We arrived here in La Cruz yesterday afternoon after stopping one night at Jaltemba, which is about 28 miles S of San Blas - an easy day-sail. Still traveling with Shiloh and Sailfisher, we anchored at sunset in the lee of the islands at Guayabitos, and since we were three boats all interrupting the quiet and solitude of the one boat that had been there already, I rowed over and invited them to join us for fish and drinks. Igor and Anna aboard Anna were a fun couple to get to know. They've been living in the States for 15 years, left Russia after Glasnost, and have done very well for themselves and their children. Very nice and adventurous people. They bought the boat (a C&C 41) several months ago after never having sailed a bit, and basically just jumped into the cruising life. Anna doesn't like open water so they may have issues when it comes time to make a decision to turn right at the Galapagos, and Igor loves cruising and knows he'll get through any situation, but he's afraid of water and doesn't swim. It's a fear of sharks that keeps him on the boat while others enjoy the snorkeling / swimming around at anchor.
We woke up and pulled anchor the morning of the 14th (yesterday) and started motoring in a dead calm towards this place, which is cooler still than San Blas, in its own way. I haven't yet seen all of it, but it's definitely a cruiser-friendly place, with great restaurants and fun nightlife (from what I hear). La Cruz is a new marina still under construction, but one day it's going to be a destination. If I had investment funds, I'd be buying up a nice chunk of property in town and building a chandelry. This marina will be big.
