Last night it got down to 55 degrees. I was freezing in bed, even with Mike cuddled up against me. We broke out an extra blanket. It amazes me to think that less than a month ago, I was running my AC 24/7 at the marina in Topolobampo and being concerned about sweat ruining my white shirt. What a difference! The good thing is it is now really comfortable to walk during the day for long stretches. I love to walk but not when it is 90 degrees and 80 percent humidity. Now that I stop to think about it, we were using the AC here right before we went to the states. It should be in the seventies or low eighties today, which as far as I am concerned is really comfortable. I am turning into a weather wimp. Mike is already a true weather wimp - he says he will never go anywhere if he has to wear a jacket.
My nephew is joining us today. I am really looking forward to it. We were getting a really nice rhythm going just as he left, and I think we can get that back in a lot less time than it took to develop it in the first place. Mike and I have grown so much over this summer and fall as far as our sailing and general boat skills go, which means we are more confident, which means we will be better teachers. And a number of mechanical problems have been sorted out, which means no stress over how the engine will act.
Yesterday was our one year anniversary - we left San Diego on Nov 29, 2010. I am sort of surprized that we continued on considering the crappy sail we had getting to Ensenada - the bilge overflowed and flooded the cabin floor, and I was SO SICK! I remember thinking "If sailing was always like this no one would ever do it, so it must get better." Then our next sail (actually our longest period underway to date) was the four day, three night sail to Turtle Bay, which was the polar opposite of the SD-Ensenada trip. So that is how it goes - things are sublime when they are good and horrible when they are bad.
I have always had dreams of what I wanted my life to be, and most of the time I settled for less - or at least something very different. I haven't always made the best choices - has anyone? But the feeling I get when I look around and realize that for once things have worked out the way I want them to is pretty much undescribable. It is probably because I am not used to this feeling, and therefore not sure how to label it. I almost hate to examine my circumstances too much because I am afraid of jinxing things. But as far as today goes - all is right with my little world. I wouldn't be anywhere else. For the first time that I can remember, I am pretty much living in the moment rather than existing in a holding pattern, waiting for something to happen so something else can happen. It is a great feeling.
Back to earth now - it is time to fix breakfast. And the temperature has risen to a whopping 68, but I think it feels warmer than that. I need to make another pot of coffee. And we need to clear Walt's bed - the vee berth - of all the crap we have stacked up there. I have been sort of dreading the task of finding a place for all those things - space and storage are always an issue on a boat. Something will present itself, I am sure. It usually does, one way or another. Have a great day!
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Addressing the Elephant in the Living Room
I don't have any news to report - things are going fine. The weather is cooling - everyone is sort of complaining about it, but I will enjoy it while it lasts. I don't mind this - and by cool, I mean that it is in the 70s at times. But it gets up to 90 in the daytime. And you can still swim in the ocean. So it isn't really cold. But these people complain when it is too hot as well. I am just happy to be comfortable at night.
At this point, we are sort of in a holding pattern here on Magda Jean. As soon as we get paid again at the first of the month, we have someone coming to redo the outside woodwork (the "bright work") and to clean the bottom of the boat. We should get the bottom painted, but have decided to wait for a bit - maybe in El Salvador or we will wait until Panama, where I have heard they have good facilities for yachts and repair. We might at that point get the whole boat repainted. Of course, this is all up to Mike. He fusses about wanting desparately to get underway, then he schedules more projects . . .
But besides that work, we are awaiting our windlass and solar panels, which will be a pretty big installation project. The shipper told us they had cleared customs. Mike plans to do the work himself, with help from me and probably our nephew, who will be rejoining us in a few days. My plan is for us to head south December 10, but I have no idea if we will meet that date. Big shock there! I don't think I have ever made a plan that we have actually been able to stick to. Too many uncontrollable variables.
But on a much more somber note, a couple of days ago there were a number of dead people found in abandoned cars in Guadalajara. Drug cartel violence. It breaks my heart for the people down here - it's something they live with, some places more than others. I get a lot of people asking me how dangerous it is down here, and if we have to take special precautions, stuff like that. I have been asked if I feel safe. I would answer that we have never felt in any danger whatsoever, and take only commonsense precautions we would take anywhere. We have spent a year in Mexico now, spending time in cities and villages and in the middle of nowhere, and have never even come close to running into any problems. Much of our time has been spent in the state of Sinaloa, which is home to some pretty bad people and one of the most violent cartels. Mazatlan is a decent sized city, with some slummy areas, so we don't go certain places at night (not that there is any reason to go there at night anyway), don't engage with questionable people, don't flash money, don't get staggering drunk, and so on. Pretty much how I would conduct myself anywhere.
This is in no way supposed to be an attempt to minimize the problems. It is really horrible. But it is more like living in New York or Chicago during the gangster years than the Beirut-like manner it is shown as on TV and on the internet. It is hard to explain. The cartels don't want to run the country, so it isn't like guerilla fighters trying to convert the populace by force while the government tries to keep things status quo, like some of the Marxist rebel movements in South America. It is not in any way a civil war, or even close. The only possible danger would be getting caught in cross fire, but that is probably less likely to happen to you here than in Newark or Oakland or DC or New Orleans or Houston. The cartels have no desire to mess with tourists as it would make trouble for them, trouble they do not need or want. And tourists will not be kidnapped randomly - that is reserved for victims the cartels KNOW can raise large ransoms. Come here if you have a chance. You will not regret it. I still encourage everyone to vacation in Mexico - you will be in no danger on a vacation here. None whatsoever. You will think you died and went to heaven.
OK, off my soapbox for today. I have been pretty preachy lately - time for some new adventures. Have a great day!
At this point, we are sort of in a holding pattern here on Magda Jean. As soon as we get paid again at the first of the month, we have someone coming to redo the outside woodwork (the "bright work") and to clean the bottom of the boat. We should get the bottom painted, but have decided to wait for a bit - maybe in El Salvador or we will wait until Panama, where I have heard they have good facilities for yachts and repair. We might at that point get the whole boat repainted. Of course, this is all up to Mike. He fusses about wanting desparately to get underway, then he schedules more projects . . .
But besides that work, we are awaiting our windlass and solar panels, which will be a pretty big installation project. The shipper told us they had cleared customs. Mike plans to do the work himself, with help from me and probably our nephew, who will be rejoining us in a few days. My plan is for us to head south December 10, but I have no idea if we will meet that date. Big shock there! I don't think I have ever made a plan that we have actually been able to stick to. Too many uncontrollable variables.
But on a much more somber note, a couple of days ago there were a number of dead people found in abandoned cars in Guadalajara. Drug cartel violence. It breaks my heart for the people down here - it's something they live with, some places more than others. I get a lot of people asking me how dangerous it is down here, and if we have to take special precautions, stuff like that. I have been asked if I feel safe. I would answer that we have never felt in any danger whatsoever, and take only commonsense precautions we would take anywhere. We have spent a year in Mexico now, spending time in cities and villages and in the middle of nowhere, and have never even come close to running into any problems. Much of our time has been spent in the state of Sinaloa, which is home to some pretty bad people and one of the most violent cartels. Mazatlan is a decent sized city, with some slummy areas, so we don't go certain places at night (not that there is any reason to go there at night anyway), don't engage with questionable people, don't flash money, don't get staggering drunk, and so on. Pretty much how I would conduct myself anywhere.
This is in no way supposed to be an attempt to minimize the problems. It is really horrible. But it is more like living in New York or Chicago during the gangster years than the Beirut-like manner it is shown as on TV and on the internet. It is hard to explain. The cartels don't want to run the country, so it isn't like guerilla fighters trying to convert the populace by force while the government tries to keep things status quo, like some of the Marxist rebel movements in South America. It is not in any way a civil war, or even close. The only possible danger would be getting caught in cross fire, but that is probably less likely to happen to you here than in Newark or Oakland or DC or New Orleans or Houston. The cartels have no desire to mess with tourists as it would make trouble for them, trouble they do not need or want. And tourists will not be kidnapped randomly - that is reserved for victims the cartels KNOW can raise large ransoms. Come here if you have a chance. You will not regret it. I still encourage everyone to vacation in Mexico - you will be in no danger on a vacation here. None whatsoever. You will think you died and went to heaven.
OK, off my soapbox for today. I have been pretty preachy lately - time for some new adventures. Have a great day!
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Happy Thanksgiving!
Happy thanksgiving to one and all! I thought we were limited to a chicken in our small oven but last night we found out one of our favorite restaurants is serving a turkey dinner so that is where we will go. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday anyway - even more so than Christmas.
Mike's finger is much better and it looks like the nail might be growing back. I am still amazed he did not lose that finger. I think in a way he is kind of disappointed in a way that he did not lose it - I think he was sort of interested in joining the missing digits club. It is kind of a macho thing among male sailors - they love to show off their wounds and tell their war stories. Now every time he sees someone pull up in a dinghy to the dock, he runs to caution them to watch their hands and shows his wound.
As usual it is awesome here. There is nothing more to say about that.
We watched the republican debate the other night. I wanted to see what Huntsman had to say, because at this point I think I could live with him as POTUS if I had to. And I wanted to see if Romney and Perry would act like two year olds again - always a joy to watch your opponents eat each other. But it turned out to be a very well run debate. Almost all the candidates got a chance to talk, no one was allowed to dominate the discussion, and most of the questions were well thought out and not all softballs. And this time we did not have Bachmann and Cain acting like they not only approved waterboarding,, but could hardly wait to try it on someone. But while I am not overjoyed about Obama's performance, I can't vote for any of these people. The big problem for me is the level of what looks ot me like pure unadulturated meanness. Perry, Bachmann, Cain, Romney, Santorum - none of them would spit on you if you were on fire. They would say you haven't "earned" the right to be rescued from your flaming inferno. And Newt - well, do not get me started. His new found Catholicism not withstanding - something I actually respect - does not make me think this leopard has changed his spots. Any man that would wait until his wife was in the hospital recovering from cancer surgery and then serve divorce papers on her is a truly horrible human being. If I have lost any readers, well, sorry. I am allowed to have an opinion and to express it, especially on my own blog. Newt's treatment of his wife was one of the worst, cruelest things I ever heard of short of flat out physical abuse. And when you couple that with his holier-than-thou actions towards Clinton - well - that is just too much. So I will hold my nose and vote for Obama again. Even if he isn't able (due to a shameful lack of cooperation) to get things done like he wanted to, I do think he cares about the middle class and the poor where the republicans simply do not.
And then there is Ron Paul. I think almost every thinking person has at least flirted with libertarianism at some point, usually in college. And Mike was getting pretty excited about him. I like a lot of that stuff, but of course he takes it way too far - no public schools? Crazy, in my opinion. He is much better than his son, anyway.
But enough about that! It is Thanksgiving, which signals the beginnning of the holiday season. I personally think no one should have to work between today and Super Bowl Sunday (we will get to watch the Packers win this year again!) which as far as I am concerned marks the end of the official holiday season.
I wish everyone their best Thanksgiving ever!
Mike's finger is much better and it looks like the nail might be growing back. I am still amazed he did not lose that finger. I think in a way he is kind of disappointed in a way that he did not lose it - I think he was sort of interested in joining the missing digits club. It is kind of a macho thing among male sailors - they love to show off their wounds and tell their war stories. Now every time he sees someone pull up in a dinghy to the dock, he runs to caution them to watch their hands and shows his wound.
As usual it is awesome here. There is nothing more to say about that.
We watched the republican debate the other night. I wanted to see what Huntsman had to say, because at this point I think I could live with him as POTUS if I had to. And I wanted to see if Romney and Perry would act like two year olds again - always a joy to watch your opponents eat each other. But it turned out to be a very well run debate. Almost all the candidates got a chance to talk, no one was allowed to dominate the discussion, and most of the questions were well thought out and not all softballs. And this time we did not have Bachmann and Cain acting like they not only approved waterboarding,, but could hardly wait to try it on someone. But while I am not overjoyed about Obama's performance, I can't vote for any of these people. The big problem for me is the level of what looks ot me like pure unadulturated meanness. Perry, Bachmann, Cain, Romney, Santorum - none of them would spit on you if you were on fire. They would say you haven't "earned" the right to be rescued from your flaming inferno. And Newt - well, do not get me started. His new found Catholicism not withstanding - something I actually respect - does not make me think this leopard has changed his spots. Any man that would wait until his wife was in the hospital recovering from cancer surgery and then serve divorce papers on her is a truly horrible human being. If I have lost any readers, well, sorry. I am allowed to have an opinion and to express it, especially on my own blog. Newt's treatment of his wife was one of the worst, cruelest things I ever heard of short of flat out physical abuse. And when you couple that with his holier-than-thou actions towards Clinton - well - that is just too much. So I will hold my nose and vote for Obama again. Even if he isn't able (due to a shameful lack of cooperation) to get things done like he wanted to, I do think he cares about the middle class and the poor where the republicans simply do not.
And then there is Ron Paul. I think almost every thinking person has at least flirted with libertarianism at some point, usually in college. And Mike was getting pretty excited about him. I like a lot of that stuff, but of course he takes it way too far - no public schools? Crazy, in my opinion. He is much better than his son, anyway.
But enough about that! It is Thanksgiving, which signals the beginnning of the holiday season. I personally think no one should have to work between today and Super Bowl Sunday (we will get to watch the Packers win this year again!) which as far as I am concerned marks the end of the official holiday season.
I wish everyone their best Thanksgiving ever!
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Drinking and Boating Do Not Mix. Ask Natalie.
We arrived back in Mazatlan two days ago and I am glad to be back. The boat was fine while we were gone - although our neighbor said he tightened our dock lines once because they stretched after we tied them and left. Good for good neighbors - that is one good thing about this life, we do tend to look out for each other. The weather is perfect - not too hot in the daytime and nice and cool in the evenings. We have fans only going now - no need for the AC unit, which fits in the companionway (entrance to the cabin) hatch. It is a window model we got before we left the US. Because of the power draw, we don't use it unless we are tied up at a marina with shore power. Mike says we could run it off the generator, but I am proud to say that after a summer in the Sea of Cortez, we didn't use it except at the marina in Santa Rosalia. And believe me, it was HOT this summer. I can sleep through anything I think at this point. Even when drenched in sweat.
We have to go today to the consul and get our passports renewed, and then do some grocery shopping. We are out of milk and produce completely, and out of beer as well. I am sort of off alcohol these days - it is just not sitting well on my stomach. Oh well - alcohol is just empty calories and after all - I do not want to end up like Natalie Wood!
On that subject, here is what I think - first of all, this captain is just trying to make some money at this late date. And I think because they were all drunk and arguing, she decided to get in the dinghy and leave. And then she fell in and drowned. I think any delay in calling for help was a result of drunk people sitting around trying to think of what to do. I KNOW frpom personal experience that getting drunk in a boat is a bad idea. I fell in one day with our old boat. I had a couple of beers while we were sailing, and once we had docked, I was putting the sail cover on when I stepped wrong and fell. It was around Christmas time, so it was cold out and so was the water. I remember thinking "Oh no, I am going over and it is going to be cold!" (After I hit the water I was surprised that is was not as cold as I feared it would be.) I flailed around while Mike tried to get the swim ladder down - which did not work. Then I wa trying to pull myself onto the dock when another boater came around with boarding ladder. Now here is the lesson part. Even though I was right at the dock with other people, I could have drowned easily. First, there was no way I could possibly get back on the boat - too high to pull myself up, even if I were good at chin ups. Next, even though the dock was lower than the boat, it was still too high to climb up, plus it is covered with barnacles that would cut you up pretty good IF you managed to get over them. There were people around, but until Mike started hollering, no one knew anything had happened. They did not hear me go in and did not hear me call from the water. Now imagine if I had been alone. Bad scene. And right before we left for the states a few weeks ago, we went to a bar at another marina and took our dinghy to get there. Mike (well, me too, but not as bad) had too much to drink and he fell into the water trying to get into the dinghy. Again, right at the dock. There was nobody else around, and I could not pull him either onto the dock or into the dinghy. To be honest, he was not real cooperative because of being drunk. I started to get scared because it seemed like he couldn't or wouldn't hold onto anything to keep from going under. I finally thought he had a decent handhold, and went back to the bar to get help. Thank goodness it was still open with people in there! A couple men went with me and were able to pull him out. Needless to say, we took a cab home. Here is the rule - if you get drunk and fall in the water you are likely to die. That is it, pure and simple. And if the boat is underway, it is likely that even if the other people on the boat see you go in and go back immediately, it is easy to lose sight of the person in the water. And it is worse if the water is rough and cold, like it is between California and Catalina. So curb the drinking on the boat and do not fall off.
We are also waiting for the new windlass and the new solar panels - then Mike has to install them all. He thinks he can do it, but if help is needed, Total Yacht Works is available. He can probably do it. There are some parts we need fabricated, but I found a stainless steel fabrication place here that can do it. Oh it will be so good to have an windlass again! It is not just the physical difficulty for Mike in having to pull up the anchor and 100-200 feet of heavy chain, but it is a safety issue as well. If another boat is dragging it anchor, you need to be able to get out of the way quickly. We know of one boat that got wrecked vbecause of a faulty anchor windlass. It was a beautiful wooden boat that was fifty years old. Her name was Mia II, and the owneres sailed her for years, even going around Cape Horn. They were sailing from Ensenada to Cabo San Lucas, and had anchored for the night. It got rough and windy, and gthe anchor started dragging. The windlass failed, and the man had to pull it up manually. (Not all electric windlasses have a way to use them manually if the electric part doesn't work. Do not ask me why. Our new one has a manual option.) The woman was no help as she had recently undergone a masectomy and had no strength with which to pull. They could not get the anchor up, and ended up going into the rocks and wrecking the boat. We skipped the Social Event Of the Season in Bahia de Los Angeles because of windlass problems - there were going to be a lot of boats in one anchorage, and there had been wind issues. We did not want to be in the position of having to move fast and not being able to do it. (Actually we did not care that much about the party, especially Mike. I think he was looking for any excuse not to go.) And the solar panels will enable us to not use the generator and engine to keep the batteries charged. At least not as often. At anchor, we usually either run the engine or use the generator for a few hours every few days. Now we can do it even less, which of course saves on gas and diesel.
We have no plans at this time for Thanksgiving. There is a cruiser's dinner at a local restaurant, but we were not here when it was time to make reservations and it is too late. I won't cook a turkey - the oven is too small and there are only two of us. But I bet I can make something special. Of course, no mince pie this year! I am sure they have no concept of it down here, and I am the only one who likes it. I will miss it - mince pie is my favorite holiday season treat. Too bad for me. I could easily eat a whole pie myself (over the course of a few days, anyway).
So that is about it for now. I will try and be better about up dating this blog - my aunt told me she gets worried if too much time goes by with no updates. So here is a vow to do better. Besides, it is a good way to add a bit of discipline to an otherwise undisciplined life, especially when I am ashore. So everyone - have a great day!
We have to go today to the consul and get our passports renewed, and then do some grocery shopping. We are out of milk and produce completely, and out of beer as well. I am sort of off alcohol these days - it is just not sitting well on my stomach. Oh well - alcohol is just empty calories and after all - I do not want to end up like Natalie Wood!
On that subject, here is what I think - first of all, this captain is just trying to make some money at this late date. And I think because they were all drunk and arguing, she decided to get in the dinghy and leave. And then she fell in and drowned. I think any delay in calling for help was a result of drunk people sitting around trying to think of what to do. I KNOW frpom personal experience that getting drunk in a boat is a bad idea. I fell in one day with our old boat. I had a couple of beers while we were sailing, and once we had docked, I was putting the sail cover on when I stepped wrong and fell. It was around Christmas time, so it was cold out and so was the water. I remember thinking "Oh no, I am going over and it is going to be cold!" (After I hit the water I was surprised that is was not as cold as I feared it would be.) I flailed around while Mike tried to get the swim ladder down - which did not work. Then I wa trying to pull myself onto the dock when another boater came around with boarding ladder. Now here is the lesson part. Even though I was right at the dock with other people, I could have drowned easily. First, there was no way I could possibly get back on the boat - too high to pull myself up, even if I were good at chin ups. Next, even though the dock was lower than the boat, it was still too high to climb up, plus it is covered with barnacles that would cut you up pretty good IF you managed to get over them. There were people around, but until Mike started hollering, no one knew anything had happened. They did not hear me go in and did not hear me call from the water. Now imagine if I had been alone. Bad scene. And right before we left for the states a few weeks ago, we went to a bar at another marina and took our dinghy to get there. Mike (well, me too, but not as bad) had too much to drink and he fell into the water trying to get into the dinghy. Again, right at the dock. There was nobody else around, and I could not pull him either onto the dock or into the dinghy. To be honest, he was not real cooperative because of being drunk. I started to get scared because it seemed like he couldn't or wouldn't hold onto anything to keep from going under. I finally thought he had a decent handhold, and went back to the bar to get help. Thank goodness it was still open with people in there! A couple men went with me and were able to pull him out. Needless to say, we took a cab home. Here is the rule - if you get drunk and fall in the water you are likely to die. That is it, pure and simple. And if the boat is underway, it is likely that even if the other people on the boat see you go in and go back immediately, it is easy to lose sight of the person in the water. And it is worse if the water is rough and cold, like it is between California and Catalina. So curb the drinking on the boat and do not fall off.
We are also waiting for the new windlass and the new solar panels - then Mike has to install them all. He thinks he can do it, but if help is needed, Total Yacht Works is available. He can probably do it. There are some parts we need fabricated, but I found a stainless steel fabrication place here that can do it. Oh it will be so good to have an windlass again! It is not just the physical difficulty for Mike in having to pull up the anchor and 100-200 feet of heavy chain, but it is a safety issue as well. If another boat is dragging it anchor, you need to be able to get out of the way quickly. We know of one boat that got wrecked vbecause of a faulty anchor windlass. It was a beautiful wooden boat that was fifty years old. Her name was Mia II, and the owneres sailed her for years, even going around Cape Horn. They were sailing from Ensenada to Cabo San Lucas, and had anchored for the night. It got rough and windy, and gthe anchor started dragging. The windlass failed, and the man had to pull it up manually. (Not all electric windlasses have a way to use them manually if the electric part doesn't work. Do not ask me why. Our new one has a manual option.) The woman was no help as she had recently undergone a masectomy and had no strength with which to pull. They could not get the anchor up, and ended up going into the rocks and wrecking the boat. We skipped the Social Event Of the Season in Bahia de Los Angeles because of windlass problems - there were going to be a lot of boats in one anchorage, and there had been wind issues. We did not want to be in the position of having to move fast and not being able to do it. (Actually we did not care that much about the party, especially Mike. I think he was looking for any excuse not to go.) And the solar panels will enable us to not use the generator and engine to keep the batteries charged. At least not as often. At anchor, we usually either run the engine or use the generator for a few hours every few days. Now we can do it even less, which of course saves on gas and diesel.
We have no plans at this time for Thanksgiving. There is a cruiser's dinner at a local restaurant, but we were not here when it was time to make reservations and it is too late. I won't cook a turkey - the oven is too small and there are only two of us. But I bet I can make something special. Of course, no mince pie this year! I am sure they have no concept of it down here, and I am the only one who likes it. I will miss it - mince pie is my favorite holiday season treat. Too bad for me. I could easily eat a whole pie myself (over the course of a few days, anyway).
So that is about it for now. I will try and be better about up dating this blog - my aunt told me she gets worried if too much time goes by with no updates. So here is a vow to do better. Besides, it is a good way to add a bit of discipline to an otherwise undisciplined life, especially when I am ashore. So everyone - have a great day!
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Back in the USA
It has been awhile since I last wrote here - we got busy preparing for the trip north and seeing old friends in Mazatlan. I have said it before and I will repeat it - I love Mazatlan and would not mind staying there. Although we are having a decent time here, I miss Magda Jean and want to get back there.
We came up here mostly to get boat parts ordered (new windlass, new solar panels, and some miscellaneous other parts) and shipping arranged and to take care of other business. I renewed my driver's license, and got my voter registration sorted out. It is not easy to negotiate government bureaucracies when you have no real valid residence address. I have a mail drop, but a lot of bureaus and agencies want an address of the place you actually live. Ours moves around all the time. But sometimes you have to fudge things a bit. Otherwise you will never get all the stuff you need to have.
When we get back to Mazatlan we have to go to the consul there and get our passports renewed, and then we head off for points south.
I went to my old office yesterday and had lunch - as it turned out, they were having their Thanksgiving potluck and I got a chance to see almost everyone. It was great. I don't miss my job but I do miss all the people and the great cameraderie in that office. I had to leave when I did though - I was burning out and the dynamic in the office was changing - the old guard was going fast and I do not think I would fit in as well with the new guard, so to speak. It was a good decision and I have not regretted it. I do not miss going to work every day.
We got pretty much everything done so for the next few days until we leave we can just sort of take it easy, visit with Steve (who by the way is doing great and I am so proud of him) and maybe buy another new bathing suit - one cannot have too many the way I live. We are planning to take another drive up to the mountains - we did it once but the area we wanted was closed - and we will see all the changes since we were here last. Since it all burned a couple of years back, it is really interesting to see how the landscape is transforming itself. It is different - no more conifers - but it is still bebautiful up there. It is especially pretty because the recent rains have greened things up nicely.
I have to leave here as soon as possible because I get fat up here really fast. It is the HUGE amount of food they serve at restaurants and all the junk. In Mexico, the portions are normal sized, and although they love to fry everything, there are a lot of things that are not fried, and, importantly I think, there is less processed food. Even the fast food seems like there were fewer steps between the farm and the table than there are in the US. And of course it is so hot that I eat less.
Another thing I must say about Mexico is that their medical care is wonderfully accessible and affordable. Mike hurt his finger really bad right before we left - he got it stuck between the floating dock and the concrete pier that make up our marina dock and crushed it. It looked horrible - I had to rush him up to the hotel lobby for a taxi, then we sped off to the hospital. The cabbie drove like an ambulence driver, lacking only a siren and flashers. We were seen right away. The fingers miraculously were not crushed or even badly broken - one had an "imperfect fracture" at the tip and the nail was completely gone. They x-rayed it, cleaned and dressed it, and sent us away with scripts for pain meds and antibiotics. The whole treatment period was shorter than it took Mike to hurt his finger in the first place, and all it cost was a whopping $150 American dollars, and that counts the scripts, too. If they can do it, why can't we? Every cruiser I have talked to has nothing but praise for the Mexican medical services. And since most of the cruisers are on the elderly side, a lot of them have medical issues, and being on boats means falling, banging into things, and a lot of other possiblities for getting hurt. So they know what they are talking about. If something bad happens to me there, I will not be bankrupted.
I am spending a lot of time finding out about Central America and Ecuador. There is not a lot of information out there about sailing to Colombia on the Pacific side - there is stuff about the Caribbean side, where Cartagena is, but that is not where we are going. And you have to pass the Colombian coast on the way from Panama to Ecuador. It may be that the Andes mountains come right down to the coastline on the Pacific side, making it difficult or impossible to anchor a boat safely. Or else the political and drug violence is still really problematic. I had heard things were greatly improved down there, but we may end up sailing past Colombia and heading straight to Ecuador after Panama. We got new boat insurance that covers us from Canada to Peru - $3000 or so for a year. I know many, many cruisers that only carry the minimum of liability to be accepted into a marina, and some cruisers don't have any, preferring to trust their "prudent seamanship". I prefer to have insurance - if my boat gets wrecked, I want to be able to get another one.
If anyone is interested in having a sailboat, I can tell you they are very cheap these days and there are a lot of them out there. We flirt every now and then with the idea of getting a bigger boat, but we won't do it - this boat is all we need, and a bigger boat means bigger sails and more physical work, as well as higher costs for everything - most boat stuff, like marina slips and bottom cleaning and painting, is charged by the foot. Besides, we are making this boat near perfect - the new solar panels will greatly increase the amount of power we can generate without using gas or diesel. Between the new panels and the wind generator (it is usally sunny or windy or both), Mike has figured that we can support all our general usage with those two insturments. That will be especially nice at anchor - we won't have to use the generator as much, except for making water. And we can fill our tanks (all 90 gallons) using only one or two gallons of gas. Not bad. This will all be very helpful when we cross the Pacific in the spring of 2013 for Polynesia. At least that is the plan so far. This season will be the Pacific coast of Mexico for the winter, Central America, then Ecuador for the fall and winter. I hope to go go the Galapagos either from Ecuador, or on the way to Polynesia later. They are close to Ecuador, and Ecuador controls them.
This is it for now - I will likely not write again until next week, when we get back to Mazatlan. Have a great day and a great next week!
We came up here mostly to get boat parts ordered (new windlass, new solar panels, and some miscellaneous other parts) and shipping arranged and to take care of other business. I renewed my driver's license, and got my voter registration sorted out. It is not easy to negotiate government bureaucracies when you have no real valid residence address. I have a mail drop, but a lot of bureaus and agencies want an address of the place you actually live. Ours moves around all the time. But sometimes you have to fudge things a bit. Otherwise you will never get all the stuff you need to have.
When we get back to Mazatlan we have to go to the consul there and get our passports renewed, and then we head off for points south.
I went to my old office yesterday and had lunch - as it turned out, they were having their Thanksgiving potluck and I got a chance to see almost everyone. It was great. I don't miss my job but I do miss all the people and the great cameraderie in that office. I had to leave when I did though - I was burning out and the dynamic in the office was changing - the old guard was going fast and I do not think I would fit in as well with the new guard, so to speak. It was a good decision and I have not regretted it. I do not miss going to work every day.
We got pretty much everything done so for the next few days until we leave we can just sort of take it easy, visit with Steve (who by the way is doing great and I am so proud of him) and maybe buy another new bathing suit - one cannot have too many the way I live. We are planning to take another drive up to the mountains - we did it once but the area we wanted was closed - and we will see all the changes since we were here last. Since it all burned a couple of years back, it is really interesting to see how the landscape is transforming itself. It is different - no more conifers - but it is still bebautiful up there. It is especially pretty because the recent rains have greened things up nicely.
I have to leave here as soon as possible because I get fat up here really fast. It is the HUGE amount of food they serve at restaurants and all the junk. In Mexico, the portions are normal sized, and although they love to fry everything, there are a lot of things that are not fried, and, importantly I think, there is less processed food. Even the fast food seems like there were fewer steps between the farm and the table than there are in the US. And of course it is so hot that I eat less.
Another thing I must say about Mexico is that their medical care is wonderfully accessible and affordable. Mike hurt his finger really bad right before we left - he got it stuck between the floating dock and the concrete pier that make up our marina dock and crushed it. It looked horrible - I had to rush him up to the hotel lobby for a taxi, then we sped off to the hospital. The cabbie drove like an ambulence driver, lacking only a siren and flashers. We were seen right away. The fingers miraculously were not crushed or even badly broken - one had an "imperfect fracture" at the tip and the nail was completely gone. They x-rayed it, cleaned and dressed it, and sent us away with scripts for pain meds and antibiotics. The whole treatment period was shorter than it took Mike to hurt his finger in the first place, and all it cost was a whopping $150 American dollars, and that counts the scripts, too. If they can do it, why can't we? Every cruiser I have talked to has nothing but praise for the Mexican medical services. And since most of the cruisers are on the elderly side, a lot of them have medical issues, and being on boats means falling, banging into things, and a lot of other possiblities for getting hurt. So they know what they are talking about. If something bad happens to me there, I will not be bankrupted.
I am spending a lot of time finding out about Central America and Ecuador. There is not a lot of information out there about sailing to Colombia on the Pacific side - there is stuff about the Caribbean side, where Cartagena is, but that is not where we are going. And you have to pass the Colombian coast on the way from Panama to Ecuador. It may be that the Andes mountains come right down to the coastline on the Pacific side, making it difficult or impossible to anchor a boat safely. Or else the political and drug violence is still really problematic. I had heard things were greatly improved down there, but we may end up sailing past Colombia and heading straight to Ecuador after Panama. We got new boat insurance that covers us from Canada to Peru - $3000 or so for a year. I know many, many cruisers that only carry the minimum of liability to be accepted into a marina, and some cruisers don't have any, preferring to trust their "prudent seamanship". I prefer to have insurance - if my boat gets wrecked, I want to be able to get another one.
If anyone is interested in having a sailboat, I can tell you they are very cheap these days and there are a lot of them out there. We flirt every now and then with the idea of getting a bigger boat, but we won't do it - this boat is all we need, and a bigger boat means bigger sails and more physical work, as well as higher costs for everything - most boat stuff, like marina slips and bottom cleaning and painting, is charged by the foot. Besides, we are making this boat near perfect - the new solar panels will greatly increase the amount of power we can generate without using gas or diesel. Between the new panels and the wind generator (it is usally sunny or windy or both), Mike has figured that we can support all our general usage with those two insturments. That will be especially nice at anchor - we won't have to use the generator as much, except for making water. And we can fill our tanks (all 90 gallons) using only one or two gallons of gas. Not bad. This will all be very helpful when we cross the Pacific in the spring of 2013 for Polynesia. At least that is the plan so far. This season will be the Pacific coast of Mexico for the winter, Central America, then Ecuador for the fall and winter. I hope to go go the Galapagos either from Ecuador, or on the way to Polynesia later. They are close to Ecuador, and Ecuador controls them.
This is it for now - I will likely not write again until next week, when we get back to Mazatlan. Have a great day and a great next week!
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