I'm sitting here at Marina Fonatur Mazatlan waiting for what is left of Hurricane Sandra. I just checked the status and it is down to 37 knots and won't be here until the morning. Oh yeah, 37knots is no longer a hurricane. Of course I splashed the boat in Guaymas and it went well with only a minor leak directly under the engine. Then I tested my new prop blades for my Kiwi-prop and it was really smooth. Last year I had annoying vibrations from the prop because the blades were too close to the hull and also I fiddled with the pitch adjustment on one blade and don't think I got it back to original pitch. Next thing on the agenda was waiting for Arianas wedding. My first ever Mexican wedding and it was quite an experience. Ariana and Orlando had their reception outdoors at Fonatur marina and other than 30 knot winds and huge tropical raindrops it a real smash. There were two other gringo couples there and after the weather settled it was a fun event. With the wedding past and the weather settling down enough to make my passage south I bid farewell to my friends and set off for 2 and a half day trip to Mazatlan. The wind was behind me the entire way and I jibed twice.....not on purpose. Getting into Mazatlan I noticed my batteries were not acting normal and discovered that all my cables were corroded and the batteries needed to have a good float charge. While I was putting on my sail cover I noticed cracks and new wood rot in my boom. Those two uncontrollable jibes took it's toll on my repair job I did three years ago. I see a new boom in my future. Of course the most important news was the fact that I made my first fruit smoothy on the second day out of Guaymas and I thought I had died and gone to heaven. I have a new Edge Star 64 qt. freezer on board and it is loaded with frozen pineapple, mango, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and I use vanilla flavored whey protein and drinkable yogurt. I treated Eunice and Merriam at the marina here to a smoothie and they absolutely freaked. I'm out of here on Tuesday when the seas calm down and will probably sail straight to Punta Mita (Puerto Vallarta) and stay for a couple days then get down to my lovely La Culebra (Barra de Navidad).

I don't know where to begin...this post will be about the logistics of taking boat stuff to the boat from the states and the preparations of the boat for a successful splash and cruising season. My car got smaller (95 Ford Escort vs. full size Dodge van) and so I had to try and get the same amount of stuff in a smaller car. I thought I would bottom out on all the speed bumps (topos) in Mexico. The only speed bumps I bottomed out on were in a mall in Tucson. I got a green light at the border and was very relieved after a couple of sleepless nights prior to crossing the border. I was bringing stuff for my friends new to him cataraman....4 golf cart batteries, 3 solar panels, and lexan for making new windows. After dumping my friend Joes stuff off in San Carlos I proceeded to get most of my stuff onto my boat. Oh. let me backtrack for a moment. As I was driving south Guaymas and entering Hermosillo I was flagged by a cop standing on the highway. He had a radar gun in his hand and walked up to me to show me that I was driving 87 kmh in a 60 kmh zone. He told me if I went to the police station to pay it would be $800 pesos, but if I wanted to pay him (without a receipt) it would be $400 pesos. In my 8 years of cruising Mexico, this is the first time I have paid 'mordida'. Back to the nautical stuff. Joe and myself flew from Guaymas International Aeropuerto to Loreto International Aeropuerto then caught a taxi to go into town and buy groceries then down to Puerto Escondido to pick up the boat. After fueling and figuring out how to operate all systems on the boat, we took off for Guaymas. The engine heated up and stalled a little past Isla Coronado. After letting it coll dow for about an hour we got it started and left the hatch off for better cooling. All night and into the late afternoon found us a couple miles from the entrance to Guaymas bay and the engine quit again. There was no getting it started. We called Noe at the marina and he found a cruiser willing to come out with extra gas. Gary, the cruiser who helped us began using his little dinghy and 8 horsepower outboard to tow us in. It was going real slow and we came across a panga to tow us the rest of the way. Then at 10 pm that night I had to drive Joe back to his RV in San Carlos. That was a grueling day and night. I should be splashing this Friday and hope there will be NO leaks. I will try to post a few related pics in the gallery.

I left Punta Mita and went around the corner (20 miles) to Chacala for a few days. I had some wonderful food at ChacMool on the beach and I also went in to Las Varas for a visit. ChacMool had this absolutely delicious Mahi-Mahi in a mango sauce and even the rice was the full fluffy flavorful type. Found a good weather window to run an overnighter to Mazatlan. I was only going to spend one night at the marina but, it turned into three nights because of weather and a little laziness on my part. Went out to the islands for a rough night of wind and waves and then took off to cross the Sea of Cortez for Muertos in company of Island Time...a trawler. Thr first part of the crossing was a little lumpy with left over wave action from too much wind the day before. As the night went on it got smoother and the full day of motoring was excellent. Left Muertos the next morning and motor-sailed up and around the corner (about 40 miles) to La Paz. Anchored in my usual spot by the virtual marina and let out a sigh of relief. Getting closer to an end of this season and my sweet Gabriella and myself are getting pretty excited.
The sobriety thing.....this season I actually had a smart (dumb) phone and got to text and talk with Gabriella quite often. Karen (my wonderful daughter-in-law) sends occasional pics and updates on Gabriella and so does Grandma Pat. Watching her grow from afar for six months a year is a real mix in emotions. When I thank God daily for my sobriety I reflect on my relationships with Gabriella, Karen, and my son. The fact that I get to spend the second half of my life with these great feelings of love and pride for Gabriella and family is a gift from God. Without sobriety, none of this could be achieved. I think that God gave me a near perfect granddaughter as a reward for that sobriety. If you have never been a falling down drunk or were completely powerless over alcohol it must be hard for you to comprehend the gratitude I feel for being sober day in and day out. Sobriety has given me growth, peacefulness, love, a granddaughter I can't possibly love more, and this wonderful retirement of cruising the west coast of Mexico. Gabriella, I'm on my way home. God is Great! The post pic is a delicious breakfast on a hotel rooftop looking out at Mannasea. Pt. Mita