March 8-9, 2023 - Seattle to Mazatlan

 March 8-9, 2023 - Seattle to Mazatlan

Today was a long one. The morning was busy with final packing and weighing. My friends Mary and Martin picked me up around noon and dropped me off at my motel in the early afternoon. Check-in was easy and the room was fine. I had some road food with me, so had a simple meal, showered and went to bed around 7. Since I was already tired and had to be up at 3 for my 6:00 flight, going to bed early seemed the thing to do. Of course, the problem with early flights is the worry of over sleeping. I set a couple of alarms and trusted that would be enough. I was up several times during the night, but managed a reasonable amount of sleep.

The shuttle took me to the airport in the morning. Check-in went reasonably well despite my bags being over weight. I weighed them at home and at the self service scale in the airport and all were at lease 3 lbs. under the 50 lb limit. Not sure whose scales were off. After some juggling of items, I was able to check all three bags, including the radar box which was a little over-sized.

TSA was another matter... They did not like me too much. They went through my carry on and my backpack with a fine toothed comb. They would not allow a tube of caulk and they would not let me pass with my CO2 cartridge I had for my life vest. It was allowed if installed in the jacket, so I gave up the caulk and went back through the line with the cartridge installed. This time I passed!

The flight down went well. Smooth weather, and the transfer at LAX kept both legs of the trip under 3 hours, so not much flight fatigue. Flying into LA was pretty amazing. I have never seen the area so green and there was snow on the mountains!

Upon arrival in Mazatlan, I was pleased that the temperature was in the upper 70's. I hope it stays below the mid-eighties until after I leave! Customs was another matter. They did not take kindly to all the gear I brought down. They charged me a 19% import tax... Oh well, the cost of doing business...

I shared a min-bus type taxi with three other parties. This worked out well as we were all staying in the same part of town. I had hoped to have someone meet me with a golf cart or some other means of getting my gear from the road to the boat, but I could not get that set up before leaving. I ended up dropping my gear at Active Marine's office (they did work on my boat). They were very accommodating. I found a hand cart and returned for my bags. Finally, by about 4:00, I was at the boat!

After 10 months and two near misses with hurricanes, she was pretty dirty. As I was walking out the pier, I was very pleased to see Richard at the marina. He is the 80 year old guy from Ketchikan Alaska who I met last year. He has crossed the Pacific about 30 times in his years of pelagic wandering. Arriving alone, it was great to see a familiar face and kindred spirit.

Of course, the trip couldn't start without a classic faux pas... I forgot the boat key! Fortunately, it is my boat and I know its ways. I got in through the forward hatch, unscrewed the lock on the main companionway entrance, and all was good. I have keys with a couple people here in town, so I'll get a copy soon.

I set to work checking things out. Battery systems seemed fine. I plugged in the shore power cable – it worked. I turned on the refrigerator and it fired right up. Apart from a very dirty deck, things were looking good!

After settling in, I headed out to buy a few groceries and have dinner and a beer at the local pizza place. My leftovers will feed me through tomorrow, so that gives me a little time to get things working and do some shopping.

I always find it interested how much your body's physical state can affect your state of mind. While seeing Richard was a boost, I was also feeling quite alone and a little down. A cold beer and nice dinner really helped my attitude. The familiar surroundings also tempered my feeling of loneliness.

Back at the boat, food stashed in the fridge, I grabbed soap and towel and headed to the marina showers. Now refreshed, I returned to the boat and was in bed by 6:30. The sun sets a little after 6, so it was already getting dark. Sunsets also happen faster at this latitude.

Boats make lots of unusual noises. There is the occasional clang in the rigging, the lapping of waves against the hull, and shrimp. Yes, shrimp. There is a type of shrimp here in the marina that attack their prey (or each other?) with a lightening swift motion of their little legs. It is so fast the it causes cavitation and the resulting shock wave, which can be heard through the hull. The closest approximation to the sound that I can think of is the sound of Rice Krispies when you pour milk on. It is a constant snap, crackle and especially pop! You hear it day and night, but it is more noticeable at night. I also have a fan going to move air through the boat. It provides some white noise to mask all the other sounds.

“What was that?” An unfamiliar sound in the night. I though it was something falling on deck or into the boat. I turned on a light and looked around outside. Nothing. Back inside I found the source: A very large cockroach! Yes, I appear to have unwelcome stow-aways. Rats and bugs are pretty normal for boats moored at a pier. I didn't leave any food accessible, but I guess they came by anyway. I don't think there are too many, but will do a thorough cleaning and put out some traps tomorrow.