Guadalajara, Lake Chapla, Ixtapa Photos

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Random Tom Thoughts...

If you have been following our BLOG site for awhile you know we have now been in Mexico for 6 months and I wanted to make one last entry to our BLOG before we leave Mexico for good. There are so many great things that we love about Mexico and there is know way I can print everything here, so maybe a couple random thoughts;
The people of Mexico are GREAT!!, there is so much hype about traveling in Mexico that keeps visitors away and all you have to do is come here for any length of time and you would be ready to move here as we have seen with a lot of Canadians & Americans. We have not had one negative experience in 6 months with anyone anywhere and there is no way I can say that about being anywhere in the U.S. All you need is a smile and people will go out of their way to help you get anything you need.
Z-town is our last Mexican stop and “Team Sandpiper” is planning on leaving on Thursday morning if possible to try to get some favorable winds that are predicted. This and Puerta Vallarta are the 2 biggest departure points for the South Pacific as the farther South you get the less wind you get. We are anticipating having to motor sail for 400 miles to get far enough offshore to catch the trade winds, then get as far west as we can staying above 7’ latitude till about 130’ longitude. This is where the doldrums are at their narrowest point and we will motor due south till we get across the equator and turn west again once we get into the southerly trades hoping to make landfall at Nuka Hiva, French Polynesia/Marquesas within 30 days for a total of 2800 nautical miles. There are about 10 other boats that have left within the last week and we have been listening on our SSB radio tracking their progress. There are several different radio nets that we tune into that the “Puddle Jumpers” check into and we have our own frequency that everyone checks into every day so everyone knows where their friends are and if someone is having problems they can get a message out. All these boats are heavily loaded with provisions, water and fuel and have fuel & water jugs tied all along their safety rails hoping they made the right calculations in how much they are going to consume in their crossings. Most all the boats have water makers, but you cannot depend on these so water must be carried “just in case”
So for our own safety we will be checking in with the Amigo, Picante, and Puddle Jump SSB Nets daily. We also will attempt to send daily noon position reports that will be posted on this BLOG, but I am not sure if we will have email coverage the whole route. We have had electrical problems during the last 6 months, so if you do not see anything don’t freak as we probably broke something that cannot be fixed until we make landfall.
So here we go and hope to make as fast a passage as this heavy boat will go, see you on the other side!! Tom and Amy

Jumping off from Ixtapa.. why?

Ron Larson (Tom’s brother) here. I want to add a post to the blog here to explain to visitors why Tom and Amy are leaving for the South Pacific from this part of Mexico at this time of year.

If you notice, they are now situated firmly between the Tropic of Cancer and the equator, right around the time of the year of the vernal equinox. This is by design. They have put themselves there and then in order to catch a ride on the trade winds and currents that flow from these latitudes, east to west, across the Pacific Ocean.

I will attempt to explain how, and why, this works. It is very interesting.

Important latitudes
The earth is divided into lines of latitude (or sometimes called parallels) which measure the distance between the poles and the equator on the surface of the earth. There are 90 degrees of latitude between the north pole and the equator (the northern hemisphere). And there are of course 90 degrees on latitude between the south pole and the equator (the southern hemisphere). The equator is called zero degrees. The north pole is 90 degrees north. And the south pole is 90 degrees south.

The Equator
The equator is situated half way between the north and south poles. The equator crosses South America through the Amazon basin on the east, and the country of Equador on the west. As everyone knows, countries near the earth’s equator are best known for their moist, tropical weather and dense jungles.

The 45th Parallel
If you are half way between the north pole and the equator, you would be at one half of 90, which is 45. The 45th parallel runs just south of Portland, Oregon and across the northern US states.

The Tropic of Cancer
The Tropic of Cancer is the parallel of latitude that lies 23.439444 degrees north of the Equator. It passes close to Cabo san Lucus in Baja. The Tropic of Cancer is the farthest northern latitude at which the sun can appear directly overhead, which occurs on the summer solstice. North of this line is the subtropics and Northern Temperate Zone.

The Tropic of Capricorn
The Tropic of Capricorn is at the opposite latitude south of the Equator. South of the Tropic of Cancer and north of the Tropic of Capricorn are the Tropics.

Only at latitudes between the Tropics is it possible for the sun to be at the zenith. This means that the water and land at these latitudes receive the most direct sunlight on earth.

Tom & Amy are currently at 17.6666 degrees north. The equator is of course at zero degrees. What this means is that they are now firmly in the tropical latitudes of the northern hemisphere.

The Vernal Equinox
The vernal equinox occurs on 20-March this year (2006). On this day, at the equator, the sun will be directly overhead at noon. The day and night of earth are equal on this, 12 hours each. For the next 3 months, the latitude where the sun will be directly overhead at noon will drift north a few degrees. On 20-June, the summer solstice, this latitude will reach the Tropic of Cancer, when it will turn south and drift towards the Tropic of Capricorn over the next 6 months.

The Coriolis Effect
The Coriolis effect is an apparent deflection of a moving object in a rotating frame of reference. It puts a spin on moving fluids and gases on earth. There are examples of this effect in everyday life, such as the direction of rotation of cyclones. Due to the effect, cyclones rotate counterclockwise in the northern hemisphere, and clockwise in the southern hemisphere.

The Time and Place!
What this means is that for the next 3 months, the northern tropical latitudes get the most direct sunlight on the planet. The waters of the Pacific ocean are soaking up all this energy from the sun, getting warmer and warmer. That is exactly where Tom & Amy are.

The Hadley Cell
The major driving force of atmospheric circulation in the tropical regions is solar heating. Because of the Earth's 23.5 ° axial tilt, the sun is never more than a few tens of degrees from directly overhead at noon in the tropics; as a consequence, incident solar radiation provides maximum energy at the equator. This heat is largely transported into the atmosphere as latent heat via convection in daily thunderstorms that form in this weather belt.

The Hadley cell is a closed circulation cell. It carries heat and moisture from the tropics to the northern and southern mid-latitudes.

Warm, moisture-bearing air at the equator is pumped upwards in thunderstorms. The moisture and heat from the air on the ocean surface goes to the upper troposphere. These air masses eventually reach the tropopause, the boundary between the troposphere and the stratosphere, at a height of between 12 and 15 km, and cannot proceed upward. Nor, because of the upward-welling air below them, can they sink. As a consequence, they are forced either north or south of the equator.

The Horse Latitudes
The airflow loses heat as it travels, and at about 30° north/south of the equator, it begins to descend. As it descends it is compressed, increases in temperature from adiabatic heating and thus the relative humidity decreases, so skies in this high-pressure weather regime tend to be cloud-free, and windless days are common.

This region marks the zone of separation between the Hadley cell and the temperate zone Ferrel cell, and is known as the "horse latitudes". According to the story, in times when ship's captains relied upon the wind to reach their destinations, finding themselves becalmed was usually bad news for any horses aboard, which were thrown overboard in order to conserve precious water.

The Intertropical Convergence Zone
The Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), also known as the Intertropical Front or the Equatorial Convergence Zone, is a belt of low pressure girdling Earth at the equator. It is formed, as its name indicates, by the convergence of warm, moist air from the latitudes above and below the equator.

The air is drawn in to the intertropical convergence zone by the action of the Hadley cell. Regions in the intertropical convergence zone receive precipitation more than 200 days in a year.

The location of the intertropical convergence zone varies over time, as it moves back and forth across the equator in a semiannual pattern, following the sun's zenith point. The ITCZ usually sits right over the equator in March and September. Between March and June it drifts north to around 10 degrees latitude.

The Doldrums:
Because of the strength of the Hadley cells on either side of it, weather systems familiar to mid-latitude dwellers do not have the chance to form, and as a result, there are no prevailing winds. Horizontal motion is due entirely to air from the trade winds replacing that carried aloft by convection, a slow, languorous process at best.

Early sailors named this belt of calm the doldrums because of the low spirits they found themselves in after days of no wind. To find oneself becalmed in this region in a hot and muggy climate could mean death in the era when wind was the only motive force.

The Sweet Spot:
The area between the ICTZ and the horse latitudes is where the air moves along the surface of the earth. The ICTZ marks the south end of the northern hemisphere’s Hadley cell. The Horse latitudes mark the north end of the northern hemisphere’s Hadley cell. The ICTZ has low pressure, and the horse latitude has high pressure. So the air on the surface moves south towards the equator, picking up heat and moisture until it hits the ICTZ and shoots back up into the high altitudes. This area of the Hadley cell is the sweet spot for sailors. It is where the consistent winds come from, called The Trade Winds.

The Trade Winds
But, the trade winds do not blow north to south as the Hadley cell would have you believe. They blow east to west. The reason for this is because of the spinning of the earth.

There are two forces causes the winds to blow west. The primary force is the Coriolis force twists the downfalling air at the horse latitudes. It is at this point the Coriolis force evidences itself, leading to a clockwise rotation in the northern hemisphere and a counterclockwise rotation on the southern hemisphere.

The other force is friction. At about 2 km above the surface of the Earth, the subsiding air enters the boundary layer, a region of the atmosphere where winds are subject to the influence of surface topography. Winds blow more strongly over grasslands and ocean because there is nothing to block their movement. So as the earth spins from west to east, it appears to the observer standing on earth that it is the air, and not him, which is moving.

The airmass spreads out over the surface of the Earth, moving in a westerly direction. It begins its journey back toward the equator, closing the Hadley cell, and appears as the Trade Winds.

Cyclones
Another factor in their decision on where to go and when to do it are tropical cyclones, aka hurricanes in North America. There are normally no cyclones within 10 degrees of the equator because the Coriolis effect is too weak there to start the spinning needed.

The North Atlantic hurricane season runs between June and November. The Northwest Pacific sees tropical cyclones year-round, with a minimum in February and a peak in early September. So this time of year is the best time avoid getting hit by a cyclone before getting into the safer cyclone-free latitudes closer to the equator.

The Great Ocean Currents
Besides the wind, sailors must also factor in the ocean currents too. For the Sandpiper, they also get the benefit of favourable surface currents along with the trade winds which will push them west across the Pacific Ocean at these latitudes.

North Pacific Gyre
The North Pacific Gyre (also known as the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre) is a swirling vortex of ocean currents comprising most of the northern Pacific Ocean.

The North Pacific Gyre is located between the equator and 50º N latitude. It is formed by the clockwise circular pattern of the prevailing ocean currents: the North Pacific Current to the north, the California Current to the east, the North Equatorial Current to the south, and the Kuroshio Current to the west. It occupies an area of approximately ten million square miles.

The California Current
The California Current is a Pacific Ocean current that moves south along the western coast of North America, beginning off southern British Columbia, and ending off southern Baja California. It is part of the North Pacific Gyre.

North Equatorial Current
The North Equatorial Current is a significant Pacific and Atlantic Ocean current that flows east-to-west between the equator and 10° north. It's caused by the rotation of the Earth towards the east, the resulting westerly current brought about by the relative motion of the water with respect to the earth.

Counter Currents
There are a couple of counter currents that are of concern to Tom & Amy. The first is a narrow California counter current that moves sub-tropical water northwards during the winter months. They will have to buck this current for a short while. But because of this time of year they are leaving, the impact of this current is minimized.

As they head south and approach the equator, they hit the Equatorial Counter Current. It is a significant current in the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Oceans that flows west-to-east at approximately five degrees north. The Counter Currents result from the need to balance the movement of water to the west of each ocean, caused by the westerly flowing North and South Equatorial currents.

Summary
So there you have it. The sun is pumping energy into the Pacific Ocean, which in drives an enormous “hamster wheel” of air in the atmosphere of the tropical latitudes. And the North Pacific Ocean is slowly spinning clockwise, like a giant toilet bowl, dragging all that floats in it along for the ride. Tom and Amy plan to catch a ride on this machine, making their voyage across the Pacific as easy as possible.

Here is a nice little animated introduction to all of this. I hope you found this useful!

Guadalajara and such

Another hot, sunny, day here in paradise. 98’F with 79% humidity! Since our last entry we had another round of visitors, a trip inland, and are still trying to leave for the South Pacific.

My mom and sister arrived the first of March for a week’s stay. The following week Tom and I set off to tour Guadalajara and the surrounding area. When we got back to Ixtapa, we cleaned up the boat, then left the marina to anchor at Isle Grande for a few days. We are currently back in Z-town, anchored out, awaiting good weather (wind) to leave for the South Pacific.

My mom arrived first and stayed with us on the boat the first night. The next morning we headed into Z-town, showed mom the sights, Rick’s Bar, and headed to the hotel. Our hotel, the Hotel Brisas Del Mar, was great! Great views of the bay. We even saw a whale breaching from our balcony. Awesome!

Shannon came in on Saturday and we checked into mom’s condo at Hotel Emporio in Ixtapa. Tom and I crashed their pad all week. Air conditioning, nice beds, hot showers, swimming pool, and easy access to the beach. We pretty much just kept low all week, sleeping in, hanging by the pool, reading trashy mags, and sippin’ on margaritas. Shannon was the brave one and went parasailing, which she loved. Sure was great to spend the week with the girls. It just went by way too fast.

We left for Guadalajara, Sunday, March 12 via bus. It’s about a 9-hour ride, but it goes by fast. We spent the time checking out the scenery, watching crappy movies ('White Chicks'), and even an occasional pit stop. The bus station in Guadalajara is enormous; think LAX, just with buses.

We stayed at Hotel Frances, which dates back from 1610. Guadalajara is a big, old, historical city. We took a group tour which took us through the old cathedrals, museums, opera house, and finally to Tlaquepaque, an artist suburb of Guadalajara. We fell in love with this town. So we made arrangements to come back and spend a night here.

Our guide introduced us to Leo e Hijos por siempre Piel, a leather store in the heart of Tlaquepque. Tom loved it and everything in the store. We ended up buying leather jackets.

The next morning we hoped on the bus again. This time headed for Lake Chapala, Mexico’s largest lake. The town of Chapala wasn’t all that grand for us, so we jumped on another bus to the town of Ajijic. We found a beautiful B&B, the Hotel Mis Amores, and stayed here for two nights. Ajijic is a Canadian/American retirement town. The town is almost all gringos, but the ones we spoke to love it. Rent is cheap, great weather, lots of activities, and they will ship your body home after you die.

After hanging with the old folks we went back to Tlaquepque, stayed one night at Casa Campos, toured galleries and lots of small art shops. We tok the overnight bus back to Ixtapa, arriving about 6am on the following Sunday.

Once back in the marina we cleaned the boat, filled up the water, and checked out to hang out at Isle Grande for 2 nights. Isle Grande is only an hour north of Marina Ixtapa. But it’s a great place for us to check the bottom of the boat since there are no crocs in the water. And the water is clear. We hit something coming out of Bahia de Nevada. But when Tom dove on the bottom, everything looked OK.

Two nights of relaxing. Then we motored over to Z-town bay.

Since being here, we’ve reprovisioned, replaced belts, filled up with fuel, filled the propane tanks, done the laundry, and scrubbed the bottom. We’ve been listening to the radio daily, checking on the weather. So far doesn’t sound like there is much wind out there. Hopefully this change soon, because we are anxious to get going.

Mexico Gold Coast photos

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Zihuatanejo

17’40.0N/101’37’0W
Zihuatanejo

Wow! March already! Since our last update we’ve travelled almost 200 nautical miles to Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo, otherwise known as ‘Z-what’, ‘Z-town’ or ‘Z-watt’.

We left Manzanilla February 21, around 9am. After a quick tour around the bay we set off down the coast. With our friend Sam already in Z-town waiting for us, we had to put the Sandpiper in high gear. Of course we had no wind. So 42 hours of motoring later, we arrived.

Our original plan was to anchor off Isla Grande, a small serious of rocks just outside Ixtapa, and then pull into Z early morning. We usually plan our trips so as not to pull into anywhere at night, especially in Mexico where the charts haven’t been updated for years, or are nonexistent. With all our motoring we arrived at 11:30pm just outside Isla Grande. This meant we weren’t going to be anchoring until after midnight. There are lots of rocks around Isla Grande, and very few lights, so we opted to just go the extra hour to Z and pull into their nice big harbor.

Tom loves pulling into a foreign port where all buoys flash white, are not on the charts, you have no idea what they mean, what they mark, or even what side to pass on. It was still a little weird pulling in so late and not knowing what to expect in the morning.

Around 6am the fishing boats started heading out for the day, and we were right in their path. So I awoke to the boat a rockin’. After getting the sleep out, coffee, and listening to the morning net, we pulled up anchor and got in closer to the beach. Everyone always seems to anchor so far out. But we prefer being closer to the beach. This makes for a shorter and drier dingy ride.

We met up with Sam at the cruiser friendly bar ‘Rick’s’. Since Sam had already been in Z for a few days, he showed us around town and the local market. We got supplies for dinner, headed back to the Sandpiper, and got ready for a barbeque. The next day we rented mopeds and cruised to the far beaches of Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo. What a blast! Later that night, we met Sam’s friends from California; Sean and Tiffany. We all hung together for the next couple of days, exploring beaches, and the Mexican cuisine.

After cruising around both Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo I have to say this is my favorite coast town. What a great way to remember Mexico. Finally, nice clean blue water that I want to swim in, and even snorkel in. The towns are small enough that makes getting around easy. The markets are great, with lots of cheap veggies, fruit, and fish. There are no time-share people harassing you. And the local people are very friendly and helpful.

My favorite beach so far is Las Gatas. It is only accessible by boat. Once on the beach, you are greeted by a string of palapa restaurants, with lounge chairs, that will serve you all day long. We found the place with the cheapest beer and parked ourselves for a few hours. I don’t think Tom got up from his lounge all afternoon.

We moved the boat from the harbor to Marina Ixtapa on Monday. We washed the boat, dingy, and then finally ourselves. Have I mentioned how hot it is here? 90’ degrees, with around 60% humidity! We haven’t had this kind of heat since August in Indiana.

This marina is a little unusually in that they say small children and dogs should not be left unattended because there is a 15 foot crocodile that will eat them. We still haven’t seen him. But I’m not actively looking either. We are a little out here, but with all the guests, it makes it easier for all. After everyone leaves we’ll anchor out again.

Yesterday, Tuesday, we went to our first puddle jump meeting here. There’s another big group leaving from here, which is nice. We trade/copy cruising guides and itinery ideas. Some folks have already left, with the rest of us leaving anywhere from this Saturday to the end of the month. Tom and I still haven’t figured out an exact date… but somewhere near the week of March 20.

Mom and Shannon come to visit this week, which I’m really looking forward to. After a week with the Sherman girls, Tom is going to need a vacation, or maybe therapy.

Until next time,
First Mate Amy

Manzanillo

19'04N 104'20W
Manzanillo

After saying farewell to all our northbound friends, getting the fuel tanks filled, and escaping the channel Bahia de Navidad without running into the mud (thanks to Ian for escorting us out!), we motor-sailed 20 miles south to the anchorage of Bahia Santiago, just north of Manzanillo.

There are lots of turtles and whales out here. There is about one turtle every 5 minutes.

We met up with our old dock neighbor from Oakland, Tom, who is captaining a huge 52 foot catamaran that he had sailed down from the Bay Area. He is heading north as well. Needless to say, a 52ft catamaran is much larger than Sandpiper. The first thing we did when we anchored was to take a hot shower on board!

We had dinner ashore, then back to the boat for an early night, as we had to leave the next morning to get south. Before escaping Manzanillo, we did a quick sail by the beach resort where the movie '10' was filmed.

Great to see all our friends in these last couple of days. We look forward to visiting with more friends and family in Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo.

Bahia de Navidad

19'13.1N 104'42.7W
Bahia de Navidad

The motor sail to Bahia de Navidad was 6 miles. We pulled into the marina at the Grand Bay Hotel! Another great marina at a resort with lots of pools and places to lie around. As soon as we moored up, we checked in at the marina, then we walked around the huge hotel complex. We walked for 30 minutes without seeing any hotel guests anywhere! The front desk told us that the hotel was at 20% vacancy. We pretty much had to whole place to ourselves for 2 days while we worked on our tans and drank cocktails pool side. I knew the resort was fancy when I was given two towels for the pool. One was a cover for my extremely comfortable lounge chair.

Yes… I know what you’re thinking. But we deserved this. It had been 6 days since our last shower. Sandpiper needed a bath. And we had only spent $60 in those 6 days, so we could splurge. It actually worked out even better for us since we racked up a substantial bill one day around the pool, but it never made it to our checkout bill. Yyippee! The marina is a bit pricey. So we moved out to the anchorage for the remainder of our stay.

The anchorage is in a really shallow lagoon that is not marked. The daily excitement for the boats anchored there is to watch other boats run aground while they are trying to enter or leave. We were able to make the anchorage without to much embarrassment, bumping the bottom twice, and anchoring in 6 feet of water with about 30 other boats around us.

To get to town from the anchorage you can call a water taxi on VHF for a $2.50 round trip ride. Or you can run in on your own dinghy. We dinghied in the first night to the Sands Hotel, which is super "cruiser" friendly. They let you tie your dinghy at their sea wall. And you can use their pool.

We had Valentines' dinner at a really good restaurant hidden in town. Then back to the hotel to hear a band play, and meet other boaters anchored out there. Quality people watching!

Every morning the "French Baker" who has a bakery in town comes out in a panga to the anchorage and calls all the boats on his VHF radio seeing who wants treats delivered to their boats. Our personnel favorite is his chocolate croissants!

A little background on Bahia Navidad: It was founded by some Spaniards in, like, 1500 or so on Christmas day. Hence the “Navidad” part. [note from Ron: Actual year was 1540]

Also, one of my favorite stories of this town is that in 1971 hurricane 'Lilly' hit Navidad with such a force that Christ's arms on the town's crucifix fell to his sides. The crucifix remains to remind the town that they survived such devastation. The surprising thing is that the crucifix, which is made of plaster, was not damaged. The arms hang by some miracle. Way cool. [Photo]

Amy and I had our 1-year wedding anniversary on the 19th. We celebrated with a nice walk on the beach, a swim at the pool, and dinner with our friends from Chatitnya!

Our friends from Sunbaby showed up in the anchorage. They are heading north to have their boat shipped home to Seattle in May. We had met them sailing down the California coast, and they did the Baja HaHa with us.

Chatitanya's arrival in Bahia de Navidad will be their most southerly stop before sailing back north. They will have their boat shipped back on the Dockwise Transport ship, along with Sunbaby, up to Vancouver Canada in May. It was sad to say goodbye to team "Chi" as we had been friends in the Bay Area, and we had been sailing with them the whole time. We miss you guys already!

Bahia de Navidad is one of my favorite stops we have made in Mexico. It is very laid back, and all the people are super friendly. Maybe one day in the future we can return.

Bahia Tenacatita

19'16"N/104'50"W
Bahia Tenacatita

We had a great day of motor sailing straight downwind with just the main up, hitting 9 knots at one point. We motored, as we did not want to arrive at the anchorage after sunset. The anchorage in Bahia Tenactita is very remote, and there is about 40 other boats anchored here on the north end of the bay. We anchored right next to the beach. It was nice to be in an anchorage that did not have swells coming through it.

Some boats have been anchored here more than a month. The other boats are just anchored here awaiting favorable weather either northbound or southbound. Just about everywhere we have been in Mexico there is a morning "radio net" where all the boats in the area check in. Then there is a discussion on the weather, boats needing assistance, and other topics.

There is a tiny river that empties into the anchorage. We took the dinghy up the river for a 4 mile jungle river trip. Most of the river is mangroves and is very narrow. We had a couple close encounters with pangas full of tourists flying up and down the river at full speed. At the end of the river is the tiny town of Tenacatita, where we made a lunch stop. Then we went back down the river for dinner to a beach palapa where we met up with some of the other cruisers anchored there.

We ran into the crew from "Godspeed". We had traded outboard engines in Turtle Bay during the Baja HaHa. We stayed in this anchorage for 3 days.

Amy's birthday was on the Monday the 13th, so we spent her day laying out on the beach, and having drinks ashore at the beach palapa. Also, there was a full moon on the 13th, making for a very scenic setting to be anchored in.

Bahia Chamela

• Bahia Chamela
• 19'32.000n 105'07.000w

Picked up anchor at 6am in Ipala, in the dark, and trying not to hit the boat that dropped their anchor on ours. We headed out for Bahia Chamela, a 52 mile sail. Just to refresh your minds 52 miles takes us 10 hours. Crap that's a long time. Good thing for the Sirius satellite radio. Howard Stern makes the day go by way fast.

What a great day of sailing we had today, one of probably 10 since leaving the Bay Area. Had great winds, 15-20 mph, from behind us. So made it in record time.

I forgot to mention it is whale season around here this time of year, and we've seen lots of them. Nothing breaching out of the water or having any sort of moment with nature. But a great joy to watch from a distance. Saw a couple turtles today too.

Once pulling into Chamela the winds really picked up. We ended up just dropping the sail fast, getting her tied up, and finding a spot to anchor.

It is now sunset, enjoying our sundowners. Will have a bite to eat, and then up again tomorrow for a 25 mile cruise to Bahia Tenacatita. Looking forward to this. Getting a little stir crazy with being on the boat. I can't believe it was my idea to sail for 28 days straight. What was I thinking?

Again, a big shout out to all that helped us get 'Sandpiper' back in order. Without them we wouldn't we able send out these messages. Miss you all. Hope all is well, and please keep in touch.

Love to all
Amy and Tom

EDITOR Tom's note: Amy's B-day is on the 13th, and she loves DVD movies that make her cry. And especially love Tiffany's jewlery.............

Ipala

20'14.000n 105'36.000w
Ipala

After leaving Yelapa in quite a scurry, we headed for Ipala. 8 hours or so later we arrived. We didn't have much wind, so motor sailing it was.

Not to much here. Except we thought we would be the only boat, and it was a tight anchorage. Once again, another boat anchored right next to us, making us a little nervous. When the wind changed at sunset, they were right next to us over our anchor.

Just stayed on board, made dinner and watched the movie 'Cocktail', then to bed. 6 am comes early when you've gotten use to sleeping in.

Yelapa

20'29.800n 105'27.000w
Yelapa

Greetings all,

Well, we finally made it out of PV. It was a bit sad leaving since we were there for so long, and met lots of great people. We had every tradesman in PV come to our boat and check something out. Radio Rob (sail mail,computer), Teapot Tony (motor mounts, shaft brush), Scarlet O'Hara John (electrician), SunSeeker Annie (sewed all the flags that we are going to need crossing the Pacific), and of course Yacht Works Canvas (Lucy and Ray) for our beautiful new bimini top.

I think this should make us all set for our South Pacific journey. Also a shout out to "Team Chatanya" for our official "Team Sandpiper" shirts that the crew of Sandpiper wears whenever on shore leave.

After saying Happy Birthday to Heidi off Chatanya, and washing down the boat, we headed for Yelapa. It's only 14 miles south of PV, but everyone says 'A palapa in Yelapa is better than a condo in Redondo'. It is only excisable by boat, so we went to check it out.

We arrived around 2pm, did a tour through the anchorage, which is extremely deep, and finally decided on a place to call home for the next two nights. We set our stern anchor and thought we were golden for the rest of the time. So we started happy hour. Then around 5pm the winds changed, and the pangas swung around right in our direction. We had a panga about 5 feet from our boat with its propellers threatening to scratch up Sandpiper's new wax job. So we needed to decide what to do and quickly, since the sun was setting and soon to become real dark. We pulled up both anchors, not easy to do, and moved up a bit. It's quite difficult since it's so deep, good gusts of wind, and rocks. We decided on a spot, but I thought we were way to close to the rocks, so I was nervous all night long. I even told Tom that I was staying up all night. He said "It's fine. We won't go anywhere. We have the stern anchor out."

Famous last words! The stern anchor didn't catch, and we started drifting into the boat behind us. Needless to say, we picked up both anchors. The stern was easy, since it had never caught. We set off to the next anchorage, at sunrise, a day early.

Puerta Vallarta Photos

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Still Here…..

Well, as predicted we are still here in Puerta Vallarta, as we were supposed to have left on the 16th of January. Amy, Sandpiper, and I decided to get some work finished as not much got done while we were pool side having cocktails and swimming all day

While coming down the coast, we broke one of the motor mount bolts on the engine. Then when we arrived at Paradise Village, we broke another one.

Editor's comment: This is huge, since this is what gets us around, and what attaches the engine to the boat

I think the cause was a problem of the zincs not staying on the shaft where they are supposed to be. This is due to the way the boat was constructed. We decided to haul out at the boat yard at Puerto Vallarta, 3 miles from where we moored at Paradise Village.

We had been at the dock so long that we had lots of new marine critters that had decided to live on the propeller. Making our way to the yard took a lot longer than we had planned. We could only motor at 3 knots, and even had to put up a sail to get there.

Editor's comment: Some of you may like to know that we had to get up at 7:00am that day. And we actually had to set an alarm. It was also 56 degrees that morning, so the sweatshirts were busted out.

We were picked up by a huge boatlift. It was brand-new and the only one like it in Mexico. It is driven by remote control. The operator just walked around with the controls strapped to his waist, dropping Sandpiper on hard ground for 2 days.

Editor's note: Ya, great new lift! It only took them 2 hours to get the boat on the stands. As soon as we showed up they took a break. In The States, it costs more, but it gets done a lot quicker.

Also, in The States, we have a great organization know as OSHA. Some of you may have heard of it. Well, they could use a little work safety down here. We had to climb a “ladder” to get up and down the boat. I’m not sure if you would even call it a ladder in The States. Needless to say, I was on it only twice. Once to go to bed, and once to come down to do more work. While up 30 feet in the air, if a car drove by, we could feel the whole boat shake! A little nerve racking! I had Tom fix up a pulley system for me so anything that was needed could come up or down via a bag.

We got the hull waxed, as the labor rates here are pretty low compared to the Bay Area. Amy cleaned every living critter off the hull and propeller. We installed a brand-new zinc plate on the outside of the hull, which is attached to the shaft. My mom had brought it down with her on her visit. Everyone that visited us got to bring us all kinds of new boat parts, as finding anything here is an all day affair!!!

Editor note; thanks to all for smuggling in our boat parts.

We decided to stay at the marina in Puerta Vallarta one more day after we got dropped back in the water. The restaurant at the boat yard was having a grand opening with free food and drinks. They had asked us to drop in. So, not wanting to miss any free cocktails, we stayed all night with my old boat neighbor Tom, from Oakland, who was back in town from a trip to El Salvador.

We are now moored at the pilings in the middle of the harbor at Marina Nuevo Vallarta waiting on the canvas shop here. They are making a cockpit Bimini top with a stainless steel frame. The rates here are half of what we would have paid in the Bay Area for the same work.

We are also doing a lot of other projects while we have the time. So Sandpiper should be looking and running great once we get out of here.

You are probably asking “Why are they doing so much work there and why not put it off a little longer?” Well… we have finally made a decision on where we are going next. We thought about going back up north and spending the hurricane season in the Sea of Cortez, which is supposed to be some of the greatest cruising grounds on the Pacific Coast. But we did not want to sit at anchor for 8 months in the summer heat. Plus, we wanted to do some actual sailing, not motoring.

Our original plan was to go to Panama and then head over to the Caribbean. But all that is off the planning board!!! Drum roll please!

We have decided that we are going to sail to the South Pacific from the coast of Mexico sometime in March 2006, depending on the weather.

Editor note: Yes, we have lost our marbles. This is a 21 days sea voyage, at least!

We have been meeting with about 10 other boats that are planning on this as well who are leaving around the same time. There is tons of planning to do. We are trying to get together the charts that we are going to need, trying to see what the requirements for all the countries we will be passing through (visas, currency, shots), and making sure that we have everything on board before we leave. Finding boat parts out there will be impossible.

We are going to head south from here and sail down the Mexican Gold Coast, stopping as much as possible at small anchorages along the way. We plan on spending time in Ixtapa, and leaving from Zihuatanejo.

We are not really sure what our destination is going to be. Most likely we are going to spend time in Australia, then make another plan.

Editor note: For those looking at a map, our first stop in the Pacific will be the Marquises Islands. We have about 6 months until Australia. Anyone want to visit us in Fiji or Tahiti?

Also, some of the other happenings here. The USCGC Morgenthau stopped in for a few days on one of their patrols. For those reading this that don’t know about this ship, that is the ship I just retired off of in San Francisco in July last year!! It was cool that they stopped while we were here. We got to see friends on the ship, and even got invited out for dinner with the Captain, Chief’s Mess, and Officers. The ship had a charter bus that took us all out to dinner. A lot of people were surprised to see us there.

Editor note: The USCG crew called Tom a hippie with his long hair.

Ok, so this is the longest entry I have written. But so much has happened since we have been here. A lot of our friends are along the Mexican Coast, and we are hoping to catch up to them.

Keep in touch,
Cap’n Tom & First Mate Amy

Written by; Tom Larson
Editor; Amy Larson

Jo's Sandpiper Visit

AHOY from Mate Johanna who has just returned home in Morro Bay, California, sniffle, sniffle! I don’t know if it’s being on the Sandpiper for 7 days or the tequila shots I drank last night, but I seem to have a back and forth rocking motion while standing on land today. Hm. So, friends and family of Tom and Amy…..let me just say that these kids are the most adventurous people I know. I’m sitting here blown away by the strong partnership that Tom and Amy have created while they follow and take hold of their dreams together. Then there’s the gallant Sandpiper, with her strong sails and sturdy anchor (sorry, I don’t know boat lingo to well) who sits in Paradise resting and fueling up for her next adventure. I love her.
I arrived on January 6, 2006 and just left today, January 12, 2006. I just finished college and am at a fork in the road. Too many decisions to make, but I’m grateful to have such opportunities. Anyways, I needed an adventure, plus I wanted to see these sun-kissed sailors. Never had visited Mexico, nor had I stayed on a boat that long, so both were new experiences for this California earth sign! Each day that I spent in Paradise was filled with fun in the sun, new adventures, and good times with good friends.
My journey started with my arrival in Puerto Vallarta- I didn’t realize how humid it was! Once Amy and I returned from the airport in our crazy cab ride, I immediately got rid of my clogs and wool sweater, and put my white bod in a suit. Amy and Chris took me to the pool and made me go down the alligator slide- the secret is you have to run up the stairs and across the wooden bridge to get to it, no walking! Then we hung out for a bit and waited for 2 for 1 happy hour. Wow, “Welcome to Paradise,” I thought. I was really worried about getting sick from the water, but Amy assured me that PV is the cleanest water in Mexico, and she was right, I didn’t get sick! If anything, it was the exact opposite, but that may be too much info. Anyways, later that night, we met up with Tom, hopped in the dinghy and had a relaxing dinner. Later on, I jumped in my port-side bunk while Chris, my bunkmate, told me stories about his “interesting life.” That Chris, what a story-teller!
The next day we hopped on the bus and met Tom’s mom, Toni, in Old Town Puerto Vallarta for a fun day being American tourists. In fact, we even rode one of those funny tour buses that played LOUD Mexican music while it took us through the city. We were the classic American tourists, but we had a blast. Later on, we dined at this tapas restaurant, which I think Chris already mentioned- it was sooooo good.
The next few days were very relaxing- we painted our nails, got tan, played tequila volleyball, poolside golf, ate a ton at all you can eat brunch, and Amy made us some really good home cooked meals- Amy could sell her shrimp tacos for a living! (We should all get her a mobile cart for x-mas.) Time went by and very soon I was a true member of the Paradise Club. As I walked down the dock, I would say the official salutation to fellow boaters…“Mornin… another day in Paradise!” I could live there; I knew I should’ve hit on the cute boat worker, maybe I could’ve gotten a job cleaning boats or something.
The last night I was there Amy, Tom, and I went to this restaurant in Old-Town called The Red Cabbage. I don’t know why they call it that, probably because I was so intoxicated and in awe of their food. Let me describe this meal to you: We entered the cute, small, Frieda themed restaurant filled with cool pictures. We ordered a Spinach salad. Not your typical spinach salad, let me tell ya. The spinach salad was actually cooked spinach with olive oil, garlic and yummy stuff that you spread upon this buttery bread. YUM. The other dip thing was this roasted red pepper sauce with yummy cheese. YUM. Then….. (drum roll)…..Have you ever had Chicken Mole? I hadn’t, but holy moly, we all ordered this seductive dish made of chocolate, chilies, cinnamon, lots of other stuff and extreme love from whoever was making it. It came with rice as light as a feather, and delicious refried beans. “Holy crap!” Amy said as she took her first bite. Yep, I could eat this sauce for breakfast, lunch, snack time, and dinner. In fact, I will request to have this particular Chicken Mole as my last supper….The meal was complimented with a red wine- WOW. I then proceeded to have some tequila as I thought of ways to stay there. Trust me; I’m still thinking….The people of Mexico are beautiful and great. I am so lucky to have had this opportunity to see this special spot and hang with my compadres Amy, Tom and Chris. Now, that I’m gone Amy and Tom can get back to their routine and focus on their next adventure. Again, they are some of the strongest people I know who aren’t afraid to take risks….they know what it’s all about.
Amy and Tom, thank you for a wonderful visit. You are my pillars of inspiration! I’m ready to rock, as long as I have chicken mole in my dreams…..
Peace, love, and Mole,
Johanna
Docked in Morro Bay, California still waiting for that cute Mexican boy from the docks to come pick her up.

View from the CUBE

Ahoy from one of many Sandpiper guests. Tom and Amy have been very busy being hosts to a stream of family and friends south of the border in Nuevo Vallarta. I am Christian, one of Tom’s Coast Guard amigo’s from the s/v Christa now homeported in a chilly Woods Hole Ma.

I arrived on January 1st 2006 after a plane ride from a chilly and snowy Boston. It was wonderful to arrive in the beautiful blazing heat and chaos of a Mexican airport. What a relief to be released from my cubicle ridden life to enter what can only be described as tropical bliss. Tom met me at the airport, I ditched my winter jacket for my signature white t-shirt and off to the Mexican buses we went. The buses are something special in Mexico. For the uninitiated Mexico can be a bit rattling to Americans. The buses are a fine example. They don’t appear to be the safest, they rattle incessantly and much confusions seems to surround them, but in due time you arrive at your destination.

Sandpiper lye’s portside too Paradise Village, its really really beautiful. For the folks who don’t understand the sailing life, your really missing a side of life where you can’t help but slow down and drop out of the “normal” lifestyle. Tom and Amy have basically achieved bliss. Don’t mistake bliss for no activity or lounging around all day. Maintaining a boat and getting ready to cross-oceans is a lot of work. So with the cavalcade of visitors its been difficult for Team Sandpiper to do work they must to maintain the illusion. I suspect when Johanna and I leave in a day or two, daily routine aboard Sandpiper will change.

Now that I’m nearing the end of my visit aboard Sandpiper it seems that its been a wonderful blur of restaurants, Mexican buses and hanging out with really cool people. Tom’s Mom Toni and Amy’s friend Johanna have been here simultaneously so its just added to the fun. We spent a couple of days in downtown Puerto Vallarta just cruising around. PV is really cool place. It’s almost like an old school type place. The best way I could describe it is to compare it to the East Village of New York City but with a hip tropical feel. We dined at this tiny Spanish restaurant, buried in the hills overlooking Bandaras Bay and we ate all kinda food I’ve never eaten before. The experience is unique in that it’s the type of place you sit for hours while the wait staff keeps bring small dishes out one after another.

Paradise Village is this large resort, overflowing with coconut palms and gringo tourists. Sandpiper has access to all the amenities of said resort. Accordingly we’ve spent some time hanging out at one of the two large pools. The “activity team” provides entertainment. These gringos administer a ripping game of poolside bingo and tequila volleyball. I’m particularly interested in people watching and chick watching; however you want to describe my perverse activity. Anyway the water is warm and the sun shines bright and warm each and everyday. The only thing that may beat this is a trip to the south pacific.

In closing, my inclusion in Team Sandpiper for a few days has been inspirational. I will be retiring from the Coast Guard in October 2007 and plan on sailing my boat to the tropical latitudes…….in the wake of Sandpiper. I hope to catch up with Team Sandpiper in a port of call in some obscure time-zone. Tom and Amy will be life-long amigos and I look forward to moving aboard Sandpiper next year in another beautiful spot for some more inspiration!

Fair Winds,

Christian Allaire
Aboard S/V Sandpiper, Mexico via Oakland
callaire@msn.com

Merry Christmas from Paradise Village

20’41.4N 105’17.5W
Paradise Village

Greetings All! Sorry it’s been so long since our last entry but Tom and I have been doing some serious relaxing. We pulled into Paradise Village December 15, tied up the boat, put on our suits and we’ve been at the pool ever since. Paradise Village is a large resort with a marina. All marina guests get to use all resort facilities so we’ve been busy figuring out which pool or hot tub we like best. They have all sorts of activities throughout the day that I’ve been taking advantage of; pool side bingo, water aerobics, water slides, silly pool games, tequila volleyball and of course people watching. There’s a Yacht club too, which also has activities(bead class, dominos) and special dinners every night of the week.

The 17th was Tom’s birthday so our friends from Voyager came over, we hung out by the pools and then took a dinghy ride up the river to a great restaurant, ‘Fajita Republic’. Then on the 18th the Yacht club had a Christmas fundraiser spaghetti dinner for an orphanage in Puerto Vallarta.

We’ve been into Puerto Vallarta twice since being here, just window-shopping and checking out a few happy hours. It’s not as crazy here with people trying to harass you for time share so walking in town is enjoyable.

Our next couple of weeks should be quite busy. My dad comes in today through the 28th. Our Ha-Ha crewmember George and his girlfriend Jen will be here the 28th through the New Year. Tom’s friend Chris will be arriving the first through the 11th, Toni, Tom’s mom will be here the 3rd through 8th and my friend Johanna will be arriving the 6th to the 12th. Everyone wants to come visit when you are staying in Paradise. We check out here the 15th of January and have scheduled a haul out to do some small projects on the bottom.

As far as plans after that we are still not sure? We have decided that we will not be going up north to the Sea of Cortez for hurricane season we are either going to continue south or west. At first I was dead set against the South Pacific but it sounds like some good sailing. We will keep you all posted as to what we’ve decided and where you can visit us next.

Oh ya, when we got here our boat neighbor in Oakland Tom, was here on a different boat and they happened to have an extra SSB radio so we will be back in business before we leave Paradise.

Have a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Love to all,
Amy & Tom

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Mazalan to La Cruz Photos

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Greetings from La Cruz

20’44.8N/105’22.5W
La Cruz

Sandpiper has left the Sea of Cortez and is in Banderas Bay!! We left Chacala at 8am yesterday morning, pulled up anchor, and motor sailed 30 miles to La Cruz.

We fished along the way and we hooked a 4 foot Wahoo that promptly spit out its hook as soon as we were going to gaff it. Check out the pics if you do not believe us. We also hooked a snapper that we threw back, as we had not way to get the scales off of it. The weird thing is that a Snapper would even bite on a trolling rig?!?

La Cruz is a small town just north of Puerto Vallarta. There are about 30 other cruisers anchored here. Some boats stay here all winter at anchor.

As we pulled in, we saw our friends Neil and Jackie from S/V Voyager, who we had not seen since Mazatlan. We also saw other boats that we had not seen since Cabo. Neil and Jackie took us in to town in their dinghy, as the landing here is a little sketchy because there is breaking surf all across the entrance. They took us to an English pub where there was open mic night and all the locals and sailors show up to play music

As for the afternoon, we are staying aboard because tomorrow morning we are heading over to Nuevo Vallarta to moor up in Paradise Village Marina for one month. Check out the link on the lower right side of this page and you can check it out.

See you in Paradise!!
Tom and Amy

Greetings from Chacala

21’09.8N/105’13.6W
Chacala

We left San Blas after our jungle tour and headed south for Chacala. Tom really wanted to stay in San Blas, but I couldn’t do another night of the bugs. So here we are in Chacala. We arrived afternoon to a harbor full of boats. Every time we think we are going to a small anchorage, we pull in and there’s a bunch of boats.

Once in Chacala, we put out our stern anchor and set in for town. Town consists of one dirt road with palapas on the beach, and some small stores.

Our days there were relaxing; had breakfast, rowed to the beach, told tall tales on sailing experiences, and back to the boat for BBQ. Our last day there we rowed the dinghy to the beach. On the way home we got swamped by a 5 foot wave. Needless to say, we were a little wet once back on the Sandpiper.

Adios,
Capt'n Tom & First Mate Amy