Winter In And On The Water - Sundowners, Kiting and Whale Sharks

It has been a very windy winter in La Paz this year. Strong, cold northerly winds have been the prevailing pattern, sometimes lasting for more than a week before the weather would take pity on us and deliver a day or so respite of calm weather. I've worn long pants more days in the past couple of months than in the entire time we have been in Mexico.

Cold but we still meet for sundowners. Check out my fleece slippers.
Susan, Sylvia, Peggy and Lola.

But windy days are a godsend to kiters, so while most of us kvetched about the relentless winds, Tom and his pals aboard Shindig and Pangaea enjoyed many days of world class kiting both in La Paz and over in La Ventana.

Rob rips it up in the bay outside our marina.

There are several kiteboarding competitions in La Ventana during the month of January, and one day a group of us caravaned the 60 miles there to catch the first of them.


La Ventana is a fishing village that has evolved into a windsurfing and kiting destination. We liked how the competition festivities included many local contributions such as food stands and traditional dances.

In this graceful dance the girls are the net trying to catch the yellowtail held by the boys. Yep, the boys get caught in the end. 

It was incredibly exciting to watch the races and freestyle competitions. 

The competitors race around buoys in the bay.

The foiling boards look crazy but the kiters can really catch air on these.

We were interested to learn that the La Ventana Classic is a fundraiser for local schoolchildren. This year the event raised over 12K which will allow 42 children to continue high school.



Shindig and Pangaea rented a house in La Ventana for a month so that Rob and Mike could improve their skills and Nancy and Kate could take lessons. Tom and I were quick to join them for a few days to mooch off of their hospitality. After we spent a few very enjoyable days there Tom discovered there was a bus from La Paz to La Ventana every afternoon so there was no keeping him away after that.

Tom about to launch.

Mike, Rob and Tom enjoy their Margaritas after a day of kiting.

A huge thanks to our friends for their hospitality. 

Blog Hack: If you are interested in seeing more cool kiting pics, videos and La Ventana info check out Rob's and Nancy's informative posts La Ventana #1 and La Ventana #2.  

Even though it felt like the cold northerlies would never end, we actually did have some extremely pleasant days and evenings. Once in a while.

Nancy pulled out her keyboard to serenade us during our Sundownders before the wind started blowing her music around.

One day our neighbor Steve on Casamar invited us for a sail to see if we could find whale sharks. 

We head out of the marina on Casamar (photo by Lola)

We didn't have to go far before we spotted one who was feeding right on the surface. We were able to get right up next to it and watch it suck in great gulps of water. Very cool!

Whale shark feeding right next to us. It didn't seem bothered by us.

Lola kayaked right up next to it and took this photo.

More Whale Shark Pics HERE or HERE. 

More Windy Winter/Kiting Pics HERE or HERE.


It seemed like the weather would never warm up, and then all of a sudden last week we had a few days that were in the 90s and we were all griping about the heat. As if in answer to our fickle desires a cold front blew through and for a couple of days the temperature dropped over 20 degrees and we had cold driving rain. On the second day when the sun finally came out and it seemed as though the squalls had passed I went to the store and while walking back was caught in a frigid downpour that absolutely drenched me washed my clothes for me. I heard from some friends at anchor that it hailed on them that day. Crazy weather.

I go out to watch the sun set rain or shine, but it's much nicer without wind and rain. Salud!

La Posada, Día de los Reyes and Día De La Candelaria

As noted in our previous blog post (a long time ago; does anyone still remember us?), here in Mexico the Christmas season begins on 12 December on the Día de Guadalupe. But did you know that it continues until the 2nd of February, the Día De La Candelaria?

La Posada (The Inn or The Shelter) festivities are a big deal here in Mexico. They take place during the nine days before Christmas, the number nine representing the nine months that Jesus spent in the womb, or the nine days journey to Bethlehem. There are organized Posadas in towns and neighborhoods, and there are also many La Posada parties held in private homes. These celebrations re-enact the journey that Joseph and Mary made as they looked for shelter. 

This season I had the opportunity to go to a Posada Party at the home of a local couple with my neighbors Manny and Lola. My Spanish came in handy since the guests were a mixture of gringos and locals.

There was a big pot of hot Ponche on the stove; this was a sweet, hot punch filled with steeped fruit, spices and pieces of sugar cane. The longer it sits the sweeter it gets. Some people also add rum or other liquor to the Ponche.

Party guests enjoying our big vat of Ponche.

After everyone got their sugar high from the cane-infused Ponche we started stuffing pinatas with candy. More sugar!!

Stuffing the pinatas with candy.

Before commencing with pinata whacking all the guests divided into two groups for the Posada re-enactment. Half of the group were on the "inside"; they symbolized the innkeepers who would refuse, and then ultimately accept Mary and Joseph into their inn for shelter. The other half of the group were on the "outside", symbolizing Mary and Joseph requesting shelter. We all got copies of the La Posada song, we lit our candles, and then each group sang their parts.

"In the name of heaven we ask you for shelter..."

After singing the La Posada song our hosts hung up the pinata. The traditional shape is a star with seven points. Each point symbolizes one of the seven deadly sins. I think the symbolism of whacking this pinata to pieces and then getting rewarded by candy is pretty obvious. 

Guess who dealt the death blow to the pinata?

After the pinata whacking our hosts started bring out the meal, but since it was 11:30 p.m. and long past Cruiser's Midnight (9:00 p.m.), Manny, Lola and I were yawning and so we thanked our hosts and headed back to our boats.

Album: La Posada 

All pictures by Manny Fimbres

Cinnabar gets into the holiday spirit

The rest of our December was filled with visiting a Santa's Village, socializing with friends, kiting in La Ventana, eating tamales, stocking up on seasonal Noche Buena beer, and listening to music. 

Tom finds the last Noche Buena beer in the city of La Paz (after checking 5 stores) and buys them out, 14 cases.

Dock neighbor Nancy on Shindig is a wonderful musician. She plays cello in the local orchestra and we enjoyed two nights of holiday performances, one with the youth orchestra and another with the adult orchestra. 

Nancy, center, playing the cello. 

Our friend Conchita, the bartender at the marina bar, invited Manny, Lola, Tom and I to her house for tamales. It meant a lot to us that she invited us into her home, not to mention the tamales were DELICIOUS! She even gave us bags of tamales to take home.

Sylvia, Conchita and Lola in Conchita's home.

Día de los Reyes (King's Day) is on 6 January and commemorates the day that the Magi (3 kings) brought gifts to the baby Jesus. In Mexico, it is this day that children traditionally receive their gifts. It's customary to eat a Rosca de Reyes cake (shaped like a wreath), and whoever gets the tiny baby figurine hidden in the cake gets to make tamales for everyone else on February 2nd, el Día De La Candelaria. I deliberately avoided eating any Rosca de Reyes cake because I didn't want to chance having to make tamales for a crowd.

A Rosca de Reyes at one of the dock parties.

Día De La Candelaria celebrates the appearance of the Virgin of la Candelaria in Tenerife at the beginning of the XV century. Celebrations in Mexico take place on February 2 and the "lucky" person who got the baby in their Rosca de Reyes cake gets to make tamales and atole (hot chocolate made with corn masa) for the party. These are both corn-based dishes; this tradition has pre-Hispanic roots since the date coincides with the native tradition of offering a corn blessing for the start of a new agricultural cycle. 

This is the day I also celebrate my new resolution: No more tamales for at least a month!!

Album: Christmas in La Paz

(A belated) Feliz Navidad!

Christmas starts in La Paz - Dia de la Virgen de Guadalupe and Noche Buena

12 December - Dia de la Virgen de Guadalupe

When I used to watch telenovelas to help myself learn Spanish, I was frequently confused by the characters constantly praying to the Virgin of Guadalupe. Not being Catholic I had to wonder, was there more than one version of The Virgin?  

I finally got around to researching La Virgen de Guadalupe, and discovered that nope, it was the one and only Virgin who, in 1531 (more or less) appeared to Juan Diego, a native Mexican, on the hill of Tepeyac.  Long story short, she spoke to him in his Nahuatl language asking him to build a church on that site. These things are typically easier said than done, and after a few days of running around, tending to a sick uncle, and trying to convince the local archbishop of the verity of his vision, the Virgin assisted Juan Diego by imprinting an image of herself onto his tilma (cloak). The archbishop became convinced on December 12th and the church was eventually built. That very tilma (supposedly) is now kept at the third most visited religious site in the world, the Guadalupe Basilica which was built in her honor at Tepeyac, north of Mexico City.

The original tilma with the supernaturally imprinted image.(from Wikipedia)

The Virgin of Guadalupe's nickname is La Virgen Morena, The Brown Virgin, and she proved to be an important and convenient liaison between existing native religions and the conquering Catholic church. She was named the patron saint of Mexico and the Americas, and her feast day of December 12th is one of the most important religious holidays in Latin America. La Virgen Morena is seen as the champion for the poor and downtrodden, and is available to all her "children" (all people) who pray to her and ask for her help. That's why she is the most accessible and popular saint to many Mexicans.

The Dia de Guadalupe is the official start to the Christmas holidays in Mexico, and on this night all of La Paz was out in in force; numerous tianguis (open-air markets) had set up shop all over the city, and the Christmas village across the street from our marina was packed with families.

Noche Buena

For the Cinnabarbarians, the official start of Christmas is the release of Bohemia's delicious, limited edition, amber beer. It's called Noche Buena, which is also the name for the poinsettia plant as well as Christmas Eve. Turns out that Noche Buena is cheaper than water! Recently, a new, local brewery started coming to our marina on Wednesdays to sell their beers, which includes a coffee chocolate porter. So Noche Buena for Tom and a tasty porter for me. The porter is called Energía Oscura, or Dark Energy. And yes, it's definitely expanding my universe.

Holiday Amber and universe-expanding Porter

I think we are ready for the holidays!

Adios California - ¡Feliz Día de Acción de Gracias! (Happy Thanksgiving!)

Our last days in the U.S. consisted of cramming in visits with friends and family, and madly ordering boxes of boat parts and supplies to carry back down to Mexico.

Our annual N. Coast AbDab with the McGuires and special guest dive legend Lee Walton (right).

Our annual Bacchanalian weekend and clambake in Inverness with the Warrens and the Bentsens.

Army of Darkness? Nope, we visited my cousin and chopped down trees and brush for four days.

We finally left San Jose on November 15 in the pouring rain and checked in our four, huge (and now soggy) bags filled with boat parts, 40 yards of Weathermax fabric, and numerous other items we are unable to purchase in Mexico. We met the challenge of arriving to the airport on time and making our flight. The next challenge would be to go through customs in Mexico and avoiding paying import tax on all our stuff. If customs happened to question our import of gear, we were prepared to legitimize it (and no duty payment) with the Temporary Import Permit (TIP) for our boat. But we hear stories all the time about people still having to pay import tax on expensive items, including some folks who brought boat fabric into MX still on the roll. Which is why our fabric was folded up tightly into a suitcase.

We arrived in San Jose del Cabo and while waiting to retrieve our luggage a cute little inspection beagle became interested in one of my bags, not sure if it was the Clif Bars or dirty socks, but I got the dreaded yellow tag signifying my bag should be inspected. Drat! But as soon as security moved on Tom casually put my bag on the cart, then placed his suitcase on my bag, thereby covering the tag. So far so good.

Because of our mountain of luggage we were directed into the x-ray line. Double Drat! But luckily there was a delay while the inspectors were all gathered around somebody's box, so Tom and I sidled into the next line, in which you press a button that shows a red light (stay and get inspected), or a green light (free to go without inspection). I pressed the button and...GREEN for GO!!! Hooray, no inspections! We hurried out of there, found our shuttle, and after a cold beer loaded up our bags and began our long ride from San Jose del Cabo to La Paz.

When we finally arrived at the marina that night we opened up the boat, unpacked a few items, and went straight up to our favorite bar for a giant Margarita and to get re-acquainted with some of our friends. 

Even though we had a terrific summer and enjoyed the hospitality of many of our friends, it was wonderful to be back in our own space. That, along with being warmly greeted by so many people in La Paz really made us feel like we were home.

The only down side to our departure from the bay area is that we would miss Thanksgiving with family and friends. 

We missed the Belton/Seaberg annual turkey hike.
(Rancho San Antonio, CA)

We especially missed the munchkins Ava and Kellen mugging and munching their chocolate turkeys.

Tom missed his annual hog jog run, but he hiked up to the top of Mount Palmira with boat neighbor Manny. (our marina is in the background)

The hog joggers back home in Los Gatos, CA. For 24 years, a 5 mile hill run in the AM followed by pints at The Black Watch pub before resuming familial celebrations.

Every year our marina (Palmira) hosts a huge Thanksgiving pot luck, so I signed up to help with managing one of the food tables. 

It was a large but civilized crowd.

The award for Unclear On the Concept: "In all my years of doing this, this is a first!" says Jeannie of Eagle. Somebody brought bags of instant mashed potatoes, unprepped! 

Even though Tom helped clean and set up chairs and tables for this event, he had no intention of enduring enjoying Thanksgiving in a crowd of 170 people, so when our dock neighbors invited us to join them on their boat we jumped at the opportunity. 

I had a long day of cooking in the morning (including making homemade onion strings so we could have the infamous green bean casserole), working the pot luck until everyone was fed, and then joining Tom and our friends aboard their beautiful, air-conditioned boat. (It was a hot, windless day.) This year's Thanksgiving was different from how we usually celebrate it, but it was still a great holiday for us. 

Amber and Richard of Vagabundo invited us to a lively and delicious dinner. 
(We met 3 years ago in P. Vallarta racing our boats in the Banderas Bay Regatta. Home-based in Portand, OR, they've been coming to Mexico for 30+ yrs.)

Since arriving we have been working on the boat, repairing/servicing systems and getting her seaworthy. But we've also found time for some fun. We've had many days of strong winds, and Tom and his friend Rob on Shindig dinghied out into the bay to do some kiteboarding.

Tom ripping it up (w/Rob's kite) with La Paz Ctiy in the background.

(our marina is just left, out of the picture)

I know it sounds like all we do here is hang out with friends, go kiteboarding, and drink cold beers and Margaritas, but of course that's not true. More later on some of the work we do to get Cinnabar ready for living aboard and for sailing.

Album: Adios California - Hola La Paz

Where did we stay while we were in California this summer? Here are the stats:

39 days - house-sitting Palo Alto
25 days - house and kitty-sitting San Carlos
17 days - staying with M and T in Sunnyvale 
11 days - aboard Windjammer in Nova Scotia
9 days - camping CA and OR
8 days - Marblehead, MA
7 days - sailboat Alchera in Alameda
5 days - Gualala AbDab
5 days - Rich's in San Jose
5 days - sailboat Eyrie in SF
4 days - cousin's house in Feather Falls
2 days - Inverness
2 days - Airbnb Portsmouth, MA
1 day - Dayna's in Salinas (driving home)
1 day - Chico, Hotel Diamond (cousin's wedding)
141 days Total

East Coast and Sailing Nova Scotia - Lobster and Rappie Pie

I've taken some time the past few weeks, (amidst the mad packing before heading back to La Paz), to catch up on our photo album of our wonderful trip to the east coast (Marblehead MA) to visit our friends Jay and Jacqui, son Quint (whom we met for the first time!) and their two puppies Chili and Pepper. 

Jay, Jacqui and son Quint

Tom with Chili, Jay with Pepper

We spent a jam-packed week with them: visiting Jay's museum the Peabody Essex which is world-class...

Jay is the Chief Marketing Officer of this fabulous museum

...touring Salem, Boston, Marblehead, 

I loved the gravestones at the historic cemetery by Jay's house.

... the seaport of Rockport 

Sylvia, Tom, Jacqui and Jay on a ferry tour.

...working out with Jacqui, walking the dogs, picking up lobster pots...

Their veterinarian Dr. Jeff takes us out on his lobster boat.

...and even helping them stage their house to sell it. 

After visiting Marblehead we drove to Portsmouth NH where Tom lived for a few years as a child. We visited the first Condy home and Tom's first school. We toured the U.S.S. Albacore which is a wonderful submarine/museum. People are allowed to climb all over it and get a feel for how submariners spent their time. It was fascinating.

The old basketball hoop looks a lot shorter than it did when Tom was in 1st grade.

Touring the U.S.S. Albacore. So cool!

While in Portsmouth we were contacted by our Aussie friends Ashley and Cathie aboard the beautiful schooner Windjammer. We raced with them in Antigua last April. Turns out they were sailing in Nova Scotia and invited us to join them for a week. This was an opportunity we couldn't pass up, so we spent a full day figuring out if we could change our flights and get to Halifax within 24 hours...and we could! And we did. Twenty-four hours, a plane flight and a taxi ride later, we rolled into the world heritage town of Lunenberg where we rendezvoused with our friends. 

Reuinted with Cathie and Ashley in Lunenburg.

Lunenburg as seen from the water.

We didn't have proper sailing gear, but we figured our friends, having sailed around both Cape Horn and the Cape of Good Hope, would have gear if we needed it. The day we arrived Nova Scotia was in the midst of a heat wave, and we didn't even need to put on a jacket for a few days. Lucky us. In our first anchorage after Lunenberg, in Mouton Bay, we even went swimming in the water.

The beautiful schooner Windjammer at anchor.

We spent a glorious 10 days visiting numerous beautiful anchorages and towns. Nova Scotians are a wonderful and friendly people, and we absolutely loved getting to know as many locals and fellow cruisers as we could.

When we were in the historic town of Shelburne, "founded" by loyalists and freed slaves during the revolutionary war, we actually ran into some friends from the SF Bay Area. Turns out one of them has a house in Maine and for the past few years Stafford, Todd and Liz have sailed Stafford's boat around Maine for a few weeks. This was the first year they went to Nova Scotia. We spent a fun day and evening hanging out with them and visiting the hospitable Yacht Club for dinner and live music.

Proud of its loyalist roots.

Bay Area sailors in Shelburne. Liz, Todd, Syl, Stafford and Tom in front. (photo by A Kerr)

They left the next morning to return to Maine, but we wanted to spend a few more nights in Nova Scotia before heading across the gulf to the states. We made plans to reconnect with them in Maine.

Cathie and Sylvia think it's starting to get chilly.

We spent the next few nights anchoring in the remote anchorage of Point Negro and then up to the fishing town of Pubnico, where our arrival caused quite a stir. After lunch at Dennis Point, where I tried the local special of Rappie Pie (recipe says "boil 2 chickens and grate 20 lbs of potatoes), we were visited by numerous locals, including an Aussie couple who had just purchased a local home, as well as the harbormaster Floyd who serenaded us that night on his "geetarrr" with his favorite songs from the 70s until we were nodding into our drinks.

Windjammer tied up to a fishing boat in Pubnico harbor.

Ashley inspects the fishing gear.

I went into a Carb Coma after trying the Acadian Special of Rappie Pie, Fish Cake, Fish Chowder and giant wheat roll.

We headed up to Yarmouth for a couple of days to sight see and prepare for our crossing to Maine.

Tom and I bicycled out to the famous "apple core" shaped Yarmouth light station. 

We had a very pleasant sail across the Gulf of Maine and arrived in Northeast Harbor around sunset. Todd, Liz and Stafford could see us from Stafford's home on Great Cranberry Island.

After we broke out of the fog we had a wonderful sail across the Gulf.

We arrive in Northeast Harbor, Maine.

For our last couple of days on Windjammer we toured the town of Northeast Harbor, hiked up to the botanical gardens, and hooked up to Stafford's guest mooring on Great Cranberry Island.

View of NE Harbor from the botanical gardens.

 Stafford and crew made dinner for us at his house, and we returned to Windjammer Ashley pulled out some very special cactus fruit liqueur that they got on St. Helena island in the middle of the Atlantic. (This is the island where Napoleon was imprisoned in exile.) 

We celebrate our farewell with Tungi (shaped to resemble the 1,000 ft high Jacob's Ladder staircase) and Cape Horn beer...very special!

The next morning we said our farewells to our gracious hosts and Stafford was kind enough to pick us up in his skiff and then drive us to the airport. What service! 


Here is the album of our trip: East Coast and Nova Scotia


Here is a link to our route: Sailing Nova Scotia

What a great trip!! Acadian and Canadian flags.