Posted by Tis the Christmas season and that means a visit from Ashley’s dad, otherwise known as Grandpa John. John was not only our first visitor that we have had on board since we left Seattle but he was also our first mule for any supplies that we needed from the states. Before leaving Seattle he had many Amazon deliveries as well as lists from Ashley for any upcoming school workbooks needed. The good news is that Ashley was limited to one 50lb checked bag. John flew to Cabo San Lucas and then took a shuttle bus to La Paz. The bus station in La Paz is right on the Malecon on the waterfront so we all picked him up in our dinghy (Rogue One). We had arrived in La Paz the day before his arrival so that we could top off on fresh fruits and veggies as well as diesel. We visited our normal produce stand where we have come to the point where we are recognized by the owners. They make a special effort to help us when we arrive with all of our backpacks and poor Spanish pronunciations. John arrived in the early evening so we spent his first night at anchor in front of the city. It was great catching up with him and seeing the excitement on Alexander and Victoria’s faces now that Grandpa was here. The next morning Ashley and I woke up early, raised the anchor and got us underway. It was a very calm morning so we headed to familiar grounds to give Grandpa John a taste was some great snorkeling spots. When we arrived in Colletta Partida we found three boat family friends of ours so we anchored neared by and went over to visit. Our friends from Seattle S/V Prairie Fox and S/V Gen M together had six kids all swimming around their boats. Victoria and Alexander wasted no time adding two more to the chaos. It was nice that Grandpa John got to see the kids all interacting, swimming, diving, snorkeling, playing and just being kids with other boat kids. He was also able to meet and talk to three other families living the cruising lifestyle. Hopefully it offered some peace of mind about the lifestyle his daughter and her crazy husband have chosen to live. The next day we said goodbye to our friends and headed north to an island called Isla de San Francisco. We had a great sail as we headed north another 25 miles into the Sea of Cortez. Isla de San Francisco has a big half moon shaped bay with a white sandy beach and beautiful turquoise water. We spent the day playing on the beach and hiking on trails surrounded by picturesque vistas. Victoria and Alexander showed Grandpa John all the different shells and fish bones that they have come accustomed to finding in the sea. We also went for an evening swim in crystal clear 75 degree water. We spent Christmas at Isla San Francisco. The kids were very excited to find presents under the Christmas tree on Christmas morning. The next day we headed farther north into the Sea of Cortez to the small fishing village of San Evaristo. It is a very small town of 20 full time residents. We visited the day after Christmas and there was almost no activity. We did go ashore and go for a short walk. We had a welcoming committee of three very friendly dogs. They all came up to the dinghy as we landed on the beach and said hello to each of us including Ranger. Two of the dogs were males so we were expecting it to be a little ugly. Ranger is not always the friendliest dog to other dogs and two males surrounding us as we get to the beach seemed like a receipt for disaster and pain for those other dogs. But it was as smooth as could be they all said hi with tails wagging and no hackles were raised. Two of the dogs got some petting from the kids and then made their way off down the beach. The one little female dog stayed with us for our entire walk thru town. She was super sweet and very friendly to the kids. She did not know what to think of Ranger as he was just excited to be going for a walk with his pack and paid her no attention at all. The kids and Ashley were all talking about how we could sneak her back to the boat. I told them I would be cool with that if we left both Ranger and Sony in her place. Needless to say Ranger and Sony are still with us. After a very windy night at anchor we headed to an island called Isla San Jose. The five of us kayaked thru mangroves and along a peaceful and calm beach. Time was getting short and John needed to get back to La Paz. Very high winds were forecasted for the coming days which gave us additional incentive to get moving. On our way back to La Paz John was able to see a great display of rays jumping out of the water. At one point I think there were 4 or 5 five rays jumping around the boat. We got back to La Paz and tie up to a dock in the afternoon just as the winds arrived. The day before John went home the five of us went to the movies and played at one of the many city parks. It was a real treat for all of us to have Grandpa John visiting for Christmas!
Sailing Samadhi 