The Long Goodbye

The reason I went back to the US, was to go to Tacoma and spend some time with my mother before she passed away. She has been in nursing care at the Franke Tobey Jones in Tacoma since 2008. We did not realize before we left in 2001 that she had dementia, as she was very adept at hiding it not only from me, but also from her doctor. One of the reason we returned with Windarra in 2004, was that both of my parents were having issues.

Dementia and Alzheimer's are difficult diseases not just for the individual but for their family members as well. It was hard to not to get mad or angry when my father accused me of stealing my mother's jewelry. I tried not to say something flippant when my mother turned to me and asked how my mother was doing and I said, "She is doing okay but is having problems with her memory." My mother turned to me and replied, "Oh, that is too bad, it must be hard." It was all I could do not to cry. These diseases rob you of the person you knew. They look the same, their voices are the same but the person inside that you knew is slowly fading away and they forget who you are. My mother would look at me blankly like she had never seen me before. She would remember some things, like the words to many of the verses of "You Are My Sunshine" or "Que Sera Sera", but she did not know who I was or that I was married and had two children of my own, her grandchildren, that she and my father babysat many times as they were growing up.

It was a long goodbye. Watching the personality of my mother fade away and in the end watching as her body diminished. She had stopped eating and drinking as many dementia patients do, no longer knowing or wanting to swallow. I was thankful for the wonderful care she received from the staff at Franke Tobey Jones and Franciscan Hospice.

Leah Goertz Cashar died at 3:30 am on Sunday, April 15, 2012.

Goodbye mom. I love you.

Getting our FM3

At the end of March we decided it was time to get our FM3s as our tourist visas lapse at the end of April. FM3 is a special type of Mexican visa that allows us to stay in the country up to a year without having to leave. You need to provide copies of your last 3 months of bank statements to show you have sufficient income to support yourself, or at least $1250 US per month.

We asked Maria Joaquna Sierra Chavez to act as our agent to help us with the process. Maria works out of Philo's in La Cruz which is convenient for us. When we started the process, we had her draft a letter to accompany our application indicating that my mother was under hospice care and that we would appreciate expediting the process which could take any where from 10 days to 3 weeks.

On April 7, I decided that I needed to fly back to see my mother. I called Maria and she suggested that I purchase my airplane ticket and bring a copy to the immigration office in Bucerias on Monday.

Monday morning at 8:30 am with a copy of my ticket in hand I went with Maria's assistant, Elena to the immigration office. Elena's two young daughters joined us as they were on vacation from school. Rich would remain at the boat in case the mechanic arrived but he would meet me in Bucerias with my suitcase later and we would go to the airport for my 4:15 pm flight to Portland.

The immigration office is open from 9 am to 1 pm. We arrived a little early. The office was guarded by 3 federales with automatic weapons and body armor. The office is protected by a locked gate and a roll up metal garage type door. We signed in and waited. The office staff arrived and were escorted in by the federales. After they arrived and were settled, the gate was unlocked and the garage door opened to the office for folks waiting in line. We got our number, 5, and waited. More and more people, mostly gringos arrived and took a number.

Our number was called and Elena spoke in rapid fire Spanish to explain that I had turned in my FM3 application but that I had a ticket and I need to return to the US and could I get my FM3. The man behind the counter explained that he had to speak to his supervisor. So we waited some more. About 1/2 an hour later he said that they would only in this case and that I should return at noon for my fingerprinting and to pick up the FM3 card. It was a little before 10 am at this point so I decided that staying was a better course of action.

Elena had other applications to work so I tried to keep her two daughters entertained. As they spoke only Spanish and my Spanish is very limited, I switched on the IPhone. The game of Sudoku was perfect. I could practice my numbers in Spanish and the girls practiced numbers in English. After a while we switched to Unblock Me. I also walked down to the Oxxo for some much needed water for the four of us.

Close to 12:30 pm, Rich arrived in the taxi with my suitcase. Elena tried to explain to me that they wanted my receipt for my tourist visa. Hmm. We had completed the check in to Mexico at Bahia Santa Maria during the Baja Ha-Ha and I did not get a receipt. I agreed to pay $294 pesos for a new receipt. Elena to my pesos to the bank and returned with the receipt.

I asked Elena to check on Rich's FM3 application. Again, there needed to be a discussion with the supervisor. Luckily there was agreement but again there was no receipt. So we gave Elena another $294 pesos and she made another trip to the bank.

At 1:30 pm, I had my FM3. Rich told the taxi driver, who was still waiting, that he would give him $100 pesos to pay for his wait. The taxi driver was happy, we continued to wait now for Rich's FM3.

By 2:30 pm we were back in the taxi and on our way to the airport. We made it in time to check in, grab a bite to eat and then walk to the gate.

Mission Accomplished. Thank you Maria and Elena!

Sent from SV Windarra iPad

The music scene in La Cruz

During our time here at La Cruz de Huanacaxtle, Rich and I have listened to more live music than we have in the last four years. Here are some examples.

On my birthday, Rich and I went for dinner at Marsala, a Mediterranean restaurant here in La Cruz. That evening the group Tatewari was playing. In the tradition of the Huichol indians, Tatewari is the oldest Huichol god, also known as Hikuri, the Peyote-god. He is personified with Peyote plants on his hands and feet, and he interprets all the deities to the modern shamans. Tatewari is the source for the name of this group of three talented musicians from La Cruz de Huanacaxtle. Esau Galván Saltos (rhythm & lead guitar), Daniel Marquez (bass guitar) and Cruz Alberto Perez (backup guitar) are high school buddies, who have been performing for over five years in a variety of establishments in the region of Banderas Bay. Their eclectic and distinctive sounds of rumba flamenca, fusion, and world music captivated the audiences. We have heard them play not only at Marsala but also at Lupe’s Los Arroyes de Verdes during the Pacific Puddle Jump Reunion and at the Los Amigos de La Cruz event at the marina. We bought one of their CD’s. This is a video of Tatewari from You Tube

Another popular group in La Cruz is Latcho and Andrea. They are German artists that perform gypsy rumba and flamenco guitar music similar to The Gypsy Kings. Last Friday, 3/30, we joined the crews of Nirvana and C'est La Vie at the Black Forest Restaurant for dinner and the their last performance of the season. They were joined by Geo Uhrich of Vancouver Island, a violinist who is also very popular in town. Their dance floor was the size of a postage stamp but that did not stop anyone from dancing, including Keith and Susan.

Geo, Andrea and Latcho

No visit to La Cruz would be complete without a night at Philo’s bar. Philo Hayward was a studio musician in Los Angeles before settling here in La Cruz and opening a restaurant & bar. He is also a cruiser and sailed across the Pacific when we did in 2002. We have been there many nights, including one night during the Puddle Jump reunion when Sarah watched Rich and I shuffle on the dance floor with a lot of other 'Q-tips'. On Thursday night, 4/5, we had dinner at Philo’s with Keith and Susan of C’est La Vie, Susan’s daughter, Stacey, and granddaughter, Casey, who were visiting and vacationing for a week with Keith and Susan. Keith has been attending guitar lessons at Philo’s for the past view months and his guitar class performed that evening. Bob of SV Nirvana who plays the mandolin, joined the performance. It was a fun evening. They have a live webcam for the performances which you can check out at the website.

Music is a part of La Cruz. There is always a group playing at the Sunday Markets or Jam nights at Philo's or La Cafe de Huanacaxtle or Ana Banana's or Octopussy's Garden, etc. The examples above are just a few of the groups we have seen.

Our visit here has been more than replacing the engine and boat chores.

Engine Installation, a trip to the boatyard

On Monday, 3/26, Windarra was towed over to the La Cruz Boatyard. There were a few tense moments for us as the wind was picking up and the yard was using a ski boat to tow us as opposed to a dingy tied to the aft quarter. One fellow was driving the ski boat and the other was lying across the back end holding a line attached to Windarra’s bow. Once he dropped the line and we were adrift in the middle of the fairway, but a quick toss and we were under tow again. It was a little hectic maneuvering us passed SV Ponderosa on the fuel dock but soon we were being lifted on the very large travel lift.

The last time the bottom had been cleaned was in Paradise Village as we were preparing to leave on January 5. Things grow fast here in the warmer water. When Windarra came out of the water you could see a lot of growth. It is often referred to as a boat beard. To carry on this analogy, think of ZZTop. The propeller looked like a toilet bowl brush. It looked a lot better after it was pressure washed. Rich and I scraped off barnacles. Rich cleaned the shaft, strut, propeller and shoe as well as replacing the zincs.

In the afternoon the crane, mounted on a truck arrived. Straps were attached to lower the engine, transmission end first. Rich and I had cleared the entry. The salon table was moved, the companionway stairs removed, dodger removed and the boom was swung over to one side. The crane lifted the engine, lowered it through the companionway and then swung into the engine compartment. This took about 3 hours of careful communication and maneuvering between Fernando the mechanic and the crane operators. It was very nicely done.

Now the engine is mounted on blocks in the engine compartment and aligned with the shaft. A new flex coupler is on order. Modifications will need to be made to the brackets for the new motor mounts to maintain the alignment.

We wish to thank Kellie and Terry of SV Noah who were gracious enough to let us spend the night on their boat while Windarra was in the yard overnight.

Tuesday morning Windarra was towed back to our slip. It is great to see an engine in the compartment. We will keep you informed of the progress.

A visit by El Presidente

The marina has been full of activity. The COPA races began March 4, including over 60 J-24s plus windsurfers and kite boarders. These races are Olympic qualifiers and countries competing include Mexico, US, Canada, Chile, Brazil, Germany and France. Friday, the boats racing in the San Diego to Banderas Bay race started to arrive. There are many Transpac 52s as well as one large race boat with an 18 foot keel that must anchor out in the bay since it is too shallow in the marina. Today the week long Banderas bay regatta started.

Along with the race boats, sailors, additional structures for the press, race committee, beer tents, etc comes security. There are all flavors here in attendance from the turistica police, transit police, navy in dress whites, navy in full camouflage gear, flak jackets, helmets, weapons and assault rifles. The Mexican secret service and the bomb squad are also in attendance. I am not sure if I feel safer that they are here or more of a target, but they are all nice and police and low profile, if you can say that with someone under every palm tree holding a gun.

Today Presidente Felipe Calderon arrived to start the regatta. We walked to the Sunday Market as normal but we needed to go through metal detectors similar to the airports on our way back to the boat. We watched the helicopters arrive and the Presidente walk to the yacht waiting to take him out into the bay. Standing on the aft deck of Windarra I was able to get a picture of him as he passed.

Here are a few pictures.

Under a tree with an assault rifle

The Mexican Navy is prepared with automatic weapons

Helicopters arriving

The crowd watching El Presidente walk across

El Presidente arriving on the yacht

El Presidente Felipe Calderon as the yacht motors passed Windarra's stern

In case you can't tell, he is the man in the center wearing a white shirt. It is not every day you get to see a president.

I hope that La Cruz will return to being a sleepy little town soon.



10th year reunion of the 2002 Pacific Puddle Jump Mar 1-3, 2012

With Sarah, Jesse and Rae, we attended the 10^th year reunion of the 2002 Pacific Puddle Jump. There were 25 cruiser attending, representing 13 of the over 38 boats that left Puerto Vallarta in 2002.

Thursday we celebrated with drinks and a pig roast at the Vallarta Yacht Club at Paradise Village. Paradise Village was where most of us were moored and attended the seminars in 2002 to help us prepare for our grand adventure across the South Pacific. They were just beginning to dig the foundation of the yacht club when we left.

Friday we met with the Pacific Puddle Jumpers of 2012 and answered some of their questions and provided some of our ‘sage advice’. They had a lot of the same questions, same anxieties and the same excitement that we did 10 years ago. Jesse and Sarah got up and recounted their experience being alone on Windarra in Niue when the boat slipped the mooring and started to drift away and they were down below doing homework while Rich and I were on shore, checking in. Jesse also suggested that boats with kids get their kids involved in boat handling and sailing. We were proud of their suggestions. That evening we went to Philo’s in La Cruz for dinner and dancing. Sarah laughed at Rich and me shuffling to the music.

Saturday, Rich, Jesse, Rae and I went to Los Arroyos Verdes just outside of Bucerias. It is a sustainable resort, built and operated by Lupe of SV Moon and the Stars. Lupe has been involved in the cruising community at least since we met her 10 years ago. Her resort is a beautiful oasis with a restaurant, a pool, several types of lodging and gardens. We joined the rest of the cruisers for lunch and a tour. Jesse and Rae took dips in the pool while a 3 piece ensemble played classical guitar. It is a special place and if anyone wanted to get away from it all and go to a place to relax and rejuvenate, I would recommend it.

We had a great time at the reunion, catching up and reacquainting. We share a common experience. A few of us are still sailing but almost all of us are still travelling, if not by our own boat but by some other means. It did not take us long to resume our friendships, and it seemed like our adventures together were just a few days ago instead of several years. The cruising community bonds in a different way than most friendships. I wish I had better words to describe it. We are used to spending a few days together and then we would sail away in sometime different directions but when we meet ago, it is just like we saw each other the day before, not skipping a beat. We are glad we had the experience as a family 10 years ago and that we are still able to share it as a family 10 years later.

Visit with Sarah, Jesse and Rae 2/26-3/5

On Sunday, 2/26 we picked up Sarah. She was nice enough to bring down some items we had ordered from the States such as a new pivoting wrench for tightening the tie downs at the mast, Dyneema loops for the lifelines, our repaired night vision monocular and a new GSM wireless router. She also brought down a new pair of waterproof binoculars, a gift from our friend Dan Sego. I think that when he joined us on the Baja Ha-Ha, he got so frustrated with our old pair that he decided we need new ones. We are excited about trying them out. Thank you Dan and Madeline! Sarah also brought us some new dvds and gave us each an iTunes card. Yippee, thank you Sarah!

Tuesday, 2/28, we went to Costco with Adam and Cindi of SV Bravo to pick up a few items. They were doing some provisioning before heading south. They plan to spend this next hurricane season in Ecuador. While the Costco here at Puerto Vallarta is much the same as a typical Costco in the States, you could tell this one was different as it was handing out samples of Corona and Miller Lite beer.

In the afternoon we picked up Jesse and Rae at the airport. They brought us some books to read, yay! plus pictures and videos of the wedding, YAY! That evening we enjoyed a dinner at Eva’s Brick House Restaurant next to the marina. Eva is originally from Peru, so we asked her a few questions about staying there. The barbeque ribs were tasty. Rich and Jesse sampled some tequila from an old barrel, a specialty of the house.

The four of us in front of the anchorage at La Cruz

Dinner at Eva's Brickhouse at La Cruz

Wednesday and Thursday we went to Paradise Village to spend some time on the beach. Jesse and Sarah remember this from when we stayed at the marina here 10 years ago. It was a little different this time as they were also able to order beer and mixed drinks as they sat in beach chairs on the sand looking out at the ocean.

While they were here we also participated in a 10^th year reunion of our Pacific Puddle Jump in 2002, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. I will write about that in another blog entry.

Saturday night we had dinner together on the boat. Rich fixed a lamb ragu, a boat favorite.

Sarah, Jesse and Rae

We went to the Sunday market. Sarah and Rae bought a few souvenirs and gifts for friends. Rich and I stopped and sampled some of the local fare and picked up some baked goods. In the afternoon we took Sarah to the airport. After she passed security we waited for Heidi and Joe of SV Huck to arrive from San Francisco and gave them a ride back to Paradise Village.

Monday after a little excitement about our engine mechanic (more later in another blog post), and breakfast we were off to the airport again to drop off Jesse and Rae.

The boat is empty without our kids and we miss them already. We are glad they could take time off from work and join us even if it was only for just a week. Now we are back to projects and preparing to have the new engine installed.