As I write this, we are 130 miles from Puerto Vallarta and motoring in nearly non-existent winds. 240 miles done as a mix of sailing and motoring the last 2 days. No land in sight; Jeff is splicing a new vang line, Tom is tying knots for fun and Kris is serenading us with his ukulele. It could be a scene from some crusty old sailing ship from a bygone era. Well, except for the smell of freshly baked brownies wafting up the companionway. Little known fact: brownies keep away scurvy.
But, lets back up again…After a whirlwind trip back to the States, we were back aboard Salpare on Tuesday evening (Feb 25 - Jeff’s Birthday!) While in the Seattle area, we racked up 8 doctor appointments (all good!), 61 individual friend and family visits and 3 group events. Phew! We left a few pounds heavier but feeling unbelievably lucky to have such a great homecoming! Then it was a week in Florida to see my side of the family and attend my nephew’s beautiful wedding. More food, fun and love! Its only a short 5 months until we see everyone again.
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| Jeff getting his tux for the wedding! |
When we left Salpare, we had completed 99% of all the tasks on Jeff’s never-ending spreadsheet and feeling pretty cocky about the accomplishment. Reality hit after we landed as we had had added a few more items and had a short time before our crew arrived. We ran around like wild tofus with our heads cut off (sorry, I just can’t make the chicken analogy). We picked up Tom Miner and Kris Wilhelmson on Thursday night and departed La Paz Friday morning. We headed to the fuel dock to top off our tank and fill our 11 extra jerrycans. But, Murphy’s Law… 2 super yachts were at the fuel dock and there was no room for our little boat for hours. Knowing that we only had 370 miles and we would be sailing, we headed out. What could go wrong????
What we hadn’t considered was that we had “Wind-Killer Tom” onboard. When he circumnavigated Vancouver Island with us years ago, we again had no wind. So, here we are doing more fuel calculations… remember those from our Ensenada to Cabo passage. Next example: Will the 1/2 bottle of vodka and 1/2 bottle of tequila, mixed together (to Jeff’s exacting measurements) make enough fuel to get us to Puerto Vallarta? Or something like that.
As we lumber along under motor, I’ve spotted two turtles just lazing along at the surface. Turtles are cool. They are totally nonplussed with anything going on. Floating along while just slowly waving their arms and legs for propulsion. “Hey, I’m terrified you’re going to run over me with your boat.” Or “hey, I’m bummed and not having a good day”. Or “hey, I’m a happy, excited turtle”. They always look the same - the ultimate Zen critter. Kris said “the turtle can be your teacher”. Hmm…
Did you know that the favorite food for the gigando Leatherback Turtle on the East Coast is Portugese Man of War Jellies??? Now that’s not so Zen. And, I bet you didn’t think you’d learn anything so useful from this blog.
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| A beautiful end to the day |
Jeff and I couldn't ask for better crew than Kris and Tom. They have jumped right in to learn our boat, sailing and the various intricacies of passaagemaking. Our crew rocks!
We decided to take 10 miles off our passage and stop on Monday night at La Cruz to see our friends, Betsy and Derek. As I take up this writing again, it’s now March 4th and we are at Paradise Village Marina and Resort. We’ve been in PV for 2 nights and seen a number of speakers regarding French Polynesia, Fiji, Tonga and New Zealand. All great stuff but the best part is talking to the other “jumpers”. We are part of a loosely knit group that share information on the crossing and it’s called the Pacific Puddle Jump; so we are jumpers!
These folks come from different walks of life but we all share the same dream - sailing across the Pacific to French Polynesia and beyond. And many share our same frustration with waiting for the Long Stay Visas. There’s a bunch of us who can’t depart as we have not received them nor our passports from the French Consulate. I’ve tried about every way possible to find information on the status of our visa with no results… a total French Blockade when it comes to information. So, we wait. The next entry will let you know how long we have waited, And, we know - boo hoo! You’re waiting in Puerto Vallarta! But, really, we just want to get going on the big crossing. If you’ve ever been in a big race or planned and trained for years for an event you know the anticipation I’m talking about. We’ve done a lot of big things in our lives; but this is by far the biggest dream we have had and are so ready to start!
Stay tuned as I’ll let everyone know when we depart.
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| Yikes! This is by our boat! |
