A Palapa in Yelapa...Is Better than a Condo in Redondo!

What a great moment in time.  My life has been filled with amazing connections and coincidences!  Here is a wonderful example.  Last week, my family (Bridget and Connor), headed down to Puerto Vallarta, MX.   This is a special part of Mexico in that they get plenty of rain here and it is tropical as well as very much a jungle.  We were invited to one of the largest resorts in MX by our friends, Frank and Leslie (who, by the way, introduced me to my blushing bride over 25 years ago).  I had finished a sail down the coast on the Baja Haha just two weeks before and my crew/boat was heading to PV for the holiday.  They had plans to stay at a marina right next to our resort.  I told them that I would be in touch so we could get together.  If you are a reader of this blog, you will know that they invited me to join them on the Haha on their 40' trimaran.  We had a blast on the 750 mile adventure from San Diego to Cabo. 

After texting them a few times during our stay, with no response, I figured they must not have arrived in PV yet.

One of my goals this trip was to visit Yelapa.  It's a very small fishing village 15 miles up the coast.  There are no roads and the only way to get there is by boat.  I had asked our group of 15 at the resort, if anyone wanted to join me.  I got a bunch of "yes, I'll go" but when I told them the boat departs at 8am, everyone declined...except for my son Connor.  He is a junior down at SDSU and a very cool kid.  We hit the docks at the appointed hour and off we went into the bay.  The boat was a large motor cat, that could accommodate over 100 passengers.  The morning was clear with a bit of haze as we streaked across the bay at 15 knots.  I mentioned we might see some aquatic life in one of the largest bays in the Americas.  Sure enough, a familiar spout of water was off our starboard bow.  A humpback was chilling at the surface.  We were very close to this ancient sea creature.  Connor loved it.  Next, we hit a small cove for some snorkeling.  An hour later we were off to Yelapa.  What a stunning little bay.  Mountains surround this tiny village and there is a beautiful beach with a waterfall nearby.  We depart the boat for a hike and I look around the bay at the other boats.  On the far side, I see a trimaran.  Could it be Doggone from the Haha?  I look closer and I can see the kayak I used in Santa Maria.  Greg and Leslie were either on the boat or on the beach.  I scanned the beach for a dingy but no luck.  From below the dock, I see two people walking by and it's my crew from the Haha!  How amazing is that?  Timing in life is everything.  We said our hellos and they said they had a great sail to PV, from Cabo (400 miles).  They had sailed out to Yelapa to spend Thanksgiving in one of their favorite towns.  By the time we returned from our short hike to the waterfall, they had already departed to catch the afternoon winds back to PV.  It was great to capture that moment in time where everything came together and I could see these guys once more.  If you missed reading about our Haha adventure.  Head back to November on the starboard sidebar and you can read about our  sail down Baja.  Adios!