Puerto Vallarta to Tenacatita and back
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To Tenacatita and back
After we returned from the United States we cruised to Tenacatita. Our start did not go as planned since we had propeller problems and had to go into the boatyard. We did make it to Tenacatita. On returning to Paradise Village we prepared for our crossing to the Marquises. Our friend, Ronna, came down to visit and then joined us on the passage to the Marquises. 2/13, Nuevo Vallarta, Nayarit20'41.476N, 105'17.601W, Nuevo Vallarta, Nayarit, Mexico Hola! Yes we are still alive. We apologize for the lack of
position updates for the last month. On Jan. 15, Bill and Susan Newman came down to have a week
of R&R in Puerto Vallarta. They would cat sit with Katmandu while we
traveled to the US to visit family.
Bill and Susan Newman visiting Windarra We did not get to visit long as on Jan. 16, we flew from
Puerto Vallarta to Houston. We were supposed to make a connecting flight to
Philadelphia but going through customs and airport security made us miss our
flight. The flight schedule of 1 hour to make the change was not enough time.
We stayed in Houston on Continental's nickel and flew out the next morning to
Philadelphia. During our stay in New Jersey we had a chance to visit with
some of Rich's family and some friends. We tried to see as many people as we
could during the week we were there. The 4 inches of snow was quite a change
from the sun and warmth of Puerto Vallarta. We were freezing! One of the days
we went to the matinee of Lord of the Rings. A great movie! On Jan. 23 we flew to Seattle. We were greeted with more
snow and rain. Brrr! We got a chance to visit with Elaine's parents and some
of our friends, in between doctor, dentist, orthodontist and financial
advisor appointments. Jesse and Sarah visited with their friends and spent a
day at their old school, Seattle Academy. We also made trips to Costco, Home
Depot, Doc Freeman's, West Marine, Fisheries Supply, Armchair Sailor, The Bon
(frango mints of course), REI, Owajimaya, Radio Shack, Office Depot, QFC,
etc. Wish we could have visited more of our friends and family
but it is tough trying to do so much in such a short time. Our friends on The Cat's Meow and Wandering Roo watched
Katmandu after Bill and Susan left. They renamed him Katcanpoo. I wonder why! We returned to Puerto Vallarta on Sunday, 2/10, via an
overnight in Houston. It is great to be back on the boat, our home. Unfortunately the rain followed us here. As soon as we open
all of the hatches and port lights to get some air, the rain starts and we
have to close them up again. This is very unusual weather for this time of
year. The locals call this weather loco! We will try to get back to our regular updates. More people
have asked to get on the distribution list for these updates. Due to the 5000
byte limitation, additional names on the distribution mean the message has to
be shorter to accommodate. We have asked for friends on the west coast and
east coast to act as relays, to forward the position updates to a secondary
distribution list. We will be setting this up in the next week or so. Don't
be surprised if you start getting the position updates from a new address.
This is the reason. Until the next update 2/19, Punta de Mita, Nayarit20'45.899N,105'31.096W, Punta de Mita, Nayarit, Mexico Hola! Well the rains have stopped and the weather is warm and
getting warmer. We are running the fans most of the time. Katmandu naps on
the salon floor under a fan aimed at him. What a tough life! We are now known as the Pacific Puddle Jumpers. These are
the folks who plan to cross to the Marquisas and beyond. Another group is the
South to the Ditch - those folks going thru the Panama Canal. Anyway, the
Pacific Puddle Jumpers (PPJs) are starting to get organized. Many leave from
Mexico - Cabo, Puerto Vallarta, Acapulco or points in between. We will be
leaving from PV in March. A boat named Duet left yesterday. We meet once a
week to talk about our preparations. Topics include provisioning, weather and
radio nets, medical preparation, charts, customs and visas, boat preparation,
engine preparation and spares, navigation, etc. Get a couple of cruisers
together and you get a lot of talking and a lot of opinions. We will be buddy
boating with Saperlipopette. Hoping they will give us a head start! As our
departures gets closer we will keep you informed. On Saturday night we got together with the folks from
Saperlipopette, Final Straw and Mobisle for drinks and hors d'oevres on the
dock between Windarra and Final Straw. Final Straw is a Mason 53 from La
Jolla, California. Mobisle is a custom Robert Perry 54 from Seattle,
Washington. We are all PPJs for this year. We talked from 6pm to 11pm on a
range of topics. We are all planning to go to New Zealand at the end of the
year. By the way, the Louis Vuitton Challenger Series will be in Auckland
from October 2002 to January 2003. On Sunday night we went over to visit with Les and Marcia
on Indigo. Indigo is a Hallberg-Rassey 46 and hails from Seattle also. They
were on E-dock with us at Elliott Bay Marina. We saw them in San Francisco
while we were there. They plan to cruise the Sea of Cortez during the summer.
It was great to swap stories and hear about each others adventures. Jesse has been spending some time with two other cruising
teenagers - Ryan from Dolphin Spirit and Trevor from Peliquino. Dolphin
Spirit has been cruising for 6 years and will complete their circumnavigation
when they return to San Diego. Peliquino will be going to the Caribbean then
on to Connecticut. Jesse is enjoying hanging out with them. They share
interests in computers, video games, swimming, etc. This morning we checked out with the Port Captain. This
required an excursion back and forth to the bank or Banamex to pay the fee.
We met some folks on a home built wooden schooner named Patricia Lee. She
hails from Seattle and carries 50,000 pounds of coffee from Nicaragua to San
Diego. An interesting group of crew aboard. After checking out and saying
goodbye we sailed to Punta de Mita. It is on the northwest corner of Banderas
Bay. We will anchor here and relax a bit before heading south. It is good to be out of the marina. Did we mention that the
zoo at Paradise Village also has a lion? Well Simba is a lonely guy and likes
to roar at 4am. The ostriches are noisy too. Only in Mexico 2/20, Punta de Mita, Nayarit 20'45.899N,105'31.096W, Punta de Mita, Nayarit, Mexico We spent the day here in Punta de Mita. Jesse and Sarah did
homework; Rich and I did a few chores. It is nice here but the anchorage is a
little rolly. Punta de Mita is the scene for the tragic tale of Captain
Ron, aka Ron Corbin, of the Olson 30 called Still Crazy. We last saw Captain
Ron in San Blas in mid December. Just before New Year's eve, he made a large
pot of pasta to share with another boat. The planned rendezvous did not
transpire so Captain Ron had a large serving by himself. He then set sail and
autopilot for Punta de Mita. Now the pasta made him a little drowsy so he
thought to take a quick twenty minute nap during the passage. Unfortunately
20 minutes became 2 hours. He awoke to the sudden crash as his Olson 30 drove
straight onto the rocks outside of Punta de Mita. The boat turned broadside
to the next wave and Captain Ron's ribs was slammed hard against the side.
His boat was pounded by the waves and he swam weakly to shore. Still Crazy
was a total loss. His screams for help were heard by passing panga fishermen
who picked him up and took him to shore. Now the only real place to stay at
Punta de Mita is the Fours Seasons 5-star Resort and Golf Club. They took the
injured sailor to the resort. He asked to be taken to the hospital. The
nearest hospital is in Puerto Vallarta, 20 miles away and it is New Year's
Eve. So he stumbles to his room. He wakes up a little later and his ribs are
hurting. Not able to find a writing instrument he uses toothpaste to write on
the mirror that he needs to go to the hospital before passing out. He wakes
again, finds a kind woman who calls for an ambulance. Separated ribs and
several days in the hospital later, Captain Ron emerges looking to see what
he can salvage of his boat, Still Crazy. The boat is no more but he recovers
the EPIRB, life raft and more important of all - Betty. She no longer has
arms or legs but she still inflates. Captain Ron was able to get a new passport from the copy
with his papers in San Blas. He has returned to San Francisco to do some
contract nursing. He has his eyes on a 40' cold molded sailboat in Hawaii. I
am sure some day we will see or hear from him again. We plan to get up early and leave for Ipala tomorrow. 2/23, Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco 20'39.923N, 105'15.026W Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico Well, we are not in Ipala. On Thursday morning we got up early to south to Ipala.
There was little breeze but it was clear. We hoped to round Cabo Corrientes
before the winds picked up. As we started to motor we noticed that the engine
was putting out a lot of black smoke out the exhaust outlet and we were
unable to run at a high RPM. We returned to Punta de Mita to assess the
situation. Rich donned his wet suit, fins and snorkel to see if we were
dragging something or if the prop was fouled. After a few deep breathes Rich
was able to ascertain that there was nothing on the prop other than barnacles
and the like. We decided to limp back to Puerto Vallarta and have the
boat hauled out at the Opequimar Boat Yard. As we slowly motor back we see
our friends Les and Marcia on Indigo. They were our neighbors at Elliott Bay
Marina. Unfortunately Les is up the mast trying to get his in mast roller
furling main unjammed. We had drinks with them at Paradise Village before we
left. We pulled into Marina Vallarta to spend the night. On Friday morning we move the boat to Opequimar. To fit on
the travel-lift we have to remove the Yankee and disconnect the head stay. We
sit on the lift until the boat next to our spot is finished spraying paint
(they don't use plastic tents or respirators in Mexico). Windarra is power
sprayed and then set on blocks. It is amazing how much growth is on her. We
start to scrape off barnacles, and other sea creatures and growth. We notice
that the pitch of the prop is not what we would normally have it at and that
the zinc on the end sometimes jams on the blades. We got the Maxi-Prop manual
and found that the current setting was way above what is suggested. We called
PYI, the vendor and got their recommended setting for a Stevens 47. So we
think we have found the problem. We scrape and clean. Rich puts zinc
chromate, 2 part epoxy primer and bottom paint on the shaft strut and the
skeg. In July when we had the boat hauled last, Rich repainted these parts
since the paint was not adhering well to the brass. Hopefully with the zinc
chromate we will get a better adhering. Les and Marcia stop by to see how we
are doing in the yard. They are in Marina Vallarta now too. We spent the
night on the boat on the hard in the yard. Katmandu is concerned that the
boat can fly so he stays below. Saturday morning brings the sounds of the boatyard. We
continue to scrape until lunchtime. The travel-lift puts us back in the water
in the early afternoon. So far so good. We motor out to Banderas Bay to
perform sea trials. No more black smoke. Hooray! The engine performs well,
the speed log is working, we are in great shape. We go back to our slip in
Marine Vallarta. Even though Windarra is again ready to go we need to check
in and check out of Puerto Vallarta before leaving. Since the agent is closed
on the weekends we will have to wait until Monday. It is good to be back in
the water though. Today, Sunday is a leisurely day. We do a few boat chores;
Jesse and Sarah do schoolwork. Late in the afternoon Rich and I go over for
drinks at Indigo. Jesse and Sarah wash down the boat. The topsides get pretty
dirty in the yard. Tonight we will have steak and baked potato and watch
Pearl Harbor. Tomorrow is check-in-out and a few chores, of course.
Tuesday we will head out, again. Hopefully we will get farther this time. 2/27, Punta Ipala 20'14.206N, 105'34.302W Punta Ipala Well we finally made it out of Bahia Banderas or Banderas
Bay. We left reasonably early this morning to round Cabo Corrientes. Cabo
Corrientes has a reputation of being similar to Point Conception of
California, just without the fog. Keeping this in mind we wanted to make sure
that rounding the Cape was a pleasant experience. It turned out to be a 60-mile motor is slightly rolling
seas with little or no wind (3 knots max.), partially cloudy skies, 80
degrees. We did see a fair share of turtles, including one with a hitchhiking
tern riding on its back. Katmandu took the passage in stride. Sharing the cockpit
cushions with us. Getting up when he heard Elaine opening cans of tuna for
sandwiches. Punta Ipala is a small berg - read that as 5 houses, 3
trucks and a dozen pangas. We share the anchorage with a sailboat from
Chicago and 2 powerboats. The plan is to head for Bahia Chamela tomorrow.
2/28, Bahia Chamela 19'34.994N, 105'07.963W Bahia Chamela When we left Punta Ipala this morning we were the only boat
there. The others had already left. The sky was clear except for a few clouds on the horizon.
We passed some fishing boats and some sailboats northbound. On the VHF we
could here some of the boats from the San Diego to Puerto Vallarta race,
checking in with the race committee. We did see lots of whales today. Most of them northbound. I
tried to get a picture but the batteries of the digital camera decided to
take a break. I switched to our 35mm camera but while I was facing off the
starboard side the whale came up on the port side. Another whale went right
under us and we watched for him to come up on the other side. On shore the beach stretched on for miles and miles. No a
soul in sight. Occasionally we would see a house or palapa. Chamela is much
larger than Ipala. There is even an RV Park. It is time to catch some shut-eye.
3/1, Bahia Tenacatita19'17.953N, 104'50.032W, Bahia Tenacatita, Jalisco, Mexico We left sleepy Chamela this morning continuing south. Along
the shoreline we saw large houses (read mansions) and hotels or resorts
dotting the landscape. One looked like a castle with a blue turret with a
flag on top. Another was painted yellow with a large golden dome on top. In
between are small palapas or bare landscape. The beaches have a yellow white
sand that extends for miles. On Thursday Jesse had his poles out and caught two
skipjacks. He tossed them in hoping for bigger prizes. No such luck. Today he
had his poles out again. We even saw large fish jumping, possibly wahoo.
Unfortunately they were not interested in Jesse's lures. Again we saw whales. Not as close as the day before but fun
to watch. We pulled into Bahia Tenacatita and anchored with a fleet
of about 30 other boats. Some we recognize from the Baja Ha-Ha. Others we
have seen in other anchorages. We anchored, put out the halyards, put on the
sail cover and sat down for a drink in the cockpit. In the middle of the bay
we can see a whale broaching, over and over again. A large powerboat or yacht comes barreling into the
anchorage - at 6 knots mind you. The sailboaters look up in horror. The
bowthrusters start rotating the boat, the engines rev, the anchor drags,
comes up and goes down again. Finally, Primadonna, yep that was the name,
comes to rest right in the middle of the fleet. The sound of the waves
breaking on the beach is dulled by the sound of the mighty generators
charging up. The crew, in matching t-shirts and khaki shorts, quickly prepare
the large runabout for any shore excursions. After a while the generators
shut down and peace is restored to this tranquil place. We plan to stay here a few days. We hope to meet up with
our friends on Kiapa as she makes her way north. Time to relax. 3/2, Bahia Tenacatita 19'17.953N, 104'50.032W, Bahia Tenacatita, Jalisco, Mexico On shore is an all inclusive resort. At night they have
entertainment for the guests. There is an MC who keeps everyone hopping and
we can hear him and the music across the bay. Last night we heard the opera
like piece from the movie, The Fifth Element. It is the piece sung by the
Diva Laguna at Flosten Paradise. All this and free music too. This morning Rich made pancakes to start our day. Jesse and
Sarah went to work on their schoolwork. Rich completed the JFN (just for now)
installation of the solar panels. Now the sun helps recharge the batteries. I
did a few small chores. In the afternoon we saw Kiapa come into the bay. We were
hoping to rendezvous with them here. Kiapa is a Santa Cruz 52 belonging to
Pete and Sue. They were part of the Baja Ha-ha crowd. Pete and Sue are also
charter members of the Los Muertos Yacht Club. At 5pm Rich, Sarah and I motored the dingy over to Kiapa.
Jesse decided to remain on Windarra, do some more schoolwork and hang out
with Katmandu. We got a chance to sip some wine and catch up on their
activities since they left Puerto Vallarta, just after we left for the US. We
heard about the yacht club meeting in Zihuatanejo that we missed due to prop
problems. Then the five of us jumped into our dingy to go to dinner at Casa
de Pirates.
Casa de Pirates, alias McHale’s Navy The Casa de Pirates is a small place near the mouth of a
river that empties into Bahia Tenacatita. It was originally built for the film,
McHales' Navy. It is a cruiser's hangout. The drinks are good and the food is
great. We chatted with other cruisers we knew and had a leisurely dinner.
Around 7:45pm we stumbled across the beach in the dark to find our dingy.
Shuffling, we dragged the dingy out into the surf. Shuffling so we do not
step on stingrays that sit on the bottom, I lost one of my sandals. Luckily
Sarah with the flashlight and her quick eyes spotted my sandal. We dropped
Pete and Sue on their boat and wove our way around the anchorage back to
Windarra. Thank goodness Jesse had turned on the mast light or we would still
be out looking for the boat. It is scary that some of the boats do not have
any lights on at night. We had originally planned on being back to PV for the ham radio
test on March 7. Well, I think our plans just changed tonight. More to come. 3/5, Bahia Tenacatita 19'17.953N, 104'50.032W, Bahia Tenacatita, Jalisco, Mexico On Sunday we did the usual, schoolwork and chores in the
morning. Around noon we hopped into the dingy to go on our own jungle tour up
the river into the mangroves. We putted up to the Casa de Pirates and dropped
off our trash in the bins. Met up with the crew from Seahorse and another
boat. Up the river we went a keen eye peeled for crocodiles. As we proceeded
up the river the vegetation on each side came closer and closer. Soon there
was a canopy over our heads and the width of the passage was less than 8 feet
and closing. Occasionally a dingy or a panga wanted to pass and go the other
way so we backed into partings in the mangroves so they could squeak pass. We
saw birds of all sorts, but no crocodiles.
Jungle Tour We reach a lagoon and a clearing on the shore to pull up
our dingy. We climb over a hill to see a beach on Bahia Tenacatita lined with
palapas. We select one and sit down for lunch. The beach is crowded with
locals enjoying their Sunday with their kids. People are swimming and
snorkeling. Some vendors ply the beach selling t-shirts, necklaces, hammocks,
etc. No Americans but the few cruisers who came on their dingies. More of a
slice of Mexico. After our lunch we return down the river and back to the
boat. Jesse and Rich go snorkeling while Sarah and I sit and read and relax. On Monday morning we hear this flapping noise outside.
There is a large school of manta rays jumping out of the water and doing
flops. It is like someone is making pancakes with manta rays. One after
another, sometimes several at once. It is quite the sight. In the afternoon Rich, Jesse and Pete from Kiapa go out in
the dingy to do a little fishing in the bay. Unfortunately the fish are not
biting, at least for these three. On Tuesday Rich was the net controller for the radio in the
morning. Fairly crisp but no jokes at the end. Rich, Jesse and Sarah go snorkeling
in the afternoon. I try my hand at baking some beer batter bread. We will see
how it comes out. We plan to head back tomorrow. Hope there are fair winds
and following seas. 3/7, Nuevo Vallarat, Nayarit 20'41.476N, 105'17.601W, Nuevo Vallarta, Nayarit, Mexico Hi there! On Wednesday morning we said goodbye to Bahia Tenacatita
and headed north back to Nuevo Vallarta and Paradise Village. The seas were
flat and the winds were 3-5 knots out of the west - or in our face. We
motored along. As the winds built near Chamela we brought out the staysail
and motorsailed. We passed fishing boats and sailboats heading south. We were
the only ones going north. Later as night fell the seas became choppy. The bow of the
boat would part the water as it crested a wave. Occasionally green water
would race along the sides, sometimes splashing on the dodger. Katmandu kept
a spot on the cockpit cushion near Jesse, trying to stay dry. Once during the
night he seemed to be barfing so Jesse and I tried to hold him outside of the
cockpit. I think he was scared that we would push him out so he backed up as
fast as he could. It was not the time to be outside of the cockpit, he was
sure of that. At sunset we saw the green flash as the sun dropped behind
the horizon. I had the watch from 9 to 12 midnight. All at once one end of
the dingy broke free from the davits. The line had worn through. Rich went
back and reran the line and we pulled the dingy up again and tied it off. An
hour later the dingy fell again. Again we pulled up the dingy and tied it
off. Hopefully more secure the second time. Just as we finished we heard this
loud sound like a huge balloon letting out the air similar to a whoopee
cushion. We looked towards the sound and saw something large in the water. We
are not sure what - maybe a whale or a sea lion or a giant flatulent squid,
but it sure scared us. No more unusual sightings were made the rest of the
evening. (at least not on my watch). As we got close to Cabo Corrientes the
winds built to between 15 and 22 knots. We were able to make more use of the
staysail and we were trucking along at 6 knots through lumpy seas. At noon we pulled into our slip at Paradise Village. Again
the check in dance at the Port Captain. Jesse and Sarah washed some of the
salt off the boat and then showers for everyone! Time to relax and visit with
our friends on Saperlipopette. Not sure what made that sound in the night but we did hear
it. Good night from Paradise Village 3/11, Nuevo Vallarta, Nayarit 20'41.476N, 105'17.601W, Nuevo Vallarta, Nayarit, Mexico Hola! On Saturday we installed our new VHF radio with the remote
mic that operates in the cockpit. Now we do not have to use the hand-held VHF
in the cockpit. It took a little time doing some re-wiring but we like the
new radio so far. On Sunday we cleaned the boat on the inside. In the
afternoon we took the bus to the airport to meet Ronna's plane from Seattle.
She is going to spend some time with us. We got back to the boat and she emptied
her bags of the stuff we asked her to bring us. She brought the mail from
Doug and Nancy's, the Iridium phone that had just returned from a trip to
Florida to have the antenna sensor repaired, school books for Jesse (he was
thrilled - NOT), paperback books, books on tape for the passage, candy,
Serial to USB adapters, Blue Ice (can't get in Mexico), extension cable,
matzoh ball mix (can't get in Mexico), Medical books from Bill Putnam, plus
some other stuff. An unusual wish list indeed. After Ronna got settle in we took her for a tour of the
Paradise Village resort, the plaza with a Domino's Pizza place and a
McDonalds, the zoo complete with the lion Simba and the tigress with her
three cubs, the marina, the hotels, the beach, the palapas, the pools with
the crocodile water slides, the happy hour places. We stopped for happy hour
and then went to the Mexican restaurant in the plaza. Our friends from
Saperlipopette and Kiapa joined us. Today I took my 5 wpm Morse code test and passed! Rich
decided to forgo the test this time. Now I have my general license, oh boy!
This allows us to use more frequencies and to use Winlink also. In the afternoon we went to Sam's Club to do some
provisioning. We filled up two carts! The taxi ride back to the marina was
cozy. We still have not put anything away! We were stuffing items in every
place we could find. Jesse operated the vacuum packer. We vacuum pack and
freeze as much as we can. We even vacuum pack toilet paper! They make nice
little bricks. Tomorrow we will take the boat to the boat yard to have it
hauled out of the water so that we can have a survey down. We are doing this
to get blue water insurance for our trip. We will keep in touch! 3/13, Nuevo Vallarta, Nayarit20'41.476N, 105'17.601W, Nuevo Vallarta, Nayarit, Mexico Hola! On Tuesday we took off the Yankee and motored to Opequemar
in Puerto Vallarta for the haul out for the survey. We were a little early so
we went to the fuel dock to fill our tanks and the jerry jugs on deck. We had
to wait for the lift to be available. We took a little tour of the harbor.
When we came back there was a powerboat at the dock so we had to wait for him
to move. Finally we got to the dock and ready for the lift. While the boat was being hauled, Sarah and I took Katmandu
to the vet. We put Katmandu in his cat carrier and caught a cab to the Marina
Plaza shopping center where the vet is located. She checked his eyes, ears,
teeth, temperature, etc. The temperature part was not a good experience. The
vet reviewed his health certificate from the US. Luckily Katmandu did not
have to have any shots. You could tell when he had decided that the visit was
over when he got back into his cat carrier on his own. She filled out the new
health certificate and we were on our way back. He was very put out about the
whole thing. The haul out and survey was complete so we motored back to
Paradise Village. Today, Wednesday, we did some chores around the boat.
Sarah, Ronna went to the beach with Alice and Lucy from Saperlipopette. Jesse
met Brendon from Rosalie Claire, another boat from Seattle. This evening
Jesse, Ryan from Dolphin Quest, Damien from Saperlipopette all went over to
Rosalie Claire to watch the movies Unbreakable and Time Bandit. Sarah, Alice
and Lucy worked with beads. Rich got the propane tanks filled. I worked
splicing a new eye in the davit line that broke during the trip back from
Tenacatita. Rich and I also sorted the charts that Gilles and Marie had
copied for us. We have over 63 charts for the Marquises, French Polynesia,
Cook Islands, Vanuatu, Fiji, Tonga and northern New Zealand. Now, where to
put them.... We are working through our list of things to do. We are
crossing things off the list but still adding things to it also. Well, tomorrow is another day. 3/15, Nuevo Vallarta, Nayarit 20'41.476N, 105'17.601W, Nuevo Vallarta, Nayarit, Mexico Hola! Thursday we worked on our list of things to do before we
leave. I went through our mail and get our bills paid. I am learning a lot
about banking via the internet. In the evening Dave and Merlot from Aristos joined us as we
rode the bus into Puerto Vallarta for my birthday dinner. We walked down the
Malecon and over the river to the old part of town. We had dinner at the
Fajita Republic. It is a wonderful restaurant that is more outdoors than
indoors. There a large trees than provide most of the roof. We laughed and
had a great time. After dinner we walked a few blocks and grabbed a bus back.
We got off at Sam's club. Around the corner there is supposed to be a street
vendor that sells desserts made from crepes. Unfortunately he was not there,
so we waited for another bus to take us back to Paradise Village. It was a
fun evening. Dave and Merlot are here to race on Kiapa for the Banderas
Bay regatta. They stayed with us Thursday night. Today is was more chores but not until we watched the
parade of boats for the Banderas Bay Regatta. The regatta is a fun cruisers
race in the bay. They have one race a day and then big parties every night.
For some people this is the first time that they have ever raced and for
others, this is just one of many races. There is everything from custom 70
footers to Santa Cruz 52s to Catalinas and multi-hulls and even Hobie Cat
16s. Ronna got a ride on Kiapa with our friends Pete and Sue. She is having a
great time.
Kiapa, Ronna is second from the bow After the parade we went back to the boat to work on our
list. Rich fixed the wind generator. Hooray! This is the first time we have
had it working. Now we have solar panels and a wind generator to help
recharge the batteries. I worked on storing items. Since we are doing more
provisioning we need to find a place to put all of the things we have now.
Where do you put two large bags of potatoes so that they do not turn into
mush midway across to the Marquesas? Sarah bought a kit to do beadwork similar to the Huichol
Indians. She is beading a cat. Lucy and Alice are working on an owl and a
cat. After their homework is done they go to the cruisers lounge and work on
their beading. It requires a sharp eye and a steady hand. Sarah's is looking
quite nice. It has been a long day and more to do tomorrow. 3/20, Nuevo Vallarta, Nayarit 20'41.476N, 105'17.601W, Nuevo Vallarta, Nayarit, Mexico Hola! On Saturday it was Ronna's birthday. Happy Birthday Ronna!
She had a great day racing on Kiapa, a Santa Cruz 52 with our friends Sue and
Pete, and Dave and Merlot from Aristos. Sarah got to go also and helped with
the running backs and pulling in the chute. She had a GREAT TIME! They took
line honors to celebrate. Sunday was the last day of the regatta. In the evening they
had an awards banquet that Rich and I went to. It was poolside next to the
hotel. The food was great and plenty of liquor. Kiapa came in third overall.
When the crew went up to get their award, they jumped into the pool and swam
to get their award! All of them, even the women in dresses. The rest of the
banquet went on from there! Monday evening was the Los Muertos Yacht Club meeting. Duey
and Nan of The Great Escape, had sailed in from Z-town. Dave and Merlot of
Aristos were there, as well as Kiapa, Saperlipopette and Windarra. Jim and
Sue Corenman of Airmail fame joined us as guests. It was a wonderful night.
We sat at the terrace restaurant looking out at the sunset over the bay. It
was good to see everyone again and visit. Sarah was elected the new
Commodore. That will teach her to sit at the head of the table! It was a
little sad that we will be going in different directions in the future and
may not be together again for a long time. Sarah said that the next yacht
club meeting will be in Bora-Bora in July. God willing Kiapa, Saperlipopette
and Windarra will be there. Maybe some others too.
Los Muertos Yacht Club members on Kiapa Note the burgee I am holding!
New Los Muertos Yacht Club Commodore! Tuesday we got the boat ready to go. We had an agent do our
exit paperwork and get our zarpe - a document indicating that you checked out
legally from Mexico. You need this to check into the next country. The port
captain was working our paperwork at the same time as Saperlipopette's and
got confused. Rich was suddenly the captain of Saperlipopette out of Seattle,
Gilles was captain of Windarra out of San Francisco. Gilles and Marie were not
ready to trade boats to remedy the situation so the agent had to go back to
the Port Captain to get the paperwork corrected. Tuesday evening we went to celebrate at Gilles Lefort's
French Restaurant in Bucerias. It was The Great Escape, Saperlipopette,
Windarra, Sue from Kiapa (Pete had to fly back to the US) and John and
Marilyn of Elysium. We enjoyed foie gras, seafood quiche, rack of lamb and
Tart Tartin. It was a great meal and a fun evening with friends. We also
purchased some foie gras, pate, dry sausage, garlic sausage from Gilles for
our passage. Yummm! This morning, Wednesday we are busy checking out, spending
the last of our pesos and getting ready to leave. Adios Mexico |
