I understand the NE has been a bit cold so far this winter. It seems to have made news here anyway. Where is here? Well we are in Nuevo Vallarta (next to Puerto Vallarta). It is 80 and sunny and tropical. It just feels right. We decided to save the Sea of Cortez for April when the winds will be more in our favor and the days will be warmer.

We decided to divert south as we left Cabo since waves and wind were hitting us on the bow. We decided we might as well get as far south as we want to go then make our way north. We set our sites on a little cove just north of Manzanillo 300 miles away. We had a fantastic 2 days with the wind and waves behind us and were within 80 miles of our target when the wind shifted. New Years Eve we experienced pretty much our first storm at sea. Wind speeds greater than we had seen. The boat did great. We put the sails in and retired to the cabin with the hatch boards in. We still got pretty wet with waves hitting us on the beam. It was very rolly in the cabin. Dave lost his footing as we started to prepare a gourmet dinner of PB and J and knocked his head pretty good. No blood, only a few bruises. But we decided there was nothing wrong with Power Bars for dinner. In the morning the GPS showed our route... A complete circle pointing us back north. After a few very frustrating hours of trying to get back on course we decided to go into Banderas Bay and spend a few days in a marina.

We arrived here 2 days ago. After striking out at the Paradise Marina (no room...apparently it's busy around the holidays) we are across the way at Marina Nuevo Vallarta sharing a 70 ft long slip with a 40 ft sailboat. Our neighbors are incredible. They have taken us to Walmart, shared their tools, helped sew our lee cloths, and arranged for Pedro to clean the bottom of the boat. What are lee cloths you ask? These will hold us in our bunks when the boat pitches to one side or the other. It will make sleeping through a storm much more comfortable.

We are also working to seal some leaky fittings so my books might not get wet every time we take on waves. Other work includes that darn roller furling (front sail). The drum that rolls up the line fell off... We lost a few screws (I know you might be thinking in more than just that drum!). Anyway we are here till Wed or longer then might find some anchorages in the bay for a bit. With a good weather window we might go on to that nice little cove near Manzanillo. We will see where the Crazy Love takes us.

We would love visitors and with the terrible cold in the US (what is a polar vortex anyway?) I think any sane person would love some time at the pool, ocean, and a resort. We just ask that we have at least 3 weeks notice of your arrival in Puerto Vallarta to plan our way back from wherever we are and make advanced reservations at the marina. End of Feb and March will work with our plans. There are more than a few nice places here where you could stay!