Warm weather in winter, fabulous cruising waters, and tropical foliage...what else could we ask for? Puerto Vallarta is located on Banderas Bay, one of the world's most beautiful areas for sailing. Daily temperatures in the 80's and a consistent breeze on a calm sea lures us to the south. We will stop in Topolobampo to visit our son-in-law's offices, The Vejar Company, and see the dolphin who lives within the mangroves in the harbor. A stop in Mazatan to enjoy fresh food and a visit to some of the sights precedes our sail to the lovely anchorages on the way to Puerto Vallarta.   Pura Vida will be comfortable in her slip at Paradise Village Marina in Nuevo Puerto Vallarta, although she will take us to Zihuatanejo for the annual Z Fest sailing festival January 29th.  We are excited to join in the Banderas Bay Regatta in March before we sail north and across the Sea of Cortez to re-visit those gorgeous anchorages along the eastern Baja coast.  See below for our log as we travel south and go to Photo Gallery for more images!

Pura Vida Log
  
San Carlos to Topolobampo  October 29 - November 2, 2008
                       
After last minute repairs on the running lights, provisioning the boat, having Jesus clean and polish Pura Vida (having Jesus work on the boat must be a good omen, don't you think?)  and getting fuel we left San Carlos at 10:20 on Wednesday, October 29th. As we headed south on a compass reading of 145 degrees we noticed that the auto helm and the depth instrument were not working so Dennis set about tightening wires and checking the panel. We knew we can still sail without those items - after all we have done it before! But at 5:15 and 48 miles south of San Carlos, the entire electronic system decided to stop working - no GPS, no radar, no chart-plotter! We had our trusty handheld GPS with all waypoints but not having radar and traveling many nights was not appealing. We turned around and headed back towards San Carlos with heavy hearts and sunken dreams. Sailing slowly for 4 hours under light winds in the dark warm evening we thought about replacing the entire system, but suddenly, without a warning, all systems, including auto-helm and depth monitor, came back on! We took notice, talked about the 'what-ifs' and turned around again and headed south! We believe Pura Vida is like an old woman who needs more exercise and attention and when she doesn't get those she does not function well until she DOES get a good workout and a hug!
   The weather was so calm we had to motor unless we wanted to go at 2 knots. With our trusty engine we could do 6+ knots and made good time. So good, in fact, that after 30 hours we realized we needed to slow down so we would not arrive and try to go into Topo at night. A great way to stop is to catch a 10 pound Dorado on a fly line - wheeee!  That beautiful fish took all the line I had on the reel and was hard to get into the boat with the fight it gave us. After landing it, cleaning the boat from the scales and remnants of the filleting, we took a well-earned swim. The boat was sailing along at 1 knot so we hung a line off the back to hold onto and trailed along enjoying the cool water. Suddenly we felt some stings and realized there were many very small jellyfish swimming all around. Obviously our swim was cut short. We sailed on watching a beautiful sunset ready for our second night of taking turns at the helm.
   At 4:30 a.m. the wind came up and the seas churned. We were 21 miles west of the entrance to Topo channel so we dropped our sails and headed upwind to wait for the sun to come up. The entrance is well-marked, spotted with 2 large tanker ships anchored outside waiting for the port pilot. The temperature is warmer with an average water temperature of 83 degrees. The channel goes 12 miles inland along mangrove lined beachfront and lagoons. Birds swooped and dove for fish all around us. Topolobampa has a large bay with 2 commercial docks and a small town with 2 small private marinas. We anchored at 10:21 a.m. just north of the last marina and used the dock of Club Nautico for our dinghy. It was a 48 hour trip and we were very tired so after cleaning and arranging the boat we took naps!
   Gabriel Vejar, our son-in-law, is the owner/manager of a company that coordinates the loading and unloading of cargo on large ships at this port and in Guaymas. The majority of cargo is fertilizer unloaded for the large agriculture business, and iron or vegetables loaded to go all over the world. He took us to the Port to see his office and the largest ship ever to be docked here - 224 meters going back to China with coal. He took us to Los Mochis for a wonderful dinner as Topo has only 2 small cafe's.  He explained that Topo was started many years ago by Mr. Owens, a U.S. dreamer, who wanted to establish a self-sufficient commune devoted to agriculture. He brought more than 50 residents but the dream did not last. Topo is now one of the major Ports for large cargo for international trade and the surrounding area is devoted to sugar crops, vegetables, and corn. Hidden behind those crops is a large marijuana business that underpins the drug trade in Sinaloa state. We saw a small dark colored plane flying close to the water on our way south which probably is used by the "bad guys", as Gabriel calls them. This is a problem for Mexico, and for Gabriel who has to assure each shipment in and out of the country does not include illegal drugs.
   One of the highlights of visiting Topolobampo is going to see the resident dolphin that lives in one of the many estuaries off the main channel.  The legend says that this dolphin came here during one of the hurricanes with it's mother, but she died and he never left. It has been in this same estuary for more than 10 years and will follow boats when they come visit. Gabriel and Becky  and the grandchildren piled onto Don Chuy's panga to see this spectacular animal. We were not disappointed! When we arrived it was next to another boat but when they left he came to see us. We got in the water and after some coaxing he would let us stroke him and he would surface right next to all of us. We feel so privileged to have this experience.
   A drive to Los Mochis was another highlight as this is a thriving city of more than 400,000 with wonderful shops and eateries. Our dinner at El Farallon featured excellent seafood cooked any way we wanted with more than 20 different sauces or spices. Our time here has been educational and fun!

Topolobampo to Mazatlan November 3 - 5, 2008
             
    We left our anchorage at 6:15 a.m. as the tide was rising, but we had two bumps with sandbars on our way to the main channel - it is very shallow and narrow. Outside of the 12 mile channel the wind picked up but was exactly on our nose. We steered slightly off course to get some benefit of our sail as we motored south. We only had 4-6  knot winds but they kept our speed up to 6 knots. Our trip was 19 hours to Pt. Piaxtla where we anchored for the evening. The night sail segment was easier than our 2 night segments going to Topo - we are getting used to the schedule. And, just after the sun peeked over the clouds on the horizon we were greeted by three dolphins who frolicked in our bow wake and welcomed us to their area of the world. I love how they are always looking for more playful times!  After a wonderful swim around the boat we mixed our margaritas and settled in to listen to CNN report the election results. What a celebration we had knowing that Barack Obama won the election!
   It is only 33 nautical miles to Mazatlan Marina.  Den woke up not feeling too well, but we got off anchor at 8:03 and headed south.  Once again the wind gods were not with us with 3-5 knot winds coming directly over our bow. Our trusty engine is getting a work-out but she is steady as a rock. We stayed about 5-8 miles off the coastline all the way to  Isla Pajaros where we turned to port to enter the channel to the marina. Marina Mazatlan is a very modern and friendly place - we've met people from Canada, Alaska, California, etc. and all willing to give us the latest information. One guy, Roy, has solo sailed to the South Pacific a couple of times in his 38 foot boat and was a wealth of information.
   The bus system is awesome; we traveled down through the Golden Zone (read tourist area) to the Historic part of town. It is so much more beautiful. During November they have the Cultural Festival and there are art walks and concerts. We enjoyed the Art Museum and some of the galleries but mostly we liked sitting in the Machado Square that is surrounded with outdoor restaurants and had large screens set up to broadcast the concert playing at the opera house. A wonderful singer and semi-jazz orchestra filled the night air with great music. We saw the sunset from the top of the Best Western Freeman - spectacular. See the pictures! We are off to Isla Isabella this morning (Saturday) and will be anchored there to observe the bird sanctuary before heading to San Blas, Guayabitos, and then Puerto Vallarta. 
 

Mazatlan to Puerto Vallarta  November 6 - 12, 2008                          
    We sailed through the 3.5 mile channel into Banderas Bay on the 12th of November after experiencing wonderful anchorages and small islands along the way. Our over-night sail to Isla Isabella was hampered by Lynn's upset stomach, so Dennis did most of the night sail. Reading a good novel kept him awake, yet allowed him regular vigilance in monitoring of the radar and charts. Unfortunately, we did not have much wind and had to motor sail most of the way, and made such good time we slowed down before daybreak so we could anchor during daylight. The island is just a couple of miles long but lured Jacques Cousteau to her shores 30 years ago to film the rare frigate nests and pristine underwater habitat. We chose the south east end to anchor that is near the panga village and the research station coordinated by the University of Guadalajara. Graduate students spend their vacations studying and protecting 500 frigate and booby nests all over the island. The water is crystal clear and there are thousands upon thousands of birds constantly souring above. It almost looks like a tornado of birds circling higher and higher above the island. They follow the panga fishermen to get left-overs and then fly back to their nests. The males display a bright red throat that bloats like a balloon when they try to attract a female. Their sounds mimic a gurgling/crackling brook interspersed with a screech. And there are birds everywhere on the low scrub trees covering the island. We were not so fortunate to see the boobie nests (Dennis was anxious to see boobies!). In the afternoon, a panga boat came over to sell us some fish, but earlier we had seen them filet the hammerhead sharks and felt we could not use the meat. We understand shark meat is widely used and now the shark is over-fished.  We gave them a frisbee and a deck of cards instead since these men live out on this island fishing at all hours without family or any conveniences. They seemed happy to get something they could use.
     Rain! What a nice surprise to get a nice soaking on our way to the mainland the next morning. The clouds kept it cool and the rain came straight down since, again, there was very little wind. It felt great and Pura Vida got a well-deserved bath. But after the rain left and the sun came out, the sea became increasingly calm and it got very hot. As we approached San Blas we decided to change plans and not go up the channel into the town where the heat would be even greater due to less sea breeze, and the mosquitoes would be intense. We anchored at Matachen Bay just south of San Blas instead. We took a nice swim and enjoyed the off-shore breezes.
     A very pleasant short sail south to Isla Pena in Guayabitos Bay rewarded us with a tuna (that we tossed back) and some playful dolphins who joined us as we slowed down to let the fish go. Isla Pena is a lovely anchorage on the lee side of this small tropical island.  Next to us was Laura and Lewis on Cirque and Andrew on Amizan. We enjoyed sharing experiences with them, and they gave us wonderful advice about our approach to Banderas Bay since they had been there all summer. Cirque was on the 2007 Ha Ha. Sailing is such a worldwide community of friends.  We rowed to shore to hike to a deserted restaurant and views of the shoreline. The snorkeling on the south side of the island was good, not great. We want to return and explore the town and the beaches.
     Our last day of sailing and once again - NO WIND - we are disappointed but glad our trusty engine just chugs along at more than 6 knots. We anxiously crossed the channel between Punta Mita and Tres Marietas that report underwater rocks. Thank goodness for the Rain's Mexico Boating Guide and her GPS waypoints - we made it. Then there was this HUGE bay. Banderas Bay is 20 miles long and about 15 miles deep. We couldn't even see the other side of the bay. Interestingly, the most winds we saw during the whole trip occurred at about 2:15 that afternoon as we crossed Banderas Bay - we saw 9 knots. Good grief. The new marina at La Cruz looks excellent, but we already have reservations at Paradise Village at Nuevo Vallarta so we headed for our slip at A10. This marina is the home of some extremely large yachts and has wonderful accommodations. It almost feels too swanky after enjoying the lovely small anchorages along the way. But we were greeted by Dick Markie and welcomed by our dock neighbors. We look forward to some terrific friends and adventures in Puerto Vallarta! We stay here until Jan. 22nd when we head to Zihuatenajo, although we will be home for Christmas (Dec. 17-Jan. 19th).  Keep checking back as we explore the local culture! 
Exploring Puerto Vallarta  November 12 - 24, 2008
      A whirlwind of exploring the local area has kept us busy. We are learning the bus system and about the local fresh veggie markets at a village named Jarretaderas.  Going into the central area of Puerto Vallarta from Nuevo Vallarta is a pleasant 12 peso bus ride with lots of things to see along the way, including the Vallarta Marina, the other main marina. We stopped there to have something to eat and explore that area. The marina is friendly but very busy with restaurants and bars lining the circular dock of condos. We found a great sports bar where we could watch a few college football games. The downtown area is a bustling metropolis of small and large shops, eateries, and many, many tourist trinket shops. There are some interesting galleries of artists from the local area and of the Huichal native people. We enjoyed walking the malecon (boardwalk) and seeing the street vendors and musicians. Unfortunately, we have had difficulty with our starter motor for the engine, so we also found the local marine hardware store, Zaragoza's. This is a good store with most of what we might need, but much more expensive than at West Marine or other marine stores in the U.S.
     Dennis has been busy working on the boat's starter and on the dinghy motor. Seems we made it all the way here without too much trouble and then after sitting for a week our Pura Vida is feeling grouchy. She didn't want to start consistently so he took the starter switch off, checked the various wires and plugs, and finally took the solenoid off. We tried a new solenoid from Zaragoza's, but that was faulty, so put the old one back on and - bingo - it worked. We found out that there is a time limit on how many times you can try the start solenoid and we had exceeded that; we now only crank it once and she is fine. The dinghy motor has been sputtering and belching when we try to go fast so Den pulled it apart and cleaned the carburetor. We took it out for a good fast run and blew out whatever junk was in the system  - she's doing better now. We've had Armando change the anchor light and Enrique has done an outstanding job of cleaning all the stainless and waxing the boat. We now are thinking we might need the bottom painted before we go back to San Carlos.
      The Vallarta Yacht Club has many activities for cruisers. We attended the Sunday BBQ and Lynn went to hear Oscar Arranda speak about humpback whale research in the Bay. A lesson we learned is that we should talk to the locals before making a decision, i.e. we signed up for internet service with the Yacht Club even though they said we could not get service on Dock A and had to physically bring the computer to the Club to connect. Lynn assumed this was the only service available. After paying for a month of service ($60 - $2.00 a day) we found Radio Rob who runs a internet service across the channel from us and charges less. The Yacht Club told us they would not refund the money since we knew we could not get service, which was upsetting, but a good lesson. Of course, we are meeting wonderful people at the Club, even though we are not members.
      November 21st was our 20th year Anniversary!  Time flies when you are having fun. We celebrated by going into town to Le Bistro and Jazz Cafe. I cannot describe how lovely the evening was and how delicious the food tasted. This restaurant is located on the Isle de Cuale in the heart of Puerto Vallarta. This is a small island between two rivers running through town so we sat beside the beautiful sounds of the river amidst gorgeous tropical trees in an open-aired patio lit with candles. Lovely jazz floated in the air as we ate. The waiters surprised us with a special dessert celebrating our event!
     To test our starter  we left our slip and motor/sailed out into the Bay on Friday going up to Punta Mita and then anchoring at La Cruz. We went into the new marina docks and walked to Philo's Pizza. Philo is a man who sailed down here several years ago and decided to open a restaurant/bar so he could play blues and have some fun. It has become a special hang-out for cruisers and others who  like good music. He also has gotten involved in local charity events and plays Santa each year to more than 200 children. We hope to donate to the cause.
     We are looking forward to Thanksgiving and having Cam and Amanda join us.
Thanksgiving - November 25th - Dec. 17th
     I was so excited about Cam and Amanda coming I thought they were coming the day before their arrival! "Allswimmers disease" must be setting in.  They arrived Wednesday before Thanksgiving and we met them at the airport. It was fun seeing their response as we pulled into Paradise Village Marina since this is such a nice place with so many amenities. After they got settled we took them on our "jungle channel tour" in the dinghy to see the mangroves and find a crocodile. We think we saw the eyes of a crocodile and saw many beautiful birds along with the huge houses and boats along the channel. We had to have drinks on the beach for sunset - a perfect way to welcome anyone to this beautiful area. Cooking Thanksgiving dinner in a small galley is a challenge, but I had frozen a large turkey breast in Phoenix and brought it down (turkey is hard to find here) and made mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans, dressing, cucumber and pineapple salad, apple crisp, and chocolate cheese cake. Our dock neighbor, Chuck, joined us; his girlfriend was away. Cam was very impressed that we have cable TV as part of our slip fee so we HAD to watch the Seahawks get beaten (to Cam's dismay). Cam and Amanda had some good 'beach time' and we all ate too much. We sat in the cockpit of the boat until late that night telling stories and laughing. We are extremely thankful for a wonderful day and great family and friends.
    Friday started off with a great breakfast and then we headed out of our slip for a sail up to La Cruz. It was spectacular because we had nice winds, and 3 dolphins joined us for more than 15 minutes of play time in our bow wake. Cam and Amanda sat on the bow and took pictures and marveled at their speed and grace in the water. What a treat for them. We anchored at La Cruz and took the dinghy to shore and headed up the cobblestone streets to Philo's for some beer, pizza and good music. Saturday offered an opportunity to sail north to Punta Mita with some stronger winds. Cam liked the speed of the boat and wanted us to go faster, and teased Lynn about not wanting to put the rails in the water! We tried our luck at fishing but didn't get anything. We got back to the dock in time to clean up and go up to Bucerias for dinner at Mark's Grill - a favorite in the area. Bucerias seems like the "Sedona of Puerto Vallarta" - a small town with lots of art galleries and shops. Mark's was as good as advertised. More beach time was necessary so Sunday found us out by the water. Cam and Amanda tried Boogie Boards before we all gathered with Jeff Mathew and Doug from last year's Baja Ha Ha for some great volleyball. It was fun to play with Cam and Amanda after so many years. We played so late it was hard to find a good restaurant open but wound up sitting by the sea for their last night here. On Monday we went to Estudio Cafe for breakfast and watched the dolphins at Vallarta Adventures before taking the bus to the airport. The time went by way too fast!
      Lin and John Hoskins joined us with their friends for a full day of sailing on Tuesday, Dec.2nd. We had not actually had 9 people on the boat before but we had a lovely day. The winds were light which made for very smooth and easy sailing; Lin and most of the folks had not sailed and were a bit concerned about seasickness. The only drawback for the day was that we did not see dolphins or whales, but many birds and flying fish helped make it fun. A short anchorage and swim rounded out the day before we went to Maricio's in Ixtapa for a very traditional Mexican seafood dinner. They brought fresh shrimp with each beer ordered, a huge plate of food for each order, and topped off the meal with a full bottle of Tequila for the table to share and take home! And it was only $15 per person! The waiters were terrific and they had a juke box, so Lynn requested Cumbia lessons! We got all the waiters and waitresses to come teach us the dance as they were closing. I am sure not many customers get the staff involved in dancing!
      December 3rd was the start of the Banderas Bay Bash, an annual quasi-race organized by Richard Spindler from Latitude 38 and sponsored by the Punta Mita Surf and Yacht Club and the Riviera La Cruz Yacht Club. We have not joined a yacht club, but decided we need to be a part of the Punta Mita Surf and Yacht Club. Their entrance fee is $1.00 for a lifetime membership; the requirements are: 1) sail to Punta Mita (sailing is loosely defined), 2) pay the fee and receive the customary paddling by the Commodore (see Latitude 38 for pictures of this year's Commodore), 3) wear the painted-on mustache for the evening, 4) boogie down for one full song. The motto of the Club is: "Surf in the morning, sail in the afternoon, and sex at night".  The Bash started just off the jetty near Paradise Village marina at 1:00 p.m. with boats organized by size to race at 15 minute intervals to La Cruz. We started at 1:15 but had a slow start because we have not done any racing before. We didn't raise the jib until just before the start so didn't get a good run going before the start-time. We trailed our other group members but had a wonderful sail up the coast. We made in 1 hour 15 minutes, but when we tried to start the engine to motor into the marina to a slip, we were surprised it would not crank over. We sailed with the main slowly back and forth in front of the entrance while Den went below to find the problem. After about 45 minutes we decided it was not going to work so we sailed into the anchorage area just east of the entrance and anchored under sail - a first for us. It worked out great as the wind was light. We secured the boat and went ashore to join the party. The next morning we still could not get the engine to work even after a radio conversation with a guy who works on motors. Dennis kept cleaning contact and jiggling wires and whining about the damn thing when - suddenly it cranked over. Well, we had considered sailing on the next leg up to Punta Mita and anchoring under sail again, but after talking it through we decided it might be wiser to motor back to our slip and get the thing fixed for once and for all! We were sorry not to be able to do the full Bash, but are relieved we won't be trying to sail into our slip.
     Between Dec. 5th - Dec. 17th we are working to repair and refurbish Pura Vida. The starter motor was removed and has been refurbished, the boat has been hauled out and the bottom painted, the transducer for the depth meter is replaced and fixed, and our electronics are being reviewed and analyzed for the inconsistency that occurs in the functioning. When we fly home for the holidays we are sure the boat will be in good shape and ready to take us to Zihuatenejo. We are extremely impressed with the quality of work done by the Mexican men and women who work on the boats here. David Barba is the painter and is fastidious, Antonio is conscientious about his work with the starter motor and engine repair, and the marina staff have been wonderful to work with.
     Hauling a boat out of the water is a complex process; the boat yard has a large lift with straps that go under the boat and lift. It is nerve wracking for the boat owner - hopefully the boat won't slip or fall out of the straps. Once it is in the "sling" it is rolled to a location where they prop the boat up on metal stands. The cleaning, sanding, and painting then proceeds. Pura Vida came out of the water on Wednesday and was place back in the water with new paint on Friday afternoon. Since we cannot stay on the boat while she is in the boat yard, we decided to go to a place not easily accessible by boat - Mismaloya... a small village on the south shore.
      We stayed at Casa Iguana - a truly lovely place with 2 bedroom fully furnished apartment type rooms (for $69 a night) that included pool, hot tub, spa, gym, free internet, and the best restaurant we've visited. The village looks much more like a real Mexican community with small mortor houses with porches on the street and little shops/food stands along the street. Historically the area is famous for the film, "Night of the Iguana" where Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor started their passionate affair and eventually built a lovely home. The waterfall up the valley attracted us so we hired Pedro and his horses to ride up and see the area. Pedro and his family have lived in this area for centuries as cattle ranchers and now cater to tourists by renting their horses. We enjoyed watching Pedro train his new stallion while we followed on the "lazy horse" to the waterfall and back. We saw a flock of beautiful green wild parakeets and some mackaws and heard that wild jaguars live in the rain forest. The restaurant, Beno Bento, at Casa Iguana turns out to have the best food we have experienced in Vallarta...here in this small village!  While walking through the village we stopped at Don Crispin's Tequila distillary and learned the very old traditional way of making this drink. Very long ago the Indians of the area cut the large fruit of the blue agave plant and they roasted the large fruit in a sunken pit for 3 days. After the fruit is roasted it is ground and separated so that the special juices are separated. These are double distilled to make "puro" teguila and only a few distilleries are licensed to be organic and original distillers of tequila. Most tequila sold is made with corn alcholol and a small amount of the agave plant. Our tour guide was Alfredo, the grandson of the family of Don Crispin. We liked him and asked him to come sail with us - which he did with his wife, Anna. We had a wonderful day on the water, which was their first time sailing.
       The boat is now painted with paint that costs more than $400 a can (our boat takes 4 cans) and we noticed it glides through the water at least one knot faster! We are anxious to return to our home in Phoenix for the holidays and will return on January 19th.