Sea Bella is our sailing home taking us, Scott and Kathy Erwin to travel the world one island at a time. Come along on this adventure to learn, explore and see the world.
This beach, which is 30 miles south of Ensenada, MX, has natural hot springs that boil up in the sand at low tide!!! You dig a hole at low tide and it fills in with super hot water. So hot in fact that you can’t dig too deep or it scalds your feet….quickly. The trick was to dig close to the surf so that the incidental wave would cool your watering hole. Geology at it’s finest.
This group of folks is very quickly becoming a tight group of sailors. All attending the Baja-Haha Rally to Cabo! Friends, families and crew are preparing and waiting for November 1st. Never a dull moment. The kids sure bring the energy to the group.
We also had a random glider come by and give Mike and Leah a thrilling lift. A young Vaquero rode by and observed our fun.
Who let the dogs out… We are out of the water this week at La Costa Boat Yard. The bottom is getting painted as well as a few other improvements and maintenance items. Staying on the boat “on the hard” (that’s a boaters way of saying there’s no water beneath us) is a different experience for sure. We were walking back to the yard Saturday night, just to find two very spry German Shepard’s protecting the yard (thank goodness Poco was there). We are making friends…..slowly…..with BBQ Salmon and crackers…..tossed from up high.
Living above dirt, wrapped in plastic is more like camping in a tent. All our sinks typically drain out to sea, but since there are men painting under us, we dare not use them. We wash hands with baby wipes. I do do dishes in soapy dish pans, afterwards dump it all in a bucket, and carry it down a 15 foot ladder (ducking under plastic), and toss the dirty water out in the side yard. Scott and our buddy Rhet will be mounting the new whisker pole track on front of the mast Friday and then back in the water Saturday! Phew!!
Mexico!!! Our Ensenada marina is full of anticipation!! We have been here for about 5 days and the Hotel Coral Marina is full of people waiting to launch….. So far we have found that there are 3 types of people staying here at the Marina. (Hundreds of boats here) The first group is the live aboard group from the states that still have a few years to work and dream before launching retirement or ??????? These people work down here or spend weekends and holidays biding their time. Our dock neighbors are one of those and they have a 40ft Catamaran here in Ensenada and they also have a boat in San Diego which they live on during the week. He is from Russia and she is American. They are retiring next year and want to sail south on their Catamaran. Destination is undetermined. This “first group” is the “locals” group and are very established in the Marina.
The second group (the biggest group) is the most recently retired and/or some young(er) families.
This includes us. We are all waiting for November and the end of Hurricane season to head south. Some are working on/preparing their boats, some are managing dock parties and socializing and some play solitaire waiting…. ….but all of us are discussing what we plan to do in the next year(s). One couple (wife) is wondering WTF they did and the wife wants to sell the brand new Beneteau 51. She made it clear she HATES the boat (and sailing) and is waiting for hubby to get this out of his system. Lol Another couple has a 9 year old daughter and will home school her for the next year(s) in Central America. What is amazing about this second group is that they come from all walks of our society. Some have new boats not knowing how to sail. Some are single men and are following a dream that they’ve had since a child. Some are families with 1-3 children. (We’ve enjoyed watching the young kids), and many are recent empty nesters or retirees waiting to make their dreams happen. This “group two” is full of life!!!!! Mexico, Caribbean, South Pacific, Japan…. These people dream big. The third (and smallest) group is the “been there done that” group that have been to Mexico and beyond. Many in this group are taking a break, heading north or waiting to go to the South Pacific once Covid is under control. Group three councils “group two” and tempers everyone dreams with advise on destinations, gear, schedules and Covid managing in foreign countries.
6 more weeks here in Ensenada. Sea Bella is getting hauled out Saturday and we are painting the bottom and tending to some general maintenance. We listen to “group three” closely, but it sure is fun to hang with “group two”. We have the large anchor(s) and the flexibility of carrying proper canvas in a fresh breeze…… ……..but cocktail hour down the dock rings early…daily…and Hussongs and tacos are just down the street. Ha Like I said, full of anticipation!
San Diego Harbor is rich with Navy ships of all types. Sailing next them, they felt so monstrous. We enjoyed using binoculars and sighting the number on the side of the war ship, then learning more on wiki.
Hanging around these Naval Bases all week reminds me of stories of my Dad, Don Brown, who served here in the Navy during the Viet Nam war. He is currently a happily retired math teacher and life long surfer living in Santa Cruz. He was stationed here for a bit near Point Loma. He was working on the USS Pritchett DD-561 (similar to the USS Russell, #59 pictured above) when my oldest brother Jeff Brown was born, not far from where we were in the Coronado Cays.
It turns out that Scott’s Dad, Ashley Erwin, now living in El Paso, was also stationed here, in ’63 and ’64, but on a submarine. Ashley was in the Navy for 20 years and later lived on a 45’ sailboat also. Yes, “son of a son of a sailor” comes to mind.
Sue and my step father Roland Krevitt, currently reside in the beautiful country house where I grew up, in Scotts Valley, Ca. They all follow us on maps via AIS.
Below is a little history that I learned while lounging on the beach today. By the mid 1900’s, the San Diego Naval Base had grown to 7, 000,000 square feet with berthing facilities including five giant piers, see pictures, of more than 18,000 feet of dock space. The land totaled more than 921 acres. Today it has 1,600 acres.
I took this picture while driving our temporary truck over the huge Coronada Bridge. These barracks down here could accommodate 18,000 enlisted men. More than 3,500 sailors could be fed in the galley at a single sitting. I am sure glad I am not their galley cook! Watching these naval ships amaze me, so does knowing that San Diego Naval Base is the largest and most powerful navy base in the world.
