Mexican Beverly Hills

Today, following a dinghy ride then a bus ride, the Captain and crew spent a long day touring an area outside Puerto Vallarta. They traveled to a rain forest which was once the

Remember Predator?

setting for the films Predator and Night of the Iguana.  They then toured a wealthy American enclave, home of a number of American film stars and the former vacation home of Richard Nixon. Larry was tired and favoring a swollen ankle and planing on turning in early, but promised pictures of this very enjoyable side trip, tomorrow.

Almost (but not quite) like being there...

Larry sharing ice cream with Buddi in La Paz

Had a chance to talk with the Captain last night. We are still two time zones apart so his end of the day 9 o'clock (cruisers midnight) is a yawning 11:00 for me. Ahh, but it's worth it just to hear his voice. We chat for a while about our days: he explores La Cruz and I spend time with an ailing Buddi in the waiting room of an avian vet. He finds La Cruz a charming city with friendly people and makes plans with first mate Sharon to sight see in Puerto Vallarta the next day. He asks about family members and friends...how is everybody. I give abbreviated accounts and tell him that Buddi will be okay with some medication and a lot of patience. I am wishing he were here - for many reasons - but at the moment because he tends to be more patient with Buddi's snarky moods than I am. I tell him I am flying to Philadelphia next week next week and looking forward to sight seeing as well. And then we say goodnight, always the difficult part of the conversation.
Photos of La Cruz and Puerto Vallarta coming up...

Isla Isabela

 Kodak Moments on Isla Isabela

Stunning view of Isla Isabela *

Iguana: "Ready for my close-up, Mr. Demille" *

Blue-footed Boobies *

Fishermen's chapel on Isla Isabela *

 Milagro, Captain and crew did stop at Isla Isabela; apparently SPOT was misbehaving although still functioning; the GPS goes into an occasional drowsy mode wherein it will emit signals only when operated manually. So while I assumed Miagro was sailing on towards Puerto Vallarta, in truth there was an all-day pause in an anchorage on the southernmost point of the island. Crew member Sharon hiked and took pictures while the Captain remained aboard to work on a generator.                      
Larry and I have been able to talk twice since the boat arrived the next day and anchored near La Cruz. His phone is not working well and will soon be useless as he moves beyond Mexico and out of range of our Verizon "Mexican Plan." From that point on communication will be through Skype (when internet is available) or brief emails using the single sideband radio...and SPOT. Meanwhile, Larry sounds happy and is enjoying being at sea although the variable winds have prevented Milagro from sailing full time. He continues to be plagued by minor mechanical issues. but as usual is able to solve them! I understand Captain and crew plan to spend a couple of days seeing the sights in nearby Puerto Vallarta before heading south once again.
On a personal note, one of the reasons I do not make a great sailor is that I am a planner. If I were aboard I would be looking at maps and guides, planning the next day's itinerary for "shore leave" and what time we would be lifting anchor and what our next destination would be. I love Larry's spontaneity; I wish I could be like that! But even in retirement I start most days with a small lined pad, my favorite pen and a general idea of what my day is going to be. Oh I'm not completely rigid; I can and will be flexible when plans change...and even enjoy those changes, but perhaps not as adaptable as needed.
I'm still having difficulty with the uploading of photos to blogger, evidenced by the clumping of all pictures at the top of the page. Still working on it.

*Thank you, Sharon Jordan for the lovely photographs.

While we wait...

I am awaiting pictures from the first leg of Milagro's journey south. Meanwhile, let's see if I have regained picture-posting capability. Yes, it's working!

Milagro at dock in a Paz

The eagle has landed...

Tucked in Bahia de Banderas.

According to SPOT Milagro sailed into Bahia de Banderas around 10:00 EST. I hope there is internet service available so we can communicate and maybe get a picture or two. I knew they were moving right along which would indicate good sailing and no big problems, but it is still nice to know they've arrived. Color me happy.

I give up! for now...

Welcome!
"Milagro Adventure II" is now open to the public, no invitation, no sign-up, no sign-in necessary. I didn't like the idea of asking anyone who might be interested in following the blog to jump through the hoops imposed by Blogger, so I finally decided: spammers and stalkers be damned*. So please, follow along as Milagro loosens the dock line and heads south.

Another note: all of a sudden I am unable to post pictures. And for those familiar with blogger/picasa, no: I haven't gone over the photo number limits. I am continuing to work on it as I'm certain there will be some fabulous pictures coming from Milagro as she appears to be on the verge of reaching Isla Isabel!!

*or  if offended, insert darned or any other word of choice.

The waiting and wondering...

This SPOT GPS is a wonderful gadget. It emits a signal every ten minutes and allows sailors (or hikers or drivers) to send "O.K." messages periodically. I know that passage making is what Larry likes the best: being at sea, out of sight of land with the peace and quiet and the wonders of the ocean and sky to keep him company. I hope the sailing has been outstanding, with calm seas and brisk winds so the Captain and crew can enjoy those things. But no matter what the conditions I know Larry will be having a great time.
As I follow Milagro on SPOT I see she had moved a little south of Mazatlan. That means to me that all is going well and they will sail on to Isla Isabel or, if adverse wind direction prevents them from anchoring there, perhaps further to Puerto Vallarta .I look forward to hearing about this early part of the adventure.

Two paths

Milagro anchored in Caleta Partida

April 24, 2013

Yesterday Larry left La Pa, Mexico for parts south: we don't know exactly where, we don’t how far or for how long. For those who have not followed this blog or who may be unaware of the back story, I offer the following update, an abbreviated account of the past two and a half years.

That smile say it all

In May 2011, after spending eight months in Mexico with Larry aboard Milagro (our 43’ Spindrift sail boat), I decided to return to the States and allow Larry the freedom to carry on with his lifelong dream; this was not decision easily made. Larry and I spent long hours talking about this and agreed that my fears and chronic seasickness made me a second rate first mate as well an occasional unhappy camper. I loved my Captain, La Paz, marina life and our many new friends. But I am a “bluebird” sailor; that is, I really enjoy sailing when conditions are – let’s admit it – perfect. I love the sea life, the scenery and being out on an expanse of water with life narrowed down to the barest essentials. But when the winds whip up and the seas grow ever larger I am gripped by an irrational but very real fear. Even when we sail in good weather I am wary about what the next day will bring.

Beyond those feelings was the sense that I was spending the “third third” of my life riding someone else's dream. With children and grandchildren in North Carolina and friends up and down the Eastern seaboard, surely I could find a more meaningful way to spend my latter days. So with that in mind, and through no small effort on Larry’s or my part, I moved to North Carolina.

I can’t say that the next ten months were unproductive or unrewarding; it was great to revisit family and friends and even to spend time in solitude, contemplating my life past, present and future. I had some wonderful experiences, but I missed my Captain and he missed me. After a painful chapter which occurred midway of that period, followed by visits back and forth, we resolved that I would move back to Mexico, take a more active role in our sailing life and see if armed with a new anti-seasick medication, I could be a good sailor and enjoy that life, after all.

And in a way those missions were accomplished. We worked hard on the boat for the first four months following my return to La Paz.  We also had a lot of fun: day and afternoon excursions on land and sea. dinners and music with friends, lazy, steamy afternoons

lounging by the pool with ice cold drinks. In October we sailed for a month, by far my longest  - and best -time ever at sea. I enjoyed much of the experience but continued to be anxious during rough seas and high winds. In case anyone wonders, I am actually capable of functioning quite well under these circumstances; I can do what needs to be done, but I’m also aware that it is no fun for Larry to watch my strained countenance or worry about my reactions while he is busy handling the boat in challenging situations.

So once again I am in North Carolina. I haven’t been banished and I don't see myself as a quitter. Both Larry and I are comfortable with this decision, although we continue to miss each other and talk daily when internet and/or phone service are available.

I'll always have the memories...

Now that you have the scoop on the background...let me lay out my purpose in continuing to blog. First of all, I am still part of the adventure. I know Milagro better than anyone other than Larry and I love to hear news about what is happening with her: what has been recently installed, fixed or redone, where she is going and how she performs. As Larry and his crew member, an experienced sailor from South Africa,  cruised the islands north of La Paz I followed their progress with SPOT, a GPS device which emits signals showing where the boat is at any given moment. Now as they head towards mainland Mexico and then on to Panama and beyond, I continue to follow their progress and look forward to the stories I know will emerge from this adventure. I intend to record here the where, what and how of Milagro’s adventures and share pictures as they come to me. In fact I'll be able to do some first person reporting as we are currently planning a reunion in Panama this summer. The other part of this blog will detail my own feeling about what is happening so far away as well as a bit of my own “adventure.”
So once again, please join Captain Larry & Edie Roberts for "the rest of the story."