A Blast in Banderas Bay!

   With the weather still unseasonably hot, Valhalla arrived in Banderas Bay.   This beautiful bay is 16 miles wide and 20 miles deep and normally, the wind blows a consistent 12 to 18 knots.  At the end of November, we are still waiting for winter to arrive and looking forward to cooler temperatures.

  Located just 6 miles North of Puerto Vallarta, we got a slip at Paradise Village Resort and Marina for our first long term stay. The resort is beautiful and the marina is very clean, safe and secure.  Valhalla needs some attention and this marina is our perfect new home away from home while we get things done.

Mayan Pyramid

 







 We've been here for almost a month now, but have accomplished a lot work wise and managed to squeeze in plenty of fun adventure days in between.  I guess you could say, we are adapting well to “Mexican time.”  Since we've been here, we've lost all sense of time not knowing what the date is or even the day of the week is most of the time.  If we need to know, we look at our cell phone to verify!

Up the Mast Without a Ladder!

 We’re proud to say, Valhalla is looking good!  She’s now sporting her new SHADE bimini which looks and works great!  We have worked really hard getting her all cleaned up inside and out after her 1700 nm journey from San Francisco.  She has had her bottom cleaned and her deck waxed!  Also…her rigging cleaned and her mast waxed.  Don also repaired our radar issue in which he had to climb the mast several times to pull, rerun and rewire it to get it working again!

Flying Fox

 In between work, we've enjoyed a few great adventures and several great bay sailing days.  At last, the consistent winds of Banderas Bay (we've heard about) have arrived!  Beautiful…warm weather sailing.  We met the “winner” of the Baja Ha-ha here in Paradise.  He invited Don and I to go out sailing the bay on his trimaran, Flying Fox, a Corsair 31.  We did a scenic tour along the coast from La Cruz to Los Arcos and back to Paradise.   In only 9 knots of wind, the boat sailed easily at 7 knots; a totally different feel from a monohull skimming along right on top of the water!

Puerto Vallarta - Sister of Guadeloupe at the Malecon

    We met another couple from the Ha-Ha, Jeff and Nelia from Reflections.  They invited us to go to Chasers, a sports bar, to go watch a light-weight boxing match.  The match was between rivals, Manny Pacquiao from the Philippines and Manual Juan Marquez from Mexico.  This was the 4^th match between to two boxers and we secretly rooted for Pacquiao as Nelia is also from the Philippines.   Unfortunately for Nelia and Pacquiao, the fight ended with a knock-out punch in the 6^th round!  Needless to say the bar was full of Mexican’s who were elated at the outcome!

That's a Croc!

  Behind the marina in Paradise Village is a swamp/estuary where we took the dinghy crocodile hunting.  Rumors of crocodiles were proven true on our second hunt.  There are beautiful houses and lots of wildlife to be found such as iguanas and pelicans roosting in trees.

A Face Only a Mother Could Love!

What...No Swimming?

A Day at the Beach

On the morning net, we learned of a tour that takes you on a day hike through the jungle skirting the ocean to a waterfall in Quimixto.  By word of mouth, 4 cruising couples filled the van of our tour guide and off we went.  There was Celeste and Paul from Beguine, Julie and Ken from Kia Ora, Nelia and Jeff from Reflections and Don and I from Valhalla.  Our guide, April, has lived here 8 years and without her, this adventure would never have happened.  

Cruisers Gone Hikers

     

A View from the Jungle

 We drove an hour far South of Puerto Vallarta to Bocha de Tamitlan and parked the van.  The walk was rated a 6 out of 10 on the difficulty scale as we walked through jungle, along cliffs hovering over beaches and over very primitive bridges.  The walk was gorgeous! We saw lots of birds and butterflies.  We made it to Las Animas where we enjoyed lunch and muy frio cervezas.  After lunch we boarded a panga (water taxi) that took us to the small Mexican village of Quimixto.  

It's a Jungle Out There!

Tired Tourist Taxi

Four Feet are Better Than Two!

The Watering Hole

Their main source of income is taking tired tourists via mule up the well beaten path to the waterfall.  We opted to continue hiking and walk UP to the waterfall as opposed to boarding the dirty beasts. A nice waterfall and swimming hole AND uno mas cerveza for our reward at the end of the trail.  After we got back down to the beach we boarded another panga for our quick return back to Bocha de Tamitlan.  The ride was a BLAST!  We sped along so fast surfing between the rows of rolling waves so close to the rocks and shore.  It was against the grain of all the sailors aboard this panga.  We were all in awe of the crashing waves against the rocks that we were so close too. It was a GREAT day for sure. 

Blast Off

  We have had a blast here in Banderas Bay.  The weather is perfect now that it has finally cooled down!  We’re sure its probably not like the winter you’re having at home.  Tomorrow we leave Paradise to spend Christmas with the Beguine in Tenacatita, about 115 nautical miles south of Banderas Bay .  Today is winter solstice and the end of the Mayan calendar, but the beginning of a new cycle.   It’s also the beginning of a HAPPY NEW YEAR 2013!           

  

Let’s all “live, love and laugh”… a good motto for all and from,   s/v Valhalla!

                                    

Cabo to Paradise - So HOT, HOT, HOT

   By suggestion of the Poobah, the Baja Ha-Ha fleet was advised to remain in Cabo San Lucas due to a strong Northerly wind coming down and across the Sea of Cortez.  None of the predicted wind was felt in Cabo and it was HOT, HOT, HOT all the time we were waiting to leave.  We shopped in the air conditioned mall and ate out a lot avoiding cooking on the boat and trying to stay cool.

Sunrise at Lands End

   Cabo has a world premier fishing industry and the marina is full of fishing boats and mega yachts!  Every morning about 0500 the fishing boats all fire up their engines and start gearing up for the day.  It's like a big party on the dock that starts at sunrise. In the evening, the boats all come back in flying numerous flags that indicate the kind and number of fish they caught that day; lots of Dorado and Tuna, for sure!

Gearing up...Lets Go (Redrum) Fishing

  

As planned, Valhalla set sail for the mainland on Wednesday, November 14, 2012.  With our faithful crew of Hugh and Nicki Talman, we made our crossing of the Sea of Cortez.   The Baja Ha-Ha has dispersed with everyone pursuing their own cruising plans and dreams.  We covered 268 nautical miles in 54 hours which meant 2 more full nights at sea.   During the crossing, we started off with more motoring, then motor sailing and finally a good run of more than 27 hours straight of great sailing!!!  

   Valhalla has now landed on mainland Mexico on the beach of Chacala, just north of Banderas Bay.  We dropped anchor and stayed in this tropical paradise for two nights. Since crossing the Tropic of Tauras, Chacala has been our most favorite destination.  It has a beautiful sandy beach, colorful houses with coconut palms and palapa bars with strolling Mariachi bands.  On the weekend, crowds of Mexican families come to the beach in bus loads!  Little did we know, but it’s the celebration of the Mexican revolution!  It’s a very festive place and Valhalla was treated to a premium fireworks display at dark.  Their party continued all night long with music and people swimming in the water and sleeping on the beach under the moonlight.

Celebrating the Mexican Revolution

Coconut Milk in Chacala

Strolling Mariachis

Valhalla in Chacala

Do you like Pina Coladas?

Beach House in Chacala

Coconut Tree Furniture

 On Sunday we pulled up anchor and sailed to a little island called Isle La Pena.  By early afternoon we were anchored right off that island. The island is very small but beautiful with lush vegetation and so many birds.  While eating lunch, we watched boatloads of Mexican families coming from the mainland being dropped off on the tiny beach.   All four of us piled into t/t Valhalla with our snorkel gear and anchored the dinghy.  The water was cool and the snorkeling was good.  Pelicans don’t see so well and we were swimming with these enormous birds and various colorful reef fish!

Isle La Pena

The Dock at Isle La Pena

       Later, Don and I went to shore and tried to “mingle” with the Mexicans.  It was very evident that, once again, our Spanish skills are definitely lacking.  They spoke NO English and our Espanol is still muy malo!  I tell you, these two gringos were practically invisible on this undeveloped, non touristo beach.  Sunday is family day and they seem to love to flock to the beaches to swim and play in the sand.                                                              

  By sunset, the beach was deserted and it was only the four of us on Valhalla anchored at this once again, peaceful-secluded island.  The anchorage was great, but the next morning we will head to Banderas Bay, just around the corner.

   A short time after pulling up anchor at Isle La Pena, we set the spinnaker and sailed along nicely toward Punta de Mita.  After rounding, the point the hazy sky made it difficult to even see Puerto Vallarta in the middle of the vast bay.  With our course change, we took down the spinnaker and sailed with a full jib only toward our next stop, La Cruz.

   The wind has been light but consistent here in Banderas Bay and the air temperature still feels 90 degrees with the humidity.  We are all getting a bit tired of being HOT, HOT, HOT and are wondering when “winter” comes to Mexico. One thing for sure, we are all looking forward to a nice cool shower with unlimited water.  We have not had that luxury since leaving Cabo San Lucas.

Lunch in La Cruz

La Cruz, Nayarit, Mexico -

The marina at La Cruz is really nice and English is spoken here! The first order of business was to put up the “shade tree” over Valhalla as it is still HOT.  The bad thing about the hot?  It doesn’t cool down at night either and this makes sleeping difficult.

 Town is a short walk away with many tiendas and restaurants .  More Mexican revolution celebrations are going on here in the city center.  The people here are nice and once again, they seem happy and proud-maybe not as poor as other areas.  

Didgeridoo Dude

Salute to Sayulita

Shopping in Sayulita

    

One day, we took a bus to a place called Sayulita.  It’s a very quaint little surfer town between Chacala and La Cruz.  It was much bigger than I imagined, but reminded us of Nevada City but on the ocean.  It was off the beaten path and lots of surfer/hippies live there, many of whom speak English. They’re all trying to make an honest living peddling their cool, quality handmade arts and crafts.  The bus ride was an adventure in itself and we spent a nice relaxing the day on the beach. 

 After five nights at La Cruz it was on to Paradise!  This is a 5-star resort with another nice marina. Paradise Village Marina is a #1 world class marina. The grounds are immaculately groomed with coconut palms and banana trees. Marina guests have access to a beautiful sandy beach, swimming pools, showers, a gym and spa area.

  

      We were invited to a "Welcome to Paradise" party with hosted cocktails and a Mayan         show.  The costumes were great and we all had a nice evening.

  There is an estuary here that goes back about five miles complete with crocodiles and iguanas.  We took a dinghy ride up the swamp and spotted huge iguanas and pelicans roosting in the trees.  Lucky day we saw no crocodiles. After that day adventure, the pool was looking pretty good as it is still very hot. 

Swamp in Paradise Village

  

No Swim Zone!

   Soon, we leave for Puerto Vallarta to drop off Hugh and Nicki at the Flamingo Hotel.  Together with the Talmans, we completed over 1,100 nautical miles in 34 days on Valhalla.  It has been a good trip, but the relentless heat was trying on all of us.  We had a lot of great sailing, but also had several days and nights with little or no wind.  A little more wind may have helped to keep us cooler, but unfortunately, we cannot choose our weather.

Our Lady of Guadalupe, Puerto Vallarta

The Malecon at Puerto Vallarta

   
  Don and I spent only one night in the marina at Puerto Vallarta after we left our crew at their hotel.  Unfortunately, the marina facilities have not been maintained very well.  We took Valhalla back to Paradise where we will stay for a while and do a little bay sailing and work on getting our radar issue resolved.  We are both looking forward to having Valhalla all to ourselves for the duration of our Mexico adventure.


 So over and out for now from Valhalla.  We wish you all back home a Feliz Navidad!

o