Happy in La Cruz

January 2 – 7, 2012

Happy in La Cruz Marina

As our first 2 stops did not have great Internet reception, this blog will cover about 1 week.

On January 4 we sailed from Stone Island in very different conditions than last year.  Firstly Patches and I were very relaxed, and that was the greatest change.  Secondly, instead of leaving at dusk with little light, we left about 9 am..  That meant we had many hours of sailing in the sunshine.  Thirdly, we had an almost full moon, which provided a marvellous glow.

  During the day we spotted many whales (more than last year) and dolphins swarmed around the boat.

But, of course nothing is perfect.  The moon set at about 4 am, which left us in pitch-dark conditions, and getting nearer to shore.  Remembering that last March there were many fishnets around Matanchen Bay we were very hesitant to keep sailing in absolute darkness.   Therefore at about 5 am  we decided to heave to until dawn.  There we sat waiting for the sunrise.  At about 6:30 we had enough light to start moving again.  Of course we didn’t see 1 net!!  What we did see were pangas (fishing boats) in every direction.   Lesson learned:  leave Stone Is later to arrive at Matanchen around noon.

The only other wrinkle in the first leg of our trip (other than no wind) was the auto pilot…yes again.  It would turn itself off and who knows why.  When turned on again it would work for a time and then off it went again.  When that happens the boat starts turning in circles…not pleasant.

Matanchen Bay was a bird lover’s paradise this year.  We soon found out why.  The bay was a veritable fish nursery and the birds were glutting themselves.  When we were going to shore by dinghy the fish were jumping everywhere including over the side of the dinghy.  Bob slapped one down before it landed in the boat.  Who knows what Patches would have done with a fish flopping around in the boat??

January 6 saw us off to Chacala Bay, which was a mere 21 miles from Matanchen.  (I love 4 hr sailing days.)   As we had bypassed Chacala last year in favour of Guayabitos, we were once again in new territory.   What a pleasant little place and I mean little.  Surprisingly by dusk there were 8 boats anchored in the tiny bay and we managed to stay clear of each other.  The bay was calm and it was a relaxing stop.

The village of Chacala itself has changed a lot since we were there last (by land).  About 10 years ago, we drove there from Sayulita just to take a look.  It happened to be Good Friday and Chacala was over run with people.  We came we saw and we left!  At this time of year there are tourists but it is quiet.  The biggest surprise was the number of very nice homes around the bay.  When we went ashore we had a meal in a ‘wine bar’.  The menu ranged from cappuccino to English fish and chips!!    The fish and chips (served with English malt vinegar), Bloody Mary, and the cappuccino were all excellent

On Saturday morning  (January 7)we waved goodbye (sorry about that) to Chacala with a promise to return and set off for La Cruz.  Still no wind!  The ocean was flat which did allow us to motor at top speed.  What is top speed?  6 nautical miles/hr.  which is about 12 km/hr.   Once again Bob was disappointed in the lack of wind but he did put up both sails (new sails I might add) in the Bay of Banderas.  We roared along at an amazing 7 knots for about a half hour.  Bob looked like the Cheshire cat during that time.

By 5 pm we were sitting in the restaurant in the La Cruz Marina watching the sunset.  After another excellent meal, we were ready for a very early night.

After our first week things are going well.  As you can guess this has been a totally different experience compared to last year.   All of us are more at ease.  That  makes for a better experience.  But the overnight sails still leave both of us grumpy because we don’t sleep very much.   Eventually we will be able to get more sleep on overnights (I hope).

Both of us noticed that we are working together as a team.  What a shock!  It has only taken 28 years.  Who knows what miracles lie ahead?