Punta Ipala

This is another small bite where you can get an overnight anchorage in calm weather. The added attraction here are large rocks on the eastern side of the anchorage that are only visible at low tide. We found what we thought was a good spot only to discover at low tide that there was one of these rocks directly behind the boat. We pulled in some chain to move forward a little and kept a close eye on the rock and the tides and left at first light the following morning.

Chamela - Night of living dangerously

We had heard that Chamela was a beautiful anchorage that was well protected from the ocean swells but what we found was an large bay that was open to the southerly swells. The first day we anchored on the outside of the group of 6 boats and the next day we moved further into the bay when most of the other boats left. We deployed our flopper stoppers, large stainless steel plates that are hinged so they act as barn doors when suspended from the outriggers. They do an excellent job of reducing the roll from the swells, better than the fish that we drag while underway. The weather forecast was spotty, unstable weather was predicted for the area but the reception of the daily net on the SSB radio was very broken up and we had a hard time getting the full forecast. The weather forecasts for the Mexican mainland are poor at best. The forecaster on the SSB net in our experience has a .500 average at best and the other forecaster for the area who uploads his forecasts to the internet was having technical problems and had not been able to upload forecasts for a week.

As evening approached we could see lightning out at sea and as the sun set we had a spectacular light show well offshore and the winds were light so we were not worried. We had 175' of anchor chain out in 30' of water and felt comfortable with our anchorage as we went to bed. Around 11 pm we were awakened suddenly when our anchor alarm sounded, the winds had picked up and the alarm indicated we were pulling hard on the anchor. We immediately got up and found that the lightning was just offshore and the wind and swells had increased greatly. We turned on the radar to monitor our position to shore and the other boats in the anchorage and sat and waited and watched. What we experienced was the scariest night we've had at anchor. The lightning moved right over us, a continuous explosion of light directly over our heads and the winds increased to 50 kts with 6' swells in the anchorage. At one point a nearby sailboat drug it's anchor and moved past the boat next to us as if it were under power. The sailboat managed to stop themselves after letting out 240' of rode. A sail catamaran drug it's anchor and stopped itself just as it entered the surf line near the beach. All this time there was constant lightning all around us and we feared getting struck and losing all of our electronics. We stopped counting how long the thunder arrived after the lightning bolt with one-missisippi, 2-missisippi, and started using one-holy crap, 2-holy crap... We watched the radar closely and we were not dragging our anchor but the boat was pounding into the swells and we were afraid that this would pull the anchor out of it's set so we kept a close watch on the radar and anchor alarm as we sat huddled together in the pilothouse.

After an hour the storm cell started to pass over us and headed inland. The lightning moved on shore and the winds died down but the swells continued. At 3 AM we decided to try to get some sleep only to discover that our forward hatch had leaked and our bed was wet. Linda laid down in the mid-cabin and I laid down on the pilothouse berth to continue our anchor watch. As the winds eased we started to lay abeam of the swells and started to roll excessively from side to side. Neither of us could stay in our bunks with the rolling. Something was wrong with the flopper stoppers and I was afraid that we had lost them in the storm so I worked my way outside to the cockpit and started to pull them in. What had happened was 2 of the 4 lines that the floppers hang by had broken leaving the floppers hanging vertically in the water and useless in stopping our roll. I bought the floppers in and replaced them with our fish which are about half as effective in stopping the roll and but made the boat at least livable inside.

As the sun came up the seas calmed and we were able to get some sleep. The next day on the radio a sailboat 100 yards from us said that he thought he had been struck by lightning but had not suffered any damage and a person on shore reported that a palm tree just back from shore had been struck and caught on fire. We were lucky not to have been hit by lightning and that our anchor held. We have a 110 lb Bruce anchor that has never failed us and love it. If we ever see lightning like that in the future we will move our anchorage to an open area and let out twice the rode as we normally would. In high winds you need lots of space around you and to be clear of other boats. The danger is not only that you will drag your anchor but that the boats upwind from you will drag and end up on top of you or foul your anchor and cause you to drag. You have no control over other boats other than to get well clear of them before the storm arrives.

Watch the video -

La Cruz - Banderas Bay

This is the cruisers hangout in Banderas Bay, just 15 mile from Puerto Vallarta at the head of the bay. We anchored the first night just outside the marina along with 20 other boats, all but two were sailboats. There was a blow forecasted so the next day we moved into the marina. The town of La Cruz is an old village with some nice restaurants that cater to the gringo boaters. We took the 30 minute bus ride into PV and walked the malecon along with all the other tourists.

Busted!
We rented a car for a day to run to Costco and the grocery store to do some major provisioning and along the way I got stopped for speeding. I was doing 55 kph in a 40 so he had me, no argument. The police had radar set up on the side of the road and as I went by the policeman stepped out and flagged me over to the side of the road. He was very polite, asked for my id and I gave him my WA state drivers license. He told me the rules were that he had to keep my license until I went to the station, paid the fine and returned to him with the receipt. At that point I knew I was in trouble. What if I returned and he was not there? I would never get my license back. I explained to him that it was a rental car that I had to return it the next morning and because it was late in the day I might not be able to get to the station and return before he left. He said that I could pay the fine to him but he did not have receipts. The fine was 870 pesos, about $65 USD, so I gave him the money and he smiled, handed me my license back and reminded me to obey the speed limits. The ticket costs more than the rental car did for the day.

San Blas

Juanary 14, 2010


San Blas is a small town about 125 miles south of Mazatlan on an estuary with a large bay next to the town. We anchored in the bay and took the bus into the town one day and the next time we were waiting for the bus a person in an older pickup with Washington state plates stopped and offered us a ride, which we accepted. The bay is large, over 3 miles across, and has good anchorage. You can anchor in the estuary in town but there are bugs, no see-ums, and we enjoy anchoring in a large bay.
We went on the 'Jungle Ride' which is a panga ride on an estuary just off the bay that goes through a mangrove swamp with wild jungle creatures such as parrots, iguana, and crocodiles. It's a fun 3 hour ride and worth the money.

Mazatlan Market

Here's a couple of photos of the Mazatlan Market in the centro district.




This little piggy went to market...

Mazatlan

We had a near perfect passage from los Frailes on Baja to Mazatlan on the Mexican mainland. The boat ran perfectly, finding it's sweet spot cruising at 1575 rpm and 6.5 knots. The seas were a little rolly on the Baja side but once we were 30 km offshore the swells smoothed out to a gentle roll that slowly calmed down as we approached the mainland. The marina we arrived at is in a new area of Mazatlan that looks to be a slice of San Diego with modern wide streets lined with new shops. Two days after arriving we took the bus, a nice air conditioned bus, downtown to the public market. The city was packed with people as this was 2 days before Christmas and everyone was out shopping and the resorts were full of gringos here for the holidays. The market is a crazy scene and we'll return next week with a camera and post some pictures. Mazatlan is a large city that varies in nature from the fancy resorts on the beaches to working class neighborhoods with a Wal-Mart stuck somewhere in between and we're having fun riding the buses all over and exploring the town.



After having Thanksgiving dinner with over 200 people in La Paz we decided to forego the group holiday dinners in Mazatlan and spend Christmas and New Years with just the 4 of us (don't forget the kitties!). We didn't buy presents for each other but we did get a present for the boat, a waxing. We hired a local worker in the marina to wax the boat for us, the first time we have ever paid someone to wax or clean the boat, preferring normally to do the work ourselves.

We are considering spending the next hurricane season, July 1st to Nov 1st, in Mazatlan. The city has a lot to offer and the marina is very nice and has excellent summer rates. Best of all there is an outstanding coffee shop, Rico's, just a block away. What more in life could you ask for?

Stuck in La Paz ?

That's like saying 'your stuck in paradise and can't get out'. We love La Paz but our plan was to only stay 2 or 3 weeks and then head across to Mazatlan but the weather gods are having a fit up north and that's throwing some wind down our way so we're 'stuck' here for probably another week. oh well.



We bought some fuel yesterday in the marina. It was delivered on a truck to our slip with the aid of a long hose. You tell them how much you want then pay them up front and they take their truck over to the local Pemex station and fill up a tank on the back of the truck and bring it down the dock. The price is a little lower than the local fuel dock but it was the convenience of having it delivered that we liked.

Our POS VacuFlush toilet in the aft head broke, again. This time it was the shaft that connects to the foot peddle and the flushing valve that makes the toilet actually flush that broke. Sheared shaft means no flushing. No flushing means... well, bad things. It was a miracle that the local marine chandlery, Lopez Marine, had this part in stock and at a reasonable price. The two VacuFlush heads on our boat require constant maintenance because they are extremely complex designs and for a cruising boat you want simplicity so things don't break and when they do you can easily repair them. VacuFlush heads are neither simple nor easy to fix. Last summer we almost replaced them but then decided not to, we may regret not doing so.



We went to the local market, the Bravo Market, to get some fish and pork chops. It's kind of like the Pike Place market in Seattle but smaller and with no health inspectors. It's actually very clean and well run and a great place to get fresh meats and produce.

We uploaded some new pics to our Picasa web album. Look in the 'Sea of Cortes - Fall 09' folder here - http://picasaweb.google.com/n4637fjo

Reading the news from the States make us glad to be here and not there. Between snow storms, escalating wars, watered down health care reform that only benefits the insurance companies (why does the government have unlimited money for wars and bailouts but nothing for health care?), and Tiger (who cares!) Woods, we'll take life in Mexico any day.