Trip to New Zealand is off

Circumstances have changed and we will no longer be going to New Zealand on Raven. Kurt has decided he is not ready to do the trip at this time and we are in San Carlos, Sonora, waiting to have Raven hauled out. She will be stored in a boatyard for the summer. Here are some pictures from our passage up to San Carlos in the Sea of Cortez. We swam with the sea lions at the Islotes just north of Partida island as one of our first stops.

Junior sea lion playing

Rani and sea lion - this one kept trying to bite our flippers

Sea lions playing

More frolicking

Close up

And even closer up

One juveniile was quite aggressive 

Chris got bitten through his wet suite

Sea lion love bites

We next visited Isla San Francisco where we did one of our favorite ridge walks.

San Francisco ridge walk and bay

Rani and Kurt on the ridge at Isla San Francisco

Turkey vulture and pelican pal

We also stopped in at El Gato where we had some lovely snorkeling and walks on the stunning red rocks.

Cross overlooking El Gato anchorage

Splendid rocks at El Gato

Humpbacks Breaching

La Paz

We are in La Paz and Raven is safely tucked into a slip at Marina Palmira. The remainder of the passage from Bahia Santa Maria was relatively uneventful. We stopped off in the harbour at Cabo San Lucas and enjoyed a placid anchorage after the bars shut down their sound systems. The next day we motored in calms along the south end of the Baja peninsula and got quite close to a humpback mother and her calf whom she appeared to be teaching how to spy hop. We arrived late at night at Los Muertos after turning the corner and heading north into the Sea of Cortez. It was a tense entry into the anchorage, what with trying to find a good place to anchor close into the beach but away from reefs and other boats.

Los Arcos at entrance to Cabo San Lucas harbour

Our neighbour

Humpback mother and calf. We were quite close to them as they leapt out of the water

The next day we motored and sailed up the Cerralvo Channel to Espiritu Santo island where we anchored off Bonanza Beach near 2 sailing yachts and the small Un-Cruise cruise ship 'Safari Endeavour'. We went ashore for a beach walk the next morning and then set sail for our final leg into La Paz. It felt a bit like coming home to arrive here because La Paz was our primary base for a few years while we cruised in the Sea of Cortez on Ladybug II.

Glassy waters, stunning sunset and lots of motoring

Beautiful Bonanza Beach

Doug walks the beach

Happy captain and crew arriving in La Paz

A Carnival was on when we arrived in La Paz

Hundreds of vendors line the malecon including these blanket sellers. Everyone has impressive sound systems and ear plugs are recommended

Bahia Santa Maria

We are anchored in Bahia Santa Maria on the outside of the Baja (near Magdalena Bay) after a series of daytime and overnight passages from Ensenada. Our initial run from Ensenada was downwind and overnight with boisterous north winds. We ran under reefed main and the autopilot handled the helm but ran down the batteries.

Meal time on Raven

After a rest day we departed for Turtle Bay on another rolly downwind passage this time under jib with the new Monitor wind vane steering. In Turtle Bay we had a day in the town and met a few cruisers off other sailing boats who are mostly headed south. Steve on a 70+ foot schooner was single handing and bound for the Marshall Islands. We wished him luck but hope he is able to find crew to help with handling such a formidable boat. We had false killer whales visit us in the anchorage here as well as Brant's geese.

Bouncy panga ride from the boat to the lagoon

From Turtle Bay we made a day trip to Asuncion and then on to Abreojos where we hoped to arrange whale watching in the San Ignacio lagoon. We had to wait a couple more days to do this and moved the boat over to near the lagoon entrance. We arranged for a panga to come out to the boat with a guide and take us to the lagoon where we had the most wonderful morning surrounded by Gray Whales including a mother and calf who cam so close we could touch them.

Gray whale alongside

Baby gray whale - attracted to Rani pouring water from a bailer

Gray whale poking ts head up

Our next passage was an overnight run to Bahia Santa Maria where we anchored off the fishing village. We sailed most of the way with main and jib drawing us along in light northerly airs. We had a day ashore today on the amazing beach that stretches for many miles.

Beach - Raven is anchored in the distance.

Doug on a dune

More dunes

Dunes with the hills around Bahia Magdalena

If anyone lost a foot on the beach at Bahia Santa Maria please let us know

Road Trip to Ensenada

We flew back from the UK on Jan 26 and began our car trip south on Jan 28, arriving in Ensenada on Feb 8. We visited with friends and relatives along the way and enjoyed spectacular (if somewhat wet) coastal scenery on the drive down the 101 coast highway. Many thanks to our gracious hosts en route!

Out for a hike in southern Washington with Bob and Ann - our friends from the sailboat Charisma

View from the deck of Bob and Ann's new home in southern Washington

Bob cuts up his patented sour dough breakfast pancake

We next visited with Marv and Ardy - sailors whom we spent time with in Mexico ten years ago. They live in Portland and took us for a great tour of the city following the 4T route.

Oregon coast in the mist

California coast near sunset

Rani is amazed by the redwoods

More giants

We spent an afternoon in Jedediah Smith park enjoying these magnificent ancient trees

Rani tried to duplicate Bob's patented pancakes and on the 2nd try achieved a pretty good version. Captain Kurt and Chris enjoy a good feed.

Nancy loading bags for the trip south. They have a lovely house in the woods on the edge of the Sierra Nevada

It was snowy up in the hills at 4000 feet

Rani's LA cousins - Sher, Dara, Reggie, and Sita

We dropped in to see Rani's cousin Tanya Chahal at the California Welcome Center where she works in Oceanside

Pit stop north of Ensenada. The Subaru is way down at the back with all our gear and that roof box is packed

Water lights at Ensenada malecon. These are synched with music and are very near where Kurt's boat is moored.

Chris and Doug (our additional crew) in drag