This is as far as we took the boat last year before turning around.  The hotel at this marina is by far one of the prettiest we have ever seen.  Built in to a hillside overlooking the marina and town it is just a perfect setting.  Rustic gardens, a meandering pool and the massive artwork and beautiful architecture is breathtaking.  And of course we had the french baker delivering pastries to our boat again.  Despite a lovely setting, the hotel is not very full.  They just don’t seem to draw in the people even though there is an airport close by and from what we hear a really nice golf course.  So Lou, you might check this place out!  If you want to see our pictures from last year, click here.

When we arrived in the Chamela and Barra area, we were very happy to see not much damage from Hurricane Patricia.  The strongest on record at a Category 5, we feared for the small towns and the landscape.  With the exception of some roofs, we see little damage.  This stretch of coast is not very populated.  Had it gone in closer to Puerto Vallarta it would be a different story.  There was one tanker that got caught in the hurricane.  We took this picture just as we were leaving Barra Navidad heading south.  They ended up against the cliffs, luckily no one was injured.  Apparently they haven’t developed a plan for getting it out of there.  You can’t see from this picture but there is a huge rock off the bow.

Looking forward to some new adventures as we head into the lower latitudes!

Happy Birthday to my Captain, best friend and love!  I wouldn’t be having these amazing experiences if it were not for you!

Fair winds,

Cindy

After a 50 hour sail we pulled in to Marina La Cruz in Banderas Bay the morning of New Year’s Eve.  Our original plan was to do one overnight to Mazatlan but the sea state was so uncomfortable in that direction we fell off to the east and headed down here.  That smoothed things out a bit but it was still bumpy all the way until just a few miles before the marina.   After two nights with no sleep there was no partying for us on New Years Eve!

In our minds the only good thing about a night passage is the sky.  Many years ago when we were in high school and starting our junior year, the school we were attending closed and a new one was opened.  During the planning phase the parents in the school district were asked to vote on whether the school should have a swimming pool or planetarium.  Us kids had visions of becoming the next Mark Spitz and our parents…… hmmmm what the heck were they thinking?   Another Carl Sagan??   Yes, we had the only school in the entire state of New Jersey or maybe east of the Mississippi with a planetarium.  It probably was used by less than a quarter of the student body but of course now I wish I had taken the class.  The sky is mesmerizing at night. Shooting stars and bright planets. An orange moon rising on the horizon, which actually startled me because it was a half moon and I thought it was a ship appearing out of nowhere.  I pass the time trying to identify the stars I know and love having a moon to light the ocean.  When our nephew Mickey was born in the early 80’s we had a star named after him because that seemed like a cool thing to do at the time.  I wonder if it is still out there.  Yes, I should have taken that science class and a Spanish class as well 🙂

Thank you to all who have read our blog this past year.  In 2015 we had visitors from 49 countries.  Gary and I wish everyone good health and much laughter in 2016.

Marina La Cruz is surrounded by beautiful mountains

Fair winds,

Cindy