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161--Mexico: Catch, Filet & Release (Leg 2 Baja Ha-Ha) @ Where`s Cherie?     Nov 28 2003 - 09:07 PST cherie writes: Who said there’s no such thing as a free lunch? While under sail, we pulled aboard this 70 pound Wahoo. (The “I” part of “we” took photos, while Dustin hauled the fish aboard.) Rennie has a catch and release policy aboard his boat. Except that between the catch and release, he fillets the fish. Catch-filet-and-release. Our 4 1/2 foot catch fed our crew of seven for over a week! And Dustin was handing out bags of fresh Wahoo like it was Christmas. (Note: only after you buy a boat, rent a slip, feed the crew, and purchase fishing-licenses, are you able to catch a “free” fish!) After a few days of too much tequila (how can it be bad for you; it comes from a plant?) we had to give our livers a rest and start sailing again. Leg two of the Baja Ha-Ha (from Turtle Bay, Mexico to Santa Maria, Mexico) started with a beautiful puff of breeze that unfurled bright and brilliant spinnakers from the 138-paid entries. Cassiopeia put up 4800 square feet of canvas and sailed the entire 223 miles to the finish-line. At times the wind died, and we bobbed around in the ocean like a discarded plastic-toy. Determined not to start our motor, we relied on old sailing superstitions to bring back the wind. I whistled up the wind, while Jean scratched the back-stay. Skeptics may say the Kabatic-effect brought the wind back, but the crew of Cassiopeia knows—our sudden gust of wind resulted from our little rituals, not the land heating up. Rennie, Anne, Dave, Jean, Dustin, Greg and I gathered in the cockpit cheered as our GPS informed us that we crossed the imaginary finish line. We cheerfully popped the champagne, and toasted to two great legs under our belt—(race-legs, not the ones dangling from our hips.) Click on each picture to see it full size. read comments (0) | write comment| views: 6146    | rated: 0.0    printer-friendly version   When we pulled that Wahoo out of the water it was stark naked! What's on our line? Is that a Wahoo? I see sushi in our future. Cherie by the tasty fish. * Photo by Jean. Dustin filets his catch. The boat's policy is simple: catch, filet, and release. Greg adjusts the staysail as we try to catch Shaka in the distance. Shaka--it takes real men to sail with a pink spinnaker. Lee drives Shaka. *Photo by Stacey. Cassiopeia under 4800 square feet of sail. *Photo by Stacey. Dave cranks the winch as Cassiopeia tries to pull ahead. *Photo by Stacey. Ray and Lee of Shaka examine their sail trim. *Photo by Stacey. Ray at the helm, with Cassiopeia behind. *Photo by Stacey. Spinnakers blossom like colorful flowers. *Photo by Stacey. Three in a row. Rennie is all smiles at the helm. Over 100 yachts fly their kites! Turtle Bay fades into the distance. Dustin at the helm. Dave, all smiles. Impulse. Dave and Greg, the last day in Turtle Bay. Free Flight, with their windsock "spinnaker" at sunset. Children of Turtle Bay clutching their Halloween candy given to them by cruisers. The Turtle Bay barber shop. Cherie and Kelly, from Charissa. The tequila starts. Jean, Anne and Cherie in our funky cowboy hats. The Turtle Bay party starts. *Photo by Dustin. Al is retired! *Photo by Dustin. Bernadette isn't having any fun at all. *Photo by Jean. Greg and Cherie at sunset. *Photo by Jean. Al takes Cherie wake-boarding in Turtle Bay. *Photo by Jean. Cherie, a little wet after wake-boarding behind Al's dinghy. *Photo by Jean. Sky. *Photo by Jean. Dustin and Rennie. *Photo by Jean.