Cabo San Lucas

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. 

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.

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.

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.