WOW TIME FLIES

It has been a long time since I last updated the blog.  Well over a month.  This is the biggest gap for a long time, and I hope not to have it happen again. 

We are now back "home" in La Cruz, a small, very charming fishing village with a good anchorage and a big marina.  Despite its "gringo problem" it has not lost its Mexican identity.  Local children swarm the streets and park at all hours, especially after the sun goes down.  Parents down here are much more relaxed about giving kids freedom to enjoy themselves.  It reminds me of the 50's in the US when our parents weren't afraid of predators hunting thier kids.  I don't think any of us had ever heard the word pedophile.  How did I get around to writing about this?

Anyway to do a little catch up.  While in Mazatlan we hauled Grace and had her bottom painted, and replaced the propeller shaft bearing I damaged last summer by rapping the prop and shaft with a rope.  Not once, but twice.

It was cool to see women playing key roles in the haul out.  The Fonatur marina in Mazatlan is run by women.  The men take care of maintanence, women do everything else.  It easily the best run, cleanest, most polite marina we have stayed at while in Mexico.

Running the marine lift by remote control.

Larry and Karen inspecting the shaft bearing.

Grace propped up and ready for paint.

We had the old failing paint sanded off, an epoxy base coat and two coats of Comex bottom paint applied plus the bearing replaced.

Mazatlan

The first time we came thru Mazatlan we were in a hurry.  Didn't get away from the marina district while there, and left feeling real indifferent about it.  The second time thru we came to like it a lot.  



Old town Mazatlan is very European.  Many of the buildings date back to the 1860's, a time in US history when settlement west of the Mississippi consisted of scattered ranches and cow towns.  

Gallery

Gallery courtyard

Leather wall hanging

Universities, music conservatories and artist galleries are prominent fixtures of Old Town, along with a plethora of really good resturants.  We look forward to returning this coming spring while returning to the Sea of Cortez for one more summer.



Mazatlan

We are in a marina in Mazatlan.  We had a great trip down.  Lots of wind makes for lots of speed.  We got here about 6 hours short of three days, averaging about 6.5 knots.  Thats real good for us.

More later

Leaving San Carlos

Our damaged parts have been repaired.




We took a nice long walk with Kara, Ann and Dave from Taking Flight.  It was a perfect day, cool without wind.  Kara and Judy had problems with sandles rubbing hot spots on their feet, neither one cried.

We saw some horses grazing near the road on the way back, which made Kara's day.   They may be wild, as they seem to be wandering about in the hills all the time.

 
Finally, it is time for us to move on.  We are going to make a four day passage to Mazatlan.  Have not done a long one for quite a while.  Will be nice to get further south, as its been cold up here.  Morning temps are in the high 50's, afternoon's only in the 70's.  Way to cold for us aclimitized gringos

SAY WHAT?

I've always felt lucky to have been born in the USA, the best place in the world.  I still want to believe this, but times have changed, and I'm not sure anymore that the US is the best.

How would one objectively determine the best place?

I don't really know, but this chart seems to be as good a place to start as any.  It looks at the poverty levels in the developed world, income distribution, the level of resources devoted to preparing preschool children for school and quality of health care.  It also has an overall measure termed "social justice" that the report describes as: "The differences in the prevention of poverty and access to educational opportunities...".  The report clearly demonstrates, the US is not the best place to be if you are poor.  In the US chances are if you are poor, you will remain poor and so will your children.

A large and growing permanent underclass is as much a threat to domestic tranquility as any threats from abroad.  In 2010 the US was responsible for 43% of the entire world's defense expenditures.  The Chinese spent 7.3%.  I think we can safely take a few billion from the military to educate our children and care for our sick and poor.  Besides, if our wacko politicians had a few less toys to play with we might not send our kids on dangerous, silly, expensive overseas escapades.

A WALK IN SAN CARLOS

Took a walk with Ian of Kassasa yesterday through a gap in the hills near the "Goats' Tits" to the bay north of San Carlos.  It was quite a nice walk, as much for the cultural immersion as the beautiful scenery.



The "Goats' Tits"





Memorial markers are quite common





Memorial markers with a sense humor..
not so common



Defacing road signs..

quite common

often very funny



Condo on a hill....
residents take the spiral road
after passing inspection at the prison tower gate





Lady of Guadalupe....
her image is everywhere

 Repairs have started on the stainless damaged when we were run over the other day.  Hopefully we can begin moving again next week.  Probably will stay on the east side of the Sea of Cortez while making for Mazatlan.

WE GOT HIT

Yesterday a large power boat in the next slip ran us over.  He was backing in, after a day out fishing, when a gust of wind blew him into Grace, snagging our dinghy davit, driving it through his window, snapping the 1 1/2 inch stainless tube like a cheap pretzel.  The stern pulpit is also damaged.  The owner of the boat, a 50+ foot Hatteras has agreed to pay to costs of the repair, so as of now we are not filling an insurance claim.

Davit twisted 90 degrees

Snapped davit and bent tubing.

Damage to the Hatteras

This morning we turned Grace around in the slip so the stainless repairman could get better access to it, so the pictures don't really show the large amount of room he had to get into his slip.  A 20 knot gust of wind blew him down on us, but in my mind he was just going to darn fast for the conditions and could not respond quick enough.

We will be here in San Carlos for a week or so getting this fixed, so our plans are now up the the air.  The one fixed date we have is November 22, in Mazatlan for bottom painting.  Should make that with no problem.