We are currently anchored in Bahia Candalera, which is about 25 miles south of Loreto. It is really nice here - especially since we are anchored right off a gorgeous resort hotel. They are very friendly to cruisers - they let us use the pool, eat in the restaurants, drink in the bars, and throw our garbage in their trash cans. It is so nice that Mike and I got a room for a couple of nights, just to be in air conditioning, have unlimited showers, and sleep in a real bed. Heaven!
It is not always positive, though. I have made it a point to only write this blog in an upbeat manner. But things do get hard. My nephew and his girlfriend left us yesterday and flew back to the US. I am afraid the main reason they left was that we are going through a difficult spell. The engine is acting up and there is no way to even get anyone to look at it until we return to Mazatlan in the fall. We can't sail south now because of the hurricanes, and there are no marine facilities up here. So if all goes south, we may become engineless. Even though we can still sail the boat, the engine is important for a number of reasons, like when fine manuvering is required. We can charge the batteries with our portable generator, but fuel is limited to what we can carry, which means strict water rationing in incredibly hot weather. I wake up every night simply soaked in sweat. I have little sores that are caused from sweat, salt, and a lack of fresh water. With four people on the boat, even with our watermaker, showers had to be limited. It was not pleasent, and all the little problems caused Mike and I to be really stressed, which caused us to argue almost constantly. Finally the kids had enough and they left. I miss my nephew a lot.
It is kind of hard in some ways, especially when things on the boat break down. Mike has to fix everything himself, and I am of very little help other than handing tools and calling out gauge readings. It is frustrating for both of us. I am also a little lonely - it is hard not being in regular touch with my family and friends. We are usually out of cell phone and internet range, and although I can send posts through the shortwave radio, it is not always possible to get a signal. Plus there is always the power use issue - we have been having a problem with power disappearing when we didn't seem to be using any. Mike found the problem - our pressurized water pump was not turning off when the water was turned off. We weren't losing water, but the power to the pump ran constantly and we didn't hear it because of the noise the fans that keep the cabin bearable make. So now we have to turn off the water pressure manually, and if we forget, there will be a serious power drain. It is not all paradise out here.
I wrote a long post whining about it all, and luckily for anyone who reads this, it was deleted when my internet connection went down. I am sort of down these days - I feel bad about my nephew leaving and miss everyone and my son won't answer his phone on the rare times I am actually in cell phone range. I feel really isolated. Although it is incredibly beautiful down here, I miss the company of others, especially my sisters and girlfriends. I think when we get to Bahia de Los Angeles, which is our final summer destination, it will be better because there will be other boats around.
There are times when I think maybe I bit off more than I can chew. I am a better sailor, but not much help otherwise. Mike is responsible for almost everything else. Right now he is taking a picture of an enormous bug on the wall of our patio here at the hotel. I can't get the internet to come up unless I sit on the patio, so I am dripping sweat all over the computer keys. I had no idea one person could generate so much sweat. It literally runs down in big drops. I could go on for days just talking about how hot it is. And it is going to get even hotter before the summer is over. September is supposed to be the worst. I live for drinks of cold water.
Anyway - this is kind of a downer post and that is not a good thing, but I do feel a need to be honest. It isn't always paradise, even though I am surrounded by all the physical beauty one can ever imagine. The people here are kind and friendly, the fish are amazing, and there is always something new to see. So it is time to stop feeling down and concentrate on the good things. I promise the next post will be better! And hopefully I can post some pictures - the internet connection here is not able to handle that. So this is it for now. We will be heading out to a new anchorage likely the day after tomorrow.
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