2009 with Jane Hardman
We have 8 days before we need to head south to Manzanillo to meet Telluride friend, Jane Hardman, who is flying in to join us. We spent those days cruising around Banderas Bay, anchoring mostly at Punta Mita. We found some good snorkeling at Las Tres Mariettas when it wasn’t overflowing with tour boat guests. We had a fine dinner with Ken and Cheryl Sears, fellow J/160 owners who keep their boat, Blue, in Puerto Vallarta.
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We even put Avante in the Marina La Cruz for two nights while we stayed with Telluride friends, Mary Grace and Kevin Burke, who own one of the Punta Mita condos that overlook Banderas Bay. Playing golf on the newest Punta Mita course was an interesting break from sailing, but, as The Captain finally said, “Didn’t we buy Avante to go sailing?” We have been on the water for two weeks and have gone less than 200nm. Time to provision, fuel, and head south to revisit the Gold Coast.
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Wednesday, November 18th – Provisioned and refueled, we depart Banderas Bay to head south to the Gold Coast. We did this trip back in February, but this time we know a little about the area, and we have an extra week. We manage to sail for a couple of hours before the winds die to the point that we have to turn on the motor. We round Cabo Corrientes with less than 3 knots of wind.
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The Captain has the fishing line out, and his first catch is one dumb booby. Neither the bird nor The Captain are happy with the effort required to disentangle this booby from our line.
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His second catch is a keeper, a nice bull dorado. The colors of a dorado in the water are magnificent with brilliant shades of blue, green and yellow. Those colors fade rapidly when the fish is caught and brought on board. It is amazing how difficult it is to capture those colors then. By now, we are experienced at catching and cleaning fish without losing a lot of time, and this fish is soon on ice. With provisions for three weeks already in the freezer, we are full. Sadly, The First Mate must call a halt to any more fishing for a while.
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We anchor in Ipala where we had anchored on our trip south in February and been a little embarrassed not to patronize one of the local restaurants. This time, we go ashore for dinner. We feel, as guests, we should contribute to the local economy, but unfortunately, our dinner is most disappointing. The good news is that the anchorage is less rolly this time, and we get a good night’s sleep.
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It is over 100nm from the Puerto Vallarta area down to the start of the interesting anchorages on the Gold Coast. On Thursday, we cover 56nm of those miles on our way to Chamela. This is the place where we nearly lost our anchor in February. There were a lot of boats here then, but now we are the only boat in the anchorage.
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Friday, November 20th – It’s another day of light winds, but this time we are pleased with that, for we are hoping to be able to anchor in Bahia Careyes. When we tried to do so last February, the winds were too strong in the narrow anchorage surrounded by menacing rocks for us to stay. This time, in these relatively calm conditions, by 1015, we are anchored in Bahia Careyes.
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El Careyes Hotel is ashore, and since they welcome cruisers, we head ashore to explore the colorful buildings and to have lunch.
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We have to wind our way along hotel paths to get to the restaurant and pool area. Terraced walls are overhung with colorful flowers. Pathways are lined with green. What a delight!
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Wood beams, stone walls and brightly colored stucco walls are everywhere. The First Mate, who loves jewel-tone colors, is entranced.
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Arriving at the main area of the hotel, we are not disappointed. Everything has been so well done and so very well maintained. The First Mate would be delighted to spend a few days here just soaking up the ambiance. We walk around for a while enjoying the place and the views out across the beach to where Avante waits quietly.
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Our waiter seats us at a shaded table with a view out to the bay, and lunch fully lives up to our expectations given the beauty of the place.
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Although conditions are calm enough to stay here at anchor for the night, we must keep on going if we plan to be in Manzanillo on Sunday when Jane arrives. Returning to Avante, we pull anchor and continue on to Bahia Tenacatita to spend the night.
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Monday, November 23rd – We arrived in Manzanillo on Saturday afternoon and Jane flew in on Sunday. Looking up at the bright, white-washed buildings of the Las Hadas Hotel is magical, and it is fun to share that with someone.
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In the morning, we head into town to do some final provisioning at the market and then check in with the local officials to meet our Mexican paperwork requirements for Jane to be a passenger on Avante. Anchor is raised just after noon, and we head out into the bay. Ironically, the wind is up to 10 – 15 knots today. The Captain wistfully looks at his furled sails, but we are not going far, as The First Mate’s plan is to serve a nice lunch while taking a scenic tour of Bahia de Santiago just around the corner from Las Hadas.
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After lunch, we continue on and by 1500, are anchored in Ensenada Carrizal, a little cove just inside Punta Carrizal. This anchorage proves to be very lovely, very private, and we are the only boat here.
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We launch The Dingbat to explore the coastline. There are interesting rock formations which, upon further study, look to be great areas to snorkel. Back on Avante, fins, masks and snorkels are donned, and we head off to explore.
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Tuesday, November 24th – It is so peacefully beautiful here that the gals ask The Captain if we could spend another day, and, to our delight, he is also mesmerized by the place and agrees to stay on another day. After breakfast, we head ashore to see if we can find a trail up to the top of the hills around us. We do find a trail of sorts leading up, and once above, there is a dirt road that we walk along in dappled sunlight.
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We have plenty of photos over the years of the magical spots we have been in on Avante, and wanting to make sure Jane has one too, we take a photo before returning to the trail back down to the bay.
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It is unbelievable that we have had this beautiful anchorage to ourselves for 2 days. What a perfect tropical setting for us and Avante!
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Back on Avante, lunch is served and then the rest of the afternoon is spent relaxing with some swimming and snorkeling thrown in for added fun. What a great day!
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Now showered, dressed in fresh clothes and sitting in the cockpit enjoying one of our special Mexican cocktails, someone looks up and sees that The Dingbat is escaping. It had been “tied” to a cleat on the stern, but somehow the “knot” loosened. The Dingbat seized the opportunity and, in the evening breeze, is swiftly headed out the bay.
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With a mild expletive, The Captain leaps up, strips off his clean clothes and dives in the water. At first The Dingbat appeared to be escaping on a swift current, and it looked like The Captain was going to have a race on his hands. Luck was on his side, for either the current abated or The Dingbat got tired, he was able to catch it before his pace exhausted him. On returning to the boat, The Captain is given a towel, and the ladies are given a knot tying lesson.
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Wednesday, November 25th – We are heading back up to Bahia Tenacatita today and are off early in the morning. There is no wind, so we just motor along the coast. At the last minute, a fisherman’s long line is spotted shortly before we are about to run over it and tangle it in our prop. The only indication that it is hiding just below the surface are two clear plastic soda bottles over 100 yards apart. These long lines, strung with fish hooks, are a popular way of fishing in these waters. They are a constant problem for boaters because the lines themselves are impossible to spot, but usually there is a panga with a group of fishermen on it out there to give us a hint to be on the lookout. The markers at each end of the line are usually also more visible. This time there was no panga out there to give us a warning and the two clear plastic soda bottles were not easily seen. Fortunately, we spot the line just in time, stop the engine so the prop is not turning and, with relief, do not get the line entangled in our prop.
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By noon, to everyone’s delight, the winds pick up and we are able to raise sail. The cessation of noise when the engine is turned off is wonderful.
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When the wind increases to 12 – 14 knots, our speed takes a jump, and soon we are flying by Cabeza de Navidad at 8.5 knots.
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Would Jane like a turn at the helm? She sure would! With a bit of instruction from The Captain, she gets the hang of it quickly. She’s a natural. What great fun! She loves it!
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By 1400, we are anchored in Bahia Tenacatita and launching The Dingbat for another trip down the quiet stillness of the mangrove-lined Jungle River, as it has been nicknamed.
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A spur leading off the main stream quickly ends in a tangle of strong mangrove roots.
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Red-legged crabs scurry away if we get too near, but mostly they ignore our presence.
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We can hear a myriad of birds hidden in the thick vegetation. Where are they? What are they? Other than herons perched along the rivers edge or in the bushes and pelicans sitting high in tree branches, we see no other birds. We stop under a tree to observe a pelican, who returning our rude stares, gazes intently down at us Tired, finally, of the reciprocal watching, he spreads his wings and flies away.
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Thursday, November 26th – Today is Thanksgiving in the States. Even if we could buy a turkey here, it would not fit in our tiny oven and would consume a lot of our propane as it cooked. With no turkey dinner to cook, we take Avante to the other side of Bahia Tenacatita to anchor below the town of La Manzanilla del Mar. There are restaurants along the beach where we hope to find a good breakfast.
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The bright umbrellas of Jolanda’s Restaurant catch our eye. It looks good, and it is. We have a great time talking with its cheerful owner while watching the wave surge onto the shore. These waves are why launching or landing a dinghy ashore is such a tricky operation.
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After buying our Thanksgiving turkey or, to state it more exactly, our Thanksgiving fish in town, we head back to Avante and return to our anchoring spot at the other end of the bay. It must be noted that it has been several days since The First mate lifted the moratorium on fishing, but all we have caught recently are nasty-tasting black skipjacks which we always release.)
At dinner, we all decide that a freshly caught Thanksgiving Fish is just about as good as a Thanksgiving Turkey, and from the chef’s perspective, it is a whole lot easier to prepare!
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Friday, November 27th – It is another calm day, and for once, we are delighted, for we would like to be able to anchor in the narrow, rock-surrounded anchorage of Bahia Careyes. The winds are forecast to remain calm, and they certainly are by the time we motor into the bay and drop anchor below the multi-colored El Careyes Hotel. Even with the winds forecast to remain in the same direction, we deploy a stern anchor just in case they change their mind.
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With the day so warm and the water so inviting, the first thing we all want to do is dive in for a swim. The water is beautiful!
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In the early evening, we head ashore for cocktails and dinner. A flight of stairs leading up from the beach takes us to the walkway to the main area of the hotel.
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Cocktails are enjoyed out by the pool. Nothing wrong with a cold beer for The Captain and refreshing Gin and Tonics for the crew at the end of the day!
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From the pool area, we watch the sunset with Avante calmly floating in the bay. This is definitely one of the most perfect settings we have been in with Avante.
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It wasn’t planned, but with our various shades of blue, not only do we look very nautical, but we work well with the hotel’s color charts, too.
Drinks done, we walk down to Playa Rosada, a restaurant on the beach down from the hotel. What a great evening in a beautiful place!
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Saturday, November 28th – Now on our return trip to Manzanillo from where Jane is flying out on Monday, we head 30nm back down the coast to Bahia Navidad. The calm conditions that enabled us to anchor at Carayes for the night are still with us which means we are just motoring. During cocktail hour in the anchorage, our sharp eyed crew, Jane, spots our first whale of the fall season.
Sunday November 29th – After a night at anchor in the bay, we motor over to the Marina Navidad where we had reserved a berth. From here, Jane will be able to take a taxi to the airport in Manzanillo. The Isla Navidad Resort or the Grand Bay Hotel rises above the marina. We chose this marina because the amenities of the hotel are offered to marina guests. Looking up at it as we motor down the channel to the marina, we are pleased with what we see.
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After checking into the marina, we spend the rest of the afternoon lounging in the pool area. There are several pool, and it is hard to pick just one!
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From the pool area, there is a view across the channel to the town of Barre de Navidad where we will be taking a water taxi this evening to go out to dinner.
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We do take that water taxi over to Barra de Navidad which continues to remind The First Mate of a Mexican version of Italy’s Venice with its buildings built right down to the water’s edge and the boats docked right below them.
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In Barra, we take a regular taxi to the little town of Melaque where the concierge at the hotel highly recommends the Maya Restaurant. We tried to eat there back in February, but when we showed up at its doors, it was closed. Monday night, it was, and many restaurants are closed that night. Tonight is Sunday. Our taxi driver leaves us at the restaurant and drives off. Though it looks like it is open, it is not. They are closed on Sundays, too! After a long time finding a return taxi back to Barra, we end up there, search for a restaurant, find one, and eventually, we have dinner. Best laid plans do often go awry!
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We make up for it with a delightful brunch on the balcony of the hotel overlooking the marina. It was a wonderful end to Jane’s first week with us on Avante, and we part later in the afternoon with thoughts of her next trip with us wherever in the world Avante may be.