After spending more than two months at the boatyard in Guaymas in intense summer heat and an accident while moving our boat to storage, we were eager to return to Switzerland. In Switzerland, we enjoyed the comfort of family, the luxury of Swiss cheese, and various social events. The visit was short, and soon we faced the reluctance of leaving this comfort for our boat in Mexico. We returned and resumed our projects gradually, reacclimating to boat life.
After 9 weeks at the boatyard in temperatures up to 47°C (120°F), we were relieved to be able to travel to Switzerland. I mean, who actually comes up with the foolish idea to end the season with boat work instead of chilling at anchor? It seemed like a good thing to do at the time of the decision, but well. Moreover, the painting work took 9 weeks instead of 6 weeks, which led to a mad rush towards the end.
Dire Forecasts
The icing on the cake – and what made us want to flee – happened when the yard moved Milagros from the work yard to the storage yard. Mario, who normally operates the travelift, had the day off, so the boatyard owner took over this task. It didn’t exactly fill us with confidence when he said he had last done it 2 years ago.
Quick getaway!
And our suspicions were confirmed. As the boat was being lifted, the forward sling slid back about 1ft, scratching the paint of the topsides and the fast stripe down to the primer over an area of 1sqft. Yes, that very topside into which we had put so much work in 2021. In addition to the installation of the new drive shaft, which had not made it to us before our departure, we now had another project on the list for after our return. We just wanted to go home.
We look forward to it
In Switzerland, our families welcomed us with a raclette on the farm. I don’t know if we’ve mentioned it before, but good cheese is rare in Mexico, so we always look forward to Swiss cheese. And we generally look forward to beautiful Switzerland: family, friends, forests, meadows, animals, food, the comfortable life that is structured and holds hardly any surprises. I can turn on the tap in the shower, and I know I’ll always have hot water. I can take the train to Basel, and know that it will be there at exactly 17:38.
Here are some impressions of our stay:
Over too soon
The time in Switzerland flew by. And shortly before our departure, we also said goodbye to my sister Carmen and Iñaki. They travelled back to Panama to their sailboat ‘Anila’. Next spring, they plan to sail from there across the Pacific and spend a year in French Polynesia.
Back again?
We ourselves were somehow not yet ready to return to the boat, to leave the comforts of Switzerland. To switch from planned to unpredictable, from fixed to flexible, to the other life on the sailboat, where I don’t yet know in the morning what the day will bring. We would have liked to stay a bit longer. And we had no desire to deal with the paint damage and the new drive shaft. And we didn’t look forward to the long journey of over 30 hours, which then extended to over 48 hours because our flight from London to Mexico City was cancelled.
All is well
But here we are now, back on Milagros. Everything is fine with her as far as we know. She has survived the 3 months unscathed. She was just a bit dusty. I would now like to say that we immediately threw ourselves into work. But we did not. We took it easy, nudging all the projects along. A lumbago shortly after our arrival forced me to take it easy anyway. We are now in Mexico, where mañana anything is possible. Saludos.
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