Empty Nest Syndrome
05 March 2016
Annette
Here it is the end of February beginning of March and we're finally sailing north toward Loreto. It has been a busy month for us, we had a wonderful visit from my parents in January, we traveled for 5 days up to the Copper Canyon (deep in the heart of El Chapo's Cartel Country) and made a quick visit aka âvisa runâ to the Bay Area. All of which was great but it sure feels good to be back on the boat sailing through this majestic wilderness once again. As we make our way out of the La Paz area of Isla Espiritu Santo, Isla San Francisco and Isla San Jose I feel my parents presence here with me, like the empty nest syndrome, because they were just here a few weeks ago. Gordon and Grete met us in La Paz, Mexico and sailed around with us for two weeks. The day after they arrived we took off out of La Paz and began our exploration of the near by islands sailing from anchorage to anchorage, choosing our distance and destination according to the wind and weather conditions and what might be of interest. It seemed that during this trip we experienced a lot of wind coming from all different directions. This meant we had great sailing days but sometimes limited our on shore activities, this didn't seem to matter much because the sun was always shining on us and happy hour always came at 5:00 or thereabout's. On âterra firmaâ simple basic tasks are done without thought our effort. On a moving sailboat these same tasks can become a real challenge. Necessities such as using the toilet, climbing in and out of the bunk, taking a shower, having hot water, replenishing the fridge and pantry and making coffee all require one's full attention. Living on a sailboat isn't for everyone but I am proud to say Gordon & Grete embraced the experience, did it well and didn't complain!! And for those of you who have been aboard Rum Doxy, I want to assure you I didn't make them pee over board or in a bucket! Everyone assumed daily responsibilities based on what their talents were and were their interests lied. Mike and I stuck to the sailing and boat handling, Mom took on KP after every meal and monitored the daily water temperature by swimming around the boat stirring up the fish. Dad became the pastry chef baking 3 stollens (A traditional German sweet bread baked at Christmas) and 4 dozen chocolate chip cookies. We also asked Dad if he would help us with a very tedious but important task, completing the last part of our Jordan Series Drogue ( a type of sea anchor used in storm conditions to slow down the boat in high winds and seas).This task was the threading of 150 fabric cones, with 6 straps each onto 350' of line. The instructions said it should take a good 3 days of work, when I did our first drogue it took me over 3 months, but Dad took this task to heart, made it his mission and completed the drogue with 2 days to spare. Our drogue has aptly been renamed âGordon Series Drogueâ, This may very well save our lives one day, or at least make our ride more comfortable, thank you Dad! Just as we were getting into our rhythm and routines the two weeks came to an end and reluctantly we headed back to La Paz. In total we only spent one afternoon in civilization walking the Malecon ( the water front) of old town La Paz and buying a few souvenirs, our priority was spending as much time exploring and being out on the water. The stunning beauty and remote wilderness we shared here with my parents in the Sea of Cortez, is a memory I will cherish for the rest of my life.
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