Happy New Year

It's New Year's Eve and we are motoring toward Zihuatanejo. We've got about 45 miles to go so we should drop the anchor at about 1AM, 2007. Lisa made it safely by bus to PV and back to Seattle. We rested for a day at Melaque and then headed south. We spent a very noisy 2 days and 1 night at Bahia de Santiago next to Manzanillo. By all reports Christmas week is busy all along the coast and the jet skis were there to prove it. Though we were planning to make a leisurely trip south the weather was perfect for sailing so we left yesterday at 5PM and sailed all night in steady 25 kt winds. The wind finally died this morning around 11A and we fired up the motor at noon. The wind is gone but the waves are still here and it's much nicer to be moving with them than tossing around not moving all day. We've definitely found hot weather! It's 90 degrees in the cabin and 94 out.

Since it's New Year's Eve I'm thinking about 2006. It was (obviously) a huge year of transition for us. I quit my job and we untied the boat and left friends and family for our voyage. By midnight tonight we will have traveled approximately 3200 nautical miles on Marcy. At an average of 6 knots that's about 533 hours spent underway. We've both been to a new country for the first time - Mexico and we've grown more comfortable at sea. We've made new friends and visited with old friends along the way. We're settling into the life and the boat is better and better as time goes by. We don't get much news here but it sounds like it was a great time to be away from Seattle for the fall weather. One of the best things about our trip has been email and visits from friends and family in San Diego and Mexico. Since we left on our trip there have been several accidents with friends at home. It's the first time I've left Seattle for an extended period and it's been tough for me to deal with loss and being a supportive friend from such a distance. I am so appreciative that we have the opportunity to be on this trip and the news from home reinforces the importance of our decision to go now.
We're looking forward to a couple of months in Zihuatanejo working on boat projects, swimming, exploring and a visit from our friends Rachel and Paul. We plan to leave in early March for the South Pacific.