May ‘99
*Additional notes may appear in italics after my mom’s initial journal entries.
A ladybug means you should check the comments at the bottom of the page to see what Mom has chimed in on after reading these!
May 1, Saturday
San Carlos
Abientot is 7 miles out at 6:30 am, they left Conception last night and had glass seas until 1 am when they had the same snot that we did. Anyhow, 7 miles out, the wind died and their transmission is broken. Luckily, the wind came up again and they sailed into the bay and anchored. It’s too windy to tow them in today.
John worked all day out in the cold wind washing down everything.
May 2, Sunday
We washed and folded up all 4 sails. Samie and I have only been doing math, spelling and grammar, but 3 lessons each, every day. She just tested at got 90% in math, 92% in spelling, and 88 % in grammar. That’s actually better than she’d done with it all spread out.
We got some wonderful New York steaks at Juan’s for dinner. It was heaven.
Watched 6 Days and 7 Nights – good movie.
*Time for a little “over the years” photo series, recreating a “famous” photo from our first year on the boat, in 1995. I had been watching Mom do this or that in the kitchen when Mom said “wait, stay right there!”. We recreated it again this 5th season in 1999 and again in 2008, the last time I visited my parents in the WA/Vancouver area and the last time I spent time on our beautiful Wandrin’ Star.
May 3, Monday
Happy Bday Janet.
I washed out (in a bucket) all of the clothes that got salt water wet up in Samie’s locker with this last “water over the bow” crossing.
John fixed the seat in the hard dink – our garage – Bill Gibson is going to buy it.
Bill and Trisha came over for dinner, she brought shrimp, so we BBQed those with the scallops from Los Gatos. Also made a crab dish and chili rellenos. Nice time, sure do enjoy their company.
*I thought we were done with the leaks in my locker? Interesting. 🤔
Tuesday, May 4
John changed all the oils: engine, transmission and gen-set. I wet-sanded all the outside woodwork.
Took the van in to the shop and had brakes repaired and a new carburetor – only $788 pesos ($80 US). John says it runs like a champ now.
May 5, Wednesday
Happy Bday Schyler #4!
Sure do wish we were with Schyler today.
Samie stayed home today, but John and I went out on Prime Time with Bill and Trish out 15 miles to the island. It would take our boat 3 hours – Prime Time, 50 minutes. We left at 8:30 am, fished the north end for yellow tail. John brought in two, Trish got one up and he broke loose. Trish and I both brought one in, me on the reel and her holding the pole. It was a ball and a good laugh. John also brought in a cabrilla and Bill brought in a white sea bass – by the TAIL! Then on the south end, we bottom fished, anchored in about 250 of water, bringing in 30 or so ocean whitefish or simon, as the Mexicans call them. They come up so fast that their guts pop out! The yellow tail were all 36”. We got back at 3 pm. Great day!
Rick and Brent Garsha, Lakeside, are down here for a few days.
*Mom and Dad had a blast on this trip! They always had a good time with the Gibson’s.
May 6, Thursday
John cleaned and serviced the hookah and dink motor. I’m going through some stuff.
Monday 7, Friday
John is painting all the white woodwork.
Monday 8, Saturday
John is still painting, also the top of the dodger. I’ve had a terrible headache. Samie also was down and sick with one. John and I went to Piccolos with Bill and Trish for dinner, they are leaving for Pinetop in the morning. I’ve had so much fun with them. This year we’ll have to get together in Pinetop.
*Seems like Mom and I both had more sick days than normal this year. Her’s were mostly the migraines. I don’t know that this day was a migraine for me - I am not aware of having one until I was in my mid-twenties, when it was undoubtedly more than “just a headache”.
May 9, Sunday
Mother’s Day
John is still painting – I still have a headache.
Danielle, Shine and Goon all called. Chelle called Monday am.
Blue Chablis came in to Marina San Carlos this am.
May 10, Monday
John has been working his butt off. We drove into Guaymas to find Louis and look at upholstery, but – mix up in translation, he was here at the boat.
John and Samie (I stayed home with a headache), Blue Chablis, and Abientot all went to Tequila’s for dinner.
*Mom’s 17th day with a migraine for the season- more than two weeks’ worth of our cruising season! 😵I truly don’t know how she did it.
As far as things that trigger her migraines, I notice this one was after another big day out, and also that Dad had been painting for 3 or 4 days (potent, concentrated smells), so those combined could have been a double-whammy to set this one off and keep it going.
May 11, Tuesday
We all drove back into Guaymas, found Louis and picked out some fabric for the cushions. The whole thing should be around $600 US.
Abientot hauled out today.
May 12, Wednesday
John did his last net control this season for the Sonrista net.
More serious work and pack’en. Got fuel – 70 gallons, $107 US to get from La Paz to San Carlos.
*Every time I read about the nets, I get the urge to purchase a HAM radio just so I can listen and reminisce. 🙃
May 13, Thursday
Busy, busy day. Pack this, load that. We met Barb and Steve, Blue Chablis, at Manuel’s for a chicken dinner.
May 14, Friday
The wind blew all night from the SE, only at 8-10k. Funny thing is, we took down all the rope lines and have thin mill tape in its place. The sound it makes is so different from the normal lines. Only 10k sounded like 20-30k, really weird.
We got an early start at finishing up – had the van loaded and everything put down below for storage on the boat.
We left Marina Real at 8 am and motored around to the bay to haul out. It’s been blow’en 10-15 k for the last several days from the SE, today 15-20 – so we had a good swell to bounce us around. A couple of them got the decks wet – even the dodger! Poop – on John’s beautiful, clean boat.
We picked up a mooring ball so as not to get the anchor and chain wet.
At 11 am we went on over to the dock and hauled out. It still gets me when we have to leave the boat for the summer, our home, and Mexico, too.
We are staying at the Creston Motel for 2 nights and will head to Az on Sunday after John sees how bad the blisters are.
*Looks like the hotel is still there. It was a nice stay for the couple nights we were there, I remember watching some telenovelas which had me pretty entertained, despite not understanding 99% of what they were saying.
May 15, Saturday
They got more sand blasting done, there really aren’t as many real blisters as we thought. Most of them are paint blisters. That’s good.
John and I ran fresh water through the engine and the gen-set. The poor decks on the boat are already so dirty – it’s sad.
Samie and I walked to a couple of tourist shops nearby, mostly to pass the day. Then we got in the pool for a while.
We went out to Tequila’s for dinner. Later, we sat on the patio at the motel and visited with a couple from Culagon, very nice. They even gave us their address and phone number so we could come to their casa next year.
*I remember this little shopping excursion. I got myself one of those striped, woven Mexican blankets (blue and white) and some trinkets.
Mom and I can’t figure out where those people were from, can’t find Culagon on a map, unless she meant Culiacán, but that’s a 3-hour drive north of Mazatlan, so, no idea! Mom thinks she remembers them and how nice they were.
One of the frustrations of having the boat hauled out and “on the hard” was how dirty everything got. Dirt and dust from the yard would kick up and settle on the decks and get inside if you didn’t have everything buttoned up well enough.
