BACK IN THE SADDLE!

Okay, so this post is going to be mostly photos, because seriously, I'm so behind, and it's the easiest way to catch up.  It's true, it's true, we are once again back on our beloved "Liahona!" 
After 2 1/2 years on dry dock ("on the hard" in boater's speak)  we are finally back at it again!
We are so excited to be here in beautiful Mexico!!
There was SO MUCH to do though, before we could get to this point where we are now.  When we arrived in Guaymas, in September, our boat had been on dry dock for quite a while, and had TONS of repairs/clean-up/TLC to receive.  She was a dirty, tired, HOT MESS!  haha
I have never seen so much dirt on my boat ever!  The layers of dust, had layers of dust.  For the first time ever, I had BUGS!.....everywhere!!!  Yikes!
On top of it, it was hotter than the blazing sun in the month of September. Neil and I could only work on the boat each day about 2 hours, before utter exhaustion and near heat stroke would set in.  We would sweat buckets each and every day!  Thank goodness we stayed in a hotel, with a wonderful, life saving swimming pool, and gorgeous beach...not to mention...AIR CONDITIONING! 
After being out of the water so long, our little Liahona, had to have nearly every seal, hose, belt, pump, clamp, filter, etc, etc, you could imagine, replaced!  It was all worth it. She's back in the water, enjoying the sea once again, and we are so blessed to be able to do this! 
We are now in beautiful Mazatlán.  We sailed across from the Sea of Cortez, here to the mainland and arrived on Thursday the 4th of December.  We traveled with our good buddies, Ed and Teri Moore, on "SeaMoore" and had a great crossing!  I'll get you up to date with Mazatlán next Sunday, but for now....we hope you enjoy our photo gallery of the first three months. 

 BUGS! BUGS! BUGS!   YUCKY!!!

 dirty, greasy, leaky engine :(

 oh yah, and rusty!

 filthy, dusty beyond belief. 

 a few blisters like this one, were found as well, no problem, we got them all fixed up, and the bottom repainted.

 

 Our new lettering is on! Thanks to our sweet daughter Amanda for cutting it out for us!

 yah....tell me about it.  It was a bit overwhelming to look at.  We just didn't know where to start.

 A view from our hotel window in Guaymas

 the "lifesaving" pool at the hotel

the dock at the hotel.  They have weddings here all the time.

 

going up the mast.  I may look happy, but I promise you, this was no easy task.  I'm terrified of heights, AND we weren't in the water yet, so it was even scarier!  LOL  (I'm a pansy, I know)

 Some of our favorite places to eat in Guaymas.  A really great fresh seafood restaurant right on main street, "Mariscos El Rey", and "Lopez Rottiserie Chicken" oh my YUM!

 If you're ever in Guaymas, you simply MUST eat here!  The chicken would rotate, and as it cooked, it would drip the juices right onto the potatoes, onions, and chilies underneath.  It was HEAVEN IN YOUR MOUTH!  Seriously, Neil and I both say, that this meal is definitely on the top 10 things we've ever put into our mouths! 

 

 finally ready to splash!

Ahhhh!  That feels good!

 

We finally get to set sail, and headed for Santa Rosalia, on the Baja side.  There, we would meet up with our long time cruising friends, Ed & Teri Moore on the vessel "SeaMoore" 

 I finally landed a Dorado myself!  Yummy stuff!!!

my handsome hubby.

 The bay of Santa Rosalia.  Remember, we arrived just about 5 weeks after hurricane Odile, which is the hurricane responsible for wiping out both Cabo San Lucas, and La Paz.  Our friend Teri on SeaMoore was in Santa Rosalia during the hurricane.  Teri and the other boaters fared pretty well, though there was some damage to the marina, as well as major damage to the older marina next door.  Luckily SeaMoore didn't receive too much damage, and they were able to repair pretty quickly. The bay apparently was FILLED with debris, as little as one week prior to our arriving in Santa Rosalia.

 lunch break with great friends!

 above: the first train in Santa Rosalia. below: the marina where we stayed.

 

Okay, we broke down and HAD to get an air conditioner for the boat.  I know it's a little hillbilly looking, the way we have it set up, but believe you me....it was totally necessary!  LOL

 

 just a few artistic shots, for fun

 After we left Santa Rosalia, we saw several really beautiful places.  Here are just a few of the wonderful things we saw.

 Sierra's are delicious....just so you know!

 This Skipjack Tuna, we a fun one to catch, he was quite a fighter.  Neil HATED the way he tasted though, I, on the other hand, LOVED it!  He made some really yummy sashimi!!!

 Neil, clubbing my fish for me....awwww, how sweet huh?

 This is a friend of ours (who we met in Santa Rosalia) "Cake" is the name of their boat, and this is Cake "winging" it. This is what sailors do when there isn't much wind, and it's coming from directly behind you.  It sure makes for a beautiful shot!

 This is one of the many "stow aways" we had on the boat, along our journey.  a lovely (not really) squid.

 a ginormous Osprey nest in San Juanico

 we called this "birthday cake island"   It fits right?!

 Neil, trying paddle boarding for the second time in San Juanico

 Ed & Teri on SeaMoore

 some damaged/grounded boats from the hurricane, in Puerto Escondido.

 a couple more "stow aways!"

our new dinghy.  We needed this, even though it was hard to give our other one away. (it was much, much bigger) Because our first one was so big, though, it was too heavy to tow, and too large to put on deck when we were underway.  This one is working out great though, although, when using it, I miss the space from our old one. haha

 We finally made it to La Paz, so here are a few of the fun things we did there.  This is Neil, celebrating Halloween (Day of the Dead in Mexico)

 in La Paz, we had the solar put on. This is a photo of the framing.

 close up of the solar framing, that Tom, on Eagle did for us....Neil helped.

 solar finished....LIFE CHANGING!! haha

 When the "northers" blow in La Paz

 We had a lovely Thanksgiving Day in La Paz, and enjoyed helping and serving, as well. 

 Paddle boarding race in La Paz, last weekend.  it was really fun to watch.

 when going out to the islands in Espiritu Santo (near La Paz) we ran across this beautiful whale shark, swimming right next to our boat.  He was just a baby at about 12 feet long.

 Isla San Gabrielle, in Espirutu Santo.  There is a place here where the Frigates mate.  It was so cool to see the males, puffing out there big red necks to attract those females!

 Hands down, you just can't beat the sunsets in the Baja!!

That's it for this posting.  I hope you enjoyed our little photo gallery of our first few months.  Next week, we'll talk all about our crossing to the mainland, and Mazatlán.  Stay tuned!!