As we departed the marina at 3:00 pm, it was windy and cool but lots of sunshine and beautiful blue skies. Greg, having spent many months at sea during his time in the Coast Guard, enjoyed the action of the waves. I, personally, felt a little insecure as the captain and his crew maneuvered the boat out past the breakwater. The water was very rough and I was glad we were seated at the back of the boat. There was a unanimous vote taken to sail out further to see the whales. The captain did attempt to do that, but the ocean became even more rough so he turned and instead sailed around the islands. I finally began to feel a little more relaxed.
All and all, even though it was, at first, a very windy and rough sail, it was a nice experience and Captain Pat and his crew did a great job of timing our return just as the sun was setting. It was a beautiful sunset! However, we had the wrong setting on our camera, so our sunset photos didn't turn out very well. We hope you enjoy our photos anyway and a few video clips too.
The Patricia Belle (the boat we sailed on) is docked at the
La Isla at Marina Mazatlan.
Here is a link to the website: http://www.patriciabelle.com/
Here's an excerpt from the website.
"This incredibly stout 82-ft two-masted, black-hulled schooner was built in Puget Sound in 1997 and has since voyaged to Central America, South America, Caribbean, Bahamas and beyond, including a side trip to Hawaii. She even carried a 10,000 lb cargo of coffee beans from Nicaragua back up to San Diego...and sold it all off at the dock to crowds of highly appreciative local coffee freaks. She gets around. And it's all due to the passion and vision of her owner/builder/captain Pat Hughes. Pat Hughes has been a professional mariner for over 38 years. He has worked and run everything from tug boats to tankers, ferry boats to tall ships, and most everything else in between. However, his love has always been for the beautiful lines of a traditional sailing vessel and to that end he slowly acquired the massive amount of Douglas fir needed (the masts were cut down from his own back yard) until he was ready to build his dream. And with the help of his kids and their friends, Patricia Belle was built and launched in three years."
An interesting fact we learned from the Captain's wife;
the boat is named after the Captain's mother. She said
"not a good idea to name a boat after the wife - too many wives
come and go."
Captain Pat's wife and their son, Caleb.
Galley is located on deck.
Crew quarters below the boat, also captain's quarters.
Mostly, the crew quarters are used for passengers that might
get seasick on the cruise.
The captain and his wife live on the boat.
This is where the bano is, below, in the crew's quarters.
This is where the bano is, below, in the crew's quarters.
Very convenient for those seasick passengers.
Before we set sail, the captain's son feeds the fish
along side the boat in the marina.
Two of the crew members, left Caleb (the captain's son) and
right Greg (photographer) getting ready to set sail.
Captain Pat and his son, Caleb.
As we sail out of the marina, we pass by the palapa restaurant
where we enjoyed dinner the night we were married here in
Maz 12 years ago. It's located at the El Faro Hotel/Resort.
Becoming more relaxed now.
Sailing on the backside of the islands, we spot the building
Las Gavias Club Residencial on Avenida del Mar.
First Mate Brad, takes the helm and we cruise safely back
to the marina.
As the sun starts to set and we head back to the marina,
we started to bundle up.
This photo just doesn't do justice to just how beautiful the sunset
was as we sail back to the marina.
After the cruise we headed out for dinner.
After the cruise we headed out for dinner.
Here in Maz, every Valentine's Day, this hotel in the distance,
Hotel Hacienda, puts up a heart in lights on the front of the
building. You'll find this hotel on the malecon along Avenida del Mar.
We ended up at the Olas Atlas Steak House for our
Valentine's/Anniversary dinner.
Great food and fun atmosphere!
Great murals on the walls of the bar area.
The band played lots of oldies music.
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