¿Qué Pasa?
One full year has passed since my last update, dear readers, but as you all know this one year has been 5 years, or 6 months, depending on the day. For months Harry has been in a mild panic over wanting to check on the boat but not feeling able to pull away from his work projects to do so. A few weeks ago, I finally said, “I’ll just go”, and last week, off I went.
On July 1 I flew to Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico and rented a car to drive to the yard in Guaymas. Though in your head you know the boat is still there and likely untouched, it is still a giant relief to pull up and see her just as we left her, albeit very very dusty.
The biggest worry though has been the state of the batteries. Theoretically they should have been fine, with no draw and small solar panels keeping up their charge. Afterall last season we left them for 7 months with multiple fans running in the boat. Upon returning the water level was low of course, but the plates were still covered. This year I was not as lucky. They were dry with all plates exposed. However, there was no crusty white/yellow residue which forms from sulfation, so this was moderate consolation. I poured all the distilled water we had into them, ~4L, but it wasn’t enough. I drove into town and cleaned out the store. All told, the 4 6V batteries took 10 liters, but they started charging in a normal fashion, and I had a few days to run some tests on their overall health.
This lonely little section of Mexico seems to be handling the pandemic fairly well. Masks are ubiquitous (double bonus they keep the also-ubiquitous dust out of your mouth), automated temperature checks are positioned at store entrances, and PSAs continue on the radio. Rapid tests are available in many pharmacies (I had to get one for my flight home), but they cost around 20USD which can be a lot there. Vaccines are available to those 40 and up at the moment, but unfortunately there seems to be a lot of hesitancy. I only met one person who was fully and proudly vaccinated. Others seem to have the attitude of “well, I’ve made it this far” .sigh. Side note: Wow, it is uhmazing how much less anxiety I feel moving around fully vaccinated. I know break-through infections are a thing and I still wear my mask etc. etc., but that low-grade worry all-the-time just isn’t there anymore. Such a relief.
My random treat for the trip was going to the CIRCUS! Fashioned straight out of mid-80’s Ringling Bros., the Hnos. (short for Hermanos) Fuentes Gasca have more than 15 troupes touring the Americas with big tops, clowns (payasos), jugglers, aerialists, Globes of Death/Steel, and cannons-shooting-stuntpeople! (thankfully, they no longer tour with animals). While the performance was fun, it was a tad depressing – the big top holds maybe up to 1000 people, but only about 60 were in attendance, and it’s pretty hard to keep the energy up with all those empty seats. I also heard that shows were often canceled with too few tickets sold. Nevertheless, it was a fun performance and I felt lucky to have gone.
Back at the boat, I patched some small holes in the cover, took lots of pictures to jog Harry’s memory of what we have and what needs doing, babysat the batteries, hung out with human and canine friends, and sweated. Lots -and-lots- of sweat. Inside it was 95F with up to 62% humidity; at night it got down to 89F. I slept in the cockpit with fans going and battled mosquitos with OFF. The boat yard in the summer is not a fun place, my friends.
July 5 I was up early to start the long trip home – driving back to Hermosillo, a layover in Dallas, and a chilly evening (62F) arrival in Santa Rosa. The batteries are full and seem content (we may still swap ‘em out for gels to save us this rigmarole in the future). All of my Spanish lessons, practice, workbooks, and apps have definitely paid off, and I am re-invigorated to keep going. Harry is finally at-ease. We are planning to high-tale it down when the first rain falls in Sonoma County (signaling the end of fire season) to resume our cruise south. Esperemos que recordemos cómo navegar (hopefully we remember how to sail.) .Wink.
