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!
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