Mexico Moments -- (Primarily) Banderas Bay

From time-to-time we experience moments we think of as charmingly, quintessentially Mexican.  Some we have captured digitally, others we recall in word pictures.  Here are some we’d like to share:   

Mexico - Land of the Entrepreneur:  Though on many corners one can still have one’s car washed by a man using a rag and a bucket, at one shopping mall in Puerto Vallarta we saw a more modern approach to the portable car wash:

Con Sonrisa (With a Smile)

Style:  On a Sunday afternoon in Puerto Vallarta, Molly sat in the shade in the main plaza, waiting for Bryce and Jim to finish a tour of the naval museum.  There were three shoe shine stands open for business.  At one, a nattily dressed elderly mariachi having his boots shined was serenading the shoeshine man.  We will never know if the mariachi was paying for his shine with his song or whether he just wanted to sing.

Glamour:   The glamorous style adopted by many Mexican women is difficult for Molly to attain and maintain while traveling on Abracadabra: 

Glamorous - But Impractical For A Sailor Gal

“In Mexico, There Is Music”.  Music is everywhere -- on the street, in restaurants, and on buses.  When we are not in the mood for music (oh, say, it’s midnight and we’re trying to sleep . . . ) we chant the following mantra as an attitude adjuster:  “This is Mexico.  In Mexico there is music.”  Many of our “Mexico Moments” are musical:

                Street Side Café – Mazatlán.  Friday evening at a street side café in the Olas Altas neighborhood of Mazatlán a well-dressed businessman sits by himself.  He sips tequila, relaxing after his work week.  An elderly man walks through the café with his guitar.  He offers to play a song for the man.  They strike a bargain, and the musician begins to play and sing.  The man sips more tequila, and then begins to harmonize with the musician. They sing well together.  The musician sits down at the man’s table.  They sing another song.  The man sips his tequila.  The sun begins to set.  They talk, and sing another song.  They are no longer customer and entertainer, but compadres. 

                Local Bus -- Sayalita to La Cruz.  The bus is very crowded.  Several seats are occupied by the middle-aged members of a band commuting into town for an evening strolling through restaurants and playing for tips.  The drummer removes his snare drum from a seat to allow Molly to sit.  Bryce sits next to the guitar player.  Behind Molly is the cellist.  Often musicians will play music on the local buses for tips.  These men have a long evening in front of them.  They do not sing.  The drummer takes out his cell phone and plays . . . a reggae song: Rivers of Babylon.

                Venta Gas.  Most kitchens in La Cruz use propane fuel.  The delivery truck comes several days a week and circles through town playing its jaunty jingle over a loud-speaker:  “Ven-ta, Ven-ta, Ven-ta Gas!”  (Selling, selling, selling gas!).

We hope you have enjoyed our Mexico Moments – and that you will share your “moments” with us wherever they take place. 

Oh Canada! – February 10 - 17

Last year we took a break from sailing and visited Guanajuato and Guadalajara to cool off, see some sights and enjoy a Mexico that differs from the coastal world of marinas and sun burned tourists.  This year we got a chance to really cool off and to experience an even different environment – we spent a week in Lakefield, Ontario, Canada experiencing the trappings of an Ontario winter (snow, ice and grey slush) and Canadian life in general (wait staff that brings the bill before being asked, stop signs that actually mean Stop, public places without armed guards, expensive beer. . . ).

We visited Canada during the winter rather than waiting until spring because Bryce’s mother, heading for her 99^th birthday in a few months, needed visiting and our one and only sister, Brenda, was scheduled to receive a Queen’s Jubilee Medal (that would be Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee for our non-Canadian readers) for her many years of contributions to local public service.  In one way it was easier to travel in the winter: all the airlines and charter companies are operating at full speed to bring those Canadian tourists south!

We buttoned up Abracadabra and, dressed in our jeans (we have one pair each), we travelled on foot through the village, by local bus from La Cruz to the beautiful Puerto Vallarta Airport, via Air Canada non-stop (amazing!) to Toronto, and in a so-called midsize (tiny) rental car complete with a frozen rear hatch door, to Lakefield.  We arrived on the heels of a huge snow storm that had paralyzed much of the northeastern portion of North America, but in Ontario the roads were mostly clear and Brenda had pulled in a favor from a neighbor to snow blow her driveway, so the storm was mostly a non-event for us. 

And Lakefield is beautiful in fresh snow:

"Downtown" Lakefield

Lakefield Lock - Trent-Severn Waterway

Unearthing our cache of winter clothing was a thrill, though Molly had to make a trip to Value Village to buy some used heavy shoes ($13.99!) to augment her winter footwear wardrobe (previously consisting of a pair of heels and her "Mexican hiking boots”, aka tennis shoes . . . ).

Once we were dressed to face the winter, we had a very good visit.  Although Bryce's mother is less than sure nowadays who her visitors are (and was quite confused by Bryce’s new beard) we were able to spend some good time with her - Bryce went each day.  It was comforting to see her and to confirm the high quality of care she receives, both from the Extendicare staff and from Brenda.     

The highlight of the visit was Brenda’s award ceremony.  Her children, grandchildren and friends crowded a Township of Selwyn (formerly known as Township of Smith-Ennismore-Lakefield -- what a mouthful!) council meeting to witness the presentation of her Jubilee Medal.  Nice things were said about Brenda and the other two recipients, the recipients said nice things about others, and Brenda kept her comments short – a big surprise for all that know our sister well.  

Brenda, Receiving Recognition from Her Majesty Elizabeth II

After the ceremony we returned to Brenda’s home for a reception attended by 40 or so friends and family.

The Family (This Is The Version of This Picture With The Most Faces!)

The rest of the week went quickly:  a dinner with nephews, a dinner and a wine and appetizers party with friends, a lunch here and there.  Eat, eat, eat!  Our one educational outing was to International Day at the Kawartha Montessori School, where neice Erika made a presentation about the plants of Jamaica (there's a stoner joke in there somewhere which we managed to keep to ourselves while at the school . . . ).
 

Erika's Presentation

And then it was time to return home to Abracadabra and La Cruz.  Never ones to pass up an opportunity to pick up some hard-to-find boat parts we left Lakefield early enough to stop at a West Marine or two on the way to our airport hotel.  Then it happened………….. SNOW.  As we drove to the mothership West Marine in Toronto conditions rapidly deteriorated -- stop and go traffic, snow covered freeway, just plain yucky for a crappy little rental car driven by someone who only drives in snow every few years.  Sadly, there will be no fourth fan or new light switch on the boat this year – we spent our West Marine time creeping through the SNOW.  We managed to slip and slide our way to the car return without major incident or accident, though the Captain was more traumatized by the drive than by a night at sea with high winds and swells!

So, that’s it . . . probably more than you ever wanted to know about someone else’s winter vacation in the Great White North.  We’re now safely and warmly back in La Cruz and our stories of life in Mexico, wind, whales and sun will resume shortly.

Mazatlán to La Cruz de Haunacaxtle Including Visits to “Mexico’s Galapagos Island” and Ensenada Chacala – January 25 – 31

This 175+/- mile journey was our third between Mazatlán and La Cruz de Haunacaxtle.  We first sailed south-eastbound on our own in December 2011, and returned north-westbound with crewmate Bob Romano in March 2012.  On this passage we were joined by Toronto sailor Jim Thompson.  Jim also acted as "guest photographer".  [Note: You may recall Jim as our guest crew and photographer during our week tour of the islands off of La Paz in April 2012.]

But as anyone who has looked out of the car or train window on a commute home from work and thought “I don’t remember that . . .” knows – every journey is unique.  This is particularly true for sailors, as each passage has different winds, swells, weather, anchoring conditions and, sometimes, new harbors. 

Southeast From Mazatlán

The El Cid Hotel Marina in Mazatlán is such a convivial place that we spent most of the morning of the 25^th saying good-bye to people and promising to see them “down south”.  Crew from Dolphin Tales and Tarry-A-Bit tossed lines to us as we departed. 

We had a first whale sighting as we motor sailed out beyond the islands at the north end of Bahia de Puerto Viejo.  Old Mazatlán was hidden in the haze.  Mazatlán may be a bit down-in-the-heel as tourist destinations go, but it is still a wonderful place to visit and we will miss the city and all it has to offer. 

We were able to sail around 13.00 and in the evening the winds came up and we began to roll in swells that were in the 2 meter (6 foot) range.  Around 03.00 we had to crank on the motor because the winds dropped below 5 knots.  We have learned that below 6 knots of wind is pretty much Abracadabra’s  “no go zone”. 

Jim Says: I Came to Mexico to Sail in the Sun, Not Motor In the Cold!

Parque Nacional Isla Isabel (“Mexico’s Galapagos Island”)

Isla Isabel is an island with both national park (Parque Nacional Isla Isabel) and world heritage site status located about 18 miles off the mainland coast and some 93 miles southeast of Mazatlán.  It is the home to rookeries for blue-footed boobies and frigate birds, a handful of fishermen and, from time-to-time, some research scientists and students. 

The island also has two rock-strewn anchorages, both well-known as places where it is easy to lose an anchor.  Because of this reputation, conventional wisdom has it that the island should be visited only in calm conditions.  On prior trips we hadn’t had optimum island visiting conditions, but this time as we approached the island we had very calm conditions – as in “not-enough-wind-to-sail” conditions.  We decided that this, plus the fact that we had the luxury of a third crew member, meant we should take the opportunity to stop at Isla Isabel.  

We approached the island at dawn, and soon saw that we were not the only sailors that thought this was the right time to visit.  The larger anchorage to the east of the island had at least seven boats in it, and we were unable to find anchoring room in water that was less than 40 feet deep.  The smaller, shallower, but more rock-strewn anchorage to the south of the island was empty.  Hmmm.  We all agreed that if we anchored in this anchorage we were not likely to sleep soundly.  We concluded that we would make the island a day stop and sail to our next destination overnight (which is where the luxury of having an extra person to stand night watches comes in handy!). 

Land Ho!  Isla Isabel at Dawn.

Abracadabra at Anchor - Isla Isabel.

We anchored at about 09.30 and rowed ashore to visit the island birds.  We had heard about the island and its bird population from many sailors and from guide books – but we still were not prepared for the amazing number of birds that we were able to see up close.  The hardest part of our visit was keeping an eye out for nests so that we wouldn’t inadvertently disturb a family-in-progress.

We saw frigate birds - including males in full mating display and new chicks:

The Handsomest Frigate Bird On The Island.

So What Are YOU Looking At? She Said.

Proof That Not ALL (Frigate) Babies Are Cute.

Frigate Bird In Flight (courtesy Jim Thompson).

. . . blue-footed boobies doing their mating walk and sitting on eggs:

You Can Tell By The Way That I Walk That I'm A Woman's Man . . . 

Blue Feet Protecting The Next Generatioin.

A Study in Blue.

. . . other critters:

Pelicans.

Lizards.

And Tourists.

. . . and the fishing fleet’s camp and shrine:

Fish Camp - Isla Isabel.

Fish Camp Scene.

Fishermen's Shrine.

After our tour of the rookeries, we ate and set sail again at dusk. 

Ensenada Chacala: 

Our 55-mile trip to the bay (bahia) or cove (ensenada) at Chacala took us about 15 hours during which we had winds varying from 12 knots from the northwest to 2 knots from the south-southwest, and a sea state varying from rolling to not at all.  It was smorgasbord night along the Pacific coast of Mexico.  We arrived in Bahia Chacala as the boat that was in the “queen’s spot” (right in front of the village) was departing.  We waited patiently for the crew to raise their stern and bow anchors and motor off.  We moved in and dropped anchor around 10.00.  Because Bahia Chacala gets a wraparound swell, most crews put out a stern anchor to keep the boat’s bow into the swells.  Explanation: riding up and down is better than rolling side-to-side.  

Abracadabra At Anchor in Bahia Chacala.

Bryce and Jim set the stern anchor (a process that involves rowing a dinghy with an anchor in it to the stern of the boat, dropping it, setting it and rowing the anchor rode back to be attached to Abracadabra’s stern).  Yes another good thing about having a third crew member – Molly was able to stay behind and make lunch and dig beer out of the fridge!    

Bahia Chacala has a beautiful white sand beach that is about half a mile long.  Along the beach are a number of “palapa restaurants” (outdoor restaurants with thatched roofs) and a couple of small hotels.  At the south end of the beach is a tiny luxury hotel that operates yoga and meditation retreats.  In town are rustic bungalows for rent to the budget-minded traveler, and some luxury homes for the traveler with a larger budget mind.  Among our favorite stops in Chacala is the coffee shop that sells home-made ice cream and the tapas bar on the beach – that now has more than an outside grill and a cooler used to chill the wine! 

Tapas Bar - Chacala.

We spent four days at Bahia Chacala rigidly adhering to the same rigorous daily schedule: breakfast on deck under the sun shade listening to the village roosters, a dinghy row to shore, a walk either along the beach or through the village, a lunch of fish and/or shrimp or tapas, a walk through some other part of the village or the beach (perhaps to purchase a coffee, or ice cream or fruit), a row back to Abracadabra, a swim, a cool shower and a drink, a dinner of grilled whatever-came-out-of-the-refrigerator, a free music show from one of the palapa restaurants, and finally sleep periodically interrupted by the barking of the village dogs (which became less charming as our stay neared its end). 

Colorful Chacala Native.

Worn out by this hectic life, we departed Bahia Chacala for Bahia Banderas, home to the famous resort town of Puerto Vallarta and, to the north of PV, one of our favorite places – the village of La Cruz de Huanacaxtle.     

Whale Watching Tour into La Cruz:

The 43 miles from Bahia Chacala to La Cruz was not much of a sail (at 3 knots of wind Abracadabra just bobs around) but was a terrific whale watching tour.  We had sightings every twenty minutes or so from 08.00 to 10.30.  Around 11.30, Jim was at the wheel and called out, “Uh, guys, I think I need to turn us – now.”  There was a whale less than 20 feet in front of the bow!  Jim put some 30 degrees on, and between the whale’s disinclination to be near our motoring boat and this turn, no one was injured.  This was officially our closest encounter with a whale!  

Whales were not our only visitors.  At around 10.00 we were visited by a hitchhiking teenaged blue-footed boobie! 

Hitchhiking Teenager.

We were afraid the bird was too young to travel so close to the big city of PV where he might fall into evil city ways and that it would be better for him to leave Abracadabra nearer to his home.  He was not impressed when we flapped our arms and said things like “shoo” and “go home”, so Jim took up the boat hook and approached him menacingly.  “Goooooo hoooome.”  The brave boobie stood his ground for a long time, but finally began to back slowly, slowly, until he toppled over the starboard rail.  He took flight before he hit the water, and off he went – we hope – to his home. We’re sorry we missed pictures of Jim jousting with the little fella.  

As we turned into Banderas Bay we got another wonderful welcome – wind!  We sailed the last two hours of the day, and docked at Muelle 9 (a queen dock compared to the one we were on last year) in time for a shower and a huge rib dinner and too many beers at Philo’s Bar and Grill.

More about our time in La Cruz in our next installment.