meri's blog

Being at Refugio and Willard for so long has caused the laundry bag to bust a gut. Spoiled from having my laundry done for me and cheaply in Santa Rosalia, I'm now grumbling about laundry in a bucket... and I need to do quite a bit more... laundry... not grumbling.

OMG... what a lovely anchorage!!! Completely uninhabited... not a store, a car... nothing. Not a house.  We stayed here 8 days... all of them fantastic! Cacti laden hills and blue, clear water reefs are sprinkled throughout the area. Fish are prevalent. Snorkeling is to die for!

Shelling on the beach at Gonzaga was great. Beautiful olives and spotted scotch bonnets littered the sand at low tide. A few small conchs and murexes were also in great condition and ready to be added to my collection. The visibility of the water was terrible, so we didn’t snorkel.

Luckily for us, Jimena took a right hook and headed out of our path. Unfortunately for Escondido, Bahia Concepcion, Mulege, Santa Rosalia and San Carlos, Jimena kicked thier fannies.

Thinking about preparing for Jimena... lots of work, but it’s gotta get done. Mainsail needs to be removed, jib removed... both to be stowed down below. Dodger and bimini... both need to come off. Boom to be lashed down. Solar panels are flat and offer no wind scoopage so keeping those on, but plan on tightening them down. Cockpit cushions... to be stowed down below. Dinghy... to be deflated and lashed down on deck. Food needs to be cooked and refrigerated so that I don’t have to do a darn thing in the galley if we happen to be rocking and rolling... swinging and swaying.

We have been so lucky this summer. Typically, hurricanes have come and gone several times in the Sea of Cortez by now. We’ve seen absolutely nothing... not even a Chubasco, a violent wind and lightening storm. No Elephantes, either. Nothing.

This is a true fish story, but you won't believe it... but it happened... and I still don't believe it myself! Tim, our 14 year old, caught a 45" live, male dorado (Mahi Mahi)... WITH HIS BARE HANDS!!! The kid should be coined "Fish Killer"... because he is one.

One of our favorite family boat foods is my homemade pizza! I, for one, TOTALLY love Pizza Day... except the part where everyone gets excited and hovers around the galley giving advice, instructions, placing orders, arguing with topping choices, etc... until I think I'm going to pull my hair out.

Bahia Los Angeles is not a real big town... maybe 2000 people.

Anchored in Punto Pescador for a few hours. We all went snorkeling at the reef... VERY nice, but the swell was coming in and it was a bit rolly. Jim and Tim made a joint effort of spearing a Mexican Hogfish... about 2' in size. Jim's trident spear tip allows for the fish to wriggle off after being speared...