| Isla Isabela – March 13th We left El Cid Marina about 4:00 pm for the 85 mile trip to Isla Isabela. We anchored about 10:00 am only after David caught a 25 pound yellow fun tuna on approach to the island. This is after catching several Dorado. The last one he pulled in was surrounded by about 6 other Dorados – as if they were saying goodbye. Isla Isabela is a bird sanctuary featuring nesting frigettes and boobies. The babies are rather scruffy looking with white feathers and awkward little bodies. We were able to walk among the birds which surrounded the paths. We stayed until Friday. Chacala – March 17th After spending the evening at Mantanchen Bay, we arrived in the charming Chacala. Chacala is only 15 miles south of Mantachen Bay. These little jaunts down south are pretty cool – especially when I remember the three day run from Enseneda to Bahia Asuncion. We can view the beautiful coastline the entire way. Chacala is a beautiful tiny village. Since we arrived on Saturday morning we were able to witness Mexican Nationals finally having some fun! In Mazatlan, especially, we were so used to Mexicans waiting on tourists. We found this little restaurant/casa very close to the dingy landing beach. They asked for reservations a day in advance. The next evening Isabella served us, the crew from Surprise and Espiritu plus a young family from SoHo all at one big table on their patio/car port. The chiles rellenos were stuffed with shrimp and cheese – very good. Neighboring Bucerias is a great little ocean side town. We saw a lot of gringos in Bucerias – many of them Canadians. We met Hugh the owner of the Shamrock Bar and Grill. Hugh shared some odd stories about Americans tourists visiting his establishment. One US tourist commented that Bucerias was lovely, “but there are quite a few Mexicans here.” Perhaps his travel agent omitted a few key facts about the itinerary. The best part of our time in La Cruz was meeting up with old friends. Guave arrived Saturday March 31. Jim Donnell is at it again. He’s crewing (along with Alan) for Guave’s owner Ariel. The boat left Ventura March 17th and is headed for Ariel’s homeland – Puerto Rico. Ariel is a recently retired airline pilot. Listening to Ariel on SSB or vhf instantly reminds you of “This is your Captain speaking… and on your left is the Grand Canyon.” Yes, all pilots do sound the same. Ariel did explain about some training early on about modulating well over the radio. We were also reunited with Southern Belle. We hadn’t seen George, Melinda and son, Joshua, since the end of December. They had made tracks south we were in La Paz. We befriended local Jesus who delivers diesel, gas and water to your boat via his panga. He allowed us to tie our dinghy to his panga at the panga dock. We would then crawl on his panga, pull the panga as close to the dock as possible and jump from the bow to the dock. The other option to getting a shore was a beach landing which usually means dragging the dinghy up the beach while walking in water up to the middle of your thighs. Jesus graciously invited us to his home for dinner. His wife, Lettie, made these great chiles rellenos. Their three children Ivette, Lupita and Jesus nino (not junior) were very sweet. Jesus nino and Joshua rode bikes practicing their motor cross moves. Ivette (16) shared her memory book and photos of her coming out party with me and Melinda. It turns out Jesus’ family owns about eight casas next to each other. It was a very nice evening. Mazatlan - April 13th We arrived in Marina Mazatlan after an overnight passage from Mantanchen Bay. We are headed north to summer in the Sea of Cortez (Gulf of California). After over a month at anchor, we were ready to wash to boat, provission, etc. We are planning to head back to La Paz with Southern Belle the week of April 22nd - weather permitting. |
March 19 – Jaltemba (Rincon de
Guayabitos)
This anchorage (only 8 miles south of
Chacala) features three villages, we
anchored in front of Rincon de
Guayabitos. This is definitely a
Mexican tourist destination. It’s filled
with hotels, bungalows and souvenir
shops.
We found a wonderful little restaurant
stand that featured grilled chicken
basted with this white creamy sauce.
The owner said the sauce contained
orange juice, tomato sauce and
honey. She probably left out the
secret ingredient.
Because there were no dinghy docks,
we landed our dinghy in front of
Tequila Willie’s. Willie is originally from
Austria and has lived in Guayabitos for
about 11 years. Most of his customers
were Canadians, wintering in
Guayabitos. We enjoyed visiting with
them after our outings into town.
Guayabitos)
This anchorage (only 8 miles south of
Chacala) features three villages, we
anchored in front of Rincon de
Guayabitos. This is definitely a
Mexican tourist destination. It’s filled
with hotels, bungalows and souvenir
shops.
We found a wonderful little restaurant
stand that featured grilled chicken
basted with this white creamy sauce.
The owner said the sauce contained
orange juice, tomato sauce and
honey. She probably left out the
secret ingredient.
Because there were no dinghy docks,
we landed our dinghy in front of
Tequila Willie’s. Willie is originally from
Austria and has lived in Guayabitos for
about 11 years. Most of his customers
were Canadians, wintering in
Guayabitos. We enjoyed visiting with
them after our outings into town.
La Cruz – March 25th
We visited La Cruz 5 years ago when we flew into
Puerto Vallarta for a vacation. We also visited Andrew
and Chris Cleveland who were cruising Mexico on
Tondelayo. Back then, cruisers would land their
dinghies in front of cruisers hangout Ana Bananas.
How things change. Ana Bananas is still there but there
isn’t anyway to land your dinghy on the huge mound of
dirt, etc. that has replaced the beach. It turns out they
are building a marina in quaint, little La Cruz. Progress
marches on!
We visited La Cruz 5 years ago when we flew into
Puerto Vallarta for a vacation. We also visited Andrew
and Chris Cleveland who were cruising Mexico on
Tondelayo. Back then, cruisers would land their
dinghies in front of cruisers hangout Ana Bananas.
How things change. Ana Bananas is still there but there
isn’t anyway to land your dinghy on the huge mound of
dirt, etc. that has replaced the beach. It turns out they
are building a marina in quaint, little La Cruz. Progress
marches on!