March 9, 2014

Six months ago we left Channel Islands Harbor and set sail for Mexico. Today is the last day of our four-week voyage into the Sea of Cortez. In a little over a month we will be back in the states and this will be but a memory. We will be on land, in a car, in traffic. We will be bombarded by the news and the internet and immersed in our cell phones. We will see our family and friends and ultimately find our way back home to Martha's Vineyard. So much will be the same and everything will be different. Like with every adventure in life, one absorbs new horizons, opposing opinions and different cultures, then morphs into a fresh being, forever changed from the experience. This is clearly what has happened to us as we have finally moved from land life to Vagabundos del Mar.

Yesterday we found our way to El Cardonal on the island Partida. It is a long, deep bay with steep cliffs on either side. There is not much foilage, just tufts of grass and a few Cardon cactus and lots of sandstone and dirt. What makes this cove so beautiful is the water. It is not quite as dark as emerald green but if you could look at an emerald stone with the sun shining through it, that would be the color.

When we woke up this morning, there was only one other boat anchored in the bay. We met Jay and Barb, like most cruisers meet, on our dinghys when we are out cruising. We rafted up and sat drifitng while sharing stories of our past and dreams for the future.

Barb and Jay have owned Jupiter's Smile, a Island Packet 370, for eight years now. They bought her in Florida and took her to the Bahamas, past Cuba, to Belize, and down the coast, through the Panama Canal and up into Mexico. They are thinking that next year they will head back the way they came, and end up in the Bahamas. This was of particular interest to us because this route is on our wish list. We were anxious to glean any hints they could offer about traveling Central America. Having drifted in the bay for thirty minutes or so, Barb invited us to continue our conversation over cocktails later on their boat. We happily agreed and then each went on our way.

Jay and I took the dinghy south to the next cove, El Cardoncito. (While Jay and Barb went north and saw the illusive Blue-footed Boobies, I found out later. I am so jealous!) El Cardoncito is much narrower then Cardonal and can probably only fit one or two boats at the most. It has a small beach with a hike up the rocks. On our way out of the bay we ran into some dolphins hanging out be a nearby reef. They seemed as curious about us as we were about them. A couple came right up to the dinghy! I couldn't help but smile.

It was around 1500 or 3pm when we noticed a change in the air. I went topsides and watched as Cadenza was spinning, turning 180 degrees. The wind was now coming from the NW and the cumulous clouds were gathering. Soon the light changed as the sun was hiding behind the ever-increasing cloud bank. And then it happened. It rained! For over two hours! Now this might not seem strange to you, but in the three months we have been in the La Paz area, it has only rained one other time. And that was for minutes, not hours. It was a gentle rain, though, so we got into our dinghy, anyway, and headed over to Jupiter's Smile.

We had a lovely visit and Barb and Jay shared lots of good information about their travels. Perhaps we will run into them again, next year, on the mainland, heading south.

That's sort of how it goes with cruising. You meet up with someone, lose contact, and then run into them again in some other port. It is a good community of lasting friendships.

It is March 10th now and we are heading back to La Paz. Jay and I are quiet as we watch Isla Espiritu Santos fall into the background. We look at one another, knowing we are sharing such mixed emotions. We are really looking forward to seeing our family and friends. We are anxious to get back to our home on Martha's Vineyard. But then there is part of us that doesn't want to leave this adventurous lifestyle. Our souls are forever changed. We are Vagabundos del Mar.