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Dear Friends:
If you thought we were gypsies on the
water, you should see us now that we have decided to put Taleisin away for a year and be on land. After fifteen years afloat,
we found a very safe little boat yard on the Potomac River (well, actually just off that river on the Yeocomico River) and
removed Taleisin's mast, everything removable inside her, then sculled her into a floating boathouse, covered her varnish work
and secured everything so we should have little to repair work to do when we return.
Since leaving her on December 5th, we
have driven across the US doing research for the second edition of Larry's boatbuilding book, done three seminars in Southern
California, five at the Atlantic City boat show and another five at the Sail Expo in Oakland, California. Our home during this
time has been our 14-year-old pickup truck with an eight and one-half foot cab-over camper land yacht, which we store with
my sister on SoCal this means we can visit our friends without needing accommodations. We can also explore new places -
low cost cruising, on land.
Our real highlight was the six weeks we stole to go down to Mexico in February and March. We'd
never been into the middle of Baja California before and this time we rented mules and a guide at the cost of $30 a day with
pack animals for food and supply caring. We had a wondrous journey into a very isolated canyon near San Francisco de la
Sierra to see ancient cave paintings that rival those we saw in Southern Africa and Namibia. Then there were the whales of
Scammons Lagoon, our old and new friends in our favorite Mexican town, La Paz. Mainland Mexico was enchanting by land,
the colonial towns of San Miguel de Allende, Guanouato, Zacatecas, and Guadalahara. As usual, the time was flying past as
our Spanish improved.
Right now we are back in California enjoying the peace and quiet of Paso Robles where we have
remained for a week at a friends home, surrounded by thousands of acres of vineyards. We are answering letters, catching up
on writing and planning for the American booksellers Convention - a whole new adventure for us. By July we expect to be
back at our home in New Zealand, without our boat - it will be a new experience too. Hope to stay a year and fix up the
problems that are inevitable when you leave a home with renters for ten years. We are sure dozens of cruising friends will stop
by as the big race (The Americas Cup) is happening only ten miles south of our island and we seem to have the perfect facilities
for a big Xmas party - three moorings and lots of good anchorage at our front door.
Best wishes for a fine summer,
Lin and Larry
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