unique red and blue on Isla Isabela

Mama, me llamo Tessa! Our most social family member has made a friend on the beach who taught her to say that her name is Tessa. And she can't wait to tell us this new sentence.

She is muddy all over, as she participated in a mud fight with kids of all ages. Tod and I were finally celebrating New Years with a drink and taco's on the beach ( leave it to the de Boer Flak family to not celebrate a holiday on it's actual calendar day).  The small beach is packed with Mexican families celebrating, and so Tessa has plenty of kids to play with. She is playing with one family of 6 kids in particular, and she takes the hand of their oldest boy and wants to go wave jumping with him. Food vendors come by our table too, and we can't pass on a home made chocolate cheese flan cake. We arrived in Chacala Bay on the Pacific Coast of Mexico on January 2nd, after an overnight sail from Isla Isabela.

at anchor in Chacala Bay

Isla Isabela is a national park, home of the majestic (wingspan up to 7.5') frigate birds (actually named Magnificent Frigatebird), and blue footed boobies. Tiny Isabela island, with it's volcanic peak, is well worth a visit to see those rare birds. We left Mazatlan in the afternoon on the last day of 2014, and arrived early on New years day. Hiking up, we saw and heard the male frigates inflating their red neck sack to attract females. Tessa was intrigued by the many iguanas. A hike to the other side showed us the booby colony, and the color of their legs and webbed feet is really unique.

Bliss anchored right of those tall rocks

On our last morning in Mazatlan, I went shopping while Tessa and Tod enjoyed the pool for the last time. Her sweet and kind friend Chance, 10 yrs old boy from Colorado who is on vacation at the all inclusive resort, "buys" her another smoothie and holds her all over the deeper side of the pool. They have been playing ever since we came to the marina. On my taxi drive back to Bliss the driver and I converse in short sentences. When I mention to him we are going to Isla Isabela, he says bonito, and he talks about Isla Marias. I'm making a mental note to look into those islands (hey, you don' want to miss another interesting island, right?). I vaguely remember him saying the words hombres and mal. Only when we sail past them (no worries, oma, 25 miles or more away), I realize he was talking about the Alcatraz of Mexico, and no need to add that to our itinerary.

new dress from the market

Last Night we arrived in La Cruz, Banderas Bay, and are staying in the marina here.  We would have liked to stay a few more days in Chacala, but this anchorage was just too rolly. On our first nite when we couldn't sleep (Tessa sleeps no matter what happens!)  Tod got up at midnite, and set a stern anchor with our dinghy. It helped a bit, the roll was now diminished from 30 degrees to 15 degrees.....ah the beauty of anchoring, it's those nights that you wish for a land-based home, or our alternative, a marina!