Monte, meet Yannie

After Carnaval, focus was again shifted towards Tao and her engine. In order to avoid a rather large marina bill, Chris decided to sail Tao engineless out of the Mazatlan Marina district down to the Old Harbor where anchoring is free. Adam from s/v Estrella offered to help crew the boat through the narrow and sometimes dangerous marina channel. With assistance (push) from two outboard motors on a very light offshore breeze, the morning of February 16th, Tao was finally free of her docklines once again. As usual during calm weather periods, afternoon onshore sea breezes picked up, and a couple hours later, Tao maneuvered nimbly to her new home anchored next to Estrella and several other sail boats in the Puerto Viejo (Old Harbor).

Chris still had hopes to get the engine fixed and Tao ready for sailing before his good friend Monte was due to visit February 19th-23rd. No dice. Apparently, parts shipped from the US using a preferred mail courier first get held up with customs paperwork, and then the courier drivers want a cut before they deliver the item to its intended destination. This occurs with DHL and UPS alike and, according to Total Yacht Works, could take up to 3 weeks depending on the demeanor of the person who was in charge when the package arrived. So, with a well timed visit from Monte on the horizon, Chris opted to 2nd Day Air the gaskets he needed from Florida to Monte’s house in Golden, Colorado.

Monte arrived safe and sound and hand delivered the ordered engine parts on Friday, February 19th. Monte’s first full day was spent with Chris and Adam putting Yannie’s head back on by reversing the steps Chris and his Dad went through to get the head off. Once finished, Yannie had received a new head gasket, exhaust manifold gaskets, and a new mixing elbow (Total Yacht Works manufactured from scratch at a local machine shop). Valves were adjusted, the correct torque was applied to both the studs and nuts with a borrowed torque wrench, and all hoses were connected. The time had come to turn the engine over, and… Wait for it… She fired right up! Thanks for the support from all the folks on the Sonrisa Net who jumped in to give some good help and advice during the early stages of the blowout, those who lent a hand in Marina Mazatlan and the Old Harbor, and especially to Adam and Kris from s/v Estrella and Monte Lunacek for their hands on support aboard Tao during this ordeal.

After enjoying a lovely dinner and a few tasty margaritas with Estrella in the main square of old town Mazatlan, Chris and Monte hit the hay tired from a long, productive day of work. They spent half the following day changing the oil in Yannie and preparing Tao for her first outing with Monte, avid outdoorsman but not so much a sailor (yet). In the afternoon, Tao sailed off her anchor in Old Harbor towards Isla Venados (Deer Island), the most prominent island located in the middle of a chain of 3 directly off the Gold Coast of Mazatlan.

It wasn’t far, but Monte had a flight to catch and time was short. They spent the night on the hook off the southeast corner of Isla Venados, and apart from a slight roll and steady NW breeze, they both slept well. Morning of February 22nd dawned bright and beautiful over Mazatlan. Chris and Monte went ashore and hiked to the highest peak of the island which entailed a moderate bush whack through the last few 100 yards. Views of Mazatlan to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west were the welcome reward.

They enjoyed a pleasant sail back to the Old Harbor, and then spent the rest of the afternoon researching Monte’s options for a trip down to Puerto Vallarta where his flight was scheduled to depart the next day. Chris and Monte had a dinner in town and then visited new cruising friends Ryan and Kristina on their sailboat, Caramelo, on the Singlar dock in the marina that evening. They said their goodbyes at around 9PM so Monte could catch his red-eye bus from Mazatlan to Puerto Vallarta. The trip was fast by cruising standards, but Chris much appreciated a visit from his long time friend from grad school. Thank you, Monte (aka Tao-buddy)!

TAO's first Carnaval

On the February 7th, still engineless, Chris’s father Dave flew back to Los Angeles, and the preparations for Mazatlan’s largest celebration of the year, Carnaval, heated up. Some say that Mazatlan has the second largest Carnaval celebration in Latin America, though as this was his first, Chris can’t confirm. Chris began his initiation into Carnaval by joining Adam and Kristina from Estrella and several other cruising couples to watch the super bowl at a local sports bar. To tell the truth, Chris didn’t know who was in contention for the super bowl this year, so he was a little apprehensive about entering the bar. But, it worked out well because the Saints and Colts had a very evenly matched game and the crowd was very easy going.

Carnaval proper spanned nearly a week, beginning Thursday, February 11th and ending Tuesday, February 16th. Again, Chris joined crews from several other cruising sailboats for forays into the largest of the Carnaval events, a reenactment of a battle between the French Navy and the Mazatlecos in the 1800s and an impressive parade. All night party goers from around Mexico and beyond came to enjoy these events and the non-stop festivities. People crowded the streets with colorful masks, outrageous costumes, and the ever popular fake jet black mustache, beard combo.

The highlight for Chris was the hour long fireworks display used to bring the battle with the French navy back to life. Fireworks were set off onboard several ships offshore depicting the attack on Mazatlan. These volleys from the sea were returned by land based launching sites, creating a spectacular pyrotechnic event that easily outlasted and outsized any 4th of July show Chris has witnessed. In the end, fireworks were used to depict the defeated ships ablaze after they failed to seize the port from the citizens. Amazing!!

Engine woes in Marina Mazatlan (Feb 5-15), just in time for Carnaval

Apart from a few speed bumps, Tao’s visit in Mazatlan was productive and rewarding. Chris and Dave set to improving the engine situation immediately upon arrival on February 5th. The same day, Chris started the engine for Rafael from Total Yacht Works to troubleshoot. As suspected, the head gasket had blown. Luckily, it had only ruptured along a small segment of the forward and starboard corner of the head, just aft of the manual hand crank on Tao’s Yanmar 2QM20. The critical cooling water pathways were luckily not in this portion, or the crew would have had to deal with water and exhaust spewing into the cabin along with exhaust fumes. From the time when the blowout occurred just outside Bahia Agua Verde to sailing onto the dock in Marina Mazatlan, Yannie chalked up 1 hour of engine run time. Hopefully, this has saved the head and block from further damage.

Chris and Dave removed the head and handed it over to Total Yacht Works for a more complete analysis of the damage extent. Initial reports in the days that followed indicated over 10 thousandths of an inch of head warp from overheating, which is over 2 times the specified limitations in the engine manual. Estrella, Tao, and friends began the search for a used head on the aftermarket, considering the brand new one from Yanmar had a $2,800 price tag, not including the shipping and import taxation. Apparently anything from Asia gets an import tax hike when shipping inbound. Ouch!

Online search efforts failed and repowering options were being considered when reports from Total Yacht Works recanted the initial diagnosis of a badly warped head. In fact, the head was within the specified 4 thousandths of an inch manufacturer limit, BUT another problem had been spotted. Cracks were identified in the seat of one of the exhaust valves. Upon visual inspection, these cracks were hard to see. Stepping back, Chris discussed with Rafael and his father about the root cause of the blown gasket in the first place…overheating. In a raw water cooled engine, sea water passes through passageways in and around the head and block surrounding the pistons where the most heat is produced during engine combustion. Upon visual inspection, a majority of these passageways for cooling were at least partially and some completely clogged. Chris spent half a day clearing these with a scratch awl and anything else sharp that he could fit into the tight spaces. The narrow constrictions which passed water from head to block, and vice versa, had been especially blocked. The overheating alarm never went off, which indicates that the head was unevenly overheated. The areas that were reached by the seawater cooling water were within normal temperature ranges, while the areas that were clogged where likely overheated, eventually resulting in the blown gasket. With raw water passageways cleared, Chris hopes that returned normal water flow in these areas will prevent future over heating of the head once reinstalled. More on the engine repair will follow soon...

Southern Crossing: Muertos to Mazatlan

Passage: Bahia de los Muertos to Mazatlan

Travel time: 49.5 hours

Average speed: 4.3 knots

Approximate mileage: 210 nautical miles

The morning of February 3^rd dawned with clearing skies and a light offshore breeze. Chris and Dave made ready for the beginning of their 195-nm passage to Mazatlan, sent out their last emails, and raised anchor at a little after 10AM. Winds were light from astern at first, but quickly rotated clockwise as Tao made way a few miles offshore. As the wind veered, the crew went through several sail combinations before settling on the simplest; the working 100% jib and a single reefed main. A very pleasant and steady 10-15 knots of wind built out of the northern quadrant.

Tao sailed windward of the Mazatlan waypoint to be upwind of the objective in case of an unfavorable shift in wind direction. Besides a few ominous looking clouds looming off both bow and stern, the route appeared clear and visits from several pods of dolphins helped us along. The last rays of the sun filtered through the grey cloud mass off the slowly shrinking land mass behind us. Yellow light soon faded to red, purple, and then the only light left was that produced by lightening in flashes from every direction. With the darkness, Chris and Dave became acutely aware of just how many cloud cells were tracking across the waters. The largest and closest off their stern was the focus for now, but lightening was continuously flashing in the distance from at least 3 other locations.

The shift schedule consisted of four 3-hr shifts at night and three 4-hr shifts during the day. The first evening shift started at 1900 hours, and the odd number of shifts ensured a switchover. Regardless of who was on watch, both Chris and Dave spent the first night on the edge of their nerves enraptured with the incredible storm cells, and changed course several times in attempts to avoid their apparent tracks. Darkness changed their perspective, and the storms appeared larger, more threatening, and closer than they actually were. The only other vessel noted that stormy night was the overnight ferry destined for Mazatlan from La Paz, steaming directly towards its goal without concern for the storm cells exploding all around.

Sunrise on their second day out, February 4^th, was a welcome sight. To the great relief of Tao’s crew, the night’s storms greatly dissipated and pleasant winds filled in at steady 10-12 knots from the NW. However, now in the middle of the southern crossing, the seas became bouncy and uncomfortable with short period swell from almost every direction one could imagine. As multiple layers of waveforms with different frequency, amplitude, and period collided with one another, some added to wave size, while others cancelled each other out. Add to this huge tidal forces rushing unfathomable amounts of water in and out of the Sea of Cortez can increase wave steepness and propensity to break all together creating unpredictable mixed seas.

In short, Tao’s crew were being knocked this way and that by short, steep 1-3 foot mixed slop. In fact, the energy expended trying to keep oneself upright and free from seasickness in these conditions is sailor exercise. No joke, you burn calories. Chris and Dave spent a lot of time during the journey across to Mazatlan in the cockpit, sitting and watching the living sea around them. The second night out was nothing like the first. The seas were so bouncy they had to wedge themselves into the sea berth with two cushions. Still, sleep was much improved from the previous night, with now clear skies and pleasant winds. Off the bow, the city lights beckoned for most of the early morning hours, and Tao was 10 miles short of her destination when the sun arose on February 5^th.

The initial plan was to go directly into the Puerto Viejo (Old Port) and set the hook in the free anchorage off of a place called Club Nautico. This is located at the south end of Mazatlan, near to the city center where the large Mazatlan shrimping fleet is based and where the large passenger ferries dock. Oddly, the only marina facility is located on the opposite side of town, 7 miles north, and it is built into a dredged estuary. This feat of engineering accommodates 4 different marinas and numerous pleasure yachts.

Since a top priority was getting the engine looked at, Chris hailed the Yanmar mechanics at Total Yacht Works on the VHF and after brief conversations Tao grudgingly changed course to head 7 miles upwind toward the end tie of Dock 4 at Marina Mazatlan. Frustratingly, the wind nearly disappeared just as the course changed and the crew spent most of the morning slowly sailing Tao into the tight marina entrance at the north end of town. They sailed safely onto the marina end tie around 11:30AM. Chris and Dave had made it to Mazatlan 4 days ahead of Dave’s scheduled February 9^th departure flight. Coming off of a sailing passage, no less tying onto a dock, was a bit of a shock for both of them. Suddenly surrounded by the noises of industry and the hustle and bustle of people it was time to assess the engine...

San Gabriel to Muertos

Passage: Bahia San Gabriel to Bahia de los Muertos

Travel time: 23.75 hours

Average speed: 2.3 knots (brought down by the night calm...)

Approximate mileage: 53.2 nautical miles

January 31^st. The distance between the anchorage and the shore in Bahia San Gabriel (Isla Espiritu Santo) was very deceptive from the perspective of Tao’s cockpit. Chris and his dad sailed onto anchor in 15-20-feet of water which would normally imply a close proximity to the shoreline. Not in this case. It was a good 20 minute motor ride with all of Seahor’s 2 horsies working overtime before Eeyore landed ashore. But during the trip, they were rewarded with stunning water colors, from blue to light green, and everything in between as the sun shone brightly. Once finally ashore, it was hard to see Tao’s hull and mast bobbing out in the massive bay.

They began walking inland towards a large salt water lagoon rimmed with mangroves. Vegetation was sparse and rugged, spiny acacias, cacti, and lots of raw rock. They walked across 2.5-miles of spectacular desert scape. It was warm enough to work up a sweat, but nothing compared to the baking summertime temperatures. After about an hour of weaving through prickly underbrush they finally made it to the east side of the Isla overlooking the small bay formed by Punta Bonanza for a quick PB&J lunch. A small cruise ship was anchored peacefully in the lee of the point while small wavelets broke along a nicely formed sand beach littered with colorful seashells.

After lunch, Dave returned to San Gabriel via the direct return route while Chris explored the area around Punta Bonanza more thoroughly. He wanted to find the elusive hot springs that were described briefly in the old Charlie’s Chart cruising guide. No dice. His efforts were instead rewarded with the discovery of an old set of concrete foundations apparently left from a failed business venture or fishing village and a the spotting of a Conejo Negro, an endemic species of black rabbit on the island.

Rocky was hauled aboard the next day (February 1^st), and sails were set. There was a surprisingly heavy pull of an unknown force towards La Paz. Mechanics could be found in La Paz, and parts could be shipped down from the States. Plus, we could contact Doug, the sailmaker and canvas guru at Snug Harbor Sails about a future wishlist upgrade…a dodger. Thus, the delay could be used to address two goals instead of one. Furthermore, Chris already knew his way around La Paz because of the time he and Shawn spent there last winter and the ambrosia served in the form of homemade ice cream from the masters at La Fuente was particularly enticing. All in all, the tractor beam now aimed at Tao from La Paz was getting dangerously close and indeed, course was set for La Paz.

Fortunately, word over the ham airwaves arrived that boat engine parts could take weeks to get down to La Paz. As can be seen in the passage track above, Tao abruptly turned 180 degrees and course was newly set for Bahia de los Muertos, staging ground for the southern crossing of the Sea of Cortez. New destination: Mazatlan; where flight arrangements awaited Dave and fortuitously(?) the only certified Yanmar mechanics on the West Coast of Mexico are based.

Tao tacked east through Lorenzo channel on a building NE breeze and navigation was via our previous waypoints and depth monitoring as the channel markers had been removed. Besides tacking, entertainment included watching an undersized motorboat with a blue flashing light on top trying to maneuver the huge replacement channel buoys into place as we sailed by. Winds were very favorable on the beam into the evening as miles were quickly ticked off to Muertos between Isla Cerralvo and the Baja peninsula. But night fell, and so did the winds. As was the case last time Tao approached Muertos nearly a year previously, the rest of the night and some of the morning of February 2^nd was spent covering the last 18 of the 53-mile journey. Mid morning the hook was set in Bahia de los Muertos, where 4 other yachts were anchored.

No rest for the weary as Chris and Dave headed into the Bay of Dreams Beach Club (renamed for marketing purposes) and spent the afternoon on the internet, using the telephone, and attempting to get parts mailed to Mexico before they set off across to Mazatlan. As they sat in the palapa eating a large plate of arrachera (a popular beef cut with the locals), a large dark cell of rain descended upon the anchorage, delivering a deluge of water complete with thunder and several lightening bolts. Still, weather reports from saildocs GRIB files and Don and Geary on the Amigo and Sonrisa Nets, respectively, were looking good for a morning departure. Rain continued to fall after sunset, and it was even cool enough to dust off the diesel cabin heater. The cabin hadn’t been that cozy since Chris and Shawn were anchored at Little Harbor on Catalina Island welcoming in the new year of 2009. Time to catch up on some sleep…

Practice pays off, really no engine...

All our previous practice sailing around with the engine as unused backup really pays off when the engine decides not to work.

Chris and his father Dave flew from LAX to Loreto, Mexico last Friday (1/22). Noah from Scheherazade, still working on repowering his boat in Puerto Esconditio, picked them up from the airport and delivered them to Tao. The next two days were spent organizing, shopping, and in general preparation for cruising. After confirming, by adding nearly all the water from our 7 5-gallon collapsible jugs, that our tanks which the specs say hold 35-gallons each actually hold only 20-gallons, on Monday (1/25) they waved goodbye to Noah and Virgil and sailed off the mooring at about 3pm. The short trip across to Isla Danzante was good sailing with NW winds cranking about 20-25-knots for the straight shot east. Only about 2-miles from the mooring inside Puerto Escondido, it was nice to finally be moving.

That evening around 9pm as Chris was reading, the NW wind finally blew itself out, completely died, and was followed by small south gusts. Honeymoon Cove is very tight side to side with a beautiful sand beach at the shore end. As Tao started drifting closer to the walls, it was time to put the stern anchor out. Chris rowed it out in Eeyore while Dave’s calls echoed off the walls to help him position it. Success! The next morning (1/26) after a nice hike on Isla Danzante with good chats and great views of Isla Carmen and their track to Agua Verde from the peak nearest their cove, they were off again heading south on "no wind" from Don's report, and a southerly component according to Geary.

They made it to Agua Verde that evening, mostly under motor with an hour and a half of sailing wing-on-wing at 3.5-knots. It was one of those beautiful days with perfect amount of sun, perfect board shorts temperature, and just light breezes on the water. The swell from the Norther had really diminished, so the sea barely had any roll too it. Around sunset Rocky was set in the southern lobe of Agua Verde. Given the forecast for SE the next day a layover day was spend exploring the main beach and awaiting the forecast fresh westerlies and northwesterlies.

At oh-dark-hundred (3am) Thursday (1/28), the crew was up and off again heading south for a big 50-mile day. After an hour of motoring Yannie started making a weird hissing noise with every compression of one cylinder. Well, wouldn't you know it but she blew a head gasket. Although she still starts, she won’t stay running at idle and really shouldn’t be run. So, on they sailed into light, very light air, and then finally some wind, making 4-5-knots for a time but against the current. Along the way they saw several whales, lots of birds, lots of sun, clouds and water and they arrived just as dark descended in spot which thankfully had good holding, 7-miles shy of their Evaristo goal, in a tiny hamlet called Nopolo. All day strategy was discussed, and is continually developing. Shawn was wrangled to do internet research and contact diesel mechanics from the states and current ideas range from the do-it-ourselves stop in La Paz to pick up DHL’ed parts to sailing directly across to Mazatlan (where Dave has a flight connection (2/9) and there is a known diesel mechanic) to allow more time for the 170-mile-sans-engine crossing…

Friday morning dawned (1/29) and sails were set for a lovely downwind sail; 10-15-knots and slight 2-ft sea from the NW, drifter and sun with grey clouds over the mountains and a light morning drizzle near Evaristo. Stunningly beautiful. Another tiring day full of good sailing, the hook was set in Bahia Grande on Isla Partida, and the crew enjoyed some solid sleep in the moonlit anchorage. Awaiting e-mails with answers to engine questions, Chris and Dave enjoyed hiking around on Partida in the morning then sailed off of anchor in Bahia Grande and back onto anchor in Bahia San Gabriel at the southern end of Espiritu Santo (1/30).

There was a little trouble with no wind when passing by Candeleros and Isla Ballena but they waited it out basking in the sun and flat calm water just off of Puerto Ballena (the large bay with two islands south of Candeleros). Many powerboats with wakes went by and jet skis even came off of one. It's crazy being so close to La Paz again with a much different feeling than the Loreto/Escondido area. San Gabriel is a gigantic bay with shoaling very far out and gorgeous views back toward La Paz and Ballandra as the sun sets and rays disperse through the clouds. After getting weather from Don, this Sunday (1/31), day-6 of the adventure, will be spent on a hunt for hot springs to soak in on the east side of Espiritu Santo and more discussions about the strategy...

Catching up with ourselves... 2010 already?!

Post yoga bliss at Just A Taste Ithaca, NY

January 6, 2010; As Tao bobbed around her mooring in the sunshine of Puerto Escondito, in Baja Mexico patiently waiting, all 3 of her crew members (including the feline cohort) sat in the Ithaca, NY airport looking out the windows at the winter scene of snow falling and blowing amidst a blinding white layer of frozen land. Another delayed flight through Philly, surprisingly reminiscent of our reuniting there and being delayed overnight on the way to the east coast for the holidays. But there’s a lot to catch up on that got us here we should back up…

Shawn started teacher training (TT) October 4th after Chris drove her and all of her gear to Las Vegas. Chris returned to his dad's in Palos Verdes to collect equipment for Tao. He purchased and serviced the new-to-us 2006 4-person canister Avon life raft, AIS (thank you Jane!), auto pilot, 200’ of chain, tricolor masthead light, redesigned the head system, visited Minnie’s twice and West Marine 3 times (thanks to Scheherazade!). All the while Chris did PT and rehabilitation for his shoulder and spent time with Dave and Anette as they remodeled the interior of their new home into which they moved in early December. Chris also notably had a reunion with Santa Monica high school friends at the Bagel Nosh a classic high school brunch hangover hangout and on to a BBQ at Ari’s house. Halloween weekend Chris visited Shawn in Vegas.

In November Shawn continued with TT in the crazy yoga-bubble life in Las Vegas taking two yoga classes a day plus lectures and Mahabharat until the wee hours of the morning. Chris, on the other hand, was moving. From the 4-12th he and Pepe were in Mexico at the boatyard in San Carlos for 10 long sweaty dusty days to recommission Tao. When he got there, the deep sump and bilge had over topped with water up to the sole from Hurricane Jimena. The key issue is the lazarette locker leak for which we’ll continue to search for yet another “fix”. A few achievements:
· Our close up job was bomber and Chris undid all that work and is still trying to get adhesive off from duct tape.
· We had a bottom job done and last moment had to re do the boot stripe.
· Customized our head system (this is the fifth upgrade) by installing a MarkV Whale sanitation pump to replace our Headmate hand pump, which failed early in our voyages, for a final product of a half Lavac and half Thetford Headmate system. Works great so far!
· Improved and rust-proofed our original (1979) stove by reshaping currently made burners to fit our stove.
· After filling our dried out port tank and disinfecting our starboard tank that had a bit of algal growth in the bleach water that we had left in the tank, Chris installed an in-line filter between our freshwater tanks and our galley hand pump.

The 14-22nd Chris came back to the states. First to Flagstaff, AZ for WFR recertification through NOLS (unfortunately the first day was spent fighting montezumas revenge, gracias Mexico). He then made his way to Vegas for one last visit to Shawn at TT and on the 22nd headed back to Mexico via Tufesa bus, leaving Pepe with Shawn. November 24th Tao splashed after nearly 6 months on the hard. Thankfully Pisces was there to assist Chris anchoring in the harbor (with our new system 200-ft of ¼ inch high test 7800-lb breaking strength). Chris then readied Tao for her first passage of the season. Rewired switches for electrical panel, climbed the mast several times, ran rigging, bent sails, installed a new masthead light (after luckily and thankfully finding an extra available wire), installed a new VHF for the sweet new AIS system. Buffed topsides. Pumped Eeyore and got the Seahor running (although she’s begging for a spark plug replacement). Reinstalling Moni and our boom alone were feats of great magnitude. Thanksgiving was bittersweet spent apart- Shawn in Vegas with yoga family and Chris with sailing family Pisces in San Carlos.

December we finally got back together! On the 20th both of us flew east, Shawn from SFO, Chris from LAX. We met in Philly for a snowstorm that delayed all flights, stayed there for a night, and arrived in Ithaca 24 hours later than expected, but all luggage intact and ecstatic to be together. A very nice homecoming, we spent Christmas proper with Shawn’s entire little family based at her Mum, Judy’s, holiday decorated moose-laden home. Shawn’s Dad, Ken, as well as her brother, Chuck, sister-in-law Maura, nephew Liam and twin nieces, Campbell and Ainsley came to visit, exchange gifts, and have a lovely holiday ham dinner together. This is the first time in a decade that Shawn has been home for the holidays, thanks to Bamp for bringing us all together! We miss her very much. After a quick trip to Kingston, Ontario to say goodbye, we returned to Ithaca, spent a lovely evening with Shawn’s best friend from high school, Leah and her partner Gretchen and then 3 days straight of teaching/taking classes at David Corson’s Bikram studio in Ithaca, we rung 2010 in mellow-style in Ithaca after a nice hike then early dinner with Shawn’s parents (Judy’s cooking = YUM!).

2010 already?! January 1-2nd we headed north in Leah’s Honda Civic (same era as Pepe) who did very well in the winter wonderland of upstate NY. We had a very nice visit with both Chuck & Maura and our nearly walking nieces Ainsley and Campbell (10 months) and rambunctious nephew Liam (3). We are amazed at how smoothly they are handling having three little kids!!! We also managed to have a fun snowmobile and dinner with Aunt Barbie, Uncle B and Cousin Daniel too! Back in Ithaca, the 4th was a momentous day in which Shawn taught a 25 person class with 3 beginners one of which was her father!!

And that brings us back to the airport as we traveled away from the winter wonderland of Ithaca; all three of us together flying across the country to SFO spending our last moments for the next few months together. Chris continued on to LA for his final shoulder rehab check for “full duty work release” (aka 100% recovery) then back to Mexico and Tao. Shawn and Grizzly went north to Petaluma to take advantage of all her hard work at TT by gaining experience actually teaching as well as taking advantage of a tremendous opportunity to work with Lynn Whitlow. 2009 passed by like a whirlwind. Some of our last year’s resolutions came to be, while others were swept away in the constant swirl of life’s turbulent flow. We entered 2009 together and focused; we enter 2010 separate and scattered. Again we will be apart for the coming months, but we know that it will bring us closer together for a better-quality future. Welcome to the next chapter in our story…