2020 Holiday Greetings!

Feliz Navidad, once again from Mexico!

We have (mostly) enjoyed another year on the water filled with family and friends.  We have unintentionally spent the entire year in Mexico—except for a few short, recent visits to Phoenix.  We hope you have experienced more highs than lows during this incredibly tumultuous year and that you and your family are happy and healthy.  Our brightest news for 2020 is that on December 17th Lucy earned her Eagle Rank and will be part of the inaugural class of female Eagles!  To give you the recap…

Last January, we were beginning the final preparations of our boat for a trip across the Pacific. We were preparing our brains and bodies for a 25 day passage—it kind of feels like marathon training.  In February, we were very excited for a last minute visit from Oma and Opa. In March, we were all ready to go—boat, brains, and bodies.  Then, for us, like everyone else in the world, life halted when Covid entered the arena and decided to stick around for a while.

So, in March, we decided to wait and see what would happen in the Pacific.  The borders began to close.  Fenton decided to leave the boat and returned home—a common theme among friends.  Should we stay or should we go? We chose to remain in Mexico, on our boat (which is really now our home), and try to make the best of the situation.  Ports were closing all around us, so we remade this decision again and again throughout March, April, May, and even into June…Luckily for us, two friend boats, who we were planning to cross the Pacific with, also chose to hide out in Mexico’s Sea of Cortez.  It turned out to be a great hideout—deserted beaches, fishing to your hearts content (plus some), beach barbecues, swimming, snorkeling, and hiking for the beginning of summer.  And, our homeschool remained the same—no major adjustments necessary.

As summer came, months became hotter.  Mexico’s Sea of Cortez is situated in a desert, so with the heat and dryness, the bees came out in droves (think hundreds at a time in our boat).  The inside boat temperature would cool down to a mere 100 degrees by 10pm, Willie (our dog) couldn’t seem to stay healthy, and the uncertainty of future plans was really trying.  By this point, hurricane season was upon us, so we had to accept that we would be here until at least December.  Again, luckily, we had our boat friends.

As fall settled into the Baja, we once again enjoyed the wonders of the North Sea of Cortez:  swimming with whale sharks, swimming with sea lions, warm days and cool nights, long beach walks with Willie, camping on beautiful beaches, roasted hot dogs and marshmallows, and an occasional taco or ice cream when we were in town wearing our homemade masks. Through it all, we have all been amazingly busy with all kinds of stuff…school, scouting, cooking, work, researching new places to visit, bees, etc.  Here are our blurbs:

Hello all! This is Heidi at 17(!?!). I have been working very hard this year on my Eagle journey and my senior year of high school. My Eagle is being all wrapped up, for my project I created a library program to share what I’ve learned traveling with some social justice ideas. I am doing my best to educate myself as to how to be the best person I can be in this changing world. My photography has improved greatly and I’ve seen some amazing animals. Some of the highlights have been whale sharks and sea lions. While 2020 was not what I had imagined at all I have learned to choose the ‘least bad option’ and make the most of the weirdest situations. I am beyond thankful to have shared this year with some of my closest buddies. I don’t know how I would’ve made it through 2020 without friends and Taylor Swift’s new albums. Surviving a summer in the desert of the Sea of Cortez during a global pandemic is no easy task and sharing these times with others has made this year so much better. I plan to stay on the boat next year, while nothing is certain I don’t think that I am headed off to college this fall. There is a big world out there and I want to see as much of it as I can. Adventure is waiting, college can too. I wish you all nothing but the best in 2021 and am sending lots of Love & Luck during these crazy times. 

Hey! This is Lucy (now 15). This past year has been a crazy one, but it is so full of memories that will last a lifetime. While it has been hard for all of us, I am so grateful that we were able to turn the lemons into lemonade.  I have worked really hard in my Scouting journey, I completed an Eagle Project and I earned my Eagle rank in Scouting so I am now an Eagle Scout! I can’t think of anyone I would rather be stuck in the Sea of Cortez with than our buddy boats. We kept very busy, celebrated almost every celebration (1/2 birthdays included), and worked hard on my Scouting and 9th and 10th grades of school. Some fun memories from this year are beach clean ups, geohunts, merit badges, mile swim award, an online computer class, my Eagle project, lots and lots of swimming, lots of beach bbqs, group workouts, night swimming, swimming with sea lions and whale sharks, watching movies, performing skits, plays, dances, campouts, dressing up for dinner parties, high tea, and so many laughs, smiles, and fun times with my family and friends. I am so thankful for our fun buddy boats and lifelong friends that made the absolute best time of this year. The past year I have grown as a person, leader, Scout, family member, sister, and friend. I hope that everyone was able to find something good from the past year, and I look forward to the adventures 2021 brings us. Keep smiling! 

Hi! This is Sally (now 13). Hello everyone! I can’t believe that this crazy year is almost over! Over these crazy times, I have made some new friends that are going to last a lifetime, swam with some incredible animals, and probably survived the hottest summer and most annoyed people all of us have ever been! I have gotten closer to my family in so many ways, and gotten to have so many experiences I never even thought would happen. Such as late night work-outs with friends, beach bbq’s, playing on the beach all day, and then the amazing campouts with our boat friend family. Throughout the year I have grown as a person, a BSA scout, and a friend. I hope the New Year brings more memories, and a cure for COVID-19.

Fenton, now 19, is attending St. Olaf College in Minnesota.  We miss him tremendously and he is mentioned daily. He has changed our boat for the good and we look forward to continuing to watch him grow and learn.

Hi from Mark.  In the past year, I have kept busy spearfishing, keeping up with ever-present boat maintenance, and continuing some business analytics and IT consulting work.  Like the rest of the crew, I am thankful that I have been with my family and good friends to make a difficult year more palatable – and even ‘fun’ much of the time. 

Hi from Julie! This year, I have learned that I am not a desert person, especially in the summer!  I definitely miss the greens of lush mountains and grass.  However, I have kept busy learning a lot about college life both in and out of the US, BSA, Eagle Projects, Sea Scouts, life in NZ, dog immunity diseases, and social justice.  My friends and family have kept me sane during this desert challenge: hiking, swimming, snorkeling, fending off bees, asking about Willie, listening. I am thankful for Zoom get togethers as well as beach bbqs and look forward to gathering with family sometime in 2021.

Willie is still getting figured out.  The experts think he has some kind of autoimmune disorder—the hard part is narrowing down which one and finding a suitable treatment for him.  He has been a good patient and is appreciating the extra attention in forms of walks, swimming, games involving treats, chase, and tug toys. He is tapering off the latest batch of meds, and fingers crossed he will stay healthy for some time!

2021 plans…As cruisers, we know plans are only meant to be changed.  If the Pacific country borders open up, we would still like to travel west to New Zealand and settle there for a while. If the borders remain closed, we will happily visit Hawaii and Alaska and then make our way down the Pacific coast to the mainland US and find a new life somewhere (the mountains are calling).  If Willie doesn’t get the “go ahead” from the vet, we’ll be figuring out a new life somewhere on the mainland a little sooner.  We’ll let you know when we know.  And, as life has shown us, it may change again after that.  We will just keep adjusting as necessary!

We wish you a very happy and healthy 2021, full of love & luck!