Kicking back in Bandaras Bay...

A little day sailing, a little kayaking, a little work on the boat, a little sightseeing, a lot of just hanging around and taking it easy…. We have pretty much gotten into a routine of no routine. We get up in the morning, shower, breakfast, and see what the day has in store.

Ruth and Bain, neighbors from Cochrane are currently in Puerto Vallarta. We spent a few days together so far, day sailing one day and then yesterday we took a trip over to Yelapa. Yelapa is across the bay from La Cruz, not a great anchorage, and was a hippie hangout back in the 60’s and 70’s. “Better a palapa in Yelapa than a condo in Redondo” was an old saying back then.

Today it is still a pretty laid back place but now set up for artisans, has a number of small restaurants, rentals, and bed and breakfasts. The beach is very laid back, not too busy, but just busy enough to keep things interesting. We finished the day in PV with the 4 of us sharing supper.

Took in a swap meet at the marina to see what we could find. Pretty much everyone tries to clean out their boats and get rid of the clutter, only to buy or swap for more from others. I traded a spare kayak paddle and an old boat hook for 2 bottles of wine. We were both pretty happy as he had lost his boat hook and kayak pole over board after not having them very secure. I picked up a few stainless steel bolts that I could use if I get around to some not so urgent repairs….. I have been having a few issues with one of my batteries again. It is not holding a charge and I will have to see if I can get a replacement under warranty. Other than that, standard wear and tear, will tighten up the rigging a bit, might get the bottom cleaned before we go north later next week.

While I putter around on the boat, Nathene has read 2 novels, has been practicing on her keyboard and finished Handel’s Royal Fireworks, etc. Sometimes we cook on board, sometimes we go out for dinner. If I cook, she cleans up, if we go out, she picks the restaurant, and when we go shopping, she even helps carry the stuff she helps me to buy…..

Back to Puerto Vallarta....

Got back on Feb 14th and checked out Tansi. She was left behind for almost a year, sitting in a private slip. The motor was started occasionally and I had someone clean the bottom several times. We have not had bottom painted since we were in La Paz so it has been about 3 years. In the warm waters, growth on the hull starts sooner and grows quicker. During the summer, the bilge pump failed, or at least the switch did, so the bilge level started to creep up. Fortunately, it was caught in time and we had the pump replaced. But with the hot tropical climate, if the boat gets damp inside, mold starts to grow too. Prior to our arrival, I had someone come clean the inside and outside of the boat so we did not arrive to a big mess. It was worth the few pesos to get it done.

Nathene always refers to Tansi, as my mistress. In some ways, she is right. Tansi needs constant attention, needs me to spend lots of time on her, and needs me to spend lots of money on her just to keep her in reasonable condition. Within a couple of days, after leaving the boat for a year, the engine purrs, the sails are up, and as always, there is a list of things that need to be done.
That is part of the life of being a boat owner. Cruising as a life style has been described as “fixing boats in exotic places”. It is true. On the other hand, people always ask me “what the worst storm we have been in” or “it must be really expensive to own a boat” or “aren’t you afraid of pirates”?
Cruising or sailing is about none of those things. It is more about the adventure, the delights that occur in perhaps just a moment of time that you would never experience elsewhere, or maybe some of the people you meet, their stories, and their lives. It is what I would rather share, much more interesting than the “horror stories”. How many of you have seen the “green flash” that occurs just as the sun sinks down over the horizon on a clear day (my 2 crew members missed it both days)? Or spending 3 hours with a pod of dolphins on a moonless but starry night with phosphorescence plankton glowing as the dolphins stirred it up?

Just after we got to La Cruz, we saw a poster up for a “circus”, 2 performances, just down the dock from us. We went to the first one, and were so delighted, came back for the second performance. A couple from France have been sailing around the world for the last 7 years, performing high wire acts right off their boat as a means of making some money to continue their journeys. Absolutely amazing. They have 2 little girls, both have lived their entire lives on board, travelling the world. Who would have thought of customizing a boat so you could do acrobatics on it… I will try to upload a video later.
We will be spending our time chec king out the sights and day sailing around Bandaras Bay while Nathene is here. Our neighbors, Ruth and Bain, from Cochrane are coming to PV as well and will be spending a few days with us doing what ever….

By the way, if nothing else, it beats the cold and shoveling snow….