Monday, April 25, 2005

Journal Entry – April 25, 2005 - What Have We Been Up To?

Author: Pam

Phew, since arriving back in Nuevo Vallarta we have been on the fast track, with no relief in sight until we leave for the South Pacific crossing. After my surgery on March 28th we went to San Francisco for my recovery, to take care of life business (such as taxes) and to do some provisioning. The first nine days we were in the Bay Area I wasn’t supposed to do anything. It was difficult not being able to go out and about once being home, but it was a great way to catch up with friends. Our trip involved staying with many friends, which was also a great way to spend quality time together. I think we slept in eight different beds. The only downside was moving our luggage as it grew with the many acquisitions. We left with two suitcases (one mostly full of stuff we took off the boat) and returned with four. It turned out each of them was overweight and of course you pay extra for that privilege. It took several days to unpack and a few more to find a home for the contents. The boat has been a disaster area. I am sure we will be happy to have the canned corned beef…, but while there is still guacamole in my life that desire is difficult to imagine. We ended up staying one week longer than planned in SF. We found out the Boat Show at Jack London Square in Oakland was happening the day after we were suppose to leave. We decided it would be a great way to touch base with our sponsors and the sailing magazine representatives. It was a very productive couple of days. We also needed more time to finish up the many loose ends that presented themselves once we were there. I would recommend to anyone who leaves to go cruising to consider a trip home after six months. It felt like just the right amount of time had gone by to present any business that needed taking care of and of course the list of things you think you still need from West Marine... We also visited the French Consulate and applied for and received our Visa for French Polynesia. This will make the entry process into the country a bit less complicated. I saw Dr. Ortiz today for my follow-up visit. He was pleased with my recovery and gave us the go ahead to continue our travels. That was a relief, I know we were both praying there would not be a reason for another surgery or delay. We are also hoping we have checked the medical box and we don’t find out about major medical care in any other country. However, we would highly recommend the care in Puerto Vallarta, we both feel extremely fortunate. We are planning to leave next week and we are getting more excited every day. The boat project list is almost complete. Our biggest challenge left is more shopping and then stowing six months worth of food and one hundred 1.5 liters of bottled water on our 32’ boat. There may not be much room left for us, but we won’t go hungry and she is tough. She will still fly across the ocean given the chance.

Thursday, April 21, 2005

Journal Entry – April 21, 2005 – Thanks to the Support Team

Author: Scott and Pam

We just returned from a twenty-two day whirlwind trip to the United States. We completed many important projects to enable us to continue on with the Blind Circumnavigation. Both our initial departure and the many things accomplished on this visit were made possible through the never ending and enthusiastic support of our friends at home. Thank you all for the beds to sleep in, rides everywhere, and incredible encouragement.