Well, it's been a while since I've checked in to say hello. Last time, I asked about going through the Panama Canal. Thanks for all the replies to that.
We spent last winter in Bahia San Carlos after being stuck on the hard for two months -- supposed to be a week to ten days -- due to the destruction in the town from Hurricane Jimena. Once we set our anchor in the bay, we kept thinking, okay, we ought to leave. There are other places to visit yet. But it was so beautiful. We made new friends, worked on the boat, watched the dolphins, lit our Newport diesel heater a few times -- and let me tell you, after spending the summer needing either to be in the water or with the air conditioning on (after Michael got ill from the heat on his birthday in July), we thought a bit of cool very refreshing! So, we looked at each other and said, "Leave? Why?" and figured that our schedule was our own.
We brought my 82-year-old mother back after tax time in the States and sailed across the Sea on Easter Sunday. What a glorious day! We couldn't have asked for a better crossing for her. She remained with us for six weeks as we entered places she'd never visited, returned to other anchorages that she remembered, and finally made it to La Paz.
The thing we really like about La Paz is the wind/current combination that keeps you cool without making you rock all over the place. I know, a lot of folk complain about it. But where else in the Sea of Cortez during the summer can you experience hot days and under-the-blanket cool nights? We have a big anchor, lots of chain, and we regularly either move and re-anchor or back down on the anchor again. We also set the drag alarm. It's close enough to cruise to the islands to snorkel, to sail around the Bahia, to go fishing (if, unlike me, you can catch the things).
We still may go through the Canal -- if the oil spill doesn't preclude this next year. Or we may follow Trim50 across the Pacific. The one thing holding us back from doing that is the dementia that is creeping up on my mother. We couldn't go this spring as daughter is getting married in October. There's always something to change one's plan, but that's okay. What is a plan anyway when you're cruising?
By the way, we've been visiting doctors here. The cardiologist who gave Michael a very positive report also handed him us a very pleasant surprise: an hour of his time, an EKG, and $47 later we were out of there. The oncologist I saw last year and this hasn't raised his fee. For an hour with him, an ultrasound, his review of my mammograms and a translation into English, I paid another whopping $47.
I hope things don't change down here. They may. The whole world is on a slippery slope. Still, the sky is blue, the water clear, the breeze cooling, we're healthy, and God is good.
Blessings to all of you,
Normandie and Michael
s/v Sea Venture
presently anchored off La Paz, MX
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