Copper Canyon to Baja Peninsula

Day 2 at the Posada Barranca Mirador Hotel on the rim of Mexico’s spectacular Copper Canyon began with an excellent breakfast in the hotel’s dining room that featured enormous windows facing the canyon. We had made arrangements the day before to take a tour of the nearby village of Divisedero, ride the zip line into the canyon and take the newly completed aerial tram back to the rim. Knowing that we couldn’t possibly do it all, our group of 6 split up with Mark, Anne and Howard doing the zip line and Dave, Marisa and Lynn taking the land tour. Our zip line adventure was quite a thrill as we sped along the steel cables suspended high above the canyon and crossed several suspension bridges on foot (think Indiana Jones or old Tarzan movies) to connect the 7 legs of the ride. We couldn’t help but squeal with glee each time we left the loading platforms on the cliff edges and rocketed toward the opposite side at speeds that filled our eyes with tears. After our morning adventures, our group compared notes over lunch at the hotel and made plans for an afternoon hike. Before we knew it, the day was done and a restful sleep in our rooms awaited us. After breakfast the next morning, part of our group took another hike into the canyon before packing for the train and bus trip back to the coast. While checking-out, we made a special effort to thank the incredibly friendly staff at the hotel. It was, once again, a great example of the genuine warmth of the Mexican people.

While waiting at the platform for our train down the mountain, we were able to observe several Tarahumara Indian women and children selling beautiful, hand-woven baskets made from pine needles, tree bark and cactus. The appear to be a very solemn people, rarely smiling and unwilling to socialize with outsiders. Once aboard the train, we found the ride to be quite comfortable, aside from the occasional banging and clunking of the train car connectors as the engineer applied the brakes. We had made to decision to take the train all of the way to the town of Los Mochis and spend the night there before continuing by bus back to our boats in Mazatlan. Our Copper Canyon hotel staff made reservations in las Mochis for us at one of their sister hotels (Hotel Santa Anita) and upon exiting the train, we found the hotel’s bus already waiting for us. We looked at each other in disbelief, again amazed by how smoothly this entire trip had gone. Surely, someone’s compound fracture must be lurking around the next corner. After another pleasant hotel stay we walked about 10 blocks to the bus station confident that busses to Mazatlan would be running every hour. We arrived at 8:40am to find that a 9:00am bus was available and that the next one was not until 8:00pm. How long was our luck going to continue? Prior to boarding the bus, we had just enough time to scurry to a nearby taco stand for chorizo, scrambled eggs and fresh tortillas to go, yum.

Our bus ride took just over 6 hours and we were treated to 3 terrible movies with dubbed Spanish dialog. Even though the movies were awful, it gave us all a chance to improve our limited Spanish as we strained to understand what was going on. By mid afternoon we were stepping off the bus in Mazatlan and within moments climbed aboard a waiting “red truck” for the ride back to the marina.

Wow, what a great trip... good friends, spectacular scenery, delicious food, warm Mexican hospitality and flawless logistics. It could not have worked-out better. And no, there were no compound fractures.

Even though we all had a marvelous time, we were happy to return to our boats and get underway on the next leg of our journey, a crossing of the Sea of Cortez to the Baja Peninsula. We all hustled the next day provisioning and doing pre-departure boat chores. When the following morning’s planned departure time arrived, we found the harbor shrouded in fog and would wait 90 minutes until we had adequate visibility to safely negotiate the harbor’s narrow entrance.

Our overnight crossing to the Baja was quite pleasant due to smooth seas and a brilliant full moon. In the evening after dining on Anne’s homemade chili, we took turns standing watch while the other napped. Our only complaint was the the winds we so light that we had to motorsail all but 4 hours of the 28 hour trip. By afternoon of the following day, we were safely anchored in crystal-clear water off the beautiful, sandy beach at Ensenada de los Muertos (Bay of the Dead). The bay features a modern hotel and golf course in a development called Bahia de los Suenos (Bay of Dreams). It’s easy to imagine why the resort’s marketing people changed the name as foreign travelers would likely be a bit put-off by the literal translation of a name that is characterized by a celebration in Mexico.

We spent a peaceful night anchored there while planning our next-day’s snorkeling and hiking activities. Like many nights before, we drifted off to sleep, gently rocked by the ocean swells feeling so fortunate to be living this dream.

Mazatlan to the Copper Canyon

On Sunday April 9^th we departed Marina Mazatlan for our bus/train excursion to the“Barranca del Cobre” (Copper Canyon). The system of canyons is located in Mexico’s Sierra Madre Occidental Mountains. Our group of 6, including Dave and Marisa from the vessel “Pacifico” and Howard and Lynn from “Swift Current”, arranged for one of Mazatlan’s ubiquitous red trucks to pick us up at the marina at 6:30am and take us to the downtown bus station. Red trucks operate as taxis with bench seating in the bed and room for up to 8 passengers. While probably not the safest or most comfortable means of transportation, the trucks are inexpensive and efficient. We were pleased to find it waiting for us at the appointed time and by 6:50am we were at the bus station, arriving in time to catch a bus one hour earlier than planned. The ride to the agricultural and industrial city of Los Mochis took 6 hours with a few stops along the way. It was a first class bus so they showed movies in Spanish and the seats were quite comfortable. We noted that they were more comfortable than airline seats and had considerably more leg room. Arriving in Los Mochis, we walked several blocks to another bus station where we would connect with a local bus for the short ride to our planned overnight destination, the quaint town of El Fuerte. Arriving in El Fuerte, we strolled along a few quite streets looking for a hotel for night. Before long, we came upon the Rio Vista Hotel on a hill next to a replica of a Spanish fort. Nacho, the hotel’s proprietor gave us a quick tour of the facility and we all agreed it was a perfect place to spend the night. We quickly settled-in and were soon enjoying beverages and a snack on the hotel’s patio overlooking a meandering river. Nacho (Mark confessed that he was very uncomfortable calling a person “Nacho”) was a perfect host and made our stay very enjoyable. The hotel itself was built into the old fort so it was very unique and had wonderful views of the river and surrounding valley. We would later stroll into town in search of dinner, finding the town to be extremely quiet, perhaps due to the early hour or lack of tourism this year. Later, back in our rooms, we concluded the evening by watching a few minutes of, always entertaining, Mexican TV. Our rooms had two double beds, air conditioning, a nice shower, 2 geckos and a rather large spider. We chose to ignore the other occupants until sometime after midnight when the geckos started barking at each other. It’s hard to imagine that such small reptiles can produce such a substantial bark, loud enough to wake us from a sound sleep. The following morning, Nacho served us a delicious breakfast on the hotel patio and provided us with a ride to the train depot where would catch the first class, Chihuahua-Pacific Railways train up into the mountains. So far, everything about the trip had gone so well that we began to joke that it was all too good to be true and that some major misfortune, like a compound fracture was waiting for one of us around the next bend. Traveling with such good friends that share our warped senses of humor is truly a delight and we often find ourselves laughing until our sides ache. We found the train to be very comfortable and managed to all get seats together. The journey to the canyon took 6 hours as the train climbed from sea level to nearly 8,000 feet. We wiled away the time reading, conversing and looking at the scenery along the way. We rode for hours in the nearly empty dining car enjoying the view from its larger windows. Our intended point to disembark was Posada Barranca and, upon arrival, we were surprised to find just a train platform. While the train made a short stop, we quickly gathered up our bags and stepped down onto the weathered, wooden platform. As we stood there, looking wide-eyed and rather lost, were approached by a gentleman from a nearby hotel who asked if we had reservations. When we replied that we didn’t, he gave us a questioning look but responded, “no problem”. He offered to drive us to his hotel where could check it out with no obligation. When we reached the hotel, we were immediately taken by its spectacular location, right on the rim of the canyon with views that were absolutely breathtaking. Upon seeing the Hotel Pasado Barranca Miradorl, we realized that it was the same one highly recommended to us by other cruisers that had been there just a week before and where we had planned to stay all along. Normally, arriving here as we did, without reservations, would have been foolish but, like most other areas in Mexico, tourism here is way down and we would find that we were among just 25 total guests at the hotel. Once again, our good fortune was making everything fall into place. While checking in, we were a little taken aback by the price, as it was beyond our budget, but it proved to be a good value. As it turns out, all meals were included and they were of excellent quality. By the second day, we agreed that if we were to stay there very long and continue to eat the 3 course gourmet meals, would could roll back down the mountain rather than take the train. After checking- in, we headed up to our rooms and, upon entering, noticed our private balcony. When we stepped outside onto our small deck, hanging over the canyon’s rim, our breath was taken away by the majestic view. We quickly settled- in and excitedly scampered downstairs to check out the rest of the hotel and the surroundings. We met up with David, the gentlemen who had rescued us from the train platform, for a guided walk into the canyon and around several “Tarahumra” Indian residences. According to history, the “Tarahumara” retreated into the canyon when the Spaniards invaded Mexico and have been there ever since. The “Tarahumara”, or as they call themselves “Raramuri”, meaning “foot runner”, dwell in caves or under rock ledges with wood or adobe houses attached to them. They are known as extraordinary long distance runners and for generations have used narrow footpaths in the canyon to travel swiftly between villages. Wearing only huarache sandals, the men have been known to beat ultamarathon runners in the States while even stopping to take a smoke during the event. After our short hike, it was time for “happy hour”, which we enjoyed on the hotel’s large deck overlooking the canyon, followed by a delicious dinner. Plans were made for more canyon exploration the next day and 3 of us signed up for a zip line (steel cables strung between canyon walls traversed by riders wearing climbing harnesses and suspended from a pulley attached to the cable) and, before retiring to our rooms for bed, we had another good laugh thinking that maybe that activity would lead to the compound fracture that was waiting for one of us. Pretty sick sense of humor, eh?

La Cruz to Mazatlan

Our trip to the States was a whirlwind of activity including administrative chores, visiting friends and family and shopping for boat parts. We spent a total of 9 days in McCall, Seattle and Los Angeles and found the weather to be rather depressing. After so many months of sunshine south of the boarder, we were unaccustomed to the overcast skies and cool temperatures in the northwest and were soon anxious to get back to the boat. Upon returning to La Cruz, we quickly set about readying “Blue Rodeo” to continue our migration north. Our friends from the boats “Swift Current”, “Pacifico” and “So Inclined” were ready to depart and we were looking forward to traveling as a group with them. We quickly provisioned and completed a few boat chores before setting out for our first stop, the small but bustling resort town of Guayabitos. Departing Banderas Bay, we were treated to a great view of a small humpback whale calf frolicking near it’s enormous mother. By afternoon, were anchored in the scenic, but somewhat rolly, anchorage just off the town. We stayed two nights there and enjoyed walking the beach and a dinner ashore with our friends. The town was alive with tourist activity, most of them Mexican, and we were entertained, but a bit annoyed, by the outboard- powered pangas pulling banana boats (long, inflatable banana-shaped tubes ridden by soaking-wet passengers) as they screamed by our anchored boats. We were close enough to shore that the loud music and announcements from activity leaders at the pools of the nearby hotel soon had us longing for the quiet and solitude that we’d find at our next stops. Many beachside resorts here are suffering greatly from the poor US economy and the exaggerated fears many from the States have regarding travel in Mexico. It was nice to see that, although it wasn’t quite business as usual, this area appeared to be doing fairly well. Our next stop was Matanchen Bay. We had stopped there on our way south and, once again, spent two nights anchored in the beautiful area. One day, we took our dinghy ashore with friends and visited the town of San Blas, finding it to be very quiet this time of year. San Blas/Matanchen Bay is famous for it’s pesky mosquitoes and, despite being anchored well offshore, the noseeums (nearly invisible relatives of mosquitoes) found us aboard that night and ate us alive. By the next day, we were suffering from their numerous nasty bites. The morning of the third day found us headed for Isla Isabel. This would be our second stop at the island and we were looking forward to seeing what had become of the blue-footed booby eggs we had seen there in December. We dropped our anchor at a spot next to the rock pinnacles off the east side of the island after threading our way into the shallow water through the usual maze of fishing nets rather poorly marked with plastic floats. As we anchored, Howard and Lynn, our friends from the sail boat “Swift Current”, took some excellent photos of us next to the rocks. The next day, the “Swift Current “ crew, along with Mike and Karen from “So Inclined”, joined us for a dinghy trip to shore and a bird watching expedition. We were delighted to see all of the down-covered chicks, most peeking out from under their mother’s feathery skirts. They were at the awkward stage of having grown almost as large as their protective mothers but were still lacking feathers and looking somewhat gawky. We got quite a few chuckles out of watching them. Later that day, we snorkeled and swam and Mark finished the boat bottom cleaning that he started a few days earlier and replaced “Blue Rodeo’s” sacrificial, below-water zincs. Plans were made for a “first-light” departure for Mazatlan the next morning and we finished the evening by watching a few episodes of “24”, the TV show that Mark hates but can’t stop watching.

The next day, after a pleasant, 13 hour sail, we motored into the Stone Island Anchorage just south of Mazatlan Harbor’s main entrance. We dropped our anchor in the fading light and watched with interest as swells, rolling in from the southwest, formed breaking waves in the shallows not far from us. “Swift Current” had already arrived and, after dark, we were joined by “Pacifico” and “So Inclined”. The next morning we awoke to see two surfers riding waves close to our boats. After a quick “pow wow” with our boating friends, we raised our anchors and motored about 7 miles up the coast to the narrow entrance to the channel leading to Marina Mazatlan. With a fairly large swell still sweeping -in from the southwest, we had to time the arrival into the mouth of the entrance because large waves were occasionally breaking all the way across the channel. It was rather sporty as we watched “Swift Current” abort one entry attempt and finally make it in after being lifted several feet by an overtaking wave. Taking advantage of the same lull in the waves, we followed close on their heels and managed to make it in without incident. We would later find out that a dredge is often working in the shallow, narrow channel, making entering even more exciting. After checking-in to the marina, and giving “ Blue Rodeo” a thorough fresh water bath, we joined the gang for dinner at a harbor-side pizza restaurant. Our group had decided to take a highly-recommended bus/train trip inland to see the spectacular Copper Canyon, a natural wonder much larger than our Grand Canyon. The next day, we would travel by bus to downtown Mazatlan where we would do some site-seeing and purchase bus tickets. That day ended with hurried packing after a peel-and-eat shrimp feast hosted by Mike and Karen aboard “So Inclined”.

Banderas Bay Regatta

Our Banderas Bay Regatta began with moving from the marina in La Cruz 5 miles down the bay to be closer to the center of the action in Nuevo Vallarta. The “Sirocco” race team had secured a slip in the Paradise Village Marina and rented a nearby condo to help house guest crew from the States and provide a gathering place for crew relaxation and meals between events. With Paradise Village filled to capacity, we moored in nearby Marina Nuevo Vallarta which was just a short dinghy ride across the estuary. On our first night there, our group took two dinghies up the estuary, passing many signs
warning that it was a “crocodile zone”, to the Fahita Republic Restaurant for a wonderful meal. We were introduced to James and Patti who had flown from California to help out as crew. The next day, we helped with removing hundreds of pounds of cruising gear and supplies from “Sirocco” so as to make her more race-ready. While the guys shuttled loads of gear to the condo for temporary storage, the ladies made a shopping run to Costco and returned with a week’s worth of food and drink for the 11 person race crew. The day before the races were to start, we sailed out for a few hours of practice and Anne and I were quickly impressed by the boat’s performance and the talents of the crew that have raced together many time before. Mark was assigned the position of mainsail trimmer and Anne that of “sewer rat” or, more politically correct, “squirrel”. While Mark adjusted the tension and angle of the boat’s main sail with each change in course, Anne scampered about as movable ballast and took her position below deck each time a spinnaker (large, light-weight sail) was hosted or dropped. Dousing a spinnaker involves a coordinated effort and the “squirrel” pulls in the sail’s fabric from below deck as quickly as possible like an animal socking-away seeds for the winter. Crew member James, just 17 years old and already a sailing prodigy, moved quickly around “Sirocco’s” cockpit tweaking this and that to maximize the boat’s performance and giving Mark tips as to getting the most power from the main sail. The day concluded with laughter, story telling and a delicious BBQ at the condo.

The regatta consisted of 3 days of racing and race one went well for “Sirocco” as we finished in 2nd place in the class containing the fastest boats. All aboard were pleased and the group shared a warm evening together back at the condo.

The next morning began with news via the internet of Japan’s terrible earthquake and a possible tsumani being forecast for our area. A short while later, word came in via our VHF radio that tidal surge in our area could reach 6 feet in height. This started a scramble by boaters to put out to sea where deeper water would offer protection. The matter became even more surreal when word began coming in that the Banderas Bay port captains had closed all of the harbors to both inbound and outbound traffic. As incredulous as it sounded, we were being told that we faced as much as a $5,000 fine if we violated the closure orders. Before long though, the order was clarified to apply only to commercial vessels and the mass exodus began. Within an hour, the bay was filled with about 150 boats sailing back and forth while monitoring their radios for news of the tsunami’s affects. We were relieved to hear that even though the harbors were experiencing rapid and reversing changes in water depth and significant currents in the narrow entrances, most of the marinas were fairing well. An exception was in the marina in La Cruz where a large section of floating, concrete dock was swept away from it’s supporting pilings. Fortunately, no boats were attached to it at the time. To everyone’s surprise, the surges continued all afternoon and into the evening. By sunset we chose to anchor safely offshore (with about 150 other boats) as the currents in the harbor entrances were still considered treacherous. As darkness fell, we found ourselves amidst a galaxy of boats’ anchor lights enjoying the last of the day’s warm, northwesterly breezes.

With swell conditions much improved the next morning, we returned to our slip in the marina and compared notes with the few boaters that had, for whatever reason, remained in port. All felt fortunate that the tsumani had not delivered the full punch that was forecast.

Race two of the regatta was scheduled the day of the tsumani so organizers canceled it and concluded the event the following day. Our crew put in a good effort but fell short of our first race performance. After the race, the team made trip after trip between the condo and the boat returning and reinstalling the many items that had be off-loaded for the race. Before long, “Sirocco” was back in full “cruising mode”. We would later learn though that we had placed third in the regatta’s final results, quite respectable for a boat equipped for cruising.

The next day, we returned to the marina in La Cruz where we would leave “Blue Rodeo” for a few days while we flew home to visit family, do our taxes and have dental and dermatologist check-ups. The short, 5 mile run back to La Cruz was made more interesting as we towed another vessel with engine starter problems. Our friends Howard and Lynn were unable to leave the marina the day the tsunami was forecast when, at the last minute, their engine failed to start. With a little synchronized maneuvering in the harbor, we were able to pass them a towing line and help them across the bay where mechanical assistance could more easily be found. Fortunately, the sea conditions were flat with light winds and their boat, “Swift Current”, tracked effortlessly behind ours as we made the crossing.

Barra de Navidad and Points North

Our return to Barra de Navidad was special in a number of ways. The tricky entrance to the lagoon there demands precise navigation and anchoring there without running aground always produces a sense of relief and accomplishment. Finding many familiar boats there was fun as was catching-up with the news from our sailing friends that are cruising this area. Also, the small town of Barra de Navidad remains one of our favorites for it’s mix of friendly people, quaint little restaurants and music venues. The waters of the protected lagoon are normally as tranquil as a swimming pool and convenient water taxi service to town is available for a modest fee. There is even a local French baker that delivers warm, chocolate croissants, fresh baguettes and other temptations to anchored boats every morning.

After a few days there, we were anxious to head a little further up the coast to beautiful Tenecatita, home of “Chippy” the anchor chain scratching dolphin. After leaving the lagoon we sailed the nine miles to Tenecatita but were very disappointed to find the waters there affected by a “red tide”. This phenomenon can occur along coastal waters when an unusual number of microscopic maine organisms “bloom” in such quantity that they turn the water the color of tomato soup. Aside from the rather disgusting appearance, the water’s dissolved oxygen balance is so disrupted that it becomes toxic to many fish. While generally not a problem in open ocean waters, this can be quite serious in small harbors where dead fish can be seen floating to the surface. In addition to the red tide, Tenecatita was experiencing an influx of small, stinging jellyfish that made the water even less appealing. Without even dropping our anchor, we turned the boat back toward Barra and pulled into the tiny cove of Cuastecomate where we found clear, clean water conditions. We were soon joined in the anchorage by our friends Steve and Pam of the catamaran “Barramundi” and before long, we were sharing stories over an evening meal at a shoreside palapa restaurant. The next day, we, along with Steve and Pam hiked the road from our little bay over the hill to the town of Melaque. We all enjoyed lunch at one on the many beachfront restaurants and sampled a well stocked market, featuring many US products, that is popular place for cruisers and shore-based vacationers to satisfy cravings for food that they haven’t seen since leaving the States. Later that day, we took the opportunity to clean “Blue Rodeo’s” bottom and propellor. We are amazed at how quickly hard barnacle grow will attach to unpainted areas like the prop and shaft and to a lesser degree to the areas painted with anti-fowling paint. Mark used a 50’ hose and regulator attached to a scuba tank on board the boat while Anne snorkeled along the waterline. After 1 1/2 hours, the bottom was smooth once again but we were both feeling a little sea sick from the combined motion of the water and the boat.

The next day, we were joined by friends Mark and Lorrie who arrived from points south aboard their boat “Thor”. Plans were made for yet another reunion back in the Barra lagoon. While away from Barra, a strong afternoon wind combined with a very low tide produced some excitement as several boats drug anchor and ended up aground. Fortunately, due to the lagoon’s soft mud bottom and the help of other cruisers, the boats we soon re-anchored or stabilized until the rising tide would float them free. When we returned the next day, we were entertained by many stories of the wild afternoon.

Before long, it was time for us to head toward Puerto Vallarta where we had been offered crew positions in the 19th annual Banderas Bay Regatta aboard “Sirocco”, a J130 owned by friends Lee and Cathy from Oceanside California. Our departure strategy involved timing our trip around Cabo Corrientes in the early morning hours when the winds and currents would be most comfortable. We left the Barra lagoon in the morning and motor sailed to the Chamela Bay where we anchored in the late afternoon for a few hours rest. After dinner and a nap, we readied ourselves in the darkness and again set out toward the open sea. Our plan worked well and, although we found head winds in the mid teens and short, steep seas approaching the cape, we made it safely back to La Cruz (in Banderas Bay) by early afternoon the next day. We would later learn that others that had departed a few days before us had met with miserably rough conditions and even suffered some damage to their boats.

Returning to La Cruz felt like another homecoming and, as we settled into a marina slip for the first time in months, we were pleased to see a beehive of activity in the harbor as a large number of cruisers preparing for their South Pacific crossings had congregated and were making final pre-departure preparations. Soon, we were sharing their excitement and looking ahead to our own crossing in March of 2012.

Zihuatanejo

As we begin this blog, we are sailing back and forth across Banderas Bay just a few miles from the city of Puerto Vallarta. It’s a beautiful, sunny day with a steady 10 knot breeze blowing from the west. Although the conditions make for a pleasant day of sailing, we are out on the water not for pleasure but to avoid surge and possible wave action caused by the tsunami that resulted from yesterday’s magnitude 8.9 earthquake in Japan. We are accompanied by about 100 other boats from the small harbors along this part of the Mexican coast and will remain safely offshore until the danger passes. Mark awoke this morning at about 6:30 am and got our first news of the earthquake via the internet. He searched various websites and found the general warning issued by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. Even though we are many thousands of miles from the earthquake’s center, we knew that the energy generated by the quake could produce serious surges in our location. Cruising sailors share general information each morning on a radio “net” and Mark tuned up the radio as chatter began about a possible tsunami hitting our area. Soon, the radio channel was alive with forecasts, reports and a discussion of safety tactics. To complicate matters, the annual Banderas Bay Regatta (sailboat race) is taking place this week and the local marinas are full of participating boats. In fact, we are crewing aboard a sleek and fast J-130 called “Sirocco” owned by our cruising friends Lee & Cathy from Oceanside California. With the help of 8 other crew members, Lee drove the boat to an exciting second place finish in yesterday’s first race of the regatta. After nearly 20 miles of racing, we finished just 50 seconds behind the winning boat. As we wait for a series of surges and currents in the harbors to subside, we will take a few minutes recap our adventures since our last blog entry.

While in Zihuatanejo last month, participating in the annual Sailfest fundraiser, we were joined by friends Carol and Amy who flew in from Seattle for a short visit. They were quickly adopted by our large group of cruising friends and crewed aboard “Blue Rodeo” for one of the Sailfest’s signature events, a race that allows contributors to sail aboard cruiser”s boats. In addition to Carol and Amy, our friends Henry and Janice were aboard as well as two contributors from Winnipeg, Canada. Both gentlemen were experienced sailors so Mark shared time at the helm with them. Wind conditions were very light throughout the race which gave our whole crew an opportunity to strategize and adjust sails in search of an extra fraction of a knot of boat speed. At one point during the race, we were treated to the best display of whale acrobatics that we have seen this season. Just a short distance away, several huge humpbacks hurled themselves skyward twisting and flipping before crashing down and sending spray high into the air. It happened so close to us that we could almost feel the concussion of the impact when their bodies slammed back into the water. Our race finished on a thrilling note as we fought for position with one of our competitors. Our boats were just inches apart as we crossed the finish line and although we tried every trick in the book to sneak ahead, they managed to cross just a few feet ahead of us. Everyone aboard was thrilled and elated by the adrenaline rush from our close finish.

Evenings during the festival were spent enjoying local restaurants and listening to entertainment scheduled for the fundraiser. Before long, Carol and Amy’s short visit came to a close and, as they prepared to fly back to the chilly Pacific Northwest, we hosted 5 more contributing guests on a day-long boat parade and trip to one of the beautiful islands off the neighboring town of Ixtapa. Once at the island, Mark shuttled everyone ashore for a delicious lunch on a sandy beach before our late afternoon return sail to Zihuatanejo. The event was a rousing success and a significant amount of money was raised to support local schools. Mark, however, announced at the conclusion of the parade day that having a number of non-boating strangers aboard was exhausting and that he had no intentions of exploring a second career as a charter boat captain.

After two wonderful weeks in Zihuatanejo, it was time to point “Blue Rodeo” north and begin the trek up toward the Sea of Cortez where we plan to spend the spring and early summer. After so many months of traveling south, it felt a little strange to be heading north but we were looking forward with eager anticipation to the stark beauty, deserted anchorages and crystal clear water that we expect to find north of La Paz.

Our first stop on our journey north would be one of our favorites, the lagoon at Barra de Navidad. Hoping to save fuel, we were determined to sail as much of the 200 mile distance as possible. Once we were underway we felt such exhilaration at again being out at sea. Our time spent anchored near Zihuatanejo was wonderful but seeing our sails filled and the breeze steadily propelling “Blue Rodeo” toward our destination made us feel so very alive and feeling fortunate to be having this adventure.

In our next installment we will recap our return to Barre de Navidad and on to Puerto Vallarta. As we conclude this post, we are safely anchored off the little town of La Cruz with at least 100 other boats. With the local marinas and ports still being affected by strong surge from Japan’s earthquake’s tsunami, the port captains here have closed all of the harbors until tomorrow. The anchorage here is peaceful though and the mast- head lights of the many boats around us look like the stars in the Milky Way.

Las Hadas to Zihuatanejo

After spending a few days in the various anchorages around Manzanillo, we headed south once again in order to reach Zihuatanejo in time to rendezvous with our good friends Henry and Janice from the Nordhaven 55 “Cloudy Bay”. They would soon be leaving there for Panama and we welcomed the opportunity to spend some time with them before they departed. We were also excited about reaching Zihuatanejo so we could participate in the annual Sailfest, a week-long, sailing oriented fundraiser put on by cruisers to raise money to build schools for the local indigenous children.

Like most sailors, we planned our departure so as to arrive during daylight hours at our destination. This required a 4am departure from the anchorage at Las Hadas and about 33 hours of sailing to reach Zihuatanejo. After raising our anchor, we carefully wound our way through other anchored boats and, upon reaching the open water of the bay, raised our main sail and began motor sailing down the coast. After a short while, the usual morning winds began to blow from the shore and we unfurled our jib, shutdown our diesel engine and began swiftly gliding ahead under sail alone. Soon, we were greeted by the beautiful orange and red hues of another sunrise and, before long, we were basking in the warmth of a new day. We continued ahead with good sailing conditions throughout the day but were forced to restart our engine and motor sail for a few hours during the middle of the next night. Our average speed enroute remained near our estimate and we reached Zihautanejo by early afternoon the following day. As we approached, we made radio contact with Henry from “Cloudy Bay” and he sped out to meet us in his high powered inflatable tender. We all smiled from ear to ear and exchanged the warmest greetings as he accompanied us into the bay where we dropped our anchor. Zihautanejo Bay offers incredible views in every direction from both water and shore. The rocky hillsides around the bay feature amazing private homes, beautiful hotels and restaurants in addition to the simple and modest structures that date back to the town’s pre-tourism days as a small fishing village. Having visited cruising friends there 3 years ago, we felt so fortunate to now be returning on our own boat and living the dream that they had been. That evening, we had dinner aboard “Cloudy Bay” and were introduced to Henry and Janice’s friends who were visiting from California. Weary from our overnight passage, we settled into bed early that night and were quickly rocked asleep by the gentle swells that entered the bay. The next day, Henry, Janice and their friends Stan and Diane invited us to join them on an inland excursion to the site of an ancient pyramid. After an amusing round of negotiations with various the drivers of rental vans, our group of six split into two cabs and set out toward the archeological site. Leaving the waterfront area, we were quickly reminded of how Zihuatanejo has grown over the years and how little of the town can be seen from the water. Despite it’s growth, it remains absolutely charming and appears especially neat and clean with recently repaved streets and sidewalks and new shade awnings extending from the fronts of most buildings.

After about 45 minutes of driving, we departed the main highway and followed a dirt road through coconut palm plantations toward a tiny village. Our cab drivers admitted that they had never been to the site but, after stopping several times to ask directions, we found the gate that lead toward the partially excavated pyramid. Sadly, the gate was locked and as we learned later, it is rarely open to the public as researchers are just beginning to uncover it’s remains. After asking directions from another local, we were directed to a humble home in the village where a young man emerged offering more information about the site and to show us some artifacts that his grandfather had found there many years prior. He walked with us to a tiny and simple stone church a short distance away where a 4 foot tall stone artifact, said to be thousands of years old, stood on display. After examining the artifact and the quaint, little church, we returned to the gentleman’s home and were invited inside. As we entered his very modest home with uneven concrete floors and little furniture, we were introduced to his aged parents. Despite not being able to communicate with them in english, they greeted us with sincere, warm smiles. We remained skeptical about what we were about to be shown, expecting to see the usual, touristy trinkets patterned after the ancient style. We were stunned however when he brought out several black plastic trash bags containing broken bits of ancient, authentic artifacts. The carved bits of stone and two substantial busts were absolutely fascinating, as was the story the story he told about his great grandfather recovering them from the site. We realized we were among a privileged few that were able to hold and examine these potentially priceless items. He told us that the University of Mexico City had begun excavating the ruins and restoring a portion of it. A modern archeology research center had been built nearby and pressure was being put on the town’s people to sell their land and move away so the entire site could be fully examined. It was easy for us to understand that the emotional attachment to the their homes and land was far more important than the money being offered by the government. It will be interesting to see how the conflict will be resolved in the future. After thanking the gentlemen for his time and offering a small gratuity for his service, we climbed back into our taxis and headed toward our next stop, the town of Petatlan, where we had been told was a spectacular church worth seeing. As we left the small village, we stopped adjacent an ancient sports court where a basketball-like game was played by the indian civilization that lived in the area. It was a sunken pit with a gravel floor and stone seating around the perimeter. Memories of our junior high school history lessons reminded us that the games played there often resulted in the beheading of the losing team’s players.

After visiting the church at Petatlan, we returned to Zihautanejo where our group had an delicious evening meal ashore at an Italian restaurant overlooking the bay and our anchored boats. The next day, Henry, Stan and Anne arranged a morning fishing trip aboard a panga owned by a local restaurant owner. He proved to be quite an expert fishing guide and, soon after their 7 am departure, Anne fought and successfully landed a 90 pound sailfish. Anne would have preferred to release the beautiful fish but it was likely to be the only catch of the day and the Roberto, the boat owner, expressed the desire to keep it for his restaurant. To the group’s surprise, their luck would continue and soon, Stan was landing an bigger sailfish followed by Henry’s catching an even bigger marlin. In the end, three highly sought-after billfish were caught within four hours and one sailfish and one marlin were destined to become fish taco’s at Roberto’s restaurant. The three intrepid fisherman returned to our boats bubbling with the excitement of what is often a fisherman’s lifelong dream. In just four hours, the three had caught fish that elude most fisherman and bring people to these waters from all over the world.

The next day we had the opportunity to register our participation with the group organizing the Sailfest. We offered to man the sign up desk one afternoon during the week and to take paying guests aboard “Blue Rodeo” for the festival’s sailboat race and parade. The next few days in the bay were busy with boat chores and a social schedule that left us somewhat exhausted each night. Every day, more familiar boats entered the bay and dropped their anchors nearby. Reunions with our many friends followed and our evenings were usually spent ashore sightseeing and seeking out interesting places for dinner with our sometimes large group. With the start of Sailfest activities just a day or two away, we also looked forward to the arrival our friend Carol and her friend Amy who were coming down from Seattle to participate and get a break from the cold, wet northwest weather.

Each night, we would return to “Blue Rodeo” and sit in the boat’s cockpit bathed in the warm tropical breezes surrounded by twinkling starlight and the town’s lights ashore. It’s hard to imagine a more beautiful and peaceful place to spend time.