Countdown from the Dock and La Paz - 3

Black Necked Grebe

Eyeballing the little fishes

We met a darling German couple who have bicycled down the Baja all the way from Seattle.
Marko and Anja would love to see the other side of Mexico and so have asked to join us for the crossing.

Marko and Anja

We don't usually take crew aboard.
Mainly, we are totally capable without and it is more convenient for us not to have visitors. It is especially risky to take crew that have never sailed before. However, these adventurers are trying to save money by hitching a ride so they can get to Central America. We have room to store the bikes on deck and they are otherwise travelling extremely light. No hair dryers, no large suitcases, and they are not expecting showers every morning. Jim and I look forward to having interesting conversation during our night watches. And as many times as we have been shown kindness by people as we traveled this is a good opportunity to pay it forward.

Marko is an engineer and Anja is a nurse. 

Taking on crew shouldn't be taken lightly. We have heard numerous crew horror stories and we want this experience to be good for everyone on board. We asked specific questions of our new guests so there aren't any surprises.
And these are a few things we asked them:

• Can you swim?
• Do either of you have any health problems?
• Are you taking any medication?
• Do you get car sick or air sick?
• Do you have any allergies?
• Are your immigration papers valid?
• Are you carrying any weapons?
• Are you vegetarian or have any dietary special needs?

Nothing can make a passage more un-enjoyable than having an unhappy crew member on board. And we want Marko's and Anja's sailing experience with Hotspur to be unforgettably wonderful! We can't wait to share the adventure!

Meanwhile, Carolyne is jonesing that the full-time internet is about to go bye-bye! And she is soaking up every last virtual minute!