Zihuatanejo

Monday March 13, 2006 LOCATION: Zihuatanejo, Mexico
GOOGLE EARTH COORDINATES: 17 37.731N,101 33.009W

A couple more stops along the way and we have made it to Zihuatanejo. Our much anticipated destination as the last stop on the Mexico itinerary before we make our exciting cross of the Pacific Ocean, affectionately known as the "Puddle Jump". Someone had a sense of humor didn't they.

After Tenicatita we made a quick one night stop in Barre de Navidad. Barre refers to the fact that the area is largely a sand bar. The channel leading into the harbor and large lagoon are known to be very shallow and continually dredged in order to maintain depths for vessels to enter. We glided in with no problem and were immediately impressed. To the left is a small lagoon and the town of Barre. It sits on the ocean side and backs right up to the beach. The boys and I had quite a nice time playing on the beach, climbing on rocks and Bruce got in his own day of surfing. On the right hand side, the lagoon opens up into this amazing oasis of a resort and marina. The Grand Bay Hotel rivals even Paradise Village Marina, dare I say even a bit more classy. It was very expensive and out of our league but impressive. The grounds were absolutely beautiful and the boys thought the pool was even better than the ones at Paradise Village. I didn't think that was possible. We will definitely have to try that spot again someday. We enjoyed a nice dinner and a walk though the town. We stumbled upon an aviary of sorts in someone's yard where they raised every bird imaginable from the smallest of parakeets and chickens to the largest ostriches we've seen.

Next stop on the list was Manzanillo. A town originally named for trees that used to grow there producing a fruit that looked like apples. The fruit it provided turned out to be poisonous and making the explorers sick. The trees were eventually eradicated from the land and the name stuck. We spent one night there to rest up and prepare for our overnight sail to Zihuatanejo. We never even touched land and had a most relaxing swim and reading time.
We departed from Manzanillo early in the morning around 7 am and had a perfectly uneventful sail/motor to Zihuatanejo. We were able to pull into the bay and drop anchor just after lunch. The bay as you enter has the look of a mini Cabo San Lucas. The bay offers a few different anchoring areas though we were really surprised to see the enormous Princess Line cruise ship smack in the middle. We had no idea that this was such a popular tourist destination. We heard it was growing but didn't realize that much. The town itself is quite comfortable and homey. You feel the effects of the cruise ship when it is in town but aside from that it is quiet and peaceful. Very relaxed. There is not quite the omnipresent pushy peddlers we have tried so hard to avoid in other towns. Quite a few of our cruising buddies were here and preparing for their crossing as well.
Tomorrow Tim Mason comes to visit again for one more wild week of surf and sun. After he departs, my parents (Lisa's) will arrive with my sister and one of two nephews. They will be here to fill us up with our last bits of hugs and lovin' and see us off as we jump that puddle.
until next time,
lisa and the boys

Float on

Wednesday March 8, 2006 LOCATION: Tenacatita
GOOGLE EARTH COORDINATES: 19 17.368N,104 50.293W

First and foremost, thank you again to everyone for their loving support and prayers for our whole family during this last month. Papa is back in action and starting his exercise programs. He is working up his endurance so he can come and visit us somewhere exotic. We are so blessed to be surrounded by so many amazing people. Papa is expected to make a full recovery and be even better than before. He already is back to most of his activities and should be back on the Harley in another month.

Ohana Kai is back in action. We returned to the boat on Monday February 27th. It took a bit of adjustment to get back in our groove but our buddies on s/v Lawur, s/v Bold Spirit and s/v Our Country Home welcomed us back with open arms and let us know just how much we were missed. They took wonderful care of Ohana Kai while we were gone and she was pretty much ready to go. We gathered up a few more provisions, got her cleaned up inside and out, finished out the last remaining projects and by Saturday we were OUT OF THE MARINA. I cannot begin to tell you how good that felt. To see a seal, pelican or dolphin out in the water again, feel the wind fly by and the waves roll under were so freeing. We enjoy and are thankful for the luxuries that the marina has to offer with unlimited water and electricity, access to everything but it by no means defines what "cruising" is for us. We much prefer to be the country mouse than the city mouse.

Once out of the gate we made our way down to Ipala for our first anchorage. Coordinates: 20 14.134N, 105 34.363W Tucked in a little bay we ran into a few familiar boats and enjoyed a nice night. Next day we had a wonderful sail and made our way down to Chamela. Coordinates: 19 34.315N, 105 06.905W We had heard it was a great destination for some fun. A few islands dot the entrance to the bay and offer a nice beach for a few games of frisbee, bacci ball and a refreshing swim. While anchored, it is fun to watch the fish that use us a protective barricade. There were hundred of decent sized baby tunas liked with a few large yellow fin tuna hiding under our boat. We should be so lucky to catch one of those again. Bruce actually did hook himself a really large Crevalle as we sailed down there. It gave him a run for his money but we still got the photo for the proof. Once at anchorage at Chamela we ran into more familiar boats that we had met as long ago as Monterey, CA. It is fun to catch up with each other and see what everyone has been up to.

Next stop on the list was Tenacatita. On the way there is a little bay called Careyes that we actually drove right by the first time. We snuck back in to see what it held and weren't we surprised. The walls of the bay are fairly steep and just covered with brilliantly colored homes and hotels. It looked like finding a bright necklace in the grass. We had heard that one of the resorts had been recently abandoned though and some vandalism was occurring. When we rounded the corner we could witness the looting taking place. Decided not to stay there but so pleased to see it's beauty. On to Tenacatita.

Once anchored in the more calm of the 3 anchorages in Tenacatita we opted for some great swimming in 80 degree water. The boys enjoyed a little surfing for the first time in a long while. We played some more frisbee and rolled in the waves while we tried to avoid stepping on baby sting rays or skates. Today we took quick ride up another jungle tour here much like the one in San Blas. Beautiful mangroves and with great tree tunnels but no crocodiles. At the end of the ride you actually cross back over to the beach where we had a bit to eat and bought some more produce.

So all is good and we are doing well. We are back into the routine and working our way down the coast to Zihuatanejo. There are new photos on the website and a new version of Google Earth to download. There is a link from our website on the front page or the whereabouts page. Our buddy Robert on Lawur has adapted this program to track ours and a few fellow travelers as we continue our trips. With the new cruising tracker download there is no more need for cutting and pasting our coordinates to see where we are. Just take a peek and see where we are as well as where we have been. Give it a try, let us know if it is working well. Feedback is great. You only have to download Google earth once and the tiny Tracker program at Lawur.com once and from then on it automatically updates our position every time you open google earth and click on our Name....Its VERY EASY?
until next time,
lisa and the boys