End of the 2009 Cruising Season
We now have 9 days of relaxed cruising ahead of us as we voyage back up the coast to Paradise Village Marina. The First Mate decides that nothing could be more relaxed than another day in the marina with use of the facilities of the Isla Navidad Resort.
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Tuesday, December 1st – It is a beautiful sunny day as we motor out of Marina Navidad and start north. This is the fourth time that we have sailed along this section of the coastline, and the anchorages are all familiar: Bahia Navidad, Bahia Tenacatita, Bahia Chamela, and Punta Mita. Our weather is generally good, winds are gentle, and we have no drama with the boat. We have plenty of time for savor days which gives us extra time to explore. Needless to say, The First Mate is delighted.
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In Bahia Tenacatita, we depart on another Jungle River cruise, but this time when we reach the other end of the river, we pull The Dingbat ashore to walk along the beach into the town of Revelcito. Once in town, we follow the road up for a view down along the coast and the many little restaurants that crowd along the beach. We have never seen any restaurants along the coast crowded and often have wondered how they survive.
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Looking down on the town from above, we are amazed at the number of Corona signs. How did that come to be? In this little town, Corona’s rep has certainly out done the competition!
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Returning to the town, we chose a restaurant along the beach and enjoy another very good Mexican breakfast.
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Continuing up the coast, we anchor in Chamela under grey skies and encounter the only big challenge of this trip so far. There is a significant swell coming in from the SW breaking into bigger waves than usual as it reaches the beach. Watching from Avante where we are rocking in the waves ourselves, The First Mate is uneasy.
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Should we even attempt to go ashore is the question that runs through The First Mate’s mind. She recalls the brochure circulated by the HA HA committee to all cruisers heading south to Mexico. “Don’t underestimate the surf,” it said. You could get hurt or worse. That photo of the upended dinghy made a big impression on her.
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Being old hands at these often demanding beach landings and take offs, we decide to head ashore. Approaching the beach, The Captain deploys The Dingbat’s wheels. Eyeing the waves, we catch an incoming one, ride it in and when those wheels touch ground, we jump off to leash in The Dingbat before it knocks one of us over. Success!
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The amount of erosion on the beach by this surf surprises us, and we watch several of the local fishermen dragging their boats further up the shore.
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We walk along the beach for a while where local children are enjoying Mother Nature’s wild activity. Gazing out at the sailboats rocking at anchor, we realize that this is going to be a rolling night of fitful sleep.
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We also watch several embarrassing demonstrations of cruisers unable to control their dinghy’s waywardness in these waves. Some are even quite spectacular with, we are sure, strained muscles or tendons and a few black and blues as a result. We also realize how easily it could all turn bad for us out there. There might have been a little bit of skill, but it was probably mostly good fortune that we made it to shore without incident. Now, heading back out, we take the time to study the waves looking for what we hope will be a consistent pattern. Finding one, we quickly launch The Dingbat into the surf. First, she hauls herself on board. Then, it is his turn. Now start the engine. Will the motor start and stay running? It does! Back on Avante, dripping salt water from head to toe, but in one piece, we decide that that is it for our adventuring ashore here today.
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Wednesday, December 9th – Back now in Banderas Bay, we stop in La Cruz for fuel.
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Out trip back to Banderas Bay was Mexican cruising at its best with white sandy beaches, warm water, plenty of palapa restaurants and cold cervezas, but all good things must come to an end. We wrap up our 2009 cruising year as we motor into Paradise Village Marina for several days of boat cleanup and maintenance. Avante will be left in the marina for two months while we fly home for the holidays and some winter activities. Both of us feel quite good about our year. We have sailed over 4000nm and covered much of the more interesting cruising grounds on the west coast of Mexico. Next year, we will move on and head further south. We are not 100% sure of our itinerary, but The First Mate is pushing to head west to the South Pacific. It’s the dream of most cruisers that we have met in Mexico, and there is even a loosely organized rally called The Pacific Puddle Jump. The First Mate knows that it is a very large puddle indeed, but the South Pacific islands and tropical atolls are calling.