Gettin' Ready...

for Loreto Fest! We are back in beautiful Puerto Escondido and the troops are amassing for the annual Loreto Fest that takes place this weekend. The event begins Thursday and runs through Sunday. There are so many events that we will be busy from early morning until late at night. The list of events includes potlucks, a chili cookoff, tournaments in all manner of cruiser games (Baja Rummy & Minnesota Canasta, Mexican Train Dominoes, Horseshoe Pitching, Bocce Ball, etc), a silent auction, a "Spam Art" contest, lots of music provided by the cruisers and all sorts of other events. With over 200 boats that will have gathered here for this festival the dinghy dock (parking lot) will be a real challenge.

Julie arrived last Tuesday and after two days of last minute errands we headed out of Mazatlan Thursday morning as soon as the fog lifted. We were going straight to Isla San Francisco so were looking at about a 50 hour passage and the grib files showed beautiful weather out of the SW. For once the weather prediction was dead on and we had a beautiful motor sail across the Sea and averaged 6-1/2 knots. As we approached Isla San Francisco - at 4am (that would be the exact time when I began my watch) - a Coromel came up so we had winds of about 20-25 knots and the seas kicked up to 3-4 feet for about 3 hours. Why is it always on MY watch? At any rate, we arrived at Isla San Francisco at 7:30 and were happy to see that there were several of our friends there. We dinghied over to say hello to friends and took Abby to the beach to stretch her legs a bit. Then it was back to the boat for a cold beer and a nap.
Next morning we left early for the 9 hour trip to Agua Verde. The cruisers are all heading for Puerto Escondido for the up-coming Loreto Fest and Agua Verde anchorage was packed with boats. We squeezed into what we thought was the last possible spot and then two more boats arrived! Somehow they found room. This anchorage was calm and quiet all night and we all got a good night's sleep.
Monday morning we slept in a little and woke up to a hot, sunny day with another southwesterly wind. We left at 9:45 am and by 2pm we were securely attached to our mooring ball in Puerto Escondido. This is where we will be for two weeks. We plan to attend the 3-day Loreto Fest (blog entry on that to follow) and then wait a week for the masses to depart before we go north.
Julie seems to be having a wonderful time. Patty arrives on Sunday. All is well! To all our friends and relatives who spend time worrying...don't! The internet access in Escondido is extremely difficult (especially with over 200 boats there) and from here we will be almost entirely at uninhabited islands until we get to San Carlos in a couple weeks.

Sunday Morning Lazy

Watching the fog lift.

It’s a quiet Sunday morning in Mazatlan and, now that we got the power back on, I am enjoying a cup of coffee while I read my email and contemplate getting in gear to tackle the long list of today’s projects.

We awoke to thick fog and, at 9:00, it is still in place. An excellent weather window has settled in for crossing the Sea of Cortez so the boats are leaving in droves. I have yet to meet a single cruiser who likes fog so there has been quite a bit of radio chatter about it. Apparently it is still pretty thick over 2 miles out but one boat reported they are at 5 miles and it is clearing. I am hoping for clear skies when we leave Thursday. Fortunately, it is a fairly long passage so we can wait a little later to leave if need be.

It is hard to believe how fast the “season” is coming to a close but I am definitely beginning to look forward to being land based for a bit, and I’m not the only one. Several of my women cruiser friends are saying the same thing. Many of our cruising friends are already in the process of putting their boats away or have already gone home. Cruising the warm Mexican waters during the winter is quite wonderful, but by this time in the season I start to miss friends and family and not having to worry about weather every time we want to move to a new place.

Last night we had a wonderful dinner with Tom & Pam from “Kewao”. They have been given the use of a friend’s condo while they are putting their boat to bed for the summer and what a condo it is. They are on the 14^th floor with an amazing view of the Ocean and the islands outside the Mazatlan entrance from the front deck and, in back, the entire city of Mazatlan is at their feet. As people who also live on a boat, we could fully appreciate their joy at having unlimited hot showers that don’t require a 2 block walk to get to them and a bed that is big enough that you don’t have to turn over in sync…and…no one has to crawl over another person to get in or out. Add in the microwave, dishwasher, washer and dryer and you can see why they are beginning to say, “Boat? What boat?”.

During our conversation last night we discussed snotty passages and hair-raising anchorages with the enthusiasm of teenagers. There seems to be that same youthful bravado when we re-hash situations that, at the time they happened, were terrifying but ended well. Sort of a “We can hardly believe we survived that.” feeling that brings being fully involved in life to a vivid clarity.

At one point, Pam asked, “Why do we keep doing this?” More discussion ensued and we finally decided that is mostly about the people. We all love the beautiful destinations, the warm weather and the wonderful experiences (except, of course, the really snotty passages) but it is the people in the cruising community who are the real reason we keep doing what we do. Another cruiser once told me, “99% of the people you meet cruising are the most wonderful people you will ever know. If you haven’t met the 1% that is a jerk, you might be “it”.” Fortunately, we have met our 1% (whew!) but the statement is true. Strong friendships are built in hours and last forever, and nothing makes an experience more rich and enjoyable than sharing it with good friends.

Mexican Flowers and Plants

Its spring back in Washington and more and more of my friends are posting pictures of flowers on their Facebook pages. It has been a particularly long, cold, wet winter so they are especially happy to see the cheer-y faces of the Daffodils and Crocus telling them that warmer weather is on the way.

Back in the “olden days”, when I had a cute little house in Washington, I was as anxious as anyone to see the flowers making their first tentative appearance in March or April. First on the scene was always the Crocus, followed closely by Daffodils, Tulips and Hyacinths (with their amazing ability to fill an entire house with sweet smell from just one flower). Of course, seeing the bulb flowers appear was the signal that soon to follow would be the weeks of weeding, mulching, pruning, planting, etc. to clear out all the winter mess and prepare the garden for summer blooms. It is really necessary to do the lion’s share of gardening in the spring because summer in the NW is all about mowing, mowing and mowing.

Sometimes I really miss the flowers of the Northwest but Mexico has been exceptionally generous with her beauty and provides a stunning array of blooming plants all winter long.

Everywhere we go the Bougainvillea is in bloom…all the time. I tried, unsuccessfully, to grow this when I lived in San Diego but here it is really more like a weed. It grows wild in vacant fields and is not only cultivated as a climber that decorates entire building walls but is often pruned into large trees and shrubs. The colors are spectacular. Brilliant reds and yellows, intense purples and subtle oranges and pinks.

The Mexican people must love flowering plants as everywhere you go, even in the most poverty stricken neighborhood; you will see houses surrounded by flowers. Grass is a bit trickier to cultivate but Bird of Paradise, Honeysuckle, Hibiscus (many, many colors and varieties) and all sorts of flowers I have yet to identify are everywhere. Based on the gorgeous landscaping present everywhere it is no surprise how popular the Mexican gardeners are in the U.S.

The Mexican Riviera (from Mazatlan south as far as Acapulco) is mostly a tropical climate which means the winters are like summer in the Northwest. The daytime temperatures tend to run between 80 and 90 degrees and the nights cool down to 60’s or 70’s. Summertime brings heat, humidity and rain, rain, rain. That means the plants that grow along this stretch are of the type you see in rain forests…and as houseplants back home. Those Philodendron and Spider plants you have in pots in your home or office are outdoor plants here and 100 times the size. It is not uncommon to see a Philodendron with leaves the size of an elephant’s ear that has climbed all the way to the top of a Coconut Palm. And speaking of Palm trees…what would a tropical paradise be without them? Before I came to Mexico I had no idea that there are over 2,000 different species of Palms and they come in all shapes and sizes. The ultra-tall Coconut Palm on a white sand beach represents my image of what Paradise is but I love Palm trees in general. One Palm that I have fallen totally in love with is the Sago Palm This is actually a low growing shrub with beautiful dark green foliage and it is a beautiful plant.

This year we discovered a tree we hadn’t seen before. In the early spring (March) the area around Banderas Bay (La Cruz, Puerto Vallarta, etc) was filled with trees covered in yellow or pink flowers. There were so many of the yellow trees in La Cruz the hillside literally glowed. Finally, one day on a taxi ride home from the grocery store, we asked the driver what they were and he said they are Primavera. He said there are too many of them but I disagree. Anything that beautiful can’t be overdone.

And at Christmas, some very special and unusual trees make their appearance: The well known Coca-Cola tree and the somewhat less frequently seen wine bottle tree. :-)

Sailing...for Fun

Recent discussions with some of my cruising friends have centered around the topic of sailing. That’s right – sailing. As in for fun. Now, you might think that since we are all out here cruising around in Mexico…on sailboats…that it would be a foregone conclusion that sailing is done. You might, in point of fact, be slightly misled on that.

Let’s go back in time a bit. First of all, pretty much 99.999% of the people who are living and cruising on a sailboat dreamed about doing just that for a long, long time before they finally took that deep breath and cast off the dock lines. Those of us who actually left the safety of our home port in the quest for adventure and exotic places are in the minority. A good friend of ours, who has visited several times, never misses an opportunity to remind us that we are “in the 1% who are actually ‘living the dream’”. The funny thing about “dreams” is that they are just that and the real thing often turns out quite differently.

From the very beginning I was hooked on sailing and began dreaming about “sailing off into the sunset”. I dreamed of beam reaches in warm breezes, wine at sunset in secluded, palm fringed coves and being gently rocked to sleep at anchor under a blanket of stars. Ahhhh. It sounds so relaxing and wonderful, doesn’t it? Well, it has happened but is certainly not the norm. But this blog is about sailing so we will leave those other fantasies for a different day.

Everyone I know in the cruising community loves to sail. Well…almost everyone. People who are prone to seasickness are a bit less taken with the concept. The problem is that other things are higher on the priority list. For instance: We like things to stay where they were stowed. We like the equipment to be in one piece when we finish a passage. We really like arriving at our destination before dark. None of these likes is particularly conducive to “sailing” a great deal. In addition, sailing involves wind and when it comes to wind conditions, there are two constants: 1) There will either be way too much or none at all, and 2) The wind will always be on the nose…no matter which direction you are going. Neither of those constants is really helpful as far as getting from point “a” to point “b” in the least amount of time with maximum comfort.

In addition to the wind, there are other things that get in the way of sailing. One biggie is schedules. For those who don’t know (and probably won’t understand anyway), the cruiser’s first commandment is “thou shalt have no schedule”! If you must be in a particular place on a particular day it is an open invitation to Aeolus and Poseidon to join forces and humble you with a giant reminder of who, exactly, is really in charge (and it isn’t you). After experiencing some especially nasty passages in order to be in a particular place on a particular date to pick up a guest we now tell everyone that they may choose the date or the place but they may NOT choose both. Even then, things happen and rather than risk life, limb, guests and boat, if the weather goes south (figuratively) we will likely be staying in one spot.

The majority of the time cruisers (in Mexico) are motor-sailing. This would mean that you have one or both sails up AND the engine running. Most of us have a point at which the engine comes on (for us it is when we fall below 4 knots of boat speed). Since most of the time when we actually go somewhere on the boat, we really are actually going somewhere, the trip is planned around the expected weather conditions and expected time it will take to get to the destination. Arriving too early (as we did in December when we made a 3 day passage from San Carlos to Mazatlan) will often mean having to sit out in the ocean for a few hours while you wait for daylight so you can safely enter the harbor or anchorage. Arriving too late can mean the same thing…or…trying to anchor at night. Soooo…most of us plan on an average boat speed (for us it is 5 knots) based on wind (or lack of it) and currents and it usually means motoring is involved.

Racing is another interesting phenomenon for cruisers. Many of us were racers long before we were cruisers and enjoyed that part of sailing a lot. I, personally, raced on the Columbia River for 10 years on my boats as well as other people’s boats. It was great fun. We could go out and compete, no matter what the weather, for a couple hours, return to the dock, put the boat away and have couple beers before going home to a hot shower and a warm bed. There are races here (anywhere you find two sailboats in the same place you will find races) but a large number of us ex-racers no longer participate. It is tough to race your house. First of all, the boat isn’t fast with 10,000 lbs of cruising equipment, food, clothing, books and other stuff on board. Secondly, they are expensive enough to maintain without adding the breakage that occurs during races. One man I know of with an 80’ boat participated in this year’s Banderas Bay Regatta and blew out his headsail. That will cost him several thousand dollars for a replacement (it was not repairable) and not having that sail significantly curtails his travels for the rest of the season. Thirdly, at the end of the day, if you are not in a marina, you will be cleaning up in a shower the size of a closet and, if you are lucky, the bedding won’t be wet.

What I am trying to say is that even though we got into this life because we love sailing, it is rare that we actually just “go sailing”. You know…for fun. Still, we ARE sailors and when all the planets line up exactly right we sometimes really do get to do what we dreamed of all those years. Last year, at the end of a very bad season weather-wise, we left Las Animas Island on the baja side of the Sea of Cortez and sailed all the way across to the mainland with a 15 knot beam reach and 2-3 ft long period swells. It was absolute Heaven.

More on Mexico's Healthcare

Yesterday was the big day! Chris got his stitches out and the doctor gave him some exercises to do and told him he can start walking without his crutches. Last night we walked over to "Rosebud" for a wonderful dinner of Mushroom Soup and Spinach Crepes (all very, very yummy). He is still moving pretty slowly but getting better every day and he thinks that he will be crawling around in the engine room next week. The biggest issue is that the muscles around his knee have atrophied because he favored it for so long. Still...the doctor says they aren't that bad and will eventually return to normal. All in all the surgery and medical care around it has been excellent.

While Chris was at his appointment I took advantage of the very affordable mammograms available here. Last summer I couldn't afford the $360 the radiologist in the States wanted but the cost here is just $54 USD. The lab is as modern and well equipped as any back home. The staff was wonderful. And...they did a complimentary ultrasound in addition to the mammogram. Today I'll pick up a copy of the results to send off to my doctor back home. FYI: They said all is fine.

The only problem I had was that I STILL need to learn more Spanish. The receptionist spoke English but no one else did.

Fun With The Gimp

Well…I feel like I should be writing but my head remains empty of topics. We are in a kind of holding pattern here, in Mazatlan, for the next few weeks while Chris recuperates from his knee surgery.

Since Chris will likely be doing a blog entry of his own about the actual surgery I will just relate a bit of my experience through this.

We arrived in Mazatlan on Monday (the 21^st) specifically so Chris could see the orthopedic surgeon who was recommended by Michael from “Ahea Kali”. He got an appointment for the next day and following that he spent two days getting an x-ray and lab work and delivering those back to the doctor. In Mexico, your medical records are your property and your responsibility. The surgery was then scheduled for Saturday.

Saturday morning we took a pulmonia (open air cab) to the clinic and arrived at 7:15. Chris got into his little gown and disappeared into the next room where they started an IV and the next thing I knew he was out in the hallway on his way to the operating room. I spent the next couple hours sitting on a plastic chair reading a book. The staff would pass through from time to time but no one spoke to me. It wouldn’t have done much good anyway as no one spoke English and my Spanish is exceptionally limited.

About 9:30 Chris’ doctor (who does speak English) came out and told me the surgery was done and explained the whole procedure. He suggested I go have something to eat as it would be about noon before the anesthetic wore off and Chris could leave.

Off I went to find the out of doors. The clinic is actually a refurbished warehouse (the elevator is a freight elevator) and the inside is a bit of a maze. I knew I was on the second floor and since I am a bit claustrophobic I opted for the stairs. I thought if I just went down one flight I’d be back in the main lobby. Wrong! The first door I opened went to the parking lot. The second door went to the bus terminal. Aww…forget it! I wasn’t all that hungry anyway and it would be my luck to get lost when I came back and tried to find Chris.

I found a nice, comfy chair just down the hall from Chris’ closet (aka “recovery” room) and got my book out. At 11:45 I heard someone call for “Krees” and, sure enough, the nurse motioned me over. I walked to the door and the nurse handed a white doctor-type coat to put on. Hmmm. Well…OK. Then she started to put booties on my feet and I began to get concerned! Maybe they were really looking for someone else…someone who was having surgery! The nurse spoke no English so trying to explain that I was NOT the person she was looking for was beginning to get ugly. She kept insisting I put the booties on and I kept getting more animated in my resistance. Finally, I heard Chris say, “Sandra…I’m in here.” It finally dawned on me that they just wanted to keep the hallway sterile. Whew!!

We got Chris up and dressed and into a wheelchair and then a young man took us directly to the administration office. In minutes, with one swipe of Chris’ debit card, EVERYONE involved was paid: the clinic, the surgeon, the anesthesiologist and the nurse. What a great system! Then we were taken to the main floor where a cab picked us up and after a quick stop at the bank we were back at the marina.

Note: No consent form was ever presented for signature. You know the one I’m referring to. In the States, you have to agree that you realize you might have complications and/or die anytime you have a hangnail removed. I guess in Mexico they assume you can figure out there are risks involved in having anesthesia and surgery.

When we got back to the marina Chris was pretty hungry so we grabbed a couple burgers at the palapa restaurant before tackling the rest of the trip back to the boat. Dan helped Chris get down the ramp and dock and onto the boat while I carried all the “stuff”. I had made up the bed in the salon for Chris since it is much lower than the aft bunk and that is where he slept for the first 5 days. Abby assumed her position as head snuggler and sympathizer.

All in all it was a very positive experience and one week after surgery Chris’ knee is much better than it has been in months.