LOS FRAILES (The Friars)

We left Cabo San Lucas on November 9th heading to Los Frailes which is our first stop on our way to La Paz. This really was the first day of our cruising life since up until now we were still on a schedule and in the company of what seemed like a whole city of boats and people all with the same goal of making it to Cabo San Lucas. It seemed strange to be without our crew (Marcus and Stan) and to have left the HaHa fleet but Mark reminded me that we have been on our own and dealing with all the challenges of living onboard and moving the boat for many years and of course he was right. As soon as we pulled anchor and put up the sails it felt great to be out on our own again and have the freedom to go wherever whenever we felt like it.

The seas out here seem very flat in comparision to the pacific side of baja but the wind which built to 18 knots in the afternoon and blew right on the nose reminded us that this still is the ocean and the challenges still exist. Once behind the headlands and protected from the strong north winds Frailes was a welcome stop for us.

Sitting on the beach here seemed almost like a dream especially after spending several days in the mega tourist area of Cabo. We plan to spend at least one full day exploring this are before heading to Ensenada De Los Muertos on Wednesday.

AND WE'RE OFF.......

We started off our cruising life on October 25th 2009. We had originally planned to leave with the Baja HaHa on the 26th but due to the prediction of large swells (15-20 foot) we made the decision to leave on the evening of the 25th before the rest of the fleet. The first leg (San Diego to Turtle Bay) was very quick as we were trying to out run the weather coming from the north. The next two legs (Turtle Bay to Santa Maria and Santa Maria to Cabo San Lucas) were much slower and winds were very light. We ended up doing 750 miles in 11 days due to the schedule that the Baja HaHa sets. Although most would think this was a very slow pace the truth is this many miles in a week and a half on a sailboat really is quite fast and it felt more like the rat race we are trying to get away from rather than the cruising life we have been looking forward to. Now that we are in Cabo the HaHa fleet will disperse in different directions and everyone will set there own pace. Our pace will be much slower from here on out.

Right now we are sitting in Cabo San Lucas on anchor and since we have a pretty good internet signal I thought it would be a good time to post a few photos of our trip down. We plan on leaving Cabo on Monday and head around the cape to Los Frailes. After that we have decided to beat our way up to La Paz and spend a little time in the sea of cortez before heading over to mainland Mexico.

As time of our departure nears closer the reality that we are finally leaving has really begun to set in. Mark is now officially retired although I do not believe he feels much like a retired person since we are up before the sun every morning to start our long list of projects and do not stop until after dark (or cocktail hour).

His latest project was to sew chaps for our new (to us) dinghy. It was a pretty big job which no doubt is why you have to pay a professional $900-$1200 for a set. This type of expense is just not part of our budget so Mark broke out the sewing machine and three days later we have some pretty darn nice looking chaps.

Wow time really has flown!

We left Newport Beach for the last time on June 22nd heading to San Diego where we plan to stay until leaving with the Baja HaHa on October 26th. It is really great to be back in San Diego but now that we are here we are looking forward to leaving and heading south to our next adventure.
Amanda graduated high school on June 4th with her eyes set on seeing some of the world in her near future (a decision that I am sure she will no regret making). Mark has pushed his retirement date back to the end of September due to the fact our wish list keeps getting bigger and the extra money will come in helpful about now.
I have posted a few recent photos of the graduation, a trip we made to Catalina during easter break and a few really cool dolphin photos that we took from the bow sprit of the boat.

2009!!!

Yeah it's finally 2009!! I cannot believe the time has passed so quickly. It seems that is was just yesterday we sold the house and moved onto the Chrokeva.
Amanda will be graduating high school in June, Mark will be retiring from the Fire Department in September and we will be heading to Mexico and beyond sometime in October. We feel very lucky that we have already made the transition to living aboard two years ago and since we spend so much time moving the boat from place to place within So. Cal. the adjustment to the cruising lifestyle should not too difficult (at least we hope not)

The to-do/wish list is a mile long and no doubt will take a small miracle to finish everything on the list but we figure what does not get done before we go will have to wait until we are out there. The good news is with so much to do I imagine the next few months will fly by quickly.

With everything there is to do I probably will not be spending much time updating the blog but will try to keep it updated with info and photos as the time gets closer to us cutting the dock lines.

Herb and Margaret were kind enough to send over this photo of a original painting that they had painted of the Chrokeva while she was at anchor in Palmyra in the late 1970's.



























A few cool photos of our recent trip to Alamitos Bay

July 2008

We spent the entire month of July on the guest dock of Fiddler's Cove Marina in Coronado. The weather was perfect all month and although we did not get done as much as we had hoped we sure had a great time. The time we spent with good friends was some of the best times we can remember.

We were able to get several projects done while at the dock. Right before we left Mark went up the main mast to rig up haylard for the spinnaker. The spinnaker has been in storage since we purchased the boat but we figure it is time to pull it out and get familiar with using it. Mark also worked on re-designing a issue that we had with the outhaul (a rather complicated fix to a bad design). Mark has gotten very handy with the sewing machine and re-upolstered the nav station cushions. He also built a deck box for Chrokeva which looks great and gives us a ton more room for cleaning and paint supplies. We purchased a wood heater off of ebay and have been brainstorming on where to put it (more to come on that project later). All in all it was a productive month "

Catalina - June 2008

We left Newport Beach at approx. 4 am on the 9th of June heading out to Avalon harbor. As usual it was a uneventful trip as we motored the entire way. We had 7 people aboard for the trip to Avalon including 4 teenage girls and 3 adults. We then picked up two more guests that had taken the express over on Wednesday which brought the total aboard to 9 for the rest of the trip. Needless to say it was a full house on the Chrokeva.

Once we arrived at Avalon we met up with more friends from Chrokeva's sistership the Teal Sea. We spent several nights enjoying the hospitality of Craig and Debbie from Teal. Spending time at Teal Sea also had the added advantage that the teenagers stayed on Chrokeva while the adults enjoyed there time at Teal Sea. Nothing like a little space :)

On Thursday we motored over to Emerald Bay which is a rather remote but beautiful anchorage. We were amazed to be able to see the bottom at a depth of 30 feet! We were able to anchor with a bow and stern anchor right next to Teal Sea. What a sight it was to see two CT54's anchored together in this wonderful place.

On Saturday morning it was time to pull anchor and sail home. The weather was good as we had 20 knots on the stern almost the entire trip back.

IS IT SUMMER YET?????

It sure has been a long chilly winter and we are all ready for the summer to come with some warm weather. I am definately adding a heater to the list of things that are needed in the near future. Trying to keep the boat warm with my Mr Heater (which is totally unreliable as it only works when it feels like it and eats propane like nothing I have ever seen) and the alcohol heater I bought of Ebay (puts out as much heat as a few candles on a good day) has proved to be a real challenege even in southern California. I know I know it's not like we are in Alaska but cold and damp is still a bad combination.

Mark has been spending just about all his free time (which is not much) fishing. He even accomplished catching this prize ....... YIKES!!! He can't expect me to eat this thing can he?

Goodbye 2007.....Hello 2008

Well another year is gone and we are another year closer to cutting our dock lines and heading out for our extended cruise. We are currently looking at the fall of 2009 as our date to head south and thankfully that date really does sound closer than it did last year.

Looking back on 2007 I realized just how much has happened for us this past year. We took a big step in February by moving aboard full time (a decision that we are so glad we made). Amanda started a new school, met some really great friends and celebrated her 16th birthday. We learned alot about the boat (and each other), definately got a little saltier and took a few hard knocks along the way. We met some really great people this past year and had a wonderful time with friends new and old. Chrokeva got a few upgrades including a new stove, new solar panel, new toilet, new windlass, and lets not forget the 110 washer/dryer. We also got our 200 gallon a day water maker up and running (which I am sure we will need now that we have a washer/dryer. All in all a pretty good year :)

Plans for this year? Well back to school for Amanda, work for Mark, and lots of time moving the boat and learning more about the Chrokeva. We would all like to get certified to dive since the Chrokeva is outfitted with dive equipment as well as a dive compressor (something that I think we all would enjoy). We will be spending the summer again in San Diego and hopefully make a few trips to Catalina and possibly the Channel Islands. Upgrades for the Chrokeva scheduled for this year are looking at a new paint for the topside and a haulout and bottom paint sometime this year.

CATALINA - CRUISERS WEEKEND 2007

We had a great time on our first trip to Catalina for the Lats and Atts Cruisers Weekend.
We left Newport Beach at midnight on Thursday and ended up motoring the whole way. We arrived at Two Harbors before sunrise but waited till the sun came up before we went in and picked up a ball.
There was some really great seminars and Catalina was beautiful, we wish we had more time to explore the island but that will have to wait until the next trip. Mark even got to meet Bob Bitchen! He was so excited!!
We left on Sunday and actually was able to sail all the way back to Newport. The weather was perfect and we were able to average 6 knots which is not exactly fast for the Chrokeva but it got us there and we had a great time.

CORONADO - SUMMER 2007

After leaving the Cruiser's Anchorage we headed over to Coronado and spent a few days anchored at Glorietta Bay. The view of the Hotel Del was really something to see. We then headed over to Fiddler's Cove which we call home and is where our permanent mooring is located. We spent two weeks on the guest dock there enjoying the time with all the wonderful people. If there is one place that is truly a gem within San Diego it would have to be the Navy Marina at Fiddler's Cove. It was hard to leave but we look forward to coming back and spending some more time there in December.

SAN DIEGO - SUMMER 2007

After leaving the police dock we headed over to the Cruiser's Anchorage (A9) which is located right next to the Star of India in downtown San Diego. The view of the city was incredible and watching the tall ships sail every afternoon was definately a perk. Amanda turned sweet 16 during our stay there

SAN DIEGO - SUMMER 2007

We left Newport Beach June 23rd with plans to spend the summer in San Diego and although normally both the wind and the current would blow us directly to San Diego we seemed to have the luck of the Irish with us and both the wind (15 knots) and the swell (5-7 feet) was directly on the nose the entire trip. Needless to say it was a bumpy trip down but we arrived safe and sound in San Diego well before dark. We were able to find a spot at the police dock and spent the 4th of July visiting with good friends watching the fireworks over San Diego Bay.

ABOUT THE CREW

The amazing Captain Mark
Here is Captain Mark in his favorite place (the bilge). Mark currently works for the fire department at Camp Pendleton but is due to retire in July of 2009.



The beautiful and talented 1st mate and cruise coordinator Amanda and her trusty sidekicks Jasmine and Dancer. Amanda graduates high school in the summer of 2009 and plans to join us for at least a year or so to see some of the world after graduation.



Last but not least is Admiral, Galley Slave, Line Handler, Varnish Queen and Poodle Groomer Jackie the Great.

ABOUT THE BOAT

SPECS::
Designer: Robert Perry Year: 1978 LOD: 54' LOA: 65'
Displacement: 60,000 Beam: 15.6" LWL: 43' Draft: 7'
Gross Tons: 26 Ballast: 19,000 lbs
Engine: 120 HP Ford Lehman
Cruising Speed: 8 knots
Max Speed: 9 knots
Tankage: Fuel: 300 gal. Water: 250 gal. Holding: 45 gal.
Full keel with spade rudder
Masts keel stepped on both main and mizzen
Rudder has been rebuilt from original design and fully-epoxied with S/S reinforcements
Spars: painted spruce completely unstepped and professionally overhauled in 2006

EQUIPMENT:
8KW Northern Lights Genset
Bow Thruster (Side-Power SP125T Thruster 12V)
Probe Sonar (1500-feet forward-looking)
Water Maker: 500-gal/day Village Marine Tech (new in 2003)
Dive Compressor
3 Kyocera Solar Panels (300 watts total)
Xantrex Pro Watt 3000 watt inverter, Statpower 800 watt inverter
Lofrans Anchor Windless (rated at 3500 lbs)
Anchors: CQR 75#, CQR 65#, Danforth stern anchor
Steering has 2 hydraulic systems (SeaStar new in 2003)
2 independent autopilot systems (ComNav & WH Autopilots, P-3C system 2003)
Wagner & ComNav rudder angle indicator
Icom 802 SSB
Raytheon R20 24-mile Radar
Raytheon Nav 398 GPS
Raytheon RC520 Chart Plotter
406 EPIRB
Built-in Freezer Unit (110/engine driven)
Refridgeration (12V/110/engine driven)
Washer/Dryer (Majestic MJ9000V)
Tecma Silence Head
Harken roller furling on both staysail and jib
New spinnaker sock w/cone (2003)
10 self-tailing winches
1 - Antel Electric WInch
Entire rig new in 2003






























The CHROKEVA started life in 1978 with the lovely Herb and Margaret along with there 4 beautiful children, Cheryl (CH), Roxanne (RO), Kenny (KE), and Virginia (VA).