Ha Ha! Baja and Beyond!

Hola Mexico!


Monday, October 18th, 2010

It is a cool, grey morning as we set out in Dan and Carol’s Mini Van headed for highway 5 and the welcoming Caprice awaiting us in San Diego! Before long, we are at a road stop enjoying ice cream! As in our drive up, we break up the trip every few hours for driver changes and refueling ourselves. The weather is dry and the traffic light most of the way and we arrive before dark! And Caprice is floating and looking good! We unload the van and off we go for dinner. And to bed to dream of fiestas and siestas ahead!

Tuesday, October 19th, 2010

Rain and more rain all night long followed by rain and more rain all day long. There is much to do aboard Caprice… lots to stow and to inventory and to reacquaint ourselves with. In the pouring rain we decide to venture out for lunch, diesel and propane. The rain does not lighten up all day, but we are warm and dry inside Caprice playing cards, planning our adventure and enjoying the company and camaraderie of the Admiral and crew!

After an easy and delicious dinner of roast chicken and salad, off to bed we go to dream of sunshine in the morning!

Wednesday, October 20th, 2010

No rain, but still no sunshine. The forecast is for improving weather as the week goes on. This has been the wettest October in San Diego since 2004. Just a continuation of the unusual summer weather we had at home and all along the Southern California Coast when we sailed down in August. We plan to see a movie today if the sun doesn’t come out… and return to more chores and preparation tasks tomorrow, weather permitting! The movie is great (RED) and we have a chance to explore some of downtown San Diego. We visit Seaport Village and dine in and stroll around the Gaslight District. This is a very happening neighborhood… filled with restaurants, shops, apartments, condominiums and hotels. Loads of people are out enjoying the evening and we join in the fun.

Thursday, October 21st, 2010

Hooray, scattered clouds and sunshine. And warmer temperatures. The morning is filled with a visit from Kurt, the local Seawind sales rep followed by checking and rechecking our shopping and provisioning lists and checking and rechecking equipment on the boat. Carol and I venture out to complete some of the lists and Dan and Tom stay on Caprice working through their chores. We return with ice cream and treats for dinner and send the guys off to do more prep errands. By nightfall, the skies are threatening more rain, but our hopes are for a dry Friday as we have planned a visit to the famous San Diego Zoo.

Friday, October 22nd, 2010

The morning dawns wet and grey but by noon it is dry and partly cloudy so off we go to the Zoo! What a marvelous place it is… children of all ages are having a wonderful time… and there are tons of young children as October is kids enter for free month! We take a tour of the zoo to get our bearings and then visit the animals that most interest us. We also ride the sky ride which takes us over the entire zoo. The animal and plant collection at this zoo are unbelievable! We are thrilled to visit the only giant Pandas in the United States. There is a mother, father and cub at the zoo. Their other four cubs have grown enough to be separated from their parents and are back in China. We also see lions, tigers, giraffes, rhinoceros, elephants, sea lions, wart hogs, koala bears, birds of every color imaginable… even three macaws that fly in formation like the Blue Angels, and gorgeous pink flamingos…which are really coral in color. I can’t remember all, but it is just fantastic! And to complete a marvelous day, we dine at Casa Guadalajara in San Diego’s Old Town. The restaurant is a legend in San Diego. Family-owned, it is one of three in the area that attract crowds because of the delicious food, fun ambience and mariachi musicians serenading the diners. The margaritas are grand and watching the family groups enjoying themselves at dinner is such fun. We really feel like part of a large celebration!

Saturday, October 23rd, 2010

Today is finally the day to visit Costco! We are prepared with two lists and our cell phones… off we go to browse the store and fill our carts with delicious, healthy foods. A quick trip to Ikea for some housekeeping purchases, and finally to Von’s for a few final items. The boat is loaded and Captain Dan is considering adding a flotation collar!

Sunday, October 24th, 2010

Dan is at a “Skipper’s only” meeting with the Grand Poobah of the Ha Ha at the West Marine store in San Diego. The rest of us are finishing stowing the stores, doing the last bit of laundry, and preparing lunch. There is a party this afternoon as a kick-off for the rally and tomorrow, a parade of all 196 entrants prior to the start at 11am. We are one of three Seawind catamarans participating in the rally and all of us are here at Sunroad Marina. The other Seawind owners were with us at the rendezvous in Santa Catalina Island last August. We expect to beat the pants off them!



We will not have email or cell phone service after leaving San Diego tomorrow until we arrive at Cabo on or about November 4th.

Adios Amigos!

Monday, October 25th, 2010

Well…here we are… start date for the Baja Ha Ha Cruising Rally! Whoo Hoo!

What a gorgeous site it is… (196 official entrants) 156 boats parading in San Diego Harbor… then out to the starting line! After just a few hours, the boats are scattered all over the Pacific Ocean seeking sun shine and fair winds. We fly the spinnaker almost right from the beginning… we are screaming across the water! It is cloudy and wet in the morning but the sun comes out and it is grand. However, Carol and I are suffering a bit from the ocean motion. Dinner on board is a delicious steak salad followed by ice cream and cookies! Carol is not up to dining with us but we expect she will feel better in the morning.

This is a big night for me as I have not done a watch in the dark out on the sea. I am a bit frightened by the whole experience. My watch is 6pm to 9pm. Tom covers the 9pm to midnight, then Dan is on from midnight to 3am and lastly, Carol does the 3am to 6pm. During the day, we take turns watching and reading, playing games, and thinking of creative menus for the next meal.

In the middle of the night the goose neck (part of the boom) fails and scatters on the deck. Fortunately Dan and Tom recover all the parts, but it needs to be welded back together before we can use the main sail…The jib and spinnaker are working quite well for us. Perhaps there will be a welder available when we get to Turtle Bay…

Tuesday, October 26th, 2010

Today begins cloudy but eventually we have sunshine and good winds. We are unable to use our main sail because of the boom/goose neck issue. The spinnaker and jib are working just fine and we are making excellent time. Wonderful food again… Admiral Cookie Carol is a wonder in the galley.

Wednesday, October 27th, 2010

We wake to sunshine (first time) and the captain and first mate attempt to raise the spinnaker but alas, a shackle failure; but hooray, Captain Dan has a spare and before long, the big, beautiful sail is flying perfectly… we are zooming across the seas!

And then! We catch a ten pound albacore tuna… missing his tail! We assume he was caught before by a larger fish. Dan filets the fish and we enjoy delicious fresh fish tacos for lunch. The tuna appears again for dinner, sautéed in garlic, ginger butter and again we blessed the seas for feeding us!

Thursday, October 28th, 2010

We are here! We enter Turtle Bay at 5am! It is gorgeous. We enjoy a leisurely breakfast of sausage and Swedish pancakes. Dan spots the fuel panga and we fill our tanks. We are going ashore at noon to check out the little village and to find a welder who may be able to weld the broken gooseneck. Stay tuned for the results of this search.

Turtle Bay is a little village of 1,000 souls situated about half way down the Baja Peninsula on the Pacific Coast. The bay is surrounded by hills or mountains, depending on your definition, that change from one glorious color to another as the sun moves across the sky. The inhabitants seem to live a simple life subsisting on the tourist trade… the Baja fleet brings much of their annual income. The village is isolated from the nearest village by 137 miles of unpaved roads. This area is very dry… hence the entire village is dusty. The little league baseball field has no grass as there is no water to irrigate it with. We are not sure how the people get their water but all the “houses” have rain collection containers on their roofs.

Our fleet is served by panga boats and their skilled drivers… these boats bring fuel and water, they will take away garbage, and provide taxi service to and from the shore. They do very well during our two night stay here. The natives are very friendly, speak excellent English and are pretty savvy regarding boat repairs as they make money if they are able to help a distressed “yatista.”

Friday, October 29th, 2010

We are awaiting word from one of the young panga drivers as to whether or not his father will be able to fix our broken gooseneck. All fingers are crossed!

It is beautiful… warm, sunny and wonderful! Admiral Cookie is preparing us a breakfast of fresh cantaloupe, scrambled eggs, ham and toast. And the coffee aboard Caprice is delicious. Later today a beach party is planned for the Baja fleet and we will be bringing a dish to share.

And bad news is… one of our toilettes is broken… and we don’t have the tool to fix it. We are soliciting help from the fleet but no luck yet. If we are not able to fix it here in Turtle Bay, we expect to find help in Cabo.

Wonderful news… the young man says he and his father can fabricate a part to replace the broken gooseneck and install it before we leave on Saturday morning. We wait all day and finally at 4pm he arrives with the part… but it is not quite the right size… so back to the shop he goes and returns later with a part that appears to fit. He, Dan, Tom and a friend of the local man are here right now trying to install the part. All fingers are crossed! And it appears to be a fix! They work diligently for two hours and when finished, Dan is very happy with the results. We will test it tomorrow when we set out on Leg Two of the Baja Ha Ha!

Saturday, October 30th, 2010

We wake early to be ready for the 8am start time of Leg Two of the rally. Up with the anchor, off with the sunshades, prepare the spinnaker for sailing… and off we go! The scene is gorgeous again as it was at the start in San Diego as approximately 150 boats get underway together… the sun comes out and the crew of Caprice smiles for the cameras!

Announcement! Announcement! Two yellow-fin tunas are caught by Captain Dan… one weighing five pounds and one weighing ten pounds. Dan filets them out in the cockpit and then Carol cuts them into steaks for us. We will be having fresh fish tonight! All are fans of sashimi as well as seared tuna except for me. We shall see what form the fish takes when Carol presents it tonight!

We are motor sailing at 6 knots with 10 knots of wind. The conditions are quite nice… sunshine, blue sky, gentle ocean swells... we spend the time reading, napping, playing games and just relaxing. While out here on the ocean, one person is always on watch… and the other three can do whatever pleases them. Standing watch during the day is quite easy, but the night watches on the ocean are much more intense. The person on watch is constantly moving about checking for other boats or floating objects, watching the sails, making sure we stay on course. We expect to arrive at Bahia Santa Maria by Sunday night. That is the destination of Leg Two. We will have a two day rest there before sailing on to Cabo San Lucas and the end of the rally.

Overnight the winds build to 25knots and eventually we reef the main sail to the second reef point. The winds continue to be high and the seas become quite uncomfortable for me although the others do not mind the conditions.

Sunday, October 31st, 2010

Happy Halloween! There are children among the yatistas who are looking forward to trick or treating when we reach Bahia Santa Maria! And Carol is looking forward to her birthday when we reach Cabo… so much is ahead of us! But today is a bouncy windy day and I am not happy! When I awoke, I asked if we were having a hurricane… much to the amusement of the others! The sun is shining and Dan, Tom and Carol seem to be very happy with the conditions…

We hear some funny stories over the net during the morning check-in: one boat tells of having a flying fish fly through an open hatch during the wild and windy night and land on the bed. The fellow said he thought he was being woken for his watch time. Another reported a squid-covered deck, so Carol suggested we have calamari for appetizers that night… I said: “AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” Not funny, but also occurring that night were stories of spinnaker raps around the jib stay, a broken boom, and many, many mechanical failures. During the morning check-in, fellow ralliers offer assistance whenever possible to those in need of equipment or expertise.

The winds die down in the afternoon and a long nap helps… by evening we are flying along with the spinnaker up and racing any boats that we can see. Dinner is fresh tuna and then we begin the night watches… with winds building and lots of deliberations over whether or not to douse the spinnaker or keep it up and get to the finish line earlier rather than after midnight. Eventually Tom goes forward and takes it down because the winds are over 20 knots and in the dark it seems best to go with main and jib. We cross the finish line at 9:30pm but do not drop the anchor in Bahia Santa Maria until 1am on Monday morning… there is some distance between the locations and also anchoring in the dark takes some time. To celebrate, we enjoy a glass of red wine and dark chocolate covered almonds. And off to a well-deserved sleep for Dan and Tom who have been on duty since 8am Saturday morning.

Monday, November 1st, 2010

We are in an extremely remote area, a lovely little bay called Bahia Santa Maria. The 150 boats bobbing in the bay are a huge financial treat for the few inhabitants, mostly fishermen. The closest town is 40 miles away via rugged dirt road. The early morning news on the radio net is of a boat that ran aground (fortunately not one of ours) on the opposite side of the peninsula. The boat is buried in the sand and is not salvageable because of the location it is in. The captain apparently fell asleep while single handling the boat. When the call goes out on our radio net for help, 50 ralliers go to his aid helping him remove valuables. The Grand Poobah organizes the mission and it is quite successful. It is amazing to see how the group rallies to help out a fellow sailor in need. And speaking of being in need, Carol needs wasabi for the fresh tuna, so she barters for it over the net trading tuna for the wasabi. This trading continues all afternoon… someone has something that someone else needs… and the trade takes place… people are exchanging all kinds of items from food to water to beer. Listening to the radio net is like being on a party line. Some boats are heard from frequently and others, like Caprice, are quiet on the net.

During the day we enjoy a much needed rest after the long two-day sail… especially Tom and Dan who did most of the “watching”. Midday Tom and I hail a panga boat for a ride ashore… it looks too dangerous to try and land our dinghy because of the surf break upon the shore. Panga boats are not plentiful… so we hop aboard the first one to answer our call, which turns out to be a garbage panga… and the adventure begins! They are not familiar with how to land so we are dropped off in about 6 inches of water and told to wade ashore. We wade to a sand bar and are told by a fellow adventurer that we had to wade across the river in order to get to the main land. The tide is coming in and the sand bar will soon disappear. So… in despair… we start off in one direction and then decide to follow our adventurer/adviser in the other direction across the river. In we go… and the water gets deeper and deeper… eventually reaching chest high… then receding as we approach the shore. And once ashore, we are wet and cold and there is nothing really to do. The lovely beach walk is across the river and we really have no way to get there and will not be able to hail a panga to get back to Caprice. None of this “lay of the land” is visible from Caprice… hence our mistake. We decide to hail a panga and ride back to Caprice and laugh about it later!

At sunset we have a rare site… the sky is clear as can be and we are all treated to the “green flash” as the sun sets on the lovely Bahia Santa Maria!

In the evening, the children of the Baja come trick or treating aboard dinghies. Dressed in costume and threatening tricks if not treated, the fleet is delighted to treat them! Children always seem to add to an event and this seems to prove that to be true.

Tuesday, November 2nd, 2010

Tuesday afternoon brings a lovely beach party on the bluff overlooking this gorgeous bay. The Caprice crew hails a panga for the ride to the beach… the surf break is quite high. There is a live band, lots of beer and margaritas, a delicious looking Mexican buffet, volley ball on the beach, kids riding the waves, and water balloons flying through the air! We enjoy the festivities until the sun gets to us. We are finally enjoying warm sunshine, but two hours of it was enough for us!

We take life jackets, school supplies, soap, and tee shirts ashore to give to the local people. We also “decorate” the panga drivers with plastic leis that seem to please them very much. We see them on their friends and children later in the day…

Dinner is delicious smoked tuna… smoked on board by Carol… followed, of course, by ice cream! Tomorrow we are off on Leg Three, the final leg of the 17th Baja Ha Ha, and expect to arrive at Cabo on Thursday evening!

Wednesday, November 3rd, 2010

Happy birthday to Carol! We awake at 6am to wish Carol a happy birthday and to prepare for the 7am start time. The winds are up, so up goes the main and jib and then the decision to raise the spinnaker is made. Tom rigs it and Dan raises it… but alas, the halyard has separated from the sail! The sail is in the water and the halyard is at the top of the mast! AAAAAAAAAAACCCCCCCCCCKKKKKKKK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Next, Dan is at the top of the mast recovering the errant halyard and Tom is reaching over the side recovering the sail! Tom rigs it again, and this time… hooray, a successful deployment of the spinnaker… and she is flying beautifully! After all that excitement, the winds die and the Poobah decrees a “rolling start” which means everyone can turn on their engine and motor at 6 knots until it is announced later that the winds are high enough to sail and the rolling start ends. The motor time of a rolling start is not counted against your accumulated sailing time for the rally.

We are fishing as we motor along and Dan successfully lands a huge Black Skipjack known in Mexico as a Mexican Little Tunny. Dan filets it and Carol is already planning a fish feast for dinner!

We are motor sailing at 6 knots under glorious sunshine… blue sky, the Baja mainland on our port side, sail boats galore… this is truly grand! We all agree that it can’t get any better than this!

And then it does! The winds come up and so does the spinnaker… the motors go off and we are flying along at 8 knots with 12 knots of wind. The air is balmy, Jimmy Buffet is on the iPod sound dock, lunch is served, and we are four happy sailors! We have the best afternoon of the trip… finally the warm sunny weather that we came for… finally it feels like the Mexico you hear about…. finally we are wearing tee shirts and shorts, finally it is warm enough for me!

In the evening, the winds die so we douse the spinnaker and make a birthday dinner for Carol that fits the location: Cheeseburgers in Paradise… burgers with blue cheese, sautéed onions and peppers, fresh lettuce and tomatoes… and for dessert… an unbeatable chocolate covered caramel apple with a birthday candle, of course! An unforgettable day on an unforgettable trip… memories to last a lifetime!

Tonight while on watch I notice, as I have many nights, how beautiful the sky is out here on the ocean… there are no lights from land to distract from the millions of stars that light up the sky. As it is warm tonight, I especially enjoy my watch out in the cockpit and the stars that light our way. I am not an expert at identifying the stars and constellations, but expertise is not necessary to enjoy the splendor of the night sky at sea! Tomorrow, Cabo… finally! And then… next week, Puerto Vallarta! Stay tuned for more adventures aboard Caprice in Mexico!

Adios

Thursday, November 4th, 2010

We are here!! We are here!! And what a treat this is.

However, the motor sail to Cabo was brutal… 35knot winds are coming right at us for the last twenty miles or four hours! Getting in to the slip is very tricky… but we do it and have a perfect location… close to all the facilities and positioned to take advantage of the cooling onshore breeze. The temperature in the daytime is a perfect 86 and the evenings are lovely… perfect for strolling and dining outside and very comfortable for sleeping.

The check in process is very smooth even though there are 156 boats arriving at the Marina on Thursday. We have to check in the boat and ourselves… all done without problem with the help of the recommended agent. Laundry service is available and Carol and I take advantage of that… it is a luxury to have it done rather than stand in line for the few laundry machines available. Thursday evening we enjoy a dinner at a restaurant overlooking the marina.

A large tuna fishing derby is going on and the amount of money being won is huge. The sport fishermen obviously have lots of money to play (or fish) with. The number of multi-million dollar sport fishing yachts is incredible. Lots and lots of money involved in the boating industry!

And they celebrate til the sun comes up. We are not letting them interfere with our enjoyment of the marina, however.

Friday, November 5th, 2010,

Friday is another day in Paradise with a Baja Ha Ha beach party organized by the Grand Poobah and his team at the Baja Cantina beach. Wonderful Mexican food, beer and margaritas, fun fellow Baja people to visit with… and finally a kissing contest to see which couple can best duplicate the famous kiss on the beach scene with Bert Lancaster and Deborah Karr in From Here to Eternity. The surf was up for the contest and the kissers had sand everywhere! No, Caprice did not enter! Dinner is Dove Bars as we are all full from the beach party lunch.

Saturday, November 6th, 2010

Carol and I walk for hours in the hot sun looking for Gardenia’s… famous for the best fish tacos in Cabo (according to Tom’s doctor)! We are told to go two blocks this way or three blocks that way over and over again…when we finally arrive, we decide that we should give those tacos a taste test before bringing Dan and Tom. We each order a shrimp taco and agree with Tom’s doctor! And so do Dan and Tom when we revisit Gardenia’s in the late afternoon for an early dinner! This little restaurant is way off the tourist radar… a true local place serving the same menu every day of the year from 8am to 5pm! Wonderful!

Finally, Cabo’s Costco welcomes Carol! The host opens our taxi door and guides us to the entrance! Wow… what a beautiful store… and not crowded on a Saturday! We are thrilled to stroll up and down the aisles in search of goodies without bumping into fellow shoppers. And, we do not get out hands slapped when we taste the items offered for tasting as we do at our Richmond Costco! The host calls us a taxi and loads the goods for us. Tom and Dan meet us at the marina with a cart, and off we go to load Caprice with ice cream, tequila, and Mexican flan.

Saturday night is the awards presentation for the 17th Baja Ha Ha… every boat wins a prize in this cruising to the cape rally! And awards are also given to the oldest participant (82) and the youngest (2), the loudest snorer, the biggest fish caught and numerous other humorous categories! The entire presentation is done with good humor and camaraderie… the Grand Poobah is dressed in uniform… tee shirt, shorts and sandals… but for the awards presentation, he has added a tuxedo jacket with tails! We are dressed in our Caprice polo shirts and happy to win a third plus place award… the plus is for sailing the entire second leg. (Every boat wins first second or third… nothing past third!)

The rally participants range in age from two years to eighty-two years, with at least a dozen over 70 and a dozen kids from 2 to 16. We guess the average to be 55-60. The “party” reputation that the Baja has certainly is not present in this 17th Ha Ha. We enjoyed the company of the other boats out on the ocean, the fun of the group activities, the organizational skills of the Grand Poobah, and the fabulous feeling of accomplishment at having completed the Baja Ha Ha!

Sunday, November 07th, 2010

We check out of the Cabo Marina and are motoring to San Jose del Cabo, 18 miles east of Cabo San Lucas and much different… San Jose is tranquil and traditional, a bit of old Spain at its center, but fast expanding with the tourist overflow from Cabo. We have the fishing lines out the whole time but alas, no Dorado! We are hopeful that our luck will change on the way to Puerto Vallarta!

San Jose del Cabo is lovely as is the Marina, although the amenities are lacking. We enjoy a quiet Sunday evening in and around the Marina with a light dinner and a few hands of up and down gin... that’s a card game, not a drinking game! Many fellow Baja Ha Ha sailors are here with us and it is fun to discuss future sailing destinations. For many, this is the start of a long, and hopefully happy cruising life.

Monday, November 8th, 2010

Up early and into San Jose for a shopping and sightseeing experience along with lunch at a charming restaurant. The entire historic section is a postcard. We wander into many shops in search of a silver bracelet for Tom and a special shirt for Dan, and anything for Merrie!!! Ah ha, I spot an ice cream shop… and savor a cone while my fellow travelers enjoy a cold cerveza! And always, we spot little treats for the grand kids! Loaded up with our treasures, we head back to the boat and begin to think about prepping for tomorrow’s departure for Puerto Vallarta.

We will be at sea for three days and two nights crossing the Sea of Cortez from Baja California to the Mexican mainland. We will not be writing to you until Friday, November 12th when we will hopefully be berthed at Paradise Village Marina savoring a mahi mahi lunch!

Hasta Luego!

Tuesday, November 9th, 2010

Off we go to Puerto Vallarta! We are checked out of the Marina at Puerto Los Cabos, which is just a few miles from the delightful town of San Jose del Cabo, and motor sailing along the coastline of the tip of Baja. The sky is blue, the sun is shining and the seas are calm. After a while, the winds come up and out goes the jib. And then, the wished for Dorada (mahi mahi) is caught on Tom’s watch. What a beautiful fish this is… very colorful until it dies and all the color drains away. Dan filets it and Carol prepares a bit of it to wet our appetites for a fresh-caught mahi mahi dinner tonight.

Later, chicken tostados and fresh pineapple for lunch. The winds are down and we are motor sailing again. It is lovely… We expect to be at Nuevo Vallarta, just north of Puerto Vallarta, on Thursday. We have reserved a slip at Paradise Village Marina and are looking forward to arriving. We will be about five miles from the historic El Centro district of Puerto Vallarta and hope to have plenty of time to explore what should be an interesting and delightful cultural experience.

Tuesday night passes quietly… we motor sail until almost sunrise when the winds come up and we set the spinnaker. The night watch (Dan and Carol) pass the baton to Tom and me and we continue to sail until the winds die down again and on go the engines and down come the sails.

Wednesday, November 10th, 2010

Once again the winds are soft and gentle… not enough to keep us moving at the speed we want to go at, so we are motor sailing under clear blue skies and warm sunshine. The AIS system tells us that the water temperature is 92 degrees. I suggest to Dan that we stop and take a swim, but unbelievable as it sounds… we do have a schedule to meet! We are expected in Nuevo Vallarta on the 11th and wish to be on time!

It is one of the lazy days at sea today… we play up and down gin, read trashy novels, plan our visit to Puerto Vallarta, take naps, and just enjoy the free time that a peaceful day at sea allows.

It is 10pm and we have just watched a cruise ship pass by on her way to Cabo… she is five miles away, but a welcome site as we are the only boat out here… and after having the company of 156 boats from San Diego to Cabo and the constant chatter on the radio net amongst the participants, it is quite lonely to be the only lights on the dark sea!

Thursday, November 11th, 2010

It is a busy day aboard Caprice as we are underway to NV… the fresh water pump fails… but fortunately, Captain Dan has a spare among his treasures and has us fixed in minutes… and you may remember the faulty guest toilet… well… also among Captain’s Dan’s treasures is a new macerator… so after getting off watch duty, First Mate/plumber Tom installs it and before you know it, we have two working toilets again! Life is good aboard Caprice!

We made it! And it feels fabulous to be at our final destination for this portion of our adventure. We are berthed at the gorgeous Paradise Village Marina which allows us to use all of the resort’s amenities… swimming pools, beautiful beach with chaise lounges and waiters serving refreshing drinks with umbrellas in them, a spa to indulge our sea weary bodies, restaurants and bars to satisfy every hunger we have (although we don’t have many as the food aboard Caprice is six-star!) a shopping center filled with all the necessities, water taxis to downtown Puerto Vallarta, even the ubiquitous Starbucks… as the Harbor Master said: “Welcome to Paradise!” We four will be here together until Tuesday, November 16th, when Tom and I fly home. Dan and Carol will manage quite well on their own I’m sure, until the 22nd of November when they make the trip North. Caprice will linger here in Paradise until we return to discover more of Mexico before heading back up the coast of Baja and then the coast of California. More about that when it happens. In the meantime, I’ve learned a bit about this area and you will also when you read the next paragraph.

Puerto Vallarta and Nuevo Vallarta are located on the shores of Bahia de Banderas (Bay of Flags) or Banderas Bay to us Gringos! Banderas Bay is Mexico’s largest sheltered bay and has a reputation for grand sailing conditions… many say they are the best in all of Mexico. The city of PV with a population of 250,000 covers ten miles of the NE shore of Banderas Bay. Red tile roofs and white sun-splashed walls of the Spanish Colonial architecture climb the jungle-clad foothills of the Sierra Madre. We plan a trip to town tomorrow to confirm the above and discover much more about Puerto Vallarta, it’s present and past.

But for now, it is a wonderful feeling to have completed what we set out to do, to have had such fun doing it, and to look forward to more adventures with Dan and Carol and Tom aboard Caprice!

Friday, November 12th, 2010

What a great day we have today here in Paradise… the Paradise Village Resort! After a lazy morning not rushing anywhere, Dan took off to get the boat checked in and Tom began the job of washing down the very salty Caprice. Carol and I gather all those dirty clothes we made and head off to the laundry where you can pay a person to do the laundry for you!!! Hooray… for only $10 pesos more than if you do it yourself!!! We return to Caprice and all help Tom finish up… then it’s time to hit the beach and/or pool… so off we go with our beach toys and towels. The surf looks a bit too much for me so we all chose chaises in the shade and eased on into the pool. Delightful!!! And not crowded. Then it’s a stroll down the beach for a gelato followed by a beach read and laundry pickup.

Tonight is dinner at the Vallarta Yacht Club located right here at the Marina. A special Fish Feast with live entertainment is on the schedule for tonight… and it is delicious and fun. The music is of our era and very enjoyable… very danceable… and not too loud! All good things. We enjoy a table overlooking the marina. The club is full… and not one of the people dining looks like a local… so we figure that the club is mostly made up of snow birds and ex-pats! The flags flying are the Mexican, the American and the Canadian, eh! We spotted the RYC burgee hanging over the bar and the South Beach Yacht Club burgee over the dining area.

It is a wonderful day!

Saturday, November 13th, 2010

Another sunshine morning and we have plans for a wonderful day! Dan and Carol will lounge around the Marina and Resort and Tom and I are going to visit the El Centro or historic district of PV. The bus system appears to be very reliable and well priced, so off we go on the bus from our resort to Plaza Las Glorias where we transfer to a local bus. We disembark at the Malecon or Romantic district of the city. This is the oldest section and simply grand to wander. On one side of the main boulevard is a broad seaside promenade dotted with sculptures of metal… large and whimsical in design… with the gorgeous Bay of Banderas to ogle… on the other side are the cobblestoned streets of the area with restaurants and shops, the famous Church of our Lady of Guadalupe, sporting the grandest crown, and a small plaza filled with artists creating large pictures in colored chalk. They spend the day working on these grand-scale pictures which are truly amazing. On the sea side, we see sand sculptures also of a grand scale posing for photographers such as us! It is hard to choose which way to look with all that is around us. Many locals as well as tourists join us for a stroll along the promenade and then a meander through the little streets filled with things to buy or eat. Speaking of eating… Tom and I enjoy a delicious lunch at La Posada, a local waterfront restaurant recommended by a merchant we chatted with. La Posada has been serving authentic Mexican food to locals as well as visitors since 1979! We loved the food, the view, the service and the décor and will recommend it highly! We also found several gelato shops to try! While savoring a gelato we spot a wedding party and their guests boarding a chartered bus presumably off to a reception… we feel right in the middle of life in PV. A longer than expected bus ride back due to a bridge being washed out during the summer rains, and we are safely aboard Caprice with tales to tell of our day in town.

Sunday, November 14th, 2010

Today we awake to clouds… and we wonder if this is some sort of anomaly. We have planned to take Caprice to Isla Marieta so that Dan can snorkel and we can noodle… but the clouds are causing dismay as Dan thinks they will hinder his visibility. After fueling Caprice at Puerto Vallarta Municipal Marina, we decide to try a spot along the coast called La Cruz. It’s reported to have good snorkeling and safe anchoring… and so it does… but the clouds persist and the winds for a sail home never appear… Later we attend a Welcome Reception at the Resort with finger food and drinks as well as entertainment. It was a hoot, but the food was a bit skimpy and the entertainment was amateurish. We return to Caprice for hamburgers with all the trimmings… and of course, ice cream with salted caramel sauce brought to Caprice from Bordeaux, France!

Monday, November 15th, 2010

It is our last day in here in Nuevo Vallarta until sometime in January when we will rejoin Dan and Carol and the lovely Caprice in Paradise! So what do retired guys and gals do on their last day? Well, we start with a gourmet breakfast prepared by Dan followed by a walk on the beach… and a lovely beach it is… at least five miles of fine white sand. After lunch aboard Caprice, we four set off for the pool again and Dan brings along his two trick kites to fly! What fun it is! I’ve never flown a trick kite… in fact I’ve not flown a kite in probably 50 years! We all try and have much success, but Dan is the pro. He can make the kites do loops and swirls and before long, beach walkers are stopping to admire his skill! (Is there anything this man can’t do?) Back to the pool for a dip and then relax with a favorite book. We decide to have our final night gala aboard, and Carol does her best work with steak and salad, a wonderful Cabernet to accompany the food, and of course, the signature dessert: Ice Cream!

It is hard to believe that we have completed this part of our adventure… and for me, it is astonishing to think that I am in Mexico and I got here via sailboat! I am quite amazed at myself and very pleased! Tomorrow Tom and I will fly home to SFO and our home in Point Richmond. We have made memories to last a life time and we four are looking forward to the next chapter… Mexico to San Francisco in 2011!

Until then, Adios Amigos, from Sailor Girl Merrie!