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Home in Paradise
November 2001
 After
a very brief stay in Cabo for a few repairs by Mark, we headed slightly
north on the Baja side to Los Frailes, a very lovely little bay where we
sat out a Norther last year. This time the conditions were completely
benign, the skies sunny, the water warm and clear. We – the two of us –
just needed a bit of down time in a quiet place after several weeks of
intensity.
 We
also felt the need to have The Second Annual “Don’t Spill Your Margarita
on the Generator Control Panel” Party and Book Exchange. We had about 50
people on the boat for BYO drinks and snacks, a great way to get to know
other cruisers. At one point, most of the guests were on one side of the
boat, so we had to have a bit of a cargo shift. Never had that problem
before while at anchor! The only one minor casualty this year: in the book
exchange, someone left us with several bodice- ripper romance novels,
which we will have to find a way to sneak off the boat in a plain brown
wrapper.
Crossing the Sea
 The
weather was so calm that we decided to make the crossing of the Sea of
Cortez (a.k.a., Gulf of California, to non-cruisers) while the going was
good. This time of year, once the Northers start blowing, it can be rough,
but 2001 has been very warm and mild so far. We decided to skip Mazatlan
and head for Puerto Vallarta, making a stop at the nature preserve on Isla
Isabela, a nonstop trip of about 220 miles. We were back to three hours on
watch, three hours off with just the two of us. Tiring, but it works fine
for short crossings. The Sea of Cortez was totally empty and we didn’t see
any other boats or ships on the radar screen all night. We did see
lots of meteors shooting across the sky though – pretty exciting.
We headed for Puerto
Vallarta about two weeks ahead of schedule (schedule, what schedule?) due
to the lack of a stop in Mazatlan. The marina there was closed and being
auctioned off, with lots of rumor and innuendo. We decided it was way too
complex a Mexican situation to get involved in, so we just headed south.
Puerto Vallarta
Feels Like Home
We arrived in PV on the 20th
of November. When we went into the entrance channel at Paradise Village,
it really felt like coming home. Many old friends (“old” meaning we met
them last year!) were already there to greet us. Tom of ‘Tai Tam II’ was
even waving to us from the jetty. We immediately made reservations for the
big Cruiser Thanksgiving dinner and enjoyed a lovely day with a hundred
folks having turkey and trimmings on the terrace overlooking Banderas Bay.
One evening, we went with a
dozen friends to Philo’s, a small club in nearby La Cruz de Huanacaxtle
(don’t ask; cruisers and locals just call it ‘La Cruz’) run by a gringo
former cruiser. It was jam session night, with several cruisers and local
gringos showing amazing musical skills. Then things really got hot when a
young Mexican guitar virtuoso arrived and wowed us all with his
improvisations. Shouted “Bravos!” were heard from everyone. Got back to
the boat at midnight, waaay past Cruiser Bedtime.
 Just
in the last few days, Signe put up our new little (and we do mean little)
Christmas tree. Plus a crčche that she found in a local shop. No, with the
temperature and humidity both stuck at eighty it doesn’t feel much like
Christmas, but it does help give the cabin a homey feeling. We like it.
Trip to the Real
Mexico
Last
year, unlike many cruiser friends we didn’t make any inland trips in
Mexico, but this year we were determined to rectify that omission. Adela
Sanchez de Cueva, our Spanish teacher in San Miguel de Allende, had
recommended Oaxaca as one of her favorite cities, so we were good students
and followed her lead. Besides, we had heard about all the handicrafts
that are made there, plus all the beautiful colonial architecture and the
archeology. We flew there via Mexico City, stayed four days, and loved it.
See the next log for details.
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04/13/04. |
