Monday, December 26, 2011

Colin's 1st Christmas


Santa made a visit to our little boat and brought Colin his first Christmas presents.  He was very excited to find toys under the tree on Christmas morning, and giggled with joy as he unwrapped them.


Looks like Santa thought Colin was a very good boy this year...


...and although he won't remember any of it, this year will always be a particularly special one for his parents.

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Saturday, December 24, 2011

Feliz Navidad


The crew of Jean Marie would like to extend holiday wishes to all our friends and loved ones back home.  Feliz Navidad y Feliz Año Nuevo!  We miss you very much.

We are spending Christmas on the dock here in Puerto Los Cabos with some friends we've met on other boats. 

Here are a few images from Christmas in Los Cabos...





...Merry Christmas from James, Millie, and Colin.
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Thursday, December 15, 2011

New Email Address For James

If you have been trying to reach me by email lately with no response I apologize.  It's not that I'm intentionally ignoring my email.  For some reason Yahoo has locked my account and I've been unable to get them to reset the password.  This has been going on for over two weeks now and my opinion of Yahoo has dropped dramatically as a result. 

So...I created a new Gmail account.  Please send email to the following address:

svjeanmarie@gmail.com

Sorry for the confusion.  Please resend any messages you may have sent recently.  I really do enjoy reading them so stay in touch.
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Wednesday, December 14, 2011

San Jose Del Cabo

After a little over two months of sailing we finally put the Pacific Baja coast behind us and made our way to Cabo.  Needless to say, it took a lot longer than I'd anticipated but the important thing is that we made it without any major issues, gear failures, or mutinies. 

Traveling with an infant presents it's own unique set of challenges which have played a large part in our slow pace.  But, according to other sailors I've met, it's also been an unusually strange year for weather.  The reliable NW winds that typically blow down the coast this time of year have been hard to find.  We've been chased down by one low pressure system after another since leaving the Bay Area and have been mostly motoring or sailing in light easterlies or southerlies since leaving Santa Barbara. 

This last leg was particularly painful as we motored for two days from Mag Bay in 3 knots of wind and flat seas.  I had to stop twice and add oil to our weeping diesel.  We rounded the cape to Cabo San Lucas at dawn on Friday as the wind finally began to fill in -- directly on the nose.  We then motor-sailed into 15-knot headwinds for the last 12 miles to the marina.  Brutal. 

Yet, none of it matters now.  We're happy to be here, tied up to the transient dock at Puerto Los Cabos in the town of San Jose del Cabo.  It's hard to believe we've been here five days now.  We decided to sail past Cabo San Lucas and tie up here to avoid the ridiculous Cabo prices.  We're enjoying this modern and peaceful marina, and are currently sharing the dock with a few other boats we've met along the way. 

The plan was to depart today for a 3-day sail to Banderas Bay and Puerto Vallarta but can't seem to muster the energy or enthusiasm to shove off.  We still plan to spend Christmas in Banderas Bay but may spend another week here enjoying the company and exploring the area.

  On Monday we took the long bus ride into Cabo San Lucas and spent the afternoon walking the town, marveling at the dichotomy of luxury resorts and mega-yachts in a developing country where most live a simple life on meager wages.  It reminded us more of Miami Beach than Mexico.  Cabo is quite the spectacle and would be fun if you have the money to spend.  But, for us, a day trip was enough.
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Sunday, December 11, 2011

Sailing to Mag Bay

Spinnaker Run


Colin Says Hi
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Sunday, December 4, 2011

Bahia Magdalena

Hola from Mag Bay. We are currently anchored in Man-of-War Cove off the little fishing village of Puerto Magdalena. We all got a shower, hot meal, and a good night's sleep. So, all is well on Jean Marie.

We motored out of Turtle Bay early Wednesday morning in light wind and fog. After 8 hours of listening to the drone of the engine I pulled out the spinnaker bag and hoisted the chute for the rest of the day. We made some good miles broad-reaching under sunny skies.

By sunset the wind was beginning to fill in and stayed with us almost all the way down to Mag Bay. We sailed into the bay yesterday morning and I threw out a lure as we tacked up to the anchorage. A few minutes later I reeled in a beautiful mackerel. I'm still waiting for that first mahi or tuna strike.

Yesterday I took a 20-minute panga ride to the port of San Carlos for a provision run with some people from the other boats here. As we work our way down the coast we're sharing the anchorages with some very interesting and friendly people, many of which we've already met.

One of the benefits of this lifestyle is the comraderie that develops with other boats along the way, and the sharing of information and telling of sea tales. There are some real characters out here but, for the most part, there are some genuinely hospitable and competent sailors. We've enjoyed many of these encounters and are looking forward to meeting the same boats again down south.

Our plan was to spend a day catching up on rest and getting the boat ready for the 2-day passage to Cabo San Lucas but, once again, we're forced to duck an early winter storm working it's way toward us. These storms seem to be following us down the coast. I thought we'd be clear of these low pressure systems once we got south of Turtle Bay, but here we are again waiting for a weather window. We're expecting this system to blow through on Tuesday and Wednesday and hope to get out on Thursday. Fingers are crossed.
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