Back To La Paz

In mid-December, Jerry and I flew back to Wisconsin where we enjoyed a wonderful two-week visit with family and friends. The old farmhouse was filled to the brim as everyone made it home for this holiday. My daughter Betsy O'Keefe's graduation from UW-Stout (Hospitality & Tourism/Business Management) on December 18th presented a terrific reason to celebrate, and would you believe SHE prepared all the tasty hors'dourves, pairing the wine appropriately, of course!

My Girls...

Leslie, Betsy, & Shemagne

We are so proud of Betsy!!

The day after Christmas we all gathered at brother Bill & Jennifer's new home for a Huber Family Photo Op.

L to R...
Standing: Bill, Jennifer, Leslie, Jerry, 
Mary Lee, Kim, John, Hank

Sitting: Bailee, Billie Jo, Nehemiah, 
Shemagne, Betsy, 
Georgia holding Brooke, Jake holding Jenna

 Floor: Lily, Carter, Gabby

After returning to San Diego to provision SEA STORY, we set out on January 4th for an overnight sail down to Ensenada (60 miles south of Tijuana) where we spent the next six days "on the hard" in Baja Naval Boat Works while the boat received a new coat of bottom paint.

 There's Jerry at our "penthouse" 14 ft above the hard. 

Two days later they raised the boat even more to let the centerboard down, 

and the ladder was extended another 4 feet. 

What a view out over the marina! 

We climbed that ladder many times over six days...good exercise 

and a reason to moderate Pacifico and margarita consumption! 

I must admit, I rather enjoyed living in the boatyard those days. Cooking, reading, sleeping, internet...all from our home in the sky. It was a great bird's eye view of many things: the cruise ships coming and going in the harbor, the expertise of the yard workers as they manipulated every size and kind of boat (sail and power) in and around the yard, the workers daily 30 minute volley ball game during their lunch time, and observing the many folks strolling on the malecon below our boat just beyond the fence.  Watching a sunset from that vantage with a glass of vino in hand....lovely! And we were impressed with the professionalism and cleanliness of Baja Naval.  It's a good place to have boat work done.

Painting completed! Isn't SEA STORY beautiful??!

A moment after I took this photo I climbed up that ladder one last time

before a workman removed it. Seconds later we began our ride on the hoist, suspended in that sling out over the water.  The sling was lowered, then removed, and we were officially "splashed".  

We departed Ensenada on January 11th and made stops along the way at San Carlos, Turtle Bay, Ascuncion, Abreojos, Belcher's Cove at Magdalena Bay, Cabo San Lucas, and Los Muertos.

Very cool gas guy at Turtle Bay! He comes out to boats 

in the anchorage with a "panga gas station".

A full day of dense fog between Abreojos and Belcher's Cove

in Mag Bay!  Gotta love that radar....

Remember, you don't have to shovel fog...

Our 22-day trip from San Diego to La Paz included five overnight passages...Jerry and I each taking watches at the helm while the other sleeps. We truly enjoy having Sirius radio onboard...Jazz, Classical, and the "N's": NPR & NFL.  GO PACKERS!!!  How 'bout dem Super Bowl Champs!!! Cheese is good!!

It's during those night watches that I especially enjoy "Radio Classics" on our Sirius radio.  I mean, who couldn't get into those old programs while sailing under a night sky loaded with stars...or better yet, a full moon......a moon so bright I could read my watch. Honestly.  Just the moonlight reflecting off the waves, the sloosh of the boat slicing through the water...and great music....James Taylor, Sinatra, Diana Krall...or how about....

..."Gunsmoke" with William Conrad, or "Richard Diamond, Private Detective" starring Dick Powell, or "The Shadow", "Jack Benny", "Fibber Magee & Molly", or "Have Gun, Will Travel". Oh, and the commercials from that time: ads for war bonds, Brylcreem, Lucky Strikes, and Rambler cars with "more shoulder room for six people"!!  I know the whales and dolphins MUST hear me hootin' some nights.

 Ahhhh....but there it comes......

....the sun, rising on our port... 

.....while the moon descends on our starboard....

And the smell of coffee perking on the gimbled stove in the galley marks the end of a night sail and the promise of a beautiful new day.

The magnificent Baja coast...

 coming out of Mag Bay, heading toward Cabo San Lucas

On January 26th we sailed into La Paz where old friends greeted us right at our dock here at Marina Palmira. I'm back in the music scene here in La Paz, playing at the jam sessions, and our little trio "Helado" (Sp. ice cream...smooth & cool) Larry on drums, Stefan on bass, and me on piano/vocals performed for the big Valentine's Day Dinner/Dance.  

Next week we depart La Paz for a month..two days' sail down to Los Frailles (winter home of Jesse "The Body" Ventura) on the SE end of Baja, to begin the southern crossing to Mazatlan, Chacala, and Puerto Vallarta.  We think we'll be back to La Paz some time in early April, but who knows...it all depends on the winds and waves...

Jerry just took this photo of me writing this

blog entry. I'd crawled into the V berth (our storage/dressing area)

 to write because there's a lovely breeze coming in that hatch right now.

LIFE IS WONDERFUL!

I hope you are all well and enjoying life also...

'Til next time...

Mary Lee