April 6, 2010
11:43
As you already know, Leeway now rests anchored in the bay of La Cruz de Huanacaxtle. The name of this used-to-be fishing village is derived from a prominent cross (cruz) made from the wood of the huanacaxtle tree. From my understanding, this village used to be much like the numerous fishing villages we encountered on our cruise down Baja, but the introduction of a multimillion-dollar marina, the La Cruz Yacht Club, has changed the face of this little town. The exploits of the pangueros still fund much of the economy, I'm sure, but I seriously doubt they paved the roads and brought the little village a Subway to eat fresh from. A photographic venture to the corners of town exhibited a regular Mexican town surrounding the more-civilized province surrounding the marina entrance. A picture of a bouganvilla plant taken on this very photographic venture:
We've been using the services of the yacht club regularly. If we tread in looking gringo enough, they don't look twice at us walking the grounds, using the internet, and taking hot showers. We were questioned once about the location of our boat (by a marina guard) and our “in” was that we were in cohorts with the proprietors of Puppy, a Westsail 32 bound for the Marquesas. I may have mentioned Puppy before, but it's been a long time. Anatolle and Natasha:
Dan and I first met them in Al Larson's Marina in Long Beach. They were a year into rigging out their boat for an open-timetable cruise. It is crewed by the captain, Anatolle, and his girlfriend, Natasha. Their plan: get the best boat to travel the world in and cruise until the money runs out. We thought they had left Long Beach several weeks before us, but it turns out they were getting their engine replaced and a new set of rigging installed in a different marina. So we departed The Port in hopes of catching them along they way. I had a brief run in with them in the Port Captain's office of Ensenada and we resolved to stay in touch. Our paths once again crossed here in La Cruz. They, like many other Puddle Jumpers were using the marina as their final port 'o' call before making the passage to the Marquesas. We hung out in the days, enjoying each others company and, today, wished them good luck on their journey as they motored out of their slip to check out of the country in Nuevo Vallarta, a larger marina in the northern portion of Banderas Bay with a Port Captain's office. Dan and I hope the best for them on the ~30 day passage to French Polynesia. Their ready to go Westsail:
Days on the boat are the norm. Time is occupied by an array of tasks. These have ranged from sewing a patch on my backpack to my casual reading of On the Road. Due to the rejuvenating effect of multiple good night's sleep, we're feeling adventurous, so we're planning on exploring more of the bay. Punta Mita might be in store for a dish of our manly sailorness in the next few days.
23:13
We just concluded a lovely evening with our new pal Dave. The original plan was to go back to his vessel and have stuffed chiles for dinner, but, as they tend to do, the night made a different route on its own accord. Around 1700, we strolled up into town in search of wifi and landed in a restaurant by the name of Philo's. After a while of leeching bandwidth and sipping lemonades, people started piling in by the dozens. Soon enough the whole reed-roofed establishment was filled to the brim with graying yatistas. A hip band featuring a saxophonist and pianist entertained a venue with 70s funk and 50s swing while we chomped down a Hawaiian pizza. Dancing accompanied the smooth tunes and a great night was had by all. Dave was nice enough to finish the evening by motoring us back to Leeway, although the sea was flat this night.
For now, I leave you with a portrait of Dan while he finishes intense scanning work and another shot of the VIP Lounge at Marina La Cruz, which we have made ourselves at home within:
11:43
As you already know, Leeway now rests anchored in the bay of La Cruz de Huanacaxtle. The name of this used-to-be fishing village is derived from a prominent cross (cruz) made from the wood of the huanacaxtle tree. From my understanding, this village used to be much like the numerous fishing villages we encountered on our cruise down Baja, but the introduction of a multimillion-dollar marina, the La Cruz Yacht Club, has changed the face of this little town. The exploits of the pangueros still fund much of the economy, I'm sure, but I seriously doubt they paved the roads and brought the little village a Subway to eat fresh from. A photographic venture to the corners of town exhibited a regular Mexican town surrounding the more-civilized province surrounding the marina entrance. A picture of a bouganvilla plant taken on this very photographic venture:
 |
| From La Cruz |
We've been using the services of the yacht club regularly. If we tread in looking gringo enough, they don't look twice at us walking the grounds, using the internet, and taking hot showers. We were questioned once about the location of our boat (by a marina guard) and our “in” was that we were in cohorts with the proprietors of Puppy, a Westsail 32 bound for the Marquesas. I may have mentioned Puppy before, but it's been a long time. Anatolle and Natasha:
 |
| From La Cruz |
Dan and I first met them in Al Larson's Marina in Long Beach. They were a year into rigging out their boat for an open-timetable cruise. It is crewed by the captain, Anatolle, and his girlfriend, Natasha. Their plan: get the best boat to travel the world in and cruise until the money runs out. We thought they had left Long Beach several weeks before us, but it turns out they were getting their engine replaced and a new set of rigging installed in a different marina. So we departed The Port in hopes of catching them along they way. I had a brief run in with them in the Port Captain's office of Ensenada and we resolved to stay in touch. Our paths once again crossed here in La Cruz. They, like many other Puddle Jumpers were using the marina as their final port 'o' call before making the passage to the Marquesas. We hung out in the days, enjoying each others company and, today, wished them good luck on their journey as they motored out of their slip to check out of the country in Nuevo Vallarta, a larger marina in the northern portion of Banderas Bay with a Port Captain's office. Dan and I hope the best for them on the ~30 day passage to French Polynesia. Their ready to go Westsail:
 |
| From La Cruz |
Days on the boat are the norm. Time is occupied by an array of tasks. These have ranged from sewing a patch on my backpack to my casual reading of On the Road. Due to the rejuvenating effect of multiple good night's sleep, we're feeling adventurous, so we're planning on exploring more of the bay. Punta Mita might be in store for a dish of our manly sailorness in the next few days.
23:13
We just concluded a lovely evening with our new pal Dave. The original plan was to go back to his vessel and have stuffed chiles for dinner, but, as they tend to do, the night made a different route on its own accord. Around 1700, we strolled up into town in search of wifi and landed in a restaurant by the name of Philo's. After a while of leeching bandwidth and sipping lemonades, people started piling in by the dozens. Soon enough the whole reed-roofed establishment was filled to the brim with graying yatistas. A hip band featuring a saxophonist and pianist entertained a venue with 70s funk and 50s swing while we chomped down a Hawaiian pizza. Dancing accompanied the smooth tunes and a great night was had by all. Dave was nice enough to finish the evening by motoring us back to Leeway, although the sea was flat this night.
For now, I leave you with a portrait of Dan while he finishes intense scanning work and another shot of the VIP Lounge at Marina La Cruz, which we have made ourselves at home within:
 |
| From La Cruz |
 |
| From La Cruz |
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