"Stuck" in Barra de Navidad

    

     It was an exhausting 54-hour, 212 mile sail from Zihuatanejo to Barra de Navidad.  And that doesn’t take into consideration the 36 hours of our first attempt to make the trip the week earlier when we had to turn back to Zihua due to weather and engine problems.  On both trips, we endured 30-knot NNW winds that were not forecasted.  And both storms occurred in the same place, off of Caleta de Campo, 60 miles north of Zihua.  I thought that we were caught in a vortex that we would never escape.  
     On our second attempt, although we were again slammed with unforecasted 30 knot NNW winds we were determined to continue north even with damage from the second storm amounting to a blown out main sail, a jib damaged when the roller furler line snapped sending the reefed jib full throttle into the winds, an auto helm that failed, and a crippled engine.  And just to ramp up our stress levels, we encountered significant freighter traffic during the night.  At one time there were five ships bearing down on us from different directions.  I called every one of them on the radio to confirm that they had us on radar.  Two of them had not noticed us. We stood one hour watches after the auto helm failed, sleeping in the cockpit.  We were making 2 knots and had watched the light at Punto Campos for five hours when finally at dawn, we limped past it and into the anchorage at Las Hadas.   

Repairing the jib in Las Hadas

Later that morning, we called a mechanic in Barra who drove to Las Hadas and rigged a fuel by-pass system that got us to Barra  where we finally tucked into the lovely marina, the high winds and high seas behind us like images in a rear-view mirror.

We are now waiting for engine parts which will take a week or more to get here.  In the meantime, we are “stuck”.  Now, this isn’t such a bad place to be “stuck” with its five-star hotel, beautiful pools, hot tub and morning yoga on the beach.  I can think of plenty of other places that I would not to be waiting for engine parts, but this place restores the body, mind and spirit.  It’s a great place to recover our momentum.   

Scenes of Zihuatanejo

Whether strolling through town, walking along the beach, visiting a school built with SailFest donations, sailing in the SailFest parade or seated on the bow of Gitane watching the awe-inspiring sunsets one is gently surrounded by the color, texture, beauty and friendliness of this lovely town. 

SailFest 2014 raised over $80,000 US for Zihua schools.  (www.zihuasailfest.com)

Lively beach scene



SailFest sail parade



A breezy afternoon sail

Lunch counter - central market



Vegetable stand - central market



Indoor/outdoor living

Fabulous color!

Students supported by SailFest donations

Por Los Ninos day at the beach - soccer!

Street vendor

Colorful wares for sale

Ahh...the life of a sail kitty

Magnificent Zihau sunset

 

Weighing anchor

After watching thunderheads build the night before, we weighed anchor in the early morning sun of Tenacatita where we enjoyed three weeks of swimming, playing bocce ball on the beach and afternoon conversations at the palapa. 

 

We had Santiago Bay on our minds.  We heard that clear, warm water awaited us and a sunken ship offered fantastic snorkeling.  We dropped anchor along Playa la Boquita, 34 miles and five-and-a-half hours later.  We were not disappointed.  We immediately loved the place. The palapa-lined beach wraps around the bay for miles all the way to the town of Santiago.

There were just five other boats anchored in the bay and we were invited ashore for sundowner cocktails and delightful conversations. 

In the morning with brilliant sunlight penetrating the clear water, we donned our snorkels and explored the 300-foot steel cargo ship San Luciano which was sunk in a 1959 hurricane.  The living reef is home to hundreds of colorful fish.  Not afraid to swim near me, one school with 6-inch silver/gray bodies and pursed green lips swam right up to my mask to blow me kisses.  As cute as they were, my favorite was a 3-inch yellow and black striped fish with a flashy fuchsia tail, a real fashionista.  We spent hours in their fishbowl and only when a group of tourists on paddleboards invaded our tranquility did we decide to swim into shore.  After a shrimp ceviche lunch we walked the quiet beach in the afternoon sun before swimming back to Gitane. 

The next morning, we waved adios to our friends as we began the 190-mile coastal cruise to Zihuatanejo.  With our jib and staysail raised we pointed high into the south/southeast winds and swell during the 41-hour trip.  The sunsets were spectacular and we watched evening electrical storms in the distance as clouds piled up against the mountains. 

We turned into Bahia de Zihuatanejo around midnight on the second night, dropped anchor in light winds, opened up the hatches for fresh night breezes and slept soundly.        

Happy New Year!

The Pineapple Express rains from the Pacific have soaked Costalegre (Happy Coast) for the last six days leaving behind rainfall records, deserted campgrounds and lush, green hills. Between squalls we were swimming, scrubbing barnacles off the hull, making wet dinghy landings at Tenacatita beach or playing bocce ball.
 

To celebrate this first day of the New Year about 20 cruisers gathered at the beach palapa for a festive lunch.  The restaurant’s specialty is a fish filet wrapped around fresh shrimp, smothered in a decadent almond cream sauce. It’s a meal that is to be enjoyed slowly, each morsel savored for it fills you with satisfaction.  Nora Ephron once said that when it comes time to have your last meal you may not know that it’s going to be your last meal and you won’t want to make the mistake of ordering a tuna melt.  Well, this thick, sweet fish filet and its rich sauce would never be a mistake so if it had turned out to have been my last meal, it would have been worth it.

This morning, the fleet celebrated the return of the sun by holding the annual Biathalon consisting of a swim ashore from Harmony, the boat of Tenacatita’s Unofficial Mayor anchored about 1/3 mile from shore, a run along the beach and back, then a return swim to Harmony.

 

I teamed up with Coral, the almost six-year-old granddaughter of the Unofficial Mayor.  As I swam into shore, I tagged her and off she splashed down the beach and back at top speed, her legs nothing more than a blur and sending me off with a head start for the last leg of swimming.  Her awesome performance propelled us to a noteworthy finish.

 

 

We began this New Year with our favorites: exercise, good food and good company while anchored in a lovely bay.  Likewise, we wish you a New Year filled with all that brings happiness and contentment to your lives. 
Feliz Ano Nuevo 2014!    

Christmas Afloat at Tenacatita

Celebrating Christmas afloat is a simpler, stripped-down version of the shore side experience.  The celebration of Christ’s birth is quieter, intimate, and more reflective.  Hymns and carols from CDs and the iPod fill our space.  Between songs, we hear the sound of breaking surf rather than commercials enticing us to buy something that we may want but don’t need.  I’ve replaced last minute dashing about with stepping down the transom ladder and slipping into the warm ocean water for a refreshing swim. 

For decorations, I wrapped an empty wine bottle in silver garland transforming it into a Christmas tree for the cockpit. 

This year, I made a flag proclaiming the ‘Joy’ of the season which now flies from the port spreader. 

Down below in the main salon surrounded by garland and tea lights Santa Claus reigns from a corner shelf keeping track of who’s naughty and who’s nice.

Although I miss my family and sharing our traditions, I thoroughly enjoy the quiet, contemplative celebration afloat. 

We wish you a very Merry Christmas.  

 

  

A Flag Workshop

Four kids and two teams; the Tonga team and the French team, a luxuriously wide tile floor, two sewing machines, yards of nylon, a myriad of sewing supplies and two patient moms contributed to a noisy and productive workshop. 
 

The kids are on boats that will be cruising to the South Pacific in the spring. After researching the countries that they will be visiting, Victoria, Johnathon, Shandro and Matero made courtesy flags that they will be proud to fly when they arrive in the territorial waters of the respective countries.  Using my patterns, they measured, cut, pinned and stitched as the soft morning sunlight flooding the room transformed to bright afternoon rays.  With just an emblem left to paint on the Tonga flags and grommets to pound in, they’re good to go. 

 It was a great day spent with smart, funny, engaged cruising kids.

   

A Field Trip

Our mission for this day was to visit Entreamigos, an amazing community center in San Pancho. It was a three-bus trip, from La Cruz to San Pancho. The first was a “collectivo”, a privately-owned van that seats 16 people when crammed full as they often are, which dropped us off on the main highway.  We darted across four lanes of traffic and waited under a concrete overpass for the bus to Sayulita which rattles and snorts, climbs and grinds along the downsized two-lane highway through the jungle before arriving at its terminus.  This surfer-hangout town is known for its healthy lifestyle and with fresh fruit juice and smoothie bars on every corner and in between, we just had to choose a vendor.  We savored our smoothies as we waited 40 minutes at the outdoor bus terminal, a collection of bus seats set in the dirt under a tin roof, for the next bus to San Pancho.

It was worth the wait.  The bus dropped us off on the highway and it was a short walk down the colorful main street in San Pancho to Entreamigos, a non-profit, community-supported education center.  The entrance to this old milk processing plant is wide and high, drawing one’s gaze up and through the immensity of the space.

The building sat abandoned from the 1970s until 2009 when the government gave Entreamigos the rights to occupy and remodel the building.  It is a recognized model of environmentally responsible design.  Recycled materials were used throughout. Sunlight pours through skylights in the reception area, library, computer lab and study areas.

Deeper into the space is a sports area with trampolines and gym mats; eco-design workspaces for sewing, screen printing, glass and metal works; a recycling area and a recycle shop. 

Outside are an organic garden and a play area. 

This is a busy place where materials collected in town are repurposed; plastic detergent bottles become toys, a velvet blouse becomes lovely purses, a car hood becomes a blackboard, egg cartons are lamp shades, glass bottles and jars become vases, cups and ornaments. 

Nothing is wasted. Classes are taught by volunteers, visiting artists, local inhabitants, anyone is invited to give a workshop, to share their talents inspiring others to take care of their planet and contribute good things.  Oh, and while we were there, a Navy League member from Puerto Vallarta came in and purchased 20 toys that will be distributed to Families at the Dump for Christmas!  This is an amazing place.  You can learn more about it at www.entreamigos.org.mx. 

We were standing on the highway waiting for the hot, rattily return bus to La Cruz when a big, plush Pacifico long-distance bus pulled up and stopped. They had a few empty seats and invited us aboard.  Cushy, reclining seats, air conditioning and a movie - what a way to end a great field trip day!