Sail to Mexico.......Check!

The last leg of the trip was one of the worst. It began mildly enough in Santa Barbara until the wind started to build after rounding Pt. Conception and they had to endure the wind and waves until around midnight. The forecast called for the conditions to subside as the days went on and I guess they did, a little. "Subside" is a relative term, by the way. But, determined to "get this thing over with" they powered for two days until they came under the Gate about 4 am and into the new slip at RYC around 5 am or so. I got there about 6 am with balloons, champagne, sweets and the cheeriest face I could muster at O-dark-o'clock! Their timing really put a damper in my "Welcome Home" celebration....but I don't think it would have been much of a celebration by the looks of them....bedraggled, tired, kinda stinky and a pretty chaotic scene in the cabins evidenced a rough ride.
Now the excavation begins......we will spend the next few weeks removing everything from the boat and giving her a "stem to stern" bath inside and out. She's even got a gross "bathtub ring" from the crude oil that seeps up from the sea floor in Santa Barbara area. We spent a few hours that morning removing soft goods for transport home for endless wash/dry loads and washing the salt off the deck, dodger, hatch covers, sails and rigging and coffee spills etc out of the cockpit before the 3 hour drive to the Tahoe. ( Paul was still moving, but at least not rockin and rolling and slamming into waves !!!) It took another weekend to complete clear out the nooks and crannies and Clorox the surfaces.
So we're finally safely ensconced by the cozy fireplace in the mountains, sleeping in a king bed that doesn't move and enjoying all the foods and drinks that we whined about missing while in Mexico! (Diet starts tomorrow....) Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh.......
Relatives can relax, Ashleigh has been on emergency phone duty from our EPIRB; neighbors can relax, Mike has been on "bear watch" and feeding our clown fish; no more boxes of mail for Memory to cull through; and we can catch up with our friends again! (Sorry about not staying in touch! Messages came in late or not at all in some cases!!) Wind Spirit gets a much deserved rest and the "spa treatment" she'll be getting in the near future should do well to rebuild our Boat-Karma points with her.