How it started
In February 2017, Linda Bello-Ruiz, a long-time visitor to Barra de Navidad, wanted to bring together the downtown community, theSan Felipe Barrio, and the Colonia Ejidal residents. Along with locals and representatives from the county Government, she launched the first Barrio Unido Mexican Festival to raise funds in support of the middle school and Catholic Church in the Colonia Ejidal. The Festival was well-attended by families and individuals coming together to eat, drink, enjoy live mariachi music, folkloric dancing, rope tricks, and to donate to the good causes.
How it grew
After that first Fiesta, former cruisers Pat and Carol McIntosh (of Cruising Notes fame) approached Linda and suggested asking the cruising community to participate by offering their vessels for sailboat rides around the bay in front of the Barra & Melaque beaches. The inaugural Fiesta de Veleros was launched on February 16, 2018 with a morning sail enjoyed by 78 ticket holders on 10 sailboats. The ticket sales were added to the Mexican Fiesta with the proceeds split between two of the Barra Schools.
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In 2019, the Fiesta de Veleros grew up to become "Cruise-In Week" when the Vallarta Yacht Club added the Barra event as a destination with to their annual February "Cruise Out" event, encouraging boats from the Banderas Bay to "get off the docks" and support a good cause.
Where We Are Today
In 2021, a diminished winter visitor population as well as restrictions on group gatherings meant the sailboat rides and Mexican Fiesta were not going to happen. Knowing schools would have high-startup costs after sitting unused for over a year, a group of permanent and semi-permanent resident boaters worked with Linda to hold the first "Flamingo Regatta" sailboat race in the bay using flamingo pool floats to mark the course. Friends and family were asked to donate electronically to "sponsor" the boats in the race. The event resulted in the highest net proceeds to the schools, and has become a permanent part of the annual Cruise-In Week and Fiesta de Veleros festivities.
Cruise-In Week & Fiesta de Veleros, the Mexican Fiesta, and the Flamingo Regatta all remain very much a volunteer, grass-roots community effort. The Mexican Fiesta is managed entirely by the teachers, parents and students of the schools. After accounting for expenses, the combined proceeds from all the events are donated to benefit the school children of Barra de Navidad.