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| Touchdown into the bay! |
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| Bottom painting in bunny suit |
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| Another coat of teak oil on companionway doors |
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| Engine Room project |
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| Rebuilding aft head |
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| Head #2 rebuild |
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| Enjoying the scenery |
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| Nice reward after a journey |
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| Wind in our sails |
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| Navy ships crossing paths - changing of the guard |
We splashed Pura
Vida on January 30th. As occurs
each time we have the fortune to put our beloved boat into the water, we all experience
a glorious moment when her keel safely touches the shallow water of the bay. It’s
like, yes, you are home now. Andres and Alejandro, the guys running the travel
lift, give us high fives and we set loose our mooring lines and float toward
the little white building across the bay. It’s the landmark that must be
tracked to avoid going aground. In fact, one of the other boaters in the yard recently
donated two buoys to help mark the narrow passage out around the peninsula and
into the harbor.
It’s so magical
to be afloat, meandering to the harbor buoys as we breathed in the fresh sea
air, welcomed by harbor seals and diving birds as we head out to sea. There is
nothing like a warm breeze on your face as you ponder your new water world and
the possibilities ahead.
After an
extended time working on various projects, our boat was ready for some action.
We’d grown used to living in the dirt yard that is Marina Seca, and as you can
imagine, the sea beckoned and we were itching to put up a couple of sails.
Marina Seca means ‘dry yard’ but in a desert environment, that means dust, dirt
and when it rains, mud. Dirt camp it’s often referred to. But, it’s all part of
the boat prep experience here, made tolerable by commiserating with others, each
with stories of their own. I guess that all makes it seem OK.
We’ve enjoyed
three weeks on the water wandering about this area of the Sea of Cortez with
another 8 grand days before us.
Life requires a
return to Portland by March 10th, so we will haul out on the first.
A mad dash of 4 days to prep the boat for another long summer on the hard. Then
we begin our journey north toward Portland and a whole new chapter in our
lives. We are so thankful to be coming back to our new to us home on the
Columbia River, safe after a very cold couple of winter months in the chilly
northwest.
Bird watching is
always a highlight and this year’s bounty includes:
- Pelican
- Heron – great blue, night
crowned, green
- Egret – great, snowy
- Grebes – pied bill, eared
- Oystercatchers
- Sandpipers, dowitchers and
other little bouncy butt shorebirds
- Boobies
- Cormorant
- Arctic tern
- Roseate Spoonbill (yea!)
- Kingfisher
- Vermillion flycatcher
- Lots of other land and
waterfowl
