One of the (mostly) positive aspects the of cruising lifestyle is: You Just Never Know. The weather changes; the winds die; the swell wraps around and rocks the boat; the neighborhood keeps changing (as boats come and go.) Today was one of those You Never Know days for us.
I woke early to hear the pelicans diving for breakfast. The sky was bright blue after a few days of partial cloud cover. Almost no wind to move us around the hook. I listened to the weather forecast (ok, I'm a bit possessed and I listened to 3 forecasts: 2 on the single side band radio and 1 on the local cruisers net.) This time they all agreed: the storm system moving into Northern California will be impacting our weather by Saturday afternoon. So, suddenly instead of exploring the east side of Isla Carmen for 3 days, we will leave in the morning for Puerto Escondido. With the "norther" and small craft warnings in the forecast, we opted for the safety of a known, well protected anchorage. We have had our butts kicked by a norther before. You never know.
After breakfast, we loaded up the dinghy and headed out to Roca Solataria that is the prominent, 115 foot high landmark for the entrance to Agua Verde. We wanted to snorkel around the Roca. The water was a bit cool still (we had on full wet suits) but the visibility was good--and the fish were totally amazing. Wow! You never know.
Then it was back to Magic to clean her bottom. We DID know that it was becoming a bit of a jungle and as the water warms; more growth can be expected. We each took a hull and scrubbed and cleaned away. We did come to realize in a personal way exactly how much more waterline a cat has! All that lovely interior space has a price -- lots of bottom to clean. We (sort of) didn't know.
After a delightful warm shower and a quick lunch, I walked over the hill to the village. We had ordered a kilo of tortillas on Tuesday for pick up on Thursday. And the little tienda had both cold Coke and Coke Light! The key word is cold as we have turned off the refrigeration on Magic. It was a huge battery drain and though it is a new compressor -- something is definitely wrong. So cold drinks are a special treat when the cabin temperature is mid 80s.
Back at the boat, we began the lazy afternoon of reading, needlepoint, computer card games and power napping. A panga fisherman came by the boat and wanted to trade lobsters for gasoline. Um, I think we can make a deal! How about 2 gallons of gas for 2 lobsters. You just never know. Lobster tails on the BBQ for dinner with pineapple and mango; fresh tortillas; and a small tomato cucumber salad.
The breeze has dropped off. The sunset alert is over. The sliver of moon is up over the mountains. A fabulous day of cruising!
Tomorrow we head north to Puerto Escondido where we will do a few boat projects and meet my friends Sharon and Ernie for a couple of days cruising on Magic.
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