Yes, its that time again - time to pull up the anchor and head on down the Pacific coast. This time we are headed for Zihuatenejo, which is about 190 nautical miles from here. We figure it should take us about three days or so, but who really knows? With the right winds we could fly along, and with the wrong winds we could just poke along. You just never know - and that is part of the fun of it. We have learned (at least we are learning - can't say we have mastered it yet) not to schedule. At least to do it as little as possible.
Now don't get me wrong - there are some schedules that absolutely must be adhered to without fail. Those are the ones that make sure you get out of hurricane territory in time, and stuff like that. If hurricane season starts in June, I want to be sure I am on my way out by then. We cut it sort of close this summer - we were late leaving Mazatlan by at least a month. Of course as it turned out there were no hurricanes in the sea this year, but we were still anxious all the time, keeping it in the back of our minds. We always knew where the closest hurricane hole (relatively safe place to be on a boat in those conditions but certainly no guarantee) was, and how long it would take us to get there. Had we left earlier, we might have had more peace of mind at times. But maybe not - Mike is a fretter when it comes to the weather. He saw some pretty wild weather at sea during his naval career - weather that was scary on a big Navy ship - so he knows what weather can do.
Right now we know we want to be in El Salvador the second week of March. That means being in Huatulco, ready to leave as soon as weather permits (a REALLY big deal, I will talk more about that in a later post) by March 1. That gives us a lot of time to play with, so if we aimlessly drift along, it doesn't really matter. It is just a matter of what we feel like dealing with. We did the math, and we could motor all the way and then some if we felt like it, so it isn't a matter of not enough fuel. It just seems like if you have a sailboat, you really ought to sail. It is as simple as that.
We have a new passtime - watching the interface, a power display. You push various buttons and learn how much power is coming in, how much is going out, how long the batteries would last if used continually at the current rate, and a few other things. Ever since Mike installed the new solar panels, we can actually see the difference in our power generation. When it is sunny out during the daytime, we can be using the computer and the refrigerator (the biggest single power user) can be running, and there is still power coming in, charging the batteries. When we wake up after using power after dark - for things like watching videos on the LED TV, listening to the stereo or streaming radio on the computer, I can see how many "amp hours" of power were used. Later in the day, after plenty of power usage, that number will actually be lower than it was when we got up. And that does not even take into consideration the power coming from the wind generator - for reasons I don't understand, it's power goes straight to the batteries without registering through the interface. I know I might be getting repetitive about this power stuff, but it is really amazing. I know we would have no trouble power-wise making a Pacific crossing. That is a good feeling.
Anyway - all we have left to do tonight is to finish getting the cabin ready to be underway - which mainly means checking around making sure everything is securely stowed away or tied down or wedged in or whatever it takes to make sure nothing goes flying around the cabin if things get exciting. The outside work is all done, our fuel and water tanks are full, and both Mike and I are champing at the bit to get going. The more time I spend at sea, the more time I want to spend there.
"You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your etermity in each moment." Henry David Thoreau
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