a very elite group of sailors who have made this passage. Since leaving San Diego February 28th we have sailed over 3,700 NM with more than 2/3 of that more than 50 miles off shore. A few highlights:
Right at the start of our journey from San Diego, Captain, me, entered the wrong port in Ensenada. It was dark and hard to see, anyone could have made the same mistake. In Asuncion Bay we tied the dinghy next to the boat and in the middle of the night it was hitting the hull and the Captain couldn't sleep. So I went on deck and started to re-tie it forward. As I untied it I let go of the wrong line and the dinghy was set adrift. How in the world was I going to explain this to Barbara, "I lost the
dinghy, honey". The gods looked onto me with favor because as I contemplated diving in after it the wind blew it right back to me. Whew, that was close! In Santa Maria bay we entered on a very dark and foggy night, anchoring next to shore with only our instruments as a guide and our ears listening to the surf hit the beach. I was happy camper when the sun came up the next morning and we were exactly where we were supposed to be and not washed up on shore. Barbara gets all the kudos on that one she
did a great job setting the anchor. We caught our first fish on the passage from Cabo to Mazatlan. It was a great moment I could taste it already but as it got closer to the boat, we realized it was a shark. Now what? I could just see me bringing that thing on deck and one of us gets bitten. No need to fear catching and landing are two different things. We have got the catching part down but we have had some issues with the landing part. When the shark got right next to the boat, it took a deep
look into my eyes of terror as I was about to whack it in the head, and took off, whew that was close! For those of you who keep asking we have yet to land one yet but we are close.
When we got to Puerto Vallarta I again went into the wrong port. Hey, honest mistake they all look alike besides I wanted to see what that area of town looked like. When we got to the right marina "there was no room in the inn" because it was Easter weekend, and everyone was in town for the big holiday, so we just took the biggest slip we could find. The marina was full and we couldn't prove our reservation to the security officer. The guard said we had to go! I said let me talk to your boss. He
said do whatever you want. That whole exchange was done in my fluent Spanish.
We have had a few mechanical and boat part failures along the way. The generator wouldn't start. Finally after 5-6 hours of trying everything the book said to try one of my marina mates called Teacup (no kidding, an English mate). This guy is in such high demand if I had tried to get this guy with his help it would have taken 2 weeks. Teacup stops by, listens, looks and in a couple of minutes finds the fuse housing in the start circuit was broken. A 15 cent piece of plastic had rendered us helpless.
He went to the local hardware store got a replacement and we were back in business. I am now an expert in generator repair. We broke a windshield not long after that. Suffice it to say I am now an expert on import/export laws of Mexico. We have had 2 shackles come undone. Never leave the dock until you are sure every shackle on deck is secured. I have been up the mast in a bosons chair while underway. I would not recommend that stunt to anyone but the view is excellent. Disney has contacted me about
making this a ride, "UP THE MAST OF TERROR"!
All in all we have had a very good 65 days. We have had problems like everyone out here and we have overcome each by putting our heads together and coming up with solutions. Bottom line, each time we faced these problems we overcame them and moved on. Two days ago we crossed the equator and both of us declared each other Shell Backs. We poured the Sea Gods a drink of our finest red wine. After a couple of hours of admiring our accomplishment we moved on. If we stopped right now the trip has been
a success Now in about 3-4 days we land in French Polynesia, a dream of both Barbara and I for many years. I am very honored and grateful to have Barbara as my first mate on Destiny as well as in my life as my wife. It has been a great adventure and will continue to be. We both can't wait to see what tomorrow brings us. We are truly blessed.
I will talk to you again in the islands where I am sure there will be more adventures. Destiny,KD0CFF,over and out.
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