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Travalog
Two Greetings to all...VIVA has finally arrived in Puerto Vallarta after a truly delightful 17 day trip from Baja. We hope you all had a great holiday season without all the flu bugs and Y2K hype. We were fortunate enough to avoid that down here. My computer and two GPS all rolled over without a hitch! We departed Los Frailes at 4:30 on the morning of the 27th for the 170 miles trip across the Sea of Cortez to Mazatlan. On the past two crossings we have made on VIVA, we have always encountered heavy winds and confused seas; usually leaving on a night passage after too much celebrating! Well, this trip was a dream with an average wind of 15 kts on the beam; and we were able to average over 7 kts for the entire trip, with autopilot steering most of the way! One exciting event came when Bob Nixon on our buddy-boat CHARIS caught a 165-lb. striped marlin! He managed to wrestle it alongside, and then released it. They took a lot of digital photos, and so Bob now carries a picture of his marlin around in his wallet for all interested parties to see! The only near mishap came in the wee hours of the final morning. As we were motoring the last 20 miles, we wrapped a large woven nylon bag in our propeller, which immediately shut down the engine/transmission. After sailing (again) into the marina at daybreak, I was able to dive and cut the mess free. Fortunately, no damage to any systems. Why is it that Bob Nixon catches yellowfin tuna and marlin, and I catch the nylon bags? We again stayed at the beautiful El Cid Marina/Hotel complex, which is a true pleasure after the marinas in Cabo. Reasonably priced, they also offer two swimming pools, laundry, dining room, boat paper clearance and a free shuttle to town. The more we visit Mazatlan, the more we enjoy it. The restaurants are always inexpensive with a great variety to choose from. One of our favorite outings is spending a couple of hours in the central mercado in the old downtown area. A great spot for photo opportunities! In addition, Sam's Club has arrived all over Mexico, which is really great for serious provisioning. After five days of civilization, overindulging and overimbibing, we headed south for the 85-mile trip to Isla Isabela. This small island is a national park and totally uninhabited except for a small fish camp; and is home to thousands of soaring and nesting frigates, boobies, gulls, terns, commorant and other sea birds. Every tree and bush on the island is covered with nests, and the sky is filled the entire day with soaring, diving feeding birds. In addition, the snorkeling is excellent because of the clear, unpolluted waters. There are only two anchorages on the island, which are wide open to the South, so you really have to watch the weather. We have been blown out of the anchorages in years past. On
our way to Isabela, we were rewarded with our second Dorado, and as
much as we love to eat fresh fish, the catching and cleaning process
is always an interesting ordeal on VIVA, which I will try to describe.
Inevitably, we always get the strike when we are under sail and unable
to back down or really stop the boat. Also, trying to retrieve a good
size fish through my maze of bimini supports, backstay, solar panel,
stern anchor, outboard motor, etc. really makes one appreciate those
open cockpit sportfishers complete with fighting chair, cleaning station
and fresh water washdown hoses. Pam is always very helpful during
this process by passing me the gaff, pliers, gloves, etc.; as long
as she doesn't have to look at that poor little fish! Our cleaning
process is never a pretty picture. After dispatching the fish with
a good dose of cheap vodka, I basically have two options: 1)Take the
fish down below to the galley to clean (no longer an option in Pam's
book or: 2)attempt to filet the fish on our teak deck while the boat
is heeled and rolling. With a good size fish, they say it is possible
to slice off the filets and not end up with a drop of blood on the
boat. Needless to say, no matter how careful, that has never been
the case with me. After hacking and carving for half an hour, I usually
end up with 3 to 4 lbs. of filets from a 40 lb. fish, not to mention
the ensuing blood bath! No matter how much I clean or wash down the
decks afterwards, I still end up arriving in the harbor or marina
with a trail of dried blood down the side of the boat! As you can
now imagine, I am very selective about which fish we shall keep! After two days, on to Chacala, 20 miles south.....probably our favorite anchorage. Chacala is a delightful overnight anchorage about a mile wide with a beautiful sand beach, backed by a coconut plantation and lined with small thatch roofed cafes. After the hustle bustle of the larger cities, Chacala is a welcome anchorage to just kick back for a couple days. Unfortunately, the wheels of progress are fast approaching this area, and the Governor has already built a huge house/complex above the little landing beach. We understand the entire building project took less than four months! I'm happy that we've had the opportunity to see this beautiful spot before it gets spoiled. The next stop was Jaltembre, a small Mexican tourist town about 8 miles south. The best anchorage is at a small island about a mile or so offshore, but unfortunately this trip, there had been two days of strong wind, so the anchorage was quite rolly. We would probably skip Jaltembre in the future, as the town is getting quite run down and our favorite restaurants on the beach have now been turned into all-inclusive hotels with no public access. In addition, the beach landing through the surf is pretty wild, as the surf starts to form and break a good distance offshore. There's nothing quite like arriving ashore for lunch and a little shopping when you are soaked up to your waist (or was it our neck?). After a day we started the final 23 mile run down the coast to Pt. Mita, the northernmost end of Banderas Bay and Puerto Vallarta, our destination for Christmas and NewYears. This section of the coast is exceptionally beautiful, with mile long deserted sand beaches, lined with coconut palm groves and backed by lush tropical foothills. Pt. Mita is directly on the route of the southerly whale migrations, and there are daily reports of boats sailing amongst pods of whales, which in turn are surrounded by large schools of dolphins. After
and overnight stay in Pt. Mita, we arrived in Puerto Vallarta and
civilization the following day. We will close for now wishing you Season's Greetings and all the best for the year 2000. Drop us a note when you have the chance. We always enjoy news from the homefront. Remember, when responding, start a NEW message, rather than REPLY TO. Best wishes, Steve & Pam s/v VIVA
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