Land trip

Roger outdid himself this year for Valentines, he knew what I needed after six weeks on the boat was a little pool time and an unlimited shower. So on Feb. 13 he checked us into the Gran Bay Hotel in Bara de Navidad. This is the beautiful resort as you enter the lagoon that has mega yachts in the marina, yoga on the beach, freshly rolled cigars for the gentlemen and gardens that anyone would love. It is so lush and everything grows, no green thumb problems on this premise.

The pool is actually three levels with slides connecting them which was great fen for Rog. He finally was able to maneuver all three in a row without spilling a drop of his margarita, it took a lot of practice and more than one margarita! I found sitting by the pool even though the sun never really came out more to my liking. I did stray from the lounge long enough to enjoy water aerobics and yoga on the beach. Yes there was something for everyone but we kept Rog off the tennis courts.

The marina is not very full but the Mexican idea is to charge more for a slip the fewer boats so the price is quite high. Rog was telling me they want $2.70 a foot per night. Add to that taxes and electricity and you can understand why we left the boat in the lagoon. However the biggest drawback is the water, you can not make water in the dirty water and you wouldn't drink the water on the docks. Tanks have to be full when you bring the boat in.

My big treat was dinner at Antonio's on Valentines and it was fabulous. It was a five course meal with a main course of lobster in a vanilla sauce. The table was set with fine china and they had roses sprinkled over the table. There was even candles, how romantic!

We are back on the boat now over in Tenacatita. We are expecting Laurie and Jay Ailworth today to come down to stay with us for a few days. We will be heading back to PV early next week. The generator is acting a bit wonky so power may become a problem for us. It has been working well until now but cruising is all about fixing the boat in exotic anchorages.

Spoke too soon

Saturday was a beautiful day in Tenacatita, sun was out and it was heating up nicely. Sunday the weather turned overcast and cool again so now it is Monday and we have high clouds that hide the sunshine we are craving. Temperture ranges between 70 and 80 so we shouldn't complain too much. Water in the pool has dropped considerably though, it was 78 degrees when we can in January and now the water is only 70! Water play is down to a minimum, Rog has only dove the bottom once this week.

The first picture was taken looking south towards La Manzanilla where we go by dingy at least once a week to get fresh produce. Additionally there is a truly amazing meat/fish/cheese market run by a Canadian. I bought his humus last week for the community raft up and there was non left so I will repeat that purchase this week. The second picture is looking north towards the beach at Tenacatita and you will see a bit more blue sky. The fleet here in the bay hopes the blue sky prevails so the girls can have a great swim to shore before the afternoon games begin. I think it is Mexican train today.

As you remember, last year I was always posting stories about Rog fixing something on the boat. This year it has all about fixing Rog! Between his back acting up the entire month of November and his sprained ankle that kept him off his feet for two months he has not had time to address the boat. Now he is feeling great and ready to tackle projects like straightening his work bench, cleaning and polishing of our stainless rails, the bilge needs a bit of attention and most important check the safety of our hammock. We have guests coming and we don't want that to suddenly collapse.

Sunshine again!

Saturday morning and we have sunshine! It has been more than a week of clouds and light rain so we are ready for what today promises including a leisurely swim to the beach. We are anchored next to our friends Linda and Orlando on Cuba Libre 3 which should bring lively political discussions and boat ideas. Orlando is sporting great solar lights on his lifelines which really illuminates his boat when at anchorage. He stores them when he is under way.

Internet is very slow here in Tenacatita so my blogs will be a bit shorter than usual but I will try again later today. I need to upload more pictures from my camera and have to wait until Rog turns on the inverter. We are having a bit of a problem with the generator so we are keeping our power useage to a minimum for now.

RAIN? WHAT?

The proverbial weatherman exists even down here in Tenacatita and was predicting rain for the better part of a week. Unlike what is going on in California we have actually had rain now for five straight days. It was heaviest over the weekend but rain just the same. This caused a slight change in our plans but cruisers have learned to be ever flexible because of weather conditions. We would not be dropping the dingy in the water to run over to La Manzanillo for market day. Di sat around and worked on the taxes for the better part of Saturday and then insisted Rog turn on the inverter Sunday for a day of chick flicks.

With the rain and the humidity a couple of the doors had swelled and would no longer close. So out came the cutting tools and in short order after a little attention they all fit. After all his hard work on a dark and dank rainy day Rog was rewarded with popcorn and beer. Best of all our anchor held through the strongs gusts that accompanied the rain. Several other boats could not say that.

P

During a break in the rain we left Tenacatita Sunday morning for a quick trip to Bara de Navidad. Rog had arranged a two day escape from the boat to the magnificant Grand Bay Hotel for extra hot water and pool time. Valentines Day was not going to escape his attention this year.

With a break in the rain we went ashore for cocktails at sunset with friends Eric, Marilyn, Jim, Diane, Dennis and Pamila. The margaritas were strong, the views spectacular and sunset outstanding.

I will report on the Grand Bay hotel in my next blog