Swell

Hi everyone.

We have arrived at our destination: Punta Mita, Banderas Bay, Mexico. Better yet, we arrived just behind the north-west swell that you have probably been hearing about, which sent some of the biggest waves in 40 years to California and Hawaii. Lucky for us, these waves also made their way to a few special locations in Mexico. The stretch of coast which we are currently anchored off of usually breaks with south swell, but these waves were/are so powerful that they wrap in around the point and break perfectly just inside the north edge of Banderas Bay. And, when they make their way inside the point they have lost their power a bit and become perfectly surfable for people like us. Right now I am sitting in a beachside palapa bar watching the in-town break, which is kind-of like a skiing "green" slope. I was lucky, as an early bird, to surf this wave this morning at dawn with just one other person, and got a lot of good rides. (The attached photos very closely resemble the surf we have been seeing. These photos, however, I lifted from the internet because we didn't want to risk bringing our camera in on the dinghy; the potential was there, due to the waves, for it to be a wet dinghy landing. Will post some of our photos next time...) All told, we have done a whole lot of surfing in the last two days. Ryan and Tyler have been getting long rides off the point. We all paddled out at a wave called "Burros" (Donkeys) yesterday, and it was LARGE. I felt proud of myself just being out there, but didn't have the guts to paddle into any waves. Harry actually surfed all three spots yesterday, and is now out there somewhere, with sore arms. We all have sore arms! It's amazing: we've been here for two days and we just now came to land. I feel like the boat is my new home. :)

Backing up, to the crossing from La Paz, which was also amazing; I should say, at the very least, that we--Ryan, Harry, Tyler, and me--are a great team. We took shifts staying awake through two nights and three days of constant motion. It is amazing to be up in the wee hours of the night, pondering the stars above, the silence, and the bioluminescence in the water. While there was not enough wind to sail the whole time, we had periods of wind every day, which gave us respite from the motor and the satisfaction of moving with wind-power. That is truly magical.

Though we are accomplishing our goal of being in the present moment, and enjoying them all, we also tell lots of stories, reminisce, and dream about the future. You are all part of those stories and dreams. We love you and think of you often.

We hope you are enjoying the festivities that the holidays bring, with your loved ones.

Love,

Jess and Ryan