Leaving Ensenada

We just returned from the Christmas Bazaar in the plaza out front of the Marina here where there were lots of good treats, neat crafts and some cute kids doing their dance routines on the stage. Unfortunately my battery ran out for the little couples in their suits and long full dresses doing low bows and curtsies.

We are in the process of packing up to leave Ensenada in a few minutes and it may be 3 weeks or so before we are near wifi again so no worries if you don't hear from us. The rough plan is to head down the Baja coast and probably only make 1 or 2 stops (depending on weather) so we can get to where it's reaaally warm! We had originally planned to make several stops down the coast including San Carlos, but since it is so late it is getting cold and the guys at Solosports are gone for the season anyhow we are probably not going to stop til Turtle Bay or Scorpion Bay where we will take a break and maybe get some surfing in. From there we will head for either Cabo or possibly straight over to Puerto Vallarta and should be able to get wifi in one of those bigger cities.

We miss you and hope you had a great Thanksgiving!

Love,
Jodi and Darren
s/v Gratitouille

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
We have sooo much to be thankful for but the most important are our wonderful friends and families that make our lives not only worthwhile, but amazing. As we recently saw on a greeting card...




Thank you to all of you who make our lives so fabulous!



We finally made it out of the states and arrived this morning in Ensenada, Mexico! Light winds and a determination not to motor meant it took a little more than a day longer than planned to get here from San Diego. So for Thanksgiving we checked in with the marina (no overnight anchoring allowed here) then made our rounds to check into the country. The first 11 are in or just outside the same building but you have to stand in line again every time you go back to a window, 12 is 6 blocks down the street and 13 is on the way back to the marina.

Look! It's Mexico!

1. Migracion for tourist card application
2. Bank to pay for tourist card
3. Migracion for tourist card stamp
4. Port Captain to check the boat and crew into the country

Good morning Ensenada!

5. Port Capitain, next window to pay port entry fee on boat
6. Copy shop outside to make copies
7. Bank to pay for Temporary Import Permit for boat
8. Customs to press the button - green light - yay!!
9.Fisheries to apply for mandatory fishing licenses for everyone on board since we have fishing gear
10. Bank to pay for fishing licenses
11. Fisheries to receive fishing licenses
12. Buy Mexican boat insurance
13. Celebrate by each having a shrimp taco and ceviche for Thanksgiving feast with mariachi band!
14. Back to the boat for a quick nap to catch up on 2 days of watches

Since we can't anchor here we won't stay long but are enjoying our first taste(s) of Mexico!

WOW (Still in the States)

Hi!

Wow, and...um...WOW. Has it really been a month since we last posted?? As you may have noticed we haven't had much luck in finding wifi in southern CA. The few times we have gotten online in the last month we have spent the time doing such fun things as paying bills and spending ridiculous amounts of time dealing with the health reimbursement plan people who don't seem to speak the same language as the equally wonderful health insurance plan people. Needless to say, they are not my favorite (unlike smiling!).

On top of that joy we both got really sick. It started with Jodi waking up one morning with the world spinning (no alcohol involved). We tried some seasick medicine  - even though we weren't in a particularly rolly anchorage we thought we'd give it a try. Two days later and still feeling like I was a kaleidescope where my outer body is the cylinder and my guts were the colorful little bits inside being rolled around by a really rambunctious kid and we looked for other possibilities. Darren asked if my sinuses were hurting. Well, a little, but I always have some sinus thing going on as I haven't cleared out the river nose from leaving Hood River - we've been hoping to get to warm water and have a few surf sessions clean me out. Maybe it did seem a little worse than normal...we tried some decongestant and some saline rinses and a day later I finally stopped spinning! On the up side, I developed some new muscles from clinging to the bed in an effort not to roll off while we were in flat, calm water.

A couple of days later we were in the midst of putting back together the boat as we had torn it apart to rearrange all the lockers just before I was bed-ridden and Darren came down with some awful cold thing that knocked him flat. You know it was a doozy since he just about never gets sick enough that he's flat in bed and can't even read. I was feeling better so I was able to turn the tables and take care of him. A couple of days later he was feeling less miserable and able to get up and about and I was hit with the same thing that he had! Argh!

So, we are still in San Diego despite having planned to be in Mexico by now and we haven't even been able to visit with family in the last two weeks as we didn't want to infect anyone. We are on the mend now so hopefully we will get all our projects done and be able to see the cousins in the next few days.

We are hoping to get back to the library tomorrow to be able to fill you in on all of the FUN stuff we did before we became infected like meeting Tracy at Anacapa and racing him to Newport Beach, visiting with cousin Bill and Lynn and seeing C. at his waterpolo meet! In the meantime, we are still in the states so feel free to call and say hi.

Love,
Jodi and Darren
s/v Gratitouille