SVSoulsticeAdventures: Banderas Bay

Banderas Bay - Arrived December 23, 2018 and still here

This is the largest bay on the west coast of Mexico and affords many different travel experiences. It can be hard to leave…

We left Los Cabos and had a 2 day crossing to La Cruz De Huanacaxtle. This is 8 miles east of Punta de Mita which marks the north entrance to the bay. Initially, when we left San Jose del Cabo it was good wind but BIG wind waves. We got out approximately 8 nm out and we were getting slightly wet in the cockpit due to crashing wind waves on our beam ( this has not happened the entire trip even leaving out of Neah Bay) and we also had current and swell. The wind was great but we were going very slow with sails out due to the waves breaking our speed, making 2.5 to 3 knots. We looked at each other at this was the start to our 2-day crossing and we said, “let's turn back!” We have never done that before but the marina was close, we knew weather would be more mellow the next day ( also meaning some motoring -boo!!) and we agreed it was not necessary to exhaust ourselves in the beginning of a 2-day passage.

So… we turned back and had one more great night hanging out with Mike and Heather from Nanatuk before we departed our ways again in the morning. The next day we gave it a second go and the wind waves had calmed down but so had the wind. We did have a fair bit of motoring across mixed a few brief moments of sailing but it went smooth. When we arrived in La Cruz we were greeted by SV Luego and SV Jean Anne folks via their dinghies. Drinks and swinging off our whisker pole then commenced.

La Cruz has been our home base now since 2 days before Christmas. We enjoyed our Christmas holidays with a big potluck at the poolside deli at the marina. There were probably 50 folks and 4 long tables filled with amazing colorful plates of turkey, ham, various salads, multiple potato dishes, and all the best desserts. Food was spilling off each table. What I loved about this gathering is you bring a dish but also do it cruiser style and bring your own plate, utensils, and drinks so there is no cleanup. Pack it in Pack it out! It was our first Cruisers holiday celebration and we really enjoyed ourselves.

Our New Year’s was spent at the Octopus Garden restaurant listening to a band called Media Luna. Four young 20 something locals who can play their guitars like the Gypsy Kings on steroids. They were absolutely phenomenal, their passion bled through every song. It was an incidental music find that Stephen and I agreed was probably one the BEST live shows we have ever seen. We hope to see these guys again in the future. We are going to Zihuatanejo for their guitar fest in the beginning of March and I am looking forward to hearing some more flamenco guitar music!

Our time spent in La Cruz was filled with lots of town visits to local tacos shops, attending Saturday swap meets, Sundays farmers market, and great massages at a place called Oasis. I got a haircut, pedicure, and 70 min massage all for $45 USD - the Saturday special:) You can paddle board around the bay, whale watch right there and hit the beach. Every morning at 0830 on VHF 22A is the cruisers net. Every Thursday night is a free movie night in a nice quaint outdoor amphitheater by the marina. There are talks and classes that vary from Spanish lessons, splicing line, how to cross the S. Pacific, to medical attention in Mexico. You can become very comfortable staying in La Cruz due to all the resources.

We have taken advantage of some services by hiring a local to prep some wood on our hull that we wanted to reapply some cetol finish to. We did spend 5 days redoing our wood and are pleased with our project. I was sent back up the mass to clean our rigging one day as well. We also are getting some stainless steel added to extend our hard lifelines for more solar panels down the road. So again boat projects still happening as usual. Our water maker is not working properly so we did end up purchasing a water filtration/disinfection system so we can get water from the dock even if it is not potable. The usual boat stuff going on…

The Banderas Bay is soo large that visits to Punta Mita to surf and Yelapa for a lush tropical waterfall hike can take place and did. We also had a great trip to San Sebastian del Oeste, a historical mining town up in the Sierra Madre mountains turned tourist tequila tasting and a coffee plantation sight. Sayulita is a trendy and hip town with great shops and foods and also great surfing. The Bay here has a lot to offer. I did not even mention Puerto Vallarta or Nuevo Vallarta, which both are much bigger and more people. We did go to PV to visit our friend Erin and had a great afternoon/evening catching up with her and meeting her lovely partner Shelly. Erin used to skydive with Stephen in Florida so lots of great memories were rehashed.

We should be heading South here in the next week or so after we get our stainless steel project done and find a good weather window. Mexico is a beautiful place and we have just really started our exploration here. We look forward to seeing more and cannot say enough about how charming the people and culture are here.

SV Luego and SV Jeane Anne for the meet and greet

Whisker pole swing in Full swing!

Yep I am a professional - ha!

My Crevalle Jack murder - this was not the best fish for fish tacos but it made a lovely vera cruz stew. Heavy red meat. BIGGEST fish I EVER caught - one day diving to check out our anchor we saw a school of 50 or more swim by - hmmm... now I know how I got one...