December 16, 2017
We had heard rumblings of a second waterfall in Yelapa and after doing some Googling we had some rough directions. While they did get us to the destination, they still left something to be desired, so here are hopefully very clear and easy to follow directions for anyone else hoping to enjoy swimming and playing in more gorgeous of the…
December 15, 2017
The rumor mill was packed with things about Yelapa but we tried to come into it without expectations or reservations. Straight out of the gate it got interesting. About a mile out a panga came to meet us and introduces himself as “Bule Bule” and says follow me to a mooring ball. Good start. About half way back another panga…
December 13, 2017
A warm welcome at the docks by our friends Helen and Ralph from Moon Drifter. After sharing Thanksgiving together in La Paz we went our separate ways. The yacht club was a perfect way to reconnect over dinner and catch up on the past few weeks. Not shockingly, we settled in to urban living quite fast and relearned what it…
December 11, 2017
This adventure is supposed to be about sailing, right? So when the winds picked up after motoring out of Chacala out came the screecher. Motorsailing along we decided to put out the fishing lines even though the freezer was looking good in the pescado department. Fish on! The wind was from a good angle so up came the main sail…
December 10, 2017
Could I live here? I’d definitely put it in the very firm maybe category. Which is saying a lot from me. This town is top of my list for the mainland. Gorgeous beach, check. Kick ass food, check. Nice locals, check. Not too big, check. Good ratio Mexican/Gringos, check. Sign me up for a few days in this slice of…
December 6, 2017
My initial thought was to dinghy to shore and then grab a bus into San Blas for a look around. Vicki suggested we just take the dingy straight to San Blas. I was a little apprehensive but figured this was a chance to expand the envelope of my comfort zone (I get nervous once past the distance that would be…
December 5, 2017
We heard horror stories about the jejenes (little biting bugs) so while in Mazatlán we bought some black veil material and Vicki slaved over needle and thread to fashion us bug screens for the large saloon windows. And yes we absolutely needed them. But let me back up a bit. Matanchén beach from Strikhedonia We arrived in the afternoon from…
December 4, 2017
We departed Mazatlán around 6:30pm for our 100nm overnight passage to Isla Isabel, which has been called the Galapagos of Mexico. The passage was mostly motorsailing, which isn’t a bad thing since visiting Isla Isabel is only suitable in calm weather due to poor holding over a rocking bottom with patches of sand. We did manage a few hours with…
December 2, 2017
There is something meditative about climbing up a hill for me. So every place we stop, I look for places to go hiking. The lighthouse (Faro) in Mazatlán is a famous spot to capture pictures of the city from above. Easy to access from the centro district, it takes maybe twenty minutes to walk to the base of the hill.…
December 1, 2017
The main reason we stuck around Mazatlán was to get the boat washed, polished, and waxed. After Louis and his guys on dock 4 at Marina Mazatlán finished, the fiberglass on Strikhedonia was shining better than any other time we have owned her, and all for a very reasonable price. Our boat wasn’t the only thing that needed work done.…
November 30, 2017
After getting our bearings and organizing the boat following the passage, it was time to go off exploring Mazatlan. The “green” Sabalo Centro bus picks up just outside of the marina and for 11 pesos will take you to the heart of the downtown district.
November 26, 2017
Crossing to the mainland is all about timing. It can be a tranquil thirty hours or a hair-raising, humbling experience. I am willing to wait for the former, however we were lucky and our schedule lined up perfectly for a mellow crossing. We pulled up anchor at 5:00am to snuck out of the anchorage while everyone else was asleep. There…