Doug & Ann Brown and their two children, Chandler and Henry, arrived in Mazatlan, MX today via the Baja Ferry and the red pick-up truck taxi, the Auriga! We are so excited to have them here. First, they are friends of ours we met in the spring of 2009 in Loreto, MX and have stayed in touch with. Secondly, they are here to see if Windfall is the right boat for their family. In this economy, selling aboat in seven weeks after purchasing another is just short of a miracle. And finding the right home for your beloved vessel is a factor on top of that...

Yes... Carolyne and her stray kitties at the marina... and two patches of ringworm! Why does a plant have such a nasty name??? It's a fungus! Nothing a little over the counter anti-fungal cream can't take care of and yet I get the heebie-jeebies just saying the name!

Hotspur is a 41' Tartan TOCK ketch we purchased while we were cruising aboard 'Windfall', our 35' Cal Cruising in Mazatlan, Mexico on January 13, 2010.

This week has been uneventful Blog wise in terms of BIG news. However, every time Jim and I turn around there is a new issue. But hey, we live on a boat, right?

Mazatlan’s “Carnaval” for 2010 spanned over the dates of 2/11-16. Our Valentine's present to ourselves was to purchase tickets to the AguaMarina Hotel.

As of today, the engine rebuild is going smoothly.

Mexico has many endearing qualities that open our hearts wide to the people and places and stimulate our senses: interesting and inspiring colorful art w

At 9:00am, Victor Gamboa and his employee, Ramon, showed up to begin pulling the Ford Lehman 80HP engine apart from our 41' Tartan TOCK. All Jim's previous efforts to get the motor to move failed... WD-40, Marvel Mystery Oil, Diesel, his last being to pour cola on the piston cylinders (Someone on the dock swore by it). What the heck, we have nothing to lose, right?

Just a couple days ago, Jim got a inkling to borrow Carolyne's cheapy-for-beginners harmonica and learn how to play it. He found this really cool website that teaches how to play the notes and has audio of the songs that are being taught so those musicians with good “play by ear” innate gifts and talents can learn faster.

Before we went cruising, I read a number of cruising books... books that talked on and on about the physical attributes of sailing: how muscular you become, how much weight you lose, how much healthier you eat, blah, Blah, BLAH!