HAPPY NEW YEAR

December 29, 2009
TENACATITA
It is hot here. We have been to so many amazing places I’m not sure where to begin. Okay, I’ll rattle them off: Boca de Tomatlan, Punta Ipala, Chamela, Careyes, and presently we are in Tenacatita. Officially we are now in the tropics and not only do we see it but feel it in every square inch of our bones….so lovely. The water, foliage and sea life continue to astound us. We are just above latitude 19 and will hustle our buns, Mexican style of course, to Zihuatanejo and meet up with our new one week crew: Maryjo and Bill (my sister and here sweetie). We are trying to swim, snorkel and walk everyday and even that can be a challenge at times due to weather and local conditions. Walking…in small villages flip flops won’t work, in fact they don’t work overall because Mexico does not blacktop their roads. The creative bed rock is unbelievable workmanship and one must always watch their step. We have known fellow cruisers with sprain ankles…number one injury. We walk a lot out of necessity, getting food, boat parts, touring etc. Also, getting to shore has to be assessed, if we can get to shore easily and if the beach is walk able, sometimes they extend for miles but have a really steep grade and you just kind of get gobbled up walking a very short distance. Swimming is our number one choice of exercise. Often times the seas are high and the cloudy water is not conducive to snorkeling. I know you feel sorry for us and these obstacles so here are a few more details: Steve broke the ore to the dingy and we have had a few mechanical problems in which Steve has promptly taken care of…the old fashion way I might add. We blew a cooling hose and water was being pumped into the boat. We had 30 gallons of water in the engine compartment before Steve noticed and we had to jerry rig it back together. The problem is temporarily fixed and he plans on finishing the job when we can find a mechanical part store. We now have more battery capacity so we can run the freezer longer without having to constantly start the motor. Steve is my hero AND he still verbalizes undying love for me. I get a bit cranky at times and sick of talking boat talk. I am looking forward to our visit with my sister so we can engage in girl talk and share this fabulous journey with loved ones. Christmas day was glorious; we were in Chamela and had an amazing traditional feast with our buddy boat friends. I made a pumpkin pie, (I actually had a real sugar pumpkin) and mash potatoes and Vicky roasted a turkey on Rocinante. We ate sooooo much, had a jam session and went for an evening swim.
I am participating more and more in the sailing activities. Steve actually let me put the sails up and run the show for a day…okay a few hours and I am enjoying myself. Steve is turning into a drummer and he is often having his first beer at 11:00. We almost flipped the dingy today on the breakers going into the beach. Steve was thrown out of the boat and my weight saved the day! The motor was running I pulled the red kill switch, raised motor and surfed on in while Steve was drowning. Just kidding it was quite shallow. I am his hero…..the dingy prop suffered no damage. I hope you all had a merry Christmas, Steve sends his best wishes to all that give a damn. A few more words about where we have been: Puerto Vallarta has a horrid marina but the culture is splendid. Tomatlan is a very special place that you should all visit by bus if you go to PV. My brother Mick showed it to us and we loved our anchorage there even though we woke up dragging it and could have been a disaster. We did not stop in Yelapa (thought of you Anita) because I had a cold and felt crappie. And rounding Cabo Corrientes is the most beautiful part of Mexico I’ve seen yet (well maybe…). Those of you that have five star tastes really need to visit Careyes and please note that you need to speak three languages to buy a villa there and rooms are $1000.00 per night. It is a picturesque hillside from the sea and ohhhhh how I wish I could vacation there someday. Mom would love it. Tenacatita provided us with a tropical jungle dingy trip up the Rio Iguana that is a host to crocks and other various unknown creatures. The excursion takes you to a beautiful sandy beach where you can swim, eat, buy groceries and dingy home…..great spot to camp, bring the kids, or just sail down and throw out your anchor and stay a year….lots of people do this!
As I send this I must wish you all HAPPY NEW YEAR as we have sailed under moonlight to the lovely Manzanillo Bay. It is hot here. Very magical and European style villas built into the cliffs and the anchorage is protected and boy do they know how to celebrate Ney Years. The light show was incredible from the boat and the music blared until 4:00am (we are getting used to this as the Mexicans love to play tunes into the wee hours). Thanks for reading folks, I could go on and on and on, but time to go enjoy the pool and our friend Andres is showing us a new restaurant for a early dinner. Adios and love to all.