KID BOAT

 Coromuels it was! It huffed and it puffed and the wind blew like heck from the South and we bounced around like crazy on our anchor. Our ground tackle is good and the holding was divine so we weren't worried-just uncomfortable. Who wants to bounce around? Time to move. Plus my mom is due to visit us in La Paz in a few days and we wanted to head in that direction anyway. That morning, we managed to download a few emails and got the sad news that my Uncle Alec, my mom's brother had passed. As we weighed anchor I said a prayer and dropped some shells overboard for him. He loved to sail so it made me happy to think of him out here. It also made me think about my dad, too and how short these lives of ours really are. I'm so glad we are out here taking this time with eachother. I will never, never regret this-no matter how brutalized our credit cards are by the time we get home.
BALLANDRA was just a short spit for us, compared to our usual passages of no less than ten hours this was a mere 16 miles. Jon had a tip that we could cut between the reef in the middle and the sand bar on the point- it was supposedly safer than the course on the cruising guide, "local knowlege", as it's called.  It was nerve-wracking but he was a cool cat and guided us safely through and as soon as we passed the trickiest bit...BAM!
The line went out. We jumped to action.
"please, please, no more Bonita!" chanted Kai.
Jon reeled and we leaned over the rail with keen eyes...
"Sierra!" Kai chirped. There was a mere flash of silver back and beautiful golden spots.
How in the heck he knew what it was in that fleeting instant, I will never know...
But he was right.

And Sierra (Spanish Mackeral) are delicious! 

all about the focus

tying lures

I know you're  down there fish!

At last....LUNCH!

Four acted in harmony as One and we landed it, slashed it's gills, roped it by the tail, dragged it overboard to bleed it and I then scooped it from the sea and wisked it to the galley and it was filleted in minutes. A  moment later there was another even bigger one on the line.
We made short work of that one too, a much larger, Sierra.

I butchered it and threw it on ice in the fridge and then ran up to take the helm while Jon readied the anchor.

"Is that another Gulfstar?" I asked Jon as we entered the anchorage.
" looks like it..." well, of COURSE we anchored next to them!

Ten minutes later we were swinging on our hook and I was happily tossing those fish in the pan.

Over lunch, as we munched on rice and this most delectable white fish, perpared with nothing more than a pat of butter and some chopped fresh jalapenos- we surveyed the Gulfstar next to us.
There was a very tan KID reading on it's deck.
"look at that, Hunter..." daddy said.
We waved, they waved.
Ten minutes later two little girls were swimming over to our boat.
Rose and Gabby came to play.
They live with their parents on their Gulfstar ketch, PUDDLE PIRATE.
We swam to the reef with them and snorkled in underwater caves. They were raised on boats and were absolute fish, like our kids, it was a blast.
Afterward, we had drinks on our boat with their wonderful parents- Mom and dad fostered no less than FIFTY children in their home over the years before moving full time on board with their lovely girls. The whole family was inspirationally kind, funny and sweet-absolutely wonderful people.
Fast friends were made and there was potluck on their boat followed by a kid-sleepover on our boat and even though the Corumels' chased us to Ballandra and the night was hideously sleepless and bumpy the sounds of giggles coming from the v-berth made it a hoot. Kai was a champ and tolerated the girl-vibe with a grin. There was much singing to Adele and dancing to Gaga and despite a long night, the wind calmed enough by breakfast for pumpkin pancakes and the last of the sausages from Flora farms.
We were moving on the next day but we all agreed to catch up again in La PAz.

As we cast off our anchor the next morning a voice came over the VHF.
"Pura Vida, Pura Vida , Puddle Pirate"
It was little Rosie.
"Pick it up, Hunter" Dadddy said.
"you know how it goes"
"Rodger that, Puddle Pirate, this is Pura vida" said Hunter, to the radio mic in her hand.
"Go 19, Pura Vida"
" switching to 19" said Hunter and flipped the channel.
The girls chatted and said goodbyr for the eight-millionth time.
"You have a good trip, Pura vida, Puddle Pirate back to 22"
"Pura Vida back to 22" Hunter hung up the mic .
How cool is that?

Puddle Pirate

pumkin pancakes on Pura VIda

The beautiful and camera shy Rosie

Happy Gabby

goofin' in Ballandra

dancin' girls