Weather Delays, or How to Mess Up my To Do Lists

We awoke this morning to the daily VHF net weather report that a weather trough (cold and nasty weather) has stalled around coastal California, which has resulted in attracting some bad weather cells into the Pacific and right into our travel path.  This, coupled with the fact that there is no wind to carry us to the trade winds about 300 miles offshore, has delayed our departure yet again.

At first we thought it would be until at least the weekend.  While the delay carried with it the happy possibility of being able to meet up with good friends of ours who are coming to the area for their spring break, can you imagine what that would do to my produce provisioning???  After the hours I spent picking produce and getting everything ready, a long delay would mean that I would have to keep track of what I used, and then replenish yet again but only with very unripe produce to be used at the end of the voyage after all the other older produce was used up.

However, we have since received a revised weather report and think we can pull out of the marina on Wednesday to check out in Nuevo Vallarta, and then head out Thursday morning.

Either way, we slept in this morning - something we haven't done in I-can't-remember-how-long.  We spent the day in lazy mode as there was not much to do.  For the first time in a long time, we weren't bleeding money from all the purchases necessary to get ready either.  We even ate dinner at home, something else we weren't doing very often given the hectic schedule and the turmoil of the boat galley as I was putting provisions away.  And we couldn't even make phone calls because the internet cafe in town is closed today.  In the afternoon, we went to the pool down the beach from the marina and just hung out with friends. It felt like we were cruising again, with little stress and enjoying the moment.  We've heard that many people set a target date to leave on a long voyage, and then just go out to an anchorage for a day or two to chill.  The stress leading up to departure date is excruciating, so this allows you to unwind and start the voyage in a better frame of mind.  I sure feel this day was just what the doctor ordered.

-Barb in La Cruz for a few more unexpected days