Gearing up for the crossing!
Well we last left you after we had just arrived
in Puerto Vallarta holding on to our functioning engine by a thread. It’s now
mid-March, and you might be wondering…. Where is Arctic Loon now? Are they in
French Polynesia? Half way across the ocean? At the bottom of the Pacific? Back
home in Seattle because it all just got to be too much? Nope, none of the
above. We’re still in Puerto Vallarta and gearing up to cross.
Those of us who are “puddle jumping” need to
watch the weather throughout the month of March to determine our departure
date. The very first weather window occurred around March 6th. At that point,
we didn’t feel quite ready (read on to find out why), and having only a 90 day
visa to spend in French Polynesia, it worked out with our schedule to wait
anyway. So far, only about 7 boats that we know of have started out on the
journey. We’re all waiting for the next weather window, which should hopefully
be about a week from now!
So here’s what we’ve been up to during these last
couple weeks of preparation.
Jumping ship: With all of our mechanical issues,
Anne and I (Emma) decided we weren’t cut out for the sailing life, so we booked
flights out of Mexico relieved to escape PV’s tropical paradise. ……… Just
kidding. But both of us did leave Mexico for about a week to take care of
business back home. Anne to Seattle, and Emma to Denver. Both experienced
significant temperature shock upon returning after remembering what snow felt
like, and both came carrying as many boat goodies (hinges, electronic devices,
kayaks….yes kayaks) as they could.
Gaining a crew member:
Connie, our 4th
ocean crosser arrived on March 2nd, and we are so happy she’s
finally here! She’s the grounded, calming energy that perhaps we all needed in
the midst of all of the mechanical failures and provisioning planning. She also
brings with her a wealth of knowledge that comes from living aboard her own
sailboat. 34 years ago, Connie actually named her daughter Marquesa after our
destination, so it’s safe to say this has been a lifelong dream of hers, and
we’re excited to be fulfilling it with her.
Alternator…. again…. :
At this point we’ve
almost lost track of how many times our alternator and regulator have failed us
in some way. After the last post’s adventure making it to PV from Barra without
a functioning alternator, we thought our mechanical woes might just be
over. But of course, after fixing the
alternator, and replacing the regulator with a brand new one flown in by our
dear friends Heather and Rick, yet another alarm went off as we took off from
PV to Punta Mita to meet our wonderful friend Robin (who taught us much needed therapeutic
painting). At this point, we were genuinely wondering if the crossing should happen
or not. Perhaps the universe was trying to tell is this just wasn’t the right
time. But here we are, ten days, two scheduled mechanic visits, and one fixed blown
fuse later…. we’re ready to go, and we’re positive it is the right time. Well….
at least we’re positive it’s the right time for another shake down.
Temporarily
vagabonding in La Cruz : Right around the time of the first weather window, we had two major
things on our mind. The first was our alternator problems. We needed to move
the boat from La Cruz to Puerto Vallarta to get them fixed. Second, was boat
insurance for the crossing. We’ll spare you the details of that saga, but
essentially, we (and many many other puddle jumpers) were having difficulty
finding an insurance company to cover us for anything less than an outrageous
fee. We had to prove our credentials as sailors (Anne’s and Diana’s that is)
over and over again, and we’re even quite suspicious that one company was
refusing to cover us because of a bias against female captains. We did get one
insurance quote that required the boat to be hauled out (lifted out of the
water) for an inspection. And of course, the only day that was available to do
this at the ship yard was the same day we planned to go back to PV to meet the
mechanics. But we switched around out schedule, and planned to take off later
in the day instead. Buuuut poor Arctic Loon just couldn’t do it. The inspection
revealed that she had a tiny crack (minor problem), and would need to stay at
the ship yard over night to be fixed up. With the local hotel full, this left
us sitting on the sidewalk in the hot sun pouring over Airbnb trying to find a
reasonably priced room within walking distance. We found one of course, but not
before a few exasperated sighs and doubts about Arctic Loon’s readiness for the
Pacific (a common theme these days, can you tell?)
Boat maintenance – the
new “T-Mobile” : Remember
all of Anne’s technology problems? The ones where she couldn’t get her various
internet calling software to communicate, and T-Mobile wouldn’t let her keep
her American phone number, and her credit card was marked with fraud, and
pretty much anything electronic she touched turned to dust? Well poor Captain
Diana had her version of all that this week with boat maintenance issues.
Again, we’ll spare you the details, but there have been hinges that were inside
out, invisible steering cables, screws that were too tight, screws that were
too loose, bolts that wouldn’t budge, and all the other problems that our
friend WD40 just couldn’t solve for us. It’s always incredibly satisfying when
a problem is checked off the list though, and we’re down to the nitty gritty.
Arctic Loon will never be perfect, but she’s getting pretty darn close.
Friends and Catan : Despite all of our complaints, we
really can’t claim all that much hardship these days. We’re living in a place
that is quite literally called “Paradise,” relaxing after our mechanical work
with a nice mojito on the beach. And to top it all off, we’ve decided to “buddy
boat” with a lovely family on a boat called Agatha that is heading out on the
same adventure. We’ve been having meetings with them sharing knowledge and
laughing about how much we’ll miss Mexican avocados and margaritas. On our last
trip to their boat, we discovered that we are both Catan playing boats, so we
set up a big game along with our sweet neighbors Rob and Spencer who are
heading to Hawaii soon. It was a night to be social and not talk about what
boat device is or isn’t working, when the winds will be ideal, or how best to
read the weather. We’re grateful for the comradery we’ve found on this journey,
and can only look forward to all of the incredible people we’ll meet in the
months to come.
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A much needed mental health day |
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Getting hauled out |
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Anne's trip home |
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Emma looking for the steering cables |
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A typical phone screen these days.... a weather report. |
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Statue at the Malacon |
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Beaded sculptures made by a community in the mountains nearby |
Trying to find the steering cables under Emma's bed |
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Out to eat on land while our boat is hauled out |
What an Adventure & LOVE LOVE LOVE that the Chica’s are rolling with the punches with great Humor, Curiosity & Conviction!
ReplyDeleteCarpe Diem & Safe Crossing Ladies!
Xo CM
Incredible Journey! We cannot wait to join you!
ReplyDelete