Mexican Riviera

MEXICAN RIVIERA

First stop - Barra deNavidad

The town of Barra de Navidad (Christmas Sandbar) with a population of 7000+ is a small farming and fishing community located on the east end of the Bahía de Navidad, 60 km north of Manzanillo. 

The history of "modern" Barra de Navidad dates back to the mid-16th century when the Spanish used it for ship building, repairs and a jumping off point to the Philippines. A monument has been erected as a memory to these journeys at the end of the jetty.  The large lagoon behind Barra de Navidad is criss-crossed by small fishing boats gathering scallops and transporting visitors and locals from Barra to Isla Navidad and the Grand Bay Hotel, recently voted the Number One hotel/resort in Mexico by the Travel Channel. These boats (panga taxies) also carry passengers to and from the small Colima community of Colimilla where restaurants line the shore. In 2012 many of Barra de Navidad's seaside businesses were left in ruins after hurricane Jova. The businesses recovered despite the wreckage a high tide.

Every morning Emerick, the French Baker, comes by in his panga selling fresh made goodies.  Below we have a loaf of rye bread, almond croissants, spinach quiches and a raisin pastry.......and Paddy's lattes!  Need I say more!

View from our slip at the marina of the Grand Bay Hotel and a few nice yachts.

Harbor master's office.  Not too shabby, huh?

The hotel had decorated the grounds with pinatas and balloon arches for a children's party with live entertainment.

Hard to see, but the ends of this concrete bench are "sand" ashtrays.

Views of the hotel

The Captain caught a fish, but not a good eating one.  Catch and release program.

La Cruz de Huanacaxtle ("The Cross of Huanacaxtle") is a Mexican fishing village situated on the Pacific Ocean's Bahía de Banderas in the state of Nayarit. It is situated approximately a 40 minute bus ride from Puerto Vallarta. The town name comes from a cross that is made of Huanacaxtle wood which is located at the town's entrance.  The town was founded in the 1930s by the Chavez family, which still maintains a mango orchard on the outskirts of town.
In 2008, a major renovation of the harbor was completed and now hosts a marina, called Marina Riviera (La Cruz Yacht Club) capable of handling vessels of all sizes up to 400 feet in length, so we were able to get our 42' in just fine.

La Cruz wall art

Central Park

Now to the wordy part..........Puerto Vallarta History

Puerto Vallarta is a Mexican resort city situated on the Pacific Ocean's Bahía de Banderas. The 2010 census reported Puerto Vallarta's population as 255,725 making it the second largest city in the state of Jalisco.  The city is located at  20°40′N 105°16′W. The municipality has an area of 502.19 square miles.  Puerto Vallarta is named after Ignacio Vallarta, a former governor of Jalisco. In Spanish, Puerto Vallarta is often shortened to "Vallarta", while English speakers call the city P.V. for short.

 Puerto Vallarta's proximity to the Bay of Banderas have given the town a more interesting past than most Mexican tourist destinations. Puerto Vallarta was a thriving Mexican village long before it became an international tourist destination. Tourism was a major economic activity because of the climate, scenery, tropical beaches, and rich cultural history. For a sense of the extent even of the city's modern history, note that Puerto Vallarta and Seattle were founded in the same year 1851. There is archaeological evidence of continuous human habitation from 580 BC, and there is archeological evidence that the area belonged to the Aztatlán culture which dominated Jalisco, Nayarit and Michoacán from approx. 900-1200 AD.
Spanish missionary and conquistador documents chronicle skirmishes between the Spanish colonizers and the local peoples. In 1524, for example, a large battle between Hernán Cortés and an army of 10,000 to 20,000 Indians resulted in Cortés taking control of much of the Ameca valley. The valley was then named Banderas (flags) after the colorful standards carried by the natives.
During the 17th and 18th centuries the Banderas Valley and its beaches along the Bay of Banderas served as supply points for ships seeking refuge in the bay. The area also served as a point where smuggled goods could be sent on to the Sierra towns near Mascota, evading the customs operations.
During the 19th century the history of Puerto Vallarta, then called El Carrizal or Las Peñas, was linked to the history of the Sierra towns of San Sebastian del Oeste, Talpa de Allende and Mascota. While today these towns are considered quaint tourist destinations, during much of the 18th century, Mascota was Jalisco's second largest town, after Guadalajara.  Also during the 18th century Puerto Vallarta grew transforming itself from a small fishing and pearl-diving village into a small beach-landing port serving the Sierra towns.  Puerto Vallarta also became a vacation destination for residents of the Sierra Towns, and by the mid 19th century, the town already had its regularly returning population of vacationers. Most of the early settlers in Puerto Vallarta were families who had left the Sierra towns for one reason or another.
The official founding story of Las Peñas n/k/a Puerto Vallarta is that it was founded by Guadalupe Sánchez Torres, on December 12, 1851 as Las Peñas de Santa María de Guadalupe.  Even as early as 1850 the area was already peopled by fisherman, pearl divers, smugglers and foragers, all of whom had something of a permanent existence in the area.  The year 1859 marks the beginning of Puerto Vallarta as a village.  By 1885, the village comprised about 250 homes and about 800 residents.
The first airplane service arrived in 1932, with electrical service on a small scale arriving about the same time. The first suspension bridge over the Cuale went up in 1933. The city's first plumbing system was started in 1939. In 1942, Puerto Vallarta was finally connected by road to Compostela, Nay. Until then the only access to Puerto Vallarta was by sea, air, or by mule trails to the sierra towns. Also in 1942, in the New York based magazine Modern Mexico the first advertisement for a Puerto Vallarta vacation appeared, sponsored by the Air Transport Company of Jalisco. By 1945, the company was landing DC-3s in Puerto Vallarta (carrying 21 passengers).
By the 1950s, Puerto Vallarta had started to attract Americans, mostly writers and artists in search of a retreat from the USA of the era of Eisenhower and McCarthy. Gringo Gulch began to develop as an expatriate neighborhood on the hill above the Centro. The city also attracted Mexican artists and writers who were willing to trade the comforts of life in the larger cities for its scenic and bucolic advantages.  From the 1960s and early 1970s Puerto Vallarta launched into its trajectory toward becoming a major resort destination.
 American director John Huston filmed his 1963 film The Night of the Iguana in Mismaloya, a small town just south of Puerto Vallarta. At the time of filming, the US media gave extensive coverage to Elizabeth Taylor's extramarital affair with Richard Burton, as well as covering the frequent fighting between Huston and the film's stars. The subsequent publicity helped put Puerto Vallarta on the map for US tourists.
Finally, in 1968 the municipality was elevated to the status of a City.  The town has since also attracted a lively expatriate community from the U.S., Canada and Europe.
Prior to 1973, hotels in the city tended to be modest, and only two large sized luxury hotels existed (the Real and the Posada Vallarta). After 1973, Puerto Vallarta experienced rapid growth in the number of larger luxury hotels, culminating in 1980 with the opening of the Sheraton Buganvilias. In 1982, the peso was devalued and Puerto Vallarta became a bargain destination for US tourists. Consequently, the mid-1980s saw a marked and rapid rise in the tourist volume. This in turn fueled more development, for example the Marina which was started in 1986. By the early 1990s, development of other destinations in Mexico like Ixtapa and Cancún caused a slump in travel to Puerto Vallarta.

On our 40-minute collectivo ride from La Cruz to PV, this young gal entered the bus and began to play the guitar and sing beautifully.  We even had hula hoop entertainment by another gal while stopped at a red light. Of course, we gave them a few pesos.  (Conversion is $11.87 pesos to the US dollar.)

One thing we really wanted to do while in Mexico was to purchase Talavera pottery hand painted sinks for the boat.  While having a nice lunch at San Lucas Restaurant & Bar in El Centro (older part of Puerto Vallarta), the restaurant owner told us the "World of Tiles" was around the corner.  What luck!    Talavera pottery is a type of majolica pottery and the authentic Talavera pottery only comes from the city of Puebla because of the quality of the natural clay found there.  Production dates back to the 16th century when the art was brought to Mexico by the Spanish. The tradition that developed there is called Talavera Poblana to distinguish it from the similarly named Talavera pottery of Spain. It is a mixture of Italian, Spanish and indigenous ceramic techniques.  Here are some pics of the shop which is also where they hand paint the pottery.

I've fallen in love with this pottery!  It is very colorful and as you can see - playful!

Which one do I choose???  Oh, I'm so confused........

Our new sinks...................

Puerto Vallarta's famous arches on the malecon

Oh, then there are the vendors.................everyone has something to sell.  For $1 you can have your photo taken holding an iguana----------no gracias!

We left La Cruz last Monday and after a 2 -1/2 day sail, we are now in Cabo San Lucas.  And doing what we do often............wait for a weather window to go north.

Next blog - The craziness of Cabo - Tourist mecca!

Zihuatenejo, Mexico

Zihuatenejo, Mexico

After a 48 hour motor/sail north from Huatulco, we arrived in this charming village called Zihuatenejo (pronounced Z-wah-ten-nay-ho).  One item from my bucket list:  stay in a B&B carved out of the side of a rock hanging over the ocean, with rock stairs to a small sandy beach.  Guess what?  That B&B is here!

We immediately met some other cruisers here and they invited us to join them for happy hour and dinner in town. Well, I'm game!  So into town we went.  By the way, most of the anchorages we have been in have a dinghy dock......................well, not in Mexico.  It's "beaching the dinghy", which I will tell you - can be dangerous.  Especially if there is any surf - then you're dead meat and WET!!!! (Put your purse & camera in a baggie!)

Just so happens it was "International Dance Day".   It was exhilarating to see the traditional dancing and hear the traditional music.

Paddy's having a Pacifico in honor of his friends Dave and Kathy on Lightspeed, who are in the Tuamotus, French Polynesia.  Cheers.

We walked to Bandido's for dinner.  They make the salsa at your table with this mortar and pestle.  Ingredients include onions, garlic, salt, HOT peppers, cilantro and tomatillos.  All smashed up.  Needless to say, it was YUMMY!

This is the most elegant presentation of a spinach salad I have ever seen.  The spinach is wrapped/rolled in the thin slice of cucumber, topped with slices of red grapefruit and orange, garnished with very few chucks of bleu cheese, sliced apple and almonds.

Creamed corn soup.................enough said.  You can tell by Kathy's arms, she's impressed!

Paddy's chili relleno with rice and guacamole.

I ordered the grilled tuna (rare!!!) in a balsamic vinegar, mashed potatoes with a homemade potato chip standing in the center and steamed veggies.  Guess what my reaction was???

Sue and Geoff ordered the molejito (sp?), a stew of meat, fish, or shrimp served in the mortar with cilantro and green onions.  

After a few beers and margaritas!

Kathy, Don (Wild Rose), Paddy, the Queen, Sue and Geoff (BlueJacket) at Bandido's.

Decided we need to see the village in the day light.  Here's a parade float being constructed on a pick up.  Something's going on???  It's 10:50 p.m. and there is a lot of music and fireworks on shore.  This is a happening place.

The entrance to a hotel.  Those are shells inlaid in to the floor and the front of the counter.

Typical street

Mexican sunset

Same view with the city lights.

Come to the charming village of Zihautenejo.  Just a few minutes up the coast is Ixpata.  I'll be back.
Adios.

Hi Tech on the High Seas

HI TECH ON THE HIGH SEAS

When I first decided to join Paddy for this ocean voyage adventure, I wasn’t really thinking too much about “safety”, I just put my life in his hands.  I mean, he HAD already been sailing for 10 years taking him from Oregon down the west coast to Mexico and then onto the South Pacific and Australia, then from Venezuela up through the Caribbean and to Florida.  (He sold his Baltic 42’ in Australia and bought Le Chat Beaute’ in Venezuela.)  So, how could I go wrong with this sailor?  Well, I wasn’t wrong, but have since learned A LOT about what helps to make for successful safe cruising, in addition to a well-qualified sailor.  I AM in good hands.   It’s called technology.

Pre-Bill Gates, Captains would literally plot their course using charts and various navigational tools.  Known as the chart table.  Now with all the electronics on board, I just call it the "mess!" 

We don’t always have internet.  Actually we don’t have it more often then we do.  But there are other pieces of equipment on this boat that provide us with the information necessary to make sailing “safe”.  Of course you need to know ”how and what” to do with the information you gather.

Single-side band radio (SSB) – you can communicate with the world on this radio.  It’s also your main contact link if you need to call “Mayday”.  Every day at certain times there are radio broadcasts which give you local weather and updates.  These broadcasts also give you the opportunity to air any “emergency, medical or priority traffic”.   We have a function that even gives us the ability to send and receive email when we don’t have internet.   Ours is an ICOM IC-M802.  Note:  the red distress bottom top left.

VHF – VHF (Very High Frequency radio) is used for closer proximity broadcasting.  Channel 16 is the main channel as it is monitored by the Coast Guard (when in the states),  local port captains and authorities, and nearby marinas.  Also a Mayday channel.  Story:  When we were in Roatan (and this scenario is common in most large cruising anchorages), we had a local VHF broadcast every morning at 9 a.m.  There is always the call for “emergency, medical or priority traffic”, then the weather, and a call to see who’s listening.  At that time all who wish to do so, call into the radio their boat name and it is acknowledged by the Net (short for network) Controller.  It is the perfect opportunity to ask for information because there are always sailors there that know everything!!!   Like, where’s the best place to get gas?  Where’s the local market?  How far is it to the Port Captain’s office?   What time does Stephen pick up the laundry? (my favorite!)  If there are any social events going on, those would be announced, like Pizza night, movie night, pot luck, Easter dinner, etc.  Everything and anything cruisers need to know.

Charts and GPS  – on our IPAD we have programs with regional charts showing our location, depths, coast line, speed, anchorages, marinas and areas to avoid – i.e. reefs, shoals, rocks, all those things you DON’T want to hit!!!

This photo was taken during our crossing of the Gulf of Tehuantepec, which can be a very dangerous area if the winds are blowing.  The winds were 25 - 35 kts. 2 days before we sailed through.  Today we are motor/sailing because there is NO wind!  Hence, the importance of weather forecasts.

 GPS – we have a hand-held GPS so we can plot our course by entering the lat/long (latitudes and longitudes – for you land lubbers!) to our next destination.  In the case of longer voyages, we enter numerous lat/longs since we may be turning to port or starboard  (left or right land lubbers!).  In the perfect  world,  we prefer to “run the rhum line” which is a straight line from origin to destination.  The GPS also indicates our speed (5.5 kts.), how long we have been at sea (18 hrs, 19 mins.), an approximate time of arrival (on another screen!), and how many miles we have travelled (103).  This tool is always within hands reach.

 Depth Gauge – self-explanatory! lol

EPRIB – Emergency radio information – when activated, it sends out a satellite signal that includes the boat’s name and our personal information that is picked up by the U.S. Coast Guard when we are anywhere in the world.  If they determine that there is an actual emergency, they WILL come look for us. 

  I also have a PLB – personal locator beacon.  Again, once activated it sends my registered information and boat name/location to NOAA .   My going away gift from Gator Dave!  

  AIS - Accident Intervention System – (my other FAV!)  a small laptop is designated for this program.  Imagine looking at a radar screen and in the center, well, there YOU are!  Around you are circles indicating 1, 5, 10, or 20 miles (depending on the zoom in or zoom out feature).  If there are any other ships/boats within those areas, you will have a “flag” where they are, so you know if there is any potential danger of running into them or having a ship run into to YOU!  This program is used for all long distance trips that include night sailing.  Click your mouse on the flag, and that ship’s info will appear.  The name, class (which refers to length – we are Class B.  Class A are the large commercial ships.), speed, direction, and lat/long. ALL Class A vessels are REQUIRED to have the system AIS.  Privately owned sail and motor vessels are not.  But if you choose to have it, you can have the receive only – you can see what’s out there but they can’t see you.  Or send/receive which is what we have so not only can we see them, but they can also see us.   Needless to say, I am always on the 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. watch and I want to know who’s out there and which way they are going.  The AIS was VERY handy in the Panama Canal area as ALL the large ships in the world transit that area, so there are MANY ships awaiting transit of the busiest passage in the world.. (except the REALLY big ships that are too big to go through the canal and have to go around “The Horn”).  Story:  One night while sailing from Roatan to Provedencia with 3 other boats, I noticed “lights” on the port side but maybe a few miles away.  I radioed on the VHF to Patricia (the more experienced sailor) sailing in front of us (for some strange reason the gals always end up with the graveyard shift!)  …… “do you see that ship?”  She hadn’t but to make sure they saw her, she radioed them on the VHF using the information on the AIS,  i.e.  the ship’s name.  They had seen her and but altered their course for the "comfort zone".

 Last, but not least – Auto Pilot  -  I absolutely can’t tell you how important the auto pilot is.  Imagine standing at the helm manually steering the boat…………….ok, maybe you can’t imagine that.  Well, it can be hard work, especially in rough seas and stormy weather.  With the auto pilot you punch in the direction you are heading by degrees, i.e.  270 degrees, due west.  Story:   While on my watch one night, we snagged a fishing trap and line that literally disabled the auto pilot so we were going in completely the opposite direction.  It’s not fail safe, so you do need to check it regularly to make sure you are on course.

Since we are on the fast track to San Diego before hurricane season, we will be covering a lot of territory.  800 miles has already been covered since we left Panama City.  Only another 800 to Cabo San Lucas and then 700 to San Diego.........................yes, ma'am, it's a long trip.   Today we are leaving @ 4 p.m. for Zihuatanejo which is about 350 miles......2.65 days at sea.  

Safety?  Most importantly it’s all about your Captain.  Be assured, I AM in good hands.

The Pacific Side

THE FAR SIDE..............A/K/A THE PACIFIC

Always an enjoyable treat is having dolphins swim along the side of the boat.  On our way to the Las Perlas Islands, southeast of Panama City, we were surrounded by at least 100 dolphins.  No joke, 100!!!  AND, for at least 45 minutes!  Everywhere you looked, they were jumping , frolicking and just having a damn good time!

 The sail was easy and only several hours.  Our destination was Isla Contadora, the main and most northern island.  Even though it's the dry season, there was still a lot of healthy vegetation.  Looks like a pineapple tree, right?

 After anchoring, we realized our friends Pepe and Big Bear from BeezNeez were also anchored there.  Now what's that about?  They were supposed to be in the Galapagas!  Well, it's that "plan" thing.  Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't!  I hailed them on the VHF, and Pepe said she would swim right over......and she did!  We spent a few days with them and we did the proper amount of giggling!!  It was great to see them.  The day we left, they did also - finally on their way to the Galapagas islands, a 7-10 day sail - determined by Mother Nature.   Love you two.

 Because the Perlas islands are only 30 miles off shore, the islands are obviously the "weekend" destination for the rich Panamanians.  There were MANY awesome homes there, hanging to sides of this hilly island.  Think these folks have a nice view?

Our anchorage beyond the breaking waves.

 Our next port of call was the LeCoiba National Park for  few days and Easter Sunday.  The onto the Las Secas.  We were the only boat there.

 Beautiful water.

A full 24 hour sail then took us to Golfito, where you check in to Costa Rica.  Cute little marinas and a nice village - though somewhat busy.  The first thing I noticed was the cleanliness, and the bright colors used to paint the homes and buildings.  The Costa Ricans, known as Ticas, are very friendly and helpful.

 Bright paint for their boats too!  Modern and traditional here.

 Checking into this country was quite the ordeal, to say the least.  First Immigration, then Customs, and of course to the Capitano de Puerto.  Bring your passports, boat registration, crew list, and your zarape.  What's a zarape, your ask?  It is the document issued by the country you just left, indicating you properly checked in and checked out.  Which in most countries means you paid all the fees.  This process isn't any different from other countries, except in Golfito you are running all over town.  You'd think they could all be closer together, but no............so cab a ride here then a cab ride there!

 Paddy sipping iced tea from a baggie while we waited an hour at Customs. ( An hour wait because their computers were down, so they had to send the clerk to another location with a working computer!)  You bite the tip off one corner and start sucking.  Once you start, you have to finish it because you obviously can't put it down without losing the contents..............kind of like those paper water cones with the pointed bottoms.  Now that's a balancing act.

After leaving Golfito, our next stop was Drakes Bay, with Isla del Cano about 12 miles offshore.  History is that Sir Francis Drake came to the area and then buried his treasures on an island off the coast - and that's Isla del Cano, a/k/a Cane Island.  Over the years, treasure hunters have ruined the island with their diggings, so a group of ecologists talked the government into taking it over to preserve the pristine waters and healthy surroundings.  We went for a 2-tank dive with James and Enrique our dive master.  The water was very murky making the visibility @ 8-10 feet most of the time.  It was eerie.  But we could see enough to know we were swimming with sting rays @ 4 to 5 feet in width.

 The guys set the table on the boat for lunch.....note the lovely tablecloth. 

 Oh yeah, we could see well enough to see this @ 20 foot whale shark.  Talk about BIG!