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| Graham on his way |
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| Hiker--just before she left us |
As we cruise south from San Carlos, past the islands on the
inside of Baja California and on to Mazatlan, we see many of the same places as
we visited last year. However, although the places remain much the same, the experiences
are remarkably different, due in large part to the people and experiences met
along the way. A case in point is Graham Mckenezie. We met this redoubtable
Brit as we anchored up at San Telmo, about halfway between Loreto and La Paz.
Here we are, feeling that our 38’ sailboat is becoming smaller by the day, and
we meet Graham, solo kayaking from Loreto to La Paz. His kayak is toting a
total weight of about 500 pounds and he moseys along at 3 knots—more if the
wind is behind him and much less if the wind is adverse. Graham was quite happy
to accept a
few gallons of water and then was last seen on his way, paddling
south bound to La Paz.
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| Thanksgiving feast! |
Another character we met was on our overnight passage from
Baja to Mazatlan. Right at dusk, a bird (a shearwater perhaps?) circled our
boat three times and then settled on our bow pulpit. Hiker, as we called her (as
in Hitch Hiker), hung on all night, even when we furled the jib when the breeze
faded. Then just at first light, Hiker was off,’ perhaps sensing that land was
a mere 50 miles away. For those who always wanted to see what a sunrise at sea
looks like, we include a photo of just that. Incidentally on that passage, we had one of
our best crossing times, doing 163 nautical miles in 25 hours, for an average
of 6.6 MPH. Yahoo!
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| Desert Hiking |
Of course, there have been many more adventures in the past
month of cruising. There have been desert hikes and taking in the considerable
variety of desert flora found here. There was the Thanksgiving feast aboard
Steve and Peggy Leonard’s boat, Flyer, complete with fried chicken (OK, turkey
really does taste like chicken, doesn’t it?), stuffing, fruit salad and all the
trimmings. Perfect beaches, warm water, sunny skies—what’s there not to like? Of
course, the answer is the familiar Northwest surroundings, our neighborhood,
and, especially, all of you—our friends far and wide. We will leave you on that
cheery note and wish you the best for your Holidays as we look forward an
adventure filled New Year.
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| Sunrise at Sea |
Roger, Lynne, and Salty
You can reach us at 206-755-4193 or email
rdwerner47@gmail.com
