Hey everyone- Happy Birthday to Ian's Mom, Wende!!! We are anchored in Bahia Chamela tonight, along with about 15 other boats. Some are moving South. Some, like us, are moving North. I think the last general mailing was from Barra de Navidad. Since then, we made the move to Bahia Tenacatita (15 miles), where we explored the Iguana "Jungle" River, discovered Rollo Del Mar, or "fish rolls" and spent 5 days enjoying the beach, light surf and beautiful setting. Yesterday, we made the move (18 miles) from Tenacatita to Bahia Careyes. We left Tenacatita early (7:00) and were anchored in Careyes by 11:00. Careyes is composed of three small coves protected by two islands. We anchored in the Northern of the three coves, strangely all by ourselves while the middle, less protected cove was crowded with sport boats, pangas, sailboats and even two luxury power yachts. The North cove is the site of a defunct and decaying Club Med Facility. I figured they must have a security person, and had heard that when they were in business, they were not friendly to the cruisers, so we didn't land our dinghy there to explore. We rowed the dinghy over to the middle cove and searched for a reported pool. We ended up walking to the southernmost cove to the Hotel Careyes. It was definitely a five star establishment with a great pool, game room with billiards, air hockey and foosball, a gym, spa etc... They even had a mini movie theater which had loungers instead of movie seats! They also had free wireless, so we were able to check on some things and the weather. I didn't sleep too well with the surf crashing along the walls of the cove. I was going to suggest moving on North to Chamela today anyway, but around 9:30AM, I noticed 5 guys with a couple dogs walking around the grounds at Club Med. I assumed they were employees of some sort, but became suspicious whe one threw a couple rocks at the side of a building. They all turned and ran, covering their heads with their shirts, and then they all hit the ground, apparently under attack by a swarm of angry bees. Around half an hour later, I heard them whistling loudly and I peeked out the hatch to see what was going on. They had walked to the other side of the cove, up to a suite, about 60 feet up. When they noticed me looking, they began hurling rocks and bricks towards the boat! Thank God, they were far enough away that they stood no chance of hitting Chaitanya or us, but I decided at that point to pack it in and leave. During our preparations to leave, these 5 guys broke windows (of the old resort), pushed brick porch rails over and into the cove, and continued to whistle and yell. This is something I would be much less surprised to see in California, but it was our first sight of beligerance by Mexicans since we've been down here. Another strange part is that Careyes is in the middle of nowhere, so I have a couple of theories. I think that either they were on some heavy drugs, or they were contracted on the sly to do some damage so that Club Med could collect on an insurance policy- thus dampening the financial burden of a massive resort complex gone bad. Or maybe I have way too much time to think here! At any rate, we will stay here at Chamela for a few days before jumping North to Ipala (52 miles) and then some point in Banderas Bay (30-50 miles, depending where we end up). Heidi's brother Hans, who helped us on the San Diego to Cabo San Lucas portion of the trip will be joining us again at Puerto Vallarta to help with the sometimes tedious legs between Banderas Bay and Mazatlan, and then Mazatlan to La Paz on the Baja side. Hans will be a welcome addition to our crew, as our underway time is so busy with Heidi watching both kids and I managing the boat more or less on my own. Our friends on SunBaby did a marathon day (40 miles) today to get to Camela, so we are back together again. It is so great to have others to share the experience and compare notes with. Be well, all. Sorry this was so long, but we've had an exciting week. Love, Ian, Heidi, Jonah and Gabriella.
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Welcome aboard the Sailboat Chaitanya. The Jarman Family (Ian, Heidi, Jonah and Gabriella) fulfill a dream of voyaging to tropical waters aboard their own sailboat. This site will serve as an information clearinghouse for family, friends and hopefully some curious others as well. Enjoy, and please drop a line!
