The Travels of Tricia Jean
Costa Rica
(October, 2004-February, 2005)

Some photos from Dan and Kathryn's adventures aboard their sailboat, Tricia Jean.

(click on the small images to see them full size)

	Ever since we started sailing, there has been a curse following us around.  We have just been unable to catch any decent fish. This kelp greenling broke the curse for us.  It was caught on the first full day of the trip, between Drakes and San Francisco bays.  Kathryn prepared it in a delicious garlic and ginger sauce and was it ever good!
	Our first major stop of the trip was at the Napa boatyard where we sanded the bottom, repainted it with fresh anti-fouling paint and refinished all of the outside teak. Here's a photo of Dan taking an all to brief break from sanding the bottom.  It's a little hard to see in the photo, but he is covered in the green dust from the paint.
	Ahhhhhh!  Crusiing at last.  We have finally gone out the Golden Gate and turned left.  There is a perfect sailing breeze as we are headed down to Half Moon Bay and Kathryn relaxes up on the bow.
	On of the first of many, many beautiful sunrises we enjoyed during the trip. This one occurred during our stay at Santa Cruz Island (one of California's Channel Islands).
	We found this arch in Santa Barbara Isnald, another of the Channel Islands.
	This interesting rock art was on Santa Catalina Island (yet another of the Channel Islands).  It was just to the left of this photo that we managed to dump Kathryn into the water as we were beaching the dinghy.
	If you look close, you can just see Tricia Jean anchored in the background at Isla San Beneto Oeste, one of a group of 3 small rugged and very isolated islands in the Pacific off the Baja coast.  There was a small group of men working in a fish camp there who could not have been more friendly or made us feel more welcome.  As soon as we had the anchor down, Ramone and Eddie came out and introduced themselves.  One of the first questions they asked was whether we liked lobster.  When we said "Yes, of course", they said that they had to go ask their patron something and roared off in their panga.  A few minutes later, they came back and Tony their patron was now with them.  They then proceeded to gift us with 5 lobsters, asking for only a weather forecast and any old magazines we might have in return.  As if this wasn't enough, 2 days later, as we were raising the anchor to leave, they cam back out and gave us 5 more as a going away gift!
	This is one of 2 sierra we caught as we were coming into La Paz for the first time.  Unfortunately, in our ignorance at the time, we didn't know what they were and released bothe of these great eating fish.
	This cliff-like islet was right in the middle of one of the many coves on Esperitu Sano, one of the islands just north of La Paz.
	This finescale triggerfish may be unattractive and difficult to clean, but don't throw it back!  It's firm flesh tastes somewhat like lobster and is absolutely delcious.
	This well, dug by shark fishermen in the 1940's is a little ways inland from El Cardonalito, a fjord-like cove on Isla Partida.
	Here is a pitcure of Dan, hunting agates on Isla San Francisco.
	Our agat haul.  We found all these in only about a half an hour of searching.
	This very isolated fishing community has just 7 buildings and as many familys.  There are no roads in and out, not even foot paths,  The only way to get to it is by boat.
	There were so many gorgeous sunsets and sunrises that we enjoyed that's it's easy to get rather blaze about them.  This striking sunrise was at Pt. San Marcial
	Pt. San Marcial was memorable not only for it's sunrises, but for all the wonderful rock formations.
	We also found this great cave at Pt. San Marcial.  It may not look like much, but that opening is wide enough to take the dinghy into and it just goes back and back and back.
	The walls of this really long and narrow cave rise vertically up out of the water only about 12 feet apart and converge to form the ceiling about 35 feet over our heads.  As we take the dinghy further and further back into the cave, the walls get slowly closer and closer together and the ceiling slowly drops down towards us.  Then, the roof suddenly drops down to about 10 feet and the walls close in to about 6 feet apart.  This is wide enough for the dinghy (though not wide enough to use the oars), but nowhere near wide enough to turn it around in.  About this point, it’s also starting to get pretty dark even though the cave opening is pointing towards the rising sun, letting lots of light in.  This also when we really start noticing that there is a current drawing us further and further into the cave.  It is also about this time that we start hearing a deep rumbling “Boom! …… Boom …… Boom!” coming from the far recesses of the cave as the incoming waves, magnified by the slowly constricting vertical walls slam into the back of the cave somewhere off in the dark.
	Just cruising along with the spinnaker.  Here, I am actually fixing a small tear that occurred.
	Here is a whale jaw bone we found up on the beach at Puerto Los Gatos.
	The naturally formed rock sculptures in this area are a never ending source of wonder.
	On our land trip over to Todos Santos, Raymundo prepared a feast on the beach fr us.  Here is the centerpiece of it.  Buried under all that yummy stuff is some marlin.
	Dan and Raymundo exploring Canada Del Diablo.  Believe it or not, this was a Spanish lesson.
	Can you spot the naked lady that nature has painted into this rock?
	The naked lady revealed.
	Wales are a difficult topic to take a picture of, especially with a digital camera.  But on our trip to Lopez Mateo, we had plenty of opportunities.  Here's a mother and her calf.
	Here is a whale resting motionless on the surface shortly after giving birth.
	Here's a good picture of Raymndo, our Spanish teacher and tour guide preparing the post whale watching feast.