Buddy Boating with Dolce Vita 23rd - 31st March 2020

Monday 23rd March 2020

We had a small success in that the engine started without a problem and we did a trip to the fuel dock and returned to our proper slip without any incidents.  We went onto La Cruz with the laundry for both us and Eagle, bought the last few bits of fresh veg before we head off.  Then we met up with Bres and Dennis in the Ballina Blanca for a drink.  

As the day progressed we seemed to spend it walking between the same bar and the boat as we ended up there for a snack at lunch and also our dinner.  We had a final three games of Yahtzee, but on talking to John later there seems to a dispute as to who is the overall winner.  All I know is that is isn’t me as I had a few really dodgy games.  We heard that Boris was doing a speech at 8:30pm UK time.  Everyone is to stay home for 3 weeks and you can go out for Food, Medicine, to help the vulnerable, one form of outdoor exercise and that’s about it.  The only shops open are food shops and Chemists and you can have a funeral with only 2 guests but no weddings or christenings.  Fines will be issued for those who do not adhere to the rules.  

Tuesday 24th March 2020

We were up at our usual time and started getting the boat ready to go.  We signed out at the Marina Office and said goodbye to Bres, who was leaving for the airport.  We got to Punta de Mita at about 12.30pm and dropped the anchor, which kept getting struck when we were trying to drop it.    There was talk in the Marina that the other Marina’s in the area were being closed.  We phoned Giuille in the office to double check, John said she sounded stressed, but everything was fine.  I did say that if there was a problem then we wouldn’t have got the paperwork to leave from the Post Captain, but it was better to check before making the long journey north.  We had a spot of lunch (salmon & cucumber sandwiches) and prepared the dinner for later in the evening.  We had sausage casserole with potatoes, sweetcorn, onions & mushrooms in it.  It was very tasty and unsurprisingly we have the same for dinner tomorrow. Fortunately, we had a managed to keep Bres away from the sausages as he had several attempts whilst on board to suggest we ate them for breakfast.  We had a sleep and awoke at midnight.

Wednesday 25th March 2020

We started raising the anchor at 1am.  All of that went well, the only thing was I inadvertently switched off the radio when telling John how much chain was left.  I managed to get the anchor in on my own but struggled with the pin.  The night sail was calm and we both managed to get a couple of hours sleep each.  When the sun rose, it made the sea look like a sea of liquid metal.  I could imagine someone like Salvador Dali using it in a painting, it looked quite surreal.  We’ve managed a couple of cups of tea too as it’s been calm enough to make and drink it without the risk of wearing it. We have been keeping an eye on the fuel as the gauge is telling us we have much less than we should.  Rick told us to keep the electric fuel pump on and both he and Dennis say that you won’t use any more fuel by using it, so we continue monitoring.  We’ve seen a few birds along the way hitching rides on the back of turtles.  We also had a seagull rest for a while on one of our solar panels, it’s a shame he made a mess of the panel before he left but that’s nature I suppose.  The sail through the night was very calm and we didn’t see another boat over the distance.

Thursday 26th March 2020

We arrived at the old marina at about 4am in the morning, which was very early to catch the tide at 09:45, so we continued sailing at 3 knots.  By the time we got to the marina it was about 07:30 and deep enough for the boat to get in.  We had breakfast at Gus Gus, went back to the boat to shower and then went into town to try and see if we could change our flights.  They said they could book new return flights at roughly £3,000 for the pair of us, which is quite a lot of money.  We were told we had to alter our existing flights by telephone and sit in the queue and that somebody would answer.  So, we went back to the boat to do just that.  We left the telephone on hold at the call centre for over 1.5 hours and didn’t get through.  We managed to break some woodwork trying to get the battery onto the boat.  The safety meeting on the dock went ahead although I don’t think we should have been there.  We had dinner with Kandy & Dennis at La Mona and were the only ones there.  We had our usual Pizza and Ribs.  Home then bed as it had been a very long day.

Friday 27th March, 2020

We spent over five hours so far this morning trying to make contact with Aero Mexico to see if we could bring our flights forward, we thought without success.  We left the phone on in the salon on the chart table going through the same ‘on hold’ messages not really expecting to get a response.  But amazingly we heard a voice at the end of the phone.  Although it has cost us a further US $1,200, it’s a lot less than the £3,000 quoted yesterday.  So, we have paid and now go home on Sunday 29th.  It’s a bit of a double-edged sword really as we have really enjoyed our trip, but we feel we need to be home, especially as the Government in the UK has advised people to come home.  We are also acutely aware it is going to kick off here as. They are about three weeks behind here.  How they manage the situation here I don’t know as an awful lot of people live hand to mouth and couldn’t do three weeks at home.  Rightly or wrongly we had a safety meeting on the dock, and it was lovely.  It was quite a laugh,  it seemed the story that Dennis told us about the couple who were anchoring except the husband just couldn’t make up his mind where to drop the anchor and how and the wife lost the plot and shouted loud enough to for the bay to hear ‘For gods sake just drop the fucking anchor was actually Don and Leanna.  That came out after I told them that the most successful taking up of the anchor was in Punta de Mita and that was when I had inadvertently turned off the radio when talking to John.  Dennis told John it had been the best Buddy Boating trip he had done, which was lovely to hear, as although we enjoyed it, it’s good to know he did too.  Things are going to quieten down a lot as Brian & Hiromi, Kandy & Dennis & Kim and Clay are all heading home in the next couple of days as well.  So, we have a lot of work to do tomorrow getting the boat put to bed before we bail out.  I must admit I’m a lot happier knowing we are going home though we may be jumping out of the frying pan into the fire.  Who knows what is right, especially as the news today was that Boris Johnson and his sidekick have tested positive for the virus.

Saturday 28th March, 2020

Today we met at Gus Gus and had a drink with the others and went back to the boat to get on with some jobs in preparation for leaving Bamboo. I transferred the fuel containers on deck to the tanks.  Not all of it went in and the numbers didn’t really add up to the hours and mileage covered. We will have to keep an eye on that just in case there is still a labelling issue on the valves.   We gave Hector all the frozen food and he is going to distribute what he doesn’t want to the security guards.  We went to Rick and Margot’s for a drink and when we arrived, she had cooked.  Luckily we hadn’t eaten too much, so there was no embarrassment there.  She seems to be enjoying being at home and I think she will be re-evaluating all the things she does both in church and out with regards to her singing.  She also seemed to be quite surprised at how few people had made contact whilst the events were cancelled, proving to her who her real friends were.  I think it has been a bit of an eye opener and a shock at the same time.  I’m not sure how seriously she is taken by the virus.  A lot of Mexicans seem to be leaving it in the hand of God to protect them.

Sunday 29th March, 2020

We were up reasonably early to continue putting the boat away before we set off at 2.30pm to the airport.  We managed to do everything below decks and we have left Hector to clean the decks, polish the stainless and put all the covers back on the boat.  We have left him the contents of the fridge to keep or distribute as he wishes and then clean it afterwards.   We actually did quite well in the end as yesterday I thought we had not achieved very much at all.  Hector drove us to the airport and the lack of traffic on the roads and in the shopping facilities along the way was quite noticeable.  We had a burger at the airport as it could be our last meal, as Bres had said nothing was open at Mexico City airport.  The airport is really quite empty, John counted 40 people come off the previous flight.  The chap who checked us in reckons the flight to London is between 60 & 70% full.  It’s all very quiet and subdued here in Mazatlan.  

The flight from Mazatlan was on time and we got the connecting flight with no trouble at all.  If it was that full, they must all have been in Upper & Business Class as there were so many empty seats.  John moved across, so we could both lie across 3 seats and sleep.

Monday 30th March, 2020

We arrived at Heathrow and were the only flight at that time.  The machine at Passport Control wouldn’t accept my passport, so I had to go past the lady.  I’m not sure but maybe because we had been out of the country since January, they had to speak to us.  Anyway, we walked to Level 2 in the Short Stay Car Park where Sophie was waiting for us in the car.  She was very easy to find as there were probably only about half a dozen cars there.  The trip back on the M25 was so quiet as you can imagine, passing the blue NHS sign which has replaced ‘Give Peas a Chance’ & ‘HELCH’.  We arrived home at about 7pm and had dinner.  We went to bed quite late but I ended up still awake at 2am due to the jet lag.

Tuesday 31st March, 2020

We awoke at about midday in the end and did very little.  I had a wander round the garden, and I need to water the Bamboo, which is looking very dry.  There are a few weeds here and there but generally the garden is very dry.  The patio down the side of the house is covered in bird poo where they have been sitting on the aerial, so it is probably time to get the pressure washer out.  We managed to empty the suitcases and get the washing on.  We took Basil for a walk in Presdales where there were very few squirrels.  Today is actually Basil’s 6th Birthday, where has the time gone? We also managed to catch up with Aileen and Barry, we said we would talk to Barry tomorrow and have a tour of the house.  I took a couple of sleep aid tablets in the evening to try and break the sleeping pattern.  Sophie cooked Chicken in Magic Sauce for dinner.  We heard that the marinas in Mexico are only allowing boats in which have a TIP, so there are now some restrictions.

Buddy Boating with Dolce Vita 16th - 22nd March 2020

Monday 16th March 2020

Today is a Bank Holiday here in Mexico, so the Harbour Master is only open until 1pm today.  Our task today is to wash the boat down before it gets too hot.  Before that we need a cup of tea and some breakfast.   Bres & I cleaned the boat, whilst John did the check in with the Marina Office and Harbour Master.  He and Bres met John and Deby from Lovely Reta to collect the Reed Sailmaker sewing machine they were selling.  The bobbin winder is broken and she tells me it is a bit temperamental, we shall see.  We went up to La Peska for a well-earned drink and a bite to eat for lunch. As we managed to get some Wi-Fi. We have found out that a lot of countries are in lockdown and that Bres’s flight home has been cancelled.  We had heard that the shops are empty and that you can’t buy provisions or eggs and that toilet rolls and hand sanitiser are sold out. I came back to the boat and finished cleaning the floor inside.  We went into Karen’s at Buccerieas for Dinner.  We had never been there before.  It was a small restaurant on the beach and the food was excellent.  We then walked across the bridge and past the church to Bar Sunshine where a friend of a friend’s family member was singing.  It was a really lovely evening.  Our boat is next to a guy called Kenny and his lovely dog Rocky, who is always pleased to see us, I’m sure it’s nothing to do with the dog treat we give her each morning.

Tuesday 17th March 2020

It seems the La Cruz market is postponed until further notice, some of the regatta has been affected too. Dean has messaged John to say Kylie’s wedding in Australia has been postponed as no-one an get out there.  We are going into town to have breakfast, do the laundry and to get some provisions for later.  I had seen that Fiona had just come through the Panama Canal and that the Marina was in lockdown as was the supermarket where they did their shopping, which had guards on the door, and they were letting a few people in at a time.  We had breakfast in La Cruz Inn and there were half the number of tables out to normal.  The lady who owned it said it was to keep a distance between the tables.  She had had armed police arrive the night before trying to close her down.  It then came to nothing as the governor of the area said it was OK.  She reckoned though that after today they would probably be told to close.  The chap from the French Bakery here was closing at 2pm and then going to the mountains until further notice.  We went to Kenny the butchers and got our supplies from the local tiendas and got everything we needed.  We spent the afternoon sorting out money things on the internet then had a beer by the pool with the crowd from Angelique II, Willow & Dolce Vita.   I cooked Chicken Milanese and Dennis came over.  We had laid his setting out with rubber gloves, sanitiser and covered the cushions in plastic as when we were at the pool he was trying to open bins and door by using his T-shirt as a shield.  He saw the funny side to what we had done.  Bres managed to take a picture.

Wednesday 18th March 2020

Well the net this morning told us the swap meet was cancelled on Saturday and that all the seminars regarding the Puddle Jump would now be done on FaceTime and not from the Cruisers Lounge.  We are to refrain from meeting in the Cruisers Lounge in groups and if we but food from the poolside grill, it is to be taken away.  There were a lot of questions about hand sanitiser and where it can be purchased.  It seems to me that from people who supposedly couldn’t find it, but from the long list of places that had it, you must question how hard they looked in the first place.  Bres has got a flight back to the UK from Aero Mexico, it was on an email this morning.  It is 24 hours later than the one he previously had, which isn’t too bad in the scheme of things. John is trying to fix the port light which died on the trip here from Chimala.  Bres has just returned and it seems the server is down and the phone number for Aero Mexico, unsurprisingly, is engaged.  I suggested that if he is really worried, to go to the airport himself and go to customer services as it isn’t too far from here, which is what we ended up doing.  Whilst we were in that sort of direction we went to Zaragoza the marine chandlery and then on to Puerto Vallarta where we walked along the Malacon.  We had a drink and some nibbles in a bar on slits which overlooks the beach.  After the Uber trip back we booked a paddle boarding lesson for tomorrow morning.  Bres isn’t doing it because of his knee but Dave is joining us.  We caught up with the news and it seems the schools in the UK are closing on Friday and that they have cancelled the Summer Exams.  Bres cooked breakfast this morning and John is cooking dinner tonight, so I have had a day off which is rather nice.  For dinner tonight we have some of the steak we bought last night with Asparagus and garlic and onion mashed potatoes.  We ended the night with a game of Yahtzee, the competition will continue tomorrow as we only had time for one game which Bres won.

Thursday 19th March 2020

We were up early as today John, I & Dave had a paddle boarding lesson.  The kettle is on as I write, and we have some more lovely Mangos for breakfast.  The Paddle boarding was great fun but much harder than I had first imagined.  Having managed to stand up my thigh muscles were working overtime whilst I was trying to keep balanced. An excellent way to keep fit though as it uses every muscle in your body.  I didn’t fall off but did topple to my knees a few times.  John fell off three times. There is someone on Dock 6 in Mazatlan who paddle boards with his dog (named Sid Viscous) standing in front of him.   Deep respect to him and the dog, although Sid does have 4 legs over our 2.  Bres and Dave are signed up to go Whale watching on Saturday.  We decided not to go as we need to save our money and it’s 1,000 pesos each.  Kim and Clay on Willow are leaving tomorrow, so we have offered to return the favour and go to the fuel dock with them in the morning, for which they were grateful.  We have now had a power cut at the Cruisers Lounge in the Marina, so that means no more internet.  Dinner on the boat was very nice, we invited Dave and Dennis, John cooked Spaghetti Bolognese.  We finished off the Yahtzee game yesterday and Bres won. 

Friday 20th March 2020

Today the net was all about everything to do with self-quarantine and everywhere that was closing.  Despite all the doom and gloom Donald said that the pool volleyball is still on tomorrow and that face masks will be provided.  We see Kim & Clay off at about 10 am.   Breakfast was cooked on the boat and I need to go up to the Marina Office to do some catching up.  Spoke to Robert who said they are all working from home and that unless you get to the supermarket for 6am there is no food.  He also said that all bars and restaurants are closed.  Aileen said they are in work but on a rota as they have to be open for Key Workers and Vulnerable children.  She laughed and said how many parents they had had trying to say they were key workers.   We asked Hugh how Easyjet going and he said he didn’t want to go there, so we suspect either they aren’t paying him or there is a bigger problem.  We couldn’t get hold of Alex, Sophie or Mum & Dad.   We aren’t sure whether tonight is going to be on with the dancing horses.  So, it’s all a bit depressing really.  Dave is trying to book a flight back to the States but isn’t sure whether the border has been closed.  We walked into town and the Dancing Horses were there.  I don’t know one end of a horse from another, but they were beautiful creatures which were very well looked after.  While we were sitting there having a drink, we saw Charity and Tim arrive with her father, more or less straight off the plane from Hawaii where her dad was in a home.  We left them having dinner watching the horses and we went to the brown chair restaurant.  As always, the food was delicious.

Saturday 21st March 2020

Bres was up early this morning in anticipation of the Whale Watching trip that he and Dave were doing after breakfast.  The earlier in the morning the more chance you have of seeing them apparently, time will tell.  We emailed Mum & Dad, Emma, Alex & Sophie.   Mum had made some Face-masks, I laughed and said has she crocheted them and then when she showed us, John commented on it looking like underwear and she confirmed it had been made from and old bra.  They are not allowed out unless it is one of the reasons on a downloadable form.  If they do go out together they have to walk a metre apart.  They are busy packing a couple of boxes a day in readiness for the move which she thinks is still on.  But having said that, the comment passed was that after all this house prices will be halved.  We said well if the people were buying this with a mortgage, that may be revoked, and it would be cheaper for them to pull out and pay the costs rather than continue with the purchase.  Time will tell on that and everything else that is happening at the moment.  Emma and Paul have driven to Devon as they have no work.  She even suggested Robert and Amy go to Amy’s mums to sit it out.  Alex seems OK although Luisa will be at home again as Piera’s nursery is closed.  Sophie was emptying her room in halls and will be back in Hertford.  We said she should just do one trip and leave what wouldn’t go in the car.  We went with Dave to refuel his boat as he has a flight back to the States tomorrow.  We will fill ours tomorrow and come back to the Dock.  We will see whether he and Bres manage to get their flights.  We will be sailing back to Mazatlan once Bres has or hasn’t got his flight, if he hasn’t then he will have to sail; with us back to Mazatlan too.  We ate a shrimp dinner on Dennis boat last night and had a lovely evening.  The latest yet I think as it was gone 11.30pm by the time we got back to the boat.

Sunday 22nd March 2020

So todays kick in the balls was the engine.  We put the engine on in order to go to the fuel dock and we were out of our slip starting to head round the corner when the engine cut out.  We shouted and Mambo came over and a couple of others.  We managed to fend off the rear of the boat and get a line out to tie us on to the very end of the dock. John and Dennis tried to fix it by following Rick’s instructions on how to bleed the engine, but the injectors would not get bubbles of fuel coming out of the top.  Defeated, we went to the marina office to tell them where we were.  Dave dropped by with food emptied from his freezer as he is headed home later today.  Bres has been checking his flights as he isn’t convinced, he will be going.  It seems the government is trying to push through urgent legislation to stop flights.  Not sure how that will affect us but without an engine we aren’t going anywhere at the moment.  John telephoned Fernando and he said he would be over tomorrow at about 10:00am.  We went up the La Peska, one of the restaurants in the Marina for a change of scene and a light snack for lunch, they seem to think today will be the last day they will be allowed to open.  So, it’s catching up here as at home all restaurants, bars and gyms are closed. 

 Whilst there we also received an email telling us our flights home have been brought forward by a couple of days to the 10th May.  I expect that will change again as the UK government are trying to rush through a bill to close the airports. We are sitting on the boat just reading and feeling rather depressed at the whole situation.  I caught up on my emails and I got some lovely messages from the children wishing me a Happy Mother’s Day and also Caitriona sent a picture of the garden with the Clematis in bloom.  Later in the afternoon the Australian father and son who have been working on their rigging as they can’t do the Pacific crossing at the moment asked how we got on with the engine.  The son, Brett offered to take a look and he looked at the fuel pump and the water separator and he managed to get the engine started.  It was air in the system that had caused the problem.  We had a few beers with them on the dock and John sent them back with some Cooks Fizz by way of a small thank you.  Mambo also came to say hello, they are really lovely people and Pat has offered to show me projects on the machine that are fun.  I cooked the rest of the steak tonight, which was tasty.  During the afternoon I sent a message to Charity and Tim to cancel our meeting up tomorrow evening as in the current climate it seems unwise.  I mentioned to Bres about our last supper tomorrow evening before he goes back and he said about going out.  I really don’t think anywhere will be open, but we will see.  We haven’t cancelled Fernando yet, just in case the engine plays up tomorrow morning when we have a Groundhog Day, but hopefully with a different ending this time.

Buddy Boating with Dolce Vita 8th - 15th March 2020

Sunday 8th March 2020

Today has started off with the boat Spruce, which I am embarrassed to admit are also Brits sitting in the main channel just after High Tide.  We went over in the dinghy to try and get him to move as he is in the way of the traffic coming in and out.  He has refused to move and said he had tried to come in on a rising tide and got stuck.  Well, if he couldn’t manage it then, when does he think he will?  We said we could take him to Wills boat and he could show him the photos of his boat and get the geography of where he went aground.  The answer to that was are they aerial pictures?  Of course they aren’t! So, it sounds harsh, but we are all secretly hoping he really tilts over in the channel.  In the meantime we have been trying to contact Taxi Aquatica to get the water which we ordered for delivery this morning and, so far, has failed to turn up.  The water eventually arrived as about midday after Dennis went over there to see what was going on and insisted we needed the water today as were leaving tomorrow.  All the water was used to fill the tanks, so we are set for Tuesday as the day to head out.  We got a water Taxi to the Golf Club to see what that was like.  There was a tournament on and they were doing a buffet outside.  The course looks lovely and the building itself was very grand.  We cadged a lift to The View and had some shrimp tacos and guacamole.  John asked Manuel the young guy who seems to run the business what they were cooking on the BBQ in the street.  Apparently it was belly of Marlin, the part of the fish they normally throw away when it had been filleted.  He said it was marinated in lime and salt and then cooked with garlic and spices, he gave us a cube each to try and it was delicious.  We had trouble getting a water taxi back to the boat and more or less headed straight out to Dolce Vita where Dennis was cooking Spaghetti Bolognese with Garlic Bread.  It was a lovely evening as always.

Monday 9th March 2020

We didn’t see the going of him but when we got up in the morning Spruce was gone.  We wondered if he had gone out into the bay as we knew he needed to check out of Mexico before sailing to the Pacific. We had a cooked breakfast using up bits.  There was two lots of bacon with a couple of tomatoes plus the leftover steak and jacket potato left from the other night’s restaurant meal.  We packed our swimming togs so that we could use the pool after the trip with Dave and Patrick from Eagle.  The day trip was interesting, but the subjects could possibly have been covered in less time.  We were shown the plantations and how they grow bananas and coconuts.  Apparently, there are eight different varieties of banana.  He explained how they cut the flower off after the bananas have set and why they are wrapped in paper and blue polythene. 

He showed us Manzanillo and the hotel where Bo Derek was in the film ‘10’.  Apparently, you want room 700.  I can’t say I remember much about the film.  

We were then driven around past the port of Manzanillo into the town.  To our amazement, John pointed out that Spruce was in the bay there.    There were also a few trees where there were loads of Iguanas were sunning themselves.  We stopped for lunch, which wasn’t the best by any stretch.  We collected a few fresh bits and pieces for the boat and headed back to the hotel.  The water in the pool was just the right temperature and we all had a nice swim.  Dave joined us and was telling us about when he was a submariner.  Patrick joined us later when we were sitting on the sun loungers as the sun went down.  We got back to Bamboo and sat in the cockpit and talked and had a few drinks while the moon rose.  It was full moon and absolutely stunning.  We also sat and watched the fishermen in their tiny boats putting out their lines in the hope of catching something.  We did have a laugh about Dave asking Bres if he had been to Costco.  Bres didn’t hear him properly and said No, where is that? 

 Tuesday 10th March 2020

We were up at our usual time, had mango for breakfast followed by an omelette cooked by Bres.  High tide was at 0943, our timing was impeccable, being out of the Barra and into the bay by 09:45.  We made our uneventful way to Tenacatita.  It again, took us three goes before we were anchored correctly.  Eagle came into the bay, but there was a breakdown in communication, and we failed to catch up.  John got the dinghy out and they tried to go ashore with Dennis while I read the script Bres had been working on.  They didn’t make land however as the sea was rather lumpy and they had seen someone else try to get ashore and nearly overturn their boat.  They had a drink on Dennis’ boat and then came back to Bamboo where I cooked the Fillet Mignonette purchased from Kenny’s in La Cruz.  It was very tasty indeed.  Once John saw Dennis back to his boat we put the dinghy back on the davits and retired for the night.

Wednesday 11th March 2020

Another rocky day on the anchor.  I made Chocolate Muffins, Bread and then Pancakes after the last of the Mangos.  I washed the deck down, Showered and then sat and read for an hour.  I did a bit of washing and we had a nice cup of tea and some of the Muffins cooked earlier.  John went across to collect Dennis as the sea was still too rough to go ashore.  The plan seems to be to head off tomorrow to the next stop.  Dennis seems keen to get back to La Cruz in time for the haul out.  We had a lovely afternoon; John made some Guacamole and we all had a relatively early dinner (the last of the Butter Chicken).  Bres went back with Dennis on the boat as he will be sailing with him tomorrow, that way he can get an idea of the boat before the night sail to La Cruz.  John returned and we put the dinghy away, we will finish other jobs in the morning.  It is so hot and sticky; John had another shower just to cool down a bit.  

Thursday 12th March 2020

We were up early as neither of us slept particularly well.  The anchor was up before 9am and we set off.  It was a fairly uneventful trip, we just saw a few Dolphins.  We came past the little islands where you shelter when there is a southerly wind.  We had already thought that the anchorage we were at before would be good as it was actually a South Westerly.  The anchoring actually went well.  After we had a breather and a cold drink, John went to fetch Bres and Dennis.  We went ashore and had dinner.  There was far too much, we should have bought two and share.  We got a bit wet trying to leave the beach in the dinghy, I couldn’t get back in when we had got to the deeper water so Bres had to give me a leg up.  We had a quick shower to wash the salt off and had a quiet evening just talking about the next part of the trip.  We had a game of Yahtzee, John won two games and Bres won one - beginners luck as it was then first game.

Friday 13th March 2020

We were fairly late getting up this morning compared to usual.  Partly because I woke in the night and couldn’t get back to sleep, so I finished my book instead (Little Fries Everywhere) which was very good.  The sea seems very calm at the moment.  I cooked eggs and bacon, which we ate with the bread I had previously made.  Dennis phoned and I told him he was on speaker phone and it felt like Charlie’s Angels and he must be Bosley.  Dennis is having a home day today, sorting out his oil pump and trying to remove the fishing line caught around his prop as he forgot to bring his lure in after the fishing competition yesterday which never got off the ground as not a single thing gave themselves up.  Dennis is adamant he is not sailing today as it’s Friday 13th and has mooted Monday.  We know it is going to take 16 hours to go from here to La Cruz, so we would need to head off at about 5pm in order to get round Cabo Corientes at night and into La Cruz before midday.  We left Dennis doing jobs on his boat and went ashore in the dinghy.  This time we managed to find the town.  When we were at a Cafe drinking coffee, we met John from Orca who was told us which was the best Tienda further up the street for food.  We managed to top the phone up too, which was a bonus.  We walked back to where the dinghy was left on the beach and had a drink or five in the bar before heading back to the boat.  In the meantime we scored any dinghy arriving for their landing... It seems the Russian Judge only ever gave 2 points.  We said there was a sweepstake to decide how many of our 12 eggs which are sold here in a polythene bag would survive our trip back in the dinghy.  We said we would let them know on the net at 6pm this evening.  John from Orca had complete faith in us and said we wouldn’t break any... and he was right.  We doubt we had a good leaving score as I could not get in the dinghy and had to be hauled very unceremoniously in.  We picked up Dennis on the way back and whilst we were on deck we observed the others coming back to their boats in their dinghy’s.  We did have a good laugh when Mojo went by with the wife busy bailing out loads of water from her boat which suggested a rather wet launch from the beach.  We put a message out on Channel 22 to the Chimaela Fleet.  We announced that John on Orca was the winner of the sweepstake for the eggs and also pointed out that he should have negotiated the prize before entering the competition.  There was quite a lot of banter and we got an 8.6 score for our departure and apparently there is footage on Facebook.  A challenge has now been made for Bach’s Ball at 2pm on the beach tomorrow afternoon.  Bres’s comment for the day was regarding women and why they trend to make their air last longer when scuba diving.  The reason he came up with was that it was because they can’t talk whilst diving.  We had Shrimp in Garlic and Olive Oil Spaghetti for dinner.  John took Dennis home and we put the dinghy back on the davits.

Saturday 14th March 2020

The Coronovirus seems to be hotting up.  Italy is in lockdown, the USA is doing remote teaching of college students until 3rd April.  Sophie has said her boss John has asked if any of them would like to volunteer to screen the tests they are doing.  She has said yes but isn’t sure if it will come to anything, her view is it is a great opportunity.  We have been looking at the various sites this morning looking at the weather window for going around Cabo Corientes.  It seems Dennis has asked John on Orca to take a look too.  Hopefully we will be going at about 5pm this evening.  It was a bit windy when we raised the anchor and pretty much came up without a hitch until the last bit where we had to twist the anchor for it to come in on the roller.  The chain got stuck in the Gypsy.  We put the pin in and while John motored to meet Bres and Dennis I managed to get it unstuck.  John later went up the straighten the metal guide which had become bent.  The wind was on the nose so it was all on the motor again.  The wind was about 15 knots and there was quite a swell of about 5 feet and a lot of sprays when you hit a wave.  We had stowed things away on the boat and all was well until at about 9pm we heard the Dolce Vita’s engine had stopped.  We then did big circles around their boat until Dennis had fixed the problem with a new Racor Filter.  That was when the water garathons decided to make a bit for freedom.   Besides that, it was a reasonable crossing.

Sunday 15th March 2020

We had messaged Kim & Clay on Willow and they had very kindly gone into the Harbour Master’s Office and got us Slip so that we had plenty of space to get into.  We were at the end of Slip 10.  Kim & Clay were there to meet us and take the lines.  After the initial panic of actually seeing where the slip was, John did a really good entry with no panics or problems.  We showered and tidied ourselves up and went into La Cruz for drinks and then food at the Brown chair restaurant.  There were 10 of us, Bamboo, Willow, Dolce Vita, Lovely Reta, Angelique II.  We had a lovely evening with great company and food.  As we hadn’t slept much on the boat we were in bed before eight thirty in the evening and slept like babies.  Sophie said they have had 48 hour’s notice that their lab will be closing.  She is worried about her work that she has spent weeks doing and is coming to its conclusion but isn’t completed yet.  It will wreck a whole load of work if she can’t complete.  Robert will be working from home and thinks it could be until the Summer.  We don’t know about Alex.  Elderlies have also been told to stay indoors for 3 months.  Robert has offered to do Derek’s shopping.

Buddy Boating with Dolce Vita 29th February - 7th March 2020

Saturday 29th February 2020

We were up at 7am having had a good night’s sleep.  All the remaining things were stowed or tied up in readiness for the relatively short hop down to Barra de Navidad.  I was a bit worried about the anchoring in the shallowest water we will have been in and also negotiating the channel to get to the lagoon as we know it is also not very deep and that the sand shifts there too.  Raising the anchor went well, even though John had to go down below as the chain had got caught going into the locker and the anchor shackle came up facing the wrong way.  Both issues were dealt with simply and easily, whereas a couple of weeks ago it would have probably totally thrown us.  When we got to the channel entrance at Barra we followed Dennis in and I just constantly called out the depth.  We got to the far end of the lagoon and dropped anchor.  We bumped into the couple with a little Yorkshire Terrier from Mazatlan who told us Will had got stuck when he came in along the channel a couple of days ago.  We suspect he didn’t check the tides as we came in come up to high tide.  You have to get a water taxi if you want to go anywhere here at a cost of 20 pesos.  Dennis has managed to get someone who will look at his outboard engine on Monday.  While he was doing that we put all our sail covers on and then met him at a bar. We then went to the hotel and there was a car show which was really interesting.  There was even a car the same as Dennis’ first car, so we had to take a picture.  We had a drink in the hotel, which is very nice.  This is where we will be meeting Bres when he arrives in a few days.  We came back to the boat to shower and freshen up before we go to Barra itself to eat dinner.  We may see where the Port Captain has his office as that is another thing we have to do on Monday.  Somebody said a law was actually passed to say you don’t have to check in like we do but they still kept the Port Captains and the exercise of checking in as basically it’s jobs for the boys, and there’s plenty of that here in Mexico.  Barra itself was quite touristy but there is still plenty more to explore. We chose somewhere to eat and weren’t disappointed at all.  Although the wine was rather expensive the BBQ ribs were excellent.  We weren’t particularly late back to the boat and went to bed.  Both of us woke in the night at different times, itching as we were so hot, so bailed to the Salon.  We won’t be able to do this when Bres is here....

Sunday 1st March 2020

Hung out the little bit of washing and phoned Dennis.  The plan is to get the taxi and walk around the bay before it gets too hot.  The walk around achieved 10,000 steps but there was quite a steep camber going down to the waters edge and the sand was very soft underfoot which made the going quite hard.  We stopped for a coffee part way along the beach.  Once in Melaque we found a cash point for Dennis and caught the bus back to Barra.  After an Ice Cream Dennis went back to his boat while we bought a few bits of fresh food and had a cold drink before catching the Water Taxi back to Bamboo.  Dennis is eating on his boat tonight and we will be on ours, so John is making a Guacamole to Consuella’s (The B&G man’s wife) recipe for a scooby snack. The wind has picked up again this afternoon but a bit earlier than yesterday.  Will dropped by in his dinghy and spent a couple of hours with us.  It was actually quite a pleasant afternoon.  He did admit that he grounded on the way in and had to wait until high tide and didn’t get in until 10pm as the panga that came to help him, pulled him further on to the sand rather than pull him off.   John has also managed to sort out the 12 volt socket in the rear heads and the little air conditioning unit works.  We had Chilli con Carne with the Cachcumber salad for dinner.  I was beaten at Yahtzee again.  It was a lot cooler, so we both slept like logs.

Monday 2nd March 2020

We listened to the net before putting the dinghy in the water to tow Dennis across to the outboard repair man who what in a little palapa on the other side of the lagoon.  We brought him back minus the dinghy, put ours back on its davits and made our way into Barra on the Water Taxi.  Whilst we waited, we munched through the two Bacon Quiches which we bought from the French Baker who had come to the boat earlier.  They were very tasty, much nicer than the ones a from the guy in La Cruz.  We ordered 10 garathons of water to be delivered to our boat in the morning so we can up fill our tanks.  We have no idea how much water we have actually used, so it will be an interesting exercise.  We also know where we need to go to get our gas filled but that is a job for another day.  We walked to the Port Captain’s Office meeting David and his friend Patrick on Eagle on the way.  We all walked back together and had a drink in one of the bars before going back to the boat.  On our travel we also bumped into Bill and Vicky with their little, very elderly Yorkshire Terrier named Precious.  They invited us for drinks on their Catamaran later in the afternoon and said they would pick us up in their dinghy.   We had a very pleasant evening, it was really nice to see their boat and actually spend some time talking to them.  Dennis and Will were there too.  The trip there on the dinghy was quite funny as it was quite breezy and we all got absolutely soaked.  So much for the shower I had just taken in order to get rid of the salt.  They are heading back to Tenacatita early tomorrow morning.  When you only draw 3.5 feet you don’t need to worry about the tides.......  We came back to the boat and I made Chicken Escalopes which I ate with a bit of the leftover salad from yesterday and John after in a sandwich with cheese on top and lemon juice.

Tuesday 3rd March 2020

The 50 gallons of water arrived and we got that into the tank without any bother.  We then got the Water Taxi to Mary’s and walked up the street to the restaurant called ‘The View’ with our gas tanks.  We had to wait two hours for the guy, so in the meantime we had some Nachos and a few drinks and played a game of Pool.  John won both games.  We then walked down a different road to get to where Dennis had dropped his outboard.  The verdict was not good but listening to the conversation between John & Dennis it seems the reason for the engine not working doesn’t add up, so we will have to wait until we get back to La Cruz for a definitive answer.  The Water Taxi nearly wiped out our Solar Panels in the wind and also charged us a fortune, but he did retrieve John’s hat which blew off in the wind.  John has said it is too windy to collect the outboard, so Dennis is going to ask Bob.  The panels appear to be none the worse for their ordeal, which is a relief.  While we were waiting for the chap and the gas tanks, I texted Sophie on Messenger.  She said some towns had more or less been closed down in Northern Italy but Florence was still good at the moment.  She also sent a picture of the poster she has designed for the conference but is still thinking it will be cancelled before then.  The plan is to go into town at about 2pm to see the parade and then eat dinner out.  So, we set about finding the V berth in readiness for Bres joining us in a couple of days. We didn’t get into town until gone 3.30pm and it was quite choppy on the lagoon.  It turned out the parade was just a van throwing sweets to the children and that the parade was in Manzanilla.  We met Bob and Pat and all ate at Simona’s..  They raved about their Goulash and Osso Bucco but I didn’t really go a bundle on my Steak.  Having said that, my Mojito was really lovely, so lovely I had two.  I managed to redeem myself at Yahtzee this evening winning two of the three games.

Wednesday 4^th March 2020

We both slept like logs last night and awoke to the usual stillness in the morning, although we are facing a different direction to how we normally are first thing.  Today we need to finish getting Bres’ berth ready and we also need to get the dinghy down and take Dennis over to collect his outboard from the repair shop.   From the moment we had put the dinghy in the water the wind had increased slightly and it has slowly increased until at midday is was around 15 knots.  We had a cold drink in Mary’s the Restaurant while we waited for Dennis to collect all his bits together for his outboard and then towed him back. We had an early lunch and are just chilling before we get on with anything else.  Bres’ bed has been made and I’ve put a towel out for him.  Hopefully he has enough space in there.  I just need to clean the boat and we will be done.  I did say I would make some bread but will do that later. So, the dough is made and at some point during the afternoon the boat didn’t move in the mud.  We have worked out that when the gauge reads 4.5’ (4ft 6”) we are actually floating in 7’ 3” of water.  We need to adjust the instruments accordingly....  Sausages, mash and cabbage for dinner and an early night after watching a film.

Thursday 5th March 2020

Up at 7am this morning as we had gone to bed so early and were greeted by an amazing sunrise

  

Oven is on for the bread and the tea is made.  We need to clean the boat, shower, get shopping and collect Bres at noon.  Everything worked - we went into Barra and got our food.  There was a market on where we bought some veg and found a butcher and bought some bacon which looks delicious and some minced beef.  We found pretty much everything we needed as far as provisions go.  We met Bres in the Bar (despite the Taxi not turning up) and had a drink and lunch.  Dennis met us as he had been to town to get some cash and get a haircut.  We just need to fix the ladder as we lost a rubber foot when we went to unfold it.  Dinner was a quiche from the French Baker, some home-made bread and a cachcumber salad.  We had an early night.

Friday 6th March 2020

We were up at about 7am. But the sunrise was nothing like what we saw yesterday morning.  We had a fried breakfast with some of the lovely bacon which we purchased yesterday.  I chopped the fish Dennis had given us in readiness for dinner tonight.  We also got a message from Dave and Patrick who are now coming over for drinks this evening.  They said they wanted to see what it was like being at anchor.  We got the bus into Melaque as Bres wanted some money.  We found the Hawaiian Store and bought some veg.  It was rammed with people.  The gas was collected and then we came back to the boat.  The time galloped from then onwards as we got the dinghy out.  John and Bres went to collect Dave and Patrick from the Marina then went to get Dennis.  Marguerites flowed as did the wine, it was a really good evening.  Once we were afloat we moved the boat a bit further into the Lagoon as we were touching the bottom at low tide.  John dropped Dave and his friend back to the Marina and I cooked the dinner.  John and Bres loved it but Dennis and I found it too hot... We had used two Serrano Chillis with seeds.  While John took Dennis back to his boat and we put the dinghy away, Bres washed up.  Dennis was absolutely ratted, so much so, I really wanted Bres to go with them when John took them back as I had visions of him falling into the water.

Saturday 7th March, 2020

We were not quite as early this morning which is hardly any surprise after the amount of alcohol they all consumed.  The sunrise was nearly not as spectacular as the other morning but still beautiful.  I can hear the crashing of waves from behind me at the opposite end to the entrance to the Lagoon.  There are cockerels crowing all around and I can even hear the odd bray from a mournful donkey - they always sound so depressed to me. The breakfast of fresh Mango was lovely, they were so juicy and fresh.  We walked to the Port Captain and were extremely lucky as it turned out they were actually closed, but he did our paperwork anyway.  I explained that we were not around on Monday, and that we needed to be out first thing on Tuesday plus we can only give 72 hours notice of leaving.  We stopped at the French Bakery for drinks and a bite to eat before coming back to the boat.  We put the gas cylinder back in the hold and checked the water pump at the bow of the boat, which works to an extent but doesn’t have much pressure. We sat on the boat during the afternoon and the wind got up to about 15 knots.  We had already observed two boats to the side of us, one of which appeared to be getting closer to the other.  As time went on it was clear the boat which was the last to arrive was dragging but was getting far too close for comfort.  Mamba II was in the right as it was anchored first and was holding, the other boat didn’t have anybody on board.  In the end Will from Cetacean and Kirk from the Marina boarded the other boat, luckily the keys were still in the ignition, so they put it into reverse and moored it in a location further back.  The boat held and that was the end of that.  Although Will commented that the inside of the boat was an absolute mess and looked like it was a teenager’s bedroom.  We all went to dinner with Dave and Patrick from Eagle and had a really lovely evening.  We did note that on our return, the boat which had caused the problem had no lights on at all.  They haven’t made a very good start....

Buddy Boating with Dolce Vita 21st - 28th February 2020

Friday 21st February 2020

I woke up very early, not sure whether it was nerves or not feeling great.  We signed out but pre-booked our slot for the 19th March when we return with Bres.  The refuelling at the dock was really easy and we could have done it without help.  Having said that Kim and Clay came with us on the boat to the fuel dock and when we got there Hiromi & Brian were there to take the lines.  We bid them farewell and also wished Hiromi a Happy Birthday for Monday when she turns 60.  Anchoring in the bay went without a hitch.  Whilst at anchor we had quiche from the French Baker for lunch and then a little siesta. We worked out our fuel consumption on the way down, got the boat ready for the chance of putting the sails up and tidied the lines after having her polished.  Dinner tonight is a sausage casserole, halfway through we had to change the gas bottle.  It is lovely being at anchor, it’s very peaceful with the boat rocking and no other noise.  Just sent a few messages to the friends- poor Kandy and Dennis are having to have their water tanks done for a third time.  they must be so fed up!  

The sausage casserole was very tasty as was the really juicy peach.  The peaches are just like when you buy them from the market in France when you can smell them before you get to the stall.  These have the same smell, sadly absent from the ones you buy in England as they are so under ripe when they are picked and shipped.  Lovely news today.  Charlotte from Foxholes Farm has had a baby boy, named Sidney, he was 7lb something.

  

We raised the anchor at about 8.30pm, it was very hard trying to see in the dark and trying to pick our way through the boats at anchor with no lights.  Eventually we caught up with Dennis and started the journey down to Bahia Chimela.

Saturday 22nd February 2020

The journey down was pretty calm and uneventful. We say a few dolphins and some whales in the distance. The most exciting thing was a Volvo Ocean Yacht which went past.  Not sure why, as it was the only one. 

I screwed up on the anchoring again, forgot which way the lock went on the windlass and then before I knew loads of chain had spilled out. It’s just so frustrating, it would be lovely for the process to be perfect just once.   Dennis rowed over in his dinghy and we had some wine and a bite to eat for dinner before he rowed back.  It’s only 7pm but we are trying to keep our eyes open as long as possible as we are so tired.  We are here for at least a day as the weather is not supposed to be very good for the next few days.  

  

Sunday 23rd February 2020

We were in bed at 7.15pm and although John got up in the night several times to check on the boat, I slept like a log and didn’t wake until 8am.  We had a big mug of team and cereal for breakfast.  Dennis phoned and it was decided that we go ashore with him in his dinghy, have a wander round and grab some lunch.  Before that we needed to re-tie the anchor bouy which was under the surface of the water. when we got to the bouy it was too far under the surface of the water to re-tie the line with an extra length.  Instead, Dennis came back to the boat and the plan was to raise the anchor, re-tie the existing line on the ball and anchor again.  It took two goes to anchor as the first time we were too close to another boat, but even with Dennis there nothing was any different.  I had to go down below because the chain snarled going into the locker, plus the windlass is very slow.  We put the snubber on, waited for a short time, then headed for the beach for a short walk and a shrimp lunch.  On the approach to the far side where there was less surf Dennis instructed john to put his legs out of the side and to jump off on his instruction.  Dennis made the call, which John queried but was told to jump again.  In he went, unable to put his feet down, so had to swim towing the dinghy.  It was later we discovered he had been told to jump as the dinghy engine had cut out again.  We did laugh though as John was soaking and he hadn’t got a change of clothes.  Starting Dennis’ outboard was not a problem this time and leaving the beach was easier than at Mantachen even though there is a comment in the cruising guide about it.  Dennis dropped us off at our boat with the intention of picking us up at about 4pm to go to his for drinks. We have put the instruments on and the wind has increased to gusting at 18knts.  John has made a guacamole to take with us.  I was going to do some washing, but that will have to wait as I think it would blow away.  Drinks on Dennis’ boat were lovely and relaxed as usual.  The Guacamole was lovely as was the Humous which Dennis provided.  So much so, we all decided that we were full and didn’t have room for dinner.  The wind so far is nowhere nearly as strong as expected, everything is relatively calm.  I was beaten in all three rounds of Yahtzee.  We sat outside on deck listening to the waves and looking for various star formations before heading off to bed.

Monday 24th February 2020

After one of our huge mugs of tea we set about getting the dinghy ready to go ashore via Dolce Vita to collect Dennis.  Everything went smoothly.  The outboard started first time, we managed to get the wheels down and ashore without any difficulty.  We stopped at the little Palapa by the creek like we did yesterday and had a cold drink as they don’t do coffee.  We walked along the creek for a short distance to the first turn off on the dusty but flat dirt road. There were a few pangas moored up along the edge, one of which had a catch of fish and some very keen ‘helpers’ in the guise of Pelicans.  They were getting so close to the fisherman who were working on deck you could see them hitting the birds on their beaks with their knives to keep them away.  We failed to find the small tienda we were looking for, so wandered back to where we had started along the beach.   The trip back to the boat was hassle free having dropped Dennis off on the way back.  After finishing off the remaining quiche from the French Baker with some sundried tomatoes and cucumber I set about preparing the evening meal.  Spaghetti Milanese with a Tomato Sauce.  The sauce is made and I have breaded the chicken fillets which were from Kenny the butcher in La Cruz. We are collecting Dennis at 3pm and the plan if for an early dinner after Margaritas.  We have left the dinghy tied to the davits at the back of the boat.  John is fretting as the wind has picked up somewhat, but the dinghy will be fine there for another hour.  Just done the washing, decided not to hang it out as it may not be there later with the wind.  So, I have rigged up a washing line in the stern heads from the bodega behind.  It looks like Wishy Washy’s laundry, but it will still be there in the morning...  John went and fetched Dennis and said that the trip over was a lot easier than he thought as the dinghy planed over the sea.   Dennis came with his cocktail shaker and a few ingredients we didn’t have to make his famous Margaritas, which we drank witch the last of the Guacamole.  The dinner was delicious, neither Dennis nor I could finish ours, but John hoovered up.

Tuesday 25th February 2020

Dennis listened to the weather forecast on his SSB (Single Side Band) Radio and got conflicting information, however the local information of 10-15 knots of wind and 4 ft swell every 18 seconds seemed more accurate.  We decided to poke our noses out of the bay and to return if we didn’t like what we saw.  We raised the anchor without any trouble which was good, so we continued on to Tenacattita which was about 6 hours away.  Dennis caught a fish, we weren’t as successful.  We motor sailed with the mizzen up.  We saw a few Dolphins along the way and two other fins, which John was convinced belonged to two killer whales.  When we arrived at Tenacatita the bay already had lots on boats in it.  Dennis found his spot and anchored.  We, however, managed to make a right meal of the whole affair.  It took four goes at dropping and raising the anchor and we were failing miserably.  Eventually Will from Cetacean who was already moored in the bay brought Dennis over in the dinghy and Dennis oversaw the next anchoring exercise and we finally held.  I found the whole process totally soul destroying.  I think the errors were that I was dropping the anchor chain too quickly after the anchor, we weren’t letting enough chain out (total 220ft in all for 38ft of water) & John was reversing too quickly for the anchor to take a hold.   Dennis and Will came over for a drink and we ate the Chicken Dhansak and as it was Pancake Day I cooked some for pudding.  Will left before then as he didn’t want any more to eat.  When it came to Dennis going home to his boat his engine wouldn’t start.  So, we sent him off with some oars and lit his boat with our big torch, to enable him to head in the right direction.

Wednesday 26th February 2020

John made tea this morning.  I fed the Sourdough, cleaned out the fridge and sorted out the rubbish to go ashore.  We have been invited to Dennis’ for dinner tonight and he is going to be doing BBQ’d steak, with creamy mashed potatoes and coleslaw.  Quite a few boats have left the bay already.  We just need to get the dinghy out to go ashore.

We put the dinghy on the beach by a palapa and walked to the hotel and got a taxi into Manzanilla.  The driver dropped us off at the square and we found a lovely beach side restaurant for drinks and a bite to eat for lunch.  We wandered around a bit, picked up some tomatoes and wine and phoned for a cab to take us back to the beach with the help of an old guy who spoke a little English.  Meanwhile, we were waiting a pony came trotting down the street on his own and disappeared down another one.  I did a double take and an American lady was walking down the street.  I asked her if that was normal here.  She just laughed and said that his paddock is there isn’t much to eat and that she has seen him a couple of times.  He obviously has a mind of his own and takes himself off when he fancies.  Dennis forgot to take the steak out of the freezer, so dinner got postponed until tomorrow. The return trip in the dinghy was uneventful and we got it and the outboard back and on the boat without a hitch.  So, we are in for the night and can chill.

Thursday 27th February 2020

It was an early night last night and with either an extra pillow or just being tired after two unsettled nights, I slept like a log.  It was a bit of a rock and rolly night but nice and cool.  When we opened the hatch to look out there were three Dolphins swimming round the bay.   We need to remember to close the butterfly hatch at night as there is now quite a dew and you can feel the settee cushions are damp in the morning.  As we just ate a bowl of cereal for our supper last night, I cooked eggs, bacon and tomatoes for breakfast, washed down with a huge mug of tea.  I am hoping the agenda for today is a chilled one with bread and cake making on the list and apart from putting the dinghy out, very little else.  We have been looking at our water and think the tank will last about three weeks in total, so we will have to refill when we get to Barra. 

The cakes and dough were mixed whilst john read out parts from ‘The Complete Anchoring Handbook’ one bit in particular made us roar with laughter:-

  

The first half dozen Chocolate Chip Muffins came out of the oven and whilst the next batch were cooking, John made a big mug of tea.  The dough is proving in the fridge in readiness for cooking tomorrow morning. Every now and then we can hear fish jumping where the Dolphins have herded them into a tight ball.  The Dolphins have been in the bay all morning.  A few boats have left, and it was interesting to see another yacht re-anchoring, which makes us feel a whole heap better after our miserable performance on arrival.  I really wonder how we are going to get on when we go to Barra as I think it is going to be extremely busy and quite limited in space.  I suppose if all else fails we either go into the marina or find another bay to go into.  We went over to Dennis’ boat a little earlier than agreed but the dinghy had gone in the water with no hitches.  We had a lovely time talking and drinking.  Every time we pointed out a dolphin, when Dennis looked it disappeared.  We also saw loads of fish and lots of tiny jellyfish which were the size of my thumbnail and transparent. Dinner was amazing with beautifully tender steak, creamy mashed potato and coleslaw.  As the sun went down there was somebody on another boat blowing a conch shell.  We headed back as it was getting dark.  We saw the boat but it was dark by the time we were putting the engine and the dinghy back in their proper places.  Another end to a lovely day.

Friday 28th February 2020

Today is my Dad’s birthday.  I sent him a nice email wishing him all the best and describing the bay and what we have been doing here.  We had a very relaxed morning.  I made my bread and read my book.  John prepped the veg for dinner. We also adjusted the symbols on some of the waypoints on the chart plotter so we could distinguish between anchorages and transits.  We also found out the tides for tomorrow as we are heading for Barra.  We got the dinghy out and went ashore for 2pm as it was around that time that the Pétanque started.  There were too many people, so I went and sat with John and let Dennis play.  We all chatted to some people in the palapa.  Quite a mixture, some Mexican, some from La Manzanilla and a few cruisers.  When getting ready to leave the beach, a French chap had put a line out to anchor his dinghy in the water exactly where everyone comes in and out to avoid the surf and the rocks.  Dennis & John had a few words with him, with no effect and were less than complementary about his actions and manner.  We came back via Dolce Vita, so Dennis could pick up his Tequila to make Margaritas on our boat.  I cooked a Chilli con Carne and we sat on deck as the sun went down.  We packed up the dinghy and only have a few things to do in the morning before we head off.