Margaritas with Kevin at Hotel California, Todos Santos
Since this may be our last full season on the Baja side of Mexico, we encouraged friends to visit us. And they came! In February and March, we sure had fun introducing our friends to La Paz, as well as our own trip back to the Sacramento area to celebrate Nancy's mom's 90th birthday. And having Bryan join us over his spring break before graduating this May was an extra fun family time for all of us, including his grandparents, Alice and Bert. As you read this, we are heading north into the Sea of Cortez, ready for another rendez-vous with Elaine and JD. They are flying in and out of Loreto, which is midway down the Baja. We will enjoy spending time on the water with them, especially touring around Isla Carmen, where each little cove or anchorage has a special gem to experience. Hasta Luego!
Kate and Tony: morning hike outside Marina Palmira
Balandra Beach
Ahoy Matey!!
Kevin going ashore at Bonanza Beach
Nancy and Mom
You know you're not Old until the Fat Lady Sings.....
(Rob) Like most sports kiteboarding has a unique language. After being spectators in two big kiteboarding events, and being around amateur and professional boarders for a month we quickly latched on to some of the more interesting terms. Here are a few notable terms and their meanings:
Downwinder - going on a water adventure from an upwind location to a downwind location. Rob did many downwinders with his new friends, Brenda and Nigel Hope and their teenage kids
Body drag - a way to move your body through the water, using the kite as power. Body dragging is a skill taught in beginning lessons so that one can move through the water, trying to reconnect with one's board after a crash (also see "yard sale")
Transition - changing direction. Port tack to Starboard tack.
Self rescue - what to do when it is clear that you can't kite back to the beach either through a lack of wind or an equipment failure. This involves wrapping up your lines and swimming ashore with your kite and board.
Foil board - the new hot thing in kiteboarding. Foil boards lift out of the water about 2.5 feet and go really fast.
Toeside/Heelside - the side of the board that is edging. Heelside is the first skill to master.
Yard sale - out of control crash that sends the board flying away from the rider.
Chicken loop - a part of your "bar" that connects to the hook on your body harness.
Donkey dick aka security pin - acts as a safety connection so that the chicken loop does not accidentally unhook
Wind dummy - one of the first persons out on the water. Someone that everyone else watches to see how he/she does with a certain amount of wind and type of equipment.
Kitemare - A kitboarding accident or mishap. Also a nasty tangle of the kite lines. Usually the result of a crash and self rescue
Mowing the lawn - a big milestone for a beginner. The ability to ride back and forth in both directions.
Walk of shame - usually beginners end up downwind of the launch point. The walk of shame is more a badge of honor as a beginner, and is the walk (or ATV ride) up the beach to where you started
Hindenburg - when your kite flies into a lull or hole and it gently falls out of the sky and into the water.
(Nancy) Learning to kiteboard wasn't part of my plan. When we decided to rent a place in La Ventana, I was looking forward to having a month to spread out in a big Mexican house, enjoying the quiet, dusty little town and absorbing all the good vibes from being around active people. That would be good enough for me. But as we approached our rental date, I decided it would be more fun to be part of the action. So by Day 2, I was off taking my first series of lessons. I used both the Girl on a Board and Elevation Kitesurfing schools for lessons.
I also talked to lots of women and men, mostly older than me, that were enjoying the sport. Hearing of their learning paths and determination inspired me to do to same.
The sport has a steep learning curve. Some describe it as wakeboarding behind a boat, but you are also driving the boat. It definitely required a healthy combination of mental and physical strength. In La Ventana we enjoyed lots of other physical activities including power yoga, Stand Up Paddling, walking and an occasional, much needed massages. Many of the seasonal regulars do their yoga, hikes, bicycling and beach volleyball in the morning, waiting for the predictable wind to pick up. Frankly we were too tired in the mornings to be super active, and Then go boarding. Maybe next year? And at the end of the day, we had a ritual of meeting at beach side places like Baja Joes or Coya's to trade stories of success and challenges, and enjoy a drink together. And there are lots of charming locals restaurants with good fish meals, chile rellenos, pizza to enjoy when we didn't feel like cooking,
Off for the first lesson, "Ground School" with instructor, Nicole,
Coya's 2nd Floor Restaurant A great location overlooking La Ventana Bay
Flying the Kite in the Water. Getting ready to bodydrag with instructor.
ATV Assisted Beach Rides
Favorite Happy Hour Place, Joe's Garage
Dinner at "home" Tom, Katie and Mike
Video of Nancy getting up and riding
Haircuts at the house
Rob met up with old college buddy and fellow sailing instructor Lars. This photo was taken on a day when we got all rigged and suited up but the wind didn't come up enough to ride.
Sunrise at La Ventana
Here is a video that I took that is a good example of a beach launch, body dragging to deeper water, water starting and riding.
Nancy and I just completed a month long house rental on the East Cape of Baja.
La Ventana is less than an hour drive from La Paz and a two hour drive from Cabo. It also happens to be a destination kiteboarding spot.
We shared Casa Yoyo, with our friends Mike and Katie from the sailboat Pangaea. The house was a short walk to the beach and kite area, and had a big patio to store all our gear.
Move In Day at Casa Yoyo
View from our deck thru the cacti to the beach
Next door, cattle and the Kite School, "Girl On a Board"
Sunrise from our balcony at Casa Yoyo
Our shared goal was to explore this dusty little town and kiteboard our asses off.
Reflecting on our stay I have to say.... "Goal Achieved." (more on that in part 2 of the blog)
What makes La Ventana so special for windsports? The wind of course. Below is a wind profile of a great day of kiting. The wind turns on fast and peaks in the afternoon. At night it dies off. You have 5 or 6 hours of riding to choose from.
The red line indicates the gusts, blue is average and green are lulls. From 10am to 6pm it is on!
When you string many days together it is kiteboarding nirvana.
The La Ventana Classic and La Ventana Windfest competitions happened while we were there. The death defying jumps and tricks were awesome to watch. They do things that seem impossible and defy the laws of physics. The Classic showcased team riders and amateurs. Categories such as Foil boarding, course racing, freestyle and big air competitions filled the windy hours.
Foil boarding competition at the La Ventana Classic
Need some beach flops?
Local kids perform a traditional dance at the La Ventana Classic
Crazy big jumps. 30 to 40 feet high were typical.
Here is a great video that highlights some jumps and one competitor that lands on the beach by accident and drags off into the waves.
Tom from Cinnabar enjoying the event
Judge's Table at the Ventana Classic
The next video is of Fred Hope. He is a 15 year old kitesurfing machine! He won the big air competition on his foil board. Check out this last jump where he ditches the board on the way up and flies way downwind, ending in a splash/skip. A crowd pleaser for sure. (The video quality is poor. Best to watch in full screen mode)
Post Windy afternoon Happy Hour at Coya's on the patio
After returning from the Sea of Cortez, we have had a glorious month back in La Paz. I was very fortunate to be welcomed back into the State music school's community (la escuela de musica) which includes rehearsing with their youth orchestra. Although we are a "youth orchestra", the ages range from 12 - 80. I am somewhere in between. In December, we had two concerts celebrating their 15th anniversary. The concerts were sold out, including many cruisers in the audience. It was lots of fun to share the experience of the aspiring music school, a beautiful concert hall and festive concerts for the holidays. I will continue to play cello with the school when rehearsals resume in January. Rob continues to kitesurf, now at the windy kitesurfing meeca of nearby La Ventana. Several seasonal friends from Canada are also in town to chase the wind. Rob and Tom from Cinnabar have shared many days on the water, and always come back to the marina tired and happy. We are renting a place in Ventana for a month soon with our friends Katie and Mike so that we will all be closer to this sporty scene. And Shindig? She continues to provide ongoing boat projects, but is cleaned up from her month on the water and looking good. We moved a little further towards the end of dock 5 now. Every night around sunset an informal group gathers to catch up, and appreciate the spectacular sunsets. As many cruisers have now returned to their sailboats for the season, it's been a great month for catching up with friends before they move along on their own adventures. We are happy with our plans to stay on the Baja side of Mexico for the rest of the season. No more overnight passages! We will have many visitors coming in the next few months. It'll be good to rediscover La Paz and the surrounding islands with a fresh perspective. And, now that is 2016, we can wish you all a "Happy New Year" and "Feliz Ano Nuevo". May yours bring good Health, Happiness, and Magical times.
Rob approaching beach with blue and green kite
Gerry, Rob and Tom after a kite session
Relaxing off the water
Playing the beautifully restored Baldwin at El Angel Azul Hotel
La Escuela de Musica's 15th Anniversary Holiday Concert
Nancy and young stand partner at the concert
A Merry Christmas with Bryan at our family holiday in Texas
This post is being written during a calm day at Puerto Escondido (Hidden Port). We are about 115 miles north of La Paz, and have been away from the Marina since November 3rd. It's been an unusual weather season so far, with many more cycles of Northerly winds, sometimes up to 35 mph gusts. It has made our progress north a bit slower, but we didn't really have an itinerary anyway. Our only guideline was to be off the docks for about a month. With good access to weather updates several times a day, and the cruising community updates, there's plenty of notice of wind patterns, some accurate, other times not so much. And when it's calm, we get out and play. Here are some photos of several anchorages and gatherings enjoyed with new friends.
Escape from Shindig! Nancy on the paddleboard
Freshly caught and grilled Marlin fish tacos Thanks for sharing, Brett and Marna from SV Liahona!
Group Hike in Agua Verde Greg, Nancy, and Donna & Cliff, SV Aesclepius
Greg, SV Dreamchaser, F27 Homeport Nanaimo, British Columbia
Good wind protection in Agua Verde We stopped here going north and south on this trip.
Roughing it on the sea: Grilled shrimps with pesto sauce
Hiking on Isla Coronado, near the town of Loreto
Hiking up Steinback Canyon near Puerto Escondido Pamela and Jeff from SV China Cloud
Gourmet Dinner at Puerto Escondido's restaurant Grilled Octopus
Rob on kitesurfer in Puerto Escondido First time launch from aboard Shindig
