Log of the Emily B

Birthday Present

Dorado (Mahi-Mahi)

Took over an hour to bring in but got a big one- 57 inches nose to tail- about 20 miles out of San Carlos. Whew! Photos when we have internet connection.

Underway!

Left dock 0630 heading 70 m across Sea to Punta Chivato. Wind SE 6, seas rippled 1/2 ft gentle swell. Dragging a fishing line behind the boat. Feels great to be out on the water. All is well on Emily B.

Shakedown Cruise

It was beautiful day for a shakedown cruise on Emily B to Bahia San Pedro, 12 miles north of San Carlos. We had spent the past few days getting her ready for the winter cruising season. Canvas and side curtains are in place, windows and floor cleaned, provisions stored, new winch installed, flopper stoppers rigged, and a thorough washing from top to bottom. There was a lot of dirt and grime from the summer winds and rain. We had donated a day trip on the boat for a fundraising auction in Alamos last winter.

The folks who bought it, Hal and Anne Wambaugh (from Edmonds, WA of all places) came along for the shakedown and we had a wonderful time. All systems performed well, including the new winch, and we are looking forward to crossing over to the Baja Peninsula in a day or two. Still some topping off of propane, dinghy gas, scuba air, laundry, and last minute provisions before we take off. The weather report looks geat through the weekend. We'll spend a couple of weeks gunkholing south to La Paz, where we'll spend Thanksgiving. The Log of the Emily B is about to go cruising again! 

Home Improvements

Out with the Old  and.................................................    In with the New

Yes, we had the windows replaced in the front of our house. They were hand crafted by a local carpenter out of sabino (cypress) which is very termite resistant. You can see the effect of termites on the before pictures below. The new windows open from the inside on the top third. We are please with the work and it was completed ON TIME! (A rarity for Mexico.) 

November 1st marks the end of the Eastern Pacific hurricane season so it's time to get back to Emily B for cruising again.  We plan to leave here on Thursday for San Carlos and spend about a week there before heading out into the Sea of Cortez. We will then spend a couple of weeks cruising south to La Paz in time for Thanksgiving. It should be fun!

Rick Fizzles

Yep, Rick weakened rapidly a couple of days ago and took a radical turn east. It missed Cabo and came ashore at Mazatlan this morning as a tropical storm with sustained winds of 35 knots and gusts to 50. No word yet on how the marinas there fared, but likely there was little damage. Sunny skies here in Alamos today and no rain- we dodged that bullet! 

"Spectacular" Rick

The National Weather Service calls it "spectacular." We call it scary. Yes, folks, there's another one on its way. Rick, which peaked at 180 mph last night (Category 5), is the second strongest hurricane in the history of the Eastern Pacific, after Linda in 1997. And as you can see from the cone of the projected path, it threatens the southern portion of the Baja Peninsula and the northwestern coast of Mexico. It will slow down quite a bit before it reaches land, but is still forecast to be a Category 1 hurricane at that time. We are following it closely and you can too at: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/index.shtml?epac. So far, it looks like it will hit well south of San Carlos, but Alamos will undoubtedly get another heavy dose of rain. Cabo San Lucas may have a direct hit and La Paz also is at risk. We'll have to wait until Wednesday or Thursday to know its true impact, but the projected path will narrow between now and then.

 

My Hometown and Other Links

Not much happening here- my foot is still gimpy but it is coming along. Dean went off to San Carlos for a couple of days to check on the boat. So, to keep you entertained, I thought I'd share some of my recent internet browsings:

First- Bill Moyer's Journal last Friday night on the banking fiasco and health care reform lobbying: http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/index-flash.html

Next- NYTimes article about the US metro area with the highest rate of obesity- My HOMETOWN!!! (see photo): http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/11/magazine/11Oliver-t.html?th&emc=th

Also- An except from a new book on gender inequality in the developing world (it's long but compelling): http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780307267146&view=excerpt

Finally- An historical account of the 1868 Alamos flood with implication for the present day: http://www.martinmansfield.com/alamos/index.php?topic=354.0.

 
 

Weird Weather Stuff

Are you getting tired of flood photos? I guess I should be careful of what I wish for. We just saw the end of 3 solid days of rain, more than 7 inches all together, and the arroyos of Alamos are running once again. (Arroyos are dry river beds most of the year which fill up with water from the rain)

It is nothing like last year's Hurricane Norbert, where we had 9 inches in 6 hours (and a flash flood), but it rained for longer than anyone can remember in the past 20 years. Roads through the arroyos, which have to be crossed to get to some areas of town, were closed. The only way for people to get to their homes were by footbridges, which were rebuilt higher after last year's flooding.

Everyone is now asking- "Tuvo goteras?" (Did you have leaks?) Fortunately, the new roof that we had installed last year held well. But I think we've seen enough water in the past month to last for awhile. Sadly, a sprained ankle has forced me to cancel the Paris trip.

Rain, Delicious Rain

After 25 years living in Seattle and 36 hours of tropical downpour last month from Hurricane Jimena, I never thought I would be so happy to see rain as I have been this week. Our time here in Alamos had been unbelievably hot- 104 outside and 94 inside for days on end. The ceiling fans kept us sane but barely moving since we are without air conditioning. The break in the weather started Wednesday evening with a gloriously invigorating thunderstorm. Now we've been having steady rain since last night, an offshoot of tropical storm Olaf, which is breaking up off the Baja but has sent a thick cover of clouds and rain our way.

The temperature is down into the 80's and the air is fresh and cool. I baked cookies this morning and we just finished an afternoon matinee in our living room watching Frank Capra's It Happened One Night. What a great movie! And last night we watched Mr. Smith Goes to Washington by the same director. (Unfortunately it seems not much has changed in Congress in the past 70 years since the movie was made). It had been too hot up until now to sit in the living room as it is on the south side of our house.

Otherwise, I'm gearing up for another business trip to Paris next week (Darn!). Dean needs to stay here near the boat so my friend Mary Jo is meeting me there for a few days of sightseeing, food, wine, and fun.