SAY IT ISN'T SO?!!

Yes it is SO!!!  That’s right, Will and I are back in Mexico waiting for our “Ship to come in.” Our parents said “Yes” to watching over our ‘lil Swab Nikki Longstocking. Nikki has a mind of her own, the stubbornness of a mule, she believes she is a pit bull (without lipstick)  and has her own itinerary or should I say hidden agenda as to what she wants to do.  This is why she has not been promoted to “Mate” yet.  We just pray our parents are still speaking to us when we get back to Florida. They arrived from their northeast home on the 21^st in route to stay at Will’s sister’s home a couple hours away from our home when we popped the indecent proposal….”would you consider staying at our home for a few days and watch Nikki?”  They kindly said yes and we flew out quickly not giving them a chance to change their minds… and now the few days has turned into a couple of weeks or more. Thank you mom and dad for your continued help with our endless adventure to relocate to the east coast.

 Our ships arrival has slowly been postponed from 1-22-13 to the most recent reported date of 2-9-13. We decided to have the boat lifted out of the water to put a paint job on the bottom. We arrived on Thursday 1-24-13 here in Ensenada.  Will and I took a metro train out of San Diego until we got to the San Ysidro exit which is also known as the U.S. Border and the entrance to Mexico.  We walked through security and from there found ABC Bus lines and went to Ensenada via the bus.  Perseverance was waiting for us in her slip at Cruise Port Marina and she looked great. (Not saying she didn’t need a bath we were more concerned with everything being intact and she was just as we left her.)

The boat was lifted out of the water at Baja Naval on1/28.  We found out we could stay on the boat while the boat had the work performed.  Interesting to say the least, you cannot turn on your water because of course it will flow out onto the workers and the ground.  The bathrooms were near our boat. After walking into the worker’s bathroom (which is NOT properly marked) it has a sign that says “Ubicacius lava…something”  I thought it meant “Drink water here”  and there was a face on the sign like a person at a water fountain. I didn’t get it.  Meanwhile there was a stair case next to it and the men and women’s bathrooms were located up there. So I found out after entering the water fountain room it was a bathroom for the marina workers and the water fountain sign meant “Eyewash area” in case they got spray in their eyes from the boatyard chemicals.  I ,of course, had already walked in to see a worker standing at a urinal holding his family jewels.  I did not stay to ask any questions. 

 

Once again we have met some great people (Al and Kathy) whom  went in the boat yard the same day as us.  They hauled out their boat “On the Double”  right behind us.  Their boat is a few slips down from ours in Cruise Port Marina and we joking raced to see who could get their boat lifted first.  We had spoken with them the day before on the dock and found out they had the same 8:00 am appointment time at Baja Naval.  They are from San Clemente which is a city in The OC (Orange County) near our old home in Long Beach. They told us of their recent cruise which lasted for 3 years. They went from Dana Point, CA  to Tahiti and onto Australia.  I said “Whoa, you guys have some Big Kahonas “(intestinal fortitude) because we have no desire to be at sea over 30 days at a time.  We love meeting new people and listening to their cruising tales, it reminds you there is a lot bigger picture than just the map of the United States.  Will was actually helping them with their boat lines to help prepare for the travel lift when the surge knocked Kathy off the dock ladder and she  took an unexpected exit into the water performing a perfect 10(according to Will). She was lucky not be hurt and managed to smile after Will and the line handlers got her out of the water.  What a trooper!!  I think I would have required therapy.  (Haha….or just the usual…stitches...for those that know me pretty well you understand that comment completely.)

 

We returned to Cruise Port Marina yesterday and being able to wash our hands in our own boat makes us smile.  I now understand and appreciate that old southern saying “Bye God, it’s as good as indoor plumbing!!” There are a lot of things about boating that are just not the same as being on a cruise ship.  We go to the store almost daily to get water to drink and make coffee with in the mornings.  We unlike a lot of boaters can shower on board (of course not during our haul out) – love that indoor plumbing ….even if it is salty Mexican water.  I told Will if I never eat another chip and salsa again it will be okay.  We are very, very spoiled in the United States and for those of you that have never left the country just cross the border and you will appreciate the things you take for granted and actually probably even find religion if you forgot to thank God for your basic luxuries such as clean water.  When we finish this Ensenada adventure I will point out a few more basic things we in the United States take for granted.  Will and I have decided we will try one of our favorite routines.  We will fire up our grill and cook some burgers tomorrow and see if a couple of our new boat neighbors will join us. We are planning to go into town with some other cruisers on Sunday to watch the Superbowl maybe not considering we keep forgetting whom is playing.  Will said “Uh Uh….It’s the Baltimore Ravens and the San Francisco 49ers.”  I am not good with that considering I did not know football games are on Thursday nights.  We usually reserve Thursday night television for any golf tournaments which get started on Thursday and end on Sundays.  We did get to watch the last few holes on Sunday as Tiger won the Torrey Pines event.  We went to the local restaurant the cruisers go to for TV screens and after an endless search found the tournament.  (Our radio and TV on board only has Hispanic channels and I think I understand on some days and then not so much on other days.)  Will and I watch endless reruns of DVD’s at night. We have about 20 or so movies and have about learned all the lines.  We forgot to bring more videos with us and went via a cab ride to the WalMart here. There were no videos in the English language.  Interesting enough the fresh chicken was in piles on a table and you put it in a bag they weigh it and price it. Located next to the chicken were whole fish which still had eyeballs staring up at me--- thank goodness their gills were not opening and closing. I might have had to buy a styrofoam cooler and pour some of my fresh water on them and release them in the marina.  We are not fishing enthusiasts although we do eat fish we did not catch as well as other meats.

 

For those of you reading our updates thank you for your continued interest and we will continue to keep you posted until we get Perseverance home in her new slip on the Florida Gulf Coast. Laters!!!