Manzanillo and Ixtapa

I am going to see if this works. The further south I go the harder it is to finda working internet with enough speed to post photos.

I am currently in Ixtapa. This is a tourist are with many hotels and condos. The marina is expensive so my stay here will be short. Oriol, my crew mate, and I are resting before our next long sailing leg which will take us to Acapulco. We should be out of Mexico in no more than two weeks is the weather holds. Then we will be at anchor enjoying and visiting a new country which is El Salvador. The anchorage will be in the Bay of the sun.

Knowing that I like adventures her is a photo taking at the docks in the Ixtapa Marina where I am now at. There are two lessons that I have learned here will walking the docks. Carry dead chickens so you can make it to high ground. If a crocodile gives you a look, throw him a chicken and move on. Hopefully you don't run out of chickens before you reach the top of the docks. The second lesson is do not allow small children or animals to walk the docks alone. Crocodiles have bad eye sight and is they see something small on the dock they think it is a chicken or a turkey. They especially enjoy turkeys.



















Well this is not going to working. The site I am using is too slow. I promise to add photos and their stories as soon as I find a reliable network.

I the mean time I continue to enjoy this life style, the people I meet and the experience of the new and different cultures. Central America will be much different and will be South America when I touch soil there. I am still planning on going through the Panama Canal which should happen this fall but plan are said to be written in sand at low tide. That is what is nice about retirement, you don't have to plan. Just go with the flow.

The boat continues to test my ability to fix stuff and so far I have been up to the challenge because the problems have been small ones even though it sometimes takes a while to find the source.

I am sorry but that is all I have for now. Until later be safe out there.

Barra de Navidad

OK, I know, It has been too long since last blog. My only defense is that when I am having too much fun, there is little time for work. So feeling bad about this, I am today,,,,,, creating my latest blog for all (or most) to enjoy.

I am currently in an anchorage called Barra de Navidad. There is everything here that one would want to do as a tourist. Everything from a Grand hotel that is not only beautiful but expensive to the normal small stores and places to eat and drink. There is a large bay of which you enter through a narrow and shallow channel where boats set their anchor or if you have the money to spend you can go into the Grand Hotel's marina and enjoy the life of the rich and famous. I chose the anchorage for the down trodden and poor.

There was a significant storm that blew through here the other evening. Winds were clocked at 60 kts. I had to move two time because my anchor was not holding. Not much sleep that evening for anyone. Today is sunny and warm with a slight breeze.

Barra de Navidad is about 200 miles south of Puerto Vallarta. One of the stops along the way is call Tenacatita. There is a small and short river that runs through the Mangroves where you see and hear several birds and an occasional crocodile. The day we went though there were no crocodiles looking for handouts of dead chickens or sailors. Photos to follow. I stopped at a couple of other anchorages going south but only spent a day at each since there was little there to do and the boat rocked and rolled most of the evening. The names of these two anchorages are Ipala and Chamela. I took a few photos which I will add later.




































Ipala is a small fishing village with little night life. Yet another photo of a great sunset. They never end. Life will not be the same once I return to the city and find these a rare occasion. I almost forgot, I found crew while in Puerto Vallarta. I am soory to say it is not a young hotie but for the women reading this you may find him as a hotie. He is 33 years old and from Spain. Not much sailing experience but is quick to learn. He is enjoying himself and so far we a getting along. He plans to sail with me down to El Salvador and possibly to Panama. I will find it much less stressful with someone else that can take the helm while I sleep.




































I did go ashore in Clamela and became entertainment for the children. It was close enough to shore so putting the outboard on the dinghy was not necessary. There I am, rowing to shore, waiting and watch the wave pattern. Finally I saw my opportunity to make it in before getting dumped. As I am rowing for everything I had the little shits are swimming in front of me so I must slow down and change direction around them. This slows me down enough for the next big wave to reach the beach and me. Over and out of the boat I go. I recover and drag my wet As%$%s to shore with the laughter of the little shi$%$%ts behind me. I go up to a little palapa to get a beer and some fish and dry out. Going back to the boat was uneventful.

Next stop is Tenacatita and the river run.

Here is my new crew, First mate. His name is Oriole.




















Now having an attractive first mate I decided that I must do something to also attract women. Knowing that several women in LA get Botox and silicone injections to fill out their lips, I decide I would try it. While it looked good on paper, it didn't work in practice. They used too much silicone. No Regina, you are wrong. A woman did not slap be across the face. It was an allergic reaction to something I ate.



















Here a a few photos of the river run.


















































Here is a short movie while going down the river.






That is it for now. I will add photos and stories from Barra after we reach Manzanillo which is a few miles south of here. Until then, be safe out there.