Mexico to French Polynesia

On the home run - only 7 days to go. We crossed the equator this moring around 10am with a toast to King Neptune. We have been progressing at a steady pace. Seas have been relativly calm. We had 3 days of 3-4m Swells and 20kn on our nose which was a little uncomfortable and slow going. Made it difficult to walk around so alot of movies and reading was done.

We have now crossed to the South Pacific and settled into a relaxing weather pattern that we expect/hope to have for the duration of the trip. This is our fist time back in the Southern hemisphere since 2010 and we are already enjoying the familiar stars we see each night.

All well on board - still plenty of snack food.

5 days in and all is going really well. We have settled into a routine and just passing time. Thank goodness for kindle. We had our first tropical rain storm last night which apart from been a bit lumpy for a few hours gave the boat a good wash down and we managed to fill our water tanks up. So today is washing day. The water is warm and clear. We have been fishing but only managed to catch 1 so far but it was a MARLIN . All well on board. xx

After a few enjoyable nights on the islands we crossed the Sea of Cortez to mainland Mexico to catch with our cruising buddies Lyn and Dave and there family guests Viv and Bridget.

It is here that we catch train for our trip of the Copper Canyons. It was an early start leaving the boats at 4.30am to catch the 6am train. After 8 hours on the train we finally arrived. The train ride itself is an adventure. It took 100 years to build and features lots of bridges and tunnels as it climbs high into the mountains reaching 2200feet above sea level something you notice when you decide to go hiking.

Our motel was spectacular, built on the edge of the Canyon. The main attraction is an adventure park where you can try a variety of zip lines through the Canyons. One is the longest in the world (until a couple of months ago) and the other option is 7 different drops through the Canyons, this one you have to do your own braking . The main group decided to be a lot more adventurous than me and took the 7 line option. Bridget and I where content enough to do the Longest ride but with the control of being in a seat. So off we went at speeds of 80km/hour.

The next day we continued on the train to Creel. Creel is a traditional Mexican town and home to the Tarahumaran people who are known for their barefoot running long distances and winning against our world's best marathon runners.

Not sure how this happened but Lyn managed to talk us all into a hike through the park which ended up being a 22km walk as the map was not quite accurate. We walked through some small villages into the hills to "The Monks" which is a stone formation in the desert. With the altitude and heat the last few miles where getting to us so we managed to hitch a ride with a passing truck (Ute) into town. That itself was also an adventure as the sides of the ute rattled and bent as we rounded corners we all sat in the back hoping the tail gate didn't fly open.

It was a 9 our train ride back to the boat where we set off the next morning on an overnight run to Mazatlan. Mazatlan is a seaside resort with a population of 700,000+ and known for its sports fishing. It was a short visit - with a long walk along the Malacon (boardwalk) where they have an amazing array of statues, beaches and even a man on top of a cliff mimicking the cliff dive from the Elvis Presley movie "Fun in Acapulco" for a few Pesos.

We are continuing south on the move to Puerto Vallarta where we will send our passports via DHL to Mexico City to get our French Polynesia visa's and start the huge provisioning. We need enough supplies for a minimum of 6 months. The best time to cross the pacific is April May so we are pushing hard to get going by the end of the Month. All dependant on when we get our passports back.

Make sure you check out the photos in the Photo Album - Copper Canyons

Love to all John and Joanne ..