Puerto Vallarta to Barra de Navidad

Puerto Vallarta to Barra de Navidad

January 21, 2000

After spending two months in Puerto Vallarta, it was time for us to move on. We enjoyed the time we had in P.V. Although we had to go back to the states for about three weeks for the holidays, and that awful four letter word "work," we still managed to have some fun in P.V.. Many nights were spent with our friends on the catamaran Maluhia, and the s/v Marylyn. Puerto Vallarta Marina offered us many good restaurants, mini markets, trinket shops, and even a place to get a one hour massage. It was sad to leave such an enjoyable place.

After a few last minute boat projects (aren't they all) we were finally on our way around noon on January 21st. We headed north west to Punta Mita for a one night stay. The weather was great for an afternoon sail. The wind started out light however so we motored out of the channel.

The sea life was very active that day. We saw many huge (10 feet and larger) Manta Reys. Beautiful creatures. At first we weren't sure what they were. All we saw were two fins sticking up out of the water. It seems they like to sun themselves close to the waters surface. And when they move through the water their wings come out of the water about a foot. At first, we thought they were two dolphins swimming, until we got close enough to see their black figure just beneath the water surface. It was very exciting.

This is also the time of year when the whales migrate through the area. We've heard they like to come into the bay because the water is warmer, and the food supply is abundant. We were disappointed that we didn't see any whales right away. But our attention was soon diverted to a possible engine or prop problem. We were unable to get full RPM out of our engine. We would bring the throttle up toward full, but would only get about 1500 RPM. (out of 3600) We thought our prop was fouled or needed to be cleaned or it was a fuel filter clog. Fortunately, the wind picked up and we were able to sail.

As we got closer to La Cruz we saw a huge whale tail (only the tail) splashing in the water. It was like it was standing on it's head with it's tail in the air, just slapping it in the water. It must have done that about 15 times. It was an incredible sight. From there we sailed on uneventfully to Punta Mita. We arrived there around five in the afternoon, with just enough time for me to dive on the prop to see if that was our problem. I cleaned a few barnacles out of the bearing areas and we hoped that would do the trick. We spent one night there and left before the sun came up the next morning.

We motored south for a few mostly peaceful hours in the dark before sunrise. I say mostly peaceful because we almost ran over a huge sleeping whale. He must have heard our engine and we saw him move out of our way. I think he was mad that we woke him. He keep flapping his fin at us. It was a quite a treat to see a whale about a boats length away. The sea was bustling that day. We saw a few more whales as well as a shark, flying fish, more manta reys, a jelly fish, and two sea snakes. Yikees!

We sailed most the afternoon. We were downwind in 20 to 30 knots of wind. At one time we had the jib poled out and the main reefed. The wind grew too strong for the jib (as we saw 9.5 knots boat speed) and the seas were getting bigger. We pulled in the jib and sailed at 7.5 knots under a reefed main only. We arrived in Chamala around six that evening. We watched the sunset, had a nice diner and went to sleep early. Since cleaning the prop didn't fix our problem, Bob spent the next day changing out fuel filters. A messy job, but Bob got in there and did what had to be done. We hoped this would solve our problem. It wasn't all work and no play for Bob though, as he got to see a whale passing nearby the anchorage.

We left the next morning at a leisurely pace. We headed out at about ten in the morning. Not much wind so we motored around the small islands in the bay, and headed on our way to Tenacatita. (located just to the north of Manzanillo.) We stopped along the way to look at a small, but nice anchorage in Cerreyes. It was a bit touristy for our taste, with the Club Med, and other hotels. But it had a beautiful beach and all the hotels (all three or four of them) were brightly painted to make it an inviting atmosphere. There were three sail boats and two power boats there, and it was full. We debated about taking the last spot, but decided to continue on, as we weren't thrilled about having to set our stern anchor for just one nights stay.

We sailed a little, and motored a little on our quick trip to Tenacatita. It was only 25 miles. An easy day. We caught a one and a half foot mackerel, but threw it back. Mainly because we've been spoiled by three foot tunas and dorados. Bob spotted a large sea turtle along the way. That was the first one we've seen. I wonder where it was going?! And so we arrived in Tenacatita, under the hot afternoon sun. As it turned out we didn't entirely fix our engine/prop problem. It has improved, but we will have to look into more when we get to Barra de Navidad. Barra is our next stop into a marina, where we will leave the boat and head back to work.

Tenacatita is a large and fairly calm anchorage with quiet mornings, and windy afternoons. We put out our Flopper Stopper (to help dampen the rocking of the boat while anchored) and took the rest of the day off. We weren't terrible motivated on day two, but we did manage to get the dingy in the water, and took a ride to shore. Tenacatita has a long beach with a few palapas at one end (one of them is a French restaurant of all things) and an inclusive resort at the other end. We had a romantic stroll down the beach. It was good to get off of the boat and stretch our legs. Then it was back to the boat for more relaxation. We fired up the BBQ for supper, as we tried to avoid the bugs that come out in droves at night.

Day three in Tenacatita, we decided to be adventurous and take the jungle river tour. So we hopped in the dingy and headed off. The jungle river tour is basically a dingy ride through the mangrove forest on a freshwater water river. There is a river here that comes down from the mountains and dumps into the ocean. We took our dingy up the river about a mile through a tropical mangrove forest. We saw many birds, a few fish, but none of the crocodiles that we had heard about.

The prize awaiting us at the other end of the river were several Palapas and another beautiful beach. We met some other cruisers (ahead of us on the river) on a Pacific Seacraft 37 named Paloma. We had a nice fish lunch and chatted with our new friends. We met up with our friends at the Paris Tropical restaurant the next night for some French food. the food was good and the service was very slow. Typical.

We left for Barrra the next morning. It was a short one and a half hour motor. We took a slight detour to check out the small village of La Manzanilla. We arrived in Barra early afternoon and found our slip next to our BaHa buddy boat Marilyn.

Greg took us on the grand tour of the marina, and hotel. The hotel is a five star resort hotel with three pools connected by a waterslide, tennis courts, golf course, gym, and several restaurants. Marina guests get full privileges in the hotel. The marina offers us cable TV, and even a telephone hook up. If they have Glen Livet here, I think Bob may never leave.


After spending two months in Puerto Vallarta, it was time for us to move on. We enjoyed the time we had in P.V. Although we had to go back to the states for about three weeks for the holidays, and that awful four letter word "work," we still managed to have some fun in P.V.. Many nights were spent with our friends on the catamaran Maluhia, and the s/v Marylyn. Puerto Vallarta Marina offered us many good restaurants, mini markets, trinket shops, and even a place to get a one hour massage. It was sad to leave such an enjoyable place. After a few last minute boat projects (aren't they all) we were finally on our way around noon on January 21st. We headed north west to Punta Mita for a one night stay. The weather was great for an afternoon sail. The wind started out light however so we motored out of the channel. The sea life was very active that day. We saw many huge (10 feet and larger) Manta Reys. Beautiful creatures. At first we weren't sure what they were. All we saw were two fins sticking up out of the water. It seems they like to sun themselves close to the waters surface. And when they move through the water their wings come out of the water about a foot. At first, we thought they were two dolphins swimming, until we got close enough to see their black figure just beneath the water surface. It was very exciting.
	This is also the time of year when the whales migrate through the area. We've heard they like to come into the bay because the water is warmer, and the food supply is abundant. We were disappointed that we didn't see any whales right away. But our attention was soon diverted to a possible engine or prop problem. We were unable to get full RPM out of our engine. We would bring the throttle up toward full, but would only get about 1500 RPM. (out of 3600) We thought our prop was fouled or needed to be cleaned or it was a fuel filter clog. Fortunately, the wind picked up and we were able to sail. As we got closer to La Cruz we saw a huge whale tail (only the tail) splashing in the water. It was like it was standing on it's head with it's tail in the air, just slapping it in the water. It must have done that about 15 times. It was an incredible sight. From there we sailed on uneventfully to Punta Mita. We arrived there around five in the afternoon, with just enough time for me to dive on the prop to see if that was our problem. I cleaned a few barnacles out of the bearing areas and we hoped that would do the trick. We spent one night there and left before the sun came up the next morning. We motored south for a few mostly peaceful hours in the dark before sunrise. I say mostly peaceful because we almost ran over a huge sleeping whale. He must have heard our engine and we saw him move out of our way. I think he was mad that we woke him. He keep flapping his fin at us. It was a quite a treat to see a whale about a boats length away. The sea was bustling that day. We saw a few more whales as well as a shark, flying fish, more manta reys, a jelly fish, and two sea snakes. Yikees!
We sailed most the afternoon. We were downwind in 20 to 30 knots of wind. At one time we had the jib poled out and the main reefed. The wind grew too strong for the jib (as we saw 9.5 knots boat speed) and the seas were getting bigger. We pulled in the jib and sailed at 7.5 knots under a reefed main only. We arrived in Chamala around six that evening. We watched the sunset, had a nice diner and went to sleep early. Since cleaning the prop didn't fix our problem, Bob spent the next day changing out fuel filters. A messy job, but Bob got in there and did what had to be done. We hoped this would solve our problem. It wasn't all work and no play for Bob though, as he got to see a whale passing nearby the anchorage. We left the next morning at a leisurely pace. We headed out at about ten in the morning. Not much wind so we motored around the small islands in the bay, and headed on our way to Tenacatita. (located just to the north of Manzanillo.) We stopped along the way to look at a small, but nice anchorage in Cerreyes. It was a bit touristy for our taste, with the Club Med, and other hotels. But it had a beautiful beach and all the hotels (all three or four of them) were brightly painted to make it an inviting atmosphere. There were three sail boats and two power boats there, and it was full. We debated about taking the last spot, but decided to continue on, as we weren't thrilled about having to set our stern anchor for just one nights stay. We sailed a little, and motored a little on our quick trip to Tenacatita. It was only 25 miles. An easy day. We caught a one and a half foot mackerel, but threw it back. Mainly because we've been spoiled by three foot tunas and dorados. Bob spotted a large sea turtle along the way. That was the first one we've seen. I wonder where it was going?! And so we arrived in Tenacatita, under the hot afternoon sun. As it turned out we didn't entirely fix our engine/prop problem. It has improved, but we will have to look into more when we get to Barra de Navidad. Barra is our next stop into a marina, where we will leave the boat and head back to work.
	Tenacatita is a large and fairly calm anchorage with quiet mornings, and windy afternoons. We put out our Flopper Stopper (to help dampen the rocking of the boat while anchored) and took the rest of the day off. We weren't terrible motivated on day two, but we did manage to get the dingy in the water, and took a ride to shore. Tenacatita has a long beach with a few palapas at one end (one of them is a French restaurant of all things) and an inclusive resort at the other end. We had a romantic stroll down the beach. It was good to get off of the boat and stretch our legs. Then it was back to the boat for more relaxation. We fired up the BBQ for supper, as we tried to avoid the bugs that come out in droves at night. Day three in Tenacatita, we decided to be adventurous and take the jungle river tour. So we hopped in the dingy and headed off. The jungle river tour is basically a dingy ride through the mangrove forest on a freshwater water river. There is a river here that comes down from the mountains and dumps into the ocean. We took our dingy up the river about a mile through a tropical mangrove forest. We saw many birds, a few fish, but none of the crocodiles that we had heard about. The prize awaiting us at the other end of the river were several Palapas and another beautiful beach. We met some other cruisers (ahead of us on the river) on a Pacific Seacraft 37 named Paloma. We had a nice fish lunch and chatted with our new friends. We met up with our friends at the Paris Tropical restaurant the next night for some French food. the food was good and the service was very slow. Typical.

We left for Barrra the next morning. It was a short one and a half hour motor. We took a slight detour to check out the small village of La Manzanilla. We arrived in Barra early afternoon and found our slip next to our BaHa buddy boat Marilyn. Greg took us on the grand tour of the marina, and hotel. The hotel is a five star resort hotel with three pools connected by a waterslide, tennis courts, golf course, gym, and several restaurants. Marina guests get full privileges in the hotel. The marina offers us cable TV, and even a telephone hook up. If they have Glen Livet here, I think Bob may never leave.