David and Eric Visit Mexico
Upon learning of our plans to sail to the South Pacific, both our two older sons express interest in visiting us there. We love the idea but have to gently remind them of the distances involved and the time required to fly to some of the places we are heading. “How much vacation time do you get?” asks The Captain. Neither one gets more than two weeks of paid vacation time in a year, and they quickly realize that they could spend more time traveling than sailing with us. “Why don’t you guys come to Mexico?” asks their mother. “You can easily fly to Puerto Vallarta in less than a day. Flights are inexpensive, and the sailing is nice and easy.”
Saturday, March 6th – Both boys fly into Puerto Vallarta for a week of sailing with us. The weather is fairly settled, and we decide to head out to Isla Isabella. Not only is the island a magical place with all the interesting birdlife and great snorkeling, but a trip that far will give Eric, who has not been on Avante before, a little taste of ocean sailing. For David, he’s a bit of an old hand, for this will be his third time onboard. It will also give Avante a good shakedown cruise before we head off to the South Pacific.
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Sunday, March 7th – We sail across Banderas Bay to anchor off the rugged coast of Las Tres Marietas where there is good snorkeling. In the afternoon, we head over to anchor in Punta Mita to be ready to head north tomorrow.
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Monday, March 8th – Leaving Punta Mita, we are able to raise sail and give Eric his first taste of handling the helm. David, who is a fisherperson like his mother, only much better, has the fishing line out, but all we catch are nasty Crevalle Jacks which are unceremoniously thrown back in the ocean.
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Anchored for the night in Chacala, we head ashore for dinner not just because the restaurant is good, but to give the boys a taste of dinghy landings and departures. At dinner, over some very good Margaritas, The Captain regales them with the story of our abortive dinghy departure from this place last year and how we got drenched and the dinghy nearly swamped all when the motor refused to start.
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At their mother’s expense, everyone gets a good laugh over her overly exuberant pull of the starter cord on the motor that accomplished nothing except sending the flashlight in that puller hand in a gorgeous arc of light over the water. No flashlight? No vision to unlock the boat to get back below. The Captain had to swim across the dark water to retrieve it.
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Tuesday, March 9th – We weigh anchor early to make the over 50nm crossing to Isla Isabella. It looked like a great day initially, but the winds are against us. Our speed is too slow, and knowing we are not going to be able to reach Isla Isabella before dark, we turn around, adjust sails and head to Mantachen Bay to anchor.
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Wednesday proves a much better day to sail across to Isla Isabella. The fishing line is again out, and again, all we catch are those Crevalle Jacks, which experience has shown us, are not good eating. David does haul in a huge one that he said fought like a “Homer Bucket” bringing it up from the depths. Too bad it is not a Mahi Mahi! A yellow fin tuna would be nice, too!
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By mid afternoon, we are anchored below Las Monas, the rocky sentinels off Isla Isabella. The reef off these rocks are full of tropical fish, and the boys set off to explore.
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Thursday, March 11th – After describing the frigates and boobies on this island and how special it is to be able to walk among them, David and Eric are eager to see them up close. Each time we have trekked the island, we have tried to explore a different area. This time we head across to the north end of the island.
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Like us, they are amazed at how low to the ground frigates nest. Other than a slight resemblance around the eyes and nose, this chick shows little similarities with its parents. In no time, it will be as big as they are and still demanding to be fed.
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Pelicans are can be seen all over these Mexican waters. They swarm fishing boats, take over the beaches of fishing villages and roost in trees along mangrove streams. We had not seen them out here on Isla Isabella until this walk. Resting along the rocky shoreline, they are mostly undisturbed by us as long as we don’t venture too near.
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Continuing along the coast, we get a view of Las Monas from a different angle than the one from which we anchor.
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Turning to head up into the interior of the island, we look back at Las Monas and can see why this windward side of the island is not where one would anchor. The grey, stormy-looking sky does nothing to alleviate that impression.
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They really do have blue feet! They are very proud of them, too, for The First Mate has read that showing off their blue feet is part of their mating ritual or dance.
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As often as she has seen these nests, The First Mate continues to be amazed that this scraped circle of sand is what any bird mother would want for her baby. What’s wrong with a nice twig nest lined with downy feathers? Mother Nature just did not program that into their nesting genes.
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But, then, Mother Nature wasn’t very helpful for this little guy either. He just barely fits in his nest of twigs. How does he stay balanced? How does he sleep?
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A disadvantage to the frigates choice of nesting locations is that the spiky branches of these trees are impediments to landing and taking off. Carcasses of dead adult birds who had somehow gotten caught in the branches can be seen frequently on the ground. Though this photo does not clearly show it, this wing of this frigate is impaled on a branch. His survival is hopeless unless he can somehow release that wing.
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Friday March 12th – Winds are with us on the return trip and we easily cover the 77nm from Isla Isabella to Punta Mita in one day. The next day is spent in the bay relaxing, swimming and just enjoying our time together. All too soon, it is time to head back to Puerta Vallarta and their return flights home.
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It was a great visit. The weather was lovely, and we got in some good sailing. The boys got to see whales and a place like Isla Isabella and, after covering over 250nm, they each became better sailors. The only downside was the fishing. We caught over 10 fish, and none of them was good eating.