The lone sailor and the goat
12 February 2016
Mike
The other day we were anchored off of the small fishing village of San Evaristo, We were sitting in the cockpit, minding our own business (or not) during happy hour when we heard a shout from a neighboring boat. The single-hander aboard, who we will call Ed, spends a lot of time in Evaristo and is friendly with the locals. He was joking with the occupants of a passing panga, expressing his desire for a goat to keep on board for company and fresh milk. We did not hear their response as they continued past but sometime later the panga returned with, strangely enough, a boatload of goats. They landed on the beach and we watched as Ed got into his dingy and motored to shore, landing next to the panga full of goats where he continued his banter with the pangueros. Suddenly the panga left the beach and raced towards Ed's boat with Ed in his dingy in hot pursuit. They pulled up next to Ed's sailboat and, with skill born of long practice, heaved a goat into the air between the two boats where it described a graceful arc before landing squarely in the sailboat's cockpit. They then sped off, weaving past our boat, their seamanship suffering as they rolled laughing on the floor of the panga. Ed arrived at his boat moments later where he peered over the gunnel before cautiously joined the goat in the cockpit, both of them looking a bit bewildered. They quickly rallied, however, and Ed, making the best of the situation and the unaccustomed company, began a long, possibly alcohol assisted, monologue with the goat, who, for it's part, seemed attentive if not genuinely interested. An hour passed and the pangueros returned, coming alongside Ed's boat to pick up the goat. Ed seemed genuinely reluctant to part with his new friend but eventually the goat was returned to the panga the same way it arrived, floating not ungracefully through the air as it joined it's fellows in the panga.
For our part, we finished our beers, waved at the pangueros as they passed and resolved to avoid irony in our conversations with the locals.
PS: Just added some photos in the "La Paz" gallery.
PPS: Hey Donny, if your'e still reading give me a shout at mikereed100@hotmail.com, we have about 40 years of catching up to do!
PPPS: Hey Susan and David, we're having too much fun in Baja so it looks like we won't make it to the mainland until next season, but we'll definitely track you down!