Harmonica
N 26 01 W 111 09 Tuesday 31 Oct 00

Hello all,

We just dropped anchor in Puerto Ballandra and had a latish lunch, read our mail, and realised that we have not written a news letter since arriving in Mexico. Well Jan & Dave have been on holiday for the last 2 weeks!

When Harmonica 10 was sent, we were trying not to get nervous about the paper work needed to enter a foreign-speaking country. In La Paz, this should not be tried by anybody with deadlines to meet, but otherwise a charming experience. At immigration, there was 1 person in front of me at the counter, 3 uniformed officers doing nothing, and 2 secretaries trying to look busy. After 15 minutes I decided that there was no need to stand waiting at the counter, and as I sat down a new person strode in from the street and everybody jumped attentively. One of the secretaries went into a back office with him, they returned, kissed, and went back together into the office: Latin country!! (I was happy to sit and rest as I had got off watch at midnight to be woken at 0200 with the autopilot going one way, and the poled-out genoa aback, and Jan starting the engine hoping for a third deciding vote as to the direction to head.) Well eventually it was my turn so I remembered the most likely quotations from our taped Spanish course and was returned a delightful, patient smile. "En yate?" Very helpful. Next I had to go to Port captain (2 miles east), then back to the harbour master (nearby) in the correct order. By mid afternoon I had walked round much of central La Paz, got our papers sorted out, got some money from the bank machine, and got a very comfortable feeling about the town. It is the supply centre for the Southern Baja, but has very little tourism apart from the cruisers. Not many people speak English. Janet returned from one sortie with a very short hair-cut and delightful tales of communication.

We stayed at Marina La Paz for 4 nights. Jan washed salt off everything, and I dived under the stern berth to replumb the holding tank which had started smelling during the month in San Diego. Wrong plan! 2 days into our stay, we got out the folding bikes and went hunting for somewhere to leave Harmonica over Christmas. That was more fun. We found the new "Serpentarium" with enough snakes and spiders to put you off walking anywhere. It was just next to a hotel on some delapidated water front with a bored-looking very pleasant young reception lad who wanted to practice his English. Built & owned by Englebert Humperdink, who did not look to be returning the money which he had put into it.

Another cycle ride to the supermercado, another trip to the Capitan del Puerto, and we were ready to head into the Sea of Cortez. The anchorages have got more fun and interesting as we have headed north.
We really feel we have left the main stream now. No more large commercial vessels or big cruise liners to watch out for. Most anchorages only have a few sail boats bobbing around. We have been passing small fishing villages on the main peninsula with no road access to them. The landscape is dramatic, there are green, red and beige colours in the strata. High mountain ranges with peaks and flat tops. We are in the land of the cactus and other colourful desert flowers.

Calito Partida was picturesque, but barren. A few fishermen in Palapas on the beach. The true highlight was the quiche which Janet & Harmonica made while David was playing with anchors.

In San Evaristo, we saw a large bat ray jumping well out of the water by the beach as we anchored. Jan immediately said she wanted to go snorkeling, so we did. Then walked up the hillside, and around the small hamlet the next day. Got no further than "Bueno dia" in the communication line.

At Aqua Verde, we stayed 3 nights. Piglets roamed the beach and goats roamed the high ridges around us. We bought fruit & veg. in the small house which served as the "tienda" (shop). The dog was told to let us in; the son (retarded) sat and made animal noises at intervals; the young daughter ran around & looked happy; the man kept saying "no se" (I don't know) in response to questions about prices; but the woman who ran the shop was well-organised. On the way back we past a painted sign "Tortillas" and we went in. While Mum heated 2 tortillas on her propane stove, daughter (8) sat closer & closer to Jan who was reading the dictionary as fast as she could trying to make conversation in Spanish. It has been a rainy year. The little school starts at 8 every morning... Dad heard about us strangers and returned to his house where he got out his DeWalt angle grinder and proudly showed it to us.

We are finding the winds in the Sea of Cortez fickle. We seem to be sailing along nicely at 5 or 6 knots for an hour or so and the wind dies down or changes direction very suddenly. Janet is still struggling to master the finer points of sailing. When the main sail is down, the cover back on and 15 minutes later Dave decides we need the sail back up, she realises that is what sailing is all about!

Best wishes from Dave, Jan & Harmonica.