Confucius says...

They must often change who would be constant in happiness or wisdom - Confucius.

Well, I don't know about the wisdom part, but we are happy.  Moondance is shipshape, fully stocked, and ready to go - we just aren't going - at least not yet and we are changing plans (again)!

Sayulita beach bar

For almost two years, we have been focused on sailing to the Galapagos, French Polynesia, and on to Hawaii.

Provisioning

It just wasn't meant to be.

This week, we discovered two things that made us change our route:

Relaxing at the beach

1) We have to be in Tahiti in June to meet the French High Commissioner in order to receive our long-term visas.

--This wasn't planned and has forced us to change our timeline and, unfortunately, cross the Galapagos off our route.

Sayulita Beach

2)  It is a long, tough sail from Zihautenjo, Mexico to the Gambiers Islands.

--Instead we will be sailing from Banderas Bay with the rest of the Puddle Jumpers at the end of March.

They are all headed to the Marquesas; our route will take us further south.  The Gambiers are supposed to beautiful, remote, and unspoiled  and that's just what we are looking for.

We both feel much better after making these decisions. Good thing cruisers are flexible!

Our new route - Gambiers,Tuamotus, Australs, and Tahiti - just in time for the Tahiti-Moorea Sailing Rendezvous (sponsored by Latitude 38).  I wanted to attend this amazing event anyway, so I am happy!  We still plan to be in Hawaii from November through April, 2012.

La Cruz Cemetery

Now, we just have to figure out what to do between now and the end of March.  We are all waiting for a weather window - the jet stream has to move north (where it belongs).  So, please keep the cold weather to yourselves!

We are thinking of joining in on some of the festivities of the Banderas Bay Regatta (not racing Moondance for sure!).

We have friends participating, plus there are lots of social activities.

Doug - stressed!

We might do some inland travel...
We will probably do some sailing...
We have a few minor projects to work on...
And definitely more provisioning...

Plus, more seminars and Puddle Jump activities - there is always something going on, people to meet, and lots and lots of discussions.

We think our New Plan looks pretty darn good!

Puerto Vallarta Excursion

We decided to bus into the city of Puerto Vallarta with the crew of Evergreen. It is a big city and it took us two buses to get there, but we had a wonderful time.

Sand sculpture

The Malecon along the El Centro district was beautiful.

Lots of shops, restaurants, cantinas, and tourists for sure.

We enjoyed the nice long walk and the sites along the way. 

More sand sculptures!

Several sand sculpture artists displayed their amazing work - just leave a tip if you liked what you saw.

Interesting chairs

The Malecon is also lined with very creative bronze statues - they just get better and better as you walk along.

Ride'em Cowboy

You just can't stop taking pictures of them - as you can tell.

Fortunately for you, I only posted a few of the photos!

Henry enjoying the view

Another wonderful part of Mexico, not many "NO" signs.

So have fun playing on the statutes!

Church on the plaza

And, of course, the beautiful La Iglesia de Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe church on the plaza.

The exterior is beautiful; the interior is amazing!

After all of the walking and sight-seeing, the gang needed a break and some refreshments.

Always easy to find a place - just be sure to negotiate your cerveza prices before ordering!

Lunch time - whew!

Doug shopping?  Not!

The Mercado Flea Market is an excellent place to shop for souvenirs and all kinds of cool Mexican stuff.

Never accept the price quoted - bargaining is part of the shopping experience.  Just start walking away...

Isla Cuale

The Isla Cuale was my favorite find - lots of shopping along the the river.

Be sure to have a margarita at the River Cafe. Beautiful setting and Happy Hour is from 2pm - 6pm every day!

Olas Altas

We finally made it to the Zona Romatica... The beautiful old town of Puerto Vallarta.

Fisherman Statue - loved it!

We are definitely going to have to return and explore this area further.

More shopping and restaurants in an old world setting. Next time - the gang was pooped.  Being a tourist is hard work.

Our return trip: 3 buses and a nap!

Living life in La Cruz de Huanacaxtle

We really enjoyed being anchored out in La Cruz (on the hook as the cruisers say)!

Anchored in La Cruz

We have a wonderful view, it is quiet, plus we have a whale show almost everyday.

What could be better than that?

There is a pod of humpback whales that cruise Banderas Bay - looks like a Mom, Dad, and a baby.

La Cruz Church

Best show ever: watching (and hearing) the humpies breeching. 

It gave me goosebumps - I just wish I could have captured it for you.

Superbowl shenanigans

We are settling in to life in La Cruz and meeting lots of new folks, plus hanging out with our good buddies on Evergreen and Rainshadow. 

Always something fun going on when they are around.

Fishing with style

We have been exploring the town.  There is lots of shopping, eateries, and lots of gringos.

With all of that comes higher prices of course - welcome to the big city!

Dancing at Philo's

One reason that La Cruz is so popular with the cruisers - live music - all sorts of live music.  From rock-n-roll to flamenco and lots of dancing.

Almost everynight, there is something going on. 

We have bonfires, seminars, movies in the amphitheater, and the circus even came to town

The Circus came to town

The crew of La Loupiote put on two wonderful shows - hanging and dancing from the rigging of their boat.

They are traveling through Mexico on their way to California earning money along the way.

Hopefully, you will get a chance to see them - they are very entertaining!

Banderas Bay

We are still working on projects, provisioning, and meeting lots of the Pacific Puddle Jumpers.

There are still lots of things on our project list, but all looks good to sail south at the end of February.  So excited!

Bahía de Matanchén - San Blas

Well, our crossing from Isla Isabella was exciting, but what a beautiful day to be on the water!

Captain Doug

Just after leaving Isla Isabella, we hooked a Dorado - he was a beauty too. Just as I tried to gaff'em, it stole the hook.

One that got away!

We were so sorry to see our dinner swim away!

Evergreen cruising along

We were dodging fishing nets along the way, including the one that grabbed us.

Doug hopped in the water to release the line - a good excuse to get wet – but the line had all ready slipped past us. Good!

It was really nice to have s/v Evergreen cruising along beside of us. This Buddy Boating thing definitely has its benefits!



Sunset Bahía de Matanchén

We all made it safely to Bahía de Matanchén just in time to enjoy a beautiful sunset off the point.



San Blas Plaza

The next day, we hitchhiked (cruisers transportation) into San Blas.  Very nice of the locals to take us to town, but a tailgate would have been a bonus!

San Blas is a beautiful old town. We did some site-seeing, shopping, and had a very nice lunch.



Peaking into the New Church

San Blas has two churches on the plaza - the Old Church and the New Church (of course).

They are both amazing and right next to each other.




The Old Church






The Old Church was built by the Spanish in 1769 and was closed in 1872 and the bells silenced.

This inspired Henry Wadsworth Longellow to write the beauitful poem "The Bells of San Blas".

Statue on the Plaza

We spent a couple of days at Bahía de Matanchén and then traveled south to La Cruz, where we are currently anchored. We will probably be here until the end of March.

There is lots of excitement in La Cruz these days.

Hanging at the beach bar with Evergreen

There are approximately 110 boats registered for the Pacific Puddle Jump and most of them are hanging around here. 

We are working on projects, attending seminars, and lots and lots of socializing!

Isla Isabela

What an amazing place! 

Where'd you get those shoes?

We were fortunate to be able to anchor for the night and explore the island!

Most of the time, the weather is too unsettled and cruisers have to sail on by.  

I would have hated to miss this one!

Mom, Dad, and Babies

The island is a national park and home to millions of nesting birds and iguanas. 

And, with no natural predators, they are all thriving and not a bit afraid of us. 

Baby Frigate and Family

Of course, the mama birds squawked a lot when we approached the nests - and there were lots of nests and lots of babies in all different sizes.

We tried to tiptoe around them, but the silly birds built their nests right on the trail!

Male Frigate showing is colors

My favorites were the Blue-Footed Boobies, but there were also Red and Green-Footed Boobies too and lots and lots of Frigates.

The Frigates looked way too big to be nesting in those trees!

Doug talking to the birds

Isla Isabela is a volcanic island, with a fish camp on the south end, a crater in the middle, and Las Monas (rocks) on the east.

There is also a group of researchers studying the Boobies - a 30 year project. 

You wouldn't think there would be that much to study!

Famous explorers - not!

We tried to hike around all of it with our amigos on s/v Evergreen, but had trouble finding the trails.

Green Iguana - really?

Some explorers we are!

We deserved a break

And the best part, hanging with friends on a beautiful white secluded beach.

Did I mention that this cruising life is pretty cool? Well, it is!

Next... sailing over to Bahia Matanchen.

A hell of a day at sea, Sir...

And that it was!

We left Isla Isabela this morning and had all kinds of excitement. Caught a Dorado (beauty, too), but it stole our hook (and dinner) before we got it on board. We did get a picture though - our new catch and release program - hah! We ran into lots of fishing nets along the way including the one that Doug had to jump into the water to release (almost) - but all's good. We saw an amazing whale show with breaching, tail slapping, and other commotion. There were also turtles, dolphins, and lots of birds around to keep us entertained during the crossing.

Now, we are safely tucked into Ensenada de Matanchen with s/v Evergreen - just west of San Blas. Enjoyed a beautiful sunset (and happy hour) with Carol and Dennis. Tomorrow, we will explore San Blas - looking forward to seeing the old Spanish town.

Yesterday, we spent the day anchored at Isla Isabela and had an excellent time exploring the island - it was just amazing. Isla Isabela is a national park that is full of magnificent frigate birds, iguanas, and green, brown, and blue-footed boobie birds. The blue-footed boobies were just beautiful and our favorites for sure. All of the birds were nesting, so we were able to see them from eggs to fuzzy white hatchlings - adorable.

We are having a wonderful time (and adventure). Pictures to follow once we hit civilization again!

----------
radio email processed by SailMail
for information see: http://www.sailmail.com

Time to head south - finally!

Bad Bottom

Living in a boat yard definitely has its challenges, but we survived and we are back in the water.

Good Bottom

We completed everything on our project list, plus a few additional and a few that weren't planned.

Prop and Shaft all shiny

The only major issue found was that our prop shaft was corroded and needed replaced.

Better finding that kind of thing out in a boatyard versus in the middle of the South Pacific!

As an additional precaution, we had Bob (Total Yacht Works) survey our boat. He pronounced Moondance sound and "Good to Go" - that's what we wanted to hear!

The Isla

Bob also complimented Doug on the work he had done on Moondance.  Doug was beaming!

Turtle Crossing

We will leave Maz today. We are happy that Evergreen will be buddy boating with us. They have been this route before, which always makes cruising a little easier.

Go Steelers!

Our plans, if the weather is settled, stop at Isla Isabela - the Galapagos of Mexico.  We are excited to see the Boobie Birds, iguanas, and other wildlife.

We hope to visit a few other sites along the way, but our goal is to be in La Cruz for the Pacific Puddle Jump Party on February 4th. Plus, the Superbowl Game!

We are so ready and so excited.  11 years of talking, planning, and working toward our dream of sailing to the South Pacific is finally here!