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Sunday February 1 -> Monday February 2, 2009

We arrive in Cabo, 22 52.83N 109 54.589W, on a beautiful Sunday morning. It is Super Bowl Sunday and Kevin's birthday. His celebration party is due to land about 1 PM. Cabo seems deserted, but it is Sunday morning; I assume the place was really rocking last night. We hover among the docks trying to contact the marina radio to help us find our assigned dock. As we affix the last line and deploy the boarding ladder I notice Hooter's is on the quay nearest Bella Donna. The first order of business is to get reservations for the game somewhere. Second we need booze and snacks for the Bella Donna; we are running low which must be rectified. We stop at Hooter's and reserve for 10 at 2:30; the game starts at 4 PM. The market is about 1/4 mile away one block past the end of the marina. We manage to fill our 3 large COSTCO bags with enough stuff to require a cab. Deborah shows up to get a few items and we all struggle to give the non English speaking cab driver directions to get us as close to Bella Donna on dock N as possible. With all the street construction and the fact we walked on the quay and not the streets it takes several attempts to be successful.

About 2 PM we call Kevin and some of his party have landed but they are still waiting on another plane. John, Deborah and Terry are still cleaning Bella Donna after the 4 day passage. Don and I look pretty conspicuous at a Hooter's table for 10. The place is virtually empty except for another USA group running a pot based on the quarterly score. The first Tecate tastes good with a late lunch of quesadia. Just before game time the birthday boy arrives with his five friends. Towers of beer follow throughout the game. Our Hooter's hostesses are very professional and end up scoring a big tip after posing with us for a picture. The game ranks up there with the very best ever seen.

The Bella Donna regulars return to Bella Donna following the game. The out of town birthday party hits the Cabo night life circuit which is extensive.

The next morning, Monday, starts early, 6 AM, with Kevin slipping into bed with me saying the fly got too cold for him; a strong cold early morning wind has risen. Later the regulars share coffee in the fly as early morning birthday celebrators are sleeping throughout the cockpit, salon and main bedroom cabin areas. They were in relatively early, reasonable hour, this morning as the party started before 4 PM for Super Bowl. It is very warm in the cockpit as copious bacon, eggs, coffee and toast are served. The weather is very warm with a cool breeze and vast amounts of sun and blue sky, perfect beach weather.

OK we take off to do some sailing about about 11 AM. We sail just off the beaches before heading out into the flat blue mix that is where the Sea of Cortes and the Pacific meet. Unlike the beaches we passed on the way here these are packed with hotel guests and cruise ship people. The beach bars are calling but we are focused on sailing under these great conditions. As we raise the sails and head on a starboard tack into the wind the apparent wind is 16 knots, nice. Immediately after heading off shore 3 or four whales put on a big show for us. They are jumping out of the water creating big splashes with their bodies and tails. Tourists pay big money for a whale watching expedition like this. The sailing is great as Bella Donna makes 8 or 9 knots with the engines throttled back to useless. As the sun gets low in the sky we switch to the iron, actually aluminum Genoas or as more commonly called diesel power.

We venture past Lover's Beach, the arch and finally Land's End to the Pacific side and Divorce Beach. On father there are more beautiful beaches and hotels. The wind has died but we sit on the bottom step with our feet in the deep blue Pacific and watch a magnificent, green flashless, sunset. At dusk we head back to our dock tie.

God Bless Bella Donna