We gathered ourselves up this morning and finished motoring the last ten miles or so down to La Paz. We’re trying to get some things checked off the boat list once and for all and have a long list of mostly minor things that we’re going to buckle down and finish up on this stop. The plan then was to head in to Marina de La Paz, but it seems that too many people have turned that marina into their permanent home for any short-timers to get in.

We got turned away there so we went out and anchored instead. Anchoring in La Paz is sort of crazy. There is a huge tidal flow which during the ebb tide sends your boat driving right over your anchor chain in the opposite direction of the northerly wind. Not a huge deal really, as the holding is good, but what really sucks about it for us is the dinghy ride—big, wet, choppy, standing waves for half a mile. We did that a couple of times before saying screw it and moving the boat into a different marina next door.

So anyway, settled in for a couple of weeks in an enjoyable town with the kids happy to once again be able to jump off the boat at a moment’s notice.

Oh, while playing with a boogie board on deck today Lowe managed to trip himself with the leash and do a nasty face plant. His chin split wide open for what I believe is now the third time. I guess we can take solace in the fact that the scars will be piled one on top of the other so that it looks like only one big one. (You’ll notice in the picture below that we are pretty incompetent parents. Just look at him all bloody with nothing but a band-aid hanging loosely under his chin.)

A lot of cruisers around here are scrambling right now to get themselves ready to cross the Pacific. We met two boats with kids today that are heading out this week. Even though I don’t currently (as in right this minute) have any burning desire to revisit the  South Pacific I still get an unhealthy yearning to just up and go.