Well its the 20th of September 2013 and I am starting to prepare to head back down to Mexico. Last year I really didn't blog at all, so I will try and do better this year. If you haven't heard I was in the Sea of Cortez last year with a bunch of great people, I had a wonderful time and most importantly Mystic did great. All of the time spent getting her ready for our trip really paid off, now we are starting to prepare for round two.

I was pretty happy with her layout last season, and won't be changing too much, I would really like to have an autopilot, but I don't think that there is room in the cockpit for one. I am still doing some research but it doesn't look good at the moment. Other than that the only improvements that need to be made when I return to Mexico are varnish and paint. I am a little nervous to see what the hot Mexican summer has done to her but I am sure my imagination is making it far worse than the reality.

The plan for this winter is to refit in Guaymas (where she is being stored) and then head south. I don't think I will be spending too much time in the Sea of Cortez this year, shifty winds and steep chop made the sailing less than ideal. I will leave Guaymas, head south to Mazatlan and the Puerto Vallarta. I am planning on spending Christmas in Puerto Vallarta and then heading south again. I have heard great things about Barra de Navidad as well as Zihuatenejo. There is a chance I will make it as far south as the southern border but I am not sure yet.

The real question is what will I do next spring. Right now my two options are to haul her out down in Mexico/Central America and continue with my commuter cruising routine, or bring her north and go back to school. While I love the lifestyle that I am living now, I am mildly nervous about my future, (do I really want to be teaching sailing for the next forty years...) Thats still six months away though, so for right now I am just stoked to be getting back to my boat.

I look forward to actually maintaining this blog this year and I hope you all enjoy hearing about my travels