We spent the month of February in Banderas Bay anchoring between La Cruz and Punta Mita. Like most, we typically keep a schedule in one way or another that structures our days, but this past month the days flowed organically and with no schedule to prod us along. We leaned into doing what feels good in the moment. Even our natural 5am wake up has been closer to the 7am start of sunrise this time of year in Banderas Bay.
We made several trips to Bucerias, Puerto Vallarta and Sayulita. We walked, stretched and had a workout most days on the boat. We consistently shared the anchorage with anywhere from 50-70 boats at a time; plus the adjacent 350 slip marina was completely full. We listened to the morning cruisers net and the comings and goings of those headed north, south and groups getting ready to cross to the South Pacific. We watched the Super Bowl at a restaurant in the town center of La Cruz and celebrated Valentine’s Day with our own beach clean up, fish dinner from the galley and whipped up a box of brownie mix for dessert. Although we have several great recipes for homemade brownies, let’s be honest, Betty Crocker nails it every time. Nostalgic and delicious.
For those interested in food, we have included a few pictures of some meals prepared on board Solitude this month. They did not disappoint! Some of the highlights include chicken and veggie lasagna, nicoise pasta salad with grilled mahi, chicken gyros (over rice alternative), achiote chicken sopes and a combo meal of sauteed shrimp and grilled mahi. We also stumbled on a refreshing guava popsicle from a little shop in La Cruz that we will be talking about for some time to come. Our meals on board and on shore have all been fabulous.
Time with friends! We were thrilled to see Brian and Joanna on Sail Fish, friends from Tahoe who keep their boat in La Cruz Marina. We had a great time catching up since we saw them last season further south. We were sure to hit Tacos on Street, a local institution in La Cruz that serves only rib eye tacos and quesadillas, and spent the day in Sayulita watching the surf and soaking up the beachy vibes. We stopped at Cava, a small, rustic cocktail bar, where we had a tasting of mezcal and raicilla that was presented with sliced orange, fried crickets and chili worm powder. All surprisingly tasty.
We were lucky enough that our time in La Cruz coincided with female sailing legend Jeanne Socrates, an 80 year old woman who has circumnavigated the globe four and a half times by herself and is getting ready to set off again. Jeanne is in the Guinness World Records as the oldest person to circumnavigate the globe solo, nonstop and unassisted. We listened to her talk at the Marina Bar and Grill restaurant and have included her website and YouTube channel here, if you might be interested in learning more about this incredible woman. YouTube: jeannesailingsolo / Website: svnereida.com
SV Solitude 