Getting reading to jump

After a few days of surfing some not so fantastic waves at Punta Mita, we pulled into Marina La Cruz to get some more projects done. A week or so later we checked the last few items off the list, had a nice dinner with Jeff and Dorie from s/v Journey and called it a night. Then, on the day we were to finally leave the marina, Jared woke up with a 101.7 degree temperature. That's what happens when its all work and no play I guess, especially for those who do not eat any vegetables. It is starting to feel a lot like it did before we left Ventura, except that its a lot warmer of course. Getting ready to sail a boat across 2,700 nm of open ocean is understandably a bit stressful. Each project turns into three or four, provisioning takes days, and time is ticking. Its no wonder Jared's body temporarily succumbed to some virus. Fortunately, he seems to have beaten it already and we are now in the anchorage at La Cruz and, big surprise, still working on the boat.

While our stay in the Marina was mostly work, we did manage to spend some time with "old" friends and even make some new ones. Now that we've been here almost three months, I feel comfortable calling people we met at least a month ago "old" friends. The sun awning that I've been working on forever is finally done, so I felt obliged to invite everyone over to hang out on our boat for a change. Its amazing what a little awning can do for atmosphere. It really makes the cockpit feel nicer some how. Even at night, since it keeps it a bit warmer and gives us a bit more privacy. There are still a few slight modifications I would like to make to it, but I am mostly satisfied with the outcome. It even holds up to 20+ knot winds fairly well, which is more than most can say of their sun canopies. Then again, most people have nice rigid dodgers to protect them in such conditions.

We are now in final stages of preparation for the jump. We are still planning on cruising south to Manzanillo before we cross to the Marquesas. There are several anchorages along the way that sound really beautiful, and some potential surf spots. We really want to see a little but more of Mexico before we go and it will give us a chance to make sure everything is truly ready. Banderas Bay has been fun, but we almost feel like we live here now. We know where almost everything is and we know a lot of people by name. Its hard to convince myself that we are still on the big trip sometimes, because it all just feels so normal to me now. Without the mystery of the unknown, you lose a little of that adventurous feeling. There are many things I really like about staying somewhere new for long enough to really get to know the place and the people, but there is always a time when you feel ready to move on. I think that time for me was about a month ago. Due to the delay with the sail we ordered, and the subsequent weekly promises of delivery, we got a little trapped. In retrospect, we shouldn't have let it hold us back. We could have changed our plans slightly by cruising south and then heading back here for the sail before we crossed. Oh well! It is what it is, and it is still better than being back in the states at work or something.