After an unexpectedly long break in La Paz, we are FINALLY LEAVING! Yes, all of our boat upgrade projects are done, and we are preparing to set sail to live life on the hook…which was our intention all along. We’d planned on spending some time here in La Paz upgrading the boat, but we never expected it to take THREE WHOLE MONTHS. So as much as we’ve loved it here, we are ready to shake out the sails and head to new places.

As for where we’re going – we went back and forth for weeks over which direction to go once we’re finally outta here – north up into the Sea of Cortez, or south, across the sea over to the mainland. Many things factored into this decision, not the least of which is that we need to leave Mexico in April in order to renew our visas and see our parents. Both Charlie and I have parents who are in ill health, so Charlie will fly to SoCal to see his dad, and I will fly to Tampa to see my Mom. 

We had to decide where would be the safest place to book a flight out of Mexico, given the uncertainties of cruising… and in the end, flying out of Cabo seems the best bet. So rather than crossing to the mainland, we are going to head north up into the Sea of Cortez and kick around the islands and coves there for a few weeks, before heading right back here to La Paz for the month of April.

Once we return from our visits home, we will make that crossing and finally get to experience the Mexican tropics! We will sail around the Pacific coast for a few weeks, getting as far south as we can before we have to turn around and head back to Mazatlan, where we will berth the boat for the entire summer, which is hurricane season in coastal Mexico.

Our first season cruising has definitely not turned out the way we’d planned – but as they say, cruising and plans do not go well together. We’ve LOVED our time here in La Paz, and have forged some friendships that we hope to have for the rest of our lives. But we still have so much more cruising to do, and we’re excited to get back on track with that.

So what have we been doing during our time in La Paz? Watch our latest YouTube episode to see! You will also learn what all these boat upgrade projects were. And you definitely don’t want to miss this one, as there’s a special treat at the end – stunning close-up video of our whale shark excursion.

I have to apologize that I have not been posting to the blog…there really wasn’t much to say, as we’ve been focused on boat projects, and just living a rather luxurious life here at the marina. But the good news is – we’re done, and we’ll be leaving as soon as the weather permits. We wanted to leave immediately, but unfortunately there’s a weather system blowing in this week that would make heading north rather uncomfortable.

It looks like that Northern blow will be done by later in the week, so our new departure date is this coming Friday, February 28.

We will likely have little to no internet access up in the Sea of Cortez, so you won’t be hearing from us much. But I’ll post an update right before we leave with a reminder of exactly how to follow us when we’re at sea and out of range.

Thanks to all of you who follow us! Things may have been rather slow lately, but they should start getting MUCH more interesting as we finally sail off to the life on the hook we’ve been dreaming of. Love to you all!