Galley counter tops refinished with new formica in 2012. Yanmar engine under sink on right.
Three burner, Princess propane stove. Alder-Barbour Coldmachine refrigerator on left.
Feb 10, 2013
V Berth Detail
This is the V Berth as viewed from the salon. Cushions were new in 2010. Oak tool chest and tool storage under berth.
Vanity with mirrored cover open.
V Berth viewed from bow end of berth. Vanity to the right, hanging locker and full-length mirror left.
Dec 2, 2012
New Winter Home
Stopping by San Diego on our way north, we passed by one of the Navy's new high-speed warships. This one had what looked like a flight deck in the rear, and you just had to wonder what kind of top speed it's capable of...
Sea Story is again back in the USA . We brought her up to Ventura from La paz in early July, and now we're getting used to the cooler, wetter California weather. We're also meeting new neighbors and exploring the nearby Channel Islands National Park - a fascinating cruising grounds I've long been curious about.
Our "Baja Bash" crew, Richard, Mary Lee and I the day we arrived at Ventura West Marina. Our berth is close to the harbor entrance, and just a couple hundred yards from the beach.
To gain some knowledge about the Park, and to add to my seagoing skills, I've signed on as a volunteer crew member for the Park Services's transportation fleet of support vessels. lots of fun so far, and it's been a chance to gain some of the skills required for hauling cargo and people to and from the Islands on a big boat. Nice people to work with too....
The Ocean Ranger is my volunteer assignment for the Park Service. We regularly take this 100' workhorse out to the Channel Islands in support of the Park's operations and research projects.
Mar 27, 2012
RACING THE CONDO
Sea Story heading for the starting line after a night at anchor in Caleta Partida, one of the prettiest anchorages in Bahia La paz. From this start, we raced back to the entrance of the La paz harbor channel (about 20 miles) and finished second in our class.
A couple of years ago, some local cruisers got together and started Veleros de Baja, a loose and very informal organization of racing enthusiasts here in La paz. Because most of us are racing the boats we live on, the races are pretty low key, and no one gets too excited about a slow start or raggedy tack. They're mostly fun events and a good excuse for getting out on the Bay for a pleasant afternoon of whale watching and sunbathing.
Sea Story is fairly fast for a fully loaded cruising boat, so we usually finish in the top two or three of our class. In this particular race, there was a big lull midway through, so we were one of only five boats out of thirteen to even finish the race within the allotted time. Best of all, we managed to beat Talion, a very fast fifty footer that usually dominates the competition. If course, it helped that skipper Patsy was single-handing Talion - but maybe I shouldn't have mentioned that....!
There's a full rundown and more photos of the race at: www.velerosdebaja.wordpress.com
Mar 5, 2012
THE GLAMOROUS SIDE OF BOAT OWNERSHIP
Cleaning a clogged diesel fuel filter bowl on a nice Sunday afternoon at the dock. Usually this happens at sea, in rough weather at 0300 hours. Managed to catch a break this time...
I once thought nothing could be a bigger pain in the ass than owning and maintaining an airplane. I was wrong.
None of my airplanes had plumbing systems, electrical systems operating in a salt water environment, or diesel fuel systems, ultra-sensitive to line leaks and algae growth.
So now I find myself continually re-educated and doing maintenance chores far beyond anything I could have imagined for someone who once was challenged by simply changing oil in my car. Not sure if this is progress, but it does keep me busy and more knowledgeable about the inner workings of my floating home. Of course, it also reduces my maintenance costs - most of the time. Once in a while, the opposite happens, and I have to hire an expert to fix something I buggered up beyond my ability to correct. Fortunately, that seems to be happening less and less as time goes on, so this not-so-glamorous side of boat ownership has just become part of the experience down here in La paz.
Just letting you all know it's not all sunshine and pina coladas every day!
Like most old skydivers, I really don't like being this high without a parachute, so I'm hanging onto everything I can!
Feb 13, 2012
Entertainment in La paz
People are always curious about what we do for the six months we spend down here in Mexico every winter. Here are a couple of highlights from the season to date:
Not long ago, we had a chance to get close-up and personal with John Davidson, the singer/actor/ TV personality who, among other things, used to host Hollywood Squares. John's son and daughter-in-law have opened up a small restaurant here in La paz, and he put on a couple of benefit performances on their patio for audiences limited to thirty people. John's a very funny and personable guy who still has a great set of pipes. His hour and a half gigs really were excellent entertainment and you couldn't beat the intimacy of the setting.
A French couple, who happen to be ex-performers from Cirque de Soleil, put on a spectacular show in the rigging of their boat for fellow cruisers in Marina Palmira. Their performance drew a couple of hundred people, and they didn't even have to warn us "not to try this at home!"
Not long ago, we had a chance to get close-up and personal with John Davidson, the singer/actor/ TV personality who, among other things, used to host Hollywood Squares. John's son and daughter-in-law have opened up a small restaurant here in La paz, and he put on a couple of benefit performances on their patio for audiences limited to thirty people. John's a very funny and personable guy who still has a great set of pipes. His hour and a half gigs really were excellent entertainment and you couldn't beat the intimacy of the setting.
A French couple, who happen to be ex-performers from Cirque de Soleil, put on a spectacular show in the rigging of their boat for fellow cruisers in Marina Palmira. Their performance drew a couple of hundred people, and they didn't even have to warn us "not to try this at home!"
Mary Lee playing and singing with 7 Clouds, a local jazz band performing at La Encantada, our favorite Art Gallery/Wine Bar here in La paz.
We brought our own pole-dancers! A wild night at Tailhunters, a self described "dishing and frinking establishment," where Laura and the Baja Boys play rock favorites on Friday nights. With only a bit of encouragement, our ladies took the initiative to start a pole dancing mania that entertained the band as much as it did the rest of us...
Dec 15, 2011
BACK IN MEXICO
It's been so long since I posted to this blog, I'm just going to do a quick over-view of the highlights since my last entry, the trip to Manzanillo..
From Manzanillo, we sailed back up to Puerta Vallarta, Mazatlan and our home port, La paz. Overall, the trip north was pretty calm and uneventful. We dropped Doug and Jan in Puerta Vallarta and between P.V. and Mazatlan, we got to rescue a sea turtle. Poor guy was so tied up he could only swim in circles at the surface, prevented from diving by a plastic, water-bottle buoy.
Sea Story stayed in La paz for the summer. In April, Mary Lee flew back to Wisconsin, and I drove back a couple of weeks later. We did manage a trip up to coastal British Columbia for a couple of weeks with Doug and Jan on Snowhawke in late August. It was another fish-food orgy; salmon, ling cod, dungeness crab and prawns to excess.
The rest of the summer was a lot of biking, visiting old friends and relatives, gardening and a couple of weeks in Sacramento.
In late October, we drove back down to La paz, stopping in Denver and Sacramento along the way. Denver was particularly nice, with great fall color and delightfully warm weather just in advance of their first big snowfall of the season (we got out of town just a day and half before it hit!).
The drive down Baja is a daylight-only, 1000 mile haul that takes three days to do comfortably. Other than a couple of difficult construction detours, the paved, 2-lane road is good, if a bit narrow by U.S. standards. Biggest dangers are not bandits, but 18-wheelers that crowd the centerline, and free-range cattle that like coming up onto the pavement after dark. The terrain is remarkably varied, although mostly desert and rugged mountains. There are also several agricultural regions, some which feature miles and miles of plastic tented fields of vegetable crops.
Now that we're back on Sea Story at Marina Palmira, it's time to get re-acquainted with our neighbors, the other live-aboards who inhabit dock three, our particular block in the neighborhood. Many of us are "commuter cruisers" who leave the boats down here and spend our summers in the U.S. and Canada. Others are year-round residents who tough out the hot summers at the dock or up in the Sea of Cortez. Still others are semi-transients on their way to or from other sailing destinations. It makes for a nice, eclectic mix of folks who have become some of our best friends over the past few years.
Right now, there's some friendly holiday, boat decorating competition. Sea Story has a well-earned reputation in this category, so it's back up to the foredeck to hang another string of lights.
Happy holidays everyone....
From Manzanillo, we sailed back up to Puerta Vallarta, Mazatlan and our home port, La paz. Overall, the trip north was pretty calm and uneventful. We dropped Doug and Jan in Puerta Vallarta and between P.V. and Mazatlan, we got to rescue a sea turtle. Poor guy was so tied up he could only swim in circles at the surface, prevented from diving by a plastic, water-bottle buoy.
Incapacitated sea turtle, wound-up in the buoyed, polypropylene line Mexican fisherman use for long-line sets. Once I cut the line free, he went straight down to a safer environment.
Sea Story stayed in La paz for the summer. In April, Mary Lee flew back to Wisconsin, and I drove back a couple of weeks later. We did manage a trip up to coastal British Columbia for a couple of weeks with Doug and Jan on Snowhawke in late August. It was another fish-food orgy; salmon, ling cod, dungeness crab and prawns to excess.
The drive down Baja is a daylight-only, 1000 mile haul that takes three days to do comfortably. Other than a couple of difficult construction detours, the paved, 2-lane road is good, if a bit narrow by U.S. standards. Biggest dangers are not bandits, but 18-wheelers that crowd the centerline, and free-range cattle that like coming up onto the pavement after dark. The terrain is remarkably varied, although mostly desert and rugged mountains. There are also several agricultural regions, some which feature miles and miles of plastic tented fields of vegetable crops.
Now that we're back on Sea Story at Marina Palmira, it's time to get re-acquainted with our neighbors, the other live-aboards who inhabit dock three, our particular block in the neighborhood. Many of us are "commuter cruisers" who leave the boats down here and spend our summers in the U.S. and Canada. Others are year-round residents who tough out the hot summers at the dock or up in the Sea of Cortez. Still others are semi-transients on their way to or from other sailing destinations. It makes for a nice, eclectic mix of folks who have become some of our best friends over the past few years.
Happy holidays everyone....
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
