And Away We Go!

Well, it sure felt good to leave the boat yard and be on our way again after over 2 ½ years away from cruising life.  It was just like riding a bicycle, as much of it came back pretty quickly. 

Leaving the boat yard

One of our first stops was Santa Rosalia, which as it happens, was our last big stop on the way up to Puerto Penasco in 2020 when the pandemic hit.  It’s the place where we bought fabric to make masks, and searched every store for the supplies to make hand sanitizer.  It was awesome to be back and see that the restaurants and shops seemed to be open and doing well post-pandemic.

We continued to work our way down the Sea of Cortez (the large body of water between the Baha Peninsula and mainland Mexico).  We anchored most nights, as marinas were few and far between.  Invariably, the anchorages were gorgeous, with coastal villages that were sparsely, if at all, populated.  Henry loves to get off the boat to stretch his legs on the beach and have a sniff around.  We even found a beach that had MILLIONs of seashells!

Henry enjoying the beach
So. Many. Shells.
Some favorites
Exquisite anchorage
Another favorite anchorage – this one in the northern Sea of Cortez

In early December we arrived in La Paz, Mexico, where we enjoyed a week or so of relaxation and reprovisioning before we continued south.  Our arrival coincided with that of a large number of boats coming from the west coast of the United States to sail in the Sea of Cortez for the season.  This meant the marinas were full, so we anchored just outside a marina near the historic part of town.  You can see from the number of dingys at the dingy dock that there were lots of cruisers in town!  Its always exciting to see so many people out enjoying life on the sea.  Even better when you get to meet them and have a conversation over some ceviche and a beer.  We had dinner one night at tiny restaurant called El Mezquite Grill.  They are famous for their chateaubriand, and boy let me tell you – it did not disappoint!  That same evening we enjoyed live music at a nearby venue before heading back to the boat.   

Sunset at anchor in La Paz
Dingy dock in La Paz
Chateaubriand for two

AND, since it was December  – I got busy decorating for Christmas.  No real room for a tree, but that didn’t stop us from making things a little more festive.  Even got out the Christmas blanket I started crocheting a couple of years ago.  I made some progress, but didn’t yet complete it.  Hoping to finish it before Christmas next year, but its too hot where we are now, so that will have to wait until I can crank up the AC back home.

Christmastime on the Air Bender
Window decorations
Christmas blanket…still in progress

Next we’ll cross the Sea of Cortez over to mainland Mexico, but that’s a story for a different day.   So friends, until next time…live the adventure!