Annual Barra de Navidad Cruise-In Week Raises Funds for Local Schools

“There just are not many places like this, anywhere. Especially anywhere you can easily sail to; and really-especially, where you can anchor out with an easy dinghy ride to a welcoming historic fishing village. It’s here, in Barra de Navidad.” Pat and Carole McIntosh from Carmichael, CA, and Barra de Navidad, were among the cruisers who descended on the Mexican destination for the seventh annual Fiesta de Veleros and Cruise-In Week, held early last month.

“What a great time it has been for the school kids, sailors, kids on boats, shoreside visitors and local folks alike!” Pat writes, adding that around 30 boats were anchored in the lagoon, ready to take part in the event. “Everyone here has enjoyed the warm sunny days, the fun, and beautiful sundowns with splashing shades of golden yellow, bright red horizons and wispy floating clouds of every shade in-between trimmed with hues of magenta and a background of fading blue.”

Each year, sailors come together for the fun and camaraderie of Cruise-In Week, and for the opportunity to raise funds for the local schools and their students. Schools applying to receive funds have to present a plan outlining how they will use the funds, and afterwards, show the completion of their project along with receipts. Each of this year’s five applicant schools received around $5,600 USD.

Event organizer Elinore Craig shares a wrap-up of this year’s festivities.

“After the popularity of last year’s music cruise, this year we decided to add an additional afternoon/sundown/music cruise. In all, 27 boats went out for the four on-the-water events that included three passenger cruises and the fabulous Flamingo Regatta ‘FUNdrace.’

“The Flamingo Regatta and ‘betting’ together with the ‘fundraising race’ continue to be the largest fundraising events of the week, the most fun for the crew on the boat, and for the viewing crowd on shore. Prizes and awards were given out at the ceremony following the regatta, including a special award to a great friend of Cruise-In Week.

Boaters and land-dwellers alike helped out with handling the boats, event registrations, selling tickets and swag, food deliveries, and, “digging into wallets to donate, and helping the school kids and parents.”

A total of 259 passengers took part in three cruises, with 234 of them being paying passengers, “not including at least three additional private cruises taking out friends and contributing to Cruise-In Week.

“This year was a GREAT year!” Elinore reports. “We started off with two new projects. The first was collecting eyeglasses for residents who need them and can’t afford to get them. The second project was to get a printer for the little ‘one-teacher’ elementary school in Colimilla [a small village on the shore of the Barra lagoon].”

Pat says there were many new cruisers and land-based visitors enjoying this year’s event. “Several have come with their kids, and it’s great to see cruising kids playing in the school yard, or soccer, or other games with the local kids. We know of one family that came to Barra last year and is staying for two months at a time, enrolling their very young children in the schools here. The kids are loving what they call their immersion-school.”

Vallarta Yacht Club’s Andy Barrow was presented with a special award thanking him for his tireless support and the active participation he has generated for Barra de Navidad’s Cruise-In Week from within the yacht club, and from all the sailors in the Banderas Bay area.