Glory Days April 97

Glory Days
Gulfstar 50

April 1997

April 6-10	We have set our clocks forward to daylight savings time. Now in Puerto Vallarta, which is in the central time zone, the sun doesn't come up until 7:45 am. It seems that our day starts so late! We will like it better when we leave and head north west, then we will be back in mountain time. We decide to stay here in the marina, plugged into shore power, so Brenda can use her sewing machine and make us curtains. This task ends up taking three days, since she decides to line the curtains (for extra sun protection) and she must sew in glides to each curtain to make them fit into tracks that have been mounted above and below each window. Brenda also uses this time to re-provision our food supplies and handle numerous loads of laundry. While at the dock Rod also decides this would be a good time to go up the mast twice. Good thing Rod is not scared of heights! One day he hangs a line for lazy jacks (a system that will allow us to drop and fold the main sail much easier). On another day he runs a new line for our spinnaker halyard (now we will be able to fly that colorful sail that we've never had out of the bag) and removes the wind mast head wind instrument. It has, after 4 months of operation, seized-up. It will be fixed under warranty, but ......

April 11	Being tied to a dock makes most tasks easier and it is comfortable sleeping, but it's expensive and it is too much like city life. So we feel a real sense of relief as we leave the marina headed north. We only sail about seven miles, to La Cruz. We've been here twice before, once with Pete and Marsha and once with Linda and Rhonda. It's a quiet laid-back spot.

April 12	Brenda has been working from sun up to sun down so we decide to take the whole day off and relax. After breakfast we row to shore, tie the dinghy to a tree, walk a couple of blocks to the main street and catch a bus. After a 50 minute ride we arrive at Mismaloya Beach. It's a pretty little bay with a crescent-shaped beach. We anchored here with Pete and Marsha, but never went ashore. Now we sit in two of the beach chairs under one of the restaurant's umbrella and enjoy the view from the shore. There are lots of other people on the beach, however we guess they are on vacation and soon must fly home. Then we realize, we on the other hand are not on vacation, this is our normal everyday life. We have a lot to be thankful for..

April 13	We planned to head north today, but it rained off and on all day long. Since we now are fair weather sailors we change our plan and decide to read a book instead. We also take care of some paperwork and discover that we have been spending more than budgeted. We vow, in the future, to spend less time in marinas and more time at anchorages. We enjoy anchorages so much more anyway.

April 14	The skies are still 60% clouds and the weather report predicts rain for the next three days, but it is not raining now and the Chubasco and Sonrisa SSB radio nets elaborate on the "pineapple express" that we are experiencing saying that this humid, overcast air from Hawaii it is not as dense north of Vallarta so we leave Banderas Bay. (We first arrived here February 20.) We have the anchor up by 8:30 am. The seas are flat and there is no wind and within minutes we see a large pod of dolphins and take this as a sign that our timing is right. (Everyone knows dolphins don't swim in the rain. Right?) As we round the northern point of the bay and join the Pacific Ocean, about two hours later, the winds pick up to a light six knots. We set our sails, shut off the motor and are able to sail the next 7 hours to our anchorage, Chacalla. Along the way we see two white dorsal fins swim by, probably sharks. We also see two black finback whales and a second pod of dolphins. The sun never comes out from behind the clouds but the air temperature is in the 70's and we are able to wear shorts all day long. We have both a bow and a stern anchor set by 7:00 pm in Chacala. It's been a good day.

April 15-18	We decide to spend a few days in Chacala. When we were traveling south, two months ago, we anchored here for a night but never went ashore. We were sick and in a hurry to meet our guests in Vallarta. Now, our schedule is much more open and Rod has the April edition of Latitude 38 (a big one) and refuses to budge until finishing the last page. Great seeing the dancing dolphin in the racing section and learning of "Dolphin Dance's" winning season in the mid-winter series--Congrat's Dave, Anna, and "the Crew". Page 258 shows a restaurant/bar in Tenacatita, which was built as a movie set for "McHale's Navy". We were there and really liked the area. In fact, I would rate the "cruising lifestyle" on the mainland of Mexico to be marginal at best north of Chacala. This fall when we leave the Sea of Cortez, we will blast south to this area and not stop on the mainland coast north of here. Here in Chacala we have found the water sufficiently warm to swim, a beautiful beach, an outstanding hike to the inside of an old volcano (see page 249 of April's Latitude for a view from the top of the volcano), six palm leaf thatched roof restaurants that serve one-half liter bottles of beer for .75, and an interesting van ride to town. We also find time to read two books because fortunately nothing has broken in the last week. (knock on wood)

April 19	For the last several days we have been listening to both a morning and evening SSB net to hear wind and weather reports. We have been hoping to hear news of a southerly wind that would help drive us north. But now we are tired of waiting and decide to head north anyway. We are determined to sail, not motor. This means we had to do a lot of tacking (zig-zagging). During the day the wind varies from 3 to 15 knots. Unfortunately it always came from the north west, the direction we want to go; so our progress is slow. The way the crow flies our destination is 54 miles away. It takes us 16 hours. We left Chacala at 7:30 this morning and dropped anchor , in the dark, at 11:00 pm at Isla Isabella. Luckily the full moon helps us see the way. It was a long day. The highlights include the sighting of three giant tortoises, a very large tuna leaping through the waves and a catch on our line of a good eating Sierra mackerel.

April 20	Today we read our books and watch the birds; there are hundreds soaring in the skies. Oops, shouldn't have made the comment about nothing breaking. Now the generator won't start. Since we can't run the refrig without the generator we will have to rush to Mazatlan tomorrow morning so we can plug into shore power in time to save our freezer full of meat.

April 21	We planned an early morning start, but a delegation of five young men, with small machine guns (ouzzis) from the Mexican Navy showed up this morning and boarded "Glory Days" to check our documentation. The check took about a half hour but then they couldn't get their outboard motors started. After they sanded every spark plug and tried other things they discovered they were out of gas. Rod gave them our outboard gas so they could get back to their "mother" ship. Then it took more time for them to return with our gas tank. So our departure was two hours later than we planned. We head for Mazatlan, ninety-three miles away. Most of the day the wind comes predominately from the west, varying between 4-15 knots; so we are able to sail. We average 6 knots. The skies are clear and the temperature is about 75. Sailing off shore about 30 miles, again we see giant turtles. Close to sunset, Rod hooks a 3' dorado. This will be good eating! Shortly thereafter we get two more BIG bites and loose both lures. Rod takes the first night shift, while Brenda sleeps from 9 pm to midnight. When Brenda wakes, together we furl the jib and reef the main sail. Rod sleeps from l:00 am until Brenda wakes him at 3:30 am on the approach to Mazatlan.

April 22	About 2:00 am it started getting overcast. By 3:00 we are enclosed in fog and Brenda can't see more than about l00 yards. She checks the radar every ten minutes to check the paths of any ship traffic. This fog lasts about three hours. It's disconcerting not being able to see the lighthouse. We are reminded on how much easier sailing nowadays is with the advent of radars and global plotting systems. Luckily as we approach the harbor the fog begins to lift and we safely make our way in . We end tie to a dock at 6:00, as the sun is beginning to peak over the horizon. This is the marina in which we stayed during January, now it will be warmer and we will make use of the pool.

April 23	After studying the schematics, Rod crawls in the engine room and disassembles the generator, looking for the cause of the failure. Within three hours he has diagnosed the problem as the brush holders. While in the engine room, Rod also changes the generator oil and services the generator and the Perkins.

April 24-26	The weather reports are predicting winds from the northwest and big waves caused by a storm further north. We want to sail northwest, across the Gulf of California, to La Paz. Going straight into the wind and waves would be uncomfortable and slow, so we decide to linger here. So much for avoiding the costs of marinas... While at the marina we discover that some of sailboaters that were here in January are still here. We also noticed this phenomenon in Puerto Vallarta, i.e. once some yatchers to get to warm water they settle in . On the other hand , we also meet Earl and Bernie who have been sailing twenty years in their 44' boat. Their stories of enchanted islands and modern day pirates in big power boats only make us want to explore more.

April 27	We leave Mazatlan. We're glad we waited; we talked to three boats who started out across the Sea but turned back. And two days ago a small 24' sailboat was washed up on shore when the crew lost control. Today the daytime winds are from the west so we sail north. In the evening when the wind direction changes and comes more from the north we tack and sail west. This takes longer than going directly northwest, where we want to go, but we are able to sail and never once turn on the motor. At midnight we are still 133 miles away from our destination. We haven't seen one other boat all day!

April 28	We are continuing to sail on to La Paz. We have been lucky with wind that has allowed us to sail all last night and through the day. The wind is not always strong but our day is peaceful and warm. Today we saw another sailboat (who motored on by) and talked to a second on the radio. We also were blessed by sailing through several pods of dolphins. Many came and played in our bow wake, swimming just inches ahead of us It is always thrilling to have these graceful, powerful creatures so near. At midnight, tonight, we still have 46 miles to go. The clear starry skies are awesome!

April 29	Watching the moon rise at 1:20 am is breathtaking. The big orange ball immediately begins to lighten the entire area around us and our visibility is increased by miles. Day- break gives us our first view of the eastern side of the Baja coast. The rugged mountains jut sharply up from the shore. Obviously, we will see no more palm tree lined beaches. The terrain here is steep and desert, complete with occasional cactus.. Three miles off shore we motor through a school of manta rays, probably sixty of them. A few delight us by leaping and somersaulting in the air. Interestingly, they seem to be sunning themselves, like seals, lying on their backs with their two fins bent up into the air. We finally arrive at the La Paz anchorage about l:00 pm. It's been a 50 hour passage, but we feel good regarding all the sailing we did; most people we have talked to motor most of the way.

April 30	Today we treat ourselves to breakfast on land and then make the trek to the three offices that are required to check into this new port. The land temps are hot here, 90-l00 degrees. We walk about five miles in the heat. The good news is that the humidity here, in Baja, compared to the mainland is almost none existent. After our dinghy ride back to "Glory Days", a face wash and a cold lemonade we join two other cruising couples and take a taxi ride to the burro races. This is a comical event, where competing teams of four men try to coax, push, pull, and/or beat their burros into following an obstacle course. Accompanying events include young boys racing ponies bareback and men displaying their horses "dancing" skills while the band plays. The stadium is full to capacity . We enjoy being part of this cultural event, but after three hours we had enough and leave early. The six of us walk to a sidewalk taco stand and buy beef tacos for 5 pesos each (.75 US) for dinner.

May 1	This evening, Tim Modders and Cindy Wilkes fly in from San Francisco to join us for 4 days. In preparation, we make a one day reservation at the marina. This allows us to use their fresh water to wash off all the salt crystals that have accumulated on our boat from our passage and we can transport their luggage to our boat without having to make a dinghy ride. While Rod replaces one of our leaky ports, Brenda uses the marina's laundry facilities and she gets directions and then walks to the supermarket for grocery shopping .

May 2	We have a delightful sail through turquoise water to Isla Partida, about 20 miles north of La Paz. The winds are light and we take this opportunity to christen our spinnaker. Tim and Rod get this big, lightweight, colorful sail out of the bag and we fly it for several hours. It's a delight because not only are we able to make progress with only 3 -5 knots of wind and it is beautiful, but it provides shade on the deck from the heat of the sun. The cove where we anchor is surrounded on three sides by steep lava-rock walls. This was once a volcano cone and the geological formations provide spectacular scenery.

May 3	Rod and Tim start the day out with a dinghy ride to explore some nearby coves. Brenda and Cindy sleep in. Later while the guys work on a boat project, the ladies take the dinghy and do their own exploring. Then all four of us load the snorkel gear into the dinghy and head out to the nearby reef for some snorkeling. The water is warm enough (78) to comfortably enjoy the swim and we see starfish, 3' long needle fish, sea urchins 10" in diameter, and lots of other smaller fish.

May 4	We get started early and motor about five miles to the north end of Isla Partida. Just off the end of the island is a rugged rock that is home to a sea lion colony. Rod and Tim jump in the sea to frolic with the sea lions. But when a seven foot bull , that outweighs Rod by several times, grins at him they both decide to quickly swim back to the boat. We then turn back to the south and sail past Isla Partida about 3.5 miles to Isla Espiritu Santo. There are several dramatically beautiful coves to choose from, all deep canyons with tall volcanic walls. We pick a cove that has a reef running to the beach that provides us with some snorkeling .

May 5	Tim and Cindy must leave tomorrow morning so we decide to stop at one more anchorage before we return to La Paz.. The guide book tells us that on the shore of San Gabriel bay are ruins of a pearl factory; so we pick this as our next stop so Cindy and Brenda can search the sandy bottom with their snorkels for oysters with pearls. San Gabriel is located five miles south , so this is a quick motor. In the late afternoon we head back to La Paz, unfortunately without any pearls. A section of the waterfront boulevard in La Paz has been blocked off for their Cinco de Mayo celebration. We wonder about and end our evening with tacos and burritos from a sidewalk cafe.

May 6	We awake to the sounds of a parade on shore. I guess the Cinco de Mayo celebration will continue today. We load Cindy and Tim's luggage into the dinghy and take them to shore and them bid them "audios." We had a great time visiting with them, sailing in warm breezes and snorkeling in clear waters. Cindy and Tim have a 50' Beneteau in Alameda. We hope this visit will entice them to move up their cruising departure date so they can join us this fall as we sail south again.

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