QUICK TRIP TO MANZANILLO

Sea Story Med-Moored at the Las Hadas Marina with part of the resort complex in the background.  This is a docking style common to the Mediterranean, but rarely used in the US or Mexico.  It requires a good anchor set and a competent crew.  Luckily we had both.

Friends Jan and Doug were interested in the coast south of Puerta Vallarta, so we sailed down to Manzanillo, a trip of about 140 miles along mainland Mexico's "gold coast."  Originally, we had only planned to sail down to Bahia Tenacatita, which is about 30 miles north of Manzanillo.  But our plans to do some snorkling there were frustrated when we found the renowned "aquarium" part of the bay was off-limits because of a property dispute - one of those things that still occasionally happen down here.

So, with our snorkling plans torpedoed, we headed down to Manzanillo, the farthest south we have been in Mexico so far.

Manzanillo is reportedly Mexico's busiest international port and its blessed with wide, beautiful beaches spread out along two exceptional bays, Manzanillo and Santiago.  The luxury resort of Las Hadas sits on a spectacular point between the two bays and is a favorite cruiser hang-out in Manzanillo. Its facilities include an elegant hotel, a wide, clean beach, a huge pool and a marina.  If  you anchor outside the mariana,  you can dinghy in and use the resort facilities for a nominal fee.  We elected to tie-up in the marina, which costs more but also makes all the facilities more easily accessible, especially when four people are aboard.  

Our two day stay in Manzanillo was short, but enjoyable.  The overnight trip back up to Puerta Vallarta included some rough hours around Cabo Corrientes, and that reminded us that seldom does something good come without a cost.  The final reward was the blissful six hours once we rounded the cape and found the smooth water of Bandaras Bay.  Sunny and calm never felt so good....

ALICIA AND ALFREDO REPORT

Good friends and adventurers extraordinaire, Alicia and Alfredo,  are off on another trip around the world on their sailboat On Verra.  This is Alicia's third circumnavigation.  At last word, they were in Gambier, French Polynesia after stopping off at Pitcairn Island and riding out the tsunami at sea.  Someday, someone is going to write a book about this pair....

 

GLOWING WATER AND TSUNAMIS

The view of Marina Vallarta from Dana and Gale's condo, with Sea Story snugged in toward the end of the dock at center, left.  This is where we rode out the Tsunami with little noticable disturbance because of the protected configuration of the marina.

Sea Story is docked in Marina Vallarta again.  This time we're sharing her with our power-boat friends, Jan and Doug, while their boat, Snow Hawke, is sitting out the winter in Olympia, Washington.  We're also having a great visit with old friends, Dana and Gale, who's hospitality includes the spare room in their condo overlooking the marina.  Good conversation, good wine and some superb day sailing on Bandaras Bay, one of my very favorite places for dependable wind, whale sightings and the company of friendly dolphins.
On the way down from Mazatlan, I had a downright eerie experience.  Well after sunset, on very dark, moonless night, we rather suddenly encountered a large (40-45 feet across) patch  of  glowing phosphorescence that Sea Story sailed right through!  For the next 10 -15 minutes we passed near or through several more of these glowing patches, and I could actually see fish swimming in them as we crossed them.  One of the wierdest conditions I have come across, although I've seen lots of smaller, dinner plate size phosphoresence patches in the boat's wake before - never anything nearly the size of these.  Almost expected to see a space ship lurking there under the ocean surface...
The Japanese tsunami was the other big excitement once we got down here to PV.  We had about six hours warning before it hit, and the forecast height was less than a meter so it wasn't too frightening.  Here in the marina, we experienced several up and down cycles that just felt like a reved up tidal cycle with the floating docks rising and falling within a range of about 32 inches every 15 minutes.  Nothing very dramatic, but it did roil up the harbor bottom mud, and we had very brown water for several days afterward.
At the moment, we're looking for a weather window for the transit back up to La paz, via Mazatlan.  Before we leave, I'll try to do another post about out trip down to Manzanillo last week,and the latest report from
Alicia and Alfredo who are off on her THIRD  circumnavigation!

We have inflatable life-vests on Sea Story, and Gale wanted to know how they work, so here is her trial inflation in the pool at their condo. 

Overdue Update

Sea Story, with a fresh coat of bottom paint and swinging in the lift at the Baja Naval boatyard in Ensenada Mexico. Great yard with an interesting community just outside the gates.  We were here for a week in early January.

Sea Story is back in La paz after a long journey down the coast from San Francisco.  The trip was an eventful one.  It started in mid October, and featured California stops in Half Moon Bay, Santa Cruz, Monterey, Morro Bay, Santa Barbara, Oceanside and San Diego. The Captain damaged some ribs on a blustery night passage around Pt. Conception, and Sea Story spent a couple of months at the Chula Vista Marina while my ribs healed and we worked on repairs to the auto pilot and GPS.  I also crewed on a power-boat delivery to La paz during that respite, so the boat actually got a longer break than I did...
After a quick trip back to Wisconsin for a lovely, snowy holiday celebration; we left on January 4th for a liesurely trip down Baja.  This time I wanted to stop at some of those little anchorages I've always bypassed before;  time to smell the roses and chart some waypoints for future trips.
After a week-long layover and haul out in Ensenada, we overnighted down to the San Carlos anchoage at the top of the Bahia Sebastian Vizcaino (big open bay that often throws bad wind and waves at you!). 
Then it was down to Bahia Tortuga (Turtle Bay), the fishing villages of Ascunscion and Abreojos and the old whaling station at Punta Belcher on Magdallena Bay.  Luckily, this was also a bonus year for whale and dolpin traffic, so there was plenty of company all the way down the Baja.
After the simplicity and remoteness of our outside Baja anchorages, an overnight on the hook at Cabo San Lucas was a bit of culture shock.  Jet skis, parasails, overamplified beach parties and a constant procession of glass-bottom tour boats were a reminder of how much nicer it is to be off-the-grid in Mexico.  As if we needed a reminder....
Marina Palmira was only a couple of days around the Cape and up to La paz from Cabo, so here we are now, just a couple of slips away from last year's berth and back with our winter neighbors.

Next week, we will be heading over to Puerta Vallarta and more adventure on the coast of mainland Mexico.  I'll try to do a better job of keeping you all posted...

This is the rugged,early morning coast of Baja, looking south as we sail out of Magdalena Bay and head down toward Cabo San Lucas, 120 miles, and full day of sailing away.  Lots of whales in this area, so we have to keep a sharp lookout to avoid sneaking up on one.

Meeting New Friends at the Minnesota State Fair

Old friend, Joe Quinn, and I spent another day at the Minnesota State Fair this year, and we came across this well known Minnesota Senator meeting and greeting fair goers.  Since retired judge Joe and I argue politics most of the time we're walking around the fair, this was a welcome reinforcement for my side of the argument.

More Alicia and Alfredo

Cruising friends Alycia and Alfredo are still bicycling around the U.S., going from Tucson, AZ, to Florida, and now up to Montana.  Here they are taking a break from the bikes and hiding up into East Glacier Park before heading west to Washington and then back down to their boat in Guaymas, MX,  Typical of their many adventures is an email exerpt describing camping in Glacier:

Friday, August 20, 2010 7:53 AM   ..... at the last camp ground, Cosley Lake, there was a grizzly bear that came to visit just after we got in the tent and the neighbor was chased up a tree by a black bear about 6pm. How exciting! The weather was perfect the last 5 days and we arrived to the Chief mountain trailhead which was only 100 yards from the Canadian border. 

It was a great trip. We hitched back to our bikes and our hosts in East Glacier and we will probably leave today heading west.We are now on the northern tier bike route, heading to west Glacier, Columbia Falls, Eureka, Troy, MT. then Sandpoint, ID. and then into WA.

Alicia and Alfredo

Summer in San Francisco for Sea Story

 Before we got to California, we caught a nice tuna near Magdalenna Bay, off the Mexican coast of Baja. We estimated his weight between 15 and 20 pounds.  Good eating, but the hard part was having to clean him with a sharp knife on this pitching deck. (Photo by Connie LaBounty)

The trip up the California coast was tough this year.  Rough weather persisted longer than usual, and it took a long time to get from San Diego to San Francisco.  As usual, we had some great folks for crew members, so the boat was well manned.  But, a stubborn high pressure area off the north coast, kept sending us those short, steep waves that make progress difficult when you're sailing into them.  Net result was a trip that took 15 days instead of the usual 6, and featured layovers in Santa Barbara, Morro Bay and Santa Cruz. 
The up side of all this was the chance to spend time in these delightful ports that we usually leave too early or bypass entirely.  The down side is that I needed some time off after completing the trip and working on the things that typically need fixing after a month of bashing northward up the Pacific coastline.
So, right now, I'm cooling my heels in wonderful, summertime, Wisconsin, and Sea Story is resting easy in a berth at Richmond's Marina Bay.  At the end of September, I'll be back aboard and getting ready for a return trip down the coast to Mexico.  This time, it will be mostly downwind and riding the waves instead of bashing into them.  After nearly a month on dry land, I'm already starting to look forward to the trip.

Sea Otters are making a comback in the Monterey Bay, and here is one taking a snooze in the Santa Cruz harbor.  When they are off the coast, the wrap themselves in kelp to keep from drifting off while they're taking a nap.  Here in the harbor, they just pick a quiet fairway.

The Bikers

My friends Alicia and Alfredo in La paz this past winter.  This is the same couple who hiked the Pacific Crest Trail  from Mexico to Canada last summer and this year are bicycling around the U.S.  They started in Tucson, rode to Florida, up to Virginia and are now in Oklahoma.  Their plan is to end up in California by fall and then head back down to their boat, which is currently stored in Guaymas. 
Alfredo is a former Italian lingarie designer, and Alicia has sailed completely around the world, TWICE!  It's ging to be interesting to see what they do next....