La Cruz de Huanacaxtle

We arrived in early January and left almost 3 weeks later. La Cruz is that kind of place - time kind of melts away. Days pass - busy days - but after a few days it sort of blends together into a tropical warmth that washes over you. There is a steady rhythm, from the late winter sunrises to the strong sun at mid-day that pours on the heat even in January. Every time you venture out a new intersection presents itself, sailing angle arises, or stunning piece of natural beauty appears. The weekly rhythms of the marina denote the passage of time - the six-day-a-week 8:30 AM radio net on 22A or the Sunday market along the breakwater.

Sunrise over the mountains south of Puerta Vallarta, we spent time at anchor at Punta Minta and La Cruz Anchorage, and on dock at Marina La Cruz

We all spent quite a bit of time trying to improve surfing with trips to Sayulita and La Lancha. Both were special in their own right, with nice beach breaks, long shallow beaches, and consistent waves.

Surfing at Sayulita

We raced our mobile home - aka our sailboat - on the weekends in the Vallarta Cup. We raced with fellow cruisers one day and just as a family the next. Everyone got super into it, with the hours of racing being periods of intense focus on sails, angles, rounding marks, and rules-of-the-road discussions.

We even just went out for afternoon sails - the wind often came up in the afternoon and led to spectacular out-and-backs south into Banderas Bay. The most special part was the proliferation of humpbacks. Some estimates put the number over 80 in the bay right now. We saw big ones, small ones, tail slapping, breaching, and dives. These spectacular creatures roam thousands of miles in some of the last large migrations left on earth.

The community here is remarkable. There are lot of cruisers coming and going and tons of help provided when asked for. Everyone is quick to offer a suggestion or recommend someone who can help with a problem. A lot of kid boats, a term used to describe cruising boats with children aboard, meant there were often activities to do or a new friend to make. We watched Top Gun Maverick in the outdoor marina amphitheater surrounded by fellow cruisers.

We also spent time in the darker corners of our boat fixing various things. Stuff breaks all the time. If you can largely keep up, I think you are pulling par. We have a leaky propeller shaft seal, a bow thruster that stopped working on one direction, and the list goes on. Our engine needed a regular, but major service. All of this adds up to hours spent learning, experimenting, searching, attempting, and occasionally actually fixing.

It’s been lovely here in La Cruz. We look forward to coming back as we head back north this spring.