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Category: Hers

The Six-Month Review

The Six-Month Review

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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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La Paz: The reality of the rubber band effect

La Paz: The reality of the rubber band effect

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Local cruisers often talk about the “La Paz rubber band effect”, which means that after you leave La Paz, you will always come back. It’s true that there are a lot of things to love. It has a more relaxed and understated vibe than Los Cabos. There aren’t many giant resorts, which means that there aren’t vendors trying to sell you blankets, hats, sunglasses, and snacks everywhere you go. The food is great. The cruising community is well-established and a…

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Holidays in the Sea of Cortez

Holidays in the Sea of Cortez

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Last night, Philippe and I rang in the new year with a group of good cruiser friends from sailing vessels Taliesin Rose, Cinderella, and Tioga (check out their blogs, too!). We toasted to the end of another wonderful year and the beginning of what we are sure will be an adventurous 2018. Philippe and I had the most incredible week in the Sea of Cortez, and while it’s great to have Wi-Fi, friends, and warm showers close by, we’re sad we won’t…

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