Fiesta de Veleros
Sailors raising money for schools in Barra de Navidad
Every year since 2019 some cruisers have organized a week of activities at Barra de Navidad called Fiesta de Veleros or Cruise-In Week. The purpose is for sailors to gather in Barra de Navidad to meet up with old friends and make new ones while also participating in fun activities to raise money for the schools. The government only pays for so much and the rest is up to the community. Since 2019 a lot of money has been raised by the festival and it gives cruisers a chance to give back!
So it was a week of playing and partying at a beautiful resort next to a colorful town filled with really good restaurants, bars and other cultural establishments. There were people who volunteered their boats to take folks from the community or tourists at the resort and other hotels nearby on sunset cruises. Tickets were sold as donations for the schools.
Peter and I decided to volunteer with the organizers and we helped get people into dinghies to the sunset boats, we packed goody bags and helped sell tee shirts. When we weren’t volunteering we loved hiking to a place called Secret Beach which is a few miles up the coast. It was one of our favorite activities to do with our friends not only for the exercise but for the sheer joy of swimming in crystal clear blue ocean water.
The beach was called Secret because you had to hike up and down many stairs to get to it, as it was hidden from the main beach view and it was spectacular. Really clear water and beautiful soft sand. We would love to take the 3 mile walk in the hot sunshine and then jump into the warm water of the Pacific in this beautiful cove. We swam until our all of our skin wrinkled up like a a giant prune. The waves were not too big most of the time and we just frolicked inside them until we got tired and wanted to head back to the marina. On the way back we often stopped for a late lunch at a restaurant with a view of the lagoon and the town. They served lots of beer and yummy pizza.
We ran into this animal called coatimundi. They look like a cross between a raccoon and a monkey. They definitely roamed in packs and were fast on their feet, often scurrying along and crossing the path in front of us.
Every year the town lights up with color and homemade food for families and sailors to celebrate the Fiesta of Veleros. It was a wonderful cultural celebration with live music and traditional dancers. It was a lot of fun and a big win for the community with tens of thousands of dollars raised each year for the schools.
When we weren’t volunteering or enjoying the festivities, we loved walking around town to provision at the market or enjoy lunch or dinner with friends. It’s so easy to get around with the water taxis from the anchorage or from the hotel/marina. There was also a restaurant on the beach between the anchorage and the marina that we frequented because they made really fresh sushi. It was so good and there was usually some live music to entertain us.
When we weren’t out gallivanting around town, sitting at the pool or walking to the beach, we would go on sails in the bay in front of the port. We enjoyed some beautiful warm-weather sailing with flat seas and consistent winds around 15 knots. It sure beat sailing up North! Warm and balmy long after sunset.
This is the site of a ship that crashed into the cliffs just outside the port. A scary reminder that the sea can be very dangerous even for huge ships. We have no idea what happened with this one and how it got there. It was obviously too large for the port of Barra de Navidad.
One of the other ways of volunteering to raise money was to race your boat against other cruisers. We joined our sister ship, Laissez les Bons Temps Rouler, with Dave as our captain and Amy as our Admiral. They had lots of beads from Mardi Gras for us to throw at the race committee boat. It was right around Fat Tuesday! It was a fun race. We came in first for our class. The smallest boat of the race came in second overall. We were in awe of their sailing skills.
We had dinner at the Barra Galleria Art and Restaurant, which is owned by an American who use to be a cruiser and who is married now to a woman from Barra de Navidad. He opened an exquisite restaurant featuring various local artists.
We also took dinghy rides through the canal next to town as part of our exploration of the area. There were a lot of beautiful homes that people built along the canals where they could also tie up their boat. It seemed like a lot of the homes were owned by ex-pats who came to Mexico to retire. I can’t say I blame them as it’s a lot less expensive and the weather and people are really nice. No wonder Mexico is one of the top places to retire for US and Canada.
Our time in Barra de Navidad was really fun and festive! It was one of our favorite stops along the mainland of Mexico for sure and what was really awesome about it was the time we got to spend with the friends we met in Baja California and beyond. I’m sorry we will not get the chance to do it all again but that’s the life of cruiser. It’s a lot of movement and goodbyes to those we’ve become attached to. That includes the land as well. But the tradeoff is there are many new hellos and places to explore. We are discovering how big the world truly is!
Dude, you have a permit for that PFD?
I'm glad you are having so much fun and meeting so many people. Sending love.