Gato Loco Leg 5 Blog #7
Our Final Blog…
We had about a 2 1/2 hour sail to Loreto from Puerto Escondido. Along the way we picked up some wind and raised the main sail and the spinnaker. As the photo to the right shows, Marilyn became a pro at assisting Bill with the sails. Throughout the trip Marilyn was constantly learning new things on the boat. She was the most excellent of students…
We settled in for our last little sail on the bow, relaxing and enjoying the sea and each other’s company. As we got closer to Loreto, the winds increased quite a bit and the waves got bigger. Since Loreto’s bay is not very protected, Bill was concerned that we would have a tough time anchoring. Anchoring was a bit tricky when we arrived, but with Captain Bill’s keen skill, we were just fine. As we were readying the dinghy with our gear, we spied Brian and Heather at the shore jumping and waving to us. I had no idea that Brian could jump that high! He looked like a bird in flight. With all the wind, dinghying to shore with the four of us and all of our stuff was a bit dicey. The poor little dinghy barely stayed above the water! I wish we had a picture of that …
After we showered and began to feel human again, we went out to explore Loreto. We ate a great lunch at La Cascada. It had been recommended to us by our cab driver, who was married to the owner. It was a great little outdoor restaurant, where we had yummy fish veracruzano, lobster, and mole. Of course we also had a bit more shopping to do. Marilyn was constantly on the lookout for little gifts for Zoe (the new grand baby-to-be)! We met up with Bill, Brian and Heather a bit later for some dinner at La Palapa. Past crews have found this little place, with tasty (and lethal) margaritas. We were all pooped and called it an early night. Bill, Brian and Heather headed back to the boat (they would be leaving port in the morning), while Marilyn, Sally and I turned in early at the Inn. Sunday morning we had a nice breakfast at Tres Mandiles (same place as last week). They make amazing fresh juices that would put any US juice bar to shame. We had an easy morning at the Inn. La Damiana Inn is a fabulous little hotel. It is run by two wonderful people, Deborah and Gerardo. I would highly recommend this place to anyone coming to Loreto. It is quite charming and lovely, and also very reasonably priced. It was built in the early 1900s and has been lovingly refurbished by the the proprietors. The rooms are all different, but all wonderful with their own personalities…
After saying goodbye to our new friends at La Damiana, and the charming city of Loreto, we hopped a plane and flew back to Guaymas. Now that our journey was ending, we were all looking forward to getting home and into our own beds (and to our hound puppies!). We had about a 7 1/2 hour drive back to Penasco, and arrived home around 11:30 p.m. We were all exhausted, but happy. The three ladies of Leg 5 completed our journey with some wonderful, shared experiences that we won’t soon forget. We had an amazing captain in Bill. He took us to the most incredible places, and for that we are ever so grateful. Marilyn, Sally and I want to thank the owners of Gato Loco for giving us the wonderful gift of this trip. We all feel so truly lucky…so, signing off for the last time for Leg 5…adios amigos, hasta pasta, later alligator, hasta luego, later freighter, bye-bye…The Leg 5 Ladies, Marilyn, Sally & Lisa…
Here are some of our random photos…enjoy…
“Gato Loco 2009 Leg 5 Crew-Marilyn, Bill, Sally & Lisa”
Until the next Update… The GatoLoco Crew
_____________________________________________________________ Leg 1 April 11-19, Crew: Bill, Bruce & Cynthia Tegge, Clyde Betts sail from Puerto Penasco to San Carlos |
I’m proud of you ladies! What a lucky guy Bill was to have an efficient woman crew aboard. Bet that boat never looked so good and run so tight! Congrats on completing your adventure. Marilyn, call me when you get back to Phx!
Carla, I don’t think the boat has ever been so clean! You should have seen Marilyn in her rubber gloves scrubbing every possible surface on that boat! Marilyn was a real trooper. She was the only one who stuck her hand in a bunch of sea worms and picked them up, in the dark! 🙂