From the Galley…

Welcome to the first installment of “from the galley”! The crew here on the s/v Mer Sea does quite a bit of cooking. Even though Mexico can be relatively cheap for eating out, your dollar goes a lot farther, just the same as back home, if you eat in house. More dollars = more cerveza and Chidraui doughnuts! Besides saving our pesos for the bonus items that we can’t make ourselves or just flat out more time cruising, we also really enjoy cooking together. (Frankly, it is hard to find something we don’t enjoy doing together!) For those that have spent much time on (small) boats, you understand what a feat a single meal can be. For those that haven’t, this section is to shed a bit of light on the process.

Well, here is a quick rundown of our set-up. We have a 5 gallon tank of propane strapped on the stern that Marc rigged with a t-valve, one hose fuels the weber style bbq, also fastened to the stern pulpit, and the other fuels a 2 burner stove down below. Those are our only “appliances”. We do not have refrigeration and only one small cooler, which we have only filled with ice once so far. Part of the fun for us is meeting the challenges posed by limited resources and tools, with creativity and a sense of adventure as we search for ways to spice up our next meal! Which leads me to the subject of grocery shopping.

A regular part of most days is grocery shopping, which may sound like a chore to some, but for us, is a fun and usually eye opening experience. It often gives us a chance to explore the towns, learning the lay of the land and meeting the true locals, as we search for the freshest produce, at the best price. Depending on the day, and other local factors, it can take several stops just to make Colleen’s “Best in Mex” guacamole; one market may have the ripest tomatoes and limes, while another avocados, and a third, maybe on the other side of town, onions, garlic and cilantro. But it’s all worth it in the end! MMMmmm guacamole!

We mostly purchase fresh veggies, which tend to be a big chunk of our diet, but we do stock up on dry goods and have been known to purchase bacon, beef, and shrimp from the locals. Actually, truth be told, quite a bit of bacon, which we enjoy also using the grease to add flavor to our morning scrambles! As for vegetables, we purchase them fresh almost daily but they tend to be the usual suspects in respects to variety. A typical basketful at the market consists of garlic, onion, carrot, cucumber, limes, tomatoes, avocado, a variety of chilies, and possibly apple (which are imported from California!), zucchini or some other random local specialty item. When it comes to dry goods, it’s the basic flour (as we are trying our hand at making our own bread), legumes (black, pinto, and lentils), and of course, rice. Eggs also regularly make it into our breakfast bowls. Marc is a master scrambler. There isn’t a leftover yet that couldn’t be incorporated into a morning scramble.

Despite the fact that our choices are seemingly limited at the local tiendas (markets), as compared to the sky scraping aisles found at grocery stores back in the States, we have found that there is a certain simple joy, or thrill, of triumphing with the creation of a new dish, after getting out of our comfort zones and simply trying something new! We understand that most of our meals may not make it to any forward thinking cookbooks, but they definitely get us pretty stoked and always merit a victory CHEERS! Buen Provencho!

Gone Surfin'

Sorry for the delay in posts (mom).  It seems internet access is a little harder to track down than surf in these parts, and anyone who knows us (or if you don’t, please reference two posts back) will accept our apology, as we have been having a little communion time with a warm water right hander.

So here goes a quick  anchorage update…

 Matanchen Bay                        lat. 21 30.832   long. 105 14.155

After leaving Isla Isabella we made our way back to the Mexican mainland to Matanchen Bay. It is a large bay just to the south of the town of San Blas. After pulling an overnighter from Isabella, we decided to treat ourselves to a cubeta of cold cervezas and bite of  food on the beach after dropping the hook*. (*hook is the pirate term for anchor) This reward had its repercussions, as we quickly became acquainted with the pesky locals. They go by jejenes. Translation: vile microscopic sand fleas whose bites will keep you awake at night lathering yourself with vaporub. Yes, vaporub. A recommendation from a local woman, which actually did gain us some relief.

In addition to this, Matanchen did offer a more pleasant experience in the form of a panga ride through a mangrove chocked full of birds and crocodiles which ended at a fresh water spring. On arrival to Tovara Springs, we made haste to take advantage of the rope swing and refreshing salt free water, which our bodies thanked us for.

Chacala             lat. 21 09.849   long. 105 13.633

On leaving Matanchen, we set our course for Chacala, a small village tucked in a quaint little bay. Our dinghy had been leaking, so Marc took this opportunity to patch it, as it was an easy swim to shore, therefore we could leave the dinghy on deck to dry. The whale watching in this area is out of control.  It seems every time you look at the horizon a whale is throwing itself around playfully.  Simply spectacular!

Punta Mita                 lat. 20 46.010   long. 105 31.138

Punta Mita is the northernmost point of Banderas Bay. At its mouth, the bay stretches 20 miles or so across and at its easternmost point lies the town of Puerto Vallarta.  Alas, we have hit the surf zone.

Punta Mita offers a fun right over rock reef and has a few different sections. Surf Tip: Take the wave in past the exposed rocks, as this section is steeper and offers the opportunity for a little cover up. Beware of kicking off the bottom as it is an urchin habitat.  Directly inside of the anchorage at Mita there is a wave similar to san-o. Consequently, it seems to be a SUP magnet and ground zero for the abundance of “surf schools” that all the surrounding hotels host. Further down into the bay we also surfed a break named La Lancha. It seems as though it is a beach break but has some rocks scattered about. It was predominantly a right the day we surfed it with an easy take off and possible barrels over the bars inside. Which Marc made sure to sample.

We enjoyed a little over two weeks here. In one of our bus jaunts back from re-provisioning in Vallarta, we decided to hop off the bus a little early and check out the town of La Cruz de Huanacaxtle. As is protocol after a successful day of doing “chores”, we promptly popped the cap off a cold ballenon, and went in search of  some tacos. Before the sweat had time to drip off the bottle we were seated in the taco stand of our “soon to be amigos”, Jaime and Rosa. And so began my first borrachera* as Marc calls it. (*Borrachera is the term used for pretty much willingly getting kidnapped by locals and involves the consumption of copious amounts of alcohol) Now, I know that sounds dangerous in those words but I assure you it is all in good nature, which we will further describe in our first installment of borracheras…

Can't find it, grind it

After backing out of Mazatlan Marina around 4 pm, playing a game of chicken with a shipping freighter around 9 pm, and sailing through the darkest of nights, we came to arrive at Isla Isabella. A tiny island located about 90 miles south of Mazatlan. This was to be our home for the next few days, during which time we found our selves enamored by the natural beauty and rhythm of the place. We could not have asked for better weather, as the only intermission of the suns rays came when a group of birds tightened their circles in the sky, creating a sort of winged cloud, which would blot out the sun momentarily. Most of our days where spent hiking and exploring the island, watching the birds soar effortlessly with the wind, and swimming in the crystal clear waters of bahia tiburonitos! During breakfast and throughout the day, we were also fortunate enough to see some gigantic humpback whales playfully teaching their young how to catch some serious air!

Though this spot is known to be an “anchor eater”, due to the huge volcanic rocks that lie a wait to swallow your anchor on the sea floor. We experienced no such trouble until the last day when the wind shifted directions from North to South, and our anchor dragged towards shore and some of the chain became entangled. As the boat rocked, all we could hear was a deafening sound of anchor and chain grinding against razor sharp volcanic rock. After making it through dinner, without being able to hear ourselves chew, we decided to prepare Mer-Sea for departure at once, as we felt it better to sail all the way through the night for Matanchen Bay, then stay and risk having our anchor, and possibly us!

It took us about 15 minutes of tugging and positioning the boat so that we could untangle the chain and retrieve the anchor, and then we were off. Colleen safely navigated us out of the bay, avoiding the many submerged rocks, which hid just beneath the surface. By 11 pm we where clear of the submerged hazards and in open water, although there was no way for us to know exactly what hazards would be waiting just beneath our feet at Matanchen Bay. Vamos a la Bahia Matanchen!!

Too many boards on the dance floor...

The entire time I have been cruising, people have been astounded by the fact the I was traveling with 6 surfboards on my Catalina 27. I would jokingly insist that this was a surfing vessel first. But now that Colleen is in it to win it ;) we have certainly out done ourselves this time! Mer-Sea is now equipped with 11 (eleven) surfboards, adding about 65 feet of foam for increased buoyancy!!!

For those interested, we have provided a list of our current quiver below, accompanied by a picture. Viva la stoke!

M&C's current quiver:

·      2 x 5’7” Bamburger (quad/thruster)

·      5’8” Kane Garden (twin/thruster)

·      5’8” Move or Die (thruster)

·      5’8” Mark Richards (glass on twin fin)

·      5”10” Doc (single fin)

·      6’0” Firewire (thruster)

·      6’2” Rusty (thruster)

·      6’4” Firewire (thruster)

·      6’10” Hawaiian (semi gun)

·       7’2” Pro Circuit (semi gun)

Home for the holidays!

Being together for the holidays was wonderful! It was very nice spending time with family and friends as well. With the holidays behind us, Marc’s interview with the Coast Guard completed, and all my ties cut, we were ready to get back to Mexico and get under way.  On our return to Mazatlan, we were pleased to find the Mer-Sea was just as Marc had left her, what a relief. With some rest and relaxation to be had on our parts and a bit of provisioning to get ready to move, we ended up spending a few extra days at the dock, in the Fonatur Marina of Mazatlan.

One priority during some R&R was to get back to playa camaron to procure some more fresh ostiones! This time we were hoping to score enough to bring back to the marina maintenance crew, with hopes that they would teach us how to make their famed ceviche, which Marc had sampled previous to his return to the States. So onto the bus we hopped and headed out on our mission. Upon reaching the spot we had previously scored at, we were appalled to find no divers in the water. A black cloud rains on our parade! We would not give up so easily though and by following a hunch, we scaled across dry reef to have a look around the corner. BAM!!! There they were in all there glory, teams of divers in the water and the shuckers’ lying await on the beach, OH GLORIOUS DAY!  In order to celebrate our discovery, we hustled to a tienda to purchase a Ballenon. Upon returning to the beach we began negotiations for the purchase of 40 oysters!

Once the deal was made we hustled up to the bus stop, and after a quick stop at the grocery store to pick up the rest of the necessary items on our list for the ceviche, we returned to the Marina greeted by smiling faces at the gate. Elu, the head of security, taught Marc how to shuck, while I helped chop the rest of the ingredients.

The final product was a refreshing mix of oyster, cucumber, onion, tomato, lots of lime, salt, and our favorite habanero hot sauce! It was the best Ceviche we have ever had!!! Chased with several ice cold tecates equals a good way to induce an afternoon siesta!

To grandmothers house he goes...

5 am - Waking up on the boat this morning had an unusually sad underlying tone, as it would be the last day, for a while, that we would be wished "Good Morning" by our little buddy, Torch! After loading up our friends car (thanks Claire), with all the travel gear we had purchased the day before, we set off for John Wayne Airport. Having never sent an animal by plane before, we were both unfamiliar and therefore slightly apprehensive about leaving Torch in the care of the airlines.

Upon reaching the parking structure, Torch may or may not have helped himself to a bit of doggy tranquilizer, which is typically against airline policy. Bad dog. ;)
 
After getting Torch loaded into his kennel, which was equipped with two layers of padding, his favorite mexican blanket, a chew toy, one pig ear treat, and Colleen's shirt, we marched on through the John Wayne Terminal towards the American Airline ticket counter. 

Upon reaching the counter, Colleen noted how nice the ladies of American Airlines looked. This observation turned out to be spot on, as our time spent checking Torch in for his first flight was quite pleasant. Connie, and the rest of the staff were super stars.




They were so nice helping us get Torch's Kennel tagged and marked properly for airline travel. The tremendous attention to detail and comfort for Torch, certainly gave us the reassurance we needed, knowing that little Torch would be well looked after during his journey to Grandma's house! 

The End.