Our World Adventure

On to the next adventure…..
…..screeeccchhhh….. (imagine the sound of a needle running across a record)
Well yes, everything is an adventure. Even waking up at 6am and talking a panga ride 10 miles across the bay to an awaiting Bus that will drive you 6 hours to a doctor.
Medical care when you are traveling in remote locations isn’t the easiest to deal with but we try hard to prepare ourselves for whatever comes our way(you should see our med kit)!
In this case I am in need of a CT scan on a stubborn Kidney Stone. I will spare you the details of this PTSD causing ailment but the medical facilities in this case are hundreds of miles away and possibly thousands of miles for treatment if needed. Will fly back to Loreto, taxi back to the panga dock and speed back to Sea Bella.

The other problem today comes from our trusty diesel engine. The fuel pump diafram has failed and has allowed diesel fuel to enter the crank case. This is why my dipstick shows twice as much oil as necessary. I had a new fuel pump in my spare parts but the fuel line was bad and needs to be replaced as well. So on my return from La Paz I will bring pack parts and fresh oil.

The point of this post is that it may look like we have fun everyday, drink margaritas and watch beautiful sunsets but in fact……it is only a part of what we do. This life is work. We have seen many cruisers struggle with this “boating” life decision and some have regretted it. Many have sold homes, poured life saving into a boat and then found that the difficulties of living without extended family, the local store, medical care, Costco etc.etc. are not desirable.
Some find that the everyday maintenance of a boat is beyond their skill sets. Electrical, diesel, rigging, watermakers and Nav electronics are all huge systems (even on a new boat) that need daily maintenance or care. Very few people are here to help you with these things and you need to be as self sufficient as possible.
Don’t believe all YouTube Videos as the Cruising life isn’t always filled with sexy bikinis and sunshine. Most of us don’t look (as) good in Bikinis anymore and sunshine should be avoided due to skin problems. Lol

On to the next adventure…..
…..screeeccchhhh….. (imagine the sound of a needle running across a record)
Well yes, everything is an adventure. Even waking up at 6am and talking a panga ride 10 miles across the bay to an awaiting Bus that will drive you 6 hours to a doctor.
Medical care when you are traveling in remote locations isn’t the easiest to deal with but we try hard to prepare ourselves for whatever comes our way(you should see our med kit)!
In this case I am in need of a CT scan on a stubborn Kidney Stone. I will spare you the details of this PTSD causing ailment but the medical facilities in this case are hundreds of miles away and possibly thousands of miles for treatment if needed. Will fly back to Loreto, taxi back to the panga dock and speed back to Sea Bella.

The other problem today comes from our trusty diesel engine. The fuel pump diafram has failed and has allowed diesel fuel to enter the crank case. This is why my dipstick shows twice as much oil as necessary. I had a new fuel pump in my spare parts but the fuel line was bad and needs to be replaced as well. So on my return from La Paz I will bring pack parts and fresh oil.

The point of this post is that it may look like we have fun everyday, drink margaritas and watch beautiful sunsets but in fact……it is only a part of what we do. This life is work. We have seen many cruisers struggle with this “boating” life decision and some have regretted it. Many have sold homes, poured life saving into a boat and then found that the difficulties of living without extended family, the local store, medical care, Costco etc.etc. are not desirable.
Some find that the everyday maintenance of a boat is beyond their skill sets. Electrical, diesel, rigging, watermakers and Nav electronics are all huge systems (even on a new boat) that need daily maintenance or care. Very few people are here to help you with these things and you need to be as self sufficient as possible.
Don’t believe all YouTube VideosCruising life isn’t always filled with sexy bikinis and sunshine. Most of us don’t look (as) good in Bikinis anymore and sunshine should be avoided due to skin problems. Lol

Anyway….
Kathy and my first year on the boat has been filled with all the above. We have massive friends about us that we love to see around every awaiting anchorage and we all love to tell stories about our alternators, whale sharks or yes, even kidney stones……over a Margarita or beer…..with a beautiful sunset and maybe a midnight swim.
We greet everyday as a challenge and yes…even a 6am panga ride and trek to awaiting medical care is an adventure. At least it is to us. This life suits us very well!

A spectacular 2 week visit to California for fun times with family and friends. We sure made the most out of every day, with visits to Santa Cruz, Atascadero and San Luis Obispo.

A spectacular 2 week visit to California for fun times with family and friends. We sure made the most out of every day, with visits to Santa Cruz, Atascadero and San Luis Obispo.

Ahhhh, so good to be back in our home town, Atascadero for a week. If you or friends are ever driving north or south on the 101 and need a stop over, or maybe just want a weekend away, this is the most cozy, peaceful place to stay. Check out our Airbnb on the lake!! So glad we were in the construction industry.

Ahhhh, so good to be back in our home town, Atascadero for a week. If you or friends are ever driving north or south on the 101 and need a stop over, or maybe just want a weekend away, this is the most cozy, peaceful place to stay. Check out our Airbnb on the lake!! So glad we were in the construction industry.

?Que es un Magico Puebla? Well, if you ever want to travel to Mexico, I highly recommend one of these special towns. One of which is Tequila, my home last week while Scott was busy saving sailboats in the Sea. Google “Magic Towns” and you will get a list of 130, and more are added every year. What makes them MAGICAL? Sweet people, clean streets, colorful buildings, very lively, narrow cobblestone streets, art galleries, healthy dogs, music everywhere, and are the nicely priced airbnbs for $25/night. There still may be some shanty town areas, but they at least are colorful and without tarp rooves.

Week before Kay hits Baja: Well it was bound to happen. As soon as we left the boat, the storm gods decided it was time to rain. Sea Bella hasn’t seen more than a sprinkle of rain in 1 and 1/2 years and now she will get more than a bath. This forecasted grib is for a storm expected next week. It is only one weather opinion (GFS) out of many, but it has driven me to purchase airline tickets back to Baja to “Ride the storm out”. We are in a good “Hurricane Hole” but me being there helps guarantee we have a home to come home to in October. Besides, I’m getting tired of all this excellent Mexican food in Guadalajara. (Not).

Report day before Kay hits Puerto Escondido: Kay is ripping up the coast of Baja now. Hold tight Scott and cruiser friends, kind of scary for us not down there. The winds/rain are reporting at 20 knots in Puerto Escondido, which Sea Bella has easily been in before. Just a few more hours till Kay heads north, hang tight!

Report in the night that Kay hits: Winds are crankin and regularly seeing in the 40s with a max of 61 knots. The GFS Model seems to have been the best prediction in my opinion.
Starlink still workin, tied down tight!!!! 🤙 The second photo is my anchor alarm app set 12 hours ago. We have been blown from all directions.
Sun is coming up soon. Looking forward to looking around.

Report the morning after Kay hit:
The big winds seem to be gone. There has been some damage to C Dock but nothing major. There is a reported monohull in distress or sinking on one of the docks. We had one boat break free this morning SV Top Cider and a group of us were able to get it just before it ran aground and get it to another mooring. Multiple boats with headsail issues on the docks and a few dinghy’s blown from the tops of decks (SV Dulcinea in the mooring field.
Jason Hite did a vhf net this morning and it seems everyone is safe. Reported winds of 70+knots last night in the mooring field.

Week before Kay hits Baja: Well it was bound to happen. As soon as we left the boat, the storm gods decided it was time to rain. Sea Bella hasn’t seen more than a sprinkle of rain in 1 and 1/2 years and now she will get more than a bath. This forecasted grib is for a storm expected next week. It is only one weather opinion (GFS) out of many, but it has driven me to purchase airline tickets back to Baja to “Ride the storm out”. We are in a good “Hurricane Hole” but me being there helps guarantee we have a home to come home to in October. Besides, I’m getting tired of all this excellent Mexican food in Guadalajara. (Not).

Report day before Kay hits Puerto Escondido: Kay is ripping up the coast of Baja now. Hold tight Scott and cruiser friends, kind of scary for us not down there. The winds/rain are reporting at 20 knots in Puerto Escondido, which Sea Bella has easily been in before. Just a few more hours till Kay heads north, hang tight!

Report in the night that Kay hits: Winds are crankin and regularly seeing in the 40s with a max of 61 knots. The GFS Model seems to have been the best prediction in my opinion.
Starlink still workin, tied down tight!!!! 🤙 The second photo is my anchor alarm app set 12 hours ago. We have been blown from all directions.
Sun is coming up soon. Looking forward to looking around.

Report the morning after Kay hit:
The big winds seem to be gone. There has been some damage to C Dock but nothing major. There is a reported monohull in distress or sinking on one of the docks. We had one boat break free this morning SV Top Cider and a group of us were able to get it just before it ran aground and get it to another mooring. Multiple boats with headsail issues on the docks and a few dinghy’s blown from the tops of decks (SV Dulcinea in the mooring field.
Jason Hite did a vhf net this morning and it seems everyone is safe. Reported winds of 70+knots last night in the mooring field.

Never having seen Europe and its Cathedrals, I was truly amazed by the Grand and beautiful old buildings of Guadalajara. Most of the structures were churches and luckily within walking distance of the main Centro district. The Catholic Church no doubt in the City center and forms a giant cross with Plazas all around.

The Mexican history is rich and fascinating, so Scott and I spent most mornings in bed researching the multiple sights to see for the day. The rest of the day we wandered about, and ate our way through the city.

Most structures dated back to the 1700’s, some in the 1500’s, all before cranes, power tools and wood construction. We did all self guided tours, translating the plaques and information to English on our phones, as we gazed at the marvelous architecture. We looked like typical tourists, taking photos and gawking wide-eyed at the beauty. We were for sure the only gringos. It is strange to speak English only to each other for 2 weeks, as our Spanish is slowly improving.

Templo Expiotorio below, a baroque temple, was very impressive! It was founded in 1897 and finished decades later in 1972. The neo gothic architecture is characterized with interior domes, arches and exterior buttresses.

The church below is in the nearby town of Zapopan, fun to visit on Sundays for their Mass and markets. Basilica de Nuestra is another Catholic Church of Baroque and Fransiscan style.