Category: By Voyage Blog

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…

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.

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.

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….

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

Dear F&F,

February 10th……continued
After the dinghy ride around Punta de Mita it was warm enough that I decided
to go swimming. There were about 10 boats anchoraged besides us. A few
pangas zipping around & a couple of jet skis zooming about. Enough traffic
that I did laps under the boat (for fear of getting run over). I wore my
dive skin, mask, snorkel, fins, shark shield & jumped in. Scott is adamant
that we wear our shark shield whenever in the ocean. There is a velcro strap
around your ankle & a 4 ft trailing antenna that gives off an electrical
pulse that sharks don\’t like. I didn\’t really notice it was on after a
while. That 72 degree water was pretty brisk, but as long as I kept moving,
not bad. It felt terrific to be in the water again. It had been a month
since I\’d last swam. Scott jumped in too & we finished our workout by wiping
down the waterline of both hulls with soft rags. We had the bottom cleaned
by a diver in San Diego & since we got new bottom paint in Ventura in
September, there isn\’t much growth sticking, just an algae slime coat.
Cleaning the bottom gives a nice cardio workout. Trying to wipe the hulls
down & hold your body position with nothing to grab onto & stabilize
yourself. I rather enjoyed that. Which is a good thing, because we will need
to do it a lot more now that we are traveling in warmer waters, the growth
grows faster & you need to stay on top of it to keep the paint in good
shape.

After a shower & lunch, we pulled up anchor & motored the 8 miles to where
we are now (La Cruz de Huanacaxtle). Since we didn\’t get ashore yet I don\’t
know what the main attraction is here, but it obviously a popular spot since
there are nearly so many boats. We are moving again later today (now 2 am so
definitely later…) to a marina at Nuevo Vallarta called Paradise Village.
We know another boat couple that have been in Mexico for 3 yrs & they really
like it there. We wanted a secure place to leave the boat while we go to the
airport to meet Skye. Scott gave her a shopping list a mile long, so we
expect she will be loaded down with suitcases full of boat stuff. P.V. is an
easy place to fly into & since the Writers Strike is still going, she is
still on unemployment. We are excited to see her. It is only for 5 days. Not
sure if we will just stay at the dock the whole time or take her anywhere
else. She is not much of a sailor, so we may just stay at the dock so it is
easy to get off & the boat & walk around. One of the things she is bringing
us is new wiring for our wind instruments. We have not had our wind speed or
direction indicator functioning since we left Ensenada. I really miss that
information. Of course when it\’s really blowing it\’s probably just as well
to not see those big numbers on the gauge, but I will be happy if we can get
it working again. I hoisted Scott up the mast when we were last at a dock,
but he didn\’t have all the equipment he needed to get it working. We also
got a referral for a marine electrician in Nuevo Vallarta, so hopefully he
can help Scott with the several things that are not fully functional.

We have decided to spend another year in Mexico. We were just feeling like
our schedule would be very rushed trying to see the entire Gold Coast of
Mexico, all of Central America & make a decision whether to cross to the
south Pacific in June or summer in Ecuador. So even though we originally had
not considered spending a season in the Sea of Cortez, we now will be. This
change of itinerary has made us feel much more relaxed. We know it gets very
hot in the sea, especially in Aug & Sept. Many boaters park there boat at a
dock & fly \”home\” avoiding the worst of the heat. We don\’t really have
anywhere to go other than being guests of friends & family for a week or 2.
I want to go visit my Dad this summer, so will use the easy opportunity of
flying out of La Paz or Loreto to do that. Scott thinks he will stay with
the boat, but we\’ll see what we find once we get up there. We may try to do
a tour of \”Copper Canyon\” (Mexico\’s EXTRA Grand Canyon) on the mainland of
Mexico, adjacent to \”The Sea\” (Sea of Cortez).

That\’s about all the update for now. If you haven\’t been to the website
lately Scott has put on many new photos. Don\’t miss the elephant seals &
whales.
www.svbeachhouse.com

Regards,
Cindy & Scott

Dear F&F,

February 10th
Right now we are anchored at La Cruz de Huanacaxtle. There are about 40-50
cruising boats are here. There is a brand new marina, but hardly any boats
are inside at those new docks. Why pay when you can anchor for free? The
docks are not attractive because you can\’t easily walk to the town from the
new marina. And apparently the water there is not potable. There is a lot
of construction along the coast everywhere we go. More and more condos &
hotels. I am afraid Mexico is becoming Orange County & ruining much of its
natural beauty. Anyway, we did not go to shore yet here because we didn\’t
realize it required a \”wet landing\” from the dinghy. Meaning we need to be
in shorts & water shoes in order to beach the dinghy & pull it up with its
flip-down wheels & drag it up (heavy) out of the surf. So we just cruised
around the anchorage & met another couple we had spoke to on the radio –
friends of friends that we had helped do a radio relay for. When Boat A
can\’t hear Boat B via VHF (short distance) radio, sometimes we can act as
Boat C & relay the message between A & B. Scott is very big on boating
communication & loves to help whenever he can. Anyway, I had really been
looking forward to a walk onshore, but it was getting late & instead we came
back & had dinner.

Last night we arrived at 11 pm into Punta de Mita after a day/night/long day
at sea after departing San Jose de Cabo where we were at a dock for 2
nights. It is just 15 miles north of Cabo. Prior to that we had anchored out
in Cabo (open roadstead) for 4 days. Cabo was quite a culture shock after
the isolation of Magdelena Bay. The good part of Cabo was being able to take
the dinghy to a dock & walk around (dry landing). The bad part was the daily
cruise ships with their tourist shuttle boats zooming by & then all the
people in jet skis, parasailing boats & glass bottom boats & day fishing
charter boats zooming around & through the anchorage making for a really
rolly anchorage during the day. At night it was just fine. We were far
enough off shore not to hear the noise of the bars & restaurants & I enjoyed
seeing the lights of the hotels & condos. It was quite pretty. Kind of like
Palm Desert at the beach. They have kept the height of the buildings down,
so it is not (yet) Miami Beach or Vegas. But very developed with much
construction still going on.

So the 15 mile trip from Cabo to the marina at San Jose de Cabo should have
been a piece of cake, but instead we had wind of 20+ knots on the nose &
pounded into pretty big swell for 3 hrs. It was pretty tiring & we felt kind
of beat up upon arrival. There was a lot of current & surge even at the
dock, so I didn\’t enjoy a good sleep there even though it cost us $50 a
night to stay there. And they didn\’t even how power or good internet
connection. We did however get to use the dock hose & gave the boat a good
wash down. The main reason we went there was to pick up our resident visas
that we had shipped by our agent in Ensenada. They took longer to process
than we anticipated, but Carlito (from Ensenada who helped us with our
Visas) sent them to the DHL office & that worked out fine. We also got some
generator spare parts sent there. We took advantage of the cab ride into
town to do marketing. There are a lot of gringos living in that area. There
was a huge (Costco size) store called Mega, that had very nice produce,
panaderia, tortilleria & I spent $350 in 2 hrs. So we are well equipped for
a while.

The weather reports indicated decent conditions to make the passage across
Banderas Bay to Puerto Vallarta area. Well, so far we have always had more
wind & rougher seas than indicated on the weather charts. The sea was
hitting us from the side, which makes for a very uncomfortable & wet ride.
We were a bit slow to reef the main & put up our side isinglass which can
protect us from spray into the cockpit & I got a complete baptism with a
breaking wave into the cockpit. It was still cold & I was pretty crabby &
just not entirely psyched up for the conditions that we were in. Nothing to
do but press on. Scott described the conditions as \”boisterous\”. I had other
words…Eventually the wind & sea subsided and by morning we had to motor.
It really warmed up the 2nd day. We had crossed the Tropic of Cancer on our
way from Magdelena Bay to Cabo, but only as we crossed toward mainland
Mexico did we start to feel the chill in the air lessen.

We never like to enter a new place in the dark, but we had talked to s/v
\”Fantasia\” (Jeff) and he gave us good landmarks & guidance for entering. We
were here eleven years ago, but approached from the South and now we would
be approaching from the North. We did not feel like bobbing around outside
the bay for another full night, so we made our way cautiously into Punta de
Mita. Our night vision scope really made the difference as we could easily
see the detail of Tres Marietas Islands approaching in the dark.

Many people had told us how beautiful this place was. It is pretty but
again, with overdeveloped. I think it has lost some of its appeal. There
was no easy place to beach the dinghy, too much breaking surf, but we did
take a tour along the coast. Many gorgeous gringo homes. Reminded us of
Montecito/Santa Barbara area. We can\’t imagine how it is for these Mexican
construction workers building mansion after mansion on these beautiful
beaches & then returning to their humble domains. The contrast between the
haves & the have-nots is definitely in your face down here.