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.

More from Isabela

Isla Isabela

November 14, 2007-11-19

We finally tired of the bustle of Cabo San Lucas so departed the anchorage last night just after midnight, in order to arrive at our next stop, Isla Isabela, mid-day on the 15th (after a 37 hour passage). It is always best to enter a new harbor in the daylight, and preferably with the sun high in the sky. This we did, and so set out anchors (bow and stern) on the volcanic rock seabed that is the most protected anchorage at Isabela.


November 19, 2007

We’ve been at Isla Isabela for four days now and will stay for several more. Isabela is a marine and bird sanctuary managed by the Mexican government. It was cleaned up several years ago after many years of neglect. It is beautiful, rough, isolated (45 miles from San Blas on the mainland), and home to Boobies of several varieties, Frigate birds, and Iguanas. It also has a transient population of Mexican fishermen who go out several times a day in pangas (small boats) to tend their long lines. We bought several red snapper from one panga yesterday (our fishing success is terrible) which we barbequed for last nights dinner party. Our guests were the crew of Capricorn Cat: Wayne, Carol, Christian, and Mary, who are anchored nearby.


November 21

Bread is baking today on Snow Goose. Another hike today. Same birds…..

November 22

Thanksgiving Day

Dinner today was aboard Capricorn Cat with Wayne, Carol, and Mary. The crews of 3 other boats joined us: Endless Summer, La Sirena, Eupsychia, and Solstice. Everyone brought something. We brought fresh baked bread, wine and yams. The “turkey” was a nice Dorado that Wayne traded for with the “pangueros” (local commercial fishermen).

November 24

Finally sated with the natural beauty of Isla Isabela, we motored 45 miles today to Mantanchen Bay, Nayarit, Mexico. It’s on the mainland north of Puerto Vallarta. On the way we caught our first “keeper”, a nice Dorado which we will BBQ one of these nights. After anchoring, we took a long dinghy ride into San Blas for a quick look around the “real” Mexican town. No touristas other than ourselves. There’s an internet café for us to visit tomorrow.
San Blas is our first taste of tropical Mexico: Palm trees, mountains, warm breezes and occasional rain. Showers last night left a couple inches of fresh water in the dinghy and nicely rinsed Snow Gooses’ topsides (and everything we left drying on the lifelines).

November 27

Sailed from San Blas to Chacala today: a 4 hour spinnaker reach in perfect conditions. San Bals was near paradise. Chacala IS paradise. Photos later...I got sand in my camera.

November 28

We had planned to stay here only one or two nights. That will not be enough time.

Sitting, relaxing, waiting...

Today we relax at anchor. We finally launched the dinghy to avoid paying the $50 peso ($5 US) taxi fee (each way) to shore. Then, for the first time since we got here, the winds picked up to 18 knots, making the one mile dinghy ride a guaranteed e-ticket, waterslide ride. We’ll wait for drier conditions.

Property in Turtle Bay

I may have found what I am looking for after Snow Goose....a little paint, a few pictures on the wall...