We are still in Mazatlan, anchored at Stone Island. Every other boat uses this as a jumping off point for the trip south, but we have been here 6 days.

I have never been a collector, no coin collections, no base ball cards no collections until I realized recently that I like to collect peoples' stories.
Case in point is Eli of Benji's Pizza. We came ashore the first day to a deserted beach with numerous Palapa restaurants on the beach at goat island. No one around, we began to stroll and to our surprise a young man appeared and greeted us in English. Eli, the young man proceeded to tell us his life story... raised on an 82ft wood schooner he had sailed the world with his parents visiting the south pacific, and the Caribbean. Educated at San Diego state he started a successful business and was working 80hrs a week. Stressed out he joined his parents for a vacation in Mazatlan and was having lunch and drinks at the very Palapa restaurant Connie and I were standing in front of. He chatted to the waitress which led to a date or a job... to mariage and a family. He is still there and proceeded to show us around pointing out the improvements he had made and his future plans for more. Eli is part of the reason we have stayed so long we have had a snack, or meal or drinks ashore every day because we admire and enjoy his enthusiasm and joy of life. Instead of staying in the states and getting rich he took a chance and found hapiness in an out of the way corner on a small island. These are the stories I am collecting and sharing with you.



We leave tomorrow for an unihabited island called Isla Isabela known as the Galapagos of Mexico. 85 nautical miles we will sail overnight Monday and arrive Tuesday morning.