Monday 23rd March 2020
We had a small success in that the engine started without a problem and we did a trip to the fuel dock and returned to our proper slip without any incidents. We went onto La Cruz with the laundry for both us and Eagle, bought the last few bits of fresh veg before we head off. Then we met up with Bres and Dennis in the Ballina Blanca for a drink.
As the day progressed we seemed to spend it walking between the same bar and the boat as we ended up there for a snack at lunch and also our dinner. We had a final three games of Yahtzee, but on talking to John later there seems to a dispute as to who is the overall winner. All I know is that is isn’t me as I had a few really dodgy games. We heard that Boris was doing a speech at 8:30pm UK time. Everyone is to stay home for 3 weeks and you can go out for Food, Medicine, to help the vulnerable, one form of outdoor exercise and that’s about it. The only shops open are food shops and Chemists and you can have a funeral with only 2 guests but no weddings or christenings. Fines will be issued for those who do not adhere to the rules.
Tuesday 24th March 2020
We were up at our usual time and started getting the boat ready to go. We signed out at the Marina Office and said goodbye to Bres, who was leaving for the airport. We got to Punta de Mita at about 12.30pm and dropped the anchor, which kept getting struck when we were trying to drop it. There was talk in the Marina that the other Marina’s in the area were being closed. We phoned Giuille in the office to double check, John said she sounded stressed, but everything was fine. I did say that if there was a problem then we wouldn’t have got the paperwork to leave from the Post Captain, but it was better to check before making the long journey north. We had a spot of lunch (salmon & cucumber sandwiches) and prepared the dinner for later in the evening. We had sausage casserole with potatoes, sweetcorn, onions & mushrooms in it. It was very tasty and unsurprisingly we have the same for dinner tomorrow. Fortunately, we had a managed to keep Bres away from the sausages as he had several attempts whilst on board to suggest we ate them for breakfast. We had a sleep and awoke at midnight.
Wednesday 25th March 2020
We started raising the anchor at 1am. All of that went well, the only thing was I inadvertently switched off the radio when telling John how much chain was left. I managed to get the anchor in on my own but struggled with the pin. The night sail was calm and we both managed to get a couple of hours sleep each. When the sun rose, it made the sea look like a sea of liquid metal. I could imagine someone like Salvador Dali using it in a painting, it looked quite surreal. We’ve managed a couple of cups of tea too as it’s been calm enough to make and drink it without the risk of wearing it. We have been keeping an eye on the fuel as the gauge is telling us we have much less than we should. Rick told us to keep the electric fuel pump on and both he and Dennis say that you won’t use any more fuel by using it, so we continue monitoring. We’ve seen a few birds along the way hitching rides on the back of turtles. We also had a seagull rest for a while on one of our solar panels, it’s a shame he made a mess of the panel before he left but that’s nature I suppose. The sail through the night was very calm and we didn’t see another boat over the distance.
Thursday 26th March 2020
We arrived at the old marina at about 4am in the morning, which was very early to catch the tide at 09:45, so we continued sailing at 3 knots. By the time we got to the marina it was about 07:30 and deep enough for the boat to get in. We had breakfast at Gus Gus, went back to the boat to shower and then went into town to try and see if we could change our flights. They said they could book new return flights at roughly £3,000 for the pair of us, which is quite a lot of money. We were told we had to alter our existing flights by telephone and sit in the queue and that somebody would answer. So, we went back to the boat to do just that. We left the telephone on hold at the call centre for over 1.5 hours and didn’t get through. We managed to break some woodwork trying to get the battery onto the boat. The safety meeting on the dock went ahead although I don’t think we should have been there. We had dinner with Kandy & Dennis at La Mona and were the only ones there. We had our usual Pizza and Ribs. Home then bed as it had been a very long day.
Friday 27th March, 2020
We spent over five hours so far this morning trying to make contact with Aero Mexico to see if we could bring our flights forward, we thought without success. We left the phone on in the salon on the chart table going through the same ‘on hold’ messages not really expecting to get a response. But amazingly we heard a voice at the end of the phone. Although it has cost us a further US $1,200, it’s a lot less than the £3,000 quoted yesterday. So, we have paid and now go home on Sunday 29th. It’s a bit of a double-edged sword really as we have really enjoyed our trip, but we feel we need to be home, especially as the Government in the UK has advised people to come home. We are also acutely aware it is going to kick off here as. They are about three weeks behind here. How they manage the situation here I don’t know as an awful lot of people live hand to mouth and couldn’t do three weeks at home. Rightly or wrongly we had a safety meeting on the dock, and it was lovely. It was quite a laugh, it seemed the story that Dennis told us about the couple who were anchoring except the husband just couldn’t make up his mind where to drop the anchor and how and the wife lost the plot and shouted loud enough to for the bay to hear ‘For gods sake just drop the fucking anchor was actually Don and Leanna. That came out after I told them that the most successful taking up of the anchor was in Punta de Mita and that was when I had inadvertently turned off the radio when talking to John. Dennis told John it had been the best Buddy Boating trip he had done, which was lovely to hear, as although we enjoyed it, it’s good to know he did too. Things are going to quieten down a lot as Brian & Hiromi, Kandy & Dennis & Kim and Clay are all heading home in the next couple of days as well. So, we have a lot of work to do tomorrow getting the boat put to bed before we bail out. I must admit I’m a lot happier knowing we are going home though we may be jumping out of the frying pan into the fire. Who knows what is right, especially as the news today was that Boris Johnson and his sidekick have tested positive for the virus.
Saturday 28th March, 2020
Today we met at Gus Gus and had a drink with the others and went back to the boat to get on with some jobs in preparation for leaving Bamboo. I transferred the fuel containers on deck to the tanks. Not all of it went in and the numbers didn’t really add up to the hours and mileage covered. We will have to keep an eye on that just in case there is still a labelling issue on the valves. We gave Hector all the frozen food and he is going to distribute what he doesn’t want to the security guards. We went to Rick and Margot’s for a drink and when we arrived, she had cooked. Luckily we hadn’t eaten too much, so there was no embarrassment there. She seems to be enjoying being at home and I think she will be re-evaluating all the things she does both in church and out with regards to her singing. She also seemed to be quite surprised at how few people had made contact whilst the events were cancelled, proving to her who her real friends were. I think it has been a bit of an eye opener and a shock at the same time. I’m not sure how seriously she is taken by the virus. A lot of Mexicans seem to be leaving it in the hand of God to protect them.
Sunday 29th March, 2020
We were up reasonably early to continue putting the boat away before we set off at 2.30pm to the airport. We managed to do everything below decks and we have left Hector to clean the decks, polish the stainless and put all the covers back on the boat. We have left him the contents of the fridge to keep or distribute as he wishes and then clean it afterwards. We actually did quite well in the end as yesterday I thought we had not achieved very much at all. Hector drove us to the airport and the lack of traffic on the roads and in the shopping facilities along the way was quite noticeable. We had a burger at the airport as it could be our last meal, as Bres had said nothing was open at Mexico City airport. The airport is really quite empty, John counted 40 people come off the previous flight. The chap who checked us in reckons the flight to London is between 60 & 70% full. It’s all very quiet and subdued here in Mazatlan.
The flight from Mazatlan was on time and we got the connecting flight with no trouble at all. If it was that full, they must all have been in Upper & Business Class as there were so many empty seats. John moved across, so we could both lie across 3 seats and sleep.
Monday 30th March, 2020
We arrived at Heathrow and were the only flight at that time. The machine at Passport Control wouldn’t accept my passport, so I had to go past the lady. I’m not sure but maybe because we had been out of the country since January, they had to speak to us. Anyway, we walked to Level 2 in the Short Stay Car Park where Sophie was waiting for us in the car. She was very easy to find as there were probably only about half a dozen cars there. The trip back on the M25 was so quiet as you can imagine, passing the blue NHS sign which has replaced ‘Give Peas a Chance’ & ‘HELCH’. We arrived home at about 7pm and had dinner. We went to bed quite late but I ended up still awake at 2am due to the jet lag.
Tuesday 31st March, 2020
We awoke at about midday in the end and did very little. I had a wander round the garden, and I need to water the Bamboo, which is looking very dry. There are a few weeds here and there but generally the garden is very dry. The patio down the side of the house is covered in bird poo where they have been sitting on the aerial, so it is probably time to get the pressure washer out. We managed to empty the suitcases and get the washing on. We took Basil for a walk in Presdales where there were very few squirrels. Today is actually Basil’s 6th Birthday, where has the time gone? We also managed to catch up with Aileen and Barry, we said we would talk to Barry tomorrow and have a tour of the house. I took a couple of sleep aid tablets in the evening to try and break the sleeping pattern. Sophie cooked Chicken in Magic Sauce for dinner. We heard that the marinas in Mexico are only allowing boats in which have a TIP, so there are now some restrictions.
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