No Bad Days

Mi alegro de verte! Nice to see you all again.

Yes, it's been some time since I last posted on Nomads. This was due to events beyond my control (let's just say 'health care' and leave it at that..) So..now that I'm back in control of my own fate again, I hope to make some meaningful contributions to this forum about a land that I love....Baja.

To start off, I think nostalgia will be my main theme...for the last many months of forced idleness, I've had lots of time to think of times spent in Baja...happy times! So, with that in mind, I'd like to present you with some past memories of Baja events that were of extreme importance to my life then. As with most of my posts, there will be many photos as part of the story.

Life is not about making up stories or making speeches, it's about what is actually done.

Some retrospect on aging ..and looking back:

If I had my life to live over... I'd dare to make more mistakes next time. I'd relax, I'd limber up. I would be sillier than I've been this trip. I would take fewer things seriously, take more chances, take more trips. I'd climb more mountains, and swim more rivers. I would eat more ice cream and less beans. I would perhaps have more actual troubles, but I'd have fewer imaginary ones. I've had my moments, and if I had it to do over again, I'd have more of them. If I had to do it again, I would travel lighter than this trip. If I had my life to live over, I would start going barefoot earlier in the spring, and stay that way later in the fall. I would go to more dances, I would ride more merry-go-rounds. I would pick more daisies.





It Seems Like Just Yesterday...

Voyages aboard my Flybridge Cruiser, 'Pompano'.

Every year, the first thing on my agenda was ....to get my boat in the water!

Launching my old Pompano stinkpot at Coyote Bay was always a shared and fun endeavor. A Coyote Bay community event so to speak and something of a party each time. Because of the shallow shoals in front of the ramp, launching a boat with any appreciable draft became an effort of getting enough water under the hull. From this aerial photo of Coyote Bay, one can easily see the shallows and the problems with a big boat launch.



First thing was....I had to drag the old girl out of her off-season barn, cleaning off the spiders and bat-poop.





Then pre-running and checking all systems...supervised with the help of my Lab, Gypsy.



Next came the ramp next to the house which has served us well over the years. Getting the double axle trailer lined up on the ramp was made easier by a childhood education of backing up haywagons. Lots of hit and miss attempts.



She showed herself to be a bit like the 'African Queen' from the movie with Hepburn and Bogey.





Of course, there was always plenty of help from 'sidewalk' superintendents like my old compadre and custodian, Benicio.


The welcome bottle of champagne to toast the crew's efforts. Here done by my flying amigo, Dusty.




We made our boat launches at low tide to take advantage of being far out on the seafloor before high tide would come to float the big boat free of it's trailer. So it said in the fine print....




Now that we had the boat and trailer as far out as low tide would allow us...







..... it was time to just hang loose until high tide came in to make our job easier.



Our motto: Hard work pays off in the future; laziness pays off now.



Once that tide was at it's highest, it was time to re-essemble the neighborhood crew for a mighty shove! The Pompano would float off her trailer with this mighty mob effort. Usually..this went well....usually.

Some of the crew were less eager than others.."Hey, it's too much fun out here!"



"If you're lucky enough to be at the beach, you're lucky enough."





Even Gypsy, the Lab, joined in the fun...she certainly wouldn't be left out of any good times in the water!



Idiocy is just a form of brilliance that normal people don't understand.





Looking good, guys! A few more feet should do it! Carumba! Floating free at last!

Now... time to hit the starter button and fire up the old gal...Varoom!



Ah..sweet success! Pompano would run another season out of Coyote Bay!



Pompano specs: 28ft Flybridge Sportfisher, marine plywood with fiberglass overlay, full cabin w/galley,berth & head, Chrysler-Nissan diesel engine, straight shaft, fuel cap. 100 gals, 500 mile range, cruise 14 knots, outriggers, stern fish boxes, aux 9 hp Honda engine, padded engine hatch cover for sleeping under stars, full bimini over upper helm and shade canopy over huge aft deck. Drinks 6, eats 4, and sleeps 2. A boat to make dreams come alive.




Time to ferry supplies ........



.....and make ready for some fun boat trips on the Sea of Cortez! To be posted here. I invite you to come aboard for these adventures.

Bon Voyage!

AK who?

Hi Roger!

Hola Roger..........great to have you back!!!

Some of us spent quite a lot of time trying to track you down. No one knew what had happened to you.
You kinda fell off the face of the earth!

Don't EVER scare us like that again!

"Yes, it's been some time since I last posted on Nomads. This was due to events beyond my control (let's just say 'health care' and leave it at that..)"

So... We can blame this on "ObamaCare" I knew it!..

Welcome Back..

..donde andabas compa... nice to see you back... its about time... your postings are missed... BIENVENIDO de regreso a casa....!!!!

Alrighty...More fun stories.