A Young Entrepreneur, Zihuatanejo

Maria gently places her small hand on the dinghy as she walks alongside, as if she were blessing it.  She doesn’t lift her hand from it as her father hauls it onto the beach.  Some days, she comes to the beach directly from school, still wearing her uniform.  Other days, she’s in shorts.  Always, her hair is disheveled, falling carelessly out of a barrette or ponytail.  Sometimes, she brushes the stray strands away from her face; sometimes, she’s too busy to notice. 

Whether it was out of a need to take care of his family or his entrepreneurial spirit, or perhaps a little of both, her father, Juan, saw a need and filled the gap and at the tender age of six, Maria is helping when she can.  Juan provides a welcome service to cruisers by helping them land their dinghies safely on the beach in Zihautanejo.  Watching from the shade of the palm trees, he wades out to meet them, always with a smile and a polite greeting.  He holds the dinghy steady while the passengers hop out into knee-deep water, the driver shuts off the engine and hops out before pulling it up past the surf line.  Most bays do not have dinghy docks so beach landings are a necessary evil and having shore help is really nice.  After landing, Juan will keep an eye on your dinghy until you return and then he helps you launch, reading the waves and trying to keep everyone dry.  For this roundtrip service, he charges 20 pesos, about US$1.80. Some days, he may help 10 boats.  During a festival there may be 20 or more, but his average daily income rarely exceeds US$20. 

For many of us, Juan embodied the hard-working, entrepreneurial spirit that we encountered throughout Pacific Mexico.  Doing something is better than doing nothing. By filling a niche he found a means to provide modestly for his family. We don’t know his whole story.  He may have other income, he may do some fishing occasionally, but based on the hours that he was on the beach, it’s hard to imagine that there was time for anything else, and he was teaching his young daughter the same principles of hard work. 

Maria is a shy girl of few words.  She mostly just wants to touch the dinghies and walk alongside them.  I usually gave her some small coins for her efforts.  One day, I gave her a coloring book and some crayons.  She smiled and held them tightly.  On another day, I gave her a Barbie sticker book and her eyes lit up.  Next time I see her, I will have some clothes for her.  Sometimes, it's the little things in life that really matter. 

The Mayor's Raft Up, BahiaTenacatita

Tradition has it that all everyone anchored in Bahia Tenacatita on a Friday night is invited to a dinghy raft up hosted by the presiding Mayor of the anchorage.  At promptly 5:00 p.m., the Mayor anchors his dinghy off of Good Dog Beach and all other dinghies tie off to him and each other forming a circle or rectangle or some such form, depending upon the number that motor over.  The purpose of the event is to ‘meet and greet’.  Some cruisers may have been playing bocce ball and/or volleyball on the beach for days or even weeks, while others may have arrived that very afternoon.  Hors d’oeuvres are passed, introductions are made and conversation ensues until dusk when the bugs come out in force and everyone retreats to the safety of their cockpits and mosquito coils. 

 

In our last port, I came across some fresh basil and made pesto.  I decided to use it on a pizza with artichoke hearts, diced tomatoes, sliced olives and freshly shredded parmesan.  I made the dough in the morning, let is rise and placed it in the refrigerator to chill during my afternoon swim.  Upon my return, I stood in the cockpit and counted 38 boats, more than twice the number that were here in early January when we stopped on our way south.  I did the math.  If half came to the raft up there would be 19 dinghies and at least 38 people.  Serving a crowd of that size from one pizza made in my 13” x 17” oven was daunting. 

Then I remembered Patty, on Oogachucka, who fed 400 people with one bag of Costco meatballs.  No kidding.  The Baja Ha-Ha fleet arrived at our first anchorage, Bahia de Tortugas, and our first potluck. There she was standing at the head of the buffet table.  “Would you like a meatball?” she asked producing her hostess smile. If the answer was “yes”, she gently placed one toothpick-speared meatball on the plate. 

“The bounty looks slim”, I said to Ken as I examined the white expanse of my plate not covered by the meatball.  It was not an auspicious beginning.  Just beyond Patty, however, the potluck began in earnest with every appetizer, main course, side dish and dessert imaginable contributed by all 118 boats.  Fresh fish had been caught and was generously shared on the grill.  It was a hearty, fulfilling meal.

To this day, Patty's feeding of 400 is nothing less than a miracle.  Inspired by her, I arranged the ingredients into 45 bite-size pieces on the risen dough and baked it.  Homemade pizza is a treat for cruisers and there was enough for everyone. 

 

Zihuatanejo

In a nutshell, we like everything about this lovely fishing town. 

We anchored off of Playa la Ropa, a beautiful one-half mile long beach dotted with colorful umbrellas and palapa restaurants.  The water is warm and clear, perfect for morning and afternoon swims ashore.  Brightly colored homes and hotels cascade down the lush hillsides.

 

We enjoyed delightful walks along the shaded pedestrian-only streets, good restaurants, easy bus access for errands and field trips, friendly locals, evening cultural programs in the main plaza, an astonishingly large central market where just about anything can be found, and cheerful entrepreneurs who help with dingy landings on the beach for tips.

 

 

The highlight was volunteering for Sailfest and contributing to the non-profit foundation PorLosNinos which provides scholarships, school supplies and meals for indigenous students (www.porlosninos.com). Donations are raised during the weeklong event which includes a sailboat race, a benefit concert, a chili cook off and a sail parade for which we hosted a delightful group of donors aboard Gitane.

 

The following day, we helped keep track of 150 energetic kids on the beach during open swim, games and lunch.  For some kids it was the first time at the beach and it was great fun frolicking in the waves with them. 

 

We vowed to return earlier next winter and to stay longer as it quickly became our favorite winter destination. 

Sharing a habitat

Sailing from Las Hadas to Zihuatanejo in light winds and calm seas we enjoyed the companionship of magnificent sea creatures. 

In the morning, we crossed paths with a dozen adult sea turtles.  As they contentedly paddled past us, we thought of their nearly 80 year life span which is spent almost entirely in the water.  Last month, we released Olive Ridley hatchlings into the sea.  They were tiny, rubbery creatures that fit in the palm of our hands.  We placed them gently on the beach at water’s edge and sent them off with wishes for a good life.

 

  

In the afternoon, a large pod of dolphins came along side and greeted us with jumps and flips.  They would swim ahead of us and then drop back to jostle with one another for front position while darting back and forth across the bow before swimming back toward the stern and starting again.  It was a fun game of hide and seek that all enjoyed.

 

 It's awe-inspiring to share the habitat of these incredibly beautiful sea creatures. 

Bahia Tenacatita, Costalegre

This is one of our favorite bays where we spent 12 days swimming and snorkeling in the warm, crystal clear water, playing bocce ball on the beach with a dozen other cruisers followed by cold cervezas at the palapa, and enjoying Friday evening fleet raft-ups with sundowners.

 

 For provisioning and laundry services, we made two trips across the bay to La Manzanilla where there are well-stocked tiendas selling fresh produce, dairy products and other staples as well as a butcher shop and a seafood market.  We discovered a small restaurant on the beach where we enjoyed meals under the palapa.  I was lucky enough to be buying groceries when I heard a mariachi band in the street.  I left my basket of groceries on the floor and raced outside to check it out.  Much to my delight, a cowboy and his bride were riding slowly through town on a horse followed by the mariachi band, and then by the wedding guests in their cars and trucks.  Locals and visitors alike stood out on the curb to clap and wish them well.  It was a special local tradition that I was thrilled to have witnessed.  

 

 

 

Bahia Chamela, Costalegre

It all began and ended within seconds and in very slow motion.

 The crystal clear, turquoise, 80-degree water swirled around my legs as I stood on the golden sand beach observing the waves as they rolled in, judging their speed and crest height. Several came and went before I waded into the water dragging the kayak in one hand and the paddle in the other. I felt the weight of my iPad, a dozen eggs and three large, perfectly ripened avocados in my waterproof backpack securely against my back. The sea between me and my boat 200 yards away looked calm, the height of the waves decreasing. It was a ‘go’.

I ran in waist deep, pulled the kayak up on my right side, put one leg in and then the other and started paddling. I got in a couple of strokes when a wave broke at the tip of the kayak, turning it broadside before pushing it over on its side, rolling me into the breaker and pushing me face first into the beach. In that split second, I remember every water droplet in that wave as it broke over the kayak. I felt the force of it push me under the kayak. I was engulfed in water and felt the backpack tangled in the seat straps as I struggled to free myself. ‘So this is how it ends for me’, I thought. I broke through the surface as the wave receded and gulped air, glad to be alive. I plucked my prescription sunglasses from the surf, gators still attached, as well as my hat whose chinstrap had been securely fastened under my chin. The force of the wave from behind had ripped them off. I grabbed the backpack and the paddle, clenched the kayak’s handle and staggered up the beach past the tide line where I stopped to gather my wits.

“Do you speak English?” a young girl, maybe 12 years old asked me as two younger boys gathered around.

 “Yes, I do.”

 “Can we help you?”

I paused and looked out at the surf. “Si, la pina, la pina,” I exclaimed excitedly as I pointed to my pineapple rolling around in the surf. The youngest boy sprinted after it splashing through the water. He proudly placed it in the cubby hole in the kayak floor where I had carried it.

 “Can we help you more?” the girl asked.

 “How are you going to help me?” I wanted to know what her plan was. I didn’t want to be responsible for the drowning of three cute kids.

“OK”, she said and paused, her fingers dancing in the air as she searched for the right words.

“Hmmm…can you understand a little Spanish?”

 “Yes, I can."

“Good,” she said and continued in Spanish. “Are you missing anything else?”

"No, I have everything."

“Good,” she said and switched to English. “OK. We will carry the boat out to the water for you and hold it and you get in.”

It sounded like a good plan. The girl and I were in front, the boy kept his hand firmly on the pineapple as we marched through the surf, and the smallest boy worked as hard as he could from behind to steady the kayak in the surf.

“Not this one,” I said reading the waves.

 “Not this one,” I said again.

Just then, their dad showed up and placed his hand on the kayak. He’s a pro at this wave stuff so we waited for a couple to roll past us and then he gave me the signal to get in and I paddled like there was no tomorrow.
 
When I crossed the surf line I looked back and saw the kids jumping up and down in the water and waving their arms excitedly with the pride of a mission accomplished.

Sea Turtle Hatchlings, Banderas Bay

 

What a thrill to release an Olive Ridley turtle hatchling into the water and watch it begin life in its natural habitat!  I sent it off with blessings for a long and happy life.  These ancient creatures can live up to 80 years, most of those years in the water.  Females will return many times to the same beach from which they were hatched. 

We gathered on the beach just north of Paradise Village at twilight with about 50 people to release the hatchlings. This endangered species is getting help from conservation programs and volunteers who build secure nurseries on the beach where the eggs are gathered and protected and released after they hatch. The biggest threat to their lives has been human intervention; poaching and fish nets.  It is now a hefty prison term for anyone caught stealing eggs.  Natural predators include birds so the hatchlings are released at dusk to help prevent them from becoming snacks.      

A polypropylene line was placed in the sand about 30 feet from the surf line. We rubbed sand in our hands so the smell of this particular beach would be imprinted on the hatchling’s brain. The biologists took a hatchling from the plastic pail and placed it in our cupped hands. 

On the count of three, we all pointed our hatchlings toward the water and placed them in the sand.  They looked for the sun on the horizon and headed for it.  Well…most of them did.  Some got a little confused and disoriented and took the scenic route to the ocean, turning left or right a few times before meandering down to the surf line.  Some turned around completely and headed away from the water.  Perhaps they weren’t quite ready to get their feet wet, but the volunteers helped them all eventually find their way. 

We left at dark with the image of these precious hatchlings all paddling out to sea and knowing that we had helped in a small way to give them their best chance to survive and to one day return to this same beach to lay their own eggs.  In the photo below, the little black dots are the hatchlings going to the sea.