Busy Times in Mexico
Feb 9th, 2007 by Elise
Since arriving back in Paradise, it’s been incredibly hectic. Mom has allowed us to increase the tempo trying to make sure she experiences all the area has to offer. Our neighborhood, while already high on the social side, has become even more so, with the addition of new neighbors Mike and Maureen Hirsch, and the return of many friends after the holiday respite back to the States.
Dave and Cynthia Greene were aboard their Island Packet, Reaching Deep when we returned from Florida - their boat has been in Paradise Village since it opened in 2001 or 2002 so they are familiar with much more of the downtown area. We’ve had some lovely evenings with them - not to mention happy hours.
Our good friends from the marina in San Diego, Frank and Martha Mowry, Island Packet owners of Tumbleweed, also spent their anniversary and Martha’s birthday in Puerto Vallarta.
The Greene’s joined us and we had a terrific day sail and tour of Banderas Bay followed by dinner at our favorite Brazilian Steakhouse. The staff actually enjoyed planning the “happy birthday” cake activity - it was nothing like what you usually get. It included a towel over her head and a good beating with an empty water bottle - rough to say the least! Frank looked thoroughly delighted although I’m not sure what his favorite part of this was.
Martha Celebrates(click for video)
They weather is much cooler since our return and we actually had several days of rain and lots of overcast days. The neighbors believe that is because we put up our new sun shade when we returned. Actually, it does exactly what it’s marketed to do - reduce the temperature underneath it by 10 - 15 degrees. Once we took it down, the weather cleared up returning to our usual mid-80’s and clear blue sky days. Not sure how that thing is working, but I’m reluctant to put it up again.
It was a must to do some sailing while Mom was here, so in addition to the day trips with friends, we spent several days cruising the bay and anchoring in the various Banderas Bay anchoring holes. The water has been unusually rough making these less than peaceful nights on the hook. Elise did however have ample opportunity to try out her new scuba gear and inspect the bottom. Good thing too - it was nasty. They did a good job of cleaning about 6 inches below the water line, but beyond that…Well needless to say, we have a new diver now - no, not Elise!
The Puddle Jumper group is also taking up more of our time. This is actually an organized group of sailors who are like us, preparing to cross the Pacific. The majority of them are headed to the Marquesas and then thru the South Pacific with final destinations of Australia, New Zealand or beyond. But several like us are headed to Hawaii (the wimps - or are we the ones that thought this all the way through to include the cost of the return trip). That cost could be measured in pesos, or time, or frustration, or pirates, or perhaps it just fell in the “too hard to do” box. As of yet, I’m not sure but I know it is not on our dance card - at least for this year.
One of the benefits of associating with the Puddle People is the access to information. Over the years, they have put together a large volume of information covering just about any aspect of preparing for a voyage like this. The group also sponsors speakers to present specific information that might be helpful. For example, we spent three days in a Emergency Care at Sea (ECAS) school. It covered all aspects of medical care in remote situations (I think our trip qualifies) - to include burial at sea…hummmmm
Today we are discussing provisioning, and next week we have speakers talking about rigging and using our single side-band radios more efficiently.
Mom leaves on Saturday. We’ve had a great visit and we look forward to seeing her again in Hawaii. I think she’s anxious to get away from us and back to her own little paradise in Florida. We’re looking forward to a break from all company - at least for the next couple of weeks until Ed Washington and Nancy Geczy show up on their cruise ship visit, and then Rob and Jeannie arrive for a week.
Our time is now focused on final preparations for the trip west. And there is a lot to do! We’ll keep you posted on our challenges and progress.
From the Cutthroat Crew…
Elise and Roger
