Cruising Kyrie: Back to the beginning

This has been a surreal couple of weeks. Actually, about a week ago, we dropped anchor in Caleta Partida, an area we spent a lot of time in when we first arrived in the Sea of Cortez a year ago. We spent about a day and a half there, enjoying being back for a little while. We have quite a few good memories from there. In the good ol' pre-Covid days, we spent lots of evenings in the cockpit of our boat and other people's boats, talking, laughing, and enjoying a glass of wine while our kids gathered below, eating popcorn or brownies, watching movies and playing games. One of the most fun was the evening Deerfoot II invited everyone in the anchorage over. The couple zoomed around in their dinghy, visiting all the boats and extending an invitation. That evening, there must have been twenty extra people on that 70-foot sailboat, including 10 kids! Brownies, ice cream, an upside-down Christmas tree, watching Levi talk to three kids from Mexico City, using their dad as a translator, meeting new people. Those were definitely the days...

This time had some highlights as well. Levi happily met a boy his age--something of a rare occasion so far on this adventure. They spent most of the time swimming off our boat and talking about video games. Our boy had a good day! Even better, this new friend is here in La Paz, so they have plans to spend some more time together while we're here. Of course, there was also kayaking, paddleboarding, and snorkeling to be enjoyed, which we did! Joe and I found King Angelfish, Reef Cornetfish, and drooled over a couple of hogfish.

A week ago, the weather report encouraged us to leave the islands and head for cover. Well, weather and our list of things to be fixed. Our genoa repair needed to be completed, our watermaker was (and is!) still giving us headaches with low production, and a few other items needed attention. Plus, there was the hope my birthday wouldn't be rained out this time and I could have shrimp tacos and a margarita in town. Success on that front! My birthday was dry. We enjoyed a walk on the malecon and finally managed to make it to Neveria La Fuente and try the mango ice cream my mom said we "have to get." You're right, Mom. It's delicious!

As I said, it's surreal being back here. We thoroughly enjoyed our time here before and it's lovely to be back, but there is definitely a different feel. Walking on the Malecon is nice, but we miss that busy feeling in the evenings when all the families were out. Club Cruceros is closed, so there isn't the usual coffee and cookie mornings at the marina, or any other big gatherings. Mercado Bravo is still full of beautiful, delicious food, but the kids missed being able to go in and order their own empanadas. However, this is where we feel as though our time in Mexico really began, and at almost exactly a year later, we're thoroughly enjoying a repeat visit here.

Perhaps next time Joe can regale our readers with our watermaker woes and how much he has fixed or replaced on it. At that point, we will have our genoa back with a brand new sun cover and we'll be ready to cross back over to the mainland. It's getting cooler and time to go south. How far south we will get this year? Stay tuned...