The Kindness of Strangers

Jim and Julie Focha of the Stockton-based Westsail 32 Worldwind shared a story that illustrates one reason why Mexico is such a popular cruising ground.

"When we left La Paz bound for home, I’d carefully calculated how much fuel we’d use and took out just enough money from the bank to cover our needs. Julie wanted to get more, but I’m a tightwad and said we had enough — something she’ll never let me forget. We had an exhausting Bash from Cabo to Mag Bay, where I realized that we’d used a lot more fuel than I’d originally calculated. We would need to refuel in Turtle Bay and we wouldn’t have enough money to do it. Since the ATM in San Carlos had been ‘liberated’, we had little choice but to return to Cabo to regroup. The thought of pounding back up from Cabo again was enough to make us cry.

"I called Port Captain Gregorio to see if we’d have to check in again. He said it didn’t make sense to go back to Cabo, and that he would take us into Constitución, where there are many banks. I asked him how much such a service would be but he said ‘Not much.’ I’d normally want a firm price but I trusted Gregorio. He and his wife drove us into the city — the road there is now paved, by the way — and dropped us off at the bank. They even wanted to pay for our lunch, but we insisted on paying as we now had money. Besides, it was only $12 for four people. Back in San Carlos, Gregorio had to go to the office for a few hours before he could take us back to the boat, so we got a chance to explore. When we returned to their house later in the day and told his wife that we’d wait for Gregorio on the patio, she insisted we come inside. She even fixed us machaca burritos before we left. Back at the boat, I asked Gregorio how much I owed him — "Nada." I may be a tightwad, but I’m no cheapskate so I forced 500 pesos (about $50) on him. On top of that, he gave us a deep discount on the 30 gallons of fuel we bought.

"We’d read about the friendliness and generosity of the Mexican people many times in Latitude 38, but it has to be experienced to be really appreciated. Not once in our two years in Mexico did we have a negative experience with its people. We can’t get back to Mexico soon enough."