Buenos Diaz

In case any inquiring minds really wanted to know if the world is flat and ends at the California Borders....the answer is 'El No!!  There is a whole other world just and hour and a half south of San Diego, Ca.  Access to WI FI and then actually getting a signal is a challenge.  I could have kissed the dock literally when Will and I arrived in Ensenada on Tuesday afternoon.  We had decided not to try and leave San Diego in the dark on Monday morning the 10th because of the lobster pots and kelp and thought we would stop in Marina Puerto Salina a seven hour cruise verses the 12 -13 to Ensenada. Wow are pictures on the website ever deceiving for Puerto Salina.  We had the port captain tells us to come in at "high tide" he said however, you will be okay if your boat only draws 4' 6" which is the depth our keel will hit bottom.  Yes that is pretty fat for a Catamaran...our Cat is not quite the norm and we personally measured this when we hauled out for the water leak in Long Beach.  When we found the entrance to this marina waves were breaking at the entrance.  Boaters you KNOW this is NOT GOOD. (This can acclerate the boat and you can become caputured in a spin cycle like a washing machine.)
Crap,... Will and I were counting ...hmmm almost a minute apart.  We really did not have much choice at this point so we threw the throttles down and went for it.  In my life of lives I have never seen to 2 waves only 2 feet apart and yes they were chasing our boat.  I am yelling "faster, faster there are 2 breakers on our A**." Just as we turn our heads from looking at the stern of the boat in front of us are breaking waves on a sand bar inside the jetty. Will throws the boat into neutral and we are like OMG we can not go forward and we can not go backward.  Two guys working a crane to our far left pointed to some posts in the water telling us to go as close to the poles as possible.  We were had just enough room to enter a VERY disappointing marina.  Sad is a better word.  There were sunken boats and derelict boats mostly. I thought
wow how very sad.  There was a high rise condomium at the harbor master's office that was empty.  The high rise was about 7 levels  with a pool (not in use) and a hot tub questionable if it was sanitary.  The marina apparently has been under construction for 10 years and never completed.  Will and I had a slip with no shore power across from a 48 ' Catch that had sunk about a month ago the locals said.  There was a large boat sunken up front that had caught on fire that had Avalon, CA as its hailing port.  The story is Mr. Wrigley (the mega millionaire whom owned Avalon at one time) had bought this boat for his wife.  Sad broken down marina in need of money renovation to the docks and removal of trash boats.  We decided one night would be plenty and headed to Ensenada as soon as the sun popped out the next morning and YEAH it was high tide when we left.  Thank you God!

 These dolphins stayed quite awhile with us.  I was just a couple a feet above them and they would turn sideways and look at me with their sweet little eyes.

 

 

When we arrived in Cruiseport, Ensenada the boats were beautiful and the Mexican Flag was HUGE and flying proudly over its city of close to 500,000 in population. (According to the marina office.)  The boats in the marina looked great in addition to a couple of mega yachts. Most of the boaters are Americans living there or in route to Southern Mexico. I actually fell in love with this group of boaters and the guard gated marina.  Everyone is so very nice.  On Channel 69 every morning at 8 am the boaters from a few of the marinas sign on and offer salutations to new arrivals, departures, boaters with boat projects that need help,  some have cars offering rides for provisions needed at the store....heavy items like water and propane especially.  The dogs run free on the dock and  in the marina and our 'lil Swab Nikki Longstocking is in heaven. When we got here we heard endless tales of "Yachtpath's punctuality" or thus the lack of it...leaving people stranded over 30 days at a time in foreign countries. So here we sit with no answers except today we got an email from Yachtpath and they have a ship coming into Ensenada on January 22nd.   YES I SAID JANUARY.  We are extremely disappointed, shocked and still now sure what is going to happen at this point. We are going to try and get confirmation that we are to be definitly scheduled for this boat. If that is the case we are going to fly to our home in Punta Gorda, Florida and then fly back here in January.  We are comfortable with this marina, the security and the community to leave Perseverance here while we got take care of getting things set up in Florida...after all our cars are there.  We knew the ship was late last year in December for weather by about 2 weeks.  As a ship brokerage (Yachtpath) they find available ships that are able to transport yachts. Yachtpath does not own ships and that is the complexity.  They state the economy has caused less availabilty for ships. 

And here we are in Cruisport, Ensenada

 

We will continue to update this blog as soon as we have more information.  It rained all day thus far, first rain and grey skies since we arrived actually.  The cruisers are getting together at a place called TJ's for happy hour and if it quits raining we are going to attend. Hey "2 for 1 drafts and football"  they said....I do not know what football games occur on a Thursday night (reruns maybe??) but after a draft or two who cares.  LATERS!!