How time flies... We have covered over 600 miles since our last update and have enjoyed friends and family joining us for long periods, including some wonderful surprise visits along the way.

After leaving La Paz, we sailed a 180 mile overnighter to Mazatlan and spent a couple of days at Marina Mazatlan on dock 6. We last visited dock 6 in 2009 and surprise surprise, there were some of the same people there. We asked about "dock six kitty" that was the dock's semi-feral mascot but learned that he had passed away just a month earlier.

Next up was Chacala Bay, one of our favorite small towns on the mainland coast. The conditions were perfect in this normally rolly bay and we ended up staying a week, enjoying cheap tacos and great sunsets.

A day-sail south is the sailing mecca of Banderas Bay and we had wonderful visits by Megan, Anthony and granddaughter Esme in La Cruz, who you can see got some helm time. We were also surprised with a visit from longtime friends and neighbors Arsenio and Donnica, who had other Mexico vacation plans fall through. Before we knew it, we had been in La Cruz for 6 weeks, bumping our plans out to go further south.

We eventually got the itch to leave and headed around the formidable Cabo Corrientes and anchored that night in Chamela Bay, where friends Alan and Dianne, who have a home in town hosted us for a nice dinner off the boat in the little town of Perula.

Next up was Tenacatita Bay, another cruisers paradise, nicely off the grid, with a single palapa restaurant that caters to sailors. There are always 20-40 boats in this anchorage during the high season, making for a vibrant social scene. Friday dinghy raft-up cocktail parties and daily boche ball games on the beach are highlights. Alan and Diane joined us along with new guests Josie and Greg to do the 3 mile "jungle cruise" through the narrow crocodile-infested mangroves that lead to a long beach with fantastic snorkeling at the "Aquarium". The coral and sea life are in pretty good shape all things considered, as the water temperature was 88 degrees and some evidence of coral bleaching was evident.

We eventually made it to our favorite cruising destination of Barra De Navidad, where the boat finally got a freshwater bath in the marina. We hung out with Josie and Greg by the resort pool at Isla Grande and had great food in town by night.

Then came the big decision on whether to continue to Zijuatanejo, 190 miles south, or just hang out in Barra and Tenicatita for the rest of the season. Because we were late getting out of Banderas Bay, we missed the Zihua Charity Regatta and GuitarFest but we are happy we made the trip. We are currently anchored at the little island of Isla Grande, just north of Zihuantanejo, where we shared an anchorage with friends Herman and Claudine on Indigo Blue and a bunch of local power boaters enjoying Benito Juarez's Birthday holiday.
We will head into Zihuantanejo Bay tomorrow to enjoy the local food scene for a couple of days before heading back North. This season we have been able to enjoy staying longer in many anchorages because of the conveniences and comforts on Iliohale as well as the visits by friends and family. We are definitely converts to the catamaran cruising life.

The cruising season wraps up in May and the boat will spend the summer in Barra De Navidad. We have plans to visit family and friends this summer In California and New Zealand. We are also anticipating two new grand babies this summer, with Megan due in May and Alyssa due in August. What fun!