Back on the water again

After spending the new Years week back in Mazatlan with family and friends it is nice to be back on the water again. Meaning we are away from docks and crowds and high costs. We had a great time with Mike and Laura who flew home on Jan 2. We were invited to a fantastic Lobster and Shrimp New Years diner aboard Triple Star with Beyond Reason and Hiatus also being there. New Years Eve ended with a midnight surfing trip outside the harbor with the dingy. Probably not the smartest thing but it seemed right at the time. Then we spent the rest of the week with other long time friends Craig , Deborah Huntington, Johnny ,and Sharon Jordan. Great time was had, and it was fun to share our life style with them. Once we left Mazatlan we spent a day anchored just south of town in an area called Stone Island. We were anchored off the beach in front of about a dozen palapas (palm covered eating areas) just like Mexico is suppose to be. We spent the afternoon sitting at a table with our feet playing in the sand watching our boats just bob in the swell. What a way of life this has become. We walked on the beach for a short distance then back to our place at the palapa. After our ten minute walk we had worked up a appetite and had fish and shrimp on the beach watching the sunset thinking about what all of you were doing at home on this Sunday afternoon. The next morning we left for Chacala a small bay just short of Puerto Vallarta. It was a 24 hr trip which we cut short because of fog and went into San Blas, Matanchen Bay, I had been here before so I felt comfortable in the fog. Last night at about 4:30 am I had just come on watch and had one of the most wonderful and chilling experiences I have had. I was staring out into the darkness when I heard this god awful noise come from what I thought was the boat. It sounded like my entire sail had just been ripped from the mast. Right along side the boat I missed two large whales by just feet. They had bellowed and sprayed the side of the boat as I sailed past. I could see the whales underwater by the full outline of the blue Phosphorus. They blew again making that horrible sound all within about 50 ft or less from the boat. It amazed and shook me up just how close I had come to silently running over these huge animals on a dark moonless night. We are sitting at anchor getting ready for another magical sunset in 80 degree weather thinking of all you at home. Tomorrow we are off to head a little further south.

We added some pictures to out blog at http://svjammin.blogspot.com/
Our postion on google earth is at http://www.pangolin.co.nz/yotreps/tracker.php?ident=kd7txh

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