Red Dolphin Sailing charters is a must do when visiting La Cruz.
It might sound redundant, as I share my stories about the kindness & generosity of the folks I meet in La Cruz, no matter how it sounds… it’s simply true; Mike Boss fits the profile of most transplants I meet in our fine town.
- He visited La Cruz with a plan of passing through.
- He was enchanted by the kindness of the people – both nationals and expats.
- He loves the vibe… the music scene is second to none.
- Once friends, we stick together like family.
We met Mike at Britannia Pub at one of their open mic nights and since have shared many celebrations together including special dinners, sunset sails, party’s poolside and sharing drinks at one of our many local haunts.
Mike and his team aboard ‘Red Dolphin sailing charters’, will create a memorable excursion for you that will leave you begging for more… I know, I LOVE every moment I’m onboard!
I asked Mike to tell me about his sailing vessel, what brought him to La Cruz and about how and why he decided to turn his passion into a business.
In his words….
Hi Cindy,
Thanks for inviting me to your blog, I`m not accustomed to this kind of thing but here goes.
I, like so many other cruisers before me, had heard a little about La Cruz, but not a lot.
I arrived here with my Daughter Emma and future son-in-law, (now official son-in-law) John, after having spent four months sailing from San Francisco taking in as much of the Californian coastline as possible before clearing into Mexico at Ensenada. We then headed out to Isla Guadalupe to swim with the great white sharks, that was a great experience but I doubt if I will be repeating it!!
Emma, Johnny & me
Trouble!!
We arrived in La Cruz in December 2010 a week before the kids had to jump ship to return to Wales and plan their wedding.
We were all really pleasantly surprised at the buzz that was going around La Cruz and amazed at the abundance of musical talent in the town. The very first night in town we took a stroll up to The Britannia pub, I was wearing a T, shirt with a Welsh logo, next thing I knew Annette Daniels, a Canadian lass with Welsh parents, was introducing herself to me.
Annette with Kev & Sue
Little did I know but Annette was my La Cruz icebreaker (Fun fact, Annette and her husband Cirilo now own The La Cruz Inn), we quickly became friends and through her, I have met a multitude of lovely people (mostly Canadians) most of them living either full or part-time here. The list includes, Chris and Cindy, who you know through this blog and Don Young pharmacist and budding mariner extraordinaire,
The Devilishly handsome Don Young
Sunny and George, two La Cruz veterans are an amazing source of local info and fun, to name but a few. As you can imagine I was immediately exposed to the most positive attitude towards the town imaginable, it didn’t take too long for the enthusiasm of these lovely folk to rub off on me and as I had no real game plan I decided to hang around to see what would happen.
Sunny & George (even more trouble)
The charter idea is one that has evolved as a product of settling in one place and sending the odd root or two down. Michelle and I discussed the possibilities and embarked on the arduous route of obtaining the charter permits to work the bay. One year later and an enormous amount of work by Michelle and much gnashing of teeth by me we finally received our permits.
And so Red Dolphin Sailing Charters was born!!
Indian Summer is the perfect vessel for cruising the bay, she is a hunter Passage 45ft long with a roomy centre cockpit and leather interior to the saloon, she sits high enough out of the water to afford passengers a great view of the surrounding sea, great for whale watching and sunset photography, she comfortably sits ten with ample shade on deck, there are two w/c`s on board with a swim platform and ladder plus fresh water wash down shower aft.
The types of charters we provide are;
Swim/Snorkel/Lunch Cruise
Back by popular demand this cruise has it all. Starting from La Cruz marina at 10.00 and returning at 14.00 this 4 hour cruise include a sail on the bay some whale watching (in season) then we will drop anchor for lunch and a swim and snorkel ( eqpt. provided) plus use of kayaks and S.U.P. all drinks included on this cruise .
Price a very competitive $95.00 U.S.D. $1800.00 MEX. per adult $55 .00 U.S.D. $ 1000.00 MEX. for 5 to 12 year olds.
Minimum of 8 max 14 adults required for this cruise
Sunset Cruise 3 Hours
(start depends on time of sunset)
Aimed mainly at our adult clientele but not exclusively. Sip a cocktail and enjoy the warm mellow sunset over Banderas Bay. We have some of the most spectacular sunsets in the bay.
Canapes and cocktails included in the price of $95 U.S.D. 1800,00 MEX. pp
Minimum of 8 max 14 adults required for this cruise
Yelapa Cruise 8 Hours
Our premier cruise, this is an all day cruise 9 am till 5 pm. We visit this charming isolated village which is only accessable by water.
Breakfast , lunch and snacks are provided plus all drinks for the day.
On arrival you will be taken to shore by panga boat where you will have 3 hours to explore before returning for lunch and the sail back.
Price is, adults $ 120.00 USD 2280.00 Mex , Chidren $70.00 USD , 1300.00 Mex.
Minimum 8 adults required for this cruise
We are expecting a crazy season so make sure you book early to avoid disappointment
Private Charters
We would be delighted to make a special occasion unique, whether it is a birthday, anniversary or wedding celebration. We are willing to discuss possibilities to enhance our guest’s experience.
Whale watching
There is always a high probability of seeing whales in the bay between the end of November through to the end of March, Humpback whales come to the area to calve and teach their young their incredible acrobatic abilities. We offer the opportunity to witness them in their natural environment.
Since I arrived here there has been a marked increase in the amount of restaurants in the town La Cruz seems to be headed for stardom as a gourmet`s dream. The numbers of cruisers has also increased I counted 70 plus boats at the anchorage last season. There has also been a substantial improvement to the plaza area and the street lighting, this is all good but I feel that the work needs to be continued to improve the rest of the infrastructure around the town.
I would like to see la Cruz become a majic town, the location is perfect, this would really put us on the map and in so doing I believe would help it to remain a largely low rise development area, I believe that if one thing is going to spoil the town it would be the overdevelopment of the area with high rise property dominating the coastline.
Favorite song, hmmm that’s a difficult question, Michelle and I both like the Faithless song `miss U less see U more`, Al Stewart `On the Border’ is one of my all time favorites, but there are so many to pick from. If I could pick an instrumental it would be `Bamboo` Joe Satriani.
Quote “Perfect, but it will have to do!!”
Greatest achievement; Completing thirty years as a firefighter in Wales, I would do it all over again in a heartbeat.
Thanks, Mike! I love that you and Michelle have created success with your charters as you create memories for others!
AND it really is a small world… we just had a guest at Villa Amor del Mar that told us he sold the boat to Mike! Cool!!
Another service Red Dolphin Charters offers is ‘Burials/Celebration of life’ on the sea. If you want to read my personal story of spreading my dad’s ashes at sea, read here.
