Yelapa - January 11, 2010

After 3 days on the hook in rocky La Cruz, we headed across the bay for a short 3 hour sail into Yelapa.  If you didn't pay attention to the maps you would miss this place completely.  On the way across the bay we were treated to quite a show by a pod of whales.  We saw three what I characterized as very angry whales who were flopping their tails against the water in an attempt to get three large whale watching boats - literally off their backs.  Kelly told me that it was just three mother whales communicating with their calves.  It sure did not look like happy mother's from where I sat on our boat.

Ryan getting friendly with one of the locals

We got into Yelapa at about 11 a.m. and picked up one of the few moorings they have their.  A restuarant owner with a panga happily picked us up on our boat and deposit us on the shore in front of his palapa eatery.  We obliged and had a great meal and the kids did some swimming on shore.

While we sat there, we watched our boat bobbing like a cork on the mooring and made the decision to set sail at about 5 o'clock and head for Chemela which would get us into that anchorage sometime around noon the next day.

In the meantime we had some time to kill so we decided to walk to the local waterfall that we had heard so much about.  Yelapa is a town built into the side of the mountain.  Terrain better fitting sure footed goats and mules than people.  The town is perched on the hillside with circuitous paths where people haveconstructed homes where gravity and technology are waging a battle to see what will stay up and it is not always clear who is winning.

We hiked through town and after about a 700 foot elevation gain in less then 1/2 mile we made it to the waterfall.

Believe it or not but this is Kelly under the fresh waterfall

Kelly and Ryan were both brave enough to get in the frigid water but Ryan was a little less enthusiastic about actually "playing" in the water.

I think this face says it all.

On the way back down we walked through town.  If you can call it a town.  This picture of Kelly lets you see just how big this place is.

Kelly and I stopped in to check out the small Catholic Church that is not too far from the waterfall.  It is in terrible shape but even so, the local folks have done a great job of  making what they have beautiful.

Check out the water damage on the ceiling of the building.

We headed back down the mountain to our boat, a glimpse of which we caught from the hillside.

Sabbatical is the one in the background

We headed back to the boat, ate some soup and then got ready to set sail to Chemela.  For me the trip was one of the toughest in that we had no stars or moon to guide us and the land between Yelapa and Chemela is sparsely populated with very little lighting from shore, so needless to say it was a very dark ride down the coast.