Fuertísimo el calor.

Lately, O2 has turned into a temazcal, aka a Mesoamerican sweat hut. Our onboard A/C cannot prevent it from happening and we hesitate to jump into the water to cool down because we are in a Marina. Also, there is again a saltwater crocodile occasionally patrolling the docks. 

“Hace mucho calor amiga”, the boatmen shout out from under their sombreros. And I puff in agreement while on my way to a true oasis in the sweltering heat: the Yacht Club. In the half empty lounge, the A/C is going full blast to the extent that I sometimes feel the need to protect my nose against frostbite. That’s when the anti-Covid face mask really comes in handy. Here, I can enjoy my Kindle or communicate with the Homeland while downloading Netflix in total comfort. And I am applauded for my disciplinary behavior while I am at it.

Another couple of weeks and we will be able to continue our voyage up North. At last! But before bidding our final farewell we made sure to check out the best sights of Bahía de Banderas by hopping from one anchorage to the next. 

Bahía de Banderas stretches from Punta Mita in the North to Cabo Corrientes in the South for 62 Miles. It is a prime tourist destination, but we had the place largely to ourselves. Both because of the ongoing hurricane season and because of Covid 19-XX still lurking in the shadows.

Speaking of hurricanes, another one is developing right now. Tropical depression 16E is being closely watched as it is deciding whether to shape-shift into Pamela, a category 2 hurricane, or not. The current predictions are that it will. This “Pamela-in-the making” is also still unsure about which trajectory to take. Currently, the bets are on a landfall in Sinaloa, which is North of Bahía de Banderas. For the time being it is feeding on the heat and the temazcal -like steam in the air. And we are keeping our fingers crossed.

Our return from our little boating excursion to the fishing village of La Cruz de Huanacaxtle and our slip in the Marina of Riviera de Nayarit felt like a home coming. We were welcomed back by our boat neighbors and the next evening we had a discussion group going on pontoon 10. Ideologies clashed but the people uttering them didn’t. Which is always a good start towards evolutionary advancement.

In the meantime, O2 is being pampered and has undergone a kind of makeover.

Also, we have done some restructuring. We have 2 escape hatches and a life raft that is stored in the cockpit and easy to grab in case of a mayday. In addition to this there is a big locker with a click out bottom plate or trapdoor through which a second life raft – should we have one, which we don’t – can be dropped into the water below. Or through which the life raft can be pulled out in case of a flip-over. 

We agreed that 2 escape hatches and one life raft are plenty. So, we opened the trapdoor, removed the opening/closing handles, and screwed it firmly back in place with stainless steel bolts. 

The holes that were left by the removed handles also needed to be sealed shut of course. My Captain had bolts and nuts custom-made to do the job. It was quite the teamwork with My Captain holding the sealing plate with welded on nut from down below onto the trapdoor and the one and only Competent Crew Member screwing a matching plate into place from up above. Extra dry storage space is now amply available.

Gently pulling at her lines, O2 is sóóó ready to go now. And so are we. But not before “Pamela-in-progress” has made up her mind and before we have braved Mexico’s Día de Muertos. All skeletons are about to leave the closet.