Musings on Marinas

Sea Turtle statue 

Peggy's Post: This is the first time we have stayed more than just a few days in a marina. We have been here in La Paz at Marina Palmira for 3 weeks, and it has been interesting to discover marinas are miniature communities. There are cruisers who are the old timers who have lived here full time for years. There are snowbirds who have come every winter for decades.  There are those, like us, who are here for just a few weeks. Finally, there are transients, who stop just long enough to purchase fuel, provisions, and water before leaving to cross the Sea of Cortez for Mazatlan or Puerto Vallarta (a 48 hour sail).  Everyone does their best to make newcomers feel welcome. 

Marina Palmira with breakwater in background

There are expensive marinas similar to country clubs with every amenity imaginable. Then there marinas that provide the basics like the one we are presently in. There are also cruisers who anchor out in the bay choosing to have no services. This last group described us in the past, except on weekends when we would go into marinas so we could go to church. So lately it has been fun and different to belong to a "neighborhood" of boats.

View of the boardwalk to downtown-about a mile

The best part of sailing is meeting new people.  We have enjoyed going out to dinner, always a great way to get to know people and try the local cuisine. Trading dinner invitations on each other's boat is also fun, but seating is tight on “Little Lara”! Since most sailboats are larger than ours, new friends often invite us to their boat, while we bring the food.

Every morning at 8:00 AM we listen to the “La Paz Cruiser's Net” on our marine radio. The host asks if there are any emergencies, any new boats to the area or any boats that are leaving. Then the mic is open for announcements of activities from the different marinas. For example, during the holidays there were announcements for a Christmas pot luck, donations of food staples for local families, request for volunteers to fill Christmas bags with toys and candy for needy children, a farmer's market, a musical jam session, a yoga class, Mexican train dominoes, a folk singer performance, a celestial navigation class, and a swap meet. Enough activities to keep us busy every day! 

Maybe one of the boats is missing its mast?
Hurricane damage.

Then the radio mic is open for people to tell about items they have for “swap or trade”. The host always is careful to inform listeners that in Mexico it is illegal to sell anything, unless you are a Mexican citizen or have a business license, so you can only trade things. It is always interesting what people have to swap. For instance, today someone had a mast with sail and roller furling... we were curious what happened to the boat that formally went with the mast!

The marina also has a 'Cruiser's Lounge' which basically is a room with tables, chairs and hundreds of books.  It has a TV, a coffee pot and the most used item: a wireless WiFi router.  So the lounge is used a lot as people log on to check the sailing weather, email, stateside news and update blogs -- like us.

The Pearl of La Paz on the Malecon

We have managed to stay out of the gossip but that too is part of every community! We have also enjoyed going to Church on a weekly basis and getting to know the members.  They have been very friendly and accepting of us. 

The RS (and departing missionary) in La Paz

We have loved being part of this new 'family' and will be sad to say goodbye, but we are looking forward to continuing our adventures exploring the waters teeming with sea life and the deserted islands of the Sea of Cortez.

Selfie from the top of the mountain overlooking the bay.