Little Tehuantepecker

Posted on February 28, 2014 by Pete

Crossing the Gulf of Tehuantepec is one of the most dreaded pieces of sailing in Mexico. The gulf is a narrow isthmus separating the Pacific from the Gulf of Mexico. When northerly winds are blowing in the Gulf of Mexico they cross the isthmus into the Tehuantepec and a narrow gap in the mountains funnels and accelerates the wind. What may be a pleasant 15 knot breeze on the eastern side can become a 40 knot gale on the western. This is an example of a prediction of the Tehuantepec winds (thankfully, not for our crossing of it).

Tehuantepec grib

These are GRIB files – raw government weather forecast data displayed graphically. This one shows 40-45 knots of wind in the middle of the Tehuantepec. (I keep writing Tehuantepec because I like the way it sounds, although not as much as Topalabampo in the north). That’s enough to create 15 – 20 foot seas at very short periods – ie, boat breaking stuff.

We download these images, along with other weather resources to see what we will get whenever we go anywhere. We looked intensely at weather predictions before leaving on the 250 mile (2 day) trip across the Tehuantepec. We were hoping to leave Monday morning and our predictions varied but some showed very light winds for the entire trip and some showed a short period of heavier winds Tuesday morning. We decided to brave it and left with one other boat, Wanuskewin with Mike and Holly aboard. Sure enough Tuesday morning, well more like Monday night, just as we were approaching a shallow sandy bar clogged with large fishing boats, the wind piped up. We saw a max of about 35 knots, which is a lot of wind, but we reefed (reduced the size of our sails) and carried on. It only lasted a few hours and for the rest of the trip we had little to no wind.

25lbs. yellow fin tuna

Calm enough catch and filet this crevalle jack on the back of the boat. So those weather forecasters were pretty close to spot on.

By Tuesday morning (and by that I mean about 3 am – we sail the boat 24 hours a day, taking 3 hour shifts) we were ready to get into port. It was only about 2 miles away and we were motoring right for it in calm weather. Arrivals after a few days at sea are really rewarding. However, our trials were not quite complete. Suddenly, the boat lumbered to a halt and the engine stalled. Looking over the side, I could see that we were snagged in a large and long fishing net. What was this thing doing strung right across the main channel into a large port? Who knows but the fishermen were soon on the scene and, characteristic of most Mexicans we’ve met, they were not angry and took their loss in stride. They helped me cut the net away and left to salvage what they could of their catch. This left a large chunk of net tangled around our propeller, daggerboard and rudders like a fly in a giant spider web. Mary and I anchored the boat in the calm ocean to figure out what to do. Mike and Holly from Wanuskewin witnessed the whole thing from a mile behind us and were super kind to anchor near us and help.

Pete and Mike dive to free the prop from the fishing net

Mike and I dove with snorkels and knives to saw away the remainder of the net that was so tightly twisted around stuff under the boat, being careful not to let it tangle us. After about an hour we had every last bit of it off. We saved what we could to throw out so it would not catch any more sea creatures and mourned the fish who were caught in the discarded net. I kept some of the floats from the net as a reminder of this little battle.

The culprit

About a 6 ½

Posted on February 4, 2014 by Mary

We anchored in Manzanillo in front of the “Las Hadas” resort where they filmed portions of the movie 10.

Las Hadas anchorage

Nice enough place, but it is getting a little long in the tooth and far from our perfect stop. It was a combination of things; being stuck for a week in a place in which we would rather have spent only a few days, lots of loud BAD music playing until the wee hours of the night and the only real way to shore and into town was to go through the resort. Although they do have a marina at the resort, they were not overwhelmingly welcoming to the riff raff coming from the anchorage.

Las Hadas poolside

They charge 200 pesos a day to park at the dinghy dock – about $18US a day. Most dinghy docks are free or only a few bucks, so this seemed a tad pricey. However, that fee did allow us to use the resort’s decaying pool and a dip in fresh water is always a plus, so who were we not to take advantage? And, no, I didn’t get Bo Derek cornrows 😉

Lucy was perra non grata here. Now, I completely understand her not being allowed in the resort proper, but you’d think you could take her up the service road. One time after we walked out the guard would not let Peter back in with Lucy, even though it was the only way back to the boat. Unfortunately, this service road was the only way to get the local bus, which was the only way to town, so we cajoled and demanded and played dumb to get her in and out.

Another one rides the bus

Once outside Las Hadas, we were back in action and Lucy boarded buses and walk the streets without anyone batting an eye.

The reason we were “stuck” in Manzanillo was we were waiting for our infamous package of boat parts to arrive from the US. Shipping anything to Mexico has the distinct possibility of being hung up in customs, misplaced by incompetent shipping companies and a whole host of other issues too ridiculous to bore you with, but the frustration definitely hung over us like a black cloud.

Manzanillo ship yards

We had been trying to get this package shipped to us in several different cities, but with each new and devious snag, we moved on and had it shipped to the next city.

After many days of this craziness, we were hoping to celebrate Peter’s birthday with the arrival of our new watermaker pump (yay! He says), but it was not meant to be.

Bar Social

Apparently Peter’s day of birth is cause for rejoicing not only in our family but also in the shipping company’s office, as they decided to take the day off for no apparent reason, except of course to fiesta por Pedro. So we turned our attention to historic downtown Manzanillo to try and salvage this blessed day.

Manzanillo is Mexico’s largest cargo port city so it is a real working town. It was interesting to see a place where tourism isn’t #1. The city is a little rough around the edges, but that is what actually gave it some charm. We met some real characters and had a ball at Bar Social, a famous cantina in downtown Manzanillo.

Bar Social regular

It has been there since the 1950s and hasn’t changed much, including some of the clientele and tradition of free botaneras (appetizers) with your drinks. The bartender brought plate after plate of delicious nibbles from guacamole to ceviche to my favorite -fresh jicama with lime and chili powder. Let’s just say we sat there drinking long enough not to need dinner 😉

A few days later, the package finally arrived, the black cloud lifted and we sailed off to Zihuatanejo. Since we didn’t find our perfect 10 in Manzanillo we hope Zihuatanejo delivers all that Andy Dufresne dreamed it would be behind the bars of Shawshank. (click here for more photos)

Cave dwellers

Posted on January 28, 2014 by Mary

We stopped for a few days in the isolated anchorage of Ensenda Carrizal, just a few miles north of Manzanillo where we heard the snorkeling was good. A lot of the guide books proclaim places as “a snorkeler’s paradise” but often are far from it.

San Luciano ship wreck poking out of the water.

Carrizal coral reef

If the water is murky and you can’t see 2 feet in front of your face, who cares how many fish are there. Sadly this was our experience at a site close by in Bahía Santiago where the cargo ship “San Luciano” sank during a hurricane in 1958 and is now an artificial reef. Although it was interesting to see the top of the 300ft. ship sticking up out of the water, under the hazy waters, we saw nada . But Carrizal certainly made up for that. I don’t think I’ve ever seen as much live coral in one place and it was reassuring to know that there are still thriving coral reefs in this world.

I found Nemo

A whole lotta fish

“Kia Ora” was the only other boat in the anchorage and one morning Ken and Julie came by to introduce themselves and told us to jump in our dinghy and follow them to some rock caves they had discovered on a previous visit.

Rock Cave

So off we went around the bend thinking we’d see a cool rock arch (which we did) we could zip through, but to our delight (ok and yes, my hesitation) they lead us to a real cave about a 100 yards long. It was absolutely beautiful and our own little Pirates of the Caribbean ride sans mechanical pirates and the “yo ho ho” song. The first time through was a little unnerving as you weren’t sure if the surge was going to push you against the wall, or we’d hit a precarious little rock or my shrill screams would deafen Peter, but alas, we survived and round and round we went back through again and again, no E-ticket needed. click here see video (ok, I’ll admit after watching the video it doesn’t look that scarey -LOL)

Also in Carrizal is a little fishing shack floating on a raft like contraption. All a quaint little scene until I heard the bark of a dog.

Floating fish camp

So of course I grab the binoculars and sure enough their are two young dogs on the platform portion of the raft and no fisherman in sight. The next day still no fisherman. I know they are there to do a job and guard this area, but it was hot and god knows when they were fed last. So, not being able to stand it any more, we take a big bowl of water with ice cubes and a few scoops of Lucy’s food and head off to the raft.

Hungry hounds

Initially, the dogs go bananas barking at us as we get closer, but as soon as we pull up next to their raft they slink behind a barrel (some guard dogs). We leave the food and water and as we drift away, slowly we see them inch forward and gobble it up. We made another trip over there the next day to do the same, this time leaving a lot more water for the poor pups. Fellow boaters/animal lovers, if you are in this anchorage and see them and no sign of the fisherman, please drop off at least a bowl of water for them.

To see the photos larger, just click on them!!!

Another Day in Paraíso

Posted on January 22, 2014 by Pete

Just like living in Paradise

Actually it was just one, but that is all that we needed. Sailors often dream of having a tiny palm-fringed anchorage all to themselves. This is what they sell cruising dreams on. With the boat floating quietly at anchor and a soft breeze providing just enough cooling, we swim and paddle and just enjoy the solitude. This little bay, Bahia Paraíso, is surrounded by magnificent rock formations with little caves and blowholes that the waves continually

bombard and retreat from. It made for perfect nature watching. The anchorage was just big enough for one boat and had a idyllic little deserted beach for us to let Lucy stretch her legs and sniff at stuff.

Champion hermit crab

The sand was overrun with hermit crabs and each of us picked one for a race – Lucy’s won when mine and Mary’s refused to participate.

It was all exactly as you imagine. That is…until a swimsuit photo shoot broke out at the small seemingly deserted hotel on shore. I kid you not. It doesn’t get any better than this 🙂

A man and his dog

Neko at anchor

Wait, what??? Swim suit models

Day Trippin’

Posted on January 17, 2014 by Mary

Sayulita lunch counter

Sayulita surf dog

We rented a car for a couple of days for a road trip to Sayulita and to see what had changed in Puerto Vallarta since the last time we were there. Our San Francisco pals Don and Paul discovered Sayulita years ago and it had always been on our “to see” list. So we took the scenic drive through the hilly countryside and one-horse towns and amazingly didn’t get lost.

Chicas in Sayulita

Sayulita street

What once was a secret oasis is now a happening surf town with a sturdy base of local charm filled with ex-pat retirees and young hipsters “dropping out” from the bourgeois capitalist society back home to start their own here in Mexico LOL. (Take note Portlandia this place is a sketch in the making.) Here they’ve opened restaurants, galleries, coffee bars and cool but overpriced gift stores.

Hip, happening Sayulita shop

street performer in Sayulita

The beach here is enjoyed by local families, vacationers and surfers, as the easy break is an ideal place for the novice rider to hang ten, or just hang out. We explored the town and had a dynamite fish dinner at a little place called Jakal. Check it out if you are ever in the area. It was a toss up between here and the delicious smelling pizza from the wood-burning oven next door. I don’t think you can go wrong with your dining options in this town. All in all, it was a wonderful day on dry land, but, sorry to say, the secret is out about Sayulita. Still, it is well worth the visit.

Next we were off to Puerto Vallarta, a mid-size city with everything from time shares, resort hotels with alligator shaped slides to deluxe private villas with your own infinity pool overlooking the ocean.

Regardless of your accommodations, the town itself is definitely worth exploring. The malecón (promenade) takes you along the beach in front of the older part of town, which is much more interesting than the suburban sprawl around the edges.

Lucha libre mask for sale in Puerto Vallarta

You’ll find an open plaza with families listening to music and dancing as well as vendors hawking souvenirs. There are a lot of restaurants, shops, churches and interesting architecture, especially in the older section of town known as Zona Romantica. Here the cobble stone

Streets of Puerto Vallarta

Street sign

streets climb from the beach up steep hillsides, and buildings with wrought iron balconies line up to snag a part of the view. This section of town is extremely gay friendly, as PV is one of the gay centers of Mexico. Even with our memory from previous visits we had a hilarious time trying to wind our way up and down the one way streets in search of a water filter store (yes, we are living the life). Street signs, if there are any, are beautiful tile signs embedded in an upper corner of the buildings. This of course adds to the charm of the area and is fine when on foot, but we were driving and had a hell of a time locating the little street signs before passing them by. We went round the same streets 3 or 4 times and felt like Chevy Chase on the roundabout in European Vacation until we finally found the place, only to learn that the store was gone. Oh well, we still enjoyed the sense of accomplishment from finding a needle in a haystack among the one-way, cobble-stoned, dusty, chaotic, maze-like streets of this town. Sometimes, completing even the most banal tasks is satisfying.

Upscale dining with Lucy

Delicious dinner at Coco’s Kitchen in Puerto Vallarta

Afterwards, we parked the car, took a few deep breaths and enjoyed strolling around old-town PV. We were pleased to find one of our favorite restaurants (thanks to Tom & Andre), Coco’s Kitchen, still alive and well and happy to seat our party of 3.

Potlucks, Pickles and Packages

Posted on January 15, 2014 by Mary

We celebrated Christmas and rang in the New Year in La Cruz de Huanacaxtle or thankfully just called La Cruz, a friendly little town about 10 miles North of Puerto Vallarta. La Cruz and PV are located on a big bay called Bahia Banderas (Banderas Bay).

La Cruz coastline

Closest we got to church in La Cruz

And although we missed seeing our family and friends and even a little snow, we did enjoy several potluck parties to celebrate the holidays with some of our old boating pals and several new ones.

Happy New Year

If you are reading this blog and planning your own sailing adventure, don’t forget to add disposable serving dishes and easy one pot recipes to your inventory list, because if there is one thing cruisers love more than calm seas, it’s a potluck. So everyone feel free to send me your favorite easy recipes that don’t include mayonnaise. (hot sun + mayo = green boaters)

Since we used to keep Neko in Puerto Vallarta and had spent a lot of time there, we decided to only take a day trip into PV proper and focus our time exploring other parts of Banderas Bay.

La Cruz also gave us the opportunity to catch up with our old PV marina neighbors, Val & Ron who now live full time in La Cruz. We had a great dinner with them hearing about their new life on land. A big thanks to Val for the ride to the Mega, not having to schlep groceries back on the bus was a real treat!

Mary’s maiden voyage on the stand up paddle board

We took road trips to Sayulita (click here for side trip post), Puerto Vallarta and sailed over to Punta Mita (that’s when we saw the whales). Some days we broke out the boat “toys” which included kitesurfing for Peter and an opportunity for us to christen the stand up paddle board.

Emily, Tom (Girl Four) Mary & Peter rockin’ night at Philos

Plus great nights out with Emily and Tom from “Girl Four” listening to live music at Philos (a local bar run by Philo, a timeless musician with a kickin’ band)

I even got Captain Pete out on the dance floor.

Philo and Leon jammin’

Leon, one of the guys in Philo’s band is an 85 years old dude who wears every kind of percussion instrument you can imagine and the crowd loves him. If you are ever in La Cruz, have dinner at Tacos on the Street, it is a family business that has grown from literally tacos on the street to a sit down restaurant, with their specialty being carne asada tacos. You know if a place famous for their beef still does a fantastic veggie version for this pain in the ass gringo, it is good.

We went for a crazy dinner with the crews from “Heavy Metal”, “Destiny,” “Ayla May” and “Permanently Temporary”, which included more dogs than people LOL.

Destiny’s child(ren)
2 of the 5 dogs in our group

Traveling with Lucy has its obstacles but since most restaurants and bars are open air, she is welcomed almost everywhere. So 11 people brought 5 dogs along for a fun dinner and night on the town.

Best of all, every Sunday La Cruz hosts a farmer’s/fish market that rivals many I’ve seen in California.

La Cruz farmer’s market

If you go, go hungry because along with fresh fish and produce they have a lot of prepared foods and baked goods.

Who knew you could buy fresh homemade dill pickles from a Southern lady living in Mexico. Thankfully you can!!

Yikes, as I write this it dawns on me, all we do is eat and drink.

empanadas

Although we had a great time in this area, we ended up staying longer than we planned waiting for a package of boat parts for various repairs. Long and boring story short, thanks to my Dad’s heroic shipping skills, the package made it to Mexico in record time, but spent forever in customs jail and, because DHL sucks, and it is impossible to call a toll free # in the states from another country and nobody seems to have direct phone numbers anymore, the package was sent BACK to the U.S. against our explicit instructions (warning never try to send liquid to another country). So with those lessons learned and a refund from DHL, we sail South for new adventures, new friends and hopefully a new package of parts waiting for us in Manzanillo.

Click here to see more La Cruz photos

Whales

Posted on January 3, 2014 by Pete

Coming into Banderas Bay, we saw a bunch of whales out feeding. This is a big whale migratory route so we see them quite often – usually it is just a hump, fluke or spout off in the distance. This time they came close enough that I had to throw the boat in reverse to avoid getting too close to them.

Whale tail

Boats have been damaged by whales bumping or rubbing up against them so we wanted to avoid that. So the video is not the best but it was pretty cool to see them in person. Enlarge the video with the bottom right button for best viewing.

Hitchhiker’s Guide to Crocodiles

Posted on December 29, 2013 by Mary

We had a jam packed week moving from the Baja peninsula across the Sea of Cortez to Mexico’s mainland. We started with a quick 11NM sail from La Paz to Espíritu Santo, a beautiful 7.75 mile long island full of marine life and quiet coves. Because it is part of the national marine park system, the island is protected and uninhabited by humans apart from a handful of fishermen.

Neko in Espíritu

We’d stopped here in Partida Cove on our way to La Paz and wanted to return to check out another one of the quiet coves. Our friends on “Celebration” were the only other boat in Raza Cove which made for a perfectly peaceful evening and lovely way to say, “hasta luego” to Richard and Audrey. We look forward to seeing them again later in our travels.

Sidebar: Our first time to Espíritu Santo; was with our first “hitchhiker”. What the what, you ask???!!! Yes, I felt the same way. When we were anchored in Muertos Cove on our way to La Paz, Peter took Lucy ashore to get some land time. On the beach Peter met Alex, a young Canadian traveling around Baja on foot after his mountain bike suffered repeated flats from the tough terrain. Peter radioed me to say that he had invited Alex to travel on our boat back to La Paz. I of course thought this was nuts and we would be killed in our sleep, tossed overboard and the latest sensationalized murder story to fill up the cable news shows.

Lucy, Mary, Peter and Alex

But the moment Alex stepped aboard I could tell all would be fine (isnt’ that how all those stories begin LOL). He had never been on a sailboat, but immediately jumped in to help, learn and could not have been a nicer guy.

Espíritu by land

He wanted to see wild Espíritu, so we stopped there one night before dropping him off in La Paz. Oh Canada, you raised him well.

So back to Espíritu part two, you could spend a week+ here exploring all the coves, but after only one night, the positive weather report was the ticket for us to start the 300 NM crossing of the Sea of Cortez from Baja to the mainland. The winds the first day were perfect for sailing and we buzzed along day and night. The second day, the winds died down, so we had to do some motoring.

Mary off the clock

Luckily there was a full moon, making it much easier to spot the odd boat and sea turtle swimming by on night watches. We do 3 hour watches, which means I am on duty for 3 hours while Peter naps and then we switch off and I try to get a little shuteye. After 2 days of this your sleep pattern is off and you catch zzzzs whenever.

After 50 hours of sailing, we were thrilled to see the stunning island of Isla Isabel and happily dropped our anchor behind the picturesque Las Monas rocks.

Las Monas, Isla Isabel

Soon after we were hailed on the radio by “Heavy Metal”, another sailboat nearby inviting us over for sunset cocktails. Peter, Lucy & I dinked over and met Rigo and Deborah who were our link to meeting several other boats who welcomed us into their band of merry pirates.

Isla Isabel was the perfect place to catch up on some sleep, chill out, snorkel and see something I haven’t seen before – blue footed boobies. I’m not much of a birder, but these little guys were so comical I couldn’t help but laugh. And yes, they really do have bright blue blue feet.

Blue footed boobies

The males do this funny “dance”, swaying from side to side lifting their feet to attract females. It is so damn cute, I can’t believe Pixar hasn’t made a kid’s movie about them. (more Isla Isabel photos)

Matanchén, was our next stop and first official mainland port. We traveled the 42NM within the small fleet of boats we met in Isabel and spent the next few days getting to know them and exploring the area.

Matatchén Bay, Mexico

Matanchén is a large shallow bay perfect for easy anchoring and dinghy landings on the beach. The only downside is the infamous Jejenes (“hay-hay-nays”) which are tiny no-see-ums that inhabit the beaches especially at dusk and really throw a wrench into sunset happy hours. The restaurants burn coconut husks and the smoke somewhat helps to keep them away, but those annoying little bastards loved me and almost a week later my legs still look like I have a case of the chicken pox. Oh, the price we pay for living the life of leisure.

Matanchén is just a short drive away from San Blas, a charming little fishing town of Longfellow’s famed poem “The Bells of San Blas” (never say I didn’t teach you anything in this blog). Luckily the fleet of boats we met back in Isabel had given us the inside scoop on taking the early morning panga tour through the mangroves for first crack at seeing the wildlife. And we joined the crews from “Heavy Metal”, “Destiny”, “Sand Dollar”, “Cat2Fold” and “Ayla May” for a jungle tour.

Crocodile on the banks of Rio Tovara

It was absolutely beautiful (thankfully bug free) and full of birds, iguanas, turtles and crocodiles. Even this Florida Gator was impressed with the size of these suckers. At the end of the trip down Rio La Tovara you end up in a fresh water spring that is fenced off so you can take a dip without being lunch for the crocs you just saw. Everyone knows rusty chicken wire will keep out even the most determine croc 😉 We all had a great time swinging out into the river, showing off our best cannonballs, back flips and belly flops. (see more photos)

Peter swinging into La Tovara Spring

Fish monger in San Blas

Next we went into the town center to tourist around and hit the markets for fresh produce. But what seemed to be the highlight of the day was our ride back to the beach. Now it was our turn to be the hitch hikers. As we waited for the bus a local family pulled up in their pickup truck asked, “La Playa?” and motioned for us to jump in the back. So ten of us along with two locals already back there jammed onto wooden benches and held on for dear life while we whizzed down the road. I don’t know what was more dangerous swimming near crocodiles or riding in the back of a pickup going 70mhp, but I do know they both were a blast. (click here to ride with us)

Hitching a ride back to the beach with crews from Sand Dollar & Cat2fold

Peace out

Posted on December 16, 2013 by Mary

Well, it is definitely true what they say: setting a cruising schedule is futile. La Paz (Spanish for Peace) wasn’t even on our original agenda, but the more we heard about it, the more curious we became. Cut to one month, yes that’s right, one MONTH later and we are finally throwing off the dock lines and heading over to the mainland of Mexico.

La Paz

Pete says sometimes he feels like this guy.

La Paz is a charming seaside town and the capital of the state of Baja California Sur (Mexico has states just like the U.S.A.) Thankfully they’ve found the balance of embracing visitors without selling their soul to el diablo and turning everything into a tourist trap. The city has kept its charm and has an active town center with shops, markets, great restaurants, etc. And although it is on the water it isn’t chock full of mega beach resorts – kind of like the Florida Keys, better for water activities than lounging on the beach. There is a strong ex-pat boating community here that provides support and camaraderie. I’ve become addicted to their biweekly game of dominoes and we even shared an intimate pot luck Thanksgiving dinner with 300 of our closest new boating friends.

Night out with crew from Celebration and Ariel IV

Good lord we’ve even hosted and attended dinner parties, stayed out past midnight and made some great friends we hope to see again along the way.

Kilo of hot peppers anyone??

But it isn’t only about the gringos; we are fully embracing the city as a whole. It is great to hear Spanish spoken all the time and we are trying hard to learn. My problem is that I really get shy when it is time to speak. I understand a lot more than I can say and my vocabulary is building, but I just need to put the words together without sounding like an idiot. Practice, practice, practice and as David Sedaris says, “Me talk pretty one day.”
But, I will pat myself on the back for figuring out the bus system. I love a bus. To me it allows you to really see a city and its people. And sometimes getting lost is the best part. Being here for this long stretch has given us the opportunity to “live” here and has opened the window a bit on another culture, language, and community we were hoping for on this trip.

The Malecon

We are off to Isla Espíritu Santo, an island and National Park know for its marine life. Then we will embark on our 2 day crossing, across the Sea of Cortez to La Cruz on the mainland of Mexico.
Peace out…

More La Paz Photos

Kitesurfing La Ventana

Posted on December 14, 2013 by Pete

We rented a car (ridiculously cheap at $14/day) and drove about an hour SE of La Paz to the small beach town of La Ventana so I could do a little kitesurfing and Mary and Lucy could do some beach walking.

Kite Guard

La Ventana is a funky little town plopped down on a desolate and beautiful piece of Sea of Cortez beach. Its anything goes and there is a large camping area right on the beach where people stay for the entire season in everything from tents cobbled together from tarps to lux RVs.

Camps at La Ventana Kite Beach

For those familiar with 3rd Avenue, its got the same side-on wind attitude, very similar waves and an L-shaped layout. But its much bigger, the water is clear and warm, the launch is a wide-open sandy beach, there’s no mud in sight and the downwind shore is more sandy beach and not unforgiving rip-rap. Other than that, its the same.

I hadn’t kited much in the last year so it was good to scrub some rust off. I got two good sessions in and had some fun in the waves. Now I can’t wait to get to the next kite spot – probably Bucerias in Banderas Bay.

close up

See more photos of our La Ventana trip

Sailing on Neko

Enjoy Yourself, It's Later Than You Think

Category Archives: Mexico