More from a voyage on the Gold Coast

If the quality of the sailing was lacking, good scenery was not. Many of the small, isolated bays we anchored in were spectacular. Punta Ipala had crashing waves which prevented any possibility of going ashore. Bahia Careyes had the most expensive real estate, with condos renting for up to $5000 (US) per night. Las Hadas, in Manzanillo, was beautiful, even without Dudley Moore and Bo Derek. Other stops included: Chamela, Tenacatita, Zihuatanejo, and Barra de Navidad.

Photos from a voyage down the Mexican Gold Coast

The interesting thing about a sailing trip southeast bound down the Mexican Pacific coast is that very little sailing is actually done. While headed southeast, the winds are light and directly astern. As the coast turns from a north/south direction into a mainly east/west direction, the winds simply parallel the coast. Only for a few hours in the late afternoon do the winds back enough to justify using them for motivation. In 3 weeks of traveling, we had the spinnaker up once, went wing and wing for about 20 hours, and, on the return trip, sailed close hauled twice. The balance of the time was spent motorsailing.

Heather Reimer, from the Okanogan Valley in British Columbia, joined Snow Goose for the trip. She also became the motive force behind my addition of a kayak to the equipment inventory. I really will have to learn how to use it. I know it's possible: Heather used it daily!