The Last Leg!

April 7th 2010

Hi everyone! I am home as I write this and arrived back in the USA April first. Boy am I glad to be here. I missed nearly everything...especially the water, food, family & friends and of course the toilet and bathtub. Here is what happened and what's happening:

After Amy and Tom departed in Mazanillo my daughter and her boyfriend came aboard and sailed to Puerto Vallarta with us. We had a great trip as we anchored a few nights in Bahia Navidad, Chameyla, Tenacatita and Yelapa. It was amazing how cold it got once we left Zihuatanijho....I think latitude matters when it comes to really being comfortable at sea and at night. Be that as it may, we had a fabulous journey north, the seas a bit rocky, a little bashing, but the fishing was great and all the villages had undiscovered surprises such as the French Baker arriving at our boat early am in Tenacatita. We did not do much snorkeling as I was recovering (again) from a cough and the flu. (I was sick five times on this trip). Ali, Daniel and I flew home from PV as soon as the boat hit the dock and we left Steve in the good hands of our buddy boat friends on Rocinante. It was great to see Larry, Andrew and Vicki. As I write, Steve and Amy are probably at Isla Isabela (please excuse all spelling errors of destinations as I no longer have my guide books for quick reference) and heading towards Mazatlan. Amy joined Steve at PV (thank you Amy...she is the best crew-mate ever)and they plan on reaching Mazatlan on Friday the 9th whereby Darin (my brother-n-law) will join Steve and the two of them will head further north to who knows where. Just kidding. The plan is to put Lady J 'on the hard' in Guyamus (north in the Sea of Cortez) for the summer. Steve wants to paint the hull and do some repairs and perhaps sail away again next winter. Today, I'm not crazy about sailing again in Mexico but maybe this will change in time. Overall the experience was extraordinary and I am soooooo grateful to have had this opportunity with Steve. Steve is amazing and really knows his stuff when it comes to the sea and sailing. I was never frightened (okay...the first leg was horrifying)and always had confidence in his judgement and ability. We have a few words of thanks to special people.
First, thank you Maria and Brandon for watching the homestead and Sassy.....we were always at peace knowing you two were keeping the home fires burning...and the hot tub humming (even though it blew up). Tom and Lois, you guys really made our departure special and my nerves were so calm due to Tom's sage advice and Lois's constant words of encouragement and positive on-going communication. Also, Rob and Bob...you guys rock! Steve always talked about how lucky he is to have you both together and in his life. He was and still is comforted by all the difficult decisions you had to make and grateful that you kept him in the loop during our journey. Also, Paul, you are a great brother and friend to Steve and without you the first run from Seattle to San Diego may not have happened. Nam, your spirit was with us along the way and thank you (and Zung) for the support and great food. Nam, where are you and why are you not with Steve now? I have to mention Amy once more because she was an ongoing crew member and chief organizer in our 'other life' as we sailed in Mexico. She coordinated everything and anything that needed to be done for us and I LOVE YOU, AND Tom is kinda cute too (breaks things a lot however, just kidding Tom) Blake and Ruth, you were spoken of often and Steve truly owes his nautical knowledge and inspiration (and DNA)to you. A big thanks to John and Katsy for helping out with a family crisis, I respect your commitment to family and thank you. Tim, you were our biggest fan and thanks for following with interest. Maryjo and Bill, BIGGEST THANK YOU EVER for all the goods you brought into Mexico for us: the oar,candy,peanut butter, clothes pins, and the list goes on and on and on...If it were not for Bill Troncones may have never happened, what an awful thought. (hey Bill, I have your shorts). France and Deren, what can I say, you not only sailed with us (and our stuff) but received endless phone calls at all hours some good, some whiny and I love you most. Alexandra May Williams, you and Daniel brightened our journey in so many ways and thank you for coordinating our trip to, from, and during, the final leg.
Lisa, you are the best friend ever and I will cherish your support in my heart for life(and thereafter). Shirley and Wad...okay I'm needy, and you both need religion!
Thanks you Providence and Valley General Hospital for keeping me on the payroll as I sailed into the unknown, I have always felt appreciated and valued at work. For those of you who I did not mention I am sorry.....but my heart will continue to overflow into all of your lives and Steve, my greatest love in life, thank you for giving me this opportunity and putting up with my stuff, I have learned so much from you and look forward to our next chapter together. Please stayed tuned everyone as Steve will post one more entry on this blog when he returns in May as it clearly is his turn!!!!!
Thank you all fellow cruisers: Rocinante, Jambo, Andres of Puerto Las Hadas, Vickey @ Vito Latrota, Bob & Margie on No Name, Susy from Chicago, Sea Bear, Paul Out of Poverty, Jarana, and my 'Lavender Angel' Trish Turner, and all the others who I'll never ever forget!

Leaving Zihuatanejho

March 14, 2010
Ok, here’s the deal: We just had to replace the starter to the boat (we are unsure as to why it blew up…lots of smoke)and Steve had a great time interacting with the locals to achieve this mechanical event. Currently, Steve is in a tizzy because he can’t find the valve tool extractor for the dingy. Yep, you guessed it, another leak in Amy. This time the floor board broke too. It is very mysterious as to how the damage continues to happen, but it certainly is a reoccurring theme that sucks a lot of energy from Steve (me too, as I have to live with him). He already has tore the entire boat apart three times and this means that everything is tossed around, sticky, dirty, unorganized and need I say, he is grumpy . I have tried to tell him that it will appear when he no longer is looking for it but ohhhhhhhhhhhh noooooooooo, he has a much greater time being totally consumed by its disappearance. Thus, the past nearly 24 hours have been miserable. Thank goodness Amy is on board because we just laugh, make jokes and try to guide him. His power is diminished considerable with two women underfoot. Amy arrived on Tuesday (the 9th) and her friend Tom will arrive this afternoon. The plan is to head north to Manzanillo on Tuesday the 16th. Our goal is first and foremost to have fun. We plan on stopping at a couple of good surfing beaches as Tom is a surfer. We will drop anchor, toddle around while the kids are shark bait, and then continue cruising once they are exhausted (if they survive). I must express how many comments and concerns I’ve received over various forms of communication regarding the Cocodrilos…its true folks, they are around but appear not to like humans as food…thank fully. We are still swimming daily probably a mile or more in open water. We love it! We plan on anchoring 14 hours after departure in a lovely bay called Caleta de Campos. This is one of our favorite villages and the one that Maryjo and Bill share great stories about cheap five star housing, crazy locals, tortillarias and great ice cream. Our next idea is to check out Maruata which is about 40 miles north of Caleta. This is the bay that gave me the creeps (unwarranted per Steve) coming down and we never explored the village so we look forward to doing this with Amy and Tom. Maruata is probably one of the most beautiful bays I’ve seen although I’ve declared this about many, many bays on this journey. Amy and Tom leave the boat on the 23rd in Manzanillo and Ali and Daniel (my daughter and her boyfriend) will board the same day. We are on our way home, see you April first! Favorite saying: “Dorkwadd”

Cocodrilo!!!!!

TSUNAMI

We survived, and thank you everyone for your phone calls and concern. We took the dingy into the beach the day of, and were notified by our 'beach friends' that in 30 minutes the tsunami was suposed to hit. I was a bit concerned and did not take my eyes off the water till 'the big one' had passed. A 3 to 4 foot wave came up to the shore and covered a rather large area, probably 25feet higher than normal. Our dingy was moved by the wave (and we thought we had it tied way high). So, needless to say, we did see abnormal conditions but they were definately non threatning.
Far more exciting was the visit from the cocodrilo last night....unbelievable! Right to our boat she came when I called. I hope the photo will upload...it is like dial-up down here! Love to all!

Cinnamon Rolls ala Z-wa

Part of the Story

February 24, 2010
Cocodrilios: Off the beach we anchor near is a salt water crocodile. I have seen her (female because she is only about 12’ long, the smaller of the species) in the lagoon only once but she is a sight I will never forget. Grey, with scales on her back, and the interesting thing about her is that she never moved once in the two hours I observed. Apparently, she lives in the lagoon and at night she is let out to feed in the ocean. They say she is not really contained by the fence that shields her from the tourists that walk by, I believe them. Appearances are comforting, yet deceiving in this instance. Cocodrilios feed at night, and lounge, much like we do during the day in the sun. Never the less, I do think of her as I swim ashore daily and resist the thoughts and fear that linger in my mind. There are many creatures in the water here, many of them I have not seen. Other than the dolphins, whales and small fish we see play daily; we have spotted some beautiful schools of spotted manta ray. They are a smaller species (about 2-3 feet) and are quite striking. Deren has seen them jump out of the water, a stunt I had not witnessed till today (oh by the way it is February 24, 2010). It’s fun to snorkel and identify the stingrays that hide under the sand. I feel like I’m playing I spy as I seek to spot these camouflaged fish with long stingers. Crabs are everywhere and love to cling onto your boat permanently. Recently we have heard concerns and instances whereby these buggers crawl into your ears. That is why it is best to have a professional clean your boat or at the very least wear protective clothing. We regret not having a visual guide to identify all the various fish we continual see both in and out of the water.
Dingy problems: Amy, her official name, has the knack of getting punctures; thankfully Steve is persistent and ornery enough to never give up trying to patch the continual new found holes…very, very teeny holes. We are not sure if it is our grocery bags or the clasps on the life jacket that continue to puncture her or perhaps we are being vandalized…I doubt the later and I only mention it because there are times our gasoline seems to disappear rather quickly. Almost daily we bring the dingy to a designated spot whereby Jesus, our dingy guardian, is supposed to watch her diligently. I think Jesus is far more interested in helping us land and depart and receiving our pesos than standing watch over the fleet of dingys that flood the shore, and of course he speaks absolutely no English so it is difficult to communicate any concerns or problems we may have. This particular spot is located next to the fishing market where the local fisherman (literally fifty, or so) anchor their pangas and bring in their daily catch. This is an excellent place to get fresh seafood or just view the comings and goings of the locals working. Anyhow, patch number five on Amy will be tested today on our one mile run to Jesus’ Landing. Oh by the way, Steve just brought home one of those mats that you lay under your office chair to insure mobility, yes the type that has razor sharp grasping teeth on the bottom, a sure way to pierce the floor a hundred and fifty times on one run. He agreed a might have a point so it is now folded in half…..he is such a genius, I’ll keep you posted on her status.
The Head: Otherwise known as the throne or the shitter (Steve told me to write this) or internationally known as the bathroom, is also a source of contention, probably not so much with Steve but certainly with me. The daily amount of pumping to get her flushed (which is done with salt water)is estimated to be 100 strokes…at least! She too is known to have issues. Sometimes she needs to be primed because we pump out too much water, sometimes we need to clean the outflow on the outside of the hull as it accumulates growth from the warm water creatures (like crabs), and other times she decides to leak through the pipes onto the floor and the smell is not pretty, attracting little nats and mosquitoes that linger and bite. Thankfully we have Tang which cleans nicely and salt water aplenty to scrub the fiberglass wall and floor. We have two heads on the boat. There, don’t you feel sorry for us now?
Bugs: I have been pleasantly surprised of the absence of these critters. I had visions of cockroach wars and have yet to see a one. Probably because we are at anchor verses tied up at a marina. The no see-ums arrive at sunset and sunrise for only about an hour; I never see them but manage to get a bite or two a week. I do light incense and smelly candles and avoid turning on lights (also to preserve power) which seem to be a deterrent. We see very few traditional looking mosquitoes but do get bites on our legs if we are inshore at dinner (they live under tables etc.). Ants are our biggest problem on the boat right now and really it is a small problem as we are on top of it. Along the sink and perhaps anywhere we have fresh water, the smallest of ants, and I mean barely visible, appear. We have traps out and we see fewer and fewer each day. One of the places we stayed at in Troncones had hundreds of these buggers under the sheets of my bed, needless to say, I did not sleep well.
Weather: It is always warm, a typical day has temperatures near 90° and winds 15 to 20 miles an hour. The tides are very slight compared to the northwest therefore we don’t pay much attention to them. We have very few perfectly clear days which is nice as the cloud coverage gives a bit of a reprieve from the hot afternoon heat. Rain is very infrequent but when it comes it comes in inches. We have a neighbor who collects his drinking water from the sky. He lets his dingy fill up with water and then filters it out. He tells us that he has had it checked and it is purer than our purified water. We may try this during the next rain as we are now paying for our water where ever we go. Even the marina meters our consumption in Ixtapa. While anchored in the bay, Hilda and Ishmael deliver water by panga, 10 five gallon containers at a time, purified water. This goes into the tanks, and our drinking water is hauled aboard via muscle once a week or so. Typically we have ten big jugs on the boat at all times, up to 30 when cruising. Anyhow, the weather is always of interest to us as the swells and ocean storms impact our comfort level. Actually, I think we have both adapted nicely to the rolling and we don’t seem to complain but certainly mention it frequently as a topic of conversation. We rarely check the marine forecasts due to our permanent residence here (almost 2 months before we leave on March 14th) and over time we have learned that where there is one prediction, another completely opposite, also exists. For example, this past Thursday one guy predicted the worst system he has ever seen bringing all kinds of rain and swells to the area. No rain, no swell and the best sleep ever on that particular Thursday.
I guess that is enough for now. Internet is still a royal pain as we do not have it available on the boat, and frankly I have reached the point of letting it go, and sometimes even forgetting it exists. Life is simple and we love it. No, we are not bored. Sometimes we get a bit antsy to move on but then a neighbor drops by, a fish jumps, a new book arrives, something breaks, cushions need cleaning, a good musician shows up, or a storm, and another month has passed. I cook and bake often and reflect daily on the wonderful friends and support I have. It is nice when we call our family and friends and get caught up, and if you have a Verizon cell phone you can call us for free…so do! I wonder if I’ll ever return to my occupation as a counselor and then realize I am still on-call at two hospitals and greatly miss my co-workers and patients. We are both anxious to get home and begin wedding plans; I have stayed up a few nights creating landscape designs and problem solving the unsolvable. Someone once told me that all thoughts and decisions made at night don’t count and should be thrown out….my latest coping skill. xo

Jamin

The Big One!

Laundry Z-Style

Roof Repair Man

Rita & Amy

No Shoes,No Shirt, No Problem

February 7, 2010
Yes, we are still in Zihuatanejo and loving it! Here is the latest: Francie and Deren arrived on the 27th of January and left on the 5th of February. We miss them already as lots of fun was to be had with this feisty, playful couple. Our visit with them began with a sail to Isla Grande where we anchored, swam, walked, ate and drank ourselves into a healthy blissfulness. I must say that health has been a number one priority on this trip and it was great to have Francie as a swimming partner nearly every day. I have met few people who enjoy the water as much as Steve and I. Deren actually ‘snorkeled up’ and cleaned our boat hull. Steve’s ear issues are slowly improving so Deren’s efforts were greatly appreciated as weird, ugly things grow profusely on the hull in this very warm water (85°). Next, Francie and Deren encouraged us to take a bus ride to Playa de Potosi which was a gas. This is my favorite beach so far as the water has some mineral in it that looks like gold. It is about an hour long ride that involves a simple transfer, fast cruising, prime cultural viewing and intense perspiring. After being dropped off by the bus in an unknown region we were offered a ride in the back of a pickup truck several miles to the beach where we ate ice cream, guacamole, salsa & chips, fish, etc for hours. The swimming was great and the many discoveries and people we met just trying to get a bus back to Z-town was consistent with our theme of FUN, FUN, FUN. Noteworthy is our daily consumption of guacamole and chips. Steve is getting a bit sick of this menu item but not me……exclude the tomatoes and I know I have experienced many days thus far where it’s all we have eaten and I believe is the perfect meal. Thankfully Frannie and Deren felt the same. Our next activity was to rent a car ($50.00 a day which includes insurance) and head for Troncones which is an hour drive north. Maryjo and Bill introduced us to a great villa there called Manzanillo Bay Inn and for $100.00 a night we had a great bungalow, pool, private surfing beach, restaurant, and comfortable housing for three days. The only bummer was the rain. Yes rain and lightening invaded us and we had to have fun anyhow. We still managed to boogie board and laugh our way through three days of intense moisture. Deren and Steve actually had to drive back to the boat which we left at Ixtapa marina to dry it out as again, we left the hatches open. Francie and I played cribbage and read most of the day and okay…..she won and I lost 3-2. A few places that I highly recommend if anyone is planning a trip to this area, both in Troncones: www.manzanillobay.com my favorite. Also, a few miles down we stayed in another villa called Majahua palms www.majahuapalms.com this is also nice but you have to walk a ways down the beach to swim and the units not quite as clean. Mike Graves is the owner of the second spot and he and his wife are very friendly Americans who aim to please all guests. Next, after leaving Troncones and boarding the Lady J we went sailing and France caught a fish, a beautiful 18-inch blue fin tuna…a major treat for all of us as we scarfed it up immediately. Sailing and fishing is like being in heaven for those of you who have never tried it I highly recommend the experience so please COME VISIT US! So much more has occurred and at the expense of boring you I’ll stop here. We are now without company and have enjoyed the sail fest activities and actually plan on watching the Super bowl at Banditos restaurant this afternoon. Amy and Tom plan on joining us around the first of March and perhaps we’ll cruise up to Manzanillo with them and pick up Ali and Daniel on the 23rd and home on the first of April from Puerto Vallarta. Steve is idly searching for a crew mate to bring the boat to Mazatlan or north into the Sea of Cortez, so anyone out there interested should contact him. Time is flying and the good news is that Steve and I still love each other.

Swinging in Z-town

A Day In Zihuatanejo

Saturday, January 23, 2010
Ola Amigos! We are still in Zihuatanejo and enjoying ourselves immensely. Our daily routine is something like this: Wake up around 7:00ish, have a strong Mexican cup of coffee perhaps with a dash of sweetened condensed (half and half is virtually nonexistent here and refrigerating dairy products is an ongoing challenge), then begin some serious lounging which ivolves reading, journaling, cleaning, maybe a morning swim, making a light breakfast and continual chatting about the sea and our nautical lifestyle. Typically we are ready to disembark around 12:00ish always assessing the overall current, wind & water conditions before doing so. When you have a single line (the anchor) holding on to all your possessions it is important to be cognizant and comfortable to leave. Daily, we swim from the boat to the beach known as Playa de Ropa. I stuff my sunglasses in my swimsuit and Steve puts sunscreen, money and his shades into a zip lock bag and into a zipper pocket. Commuting to the beach is blast, probably a ¼ mile swim, fairly easy going ashore but usually the wind and swell has increases by the time we swim back and it is clearly a workout not for the timid swimmer. We also add a 2 mile walk at least and by the time we return to the boat we feel pretty darn buff and yes, sun kissed! We are exploring every day. Steve generally likes to walk into hardware-like stores and look at various boy things and I force him to eat popsicles, and look at many, many hotels, shops and restaurants. Our favorite line is, “I wish Maria and Brandon were getting married here.” We are constantly being shown all of our new found beach friend’s villas as they are all eager to share and show their great deals. Yesterday we actually met some great folks staying in a trailer park…not for me, but they pay $100.00 a week for an ‘almost new’ trailer on the beach. My favorite place to date is a new hotel named Hotel Don Francisco on the south end of Playa Ropa. I may have Steve talked into getting a room for a week when the time is right….first class, check out the website: www.hotelcasadonfrancisco.com. I have become rather obsessed with food and lodging, I think I need a break from the boat (and Steve). Quarters are tight but truthfully we are doing quite well and have adopted a playful and nurturing child spirit in order to cope with these conditions. I still miss a bathtub and a toilet that simply flushes. Water is an issue and of course battery power. We can actually have water, ice, beer, fuel, propane, and laundry delivered to the boat, rather cheaply I might add. However every two weeks or so the boat requires a deep cleaning and pulling into a marina for a night makes a few of the above chores much easier. Life is never boring and recently a few interesting events have occurred: We were lounging into the early afternoon on Tuesday and Steve was getting a bit antsy to do something (antsy behavior: polishing winches, washing dirty rags, drying dishes, weird utterances and annoyingly under foot) when our nearby boaters started hollering “mayday, mayday, we need your dingy.” Steve, of course jumps into Amy (the name of our dingy) and goes to the rescue. Clueless, I observe the following: One of our fellow cruisers had beached himself on a rocky point…he had actually run aground for whatever reason we are still unsure (I believe he was engaged in sexual activity for reasons I will not disclose here, and also because it seems to be the only answer to the avoidable situation….please keep in mind I try to remain nonjudgmental as I know so very little about sailing). Anyhow, off Steve goes with another skipper into the depths of the bay with several other rescue boats. From a distance I could see the boat smashing against the rocks and my fearless husband right up next to it. The boat was pulled successfully off the rocks with some rudder damage, a few leaks and the skippers wounded pride. The whole ordeal lasted about an hour and Steve returns with an exciting story that involved his life being put at risk as well as others. In a classic situation such as this, the rescuers are known to be in greater danger than the one being rescued. That same day we swam ashore and were palapa-ing with some friends when a parasail ran into a palm tree! Please, please, please tell your children not to participate in this activity, it is stupid and the rules and standards of the trade are nonexistent in Mexico. We are unsure as to the extent of the injuries to this woman but it didn’t look good. This was the most exciting day on the beach yet. As a ordinary day continues, if we don’t go out to dinner, we make it back to the boat by sunset and I light candles and make us a fabulous dinner and hand squeezed margaritas. We have been keeping score of our cribbage games since pre-Christmas, per Ali’s suggestion and 14 to 9 Steve leading is the tally. I was waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay ahead till we started keeping score. Cruisers bedtime is around 9:00pm unless I talk Steve into using battery power to watch a movie (thanks Mark).
Today we will find an internet café so I can post this blog. This involves a fabulous 20 minute dingy ride to Playa Principal where Jesus greets us and for 10 pesos guides us in and watches our dingy. We then have a pleasant stroll amongst the vendors and along the cobblestone of Zihuatanejo unsure as to what internet café we’ll come upon and the quality of computer available. We hope to have an early dinner with MaryJo and Bill who will arrive with great stories of their visit to Caleta de Compos. Tomorrow we will lounge and Monday we are off to Marina Ixtapa for a deep cleaning. My sister Francie and her husband Deren will arrive on Wednesday and will be with us for nine days. We love having visitors. I have a dozen events planned including a trip to the copper factory at Santa Clara del Cobre, dinner at El Rincon Marino and another Italian favorite. Francie and I will swim ashore and have a first class breakfast at The Tides, shop for jumbo shrimp at the market, a cruise to Bara de Petosis, and all the other regular activities such as shopping for silk hammocks, snorkeling, palapa-ing and fine dining on the boat. When are you all coming to visit???????? xo

Anchor Storm

The Crew

Z-Town

Hi all, this will be short as using the computer here is very time consuming and not fun. We have been in Z-town for about a week now. The anchorage is marvelous and the weather, swimming, shopping, and daily adventures seem endless. My sister Maryjo and her friend Bill have been with us for the past week....our very first visitors and we had a blast co existing on the boat together. Lot´s of fresh fruit, fish and yesterday we bought a huge boquet of basil and made pesto. My sister Francie and her husband will visit us on the 27th and I´m getting tired of the blog thing...sorry all but I do love you and think of you often, especially those of you at work! I have almost forgotten how to use the phone, my hair is very grey, Steve is finally relaxing and reading books like crazy. Our spanish is improving, Maria is stressed about the wedding and I really miss my horse. Second anchor storm occured last night, it lasted only 10 minutes but we were incrediably responsive and ready to pull anchor if needed. Needs: Blue rubber bands, solar panels would be a plus, and a toilet that flushes with just one push. I still have moisture in the salt shaker and sand in my ears...please send prayers. xxxoooo

Rod Stewart & The Grey Hair Lady

Careyes

HAPPY NEW YEAR

HAPPY NEW YEAR

December 29, 2009
TENACATITA
It is hot here. We have been to so many amazing places I’m not sure where to begin. Okay, I’ll rattle them off: Boca de Tomatlan, Punta Ipala, Chamela, Careyes, and presently we are in Tenacatita. Officially we are now in the tropics and not only do we see it but feel it in every square inch of our bones….so lovely. The water, foliage and sea life continue to astound us. We are just above latitude 19 and will hustle our buns, Mexican style of course, to Zihuatanejo and meet up with our new one week crew: Maryjo and Bill (my sister and here sweetie). We are trying to swim, snorkel and walk everyday and even that can be a challenge at times due to weather and local conditions. Walking…in small villages flip flops won’t work, in fact they don’t work overall because Mexico does not blacktop their roads. The creative bed rock is unbelievable workmanship and one must always watch their step. We have known fellow cruisers with sprain ankles…number one injury. We walk a lot out of necessity, getting food, boat parts, touring etc. Also, getting to shore has to be assessed, if we can get to shore easily and if the beach is walk able, sometimes they extend for miles but have a really steep grade and you just kind of get gobbled up walking a very short distance. Swimming is our number one choice of exercise. Often times the seas are high and the cloudy water is not conducive to snorkeling. I know you feel sorry for us and these obstacles so here are a few more details: Steve broke the ore to the dingy and we have had a few mechanical problems in which Steve has promptly taken care of…the old fashion way I might add. We blew a cooling hose and water was being pumped into the boat. We had 30 gallons of water in the engine compartment before Steve noticed and we had to jerry rig it back together. The problem is temporarily fixed and he plans on finishing the job when we can find a mechanical part store. We now have more battery capacity so we can run the freezer longer without having to constantly start the motor. Steve is my hero AND he still verbalizes undying love for me. I get a bit cranky at times and sick of talking boat talk. I am looking forward to our visit with my sister so we can engage in girl talk and share this fabulous journey with loved ones. Christmas day was glorious; we were in Chamela and had an amazing traditional feast with our buddy boat friends. I made a pumpkin pie, (I actually had a real sugar pumpkin) and mash potatoes and Vicky roasted a turkey on Rocinante. We ate sooooo much, had a jam session and went for an evening swim.
I am participating more and more in the sailing activities. Steve actually let me put the sails up and run the show for a day…okay a few hours and I am enjoying myself. Steve is turning into a drummer and he is often having his first beer at 11:00. We almost flipped the dingy today on the breakers going into the beach. Steve was thrown out of the boat and my weight saved the day! The motor was running I pulled the red kill switch, raised motor and surfed on in while Steve was drowning. Just kidding it was quite shallow. I am his hero…..the dingy prop suffered no damage. I hope you all had a merry Christmas, Steve sends his best wishes to all that give a damn. A few more words about where we have been: Puerto Vallarta has a horrid marina but the culture is splendid. Tomatlan is a very special place that you should all visit by bus if you go to PV. My brother Mick showed it to us and we loved our anchorage there even though we woke up dragging it and could have been a disaster. We did not stop in Yelapa (thought of you Anita) because I had a cold and felt crappie. And rounding Cabo Corrientes is the most beautiful part of Mexico I’ve seen yet (well maybe…). Those of you that have five star tastes really need to visit Careyes and please note that you need to speak three languages to buy a villa there and rooms are $1000.00 per night. It is a picturesque hillside from the sea and ohhhhh how I wish I could vacation there someday. Mom would love it. Tenacatita provided us with a tropical jungle dingy trip up the Rio Iguana that is a host to crocks and other various unknown creatures. The excursion takes you to a beautiful sandy beach where you can swim, eat, buy groceries and dingy home…..great spot to camp, bring the kids, or just sail down and throw out your anchor and stay a year….lots of people do this!
As I send this I must wish you all HAPPY NEW YEAR as we have sailed under moonlight to the lovely Manzanillo Bay. It is hot here. Very magical and European style villas built into the cliffs and the anchorage is protected and boy do they know how to celebrate Ney Years. The light show was incredible from the boat and the music blared until 4:00am (we are getting used to this as the Mexicans love to play tunes into the wee hours). Thanks for reading folks, I could go on and on and on, but time to go enjoy the pool and our friend Andres is showing us a new restaurant for a early dinner. Adios and love to all.

MAN OVERBOARD