Everyday Math Problems

If your boat is sitting in 20 feet of water, and you have 100 feet of chain out attached to your anchor (on the diagonal), how far are you from your anchor?  Think: Pythagoras’ theorum.  Both our kids are now familiar with it, so give this one to your kids, and post your answers. Calculators permitted.

Who are the Rocinantes?

Vicki and Larry Byers of s/v Rocinante* are two of the nicest people we have ever met.  And fun. And adventurous.  And competent.  And smart.

You first started hearing us talk about them back in May when we ended up traveling with them during our Copper Canyon trip, almost by fluke.  We’ve been with them ever since – very purposefully. 

Vicki is a labor and delivery nurse and doulah by profession.  It’s perfectly suited to her, as she has an element of calm and confidence, together with incredible kindness (Michael will attest to the several batches of oatmeal raisin cookies she’s baked because she’s known it’s his favorite!).  She is also incredibly and naturally beautiful.  She fishes (has her own fishing pole!), cooks gourmet meals with fewer pots than I have, rolls her own sushi, is an accomplished sailor, and, although a contemporary of ours, – hold onto your hats – is a grandmother!!  She has great stories about her family life.  She is amazing with animals of all shapes and sizes (from the little 2 week old kitties in El Fuerte at the hotel to the horses eating apples from her hands), and it’s an adventure just walking down the street with her as she seems to find all kinds of strays wherever she goes.  She’s teaching herself how to play recorder and flute.  She has a beautiful voice. She swims in cold waters (for which I am thankful – she’ll get in with my kids when I won’t). She’s a great yoga enthusiast and has taught me a thing or two.  And she is a little bit of a rabble rouser – putting her and Michael together with some expired flares, for example, is frightening.  She told us the story of when her teenage daughter decided to shave her head out of protest for the importance put on female beauty, Vicki decided to shave her head too.  Of course she did.  That’s just what Vicki does.  She really doesn’t seem to be afraid of anything.

Larry is no slouch himself.  He worked for a dialysis company for many years – an instant connection from the outset given that my dad was on dialysis for 15 years before he died.  He is also an accomplished sailor, knows his boat technically (I have no clue what he and Michael are saying when they talk engines), is incredibly dedicated to Vicki, loves fishing, loves kids, loves fishing with kids…  Need I say more?  But yes, there’s more.  He’s an accomplished musician (guitar and harmonica), and in fact played professionally for several years.  As he goes through different towns, he’s also played the ‘gringo’ bars to many fans.  We’ve had many wonderful jam sessions with him and Vicki.  He is kind and gentle – perhaps what attracts Harrison, who calls Larry one of his best friends. 

Vicki and Larry hail from Seattle, WA, where their blended family of 5 kids and their families now live.  We have been impressed that, together, they learned Spanish in preparation for this trip, and have helped us with it along the way.  They are wonderful with our kids, who love them dearly.  They are both adventurous and game to try almost anything.  They love exploring, swimming, hiking, and life in general. And they have great senses of humor.  Positive vibes all the way around.

As we mentioned in a previous post, Larry and Vicki have headed north into the Sea of Cortez, in order to leave their boat in what is hopefully the outside of the hurricane zone while they return home to Seattle for about a month or so.  They’ll be back around the same time we will be, in mid-September.  We are hoping to continue our travels with them at that point. We’ll miss them in the meantime, and look forward to sharing our adventures together when we reunite in the fall.

-Barbara in La Paz, Baja California Sur

*Who or what is 'Rocinante' (pronounced Rosen-UN-tay), you ask? According to Vicki and Larry, Rocinante was Don Quixote's horse.  'Rocin' means 'old steed', and 'ante' means 'formerly', as in, "The horse formerly known as an old steed" (makes you think that Rocinante would have been a better choice for The Artist Formerly Known As Prince, no?). Supposedly, Don Quixote found the old steed and nurtured it into a reliable horse.  So too with their boat - it's been beautifully and lovingly brought to life by Larry and Vicki.  They do all their own wood staining - and there's loads of beautiful wood.  It's a gorgeous boat.

Back in the La Paz Vortex

We just spent a lovely few days out in the islands, buddy boating with Larry and Vicki of Rocinante, and reuniting with old friends from Theopholus and Outrider.  In fact, in Ensenada Grande on the Island




of Partida, we had a bonfire on the beach with two guitars playing, a lot of kids after a long lull, marshmallows toasting, and a great time.  There were at least 15 boats anchored there on that one particular night.  Danielle and Harrison had met some other kid boats, one of which had a fabulous tube, a strong motor boat and a generous dad on board. Danielle met another 11 year girl, Ines, from Spain with perfect English after spending the last year living in San Diego, and she joined us for the bonfire.  Coincidentally, the girls found out they were born 6 days apart, both at New York Hospital! I cut Michael’s hair again, in the same location I did it the very first time last fall – and just as satisfying.

We revisited Los Islotes where we swam with the sea lions last fall.  This time, there were not as many sea lions in the water, but the fish were incredible and made for really enjoyable snorkeling – in our new jellyfish suits.  We kayaked around the island too and were in awe of the beauty of the sheer rock cliffs plunging into the ocean.  Somehow, the sea lions still find nooks and crannies on which to sunbathe.

The fishing was pretty pathetic as far as eating goes, but Harrison hauled in at least a 15 pounder skipjack – nothing to eat so we threw it back, but it sure was exhilarating. Then, at Caleta Partida, the cove between the islands of Isla Partida and Isla Espiritu Santo, we stopped into the fishing camp, and for about $8 we bought the best sushi fish (yellow snapper) we may have ever eaten.  The fish also held us for a fish taco dinner the next night.  It was so good that we went back for more, this time for the barbeque (half with blackening seasoning and half with a grill seasoning).  Michael laughs at how satisfying I find it to be able to create delicious, nutritious and beautiful meals while on a boat with limited kitchen resources.  I think my kids have learned that from me as they have started to treat us to a dinner once per week (or maybe it’s that they get out of dishwashing/setting/clearing duty for that night?).  They made home-made pesto, home-made croutons, home-made ceasar salad dressing, and luscious lemon squares.  A complete hit.  I can’t wait to see what they’ll do for next week!

Caleta Partida was also a cool anchorage in that you could dinghy over the sand bar that runs between the islands to the west side of Isla Espiritu Santo where there are several caves big enough to dinghy into.  The kids and Vicki even swam in them.

At Ballandra Bay, we kayaked through the mangroves into a beautiful lagoon.  Danielle stepped on a dead puffer fish on the beach there – think: porcupine quills.  She is fine now but it was certainly painful for her.  We spent 4th of July there (our first as American citizens) and launched some expired flares. For better or for worse, all the flares went off without a hitch, and luckily, the Mexican Navy did not appear.

Here we are now, back in La Paz, and on the docks for the first time since Mazatlan.  We are preparing for our friends who are coming from NY and CA.  Michael’s “Soggy Duck” annual camping trip is in its 21st year, this time a kayaking trip through the islands of the Sea of Cortez this coming weekend.  Two of the other three wives are coming to keep me and the kids company, one of which is also bringing her kids.  It will be great to reunite with old friends.  Michael got a panicked look on his face when I told him I might take the boat out for a spin…

We have bid adieu to Vicki and Larry on Rocinante as they head further north into the Sea while we will be delayed for 10 days.  We are sad to see them go but plan to reunite in September, back in La Paz.

It’s great to be back in familiar territory. La Paz has an amazing cruisers' community, coffee hour three times a week at the clubhouse with a book and CD exchange/library, and everything is in walking distance.  We've pulled out our bike and have started looking into getting a second one. We are taking care of the regular business, like getting new glasses for Danielle, regular doctor check-ups, getting the boat cleaned, and so on.  Our homeschool program is finished for the year, although we will continue with some low-key homeschooling over the summer once our friends leave.  It includes weekly blog posts by the kids, so stay tuned!

-Barbara (in La Paz, Baja California Sur)

Loading a Boat on a Boat

Last week Harrison and I had the opportunity to help crew on Estelle, a 56 foot sloop that was going to be loaded on to a ship and transported, rather  than sailed, through the Panama Canal and on to Florida.  This was quite an interesting experience.  We met the owner of Estelle at 6 am at the Marina de La Paz dock and, along with our friend Larry on Rocinante and two other crew, departed for a bay just outside La Paz.  While I am always saying there is no wind when we are sailing (or rather motoring), of course this morning there were 15-20 knots and a 3 – 5 foot swell.  

We got out to the bay were the Dockwise ship was anchored, and motored around for an hour or so waiting for the ship to be ready for us. 

Dockwise is a specialized transport company that ships luxury motor yachts (100 foot plus), sailboats of all sizes and specialized boats.   It is used to transport boats quickly and safely over long distances and without the wear and tear that otherwise can occur on a boat when traveling over such distances. On this day they already had a huge dredger onboard with a drill bit the size of a house (see the right side of this photo), as well as several motor yachts and a smaller (36 foot) sailboat.

Before we could be loaded, a sailboat that had been transported south from BC had to be unloaded.  So, to load and unload boats, the ship is lowered into the water (basically swamping it) so that the cargo area is submerged 7 – 10 feet or more, depending on the boats being loaded.  Once the ship is submerged, boats are able to motor in or out.  Those going in get strapped to the ship.  Once strapped to the ship and before pumping out the water, the Dockwise crew sends divers under water to weld support brackets to the bottom of the ship to support the boats in cradles. The water is then pumped out. 

So, with the other sailboat now off the ship, we were ready to motor in.  Again, with more wind and swell than we would have liked going into a narrow entrance, our entry required careful maneuvering.  With Dockwise crew on catwalks on either side of our boat, we entered the ship, tossed lines to the crew and carefully came up to the fended wall of the ship.   The Dockwise crew then strapped our boat to the ship.  We were one of four boats that were loaded that day, including another sailboat and two power yachts.

Once Estelle was tied to Dockwise we then climbed up and off our boat, and walked along an approximately one-foot wide catwalk to the front of the ship to disembark.  Now this was fun as well!  As you see from the pictures, Dockwise was not at a dock so we had to transfer to a tender that would take us back to land.  Again, with the swell we had, walking down the ladder into the tender was a challenge.  As the swell came up and down, so did the tender (but not the ship)!

An interesting after note: The owner of Estelle thought that his boat was being shipped to Florida.  But, once his boat was loaded and due to a Dockwise technicality, the ship would not be going to Florida but instead to the Bahamas.  I guess he didn’t get the email notice of the change of plans!

Michael (in Ensenada Grande on Isla Partida, just outside La Paz)

Laundry Lesson Number 157

When doing a load of white laundry on the boat, make sure that the white life lines on which you are hanging the clothes to dry are free of dirt and grime before hanging.
Barb (anchored in Ensenada Grande)
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Impressions of Home

I mentioned in my last blog that I traveled home on my own for a very short visit last week.  In addition to visiting with Mimi, I was also fortunate to have seen a few friends.  What struck me most was what an incredible place we live in.  The San Francisco Bay area is one of the most beautiful places on earth, with a great climate, and a relaxing lifestyle.  We have a wonderful community of friends, many of whom are like family.  I had been concerned that after our experiences, I might find it difficult to fit into this lifestyle again, but on the contrary, it made me appreciate it that much more.

I was also concerned that I had no idea what so many people were up to, while everyone knew what we’d been doing thanks to our blog. One of my friends assured me that life there was like my favorite soap opera.  After a couple of episodes, I was all caught up. Everyone still has their daily struggles, their relationship issues, their parent/child issues, their schedule balancing issues, and so on – in a nutshell, all’s normal back home.  I love my friends and I love my community.

Now with Mimi’s death, the incredible community back home, of which I am proud to be a part, has once again jumped into action to prepare meals for her family – 20 people or more all together who are sitting shiva.  I am sure there will be hundreds of people at her funeral, and hundreds at the shiva over the following days. For us, though, we here in La Paz are feeling a bit isolated and wanting to be back home with friends as we grieve.  While there have been times since we left that I have felt that I wanted to be there for a friend going through a tough time, this is the first time I’ve felt this strongly about missing home.  I want to hear all the stories about Mimi that are told at the funeral and the shiva.  I want to help comfort Bob, Elana and Maya.  And I want to be comforted by my friends who knew Mimi.

Yesterday, we spent an almost surreal day at Ballandra Bay, perhaps one of the most beautiful places on earth, kayaking and exploring the white sand beaches and the mangroves.  Today we are heading to the islands near La Paz for some quiet time away from civilization with our friends on s/v Rocinante. We are expecting a whole slew of friends next week from NY and CA. And we hope to be back in the Bay Area for a visit and for the High Holidays in early September.  

-Barb
Ballandra Bay (near La Paz)

Some Somber News

Our friend Mimi Arfin died this past Saturday morning, July 3, 2010,at Stanford Hospital, after more than a five year battle with lung cancer.  She died  peacefully and surrounded by loved ones, just as she wanted. She was 53.

Since June 15th, we had been receiving daily updates from Mimi's husband, Bob, about Mimi’s condition after she had undergone what was supposed to be a straightforward procedure to drain fluid from her good lung.  Unfortunately, and unexpectedly, Mimi's lungs were never able to function properly again, so she remained for the most part on a respirator. Nonetheless, Bob's emails showed signs of hope until about two weeks ago, as we were into the first of our three day crossing from Mazatlan to the western side of the Sea of Cortez, when the tone of his email changed.  He noted that we had all become accustomed to Mimi beating the odds over the last five years, but that the window in which she could overcome the current state of affairs was slowly closing.

It was that same day that I received an email from my friend Dennise to let me know that things were really not looking good.  Because we would not be close to an internet connection for another two and a half days, Dennise graciously booked me a flight home.  I arrived home on Wednesday of that week, to hear that Mimi was, miraculously, once again improving, although she still had a long way to go.  I was permitted to see Mimi on two occasions while I was home, and I believe that on the second visit, she may have registered that I was there.  I simply held her hand, talked to her a bit, told her that I loved her and encouraged her to keep fighting.  When I said, “See you later”, she nodded although she didn’t open her eyes.  Little did I know it would be the last time I would see her. It still amazes me that even as we know when loved ones are very sick, we are never prepared when they die.

Mimi's CO2 levels eventually got to life threatening levels.  She was transfered to paliative care, and each of her family members got a chance to say goodbye.  Bob's email describing Mimi's last few hours was incredibly powerful, and a poignant illustration of how deeply loved she was - and how sorely missed she'll be.

Mimi and I became friends seven years ago when our oldest daughters entered kindergarten together.  I was sitting with her on the bench at the school playground when she was awaiting the phone call from her doctor who would eventually deliver the news that she had stage four lung cancer (she never smoked). Our friendship blossomed after that, but certainly not out of pity or any need she might have had for my support.  Interestingly, Mimi was the one who gave me the support over day to day angsts, she was the one who gave me the encouragement and inspiration, and she was the one who kept me laughing.

We had a lot of things in common.  We both began our careers as lawyers.  She went on to head the mediation program for the San Francisco courts while I abandoned law altogether.  Mediation suited her well as she always had a keen sense for right and wrong, mixed in with a good dose of realism. Even after she ‘retired’ with her diagnosis, she still exhibited these admirable traits in her day to day life. She was someone I’d consult in situations where I needed to solidify opinions – she was a clear thinker, ethical, and so smart about people in general.

We both suffered from migraines, which, ironically, also fed our friendship.  While on our migraine medications, we would suffer from insomnia and therefore email each other at ridiculous hours into the night.  At times she’d be up due to the steroids she was taking and send me the most hilarious emails in the middle of the night, highly detailed about this or that, and signed, “Mimi on Steroids”.

We bonded an awful lot over ‘personal beauty care’ outings.  It started when I went with Mimi to source out wigs for when she lost her hair from chemo.  We visited the hair salon to get the wigs styled, and the cosmetics counter to find paint-on eyebrows.  We went together to a beauty class for cancer survivors where I learned a whole lot about makeup application.  We then began to go for pedicures together, which became our regular outing when Mimi could no longer take long walks. 

Mimi made it a personal goal to write as part of her legacy.  I soon discovered writing as well on this trip as I have thoroughly enjoyed writing this blog – she provided me with much encouragement on this as well.  We spent a lot of time discussing her need to put things down in writing for after she was gone, and especially for what it would mean for her kids. As usual, she set high goals for herself, and just wasn’t satisfied with the amount of writing she had already completed.

On the subject of kids, we clearly shared a lot of laughs and information on raising pre-teen girls. We were always so thrilled that our girls shared a friendship.  She told me that it was being there for her daughters that kept her fighting for as long as she had.

Perhaps what I admired most about Mimi was her sense of adventure, and her zest for fun and living life to its fullest.  While it sounds so trite to say, she really was the poster child for living life to its fullest.  Even after her diagnosis, she and her family travelled a ton to places like Costa Rica, Cuba, the Mediterranean and Israel. She would plan great parties with inventive themes (like the costume party where you had to dress as your favorite invention over the last 50 years, or a cruise in the San Francisco Bay, or an Extreme Makeover party featuring Massages, Makeup Consultation, Manicures, Margaritas and Mimi.  She even had a life-sized cardboard Barak Obama in attendance at one of her parties. She always took an opportunity to celebrate – often with alcohol.  In fact, when we got the news of her death, we immediately pulled out the bottle of rum she had left with us, untouched since last December, and toasted her life (this, of course, together with the crying, left me with a migraine the next morning – Mimi would have laughed).

Certainly the highlight of our friendship was Mimi and her family’s trip to visit us in the Puerto Vallarta area over winter break this past year.  We had traveled together before, but usually with other families in a larger group. How blessed I am to have spent extended uninterrupted periods of time with her during that week in December.  It included a three-day trip to Punta de Mita aboard our boat, which I can describe as nothing less than exhilarating.  It is from this visit that I choose to remember Mimi:  We had been on the beach for the day when the surf got extremely high and began breaking dangerously close to our anchored boat.  Michael advised that we needed to get to the boat as quickly as possible before the waves would cause our anchor to break, sending the boat to certain destruction on the rocks.  He had to shuttle us in two separate dinghy trips back to the boat; Harrison, Michael, Mimi and I were in the first trip. We went over at least three very large waves – the surfers were cheering us on as we made each one, nearly vertical as we rode up the wave, and then taking air before coming down on the other side. Mimi was at the front of the dinghy facing the three of us, hanging on to the handles for dear life as her body would leap into the air right off the seat, the wind blowing her hair, and her facial expressions cycling from massive laughter to surprise to exhilaration and back again. It is this picture of Mimi that I will keep in my mind as I remember her.

Mimi’s funeral is taking place tomorrow, Tuesday July 6 at 1 p.m. She leaves an incredible husband, Bob Rebitzer, two amazing children, Maya, 10 and Elana, 12, her parents, her brothers and countless other family members, and many many friends.  We will miss her.

The healing begins.

-Barbara

Safe & hot in La Paz

Just a short post to let you know we arrived yesterday morning into La Paz after a long motor sail crossing from Mazatlan.  It was a smooth sail, or should I say motor; I wish there was more wind!  Now in La Paz where it is 100 degrees in the shade so we are drinking lots of fluids!  Fortunately it cools down pretty substantially at night.  Now catching up on sleep after our 38 hour crossing.

More later.

Michael (in La Paz)

Waiting for Wind

We’ve been waiting for wind to allow us to make the southern Sea of Cortez crossing by sail as opposed to motor.  We have done so little sailing that I’m afraid I’ve forgotten how.  We thought this would be a ‘sailing’ trip but the truth is that you simply live on your boat most of the time, and then use it to go from point A to point B every 10 to 30 days or so.  And whenever we’ve moved our boat, the wind has either been on our nose, or there’s been no wind at all (for those non-sailors, you cannot sail into the wind).  Michael’s joke is that when we’ve even taken a day trip out to an island, the wind’s been on our nose on our way there, and then switches around to be on our nose again on the way back. 

We were supposed to make the crossing two days after we got back from Toronto but that was over a week ago.  Then we thought for sure we’d leave last Wednesday and so did our major provisioning to keep us going for four weeks (not that the crossing takes four weeks but we wanted to have the option of not going into La Paz until mid-July if we so choose).  Five days later, we’re still here – and with loads of groceries on board.  It’s actually been nice to have the extra days – sort of like when I am preparing for company for dinner and I always wish I had an extra hour. But this has given us many extra hours...

Not that it's been a problem. We’ve been spending the days homeschooling (only ten more days to the official homeschool program, although we'll continue with 'extras' over the summer), swimming at the El Cid Marina and Resort which has great slides and an even greater Happy Hour (we’ve befriended the waiters so that some days Happy Hour has become Happy Day).  We’ve been to the market, we’ve been biking, we’ve tried to get into the Pacifico Brewery tour but couldn’t, we’ve been to an amazing free outdoor concert last weekend and also an amazing free outdoor dance tribute to Michael Jackson this weekend.  Michael’s been running again and I’ve been doing yoga every morning.  We had a relaxing Fathers Day sans homeschooling (Michael got several items he’s happy with including a spear gun for fishing in the Sea, some fishing gear, some clothes, and a new waterproof wallet so he can stop using a Ziplock bag for his money). We’ve spent much of our time with our friends Vicki and Larry Byers (s/v Rocinante) – we’ve become quite close and feel as though they are family. Mazatlan has been very good to us.

They are forecasting 10-15 knots of wind for tomorrow so we’re out of here tomorrow at 8 a.m.  We’ll be buddy boating across the Sea with Rocinante – it will be comforting to know they’ll be close by.  Am feeling the excitement of a long passage as we wash down our boat (dock water), charge everything that needs charging (dock power), empty garbage cans, and stow everything away. 

We’ll see you on the other side, as they say.

-Barbara (from Mazatlan - this time it's really for the last time)

Comments Welcome

Oops.  For a while we were wondering why we hadn't gotten ANY comments, and were thinking it's because we've been posting blogs so often that no one has had a chance to catch up and digest.  Apparently, that was not so, but rather the Comment setting on our blog had somehow been changed to Members Only.  Whatever that means, our regular commenters and certainly our not so regular commenters were not able to post comments.  We've rectified that and you should be able to comment once again.  And please do - we love hearing from you all.  And it is our life line to land.

-Barb (still in Mazatlan)

Double Viva Mexico!!

We had an exciting day on two accounts.  First, Mexico won the Mexico vs. France World Cup soccer game 2-0.  I don’t usually follow sports, but it was hard not to here in Mazatlan.  As we walked through neighborhoods, dozens of houses had their doors wide open, their TV’s blaring, and their cheering heard.  Storefronts and stalls in the markets and along the streets had their TVs blaring with crowds hovered around them.  Everywhere we went, people had the Mexican colors (green, red and white) painted on their faces.  It was great national spirit.

And speaking of spirit, the State of Sinaloa and the City of Mazatlan are both in the midst of political campaigning for Governor and Municipal President (aka Mayor).  Everywhere you go, there are rallies, loudspeakers, parades, signs and crowds campaigning for one candidate or another. Trucks and cars whiz by covered in campaign signs and slogans with loudspeakers blaring their messages. It’s quite different than in Canada and the States, where the campaigning is about 1000 decibels lower.  But in Mexico it really seems to be about the people.  The campaigning is really at the people’s level.  Today we were at the Municipal Central Market and one of the candidates for Governor, together with one of the candidates for Municipal President, was giving away free chickens at one of the stalls.  

The crowds were going wild, the band was playing cheerfully (and loudly), and the excitement was truly catchy – and we didn’t even know who the candidates were or what they stood for.  I suspect this is what campaigning used to be like in the US in the old days when a candidate would hop the train and stop in the towns where a crowd would gather, speeches would be given and bands would play.

We’ll miss the actual election, which is scheduled for July 4.  Interesting date on many levels.

-Barbara (still in Mazatlan) 

You Learn Something New About Your Boat Every Day

You learn something new about your boat everyday.  For example, we recently discovered that our freezer is hooked up to the battery that is dedicated solely (at least we thought) to starting our port engine.  The reason for having dedicated batteries targeted for engine starting is so that if you find yourself having drained the bank of house batteries, there’s no wind to sail or there’s an emergency and you need to make a quick exit, you can always start your engines.

Since buying our boat, we’ve never been away from it without starting the engines for more than 10 days, so there’s no way we could have known that the pump that is used as part of running our freezer gets its power from the port starter battery.  This starter (and I guess now freezer pump) battery is not on the inverter/charger that keeps our house batteries and starboard engine starting battery charged.  Therefore it does not get charged without running the port engine and having the alternator charge the battery.  It had been over two weeks since we had started the engines, and it appears that the freezer (which actually runs on 110 volts either from shore power or by running our inverter or generator) completely drained the battery, even though we were on shore power.  The small 12 volt sea water pump that is connected to the port engine battery used to pump water for use in running the freezer was the culprit that actually drained the battery. 

How did we discover that the freezer pump drained our port starter battery?  First, the freezer indicator light went to low battery, and we thought something was broken, since we’d been on shore power.  We searched online to find a solution but could not.  When we decided the next morning to take the boat out in order to start the engines, empty the heads (toilets), and make some water, the port engine wouldn’t start.  However, the starboard engine started just fine.  This was one time that I was elated that that engine wouldn’t start.  It explained the low battery indicator light on the freezer! 

We actually have a charger for our port engine battery but we’ve never used it.  It was explained to us when we bought the boat to be a back up in case our main inverter/charger did not work.  If the battery isn’t being used there is no real need to have the charger on.  (Of course for extended non-use you would probably want to keep a trickle charge on the battery.) 

So, in order to start our port engine, we have a back up switch that will allow us to start the engine with our house batteries (in case our starter batteries are drained).  We then recharged the battery with the alternator.  Once we did this the freezer worked again and the engine started again – no problems!

Every boat is different.  Systems are different, wiring is different, technology is different.  Just when you think you understand it all, it throws another curve ball at you.  It’s a great way to keep exercising your problem solving skills, that’s for sure. Lesson learned:  we’ve now turned on the port battery charger so that the shore power will also keep that battery charged as well as keep our freezer running. All’s well that ends well.

-Michael (in Mazatlan)

Cruisers are like Pioneers

Harrison has been reading a book called, Smiling Hill Farm, by Miriam E. Mason, about American pioneers moving westward from Virginia to Ohio in the 1800's.  His writing assignment was to compare and contrast the lives of pioneers with those of cruisers.  We were astounded at how many similarities there are! Here is his composition:

Cruisers are just like pioneers in some ways.  For example, we live in nature and respect it.  They also lived in nature and respected it.  But the difference is curisers live on water and pioneers lived on land.  Another thing in common is adventure or the unknown because pioneers explored for new land and we have adventures exploring towns and places we've never been before. 

Next, we both have fishing in common.  We both catch fish to eat but the difference is that the pioneers fished from land and we usually fish from the water.  Fourth, we all have extra provisions that we keep.  The difference is we keep them in our bilge and they kept them in sotrerooms.

Finally, I get homeschooled just like pioneers did.  Do you think pioneer children had to write a compostion like this one?

-Harrison

Teletubbies aboard Whatcha Gonna Do

Our jellyfish suits have arrived. 

We’ll be well protected.
-Barb at the Singlar Marina, Mazatlan, Sinaloa

Surprise Toronto Visit

This post was written on the way to Toronto last week:

Michael’s mother just sold her house of 35 years.  It’s the house Michael grew up in, and there are a lot of memories.  He had been looking for flights to Toronto for quite some time now – ever since he found out that the house was being put on the market – so that he could go back, help his mom with packing and other moving-related tasks, and visit the house for one last time.  Airline prices have been ridiculously expensive until suddenly, this past Sunday morning, flights came up that were not to be passed up.  In fact, they were so good that we have all decided to go.  The catch was that we had to leave in four days, and return 7 or 8 days later.  We reserved the tickets right then and there, and it’s good we did because the deal was gone within hours. We spent the last couple of days packing and getting the boat ready to leave. 

Here we are now, on our way to Toronto.  We are very excited to see family – in addition to Michael’s mom, his two sisters and their families, as well as my mother/stepdad and two sisters and their families all live there.  It’s my niece Hailey’s birthday today (HAPPY BIRTHDAY HAILEY!!) and we’ll also be there to celebrate my nephew Ethan’s birthday.  We usually go for three weeks in the summer, so in comparison this will be a quick visit – but we’ll take what we can get!

The visit will likely be a bit nostalgic for Michael especially.  I remember when my mother moved out of her house after my dad passed away, and after spending a couple of days going through some old boxes in her basement, I was melancholy for days.  Even for the newer members of our family, we’ve formed some great memories in that house.  It’s had me think about what makes a home, and living on a boat has confirmed for me that it’s wherever you choose to make it.  Memories made in a home become a part of you and help define who you are and what choices you make, no matter where you go from there.  Although change can be difficult, it’s comforting to know that no one can take your experiences and memories away from you. I know it will be the same for Michael, his mom, and everyone else who’s been so vested in that vibrant home, so full of activity and love.

Toronto: Here We Come!!

Signing off from somewhere in the air en route Mexico City to Dallas,
Barbara 

Addendum:  We are now back ‘home’ on our boat and the trip was a huge success. It was my first time out of Mexico in seven months and what I found interesting was that I have begun to feel the same level of familiarity in Mexico as I do in Toronto. While Toronto was once my 'hometown', it has changed drastically since I left in 1994, and I found myself not knowing the city as well as I used to. On the other hand, we have stayed in several Mexican locations long enough to know our way around and where to find things we might need.

As far as the purpose of our trip, we helped Michael’s mom pack up a bit (his sisters already did the vast majority with her), and Michael did some other moving related tasks (Craigslist listings, disassembling and assembling things, and so on).  We saw family, celebrated birthdays, did lots of catching up, had a lot of laughs and even more food.  It was a whirlwind – a pace that we are no longer accustomed to so it’s been great to slow down once again.  But the trip was everything we had hoped it would be, and Michael’s mom is well on her way to her new life in her beautiful new home, with all her memories in tow.

-b.