It had crept up on us quicker than we thought it would. Our mid-April departure still seemed weeks away. At PV Sailing’s weekly briefing, Mike announced the weather window for those ready to go but our preparations still had us sitting at anchor for a week or so after finishing boat work in the marina.
We had slipped into a comfortable port routine walking Nico to the local Mexican primary school every morning and after lunch taking him on to the after-school activities at the Kids Club, just on the other side of the town square outside the marina. That gave us time to paint, wire, repair and prepare.
But when our weather router said, now is the time, don’t delay if you want to minimise motoring or sitting becalmed, we sprung (back) into action. First a small sea trial across Banderas Bay took us for two nights to the remote Yalapa fishing village.
Then we berthed at the marina in Nuevo Vallarta this time, visited the port captain, bought more supplies, spent a frenetic day completing the last to-dos on the pre-departure list and even got Nico some more playtime. Now we are ready.
Carlin, an experienced sailor from Whangarei, had joined us a few weeks ago. We first met on Great Barrier Island a number of years ago. Turned out we got ourselves a talented marine mechanic as crew for the passage to French Polynesia and he was instrumental in getting the wind vane steering and other key equipment up to scratch.
Now, this morning, a final fuel run to Puerto Vallerta port just an hour away, buy and stow fresh food from Soryana Supermarket, pack up dinghy and paddle board, fill the water tanks and wait for the check-out visit by the port captain and immigration at midday, back here at Paradise Village. Then we depart.
This is the day we say goodbye to Mexico where Nico has spent nearly half his life by now. In this time we became part of a community of cruisers we keep meeting, like Salish Dragon now moored across the dock from us whom we first met in Puerto Penasco 1000 miles north. Or SV Discovery two docks along with Nico’s ‘best friend’ aboard, Mick, whom he first met over 3 years ago in San Carlos.
This is the day that has been our measure for everything we did on New Life, to be ready to cross the Pacific. Will this be safe, comfortable and useful for the month-long passage, we would ask ourselves every time we tackled a new job on our liveaboard.
This is the day that is our reward for all the work it took to get this far. A nice 60th birthday present – thank you Marea.
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