SuperBowl and Projects in Barra

We are still at Barra de Navidad. Cindy is totally happy here as there is a French Baker who comes out to the laguna anchorage every morning with fresh baquettes, croissants, pastries and individual pies. These are to die for and Cindy just wants to eat those and stay here forever.

We saw the SuperBowl on Sunday in a small palapa bar with about 80 other gringos and locals. The place was packed as was any other place in town with a TV with English announcing. It was a shame the Seahawks did not win but it was a good game any way. We had nachos along with our cervezas then went out for tacos on the street afterward and then motored back to our boats via Nakia's dinghy. Our dinghy had a hole in the side so I spent a morning putting on a patch and so far it has held up but John on Nakia thinks it won't last long since I did not clamp it. We'll see.

Today is laundry day so we are in town again (after getting almond croissants from the French Baker off of his panga) and doing internet. Yesterday was ice day and small projects on Maggie Drum. Tomorrow I get to go up the main mast to unjam our roll up mainsail. It jammed on the way down to Tenacatita but I did not want to work on it there because to the rolling from the swells. It is hard enough to do without the mast swinging around like crazy and me trying to climb up, work and hold on at the same time. I'm just hoping I never have to do it in the ocean!

We plan to stay here a few more days then it will be off farther south to Santiago Bay at Manzanillo. Any one who has seen the movie "10" with Bo Derek has seen Manzanillo since the hotel was there at Las Hadas which is on a peninsula separating the bay. From there it is a long passage to Zihuatanejo where we will stay for a few weeks visiting and preparing for our departure for the South Pacific. The plan is still to push off mid-March depending on weather, provisioning and projects.

There is a group of people who have organized to share information about the trip to the South Pacific and to set up radio nets where every one will check in daily and in case of emergencies or problems. It is a real safety cushion to have contact with other boats headed in the same direction and who may be able to help if there is a need. I was the net control for the local cruiser net this morning on the VHF short distance radio. We take names, note arrivals and departures, and share info on weather, services available or needed in town, etc. The VHF is our local "telephone" but is a party line as every one can listen in, and they often do. You call someone on channel 22 then change to another channel to talk in "private" but lots of people like to snoop. The long range HF radio is used on the high seas or for long range traffic and weather on the Mexican coast. It is really handy to have.

Have to go have lunch and visit with friends. Hello to all our friends back home.

A special thanks to Terry, Diane and Brian at Anacortes Marine Electronics who helped me long distance in getting my new radar, chartplotter, autopilot and wind instrument up and running via email, which is a hard thing to do. They are great people and I highly recommend them if any of you boaters need electronics or service.