THE GRAND EXODUS BEGINS

March 18-21, 2019

I felt too lousy on Monday to hit the gym, but I dragged myself to Bucerias by 11:00 for my nail appointment, only to find that the salon was closed for Benito Juarez’ birthday.  I contemplated doing errands, but ended up just taking the bus back and doing nothing for the rest of the day.

I didn’t get up to run on Tuesday, either, and finally broke down and started taking antibiotics.  I did very little all day but managed to make it to Unleashed by 17:00 for happy hour and a tour of the boat I would be assisting to cross to La Paz.  I was surprised to find a full scale party in progress, when I arrived, complete with sangria and appetizers.  We sat and socialized until after 20:00 and then headed, en masse, for Falconi’s in search of pizza.  Unfortunately, Falconi’s was closed on Tuesdays, as was Red Chairs.  We ended up having a very nice pizza feast at Casa Hule where they dragged out an extra table to seat all of us.  Few restaurants were open on Tuesdays and they were crowded.

The Twenty-Five Peso Store in Bucerias

My digestive tract felt better by Wednesday, but I still felt weak and was starting to get a sore throat.  I didn’t want to get sick for the crossing to La Paz, so stayed in and rested most of the day.  I did get a chance to catch up on my blog, which was weeks behind.

I had tried to text my manicurist on Wednesday to reschedule my appointment but didn’t receive a response.  By Thursday afternoon, I had started to lose nails and couldn’t really play the guitar.  I took a bus up to Bucerias about 15:00, only to find the salon packed.  I made an appointment for the following day and walked across Bucerias to the 25 peso store to buy clothespins for Scout.  I kept losing them overboard and we were getting low.  I was finally starting to feel better.

March 22, 2019

I finally got myself moving on Friday morning and went to the gym.  I hadn’t been able to make my nail appointment until noon, so I showered at the gym and then walked up the street to Chedraui to buy plastic storage bins.  My departure was approaching and, as our departure date was weather dependent, I needed to be ready to leave on short notice.  Our house sitters tended to use my room, so I wanted to pack up all my things and leave the room ready.

That errand didn’t take long, so I piled the bins on top of my head and walked back down the lateral to the Lateral Café for a Frappuccino while I waited.  It was difficult to walk on cobblestones with a stack of boxes on my head because I couldn’t look down.  Where the road got too rough, I had to carry them in front of me.  The waitress at the café felt sorry for me.  I was only sorry because I would be leaving soon.

I got my nails done at noon and, having lost most of the acrylic, decided to try just gel polish on all but my right thumb.  I was betting that, after two years of not biting the acrylic nails, I could refrain from chewing them off without the plastic coating.  I was rewarded by only having to pay 150 pesos or about $7.50.

I got lucky and a bus was waiting at the stop when I crossed the highway.  It was much easier to drag my bins aboard a full-sized bus than trying to squeeze them into a combi.  I got a seat near the door , so was able to get back off without incident when I reached La Cruz.  The only downside to the bus was that I had to walk farther, since the bus only stopped at regular intervals.  I spent the rest of the afternoon resting after my exertions.

I wanted to be sure to make it to the Poolside Deli for my domino game at 17:00, since it might quite possibly be my last game of the season.  I must not have been alone because we had such a large crowd that we had to break into three tables.  We played until 19:00.  Paul and Carol were there and we discussed the effect of the projected weather on our departure.  We needed three days without a north wind to make the crossing.  Paul couldn’t leave before the following Wednesday and a norther was predicted to kick in on Thursday.  If nothing changed, we would have to wait until after that wind event to make our crossing.

March 23, 2019

I had had trouble sleeping on Friday night, so did not get up in time to run on Saturday.  I did manage to get my laundry done, which I had not had time to do the day before.  I read most of the afternoon and, before I knew it, it was time to meet my friends for dinner.

Karen and I had been running around with John and Janice’s Canadian entourage (Ed and Carol, Ted and Connie) all season. Carol had discovered a new rib joint down the street from Agave Azul where a new concrete stretch of road had replaced the washed out section where the river ran during the rainy season.  The “restaurant” was actually just a few tables in someone’s yard and on the street in front of their property.  They were only open on Saturdays from 17:00 to 22:30 and served only ribs with mashed potatoes and coleslaw.  The chef, who also cooked the ribs for the Octopus’ Garden and Fondo del Mar in Punta Mita, was busy on the other nights of the week.  A rib dinner cost only 130 pesos or 190 pesos for a full rack.  This was about 65 pesos less than I was used to paying and the portions of sides was generous.  A half rack was plenty for me.

Carol, Karen and Ed Eating Ribs

With eight of us at the table, it was a noisy party and the place was hopping.  They had quite a crowd of regulars who showed up as soon as they opened so as to be sure not to miss out on the good, cheap food.  We all hoped that the new road wouldn’t wash out over the summer and take their business with it.  They could not have set up tables in the river bed.

La Boquita at the Octopus' Garden

It was Ed and Carol’s last night in Mexico, so we were celebrating.  After dinner, we strolled up to the Octopus’ Garden to see La Boquita, a troupe of flamenco musicians and dancers.  The group had a guitarist, a singer/cajon player, and two dancers.  There was also a cellist who played a couple of songs with them.  I was pleased to see that they were joined for the evening by Juan Ramirez, the flamenco guitarist from Cheko Ruiz’ band.  Unbeknownst to me, he turned out to be quite talented at singing in the gypsy style.  The woman who played the cajon also had a lovely voice.  This singing was a nice change from the largely instrumental flamenco music that we usually heard.

The dancers were also a nice change.  One of them did an amazing dance balancing on just the edges of her shoe heels.  They danced singly and together, with fans, canes, and shawls.  Juan added a lot to the show.  The audience appreciated the performance and gave them a standing ovation but there were only three tables of us.  Karen and I had tried to go see them in December, but that show had been cancelled due to lack of interest.  It was always difficult to attract an audience for a new band.  The competition in La Cruz was stiff.

After the show, we repaired to John and Janice’s to eat cheesecake and wish Ed and Carol farewell.  We made a noisy party as we teased each other about our various health issues.  Clearly, we were not teenagers anymore.  It was sad to say goodbye and made all of us realize how little time remained in the season.  I was only slightly comforted by the fact that I was only leaving La Cruz, not Mexico.

March 24, 2019

I spent a lazy morning and then practiced and did my writing for the week, finally bringing my blog up to date.  Cherie, John, and I rearranged the living room.  I was waiting for a message from John and Janice telling me what time to meet for the evening’s game of Rummikub.  We needed to get in at least one game before someone had to leave.

I spent the entire afternoon and evening hanging around the house but never heard from John and Janice.  I read and practiced the guitar and even started packing.  Eventually, about 22:00, I gave up and watched a Mexican crime show on Netflix.

MUSIC ALL OVER NAYARIT

March 11-12, 2019

Monday was a gym day.  I was feeling a bit under the weather as a result of something I ate at the race banquet, but I pressed myself to work out, anyway.  I spent a relaxing day at home, writing and practicing. 

Despite my lethargy, I made it to the Octopus’ Garden in time to see Perla singing with Tatewari.  Perla is a very talented vocalist in her own right and I always enjoyed her performances with Tatewari.  They played a very different set when she accompanied them, with more traditional Mexican songs. 

 

Perla Singing with Tatewari

 

It was Tatewari’s last concert of the season and they were in a festive mood.  The show ended with fireworks shooting out of the end of their guitars.  I had spent the whole evening trying to figure out what they had attached to the heads of their instruments and that answered my question.  We had a lot of fun.  Still, I was glad the show didn’t go late because I was ready to hit the hay.

Tatewari with Flaming Guitars

Tuesday Sunrise

I wasn’t feeling energetic Tuesday morning, but managed one lap around the marina, despite having overslept.  The sunrise was exceptional.  I spent another slow day at home and finally managed to complete a blog post.  I had not been in the mood to write for quite some time, possibly because I had already written almost everything there was to write about La Cruz.

La Fonda Cocqui (Tacos Across the Street)

We tried to go to Tacos on the Street for dinner, but discovered that they were closed on Tuesdays.  La Fonda Cocqui (also known as Tacos Across the Street) was open and doing a land office business.  We ate there, instead.  The food was just as good as the first time we had eaten there and, while I did not order one, I learned that they served margaritas.  I filed that information away for later.

March 13, 2019

I got up early and sat in the cockpit to watch the dawn.  Whatever had invaded my digestive tract was an early riser.  After the net, I went to the gym.  I managed to complete my aerobic workout, but felt too weak to do any weight training.

We had tickets to see Luna Rumba and Media Luna at Los Arroyos Verdes that evening.  My friend, Marc, had arranged a van to take eleven of us out there at 17:00.  We gathered in the square and were only a few minutes late getting started. 

It seemed like everyone attending the concert had the same idea of getting there early and eating dinner at the taco bar.  Sixty pesos bought you three small, very greasy, pre-prepared tacos, some slimy nopal salad and beans if you got there before we did.  The taco “bar” consisted of salsa and shredded cabbage.  The price was right, but the result was disappointing.  Still, the idea had been popular and there were more people trying to eat than seats in the eating area.  It was a mob scene.  We ate as fast as we could and then headed to the concert area where we had staked out seats as soon as they opened the gate.  There were twelve of us once Karen joined the party.

 

Media Luna Playing with Luna Rumba 

 Luna Rumba started the show, playing five now familiar songs from their repertoire.  Then they were joined by the three guitarists from Media Luna and played a mix of original Media Luna pieces and Luna Rumba favorites.  It was incredibly exciting to see them all playing together.  It is not often that you get five amazing guitarists simultaneously playing flamenco.  Each attempted to outdo the others.  Luna Rumba is an energetic band, but the boys from Media Luna definitely cranked the energy up a notch or two.  By the time they finished their set, I was exhausted.  I think I had been holding my breath.

Caleb and Jair of Media Luna

The band gave us an intermission to recover after the Media Luna set.  Everybody was so energized, it was hard to get us seated again, but there was more to come.  Chas Eller joined the band on keyboards after the intermission.  He had produced and played on the original Luna Rumba’s first studio album.  He and Geo began the set with a jazz rendition of Fly Me to the Moon.

Luna Rumba played a few more songs and then the dancing horses returned to dance to Geo’s song, Bailando Los Caballos.  It always amazed me that those poor horses could perform in a crowded space with all the crowd and loud music.  Any horse I had had would have bolted.  They looked a little wild-eyed but did what their riders asked of them.  They were amazingly well trained.  I was interested to learn that one of the horses belonged to the owner of the La Cruz Inn, which explained why they danced there on Friday evenings.  Their performances had become quite popular.

Geo Playing in the Audience

Lily in Her Wildest Costume

After the horses, Luna Rumba played some excellent Mana and Santana covers and Geo even played while strolling through the audience.  Lily danced for the crowd in increasingly exotic costumes.  Then Media Luna rejoined the band for the grand finale and, of course, encore.  It was by far the longest show of the season.  No one wanted them to stop playing.  They got a well-deserved standing ovation.  It was easily the best show I had seen all season.  I sincerely hoped they would spend the low season recording a new album.

Our taxi driver returned to take us back to La Cruz and Marc flagged him down with a blue light like a miniature version of the ones used to direct aircraft into gates.  It was midnight by the time we got home and very late for the crew of Scout.

March 14-16, 2019

Thursday Sunrise

I managed a couple of laps around the marina on Thursday morning, although I still felt under par.  That evening, nearly the entire marina turned out to watch Bohemian Rhapsody at the amphitheater.  I enjoyed it just as much the second time, although the sound wasn’t so great.  It was clear that everybody there loved Queen and Freddie Mercury.  His incredible talent seemed to have overcome people’s prejudices.

Friday was another gym day and I still felt weak.  I struggled through my cardio workout, once again, but had to go slowly on the rowing machine.  I spent the day resting and doing laundry.  Still, I managed to make it to the Mexican Train Dominoes happy hour, although I passed on the margaritas.

Scout was planning to leave on Saturday morning, so Friday was Greg and Blair’s last night in La Cruz.  We went to Tacos on the Street for dinner with Tom and Cary from Dragon’s Toy and were joined by the entire race crew of Pinocchio.  The tacos were even better than remembered.  They only serve one kind of meat, grilled beef, but it was excellent.  They are the only restaurant in town where you can get cheese on your tacos.  You might think that they cater only to gringos, but the place is always half-full with Mexican patrons, many of whom have spent the day at the beach in La Manzanilla.  Everybody likes Tacos on the Street.

We lounged for a bit in the cockpit after dinner.  It was my last night on Scout for a few weeks, so I lingered.  I was looking forward to sleeping in my own bed and not having to shuttle back and forth from house to boat, but was going to miss the boat, crew, and dock neighbors.

Scottie in Paradise

Once again, I did a couple of laps around the marina on Saturday morning.  There was a cute little white Scottie that walked in the mornings.  He always followed quite a distance behind his owner, his short little legs scrambling to keep up.  While dogs are supposed to be leashed on the marina property, they are free to roam in the town.  It’s a great place to be a dog, although they are often injured by cars or occasionally poisoned.  My dog would have loved the weather in La Cruz but I could not take him with me when crewing, so he had to remain shivering at home.

I stayed with the boat through coffee and the net and then went home and let them get on with their preparations to leave.  By noon, they were off Punta Mita and heading north.  I was still feeling lousy, so hung around the house doing as little as possible.

March 17, 2019

I slept late on Sunday and generally relaxed until it was time to meet Karen for our trip to the Chacala Music Festival.  Marc joined us.  Chacala is a two-hour drive up the coast to the north.  As Chacala is outside the Banderas Bay area, they are on Mountain, rather than Central, time so we gained an hour driving up there. 

The previous year, I had gone for three days and rented a room there.  The festival had been disappointing so, for 2019, I had decided to just go for one day to enjoy the beach at Chacala.  It was a lovely spot.

We arrived just in time to have tacos at a restaurant overlooking the plaza.  I had shrimp tacos despite the fact that I was still suffering from the shrimp I had eaten a week before.  They were delicious.  Shrimp was one of the best things about living in Nayarit.  I seldom ate it anywhere else.

The Beach at Chacala

We took our chairs to the beach, after lunch, and spent the afternoon reading and munching ice cream from the vendor who passed by.  I tried the yaka flavored ice cream and found it quite tasty.  It was a three-day weekend for Benito Juarez’ birthday and the beach was wall to wall umbrellas.  Kids were surfing inflatable mattresses in the breakers.  We sat on the beach until the professional music began about 19:00, electing to pass up the school kids’ performances.

The festival had always been held in the campground at the edge of town, but a dispute with squatters had led to the burning of the campground buildings and the festival had been downsized and moved to the small central plaza.  This turned out to be a good thing, as the old location was gorgeous but always seemed empty.  The new location was more intimate,  The organizers had shortened the music from three to two days, which was also a good thing as they had had trouble filling the bill with good acts.

The Plaza Where the Festival Was Held

I had chosen Sunday to go because Cheko Ruiz was playing.  He was the only band I recognized from the schedule released in advance.  When we got there, we discovered that Tatewari would be playing just before him.

Tatewari (sort of) at Chacala

The first band was Trio Descante, featuring a singer, drummer, and bassist who also played melody on a six-string bass.  They played Brazilian music and were very enjoyable.  We were pleasantly surprised.  

“Tatewari” was actually Esau and Lobo plus Daniel, as Sonny had returned to Canada and Mimi was probably playing another gig.  They were seated near us and we had stopped to chat with them and Cheko earlier.  It was fun to watch them watch the other bands.  We were the La Cruz rooting section.

Cheko's Band Got the Whole Crowd Dancing

Cheko’s band came on at 21:00 and played a long set.  The crowd loved them and everyone was dancing.  Despite it being late on Sunday night, no one showed sign of flagging.

Cheko's Fabulous Trumpeter

  Check out Cheko's earlier concert in Chacala on YouTube.

The last band on the schedule was Sonidos de Mi Tierra, which was billed as regional music and dance from around Mexico.  We were expecting the usual Ballet Folklorico with recorded music, but were surprised with a very talented group of young musicians and dancers with fabulous costumes.  They were very professional and had released a number of albums.  No one showed signs of leaving during their performance.

 

Sonidos de Mi Tierra

We were tired by the time that set ended at 23:30, but there was still another act to follow.  Two young men, Donas and his fellow musician, at least one of whom was from La Cruz, played a short set of original music and they were very good.  As tired as I was, I had no desire to leave before they finished.

It was midnight in Chacala when we finally headed for the car.  I nodded on and off during the drive home.  It was 3:00 AM in La Cruz when Karen dropped me off.  That was the latest I had stayed out in a very long time.  We vowed we would rent a room the following year.

BANDERAS BAY REGATTA 2019

March 4-5, 2019

The DHL Office in Mezcales

Monday was a busy morning.  I cleaned my room, changed the sheets, and did a load of laundry before I went to the gym.  I went home, showered and changed, and then headed to the DHL office in the El Faro shopping center in Mezcales to return the printer ink I had purchased from Amazon in error.  That went amazingly smoothly and I was soon back on a combi and headed for Sam’s Club where I changed to another combi headed for Paradise Village.  I got to Scout by mid-afternoon.

Greg wasn’t feeling well, so Blair and I walked up to the mall and ate dinner in the food court.  Going to Paradise Village was like taking a vacation in the United States.  There was a Starbucks, a McDonald's, a Domino’s Pizza, and a Subway.  I opted for a local burrito place and had a delicious and only slightly overpriced shrimp burrito.  Blair opted for Subway.  We brought a frozen yogurt smoothie back for Greg.

Paradise Village Marina at Dawn

I got up early on Tuesday and ran around to the Port Captain’s office and back.  After a shower and breakfast, I headed back to the immigration office and successfully collected my green card.  I was officially a legal resident of Mexico. 

Greg was still recovering, so we didn’t do much.  Cliff and Ray from Sea Note came over, thinking we were going to practice.  They helped us reinstall the jib which had been out to have the sun cover repaired and restitched.  Ray climbed the mast.  With nothing much else to do, they returned to their wives in La Cruz.

When evening came, Blair wasn’t hungry and I scraped together some pasta for Greg from what I could find in the refrigerator.

March 6, 2019

Wednesday was the boat parade and practice day.  The theme for the boat parade was Saturday Night Fever.  I had gone to the party store and purchased what paraphernalia I could find.  The entire crew dressed in wild sunglasses and gaudy gold chains.  The guys showed off their chest hair and the women sported feather boas.  We all danced a choreographed routine for the reviewing stand and the judges. It was a lot of fun.

 

Scout Crew Dressed for the Parade

Greg and Me in Our Disco Attire

We failed to take advantage of the practice starts, being too disorganized to arrive at the start line with our class.  We had intended to practice gybing the spinnaker but decided against it for some reason.  As Blair said, “What could possibly go wrong?”  We got back to the dock early and most of the crew dispersed.

When it was time for dinner, Blair, Greg and I ordered a sampling of dishes from the Italian restaurant in the mall and then repaired to McDonald’s for ice cream.

March 7, 2019

McDonald's Anti-Straw Campaign

I went for an early morning run to the Port Captain’s office and then Greg and I went to McDonald’s for breakfast.  Fifty-four pesos got me eggs with ham and an English muffin with juice.  The McDonald’s in Nuevo Vallarta was on a campaign to eliminate straws.  I wondered if such a thing could ever happen in the United States.  Mexico also had very different laws regarding employment discrimination.  It was perfectly legal to specify the age and sex of the employee one was seeking, as well as their educational level.  At McDonald’s, only young men were hired to work night shifts and only middle-aged women were sought for cleaning.  Most positions were filled by high school and university students.

Mexican Help Wanted Poster

 All the crew had arrived by the time we returned from breakfast and we soon left the dock and headed for the starting line.  There were four boats in our class: Talion (a Gulfstar 50 with a substantial handicap and our nemesis), Agave Azul (a Catalina 47’ with a puzzlingly large handicap), Mermaid Magnet (a Jeanneau 54 with the same rating as Scout), and Scout (a Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 52.2.)

We got off to a reasonably good, if uneventful, start and headed for the windward mark.  It quickly became apparent that, despite the fact that we owed them time, Agave Azul was the fastest boat in the fleet.  Mermaid Magnet withdrew early in the race when their electric winches failed, leaving us to duke it out with Talion for second place.  Cliff and Ray, the two brothers from Sea Note, turned out to be great crew and Cliff acted as tactician, as well as main trimmer.  I was on the foredeck, out of harm’s way, with Blair and Tom.  Greg drove and Ray, Lysa, and Cary trimmed.

Scout's Spinnaker

We managed to stay ahead of Talion in that first race, reaching the windward mark and setting the spinnaker without incident.  This was somewhat of a miracle, as we had not had a chance to practice together as a crew.  The sock on Scout’s spinnaker was a bit too short and a bit small in diameter, which often caused the fabric to jam when raising the sock.  The line was also a bit short so Blair, who was quite tall, could barely reach it.  We had clipped it to the mast with a light nylon line to keep it from flying up out of reach, but Blair was still concerned about the spinnaker taking him aloft like Tarzan.

Ray Trimming the Kite of Nuevo Vallarta

The day’s course required us to sail back to a mark off the beach near the starting line and then back to the windward mark before heading off to a mark near Puerto Vallarta.  We put up the chute a second time and reached off for the mark.  The other boats doused their chutes before rounding the mark, but we elected to gybe, planning to douse the chute later.  By the time we sorted out the gybe and prepared to douse the chute, we realized that the wind had dropped and we were carrying the chute just fine.  Carrying that chute all the way to the downwind mark allowed us to gain time on the other boats.  Agave Azul eventually put theirs back up, which permitted them to stay just ahead of us, but we left Talion in the dust and took second place for the day.

We were a merry crew as we sailed back to Paradise Village.  Greg had received two complimentary buffet tickets as part of his entry package and we elected to use them on Thursday night.  There was a reasonably good band and a nice seafood buffet.  Lysa went off to have dinner with Trisha and the Sea Note boys returned to their wives in La Cruz.  The rest of us spent a pleasant evening at the Vallarta Yacht Club party.

March 8, 2019

The Paradise Village Mall

Greg and I ate breakfast at the Moonstar Cafe and Pancake House in the Paradise Village Mall.  It was nice to sit down and be waited on but it seemed wrong to be eating in a modern shopping mall while cruising in Mexico.

After one day of staying home alone at the hotel, Trisha decided sailing wasn’t so bad after all and joined us for the race.  She didn’t want to participate in the sailing, but made sandwiches and acted as photographer.

  

Talion Squeezing Past Us

Mermaid Magnet was back for the second day of racing.  We squeezed them out at the start and they were determined not to be bested by their boat’s smaller, older sister.  They had no sense of humor.  We beat them to the windward mark, but they caught up to us as we reached towards Nuevo Vallarta.  They took our wind and then we took theirs.  This went on for some time with neither of us able to get clear ahead.  Agave Azul came up on the outside and passed us both.  Eventually, Talion caught up with us and got in between us.  Everyone was screaming and yelling as the boats were very close.  In the middle of that melee, a whale surfaced about a hundred feet in front of Talion.  They were so busy yelling at each other that they never even saw it.  I was sure someone would hit the whale, but it cleared out in a hurry.

The Happy Crew of Scout

There was another zoo at the mark and then we headed back towards the finish line.  The race remained close.  As we approached the finish line, it looked like Mermaid Magnet was going to best us.  At the last moment, we managed to get inside of them and tack over to cross the finish line half a boat length in front of them.  It was a very exciting finish and they were not pleased.  Due to the time we lost, messing with Mermaid Magnet, Talion edged us out for second place.  We came in third but felt like winners after having defeated Mermaid Magnet. 

The Sea Note bros headed back to La Cruz after the race.  The rest of us took a quick trip to the swimming pool to try out the crocodile water slides.  They were pretty amazing.  We whooped and hollered and generally made more racket than any of the children.  Then we retired to the hot tub at the adult “zombie” pool.

 

Trisha and Cary at Fajita Republic

For dinner, we took a cab to Fajita Republic, a lovely outdoor restaurant.  There were just a few too many of us to fit in the dinghy or we could have dinghied up there.  The restaurant was situated in the jungle on the river bank and featured an extensive menu of fajitas and other Mexican and American dishes.  I ordered a Mexican combo platter that was quite tasty.

It was almost Trisha’s birthday and the staff overheard us singing happy birthday and sent her a piece of birthday flan.  It was a fun evening out and we were sorry that Ray and Cliff hadn’t joined us.  Their wives weren’t interested in coming to Nuevo Vallarta for any of the festivities.

March 9, 2019

After another McDonald’s breakfast, we assembled the crew and set off for the last day of racing.  We had to beat Talion to hold onto second place for the regatta.  We were late to the start and had a tough time all day.  There was considerably more wind than there had been on the earlier days.

Rail Meat Going to Weather

 We doused the chute at the Puerto Vallarta mark but didn’t put it back into the bag because we planned to put it back up again after we cleared Nuevo Vallarta.  The thing was determined to fly away, so I had to hurl myself on top of it where the tack joined the bow to keep it from unfurling.  It was wet from a sloppy takedown and waves were breaking over the bow.  I was soon soaked to the skin.  I held it down nearly to Nuevo Vallarta before Blair took pity on me and gave me a respite.

Passing Georgia

Mermaid Magnet lost someone overboard and tangled their chute during their attempt to douse it.  The crew member was quickly rescued by the mark set boat, but the kite flew like a flag for at least an hour, causing them, once again, to withdraw from the race.  We charged along, nearly catching Agave Azul, but unable to get far enough ahead of Talion to beat them on corrected time.  Once again, we finished third.

Mermaid Magnet Flying Their Chute

We took a quick dip in the pool and hit the crocodile slide one more time.  Blair went down head first and skipped across the water like a stone upon entry.  Head first entries were not allowed and the pool monitor admonished him.  We were bad children.

The regatta concluded with a banquet on the beach at Paradise Village.  There was an Italian buffet and Luna Rumba played before and after the awards presentation.  We knew we were third in our class, but still harbored the hope that we had won the boat decorating contest from the boat parade.  Despite our superior choreography and great costumes, Agave Azul won that, too, with their inflatable flamingos.  We weren’t sure what flamingos had to do with Saturday Night Fever, but there was nothing we could do about it.  The Agave Azul folks were fun and friendly, so we couldn’t hate them.

The Scout Crew with Trophy at the Banquet on the Beach

Greg was still recovering from his cold and I hadn’t slept well the night before, so we left early.  I couldn’t believe I was walking out on Luna Rumba, but I could barely keep my eyes open and the beach wasn’t a great venue to hear their music.  Apparently, they played Happy Birthday for my housemate, Cherie, and I was sorry to have missed that.

March 10, 2019

I got up early on Sunday and ran north along the coast towards Mezcales.  We checked out of the marina when the office opened at 9:00 and had intended to take the water taxi across to the port captain’s office to check out and then eat breakfast at a restaurant on the other side.  Unfortunately, the water taxi wasn’t running, so the marina sent a panga to take us to the port captain.  We couldn’t expect him to wait while we ate, so we ended up returning and eating at MacDonald’s, once again.  I was thoroughly ready to get out of Paradise Village and away from fast food, although I did break down and get a latte from Starbucks.

Greg Riding the Panga to the Port Captain's Office

We had a relaxing boat ride back to La Cruz and then I took a load of stuff back to my house and spent the afternoon doing laundry.  I finished just in time to meet up with Blair and Greg for dinner at the Red Chairs.

ANOTHER WEEK OF MUSIC IN AND AROUND LA CRUZ

February 25-26, 2019

I did as little as possible on Monday beside going to the gym.  I spent the afternoon writing and practicing the guitar on Scout.  I was so tired that I even skipped a Cheko Ruiz show at Octopus’ Garden and spent the evening at home watching Netflix.

I ran on Tuesday and then headed to Nuevo Vallarta to pick up my resident’s card which was supposed to have been ready on Monday.  Fortunately, the line at immigration was not long because my card was still not ready.  I had forgotten to bring my paperwork with my case number on it and had to call Cherie to get her to send me a picture of it.  Of course, there was no signal in the building, so I had to go downstairs to call her and finally had to buy a cup of coffee to use the WiFi in the café so that I could download the photo.  After going through all of that, the card was still not ready. 

The Nuevo Vallarta Market

I consoled myself by going to the market in Nuevo Vallarta and buying myself a pair of palazzo pants.  The vendor tried to overcharge me and when I called him on it (in Spanish) we chatted a bit.  Once he discovered that I lived in the area and wasn’t a hotel guest, the price went down 25%.  I browsed through the very large market but it was too early for lunch, so I escaped the temptation of the food stalls.

I was in a bit of a rush to get back to La Cruz because I wanted to give Scout a good scrub before Greg returned the following day.  The sprayer on the end of the hose was broken so I couldn’t shut off the water from that end.  Washing the boat by myself, I had to constantly run back to shut the water off at the faucet.  I got plenty of exercise but the boat looked nice for Greg’s return.

February 27, 2019

Wednesday was my last opportunity to play music with Rick and Marilyn from Tortuga.  We met at the Poolside Deli and were joined, once again, by Jerry and Nick who really spiced up our performance.  It had been fun playing with them and I was sorry to see them sail away.

Greg’s flight got in at 15:30 and our ride to the Duende/Luna Rumba concert at Los Arroyos Verdes left at 17:30.   We were all concerned that Greg wouldn’t make it in time and might have to go straight to the concert, but he made it with twenty minutes to spare.  We arrived early and Fernanda had saved us seats in the VIP section, so we had a great location for watching the show.  Greg, who had missed lunch, picked up a sandwich at the bar.

Duende at Los Arroyos Verdes

Luis and His Students Joined Luna Rumba

I had always found that all the electronics involved in a Duende show distracted from the music.  That night, there were numerous equipment failures/errors.  It was still a great show but could have been better.  They cut the Duende set short and played more Luna Rumba numbers, blending members of both bands which was fun, even if it did result in a shortage of equipment when both the bass and the cello competed for the same set-up.  They really needed a technician on the stage instead of Geo digging through plastic bins, looking for a cable, when his wireless transmitter battery died.  Fortunately, they were all musicians enough to take the challenges in stride.  There was a wonderful moment when some of Luis' student drummers joined Luna Rumba for a song.

After the show, we stopped at Tacos Linda in Bucerias for dinner.  Tacos Linda has an impressive variety of tacos including squash blossom and corn truffle tacos.  I had a tasty, lightly breaded fish taco and a corn truffle one. The corn truffle consisted of strips of sautéed poblano chile with corn kernals and was delicious.

February 28 – March 2, 2019

La Cruz Anchorage at Dawn

The remainder of the week was largely uneventful.   At home, Cherie was preparing for her mother’s approaching visit by touching up the interior paint in our house.  In Mexico, the dampness often causes paint to flake off the masonry walls, especially near the bottom.  We scraped off the bubbled paint and our friend, John, covered the bare spots with three coats of new paint.  A plumber came to repair the hose bib in the front yard.  We had tried to replace the worn-out faucet but the soldered joint came apart before the threads moved.  The plumber re-soldered the joint but the new faucet had somehow disappeared, so the hose bib still leaked.  We went to see The Greatest Showman at the marina movie night on Thursday evening. 

Friday night, a big group of us went to the Black Forest to see Geo play with Latcho and Andrea.  It was the 20^th anniversary of the Black Forest.  They played many of the songs from the CD I had purchased the previous Sunday.  I still hadn’t had the opportunity to listen to the CD, as we had no CD player, but it was good to know that the music it contained was fabulous.   As always, I felt blessed to be able to see my favorite artists up close, for a reasonable price, and then hang out with them afterwards.

I spent most of the day at the boat on Saturday and then moved my belongings aboard in the early evening, as the boat was departing for Nuevo Vallarta on Sunday morning.  Blair joined us in the evening after seeing his wife off at the airport.  We went for dinner at La Fonda Cocqui, across the street from Tacos on the Street in La Cruz.  In addition to pork, BBQ beef, chicken, and fish tacos, they had quesadillas, sopes, and tamales.  The food was flavorful and reasonably priced and offered a nice alternative to Tacos on the Street where the meat was excellent but the menu very limited and a little pricey for tacos.

March 3, 2019

I spent a leisurely morning with Greg and Blair on Scout and then left them to deliver the boat to Paradise Village.  I was going to Riverfest in Puerto Vallarta with Karen and Marc that afternoon.

Piel Canela at El Rio

Karen picked me up on the lateral at 11:30 and we drove south through Puerto Vallarta and then took the tunnel road that bypasses downtown up the hill into the canyon of the Rio Cuale.  The Riverfest was a fundraiser for a center for special needs children.  It was held at a barbecue restaurant called El Rio.  They had a large outdoor seating area with quite a bit of shade on the bank of the river.  People could swim if they liked.  In addition to the music, there was a silent auction and some vendors selling clothing and artwork.

Cheko with Piel Canela

The Seating Area at El Rio

The first band of the afternoon was Piel Canela.  It was the first time I had seen them do a show without Amy Armstrong and they played Latin music which I much preferred.  Amy was a great singer, but I didn’t come to Mexico to hear American music.  Karen had never seen them before and was pleasantly surprised to see Mimi playing guitar.  Cheko played a number with Piel Canela, which was the first time I had seen any crossover between the (former) Luna Rumba and Tatewari camps.  The Tatewari boys were maturing.

Cheko Ruiz' Band

Cheko Ruiz’ band played second and the trumpeter captured the hearts of the audience, right away.  Karen pronounced Cheko’s new band the best band of the season.  While I might have accorded him a tie with Luna Rumba, Karen had not seen Luna Rumba at their best and I couldn’t disagree that they were hot.

Los Bambinos

I almost felt sorry for Los Bambinos who followed Cheko’s band. They were a band of brothers who played Latin, Beatles and Beach Boys tribute shows.  They were good and the singer did an admirable job of singing falsetto.  While we much preferred the Latin numbers, we had to admit that he did a great job of singing the other songs.  We hoped we would get a chance to see them at their regular venue before the season was out.

Johanna's Band

The last band was Johanna’s Band.  They were an international mix of Mexican and Caribbean musicians who played Cuban infused beats.  Johanna fronted the band, strutting around in a blue satin jumpsuit and stilettos.  We liked them but had to leave mid-way through their set because we had tickets to see Lobo and Jaguar (Esau) at the Octopus’ Garden later that evening and had a long drive back.  I barely had time to shower and change before rushing off again.  I would have been late had Cherie not given me a ride.

Lobo and Esau at Octopus' Garden

Lobo and Esau’s concert was not as emotional as the set at San Pancho had been, but we got to hear a greater variety of music.  Once again, they played a sort of flamenco blues during one number. I was pleased to see that they had developed quite a repertoire together and had even produced a CD which I was quick to purchase.  They played straight through, without a break.  The audience was quite enthusiastic and gave them a standing ovation.  I was tired and glad to go home, afterward,  and crawl into my own bed.  Splitting my time between the house and Scout grew exhausting and required too much planning.