Yup, Mike is well enough that he has resumed work on the frig. We think we will be out of here and on our way to El Salvador next week, weather permitting of course. I am really happy about that.
Last night I dreamed that I had a goldfish or some kind of aquarium fish that I was training to jump out of the water when I fed it. I had gotten it to the point of sticking it's head out of the water when I woke up. I wonder if you could really train a fish to do that. Lots of fish jump out of the water regularly, it is just what they do. Manta Rays jump out of the water all the time - when we were in the Sea of Cortez this summer, it almost sounded like gunshots when they jumped and splashed back down. There would be whole groups of them doing it together. I think they do it because it is fun and it feels good to them and because maybe they are curious about what is above them. Mike read an article that said rays are pretty smart. Marlins jump too - and so do dorado. The more I learn about fish and the more I watch them, the less I want to catch them. I read in another blog that dorado mate for life. I have noticed that they are often seen in pairs - and they are one of the few fish I can think of where the males and females look different. The head shape is different.
It looks like Mike is not going to have any problems with the frig. He did a lot of work on it yesterday, including welding (he called it brazing) some copper tubing together. I discovered copper turns really pretty colors during that process. We are hoping the frig guy can come on Thursday and that would finish things up. We discovered a store that sells frozen meats, so we can fill the new freezer unit with plenty to last us until we get to El Salvador and can reprovision. However, we have vowed to eat less red meat and more fruits and vegetables since Mike's malady is being blamed on a not so great diet. We have both lost some weight since beginning this new way of eating, which actually is not so new - I was a vegan for about two years until I got bored with it. I think we will be quasi-vegetarians, which to me means mainly fish and chicken, with meatless days thrown in for good measure. The interesting thing about the produce here is that while it may not be as pretty as the produce in the US, it usually tastes better. I think the food here makes less stops between the farm and one's plate. In the markets you see whole sides of beef being cut to order, and live chickens. The fish is also very fresh. All in all, the food in the markets and small stores is better than what you get in the supermarkets here. And all the different things are clustered together. One street has the produce stores, the next one will have meats, the automotive repair places are clustered together, and stuff like that. Once you learn it all, you know where to go to get whatever you want. And no matter how small the town, or even village, there will be at least one party store, where they rent out tables and things and sell everything you need for any kind of a party.
So with Mike healthy again and the frig well on its way, I have to job of getting the boat ready to be underway. It isn't difficult - just finding space for things that are usually left out, because you don't want things flying around. I have gotten pretty good at taking care of that - using towels to stuff around things that might roll, making sure the things in the cupboards are solidly placed, strapping down things that might fall off a shelf, and so on. We make sure the water tanks are full and we already filled up with gas and diesel. Friday we have someone coming to clean the bottom of the boat and the through hulls, and the day before we leave we will take the dinghy out of the water, clean it, and stow it away on top of the boat. We do that last bcause when stowed, it blocks an overhead hatch that we normally like to have open for coolness and light. We will have one last load of laundry done, put clean sheets on the bed, and make sure all the safety gear is ready to go. We have strict rules about using life jackets and hooking up to jacklines at night, or when it is rough anytime. It would be a nightmare to get up and wonder why you hadn't been awakened to relieve your partner on watch, only to discover no one there. We keep a log while underway that would help in that situation, because one of the things we record each hour is the lattitude and longitude. You would look at the last time there was an entry, and follow the GPS track back, and hopefully find the person, but you have to take into accounthow the surrents are going, and really, the chances of finding the person would be slim the more time that has passed. At least the water here is warm. In cold water, forget it. every now and then I read about someone falling off a boat. So we are careful and always stay clipped on when alone on night watch.
Well, on that cheerful note I will close for today.
"The only way to get a good crew is to marry one." Eric Hiscock
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