We stayed in Matanchen for 4 nights. Our first day ashore
included a trip into San Blas; not to be confused with the San Blas Islands of
Panama! We dinghied from the anchorage into the harbor in San Blas and tied up
at the marina docks. We paid our 30 pesos to the security guard and wandered
into town. We found ourselves amongst the local fisherman who had brought their
40 or so pangas into the darsena which is where the local fisherman park their
small fishing boats. Some busied themselves with the days catch and others were
gathered in groups talking, laughing, and drinking beer. We surely looked out
of place in this small part of town but everyone was friendly and, by this time
in our adventure (i.e., nearly 2 months in Mexico), we had our “hola, buenos
dias” down so well you’d think we were local ourselves! We walked a bit further
and found the center of town with various stores and the church. We went into a
central market where we ate lunch; refried beans for Michelle and soup for
Jeff. One of our guide books insisted that it is only a matter of time before
you get sick from eating street-prepared food but that has not been our
experience so far (just knocked on a piece of teak!).
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| Sunset in Matanchen |
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| Pelican visit in the morning |
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| Panga darsena in San Blas, Mexico |
The next day, we dinghied to shore and walked up the road to
find the “jungle cruise”. Pangas wind their way up the Rio Tovara which is
skirted by lush vegetation and abundant wildlife. The first panga was full so
we had to wait for other passengers to arrive. Serendipitously, the next to
arrive was an American couple from a boat that had anchored near us the night
before. We saw crocodiles of all sizes, magnificently-colored birds, turtles,
and beautiful tropical greenery. We’re sure there were fish in the river but
water clarity prevented us from seeing what lurked beneath. We did a short swim
in the Tovara Springs pool where we were separated from the many crocodiles by
a chain-link fence; what’s an adventure tour without a little adventure?!?
On January 11th, we headed to Chacala. The
village of Chacala looks very cute and we read that it is filled with coconut
palms, crystal clear water, and white sand beaches. The anchorage is very small
and wide open to ocean swell. There were already about 7 boats in the anchorage
so once we found “our spot” we set our anchor. The anchorage was very rolly and
we realized that everyone had set a stern anchor so we did as well. However,
since the stern anchor was an afterthought, we didn’t get a very good set and
in the middle of the night found ourselves lying abeam of the swell. It was
very uncomfortable so we decided to move on without going ashore in this little,
low-key village.
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| Chacala Village |
Next stop was Punta de Mita, at the northwest tip of
Banderas Bay. There are several beginner surf spots near Punta de Mita so we
were excited to be anchored here. On the 13th, we went surfing at a
spot called El Anclote. We had a great time surfing these “baby” waves. We are
principiantes (“beginner” in Spanish) and these waves were perfect for us. We
also took a dinghy ride to the surf spot called La Lancha, just a little east
of El Anclote, to check out the break there. We deemed it “doable” and set our
sights on a day of surfing there.
The most wonderful thing about Banderas Bay is the rich
collection of wildlife. It is a humpback whale breeding and birthing ground
where you are treated to daily displays of breaching by adults and babies
alike. This is an indescribable, beautiful, and almost spiritual gift. We are
awed by multi-ton animals hurling their bodies out of the water and spinning to
land on their backs or their sides. We watch as mothers carefully guide, teach,
and protect their mischievous babes. We also watch in sadness as multiple
whale-watching boats encircle these gentle giants and drive them back into the
deep. It is not that we want to deny others who don’t have ready access to this
special treat, we just wish it was done in a more organic, less-intrusive way.
We have watched 10 pangas chase down and surround mamas and babies. Please
consider your tour operator if you ever take advantage of this most-incredible
experience!
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| Humpies galore! |
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| Never get tired of this sight |
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| Birds waiting for a handout from a fisherman |
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| Saying "hello"...... |
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| before the whale-watching boats arrived |
On January 14th, we sailed to La Cruz de
Huanacaxtle where we had reserved a slip. We had intended to stay for a few
days but then life happened. On our arrival, we could see that our friends on
“Oh Joy II” (we met them for the first time in September in Newport, OR and had
criss-crossed paths with them over the next 3 months) were berthed in a slip almost
directly across from us! We were excited to see them and share adventure
stories. Several days later, Michelle became ill and was ultimately diagnosed
with Covid, in spite of having been fully vaccinated, diligently wearing a
mask, and little public exposure. We learned later from staff at the marina
that it was a little “hot spot” of people sick with Covid. After 2 days of high
fever, little appetite, and extreme fatigue, Michelle started to feel better.
But it was another week of isolation before we went anywhere. After she
recovered, we rode out to La Lancha on the bus to “scope it out”. A few days
later, we took our boards on the bus and rode the waves at La Lancha. The waves
were perfect and we had a great time. We stayed all day to avoid the hoards of
construction workers who get off work and take the bus home; we had learned on
our first reconnaissance mission that the buses fill up and everyone squeezes
in leaving little room for two 8-foot surfboards!
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| Recon mission to La Lancha |
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| Walk thru jungle to get to surf spot |
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| Taking a little break at La Lancha |
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| "Principiante" waves |
Our time in La Cruz also included Sunday Markets, lots of
street tacos, bomb diggity BBQ pork ribs, live music, beach cleanup, visits
with new friends and old friends. Our friends on “Pasargada” (we were
introduced to them by “Oh Joy” in Morro Bay, CA) arrived and we had dinner with
them a time or two. We also met new friends on “Somehow” which is a Taswell 43
from Portland! At one point in the marina in La Cruz, there were THREE Taswell
43’s berthed within 10 slips of one another. Our “short layover” in La Cruz
became 3 weeks there! Alas, we were tired of marina life and ready for a
change. So with our friends on “Satori”, with whom we ended up “buddy boating”
for the following 5 weeks or so, left the marina on February 3nd for
points farther south. First stop, however, was Punta de Mita for us to remember
what it was like being on the hook and to get in a couple of more days of
surfing.
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| We see a different canvas every night... |
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| and even get texture sometimes! |
Cruising is sometimes about challenges and we faced a couple
of them while anchored at Punta de Mita. The biggest challenge was discovering
that our start battery, ever faithful in her 12 years of service, was at last doomed
to the battery graveyard. We were able to use solar power to charge it but were
unable to hold a charge. The only place for us to get a new start battery was
back in Puerto Vallarta, about 17 miles to the east of where we were and also
the wrong direction from where we were headed. The battery that we found as a
replacement was an American import and more than double the US cost but we had
little choice. Our friend on “Satori” called his Mexican friend who graciously
went to the marine store (5 minutes after they closed!) and bought the battery
with his own money. While on the way to deliver the battery to us (which was
about an hour drive!), his car broke down. So he called his cousin to come pick
him up and they arrived with a very expensive, shiny new battery. Meanwhile, we
worked together to hoist the old battery, all 100+ pounds of it, out of its
compartment under the settee, up the companionway (6 steps), out through the
cockpit, and into the dinghy using our NovaLift (thank you, Grant Seran at
Haven Boatworks). We did everything again in reverse to get the new battery in
place. Hooked that baby up and, just like that, our anxiety was whisked away
like a soft breeze blowing through the trees. Alas, on February 8th,
we weighed anchor and headed south to Bahia Chamela, our first overnight sail
since leaving Mazatlan.
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| Our journey so far from Port Townsend...2836.8nm |
Next Post: The glorious winter season continues!
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