CHANGES. IN
With reports this month on the new Mexican Consulate; Counterpoint in Moorea; a case of the bends on Elias Mann in Baja; Abrazo ir^Baja; Pearly Gate in the Canaries; Broad Readier in San Simeon Bay; Tortue in Mulege; plus Cruise Notes from all over.
New Mexican Consulate In Oxnard Craig & Katie Willis on Delia (Santa Barbara) The influx of vessels heading south has been tremendous this year! Kathie and I are in Santa Barbara preparing to depart. While we’re getting ready, she’s been working at Coast Chandlery part-time, doing all she can to be helpful to the transients. A bit of news we’d like to pass along is that there is now another Mexican consulate at which you can take care of all the necessary paperwork. It’s located in Oxnard at 210 East 4th Street, Room 209. The number is (805) 483-4684. We had our paperwork done there last week. It took just 15 to 20 minutes in all, the fees totalled $16 for processing all the paper¬ work and a six-month visa. Enrique Silva, who served us with a big smile, was most courteous and helpful. The consulate’s
I think I see Mag Bay!
hours'are 8:00-1:00 on weekdays. The Oxnard facility provides a nice alter¬ native for those such as us not wishing to do the San Diego shuffle. From Oxnard we could head straight across the border. — craig and katie 11/5/87
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Counterpoint — Cal 35 John & Mary Vetromtle Moorea, Cook’s Bay (Sausalito) My husband hates Latitude. We had to wait a week for our mail to come to Papeete, where we received our July, August and September issues. I sat in the main salon reading one after another. ^ ^ “What’s for dinner?” my husband finally said. “I just want to finish reading this article,” I replied. After a while it got dark. “Are you going to feed me tonight? he inquired. “As soon as I finish this page,” I answered. He poured a beer and we ate some cheese while I read what Lynn Orloff-Jones had to say. The next thing I heard was a frustrated voice from between the sheets announcing that it was almost midnight! Lynn’s advice reminds me of the minimal shakedown we took behind Angel Island to play with our new anchor and windlass. We got there, picked the spot, released the anchor — and nothing happened! John figured we had neglected to grease it, so the following day he tubed it and tried to drop the anchor in our slip. Still nothing happened. I was awfully glad we weren’t 3,000 miles from home — as we are now. When in Tahiti, we suggest taking Le True to the Museum of Tahiti. The tiki’s are not more than six miles into the jungle, where they are nicely displayed with labels in English. For those who have flown to Tahiti or bypassed the Marquesas and thus missed the no-see-um experience, you can savor a reasonable imitation by not wearing insect repellent to the museum. We enjoyed ourselves at Rangiroa where we anchored off the Kira Ora Hotel and took a launch trip to the Blue Lagoon. The boat stopped in the middle of the lagoon over a reef for snorkeling, and the captain speared a few fish for lunch. We then proceeded to the Blue Lagoon where the captain put the boat right up against the reef to anchor, tying a line around a coral head. The dog aboard then jumped into the
waist-deep water and the captain said, “Follow the dog.” I obeyed and found myself walking about 100 yards to a motu where the captain cooked the surgeon fish and grouper over a coconut fire. We snorkeled some more, took pictures and shelled. When it came time to up the an¬ chor and leave, there was a bit of a problem with the line being caught on the coral head. But this was one time it wasn’t our problem. The gods of coral reefs, however, got even with us that evening when the wind changed and wrapped our chain around a coral so tight that the hawespipe cover on our windlass bent and pulled off. We had a snubber lineK too! Well, back to the present. “What’s for ...” my husband started to say before changing it to “Wh&t do you want for lunch?” page 156
