SAILING CAMELOT

We leave La Cruz on April 24^th -Easter Sunday- with much grumpiness on my part. Maybe it’s because I really hate leaving, maybe because of yet another cold brewing in my head. But I am definitely grumpy.

The plan at this time is to stop at Bahia Jaltemba, about 38 miles from La Cruz, a short trip of about 6 hours to ease us back into sailing mode after about 6 blissful weeks at the dock. I just KNOW we softened up… We need to get back to our anchoring routine and self-reliance. I’m looking forward to it. We think we’ll stay in Jaltemba a couple of nights, before making an overnight trip straight to Mazatlan.

Mexican Seagull during its Lunch Break

Up for another Run!

We slowly exit Bahia De Banderas and take a right turn off Punta De Mita. Lo and behold, we’re even able to raise the sails and turn the engine off! That cures my blues instantly. Not the runny nose, though.

We spend hours watching the antics of many Mexican Seagulls diving for their lunch and arrive to our destination before we even notice.

Bahia De Jaltemba

Mon Apr 25^th

The day starts with an unpleasant problem: our trusted and usually very reliable Spectra water maker has decided to go on strike, giving us nothing but a “system stalled” message… Tom dives under the boat to investigate and clean a possibly clogged thru hull, but as it turns out that’s not the problem. After hours spent troubleshooting and after three phone calls to the techs at Spectra in California, we decide that the best course of action is to return sheepishly to La Cruz and see this problem fixed. The only authorized dealer for Spectra parts in Mexico is in Nuevo Vallarta, so it only makes sense to turn back.

Regardless, we spend another day and night in this cozy bay, staying long enough to become a local attraction. It’s Easter vacation week, and the beaches are packed with local tourists. The Banana boats are running full speed, the dinner cruise boats with live-orchestra make their tours, and all seem to converge very closely around Camelot. There’s a lot of waving, shouted greetings, picture-taking from the tourists.

The Official Banana Boat

 A panga comes to visit us and in the usual mixed Spanglish we communicate with our smiling visitors. They want to know where we come from, how long it took us to get here, how many days of travel, how many miles. It turns out everybody thinks we came straight from San Francisco to Jaltemba! We had a fun time explaining our wandering ways to these friendly people. Their faces fell into a frown when they learned that we were going back to Banderas Bay the next day, and they made us promise to stop again on our way back and spend time in the bay they’re so proud of.

Hector the Fisherman, owner of the panga, wants to take us out fishing next time.

Sunset Cruise Boat - Dinner and Dancing!

Ok, we got lazy, I admit it. We’re still in La Cruz, tied up to a very comfortable dock at Marina Nayarit. We keep finding new excuses not too leave, since really there’s no rush… BUT, we are now looking at April 22^nd as our departure date.  So hopefully there will be worthy updates following soon!

But in the meantime I’ll tell you what we’ve been up to, in no particular order…

We spent a lot of time in great company. We have been going very often for breakfasts and dinners to Ana Banana’s, where most of our friends gather. 

Breakfast at Ana Banana's

Maru (left) and Ana (right) made sure we were well fed every day

One day Tom extended an invitation to the owners Barry and Ana and a small group of other friends to go out sailing on Camelot. And so it was that on March 27^th, another gorgeous day in paradise, we all went out on Banderas Bay to sail in no particular direction, just following the gentle breeze wherever it would take us. It was a very enjoyable experience. There were ten of us: Barry and Ana, their son Lalo with his wife Flor, Crazy Mike, Texas John, India and Terry.

Barry, co-owner of Ana Banana's

Ana (left) and her daughter in law Flor (right)

Meet Crazy Mike. He's not really crazy, he just wants you to think he is!

Terri (left) and India (right)

Conversation flowed freely, but we also enjoyed just the occasional quiet moments when all you would hear were the Sounds Of Sailing: the gentle flapping of the sails, the sloshing of the water against the hull, the cries of the birds above us and a few splashes on the water when a whale decided to breach. Relaxing. What a great day it was, one for the Memory Treasure Chest.

Unidentified Friend trailing along for the day

In the meantime…

Many of our neighbors at the Marina have been preparing to leave for French Polynesia, which started a whirlwind of celebratory dinners and heartfelt farewells. One particular night stands out. We were part of a group of 25 people, 8 of which were children ranging in age from 6 to 13, all going to a nice restaurant for yet another “bon-voyage” dinner. The kids got restless pretty quickly, so were sent off to the little and very modest amusement park. La Cruz is a very safe small town and Danielle, the 13 yr old wise “old” soul, was in charge of the group. After an excellent meal, Tom and I needed to stretch our legs and left the other adults at the restaurant, heading for the local plaza to check on the kids. We found them there, all huddled in a circle, calmly debating. As it turned out, they didn’t have enough money to go all together on the bouncing castle. So instead of separating, they decided that nobody would go. Upon hearing of this very mature decision, Tom offered the money necessary to send them all (a very small sum). More debate-in-a-circle followed, but the kids decided that they couldn’t possibly accept Tom’s money. Tom insisted. They declined. Tom finally found his long-dormant “cop voice” and “ordered” them to go buy the damn tickets and start bouncing on the castle, “right this minute!”. In a flurry of squeals and giggles they all finally went, leaving Tom and me to marvel at the maturity and respect these very young kids showed. Got to be a side effect of growing up on a boat! Anyway, they had a good, long time having fun. Once off the bouncing castle, Tom gathered them all around and with the same don’t-mess-with-me voice ordered them in a single file, youngest in front and oldest in back. “Where are we going, Tom?” asked Pari, the youngest. “To the ice cream parlor!” said Tom. I was laughing so hard my sides ached! So here we go, marching to and invading the local ice cream parlor. The owner saw us all coming and his eyes got as big as saucers;  in an incredulous tone he asked Tom : “Senor, todos su ninos?” (are these all your kids?). That did it, I started howling in laughter… Tom said “no, todos amigos” (all friends), sweeping his arm to include two little 4 yrs old Mexican girls who were playing with our group and followed us. So in a very orderly manner every kid got ice cream, and every kid made it a point to go thank Tom first and then me for the treat (including Maria and Rosita, the little Mexicans). I was thoroughly shocked! I was NOT expecting manners and appreciation… Made me feel all fuzzy and warm inside…

The reason behind my (temporary) insanity

During these last few weeks we also took a sightseeing trip here and there. Mainly, however, I spent 10 days with my nose glued to the sewing machine… I took upon myself the challenge of making dinghy chaps (the protective cover for our small inflatable boat). It’s something I wanted to do for a long time but always found excuses not to start, fearing I wouldn’t be up to the daunting task. I ham happy to report, however, that the blasted chaps are completed and in place. And they don’t look half as bad, either! Turns out I was able to do it, even if I didn’t think I had it in me. Tom spent those days making himself as small as possible and staying out of my way, not an easy task for him. I guess he was thoroughly intimidated by my multi-language, incessant swearing. I was a soul possessed!

From Start

To Finish!

One fine evening Tom dragged me away from the boat for a nice dinner and live-music entertainment. The rock band playing was excellent and I found myself staring at the bass guitar player. Rather, staring at his hands… I have to explain my fixation. Years ago I owned a shiny, candy-apple-red bass guitar and was painfully trying to learn to play it, deriving alternatively frustration and pleasure from it. Tom’s younger daughter, 16 yrs old at the time, in no uncertain terms told me “Lori, you suck, why don’t you just quit!”. Well, between that and the upcoming move to full time living on the boat, I got rid of my music equipment with a heavy sigh of resignation. However, seeing this excellent musician tickled my old ambition, and in conversation I mentioned to Tom that I wish I’d kept the darn noise-maker machine! He just smiled and said nothing, and I soon forgot the whole thing. Two mornings later Tom insisted that I accompany him to Ana Banana’s for breakfast and he really had to work hard at it, since I was already buried in my sewing work. But I went, complaining the whole way. Once there, I found a present for me laying on a table . A beautiful bass guitar! Exactly the same as my old one, just in a different color! Complete with carrying case, amplifier and a very cool strap: yellow, with bold black letters that say “police line – do not cross”. I was so touched I had tears in my eyes and was babbling incoherently. Talk about a surprise!  How on earth did he find it, but most importantly: he’s willing to tolerate my terrible strumming –on a boat!-. That earned him untold amounts of Brownie Points.

Another morning, to stay out of my way, Tom left the boat carrying his pressure-washer and disappeared for about 6 hours. He mumbled something about volunteering his equipment and services to help clean the tables and cement dance floor at Ana Banana’s.  See, I have very little to recount of my own, but Tom sure kept busy!

Last week, I think it was Friday Apr 8th, two good friends took us on a road trip. Bless them, as I desperately needed a break! Texas-John and India drove us all the way across Banderas Bay, through the town of Puerto Vallarta and up the surrounding hills, hugging the coast. Spectacular views!  

My Travel Buddies looking at Banderas Bay from a different angle

Postcard Close-up view of the Coast

We were headed to the village of Boca de Tomatlan, where India lived for about two years after leaving the United States a while back. There is a beautiful river called the Horcones River that flows into the Bay, and that’s where the village of Boca quietly sits. We stopped briefly along the way to see the river before it reaches the sea.

The Horcones River

Clear, Cool Waters!

Once in Boca we spent some time sitting at the beach, a thin strip of sand that divides the river from the sea. It was interesting, we had a snack and refreshments simultaneously by the river and by the sea! This little town is truly a sparkling jewel and a very well-kept secret.

This is the River Side, looking to the Beach and the Bay

The Beach at Boca

 We also met some interesting characters. It has been quite a few years since India lived there, yet there was a constant flurry of friends coming to say hello, to catch up with her, all so very genuinely pleased to see her. It’s amazing how warm and friendly these people are! It was a wonderful day, we thoroughly enjoyed it and are so very grateful to John and India for driving us around and showing us places we would never have found on our own.

No one can resist her! This is India, charming a little Monkey

John, Driver Extraordinaire and Overall Thoroughly Nice Guy

The next day Tom’s lower legs were covered in bug bites: the infamous “no-see-um’s” signature mark. These are insects so tiny you don’t see them, but they are ferociously vicious in their assaults, leaving behind nasty welts that itch beyond belief. I got maybe just half a dozen and they’ve been driving me crazy. Poor Tom had about 60 on each lower leg, from knee to foot. The itching and subsequent results of manic scratching got so severe that it was necessary for Tom to take a 3 day course of antibiotics, abundant doses of antihistamine and frequent slatherings of Aloe Vera to make life bearable. Guess who got to play Nurse Betty…

You may walk on water, but you still have to SPRAY yourself!

Yes, we were warned…  Don’t leave home without bug spray and use it! Especially at dusk and near water… Now we learned our lesson, the painful way. It was scary to see my sizeable husband, usually so full of life and good cheer, all beat up by invisible enemies… Thankfully he’s almost 100% recovered. I guess we’ll be stocking up on various kinds of medications for our upcoming summer… just in case!

So this is what we’ve been doing with our time so far. I’ll be quiet for a few more days, now. Maybe the next time you read our news, who knows, I might even tell you how I’m doing with my bass guitar… Just be grateful you don’t have to listen! Messages of sympathy and commiserations can be directed at Tom, I’m sure he’ll appreciate them… Until the next ranting, be well!

It’s been almost three weeks since our last posting… No, we haven’t sunk!

We just took a break from cruising –not that we needed one- to go back up to the States, run some errands, renew some Visas, buy some stuff. Mainly, to remember why we left in the first place!

But let me bring you up to date with our meanderings…

After leaving Paraiso on March 7th we headed back north to La Cruz in Banderas Bay, near Puerto Vallarta. We took our time, stopping at Chamela and Punta Ipala. Chamela was only a short 8 miles hop, barely over an hour. We just stopped to spend the night and left at first light the next day. Our next stop, Punta Ipala, was six and a half hours away.

The trek back up was a little harder than we’ve become accustomed to… We finally had wind, lots of it! Shame it was right on our nose, good only to make the ride bumpy and slower… Oh, yeah, we also had a taste of fog. I said FOG! In Mexico? We were blind for a good half hour, sounding the fog horn like we were back sailing on the San Francisco Bay. We did NOT like the déjà-vu; we wanted “our” Mexican weather back. I admit, we’ve definitely become spoiled rotten and have no patience for heavier weather. I strongly resent having to wear long pants and sleeves.

The anchorage at Punta Ipala was small, cozy and quite beautiful in its simplicity, basically a tiny fishing village. It sure was a welcome refuge, protected from the winds and choppy seas. We were the sixth boat to share the space. Three hours from our arrival, the seventh and last boat –named Little Christian- was pulling in the anchorage in total darkness. We knew they left Chamela a little earlier than us and they were tired after a long and bumpy trip, so the whole group anchored in Punta Ipala got on the radio to offer assistance in guiding them in. As soon as we spotted their navigation lights, Tom turned on the strobe light. As they got closer, every boat in the anchorage turned on their deck lights, illuminating the tiny bay as much as possible. In less than five minutes Little Christian was safely tucked in, and gratefully thanked the group for the assistance. Another fine example of boaters’ camaraderie!

Ipala Anchorage

Early next morning, one by one, we all peeled off Punta Ipala heading for La Cruz. This leg was 52 miles, including the rounding of the infamous Cabo Corrientes where strong undercurrents can throw your boat around in all directions. Thankfully, it was pretty easy for us all. We enjoyed watching hundred of dolphins in a feeding frenzy; the funniest part, they left their lunch to swim a quarter mile to our boat, just to dance in our bow wake and leave after maybe 5 minutes. Whales breaching, turtles floating and 7-feet-wide Rays swimming gracefully beside us were all part of the warm welcome.

Houses of La Cruz

We got to see the Port Captain again!

 March 11th.

It’s good to be back in La Cruz, our favorite place in Mexico. We barely have time to relax and greet our local friends when we hear about the tragedy that struck Japan. Speculations about the Tsunami that will hit the Mexican Coast abound. A few boats –including us- decide to leave the Marina for the deeper waters of the Bay, since being in deep water dampens the effect of the surge. We end up motoring about 9 miles toward Punta de Mita, reaching waters over 300 feet deep. We bop around lazily for hours, deciding to slowly sail back late afternoon. Sails up, a gentle breeze pushes us back towards our Marina. It’s a gorgeous, sunny, perfect day for a long sail, but the joy I usually feel in such situation eludes me today. Thoughts of the devastation in Japan sobers the mood. There’s much radio chatter, the Mexican Navy has vessels stationed at every Marina’s entrance. The Port Captain has closed all the Ports as a measure of precaution. Nobody can enter or leave any port until the Captain says it’s safe. Hours go by, the sun goes down. We join a huge contingent of other boats and anchor in nearby Banderas Bay, spending a very quiet night. We haven’t felt any Tsunami effect and are grateful for that. The next morning the Ports are open, we return to our Marina and see that a whole dock was ripped away. I guess it was a good idea to leave for the day, after all… The surges continue for another day or two; although much subdued, the water movements under our keel are noticeable.

Mar 15th –Back to the States!

Tom has Coast Guard licensing renewal issues to take care of and our Visas will expire soon, so we return to San Francisco –specifically Alameda- where we’ll stay a whole week. We’ve been in a very welcoming foreign country now for five months; I wonder how will I feel about my old stomping grounds. It doesn’t start well. As soon as we set foot on USA soil I get a nasty head cold, the third one in 6 months. It’s cold, rainy, gray. People are grumpy (including us!). We set our minds to the tasks at hand, in order to avoid whining excessively. There are documents to prepare, errands to run, people to see. The week goes by pretty quick, everything we needed to do was done. The highlight of the trip was seeing a great bunch of our friends and former neighbors. I didn’t know I missed them until I saw them again! When I thought about the next time I’m going to see them (??? if ever???), well, I got misty-eyed. Don’t want to think about it. Facebook will have to do…

Mar 23rd – Return to Mexico

We’re back where we feel we belong. On the boat, that is! I missed Camelot so very much. Neither one of us slept that well in a bed that wouldn’t rock… In any case, we’re happy to be back. In the next few days we’ll be reunited with a bunch of other boating buddies, our extended family. Some of them are leaving for the South Pacific next week. Other, like us, will be heading to the Sea Of Cortez for the summer. We decided to stay in La Cruz until about April 8th. I’ll take advantage of this time to start –and hopefully complete!- some sewing projects, mainly protective covers to withstand the brutal Mexican summer sun. Here’s the list: dinghy chaps, covers for the jerry jugs (6), cover for the liferaft, shade panels for the cockpit, mosquito screens for every hatch we plan on opening (6). It’s March 26th: I have less than 2 weeks’ time and I haven’t started yet… Heh, Manana!

So don’t be surprised if I’ll be quiet for a while!

Peaceful La Cruz Marina

La Cruz Yacht Club - Behind the Monster Boat!

We leave at 10 in the morning with feelings of gratitude towards Juan, whom regaled us with exceedingly pleasant memories of this enchanted place. For some reason, I also feel a lot better knowing that this is not a public place and that Juan is reverentially taking good care of his Grandpa’s property. I’m not sure if we’ll ever see Paraiso again, but I know we’ll never forget it. Farewell and thank you so very much, Juan!

Adios, Paraiso! Thank you for the Hospitality.

 A little over an hour is all it takes us the reach Bahia Chamela, where we’ll spend a day or two before proceeding North toward our destination, La Cruz near Puerto Vallarta. There are five other boats anchored here, and yes, you guessed right… Cocktails on Camelot at 5 pm. Tom has already taken care of that within about 15 minutes of our arrival. Can you say “Social Butterfly”???

We have the whole Bay to ourselves, apparently… Everyone left and no one has come in! We decide to explore Playa Paraiso beach and soon our dinghy is securely “parked” in a secluded corner.

The Spectacular Playa Paraiso

We feel a little uneasy; this is clearly private property and we’re intruding, so we go in search of someone to ask for permission to walk their beach and take pictures. 

The Home on The Beach

We startle the caretaker and then amuse him with our Spanish, to which he replies in good English. “Let me ask the master”, he says… A few minutes later we’re granted permission to roam around to our heart’s content. I’m a possessed soul, my camera is working overtime. This is truly one magically beautiful and appropriately named place!

Very Elegant Accommodations!

There's even a Hammock Palapa!

Soon a young and attractive gentleman approaches us and introduces himself as Juan, the owner of the premises. What! We thought this was a small and very exclusive hotel!!!  “No, it’s a privately owned house”, explains Juan. We suddenly feel like intruders and apologize profusely. Juan, however, is very gracious and invites us to sit in his palapa overlooking the bay for a cold beer and conversation. 

Juan and Tom enjoying a Beer in Paradise

The Boys at The Palapa

Juan is a realtor from Mexico City, the house in Paraiso was built by his Grandfather and he spends quite a bit of time here. When he’s not here, caretakers are present for the upkeep. Juan occasionally rents out his property to carefully selected guests. You can find more details about Playas Paraiso here

Within minutes I am smitten. Juan is polite, unpretentious, soft-spoken, worldly and a thoroughly nice fellow. His English is perfect, having spent time in England during his schooling years. A few friends of his arrive to spend the day and Juan welcomes us to stay with them, but we feel like we’ve already imposed enough.

View of Paraiso from The Pool

If this is not Paradise, I don't know what is!

We are introduced to a very eclectic group of people, children and dogs. The funny part is that there are Italians among the group! Soon I’m chatting in Italian with Luisa –Italian/Brazilian-, Marco –Italian/Peruvian- and Massimiliano, Italian from Bologna. Massimiliano, as it turns out, went to a private school not far from where I grew up. Talk about a small world! In any case, we want to leave them alone to enjoy their day so we start making our way back to the boat, after extending an open invitation to whomever feels like venturing out to come and visit Camelot later on. Double-cheek kisses go around, funny how I forgot about that! Those are not our American-style air kisses, but very heartfelt smooches distributed freely along with hugs. I remember how it feels to be Italian again!

Looking for colorful shells, Tom?

I'm No Saint, and yet I'm in Paradise!

After a few hours four of the older children, ages from 8 to 12, come visit us paddling on two kayaks. We invite them to check out our boat and they are totally enthusiastic about it. Nice, really nice kids! Too soon they leave, after obtaining all the answers to their thousand questions about vessel equipment and operation. The most often asked question is always, invariably “why do you have two steering wheels?”. The on-board washing machine is also a big hit.

Take Only Memories, and Leave Only Footprints. That's what we did.

The rest of the day is spent pretty lazily, with preparations for departure tomorrow morning.

There was only Another Happy Couple enjoying The Beach that day...

Spending ten whole days in Santiago Bay certainly shows our new tendency to slow down; maybe we’re finally learning this “cruise & relax” lesson?

In any case, I’m determined to see Bahia Careyes, about 55 miles further up the coast. We leave at first light, exiting the Bay with a fleet of fishing pangas. Somewhat reminded me of commuter traffic… But I’ll take this sort over the San Francisco Bay Area congestion any day!!!

We’re both very happy to be at sea again; I’m looking forward to interesting sightings, Tom is thoroughly enjoying our boat’s performance. And in case you are wondering, no, there’s not enough wind to sail. There’s a number of boats moving North, by the time we approach our destination I count seven around us.

The Colorful Houses of Bahia Careyes

My Favorite! I named it Papa Smurf House

Another Gorgeous House On The Rocks!

BUT… As we enter the tiny bay it’s clear that the anchorage is quite exposed to winds and currents. I’m busy taking pictures, quietly wondering if we’ll be safe here, when Tom slowly turns 180 degrees and declares the place to be too “open” and therefore not up to his safety standards. Good for a day stop, but not to spend the night. Regretfully, we abandon Bahia Careyes; but I agree, a comfortable and uninterrupted night’s sleep is too important. I’m glad I had a chance to take my pictures, though… Adios, Careyes!

View from The Sea

Just four miles up is Paraiso, we know that bay to be more sheltered and even more beautiful, as we’ve been there just a few weeks ago on the way down the coast. So we head out again, I’m a little disappointed but understand it’s for the best. Knowing the idyllic setting awaiting us in Paraiso, disappointment soon gives place to anticipation.

We’re pleasantly surprised to find two boats in the small bay, and we know them! Liberty -with Russ, Kaersten and Christa aboard- and Wendaway, with Wendy and Mark. Later the catamaran Paradox joins us, with Claire and Carl. Needless to say, as soon as everyone is settled Tom gathers the neighbors for snacks and drinks on Camelot. It’s a very pleasant reunion.

Good-looking Camelot anchored in Paraiso. The dude in the corner is not too bad, either.

 We end up spending the next day together at Playa Esmeralda, the small beach just a few feet from our boat. It’s an official picnic! The day goes by in a blink, reading, splashing about in the –cool!- water, chatting and generally being lazy. A couple of hours before sunset we all retire to our welcoming boats. Liberty will be leaving in an hour or so, Paradox the next morning. There will be only us left! But being the weekend, I’m expecting more visitors… We’ll be leaving on Monday, resuming our way up to Banderas Bay. Better go enjoy Paraiso while I can!

My Bounty of Shells collected at Playa Esmeralda - Paraiso

It’s been almost a week, we’re still in Santiago Bay and honestly don’t feel the need to leave. If I had hippie tendencies, I’d say this place has a good vibe. Wait a minute, I have become a hippie of some sort…

The Beach to my right

Residential Streets of Santiago

Villa Cactus

I am finally giving my inflatable kayak a good workout, paddling frantically back and forth. Great exercise and great fun!  Tom spends entire days with his nose buried in books, a very unusual sight. I have never seen him so relaxed and at peace. May I say, it was high time…

So appropriate!

Today a few friends left, we’re all scattering in slightly different directions for the next couple of weeks. We’ll be reunited up in La Cruz. It’s funny how, even knowing this, I feel a slight sense of loss. I’ve become quite attached to our boating buddies! But it’s only temporary, I remind myself.

We’re talking about leaving in the next few days, but have made no official commitment. We’ve become pretty efficient at NOT making plans…

True to our word, we spent quite a few days doing not much more than swimming in the pool and relaxing. Tom – outgoing as ever- chatted amiably with guests of the resort, effortlessly making new friends while I mainly snoozed. He befriended one Canadian couple, Doug and Rhonda. Turns out that Doug is a Brother in Blue, an officer of the Durham Regional Police, Ontario Canada. Needless to say, they had a lot of cop stories to share, while Rhonda and I had more feminine and pleasant conversations –without shootings and gore-.

We were set to move from Las Hadas to the neighboring Bay of Santiago. Tom asked our new friends if they would like to accompany us for this short trip and experience our lifestyle, if only for an hour. Of course they were thrilled and enthusiastic.

New Crew! Meet Rhonda and Doug

And so it is, on Monday morning we leave Las Hadas for good, slowly making our way to Santiago Bay. Tom is showing off his electronics and explaining their functions to Doug, while Rhonda and I, sitting on deck, are busy sighting dolphins and giving our mouths a good workout. I thought I spotted a turtle, so had Tom head towards it, only to discover it was a black plastic bag inflated by the wind… Oops, sorry guys! Rhonda and Doug just laughed it off, while Tom is still poking fun at me days later… Oh, well…We anchored in Santiago Bay and jumped in the dinghy headed to the Lagoon, which turned out to be too shallow to explore.

Exploring the Lagoon

Not to worry, plenty more places to see. We leisurely toured close to the rugged coast for a while, encountered oyster divers, spotted too many jellyfish and returned to our welcoming Camelot to spend a few hours in total relax.

It was a great day, and in retrospect a great break for us, too!  Being always surrounded by boaters, the topics of conversation inevitably turn to boats and cruising. It was good to have a more “land oriented” approach for a while. Thank you, Rhonda and Doug, for your wonderful company. May we cross paths again! 

Hope to see you guys again!

We enjoy a light and tasty dinner consisting of Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad and Focaccia bread while watching the fiery sunset. With a full belly and darkness falling, Tom gets sleepy. He settles in the cockpit to take a nap, wishing to keep me company, but after a couple of hours spent turning and tossing I suggest he goes down for a more comfortable sleep. With serious eyes and pointing a finger at me, he makes me promise to wake him up in three hours. “Sure!” I say, fully knowing I’m lying thru my teeth… I so enjoy traveling in the dark, the only way for me to sleep during an overnighter is to be totally exhausted and that would certainly take more than just three hours.

There is a full, bright moon, casting the sea in a silvery shimmer; it never gets totally dark. I can clearly see the outline of the coast in the distance, the occasional fishing boat far away. For a few hours everything is so quiet, to the point of almost boring. Every couple of hours Serendipity and I take a radio-check, just to make sure everything is all right and to break the monotony. Around midnight, however, I’m about to get all the excitement I can handle…

My radar screen is alerting me to the presence of three large cargo ships heading down the coast, their course directly on my nose! The first is 18 miles away, the second 24 miles, the third 28 miles; one after the other, in single file. It’s true that we decided to stay well off the coast to avoid fishing vessels and nets, putting ourselves close to the shipping channel frequented by cargo and cruise ships, but Jesus! It’s a big, blue ocean out there and I have three behemoths aiming straight at me. Playing around with our trusted electronics I discover that they are travelling at a speed between 18 to 20 knots against my 7.5. I’ll just have to keep an eye on them, there’s quite some time before I have to take any decisions or make any adjustments to our course.

A word on our electronics that I LOVE so much: We have radar, which is great, my seeing-eyes in the night; then we have AIS, which is a God sent marvel, supplying enormously helpful information. AIS stands for Automatic Identification System. All commercial vessels carry it, and some pleasure crafts too –we are one of them-. What it does: it spots vessels around you, signaling their direction in relation to yours. It provides their name -in case you need to hail them on the radio-, length and width, type of vessel (cargo, cruise, oil tanker). It reveals their speed, destination and most of all it tells you in no uncertain terms in how much time it’s going to intersect your course, and at what exact distance you are going to pass each other (closest point of approach). Basically, it provides you with every piece of information you need about the other vessels around you, short of what their Captain had for dinner and the color of his underpants. This piece of equipment is worth every one of the many thousands of pennies we paid for it. AIS is my best friend!

So I’m just mildly nervous as the first cargo ship gets closer; “she” is named Hammonia Express, is 762 feet long  and directed to a commercial Mexican port a few hundred miles south. I decide that if she doesn’t change her course within 4 miles from me, I’m going to hail them on the radio. In the unlikely chance they won’t answer me, at 2 miles’ distance I’ll change my course. There, I feel better already, knowing what to do… But there’s no need, as I see that they change their course just a smidge. We’ll be passing each other port to port (left side to left side) at a distance of 0.680 miles. A little closer than I’d like, close enough to smell their burning fuel but safe enough, no need to do anything. Of course these ships are so big and very well lit, and I see them clearly coming up closer. It’s quite a fascinating sight!

The next one is called Bonny, a mere 546 feet long, going to the same destination as the previous one, travelling at a faster speed and starting to alter her course just enough to avoid me. The Ocean Belle is right on her tail; this is a big one at 986 feet of length, going to Panama and going fast! Just as I’m relaxing, I see there’s also the Canberra Express coming up pretty fast behind me and to my right, going to Yokohama. All of a sudden I feel like the cream in an Oreo cookie! A smidge of alarm rises, my eyes stay glued to the screen to monitor every move, every change of direction. I don’t have much space to maneuver, surrounded like this! Frustrated I yell “PEOPLE! For Chrissakes, have you no sense of personal space,!?!”.  ‘Course not… But they are all true professionals and eventually stay far enough away from me without any need for me to alter anything. They all pass me by, leaving Camelot bobbing like a cork in their massive wake. Tom is blissfully unaware. It’s about 1:30, time to break out the Nutella and maybe make some coffee.

The rest of the night is quiet, with just a couple of mysterious big fins flapping about VERY close to Camelot’s port side. Tom comes up at about 3:00, greeting me with an accusing “you shouldn’t have let me sleep this long!”. Yeah, I love you too, dear… My turn to sleep, but I wake up just after an hour and a half. We spend the rest of the trip enjoying each other’s company, overloading on coffee, dodging more tankers and cargo ships, until at sunrise we arrive at destination. Las Hadas, finally! The trip lasted less than 26 hours, much faster compared to the 30 plus hours it took us going in the opposite direction just a few weeks ago. Ah, the difference a benevolent current can make!

I’m beat, my head is fuzzy for lack of rest but if I have to sleep, I better do it sprawled by the POOL at the resort. And that is exactly how I spent my day, alternating snoozing and swimming!-

At the ungodly hour of 4:45 we leave Isla Grande, chasing the tail of our friends from Serendipity who left a good hour earlier. We’re heading up the Coast and our itinerary is pretty fuzzy… Yesterday it was decided to stop at a couple of bays on the way up to break the trip into manageable lengths, all depending on weather conditions. For the moment I’m just happy to go, whichever the next port of call may be.

As the day gets brighter I notice with increased frequency dark, shiny humps on the water; there they are, my beloved Turtles!

Just a Hump in the Water

Hitching a Ride

Splashing away in Outraged Protest

We periodically get in touch via radio with Serendipity, by now we have caught up with them. The Captains decide that with such a friendly sea and favorable current it’s worth continuing the trip without stopping. So our day trip becomes an overnighter, as we set on a new destination: Las Hadas, Manzanillo Bay. We were there three weeks ago and knew that we’d return on our way back. So with minor adjustments to out course we keep going

Not one, but TWO obstacles!

I want to give credit where credit is due: all of the pictures above were taken by Anne of Serendipity. She is a superior photographer, with a superior camera and undoubtedly superior skills. And she doesn’t mind sharing… You rock, Anne!