First & Second

First & Second

Yesterday was for firsts–today, for seconds. Yesterday I surfed a new spot for the first time, right near the boat. It’s a long and rocky point break just east of La Cruz de Huanacaxtle. It was the first time that I ever had an entire surf session all by myself. It was also the longest […]

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Cleat Hitch

Yesterday Eli and I were inflating our warranty replacement dinghy as a really nice catamaran was coming in to the dock at Paradise Village Marina. We walked over to help them and they tossed us some lines. I cleated off the bow so that they could use that line to turn the boat on and […]

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Hockles Suck. Also, I may have tied an Air Bowline.

Hockles Suck. Also, I may have tied an Air Bowline.

From the backlog: When we upped anchor in Turtle Bay, we came face to face with a weird looking section of 3-strand that turned out to be a Hockle [cue foreboding music]. Innocuous little word, isn’t it? Rhymes with cockle and is the equivalent of the blue screen of death for your anchor line. Worse, […]

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Can’t Tell If Anchor Dragging Or Just Weird Wind Direction…

Can’t Tell If Anchor Dragging Or Just Weird Wind Direction…

“Tamiko,” Steve called, from out on deck, “Need you to come up and take a look at this. Tell me what you think–we’ve got a little sailboat getting…pretty damn close.” Yesterday we decamped from the La Cruz marina and found a spot in the anchorage that’s fairly close to the breakwater, which is nice because […]

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San Carlos–From The Backlog

San Carlos–From The Backlog

Even though Mag Bay is certifiably ginormous, there’s not a lot of buildup, so to speak. It’s chock-full of scenic wonder and amazing wildlife and not much else. Awesome for relaxing and recharging your soul and all, but kind of inconvenient when your frickety-fracking whatisit finally gives up the ghost and there is NO HOPE […]

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Not Saying Goodbye

The first time I met Hans (S/V Lifee P. Baker), he was adrift in a dinghy out in the middle of Cruiseport Village Marina in Ensenada. We were heading the opposite direction, toward the laundromat. “Do you think he needs a tow?” I asked Steve, as we watched Hans trying to resuscitate his outboard. “Wouldn’t […]

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Puerto Magdalena–from the Backlog

Puerto Magdalena–from the Backlog

Puerto Magdalena is a sleepy little fishing village inside Bahia Magdalena–and by sleepy I mean, I fell asleep practically as soon as we got the anchor set. But also, it’s really laid-back and incredibly isolated. The whole town goes dark around 10pm every night, when they shut the generator down and there is no way […]

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Morning Coffee, Octopus Edition

Morning Coffee, Octopus Edition

I might not have found the Octopus’ Garden Cafe (El Jardín del Pulpo) in La Cruz De Huanacaxtle if it weren’t for the anemones in Monterey, Ca. I know that that’s a crazy statement but it’s true. In Monterey one morning, Eli and I were laying on our stomachs on the dock with our heads […]

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On To Bahia Magdalena–From The Backlog

On To Bahia Magdalena–From The Backlog

Bahia Magdalena is one of those places you really ought to see if you’re cruising down the Baja coast. Says so right in all the guidebooks and as it turns out, they do not lie. It’s huge, first off, and this far down, the desert starts to give way to a more tropical feel. It’s […]

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Turtles All The Way Down

Turtles All The Way Down

Turtle Bay gets its name from the turtles that used to cruise the waters, before they all got hunted into oblivion. The shape of it is kind of Tortuga-ish as well. Makes me think that one of the great ancient turtles who carry the world upon their shells maybe passed on one day and all […]

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