Friday, 17 January 2014 – The day was spent working on Hilbre and preparations for sailing south. I also took time to respond to emails and check the weather forecasts. We are looking for a good weather window for sailing to San Blas with a stop at Isabella Island.

Saturday, 18 January 2014 – In the afternoon, we went over to the Palapa for Karaoke and Beer.

Sunday, 19 January 2014 – The morning was spent updating my Genealogy WEB sites. In the afternoon, I borrowed a trolly from a fellow cruiser and filled our Diesel jerry cans in preparation for our trip south. This entailed walking over to the Gas station near the marina. After checking the weather, it appears we might have a good weather window for a possible departure on Wednesday or Thursday.

Monday, 20 January 2014 – With just a couple of days before a possible departure, we headed into Mazatlán and the Mercado. Anita bought some shoes, and I got my eyeglasses fixed as one of the arms had broken off. We had lunch in the Mercado and then headed back to Hilbre. We settled our account with Tony, did the laundry and topped off our drinking water supply. We have two seven-gallon jugs which contain our drinking water. We use our regular water tanks for cooking, washing and for showers.

Tuesday, 21 January 2014 – As it was quiet in the morning, we put up all sails to check the lines and ensure the sail-furlers were working correctly. After several other boat checks, we settled for an early night, ready for our planned Wednesday departure. San Blas will be an overnight sail.