Mid-December in La Paz, the Sea of Cortez still stunningly beautiful, and the weather picture postcard perfect. Bringing Marathon back to life after being abandoned for seven months is made slightly easier by having professional boat watchers taking care of cleaning, new bottom paint and hurricane watch while we are not here. Nonetheless, it is clear that summer in La Paz leads to a hard life for a boat. Even with monthly washing there is still a fine layer of dust over everything. Lines are much less flexible than they should be, even stainless fittings, if out of the reach of the cleaners, have rusted as a result of being coated with dust and, somehow, salt. The Mexican courtesy flag, VRC and BCA burgeys are skeletal and no longer usable. However, keeping Marathon in the water rather than on the hard still seemed like the right thing to do. I am sure that all of the above would be even worse.

The landscape surrounding the marina  is brown compared to last year’s green at this time of year. Apparently it has not rained for many months and it shows. Wind speed and direction for the next several days is very favourable so either tomorrow or the day after, we are off “to the islands”.