A Whale Tail

It's a long distance whale tail ... not our encounter

One thing’s for certain, I don’t need to be close enough to the tail of a humpback to count the barnacles! While it’s very cool to experience whale encounters – with their frolicking, training their babies, diving and making a splash – it’s another when they are too close to your boat.

We were motor sailing across Banderas Bay earlier in February, which is a renown birthing and training area for humpbacks in the spring. We oohed and aahed at the whales performing in the distance. Binoculars ready for the next random sighting. Almost impossible for capturing photos as the moments are fast and often at a distance. Eyes peeled for any action, especially in the direction you’re traveling.

Then under our keel swam a rather large humpback, turning and flipping its tail as he dove, almost hitting our solar panel on the stern quarter! It was a lovely tail, easily 6 ft across, speckled with barnacles. We didn’t have time to react, and those few seconds of fear produced a high pucker factor for captain and crew (uh, that would be me). Like I said, I don’t want to know how many barnacles attached themselves to that tail.

I love these colorful crabs

I’d just read about another boat that had a physical encounter with a whale traveling further south than Cabo Corrientes/Puerto Vallarta, where we were headed. Thankfully, he and his boat were okay. He was under sail, and that always raises the question of whether you should run your engine, in the hopes that constant diesel engine noise will keep them at bay. We’ve also read that having a radio playing can serve as a deterrent. But who knows. Each moment is unique and there’s no second guessing.

Mazatlan to Isla Isabela

Blue footed boobies nesting in the sand

In January, we left our slip from summer and fall boat storage at Marina Mazatlan, buddy boating with long time friends who came to Mexico the same year we did – so a lot of years at the dirt boat yard in Guaymas and beyond. We ventured first for a ‘shakedown cruise’ to Isla de la Piedra (Stone Island) – to ensure systems are working and identify any surprises. It’s a great beach area, easily accessible by water taxi from town. There we met up with a couple we’d known from Guaymas days who have now sold their boat in Mexico but have a boat in BC. Their northern boat is lacking a communication system, so we gifted them our SSB – Single Sideband radio. With the onset of Starlink and vast improvements in cell coverage along the Mexico coast, the need for Single Sideband communications rapidly fell off, with fewer participants and volunteer net controllers. SSB has long been the worldwide mechanism for communication via radio with other boaters, to share weather, information and passage updates.

Underway to new ventures

That was one less system, less weight and access to another valuable corner on board! It’s always a focus for us to either use what is on board or move it along to someone else. Space and storage are too important to squander.

Without further incident, we headed to Isla Isabela, an overnight passage to the bird refuge island where you experience up close nests of blue footed boobies, frigates and other species that are not afraid of human interactions. Many of the boobies lay in the sand while you walk by and often stand up to show off the cherished egg they are protecting, as if to say, look what I have! It’s a pretty incredible experience there, walking among the nesting birds.

Isla Isabela to San Blas

After several enjoyable experiences exploring the island, we headed south to San Blas where another Canadian couple we’ve known forever awaited our arrival. Another joy to see longtime friends where we lunched, swapped hugs and stories and wandered about town. We enjoyed Pescado Zarandeado, a specialty fish dish, this time fileted with the skin on and roasted on a wood fire. Delicious and finger-licking good, as you are delivered an entire fish on a platter, served with warm tortillas and hot sauces.

We also found the small shop where the ‘outboard whisperer’, as he is known, is still in business. Score! So, the guys lowered our outboard from on deck on Pura Vida, hauled it to shore in the dinghy and through town in a taxi to get our 2.5 HP unit fixed. What a great find and excellent price. Oh, and San Blas is famous for their no-see-um bugs, crocodiles and banana bread.

Chacala, Punta de Mita and Puerto Vallarta

The following days carried us further south, motor sailing and sometimes, under sail, to make our way to Puerto Vallarta and Banderas Bay, enjoying colorful anchorages along the way. Banda and other music wafts from the shorefront palapa restaurants, where families are enjoying the beaches.

Happily docked, 7 min from shower and office

Through a third level ‘friend of a friend’ special arrangement, we scored a slip at the very popular Paradise Village Marina. That allowed us a  chance to work on projects, get repairs done, wash the boat, do laundry, and time allowing, enjoy the local amenities at the attached all-inclusive resort. For about $1,00, ‘collectivo’ buses take you from the resort the hour-long trip into Puerto Vallarta for adventure, grocery shopping and to the marine store...

Fab Italian restaurant on the canal at Paradise. Wow!

And the big surprise, even to us, at the marine store we splurged and bought a new dinghy! We rarely buy things that are new, but it’s been years in coming that we’ve been wanting a faster dinghy.

Our new AB dinghy and Merc 2 stroke outboard

After all, it’s our ‘car’ so having new wheels is a huge upgrade for us. Sadly, because of rampant theft problems in certain areas with outboard motors and sometimes dinghies, we have everything securely locked on deck.

We sold Gatsby to a dock worker. Perfect solution
- Israel was a very nice guy

I’ve even added metal bells to the outboard covers so if someone starts messing with our stuff, we’ll presumably hear the bell clanging and jump to action. We also bought some cheesy stickers to ‘deface’ our new Mercury 15 HP outboard, so it’s identifiable if it gets stolen and by chance, you might get it back (odds are very low).

Cabo Corrientes / Cape of Currents

Our slip at Paradise Village was back in the mangrove-lined canals that are loaded with tons of birds. Their sunrise and sunset cacophony provided ongoing entertainment. Daily, hosts of tour boats take the crowds out for whale watching. See above story! We had our share of sightings during our visit.

At the museum, San Blas

Vallarta Yacht Club welcome!

Check it out - we got an email from our Tomahawk Yacht Club in Portland that we now had 'reciprocal privileges' to the Marina Vallarta Yacht Club - literally on the day before we were leaving. So we scheduled our long walk to the showers, and went to the Yacht Club for a drink. Rooftop patio, duo playing nice music and friendly local yacht club members welcomed us! What a fun time.

We hiked up steep tropical hills at Chacala

Isla Isabela from shore. 

After a long week at the dock at Paradise Village, it was time to move on – buy fuel and prepare for crossing around the point of Cabo Corrientes. It’s very important to check the weather for passages around that point, as anyone whose done it will attest. Trust me, it can be a miserable ride if not calculated correctly. We started our departure at one in the morning to traverse Banderas Bay so our crossing would be around sunrise. I was initially at the helm from 1:30 to 4:30, then Mike was on the helm when the winds picked up in the early morning hours (yeah, me). We had a full moon to illuminate our night which was very helpful – you never know when you’ll see a fishing panga with no lights, fishing nets supported by 2-liter Coke bottles, or heaven forbid, a whale sleeping on the surface (we’ve had that happened around Neah Bay WA).

Chemela, Paraíso and Tenacatita

Watching for bats at sunset - Chemela

Daily kayaking, quick dips to cool off and solar showers have filled our recent days (and of course, boat projects, don't you know) as we make our way further south. Tomorrow, we head to the very popular anchorage of Tenacatita and on to Barra de Navidad. In the meantime, we’ve had some pretty spectacular, quiet anchorages dotted with boutique hotels, small restaurants and a few fishing pangas dotting the shores.

Ongoing water maker troubleshooting!

They call it Paradise for a reason -but no guests...

Dinghy launching - I got swamped 2x