February 16th to 24th, 2008 LA CRUZ DE HUANACAXTLE AKA "LA CRUZ"

La Cruz is the best anchorage in the Bahia de Banderas. Sunup to sunset it is a busy place. The new marina is open, but is still under construction. My 649 beach house is pictured above. The town center retains it's small town feel.

Full moon rising, followed by a full eclipse.

Day trip to Bucerias. Great restaurants, market featuring local artisans and an interesting church with 1/2 walls topped by ironwork. A dove drops in for a blessing.

Party aboard SV "Nataraja", hosted by Eric and Emmy. Eric shows off his lures (it looks like he caught himself judging by his expression).

Into PV to pick up Mike and Cathy at the airport. We made two trips as we got the date wrong and showed up a day early (better then a day late says I). The night they did arrive the hwy closed due to a fire and we spent the first night in a PV hotel. We finally made the boat.

Before heading out for a cruise with Mike and Cathy, we took in the live bands at Ana Banana. Our visit is immortalized on the stairway.

February 13th to 15th, 2008 CHACALA

I cannot believe we have no pictures of Chacala. It is a small anchorage, with a beautiful beach, clear water and lovely village. The anchorage has a bit of swell so we used a stern anchor, which kept our bow into it, regardless of the wind direction. I went in alone, in the dingy, to report to the Port Captain. The dingy landing area was hidden behind a rock jetty so I did not see it. I attempted to land on the main beach and got rolled in the surf. Everything, except me and the OB motor were in waterproof bags, so the main loss was to my dignity and the 4 hours it took to strip and clean the OB motor (Yes it still works, after this its 2nd salt water bath!). On the plus side I provided the main entertainment for everyone on the beach and in the anchorage. To add insult to injury, the Port Captain was not in.

The water was clear and warm so I finished cleaning the boat's bottom, a project started in Isla Isabela. It takes three 1 to 2 hour sessions to do this, using snorkel gear and a small soft brush.

We really liked Chacala and will have to return to take pictures.