Temme Travels

Today we spent the day surfing in Punta Mita. A pretty big swell that has made it's way from Hawaii has hit the breaks along the coast causing bumpy anchorages, but fun riding waves. Besides surfing all day the best part of the adventure was maneuvering our dingy into shore through the 4 foot surf . It was thrilling and took some know how not to end up in the water. Thor did a great job getting all four of us and three surfboards to shore ,dry and safe. What a rush of adrenaline. This fun surf spot used to be a unspoiled beach with a small fishing village. It was sad to see such development along the coast line, and even more disheartening to hear the true story behind the newly built resorts. In short families who had been living here for years were forced to move from their homes, garden and subsistence lifestyle. The reef which used to be alive and flourish with sea life now is a dead reef. This story sounded too familiar. We tried to walk to the town today making our

With Christmas behind us and the New Year fast approaching we are trying to figure out what our itinerary for 2010 will be. Our thoughts and ideas change as quickly as the clock , and the clock is something we need to figure out. Since leaving San Diego I don't think I have known what the correct time has been. From San Diego to Cabo we were on Baja Ha Ha time, not Baja time but HA Ha time. This was for the ease of the cruising rally so that all the boats stayed on the same time. Now I could look at the time on my phone but for some reason it always was an hour behind. I think it somehow was on LA time. Now we just crossed the Sea and our on the Mainland Coast in Puerto Vallarta where it all just gets more confusing. The Banderas Bay falls on two States, Jalisco and Nayarit. We arrived in La Cruz which is in Nayarit with our clocks still set on La Paz time. The Airport is is Nayarit, but because most of the tourist stay in Pv, which is in Jalisco everyone supposedly follows

       

The past couple months in the Sea of Cortez have been filled with great adventures, new friends and a life time of memories. La PAz was proven to be a great spot to gear the boat up with some new and exciting luxuries on Meshach. The first new luxury was the new refrigerator Thor built with materials from the newly opened Home Depot. Nothing like a refrigerator for Christmas.... Ho Ho Ho! We left La Paz on and did our first long crossing to Puerto Vallarta. We made the passage in in three days four nights. It was a fairly non eventful crossing with a bit more motoring then we would have liked. We left La Paz later then planned and would arrive with only one day to spare for Christmas. We were talking about what we could do for Christmas dinner and next thing you know we were pulling in a 30 yellow fin tuna and a 35 pound Mahi Mahi onto the boat. Not too shabby! We pulled into La Cruz late on the 22nd and the 23rd we pulled into the Marina to get ready for Christmas. Thor and

The last few weeks have been a big blur. Everyday rolls into the next and the days are packed full of adventure and projects. We spent a few weeks in La Paz doing boat projects and exploring. Jesse left the boat and has gone onto to Mainland Mexico where he is exploring Banderas Bay (PV). It was excellent having him aboard for the past month or so. The few weeks we spent in the island off of La Paz. Our first stop was Caleta Lobos and as you can see from the pix posted last we hit some dry land with the boat... Yes this was on purpose and proved to be a lot of fun. With the full moon and the drastic tidal range we were able to careen the boat to allow Thor to re-pitch the engine prop and clean the bottom without getting wet. We anchored in the morning of the tide change and slowly watched as the water left the bottom of the boat. We had about 24 hours before we were completely floating again. It was fun experience minus the continuous swarming of wasp. The next morning we s

La Paz has been a great place to base ourselves for the last month. So much for the lazy days of Mexico. La Paz is a real Mexican town, a far cry from the tourist traps of Cabo San Lucas. No timeshare sales pitches, no trinkets being forced at you everywhere you go and no cruise ships to dump thousands of tourist on the beach. La Paz is a real town, it is the capital of Baja and a place local Mexican come to get away from it all. There is one problem when it comes to La Paz. It is a hard place to leave. Now La Paz is not tour typical vision of Mexico, it is beautiful, but in a special way that you have to experience for yourself. La Paz is large enough to get about everything you might need, but small enough that after a few weeks and a few trips down the Malecon, the faces start to look familiar and the town quickly grabs a hold of you.. It's no wonder we returned here, and we know we'll be back again. We have been a little delinquent in our post but, hey we have been s

We have been enjoying the this exclusive resort and the beautiful anchorage in Los Muertos. We have lost track of time but think it has been about five days of luxury resort life. The resort stands alone in an isolated bay with many surprises The first sursprise was that no one was here. We were invited to enjoy the pool(s) as long as we had a drink or lunch. The restaruant had a second story dedicated to kids, a museum size elecrtic train set including kid size tunnels to explore, and explore they did. The Gran Suenos is located about 40 minutes from La Paz and sits on one of the most beautiful bays of the East Cape of Baja. The grounds are beautifully landscaped and the deep green grass of the golf course is a soothing sight in the dessert terrain. I would recommend this relaxing oasis to anyone wanting a beautiful Baja vacation. Hey we might even still be here...

We had a great time exploring the sea life in Los Frailes

We all had our share of Cabo , some a little more than others. The anchorage was a far dingy ride into the marina, but the clear warm water, and the nice breeze were a much better choice. The overpriced Marina came with no breeze, loud rap music and a a fee of 150 per night. We left Wednesday morning and headed up the Cape to Los Frailes, a spot that we enjoyed in 2000 and 2001. We had a slow sail up ,but made up for it with the fish we caught. We caught a 4 foot Mahi and a 20 pound Ahi. We enjoyed sashimi and sushi for lunch and ceviche and tacos for dinner. Los Frailes was again a great anchorage. We enjoyed dinners with our friends on Vento, and had fun seeing the gang on Qualchan. Tristan made a new friend Luke who is his age. The boys impressed us with their independence. Tristan and Luke took off solo in the Kayak and landed it like pros on the beach, carefully watching the surf and timing their landing and take off perfectly. The bay was alive with bat rays flying ou

After a crazy night at sea we arrived in Bahia De Tortuga. Did I mention that for the first time in Baja Ha ha history a boat was lost. J World a very sea worthy boat and experienced crew hit a Humpback whale and was sunk in 45 min. They spent two hours in the freezing water and two more hours waiting in the life raft for the coast guard. We are ready to get off the boat and and stretch our legs. Not much has changed since we were here last in 2001, except for the amount of boats. It's crazy to see so many boats anchored in one bay, all so far from home. we have already shed our warm clothes and the water is warm enough to swim. The kids are magnets to other kids and they act as if they have known each other a long time. I guess the shared experience creates a bond, or they are all just over adults. With organized chaos the Baja Ha ha group stormed the beach for volleyball, swimming, surfing, water balloons and a potluck. It was fun seeing the kids explore their new su

The adventure began as we sailed out of San Diego with the fleet of 190 boats. It was a beautiful sight seeing almost all of the boats under spinaker( big colorful sail for downwind conditions) as they turned south for the border. The last two months in California were a lot of fun, but the real cruising begins now. The first leg of our trip was not without excitement. The first night at sea was calm as the winds filled in from the north. By Afternoon of day two the story changed. Large swell from the Pacific North moved its way down the Baja, and a little more excitement was about to take place. We listed to weather from the rally boat as they were receiving weather info via satellite phone . Conditions were supposed to increase that night then die rapidly. So with a fish on the hook at dusk we, along with most of the boats in the fleet decided to pull into the nearest protected achorage for the night. For us the closest anchorage was Cabo Colinet. We would be protected from

This week was filled with some exciting and some not so exciting activities. We had our first and hopefully last injury. Tristan had a little encounter with the sidewalk at the skate park. A little lesson learned. Even if Mom says to take it off a sweet jump, don't Listen. It was pretty traumatic for all, but he is healing fine and should be ready to go again soon. The big adventure was Disneyland. All the Temme cousins got together and had a fun filled two days. Thursday night we did the Trick or Treat party with Mickey. Tristan was Anican Sky walker and Sienna was a Little kitty cat. We will be underway off Baja for Halloween so the kids got their costume and candy fix. Disneyland was a blast and Sienna was just tall enough to do the big kid rides. They loved it! Pirates of the Caribbean and Matterhorn where some of the favorites. We left Tristan at Disneyland and came home with Indiana Jones. He has worn his new get up everyday with much loved attention from pa

Today was The Avocado Festival in Carpenteria and so off we went. Lots of Guacamole, Avocado Ice Cream, Avocado Beer and Avocado Man..... Well as the kids put it "there's a guy inside the avocado" The festival was so so , but having all the Temme cousins together from Kauai and LA was a real treat. The kids enjoyed the climbing wall, the bounce houses and running into more Kauai Keiki . We ran into the Osborne's and the Riley's. It really is a small small world.. So we are settling into life in SB.... But warm weather calls. Burr today we had 35+ winds with a nice little chill to top it off. We are planning on heading South early next week. First to explore the Channel Islands then off to Newport and then to San Diego. We are all adjusting.... Some faster then others. Mom is falling behind... Wow I don't remember the boat feeling this small! HA HA Well less to clean. Looking forward to new destinations. Check out the picture we found in last m

Santa Barbara,Mexico Santa Barbara Mexico Hmmmm ...... We are having a great time here our days are flying by and are filled with fun actives . Hey we could just stay here, but then that would probably cut the time we are out by more than half. I don't think the peso works here. Yesterday we took the boat out for a sail along the waterfront that was bustling with activity. The beaches were filled with people enjoying the dual concerts and our entertainment were the sea lions and pelicans. What a fun sight for our island kids. The boat is slowly coming together and the reality of moving south draws closer. We will probably go out to the Channel Island this week and then back to the SB before heading south. Here are a few of the fun things the kids have been up to.

It has been a week in Santa Barbara and our itinerary has been pretty full. Our first few days was simply lounging around the house and decompressing from the hectic schedule of the past few months. The kids are in hog heaven with the their friend Tanner and it's fun to get our baby fix with little sis Skylar. We put Thor to work right away fixing the non working hot tub at the Avila's...Presto that guys can fix anything...So jacuzzi nights in the cool Santa Barbara air have been a nice way to wind down the day. We are liking the idea of Santa Barbara and it's no wonder so many of our Kauai friends have ended up here. It is a beautiful, activity filled, laid back town. Ooh and I love the Trader Joe's. The bike paths are amazing and the waterfront bustles with activity. Friday night was BBQ at the Zoo, Santa Barbara style. The zoo was filled with bounce houses, food, games, live music and the climbing wall. Tristan was a natural at the climbing and the rappelling

Sorry for the lag in posting. Sept 8Th has come and gone and the crew of Meshach has arrived safely on the other side. We have had a fun filled week in Santa Barbara. More on that later. The welcoming committee in Santa Barbara was awesome! Rich Steve's Brother in law was our official spotter. From San Luis Obispo he drove South scanning the horizon, and was the first person to spot Meshach. We received the call to let us know to head over to the Shoreline Park along the coast for the best vantage point. Then of course there is Kara who so lovingly gave up her husband for three weeks for Adam to help Thor on the crossing, a big thank you to both of them.. Kara James and Marie have also been our gracious Host and Hostess while we have been here in SB... Yes we are not on the boat full time yet and we better move on soon or this might get too comfortable... Michelle, Ava and Carrie , also from Kauai also showed up for the welcome party. The fun didn't stop at the d

Tomorrow at noon is the ETA. Not 11:00 not 1:00 but 12:00. OK! we will be there on the dock at noon. With a group of loved ones from all different directions coming to meet the crew, it was a specific a time. There is something about seeing them sail in from offshore that is so exciting. We don't want to miss it. So we will be leaving this morning bright and early to start the drive to SB, Kara will be leaving even earlier to arrive from San Fransisco. Thor said if it's any sooner they will slow the boat down. Why they would slow the boat down, even for us, well I know land would be looking too good to me. But hey whats another hour or so when you've been out at sea for 19 days. This has been a long time for us not to have Thor around and are looking forward to having our family back together. To be completely truthful I am looking forward to a little R & R myself. When was the last three week, or three day, vacation I had with out the keiki. OK I could never leave them

200 Miles to go and plenty of wind to get them here. This morning at 0:600 they were at 35.20 n 127.25 w with 25 knots of wind in 10+ seas. The boat speed is 10+ and they hope to maintain speed to arrive in SB by Tuesday morning. Last night was the coldest night yet as well as the boat being pretty wet. Poor Steve got swamped by one of the only waves that hit the cockpit the whole trip. To make it worse he had just grabbed his dry clothes. I am sure they are more than ready to be on dry land and have a very long hot shower and a very cold beer. We are leaving bright and early tomorrow to make sure we are there when they arrive. Kara is driving down from San Fransisco to meet they crew and Steve's family will be there as well. We are so excited to also have a whole group of wonderful friends from Kauai and my cousin Tyson who now live in Santa Barbara. It will be a nice welcoming committee. We will get an afternoon update today with a more precise update on arrival.... I will try

35.20 North 127.25 West 399 Miles to go.... The Boys still have great wind and are doing about 10 knots in 16-18 knots of wind. Thor says that if they can maintain a average of 6.7 knots they could arrive in Santa Barbara on Tuesday afternoon... YES We can't wait.... The kids and I landed at midnight at LAX with a new appreciation for direct flights. After a long flight from Lihue to San Fran and a plane change to LAX the M.M.M came to be. (major mom maneuvering). How was I going to get two sleeping children, three carry on bags and a hand bag off the plane. Not to mention a stop at baggage claim to pick up two 50 pound pieces of luggage and the car seat. Waking Sienna was not an option, unless I was ready to replay a scene from the movie The Exorcist, and getting Tristan to help carry a bag at this stage of exhaustion would also be asking a little too much. Thus M.M.M... As I waited for everyone else to depart an agent called from the front asking if anyone needed a wheel chair

Today at 11 am the boat was 735 miles from SB and sailing along at 9-14 knots in 3-4 foot seas from every direction. They are at 36.06N 135 West Given that they have been out there for two weeks they still appear to be having fun. I am having a little fun of my own trying to fit a years worth of worldly possessions in one small suitcase. Yippee! The impact of leaving is starting to hit and it comes with mixed emotions. we are getting so excited to be finally doing it! Tomorrow the kids and I will board the jumbo jet and in 6 hours we will cover the same distance that will take the boys 2 1/2 weeks. fifteen minutes of flying is equal to a day on the water. Wow! Now that really puts it into perspective . The kids might finally get it. Keiki question of the day.... ... Is Daddy already passed Honolulu? It has been a long and very non child friendly last few months. As Tristan says, " Mom are we ever going to have fun?" Despite the long days and the unstructured madness, m

36.28 North 39.28 West SW Winds 15- 20 Great Conditions 976 Miles to go "It was the most beautiful night sailing ever" ... Thor The crew sailed all day Wednesday under spinnaker sail until they took it down at midnight. The conditions were amazing, with comfortable temperatures, clear skies and a really nice boat speed. Now as far as speed they are booking.... They hit their record for this trip 18.7 knots which is equivalent to 20 mph.. they are averaging 15 knots for the last few hours. The sailing feels safe and controlled and if they can keep the boat moving, they might even get there ahead of us. Steve to Rich "Spikes! Yes" "Hi Mom" and a Shout Out to his Peeps at Island Soap! Yes SP that means you. From the crew a big shout out to Tony Lehoven

Champagne for the crew as they celebrated their halfway mark. I don't know what the criteria was for halfway. I hope it was miles accomplished and not days underway. They have great wind and very nice conditions. They are 1130 miles from Santa Barbara and sailing along nicely at 8-9 knots of wind. The forecast for the next few days looks favorable , and if they can keep up their speed they could be there in the next 5-6 days. Position is 36.35 143.12 Winds from the NW `12-15 Seas 3 feet Boat Speed 8 knots

Today marks day 12 into the voyage across the Pacific. I had a little adrenalin boost when I received the phone call this morning . I answered our routine morning call with "Hi Honey" and the voice back was familiar but not right. Steve answered back with, "Hi Tanya It's Steve" my reply was "Is Thor OK" Steve casually replies "Oh yeah he's hand steering we are doing 10 and 11 knots so he is at the helm" My heart stopped for a mere three seconds with every tragic thought running through my head.. Anyway all is fine . Steve just wanted to send a message. Hi Friends and Family this has been an amazing adventure so far, I probably will not be back on the tenth. We are having a great time. I have been eating better on the boat than I have at home. Thanks Tanya! I liked that. And Larry ..... NO you can not have my Patron just yet! Position for Sept 1 36.15North 147.04 West sailing 10-11 knots in 17 knots of wind from the north. They are all out

As Meshach heads into the northern latitudes and colder weather the crew have now started to put on their socks and shoes for their night watches. The winds have picked up and the seas were a bit bumpy last night. They reefed down the sails last night , but are now under full sail doing 5 knots in 15 knots of wind from the NE. They are headed north and the seas have flattened a little this morning. Their position is 35.40 North 148.33 West (see map) As far as entertainment they are all getting a lot of reading in. Thor says mahalo to Candice and Mark for the books, he finished the Book Thief and Life of Pi

Same story different day... The boys are scooting along nicely doing 8 knots in 10-15 knots of wind from the NE. They are headed to a waypoint of 36 north 144 west. Today they are at 35.16 N 149.44W . Meanwhile we are enjoying our last days at home. Having lots of fun!

With 1700 miles to go the boat would need to maintain a steady speed of ten knots in order for the boat to reach Santa Babara by September 6th. (That's when we are scheduled to arrive) Not looking promising. Meshach has no problem sailing those speeds, but you need wind and well that has not been the story, until now. Right now they are sailing a speed of about 10 knots in 10 to 15 knots of wind from the south east. So even if they maintain this speed over the next week, which is unlikely they will still be short of the coast by about 100 miles. So it looks like we might just stay put a few extra days. They are expecting more wind according to the router, but we will have to wait and see. Aug 29 07:30 Don't they know it's Saturday and I was sleeping in. NOT!! 35.17 North 151.49 West winds 10-15 SE Till Tomorrow!

Aug 29 33.53 North 152.12 North 10 knots of wind from the SW doing 6 knots After 20 hours of the running the engine they have finally found the pocket of wind they need. According to the weather maps and the weather router they should be getting NW winds later today and start putting some miles behind them. Not much to report other than, Espressos and Biscotti for breakfast,they are hoping to catch a fish for lunch, and Steve spotted a ship on his night watch passing them and headed to Hawaii. Ooh Exciting! I am being sarcastic. Thor was hoping to catch up on reading. In the last few years it's been nothing other than how to books or operation manuals. No excuses now. At day ten they are still not at the halfway point. So all those nice halfway presents are still sitting to be opened. I might just have to stay a few days longer and enjoy some Kauai beach time with friends and family.

Aug 27 Weather Map Meshach is at 33.14 N 153.28 W They are in 8-10 knots of wind steering a course of 50 degrees. Today marks one week since they left Kauai and they are not quite half way across. They are experiencing what Thor called a HUGE groundswell from the north. They will contact the weather router today to see what they need to avoid. They have enjoyed receiving the text messages and say hi back to all who have written. All is well.

Yeah! I was finally able to add the map that will allow everyone to follow the boats position across the Pacific. Aug 26 @ 07:30 their position was 32.23 North 155.41 West. Not many miles were covered yesterday as they crawled along at two knots in flat seas, but they are now a much cleaner crew. Calm seas and a slow moving boat allowed them to do laundry, make water and have a much needed hot shower. Wow! Now that is luxury! Nothing like fresh sheets after six nights of salt scrubs. Hey people pay big bucks for that kind of treatment! On Tuesday they sailed through a cold front and are now in 20 knots of wind from the WNW. They are sailing along at 8 knots in 6 foot seas. They sound good and are enjoying being out there . I asked them if they have started estimating an arrival time. Not so much as they are still trying to get north and into some favorable winds. They have been using Commander Weather, a weather routing service that helps them determine the best point of sail to get th

Just got the update from Kara (Adams Wife) I am glad she got the call but missed hearing Thor's voice, even though it's only for a millisecond and we only talk about the weather. Aug 25 @ 0:700 30 degrees 51 minutes North 156 degrees 33 minutes West They are doing 4.5 knots right now but were averaging 7-8 during the night. They did about 180 miles in 24 hours which is pretty good. On day two out they did catch a baby Mahi Mahi that was just big enough for lunch for the three of them. I hoped they used the tortillas for fish tacos. Yes! that's me micromanaging. A cold front was approaching that should bring a southwesterly breeze that will be favorable for them. Kara was happy to hear his voice and said Adam was pretty sure at this rate he would miss a bachelor party in Tahoe, but it is still early in the trip so you never know. Other than a Tropic Bird they haven't seen much sea life, and have only spotted two ships. The Keiki and I are counting the days and checkin

OK All is well. Today's position is 28.24 North 157.12 west Winds 15 ENE Boat Speed 8-9 knots Skies are partly cloudy and squally conditions Barometer reads 1018 This is an image of the wind direction and speed for today. Imagine the lines are flags and the tails show the direction that the wind is blowing. Every tail represents 10 knots of wind and 1/2 a tail is 5 knots. So based their position, they better take a right hand turn and head east. They where in good spirits and eating a deluxe omelet that Steve whipped up. They weren't complaining about the food weight now! They were very thankful for their gourmet eats...

UPDATE! All is well on the high seas. The seas have calmed down and they are sailing in 2 foot seas with the ENE wind blowing a nice 15 Knots. The boat speed in 8-9 knots and they are all feeling great. The boats position @ 08:00 was 26.36 north 157.54 west. Track the boat here h ttp://earth.google.com/ Our phone calls are to the point. Where are you? Are you ok? How far have you traveled? Not much material to add to the blog. I am sure there will be plenty of fish tales on the other side. For now the land based Temme clan is busy finishing up "THE LIST" to transition into boat life. Wow ! It wasn't this hard last time around. I am looking forward to the simple life.

Good Morning 08:11 Just heard from the crew and all is well. There position is 25.12 north 157.57 west The ocean is ugly and confused 5-6 foot swell. The winds are at 15 knots and they are reefed down after a night full of squalls. The boat is slogging along at 4 knots... That is really slow and does not sound fun. They are in contact with a weather router who is calling for the winds to lighten up. I don't know if that is good or bad. Mal De Mar is present but subsiding. They sound in good spirits and say Hi. I am working on an interactive map for the sight so we can see and plot there daily progress.

I just got the first Satellite phone call from the crew. Their position is 23 degrees 27min north 158 degrees 25 min west. They are sailing along at a good speed in somewhat bumpy seas. All is well. The watch schedule will be 4 hours on 8 hours off. Thor will be from 6-10 Steve will do 10-2 Adam will do 2-8... I can text them a message. So if you want to leave a message let me know! Not much more to report as we are keeping the calls short. Off to my Birthday Massage.. Thank you Thor..

After four years of hard work refitting Meshach and months of preparing her and our family for this exciting adventure Meshach , has finally lifted her sails and presently charges northbound into the vast Pacific. Thor, Steve and Adam left this afternoon at 1:58 pm from Nawiliwili , Kauai. With overcast skies, a dampness in the air and white capped seas they sailed under reefed mains as family and friends watched from the dock. Tristan and I drove to the Ninini Lighthouse and arrived just as they were clearing the headland of Ninini Point. We called to say our final farewells and their spirits seemed as lively as the seas. There were tears of joy for so much accomplished, joined with tears of sadness as my best friend and our home for the next year set off into the vast Pacific. I am comforted by the combined knowledge and experience of the crew, the dedication to a long project and knowing that Thor is with two amazing friends. At 6:00 we received our last call as they sailed ou