Marina Mazatlan
Since we first sailed down to Mexico in 1997, we've probably spent more time at this marina than anywhere else on the coast. It's changed a lot since then, and gotten expensive with its glitzy condos and fancy restaurants, but more than once we've sat out weather and taken refuge here for repairs for a week, a month, two months... There are worse places to be stranded.This time, we had planned to be here three days, then off to Baja, up to Santa Rosalia and then across the Sea of Cortez and home. But Señor Neptune had other ideas. Big seas are coming up, and it's predicted the port here will close for at least a day (maybe Sunday). Winds are expected to be too light to sail, but the waves will be formidable, not a good combination. So we're waiting it out. It's been overcast and breezy here, with temps around 86 degrees, and a little light rain in the evenings.
I had breakfast in town yesterday with my fellow blogger Nancy and her husband Paul, giving us a chance to catch up on each other's lives (stuff that doesn't often appear in our blogs)
We took Chica to a vet we've known since 1998, and consulted him about her leg, and next morning he operated, inserting a piece of nylon to help keep the patella from slipping, or luxating. Then he painted the entire leg a gaudy pink, but we'll forgive him for that. She's taking an anti-inflammatory and glucosamine, and he says she should be running around chasing balls in a few days. She's wearing a heartbreaking hangdog expression and flopping down every chance she gets. The bill: $1500 pesos, less than $150 USD. Oh, and he wants her to go on a diet, says it'll help if she's lighter on her feet. Funny, I didn't know she was overweight. Duh.
Just by accident, the Capt found that the end of the fuel line was dissolving into a mass of black tar, which didn't bode well for the connection to the tank or the condition of the fuel. Left undiscovered, it could have meant some crippling deposits in the engine and some major downtime at sea.
Yesterday I did most of the provisioning, though I plan to load up on more canned and dried goods, since we have no refrigeration, and may have no access to ice or water for as much as a week. Places we might normally be able to buy necessities could have closed down for the summer by now. If all goes well, we can replenish in La Paz, another of my favorite Mexican cities.
LLa Paz
This morning while walking Chica, I got reacquainted with Marta, a Colombian veterinarian who lives with her Canadian husband in a nearby boat. She doesn't speak much English, so it's good practice for my Spanish. Snuggled inside her tote bag was a grey tabby kitten that was destined for adoption by a nearby condo-dweller. Marta's been busy vaccinating, neutering, feeding and looking for homes for the dock cats, and she warned me about rat poison the restaurants have been setting out along the walkway.She disagrees with Dr. Rafael's estimate that Chica can use the leg in three days, says it should be more like eight. She brought me something to help heal the incision faster.
I decided I could view this delay as a bonus vacation. So, poco á poco, we prepare this boat and ourselves for an adventure. I'm just wondering what other surprises Señor Neptune has for us.