I made it to Mexico in my Bayliner!

[ksanders]

Yesterday afternoon I entered Marina Hotel Coral in Ensenada Mexico having completed a voyage of over 2800 nautical miles alone in my Bayliner 4788

I left my home port in Seward Alaska on the 2nd of May. Every night I pulled into a harbor or anchorage, and I stayed longer in places that drew my interest.

Having just completed this adventure, and having talked to many boaters along the way I learned a few things.

First, any boat can make this trip a reality. My Bayliner 4788 is a Coastal Cruiser just like the vast majority of boats owned by TF members. Yes I outfitted it for extended cruising bu adding really heavy duty ground tackle, a great generator, solar panels, and a watermaker to name the big things. but... in the end it is a Bayliner 4788 pilothouse, not a "brand name" exploration yacht.

Next, many people I met dream, but few actually do it. Many wait too late in life and lose the opportunity. My advise if you are a dreamer is do it. Do not wait till you can afford the half million dollar or more exploration yacht. Go at a young enough age to enjoy it.

Last, do not be inpatient. I chose 15 knots of wind as my maximum, and I stuck with that. On one occasion I misjudged the weather and got the snot beat out of me, but otherwise I had a drama free trip.

So... Enjoy the lifestyle, and if you make it to Mexico look me up. I'm in the White Bayliner 4788 docked at your favorite harbor.

 

[AlanT]

Next, many people I met dream, but few actually do it. Many wait too late in life and lose the opportunity. My advise if you are a dreamer is do it. Do not wait till you can afford the half million dollar or more exploration yacht. Go at a young enough age to enjoy it.

I wholeheartedly agree. We set off at age 49 (in 2006) and sailed halfway around the world, as far as Turkey before returning home 4 years later. We met many dreamers along the way. Many who 'dreamed' but never would commit, and some who did and at an earlier age than us - those are the ones we were jealous of! Go as soon as you can, it can change your life.
~A

 

[Nancy and Rick]

...
Next, many people I met dream, but few actually do it. Many wait too late in life and lose the opportunity. My advise if you are a dreamer is do it. Do not wait till you can afford the half million dollar or more exploration yacht. Go at a young enough age to enjoy it.
...

Like the line in the Al Stewart song:

"And sometimes think in all this world the saddest thing to be
Old admirals who feel the wind, and never put to sea"

Congrats on your adventure!

Rick

 

[slowgoesit]

Kevin, we'll be following along your path next year. Just finishing up our trip from Puget Sound to Glacier Bay and back to Port Orchard, be there in a few days. Next year back to the Gulf Islands, and Desolation Sound before departing in the Fall for Sea of Cortez, then Points East. Looking forward to it! Congrats on your journey so far!

 

[twistedtree]

But, but, they said it couldn't be done.....

 

[Comodave]

Congrats on a great trip.

 

[ofer]

great advice i too will follow your tracks from homer next season.

I'll probably be in Seward in two weeks. i believe your hometown.

any fishing advice would be great.

next looking forward for a report from Anthony's at Ensenada.

 

[kthoennes]

Congratulations. WIsh I were there to shake your hand, give you a high five, and buy you a drink and dinner. What a great trip. And you're right, a multi-million dollar expedition yacht sure is nice, but a Bayliner is just fine too.

 

[Delta Riverat]

Very cool!

We're a long way from that. Yup and there are 2 of us. Wifey got rattled on the 85 mile re-homing cruise through the Delta.

Baby steps -

 

[Crusty Chief]

Kevin,
Congrats on your trip so far. Glad to see another “dreamer” who made it happen. Just gotta take that first step.
Enjoy Ensenada, we sure did on our trip a few years back. Your next leg, to the tip of Baja will seem like a long stretch, but nothing you cant handle.
Have a cold Pacifico and a gaggle of taco’s for us, we sure do miss em.
Cheers Buddy!

 

[SteveK]

Kevin I am pleased you proved them wrong and made it solo, congrats.
Solo? That is probably why you were able to do it, since most of us have admirals that would veto such a plan.

Went 300 miles offshore of Oregon to find an undersea mountain range for no other reason than to prove we could do it. That was with a crew of 7 of which most stayed below. Never had a dream of doing the trip down the coast.
Nevertheless, thanks for proving it can be done.

 

[Alaskan Sea-Duction]

Congrats buddy! Live the dream, I have and still do.

Proud of you brother. Solo across the GOA and going south. Wow. Dang proud of you.

 

[socalrider]

Congrats!

You know, I was berthed in a guest slip just a couple down from you in Santa Barbera but we were off the boat for a few days as my parents rented a house & we had a little family reunion there. Meant to pop by and say hi but never got the chance! We had a great week in the Channel Islands and are on our third week in Catalina now with the kids friends, kept my eyes out to see if Dos Peces would turn up again.

Jealous of your continuing voyage south! I love Mexico deeply - wife is from Jalisco & we've had the kids down there for extended periods of time but not yet on the boat. Enjoy & eat lots and lots of seafood.

 

[tiltrider1]

Good job Kevin!

 

[magna 6882]

I was fun following your trip. Every night the wife would ask me where is Kevin.

 

[Peter B]

Enjoying some enchilada in Ensenada...sounds pretty good to me...sigh...

 

[Simi 60]

But, but, they said it couldn't be done.....

And certainly not without stabilisers.

Glad you're having a great time
Living the dream

 

[bowball]

Enjoying some enchilada in Ensenada...sounds pretty good to me...sigh...

Be careful lately in Ensenada…

According to numerous reports, Carnival Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean Cruises canceled their itineraries to Ensenada, Mexico after a weekend of vandalism, looting and threats of mass violence by a drug cartel in that port city and other locations in Northern Baja. The Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), formerly known as Los Mata Zetas, burned vehicles in the area and threatened violence.

 

[mvweebles]

Be careful lately in Ensenada…



According to numerous reports, Carnival Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean Cruises canceled their itineraries to Ensenada, Mexico after a weekend of vandalism, looting and threats of mass violence by a drug cartel in that port city and other locations in Northern Baja. The Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), formerly known as Los Mata Zetas, burned vehicles in the area and threatened violence.

Sooo......my wife and I were traveling from our cabin in Colorado to Ensenada with planned arrival of midday last Saturday. I traded notes with a couple friends in Ensenada and social media had blown up with the same story as Bowball relates which happened the night before. We decided not to enter Mexico until Monday. By then, it was fairly clear the accounts of violence had been dramatically overstated. A car and a bus were burned out, but there's a strong argument it was a staged event. I have no idea. I can say that when cartels get serious, they send an unmistakable, undeniable, and unambiguous message: a dead body hanging from a highway overpass.

It's good to be back in Ensenada. We have stayed at the same Airbnb apartment several times now which is a short walk to Centro (downtown) where families are common and the Thrifty ice cream shop has a line. The street tacos are still great, and we will have lunch today at an out of the way Birria shop (a stew usually made with goat or lamb) run by a family from Jalisco who sources locally raised lamb, a treat for me.

I am not sugar coating Mexico's crime problem. It's serious and corruption remains a problem. While it's true that many US cities have serious crime problems, the difference in Mexico is you don't know who is wearing a white hat - the cops may be indifferent so you could easily end up on your own.

What I am saying is that people are people the world over. The vast majority are warm, honest, and welcoming people. The Mexican culture is particularly inviting, and the cuisine is some of the most complex and interesting to be found anywhere.

We have been traveling in Mexico for about 10 years now. We own a condo in Playa del Carmen, and had owned a beach house with several friends in Akumal until we all decided to sell a couple years ago. By far the most common question is "is it safe?" (Second most common: is it cheap?). I cannot answer the safety question for anyone be it Florida or Mexico. It's a personal decision. I can say that we are comfortable traveling and exploring, but we are past the point where we stay up late and hang out in bars or clubs. A late night for us is 8:00. Both my wife and I have traveled, and we've both lived in large cities where you develop a sense of safety and awareness.

There are ways to travel in Mexico and remain insulated from Mexico- all-inclusive resorts, cruise ships with curated tours, resort-style marinas, etc. From those safe perches, peeking into Mexico is possible. But there is so much richness beyond the walls.

BTW - is it cheap? In very rough terms, dining is roughly half what we would pay for comparable in the US. Street tacos are between $0.50 (pork) to $1.50 (shrimp) each. At an established restaurant, dinner entrees are around $8-$15 (steak can be expensive). Glass of wine in the $4 range. There is no additional tax so the total check usually works out to around half what we'd pay in the US. Quality is usually very good with Italian food often excellent. Our large 1-bdrm apartment with off-street parking for our camper van is $800/MO with all utilities and housekeeping weekly. It's a simple place - far from luxury, but suits us well. It's a block away from LuLus fish taco stand (pic attached)

Peter

 

[ksanders]

Thanks everyone! I really appreciate the wonderful comments!

This life we live is an adventure waiting to happen. We can either live it, or we can dream about living it. It's our choice.

As far as personal safety in Mexico, I honestly worry more about getting run over crossing the double four lane highway between the marina and the grocery store than violent crime.

Staying out of trouble in Mexico is easy...

Do not buy or sell drugs.
Do not engage the services of prostitution
Do not be the drunk American roaming the streets highly intoxicated late at night.

Do...

Enjoy the local culture. The people of Mexico are fantastic!!!
Enjoy the local cuisine.
Enjoy the local shopping.

and, Please please please at least try to learn some spanish. Just trying gets you a long way with folks.

 

[Fletcher500]

But, but, they said it couldn't be done.....

 

[sunchaser]

Thanks everyone! I really appreciate the wonderful comments!

This life we live is an adventure waiting to happen. We can either live it, or we can dream about living it. It's our choice.

As far as personal safety in Mexico, I honestly worry more about getting run over crossing the double four lane highway between the marina and the grocery store than violent crime.

Staying out of trouble in Mexico is easy...

Do not buy or sell drugs.
Do not engage the services of prostitution
Do not be the drunk American roaming the streets highly intoxicated late at night.

Do...

Enjoy the local culture. The people of Mexico are fantastic!!!
Enjoy the local cuisine.
Enjoy the local shopping.

and, Please please please at least try to learn some spanish. Just trying gets you a long way with folks.

Good job Kevin. You've been saying for years you could do it.

As an experienced South of the Border guy, add to your list of things to be careful about:
- No nice watches
- Beater shoes
- Use local currency
- Listen to the locals as to spots to avoid.

Get some tips from ASD on appropriate dress code, flannel is in.

 

[KnotYet]

Thanks everyone! I really appreciate the wonderful comments!

This life we live is an adventure waiting to happen. We can either live it, or we can dream about living it. It's our choice.

As far as personal safety in Mexico, I honestly worry more about getting run over crossing the double four lane highway between the marina and the grocery store than violent crime.

Staying out of trouble in Mexico is easy...

Do not buy or sell drugs.
Do not engage the services of prostitution
Do not be the drunk American roaming the streets highly intoxicated late at night.

Do...

Enjoy the local culture. The people of Mexico are fantastic!!!
Enjoy the local cuisine.
Enjoy the local shopping.

and, Please please please at least try to learn some spanish. Just trying gets you a long way with folks.

I will add one item to this excellent post:
No guns or ammo, not even a single bullet.

 

[O C Diver]

Kevin,

Congratulations!

From personal experience, it will probably take about a year before the naysayers stopping saying how you Shouldn't Have Succeeded.

Keep proving them wrong!

Ted

 

[ksanders]

Kevin,

Congratulations!

From personal experience, it will probably take about a year before the naysayers stopping saying how you Shouldn't Have Succeeded.

Keep proving them wrong!

Ted

 

[GoneFarrell]

kevin,
You're only a few quadras from one of the best seafood cocktail stands anywhere.
It is right across the the street from the big Mexican flag. Good stuff.

Me: 15 winters at my casita in Mulege and counting!

Will be looking for the lone Bayliner in Conception Bay this winter.

 

[mvweebles]

Kevin,

Congratulations!

From personal experience, it will probably take about a year before the naysayers stopping saying how you Shouldn't Have Succeeded.

Keep proving them wrong!

Ted

I've been up/down this very stretch of coast dozens of times. It's pretty much all I did for about 200 days/year for 5-years. I have been vocal that the weather is manageable, and been vocal that it doesnt require a bluewater boat such as a Nordhavn to make the trip safely and comfortably. Two thumbs-up to Doug and Kevin for getting out and going - I hope this is encouragement for many others. It really is approachable.

But.....where I was (and remain) a naysayer is in long distance single-handing. Recall, Kevin's original itinerary had him with overnight runs of over 36-hours which he ended up not doing (at least until now). He harbor-hopped down the coast which is feasible in a fast-ish boat. His options for day-runs will narrow when he heads south from Ensenada in November due to short days, long distances between stops, and limited fuel will mean he must reduce speed to increase range. He can take steps to reduce risk such as set alarms, but there is no question that a single-handed boat cannot adequately abide by the COLREGS requirement to stand a proper watch over a long period of time (certainly 24-hours, but probably less). Not opinion, a fact - there is not a single person who would shrug-off an airline pilot who was doing a triple-shift which is why it's a well-enforced requirement. If there was an accident, it would not go well for the single-handed operator no matter how many Internet high-5's are out there.

Peter

 

[ksanders]

Good job Kevin. You've been saying for years you could do it.

As an experienced South of the Border guy, add to your list of things to be careful about:
- No nice watches
- Beater shoes
- Use local currency
- Listen to the locals as to spots to avoid.

Get some tips from ASD on appropriate dress code, flannel is in.

Yes I remember talking to you about my move to mexico dreams... a decade ago when we met in Seward.

 

[psneeld]

Unfortunately, well trained and staffed commercial/naval vessels seem to run into their fair share of collisions/COLREGS issues.

How the single handler handles fatigue issues is equal to how well any fully staffed, highly trained crew handles crew coordination, complacency, training, etc issues.

 

[ksanders]

Unfortunately, well trained and staffed commercial/naval vessels seem to run into their fair share of collisions/COLREGS issues.

How the single handler handles fatigue issues is equal to how a fully, well trained crew handles crew coordination, complacency, training, etc issues.

Thats easy peasy. Make your runs daylight only and relax at night.