December 29, 2015

No matter how many years (and there have been many) I have spent in warm climates during Christmas, it just doesn't feel the same. Maybe because my early years, up until I was nine, were spent, mostly, in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Christmas is supposed to be cold and snowy, like the Bing Crosby song, "White Christmas." Ours was not a white Christmas. But it was beautiful.

We had heard from our friend, Dick, who is the Rear Commodore of the Vallarta Yacht Club, that on Christmas day several boats were headed out to Los Animas Cove for lunch and an afternoon at the beach. Jay and I decided this sounded like a good way to spend Christmas so we promptly agreed to go and invited, Dick and his wife Carol, and another friend, Ayn, to join us, as well.

On a picture perfect morning we got underway around 1000 and headed for the south shore of Banderas Bay and Los Animas Cove. It is very deep on the south shore so anchoring is rarely an option and the moorings they have are few. Jay and I had not been to the south shore yet so it was good to go with someone who had local knowledge.

We arrived around noon and fortunately, the cove was still rather empty. We scored a mooring. Oh my! They weren't kidding when they said the moorings were close to shore. And it was quite rolly. A panga came out to greet us and guided us to the mooring and helped us tie up and then waited, somewhat patiently, for us to bridle the mooring rig. We jumped in his panga and he took us over to the dock.

Lunch was at El Coral, sitting under a palapa on the sand. I ordered fish tacos. (This has become my new official holiday meal. Forget turkey. Forget roast beef and Yorkshire pudding. Bring on the tacos!) Carol ordered coconut shrimp on a stick with tamarind sauce. That was a big hit. Dick, Jay and Ayn were more adventurous and ordered a whole fish, filleted and barbecued. It took an hour, but it was delicious! (Yes, they let me have a bite or two.)

Some people swam, I walked the beach, others played Bocce Ball. It was a lovely, calm afternoon. At 1500, we gathered our crew and headed back to Nuevo Vallarta where the cruisers were having a dock party.

It was a good day, a different kind of Christmas. The only thing (and this is a big thing) missing was our family. We missed our children and grandchildren very much.

See photos in gallery.