Family Vacation in Puerto Vallarta - Part 4

Thursday - My day for Boats!

In the morning Jill and I used the gym on the elipical machines and weight machines then got some play time in at the beach before heading off on my America's Cup tour. I spent over 7 hours on the ocean on a variety of boats.
This big Iguana was waiting by the dock before my first boat trip of the day.

Starting out with a small 'zodiac' boat ride for 20 minutes from the Nuevo Vallarta Marina, out and south to the Puerto Vallarta Marina to transfer to a larger 'apex' (a 30 person Zodiac-like boat) out to rendezvous with the America's Cup Race Boat.

I was on the Aus 29 boat that lost in the 2000 America's Cup Finals by 2.4 seconds. - A many tens of millions investment... made totally of carbon fiber with 1/4 million dollar sails... something that was on my 'bucket list' - glad I got a chance.

We had to sail around for awhile while the other boat had to offload a passenger who fell and twisted their ankle during the first 'warm up' maneuvers. These race boats really 'heel over' and it's hard to stay in your assigned position...

Then we had three races against the Aus 31 boat (crewed by other tour folks like myself) - we had to 'grind' the headsail back and forth during tacking maneuvers as well as the mainsail. It was great fun to be in such a craft. Then we got an 'extra' hour of sailing in the bay as the tender boat unloaded some passengers from each boat who had to get back to their cruise ship... So I got a chance to actually steer the boat as we sailed around Banderas Bay.

Then a transfer on the Apex back to the marina, then a different 'Scuba Tender' boat from the Marina back north to 'our marina'.

Then after checking in at the hotel, we all went back out in another 'Ketch' rigged sailboat for a dinner cruise. Ryan, Brent, Jill and Alysha all got seasick and really didn't enjoy the sailboat ride, along with most of the other passengers - so we brought the boat back early and got to watch the sunset from the Italian place at the Vallarta Palace instead. Later that evening Alysha and Katie were picked to participate in a 'Game Show' type entertainment at night...