Adventures of the Clark Family

The Boat House

2011-08-13T14:25:00.002-07:00

We call it the "Boat House" because we used the money from the sale of our sailboat, Summer Wind, to purchase this home in Oro Valley, AZ which will be used as our winter place. We still have the "House in the pines" in Show Low, but this will now become our primary address.

The view of the Catalina Mountains from our back patio.

Life after selling Summer Wind

2011-08-13T14:16:00.003-07:00

After completing the sale with Kevan Draper, the new owner of Summer Wind (now renamed Alex II), we decided to remain in Mexico for the winter. We drove on south to the Puerto Vallarta area to the little town of La Cruz. This is also the location of a very nice marina that many of our cruising friends stay in for a few weeks going and coming from points further south.

We rented a nice second floor condo from a fellow sailboat owner for two months in La Cruz de Huanacaxtle. Living in a small Mexican village had some very interesting experiences. Many of the services are delivered to your door daily by the various vendors driving trucks, some with horns, some play music or jingles to let you know they are passing by.

Here is a photo of Larry buying a 5 gallon water bottle from the water truck. Price about US$1.60. We used the bottled water for drinking and coffee. Local water was good for doing dishes and showers.

In March we drove back north to El Fuerte, near Los Mochis, to take the passenger train, El Chepe, into Copper Canyon. Two nights at Creel, then back west to El Fuerte for one night before we continued back to San Carlos and home to Arizona.

The hotel we stayed in was Posada del Hidalgo. It was built in 1890 in the village of El Fuerte. A section of the hotel was originally known as Casa Vieja the birthplace of Zorro (AKA Don Diego de la Vega)!

A few more days to complete the trip back north to Tucson and finally home to Show Low in April.

Completed the Sale of Summer Wind

2011-01-28T14:34:00.000-07:00

It was mostly clear when we left the marina to go out with Kevan for the sea trial testing of Summer Wind. But the fog bank came back and we had to use the radar to find our way back to the entrance.

January 24, 2011 we handed over the keys to Summer Wind to the new owner, Kevan Draper. Kevan is from New Zealand where he will register the boat with a new name, Alex II, in honor of his 10 year old daughter. He will continue to sail the west coast of Mexico and the Sea of Cortez for about a year before he takes the boat southwest to Australia and New Zealand.

Presently we are renting a condo in La Cruz for a couple of months and hanging out with our cruising friends who are still on boats. La Cruz is a small town north of Puerto Vallarta where the boating community gathers each winter to enjoy the great food and music of this area.

Signed the Sales Contract

2011-01-08T12:08:00.000-07:00

We have accepted an offer to buy our beloved Summer Wind from a nice New Zealand gentleman. We have a couple of weeks to clean out all the storage lockers and pack our junk before the deal is completed. Our winter plans are now to find a rental condo for a couple of months in La Cruz (near Puerto Vallarta). Then in the spring we will drive up to Los Mochis and take the train tour of Copper Canyon before returning to Arizona.

It is with sadness that we say goodbye to our home on water for the past six years. This boat has taken us to many beautiful places and allowed us to meet our wonderful cruising buddies. We have made friendships that will last forever and have wonderful memories that will never fade.

Larry & Diana Clark
s/v Summer Wind

La Paz - Mazatlan

2010-12-10T16:05:00.001-07:00

View from our cockpit at Marina Palmira!

We spent three great weeks in La Paz. Enjoyed a fantastic Thanksgiving dinner with 250 of our cruising friends! Finally a weather window opened up and we departed the marina on December 2 and headed for Bonanza Beach on Isla Esprito Santos. We anchored there for the night and headed out before daylight the next morning for Mazatlan, 228 miles. We expected it to take 28 hours but because of the rough seas it took 30+ hours. The sea did not settle down until about 40 miles from Mazatlan; arriving at Marina Mazatlan on Saturday afternoon.

Mazatlan at daylight!

We've spent the last week getting Summer Wind cleaned and polished. There are several people coming to see the boat over the next few weeks. It sort of like getting your house ready for a showing . . . we're asking ourselves . . . "she looks so good, why are we selling her?".

s/v Summer Wind

Main Salon

Settee in Main Salon

The Galley Wench's Galley

Master Suite!

Sunday night we're taking a bus back to San Carlos to pick up our car. Plan to spend Christmas in Tucson with family! We'll be back down here in early January for more fun!

Season 6 Begins . . .

2010-11-18T15:54:00.002-07:00

Departing San Carlos

We finally left the dock . . . left San Carlos on November 5 a 8 a.m.! It was a beautiful crossing, calm seas but not enough wind to turn off the engine!

The sun is setting over the Baja, only 35 miles off shore

We took advantage of the wind angle and headed directly for San Evaristo. We arrived at our destination in record time . . . 26.5 hours!

The little fishing village of San Evaristo!

Right after leaving San Carlos we discovered that our telephone had decided to take a 'siesta' . . . flashing the error code 'Check Sim Card'. We also realized that we had not loaded the Winlink software on the new hard drive so we were not able to send position reports. Since we had no way to let our family know that all was well, decided to move closer to La Paz where the 3G card would work . . we spent two night in Puerto Balandra, which had a cell phone tower on the hill.

Puerto Balandra at Sunset

On Wednesday, December 10 we went the last 10 miles to Marina Palmira in La Paz. The weather has been beautiful here; low 80's during the day and upper 60's at night! We're looking forward to the Thanksgiving celebration with our fellow cruisers!

This ultra-light landed in front of us just before we entered the La Paz channel!

MIA for 6 Months!

2010-10-31T16:13:00.000-07:00

Wow, where did the time go? We're back in San Carlos getting Summer Wind ready for another season. We have listed her for sale with Mazatlan Yachts so will be sailing her south and be there in time for the Christmas holiday! Our plan is to leave San Carlos on November 6 or 7 and be in La Paz for Thanksgiving and then cross The Sea to Mazatlan.

May 2010

2010-06-02T07:05:00.002-07:00

Photo Above Taken by Linda on Tanque de Tiburon

We left Escondido about noon on Tuesday, May 5th; it looked like a perfect weather window to cross The Sea. Just after leaving the harbor we heard from our buddy boat, Yemaya and was advised that it was blowing big time near Loreto and that they had decided to wait it out on the south side of Coronado Island. We decided to continue on, and about an hour and half out, the wind picked up to 30+ knots from the north so we decided to join the growing group of boats and wait out the weather. About three hours later the wind began to subside . . . so just before dusk 'the fleet' started out again! We did a little rock'n and roll'n for the first couple hours, but The Sea finally settled down. Unfortunately no good wind for sailing, so we had ANOTHER motorboat ride across.

We arrived in San Carlos the next morning with only two and half days to prepare the boat for haul-0ut! By Friday night we were ready, pooped but the boat was stripped down to the deck and ready for summer storage. We drove from San Carlos on Saturday, arriving about 5pm. Really enjoyed the shower and big bed!

April 2010

2010-05-23T16:48:00.014-07:00

Geez, are we behind on posting or what! April is a bit of blur . . . spent most of it in Escondido for LoretoFest.

Diana Entered the LoretoFest Chili Cook-Off and took second place. As promised a link to the recipe is on the left side of this page!

Dinner with friends in Loreto!

Friends of "Betty" Meeting at LoretoFest . . . Note the Betty Ford Outpatient Clinic hats on all!

Sunsets in The Sea are hard to beat!

March 2010 -- Mazatlan to La Paz

2010-03-01T12:37:00.005-07:00

We spent the first week in Mazatlan finishing up some projects on the boat and waiting for a weather window to cross The Sea of Cortez. On Saturday, March 13 we left Mazatlan . . . 29 hours later we arrived in Bahia Muertos (Bay of the Dead). The weather was closing in again so decided to not tackle the Cerralvo Channel until the storm had passed. Tuesday it looked like the weather had cleared so we headed out to make the last 55 miles to La Paz. Unfortunately the weather forecast was wrong (again) and we forged through 8 - 10 foot seas and winds in excess of 25 knots, on our nose of course! What a great sight to see our crusing friends waiting at the dock when we arrived in Marina Palmira. Took us two days to clean up all the salt water, inside and out!

We're enjoying he warm sunshine and are looking foward to visiting the neighboring islands!

2010-03-01T11:35:00.010-07:00

Sunday . . . February 28, 2010

We've had an 'eventful' couple of weeks. On Friday, February 19, the Mazatlan Salvation Army Children's Home put on a delightful song and dance presentation at the Marina Mazatlan Cruisers Lounge. The Director of the home invited us to come out and visit the facilities on Friday, February 26 for a Carne Asada dinner and another dance presentation. They even provided the transportation!

This little fellow was part of the welcoming committee!

We were free to tour the grounds . . . they have two dorms, one for the boys and one for the girls and kitchen. There are a total of 25 children between the ages of 3 and 17. None of them are orphans; they're in the home because their parents can't care for them. Can you imagine getting 25 kids off to four different schools each morning! There are only four adult employees at the home, the rest are volunteers!

The girls were having make-up applied for their performance. Before the performance the director shared with us the challenge they had getting them to practice. It took only one performance to see an immediate change in their attitude. They really love (and crave) the attention!

Here they are, all together for the final number!

We woke up on Saturday morning to the news of the earthquake in Chili. As result of the earthquake, a tsunami warnings were issued for the Pacific, which included the west coast of Mexico and the U.S. We watched the NOAA Tsunami Center bulletins closely and by 10 a.m. we felt pretty safe that it would be a non-event for us. At a little after 11 am the 'tsunami wave' came . . . well it was more like a strong current, the wave was less than two inches. That night we decided to go out for pizza but to our surprise, the local pizza parlor was closed! We found them open last night and inquired as to why they were closed on a Saturday night and to our surprise it was the tsunami! Apparently a tsunami warning was the perfect excuse to take Saturday night off!

Yesterday we watched the U.S. vs Canada Olympic Gold hockey game at the local pub. Well, we started out there, but with all the Canadians and U.S. fans trying to out cheer each other, we eventually retreated to the quiet restaurant at the head of the dock to finish the game. Too bad the U.S. didn't pull it off . . . we had plans to return to the pub with a parade of U.S. flags!

February 2010 - Carnival in Mazatlan

2010-02-06T11:06:00.010-07:00

SUNDAY . . . February 14, 2010

We spent Valentine's Day at the Mazatlan Carnival Parade. We'd heard horror stories about the crowds and crime so opted to enjoy the parade from bleacher seats at one of the local hotels. The ticket included a buffet dinner so all our bases were covered!

The first parade started at 4 p.m. and consisted of commercial floats, i.e., Coke, Bimbo Bread, Senor Frogs and Pacifico Beer.

At sundown the crowd began to grow . . . it was estimated at 250,000 attendees along the 5 mile ocean front.

At 6 pm the 'real' parade began. It was non stop music and noise! More than 40 floats with kings, queens and attendants including bright lights and music. In between the big floats there were horses, marching bands and performing groups.

Larger than anything Larry had seen before in New Orleans during Mardi Gras.

THURSDAY. . . February 11, 2010

Carnival began today with the Coronation of the King of Joy ! The entire malacon is decorted with lights with vendors all along the way!

SATURDAY. . . February 13, 2010

Tonight there was ship-to-shore fireworks, re-enacting of a French - Mexican battle. Most of the fireworks came from shore, getting the point across that they over whelmed the French! It was wild scene with wall-to-wall people along the sea wall with street bands about every 100 feet!

We left about midnight and it looked like the party was just getting started!

We couldn't resist taking a picture of this sign . . . Clean Bathrooms for $5 pesos . . . about $.35 cents!

February 4, 2010 . . . Sunrise Arrival in Mazatlan

We spent four nights in the Singular Marina in San Blas. On Tuesday it started raining and that night we had winds in excess of 50 mph; it was literally raining sideways! Even though we were tied to the dock we still 'heeled' about 20 degrees. By Thursday morning the storm had finally moved on so we made a night passage to Mazatlan. Can't miss the Super Bowl plus the Mardi Gras festivities begins on Wednesday, February 11!

January 2010

2010-01-10T17:54:00.006-07:00

We've decided to start back north and be in Mazatlan for Mardi Gras. We left La Cruz on January 28 and headed up the coast 21 miles to Bahia Chacla. It's a beautiful bay, however it's open to the sea so we added a stearn anchor in hopes of keeping us from rocking too much. it helped a little, but still a little more motion then we like!

Sunday we pulled up anchor and buddy-boated with Yemaya to San Blas, a quaint little shrimp village that was made famous by Longfellow's poem, The Bells of San Blas.

We left Mazatlan on December 26 and made an overnight trip to Puerto Vallarta. We're actually in a marnia in a quaint fishing village about 20 miles from Puerto Vallarta. The name of the village is La Cruz and we love this place . . . gringo creature comforts, but the village has not yet lost it's Mexican heritage! Unfortunately they're building condos in front of the marina so it won't be long before the village will be changed forever!

December 2009

2010-01-10T12:52:00.012-07:00

We returned to San Carlos on December 7 with a new outboard for 'the family car'. Larry finished up the installing the cutlas bearing and prop and we FINALLY splashed on December 9.

During our shake down cruise we found that there was a problem with the autopilot so we made a quick trip to Tucson to pick up parts. Also gave me a chance to pick up some last minute 'gringo' supplies! Here's a picturre of Larry in the aft hatch finishing up the actuator installation.

We left San Carlos on December 21 and made a straight shot to Mazatlan. It was a pretty uneventful trip and made it in little over 53 hours! Just before arriving in Mazatlan we did come across a 'herd' of dolphins . . . a mile long string of dolphins headed out to sea!

As you can see Santa found us down here too!

We enjoyed a traditional American Christmas dinner with other cruisers at Heather's place in Mazatlan.

2009-11-15T08:23:00.001-07:00

What's wrong with this picture? The outboard motor is missing! Apparently someone needed it more than we did! We found the cover and lifting strap still attached to the hoist! Based on the amount of mud on the line, the motor was taken sometime after hurrican Jimena came through.

As you can see, Summer Wind has new bottom paint. While out of the water we decided to change out the cutlass bearing . . . well, that led to finding other things that needed replacing, so we left her in the maintenance yard and came home. Our plan is to return to San Carlos after December 7 with the necessary parts to complete the job.

Trick or Treat!

2009-10-28T11:03:00.001-07:00

Geez, it's a bit early for this, think it's time to pull up anchor, we're too far north!

Note the downed tree . . . we had 45 and 55 mph winds!

Cruising Schedule -- 2009-2010

2009-08-18T16:18:00.004-07:00

Due to hurricane Jimena and problems she created in San Carlos, and Larry's flight schedule, we'll not be launching the boat until November 9. As noted below we're going to be coming back to Show Low on November 13 and stay for about three weeks. Plan to be in Tucson for Thanksgiving, but will have to return to Show Low so Larry can finish up test flying!

Update: November 15, 2009:

Things didn't go as planned on our trip to San Carlos! At the last minute decided to change out the cutlass bearing before putting in the water. Of course that led to finding other things that needed replacing, so we left Summer Wind in the maintenance yard and came home.

Call us for current schedule!

Attention family and friends . . . if you're planning to be in any of the above destinations please let us know we'd love to have you aboard!

Where Did It Go?

2009-08-09T10:14:00.000-07:00

Wow where did the Summer go? Can't believe that in six weeks we'll be heading back down to Mexico.

We've had a busy Summer:

Larry spent three weeks in Vietnam flying helicopters.

Sailing buddies Jack and Lyndy (Gaitana) came for a visit.

We were in Anchorage for 12 days with Marla, Doug and Chase and then boarded a Princess cruise ship and sailed back south to Vancouver. Larry's daughter, Ava and grand daughter Kristin joined us! We had a great time!

Change of Plans . . .

2009-05-09T08:34:00.000-07:00

Life is never boring around here! We were only home three days when Larry received a call asking if he'd go to Vietnam to test fly a couple Hueys! Want to guess what his response was????

This morning he left Phoenix (on United Airlines) heading for Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)! The helicopters were rebuilt in Lakeside and then disassembled so they could be shipped to Vietnam via a China Air 747.

Needless to say he's excited about the opportunity to fly over Vietnam after 42 years . . . at least this time they won't be shooting at him! If everything goes as expected he should be back home in a week to ten days!

Back In The U.S.A.

2009-05-09T08:19:00.000-07:00

Summer Wind is back 'on the hard' in San Carlos. On April 15 we left Conception Bay . . . we had about 15 knots of wind with a following sea and it looked like a great night for a crossing . . . NOT! Once we left the bay the wind picked up and The Sea turned into a Maytag washer. After 13 hours of rocking and rolling we were glad to see the entrance to entrance to the marina!

After resting up for a day we started the process of preparing the boat to be pulled out of the water. On April 20 she was put to bed for the summer and we headed north, arriving in Tucson that night!

We're back in Show Low now and enjoying all the creature comforts of home . . . like a full size refrigerator, washer & dryer and WOW, a dishwasher! Even have the hot tub up and running!

La Paz to Escondido (Loreto)

2009-04-04T15:00:00.001-07:00

We spent the first night of our trip north in the beautiful bay of Isla San Franciso. We couldn't have asked for better weather or winds. There are usually alot of boats in the anchorage however this time we shared the anchorage with only six other boats.

On Tuesday we headed up the the San Jose Channel only to be meet with strong head winds and choppy seas. We 'beat' our way north into the sea for about four hours, taking waves over the bow! Even my poor basil plant took a dunking!

Our destination for Tuesday night was Timbabiche, a beautiful anchorage that has the Sierra de la Giganta range as it's backdrop.

We hardly had the anchor down when Manuel, the local fisherman stopped by asking if we needed lobster. Well of course we need lobster, so he headed off on his mission!

Living in this part of the Baja has to be difficult so while he was diving for our dinner we put together a package for him to take back to his family. The look on his face when we handed him several bags of food was wonderful; it gave us such a great feeling to be able to help him out. I think what he appreciated most was the motor oil and D cell batteries!

For dinner we grilled four of the lobster tails in foil with wine and garlic butter.

Wednesday morning we said good bye to Manuel and headed for San Marte, a small quiet anchorage 13 miles north. We shared the anchorage with only one other boat!

The katabatic winds blew a good portion of the night so the next morning we decided to move on to Isla Monserrate anchoring off Yellowstone Beach for another windy night.

We're now in Puerto Escondido, side tied to the dock so we can get some of the salt washed off the boat. We plan to stay here through the weekend and continue our journey north on Tuesday.

Note the new addition we've added to Summer Wind. While in La Paz we had the soft plastic windows in the side panels replaced with sunscreen. Wish we'd done it several years ago, it's like having an Arizona room on the boat! The sunscreen keeps out the bugs, and bright sunshine, but lets the breeze blow through.

Heading Toward The Barn

2009-03-30T07:17:00.000-07:00

We're leaving La Paz this morning, March 30, heading north along the Baja for a couple weeks before crossing over to San Carlos. We've had a great time here in La Paz visiting old friends and make new!

Our phone connection will be a little 'iffy' at best, however you can see our daily position report at http://www.winlink.org/userPositions and enter our radio call KF7PC in the box under the map and click SEARCH.

March 2009

2009-03-07T12:46:00.000-07:00

We left the Marina in La Cruz bright and early on Saturday, February 21 and headed north to Bahia Chacala . . . approximately 50 miles north of Banderas Bay. We stayed for two nights, enjoying the little village of Chacala, then on Monday, February 23, pulled up anchor a 7 am and started across The Sea of Cortez. Our destination was Los Muertos on the Baja side. We expected the trip to take approximately 48 hours. We had strong winds in the afternoon of the first day which made for great sailing, however it also stirred up the seas and we had to put up with several hours of 'pounding' through the waves!

But by sunrise the sea had calmed down and we enjoyed the beginning of another glorious day on The Sea!

As we approached The Baja, we decided to bypass Los Muertos and change our destination to La Paz before the wind picked up in the channel. We arrived in Marina Palmira at 4:30 pm on Wednesday, February 25, which made the crossing a total of 57 1/2 hours.

Our first visitor in the marina was Lucy the goose! Lucy is a legend here in La Paz. She lost her mate during a hurricane about 6 years ago and has been living in the marina ever since. In the evenings you can find her begging at the tables in the La Panga restaurant. It's quite a site to see a wild goose go up the steps inside the open doors. She makes her way around the marina every morning and evening in search of a hand-out. When she's finished with 'her rounds' she climbs into the fountain and takes a fresh water shower; floating and dunking in the pool. As you can see she's one fat enthusiastic goose! Lucy is also a very picky eater . . . loves cucumbers, tomatoes and romaine lettuce. She turns up her 'bill' at spinach!

Public Transportation

2009-02-19T13:36:00.001-07:00

Since we don't have a car down here we rely a lot on public transportation and it has been an adventure to say the least. Since we've spent a total of 6 weeks here in La Cruz, a small fishing village about 20 miles from Puerto Vallarta, and we've become very familiar with their bus system. Our experience has varied from a driver operating a bus for several miles with an alarm signal going off, to a 'loco' bus driver who was pulled over by the local police for speeding and put in the back of the police car! What amazes us is the number of people they can crowd onto a bus . . . the drivers just continue to stop and pick up passengers regardless of how many people are standing in the aisle! We had the priviledge of standing on a 20 minute ride to Sayulita last week!!!

The buses typically are in poor condition; cracked windshields, dirty and with no shocks! Some of the buses are like old school buses; others have padded seats. The price is right (a little over a dollar to go to Puerto Vallara) however and it's definitely a way to get the feel of the area! Yesterday we decided to visit the Old Town section of Puerto Vallarta one more time before we leave the area on Saturday and we were treated with a serenade by a cute little mexican boy and his father! They got on, sang a few songs, asked for tips, and got off the bus at the next stop.

February 2009

2009-02-16T14:58:00.001-07:00

We've started our journey north . . . we left Barra de Navidad on February 3, stopping in Chamela for a couple nights and then one night in Ipala before rounding Cabo Corrientes; which was one of our smoothest yet! We're now back in the marina in La Cruz; we arrived here on February 7. It's such a nice little town we hate to leave, but, weather permitting, we'll be leaving here on Saturday, February 21 . Our next planned stop will be Bahia Chamela, about 50 miles north of here. At some point we'll be crossing The Sea of Cortez and spend a month in the La Paz area! Just waiting for the right wind angle . . . would be nice to do some sailing for a change!

On our way to Valentine's Dinner!

Mexico's Got Talent!

After dinner we stopped in a small club here in La Cruz to listen to Tatewari . . . the group contains three local teenage guitar players who are absolutely fantastic!

January 2009

2009-01-31T15:13:00.000-07:00

Oh my . . . what happened to January? We left Puerto Vallarta the first week of January and have been on the move south!

Enroute to Barra de Navidad we sent a couple nights in Bahia Chamela and Tenacatita Bay!

We spent a week in the lagoon in Barra de Navidad . . . not as plush as the marina, but must less expensive!

We still get the delivery from the French Baker each morning!

Our next destination was Las Hadas, Manzanillo! The resort is still beautiful!

Tried our hand at Med Mooring (stern first) at the Las Hadas Marina! Great being able to wash the boat and plug into to the electricity! This is our furthest point south for this year so we heading back north!

We're in no hurry, so exploring some of the hidden gems here on the Gold Coast of Mexico.

Sunsets are hard to beat down here!

Christmas 2008

2008-12-26T09:05:00.001-07:00

We spent Christmas in La Cruz, a small fishing village just outside of Puerto Vallarta. We even put up our 'big' tree!

For the past several years, Philo, pictured above (center) has opened up his bar to cruisers for a Christmas potluck. For $50 pesos per person he furnished the turkey, and each of the cruisers brought dishes to pass! There are some very talented cooks amongst this fleet, the food was delicious! Check out the video to the left . . . hope to get a chance to try Leon's wash board at the next Open Mike Night!

The captain enjoying the festivities!

After dinner we were entertained by the band while the local kids lined up outside awaiting a visit from Santa! Thanks to the generosity of the gringo community, over 500 gifts were donated for the event!

Finally, Santa makes his appearance!

The gifts were distributed based on age and sex!

A wonderful time to get reacquainted with old friends

. . . and to meet new!

Needless to say, a good time was had by all!

¡FELIZ NAVIDAD, Y PRÓSPERO AÑO NUEVO!

2008-12-17T10:39:00.000-07:00

Wow, 2008 was quite a year; we greeted the new year in Tucson with our grandson Chase; drove to San Carlos, got on the boat and sailed to the Baja; spent three months enjoying the islands around La Paz; sailed back to San Carlos, put the boat into dry storage; drove back to Tucson and bought a new car; Diana flew to Anchorage for her birthday; Larry & Diana flew a 1960 Huey helicopter from Arizona to Washington D.C. for Memorial Day (about 5,000 miles); on the return trip, Larry's daughter (Ava) and grand daughter (Kristin) rode with us between Washington and North Carolina; in July drove to San Antonio for the VHPA reunion; then on to WV to visit Larry’s mom; up to Columbus, OH to visit Nathan’s family and meet our newest grandson; then on to Jackson, MI for a week with Dan and Kathy; played tourist -- visited the Ford Museum and Greenfield Village; then a road trip down to Indiana to see and fly an airplane that Larry’s dad owned in the 1950’s; visited Diana’s aunt and cousins in Ohio; drove across the upper peninsula of Michigan; went to Oshkosh for the air show, back to Arizona, bought a 1946 Aeronca airplane; sold the Goldwing motorcycle; had sailing friends visit us, and we visited them; Diana attended classes and renewed her real estate license; spent a week in Tucson with Marla, Doug and grandson Chase; went back to San Carlos to put the boat back in the water and sailed south to Yavaros, Topolobampo, Altata, Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta where we will spend Christmas and New Years.

WHEW . . . this 'retirement' is a lot of work!

Puerto Vallarta - La Cruz

2008-12-17T09:07:00.001-07:00

No snow for Christmas!!!

Guess we'll just have to make do with sand!

On Monday, December 8, we left Mazatlan at 9 a.m. heading south towards Puerto Vallarta. We decided not to make any stops in between and go directly to La Cruz de Huanacaxtle, a quaint fishing village located about 12 miles from Puerto Vallarta. It took us 21 hours to make the 160 mile journey ! It was a pretty uneventful trip, the sea looked more like a lake, with not a breath of wind, so we motored all the way.

At daylight on Tuesday we entered Banderas Bay and the wind picked up to 12-15 knots. The timing couldn't have been better since our engine overheated shortly thereafter and we had to shut it down. So, we pulled up the sails and while Larry worked on the engine, Diana sailed the boat towards La Cruz. We finally arrived in La Cruz and set the anchor at about 9:30 a.m.

The next day we encountered problems with the generator overheating so we decided to come into the marina a few days early and get everything running cool again! Larry worked on water pumps and heat exchangers to fix the over heating issues. Monday we went out for a few hours to check out the motor and generator plus run the watermaker for a few hours. We're happy to report that everything seems to be back in normal working order again. While we were out in the bay we spotted a few whales too.

The weather is gorgeous here . . . mid 80's during the day and low 70's at night with a great sea breeze! The marina is very new and has nice facilities. In town there are several nice places to eat and meet fellow cruisers. Tuesday night was the German Bierfest at the Black Forest Cafe, great German food. Almost any night of the week you can find great young music talents playing at one of the local clubs.

From La Cruz it's a 45 minute bus ride to the shopping areas of Puerto Vallarta. We have been to Wal-Mart, Sam's, Home Depot, Mega (big food store), Zaragoza (marine store) and the new mall that has been built since our last visit here two years ago.

Our plans are to stay in the marina here in La Cruz through the holidays and then on January 10 continue our journey south toward Bara Navidad and Manzanillo; weather permitting of course.

Friday we took a 'road trip' over the mountain to the little village of Sayulita! We took the local bus, and that alone was an adventure! Sayulita is famous the world over for surfing and is full of art shops and restaurants! It's like stepping back in into the 60's . . . some of the hippies came and never left!

Last night we went to dinner with the crew of s/v Faith and enjoyed a wonderful Lobster dinner on the beach . . . all this for less than $18 USD!

Mazatlan

2008-12-05T15:17:00.001-07:00

Thanksgiving 2008

We've had a couple busy weeks here in Mazatlan. The big event was the cruisers dinner at Marina Mazatlan. Dinner was served at sunset on the deck of the cruisers lounge overlooking the marina.

It took alot of turkey to feed 180 hungry cruisers.

The marina is growing . . . condos springing up everywhere!

The fleet!

Prior to dinner a local 'padre' blessed each and every boat in the fleet!

Hey, we'll take all the help we can get!

San Carlos to Mazatlan

2008-11-26T12:05:00.000-07:00

This year we decided to try the mainland route to Mazatlan. Took us 8 days and a few adventures along the way. We left San Carlos on Sunday, November 16 at noon. Our first stop, 21 hours later, was in Puerto Yavaros, a small fishing village. As you can see it looks alot like the Bubba Gump fishing fleet.

We overnighted in Yavaros and at high tide the next morning, we continued our trip south toward Topolobampo. It was great weather for sailing, unfortunately we arrived about 5 hours earlier than expected and attempted to find our anchorage in the dark. We finally anchored just outside of the channel and at dawn continued our one and half hour journey into the bay. Upon arrival we found that the marina was not yet open, however the docks were in place, so we tied up to the new docks. Of course there was no electrical or water, but we were happy just to be able to get off the boat.

The next morining we continued our trip south towards Altata; a trip scheduled to take about 23 hours. At 2:30 a.m. the next morning our buddy boat, Charlotte Alane, snagged a fishing net about 4 miles off shore. We spent the rest of the night cruising around the area waiting for daylight. As dawn began to break we noted that there was a panga with two men in it tied to one end of the net. They began pulling up their net, collecting fish, and at about 8:30 a.m. finally freed Steve and Gig's boat so we could continue on to Altata.

Altata is a huge shallow bay that is abundant with shrimp. Because it is so shallow the fishermen use pangas with sails to fish. There had to be a couple hundred colorful pangas fishing in the bay. What a beautiful sight! It's a great little village, too bad it's a 2+ hour journey through the shallow channel!

After two nights in Altata we headed for Mazatlan. Another great day and night for sailing . . . winds were 22 - 35 knots on a broad reach with a following sea. This is a picture of Mazatlan as we approached at dawn!

We will be here in Marina Mazatlan for Thanksgiving then continue on down the Mexican Pacific coast.

Heading South

2008-11-18T09:14:00.000-07:00

We finally left port on Sunday and are heading towards Mazatlan. It's a 400+ mile trip, which at an average of 5 knots, is about 8o hours, so we're making a couple stops along the way. We did an overnight on Sunday, arriving in Yavaros, a small bay which is a base for shrimp boats, yesterday and spent the night anchored off the commerical dock. Not exactly picturesque, but interesting. Amazingly they have a cell phone tower and wifi. This morning we're heading down to Topolabampo, which is about 24 hours down the 'road'!

November Update

2008-11-05T17:06:00.000-07:00

We're back in the water, and after a little work, appears that all systems are go! We're planning to do our 'shake down' cruise this weekend (weather permitting). The plan is still to leave San Carlos on November 17, again weather permitting, and head south toward Mazatlan.

Not sure how long we'll gone this year . . . especially considering the outcome of the election! We might just find a place here in Mexico to settle and watch the fireworks from south of the border! Pretty scary times for Americans!

2008-2009 s/v Summer Wind Sailing Schedule

2008-09-10T10:19:00.000-07:00

Note: This is our plan, but of course we will probably have to make some adjustments to accommodate the weather.

Oct. 21 -- To San Carlos, Mexico to prepare the boat for the sailing season

Nov.14-17 Mark Muligan IslandFest, San Carlos, Mexico

Nov. 17 -- Depart San Carlos heading south (along the main land).

Nov. 21 -- Arrive Mazatlan -- El Cid Marina

Dec. 05 -- Depart Mazatlan for Puerto Vallarta

Dec. 19 -- Marina Riveiera Nayarit (Puerto Vallarta)

Dec. 26 -- Depart PV . . heading south

Jan. ?? -- Tenacatita, Barra Navidad, Manzanillo

Feb 3-8 -- Zihuatanejo for SailFest

Feb. ?? -- Start the journey North again

Mar.?? -- Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan, San Carlos

Apr. ?? -- Return to U.S.

The Champ

2008-09-02T13:59:00.000-07:00

Today, September 20, we took our first trip in The Champ . . . we flew to Sedona for the Antique Car Fly-In. As you can see by the pictures below, it was a great day for flying!

Gorgeous Red Rocks of Sedona!

This is a video of my (Diana's) first ride in The Champ. Talk about seat of your pants flying! No fancy gadgets, just get in and go . . . well, somebodies got to prop it first!

Fool's Hollow Lake

Ariel view of our house!

Beautiful day for flying!

1946 Aerona Champ

2008-08-20T07:45:00.000-07:00

The newest member to our toy collection!
1946 Aeronca Champ

Summer 2008 Highlights

2008-08-19T15:02:00.000-07:00

Where did the summer go? Well, for us much of it was spent on the road. The map to the right shows the track of our great 2008 road trip. After attending the VHPA reunion in San Antonio we headed east to visit friends and family. We had a great time, but after a month of living out of suitcase, it's good to be home!

June Update

2008-06-13T09:25:00.000-07:00

It's been an amazing summer, and it's only June! We just completed a 5,000+ miles journey with Flying Thunder-- Flight To The Wall. It was 22 days, flying in vintage helicopters, visiting 43 cities . . .exhausting, but wonderful all at the same time!

Started a separate blog just for Flying Thunder . . . take a look http://flyingthunder2008.blogspot.com/

Formation Flight

Galley Wench out of her galley!

The Captian being interviewed at the Pima Air Museum in Tucson!

Back in U.S.A.

2008-04-29T15:21:00.000-07:00

Had a great time in Anchorage! Boy is that kid growing up fast! Got home just in time to join Larry and the gang on Flying Thuder -- Flight to the Wall!

On April 16 we arrived back in San Carlos from the Baja. After 5 days of work we put the boat 'to bed' for the summer, and the next morning headed north to Tucson. And the next day . . . we picked up our new 2009 Toyota Camry!

We've got a busy summer scheduled . . .

May 6 -- Diana is headed for Anchorage to spend her birthday & Mother's Day with Marla, Doug and Chase.

May 10 (hopefully sooner), -- Larry will be leaving (in the UH-1 'Huey') for California to join the Wings & Rotors Air Museum's Flight To The Wall -- California to Washington, DC. To learn more about this exciting adventure go to http://www.flyingthunder.org/

May 15 -- Diana will be joining the group as they pass through Show Low.

June 5 -- Return to Show Low.

July 2 -- We'll be in San Antonio for the VHPA Reunion.

July 6 -- On to visit friends and family in the West Virginia, Ohio, Michigan and Illinois.

July 27 -- EEA in Oshkosh

Aug 1 -- Back home (finally!)

2007-2008 Season Highlights!

2008-04-21T07:46:00.000-07:00

Santa Rosalia

2008-04-12T08:34:00.000-07:00

We moved up the coast to Santa Rosalia where we are in a nice new marina for a week while the strong winds blow. The weather looks good for our crossing to San Carlos next Tuesday night, arriving Wednesday mid day.

Here is a photo of the marina, with all three boats (Gitana, Charlotte Alane and Summer Wind) in slips side-by-side.

Also a photo of the hot dog stand on the street near the church in Santa Rosalia. All the cruisers know of this hot dog stand and rate it the best in Mexico. They are very good !!

Conception Bay - Mulege

2008-04-07T09:54:00.000-07:00

We are spending a few days in Conception Bay where there are a few nice places on the beach for food and beer. Plus we can take a taxi into Mulege, a wonderful little town on a river, where there are stores and services available.

On the way into Conception Bay we were greeted by many dolphins on our bow. Diana was able to get a few nice photos looking down at them. In one photo you can even see the shadow of our bow anchor.

Charlotte Alene and Gitana are still cruising along with us as we move north to Santa Rosilia by Friday.

San Juanico

2008-04-01T23:15:00.000-07:00

Today we motor sailed for about 5 hours to this wonderful bay where we plan to stay for a few days. This is one of our favorite bays with the underwater coral spires, turquoise shoals, white beaches and clear water. A few large homes have been built on the hillside above the bay. There is suppose to be some high winds and big waves late this week, so we will stay here until things calm down before we continue north along the Baja coast.

Loreto

2008-03-31T14:04:00.003-07:00

March 29, 2008

We are tied to a buoy in Escondido Bay, which is about 15 miles south of Loreto. Yesterday we shared a van with two other boats and went into Loreto for lunch and shopping. Also a short stop at the store for fresh fruits and vegetables. We are members of the local Hidden Port Yacht Club that puts on a great pot luck breakfast each Sunday for all the cruisers, and ex-cruisers, in the Loreto area.

Sunday afternoon, after the breakfast, we will move out to Isla Carmen and anchor in Balandra Cove for a few nights before we continue up the coast. Our plans are to cross the Sea of Cortez to San Carlos, on the mainland, around April 16th, depending upon the weather, winds, etc. Then we prepare our boat for haul out and into dry storage for the summer.

Agua Verde

2008-03-31T14:04:00.002-07:00

March 26, 2008

We had a great visit to San Evaristo. Went ashore to find the school and drop off some supplies that we brought for the children. The school was closed for the Easter holidays, but we left the supplies with the owner of the little store.

Yesterday, Tuesday, we motor sailed north to Agua Verde, one of our favorite bays on the coast. Winds switched to the east and south which caused us to bypass a couple of nice places to anchor because they are open to the south. Here we are in a bay with mountains to the south, so we had a nice flat sea and a good night's sleep after a dinner of salmon and veggies done on the grill.

We plan to stay here one more night, then up to Escondido where we will moor for a few days, get into Loreto for shopping and Internet.

Easter Sunday

2008-03-31T14:04:00.001-07:00

March 23, 2008

Here in the big bay at Isla San Francisco we ran into several old friends on boats that we had not seen for awhile. "Four Sons", John Nielsen, hosted all of us aboard his big motor yacht Friday evening for drinks with each of us bringing hors d'oeuvres. His boat has underwater lights that illuminate the sea below and all the fish under the boat. We have had mostly light winds and calm water each night with a big bright moon.

The local fishing boats start casting nets early each morning in the bay to catch bait fish, which they use out in the ocean to catch Yellowtail Jack. A few of the big Yellowtails come into the bay and scare up the bait fish into a swirling mass on the surface. The birds then swoop down and snag the little fish as they jump on the surface.

This morning we are moving over to the bay at the little village of San Everisto where we plan to have a pot luck Easter Dinner with the other boats ("Gitana" and "Charlotte Alane").

Departed La Paz, going north.

2008-03-31T14:04:00.000-07:00

March 21, 2008

We departed Marina Costa Baja on Thursday morning and motored into light winds up to Isla San Franscico. We are anchored with our friends on two other boats, plus we had 12 more boats in the bay last night. It was calm and no waves last night, so we all got a good night's sleep under a full moon. This morning the fishermen are all over the bay casting their nets for yellow tail.

On the way up here, Diana got some great photos of dolphins riding on our bow wave.

We plan to stay here at least two more nights before we continue north.

This messaged posted by WinLink over ham radio from KF7PC.

UPDATE

2008-03-29T11:35:00.000-07:00

NOTE: For some reason we're experiencing problems with posting via Ham Radio.

It's Saturday, March 29 and we're in Puerto Escondido. Yesterday, together with our friends on Gitana and Charlotte Alane, (and Lucy, the golden doodle) spent the day enjoying Loreto. Tomorrow is the Hidden Port Yacht Club's Sunday brunch . . . we plan to leave right after brunch and head across to Isla Carmen for a couple nights and then on to San Juanico and points north.

We're planning to be in San Carlos on April 18 and back in the states by April 23.

Not sure when we'll have internet again so if you're looking for us, follow Larry's instructions below on how to find us on WinLink.

Posting by ham radio

2008-03-18T09:54:00.001-07:00

March 18, 2008

We will have Internet at only a few locations along the Baja coast. Thus we will do our updates to this blog by email, text only no photos, every few days. You can also check our location on www.winlink.org . At the top of the page put your cursor over MAPS then on the drop down menu select USER POSITIONS. At the bottom of the map there is a place to ENTER CALLSIGN where you type in KF7PC and ENTER. You will get our most recent position reports in a new smaller window. Click on any of those to see the details.

Larry & Diana Clark

s/v Summer Wind

Time to Start North . . .

2008-03-18T09:28:00.000-07:00

We'll be leaving La Paz on March 20 and heading north towards Santa Rosalia, then crossing The Sea to San Carlos. We've had a great time here, but we're ready to explore The Sea. Hope to run into more shrimpers as we go!!!

Since we will not have internet once we leave the marina, Larry will be doing updates through the ham radio as we make our way north.

March in La Paz . . .

2008-03-18T09:00:00.001-07:00

We made Several Trips out to the Islands . . .

We've had a great time here in La Paz, especially enjoyed Marina Costa Baja's facilities!

Of course there is always a party somewhere . . .

Gig's Birthday

"Weekend with Bernie" (Bob came to visit)

February in La Paz

2008-02-27T10:36:00.001-07:00

We're really enjoying this marina (Costa Baja) . We're on the same dock with several of our sailing buddies . . . it's like a 24 hour party around here!

It's not all fun and games . . . we've spent much of this month doing maintenance on the boat. One of the projects was to remove the storage rack from the forward deck and modify it so that the hatch could be opened when we have guest onboard. Once we saw how great it looked without the rack we decided to leave it off. This meant that we had to do some 'house cleaning'! The lines of the boat look soooo much better without it . . . well worth the sacrifice!

Today they're washing and waxing the boat and it's looking great! Notice how the front hatch is OPEN! Guest no longer have to sleep in the dungeon.

Earlier this month we took a break from all this back breaking labor (ya right!) and played tourist. Six of us stuffed into a super-cab pick-up truck and spent the day in Todo Santos, home of Hotel California (made famous by the Eagles song)! It's alot like a Mexican Sedona . . we had a great time! Picture below was taken in the courtyard of Hotel California!

We've taken two trips out to the islands and it's been great, however we're hoping the next time it will be warm enough to get in the water. We were at anchor at Esprito Santos during the lunar eclipse and it was fantastic. This picture of Summer Wind was taken from a fellow cruisers boat during the 'Lunartic' party!

2008 Cruising Schedule

2008-01-29T15:55:00.000-07:00

This season we plan to stay in The Sea of Cortez and explore the many islands and coves.

January 19 Arrived in La Paz (Marina Costa Baja)

This will be our home base for the next few months.

March 13-17 Friends will be joining us for a few days. Plan to get in some sailing while they're here!

March 20 Leave La Paz to enjoy The Sea

April 19 Weather permitting, we'll cross The Sea to San Carlos

April 24 Summer Wind will be placed in the seca (dry) marina for the summer.

April 25 Return to Tucson then on to Show Low for the summer!

Christmas

2008-01-29T14:57:00.000-07:00

Christmas comes early!!!!

William Todd Glancy

Born 12/10/07

We spent Christmas in Tucson with Marla, Doug & Chase. It had been several years since we had Christmas with either of our families and it was wonderful!

Doug, Chase & Marla

Chase discovered The Wiggles while he was with us in Tucson . . . check out the video link at the left (Chase & The Wiggles)!

This is Chase giving the camera his 'Chinaman grin'!

We finally broke the ties in Tucson and arrived in San Carlos (Mexico) on January 10. It was our hope to set sail on January 11, however the weather didn't cooperate. Finally on Tuesday, January 15 we set sail . . . heading due south toward Agua Verde; with La Paz our final destination! We had great winds for sailing the first few days, however on Friday we encountered strong winds and heavy seas, so set it out in a cove just 20 miles north of LaPaz. On Sunday the winds and sea calmed so we motored into the marina.

December Update

2007-12-19T07:48:00.000-07:00

Thanksgiving was spent in Tucson with Larry's daughter, Ava, and granddaughter, Kristin. We stayed in Doug and Marla's very nice patio home on the golf course in El Conquistador.

After Thanksgiving we drove down to San Carlos to put Summer Wind back in the water for another season of cruising the Sea of Cortez. The boat now has a new coat of bottom paint. This special paint contains chemicals that will prevent the growth of barnacles for several years in the warm waters we sail in off Mexico's Pacific coast.

The boat is moved from the storage and work yards back to the water on a large trailer with hydraulic arms that hold the boat during the half mile ride to the dock.

We spent three weeks putting the boat back together, cleaning and installing parts that we brought down from the USA.

To make sure everything was working correctly, we took her out for a two night "shake down" cruise up the coast to San Pedro bay. This is a photo of Aileen, also a Hunter 42 Passage that our friends Bruce and Vickie from Flagstaff own. They accompanied us to San Pedro bay and came over to our boat for cocktail hour.

December 10th we received the wonderful news that William Todd Glancy had arrived and is the new baby brother of Ashlyn and Rachel. We now have a total of 5 grandchildren!

We are now back in Tucson where we will spend Christmas with Doug, Marla and Chase. Doug's parents are also driving out from Maryland to be in Tucson for the holidays.

Our plans are to return to San Carlos and sail out around January 5th for the crossing to the Baja. Then south to La Paz where we have slip reservations at Coasta Baja Marina starting January 15th. We are looking forward to more sunshine and warmer weather.

To all of our friends and relatives, we wish you Feliz Navidad, or Merry Christmas, and a prosperous 2008.

Antique Helicopter Road Trip

2007-11-22T10:57:00.000-07:00

Larry and his friend Stan, a retired Army helicopter mechanic, rebuilt a 1960 Huey B model over a period of 3 years. Back to flyable condition after 31 years. We flew this classic to Murrieta, CA where we joined up with another Huey "gunship" for the trip to Las Vegas where both helicopters performed in a big air show at Nellis AFB. Returned back to Show Low on Nov. 12 and closed up the house for the winter.

It's Been a Busy Summer . . .

2007-09-03T07:18:00.000-07:00

We spent 10 days with Marla, Doug and Chase in Anchorage!

We left Anchorage and headed for Whittier where we boarded a ship for our return trip to the lower 48!

Boy all this travel is tiresome . . . Chase & Grandpa taking a nap!

Cruised back to Vancouver. . . Larry in Glacier Bay.

It's been an amazing summer of travel . . . we got to spend some time with our grandson Chase in Anchorage

Over July 4th we spent a week in Phoenix attending the Vietnam Helicopter Pilot's Reunion. Even got to meet Lee Greenwood (back stage before his performance)!

Sold the Army Jeep and bought a 1996 Corvette . . . lots more fun to drive!!!

Also managed a couple days to visit sailing friends Steve & Gig in Julian, California

2007 - 2008 Cruising Plans

2007-08-15T09:58:00.000-07:00

Over the summer we have purchased many new items such as a new Achilles 9 ft. dinghy, bottom paint, new fenders, dock lines and many other things needed for maintaining Summer Wind. We plan to leave the boat in dry storage until mid November when she gets moved to the work yard for bottom painting. Our tentative schedule is:

November 19 -- Ava & Kristin Arrive for Thanksgiving in Tucson

November 25 -- To San Carlos

November 26 -- Back in the water with local sailing around San Carlos

December 15 -- Return to Arizona for Christmas Marla, Doug & Chase
January 4 -- Return to San Carlos with provisions

January ? -- Depart San Carlos for Baja

This next season we plan to stay in the Sea of Cortez between La Paz and Santa Rosalia. If any of our friends or family are going to be in the area, please let us know we would love to have you aboard.

"We have no schedule and we plan to stick to it."

Areli Graduates

2007-06-10T12:06:00.000-07:00

Finally, it's graduation day!

As many of you know we're sponsoring a child from Zihuatanejo, Mexico through secondary school. She's a beautiful young lady and her name is Areli Gallo Pastrana. On July 5 she'll be graduating from primary school.

The picture below was taken on board our boat during SailFest 2007.

We recently received the following pictures . . . Areli is the second girl from the right.

La Paz to San Carlos

2007-05-15T13:56:00.000-07:00

Due to techincal difficulties (the computer died . . . again), we're just a little behind in updating the blog!

We left LaPaz on April 2 and headed north together with Steve and Gig on Charlotte Alaine. We decided this time that we were going to take it leisurely and stop in bays where we'd never been. It was great . . . sailed about three hours a day and played the rest! Here's some of the highlights.

The Marina at Costa Baja was nice, but it's always great to be back at anchorage!

Easter Sunday we were in Agua Verde with about 10 other boats and at the last minute a BBQ on the beach was organized, with a bonfire and all!

Well, it may not have been like your Easter feast, but we had a great time!

This picture was taken at Los Gatos . . . a beautiful anchorage on the Baja side of The Sea.

Dolphin, Dolphins EVERYWHERE! From a distance it looked like a washing machine . . . as we got closer we could see there were hundreds of dolphins feeding. Check out the video (link on the right)!

We spent our last two nights on the baja in beautiful Balandra Bay with Steve and Gig. Then on April 12 we departed for an overnight crossing to San Carlos.

We arrived in San Carlos early the next morning and after a short nap, began the process of getting her ready to be pulled out of the water.

Three days later, she's out of the water and headed for the storage yard!

We're back home in Show Low enjoying the space and looooong showers! The house is now on the market, so if your interested in buying a 'cabin' in the woods, let us know!

San Blas to La Paz

2007-03-26T09:53:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday, March 20, the weather window looked to be perfect for the crossing of the Sea of Cortez to the Baja. So together with our buddy boat, Godspeed, we lifted anchor at 5 am and headed northwest towards Ensenda de los Muertos where we planned to spend a couple days before continuing on to La Paz. There were no surprises for the first 48 hours, the seas were flat and we even had enough wind to get in some true sailing. We picked up a couple hitch hikers along the way!

The sea gulls were even riding on the backs of sea turtles.

It was so calm the first two days that Diana enjoyed some 'galley time' . . . as you can see, we ate well:

Breakfast: Baked Pears with Oatmeal http://www.recipezaar.com/160393
Lunch: Hot dogs, Southwestern Coleslaw & Chips http://www.recipezaar.com/162191
Dinner: Archerra Beef Tacos & Beans http://www.recipezaar.com/170825

Midnight Snack: Platano (Banana) Bread & Hot Chocolate

Breakfast: Orange Crepes with Sausage
Lunch: Ham & Cheese Panini Sandwiches http://www.recipezaar.com/84839
Dinner: SpiceSea Chili http://www.recipezaar.com/168006

As we approached the Baja, the wind began to pick up to about 15 knots and shifted around to the south. At 10:30 am on Thursday we set anchor it Muertos Cove; the crossing had taken us 52.5 hours. Since this bay opens to the south, the anchorage was alittle roly, but after two days of sporadic sleep, we didn't care, we were ready for a nap! About 3 hours later the seas and the wind picked up and we were rocking and rolling in the anchorage. After a quick discussion with our buddy boat we decided it was a ' wee bit' too roly, so we pulled up anchor and headed out in search of a more sheltered anchorage. It was too rough to pull the dingy back up on the davits at this point so the plan was to tow her to calmer water. NOT! Just as we were exiting the bay she broke loose and was headed for shore, so we had to head back in and retrieve the 'family car'. As we came around Punta Arena and entered the Cerralvo Channel the waves let up enough that we were able to bring the dingy back up on the davits, however we didn't feel comfortable with the anchoring possibilities so we headed for La Paz. It was another long and tedious night, but at 2:00 am on Friday morning we finally tied up to the fuel dock at Marina Costa Baja! Our passage had taken us a total of 69 hours; we were ready for bed!

We're now in a slip at the marina and plan to stay for about a week before continuing our trip north. In the meantime, we're enjoying our land time!

Puerto Vallarta to San Blas

2007-03-26T09:01:00.000-07:00

On Friday, March 16, Summer Wind departed Marina Puerto Vallarta! It was a great day for sailing, so we spent the day whale watching and sailing around Bandaras Bay. That night we anchored at Punta Mita in the north eastern corner of this huge bay. Early Saturday morning we departed with two other boats, Godspeed and The Boat, for San Blas. Because of reported jejenes (biting gnats) in the estuary, we decided to anchor a 1/2 mile off the beach in Matanchen Bay, which is about 5 miles from San Blas. As we entered the bay we were greeted by dolphins and a silky shark!

There were a few jejenes that evening but the magnificent sunset made it all worthwhile!

The next morning we couldn't see the sunrise because of the fog. Once it burned off we launched our dingy and took a 20 minute ride up the estuary to visit the village. San Blas is a quaint little shrimping port with alot of character.

It was Sunday morning and the local fish market (in the streets) was open for business.

Lots of fresh produce is available at the Mercado.

Fish and veggies aren't the only things available at the market!

It was the weekend and there was alot of activity in the town square. The natives of the area are the Huichol people and they are known for their intricate bead covered animals.

San Blas was immortalized by H. W. Longfellow’s final poem, The Bells of San Blas.

Moving North . . .

2007-03-04T15:21:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, March 25 we packed up our 'floating condo' and left Barra Navidad. We spent the first night in Bahia Tenacatitta and then ventured on to Chamela. It was our intention to spend several days in Chamela, however on the second day we decided to join the flotilla that was heading north around Cabo Corrientes; a sometimes 'nasty' little cape just south of Puerto Vallarta. The weather was forcasted to be favorable so at 1 p.m. Tuesday we headed out to sea with 6 other boats. About two hours into the trip the wind picked up and so did the seas. Before the night was over we had winds of up to 24 knots (on the nose) and the sea was like riding a hobby horse. We rounded the cape about 3 a.m. and the winds dropped down to 15 knots and the seas were relatively flat. By 10 a.m. we were anchored in LaCruz, a little bay near Puerto Vallarta, and began the task of mopping up the mess. During the night we took alot of water over the bow and found out we need to replace some seals around the hatches.

Sunset in Chamela!

You can see why we wanted to spend more time in this great little bay.

This area of Mexico is called the 'Gold Coast' . . . and it not just because of the color of the sand. This boat was our neighor in Chamela. Nice Neighborhood!

These little guys went from boat to boat collecting basura (trash). . . for pesos of course!

Gold Coast

2007-02-23T08:41:00.000-07:00

One of the joys of cruising the Gold Coast is that there are so many great anchorages within a day's journey from the Isla Navidad Marina. Last weekend Bill and Colleen Bouchard flew in from Phoenix and joined us onboard. We had a GREAT sail up to Bahia Tenacatita . . . making an all time speed record for our floating condo!

It was great having the extra hands onboard! Good time was had by all!

Back in the Marina Isla de Navidad

2007-02-20T10:59:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday, March 6 we pulled up anchor from Zihuatanejo and motored over to Isla Grande, just off the coast of Ixtapa . . . it was an easy run, all of about 7 miles. Because of the warm waters in Z-What we had a bit of growth on the bottom of the boat so we spent the day cleaning the barnacles off the bottom. Isla Grande (aka Isla Ixtapa) was such a great little anchorage we decided to spend another day so we could enjoy it. So, at 6 a.m. on Thursday we began our journey north to Manzanillo. . . because of the rough seas and the wind angle it took us a little longer than anticipated, but arrived at our anchorage in Las Hadas at sundown on Friday. We spent the next day resting up and then on Sunday morning we headed for the marina in Isla Navidad.

Having been at anchor for about three weeks, the boat was a 'wee bit crusty' so we decided to rinse her down! It was during this process that Diana miscalculated her height and wacked her head on the bimini, putting a two inch gash in the top of her head. We made a quick visit to the hotel doctor where he sewed her up!

Z-What Sailfest Highlights

2007-02-15T15:19:00.000-07:00

Chili Cook-Off

Galley Wench's "Bilge Belching SpiceSea Chili and Barnacle Remover"

Carlos and Oliver . . . two of the Mexican students that we took on the boat parade.

Areli and Larry during the boat parade

And of coures, the boat parade -- we motor sailed from Zihau to Ixtapa (about 7 miles) and circled the bay, saluting the port capitan.

We were so moved by the what the cruisers in Zihau are doing for the community that we decided to become active as well. The picture above is of Areli, a student that we are sponsoring through high school. In Mexico, primary school is free, however they must pay for their education after the 6th grade. Less than 50% of Mexicans have a 6th grade education. For $250 USD per year we're helping Areli continue her education.

Zihuatanejo

2007-01-25T10:11:00.000-07:00

After a pleasant overnight sail from Manzanillo, we arrived in Z-What Saturday evening. Not sure how we managed it, but we were one of the few that did not encounter the Mexican Navy enroute. They patrol the waters down here in search of drug smugglers, so they slip up on boats (no visible lights) and shine their spot lights on the boats, demanding that they identify themselves. We’re planning to stay here through SailFest (http://www.zihuasailfest.com/) which starts on January 31 and runs through February 4.

Zihuatanejo is a beautiful bay, with big homes and a great little village along the waterfront

However, Zihuatanejo is also home to some of the poorest people in Mexico. Yesterday we took a tour of the school that will benefit from the proceeds from SailFest 2007. We all piled into the back of pick-up trucks and ‘snaked’ our way up the mountain.

As you can see the school is literally sliding down the mountain. It’s truly heart breaking to see the conditions that these happy little faces are learning in.

It's no wonder so many of them are trying to escape the living conditions in Mexico!

We then climbed even higher to the site where the new school is being built . . . what a view!

On our way back to the waterfront we stopped by a school that benefited from past SailFest donations! It’s now one of the model schools in Central America.

The new school also has a small dormatory that houses children who live too far to commute every day. We had an opportunity to meet some of the kids that live in the dormatory—they may not have much, but they seem so happy!

If you would like to learn more about this great organization go to http://www.losninos.us/

The Gold Coast . . .

2007-01-14T18:01:00.000-07:00

On December 26 the winds let up so we left La Paz and headed south! Because the winds and seas were forecasted to pick up again in the Sea of Cortez we made the decision to bypass Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta and headed directly for The Gold Coast on the Pacific Mainland. It was a good decision . . . we landed in Ipala on December 29. It took a total of 63 hours of sailing. . . well okay, we did have to do some motoring but all in all it was a good trip.

On Saturday, we had a great day of sailing to Chamela where we met up with the crew of 'Low Maintenance' John & Vicki (aka High Maintenance).

We're currently in the marina at Isla Navidad . . . well the boats there, we're house/kitty sitting for John and Vicki, in Colimilla, a little village just over the hill from the marina. It's really a unique home built on the side of the mountain overlooking the lagoon.

The view from the entrance of our room .

Larry enjoying the hammock in the outside dining room!

Diana's favorite room. . . with a regular refrigerator too!

Overland to Todo Santos & Cabo San Lucas

2006-12-25T12:03:00.000-07:00

Larry had to make a quick business trip to the states in mid-December, and since the flight choices from La Paz were limited, we drove to San Jose del Cabo (about 2 1/2 hours). About an hour north of Cabo San Lucas is the quaint village of Todo Santos, a destination in itself! In 1724, the town was founded as a mission and later became a major sugar cane producer. Today Todo Santos is a haven for artest, surfers and 'old hippies'. It's like a Mexican version of Sedona.

Todo Santos is the home of Hotel California, . . . the same hotel that was made famous by the Eagle's song (Hotel California)

While Larry was in the states, Diana took in the sights of San Jose Del Cabo . . . well, those sights that could be viewed from pool-side.

La Paz

2006-11-27T17:15:00.000-07:00

It was a rough night last night. . . a 'norther' (nasty wind storm) blew in and put this boat on the rocks right next to us. The boat was vacant and anchored outside the breaker. Took the Mexican Navy most of the morning to get it off the rocks. Really glad we're in the marina behind the break water barrier!

La Paz Farmer's Market

This is the sunset view from our slip at Marina de La Paz.

Part II -- The Adventure Starts Again

2006-11-12T10:06:00.000-07:00

We left San Carlos about 4 pm on November 13 and did a night sail to Ensenada San Juanico, arriving approximatley 9 am. Great winds (15-22 knots), however we were broad sided to the seas and it made for a rather uncomfortable ride so we were ready for a nap! Since there were several other boats in the bay we all got together that evening for a Happy Hour! (At times our social life is a bit demanding :=) who needs sleep anyway)!

Our next stop was in Puerto Escondido for two nights where we met up with Steve and Gig aboard Charlotte Alan. Together we ventured south to Auga Verde, San Everisto and then on to Isla Partida, approximately 20 miles north of La Paz. We're now nestled into our slip in Marina de LaPaz.

We arrived in San Carlos on Thursday and have been busy provisioning the boat for another season. The weather looks perfect for sailing across to the Baja tomorrow, so we'll be leaving about 4 p.m. (high tide) Monday afternoon. Plan to arrive in Bahia San Juanico about noon on Tuesday. From there we'll make our way to La Paz . . . plan to arrive on, or about November 20 (approximately a week).

Had a great time in Anchorage with our new grandson! He's such a good natured little guy, and soooooo cute too! The picture above was taken from Marla and Doug's backyard looking out over the bay! Weather was COLD brrrrrrrrr, so really enjoying the sunshine here in Mexico.

Watch this blog . . . we'll update again when we have internet service. We will be reporting position re[ports so you can follow us on ShipTrack . . . the link is located on the right!

Larry & Diana
aboard s/v Summer Wind

Summer Wind's 2006-2007 Sailing Schedule

2006-10-17T14:00:00.000-07:00

This is our tenative sailing plans for 2006-2007. Of course the weather will determine the actual dates.

September 17 - Arrive San Carlos
September 18 - Bottom Painted
September 20 - Put Back in Water
October 15 - Return to States to prepare for trip to Alaska
October 31 - Off to Anchorage to visit our new grandson - Chase Andrew!
November 9 - Returned to San Carlos
November 13 - Departed San Carlos (overnight to San Juanico)

November 14 - Arrived San Juanico

November 15 - San Juanico to Escondido

November 17 - Escondido to Agua Verde

November 18 - Agua Verde to San Everisto

November 19 - San Everisto to Isla Pardita

November 20 - Marina de LaPaz (La Paz)

December 19 - Drive to Cabo San Lucas -- Larry to Chicago, Diana Poolside

December 21 - Returned to LaPaz

December 26 - Departed LaPaz for Bahia de los Muertos

December 27 - Departed Los Muertos (Southern Crossing of Sea of Cortez)

December 29 - Arrived Ipala

December 30 - Arrived Camela

January 02 - Arrived Isla Bahia Navidad

January 18 - Departed Bahia Navidad for Zihuatanejo

January 31 - ' Sailfest' Zihuatanejo

February 07 - Departed Z What (Heading North)

February 11 - Arrived Isla Navidad

February 15 - "No Vacancy" -- Meet Bill & Colleen in Barra de Navidad

February 25 - Departed Isla Navidad

February 28 - Arrived Bandaras Bay

March 02 - Moved to Marina Vallarta

March 16 - Departed Puerto Vallarta

March 20- Crossed Sea of Cortez to Las Muertos

March 22- Arrived Las Muertos

March 22- Exited Las Muertos (because of seas)

March 23 - Arriveed La Paz -- Costa Baja Marina

April 2 - Depart La Paz -- to Islands, Exploring the Sea of Cortez

April 15 - Return to San Carlos

Aprl 18 - Boat Moved to Storage Yard

April 19 - Return to Arizona for the Summer

Back in the USA

2006-10-10T15:33:00.000-07:00

We just got back home last night (October 9) . . . just in time to receive the pictures of our new grandson.

Chase Andrew Thompson, was born October 9, 2006; weighing in at 7 pounds 14 ounces and 20 3/4 inches.

UPDATE:

They're home after two days . . . mother, baby and daddy doing great! We're heading to Anchorage on Halloween to meet him!

She's back in the water!!!!!

2006-09-22T16:02:00.000-07:00

The repairs have been completed and we're back in the water . . . now the hard work begins . . . putting her back together again! The weather has turned hot and humid again, so we're up early and doing our work ...by 2pm we're ready for a 'siesta'!

After a solid week of work, in 95+ degree temperatures we finally got her back together again! Took a quick shakedown cruise up the coast about 12 miles -- all systems working well!

It's September . . . Finally!

2006-08-26T16:32:00.000-07:00

Summers over . . . well just about, and we're getting ready to head south before we get caught in this stuff again!

We plan to be in San Carlos on September 17 . . . we're taking down supplies to paint the keel. The plan is to paint on Monday, September 18 and put her back in water on September 20. After that we have a lot of work to get her ready to sail . . . like, clean four months of dirty and grime off the deck, put the sails back on, get all the systems running again, and give her a good general cleaning!

We'll then return to Show Low for a couple weeks before heading north (Anchorage) to meet our new grandson! When we return on November 8 we'll go directly from Tucson to San Carlos for the winter.

Highlights of 2005-2006 Cruising Season

2006-08-01T20:18:00.000-07:00

Summer Wind

1993 Hunter 42 Foot Center Cockpit

We purchased Summer Wind in September 2005, then spent the next six weeks working on the boat and sailing locally to become familiar with her systems. On November 2, 2005 we set sail from San Carlos, in the state of Sonora to Santa Rosalia on the Baja. It was a perfect night for our first crossing, the Sea of Cortez was like a lake. During Diana's first night watch a whale came up right next to the boat. At first she thought she was imagining it, however a few minutes later a boat on our port side reported also seeing a whale. When we arrived in Santa Rosalia the following day we were greeted by a school of dolphins.

From Santa Rosalia we headed south down the Baja peninsula. We arrived in La Paz just before Thanksgiving and stayed a month. Celebrating Thanksgiving with over 200 fellow cruisers was a wonderful experience.

LaPaz is one of our favorite ports in Mexico. . . not a tourist trap, yet still has a few of the 'gringo' creature comforts that we craved. And what beautiful sunsets!

After Thanksgiving we left LaPaz heading for Mazatlan, once again doing a night crossing of the Sea of Cortez.

We spent a month at the Grand Bay Hotel Marina in Barra Navidad. It was during this time that Dan & Kathy flew down to join us for a week.

Vicki and Diana exploring in Barra Navidad.

In Barre, there is a French Baker who delivers fresh baked bread to the boats in the harbor . . . EVERY MORNING! His chocolate crescents are to die for!

So many spectacular sunrises and sunsets! In the eight months we travelled around Mexico we never once encountered rain!

"The Sisters" . . . better known as T-R-O-U-B-L-E!

Dock parties were common in the marinas, but the Dingy Raft-Up in Bahia Tenacatita was a new experience . . . the ultimate "Red Neck Yacht Club" cocktail party!

Towing Vickie (aka High Maintenance) back to her boat(Low Maintenance) . . . it's impossible to get back in the dingy from the water!

One of our favorite anchorages in Mexico is on the Baja,just south of Santa Rosalia in the little deserted bay of San Juanico. The tall spires jutting out of the crystal clear water are so beautiful!

Unfortunatley, it not always sunshine and fun . . . this was taken after a looooong night at sea!

'Captain Larry' at the helm of 'the family car' . . . lovin every minute of it!