Yachting is the new cycling

Week ending November 22, 2009

Capt. Ron at the steering wheel

We left Brian’s place on board the good ship Sea Dream, which is registered in Long Beach, California. The boat is apparently a 55ft cutter rigged sloop, with 3 sails and the option of using a ‘kite’ or ‘chute’ - or, for those of us who know no better - including me - a ’spinnaker’.

Capt. Ron, Admiral David, Web and Chuck had awaited our return to good health, before setting off for Puerto Vallarta, on mainland Mexico, across the Sea of Cortez. We set off under motor and then, as the wind blew us south east, we put the sails up. Sheets, halyards, rigging, and ’strings’ as we liked to call everything, were moved from place to place, via big round cranks and lots of winding, to put up, take down or just move the position of the sails. Actually harder work than I had imagined, I was employed to turn the cranks as I was the youngest and least experienced member on board. Joy cooked admirably: except, for the first day under sail, when we both felt rather green for a while, before we ‘got our sea legs’. We were both surprised at how quickly we adjusted to constantly stumbling and bouncing around. We did however have to avoid all visits below deck unless entirely necessary, for fear of revisiting our food.

The crew were great fun. We anchored up in a lovely bay with several other boats for the first night, where we sat and watched the stars, before we setting off next morning for the 40 hour crossing. As the ‘youngest and least experienced member of the crew’  - I had to take a watch, along with the more experienced ones, both at lunchtime and at 12midnight til 3am: which was a little scary. Being a good sport, Joy stayed with me as we sat on deck, behind the wheel, watching the radar, scanning the ink black horizon for lights and hoping that nothing untoward happened.

On night no.2, the radar decided to pack up. The AIS system, which identifies the length speed, direction and name of other vessels in the vicinity, also decided to disappear. In a rather excited voice, I called Web, who confidently pointed out that that sort of thing sometimes happens. ‘Oh, well that’s alright then’.

Nothing else happened that night, except to say we watched the stars move across the sky and begin to understand a little of how ancient mariners might have navigated their way across the seas. Neither of us are an Ellen Macarthur, and we happily took instruction on everything from chopping vegetables to tying up the boat.

Before arriving in port, we experienced a major highlight of our trip to date.

Aaaah

On two separate occasions, 5 dolphins joined us on the bow of the ship for more than half an hour, allowing us to take as much footage and as many still photographs as we could manage. They swept and cruised around the pointy end of the boat, and occasionally jumped clear from the water. They truly seemed to be having fun. As we leaned out over the boat, pretending to be Kate Winslet on ‘Titanic’, the dolphins even turned on their sides to look more carefully at us. They were about 8ft long, scratched and scarred and extremely alert. And as quickly as they joined us, they left.

Along with yachting itself, watching whales, flying in a helicopter and kayaking, our trip will always be framed by these experiences.

The weather remained kind, and we moved slowly into a bay on the eastern side of the Sea where we cooked breakfast, before hauling anchor again and heading off to Nuevo Vallarta, a smart new development on the northern edge of the city of Puerto Vallarta. The ‘village’ featured monster motor cruisers, yachts of all shapes and sizes, hotels, spas, swimming pools, showers, restaurants and a mall which included Starbucks, Macdonalds, Subway and Dominoes Pizza.

Joy and I weren’t proud. After 48 hours of food poisoning, and a wobbly crossing, a sugary coffee and a pizza might just settle our somewhat delicate little tummies. Culture could wait.

We all wandered round the village, and whilst it was undeniably welcome, it wasn’t ‘Mexico’ as Joy and I had expected. Still, we concluded, we have time to discover all that. For now, the enjoyment of walking on concrete pathways, and the obvious luxury of a settled stomach, were splendid.

During our first few days here, we contemplated our future direction. We accepted that we were missing England, but also agreed that we were having fun. We planned to work for a charity in Guatemala converting old bicycles into machines for local people, including corn grinders, concrete mixers and water pumps. (see www.mayapedal.org) We were looking forward to this, as well as meeting friends that we had made en route across the States, in Central America. But for now, a week’s Spanish tuition awaited us in Vallarta, which we hoped would allow us some insight into life in this country.

Como esta..?

Me llama es Joff.

Como se dice en Espanol…?

Slow but sure, but I think the lady teaching us is already thinking of a change of career…

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