Well it’s been a very interesting couple of weeks, to say the least. The topic for this log update was going to be about crossroads, and how Ecuador is truly one for the folks here. We were getting ready to head south for a month for a change of scenery and preparing to say goodbye to friends, many of whom we likely won’t see again as people leave here literally headed in all directions. But we discovered a completely corroded heat exchanger in our engine and realized we weren’t going anywhere for a while. Then the stock market imploded and things just got even crazier.
Today Rob headed back to the states for a couple of weeks. We were hoping he was going home to pick up a repaired heat exchanger and bring it back, but it was too far gone and we had to bite the big bullet and buy a new one. Either way he gets a chance to see his family for a visit, which is always good. While he’s home our good friends Bill & Jean on Mita Kuuluu will leave and head north to Panama, then up to Mexico where Bill can play music for a while. Here in Bahia folks are beginning to say their goodbyes as people head off to travel South America or home for a bit and realize while they’re gone boats are starting to leave here and move on. The rainy season in Central America is ending and boats return there to cruise, or head into the Caribbean, or like us head into the South Pacific.
Other cruisers frequently ask us if we’re retired, and our standard answer has been “no we’re not retired, we’re just irresponsible”. Well, we’re irresponsible to a point. We came cruising with the blessing of our financial advisor who believed like us that the savings in our retirement account would grow in the coming years, we could work enroute to supplement those growing savings and have enough for retirment and a little house. After this week it appears all bets are off on that one. So we’re trying to decide now what to do. My first instinct was to point the boat north and hope we could find work back in the Northwest. We know if we can it’ll be the best pay we’ll make and hopefully offset some of the losses to our savings from this market meltdown. And Rob wants more than ever to build that little house for us to hang out in when we’re just too old to climb into that bunk in the forepeak.
In the immediate we’re still going to transit the South Pacific this coming season. But which direction we point at the end of the season is going to depend on how we’re feeling financially. Are we done cruising? Absolutely no way. We love this life, but have to be practical about retirement at the same time. If we do head back to the northwest it’ll take us 18 months to get there, making a big loop into the North Pacific and arriving into Alaska. For now we’re getting ready for our highly anticipated South Pacific passage, including getting Maya microchipped and vaccinated so we can take her to New Zealand if that’s the way the boat points in November 2009.
Today on Yohelah I’m making bagels and plans for the South Pacific while Rob’s heading north on a 767….
