Puerto Vallarta

Slowing down in Puerto Vallarta We arrived in Puerto Vallarta on December 21. We stayed at Marina Vallarta and celebrated the holidays. On January 7 we moved to Nuevo Vallarta and the marina at Paradise Village. 1/1, Puerto Vallarta 20'39.923N, 105'15.026W Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico Our friends, Doug and Nancy, just left after visiting with us for a few days. It was great to see them. The last time we saw them was just after we arrived in Napa. It seems like a long time ago. We enjoyed their visit but wished they could have stayed longer. Puerto Vallarta was made famous by Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor. They were here to make the movie, "The Night of the Iguana". They bought a home here, called Casa Kimberly, which is now a museum. The area around this house is called Gringo Gulch. Before this, not many people in the US knew anything about Puerto Vallarta. For New Year's Eve we joined the folks from Aristos. First there was champagne on their boat, then we took a bus downtown to the Malecon. The Malecon is the main street through town that runs along the waterfront. On one side are shops and restaurants, including the Hard Rock Cafe, Planet Hollywood and Hooters. On the other side is a walkway, then the beach and the surf. Interspersed are statues and vendors selling all sorts of foods. It is really a happening place, especially on New Year's Eve. At the north end we found a small street vendor selling tacos. On two large vertical rotisseries are large pieces of pork with a large piece of pineapple on top. You order a taco and the server takes a large knife, or maybe it is a small machette, and cuts off some pieces of meat onto a tortilla and cuts a small piece of pineapple that he catches with the tortilla, then he adds some chopped onions and plenty of cilantro. They put this on a plate that they give to you. There is a small bar of condiments like salsa. The tacos are great. You can get 20 for 100 pesos or about 50 cents a piece. Not bad. The Malecon has been blocked off from car traffic. It is filled with people, sidewalk to sidewalk. There are loudspeakers blaring music. Most Americans are dress casually in shorts or jeans and t-shirts. The Mexicans on the other hand are very dressed up, high heels, dresses and nice pants. They don't seem to mind walking on the cobblestones of the street. The fireworks displays have been set up right on the beach. At midnight the shows begin. We can see the fireworks at Nuevo Vallarta, Paradise Village, Marina Vallarta as well as the many fireworks in central Vallarta. Just a simple line of rope separates the fireworks from the milling crowds. Certainly if this had been the United States there would have been much more include police patrolling and keep the crowds safe (?). Boats are milling in the water just beyond the surf line. A little close to the fireworks for me. Then they start shooting off flares and fireworks also. They were lucky that they did not set any boats on fire. As it was a few of the fireworks burst on the ground but luckily no one was hurt. The fireworks were fantastic. The best I have ever seen. They put Ivar to shame. After the fireworks we started to walk north back toward the marina, looking for the bus back. We saw only 2 buses, one was overstuffed with people, the other completely empty but neither stopped to give us a ride. We walked about a mile then went over to one of the big hotels and they called us a cab. It was a fun night. Last new years I had no idea when we would be for this new year. I feel the same way about the next one. We wish everyone a happy and healthy new year. 1/12, Nuevo Vallarta 20'41.476N, 105'17.601W, Nuevo Vallarta, Nayarit, Mexico Hola! On Saturday, 1/6, we helped Saperlipopette take their boat back from the boat yard. They had their boat hauled out to have the bottom painted and do some repairs on the rudder. There was a nice breeze in Banderas Bay so we spent the afternoon sailing on their Santa Cruz 52. Just as we hoisted the spinnaker we saw the fluke of a fin whale as it dove below, about 50 feet from the side of the boat. It is a large spinnaker and we were doing 9.5 knots in 16 knots of breeze. A great day of sailing. On Monday, 1/7, we moved from Marina Vallarta in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco to the Paradise Village Marina in Nuevo Vallarta, Nayarit. Not only did we change marinas, we changed states and almost changed time zones, in less than 5 miles by water. As I mentioned in an earlier position update, Paradise Village is not really Mexico but a bit of an American resort transferred to Mexico. Nice but sheltered. Last Friday we joined the crew from Saperlipopette at a French restaurant in Bucerias. It is a small place which serves only 16 people in an evening. And what an evening! You arrive at 8pm and you join Gilles in his kitchen. You sit around the counter and you watch him prepare the meal. He even gives you the recipes. While you watch, you sip an aperatif and snack on foie gras and pate made by Gilles. After the meal is prepared you go out to the terrace overlooking their garden and sit at a large dining table. Gilles and his wife Margarita serve the meal and you dine with them. No waiters. A glass of red wine and a glass of white wine from their expansive cellar sit are each place, including the kids. They are fluent in French, Spanish and English. Gilles' profession before he left France was making foie gras and pate. He bought a ketch and set out to sail to Tahiti to open a factory to make pate. He sailed as far as San Diego before he settled in Ensenada and helped at a French restaurant there. He met his present wife Margarita there and decided to move to Bucerias and open a restaurant. They also have little cottages that they rent out, gourmet dinners with the Leforts are included. The menu was Endive salad with mango dressing, Dorado a la Provenzal and Creme brulee for dessert. After dinner we had espresso and our choice of after dinner drinks. We got a tour of his wine cellar and bought a few cans of his pate. We left at midnight. It was a delightful dining experience. On Thursday night we got together with the Los Muertos Yacht Club at a Mexican restaurant in the plaza at Paradise Village. This was the group of folks from various boats who joined the potluck we had on the beach in Ensenada de Los Muertos on the way to La Paz. Duey from Great Escape is the acting Commodore and called the meeting to order, after we got drinks of course. Commodore Duey was suitably attired in a blue blazer and a Greek fisherman's hat as befitting his rank. Nan, Duey's wife, handed out copies of the LMYC* membership and the club cookbook. The cookbook contains recipes from the cabbage salad contest of La Paz and the curry dish contest of Isla Partida. Member boats include The Great Escape, Aristos, Saperlipopette, Windarra and Kiapa. Honorary members are Siesta and Silkie C. John from Elysium was invited to attend the gathering at Paradise Village. The most important order of business was to plan our next meeting which will be in Zihuatanejo, next month. Damien, from Saperlipopette, is chartered to design the burgee. Sue, from Aristos, will make burgees for the membership once Damien has sent her the design. The meeting was quickly adjourned as the food arrived. This is important stuff. As you can tell, cruising has lots of serious business and responsibilities. It is not all fun and games. Speaking of fun and games... The various bars in Paradise Village alternate having happy hour at 5pm, 2 for 1 drinks. The hard part is figuring out which bar is hosting the happy hour. It is time to send this out. Buenos Noches 2/13, Nuevo Vallarta 20'41.476N, 105'17.601W, Nuevo Vallarta, Nayarit, Mexico Hola! 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. 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! Buenos Noches

Nancy, Doug, Sarah and Rich in front of sculpture in PV Walking down the Malecon Bridge to the river walk Marina at Paradise Village Sailing on Banderas Bay Hey Rich, can we get one of these? Dinner at Gilles LeForts’ Our Commodore