Perspective went to the yard for some spa days…but first let me back up a bit. A few things have happened since the last blog post. We bought a new paddle board! We had all intentions to buy a used one, but turns out they are difficult to find and are not in the best shape. We took the bus to the local surf shop, bit the bullet and purchased a quality board that is bright pink. I was sold on the fact that it is light weight and has a fancy bottom that makes it faster (so I can keep up with Brad). It’s stable enough to take Sydney on AND it’s a versatile board for our guests to surf. Here she is, what’s not to love? Speaking of love, I love the fact that Brad and I can take them out in the mornings for exercise and talk about what we are going to do later in the day. They are great for exploring coves along shore and whale watching.
We gained a new house pet, a gecko. Brad found the little guy on our anchor chain, watched him fall into the in ocean and fished him out. We rinsed him with fresh water and set him loose on the boat. We named him Fang. Brad decided it’s a boy to help balance the abundance of estrogen on board. We usually see Fang every couple of days, hiding somewhere. They say it’s blessing to have a gecko in your home, but so far I have mixed feelings about it. I’m constantly worried I will step on him, or he will jump on me and I’ll smack him on accident. But so far he’s been occupied eating plenty of bugs on board and hopefully we will see him again soon.
We went back to Chacala for a few days just to change up our scenery from Banderas Bay. Along the way we saw dolphins and rays, but not very many whales. When we spotted the rays I was unsure what they were. All I knew is they were right in front of our boat and we were about to hit them. I ran up the bow and couldn’t believe my eyes. Groups of rays that scattered quickly as we got closer! We’ve never seen them clustered up like that at the surface. With a little research, it turns out a group of these migrating rays is called a “fever”. Chacala is one of those places that we love. It has a great vibe and there are tons of fish that visit the side of our boat all day long.
Ok now that we got all of that playing out of the way, it was time for Perspective to have a little pampering in the yard. She needed to have the bottom of the boat power washed, sanded and new bottom paint applied. We also needed to investigate our rudder. While diving the boat Brad noticed the bottom of the rudder had some movement that it shouldn’t have had. This could only get worse the longer we waited to address it. Brad made the appointment with the yard manager for the haul out, coordinated with Vargas Marine for the work to be done and drove our boat to the marina. Brad drove straight into the sling and the haul out began.
We had a garden of creatures growing on the rudder plate and prop while the hull was in fairly decent shape.
Here’s a progression of the work done: we went with 1 coat of blue bottom paint and 2 coats of black. The theory behind this is once we see blue, we know it’s time for new bottom paint job to to be applied.
We had a new piece of metal fabricated for the rudder to fix the excess movement. This time they applied primer and bottom paint to prevent the garden you saw above. Fingers crossed it sticks!
All in all the boat was in the yard from Tuesday til Saturday. Once the jobs were complete it was up to Brad to drive Perspective out of the sling and anchor her solo. For the record he did a great job and didn’t even sweat it. I was not far behind on our dinghy with Sydney.
It was SOOOOO good to be reunited with Perspective in the water! During the week we were lucky enough to stay on Silk Purse while Jim was out of town. It was a win win, we had a place to stay and he knew his boat was being taken care of. It was an adjustment going from 46ft to 30ft but let me just say Jim’s boat is fantastic! She is well built and very comfortable. Sydney was adjusted in no time and found comfy places to crash.
Although she wasn’t into the sleepy morning selfie idea…
Sydney’s Perspective…I’m getting awfully tired of not going to the beach! My humans always have something else to do. They keep promising a Sydney beach day but I’m still waiting! Although I did get to play a lot in Chacala and I just love watching my ball! The rest of my time is spent pouting and brooding.
You may be wondering what’s next on our agenda, besides a beach day for Sydney. Well we are planning to head North to the Sea of Cortez in the next couple of weeks. We are waiting on a good weather window and also we are hoping to have the generator fixed by then. As I type this, Brad is busy wrenching on the generator in hopes that it will be fixed for good! Once the generator is fixed we will be able to make water and fill up our tanks without bumming it off of Jim, or transporting 5 gallon jugs to and from shore. Wish us luck! As always we hope that each of you are doing great. Cheers from the crew of Perspective!
Brad checking out the views from above…
More views of Ensenada Grande…
We took a dinghy tour the first evening and made plans to snorkel the next day. We scoped out some amazing stops and couldn’t wait to explore the next day. As nature would have it, we did not get to snorkel the next day. Instead we quickly prepared to pick up anchor and set sail. Why the sudden change? One by one we were invaded by bees looking for fresh water. The swarming sound as you descended the stairs was unnerving. Luckily they were not aggressive, and even better, they left us as we sailed away!
We chose a small fishing village called San Evaristo on the Baja side of the sea. Our guidebook told us there was a small market, restaurant and a place to drop off trash. We arrived and settled in to green, murky water. Gone was the beautiful blue water that we saw on the island. As I sat in the cockpit I noticed some serious splashing going on in the cove across from us. Upon further investigation I determined it was the mobula rays making all that ruckus. Brad, Sydney and I loaded up into the dinghy to get a closer look. We were shocked to be in the middle of a school of jumping rays. Here, let me show you…
Sydney was a little startled by all this action and we are afraid it has made her skittish about swimming in deeper water. Don’t worry kid, I’m with you on that! Can you believe how much air these guys catch?!
After grabbing lots of photos and videos we went back to the boat for the night. We stayed in San Evaristo for a couple of days and utilized the trash facilities, the restaurant and small market. We also hiked over to the salt flats on the other side of the cove.
We took the dinghy to the salt flats beach and were met by a pod of dolphins. Sydney was once again overwhelmed by all the action. Naps on cuddly pillows always help her out. 😜
Eventually it was time to head south back to La Paz area. We anchored in Candelero and then down to Balandra. We had big plans to dock the boat in La Paz and drive to the states. But Hurricane Bud had other ideas for us. I’ll catch you up on all of that on the next post! Thanks for stopping by and I hope this post finds you well. Cheers!!!
Espiritu Santo Island is full of great places to visit and drop the hook. After reading about the different stops in our guide, we chose Candelero. It’s a large anchorage divided by a small island with great holding on either side. We got settled in and went for a swim to cool off. The water was so clear we could see the anchor chain all the way to the bottom…
We planned to stay a night or two at Candelero but were charmed enough to stay 4 nights. We spent our time snorkeling, taking Sydney to shore and trying to exercise by swimming laps around the boat. These laps were full of giggles, ankle grabs and cheating.
It turns out he is a great shot and we enjoyed delicious fish tacos!
The main island had two wonderful beaches for Sydney to play on. In the middle is a rock formation that we saw as a photo opportunity…
Others before us laid out shells beautifully on the textured formation…
Candelero was so full of life. Dinghy rides were a great way to see the rays nestled below in the sand. Turtles would pop up every couple of minutes and Sydney made a new friend. She had her first encounter with a sea lion. We assume she visited our boat to hunt for the fish taking shelter underneath Perspective. Sydney couldn’t stop staring at the sea lion and we can only imagine what she must have thought.
Candelero was just what we needed. Clear water and plenty of wildlife to observe.
I hoped you enjoyed checking out Candelero with us and we hope this post finds you well! PS, if you’d like to see more, then check out our Instagram: SV Perspective. There we have videos of snorkeling and Sydney diving for sticks. Cheers til next time!
So what else has been going on since I came back from Oregon? Well, Brad has been HARD at work installing a new water maker system and a new toilet in our aft head (bathroom). These are very exciting additions to our cruising lifestyle! We’ve been getting along just fine without either of these, but now we are living the life of luxury with both!
New system before install…
Getting installed…
New control panel, which meant Brad had to cut a huge hole in the boat…
The aft head wasn’t an easy job either. The old hoses and toilet had to come out and a new plumbing route had to be planned based on our new system. I find all of these things mind boggling. Brad enjoys the challenge and the engineering aspects of it all, even when dealing with toilets. I am definitely in good hands out here! Out with the icky old! 
In with the new!
While he was hard at work below, I had a few chores to tackle as well. Our stainless was in serious need of polishing and our teak was screaming for moisture. I snuck the work in during moments of shade, so early morning and around sunset to avoid some serious sun exposure. It wasn’t too long before both projects were completed and good to go.
We’ve also provisioned the boat with plenty of groceries and beverages to sustain us during our upcoming trip to the islands.
We managed to snag the holy grail of cruising books down here, “Sea of Cortez, a Cruiser’s Guidebook”. This book is incredible! It reminds me of a candy store for cruisers. It gives us all the information we need, plus beautiful photos to get you excited about visiting a new place. Here’s an example of what I’m talking about… 
We’ve also found ourselves spending lots of beach time with Sydney and her lady friend, Allie, from Jersey Girl. We knew the boat and crew from doing the HaHa back in October. It was nice to get reacquainted with them and to let the pups get plenty of exercise. It turns out that Jersey Girl is operating as a charter boat down here. Let me just say, it’s 65 feet of luxury with a crew that will spoil you! Kenny and Donna have worked hard to get the boat looking spiffy as can be, and they have all the beach toys to keep you entertained. If you’re looking for a getaway with all the bells and whistles, then be sure to check them out! Www.sailjerseygirl.com
Sydney’s Perspective: So, check this out. Almost every day I get picked up by Allie and we go play at the beach. She loves for me to chase her, but I couldn’t care less! I would rather eat or roll in dead fish, or fetch a stick. Allie does swim faster than me, and she’s blonde. It’s true what they say, blondes do have more fun! All in all it’s been an OK couple of weeks around here. Would be better if I could take a fish to go! 
There you have it folks! We are going to be out of internet range for a bit, but I’ll be sure to update you once we return. We hope you’re all doing well! Cheers from SV Perspective!
Enough about my smuggling. I was in Oregon to spend some time with my parents. My Mom recently moved back to town and I was thrilled to be able to see both parents without making two trips. My Dad picked me up in Medford, Oregon and we enjoyed a 2.5 hour drive to Brookings. We chatted up a storm and were home before we knew it.
The following day I had the pleasure of meeting his girlfriend and celebrating her birthday. I swear I ate more chips and salsa at her house than I’ve eaten in all of Mexico! Thank you for the hospitality, Lisa!
My Mom has always been a hiker. I have lovely memories of hiking with her and my brother. She had a pistol on her hip with a belt full of bullets just in case we ran into a bear or cougar. My brother and I were armed with BB Guns or sling shots. This time we skipped the weapons and brought the puppies instead. If you ever stop in Brookings, make time for a coastal hike. There are plenty of trails to explore, and they are worth every step. The first hike we took was about 3 miles round trip that led us down to the ocean. The coast was BREEZY that day. It would make for some exciting sailing! 
The next day we went to the Natural Bridges trail and our senses were overloaded as we descended. The trails go through the forest down to the cliffs with so much green in between! 
It doesn’t take long before you are viewing the natural bridges…
The views get better as you go further down the trail. 
While it’s easy to look at the ocean, there is beauty on the ground too. Spring time is gorgeous! 
While the hikes were lovely, spending quality time with my parents was the best. Each of them are so strong and have taught me so much. I’m so thankful that they are so supportive of our crazy sailing adventure! It was difficult to leave them and head back to Mexico. I had all the feels as I said good bye to each of them and I’m already looking forward to seeing them again. Hopefully next time Brad and Sydney will be there too!
The plane flew over the Sea of Cortez and my curiosity was in overdrive as I gazed at the islands below. This summer Brad and I will be exploring these islands up close and personal. 
Before I wrap up this post, I have to brag about my Mom’s creativity. Before the trip started she asked me to pick up anything that caught my eye and bag it up for her. This trip I came armed with shells for her. She picked these succulents on our hike and made good use of the shells! What a cute idea!!!
Well my friends, I hope you’ve enjoyed this blog. And if you ever end up smuggling booty to us, don’t say you learned it from me! We hope this blog finds you happy, healthy and having a great day!
It’s a wide anchorage with a crescent beach full of sea shells and soft sand. Oh, and a few sticks for Sydney to fetch! (Sticks and her coconuts are her preferred toys these days). The shore includes hiking trails that provide you with gorgeous 360 degree views. Here are some of my favorite views from the top. 
As you can see it’s quite lovely! We made the hike with our cruising friends, Liz and Risto on Silver Wings and of course Jim on Silk Purse. On the way back we traversed the ridge and made our way down to the salt flats and then back to the sandy beach. Another thing we loved about this place, there was no shore break. Meaning we could easily land the dinghy or paddle boards with Sydney without any issues.
If this is a taste of what the Sea of Cortez has to offer then call us hooked! They say the water will get warmer and clearer as the months pass. And while Isla San Francisco has no internet, stores or restaurants, it makes up for it in nature. Brad and I will have no problem plugging in to that!
Alright my friends we will surely keep you posted with our plans after I return from the states. If all goes well, we will be provisioning and heading into the Sea as soon as possible. Cheers to each of you and as always we hope this blog finds you happy and healthy!
When we got closer to Mazatlan we were in a fog, figuratively and literally. We had plans to stay in Marina Mazatlán so we gave them a call shortly after 8am to get our slip assignment. We were told that we would need to dock at the fuel dock until they had a slip ready. They also let us know that the port was closed, meaning we could go in, but others could not leave. Which made us feel better as we were navigating with limited visibility. 
Luckily we could navigate by our chart plotter to get us to the entrance of the marina. I stood at the bow and Brad steered us in. We eventually got our slip assignment and explored the marina. They had wonderful bathrooms, laundry on site, and an amazing pool! And it was super affordable too! 
We spent a short amount of time in Mazatlán and managed to get to Mazatlán Centro which is their old town area. We had a great time checking out the gigantic market, lovely church and stumbled upon a tasty gelato shop. 
The next morning we left the marina with Silk Purse and headed to Muertos. We scheduled this to be about 36 hours. This stretch was one of our finest sails yet and we managed to sail 19 hours and motored 15. We sailed all afternoon and you’ll notice our path kind of veered off while we searched for better winds.
When I woke up for my midnight to 3am shift I came up to full three full sails and the boat speed was over 7 knots. Brad gave me the scoop on the ideal wind angles for our sail set up, showed me traffic on the radar and headed below for his nap. The boat was like a freight train through the water for my entire shift. I snuggled up with my blanket and Sydney until it was over, whew!
Views from our daylight sail…
As we got closer to Muertos we saw random splashes in either direction. Upon further investigation, these turned out to be rays jumping out of the water landing with a loud splat! So cool to watch them, and also very intriguing. We made our way into the anchorage around 3pm and settled in nicely. Jim on Silk Purse was a few hours behind and we made plans to head to shore. We’ve visited Muertos before and it holds great memories of meeting Steve from Mia, and Jim on Silk Purse.
Our stay in Muertos was a mixed bag this time around. We were waiting on a strong Northern wind to end. We had 20-30 knot winds blowing sand off the beach and onto our boats. Don’t worry, we managed to entertain ourselves just fine and pigged out on guacamole and kicked some butt at Mexican Train.
After 2 full days of hiding out, we made a run for it. No overnights this time and we left around 10am. Next stop was Caleta Lobos! We would be navigating through two channels; Ceralvo and San Lorenzo. The northern wind hadn’t broken down yet but we pushed through using our motor making 7 plus knots. The last time we went through the San Lorenzo channel it scared me enough to cry. This time was much more mellow and enjoyable.
We hiked the surrounding mountain and relished in the views they provided…
Even Sydney got to enjoy the beach again. She surely comes to life on shore! 
We decided to leave Caleta Lobos and head to Playa Balandra due to “bobos”. Which are small gnat-like bugs that were swarming outside and inside our boats. Maybe swarming is excessive, but they sure were annoying! We heard that Balandra did not have bobos so off we went! Balandra is a popular beach and anchorage due to Mushroom Rock, a rock formation that you guessed it, looks like a mushroom! For us, we were just interested in a bobo free zone! Views in Balandra…
Are ya still with me? I know this one is a doozy! The next morning we headed to La Paz to provision and get some ice cream at our favorite shop! We did all those things and managed to book a snorkel date with some whale sharks. Brad and Jim even booked a diving excursion. Both were successful and the snorkel with the whale shark was exhilarating! You are taken in by a Panga that spots the whale shark then drops you off ahead of him. Then you start looking underwater for the big shadowy figure to appear. Our experience was that you had to get out of its way to avoid being hit by his big tail! After the encounter you swim as fast as you can beside him and enjoy the views as you go. It was a fascinating experience being next to such a large creature! Here we are anxiously waiting for our first turn…
And here are a couple of stills from the GoPro footage that Brad took. We do have video on our Instagram and on my Facebook so feel free to check it out!
We had such a great time on our excursion and would highly recommend the Carey Dive Center to take you. The tours are highly regulated in an attempt to protect the whale sharks and it’s a pleasure to support their efforts.
Here she is…hey it’s Sydney here. I’ve finally been treated with some respect. I’ve gone to shore, found coconuts to shred, beaches to play on, and pillows to snuggle. This isn’t so bad! But please, do NOT take me back to that dumb bird island place! Keep the tasty Mexican kibble coming, I’m going to need it for all these beach dates!!!
Well there you have it! We are glad that Sydney is in a better mood. Thanks for hanging in there and reading another post! Cheers to a happy, healthy Friday!
Before we could get underway, we had to rerun our lazy jack line that came undone. This was a simple task, but required a trip up the mast. I chose to go up snapped a few photos from the second spreaders after the repair was complete.
We left Chacala Bay in the evening so we would be sure to arrive to the island the next morning with plenty of daylight to spare. The anchorage is notorious for being rocky and swallowing anchors. It does offer a few sandy spots that are ideal to drop in, so it’s best to arrive with plenty of sunlight to see the bottom.
As we pulled up to the island we noticed just a few boats in the anchorage and a spot that looked good to drop. Unfortunately we had arrived a little early and couldn’t see down to the bottom, but fortunately we got lucky and dropped in a nice sandy patch. Yahoo! We caught up on some sleep and met up with the crew of Silk Purse. Jim has a friend also named Jim helping him crew the boat up to La Paz. It has been great getting to know the new Jim, and he came armed with a recipe to make bread. We will not let him leave until he hands over the said recipe…
The next day Jim, Brad and I took the dinghy to shore for some exploring. The last time we were here the birds were in the thick of courting season, and they had plenty to show for their flirtatious efforts. There were chicks everywhere! The blue footed boobies nest pretty much anywhere on the ground so you have to be careful and keep your eyes peeled so you don’t step too close. The mamas will lay on their nests and typically do not move as you pass by. We made our way around as best as we could and I zoomed in as far as my camera allowed. Here are some shots of the chicks we saw…
Their feathers are pure, fluffy white and we were surprised to see how large the chicks have grown. Not all boobies had chicks, but they were still beautiful as ever to photograph…
There were also the frigates that had plenty of chicks on display as well. We learned that the frigates are big bullies to the boobies on this trip, but at least their babies are kind of cute. 
We also saw some friendly lizards and iguanas. Some did their best to blend in, others just wanted a great view. I think the guy with the ocean view has his priorities right. High Five Mr. Iguana! 
Speaking of ocean views, this time we had a sunny sky to compliment the gorgeous blue waters. Check it out…
The fish camp looked picturesque as ever…
The Las Monas rocks were equally stunning and provided amazing snorkeling grounds! 
And I cant leave out the Crater Lake…still lifeless as last visit. 
This trip was certainly the boost we needed after a long stay in Banderas Bay. We felt like we were cruising, exploring, and playing again. It’s amazing what clear waters will do to your morale.
While we’ve enjoyed our time in the Bay, we are feeling the itch to get out and explore again. So with that said, here are the top 5 things we will miss about Banderas Bay…
We will certainly miss our time here and will enjoy the many memories made this season. We will have our boat tracker on so you can stalk us as we go by using this link.
Since we were in the marina we filled up our water tanks, vacuumed, cleaned the boat and ate plenty of ice cream. I was the overachiever and got myself a case of food poisoning while we were at it. I’ll spare you the details but buckets are a handy thing to have around. 😂
A few from our Perspective…
A few learning opportunities…Dinghy driving lessons were in session due to Brad heading to San Diego for a few days. I knew how to drive the dinghy before, but this gave me the opportunity to really learn. Or else I’d be trapped on the boat 24/7 in the anchorage. Sydney would never let me get away with that so we took our morning trips to shore and wound up at the dinghy dock for her walks. Jim on Silk Purse was a huge help on most of our trips to shore and more importantly, getting Sydney back in Perspective.
Another learning opportunity presented itself at the Marina, a suture clinic with a doctor showing us hands on how to do it. This is something I would have avoided before this trip. Knowing Brad will likely need help at some point, I figured it was my duty to learn. I awkwardly held the tools and completed my suture on a pig leg. It took lots of focus but I know I’ll be able to do it should the need arise! 
We’ve attended the local farmers market here in La Cruz. It happens each Sunday and it’s always fun to grab a bite to eat and do a little provisioning. 
The market as seen from the water…
We made our first batch of cookies on board, chocolate no bake cookies. They were tasty, but not as good as my Mom makes! 
A little slice of anchorage views…some days it’s as flat as a lake, others it’s a windy, choppy mess out here.
Sydney’s Perspective: you guys, would you believe I haven’t been allowed to exercise in 2 weeks?! I just finished up antibiotics in case I caught some disease from a tick bite. Big whoop! I did convince my humans to take me to the beach anyway…
Other than that, it’s been the consistent pouting, begging and lounging going on. I even threw in a tantrum for good measure. 
Well there you have it, some of our day to day stuff going on around here. Got any questions for us? Shoot us a comment and I’ll reply or plan a blog post around the questions. We love to hear from you! Much love from the crew of SV Perspective!