It’s been a while since I’ve written. Kathy’s on her way home to visit with mom for a few weeks and I’m here holding down the fort and keeping Shannon company. It’s been a while since I’ve filled you in on how things are going… feels like it must be time to check in.
We’ve been here, in Mazatlan, since Oct. 26th and we’ve been lucky enough to secure lodgings at Bungalows Mar Sol… a family run motel kind of a place… within walking distance of El Cid (that’s the place with nice pools and a small marina where some of our friends are staying) and a short drive to Marina Mazatlan (Shannon’s current home and also filled with cruisers we know and like). We’ve been busy (in the exhausting and humid heat) clearing our stuff out of Shannon and preparing her for her new life with Bill and Juliana. We had hoped to meet them on November 8th when they were planning to arrive, take over Shannon and do some sailing in the Sea of Cortez. Unfortunately Bill was in a serious motor-cycle accident just days before they were to leave South Africa and he’s been in the hospital ever since. The good news is Juliana has reported he’s coming home soon and, although they won’t make it here this year (by the end of Dec) they are hoping and planning to arrive in January, once Bill is recovered enough to travel comfortably. Unfortunately that means we won’t be able to meet them personally (we’ve got to get on with our plans too) but we’ve had a wonderful connection with Juliana over Skype and are keeping in touch via email….and so, the time passes… as we all wait to move forward with our plans. We know that the good ship Shannon will be a wonderful and nurturing ‘home’ for Bill to continue his recovery in and we hope they both are able to enjoy their visit to Mazatlan and the large and supportive cruising community.
Most of you know we’re hunting for the ‘perfect’ next ‘ride’. I wish I could tell you we’ve found our dream boat… but we haven’t yet. Don’t be sad… half the fun is in the search :-) altho’ it can be frustrating at times. Kathy’s checking out two Freeport Islanders (the FI 36 is at the top of our list) on her way north… and I’ve been in touch with another in Puerto Escondido… time will tell if one of these boats might work out. Our challenge is we’re looking for a boat that’s not too big, but big enough…. with a perfect interior layout (and a good sailboat of course)… with either an off-set V berth, a pullman berth or a V berth and an aft cabin with a double… and a shower, and self-tailing winches, and pressure water, and hot water, and ample storage… stuff like that… and so the search continues. Oh, I should mention… the perfect boat also has to be within our budget.. ha! And, one more thing… we’re not wanting a project boat… We know there will always be things to improve and fix, etc. But we don’t want to spend another year of our lives, fixing a boat up well enough to continue our explorations… we’re hoping to find that ‘perfect’ boat that we can head out with, and improve as we go…. and when we want. Not too much of a challenge hey. In case you’re out there and find something in your travels… boats that interest us include Freeport Islander 36, Ericson 38, Passport 37, Fast Passage 39, PS Crealock 37, and other such vessels. If the price and location were right, we’d also look at a Catalina 34 or 36.
So, that’s where we’re at now. We’re both fine… just moving along and ahead with our plans. Kathy (and the princess) will return on Dec. 14th. I’ll be picking them up in PV as theirs is a direct flight from Victoria to PV (essential when puppies are along for the ride). Unfortunately PS (princess Sophie) is too tall to fit under the seat in the cabin… so she gets to travel as a suitcase. Luckily it’s a short 5 hour flight… shorter say than… a day at the groomers.. so we’re pretty sure she’ll weather the storm and, after forgiving us for the indignities, be glad to see us and delighted to play on beaches every day. Talk about bribery :-)
I think that’s about all for now… just know we’re well… and hoping the same for all of you. Take good care… we’ll talk again soon. CJ
I’ve been practising with photos… and/but haven’t nailed down the caption thing yet… so just use your imagination to figure out which photos match the words… :-) ttfn
Even Princesses need their ‘things’ Early morning down our street Sophie’s beach awaits her…
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Did we mention, our truck was full on the way down !!!!
