Return to Puerto Vallarta
Having completed our sailing trip in the Sea of Cortez, we are wrapping up our first season in Mexico before we go home for the summer. The only thing we have left to do is to return to Puerto Vallarta. It’s a 350nm trip, and we are planning several nights at sea with an interesting stop along the way.
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We have almost two full days at the Marina Palmira in La Paz, but provisioning, boat cleaning, laundry and internet access keep us quite busy.
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Thursday, May 7th – We motor out of the marina at noon. Low tide was earlier in the morning giving us plenty of depth now. We are bound for Puerto Vallarta. To get there we will be doing our third Southern Crossing. They say “the third time’s a charm.” We’ll see.
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Our first two days are easy. Today, we stop after less than 20nm at Playa Bonanza. On Friday, we continue on to Los Muertos, where The Captain drops the anchor at 1800. We are here in time to go ashore for dinner at the Giggling Marlin.
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Saturday May 9th – We motor out of Los Muertos and set a course to the southeast, directly for Isla Isabella, about 250nm away. Wind is light, and we motor all morning. By early afternoon, we are sailing slowly in only 8-10 knots of wind when a leaping marlin puts on a great show for us. It’s a good omen. Just before dinner, we catch a very nice bull dorado which The First Mate reels in. Wind picks up as it gets dark, but the most we see is 15-17 knots. After midnight, the wind is down to 10 – 15 knots and does not exceed that for the rest of the trip. By evening on Sunday after 29 hours of sailing, we have to turn on the motor. In the middle of that night, we turn off the engine for a while and sail along very slowly to time our arrival at Isla Isabella for well after sunrise.
Monday, May 11th – As we approach the anchorage at Isla Isabella, we see a group of fishermen in their panga. Though the island is a nature preserve, a fishing camp has been allowed to remain active. For these fishermen, this is their livelihood. A group will come over from the mainland for a period of time and upon returning to the mainland will sell their catch, much of which has been dried. When we were here the first time, the place was deserted, but now a group of fishermen have come over and are busy about their work.
By 0800, we are anchored on the east side of Isla Isabella near the Stacks. As for our Southern Crossing, the third time was a charm. We had an easy crossing where we sailed about 80% of the time and never saw winds above 20 knots. The First Mate is ecstatic. She did not have to take any pills, and she was reasonably fine all the way.
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With settled weather, we launch the dinghy to head ashore. Walking along the beach, we pass a shrine built for the fishermen.
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This time we walk to a different section of the island that is not quite as dense. The nesting frigates are much more accessible. So much so that The First Mate is able to walk right up to a tree full of nesting birds. It is amazing how low to the ground they build their nests. They are watchful of us, but certainly not frightened by our presence.
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Waiting for a parent to return with food, the young one has very quickly outgrown the nest into which it was born. It certainly doesn’t have much room to move around without falling off that perch.
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It is not long before the cute baby grows as big as its adult parent. Still this white-headed youngster is patiently waiting for its parents return with food. In the background are the many buildings of this active fishing camp.
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It is surprising how small a nest these large birds build. This adult looks like it barely has room to cozy in for any length of time to keep that incubating egg going.
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Frigates are sea birds, but they cannot land on water and then take off. They cannot take off from land either. They must glide off of trees or cliff edges. Ungainly as they are on land, frigates are truly impressive birds in flight. Free from the restraints of land, those long, slender wings show what Mother Nature designed them to do, allowing the frigate to glide over the ocean riding the air currents for days without need to return to land.
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Not only do we see the usual number of blue-footed booby pairs, we see brown boobies with yellow feet. What an interesting coloration Mother Nature has given these creatures!
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Upon our return, Avante is positioned right in front of Las Molas, the striking rock formations at the entrance to the anchorage on Isla Isabella.
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In the afternoon, we go snorkeling out by Las Molas, and it is the best reef experience that we have had in Mexico so far. Isla Isabella is one on the neatest places that we have seen in Mexico, and we decide to spend a second day here. It’s not a good place to anchor unless the weather is relatively calm, so we take advantage of it while we can.
Wednesday, May 13th – Today’s leg is over 70nm down to Punta Mita in the Bay of Banderas, so we need to get an early start. While we are raising the dinghy, some local fishermen come by asking for water. We fill their containers with water, then trade some cokes for fresh red snapper. As we motor south, we catch two dorado before noon. No more fishing! We are going home in a week, and The First Mate wants to eat some dinners at restaurants once we reach Puerto Vallarta. Winds arrive in the afternoon enabling us to sail for about four hours. By 1900, we are anchored in Punta Mita just behind another J/160, Blue.
Friday, May 15th – After spending a day in the anchorage at Punta Mita, we motor across Banderas Bay to the Pardise Village Marina. Once tied up in our berth, we spend the next 5 and 1/2 days getting Avante ready for summer storage in the water. We do our normal thorough cleaning, inside and out. We perform owner service on the boat systems, putting clean oil in the engine and generator and pickling the water maker. Because hurricane season is coming, we take off the sails and remove the dodger and bimini and the various equipment mounted on the rails. We want the topsides of Avante to be as streamlined as possible. Based on advice from other boat owners, The Captain goes up the mast to put screen over any hole in the mast to keep bees out. A reliable person is found to watch the boat while we are gone. We even buy a dehumidifier to keep the inside of Avante dry during the wet season. The list goes on, but somehow, it all gets done.
We have really enjoyed our first couple of months in Mexico, but even retirees have a schedule to meet. We have things to do and places to be. In other words, we are going to be returning to the States and our lives there for a few months. Our time so far in Mexico has been so much better than we expected. The anchorages have been beautiful, the coastline has been spectacular, and the people have been friendly and welcoming. It truly is a wonderful country to cruise and visit from the waters off its coast.