On Tuesday 20th we had a double-whammy day, starting with hope-inspiring swearing in of U.S. President Barack Obama at midday – one must admit an historical event of great proportion wherever one was in the world, and of whatever heritage or persuasion – followed later in the afternoon by the appearance in Zihua Bay of the cruise ship Oosterdam, of the Holland America Line, bringing in the music-loving crowd of Delbert McClinton’s 15th annual Sandy Beach Cruise. Those two events were enough to cause us to simply make the day into one of total relaxation and celebration….
Therefore in the afternoon, after the official swearing in ceremonies were over, we took ourselves down to Rossy’s Restaurant on La Ropa. The Delbert boat, due to come into the bay at 12:00 noon, was running late and even though we didn’t arrive at the beach until well after that time, our bay was still clear of all but the few fishing pangas, sailboats and motor yachts normally anchored within its confines. So we sat and had lunch and waited. In the interim, we were treated to the raucous arrival of diving pelicans that pelted into the water and amongst the bathers and snorkelers and jet-ski riders along La Ropa Beach, causing havoc and a bit of a hullabaloo as they dive-bombed themselves into the shallow waters along the shore after what must of been schools of small fish that weren’t visible from our perch upstairs at Rossy’s.
Pelting of Pelicans on La Ropa
The Sandy Beaches cruise expected in our port this year (the first time ever – usually it ran out of Florida on a Caribbean run but last year began leaving from San Diego on a Mexican Pacific coast itinerary) was carrying many 100′s of passengers, all fans of Delbert McClinton and in general, “THE BLUES”.
Among the passengers this particular time around were several our personal acquaintances from Zihuatanejo, friends from various parts of the world spend lots of time in Zihua and who have also for the past several years have been taking this cruise every January almost as a kind of compulsory annual ritual that is unstoppable once embarked upon… I think they actually convinced Delbert that making Zihuatanejo a stop on this years’ itinerary was, in fact, THE thing to do. So in honor of their enthusiasm and persistence, we and a pile of other friends were stationed at Rossy’s to hail in their arrival as they made their ways into town from the direction of the open ocean instead of from the airport or via highway.
The SBC cruise, from all reports, is one of those on which music reigns, and drinking and eating are the natural accompaniments, with an occasional dip in the pool if it’s warm enough. Forget about any other normal cruise-ship extracurricular activity – I’ve heard no talk of shuffleboard or ping-pong or watching a movie, and who would EVER have energy and stamina enough to hang out at the gym….? What matters on SBC is the incredible range of live music by some of the best in the business, and from the looks of it, everyone just wears themselves out drinking a lot and listening day and night for a whole week, to some of the best blues composers and interpreters to be had. It’s gotta be like living at your favorite club for a week and never having to go home. Could be fatal for some, I imagine.
The Oosterdam with Sandy Beaches Cruise entering Zihua Bay
Anyway, the boat came in, the passengers debarked and did their things around town for a few hours, shopping, taking a trip on the Picante catamaran, checking out Ixtapa, or hanging out at several of the beach restaurants for seafood and a short break from the constant music and revelry they had to endure on board, poor souls. We had time to hang out with some of the shipboard Zihua friends. They were due back on the ship by 7:30 or so, and the Oosterdam thereafter chugged off into the darkness, probably just as the musicians were tuning up for yet another full night of the blues on the high seas.
If you’re interested in finding out more about Delbert’s cruise, you can get ample info on-line and make reservations for next January (you have to do it early as the choice suites and cabins get filled fast) - just go to http://www.delbert.com
View of La Ropa from Rossy's
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=garXkBsWrlg[/youtube]
