SailingWriter | Vivo O Sonho

Tag: SailingWriter
- Baseball in Mexico!
  
  Posted at 4:31 pm by Heidi Benson Stagg, on March 2, 2025
  Baseball might be “America’s sport” but it’s also popular in Mexico. The Delfines de La Paz had their Season Opener last night and we attended with two other cruising couples, Pat and Gary Cook on SV Caper, a sailboat berthed a few slips down from us, and Nina Lesowitz and Martin Eggenberger, who sailed from Emeryville, CA to La Paz on last year’s Baja Ha-Ha and currently have their boat berthed in Ensenada and are in La Paz for a visit. The Delfines (Dolphins) compete in the Northern League of Mexico, based in La Paz, Baja California Sur, and made their debut in 2019 with a roster of local players, free agents, foreigners of different nationalities and prospects from the Mexican Baseball League.
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  Posted in LIfe in La Paz | 0 Comments | Tagged Baseball, BCSMexico, BoatingLife, LaPaz, LifeOnboard, LiveAboard, LivingTheDream, MarinaLife, mexico, mlb, SailingWriter, sports, Tayana, travel, VivoOSonho, Writing Sailor
- Bahia de La Paz Dolphin Dance
  
  Posted at 4:14 pm by Heidi Benson Stagg, on March 1, 2025
  I’ve been fascinated with sea creatures, both real and mystical, from the time I could swim at the age of two. I wanted to be a mermaid. And my favorite movie of all time is, of course, the Disney classic “The Little Mermaid.” But if I had to chose which animal I would be, my answer is always a dolphin.
  
  There are more than 40 species of dolphins around the world. Growing up sailing in San Francisco Bay, both bottlenose dolphin and harbor porpoise sightings were common and always a joy. We rarely saw large pods, though, and mostly only viewed them briefly surfacing before disappearing under the dark water near the Golden Gate Bridge.
  
  Cruising the warm waters of Mexico has been a sheer delight with an abundance of dolphins often approaching our sailboat and dinghy and entertaining us with playful splashes and jumping our bow waves. Bottlenose, common and spinner dolphins are found among the islands in the Sea of Cortez and also enter the Bay of La Paz to frolic amongst the boats at anchor.
  
  When we’re at the marina we like to take the dinghy for sunset “dink and drink” outings, putter around the bay, land on the mogote for a beach stroll, and cruise along the malecon. It’s our version of a “Sunday drive.”
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  Posted in Living the Dream ... Finally!!!, Random Topics | 2 Comments | Tagged adventure, BahiaLaPaz, BoatingLife, Cruising, Dolphins, LaPaz, LifeOnboard, LiveAboard, LivingTheDream, MarinaLife, nature, sailing, SailingWriter, Tayana, travel, VivoOSonho, Writing Sailor
- What a Drag! (figuratively and literally)
  
  Posted at 6:00 am by Heidi Benson Stagg, on May 9, 2023
  As our friend Bob Bitchin says, “The difference between adventure and ordeal is attitude.” And as his first mate, Jody, says, “Sometimes it’s just an ordeal!”
  
  The little arrow mid-picture is where we were anchored. The circle around the little island in blue near the top is Isla San Francisco. The green dot at the bottom is Bahia de La Paz.
  
  It was our last night in the tranquil anchorage of Ensenada Grande Norte, a cove located off Isla Partida in the Sea of Cortez, Baja, Mexico. We’d just spent four idyllic days snorkeling and swimming in clear, warm water and taking our dinghy to explore the rugged island shoreline and pristine beaches. Aaron had grilled pork chops and pineapple for dinner, as it was the first afternoon that the wind hadn’t blown in the cove.
  
  That should have been our first clue. At this time of year, there seems to always be a late-day breeze that is just enough to keep the barbeque from staying lit. But not today. We had watched the sun set and were relaxing in the cockpit when a fast puff of wind suddenly blew through the cove. Then a lull. We looked at each other. Then another blast, a brief pause, and full-force steady wind at 18 knots came at us. No build up, just an all-out blow with gusts to 24 kts.
  
  Aaron pulled up the weather model (which he had checked earlier and noted that there was a chance of a very light wind developing later in the evening) and checked our anchor watch app. For four solid days our anchor had held firm and we never moved outside of the scope of the anchor watch perimeter. Now, it appeared we were dragging.
  
  Without another word he started the engine, just in case, and we went topside together.
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  Posted in Living the Dream ... Finally!!!, Random Topics | 2 Comments | Tagged BoatingLife, LifeOnboard, LiveAboard, LivingTheDream, SailingWriter, SeaofCortez, Tayana, VivoOSonho, Writing Sailor
- Sonho’s Journey to Mexico
  
  Posted at 6:00 am by Heidi Benson Stagg, on April 1, 2023
  Our original itinerary: Leaving Alameda on Sept. 18, 2023 and arriving in Cabo San Lucas on Nov. 14, 2023. (Itinerary graphics and Sonho’s logo were designed by our son’s fiance, Jenna Miller.)
  
  Our initial itinerary had us leaving Alameda on Mon., Sept. 18, 2022 (my 58th birthday), following our Bon Voyage Party on Sept. 16 at Encinal Yacht Club and arriving in San Diego on Wed., Oct. 19, 2022. We would be entering 10 different ports and staying at six reciprocal yacht clubs. It was a relaxed journey and each stay would be at least two nights, with only one overnight at sea.
  
  Fate had other plans.
  
  Due to the late delivery of essential parts and projects taking waayy longer than expected, we ended up leaving Alameda with our hair on fire on Oct. 10, 2022, with a reduced itinerary of now entering only seven ports and staying at three yacht clubs (two of which were in San Diego). We had to add a second overnight at sea and shorten our stays in each port.
  
  Still, our plan was to leave San Diego with the Baja Ha-Ha Rally on Oct. 31 with Aaron’s dad, Jim, and our grandson, Cody, onboard and arrive in Cabo San Lucas on Nov. 14. From there, we’d easily make it to La Paz by mid-December. Our friends Dave & Speranza would meet us and boat/pet sit while we went home for the holidays and returned to Mexico in early January 2023.
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  Posted in Living the Dream ... Finally!!! | 1 Comment | Tagged BoatingLife, LifeOnboard, LiveAboard, LivingTheDream, SailingWriter, VivoOSonho, Writing Sailor
- Cruising Preparation on a Fast Track
  
  Posted at 3:20 pm by Heidi Benson Stagg, on January 14, 2023
  Feliz Año Nuevo (Happy New Year) from La Paz, the capital city of the Mexican state of Baja California Sur! We left San Diego, California on November 22^nd with Aaron’s dad, Jim Stagg, and our 10-year-old grandson, Cody Wood, and our Chiweenie, Tiki, and arrived in San Jose del Cabo on Mon., December 5^th. It was more often a rough ride than not, but was also filled with memories that we all will treasure forever. (More details in a future post.)
  
  From San Jose del Cabo, Aaron and I headed north, up the Sea of Cortez, arriving at La Paz on Fri., December 23^rd. The journey held unexpected delays due to weather and we were both a bit shell-shocked from transitioning to this new lifestyle. It’s not all rainbows and sunshine, but also a lot of work to get to where you want to go!
  
  We have a berth in Marina de La Paz until the end of March. Berths are difficult to attain in the winter and there are long waiting lists at all marinas. We had been on a waiting list for over six months and got lucky when someone cancelled. Otherwise, we would be at anchor in Bahia La Paz and having to dinghy to and from shore and deal with making water and electricity. We won’t be in the marina the entire time, but will use it as our home base as we explore the nearby islands and anchorages and hopefully entice our family and friends to come for a visit.
  
  We’ve come to realize that we are not quite ready to completely let go of the ties to land and commit to being full-time sea gypsies just yet! Going with the flow (and winds and waves) is the motto of cruisers, and this is what feels good to us at this point in our new lifestyle.
  
  So, now that we’re stable for a few months and I have the time and internet connection to write, I’ll go back to the beginning of this journey and share some of the highlights and challenges in detail.
  
  Before we cut the docklines at Marina Village Yacht Harbor in Alameda, California, on October 10th, 2022, we had a TON of preparation to do to become self-sufficient. Being a live-aboard in a marina is a far cry from living at sea and anchor.
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  Posted in Living the Dream ... Finally!!! | 1 Comment | Tagged BoatingLife, LifeOnboard, LiveAboard, LivingTheDream, MarinaLife, SailingCook, SailingWriter, Tayana, VivoOSonho
- Living the Dream … On Stagg Time
  
  Posted at 10:10 am by Heidi Benson Stagg, on November 1, 2022
  Captain, First Mate & First Dog with the cut dockline!
  
  We did it. We cut the docklines, backed out of the berth and left Alameda and land-life in our wake. We spent 13 years, 1 month and 9 days at Marina Village Yacht Harbor , Gate 9, Dock P, Slip 16. Funny thing is, because we lived on a boat, we were technically “homeless” the whole time. When I enrolled my son in school years ago, we were listed as “transient” because we didn’t have a permanent address. Which was true. We could have taken our home away at any time. And we finally did!
  
  It has been a very, very, very long journey to make our dream a reality. Job lay-offs, medical issues (brain tumour, hip and shoulder surgery), family needs and Covid had us believing that it was never going to happen. And frankly, until several months before we left, we were still in denial, waiting on another squall to keep us in Alameda. Were we going to be “one of those” boaters that talks the talk but never sails the sail?
  
  Then I pulled the trigger in July. I signed us up for the Baja Ha-Ha Fleet of 2022, gave my notice at work and planned our Bon Voyage Party. Hubby took a bit longer to leave his job. He felt a responsibility to finish a project for a company that couldn’t care less about him. He started researching and purchasing systems for our boat and soon realized that he couldn’t keep working and doing projects on the weekends and have us ready to go in time to meet our goal of leaving on Sept. 19 to leisurely cruise down the California Coast before meeting the Ha-Ha Fleet to sail to Mexico on Oct. 31. On August 1, he gave his two-week notice and retired after 34 dedicated years of service as an IBEW 595 Union Electrician. Then he promptly caught Covid (parting gift from a co-worker) and dove in headfirst to 24/7 boat work.
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  Posted in Living the Dream ... Finally!!! | 1 Comment | Tagged BoatingLife, LifeOnboard, LiveAboard, LivingTheDream, MarinaLife, SailingWriter, Tayana, TinyKitchen, VivoOSonho, Writing Sailor
- International Blogger goes Adrift
  
  Posted at 2:22 pm by Heidi Benson Stagg, on June 5, 2022
  We have a running joke in my family that because I have a few followers from other countries, that I’m an “International Blogger” and the “celebrity status” has gone to my head. It’s said very tongue-in-cheek with many eyerolls and laughter.
  
  The truth is that I am very proud of the planning and hard work I put in to launch this blog back in April 2018. This was when we believed that we would finally Live the Dream that Aaron and I had since buying Sonho in 2009. I would blog about our preparations to cut the docklines and circumnavigate the globe beginning in April 2019.
  
  I blogged at least once a week. Every. Single. Week. For almost three years. And I really had grown a huge following from people all over the world. Even when we had to put off our plans to go cruising in 2019, I still posted recipes from my tiny kitchen and fictional short stories. I was a Writer.
  
  The pandemic took the wind out of my sails. My entire life shifted and I no longer knew who I was. I wasn’t a cruiser, I wasn’t a writer, I wasn’t making a difference in the corporate world. I was basically a responder to the needs of others. Being of service brings me great joy so I did find happiness in keeping a nice home for my husband, home-schooling my Grands and working as an administrative assistant at Beth Chaim synagogue.
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  Posted in Random Topics | 1 Comment | Tagged Cruising, LivingTheDream, SailingWriter, VivoOSonho, Writing Sailor
- If the Shoe Fits
  
  Posted at 2:38 pm by Heidi Benson Stagg, on October 5, 2021
  “Seriously, Heidi, do you really need 50 pairs of shoes?”
  
  My girlfriend had dropped by for a chat and caught me in my bi-annual shoe-purge. I was sitting on the floor with a huge mound of leather, vinyl, rubber and sequins in front of me. “You don’t wear all of those, do you?” she asked incredulously.
  
  “If the shoe fits,” I quipped, slipping a darling, light teal, bejeweled kitten heel sandal on my foot and waving it in the air. “And there’s not 50 pairs anymore. I’m down to 37.”
  
  “You do realize that you live on a boat?” she laughed.
  
  Yes, I live on a 42 ft sailboat. No, I don’t really have a shoe fetish; I only buy a few pairs a year but I take good care of my shoes and keep them forever. My husband gave up on lecturing me on the fact that high heels really don’t belong on a boat and installed a fabric shoe holder behind my hanging clothes, against the hull. So my collection doesn’t take up needed space and is out of sight. But I know they are there; and that makes me happy.
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  Posted in You Live on a Boat?! | 0 Comments | Tagged 2LWA, 2WLAFlashLit, BoatingLife, FlashLitOct, LifeOnboard, LiveAboard, LivingTheDream, SailingWriter, VivoOSonho, Writing Sailor
- Lagoon Blues
  
  Posted at 9:53 am by Heidi Benson Stagg, on June 27, 2021
  Tara drug the small rubber dinghy from the surf onto the sand and turned to the ocean behind her just in time to catch the final glimpse of her beloved sailboat’s mast as it sunk.
  
  Single-handing is risky, even for an experienced sailor such as Tara. Safety was always her top priority and she had double-checked the paper and electronic charts before venturing slowly into the island’s cove to take shelter from the storm closing in on her stern. Nothing prepared her for the loud crunch and sudden hard stop when her keel struck the reef. She was thrown forward, hitting her head and wrenching an ankle, but quickly gathered her wits and assessed the situation. Water was gushing into the cabin below, faster than the automatic bilge pump could empty. She grabbed the hand-held radio, ditch bag with her important documents and a few precious mementos, and went on deck to deploy the life raft. With one last glance at her home of over a decade, she abandoned ship.
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  Posted in Random Topics | 1 Comment | Tagged FlashLitChallenge, LivingTheDream, SailingWriter, ShortStory, VivoOSonho, Writing Sailor
- Feathered Friends
  
  Posted at 7:44 am by Heidi Benson Stagg, on June 16, 2021
  “Feathers? Seriously, Amy, this get-up is too much.”
  
  Dora eyed her friend’s outfit. Amy was known for her flamboyant get-ups, but this one was over the top. Turquoise feathers were attached to a sheer body suit, strategically covering her private bits. Barely.
  
  “Really?” Amy answered, “It took me days to create. I’m wearing it.”
  
  “Well, you better wear a coat or they won’t let you in. You’re practically naked.”
  
  “I look fabulous! You’re such a prude, Dora. Why don’t you let me do your make-up tonite?”
  
  “Fine. Just don’t make me look like a clown. I’m a firm believer in ‘less is more.’ “
  
  Despite Dora’s predictions, the girls had no problem getting into the night club. And as expected, all eyes were riveted on Amy as they made their way through the crowded room to the bar. Amy loved being the center of attention and Dora didn’t mind being in the wings. She was a psychology student and was fascinated by the lengths that men would go to flirt with Amy. She often used these outings as case studies for her assignments and was sure there would be plenty of fodder tonight.
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  Posted in Random Topics | 0 Comments | Tagged FlashLitChallenge, SailingWriter, ShortStory, ToLiveandWrite, VivoOSonho, Writing Sailor
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Vivo O Sonho

Heidi Benson Stagg

I live aboard a 42 ft Tayana Vancouver sailboat, hull #5 laid in 1979, with my husband and little dog. We left our berth of 15 yeas in Alameda, California in the Fall of 2022 and now live in La Paz, Mexico. I enjoy blogging about our journey, cooking in my tiny kitchen and writing short stories.

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