Category: 2021-03 (March)

We got up a bit later than normal, although with the time change it was a lot later, almost 8 am. We listened to the net at 8:30 and then started contacting the various repair people we need to get to fix the boat.

At lunchtime, we took the dinghy into the marina and then walked up to the square and found a restaurant for lunch Fish tacos and beer for 99 pesos. A pretty good deal. Then an Uber to Puerto Vallarta and Paradise Village (another marina) to see if we wanted to move to that marina. Pro’s and Con’s: PV has potable water, LC does not. The docks at PV appear to be in better shape, the water is dirtier by far at PV, their are known crocodiles at PV. The price is slightly lower at PV, the bathrooms and other amenities are much nicer at PV. The restaurants and shops in the area of PV are newer and fancier (like downtown big city US) the rubber cushions at the docks are in better shape at PV. There is a small (VERY SMALL) zoo at the PV marina, complete with at least one tiger, and some parrots. At the end of the day we debated quite a bit on which marina to go to. Afterwards, we took an Uber back to the boat, and our driver got stopped by the police and given a warning for driving too fast (we did not think he had gone too fast).

We got up around 7 am, worked on getting ready to leave and said our goodbyes to our neighbor and Bruce and Gina on Dream Catcher. We pulled out and just as we were backing out saw that one of the other boats was pulling out at exactly the same time. Turned out he was heading to the yard, so not a big deal, but we pulled back in anyway. Then started over. We stopped at the fuel dock associated with the Marina Fonatur, and got fuel 8,109 pesos worth of diesel. About $4.20 us per gallon for 97 gallons. While at the fuel dock a dinghy came up with Kim and Eric from S/V Gladiator, along with one of their mothers Cindy. They are the couple who gave us advice on the Copper Canyon trip by train, in Topolobampo. We chatted for a bit, as we got fuel, and then when we were done we needed out the river.

We got out of the river and continued west for a while, figuring that if we could get to deeper water we could get past the swells, then turned south and put up the sails and got a bit more than 5 knots as we headed south. We sailed most of the day, then arrived in Chacala, this was about 25 miles south of San Blas, and seemed like it would be a pretty good anchorage, although every thing we read said to use two anchors to keep the boat pointed into the swells. We did and it was still a very rolly night.

Chacala to La Cruz, March 2, Tuesday

We got underway around 8 am, after a not very good nights sleep and headed south. Our original plan had been to stop at Punta Mita at the north west end of Banderas bay. But, it was only an hour and half further to get to La Cruz and it was fairly early (about 1:30 or so) when we rounded the point into the bay, so we continued on to La Cruz and anchored not far from the entrance to the marina. The wind was blowing pretty good, but what I had read about this place said to expect that in the afternoon. It calmed down after dusk and was very mild all night. We found out that there was a time change again, we have moved enough east to be two hours east of the West Coast now.