Sailing with the Baja Ha-Ha

We are on the second leg of three in the Ha-ha. The first leg was
San Diego to Turtle Bay. This portion was about three days and nights
long. The second leg is from Turtle Bay to Bahia Santa Maria. This
is the portion we are currently on. Its about 6:30 and we are on our
second night. We are hoping to pull into the bay at about 2am
tonight. I am really excited about this stop. Turtle Bay was fun,
but I didn't know any kids yet. Here in Bahia Mera, Aeron and I plan
to meet up with all the kids we met at the beach party in Turtle Bay.
It is going to be really fun. Bahia is supposed to have really good
surfing waves. My friend on s/v Calou has a couple boogie boards we
can ride on. My mom is going to throw us a party tomorrow for all the
kids. They will all come to our boat and the adults will all go to
another boat. We are going to swim around the boat and play a number
of games. I'm not really sure what else we are going to do but we'll
figure something out. It's going to be a pot-lucky kind of deal.
There is also going to be a beach party in Bahia Santa Maria. We
are going to bring dessert. Alot of people are going to bring fish.
We have been listening to the VHF, and about half the fleet have
called in with fish that they have caught. We are included. We caught
a 25 pound Yellow Fin Tuna and before that we caught a bonito. He put
up a fight! We just finished the bonito and are tackling the yellow-
fin. Mom wants to grill it, I want to fry it, and Dad wants to eat it
raw. Mera and Aeron say that they could do without the fish at all.
Just shows how salty the aren't.
Sailing with all these boats around us is definitely a new
experience. I'm not used to sharing the ocean with all other people.
On the way down Vancouver we didn't see many other boats. Now you
can't turn 360 without seeing another boat. It does have its
advantages though. With all the boats spread out and heading in the
same direction, we can get weather reports from up to 80 miles away.
You can just get on the VHF and call the fleet and you come back with
answers. The VHF also has a very entertaining chat room for kids if
I'm ever bored. That doesn't happen much, my parents keep me busy.
I'm the one who has to go out and trim the sails, raise the chute and
scrub the decks.
We are keeping busy and having fun on the Baja Haha!

On the Hard

I forgot how uncomfortable it is to have your boat hauled out of the
water. We hauled out in Mission Bay on the 17th. They hauled us early
so that we could do work that day. Mostly we just scrubbed the bottom
of the boat so that we could paint it. Dad and I tore apart the props
both sides and cleaned every part of them. I'm going to have dirt
under my nails for the next 5 months. On the port engine prop Dad
forgot to drain the sail drive so we had oil everywhere. I caught it
before all the oil spilled out but there still was a lot that went on
the ground.
That took most of the first day and into the second. Mom rented a car
for us to drive around to pick up junk we needed. Mostly just parts
for the engine and sail drive. We did stop at Costco though. Mera and
Aeron pooled there money to get an iTouch. The we went to the sprint
store to get Dads new cell which took a little dip in the water the
other day. Then we went to the best place to buy clothing in the
world..... Goodwill. Wonderful place. We took the cat to the vet that
day as well and ever since then she always thinks that we are going
to take her to the vet if she gets in the car.
Our stay in the boatyard has had an enormous effect on the whiteness
of our boat. It has been dyed from a white to black in just a matter
of days. Its amazing how fast boatyard gunk gets onboard. We spent a
whole day cleaning it with FSR, ( a heavy duty fiberglass cleaner)
and the all of the next day waxing the boat.
Then I took a little adventure off the side of the boat. I was
scrubbing up the transom when I tried to step down one step to scrub
lower. But, there was no step. I fell off the boat and landed har on
the concrete on my side I banged up my head pretty bad, wrenched my
neck, and messed up my arm. It felt broken for awhile and Dad thought
I broke it but I didn't. I just hurt hit pretty bad. I am still a
little sore. Dad says I got away lucky without any major injuries.

Update Time!

Hi-lo!

Sorry for the lack of blogs. I have been... out of it. We have just been doing alot of traveling lately. Since we've left San Francisco we've traveled to Point Conception. What a funny name. For the last few days we had been waiting out the bad weather in a small little cove in San Simeon. Its A beautiful little harbor with a population of ten. Literally. The beach is warm and sandy with large waves that you could body surf in. Not to mention the amazing amount of wildlife there. There are hundreds of pelicans that all dive down on a swarm of herring a the same time. Its really cool to watch. There is an obvious pecking order for the food supply in the bay. By the time the pelicans get there, the large groups of 20-25 sea otters have come  and gone.  Then the big pelicans get to dive on the food first then comes the younger and smaller pelicans then the seagulls and kestrels dive in on the food. This all happen within the time of 5 min. Usually less then that. It was really cool. There were also whales that came in to the harbor get shrimp and krill. They came in at sunrise and sunset. It really was a cool harbor. 

The only downside was how difficult it was to get in to shore. The waves made it difficult to land on the beach. The first attempt we had our dinghy flipped. Of course we had the motor on. That got flooded so we had to row back. And all our stuff got wet. The second time we went the boat didn't flip but we also had to row the distance and time the waves. It definitely takes practice. I just hope that doesn't happen in front of every boat in the Baha Haha.

Speaking of Baha Haha, the race is only two weeks away. I am really excited!! We just heard about a hurricane thats going along the coast destroying things in Mexico. Right now it is just above La Pas. Oh joy. Everything will be recovering from the storm by the time we get there. Any-who i'm gonna sign of and update wen we get around the point.

Jaime

Checking In

For the past week and a half Don Quixote has been stuck in a marina in Emeryville, California. Not that I am complaining it has been really fun. We have been with friends that we hadn't met till the bonfire the first day back from Sacramento. The days have been really simple. We wake up, eat breakfast, do some schoolwork, and play with our friends. we are having so much fun. Every dinner that we have had has been with friends. Te first dinner we've had alone was last night. Dad says this is what it is going to be like on the Baha Haha. If it is then I am so excited to get there its only one month away! We are leaving San Francisco on wednesday to head down the coast. Mom says we are going to stop in Disneyland on the way down for a day. That is gong to be fun. We are going to leave early in the morning and take a bus an not leave untill the park closes. I am so lucky :)

Emeryville

My family is staying in Emeryville in San Francisco while we wait for my dad to get back from Seattle. I am not complaining. Emeryville as been great. I've met a lot of boating families and Mera Aeron and I play with the kids living in the marina all day long. We have gone to potlucks,  bonfires, and parties. Not to mention all the dinners we have had over at Excellent Adventure, a fellow boat. I am having so much fun!! I m going to be sad when we her to leave. 

Today is Aeron's birthday and birthday party so wish her a Happy Birthday!!

Over and Out!

Life is good

I'm chilling with Grandma in La Conner while mom and dad take the boat to San Francisco. I'm being fed pancakes, bacon, and steak.
Life is good.

The Biggest Burger in the world!

The Biggest Burger in the world!
Originally uploaded by toastfloats

While hanging out with friends in Seattle we stopped at a burger joint for lunch. The burger Aeron ordered was 3 inches thick I kid you not. Not to mention Mera and I had to help her to finish it.