One Week Until Departure

And the results of the Trashboat Regatta…Calder Hyer in 2^nd place, a trophy now on our dash!

Projects are getting checked off the list daily.  Chris replaced the line organizer turn blocks at the base of the mast.  These important parts direct all the lines from the cockpit to the mast and had become corroded and seized, making it challenging to raise and lower some of the sails and adjust others. 

Calder tested the dinghy motor after Chris’ carburetor work, going from the dock out to the nearby anchorage to pick up some friends, and all thankfully worked well. 

Bob and Christine, dear friends of ours, are visiting this week, providing company and sanity, support, and assistance with projects.  They also brought us treats, from Trader Joe’s dark chocolate peanut butter cups and new games, to seasickness meds and boat parts. 

Bob and Chris installed new trampolines on the boat, as the old ones had started to disintegrate in the sun over time and had several large holes along the perimeter.  Trampolines are the nets at the front of catamarans. 

Chris finished setting up our Iridium Go communication device.

I turned in the kids’ 3^rd quarter school samples to Alaska, as well as provisioning, meal-planning, and prepping fun treats for our upcoming voyage.  I made treat bags to mark points in our journey, one every 500 miles, and created certificates for our crossing of the Equator. 

I’ve made sure to have ingredients for a chocolate cake with whipping cream for our crossing as well.  The Float Plan is almost complete.  We’re outlining the routing details of our upcoming passage and learning more about weather systems.  Our family attends seminars, one this week on weather routing, with our current science lessons on meteorology.

Our Duolingo account is now French instead of Spanish.  Because I’ve been going between various Spanish and French webpages, my computer sometimes gets confused and changes between English, Spanish, and French as well.  We received and organized a pile of paper charts covering the South Pacific, as well as organized our courtesy flags in order of the countries we will be visiting. 

We found two flags for Tonga but none for French Polynesia in our package and were thankful to find what we needed at the local marine store.  Tools are getting cleaned, lubed, and organized. 

La Cruz continues to delight, Cora and I enjoying iced Chai while soaking in the colors and sounds and odors here.  We enjoyed woodfired pizza in an outdoor courtyard, as well as shrimp burritos and margaritas at a street table.  At the local Sunday market, we had grilled cactus (nopola) for lunch, loaded with cheese, meats, and veg; a very unique lunch.

We continue to enjoy the camaraderie of the cruising community in La Cruz.  More boats with more friends keep arriving, the excitement of our upcoming departure building.  Tonight, the cruising kids helped to run a local sushi restaurant, some kids had learned to make the sushi, others waiting tables, all ages helping out together.  The tip money raised went to El Cora Crocodile Sanctuary, where many of them had visited the week prior. 

Sitting at a table, watching Cora and Calder work with at least 20 other cruising kids of all ages to run the restaurant, raising money for a good cause, I was overwhelmed with the goodness of it all. 

After, we had to go out to enjoy ice cream of course and now the kids are up in the marina lounge playing games together.  Some friends will cross the Pacific with us, others heading in different directions.

If the weather cooperates, we hope to leave in one week…