This is where we are right now. It is but a sixteen peso bus ride to Puerto Vallarta from where we are - La Cruz is in the north end of Banderas Bay, and Puerto Vallarta is near the middle of it.
I feel badly that I haven't written anything for so long. There are a lot of reasons for it, some of them "good" reasons but some of them are bad reasons as well. I like to keep things upbeat in this blog, but sometimes I feel like I am lying if I do that. Lying by omission, at least. But things have been up and down since I last posted, and I will simply tryin a linerar manner, to catch up on what has been happening on board Magda Jean since mid December and my last post.
We left Mazatlan Dec 20 at 3:30 pm and arrived in La Cruz on Dec 22 at 11:30 am. It was a really fantastic sail. We used our assymetrical spinnaker for the first time, and discovered it was not all that hard to use. For those who don't know, spinnakers are the big, brightly colored sails that are seen billowing out in front of sailboats in usually light air. Our sail is purple, yellow, and black. There are different types of spinnakers, and the differences have to do with the shape of the sail and the manner in which it is rigged. Ours is an asymmetrical spinnaker, which is shaped like a regular triangular sail, only bigger, made out of lighter material, and the sides are not completely symmetrical. Some spinnakers require a big pole be attached to the mast and many lines (ropes) attached to it and the boat in order to use it. Ours does not, thank goodness. But it is a bit unwieldly, for sure. Since we are not skilled racers, we only use this sail when the air is really light AND off the stern or the stern quarter.
Now these are usually the sailing conditions that drive me nuts - light air off the stern means you go real slow and the sails slat and the boom bangs around and all and all it is very uncomfortable. But with the spinnaker - the speed is drastically increased, the sail does not slat and the boom is still, and it is quieter than can be imagined. We had that going for 15 hours straight until the wind increased and we had to bring it down. THAT was a bit hairy for a few moments, but we got it. It was an incredible experience.
Getting here was one of the progress goals I had set for us - La Cruz by Christmas. Not for any reason related to La Cruz, just that I wanted to keep us moving along. Everyone has told us how much we are going to love La Cruz - maybe we heard that a little too much, which can set up unrealistic expectations. It is a very nice, very big anchorage, with good shore access. There is a nice shore view. There are also a LOT of boats here, sort of like San Carlos only more spread out. The anchorage is located in Banderas Bay, which is 20 miles wide by 20 miles long. We are on the north end, and as you go south along the shoreline, you eventually come to Puerto Vallarta, about 15 or so miles away by car or bus. It is only 9 miles by sea. There is a huge sailing community here - four big marinas besides this big anchorage. And even though Puerto Vallarta is smaller than Mazatlan, it seems a lot bigger, likely because all these little towns between here and there sort of run together. Like a tiny version of Los Angeles. La Cruz is charming, with cobbled streets winding up hills from the shore. There are plenty of pretty good restaurants, many of them run by members of the robust expat community residing here. And that is just La Cruz. Down the road is Bucerias - which has really nice beaches and is more touristy like a tiny little Cabo in some respects. Then you come to Nuevo Vallarta - seems to be mostly homes for gringos and a marina built on an estuary. We haven't really been there yet - it is home to the Vallarta Yacht Club, which I thought about joining since our membership to the Navy San Diego Yacht Club lapsed. Then after that, you come into Puerto Vallarta proper. We have walked around PV and really enjoyed sitting in a restaurant overlooking the malecon watching the people walk by AND seeing the Chargers get beat by Detroit and having the Raiders fan waiter tell us that as Charger fans, our beer would now cost more.
Okay, so that brings us up to now, anchored in La Cruz. Our nephew left yesterday for home, so we are on our own again. We miss him a lot and hope he decides to come back at some point - it was hard to see him go. He did a fantastic job with the boat and it is a better boat directly due to his hard work. The bad news - our outboard is having problems. There is no water coming out of the water indicator, which is where the water comes out that circulates through the engine to cool it. Mike and Walt checked the raw water strainers - but that isn't it. The water pump and/or its impeller are the suspected culprits. Of course, this does have to happen on a holiday weekend, causing us to be pretty much boatbound unless we want to row a significant distance (3/4 mile) in water that oftimes has waves to deal with and winds that may go against you. But other cruisers have offered to help us, so things will work out. There are some mechanics and a Honda dealership here. This cannot be the first cruiser's dinghy engine to ever have a problem here!
So again - we are in a holding pattern. But it is a nice place to be in one. The weather is gentle - not hot, but very pleasent. Good sleeping weather at night. We plan to spend New Years Eve here alone together with Magda Jean - time we can spend talking about what we want for each other, for ourselves, and for the New Year. I know it is cliched, but it seems like this is a good time for reflecting on the past and the present, reconsideration when called for, rejoicing (did I spell that right?) in the good things we are lucky enough to have in our lives, and recognizing that life is always but a work in process. So to all of you reading this: I wish you the best possible new year!
No comments:
Post a Comment