Author Archives: Michael

Howdy all! It is Saturday evening, 4/10/21 and all is well here on the fairly good ship Milagro. We have completed our passage from the mainland to the Baja so we’re beginning to feel more like cruisers again. As usual, over a passage of nearly 20 hours you get a mixed bag of wind and sea conditions and this crossing was no exception. Conditions were not ideal, especially for sailing, but they were not going to be better, and likely worse, for nearly a week. So off we went. Calm seas and winds L&V overnight then heavy, wet fog for several hours following sunrise followed by several hours of confused and choppy seas giving way to a SE swell in the afternoon as winds built to become 10-15 from the SE. Directly on our nose, of course. Still, we managed a fair amount of motorsailing. Under cover of darkness we set anchor on the NW side of Isla Coronado at 2000 MST in 20′ over sand at 26 06.266’N, 111 17.449’W. Wind is SW @ 8-12 kts, the OAT is 72F and it’s 69F in the pool. So we’re finally back on the Baja agin! Reckon we will hang out here for a few days before moving along. We’ll keep you posted.

As I write this it is Thursday evening, April 8th even though WordPress insists in telling you I’m posting on Friday, the 9th at something like 10 AM. Not sure how to correct them so you get this little note of clarification. 😁

Of course, it’s not exactly a saddle. OK, you’re right, it’s not anything like a saddle. We are, however, back on the boat again – finally. It’s been a long 9 months and some odd days so it actually seems a bit odd. Or, at least, less familiar than that “coming home” feeling we’ve come to expect.   We keep trying to flush the toilet like it’s the toilet on the Motorhome and, no, this one doesn’t work that way. Now and again we even have to think hard for a moment to remember where this or that is kept or, “how do we do that here?” That does seem to be improving quickly.

Milagro herself was in pretty good shape and, so far at least, she hasn’t punished us too badly for our long absence. Over several days we’ve completed the usual recommissioning chores along with a few from the “less normal” category and reckon we’re close enough to ready to have a go at it. Today we checked out with the Port Captain, put the car into storage and finished stowing (most) of the remaining gear and provisions. 

Tomorrow we will leave the marina, stop at the fuel dock to top off the tanks and anchor at nearby Bahia Algodones. Yes, that is the bay where the movie Catch-22 was filmed and where you’ll find the Soggy Peso bar on the beach. We’ll spend Friday night there then it’s off to the Baja side of things on Saturday. That should have us landing at Isla Coronado (just north of Loreto) on Sunday morning. And, just like THAT, we’ll be cruisers again. 

As in the past, we will continue postings via HF radio and http://www.Farkwar.com (if you’re not already following us there you really should sign up. It’s free and painless. Really).

We’ll see you soon. Hasta pronto, y’all.

It’s been so long since we’ve made a post here that I suspect we’ve lost any audience that we may have once had. Undaunted, however, I continue. We have just renewed our WordPress account and our domain so maybe I should pay better attention to it. So, I f this post doesn’t end the drought it will, at least, interrupt it.

Like everyone else, our 2020 was an unusual year in so many ways. Following our usual Stateside  “vacation” from July through October, we found ourselves “stuck” in Arizona for first one reason then another. COVID concerns on both sides of the border, of course, and questions about how or when we should respond sort of dominated things. In addition, there were medical issues that popped up as well. While those aren’t entirely resolved just yet, we are closing in on them and expect to return to cruising around the middle of March.

We spent much of the summer glamour camping with our motorhome in the mountains near Flagstaff, AZ. While it was a much drier year than normal we still enjoyed cool nights and pleasant afternoons at 7500’. Chip and his family joined us for much of that time so there was always something going on.

We participated again in the Arizona Memorial Motorcycle Rides – a 3 event charity affair honoring law enforcement and other first responders whose lives were lost in the line of duty. For the first time, Judy suited up this summer and started riding with me. She even joined me on the bike for the November Memorial Ride which took place in Phoenix. 

Given the dry conditions in this part of the world there were necessary fire restrictions over the summer that also prohibited firearm shooting in the open desert areas. That drove me to join an indoor shooting club which I have certainly gotten my money’s worth out of. A generous guest policy has also allowed Chip to take considerable advantage, as well.

We’ve had a much better COVID lockdown experience than many in both Mexico and the US so shouldn’t complain and now, we are both vaccinated and looking forward to things returning to “normal”. At least, someday. For the near term, however, we will try to salvage a bit of a cruising season in spite of the continuing lockdown conditions. Of course, the Mexico vaccinations will lag well behind the US, we still hope their lockdown conditions will begin some easing as time and vaccinations progress.

So, there it is, a brief summary of how we spent our Summer. And our Fall. And our Winter.  Along with an idea of what we expect of the near future. Now, if only I will follow up with more regular posts. If only. 🤔

Today is Wednesday, 24 June, 2020 and we’re all good here. In fact, really good. After enjoying Pt. Nopolo since the 11th we pried our anchor off the bottom yesterday morning and made our crossing to the mainland. The crossing was the usual assortment of conditions and, except for about 5 hours of confused, lumpy seas early on in the trip, it was all pretty comfortable. With the lumpy seas came a usable sailing wind of 10-15kts but that failed as the seas moderated and we were left with light and variable the rest of the passage. We anchored briefly in Bahia Algadones to move the dinghy to the foredeck and get out and set the fenders and dock lines preparatory to stuffing Milagro into an unfamiliar slip. For the last 6 years (?) we’ve left Milagro at nearby Marina San Carlos for storm season but this year we are trying the competition. At 0935MDT we were secured in slip 25 on dock 13 at Marina Real. That’s at 27 56′.751N, 111 05′.546W. The OAT is 91F with 63% humidity (at 0900 local time!). The next several days will see us configuring Milagro to be on her own for several months and packing up all of the stuff that we just have to take with us. As soon as Saturday, but maybe Sunday, we will be driving north to Phoenix to begin our summer break. For now though, we have air conditioning! YAY! I almost always vow to keep posting about our land based travels but I never seem to. Maybe this year I will. What? It could happen. In the meantime, thank you for following us.

Today is Saturday, 6/13/20, and all is good here. As advertised, we made a sortie to Loreto this morning for provisions. Because of the lockdown restrictions there, several local people have come up with ways to earn some dinero while reducing everyone’s exposure. These enterprising folks offer a couple of different dockside solutions. One puts together “cornucopia” baskets every Friday. For a set price you get an assortment of fresh fruits and vegetables including some sourced from local farmers. Local honey, goat cheese and other such local items are usually available as well but add additional cost. This gets good reviews but the downside is that you get whatever the buyer chose to put in the basket that week. We went with one of the other offerings instead; a personal shopper. You meet your shopper on the dock at the appointed date and time and give them your list and some shopping bags. When they are done, they notify you and you then dinghy back in for your goodies. For this you pay actual receipt totals plus 20%. Maybe a bit more expensive than the other way but you get to choose what you want. No risk of getting, say, broccoli when no one in your family will eat it. Our girl will stop at many places other than grocery stores. She even picked up a gluten free pizza for Judy from Pan Que Pan. SWEET! So with provisioning done, we returned to Point Nopolo and parked right next to where we were just this morning. At 1307MDT our hook was set in 12′ over sand at 25 55′.468N, 111 20′.845W. The OAT is 92F (Yikes!) and the wind is from the S at 8 to 10kts causing some small wind waves. The BCS Government has announced the relaxation of some restrictions starting Monday, 6/15, to include dining rooms open to 30% of capacity (with distance requirements), beaches open but limited to 30% occupancy (?) and no large groups or gatherings. While this seems good, many of the locals are quite concerned about the risks so, we will see. For now, we reckon to hang here for a few days. We’ll let you know when moving day comes around again. Hasta entonces.

It is Thursday, the 11th of June, 2020 and all is well here. We moved this morning to one of our favorite places to hang out here in the Loreto area – Point Nopolo. It is no good for winds from the East or, especially, the NE as the fetch is long and big waves build quickly plus, we’d be on a lee shore as well. But, conditions are good for now so here we are. COVID concerns are strong here and Loreto is pretty well locked down. Only one person is allowed to go ashore for necessary provisions with the approval of the Port Captain. Masks must be worn and no aclohol sales of any kind are allowed. They make no secret that they want you to get your stuff and get out. Just 10 miles South, at Pto Escondido, they see it differently. It sits on Federal land so they must not feel obliged to comply with the restrictions of Loreto Municipality. There, masks are recommended but at least 1/2 are not bothering, liquor is available and even limited beer. Just 2 brands though, 1 in bottles the other in cans and neither of them anything you would drink unless desperate. Interesting, eh?
There are several enterprising souls in Loreto who are offering shopping so as to keep cruisers from coming in to town and we have made arrangement with one for provisioning on Saturday. We’ll be sure to tell you how that goes. For now, we are at Point Nopolo at 25 55′.480N, 111 20′.853W in 15′ over sand. I’m sure the Farkwar map shows a forest of little red balloons here as we’ve been here so many times before. The OAT is 86F, it is 79F in the pool and a SE breeze is running at 6kts. The sea is mostly flat and the sky is clear. The hotel Loreto Bay here at Nopolo is closed but are still broadcasting their WiFi so we are already taking advantage of that. Also, the LTE cell signal here is good. More on Saturday, hasta entonces.

Today is Sunday, the 7th of June, 2020 and all is good here. After 3 very peaceful days and nights at Rattlesnake Beach we made a change of venue this morning in anticipation of some southerly winds over the next several days. Only 2 miles away as the seagull would fly however, to keep the boat in the water, we were obliged to sail out around Point Coyote on our way to Bahia Chuenque making it a little over 5nm for us water creatures. At 0942MDT our anchor was set just off the village of Juncalito at 25 50′.063N, 111 19′.693W in 25′ over hard sand. The OAT is 83F, it’s 78F in the pool and there is an 8kt breeze from the E. The sea is flat and sky clear. It is likely that we will stay here for several days as this spot is good for the forecast wx, there is a bit of 3G cell service (not great but possibly better than nothing) and 2 other boats are here that are friends of ours. We would not be shocked if “social distancing” protocols got a little compromised. Of course we will let you know when there is anything new to report. Hasta pronto, y’all.

It is Thursday, 6/4/20 and all is well here. Yesterday we enjoyed kayaking, beach combing and even worked in some drone flight training in the morning then lazed around in the afternoon reading and napping. The water temp rose to 79F so used the pool to cool down several times. Underway at dawn this morning with zero wind and flat, glassy seas however, only about a mile out of the bay the wind showed up. From the West and right on the beam at 15-20G24kts stirring the seas up in the process. That only lasted a couple of hours though before it changed again, becoming NE at 15kts for a while before dying off to nothing. Interesting. So, it was once again, a mixed bag of conditions. Some we could sail in, others not so much but a nice enough day all in all. At 1236MDT our anchor was set in front of Rattlesnake Beach near Puerto Escondido at 25 48.185N, 110 18′.523Win 53′ over gravel. The OAT is 93F (YIKES!) and the pool is 77F – yes, we’ve already been in, and there is a NE breeze running at 5kts. We are not certain if we are going to hang here for a day or two or move again tomorrow but we’ll let you know. In the meantime, I think maybe we need to dig out our sun shades. BTW, we also have cell coverage here so are able to update WX forecasts and sort through our pile of email. Hasta pronto.

Here it is Tuesday, June 2nd, 2020 and all is well with the Milagro and crew. This morning we left Isla San Francisco after a bit of a “rolly” night and, finding no usable wind, motored our way North up the San Jose Channel to Puerto Los Gatos. The wind gods have been good to us several days in a row but they chose not to favor us today. What breeze there was amounted to 5-7 knots from directly behind us leaving no room for any apparent wind for sailing. However, the seas were mostly flat and we enjoyed a nice motorboat ride to Los Gatos. At 1243MDT our anchor was set at 25 17′.950N, 110 56′.702W in 15′ over sand. Wind now is E at 6 knots, the OAT is 83F and it’s 74F in the pool. Forecast calls for strong offshore winds for the next few nights with mostly calm daytime breezes. Our current thinking is that we will remain here tomorrow before continuing North on Thursday. We will see how conditions play out and, as always, reserve the right to change our minds. Hasta pronto, y’all.

Today is Monday, the 1st day of June, 2020 and things here are good. No staged rioting anywhere let alone the senseless looting or destruction of innocent peoples property. And, as a bonus, we enjoyed another great day of sailing as we moved to the East side of Isla San Francisco this morning. With 10 to 12 knots of South breeze we scooted along nicely under main and jib the entire way. At 1137MDT our anchor was set in 20′ of water over sand at 24 49′.748N, 110 33′.976W. OAT is 75F, the pool is 72F and the breeze is from the S at 8kts. We aim to move a little further North again tomorrow – probably to Los Gatos but we will let you know. In the meantime, I guess we are really glad to be here because we could be there. Hasta luego, y’all.