hey, hey, hey....another quick note. we joined club cruceros and can have mail sent to us directly without going thru our florida address, so i thought i would give it to all of you, just in case you would like to send us a letter or money. it is:
dan or rainy eastman
s/v raindancer
Club Cruceros de La Paz AC
APDO Postal #366
La Paz, B.C.S, Mexico C.P. 23000

We are doing great and enjoying the warm weather. it has been in the 80´s or better every day that we have been here. it´s going to get hotter as the months go by, so we bought a small air conditioner. should keep us comfortable enough. we think of our washington friends quite often and how cold you all must be. we are only a 7 hour plane ride away, come on down and visit any time. love to all

well, here i am again. we have been in La Paz for a week or so. met up with terry and pat from Sunnyside and gave them their groceries we brought down for them. terry was happy to get his red licorice, almost went thru withdrawls. they are taking off tuesday to sail the islands up to Loreto and San Carlos and then put the boat up on the hard for the summer. it gets pretty hot here and they are also from washington so they aren´t ready for 100+ heat. we bought an air conditioner today at home depot that works really good in the salon, which is probably where we will spend a lot of time this summer. it is already in the high 80´s almost every day. for those of you who were worried about us and the tsunami, we never felt a thing. we are in the sea of cortez, on the other side of the pacific coast of mexico, so only the slightest surge was felt here. whew. it was such an awful thing to see on tv, just made me want to cry, such devastation. ok on to a cheerier subject. our trip down the coast was exciting to say the least. we tried to anchor at night as much as possible. some anchorages were pretty good, some not so hot. when we got to Turtle bay (bahia tortugas) which everyone says is a calm bay, we were in 20´seas and gale force winds. it took us about 2 & 1/2 hours to get from the entrance and get anchored. we had waves over the bow and washing back across the deck. we got soaked and so did the dogs. we didn´t get off the boat for 4 days, couldn´t put the dinghy in the water. finally on sunday we got to go to town and do the tourist thing. not much to see, but they did have a laundry. monday, suzanne and i took all of dirty clothes in and they washed, dried and folded them for us. i´m getting out of the habit of doing housework and cooking, and i like it!!!! we got back out to the big blue and sailed to Man o war cove at Magdelina bay. wasn´t too bad, just a long trip. while we were there, every morning the pangas would come by and offer us fresh lobster. the first time, we gave them 6 AA batteries and a bag of candy for 2 big ones. the second day, we gave them a pair of sunglasses and cookies for 3 med. ones. don´t you just love it. we had the port captain take us to san carlos the next day in his panga and when we got there, and he put the pedal to the metal all the way, they loaded us onto a trailer pulled by a pickup truck to get us out of the water (didn´t want to get our feet wet) and then drove us to town still in the panga. it was so much fun. only in mexico. needless to say, we are really enjoying ourselves. from mag bay we sailed all day and all night and all the next day to get around the cape at cabo san lucas. there are no anchorages on the way. the cape is pretty narly, the currents and wind really keep you on your toes. we didn´t stop at cabo san lucas, it costs $120 a night to dock, so we went on to san jose del cabo. really nice marina there for $40 a night. we stayed there for 5 days. suzanne, rick and i walked into town for some groceries. we were told it was about 5 miles, but found out it was more like 10 miles. finally got to the market, got our goodies, and took a cab back to the marina. we were exhausted, sunburned and thirsty. but it was interesting. while we were at a dock, we had rick go up the mast and try to fasten the headsail back on its track, as it came apart. we worked on that sucker for hours before we finally got it reattached top and bottom. what a hassle. but it had to be done before we could get back in the wind. from there we sailed to frailes and waited there for 3 or 4 days for the winds to die down. here there were lots of trailers and campers and the locals called them the tree people. it was a beautiful bay with white sandy beaches. it also had one of only three natural living reefs in north america, so we had to be extra careful and not throw anything harmful over board. next stop was muertos (bay of the dead), aka bay of dreams which all the residents prefer. there was a restaurant called 1535 and dan and i had the best rib steak we have ever had there. perfectly cooked and seasoned. wow, we both said we´d go back there again. we stayed there for about 4 days, as the winds were coming from the north/northwest and we had to go north. no sense beating into the wind if we don´t have to. from there to La Paz. we are in marina de la paz and it´s close to town. we got here just before carnivale and we went in one night to watch the parade, it went on for 5 days and boy was it noisy, lots of bands playing on the malacon and school bands in the parades. but it was fun and it is a big deal in mexico. we were in ensenada last year during carnivale, but didn´t go to town. we have a good restaurant here in the marina, called the dock cafe and we eat there alot. also joined club cruceros which is a cruisers club with activities of all kinds. it´s a great way to meet fellow sailors and trade horror stories. we rented a car this morning and drove out to the wal mart, sam´s club and home depot. then we went to a new store called chadraui. it will be my main shopping store from now on. time for bed, keep in touch, love to all, ...hugs...rainy and capt dano

sailing to La Paz, Mexico

i´m back. we left Ensenada on jan 29 and have been harbor hopping for 2 weeks. right now we are in bahia santa maria. about 10 miles north of magdelina bay, where we will go tomorrow or the next day for fuel and provisions. this bay is so sweet, nobody really wants to leave. nice calm anchorage and very little wind. the temp right now is about 78 degrees and kinda overcast, but has been absolutely beautiful for the two days we´ve been here. our next jaunt is an overnighter around the tip of baja sur and past cabo san lucas. we probably won´t stop for long there, since the moorage and anchorage fees are so pricey. we have been in all kinds of weather so far and stopped in some really cool places and a few that we don´t need to go back to. our first stop was bahia san jose and it was nice, but a little choppy for sleeping. our next stop was at colonet. not too bad. saw my first whale today. when we left, it looked like it was going to rain so we made a mad dash to get underway. have had dolphins with us most of the way down, so far. they are so lovely and friendly. good luck, too, i think. got into colonet early afternoon with just a smidgen of rain so we were happy campers. this bay was horrible. we rocked and rolled all night long, got very little sleep and were glad to get underway again..next stop san quinten (keen teen). one of the best anchorages we were in so far. got a great nights sleep, even the dogs rested well. the winds picked up in the afternoon, but settled right down at sunset. and the stars, omg, the stars are so bright and feel so close like you could reach up and pick one out. awesome. from here we had an overnighter to turtle bay. it started out with a beautiful day sail and a perfectly wonderful night until about 4:30 am. the winds came up and the seas turned ugly. we had confused seas and almost gale force winds, not cool, but manageable. none of got much rest even when it wasn´t our turn on watch. when the sun came up and we finally got to the entrance of turtle bay, we had to head into the wind and have water coming over the bow and washing the decks all the way to the stern. we all got plenty wet. it took us almost two hours to get into anchorage fighting all the way. we had to hand steer most of the way, the waves kept turning the auto pilot and it couldn´t keep up. finally got anchored and went down below to relax. Pioniero was here and noticed that we were drifting a bit, so we had to go up on deck and re-anchor. what a chore, but got it solid and stayed below as much as possible. we had 40+ winds for 4 days. got in on wednesday and didn´t leave the boat until sunday. then went into town and had lunch and a tour of this little community. what a great town and the people are so nice. everyone greets you with a smile and a hola. (hello). we stayed in bahia tortugas til tuesday and headed to ascension bay. just spent the night there and headed to bahia abreojos. battery on this is too low, so i´ll continue as soon as i can. hugs

here we go again. we are leaving our beautiful marina in about a week, if everything goes well. we were suppose to leave on the 15th but we decided to put in a new alternator, as the one that was in was old and not too powerful. (men, more power). shouldn´t take too long. ha ha. after a couple of days of struggling we got the old one off. another couple of days to put the new one on. what a pain. then we had to wait for ralph, on naner moon, to get back from texas to wire it on. got that done, but had a short some where and darn near burned the boat up. started just a small electrical fire. lots of smoke, no damage. luckily. now we have that all fixed and running smoothly but need to go to san diego and get a new raw water pump as the old one is leaking.....does it ever end? it´s like peeling and onion, just layer after layer. lol so now our departure date is around the 28th or so (mom´s 92nd birthday, happy birthday, mom). keep your fingers crossed, we actually may get to la paz after all.
we are off to our favorite restaurant tonight for prime rib and lobster. jerry tries to keep us happy and fat. he likes to put on private parties for us so he comes up with favorite foods, and everybody comes. it´s cool, he makes money, we eat good. win, win. also he has made a craps table in the back room and is teaching some of his local friends how to play, so before long jerry´s casino will be up and running, under cover of night of course. no money exchange, just for fun.
we will really miss it here, but are planning on coming back up in may to spend the summer and ride out the hurricane season. it gets really hot in la paz and further south in the summer so we figured we´d come back this year. in november or so we will head south again and bypass la paz and the sea of cortez and go down to mazatlan and puerto vallarta and get to zewantenero(however its spelled). then to panama for a few months before going thru the canal. so that´s the agenda for now, of course it is subject to change daily. ha. hope this finds all of you healthy and happy. stay warm. hugs and kisses, rain and dan

hi all, just an update on what is happening in ensenada. we are still securely tied to the dock at cruiseport village marina. we are having a great time here. we started the Crusty Cruisers Coffee Club and meet up at the bbq/palapa every morning, cept sunday, for coffee and goodies. just about all the liveaboards here come up and exchange ideas, trivia, etc. it is a great way to meet fellow cruisers here. we were up on the hard (out of the water) for 19 days and stayed in a hotel just up the street and we could watch the coffee club from our patio. we had the bottom cleaned and painted, fixed the cracks in the keel, had a line cutter installed, painted a new water line, and cleaned and polished the sides. looks good.
we lost our thursday night cruisers happy hour, the lady that owned it, katrina, sold it and they closed it for remodeling. we have been hanging out at a restaurant called the cafe orleans and got to know the owner, jerry, really well and he offered his place for our happy hour. he doesn´t have a liquor license, but gets a private party license and we can bring our own bottle. we buy our mixer from him and he cooks for us. he made up a bar menu for us and we all meet there on thursday at 5 or so. we named ourselves the ensenada cruisers yacht club. nothing official, just for fun. we started out with about 8 members and in 3 weeks, have about 48 members. i'm sure you can imagine how much fun it is. dan, suzanne, rick and i went across the river and watched the baja 1000 leave ensenada last thursday. this year they went to la paz, last year they did a loop and came back to ensenada. it isn't as exciting when they don't come back, but alot of the sponsors are still here and the town is still partying. hope you all have a great thanksgiving, i will miss all the family, but we will be having turkey and all the fixings and will be thinking of all of you. hope this catches you all well and happy, as we are. will update again soon, take care. hugs and kisses to all.

hi all, just another day in beautiful, sunny ensenada. we are staying at the hotel corona while the boat is on the hard at baja naval boat yard. we are having the bottom painted and we found some cracks in the keel, so they are going to repair it and raise the water line with a new red stripe. also having a line cutter installed on the prop. almost a necessity when cruising in warmer water. it will cut any kelp or crab pot lines we might encounter while at sea. should be back in the water about friday, i hope. it is very boring living in a hotel when we are so used to being on the boat. we do have tv here tho and we bought the entire series of the tv show 24 and are dilligently watching jack bauer get out of all his messes. quite interesting. sure glad we didn't watch it when it was on tv, i couldn't have waited a whole week for the next segment. i'm just not that patient. we are really enjoying it now tho, cuz we can watch a whole months worth in one night. not too much more happening here. had a couple of days of rain early in the week but it has cleared up and the streets once more are dry. they don't have much rain here and the streets really flood, like little lakes. quite interesting trying to get around them. we bought a new lap top as this one needs a little repair work, so i get this one now. once i get the picture up, it works ok, so i'm happy. we have a few more projects to finish on the boat and then we will be heading south, maybe in december. not sure where we will end up yet, but i will be updating the blog more often, and you will be able to follow us on our journey. hope this finds everyone happy and healthy. write again soon. hugs to all

hi, well i had a wonderful time up in washington for 3 weeks. visited with friends and family and of course went girls camping for 5 days on the cle elm river. the weather cooperated most of the time and we got to spend a good deal of time in the river getting tan. we did some upper body painting this year that was gorgeous, thanks to both our artists. they did a great job. i didn´t know we had such talent among us. did some beading and arlyss brought her beautiful hand made jewelry. a great time was had by all. hopefully i´ll be there next year, but too soon to tell where i´ll be. had a nice get together with my family at lake tapps. too bad kathy and ross couldn´t be there, but the rest of the family made it including my adopted sons, aaron, nate, troy and brandi and chris. mom is sure looking good for 91, i can only hope to follow in her footsteps, she is absolutely beautiful, bless her heart. stayed with fred and cindy for a couple of nights and had a bbq on sunday with all my lake buddies. that was lots of fun too. good to see bev and mike, patti and dan, heidi and gabe and boys. they had all gotten so big, it is hard to believe they can grow that much in just a year. charlene and brandon are still cute as ever and doing so good. i´m so proud of my family, it´s just such a great feeling. who knew they´d all turn out so good, being related to me!

stayed with sue and scott most of the time, as lori had to work, but did get to stay with her a couple of nights. got my spike fix for the time being. that should last another week at the most. she took me to the airport and i cried for the next ten minutes. so hard to leave your good friends behind. wish i could have packed them all in my suitcase and brought them home with me.

one of the highlights of my trip was meeting the 2 youngest of my great grandkids. nathaniel is almost 2 and isabella is 8 months. they are so beautiful, of course. bella is a little chunk with big blue eyes and a wonderful smiling face, and she is always smiling. happy little kids. nathaniel is going to be a handful, since he has a little devilish side, but they are so adorable, can´t seem to get too mad at him. he fell in love with sue and scott has a new angel in bella. dayle is cute as ever and a great mom. i´m a happy woman.

the pups missed me as much as i missed them and now maggie is mad cuz i´ve taken my side of the bed back, but oh well, she´s back at the top of my pillow. we are moving from this marina to cruiseport which is closer to town, the first of september. just a change of pace and it is closer to baja naval (where the boat yard is) and we are having the boat hauled oct. 18. we will be having the boat bottom cleaned and repainted, getting ready for the trip south in november. should be leaving the ensenada area around the middle of november and be in la paz by the end. hurricane season will be over and the weather should be cooler (perfect in other words),

we took our salon cushions in to be upholstered and dan just brought them back. they are cocoa brown and a suede material. they are so nice. enough for today. thanks for reading this long winded note. be back soon take care, stay healthy and love to all. hugs