Gracias a Brainstorm

As we look toward our departure from Brainstorm, I feel compelled to tell you a bit more about the vessel that has been our floating home.

She is a 40-foot Catalina sloop, made in 1995. She has a 5-foot, lead, winged keel which weighs 8000 lbs. All that weight is what keeps us upright, even in tumultuous seas and high winds. In total, Brainstorm weighs 32,000 lbs., which is 16 tons! Tomorrow, she will get hauled out of the water for repairs by a huge lift. Pretty amazing.


Her mast is 60 feet tall, and she is 13.5 feet at the beam (across at the widest point). She has two steering wheels, which is called ¨twin helm steering.¨ She has 1000 square feet of sail: 600 feet in the jib and 400 in the main. The anchor has 300 feet of chain to hold us firmly to the sea floor. She makes electricity from the sun, using 3 solar panels, and the wind, using a wind-generator; makes fresh water from the sea, using a desalinization system; charts our coarse with GPS; and propels us with her 42 horsepower engine, when needed (positive side-effect = hot water for showers). On our last 9-day trip we only used $50 of diesel fuel, which seems average.

She is the perfect vessel for whale, dolphin, turtle, and shoreline-watching. She cools our beer and heats our showers. She is a cradle that rocks us to sleep at night, a superb location for romantic dining, and transport to hidden coves and remote surf.

The best moments are those when the sails are full, the motor is off, and there is nowhere we have to be. For the last two months, we have made a home aboard this beautiful sailboat and she has proven to be sturdy and sleek. We will remember her hospitality for a long time. Cheers to Brainstorm and the ingenuity of the humans who create seafaring vessels!

Mini-dream come true

Hi everyone,

Today I had a very cool experience, one that I had been dreaming about for weeks. Traveling from place to place over the past two months, we have been highly aware of our role as visitors. We do our best to connect with people in very simple, very human ways--eye contact, conversation, smiles, etc.--and generally feel that we have had quality interactions with the local people along our way. Still, I often feel that I gain more than I am able to give. So, for the past month, I have been dreaming about going into the pueblitos, setting up an art table, and inviting people to paint or draw with me. Today the timing felt right.

We are in La Cruz, the town that has served as our hub on the Mexican mainland. The marina in La Cruz is fairly new, so the town still has a somewhat pre-tourism feel to it (at least compared to surrounding towns such as Puerto Vallarta and Punta de Mita). We have come to appreciate the local markets--one for fresh tortillas, one for meat, one for fish, another for veggies, etc.--the kind people, the bus system, and other trappings of what I'd call "authentic" Mexico.

I set up the art table in a centrally-located park, using two plastic tables and some chairs borrowed from the taco stand across the street. After hanging my sign (a combination of bubble-letters and my best Spanish), setting out the paints, and sharpening all the colored pencils, I only had to sit alone and idle for approximately 5 minutes before an adventurous family gathered around and began to paint. Awesome: a local couple was the great-aunt and uncle, with their family visiting from Tequila, Jalisco (not joking!), and two nephews who live in L.A. All told, about 12 people. They broke the ice. After that, I had a steady stream of ninos (kids), for the next two hours. It was AWESOME!!!! Ryan and Laura were my support crew; brought me ice cream, took pictures, helped clean up. As you can tell, I couldn't be happier about how it went. Perhaps we'll take this act "on the road" for the rest of the trip. Stay tuned.

Other news, before I sign off...Tomorrow we are parting ways with Laura and Jim. We have had such a great time with them on their beautiful boat. As many of you know, Laura and Jim's abundant love and willingness to have fun make them a joy to be around. We couldn't be more grateful for our time together.

Can you feel the love?!

On the flip side, we will be joined, for this final leg of our sailing adventure, by our friends Mike & Angie and Alex & Carrie. There is another northwest swell on the way and our favorite Mexican surfspots are only a few hours of sailing away, so we know we have good times ahead.

We love you all and want to remind you that, yes, the days are getting longer.

Peace,
Jess and Ryan

Bellenas mejores

Because seeing whales is one of the most amazing things that happens down here and, because after posting whale photos a couple weeks ago I realized that I uploaded the wrong photos, I have decided to dedicate another entry to these breathtaking, oversized mammals. I hope you will notice that these photos are more zoomed-in, and show our slowmoving and graceful friends a bit better than the previous ones. Also, Jim took video of one that was very close to the boat, and the sounds it made were otherworldly, so I thought I'd try to post a video too. Here goes: revised whale entry.

I think they're mating!

Look how much of the water is disturbed by their mass. And, wow! That's a dolphin in the foreground, too!

We hope you have enjoyed seeing nature's splendor through our lens. We know it barely does it justice, but we try.

Lots of love to you all,

Jess and Ryan