La Cruz Blues - when you say Hasta La Vista to good friends

We anchored for 5 nights in Banderas Bay just outside Marina La Cruz. We had barely dropped the hook when we had an invitation to Happy Hour and movies for the kids. What joy! The second night we were having tacos with friends and the third day we had a birthday party at Paradise Village until 5pm. Sunday I got stranded on the boat while the kids took off in the dinghy to hang out with their friends that had slips at Marina La Cruz. Jim and I decided we needed to get some work done on the boat anyway, so on Monday we pulled into a     slip  ourselves. Since then it's been nothing but visits and catching up with old friends. I even attended a bridal shower! The kids have been non-stop playing with the other kids on Ironbarque, Ceilydh, Albatross and Windfall/HanaCrew.

Even with a full social calendar, we have managed to get some boat projects done. We bought a very expensive antenna for one of the VHF radios at Zaragozas in Nueva Vallarta. What would have cost $112 at Downwind Marine cost us $225 here. Ouch! And I have managed to get all the provisioning done so that we can head south to enjoy warmer and clearer water. We cleaned and polished stainless and cleaned the dinghy and its cover. The boat has been scrubbed down and de-salinated.

La Cruz is the place where cruisers gather to say Hello & Good-bye, Fair Winds, and Following Seas. Some are signed up with the El Salvador Rally, some are just going south, and some are Puddle-Jumping to the Marquesas. La Cruz is where we say goodbye to our old friends like Ceilydh, Alma Inquieta and Blue Moon. We're also waving good-bye to Savannah, Simple Pleasures, and SOMF. It is sad, but it is also exciting to know that these people have an adventure of a lifetime waiting for them up ahead. It is an unusual blend of sorrow and happiness.