From the Lake to the Ocean...

Priest Lake

It’s January 7th, 2020 and we are currently anchored in Bahia Tenacatita, near La Manzanilla, Mexico. But I will back up and fill you in on how we got here.

On December 29th we winterized and closed up our home in Priest Lake, Idaho, which was no easy task, but we figured it out and got it done. From there we drove to nearby Hills Resort for the night. After checking in we enjoyed a nice going away dinner at a nearby restaurant, Millie’s, with our friends Rick and Kelly. Next day, December 30th, we drove to Kelly’s, down the road from the resort, picked her up, and headed to Spokane, WA for a 2 hour drive. We stopped for lunch in Spokane, and soon after arrived at the Day’s Inn airport hotel, checked in and said goodbye to Kelly, who then drove our vehicle back to Priest Lake.

Our first night stay away from our house

Checking into the Days Inn, loaded for bear

The next day, December 31st, we woke at 4 a.m., and left for the airport at 5:00 a.m. by shuttle in what appeared to be a blizzard! The snow was coming down sideways rapidly and in very large amounts! We got to the airport safely even though visibility was poor, schlepping 5 huge heavy bags. Two bags had our clothes and other personal belongings. One bag had our SUP (Stand UP Paddle) board inside. One suitcase had tools for the boat. And one of the largest bags contained our brand new sail for Solastra. The total cost of checking these bags came to $375.00! We had an idea this would be the case since the bag with the sail was 72 lb’s alone. But it was all good and we figured that the price of the airline tickets and the luggage, hotel etc was a lot cheaper than if we had driven to Mexico, as we usually do each year.

Spokane International Airport

There was so much snow coming down that our plane was delayed going to Seattle where we were to catch our connecting flight to Puerto Vallarta. We sat on the plane for an hour waiting for the plane to be de-iced. We were a little nervous we would miss our connecting flight. Once landed in Seattle, we got off our plane and walked briskly, near running at times, to the train that would get us to our next gate leaving for Mexico. We made it…the last people to board the plane! And away we went up above the rain clouds of Seattle looking forward to arriving in the sunny skies of Mexico.

We arrived in Puerto Vallarta, around 4:15 p.m., made it through customs without a hitch, grabbed our bags, threw them on a cart, wheeled them outside to the curb and hailed a taxi to Marina Vallarta. We were very excited to have made it and were looking forward to getting back on the water.

Marina Vallarta

Not a rare occurrence at the Marina

Ziva

Our Cabin (one out of four on the boat)

Our private bathroom with separate shower (also one out of four on the boat)

The Galley

Cockpit

In Marina Vallarta we stayed on our friend Jeff and Peggy’s boat, Ziva. It is a Prout 50sw, Catamaran. We boarded Ziva and were to be alone on her for a couple of nights before Jeff arrived. Our plan was to go with Jeff to the marina in Barra de Navidad where our sailboat Solastra was located, and also help crew since Peggy was not going to be able to join Jeff at this juncture.

Anyway, our first night in Puerto Vallarta, New Year’s Eve, after finding a spot for all of our bags on the boat, we went out to get a bite to eat. It was a bit crowded at the marina but we managed to find a great open air Mexican Restaurant where we had our favorite, Limonada’s and a delicious Mexican meal. While eating, we sat back in the comfy wicker chairs and enjoyed the views looking out on to the Malecon at the marina, and listening to the Mariachi band playing in the background.

New Year's Eve fireworks

Since we were up so early and had a long day of traveling, we got back on Ziva, got into bed and fell fast asleep despite the loud music coming from all of the different bars and restaurants along the marina. Around 11:45 p.m. we woke up and found a nice viewing area on the front of the boat to watch the fireworks at midnight. There were fireworks seen in all directions. It was quite a sight. After a Happy New Year acknowledgment, we got back in bed. But this time we had a little bit more trouble getting back to sleep over all of the music and celebrations that went on into the wee hours of the morning.

Happy New Year!!

January 1st, 2020, the New Year, there was not much open. So Rick and I decided to take a walk down to the beach. On our walk, the rain came pouring down, but we kept walking towards the beach. I had to at least put my toes into the Ocean. The water was warm and inviting and I would have jumped in had it not been for the rain. We walked back in the rain as it came down even harder and we were soaked by the time we got back to the boat. The rain continued on for the entire day and the night keeping us held up in the boat which wasn’t such a bad place to be! We just read our books and took naps on and off. It was a very enjoyable lazy rainy day.

The day the rain stopped and we took a long walk along the beach

Next day the rain had stopped. So we decided to get off the boat and take care of a few errands at the boat supply store and to take another long walk. Later that afternoon, Jeff arrived and we visited on Ziva and had a nice dinner out. Jeff said he was waiting to have a few things done on the boat before we would be leaving and once those things were done, we could head out for Barra! Three days later we untied the dock lines and headed for Yelapa….a 3 1/2 - 4 hours cruise. What little wind there was, was on our nose, so there was no sailing, just motoring (which was ok since the motor is so quiet you can barely hear it running). What a nice ride it was! I moved around enjoying all of the different view points. Sitting at the bow on a tiny bench that hung out over the water and lying on the trapeze netting at the bow were my most favorite spots. The sun was bright and hot, but the small breeze as we moved through the water kept us cool. At times when it did warm up and it felt almost unbearably hot, I moved to the cockpit and sat at the table relaxing on the couch under a hard top that shades the entire back deck. We love our sailboat and how it sails, but to be on a Catamaran is quite a different ride! Sooo smooth! Very peaceful!

Our captain, host and friend, Jeff!

Rick and I were enjoying the ride!

The vibe was thumping in the bay of Yelapa as we pulled up and tied to a mooring ball. Lots of boats in the bay, many people swimming in the clear blue warm water… some with inflatable water toys and others just riding the waves. There were people on the beach lying under colorful umbrellas and there was music booming from one of the Palapas, so loud you could feel it in your chest. The feeling was very energizing. We sat in the coolness of the cockpit watching the other boats and activities going on. Well as night drew darker, the music got incredibly louder, one constant thump at a time. It was near impossible to sleep. We could have closed the hatch over our bed but then we would have been melting from the humidity and the heat. So the lesser of two evils was to listen to the music. I tossed and turned all night really never sleeping until the music stopped at 4am. Then all I could hear were the waves crashing on the beach and everything else was quiet and still. Aaaah heaven! This is what I was hoping for when we first put our heads on our pillows. Anyway, I managed to get in 2 hours of sleep. At 6am, Jeff was up and ready to move out and head to Chamela. We untied from the mooring ball and were on our way for a 10-13 hour sail.

Just coming in to the bay at Yelapa

The beach at Yelapa

Sunset in Yelapa

The wind was again, on our nose, we ran on mainsail and motor. Four hours later after we rounded Cabo Corrientes, we had following seas and maybe 10 knots of wind. Very enjoyable ride!

Rounding Cabo Corrientes

I forgot to mention I spent way too much time in the sun the previous day. I managed to protect every place on my body that was exposed to the sun with 50 SPF except for my lips. I woke up in the morning with comically inflated lips! I looked in the mirror to see the damage and I looked like a platypus or like one of the young girls who take selfies with their exaggerated puckered lips, only mine were permanent! Not only were my lips huge, but they were covered with blisters and quite painful to the touch. Eating, drinking or smiling was done so very tentatively, and in slow motion. Rick took one look at me and told me I looked like someone who had collagen injections that went terrible wrong! This made me laugh which hurt my tender mouth. So needless to say, I tried to stay out of the sun as much as I could during the daylight, and if I did get out in it, I made sure the sun was at my back.

As the day went on turning into evening and we were a couple hours out of Chamela we discovered we could not get the sail down. It was stuck! So, since we did not want to go into Chamela in the dark with a sail up and trying to fix it in the dark, we decided to do an overnight sail to Tenacatita where we would arrive in the daylight and could fix the sail there. I lucked out, I did not have to do a watch during the night. Rick and Jeff both took turns. It was not like I was sleeping while they were awake sailing because the motor was right under the bed….a little rumbly. But I was resting and not having to worry about hitting anything in the dark.

Just as the sun started to come up we moved stealthily through the water into the bay of Tenacatita, the water calm and quiet. We drove around looking for a good place to drop an anchor amongst all of the other boats that were anchored while their tenants still asleep. Once finding a good spot, the anchor was deployed and set. I crawled out from our room down below and joined Jeff and Rick while they were having their coffee and tea and watched the sun rise. No better place to watch a sun rise than on the water.

Sunrise in Tenacatita

Rick climbing the mast

The guys went below to take naps mid morning. The rest of the day was very quiet and we never left the boat except to swim in the clear blue water around the boat. It felt so good! This was our first swim! After swimming and while still in the water, we decided to wash up with some Dr. Bronner’s Peppermint Soap, which is supposed to be organic and biodegradable….so should be safe using in the ocean. After I’d washed and rinsed in the water, I climbed up onto onto the boat to dry off and I looked like someone had thrown me into a can of paint. My entire body had a white film adhered to it. Back in the water I went to swish and rub the whiteness off of me. Still came out looking sickly. So my last resort was to rinse off in the shower with real soap and hot water. Problem solved.

During the evening after barbequing hamburgers off the deck, we sat around the outdoor table in the cockpit and played Accelerated Dominoes. Love this game! It’s much like playing regular Dominoes just a bit more fun. Maybe I liked it so much because I was winning by leaps and bounds. Beginners luck perhaps.

Leaving Tenacatita

The ride to Barra

Wednesday the 8th, we got up fairly early and left Tenacatita headed for Barra…just a couple hours away. It was a crystal clear day, light breeze, sun dancing on the water. We just slowly glided through the water taking in the sights. I was feeling a little down to give up the cushy lifestyle of life on a Catamaran but excited to get to our boat docked in Barra to start our own adventure for the season. Rick and I were looking forward to our own adventure but not particularly the preparations involved. We always seem to have issues while we are preparing the boat for take off. Seems like we take one step forward and two steps back. Hopefully this won’t be the case this time. But we definitely had those thoughts circling our brains.

Just coming into the channel at Barra

Panga to the rescue...

Jeff leaving after the transfer had been made.

As we approached the channel leading to the Barra Lagoon and the Marina, Jeff called the marina office to see if he could come into the marina to simply drop us off, but he was adamently turned down. So plan B, Jeff called a Panga to come up along side Ziva and pick us up and all of our luggage and two starter batteries that we picked up in PV, and deliver us to our boat inside the marina. The transfer was a success! Panga driver’s always seem to have a knack at coming along side boats without scratching or dinging them. Once we and all of our luggage were in the Panga, off we zipped to our dock where Solastra was.