Sunbreak Educational Adventures

2010-10-19T06:10:00.000-07:00

I have added a few new pictures from this month to the blog. The weather has finally cooled down so I feel like getting stuff done. My kids are working hard at school and that takes up most of our time. I have been keeping the boat clean and ready as I have a few people coming down to check her out. Still haven't figured out my engine problem but need to get some batteries charged up so I can turn it over when the mechanic comes. Not much else but having fun. If anyone needs to contact me about Vltava, my email is sunbreakeducation@yahoo.com or you can contact Shelly or Mike at lapazyachts@aol.com. Thanks, Allison

2010-10-14T18:53:00.000-07:00

It's been over a month since I last wrote and things have calmed down here a lot. The leak got stopped with the help from Kevin(Sunbreak), Tom (Callisto), Mike (Tehani) and me. We've had two blissful weeks with NO water coming in! The problem ended up being a bung, which got loose, and water started to come in around the fastener. The water coming in was never a real problem, it's my bad batteries and lack of pumps which make it a pain. I have had some inquiries about the boat and have met one couple, who fell in love with her on site. They are trying to get the money together. I have some other people who want to come down in the beginning of November and are talking haul out. I would love to see Vltava out of the water. She has to be impressive.
The kids have started school, so that is taking up most of our day. I have been sailing with my friend Mike (Tehani) out to the islands for a few days and on Wednesdays. It has been great, as his boat is a 28 foot Herschoff ketch and all the lines are "my" size. He has been teaching me a lot and is hoping to get me comfortable enough to sail on my own. So, things are good here in Baja. I will try to be better at posting, especially as things with the sale unwind. Allison

2010-08-13T16:08:00.000-07:00

2010-08-13T14:52:00.000-07:00

It has been about a month since we have returned. it is getting hot down here which makes it hard to want to work during the day. I try to find stuff that needs to be done inside during the heat of the day. I have been chasing leaks around for the past few weeks. they seem to be getting stronger and I find myself needing to pump the bilges twice or three times a day. hard to get away! Vltava really needs a haul out soon. i am worried the leaks will get to be more than I can handle. I have a friend, Gwen, in Delaware who is willing to try to get my non profit going in the states. this is a huge task and I so much appreciate her assistance and enthusiasium!! If I can get a non profit status then i can try to get some grants to help with the upkeep of Vltava and keep the school program afloat. I also have her for sale as I can't stand trying to keep her afloat until she is no longer worth saving. that would break my heart! Vltava needs to be saved. her history and her sea-worthiness are reasons alone to keep her sailing. So there is a lot of emotion tied up with Vltava and what will become of her in the next few years. My dream would be to continue my school program while upgrading Vltava to be ready to do some of the Tallship events in the future. I am only dreaming now but I am here on this beautiful boat and it seems so real. Time to go pump. Allison

2010-07-16T13:27:00.000-07:00

Well, I am finally back from the states. we had a good time visiting family, taking Sam to look at boarding schools, eating and hanging in the Pocono Mountains. Isabelle and I arrived home three days ago(24 hours late), Sam is in Washington, with our great friends off of Flying fish, having a blast(he heads to Hawaii in about a week), and Will is being fluid and working his way west to Start Evergreen in the fall. Vltava looks beautiful, except for the layer of dust on EVERY SINGLE surface! Matt arrives today and i already have a list of things he can help me with to get really ready for Hurricane season. I guess the boat was leaking heavier than when we left and Kevin and the Toms on Callisto and Seazure kept her dry for the most part and even repaired some places that needed it. Thanks to those guys I did not arrive here and have to jump directly into the bilge! Vltava needs a serious haul out ASAP or I am afraid of what might happen. that is another blog post, though. I am adding some pictures of my trip to the east coast. Allison

2010-06-14T05:21:00.000-07:00

2010-06-14T05:00:00.000-07:00

Hi Everybody,I have been on the east coast of the United States for about 3 weeks now. We are visiting family, running Sam around to look at boarding schools, getting Will ready for college, and, of course, shopping. I have been lucky enough to be able to work with my cousin, Lisa. at her catering buisiness to make some much needed cash and have some fun. I think I may have found the one job harder than working in the bilge and it is catering! lol! Very physical and demanding. There is never a dull moment! I got to, not only wash dishes and help with the parties, but also got cook with a good friend who is Lisa's partner and chef.. What a trip to whip up food for 130!!!! I will send some pictures of me in the kitchen soon. For the people who know me, they will be impressed, as kitchens and cooking aren't my strong points. We will be back in Mexico in the middle of July, just in time(or a little late) for hurricane season. As of right now Vltava is being checked on by neighbors as Tim had to head back to Southern California at the beginning of June. We had a small scare the other day when one friend, while dinging past Vltava, Heard the bilge alarm going off. We have had some problems with leaking this past year and really need to get on top of it soon. everything is okay and the problem is under control but it brings up the issue of having to get work done on Vltava ASAP or we will find ourselves in a bad situation. If anyone out there has any creative ideas on how we can raise the cash to get a haulout and save Vltava I would love to hear it! We have estimated we need at least 20,000.00 dollars to work on Vltava's bottom. She hasn't been hauled out in about 6 years, and anyone who knows wood boats, knows how bad that can be. We have Iron sickness around some of the fasteners and they have been the source of most of our problems. I actually listed Vltava with the yacht brokers in La Paz. I don't want to have to sell her but she needs a lot of work and I haven't been able to figure out how to make that happen. I would hate to hold on to her, dreaming, and wait to long for it to be feasable to fix her up. Please send ideas, talk to friends who may want to donate to our cause, people who may be interested in investing in Vltava and/or our school program. I am willing to listen to any creative ideas and suggestions. Thanks, Allison

2010-06-02T16:00:00.000-07:00

P.S. After the first post there are more pictures so just go back about 5 or 6 posts and you will come to the beginning. Sorry. This is all getting very confusing. ugh! Allison

2010-06-02T15:57:00.000-07:00

I realized that I sent the last two posts wrong. You need to go past all the last post and then some pictures to get to the first part of my post. sorry, still getting used to this. Allison

2010-05-24T10:01:00.000-07:00

As I wrote in the last entry we had an amazing time in San Evaristo! After our four days of science experiments and our fabulous day sail we were exhausted but thrilled about all that had happened. Our last day at the school was a celebration of the kids. It was Dia del ninos (kids day) in Mexico and all the kids had been making pinatas for the big party at the school on Friday. We arrived early and immediately started the party with relay races and food. The kids had fun doing sack races,playing freeze, and dancing. We had a strange breakfast of pasta salad and hot dogs, we had brought the supplies for a lunch party but it worked great for breakfast too, so no one was disappointed. We ended the party with the pinatas and all the kids loved grabbing for candy and gifts that fell out of the pinatas after they had been broken open. The teacher in San Evaristo had an awards ceremony for all of us who participated in the week long science extravaganza and we were all touched and impressed with our certificates from the state of Baja California Sur. It was a real honor to receive these certificates of thanks and recognition and made each one of us proud of what we had accomplished. We spent a few more days in San Evaristo to wind down and to get ready to head home. The saddest part about leaving was having to say good bye to Nick and Sydney, from IWELD, as their family was planning on heading north. We left San Evaristo under full sail, but not before we were able to sail by IWELD and give them our, now famous, Vltava "salute". IWELD surprised us by "saluting" back which made everyone laugh. The trip home was supposed to be slow and relaxing but the boat had other plans. As we were arriving at the first anchorage we had planned on spending the night at, we realized we had water coming from the engine. Because of this we couldn't get the engine started and Matt, the captain, and I decided we should scrap the plan to stop for the night and just keep heading to La Paz. We were worried that if we anchored somewhere we might have problems leaving, with no engine, so we just kept going. The wind slowly started getting light and we realized we would not be able to get to La Paz before dark and none of us wanted to try to navigate the channel, with no engine in the dark, so we hove too and flopped around all night trying to make some leeway and stay away from land. the wind had other ideas for us and stopped blowing all together as night approached. To make a long story short we ended up rolling around all night, sitting watches and trying to get comfortable. When the sun came up in the morning we were five miles back from where we started as the current was pushing us back to San Evaristo. We flopped around all morning, spying wind that just seemed to be an arms length out of reach. We were able to contact Kevin, in La Paz, and let him know what was happening. We realized, that the way things were going on this second day, we would probably not be able to make it into La Paz in the day light and none of us wanted another night of flogging around with no wind. Kevin, graciously, said he would come save us and help us get in somewhere,anywhere, for the night. he was able to convince a good friend, Nick on JESSE MARIE, to head out and try to tow us in. They made it out to us in good time and were able to tow us into Lobos anchorage before dark. We had a good night of much needed rest and got up the next morning ready to get home. The tow home was easy and we had no problems getting back to the anchorage. After assessing the engine we figured that we must have blown some seal when we first over heated the engine and the water was coming from there. We had a hard time saying good bye to the crew when we got into town. I think none of us really wanted the trip to end! Jack, Matt, and I have already met for dinner to talk about our trip for next year. Jack, who had first stated that this was a one time deal for him has changed his mind and seems to be on board for another exciting trip next year. We even talked about going to more than one school and expanding the curriculum to include projects with boats and learning about wind, water displacement,and buoyancy. I think the best compliment I received was when talking to Jack he told me that this trip, and everything leading up to it, was one of the most memorable experiences he's ever had. Well, that's all for now. I will try to keep writing. At this time the kids and I are in the states for a month to see Will, my oldest, graduate from high school, and then back to La Paz to work on Vltava and get ready for hurricane season. I want to thank everyone who helped make this trip happen. The support and love we feel from our community is amazing and inspiring and we could not have been able to accomplish all that we did with out all of you. THANK YOU!!!!!! Allison

2010-05-18T13:02:00.000-07:00

2010-05-17T14:18:00.000-07:00

We have been back a week and we are frantically getting ready to leave the boat for a few months to head up to the states to visit family and watch Will graduate from Choate. The trip was more than i could have dreamed of! In the last post we were getting ready for our sea trial and everything seemed to be running smoothly. We headed out of the bay on time but realized, quickly, that the exhaust hose used on the new riser could not handle the heat from the exhaust and the hose started to bubble and swell. We immediately slowed down and turned around, and for the first of many times I thought the trip may be off. Before we could even get the boat turned around our friend on IWELD, who is a welder, organized a plan and we came back to the anchorage with Dean organizing the repair! this was Saturday and if I had had to find a welder to do this job it could have meant a week to organize and accomplish. With Dean in charge we came in and tied to his 36 foot boat while he jumped around grabbing supplies and getting the job done. Within an hour we were off and running again and heading to Lobos. It was really amazing!!!! We arrived in Lobos with no more incidents and were able to sail close enough to the committee boat, for the race, that we could all give them a full Vltava salute!!!! Eight shiny hineys waving hello. We had a great night in Lobos with the racers and then headed back to La Paz, the next day, after a big breakfast. We were able to sail all the way down the channel and had a lot of people taking pictures from the shore. We know we looked good and it felt great to be moving again! When we got anchored we knew we had about 3 days to get the last of the things done before leaving for San Evaristo. I was my regular frantic self but Matt and the crew helped keep me focused and laughing so all was great. our biggest stumbling block was going to be getting the diesel and food we needed for the trip. We would be going 100 miles over all and there were eight crew coming to help. We knew we were going to be gone for at least 10, probably two weeks. I figured we needed 400.00 dollars, minimum, to get the fuel and some of the food we would need. it got to the day before we were supposed to leave and I still didn't have any of the money that we needed. I was very disappointed and couldn't believe we could get this far, and now we wouldn't be able to take Vltava. Between meltdowns I contacted the teacher in San Evaristo and told him we would need a ride in his car to get there because I didn't have enough money to stock the boat. He was very sympathetic and warned us the ride is about five hours long over some pretty rough roads but he thought he could get us there. I started contacting the crew to let them know the boat trip was off and that we needed to work on trying to borrow a car or two that could get all the supplies and people that had planned on going on Vltava. My friend, Maureen, our only non-boat person in our crew, started making calls to Mexican friends of hers, explained what we were trying to do and what we needed, and within an hour she had gotten all the diesel donated and even some money towards food!!!! The trip was back on and we all decided that we could live off of rice, if we had to, but we had to make this trip on Vltava. We got everyone on board and headed out on the 22nd of April. The crew consisted of Nick and Sydney, from IWELD, Sam and Isabelle, from SUNBREAK/VLTAVA, Larry, from ROSALITA, Maureen Ryan, from land, and Matt and I. the excitement level was high and we couldn't wait to get to our first anchorage for the night. We were heading to Partida cove out in the islands closest to La Paz. Everything was running smoothly until we noticed steam coming out of the engine room. the gauge for the water had pegged it self and the engine was running really hot. We immediately shut her down and proceeded to assess the problem. It seems our fresh water pipe to the engine had sprung a leak and once again our trip seemed to be off. We put up sails and decided to limp back into town when from over the horizon a dingy appears and who could it be but Dean, off of IWED.(He and his wife had left earlier in their boat and we had shang-hied their kids). We explained to him what had happened and that we needed to go back to La Paz but he wouldn't hear of it! He jumped down into the bilge and worked his magic. The old metal pipe was removed and exhaust hose was put in place. We started up the engine and all was great!!!!! After turning around once again(and wiping the tears from my eyes) we slowly brought the engine up to speed and were on our way. We had a wonderful 4 days getting to San Evaristo, with time to play everyday on a new beach. Some of the highlights were being able to spend time with our good friends, off of SMILES TO GO, including Jayne, Adam's mother from England, and a self proclaimed land- lubber. We finally made it to San Evaristo and were pleasently surprised to find six boats waiting for us. We all got together on Vltava, that night, to eat some food and go over with Jack what we were hoping to get accomplished. Everyone was enthusiastic and excited about the next day so we got to bed early because school started at 8 am! The next day we headed up to the school with supplies for the days experiments, lunch for the crew, water and cameras. the three days we spent at the school were magical! Jack, on WATERDOG, is an amazing teacher and with in 5 minutes had the kids relaxed and excited about what they were going to do. We started each day with an experiment. The kids had to write in their science notebooks the title of the experiment, the concept they would be learning about, their hypothesis and any diagrams or charts they would need. Jack would then have them work either individually or in pairs to do the experiment and then they would discuss their results and write in their notebooks. The experiments included learning about force, preasure, gravity, fire and oxygen, velocity, just to name a few. We would then stop for breakfast and an exciting game of soccer before we would head back in the classroom for another lesson. Since the end of the week was Dia Del Ninos(kids day), we ended each day making our own personal pinatas for the party on Friday. Our first night in town we also brought out some telescopes and binoculars and spent a few hours on the beach looking at the moon a a few stars. Every one loved seeing the details in the moon and we had truck loads of people arriving just to look in the big telescope! Each day the kids and Jack got more comfortable with each other and the energy in the classroom was electric! The kids really loved the experiments and enjoyed all the hands-on stuff Jack had planned. On our last day at the school we took about 25 people(most of the boys from the school, and some of the older girls from town)and some of our friends on the boats around us and went out for a day sail on Vltava. Everyone loved the ride and we even got some good wind to sail by. When the kids were asked who wanted to go all the way to La Paz all hands were raised. When we got back to town we all agreed the week had been amazing. We were all looking forward to our party at the school in the morning and a few kids were even dreaming of their own sail boats. I am going to stop here as I have to do laundry but will finish the story tonight when I have the time. Keep posted for chapter two. Allison

2010-05-17T12:46:00.000-07:00

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Sails coming down

San Evaristo

Allison at the wheel

Sam and Nick working hard

Isabelle up the mast

Special friends in Ensenada Grande

Vltava at anchor in Ensenada Grande

Sydney furling the sail

Dolphins along for the ride

2010-05-13T14:13:00.000-07:00

2010-04-22T06:44:00.000-07:00

Hola everyone,

OK we got back from the over-night "test the engine and sails" run with only one problem that was not even really a problem.As some may know we just had the riser on the engine re-made.Well, there was a part on the riser that had a plastic tube on it.So, as we were "testing the engine" it kinda started to boil and bubble.After turning around and tying on to the back of Ayeweld(a crew-members boat)The guy from Ayeweld,Dean, is a welder.He brought his things over and one hose-clampe and one half of a beer can later,It was welded!! other then that....we were on our way...again!!! that night was spent in Lobos were we were meeting the boats that had just completed the "rock to the dock race" We were the first to get to Lobos,other then the committee boat.So of course my mom had to get everyone to moon them.Me being the driver, I got within five feet from the stern of the boat,while they dropped AND wiggles ,my mom points out. As of the trip going to San Everisto: The other night my mom had a panic attack because we didn't enough money for fuel and food and the other neccesitties to get us up there.She talked to Maureen,Another crew member,And in two hours Maureen raised enough money for 105 gallons of fuel and most of the food money!! So mom went from excited to "we are NOT doing this" to even more excited.Yesterday Sam,nick and I got 160 gallons of water and dumped it in.Mom did laundry,We took showers...all the stuff that you need to do before a trip.We will have eight or maybe nine crew members: Sam,Matt,Me,Mom,Nick(from ayeweld) Sdyney(from ayeweld)Larry(or we like to call him Martha because he adds"just a touch of paprika" on devil eggs) Maureen, and perhaps Dean from Ayeweld. Our set time is 11:00 o'clock today...Thanks for reading!!! Isabelle

2010-04-13T14:04:00.000-07:00

By the way, the bottom is clean and we had no problems with water coming in. I was relieved and Andre and Richard both said the bottom looked good! Chris, on BRIGHTSTAR, loaned us a pump, in case we ran into problems, but we didn't need it, Thank goodness! he then decided to give us the pump because he figured we would need it more that him. Now I feel like we are better prepared for any emergency. What a great guy!!!! Also, I forgot to bring up what happened with the riser. The welder brought it back and it looked good but was a little different in it's lay out. kevin consulted with Dean, on IWELD, and they decided the best thing to do was to cut the pipe and sleave it back the way it needed to be. They used exhaust hose for the sleeves and all looks good! allison

2010-04-13T13:09:00.000-07:00

Dinghy was

Well, we have had and exciting and productive two weeks. we are in full swing getting our science project going which means getting Vltava going as well as getting together the list of supplies needed for the science experiments. The generosity of the cruiser community here keeps blowing my mind. Not only have I had a handful of guys helping with all the mechanical stuff that needs to happen to get Vltava moving but people have been coming up everyday with supplies for projects, offers of food and even diesel! Ida on Magic Dragon spent one weekend baking amazing treats and then got together with some other wonderful ladies of the fleet and had a bake sale for us. They made over 1000 pesos and coffee hour was packed with people eating all the treats! We also held a dinghy wash(kind of like a car wash for all you land-lubbers out there). The Marina de La Paz was great enough to let us totally take over the fresh water dock and Sam and Isabelle, their two friends off of IWELD, Nick and Sydney, and the two 7 year old twins from Imagine, Holly and Che, spent two hours in the sun scrubbing dinghys and making them shine! The did a great job and had fun also. The french fries and ice cream some of the cruisers bought them for a job well done sweetened the pot. While all this is going on Jack, on WATERDOG,our science teacher extrordinaire, has been help getting all the supplies together, writing up curriculum, meeting with the teacher and I going over details and just overall being available for questions and suggestions from interested people. He even managed to find time in his busy schedule to physically and single-handedly fill all the holes, on the port side, made when Ryan, a few months ago, cleaned and painted the hull. The guy has great energy and is the real reason this is all happening! Larry, on ROSALITA, filled all the holes on the starboard side so we are ready to primer the hull.(Hopefully before we leave). Larry is also going as crew on the school trip and has been a huge help in doing a lot of the little things we find ourselves doing to get ready to leave. He also has a great sense of humor so he is really good for morale! Mike,on TEHANI, helped do some of the nastiest jobs we have had to do. He and I spent one whole day cleaning(sort-of) the bilges, emptying them of water and scraping out all the junk that seems to accumulate there. We had to remove an old water heater and move some things around, which I was glad to have his muscle for. We cleaned and painted the new riser for the exhaust for the engine so it looks great and he strung up tell-tales so we can see the wind direction when we sail. Andre, on WINDROSE, and Richard,on SAIL LA VIE, spent about a week cleaning the bottom of the boat and it is cleaner than it's ever been. It will be interesting to see how much more movement we'll be able to have with a cleaner bottom. Kevin has been a lot of help and spent a few days going over the engine before we got it running. Dean,on IWELD, and Adam, on SMILES TO GO, spent a day helping work on the shifting cable so now all is running smoothly. The biggest help I've gotten has been from Matt. He returned, after an exciting delivery to San Diego and has been a part of every step of the way! His knowledge and easy going-ness is perfect and I feel like we could go any where!He is the captain this boat needs right now. We are planning on a "sea trial" on the 17th. We will motor out to the bay at Lobos and meet up with the Veleros de Baja sailboat race and sail back into the bay with them. We will be able to run all the systems and see if we need to work on anything before our big trip on the 24th. We are still trying to get donations and they keep coming in so we can stay on schedule. It really is amazing! I am going to put in a lot of pictures so you can see all the progress. Allison

2010-03-25T16:05:00.000-07:00

Matt in the cockpit

Jeff sailing along

Well, I have had a lot of help this month and I really appreciate it!I was surprised about two months ago with the arrival of two old friends from San Diego, Matt and Jeff. They came down to sea trial Jeff's boat and to visit. They stepped on board and could tell immediately that i needed help and was over my head.(Who isn't who owns a big wooden boat?)I was telling them of my dreams to have Vltava ready to go to San Evaristo at the end of April for our science week with the kids there. They helped me to prioritize my list of things needed to be done before I could leave. We decided that the engine should be my first concern and they jumped right in to help me get her going. The first thing we needed was to get the exhaust riser for the engine repaired and functioning so I can run the engine. Matt took the exhaust riser off,no small feat as the bolts were rusted and frozen. After a short consult with Adam from Smiles to go, the riser came free and we were ready to go. Jeff donated the money for the metal tubing needed to recreate the riser and they both helped me get the 9 feet of tubing to the boat. Matt and I hunted down a welder and Bob and Joanne from Flying Fish donated the money for the welder. The riser is now with the welder and we are waiting for pick up! this is a huge thing as it means we can be mobile again AND charge our batteries once the alternator is hooked up. None of this could have happened without all these people and I am forever grateful. Matt spent the rest of the time helping me to clean up the battery connections, organize the boat and keep me focused on my goals. It made all the difference!!!! Our next big challenge is the bottom cleaning. It needs to be done before we leave but it makes me nervous to think of doing anything to the bottom. We really need a hualout and I don't want to create any problems by scrapping the hull that I won't be able to fix. I guess I just have to jump in and see what happens.
Jack and I met with the teacher from San Evaristo and went over the projects we are hoping to do and discuss timing and schedule for the three days. We all left feeeling very excited about the project and talked about the fact that this is the first project of it's kind that any of us knew about. very exciting to be a part of it all. Not much else for now. We are working hard to get this all done in time. cross your fingers for us! Allison

2010-03-19T11:33:00.000-07:00

We are all getting very excited for our science week in San Evaristo. We have 14 hrs of really exciting curriculum that my good friend Jack, from Waterdog, is going to teacher when we are there. The cruisers here are so supportive it is amazing!We have almost gotten all the materials donated we need for the classes and friends are even coming over to help me work on the boat and get it ready for a trip. It just gives me goose bumps!!!!!!We have been spending everyday, trying to get the boat ready for this trip. It is happening in the end of April and there is a lot to do. Our biggest stumbling block, right now, is cash flow. I have all the workers and helpers I can use but not enough cash to buy the supplies needed to get the jobs done. I am not too proud to beg. We need help. If there is anyone out there who would like to be involved in anyway, or has some good ideas on how to raise some money, or would like to donate to our program, please let me know. My direct email is sunbreakeducation@yahoo.com. I would love any suggestions made!!!! anyway, just wanted to follow Isabelle's story and let you all know what is happening with us. keep posted as it is just going to get more and more exciting in the months to come. Thanks, Allison

2010-03-16T20:34:00.000-07:00

Okay.Isabelle here.I am going to start "taking over" the blog as of tomorrow,so it will be up-dated much more.

Lately,we have been gathering school supplies for San Evaristo. My mom,brother,me and a friend of ours who is a Astronmy teacher are going to head to San Evaristo to teach a week long class.Our plan is head up there last week of April,and we are still collecting donations until then.I was up in San Evaristo just a week or two ago,there were about 13 kids from the ages of seven to twelve.The teacher travels the six hours to La Paz every weekend to see his family,he is normally back at San Evaristo on late Sunday.However,this time we did not see him until late Monday.I think he is debating on moving to Ia Paz to be with his wife and three children.He is doing a wonderful thing staying as long as he has.While we were there we bought some yellow tail tuna from the local fisherman and some handmade corn tortillas from his wife.It turns out that the Mexican goverment is founding the building of some cement buildings .Cement is a big step up from where they were.Normally your house is made from cardboard boxes you tore apart,held with bottle caps and a few nails.Every year they are washed away from hurricanes.When we ask the teacher and other locals what we can bring to help them,they almost always say food staples.Like flour and sugar.We have mostly been staying to school supplies,and every once in a while someone will give us clothes or food.Anything to help!

2010-02-19T15:40:00.000-08:00

Vltava at sunset

The beach at San Fransisco Island

We have had a few exciting months here on Vltava and I need to talk about it. I have had to deal with a lot of mechanical errors on the boat and it has been great because I am learning new skills and gaining confidence whenever i come up against a new challenge. I can't say it enough about how nice it was to have Tim around when things went wrong. nothing was broken for long and I got spoiled. He is doing well in the states and is hoping to be home in a few months. maybe I can try to fix all the things that were working when he left???? I have had a lot of help from friends in the anchorage and always have a great group of people to get ideas and help from. I got a really good kick in the butt when my friend Ryan came down from Loreto to visit. Not only is he TOO much fun but he is a very hard worker who is ALWAYS in a good mood!!!!! He really helped me focus on things that needed to be done and helped to motivate me to actually do them. He and his sister have a kayak adventure business down here during the winter months. Check out bajakayakadventures.com to really see what they are all about. We have been talking about combining a kayak sailing trip sometime in the near future which is really getting me excited. While Ryan was here he cleaned up the hull by reefing out old bungs and seams that had rusty fasteners behind them. He then treated all the rusty spots and then sealed the areas he had worked on. I am finishing the job by filling the seams and holes and then will sand and paint. I am really looking forward to making her bright! The school program is getting exciting also. I have found a guy named Jack on the sailing vessel water dog who is helping me write up a science curriculum to take to the kids in San Evaristo.(Actually, truth be told, Jack is doing all the work and I am just jumping up and down in the side lines!) He has 14 hours of really cool science experiments having to do with everything from electricity to the constellations! i am calling it a week long science extravaganza!!! I am especially excited because I always get to see the kids when we drop off cool stuff for the school but I never really get to see the stuff being used. This time we will use all we bring and I can't wait to see all those kids get excited about science! Jack is a really exciting hands on kind of teacher and I am looking forward to seeing him in action! We are going to be doing this at the end of April, after the kids get back from spring break. We are hoping to get other boats to come with us so we can give all the kids a good sail while we are there. I am hoping Vltava will be ready to go but I need to do a lot of work before then. The biggest thing is to clean the bottom. I have some friends who are willing to work for food but may change their minds once they get out here. I am also worried that cleaning the bottom may create new problems that I need to be able to deal with. I am planning on putting in another manual pump just in case the cleaning opens something up. That is about all that is going on down here. We are very busy with school, projects and work but always seem to be able to work in some fun along the way. I will add photos of Ryan working his booty off in the next post. Bye, Allison

2009-12-06T06:03:00.000-08:00

I thought I'd write to just check in and let everyone know we have not disappeared. Things are slow on Vltava for now. The weather is getting chilly and the funds are low so we are just trying to finish things we have the supplies for, mostly painting and repairing little things. Tim is still in the states and will be for another month or two. Tom comes over everyday to help me whereever he can. He has been great and really helpful. With Tim not here I have had to try to fill his shoes and make things work, or, actually, make things work... again. It is a huge responsibility and one you can't really appreciate until you are there. I have learned to appeciate him even more now that he isn't here. WE have been collecting school supplies and have had one potluck, so far. Heather and Shawn from Omshanti came to the potluck with a few cruising guides and the time to answer questions from the cruisers there. It was amazing that almost all of the cruisers at the briefing and potluck had their new cruising guide! It really is the best guide out there and the book is beautiful! Heather and Shawn are heading to the mainland this year to start working on a new mainland cruising guide. We are all waiting patiently( kind of) for it to be done. Also at the potluck, Kevin did one of his fabulous briefings about the islands from La Paz to Loreto. He is so knowledgeable and charming that it is a treat to watch, even if I have heard it 1000 times. Not much else in the near future with us. I am hoping to be able to take Vltava up to San Evaristo to do a short class using the telescope we got a few years ago, but that will probably happen when Tim returns. If anyone out there has any free time and wants to come to a beautiful part of the world and be a part of a great crew on Vltava just let us know. We'd love to have anyone come down and we have the space. I am not sure if our email is around this blog so I'll throw it out there for anyone who'd like to contact us. It's sunbreakeducation@yahoo.com. I'll write more soon. Allison

2009-07-02T13:21:00.000-07:00

We are getting ready for the really hot months and hurricane season. That entails finishing all incomplete projects, storing stuff down below, securing more anchors, and checking the weather daily. The boys and I head east in the beginning of August and Isabelle is off in a few days for a visit with grandparents in Oklahoma and aunts in Washington. She will meet up with the rest of us in Pennsylvania. kevin, unfortunately, needs to hang around and watch Sunbreak and work. Tim will be on Vltava and it will be hard for him to keep the boat safe, alone, if bad weather comes our way, so cross your fingers we have no hurricanes this year, at least between August 7th and September 22nd! I will update everyone on our projects as they get done. I have been doing a lot of art and it has been great. I have people waiting their turn so it feels good to be so supported. Allison

2009-06-19T09:27:00.000-07:00

I am determined to be better at updating this blog so make sure you don't give up on us yet. We spent the last few days playing with Tom and Tim's family. We were able to get them out in the sea for a few days of snorkeling, fishing, shell collecting and just generally having fun in the sea. It was nice to shove the memories of the "trip from hell" out of the way and fill them with new memories. Everything went smoothly and the boat behaved so we could all relax. we are now planning on finishing some much need work and then getting ready for hurricane season. We already have a tropical depression which is threatening Mazatlan. This is really early in the season for this kind of storm and we are all hoping it is not foreshadowing of what we can expect in the next few months. We DO NOT want a hurricane here, especially when I am back in the states and no where around to help. Yikes! As far our school program we are spending the down time of summer working with the teacher in San Evaristo to create a short curriculum having to do with the stars and planets. We were able to get a telescope donated last year and are excited about putting it to use. We are also planning a, still to happen, pirate party and possible day sail where all the kids will be crew. We have also donated Vltava to the sea scout group, which has been newly formed here is La Paz. We are hoping to meet with the teachers sometime in the next few weeks to discuss their ideas of what they would like to accomplish with the sea scouts. It is a very exciting time for us as people are finally realizing we are here and willing to work with any group. We were even recognized north of La Paz so the word is really getting out. Our biggest need right now is money. The boat needs to get a haul out and that alone will be pricey. We have been collecting things for a haul out and are amazed daily at the support we get from the community of cruisers down here. I am going to include pictures of our trip with "the family", as I called them, and remind everyone that we are here and big and in a beautiful spot so for the time being, if you can handle camping without the dirt think of coming to Baja and exploring the Sea of Cortez on Vltava. We could offer you a great price for the trip and can sleep up to 10 comfortably. Thanks, Allison

2009-06-12T14:22:00.000-07:00

Well, It has been awhile since I wrote and a lot has been going on. We did our trip to Conception but never actually made it there. We tried twice and the farthest we got was 10 miles away. Very frustrating to say the least. We had a few major things go wrong but managed to overcome the problems and finally got the boat home after about 2 1/2 weeks. Let's just say we titled the trip" The Trip From Hell" and I'll just leave it at that. Enough said. We had great crew in Sam and Isabelle and Olaf and Samira. Everyone was a trouper and the going was tough most of the time. Samira and Olaf ended up heading out after our second attempt at trying to reach Conception. They were some of the best crew we have ever had and, even though they were new to the whole experience, Have earned a permanent crew position on Vltava! I have included pictures of both of them working on the boat, steering and Samira trying to catch the "big one." We never made it to dinner with the NoLS group but ran into friends who were camping on the beach when we returned to San Janico. We were able to connect with some of the groups in the Loreto area who work with kids and schools and some with whole communities. We even had some people hand over donations to our program. It was a great time to share ideas and listen to some of the people instrumental in creating worthwhile projects that not only help a community but also create great friendships. They were so far ahead of where we are but the sharing of ideas helped me to focus more clearly not only on what is lacking for the kids in some of these small fishing and ranching communities but also the adults. As their prime source of income and even their culture are dying out, due to lack of fish or the remoteness of the community, their need for new skills, so that they can compete in the changing times, is great. There are so many ways to help it is inspiring. Since we have been back from our trip we have spent the time cleaning and finishing projects we have let sit for too long. It is starting to get hot down here and it is hard to want to move much in the middle of the day. We learn to work early then siesta and then finish late. We have Tim and Tom's family here for a week and we are heading out to the islands for a few days. I can't wait to snorkle and kayak myself. The kids are doing well in school even though we were a little lax in watching our time for school and have been involved in so many different things this year that we find they are going to have to do school most of the summer. We are counting this as a learning experience and next year plan on being done early! Will arrived home yesterday and it is great to see him. He has made the varsity archery team and will get a cool leather "letter" jacket and a pin. he has also been chosen to be in the advanced creative writing program next year and has decided to build a boat for his senior project. He is very busy but also very happy. Isabelle has plans of jet setting around California, Oaklahoma, and the east coast, while finally ending up in Washington visiting Aunt Joanne and Uncle Bob. PHEW! Will has some friends we are hoping will make it to La Paz this summer to play in the sea on the schooner and Sam has plans to spend as much time with his good buddy Josh, on Theopholis, as he can. We will all be on the east coast starting on the 7th of August and are REALLY excited about having 2 weeks in the Poconos with Nonnie. Sam will be looking at boarding schools this year which should be a lot of fun. Not much else right now. I'll write more once Tim and Tom's family leave. Allison

2009-02-27T12:02:00.000-08:00

Here are a few more pictures of some of the work that is getting done. Half the interior is painted and it makes it so much brighter. All the gouges in the wood around the portholes and winches, that had been stolen off of the boat, have been repaired and painted so, in places, it really looks like a new boat. The picture of the bow is Tom's repair. It meant getting rid of all the old rot, replacing it with new wood, and then making frames to cover all that. It looks brand new and perfect! This Sunday we are having one of our infamous potlucks with a movie and we are starting the party off with a swap meet. We will have everything we want to trade/sell up on deck and people can come by and check it our. Kind-of like a garage sale with out the garage. We are hoping to make some money to help us get up in the Sea to deliver our school supplies. Not much else for now. Allison

2009-02-24T18:56:00.000-08:00

We have been working at a pretty good pace for the past few weeks, trying to get some much needed projects done before our next big trip in March. I will tell you about that in a bit. We have had a lot of help from a lot of cruisers in the past few weeks. We have Mike on Tehani showing up almost daily to varnish anything we throw at him. He is a really laid back guy with a great sense of humor so it is easy to spend time with him. The kids come over when school and other activities allow and help do anything that needs to be done. Here are some pictures of Isabelle sanding down below and Sam and his friend, Josh, outside sanding the rail. We had a work party last week and had the crew of "Outcast" and Max off of "Sin Fin" helping with everything from sanding to helping Tom replace planks in the bow. It is inspiring to have all these people putting in so much time and effort to help us out. The projects we are completing are replacing parts of the cabin top that had rot and was soft. Tim has been a one man show on this job. He's not a bad carpenter especially since he's the engineer. I have been mainly focusing on sanding and painting down below. We are almost done the main living areas and what a difference it all makes!!!!! Tom has focused all his energy on the rotten area in the bow, above the water line. He has gotten rid of all the rot and has replaced all the wood and planks and it looks amazing! I couldn't get the picture to load this time but I will keep trying. All in all, the boat is taking on an amazing transformation and she is loving all the good strokes. We have taken on a new crew member, Derek, who is 24 and off on an adventure. We have him doing all the jobs we hate and he keeps smiling so we keep piling on more!!!!! He's great and is planning on heading north with us when we go. We are planning on leaving sometime after the 10th of March. We are going as far north as Conception Bay(get a map-look it up)to meet up with a group who may be interested in using the schooner in some of their programs. We will play around there, and show off, a little, and then slowly make our way down the coast, introducing ourselves to new schools and kids. We will end the trip with a big "pirate" party in San Evaristo on the schooner with a movie on the big screen and a small astronomy class using the telescope we found for them last year. We are really looking forward to this next trip, especially with the boat looking so good! I will try to send more pictures when the signal is better. Allison

2009-02-24T18:47:00.000-08:00

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2009-02-19T13:16:00.000-08:00

2009-01-22T16:00:00.000-08:00

It's been more than a week since I have written and a lot has happened! Tim has gotten 5 new lights installed and the alternator is finally charging the batteries. The Generator was almost on line until we broke a belt and now have to order one from the states. A good friend, Roger, on a boat called Avalon is helping us get it all together and his wife will be able to bring it down. It really is amazing how many people we meet who go out of their way to help us! We down sized our cabin top project because of lack of funds but we are making repairs where needed so we are progressing forward. Our next planned trip will be the end of February and we will try to get to Agua verde, at last, and have our promised "pirate party" in San Evaristo. There is a friend of a friend who has taken the time to find our donated mainsail in San Diego and is on the road right now. He also informed us that 2 extra sails were thrown in so that is a total of three new sails coming our way. They are very pricey items and Pat on the schooner Patricia belle, home ported in Mazatlan, made the generous off of them to us for free. Once again, amazing! Allison

2008-12-28T12:59:00.001-08:00

I have posted a lot of the pics from our trip. The write up is a few posts back so make sure you read it. I am a little slow on all this blog stuff so bear with me. Thanks. Our next trip is planned for february AFTER we do some work on the cabin top in January. I'll keep you posted with the progress and the final decisions. Allison

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2008-12-27T14:32:00.000-08:00

Here is a summary of our trip to San evaristo. It was great, all around, and will be a highlight in my memory. Here are some pictures to go along with the story.

We started asking for donations of school supplies in October and by the beginning of December we had a stateroom filled and a reason to go sailing. Our first real obstacle was finding enough crew(who we could live with) who were willing to head out on a glorious camping trip all inclusive, except for the dirt. Finding crew ended up being easy so all that was left was to provision and haul water and diesel. We left early Wednesday morning with the help of all of our neighbors at anchor at the Mogote. Our first stop was Partida cove on Espiratu Santo Island to clean our fuzzy bottom. Everyone participated and with the loan of a hookah from Flying Fish we were able to get the bottom somewhat clean in only a day. This is a big boat with a very big bottom!!!! Our next stop was San Evaristo and our initial plans were to only stay the night and then head out early for Agua Verde the next morning. Wouldn’t you know it but the wind gods had other plans. We ended up staying in San Evaristo for 5 days, waiting and hoping for calmer winds but actually seeing, at times, winds gusting to 40! None of us wanted to head out against that. We entertained ourselves by watching movies and walking in town. We had made arrangements to meet at the school Tuesday morning so we had a few days to wait. We had a potluck on board and invited all the boats in the bay over. Everyone showed up and really enjoyed the new Indiana Jones movie on the big screen. We fished everyday and managed to feed ourselves regularly with what we caught. At one point we had a fish fry on Vltava and barbecued 44 filets and had three extra boats for dinner! The big day came when we could finally take all the stuff we brought to the kids at the school. My family and I have been doing this for the past 4 years but never with this much stuff or on such a cool boat! The schooner is 90 feet, over all, and, with a crew of seven, looks very impressive arriving or leaving any port. It took 4 dingy loads to get all the people and supplies ashore. We had arranged a friend from town to drive the stuff to the school, while I walked around town handing out things we had collected for the kids who were either too young or too old for the school. The school goes from about 5 years to 13 years and currently has 12 kids enrolled , all children of fishermen in the village. When I finally made it too the school I found all the kids, including mine, in a very active game of soccer. There were 2-3 other boats cruising with us and a few other people on boats in the bay who came to watch the festivities. After everyone was exhausted from soccer we headed into the classroom to start handing out the goodies. Each child received a personal bag filled with everything they would need over a school year , like glue, crayons, scissors, rulers, paper , and a lot of other good stuff. The rest of the things we placed on the tables to the side of the room. Pricilla, on Serenity, toughed it through a small science class on dinosaurs and then handed each kid a dinosaur puzzle. They turned out to be a real challenge and we all decided that the Spanish word for puzzle(rompecabeza-broken head) was an appropriate name. After mastering the puzzles I headed over to the table to show the kids some of the cool stuff we brought along. We had about 15 library books, everything from beautifully illustrated kids books to books on science and dinosaurs. There was a huge box of craft supplies and they were already thinking of Christmas and decorations they could make. I picked through the whole box to squeals of “Mira, mira!”(look, look) and then they got down to business. They realized we needed to head out But I had promised to show them the big boat and they weren’t going to let me forget it. I also had to promise to come back in February and host a pirate party with a movie on board, since I HAD promised the last time I was there and they WERE letting me off easy today. So we ferried all the kids and the teacher, Reyner, through the 40 knot wind gusts to Vltava and let them loose. We managed to scrounge up enough hot dogs and popcorn to feed the whole crew and they had a blast checking every inch of the schooner and reading about San Evaristo in the chart books. We said goodbye that day with only one minor catastrophe of an older girl falling in off of the ladder. It was very funny when she came up smiling and complaining about the cold water. By the time she was in the dingy everyone was laughing and handing her their sweatshirts. It will definitely be the story of the week in the village. We had a great sail to San Francisco island and spent the next few days cruising the islands and exploring the beaches. We managed to get the schooner moving at 7.7 knots on our way back to town and even sailed into the channel from the bay. This trip was a real highlight in our already highlighted trip to the school. The kid’s enthusiasum was inspiring and the schooner Is a great classroom for all of us.

2008-12-03T06:05:00.000-08:00

Well, We are off. I decided to add some pics of the last potluck, since I haven't downloaded the school supply pics yet. We have been running around like chickens, trying to get done all the things we need too before we head out. We still have to jump in and try to clean the bottom, and since the water has dropped to 74 degrees, I have been putting it off. UGH! we have the biggest pile of stuff for the schools than we ever have. It is so exciting and I am riding the wave of everyone's generosity!!! We will have three new crew on board and I have to give them credit because the schooner is still a little rough so it is kind-of like a severe camping trip, just without the dirt. They are all still very enthusiastic so that is nice. We will see how it all goes when we finally get out there. There will be no more blog info until we return so don't give up on us. Not much else for now. I have to go swimming. BRRRRRRRR!!!!! Allison

2008-11-26T12:44:00.001-08:00

I am sorry I have been away for a while. I ended up with a little cold and then we have had a lot of boats arrive in town so the internet has slowed way down. Sometimes we can't even get on line! The delivery went well. Sam, Kevin and Tim arrived with good stories and some goodies from the states. We are getting ready to take a boat-load of school supplies up inside the Sea of Cortez. We have been doing this for years but with the new boat we can bring a lot more things and get farther. We will be adding the school at Aqua Verde to our list of two so that should be exciting. It is amazing how the community here has taken up the challenge to "fill" the boat with supplies. I think they actually took me seriously and I am getting bags everyday!!! It really is amazing the generosity of the people here! we will be leaving on the second of December and hoping to make it as far north as Aqua Verde. that is about 70-80 miles and will take about 5 days to reach, with a stop at San Evaristo. We are hoping to offer schooner cruises to all the people in town. many of these people have lived here their whole lives and have never left their harbor. it will be fun to get them to help out on the schooner. Nothing is done by one person so it is a real act of teamwork. I will have lots of pictures after our trip, we should be back in town on the 18th, so I will share them on the blog. We are trying to get everything ready to leave. we need to find a permanent place for the new generator and do some work on deck. We will be a crew of 7 so that, at least, will be good. We had our third potluck last Sunday. Kevin offered a chart briefing of the area and Tim showed a movie. We ended up with 70 people on the boat for dinner and there was still room left! Amazing!!!! Kevin's chart briefing was the hit of the night with about 30 people crammed down below hanging on his every word! It was really fun and we met a lot of great new friends. I will try to get back here before we leave to update everyone one our progress. I want to photograph the supplies because they are a lot and it may blow your mind. More later, Allison

2008-11-02T09:11:00.000-08:00

I have decided to give everyone a tour of the schooner while we are waiting for the guys to return from their delivery. There is very little work going on as more than half the crew is delivering a 36' sailboat to the LA area. These first pictures are of the outside of Vltava. The picture of the helm shows the wheel and cockpit. The steering gear for the boat was stolen in Mazatlan, before we got the boat. Tim and Will had to rebuild the steering system, basically using the stuff left from the thieves. The wheel had to be moved to the side to accomodate forward and reverse. It works great, just looks a little wierd. The old wheel was a big, beautiful bronze wheel that was original to the boat. We have most of the parts to replace the original system and could then place the wheel back where it belongs. The deck pictures show the windlass(that is the machine that raises the anchor) and the bowsprit. The motor for the windlass had been removed and then stolen, before we got the boat. Right now there needs to be about 3-4 to manually raise the anchor. Check out our older post to see pictures of the kids raising the anchor for the first time, here in La Paz. Kevin has spent many hours varnishing the bowsprit so now it shines! The other deck shot is from the end of the bowsprit looking back on the boat. The bowsprit is 14' long and a great place to hang out. i am going to do interior shots tomorrow so you guys will really feel you know the boat a little bit. Allison

2008-10-31T15:05:00.000-07:00

We just had our second potluck of the season and it was a huge success! we had about 25 people show up and a lot hadn't seen the schooner before. It is fun to show off this beautiful boat and all the work getting done. We have been receiving many donations in the form of boat gear and that has been great!!! We have also been getting a lot of school supplies for our next trip to San Evaristo and this year hope to extend our program to a few new communities. We are planning on heading out of La Paz and into the sea sometime in the beginning of December so there is still time to donate, either to the schooner(always time for that)or to the schools. Kevin, Tim and Sam are delivering a boat to Channel Islands Harbor so work on the schooner has slowed a bit. We are planning a big job of replacing most of the cabin top when they return. Keep checking in with the blog and email(sunbreakeducation@yahoo.com) when you can. Allison

2008-10-25T14:18:00.000-07:00

Here it is, the end of October already and we are preparing for our second potluck aboard Vltava. We had a water pump donated to us from our friend, Steve, on Etosha, a boat here in town, and Tim has already gotten us hooked up with running water and a shower!!!!! It is wonderful to be able to come back to the schooner everyday and clean up easily, especially now that it is getting cooler. We had a very generous donation from our friend Kerry, on Anderson Island, of some much needed school supplies. We are planning on heading to San Evaristo by the beginning of December. I will post pictures after the potluck on Sunday. We are planning on showing Joe's Apartmaent as the movie. It is a hysterical story of a guy who gets in an argument with the cockroaches that live in his apartment and how, in the end, they become friends. You have to see it to believe it! Allison

2008-10-15T14:54:00.000-07:00

This is our latest donation. It is a very big generator that we can us for both 110 and 12 volt power. It was quite a production to get it from it's place in our friends garage to the schooner. We needed a lot of help and Michael, from Tehani, and Billy, from Yellow Star came to the rescue. We had set up a block and tackle off of the fore boom and were able to get it on the boat with no problems. Tim has spent all day today cleaning and checking it all out. Prognosis is great! Allison

hurricane Norbert

2008-10-12T16:57:00.001-07:00

As you have heard, there was a small hurricane yesterday.
There was about 55 knots of wind and the waves were about 2-3 feet.
Dad, Sam, and I were on Sunbreak with the animals.Freckles,our dog and Sinco(or Yaoweme) our new kitten. Surprisingly the kitten loved the rain,wind and salty fur when Freckles(our family diva) sat in blankets down stairs in the corner.The hurricane lasted about a day. Starting Friday night and ending Saturday night. Meanwhile dad Sam and I played four games of monopoly(all four Sam won) and watched two movies and read three books.I took some photos(me being the artistic one)on my film cannon camera and mom took some on digital. Only two boats broke loss. They both ended up on the sandbar and no one knows where they are now.Other then that it was basically roll roll pitch pitch ow ow wet wet(you know,the basic) well I hope to be able to write more later. Izzy
if you want to write me on my email it is izzypaz81@yahoo.com and Sam's is innoutkid@yahoo.com

2008-10-12T08:40:00.000-07:00

We survived Norbert, the tropical storm that hit us yesterday. I have included some pictures for your enjoyment. We saw gusts up to 50 knots and at one point the spray off of the water left your lips salty. Vltava had one anchor out another to go. It was nice to see all that wind and know we weren't going anywhere! The second anchor got loaned to us in the last hour and Tim, Kevin, and I worked on getting it aboard and a bridle made for the anchor that was down. We finished just when the rain started. Sunbreak had a much bumpier ride as it is a lot smaller but everyone faired well and the kids and Kevin stayed occupied playing monopoly and watching movies. There is another storm headed our way but it is already weakening and heading away from us so maybe we are done for the season. I'm ready for cooler weather! Allison

2008-10-08T12:11:00.000-07:00

We are spending our times these days tracking Norbert, the category 2 hurricane heading right for us. The little boat is taking down all their canvas and things on deck. They will stay on the mooring for the storm as our paperwork isn't in our hands from the purchase so we won't be accepted in a marina. We are probably safest out aT ANCHOR. For the big boat we are taking down all the canvas and Tim has covered all the holes, where hatches once were, with plywood to try to keep the water out. We will stock up on all we can and hope we get spared. If anyone is is interested in seeing what is going on down here, check in with eebmike.com and he has very updated weather for this area. Not much else. we are very busy and may loose internet so bear with us. Allison

2008-10-06T15:44:00.000-07:00

I finally figured out how to get the pictures back to the blog. These are pictures of our potluck from last night. The trimaran was just sailing by and we talked them into coming on board and having a drink and some dinner. They had a great time and really got to see how the other half lives. They came from San Diego and were just borrowing their friends sailboat. They couldn't believe their luck! Not much else today. Allison

2008-10-06T15:05:00.000-07:00

Well, The kids and I are finally settled back into life in La Paz, which means hauling water, walking the dog and of course, school. We purchased a new curriculum this year and the kids are really liking all the new courses. It takes more time during the day but they seem to be enjoying the content. The schooner is coming along great. Tim did a lot of the pretty work down below, even carving and painting the name plates by hand! Kevin has put a lot of work in on the bowsprit and is up to the 4th coat of varnish. You can actually see your reflection! Tom and I are planning to tackle the sail covers when Kevin and Tim head off on a delivery to the channel Islands at the end of October. We had a pot luck on board last night and it was a huge success. Isabelle counted 23 people here and everyone brought something to share for dinner. We topped the evening off with a showing, out side with a big screen, of the movie Captain Ron. Everyone who came commented on how great the schooner looks. Our good friend Mike had even surveyed the boat for us, originally, and at that point told us to run away screaming. Last night he told everyone how he has to eat his words as the boat is amazing!!! That was a great feeling! Anyway, I can hopefully post some pics with this entry of the party last night. More to come. Allison

2008-09-09T04:57:00.000-07:00

We are still on the east coast visiting family and will be here until the 23rd. I am hearing from Mexico that Vltava is getting cleaned up and ready for our return. I have been able to pick a lot of peoples brains here on Non profits and business management, which I desperately need to be educated on. I have appreciated all the people who have been willing to help me learn and have turned me onto to some much needed information. I have had a lot of people asking how they can help with our school supplies program. I have been telling them that everything is appreciated. We focus primarily on arts and science so any fun or interesting equipment that falls into those categories is great. Also the basics, pencil, crayons, paper etc is also much appreciated. You can mail things directly to us at

Yate sunbreak
c/o Marina de La Paz
Topete 3040 Y Legaspi
Apdo 290 C.P.23060
La Paz, B.C.S. Mexico

Just put books on the mailing and there should be no problems. You could also write a check to Sunbreak educational adventures and mail it to 10708 Madrona Dr., Anderson Island, WA 98303. All money received will go to our program and you could follow the blog to see the immediate help you have provided. I will be meeting a friend, when I get back to Mexico,who is involved in environmental programs with the children of La Paz and areas close by. We will be discussing a recycling program they are hoping to get in the works. We are hoping to use the schooner to take supplies and also do some educational programs with the kids on the boat. We still have a long way to go but we are on the right tract. Thanks for all the interest and help we have been receiving!!! Allison

2008-09-01T09:02:00.000-07:00

The kids and I are still on the east coast getting ready to take Will, our oldest back to school. Work on Vltava is progressing slowly as Kevin has been out on back to back charters and we are very low on supplies. Tim has been working on some wood projects down below and probably, knowing him, is "tasking" on anything he can get his hands on. I have been collecting info on Non profits and meeting with a few people from some schools around here to see if I can drum up someone who would like to connect themselves with us and the kids. We are hoping to be able to find a classroom or two that would be interested in our school projects. The kids decide on a project for the year and we forge ahead to try to make it all happen. Some of the past projects have been getting a generator donated, a telescope donated and last year we filled 33 backpacks with age appropriate supplies for all the kids in San Evaristo and the neighboring island of coyote. All of our projects have come about with donations from friends. It has been really amazing how the community of boaters in La Paz have been so generous! We have not finalized our idea of a project this year so we still have room for suggestions. Anyone with ideas please send them along. We would really love to be able to include others interested in what we are doing so please make suggestions. Our email address is sunbreakeducation@yahoo.com. You can also post comments here and we can respond to those also. I want to remind you all that any donations of money or supplies would be much appreciated. We have a lot of work ahead on the schooner and are really excited about having the "big"boat to expand our programs. I will be meeting with a friend of mine who works with the city of La Paz on environmental programs. We are hoping to help educate the kids on the importance of recycling along with bringing much needed supplies to the schools. We have been in contact with Faber- Castell, one of the largest school suppliers in the world, and they are willing to make donations. If there is anyone heading to La Paz that could bring some supplies down with them get in touch with me and I can have them shipped to where ever. The problem of shipping them to Mexico is that after import duties and other taxes is is cheaper to buy them locally so anyone with a boat or car heading down would be a great help.Since I am not on my own computer I have no new pictures and as it is hurricane season and most of us are in the states so you will have to wait to get anything new. sorry. Allison

2008-08-25T14:28:00.000-07:00

Well, the schooner survived the tropical storm that just went past La Paz. I guess there was about 35 knots of wind, which isn't a lot, but there was quite a bit of rain. I have had people who would like to know what we need for the schooner. I will keep a list going and add to it when I can. We really need everything, as the boat was stripped in Mazatlan, but some detailed items are port holes-17 1/2" by 8" bronze,and a clutch driven motor with 1 1/2"-2" hoses. I have asked the guys to send me a more detailed list and I will pass it on. If anyone finds anything that would work and wants to donate it to the cause we have friends coming down in October and November so we have a way to get the stuff to us. I will write more when I get details from the south. Thanks, Allison

2008-08-18T09:13:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone, I have been getting a lot of grief for not updating the blog sooner. I will try to be better about keeping everyone informed as things move along. I have included a few pictures of the boat and the kids raising the 120 pound anchor on our trip to the islands. Let me go back. The last post had the guys leaving Mazatlan an having engine problems on the second day out. The water pump(which pumps sea water into the engine to help keep it cool) went out and they were forced to sail for two days. I got a cell phone call 30 miles outside of la Paz and found out they needed an impeller for the water pump. Tom, from Callisto, ran all over town and came up with the part that was needed. He then passed the part off to our friends Slade, Jimmy, and Simon, who then drove the part out, in Simon's panga, to the boat, as it was nearing La Paz. There was a lot of high fives and some beer drinking when the part got to the boat. They spent the night just outside of town to get the water pump rebuilt and then headed into La Paz the next morning and was anchored up next to new Sunbreak by lunch! It was very exciting and the guys were tired but happy!!!! WE were able to turn around almost immediately and take Vltava out to the islands for a few days, with the kids. We had all the sails up for two days running and had a blast getting to know the boat a little bit. The kids an I will be in the states visiting family for the next month so it will be easer to update the blog from there. I will post more pictures when I get east. I will also have all the pictures, some movies made by Will, and all the dreams with me so I'd love to share it all with whomever I run into. Just ask!!!!!! Thanks, Allison

2008-08-06T11:41:00.000-07:00

I got a phone call this morning around 8 am. It was kevin. They were 30 miles off the north end of ceralvo island and they had lost their engine. I guess the water pump went out a day ago and they have had to sail. They were doing well and sailing at about 5 knots. They were hoping to be able to get a new impeller and have it brought out to them when they get closer. Tom has bought the impeller adn slade, jimmy and simon are waiting in the wings to head out. We are waiting for another call to get the latitude and longitude and their direction. They should be in by tonight though so I will let you know. Allison

2008-08-05T17:24:00.001-07:00

Well, Vltava left Mazatlan on Sunday, around noon. We are expecting them today. It is already 6:30 our time so If they aren't in the harbor by dark(8:30 pm) then they will anchor out and come in with the light. It is about 200 miles as the crow flies and if they are traveling at 5knots it should take them 50 hours. They only have a hand held radio and I don't know if they can charge it with the system the way it is now, so we may see them before we hear them. There are people all over La Paz, with different vantage points keeping an eye out. We are all very excited! Tomorrow we move out of the house we have been house sitting for the past three weeks. We will miss the computer hook up the most, oh yeah, and the air conditioning! Keep checking the blog for info on the crossing. Thanks, Alison

2008-08-02T12:22:00.000-07:00

Will helping with the sails
David, the mechanic
Some of the crew
Kevin checking the rigging

Here are some of the most recent pictures from Mazatlan and the schooner. I think everyone is having a good time working together to make this happen. The engine was running the other day and looking good. The plan is for them to leave tonight or tomorrow. the weather looks good at the moment but there is something brewing south of us so time is very important. Check out eebmike.com to see what the guys are looking at to help decide when they leave. We will be leaving the house on the 6Th and will be back to Internet cafes and good friends so be patient. We will keep the blog going it just might not be updated daily. Allison

2008-08-01T07:55:00.000-07:00

At 9:30 lat night I get a skype call. The engine is running and everybody is up! They are planning on leaving on Sunday as long as the weather keeps cooperating. The picture here is of when Tim and I went to Mazatlan, the first time, to survey the new sunbreak(kevin was working) and Vltava had to be moved from the old harbor to Singlar Marina, where she is now. I am promised new pictures soon so I will share when they come in. Allison

2008-07-31T19:11:00.000-07:00

I am waiting to get some new pictures. Our friend Clarke showed up in Mazatlan today so now everybody who will be going is there. I am sure there is a lot going on and everybody is bonding over the work. I hope. I know Tim and Will are glad to have the extra hands. I can't believe they may leave by Saturday. It will be so exciting when Vltava is here! Allison

2008-07-31T10:14:00.000-07:00

About three years ago,our family came up with an idea to try to send or bring school supplies to a little cove up in the Sea called San Evaristo. There is a school with about 20 kids in it and it goes up to 6Th grade. After that there is no more school unless they go to La Paz. The boys go fishing with their fathers and the girls make tortilla's and food for the visitors(very few). It took us about one week to sail up there in our last boat.We walked up to the school,about a mile away from the beach,and talked and gave them the school supplies we brought.We played two games of soccer and then, with the teacher and everybody, we walked them home, seeing where and how they lived. There is a water purification plant that the government put there. It takes salt water and changes it into fresh water.only one home has a phone(only used for emergencies)and almost all the houses are made out of cardboard. There is no electricity and use solar panels to charge batteries that run their lights. on the back of the island there is a salt flat. All of the men that don't fish take care of the salt.There are huge pits dug in the sand with salt water in them. When the water evaporates they scrape up the salt with a shovel and bag it up and send it to la Paz. We're hoping that once we get the schooner we can take more school supples to other coves in the sea. Isabelle

getting the schooner

2008-07-30T11:14:00.000-07:00

so last night at 11:00 my dad and our friend mike left for Mazatlan.And will be getting in today at 2:00 were will and Tim will pick them up at the ferry dock.Now i cant speak for them but i have been to Mazatlan and a know its,hot,humid,dusty,boring etc. so they have not been in really in a good mood.But they should be leaving on the second.And getting in la Paz on the fifth(hopefully). We have not had much excitement here in la Paz for a few years so i know once the boat is over here it will be talked about on bill and Pepys "free talk " right away. Isabelle

2008-07-29T19:09:00.000-07:00

Well, It's been an exciting day!!!! The exhaust riser was created by our friend Billy, on yellow star. He is amazing!!!! Kevin will take it with him tonight on the ferry. We had a compass donated and also wheel all at the last moment. Than was great.We have had so much suppor it really is amazing. I am jealous that I can't be on the trip over but someone has to stay here and Kevin deserves to be on this trip! Anyway, I loved the kids entries and hopefully we will have more pictures soon that I can share with everybody. The weather is looking good for a crossing. If anyone wants to check out one of our best weather sources go to eebmike.com. the websitewill show you the weather for this area. It's what the guys on Vltava will be checking before they leave. It is hurricane season now so we have to keep an eye out. That's it for now. Allison

2008-07-29T12:36:00.000-07:00

By now you probably know that the schooner is starting to get put together bit by bit and let me say it will be awesome once it gets here. When I first heard about the schooner I was thinking something like: oh another huge rotten boat that we are going to get and have it sit in our backyard, but when I saw it I thought it looked very cool,and it had just been completely stripped too. The picture is my mom sitting in the drivers seat and I personally think it is the best seat on the whole boat!

SAM

2008-07-29T11:39:00.000-07:00

Hi,it's Isabelle this time.today i am going to talk about a normal every day for Sam and I. First, after getting up,we row or motor the dog to the Mogote(a peninsula)for a walk. Once we get back we eat breakfast,then get school going on.School usually goes Until 1:00. I have art on Mondays,and I volunteer at the animal shelter some Sundays, and I have had three photography classes. After school one of us goes into town on the motorized dingy to dump trash and get water jugs to put in the water tanks on the boat,and ice for the cooler where we store our food.Once we're back,and have gotten the water jugs on-board and the ice in the cooler we have lunch.After lunch if there is not anything else we could do I call my friend Mary on the radio and Sam calls his friends. Mary and I go to the beach and go swimming,we also bring our dogs. Most of the time we go home around five.After diner,SAM or I do the the dishes. Then all of us go to bed. I think once we get the schooner it will be harder work, such as sanding,painting, varnishing etc. but then again, if we do all the hard work first we can play in the end. Isabelle porter

2008-07-28T07:28:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of me in the Galley and me looking into the chain locker. These were taken in October of last year, when Kevin and I went to Mazatlan to survey the boat. That's when I really fell in love with her! We have gotten some great feedback on the blog. Keep the comments coming. Some people have asked how they can help. Well..... at this point we can take any help we can get. We can use donations of time, money, and supplies. We'd also like to start collecting more school supplies for this next year and San Evaristo. Any monetary donations or supplies can be sent to Allison Porter c/o Peggy Joyce, 10708 Madrona dr., Anderson Island, WA, 98303. At this time all we can give you for your donation would be a big hug, A tee-shirt(when we finally get some) and a promise of a sail on Vltava whenever you are close. We are hoping to get our 501 3c and then all monetary donations could be tax deductible. We also need help with Marketing and accounting. Also if there are an lawyers,or friends of lawyers, that would be willing to advise us on the legalities of everything. As yo can see we pretty much need everything to get this ball rolling. If you have an idea of how you could be involved we would love to hear it!!!! We are not to proud to beg. This is a group effort and a possible dream come true. We're really looking forward to the opportunity of expanding the programs we have become so attached to. Thanks ahead of time for helping this all come together! As far as progress goes, Tim and Billy are already working on the exhaust riser in their perspective cities. We will know today who gets to put it all together. It looks like Kevin and Mike, from the sailing vessel Aquavit, will be heading to Mazatlan tomorrow night(Tuesday,29th- Kevin birthday) To make the final push and get Vltava moving. We are hoping that they can leave Mazatlan by the 2nd of August. Our good friend Clarke is meeting them over there on the first so we have a good crew for the crossing. I can't thank all these guys enough as they are doing this all for free and they are still smiling. We also want to thank the people who have sent donations and supplies already , the minute they heard our news. It is really amazing the support we are getting and I just can't thank you all enough! Okay enough mushy stuff, I may start crying! Thanks, Allison

2008-07-27T14:12:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I figured out how to rotate the picture. The boat is really beautiful and classy and I can't wait until she gets here. Tim and Will managed to get the steering working yesterday. We are coming up with ideas for a wheel, temporarily. Will has thought of a bicycle wheel and my suggestion is a big Pan with handles. There was a beautiful bronze wheel there before the pirates got to it. Tomorrow our friend Billy and I will go around town organizing the parts for the exhaust riser. Billy says it's easy to make and the parts are easy to find. Tim will work on the Mazatlan end of it and Billy will try to get it together here in La Paz, and whoever gets it done cheaper and faster will be the one to get it finished. We really need to move this boat quickly as the weather gets more unpredictable as the days go by. Also our generous, FREE, crew needs some sort of schedule.(key word is free, there) Anyway, I am excited about the possibilities in our future. We have dreamed about this for so long and all the pieces seem to be falling into place. It's a great feeling! Allison

2008-07-26T19:54:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures that were sent today. I can't figure out how to rotate the boat pic so bear with me. Will is having a good time even though he isn't very comfortable. ^0 knots of wind blew in last night and dmped a ton of rain. This allhappened about 2:30 am. Good thing they were there to pump the bilge! Will has also been working hard in very humid conditions. He says he has been eaten alive by mosquitos. All that is left to do on the boat is to find an exhaust riser. It is the part of the engine that keeps the salt water from coming back in to the engine through the exhaust. I am going to help our friend Billy make one. Kevin will take it with him when he heads over in a few days. I will let you know how that all goes on Monday. Allison

Update on Vltava

2008-07-25T09:52:00.000-07:00

Well we woke up this morning to find that we still need the alternator and exhaust system for the engine. When the mechanics said it was functioning they meant turning over. Tim and Will have managed to get the water pumped out of the bilge and a light on. Will says there are not a lot of cockroaches left but they are not ALL gone. I will keep updating regularly when news comes in.
Allison

Sunbreak Educational Adventures

2008-07-24T15:16:00.000-07:00

We are finally getting ourselves organized and with the new schooner coming to La Paz we have a lot to write about. To recap our past 4 years we have been working with a few water access only communities in the Sea of Cortez near La Paz, where we live. We are a family of five on a 36 foot sailboat. We have been supplying school supplies, books, art supplies and backpacks to the schools in San Evaristo and Coyote Island. Our kids are the idea people each year and decide what our project will be. We have recently acquired the 86 foot schooner, Vltava, and hope to, eventually,not only bring school supplies to more communities, but to also offer sail training and environmental and marine education. We have our oldest son Will and our friend Tim in Mazatlan right now getting the boat ready for the trip across the Sea of Cortez. It had been left in Mazatlan and had been stripped of key equipment needed to move the boat. Namely parts off the engine and the gears and wheel for steering. Needless to say we have a long road ahead. the boat is very sound and only about 40 years old so she has a lot of life left in her. I am excited for the challenge. We hope to spend the next three years fixing her up and making her pretty and then we will try for the Pacific Tallship Challenge 2011. We would love comments or suggestions. We are looking for donations to help with the cost of maintenance. W are trying for our 501 3c status and will keep you posted. Allison