WE'RE TOO SICK TO LEAVE LA PAZ

Today is March 8, the 10th day of our nasty colds. Both Arlene and I experienced horrible sore throats the first afternoon that we were in the Abrajoa yard. We really went downhill after that, suffering from hacking coughs, headaches, chills, fevers, and extreme tiredness. I am now fairly well recovered, albeit stuck with an annoying cough. Arlene still has stuffed up sinuses and chills. The last time I caught this thing was in Colorado last September when it took over three weeks for the symptoms to finally disappear.

We just don't have the engergy to go to the store for provisions or to do much of anything else. We sleep, eat, and read alot. Neither of us can talk very well since we are quite horse and talking causes us to cough. We try to get off the boat each afternoon for a short walk, but that is about all the energy we have. At least we have lots of sick leave, and no boss to call.

Mirador went back in the water Saturday afternoon, March 2nd with a great black bottom. After a week at anchor there is no sign of growth anywhere on the bottom or waterline.

The only small problem is that the aft-port strap on the Travel Lift scuffed off about 3" square of paint right on the water line. Alejandro says they will be glad to repair the damage but will need to haul Mirador again and keep her in the yard for a day. I think the problem occurred because the painter put a fourth coat of paint on the water line Saturday morning. That paint softened the underlying coats but had only four hours to dry before the strap from the lift scuffed it.

Our Federal Express package that I told you was delivered to Guadalajara turned out to be in La Paz after all. The package was delivered to our marina on February 26. However, the FedEx internet tracking site showed the package had been delivered in Guadalajara and signed for by A. Aguilar who works in "shipping&receiving." Turns out A. Aguilar is our marina manager here in La Paz, and FedEx never updated the tracking info to show that the package was in La Paz. We were on the hard in the Abaroja boat yard so never bothered to walk back to Marina Santa Cruz to check for the package.

We are anchored in the Santa Cruz "virtual marina" again. The winds are now blowing out of the South and Southeast during many evenings while they still blow from the North every afternoon. We've been having big tides so the current runs 2 to 3 knots for most of the day. With the wind swinging around the clock all the boats are really doing the "La Paz Waltz." We were anchored in 16' of water with our Bruce 44 and 90' of chain and were making a complete 60' orbit around the anchor several times a day we because of the shifting winds and currents,

Yesterday I was walking down the seawall toward the dinghy while watching Mirador waltz. She appeared to be making 2 to 3 knots north till she came to the end of the chain, she would then slow down and swing around to the southeast for a while, accelerate to the west, and then move back to the north. It was quite disconcerting to see, it really did look like she was headed to Espiritu Santo at times. The wind was blowing from the southwest at more than 20 knots while the current was running from the northeast at over 3 knots.

Pretty strange to see all 25 boats in the anchorage doing the same dance. Arlene was on Mirador at the time but just thought the sensation of spinning was due to the cold medicine and her sinus problems.

This morning we had to move Mirador and her anchor about 30 yards SW. I am not sure who was dragging but we kept getting within 20' of Errinmore, a Nicholoson 32 that was anchored about 40 yards from us yesterday evening. Each time Errinmore and Mirador swung they would get a few feet closer together. Now we have 50 yards clearance from any boat on an anchor but only about 20 yards for the boats on permanent anchor balls.

The Port Captain here in La Paz has started a minor controversy. He is now insisting that ANY boat which checks out of La Paz with a destination outside of Mexico must undergo a "health inspection." An "inspector", who has no credentials or papers to show his official position, visits the boat to ensure you are not taking "forbidden" food stuffs out of the country. He also verifies that you do not have rats aboard. Then you pay $110 US for a "health permit."

This doesn't make sense from many perspectives. How can they know what are "forbidden fruits" since they don't ask what country you are going to? Why can't you eat or dump the "forbidden fruits" somewhere before you get to the next country? No Central American country, nor the USA requires such a "health permit." The Mexican Maritime Regulations only require this permit for commercial vessels or vessels taking passengers for hire. Cruisers here are up in arms, mainly because it is just one more fee the Port Captain is extorting.

The obvious answer is to tell the Port Captain that your next desitination is somewhere in Mexico that does not require the health permit. The HAM net has verified that no other Port Captain in either Baja or western mainland Mexico is requiring the permit.

This is the same Port Captain who requires us to pay $15 US to check out of the Port of La Paz to go 15 miles to Isla Espitiru Santo and then another $15 to check back into the Port of La Paz, despite the fact that Isla Espiritu Santo is officially part of the Port of La Paz and the Port Captain is responsible for the island.

We are hoping to feel well enough by Sunday to do some more provisioning and then head out to the islands for a few weeks.