SAILING CAMELOT

We had a great time in Mazatlan and will return next spring.

Elvira in the office at Marina Mazatlan was very helpful and a great contact for local knowledge. Elvira even helped us with our UPS package in Mexican Customs. Mexican Customs seems to be a big black hole where your packages disappear into the empty abyss. Everything down here is on Mexican time and the favorite phrase is “Manana”, which translates to tomorrow, but really means someday soon. Hopefully, we will see our generator parts in a couple of weeks.

Marina Mazatlan in the background. Note the wind in Tom's hair. No haircut since July!!!

The boat rudder bearing issue has been resolved and they will hold up for the season. Everything has been tightened and cleaned. The people from Total Yacht Works  are very professional and know their stuff. We would highly recommend them!

Yesterday, we attended the Mazatlan Marina Cruiser’s Christmas Potluck and White Elephant Gift Exchange. The food was terrific and we met some wonderful people.

We are planning on leaving today, about noon, and sail directly to Chacala, which is described by the Cruiser’s Guide as a beautiful anchorage with crystal clear water. Chacala is about 150 NM south of here and it should take about 22 hours. Unfortunately, the weather report is calling for winds less than 8 knots, which may not be enough to sail downwind.

We will be in Chacala till Dec. 30th, when we will move to La Cruz in the north end of Banderas Bay (Puerto Vallarta). We plan on being there for about two weeks before sailing south along the Mexican Riviera. Hopefully we will get as far as Xtapa before heading back north into the Sea of Cortez for hurricane season.