February 15, 2010

I want to make people happy when I grow up....

Here we are in the Columbian Rosario Islands. The water is clear blue and warm. There is a nice breeze to keep the power supply at a level that makes Graham happy. We have cupboards full of food, plenty to drink and new water toys to try out. Life is pretty good.

The only problem is that I know we gotta do the overnight hop to the San Blas islands.....time is ticking. Since we haven't sailed since May I am a bit nervous. Ok, a lot nervous and the worst thing is that our auto pilot (Mr. Auto) has stopped working!! I really hate hand steering, especially at night. Should be a good dose of reality for us though.

We had a great couple days. Yesterday we took our dinghy over to an aquarium on one of the small islands. It was really cool. There are pathways or bridges over all these partitioned off areas of the ocean. You could reach in and touch the sharks, fish, dolphins and mantorays if you dared! They put on a great shark and dolphin show that was really impressive and given the fact that it was not grand scale, you really felt like you were in it! Alex was even able to pet one of the dolphins.

Once back at the boat Graham and the kids got the new Airline scuba gear all ready and I basically sat and worried in the cockpit. I made them all review the scuba rules and all the possibilities for what could go wrong. I then made Graham swear he would keep the kids safe and only go down a little ways the first few times. They all said all the right things so that I would stop talking and away they went.

Accordingly to the 3 of them, it works really well and they love it. It was nice to be able to tell exactly where they were since they were attached to the air line. They are definitely going to get a lot of use out of it.

There are 3 other boats in the anchorage and Amelia has been swimming over to them and introducing herself and giving all the ladies on the boats earrings she has made. Today one of the boats brought over a message in a bottle for her that read, "To Amelia, the adorable little red-haired mermaid that swam up to our boat near Rosario Island and so generously gave me a beautiful pair of earrings that she made. Thank you so much! I will treasure them."

Amelia was so happy that she says to me. I know what I want to do when I grow up. I want to make people happy! I thought to myself..."Me Too"! She started to think about jobs she could do that would achieve this goal. Pretty neat to think about.

Alex and I got our new inflatable kayak (another second hand water toy we picked up in Cartagena) in working order today! It is really fun and it makes a great lounging bed for me when the kids aren't using it. Alex convinced me to get in with him today and then once I was comfortable I see his sly smile spread across his face and he tips me over. His time will come!

Graham spent the morning getting the water maker running again and he spent the afternoon helping out our new friends here in the anchorage with their diesel motor. For some reason it won't start. He was able to figure out the problem and give the fella details regarding the solution but then handed over the reigns to the captain to put the plan to action. No rest for the wicked though, the kids have him out snorkeling the reef as I type. It is 15 minutes past happy hour and I will have his beer and hot banana bread ready for his arrival. Have I mentioned lately how much I love this guy.

Wish us luck on our overnight hand steering journey, write you from San Blas.

6 comments:

  1. Good luck with your overnight sail.

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  2. That new scuba diving gear sounds like it'll be alot of fun during your adventure.

    Was that your first message in a bottle Amelia?

    :) Miss ya.

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  3. What a clever idea giving Millie the message in a bottle. Something she will always remember. That was sweet of her to make everyone earrings. The scuba gear sounds like it would be a lot of fun and will save you money since you dont have to rent it anymore. The good deal was a bonus. Cant wait to hear you arrived in san Blas safe and sound.

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  4. Julie - no autopilot is not that bad - we didn't have one for the first eight months. You get used to it!!!! But it is more fun with it!
    lots of Love
    Grampa griff and Nana Cheryl

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  5. Be Safe and let us know when you arrive. I love the message in a bottle. Amelia you always make me happy, you are my little mermaid angel.

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