January ‘00
*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!
January 1, Saturday 2000
La Paz
Well, I guess the Y2K Meltdown was NOT. We never thought it would be.
We left Isla San Fransisco at 7 am and came on in to La Paz at 12:30. Took on 54 gallons of fuel and anchored right in front of the marina.
Saw Bob and Cynthia and their new boat, Storm Haven.
We have made it to warmer weather.
January 2, Sunday
Quiet day, warm. John got with Rick on Tortuga and figured out the low batteries for the computer and phone – he’ll fix that tomorrow. Bob and Cynthia came by – sure have missed them.
Still haven’t found Princess Erica, they are all 4 down here, but don’t know where. Haven’t seen Linda and the girls for 3 years now.
January 3, Monday
Wind started blowing last night and now we are in a norther. We spent the day waltzing out in the anchorage – luckily we got a straight in slot at the marina, safely tied up by 3:30 pm. I’ve decided I’m not even coming into La Paz without a slip!
Goon called, Grandma Melissa Davis passed away last night on the 2nd at 96 years. She also said that Ruby is getting married again on February 12th. He’s not from around there and Peg’s never met him.
*Funny, Mom recently watched Lonesome Dove and I told her I knew I had watched it one year in La Paz while in the marina and that Iremembered loving it. Apparently I need to rewatch it and have a box of tissues nearby…
January 4, Tuesday
It continued to howl, but laid down some for the night.
January 5, Wednesday
Calm today, Princess Erica came in to the marina around 3 pm. We all went to dinner in town. Amy has to fly back to Canada tomorrow.
January 6, Thursday
Wind howling again. Yesterday we had Jeffery the Rigger go up the mast and now the wind speed and direction works again.
Grandma Davis’s funeral was today – I wish I could be there.
June 7, Friday
Still blew all day. John finally got all 3 leaks in the dink patched. Every time we aired it up, there was another leak. This time the bow-sprit got it while we bounced from the wind and surge.
Watched some of Princess Erica’s film on their river rafting in Canada – cool.
Barn and Steve, Blue Chablis, won’t be down this year. Steve has something wrong where there is too much iron in his blood. So he has to give blood every week for the next 5 to 10 months. Ouch!
*Years later, when Mom and Dad were traveling the States via motor home, they would end up going river rafting with Daryl and Linda! They had a blast.
Youch - that’s a lot of doctor’s visits for Steve. No fun. I am happy to report he is doing well these days, to the best of my knowledge.
January 8, Saturday
Happy 24th, Danielle.
Called her this am – doing fine. She is starting to show at 4 months but hasn’t felt the baby move yet.
Calm and warm today. Amazing how warm it is when the north wind isn’t howling! Breeze did come up at 1 pm at 12-15 – calm night. Great dinner at Storm Haven, Bob and Cynthia.
January 9, Sunday
We were gonna leave today – BUT – as it turned out, the marina office was closed and nowhere to buy ice – also the wind was blowing 15k at 9:00 am. So here we go again – the waiting game.
John waxed one side of the boat and polished the stanchions. Samie and I enjoyed a lazy day.
January 10, Monday
Los Muertos
We left Marina de La Paz at 9 am. It was the 11th that we got out of there last year. Nice, quiet, no wind. Samie drove the boat all the way around the corner, past the Pemex plant. Halfway through (the second half) Ceralvo channel we had 15-20k true from behind – north east. Kinda rolly – but nice enough. Anchored at 5 pm – 10k in here coming over the mountain. I’m pooped.
January 11, Tuesday
We left Muertos at 7 am with Tortuga, bound for La Cruz. 12k, NNE, slightly bumpy seas. 6-7 boat speed.
January 12, Wednesday
Smooth seas, 6k, NNE – great day, calm night. We slowed down around sundown to wait for Tortuga, they were having problem with fuel filters.
John caught a dorado and a 40–50-pound yellow fin tuna. It put up quite a fight.
Goon called.
January 13, Thursday
Hazy this morning, flat seas, 4k breeze. Anchored in La Cruz at 11 am. Good to be home.
Went ashore for dinner at Cruise Quarters – OF COURSE.
Hey – it’s warm here – and humid. Feels wonderful!
January 14, Friday
Hazy again, strange off-shore wind this am, 15-30 k until noon, then 15-20 other direction. John went to Nuevo to check in.
January 15, Saturday
Same off-shore breeze again – must be 90° and no humidity in it. My hair and towel were dry in 5 minutes. Jena spent the night.
January 16, Sunday
I love the smells and sounds of La Cruz when I wake up in the mornings. Strange as that sounds. Every morning I smell bacon and humidity and smoke from the brush fires and of course the pelican shit that covers the break wall. I hear the rooster crow and the waves breaking on shore. They all mix together to make a feeling of home as we rock gently on the hook.
*I love these descriptions of Mom’s here! I sent this to her tonight and she said it made her homesick. ❤
January 17, Monday
I love sitting on deck to dry my hair in the mornings after my shower. No blow dryer and a tan in the process.
Normal day, John and I went into town after dinner for a while – listened to music at Dos Felipes.
January 18, Tuesday
Emails this am weren’t the best – first, Angela, Megan said they won’t get the boat down here until around the middle of March – poop – then Deb said Vel’s dog only had 1 puppy – so we won’t get one.
*I had a note in my journal that we weren’t going to get a Shih tzu anymore, but that I was ok with that because I was starting to want a Westie, instead. We were looking at those breeds because they grow hair rather than fur which is hypoallergenic and shed less.
January 19, Wednesday
Strange wind day, 10-20k out of the west – straight over the plaza and big, dark, foggy clouds, too. Now the swell is wrapping around and all boats are rocking side to side.
January 20, Thursday
Happy Birthday Janelle.
John cleaned all the lines and hoses for the toilet today – what a stinky mess. But now it works much better.
Full moon AND lunar eclipse tonight. Only saw a small part – it was cloudy!
Carl from Marina Vallarta was fired. Why, we don’t know, but he called us from his house on the VHF radio tonight. Pretty cool – he must see a 1000 boats a year and remembered us.
*It’s a dirty job, but somebody’s gotta do it! 💩
I wonder why Carl got canned?
January 21, Friday
Tom (Tango Papa), the weather man on Chubasco net was telling all that we know of La Niña and El Niño – now there is La Mama which is a 6 or 7 year pattern that is coming and will follow the weather of this last 12 months. La Mama – cute.
We took a bus into Nuevo Vallarta to see Hot Toddy – but Dan and Michelle were nowhere to be found. Finally got a taxi around to Paradise Village, but that’s all changed – we had to call Dick at the marina office to “ok” us in. Then John had to leave his driver’s license so we could all get passes! Then, the gates into the boat docks are locked – both coming in and out! With all this new security, we didn’t even let Samie go swimming, so we just caught a bus back to La Cruz – Sam was pissed.
No sooner got home and Tortuga, Rick and Marilyn, asked us to go with them to Bucerias. Walked around there for a while, came back and ate at the rib and chicken place next to the figure store.
Saw Neal, Carousel, at Felipe’s on the way back to the boat. It was a nice change of pace for me.
*I hope I didn’t give Mom and Dad too much grief. I’m sure they were a bit irked by all the extra security (great for hotel management, I suppose, but a completely different experience for us) and lost interest in the whole thing after all the rigmarole. I totally get why it would have made them want to throw up their hands and just go home. I don’t think I had any friends there to meet, anyway, so I wasn’t missing out on as much as I maybe told myself I was.
C’est la vie.
January 22, Saturday
John’s been sanding and varnishing the cockpit grate – looks good. We went in to Felipe’s daughter Valeria’s 7th Bday party. She is a cutie. Samie spent the night at Jena’s.
*I would love to add some fun notes from my journal in these spaces, but I really don’t have any. Most of my entries just talk about whatever new movies I was renting and me wanting to check my damn email or wishing I was back in the States. How funny now that I’d be happy to trade places!
Kind of like one of those “if I knew then what I know now” things.
January 23, Sunday
John and I watched volley ball games at the plaza and visited with Oso, who now works on one of the party boats out of Vallarta.
January 24, Monday
John is helping Felipe with his engine in the panga for the banana boat. Took the sail into Miguel and Verna to be repaired.
January 25, Tuesday
Almost no breeze today – warm.
January 26, Wednesday
John worked on the gen-set. I didn’t do into shore today – I stayed home and cooked a pot roast.
January 27, Thursday
Same ‘ole, same ‘ole.
January 28, Friday
John changed the engine oil.
January 29, Saturday
Jena spent the night.
January 30, Sunday
Samie and Jena spent afternoon ashore, John did a little of this and that on the boat. Went to Crews Quarters to watch a GOOD Superbowl game.
January 31, Monday
Fairly calm day. Just heard that Air Alaska that left PV at 3:30 pm today for San Fransisco & Seattle crashed into the ocean below San Fran. No details yet. Plane had problems with stabilizer and wanted to land early in LA, but went down, nose first. 88 people died.
Rumor is that a family of 5, from a boat in PV was on board.
*How tragic to hear about that plane crash. 😥I found the details here. Among the list of fatalities is the Clemetson family of 6, but the information I was able to find only mentioned they were traveling and from Seattle. There is a beautiful memorial for the victims at Hueneme Beach. Reports state that the cause was due to “insufficient lubrication of the jackscrew led to the stripping of the screw threads, causing the plane’s horizontal stabilizer to jam in a position that forced the plane into a drastic nose-down orientation.”
I actually spend a fair amount of time considering the importance of maintenance crews, carpenters, mechanics, electricians, engineers and the like to be properly focused, educated and willing to take their time to get the job done right. I even mentioned it in December’s post when mentioning my gratitude for the crew who repaired and rebuilt our boat bottom skillfully and properly. Sometimes I will even take time while driving to work to appreciate every nut, bolt and screw that was properly put into place on my car and for the mechanics who tend to her and keep her in good shape. I hope that these skills and talents are not lost to technology and that there are young people not only interested, but invested in keeping these trade skills alive and who take them seriously.
