La Cruz, Nyarit, Mexico - January 15, 2009

La Cruz- 20 44.874N, 105 22.680W, approximately 203 miles south of Mazatlan.

We left Mazatlan January 10 on another beautiful day in Mexico. The seas were 2-3 feet and the wind was 12-15 knots. We were buddy boating with our friends Doug and Marcy on "Charm". We motor sailed all the way to Matanchen Bay. We watched the sun set and the moon rise. We had a full moon for our travels which made night visibility very good. We both said the best thing about overnights is when you are off shift sleeping in the cockpit.

We arrived in Mantanchen Bay approximately 24 hours later. Mantanchen Bay is east of San Blas. The Bay is very large with a depth of about 12 feet. Palapa restaurants surrounded the north shore. One of the biggest problems at this Bay is the no-see-ums. While we did have mosquito netting on our port holes we ended up with bites all over our bodies. It looks like we have the chicken pox, and we are still itching.

We visited La Tavara Lagoon traveling by panga through jungle and mangrove swamps. We saw many crocodiles, turtles and birds of all types. The mangroves were thicker than a forest.
After our jungle adventure we went into San Blas, about 6 miles from Mantanchen Bay. While we were waiting for a bus a truck stopped by and offered us a ride into town. So we all piled in the back of the pick up. That would definitely be against the law in the states, however, common practice here.

San Blas is a tiny fishing village of about 12,000 people surrounded by rain forest and mangrove swamps. The city is also known for the poem The Bells of San Blas written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in 1882. The streets are all cobble stone and dirt. The city square was surrounded by little restaurants, vendors, and the church of which the Bells of San Blas was written. San Blas also has a new marina in which we may visit in the future.

On January 14 we headed south to Punta Mita which is 57 miles south of Matanchen Bay. It was a great day for observing sea life. We saw whales breaching, dolphins swimming by the boat, and sea turtles floating by. It almost became common to see the whales, there were so many. Punta Mita is at the north west end of Banderas Bay. It is a common anchorage for overnight into or out of Banderas Bay. The wind was about 15-20 knots coming into the anchorage. Banderas Bay will be great for sailing.

We are currently in La Cruz at Marina Rivera Nyarita, 10 miles east of Punta Mita. This is fairly new marina which has about 400 slips, however, it appears only a third full. The marina is surrounded by green hills. The beaches appear to go for miles. We know many cruisers at the marina who we have met in the past.

We plan to be here for awhile. While it appears that we are having fun (which we are) it is hard work to be cruising. There seems to be always something to do on the boat. On our passage down we broke the lazy jack fittings and when we pulled up anchor in Punta Mita the windless went out. Both of these items need to be repaired before we leave this marina. We also plan to relax and enjoy ourselves at our new location.