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.