Merry Christmas!! 12.25.09

Ahhh….what an amazing day! Sunshiny & warm, surrounded by friends, what more could we ask for! After a lazy morning getting up and around, I donned my Santa helper-hat and jumped into the dinghy for some deliveries! We wound our way around the anchorage & marina dropping off goodies for our close friends. I woke up with a stiff neck and assumed I slept on it wrong and hoped it would work its way loose.

Unfortunately, as we were dinghying around, we also noticed a boat that was sinking. It was about a 24’ runabout but the only thing that was holding it up was the dock cleats.



We quickly dinghied up to the guards and alerted them of the situation who jumped into action. We told them we had a pump to attempt to help with getting water out and they graciously accepted our help. Michael spent several hours with about 12 other guys – guards, fishermen, & the owner of the boat trying to raise it. They would bring it to the surface and get it almost floating before it would eventually sink again.



I stopped watching after a couple hours as it was just heartbreaking. There was a man who was also watching and I sauntered over and asked if it was his boat. He said it was his son’s boat, his was the boat in front of me….and he was partners with two other boats, one being a brand spanking new 57’ Jenneau that he offered to show me inside! I graciously accepted and was treated to a personal tour of the entire boat, as well as his personal boat. How fun!!

Around 2:00, Michael and I jumped on a bus and went into Puerta Vallarta, which is about 30 minutes away. Our friends Bob & Marlene from S/V Selah whom we met last year in Tenacatita had invited us to Christmas dinner at their condo. What a treat! Their condo overlooks their boat slip and has an amazing view of the promenade around the marina. We arrived a little early with some homemade bread & an appetizer but before we knew it there was a group of about 14 of us all chatting away, munching on the appetizers, & enjoying the magnificent view.



We feasted on an amazing dinner of two turkeys, stuffing, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, creamed corn casserole, appetizers, homemade cranberry sauce, croisssants – you name it, we had it! Conversation never ceased as we all got to know each other, many who have known each other for years and others who were new to the group (like us!). We ate & chatted and watched as a group played darts until dessert was served. We enjoyed getting to know everyone around us and laughed the night away. We met a gal, LaLena and her son Nick, who is a timeshare salesman in Puerta Vallarta.



She joked with us that she was ‘our worst nightmare’ but then said she would never have approached us. Wondering why, I asked and she said it was because of my shoes! When a person goes on vacation, they always have new shoes on! Haha… I guess it’s time for me to upgrade my wardrobe – or at least my shoes! We met another fellow, Ernie, who volunteered to take us back to La Cruz on our boat the following morning – what an incredibly nice offer! Each person in the group was incredibly nice, had amazing stories, and everyone had a wonderful evening!

As the evening progressed, the group began to break up and head home. Because we were so far away from home, Bob & Marlene offered to let us stay the evening on their boat since it was not being used, which was an incredibly kind offer…that we took them up on!



We left the condo and went downstairs to their boat, stumbled around until we found the lightswitches, and after getting settled in, sat out in the cockpit & watched the world go by. It was a lot of fun watching the families, partiers, couples, & workers coming & going by the boat. My neck was still killing me so I turned in early and tried to get some much needed rest.

I’ve learned a new toast in Spanish that I absolutely love – Amor, Salud, & Dinero – y tiempo para gustarlo. Which translated means: Love, health & money – and time to enjoy it! I wish you all a very Merry Christmas!!

Love,
Rene & Michael