4th February, 2023

The Many Moods of Cruising

We left the marina in Nuevo Nayarit on January 25, 2023, with Alison and Allan on board. Since we were only going to Punta de Mita for the first night (13 nm and approximately 3 hours max), we decided to spend the afternoon whale watching. And oh, did we get a show. For an hour we watched as several whales swam around us. At one point, one of the whales slapped his tail at least ten times in a row. Loud slaps, one after the other, right as she passed us. None of us had ever seen one do this.  Mostly, they just glided through the water with ease, weaving around the several boats that had gathered to watch. It filled us with awe and wonder.

We settled in at anchor and slowly our breathing became one with the motion. We had dinner and went to bed early as we were rising with the dawn to get an early start. Jay and I like to sleep topsides in the cockpit when we are at anchor. We gave Alison and Allan our bed. Sleeping at anchor is meditative. It lulls one into a state of calm.

The next day was full of excitement and anticipation. It was really the beginning of our cruise as we were leaving the bay for Ipala, 45 nm which would takes us about nine hours. Getting around Cabo Corrientes is always a challenge, though. And we weren’t really looking forward to that part of our journey. Cabo Corrientes means Cape Currents. It is at the southernmost tip of Banderas Bay and is where the coastline changes from north to south to more of a northeast to southeast direction. Sometimes, you can catch the ocean on a day when the sea is flat. Not this day. We felt like we were in a washing machine as the waves were coming at us from all directions.

Once we rounded the cape, the sea did smooth out. We still had six-to-eight-foot waves, but they were behind us. They picked us up and pushed us forward, gently laying us down. The waves looked like little hills rolling along with sparkling stars – reflections of the sun on water. It was beautiful. Two very big whales passed behind the stern of the boat.

We anchored in Ipala, a very small but charming cove. Several pangas were drifting on their moorings. Fisherman commuted out to their pangas on paddleboard and kayaks, prepping for another day’s work.

We weighed anchor Friday morning and headed to Chamela. Another 50 nm. The sea was like glass. Small waves pushed us gently south. Clouds were strewn across the sky reminding me of thin wisps of cotton and promised wind. A light haze hung over the mountains. Dolphins came to play on our bow, and we saw two green turtles. The meditative state set in again.

There are moments of pure joy on the boat. Whether it is a chance encounter with wildlife or just being grateful for this lifestyle we live. And then there are our friends who make us laugh. Alison would pop her head out of the aft cabin hatch every morning with a smile on her face. I began calling her Alison in the box as she reminded me of a Jack in the Box. One morning they decided to mix it up and Allan popped out instead. We got a good chuckle out of that.

The fourth morning things started to break and with it came frustration. We were in Chamela, one of our favorite anchorages. The beach stretches out for miles. Low-lying hills surround the bay and behind them the Sierre Madre mountains stand tall. The community is welcoming, and we don’t have to beach our dinghy! A few years back they built a Malecon with docks along the river. It is there we tie up and walk into town. But before going into town, we needed to charge our batteries. We have two 140-watt solar panels that support our batteries but isn’t quite enough. Jay started the engine to bring them up to at least 50% before the sun kicked in. We went about our daily routine until we heard a high pitch squeaking coming from the engine compartment. “What is that?” I asked Jay. Any new sound is cause for concern. Jay checked it out but at first look, didn’t find the source. Eventually it stopped.

Later that day, Jay noticed the LED light on the solar charge controller was out. Jay and Allan worked together to determine the diagnosis and fix. It was pronounced dead. Allan went online and found a good replacement that was available from Amazon Mexico and could be delivered to Barra in two days.  Meanwhile, Jay found one up in Puerto Vallarta. He ordered the one from Amazon Mexico and as a back-up (should it not get delivered for some reason) also had one sent down with our friend, Andy, who was coming a few days later.

Sometimes we think we are disconnecting when cruising. Not really as we soon found out. We put all our gadgets that needed charging on the table. Four computers, four phones, three iPads, battery-powered headphones, hearing aids, a Delorme satellite communicator, a VHF Radio, a Single-side band radio, a portable VHF radio and fans. So much for being disconnected.

There is a lot of worrying that goes into cruising too. Jay worries that things might break. Then he worries when they do break. Then he worries about how to fix what is broken. We all worry that we will have a safe cruise and that means things have to work. Luckily, we had two very capable sailors on board who were great at troubleshooting and lending a hand when needed.

Then to add to Jay’s worry, it was discovered that not only was the solar charge controller broken but so was one of our alternators. Frustration led to irritation and irritation is contagious. We had a few days of underlying grumpiness but fortunately, when we arrived in Tenacatita, Alison and Allan got a chance to escape for a bit, visiting with friends on another boat who were anchored there.

And finally, there is relief and joy when you arrive safely at the dock. All in all, it was a great trip. We arrived with the same amount of people we left with. We are all still friends. And, the best part, we had fun!