18 March 2023

A New Kind of Adventure

Bocas de Tomatlan, the beginning of an awesome hike along the wilder south shore of Bahia de Banderas

Peter and I have spent the time since New Years in Bahia de Banderas hosting a couple of day sails, enjoying Tom and Fer’s company, hanging out with a sister ship, Serenity, hiking wonderful coastal trails, and attending numerous seminars put on by the Marina for those making the “puddle jump” across the Pacific. And organizing Milly and ourselves for our next adventure of a totally different kind

Tom and Fer were regular guests on Milly. Others often joined, coincidentally many from our Canadian summer home on Stony Lake. 


We had been invited to crew for our dear friends, John and Gill, on their monohull, “Mehalah” on the first leg of their transPacific crossing from Panamá City to the Galapagos. They had made the suggestion in the fall and we had leapt at the opportunity.  We knew we would enjoy their company as they had line handled for us on our Panama Canal transit. Crewing with them to Galapagos meant that when we cross the Pacific we can leave from Mexico, taking 1000NM off the passage. The disappointment  about leaving from Mexico would mean missing the Galapagos since, counterintuitively, it is east of Bahia de Banderas.  So leaving Milly at dock and making the passage on Mehalah to the islands was a great solution. 


Always magnificent coastal views on our hikes along the bay and beyond 

It also meant that we could avoid the many bureaucratic demands and enormous expense required to take a private yacht to the archipelago. Certifications of a professional bottom cleaning and a fumigation to make sure that foreign insects, barnacles and algae are not introduced.  Hiring an agent is required for all immigration requirements including banking and credit information. Particular foods, all plants etc are prohibited. In other words, we would not have to jump through these numerous hoops or manage the limitations on Milly. Instead, we could be in the luxurious position of just enjoying the passage as working crew. It was an easy and immediate decision to accept the invitation. 



The tentative date of departure was a moving target. John and Gill had boat fixes and visa puzzles to work out. By the end of January, they felt confident enough to set a date.  We were required to report for duty on February 17th, for departure from Panama City on February 20th,still dependent on weather window and boat readiness.

It was time to solidify our plans.  Since we were going to be in South America and would likely not travel as far south in Milly again, we thought we would do some land travel.  Initially, we set our sights on Peru but when the internal political stability imploded, stranding tourists, we decided to stick with Ecuador.

And we now have a pet on Milly named Alejandro - based on no evidence, we think he’s a he.  He’s a bug catcher and comes out only at night.  His gripping toes are amazing. 


So the plan is:
A brief visit to Panama City which we had missed last year
Passage to Galapagos on the good ship Mehalah, Captain Gill and Deckman John
Ten to fourteen days exploring the Galapagos 
Six days in Quito to acclimatize to high altitude (after living at sea level for the past eight years, this seems prudent)
Four day hiking tour in the Andes
Five days in Amazon Basin lodge 
Home to Milly in Mexico

Apart from living in Buenos Aires waiting for Milly’s splash, this will be our longest tour away from home. Although we’ve travelled from Turkey to the west coast of Mexico, we have done it from our home.  This trip will be six weeks in hotels, hostels, lodges, haciendas and boat.  And the greatest challenge is sure to be limiting luggage to one carry-on each!



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