Many cruisers define cruising as doing boatwork in exotic locations. I tend to think of cruising as a balance between traveling and staying put. We were ready for a break from steady voyaging to rest and prepare the boat and us for the next major destination. We really needed time reconsider what our spring plans will be for a number of reasons. We have been researching our options based on some of the following parameters.Paramount is of course safety at sea, and at our chosen landfall. We also had to consider other factors such as entrance requirements of the host country, hurricane/cyclone seasons, locations of possible places for repairs/maintenance, parts acquisition, mail, and of course finances. Everything is a balancing act. The more possibilities creates more hard choices. We've considered 4 main possibilities.

1. Stay in Mexico, travel into the Sea of Cortez, and risk hurricane season (June-October) in Mazatlan. Then sail south the following year.
2. Travel south along the Mexican coast down into Guatemala and on to Panama, Costa Rica, and Ecuador for the next year. Then the following March on to the Galapagos, Easter Island, Pitcarin, then Polynesia.
3. Travel to Hawaii at the end of March, then back to Sitka in May ending the voyage either temporarily to restock the cruising kitty or permanently.
4. Travel to the Marquesas at the end of March, voyage westward with plans to attend the Pacific Arts Festival in American Samoa, and then spend cyclone season in New Zealand.

The final decision will ultimately be made in March. In the meanwhile we are preparing the boat to be ready to go to sea. I will be bringing the new jib back around the 1st of March along with charts for the Pacific Islands from the Marquesas across to Fiji along with charts for New Zealand. I also ordered South Pacific courtesy flags and a wind generator. We already have Hawaiian charts, and charts south to Panama. I am sure you can see where we are leaning towards......We'll keep you posted.

Staying put in Mazatlan was a great idea besides our engine project. By the way, the engine is in the boat and running beautifully. It's never sounded so good! We continue to be incredibly impressed with Total Yacht Works for their outstanding work. They bring mechanical services to a whole new Level. When Bob Buchanan and Rafael Serrano said they'd pull the engine out between 9:30 and 10:00, I figured we would have time to have coffee and hang out with some fellow cruisers. We arrived back at the boat at 9:00, and the mechanics were already there getting started! The same thing when the engine went back into the boat. When something was needed, they radioed the request, and another person brought it down to the boat so work was not interrupted. Bob promised that the work would be completed by the middle of January. They finished right on schedule. He also gave us an estimate for how much it would cost. The final bill....well, exactly what he estimated. All of the other cruisers I've talked with have had similar experiences with this organization. I can't recommend them highly enough! If you ever are in need of a new engine or have engine woes, this is definitely the place to go.

We did join in the Carnival festivities. This is the first time we've ever been to a Mardi Gras. Mazatlan is the 2nd largest in the world. We went to the parade. It was 5 miles long and lasted over two hours. The floats were beautiful! I have never seen so many people at one time. It was truly a sea of humanity for a couple miles in each direction along the parade route. We also went to the traditional Carnival bullfight that featured world famous, and considered the best rejoneador, Hermoso de Mendoza and Gaston Santos. This traditional method (only done in Mexico and Portugal) is performed almost exclusively on horseback. The horsemanship is incredible. The horses are gaited and so well trained, it made dressage look like clumsy beginners. There was another group of men called forcados. They enticed the bull to charge, and then one of them jumped up on the bull's head! Talk about fearless!!! Getting to see this event was truly a glimpse at a part of Mexico's tradition and culture dating back through to the age when the first Europeans arrived. I choose to understand, not judge our host country's culture or traditions. So if you are wondering about where I stand morally in terms of the bull, you will never know.

We moved to another marina about � mile from Marina Mazatlan. We are now staying at Marina El Cid. For about the same price, we now have access to the resort's facilities that includes pools, hot tub, sandy beach, and fast internet! So, I have a new routine that includes daily doses of swimming and periodic walks on the beach. Oh, one pool has stools at the water level so one doesn't have to leave the water to have a meal or a drink. Talk about luxury living! It's a tough life, but someone has to do it! I usually try to get boat work done before it gets hot, then cool off in the pool. Right now I'm catching up on the wood work. The sun is not to be trifled with here. I work in long white cotton pants, a white, long sleeved cotton "jacket" and hood to avoid getting sunburned....even with SP45 sun screen. I have discovered that dark colors are definitely not a good idea down here. I'm ditching all the black tees for white. It makes a huge difference!! This warm country is great as long as I don't have to do a lot of physical labor like, well, most boat work. It can get uncomfy in a hurry! But, it sure beats rain and snow!!!