The Holloway Happenings: my dad

My dad and I shopping in Barra

It's already been a month ago, but I will always have very fond memories of this quick trip to Mexico that I got to make at the beginning of April. While I had (not so subtlety) been dropping hints about going down on my dad's boat again to cruise a bit with him, somehow the stars aligned and I was able to get away and make it a reality!

My dad needed to bring his boat back from Barra de Navidad, where they keep it during the winter, and up to Puerto Vallarta, where it is kept the rest of the year. Being that I can't just take "vacation" days from my job, made it pretty unrealistic that I could go. But somehow, my very sweet husband insisted that we make it work. And despite my babysitter canceling at the last minute, I was still able to go away for five days to a place that is really special in my heart. Once again, the generosity of many wonderful people in my life (my neighbor, Sarah; my best friend's sister, Michelle; my sister-in-law, Kim; and Sam) made it possible to go, and even more importantly, remind me how much people care about me and want me to be happy.

The marina at Barra de Navidad

It's hard to put into words how being with my dad in his "happy place" makes me equally happy. I have been lucky enough to go to Mexico quite a few times, particularly Barra and Puerto Vallarta, so it is very familiar and I feel quite at home there. It's fun to speak Spanish and of course get some sunshine. However, this time I got to stay on the "Carefree," my dad's boat, and help him take it the 100+ miles up the western coast of Mexico. I love being out at sea, being miles from shore, watching out for sea turtles in our path, seeing an occasional whale jump, and watch sea birds soar past. And the fact it makes my dad so happy and at peace is the best part about it. Even though my dad has macular degeneration, and his eyesight is gradually worsening each year, he can still maneuver the boat and enjoy cruising, so long as he has some extra eyes to help him out.

Carefree....but not repair-free!

Salud! The crew toasting to a good trip

Local fishermen in a panga

A brown booby checking us out

My almost-brother-in-law, Roger, joined us, which was wonderful since he has had a lot of sailing experience. If it were just me and my dad making the trip, I would have been a lot more stressed, but having a third pair of eyes and hands was ideal. It also gave Roger and me a chance to get to know each other better (even though I think he is pretty awesome already!) before he and my sister, Erica, marry this August.

Like any trip involving any boat, things are unpredictable. Stuff breaks. Repairs need to be made. The weather turns. Plans change. Roger and I only had a short window of time to be gone and to make the trip to Puerto Vallarta, so we didn't' have the luxury of waiting for the perfect weather conditions. It had been pretty windy most afternoons, and heading north up the coast you head against the wind and seas. My dad, the ever patient boater, would have preferred to wait until things were a bit calmer, but unfortunately we didn't have time. So, after we got a few provisions and checked out with the port captain in Barra, we planned to make the two day trip north, stopping to anchor one night.

Well, despite us getting ready to leave at sunrise, the Carefree wasn't quite ready. The stabilizers (wing-like things on the hull of the boat that keep it from rocking a lot in rough swells) were malfunctioning. Roger spent some time in the engine room, and after getting squirted with a lot of hydraulic fluid, he determined that they were not going to work. That was ok, because we can cruise without them, although it would be a bit rockier. However, we couldn't have fluid squirting all over the engine room. Clearly, we needed a part for this valve...and where in the world would be find it on the day of the trip in this tiny Mexican town? Well, thank goodness my dad had his "nut bucket," or whatever he calls it; full of odds and ends bits of screws, nuts, fittings, etc. Lo and behold, there was a cap that was just the right size. With Roger and exchanging glances (and hope that this was all going to work), we got it fixed and headed off!

Roger and my dad on the water taxi in Barra

Needle in a haystack: Roger searching for the right part

(Finally) leaving Barra to head north

I spent so much time as a child boating with my parents that it was so comforting to be back doing something I haven't done in more than a decade. (I have been to Mexico recently, but after kids, I haven't been able to go out cruising on the boat with my dad.) It was wonderful! Hours chugging along the ocean may not be a lot of people's cup of tea (like my husband, who gets sea sick), but it is a pretty amazing experience. Being away from land, seeing the vastness of the sea from one little corner of the ocean, observing beautiful wildlife, and being unplugged from the rest of the world gave me some much-needed perspective on life and time. Time with my dad, most importantly.

On watch and off the grid

The most incredible sunrise I have ever seen

Schools of rays in front of the boat

We saw thousands of them - and they swam away fast!

A 12 foot manta ray right next to the boat

This trip had a little bit of everything - ups and downs, but mostly great. We had a lovely evening anchored in a bay at Chamela, about a third of the way into our trip. I haven't slept on the boat while it was rocking me gently to sleep in a very long time. We had a bit of nighttime cruising. In order to avoid the afternoon winds as much as possible, we left Chamela at 5:00 in the morning well before the sun had come up. Cruising at night, depending on radar to see, is both bit nerve-wracking and exciting. Fortunately, the only eventful part of it was getting to watch an incredible sunrise over the mountains that seemed to last forever, changing colors and glowing more and more intensely. We had lots of wildlife..in our way! In addition to keeping an eye out for running over sea turtles lolling in the water right in front of our boat (you would think they would hear us coming sooner), we cruised through a school of thousands of small brown rays. They were everywhere for a mile or two, and fortunately would dart away as we got close. Later, as we got close to Puerto Vallarta, we cruised by an enormous manta ray. And we had some wild seas, as well. The second day we had a lot of sea to cover and the wind picked up in the afternoon. It was rough. I don't mind waves and I don't get sea sick, but when water is splashing up over the bridge (the top deck) of the boat and getting you wet, waves are thumping hard against the hull of the boat, and you hold on for dear life when walking around the boat, it isn't quite so much fun. Fortunately, as my dad reassured me, the boat is designed for that kind of weather and handled it fine. I was just thankful when we rounded the point and entered the Bay of Banderas, where Puerto Vallarta is located. And once again, my dad maneuvered the 50 foot Carefree into a narrow slip in the marina with the greatest of ease!