Last year I broke up the trip down from Guaymas by pulling into Topolabampo to get a good nights rest. This year I decided to go straight through with a 3 day and 3 night passage. Out of those three days and nights I got about 2 hours total(20minutes on and off) of sleep. On my second night out at about 5 in the morning I hit a fishing net line (deja vu) and it was to the swimming ladder with knife in hand to severe that line. Water was freezing cold at about 63 degrees. So later on that morning I was thrilled to get online with my Iusacell Banda Ancha (3 G) and posted on Facebook my experience with the snagged line. I was sitting on the cabin top to get a good cell signal and just as I finished posting the comment I saw another long line(fishing net) going under the boat and snagged my rudder. This was daylight and there were 2 guys in a fishing panga about 100 meters from watching as I sailed over their net. They did not wave, yell or anything, just looking at me and probably laughing at me. This time I put on my bathing suit and climbed down the boarding ladder and pushed off with my foot. It released easily because there was little pressure from the boat because of light winds. I had some good sailing and a little too much motoring. Pulled into Mazatlan's Old Town anchorage at first light and could not sleep, so I took off on the bus for Singlar and Marina Mazatlan way across town. The girls at Singlar talked me into spending Christmas at their docks and the decision was a no-brainer because Club Nautico in old town wants fifty pesos to just tie up the dinghy at their dinghy dock. Some Mexican businessmen can really get greedy. This is the time of year where the only down side to my otherwise wonderful retirement rears its ugly head. I get to feel lonely and miss my sweet Gabriella soooo much. I got to talk to her this morning (Christmas day) just as she woke up and was waking up her mom and dad. She related a sweet dream she had and my Christmas is so much better now. I will leave in awhile and stroll down Hotel row and stop for Christmas dinner at the first place the strikes my fancy. Can you believe that this blog post will be a Christmas present for someone? I know that Grandma Pat will. Merry Christmas everyone...

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It looks like I will be in Mazatlan for Christmas again....I just can't get it together here in Guaymas in time to head out and be in Barra De Navidad for Christmas. I step my mast on Tuesday and then do all my final cleaning, checking all systems to make sure everything works and then pick the perfect weather window. It looks like Saturday will be nice northerlies to scoot me south to Topolabampo for a nights rest and then another overnighter to Mazatlan. I just finished the mast by putting on the Jelly-Belly decals and you should see the looks I get from some of the cruisers. I think it looks great and will probably be the last time I paint the mast. The Ciudad of Guaymas has an ICE SKATING Rink set up in the Tres Presidentes Plaza. It's really cool to see all the normally dusty regular local townfolk put on ice skates and have a ball on the ice. I wanted to take the kids from Ranchito Los Ninos(the orphanage) for a hamburger dinner, Ice skating, and rides on the carnival area, but time and money didn't allow it......Maybe next year. It is too cold here(55 at nite and 78 during the day) so I have to get south to the tropics and the fabulous Goldcoast.

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This poor guy fron Puerto Escondido left Guaymas to sail across the Sea to Punta Chivato and was about 5 miles out and the chain plate on the windward side broke at the weld...the mast split in half and they came limping back in. He had the people who were going to buy his boat aboard when it happened and they are still onboard helping him to put it all back together. They are going to put a custom built sleeve in the mast at the break and press it together then weld around that. This post is dedicated to Drew and Susan.....it's a 37 foot Brown.

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