Five weeks have passed since we returned to Adesso and began recommissioning after hurricane season.It is now confirmed. Our son and family will fly to visit us in Puerto Vallarta! The only problem is that we are still in San Carlos – 500 miles away. Today we leave for Mazatlan, probably a 3 day journey. The weather forecast is for light southerly winds and small ocean swells. Unfortunately, the wind and seas will be on our nose, so we’ll be bashing into wind & wave using the engine. But, the pressure is on to get to the tropics.

People think that we are on permanent vacation, sipping margaritas under palm trees. (Well, that part is true). The reality of cruising is quite a bit different.

Definition of Cruising : “Doing boat maintenance and repair in exotic locations, often while perspiring heavily and with the boat bouncing.”

As an example of the reality of cruising, I’ve cut/pasted a section of our maintenance log, listing our maintenance & repair tasks since we arrived back in Mexico.

Recommission Replaced staysail halyard (3/8 hi tech) X 100ft.
Serviced all seacocks
Replaced black water seacock aft head.
Replaced Cockpit seacock drain port side, (middle of the 3)
Replaced main intake seacock, changed handle
Installed compass in Nav Station
Bottom Paint - two coats Blue Water High Copper Ablative
Cleaned prop & painted with new prop paint
Reinforced bimini
Made sun shades for cockpit of Phiefertex
Repaired/replaced multiple zippers in dodger
Made barbeque & outboard cover
Serviced Nissan Outboard - Star Marine San Carlos
Ordered new dinghy - West Marine 3.10 Hypalon
serviced knotmeter transducer
Replaced all zincs - put 3 on shaft
Launched Adesso

Drove to Phoenix to pick up new dinghy and house batteries
Replaced batteries - Trojan L16H-AC - $2000
Replaced dinghy - West Marine 3.10 Hypalon $2600
Built 1 Kayak rack prototype of PVC
Polished fuel and both tanks cleaned - Jose at San Carlos - $220

Recommissioned Watermaker. Continued blowing oversize fuse upon start of boost pump. Need to dx and fix.

But, the work is just a rapidly fading memory now, and we leave at dawn.

It’s a Wonderful Life – On Adesso!