They had broken their rudder on a recent passage, set off the SOS function on their inReach satellite tracking device and was subsequently rescued by the Mexican Navy. They had then managed to jury-rig a repair for their rudder and ordered a new one to be delivered to Cabo San Lucas. In the meantime they both sustained some serious leg injuries while transferring from a water taxi and were recovering from that when we met them and yet despite all that, they remained steadfast and undaunted in their journey and in their selves.
In getting to know them better I learned that Eric was a small boat designer/builder with apparent insight and talent. He was also, in season; a gold miner (both panner& digger) and did landscaping in northern California. Betsy had been breeding and raising a unique strain of draft horses. She also had been working as a contractor/house painter. Hard working, hard living people. And now they were sailing off to a tiny archipelago in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.
Miracle at Bahia Santa Maria -
While visiting with Eric & Betsy they mentioned that their main 10hp outboard motor was running poorly. Being the well prepared folks that they are, they had a back-up that was was working well. The was a 2.5 Honda outboard that was able to drive their small boat well at 5 nmp. They wanted to get rid of the sick 100 lb, 10hp outboard and wondered if anyone in the fishing collective in the bay could use it, if only for spare parts and possibly they could even fix it. We were headed that way and offered to parley with the fishermen to see if they were interested. Cheeky’s crew was anxious to get rid of the extra weight of a motor what was of no use to them and was taking up half of their cockpit space. So off we went to talk to the fishermen. We pulled up to a couple of nearby fishing pandas and ask them; Habla Engles? They all hung their heads and shook them side to side indicating no. So Bev proceeded to try to explain the situation in broken Spanish. That was met with pained and puzzled looks form the fishermen. That’s when the miracle happened right there in the middle of Sant Maria’s bay: the miracle of immaculate translation! “You mean you just want to give us an outboard motor, not charge?” one asked as all their heads came up and the lights came on in all their eyes. “Si! You can have it. Just head over to that little barco and they will give it to you.” and zoom they were off to CHEEKY where Eric & Betsy gave them not only the motor but the manual and oil what went with it. We were delighted to be able to witness a miracle happen right before our very eyes.
Sail on Cheeky. May your winds be fair and your seas calm but if they are not I’m sure that your sprits will be up to the task. I hope we run into you again sometime
Speaking of cheeky people we were also blessed at Bahia Santa Maria to be able to spend time with Ava & Pajo the crew of the amazing Cinderella who are at the beginning of a round-the-world sail. Ava is one of the most poised and gracious people that I’ve met and Pajo is such a good and enthusiastic sailor that he inspires me to sail more and use the motor less. They are both committed to green travel as they move only by the wind that they gather in their sails, sunlight they gather with their solar panels and the mussels in their arms.
On the day of their departure Ava & Pajo raised there anchor and then unfurled there jib and sailed right up to Malo like they were riding a spirited horse, tacked and then headed out to sea as we took photos and waved our fond goodbyes.
Sail on Ava & Pajo, the force is with you both…you can follow them on their journey at www.sailingcinderella.com & at Facebook & YouTube @sailingcinderella.
We stayed another day in Bahia Santa Maria. We swam off the boat like Adam and Eve would have if they had a boat in paradise, paddled around on our SUP boards and explored the mangrove estuary with our dinghy.
The water was a delicious 78 deg. F. Clear and full of fish.
The estuary was interesting, full of shells and miles of beach. The fishing collective fished the estuary with established net traps that we had to lookout for as we meandered around. We have heard that they sell all that they catch to the Chinese.
That afternoon we hiked out to the tip of Point Hughes that is one of the peninsulas that form the bay.
At this point there were only three boats left in this magnificent place.
At the end of Point Hughes we found a rustic surf camp that was tended by a lone caretaker who seemed to enjoy the company. He name is Emiliano but said that he was called Maistro, which I recognized as meaning “teacher”. When I asked him if he taught surfing he said; No, he didn’t know how to surf. He was a recognized as a builder and that’s what he was doing there as well as taking care of the place. He told us about living alone out in such a barren place which he seemed to enjoy as well as the income that he earned for his work. It was getting late so we bid adios to Maistro and headed back to Malo just in time for sunset.
We were now the last boat left in the bay. We enjoyed the solitude of this place and then the next day continued on our own way southward….
No comments:
Post a Comment