Dec 21st – Back to La Cruz!
Having seen everything we came to see, at first light we leave San Blas.
Tom had wisely traced the course on his chart plotter when we came in guided by the pilot a few days ago, so all we have to do now to safely get out of the Marina is follow it backwards. Sort of the equivalent of leaving an electronic breadcrumb trail… God bless modern technology!
We get out, no sweat, no drama, no problems. Just the way we like it.
We’re traveling further south; La Cruz is our next port of call, just a few miles down the road. There are a couple of interesting and safe little anchorages along the way, but knowing Tom and his love for La Cruz I’m pretty sure we’re going to pass them by without a second glance.
And sure enough, Tom confirms what I already know. He starts by saying “You know that it’s already been seven months since we left La Cruz?”, then “I can’t wait to see everybody at Ana Bananas”. All I have left to do is agree to make a bee line for La Cruz.
The sea is as flat as a mirror and there’s not enough wind to sail, so we motor for a long while. I’m on “extreme whale watch” and am soon rewarded by the sight of a pod of humpback whales happily frolicking in the water.
Eventually, as we turn the corner to enter Banderas Bay, there’s finally enough wind to enjoy a nice sail all the way to the Marina.
We’re both very happy to be back here. This is our most favorite place, populated by our most favorite people. There’s a whole lot of friends here we’ll be happy to see again.
As we enter the Marina, we see our slip lined up with friends ready to assist. Nice surprise!
I jump off the boat and haven’t even started to tie her up when I get a pat on my shoulder, a “Welcome Back!” and most importantly a “So, when’s the Lasagna Dinner?” All of the above from the friendly dock workers who, despite the seven-month-interlude, apparently still remember vividly the last Dock Workers Feed thrown by Tom and I before we left.
Tom is jumping out of his skin; he’s so impatient to go surprise our friends at Ana Banana’s! But it’s Wednesday evening and we think it’s better to wait and catch the big crowd tomorrow at Breakfast.
There’s plenty of time, we’re going to be here until the end of January.
We settle Camelot into her slip, hug our boating buddies and catch up briefly with them before turning in for an early night.
Dec 22nd – La Cruz: a Warm Welcome
A good, restful night and we’re ready to tackle the day!
By 9:15 we’re on our way to breakfast and The Reunion. Along the way we wonder if after all this time our friends will recognize Tom. He does look quite different, having chopped off his long mane and lost quite a few pounds in the Hot Summer in the Sea of Cortez! Me, well, I look the same and haven’t lost an ounce… So I send Tom in first, hiding behind his considerable frame. Vantage point! I get to see the reactions.
The first friend in our line of sight is Leon. Tom remains quiet, smiling broadly. Leon looks at him and moves on. Then he stops, does a double-take and speechlessly raises his index finger, pointing at Tom.
The rest of the bunch (there must have been a good dozen of people at the breakfast table), alarmed by Leon’s strange behavior and probably suspecting him of having a stroke, finally follows Leon’s gaze. Then it’s chaos: a noisy eruption of genuine joy, ranging from “Look who’s back!” to “Hey, you old fart!” and everything in between.
Now, this is what I call a Warm Welcome. It feels like coming home.
SAILING CAMELOT 
Leave a Reply