Yes, a bummed ankle changed our sailing plans.  Instead of sailing another two-hundred plus miles to Puerto Penasco, Seamore Pacific will hang in San Carlos with her salty friends (Rosebud, Magellan, Island Time, Magic Carpet, Kookaburra, Otter, Adia, and Laila to name a few). Seeking more days of sailing or snuggling up in a breathtaking anchorage, we eventually gave in to keeping her in San Carlos and returning to the USA.  The second we made the decision, our spirits lifted and we knew we were on the right track.  Funny how that works.  Sometimes I spend way to much time and energy hammering out the future, instead of trusting the process and embracing the moment.  It took going cruising to undo some bad habits.  Not to knock having a career that is gratifying, but I fell into planning for the future to the extent I was trying to either look into the future or control it.  Take a day off?  Not if it wasn’t planned for.  Change up my routine?  Not unless a co-worker asked me to.  Take off to Missouri and visit family on a whim?  Better not, airfare is pricey and there would be time away from other obligations.  Looking to ‘seamore’ means that I have to be willing to let go of silly self-imposed expectations, be prepared rather than controlling, and have confidence in knowing that even bad days at sea give way to good days…and what I think is a bad day is actually a walk on the beach!

Besides coming to the bright decision of leaving our boat in San Carlos, the second best thing to come out of falling into a pothole, was watching several movies about men and women negotiating, living, and sometimes dying out on the sea; like Gloucester fisherman Manuel, of the 1937 movie Captain Courageous .  Wow.  How did I miss this classic?  The loving words, “my little fishy,” spoken by Manuel to young Harvey are the words of one who respects, identifies, and depends on the sea for more than just a living as a fisherman. I take Manuel’s words, “my little fishy” to symbolize the student that I am.  There is so much more that I want to see, learn, and experience.  But for now, it is time to head into shore.  Arizona’s shore.  Missouri’s shore.

Not quite ready to jump back into a landlubber’s life, Captain Chameleon and I are decompressing in Puerto Penasco, at Corona Del Mar.  Corona Del Mar is our little casa by the sea.  It gives our lungs the ocean air we think they require.  Moving from the Florida Keys, we had insidiously taken for granted living by the ocean; like breathing, we didn’t miss it until it wasn’t there.  San Diego waterfront priced out of our range, we opted for Mexico waterfront.  10 years later, we aren’t a bit sorry.  Like Seamore Pacific, buying Corona Del Mar required a mindset of planning, but not controlling; trusting the process; embracing the moment; and confident we could navigate through both good and bad elements.

Manuel’s encouraging words, “my little fishy” are for us souls that have gone to sea a bit to arrogant, controlling, whiney, and unsettled then came back home changed.  And, ready to learn about how to grow into a medium fishy.

What is next?

• Arizona’s shore. Looking forward to seeing family and friends.
• Visit an orthopedic specialist in Phoenix to ensure my chances of having a long future of running and sailing.
• Driving to the Ozark Mountains in Missouri to visit family and retrieve Francis (my kitty).
• Return to San Carlos to put Seamore Pacific ‘to bed’ before I return to work in March.

Charley

Kitty by the Sea

Osprey enjoying a ‘fish taco’

Decompressing by the Sea

‘Broke’ down at the Soggy Peso in San Carlos.

Drinking from the fountain of youth

Corona Del Mar