Tequila Sunset… oh yeah

'Tis true, there is nothing better than waking up on a gently rocking sailing vessel, securely anchored and nestled into an aquamarine anchorage bathed by warm, brilliantly coloured sunshine… not much anyway :-). That being said, as we no longer have a floating home south of the 49th, we are blessed to still be able to visit such places although it takes long days and uncomfortable airline flights. We have arrived at our temporary digs safely and are enjoying getting acclimatized and exploring nearby eateries and beaches. Tomorrow we're off to visit friends and explore other places… and, mostly, we are going to relax and catch up on our sleep. Wishing you all warm sun and comfortable visits. Adios amigos for now. CJ

Memories; please walk with me...

Malecon mornings...

It's the colder, wetter days that find me reminiscing about our wanderings of foreign docks, wrapped in warm sunshine and gentle ocean breezes.  It's the windy days with unannounced gusts tearing at the trees that transport me back to a wild and dark night, clutching the boom with one arm while I struggled with a reefing line trapped between a spreader and the mast; and it's the cold, bitter driving rain on my face that instantly places me behind the wheel of Shannon's Spirit, on our first real crossing from San Carlos to the Baja; as green water runs down both side decks and crashes over the dodger into the cockpit drenching all in its path and leaving everything, crew included, with a crusty coating of salt all 'round.  All of this to say; I, we, miss our cruising in the Sea of Cortez.. all of it. Well; maybe most of it :-) Nothing like a good ocean dousing to make you feel alive and nothing like the warm caress of the morning sun to make you comfortably glad to 'be' alive.

All this 'remembering' is my way of introducing the following post from February 2017.  I had fun writing it and was thinking about it the other day... looked it up... read it... and decided to re-share the experience. I hope you enjoy the post. Adios amigos  CJ  oh, and best wishes for the new year. May 2025 allow peace back into our world, wherever it is needed.

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I walked my malecon this morning.... like I do most mornings these days. Up early, at "sparrow fart" (a term I learned years ago from a British colleague). Up even before daylight (which always arrives in a rush and catches the unaware who aren't ready for the brilliant sunshine pouring over the eastern mountain top), and a quick brush of teeth, splash of cold water to the face, and a leap into clothes set out the night before... and off I go. It's usually about 0630 hrs. when I'm leaving the boat.

I'm always surprised at the number of marina fellows, and others hoping for work, I pass as I wend my way up the dock, through the locked gates, past the office (door always open as I think the new manager practically sleeps at his desk, intent on being ready for anything), through the parking lot, past the security guard, and out through the gates. And to each one, or each small group, I offer up a "Buenos Dias" and receive the same in response along with a brilliant smile.

This "malecon" I speak of is the extended and improved sidewalk, running along the shoreline of La Paz. It runs for miles and passes by Marina Palmira on its way out of town to the furthest-most marinas and resorts. At 0630 this morning the world was a soft pink and baby blue... for real. The pavement glowed pink in response to the morning clouds....softly pink against a pale blue sky. The sea, flat like a mirror, was both pink and baby blue in its reflection of both clouds and sky. The scene was magical and made me darn glad to be alive. It also put a spring in my step as I set off along my malecon.

I call it "my" malecon... but really, I share it with many souls. Folks like me... enjoying a quiet time with their thoughts, or time shared with a like-minded walking mate, at the start of a new day. Some folks I pass (or who pass me) are new, but many are regulars and... like old friends (or at least acquaintances) who share an interest in common, we greet each other as we pass. Most of the people I see at my early hour are Mexican; a few are North American... all are pleasant. Some stick in my mind and I watch for them each morning.

There are three dog walkers who stroll my route. One, a large gruff kind of fellow, has two dogs... always off leash... one younger male, and one older female... both of unknown origin. Neither particularly care that I am there.. they go by me like a full bus. But, there are two others I look forward to seeing. One gentleman, older than me, walks two puppies... always on leash, always way more interested in everything around them than in behaving on leash, but soft and gentle in their approach and always interested to see me. I don't stop to speak with them as I don't want to interrupt their rather dubious training session. And then there's my favourite, a gorgeous pair of young afghans, one golden in colour (and a happy-to-see-me boisterous girl) and the other Black and Tan (a very refined and shy young male who hangs back and eyes me timidly...) I'm still working on him. Their owner is very nice and he slows and lets me have a short visit... and then we all carry on our way.

I walk about three kilometres round trip and during that time I pass many I recognize. Some are couples enjoying their walk and chat, others are business colleagues having a walking meeting, and many are individuals walking or jogging in their own little world (no doubt created by the pieces of electrical equipment stuffed in their ears). Oh, and there's the fellow on a bicycle with spread-apart handlebars. He rides into town each morning and I can hear him coming long before I see him. He wears a transistor radio tied around his neck with a string and he plays it as loud as possible... and it's always bright and cheerful Mexican music. How could I object? The music makes me want to dance while I walk.

To all these folks I say "Buenos Dias" and they reply in kind. What a great way to start each day... with the natural beauty supplied by Mother Nature and the warm greetings supplied by complete strangers.

I wish you all a good day... and warm greetings from total strangers, wherever you go. Adios. CJ

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www.cjdaley.ca 

www.svshannon.blogspot.com 

 

Waiting for the storm

All hatches have been battened down, fenders, port and starboard, have been doubled, and the dinghy has been relocated to the back yard… oh, and we've put the snubbers on the dock lines. All is well on Shannon's Spirit and Abbey Acres is snug as a bug, including fireplace in the rec room and camp stove set up in garage in case of power outage. Ahhh, life is good. Hope your hatches are locked down and your lanterns are at the ready. Here comes winter! Always CJ

Beautiful Maple Bay

A beautiful, cool, sunny day reminds me why we moved here 20 years ago. This will be a very different winter for us as we've decided not to do our usual RV wander through the state parks of southern CA and AZ. Hopefully we'll get to see more sunny days between the rains and winds. No complaints though. We love it here.
Hope all is well with each of you. Always, CJ

It’s all about the soles…

A slightly embarrassing story, but a story nonetheless:-)

So, I got up this morning and it wasn't raining; awesome. Got dressed, grabbed Maddie and went for a walk. We walked all over the marina property and out onto the side of the road for a while. The ground was wet but not too bad. After our walk we returned to the boat and tidied up a bit.
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While I was tidying I couldn't help but notice that the cockpit needed sweeping so I got out the soft brush and dustpan and commenced to sweeping up the cockpit sole (that is the nautical term for the floor in the cockpit of a sailboat). The space is small and a bit segmented requiring the sweeper to sweep around obstacles, like the steering pedestal, and usually requires some form of inventive gymnastics to accomplish the sweeping to a satisfactory level.

Now don't get me wrong; I am not, nor have I ever been, a neat freak… But, after all, we are at a yacht club rendezvous so I want the boat to look at least nice, not perfect but at least cared for. This is a long way of saying I was crawling around trying to sweep the small corners of the cockpit and,every so often, I found a mud smeer (!). I'd no sooner clean it up, and I'd find another. It took me a couple laps of said cockpit sole before I realized it was me! And my shoes! That were leaving mud sneers as I crawled 😱

Tools down, checked my shoes and, sure enough, the soles of my shoes had collected lots of gooey dark mud on our walk and my wiping them off on the lawns hadn't been enough. Bottom line: this soul (me) had to wash down the cockpit sole to erase the mess left by the soles in the photo. DONE! No more chores today. TTFN. CJ
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Bonding Time…

If not "for the courage of the faithful crew"… I might not be lying here at 0700, wrapped in warm blankets, listening to the pounding of the pouring rain. The SE wind, as forecast, has also just arrived.

Yes, Maddie and I left the dock in Maple Bay yesterday and, after an uneventful three hour motor boat ride, we arrived safely at Telegraph Harbour Marina. It was the strangest arrival I have ever experienced. Another club boat and I arrived within minutes of each other. We both had made reservations and we both attempted to raise the Marina on the VHF. No one answered. We could see the Marina was almost empty. There were only 2 or 3 boats tied up and they were residents. So, with not too many viable options, we arrived as planned, selected our slips and tied up. We were advised by one of the residents the cafe was open but there were no dock staff on duty. So, like you would, we settled in to enjoy the Luke warm fall sunshine and had a nice afternoon and dinner before retiring for the night. The predicted rain arrived about 0400 and the expected SE wind began to show itself about 0600. Today should be very interesting as our club cruise registration was 'sold out' and a large number of boats are expected to arrive. I think it's safe to say they need not wait for the official check in time of 1300. Anyway, the good news is this is Maddie and my first solo trip on SSpirit so it's been a good learning experience. having always sailed as a twosome, I had to move fairly quickly when something needed to be done under way. Thank goodness for the auto pilot. Maddie was very good and she seems to have accepted that I'm not all that bad after all. I know I'll be dumped into the #2 position the minute Kathy gets home and that's ok. I'm happy for what I have and am tickled pink to be out on the boat, even if it is raining and going to blow. I'm glad we're all tucked in. The rain is supposed to stop tomorrow and the winds are supposed to be light on Sunday, the day we head home.
TTFN. Tata for now. CJ and Bosun Maddie.
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A wee story about Mother Nature... just a quick one.

Just a wee story, about nature in our own backyard.  Ms. Maddie and I have a morning routine, quite a ritual actually. It involves me getting up first and usually having to wake her up (gently). She then collectsTeddy in her mouth and comes to greet me.  Teddy's a very important part of this ritual; not sure what we'll do if he ever gets lost or totally destroyed (there's not much left now ::-)  Anyway, the usual ritual is, once awakened and after the usual morning greetings (including a back scratch and a bow) we three proceed to the back door where Teddy stays behind (as enticement to return) and M heads out to do her business. Once completed, she sprints (full speed) to the back door and leaps into the air, capturing Teddy in her mouth, before continuing back into the house and to her, still warm, bed for a little more sleep.  It's a bit weird, but it works. What can I say?

This morning was different.  Maddie woke me up barking, just before 7. Hmm, that's different.. so off I padded to see what was up.  I could tell by the curtain being slightly ajar, she'd been peeking out the sliding door at the back yard; so I did too.  Seeing nothing untoward I carried on as usual but not so Miss Maddie. Nope, her butt was planted firmly on the floor in the middle of the family room and she wasn't going anywhere. This was the first time in over 5 years, she hadn't raced me to the door.   

Not too many options here. I donned my warm, plaid, working jacket and slipped on my old but functional 'duck boots' and opened the back door carefully.  Nothing. I was about to step out and decided (being the survivor I am) I'd best be armed for the unknown... so I grabbed the umbrella  :-)  Trajectory's not great, but it gives me 2-3 extra feet of distance 😁  Anyway, I stepped out, into the yard quietly and stopped to assess.  No bloodied mess on the lawn, no gate swinging open in the wind, no skulking racoon, cat or squirrel... Then I saw it.

A hawk, about the size of a raven, sat quietly on the side fence, watching me watching him or her. It sat quietly until I took a few steps towards it, and then she or he flew to a part of the fence a little further away and then headed off to places unknown.  It was pretty neat. The air was still and there was no traffic or other noise.. just me and the hawk.  

Declaring the coast clear, I invited Maddie out to do her business and she complied.  All is well in the neighbourhood/ Ahhh, great start to the morning.