I’m sitting in a lovely marina about 17 nm from Cabo San Lucas called Los Puertos Marina at San Jose del Cabo.  At the moment, the majority of the boats here are sportfishers, including the Full Circle, with only a few sailboats.  It’s quiet, visually stunning, and evolving into a ‘destination resort.’  Until then, it’s practicing charging alot for various things, but it’s definitely so much better than Cabo.  If you must go to Squid Roe, it’s a 20 minute cab ride.  The airport is about 10 minutes away, but the marina is not in the flight path.  It’s a warm walk to downtown San Jose, but that’s also a beautiful place.  The Mexican Target, aka Mega, is about a 40 minute walk.  After you’re loaded down with groceries, it’s definitely time for a cab ride back to the boat.

 

Today, Sunday, is quiet, and the heavy high clouds are cooling down the burn of the sun.  We’re definitely in the tropics here, and the heat and sun are forboding.  Didya ever think I would shy away from the sun??  I try my hardest to get the inside work done in the middle of the day, leaving the outside work for the mornings and evenings.  The past couple of days found me doing my engine work, including changing the oil, all filters, adding coolant, checking the tranny, and replacing a screw that was impinging on the reverse shifting mechanism.  I tied up a few hoses that were lying on various vibrating parts of the engine and were showing signs of chafe.  I repaired the hinges on some of the cabinets that were opening when the weather got rough. I re-located the outboard and bracket from the stern rail to the starboard aft rail, allowing the wind sensing vane for the Monitor windvane full swing.  All of the lines are once again run for the vane, and I look forward to tweaking that back into service.  I did some laundry on the dock, as there is no laundromat here yet.  With the heat, it’s not really a problem, as everything dries pretty quickly.  Since I only have a small bucket, the large items such as towels and linen will be sent out for ten bucks a load.  The only thing still stumping me is the wind generator.  I’ve put in a call to Florida, but the person I need to talk with is on an outside job and will get back to me during the week…

 

Right after I crossed the border, I pulled into Ensenada to check in to the country.  With a little guidance, it was no problem at all, and cost about a hundred bucks total.  I got my Temporary Import Permit, good for ten years, for the boat, allowing me to bring or ship replacement parts into the country without paying extra.  I checked into Customs and Agriculture, told them about the cats, and they could care less.  The man just waved his hand, saying ‘no bother.’  Well, Wednesday, the bother caught up to me.  An Agriculture Inspector, Francisco, came to the boat and wanted to know about food, fruits and vegetables.  I explained I had only Mexican produce and no meat or chicken, as I had already checked in at Ensenada and visited Cabo San Lucas markets.  He then noticed Makani and Kai, and asked about them.  I told him they had been permitted into the country at Ensenada, and I had the proper paperwork showing health and vaccinations.  Asking to see the paperwork, Francisco soon shook his head and clucked at me.  No, no, no, esta fecha es no bueno.  He told me the date written in the ‘date vaccinated’ box is not for the date they were vaccinated, but when they are due to be vaccinated again.  Huh?  Wouldn’t that be a ‘vaccination expires’ box, or something like that?  He went up to his truck and brought down two cages as he was going to take the cats.  Uh uh, no way.  After about twenty minutes of discussion, Francisco told me I was making trouble for him at the office.  I apologized, but told him he could not take my cats.  I would be happy to have my vet call whoever it was he would like him to speak to and explain.  I also had papers from the vet explaining the rabies vaccines were good for 3 years, but Francisco would have none of it.  Finally he left, saying he may be back…  Luckily he hasn’t returned, and I hope it was just an error in translation.  Friends recommended to me that when dealing with anyone official, DON’T speak any spanish, and just feign understanding what’s going on.  They finally get frustrated, and leave you alone.  That’s gonna be a hard one for me…

 

Today I plan on catching up with paperwork, correspondence and just daily chores.  Tomorrow I’ll rinse the boat off again, and re-check the location of stowed items.  Thursday, a few of us here on the dock are getting together to have some sort of Thanksgiving dinner, some of the dishes influenced locally, and some of our traditional fare.  It should be pretty fun.  Please know how thankful I am to be here doing what I’m doing.  I am the luckiest person on the planet!!

 

I hope everyone is happy, healthy, enjoying the fall weather, and not getting caught up in the commercialism of the holidays!  Just enjoy the people and sights, and give where and when you can.  I miss everyone, and send you all my absolute best.  Take care and don’t work too hard!

Interior of Mision San Nikolas, San Jose del Cabo

Mision Bell Tower