Latest Update (as of 8-1-09) Please see the months full page for details and photos.  Note:  we will try to update our website once a month, so keep checking!

July was crazy, up and down, here and there.  From the Sea of Cortez, to the Chesapeake Bay, James River, Blue Ridge Mountains and back to the Pacific Ocean.  Boy did we cover a bunch of territory!  Even though things were fast and furious, and at times sad, we had a good time as well as some unexpected adventures.  It was really great to see, and reconnect with,  family along the way. We had a fun wrap up to this cruising chapter of our lives with some great times, and great fish meals in the Sea of Cortez before sailing back down to Banderas Bay.

Past Update

(as of 7-1-09) Please see the months full page for details and photos.  Note:  we will try to update our website once a month, so keep checking!

After spending the first week of June trying to get out of the boat yard, and cleaning up from being in the boat yard, we finally got back out on the water.  What a relief that was!  We made it across to the Baja side of the Sea of Cortez in record time, and spent the rest of the month enjoying some peace and quiet in some beautiful anchorages off of Southern Baja.  It was so nice to be able to jump off of the boat and into clear, clean water.

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ORIGINAL '03 PLAN:  We are just beginning an open ended sailing journey and possibly a circumnavigation.  Our initial plan is to stay in Mexico for one year, possibly two.  After Mexico, we will sail down the coast of Central America before visiting the Galapagos on our way to the South Pacific.  Our first stop there will be Pitcairn Island to visit the home of Fletcher's namesake.  After that we shall see.

JUNE '04 PLAN:  Now that we are several months into our journey, we are thinking along different lines, and our plans may be changing.  That is one of the great things about this lifestyle.  As of mid '04, we are now planning to spend next year on the Pacific coast of Central America before going through the Panama Canal.  The following year we will spend exploring the Caribbean side of Central America before crossing the Caribbean.  We will then spend one or two seasons going up and down the east coast of the United States in the summer and into the Caribbean islands in the winters.  Possibly after that we will cross over to the Mediterranean for a year of European exploration and education.  Eventually we do want to cruise the South Pacific, but it will probably be a few years and maybe even on a different boat.  But, who knows what the future may bring?! 

JUNE '05, SAILING INTERRUPTED:  After much thought and consideration, the crew of Desiderata decided that it would be a good thing to take a break from sailing for awhile.  Mike and Nancy picked the north shore of Lake Tahoe as the place to settle.  For two years we fully enjoyed the mountains and all that they have to offer.  We enjoyed skiing, snowboarding, cross country skiing, camping, backpacking, mountain biking and living in such a clean and pristine environment with great people.

SEPTEMBER '07 PLAN:  Back on board, we spent a couple of months working on Desiderata in El Salvador before we headed further into Central American waters.  The "plan" is to spend a short time in Nicaragua, a few months in Costa Rica and Panama and then head down to Ecuador for the next rainy season.  While in Ecuador, we hope to do several inland trips including the headwaters of the Amazon and Machu Picchu.  We also would like to get out to the Galapagos Islands.  After this, we will head back north, go through the Panama Canal and explore the Caribbean coast of Central America.  We plan on diving as much as we can off the coasts of Nicaragua, Honduras and Belize.