Hi all my ship shapers,
We’ve been keeping up with our ship shape but not with posting about it. Urg. We’ve been in the Sea Of Cortez enjoying lots of free diving, snorkeling, fishing, and hiking. We have also enjoyed the lack of Internet.
Here’s a few pictures from our satphone (low quality) with a few exercises to do on the boat underway.
Exercise #1 pull ups from the back stay. Not only does this strengthen arms and shoulders, but also gives your hands a good workout.
Exercise #2 chin ups from the Rat lines
Exercise #3 Toes-to-nose using whatever place (back stay for Christian, the dodger for Taj, I like to use the Companion way)
Well, the little bugger turned 3 and is quickly filling his daddy’s shoes. From skateboarding, diving head first into pools and holding his breath for which feels like forever, climbing up to the second row of our rat lines, to a new fascination for matchbox cars. Taj is definitely Christian Lauducci’s son.
We had a great day yesterday celebrating with our cruising friends in La Cruz. Boat school as usual in the morning, which this time included math and reading in the form of making GF Brownies! Yet another boat, Cat2fold dragging down on us, was successful re-anchored with the help of fellow anchorage peeps. Taj, of course, was butt naked on the rat lines, watching the whole process. Another reminder of how good our Mantus anchor is. Apparently the area in which we are anchored in is know for lousy silty holding. We haven’t had any issues the whole three weeks that we’ve been in his spot for our own boat, but this is the second boat that has been rescued from dragging down on us in the last week!
After the excitement of boat dragging shenanigans, and a nice windy and wet dingy ride to shore, it was time to prepare for the party. La Cruz Marina is super family friendly. With a poolside deli and picnic area right in the Marina, it is a perfect kids birthday party location. 10 other kid boats attended and more non-kid boats as well! SV Alert, Cape D, Cielo Grande, Coastal Drifter, Kenta Anae, Nomi, Raireva, Riki Tiki Tavi, Terrapin, Valella Valella. Also present: Sea Fox, Wino Rhino, Landfall.
Four birthdays in the last 8 months and I’ll be the last to have a birthday since leaving on our adventure. All have been amazing thanks to the cruising community. Thanks for all the well wishes. Looking forward to many more sailor/cruising birthday celebrations in the years to come.
Tenacatita is a lovely anchorage situated south of Puerto Vallarta and about 10 miles north of Barra de Navidad, Mexico at WPT 19 17.9’N 104 50.3’W. This particular spot draws cruisers in for multiple days and for some, becomes an annual home for months during the winter season.
A few of the long term transient occupants have made Tenacatita into its own unique sailing community. Daily swims to the beach at 1:30, followed by bocci ball on the beach or a stroll to one end of the beach and back. Afterward a beverage and/or meal at the one and only palapa near the river mouth. Every Friday at 5:30 the “Mayor’s Raft Up”, organized by Robert Gleser aboard SV Harmony, provides the community opportunity to meet each other and learn about one another when otherwise you might not get the chance to. Plus a chance to taste what other cruisers eat. Everyone brings a dish and it gets passed around from dinghy to dinghy!
Provisions are nil at Tenacatita, so one must either land taxi, sail, or take a skiff 2 miles over to La Manzanilla or sail to Barra Navidad. The seclusion is part of what draws cruisers here. It’s worth the extra effort to get supplies.
We hopped in and out of Tenacatita during a two month span. Our first visit was shortly after the New Year and our last was during the second week of March. Our days consisted mostly of a morning 45 ish minute swim for me, a kayak or free dive/spear fishing for Christian, beach going, and mangrove adventures for the kids. We had lots of people to visit including kids boats. At one point we counted 46 boats in the anchorage!
I put together a little video to show the expierience that we had while we were there. See below.
Here is a list of some of the boats we saw in Tenacatita. If you were there and don’t see your name on the list, or if I misspelled your name, please contact us so we can add you to it! Also, send me a link for your blog if you’d like me to link you.
