Puerto Vallarta

Puerto Vallarta

We enjoyed our couple nights spent Isla Isabelita, and now arrived at Puerto Vallarta and Bahia de Bandaras (Bay of flags) around 10 am and dropped anchor near Marina La Cruz. Nancy and I took a bus to Puerto Vallarta and enjoyed an afternoon walking around the city. If you’re into condo’s on the beach this is the place for you, but for Nancy and myself we were not really impressed with Puerto Vallarta. The bay’s water was not clear as we have become used to in Mexico, nor was the water nearly as warm (70°). But the white sandy beaches and colorful condos are very nice that line the waterfront. Many condo’s and time share buildings are unfinished as the American Dollar has become less spent here in recent times. We were offered up to 2000 pesos to sit in on a “90 minute” time share sales pitch….uhh, No gracias, Amigo! Aboard Windfall we have “beach front property” everywhere we go!

We were actually were leaving Puerto Vallarta Monday, the bay itself is 30 miles long, and as we reached 20 miles away a V-belt broke on our main engine. Luckily we carry spares, but noticed the seawater pump was dripping a little seawater into the bilge (not a good thing). Ok…back we go, so we turned around to get parts for repairs…which may take a couple days or have Denielle bring extras when we meet with her at Christmas.

As we were heading back we spotted a LOT of whales…some were only 75 yards from Windfall! Nancy spotted a fin only 2 feet from the side of Windfall! Gulp! We stopped to admire the beauty and size of the many huge Gray Whales in the bay. Nancy filmed one Gray Whale as it put on a spectacular water show that seemed just for us. Holding a camera steady on a sailboat in the open water is not an easy task with whales splashing and making waves around you! Ok…that may be stretching it a bit…but makes a good story!

We had the laundry done for us at the marina, it costs about $9.00 US for 3 loads washed, dried, and folded, and since we’re at anchor and not in the marina we’ll have to dinghy back to get the laundry when ready. (In La Paz they picked up and delivered to your boat slip for free).

The parts are on order and before long we’ll be on our way. Our next course is set for Bahia de Tenacatita about 120 miles south of Puerto Vallarta. It’s noted that in 1997 a McHale’s Navy movie was filmed here. We can also dinghy up a stream and through mangrove jungles into a large lagoon… it won’t be long before we’re in “alligator country” so we’ll have to be on the look-out…which means I just have to run faster than Nancy! A note to our Life Insurance Company - This should not conflict with our Insurance Policy - Article 2, Section 7, Paragraph 99 "Alligator wrestling is strictly prohibited...."

As a note about the foods we’ve enjoyed along our trip… We’ve found the best (and cheapest) foods are where the locals eat and the little beachside “palapas” and street stands who serve absolutely wonder foods for very reasonable prices. We have not gotten sick from “the water” and you’ll see bottled water is used for cooking, washing dishes, and ice. The ports and marinas have potable water available (metered for a fee). We make fresh water while we motor and/or sail and have used our faithful Katadyn Watermaker (7.5 gallons/hour) to keep our (2) 100 gallon watertanks full. We find hot showers are a wonderful thing after a long passage, and before going to bed at “cruisers midnight”…which is about 9 o’clock!

We are looking forward to our next destination of Bahia de Tenacatita… But till our parts come in, it looks like we’re here for a couple days, so now we have time to relax, and enjoy the warm Puerto Vallarta sunshine.