Our departure schedule from Mazatlan was dominated by a closing weather window and the arrival of our son, Mark. He was flying in to Mazatlan to sail with us to La Cruz, a 4 day trip. As soon as he arrived, we needed to leave as soon as we could get him to the boat because our weather was changing. We hailed the port captain for permission to enter the channel and we were denied because the La Paz ferry was preparing to depart. We waited about 45 minutes and then finally granted permission to leave at 4:30 PM. Coming in the middle of the channel was a fishing boat with its stabilizers extended. Needless to say, we stayed as far as possible to the edge of the fairly narrow harbor entrance and watched the end of the breakwater and the depth gauge!
Heading South we could see many fishing boats all around us. We frequently saw rays jumping out of the water. Somehow we’d accidentally picked the middle of prime fishing grounds to travel through. As night fell we watched on radar as we passed fishing boat after fishing boat. We made many small course adjustments to keep the boats at least a nautical mile to one side or the other as we made our way South.
Overnight we would approach Isla Isabella, known as the Galapagos of Mexico. This small island is part of the Isla Maria island group and is a national park. The larger islands in the group were formerly home to a Mexican prison and is off limits. An approach by a cruising boat would result in a visit from the Mexican Navy and a warning to stay away. In the last few years the prison had been closed and Mexican tour operators operate from San Blas on the mainland but it’s unclear how to visit on a cruising boat. Back to Isla Isabella. Isla Isabella is home to blue footed boobies, iguanas, nesting frigate birds and other wildlife. Mostly, the wildlife doesn’t have a lot of fear of humans when approached for a photo. Due to our tight schedule we couldn’t stop for a visit.
As dawn broke on our first night out from Mazatlan we were near Isla Isabela. In addition to the wildlife the island is home to an illegal but tolerated fishing camp. There are frequently long lines operated in the semi shallow water near the island. I looked behind me in the distance and saw what looked like a float being dragged along by Island Summers. Sometime in the night we’d picked up a long line and had been towing it behind us. I immediately stopped the engine and evaluated the situation. I could see the line snagged on one rudder but happily not on the keel or the prop which would have certainly had me in the water under the boat. I was able to lower the swim step and manuouver the line off the rudder with the boat hook. I cut the line and tied it back together hoping it wouldn’t just become ghost fishing gear after I tossed it back overboard.
Back underway we saw turtles swimming by and enjoyed a clear blue sky on the Pacific Ocean. The building northerly wind we’d been expecting hadn’t really developed but finally started to fill in as we rounded Punta de Mita at the North corner of Banderas Bay. We anchored in the dark near Punta de Mita having just avoided two nights out.
The next day we pulled into Marina Riviera Nayarit in La Cruz de Huanacaxtle. La Cruz schedules loud parties in the town square for nearly the entire month of April so there’s always lots to see.
Bev and Mark got off the boat and took an Uber 40 minutes away to Puerto Vallarta to catch a flight home. Mark had to return to work and Bev was going to celebrate her mom’s 90th birthday with her. Kevin (and Riley) will stay on the boat in the La Cruz marina and begin preparing it for putting to bed for hurricane season that begins in June. Since this area is a hurricane zone our insurance company requires us to moor the boat in a hurricane hole (Paradise Village). Hurricane season in this area runs late May thru October.
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