Splash. Boom. Dang!

 Well, the splashing didn't go quite as planned. 

The day we were scheduled to go in the water, the yard workers came to us and informed us the ramp was just repaired and the cement wasn't dry yet and we needed to wait until the next day. What? Repaired ramp? And we were going to be the test boat to see if the repairs worked. 

Luckily, the splashing went ok but as soon as we tried to back out the engine started to go haywire and I had to jerryrig it. The "channel" out of the the yard area isn't marked and is about 15 feet wide. Instead of marking the channel they decided it would be better to just explain where it is and watch the fun. No one informed us that it is common for boats to run aground from time to time. We weren't 1000 feet from the ramp and hit something, and I know we were in the imaginary channel they described to us. We tried the normal things to get loose, backing up, turning sideways, heeling the boat over etc. Nothing worked. Two other boats were launched as we were trying all this and requests for help were met with, no fucking way are we getting near you! ( not a direct quote, but basically the same). The tide was going out fast and within 2 hours we went from 5% heel to 20% heel. The wind started to blow about 10 knots so as a last effort we deployed the sails to help heel us more in hopes it would free the keel from the mud. But what it did was blow us another 20 feet into the shallower water! Crap!  2 more hours and Nomitia was completely on her side! 

We were told that the first thing you do when running hard aground is cover up the name of your boat, so people can't make fun of you later. Or pull out the paint and make it look like you meant to do this so you can paint the bottom. But, everyone here knows us, so......

So we blow up the dingy, a nearly impossible feat on a boat that's heeling at 35 degree angle now, and (after hours of working on the outboard to get it running) I  took Dominga and the dogs ashore. Using the dinghy, I set bow and stern anchors out in the middle of the channel and then we waited until the tide came back in...over 9 hours later. In the crazy chaos there is always a silver lining. We met some wonderfully crazy 'seasoned' sailors that kept us entertained with rum and cokes, great storytelling, music and laughter (and a magical plant that seems to make people happy, we need to market this stuff) while we waited. We now know them as King George and King Arther. Thank you gentlemen.

About 9 pm the boat was back up to about 10 degrees of heel, so we dinghyed out to the boat with the dogs. Dominga pulled in the stern anchor and I pulled in the bow anchor. It was remarkably easy to pull the boat through the mud and back into the middle of the channel ( which wasn't exactly where they first told us,btw). We motored, very slowly, out to an anchorage near the city and called it good for the night. 

One thing this showed us is that we need to store things much better in the boat. Everything from the starboard side of the boat was now on the port side of the boat. It took 3 days to put everything back in its place, but this time stuff won't move. 

Another thing we learned, attitude is the difference between an adventure and an ordeal. We consider this an adventure.

Arizona, last stop in U.S.

So we're in Wellton Arizona, visiting a friend that is more like family. We only meant to stay a day or two...five days later it's still hard to say goodbye, but we will head for the border tomorrow morning. Tiffiney and her family have been wonderful, helping us relax before the last stressful leg of our six month adventure in the U.S. We look forward to the holidays in Mexico with our friends we haven't seen in months, but will also be missing our amazing families. Love and hugs, happy holidays and peace out.

Splashing!

After 6 days of work on the boat, we're ready to put her in the water. We are scheduled to splash at 8am, which could mean noon Mexican time.

When we got to the boat on Tuesday one of the first things we had to deal with was 6 months of sandy dust covering everything, inside and out. We had to remove and wash everything, clean every nook and cranny and scrub the out side. Two days. 

Then we had to paint the bottom. The paint we put on 3 years ago still looked pretty good. We wanted to add a couple more layers so we won't have to do it again for another 3, or more, years. 

First we had to use paint thinner to clean off the dirt and loose paint. We also wanted to raise the water line because we have added so much stuff that the boat sets about 3 inches lower then when we bought her. So Dominga taped a beautifully straight line 6 inches above the current water line.

We used 120 grit sand to give "bite" to the old paint so the new will stick. Washed off the dust and painted two layers of blue paint. Three days. 

Then we put the sails and boom back together and packed gear from the van onboard. One day.

This may seem like a long time to some of you, but many other cruisers here are amazed we got her ready so fast. We're motivated. 

After we're in the water we still have a few days of tidying the interior and adding additional rigging, then off to the islands.

Dude, I'm working and you're taking pictures.....of me working.

They aren't working.......

And you're taking more pictures.

Mexico or Bust!

The thing about writing your plans in the sand is that the tides change often. After much debate and hours of consideration, we are on our way back to Mexico. Leaving family and friends was even more difficult this time. We have tried very hard to be sure there are more lines of communication, and encourage everyone to follow us on the blog, or face book, or even Twitter. We will post links to our inReach so everyone can see where we are in a detailed fashion, and follow our path "home" to Nomatia.

So we're at Denny's now, somewhere off 101, hoping to make Santa Maria tonight and Wellton Arizona tomorrow night. Love and hugs to all!

Four legged crew members

Got their shots and updated paperwork, stamped and signed and official looking. They are ready to go back to Mexico! 

Seriously??

So we are going to James' parents this evening, and very much looking forward to this extra visit with them (they're awesome!) but it seemed karma wanted to play tricks on Dominga today:

James had a class and asked me to fill the gas tank so we can leave right free work. No problem.....right? 

PROBLEM!!!

Driving down frontage road, gas pedal ceases to exist! Seriously, it feels like it's gone!! I'm slamming my foot down, wiggling it back and forth, but it's on the floorboard and is not coming back up! Don't panic, I tell myself, because I am approaching a stop sign with little park to the right so I coast in...No Parking spaces open! Ok, park on the red curb and call Good Samaratin Roadside assistance. Very nice kid shows up, after getting ver very bad directions from GSRA...very bright and observant he says " Ma'am there's something leaking. You got a leak." A closer look wasn't really necessary, you could smell the gas. 

Insert four lettered word used to express extreme frustration.

Ok. Get the van to a safe place and review situation. 

So I have it towed back to the Berkeley Marina, leave a message for James at work, and break out the Google. "How to fix a gas pedal" led to "how to replace a throttle cable". Well, karma was on my side this time. It wasn't broken, but the bolt had come off and I got grease up to my elbows trying to follow the cable until I located the missing bolt. 

Now, the gas gage doesn't work in the van, but I was pretty sure we had close to a half tank....and Google listed "Gas tank repair kit" when I searched "patch a gas tank". So all I needed was an auto store. No problem, O'Rielys was just a few miles away. I could make it if I didn't sit there and think about it too long. Could I patch a gas tank? Why not, I found the missing bolt.

Flash forward to O'Rielys parking lot and me hunkered down under the van, towels, tools, and repair kit. The kit came with a small wax looking piece that said to 'use to stop leak temporarily so it can be dried and sanded.' So I rub the wax on and the "insert 7 lettered word' hole gets bigger and the small leak has turned into a steady stream of gas. I grabbed a bowl and put it under the leak while I keep rubbing the wax over it. It took about 5 minutes and two bowls to stop the leak enough to dry, sand and apply the epoxy patch. 20 minutes after that, the 12 Van is back on the road, leAk free with a fill tank.

Chilly day, warm thoughts.

Yesterday we got an email from Lorah, who's crewed with James and also attended the Mexico presentation we did. Apparently we did ok. She said she loved it. That made it all worth while. Thank you Lorah.

It's starting to get cold here, the days are still on the warmer side, but nights are getting a bit chilly and we're ready to head south for the winter. A few more weeks, a little bit more cash for the kitty, definitely more hugs from the families, and then we'll shed our winter coats and run for the border.

OCSC Seminar

OCSC asked James to do a seminar on cruising in Mexico. We had a great turn out and are pretty sure we talked a few people into chasing the dream, as well as meeting people who were already working on their 2 year or 4 year plans. We really hope to see them all someday, waving from the bow of their boat. 

Vamping....camping in a van.

It was uncomfortable for us at first, to tell people where we're staying, because it changes day to day. On our way back from Washington/Oregon we found out the place we had arranged to stay was no longer available....WTF?! Was our initial reaction. Where will we go, what will we do?

Two dogs made it very difficult to find a place we could afford that would also allow our four legged furries. We did luck out, a very nice student of James' offered us a very good deal on a room to rent, and loved the dogs.....but the commute was really long, not something James could do on a bike, and when we added the amount for gas to drive back and forth from Berkeley to Tiburon, it raised our monthly cost by another $300. After a long talk, we decided it wouldn't work. It was just to much money and our reason for staying so long in the states was to build our kitty back up. Solution?

We live in our van. We have a few places we're welcome to park. Friends have lent us keys for showers. When we have a few days off, we spend them with James' family, either in Portola Valley or Sacramento. We found inexpensive places to eat out. $5 little ceasars once a week, $2 tacos at Monte Cristos on Wednesdays. Indian lunches starting at $7 and Chevy's happy hour.

We debated on letting people know where we're staying, we don't want pity or anyone feeling sympathy for us. This was a choice we made. It sucks sometimes. It's not the most comfortable with only 4inch cushions to sleep on, but it's another adventure. And if you know James and I, you know we embrace adventure, weather it's fun and easy or challenging and difficult. This is how you get to know yourself and your partner. Tell me how many of you reading this could not only live in a 36ft boat for 2 years with two people and two dogs, but also in a 1982 Chevy van for two months with the same 2 people and 2 dogs? Our Van could fit inside our 36ft boat, but somehow it's made us as a couple stronger. I could talk to James for hours, and sometimes we do. No T.V. What else is there? We could read and ignore each other, but we actually like each other a lot, so conversation is much more entertaining than any book I could pick out......but I must admit, (this is Dominga confessing) that I miss my NFL games.

Family

Two wonderful days in Sacramento visiting James amazing kids. Had a chance for a day of doing nothing...much needed. And a day of getting lots done. Awesome lunch with Chad in Davis at a place that makes pizza like subway makes sandwiches. Think it was called Blaze Pizza. Best pizza...but then we got to make it so of course it was!

Cruising in Mexico Seminar

James and I are working hard on this little project. OCSC has asked us to do a seminar and what it's like cruising in Mexico. We're very excited to be doing this! But wow, it's a lot of work trying to organize the past two years of our lives in pictures. We take a lot of pictures!!!

Thank you anonymous !

Driving into San Francisco as we pull up to pay our toll we are informed the wonderful woman in the car ahead of us paid our toll! Some days we are so glad to part of this amazing human race. 

Oregon to California.

We got a chance to stop in Newport Oregon to go to our favorite hole in the wall cafe. Delicious as always at Cafe Mundo. We also went to Crater lake. Amazing if you've never been it is worth the trip. The park roads are a bit scary in some places . We recommend a compact vehicle and not a full size Van.

Mika in Mexico

Surfing?

Is it on???

Back to the S.F. Bay Area to build up our cruising kitty.

Dominga went up to Washington to spend some well needed time with her family for a couple of months and James went back to OCSC sailing school to work. 

Here James is teaching the Offshore Drakes Bay class.

Great time circling the Farallon Islands

American won't let me go!

America won't let us go!

I thought when I left the shores of the U.S. I'd be done with all the debt and payments of life in America. Before we sailed away for our slow-motion tour of the world, we made sure we had no monthly payments and all of our debt was paid off. 

But the long arm of the "American Dream" won't let us go. It started with a notice from the IRS after we have been in Mexico for a year. They wanted to let me know that H&R Block made a little mistake in my 2011 taxes and I now owed $3900 in back taxes. Oh ya, the interest and penalties were adding up, so pay soon. 

Then Alameda county sent me a bill for 2014 property taxes for our boat. We were there in 2012 and 13 , and did pay the property taxes for those years. But we were in Mexico for all of 2014 , so owed no taxes for that year. I thought this must just be a oversight and thought a quick email would straighten out the issue. Oh no, that would be to easy. They informed me that I had to prove I wasn't there or they were putting a lean on my boat. I emailed them the only proof I had, which was the Temp. Import Permit (which you get from Mexico to allow you to keep you boat in Mexico for 10 years). And we did spend a total of 10 days in marinas, which I had receipts for. I didn't hear back from them for 5 months. 

Then, California found out about the H&R Block mistake and I now owed them $1500. 

And Then, when I tried to renew my expired drivers license they let me know I had two unpaid traffic tickets and that both had failure to appear warrants! One in Oakland, which I remember getting and thought I paid. The other was in Fairfield for not having a registration, which I don't remember getting. These were both for the last few months we were in the states.

5 new bills?! I thought I was done with this crap! 

I called Oakland, about one of the traffic tickets, and was only on hold for 30 minutes before a very nice man talked me through the bill of $467. He even let me know that if I wrote a letter to the judge he sometimes will excuse the $300 for the warrant and I could only pay the $167 for the ticket. I was pleasantly surprised. He was very nice. 

So I was hoping for the same when I called Fairfield........ not so much. 

This guy talked like a robot and informed me that they sent out a notice to the last known address, (which was a address that I haven't used in 6 years). When the noticed was returned they filed it and now there were penalties and interest for a total of $597 and it had been sent to their collections dept. so now there was nothing he could do about it and I had to call them and pay them. He said all this like he was reading from a script. For some reason that set me off. 

I went on a 5 minute rant, during which time he never said a word and just listened. I won't go over all the details, but I did say things like, how I had updated my address with the DMV 4 years ago and why couldn't they get my updated address from them!? Where did they get my address? Do they work from paper files!? Or did they use micro-fish!? I said I'll pay this extortion money because the system didn't allow me any choice, but I hoped they use part of the money to update their systems to the twenty first century! "I know you're just a drown with no decision making power and your job was just to deal out the misery, so you don't give a crap about anything I am even saying, do you?!" This semi-abusive rant went on for 5 minutes. After, there was a short pause like he was making sure I was finished. And then, in a monotone voice, said "yes sir,....... would you like the number for the collection department now"?

So when I called the collections department, I wasn't in a great mood. 

She was just as mechanically toned as mister personality from Fairfield. She was just as patient as I repeated my rant to her. She also couldn't care less about anything I was saying. 

I asked her if I could set up a payment plan and how much did I have to pay every month. 

"Sir, as long as you make a payment every month, you can pay any amount you want". 

Even a dollar? 

"Yes Sir". 

Ya, but the interest is so high that I'll be paying forever, right? 

 "Sir, as long as you make a payment every month, there will be no interest charged". 

So, I went right to the website she gave me and set up a payment plan for $1 a month for the next 597 months. That's a little less than 50 years.

Somehow I felt like I won that one.

Now I had to deal with Alameda county. I started a email campaign until I got a email informing me that a "supervisor" called me to ask if I filed taxes in California in 2014 and because they didn't get a call back they closed my file and put a lean on my boat! 

I got no such call and we have been communicating via email the whole time, why now the call? Now I'm pissed! I looked up every email I could find in the Alameda county that had anything to do with marinas, taxes, collections and ALL supervisors, in every department.  I sent then all a email outlining the entire history of how I was being illegally charged and their process for charging taxes was a scam and how I have tried to get help and everyone there acting like I was wasting their time. The next day I got a email from a supervisor letting me know that they have reviewed my file and they agreed with my stand on this and would reverse the lean on my boat. 

Three issues down. 

For the IRS, I sent them a request for monthly payments and didn't hear back from them for months. So then I started the campaign to talk to a person. I made 3 calls where I was on hold for over 45 minutes and all of the calls ended with them (their phone-bot, at least) hanging up on me. I tried email also with no luck. I then decided to go down to the IRS office in Oakland, to talk to them face to face. The lady at the front disk gave me a number and said its going to be about 2 hours before I can talk to someone. Or, I could call the IRS office and if I did it between the hours of 6 and 7 pm, I would get through. She said it was some little known secret. 

She was right! I was only on hold for 20 minutes and was talking to a person! And she was nice! Amazing, isn't it. Blow me away too. Also, some how the total dropped from $3900 to $1890! I was to afraid to ask her why. That's the total she gave me, and I was going with it.  She also said I could make payments as low as $28/month with no more penalties and only 3% interest. Again, somehow I felt like I won that one, even though I'm still paying. I think state agencies have figured out this way to just make us think we've won. 

So we're stuck back here in the states until we pay off all these, what I call 'American Dream' bills. Hopefully just a few months, and then back to Nomatia. We can't wait. 

Why we cruise on a sailboat

I have had people ask me why I enjoy the cruising life style and why I'm not afraid of sailing on oceans and living a "risky" life style. They somehow think it's a dangerous endeavor. I must really look at things differently then most people. 

When most people watch something on the news or a movie about a sailboat sinking offshore, they look at that and think, 'that must be dangerous'. But when I see these movies, I think it must happen so rarely that when it does it's noteworthy enough to be on the news or make a movie about it. But thousands of people die driving down the streets every year. It happens so often that you almost hear nothing about it even though people die in car accidents about every minute in America. 

It must be safer out in the ocean then living in anyplace on land.

The other thing I hear is ' what about financial securely, aren't you afraid you'll go hungry?' This stems from their false sense of job securely they have about their jobs. You can easily be fired, companies go out of business, funding runs out, economic melt downs (a big one is coming very soon) etc....etc. on the other hand we have many skills that we know will always be in demand and we know we will never be without work when we need it. Which is another thing, " when we need it". Living in the states there is a never ending parade of bills. Rent, cable, health insurance, car insurance, car payments, gas for the car, electric bills, property taxes, income taxes, life insurance, cell phone, Internet, tolls, etc..etc.. It never ends. We, on the other hand have no monthly bills, produce our own electricity, can catch a lot of our own food, have no rent, live in countries where health care is cheap or free and don't pay taxes. We don't need much money and only work about half the time and 'vacation' half the time. While in the states most people are lucky to get two weeks vacation a year. 

All this is without even mentioning the best part, we get to travel and see the world.

So the real question is why would anyone want to live in the states when life is so much safer, more secure, mind opening, and just plain better, cruising on a sail boat. 

Final leg of the journey North

So it's only taken me a month to get around to writing this. LOL. For once James has been much better at blogging than I have.

One of the hardest things I've ever done was pull away from the OCSC parking lot and watch James fade in the side view mirror. I was very excited to be going to visit my mom, but leaving him was heart breaking. And the dogs had no idea what was happening.

The drive is a bit of a blur. I left James in Berkeley at about 7am. I made good time, got through the high traffic areas before traffic. It was July 3rd, so a lot of folks were taking 3 day weekends so the roads were pretty clear. I took I-5 to 97. I had a burner phone for emergencies. At each rest stop or gas stop I called to check in with mom or James. I learned at the first rest stop that I'd have to walk the dogs separately, which was good for me, longer to stretch my legs. I made it as far as Chemult without incident. I stopped at a truck stop there to get some food, they had a Subway. The line was ridiculously long, so I decided to skip it. I then spent the next hour trying to start the van. I had plenty of power so it wasn't the battery. It wasn't making those funny sounds that indicate a starter issue, so I assumed it was the ignition switch. I checked fuses. I called James, no answer. I didn't want to call my mom and freak her out. I called the Good Samaritan hot line for road side assistance, and while panicking that I would run out of minutes on my burner phone, I tried the van again....VROOOM. Started right up. So I hung up and was on my way again, still hungry, and a bit worried about the next gas stop, but back on the road.

I was worried about driving after dark, I have trouble with the bright headlights, as many do, so I stopped at a few inexpensive looking hotels to see if it was in my budget. Nope. I wasn't fond of the idea of trying to sleep at a rest stop alone, even with the dogs with me. And I'm stubborn. It got dark right as I hit Hwy 84, about 9pm and still at least 3 hours to go. The first part of the highway was no problem as it was a one way only, no cars coming at me. Thankfully there was very little traffic by the time I reached the regular highway, and almost none at all when I finally turned onto highway 11, the last leg of the trip to Moms. I was exhausted. The dogs were tired, but restless. I was 45 minutes away and ready to just pull over and sleep. Stubbornness won. I pulled into moms neighborhood a little after midnight. Mika was nuts. She seemed to know where we were, and by the time I pulled into moms driveway she was ecstatic. So was the 12th Van. It died in the driveway before I could put it in park. I was too tired to care. I'd made it.

I tried the van the next morning. It started right up. Good 12th Van. But I was done driving for at least 2 weeks. Mom couldn't get me in the car if the house was on fire. I rebuilt her front porch steps. I then painted the whole front porch, cleaned and organized her back patio, tore out the carpet from her living room and hallways, pruned roses, planted marigolds, fixed fences and gates, and done anything possible to keep my mind off missing James. Being with my Mom is awesome though. She's an amazing person who's been through a lot this past year. I wasn't able to be  here then, so I love that I'm getting to spend so much time with her now, helping her with the small and large projects.

Ways to live large on a extreme budget

Here Dominga uses her artistic skill to paint a mural in Matanchen Bay, Mexico. For this and some sign reprinting, the owner of Neptunos restaurant treated us to 3 gourmet meals a day ( he's a chef), for the ten days we were there. He also took us on a hike to some of the most beautiful waterfalls we have ever seen. He drove for about two hours and we hiked for a little less then a hour to get there. Not known to many, other then the locals. Not something most cruisers have a chance to see.

Also make sure you sail more than you use the motor. It's cheaper and more fun.

Trading your skills for goods can be a win/win, for everyone. Dominga made a great pair of dingy chaps in trade for a inflatable dinghy and a1982 Chevy Van (our transportation home for the summer)!

Picture of the van coming soon.

A clip of driving thru Hermosillo Mexico

We got lost, trying to find a bank to withdraw cash from so that we could put gas in the Van. Most of the streets were one way and not marked well, and of course our spanish is not good enough to stop and ask for directions......ah, adventures in Mexico. By sea or land, it's always new. 

Hermosillo is a city located centrally in the northwestern Mexican state of Sonora. It is the capital and largest city as well as the main economic center for the state and region. Hermosillo is Mexico's 16th biggest city. And we had only visited smaller towns up til this point..and we were driving our "new" van. 

Driving out of Mexico

We finally received the FedEx package that contained the paperwork we needed, for the van, to depart for the states.

Nomatia was cleaned out and sealed up for the summer. We know we'll miss our home, but we will return!

 The van was packed with bedding made from the cushions Dominga made for the salon seats, clothes, sewing machine and dogs. 

We felt confident the 1982 "12th Van", could make it all the way to Washington......well, mostly confident. 

The van wasn't completely in Domingas name yet (long story) and both our visas were expired, for many months. So we were a little nervous the van wouldn't be the issue, if we didn't make all the way to Washington. 

Having been harassed, a few times, by the American border crossings in the past, we thought we'd have issues there. But all three American border crossings were easy and friendly, with little more than a wave through.

The Mexican side was a little different. Apparently driving a giant older van subjects you to more scrutiny. We drove through 3 military check points. At two of them 6 to 9 men were going through our stuff. All in full military dress with rifles. At one they X-ray'ed all our luggage. 

But the whole time all were friendly and smiled. As long as you're not carrying anything illigal, it's a piece of cake. And no one ever asked us for our visa's.
Crossing into the US took us less than 10 minutes. We crossed at Sonoyta into Lukeville Arizona at 11:30 pm. The last vehicle through. The nice border patrol officer asked us if we were american, Yes, do you have passports? Yes. Then he sent us on our way. 10 miles further, we hit another border check. Dominga was driving. She pulled up and the first thing the border patrol officer said was.."That's a serious looking van"
Dominga replied "It's been a serious road trip."
"What year is this van" The BPO asked.
"1982 and going strong"
From the other side of the van where two more BPO sat we heard a "Go Sea Hawks!" we were then wished a good night and sent along our way. We found an RV park and slept in the van a few hours before heading northwest to Welton Arizona to see our dear friend Tiffiney. 

We were given warnings, from many well meaning friends, on how it could be dangerous to drive through Mexico. On our drive from Guaymas to San Fransico, we stopped at many small and a couple large towns. We talked to and interacted with many Mexicans. The first time we felt in danger was our stop to get gas in Fresno, CA. 

We stayed 2 days in Welton, resting and playing with Tiffy. The van did great until we reached Cathedral City, near the Palm Desert area. The alternator gave out which also throw the water pump belt, so the van over heated in about one minute. Luckily we stopped about a mile away from a Pep- boys, and we were able to get all the parts we needed. The employees were also nice enough to come out to the van and give advice on how to fix it. Great people. We also had the fore thought to bring tools. About 3 hours and a couple knuckle scraps later, we were back on the road. 

The rest of the trip was uneventful. We made it to Sacramento at about 1am, too late to show up at my son's house so we slept in the van one more night, then on to see my kids and grandkids. First time meeting Viotet, me newest granddaughter, who is 10 months old. What a cutie!
We spent a few days in Sacramento, then a night with my mom in Palo Alto. Dominga then took me to Berkeley to get ready for work and get me settled in with our friend Vicky while she continued her trip North.

Nomatia "on the hard" in Guaymas, Mexico

We finally have Nomatia in dry dock for the summer. There is a lot of prep work we are doing so she'll survive the punishing heat of the summers here.

The van, we traded work for, is great. It started on the first try after sitting in storage for over 8 months. It's a 1982 van but everything works great and we have no question it will make it to Washington without any issues.

Getting the van legal (getting the title and registration) is another matter. We have been working on this for 10 days now and we're still not sure how we can do this. It looks like it's going to take another week or three to do this. So, in the mean time, we are living in the van sitting next to the boat. We could stay in the boat, which would be a little more comfortable, but the dogs can't make it up and down ladder. 

You may think living in a van here is uncomfortable, but you really don't know the half of it. 

It's about 100 degrees with 85% humidity, day AND night. When the wind blows it feels better, but there is a goat farm about 100 yards away and it smells like rotting flesh. 

There are fire ants everywhere that leave a nasty burning bite. The Mosquitos come in huge swarms at night with their buddies the No-see-m's. Many of the boats around us are getting sanded, which puts up clouds of nasty bottom paint. 

The only bathrooms are about a block away and the "showers" are really just gravity fed hoses. No water pressure. The water is not drinkable so we need to go about a mile down the road to get 5 gallons at a time.

The poor dogs are miserable. We are trying everything we can to make their lives a little more comfortable, but there is only so much we can do for them. 

These living conditions are not fit for man or beast (or woman).

I am very close to just putting the boat back in the water and sailing south or north. This may not be worth the effort. 

Protests by Nomatia

When we came into Guaymas the protests began with the steering. We guess she knew the end goal was her on the dry dock. We were heading towards an island of solid rock and the jib back winded and the steering failed. We took the wheel off and attached the tiller. Which also was not cooperating with us. Jarvis (the auto pilot) was not in on Nomatias plan to sabotage, and steered us into the marina. However, Jarvis does not do tight corners. We came into the slip at a 45 degree angle too hot because the outboard ( who was part of Nomatias plan to stay in the water) decided reverse was not an option today. Two of the marina workers helped fend us off and got her secured in her slip. She was well behaved until today when we tried to remove the jib. She won't budge. Jammed at the top. What does that mean? A trip up the mast later today.

 Leaving Nomatia is not going to be easy anyway. This has been " home" for the past 4 years. We are very excited to see our families and friends, but we also understand the protests Nomatia is making. A boat is not just a home, she is also part of the family. She has a heart and soul, though they differ from ours, and right now we think she is afraid we are leaving her forever. Don't worry Nomatia. We could never truly abandon you.

More pictures of the sea