Monday, December 17, 2018

A Tale of Two Characters

Graham on his way

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.

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!

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.

Sunrise at Sea
Roger, Lynne, and Salty
You can reach us at 206-755-4193 or email rdwerner47@gmail.com