San Carlos Marina is really quite beautiful. A malecon/walkway circles the marina from A dock (closest to the exit) all the way around to G or F, inland and next to the marina office, Barracuda Bob’s (a good morning coffee shop) and Hammerhead’s (a sports bar with good food and a lovely setting). Docks A thru D are pretty much filled with cruisers like us (while the rest of the marina is filled with large, flashy fishing boats..some charter..some private). Our neighbourhood changes almost every day as some boats get to leave, having completed their preparations and repairs, and other boats arrive, eager to roll up their sleeves and get themselves ready to depart as soon as possible. Shannon’s Spirit is on Dock C. We’re sharing our slip with SV Swan, a sister ship… a few years newer and a great role model. We met Andy and Deb in San Evaristo our first season. They taught us the finer nuances of ‘Happy Hours’ and shared tons of information with us about cruising in the Sea. Now, they’re still mentoring us, this time about our boat. It’s great to have someone to share notes with and ask questions. They’re hoping to get away this weekend, although the weather gods may have other plans.
The northers have indeed begun to show themselves. Some of you may know them as the Santa Anna’s; those nasty winds that blow through southern California. For us in the Sea… those same California winds swoop south and pick up speed as they blow into the Sea of Cortez. When they arrive, they appear with such gusto that most of us either stop in our tracks or run for cover. Luckily, in the Sea, there are lots of little hidey holes where a few boats at a time can hunker down and wait them out. The one place to NOT be is midway across from the mainland to the Baja side. For those of us who aspire to such a crossing…. well, we must monitor the weather very closely and choose our date and time of departure carefully. It’s going to boil down to getting the boat and ourselves ready… and then patiently waiting for a break in the weather. For instance, the forecast this morning (covering the next 7 days) spoke of winds up into the high 20’s and low 30’s coupled with seas of up to 14’…. (and the worst part) with approx. 5 seconds in between each swell…. That is NOT the kind of conditions we would ever choose to set out in.
While we’re finishing up several smaller jobs on the boat, we’re waiting for the arrival of a new water pump. Those of you who know marine water pumps will understand when I tell you that we’re looking forward to replacing our old (beyond repair) Sherwood with an Oberdorfer. It’s supposed to arrive tomorrow which means we might be lucky enough to get it installed on Saturday. And so, for now, we continue to improve dear SSpirit and begin to prepare ourselves for the adventure of finally setting sail sometime next week – once Mother Nature allows us passage.
Much to their delight (life on the water is ‘sweet’ compared to any other), Sue and John are happily ensconced aboard SSpirit, enjoying life at the dock and in the marina. Kathy and I remain at the apartment which we are still sharing with a wall full of blue bins… all vying for space on the boat for their contents. We’re now going through the contents for the fourth or fifth time, trying to pare down the load. Poor SSpirit is just a boat after all, not a warehouse; and we seem to have brought enough ‘stuff’ to fill the Queen Mary! Luckily I can report the stack for the boat is getting smaller and the mountain of gear going back into the truck and heading home is growing. And, that’s a good thing!
We think of you all lots… hope all is going well out there. Know we are well… a little tired of work but there’s a great light at the end of our tunnel and we’re getting closer every day. Take good care of yourselves….. Talk again soon… adios CJ
