Location: Mazatlan, Mexico
Hola!
We finally departed Puerto Vallarta on Wednesday, November 19th. We left the marina mid-morning and headed to the south part of Banderas Bay and the small town of Yelapa. There are no marinas there and the shore line drops of quickly, so anchoring is not easy. As we turned into the small bay close to Yelapa, a local fisherman in a panga, Richard, came out to greet us and ask if we wanted a mooring. We said yes, so he led us close to shore and hooked up our mooring line. He also offered to give us a ride from the boat to the beach later and offered to guide us to his family's restaurant, Gloria's, for supper. We couldn't refuse and told him we would call him on the radio when we were ready to go ashore. We set about getting comfortable and putting on our suits to swim around the boat, when a young couple paddled up in a kayak. They asked to come aboard, so we got out a few cold ones and took them up to monkey island to chat. He was a local, who worked in Canada summers and came back to Yelapa to help with the family business during the winters (tourist season). He filled us in on some of the local history and culture and gave us a few ideas on what to see while we were there. She was studying midwifery in the Denver area. It was a pleasant way to spend the afternoon.
Later, we radioed Richard and he came out in his panga to pick us up. We docked at the local fisherman's dock and wound our way through the maze of streets and people's backyards to get to Gloria's. We were a little leery about how the food was going to be, as we were the only people in the restaurant and it was difficult to find. I ordered shrimp and Dave ordered steak and it turned out to be an excellent meal. Our waiter asked us if we were going to stay for the parade the next day. We told him no as we planned to leave early morning and head to the next anchorage. He talked us into staying.
The next morning, Richard gave us a ride to the beach and we settled in for breakfast at a beachfront restaurant and to watch the parade celebrating the Mexican Revolution. All of the town's school children participated with the littlest ones dressed up as Pancho Villa and his wife Maria Luz Corral; the older children marched in costumes, school uniforms or gym clothes and performed traditional dances, twirled batons or built human pyramids. There was even a queen of the parade. We were glad we stayed.
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| Pancho Villa and Maria Luz Corral |
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| Queen of the parade |
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| Children in traditional dress dancing |
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| Pyramids on the beach |
We finally left Yelapa about noon and cruised for about an hour to a snorkeling site called Los Arcos (the arches). We anchored near the large rocks and snorkeled from the boat through the arched caves. The visibility was ok (not great) and we saw a few colorful fish. From there we continued across to the northern side of Banderas Bay and anchored near Punta Mita. We saw our first humpback whales of the season but didn't get close enough to take any good pictures.
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| Seabiscuit on a mooring near Yelapa |
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| A rhinoceros beetle on the beach. |
From Punta Mita, we sailed north to Chacala, another small village on the beach. We anchored in the small cove near town and took the dinghy into town for some cold beer and supper. The next day we took our boogie boards into the beach and did some snorkeling and surfing and had beer and supper at a different beach restaurant.
We left Chacala early the next morning and headed north and west to Isla Isabela. Isla Isabela is located about 15 miles offshore and is sometimes called the Galapagos of Mexico. It is a small island inhabited by thousands of birds - mostly brown boobies, blue-footed boobies, frigate birds and red-billed tropical birds. There is also a fishing camp where local fisherman live, bring in their catch, clean them and prepare them to go to market. We anchored in a cove on the south side of the island, enjoyed a nice meal on the boat and watched the sunset.
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| Sunset at Isla Isabela |
The next morning we took the dinghy to the island and hiked to Crater Lake and then to the north side of the island. The birds seems unafraid; we were able to get close enough to take pictures of their mating behavior and of them sitting on their nests.
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Male frigate birds, inflating their pouches and trying to
impress the females. |
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| Blue-footed boobies nesting on a cliff face. |
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| Fisherman's camp. |
We went back out to the boat for lunch and then spent the afternoon snorkeling among the rocks near the island. The water was super clear and there was an abundance of brightly colored tropical fish along with barracuda and others. This was some of the best snorkeling we've had since we left the San Blas Islands of Panama. We went back to the boat satisfied with a good nature day and planned to stay another day in order to do some more snorkeling. But... during the night, the wind picked up and changed direction and we found ourselves uncomfortably close to the boat anchored next to us. With the change in the wind, the swell increased and we decided not to stay the extra day. We picked up the hook and headed north towards Mazatlan.
The distance from Isla Isabela to the Mazatlan marinas is about 95 miles, or 13+ hours for us. We knew we were going to arrive after dark and decided that rather than go straight to the marina, we would anchor just south of town near Stone Island. We dropped the hook there just after sunset. The next day we spent relaxing at anchor and doing a few boat chores. The next day we traveled the additional 12 miles to the marina El Cid and tied up at the dock just after noon. Marina El Cid is a very nice marina with 3 docks for visiting boats and a fourth dock where they keep their fishing fleet and catamarans for day trips. We have access to all of the amenities at the resort and have been spending plenty of time enjoying the pools and giant jacuzzi.
Dave's friend Bob joined us here on Saturday December 6th for a week of fishing and relaxation. Sunday we rode the bus to a local street market and did some shopping for produce. Early Monday morning, we left the marina for a day of fishing. Bob caught (and we released) a nice striped marlin, 100-150 pounds, and a few bonita.
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| Striped marlin close to the boat. |
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| Bob reeling in the fish. |
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| Getting ready to release the marlin. |
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| Dave on the swim platform removing the hook. |
We anchored out at Stone Island and spent the afternoon snorkeling around Isla Cardones. The next morning, we headed back out to the fishing grounds. We fished most of the day with no luck, but then caught a nice dorado at the end of the day. We headed back into the marina, tied up and ate yummy fresh fish for dinner.
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| Dave bringing the dorado on board. |
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| Bob with the dorado. |
We took the day off on Wednesday and went to the pool and did a few boat chores. Wednesday night we went downtown and had dinner at a restaurant located in an old cistern. The meal wasn't very good but the decor was interesting. Thursday morning we rented a car and drove into the mountains to the deserted mining town of Copala. There isn't much left there; the church is in disrepair and there is only one restaurant in town. We ate lunch on the restaurant veranda. Very tasty food and we know it was cooked fresh for us. After lunch we were greeted by the owner, Alejandro. He is also an artist and makes masks out of cowhides, lamb hides, pigskins and fish skins. He opened up his mask store/museum and showed us his work. It was very interesting and unique; we purchased a mask for the boat.
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| Dave and B in front of a mural near the Copala town square |
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| Alejandro (the mask artist) and B |
Friday we went back out fishing for the day. We saw a huge pod of spinner dolphins playing, jumping, leaping and spinning. We caught and released a few bonita but nothing very exciting. We came back into the marina just before sunset, showered and went up to the bar for the marina Christmas party. Free beer and margaritas along with munchies.
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| Spinner Dolphins playing in the bow wake |
Saturday we did a few boat chores, went to the pool and then headed downtown to Plaza Machado for happy hour. On the weekends, they close the streets around Plaza Machado. The restaurants around the square put out their tables and chairs. Local artists and vendors set-up their stands and hock their wares. We had a few cold beers and then walked a few blocks to Topolo for a nice seafood dinner. Very good quality and excellent service.
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| Cathedral - Downtown Mazatlan |
Sunday morning we did a few more boat chores and then put Bob into a taxi to the airport. All in all a good visit. Since then Dave and I have been doing more boat chores and maintenance. We are waiting for the wind to settle down some before we head north again, probably early next week.
Next stop, Topolobampo.
Happy Holidays to everyone!
