We've moved on from La Cruz, cruiser central and as such enjoyable but not really what we have made the journey for, and, due to lack of connections have not posted for a while, so here's an update.

La Cruz de Huanacaxtle anchorage to Boca de Tomatlan
15 miles motored 4 hrs

Boca de Tomatlan to Yelapa
8 miles motored 2 hrs

Yelapa to Punta Ipala
48 miles motored 4 hrs sail 4 ½ hrs

Punta Ipala to Bahia Chamela
52 miles motored 8 hrs sail 4 hrs

Bahia Chamela to Careyes
14 miles motored 3 ½ hrs

Boca and Yelapa, on the south side of Banderas Bay are both river inlets with steep verdant mountains plunging down to deep and tricky anchorages. In the mouth of each is a very shallow (18 inches) bar over which the fisherman ram, shove and drag their pangas into the lagoon behind, to protect them from the incessant N. pacific swell that affects most of these anchorages to some extent. Boca is very narrow, with room for a few boats and we got a good night, as the only boat there, a few yards off the beach. Yelapa, much larger and more open, did not treat us so well and after some nighttime anchor dancing we decided to push off early the next morning in spite of wanting to further explore the hike up to a mountain waterfall. It is difficult to leave the boat when we are not comfortable with our position.
We motored in a flat calm towards Cabo Corrientes, the tedium punctuated by the landing of a 50 lb Jack Crevalle tuna. This thing has meat darker than liver and bled the most beautiful purple, but in spite of looking unappetizing it was quite palatable and Virginia canned 12 ½ pints jars of it, which are now stored in the bilges.
Like all the major capes down the Pacific coast Corrientes accelerates the prevailing north-westerlies and also produces some steep and confused seas. Our rounding was benign and thereafter the wind picked up to 15 to 20 knots from the north and we had a great run down to Ipala, a little hooked promontory that provides good shelter.
The general winter wind pattern here is that the prevailing north-westerlies, mostly light, are reinforced by diurnal sea breezes during the day and mitigated by land breezes at night. The result is no wind in the mornings, increasing to 15 to 20 k by late afternoon and then fading to little or nothing at night.
After a couple of days in Ipala, the following morning was no exception, so we motored the first 34 miles of our planned 52 mile run, but by noon we were off and running again helter skelter down some good sized swells, so that by the time we turned into Bahia Chamela it was gusting 25 k and the new jib net did its job collecting the big genoa when we dumped it to reach into the anchorage a couple of miles up the bay.
Continuous strong northerlies ensured that the anchorage had increasing numbers as northbound boats ducked in to wait out the wind. Amongst the waiting, on "Seabird" a 1980's pristine Swan 51', was Louis Freeman with whom we had a few jars on the beach and our respective boats. A retired anesthesiologist and now self proclaimed "boat slug" he has twice completed the single handed Trans Pac (San Francisco to Hawaii), so plenty of salt in his veins and good stories to boot. Talking of his single handing exploits he said that he had advised his wife, Marge, that should anything happen to him she should send the following to the local paper "Louis , lost at sea." But then he thought they might have a seven word minimum . No problem, Marge completed the potential obituary "Louis, lost at sea. Boat for sale." A great fellow to meet and only sad that he was northbound and so our time was limited.
After four nights in Chamela we motored down the coast the 14 miles to Careyes. This area is known as the Mexican Riviera and the hills are dotted with huge extravagant piles. My one time client Jimmy Goldsmith owned several thousand acres here and his grand daughter Isabel still runs the exclusive Las Alamamdas resort. We wondered if we showed up, ten days unshaven and 2 days unshowered proclaiming that we had good success for grand dad at the races she might offer us a shower and a clean towel. Perhaps not.
That brings us to Careyes, where we are currently anchored, the only boat in the bay, below mega-million dollar houses (mostly unoccupied), looking out over a totally idyllic scene of white sand beaches, towering islands, sheer cliffs and crashing waves. Its blowing a hooly outside the bay but here we are comfortable, drawing internet access from the house on the hill and drinking our best vintage black box wine from the bilge. We even found a shower on a private beach below another unoccupied mega pile. It runs hot and we will sneak in tomorrow. Its good to retire to the Mexican Riviera.