Cruising Without an “Iron Jenny”: One+ Year Update

To be yourself in a world that is constantly 

Trying to make you something else is 

The greatest accomplishment.

Ralph Waldo Emerson 

Our 'Frankenstein' electrical switches to go from 12V to 60V

One of our experiments living aboard and cruising on Déjàlà is to NOT use an internal combustion (diesel or gasoline) engine for propulsion. We removed the Atomic 4 gas motor shortly after purchasing the boat.

Hey Meeesterrr, You Want to Pet my Iguana?

I will not let anyone walk through 
My mind with their dirty feet.

Mahatma Gandhi

Pangas upriver

Sunday we enjoyed another pleasurable inland trip. What better to do on yet one more cool and cloudy day? Since arriving in Banderas Bay nearly two weeks ago, we’ve mostly had wind, clouds, and coolness which the locals say is unusual at this time of the year.

We headed to the south side of Banderas Bay to hike, and see the waterfalls near Quimixto, a small village nestled at the foot of the Western Sierra Madre Mountains. For those who watch TV and movies, this general area is where Night of the Iguana (Richard Burton) and Predator (much more recent) were filmed.

Punta de Mita – Entrance Point to Banderas Bay

We build too many walls and not enough bridges.

Isaac Newton

VW bug with dry palm leaves for roof!

Rather than going directly to La Cruz at the end of Banderas Bay as we did last season, we decided – or should I say the winds decided for us – to stop over at Punta de Mita (or Punta Mita by the locals) about 10 miles closer to the ocean, near the entrance of the bay. At first, we hadn’t thought we would like Punta Mita for it is a surf area, meaning waves, waves, and more waves, as well as a mega resort area, meaning tourists, tourists, and more tourists. To our dismay, even though waves and tourists were present, Punta Mita has kept a lot of the Mexican cachet.

Are You Hooked? Life at the End of a Line, Hanging by a Thread

Happy and Generous 2013

www.diy-boats.com

Sitting at anchor (hooked) in Punta Mita – and wondering why they use that term ‘sitting’ when in reality you are bobbing in the water in somewhat the ‘same’ position (one of the meanings of sitting) at the end of a chain or rope, which, in the scheme of things, is quite like the size of a line or thread when compared to the larger proportion or weight of a vessel.

I ponder how much confidence or trust must go into something so small to keep you and your vessel safe despite waves, winds, other marine traffic, etc.; your vessel in many cases being your home, a huge monetary expense connected to many cherished memories.

More than the idea of being tied down via ‘ground tackle’ that seems of diminutive size is the idea that one has to be tied via a soft, flowing non - rigid kind of way. Everything about a sailboat is about movement. Unlike life in a house solidly and immutably (well almost) built on the ground, sailboats pick up every small nuance of winds, ripples, waves, or weather affecting them much more than their land dwellers. Should one try to stiffen any of the ties too much, it only leads to breakages and sharp uneasy movements of the boat, making it too uncomfortable to enjoy being aboard.

I believe living aboard a sailboat is mirroring much more what life is like = flowing, ever changing, rather than existing in the same room, same location, facing the same direction for decades. We learn malleability, tolerance, adaptability, much more readily when all that connect us are a flexible chain or a line/thread bobbing with others who are also dancing to the movements of the water, affected by winds, seeing new horizons or constellations each time their boat faces a new cardinal point. Collectively in one anchorage we all seem to face a similar direction, following the same weather circumstances, yet all in a fluid, unforced, flexible manner.

One learns not to expect anything concrete but to enjoy the fleeting moments connected like small dots throughout the days, weeks, months, etc. We are constantly reminded of how everything quickly passes.

So in this New Year 2013 – enjoy the grace of the flow…

Back to the Jungle! The Land of Banana Chips

Happiness is when what you think, what you say,

And what you do are in harmony.

Unknown 

Black, white, and green rocks

We spent a very nice time in Mazatlán cleaning, restocking, visiting with friends, and resting from six months in the hot Sea of Cortez where we visited no places as large or diverse as Mazatlán (500,000 or so people).