Fish market

Ensenada

Lady Lexi departs for Cabo 12-3-09

After a terrific month touring and diving in 6 Channel islands...during Novemberwith Lynn and brother Bill...

We r in Cabo!!!!! DAVE; LYNN and CORY
one dive yest...80 degrees....50´vis...lots of tropical tame fish....feeding hard corals...fans

Huge contrast to the cold overcast conditions since San Diego
Great sailing south tho...
3 nights at San Benitos waiting out 25 knot winds...waves
just 15 gals of diesel turtle to mag bay...
and 75 gals from ensenada to turtle

lynn got her first dive in Bahia Santa Maria in 5´vis.... good 4 training...12´deep
And DAVE and CORY got to wakeboard
AND tow in surfing on the rocky pointbreak
next time we will wear booties, helmet and lifejacket 4 this
real powerful waves tho
just beginner ability...and the mandatory washing machine ride...one each
dinghy has extended tiller now...much better control

Schedule..toward La Paz wed,stop frailes,muertos...arrive 12-25...pick up Cory´s dad...Howard
back toward cabo 12 27 ...arrive 1-2-10...
hopefully depart for a month in Soccorro, the Galapagos of Mexico, 250 miles south of Cabo... permit is pending...

we will update blog soon...with pictures
meanwhile...old photos at www.yachtlexi.blogspot.com
see 3-1-09 for 100 pictures
!Hasta luego!

This update covers our days in Bahia Concepcion(our northernmost stop in the Sea of Cortez) to present.
first POSADA CONCEPCION...great hospitality at
A gringo beach palapa village...leased from the EJIDO or original Mexican land holder...community generator, water and services(30 RV's...each surrounded and covered by a beachhouse...maybe the rv is deleted during a "remodel")....Many just a few feet from the high tide mark.
locals provided 2 rides to Mulege for sightseeing and supplies...THANKS
At the MISSION Mulege historic site... the frigate birds...just circle til we walk out on the river overlook...
then they do this bird show...dive bombing the water over and over til we return to the mission....then back to circling.
Next a PUPPET SHOW...aboard a 30' sloop...25 homemade puppets...2 puppeteers...9 audience...what a hoot!!!
PASSAGE SOUTH NOTABLE FOR
dives on 2 chinese immigrant freighters
seized ...passengers deported...and vessels cleaned and sunk as artificial reefs...off isla espiritu santu...1999
118' long and 183'
In La Paz...our new freinds hosted us at their hacienda...
pool ,real beds and DAVE's first attempt at playing bridge
with Bill's expertise and awesome coaching...and good partners...
beginers luck...all was fine
LEXI got her rig surveyed and tuned...
and after several strong sailing sessions...
her we are back to Ensenada de los Muertos, just south of La Paz on the inside of the Baja peninsula, on our way back to SD by June 22. This of course will include stops at Las Frailes/Cabo Pulmo (a great dive site with extensive coral reef) and Cabo (the bottom of Baja).
Then back up the outside of Baja (Pacific), where the wind, waves and current all resist our progress...
Stops at Bahia Santa Maria,Turtle Bay, San Benito Islands and Ensenada for a week of scheduled Maintainance...bottom paint.
We had some friends on the boat for the last three days. A nice change from just the two of us. Hope all are doing well. Hope to share more with you in person... soon.
pictures at yachtlexi.blogspot.com
The bowes bros,
Bill & Dave

LORETO

Hi Everyone,
We are now in Loreto on the east side of the Baja. 30 % up the inside of the Baja... we plan to go a little farther up, to Mulege and Santa Rosalia... then turn around for the return trip to SD with a haulout in Ensenada on June 15, then one week later... back to SD
.
Some highlights on the way up have been a 400 mile crossing from Puerto Vallarta to Bahia de los Muertos. then up the coast to La Paz to p/u Chuck an extra crew member, who has spent some time with us before...
. We 3 continued up the coast to Loreto... with stops to see small mexican towns and abundant easy diving full of.soft coral and full of fish
All 3 of us enjoyed the 300' Salvatierre wreck...The el Bajo seamount... 54' minimun..and reefs off Punta San Telmo and Agua Verde ..with best visibility yet!!!
Since La Paz .we have had..empty anchorages and beaches... ... gentle winds...gorgeous green clear water...transparent to the anchor and sealife below... and land hikes to secluded arroyos and vistas...
THIS IS THE REAL BAJA EXPERIENCE!!!
In Loreto we have the famous LORETO FEST...4 days of games..activities...socializing seminars..( knots, weather, dive sites, solar power, first aid at sea, your pet on your boat, wakeboarding with. 15 hp...Dave's seminar)...and 120 boats attending
google hidden port yacht club for a glimpse
or yachtlexi.blogspot.com for some photos
All is well.
The Bowes Bros.
Bill, Dave, Chuck(honorary bro)

Lexi returns to Baja

We are now in the Bay of Dreams also called Bahia de los Muertos, nothing to do with dead people...just
the heavy anchors on the sea bed to hold the moorings....DEADMEN.......can you see why they changed the name so the developers could sell the lots and homes???? It is on the East side of the Baja peninsula 35 miles sw of la paz... We will stay here a few days because of the 48 hours of "northers"...winds up to 20 mph... then on to La Paz. It took14 hrs then 58 hrs of continuous sailing to get here, about 400 mi.We left from La Cruz .. We had a great dive in clean clear water at an island on the way... Isla Isabela. which is a frigate bird and boobie bird sanctuary. It was exciting to see the nests and the babies in all stages of developement. Lady Lexi made the crossing like a trooper. Most of it was motor sailing but we got some great sailing some in winds so strong we had to reef the sail....70 gals diesel...75 hrs motor...
Here in muertos dave had a dive in clear water just norh,...lots of canyons and arches andfish schools...same dive the bros made in nov
then 2 parrotfish were speared snorkling....
the restaurant prepared them ...veracruz...(olives,vegies),ajo (garlic)...diablo...(hot)...and breaded...and our friend and fellow diver KEVIN was able to enjoy it also...
today...the bros revisited ...Grand Sueno Resort...and our friend Raul...the Caballero....cowboy... 4 the patron/developer of the property...who hosted the festival at thanksgiving....see blog.... yachtlexi@blogspot.com.... have 100 pictures on line
tonite a female singer songwriter is entertaining....KAK...same one from La Cruz...and..a licenced captain and single handed sailor!!!
From La Pz we pick up captn Chuck for 11 days and strt up into the sea of cortez...
Loreto Fest...4-30 to 5-3...and on up to Santa Rosalia...More later.The bowes bros.Bill and Dave

Zihuatenejo.... lexi heads Saturday, March 28, 2009, 2:20 PM

After 2 more of those 4 hands massages... at the isla Ixtapa remote anchorage, we got diesel and water at Ixtapa Marina and moved to the downtown anchorage.
Here there is an active group of friendly helpful cruisers...14 boats
ALSO we arrived to experience....ZTOWN GUITAR FEST
a week long celebration of renown professionals at 6 venues around town
Classical to blues and rock....
we dove a couple offshore islands and had a nice sail back
AND...a 7 foot croc swam by our anchored boat today at 2 pm... very special
still just the bowesbros aboard
join us in puerto vallarta +- 4-11

LEXI IN ZIHUATENEHO 3/21/09

! hola mis amigos !
bill and
dave are enjoying our southern most port...
since we left Puerto Vallarta...3/5
we have visited
Marieta west
Cabo corrientes
Bahia Chamelas...2 dives...nice beach anchorages
Careyes...clearly the most ritzy cozy planned community...
google this 4 photos...movies...models...rich & famous...1 dive here

bahia Tenecatita...great snorkle at ...the aquarium...and best free jungle river cruise on our own dinghy...2 miles... to the movie set of Mc Hales navy....hacked out of the mangrove swamp...

Next... Barra de Navidad...best anchorage in a shallow back bay
and a visit to a st Patricks day festival in Melaque
A 30 ft tower in front of the church...loaded with 6 levels of crazy... out if control fireworks
we went with Bill´s dentist friend ...2 fillings...$45 each ...and her 15 year old daughter...
including a carnival with wild rides
.next... manzanillo...at Las Hadas marina...site of the movie ...10 with Bo Derek
then off to cabeza negro norte...site of a dozen nice beachfront homes...seem al wealthy mexicans
caleta camito, overnight... allowed us to reach isla Ixtapa where we anchored the past 4 nights... 3 resort beaches...2 dives... lots of mexicans on vacation and...hour long 4 hands massage for 250 pesos...so what if the masseuses r 18 or younger...!!!
today the water taxi and bus to town to do grocery, laundry, internet and bank...
join us in manzanillo aprox 3/29 or puerto vallarta...4/7..sat text and e.mail if interested... call kevin 619.219.9090 for details....just 2 aboard now
bowesbros