Inspirational Sailor Galia Moss Speaks to Mexicotoday.org about her Sailing Journey Across the Atlantic Ocean

By Megan for Mexico Today

Mexican-born Galia Moss, the first female Mexican and Latin American sailor to travel across the Atlantic Ocean alone is ready for her next sailing solo adventure. As initially reported in an exclusive MexicoToday.org article, this time Moss will be travelling with her own customized sail boat named "El Mas Mejor II" (Spanish for "The Most Best II"') being built at La Rochelle, France. Check out MexicoToday.org's Facebook and Flickr pages for exclusive photos from Galia Moss' sail boat.
"Since I was young, I have always been looking to do something nobody did before. After my first trip travelling nine thousand miles from Spain to Mexico in 41 days, now I am ready and looking forward to my next adventure with my own customized sail boat," said Galia Moss. "I have always worked very hard and towards my dreams, and the building of my own sail boat is definitely one of the many dreams I can't wait to make it come true. And this is the same message I would like to share with my fellow Mexicans – never give up on your dreams."
When asked about what will be unique about her customized sail boat, Moss stated, "One of the most unique features of the "El Mas Mejor II" will be the great view from the cockpit. This is very convenient because you can see almost 360 degrees outside, and it will also allow me to have an important safety feature for long journeys as I will be able to sail it while indoors during inclement weather conditions.
Marc Lombard, a French specialist on building high-speed sail boats for solo travelers adventuring the open ocean, is the architect building the customized sail boat that Moss will be using on her next solo trip. Lombard started building the customized sail boat in February 2012 together with 39 other experts at the shipyard R. M. Yachts, a location known to be very detailed on how they customize boats for their customers. Moss visited last December 2011 where she became very close to the design process to make sure the sail boat fit her specific needs. Moss' "El Mas Mejor II" will become the thirty-fifth sail boat built by R. M. Yachts in 2012.
Moss' customized sail boat will be a model RM 1060, 10.6 meters long and 4 meters wide, with a sail area of 71.6 squared meters. The hull of the vessel will be lighter and more rigid than polyester boats, which will allow a much better durability of the hull thus avoiding any risks of osmosis or delamination. Another unique feature of Moss' sail boat will be the construction of the boat using the hull structure for important parts of the cabin, such as doors, cab structures, and several other areas of the cabin.
"The sail boat is made for experienced users, eager to navigate on a very powerful, elegant, and easy to control sail boat," stated a spokesperson for R.M. Yachts.
The "El Mas Mejor II" will be Moss' first customized sail boat, but her third following her other two sail boats "El Mas Mejor I" and "Azul" used for her historic first solo trip between Spain and Mexico.
To follow Galia Moss' customized sail boat being built and to track her upcoming adventure in the open seas, visit www.galiamoss.org.

Source: PR Newswire (http://s.tt/1fXoy)

Galia Moss, an inspirational Mexican sailor and social activist, recently spoke with Mexicotoday.org about her many journeys around the world and the lessons she’s learned along the way. Moss was born in Mexico City and in her youth she had aspirations of becoming a musician. In fact, Moss even holds a music composition degree from the Boston Conservatory. However, her passion quickly transitioned into the realm of sports, as she began practicing gymnastics and later sailing.

The Road to the 2012 London Olympics Runs Through Mazatlan, Mexico for Beach Volleyball's Continental Cup

Posted by Aaron via Mexico Today

Most sports fans know, as the slots for the Olympic qualifiers fill in, the competition will begin to heat up. The London Olympics are just weeks away, so there is no hotter contest than men’s and women’s beach volleyball. Within this sport, the contest everyone will have his or her eye on is the Continental Cup Olympic qualifying tournament happening in Mazatlan, Mexico. 

The Passing of Hurricane Carlotta

We have weathered the storm!

Well, we consider ourselves lucky after Hurricane Carlotta rolled through Huatulco this past weekend.

We didn't sustain a direct hit, and unfortunately, the communities of Puerto Angel and Puerto Escondido were hit harder.

The clean up is happening as I write this and Huatulco should be back to normal shortly.

Some of the smaller communities outside of Huatulco were not as lucky as structural damage was more significant, and three lives were lost.  The intense rains brought mud slides and flooding to these smaller areas and the aftermath will be felt for much longer. 

We are very thankful for the first class infrastructure in Huatulco, things could have been much worse.

Hurricane Carlotta Update

Tropical Storm Carlotta

There is a hurricane watch in place for the coast of Oaxaca.

Tropical storm Carlotta is currently off-shore and strengthening.  The expectation is that Carlotta will form into a Category 1 hurricane with wind speeds between 75-95 mph.

Landfall will occur Friday the 15th towards the evening.

We will keep our eyes posted on new developments.

How Not to Get Beheaded in Mexico

Photo: Mason Lindquist

Post by Douglas Anthony Cooper via The Huffington Post

I can't even remember when I last experienced the beheading of a close friend. Everyone assumes it must be a weekly, or even a daily event: after all, I live in Mexico. The truth, however, is that you are as likely to have your head removed against your will in my town -- Oaxaca -- as you are to be murdered by roving, machete-crazed gangs in Martha's Vineyard.

Copper Canyon in Mexico Reveals Why Mexico Has the Most UNESCO Heritage Sites in All of the Americas

Post by Sarah via Mexico Today

Did you know? The Copper Canyon in northern Mexico is even bigger than the Grand Canyon – 6000 vs. 4500 feet deep and four times the volume – and is one of the biggest canyons in the world.

Here, MexicoToday guides you through the main attractions of the Canyon, like the scenic ‘Chihuahua al Pacifico’ train, Copper Canyon Adventure Park, and the Valley of Mushrooms and Monks with rock formations. Copper Canyon also brings a bit of history and culture to the table – it has long been home to the Tarahumara Indians, whose isolation in the rugged Canyon has produced many world famous long distance runners and a way of life that is still relatively untouched by the modern world. 

A Good Year for Mexican Wine and the Tourism Business

By John Ganjei for Mexico Today

Mexican wine production has increased almost 40 percent. This was clear at the annual Vendimia harvest festival in Baja California, where 90 percent of Mexico's wine is produced. There were more than 30,000 attendants, 40 concerts, and wine tastings and contests.

Mexican wine has only recently won acclaim. In 1699, Spain banned Mexico from wine production because this posed a competitive threat to the peninsular wines. The first Mexican wine producer was the Bodegas de Santo Tomas winery which started in 1888 (over 60 years after the war of Independence). It still exists today. 

Día de la Marina

Happy Marine's Day from Huatulco, Mexico!

Sun Country Flying to Huatulco!

Posted from suncountry.com

Travel to Huatulco, Mexico!

Sun Country is excited to offer non stop service from Minneapolis/St. Paul to Huatulco, Mexico! Plan your Mexico vacation to beautiful Huatulco with weekly service beginning December 22, 2012 departing and returning every Saturday.