One month gone, and what do we have to show for it?

God bless my old Pfaff sewing machine. I use it so much more than I ever thought I would

Well, actually, quite a bit! It's been almost an exact month since we pulled into the La Paz Harbor, and boy did we get a lot done.
First, we'll set aside all of the socializing we have accomplished with our good friends here in La Paz, and go straight to the work we've gotten done.

Patrick saved a man's home and dog from certain peril. Then he polished our fuel (a long, drawn out process), cleaned out the gunk in the fuel tanks, and replaced the deisel and oil filters in the engines. Then he had the water pump rebuilt for the refrigerator (both the spare and the one being used) and replaced it to get the refrigerator operational again. Also Patrick and Jack have been working on checking over our inventory of spare parts and replacing items that are needed since La Paz has so many boating stores here. Patrick and Jack have re-provisioned the fuel and food so that we are ready for any diversion our next jump hands us.

Meanwhile I have been working on all the little projects that fill up a boatwife's day - cleaning, cooking, storing provisions, polishing, scrubbing, washing dishes, laundry, changing sheets, cleaning heads, and homeschooling. My special project has been tackling the construction of a spinnaker sock. One week ago, I had no thought in my head of undertaking a project like that. Then in the space of one day, the idea had taken hold and since then, hours and hours of my time have been consumed by it.

It all started when someone mentioned they had a ripped spinnaker and they were going to use the ruined sail to make a spinnaker sock for their other spinnaker. I had never thought of making a spinnaker sock, I just knew they were downright expensive to buy ($20 per foot!). Well, he said he had enough matrial for me to make one and that another boat had the instructions. And that was that, my project began.

Let me all assure you that sometimes you can be too cheap for your own good. If I had simply purchased the ripstop nylon instead of cutting apart an existing spinnaker, I would have been finished days ago. Unfortunately,a sail has an inherent curve in it and when you cut it apart, it still has a curve in it - kind of like when you peel an apple in one long slice. The peel curls like a corkscrew, just like my fabric does. I've been fighting it for days now, and I think I finally have it licked, but the sock isn't done yet so I will have to let you know the outcome. It will be really great to have a spinaker sock since our next passage looks like it will have lots of light wind. We hope to be leaving La Paz this afternoon to go stage up in the islands outside of La Paz. Then on Sunday, we will start our passage to Barra de Navidad, about 400 or more miles away.