Exactly 3 years to the day, whilst remembering Hurricane Patricia, we spent the day on board Fantasia in anticipation of another cat 5 hurricane, Willa. After all the preparation for Patricia, stripping all canvas and doubling up on lines, we sought refuge with our friends, Debbie and Kit at their home in La Cruz. With an intense hurricane due to hit Puerto Vallarta, we had no idea what to expect on our return to the marina. We wondered if Fantasia would survive. Patricia missed Banderas Bay, making landfall just south of Cabo Corientes with devastating effect and we enjoyed a Hurricane party at Debbie and Kit’s beautiful home. Thankfully, all we saw was light rain and grey skies.
Of course, we were not to know that Willa would leave the bay equally unscathed and so we spent the whole of the preceding day ensuring the boat had the very best chance of coming through without serious damage. Most worrying was the threat of a storm surge with wave heights of between 4 and 10 metres predicted. In 2002, Hurricane Kenna proved just how devastating this could be and so we decided not to take any chances with Fantasia or the boats around us that might pose a threat should things turn nasty. We listened to the VHF radio as well as a webinar presented by Mike at PV Sailing which was extremely informative and backed up our own research as to the predicted path, timings and conditions. It was comforting to hear other cruisers commenting about their own hurricane plans in neighbouring marinas. Just two boats remained in the anchorage at La Cruz. By the end of the day, we were happy that we could do no more apart from dig out our life jackets and pack our valuables, passports, cards and boat papers into a ditch bag.
A couple of years ago, we had watched the construction of a new hotel one block back from the beach. Now it was complete and busy with guests. We decided to see if we could shelter there should we need to abandon the boat. I am not sure that the staff on the desk there had any concept of people living on board a yacht especially during a hurricane or even that the marina existed. However, once we explained our situation and that we might just need somewhere safe to spend a few hours off the boat, they were delighted to assist.
We walked up to the Malecon to find that the beach was closed but Eddie’s was open albeit rather wet with most of the seating outside. No worries, the rain was warm and the cevesas cold. Eddie’s serves the best salsa and tortilla chips around and so it was nice to sit and ponder the next 24 hours.
Throughout the night we listened out for the expected roaring of wind and waves but nothing was heard except for gentle rain. The rain continued through the day as Willa passed by uneventfully on her was north and then east towards San Blas and Mazalan. We got a bit more wind late in the afternoon as the back of the storm spun some gusts in our direction. Down town in Puerto Vallarta, some spectacular waves broke over the Malecon but holed up here in the marina we saw none of that.
Our thoughts are now with people in the path especially our friends with boats in Mazatlan.

At home in France we have been adopted by the farm cats. Mama cat or Minuet, has always shown her fickle nature by arriving when we are eating lunch or barbequing in the garden. She has also though demonstrated her trust to Stuart in particular. It has always been to him that she would present her latest litter of kittens as soon as the cute bundles of fluff could entertain us and find their places in our hearts. Now a grandmother and quite an old lady, she still brings her grand chatons and great grand chatons to us and I think we should regard ourselves as privileged.
Here on Fantasia we are unable to have pets due to long flights and all the complications ensuing. Of course, that doesn't stop us being adopted here in Mexico just as we have been at home. In this case, we have and in particular, Stuart has been adopted by Iggy the iguana. Iggy sleeps under the solar panels high up on the davits of our neighbour's boat. Around eleven o'clock each day, we like to sit up on deck and enjoy a coffee. Upon spotting us on deck, Iggy will climb down from his lofty perch, carefully negotiate the stern line of his night time abode and then carefully edge his way up our midships spring and over the toe rail to sit with us. After we have finished our coffee, Iggy hoovers the deck for crumbs before making his way to our bow sprit where he enjoys laying out in the sun all day. Sometimes, when Stuart is working on deck, Iggy will come to watch, setting himself up on a rail for a good view.
On one occasion, he took a good look through our cabin port holes and I had to sternly say 'not way Jose' before he slipped down below and hopped into our bed! We learned that iguanas are vegetarian and the ones at Marina Nuevo Vallarta have all moved on board boats due to an alpha male living in the Port Captain's garden.
During Hurricane Willa, we were to discover that Iggy dislikes rain and had found somewhere better to stay.

When Fantasia was in the yard at Marina Chiapas, we lived for several weeks in the hot and grimy little town of Puerto Madero. One thing we noticed was the burning of rubbish early in the mornings as we walked 'to work'. The noxious smoke drifted across from street to street from the small piles of mainly plastic garbage burning in the dusty street outside many of the houses. It was a poignant reminder that no matter how hard we try to tread lightly when it comes to protecting the environment around us, in poor countries there is often no infrastructure available in the first place and people will continue to do what they have done forever. By burning their garbage every day outside on the street, to a degree the problem is kept manageable and saves them the trip to the edge of the town where the road leading out was lined with black bin liners full of stinking waste. From time to time, this was set on fire, resulting in acrid smoke hanging over the whole town for days.
On our passage north, I discovered DH Lawrences's 'Mornings in Mexico' which has proved to be an interesting read. He talks about Rosalino who cares for the house and for whom, part of the daily routine consists of sweeping leaves from the patio and gathering them up in a panier basket before he

'goes out to deposit the garbage at the side of the little road leading out of the city. Every little road leaves the town between heaps of garbage, an avenue of garbage blistering in the sun'.

The essays are beautifully observed and although written nearly a hundred years ago, they contain wonderful details that have not changed at all.