Trials and Tribulations

Since Liam´s poetic post, Brady and I have left the ocean for a road trip down into the deserts of Baja, courtesy of Liam and his lovely novia, Kristen. We´ve been soaking up sun on the beach, marveling at the wonders of the desert, hiking into the hills, swimming, enjoying the cutest little Baja del Sur towns you could ever dream up, and, of course, gorging on tacos. The future of my travels are uncertain at this point. First mate Brady Lang is jumping ship (which, as Darren tells me, is punishable by hanging) and I am unwilling to push on south without a first mate who is committed to rounding the southern tip of the Baja peninsula, as there is nowhere I could leave my boat between Ensenada and there in the event that I need to quit (crew leaves, boat breaks, money runs out, etc.) So, I am faced with the decision of either finding new crew--a distinct possibility-- or parking the boat in San Diego and proceeding by land. Both possibilities, thankfully, are very alluring. So, if any of you wonderful people have been watching the progress with envious eyes, your time has come. If you´re interested in crewing on the sailing ship Kalakas, drop me an email, or just respond to this blog, and we´ll see what we can work out.
Regardless of whether I push on by sea or by land, I feel good about what Brady and I have accomplished together, and I am excited for whatever the future may hold for me. I must admit, though, that on this little road trip I have glimpsed the beauty and tranquility of the Sea of Cortez, and it breaks my heart just a little bit every time I see some sailboat anchored in the bay where we are camped on the beach. If any of you ever thought about doing what we´re doing, I can only say, do it. It is so worth it. There are countless beautiful little sheltered bays, the weather and the water are gorgeous, and the Sea of Cortez is a boater´s paradise.

Best wishes to everyone!