Mazatlan and San Blas

After three days in Puerto San Carlos, the marina near San Jose del Cabo, we set off early in the morning for Mazatlán.  This was a major crossing for us, as it would take us about 175 nautical miles, one of our longest passages.  It also meant we would be the furthest offshore we would be up to this point, about 80 miles or so.  

Fortunately, it was one of our smoothest crossings.  It was literally flat calm in parts.  The sunset was glorious, very pink and clear as we watched the mountains of the Baja peninsula get smaller and smaller.  We almost ran into a sea turtle, who was just bobbing around in the middle of the sea.   The moonrise that night was quite beautiful too.  The moonrise and set is quite interesting at sea because you can follow it all the way up and down from the horizon.  Side note – the moon is really important at sea.  A full moon can make for a much easier night passage as it can make it much easier to see through the dark.  The effect of the full moon and new moon on the tides is also significant and can influence our navigation.

As the sun rose, we began to see the coast near Mazatlán, a welcome sight.  We could also smell smoke in the air, which seems to be pretty common in these parts.  Mazatlán has several tall mountains lying off its coast, with some shoal areas to stay clear of.  Our final destination was Isla Marina, in the new Marina district in the northern end of Mazatlán.  As we rounded the marina entrance, we were greeted with lush greenery and colorful birds.   We were definitely in the tropics now.   Our friends from Tiamat were waiting for us on the docks at Isla Marina.  It was great to see them after so long.  

Mazatlán turned out to be a surprisingly lovely stop.  Isla Marina was a comfortable place to stay and allowed us to explore the city with ease.  Uber and DiDi work well here, so we went into the city many times.  Some of the highlights of our time in Mazatlán were the colorful buildings of the historic core, the children’s museum, walking along the long Malecon, the diver’s near the mermaid statue, the aquarium, the baby sea turtle release, the Christmas parade, and the lighthouse hike.  If that sounds like a lot, it was!  I had no idea that Mazatlán was so rich and vibrant – and beautiful!  We also took a day trip to colorful El Quelite, a nearby town, with our friends from Tiamat.  

Mazatlán was a great place for us to regroup after having traveled so far in November.  We got back into serious boat schooling and also enjoyed the small pool at the marina.  After about 10 days, it was time to continue on, as my parents were flying down to meet us in La Cruz de Huanacaxtle, about 30 miles north of Puerto Vallarta.

To get to Puerto Vallarta, we first headed out around noon south towards San Blas, a smaller fishing town about 90 miles south of Mazatlan.  There had been some rough weather – a dreaded “Norther” – up in the Sea of Cortez in the days just before our departure and we definitely felt the residual, choppy swell.  In fact, this was the most seasick any of us felt on the entire trip and we actually considered aborting the trip and anchoring in the southern part of Mazatlan.  Fortunately, after about two hours the swell subsided enough to be manageable and we were able to sail comfortably for several hours until the wind died and we turned on the motor. 

The next morning, we anchored in Bahia de Matanchen, a beautiful, wide bay rimmed with tall mountains.  It was a lovely place.  We dinghied to the beach on the northern shore for some lunch at a palapa restaurant.  The beach was one of my favorites so far, with picturesque rocks, colorful hammocks, and a shrine with flowers to the Virgin de Guadalupe right on the beach.  

The second day we took a taxi into San Blas proper to get some money (umm…rooky mistake…we should have had more cash leaving Mazatlan!) and then we headed over to La Tovara Park to take the jungle tour.   The tour was definitely a highlight.   We all really enjoyed our panga ride meandering through the mangroves.  Josie started a crocodile count – over ten!  There were also various birds and turtles.  After about an hour, our driver dropped us off at a small zoo, where we could see more animals – and a whole lot of crocodiles – up close.  There was an inviting, cool swimming hole as well.  Later we went to another swimming spot, this one with a swing, and with a restaurant. Very fun!  After our tour was done, we walked back along the long beach and enjoyed some delicious banana bread from one of the many bakeries leading into the beach area.  

We soon headed back to the boat, hoping to avoid the jejenes (small biting insects) that are well-known in the area.  The sunset that night was glorious, with the girls going for a swim off the boat and Jeff making electronic music on the bow.  It was a happy, cozy time.

We really enjoyed our trip to San Blas, but I will say those jejenes, while we did try to avoid them and they didn’t seem too bothersome while we were there, were SUPER itchy after we left.  Jeff, Josie, and I were really suffering for a few days.  I still think it was worth going because it was so beautiful and the jungle tour was so much fun.