Category Archives: Sailing with kids

Estamos en Mexico!

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We have been in Ensenada the past few days. The first day we spent most of it checking in to the country. The hefty fees and labourous process was exhausting.! For those who are curious about fees: we spent $105 for the five of us to get our 6 month tourist card, $256 for checking in our boat, and another $60 for our TIP card. Glad that’s done. Now we can enjoy Mexico! Here are a few pics before we are off to Todos Santos Islands. 

   
    
  

Me, Josie, not feeling so well.

 

 

humpback whale

 
   

Emma and Ellamae demonstrating our immigration check in feelings

  

post checking in ice cream treat

  
    
 
 

Ensenada

  
 

“Boat EC” boat kids cooking and woodworking 

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 Ellamae and Nina made Taj a new boat/fish for his fishing pole. They used the Japanese Saw and Drill.  

   

Boat Galley Cooking: this weeks cooking with the kids included but not limited to pancakes, meat sauce pasta, Mexican style stuffed sweet potatoes, gluten free zucchini bread, and gluten free banana pumpkin muffins.  They also helped us grind our coffee! (Very happy parent face)

   
   
  

Santa Cruz Island and Santa Catalina Island

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Sunday, October 11, we sailed out to Pelican Bay on Santa Cruz Island. Along the sail we spotted a Mola Mola leaping out of the water. It was amazing! When we first arrived at Pelican, there were 7 other boats.  A little crowded, but manageable with bow and stern anchor. It was Colombus Day on Monday, so everyone left by the next afternoon.  In the mean time, we boatschooled, snorkeled, boatschooled, and norkeled more. We were on Island time now!

Much to our surprise our new sailing family friends, SV Agamére, on our big sister boat (Stevens 47), arrived that Monday afternoon. The kids were so excited to be reunited with their buddies that they had met in Morro Bay.  We were also excited to have other adults to converse with. 

     
   
We basically just boatschooled, snorkeled and practiced our free diving. The water temp was near 70-72 while we were there. A perfect environment for the kids to get comfortable in the water again.  Nina’s PR last year was 23 feet, she set a new PR of 32 feet! Ellamae is now diving down around 10 feet as well. Taj hasn’t braved the water yet, but he loves paddling around in his kayak. We anchor the kayak near were we snorkel, giving him a little freedom to paddle around. 

From Pelican, we buddy boated with Agamére over to Little Scorpion Anchorage, where we ended up having a potluck together, cooking five fish that we collectively caught that day for fish tacos. It was a fish medley; 1 Kelp Bass, 1 Black Rock Cod, 2 Tree Fish Cod, and 1 Sierra. Christian caught the Bass and one Tree Fish with his spear gun. I caught one tree fish and the Black Rock Cod with a pole spear. The Sierra was caught by SV Agamére. Needless to say, dinner was amazing and we managed to fit all 10 of us comfortably on their boat. 

The next day after snorkeling with seals and many other fish in Scorpion Bay, we sailed over to Smugglers Cove for even more snorkeling in 40+ visability!

On Thursday we sailed to Lovers Cove on Catalina, also know as Isthmus or Two Harbors.  We anchored in 60 feet of water and again the visability was about 40 feet and water temp about 73F . The Marine Science Center on the Island reported temps getting up to 80F!  

Friday’s field trip for boatshooling included a hike to USC’s Wrigly Marine Science Center for a tour of the fish tanks and detailed talk on all the sea creatures of Catalina.