Of course, one of the most well-known sailing phrases is “Highest highs and lowest lows.” I really don’t care for this phrase, but in some cases, it’s just too true. This means that all the wonderful things are truly spectacular whereas the lows are the lowest they can ever be. That day, the Boobie bird was the highest high and…you’ll find out soon enough.

When we returned from the cell tower, our forward head broke. No longer did it flush, no longer did it perform any kind of needed function that a toilet is supposed to do. So poor dad had to come in and – since it was used when we found it was broken – had to remove all of the…excrement from inside via plastic bottle. I was in near TEARS because of the smell, and when you went into the bathroom…I don’t know how my father survived.

We had it fixed or so we thought when we left for Chacala on the second of January.

Ah. Chacala. Probably one of the nicest places in Mexico we went. It was a Mexican tourist destination, so this is where all the Mexican families come for parties and a vacation. It’s very small, one or two streets that are cobbled and a few little motels. Chacala was quiet until the night, when fireworks and raucous parties started up. We spent about five days there, enjoying the food and ocean, whilst dad tried his best to fix the head. On the 7th of January, we left for the big smoke of Puerto Vallarta.

As soon as we pulled into La Cruz, an anxious voice rose towards us.

“Can we play? Are you my age? Do like dolls? How old are you? Do you wanna go to the beach? What’s you name?” A young girl bounced from next to the slip we had reserved. Her name was Tessa, and she and I have spent a lot of time together, playing with hermit crabs and having fun on the beach.

After we pulled in, a quieter voice asked me my name and age, and I met Jamie, a really nice girl who was 15. She invited me onto her boat and we chatted a bit, then she also invited me to a beach get-together with a few other kids. She had a brother and sister, Bobby who was 14, and Jillian who was 11.

And so the next day went like that. I arrived at the beach to meet not Jamie but five other kids. Their names are – in order of age – Jillian, Jasper, Bobby, Siobhan, and finally Maren, who was 16 and didn’t mind hanging out with us youngsters. Siobhan and Maren are sisters, Bobby, Jamie and Jillian are siblings. Jasper has a younger sister called Sydney whom I hadn’t met yet.

We all became friends and caused general mayhem together almost everyday. It was good fun.

Then, of course, I got food poisoning after a beach clean-up. We left La Cruz and started for Paradise Village, a different Marina linked to a family resort.