The First Mate fell on the dock and shattered her knee cap on 12 March 2018, the same day that our third crew member showed up. She was evacuated from La Paz back to Vancouver and is recovering well from surgery. Our plans to leave for French Polynesia on or about 21 March have been paused while we contemplate options and outcomes. The First Mate cannot get back on a boat until November which is way too late for a trip to French Polynesia. Options being considered include: postpone until next year, leave this coming week “short-handed” with only two people on board; and spend a month sailing now in the Sea of Cortez and return with the First Mate in November for another season in the Sea before leaving for the South Pacific in March of 2019.

This is the third time an unexpected event or events has disrupted our sailing plans. Sailors generally need to be very flexible with respect to plans given the peculiarities of weather/weather forecasting, the ocean in general and of course the perverse nature of sailboats and the near regularity with which things break. Not going in the next few days, even short handed raises, the question of “how can we know what might happen between now and next March”? Of course we can’t know everything but some of the knowables include the boat is as well prepped as it will ever be and will only need new perishable provisions, we will have had more sailing experience and most importantly the First Mate and I can share the voyage which was our intention when we planned this goofy adventure.