La Cruz,

 Remember heading off to college?  Opportunities to make friends abound.  Sailors are a social bunch.  

More than a couple hundred of us met at a local beach bar to listen to 82 year old woman describe her 5th circumnavigation.  This time it was unassisted, continuous, and she past south of all 5 southern capes.  (South America, Africa, Australia, Tasmania, & New Zealand)  She was at sea most of a year.  She never used her engine, never took anything aboard other than seawater, and no-one provided assistance other than communication or advise.  Soon, she will sail from Vancouver to New Zealand because she's passed by a few times, but never stopped to enjoy the kiwis.  

We installed batteries.  I'm embarrassed to admit that I stuck with old technology: 10 AGM lead batteries.  We wanted to upgrade to Lithium, but that required upgrading expensive components that still work.  No sense discarding what works.

I've been studying wire rope, marine eyes, stemball fittings, spreader tip cups, and my Harken Mark III, Unit 2 furlers.  Our mast is 58ft above the water, and when we're sailing, the wind conspires to bring it all down.  Our stuff is more than 10 years old, and we need to be ready to replace it.  I still haven't found any rules of thumb, or ways to get my head around the issue.  Relegating the job to an "expert" chaps my ass.  At a minimum, I want to say "that sounds perfect!" and know that it is.  I mean, a queen sized bed sheet pulls harder on the clothesline than a full sized, right?  If anyone might recommend an engineering text on sailboat rigging, I'd feel warmth and appreciation.

We finally left the marina, and now we're bobbing in the anchorage.  Our first night was windy and rolly, so we didn't get much sleep.  And if you know me very well, you know that I'm a bitch when I don't get enough sleep.  I think it's time to examine that part of myself a bit closer.  This lifestyle isn't conducive to sleep a good part of the time, and I don't want to be a regular bitch.

While eating oatmeal and drinking coffee this morning, we heard a whale blow, and then spotted her about 100 yards off our starboard beam (right side).  Just chillin'.

Today, we're traveling to Home Depot and then to Sayulita.  We bought a new faucet for the kitchen sink, and the integral hoses require 3/8 compression terminals (like the iso valve below your sink at home).  Sayulita has some has a wonderful little square and some great tacos.