svbeachhouse

Category: 2008 Blog

  • Matenchen Bay, San Blas – Jungle Tour

    Dear F&F;,

    26 April 2008
    San Blas & Matenchen Bay, Mexico – 2 days, 2 nights

    The 23 mile run to our destination of Matenchen Bay was fairly uneventful. No dolphins, no whales. Just cruised up the coast to the tunes on Sirius radio.

    Matenchen Bay is a very large bay – about 1 mile across & mile deep, providing nearly 5 miles of beach. There were no other boats when we arrived. After making sure the anchor was holding, we took the 10 minute dinghy ride to shore. It is a \”wet landing\” onto a sandy beach. Scott gets his exercise pulling the 250 lb dinghy up out of the surf zone. There are many palapa restaurants (thatched roofs on top of corner support poles).

    Friends Emmy & Erik from sailboat Nataraja had told us not to miss the jungle cruise here. We have done this in Magdelena Bay & Tenacatita Bay in our own dinghy. Here, you must go by hired panga because there is no easy access to the river from the bay.

    We met Antonio who helped Scott pull the dinghy right up to his palapa restaurant & assured us its security while we walked to the office to reserve the jungle cruise for today. We ask him how far it is to the office. \”About 1 kilometer\”. We proceed on a \”death march\”. This is the term author Suzanne Knecht uses in her book \”Night Watch\” to describe walks in foreign lands that are hot, dusty, seemingly endless & with unknown endpoint. After 15 minutes, we ask another person along the way how far
    it is to the jungle cruise office. It is one of the main tourist attractions so they all know what we are talking about. Again we are told, \”One kilometer\”. Discouraged that we do not seem to be making headway, we trudge on. Feeling stupido because Antonio had offered us a ride in his truck. Note to self: when a local offers you a ride – take it.

    We finally reach the brightly painted office & make a reservation for the first tour of the day: 7 a.m. Emmy & Erik said it was important to go first in order to see the most birds & animals out in the cool of the morning. The price of the trip was for the boat, no matter how many people. No problem, it was reasonable, including a tour of a crocodile reservation, and an opportunity to swim in the river. We hoped that these were completely separate events

    We took a taxi from that office into town about 6 kilometers. As we get in we ask the driver, \”How much is the cost to take us into town?\” He answered, \”10 pesos\”. This is about $1 US dollar. Such a deal. When he stops to let us out & Scott hands him 15 pesos, to include a tip, he says \”10 pesos per person\”. If it sounds like too good of a deal it probably is. No problem, well worth not having had to continue the death march.

    We walk by the Navy base & can’t help but wonder what sort of enemy would dare sneak up on the helmeted young men in fatigues with automatic weapons hiding behind a pile of sandbags. I know that our military bases have the same exact posturing. But in this sleepy surfing town with palm trees and warm breezes it seemed especially out of place.

    Downtown is under reconstruction. As usual, the cathedral is in the center of town with an adjacent \”zocolo\” (plaza square, place to meet & hang out). I am captivated by the smoky fragrance of a grilled chicken stand. This inspires a search for the tortilleria – 30 steaming hot tortillas for 80 cents. Voila! Dinner to go. We stop at a pharmacia to buy bug repellent. Besides the jungle tour & surfing, San Blas is famous for its \”jejenes\”, known elsewhere as no-see-ums. They are biting flies that
    leave an itchy red bump. We walk by several \”flea bag\” motels. The main land visitors are young surfers on a budget, so nothing fancy has been built here.

    The taxi driver that drove us back to our dinghy agreed to meet us in the same place at 630 a.m. We sat & had a limonade con agua minerale at Antonio’s restaurant.

    Back on Beach House, we immensely enjoyed our dinner of chicken & tortillas. A jet skier zoomed around our boat twice before sunset. He was probably just admiring our pretty boat, but we read in the cruising guides that there is a history of theft problems here. We have locks for all our hatches. It is a bit of an ordeal to put on the 12 stainless locks (some with bars), & secure them with 12 separate padlocks. This secures both engine rooms, the sail locker, 2 compartments of dive gear, the scuba
    compressor, safety gear, and the large starboard forward compartment that stows lots & lots of other stuff that we would be upset if stolen. In addition, we lock our 5 large hatches from the inside of the boat and our sliding door with a key. As someone once said \”We don’t want to give an honest man the opportunity to go astray.\”

    We have an early to bed night. We spray the mostly citronella smelling bug repellent on us because it was impossible to keep out all the flying critters going in & out of the salon during the evening. A beautiful 130 foot power boat, m/v Antares joined us overnight at the anchorage.

    The alarm rings at 5:15 a.m. After coffee, cereal & double checking all the locks, we get in the dinghy & ride to shore. The dawn just begins so we can remove our head lamps as we jump in the shallow water & pull the dinghy to safety. We switch from \”wet landing\” attire (shorts, water shoes) to long pants, socks & shoes. More bug spray.
    A taxi pulls up right on time at 6:30 a.m. It is not the same driver as yesterday so we are reluctant to get in & wonder if we should wait for our guy. In our fumbling Spanish we determine that Gustavo had sent Vicente for us. We are always so happy & somewhat surprised when things work out just right.

    Only 2 wandering dogs greeted us at the Jungle Cruise Tour office. But we were nearly 20 minutes early for the 7 a.m. tour. A man across the street wandered over & told us \”a la siete\”. Esta bien. We knew we were early & didn’t mind waiting. Exactly at 7, the man walked back across the street, another man arrived by car & a teenager arrived on motorcycle. We were in the panga with the teenager & on our way by 7:10 a.m. I was cold so wrapped myself in a towel, but kept telling myself to just soak
    in that cold feeling, knowing I would appreciate it later in the day.

    This was definitely the king of the jungle cruises. Our driver knew exactly where to stop & point out birds, turtles and crocodiles. It was about 45 minutes of beautiful mangroves. More wide & open than the covered canopy at Tenacatita. The flora changed from mangroves to what I can only describe as bulrushes. And in another area dense thickets of ferns. Very tranquil & lovely. Even the easily missed eyes of the crocodiles lurking just below the surface gave a deceptive sense of calm. When we approached
    they scurried back to hide with surprising speed & agility.

    Our driver stayed in the panga & had us get out for our own tour of the crocodile farm. There were 10 pairs, each in a separate pen. Scott got some great photos through the chain link fence. They would hold absolutely still, some with their mouth wide open, a tourist thrilling pose. Without any warning some lunged at the fence, reminding us how dangerous these prehistoric creatures are. The workers told us they feed the crocodiles live chickens or fish on Thursday. Only once a week. We were glad
    it was only Saturday. They must really be cranky & vicious by Wednesday. Even the enclosure full of juveniles conjured images of being gnawed on at the ankles

    There were a few other pens: parrots, an owl, some type of wild boar, coatamundis and deer. We spent about half an hour at this reserve & noticed as we exited a 10 foot free-ranging croc across the river. We eagerly stepped into the safety of the panga. We declined the opportunity to swim in a fenced off portion of the river. Somehow the murky green water & thought of crocs on the other side of the fence reduced the appeal of a morning swim in the river.
    Even more animals were visible on the return trip. River Turtles on the rocks, birds on branches, crocs on logs – all sunning themselves.

    As it was only 9:30 a.m. the walk back to the dinghy was not a death march. Although when Antonio stopped in his truck we did not decline & hopped in the back. We were entertained on the short ride by 2 adorable teething puppies.

    We picked a beach side table at Antonio’s restaurant & ordered huevos rancheros. Yum! We learned from him about the area, and as Scott suspected, learned it is a surfers paradise in the summer. There is a very shallow bay with uniformly nice sandy bottom that contributes to some amazing waves. According to Antonio (who is a surfer), waves are from 3-12 feet and ride able for over a 1000 yards. Where waves are breaking is not a good place to anchor your boat. But surf season is also hurricane season
    so there would not be many boats coming through then. Scott is itching to ride some waves, but we are happy to have the flat water at the anchorage now.

    My sensation of feeling cold had switched to hot by noon, so I jumped off the back of the boat to cool off. Scott hangs the shark shield off the dive ladder & I stay near its protection as I exercise wearing my aqua jogger. It is not pleasant to swim because you can’t see a darn thing in the pea soup ocean, but I still enjoy being in the 80 degree water. It will be very depressing if the Sea of Cortez has this poor of visibility. But hope springs eternal for decent, if not great, diving opportunities
    there this summer.

    With our early arisal, it was easy to join in the siesta tradition. I’ve been since then writing this description. It is nearly time for happy hour. The \”jejenes\” are happy to see me sitting outside, so I will soon move in & zip up the screen door. Scott is listening to one of the ham radio nets, with headphones, thank you.

    Tomorrow we will get an early start to our next stop – Isla Isabella, a Mexican bird and underwater sanctuary visited by Jacques Cousteau over 30 years ago.

  • A Whale of a Day……

    Dear F&F,
    (This post is a little out of order and we will catch up on the previous ones soon).
    A Whole Different Day

    I slept pretty well, most of the night with just a sheet. Pulled on the blanket only in the early morning. We were up before dawn wanting to make some distance before potential afternoon wind in the wrong direction kicked up. The sunrise was beautiful. Large dolphins appeared on cue.

    As we motored up the coast we came upon a bunch of fishing boats. They were very active, zooming around with their lines out. Tons of birds flew & dove in the area. We could see lots of splashing to indicate fish activity, but no idea what type. Tuna maybe. There was another group of power boats further north, also actively fishing. Maybe there is a tournament or something going on.

    The coastline is more green than we\’d seen down south. With binoculars we could see not just palm trees but other leafy trees that looked to have more delicate bright green leaves. Very pretty. Interesting scenery all the way. We were motoring because the wind was 8 knots on the nose. Kept us comfortable under the bimini shade, even as the temperature climbed to 85 degrees.

    It was a banner day for sea life. We had dolphin sightings a few times. Lots of small brown mobula rays. And we almost ran over a really really big manta ray. It must have had a 12-15 ft wing span. We thought he would dive deeper as we approached, but he stayed at the surface, so we threw the engines into reverse not to run it over, then neutral just in case we made contact. It seems he did dive deep at the last minute because we didn\’t see him again.

    We pulled into a bay with 2 small islands where we could have anchored for the night. The larger island with better protection had a guano smell on the downwind (aka leeward or lee) side where there is protection from the sea. And there were about 50 people swimming & enjoying the beach on this island. Festive, but we were not in the mood to be with a big crowd, so decided to continue on towards Chacala.

    As we neared Chacala (about 45 miles north of last night\’s anchorage at Punta de Mita) we saw tell-tail (spelling error intentional) splashing & spouting. We headed off course towards what was sure to be whales. We were rewarded for our curiousity with the best mama & baby whale show ever. This baby was determined to let Scott get some great photos. He jumped. He twirled. He splashed. He spy-hopped. Over & over & over again. Mama would come in between baby & our boat sometimes & we thought she might steer him away from us, but she seemed to tolerate, if not necessarily approve of his performance. We were amazed & enthralled. I steered the boat at a speed to keep pace & kept a safe distance (for us, as well as not wanting to encroach on their movement). We were thrilled & Scott shot 160 photos: 40% are keepers. 10% are stunning. We stayed with them for almost 45 mins. Spectacular!

    When we bid farewell to our gentle friends and noticed we were a few miles past our intended anchorage. We turned back & took a tour of the bay at Chacala. It was certainly calm & safe. Some interesting homes on the shore and a panga dock where you might have a \”dry landing\” with the dinghy.

    But we decided to check out a \”secret spot\” just south, recommended by the Harbor Master at Paradise Village Marina. It is a hidden cove with just enough room for Beach House to anchor bow (front) & stern (back). I was in the water within minutes of having secured the anchors. Scott joined me with his shark shield & we proceeded to wipe down both hulls of their slime coat. The water temperature was a lovely 80 degrees. No wet suit needed. We have 200 feet of waterline to wipe down: inside & outside of both hulls. It\’s a good workout. The visibility is still only about 5 ft. But at least the murky color is green instead of rusty brown (as it had been down at Las Hadas).

    Dinner, beer, photo show & sunset. Life is good.

    KIT,
    Scott & Cindy

  • Catalina, nice but cool and gray!

    We motored both ways, but had a great relaxing and \”catch up\” weekend……..

  • INLAND TOUR – Guanajuato, Dolores Hidalgo & San Miguel Allende……

    Dear F&F;,

    March 13 – 16, 2008

    After driving many miles through very little development, we suddenly turned
    & read this welcome sign: ***Bienvenidos a Guanajuato: Patrimonia de
    Humanidad*** There are stories from the past about a “River of Frogs”. Frog
    statues and logos are seen all over town. Fortunately we did not encounter a
    large population of frogs.

    We had been told by Bill & Mary Finkelstein that you drive through tunnels
    when entering the town.

    Much of the city is built into the curving hillside with downtown being in
    the valley floor. In the late 1700s to the mid 20th Century, it was a
    booming silver mining town. We could not verify from anyone if the tunnels
    were built by the silver mining companies, but it seemed a logical
    explanation to us since they would have had the heavy equipment needed for
    excavation.

    Throughout Mexico, exterior home paints are a riot of colors, and Guanajuato
    is a prime example of this. We were delighted as we weaved through curving
    stone streets, tunnels with beautiful arches, winding up, up, up to the top
    of the hillside. We somehow managed to find Casa Estrella de Valenciana, our
    bed & breakfast. The friendly staff showed us around. We were instantly
    enchanted by the place and immediately asked if we could stay an additional
    2 nights. This is one of the true luxuries of retirement – being on a
    flexible schedule, or no schedule! Lucky for us our room was available, so
    we now had a greater sense of relaxation, having more time to enjoy the
    house as well as take in all the sights of town.

    The public areas included large and comfortable living & dining rooms and a
    large patio where breakfast was served. The WiFi connection does not work
    through the stone walls of the house, so we would bring our laptop out to
    these areas to check email. They offered use of the Vonage internet phone
    free to all guests. The owners Sharon & Jaye have assembled a wonderful
    collection of books and DVDs. We were entertained & informed by these
    movies:

    “Juarez” starring Paul Muni and Bette Davis (1939)

    “Old Gringo” starring Jane Fonda, Jimi Smits and Gregory Peck (1989)

    “Vera Cruz” starring Burt Lancaster and Gary Cooper (1954)

    “The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez” Edward James Olmos (1983)

    Scott was intrigued with books about the Mexican Revolution, especially
    biographies of Benito Juarez and Miguel Hidalgo. Cindy looked at art books
    about Diego Rivera and Frieda Kahlo, as well as local pottery and tile.

    The ceiling of our bedroom was a design found in many buildings: pattern of
    brick & mortar in a dome shape. If one does not think about the possibility
    of a bunch of bricks landing on your head during an earthquake, it is quite
    beautiful & amazing. The highlight for Cindy was the jacuzzi tub in our
    bathroom. The shower and sink were decorated with blue & white tiles that
    had a bird & leaf motif. Our windows looked over the town below. It was
    perfect for us to retreat to this peaceful hilltop home after a long day of
    sightseeing.

    The University of Guanajuato attracts students from all over Mexico and
    other parts of the world. We enjoyed the energy and diversity of seeing
    young people out and about. The town has many historic buildings including
    the beautiful Teatro Juarez that is still used for performing arts. We
    toured the childhood home of Diego Rivera that is now a museum. On display
    are many of his pencil sketches. Alhondiga de Garanaditas (the granary) is
    the birthplace of (the first) Mexican Revolution led by Hidalgo & Allende.
    We appreciated the museum signs in English, which is not common. We carry
    our Spanish dictionary everywhere. We are working to improve our
    understanding and fluency of Spanish, but reading the English us gave us
    immediate explanations. There are amazing murals that are not by Diego
    Rivera. Sorry, we did not make a note of who the artist was.

    Thursday March 13

    Today would have been Scott’s father Arts’ 80th birthday (see post in
    tribute to Art under “Ship’s Log” and the “Gallery” regarding Art &
    Suzannes’ legacy to the University of Tennessee College of Law).

    Friday March 14

    We drove to the town of Dolores Hidalgo which is famous as the site where
    Father Hidalgo rallied the people with his “cry of Dolores” which began the
    Mexican Revolution on September 16, 1810. In the area outside the cathedral,
    we happened upon a demonstration of native dancing with elaborate costumes.
    We were not able to determine precisely what the occasion was. A funeral
    procession entered the cathedral and the dancers parted to let them pass. We
    were uncertain if there was a connection between the two events, but guessed
    that perhaps it was a dual observation of Catholic and native customs. As
    we’ve found in many Mexican Catholic churches, the Dolores Hidalgo Cathedral
    has extensive gold leaf decor on the inside. We found the Miguel Hidalgo
    home, now a museum somewhat less interesting, compared to the Alhondga
    Granary in Guanajuato.

    We drove another 20 minutes to the tiny village with a huge cathedral,
    Atotonilco. We were by the owners of Quinta Don Jose not to miss it. The
    cathedral is under restoration and a group of school children were getting a
    lecture in Spanish so we could not explore too much.

    We continued on to San Miguel de Allende. It also has a large & lovely
    cathedral, but is most famous as an artist colony. We walked around, stopped
    for lunch but did not have the energy to wander through the many artist
    galleries and studios. Cindy voted for a tour of the Botanical Garden
    instead. Scott was hot & tired by then but humored her anyway. There were
    lots & lots of cactus, plus a wetlands area with a variety of birds. We
    know that we missed a lot of sights in San Miguel. We would recommend other
    visitors to stay there at least 1 or 2 nights.

    After our long day of sightseeing we were happy to return to the lovely B &
    B and collapse. We spent the next day just reading and relaxing on site. We
    only wandered down the street for some lunch and enjoyed chatting with a
    college student from Texas whose Grandmother was from Guanajuato.

    Sunday March 16

    We bid a fond farewell to wonderful Casa Estrella & staff and made the 4
    hour drive back to our Tlaquepaque B & B. We enjoyed it just as much the
    second time. After 2 more days of rest & relaxation we were ready to return
    to *Beach House. *Scott fared better on the bus ride with car sick
    medication and not opening the side curtains at all. Two movies helped pass
    the long trip.

    Scott & Cindy

  • Art Stolnitz 80th birthday & the Art Stolnitz Scholarship at the Univ. of Tennessee College of Law

    Dear F&F;,

    This is a special post that I am writing as today would be my Dad’s 80th
    birthday. He would have absolutely loved the places we have been recently. We
    miss him and my Mom terribly.

    The Grand Bay Hotel in Barra de Navidad and the Tamarindo Resort nearby in
    Tenacatita have fabulous golf courses but almost no one playing. Art would
    have reserved his “Tee Times” around lunch at the “9th Hole” (as many of you
    know). Suzanne would have enjoyed the air conditioning……….

    We recently received several letters from students at the University of
    Tennessee College of Law thanking Art for his generous contributions to
    their tuition. Art believed that the College of Law needed to have a
    strong “out of state” student presence so as not to become culturally closed.
    He loved Knoxville and considered his relationship with UT one of the best of
    his whole life. We’re happy to have created a Photo “Gallery” to show
    you some of the heartfelt cards that Art & Suzanne received and continue to
    receive every year from thankful students that received the “Art
    Stolnitz Law Scholarship”. We were pleased to present an additional gift
    to the College of Law last September in San Francisco.

    We were in Guanajuato, Mexico on Arts 80th and just couldn’t believe he
    wasn’t with us having a glass of Pinot Grigio. So we had one for him.

    We all remember Art as a great human being, friend, mentor, father, father-in-law & grandpa.
    So here’s to you Art & Suzanne! GO VOLS!………

    See the “Gallery” 03 – 2008 – Art Stolnitz Law Scholarship Univ. of Tennessee

  • Puerto Vallarta…..Part 4

    Dear F&F,
    Sunday Feb 17
    We did not know that \”holding tank pumpout day\” was only on Thursdays. We missed it. With 3 of us onboard for 5 days, we really needed to take a dump, no pun intended. There was no other option but cast off the dock lines, motor out into the bay a polite 3 miles & empty out our refuse. As gross as that sounds, bear in mind that massive cruise ships do this routinely. And most of the boats here in the marina do not even using their holding tanks at all, or so we\’ve been told. Apparently, most of
    them just flush directly overboard. It is common practice all over the world. Viva la difference… It was quite blustery in the bay, so we didn\’t do much more than the intended business & returned to the dock.

    In the afternoon we went to the Nuevo Vallarta Yacht Club Sixth Annual Wine & Art Festival. Sounds more grand than it was. A lot of pesos for tiny pours of mostly not very good wine & mostly boaters homemade artwork. It was a benefit for a local women\’s charity so we made our contribution. Scott met the first boating couple we have run into so far that love to scuba dive. They gave us detailed GPS coordinates on many dive sites in places around Mexico we will be visiting soon. Where the water should
    finally be warmer. It is still only 75 degrees here. Diving in 82+ degree water is really when you feel that you have arrived in the tropics (and Cindy does not feel like she needs to be in her dry suit!).

    Mon/Tues Feb 18 & 19
    Highlight was having Mary & Bill on our boat for dinner. Mary\’s BD is Feb 20 so we started the celebration early. I made sister Maria\’s famous cheesecake again with similarly fab results (had made it for Scott on Jan 25). We swapped stories, drank good wine that we\’ve been rationing from home & thanked them again for talking sense into us – to stay longer & really see & enjoy Mexico.

    Weds Feb 20
    Farewell to the dock & back to La Cruz anchorage. An entire 4 mile journey. Not worth putting up the sails for. We got settled in, washed the boat & headed to the beach with the dinghy. We were prepared for the \”wet landing\” & had not only shorts & water shoes, but our laptops in waterproof cases. We had learned of a pizza place,(Philo\’s) that is boater friendly with free WiFi. We spent nearly 5 hrs on our computers on two separate days: Skype calls, Scott ordering parts for our next visitor (sister
    Alberta) to bring & me making the reservations for her to meet us in Manzanillo at the end of March. Did you all get to see the lunar eclipse? It was very cool. We all went outside the restaurant to view it. The sky was perfectly clear, it was a site to behold.

    Tomorrow morning we will be up at 4:30 am in order to motor around the southern tip of Banderas Bay, called Cabo Corrientes while it is calm. That point has a reputation for strong winds against current from the opposite directions. Cabo Corrientes in Spanish means \”Cape of Currents\”. It is a similar phenomenon to Point Conception that many of you know in Southern California. We will continue traveling south enjoying the real heart of the Mexican Riviera over the next few months. Stay tuned…

  • Puerto Vallarta…..Part 3

    Dear F&F,
    Friday Feb 15
    Sad day…Skye had to fly back to LA. The Hollywood Writers Guild strike coincidentally ended while she was with us & it is time to go back to LA & get another job. She\’s also studying for the GMAT, perhaps an MBA program in Fall 2009.

    She made us promise to wear more sunscreen. Even though we had been in pretty cool climates up until Cabo & it seemed like we were covered up all the time, she pointed out the drastic contrast of her very pale skin to our getting a bit too dark & leathery faces. See photos on website. Of course she has been locked in an office building 12+ hrs/day during her 2 Warner Bros jobs over the past year. So a little vitamin D exposure went well with her SPF 30.
    She & I took a cab to the airport. Scott & I tried to restrain ourselves on what we sent back with her. We are in constant discovery of what we need & what we aren\’t using, so we shuffle our stuff. Taking advantage of all visitors to bring stuff to us & take stuff away. I stayed at the airport with her until just before boarding time. We had Starbucks for old times sake. I was successful at not spilling tears with our parting hug. I had not been aware how much I have missed \”girl time\”. Skye gave
    me a healthy dose that I soaked up fully. Bless you my child.

    That evening Mary & Bill F. invited us on their boat for appetizers & a slideshow of their Mexico travels over the past 3 yrs. We got very excited about what lies ahead of us & they opened our eyes to the possibility of doing land based tours to Guadelajara & Copper Canyon (Mexico\’s much larger Grand Canyon).

    Saturday Feb 16
    Dustin Fox (Fox Marine), local gringo boat worker came & helped Scott with several projects for about 5 hrs. Poor guy has been ill & only managed to give us that one day. We stayed another 4 days (at the lousy dock) in the marina hoping he would reappear, but no luck. He is knowledgeable & skilled & we hope to get him for a few other projects on our way back through here in a couple of months.

    It wasn\’t too hot that day, so I cooked some banana muffins & rice pudding. After dinner, other boat friends pulled into the marina. We first met Emmy & Eric (s/v Natarja) in the northern Channel Islands in October & have kept in touch with email. We were eager to talk story, so I invited them onboard, fed them a couple of hot dogs & was glad I had made dessert. They were \”ahead\” of us for a long time, but somehow we \”passed them\” & now we have \”caught up\” with each other again. In a way it is a
    small community. By winlink email, radio contact & local gossip we keep track of our old & new boat friends.

  • Puerto Vallarta…..Part 2

    Dear F&F,
    Weds Feb 13
    Skye really helped us get in the full tourist mode. She & I signed up for the \”Dolphin Experience\”. We went by panga to a mini Sea World type place. The captive dolphins are in tanks & do tricks for the paying tourists. It was a bit sad, but awesome to be right in the water with them nonetheless. Scott took photos from afar. The outfit really wanted you to buy their photos taken by their tank-side photographer, so restricted the \”viewing area\”. But Daddy was not to be outdone & with his long lens
    managed to capture some great moments. See web \”Gallery\” 02 -2008 – Puerto Vallarta & Environs

    Propane Day in the marina. You take your tank up to the Harbor Masters office. A local guy comes & takes it away, fills it up & returns it. How cool is that?!

    Bill F. came by in the afternoon. He is retired from Cisco & Citibank & is a computer genius. He helped clean up & speed up Scott\’s laptop. Skye & I had a nice long walk on the beach. There is just one resort after another in Banderas Bay (Puerto Vallarta being the best known town). Tons of gringos, mostly 60 & up having a great time on the beach. We met many folks that have a time share or winter condo down here. Lots from Canada, Washington, & the midwest but even some from Arizona & California.

    I took the opportunity of having Skye with us to experiment again with my pressure cooker. Many boaters rave about how they wouldn\’t be without one, but I have not yet found it to be that fast or convenient. I had a big frozen chunk of beef roast (from San Diego Trader Joes) that seemed a good candidate. I defrosted it overnight, although I\’ve heard stories of boaters pressure cooking hunks of meat from rock hard frozen. Put onions & garlic in the bottom, then the meat, brought to pressure & cooked
    20 mins. Released the pressure to add potatoes, cooked 5 mins. Removed from pressure, added carrots. Well – note to self: the potatoes were mush & carrots perfect, so next time, add them together. The meat was falling apart tender, very flavorful & delicious. We almost demolished the whole thing in 1 sitting.

    Evening entertainment: 2 episodes of Stargate SG-1. It was a cable channel sci-fi show that Scott got hooked on & bought all 10 yrs of DVDs. We started watching them from the beginning in September. Five months later we are deep into season 7. Skye got hooked when visiting us in San Diego at Thanksgiving. I find them a fun diversion, but sometimes too stimulating for pre-bed viewing. I\’ve mentioned how I\’m a pretty light sleeper these days, so I can\’t really blame them for keeping me awake.

    Thurs Feb 14 HAPPY VALENTINE\’S DAY
    My \”Girls Group\” got together at the California Yacht Club (in Marina del Rey) for lunch per my request. Linda, Anna & Sharon. Martin (Linda\’s husband) stood in for me. I missed being there very much, but it is important to me that the group hangs together even while I am abroad (well, I\’ve always been a broad, but you know what I mean…). We emailed & did a Skype phone call to the club to make their reservations & give our permission for the group to be our guests. Linda has taken up the baton
    as the Girls Group coordinator. I was always the one to declare when we were due for a get together & 99% of the time we met at my house, then boat, or the yacht club. We all benefit so much from the companionship, love & laughter during our get togethers that Valentines Day has become the keystone holiday to celebrate together. Forget a romantic dinner out with the hubby! Why suffer poor service & mediocre food at an over booked restaurant, when you can have lunch on a yacht with the best view in
    the marina & with friends who have seen you through thick & thin? I was tickled pink & so proud that they actually managed to come together without me. They have even made a plan to visit Sharon\’s new motor coach located in Oxnard soon.

    Back here in Nuevo Vallarta, we had just another relaxing day in Paradise. Walk on the beach, swim in the lap pool, schmooze with other boaters. I made \”appetizer dinner\” onboard & then we walked to the mall for gelato. Delicioso!

    Skye spent much time on the computer scoping out the next place (and many future places) that she can come visit us. The kid was a real trooper putting up with the noisy, surgy dock we were on. We did not have an advance reservation, so we got the last choice spot on the dock. Right at the entry of the marina with practically no protection from the wind & sea. Her cabin was on the side of the boat that was tied to the dock so she had to put up with the squeaks & groans of the dock lines & fenders.
    It was bumpy enough that she had some moments of seasickness when trying to read down there. We medicated her as all good parents would do & she survived the ordeal without permanent damage.

  • Puerto Vallarta…..Part I

    Dear F&F,
    Sunday Feb 10
    Skye arrived with all the requested boat items & did not get inspected going through customs so that was a relief. We were thrilled to see her, and Scott felt like it was Christmas. All sorts of fun spare parts, wire, digital photo storage cards; other boat gadgets.

    Monday Feb 11
    Skye slept in till lunch time. That gave Scott & I the morning to do our boat chores. On this day it was giving the outside a good bath. When we are at a dock & can use a hose to wash her off it is a real luxury & we do a better job than when we are at anchor & must ration the water we desalinate with our onboard watermakers.

    In the afternoon the 3 of us went boogie boarding. Being at the Nuevo Vallarta dock allowed us certain hotel privileges. We do have 2 boogie boards with us, but by using theirs, we could all go together. Very much fun & very much sand imbedded in the bathing suits. Dinner out at the hotel\’s Italian restaurant. The food was nothing special, I had a version of eggplant parmigiana, but it was a treat for me to not cook for a change.

    Tuesday Feb 12
    There is no fuel dock to pull up to, but the Harbor Master told us how we could get fuel. A local guy came by our boat, picked up our eight, 5 gallon plastic jugs (called jerry cans) & returned them full. Plus an additional 25 gals. That topped off our 2 tanks plus gave us 1 jug spare to add later. Always nice to have fuel. Sailboats do not always sail. Plus we need diesel to run the generator when we are not at a dock & plugged into shore power.
    Scott & Skye rented a jet ski for an hour. It was pricey, but the rental place was right behind our boat & she had fond memories of zooming around on one at summer camp as a kid. Scott had never tried it so was easily tempted. I was happy to take photos & not go pounding through the waves.
    In the afternoon we went to the \”zoo\”. Paradise Village Resort is a big complex that includes hotels, time shares, condos, golf course, tennis courts, 3 swimming pools & oddly 2 areas with caged animals. Right near where I would walk daily to the lap pool was a cage with 2 tigers, and another cage with 2 pumas. Mostly they were quite mellow & lazed around. One evening we had a thrill watching the tigers play chase, running, jumping, climbing the bars, splashing in the small pond in their enclosure
    & playfully snarling at each other. Other animals of interest were ostrich, crocodile & some type of small adorable monkeys. Fun to watch with their prehensile tail & acrobatic antics.

    There is a shopping mall just outside the Paradise Village complex gates (Nuevo Vallarta Marina where we were docked is inside the gates, part of the complex). It was very exciting for me to be able to walk to the store whenever I wanted & buy fresh fruit & veggies & whatever else looked good that day. All boaters have a hoarding mentality. You never know exactly where or when you will next be able to buy food, so you stock up whenever it is easy. I have had to restrain myself from buying any more
    powdered Gatorade & shelf life lactose-free milk. I really got carried away for a while & we are probably stocked up for the whole summer! The prices at the nearby mall grocery store are like LA, since it is a resort area. The bag boys would push a shopping cart all the way back to our boat (nearly 1/4 mile) the one time I got carried away & there were too many heavy bags for us to carry. Just tip them a few pesos & they are happy. At a kids clothing store, I bought a replacement long sleeved swim
    shirt, for sun protection. My old one suddenly disintegrated. And a pair of shorts. Cotton is not good for humid climate. I only had 1 pair that was not cotton so even though it is rather ideal weather now & the cotton is ok, we know it will be getting to more hot & humid areas soon.

    Dinner out 2 nights in a row! Wow! Bill & Mary Finklestein from boat \”Raptor Dance\” (now there is a boat name you don\’t see every day!) have been in Mexico for 3 yrs & have a car here. They leave their boat at the Nuevo Vallarta Marina dock & spend the hot summers back at their home in Sonoma County. We first met them 4 yrs ago when they came through Marina del Rey & stayed at our old home port at California Yacht Club (they are members too). They are the ones we have to thank for helping us decide
    to slow down our pace & spend another whole year in Mexico. Bill & Mary drove the 3 of us in their car over to La Cruz & we ate at a really beautiful restaurant that could have been in Santa Barbara or Santa Monica. Italian again. This time I had Mahi Mahi & it was delicious. Continued….

  • Night Watches……..

    Dear F&F,

    February 12th
    Some of you have asked about the night watches. So far we are doing 4 hrs
    shifts. We haven\’t done more than 2 full days & 2 full nights at sea yet, so
    it isn\’t that tough. Actually, it\’s probably tougher to do short coastal
    passages versus long ocean passages as we have a harder time initially
    adapting to the sleep pattern. In a longer ocean voyage, we would develop a
    rhythm.

    Usually I try to make & clean up dinner before dark. Then I take the 6-10 pm
    shift. Scott is often still up for a couple hours with me, but I try to get
    him to at least lie down for a while. Then I go to bed from 10 pm – 2 am.
    Often I don\’t sleep too much, but try to just rest. Then I am up from 2-6
    am. For some reason Cindy likes
    this shift. She has been a light sleeper so it is not hard for her to get up
    at 2 am. There are so many stars, it\’s truly amazing when you get away from
    the light pollution from the land. There are also a lot of other ships to
    look out for: tankers, cargo, cruiseships. We see them miles away with our
    AIS gizmo. The AIS gizmo, is like a transponder that aircraft use. Our
    instruments identify commercial shipping up to 100++ miles away. It tells
    us their name, radio call sign, speed, location, compass heading and a lot
    more including where they are headed. Cindy prefers to wake Scott up if
    there is any concern about being on a collision course. He gets on the radio
    & asks them if they see us & if either of us need to alter our course or
    speed. So far all have been responsive & the system has worked very well for
    us. Because it is daylight or nearly sunrise when Scott comes on watch at 6
    am, Cindy is more relaxed knowing the captain is in charge she finally
    sleeps pretty well from about 630-930 am.

    We won\’t have to do any overnight trips for quite a while now & that is
    fabulous as day sails are easier. These 1-2 nighters are the toughest. But
    as we decided we won\’t cross the Pacific for over a year, we will have more
    time to enjoy the Mexican mainland & Sea of Cortez. (Also known as the \”Gulf
    of California\”).
    KIT,
    Cindy & Scott