02/18/2012, Now in Tenacatita
We finally left Banderas Bay on Sunday the 12th. We anchored in the bay at La Cruz and filled up with fuel, then left about 7pm, heading south around Cabo Corientes. We were very fortunate with the weather and had an easy rounding of that cape. Then some nice sailing for a while heading south in following seas, sailing with just the jib. Bob even got "Hank", the wind vane, working for the first time. Hurrah! That is a story all it's own. Several of the cruisers have formed a Hydovane Society as they negotiate their new equipment. There was also a lot of motoring as well, as we headed for Chamela, arriving in late afternoon the next day. I'm always a little nervous on passage on a regular night. This night I was extra nervous, not knowing how to operate the windvane. Bob was understanding and stayed on deck until I had myself together to stand my watch. We met our friends the Backus' in Chamela. They had arrived earlier in the day and had already gone ashore. We were bushed, not wanting to get the dinghy and motor launched, so we stayed on the boat and took it easy. It was a rolly anchorage, so sleeping wasn't the best. The four of us left the morning of the 15th for Tenacatita. We tried stopping at Paraiso as we had heard it was magnificent. Unfortunately, with the NW winds it was not a good place to anchor. So - on to Tenacatita. What a beautiful bay. Others have told us about it, and we have just loved it. Lots to do, and people are really friendly. Unfortunately to go ashore, you have to make a surf landing and reentry through the surf in your dinghy. We were indoctrinated. Three dry crossings and one wet one. Live and learn:-) We took the dinghy up the estuary into the mangroves to see the wildlife. (Bob swears he saw a crocodile, but no one else did.) Several boats stay here for very long periods of time. They arrange social things like volleyball and raft-ups. We had dinner with other cruisers on a beautiful catamaran last night. It was like being in a seagoing condo! Wonderful, freshly caught fish and lots of good conversation. Lots of book discussion in this cruiser world. Today we hired a panga to take us across the bay to La Manzanilla. Wonderful little town. Very clean, got nice vegetables, had a nice lunch under a palapa on the beach. Unbelievably it was Indonesian food (owned by a Dutch couple who came here 9 years ago and stayed to start their restaurant). Haven't exactly decided where to go next, but think we will leave tomorrow morning. Tried to call Parker on his birthday, but was unable to get through. Maybe tomorrow when we are in a better spot. I've got a lot of bug bites; we have had mosquitos and various other minute pests that are hard to fend off. We also find ourselves struggling with "whose the boss when" issues. (This being a captain is heady business :-). We are learning a lot, meeting lots of interesting people and seeing many wonderful things that we would never have seen wothout this trip. Communication still seems to be the biggest challenge we face. What would we do without our Banda Ancha for internet. All our family has to be very understanding. Aloha from Mexico. More later.
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02/07/2012
It's been a few days since I updated this blog. We have been here at Paradise Village Marina for a longer than we had intended. We have had some more mundane experiences as we get ready for the next move. It was time for my dermatology check-up. I found a great young woman doctor who did a very thorough check. She of course found things to burn off and biopsies to take. Fortunately is was only Basal Cell and not Melanoma.
We are trying to get the boat ready. It is decision time. Insurance requires that we are above La Paz, here in Banderas Bay or into the South Pacific by hurricane season. We feel that by the time we continue south for a few weeks, we will have seen a great deal of Mexico, both on the coast and inland. We are leaning towards the South Pacific. We have gone to a seminar for the Puddle Jump. This is a rally of boats that leave from many places at many times, but all head for the South Pacific. It would require finding at least one crew member to divide the watch. We have a couple of possibilities. It's a big step. Mexico is very hot and humid in the summer, both in the Sea of Cortez and here in Banderas Bay. Without airconditioning (we could put it in), we would be uncomfortable. It's a big decision because then you have to decide where to go next. New Zealand makes the most sense.
There have been many chores to do, but we feel we have made some big strides ahead. All 10 portlights are finished and gleeming in the sun. You can see some pictures on the blog. This has been a two year project. Anyone who has replaced portlights knows just how challenging and time consuming it can be. Then it was time to varnish. If the portlights gleem, the rails need to do so too:-) She looks very pretty.
The Vallarta Yacht Club has lots of interesting things to see and do. We have gone to hear a jazz concert and a presentation on the humpback whales that are mating in this bay a this very moment. You can see mothers and babies and lots of activity. The presenter was terrific. They even had super bowl so all of us boaters who don't have TV could enjoy it.
A real joy was the turtle release. They lay their eggs on the beach here in this bay. They had been endangered, but through the work of volunteers they are carefully relocating the eggs and allowing the turtles to hatch away from predators. They keep them up to 24 hours and release them at night when the birds can't see them and the fish don't see their shadows in the water. It was a great experience. Once again, check the blog to get the whole experience. Here are the two url's for the videos: http://youtu.be/DMjeRgFHPFw and http://youtu.be/b9SXup8vAms It was really lots of fun. We will be leaving in the next couple of days for points south. Probably not farther than Manzanillo. Mostly will be at anchor so internet connections will be limited. This is a big month, as Parker turns 3 and Jim and Cathy have an anniversary. Congratulations all around. Lots of buddies in this boating community. The Watsons left last week to go south, the Reeds and the Backus' leave tomorrow. We will follow soon.
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01/29/2012
Several of us cruisers have been talking about wanting to see Guadalajara. It was often mentioned in Micheners "Mexico" and sounded interesting. The Watsons joined us on a bus trip up the coast and into the interior. We were surprised by dormant volcanos and lush valleys. Many were filled with Agave plants (they make tequila from them) and corn. Stands on the side of the road offered avacados, bananas, corn, tomatoes, etc. The city itself has 4.5 million people. Leif found us a historical hotel, the Morales. It was right downtown and in it's early days was where the bullfighters celebrated after a fight. We tood a city bus tour and were enchanted by this lovely place. We walked, enjoying museums, government buildings, markets and plazas. Jackie and I were captivated with all the stores full of ball gowns for young and old alike. We wished we were 20 and could go from store to store trying them all on. We had a lovely afternoon in Tlacapaque (the artists district). Bob bought me a moonstone necklace that I will treasure at the gallery of Carlos and Albert. We went to a university production of The Magic Flute. This was definitely a student production! He was a good sport, even when the forest fairies wore space suits! Singers did their arias in German and their dialogue in Spanish. Whew! Playing a little pool and then a great bus ride home on Premiere Plus. They give you a little bag lunch to take with you and show movies on little screens. Very comfortable. Back to the marina with many chores to do before leaving this marina later in the week. Two portlights to go and non-skid to glue, oil to change, revisions to the sun cover. We enjoyed our little time off the boat and are ready for what ever comes next. Two couples coming over tonight to celebrate Carol getting her "general" ham license today.
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01/24/2012
There is a lot going on around Banderas Bay. From our marina at Paradise Village, we take a bus trip to nearby Bucerias for the Blessing of The Pangas. Pangas are small boats used by locals for transportation and fishing. Since I did the blessing for the transpac, I wanted to see how they do it down here. Well it was full of surprises. Boats were highly decorated and filled with participants. They came from all over the bay and skillfully (most of the time) ran them up on the beach. Then they unloaded their passengers and went back out for more. All these folks walked up beside the square to the church for a mass (blessing). But this was alot more about the "party". The square was full of people, drinking beer. There were three "banda" bands playing at the same time. Shops were set up everywhere. It was really an important day for this little city. One of the things we enjoyed the most was the competition of dancing horses. The "banda" stood right beside them blowing trumpets and playing drums. The horses and their riders danced to the beat. It was incredible. These are fairly small horses. They were very rhythmic. Copy this URL to see videos of the horses: http://youtu.be/ME7oSyMRAZE and http://youtu.be/HFdQ1Xo7Sv8. It was a great day. We went with the Watsons and met several other boaters from other towns who had come from other anchorages around the bay to see this special event.
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01/23/2012
We are spending an extended time here in the Paradise Marina in Puerto Vallarta. We are waiting for the new rudder from the Hydovane company in England. Also doing some maintenance, another portlight installation, getting measured for a sun cover before the hotter months, etc. Also were able to get our mail sent from Florida. This marina is beautiful with all the amenities. We went to a jazz concert at the Yacht Club that was great and Saturday there was a free classical guitar/harp/tenor concert at the hotel. It was really top-cabin. You couldn't have found better anywhere. We check the tigers twice a day and enjoy the beach and pool. This marina is very isolated from the town. It takes a couple of buses and about an hour to get anywhere. Yesterday we took three buses to go to the Botanical Gardens. The buses were as much of an adventure as the gardens. You will see that these mintrals that jump on the bus to make money are a common thing. The gardens were wonderful. Very natural with hikes of varying difficulty. We pretty much covered the whole park and had a great lunch. It was a nice day. We are going tomorrow to Bucerias to see the blessing of the fishing boats "Pangas". They bring the boats up on the beach by the church. It is supposed to be quite a sight. I'll try to get some pictures to share. Wednesday we are going to Guadalahara. Several interior cities are a bus ride away from Puerto Vallarta. Currently we are evaluating where to spend the summer/hurricane season. The insurance demands either here in Banderas Bay of above La Paz in the Sea of Cortez. We are listening to everyone we can before making up our minds. Hope you enjoy the pictures. You all know how much I like taking flower/plant photos. I had a wonderful time.
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01/13/2012
We have arrived in the beautiful Paradise Village Marina in Nuevo Vallarta. After 10 days at anchor this is true luxury. We are trying to figure out how to upload some short videos that we have made on the trip and so far have been unsuccesful. Maybe I'll put them on Facebook or UTube. We got talk with Jacquelyn, Jason and Parker over Skype. Still working on the video portion, but a good start. We looked around this resort and it is amazing. We have access to the pools, beach, restaurants, etc. It is certainly the up-end of cruising to be here. The resort has a special project of raising bengal tigers. They have 6 adults and several babies at this time. They are so fun to watch and you can get very close to them. The beach is perfect with palapas and chairs. We are going to try to do quite a bit of work on the boat while we are here. We will work in the morning and go to the beach or explore in the afternoons. Sounds like a good plan. They had a welcome show last night with lots of mexican dances and fun games. The kind of games you pray they don't choose you to come up on the stage and do. Lots of laughs (at others expense). Cleared with the Capitania del Puerto this AM then off to find a grocery store. Puerto Vallarta is very spread out on la Bahia de Banderas. We must learn their bus lines to get around. May also plan a couple of days in Gaudalahara by bus. We have heard wonderful things about it and would love to see this beautiful old colonial city for ourselves. Realtime continues to be a nice little home for us. We gave her a cleaning (inside and out yesterday). She really needed it! Bob just talked to the bottom cleaner. We had heard there were crocodiles in the marina waters. He confirmed and said, "there was but I killed him and ate him! We are living in a different world. Check out the tigers on the picture gallery.
Last night we went to an all star jazz concert at the Puerto Vallarta Yacht Club. It was really incredible. I also was able to download all the videos onto UTube. I will try to go back into the text and enter the hyperlinks.
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