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Limerence Update #10 DATE Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo GPS Coordinates: 17d39’N 101d36’W Temperature 89º, Water: 85º The Journey to Ixtapa December 18, 2000 Hello everyone and happy holidays! We dropped anchor Friday night in the bay of the exotically beautiful Isla Grande, reputed to be the most gorgeous island in Mexico. 
We had made a 36-hour passage from Manzanillo Mexico and the anchorage was most welcome. This area of Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo was our Christmas destination and we expect to be here for at least a month. In the past six weeks we have sailed over 1400 miles, stopping in ten places enroute. We sailed the first 800 miles, and mostly motor-sailed with wind on the nose for the remainder. The highest wind and waves we experienced were on the coast of Baja California, south of Bahia Santa Maria.
Friday 12-1-00
After ten days in Marina Vallarta we dropped the docklines and headed south. We had a great time in Vallarta with friends on Nan Sea May, and a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner with friends from Whisper. We explored old Puerto Vallarta with its cobblestone streets, brick buildings trimmed with wrought iron, and promenades along the harbor. Crossing the Sea of Cortes to PV, the first thing you notice is the lush tropical foliage and the increase in the temperature of the air and water. At times, the heat in the Marina was oppressive. We have learned that it is much more delightful to be anchored out enjoying the breeze and clear water. There is still a lot to see in PV like the bullfights, jungle jeep trip, many small anchorages around the Bay, and side tours of the city of Guadalajara. We plan to return to this area in the next few months.
As we motored through the huge harbor of Bandaras Bay that Friday morning, we plowed through thousands and thousands of schools of fish. It was a feeding frenzy in every direction – jumping, thrashing, flipping, and rolling by Limerence. The mayhem lasted for two hours.
Later in the day after rounding the point of Cabo Corrientes and sailing quite close to the rugged shoreline, we dropped anchor in Punta Ipala. We took a luxurious swim off the boat and enjoyed the setting sun. The small anchorage seemed to be home for several dolphins that swam casually around us exhaling loudly and checking out the newcomers. There were several tidy homes on the shore and we could hear a tuba playing to recorded Mexican folksongs throughout the evening.
Saturday 12-2-00 to Monday 12-4-00
We were surprised to find a 2-3 foot wave chop from the south, and southeasterly winds hindering us as we struggled south for ten hours to Chamela. Doesn’t the weather know it is supposed to be northwesterly? When we arrived in the bay at 6 PM we anchored and jumped in the water for a swim. It was crystal clear and warm. We have found only one or two other boats in the harbors, because we are slightly ahead of the cruising season. Many people spend more time in Baja and explore La Paz before coming over to the mainland.
Saturday morning a school of Spanish Mackerel circled Limerence for hours. They swam in a circle around and around the boat trying to figure us out. When I dropped the swim ladder over the side, they raced over to check it out and rolled on their side to eyeball it. It was a slightly strange feeling to sense the intelligence of these fish whose environment was challenged by us.
Later over the weekend we drove the dinghy through the surf, and walked the beach. We met several American and Canadian tourists who had been fishing and gave us a couple of fresh fillets. As I walked down the beach to the dinghy with the fillets draped over my palm, I realized I had never quite had an experience like this. The fish was pure white and odorless, and in thirty minutes became our lunch.
At noon on Monday, we turned south and sailed two hours to Tenacatita. It is a ruggedly beautiful, large bay surrounded by jungle covered mountains. When we dropped anchor in front of a beach with several palapa restaurants, there were only two other boats anchored. Tenacatita is a paradise setting from a movie- complete with crashing surf, boulder-strewn beach, waving palms trees, and huge black frigate birds circling overhead. We found the clear water a snorkeling heaven with thousands of fish of all colors and varieties. We identified angelfish, wrasse, tangs, butterflyfish, trunkfish, balloonfish, and others including grasses, coral, sponges and urchins. It is interesting that many fish have their protected territory- like a favorite rock. When you swim too close, they glare defensively guarding their home. Others swim past benignly in school formation and barely notice.
In the corner of the beach nestled behind the boulders is a stand of mangrove trees surrounding the Rio Boca Las Iguanas River. We explored this three-mile river motoring slowly in our dinghy. We spotted Herons, Kingfishers, Snowy Egrets, butterflies and spiders in the mangrove canopy. It was spooky and remote. We were glad we made the trip with friends we met on SeaBreeze, who followed behind in our caravan.
We were delighted to find a charming palapa restaurant on the beach serving simple Mexican food. The family lives in a small stone cottage at the palapa. Several hundred feet away is – I kid you not – a French restaurant called “Paris Tropical”. The pink house was built as a set for the movie “McHale’s Navy” starring Tom Arnold in 1997. It is now rented to a French couple who makes gourmet meals and caters to cruisers by supplying groceries, ice, and of course wine.
Friday December 8, 2000
We didn’t want to leave Tenacatita, but we planned to make it to Ixtapa in the next week. We sailed south several hours to Bahia Navidad. Each landfall we make is a challenge as we check our GPS heading, radar, and squint at the rocks and mountains along the coast trying to make out our destination. The guide books often say something like “ the harbor is behind the large whitish flat rock that is just to the west of the reddish jagged rocks that look like lumps”. We both often have different opinions of what we are looking at, but thankfully agree as we get closer and somehow find our way into a strange bay. It would be impossible to approach many of these harbors at night.
Bahia Navidad is a large bay that is home to the city of Malecky. We anchored in the northwest corner of the Bay that first day with only a large ketch rigged sailboat to keep us company. Every Mexican State or district requires that you check in with the Port Captain and register the boat and crew. We often have this paperwork done for us for a fee of about $15, but because we were not at a marina, Doug took the dinghy across the large Bay to see the Captain in person. What seemed like a simple job became a real challenge. The Captain’s office in the harbor had blown away in a storm last year, and he is now conducting business out of his home. His house is a several mile hike through town, and poor Doug not knowing any Spanish had a hard time being understood when asking directions. The average townsperson does not speak English, and furthermore, doesn’t have a clue where the Port Captain lives. Everyone was helpful and friendly, and most directed Doug back to the harbor.
After finding the Captain, Doug returned to the dinghy and started to motor back to Limerence. The propeller suddenly starting slipping on the shaft and the dinghy would only move very, very slowly through the water. By now it was 2:00 in the afternoon, and the wind roaring through the Bay made Doug’s forward progress very slow. Luckily he had a handheld VHF radio to keep me informed.
When he finally got back to Limerence we dug out the backup propeller and did maintenance in paradise.
On the other side of the Bay there is a lagoon that used to be a fish hatchery near the town of Barra Navidad. It is now the home of an ipsky pipsky five-star hotel and marina – Hotel Grand Bay Isla Navidad. After nine nights of anchoring out, we checked into the marina for a bit of pampering. This fabulous Wyndham resort is brand new and practically empty. However, the weekend we arrived, Pepsi conducted a sales meeting featuring Larry King, and a performance by the Eagles. Yes, the real Eagles. . . wish we would have known in time to sneak into the show.
The grounds of the hotel complex are lushly landscaped and meticulous. Golfers would have no problem getting a tee-time on the 27 hole ocean /lagoon course. We luxuriated around the grotto pool with the swim up bar. We met a number of cruisers who are staying in the Marina for several months. We can understand that this kind of luxury would be easy to adapt to, but we wanted to move on to Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo.
We are now docked at the Marina Ixtapa. Our friends from SeaBreeze – Chris and Cathy are here, as well as several other cruising boats. Soon, this place will fill up with the Christmas crowd. We are enjoying the charming town of Zihuatanejo and look forward to our visit here.
Our best wishes to you for a great holiday season, and happy New Year! Doug and Judy
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Check back here for more updates as we continue on our journey!
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