We walked over to La Ramada and had several hours lazing on the nice warm sand. Don had a swim but the water's a bit too cold for me. That big rock in the background is Punta Pulpito.
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An early winter's day in the Sea...the sun is nice and warm. Later in the year the sun beats down so hard that you are always looking for shade. But now - it's glorious and walking around in a bathing suit feels so great. Here I'm standing in front of the Cruiser's Shrine where boaters throughout the years have left mementos of themselves, their boats, their crew. Standing here I can feel the spirits of everyone who has passed here, the cameraderie, the love.
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Mike and Marni from the sailboat 'Picara' came to say good morning. The water's pretty cold right now but it didn't seem to bother Marni as she swam over, with Mike rowing along in their cool wooden dinghy. They're from Vancouver Island, Canada. Maybe that's why. Don and I snorkeled yesterday in our 7ml suits that we used for diving at the Channel Islands in Southern California. Dressed that way we were able to stay in the water for an hour or more easy. Marni and Mike are also doing the Puddle Jump in March - like us they're getting ready to sail to the South Pacific, very exciting. 'Picara' is a steel boat that they've been working on for ten years, she's a beauty.
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It's really cool that we're able to be here this time of year. The sunrises and sunsets seem to be more spectacular in the winter.
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Had a fun time last night bringing in the New Year with the folks on 'Picara'.
Don went around to various coves yesterday in the dinghy and collected a bunch of driftwood. He built a huge bonfire on the beach. We enjoyed shots of tequila and shot off heaps of old flares. Some of the flares we shot off were dated back to 1989. Of the really old ones about 1 in 3 were either duds or weren't as bright and strong as they are when they're new. Feeling a little fuzzy this morning but it looks like it's gonna be another perfect day in paradise.
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This is the 7th time we've been to San Juanico - it's definitely our favorite place in the Sea of Cortez. We've had some wonderful times at this very spot, gotten to know some incredible people and have made lifelong friendships here. Right now it's just us and one other boat...it sounds lonely but it's not. Sitting next to the cruiser's shrine you can feel the good vibes of the hundreds, make that thousands of cruisers who have come here through the years and experienced this wonderful place, each leaving their own mark. It's meaningful to me to come here and say 'Hasta Luego' to 2011...a year of memorable sailing experiences, great new friends and some really happy times. There were also some sad times and a few pretty big disappointments as well. This cruising life is really not that different from our other life...it's full of ups and downs and you try your best to make the best of every day. We're thinking of all of our wonderful cruising friends in the Sea, on the mainland of Mexico and spread out across the Pacific Ocean as far as New Zealand, Fiji, Hawaii, Australia. We're also thinking of our families, both in the United States and Australia/New Zealand and all of our friends...Here's to you! Happy New Year One and All! We got up this morning to a beautiful day, bright and sunny. We walked the beach and found our spot and had a little ceremony letting go of the past, being thankful for everything we have today and looking forward to the future. Then we layed back in the beautiful sunshine and started on our tans for 2012. Tonight we're going to build a bonfire and shoot off a bunch of old flares and say goodbye to 2011.
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San Juanico is one of our favorite anchorages also. The Shrine does give you a feeling of comradarie with all the other cruisers who have passed through. A lovely place. Happy 2012. See you at Loreto Fest.
Steve and Susan
m/v Pacific
What can I say...JB Weld does it again!
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Thanks Mom, we both opened our cards this morning and want to thank you for the $20 bills. You're the best. And Thank You Mum...for the 10 travel tubes of Vegemite. You are so considerate and thoughtful. How did you know that we're down to the last tube from what you sent us last year. Thank you. So, it's a quiet Christmas for the Robbos this year. We're both fighting a cold and we're running out of Alka Seltzer Plus. Don likes to say 'It works for the American Ski Team, it can work for us'. I actually went digging for a hot water bottle last night so I could keep my feet warm in bed. It's really not that cold, maybe down to 50ish at night and up to the high 60's or low 70's in the day. And after the hot, hot summer we just lived through in the Northern Sea you won't find ME complaining about the cold just yet. It's still blowing pretty hard out there. It started as a really big HIGH, like 1040, crossing from west to east in Idaho and Colorado. It's relaxing to about 1028 now, but we show a barometer reading of 1018 down here in Puerto Escondido. That's still a whole lotta gradient between here and there and it's got to equalize somehow. And the way it does it is called WIND. Looks like several more days of blustery and windy conditions.
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