One thing that happens when you start making changes in your travel plans is that you start questioning what it is you are doing here in the first place. That might be a bit too sweeping - but it is something that happens to me. People come out here sailing for varying lengths of time, and for different reasons. Some plan to make it a full time life style, others do not. Some are part timers some are full timers. Then there are people like us, who really have no idea how long they plan to stay in this lifestyle. The usual answer you get is "as long as its fun" or "until the money runs out" or "until our health gives out." I always add "until I find myself some place I can't bear to leave." Lots of people stop sailing around when they find that place. A lot of people change to part timers or stop altogether when grand kids come along.
Anyway, I am not giving up this lifestyle anytime soon. But I do sometimes question how I am doing it. Am I working my way around the world? Am I just sort of drifting with no planned just seeing where th current takes us? Is it a matter of seeing as much of a country as I can or do I want to get to know one place really well? How long do I want to spend out traveling with limited personal visits to my family when I know that the further away I get, the more difficult it will be to do that? These are the sort of things I spend time thinking about.
I know that being able to live "without a schedule" is important to me, yet at the same time I am most comfortable with some sort of structure to my days. I want to see the whole world, see everything, but also realize that the world IS as big as "they" say, and I am going to have to have limits somewhere. I like staying places long enough to really get to know them, to see how people live day to day lives, an to meet someone who is not in the service or more accurately the tourist industry if at all possible. That sort of thing means you need to stay put for awhile. So it has been a year here a year there. Some places got skipped for various reasons. I do know this - I can't bring myself to move along every few months. I like the way we are doing it, even if it means it takes us another ten years to get around the world.
The things we are experiencing here in this archipelago are truly wonderful. Yesterday I caught two big fish - a 10 lb sierra and an 8 lb pargo. The pargo will be frozen and we ate half the sierra last night with one of our neighbors (a young guy from Germany single handing his way on a 27 foot boat) and need to eat the other half of it tonight -sierra does not freeze or otherwise keep well. It has to eaten at once. The pargo will freeze nicely. We have enough fish so I have banned fishing until we use what we have. It would just be greedy to keep on going. We are going into Panama City this weekend (leaving Thursday) to restock on groceries and replace one of these dying computers. My list, which I began last week, has grown exponentially since then, but this means we can stay out here for a longer period of time. Being anchored out here in the middle of nowhere has real financial advantages -there is no where to send money even if you wanted to, so the money just sits in the bank. Of course we will take a chunk of that to replace the computer. And something always come up, but as long as we just come into town once a month we can't really go wrong as long as the boat holds together (The big "if" in sailing). And life out here is great. I never get bored, because even just looking around the anchorage is always interesting. The Kindle makes it possible to have an unlimited supply of reading matter, and our solar and (intermittent, it does not work most of the time for unknown reasons) wind power make it possible for us to listen to music or watch movies any time we want to as they generate plenty of power, even when it is not real sunny. Our neighbors here are great - both the "permanent" ones who anchor here for months, and the transients who stop for a few day as they tour the area. We have enough of a social life but not too much. Mike has become more sanguine about the possibility of lightning, remembering that we have good insurance and that having to replace the entire electronic system could have its advantages, especially when it is paid for with insurance. We know that because that is exactly what happened to a friend of ours. But I think that pretty much guarantees that we will not be struck. So we are happy we decided to stay here, even if it does mean that we will likely lose touch with some cruisers we have been with off and on since Mexico. That is sort of sad but it is just what happens when you move around a lot. I want to do things our way, which is not necessarily what all the other cruisers do at any given time. But I also know that any truly meaningful relationship can be maintained across many years and miles. I have the friends to prove that.
So on that note, I will sign off for today. Might be time for a dinghy ride into the mangroves.
"The average newcomer to the ever-growing ranks of yachtsmen comes equipped with only a slight knowledge of rope work and most of it wrong. From his boyhood days in Troop C of the Boy Scouts, he can only remember the clove hitch, the square or reef knot, and the sheepshank. the first will always be useful,the second has but one use, that of turning in a reef, and the sheepshank he will never need if he lives to be one hundred." (Hervey Garrett Smith, "The Marlinspike Sailor")
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Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Saturday, July 27, 2013
Buenos Dias!
The time passes so peacefully here in the island chain, making it really easy to let things slide, especially things like this blog. I write post after post in my head while I am fishing, or processing fish, or cooking and cleaning, or swimming, or hiking or some other such pastime, but I never transfer any of that awesome stuff to screen. So everyone is stuck with what I put down here after I drag myself to the computer.
Our plans have been completely discarded, at least until we change our minds again. At this point, w ave decided to spend another month to six weeks here in this archipelago. We are going into Panama City this weekend for provisions and a new computer. THen back out here, and in mid September we will start watching the weather for a trip north to Costa Rica. Although we had planned to go to Ecuador, and we still do, I decided that I want to spend at least a year in South America. We also want to be at Easter Island in early February (for a festival). If we went this year, we would have only about six months in South America. Not enough. We did not stop in Costa Rica on the way down, nor did we visit Nicaragua. This is a good chance to do that. We are also really enjoying it here, and want to spend more time in the islands. So this would have us leaving for Ecuador from Costa Rica in December or January, which is a better time to make the trip, weather and conditions-wise. Then we have a year there before we leave for Easter Island. Perfect timing.
It has been a great time here. We have seen whales, all kinds of birds, and caught new fish. We took a dinghy trip with another boat here and went up a river in the evening, not getting out until it was dark. Again, a really amazing experience. We meandered through the mangroves, watching the vegetation change as the water lost its salinity. We heard strange bird and insect sounds, especially after it got dark. THe jungle, especially at night, is very noisy, especially the bugs. Or what sounds like squabbling raccoons. If you wake up in the middle of the night, there is always something to listen to. The other boat here with us has taught us all kinds of things, like smoking the fish over a fire pit on the beach. They have been great company, spending really good times together but having enough alone time as well. It is a good balance, and you don't always get that. Other boats have come and gone, and it is always fun to meet everyone. Some of these people I have talked to on the radio, and I like meeting them in real life. We also had a picnic/fish barbecue with another boat, who had relatives visiting them. I made a pasta salad and everyone seemed to like it. It was great fun to watch new people fall in love with a place that is special for me.
One interesting thing I must tell you about is the programming on the short wave (SSB) radio. Besides being a way to communicate with other vessels (like on the cruiser's net) and to send emails or make blog postings, you can also listen to programs on it and get weather reports. You can listen to the BBC, the CBC (Canada), and even Radio Kuwait and Radio China. We also got Radio Havana one day, but it was in French so we couldn't understand it. All of these are in English. What we cannot listen to is Voice of America, or any US stations. The US no longer maintains a presence on the short wave radio. The best is Radio China. They do international news, with an emphasis on China. They only report, and there is no opinion or editorializing. They also have general interest programs, and movie and music reviews. It is interesting. Radio Kuwait has an international news show for an hour every day. Again, just reporting, no commentary. Mike says that the US used to have a presence on the short wave, with news regularly each day and other programs, too. But now, nothing. It is a real bummer - so Radio China it is. They also have Chinese lessons. It seems to be a very hard language to learn. I know I haven't learned anything that has stuck with me yet.
As of today, we have been out here for a month. Since we only provisioned for a three week trip to Ecuador, we have been running out of things. We did take two dinghy trips into these two small villages, and were able to get beer, onions, and eggs. we bought lobsters from some panga fisherman most of which went to the barbecue. At one village, the boat that took us there introduced us to the locals, and we spent the day visiting and drinking beer. This other boat has been spending time here for years, and knows everything there is to know about the area and how to sail it. They sail without an engine, making them Mike's idols. The guy is from Newfoundland and the woman is from Sweden. I have also learned how to cook read in the pressure cooker. (I tried it a long time ago and just ended up with a mess in the pressure cooker. Now I know where I went wrong.) Speaking of which, the pressure cooker is now my favorite method of cooking. And of course one pot meals make life easier on the boat.
Well, I am really starting to ramble on, like that is anything new. Mike and I have been spending a lot of time re-evaluating and trying to block out our next moves. We'll see what happens next.
"Concern for man himself and his safety must always form the chief interest of all technical endeavors. Never forget this in the midst of your diagrams and equations. (Albert Einstein)
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Our plans have been completely discarded, at least until we change our minds again. At this point, w ave decided to spend another month to six weeks here in this archipelago. We are going into Panama City this weekend for provisions and a new computer. THen back out here, and in mid September we will start watching the weather for a trip north to Costa Rica. Although we had planned to go to Ecuador, and we still do, I decided that I want to spend at least a year in South America. We also want to be at Easter Island in early February (for a festival). If we went this year, we would have only about six months in South America. Not enough. We did not stop in Costa Rica on the way down, nor did we visit Nicaragua. This is a good chance to do that. We are also really enjoying it here, and want to spend more time in the islands. So this would have us leaving for Ecuador from Costa Rica in December or January, which is a better time to make the trip, weather and conditions-wise. Then we have a year there before we leave for Easter Island. Perfect timing.
It has been a great time here. We have seen whales, all kinds of birds, and caught new fish. We took a dinghy trip with another boat here and went up a river in the evening, not getting out until it was dark. Again, a really amazing experience. We meandered through the mangroves, watching the vegetation change as the water lost its salinity. We heard strange bird and insect sounds, especially after it got dark. THe jungle, especially at night, is very noisy, especially the bugs. Or what sounds like squabbling raccoons. If you wake up in the middle of the night, there is always something to listen to. The other boat here with us has taught us all kinds of things, like smoking the fish over a fire pit on the beach. They have been great company, spending really good times together but having enough alone time as well. It is a good balance, and you don't always get that. Other boats have come and gone, and it is always fun to meet everyone. Some of these people I have talked to on the radio, and I like meeting them in real life. We also had a picnic/fish barbecue with another boat, who had relatives visiting them. I made a pasta salad and everyone seemed to like it. It was great fun to watch new people fall in love with a place that is special for me.
One interesting thing I must tell you about is the programming on the short wave (SSB) radio. Besides being a way to communicate with other vessels (like on the cruiser's net) and to send emails or make blog postings, you can also listen to programs on it and get weather reports. You can listen to the BBC, the CBC (Canada), and even Radio Kuwait and Radio China. We also got Radio Havana one day, but it was in French so we couldn't understand it. All of these are in English. What we cannot listen to is Voice of America, or any US stations. The US no longer maintains a presence on the short wave radio. The best is Radio China. They do international news, with an emphasis on China. They only report, and there is no opinion or editorializing. They also have general interest programs, and movie and music reviews. It is interesting. Radio Kuwait has an international news show for an hour every day. Again, just reporting, no commentary. Mike says that the US used to have a presence on the short wave, with news regularly each day and other programs, too. But now, nothing. It is a real bummer - so Radio China it is. They also have Chinese lessons. It seems to be a very hard language to learn. I know I haven't learned anything that has stuck with me yet.
As of today, we have been out here for a month. Since we only provisioned for a three week trip to Ecuador, we have been running out of things. We did take two dinghy trips into these two small villages, and were able to get beer, onions, and eggs. we bought lobsters from some panga fisherman most of which went to the barbecue. At one village, the boat that took us there introduced us to the locals, and we spent the day visiting and drinking beer. This other boat has been spending time here for years, and knows everything there is to know about the area and how to sail it. They sail without an engine, making them Mike's idols. The guy is from Newfoundland and the woman is from Sweden. I have also learned how to cook read in the pressure cooker. (I tried it a long time ago and just ended up with a mess in the pressure cooker. Now I know where I went wrong.) Speaking of which, the pressure cooker is now my favorite method of cooking. And of course one pot meals make life easier on the boat.
Well, I am really starting to ramble on, like that is anything new. Mike and I have been spending a lot of time re-evaluating and trying to block out our next moves. We'll see what happens next.
"Concern for man himself and his safety must always form the chief interest of all technical endeavors. Never forget this in the midst of your diagrams and equations. (Albert Einstein)
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Thursday, July 11, 2013
Still in Paradise
I know we were supposed to be on our way to Ecuador by now, but things do not always follow the original path they set out on. It is just too beautiful here. We are having a fabulous time. We fish and gather wild mangoes, dive off the boat and swim in clear water, and watch the wild life go by.
There is currently another boat here with us. This boat has a guy from Newfoundland and a woman from Sweden sailing her, and this boat has no inboard engine, so they sail everywhere rather than motoring, which makes them our heroes. They have been around here for years, and showed us where to find the mangoes. Yesterday they taught us how to dig a pit and smoke fish. I caught a trigger fish yesterday while trolling on the dinghy on the way to the smoking. We didn't smoke that fish, it is in the fridge waiting to be a late lunch or early dinner. Earlier this week there was a third boat here, with a couple from Australia on board. We visited with them, and since he is a total fisherman, he brought us several nice fish, part of which we have already eaten and part of which are frozen for another day. I am eager to do more fishing of our own, now that I have finally caught one, I feel I may be on a roll.
Yesterday on the way back from the smoking party our dinghy engine quit working. It has been acting badly for awhile now, so I really wasn't surprised, just annoyed. Truthfully, I nagged Mike before we left Panama City about having someone look at it before we left, but he ignored me. (I am trying hard not to say I Told You So. It is taking a lot of effort to be "the big person" here, but I am doing it.) So he messed with it last night, and got nowhere. This morning, it miraculously started up like nothing ever happened. I think maybe it somehow got flooded real bad, because when Mike was pulling the motor cord trying to get the engine to turn over, I noticed that fuel was spraying out the back side of the engine every time he pulled on the cord. Today it did not do that. I am really happy the engine is working again, but I hate it when things go this way because whatever the problem is, it is still out there just waiting to resurface at an even more inopportune time. This time we were close enough to row the dinghy back to the boat, but had we had choppy seas or a contrary current, life would have sucked. But I did actually enjoy rowing the dinghy, I have always liked rowing boats since I was a little kid at Camp Manitou. I lie rowing better than paddling, even though I really like canoe trips. It would be good exercise for me, and I suggested to Mike that we row or paddle instead of putting the engine on when conditions permit.
I have been enjoying being net controller on the SSB radio. I feel like I am contributing something to the cruising community. I am currently sharing the job with two other women, and will continue to do so until we get to Ecuador, where I am still planning to go, just not for a couple more weeks. But who knows, we could decide to leave tomorrow. Not until we visit one of the little villages here and get a few provisions - we are low on beer and produce. Because of the fishing, we still have plenty of frozen meat. We also need eggs, because today I managed to accidentally smash four of the six remaining ones. Don't even wonder how I did it - it is too stupid for words. But it was a good lesson - were we en route to Ecuador, it would have meant no eggs for the duration of the trip. I have to be more careful. Mike was referring to the remaining eggs as the luckiest eggs in the world because they survived the carnage.
So today I am planning to visit with the neighbors, do some swimming, maybe fish a little, read some, and clean up a bit. Real busy day, huh. I baked scones for breakfast. Tomorrow I have to bake some bread, we are out of the stuff we bought when we left Panama City. It is the neighbor's birthday, so maybe I will bake a chocolate cake and send it home with them. Whatever happens, it is just another day in Paradise.
"That capability at any time could be turned around on the American people and no American would have any privacy left, such is the capability to monitor everything: telephone conversations, telegrams, it doesn't matter. There would be no place to hide . . . I know the capacity is there to make tyranny total in America, and we must see to it that this agency [NSA] and all agencies that possess this technology operate within the law and under proper supervision." (Sen. Frank Church, 1975)
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There is currently another boat here with us. This boat has a guy from Newfoundland and a woman from Sweden sailing her, and this boat has no inboard engine, so they sail everywhere rather than motoring, which makes them our heroes. They have been around here for years, and showed us where to find the mangoes. Yesterday they taught us how to dig a pit and smoke fish. I caught a trigger fish yesterday while trolling on the dinghy on the way to the smoking. We didn't smoke that fish, it is in the fridge waiting to be a late lunch or early dinner. Earlier this week there was a third boat here, with a couple from Australia on board. We visited with them, and since he is a total fisherman, he brought us several nice fish, part of which we have already eaten and part of which are frozen for another day. I am eager to do more fishing of our own, now that I have finally caught one, I feel I may be on a roll.
Yesterday on the way back from the smoking party our dinghy engine quit working. It has been acting badly for awhile now, so I really wasn't surprised, just annoyed. Truthfully, I nagged Mike before we left Panama City about having someone look at it before we left, but he ignored me. (I am trying hard not to say I Told You So. It is taking a lot of effort to be "the big person" here, but I am doing it.) So he messed with it last night, and got nowhere. This morning, it miraculously started up like nothing ever happened. I think maybe it somehow got flooded real bad, because when Mike was pulling the motor cord trying to get the engine to turn over, I noticed that fuel was spraying out the back side of the engine every time he pulled on the cord. Today it did not do that. I am really happy the engine is working again, but I hate it when things go this way because whatever the problem is, it is still out there just waiting to resurface at an even more inopportune time. This time we were close enough to row the dinghy back to the boat, but had we had choppy seas or a contrary current, life would have sucked. But I did actually enjoy rowing the dinghy, I have always liked rowing boats since I was a little kid at Camp Manitou. I lie rowing better than paddling, even though I really like canoe trips. It would be good exercise for me, and I suggested to Mike that we row or paddle instead of putting the engine on when conditions permit.
I have been enjoying being net controller on the SSB radio. I feel like I am contributing something to the cruising community. I am currently sharing the job with two other women, and will continue to do so until we get to Ecuador, where I am still planning to go, just not for a couple more weeks. But who knows, we could decide to leave tomorrow. Not until we visit one of the little villages here and get a few provisions - we are low on beer and produce. Because of the fishing, we still have plenty of frozen meat. We also need eggs, because today I managed to accidentally smash four of the six remaining ones. Don't even wonder how I did it - it is too stupid for words. But it was a good lesson - were we en route to Ecuador, it would have meant no eggs for the duration of the trip. I have to be more careful. Mike was referring to the remaining eggs as the luckiest eggs in the world because they survived the carnage.
So today I am planning to visit with the neighbors, do some swimming, maybe fish a little, read some, and clean up a bit. Real busy day, huh. I baked scones for breakfast. Tomorrow I have to bake some bread, we are out of the stuff we bought when we left Panama City. It is the neighbor's birthday, so maybe I will bake a chocolate cake and send it home with them. Whatever happens, it is just another day in Paradise.
"That capability at any time could be turned around on the American people and no American would have any privacy left, such is the capability to monitor everything: telephone conversations, telegrams, it doesn't matter. There would be no place to hide . . . I know the capacity is there to make tyranny total in America, and we must see to it that this agency [NSA] and all agencies that possess this technology operate within the law and under proper supervision." (Sen. Frank Church, 1975)
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Thursday, July 4, 2013
Isla Espiritu Santo
I am completely steeped in topical beauty. It is amazing here. We are anchored between a large island and a small one, with an even smaller island between the small island and the big one. Confusing? I suppose so. The islands are covered with greenery and tall trees. As long as one does not analyze the foliage. it would appear that we are in Wisconsin (except for the rugged hills) or the Ozarks (except for the lack of bluffs). The beaches with their golden sand disappear at high tide, and then at low tide, there are tide pools all over the place. I have been taking pictures but since there is no internet here I can't post them. (I am posting this via my SSB radio.) Until this morning, we had the place to ourselves, us, the birds and the fish. While we were riding around in the dinghy yesterday, we saw an agouti running along the rocky shoreline. We watch flocks of pelicans and other sea birds feeding, while the frigate birds circle overhead, waiting for someone else to catch something so they can steal it. Frigate birds usually don't do their own hunting, they just steal from other birds. But if no other birds are around, they will fish, and I have seen them do it, I like to watch animals and other creatures eat. I like to see dogs carrying things in their mouths. When pelicans get a fish, they gulp it down by throwing their heads back, and then they shake their tail feathers in a satisfied manner. I have watched closely and they all do this.
The weather has been perfect since we left Panama City - some rain, but not too much, and mostly at night. No lightning close enough to cause us trouble. We are enjoying it here so much that we have decided to stay a week or so. This is an archipelago, so there are plenty of islands to explore. I want to do some fishing today. We caught two fish on the way here - one was too big and got away after Mike fought it for about 10-15 minutes, we never even got to see it. He said it felt big, and he has a good feel for this sort of thing. Later on we caught another, but it was too small so we let it go. I have noticed that Mike has lost his taste for sport fishing. The more we learn abut the fish, and the more we observe them, the less we want to hurt them. Now we fish only to get something to eat. If it is too big, it goes back.
Otherwise, there is not a lot to tell. I do need to take the big genoa (jib) down and mend the sail cover. Yesterday we made water and did laundry. We have decided that water making day (every four days or so, not that we use it up that fast, but the machine requires it be used that often, or else "pickled" with a solution that keeps bacteria from building up in the filters.) And if we do laundry every four days, there are only a few things needing to be washed at one time. If I try to wash too many things at once with my bucket and plunger, they don't get rinsed as well as I would like. So all of the water that would normally wasted during the process of desalinization now gets trapped and used for laundry. It is the proverbial win-win situation for all concerned. Besides, at anchor like this, all I am ever washing are wash rags, towels, bathing suits, boxers, and a few T-shirts. (Those take the longest to dry.) Any time we are anchored near any sort of town, city or even a settlement, I can always find someone to do my laundry for me. I like doing it myself, even with the bucket and plunger method. Laundry is the only household chore I really like to do, whether it is this primitive method I have now, or my own washer and dryer, or a Laundromat(I never know how to spell that word). I like folding the clean clothes.
The really really really good news is that the roach problem is no longer a serious problem. We still see them here and there, but nothing like it was before. We are still on high alert and in massacre mode, which will never stop. As soon as we notice them in a certain area, we spray the hell out of that area. We see lots of dead ones, and the live ones don't look very healthy. I will never take a roachless life for granted again. I have never hated a creature the way I hate these roaches. I the them so much I feel sort of bad about it, to be honest. But there it is, and I have to be honest and live with myself, even the bad parts. So I am a hater of roaches, too bad.
These days I feel really fortunate. We are not having any boat problems, the area here is beautiful, we are not on a schedule, and I have come to grips with a few issues that I have needed to address for some time now. That is a good feeling. I thought that by the time I reached this age, I would either have figured it all out, or maybe not care anymore whether I do or not. But it does not work that way - someone read some stuff I wrote here a while back and told me I sounded like a 12 year old (long story here). So be it.
"We are being made into a fearful people, and fearful people will stand for very little deviation." Lillian Hellman
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The weather has been perfect since we left Panama City - some rain, but not too much, and mostly at night. No lightning close enough to cause us trouble. We are enjoying it here so much that we have decided to stay a week or so. This is an archipelago, so there are plenty of islands to explore. I want to do some fishing today. We caught two fish on the way here - one was too big and got away after Mike fought it for about 10-15 minutes, we never even got to see it. He said it felt big, and he has a good feel for this sort of thing. Later on we caught another, but it was too small so we let it go. I have noticed that Mike has lost his taste for sport fishing. The more we learn abut the fish, and the more we observe them, the less we want to hurt them. Now we fish only to get something to eat. If it is too big, it goes back.
Otherwise, there is not a lot to tell. I do need to take the big genoa (jib) down and mend the sail cover. Yesterday we made water and did laundry. We have decided that water making day (every four days or so, not that we use it up that fast, but the machine requires it be used that often, or else "pickled" with a solution that keeps bacteria from building up in the filters.) And if we do laundry every four days, there are only a few things needing to be washed at one time. If I try to wash too many things at once with my bucket and plunger, they don't get rinsed as well as I would like. So all of the water that would normally wasted during the process of desalinization now gets trapped and used for laundry. It is the proverbial win-win situation for all concerned. Besides, at anchor like this, all I am ever washing are wash rags, towels, bathing suits, boxers, and a few T-shirts. (Those take the longest to dry.) Any time we are anchored near any sort of town, city or even a settlement, I can always find someone to do my laundry for me. I like doing it myself, even with the bucket and plunger method. Laundry is the only household chore I really like to do, whether it is this primitive method I have now, or my own washer and dryer, or a Laundromat(I never know how to spell that word). I like folding the clean clothes.
The really really really good news is that the roach problem is no longer a serious problem. We still see them here and there, but nothing like it was before. We are still on high alert and in massacre mode, which will never stop. As soon as we notice them in a certain area, we spray the hell out of that area. We see lots of dead ones, and the live ones don't look very healthy. I will never take a roachless life for granted again. I have never hated a creature the way I hate these roaches. I the them so much I feel sort of bad about it, to be honest. But there it is, and I have to be honest and live with myself, even the bad parts. So I am a hater of roaches, too bad.
These days I feel really fortunate. We are not having any boat problems, the area here is beautiful, we are not on a schedule, and I have come to grips with a few issues that I have needed to address for some time now. That is a good feeling. I thought that by the time I reached this age, I would either have figured it all out, or maybe not care anymore whether I do or not. But it does not work that way - someone read some stuff I wrote here a while back and told me I sounded like a 12 year old (long story here). So be it.
"We are being made into a fearful people, and fearful people will stand for very little deviation." Lillian Hellman
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Tuesday, July 2, 2013
Perfect Times
We left Panama City June 28 (Friday) and sailed out to Isla Mogo Mogo, in the Las Perlas Islands. We plan to spend some time out here, and then take off for Ecuador.
First, some sad news though - our dog Tempest has passed away. If there is a heaven or anything like that, I expect to see Tempest running to greet me when I arrive. She was very well cared for through her dotage by a dear dear friend who probably cared for her better than we ever did. My friend told me that when she realized the time had come, she took Tempest on a car ride (which she loved), and allowed her to eat a package of powdered sugar donuts (which she was allergic to but loved even more than a car ride). She had Tempest in her arms when Tempest left us. I am heartbroken, but at the same time, I was ready for it. Mike and I have been talking a lot about her lately, especially about how she was getting pretty old (14 years old in people years) and likely did not have too much time left. We feel badly for our friend, and can never fully express our gratitude to her.
Our sail here to the island was good and bad - not really bad, except for the interminable last five miles. The whole trip is about 35 miles or so, and for most of the day we had great winds and an almost ideal sail. The only problem - not really a problem - was that it was raining for a good part of it. And there is really no place in our cockpit to stay dry, as we don't have a pilot house. The only cover is the bimini top and the solar panels, which do little or nothing to keep out anything but a light rain. So that can be sort of unpleasant, even though we have slickers and it is not particularly cold. At the end of the trip, we came across a contrary current that dropped our speed to practically nothing and not even the engine helped much. So it took hours to go the last five miles. When we got here, it had pretty much stopped. The seas were a bit rough our first night here at anchor, but since then, the anchorage has been idyllic. We made water, cleaned the boat's waterline, and just lazed around. TOday we plan to take the dinghy over to the island itself, since it seems as though they are not using it for Survivor. So we will hike around and see what is there.
The last couple of nights here have been everything you dream about when setting off to cruise - the deserted anchorage, the white sand beach, the turquoise and sapphire colors in the water, the reef fish, and the sunsets while sitting on the deck sipping a beer - we have it all right here, right now. It is rainy today, which may put a crimp in our plans to visit the island. Though we have had rain, we have had no lightning close enough to make us nervous. I sent for a new cookbook, and have been spending time just looking through it, thinking about things I might like to make. I did not have a really good, comprehensive cookbook, and I like to leaf through them for ideas about what to fix for dinner, and for sheer entertainment. Otherwise, I can never think of anything new and just make the same things over and over again.
Even though I am really looking forward to going to Ecuador, I have some trepidation. We have to go way out of our way due to contrary winds and currents, and two different boats had to turn back due to damage to their boats. I know we are going to spend at least several days bashing to windward, which is really uncomfortable, especially with confused, sloppy seas. So that is what we are looking at, and while I know it won't be fun, I am really trying to consider it a challenge to be met and overcome, not something to be simply endured. I hope I can keep Mike from getting cranky, and hope he can get enough sleep in those conditions. But I really want to get underway - I am so excited at the thought of Crossing the Equator, and being on a new continent (South America). I feel like I am starting a new leg in this on-going adventure I embarked upon in November of 2010, when we left our marina slip in San Diego and headed for Mexico. So far this trip has taken me to six countries. I have covered I don't know how many sea miles. I have seen whales, dolphins, fish of all sorts, birds of all sorts, monkeys, sloths, agoutis, and many more animals and other wild life. We have slept in luxury hotels and jungle shacks, eaten gourmet meals and feasted on rodent as well. Now it is time for something new.
So from now on, I will pretty much be away from the internet, but I can still make these posts through the SSB radio - and by the way, I am a regular "Net Controller" on one of the cruiser's radio networks we have here. It is a lot of fun, and has given us an opportunity to track the people ahead of us who are on their way to Ecuador. We know who took a good route, and who misjudged the route. If anyone needs to contact me, use WDF5496@sailmail.com. Don't send pictures or attachments, and no forwards. We should be here in the islands for another week, and then we should be underway. That is the plan, anyway, and as is the way with sailing, always subject to change without warning.
"Love reaches its full potential when feedback is given compassionately, received with generosity, and changes are made with grace." (Virginia Gleser)
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First, some sad news though - our dog Tempest has passed away. If there is a heaven or anything like that, I expect to see Tempest running to greet me when I arrive. She was very well cared for through her dotage by a dear dear friend who probably cared for her better than we ever did. My friend told me that when she realized the time had come, she took Tempest on a car ride (which she loved), and allowed her to eat a package of powdered sugar donuts (which she was allergic to but loved even more than a car ride). She had Tempest in her arms when Tempest left us. I am heartbroken, but at the same time, I was ready for it. Mike and I have been talking a lot about her lately, especially about how she was getting pretty old (14 years old in people years) and likely did not have too much time left. We feel badly for our friend, and can never fully express our gratitude to her.
Our sail here to the island was good and bad - not really bad, except for the interminable last five miles. The whole trip is about 35 miles or so, and for most of the day we had great winds and an almost ideal sail. The only problem - not really a problem - was that it was raining for a good part of it. And there is really no place in our cockpit to stay dry, as we don't have a pilot house. The only cover is the bimini top and the solar panels, which do little or nothing to keep out anything but a light rain. So that can be sort of unpleasant, even though we have slickers and it is not particularly cold. At the end of the trip, we came across a contrary current that dropped our speed to practically nothing and not even the engine helped much. So it took hours to go the last five miles. When we got here, it had pretty much stopped. The seas were a bit rough our first night here at anchor, but since then, the anchorage has been idyllic. We made water, cleaned the boat's waterline, and just lazed around. TOday we plan to take the dinghy over to the island itself, since it seems as though they are not using it for Survivor. So we will hike around and see what is there.
The last couple of nights here have been everything you dream about when setting off to cruise - the deserted anchorage, the white sand beach, the turquoise and sapphire colors in the water, the reef fish, and the sunsets while sitting on the deck sipping a beer - we have it all right here, right now. It is rainy today, which may put a crimp in our plans to visit the island. Though we have had rain, we have had no lightning close enough to make us nervous. I sent for a new cookbook, and have been spending time just looking through it, thinking about things I might like to make. I did not have a really good, comprehensive cookbook, and I like to leaf through them for ideas about what to fix for dinner, and for sheer entertainment. Otherwise, I can never think of anything new and just make the same things over and over again.
Even though I am really looking forward to going to Ecuador, I have some trepidation. We have to go way out of our way due to contrary winds and currents, and two different boats had to turn back due to damage to their boats. I know we are going to spend at least several days bashing to windward, which is really uncomfortable, especially with confused, sloppy seas. So that is what we are looking at, and while I know it won't be fun, I am really trying to consider it a challenge to be met and overcome, not something to be simply endured. I hope I can keep Mike from getting cranky, and hope he can get enough sleep in those conditions. But I really want to get underway - I am so excited at the thought of Crossing the Equator, and being on a new continent (South America). I feel like I am starting a new leg in this on-going adventure I embarked upon in November of 2010, when we left our marina slip in San Diego and headed for Mexico. So far this trip has taken me to six countries. I have covered I don't know how many sea miles. I have seen whales, dolphins, fish of all sorts, birds of all sorts, monkeys, sloths, agoutis, and many more animals and other wild life. We have slept in luxury hotels and jungle shacks, eaten gourmet meals and feasted on rodent as well. Now it is time for something new.
So from now on, I will pretty much be away from the internet, but I can still make these posts through the SSB radio - and by the way, I am a regular "Net Controller" on one of the cruiser's radio networks we have here. It is a lot of fun, and has given us an opportunity to track the people ahead of us who are on their way to Ecuador. We know who took a good route, and who misjudged the route. If anyone needs to contact me, use WDF5496@sailmail.com. Don't send pictures or attachments, and no forwards. We should be here in the islands for another week, and then we should be underway. That is the plan, anyway, and as is the way with sailing, always subject to change without warning.
"Love reaches its full potential when feedback is given compassionately, received with generosity, and changes are made with grace." (Virginia Gleser)
----------
radio email processed by SailMail
for information see: http://www.sailmail.com
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