We spent a lot more time this year trying to prep Gypsy Wind for the summer. The heat is really a killer. But this year we carefully covered 90 percent of the boat with blue sunshade material. We put the dink on the foredeck and covered it with a partial layer of sun shade material.

We left her in Eddie's capable hands. He checks on her every week along with a wash down now and then. Gonzalo is doing the bottom clean every month. And Jorge is doing some maintenance for us while we are gone.

We left on Monday, May 23rd for the states. I can't believe we have been gone for two weeks! We will return every seven weeks to check her status ourselves.

We are now traveling the great US of A in our land yacht, Jessie. We are still moving about in Arizona on our way to California. Catch up with us on Facebook.

Here's a picture of the cracked filter housing for your viewing pleasure. Word to the wise, bring spares of all things! Drag another boat behind you if needed!

It is hot here, okay this season it has been really hot and humid with most days 4-10 degrees F higher than normal. Thank you El Niño for this I guess. Our heat related casualties began to mount up to the point we just had to walk away yesterday and go to a movie. Here's a brief list. First it was the air conditioning. That is NOT a luxury here. The March pump that circulates cooling water to the a/c units was old and tired to the point the a/c unit would overheat and shut down. The hoses that circulate the cooling water were full of crap! The filter was full of crap! Are you beginning to see a pattern here? Our smaller aft a/c unit has a leak and needs to be replaced. New one on order. March pump got replaced by newer more powerful pump! Step in the right direction! Hoses got flushed with muriatic acid...crap removed! Filter cleaned! A/C back to working okay.

But then....the freezer quit working, really!?

And then the watermaker blew a hole in a filter housing and began spraying high velocity water all over the forward cabin! Double really!? But wait you say, is there anything else? Not that my muddled, overheated brain can think of....oh yea there was the large roach that ran across the floor! Where did that come from? This is not the La Quinta Hotel here!

We fixed the freezer...loose wire!

Now we wait for the delivery of a new filter housing from the states..hope it arrives soon or we will "pickle" the watermaker sooner than we wanted.

All in a cruisers life, fixing stuff in exotic places!

Just a couple days ago, Jim asked me if I have run out of sunbrella fabric and projects for the canvas guy. This was the day Luis Sanchez delivered our cockpit cushions. We were introduced to Luis by Aline and Brad on Grinn. Having a canvas guy who actually completes a project was new to me. And not having to take a second mortgage out to pay for the work was new too.

In the Marina del Rey area there were several supposed canvas guys, but none ever answered their phones. It took some heavy muscle and threats to get one of them to finish our dodger....this after months of begging. I am serious. It took a friend of a friend to threaten the guys' continued livelihood in the Marina to finish.

Here I have been so impressed by Luis and his work. Granted, it may take a few more days than promised, but days are nothing when I waited for months in the states. Plus, the price has been more than fair, saving us hundreds of dollars.

So I haven't completely run out of sunbrella, but Luis has completed all the projects I can think of. Unless I ask him to make a cover for the entire boat to keep the sun at bay for the summer months. Hummmm, just thinking of the possibilities ;-)

What a beautiful hotel and marina. The weather is a bit hotter and more humid than PV, but tranquil. We saw a creature that looked like a cross between a raccoon and a monkey. We decided it was a Coati. It was too fast for pictures!

It was too short, but a sweet visit with my Mom for my birthday. I enjoy spending time with Mom catching up with old memories and making new ones. We spent more time in hotels than we planned because we couldn't move our RV due to the trailer parked next to it blocking the only door. Time for plan B! But things always work out as they should.