We heard the scariest thing yesterday. Another boat came into our anchorage yesterday, and they had been anchored previously at Espiritu Santo. That is where we were before we came here to Pedro Gonzalez. While we were at Espiritu Santo, we became good friends with the couple on a boat called "Ohh Baby", who remained at Espiritu Santo after we left. We are planning to go back there before all here is said and done. Anyway, one of the delights at that anchorage is the fact that whales spend a lot of time there, and at times come pretty close to the boats.
But it can be a problem. Here is what we found out happened after we left. A mother whale and her baby came very close to Ohh Baby, playing around. Our friends came out to watch, and all of a sudden the mother whale's fin got tangled up somehow in the anchor chain. One of our friends injured her foot (we do not know how badly, but she appears to be recovering without medical intervention), the bow sprit on the end of the boat was bent, and the boat itself was in danger of capsize until the whale untangled itself and took off. All of us out here are a bit shaken, and it reinforced the notion that while they are awesome creatures and seeing and experiencing them is a marvel, they can be dangerous. I guess I am better off watching them from a safe distance.
Otherwise, things are nice and calm. We were able to top off our water tanks the other day when it rained hard, so the fact our water maker is out of commission has not been and likely will not be a hardship. We were able to make arrangements to have new parts shipped to Panama City, and all will soon be well. The water maker company could not have been more helpful, and agreed without even being asked to replace the problem parts at no cost to us. One cannot ask for more than that. I still love this water maker and would recommend it to anyone. I think we just got a bad pump - perhaps it is a Monday Morning part - meaning that someone came in hung over on the assembly line and things did not go well that day. Sort of like how a car can be a lemon, even though all other cars of that same make are just fine. So now we just wait, and when we get notification of arrival, we will head into Panama City and pick it up. We can re-provision at the same time, and the timing should be perfect. After that, in early October, the plan is to head for Costa Rica. Of course there is always the chance we could change our plans.
Last night we were having dinner on another friend's boat and both of us were discussing our future plans. They are alternating between going to Costa Rica or Ecuador. It struck me that we were discussing crossing international boundaries the same way I might discuss whether I was going to go to Escondido or Chula Vista. Really, thinking about sailing to another country now seems like the normal course of things.
Today we had planned to go fishing, but Mike is not feeling well, so he is taking a nap. If he perks up after his nap, we will still go. I am not broken hearted because it is really hot out, without any cooling breeze whatsoever. It would be nice to get some fish, we have eaten up the last of what we had caught previously.
This morning one of the locals, Alejandro, came by in a small canoe, selling fruit. We bought several huge avocados and a papaya. He had limes but we have plenty of those (and they are the most aromatic limes I have ever had). Then he traded us two more huge avocados for a cold can of juice. Pretty good deal if you ask me. Now I have to learn how to deal with a papaya, i.e. when to cut into it, how to store it, etc. I have eaten it plenty of times, but always in a restaurant. I used to not like papaya - it tasted a bit like vomit to me, because of the papain (an enzyme that can be used to tenderize meat) in it. But the papayas down here have less of that flavor than do the ones from Hawaii. That tasted can also be reduced by squeezing fresh lime over it. I am glad I like them because they are very good for you. And they do bulk up a fruit salad. We got a big hand of bananas the other day, some of which are now ripe, and if we put the papaya and bananas together with our mangoes, we will have a rocking fruit salad. I am looking forward to that!
I have cut down on my beer drinking - I am losing weight nicely and do not want to change that. Plus, I sleep better if I am not half drunk when I go to bed. But a cold beer at times cannot be beat.
Anyway, I think I have babbled on long enough today. Time to go for a swim.
"You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, fine your eternity in each moment." (Henry David Thoreau)
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