LaCruz to Mazatlan

March 4, 2011 Back in La Cruz again. Tom and Claudette and Mike and Kathy Jackson arrived to spend two weeks on Anna. Jim and I have been having fun with the Anna crew and we’ve been getting some maintenance things done on Loomba-Loomba.

The Sunday market in the Plaza in La Cruz

Breakfast and wifi at YaYa's Cafe

Seafood Feast at Enrique's for Tommy and Chrissy's birthday

Jim and Chrissy took the bus into Bucerias (in between La Cruz and PV) one day to go to the dentist for a good teeth cleaning and check up (AOK) and to go to the “Mega” Supermarket to re-provision.

This alleyway leads to the main market stalls in Bucerias

We left La Cruz on Thursday, March 10^th and arrived in Chacala that afternoon.

Friday morning we awoke to a Tsunami warning on the SSB net and from a fisherman driving by in his Panga who told us to turn the VHF to Channel 16 to get a message from the Capitan de Puerto. Essentially the Port Captain told us that all the Mexican ports were closed and we could not leave the bay. There were 5 boats in the bay and all of us knew that it would be much safer to be in deep water. We all raised our anchors and headed out as far as we could and still be in the bay and spent the rest of the morning and afternoon circling around the bay. There were a few surges, but nothing very noticeable and we finally went back in and anchored in the late afternoon. It was unsettling just waiting for the Tsunami and not knowing  exactly what to expect. We are thankful it was more or less a “non-event” for us, but so sorry for those that got the brunt of the earthquake and tsunami.

 Anna and Loomba-Loomba waiting for the tsunami.

One day we took the dinghys around the point south of Chacala to a secret beach 

for swimming snorkeling and a picnic lunch.

The Anna crew doing a beach landing.

While we were out snorkeling these two showed up. Apparently
they are trying to keep people off of the beach, but if you arrive by boat
you can stay and use the beach.
They were very nice and loved getting their picture taken!


Anna and Loomba-Loomba anchored in Chacala

Sunday March 13 we had a great sail up to Matanchen Bay outside of San Blas. We dropped anchor and Anna headed into the lagoon to the marina so it would be easier for them to visit with Mike’s high school friend who lives in San Blas. We were the only boat on the bay for two nights and then there were five!
 

Loomba-Loomba anchored in Matanchen Bay

While in Matanchen Bay and San Blas we swam in the bay, had shrimp empanadas and cervezas at the beach palapas, went to the city market, hit a few restaurants, wandered around town, went to Stoner’s surf camp to check it out, and had a wonderful shrimp feed at Kent & Luis’ house (Mike’s high school friend).

Family affair at the fish market.

The old customs house is now the town's Cultural Center.

 San Blas' version of McDonald's.

 View of San Blas from the old Spanish fort built in 1770.

Tommy, Claudette, Kent, Mike, Kathy, Jim

 This church near the fort was built in 1769. In 1872 the aging bells
were removed and this was the inspiration for Longfellow to write his poem,
“The Bells of San Blas”.

Stoner's Surf Camp is well known in the surfing world.

Shrimp feed at Kent and Luis'

We left San Blas at 6am Wed morning 3/16, buddy boating with Anna, and arrived at Isla Isabela in the early afternoon. We had time to snorkel and take a quick tour of the island before we left Anna and headed to Mazatlan. We had been to Isla Isabela in December on our way south. At that time the birds were all guarding their eggs. Now the babies are quite big!

Baby Boobie.

Baby Frigates.

Baby Iguanas.

We said “hasta luego” to the Anna crew and headed towards Mazatlan just as the sun was going down.  

With fifteen miles to go we ran into pea-soup fog that stayed with us all the way into Mazatlan.  

We tied up to the dock in Marina Mazatlan at 11:30 am on Thursday, 3/17.  Drew is meeting us here on Saturday 3/19 for a short vacation.