Update from Suzi

We sailed over to Las Tres Marietas yesterday but it was too rough to drop anchor and snorkel. It will be wonderful in the early morning when we finally leave Banderas Bay. We had a wonderful spinnaker run back down to La Cruz and saw two whales pretty close by. David took a couple of pics to send. It is hot here in the marina, but safe and calm, so . . . here I be for awhile.

Update from David

As of Sunday afternoon I'll have my cell phone turned on and will be back in the states, heading to Coos Bay. I have a 4 hour lay over in Houston about the time of the Super Bowl, so hopefully will be able to watch it there with a lot of Texans. Sounds interesting doesn't it ??

La Cruz to Punta Mita

We had a great sail yesterday afternoon from La Cruz back to Punta Mita and saw at least eight whales at various times, breaching, diving, playing, etc. We're back at Jim's this morning, eating cinnamon rolls and drinking coffee. We will have dinner with Jim this evening after we make a trip out to the boat with all the frozen goodies, and we will again show our gratitude and appreciation for all of his gracious hospitality, turn in our key, and make our way back to Sidewinder. We may sail out to the islands off of Punta Mita tomorrow for some snorkling and then head back to La Cruz. We'll be back in the marina on Saturday.

La Cruz

Spent my first full day in La Cruz yesterday, washing Sidewinder with fresh water. She has a big smile on her bow now. The facilities inside the marina are beautiful; we took showers and walked into the little town to have a bite to eat. Found our way to Anna Bananas and proceeded to have several people buy us shots of tequila. Good thing I was able to get something to eat as well. We danced and had lots of fun. These cruisers are a spirited bunch, and there seems to be a great deal of live music all around this town. What fun!

Today I walked into town and bought fruits and veggies, fresh baked bread, hot fresh corn tortillas and a watermelon popsicle for my walk back to the marina. Richard and Virginia are bringing something to barbecue, and we are having dinner together on Sidewinder tonight. They will be around when David is gone, and I look forward to exploring old town PV with them. Yes, I will be fine here on my own and look forward to doing whatever comes my way. Went for a swim this afternoon; I'm trying to do some exercise every day. By the way, David's buddha belly has definitely disappeared; he looks great! Tomorrow we go back up to Punta Mita to pick up the frozen goodies and wish Jim well. He has been so good to us! Guess we'll have to give up our key........bummer! Love to everyone. Suzi

Update from Suzi

We did get our raw water pump, and David installed it this morning. After we pick up ice, we will dinghy back to Sidewinder and sail down to La Cruz marina where we can get a slip and plug into shore power for 24 hours or so, enough time to fire up the refrigeration and freezer. We heard from Richard and Virginia yesterday; they are anchored in La Cruz bay and will be here for a few more days. It will be nice to hook up with them again. We had fun with Jim after picking up the pump from the PV airport. We started happy hour in Paradise Village where Jim keeps his boat and then moved to La Cruz to a place called Philo's Pizza. We ate, danced, played pool, and enjoyed Friday night party vibes. It was fun to be introduced to La Cruz; it looks like a fun place to be for a while. You can see I'm trying to get into this delay the best I can. David flies out next Sunday and Casey is picking him up in Portland. They will drive to Coos Bay, and David's plan is to stay with mom. He's not sure how long he will stay; we will just wait and see what's happening from there.

Change of Plans

David received word that his mother (in Coos Bay, Oregon) is not doing well, so he is flying to Portland on Feb. 1. The long-awaited pump arrived in Puerto Vallerta today, so repairs on the refrigeration system will begin soon. Suzi will remain with the boat at a marina in La Cruz, a village near Puerto Vallarta, until David returns, at which time they will resume their southward adventure. -Kris

Back in PV

We are going to go surfing today; there are lots of guys already out in both surf spots, and the waves look good. We're here at Jim's just to touch base, email, get some ice and a few supplies, and then back out to the boat. Hopefully the pump is arriving tomorrow at the PV airport, and then we will go down to La Cruz marina to fire up the system. We have to come back to Punta Mita to get all of my frozen goodies in Jim's freezer and then we are free to cruise again. We are told the Gold Coast on our way to Manzanillo is the most beautiful. At this rate, we may never leave Mexico!

Photos from Yelapa, PV & Punta Mita

Yelapa 3 - Inauguration Day

We just returned to Punta de Mita last night after spending the morning with a wonderful gathering of Yelapan gringos at a place called Passion Flower, nestled in the forest off of the river trail. I shed tears from the moment I saw Obama, and there were many in that room who were also overwhelmed with emotion. His speech was inspiring and the vibes intense. It was very special to be with so many enthusiastic, positive people, even way down here.

Yelapa is a really special, magical place and I know I will return someday. Many Americans and Canadians who were here in the late 60's like Marolyn, and early 70's, have bought land, built beautiful palapa homes, and have nurtured the native gardens. The local villagers and the gringos are friends and rely on each other for their livelihoods. There is an abundance of fresh water, fish, and fruit in the area, and fresh vegetables are brought in daily. There is a special consciousness there that comes from shared skills and education; the cobblestone paths are clean, and people smile continually. It was hard to leave such a paradise. We spent the last night eating fresh shrimp and salad and drinking tasty tequila with Ron and Diana from Sebastopol, at their friend's house overlooking the bay, and it was a great way to take it all in. Good times! Our pump should be here by the end of the week, and we will stay in La Cruz to get the refrigeration fired up. We will then be on our way again.

Yelapa 2

Hi there. We are still here in Yelapa to celebrate Obama with all the other crazy liberals this morning. It has been a fabulous time and we will finally leave today later on. Have met so many wonderful people and the locals are really great. Thinking of you and send our love. Waves are picking up! Bye for now, S & D

Yelapa

I received a brief Sailmail from S&D on Sunday morning. K.

We've been having a wonderful time exploring Marolyn's old stomping grounds, Yelapa. What a great little village this is, with meandering cobblestone paths to follow everywhere. Thursday afternoon we followed one up the valley from the village and ended at a beautiful waterfall and pool. Met some great people, Ron and Diane from the Sonoma area, and did a bit of hiking with them on Friday.

We were fortunate to take part in a quinceanera celebration last night, the fiesta to honor a daughter's 15th birthday and right of passage. What an amazing party!! We leave today for La Cruz and will gmail you when we can. Hope the playoffs are great! David is wishing he were there. In fact, since he is hovering, I will let him end this sailmail. Love you, Suz
Hi you two- I'm charging my XM radio battery right now so I can at least listen to the games. My heart is with the crew; please pass that on to all who care. A swell is due in at Punta Mita tomorrow and I hope to get a part of it before we continue south. Got to go; this is getting too long. Love to all, David

Puerto Vallerta 3

David said he would send some pictures. Above is what I received. Does he just want us to admire his new hip? I don't know. On the right is the guy who saved their butts; the food from their temporarily defunct freezer is stored in this very room. Here is a chunk of an email from Suzi (received Jan 14):

I did have a chance to do some [yoga] postures yesterday afternoon when David and I walked a long way down the beach to a surf spot called Alancha. It was sort of breaking but it wasn't that great, and we didn't have our boards anyway. It was a great walk. We spent today gathering some water; David did all the work. We borrowed Jim's boat bikes for a test run around the little town, got something to eat, bought some fresh veggies to take with us to Yelapa, and we are now back at the condo. Time to go. We are going tomorrow and will probably be back Sat or Sun. The pump will be here by Monday, we think.

Puerto Vallerta 2

Just arrived on land and have set up the computer next to the pool. We are soooo damn lucky to have found this wonderful, generous Jim from Tahoe who has done so much to help us. We spent the entire day doing errands; luckily Jim had much to do as well, so he got a great deal accomplished, and we stopped by a huge store comparable to West Marine, found the recommended specialists who told us our pump was definitely unfixable. We have ordered the new pump by way of another contact in San Diego, who gets the part needed, gives it to someone who crosses the border and sends it on the plane in Tiajuana, and we pick it up at the PV airport. Hopefully all will happen quickly and we can move on; meanwhile, we have been having a wonderful time eating fresh fish and veggies at Jim's and eating at little Mexican places when convenient. In fact, we need to go join Jim for breakfast right now at his place. [More later.]

Puerto Vallerta

Suzie emailed me earlier about arriving in PV and visiting Walmart and Costco, both of which freaked her out (another good sign that she is eschewing civilization for Life at Sea). She and David met a guy from Tahoe named Jim, who gave them rides, lent them $ and let them use the internet at his condo. Here are chunks of what she sent me in the last two days. K.

Tonight [Saturday] we are sitting on the porch of Debo's Cafe, watching the playoff game between Florida and Oklahoma, visiting with some new friends, one from Tahoe and one from Texas. David couldn't resist Debo's world famous hamburger, and I had a wonderful fresh green salad with avo. Yum!!!! What a great atmosphere for emailing as well. Today we reworked the grounding for our radio antenna, working in little tiny spaces, which challenge our bodies bigtime. I went boat surfing again today with David and Bill from Lexie Lady, and David went surfing with Ed from Texas. Wow, such a busy life! We're thinking of going out to an island tomorrow just to see whales and do some snorkling. Life is good.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

It's Sunday and we are sitting in Jim Casey's condo looking out onto Bahia de Banderas. We are able to see Sidewinder from here and with his gracious hospitality we are able to use the internet. The refrigeration on the boat quit yesterday. The raw-water pump was leaking; it got hot and the system, luckily, shut down. Unfortunately, looks like we need a new little pump and we will find out how readily available it is in PV tomorrow. Jim and his wife, Jamie, own a sailboat and keep it in Paradise Village Marina pretty close to PV. Luckily he has some contacts, so we should be able to find out what can be done tomorrow, plus, get a ride down there with him. He gave me two coolers, and we packed up all the frozen food and put it into his freezer. What a lifesaver!!!

It's a hazy day and I feel like a slug so I am off to go walking. We had dinner with Jim last night here and will do so tonight. Going out to dinner here is expensive and not that great, but there are some little taco stands that are open during the day. Bye for now, Suzi

Punta Mita

Suzi sent this from Puerto Vallerta on Jan. 8. Please note that she doesn't know what day it is, a true sign that they are on vacation.
Jan 9 I think- It is our 2nd day in Bahia de Banderas anchored inside the harbor of Punta de Mita. There is a world class golf course along this side of the point, with many condos and a few big houses, a far cry from Chacala. Several golf carts are motoring in the distance, so at least it is being used! The little town David knew from years past is surrounded by hotels and condos now We have only explored a little, so I am sure there is more to than that. Lots of palapa restaurants anxiously wait for new customers; the season here has been very slow, unlike what we experienced in Chacala.

We had a great sail down the coast from Chacala with steady 12-15 knot winds, and it felt wonderful being out on the ocean again. We had not anticipated going all the way to Punta Mita but found the next closest anchorage was not good for our needs. We found ourselves navigating into this area late at night, not the smartest thing to do as a sailor, and we were happy when we came into calm waters and bobbing boats. I took a long walk almost out to the point yesterday and watched several surfers navigate around the rocks , catching waves that looked decent. Hopefully we will catch a few this afternoon. Been thinking about all our friends and wish it were easier to make contact. Love you all. Suzi and David

More from Chacala: Jan. 5

Here we are at the Restaurant las Brisas one more time after having spent the morning surfing around the second point north from here. I watched as David caught his first wave and was so proud of him!!!!! He is so stoked to be able to sit on his board, get up, and actually surf. EEEEEHAAAA! He caught two waves but that was just perfect. We dropped anchor off of our dinghy out by the waves, and it was beautiful. The little bay is lined with jungle; wish I had brought my camera but there will be many more opportunities. I did get out on my board and kicked around but there were quite a few guys sharing a few waves so I didn't want to get in the way. Sounds like a pretty casual lifestyle we're having to get used to; it's been quite difficult trying to get used to it! It's pretty funny, David just ordered a hamburger and he is in hog heaven: another picture I wish I had. Speaking of pictures, [here are a few] pics from here.

Reflecting on this experience and the people here: the people in this village, which extends just a few blocks behind the beach, all seem to be wonderfully friendly, hard working, and very helpful when we want to speak Spanish. Habitat for Humanity has done some projects here, helping to build some homes, the library, and some bungalows. The town comes alive during the holidays, and there are also lots of Americans, Canadians, and Europeans who visit here. There is a development over the hill that has some beautiful big homes, and I think they have developed here because this little place is so cool. Hopefully it will stay as it is. Salyulitas is down the road and has become way over developed. That's where Terry and Joyce had their house and where Marilyn, Myron, the family and the Obrands spent a week.

Chacala

Received Jan. 4
We're sitting in a little restaurant on the beach watching the sunset behind our boat, and it is Sunday, the end of holiday time for the locals. This little village, a destination beach resort area for Mexicans, is beautiful, and we are finding it difficult to muster up the energy to leave and move on. We have now been here for 5 days, and the waves are picking up. They are supposed to be really good around the corner, and I think we will check it out tomorrow.

We have met some really nice cruisers this week, and I am now very happy to note that there are many great interesting people doing this. We spent some time with a couple who have been gone for three years and are headed up the coast after sailing through Antarctica, around the tip of South America, and slowly up along the coast of Latin America, including the Galapagos. David got some help from the very bright engineer captain on any information he needed on anything, and Nancy, his partner, helped me create a template for some sailing business cards. Two brothers came by this morning from another boat and took us surfing behind their very fast dinghy. I later went for a hike with them through the jungle to explore the land, and we ended meeting David here this afternoon.

There isn't much of a town here, just a few little shops and tiendas, along with many little bungalow places to stay and these beach restaurants that are delicious. Food is great and the spirit is warm and very friendly. We will be here tomorrow and then perhaps we will make our way down the coast to Punta de Mita for a few days. Love to all, Suzi