Bird sightings from my desk at OB home.
Yellow-rumped Warbler
eating palm fruits
Yellow-rumped Warbler
1st winter Audubon female
February 16, 2020
Birds spotted at Steamboat Springs in January 2020
Lots of snow piled up on the ground and the rivers are almost frozen.
Steamboat Springs, January 2020
Steamboat Springs, January 2020
American Dipper
on the almost frozen Yampa River
American Dipper dipping into water for bugs
Black-billed Magpie
Black-capped chickadee
Mountain Chickadee
Red shafted Northern Flicker
Red shafted Northern Flicker
Birds spotted in Northern Arizona, January 2020
Birds spotted at around 6000 feet in January near Happy Jack in northern Arizona.
Pine and Juniper forest.
Acorn woodpecker
Common Raven
near recent fire burn in Happy Jack
Common raven soaring
(crows don't soar on thermals)
Stellar Jay
Townsend's Solitaire
in front of home in Happy Jack
Birds seen in December near Mission Bay, San Diego
Birds spotted along Mission Bay and the outflow of San Diego River into Dog Beach.
December, 2020
American coot foreground, grebe in background
San Diego River estuary
Great Blue Heron
Marina Villiage
Great Egret
Breeding plumage
Marina Villiage
Great Scaups
adults and juveniles
Long billed Curlew
Marbled Godwit (foreground)
Scoter
November 21, 2019
The Alize' has sold to the highest bidder
There is an old cliche in the boating community, 'the two happiest days in a boater's life are the day you buy the boat and the day you sell the boat.'
I am not one to cling to an old cliche but in this case, the adage rings true.
Closing sale documents are sitting in my inbox and I am elated.
Joyful.
I am filled with joy because this beautiful vessel has found a new home and a new life.
There are adventures on the horizon for this old sailboat. Her story is still unfolding. Her future is unwritten.
You see....once you start in with the old cliches, they just begin spilling forward.
What more can I say. I took this vessel to the glaciers of Alaska and then down to the islands of Mexico. Considering this boat was marketed as a coastal cruiser, I should say that we certainly cruised some coastline.
She never let me down.
That is what is so hard to say goodbye to.
She was good to the last drop.
She was always ready for more. She rarely complained. Maybe never, she may have never complained.
She entered my life with a strong, functional Yanmar diesel engine and she has now left my life with the same strong and functional Yanmar diesel.
If I ever buy another boat (I will), that boat will contain a Yanmar diesel.
Oh, and I will buy another boat.
Mark my words.
It won't be for some time. I am currently enjoying the hell out of not owning a boat. But soon enough I will be sniffing around the docks, looking for something that is ready to head out to Sea.
Something big and blue water ready.
But until that moment, I may buy something small and leave it on a mooring ball in Mission Bay, perhaps in Mariner's Cove. Yes, I am saying it now... I am in the market for a 25 footer to hold me over until I pick up a blue water cruiser.
But for now, so long Alize' and thanks for the memories....
I am not one to cling to an old cliche but in this case, the adage rings true.
Closing sale documents are sitting in my inbox and I am elated.
Joyful.
I am filled with joy because this beautiful vessel has found a new home and a new life.
There are adventures on the horizon for this old sailboat. Her story is still unfolding. Her future is unwritten.
You see....once you start in with the old cliches, they just begin spilling forward.
She never let me down.
That is what is so hard to say goodbye to.
She was good to the last drop.
She was always ready for more. She rarely complained. Maybe never, she may have never complained.
She entered my life with a strong, functional Yanmar diesel engine and she has now left my life with the same strong and functional Yanmar diesel.
If I ever buy another boat (I will), that boat will contain a Yanmar diesel.
Oh, and I will buy another boat.
Mark my words.
It won't be for some time. I am currently enjoying the hell out of not owning a boat. But soon enough I will be sniffing around the docks, looking for something that is ready to head out to Sea.
Something big and blue water ready.
But until that moment, I may buy something small and leave it on a mooring ball in Mission Bay, perhaps in Mariner's Cove. Yes, I am saying it now... I am in the market for a 25 footer to hold me over until I pick up a blue water cruiser.
But for now, so long Alize' and thanks for the memories....
May 16, 2019
The boat is emptied out and clean, she is ready for a new owner.
My beautiful Newport 30 sailboat is cleaned out and prepped for the market.
Yes, all good things must pass. My beloved Alize is no different...
I drove my truck down the Baja peninsula and hauled all my boat stuff back to San Diego.
Alize is now listed with La Paz Yachts, ask for Tom. He is the man. Here is the listing page. Tom can handle all inquiries and take you out for a visit to the boat.
This 30 foot sailboat has a beautiful and functional Yanmar diesel.
The boat is ready to island hop in the Sea of Cortez.
She is ready for her next adventure!
Main cabin and settee
Rotating small dinner table, perfect for 2.
Here she rests at dock in Marina Costa Baja, just a few miles from the town of La Paz, Mexico.
You can find more details on the website at La Paz Yachts. All inquiries about boat should be directed at Tom at La Paz Yachts.
Yes, all good things must pass. My beloved Alize is no different...
I drove my truck down the Baja peninsula and hauled all my boat stuff back to San Diego.
Alize is now listed with La Paz Yachts, ask for Tom. He is the man. Here is the listing page. Tom can handle all inquiries and take you out for a visit to the boat.
This 30 foot sailboat has a beautiful and functional Yanmar diesel.
The boat is ready to island hop in the Sea of Cortez.
She is ready for her next adventure!
Here she rests at dock in Marina Costa Baja, just a few miles from the town of La Paz, Mexico.
You can find more details on the website at La Paz Yachts. All inquiries about boat should be directed at Tom at La Paz Yachts.
March 7, 2019
Dorado from the Sea of Cortez
Last year, I caught this beautiful Dorado out in southern end of the Canal de San Jose.
It is rare that I am fully prepared to bring in a decent sized pelagic fish on the Alize'.
But in this moment, I was equipped with the proper Mexican fishing license, a stout deep sea pole and reel and good high test line. This fish put up a good fight.
My girlfriend is famously known for NOT eating fish. This has been a major source of tension in our relationship. However, we broke this trend with this delicious Dorado.
After filleting the fish, we sliced off section for sashimi and seasoned to taste with spices and soy sauce.
The meal was fantastic!
It is rare that I am fully prepared to bring in a decent sized pelagic fish on the Alize'.
But in this moment, I was equipped with the proper Mexican fishing license, a stout deep sea pole and reel and good high test line. This fish put up a good fight.
 |
| Dorado from the Canal de San Jose |
My girlfriend is famously known for NOT eating fish. This has been a major source of tension in our relationship. However, we broke this trend with this delicious Dorado.
After filleting the fish, we sliced off section for sashimi and seasoned to taste with spices and soy sauce.
The meal was fantastic!
January 31, 2019
Broke another tiller...and got a new one.
Hello sailing friends,
Long time no talk... Winter is the least boat-y season of the year.
Like many, I've been busy with the holiday season and travel...
Fortunately, I have a 2 week sail planned with the Alize' down in southern Baja.
The plan is to slowly travel from La Paz up to the islands near Loreto.
To prepare for this journey, I've just purchased a beautiful new tiller for the Newport 30 sailboat.
Check her out, this just arrived in the mail.
As you can see, the designers included a large "rise" in the dimensions. In fact, this is a 16 inch shift in plane. This allows the tiller to turn in a large radius without hitting the edge of my cockpit seats.
I am planning to sell the boat, so I thought it would be cool to put a fresh tiller on the boat.
If anyone is looking for a promptly built tiller, I recommend Jamestown Distributors. They built this in 4-5 days and the price was very reasonable.
I think I paid 140$, something like that...
Long time no talk... Winter is the least boat-y season of the year.
Like many, I've been busy with the holiday season and travel...
Fortunately, I have a 2 week sail planned with the Alize' down in southern Baja.
The plan is to slowly travel from La Paz up to the islands near Loreto.
To prepare for this journey, I've just purchased a beautiful new tiller for the Newport 30 sailboat.
Check her out, this just arrived in the mail.
As you can see, the designers included a large "rise" in the dimensions. In fact, this is a 16 inch shift in plane. This allows the tiller to turn in a large radius without hitting the edge of my cockpit seats.
I am planning to sell the boat, so I thought it would be cool to put a fresh tiller on the boat.
If anyone is looking for a promptly built tiller, I recommend Jamestown Distributors. They built this in 4-5 days and the price was very reasonable.
I think I paid 140$, something like that...
December 11, 2018
Whale sharking in La Paz!
Temperatures have finally dropped in La Paz, Mexico. It is back to being pleasant...
Jessica and I invited her sister and brother in law to join us for a week of boating and snorkeling. La Paz did not disappoint.
With a bit of effort, we climbed on board one of the whale shark guide boats. Luckily, the sharks were in town!
 |
| A 25 foot whale shark almost eats Kari. |
The whale sharks are truly magnificent creatures. Fortunately, the local government is doing a great job managing this natural resource. All boats must have a permit to snorkel with this enormous fish.
Hopefully many more generations will get a chance to see them in action...
 |
| our dingy out on Espiritu Santo |
We sailed out to Espiritu Santo and immediately met up with very strong winds. This was borderline unsafe and so we returned to safe harbor a few days before plan. A dive boat capsized in the same weather, so we are happy with our decision to be the prudent mariners.
 |
| rooftop dinner in La Paz |
 |
| until next time Mexico! |
November 2, 2018
Fishing the Yampa when its too hot to sail a boat in Mexico
Hello boating friends....
You have not heard much from me lately as the weather has been far too warm to venture down to Baja...
I am still living in San Diego but my boat is no longer tied up in Mission Bay.
My beloved sailboat remains tied up in La Paz, Mexico. The average day time high is in the mid-90s from about June to October. This heat also arrives with a fair amount of humidity.
So.. that is not pleasant.
After our final trip down in July, we decided not to return until the temps dropped into the 80s.
This is just starting to happen. We have our first post-summer trip planned out in about a week. Should be great.
So, what does a skipper do while not sailing?
Fishing of course!
 |
| A nice rainbow trout in Colorado |
 |
| You can see the resemblance... |
Truth be told, the Yampa is running a little low this year. We are all hoping that the snow pack increases into the Winter.... The fish could use some more water.
Until next time,
Captain Curran
June 4, 2018
Dropping anchor in a collapsed volcano
We recently sailed out to a gorgeous anchorage on the island of Espiritu Santu. After heading 25 nautical miles north of the La Paz, we reached a unique spot called Caleta Partida.
At one point this bay was actually a volcano. Then the volcano erupted and after that - the volcano collapsed.
When you drop anchor in Caleta Partida, you are sailing into the middle of a sunken volcano.
From this photo, you can see the walls of the ancient volcano. Our boat in anchored here in about 15 feet of water, you can see the water turns to a light blue as you near the shore. This shoal area goes down to about 3 feet and is then exposed at low tide.
Green sea turtles are abundant in this bay. We tried to capture them in a photo, but that's like playing whack-a-mole....
Winds can whip up to a gale without a moment's notice in this Baja anchorage. The high walls on the north do provide some protection from northerly winds, however west winds will rip right in...
Here is a blog post from some like-minded sailors, they also enjoyed their stay in the collapsed volcano.
At one point this bay was actually a volcano. Then the volcano erupted and after that - the volcano collapsed.
When you drop anchor in Caleta Partida, you are sailing into the middle of a sunken volcano.
 |
| The Alize' in a collapsed volcano |
From this photo, you can see the walls of the ancient volcano. Our boat in anchored here in about 15 feet of water, you can see the water turns to a light blue as you near the shore. This shoal area goes down to about 3 feet and is then exposed at low tide.
Green sea turtles are abundant in this bay. We tried to capture them in a photo, but that's like playing whack-a-mole....
 |
| Jess and I after taking the dingy ashore. |
Winds can whip up to a gale without a moment's notice in this Baja anchorage. The high walls on the north do provide some protection from northerly winds, however west winds will rip right in...
Here is a blog post from some like-minded sailors, they also enjoyed their stay in the collapsed volcano.
April 9, 2018
The Origo 3000, my trusty marine alcohol stove
A review of the Origo 3000, the 2-burner stove in my boat's galley
 |
| My girlfriend cleaning our Origo 3000 |
Also, I'm a low-tech guy. Whenever possible, I try to keep it simple. This means, if I can do something with less wiring and without a digital interface, then I opt for that.
When I start thinking about cooking dinner, the last thing I want to deal with is faulty wiring or a funky pressure regulator an empty gas tank. This line of thinking brought me to this very sturdy and effective alcohol stove.
This 2-burner stove is made of stainless steel and it burns pure alcohol. So, when I need more fuel, I go to home depot or my local hardware store and buy a 1 gallon jug of pure ethanol. This costs about 15$ per gallon. I live on board my ship and I cook often on board. I probably burn through a gallon of alcohol fuel in one month. This means, a few times a year, I go to the hardware store and buy 5-6 of these 1-gallon containers. I stash them in my dock box and pull one out when needed.
Getting fuel has never been a hassle. The stove itself costs about $360 - so it's a bit pricier than a Coleman classic propane stove.
You can see on the close-up photo below, that there's a knob for each burner. If you want more heat, you turn to the right, this removes a steel cap and allows for a larger flame.
For the past 7 years, I have (accidentally) beaten the hell out of this stove, and it still works perfectly. I love sailing in heavy weather. Before I began attaching the stove to the fridge with velcro tape, I often knocked this thing over and it crashed onto the floor. This happened a lot. There's no damage at all on this thing. Simple and strong design.
I bought mine on Amazon. Here's a link to the Origo 3000 stove page on Amazon. You can check - but I believe they will ship it for free.
Don't ask me how I got Jess to clean the stove (usually that's my job.)
I know there are some people who complain that it's tough to get a pan really hot with this alcohol stove. This hasn't been a problem for me. A pot of water comes to a boil fairly quickly. I suppose there are some things that wouldn't work. Stir fry in a wok probably wouldn't work with this thing. Not sure, I never tried.
Captain Curran
If you're looking for more thoughts and opinions on stoves, this forum includes many other sailor's opinions on all sorts of boat galley stoves.
Fair winds!
Getting fuel has never been a hassle. The stove itself costs about $360 - so it's a bit pricier than a Coleman classic propane stove.
Origo 3000 fits on top of a mini-fridge
As you can see in the photo below, I place my Origo stove
on top of my mini-fridge. To keep it from flying off the fridge, I put a bit of velcro tape in between the stove and fridge, this keeps things in order when I'm heeled over at Sea.
on top of my mini-fridge. To keep it from flying off the fridge, I put a bit of velcro tape in between the stove and fridge, this keeps things in order when I'm heeled over at Sea. |
| My Origo 3000 now sits on my mini-fridge. |
You can see on the close-up photo below, that there's a knob for each burner. If you want more heat, you turn to the right, this removes a steel cap and allows for a larger flame.
 |
For the past 7 years, I have (accidentally) beaten the hell out of this stove, and it still works perfectly. I love sailing in heavy weather. Before I began attaching the stove to the fridge with velcro tape, I often knocked this thing over and it crashed onto the floor. This happened a lot. There's no damage at all on this thing. Simple and strong design.
I bought mine on Amazon. Here's a link to the Origo 3000 stove page on Amazon. You can check - but I believe they will ship it for free.
 |
| Jess still at it, working up to a shiny stove. |
Don't ask me how I got Jess to clean the stove (usually that's my job.)
I know there are some people who complain that it's tough to get a pan really hot with this alcohol stove. This hasn't been a problem for me. A pot of water comes to a boil fairly quickly. I suppose there are some things that wouldn't work. Stir fry in a wok probably wouldn't work with this thing. Not sure, I never tried.
Hope this is informative for those thinking about an alcohol stove!
Captain Curran
If you're looking for more thoughts and opinions on stoves, this forum includes many other sailor's opinions on all sorts of boat galley stoves.
Fair winds!
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