Laser Worlds

An amazing site greeted us the first day back in the Bay.  Vallarta Yacht Club is hosting the Laser Worlds.  Three parking lots full of new Lasers and women from all over the world competing.  We hear 21 of them competed in the last Olympics and the men aren't even here yet. 

Each team was called up on stage by country for pictures.  Then we all went to down town for dinner and a walk enjoying the sunset and balmy weather.

Return to the Bandares Bay

April 11, 2016

Left on a higher tide at 1010.

Not as much current this time but see that rock wall ahead.  That's the 70 degrees to port turn going out.  

Motor sailing again but wind clocked and by 1830 we turned engine off, downwind pole out,  sailing at 6 kts. wind up to 16 kts.  Sailing close to the rum line with a way point 4 miles west of Isla Isabella.  Not much traffic but we could see strobe lights over the Isla Marias, (prison island which have a 20 mile stand off zone)

Entered the Bay at Punta de Mita around 1030.  It's another 17 miles or so to the back of bay.   We were in our slip at Paradise Village by 1400 on April 12.  177 miles from Mazatlan.

They put us in with the big guys on B Dock.

April 5-10-2015 Copper Canyon/Mazatlan

First order of business is to get Al a new IPhone and to figure out how to get to Copper Canyon since the weather was not good for taking the boat North across to La Paz in the next few days.  We decided to bus to Los Mochis in the state of Sinaloa and from there get the 0600 train El Chepe to Creel, a little mountain town where we stayed over night at the Margarita Hotel. The train ride was spectacular.

 Next day we hired a transport to take us to the Canyon Rim at Baracas. Where we stayed at Mansion Tarahumara  Hotel.  Maria, who speaks fluent English has built this very cool hotel over the past 30 years.  Most of it faces the mountains but the latest rooms are right on the canyon rim.  Ours looked right over the canyon and down into some of the natvie houses below where many Tarahumara live.

We hiked a little before dinner.

     Our rooms top center White building.

Then in the morning took we a Tram ride down into the canyon then back to the hotel to gather our stuff and head back to the train stop near by.   

Train trip was a blast.  The adventure was definitely worth it but from Mazatlan it was a long 17 hr. One way bus/train event.  

Got back on Sat. but office was closed till Monday to checkout so we had a chance kayak.

 Al got to update his operating system for the phone and we all got to explore more of Mazatlan and have a nice Sunday dinner at the Local Chill and Grill.

               National Siblings Day

Isla Isabella to Mazatlan Marina

April 4, 2016

Left Isla Isabella at 0030 so we would get to Mazatlan in daylight and of course wind 12 kts apparent was on the nose again.  Kept three hr watches needing a few more layers as the night got chilly.  

Pink sky in the morning and warming up fast.    We should have been fishing.

Getting into Mazatlan's Marinas El Cid harbor was a scary thing.   Another uneven  entrance with a dog leg jetty breaking  at one end and a strong current which spun Chez Nous's bow to port a few feet from the breakwall at the Starboard turn before it let go.  Like being in a ships prop wash.  Should have waited for high tide.  Arrived at 1230 and tied up safely at Marina Mazatlan Dock 5.

Easy check in with great little bar named  "Dock 7".  

Showers and ready to explore  the town.   Had a great dinner in the historical section.

Isla Isabela

Sunday 4/3/2016

     Cleared the San Blas jetty at 0630 for 38 nm of motor sailing with either no wind or right on the nose but a calm pleasant day.    Below is Piedra Blanca del Tierra which the Huichol people believe is close to God.

 Al spent the day repairing the head and making a new flapper valve out of a piece of neoprene.  

We arrived at the Island about 1400 and headed into the south cove as there was a sailboat already in there but there was a large south swell that was breaking and made it terribly unsafe.   So we quickly turned around and bwent around to the east side and anchored behind Las Monas the twisting rock spires or The Mnnequins.   Al didn't feel comfortable leaving the boat so Janet , Henry and I took the dinghy around to the fishing village and landed it on a steep coral beach near all the pagans.  We are very thankful for wheels.

Since it was late in the day we only had time for a short hike to the top of the Island to got to see the amazing birds ans iguana.

We saw hundreds of Magnificent Frigates, brown and Bluefooted Boobies , all very close and unafraid.

What a cool experience.   I might add more pictures later.