Zihuatenejo, January 30

It is hot and bright and there is just a bare sea breeze. We spent last night at Marina Ixtapa (the first tie up at a dock for the boat in a month and probably the last tie up at a dock for a long time) and sailed in very light wind with our new red and yellow Code Zero sail into Zihuatenejo harbor. We are anchored under some very elegant mansions that sit on craggy cliffs, with magnificent garlands of bougainvillia billowing over rock walls. It´s quite a dinghy ride into town where a man runs a business pulling dinghies out of the water onto the beach and guards them. He was assisted by some kids (some in clothes, some not) who wanted tips too. Lots of sailboats in town for Sailfest which starts on the 1st. It is great to be with Tom and Amy, and learn all the new boat tricks they have developed.

Ellen's Journey

On 1/29/06 I will fly to Zihuatenejo, Mexico, to join my partner Tom and our daughter Amy on our boat, S/V Rasa Manis ("That Sweet Feeling" in Indonesian). The rough itinerary:
1/29 - 2/25 - Boat in Zihuatenejo. We will experience SailFest, host friends from Seattle, and travel to Michoacan to visit Amy's friends and acquaintances from her summer as a supervisor with Amigos de las Americas. Amy will leave Mexico on 2/14 for a semester at the University of Buenos Aires in Argentina.
2/25 - 3/25 - Enroute by sea to Salinas, Ecuador, about 1700 miles SSE. We hope to visit the rarely seen Cocos Islands, an offshore territory of Costa Rica, full of unique wildlife. We will be joined by Tom's boat buddies Jack and Lauren. We will be on our own and out of communication except for radio messages to immediate family.
3/25 - 4/29 - Leave Rasa Manis at Puerta Lucia Marina in Salinas and travel by land in South America. Ultimate destination: Buenos Aires. On the way: Ecuador, Peru, Macchu Picchu, Lake Titicaca, Chile, Argentina??????????
5/1 - I return to Seattle. Tom returns to Salinas and joins crew for passage to Marquesas, South Pacific, New Zealand.