A Whale Shark of a Tale

Banyan is heading south!  It’s just getting a little chilly for us up here in the sea… I know… all of you knee deep in snow are just groaning and rolling your eyes but – really, we are getting cold.  When you have to wear a wet suit to get in the water it’s just too cold.  We have new standards.

But before we head south let me tell you of our adventures in the Sea of Cortez.

After our magical Thanksgiving, the kid boat flotilla headed north for a 20 nautical mile slog up to the wild and empty Isla San Francisco.  Banyan sailed beautifully and quickly to windward with her newly cleaned bottom (ahhhh).  We anchored in “The Hook” anchorage which was well protected from the relentless north wind.  We explored the shore, hiked up the eastern ridge with all the kids in tow, we played and we even had a bonfire on the beach.

Cameron about to get his feed wet on the way up to Isla San Francisco
Cameron about to get his feet wet on the way up to Isla San Francisco

 

Adelaide post dramamine - aka sleeping pills for kids
Adelaide post dramamine – aka sleeping pills for kids

 

Adventuring into the salt flats on Isla San Francisco
Adventuring into the salt flats on Isla San Francisco

 

Checking out the ghost crabs on the beach
Checking out the ghost crabs on the beach

 

Hiking up the ridge
Hiking up the ridge

 

The Hook anchorage on Isla San Francisco
The Hook on Isla San Francisco

 

Campfire on the beach
Campfire on the beach

The next day we slogged north again for 10 nautical miles through the San Jose channel up to San Evaristo, a small anchorage on the Baja peninsula.  It’s a quiet fishing village but it does boast a tiny store and a restaurant!  We had not seen a store since  Cabo San Lucas so this was a wonderful surprise!

It was blustery while we were in San Evaristo and with the wind gusting up into the 30s, boats sailed around on their anchors and there were a few wet dinghy rides.  We even had to dig out our long pants and sweaters. They say that when you head up into the sea, you will just know when to turn around and head south… we were feeling the southerly pull…  But, we did manage to snorkel, get schooling done and play.  The men of the boats were all fired up about spear fishing and went out for hours at a time on the hunt.  They finally succeeded and are now fully blooded and excited for more.

The Kid Boat Flotilla taking a walk at San Evaristo
The Kid Boat Flotilla taking a walk at San Evaristo

One of the moms organized a tortilla making class at the restaurant in town for all the kids.  We all had a blast.  All you need is flour, salt, water and LOTS of crisco!  Plus, a really practiced hand at flipping them around…  there were a few tortilla casualties…  We had a birthday girl that day so in the evening we had a big party at the restaurant and EVERYONE was there from the anchorage.  We even had a jam session and of course, cupcakes and piñata bashing.  It was the kid boat flotilla’s last hurrah as we were all going separate directions the next day.

Flour tortilla making class
Flour tortilla making class

 

Making the masa
Making the masa

 

Jam session!
Jam session!

 

Isa whacking the piñata
Isa whacking the piñata

It was more fun than I can even express to have been together with these other boats.  The other mom’s were amazing women and the kids all got along so well.  There were no politics or discomforts as there can be in a larger group all moving along together.  It was just extremely pleasant company.  I will really miss them.

We headed south the following day to the cruisers paradise of La Paz in two short sailing days, stopping for the night in Ensanada Grande on Isla Partida.  We caught a few fish on our way in too – Sushi!

Pulling into La Paz was a bit surreal after being so far from cities and internet connections.  We laughed at our own reactions to the police sirens and car alarms.  There was plenty of things on our to-do list while we where there.  We went to church, had lots of ice cream, Cameron bought a spear gun (Merry Christmas), we got laundry done, Cameron got his teeth cleaned and one filling replaced ($100), we provisioned and connected with a few other kid boats.  We also filled our water tanks and the diesel tanks which felt really good!  For others in the area, Marina La Paz let us fill up with their RO water that they make if you buy diesel from them.  We took full advantage… but we still tossed a bit of clorox in there to sterilize any bad boys floating around (1.4 ml per gallon – we have a charcoal filter at the sink that cleans up any residual chlorine taste).

The girls selecting fruit at the mercado
The girls selecting fruit at the mercado

 

CHURROS!
CHURROS!

 

Decorating our mast for Christmas!
Decorating our mast for Christmas!

We had some boat projects to get into as well.  We were having significant voltage drop issues with the water maker and fridge, so we upgraded the wiring.  Cameron really got to know La Paz because our water-maker was leaking oil.  This was a bit of a surprise because we didn’t even know it had oil in it.  It’s mentioned nowhere in the manual!  After a few emails to Katadyn we determined that it needed some very exotic oil so, Cameron traipsed all over La Paz and finally found it.  He had to bring his own jug to put it in unless he was willing to purchase a 50 gallon drum…

Now for the Whale Sharks!

The thing to do in La Paz is swim with the juvenile whale sharks that have feeding grounds just around the corner from the harbor.  So, we had to swim with the whale sharks!  We were told that it was quite easy to dinghy out of the harbor and find where all the tourist-toting pangas were gathered and there you will find schools of whale sharks.  We hooked up with SV Cielo Grande who we had shared Thanksgiving with for the ride over there.  Before leaving we filed up the gas tank but it was a last minute thought and probably an unnecessary precaution.  Turns out – not so.  Those whale sharks were QUITE a ways out there…  We eventually found them, swam with them (AMAZING!), we got stung by jelly fish and then we all hopped back in the dinghy for a long ride back.  Just as we were saying how glad we were that we had filled up the tank the engine faltered and sputtered…  We headed straight for land and cut the engine, saving the fumes in the tank and walked the boat around the Magote (the spit of land that protects the harbor).  The kids naturally thought this was a great adventure and were very jolly running along the beach.  When the beach ran out we all piled back into the dinghy, said a prayer and fired up the engine for the trip across the harbor and into a strong outgoing current.  Not even a 1/4 of the way the gas was gone, the engine died and the men pulled out the oars.  If you have ever tried to row an inflatable rib up wind, against a current with four adults and four kids in it… you know that its just impossible.  We managed to hail a passing panga and thankfully he took pity on us a towed us to the edge of the marina.  We slipped him just over $10 and he was pretty stoked.  We had left at 10am planning to be back by noon to have lunch… it was 3:30pm and having earned it, we devoured our lunches!

After that bonding experience, SV Banyan and SV Cielo Grande are now heading south together.  We popped out of the La Paz harbor a few days ago and headed to Playa La Bonanza.  The next day we had a lovely down wind sail to Los Muertos, a beautiful anchorage complete with a cruiser friendly resort where the kids can play in the pool and we can sit around, drink Pacifico and connect to the internet.

Cameron and Nick from Cielo Grande relaxing pool side
Cameron and Nick from Cielo Grande relaxing pool side

 

IMG_8884

Cameron and Nick slipped out this morning to dull their new spear tips in the rocks but came home with four fish anyway…  On other fishing news last night Adelaide caught her first fish 100% on her own.  Cameron was making some final trimming on the Skipjack tuna we caught on the way to Muertos when Adelaide asked for some of the off cuts for bait and pretty soon she landed a Green Jack, yelling for help to kill him…….  Super cool!

Our second Tuna on the way to Los Muertos
Our second Tuna on the way to Los Muertos

So, It’s from this lovely place that I sit and pop off this message.  Up next?  Christmas on the main land.  Later this week we plan to head down and across the sea to Isla Isabela (the Galapagos of Mexico) and then on to Barra de Navidad for Christmas in warmer climes.

Merry Christmas!

Los Muertos
Los Muertos

 

17 comments

  1. Barbara Vawter says:

    Such an adventure, brightens my dreary winter day in Indiana. Love hearing from you so very much, hugs to each of you!

  2. Al Erickson says:

    From your writing and pictures I felt I was there. I laughed at your line: “Cameron and Nick slipped out this morning to dull their new spear tips in the rocks but came home with four fish anyway.”

  3. Kathy McLoughlin says:

    Thank you so much for sharing your adventures—we love hearing about it all. We are so envious, but know it must be so much harder than we can imagine.
    Wishing you continued fun and safe travels, and, of course, Merry Christmas and Happy, Healthy New Year!
    Fondly, Kathy & Bill P.S. Cameron, as a retired Dental Hygienist, I am so glad you are maintaining your dental health 🙂

    • Anne Vawter says:

      Hi Kathy,
      Thanks for following our adventures! Cameron says that he thinks of you quite often when he is needing to go to the Dentist. You are his dental conscience.

      You are correct – it is NOT always easy. There have been many a hot sleepless night in a rolling windless anchorages with mosquitoes running around sucking our blood despite our cautions. But! we are together as a family and adventure is not always convenient:) We love it.

      Much Love to you and Bill and also to Erin who we miss and love.
      Cheers, Anne and Cameron Vawter

  4. Dennis Randall (Second Wind) says:

    Great pics! I’m so happy your cruise is going so well. I’ve made it back to San Diego, had a relatively easy bash, only a few hours with 30+ winds. Mostly just powering in 5 to 15kts. Some breaking things, but all fixable, with spares at hand. My crew was my best friend since age 7. Boat is being hauled tomorrow. Will be up for sale shortly.

    • Anne Vawter says:

      Dennis! So good to hear from you. Glad you made it home safely and we are so happy that we got to meet you and get to know you better after the HaHa. Best of luck on selling your boat and I hope we see you on the water again.
      Cheers,
      Anne

  5. the Jednies says:

    Way to go Cameron representing Mauna Kea Polo Club looks like you’re gonna need a new long sleeve soon! hope you bought a Rife 110 double band! the real test is when you get the juevos to jump in the deep water and spear some Mahi or el dorado i believe they call them down there. Look for random stuff floating out in the pelagic zone and you can probably spear them right from the boat!

    • Anne Vawter says:

      Hi Jed! Cameron is really happy with his gun, he got a JBL Explorer 24 with the double bands. He hasn’t jumped into deep water yet:) But soon — soon. Good advice about the stuff floating in the pelagic zone!

      Hope you had a Happy New Year!
      The Vawters

  6. Sue & Ed Fish says:

    Hi Ho Anne, Cameron, Adelaide and Isa: We are absolutely enjoying your adventures and your good writing and excellent photos, Anne!! Please keep them coming! I have always wanted to sail, have never done it except in a short paid for sail in Hawaii once which I loved so I am doing it through you and loving it!! I love the girls’ adventures and think this is an enrichment that will change who they are forever as I am sure you knew. Thanks for sharing with us. Happy sailing and a wonderful 2016 full of more adventures. Love, Sue & Ed Fish

    • Sue & Ed Fish says:

      Hi ho Anne, Cameron, Adelaide and Isa! We are absolutely loving your blog! It is a dream adventure and to share it with your kids is another dream. They will be forever changed by it and in all good ways. I know you knew that! So keep them coming! We don’t want to miss any. Anne, your writing and photos are exceptional! What a gift they will be to the girls when they are grown. And I am sure to grandparents and family right now. Have a wonderful 2016 with more of the same and Happy New Year to you all! Love, Sue & Ed Fish

      • Sue & Ed Fish says:

        Sorry. I thought the first one didn’t go! I am including my sister on your list. I hope that is OK. They love travel and have been all over the world. Sue Fish

        • Anne Vawter says:

          Hi Sue and Ed! Absolutely great to include friends and family who would like to receive the updates. Sometimes you have to add the email address to your contacts so the updates don’t go to your junk box and she has to accept/confirm in the first email that she gets so they will keep on coming!

          I’m so glad to hear from you guys and I hope I can see you when next I am in town. I will be coming in mid february and would love to get together with you guys and Bob and Valerie too!

          Cheers,
          Anne

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