Canyonwren Travels: Sailing, Takes Me Away...

Monday, February 25, 2019

Sailing, Takes Me Away...

Seat #4 on the Plus bus.

Linda waited with me as we sat in the Primera Plus bus terminal. In my pocket was my 375 peso ticket for seat number four on the 10:30 AM bus to Puerto Vallarta. I hoped that my seat would provide me a chance to watch the countryside go by without any annoying distractions. Our bus pulled in and I loaded my small suitcase into the luggage hold. Linda gave me a hug and a kiss, told me to be assertive and friendly and I climbed into my seat.

John picked me up and we
dinghied out to Mangata.

During the past few days, Linda had given me a few Spanish lessons hoping to improve my confidence and improve my chances of getting on the bus, off at the PV stop and into a taxi to La Cruz de Huanacaxtle. She always worries about my timid nature and hopes I can survive with my very limited language skills.

The bus filled and it slid out into traffic, northwest on México 200. The drive was 143 miles to the central bus station and then I would get a taxi on to La Cruz, another 13 miles around Bahía de Banderas. In La Cruz, I would meet John Karpenko and we would board Mangata, his 37 foot Hunter Legend sailboat.

Dinner in La Cruz with Captin Karpenko.

During the four hour ride, I sat next to a French Canadian who really didn’t want anything to do with me. I tried to chat when we first climbed into our seats, but he quickly turned to his traveling buddies and started speaking French and basically ignored me. Even when he turned forward he showed a lack of interest by singing little French songs to himself. I didn’t push it and settled in watching the world go by.

Day sailing on the Bay of Banderas.

We reached the final bus stop and I clambered out and grabbed my suitcase. Having been to this terminal before I briskly walked out and immediately caught a taxi. I tossed my gear in the back seat and climbed in next to the driver. My driver was a nice fellow who kind of spoke English. He had been to Yakama, Washington and worked there for a year so he was aware of the area I had come from. He was a real talker and wanted to talk politics, family, and many other topics. I nodded my head and listened, understanding about half of what he said.

We arrived in La Cruz, found the marina and parted ways. He was happy with the tip and I was happy to relax after discussing a bazillion topics.

The sunrise through the marine layer
as we cross Banderas Bay.

John was in a weather seminar, learning what to expect for the next week or two. I found the meeting room, talked my way inside and sat down to wait. Forty-five minutes later, John was finished and we greeted each other and walked to the dingy dock. I loaded my two bags into the boat and we made our way out to Mangata at her anchorage. I stowed my gear as we chatted and exchanged news from Melaque and home.

We turn the corner around Cabo Corrientes
and are greeted by a pod of four whales.

Once I was settled we untied the little tender and chugged into the dinghy dock. We walked into town and grabbed dinner and bought some food items for our trip. I was a bit worn out from my bus ride so we didn’t stay long once we ate.

We got up the next day and readied the boat to do some day sailing. The weather report said that the wind would be light in the morning and pick up later in the afternoon. We set sail out across the Bay of Banderas where we spent the day tacking, jibing, and just plain having fun in some very consistent wind. At the end of the afternoon, we returned to the La Cruz anchorage and fixed Mangata on the hook.

Our trolling set-up on the starboard side of the boat.

We dropped the dinghy into the water and headed for the docks and John took me to one of his favorite little restaurants and we had an amazing meal of tacos and tamales. We did a final stop at the store and picked up some sweets for breakfast and then returned to the boat. Everything was set for our departure at 5:00 AM. We turned in and got a good night’s sleep.

The arsenal of plugs we tried during our trip.

The next morning we hauled anchor and were on our way. Our course took us across the Bay of Banderas 24 miles to Cabo Corrientes. As we motored we were greeted with a magical sunrise, whales, and a few Tortugas. There was little wind and the ocean swells were very comfortable.

John's new seat cushion in action.

Cabo Corrientes” means “cape of currents,” referring to the strong ocean currents found in its vicinity. As we made our first bearing mark and turned southeast we ran straight into the currents of Cabo Corrientes. For the next eight hours, we had 8’ following seas, very little wind with a course directly into a four-knot current. Our speed over water was 4.5 knots and our regular speed was 6.5 knots. The current was relentless but we had to motor on. As we rounded the Cabo, water temperatures dropped from 84 degrees to 72 degrees. Though we saw a lot of bait fish we knew the water temperatures were not favorable for the bigger predator fish.

Our day was spent motoring up and down the following swells. There were very little winds so we used our jib to help us push through the swell. Our first anchorage was at a small beach called Ipala Bay. There was probably room for four boats total in the anchorage, we arrived to find it empty. Later, a second boat pulled in and stayed the night.

Our first anchorage at Ipala Bay.

We lowered the dinghy and motored into the beach. We had a delicious dinner at Resturant Candie's. This place was huge and had one of the newest, most modern kitchens I have seen down in Mexico. The beach must draw a big tourist crowd, but today there was a comfortable amount of folks enjoying the food.

Time to eat!!!

We stayed overnight and in the morning pulled anchor and made our way to Perula. We arrived at this lovely spot about 1:00 PM and joined about seven other sailboats. The afternoon was spent on shore enjoying a great lunch at Restaurante El Pirata and then gathering some needed supplies from the local bodegas.

Back on board Mangata, we fixed dinner and then John watched some basketball on his computer. I spent my time watching the Snow Moon rise into the night sky. It was a very relaxing evening.

Two nights in Perula and we then set a course to Tenecatita Bay. This is a very popular cruisier destination and when we arrived there were at least thirty-five boats of all descriptions anchored throughout this sheltered bay. If you are not familiar with this anchorage, La Manzanilla (a small town in the SW corner of the bay) can be spotted across the water to the east.

Wonderful fish dinner.

John and I spent two nights in this anchorage. During the day we motored into the beach and ate at La Vena Resturant where we met a couple of cruisers. Rick and Karen Ranney live on their sailboat Avalon. We shared stories and had a fine meal together. They were traveling southeast and were interested in exploring Barra and Melaque. We filled their notes with tips on restaurants and places to visit. Another comfortable afternoon spent laughing and chatting.

The next morning John and I pulled anchor and headed home. The ocean was flat and we made good time to the lagoon in Barra. I helped John get fuel and water and then we put Mangata on the hook. I called a water taxi and thanked John for a super fun trip.

Though the winds were not favorable for sailing I once again learned so much about being on the ocean. John is a super guy to be with and I really enjoyed our time together. Thanks again Captain Karpinko for all you taught me!

Who said shark?

The water taxi dropped me off and I immediately caught a regular taxi back into our place in Villa Obregon. I sure missed Linda during my trip and it was super fun to surprised her when I returned.