DID YOU KNOW WE HAVE CREW?

You didn’t know that we picked up crew this winter did you? We have four, actually.  Fergus, Archie, Arby and Monty.  We thought we would introduce you to each of them...

Fergus and Archie came on board together at Christmas time.  They share a berth in our salon and henpeck each other to death!  Fergus is a bully and Archie just nods and takes it like a man…well not exactly like a man since Archie is a colourful turtle with a wobbly head and Fergus is a highly decorated frog with green striped outstretched arms always trying to get at Archie.  They’re not very good on deck so they guard our two hand woven Mexican baskets where we keep loose pesos.


Monty, finely clothed in his plaid pants and pointed plaid hat, is the first person…well not exactly a person, to greet you to Falcon VII.  He’s a moose and since moose do swim occasionally (across channels usually) we thought he would be a  valuable addition in case one of us fell overboard and needed rescuing.

Monty joined us mid-December, spent Christmas with us and was very welcoming to both Archie and Fergus on Christmas morning.  He volunteered to show them the ropes and sometimes acts as referee when they start fighting.











The last to join our motley crew was Arby, or ARRR BE as we like to call her since she’s a pirate at heart.  She flew down to help us bring Falcon VII home to Victoria.  She is the senior member of our little crew as she is nearly 60.  Her credentials were outstanding! Before joining Falcon VII she was lookout at the top of a wooden mast on a 1.5 foot long wooden sailboat that housed a clock, my family’s prominent mantelpiece clock, to be exact. Year after year Arby watched over our family from her perch.   She accompanied Mom on her move to Douglas House seniors’ facility and was Mom’s constant companion there for more than 5 years. Arby also stands for ‘Row Boat’, as a constant reminder of Mom, who passed away March 19 in Victoria.  It seemed fitting that Arby should come to Mexico with us, don’t you think!


So there you have it, the prestigious crew of FalconVII.  And all this time you thought it was just Jim and me on Falcon VII. Now you know why things are going so well since we have so much help!

Jim and Tricia Bowen
S/V FalconVII
email: tandjbowen13@gmail.com

LIFE CARRIES ON – BACK IN MEXICO

Jim and I returned to Puerto Los Cabos at the bottom of the Baja Peninsula on Monday, April 11.  In many ways the trip back to Victoria, BC could have not been better because everything went very smoothly, as if Mom orchestrated the timing of her passing and everything else perfectly.  In the days following Mom’s passing I reconnected with many, many friends and family and tried to bear in mind that Mom was always happy and relatively healthy right up to the last few days of her amazing life.  I am so blessed to be one of her daughters.

Mom’s peaceful passing on March 19 left a huge hole in our family but it also brought our family closer together.  With help from Jim and my sisters, our son Brendan and our niece Taralee and partner Davey, we organized a wonderful Celebration of Life on April 3rd where nearly 100 friends and family came out to give Mom a happy and well deserved send off.  Jim and I put together a moving PowerPoint slideshow of pictures highlighting Mom over the years, featuring her much loved row boat.  As Executor, I had plenty of administrative duties to keep me busy, especially since our time in Victoria was so short.  Jim was an enormous support to me and an integral part in ensuring I stayed on top of everything while making sure I didn’t overdo it.  I am most thankful to him for his love and support.

The tuna Jim caught the day we heard we needed to fly home for Mom.

Anchoring at Los Muertos before we decided to motor through the night.

So now we’re back in sunny Mexico. When we flew back we took a taxi to the marina at Puerto Los Cabos, looking forward to returning home to Falcon VII.

As we approached her, we were appalled at her condition.  Apparently some *#@!& frigates and ospreys took turns perching on her mast and spreaders while we were gone for four weeks and they made a terrible mess!

12 man hours of intensive back breaking scrubbing to remove
the sunbaked dried on bird poop, over 2 days!

During the few days we were in Los Cabos we re-provisioned and had a bit of time to smell the flowers and walk the black sand beach about a mile away.

Walking along the tree alley to avoid the heat of the sun.

A cactus nursery at the marina...where will they put them all?

Welcome to the high end part of the Baja! Tree lined boulevards! Oh my!

We’re adjusting to the heat once more and looking forward to continuing our journey north to Canada. I think of Mom every day but know that in time the pain in my heart will ease.  I had a long walk a couple of mornings ago, just after dawn to contemplate life and its many twists and turns. Getting out the camera again was therapeutic.

Sports fishing boats heading out just after dawn from Puerto Los Cabos.

This energetic lady taking her happy canine friends for a run along the beach.

A photo shoot right beside Falcon VII.  BTW it was a GUY who was
the centre of attention, the babes were just eye candy!

San Jose Del Cabo in the distance beyond the ritzy marina where we
had to leave Falcon VII when we flew home urgently.

Falcon's at the end of the dock to the left.

These are demarcation rocks, set in cement.
Someone thought it was a good idea at the time. 

Novel use of old tires.

That's a dolphin pen where people pay big bucks for the opportunity
to swim with the dolphins.  NOT...we prefer ours in the wild!

Three single hump camels were fenced in near the dolphin pens.
Again, tourists pay money to ride these poor creatures.

I don't think this caged animal is actually smiling. More grimancing. 

One of the many expensive sculptures that line the marina.

Sports fishing boats stored while not in use.

Not everyone is wealthy near Los Cabos.  This man is
wheeling his belongings outside the fenced marina.

On Saturday April 16 we motored to the beach off of Cabo San Lucas then left near 3:00 am. Sunday morning for Magdalena Bay, the first leg of our journey north.  Next  blog from somewhere near Ensenada.

Tricia and Jim Bowen
S/V Falcon VII
email: tandjbowen13@gmail.com