Bird Dreams

And no, I am not talking about Mike and me. Although we have both had really odd dreams at times. I have been dreaming a lot about my family - my mom and dad, and my sisters. Mike had a dream that his father brought a Bengal tiger home. But what I am talking about here is the avian sort of birds. The anchorage we are at now is surrounded by islands and reefs that are home to many, many different kinds of seabirds - gulls, boobies, pelicans, cormorants, ospreys - the list goes on. The vast majority of those birds are diurnal. Yet late at night we can hear them murmuring quietly when we sit out quietly on the deck. Mike decided they were talking in their sleep and dreaming. I think he is right.

There has not been a lot of action since my last post, a post that I am afraid was a bit disjointed or chaotic. But that is how I was feeling. We managed to sail 78 miles in 12 hours or less. That is nothing for a car, but amazing for a cruising sailboat. We had figured that 78 miles would take about 24 hours or so, maybe a little less. Anyway, everything has been peaceful and calm since we got here. The water is a lot colder than it was further south, but it feels really good. It is about 78 degrees as opposed to 90 degrees. It is cooling and refreshing. And because we are totally by ourselves,we can swim naked and go around with no clothes on. So there are no wet bathing suits to dry, and very few things to launder with our five gallon bucket and plunger. Not a bad way to spend September. It is also a little cooler than it has been with less humidity. I am not complaining, believe me.

Last night we had lobster burritos for dinner. We had smoked marlin machaca for breakfast. Mike made some kick-ass salsa from scratch. We have plenty of cold beer and cold water. Our anchor windlass is still working and sounding good. It had been leaking oil, but today there was none to be seen. Our power situation is good - we seem to be using about 5 amp hours per hour, and with that we have a freezer going with ice in it and frozen solid meat. I almost hate to say it, but as I write this, there is not a mechanical problem in sight. I hope I did not jinx anything by saying that. I really think it is not the storms that would make me want to end this lifestyle, but what seems at times like constant mechanical issues. Even with Mike apparently being able to fix absolutely anything, I still get a terrible sinking feeling in my gut when something acts up. But I had better get used to it - I have not met anyone out here who doesn't have the same problems, regardless of the age or type of boat they have.

This will not be a long post, because things are nice and quiet and calm and since I can't post pictures, there is not a lot to talk about. We will be here another day or so, and then head further north. We haven't decided exactly where we will stop next - there is no need at this time for strict schedules. Last time we checked there were no tropical storms on the horizon, and I hope it stays that way. Everyone, everywhere - have a great day!

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