At Peace

I really couldn't think of another title for this post because that pretty much sums up how I feel right now. Just peaceful. We have been here for two days now, and plan to stay for about two more before moving on to another anchorage.

I haven't sewn the sails yet, but I have been busy with laundry - back to the bucket and plunger method. I had kind of a lot, because we had to bring some dirty laundry with us when we left, which we usually don't do, and because we were sailing for eight days and got more clothing dirty than we usually do while underway. After I finish this batch, I plan to do what I did while we were anchored in the Sea of Cortez summer before last - do laundry every two days or so, when there will be only a few things. I actually don't mind this - I never minded doing laundry whether I had a machine of my own, went to the one in my building, went to the Laundromat, or did it this way, basically all by hand. I like folding the clean clothes. I like how cloth feels in my hands and I like how the clothes go on dirty and come out clean. I always thought it was sort of like getting presents, or new stuff.

We also did a bunch of little chores that were nonetheless important - fixing a valve on the toilet, reconfiguring some winches, re-rigging our reef lines, doing some fishing (no luck), and simply enjoying being out here. Our power situation is wonderful - we have all we need with no need to use the generator or turn the engine on the juice the batteries. This means we can stay out at sea and in remote places longer because we don't need diesel or gasoline to keep the batteries charged. And in eight days of travel, we used the engine for an average of 1.3 hours per day. We have to do that while underway because there is less power being generated then when we are at anchor. This is because the sails are up when underway, and this necessarily blocks some of the sunlight. Still, our numbers are really good. And we do not have to deal with civilization until the first of next month, when we have to obtain internet access to do our taxes. At that point, we will hit Panama City, anchor or moor off there and get this stuff done, then off to the islands in the Gulf of Panama. We are in the western part of Panama right now. It is hard for me to think of Panama as running more east and west than north and south. I have been heading south for a long time now. It is also my first time residing in an Eastern time zone. I am on New York time, pretty strange. Half the time I have no idea what time it is anyway and I really do not always need to know.

So that winds things up for today. Tomorrow we definitely plan to get those sails done, then we can loaf around again. My favorite pastime.

"The art of the sailor is to leave nothing to chance." (Annie Van De Wiele)

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