2011 Hola Mexico - Missive 12

February 7 – 14, 2011: We left La Cruz about 1 pm on the 7th to pull a 20 hour passage arriving at Barra de Navidad around 10 am the next morning. The sail out of Bandaras Bay was excellent but that was it for wind the rest of the trip. See, we are jinxed when it comes to having nice sailing winds. But I guess too little is better than too much. Our highlight of the trip was seeing 3 whales breaching and what a splash they made.

We were welcomed warmly by Jake & Sharon on SV “Jake”. Felt like old times around the Pacific NW seeing familiar faces. They had promised over a year ago that once we arrived in Mexico a dinner awaited us on their boat and sure enough a most delicious steak & prawn dinner was served; best in town as far as we were concerned. They served as our tour guides around Barra showing us the small but good tiendas, laundry services and eating establishments. So far we have not gone hungry here in Mexico.

Cruisers help each other out by transporting mail, supplies or parts needed as we travel up and down the coast. We had stuff for 3 separate boats and managed to deliver much needed glue to fix air leaks in dinghys for “Jake” and “Odessa”. Once Panta Rhei arrives coming northbound from Zihautanejo we can clear out more items and our delivery services will be complete.

It is much warmer down here compared to La Cruz & Mazatlan so we have put on the hatch covers (sunbrella fabric), raised the boom tent made out of an old sail to shield the cabin top and zipped in our cockpit curtains to the bimini. All of these covers have helped immensely keeping the cabin cooler and shaded. I truly understand siesta time now … it is too hot for anything else but resting in the shade.

Cruisers have been spoiled in this anchorage by “The French Baker” who delivers fresh breads, quiches, baguettes, croissants and individual pies. We look forward daily to our baguette and croissants for breakfast. It is truly a nice way to start the day.

We took a bus trip to Cihautlan with Mike & Nita on Odessa yesterday just to see what the town had to offer. It had a nice grocery store (one affiliated with Walmart) that we toured around and the downtown area was vibrant with residents shopping. We found a good restaurant for lunch and managed to get the correct bus back to Barra. A couple of cold beers at the Sand Hotel around the pool topped off our day’s activities.

Here are some more observations and points of interest:

• A laundry mat here in Barra also ran out of water which left people scrambling to get their clothes cleaned
• There is water taxi service here that runs 24/7 – which is why you want your boat well lit at night
• Always use the water taxi service at night while your dinghy is securely attached to your boat
• We have heard about 3 outboard motors that gotten stolen in the last few weeks – the saying here is “lock it, lift it, or lose it”. So our motor is locked to the dinghy and the dinghy is then hoisted out of the water high enough to deter theft. (rather sad isn’t it)
• The economic downturn these last couple of years has really hit hard in Mexico – restaurants, hotels and shops are virtually empty
• Every night fires burn and smoke can get overbearing to smell
• The smoke does not seem to bother the bugs … they have found their way to me and I plenty of bug bites to prove it! With screens on every hatch, port light, dorade and the companionway how do they get in?
• We have stopped running the generator to make hot water for showers … the water in the tanks is a little on the cool side but makes for a refreshing shower in the hot afternoon.
• Cold beer, gin & tonics, margaritas taste better than wine for afternoon cocktails … besides they are easier to find too.

And one other item ... the cruising kids around here have great radio protocol - they use the VHF radio like pros.

All for now … Happy Valentine’s Day!