The last week in Cabo San Lucas has been full
of mixed feelings. When we arrived, we found a beautiful emerald green bay surrounded
by wall to wall hotels and condos. It looked very much like a scene from
somewhere in the Mediterranean. The sun was shining, and the water was warm.
The bay was abuzz with fishing boats and pangas taking tourists hither and yon.
We easily found a good anchorage in the bay, and were soon entertained by the
extremely load music and announcements coming from the local hotels. This started
around noon and carried on well into the night. In addition, party boats,
pirate cruises, and water taxis buzzed by at all hours, turning the water into
a washing machine of wake. Later we discovered that the swell coming from both the
Pacific and the Sea of Cortez was wrapping around, combining, and making for
some extremely uncomfortable conditions.
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| Lands End |
The cost of staying at the marina proved to be
outrageous at US$86 a night. We could have rented a hotel room for less than
that. The price of fuel was over $3 a liter at the fuel dock, and word had it
they charged $3 a foot just to tie up at the fuel dock! Purified water cost
$.75 a gallon which is three times what we paid in Ensenada. Food in
restaurants was very expensive also, however groceries were just slightly more
than usual. There is no doubt that the economy here is driven by what the
tourists are able to pay. It’s definitely not the sort of place that either
Dave or I are comfortable with.
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| Our wallpaper many mornings |
It was very handy to have a Walmart and Costco nearby,
and Dave finally was able to replace the failing house bank of batteries with a
set from Costco. We were also able to find some “real” beer at a local brew pub
called Baja Brewing Company. They are located right in the marina, and I highly
recommend the Peyote Pale Ale for those that enjoy some hops in their beer, somewhat
expensive, but a wonderful treat after a month of Mexican brew. Apparently you
can buy it in bottles somewhere near Walmart, but we were unable to locate the
store.
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| New batteries ready to be installed. |
The wildlife has been very entertaining also.
The Pelicans don’t seem to bother fishing. They just mooch from the local
sports fishermen, and you can almost walk up and touch them. A sea lion in the
Marina kept us laughing by hitching rides on the sterns of boats as they entered
and exited the harbor. In addition, a large school of herring took up residence
under Cygnus’ hull for the duration of our visit.
It’s been a wonderful time since leaving Olympia
in June of last year. Dave and I have had many great adventures. We have seen
three beautiful countries, amazing scenery, great sailing, wonderful people,
and great food, beer, wine, and margaritas! However, I think for now I have had
my fill of the cruising life. As Dave is fond of saying, “It’s time for me to
get back to my little garden”. I will leave Dave to carry on the adventure, and
I wish him all the best. I do this with a heavy heart. I feel extremely bad
about leaving Dave to sail alone. It’s not an easy task at times, but if anyone
can do it, he can.
Now I’m finally on the plane that will take four
and a half hours to fly over the countries that took us over seven months to
visit by sailboat. It seems almost unbelievable. Granted, we did spend about six
weeks of that time in Quesnel and the Seattle area.
This is my last post to this blog. I
look forward to following the rest of Dave’s adventures along with the rest of
you. I’m sure they will be most interesting, and in many ways I will wish I was
there with him. I wish him all the best, with fair winds, sunny skies, and
friendly seas!
Adios from Pete.
