Trust

Slap! Slap! Slap! Twenty times the whale slaps her mighty tail on the surface of the sea, and I laugh in wonderment. She is about a mile to the west as Habibi motorsails south, and when she is certain she has my attention (twenty more slaps), she leaps completely out of the water.

Evidently heading for Puerto Vallarta is a good idea.

We have wind, and then we don’t. Another sailboat passes us, simply motoring. But I don’t want to give up. Four nautical miles an hour is fine with me. I planned to anchor at Punta Mita, on the outskirts of Bahía Banderas. Puerto Vallarta is sheltered deep inside the bay, and I knew I’d be tired after hours at sea, so was aiming for something closer. A dolphin keeps pace for a minute as we round the headland. Another good sign.

Surprise! What is that whitewater at the mouth of the bay? Looks like a big breaking wave. Yep, it is a breaking wave, a very tall, strong, scary breaking wave. Surfers have told me about this wave, and here it is. Let’s go waaaaay around that stretch of ocean, shall we? Don’t feel like surfing Habibi. Oh, and the chart tells me we’re heading for a big rock. Great. And what’s this? Twenty knots of wind! That close anchorage I wanted to rest in? No longer possible. We are hauling ass!

I consider panicking. I am a novice, after all, and one of my sailing books advises beginners to say No thank you to anything more than fifteen knots. I agree with them; this is the strongest wind I’ve experienced sailing Habibi. But there are no obstacles. No other boats are out. I’m not heeling much – we are balanced and riding the wind straight down the bay. Sailing.

After an hour or so, I politely ask the Ancestors to dial down the wind a bit. We are bookin’ and will definitely make another anchorage before dark. They do, and I do: Playa La Manzanilla, Camomile Beach. The moon is almost full, rising in the east as I drop anchor near another sailboat. I sit awhile, catch my breath, then set the kettle on the stove for manzanilla tea and oatmeal. Calm and comfort.

I did it. Mazatlán to Puerto Vallarta, single-handed. Yeah.