Sunday
Mama is a trooper. No two ways about. Here she is, 82-years-young, and we’ve been hauling her through rocky and rolly waves that would exhaust anyone. Did she ever complain? Not once. Instead, she greets the end of the day with a smile and a, “Thank you for the lovely trip.” Michael and I smile back and imagine what she might have said. If we feel muscles in our hands and shoulders that get used only on uncomfortable passages, what must she? We marvel at this example of graciousness.
Perhaps it’s her southern upbringing. And perhaps it’s just that she’s pleased enough with the results of being here as we drop anchor in an old favorite haunt of hers – the first she’s been able to recognize from last year – and watch the pelicans vie with the gulls for dinner.
We motor-sailed into Evaristo in an escalating breeze. The night before we’d spent an unpleasant interlude in Aqua Verde, knocked about by fetch that rolled into the anchorage to hit Sea Venture’s beam while she pointed into the north wind.
Most of the anchorages are packed with boats heading north to Puerto Escondido for Loreto Fest. We decided not to stay for the festivities. Mama wouldn’t have enjoyed them or the crowds. I’m sorry she did not get to see Aqua Verde at its best: the water truly is green and clear – unless a northerly wind has things churning.
So it was either roll at anchor or roll at sea. The wind was supposed to be dying, the seas flattening. They didn’t. There must have been something happening in the north to have caused all the wave action because we never saw winds over 15; they were usually in the 9-11 knot range. The mizzen on a preventer was the only thing that worked. We tried the staysail, but to keep it filled, we had to turn too far so the waves hit us broadside as opposed to off the stern quarter. Motoring it was.
Normally with following seas and wind we can make excellent time, but the waves were obnoxious enough to slow us. Motoring at 7.6 knots allowed us 5.6 over ground. It was a long slog to cover those 44 nautical miles.
But here we are. The water is clear, the breeze from the northwest, the residents of Evaristo enjoying their Sunday. Mama has found a perch on the deck and is soaking up sun, watching the pelicans and gulls.
Life really is good.
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