Thanksgiving, Revisiting Barra de Navidad

We left Gringolandia (a.k.a. Paradise Village Marina) at 6 PM, for an easy passage in fair weather, headed south around Cabo Corrientes. Our original goal was Tenacatita Bay, where we could enjoy anchoring out for a bit before tying up in the marina at Barra de Navidad. But we heard a blow was coming… and sure enough, in the early afternoon of the next day, the wind kicked up as we wistfully passed by Tenacatita and aimed our bow for Barra. Pulling into the slip was a little tense in the wind, and we were happy to be able to have a cocktail and a rest after our overnight trip.
In the morning, though, while we were still about 7 miles offshore, Stan decided it was time to take care of some unfinished business…
He still had his old briefcase. The one he used to lug home with him each night down the dock in Ventura. The one he toted with him on over a million miles of grueling, dehumanizing air travel between 1996 and 2009. The one that represented his corporate career… colorful, frustrating, rewarding, gray-hair-inducing… life-changing. But that life is over now. The small amount of consulting work he continues to do for his old company doesn’t even necessitate that bit of baggage, especially in this digital age. So it was time for a burial at sea! The moment was impromptu, and we were too fatigued to muster the appropriate dress or decorum for the occasion. But this detracted not at all from the liberating feeling it gave him to heave that lead-weighted, worn and scuffed bit of leather overboard.
We found the marina at Barra de Navidad just as lovely as we remembered it, although relatively empty of boats. We are ahead of the fleet of cruisers heading south this season. Some will come in December, but things won’t really get hopping around here until January. We are enjoying the warmer weather and water, reading our Kindles by the pool in the afternoons. But I miss the camaraderie of our fellow boaters and look forward to their company!
We had a fantastic, fifty-seven-course, gourmet Thanksgiving meal at Antonio’s restaurant, insanely inexpensive for what we got. Then we planned to take off this morning and finally get to Tenacatita to anchor out. But alas, the air conditioning unit in our salon decided to start icing up and erroring out. Temps are mid-80’s here, and wickedly humid. So as far as we’re concerned, air conditioning is more than a luxury; it’s a necessity. But one thing you learn quickly with a boat: it’s always SOMETHING.
Sooooo…. the anchorage will have to wait until next week, when Stan’s brother Steve and his wife Liz come to visit.
Meanwhile, we truly have a LOT to be thankful for. Our health. Our families and friends, whom we love dearly. Waking up each day on this beautiful, sunny coastline with its beautiful, sunny people. The ability to cruise wherever… whenever. And yes, the briefcase. That thing channeled a lot of good mojo our way. May it rest in peace!