Gathering Moss

Mazatlan, Sinaloa, Mexico

Unlike the rolling stone that gathers no moss, here we sit, not so much gathering moss as weeds and barnacles, but you get the general idea.

It is hard to believe that we have been in Mazatlan for almost 2 months now and we seem to be further and further from being able, or willing, to leave.  We are still waiting for the new water heater we ordered (see the accompanying photo to prove that we have its spot all cleaned up and ready) - should be here any day now.  Then it will be a simple matter of installing it - normally this would be no problem but this is Mexico and if I have to find some oddball fitting or adapter or something, all bets are off.

Meanwhile, the boat is looking pretty good.  Susanne finished her staining of the cockpit bright work (actually about 3 weeks ago), including the table, wheel and other odds and ends.  This, combined with the new bimini and cockpit cushions has made for a very inviting living space in the cockpit.  We can hardly wait till we are lounging away at anchor in the Sea of Cortez this summer.  Speaking of which, we have been getting the low-down on the sea from a lot of the cruisers here and are steadily equipping ourselves accordingly.  I have been getting some tips on fishing (for dummies?) and we have been exploring the fishing supply shops looking for equipment - prices are about twice what we can find on the web from the US or Canada.

Here is a picture of one of the most unlikely superheros you will ever see; Jellyfishwoman.  A lot of the cruisers have been ordering custom-make jellyfish suits from "Lycra Laura" who pays regular visits to the cruiser's lounge (You couldn't make this stuff up!).  These suits are very popular in the Sea of Cortez (or so we are told), to prevent jellyfish stings and sunburn and are especially useful when scraping the bottom of the boat.  The way I see it is that whoever has such a suit will have to scrape the bottom, so naturally I have so far resisted dressing up like a geek; but I suspect my time is coming.  They do come in a variety of colors - just about anything is OK as long as you don't look too much like a seal (and thus food for killer whales).  Still I think pink is a very bold statement.

As for our plans, it is now looking like we may not head any further south this season at all.  We have a flight booked to Edmonton on April 14th for a two-week visit to the frozen north and we are starting to think it is silly to sail down to PV for what would be a very short visit before we leave, and then have to turn around and start heading back north as soon as we return.  At this point, we have stayed here long enough to start paying the long-term cheaper rates at the marina, so leaving the boat here would be much less expensive, and we still have a few things we want to buy/fix before heading across to the Baja - we almost know where to find stuff here.  It would also be safe to say we are really enjoying our time here and don't really feel any great desire to leave.  We have seen quite a few boats arriving in the marina the last few days, coming from points south and mostly heading for La Paz in the next couple of weeks so it appears the migration has begun.  The winds have shifted to mostly from the south as well, although I am not sure this is more than a temporary blip - the prevailing south winds are not scheduled to arrive for another month or two.

Tomorrow, we are going to join some other cruisers to explore a little further afield, visiting a couple of the nearby towns.  Not sure at this time if we are going by bus or what, but I am sure it will be fun regardless.

BTW, the weather is starting to get a little warmer.  We notice that we are more and more often tossing the blanket off the bed at night.  Just a taste of what is to come?

{GMST}23|16.25|N|106|27.2833|W|Marina Mazatlan|Marina Mazatlan{GEND}