Punta Paddling

Morning paddle session

Deborah and Nancy

Feb-20-2013

Having fun! You’d think we were 20 year olds!  We're out every day doing something fun in the water or on the beach. We're back and anchored in Punta de Mita on the northern point of Banderas Bay with several others (20 boats at last count) with old friends and meeting new ones. Since, I don’t own a stand up paddle board (SUP for short) I’m at the mercy of others who generously offer to let me borrow theirs. I’m learning the moves. Once you get the balance and strokes down then you can graduate to surfing the waves. This area is known for it’s beginner waves and all ages are out learning.

The last few days we have gathered with friends on the beach, some boarding, some kayaking most just relaxing, watching the the kids play, watching the beach action.

Rob and Danny dingy the SUPs out to the break

 Rob (Shindig) and Danny( Cyclades) tow their paddle boards out to a reef on the point where the surf breaks. As do others who have mobile transportation, the dingy. This is our "car" and only way to get around.  I actually had to learn how to "drive" the other day.  I accomplished my first dingy drive through the wave sets to get to the beach.   A friend was guiding me through the sets as she watched the waves,  I timed the breaks and we passed through to the landing on the beach. A big deal for me!

John is finding his water sport.  The inflatable kayaks we have are good for cruising around, but not challenging enough.  He tried the SUP but his knees won’t let him. ( 20 years in construction trades gives you bad knees!) So, he tried sitting and paddling…this may be the way to go. He caught a few waves. He also is looking for the right wave for boogie boarding. We see the kids doing it. So far he hasn’t found a wave that he likes.

Boards on the beach

Table talk

Young musicians  entertain the beach 

This morning the weather is windy and more challenging with choppy waves. It takes all my concentration to stay balanced and not fall in. It doesn't look hard, but it is! 

Friends and Sailing

Nancy, Rob John, Brian, Elizabeth and Sue 

Friends. That's what makes this trip so much fun! We've met some great people along the way and we enjoy sharing good times with them.  We've hooked back up with Rob & Nancy (Shindig) Brian & Elizabeth (Autumn Wind) and John & Cin (Alcyone) and Max & Liz their kids Jonathan & Victoria ( Fluenta) and many others. Our social calendar is filled!

Saturday started out with a girl's standup paddle board session...next a sailing race in Banderas Bay.

Paddling out the marina, Cin, Elizabeth, Sue & Nancy

Cin and Sue getting the hang of it

Wizard under sail 

Yesterday, we  joined a friendly sailing race out of La Cruz.  John and I have never raced, so we barely knew the rules of the "road" and in hindsight  it would've been to our advantage to go over which boat has "right of way" and paid attention to the two different courses according to the "class" of boat, but we jumped in anyway... it was a good experience and good fun.  We had some beginner's luck(?) at the start and managed to position Wizard at the first mark on time and off we sailed with 16 other boats.( Of course, we didn't know our place in the pack..so who knows maybe we were last?) There were two courses; short course, a mile up to mark, back to round the first mark again, then down to Nuevo Vallarta and back to La Cruz, then long course included downwind six miles to Puerto Vallarta and beam reach back to the La Cruz marina. This was very exciting for me as I was at the helm, while Capt. John directed the point of sail and handled the sails! It was a lot of work for this two man crew! But, we did OK. Wizard can go to weather really well,  so we "smoked" a few boats in our class( it looked like) on the first leg, but downwind, we were beat by those boats that flew their spinnakers. It was all unofficial, so we don't know really where we came in, but it didn't matter...other boats, too skipped some marks...you could make it a race or not. It turned into a long day.  We decided to turn around and head back before the last mark at Puerto Vallarta. We had "experienced" enough. We're glad we joined and learned a lot and tacked a lot! All good experiences to "push" for speed, trim sails and learn traffic control around so many boats sailing in the same vicinity together.

Fluenta under spinnaker

Wizard  to the mark

Rob at helm of his boat Shindig

Nancy at helm of her boat Shindig

After sail party on Shindig

...and at the end of the day, we gathered for "happy hour" onboard Shindig...always a treat! We'll miss our sailing friends when we all sail away to new adventures, but happy for the times we share now.

Dining in La Cruz

Patio dining at Xocolatl Fajitas Bar and Grill

 Valentine’s Day in La Cruz…what to do? We planned a dinner out with friends at the yet untried Xocolatl Restaurant. I checked the rating on “Trip Advisor” (the customer voted website) and found all 22 restaurants in La Cruz are ranked. The Xocolatl Fajitas Bar and Grill was ranked #4, but with glowing reviews and comments about the “best views around”…so we headed up the hill, just across town, and up many more steps to a large veranda patio with views overlooking the whole Banderas Bay! Fabulous! We went early, because we like an early dinner hour, but many restaurants are not until much later in Mexico…luckily they were open at 5:00pm. We were the first diners.

Stone wall interior carved out of the hillside

The interior was cool…one side of the restaurant was the stone wall of the mountain, carved out to become the restaurants’ interior wall complete with a fern garden wall trickling with water. 

Fern garden wall with waterfall

The menu offered was mixed with seafood specialties, steaks and lobster. Not the usual fare we've been used ordering and a little higher priced, but hey it was Valentine’s Day!

We started with tasty, strong margaritas on the rocks, a good sign that the restaurant knows what it’s doing. Next we shared a crunchy vegetable salad, another not very common menu item in Mexico.

Brian and I chose the Mahi-Mahi fish special with almond creme sauce and vegetables, John chose the special Chimichanga, Elizabeth tried the mixed seafood platter complete with sauteed octopus. We all tried a piece and I really liked the soft and creamy texture that tasted like sweet shrimp!

Mahi-Mahi with almond creme sauce..yumm!

The views of the bay with tiki-torch ambiance ...and Capt. Juan

Mr. Romantic

Another happy diner or  too many margaritas?

The evening ambiance increased as the sun went and we could see all the lights to around the bay to Puerto Vallarta. They lit the tiki-torches, the crowds came and it became a lively place. Our waiter/owner was very generous with service, information and complimentary after dinner Kahlua cocktails.

We left very happy and satisfied after a delicious dinner at Xocolatl with friends. We highly recommend this restaurant.

La Cruz..again..and Bucerias

Dock side in La Cruz

Feb 5 2013

La Cruz de Huanacaxtle, Nayarit, Mx.

That‘s a mouthful... the town and state in Mexico where we are  at present. Known simply as La Cruz.  We are in the Marina Riviera Nayarit at La Cruz.  We are enjoying the "finer" cruiser life of living dockside; hot showers, fresh water, electricity and “happy hour’ at five o’clock every day in the sky bar lounge.  Not bad, eh?  We needed to be on a dock to complete several projects before we sail on to the South Pacific. Like adding another 200ft of chain, (deeper island anchoring) replacing running lights, repair a rotten floor board and clean the bottom of the boat. All this in between a variety of fun activities and dining out, listening to music and meeting others…time just flies by!

Adding 200ft of chain

Attaching the anchor

200ft of new chain!

We're hoping to discuss our new passage with other “Pacific Puddle Jumpers” as this group is called.  There are many cruisers waiting here in La Cruz  for the right time to sail west. The time is coming…later at the end of March, is the “jump off” time to the South Pacific.  It is similar to  the Baja Ha Ha Rally in that it is an organized event with a roster of boats and cruisers who‘ve checked in with a customs agent and will be entering French Polynesia, usually all going to the same place to check in, the Marquesas.  After that, everyone has their own agenda sailing to many different island groups.  It will be nice to be in the company of other cruising boats out in the middle of the ocean, even if we don't see them, we should have radio contact along the way.

Feb 6 Bucerias

Friends, Elizabeth and Brian

So, what do you want to do today?...we are dangerously close to using the "bored" word! We are finished with our projects, but still have to wait for some batteries to be ordered and installed, so we have to stay in the marina a few more days...so, what should we do today? Friends come by and they too, are feeling a little of the forbidden word.  How can we be bored in paradise? Have we seen and done all there is do here? The routine has set in and we are getting a little bored. ..

We decide to go for a walk along the beach to the next town of Bucerias!

Walking to Bucerias along beach

Caballeros offer their horses for rent

The Mercado

Beautiful glassware

We are mesmerized by the multiple vendors at the Bucerias outdoor market. We especially liked the glassware which are beautiful works of art. We decide to buy several tequila shot glasses as gifts for our friends and family.

Too many choices!

Lover's bridge...the kiss!

 Later ,we take the local bus back to La Cruz.  Tired but not bored! Another day...another adventure!

Another friend...Pluto the dog aboard S/V  Inspirare

Puerto Vallarta & Costco

Awesome artwork in Puerto Vallarta

 Feb 5 2013

Puerto Vallarta & Costco

After many weeks on the boat we needed to re provision. This entails a whole day because we want to go to Costco! So you know what that means. Lots of stuff! Usually a simple trip to town on the local bus for 12 pesos, get a few groceries, then back again. This may take a couple of hours. Still an adventure when compared to back home where you pop in your car and drive to the supermarket. When shopping in Mexico, there has to be a plan….

First, we have to rent a car usually reserved a day in advance because we are in La Cruz and the rental cars come all the way from Puerto Vallarta (45 miles?).

Then make a “list”…Home Depot, Costco, Zaragoza (Marine Supplies) and lunch? Seems easy peasy! This won't take long…yeah, right.

Next, learn how to drive in Mexico in two minutes. Crash course. Left turn lanes, exit lanes and CRAZY drivers…me being one of them!

We invite our friends from Autumn Wind, Elizabeth and Brian to join us for a shopping day in Puerto Vallarta. This will be our first time in downtown Vallarta and I want to see some of the sights and walk the famous beach front malecon with it’s eclectic brass artwork.

Our first stop is to the bank to get mucho pesos! Every bank has transaction fees attached so we avoid those small independent ATMs and go straight to a bank’s ATM for the better exchange rates.)

Next, we hit the giant marine supply store, Zaragoza. Here we are like little kids in a candy store as we drool over all the things we want to buy, but we stick to our ‘list” and buy 200 ft of chain and running lights (to replace the ones that failed on the Corrientes passage) and “gulped” as the mucho pesos were handed over!

Sand sculptures

Next we walk the malecon of Puerto Vallarta. It's a neat city front with palm trees and artwork meandering for miles along the beach. Yes, it’s very “touristy” with "hawkers" calling your attention to their shops or a "time-share”offer.  It's kind of a drag, like Las Vegas, so we stay on the beach walk and enjoy the curious brass statues…

Puerto Vallarta Malecon (beach walk)

Star Wars?

Need we say more...?

Odd, but wonderful interactive artwork

The journey to nowhere...

Tres Amigos

…Sample  tequila at a tasting room…

Tequila tasting room

 Brian and Elizabeth at Gaby's
…and have lunch at recommended Gaby’s, delicious and hidden away off the main street…

Love those combo platters!

Magnificent cathedral in old town

Next to Costco.. And you all know the drill…see how much stuff you can cram into one car!

John is so happy...will Costco have Sierra Nevada beer??

All the necessities and more...

The pack job...where to put it all?

We are all stocked up and ready for the next adventure! Our family ( Sarah, Thad, Jasmine, Austin and Brooke) will be visiting next month for a week in Yelapa. We are excited to see them and  show them around Banderas Bay.

Cabo Corrientes

The wind meter tells the truth!

We had read the warnings about sailing north around Point Cabo Corrientes, “ it blows 25-30 knots steady around the point, wait for a weather window with southerly winds, sail at night around the point to minimize the winds and currents, but there’s no way to change the fact that this is the farthest point that sticks out on this coast and there will be currents and winds that get stronger near this conversion point. It is what is …sometimes the winds are mild and sometimes they are not. …So, we were prepared for some kind a wild ride and so it was!

Jan 29

We left Bahia Chamela in the afternoon Tuesday January 29 at about 1:00pm and sailed with mild 10-15 knots weather up the coast northbound to Banderas Bay.  We were enjoying the coastline, as we hadn’t seen this part during the day as our travel down had been at night.  Somewhere around 3:00 pm the winds picked up and continued to build. We planned our night sail strategy. This is a discussion between Capt. Juan and first mate (me) about the virtues of reefing the sails early in the evening before getting stuck with too much sail up later in the night (for those non-sailing readers, reefing the means to shorten the sails, the jib and the main by rolling in a few meters so the boat has smaller sails to wind power). Anyway, sailing along as the winds increased at sunset…we decided to tack away from land for the night (smart decision) and reefed sail with 22-25 knots wind to weather. This means we are sailing north into the wind and against waves that are normally traveling south down the coast. This makes for a choppy, confused seas and a bumpy boat ride as the rolling waves meet and roll under the boat.  Some waves were more excited than others and smacked right into our sides with a ‘gush” of water over and into the cockpit! Mostly the dodger protected us from those" rogue waves". It was a wet ride. And the most uncomfortable passage we’ve experienced so far, except for John’s passage down the California coast back in September …that was a wild ride, too!

25-30 knots 

From my log…

3:00am-”Good thing it’s night and I can’t see those big black swells coming! I feel like I’m riding a “buckin' bronco” as the swells roll under the boat…can’t wait ‘til morning and I can see what’s out there!

4:00am- “only two more hours ‘til sunrise …I wedge myself in a spot in the cockpit near the hatch so I won’t  rock’s roll around..  I see black silhouettes of dolphins as they greet us and pop in and out of the waves next to us..… and I hope this leg of the trip will be over soon…

Rough and wet!

7:00am- Wed. January 30…grey cloud layered morning…couldn’t wait until morning so I could see these “angry seas”, now I don’t want to see them!  Winds are steady 25-30knots with gusts to 35. We clocked one gust- 36 knots! Shows us Wizard goes to weather well and nothing has broken. Morning has us 35 miles offshore, so we tack towards land and the point Cabo Corrientes.hoping to be our final tack into Banderas Bay.

3:00pm- so here it is 3:00pm on Wed and we are just barely pointing high enough to make the tack into the bay. This is where I’m loosing my patience on a sailboat!  It goes so frickin’ slow and there’s still 27 miles to La Cruz to go!

As you can see, my patience was running out! We both hadn’t eaten and or really slept in 30 hours and we still had hours to go! We both were  exhausted and not used to the physical demands needed for a rough passage.

Sunset in Banderas Bay

9:00pm-We finally make La Cruz at 9:00pm a night landing so totally not recommended, but sometimes necessary. Luckily, we have been here before and know somewhat “the lay of the land”.  It was hard to navigate the channel entrance by lighted buoys while distracted by the city lights just beyond. We finally secure lines at the fuel dock, drop dead in bed and looked at each other and said” WTF did we just do and why?”

Safe and sound in La Cruz

Feb 2

 Two days later after sleeping for 10 hours, I feel better. We're both glad to be in a marina where there is relatively no boat motion. We empty the lockers and dry out where seawater found it’s way in. The docks are lined with stuff laid out to dry. 

We meet up with old friends and enjoy getting reacquainted with the activities of marina life!