San Carlos, Sunday, Jan.10th
We are now relaxing aboard Sail La Vie, having arrived yesterday aboard an
8 passenger, propeller driven airplane into Guymas aeroporto. The plane ride
was fun, but noisy, and to carry a conversation required allot of shouting
across the aisle, and even then I could only catch half of the conversation.
We had dinner at a local bar near the Marina, and of course it was fish
tacos. It felt good to be back in Mexico, the friendly people, the great
food, the uncomplicated lifestyle that exists down here. Very little has
changed except for the prices going up everywhere here (the Presidente’ is
in his last year of office, and prices always rise during this period).
We had breakfast on the malicone and ran into some of Bruce’s’ friends. It
would be very hard to categorize any of them, except possibly as Bruce puts
it “CWC’s” or colorful waterfront characters. They are the type of people
who make the Sea a very interesting, and humorous place to be. Stan, who
lives aboard SUNRISE, has been here for about 5 years, living year around,
including the Summer when temperatures were recorded at a high of 122.9
degrees this past year. Tim, who originally came south on his boat has
remained here since having engine trouble aboard his boat and is presently
living in a small apartment near the marina as an expatriate Norte
Americano. Robert, is the most normal, having no interesting escapes and at
a glance a person would never suspect him to be someone who would
single hand a ketch all the way from Newport, Oregon. He shrugs off any
thoughts that people might find this remarkable, which is typical of
single-handed sailors. The Navajo’s believe a journey taken in solitude, is a
journey taken back to yourself. A single handed sailor must stand watch all
night, catching cat naps during the day, when his boat is most visible to any
other craft who may be passing nearby. Making way, on an empty, dark,
ocean, alone is something very few people would be capable of doing, it takes
an inner-peace that very few of us possess. The marina is full of such people
all in different stages of preparation for passages to different parts of the
world. We had some “delays” getting started with preparing the boat for
departure, but we did get some work done. Basically we cleaned the
topsides, scrubbing down the decks, canvas, and anything else that an
Osprey, who had decided the masthead was a perfect place to eat it’s meals
and roost, had left everything covered with “gifts”. The high levels of
nitrate made the task very difficult, but the old girl is starting to shine. We
will probably need about a week to complete all our preparations before
departing for the Baja Peninsula, to Caleta de San Juanico. Our arrival in
Mazatlan is timed so we will be there during Super Bowl Sunday. If Denver
makes it to the Championship game, and I am at Carlito’s on the beach, I
must believe that life cannot possibly, ever get any better, especially with
the “all you can eat shrimp special”, and cheap Pacificos.
San Carlos, Jan. 11, Monday
We ran into problems getting the HAM on line, and it may be unavailable for
us when we depart for the Sea. More would have been completed if we
would have spent more time working and less time visiting with the other
cruisers. Conversations center on boat repairs, rising prices, where to find
deals or scarce marine parts and equipment, which usually must be imported,
gossip concerning who is doing what to who or having it done to them.
Despite of our delays, we were able to get many other things done and will
finish most of what remains to be done as planned.
San Carlos, Jan.13, Wednesday
The HAM is still not functioning, but we have made good progress with our
preparations and should be leaving by Fri. or Sat. Bruce and I have been
busy with provisioning today, and bought two grocery carts full of food for
the boat.
It must be hard for Bruce to be leaving this place, he has made a lot of
friends since bringing SAIL LA VIE here in ‘97. We entertained Tim and
Oscar last night with a dinner aboard consisting of (what else?) tacos.
San Carlos, Jan. 16, Saturday
We are presently anchored in the small bay outside San Carlos. All repairs
that could be made, and all systems that could be checked have been
completed. Our departure is planned for 3 AM tomorrow morning allowing us
enough time to reach Bahia de San Juanico on the Baja side of the of the
Sea, approximately 90 miles South, Southwest of our present position. The
HAM is still not functioning properly, we are unable to transmit, which we
hope to get resolved in Mazatlan. Our plans call for us to head south along
the coast of Baja on short day trips, stopping in sheltered anchorage’s each
night until we reach Isla Partida, just outside La Paz, where we will make our
crossing over to Mazatlan.
Caleta de San Juanico, Jan. 18
We made our crossing yesterday in about 15 hours, making 6-7.5 kts most of
the way. The wind was a South-easterly, giving us enough lift to the mainsail
and staysail to give us another knot of speed over the bottom. The sky was
overcast and cold with heavy fog in several stretches along our passage,
giving us about a mile of visibility. We made Caleta de San Juanico about
5:30 PST. That night we had BBQ’d steaks, baked potatoes, and salad, after
taking a hot shower and a few rum and cokes! Life is very good indeed.
Later after enjoying a movie on the VCR we stepped out on the deck and
were blown away by the night sky, I had forgotten how inadequate words are
trying to describe the beauty! We are all truly blessed who have had the
good fortune to enjoy the experience. Sleep came quickly with the gentle
roll of the sea found in this anchorage, it has been a long day.
Today we decided to stay for another day and just relax, the first
opportunity we have had to take a “day off” since getting here. The
“Cruiser’s Shrine” is located on the north shore, where we went to see if our
momento we made from our last cruise through here was still there. The
“shrine” is an old tree upon and under which boats passing through this
anchorage have all left a hand made momento with their boat name, the year
of their crossing, and the names of the crew on them. Some are very
creative, taking lots of effort, made from old rum bottles (what other
kind?), pieces of wood from boats, carved in pieces of sandstone, pieces of
ribbon and cloth, mobils and even made from cement, mixed on the beach. It
was great gliding over crystal clear, aqua-marine blue water in an inflatable,
in the warm sunshine under cloudless, clear skies. Later we were visited by
some local fisherman and traded a pack of Marlboro cigarettes (originally
brought down in ‘91) for 3 Pargo and 1 Yellowtail (about 2 kilos total). We
plan on cooking the Pargo whole on the grill, stuffed with fresh garlic for
dinner tonight, very tasty! I can say I have not had a bad meal since coming
to Mexico, the food is delicious, especially the fresh seafood, everyone
should have the opportunity, at least once in their life, to experience it. We
later joined some of the other cruisers for a walk on an isolated beach just
south of here. It was lots of fun riding the surf into the beach in the
inflatable, but even more fun leaving through the same surf. HURRAH! We
just got the news on the HAM net, Johnny and the B’s will be in the SUPER
BOWL! It is impossible not to believe in God during such moments. Carlitos
Bar & Grill, look out here we come.
Bahia Salinas, Isla Carmen, Weds. Jan. 20th
After an uneventful, short sail yesterday of only 36 miles, we stopped in a
large shallow (8-10 ft. under the keel) anchorage named Bahia Salinas,
located about 30 miles off the Baja coast at Isla Carmen. Because of it’s
shallow depths, we are in about 15’ of water a little more than a half mile off
shore, near an old abandoned sea water pumping station where sea salt was
once harvested from large sea water evaporation ponds. It is a very quiet
remote place with no other boats within miles of us. To the West of the
bay, the remains of an old wooden ship, lying on her side, half of the hull
exposed, depending on the tides, the only sounds being the surf and
occasionally a seal or bird passing by. I am out in the cockpit, under the
Bimini cover, a great place to write.
Last night was spectacular! It was another moon less, clear night, in one of
the calmest anchorage’s we have ever visited. The stars and the Milky Way
were reflected in the smooth, still mirror of the water’s surface, warm
without a trace of air movement. The overall effect was of floating,
suspended with stars above and below, almost as if we were on a star ship.
The sea was also alive with the fire of a bio-luminous bloom, with beautiful
bright explosive displays flashing at any slight provocation.
Even as I am writing this I was distracted by a visit from a small family of
dolphins swimming near by. We spotted many young ones which were being
closely protected by the adults. I was lucky enough for once to get it on
video.
We will be departing for Bahia de Agua Verde and I must sign off for now.
Punta San Evaristo, Baja, Thurs. Jan. 21
We are presently anchored in a small, but picturesque harbor, one of Baja’s
most visited destination points. We have a few neighbors from The
Moorings a yacht charter business operating out of nearby La Paz; and as a
consequence we are presently up to our gunwales in dentists on vacation in
French, plastic boats (Benateau’s). Again we had no luck fishing, it is
probably time to try a new lure. Three days of trolling and not even one hit.
The wildlife has been giving us quite a show during our cruise through these
waters. Today we were visited and followed, for a while by a large herd of
Spinner dolphins, consisting of easily over 500 animals. They were feeding
at the time, herding their prey, blocking it from escaping, with many jumping
clear of the water. Weather wise is has been clear and calm, what every
sailor loves. We have had to drive most of the time there hasn’t been a lot
of wind and usually we have a sail up to give us a little lift and a little more
speed, it also steadies the ride. I am presently sitting on the deck house,
the sun setting behind the Gigantes a mountain range that follows the
coastline. The sky takes on special colors down here with absolutely no
pollution and the sunsets are usually spectacular.
We spent last night about 40 miles North in Bahia de Agua Verde, a spot we
visited on our last trip North through here in 97. I have noticed more boats
now than on our last trip in the Sea and the anchorage’s except for one, so
far have had a handful of other boats spending the night with us. I am sure
the great days of sailing in isolation in the Sea are becoming more and more
difficult to find, a sign of progress I guess. I am thankful I have been given
the opportunity to do this while it is still possible.
Punta San Evaristo, Jan. 22, Friday
The sea is an ever changing environment and today could not be a better
example of how quickly those changes can take place. Last night when I
climbed into my bunk is was very calm, without a trace of air movement, very
quiet and comfortable. In the middle of the night the Northers hit, with
constant shifts in direction and hitting 30-35 miles an hour, it wasn’t very
quiet any longer and became impossible trying to sleep. We were in shallow
water, at the small anchorage’s south end where the worse conditions
existed. The boat reminded me of a Pitbull playing “tug of war” with it’s
constant pulling and straining at the anchor rode; back and forth, up and
down, all night long.
The waters outside the harbor have large rollers with white caps, not a very
good place to be right now. Our neighbors in the charter boats have all left,
leaving only the full time cruisers at anchor. I can only imagine what kind of
time they are having right now, probably many of them are very sea sick ,
leaning over the leeward rail. We discovered our anchor was stepping on us
and we were slowly getting closer and closer to the leeward shore behind us,
not a good thing. The skipper decided the more protected North end of the
anchorage, under tall cliffs would be a safer place to move the boat. It is
more comfortable, but we are still getting hit with some pretty strong
gusts, actually heeling us over at times. We will probably stay here until this
blow is over. I am using this time to catch up with this log, there are still
some major “growlers”, with white caps expressing it South outside the
harbor so we will stay one more night and leave in the morning, it is already
beginning to slack off and will probably be “Charlie-Charlie”, or clear and
calm, which means dry and comfortable and not cold and wet hanging over
the rail, with a bruised body.
Punta San Evaristo, Jan. 24, Sat.
The wind picked up again early last evening making for another noisy, rocky
night, with gusts reaching 45 mph. Every piece of rigging, every piece of
hardware, every shackle, every block, essentially, everything above waterline
was creating a loud concert of noises in the high winds and constant tugging
at the anchor rode. Bang! Crash! Roll, roll, roll!, Hummm! Thump!,
Slap,slap,slap,slap,slap! Scraaaaap! Twang The rocking from side to side,
didn’t help either. We are now going on 3 nights of very little sleep,
hopefully this will end soon and we can resume our passage.
We woke to a couple of shrimpers this morning that ducked out of the
weather as well. None of the fishermen living in the small village next to
this bay have gone out in their pongas fishing (open boats about 16 ft. long
driven by large outboards), which is a good indicator to stay put. They know
when it is safe for them to go out, and when it isn’t, their experience comes
from many generations of ancestors, who passed on this knowledge.
Originally their ancestors used small, single man, shallow dug out canoes and
hunted using a small harpoon. Nobody knows these waters better, their
livelihoods depend on it.
Marina El Cid, Tuesday, Jan. 26th
We arrived in Mazatlan about 10:00 A.M. today after making the crossing
from Bahia de los Muertos on the southern end of the Baja Pennisula. We
sailed all day Sunday, bypassing La Paz, arriving at the starting point for our
crossing just after sunset. The next morning we struck out for the mainland
(approx. 200 miles South East) timing our departure so our arrival would be
this morning at high tide. The crossing was rough in the beginning but
settled down as the wind dropped and shifted direction, allowing us to pass
the night on a very comfortable broad reach with a gentle following sea. We
are gaining our sea legs, which usually takes a few weeks and our “boat bites”
are healing. The bruises are clearing up and the aches and pains of adjusting
to the constant movement are less with each passing day. We haven’t
touched solid ground since Caleta de San Juanico and it felt strange stepping
off the boat after 10 days at sea. It is not unusual for sailors after having
made long passages to become “land sick”, just like many people get sea
sickness on boats. After taking care of the boat, a fresh water wash down
to remove the salt that covers everything above the waterline, and putting
away equipment, we treated ourselves to a long hot shower ashore. The
ground eventually stopped moving under us later that night.
It is great to be back, we have many friends among the cruisers and locals
here and it is good seeing them. Our plans are to go out for a good hot meal
with friends tonight, but I doubt we will stay out too late, neither of us have
had much sleep for the last 3 days and are running out of energy quickly.
We have plans to be here till the end of next week, the boat requires some
maintenance and repairs including the HAM radio. We will join up with Donn
Kirby here, who will crew aboard on the sail South to Ziuhuatinejo. We
anticipate his last week of his time aboard when he will start his usual “I
have to go back to work” whinning.
Tuesday, December 07, 1999
2nd letter from Mexico, Cruise 1997
Letter 2
Presently heading North, we are retracing part of our route South before heading
into the Sea of Cortez. The past four weeks have been spent "exploring" the
Puerta Vallarta area. While at a local fish taco restaurant, in Marina Vallarta Bruce
and I met a lovely person, Kathleen, who lives, year round about twenty miles south
of PV in the small coastal village of Yelapa. There are no roads into Yelapa and the
only access is through small motor boats that the Mexicans use throughout the
coast known as Pongas. The ride takes about 45 min. , following the coastline,
passing as close as 50 feet, traveling at 40-45 mph, we were airborne part of the
time, it was an exhilarating way to travel. All outside supplies are brought in using
these small boats. Watching the loading and unloading of passengers and materials
in the lagoon's surf can be very entertaining, and is a favorite past time of the
"locals". Catalina, as she is known locally (Kathleen is very hard to pronounce for
Spanish speaking people) acted as our guide during our stay there. I spent four
days in Yelapa where she introduced me to life in a rural I Mexican village There
are none of the "modern conveniences" we are used to in the United States, such
as electricity, roads, sidewalks, sewer or water system. Ail materials that are too
big to be carried by the villagers are hauled using mules as there are no cars there.
The only 2 telephones in the town are supplied by the government and aren't
working most of the time. Everything is done at a much slower pace here. There is
a TV, run with a gasoline generator, that is used to show videos on an open patio
near the center of the village, in the evenings. Many people attend and sit around in
small groups and discuss what is happening on the screen. According to Kathleen
the favorite movies are Chinese martial art films, dubbed in Spanish. There are no
arguments over the volume, or remote control unit, I believe TV isn't such a bad
thing when you use it this way. In Yelapa there is a basic shortage of everything,
with the exception of patience, where flash light bulbs are worth their weight in
gold, if anyone had any. The only way to get around is to either walk or ride a mule
or horse. Most people living here walk, sometimes carrying large loads up steep,
narrow, rocky, winding paths. The paths run in all directions with no sense of
central organizing. What the village doesn't lack is warm, hospitable, friendly
people, conversation or social gatherings. The weekly softball game that takes
place between the locals and the North Americans living here is a big social event
that few miss, as is the disco dance at the 'Yacht Club" and the Monday night
bingo game. The people love to party and there is always one going on at someone’s'
house. Life is hard here, but everyone helps everyone else and can be depended
upon with an absence of TV, traffic jams, schedules, and other modern distractions
the villagers have filled their time with activities that resemble TV soap operas,
where it is impossible to keep secrets
In the evening, after the sun sets, with the
absence of electricity everyone uses the moon, when available or flashlights to
guide them on the paths. After one party I had to walk from the village along a
path that lead to the beach without a flashlight. it was dark, with an occasional
light coming from a candle inside one of the small thatch roofed huts known as
palapas. I waited for the moon rise, but in the shadow of the hills it was still very
dark and quiet. I never felt I was in any kind of danger from the locals. The path
back to the "hotel" I was staying at followed the edge of some very steep inclines,
where it wound its way down to the lagoon. The lagoon, being high tide, required me
to wade through if to get to the other side. Its an eerie feeling walking in water
that is pitch black and up to your waist, in spots, with the surface occasionally
broken by another creature swimming by. Yelapa is a place where your travel is
dictated by the moon and tides, not rush hour traffic jams or work schedules. In
the evening the restaurant tables are lighted with candles and I never had
anything but delicious food. So far on this trip I have not had any problems with
the food, except for the effect it is having on my waistline. The palapa I stayed in
had mosquito netting over the bed to protect me. There are several different kinds
of scorpions, poisonous snakes and insects living here in the jungle and some of
them live in the thatched roofs of the huts. Mark MacGrath, an old friend of ours,
who came down, spent two days in Yelapa with me, didn’t sleep too Well with this
knowledge. The oceans in this part of the Pacific are home to sea snakes, jelly fish,
and many other forms of deadly marine life. With all its hardships, it is a place I
definitely plan on returning to after completing this voyage, at least part of the
year. I've never felt so alive or so much energy as I have here. I definitely will
invest in some good flashlights next time before I return. The countryside of this
area is tall hills with lush, thick growth down to the shores, full of life of every
sort, including Macaws, dozens of different species of birds all as brightly colored
as the beautiful flowers that are found everywhere. At night the only sounds I
heard were those of creatures calling out in the thick trees that surrounded me
and the surf on the beach about 150' in front of my palapa. The palapa itself had a
thatch roof, walls woven out of reed materials, which faced out towards the The
hYo side and back walls were constructed out beach of concrete with a tile floor.
In back was a bathroom with shower and sink. It had running water that was
heated twice a day using coconut husks twice each day, once at 9-00a then again at
5:30p. The water was not recommended for human consumption, so I used bottled
water, provided by the hotel, for brushing my teeth and drinking. I kept finding
nuts in my room laying on the floor, or on the small side table every morning. When
I asked a couple of the locals where they were coming from, they told me fruit
bats, which fly under the roofs, using the large open vent holes located at each end
of the hut. The generator only runs about 4 hours a day and the room came with
candles and matches. For $20 a night it was a real deal. On the front off my hut
was a porch, with fold out beach chairs facing the ocean, which is very clean, blue
and warm, with the beaches lined with large coconut groves.
The people here all take the time to watch the sunsets. Carlos, the owner of one of
the restaurants on the beach and I became good friends. He would pull up a chair
and sit at my table out on the open sand (none of the restaurants had solid floors,
all were beach sand) and watched the sunset with me. At 3 pesos apiece, Pacifico
Beers are a great bargain, but hard on your waistline. Unfortunately, I have
developed a real fondness for them. Cocktail hour down here is a seriously taken
tradition, one we try to rarely miss, except while out at sea, underway The night
life in PV is legendary, where they have a saying, " If you didn't come to Puerto
Vallarta to party, why are you here? I went to Yelapa, after being aboard rd day
and night with Bruce for the past 2 months, besides, Kathleen was a lot more
pretty and I was enjoying the time off the boat as well as the company of the
different cruisers we have become acquainted with. If they know how to do
anything better, or at least as well as sailing, it has to be partying. Every place we
have gone we have met other people who are cruising. In most cases you will only
cross these other sailors paths once or twice because most are either in transit to
the South Pacific, going around the Pacific, off to Hawaii, in many cases they were
departing for the Marquesas, a group of islands about 30 days sailing due South
West across the Pacific, or they are planning a trip in the near future Many have
their families with them, including small children ranging in age from 6 month old
babies to young teenagers. These children have one thing in common, they are very
well behaved, polite, and very bright. it has to be a result of the close contact they
have as a family and with nature. The full moon is one of the excuses sailors have
for throwing a party. It is a much welcomed sight in the sky during night passages.
On moon less nights a person can't even see their hand in front of their own face.
Under these conditions, with only the star light to light your way it is almost
impossible to see any hazards that you might be coming up on. Therefore they have
full moon parties. Such a party was planned in La Cruz, a small town about 10 miles
North of PV with a good anchorage. We drove the boat to La Cruz and anchored
for the night, planning to return to Marina Vallarta the following morning. Sue and
Pepe, a couple who have an RV and a Spindrift 43, like Sail La Vie, and have lived
down here for 4 years were doing the music at the party that night. Several people
got in front of the microphone that evening to entertain us, all of them very
talented. With about 100 people it was a great time had by all that night. How
Kathleen and her little dog Chamin, a dog she adopted from the Florida Keys pound
and has never left her side, myself and Bruce managed to find the boat and to
launch the inflatable dingy in the surf without getting soaked in our condition is
still kind of fuzzy. After departing Puerto Vallarta we headed back North towards
Mazatlan, this time stopping in a small town along the coast called San Blass It was
originally founded by the Spanish in 1540 as a trading point. The estuary we
anchored in was a favorite hiding place of pirates, before the Spanish built a forover looking this part of the coast. Bruce and I walked through the town sightseeing.
We visited the old fort and cathedral that were built at the same time.
The cathedral known as the Iglesia de Nuestra Senora del Rosario, Our Lady of the
Rosary, is the subject of Henry Longfellows' last poem 'The Bells of San Blass". In
town is another cathedra! built by missionaries, including Father Sierra, who left
from here for Baja and California It hasn't grown much, and has remained about
the same size for 300 years. It is very tropical here and surrounded by jungle. Our
departure was prompted by the 'No-See-Ums", a term the cruisers use to describe
the small biting insects that infest the anchorage. Life aboard Sail La Vie is
starting to grow into a normal routine. Bruce is normally the first to get up. He
generally turns on the HAM radio to listen in on one of the 'Cruising Nets'. These
networks seen/e as a means for all the boaters down here to keep in touch. Many
are as far away as mid Pacific or the Panama Canal. The primary subject of interest
is the weather, what the sea conditions are, and the where abouts of friends and
schedules for rendezvous. I am primarily responsible for the cooking and Bruce
takes care of the mechanical req. u I re m e nts of the boat. I haven spent as much
time with my art work as I would like but have done some sketching. We will be
staying in Mazatlan for about two weeks before crossing to La Paz. Charlie Turner,
on FAR NIENTE was here to greet us, having just returned from crewing on a boat
that was transiting the Panama Canal. He will be crossing with us to Baja, as will
Rick and Becky on ESPRIT II, who are currently still in PV. We will be meeting
with Don and Sherry, on LUNA, who have been sailing the Sea of Cortez since 91.
Together we will head North, staying in many of the small isolated anchorage’s for
diving and fishing. I’m finding that there is a definite need down here for qualified
people to crew on boats for either short cruises or as far away as the South
Pacific. today I heard of a crew position for a boat going to Hawaii. I don't know
about taking one of these opportunities; a lot of factors have to be examined, the
qualifications of the skipper, the condition of his boat, safety gear, as well as
personalities , to just name part of the them. After this voyage I doubt life for me
will ever be as it was. My priorities are changing as rapidly as the view of the world
what I had before departing. Well, I will be might make mailing them impossible, most of the time we will be in isolated anchorages.
Presently heading North, we are retracing part of our route South before heading
into the Sea of Cortez. The past four weeks have been spent "exploring" the
Puerta Vallarta area. While at a local fish taco restaurant, in Marina Vallarta Bruce
and I met a lovely person, Kathleen, who lives, year round about twenty miles south
of PV in the small coastal village of Yelapa. There are no roads into Yelapa and the
only access is through small motor boats that the Mexicans use throughout the
coast known as Pongas. The ride takes about 45 min. , following the coastline,
passing as close as 50 feet, traveling at 40-45 mph, we were airborne part of the
time, it was an exhilarating way to travel. All outside supplies are brought in using
these small boats. Watching the loading and unloading of passengers and materials
in the lagoon's surf can be very entertaining, and is a favorite past time of the
"locals". Catalina, as she is known locally (Kathleen is very hard to pronounce for
Spanish speaking people) acted as our guide during our stay there. I spent four
days in Yelapa where she introduced me to life in a rural I Mexican village There
are none of the "modern conveniences" we are used to in the United States, such
as electricity, roads, sidewalks, sewer or water system. Ail materials that are too
big to be carried by the villagers are hauled using mules as there are no cars there.
The only 2 telephones in the town are supplied by the government and aren't
working most of the time. Everything is done at a much slower pace here. There is
a TV, run with a gasoline generator, that is used to show videos on an open patio
near the center of the village, in the evenings. Many people attend and sit around in
small groups and discuss what is happening on the screen. According to Kathleen
the favorite movies are Chinese martial art films, dubbed in Spanish. There are no
arguments over the volume, or remote control unit, I believe TV isn't such a bad
thing when you use it this way. In Yelapa there is a basic shortage of everything,
with the exception of patience, where flash light bulbs are worth their weight in
gold, if anyone had any. The only way to get around is to either walk or ride a mule
or horse. Most people living here walk, sometimes carrying large loads up steep,
narrow, rocky, winding paths. The paths run in all directions with no sense of
central organizing. What the village doesn't lack is warm, hospitable, friendly
people, conversation or social gatherings. The weekly softball game that takes
place between the locals and the North Americans living here is a big social event
that few miss, as is the disco dance at the 'Yacht Club" and the Monday night
bingo game. The people love to party and there is always one going on at someone’s'
house. Life is hard here, but everyone helps everyone else and can be depended
upon with an absence of TV, traffic jams, schedules, and other modern distractions
the villagers have filled their time with activities that resemble TV soap operas,
where it is impossible to keep secrets
In the evening, after the sun sets, with the
absence of electricity everyone uses the moon, when available or flashlights to
guide them on the paths. After one party I had to walk from the village along a
path that lead to the beach without a flashlight. it was dark, with an occasional
light coming from a candle inside one of the small thatch roofed huts known as
palapas. I waited for the moon rise, but in the shadow of the hills it was still very
dark and quiet. I never felt I was in any kind of danger from the locals. The path
back to the "hotel" I was staying at followed the edge of some very steep inclines,
where it wound its way down to the lagoon. The lagoon, being high tide, required me
to wade through if to get to the other side. Its an eerie feeling walking in water
that is pitch black and up to your waist, in spots, with the surface occasionally
broken by another creature swimming by. Yelapa is a place where your travel is
dictated by the moon and tides, not rush hour traffic jams or work schedules. In
the evening the restaurant tables are lighted with candles and I never had
anything but delicious food. So far on this trip I have not had any problems with
the food, except for the effect it is having on my waistline. The palapa I stayed in
had mosquito netting over the bed to protect me. There are several different kinds
of scorpions, poisonous snakes and insects living here in the jungle and some of
them live in the thatched roofs of the huts. Mark MacGrath, an old friend of ours,
who came down, spent two days in Yelapa with me, didn’t sleep too Well with this
knowledge. The oceans in this part of the Pacific are home to sea snakes, jelly fish,
and many other forms of deadly marine life. With all its hardships, it is a place I
definitely plan on returning to after completing this voyage, at least part of the
year. I've never felt so alive or so much energy as I have here. I definitely will
invest in some good flashlights next time before I return. The countryside of this
area is tall hills with lush, thick growth down to the shores, full of life of every
sort, including Macaws, dozens of different species of birds all as brightly colored
as the beautiful flowers that are found everywhere. At night the only sounds I
heard were those of creatures calling out in the thick trees that surrounded me
and the surf on the beach about 150' in front of my palapa. The palapa itself had a
thatch roof, walls woven out of reed materials, which faced out towards the The
hYo side and back walls were constructed out beach of concrete with a tile floor.
In back was a bathroom with shower and sink. It had running water that was
heated twice a day using coconut husks twice each day, once at 9-00a then again at
5:30p. The water was not recommended for human consumption, so I used bottled
water, provided by the hotel, for brushing my teeth and drinking. I kept finding
nuts in my room laying on the floor, or on the small side table every morning. When
I asked a couple of the locals where they were coming from, they told me fruit
bats, which fly under the roofs, using the large open vent holes located at each end
of the hut. The generator only runs about 4 hours a day and the room came with
candles and matches. For $20 a night it was a real deal. On the front off my hut
was a porch, with fold out beach chairs facing the ocean, which is very clean, blue
and warm, with the beaches lined with large coconut groves.
The people here all take the time to watch the sunsets. Carlos, the owner of one of
the restaurants on the beach and I became good friends. He would pull up a chair
and sit at my table out on the open sand (none of the restaurants had solid floors,
all were beach sand) and watched the sunset with me. At 3 pesos apiece, Pacifico
Beers are a great bargain, but hard on your waistline. Unfortunately, I have
developed a real fondness for them. Cocktail hour down here is a seriously taken
tradition, one we try to rarely miss, except while out at sea, underway The night
life in PV is legendary, where they have a saying, " If you didn't come to Puerto
Vallarta to party, why are you here? I went to Yelapa, after being aboard rd day
and night with Bruce for the past 2 months, besides, Kathleen was a lot more
pretty and I was enjoying the time off the boat as well as the company of the
different cruisers we have become acquainted with. If they know how to do
anything better, or at least as well as sailing, it has to be partying. Every place we
have gone we have met other people who are cruising. In most cases you will only
cross these other sailors paths once or twice because most are either in transit to
the South Pacific, going around the Pacific, off to Hawaii, in many cases they were
departing for the Marquesas, a group of islands about 30 days sailing due South
West across the Pacific, or they are planning a trip in the near future Many have
their families with them, including small children ranging in age from 6 month old
babies to young teenagers. These children have one thing in common, they are very
well behaved, polite, and very bright. it has to be a result of the close contact they
have as a family and with nature. The full moon is one of the excuses sailors have
for throwing a party. It is a much welcomed sight in the sky during night passages.
On moon less nights a person can't even see their hand in front of their own face.
Under these conditions, with only the star light to light your way it is almost
impossible to see any hazards that you might be coming up on. Therefore they have
full moon parties. Such a party was planned in La Cruz, a small town about 10 miles
North of PV with a good anchorage. We drove the boat to La Cruz and anchored
for the night, planning to return to Marina Vallarta the following morning. Sue and
Pepe, a couple who have an RV and a Spindrift 43, like Sail La Vie, and have lived
down here for 4 years were doing the music at the party that night. Several people
got in front of the microphone that evening to entertain us, all of them very
talented. With about 100 people it was a great time had by all that night. How
Kathleen and her little dog Chamin, a dog she adopted from the Florida Keys pound
and has never left her side, myself and Bruce managed to find the boat and to
launch the inflatable dingy in the surf without getting soaked in our condition is
still kind of fuzzy. After departing Puerto Vallarta we headed back North towards
Mazatlan, this time stopping in a small town along the coast called San Blass It was
originally founded by the Spanish in 1540 as a trading point. The estuary we
anchored in was a favorite hiding place of pirates, before the Spanish built a forover looking this part of the coast. Bruce and I walked through the town sightseeing.
We visited the old fort and cathedral that were built at the same time.
The cathedral known as the Iglesia de Nuestra Senora del Rosario, Our Lady of the
Rosary, is the subject of Henry Longfellows' last poem 'The Bells of San Blass". In
town is another cathedra! built by missionaries, including Father Sierra, who left
from here for Baja and California It hasn't grown much, and has remained about
the same size for 300 years. It is very tropical here and surrounded by jungle. Our
departure was prompted by the 'No-See-Ums", a term the cruisers use to describe
the small biting insects that infest the anchorage. Life aboard Sail La Vie is
starting to grow into a normal routine. Bruce is normally the first to get up. He
generally turns on the HAM radio to listen in on one of the 'Cruising Nets'. These
networks seen/e as a means for all the boaters down here to keep in touch. Many
are as far away as mid Pacific or the Panama Canal. The primary subject of interest
is the weather, what the sea conditions are, and the where abouts of friends and
schedules for rendezvous. I am primarily responsible for the cooking and Bruce
takes care of the mechanical req. u I re m e nts of the boat. I haven spent as much
time with my art work as I would like but have done some sketching. We will be
staying in Mazatlan for about two weeks before crossing to La Paz. Charlie Turner,
on FAR NIENTE was here to greet us, having just returned from crewing on a boat
that was transiting the Panama Canal. He will be crossing with us to Baja, as will
Rick and Becky on ESPRIT II, who are currently still in PV. We will be meeting
with Don and Sherry, on LUNA, who have been sailing the Sea of Cortez since 91.
Together we will head North, staying in many of the small isolated anchorage’s for
diving and fishing. I’m finding that there is a definite need down here for qualified
people to crew on boats for either short cruises or as far away as the South
Pacific. today I heard of a crew position for a boat going to Hawaii. I don't know
about taking one of these opportunities; a lot of factors have to be examined, the
qualifications of the skipper, the condition of his boat, safety gear, as well as
personalities , to just name part of the them. After this voyage I doubt life for me
will ever be as it was. My priorities are changing as rapidly as the view of the world
what I had before departing. Well, I will be might make mailing them impossible, most of the time we will be in isolated anchorages.
1st letter from Mexico, cruise 1997
Letter 1
l am finally sitting down to compose my first letter of the journey. It's not that I've been very busy on the voyage South, its more my inability to reflect on where I've been or what I've observed so far. We are presently in Puerto Vallarta, where we will stay for the next few weeks before heading North, through the Sea of Cortez to our final destination of San Carlos located in the northeast corner of thegulf in May. The summers in this part of the Pacific make cruising any latter than that brutally hot. The day of our departure was wet and cold. Many friends and family crowded the boat and docks to wish us farewell. The crowds made our planed departure time of 0900A impossible, but our schedule was flexible enough that it wasn't a problem. The weather didn't dampen the spirits of the well wishers, and we were able to leave the docks about 1015 heading to our first stop at Dana Point. As it happened, we didn't reach Mexican Waters for another week due to delays caused by the weather and boat problems on Wayne and Bonnies'boat Magic Castle, who were buddy boating with us. Reluctantly we were forced to leave without them when delays in repairs continued with no determinations as to when they would be completed.The weather was warm and clear on the day we left San Diego on the first leg of our trip into Mexico, the last we would see for the next few days. Our next stop was to be Bahia de Tortuga, requiring us to make off shore passages at night. Rough weather conditions were to make this part of the voyage very uncomfortable for the next 300 miles. When you travel by sailboat, at 6 knots average speed, youexperience your surroundings and environment in a way that is more complete than any other form I, with the possible exception of walking. Nature decides when, where, or how you will stop or go, everything changes from moment to moment onthe water, the only thing you can count on is the unexpected. You have a fuller sense of the smells and sights of your surroundings, for sailing is an endeavor borne on the powers of nature. North of Isla de Cedros, at night, about 0100A we werehit with rough following seas being driven by 30 knot winds. The resulting "death rolls", which are pitches in the boats angle from side to side and bow to stern of up to 45 degrees are so named because they can make the skipper and crew very sick,wanting to die. At night we maintained our watches from the pilot house as much as possible with half our time being spent in the cold on deck in foul weather gear and safety harnesses. Having a full main up, we were forced to all go topside andreduce sail to the second reefing point. It gives you a real appreciation and respect for the sailors on the old sailing ships before the turn of the century. When the sun sets on our night passages the main sail is now reefed and any head sails brought in as a precaution, we learned a valuable lesson that night; If you have to reef your main sail, you've waited too long. Trying to sleep in the foreword cabin under these conditions is difficult to describe, but 1'11 try. To begin with, my berth foreword is located in the bow of the boat, which takes the most punishment in these kinds of seas, which also results in the most violent movement on the boat. Our watches at night were 2 hours on and 4 hours between, in whichwe tried to sleep. You must keep all lights to a minimum to maintain night vision. My bunk is just a little bigger than a coffin, a thought which gave me very little comfort at the time, and very dark as Well as noisy. You can hear every wave, groan and slap topsides from it. With the weather cloth in place I was in no danger of rolling out onto the cabin floor. With all the pitching in the noisy dark I spent amajority of my time rolling back and forth or in a state of free fall. The experience can leave even the most seasoned sailor nauseous, so when my watchcame up, I didn't mind to much. The days following our night passages found us ragged and exhausted The nights spent anchored afterwards found all of us in bed early, none on board having any trouble sleeping. At our first anchorage in the Bahia de Tortuga, we were approached by some Mexican fishermen in a ponga, the bottom of which was full of live lobsters. Because use of Co-ops, they are notallowed to sell them to us. We accepted four nice sized ones in exchange for a 5year Old pack of Marlboros, 2 warm Budweisers (their favorite) and 3 dollars. I think they feel they got the best deal for our bargaining abilities were still rusty. That night we had Lobsters and barbecued steaks for dinner, it was delicious. Sailing down the "Outside", or the Pacific side of the Baja Peninsula, we sailed pastsome of the most isolated shores in the world. Eventually things would start warming up south of Turtle Bay. The waters in this part of the Pacific are teeming with wild life. We passed whales heading south to their breeding grounds in Magdelena Bay, several broached nearby, with huge cascades of water pouring off them. Dolphins visited us in huge pods swimming at high speed off the bow forshort periods before swimming off into the distance. We started fishing when we reached warmer parts catching 3 Yellow Fin Tunas which were delicious and several Skipjack Tunas, which we released. At 35 pounds, the Yellow Fins put up a good fight, the biggest fish I have ever caught, and possibly the tastiest. As we neared Magdelena Bay to spend the night at Man of War cove we were topped and boarded by the Mexican Navy. Its intimidating to have two sailors stationed guard on deck with Uzi machine guns and a power boat used to intercept us full of sailors with more guns. The officers that asked to see our papers proved to be very polite,and after about 20 minutes and a short check of the foreword compartment, Head and galley area and having found nothing illegal let US go. I Would say they were more professional and courteous than our own U.S. Coast Guard At Man of War Cove we spent 2 days waiting for a storm to pass. When we heard the plight of another boat on the radio in 20 foot seas with 35-4 knot winds that night, we hadno problem deciding to stay right where we were, even if it was a little rocky. The 2nd day after leaving the bay we came around the corner of Cabo San Lucas. The weather was beautiful, sailing conditions perfect when we came upon Los Arcos, the natural rock arches at Land's End. The Pinnacles seem to be a very fitting end to this long peninsula and are beautiful. Unable to get a slip in the town is beautifuland typical of towns in Mexico. Along the harbor or Marina where you have the resorts, surrounded by the next "layer" of the usual bars, Money exchangers, and businesses. As you go further you run into the real Mexico and its poverty witheverything in short supply but the peoples' pride and dignity. Stepping on dry, solid ground for the first time in 2 weeks, I felt as though I had suddenly gained a hundred pounds, and even though nothing moved, it seemed to. Checking in was a lesson in Mexican Bureaucracy. Forming each of the 3 points of a triangle, almost equal distance from each other on the opposite sides of town, you will findImmigration, the Harbor Master and Customs. It took most of the morning to go through the whole procedure which had to be repeated 2 days later on
check out. As we sailed east, towards Mazatlan, into the evening, a full bright, golden Harvest/est Moon slowly rose out of the oceans' horizon, providing us with good visibility the whole night. The following day, U.S. Coast Guard paid us a visit in a helicopter and flew around us several times. The crossing took 36 hours to Mazatlan, where we planned on staying till Mardi Gras, as we heard it is the third largest in the world. Charlie Turner who sailed south in late October aboard his boat FAR NIENTE, arranged a slip for us, and greeted us at the docks. During our visit he provided us with local information as well as acted as our tour guide around town. He took us to several great restaurants and "local sights". The day after we departed Mazatlan he was going back to the States to "visit" his wife Agnes before heading to Panama where he will assist some friends with their transit through the canal. We will be seeing him when we return next month The Marina we stayed at, El Cid Resort was beautiful, with full facilities being provided to the boaters that are available to the guests of the resort. My favorite part was ridingthe crowded; noisy city buses and exploring different parts of the city. For 1.5 Pesos it was the best bargain on the trip so far. We watched the Super Bowl down at a bar on the beach called Carlitos Bar and Grill. He seems to enjoy telling all the female tourists that he is in the Mafia. The game was in Spanish, but every one enjoyed themselves. Beers were 5 Pesos (Pacifico, what else?) and all the shrimp you can eat for 60 pesos. The Nuevo Terra Ingles and Bahia de Verde Packers played a good game. We went to a pot luck in the Marina behind the one we were staying at and visited with friends who were staying there in their 65 foot schooner. Marvin and Chieko have sailed as far as Australia and now stay primarily in the Sea. He built the boat himself and it is beautiful, We went to Mardi Grasparade with them, where we viewed the proceedings from a balcony overlooking the street. With an open bar, we were feeling no pain by its end. It would be hard to describe the parade, so you just have to see the video I took of it. Imagine a Rose Bowl Parade, pulled by farm tractors in Tijuana, then you will be getting close. Lots of beautiful women, loud music, and fun.
The next stop south after leaving Mazatlan was Chacala. On this passage, during my first night watch, the sea was calm, temperature warm, sky clear with a light 5 knot breeze. There was no moon that evening and I've never seen so many stars in the sky. The water was glowing with fluorescence that night and the night and the wake of the boat appeared to be lit, with green lights, from below. Noticing movement on the port beam, I saw what appeared to be three bright streaks of light traveling at high speed, under the surface, towards the boat. As I watched one of the dolphins leaped clear ofthe water trailing bright sparks of light off its back. I ran foreword in time to see one of the animals swim under the bow of the boat. It was one of the mostbeautiful experiences of my life. As it swam under the waves bubbles bright with light trailed it like fire. It is something I will never forget, a memory I will carry with me always. Shortly after that, a large meteorite streaked across the horizon from west to east, the longest flight I've seen so far. t was an enchanted watch. Just North of Chacala is where the tropical shores begin, with Coconut groves and banana plantations. I would say this is my favorite stop so far. Its the first time we've had water warm enough to go diving. There are palapas (thatch roofed restaurants) on the beach serving fresh fish and ice cold beers. It’s very quiet there, not one loud radio, or leaf blower. There is an old lady who lives up the hill that bangs a bell every once and awhile, but we haven't been able to figure out why. Bruce and I dropped Donn off at the airport yesterday, we are going to miss him, he is a very capable sailor and makes a mean margarita and omelet. He will bejoining us again in April in the Sea to sail up to San Carlos. We had a going away party where none of us were feeling any pain, except or the large combo pizza that we generously "slathered" with hot sauce. I will try to keep in touch and must sign off for now.
l am finally sitting down to compose my first letter of the journey. It's not that I've been very busy on the voyage South, its more my inability to reflect on where I've been or what I've observed so far. We are presently in Puerto Vallarta, where we will stay for the next few weeks before heading North, through the Sea of Cortez to our final destination of San Carlos located in the northeast corner of thegulf in May. The summers in this part of the Pacific make cruising any latter than that brutally hot. The day of our departure was wet and cold. Many friends and family crowded the boat and docks to wish us farewell. The crowds made our planed departure time of 0900A impossible, but our schedule was flexible enough that it wasn't a problem. The weather didn't dampen the spirits of the well wishers, and we were able to leave the docks about 1015 heading to our first stop at Dana Point. As it happened, we didn't reach Mexican Waters for another week due to delays caused by the weather and boat problems on Wayne and Bonnies'boat Magic Castle, who were buddy boating with us. Reluctantly we were forced to leave without them when delays in repairs continued with no determinations as to when they would be completed.The weather was warm and clear on the day we left San Diego on the first leg of our trip into Mexico, the last we would see for the next few days. Our next stop was to be Bahia de Tortuga, requiring us to make off shore passages at night. Rough weather conditions were to make this part of the voyage very uncomfortable for the next 300 miles. When you travel by sailboat, at 6 knots average speed, youexperience your surroundings and environment in a way that is more complete than any other form I, with the possible exception of walking. Nature decides when, where, or how you will stop or go, everything changes from moment to moment onthe water, the only thing you can count on is the unexpected. You have a fuller sense of the smells and sights of your surroundings, for sailing is an endeavor borne on the powers of nature. North of Isla de Cedros, at night, about 0100A we werehit with rough following seas being driven by 30 knot winds. The resulting "death rolls", which are pitches in the boats angle from side to side and bow to stern of up to 45 degrees are so named because they can make the skipper and crew very sick,wanting to die. At night we maintained our watches from the pilot house as much as possible with half our time being spent in the cold on deck in foul weather gear and safety harnesses. Having a full main up, we were forced to all go topside andreduce sail to the second reefing point. It gives you a real appreciation and respect for the sailors on the old sailing ships before the turn of the century. When the sun sets on our night passages the main sail is now reefed and any head sails brought in as a precaution, we learned a valuable lesson that night; If you have to reef your main sail, you've waited too long. Trying to sleep in the foreword cabin under these conditions is difficult to describe, but 1'11 try. To begin with, my berth foreword is located in the bow of the boat, which takes the most punishment in these kinds of seas, which also results in the most violent movement on the boat. Our watches at night were 2 hours on and 4 hours between, in whichwe tried to sleep. You must keep all lights to a minimum to maintain night vision. My bunk is just a little bigger than a coffin, a thought which gave me very little comfort at the time, and very dark as Well as noisy. You can hear every wave, groan and slap topsides from it. With the weather cloth in place I was in no danger of rolling out onto the cabin floor. With all the pitching in the noisy dark I spent amajority of my time rolling back and forth or in a state of free fall. The experience can leave even the most seasoned sailor nauseous, so when my watchcame up, I didn't mind to much. The days following our night passages found us ragged and exhausted The nights spent anchored afterwards found all of us in bed early, none on board having any trouble sleeping. At our first anchorage in the Bahia de Tortuga, we were approached by some Mexican fishermen in a ponga, the bottom of which was full of live lobsters. Because use of Co-ops, they are notallowed to sell them to us. We accepted four nice sized ones in exchange for a 5year Old pack of Marlboros, 2 warm Budweisers (their favorite) and 3 dollars. I think they feel they got the best deal for our bargaining abilities were still rusty. That night we had Lobsters and barbecued steaks for dinner, it was delicious. Sailing down the "Outside", or the Pacific side of the Baja Peninsula, we sailed pastsome of the most isolated shores in the world. Eventually things would start warming up south of Turtle Bay. The waters in this part of the Pacific are teeming with wild life. We passed whales heading south to their breeding grounds in Magdelena Bay, several broached nearby, with huge cascades of water pouring off them. Dolphins visited us in huge pods swimming at high speed off the bow forshort periods before swimming off into the distance. We started fishing when we reached warmer parts catching 3 Yellow Fin Tunas which were delicious and several Skipjack Tunas, which we released. At 35 pounds, the Yellow Fins put up a good fight, the biggest fish I have ever caught, and possibly the tastiest. As we neared Magdelena Bay to spend the night at Man of War cove we were topped and boarded by the Mexican Navy. Its intimidating to have two sailors stationed guard on deck with Uzi machine guns and a power boat used to intercept us full of sailors with more guns. The officers that asked to see our papers proved to be very polite,and after about 20 minutes and a short check of the foreword compartment, Head and galley area and having found nothing illegal let US go. I Would say they were more professional and courteous than our own U.S. Coast Guard At Man of War Cove we spent 2 days waiting for a storm to pass. When we heard the plight of another boat on the radio in 20 foot seas with 35-4 knot winds that night, we hadno problem deciding to stay right where we were, even if it was a little rocky. The 2nd day after leaving the bay we came around the corner of Cabo San Lucas. The weather was beautiful, sailing conditions perfect when we came upon Los Arcos, the natural rock arches at Land's End. The Pinnacles seem to be a very fitting end to this long peninsula and are beautiful. Unable to get a slip in the town is beautifuland typical of towns in Mexico. Along the harbor or Marina where you have the resorts, surrounded by the next "layer" of the usual bars, Money exchangers, and businesses. As you go further you run into the real Mexico and its poverty witheverything in short supply but the peoples' pride and dignity. Stepping on dry, solid ground for the first time in 2 weeks, I felt as though I had suddenly gained a hundred pounds, and even though nothing moved, it seemed to. Checking in was a lesson in Mexican Bureaucracy. Forming each of the 3 points of a triangle, almost equal distance from each other on the opposite sides of town, you will findImmigration, the Harbor Master and Customs. It took most of the morning to go through the whole procedure which had to be repeated 2 days later on
check out. As we sailed east, towards Mazatlan, into the evening, a full bright, golden Harvest/est Moon slowly rose out of the oceans' horizon, providing us with good visibility the whole night. The following day, U.S. Coast Guard paid us a visit in a helicopter and flew around us several times. The crossing took 36 hours to Mazatlan, where we planned on staying till Mardi Gras, as we heard it is the third largest in the world. Charlie Turner who sailed south in late October aboard his boat FAR NIENTE, arranged a slip for us, and greeted us at the docks. During our visit he provided us with local information as well as acted as our tour guide around town. He took us to several great restaurants and "local sights". The day after we departed Mazatlan he was going back to the States to "visit" his wife Agnes before heading to Panama where he will assist some friends with their transit through the canal. We will be seeing him when we return next month The Marina we stayed at, El Cid Resort was beautiful, with full facilities being provided to the boaters that are available to the guests of the resort. My favorite part was ridingthe crowded; noisy city buses and exploring different parts of the city. For 1.5 Pesos it was the best bargain on the trip so far. We watched the Super Bowl down at a bar on the beach called Carlitos Bar and Grill. He seems to enjoy telling all the female tourists that he is in the Mafia. The game was in Spanish, but every one enjoyed themselves. Beers were 5 Pesos (Pacifico, what else?) and all the shrimp you can eat for 60 pesos. The Nuevo Terra Ingles and Bahia de Verde Packers played a good game. We went to a pot luck in the Marina behind the one we were staying at and visited with friends who were staying there in their 65 foot schooner. Marvin and Chieko have sailed as far as Australia and now stay primarily in the Sea. He built the boat himself and it is beautiful, We went to Mardi Grasparade with them, where we viewed the proceedings from a balcony overlooking the street. With an open bar, we were feeling no pain by its end. It would be hard to describe the parade, so you just have to see the video I took of it. Imagine a Rose Bowl Parade, pulled by farm tractors in Tijuana, then you will be getting close. Lots of beautiful women, loud music, and fun.
The next stop south after leaving Mazatlan was Chacala. On this passage, during my first night watch, the sea was calm, temperature warm, sky clear with a light 5 knot breeze. There was no moon that evening and I've never seen so many stars in the sky. The water was glowing with fluorescence that night and the night and the wake of the boat appeared to be lit, with green lights, from below. Noticing movement on the port beam, I saw what appeared to be three bright streaks of light traveling at high speed, under the surface, towards the boat. As I watched one of the dolphins leaped clear ofthe water trailing bright sparks of light off its back. I ran foreword in time to see one of the animals swim under the bow of the boat. It was one of the mostbeautiful experiences of my life. As it swam under the waves bubbles bright with light trailed it like fire. It is something I will never forget, a memory I will carry with me always. Shortly after that, a large meteorite streaked across the horizon from west to east, the longest flight I've seen so far. t was an enchanted watch. Just North of Chacala is where the tropical shores begin, with Coconut groves and banana plantations. I would say this is my favorite stop so far. Its the first time we've had water warm enough to go diving. There are palapas (thatch roofed restaurants) on the beach serving fresh fish and ice cold beers. It’s very quiet there, not one loud radio, or leaf blower. There is an old lady who lives up the hill that bangs a bell every once and awhile, but we haven't been able to figure out why. Bruce and I dropped Donn off at the airport yesterday, we are going to miss him, he is a very capable sailor and makes a mean margarita and omelet. He will bejoining us again in April in the Sea to sail up to San Carlos. We had a going away party where none of us were feeling any pain, except or the large combo pizza that we generously "slathered" with hot sauce. I will try to keep in touch and must sign off for now.
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