Leaving Paradise Village Marina in Nuevo Vallarta

Costalegre is otherwise known as The Happy Coast. It lies on the west coast of mainland Mexico, between Cabo Corrientes and Bahia de Navidad. Last year, Jay and I cruised this area and loved it. This time, we intend to spend more time on the hook at some of the same, and some new, anchorages.

February 22, 2017

They say that when venturing out on a long cruise, it takes three days to get your sea legs. Even those who get seasick will come around after three days. Jay and I are not prone to the dreaded mal de mar, but it can still take some time to get in sync with the rhythm of the sea. Considering this, and also that Punta de Mita, on the northwestern tip of the bay, is six miles closer to our first stop, Ipala, we decided to anchor down at Punta de Mita before moving on.

We left the dock at Paradise Village, Nuevo Vallarta, at 0930 with several friends there to wish us well and send us on our way. While maneuvering out of the slip, Jay managed to get out his trumpet and serenade the group, playing a few bars of “Sailing, Sailing, Over the Bounding Main” and “Gonna Fly Now,” the theme from “Rocky.”

Running low of fuel on our starboard tank, we motored the five nm over to La Cruz. The weather window was good for both sailing north and south (better for us the following day – another reason to stay at Punta de Mita) so there was a line-up of boats waiting for fuel. We waved hello and took inventory; three boats headed north, two south. We wished each other safe travels and we were on our way.

1125 – The air is a perfect temperature. It is hot in the direct sun, but actually cool enough for a light cover in the shade. A few clouds are slowly gathering over the mountains. Not dark, threatening ones, like last Sunday. Just white puffy clouds with a hint of gray.

1345 – We have arrived at Punta de Mita. We will stay here overnight. We are waiting for the southerly to die down and turn into a west wind. We decided to sleep topsides with the stars above and the gentle rocking of the boat, awaken at daylight, and set sail for Ipala. At least, I hope that is how it goes.