Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - April, 2017

Hola from Puerto Vallarta!!

We had a great trip north from Barra. We stopped in Tentacatita for a number of nights to hang with friends and get some last minute projects done. We celebrated our departure from Barra after more than 5 months of working on the boat!!

It felt really great to be moving into cruiser mode.
Living aboard in rolly anchorages without access to services is very different from the luxury of Barra and having our van nearby. But the payoff is beautiful locations, swimming, and feeling mobile!
We both miss Barra, it is a special place and it’s on our short list of places to return to and live. But we want to explore the sea of cortez for a couple years and learn how to be cruisers. It’s a steep learning curve for sure. So much to learn about everything.

From Tentacatita we sailed to Chemala. Motor sailed really. Which means no wind, or not enough to push us 3 knots. That’s where we draw the line. We would prefer 5 Knots, will accept 4, but unless we are cooking, or trying to save on fuel, the engine is started in less than 3 knots. Or if we are going backwards. The currents and swell can be strong here. :)

(We had been to Tentacatia a couple times before. Most recently with Vic, our friend who was visiting for a week. She was great to have aboard and she was lucky enough to see whales, turtles and dolphins swimming at the bow of the boat. We went snorkeling, swimming, rowing and just chilling aboard. It was wonderful to take the week off boat work and enjoy this beautiful location.)
After a few days in Chemala we caught a weather window north with southerly winds to go around the dreaded Cabo Corrientes to Banderas Bay and Puerto Vallarta.
When Shay did the crew delivery to PV the month before, they had 35 knot winds on the nose and it took them half a day just to go around Corrientes, 36 hours total from Barra. Serious stuff.
Since I had no interest in experiencing that we left with Bula and Sea Roveron Thursday morning around 6am. Fourteen hours later we passed Ipala, the last place to bail before heading around the point. The wind died after a lovely day of sailing and the sea became becalmed around sunset. So we

started the engine and motor sailed around Corrientes until we reached Punta Mita at 4am to anchor for the night. What good luck!
Sailing in the moonlight was magical, yet also eerie. The stars are incredible, the ocean noises along with the boat movement creates a rythym that is both soothing, relaxing and very fatiguing. Not being able to see the waves before they wash over the boat or even see the ocean beyond a 100 yards is disoncerting. But as long as you don’t think about that part too much and just enjoy being there it is quite enjoyable. Shay and I took turns keeping a look out, while the other rested, or tried to sleep. Moving about the boat becomes an arobic exercise and an opportunity for additional bruises. Movment becomes minimal, but there is so much sensory input it is easy to become still.

When we arrived at Punta Mita we were greeted by humpback whales. We could hear their breath and see their fins creating phosphorescent wake in the dark. Finally, after 22 hours we put down anchor and fell into a rolly bed to sleep like zombies until 10am.

When we woke we decided to sail to the PV anchorage since Banderas Bay is known for its great winds. We spent the next 4 hours sailing in 12 knot winds and relaxing a little. As we left Punta Mita and Shay was stowing the anchor I heard her shout, “Whale HO!”
In front of our bow were two humpbacks crossing our path, since I was at the helm I missed how close they came. Shay swears their fluke was not more than 2 feet from our hull. WOW. Close call.

We are now anchored outside La Cruz marina with views of the entire PV coastline. Shay took a bus to Barra to drive the van back and we are getting laundry done, provisioning and tomorrow a mechanic comes to look at our engine. Helga (the engine) did fabulous coming north, but there are a few issues that I want to address and I need to learn more since I have become EM (Eileen May)’s onboard mechanic. I guess I’m channeling my Grandpa Harrington the mechanical engineer! Depending on what the mechanic says will decide when we leave to head toward Mazatlan. There’s constant work to do. Shay is sewing the dinghy chaps new straps and working on the rust spots on the stainless and epoxy on the deck. I worked today on the engine, and an electrical project so the dinghy battery could be recharged by solar.

Puerto Vallarta in the distance

So happy happy to have the right tool, thanks to Everett and Sally!
We are both pretty healthy and feeling strong. My muscles hurt a lot from all the physical activity but its okay and naps help with my knee pain. The

passage north was tough on our bodies. Constant rocking causes your body to be bracing every second which is fatiguing. I’m learning how to wedge myself into corners in the cockpit on watch, or when sleeping below. In any given day, we row for miles (out of necessity), walk miles carrying laundry, or groceries, raise sails, haul stuff in and out of EM, haul anchor, squeeze into small spaces, swim (if lucky). Over three days I spent about 6 hours cleaning the hull of 4” of growth. This is a 7’ deep keel, 40’ long hull mind you. It wasn’t a piece of cake. This lfestyle is much more physical than I anticipated. We are holding up but could use a massage too.
And I think we are pretty happy. We enjoy finally sailing, and traveling, and meeting very interesting people, and living simply. I think it agrees with us.
A couple things I learned recently:
Staring at the ocean never gets dull. When on passage and its too rocky to do anything at all such as cook, read, or work, we ended up staring at the ocean for hours and hours on end. It’s hypnotizing and not at all boring. There is so much to pay attention to after all, the wind, the engine, the sails, the waves, steering, the auto pilot. I think I could enjoy a longer passage with the right weather.

I don’t much care for large cities. Its challenging living at anchor when you have to row a mile to shore in all matter of weather to get a banana, laundry or water. There is lots to spend money on here and its distracting. I’m looking forward to getting back to smaller anchorages although its’ hard to find a shower sometimes. No, we don’t have one aboard. Nor do we have the water to enjoy that privilege. I would kill for a bath though.
Day Trip to Sayulita
We probably won’t have much internet from here to Mazatlan unless we stop in San Blas. Its all about the weather so we don’t have a schedule. And just so you know, we are very conservative sailors. We have jack-lines, and harnesses and lifejackets, rules for when we are sailing at night, and friends that watch over us as we travel together.
Life is good.
About 6 weeks and we will be home in Washington.

I’ve put some video’s online, the links are below. Enjoy! Love to you all,
Yona and Shay
SV Eileen May (EM)
VIDEOS First Sail
https://vimeo.com/264637736
Sailing Along
https://vimeo.com/264643068
Turtle Spotting
https://vimeo.com/264644598
Sunset motorsail to PV
https://vimeo.com/264644921

A Long Journey to Mexico

Sept 29

It all needs to fit inside!

Eleven days till we leave for Mexico. And I am not experiencing what I imagined.

We’ve had the petal to the metal for years now. To get to this moment. And now this moment is slipping away. I don’t have time for processing what is happening. Every part of me is being challenged in some way. 

I see the shore, it is there, just a bit more to go!

October 19

Moving to Mexico

Leaving Vic's house with the dingy ontop!

We made it! 

We did fit everything in the van. We did drive 9 day, 3 thru Mexico and we did arrive safely. 

What an adventure.

After leaving Port Orchard, WA we drove to Boise, ID in one day, and spent the day with family. It was a super long day but nice to have a hot tub, clean bed and see familiar faces.

Listening to "Low Rider" on our way out the driveway. 
Our song for our van. 

Camping

 

Zion!

From there we made our way south to Zion National Park. Since we had not been, we decided to make a day of it and ended up spending 20 hours in the park. It felt great to stretch our legs, and go on hikes together. 

Happy Hiker

We both felt strong on the trails and I marveled how far I had come in 1 short year. Reflecting, I realized it had probably been 8 years since I was able to do this type of hike. The cliffs surrounding us were magical reflections of light. The sunrise coming over the side was inspirational. I felt so grateful to be active again. Watching the climbers on the cliff ascend slowly, my soul felt akin to the enormity of their goal. 

Hiking!

Eight years ago Shay and I began talking about owning a sailboat. Since then we have persevered through 2 major surgeries, the loss of our savings account, illness, house sales, remodels, many sailboat purchasing disappointments, living in an RV, and getting married.

Today, in this moment, together, we are meeting our dreams head on. We are FINALLY doing it! 
The canyon: a symbol of our strength and determination.

We spent 2 nights in the back of the van and it was freezing cold. But we survived and continued south to Nogales, Arizona.

Can you read the sign? (Day 3)

The Border Bamboozle

We woke early the 6th day to get to the border early. We chose the commercial entrance since that seemed quieter. We entered a maze of directionless turns and stops that we finally navigated and came to a stop when a man in a red vest waved us over. He told us to drive to the lot on the left and park. 

We did without question. (First lesson)

Opening the doors for border inspection.

Then more red vested men wanted to see inside our van, well that seemed a tad overwhelming to them as the blank piece of paper I was to write down all the contents on quickly disappeared and the red vested man mimed to us that he wanted us all to get in the van and he would drive over the security line together. Since he was holding our passports and documents it didn’t feel that we had much choice. 

So we all crammed into the front seat with Shay sitting on the refer in the middle and we made our way out of the parking lot and PAST the lineup of cars waiting to cross the security check point to a gate on the side. This gate was opened by a man in a uniform  and badges that indicated that he was border patrol. He stopped us and the red vest spoke to him quickly in Spanish. The gist was, “They own a boat in Barra and are taking personal belongings to the boat.” Or something else.

The agent opened a few doors to the van and then waved us all on.

The red vest motioned us to pull over further up the road, where low and behold, another red vest was waiting. We pulled over and the red vest asked for $3000 pesos. 

I knew this was coming. Shay did not, as she became quite flustered and all of a sudden could not count. We managed to hand over pesos and dollars equal or close to that amount. And they waved us on, with urgency. As if we didn’t leave immediately some dome would befallen us all. 

So we got on the road. 

Then looked at each other, “what just happened?”

Then, “wait, our passports are not stamped!”

I remembered that up the road there would be another stop for our Visas. 

So we road on in silence for a few miles, replaying what just transpired. “Did we really just bypass border inspection?”

As we talked it through, I realized we just escaped having a multi-hour inspection of our van and it’s contents and probable 19% tax on all the boat parts we were bringing into the country. (During packing, I had hid most of the parts in our clothes and other bags in order to lessen the likelihood of inspection finding and charging us for the more than $2000 worth of boat supplies and about $5000 of personal belongings.)

We arrived at the next stop, which was as expected, where we were to park the van, and walk from building to building, filling out visa forms, paying, stamping passports before returning to the van and continuing on our way. 

That was it! We made it!

Turns out the bamboozle was in fact, a blessing. Sometimes in Mexico you just have to roll with it! (Lesson Two)

Mexico Insanity

Day 5!

Typical site on the interstate.

Day 7 and we found Starbucks!??!

Due to the awful, insanely bumpy roads we lost our muffler cage. Shay bravely endured the midday heat and crawled under the van to remove it. We were joined by the Federale's for this adventure. 

The OCEAN!

A dummy flagger. 

The next days were so hot we got some good suffering in. At nights we stayed at Hotels with guarded parking lots. We stayed in Colima, Puerto Vallarta and Ahome.

Our days started at 6am, left by 7am and then drove, drove, drove until about an hour before dark, around 5pm. We’d secure the truck, eat and fall into bed, hot and exhausted.

Driving in Mexico is vastly different than driving in most of the US. The roads are crap, as donkey’s, horses, people, tractors, pot holes, and anything you can imagine are on or on the side of the road. And this is the interstate-their toll roads. Their best roads. Ninety percent of our travel was on toll roads and we probably spent a total of $150 dollars on tolls. Driving took concentration, and a sense of humor. 

Why is there a cowboy herding cows along the shoulder of the road? Is this a one-way or two-way road? Is that car passing in my lane going to kill us all? 

Road signs are suggestions, police are few, and truckers are abundant. 

We passed many towns we wished to explore. We will definitely make it back to Tequila, MX!

Our goal was 8 days. It became clear this wasn’t going to happen unless we drove at night. (Our one rule- no nighttime driving in Mexico) So the last day we drove thru Manzanillo, stopped for groceries and made it to the Marina by 2pm. At long last. 

Notice how we are sinking lower every day,
and looking very tired?

Our new home at the marina

Heat and mold makes
Yona a tired girl.

Our view from the cockpit.

Crazy mess. And it gets worse.

It was brutally hot. A heat wave they said. Great. Opening up the boat we found mold on every surface. So we set out cleaning up so we would have a spot to sleep that night. 

Drenched in sweat we worked until dark, ate leftovers, and Shay collapsed in the cockpit and I fell asleep in the Salon. We didn’t even get to the V-berth. 

The next day I came down with the flu. Yes, in the summer, in 90 degree heat. I tried to work thru the day but finally succumbed. Shay continued on working hard to get the boat in order before she left. Then she became ill the next day. It was not fun.

We managed to clean out the V-berth, get the old mattress out by cutting it up into sections, cleaning the mold, getting half of our new cushions cut and into place so I could have a bed while she was gone. We got water ordered, the toilet working, the cockpit accessible, and the basic living supplies out of the van. Then Shay left to return to Issaquah, to give notice at work. 

Living in the Marina

I am living on the boat, cleaning, storing, recovering from the flu. I finally made it to the pool this week and realized that a new schedule needed to be adopted so as not to keel over from the heat.

Up at 7am, work till 1pm, then up to the pool to nap, float, or do PT in the pool, read, call friends, drink lots of water until 6pm. Then back to the boat to work, and then once the sun is down around 8pm, dinner, a little reading, and then to bed. 

The marina hotel view.
The saving grace of living in a marina.

It’s a big adjustment, the heat, the schedule, trying to find places for everything that’s in the van. I haven’t even begun the projects - the water pump needs help, the RPM gauge is not working, the hose clamps in the engine room all need checked and replaced, 3 of the outlets doen’t work and I need to troubleshoot that, the engine needs lots of attention, oil, water pump, loose belts. Pests have moved aboard and I am on a mission to eradicate them without poisoning myself. And just now the antenna/internet stopped working. 

It’s a little overwhelming, and I can’t wait for Shay to return to join me in the chaos.

Definitely Living The Dream this month. 

(A shout out to all our friends who helped us through the past few weeks, offering beds, storage for our RV and cars, dinner, support and love. Thank YOU!)

We found her.

Finally.

After almost 6 years of kissing frogs it happened; we bought a sailboat. 

Her name is Eileen May and she lives in Mexico.

This is a surprise to us. How it came about that we own a sailboat in Mexico.

How, after a year of grieving the loss of Summer Rose, our lives have now changed so quickly.

In November, 2015 we found a new listing of a Passport 42 -- Shay's dream boat. The sailboat was moored near Portland, Oregon and for sale by owner, in a price range that was uncomfortable. 

But hey, what's to lose by inquiring?

The owner was living in New Zealand and was ill so no longer sailed Summer Rose. She was cared for by a friend, who would show her to us. 

By the end of the weekend we were seriously falling for her, her layout, deck, cockpit, was just so perfect. She was clearly well loved. We decided to go for it. 

Two months later and $2500 poorer, a disappointing inspection, and a recalcitrant owner, we were at a standstill. We put so much into that process, and we were so very close to completing the deal. But it wouldn't happen no matter how we tried to make it work.

After that crushing ordeal, we couldn't even look at another boat for a year.  

We questioned our path, even our dreams, and focused instead on our rental projects. We hoped that the answer would present itself, for if we were not meant to have a sailboat, then what?

Fast forward to Sunday, February 12, 2017, and I have the flu. The bad one, where doing anything other than staring at the ceiling is too exhausting and mentally straining. 

Having a momentary reprieve from the ceiling, I decided to get online and look at Craigslist for something-or-other; possibly paint for the ceiling.  I ended up at the Mexico Craigslist, at Puerto Vallarta, searching for sailboats.

Sailboat searching did not happen regularly, or at all really, in the past year. Why now?  

My normally racing and methodical, chronic, list making brain, was fairly absent at the moment, having given itself over to the misery of sick, combined with lemon-rum-water (for the throat!). 

I happened across of a picture of a 40ft sailboat that looked vaguely familiar, it was a tad odd looking. Turning the screen to Shay I asked if this boat looked familiar to her?

What happened next, still blows my mind. 

Shay reached into her little cubby, next to her bedside and pulled out a boat card, "Is it this one?" she asks.

I looked at her in disbelief and said, "I'll find out."

So I emailed the owners - not thinking about the boat as much as wondering if this was the same owners we had met 4 years ago. 

~~~~~~~~~~~

After an awesome charter with our friends in the Sea of Cortez, Shay and I were enjoying La Paz, Mexico for a few days. 

We spent the time boat shopping. There was a nice ketch for sale that neither of else felt anything towards. There was the daily walks on the docks of the La Paz marina. During one of these walks, at the very end of the dock, sat a cruising boat that looked slightly different. Shay knocked on the hull, and a head popped out and said hello. 

We had a very nice chat with the owners about their recent sail down from Vancouver, Canada and of course, about their boat. They gave us their boat card (it had a picture of Eileen May with their contact info and the address to their blog). 

The next day we flew home. 

Part-way home actually. Alaska Airlines cancelled our flight, but then put us up for 24 hours in an all-inclusive resort, on the beach, in Cabo San Lucas. I believe Shay was half drunk most of those 24 hours, plus the taxi ride back to the airport. 

We forgot all about Eileen May. 

Or at least I did. 

~~~~~~~~~~~

How that card managed to stay in Shay's cubby through selling our house and most of our belonging and moving into an RV is beyond me. There are no other boat cards hanging out in that cubby. There are only 4 items in there. I looked. 

After a nap, some ceiling staring time and more 'lemon water,' I checked my email, to find that yes, indeed it was the same boat/owners (what?!) and they had an offer on the boat, (sigh), but, and I quote, "...no monies have exchanged hands..."

Okay. Do we want to go down that path? Of hope, dreams and probable heart break?

Sure we do, it'll be fun - said the sick person who's brain is on hiatus. Besides, its more entertaining than staring at the ceiling! 

Within 24 hours we sent a contract with a full price offer. Twenty-four hours after that (Valentine's Day!), we had an accepted offer and flights booked to Puerto Vallarta to inspect the boat. By Thursday I was feeling much healthier and having my wits about me once again, began to wonder what just happened. 

I was ready to get back to my old self and wanted us to make a chart for all the lists we needed, in order to take this spontaneous, week-long inspection of a boat we met exactly 4 years ago - give or take a day, but I think it was the same day. The next day Shay woke up with the flu. 

So that's how it happened. We met Eileen May on Monday, February 27 and spent the next week going over the systems with the owner.  On April 1 we were official with the US Coast Guard. And next Saturday I am returning to Mexico to secure the transfer and boat. 

It's all happened so fast. Its felt as if we never really had a choice anyway. Like there was the gentle pressure of a hand on our shoulders, guiding us to this path. 

Who knows what will happen from here! Maybe I'll catch a cold and we'll adopt a puppy (just kidding Shay!). Crazy things can happen when your brain takes a leave of absence.

Next time we SAIL to Hawaii!

As we flew over the pacific ocean headed for Hawaii on a flight that took almost 6 hours, Shay and I talked about the 2-3 week journey it would take to make the same trip by way of sailboat. The vast blue of the sea looked equal parts paradise and intimidating from our tiny airplane window. 

Our honeymoon for 10 days in paradise was about to begin and all I could think about was sailing offshore. I imagined our sailing experiences; toasting a sunset from the cockpit, taking my shift in the wee hours of the night and listening to the wind thru the rigging, fishing for Mahi Mahi, being obsessed with weather forecasts, sail tweaking and the joy and struggles of creating our own world on our moving island in the Pacific, floating, soaring, flying… sailing along toward our first tropical destination.

The other side of the coin is of course the fears I have about the logistics, the weather, our preparedness. I know enough to know we have so much more to learn. 

So in order to add some excitement to a dreary winter and stave off our frustration about not owning said sailboat we recently attended US Sailing's Offshore Safety Seminar on Bainbridge Island. It was an exhausting and thought provoking weekend of seminars and hands on activities.

We had seminars and classes on COB (crew overboard) drills, sail repair, weather, navigation, keeping crew rested, safety aboard and so much more.

The overriding message however was about wearing life jackets. This was drilled into the participants in a variety of ways and by the end of the weekend we are firm believers in the necessity of a good fitting life jacket. We also got to play with flares, fire extinguishers, and as a finale, a jump into a life raft! 
Which was not as fun as it sounds. 

After donning all our foul weather gear and life jackets we jumped in the pool and wow! was that a shocker! I had no idea I was wearing my life jacket way too loose. Tightening it in the water was almost impossible and it kept riding up my face and trying to float away. Not a comfortable or comforting endeavor. Then with all our gear and inflated life jackets, 6 of us worked together to get into a life raft. It was physically challenging and I face planted into the 4 inches of water at the bottom of the raft on my graceful entry. Not my finest moment. 

After getting everybody aboard we sat around in our wet gear, in a wet raft, claustrophobic and cold. It DID bring home the message that a life raft is really the last place I would want to be!

Having experienced first hand these challenges in a controlled environment I have a greater appreciation for life safety gear and the demands of using this gear in frigid water during an emergency.

We also met many great people from US Sailing and from the Port Townsend area. My favorite speaker was Carol Hasse from Hasse Sails. She is such a wealth of information, combined with her humble, grounded demeanor it was a joy to spend time in her classroom. Shay enjoyed it so much she signed up for Carol's class this year on sail repair in Port Townsend.

While I have committed myself to learning more about weather and how to create a weather plan. I feel comfortable with my internet sources for sailing Puget Sound but I'd like to know how to create a weather plan without internet access and be better able to read the weather from the cockpit.

After we land in Kauai and during the endless wait to depart the airplane I pull up NOAA weather  on my iPad and read the forecast so I can begin to grasp what the local weather scenario is for Hawaii and for the next couple of days. 

This becomes a ritual very morning in Kauai. I pull up NOAA, watch the radar, familiarize myself with the particulars of Hawaii's weather pattern this time of year. This was also helpful in choosing our beach for the day as the northern and southern weather on the island differed substantially.  It was a fun way to start the day while drinking Kona coffee and watching the view of the ocean from our lanai. 

Our vacation in Hawaii was fabulous. We hiked and kayaked and laid in the sun, snorkeled and explored, and prepared local fish and fruit to eat. It was wonderful to be warm. To wake up and put on a swim suit, instead of 3 layers and a rain coat.

It really brought home the truth that our bodies do better in sun and warm temperatures, we feel energized and happy. I don't have to struggle to stay warm, my sinus's are clear and my body relaxes.

The pull of paradise; its weather and beauty is indeed strong. 

On the flight home we drift in our own thoughts. Watching the islands recede, I feel sad to return to rainy Pacific Northwest but excited to begin the next phase in our journey. 

We turn to each other and whisper, "Next time we visit Hawaii it will be on our sailboat."

Fingers crossed.