Cruise of the Confidence 19-Jan-2014

Our sail or I should say motor to Chacala was uneventful. There was next to no wind so we took the opportunity to make some water.

It is only 22 nm away so we arrived about 1430. Chacala is the type of anchorage that you have in your mind when you are dreaming about going on a  cruise.  It is not a big bay but the beach and the water is beautiful. The shoreline is lined with lush vegetation and lots of Palm trees and there are several avocado plantations on the hills.

The town includes some great palapa (thatched roof restaurants) on the beach, a small grocery store and a few shops. There is an artisan market where you can buy dried fruits and all kinds of nuts and the vegetable man comes to town on Saturdays.

 

 

Upon our entry into the bay we saw Lunautica (Mike and Judy) anchored. We were excited as we had originally met them in Los Muortes and then again in Mazatlan.  So we made arrangements to meet on shore for happy hour. I swam into shore and David took the dinghy in. Next day we went to their boat for dinner where Judy made some excellent ribs in her sun oven. Next night it was dinner on our boat - Arracharro (marinated flank steak - which I made fajitas with.

But for me the anchorage has been the best so afraid you guessed it - it all has to do with the swimming. I was probably swimming over a mile a day when you add it all up!

 And spectacular sunsets every night and full moon. 

We decided to stay for Sunday to get a fix of civilization and watch the NFL playoffs. We will be  cheering for Seattle. Wish I could watch some of the Australian Open. But I guess there are always compromises in life!

Cruise of the Confidence 20-Jan-2014

Sunset at La Cruz

Cruise of the Confidence 15-Jan-2014

San Blas 21*31.373N 105*17.250W

About 95 nm from Puerto Vallarta

We decided to go into the marina for a couple of days to provision, get to a bank and sightsee. The next stop does not have any of this and will not take credit cards and has no ATM.

Sab Blas is a sleepy little fishing town and we both really like it here. It has a bad reputation because of the bugs, particularly the jejenes or no-see-ums. But I guess we were just lucky as we did not find the  bugs to be so bad. And after living in northern Ontario with the Mosquitos and black flies -  how bad could it be. But I was covered in Avon Skin So Soft. Whether that was part of it or not, who knows. I do know that my skin is soft and I smell good! David opted for the Off .The town is very neat and clean with a central market, some really good restaurants and really friendly people.

On Thursday we go up early and went on the jungle tour up the estuary. It was a wonderful morning. I hope the pictures does it justice. I said to David - after being on the open ocean with so many whales, and then Isla Isabela and now this - it really makes you realize that you are part of their world and not the other way around. This really reminded me of the river tour that I took with Susan in Belize. We saw crocodiles and egrets and boat-billed herons and tiger herons and small green turtles and green iguanas. The only part that was a. It disappointing was the fact that the restaurant was closed today. So if anyone reading this and is planning to take the tour check first. As a result there was no swimming in the fresh lagoon.

 

 

 

 

After the tour we came back to town and we went to McDonald's for breakfast. No this is not Ronnies place. Mike McDonald was a musician from the states that opened up the restaurant 20 years or more ago. I had fantastic chicken enchilada's. Then we went looking for the bakery - Panderia La Princesa. We asked 4 different people and got 4 different answers. Mexicans do not like to admit that they do not know something so they just make it up. But we finally found it. Now I am not sure if my mother would have bought anything here. It smelled wonderful and there were many different buns and donuts and such. But there were also thousands of small bees! The lady says that this goes on for about 2 months every year. So she just shoos them out of the bag ensuring that you are only getting buns and no bees. Only in Mexico! But many of the local businesses buy their goods from her so it can't be all that bad.

Then we stopped at the barbecue chicken man - Ramon's - who has been cooking chicken on an open oil drum for 23 years. So I will make a salad for supper and then warm up the chicken!

Back to the marina to do a couple of loads of laundry and then I will hose down the boat and me as it is very warm. Another disappointment - the marina has a pool but the filter is out of commition so no swimming for me. Oh well. And when will it be fixed we asked? The attendant just laughed. Definitely not during our stay. And David got on line and went shopping for boat parts to be delivered in PV if we are lucky.

0830: 16-Jan-2014 Leaving the marina and heading south to Chacala

All said and done we had a wonderful time in San Blas. Now onto new adventures.

Cruise of the Confidence 13-Jan-2014

0825: anchor up. We thought that it was going to be a bit of a challenge - might even involve one of us (that being me) going into the water to unwrap the chain around the rocks. When we were snorkeling yesterday we could see how the chain was laying so we had an idea of what we had to do to raise it. But with my excellent job at the helm and David's excellent direction and maneuvering on the  boat hook we were able to raise the anchor without any issues.

 0905: sails set. I set up Otto and we headed out on a course of 110 at an average speed of 5 knots. Not a cloud in the sky and already a couple of whale sightings! We are on our way to Encinada de Mantanchan, just south of San Blas.

0938: sighted a leatherback turtle

1021: another whale putting on a show and coming our way. Maybe this one will get close enough to get a picture.

About to cross another meridian and time zone change. So you guys in the Sault - we are only only hour difference. And you guys on the west coast of Canada - 2 hours different.

1306 CST saw a whale a couple of hundred yards off the port side.  It he must have heard us first as he put his tail in the air and then went deep. So you do not have to worry Mom. Most of the sightings are quite a ways away and if they are closer than they do as much to avoid us as we do to avoid them! Lots of fisherman out

Slowed down to 4 knots but still on a steady course.

1400: had a nice lunch of nachos and salsa with guacamole. Our speed slowed down to less than 3 knots. So we decided to start the motor in order to time our arrival better. And that is when our perfect day stopped being so perfect.

The motor started fading and surging. So we turned it off nd David went to inspect. Looks like the connection for the positive battery post was loose and partly broken away from the alternator housing. So David had to replace the alternator with the spare. He said it is getting easier. Pretty soon he will be able to do it in his sleep.  He bled the motor. I kept the boat on a steady coarse of 110 at about 3 knots. Of course all of this took about an hour and a half. 

We were almost done when a panga with 5 guys In it decided to come over and visit us. Yes - my heart did start to flutter a bit. But David talked to them and they were just making sure that we knew where we were going . We chatted a bit and then they left. We did a jibe, had to bleed the motor one more time and then continued on our way. 

Weather cooperated while Captain Fantastic did his thing again. Now we are sharing a Coke and enjoying the rest of the day. Never get too comfortable on a boat as things can change very quickly!

Phoned Paul to wish him a belated Happy Birthday. News of the crack down by  the Mexican IRS and Customs to ensure boats have their proper Temporary Import Permits has reached the Sault. Unfortunately Mexicans follow Napoleonic law which means you are guilty until proven innocent. Over 300 boats have been held preventing owners from leaving marinas. They seem to have started in the south and are working their way north. And they only seem to be targeting boats in marinas. They are heading north, to places we have already been to so we think we will be okay. The tourist board and marinas are complaining because it could have a big effect on tourism. A lot of Americans have already stopped coming down here due to the perception that it is unsafe.

So hopefully they do something about it. The permit is required for all boats coming into Mexico and is good for ten years. Rumour has it that a number of people who have exceeded their ten years are not renewing. So we say go after them and leave us alone. But we will just keep our mouths shut and hope that we are not targeted.

They do not take your boat but will detain you until the formalities take place which can take up to a 4 months.

Anchor down at 1845 in Encinada de Manchantan in 14 feet of water with a sand bottom. Salad and chicken wings for dinner. And another one of those perfect sunsets.

Day is done!

Cruise of the Confidence 11-Jan-2014

O800: Isla Isabel

21*50.541N 105*52.923W This anchorage has a history of swallowing anchors due to its rocky sea floor. David attached a trip line (line of ropes with a small round fender on the end) to the crown of the anchor. This will allow us to retrieve the anchor should it get caught in one of the rocky crevices. It also lets other boaters know where your anchor is.

 

 

3 other boats in the anchorage. Ariel is from Sweden and we first saw her in Neah Bay. This boat had come through the northwest passage in 2010. Then they spent quite a bit of time in Alaska and the Pacific Northwest. They started their adventure in Sweden and plan to be on the water for another 6 - 7 years. Now that is an adventure.

Isla Isabel is an isolated volcanic island lying 18 nm off the coast. It has been nicknamed the "Galapagos of Mexico". It is a World Heritage site and is well known for the population of birds, including the blue-footed boobies, the brown-footed boobies (their feathers are brown but their feet are green) and frigates. There is also a large population of frigates. We just saw one of the males proudly displaying his red colors to attract a female! And I was all excited because I thought this was such an unusual thing to see. But then today, 11-Jan-2013 we took the dinghy to shore and they were all over. Doing their mating call, puffing up and mating. There were also a lot of females sitting on their nests - I guess the mating thing was successful.

 

We continued on our hike and ran into a fisherman who had just found a large population of iguana's which he was just too willing to show us.

 But I still hadn't seen the blue footed boobie, except the ones flying around, but then you cannot see their feet. We found the crater lake, which was a disappointment. There would be no fresh water swimming today! Then we continued to the side of the island overlooking Las Mona's. 

I got all excited again yelling at David (quietly) to get the camera because there was a blue-footed boobie sitting on the rock. He just laughed because as I looked around we were surrounded by them. A few did their mating dance for us. One had just laid two eggs which were the same pale blue color as their feet.

Fred and Ginger doing a little blue foot soft shoe!

 We also managed to see a couple of brown footed boobies - which are really a light green color and so are their eggs.
 

 

We walked along a beautiful beach made of golden coral and back lava. Then back to the boat for a much needed swim and shower. I feel like we just spent a day in a National Geographic documentary. Del and Carole would have loved it. Just wish we had a better camera to capture some of this.

 

 

 

Our plans were to head to San Blas on Sunday but weather blew in from the East/SE at the start and then turned to the NE. Winds probably peaked at 25 knots. Both us and Ariel IV brought our dinghies and kayaks on board and battened down the hatches. We could see a lot of lightening on the horizon and wild looking skies and a double rainbow. We got a little bit of rain - enough to clean off the boat. We were on watch all night which was not a difficult thing to do as no one could sleep anyway with all of the rocking and rolling. If felt like we were under way all night. But our anchors held and except for lack of sleep the night was uneventful.

Storm Watching

 

 

So our plans to leave have been postponed. Woke up to a sunny hot day - good day to do some snorkeling. I made healthy apple and carrot muffins with pineapple marmalade and fresh cantaloupe. And a toast to my brother with fresh coffee - Paul is 65 today. I am sure his day will be spent watching football and drinking something other than coffee. Sorry we could not call but there is no contact with the outer world from where we are. We did finish the day toasting Paul with Cubra Libre's (rum & coke & lime).

The snorkeling was great. Spent a couple of hours in the water and though the coral was nothing exceptional the fish were. It was a bit too murky for good photos.

 

Cruise of the Confidence 08-Jan-2014

Today I asked David what day of the week it was. He did not know. We actually had to go onto the computer to determine that it was Wednesday!

We have left the marina in Mazatlan but have not actually left Mazatlan. 

We sailed south and anchored in a place on the south end of the city by Stone Island (Isla de la Piedra) 

It used to be a popular spot for anchoring but then a rash of thefts turned the boating community off of it. Plus the police, rather than do something about it, just closed it as an anchoring spot. But some of the local merchants got together and kind of started a neighborhood watch and are welcoming the boaters back again. They are coming but slowly. We anchored for two nights here, with no issues, but we were the only boat in the anchorage. So I sit on the deck with my book and iPad, listening to the Meriachi players. There is the odd panga towing a banana boat, ATV to rent on the beach, horses to rent and the odd kayaker. But  really the amount of water activity is minimal.

 

          

We took the dinghy to shore today to have garlic shrimp and bacon pizza at Benji's. I am telling you that we would not have even approached the place if it hadn't been recommended by someone at the marina. And it was excellent pizza, done in a wood burning oven. See what I mean?

 

 But for me the best is the swimming. Yesterday I swam into shore while David went in the dinghy. We had coconut shrimp and a few beer at Livy's (excellence) and then I swam back to the boat. This could turn into a daily workout routine! Today I was in the water by 10 o'clock. Then I would get out, give myself a quick fresh water rinse on deck, read a chapter of my book and then back in the water. I also swam half way back from the pizza place.
 

09-Jan-2013 woke up after a calm night in the anchorage and another beautiful sunrise. Coffee served in the cockpit, bathing suit on and time for my morning swim. Just me and the fishes. There has been a steady school of over a thousand little yellow tailed fish that like to hang around our boat. I think they like the shade of the boat and it offers them some protection from the pelicans. When a flock of pelicans spot a school of their favorite fish they will circle them, either in pairs or singly, plummet into the waves and come up with fish in their gullets. This will continue until they have brought in 10 - 15 for dinner. No wonder they want to hide under our boat. And I am getting warm and my bathing suit is dry - guess that means it is time for another swim! David keeps teasing me and telling me to cheer up. Sorry - this smile is permanently attached to this face!

1320: left the anchorage under sail with winds at a steady 10 - 12 knots from the NW. We are in 50 - 80 feet of water at 140 degrees. David is playing with the solar panels to see if we can generate some more amps. We are making water, refrigeration is on and the instruments are on. Batteries are maintaining a charge greater than 13 - so we are happy. 

We are averaging 5 knots. Would be nice to maintain this.

1350: I spotted some activity abeam of us, about midway between the shoreline and the boat. At first I thought it was dolphins and then I saw a small tail come out of the water so I figured that it was a small whale. Then I grabbed the binoculars and called to David and just as I got the binocs focused on the site the entire view was filled with one big mother of a whale. So I ran down below and got the camera. We watched it for a while figuring that it was in deed a mother with her calf. I tried to get a picture but all I managed was a small splash in a sea of blue.

1540: David saw a big splash on the horizon so I went forward to be on whale watch again. I saw another splash about 10 minutes later.

1600: for the first time in my life I saw a whale come completely out of the water. He was coming our way and continue to put a show on for us. As hard as I tried the most I could get was a picture of the splash. But when you look at the size of the splash you can imagine how big the whale was.  Then he did a half dozen splashes to wave goodbye and headed north. Spectacular!

 

1630: sighted two more whales acting like synchronized divers. Still could not get a picture. I do not know how these people get pictures of whales jumping out of the water. All I seem to get is water or blue sky. And then 5 minutes later we saw three more! I just asked the captain "What do you plan to do to beat this spectacular display of nature?" And as I am sitting in the cockpit typing this I look up and there is one a couple of hundred feet or less away - takes a dive with his tale up and probably goes below to check us out. This is too much. I have lost track of how many whales we have seen. This is their mating season so let's hope they do not mistake us for one of them and stay out of our way.

I told David that I will take the first watch. First of all, there is no way that I am going down below with the possibility of seeing more whales. Plus I want to see the sun set.

1704: we are starting to lose our wind. We are down to 3.5 knots and will turn on the motor when we hit 2.5 knots. Then we will roll in the genoa and tighten up the main. But not just yet as the winds have just picked up again and I am back to 5 knots. Guess that is because I am at the helm!

1721: David to bed and another whale sighted at 0200 on the horizon coming right out of the water. I lost count after 15! We were seeing humpback whales, the most acrobatic and visible whales encountered on this coast.  They are migrating to the warm waters at this time of year for breeding. Humpbacks average 40 - 50 feet in length and 80,000 lbs. even the newborn calves weigh around 2000 pounds. No wonder we can see them from so far away.

2300: Genoa in. Motor on. Captain up. Admiral to bed.

0538: Sun up. Isla Isabella in site. GPS is off by quite a bit. It is telling me to steer 143 and I really should be steering 180.

0750. According to GPS the island is behind us and we are just coming up to it.

We pass Los Mona's rocks and head into the anchorage.

Cruise of the Confidence 03-Jan-2013 to 06-Jan-2013

Mazatlan is a beautiful city. We spent our first day cleaning all of the salt off of the boat. Actually I did - it was an excuse to hose myself down every so often in order to cool off. David worked on repairing a few of our bug screens as we understand that we are starting to get into mosquito country though no sign of them yet.

We ran into a couple (Mike and Judy) who we met in Bahia de Los Muortes. We were all craving a good old hamburger and we were all tired from the two day crossing so no one wanted to cook. Lucky for us there is a really good burger and sports bar right in the marina so we didn't even have to walk far. 

Next day David and I took the bus into town. The following are some of the beautiful sites of Mazatlan.

The Plazuela Machado is a beautiful park surrounded by nineteenth century buildings.

 

The Catedral Basilica de la Purisima Concepcion

 

 

 

Central Market where you find fresh vegetables, butchers, cheese and just about anything you might want and also some weird things that you might not want - like the head of a pig!

 

 

 

Great latte at a street side cafe. Beautiful old buildings that have all been restored in the old part of town.

 

Competition! I won!

Part of the beach walk.

 

 

Just got out of the taxi and walked past the sports bar and Mike and Judy were there for happy hour (beers are 75 cents each) watching one of the wild spot games for NFL. It was a great game.

Sunday we did some provisioning for the next leg and then we went to visit some friends of Sandra and Harry who have a condo in the marina. Susan and I know Sandra and Harry from Belize. We got a ride into town with Ken and did some more sightseeing and shopping. We also decided to stay here an extra day.