Monday, December 30, 2019

2 weeks without WiFi

On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me
Internet Connectivity


Flower from the Sea of Cortez 

The Sea of Cortez is known for having large blank spots for internet signals. We were aware of that heading north, but there were still things that we missed. We learned that 1) yes, we can live without the internet  and 2) no, we don't really want to. For me the greatest hole was felt in connecting to friends and family, not just direct contact, but in reading your stories posted on Facebook. We do have a satellite connection (more on that later), but it is very basic.

Monday, December 9, 2019

What a Difference a Bay Makes

One day later and we are tucked into a quiet bay, layers of clothing are being shed, the water is so calm and quiet we can hear people talking on shore 300 yards away. Santa Rosalia was windy and cold, Bahia Concepcion is quiet and warmer. We still have not been swimming, it is not quite that warm, but it is close.



Wednesday, December 4, 2019

Turn around point

The cold wind is blowing, temperatures are dropping, we are digging out all the warm clothing  we can find ( which isn't much) and coming to the decision that it is time for us to head south again.



Sunday, November 24, 2019

Whale Sharks!

Swimming with a whale shark has been on my bucket list ever since I knew it was a possibility. Whale sharks are the largest fish in the sea, they can grow as large as 30 feet long. They are filter feeders and are very gentle. In La Paz, Mexico there are resident juvenile whale sharks that stay around for a few years. They are not as large as the full grown adults, but they are still quite impressive.


Monday, November 18, 2019

Musings in Nuevo Vallarta



We're meeting a lot of interesting people here in Nuevo Vallarta. Some around the marina and some as we find our way around town running errands. Most meetings come with the usual struggle to understand each other. We get into the beginning of conversations, but can't get much out of them because we only know enough Spanish to ask a question reasonably well without being able to then comprehend the response.

Friday, November 8, 2019

Attempting a post

We are currently anchored off of Isla Isabel, just below the mouth of the Sea of Cortez in Mexico. Calm and peaceful. Thousands of birds swirling around, Frigate birds, Pelicans and Blue footed Boobies. It is so pleasant to be out of the marina and to be able to jump into the clear blue water whenever we feel hit ( which is often!) Isla Isabel is much greener now than when we visited it in July. I wonder how many of the birds circling over head were the chicks we saw in their nests yelling at their parents to bring them food.
Tonight we head to the Bay outside of Mazatlan which we will use as a jumping off point to cross to La Paz. 15-16 hours to Mazatlan and then about 24 hours to La Paz.

Sent from Iridium Mail & Web.

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Upgrades, Improvements and Add-ons

What a month this has been! We arrived back to Rhapsody at the end of September. We left her in the water in Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico and she patiently awaited our return. We landed in Puerto Vallarta with five large suitcases of stuff to put on an already full boat. The first week was spent finding homes for all that we brought. The remainder of the time since then has been working on projects and getting Rhapsody ready to sail to the South Pacific this year.

Monday, September 30, 2019

Waterfalls and Critters.

Here is a video I put together of some of Nature's splendor in the Pacific Northwest


Thursday, September 26, 2019

Banff, the Good, the Bad, the Ugly and the Sad

Don't just skip down to the ugly! There is quite a bit of good here!

Ten days in Canada's Banff and Jasper National Parks was a wonderful experience. Here is a quick summary:

The Good: The scenery is spectacular, the wildlife is marvelous and the water is an unbelievable color.



Tuesday, August 13, 2019

Wow, Bow Lake


The views in Banff National Park are breathtaking. Every day, every hike is another gift to the senses. These pictures are from Bow Lake. It took me a while to think "Bo"  instead of "bough", as I have been more in a nautical frame of mind.


Saturday, August 10, 2019

Wildflowers Galore!

Mt. Revelstoke National Park, British Columbia



Tuesday, August 6, 2019

Oh Canada


Conversation with the Canadian Border Guard:

Sunday, July 21, 2019

Oh my goodness!

There really is very little that I miss from our land-based life, not that I couldn't make a short list of things that I miss, but right now I am experiencing a difficulty that is much greater than I had when living in a house. That is, leaving the house for an extended period of time. Not counting the packing and getting ready for the demands and realities of our destination, leaving the house was relatively easy. Make sure the plants are well watered, feed the cat, arrange for a friend to repeat those steps as necessary, lock the door and drive away.

Wednesday, July 17, 2019

Boobies, boobies and more boobies!

Boobies on the beach, basking in the sun. Big ones, little ones, fuzzy ones, brown ones and lots of boobies with blue feet!



Thursday, June 27, 2019

Where the heck have we been these past three years?

For those of you who have been following our journey but were not sure just where we were, or for those of you who are following in our tracks and want some thoughts on where we have been, we now have a new tab on our website that will show you a map of our travels.

Click here to check it out


Monday, June 17, 2019

Choco....late

By Bob 

Chocolate...mmmmm!  
Being a card carrying member of 'Chocoholics Anonymous' I'm aware that our 12 step program reads: with nuts, without nuts, dark with cranberries and hazelnuts, medium light with mint, cream filled with orange etc.

Wednesday, June 5, 2019

Dolphins!

That's the cry that will get us both up and looking. Dolphins have been joining us on a daily basis on our journey up the Central American coast from Panama to Mexico.




Monday, May 20, 2019

Three different views of Costa Rica

There is an ancient Indian story about a group of blind men encountering an elephant for the first time. The first man felt the trunk and declared that an elephant was just like a snake. The second man felt the ears and declared that an elephant is like a fan, the third man felt the legs and declared that an elephant was like a tree trunk, etc etc.
Beautiful floral covered road in Costa Rica

Monday, May 6, 2019

North from Panama City

By Bob

So, we were only 3 hrs. late leaving the fuel dock at Tropicana Marina after the big top off for diesel, gas, and water. Seems they thought our 2 meter draft was an issue at low tide. I thought they just wanted to let their friends and reserved guests in first. 

Sunday, April 28, 2019

Fixing the boat in exotic places

This is the quote that cruisers often use to describe our lifestyle. It is pretty accurate. Boats take work. The salt water is very corrosive and the wind can put a lot of strain on the equipment. Things break and need to be fixed. The only upside is that we are often in beautiful places when this happens, although I am not sure how beautiful or exotic you can classify Panama City, it is a big city after all.


Working in tight spaces, down in the hold!

Sunday, April 21, 2019

Panama Canal, more than just the locks

As our preparations were completed, it was time to head through the canal. We were told to meet our advisor at 4:30 PM. Being so late in the day it was clear that we would have a two day transit with an overnight stay in Lake Gatun. Our advisor, Renaldo, joined us at a little after five, and our adventure began.



Thursday, March 28, 2019

Panama Canal preparation

For boats that want to transit the canal it is not simply a matter of showing up at the entrance to the canal and waiting your turn to go in. It takes a bit more preparation than that.



Friday, March 8, 2019

Another fire...and a reef!

Apparently one fire wasn't enough for us. (Check out the first here in case you missed it).

Sunday, March 3, 2019

Guest Blog

This is a post written by our latest guests on Rhapsody. Steve and Kate joined us for two weeks in Panama and the San Blas Islands. They were wonderful guests to have aboard, we truly enjoyed sharing the experience with them.

Our Two Week trip on Rhapsody




Monday, February 25, 2019

Another passage/ Different issues

No two passages are ever the same. Each time we set out there are a new set of variables. Our last passage was the toughest we had had to date and we had just dealt with a fire on Rhapsody in the marina. We had hopes for an uneventful passage.

We can always hope, can't we?

Wednesday, February 20, 2019

Fire!

"Sarah, Quick! Hand me up a fire extinguisher! " cried Bob

Fire on a boat is never a good thing, and we had a fire!

Friday, February 15, 2019

Animals in Cartegena

Sloths and monkeys,
Pigeons wearing spats
Bright red squirrels
Parakeets and Vultures
These were some of the animals we saw deep in the heart of the city of Cartegena in a three block square park.


Sunday, January 27, 2019

Road trip to Cartegena

The bay is dirty and crowded
You will have to hire an agent to check you in and out
It is not safe

Friday, January 25, 2019

A New Continent for Rhapsody

It's Colombia, not Columbia, something I never realized until someone pointed it out to me. It is an important distinction to the Colombians (no one likes their country spelled incorrectly) and there are even t-shirts pointing out the distinction. 

Wednesday, January 9, 2019

A Wet Windy Ride to Colombia

"It's one of the five most difficult passages"
"Plan carefully"
"Wait for a weather window"
"Be careful of the katabatic winds off of Santa Marta"
"Don't arrive at night"

This was some of the advice that we received when planning our passage from Curaçao to Santa Marta, Colombia, so let me explain...

Saturday, January 5, 2019

Curaçao in pictures

Our first night in Curacao found us in the main town of Willemstad, the capitol of Curaçao. Willemstad is cut in two by the Saint Anne Bay.