12/25/13—1/13/14

Still based out of San Carlos 20 miles northwest of Guaymas on the mainland. Putzing around and getting ready to pack up and return to Bellingham for the month of February to attend the wedding of Britt and Casey in Leavenworth, WA on February 16th. It will be an interesting trip home. We take an overnight busride from Guaymas to Tucson (10:30pm to 6:30am); visit my parents in Green Valley (south of Tucson) and then fly home. It easier (and much cheaper to fly from within the US).

We’ve been able to watch the Seahawks heading for the playoffs—Go! Seahawks!. We’ve had to intimidate the Broncos fans in order to get a TV at the local bar---there are lot of them down here. There is quite a fan base for the Hawks down here.

The days are getting a bit longer; still cool at night but mid to high 70s during the day. Meeting lots of new friends on the dock, in the bays and at the pubs. Many folks from Washington. At the last Hawks game, we had Bellingham, Victoria, Vancouver, Sequim, Seattle, Burien, Shoreline and Silverdale represented. Some folks are cruising, like us; some are on “the hard” doing work and some are just living in condos and homes enjoying the good weather. We keep up on what is going on and the weather on the 8am “net” on VHF each morning—comings and goings, announcements, ride available, crew needed or wanted, items for sale or desired, etc. This is not a small community of folks.

There lots of people that have hung up the day to day life for “the adventure”. Some are in their 20s and will have to return some day, a lot are in their 50s and have put together an income flow or rentals or small businesses that someone can manage for them, but most are the “slow learners” that are in their early 60s like us—who waited, saved and planned excessively before pulling the cord (and floating into paradise).
Some boat work to do this week before we leave. The rental car has to be returned leaving us traveling by bus [it’s amazing how many folks have driven down here from the States so they have transportation and the ability to “easily” bring boat stuff back and forth]. This might work for us during our return in the spring, but it won’t work for us because we will be traveling all around the “sea” this coming winter. Wendy has to finish her canvas sewing: covers for solar panels, propane tank, etc. I’ve got to pickle the watermaker (put stuff in the lines and pumps to keep cooties from growing in our absence) and button things up generally. It’s a very safe place here and everyone on the dock keeps an eye on everyone else.