“Thank You for Your Sacrifice.”

 This is our standard expression of gratitude when executing a fish we have caught. Due to waters that seemed a bit overfished, this phrase had not been uttered in some time. But with our new crew on board (Shaun Roberts, a childhood friend of Marc’s) and an enthusiasm for angling and 170 miles of water to cover between Acapulco and Puerto Escondido we felt things might be turning around.

We decided to try some different tackle and opted for a blue feather lure with an inside out cacahuates bag tied to the line above the leader. (Cacahuates are peanuts.) We have heard rumors that the metallic insides of chip or snack bags works well to attract fish. Which it did!

Our first catch was a small bonito, which are in the tuna family. We had one before and had cooked it up, but Shaun informed us they were quite delicious eaten raw. A bowl of soy sauce and wasabi was quickly mixed up and our first batch of sashimi went down the hatch.

The second day out we hooked up something a little bigger. Once the line took up buzzing, Marc secured the pole and started increasing the drag, then handed it off to Shaun so he could turn the boat and run down the fish that was running hard! As we closed in, and got a peek of color, we all lit up with excitement. A nice Dorado! She was hooked at the tail, which took a team effort aboard the s/v Mer-Sea to carefully gaff and bring her aboard. An enthusiastic “Thanks!“ was exclaimed and before she was done being cleaned we had full bellies of the freshest sashimi ever! Later filets were grilled on the bbq and the following day we gorged ourselves on coconut milk ceviche that Marc marinated over night.

 

It is truly a beautiful thing to live simply and self sufficiently. Not that we are completely unplugged (as is demonstrated by this very blog post), but through many experiences we engage in by living out here, the more we appreciate all that we have.

               
       
                          Eat sushi… More. Often.

SURPRISE!! (Puerto Escondido: lat. 15 51.498 N; long. 97 03.757W)

Paddling back to the boat after a surf and seeing an unknown person moving around in the cockpit = bad.

Getting close and realizing it’s a surprise visit from Marc’s dad with parts to fix the dinghy engine = good!

The engine was up and running by the next morning and we enjoyed the life of luxury for the past week. This is due to the fact that Samy is posted up in a sweet hotel, which allowed us daily showers, air conditioning, and unlimited amounts of ICE!!

The week was spent surrounded by blaring music and Mexican Tourists having their last hoorah of the Santa Semana holiday. With Samy and Shaun visiting we wasted no time getting on board with the festivities. The first night Samy arrived, Shaun had managed to get himself a DJ gig at a local beachside bar called, Uh La-La. Shaun assumed he would be late so we made plans to meet him in the morning. His late night turned out to be a long one and ran into the next afternoon. While enjoying a late lunch, Samy spotted him getting a ride on a panga back to the boat. He spent the next 24 hours recouping and figuring out how to get to Mexico City by the weekend, as he was invited to play at a big event, setup by some of his nuevo amigos.

 

Throughout the week, Samy was making friends all over town. From playing drums with some streetside gypsies, to jamming on the Bass in a jewelry store with the owner, to strumming our newly strung acoustic guitar poolside, we would definitely say that he had a lot of fun this trip! Samy certainly has an ear for music which pairs nicely with his love for life!

Samy also treated us to a bebidas shopping spree at “Super Che” which found our basket filled with cocktail ingredients and junk food to support us for the week. We were also treated to many delicious meals, from pastor tacos and beers, to much needed breakfasts. The most memorable being giant platters of fresh seafood! Full spreads of caracol, pulpo, camarones, y filete de pescado.

Seeing Samy off to the airport and getting Shaun on the bus was bittersweet. As it was good times to have loved ones from home out to visit and share in our adventure, we are now ready to get back out on the water and continue our chosen direction of travel, South. Vamos a Bahias de Huatulco!!

From the Galley… Jar Garden

Of the many gracious gifts bestowed upon us before our departure, one is truly earning its keep. This gift would be in the form of two mason jars with squares of window screen cut to fit the openings and directions to sprouting a variety of beans!

The only legumes available here in Mexico that work with this method (that we have found) are garbanzo (otherwise known as chick peas) or lentils.  Lentils are our favorite as they come out crisp and refreshing, making a great addition to salads.

 

The process for procuring these sprouts is as follows:

·      Place dry beans in jar and soak for 24 hours. Cover with at least twice as much water and remember not to put too many as they will expand.

·      Once soaked, drain and rinse. Then set at a 45 degree angle in a shaded area with the screen secured on in place of the metal, allowing them to breath.

·      Rinse and drain 3 times a day, always leaving at a 45 degree angle.

Within two days the lentils will be ready to eat and within 3 days the garbanzos should be ready to enjoy!

Gracias Gary and Kim!!!

How to Build an Ecosystem or Why Cleaning Your Bottom Monthly is Recommended

I have always loved Oceanography. Cousteau was a hero in my youth. We have found we could site this as an excuse for why we haven’t cleaned the bottom of the boat in some time.

At every anchorage we quickly acquired a school of resident fish. We knew we had something more than a “little growth” when one of those schools of fish left Santiago Bay and swam with us the 44 hours to Maruata. We had become their main food source. The next indicator was waking up one morning in Zihuatenejo Bay to bubbles being released on our hull. Coming on deck revealed a dolphin fishing under us. We had begun to attract predators higher on the food chain.

So out came the goggles, fins, scraper, and brillo. Marc had his work cut out for him needless to say and I just followed with a scrub. In the end hard work paid off and we have gained about 2 knots!! (knots being how our speed is measured)

Amigos y Olas Zihuatanejo lat. 17 38.168N long. 101 33.322W

You are safe to assume that if we do not update the blog and the SPOT is not tracking we are having a good time. Zihuatanejo was a great town and treated us well. We quickly met some local surfers who were willing to give us rides to surf, which ended up being pretty good due to some south swell that showed up.  We got on a strict regiment of waking up before dawn to get our gear together and go meet our ride every morning.

The bulk of our surfing was done at a beach called Playa Linda. It predominantly breaks left over cobblestones. This set-up is thanks to a river that lets out at the end of the beach. Also thanks to this river and it’s marshy surroundings are warnings of crocodiles! (side note: this spot was the first place I ever surfed outside of the U.S. , thanks to my mom taking me here when I was 16!)

Another beach we were able to catch a couple at was "The Ranch". For those that surf, I am sure you have surfed a “Ranch” somewhere. It seems to be a quite popular name. Now this was a proper left hand point-break. There is potential all around this area for more waves as well. Next time we plan to bring a tent and a few days worth of rations, and do a bit of camping around the uncharted breaks.

Thanks to Daniel and “Johnny Be Good” for helping us get wet!

From the Galley… Baking?

          As I mentioned previously, we have been attempting to make bread, sourdough to be exact. Marc was inspired by our friends on the Saltbreaker, a fellow boat from San Francisco, who always had a hot loaf to donate to communal meals. One minor hurdle is our lack of an oven. Our hope was the possibility of convincing our pressure cooker to bake it. There are rumors this is possible. After multiple attempts and only being able to manage something resembling a tasteless Dim Sum dish (dumplings), we began exploring other options.

            Some friends of mine that enjoy making pizza at home introduced me to the concept of baking it on the grill using a pizza stone. With that in mind we acquired a random piece of stone (actually it was a table shim at Rosa and Jaime’s taco stand) cleaned it, wrapped it in foil, and turned on the heat.

            At this we were feeling pretty confident, so we splurged on chocolate chip cookie ingredients as well. The cookies just melted and became more of a cake texture and the sourdough wouldn’t rise. With a devotion to never letting anything go to waste, Marc turned the sourdough into pizza and I poured the batter into a tin, which turned into delicious cake!

            Moral: Never give up, especially when pizza and cake are within your grasp.

An unexpected guest lat. 17 52.505 N long. 102 37.884 W

After leaving Maruata, and a long, mostly tanker free overnight watch under my belt, Colleen and I traded posts. I grabbed a couple hours of sleep and awoke just after sunrise. I had just prepared and poured us some coffee, and was getting ready to join Colleen on deck, when suddenly there was an explosion of sound and water just off our starboard beam. “Oh F@*$” Colleen shouting, “It’s an ORCA!” I sprang outside to find Colleen standing in the middle of the cockpit looking rather startled, which is odd since she’s one tough level headed chick. As I peered over the sidewall only to see tons of clear tropical water flowing smoothly past our hull, I began to wonder if maybe she’d been on watch a bit to long, when suddenly, something caught my eye… “F@*$… It really is an ORCA” and it’s drafting about a foot off our stern!!!”

 

For the next few moments our hearts were racing as we watched a Killer Whale dart at, under, and over our boat (ok, she did not really jump over our boat, but I can dream!) She’d smack her tail against the water sending spray everywhere, before disappearing momentarily, only to come charging full speed at our hull, generating an incredible wake, and then diving below just inches away from us.

 

Witnessing the playful elegance, raw power, and sheer control of a wild and free Orca, in such close proximity to your vessel/home/life, really makes you appreciate your momentary place on this earth.

What an absolutely breathtaking experience!