Changing the name of our Tartan TOCK to ‘Hotspur’ was a big deal to the Faulkner family. We wanted a decent job done of it but we wanted to keep it fairly simple and affordable. We hired a company here in Mazatlan based on a reference.

Things are better... Jim and I have made a pact to try and be nicer. Believe it or not, it has worked! Putting on a smile and being more polite has been a pleasure. Of course, it has also helped that we have made a little progress with the boat.

We’re getting closer to leaving Mazatlan and making the crossing to the Baja... I can feel it! I can also tell when we’ve been in one place for too long. Jim and I are both edgy and unpleasantly cranky. Jim, who is more mild-mannered than I care to admit, becomes antagonistic and fault-finding. (For example, Jim misplaced something yesterday and began to go into high level rantings... lunatic like, blaming all of us, head spinning atop shoulders... only to have me discover the object lying where he placed it...

I wrote a previous account of the stray cats at Marina Mazatlan. There are so many cats here... some of which have been born on the premises and others that have been dumped off. Most of the felines are feral and don’t allow anyone to touch them or come near.

We should be so excited... the engine has started... this boat that has sat here at least two years... her engine started up and ran for an hour! That is monumental, right?

I don’t know how we missed this one... I honestly don't... it's a biggie.

The engine started... the engine started! It’s a glorious day! Busy doing a St. Patrick's Day jig... so no time to write more.

Monday was a Mexican federal holiday... Benito Juarez's birthday. The mechanics showed up anyway and worked, worked, worked! Then, Tuesday they didn't show. There is no explanation and no reason to get upset... we are in Mexico after all. As of today, the Ford Lehman 80 is still not working.

The cruising community offers a lot to one another... and many times free of charge. My friend Jo on the sailing vessel ‘Blue Moon’ got me interested in yoga and offered me a one-on-one session... she’s been doing it for years and is an excellent instructor. And, she’s in really good shape!

I know that the cruising life sounds totally fun without hard work... maybe even glamorous... okay, that's a stretch. However, today was an example of the opposite. Today, I cleaned and greased winches. Those of you with sick minds need not respond. I don’t want to hear it. My husband is bad enough as it is.

 Doug made this fantastic guacamole when we were Loreto. It was SO good that two of my three avocado haters have become full fledged guacamole converts. The only bad thing about this is that now I will have to share.