Accepting help when needed is a good thing!

     It's been a lovely month and a half here in the La Paz area. We've spent a lot of time exploring Isla Espiritu Santo and Isla Partida, although more time than we would have preferred was spend stuck in an anchorage because of the northers. We made the most of our time, however. We've spent time snorkeling, hiking, watching the kids construct sand cities for the thousands of fiddler crabs on the beach, and getting to know some of our fellow cruising families.
      You know, that last one has been my favorite. I think in those two weeks out at the islands, we spent five evenings with other families gathered together on our boats. It usually consisted of two or three families, with the kids down below watching a movie and the adults outside in the cockpit, chatting away. One evening was spent on a 72-foot sailboat. I'm not sure how many people were aboard altogether, but I do know there were ten kids!
        These times spent together have done much to cement friendships, between kids and adults alike. One of those friendships is being put to the test as I type this, and I'm so grateful for it! Backing up a little bit. We met the crew of Tulum V on the Baja Ha-ha, and then got to know them on our first trip out to Espiritu Santo. They have been in La Paz for about a month, getting work done on their boat. We had already discussed with them the idea of traveling across the Sea of Cortez together, so Joe and I wanted to make sure we touched base with them when we returned to La Paz for Christmas, not to mention our kiddos wanted to see their friends again!
         Joe had been noticing some growling while Kyrie's engine was running for a while, but it grew steadily worse on our return to La Paz on Sunday. It grew bad enough that since the wind was in our favor, we chose to sail up the channel and onto anchor. Sailing onto anchor in a crowded anchorage--not too shabby! Unfortunately, with the holidays, no one could even look at the outdrive until January 6. Ordinarily, that wouldn't be a big deal, but Joe's parents arrive in La Cruz on January 12 and we didn't want to be stuck here in La Paz with a torn-apart outdrive! Enter a perfect example of friends' generosity.
          We met up with the crew of Tulum V for dinner that evening and griped a little about our predicament. Much to our amazement and appreciation, an offer to take us under tow if need be was given. Aside from their generosity, I have loved getting know to the Tulum V family. They have kids similar ages to the Kyrie kids and Michelle and Chad constantly crack us up. Any family who has both a Big Green Egg smoker and a Great Dane aboard their boat is surely one I want to get to know and count as friends!
           After a low-key Christmas--Christmas Eve with the Tulum crew, presents Christmas morning, a yummy dinner and then a walk along La Paz's decorated and crowded malecon--it was finally time to leave. La Paz has been our base for over a month and it's been lovely, but let's face it--it's getting cold! I know, I know. All our friends from Alaska will say I've turned into a wimp, and I say darn right! It was 62 degrees when I woke up this morning and I got dressed in a sweatshirt and jeans! It's too cold to swim in the ocean without a wetsuit and the butter isn't melting on the counter anymore--it's time to migrate further south.
            At 11:15 am, we are nearly out of Bahia de La Paz, under tow by Tulum. It was a little hard to swallow our pride and accept the offer, but I'm so grateful it was given. Between using our dinghy as a tug and ghosting along with what little wind there is, we probably could have done this first day on our own, but it would have taken much longer. It's a good reminder that we all need help sometimes and when the offer comes, at times it's much better to take the proffered hand rather than insist on struggling along by yourself.
             If the weather report stays true, there will be wind tomorrow and all the way across to La Cruz. Here's to beam reach sailing and friends who promise to go the distance with you!

Sailing the Islands

We have spent the last two weeks sailing through and exploring the islands right above La Paz. The first week we were out, we ran into a bunch of other kid boats and had a wonderful time. We hung out first in a bay called Caleta Partida - an ancient volcanic caldera. There were pelicans everywhere and we were able to anchor in shallow water - about 9' deep. The amount of greenery was unexpected. The contrast between the green cactus and shrubs with the red sandstone cliffs is breathtaking.

The first few days were spent getting to know the family on Tulum V. We moved on together, and discovered another 4 kid boats at Bajia San Gabriel - Samadhi V, Arena, Maya, and My Star. We were able to stay one night at BSJ and thoroughly enjoyed the amazing snorkeling. Unfortunately, we were apparently in the one bay that anchoring is not allowed in and were kicked out by the parks service. So, it was anchors aweigh and back to Caleta Partida along with the crews on Tulum V and Samadhi V.

The next evening was a hilarious time on Samadhi V as the kids (7 altogether) watched Mamma Mia and sung along at the top of their lungs much to the delight of their parents.

Running low on supplies, Kyrie then headed back to La Paz for a 48-hour whirlwind restocking. With fuel, Propane, clean laundry, new alternator, and enough fresh groceries to last a month, we headed back out to the islands to resume our earlier explorations.

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