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!

Music from La Cruz

This is a cut from the CD produced by a local trio. The Mango Trio (Zoe, Alfredo and Luis) plays in the open air courtyard of La Cascada restaurant every Saturday night. Their sound is wonderful and, by the way, so is the food!

Doctor Pepper

It happened that my friend Glenn, on La Sirena, came down with something very pneumonia like. After many days of no improvement, he walked into town to see Dr. Hector Pimienta at his office/pharmacy. The Doctor prescribed an antibiotic and an expectorant, which Glenn purchased at the pharmacy.

But this wasn't Glenn's best day. Two blocks from the Doctors office he came across me having lunch at Enrique's Glorietta Restaurant. Glenn joined me but ate little, looked terrible, and proceeded to collapse at the table. While I kept him off the floor for the few moments required until he recovered, Enrique, the restaurant owner, went for Dr. Pimienta. The doctor arrived minutes later and proceeded to check Glenn over once again, discovering this time Glenns very low blood pressure.

Dr. Pimienta counseled Glenn on when to take the medication and to lay off his blood pressure medication for a few days.

Cost of office visit including drugs: 500 pesos ($50.00 US)
Cost of house call: 100 pesos ($10.00 US)
Increase in our opinion of small town Mexico: Priceless

Views of La Cruz

I took a little walk on New Years Eve......

La Cruz de Huanacaxtle

December 28, 2007

(Google earth N20 44.9 W105 22.7)

I have been in a slip at the new Marina La Cruz, www.marinalacruz.net , for about 3 weeks now. As planned, Greg and Cherie' left Snow Goose to re join our mutual friends, Rennie and Ann, aboard Cassiopeia, a beautiful Swan 65, berthed at Marina Paradise in Nuevo Vallarta.

Marina La Cruz is still under construction: only the slips are partially completed. We have electricity and, on most days, water. You can’t drink the water straight from the dock. It must be purified first. I do that as a matter of course on Snow Goose by bringing the water aboard through two very fine filters before passing it through a UV sterilizing chamber. It enters the tanks pure, but must then be chlorinated for long term storage (more than a few days).

The marina grounds are under construction from 7am until after dark. The slips are mostly empty. I predict that in a year or two this marina will look just like those in Puerto Vallarta and Cabo San Lucas: filled with sport fishing boats, parachute rides and tourists, sporting Gringo restaurants and upscale shops in every direction. What a shame it will be if that happens (except for those who will prosper by the money flowing here).

The town of La Cruz de Huanacaxtle is a typical small Mexican beach town which has seen little development until this marina. And for me, right now, it is a minor paradise. Like all of this part of Mexico, it has warm days and cool nights. It has cobblestone streets with mud-filled pot holes. Most blocks have one or two small, family run stores selling an eclectic assortment of inexpensive goods. The laundry I have been using also has a display case of ladies’ shoes. Most streets have small markets with an incomplete assortment of food items. It frequently requires a visit to two or more stores to complete a simple grocery list. It is in these details that the small town charm of La Cruz is seen. These will disappear with the completion of the marina and the infusion of money to follow.

I've spent the last three Friday evenings at the Black Forest Restaurant listening to Gypsy guitar music in a courtyard style restaurant owned by a German couple. Two nights ago I had an equally excellent meal in a small Mexican restaurant located in the open air basement of a Mexican family's house. No English was spoken by our server, the high school age daughter of the owners. Every second block in this town sports a restaurant similar to one of these. I've tried most of them now and they are all good!

Chacala

We arrived at the oceanfront town of Chacala, population about 300, on November 27. From the anchorage, this is a picture perfect tropical paradise.

Going ashore requires first extending two air filled tires on the stern of the dinghy, then (not) riding a wave as it breaks just offshore. If it is done right, just as the bow of the dinghy touches the bottom, everyone jumps out into 2-3 feet of warm ocean and pulls the dinghy ashore ...BEFORE the next wave comes from behind and swamps you. If done wrong, you will ride the face of the wave you neglected to stay well ahead of and very likely be swamped by that wave as you near shore. Practice, practice.

Ashore are several palapas (thatch roofed restaurants) waiting to serve Mexican breakfast, lunch and dinner. A scattering of small stores has minimal necessities for restocking boat supplies. I asked the owner of the palapa with wi fi service, where we spent the warmest part of each day, to get me some chicken for the boat. She sold me eight 1/2 chickens for about $2 per pound. They're in the freezer now.

We are daily joined ashore by the crews of several other boats here with us: La Sirena, Capricorn Cat and Jake among them.