Wow! It has been a long time since I posted something here. I use the blogspot blog much more.
Chris & I were invited to crew with our friends on Carinthia during "summer vacation" so after we put Faith on the hard and returned to Portland for a bit of catching up with family & friends, off we flew to Papeete, Tahiti. When we arrived we were constantly pinching ourselves and saying things like, "Can you believe we're in TAHITI?". From Tahiti we sailed to Moorea, Huahini, Taha'a, Bora Bora and Suwarrow (in the Northern Cook Islands)...where we were married! Suwarrow is a lovely, uninhabited island that truly embodies Paradise. This is the island (actually an atoll) where Tom Neale spent many years and wrote about in "An Island to Oneself". The island is still uninhabited except during the non-cyclone season when a Park Ranger (John) and his wife (Veronicka) and children are there. The perfect place for a wedding on the beach at sunset! There were about 75 cruisers in attendance (25 boats) from all over the world and that international community made it all truly magical. After leaving Suwarrow, we sailed to Western Samoa (we were in Apia about 3 weeks before the tsunami hit) and then on to Vava'u. It was a lovely trip and Chris & I flew to Tongatapu and then Fiji before returning to the States. We had both dreamed of cruising in the South Pacific for years & years so this was truly a wonderful opportunity. Now we have a lot better idea about what it is like and whether we want to take Faith there in the future.
We have purchased a very nice little travel trailer for our "summer cottage". It is a 2005 27' Wildwood with a slide out and is perfect for two gypsy types.
Now we are driving south to the sun again. It is pretty chilly for a couple of sun worshipers and, besides, we are anxious to get back to San Carlos to see if there are any "ick issues" due to Hurricane Jimena. We do know that there was water inside the boat (which Marina Seca happily pumped out) but don't know if there was 1/2" or 2 ft so don't know if there was any damage that we'll have to repair. We're anxious to get back to sailing the beautiful Mexican waters on our sweet boat but in preparation for that are determined to take our time on this road trip and begin the transition back to the world of no schedules and no hurry.
Manana land here we come!

We have been having a wonderful time cruising the Gold Coast of Mexico for the last couple months. After the Baja Ha Ha, we came to La Cruz and were here until the 23rd of December. That day, with friend, Mary, aboard we left and cruised to Barra De Navidad for Christmas. We loved it there and ended up staying (for a variety of reasons) for over a month. When we finally yanked the anchor out of the mud we visited some wonderful anchorages: Tenacatita Bay, Melaque, Santiago Bay, Las Hadas and Chamela. Now we are back in La Cruz for a couple weeks before we begin the trek north to La Paz and the Sea of Cortez. We will try to get a few visits in with friends who are leaving for the South Pacific next month (we will miss them terribly) while we're here. There are so many wonderful people in the world of cruising it is mind boggling. I have fallen in love with Mexico and can't wait to see more of it. I have every expectation that the best is yet to come!

Well...I FINALLY figured out how to post another entry to this blog!! I was stymied for so long and had given it up so was using the other one (travelswithfaith.blogspot.com) all this time!
We are currently in San Francisco...Emeryville to be exact. We arrived on the 20th and have been enjoying the warm weather, getting things done on the boat and doing a bit of sight seeing while we wait for Michael & Finn to arrive from Portland. What with all the waiting we did in Astoria & Newport for the gales to pass and the stops we made in Eureka & Bodega Bay it took almost a month to get here. Ah...well...we ARE cruising, right?
Yesterday we drove into the City and did the Fisherman's Wharf, Pier 39, Ghirardelli Square thing and then went on to Sausalito for dinner with Chris' cousin & wife. The Maltese Falcon (Tom Perkins' 289' sailing yacht) had arrived on Saturday and was anchored in Richardson Bay so we got a pretty good look at it while we were there.
Today we're back to "projects". This evening we'll sit down and start planning the route to San Diego - via a few special stops. Tomorrow I am taking Chris to see the "Wave Organ". Michael & Finn are to arrive very late tomorrow night and we'll be leaving very early Thursday morning.
Here's to more warm weather...and some actual sailing!