Marina Del Rey to Puerto Vallarta

Ventura Haul Out

Tuesday, December 14, 2010: Hauled out in November; that's captain Daz, Ron and Mary Beth, in Ventura, CA. Mary Beth helped sail us up for the haul out. Off we go! Left Los Angeles 4:00 PM for San Diego yacht club, where a guest slip awaits us. The trip down was extremely rough due to large ground swells that rocked Slowdance side to side, as if all the china and glass on board would shatter at any moment. Dinner consisted of turkey burgers, cucumber slices and unsalted chips. Kept it simple, as chef’s sea legs are in their infancy and the galley, being the lowest point of amid ship, is where the rocking is felt the most. Captain Daz suggested a patch, which was put behind the ear 3 hours before leaving port.  Ron gets a great laugh out of the patch idea but the cook cannot be sick, or the crew goes hungry!

Daz and Marybeth

 The haul-out was amazing to watch Slowdance lifted out of the water and onto the brace. Marybeth put on the work-suit and Daz had her clean out the sea strainer (UGH) because her hands were small and could reach in far better than his hands. Marybeth found a worm in there! Marybeth's Dad drove up from Westlake Village and i made a nice dinner of roasted Mediterranean chicken with Eggplant, red peppers, potatoes,and lemons, with feta and pita.



Captain Daz with Deann and friends



Started cooking the night before, preparing the Spinach Triangles and ingredients for Brie Toast. 



Martha and Captatain Daz




Chef has it under control




Captain John at the helm while Ron talks to friends.

 Brie Toast: French bread was from Trader Joe's and sliced at an angle. (Trattori) Brush the slices with garlic/olive oil, you can prepare this the night before by crushing  fresh garlic cloves (8 large cloves) and adding to 1 cup olive oil. This way the garlic flavors the oil. Place the slices on a baking sheet, and bake in a 400 degree pre heated oven  for 1-2 minutes until the bread is slightly toasted; be careful not to let it get hard and browned. Remove the slices and put a light spread of sun dried tomatoes on each slice, then top with a thin slice of Brie cheese. Slice the Brie when it is cold right out of the fridge as it will be sticky and hard to slice if left at room temperature. Return the slices to the oven and bake just until the Brie slightly melts and the bread is toasted but still soft in the middle, 1-2 minutes. Remove the breads and top with chopped fresh basil and a sprinkle of pine nuts. This appetizer is a hit everytime!



The girls enjoy the sail

  We waited until Slowdance was past the break water to bring the food to the upper deck, otherwise, everything goes slidding when we head out into the open waters.

The spread with good folk and great conversation.  



Good food always makes the party more fun!





Chef Victoria with Martha; The mother-in-laws

 Martha took alot of swell photo's the day of the Bon Voyage party, but I can only add the best ones. Thank you Martha.


The sails went up thanks to Daz and Berkeley!




The Chef takes a break and tastes the fare



Deanne, you and the girls danced up a storm.





Arleene and Nioka and I am sure I spelled the names wrong, but thanks for the Saki, sailing, and good stories.



 The Bon Voyage party Sunday was a sensational sail out of Marina Del Rey, (as you can see) with sunshine, calm seas and an unseasonal temperature of 80 degrees, surely a good omen for the journey south. Bon Voyage menu was as follows: Grilled vegetables consisting of green and red peppers, zucchini, yellow squash, red onion, portabella mushrooms, asparagus, marinated in olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and fresh garlic. A crudites’ of sweet cherry tomatoes, baby carrots, cucumber, broccoli, and cauliflower, with assorted hummus dips.  Fresh spinach and feta triangles, brie toasts with fresh basil, sun-dried tomatoes and pine nuts, and of course, an assortment of fine wines, beer and dance music. Check out the photos and videos which capture the good time had by all.

Ron, Michelle, and Trinidad



Captain Daz and Martha at the helm



Diane

                                     

Thanks again Diane for the wonderful oranges from your trees, we used them in many dishes and as garnish for the french toast we had while out to sea for 3 days.

The Feast

  Grilled Veggies: Red and green peppers cut into triangles, asparagus spears, portabella mushrooms quatered, zuchinni cut at an angle, yellow squash cut at an angle and red onion quatered. Place the veggies in a large bowl and add: 1 cup olive oil, 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar, 6-8 fresh crushed garlic cloves, tablespoon black pepper and teaspoon sea salt (optional). Toss the veggies in the marinade and let sit for at least 2 hours to absorb the flavors and then grill until lightly marked. The veggies should have a bit of crunch, so be careful not to overcook, burning them or making them soggy. These gems are delicious cold in a salsd if you have any left over after the party!







Ron, Tod, and Cindy



Me and Susan, see you in Tahiti girlfriend!

Wednesday, December 15, 2010:  Made Point Loma by 8:30 AM, where we fueled up Slowdance for the journey south and then shoved off for San Diego yacht club, just over to Shelter Island. The yacht club houses the America Cup and all the members walking about are dressed in their yacht member jackets, looking very official “tickitie boo” as captain Daz would say!  The showers are hot, we do our laundry, and best of all, there is a large Jacuzzi to revive us after the rough seas of last evening.

Thursday, December 16, 2010: Left San Diego at 4:00 AM for Ensenada, Mexico, easy going and arrive at 12:30 in the afternoon. Captain Daz flies the Mexican flag and a quarantine flag, as we need to be cleared to enter the country. The next few hours are spent clearing the port fees with Dock Master Jonathan, who turns out to be a great advocate in aiding us to obtain visas and clearance into Mexico. Jonathan drives us over to immigration where we all wait quietly and humbly; eyes down, not speaking, as Jonathan smoozes with each agent to obtain our visas and boat papers. The agent who stamps your passport is particularly difficult and reluctantly gives us all the thumbs up. What we do not realize until back on Slowdance is we have somehow miraculously avoided hitting the immigration button; green you go, red they tear your boat apart! Ron takes care of Jonathan and we spend the night feasting and downing several bottles of wine!

Friday, December 17, 2010:  We sleep in and decide that there is nothing we need in Ensenada and shove off for three days at sea, with Santa Margarita as the stop over on route to Cabo San Lucas.Trinidad barks at waves.

Trinadad barks at the waves, seals, dolphins and even whales!

Saturday, December 17, 2010: 28 degrees 57 minutes north latitude and 115 degrees, 50 minutes west longitude is our current position. Ron and Victoria take the 6AM to 10AM watch, with calm seas. I am learning how to take a watch from Ron and Captain Daz. We are approaching Cedros Island which will be tricky maneuvering between rocks and land masses. Lucky for us, Ron has navigated this course many times and at times when the sea was not so friendly and kind. The cloud cover is thick but the temperature is constantly getting warmer. A hot Lunch is served consisting of penne pasta, chicken sausage with basil and garlic, sauteed’ zucchini with tomato, garlic Nan, and a dip made of fresh garlic, basil and olive oil, a real hit with the crew. Captain Daz say’s he could drink the dip, it’s so delicious. The weather is warming considerably and Captain Daz and first mate Berkley put out the fishing lines to see if we can catch some fish but unfortunately all that hooks is seaweed. A large group of dolphins playfully follow Slowdance for a mile or so, playing with the bow as they leap across.  The wind is favorable and the main sails go up for the first time on our trip south. 

We had a lunar eclipse this night

Dinner is seared Ahi tuna with Cajun spice rub, Mexican quiche in a cheddar cheese crust (no butter or salt) and cucumbers on a bed of raw red cabbage with a dash of seasoned rice vinegar.  Daz and Berkley take the evening watches and the movie Sideways entertain Ron and chef V. At 10:30 PM the moon, which is nearly full, shows herself and some stars fill the night sky, out on deck, the moon light glimmers across the smooth water; it is bliss. This is what gives life at sea a special dimension, wind, calms, clouds, porpoises, peace and the joy of being alive in harmony with nature. We have come 744 miles since leaving Marina Del Rey and our cameras take photos that say everything, where nothing needs to be explained.

Sunday, December 18, 2010:  0600 hours and Ron and V take the early morning watch. 26 degrees latitude at 57 minutes north, 113 degrees longitude, 34 minutes west. Our course is 127 and I am not certain as to that meaning but captain is making a sailor of their cook. The sea has turned rough with large swells that awakened me several times during the night. The swells continue and there is no land in sight as we head to Bahia Magdalena where we hope to arrive before nightfall and anchor for the night and possibly the next day as well. We make the bay at 6:35 PM and it is dark, however the moon is nearly full which helps guide Slowdance to good anchorage.

Me in the Galley

The morning coffee has made me sick and it takes a patch to help me recover in time to make lunch for the crew. Lunch is simple; turkey sandwich on whole wheat with a raw slaw of broccoli, cauliflower, red peppers, cucumber, carrots, sweet apples, tossed in balsamic vinegar and we still have a few of the deli pickles.

Turkey Sandwich, Apple Salad

Lemon Chicken, Rice Pilaf, Asparagus

By noon the sea has calmed and the sun is strong and warm; more dolphins come to play and we all catch some reading time in the warm rays of the sun while listening to Pink Martina. Bahia Magdalena should be renamed Dolphin Bay, as there are hundreds of dolphins in this expansive bay. In fact, there are two bays fronted on the north by a sandy peninsula that ends in a hilly section at Punta Estrada and on the south by the volcanic hills and sandy plains of Ilsa Santa Margarita. The deep water entrance, which is clear of danger for over 2.5 miles, lies on the west side. Peaceful quiet nights of sleep as the engines are off. Dinner was Lemon Chicken with capers, rice pilaf, and asparagus.

 Monday, December 19, 2010: Up early, closed the portholes, had some coffee and off to Cabo San Lucas which we should arrive early Tuesday morning. Did some housekeeping and Slowdance is done and dusted, as Captain Daz would say. Lunch was tuna melt on rye with chips and cucumber salad.

Tuna Melt, Veggie Slaw, no salt chips

The fishing pools went out and got a fish on the hook! No one is sure what kind of fish he is; he is about a foot long and Daz expertly filets him producing 4 beautiful 4 ounce fillets. The fillets are placed on a deep platter with half cup of olive oil and fresh orange slices with the juice squeezed over them. The oranges are from Diane’s orange trees in Palm Springs, of which there is a large bag on board. Thank you Diane, they are delicious! The fillets marinate for 4 hours, patted dry, lightly floured and pan sauteed in 2 tablespoons of the marinade. I remover the fillets from the pan and add a little Earth Balance (butter substitute) the remaining marinade with some lemon juice, pepper; plate the fillets, pour the sauce over them and top with lemon and orange slices. The fish is delicious! Also found some chocolate powder and made a batch of healthy brownies using Earth Balance as opposed to butter and sweetened them with date sugar. This was truly a delightful snack for the night watches. Dinner was roasted vegetable lasagna along with our catch of the day.

Does not get any fresher!

Fresh Ahi Kabobs

Our Catch of the Day!