It’s time to begin another chapter in our year-long cruise aboard Apropos.  Tomorrow we are departing Mexico and heading for the South Pacific, where we expect to make landfall at Hiva Oa in the Marquesas.  This passage typically takes about 3-1/2 weeks, during which time we will update the blog from sea.

Over 150 boats are part of the Pacific Puddle Jump this year.  Some are leaving from Panama and others from various ports of Mexico.  A large fleet is based here in Banderas Bay (Puerto Vallarta, La Cruz, Nuevo Vallarta) with 4 boats pulling out today and a few more leaving tomorrow with us.  We will be keeping in touch with each other along the way via a SSB radio net that happens each morning for check-ins and weather reports.

We’ve had a lot of fun for 2 months in Puerto Vallarta and La Cruz.  Its also been a lot of work getting Apropos ready for the crossing.  During the past month, we had our coach-top decks re-caulked, had some welding done on the wind vane, re-did the control lines for the wind vane, finished the ratlines, had dinghy chaps made, fixed some leaks, re-stitched some canvas, scrubbed barnacles off the bottom, made canvas pockets for the cockpit, re-bed some leaking chainplates, and changed engine & transmission oil.  Our final preparations for the crossing included filling the diesel and water tanks, provisioning, packing away the dinghy and finding a place to stow everything.

Many thanks to our family (mom and dad, Amanda) and friends (Lance and Carol, Marvalynn, Christy, Nick) who came to visit us in Mexico, bringing some of our favorite foods that can’t be found in Mexico, as well as the all important boat parts.

For the next month, we will update the blog from sea, and our DeLorme tracker will update our position every couple of hours.

We are sad to part ways with many boats we have become friends with during our 5 months in Mexico.  Some are headed south to Central America, some are remaining in Mexico, some are going back to the states, and some are doing the puddle jump with us.