After having spent two lovely weeks in San Jose del Cabo the time has come to move on. We have met some friendly and helpful locals, found a few favorite haunts, made meaningful friendships with a few fellow cruisers, and gotten some much needed down time. Our earlier plan was to head up to La Paz from here but the Sea of Cortez will have to wait as the Northerlies have been coming through every few days which makes a journey north too difficult. However, a good steady breeze from the north is perfect for a trip to the mainland. So we will go where the wind blows. Besides, we really do want to spend the winter months further south.

Our time here has been such a joyful surprise. The days are spent watching wildlife, snorkeling on the beach, napping, and doing small boat maintenance projects. Often we have heard the scream of an osprey as it calls out to its neighbors and watched as it dives and struggles to carry a freshly caught fish. Like Moss Landing, there are a variety of herons, cormorants, and terns. Unlike home we have seen the beautiful Magnificent Frigate birds with their stark sillouette gliding through the skies above us. Their beautiful red or white throats clearly visible to the naked eye. There are tropical fish, an occasional sea lion, and we have even seen a few leaping stingray. However, we have not seen the illusive sea turtles which we hear are frequent visitors to the harbor.

Everyday the fisherman come in followed by a crowd of lazy pelicans who wait for handouts which the men toss to them with glee. These same fisherman have befriended us and have given us great advice despite our language barrier. Yesterday I had the funniest conversation with a gentleman who somehow let me know that the seas where so rough that if we went out sailing we would throw up. Helping us to decide to stay another day as leaving yesterday was No Bueno!

Unlike the mad dash down the coast of Baja where we did not really get to spend time with fellow sailing comrades we have spent hours dinning, shopping, drinking, exploring and sharing stories with a few great people. All of which we hope to see again at some point in the journey. I have to say, I have read about the difficulty of always saying goodbye to people you befriend. Now I have felt it first hand and I can say it definitely is not one of the highlights of cruising.

We will most likely spend Thanksgiving somewhere out at sea or in some small anchorage. It all depends on the timing of our travels and the weather. However you can be sure that we take a few minutes everyday to give thanks for the blessings we are receiving. So for us everyday is Thanksgiving. And as Steve pointed out, we had our Thanksgiving feast last July in Germany.

Our most immediate goal at this point is to get the boat to Puerto Vallarta where we can secure her in a slip for our journey back to Santa Cruz. Just this morning we made our plane reservations and we hope that our friends and family will clear time on their calendars and make room in their homes for a few homesick sailors. We don’t require much room, after all we are use to living on a boat. Any old closet will do. 😉

Looking forward to our next adventure, a few days on the water, a new place to explore and new friends to let into our hearts.

We send Love, Hugs, and Blessing to all of people back home. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving.