Our talented Sydney doing a handstand with her face in the water at Isle Coronados


We left Bahia Coyote and said goodbye to our good friends Terry and Diane aboard Harmony on May31st. We miss them already but look forward to catching up with them again in the fall. As Harmony heads north for the summer, and Endeavor heads south, we found ourselves reminiscing about the past 10months, discussing points of view on various aspects of our cruising life. We came up with a few "best of" lists. It goes something like this.

Anchorages.....ooohhh that was too tough so we broke it down. The best beach...Isle Coronados. The sand is soft, white, and perfect! It also has the clearest water at just the right temperature, making it our favorite for swimming. Snorkeling without a doubt is Carrizal, with its clear water, abundant sea life, and vibrant coral reefs. Love that place! Carrizal and San Juanico were my favorites for kayaking. I have to mention Tenacatita. That place just makes me happy!

The best surf for boogie boarding..... According to James, Mission Bay in San Diego and Paradise Village in Banderas Bay were his favorites. Sydney's vote is San Diego, even though the water was a chilly 65ish degrees!

Favorite towns.... I think we all agree that La Cruz is our fave. It was our home away from home. Loreto is a place we'd like to spend more time in, and Old Town Mazatlan was a nice surprise. Barra de Navidad is on the list too. Being anchored in the lagoon was not my favorite, but we love the funky town and the French Baker who delivered fresh baguettes and almond croissants to our boat almost every morning!

In the food category we have the following...
Best taco stand.... "Tacos on the Street" in La Cruz, hands down.
Best tamales.... beach vendor in Sayulita, serving them up for 15 pesos!
Best Chili Rellenos...."Lupe's" in Santispac!
Best empanadas.... Matanchen, on the beach and at the end of the jungle tour.
Best hamburger.... "Joe Jack's Fish Shack" in Puerto Vallarta! James said, "That was one heck of a burger!"
That pretty much covers the basic food groups!

"Cool Experiences" .... The list is long, but here are a few. Topping the list is La Tovara Jungle Tour in Matanchen, releasing baby tortugas with Sydney's friend Amara in Barra, experiencing whales at anchor in Aqua Verde and Isle Coronados, watching dolphins through crystal clear water swimming at our bow, the overall abundance of wild life, meeting great people, Rick & Sydney zip lining outside of Manzanillo, and best of all, sharing our experience with friends and family who visited.

We will miss all of the above, Terry and Diane, the fabulous weather, unspoiled landscapes, and mangos. We won't miss "sweating like pigs!" (James), "bugs and rolly anchorages" (Sydney), "the threat of someone stepping on a stingray" (Dad), and I am in total agreement! What we look forward to the most about going home is "interacting with people who don't live on our boat", picking up our sweet pup dog Roxy, having a car, Target, Blind Onion Pizza, and good times with our friends and family.

I'll close with one last small list. Faux pas on Endeavor. Here goes...
James knocking over glasses of milk, soda, juice, red wine in every possible location on the boat more times than we can count...
Forgetting more than once to reel in the fishing line before arriving at our next anchorage. Rick doesn't enjoy unwrapping line from the prop....
Running aground entering the marina in Mazatlan....
Sydney almost breaking her tailbone by flopping down on the settee expecting to land on a soft cushion, instead of dad's tools which lay underneath...
Catching a Brown Boobie, yes the bird, instead of Dorado while trolling between Barra and Carrizal...
Dr. Curtis getting beaned in the head with the whisker pole on our way to San Francisco. He was against me using the stapler to close the wound; instead we applied a butterfly bandage. Not as manly, but he insisted his wife would be opposed to staples in his forehead....
Leaving anchorage without the steering wheel attached. Yep, that's a good one. Often times we'll remove the wheel to make room in the cockpit, but it's always a good idea to put it back...
Last but not least, Rick falling into the water in Tenacatita while leaning and moving along the lifeline, bringing the kayak up on deck, until reaching the gate that to his surprise was open. That memory will always make me smile!

We're down to our last week of exploring the islands of the Sea of Cortez before heading into La Paz around June 10th. Our last post will be from there as we button up Endeavor for the season and head for home on the 20th.