Lost at Sea off Baja...

Espiritu and sailing fleet rests in Turtle Bay 

Yes, we were lost at sea off Baja. Well, not completely lost. We knew where we were...sort of.

We knew we were somewhere off Baja. We just didn't know exactly where we were, what direction we were going, or how fast.

But I'm getting ahead of myself.

First, flashback to Ensenada.

Last day at Ensenada -- masts and hills at Cruiseport

Our plan was to head south the next morning for the 2 night passage to 

Turtle Bay with a group of buddy boats including

 Jason and Nicole of Stay Gold, pictured above. 

Let me tell you about these two cray kids: the've only recently returned from a round-trip sail to Hawaii which featured zigging and zagging between not one, not two, but THREE hurricanes. Trying to get to San Francisco they faced 60 foot waves, lost all of their sails, solar panels and all electrical power. Fortunately they had a back-up hand held GPS (All of you cruisers have one aboard, right? More on that later...) and tons of batteries, enabling them to limp into San Francisco victorious and alive. 

They plan on heading directly to the Marquesas, 3,000 miles across the Pacific.

Ah, youth. We're pulling for you two, you crazy kids!

We had a farewell dinner our last night in town with our new Ensenada BFFs.

The Three Musketeers: Richard of Golden Skye, 

Marty of Desiderata and Chris

I was mortified to see this face pop up on the local Mexican news 

broadcasting on all 3 TVs in the restaurant crowded with locals:

Oh noes.    :-/

The Mexican news was showing presidential candidate Donald Trumps' latest anti-Mexican immigrant speech LIVE on TV, complete with Spanish translation!

Several of the restaurant employees went over, crowded around the TV to watch the speech.

I was afraid this would happen.

Mexican restaurant worker watching Donald Trump live on TV

When Donald Trump famously said that essentially all illegal Mexican immigrants into the U.S. were criminals, drug dealers or rapists (and refused to dial it back, instead doubling down on his statement), naturally I was horrified. I had hoped Mexican citizens south of the border would be shielded from such hateful rhetoric. No such luck.

As best I could in my basic Spanish, I explained to the group of employees watching the speech that the great majority of American citizens are deeply offended by Trump 's anti-Mexican statements and  know that these words are, plan and simple, untrue. 

In short, I did what to some is the most unpatriotic act an American can do:

 I humbly apologized for my country.

They seemed touched and gratified by my awkward attempt at diplomacy. 

The next morning we set sail for Turtle Bay. 

This is typically a cold, blustery passage that is often complicated with big swells from winter storms in the north and cold winds. It's a passage every cruiser is happy to have behind him in his quest ever south to the tropics. 

Our first 24 hours were bumpy, lumpy and uneventful. 

Baby squids inexplicably kept jumping up onto the deck. What kind of hell was 

going on under the waves to make them do such a thing? 

 As the sun was about to set for the second night of the passage, our chart plotter began malfunctioning. First, it stopped displaying our course (the direction we were sailing). Next to fail was the boat speed, followed by a loud alarm from both the chart plotter and the auto pilot screaming:

"BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! The auto pilot is not functioning! We are unable to find your position! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!"

Well, alrighty then.

At the time of the electrical failure we were about 2/3 of the way between Ensenada and Turtle Bay. If you look at the map above, we were just heading away from shore to round "the hook." 

Unfortunately we had lost site of/contact with all of our 4 buddy boats. This is normal and expected, as we were all going different speeds and one had stopped off at a tiny port south of Ensenada.

But the truth was, we were alone.

Fortunately, even though the auto pilot was screaming that it was not functioning, it was apparently confused. It WAS still working, and it stayed on course during the entire passage, fortunately.

But our chart plotter and GPS had failed. 

Chris dove into our ditch bag and grabbed one of our two back-up hand held GPS monitors. He installed fresh batteries and after a couple of minutes had us up and running via the 15 year old  portable model. 

We decided that overnight we would chart our coordinates and course every 20-30 minutes until we arrived in Turtle Bay. It was a stressful night, but we were never in danger. Along with dealing with our electrical malfunction we also had multiple sail changes, plus I had to cook dinner! We took one hour watches overnight, resting in the cockpit when we were off watch so we were readily available for any issues that would arise.

Also, the hand held GPS kept dying and needing new batteries like every 60 minutes. Fortunately we bought the economy pack of 36 double A's. 

Adding to the stress of my midnight watch was the damn alarms kept going off literally every 30 seconds all night long and needed to be reset each time. 

"BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! The auto-pilot is not functioning! We are unable to find your position! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!"

Every. Thirty. Seconds.  (sigh)

It reminded me of those scenes in those airplane disaster movies where the cockpit alarms keep going off every two seconds ("STALL! STALL! PULL UP! PULL UP!") like Denzel Washington faced in the movie Flight. 

Of course, the great advantage of sailing over aviation is if the plane faces catastrophic electrical failure, the worse case scenario is smashing into the ground in a million fiery pieces.

The worst case scenario for us? We're left floating there, bobbing, dead in the water. 

We're never buying a plane.

Anyway, I digress.

The sun finally popped over the horizon to our relief. I jumped up in response to a mind-numbing leg cramp and came very close to fainting. I was exhausted. 

Passing Isla Cedros 

Approaching the entrance to Turtle Bay -- finally!  

We dropped the hook and slept for 15 hours.

The next morning we awoke refreshed and relieved. Chris got right to work and found the wire that needed to be repaired in the chart plotter. (My hero!)   :-)

I found this giant bruise on my arm while bathing the first morning. I have no idea when

 this happened, which tells you something about the passage. 

We were happy to see our friends Mark and Eden of Halcyon I had also arrived. 

Mark was a lieutenant commander on a submarine in the Canadian Navy. He told us when new sailors got freaked out with claustrophobia, they would put him in a quiet little room and give him a "hospitality lolipop." We used to use those at Children's Hospital -- they are literally lolipops made out of Valium. 

I could have used a "hospitality lolipop" during our last passage! 

Giving the freaked out soldiers a Valium lolipop is so Canadian. Somehow I doubt the American navy is that gentle with freaked out submarine recruits. 

Anyway, we headed ashore to climb one of the peaks surrounding the village.

View from the top, looking over the other side deep into Baja

Coming down was kinda scary.

I want my hospitality lolipop! 

We then set out to explore the little village.

We found the two pine trees in Turtle Bay

Abandoned baby doll in the street

I thought this was smart -- each side of the concrete yard had this 

combo basketball/soccer gizmo. What a great idea! 

I loved this hand painted stop sign

Oh, no. Another child's toy strewn into the street. As I began to fall into despair, my husband suggested that these were dog chew toys and not children's cherished toys cast aside.

I choose to believe the latter.

So, we're here in Turtle Bay through Christmas. It's a calm, comfortable anchorage, and we're here with several other boats heading south. 

All is well. What's new with YOU? Family and friends, please let me know. I live for your e-mails.

Feliz Navidad!   

Ensenada Wiped Clean

Crystal blue skies greeted us after a cold storm blew threw Ensenada

A huge pacific storm sent giant waves down the coast, including the Ventura pier above. For perspective, the flag is flying at the end of the pier, and the wave is breaking halfway down the structure (photo courtesy of KTLA).

Needless to say, with swells like this humming down the coast, we're staying put here in the marina at Ensenada until these growlers burn themselves out.

Our rudder post work is done and we're back in the marina awaiting a weather window for Turtle Bay.

Pretty sidewalk flower, scrubbed clean

Mission hotel with hills in the distance

The city spreads off the coast, up into the mountains

Out the window of Cruiseport Marina

Two cruise ships were docked at Ensenada at once -- the industry is clearly thriving

Sailboats, a cruise ship and a flock of seagulls all relax in the Ensenada sunshine

Meet Smiley Joe Wiley and Dougie Doug, the comedians responsible for entertaining the Carnival Cruise ships passengers. We knew we had been in Ensenada awhile when we started recognizing these guys on the street. 

Our favorite Ensenada lunch -- 

a freshly made chicken mole "pasty" for a buck

As soon as it became clear we would be in Ensenada for awhile, I started up a yoga group.

(left to right) Lisa of Windcharmer, Eden of Halcyon I, 

Sue of Valkyrie and me

Yoga makes me happy :-)

But there's no denying the seedy downside of Mexico.

This trash patch floats in the corner of Ensenada harbor 

Bufflehead on the floating trash: "I flew all the way from Canada for THIS?" 

And then there's this photo I took in a bathroom at a Mega Super Store:

Quiz: what's missing in this photo? Right. No toilet paper or seat covers --

 not even any DISPENSERS on the walls. I guess you're supposed to bring your own? 

:-/ 

So Mexico is a mixed bag, of course. But what brings us back again and again is the people.

Ensenada family walks hand in hand down the street --

 a heartwarming, and NORMAL, sight

So tonight another storm blows through, then we're hoping for a southbound weather window to Turtle Bay on Wednesday. 

Meanwhile, how could we not love Ensenada?

We Live in Ensenada Now

    We're still in Ensenada for another week or so. My new thing
is to just LIVE wherever we are, for however long we stay there.

                                                  ...So...we live in Ensenada now.

                     

Magenta sunset over the Baja Naval marina in Ensenada, Mexico

It was more than a week ago that we optimistically threw off the dock lines in Ensenada and headed south for the 2 night passage to Turtle Bay, Mexico. 

Unfortunately about 4 hours into the windy, blustery sail, our rudder post started wiggling and squealing again (pig references in regards to rudders, or anything on a sailboat,  are usually not good), so we turned around for the 3rd time since we left San Pedro last month to deal with the issue in Ensenada.

Unfortunately it was pitch black night by the time we entered the harbor approach. Two fishing boats passed us extremely closely, appearing out of nowhere. Then, just as we were entering the harbor, a cruise ship picked THAT MOMENT to exit the same small space.

This photo shows how close we were to the big guy. General rule: When you can see the cabin lights reflected in the waves on the surface of the water, you're too close. 

We found our original dock at Baja Naval, tied off and went to sleep.

Baja Naval is the most economical of the 3 Ensenada marinas

Fortunately the marina has a good shipyard, so we hauled out Espiritu to rebuilt the failing rudder post support system.

I was very involved in every area of the job -- fiberglass, sanding, etc.

Of course...I'm kidding. What I did was...I supervised. And I provided encouragement, drinks and snacks and irish and old-timey music for the workers entertainment (they were very kind, bobbing their heads approvingly).

Me "supervising" Francisco sanding a rudder part

For the first time in my life, I'm living in Espiritu "on the hard" as they call it, in the boatyard, while the work is done on her. The upside? No rocking and rolling. The downside? Well, there are a few...it's very dirty due to the constant sanding, etc. And there's no running water or toilet on board.  So cooking -- and other things -- are a challenge. So...it's a minor hardship, but we're grateful we're in a good spot for Espiritu to receive repairs.

We try to think of it as living in a floating treehouse, which it kinda is.

Also -- the ladder is really, really steep!

Reading on the deck of our floating treehouse

Fortunately we're not the only southbound sailors stuck in Ensenada getting work done.

Espiritu crew with new single-hander buddy Marty of Desiderata. We've never seen Marty without his hat and shades, so he actually might be Brad Pitt taking some time away from Angelina and the kids.

Marty loaned us his most prized possession: Seasons One and Two of Game of Thrones. 

With the female nudity and bloody violence, I'm probably not the target demographic for Game of Thrones. But ya gotta love Peter Dinklage. What IS it about him? I'm curious how a little person like him has such a deep voice.  Hmmmmmmm.

We splurged on a Chinese dinner in town with Don and Lisa of Windcharmer 

and Richard of Golden Skye

We learned a new fortune cookie game. It's called "In Bed."

The way it works is, everyone reads their fortune out loud, prefacing it with the words "In Bed."

"(In bed) Patience is your ally at the moment. Don't worry!" 

It's pretty funny. We laughed and laughed. Try it during your next visit to a Chinese restaurant. Unless...you've got kids. Maybe you could adapt the game.

Kids version: "In school..." or "In sports..." Ah, well, forget it. The game only works with adults.

Speaking of "patience in bed," did you know that apparently Ensenada is the Viagra capital of the world? Well, if it isn't, it feels that way.

This superhero stands outside one of the countless pharmacies in town that sell Viagra without a prescription. 

So THAT explains why I saw Rush Limbaugh walk

 by the other day! (kidding, kidding -- or AM I?) ;-) 

We found this poster featuring an old man 

with a cane at another pharmacy in town

This sign is aimed at the cruise ships crowds 

which dump into Ensenada a few times a week

When I heard there was a Walmart in town, I hightailed it on over there to provision. I brought 800 pesos for the shopping spree. Sounds like a huge amount, right?

800 Mexican pesos = ONLY $42 American dollars

Once you're inside Walmart it pretty much feels like the U.S. version, except the prices are cheaper here and of course everything is in Spanish.

But there are always a couple of things you see in a Latin American big-box store that you would never find in the U.S. version.

For example:

There's a guy chopping and preparing cactus in the Walmart produce section

and...

Trojan condoms are for sale at kiddie-eye level next to the candy and magazines in the check-out aisle! In the U.S. they are almost always behind glass/lock/key.

Well, I guess with all of the Viagra floating around, they've gotta 

do something to help prevent a full-on population explosion! 

And of course, we've been using this extra time to walk and explore all over Ensenada.

Super-big Jesus at the Catholic Church

Even Ensenada is getting into recycling!

There are always cruise ship occupants from L.A. visiting the town.

A Filipino family from L.A. poses during a weekend cruise together

We met a young Jewish expat from L.A. 

here who is trying to start a temple in town

The Bahia Hotel, site of countless Newport-Ensenada Yacht Race awards ceremonies and parties. As we've done the race several times, it was weird seeing the place without a soul out on the grass area.

Elegant Italian restaurant

There's even an old-west style Steak House, complete with 

cowboy and barmaid statues sitting on the bench in front

When there's no ship there, the cruise ship dock 

has an almost South-Pacific feel to it

Papas & Beer actually sponsors the town's street signs

Look! They sell flocked Christmas trees in the town tree lot!

So, that brings us up to date. We may be here another week to finish the work and find a weather window for Turtle Bay. Who knows where we'll be at Christmas? 

Until next time...

Feliz Navidad.