Monthly Archives: November 2008

Thanksgiving – 2008

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Loreto_ThanksgivingBack in Loreto .. After wild drive down.  Work held us in the states until Thanksgiving morning.  We packed the car the night before, so we were all go.  Only the going was SLOW!  Pouring rain to the border and beyond.

Got pulled over at crossing, but Mexican police only wanted to look briefly in the back, then sent us forward.  Rain kept pouring.  By the time we got to Guerro Negro, we were pooped and the sun was setting.  Decided to call it for the night.

Rose early, drove straight to Loreto, jumped out of the car with the turkey and stuffing prep and started to create a dinner for 14.  Mid-way through cleaning the turkey and the water pump went off.  I threw a few obscenities .. tired and cranky and how can this be?  Then put on my ‘okay, think of it as camping hat’ and parried on.

Steve got the water pump to work.  The turkey was delicious, stuffing, corn pudding, fresh cranberries, asparagus, salad and rolls.  YUM!

Guests included Jaymi, Don, Ariela & Liana Garvett, Bob Lahodny, Dolores and her daughter Paola, Rigo, Leslie & Aram, & Alexander Ogilvie.

Esperanza

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Ezperanza Resort - Cabo San Lucas

Ezperanza Resort - Cabo San Lucas

Coming off the sailboat, all I could think about was a long hot bath – that, and seeing my husband, Steve.  He was driving down to Cabo while I was sailing into port.  We had planned a reunion and a post-anniversary celebration.
I hadn’t been in Cabo in 30+ years .. and had no real desire to return.  When last in the town, it was still a small quaint fishing village.  Now, a huge community of mostly gringos, with huge hotels, a Costco, Home Depot & Walmart, I know longer sensed it’s charm.

In fact, when I got off LunaSea, I made a mad dash through a plethora of bars and drunken party-goers, straight for a taxi. Guess I’m not much of a party woman .. but I already knew that about myself.

I beat Steve and the dogs to the hotel .. and kind of just dropped my jaw!  The Esperanza is first class all the way.  From the polite and attentive staff to the meticulous upkeep of the expansive grounds, The hotel was about pleasing.

Infinity Jacuzzi

Infinity Jacuzzi

Our room had a jacuzzi that sat on the deck and spilled into space .. Candles on an outside patio table, as well as indoors next to an oversized tub .. all fragrant and designed for creature comfort.

Steve had researched – we needed a dog-friendly hotel, and Esperanza was one of the few.  And dog-friendly hardly says it.  The dogs even had their own room-service menu with dinner selections.  The staff delivered bowls and beds.  Such lucky puppies. By the time we left, everyone knew their names and they had more than their share of head rubs.

We took a yoga class, got a massage .. and never left the grounds.  Steve kept asking me if I didn’t want to see Cabo.  And my answer was .. I saw it 30 years ago and it was beautiful.  Why spoil a good memory?

Baja Haha

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15th Annual Baja Haha .. San Diego to Cabo San Lucas .. 150 boats .. a great and fun way for families/pirates and just salty hands to get in some sail time and find their way south.

I ‘hitchhiked’ – put my name as potential crew on Latitude 38s website .. and got a nice ride on Luna Sea .. a boat owned by Dave Boyles.  Dave Hohman, Don Johnson, Katie & Matt rounded out the crew.  Luna Sea is a Hardin Force 50 .. Built like a Formasa clipper with 2 masts and a full outfit of sails.

We started out in light winds .. which eventually crashed down to no winds.. Landed a tuna – 3 in fact the first afernoon.  Sushi was abundant .. the only worry : would we have enough wasabi?

After two days of party in Bahia Tortuga, the fleet took off again .. this time with winds!  Too fast to catch fish, but fun fun sailing.  Past cruise ships and tankers in the dark of night .. and down to Santa Maria, for another two days of party, surfing, mountain climbing, beach walking and swimming.

Finally — south to Cabo .. and an end to a wonderful journey and experience.

Are you sure we’re on the start list?
Trimming the sails
Yes! It’s a tuna!
Matt cuts sushi
Dave chilling
Don cleaning fresh yellowtail
Captain Dave
Sunset on the Pacific
Storm Clouds
Baja Gold!
Dawn – Bahia de Tortuga
Katie flys to fix the radar
Land’s End

The Road from Cabo

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Shortcut to Loreto

Shortcut to Loreto

Steve decided to take the ‘scenic’ route from Cabo to Loreto .. I just didn’t realize it meant a road like this .. 🙂  All beautiful, actually .. and some new territory around Los Barilles and a very tiny spot called Leonora ..  with a small hotel on the beach that beckoned we weary travelers .. Next trip … Next exploration ..

While I Was Out Sailing …

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Sunrise, Bahia de Tortuga

Sunrise, Bahia de Tortuga

While I was out sailing …

The world changed.  America took back her right to be brilliant.  We elected Obama Barack, a man of humble origins as the 44th President of the United States.

While I was sailing …

from San Diego to Cabo San Lucas …  I learned many things, made great new friends and, as always, found my spirit and my soul renewed by the journey.

It was the 15th Annual Baja Haha, a regatta/race that provides the comfort of numbers to the long off-shore distance.  Pirates, scaliwags, families and hardy partiers made up the mix of 150 boats and 546 sailors who left the San Diego shore.

I had ‘hitchhiked’ a ride, via Latitude 38’s crew list, and was brave in my adventure.  Without ever meeting either the boat owner or the rest of hte crew, I jumped onto Dave Boyle’s Hardin Force 50 and took on whatever duties or tasks were handed me.

Crew included Dave Hohman, the engineer who kept the boat running .. and Don Johnson who kept the electrical functioning, and Matt & Katy, affectionately dubbed ‘the kids’ who kept the sails trimmed and the crew smiling with their infectious excitement about their journey to the unknown.

While I’m not the party girl that was likely expected, I did have a great time learning to sail from mizen to kite …  the ins/outs of electrical/water/LPG conservation .. the joys of buying fresh shrimp from the local pangeras .. and of catching tuna and eating sashimi within minutes of the kill.

I was blessed by my slightly ‘wild’ crew .. and I wouldn’t have changed a thing (okay, not quite true.. but we loved each other all the way) ..

While I Was Out Sailing

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8 november 2008

while I was out sailing …

the time changed.
The month changed.
My life changed.

While I was sailing …

I learned new skills .. I practiced and refined old ones.
I made new friends.
I built confidence.
I added/fueled a desire for more time on the water.

While I was sailing ..

The sea shifted from cold waters to warm.
The sea life shifted from sea gulls to blue footed boobies and magnificent frigate birds ..

While I was sailing ..
We, the American people, elected an afro-american as the 44th president of the United States ..
We .. the people .. voted to oust 8 years of avarice and greed …
We .. the people of the united states, voted to take back our country .. and rebuild ourselves in our own eyes and that of our global neighbors ..

We .. the people of the united states .. said ENOUGH … and now, we must manifest the maturity and fearlessness to tackle a plethora of challenges .

While I was sailing .. everything in my world shifted … so I am celebrating this moment .. these moments when we are together and happiness permeates the air around us .. we are laughing ..we are sharing stories …we are dancing around anything and everything that hurts.