Boat Names, Part I

Since moving to Florida some thirty years ago I have been fascinated by boat names.  At that time we had a 17.5 foot power boat which H named "Misty." Most of the rest of the family made fun of her choice,  but in the ensuing years I have seen so many bizarre and humorous names on boats that "Misty" seems a perfectly good name.
Some years later, when we had graduated to a larger power boat and then to a 36 foot sailboat I began to take inventory.  I am one of those strange people who travel down the highway mentally (not out loud, of course) reading signs and wondering about the names of cities and streets, so it was a logical step to move on to boat names. When we purchased the 36 foot Watkins we thought and thought about what to name her. The captain came home one day with a gleam in his eye and the perfect name: Seaduction! Get it? the clever misspelling of seduction? We were so proud of this cleverness.  Until we discovered umpteen other owners had cleverly thought up the same name; indeed it was top of the list of the ten most used boat names.  Color us deflated.
After that boat was either stolen or lost at sea (don't ask!) we purchased another boat (which we still own and which lives in Florida and which is for sale...hint, hint) which was named "Stray Dogs," a name painted in large script on the stern.  The captain just didn't like that name and after considering a long list supplied by books and friends, he decided that "Odyssey" fit the boat and its purpose. Turns out Odyssey as a boat name has  nearly as many fans as "Seaduction." Still, the captain applied for a change of name on the documentation. While awaiting the official papers he was out on the intracoastal one day; arriving at one of the many bridges in Fort Lauderdale  he called on the radio and requested an opening. A sweet young bridge tender came on the radio asking, in her soft southern drawl, "What is your vessel's name, Captain?" Using his most gravely pirate voice he replied, "Stray Dogs, ma'am."  The bridge tender responded with a giggle, and in such a playful, seductive manner that the captain made an instantaneous decision to rename the boat Stray Dogs. Even the thought going through the documentation process again could not deter him!
When we purchased our current boat, Milagro, we loved her name (which means miracle in Spanish) and really didn't consider calling her anything else.  The owner's wife and I were standing, chatting as we watched Milagro being hauled out of the water for the requisite bottom inspection. She said, casually, "You're going to change the name, aren't you?" " No, I replied. We love her name." The lady responded that that was their name and she would see about having something written in the agreement preventing us from using Milagro. "You can't do that," the spouse told her. Well, they still spend winters in La Paz where they are known as the old Milagro and we are called the new Milagro.  And they don't speak to us, which we find amusing. True, it doesn't take a lot to entertain us. More on other choice boat names, soon.
So what's in a name, you ask. apparently a lot.

Pizza

The captain and crew of Milagro have a special relationship with pizza.  The three of us, and Buddi is included in this group, love pizza.  Until moving to Mexico I operated under the theory that there is no bad pizza...just gradations of good pizza with some being a whole lot better than others.  That theory has been busted!
While living in the States, whether North Carolina, Florida or, for goodness sake, even in Tennessee, we always made it a priority to seek out the local pizza joints and try them out.  Sometimes the best pizza could be found in a little hole-in-the-wall place and other times the best we could do was a chain =(.  In Linden, Tennessee we had one choice (short of driving 90 miles to Nashville!) and although it was a very "American" version of this delicious Italian pie, we came to love it.  And we were such frequent visitors the young lady who took phone orders came to recognize the captain's voice and would ask, in a delightful drawl, "Will that be the usual, Mr. Roberts?"
Without a doubt the all time favorite pizza could be found at Villa Capri in Raleigh, N.C.  The captain had enjoyed this family run restaurant years ago in another life with another wife and I was privy to Villa Capri delights while a college student.  After we joined forces and discovered that we shared a love of pizza in general and the Villa Capri in particular...well, we knew it was a match made in heaven.
As we fast forward to our stay in Mexico it must be said: the tacos, arrachera, fish and ice cream may be fabulous but the Mexicans generally don't do a great job with pizza.  Early on we passed a little restaurant on the Malecon called Rin Rin (I mistakenly called it Rin Tin Tin and brought forth huge guffaws from other cruisers.) That pizza was horrible.  The crust was practically inedible and the sauce and meat highly questionable. We didn't go back but were often amazed that Rin Rin seemed to draw a crowd.  One night when waiting to see a movie at the mall, we decided to try Dominos, not a favorite but we thought it would at least taste like U.S pizza. We waited for what seemed an exceptionally long time, nearly missing our movie and were rewarded with a pizza that looked like a Dominos pizza and smelled like a Dominos pizza, but had enough hot sauce in it to burn our mouths and lips; and, just in case it wasn't spicy enough for us, there was an extra container of hot sauce on the side!

We've tried a few other pizza joints around the city and frankly none were worthy of a grade of "C" and some failed miserably.  Until last evening. After a long and frustrating week of working on the boat...still, we decided to head down town and try out Tony's Gourmet Pizza on a little side street just off the malecon.  There was one entire block dedicated to outdoor eateries of all kinds: a deli, a crepes place,  an ice cream parlor and several others including Tony's. What a surprise. We ordered our favorite toppings on individual pizzas with a glass of cabernet sauvignon for me and a Modelo Especial for the captain. The server and the cook were friendly and the pizza turned out to be good with a thin crust (which I enjoy and the captain likens to pizza on a communion wafer) and nice fresh toppings.  Like other pizza we've experienced here there is very little sauce but it was tasty, and this time the hot sauce was served only on the side.  We opted not to try it.
So I think we've found a place satisfy our pizza cravings.  Oh, and most important: they told us we can bring Buddi next time. That will put a smile on her beak!

Bay Fest

The ‘season” on the Baja California Sur coincides with what we know as the “season” in South Florida. So about this time each year many boaters are preparing to go north, either to spend the summer in the Sea of Cortez or to someplace cool in the States or in Canada. As we near the end of the season, Club Cruceros hosts Bay Fest, a three and a half day festival for boat people.  There are a lot of activities, something to please or interest just about anyone who owns or lives on a boat.  The centerpiece of the festival is the series of seminars on everything from jewelry making or how to handle medical emergencies at sea, to boat engine repair and care and feeding of water makers.

The festival opened Thursday evening with wine tasting on the promenade of one of the large hotels on the bay.  Boaters and others wandered among an arts and craft displays listening to classical music played by a flautist, followed by a brass quintet made up of students from the local music school and their teacher. A sailboat race called "the rock to the dock" ended within our view; what a beautiful sight as many sailors had their spinnakers out and the sun was low in the sky behind them. And me without my camera! After all, it’s difficult to take pictures and hold a wine glass at the same time.

The remaining three days of activities will be held at La Costa restaurant, a local business that is very friendly and cooperative with boaters general and Club Cruceros in particular.  The restaurant has seating right on the beach so all of the water  and beach activities could be viewed while having a cerveza under the palapa. There the club will hold seminars in the mornings and table game tournaments in the afternoon.  One can sign up for Mexican dominoes, bridge, cribbage or darts, or volunteer to play volley ball against a team from the Mexican Navy which has an installation nearby.  Additionally  there will be dinghy races which are guaranteed to draw a large crowd of fans as well as participants.

Last minute instructions before our "man" goes overboard

 I elected to  attend a “man overboard” session today which was informative and fun.  Fifteen students climbed aboard a 52 foot schooner and took it out into the bay for the drill.  After a short classroom lecture we got down to the serious business of saving someone. Our guinea pig “man overboard” turned out to be the woman who had played flute for us the prior evening; now that’s what I call being versatile! She suited up in her wetsuit (the bay water is still a chilly 72 degrees) and, five times in a row, jumped off the boat so others could practice the drill, taking turns at various positions. The captain and I have talked about procedures to follow during this and other emergency situations, but have never actually practiced them, so this was a very good, proactive experience for me. While I was out on the water the captain attended 3 sessions: outboard motor repair, refrigeration and  water makers. Knowledge is power!

The captain and others intent on a lecture

As I have been on the festival's fund raising committee for the past couple of months, I spent part of the day standing at the raffle table hawking tickets.  Proceeds above the cost of the festival will be divided among two charities this year. One half of the funds will go to Cruz Roja which supplies free ambulance service to all citizens of La Paz (even gringos!), while the other half goes to the local cancer clinic which provides medications (including chemotherapy drugs) free of charge to those who cannot pay.  Truly a win/win situation:  fun for all, education for the cruisers and pesos for two very deserving groups.

                                                               

AHHhhhhhhhhh......

Hot water at last. =)

Afternoon at the beach

On the way to Tecolote

Last Sunday, as a reward for completing some unsavory tasks and to escape from some obnoxious fumes, the captain and I decided to take Buddi and her backpack and head north to visit a couple of beaches. Balandra and Tecolote are favored by locals and  tourists alike and while we had seen them from the sea on our recent cruise, we hadn't had an opportunity to explore them by land.
The coastal road north is rough with numerous potholes in the "good" stretches and a lot of construction going on in other areas.  We made slow progress, partly because of the roadway conditions and partly because of the stunning views: La Paz Bay and the Sea of Cortez on one side and rugged mountains on the other.  The captain tried to ease off the road periodically to allow the cars behind us to pass as we paused to quietly reflect on the vista before us.
   And that brings me to another thought: we find that for the most part Mexican drivers are far more patient and tolerant than their American counterparts. It is rare to hear a honking horn or see a driver making a rude gesture.  Once in downtown La Paz I observed a driver make five or six tries at a parallel parking spot as other drivers waited patiently to pass and a bystander helped guide the driver into his space.  A friend mentioned recently that he had seen only one accident in La Paz since he arrived five months ago, and even then the two drivers just stood next to their vehicles and chatted while waiting for the police to arrive.

Tacos for two!

 But I digress. We arrived at Balandra and squeezed into a parking place in a deeply rutted dirt parking lot. We decided to put Buddi in her backpack as many dogs were wandering around, some on leashes and some loose. The first things we came to were a fresh coconut and pineapple stand and the ever-present taco truck. The captain ordered a couple of fish tacos for himself, cokes and a packet of cookies for me.  We sat at a small table and enjoyed the snacks then headed down to the beach.

Boys just wanna have fun!

Balandra seems to be a family oriented destination and we watched groups eating on the beach and playing in the water.  One large family (looked like four generations) walked over the sand dune carrying boxes and baskets of food, chairs and tables and even a rather large grill. Because the water is so shallow, barely knee deep clear across the bay, it is a great place for children to play, but big boys seem to enjoy it as well. One group of four guys had taken a table out into the water. They were standing around enjoying cold beer and just harvested chocolate clams drizzled with fresh lime juice.  The Mexican music on their boom box just added to the ambiance.
We spent the next hour or so walking the beach and stopping to chat with gringos, Mexicans and even one talkative Argentinian. Two Canadians sunning themselves on beach chairs in the water asked, "Why would you want to be anywhere else"? We couldn't think of a good reason! We walked back to the car, dusted off the sand and drove north the short distance to Tecolote.
Tecolote is very different from Balandra.  First of all it is about a half mile off the main road. As we drove in we saw several miles of tightly packed cars all backed
up as close as they could get to the water. The beach itself is quite rocky and waves were breaking on the beach. Unlike Balandra this beach was frequented by a younger, hipper set, most in their late teens and twenties.  There are a couple of restaurants there as well as a kiosk renting surf boards and kayaks. The music was loud as each car seemed to compete with those around it for the decibel award, and  dune buggies thundered over the sand.  It looked like a fun place and we would have stayed longer had we arrived earlier in the day.

On the way back to La Paz

We drove back to La Paz with the sun near the horizon; the vistas coming down the mountain were breathtaking as we looked west toward the bay. We often chide ourselves for not taking more time to visit places in this beautiful country.  Maybe after this latest project.....but then we want to sail!  So many beautiful places, so little time.