Weighing anchor

After watching thunderheads build the night before, we weighed anchor in the early morning sun of Tenacatita where we enjoyed three weeks of swimming, playing bocce ball on the beach and afternoon conversations at the palapa. 

 

We had Santiago Bay on our minds.  We heard that clear, warm water awaited us and a sunken ship offered fantastic snorkeling.  We dropped anchor along Playa la Boquita, 34 miles and five-and-a-half hours later.  We were not disappointed.  We immediately loved the place. The palapa-lined beach wraps around the bay for miles all the way to the town of Santiago.

There were just five other boats anchored in the bay and we were invited ashore for sundowner cocktails and delightful conversations. 

In the morning with brilliant sunlight penetrating the clear water, we donned our snorkels and explored the 300-foot steel cargo ship San Luciano which was sunk in a 1959 hurricane.  The living reef is home to hundreds of colorful fish.  Not afraid to swim near me, one school with 6-inch silver/gray bodies and pursed green lips swam right up to my mask to blow me kisses.  As cute as they were, my favorite was a 3-inch yellow and black striped fish with a flashy fuchsia tail, a real fashionista.  We spent hours in their fishbowl and only when a group of tourists on paddleboards invaded our tranquility did we decide to swim into shore.  After a shrimp ceviche lunch we walked the quiet beach in the afternoon sun before swimming back to Gitane. 

The next morning, we waved adios to our friends as we began the 190-mile coastal cruise to Zihuatanejo.  With our jib and staysail raised we pointed high into the south/southeast winds and swell during the 41-hour trip.  The sunsets were spectacular and we watched evening electrical storms in the distance as clouds piled up against the mountains. 

We turned into Bahia de Zihuatanejo around midnight on the second night, dropped anchor in light winds, opened up the hatches for fresh night breezes and slept soundly.        

Happy New Year!

The Pineapple Express rains from the Pacific have soaked Costalegre (Happy Coast) for the last six days leaving behind rainfall records, deserted campgrounds and lush, green hills. Between squalls we were swimming, scrubbing barnacles off the hull, making wet dinghy landings at Tenacatita beach or playing bocce ball.
 

To celebrate this first day of the New Year about 20 cruisers gathered at the beach palapa for a festive lunch.  The restaurant’s specialty is a fish filet wrapped around fresh shrimp, smothered in a decadent almond cream sauce. It’s a meal that is to be enjoyed slowly, each morsel savored for it fills you with satisfaction.  Nora Ephron once said that when it comes time to have your last meal you may not know that it’s going to be your last meal and you won’t want to make the mistake of ordering a tuna melt.  Well, this thick, sweet fish filet and its rich sauce would never be a mistake so if it had turned out to have been my last meal, it would have been worth it.

This morning, the fleet celebrated the return of the sun by holding the annual Biathalon consisting of a swim ashore from Harmony, the boat of Tenacatita’s Unofficial Mayor anchored about 1/3 mile from shore, a run along the beach and back, then a return swim to Harmony.

 

I teamed up with Coral, the almost six-year-old granddaughter of the Unofficial Mayor.  As I swam into shore, I tagged her and off she splashed down the beach and back at top speed, her legs nothing more than a blur and sending me off with a head start for the last leg of swimming.  Her awesome performance propelled us to a noteworthy finish.

 

 

We began this New Year with our favorites: exercise, good food and good company while anchored in a lovely bay.  Likewise, we wish you a New Year filled with all that brings happiness and contentment to your lives. 
Feliz Ano Nuevo 2014!