meri's blog

I’ve been lamely attempting to get our vaccines current. Partly, my Spanish is not so phenomenal that I can relate to medical terms or know what questions to ask in Spanish... much less understand the answer. Also, finding a facility that will provide the vaccines we want seems to be a real effort. I walked all over La Paz and here in Santa Rosalia I've asked many a person.

Tim and I returned from doing laundry. We noticed the wind had kicked up a bit on the way back to Hotspur in the dinghy, but nothing to worry about. Apparently not.

Our new 80 lb. Manson anchor dragged in 30 knots of wind while Jim and Carolyne were alone on the boat. Jim put our 10 year old at the helm and she drove our 41' boat around in the small anchorage in Santa Rosalia until Jim could re-anchor and set it again. Carolyne became the local hero! She had men buying her drinks up at the marina... colas, of course.

Sweet Pea Cove at Isla San Marcos was fantastic! The weather was breezy and the water was refreshing. We anchored near our friends on Ceiyldh and shared some fun snorkeling and fishing together. Our two girls played together.

I did not appreciate Sweet Pea last year and have made amends this year. The little sea creatures that inhabit the reefs are delightful. A whale journeyed into the anchorage twice. Finally, Third Day showed up blowing the airhorn and making a grand entrance. We were so happy to see them.

Santa Rosalia is unbearably hot... in the upper 90's with 87% humidity... it's like being a human teardrop!

We're heading to Isla San Marcos today and we'll hang out in Sweet Pea Cove. The breeze is cooler there and the water is clean. I can't wait!

DEFINITION

Boobie: a stupid or foolish person; a dolt.

Whoever named these sea birds was no fool! These birds are relentlessly stupid!

July... it has been 6 months since the purchase of ‘Hotspur’. Our Tartan was not in any way, shape or form, remotely "cruiser-ready" when we bought her in February this year. Transitioning from a 35' boat to a 41' boat has been a dream in many respects... lots more room, privacy, loads of deck space, etc... However, the dull headache of getting our ketch cruiser-ready in Mexico has been frustrating and the ching-ching sound is buzzing louder inside my head as we continue to spend more money getting her up to par.

The fish have been few and far between this year. The water is cold this year and, though the hurricane factor is lower because the water is cooler, the fish finding is more challenging, too. Finally... on or way from Santa Domingo in Conception Bay to Santa Rosalia, Tim landed an edible female. It weighed roughly 11 lbs.

We motored most of the way to Santa Rosalia, but once we got some wind... we sailed! A pod of dolphins joined us, a reminder of why this adventure is so heart-felt and special!

 After two years of living in Mexico aboard a boat, we experienced our first CHABASCO last night in Santa Rosalia. A "chubasco" is a thunderous squall that can occur unannounced, and in our case at 3am! The wind gusted up to 35 knots and the lightening luckily didn’t cause any problems.

Because our pactor modem isn't working yet, I am unable to send blog posts from the boat... unless I can get internet somewhere, like at a cafe or in a marina.

We arrived in Santa Rosalia night before last. It was like coming home. Our friends greeted us warmly and in fact we celebrated with too much beer the first night. We love this little pueblo and the locals remember us from last year.