Off to La Paz

We sailed off to La Paz early the next morning after a good nights sleep at anchor.

During the crossing Sue came down the deadly and famous companionway, the boat going Starboard, Sue going Port, hitting her side on the Galley counter. Sues 10th rib was broken so we will lay low for two weeks in La Paz before sailing out to the islands in the Sea and probably further north. Since we are grounded, we are going to drive across Baha to the town of Todos Santos. This is an art village with lots of charm so check our blog for pictures and stories.

Note, you can click on any image to enlarge the view.

Los Muertos

Here is a school of Dolphins welcoming us to Los Muertos. We sailed all night so this was a wonderful sight. Los Muertos means "Cove of the Dead". Once a thriving port bring supplies for silver mines and later salt. This was a quite, calm anchorage for an evening of rest.


Big cactus here.

The road to La Paz. Plenty of dust. They are doing a major development here, golf course and all. It will be beautiful, but we like the "old west" feel it has now. You can almost see the early settlers trekking across the desert.

A look from shore toward the anchorage.

Of course, a restaurant looking out to the bay. This was the original Giggling Marlin, since sold to new owners.

Crossing the Sea

The beginning of the crossing, early in the morning. Lots of fishing vessels. This one is a shrimp boat. Mazatlan claims to be the "Shrimp Capital" of the world. Almost every menu item has shrimp on it. They are delicious and cheap.Sunset on the Sea of Cortez crossing.
Looking at our chart plotter late in the night. Click on the picture to enlarge it and see if you can tell Suebee's position.

Mazatlan

Unfortunately we did not spend near enough time in Mazatlan even on our 2nd visit. Weather called us as there was an excellent "weather window" for crossing the Sea of Cortez. We took an evening cab ride to Old Town, Mazatlan. We must come back some day. Below are a few highlights.

A street characteristic of Old Town, Mazatlan.
Two pictures outside the Cathedral.

Another outside. Pictures, at least ours, do not do justice to the beauty of this Cathedral.

Here is the cab we were in. Fun on a warm evening.


Suebee is in the middle looking at her stern. She is ready to sail again.

Isla Isabela

Here we are, anchored at Isle Isabela (yes, I am spelling it correctly). This anchorage became the king of rock and roll all night! It was still worth the stop. Isle Isabela is an uninhabited island except for the Warden who oversees the bird sanctuary, along with a small fishing village. Jacques Cousteau and National Geographic, featured this island in television specials.

This island is home to thousands of Frigate Birds. Here is a male blowing up the red "bubble" to attract the female for mating. We witnessed that this works well!

Here is a baby Frigate, demonstrating the results of the mating routine.

This island is one of the few areas that are refuge for the Blue Footed Booby birds.

Here you can see mom and baby. There is so many feathers on the baby they appear to be as large as the full grown Boobys. They allow you to get fairly close before getting upset.

A closer look. Check out the blue feet.
See the family behind us?

Here is a Gecko moving on. All in all, this was a very rewarding stop on our journey.

Chacala

Sailing north from La Cruz we stopped and anchored in Chacala. Big surf here for a rock and roll sleep. This picture is from Suebee looking ashore.

This is along a pathway on the way from the dinghy beach towards town.

Looking up the beach.

From the beach we see Suebee. She has not moved on anchor, a good thing.

Pineapples are abundant.

After a wonderful day we are presented with a amazing sunset. Off to Isle Isabela in the morning.

Back to La Cruz

On our sail back north, we stop at La Cruz for a few days. This has become one of our favorite places on the Banderas Bay. It retains it's small town roots even though it is growing, with a first class marina and some new residential developments.

One evening we attended a fund raiser for the local schools. The children were fantastic. It is such a delight to see "Traditions" continue with the young.

The children performed flawlessly.

Dancing girls with traditional dresses.

Beautiful.

We were invited to dinner to John and Gilley's home, along with John and Sharon from "Warren Peace", in Punta Mita, a residential community on the Banderas Bay. This is the view from their balcony. John and Gilley have the boat named "Destiny", another Catalina 42.

Dinner is served.

A not so becoming picture of Scott relaxing on Suebee.
Mexican coffee being prepared at our table. It is quite a production.

Pouring the flaming coffee in the cups. Do you think alcohol is involved?

Chamela

Our trip back from Navidad included an overnight anchorage with Wally and Linda on "Andanzas", another Catalina 42. This bay is at the edge of the town called Chamela.

Here is a photo from Suebee of the town, or more accurately, the Palapas. You guessed it, restaurants.

A Bit More of Bara

As Bara de Navidad was our "home base" for 25 days, we did a lot of venturing out as Suebee rested. The following photos are more of Bara, a delightful town with beautiful surrounding areas.

A very high tide. A good place for fish to get some shade below those umbrellas!

The entrance to the golf country club.

A walkway along the course.

A courtyard at the Country Club.

One of the fairways.

Playing Rummy with Wally and Linda by the pool. This "cruising" is exhausting!

On our sail out we were entertained by the Dolphins.

And the Turtles.
This cross is at the entrance to the bay at Navidad.

Inland to Colima

We decided that we needed an inland fix so we rented a car and drove to the town of Colima, which is the State Capitol of the State of Colima. The contrast between inland towns and coastal towns is dramatic. Inland towns are less "touristy" and there seems to be a more normal life. The other contrast is well paved streets, clean cars and finished buildings. Our regret is that we didn't allow more time to explore.

The above picture is apparently a celebration for this old gentleman's birthday. He appeared to be 100! He was laughing, singing and drinking Corona!

Here is a closer picture of him.

The murals on the wall of the Federal Building were simply amazing. This is a staircase up to the second floor.

Here is the courtyard at the Federal Building.

And here is the exterior.

The architecture was beautiful, as were the many town squares. There is a lot of pride in the community here.

The Cathedral. Beautiful.

Inside the Cathedral. There seems to be continuous services at the Church's.

Another Town Square. The landscaping is elaborate and well maintained.

We will spare you the food picture, but we are here across from the Square.