heidi s/v chaitanya

Hello all, Greetings from Paradise Village. I was in a bit of shock yesterday arriving to this "paradise" full of zoo animals: tigers, mtn. lions, monkeys, mackaws, crocodiles, etc. The resort is a tropical paradise of the Mayan theme and is truely beautiful. The gardens are gorgeous full of banana plants, papayas, climbing vines, coconut trees, frangipani flowers, etc. It is a bit of a change to pull into such a marina after anchoring out the last few days. Hey, but it is so much fun to experience it all. The mangrove swamp/marina channel also has crocodiles in it!
It is much warmer and full sun again. Mazatlan was cool and breezy when we flew back. We have also caught up to a lot of the boaters we have meet along the way so it is great to be around some "old" friends.
While Gabriella is sleeping I have done some cleaning including washing the carpet out on the dock. We still have to wash the boat and straighten up among our other chores for today.
Well, I am happy to report my attitude has much improved again after getting under way. Having a toddler aboard is my biggest challenge as my little climber and explorer doesn't give us much time to relax. But hey, I don't complain too much bc I sure love having this amazing adventure for a time before we really settle down, and I also, really look forward to that too!
All for now, hope everyone is well.

Love, Heidi

----------
radio email processed by SailMail
for information see: http://www.sailmail.com

Paradise/ Puerto Vallarta

Well- we just wrote a great email, and then lost it in the ethers. Anyway, we are safe and sound in the beautiful Paradise Village Marina with all the amenities of a five star resort at our disposal. They even have a small zoo with ostriches, bobcats, deer, and crocodiles, along with many tropical birds. We aren't sure how long we'll be here- probably a week or less, then go a little further south and return here for a couple weeks before going north again. Hope this letter finds everyone in good spirits and abundant health. Chaitanya

----------
radio email processed by SailMail
for information see: http://www.sailmail.com

Punta de Mita

Thursday, February 2, 2006 Hello Friends and Family- We arrived at Punta de Mita. It is the northern point that forms Bahia de Banderas. There is a great anchorage tucked up in behind the point. Chaitanya is within paddling distance of a world-class surfing break. Of course, we are here in the off-season and it's pretty small. Nonetheless, Heidi was paddling into a three foot wave not more than an hour after we dropped the anchor here. We slept well last night. I will surf this morning and then it's about two hours to Paradise Village Marina, where we will reunite with our friends Tom and Amy on Sandpiper. They were to be outa' here two weeks ago, but they decided to get some projects done and much to our pleasure, they are being held up by the canvas shop. Chins up folks- the days are getting longer and before you know it, someone will be complaining about the heat! With boundless love from the Captain and crew of Chaitanya.

----------
radio email processed by SailMail
for information see: http://www.sailmail.com

Chacala, Mexico

Hey folks, just a quick note from the Jarmans on Chaitanya. We finally left Marina El Cid in Mazatlan bound for ports south. Our first stop was to be Isla Isabella, a Mexican nature preserve that consists of a semi sunken volcanic caldron as an anchorage. But the sailing was so good, I decided we would continue on. The next possibility was Mantenchen Bay outside of San Blas. Again, we were making good time, and I was concerned about checking in with the port captain in San Blas, a hitch-hike from the bay of Mantenchen. This would have to be done again the following day for our departure and seemed to be more trouble than it was worth for the short visit. So we ended up in Chacala, a small bight on the coast 35 miles north of Punta de Mita (the northern point that creates the northern boundary of Banderas Bay, where Puerto Vallarta is located). Chacala is the site of a former palm tree plantation, so it appears truly tropical. It has a long white crescent beach with gentle surf. There are about a dozen large palapa restaurants that seem pretty empty now. Perhaps there is an influx of tourists on the weekends. The village consists of not mush more than a trailer park, the palapa restaurants, a few small tiendas, a couple hotels and many homes from shanties to modern cliffside vacation homes. The sky is blue, the northwest swell just a gentle massage under Chaitanya, the air is 77F in the shade, and the water is 79F. The kids are restless after a day and a half stuck on the boat, and Heidi and I are trying to recover our energy after the long passage. By tomorrow morning, we will be 110 percent again and ready to sail south around Punta de Mita to one of the calm anchorages inside Bahia de Banderas (Bay of Flags) or perhaps all the way to Paradise Village Marina- what was supposed to be our home from Dec. 15 to Jan. 15. If you didn't know, I (Ian) was pooped after the trip down California, Baja, and across the Sea of Cortes to Mazatlan. I convinced Heidi and the kids to fly home to Oregon for the holidays. Now, with a renewed outlook and a little regret for being left behind by our cruising friends that were better disciplined and stuck with their plans, we are heading south. We should meet up with Captain Tom and Amy tomorrow if we make it to Paradise. Sunbaby and Sunshine are already a couple hundred mile south of us and unless they find a spot they really enjoy and hang out for a couple weeks, we may not see them again this year. (sniff, sniff) That's all for now. Feel free to email us at this address-WDC5551@sailmail.com- we really relish the few emails we get. And don't forget to check our blogsite www.sailboatchaitanya.blogspot.com
\Ian, Heidi, Jonah and Gabriella on Chaitanya

----------
radio email processed by SailMail
for information see: http://www.sailmail.com