Back to Paradise Village, Nuevo Vallarta

Having done what I wanted to do (other than surfing) in Mantanchen, and needing supplies and restaurants that weren't readily available there, I decided to head down to Chacala.  After spending several days anchored in Chacala Cove, it was once again time to move on.  I had an uneventful, if lengthy, motorsail back to Punta de Mita.  However, that evening a routine check revealed that the circuit breaker for the autopilot and depth sounder had failed.  Well, I could hand steer the ten miles or so I had to go, and while I would prefer to have the sounder to get into Nuevo Vallarta because it is very shallow, I planned to go in at high tide and I know the harbor.  (If I had further to go, I would have connected them to a different circuit as a temporary fix.)  Surprisingly, the breaker functioned once again the next morning.  My guess is that the old and tired breaker got just warm enough in the tropical heat to trip.  By morning it had cooled off enough to able to reset.  While it still needs to be replaced, luck seemed to be with me as it would make the passage much easier.  On the way, a pod of dolphins came by to play in the bow wave.  That's always a good omen!  And, more good luck:  the dredge pipe that had been in the middle of the fairway in front of the fuel dock in La Cruz was gone when I came in for fuel!  My good fortune continued as I had no problems getting into my new slip in Paradise Village Marina.

I'm now in the early stages of the transition into maintenance mode and summer indolence.  I've already checked in with the port captain, done laundry and generated a much too long list of necessary projects.  And, after having been on the hook in remote places or small Mexican towns, I'm suffering a bit of culture shock in Paradise Village.  It sometimes seems like a strange and surreal version of a U.S. retirement community.

From Mantanchen I had a pleasant motorsail back to Chacala. 

After several days in Chacala, I continued south to Punta de Mita,

then from there back to Paradise Village in Nuevo Vallarta

after a short fuel stop in La Cruz.

The dinghy at the landing beach in Chacala

My normally reliable little Yamaha outboard started acting

balky and on my last trip back to Circadian, failed to start.

Not a big deal to row, but another item for 'the list."

The path from the dinghy beach into town

I explored the little town a bit more and 

discovered I seem to have a little store.

Two stores!  One on each end of town.

I walked the full length of the beach to the less developed

south end.  This is looking back toward town and the

anchorage.

Very pretty.  Note the house (?) on the hill on the left.

I discovered a beautiful and secluded mid-size

hotel/retreat called the Mar de Jade Resort.

It bills itself as a spa/yoga and wellness retreat.

Hidden behind it is the much smaller Majahua, hotel, bar

gallery and spa.  Very secluded in the jungle with a great view

and a slow-food restaurant.

View from the path up to the Majahua.  Circadian is visible

in the distance.

Great sunsets every night.

After a few days, I was ready to move on and left early

to make the long run to Punta de Mita.

The next sunset was in Punta de Mita.

Looking more than 15 miles across Banderas Bay from

Punta de Mita.

The nearby Tres Marietas Islands

Leaving the next morning for La Cruz and Paradise Village.

The breaker for the autopilot and depth sounder had failed

the night before, but miraculously came back to life in the

morning, so I didn't have to hand steer half the day.

On the way I encountered what I later determined to be a

pod of dolphins encircling a school of fish to trap them 

and feed on them.

Later, another pod came over to play in

Circadian's bow wave.  These guys were more

active than most, and several times jumped

clear out of the water.

The water was so clear I could easily

see them swimming underwater.

Dolphin's-eye view of an approaching tourist catamaran.

Underwater view.

Dolphins, in, out of and under the water

After filling up the fuel tanks in La Crruz (the dredge pipe

was gone, fortunately), I got into my new slip with no

problems thanks to the help of a couple of the marina guys.

It's a bit far out, and not the best location, but it will do.

First chore was checking in with the port captain, which

requires a water taxi ride across the harbor.  But it was

very fast and easy.

I've got a long list of maintenance/repair items to complete

while I'm here.  My first project was rigging a way to make

it easy to use the kayak daily for exercise and photography.

I was able to hang the fully rigged kayak

by a couple of rope loops from the side of 

Circadian and the bow of the dinghy.  The lift

handles simply get inserted into

(or removed from) the loops to stow or launch. 

Tried it this morning and it works great.

And finally, a flower pic!