Saturday, March 6, 2010

Mexico to Galapagos - Day 4

March 5

Total Distance: 291
Last 24 Hours: 70
Distance to go: 1341

After a good night's rest, we are feeling much better today. We turned on the engine for a few hours today, when the wind disappeared, and made a b-line for the wind that was predicted in our grib files. We found winds from the SE (our intended direction) and are now enjoying sailing close-hauled at 4-5 knots. Late this afternoon we took advantage of the ship's salon and we treated ourselves to haircuts - I think tomorrow I might get a pedicure. We also splurged and had a great mid-ocean swim (one at a time), what an amazing experience...if you can get your mind off sharks! The water is a beautiful clear blue colour here. Not the light blue that magazines and tv ads are made of, but a deep and amazing blue, nothing like the black-blue color we're used to at home.

It is now black. The moon has not yet risen, and I can only hear the water that is only two feet below me. The regular rhythm of the water breaking away from the boat is broken by a "ploooof", the sound of dolphins breathing around me. The water that is splashed at the surface as they breath is aglow with phosphoresence, as are their trails as they glide through the water, playing in the bow wake, darting and jumping from one side of the boat to the other. Magical.

Our friend, Bruce told me about this great program - Stellarium - you input your position, it shows you an image of the sky in all directions, and identifies all the stars and constellations. Very cool - and a free download - chack it out. It seems I'm learning more than just how to mix a great margarita!

Mexico to Galapagos - Day 3

[Mar 4]

Total distance: 221
24hrs distance: 96
Dist to go: To depressing to look

A tough day onboard Renova. Current speed is 1.5 knots. No wind. Flogging sails. No sleep. Upset stomachs. Crew morale is low. But we perservere. On a bright note, we did have dozens of dolphins playing at the bow this morning!

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Mexico to Galapagos - Day 1&2

[March 3]

Total Distance: 125
24 hr Distance: 125
To go: 1600++

A good 24 hour run. We left Banderas Bay with brisk winds, and were able to glide along at our hull speed of 7 knots. As we struggled to get our sea legs under us, we wondered about the wisdom of overindulging at the breakfast buffet at the yacht club that morning. It was a fabulous farewell meal with the great friends we've made in La Cruz, but perhaps we should not have approached the meal with such reckless abandon! We settled into our usual watch schedules with an almost-full moon to guide the way. We had arrived at Banderas Bay with a full moon also - hard to believe that we were there for four weeks!

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Adios Mexico!

The water tanks are full, we've provisioned the boat (multiple times), sea berths are made, cookie dough is in the ice box, the decks are clear, and we're clean. We're ready!

After many failed attempts and delays...we're finally leaving lovely La Cruz, and heading for the Galapagos Islands. A dream come true for me.

Although our stay here has been tumultuous...we've really come to enjoy La Cruz. We've been able to meet incredible new friends here, enjoyed a vist from my parents, get work done on the boat and have gotten into the groove of the cruising life. Morning yoga and afternoon swims at the beach are really easy to get used to!!

We'll be updating the blog more frequently, and our spot link on the right will show our progress. We expect the journey from here to take 2-3 weeks.