October 1997
Three years ago, as I approached my fortieth birthday, I found myself at a point in life at which I knew I was proceeding down an unhealthy, too stressful path. Being the mother of five children and working full-time was taking its toll on my body and psyche. I knew I truly enjoyed my career and, even though the children’s activities were by design limited to one sport at a time (which translates, still, into five teams!), I did not want to fulfill my imagined 20+ more years of driving the same roads, following the same routines. I did not want to look back on my life and see that I did what, perhaps, a majority of other adults in the U.S. do – go to work, raise a family, and follow a “normal” pattern. I wanted to do something different with my family, at least for a portion of my life, and I also knew I needed to get healthy again.
My husband, Michael, and I had dreamed of traveling with our family on our sailing yacht, Shadowfox, from the time I met Michael 20 years ago. Between having the children and career changes along the way, the timing had never come at which we could break away from our routines to take a new course on life. This year, after getting through the early childhood years with our children and finding ourselves financially able to manage time away from careers, we knew it was “now or never” if we were going to be able to travel with our home and children together.
The difficulties of preparing these last few months have been two-fold. First, setting aside the ties we have to the San Francisco Bay Area, our friends, and coworkers has set us on an emotional roller coaster of ups and downs. Also, the lists of tasks to be completed before leaving added to the stress in our already busy schedules and often made us feel overwhelmed nearly to the point of overload. Our family has experienced so many highs and lows this past year, it’s been a learning process for us all. We discovered that not all tasks are mandatory and quickly had to prioritize the “have tos” from the “do along the way” projects. We discovered that we did not need (or want) to cut ties with friends and contacts but simply put them on remote control, rather than local contact. Our communications with friends and loved ones would become more sporadic, via EMAIL and post, but certainly would not cease altogether. And, we began to focus ahead to the world awaiting us rather than looking back to the comfort of routine.
Part of the preparations for me included provisioning the boat to feed seven people. An important idea there was to stock up on foods that are easily prepared underway, such as soups and pasta mixes. In the process, I have discovered nearly every centimeter of space on our 40’ sailboat, and still have some areas available for major stowage for the time when we need to manage a long crossing.
Another area of focus for me was arranging the schooling for our children. I chose to put the kids on Independent Study with each public school in order to acquire the materials and to keep “a toe in the door” in case this adventure became shorter in duration than anticipated. When we reach our “go – no go” decision in early 1998, I will be able to decide how to proceed, since Home Schooling would probably be my next choice. Please check our “School at Sea” link for more information on how we are doing schooling while we travel.
December 1997
We have been cruising on Shadowfox for two months now. But, I haven’t really felt as though I’ve been cruising that long as, until we left the United States, the environment was far too familiar to me to feel like “cruising.” We FINALLY entered Mexico on December 3rd. The trip for me has been one of motor-sailing, rough seas, motion-sickness, and cold weather until about halfway down Baja California. I have not had much fun on the first leg and was getting discouraged enough to wonder seriously if cruising was what I wanted to do. I was uncomfortable, dreading each passage, and mentally bored, since motion-sickness prevented me from doing anything on passage other than sleeping and sitting in the cockpit. We weathered a storm north of Turtle Bay which was arduous, beyond uncomfortable, and lasted seemingly forever. I was so grateful when we dropped anchor in Turtle Bay and seriously not happy with cruising. We stayed a week to try to recuperate. Turtle Bay was a delightful town, our first real taste of Mexico…but the weather kicked up again with 30-40 knot winds at anchor, so we headed south.
Our next anchorage was Bahia Asuncion – another miserable experience with high winds and choppy seas. Our stay was quick and again we motorsailed south. Next stop? We heard on the radio, from boats ahead of us that were as exhausted and discouraged as I was, that Bahia Santa Maria was calm and beautiful. We sailed into this bay in the first significant stretch of nice weather since San Diego. This bay was indeed a pleasure – calm waters, huge powdery sand beach, hundreds of beach-combing shells, snorkeling, fishing, body-surfing. This place showed me what I had envisioned of cruising – at least the scenic part! And, it was nice to hear, from other cruisers, that they had been feeling the same as I. On this trip, the bad days had so far vastly out-numbered the good ones.
After four fairly restful days at Bahia Santa Maria, I was getting itchy feet to move on to somewhere significant to spend the Christmas Holiday. Off to Cabo San Lucas. A decent passage for about 33 hours – the second night’s watch showed me the light flashing from Cabo Falso, which seemed so close, but loomed ahead all night. The sunrise brought us close enough to land again, after taking the Ruhm Line from Bahia Santa Maria to Cabo San Lucas, to see the millionaire’s homes on the north cliffs of Cabo. The scenery was beautiful, the weather warm, the entrance to Cabo more lovely than we expected. What a great place to spend a few days! We’ve been here a week, spending the holiday with other cruising families and enjoying the friendliness of the Mexican people, the delicious food in the older parts of town, and the sights.
Off for La Paz next – again I am dreading the passage as we will be against wind and seas, heading north. At least the trip may be in several relatively short hops. Looking forward to experiencing the difference between La Paz and Cabo San Lucas and going to the islands nearby to anchor.
Looking back so far, I still miss the mental stimulation of my job the most. Life aboard is basic – meals, cleaning, walking everywhere for shopping, refueling, dealing with family members’ needs, discovering the how-tos of phone calls and mail with each place’s situation different. Flexibility is key – accomplishing a single task each day is about feasible. I feel as though I am not using my brain much, in going through the activities needed for basic daily life. The best part is experiencing the new places, new people, cultural differences. The hardest part is trying not to look back, or forward, to what’s beyond the current cruising plans and trying to be focused and satisfied with the present.
February 1998
So much has happened since we left Cabo San Lucas! Our trip to La Paz was, basically, uneventful, as far as the weather was concerned. Our first stop in Los Frailes was a real treat. This anchorage has the only true coral reef in the Sea of Cortez. The snorkeling was spectacular! We were in the water every day, exploring along the reefs and rocks, seeing parrotfish, needlefish, angelfish, and many other varieties, along with the pink, orange, and yellow coral formations. The water was warm, the weather sunny, and the view lovely. The mountains on the south end of the bay at night were silhouetted in a way to look like those in Hawaii. We bought fresh produce and fish on the beach from the local fishermen, enjoyed drinks at the small hotel, hiked the hills and valleys. Northern weather kept us there a week but we couldn’t have been “stuck” in a nicer spot. We will remember Los Frailes as one of our favorites.
Off to La Paz, stopping at Bahia de Los Muertos, Balandra Bay (magnificent scenery here), and Caleta Lobos on the way. In Muertos, we were delightedly surprised to find our friends on Impossible (Vern, Beryl, and Robyn) who used to live in our marina in Alameda! What a coincidence! They stayed an extra day, on their way to Mazatlan, so the kids could enjoy a day at the beach together and we could catch up on old times. In Balandra, we caught up with our cruising friends on Hoptoad, Baloo, and Cross. We spent a couple of rolly nights there at anchor, but the scenery was worth the stop. The craggy peaks over the lagoon are highlighted in the evening sunsets. Mushroom Rock overlooked the turquoise water and exploring the bay at low tide was a fascinating science field trip for the whole family.
Continuing on to La Paz, stopping one more night at Caleta Lobos (a nice, quiet anchorage only about an hour away from the La Paz channel) on the way in order to time our trip into La Paz with the tides. Heading towards the city, we had a surprise in locating the channel. The high-rises in town were ahead of us, in the distance and then unexpectedly, to our left, appeared the Pemex station marking the channel entrance! After a long navigation down the channel we arrived at Marina de La Paz, pulled into the fuel dock, and guess what?! There docked was “Amola,” Yvonne and Tom from Island Yacht Club in Alameda! In the next couple of hours, we renewed friendships with a dozen boats we had known from the San Francisco area. Each trip to the Marina office (or even the restrooms!) was at least a half hour, because we always stopped to chat to someone along the way!
La Paz was a relaxed, middle-class Mexico city, easy to navigate and friendly. Everything we needed was within 30 minutes walk away or a short taxi ride. The marina was centrally located and comfortable, other than the “La Paz waltz” surge that was usually prevalent in the harbor. We spent our days, after school hours, enjoying yummy fish/shrimp tacos at our favorite taco stand, clothes shopping, errands, or just seeing the sights. Provisioning here was easy. Just about everything that was available in the U.S. was readily found at the CCC supermercado. EMAIL was also relatively easy, thanks to a dial-in connection phone line at Merakai’s house in town. We prepared to head for the islands north of the city, after watching the Superbowl and celebrating that Sunday with old and new friends aboard.
The islands north were beautiful – stark volcanic mountains of red, white, and gray striped layers, turquoise bays, snorkeling, swimming, sailing, and potlucks on the beach, in and among studying the plant life, geology, and local villages. We spent a good part of the time with our new friends on Odysseus (Monte, Maureen, Dana, and Lexi), as well as with Baloo, Hoptoad, Cuckoo’s Nest, Aito, and Mouton Noir. All the children loved having their friends along for the island cruising. In fact, we found more and more that our location through the islands was somewhat subversively dictated by the cruising plans of the kids’ friends. The VHF radio was as busy as the phone used to be back in Alameda.
We found the weather in the islands extremely variable – some calm days, some northern, windy days and nights, and then a switch to south-southwest which, one night, required anchor watching and caused La Paz waltzing in San Evaristo bay. Gradually we began to learn to read the weather signs, but Baja climatic anomalies continue to surprise us.
We returned to La Paz, after two weeks north, to buy groceries, EMAIL, enjoy another week in town, and prepare for our crossing to Mazatlan. We found several of our friends had also decided to join us on the crossing! So, we headed out across the Sea of Cortez the same day. As we left, Hoptoad announced to Marina de La Paz that the VHF air waves were, with our departures, relinquished back to the residents!
The crossing was fine the first night, rolling and windy (gusts in the 40 knot range) the second night. Night Two was long and uncomfortable for Shadowfox. No one slept much and we again thanked God for our reliable Autohelm, “Rosco,” who kept steering for us. We arrived in Mazatlan just after sunrise and were welcomed by the harbormaster, Dick Markie’s, voice on the radio, guiding a very tired Shadowfox crew into the tricky channel entrance (Yikes! Just as we entered passed the light marker, a six foot roller came at us from the portside! We didn’t need that kind of excitement!), along the canal, and into a slip! Aaahhh! Back in calm waters again.
Mazatlan, after a week now, has been full of interesting places to see, happy, outgoing people, and a bit of chaos as it was Carnaval week, before the Lenten season began. Mazatlan celebrated its 100th year of Carnaval with the world’s third largest festival (after Rio de Janeiro and New Orleans) and an estimated 80,000 people at the events. We went to see the fireworks display and laser show, which were excellent, but wished for some serious crowd control when we were swept along into a “moshing,” dancing crush of people – not a good way to remember Carnaval. After that experience, we stayed clear of the major events and enjoyed Carnaval from afar, during the daylight hours. Some of our favorite places so far have been NidArt, the Teatro Angela Peralta, and the downtown Cathedral. We look forward to a visit from family here as well as a trip inland to Copper Canyon.
Looking back on the last six weeks since Cabo, I feel more in the cruising mode now. I have continued to let go my “former life” as I move the kids’ education to home schooling and am farther away from my employment days. I am experiencing more of the Mexican culture firsthand now that we are on the mainland in Mazatlan. I continue to be frustrated at my lack of Spanish but have never found a local person who was not patient with my attempts at communication. Mazatlan is a city of almost one million people, including the outlying suburb areas, and is much different than the Baja towns of Cabo San Lucas and La Paz. Just the size of the city, along with the location of the marina out of town, make a huge difference. We take the bus everywhere here and I miss my Cabo and La Paz walks into town. But we still walk quite a bit to explore each area to which the bus delivers us.
I’ve put my thoughts of future and past aside for now as I concentrate on the kids’ schooling and on making sure I experience each place we visit as much as possible. There is so much to learn and see, especially with the knowledge that each spot is temporary and that we’ll travel onward shortly and leave each city behind us. I still miss my career, but less and less, as I know with that work came the commuting, traffic, stress, and other aspects I do NOT miss. I am looking for mental stimulation along the way and am finding new ways to challenge myself, both physically and intellectually. I think I’ve turned the corner from past to present and am happier with what we are doing than I was earlier in our trip. I am glad this aspect change has happened, as I have also watched so many boats’ travels end with couples divorcing and boats abandoned or for sale. So far so good, with the knowledge that our biggest decisions and challenges are yet ahead since our time in Mexico draws to a close.
June 1998
So much has happened, and so little, since my last webpage update! June finds us in Mazatlan, Mexico, for the summer. We are starting our fourth month here in Mazatlan, an unexpected course turn from where we thought we’d be at this date, looking ahead six months ago.
Our first two months in Mazatlan were spent learning our way around town, doing repairs which had begun to pile up as we traveled, and having a family visit in March. We continued with the premise that we would head West in April for the South Pacific and beyond. Provisioning for the crossing was a major focus.
We found the labor charges here in Mexico to be such that we are able to afford to farm out some of our boat maintenance. The Mexican laborers we have met here are hard-working and do an excellent job on the tasks we needed. Custom-fitted canvas covers for gerry cans were quite affordable and finished off as if works of art. The brightwork was done similarly well, as was the hull maintenance and diving. The labor costs were a fraction of U.S. prices, allowing us the time to work on alternate projects we needed to do ourselves.
Home school continued to take much of my time, as each morning we worked from 8:30 to noon, and I put in additional hours correcting work and preparing plans and tests. Home school has given me one outlet for my personal need for a mental challenge. I have to work to keep ahead of the kids in school!
The end of March found us itching to see more of Mexico than the Mazatlan area, which has become, in many ways, quite North Americanized. We had originally looked into visiting Copper Canyon, but found the cost prohibitive and, then, a pending train strike discouraged us further. Instead, we took a week and traveled inland to Guadalajara on the bus. What an experience! Not only was the eight hour bus drive enjoyable and the scenery beautiful, but the city was wonderful. The museums, monuments, architecture, cathedral, art, and colorful people kept all seven of us entertained for the week. The restaurants and hotel in which we stayed were right downtown, a short walk from the city center. We also met our cruising friends, Chris and Barbara Webber, there for the first two days, and shared a good part of the city together. We spent a day in Tlaquepaque and another in Tonala, two outlying areas which used to be separate towns 25 years ago (when I last visited Guadalajara) and have been absorbed into the city limits. The contrasts between old town areas and the new modern strip malls was amazing. And the unique arts and crafts were ever eye-catching and tempting to buy. We even visited the City Zoo, only ten years old, quite modern and very well designed and maintained, with its own amusement park, complete with roller coasters, right next door.
Upon our return to Mazatlan, the kids found new friends and old at the Marina and continued to “hang out” together after school, going to the mall or a movie, the pool for a swim, surfing at the beach, or just talking and listening to music. The cruising kids we’ve met along the way have been, without exception, wonderful kids. They are self-confident, polite, and know the value of the time they have with other kids. They make friends quickly and with lasting loyalty. Our children have made life-long friends with whom they’ve only spent a few weeks at most.
Our preparations in April were to head us West across the Pacific. However, due to a family visit and some financial delays, May was upon us before we could leave Mazatlan. Shadowfox was completely packed to the gills with provisions to make the ocean crossing, all was securely stowed, and we were ready to sail…but were we? I found myself in the odd position of being the only one of seven aboard who really wanted to “head West.” The weather faxes showed tropical anomalies forming to the south and, along with the general anxiety of the El Nino year, the “little voices” inside our heads were no longer chanting Tahitian melodies. The kids didn’t want to leave the mainland. So, the second week of May, we decided, after MUCH soul searching, to stay in Mexico another season.
So here I am in Mazatlan for the summer, with five children aboard, continuing with schooling, and preparing Shadowfox for the season’s storms. Michael returned to work in the States to finance our extra cruising plans and a new foray, an RV trip into the States’ East Coast areas to study American History up close. We plan to travel by RV for September and October, leaving Shadowfox secured in Marina Mazatlan for the hottest, stormiest season. It’s difficult for me to have our family split apart for these months, especially after being constantly together since last October. But, if we must in order to keep traveling a bit longer, then we will make do.
I look back now at my “career days” and know I will return to work in the future. But, I hope I can travel for several more years before then. I am enjoying this cruising lifestyle more than I expected, delighting in seeing the kids learn new places and people and customs, and feeling more self-confident as I have to manage boat repairs and storm preparation on my own. The kids and I work the boat projects together, with the occasional needed assistance of cruising friends here in Mazatlan, since Michael is away three weeks at a time.
I miss my family, and cooler weather, the most from Mazatlan. But, I hope to get a taste of both on our RV trip north. I look forward to continuing on Shadowfox with all our family together in November, traveling southwards along Mexico’s mainland coast after the weather season has passed. We’d like to experience more of Mexico before jumping off into the Pacific. Our next decision point is March, 1999.
November 1998
Our R.V. trip went well! I am writing you from Calabasas, at my sister’s house, where we’ve been holed up for the last four days, after dropping the R.V. back to Corona, CA. We spent a day unloading, cleaning, and driving it back. The next two days were school – “final exams” for the kids on what we studied during the trip – then my correcting papers day and a day of repacking all our stuff and sorting out what can’t go to Mexico! It’s been a busy week. We even ended up at the Mall a couple of times and the kids saw two movies. My sister, brother-in-law, and niece all work, so we had the house to ourselves all day, which was perfect as we had too much to get done! We enjoyed a good visit, as usual.
This morning (Monday), we pack up our mountain of bags into two “Robin’s egg blue” (my niece’s words!) Neons and drive to Days Inn in San Diego for two nights. We will pick up last-minute boat supplies there and catch the bus in Tijuana for Mazatlan. Then, we will arrive in Mazatlan on Thanksgiving Day, to another hotel room for a couple of nights, so we can get Shadowfox back together to move home. The boat has been closed up over two months now and will need some major cleaning and re-org before we can get aboard.
We plan to stay in Mazatlan about three weeks or less, then set sail for Puerto Vallarta, where we’ll stay for Christmas. Then, off down the coast of Mexico a bit further, into the tropical area known as the “Gold Coast.” Come mid-March, we again decide whether we go West into the Pacific, or….??? We have two years left to travel until Alec is a high school senior. At that point, he wants to be “in school, somewhere that is English-speaking.” Don’t know the location yet!
The R.V. trip went so well! We really enjoyed it and wished we could spend more time in each place – we rushed and we still had the R.V. 62 days! We drove from Marin County, north of San Francisco, up through Fort Bragg, Scotia, CA, (toured the lumber mill and fish hatcheries), then across Oregon to Mt. St. Helens (VERY awe-inspiring and interesting), up to Seattle to visit friends we met cruising in Mexico. Next, we entered British Columbia and visited more cruising friends in Chilliwack, then off to Banff and Lake Louise and the Columbia Icefields. That’s a favorite spot – the kids thought it was “pretty cool” seeing and walking on the glaciers and the mountains, the second day we were there, received a dusting of snow – it was beautiful! We were visited by more friends in Banff – a kindergarten (yes!) friend of mine settled in Edmonton years ago and he, his wife, and two sons drove down and spent a day with us at the Hot Springs. He is a geologist and was nice enough to give us all an impromptu class in the geology of the area and the creation of the Hot Springs. (We had some anxiety in the family about the Hot Springs, having just visited Mt. St. Helens and seen the movie, “Dante’s Peak…”). Our younger children were glad to know the Hot Springs were NOT volcanically-fed and were filtered into a swimming pool setting. Thanks, “Uncle Paul!”
From Banff, we drove across Canada – the Fall colors in Ontario were spectacular – visiting a Clydesdale ranch (Tracey is a horse enthusiast), getting our first views of the Great Lakes, and marveling at just how big Canada is and how much open land there is there – an amazing sight, after living in crowded suburbs most of our lives. Our next significant Canadian stop was Niagara Falls – we loved the Falls, visited behind them and saw then at night with the colored spotlights changing all the cascades to different hues of red, startling white, blues, liquid gold, and greens.
We headed to Montreal for our last Canadian spot, and spent a night parked right downtown in the R.V., enjoying the lighted city skyline of intermingled old and new
buildings. Montreal was a “journey down Memory Lane” for Michael, as it’s the first North American city where he landed when emigrating to the United States in 1964, from Poland. He remembers sailing down the St. Lawrence River on the passenger liner, the Batory, into the Montreal harbor.
We wistfully left Canada behind and head into the New England States. We headed into Vermont and took a beautiful driving tour route through the countryside of the Green Mountains, learning our first about the Revolutionary War (the Green Mountain Boys). We visited the Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream plant – yum! – and the Cold Hollow Creek Apple Cider Farm. Next was a drive through New Hampshire, and up to York, Maine to enjoy a seafood lunch on the Atlantic Ocean. Into Massachusetts to the Boston area was next on the agenda. We spent a day at MinuteMan National Historic Site (excellent educational visitor’s center and multi-media presentation) and toured the USS Constitution, in Boston Harbor. Then second day in Boston, we walked the Freedom Trail, which covers such Revolutionary War sites as Paul Revere’s house, the Old State House in downtown, the Old North Church (“one if by land, two if by sea” – ah, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow rides again!) and Bunker Hill. We headed for Cape Cod next (actually spent a day driving all the way to the end to see Provincetown and to run around in the Atlantic sand dunes!), then to Mystic, Connecticut, for Mystic pizza (the BEST pizza!) and a bit of tourist shopping.
We took a deep breath as our next stop was…New York City! It was Caitlin’s 13th birthday and she wanted to be in Times Square on her special day! (But, I had nightmares of losing one of the kids on the subway or simply getting totally lost in the sea of humanity there, so was apprehensive about our Big City visit.) Our two days in NYC couldn’t have been better (unless we were able to spend more days there!). We stayed in Florida, New York, and rode the train, then subway, into the City, which landed us right at the World Trade Center. From there, we took a two-day bus tour all around Downtown and Uptown, which allowed us to stop wherever we wanted, and get off and on the bus as many times as we wanted, as we explored different points of interest. We rode the Staten Island Ferry (it was still “free” when we were there – before the election!) to get a closer look at the Statue of Liberty and to get great photos of the Manhattan Skyline from the harbor’s view. We stopped at Times Square for a fast-food lunch and a look at the MTV Studios, in honor of our “birthday girl.” The top of the Empire State building gave us that classic view of Manhattan Island, Brooklyn, and the surrounding areas. We saw works from our favorite painters at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (“Look, Mom, that’s the painting in the movie, ‘Titanic'” – Monet’s “Water Lilies”), as well as a special exhibit on Knighthood armor and battle weaponry (Tracey was especially enthralled by this show, as she has been collecting Knights Legos). New York was wonderful, alive, and energizing, while exhausting at the same time – we are so unaccustomed to the “rush, rush” atmosphere. Caitlin plans to move there when she is older – she LOVED New York City!
After New York, we decided we needed some quiet countryside again, so headed into Pennsylvania to visit the Hershey Chocolate Factory – another “yum” – and the Amish area. Going from NYC to view the Amish culture was about as opposite as we could have done. The Pennsylvania countryside captured us with its beauty, and the Amish visitor’s center, with its multi-media presentation, helped us understand why these quiet people have chosen their way of life in the midst of a modern world. The other connection we discovered between NYC and the Amish people is the horse-drawn carriages in Central Park (which you can rent to ride around in the Park for “only $35/15 minutes” – we did not partake in THAT past time), are manufactured by hand by the Amish! You never know where the connections will arise.
Our last stop in Pennsylvania was Gettysburg, our first awesome experience about the Civil War, and one not easy to forget. The museum there is quite extensive, housing a large collection of artifacts from the Battle of Gettysburg and the lifestyle of the time. The Cemetery is extensive, dotted with monuments and gravestones stretching for miles in all directions. The place was impressive but left us with sadness the battle ever had to occur. So much loss of life.
From Gettysburg, our next History focus was Washington, D.C. We spent our first day there visiting the Bureau of Printing and Engraving (all that money!!!), the Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial (a great follow-up from Gettysburg, as the Gettysburg Address is inscribed on the Monument’s right-hand wall), and the Vietnam War Memorial (shed some tears here). The Smithsonian Air and Space Museum was next – the kids marveled at the Wright Brothers’ plane, as compared to the space capsules on the opposing side of the building. Flight Simulator was a highlight, as well as the computer-generated “design your own plane” display. We were also lucky enough to catch a “Star Wars” special exhibit there, complete with video interview of George Lucas about where he derived his ideas for the Trilogy, and displays of the actual ship models, costumes, and artist drawings that helped create the movies.
Our second day in Washington, D.C. was spent on the White House tour (brief but interesting) and a visit to the National Holocaust Memorial Museum (unbelievably moving, with well-thought-out exhibits appropriate by age level). Our older children commented they were glad they had seen Schindler’s List before visiting this museum. This film helped them understand the background of the Holocaust more, before seeing the exhibits. The Holocaust Museum drained us emotionally by mid-afternoon, so we headed back to the R.V. early our second day.
Our final day in Washington presented us the completion of our federal government studies, visiting the Capitol Building (Senate and House chambers), the Library of Congress, and the Supreme Court. We spent one last visit at the Air and Space Museum
to see a planetarium show on Celestial Navigation (seemed appropriate, considering our ship-board lifestyle) and said good-bye to another large city, although one much quieter and slower-paced than New York!
From Washington, D.C., we visited Jamestown and Williamsburg (too commercial, expensive, and disappointing, except for the Jamestown National Historic Park, which was excellent and affordable). We drove the R.V. onto a ferry to cross the James River, and began our drive back across the United States. We stopped in Bowling Green, Kentucky, for a tour of the Corvette Museum and Manufacturing Plant (I liked the midnight blue coupe, myself…dreaming on), then on across on I-40 to Winslow, Arizona, to see the only authenticated meteor crater and learn more about space exploration.
Our last stop before seeing Los Angeles again was to visit yet another family of cruising friends in Chandler, Arizona. That’s been one great highlight of cruising – we have friends all over the countryside!
Well, back to Shadowfox, Mexico, and beyond. The travel bug hasn’t left us yet and we look forward to what the next year has in store for us. Stay tuned!
March 1999
We are back in Mexico, after our wonderful R.V. trip, and have enjoyed the Holidays in Puerto Vallarta, after sailing south from Mazatlan in November. Returning from the States was somewhat more of a readjustment for me, as we traveled there for three months, visiting family and friends along the way. I am glad to be home on Shadowfox (after recovering from the chores of moving us all back aboard!) and yet, I am wistful because I don’t expect to be back in the States anytime soon.
Leaving Mazatlan was a sad experience for me. We lived there for eight months and I truly enjoyed the people and city. I had learned my way around and made many wonderful friends. I hoped to have provisioned there for the crossing to the South Pacific but “Mexico South” was calling our captain… I think my regret at leaving Mazatlan colored my enjoyment of the anchorages that followed.
The Holidays in Puerto Vallarta (PV) were very enjoyable. PV is a pretty city, ringed by tropical mountains. I find PV too touristy (and too expensive) for me, especially at the marina, but the old part of town, as with Mazatlan, is delightful. Again, we met old friends and new here and spent the two weeks around Christmas and New Year’s Eve visiting and reacquainting.
One highlight during our first stay in PV was a horseback riding tour we took into the mountains behind the city. The ranch we chose was about a hour outside PV. Our guides were very nice and conscientious about our safety. Our tour took us up a river valley to a spot at which we were treated to an unusual event – our guides unsaddled two horses and took them into a deep pool at a bend in the stream. We then had a chance to ride the horses bareback into the water as the horses swam in the river pool! Tracey and Alec each took several turns – what an exhilarating experience! The next stop on the tour was a hot springs hostel where we enjoyed a quick soak and ate lunch under the palm trees. The river area was very overgrown with jungle vines and flowering plants – a very beautiful scene. I really enjoyed this day!
After a month in PV, we were very ready to get out of the marina and see some new sights (and spend less money!) So, eagerly, we headed south to Barra de Navidad. Our first stop was in Ipala, a stopover anchorage around the point from PV. We only stayed a night and moved on to Chamela where again we spent a night. The islands south of Chamela’s main anchorage looked interesting and we made a mental note to check them out more closely on the way back north to PV later in the month. Our last anchorage before Barra was Tenacatita, which became our favorite spot south of PV.
Tenacatita’s waters were calm and clear. The anchorage was beautiful, edged by flowering trees and jungle vines. The lagoon and river here were a definite plus, beautiful and exciting to navigate. Swimming and snorkeling gave me a chance for some water exercise. The peacefulness of the spot provided the calm I needed to catch up on school work and rest from the craziness of the holidays in Puerto Vallarta.
Barra de Navidad was another favorite spot – what a sweet town, and a great place to provision – lots of fresh fruits and vegetables. The carneceria was excellent – Michael got his fill of fresh ribeye steaks and ribs and the rest of us enjoyed the “chicken man’s” BBQ and tortillas. The town was friendly, inexpensive, and treated us to a myriad of pretty arts and crafts, jewelry and unusual handmade goods. The kids found a Tessie’s Malt Shop for milkshakes and sundaes and I found Beer Bob’s Book Exchange where we were all able to find a couple of new novels to peruse.
A half hour bus ride north of Barra is the town of Melaque. Melaque is about twice the size of Barra de Navidad. Shopping there was a bit more lucrative and the produce available in more variety. We were also happy to discover a bank there, hardware store, and several other needed shops. Both towns were fun to explore.
Next to Barra was the Grand Bay Hotel, a six-star (if there is such a rating) resort and marina. We were lucky enough to spend four nights there, getting our water tanks filled, having laundry done, and enjoying the pool, and other resort activities. This hotel made PV look tired! Staying there was a special treat for us, before heading north back to Puerto Vallarta. Although we liked Barra very much, I think my favorite memories will be of the peace and beauty of Tenacatita.
I find myself now back in Puerto Vallarta, madly preparing lesson plans, attacking projects, and provisioning in preparation for our crossing the Pacific to the Marquesas. I will miss Mexico but am looking forward to new adventures in Polynesia.
May 1999
We are back in Mexico, after our third attempt to head West (counting last year’s try in May, 1998). This last attempt was the most painful for me, as I found myself the most enthusiastic about heading West and then, subsequently, the cause for our turning back to the Mainland. I could not seem to get passed the motion sickness, even after being at sea more than four days. I was at the point where I was shaking and having difficulty climbing the companionway to get into the cockpit. I could either vomit or lie down to try to sleep, those were my only choices. Michael found himself single-handling Shadowfox, which he has often done, but additionally, he was worried about my deteriorating health and trying to care for five children, meals, etc. The situation was overwhelming and not improving.
I know that I will always regret not being able to cruise the South Pacific as a family – I still see very clear pictures in my mind of the “land ho!” yell in spotting the Marquesas after several weeks at sea, as well as the beauty of the islands there, the Tuamotus, and Tahiti. I had so looked forward to learning firsthand the cultures of the varied South Pacific countries, the use of the French language I studied in school, and the enjoyment of our new cruising friends who all headed West ahead of us. The only hurdle would be the challenges of so many ocean crossings. Perhaps someday I will discover a medicine that will allow me extended cruising travel but, by then, I will not be able to enjoy the company of the whole family along the way.
I am not unhappy remaining in Mexico another season. Mexico is certainly a wonderful, beautiful, and friendly country, with much to still explore and teach us. I am wistful still about my failure to head West, but am trying to refocus on the attractions waiting in the Sea of Cortez. I look forward to joining our friends who are already cruising there and to having time to rethink what our next adventures can be. We are fortunate to have several choices for our next few years.
I would like to continue home schooling and remain together as a family as much as possible, as we have only two years left before our oldest child leaves for college. Shadowfox still allows us an environment in which we can travel, stay a close communicative family, and take our home with us!
October 1999
After returning to Mexico from our third abortive attempt to head West across the Pacific Ocean, I find myself, even after six months, still filled with overwhelming regret at not being able to experience all the South Pacific has to offer with my family. Although our three months in the Sea of Cortez this year were enjoyable, I could not shake the feeling of longing for the South Pacific islands and culture, as well as the feeling of failure at having to turn back to Mexico. I hope more time will allow me to get past my regrets but I recognize unhappily that my time window to be able to see the Pacific as a whole family is beyond me now.
The Sea of Cortez was beautiful, interesting, and enjoyable again this year. I consider myself lucky, despite my disappointments, to be able to have experienced the Sea again in more detail. We had not traveled very far north last season, so were able to see places other cruisers had enthusiastically described.
Our crossing from Mazatlan to La Paz was easy and uneventful, perhaps Nature’s gift to me after my endurance test at sea off the coast of Puerto Vallarta the month before. After a short stay in La Paz, we headed to one of my favorite Baja spots, Isla San Francisco, to regain our comfort level at anchor and begin to relax again after the emotional roller-coaster of the past month. Isla San Francicso remains one of my favorite places in the Sea. I have never tired of hiking its volcanic crests of reddish and green rocks, taking in the views of the Baja mountains across the blue Sea, and snorkeling and swimming in its protected, warm waters. The island gave us a special treat this time – fresh calamari right out of the sea.
We continued north to Agua Verde, bypassing San Evaristo, the northernmost anchorage we’d visited last season. Agua Verde was indeed a treat. We could have stayed there for weeks! The anchorages in the small bay afforded protection from most wind directions, the rock formations were exceptionally beautiful, the small fishing village friendly and delightful, and the water clear and warm. At the north end of the anchorage is the “Agua Verde Yacht Club,” an abandoned fishing hut on which is drawn various messages left by visiting cruisers. Meghan added our “Shadowfox” entry to the front wall. We stayed over a week, made new cruising friends, celebrated our 22nd anniversary, complete with “floating champagne bar” (boogie board balancing the folding cooler!) and sparkling apple cider for our children. Our friend, Brian, on Baloo (with whom we buddy-boated this season), took a wonderful photo for us, with the kids toasting us while we floated in the warm water, sitting on life vests, sipping our bubbly. Then, to top the day, the cruisers anchored with us brought us gifts and more champagne, via a mobile dinghy raft-up, as they happened to see references to our anniversary on SailMail as the messages went by. What a special anniversary memory!
From Agua Verde, we motored (not much wind) to Puerto Escondido. Although the bay in this natural harbor is pretty with its majestic mountains rising from the sea, the anchorage was bumpy and gusty. We stayed a day to buy groceries at the R.V. park, then headed to Isla Diamantes and Honeymoon Cove. We celebrated Bridget’s 12th birthday in Honeymoon Cove, rafted up with Monica, Brian, and baby Peter on Baloo. The party was fun with close friends and Peter to keep us entertained. (I was enjoying being “auntie,” no longer having the full-time job of taking care of a baby.) Peter had lots of buddies on Shadowfox! Honeymoon Cove had just enough room for our raft-up, really being a single boat anchorage (how the cove retains its name). We hiked around on the island, which houses a nature sanctuary complete with well-maintained trails.
We headed up the island to Puerto Ballandra which turned out to be another of our favorite places. The bay was well-protected from the easterly winds we had and large enough for at least ten boats to anchor. We met new cruising friends here and the kids were lucky enough to meet Kevin, on “Well Deserved,” who taught them how to wake-board. Michael and I hiked into the valley on the island, found the worn remains of a village long washed away, and watched the lizards scurry quickly away from our crunching feet as we walked up the dry wash. Returning to the beach, by this time midday, we simply sat down in the cool water and talked for awhile, enjoying the view of the bay, the boats at anchor, and the sparkles of Loreto across the water.
From Puerto Ballandra, we motored over to the town of Loreto a couple of times for groceries and a meal out. Although Loreto was not a favorite place for us, the town did have a large, well-stocked gorcery store, e-mail access at the Real Estate office, and good restaurants. The shops were fun to browse, although prices were expensive. We noted, as we moved northward, prices sometimes dramatically increased as proximity to U.S. moeny was closer and closer.
From Loreto, we motored to Isla Coronados for a couple of days. The anchorage (north) was quite exposed, the water relatively deep and cold, and the feeling of exposure discomforting. So, we moved north again, this time to San Juanico.
San Juanico, as with Agua Verde, was lined with beautiful rock formation, arid countryside, and hiking opportunities. The Cruisers’ Shrine was of special interest. On the north beach is a lone tree, covered with mementos from various boats that have visited the cove. We spent a hour looking at all the signs, mobiles, carvings, etc., searching for familiar names. I thought fondly of the boats who had headed West with us this year, wondering how they were doing in the South Pacific. Michael and I took a dighy ride out around the northern point up to the next anchorage to see the conditions there. The snorkeling there, along the natural reef, looked wonderful. That afternoon, the wind picked up from the south, so we scooted around the corner to a smaller anchorage to the north.
From San Juanico, we headed out for our longest day passage in the sea so far, to Bahia Concepcion. We fished along the way, catching a good sized tuna on the trip up. The best part of the day was when Nature gifted us with steady, light winds coming into the large Bahia Concepcion. We flew our new spinnaker for over an hour, enjoying a beautiful run into the bay down to the La Burra anchorage. Here, we caught up with our cruising friends, Chris and Barbara on “Fairwind,” who had left La Paz about a week ahead of us.
The next day, Fairwind took us clamming! We dinghied to a small bay, Santa Barbara anchorage south of our spot, and spent the morning digging clams out of the sand with our fingers, in about three feet of water. We found white clams and the Chocolates, as well. We filled a huge net bag of clams and, in spite of the 95 degree heat, managed to eat a good many of them, steamed with butter and garlic, over the next couple of days. The rest we returned to the sea.
Fairwind also took us to see the petroglyph drawings in the creek canyon near La Burra. The drawings were very interesting. We wondered how old they might be. There was one, in particular, that looked like a square-rigger. Perhaps, the Indian artist was depicting one of the Spanish ships centuries ago.
The heat in Bahia Concepcion finally got to us, after only four days, and we headed north for Santa Rosalia. Bahia Concepcion’s water temperature was in the 90s and so was the air temperature. We simply could not cool off and could not sleep at night, even with all our little D/C fans going 24 hours a day. Three of the kids slept on deck to stay cooler, with the rest of us below. Too hot for us!
As soon as we left Bahia Concepcion, the weather became cooler, the water temperature actually cold. We had a rough sail to Santa Rosalia, but decided to keep going to pull into the town marina late the same afternoon. We bypassed a couple of anchorages that looked, because of the wind direction, rolling and uncomfortable. Santa Rosalia was our favorite town on the Baja. The quaint, cute houses of wood, the unique steel chapel, the copper mine museum, and the company of good friends there kept us in the marina a week. We enjoyed walking around town in the cooler weather and sampling the local taquerias and hot dog stands. We knew this place was our last stop on the Baja side, so we took a bit more time to enjoy ourselves.
We anchored near Santa Rosalia, on the north end of San Marcos island, for a couple of days to celebrate Fourth of July and to spend a few more relaxing moments at anchor. The next stop was San Carlos, which meant marina expenses, last minute school testing and correcting, and boat work to get Shadowfox sealed up for a few months while we returned to the States to escape the summer heat. The kids and I worked hard for a week and a half while Michael took the bus to Tucson and returned with a van. We closed up Shadowfox wistfully, not knowing if we’d be returning any time soon.
Off to the States, to visit friends and family, explore the Western States to see if any areas looked as though we like to stay, and to have a much-needed month’s vacation before Michael returned to work. People often tell me I’ve been on vacation for two years. In actuality, we have simply been living elsewhere, certainly not on vacation, but enjoying a new lifestyle we hope to keep. We saw many beautiful places during our drive through the Western States and Canada. Washington State had the most appeal to us for places to resettle but we are still uncertain when and how to settle down on land again. We love our boating life and hope to keep our family close by continuing aboard Shadowfox in some capacity at least.
At this point, we are house-sitting for a variety of friends and family to keep our housing costs at a minimum, until we decide what to do next in our Shadowfox adventures. We have contracts through November, then who knows? We are looking in the SF Bay Area for house-sitting possibilities now, as that’s where Michael’s job is currently. We look forward to our future into the unknown with mixed feelings of anxiety and excitement, looking forward to see how our adventures will unfold into the millenium. Where will we be on New Year’s Eve?!