Tues Dec. 13, 2011
We left this morning, right on schedule, at around 5 am. We were going to leave at 2 am, but decided that we didn’t want to try to travel around the outside island in the dark, and we were only planning on getting as far as Espiritu Santo today (unless we made really good time, and could get all the way into La Paz.)
Which…WE DID! Man! We were sailing with a nice broad reach all day, doing at least 6.5 to 7 knots the whole way! It was an awesome sail! We had our fishing line out too, hoping to catch a big one, and that, ALMOST happened. Yep, once again, we hooked something big. It just so happens, that it happened while I was at the bow of the boat, and Neil with the wheel, we were trying to get the roller furling for the jib sail untangled, and then all of a sudden, Neil yells “Kris! Hurry up…I’ve got something on the line!” By the time I got there, he said that whatever it was, had taken out nearly all of the line on the reel, so at least 200 yards more than what we had out, already. He told me to grab the pole, but to be careful, because it was really fighting. He wasn’t kidding!! I couldn’t even get the pole out of the holder! So, while Neil slowed the boat down, I tried my best to keep the fish from taking out more line, but still giving him enough play to keep the line from breaking. He was a real fighter! I could barely, off and on begin to reel in some of the line. My pole was nearly bent completely in half…we were so afraid it was going to break. I told Neil “I don’t know if I even want whatever this is!?” We assume it wasn’t a bill fish, since it wasn’t jumping, it was diving, which usually meant a big ol tuna. I don’t know how big it was though, because…just as I thought about trying to reel it in some more…the line just SNAPPED! Dang it!! I guess we’ll never know what it was? Kind of glad though, because honestly, we don’t know what we would have done with something that big? It made the other day’s dorado, look and feel like “child’s play!” Oh well, no more fishing for us today, because that darn fish took our only cedar plug we had.
Luckily for us, the sailing was amazing today! It was beautiful weather, and though a little cloudy, it was nice and warm. We ended up making such good time too. We were just outside the island of Espiritu Santo at around noon, which still left us plenty of time to get to La Paz, because it was only another 15-20 miles from there. So we decided to go right in.
We arrived safe and sound into La Paz around 2:30. I can’t believe what great time we made today. We never sailed under 6.5 knots, all day! We were doing 7.1- 7.5 the whole way into La Paz, from Espiritu Santo, and because the wind was “with” us, it didn’t even feel like it, which is odd, because when you are traveling 7 knots on a sailboat, you usually KNOW it.
Once we anchored up, I took some pictures, and we decided to take a little rest. It was a great day!
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| passing Punta Balandra, just outside of La Paz |
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| the anchorage |
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| some of the city scape |
Wed. Dec. 14, 2011
We had our first “Club Crucero’s” meeting. There is a very large cruiser community here in La Paz, and they have a nonprofit organization called Club Crucero. You can find them online at www.clubcrucero.org. It’s a really nice organization, they do a morning net every day except Sundays, which tells us about weather, mail call, any troubles or accidents, local assistance, arrivals and departures, things for sale or trade, etc. They do coffee/tea every morning at 9:30 to 10:30, and the club house is stocked with tons of books, movies, and information. It’s really great! After our meeting everyone, we did just a little exploring in town. It was a lovely day, sunny and so pretty! La Paz is a very nice city, and we can’t wait to explore some more!
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| 1 of the many sculptures on the malacon (boardwalk) |
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| "Last Resort" on the beach, all she needs now is an umbrella drink! |
Fri. Dec. 16, 2011
We got an ice maker today! We seriously needed it…it’s expensive to keep having to buy ice every day. That’s pretty much it for today.
Sat. Dec. 17, 2011
We finally got switched over to propane today!!! This is VERY exciting, because we’ve been without a stove or oven since Turtle Bay! Our boat was originally rigged for CNG (compressed natural gas) and though it’s a bit safer than propane, it’s impossible to get filled anywhere in Mexico. So, we had to make the switch. Neil and the propane technician had it all done in just over an hour, great work guys! I CAN COOK AGAIN!!! WAHOOO!!!!
Sun. Dec. 18, 2011
Went to church today, the first time in an actual church building since we left. It was nice, although a very long walk. It was a total of just under six miles there and back, and to boot, we hardly understood anything of what was said…ha ha! I thought I was learning Spanish so well, too, I learned today, that I don’t know squat!! It was nice though, and the members were so friendly. Next week, I’ll have to really work on my Spanish, so when we go again next Sunday, we might have a better chance at understanding a little bit more.
After church, we walked along the town and the malacon (which means boardwalk) I got a photo of this really great mural on the side of a building, along with a beautiful sculpture and a couple of other shots. Once we got back to the marina, we got together with some of our boat neighbors, and had a dock party pot luck. It was nice, and delicious! Everyone is getting into the Christmas spirit. Just one more week til Christmas, I can’t believe it. That means we’ve been out almost two months now? Time sure does fly!
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| the little ice cream shop, LOVE the tree! |
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| an old bull fighting ring |
Tues. Dec. 20, 2011
Today was a stay inside day, and bake and cook. So that’s exactly what we did! I made my traditional Russian teacakes, and Italian knot cookies,
and Neil made a wonderful new chicken dish he made up. He named it Pollo La Paz, it was DELICIOUS! Recipe is below…enjoy!
and Neil made a wonderful new chicken dish he made up. He named it Pollo La Paz, it was DELICIOUS! Recipe is below…enjoy!
Pollo La Paz
Combining “Old World” flavors with “New World” flare!
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (pounded thin)
1 link pork chorizo
1 onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
Salt & pepper, to taste
Remove the skin from the chorizo, then place into a hot skillet with a little bit of oil, add the onions, carrots, and celery, and sauté until the veggies are tender. Add the garlic, and sauté for an additional 1-2 minutes. Remove from the heat, and set aside.
Pound the chicken breasts until they are about ¼ inch thick, all the way thru. Sprinkle salt and pepper to each side of the pounded chicken. Spread and even layer of the chorizo mixture onto each breast, making sure to leave the edges clean. Now, roll each chicken breast, loosely, then secure with a toothpick or butchers twine. Wrap in cellophane, and place into a refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. (These can be made the day before, and stored in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours)
Sauce
2 Pasilla chilis, roasted
4C. chicken stock
Salt as needed
Roast the chilies on an open fire, we use our BBQ grill. Be sure to blacken all the sides of the chilies. Place the roasted chilies into a plastic bag, and seal the bag, to allow the chilies to steam for at least 30 minutes.
Remove the chilies from the bag, remove the skins, then cut the top off, and remove seeds. Dice the chillies, then place into a saucepan, along with the chicken stock, on medium high heat, and reduce by half. Use a wand mixer to emulsify the sauce, until smooth and thickened.
(you may use a blender to emulsify, but you must wait until the sauce is to room temperature before placing into the blender. CAUTION: placing hot food into a blender, will cause the food to splatter all over, and may cause serious burns)
Finishing
Place onto a serving dish, and pour the sauce over each breast, and serve.
Well, we got a big storm in early this morning, and it’s supposed to last for a good couple of days. The winds are blowing from the north, at around 25-35 knots, which in “boat speak” is pretty gnarly! The port captain already called on the radio this morning, to announce that the port will be closed today. Wow!! That means NO BOAT TRAFFIC today, in or out! One boat that was at anchor, broke loose sometime early this morning, and was set adrift. They found it, and were able to secure it once again. Luckily we’re at a dock, but the anchorage is sure nasty looking, and though we’re securely fastened to the dock, it’s pretty bouncy. We got some good footage of the docks, and waves, and also a boat that washed up on shore…BUMMER! Luckily, no one was in it…which is probably how it ended up on shore. So, today is a stay inside day, and bake some more…sounds good to me! Have a great day everyone!
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| waves INSIDE the docks |
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| boat washed ashore |
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| usually these chairs are at least 40 feet or more from the water line! |
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