We Return to Mexico!

It's not just the margaritas. It's the people. Yes, Mexico suffers because it's located between the US and its need for cocaine and reefer, but the people are industrious, honest, and friendly. The old phrase "family values" has meaning here.

We flew from Anchorage to Oakland both to visit Conni's father and to retrieve our new solar panels and other items we had shipped to him. Shipping to Oakland was much cheaper than shipping to Anchorage, and shipping them all the way north, just to bring them back south made little sense. LaVerne also rebuilt the wind generator for us. After a few days of visiting, we packed the many items and flew to Cabo San Lucas. Dragging around 2 five-foot long glass panels was nerve wracking and filled with possible pitfalls, but we managed to get them through the maze of importation and transportation. We had two large duffles, the two panels, a large 6 cubic-foot "blue box" filled with the wind generator, books, and spare engine parts, two day packs, and two laptops.

We stayed for a week at Playa Grande resort, to which we have returned since 2001. It's decadent and welcoming. In our blog, we related our struggle to get the two solar panels to the boat in La Paz.

Conni-baby at play. She's happy since she's in the warmth of Mexico and out of the snow, cold, and dark of Alaskan winter.

Grand Solmar. Although we lost our comfortable little beach-front resort, the new Grand Solmar is quite, well, grand. Note the "infinity pool" facing the beach. Swim-up bar? Shoot, they have swim-up tables!

Wings below decks after three months. For ventilation, we leave open every cabinet and bin, but it sure makes the place look like a wreck. Foil covered every port to shield from UV.

Wings on the trailer, ready for launch. We stayed aboard the night before the launch in 30 kt winds and she didn't move a centimeter.

Alberto, "El Jefe"-The Chief, as we call him, adds some padding and shims under Wings' keel.

Wings on her trailer is surrounded by trimarans. In front is a large trimaran with black below waterline, and behind is a small tri with a sky-blue below waterline. The small tri was named Sea Gypsy and hailed from Ketchikan, Alaska. Small world.

Bill waits and watches for the launch. He rode the boat into the water to handle emergencies aboard. The silver cover protects our inflated dinghy. We used the blue sheet on the boom to reduce chafing from the winter cover draped over it.

A great view of the launching situation. Behind Wings is the small inlet in which boats are plucked and launched.

Wings becomes a boat again! Welcome home, girl! All boats look a bit forlorn while on the hard, even if it's just for a while. Many of the boats in the yard had begun to disentegrate in place. We wanted Wings back in the water.

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