April ‘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!
April 1, 2000 – Saturday
Shine called – when the phone rang we thought it was Chelle having the baby – NOT.
John’s been helping Daryl with the leak on his boat.
Calm day.
April 2, Sunday
Escondido
Almost no wind – light southerly. Abientot left for Ballandra on Carmen. We’ll leave tomorrow. Paula, Back Streets, stopped by.
April 3, Monday
Escondido is always so flat that it feels like we’re in a marina.
We left at 6:45 am – no sea life – anchored at Balandra, Isla Carmen at 9:15 am. We were motoring only, not even a ripple on the water – 6.5 to 7.5k boat speed. John polished this and that – Samie did school and I sun tanned.
The Mexican Navy boarded all 3 boats here in the anchorage – very nice, just checking all the paperwork, VISAS, etc.
April 4, Tuesday
San Juanico
We left Balandra at 6:30 am, no wind, but a big swell from the north coming into the channel. I “rode” the bow pulpit for a long time – cool, up and down on the swell. Better than a roller coaster. That lasted for an hour or so, then the north wind really kicked in. 20-25 NNW and lumpy. John’s shine job yesterday is all salty now.
We were anchored up at 11:15 am and it continued to blow 25-30k until 2:30 pm, then laid down to nothing. Calm night.
*I love that Mom went out on the bow to enjoy the feeling up there - it’s the best! The view is great because there’s nothing between you and the wide open ocean, you feel all the movement in the best way and get to enjoy the sound of the boat slicing through the water. There’s nothing like it! 😍
April 5, Wednesday
San Juanico
John went diving out on the south point with Dave and Bobbie from Endeavor – found NOTHING!
Blew out of the east, 8-15k all day – laid down at sunset – 10k west all night.
April 6, Thursday
Punta Pulpito
We left Juanico for Pulpito at 6:15 am, anchored at 8 am.
Barb and Steve, Blue Chablis, crossed from San Carlos yesterday. Good to see them. Abientot also came up here – but they came later – in a fog with no radar.
John and Jeff dove – scallops. They all went out in their own dinks and brought back fish – made for great dinner.
When John was cleaning the fish in the dink, he put a small hole (-) in the dink. So it’s on deck with the patch drying.
We had a small pod of dolphins in the anchorage playing, flipping and swimming around the boats for at least an hour. SO COOL!
*Whoopsie daisy! If it weren’t for us wanting to go see the dolphins in the dinghy, who knows if we would have noticed the leak. So that worked out in our favor. Lucky it was just a small hole from the fillet knife.
Watching the dolphins come right into the bay was fun. I get now that they were probably mating, which makes more sense why the guys were teasing each other when contemplating getting in to swim with the dolphins, not to let one of the males get at them. 😉
Glad to know that Barb and Steve were able to get at least a little time on the boat for this season!
April 7, Friday
Pulpito
Samie, Kathy, Abientot, and Barb, Blue Chablis, all hiked the high point – can’t wait to see the pictures from up there. Maybe I’ll go next time.
John and Jeff dove again.
John and I went south and picked up shells and several sea urchins. The gang all brought salad and their fish over and we BBQ’d it with our burgers for dinner together.
John caught a big red snapper. 10k north all afternoon.
Samie went out in the kayak for a bit. I’m glad she’s getting out of her room and doing something.
Phone is not working – John tried talking to the offices. Hope Jeff in San Carlos will go pay the bill so it goes back on – Chelle’s baby is due anytime.
*I’m so glad I got out and enjoyed myself on this day, as well - I had a great time with Barb and Kathy!
I would love to go hiking in the Sea again. If I were there now, I feel like you’d have a hard time keeping me on the boat unless it was windy.
April 8, Saturday
Lazy kind of a day – the guys all went fishing in their own dinks. 10k north all day.
April 9, Sunday
Pulpito
Abientot, Slacker, and 3 other boats that were in here all left at first light for Conception – we should have, but oh well. John and I went fishing in the dink on the point. We caught several triggers, but gave them all to the young guy fishing from his panga.
Blew 10-12k south all afternoon. 8 pm now, still 8k and really quite lumpy.
We may leave in the night sometime – if it gets worse – for Conception, at least it will be from behind, going north.
Wind finally dropped to 5k all night, but we were a little sideways to the swell – “rail to rail” a few times – reminded us of being anchored at San Benedicto Islands.
Phone patch to Chelle.
*I like that Mom went fishing with Dad, I don’t remember her going very often. I love that they gave all the fish away.
Wow, rail to rail - sounds like we could have used the flopper-stopper!
April 10, Monday
We left Pulpito at 5:30 am – no one got much sleep in the rolls.
Nice, flat ride on up to Conception Bay. Anchored at “Marina Bradberry” in front of “TPX”. Jerry and Nola’s trailer on the beach at 12:30 pm. We finally got to meet Jerry and Nola after 5 years of saying we’d come here and then never making it. The water is so clear and warm - 76°. No breeze and many, many Bo-Bos.
Jerry and Nola took us in to dinner at the La Palapa, very good. Then into town for a few things – neat looking town.
*Bo-bos = no-see-’ems. Teeny-tiny biters. The kind of buggers that are tiny enough to get through mosquito netting.
The town Mom is referring to is called Mulegé, which I circled on the map reference on April 14th.
The photo below is from a little lookout nearby the Santa Rosalia Mission. Really beautiful. I wish I remembered more about this town - the photos I’m seeing online are so beautiful! 😍
I didn’t find a restaurant called La Palapa, but I imagine it would have been a lot like this one on the beach, roughly where my memory seems to recall going.
April 11, Tuesday
Phone finally worked – but reception right here is off and on. Called Chelle – she goes in today, they are going to induce labor, so Jeremy should show his cute face today.
Jeremy
11:20 pm – 19 inches – 5lb, 15oz, all is well.
*Welcome to the world, baby Jeremy!
Chelle and Rick would also have a third son, named Kannon. They are doing well.
April 12, Wednesday
Conception
We went over – 7 miles or so – to Santa Barbara Cove and anchored with Abientot. The guys dove – 20-25 pin scallops, what a haul.
20k north wind blew us out, so over to Santispac for the night.
We had dinner, huge burgers at Ray’s with Abientot, Jeff and Kathy, Slacker, Mike and Julie, Love-n-Luck, Jay and Penny (not here).
*I can’t find these specifically named places we went to for the life of me; they aren’t specified as such on Google Maps or in our old copy of Charlie’s Charts. Based on little details here and there, I marked my deductions on the map of where I think everything was.
My most random memory here is hearing a jake break on a semi for the first time as they were coming down the hill near the anchorage. At night, especially, the sound would carry real well, and I remember asking Mom what the heck that noise was. Now, if I ever hear a jake brake, I think of nights here in Conception Bay.
April 13, Thursday
Back around the “Marina Bradberry” not enough breeze today to keep the Bo-Bos away -driving me crazy. We had Jerry and Nola over for dinner, scallops and clams.
Breeze finally kicked in and blew out the Bo-Bos.
April 14, Friday
Conception
Happy Birthday, Chelle! (26)
Lazy day, we spent a couple hours at Jerry and Nola’s palapa, John got more clams and I more shells. It is so amazing to me how many different sizes, shapes and colors there are. I love it.
At 4 pm we moved up to Santa Domingo for tomorrow, we’ll visit Wandrin’ Star, Wayne and Leslie tomorrow, then plan on leaving late afternoon for San Carlos.
Talked to Chelle, all is well, Jeremy is fine.
Also talked to Danielle, her blood pressure is starting to go up and the doc put her on medication to stop small contractions – like Chelle had in January. She’s going back to doc Monday – still has 2 months to go. Her and Ben are moving to the house they bought in Apache Junction.
*Ok, I think I am making some connections here. I think maybe Jerry and Nola stayed in a palapa here on Playa El Burro.
April 15, Saturday
Wind – of course – started up at 3 am, 15-20 NW, it got pretty lumpy for a couple hours, then calmed down for a bit. John and I went over to Wayne and Leslie’s, Wandrin’ Star, for a visit. By then the wind and wave action have increased – so 11 am we both up’ed anchor and went back to “Marina Bradberry” – much nicer. Wind but no swell.
John took Wayne and Leslie into shore to see Jerry and Nola. I stayed home with Samie and made her study for a test.
Happy Hour on our boat.
April 16, Sunday
San Carlos
John, Wayne and Leslie went into town with Jerry and Nola to get ice. We left the anchorage at 9:30 am and headed out to Punta Chivato.
I was looking over the back end of the boat and noticed that it was “dragging” out in the water. Where normally it is 4 to 6 inches out of the water – not a good feeling – are we holding water in the keel? No – since we are not making water, the tank is getting empty and we are lower in the back.
We were anchored at 12:45 – we had 12k NE, a nice beam reach all the way. Went to the beach, even Samie, to collect shells – got some good ones. Last year a juvenile grey whale washed up on the beach – this year they are putting together all the bones on a stand for display – cool.
We, Abientot, Slacker, and another boat all left Chivato at 4 pm for San Carlos. ENE 12k until the sun went down, then it was 3k and smooth all the way in – anchored at catch 22 beach at 3:30 am. ¾ of the way across we had a resident frigate bird riding on the wind indicator on the main mast. I banged on the mast for a half an hour, but he stayed or would come right back.
April 17, Monday
San Carlos
We came into marina Real and John got busy washing down. Talked to Bill and Trisha Gibson last night and believe it or not they left this am for Arizona.
Jim and Kitty, ex Summer Wind, are here in their motor home – big thing. Had them over for a clam dinner.
Don and Sherry, Trust Me, ex Luna also here – haven’t seen them for a couple of years.
Slept good tonight.
April 18, Tuesday
More work – wind is howling – 25k as this front is going through. Cloudy and cooler than it has been.
April 19, Wednesday
San Carlos
Happy Birthday Charlie, Antigua.
Wind again at 20-25k.
April 20-21, Thursday and Friday
Calm and warm days.
Looking out from the boat to the roads – up to the look out and club med – it’s nearly always bumper to bumper traffic.
6:30 pm – strange – it’s now blowing 15-20.
April 22, Saturday
It blew 25-30k all night last night. Today was calm and warm am – by noon it was howling again. We went over to Marina San Carlos to visit Jeff and Kathy for a bit. Abiento, they have decided to truck the boat home to Flagstaff so they can work on it.
April 23, Sunday
Samie made Easter cards and a poster – she’s always leaving me little notes and such things.
Sunny- no clouds – warm! NO WIND. John is busy everyday cleaning this or that. I’m also doing my job – getting a tan. We sure enjoy visiting with Mexican workers here on the dock who take care of the power boats. Really nice guys.
*Mom and I still leave each other little notes and things to find to this day, whenever one of us visits the other. I have been slacking though - I will do better this year. 🙃
Mom had a tough job, but someone had to do it!
We always enjoyed our friends in Marina Real.
April 24, Monday
Bob and Cynthia, Storm Haven, came in this morning. They haven’t been to San Carlos for 3 years and are really glad to be back. No wind again.
Don and Sherrie stopped by, we went in to Tequilas for dinner with Bob and Cynthia.
April 26th, Wednesday
John bought Mexican car insurance, $103 US. We stopped by Tony’s for veggies.
Brenda and Charlie, Antigua, drove down today – good to see them.
April 27, Thursday
Happy Birthday Tiff and Warren!
Priority, Jim and Gail came in today. Her mom us very ill, so they’ll be heading to Chicago soon. Warm – no wind.
April 28, Friday
Hot – no wind.
April 29, Saturday
John is cleaning and checking the house batteries – so the 12 volt system is shut down this morning.
It’s amazing how much of this boat – 98% - is run on batteries. I can’t cook, run water (except the foot pump), no radios, no lights, phone or TV. I’ve never really thought about it.
*We always had the batteries good and charged thanks to the generator, which we ran twice a day for a couple hours in the morning and evening when we didn’t have access to power.
