Week One text

Other than there is no potable water on the docks La Cruz is just about perfect.   Small pool, deli, two nice restaurants and a VIP meeting room and showers.  All the staff and cruisers are friendly and helpful.  Propane and laundry service plus all kinds of planned events.    Outdoor movie night on the Malacon on Thurs.
There is a kids net and lots of activities for them, they are collecting parts now to build a robot.  At least 11 cruising kids here now from 5 to 13.  All super independent   Skate boards, little bikes and scooters on the docks and some are out in the anchorage that come in dinghies for showeres and land time.  They meet in the Vip room and play games or skate in the parking lot.  This kid reminds us of Kevin at that age.

It's a short walk to town which is a typical Spanish small town center.  Not very quaint or pretty but meets most of our needs and has pockets of really pretty homes and an amazing number of very yummy restaurants. 

One unique thing about La Cruz is the number a bar/restaurants that have live music on different nights of the week.  I think I've counted 6 so far all within walking distance.   You can here at least two of them from the boat.

There are beaches west and east of here but they look a lot longer than they are.  Both are blocked by sea walls or rocks after a couple miles so my beach walks have been cut short.  

 80 degree days with nights in the high 60's but getting warmer.  I posted some Radom shots earlier but the text didn't post.   
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Week one in LaCruz

Arrived in Puerto Vallarta Sunday

1/31/2015       Tied up in a slip at 1250 Marina La Cruz.  We had north winds last night but all of 10 to 12 kts.  The sea was surprisingly empty.  No ships or whales and only a few birds , Magnificent Frigates as we were approaching  .   

1032 nautical miles from Ensenada to Puerto Vallarta in Banderas Bay.   1000 nm without the detour to the head of Mag Bay to the clinic.  7 sailing days plus 2hrs.   A total of 9 days counting the two stops.

It didn't take us long to get off the boat, for a walk about.

Margaritas and dinner a shore.   It's been a fun trip.

Cabo to PV Crossing Sat 1/30/2015

1/30/2015

Wind and waves picked up after passing Cabo making Friday night dinner nearly impossible to cook even with a gimbaled stove do to the mixed seas. We had eaten all the seal a meal dinners that I prepared for just this kind of conditions. We all thought from the weather predictions that Friday night would be calm. It turned out to be a great celebration dinner, Pork Loin, mixed rice and broccoli served layered in our teak bowls that hold in the heat but don't burn your hands and deep enough to not spill easily in a seaway. There was a fantastic double green flash at sunset so Al was celebrating his first green flash.

Wind stayed between 15 and 22 Kts apparent till sometime between 0000 and 0300. By 0300 the seas had flattened out with wind diminishing.

Sunrises have also been fantastic. Water water all around and uninterrupted horizons. No sight of land. All day today the winds were minimal which makes the boat gently roll with a 2 ft swell and very comfortable. It was are first really hot day. Sailed with the Mizzen, Genoa and main until afternoon when we had to furl the Genoa.

Al started early this morning on boat projects. He and Jim worked from around 1100 to 1730 on repairing the second downwind pole. Had to turn on the spreader lights on to clean up. Pleasant conversations with good friends and a beer in cockpit before dinner.

A Whale of a day

For a day that had been predicted to have no wind we enjoyed from 10 to 20kts all day. We kind of have a rule that if the SOG gets lower than 5kts consistently then we motor sail.

It was cold and damp on the 0600 watch this morning but by 10 it was 80 degrees. Everyone was busy last night putting up and down the pole , changing tacks, jibing and rocking and rolling with the cross swells burns calories while you are trying to sleep. So we had a late brunch of MX scrambled eggs with tortillas from the factory in Ensenada.

All day we spotted humpbacks, I think the count was 8 today. We saw breaching with full bodies out of the water, lots of pec slapping and several flukes.

1345 we pasted "hole in the wall at Cabo San Lucas and changed course to 110 degrees headed for PV . In 16 kts of wind. Still predicted no wind. Should be there in under 2 days.

Cruising Law #8

Law # 8. Never say "this stew isn't hot enough" when the Cook is within reach of a winch handle!

We are cruising now

Woke to sunshine, only drug anchor a little last night , love the anchor alarm. This morning after coffee Al and Jill changed the fitting that broke on the pole that fell 20 ft. off its track. Al hand a spare and figured it would be a lot easier to install at anchor than on a rolling deck underway. Jim added a little muscle on the pop rivets.

We got underway at 1024. Cleared the entrance by 1100 and all had shorts on by 1200. What a beautiful day. Wind was 15 to 20 most of the day. Start from the NE shifting to the NW . We were on a broad reach coming down Isla Margarita and later sailing downwind wing and wing with the Genoa poled-out to starboard . Now on a direct course to Puerto Vallata.

Finally feels like cruising. 3 hr watches start at 1800 with Al and I getting the 6-9 watch the Jill and Jill get 9 to 12, etc. Then in the daytime we switch to 6 hr.watches.
Sunset on deck with our one allotted beer for the day ,then dinner and dishes. Jim and Jill have definitely taken over the dish washing so that's not in my routine, thankfully.

WHALE count is 15 so far.
From Turtle Bay to Mag Bay we saw 10 Gray whales . Today we saw 5 whales. 3 we could identify as Humpbacks. We saw beaches, spy hops, and tail lobbing.