his camera to good use and shared his photos with us.

And how do you keep a sail filled when there is no wind? It takes an experienced sailor. Many thanks to Blue Moon for these shots of Odyssey!

San Quintin - Road Trip

For the past three years, we have driven down through Tucson, Nogales and Hermosillo to re-commission the boat and put her in the water. Marv did that before Thanksgiving, "sailed" Odyssey across to Santa Rosalia with Steve Terzian, flew back to San Carlos, then drove back to San Diego to join the family for the festivities.

So this year, we drove from San Diego, south on Mexican highway #1 on the Baja peninsula to pick up the boat in Santa Rosalia. The road was good, except for lots of bridge-building and construction south of Ensenada, and the (typical) narrow-to-non-existent shoulder the rest of the way.

We broke up the trip and spent the first night at El Molino Viejo (The Old Mill) in San Quintin. The motel is off the main highway, a couple of wash-board kilometers toward the ocean, but well worth the trip. Comfortable, welcoming, historically of note, we enjoyed our stay. Though we don't have photos, a performance of Christmas carols sung by a man with a wonderful tenor voice (and, when he asked, the audience sang with him) in the restaurant was a nice addition.

You can bring your boat all the way in from the Pacific, though most people who anchor in San Quintin do so outside this shallow tidal bay.

Flight back to San Carlos

Takeoff

Stephen Terzian helped take Odyssey across the Sea...an uneventful trip...flat water. Coming back, we opted for a quick flight rather than the ferry.

Isla Tortuga

From the air, you can understand why they named it Isla Tortuga.

Isla San Marcos

Stephen

 Tetas de Cabras

Back in the Water

Marv left San Diego and drove to San Carlos on his own. Ardy stayed back to play with the kids (and work on the book). The boat survived the summer well, a little dirt on deck, but clean and intact down below. Marina Seca San Carlos is a good place to store her. Marv moved her around the corner (really a 10-mile trip) to Marina Real for a few days to get ready for the crossing to Santa Rosalia. A 11 hour motorboat trip from San Carlos.

 

Play Ground Time

Near Miles and Claire's house is Froggy Park, aptly named for the dozens of concrete, ceramic, and brass frogs that live there. Claire's favorite spot is the swings..."Do you want to go up?" elicits a frantic stomping dance...a clear "yes!" in one-year-old Claire-speak.

Claire

Miles

Miles loves to climb and explore...and the playground is a great place to do that!