News aboard Sol Surfin
 

December 4, 2005

Hello,

This is another update from Sol Surfin and our journey south. We are currently in an adorable town called Barra Navidad which is just 20 miles north of Manzanillo, 100 miles south of Puerto Vallarta. We are anchored with about 8 other boats in a lagoon just behind the breakwater and town. There is a 5 star very luxurious resort here with a golf course if anyone wants a great place to visit, this is it. Yesterday we walked with 2 other couples, along the golf course and ended up at the ocean which had a great private beach and cove. We had a picnic and swam in the water and discovered a sea cave. The water was very warm and clear.

Gary and I are meeting new people and making lots of boater friends. The weather has been very calm with light and variable winds. This is easy sailing weather although we do wish that there was a little more wind. This is the gold coast which is the same latitude as Hawaii and filled with swaying palm trees and beautiful white sandy beaches. It is a great alternative to Hawaii.

The anchorages are plentiful and we have been stopping every 20 miles or so to discover and explore a new place. We have been averaging 2-4 nights stay at each place. We sight see a lot and walk around the towns discovering what life is like in each place. Of course, we can only get an outsiders view but the exploration is interesting. People are very friendly and we have lots of laughs trying to talk to each other, me in my broken Spanish and them in what little English they can conjure up. We usually get by. My Spanish is getting better. All that studying in high school and college has paid off.

People are always asking us what we do with our time and if we ever get bored. The truth is that we have so much to do with sight seeing, swimming, snorkeling, searching for waves, playing our music, reading novels, and going ashore to find the best margaritas and sea food tacos. Not to mention all the chores and “to do’s” on the boat that we rarely have nothing to do. The boat maintenance keeps us busy, there are always things to polish, decks to wash, oil to change, gears to lube, belts to replace etc. Gary does most of the “blue” jobs while I deal with all the “pink” things. I do the grocery shopping, all the meal preparing, baking, boat cleaning, clothes washing, etc. We pretty much have the same stuff to do that we would normally do at home; the only difference is that it is contained to the boat. There are a few “purple” jobs that we do together, like scrubbing the hulls. And of course, there are also lots of socializing with pot lucks and boat parties. It is a great way to get to know other cruisers and find out about upcoming anchorages and places to visit. Cruisers’ are the greatest people, always willing to lend a hand or help in any way possible.

 

We spent Thanksgiving at a very adorable anchorage called Bahia Careyes named after the Careyes turtles. This place was really cute with very large mega mansions cascading down the hills. All the houses were painted bright ice cream colors of pink, yellow, green, blue, purple, magenta and red. Really amazing and colorful. We had a traditional turkey dinner at the 5 star resort hotel on the beach. The dinner was to die for with 7 gourmet courses. The food was very delicious. Our friends on “Icarian” joined us and we had the best candle light table overlooking the water. I missed being with my family, but this was really a special treat. I was happy to be able to call my sister and brothers from the boat since my cell phone was working because of the cell towers on the hill.

On the way down the coast we have seen loads of turtles, some sleeping and some just swimming by. We had a treat last week when we came across 2 whales mating (we think) out in the ocean. They were flapping their fins and diving and both of them blasting into the air one after another. It was just like what you see in the National Geographic Mags. I jot some good shots of them, but of course the digital camera is a little slow and some of the best shots will forever be an image in my mind.

The ocean is light up with phosphorescents. Gary jumped in the water the other night and it was so wild to see him glowing with millions of tiny bubbles of florescent light stuck to his skin. The fish also glow so it was a trip to see him swimming and the fish darting all around him. I was too chicken to jump in the water at night, plus I was having too much fun laughing and watching him doing snow angels in the water.

At our last anchorage, there was a school of porpoises that swam around the boats every day. They liked to scratch themselves along the anchor chains of the boats. We would notice our boat swinging around and go up to the bow and see and feel the dolphins moving the anchor chain. I guess it works great as a back scratcher!

Blessings always,
Celeste and Gary too.

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