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Author: Carolyn S

The Cost of Cruising: March

The Cost of Cruising: March

When Philippe and I discussed cruising, we estimated that our costs would be about $20-30k per year. Once I decided to keep working, we knew that our costs would probably skew towards the upper edge of that boundary, if not slightly beyond. Among other things, keeping my job means more nights in marinas, extra hours at cafés, a higher cell phone bill, and additional fuel costs when we’re trying to reach a new location within a weekend. It also, of…

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“Christmas” in Zihua

“Christmas” in Zihua

We arrived in Zihuatanejo anchorage in the early afternoon and dropped our hook near the outer edge. There were probably 20 boats in the anchorage when we first arrived. We took Untethered right to town, and literally met Alfonso and his friends before even reaching land. Our guide book describes them an “enterprising group of locals”. Essentially, they play cards and consume substances at the beach all day, but when you bring your dinghy into shore one of them runs…

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The Six-Month Review

The Six-Month Review

When Philippe and I married, we vowed to spend our lives together, for better or worse. When we cast off with Untangled’s bow pointed south, we vowed to give it a solid effort for six-months, and abort if one of us wasn’t enjoying it. We knew we would need an adjustment period, and we wanted to give the cruising lifestyle a fair shake before calling it quits. But we also didn’t want to set exceptionally high goals that left one…

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A Snuggle-Free, Flailing-Sail Adventure

A Snuggle-Free, Flailing-Sail Adventure

Since Puerto Vallarta, we’ve enjoyed our first two passages without crew. The first, from Puerto Vallarta to Barra de Navidad, was about 130 nm (map). We had great wind and were able to sail the entire time. We’ve done so much motoring in Mexico, I’d almost forgotten how calming the sound of sailing is. We rotated our watches on a 3-hour schedule, and since the sail took us a little under 24-hours, we only had a single night at sea….

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La Cruz and Puerto Vallarta: Yoga, Art, & Good Food

La Cruz and Puerto Vallarta: Yoga, Art, & Good Food

We only spent a week in La Cruz, but it was easy to see why cruisers gravitate there. The cruising community is strong. Several people came over to help us with dock lines when we first arrived, so we instantly felt welcomed. When we arrive in a new place, Philippe and Keith like to take what they call a “dock walk”. They walk along each dock, look at all of the boats, and take mental notes on things like intriguing…

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Cowbells and Craft Beer in Chacala

Cowbells and Craft Beer in Chacala

My favorite thing about Chacala was the cowbell. Philippe and I had just exited Onda Brewing, a super cool craft brewery, when a man in nice clothes walked by ringing a cowbell. He smiled and greeted us, but just kept walking and ringing his bell. I peered around the corner, looking for the cows. “It must mean something,” Philippe said. Moments later, the owner of Onda rushed outside with a big grin on her face. “Trash time! This is so…

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Small town livin’ in San Blas

Small town livin’ in San Blas

Sigh. We hit a sandbar. Again. Luckily, we knew we were in shallow territory and Philippe quickly backed us off of it. The estuary leading up to Marina Fonatur in San Blas is fairly long and wide, but even at high tide Untangled (with her 7.5 foot draft) is too deep for the edges of the channel. A friendly fishing panga approached us to ask (in nearly perfect English) if we wanted help. We gratefully accepted their assistance, and they…

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Neon water and blue boobies

Neon water and blue boobies

We stopped for one last beer with Manny at La Trokería before leaving Mazatlán around 10pm. We had a 95nm trip ahead of us (map), and we wanted to leave the estuary at high tide. Philippe, Keith, and I all stayed alert for our initial departure. With a nearly-full moon and a misty drizzle, we made our way past a few big ships on our path out to sea. As Untangled pushed through the water, the bow waves kicked up…

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Visiting Mazatlán on a Bus Full of Daredevils

Visiting Mazatlán on a Bus Full of Daredevils

About 3 days before we left for Mazatlán, the State Department issued a new security alert for the Sinaloa Region. Cartel activity throughout Mexico has been on the rise, and the State Department deemed it necessary to issue a level 4 classification for Mazatlán. Level 4 is serious. I am not a risk taker. But the historic downtown area and Zona Dorado were excluded from the Level 4 classification. I registered our trip with the State Department STEP program and…

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Passages are less fun when you have a stomach bug

Passages are less fun when you have a stomach bug

When I told the founder of my company, Peter, that we would be making the crossing from La Paz to Mazatlán the following weekend, the silence on the other end of the phone was palpable. Peter cruised Mexico (and then French Polynesia) in the past, and mostly has great things to say about it. But the crossing from La Paz to Mazatlán, he said, was the roughest patch of weather they encountered (later, after we’d made the passage, he admitted…

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