Sailing With Josh

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Greetings fellow humans, There is something called the La Paz Waltz. It’s a cheeky way of describing how different boats swing at anchor here in La Paz, Mexico. The music starts when strong wind and current oppose each other. While dancing is fine, kissing is a bit more risque. My neighbors this past Sunday were at it. They may have been smooching. It was a little difficult to tell from my angle,… Read More

What’s the best nation in the world? A Donation. I received my French Polynesia paper nautical charts yesterday. But don’t worry, you can still contribute, they were bought on credit. I’ve attached a couple pictures so you know they’re real. Plus, it’s hard to top the romance and dreaming for an armchair sailor of studying nautical charts of distant lands. Sampaguita does not have an electronic chart plotter. I do have Navionics… Read More

The morning view from Sampaguita‘s veranda.

This is a bit of a feedback loop, but upon discovering their generous words, I raised their colors. Sampaguita sits at anchor in a windy and choppy La Paz anchorage. Her Mexican flag is showing the tatters of time, prone to flogging on the stays, part of being a small boat. The lowest flag is a Flicka flag displaying the filigree which helps define the breed. I appreciate PTSA’s consideration and support…. Read More

If you find any value in this, whether informational, entertaining, or thought-provoking, (otherwise, why are you here?) please consider a small donation. PayPal: wheelersf@hotmail.com Sampaguita sits in slip L09 at Marina CostaBaja situated at the entrance of La Paz channel. It’s a nice marina. Nicer than we need, but under the circumstances, the only place we could get a reservation. I was in Bahia De Los Muertos trying to solve my solar… Read More

A classic AC/DC song on a local classic rock station with all classic English language songs, but all announcements and advertisements in Español. (Reminds me of WOUR, 96.9, The Rock of Central New York- sort of.)(A special thanks to Cris of Chile for teaching me how to make ñ on my phone. This way I can say Happy New Year instead of Happy New Ass.) Sampaguita has arrived in La Paz, Baja… Read More

Whether that be Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy New Year, or something else I’m not educated to know about. For Sampaguita and I, it’s Happy Holiday. So that is what we wish. Here in Mexico, it is definitely Merry Christmas. Funny meeting. My anchor neighbors here in Bahia De Los Muertos are on a boat named Opale. I met them first when on Breskell transiting the Northwest Passage in 2019. A small… Read More

In 2023, Sampaguita has rounded Vancouver Island with the farthest North being above the Scott Islands and has now rounded Cabo San Lucas at the tip of the Mexican Baja Peninsula. She is presently sitting at anchor in Bahia De Los Muertos (The Bay of the Dead) in the Sea of Cortez. We will likely be here through the holidays, waiting out a weather window to get to La Paz. The Sea… Read More

Life hangs from a fine thread. So fine, it’s a wonder we don’t die more often. Cats have it right. I joke, but I am very serious. As much of a driver as is my own mortality, the mortality of those around me drives me too. This sense of mortality causes some of us to reach for the stars and others of us to play it safe. There is one sure thing,… Read More