People have been asking for more blog posts. The problem is, nothing’s happening. The boat is in Ensenada.

Suzana and I are coming and going between Ensenada and San Francisco, doing more work cleaning up the house (the one piece we didn’t get done before heading out cruising last year) than on the boat, which hasn’t moved for a month.

At the moment, Suzana is in San Francisco, and I’m is in Ensenada. While I’m sure Suzana is getting up every morning at 5AM and working all day on the house until midnight or so, I’m taking it easy. Oh, there are boat projects to do, decks to be swabbed, oil to be changed. But mostly I’m doing crossword puzzles, watching TV (just finished season three of Stranger Things), doing Tai Chi, taking naps, eating out, and watching the cruise ships come and go two or three times a week.

So maybe this is a good time to briefly describe cruising (as we do it), especially since we’ve noticed that some people have misconceptions about it…

Cruising has essentially three different modes:

In the marina. This has been our favorite style. It’s very little different from having an apartment in whatever city you’re visiting. You can sit at home. Explore the city. Or visit with other cruisers — there’s always someone around the dock to chat with.

In nature. This mode involves anchoring out, away from civilization. It’s quiet. There’s swimming and/or kayaking. And there’s hiking on the nearby land.

Passages. This involves getting from place to place, sometimes taking multiple days to do it. This is the most strenuous but also the most exciting of the modes. It’s when sea sickness happens. And it’s when the dolphins come and swim along with the boat.

So, if you’re considering coming and staying in our spare bedroom, note that there’s something for everyone. You can sail. You can avoid sailing entirely. You can visit a city. You can commune with nature. You can do lots of stuff. Or you can nap.

We’ve found that some people have the mistaken impression that we’re disconnected when we’re cruising. Not true. Even during passages, we have an Iridium satellite connection that lets us do texting and limited email, as well as getting weather reports. At the other end, in the marina, we’re as connected as we are at home: full cell phone service, email, Internet, etc. And even in the nature mode, we surprisingly often have cell phone reception, which we use to access the Internet as well. So don’t hesitate to call; if we’re busy napping, we won’t pick up.

P.S. Without Suzana’s superior language skills to lean on, I’m picking up more Spanish. Now I can say, “Uno calzone para llevar, s’il vous plait.”