TENACATITA TO BARRA DE NAVIDAD FOR SUPERBOWL

January 28, 2019

Dawn in Tenacatita

Once again, I got up early to watch the sun rise and lounge in the cockpit until the others rose.  Bill was also an early riser, but Greg and Susan liked their sleep.  Having been forbidden to drink coffee, I was drinking hot electrolyte solution which probably bothered my stomach as much as the coffee, but at least helped to minimize the leg, ankle, and foot cramps that tortured me in the early morning hours.

Dolphin Playing in the Anchorage

Bill made one-eyed Jacks for breakfast (toast with a hole cut out and an egg fried in the center.)  We passed a leisurely morning and listened to the Tenacatita Cruisers’ Net.  Dolphins were playing in the anchorage.

Construction Near the Mouth of the Estuary

Once we got ourselves organized, we piled into the dinghy and headed towards shore, stopping to chat with our friends on Dragon’s Toy.  Our destination was the estuary known as the "Jungle Cruise" or "Estuary Tour" that parallels the coast for a mile or two, ending in a lagoon.  The entrance to the estuary had been remodeled since my last visit, with a newly constructed rock jetty.  A backhoe was still digging away, probably widening the channel.  We had to skirt the construction on the way up the estuary.

Mangrove Roots

We continued slowly up the estuary until we cleared the shallow bits and then Greg opened up the outboard and we screamed through the wide part, finally slowing when the channel narrowed and the mangroves encroached upon our passage.  With such a big outboard (20hp), we couldn’t idle slowly enough to take pictures of the wildlife, but we did see two crocodiles and lots of red legged crabs.  The passage needed clearing, but we pushed on through to the lagoon at the other end and beached the dinghy there.  Fish were jumping all over the lagoon.

Lagoon at the End of the Estuary

We walked a short distance across a sand spit to an area where people were camping and several palapa restaurants were operating on the beach.  We chose one and sat in the shade to drink beer and enjoy a snack of shrimp quesadillas and octopus in garlic sauce.  Life didn’t get much better than that.  The view was fantastic and it felt like we were in Cabo San Lucas before the tourists came.  We would have liked to linger, but Greg had to get back to the boat to call the marina in Barra de Navidad to get a slip before they closed.

Palapa Restaurants at the "Aquarium"

The "Aquarium"

We zoomed back through the estuary, more concerned with speed than nature watching, and nearly missed a turn.  Traveling so fast in a confined space made me nervous and we did touch bottom shortly after recovering from the missed turn.  We slowed after that and made it over the bar and back into the bay without further incident.  We got to the boat just in time for a swim (5 laps that day) and happy hour for those of us who hadn’t used our daily alcohol ration back on the beach.

We were low on provisions, but I managed to stretch two hamburger patties into taco meat for four and we had plenty of veggies for a nice salad.  Greg was unable to connect the hard drive containing movies to the TV because there was something wrong with the USB port, so we spent the later part of the evening reading until I fell asleep early.

January 29, 2019

Sunrise in Tenacatita

I missed the best part of the dawn, but got up in time for the second act when the sun cleared the hills between Tenacatita and Barra.  The orientation of the bays there allowed us to see both sunrise and sunset across the water.  Bill made French toast for breakfast which those not dieting ate with peanut butter and bananas.  The rest of the morning was spent lounging.  Then we picked up Tom and Cary from Dragon’s Toy, hauled up the anchor, and motored over to the area of Tenacatita Bay known as the Aquarium to go snorkeling.  We anchored off the beach where we had eaten the day before.  The holding wasn’t good, but it was fine for a calm afternoon and Greg had to stay on the boat, anyway.

The rest of us swam a good distance from the boat around (in my case) or through a line of jagged rocks into the bowl that forms the Aquarium.  That area is surrounded by rocks and filled with coral heads.  There were many types of tropical fish swimming about singly and in large schools.  I paused several times to let large schools of colorful fish surround me.  It was somewhat nerve wracking to work my way around the rocks in the swell, but I made it without getting dashed against anything.  With Greg stuck in the boat, I didn’t have a dive partner and had lost the others when they elected to go through the rocks, rather than around.

Scout Anchored at the "Aquarium"

I found some of the others when I got into the bowl and spent a few minutes exploring before I started to get cold and decided to head back to the boat before I developed cramps.  This time, I elected to pass between the rocks.  The reef, which appeared broken above the surface, was continuous below, making the passages shallow.  I had to swim like mad to make it through between swells.  Cary wasn’t so lucky and got a small scrape on her thigh.  I met Bill and Susan on the way back to the boat and we found Tom and Cary already aboard.  I did get a minor cramp just before I reached the boat, so was glad I had decided to return when I did.  It felt good to climb out of the water and lie in the warm sun long enough for my skin to dry.

Once everyone was dry and dressed again, we motored back to the anchorage where, thankfully, no one had taken our spot.  We were back by 14:30.   We returned Tom and Cary to their boat and relaxed for a couple of hours until it was time to head into shore for an early dinner at the palapa restaurant on the beach.  We wanted to be sure to leave the shore before the bugs came out.

We had left the wheels off the dinghy because one of them was refusing to operate properly.  We didn’t have time to drag the dinghy above the surf line before the next wave hit us and swamped us.  I had to borrow a bailer from one of the dinghies (with wheels) parked on the beach to remove the water so that we could drag our dinghy to safety on the sand.  The drain plug had rusted in place so that we couldn’t remove it to drain the boat.

The Palapa Restaurant in Tenacatita

We felt downright lucky to be sitting in yet another beachside restaurant, eating tasty fish and sipping cold beer.  We escaped with only a few bug bites after I broke out the lemon eucalyptus oil.  The mosquitoes weren’t out but there was something in the sand that took a few chunks out of us.

Tom and Cary had declined to accompany us to dinner but came over afterward for an evening of Mexican Train dominoes.  We taught Bill and Susan to play and they caught on quickly, winning most of the games.  We managed to stay awake until nearly 22:00, playing dominoes in the cockpit by the pale light of a Luci lamp and guarded from mosquitoes by a citronella candle.

January 30, 2019

Shipwreck on Punta Graham

I made a frittata out of the last of the eggs, some potatoes, and whatever else I could find in the fridge.  By late morning, we headed out of Tenacatita Bay for the short trip around the headland to Barra de Navidad.  We made a slight detour to check on the ship that had grounded during Hurricane Patricia in 2015.  It was a little rustier and had broken in half, but was still sitting in the rocky alcove where the storm had deposited it.  The location was inaccessible from either land or sea, so salvage had been impossible.

The Barra Channel

We motored across Bahia de Navidad and down the narrow channel leading to the Barra Lagoon and marina, stopping at the fuel dock to refuel before heading to our slip on D dock. We checked in with the harbormaster and then trooped up to the lobby to open accounts with the hotel and show Bill and Susan the spectacular view from up there.  The entire town of Barra de Navidad and the lagoon were spread before us.

View from the Hotel Lobby

We enjoyed lunch by the pool, sharing a pizza.  At sunset, we took a water taxi across the channel to town with Tom and Cary from Dragon’s Toy and ate Italian food at Loco Loco.  We weren’t really in the mood for Italian food, having had pizza for lunch, but it was Tuesday night and many restaurants were closed.  I opted for a Caesar salad, which was immense and surely had more calories than the pasta dishes.  It was late when we got back to the boat and we packed it in shortly after our return.

Hotel Grand Bay Isla Navidad

Sunset from the Barra Malecon

January 31, 2019

Golf Course at Dawn

I got up early to watch the dawn and take a five-mile run through the lovely golf course and out to the beach.  There was never anyone on the golf course and I felt as if the large staff of gardeners were maintaining it just so I could run there.  I always waved at them as the truck delivering them to their posts passed by.  To get to the golf course, I had to run through the town of La Culebra, also known as Colimilla.  Since the last time I had been there, a new "Telesecundaria" had opened.  La Culebra is remote and this allowed the local youth to telecommute to high school.

The Beach at the Grand Bay Golf Course

Telesecundaria in La Culebra

We hung around the boat long enough to listen to the net and get pastries from the French baker and then took a water taxi across the channel and up the canal to the Cabo Blanco Hotel, which was the stop nearest to the port captain’s office.  The port captain was located in a house smack in the middle of a residential neighborhood and was difficult to find.  I knew how to get there from the main road, but had no idea where it was in relation to the hotel.  We wandered around and finally asked a gardener trimming some bushes.  He kindly descended from his ladder and led us there.

Motoring Up the Canal in Barra

Pool at the Cabo Blanco Hotel

After checking in (and back out), we strolled into town and spent half an hour perusing the weekly market.  I found the long-sleeved muslin shirts that some friends had requested the previous year, but was unable to connect with them before the market was over. 

The Market in Barra de Navidad

After the market, we ate brunch at Bananas, an upstairs beachfront restaurant with a lovely view of Bahia de Navidad.  I wanted something light and ordered molletes with bacon.  Molletes are usually just pieces of toast with a few beans spread over them, but these were made from a sandwich roll and covered with cheese and bacon.  They were more like pizza than molletes and contained nearly my entire daily allowance of calories.  Barra was proving to be hard on my diet.

View from the Terrace at Bananas

Susan stayed to get a massage and Bill, Greg, and I strolled back through the market where Bill bought a nice Hawaiian shirt for 100 pesos.  We returned to the boat and spent the remainder of the afternoon by the pool, pretending to be on vacation.

Dinner, that night, was 15 peso tacos on the street in Barra.  Then we went to the Thrifty ice cream store for dessert.  For two nights we had searched without success for churros from Greg’s favorite vendor.  We were probably better off without them.

February 1, 2019

Boats at Anchor in the Barra Lagoon

I finally succumbed to the temptation of the French baker and had half a mini quiche and half a raisin danish for breakfast.  The raisins had been soaked in tequila and were plump and juicy.  Showers were an adventure, as there was no hot water in the marina showers.  Hot water in those showers had always been on and off and seemed to be in an “off” phase.

Bill and Susan went into Barra for lunch and Greg and I stayed behind to use the internet in the hotel lobby.  I spent all afternoon working on a blog post.  Even in the lobby, the internet was slow.  I had no data service anywhere in Barra or Melaque, as it turned out.

Susan at Mary's

The Colimilla Waterfront

Mary's Restaurant at Closing Time

A big group of cruisers met at Mary’s restaurant on the shore of the lagoon for drinks and dinner.  The restaurant was huge and, while we weren’t the only customers, the place was mostly empty at 18:30.    We took a water taxi to get there.  It cost 30 pesos round trip from the hotel.  We sat in the cockpit upon our return, snacking on popcorn and peanuts, until it was time to retire.

February 2, 2019

Hotel Grand Bay at Dawn

I got up early for another run through Colimilla and the golf course.  It was wonderful to be able to run for miles on well paved roads without the danger of falling into an uncovered water meter or tripping over a broken sidewalk.  Running through the golf course, I encountered a large flock of black vultures who, like me, seemed to enjoy the golf course in the morning.

Zopilotes Negros (Black Vultures)

After another French baker breakfast, we took a water taxi into Barra and then grabbed a taxi to Melaque.  We got out at the main plaza and then browsed our way to the bank where we waited in a very long line to use the ATM.  Cash in hand, we dawdled our way to the beach and ate hamburgers at a restaurant overlooking the bay.  A few sailboats were rocking in the Melaque anchorage and it looked uncomfortable.

Greg in Line for the ATM in Melaque

The Melaque Anchorage

We were out of almost everything, so Greg and I shopped for provisions at the Hawaiian market.  The place was packed with merchandise and people and it was difficult to move.  As usual, there was little available in the way of entrees.  We bought some frozen chicken breasts and one steak but the only packages of arrachera they had would have fed an army.  We couldn’t buy eggs because they sold them loose and, without a carton, they would never have made it back to the boat intact.  Still, they had plenty of liquor, tonic, and mineral water.  It was clear what was important to tourists in Melaque.

We took another taxi back to Barra.  Greg wanted a nap and Susan wasn’t feeling well, so Bill and I went up to the pool without them.  We didn’t last long, however, because a strong wind blew up and napkins and empty cups were blowing everywhere.  It was actually rather chilly in the shade.  We returned to the boat which was somewhat sheltered and a more pleasant place to lounge.  We met Greg along the way and returned to Scout for happy hour.

The Pool at Hotel Grand Bay

As the sun started to set, Bill, Greg, and I ventured up the hill to the town officially named La Culebra but known to the locals as Colimilla.  We ate dinner at an upstairs restaurant on the main road aptly called The View.  It was a small place but had a lovely view of the lagoon.  The prices were modest and the food tasty.  Greg’s pizza was especially delicious.  It was made with a crispy thin crust and would have stood proudly beside any pizza in Italy.  Bill and I each enjoyed a slice.  Bill had fish tacos and I chicken fajitas which were also yummy.  Dinner was a success.  After dinner, we managed to procure a dozen eggs (the proprietress found us a carton) from one of the tiendas on the main road.  Colimilla has three tiendas scattered along the stretch of road running through the top of the town and a laundry, as well.

Greg and Bill at The View in Colimilla

None of us were quite ready for bed at 21:00 when we returned. We sat in the cockpit and enjoyed the cool breeze.  It had been so breezy in the restaurant that empty beer cans blew off the table.  It would prove to be a great night for sleeping, even though a wedding reception at the hotel was playing loud music until after midnight.

February 3, 2019

Dawn at the Barra Marina

It was cold when I got up, too cold to take a cold shower.  I pulled on long pants and a fleece and took a walk out along the breakwater and down towards the fuel dock to enjoy the spectacular dawn.  Bill was stirring when I got back, so I made a pot of coffee.  Greg got up shortly thereafter and we sat in the cockpit, waking up.  Eventually, I boiled some eggs and cleaned the galley.  It was still too cold to face a cold shower.

Scout in the Barra Marina

Once the French baker had visited and the net was over, we gave Scout a thorough scrubbing.  She wasn’t horribly dirty, but it was nice to get her clean.  When that task was complete, I headed up to the spa where I had heard there was hot water.  Success!  I finally managed to take a decent shower for the first time since leaving La Cruz.  It felt heavenly to shave my legs.

Bill and Susan headed up to Colimilla for breakfast after I returned.  Susan had skipped a couple of meals and must have been ravenous.  Greg and I stayed behind to read, write, and practice the guitar.

Brian and Tracy on Woodwind had invited some of the cruisers to their boat for a “tailgate” party before the Superbowl.  I scraped together some bean dip and Bill bought what he could find in the way of chips (small bags of Doritos) from the marina store.  Brian and Tracy had made wings and grilled veggies.  Everyone brought something and there was plenty of food.  We filled the cockpit and spilled over onto the cabin top which was mercifully shaded.  Passing boats remarked that the boat was sitting very low in the water with so many people aboard.  It was a fun gathering and the best part of the day for non-football fans.

Finally, it was time for Superbowl.  Bill and Greg went up to the hotel to watch the Superbowl on their big screen and eat endless bar food.  The cover for the Superbowl party was 350 pesos, which got you a wristband entitling you to entrance and all the goodies you could eat.  Susan and I elected to remain in the boat where we spent the evening reading and relaxing.  We enjoyed that much more than four hours of boredom in a noisy sports bar.  The Patriots just won, again, anyway.