Gregg Drude's Dream Surfing / Sailing Trip: Van Dieman Dispatch

Feb. 27 Dispatch - A Task a Day Keeps the Mental Doldrums Away

Euros. Euros. Euros. www.mexico.us

We all survived the five days without a surf, and were more than relieved to paddle out for the first time at our latest destination. We are anchored in the bay just a stone's throw away from Mexico's most famous surf beach. The setup is ideal for our mode of transportation. We are close enough to see the surf, but are not so affected by the swell as to make life on board too uncomfortable. If every surf spot had a bay such as this one within walking distance, there would be no better way to travel and surf.

I have spent quite a bit of time here in this town, but have not been here in over ten years. I was utterly shocked at the changes that have occurred here over the past decade. So many new hotels and restaurants have been built, that it took me three days to locate the little bungalow where I used to stay. It was dwarfed between a new modern hotel and a fancy restaurant built on either side of it. The hotel was charging five times what I used to pay right next door.

Of course, all of this growth has its upside. The town is full of nightlife! In the past, there was but one bar that had a CD player and maybe a surf movie playing most nights. Now, any night of the week a traveler is forced to decide which of the many venues to venture out to. The clubs are full-on international meeting places. It might only be a matter of time until we see an episode of “Wild On E” filmed in this once quaint Mexican village. The food has improved tenfold, and Internet access is available on just about every corner.

This is also the first stop we have had that has attracted any of the female gender. What a relief for Josie! She has hardly spoken to another woman since leaving California three months ago. It is really nice to see her unwind and bond with some others of the fairer sex. I know that I would go out of my mind being trapped in a small boat without any guys to sit around and talk smack with all day.

The number of surfers has also increased drastically over the years, as you would have expected. I thought that the crowds were getting a little out of hand during my last visit, and therefore didn't expect to ever be coming back here. But now, the lineup is littered with European backpackers learning how to surf, and dozens of local bodyboarders. We haven't had any solid swell yet, which I am sure will thin things out a bit in the surf. But in the meantime, we are forced to haggle just like the days back at Newport Beach.

Aichner

Life on the boat has become somewhat routine. Josie, Trent, and I have all fallen into a comfortable rhythm, each sleeping, waking, surfing and eating on the same schedule. Our days have purpose according to the task that has been assigned to any particular date. We have found that a "one task per day" goal keeps both the boat and ourselves happy. The task may be as simple as checking the oil in the diesel engine, or repairing a broken fishing rod, or as difficult as installing an entire new water-making system.

Coordinating with our personal schedule has been Mother Nature's own routine. Each day begins with a fantastic sunrise, which is only surpassed in beauty by each evening's sunset. I never seem to tire of the sight of the sun dipping behind a lighthouse on the tip of a protective headland. I thought that I would no longer reach for the camera as the red and orange glow lights up the western sky after all of this time at sea, but just tonight I shot another twenty photos of the same sun setting over the same ocean. I only hope that I am still as impressed with this vision at the end of our trip.