After our late-night arrival in Manzanillo, Eitan and I got some much-needed sleep. After waking, we went to shore to dropped off our laundry and then started on a new and different kind of boat project: creating a YouTube channel called “Safety 4 Cruisers”. With Eitan being so safety obsessed and bringing a unique perspective as a paramedic, firefighter, search and rescue technician, and rescue scuba diver, I thought he could be an awesome resource to the cruising community. So, we spent the day brainstorming potential video topics and filming the introduction and first couple of episodes.
The next morning, we pulled anchor and motored Sierra Wind over to the marina where we filled up on diesel and washed down the boat. We made a quick run to pick up the laundry, fill our gasoline jerrycans for the dingy, then made the hop over to a neighboring bay to a place called Club Santiago. It was a much smaller and quieter town compared to Manzanillo and we were most excited for the shipwreck visible in Google Maps. The San Luciano had struck a submerged rock and sank in 1965. To our surprise, the wreck was visible above the surface during low tide. Unfortunately, the water quality was quite poor both times we tried to snorkel the site, but it was still a fun, eerie, and adventurous dive.
Later that night, we finally got a chance to meet up for dinner and drinks with SV Soul Rebel. We had met Joe and Michelle a week prior in Zihuatanejo, and, after a few rain-checks back and forth, we decided on meeting up at Club Santiago. They put out quite a spread of jalapeno poppers, stuffed mushrooms, twice-baked potatoes, and buffalo chicken bites, making our contribution of mango and papaya slices seem quite mediocre at best. Coming from Delaware, Joe and Michelle also had plans of a circumnavigation but at a much slower pace than Sierra Wind. For two people having no sailing or boating experience, it was amazing to see how knowledgeable and capable they had become over the last two years. For most boating couples, including Eitan and me, it is common to see the woman take a backseat on the sailing and boat projects. After meeting Michelle, it was apparent that this was not the case for her and it was inspirational to hear her stories of the projects she had spearheaded. This encourages me to become more competent in my boating knowledge, navigation, and sailing abilities, as well as learning as much as I can about SV Sierra Wind and what is required to maintain, repair, and contribute to improving her while we are on this journey.
We spent the next couple of days editing videos and were finally ready to upload them and begin developing the YouTube channel. Eitan and I headed into the beach to find a good wifi signal and were surprised that it was nearly impossible to get a table at a local restaurant. The restaurants were PACKED. It was a holiday weekend in Mexico and you could hardly tell that COVID existed. Aside from the servers, there wasn’t a mask in sight and no such thing as social distancing. Weekend beach gatherings seem to be a regular event for families in Mexico. It’s common for a large family to take up several tables for an entire day, ordering food and drinks throughout the day, as the children build sandcastles next to the table. Being a holiday weekend, the beach restaurants were even more packed than usual. We finally found a restaurant with WIFI, and after spending over an hour uploading a 5-minute video, we gave up and headed back to the boat. For now, dinner, a glass of wine, and watching the sun set will just have to do!
