After 3 days of passage and 6 days of not showering, we made it to Punta Perico on Isla Carmen. The passage was full of things to note, but probably the most impressive and crucial outcome was the “How are your Bowels? A Gramma has to Ask” Jeanne Zawisza Memorial competition results. Defying all odds, Weezy came out as the clear winner with 3 BMs, including her first while underway. Everyone is very proud. Honorable mention goes to Krystle for 1 BM while Craig remains at 0 BMs even as I start to write this more than 18 hours (and an extra strong coffee) after we anchored. I promise we’ve been eating incredible amounts of fiber. It defies all logic at this point.

Despite some uncomfortable following seas and a lot of anxiety on my part, this passage was a wonderful return to a new season of cruising. Our short stint over the summer was an excellent shakedown, but it was incredibly challenging in a variety of ways. This time around, everyone is feeling more excited, ready, and optimistic. Summer in the Sea has a wide variety of challenges on top of what cruising already brings to the table at baseline. Without triple digit temps, we feel a lot less frustration when a repair becomes necessary. Without bees swarming the boat, we feel less paranoid about leaving any remnants of fresh water around. Without chubascos threatening every night, we feel less concerned about going to sleep without obsessively checking the weather. Without a nine month refit leading up to our departure, we are just less exhausted. And it’s wonderful.

We are sitting here on our first morning at anchor and Craig has excitedly done a bunch of calculations about the passage, started to put the sea berth back to normal, done a couple projects, cooked a couple meals, and is back to himself (other than the lack of pooping). The inside of the boat is ~20 degrees cooler and ~30% less humidity than it was over the summer. It’s probably impossible to convey the difference, but I never want to be that overheated again. Now when we sit here and do not much of anything, it’s because we are choosing to, rather than not being able to find the will to live. Don’t get me wrong – there were some fun times over the summer. We had a great time buddy boating with Calico Skies and meeting up with friends in Bahia de Los Angeles. But it was just really intense. I for one am happy to have a mellower start. Let’s hope the season stays this way.

Editorial update: Before going to press, Craig finally had his first BM. 36 hours after anchoring, nearly 100 hours after departing Peñasco, and who knows how many hours since the last time. I hope this satisfies the kind of hard hitting and detailed journalism our readers are craving.

Thoughts while underway from Peñasco to Perico

◦ This is incredible. We actually left harbor and it wasn’t frantic and it felt like manageable amounts of stress. What a difference from last season

◦ I am absolutely terrified. What was I thinking when I got into cruising? As Marc would say, I need to evaluate my self-preservation skills

◦ Jumping manta ray was not on my bingo card but happy to have seen it

◦ A dorado chasing it’s prey through the air is incredible

◦ Thank goodness for the genetics that left Craig unable to feel the mal de mer. Even though the meds and/or glasses stopped me from feeling nauseated this time, I was not able to stave off the sleepiness. Reasonably tired during watch standing is expected, but I was tired all day and night even though Craig stood super long watches and let me sleep.

◦ How long is too long for a dog to hold in their poop and/or pee?

◦ How long is too long for a human to hold in their poop?

◦ Why is traveler’s constipation a thing and why does it apply to cruising when we are traveling with our own home? How can coffee become so ineffective?

◦ I should shower.

◦ How can we get through the season without anymore overnight passages?

◦ Is it even possible to be more obsessed with Louise?

◦ Gotta make a playlist for song options for our harbor entrance announcement. What tone are we aiming for here? This is really important.

◦ Calico Skies was supposed to leave shortly after us and it would be nice to sail with them, but they better not pass us.

◦ Sailing is really a Goldilocks situation. We don’t want it to be flat calm so we’re forced to motor, but there’s also a threshold where we cross into too much mind. Hurricane’s are clearly past that line, but realistically that line is much lower than most non-sailors would realize. And in the Gulf of California, that sweet spot can be a smaller range and harder to hit.

◦ How do solo sailors do it? Just incredible! Like, honestly. Being responsible for everything 100% of the time for multiple days in a row. I guess I could ask Craig….

◦ Everything feels so much spicier at night. The same amount of wind can feel like perfect sailing during the daylight, but on dark nights when the moon isn’t out, and the horizon disappears, and lights on the horizon could be another boat or it could be a star… What if there is a random floating container that we could run into?

◦ What the heck would our lives be like if we hadn’t attended the SEA?

◦ What does Weezy think is happening when we are sailing – especially over night? She is so tuned into our emotions and actions. She definitely knows when we are getting ready to leave home, and she usually runs to one of us if we are upset. So what happens in her head when the home moves to a new location? Or when I start to panic about conditions that don’t phase Craig at all?

◦ Does Weezy feel butterflies in her stomach as we ride these waves?

◦ Why did I hate cabbage for so long?