January 15, 2001

"It's been wet and wild in Southern California this past week. But, we've had a break in the weather and the outlook for the next few days is good. So, after several months of preparation, we're finally headed south with the whales to the warmer weather."

20-25 knot winds and 6-8' seas between San Diego and Turtle Bay.

January 17, 2001

"We made it safely through the first leg of our trip...the 338 nautical mile sail from San Diego to Bahia de Tortugas. It took us 49 hours to get here..with some big seas and lotsa wind. Several times the swells were in the 10-12 foot range, left over from the big California storms last week. We also encountered some winds over 30 knots. But, the good news was the seas and wind were behind us and pushed us pretty fast down the coast of Baja. That makes for a more comfortable ride than beating into the wind. Our farthest point from land was late last night when we were 75 miles offshore. Off Cedros Island, at about 11:00pm, we encountered several big freighters, including one we had to call on the radio to be sure he saw us. They passed within 1/4 mile of our position.

We're now having lunch aboard the boat and resting for a midnight departure to Magdalena Bay (240 nm) tonight. By leaving at that hour we should arrive there in daylight. We're also picking up 30 gallons of fuel from a guy who pumps it from his small dinghy. It's primitive, but, there's no more fuel stops between here and Cabo."

The view from the cockpit was quite comfortable.

"After an exceptional anchorage at Magdalena Bay, we're back at sea and headed for Cabo San Lucas. Mag Bay was full of whales. In fact, we saw several small boats carrying whale watching tourists pass by our anchorage to see who we were. We had a great rest there, cleaned the boat, took hot showers and generally enjoyed our surroundings.

January 22, 2001

Approaching Cabo San Lucas at 7:30 am on January 22^nd.

January 24, 2001

"We spent a few hours today going through the Mexican bureaucracy of bringing a boat into port. We had to go to Immigration first. They give you a form you take to a bank and pay a fee. Then, you go back to Immigration and they stamp (Mexican officials LOVE stamps) your visa. Then you take that to the Port Captain who you present your crew list to in triplicate. Then he gives you a form you take to the Game Warden's office. He gives you a stamp that allows you to go back to the bank to pay another fee. Then you go back to the Port Captain's office so he can stamp all your forms saying you were a good gringo and paid all the fees and have permission to be here. The whole process took about three hours and the several miles of walking was some of the best exercise we've had on this trip. Terry and I met Suzy at the bar immediately after the whole process ended at 2:00pm. We went to a neat place called the Whale Watch Bar in the hills above the marina...and lo and behold, we saw some whales from way up there.

We plan to start our two day 300 mile journey to Puerto Vallarta soon, probably on Wednesday morning for a Friday arrival. We're watching the weather, but, forecasts are hard to get here for that particular passage. Right now, the weather is almost perfect for the trip. Winds are 15-20 knots out of the west and the seas are 4-6 feet."

January 25, 2001

"We're back on the seas again now headed for Puerto Vallarta. We will be at sea for about 48 hours on this passage. The only thing to watch out for is when we get about 200 miles from here and come close to Islas Tres Marias. One of the islands is a Mexican prison island and they want you to be at least ten miles off when you approach. So, we'll make a little detour for that. Otherwise, it's a straight shot to Banderas Bay where PV is located.

Sunset on the evening of January 25^th about 100 miles from Puerto Vallarta.

January 27, 2001:

"At 0900, we went through the breakwater at Nuevo Vallarta and turned left into our slip at the Paradise Village Resort & Marina. We're now overlooking the ostriches and peacocks in the pen in front of our boat. What a place. We have all the amenities of the resort as a part of our marina fee...including the spa, pools, etc. There's also a new shopping mall adjacent to the marina. So, who wants to visit us?

We had a great sail here from Cabo. The last 100 miles we had to slow down to arrive in daylight. On the way, we saw a sailfish jump out of the water, Terry caught a marlin (but, he got away..we have video), I caught a dorado (ok, he got away, too...with my lure... the line broke ..really), we saw many whales, especially right here at Banderas Bay, and we saw even more porpoise chasing our bow wave. It really was an exciting passage."

Clark & Terry reeling in the big one until he took our lure.

Suzy reading an appropriate book given to her by a good (?) friend (thanks Connie)!

Our arrival in Banderas Bay was heralded by many whales!