Puddle Jumpers Converge on Vallarta YC

A sure sign that the annual sailor’s migration to French Polynesia is about to begin is when dozens of wide-eyed sailors gather for Latitude 38‘s Pacific Puddle Jump Kick-off Party at the Vallarta YC on the grounds of Nuevo Vallarta’s Paradise Village Resort.

Fit and feisty retirees, middle-age couples on self-imposed sabbaticals, and parents with young kids mingled and compared cruise plans during our send-off party Saturday, while enjoying free drinks and hors d’oeuvres provided by Latitude and the club. Two enlightening digital slideshows gave these soon-to-be South Pacific travelers an overview of French Polynesia’s five principal archipelagos, and introduced them to the fun-filled activities of the three-day Tahiti-Moorea Sailing Rendezvous, slated for June 18-20. Co-sponsored by Latitude and several Tahitian partners, this ambitious event brings cruisers together from North and South America, Europe, New Zealand and Australia with the dual purpose of celebrating their successful crossings, and introducing them to traditional Polynesian arts and culture.

As you might imagine, fleet members come from a wide range of backgrounds — and many of them are very colorful characters. Take, for example, the crew of the Beneteau 52 Solar Planet. Several years ago Swen Michel and Katrin Stuetzer set out to explore the world on their Harley-Davidson. But after criss-crossing the whole of the U.S. and much of Mexico, it dawned on them that traveling the world under sail would be an equally rewarding experience — and a whole lot more comfortable!

Read more about them, and the rest of this year’s enormous fleet, in the March edition of Latitude 38 (available at marine suppliers all along the West Coast, and downloadable for free from the website).