Author: pdlamarre

Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad …

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We set sail from Ensenada to Asunción, a three-day cruise and our longest to date. Chef T made a delicious array of waist-busting carbs for the passage: saucepan cookies, banana bread, spaghetti bolognese, and fresh baguettes. Hoping at some point we’ll be slim again, ‘cuz we’re definitely currently on the fat track. 

No wifi or cell signal, so no feeding my obsession with New York Times Spelling Bee (serious, followed by, Wordle, Connections, and Strands. Not gonna lie, I go through a wee bit o’ withdrawal when I can’t get my games on …) Instead, alternating between Jo Nesbo (with his gratuitously complicated and macabre plots, The Leopard is par for the course), the ever-bizarre and thought-provoking Haruki Murakami (this time short stories, Men without Women), and a dash of Wordbubbles. It’s both disconcerting and liberating and to be forced out of connection when you’re in the middle of the ocean.

We were pumped that we avoided a nasty storm at the outset. The sea was glassy, the horizon stunning, skies clear, stars bountiful and bright. A day in and we finally turned the motor off. Immediate zen. We tried the Monitor windvane for the first time, too (an autopilot that uses wind vs. power). Averaging six knots, all three sails out, two reefs in the main … oh yeah, baby. 

Of course when everything’s going perfectly, the pendulum is bound to swing … and swing it did. Mightily. Unbeknownst to us, we were experiencing both the literal and proverbial calm before the storm. Whereas day 1 was heaven, day 2 was pure hell: nausea-inducing waves for a straight 24 hours. Went to bed feeling sick and woke up sick (just one slice of banana bread all day, so unsatisfying dry heaves on both occasions. TMI I know, but UGH). We finally broke outta that sh*t middle of day 3, The sun came out and the waves mellowed like they hadn’t just traumatized us. Regardless, we were thankful. Chef T whipped up some tasty pork fried rice and all was right again with the world. 

Arrived in Asunción and anchored without further incident. We ended up staying a week there. It was too windy to venture out sooner, and since we were still PTSD’d out after leg two of our previous passage, we didn’t want a preventable repeater. It meant that we couldn’t easily go to shore either, though, so we were landblocked most of the time. T went out with a local guy, Larry, one day to get more fuel, and pleasantly surprised me with a delicious mesquite-grilled chicken on the way back. (The man knows the way to his woman’s heart is through el pollo.) A couple days later the weather was relatively calm and we ventured into town to see what was what. Not a lot, honestly, but the people were super nice. We stocked up on our increasingly beloved Topo Chico mineral water, limes, relatively good looking meat, and some ginormous chicken drumsticks. I don’t know what they’re feeding their chickens in Asunción, but i’m not mad at them. T baked them with some vegetable paella, and feast we did — heartily and thankfully. I also made some banging pesto pasta with shrimp (yes, i do lift the occasional culinary finger). 

We also made two unfortunate and simultaneous discoveries in Asunción: leaks in the poop tank and in the hot water heater. The poop sitch is manageable. We just have to pump the goods regularly, which is no problemo. We’d been advised to replace the aluminum tank with a plastic one, and unwisely ignored said advice. Alas. So now we’ll have to try to get one mailed to Mexico and hope it reaches us some time this century. The hot water heater, on the other hand, will be annoying for more than a minute. Cuz … like … dishes? showers?? I was lamenting about both to a sailor friend, who said she didn’t use hot water unless she’d been sailing and the engine heated it up. I asked, “So how do you shower and wash dishes?” Her reply: “We take a swim in the ocean and rinse off in the cockpit, and sometimes the hose even gets warm from the sun. And we wash our dishes with salt water and rinse with fresh.” I was shooketh. And immediately knew she was more hardcore than I’ll ever be. She didn’t agree with me, but I need me some hot water. Stat. Not to mention a fresh mani: My nails are tragic.

Blissful Baja via Scrumptious San Diego

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We sailed 14 hours from Avalon to San Diego, and another 12 from San Diego to Ensenada. Both trips were delightfully uneventful, although the stretch to Mexico was pretty rolly.

San Diego is the epitome of California living. The weather is perfect, the people friendly, the entertainment accessible, and we were able to handle our business efficiently. We were told that we needed to stop here for exit paperwork (turns out that wasn’t necessarily the case, but the marina insisted on it in case we had an existing and therefore dreaded TIP — temporary import permit — on our dinghy). We had originally planned to sail straight to Mexico, but made the San Diego stop per our Ensenada marina’s request/mandate. We know people who weren’t able to enter the country because of an uncanceled TIP, so we were OK with taking the precaution.

So Cal makes you realize just how small San Francisco is.. We rented a car since San Diego is huge, which turned out to be a great decision. We did all of our exit paperwork, saw Nosferatu on the big screen, soaked in the decadent marina hot tub, provisioned (including the fiercely addictive Trader Joe’s cheese puffs and cheese crunchies, along with the mandatory chicken I was terrified I wouldn’t be able to find enough of in Mexico). I got a great mani/pedi and played some excellent pickleball at Waterfront Park, both a short distance from our marina. We finally got my critical puzzle deliveries (missed the drop off in Avalon), and put an exclamation point on our last day with a large order of Five Guys french fries (plus a double cheeseburger for T). Suffice it to say that our fitness journey is currently not a linear one.

We arrived in Mexico without incident and ultimately found our marina and slip. A little bit of confusion post docking when they hadn’t reserved us for 50-amp electrical, but we were exhausted and really didn’t; want to move. Luckily they finally let us borrow a 30-amp and all was well. We successfully handled all our business with the port captain the following day, and met up with Rodd and Shelly (S/V Tasi) for some fish (shark!) tacos and gab. T beat the pants off me at pool (it’s OK, he has to be able to win some game against me.

Got an excellent body scrub and 80-minute massage at the hotel spa. I usually request men since women tend to give wimpier massages, and when this tiny little Mexicana showed up my heart sank. But sistahood put a hurt-so-good deep tissue massage on me that left me muy, muy satisfied. Then my buzz was killed by the Texans losing to the cheater Chiefs in the playoffs. We hosted a sweet couple — Judy and Gene, who came to Ensenada four years ago and never left — for cocktails. One thing that’s great about living in a small space is how little time it takes to clean up before you’re expecting company. So even if I’m feeling like our place is not presentable for socializing, it doesn’t take long for it to be (excuse the obvious pun) shipshape.

Happy Holidays!

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We sailed from Ventura to Marina del Ray without incident, a little over 10 hours. We were here for only four days, but super nice marina again (yaaas!) and a great location overall. We went to an awesome happy hour at Salt, got the boat holiday ready, did some Christmas shopping, got my mani on. T met up with his childhood friend Philip from Massachusetts, who later joined us on the boat. They’d talked, but hadn’t seen one another for 30+ years. 

We decided to spend the holidays on Catalina Island, so sailed to Avalon. Kicked off a lovely Christmas with Chef T’s famous coffee cake — which never disappoints — and then ice cold champagne, the afore-mentioned Trader Joe’s cheese puffs, and bouillabaise for New Year’s Eve dinner. It was overcast and a bit chillier than expected, but nice when the sun was out, Since we were at anchor and trying to conserve water, showering wasn’t as accessible. Public showers ($3/5 minutes) were functional but nowhere near posh. Flip flops a must, and not a place you’d want to linger. Nevertheless, they did the trick and defunkified us.

We also played mini golf at one of the most beautifully landscapes courses I’ve ever seen. I won – as I love and tend to do — and pulled off 3 (!) holes in one, thank you very much, It was actually a close game, but the queen reigned victorious at the end. We also watched the 49ers play (and lose again) at Fix Biergarten, a cute little outdoor bar. Oh, and heads up: If you want to have a package delivered to the Avalon Post Office, don’t have a deadline.

Onward!

We Clicked Our Heels Together

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I hadn’t seen my mom since August, and T hadn’t seen his family either, so we decided to take a quick trip back to the Bay for Thanksgiving. We rented a car, drove to Oakland, and stayed a week with my mom,

Our cabin was on the market, so Thanksgiving was at Jenny’s short term rental in Santa Cruz. In attendance: Jenny, Sherm, Jude, Leslie, Randy, Syd, Whit, Marshall, Emily, Conrad, my mom Karen, Tim and I. Our daughter Skye is a year into her Peace Corps stint in Ecuador, and Monroe and Anna had a massive baby boy a week or so prior, so we toasted everyone remotely and tucked in locally. Jenny delivered a huge meal as always, complete with a perfectly roasted turkey and a plethora of desserts. Libations were liberal and the festivities lively.

Since I’m used to having a particular Thanksgiving menu, I had requested my mom prepare a pre-Thanksgiving meal that we could munch on during our stay at her house. I think she thought I was joking, but joking I was not. After a little pouting and light foot stomping, “we” whipped up a legit spread with our favorites: curry, baked, and fried chicken; mashed potatoes and gravy; turkey wings, Jiffy corn bread; tofu and rice, stuffing, string beans, pumpkin pie, and chocolate cake. Yum.

I got in some gym and beautifying time, played some pickleball with Jude, rendezvous’d with Jane and Rodney at the yacht club, T saw Emil, and my mom and I started a puzzle (that she’ll never finish without me), We also started a new season of Married at First Sight — the go-to for my mom and me. And since T and I were sleeping in my mom’s bed — where the TV is — T unwittingly got roped (hooked!) in too. Extensive commentary and comedy ensued, which is basically the whole point.

It was great to see everyone; a good time was had by all. Now back to Ventura to keep this party going.

Greece: A Retrospective

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We were in Greece in September and October. The best months to visit, we’ve discovered. Crowds (and beaches!) thinned, weather tamed, locals mellowed, I don’t miss the frying pan summers there.

We were both too lazy and busy to bother with writing. Will do better next year! In the meantime, here are the highlights:

Itinerary: Athens, Rhodes, Symi, Karpathos, Symi, Athens

  • Athens:  Admired the art of the Goulandris Foundation, walked in the park (hordes of turtles), checked out Kolonaki (the Pac Heights of Athens: very posy and Louis Vuittony). Saw an opera performance by the Greek National Opera at Stavros Niarchos Hall: Iphigenie en Aulide & Iphigenie en Tauride. Heads up: the crepes sold outside the venue are not to be missed.
  • Rhodes: Saw Count of Monte Cristo, went to the beach (our usual and also tried the free beach. As the comedienne Sommore says, “Free ain’t good”. She’s correct in this instance for sure.). Got my first haircut in Greece: I’d give it a B-/C+.
  • Symi: Did our usual lazing around, a ton of cooking, a day of scuba diving, a couple of dinner parties, the requisite puzzling, a lot of reading, marveling at the beauty of the harbor, and movie watching. My dear friend and first college roommate Kerry came and visited us for about a week, and we had a great time gabbing, going to the gym, watching scary movies, eating great food (prepared expertly by Chef T comme d’habitude), had an awesome last day at Toli beach where Kerry had a mini photo shoot
  • Karpathos: Virgin trip to this island. While initially aesthetically underwhelming, the food was some of the best, most reasonable and varied we’ve had in Greece. Tried zucchini flowers for the first time: delicious. Drove to Olympos, met a nice Dutch couple and had lunch together, bought some beautiful handwoven throws from a traditional Greek proprietor, We also experienced some crystal-clear water while diving on the island. Visited some incredible beaches (and one with an amazing equally incredible restaurant overlooking it. And of course the mandatory mani/pedi with a dose of post-service drama: T was supposed to pick me up but apparently deleted that mental memo, so i ultimately decided to walk back to our apartment (not a given, based on my questionable navigational skills), only to find the outside door locked. Luckily the manager was able to let me into the lobby, but then I couldn’t get into the room as T had the key, the door was locked from the inside, and no amount of knocking brought him to the door. After some mutual worry, panic, and hand wringing, said manager finally banged ferociously on the door and T woke up from his (clearly) deep slumber to let me in 🙄. 

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Greece …

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… And this would be sarcasm.

We’d booked tickets to Greece on Turkish Airlines, always a safe bet. Two free bags per person and an actual menu — even if you’re not in business or first class. So imagine our surprise when we waited to board and our flight kept getting delayed … until the inevitable cancellation. Turkish let us down with the logistics: we were standing in long queues unnecessarily, no information, just a total lack of basic care.

Alas.

The good news is we got a couple of free nights at the Westin, and we made the most of our extra time in LA by visiting the Getty Center. Neither of us had been, and it did not disappoint.

Ventura: Random … In the Most Delightful Way

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Kinda bizarre that I’ve lived in California most of my life and have rarely visited So Cal. The traffic is not for the faint of heart, but the weather makes you realize why California is such a popular destination.

Ventura is a sleepy, beautiful, and somewhat odd little town. Temperatures are mild and super pleasant. We rode our folding bikes and our Burley trolley (expensive but crazy handy) for grocery runs: just clip that bad boy on the back of your bike and you’re good to go. Got some excellent pickling in: four times a week at Harry Lyon Park. In retrospect it would have been much more cost effective to rent a car vs Ubering to the courts, which were not within biking distance, but hindsight and all … Met a super nice, welcoming, and age-diverse group of players. will really miss playing with them.

We stayed in Ventura for a minute. Docked there for about a week before and during Greece (September and October), then back in November through mid-December. Got comfortable with easy Amazon delivery, a variety of grocery stores, convenient bike riding, movie theaters, regular pickleball sessions, mani/pedis, laundry, showers, restaurants (big shout out to Baja Bay Surf ‘n Taco: they say they have the world’s best tacos, and I wasn’t mad at them …) Let me repeat: not a marina hater. At all

We’ve also found that the sailing community is relatively small and exceptionally friendly. We’ve socialized with more people since we moved on our boat than we had in all the years we lived in San Francisco. Our Ventura stay ended with the Parade of Lights — a lovely lighted boat show that culminated in fireworks rivaling any Fourth of July display — all of which we watched with unobstructed views from Sabine and Thomas’ slick catamaran Selador.

From Monterey to … ?

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Monterey is super cute and chill. Picturesque bike ride to some excellent pickleball (shout out to Via Paraiso Park!), great food, solid and much needed manicure … what’s not to love? We spent a few days there, then off to Morro Bay for our first overnight sail. I had been dreading this for obvious reasons, but it was infinitely less terrifying than I had envisioned, The auto pilot was working beautifully thanks to Captain T, and there were no other boats in sight. Bonus: the night wasn’t the pitch black I was expecting thanks to the moon and an abundance of stars. So in the morning, these salty sailors decided to keep going past Morro Bay and head straight to Santa Barbara.. When that wasn’t so bad either, we just kept going like the rock stars we are to our final destination: Ventura. We knew that Point Conception could be gnarly, and since we rounded it at night during a pretty good weather window, we went for it. Two back-to-back all day/night sails and we arrived safe and sound. After topping off our fuel, we took our lucky newbie asses straight to our slip. And with a little (OK, a lot of) guidance from T, I guided us in with no (physical, at least), damage done. Yaaaassss, queen.

Sidebar: I know we’ll primarily be at anchor (or “on the hook” since, you know, we use sailor terminology now), but I’m not ashamed to say that I do not hate a marina. No dinghy to wrestle with for shore excursions, no water or electricity restrictions, nice shower facilities, unlimited wi-fi … Exponentially more expensive, but sooooo worth it.