Mexican food made easy. And no fridge required!

Tortilla Machine in La Cruz de Huanacaxtle

Now that we are in Mexico tortillas have become a staple food, so I figured I better learn how to make them in case we run out. Corn tortillas are a breeze as long as you have Maseca, water and salt. And most importantly a tortilla press! Not wanting to add more gadgets to my galley I tried making them without a press and they turned out a "bit" thick. The recipe is right there on the bag and even I can decipher the spanish instructions.  

Since fresh meat only lasts a few days we found the perfect substitute: We call it bagged meat (see photo below). It lasts for two years unrefrigerated and tastes great! Just fry it up with some onion and bell pepper if you have it. 


Make fresh guacamole by adding lime, salt and several spoonfuls of your favorite salsa (I like to use Herdez Salsa Casera). To keep avocados from spoiling too quickly put them into "green bags" in the fridge (leave the bag open to prevent moisture).


Then mix up some Media Crema with a squeeze of lime and you get instant sour cream! 


¡Buen provecho!

Don't forget to make up some of our favorite Margaritas. Recipe on GalleySwap.

Maseca and Tortilla Press from Cabo

 Fresh Tortillas cooking on the stove

Bagged meat. Very little trash to boot!

Useful Things

There are so many lists and guides on the internet of things you just have to have on a cruising boat that I didn't want to make yet another list, but I have found some things that I have not seen listed elsewhere which we use almost daily.

Spotlight

The rechargeable variety and the smaller the better. Not only useful for the obvious reasons like finding your way into a harbor at night but also for finding your boat in a dark anchorage. We have reflective tape at the top of our mast that guides us back to our boat when we scan the tops of masts (especially useful when we forget to turn on the anchor light). We never anticipated other uses for the spotlight but found that it really lights up a dark space much better than a regular flashlight. Shine it into the bilge or engine room and they light up like daylight. We have this one.

Hooks

We like to hang things all over but hate making holes into our boat. These removable hooks are perfect and don't have that cheap look at lot of plastic hook have. I can put a hook where I think it will  be useful and if it ends up being in the wrong spot I can move it anytime without damage or residual stickiness. These hooks can hold a lot of weight but I have found that the glue needs to "set" for a while. I usually wait overnight before adding any weight. I use the plastic ones inside cabinet doors to hang our fire blankets.

Wine Bags

Trader Joe's and Whole Foods carry these 6-pack wine bags for about a dollar (sometimes free with purchase of six bottles of wine). They are great for storing glass jars (and of course wine and liquor bottles). I have about a dozen of them all over the boat. While plastic jars don't break as easily I hate using plastic. Ever hear of the great pacific garbage patch?

Green Bins and Bags

These handy bins keep fruits and vegetables alive! I have kept strawberries crisp for over four days in the bins (in the green bag they went mushy overnight). While the bins work better than the bags I use green bags for things like carrots, lettuce, limes and chard. Just be sure the wipe out the moisture every couple of days and keep a paper towel inside to soak up moisture. It also helps to keep them open. In Mexico's heat the avocados will ripen in less than a day and I end up having to make a lot of guacamole. If I store them in an open green bag in the fridge they don't ripen until I take them out. Check your local dollar store for the bags! 

Glass Bottom Bucket

We don't have one and I can't remember where I read about these but I want one! Would be great for checking on the anchor and "snorkeling" from the dinghy or SUP. Currently we are anchored in 15 feet of crystal clear water and I like to sit on the swimstep and watching the bottom and the fish go by. 

Dingy Dinghy Life-vests

On passages we always wear our safety harnesses and are clipped into jack-lines that run the length of the boat. When it gets rough we wear our hydrostatic life-vests with harness. We also have some old life-vests that I just couldn't bring myself to get rid of when we moved aboard. They are now our dinghy life-vests. If the dinghy flips and everything goes into the drink they won't inflate suddenly like the hydrostatic vests would. We also don't have to worry about them being stolen. They make excellent seat cushions and work as a spray shield to keep our butts somewhat dry.

Cordless Screwdriver

Mike made fun of me when I put this into the cart and said we have a real drill for that. He now uses it nearly every day. It's so much faster than a regular screw driver and much easier to get to than the drill which is buried somewhere.

What are some things you use everyday? Leave a comment to share!

Isla Espiritu Santo

Icons on map are clickable for more information on anchorages, marinas, snorkel spots and more

The past four weeks have been spent almost entirely without access to the internet. At first I was worried about missing important emails. Turns out I don't get any important emails. When I was finally able to get back on Facebook - which I usually check daily - I realized I hadn't missed anything there either. How about world news? Not much new there.

After arriving in La Paz from Mazatlan we stocked up on food and headed about 15 miles north to Isla Espiritu Santo and its nearby islands which are inhabited only by wildlife - except for the local fishermen staying in makeshift camps on occasion. The islands are surrounded by emerald green coves, white sand beaches, and brick-red cliffs covered in "Mexican snow" (aka bird guano). Frigate birds soar overhead, pelicans glide inches from the ocean, manta rays break the surface to do summersaults and dolphins leap through the air.

Our favorite place was the sea lion community on Los Islotes. Here you can swim with the sea lions. Most of the female sea lions seemed curious about us but the males were quite vocal in wanting to be left alone. I didn't brave the water after seeing how large the males are up close. Mike went for a snorkel but stayed far away from a female that swam up to him at full speed and then veered at the last second. Apparently she does not welcome visitors near her arch.

We spent nearly four weeks exploring the many anchorages the islands have to offer. The last ten days were spent with Mike's parents on board. It was great to be able to share this magical place.

Los Islotes covered in "snow"

Towing Mike on the SUP with the dinghy

Mike's dad on the SUP inside of a sea cave

Dolphin

Spotting wildlife

Even more photos....

iPad on Board

Sailing the Sea of Cortez

The iPad was one of he best purchases we made before leaving the US. We bought it at the last minute after realizing that buying new chart cards for our chart-plotter could be quite expensive in the long run. The iPad 3/4G comes with an "assisted GPS" (the basic WiFi version does not have a GPS receiver!) and while in the Apple store we talked to several of the geniuses about what exactly assisted GPS is. They all agreed that I had to be within reach of cell towers for it to work. I didn't agree then and I can now say that the GPS works just fine well over 100 miles from shore and gets a fix in mere seconds. But who am I to argue with a genius? 

Our chart plotter came with one chip that covers Cape Flattery to Mazatlan. While Cape Flattery is amazingly beautiful I doubt we will ever take this boat that far north (we sailed past boats on Puget Sound and love the Pacific North West - in summer). However, in one month of cruising we had already gone past the southern border of the chart card. Not to mention that the card is from 2004 and I have yet to figure out an easy way to get updates. I just cannot justify buying new cards every year  or two.

Cape Flattery, Summer 2011

When we arrived in Ensenada we realized that our marina was too new to shown up on our chart-plotter. Luckily I had downloaded the latest charts onto my iPhone and we were able to come into port using it for guidance. But we quickly determined that the iPhone screen is too tiny to be used on a daily basis.

I have heard a lot of complaints about inaccurate charts around Mexico. Maybe we haven't been to enough places, but so far we have found the iPad app (we use Navionics) to have very accurate cartography. Of course, being hydrographers, we give anything that that wasn't charted within the last 10 years a pretty wide berth.

The iPad makes route planning a breeze. We like to sit together in the cockpit  or on the settee with a cruising guide and the iPad to plan our upcoming journey. Later we transfer the waypoints to the chart-plotter which is located on the binnacle. This way the autopilot can track our course and we can kick back and keep watches from a more comfortable seat (which is where I initially wrote this post on the iPad while Mike was snoozing happily until his watch started a few hours later).

Since the iPad has a 10 hour battery it can make it through almost an entire night of watches without having to be recharged. When the battery does run out there is no need to run the generator or inverter. We simply use the same 12 volt plug we use for the iPhones and use the electricity we make with our solar panels (another one of our favorite purchases).

Taken April 2012 in Bahia de los Muertos, Mexico

Turns out the iPad has many other great uses. Not to mention all the obvious ones like endless games, Facebook, internet research, dictionary, translator, email, etc...

Boat Log

We tried keeping a hand-written log of maintenance items, trips, fuel usage,etc but soon realized that after spending months trying to convert everything we had to digital we were once again using paper! We tried several of the boat log apps available for the iPad but none had everything we wanted. Finally we realized that all we needed was a calendar. We now use the calendar app and the best part is that we can search entries. So if Mike needs to know how many times we have ran the Honda generator I simply search for Honda. From there we can figure out when it's time to change the oil.

Weather Updates

Aside from simply using weather websites we really like the Weather 4D HD app. For $2 we get all the weather updates we can handle in a really pretty display.

We haven't tried this yet but we have an app that will listen to the HF radio weather fax signal and then display the weather fax on the iPad. How cool is that?!

To Do List

We use the reminders app because, like the calendar app, it can work over the "cloud" and update the other iDevices. So, if I'm out and about with only my iPhone I can update our calendar or shopping or to do list and the other iPhone and the iPad will get the same update. It's all rather brilliant! We like to take the iPhones to shore in the dinghy because they are lighter and easier to protect from getting wet than the laptop or iPad.

Movies and Music

I like to watch movies on my night watches. Since we like to stand two long night watches it helps make the time go by and keep me awake. I can only contemplate life for so long.  When on WiFi or near cell towers we can also watch Netflix. Oh, and if you want to know how to listen to Pandora from Mexico send me an email ;)

Internet

Here in Mexico WiFi isn't always easy to access but you can buy Internet access by the day or month and by how much data you want. No need for a multi year plan. If you just email and do daily light surfing a month of Internet can be about $20. We have a chip for the iPad and a USB stick for the laptop and have been able to get Internet over 10 miles offshore. Great for getting weather updates!

By the way, if you buy an iPad outside of the US I hear (this is not confirmed) that it will not be unlocked like the US version, meaning if you buy it in Mexico it will only work with a Mexican carrier.

Phone Calls

Really cheap/free calls via Skype or Google Voice. Why did I ever pay for a cellular plan???

PS: I didn't get anything from Apple for this post - I just believe the iPad is a great asset to have on board.

UPDATE (May 23, 2012): After nearly dragging anchor onto a rock we tried to use the iPhone/iPad as an anchor alarm. The problem is that it has to be left on (screen lit) all night and connected to power. It also seems to shut itself down after some hours which turns off the anchor alarm. I'm not a fan of having to run out into the cockpit every time we get a false alarm on the chartplotter so we now use our handheld GPS with anchor alarm. We record our track and set the audible alarm. Works great and  there is no need to get out of bed!

Between a Rock and a Hard Place

When we arrived in Bahia Puerto Balandra around 5pm we were stunned by how beautiful the bay was, with rugged cliffs and small coves of white sand beaches. We set our anchor as usual, in 12 feet of water at low tide, and paid out 75 feet of chain. After making sure that it was set well, we jumped into the emerald green water with our snorkel gear. Mike swam over to our anchor (a Manson Supreme - the name alone helped me sleep... until now) and made sure it was nice and buried in the sand.

Snorkel reef

After snorkeling and quick showers on deck, we had dinner and a sundowner. During dinner the wind started to pipe up a bit. We weren't too surprised as it had been forecast to blow about 15 - though we haven't had any wind at night time for weeks. 

Before heading to bed we did our usual evening checks and made sure the deck was clear of obstructions. Every night we put the spotlight in the companion way to grab if needed. Of course we didn't think we would need any of it since we had been through much heavier winds.

Fast forward to shortly before midnight. I woke up to wind howling in the rigging. I nudged Mike to get up and check on things (I like to use the I'm not wearing my contacts excuse). He begrudgingly rose and headed up top. Not long after he came back down and said "I think we've drug anchor". I grabbed my glasses and threw on a jacket (it's been getting down to 60 at night). I started turning on instruments and deck lights while Mike started the engine. We had dragged almost a quarter of a mile and were now very close to a rock cliff on the other side of the bay with the wind blowing us toward shore. Luckily, the anchor appeared to be holding. 

We didn't feel very comfortable next to the cliff but it was dark and there are a couple of small reefs in the bay making maneuvering difficult. We decided to hoist the anchor anyway and follow our trackline back to our original position. While Mike was up on the bow running the windlass I was praying that the engine would not fail as soon as the anchor came up since we would have been blown onto the cliff in mere seconds. 

With the anchor up I started heading into the wind along our track line towards our old anchor spot. Mike came back to grab the boat hook and told me that a big rock had lodged itself into our anchor!!!  Well that explains it!

With our anchor once again ready for service we dropped the hook as usual and went back inside to listen to the wind howl and the boat creak and groan. But not before turning on the anchor and depth alarms and staring incessantly at our GPS position on the iPad...

Lessons learned

• Just because your anchor has held out through 40+ knots of wind before doesn't mean it will do so again.
• Check if lone rock wedged itself into set anchor in an otherwise all sand bottom. 
• Turn on anchor and depth alarms!

UPDATE (May 23, 2012): After this debacle we tried to use the iPhone/iPad as an anchor alarm. The problem is that it has to be left on (screen lit) all night and connected to power. It also seems to shut itself down after some hours which turns off the anchor alarm. I'm not a fan of having to run out into the cockpit every time we get a false alarm on the chartplotter so we now use our handheld GPS with anchor alarm. We record our track and set the audible alarm. Works great and  there is no need to get out of bed!

The rock cliff

Going Digital

Before moving aboard we converted as many of our things as possible to digital format. We knew there would be no space on a boat for years of paperwork and stacks of music CDs. We had originally planned on not keeping anything that wouldn't fit on the boat but there were just some things we couldn't part with so we bought a small cargo trailer that is being stored with family (Thanks R & D!). 


Banking and bills
Banks make it easy to pay your bills and receive statements online but they still like to send lots of junk mail. I had to call them directly to turn off the ads for credit cards and those pesky checks they want you to use. 
So we don't have to log into our banks through questionable internet connections we use mint.com to check balances and transactions.

Past paperwork
We went through all our old files. And there was a whole file cabinet full! Most of the contents were shredded and tossed but some things we scanned to keep for records. The only thing we kept paper records of are past tax documents. I don't think we have to but paranoia got the better of us.


CDs
I took our stacks of music CDs and painstakingly copied them onto a hard drive. It took days and days. Then we took all the CDs to the goodwill.


Photos
I had several boxes full of photos. I sent them to Foto Bridge to get scanned and then destroyed the originals. It was not easy to do but I'm glad I did it. I had moved with those boxes many times and never once looked at the photos. Just the other day I was able to use a scanned photo taken in Cabo 24 years earlier in a blog post. I keep copies of all of our photos on two computers and two external harddrives. And I don't delete the cameras' memory cards until I have at least one backup.


Stay tuned for another post about going digital in which I highlight our handy iPad!