Heading Out -- February 3:
We were released from embargo on January 31 and left Marina Nayarit three days later . . . sailing a whopping nine miles west to the Punta de Mita anchorage. Our plan was to spend time acclimatizing to life on a moving vessel before heading around the somewhat intimidating Cabo Corrientes and further. Every departure from the dock brings a feeling of freedom - but this time we felt very free!
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| At Anchor - Better Than A Night At The Four Seasons! |
The next day we prepared meals for our overnight trip around the cape, kept our eye on the golf course to see if we could see anyone famous, and watched the local fishermen at work.
Another night at anchor helped prepare us for sailing again.
On To ??? -- February 5 - 6
Bryce brought the anchor up at 08.30 and we motored into light breezes. It was a gorgeous morning. A whale energetically waved good-bye to us; or perhaps was simply flipping sideways to nurse a calf -- but we like the idea of the whale wishing us a safe journey. |
| Hasta luego, Abracadabra!!! |
The winds came up around 13.30. And then up, and up and up . . . We had winds up to 28 knots with gusts up to 34 for the entire day and night. But by the time the sun came up:
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| Sunrise |
We decided to sail on to Bahia Tenacatita, and dropped anchor there at 11:00. We were happy to see Flyin Sideways a boat we had "met" over the radio while rounding Cabo Corrientes and several other boats known to us from Mazatlan and La Cruz.
We stayed in Tenacatita Bay for a week reveling in being at anchor and, sadly, we managed not to take a single picture the whole time we were there!
In Tenacatita, on every Friday night during the cruising season, there is a "Mayor's Raft-Up" - a sort-of floating cocktail party. Everyone at anchor in the bay (there were over 20 boats at anchor that week) dinghies to a calm part of the bay and ties up to a central anchor set by "the mayor". Appetizers, books and CDs are passed and stories are swapped. We've enjoyed these parties in the past and this raft-up was no exception.
On our last day at anchor we took our dinghy to shore and shared a cab with the crew of S/v Overheated (Rita and Darrel) to the nearby town of La Manzanilla. We walked through the town, had breakfast and purchased groceries while Overheated's laundry was done at a local lavanderia. Retail activities finished, we taxied back to the enramada on the beach near the anchorage for lunch - and after a careful (dry) dinghy launch, motored home to Abracadabra with food for the next leg of our journey.
Tenacatita to Barra de Navidad -- February 13
From Tenacatita we planned to travel to Cuastecomate , which is called the "secret anchorage" in cruising literature because the entry to this pretty little bay is so well hidden. This bay was a favorite of ours in previous seasons and we were looking forward to another visit. We lazed out of Bahia Tenacatita after lunch and sailed the eleven miles to Cuastecomate only to find that -- the secret as out! Cuastecomate was a very full anchorage.So we sailed on to the next planned place, the marina across from Barra de Navidad, located next to a very luxurious Wyndam Hotel!
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| The Wyndam at Barra |
But sadly, lurking in our e-mail inbox was another "paperwork tangle tango" -- this time a tangle tango created by our very own California Public Employee's Retirement System!
More to come.
[This is what they call a "cliff hanger" in the movie biz . . . ]
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