We raised anchor and despite John’s worrying that the anchor was trapped under a rock, turned out thankfully to be unfounded. Dennis was also fine, which was good news. It seemed that the vibration on Dennis’ engine was only at certain revs and that if he went faster it stopped. We here heading on to Ensenada de Mantacen which was about 43 miles away. As we were travelling at a little over 6 knots, it seemed a good time to put the hand line out on the bungee and try our luck for a spot of fishing. No sooner had we put the line in when we caught something, not sure exactly what, but we think a small member of the Tuna family. It was quickly dispatched, filleted and in the fridge for later. Dennis and Warner managed to catch a Mahi Mahi and something else. The sky was quite overcast and as the journey continued the very quiet sea became as flat as a mill pond.
As far as the wildlife went, we saw a few whales and as many as 50 small brown rays, which I initially mistook for being small turtles. The Rays were about the size of a dinner plate and they lifted the tips of their wings and the very end. I had just assumed they just waved their wings like a bird. They were all headed past us away from Mantacen, I did wonder where they were heading.
I had expected the anchoring in the bay to be really easy considering it is a huge bay with plenty of space and a sandy bottom. John was on the helm and I was anchor girl. The anchor went out easily enough but the chain wouldn’t flow out freely. In our messing about, it was decided to bring the anchor in and try again. This then caused more problems in that the chain got jammed between itself and the mechanism. Finally, when John tried to put pressure on the chain to ensure the anchor was set, it then kept jumping out of the cogs. We finally put the snubber on and put pressure on the chain then, thus protecting the windlass, which seemed to have the desired effect. All in all another straightforward procedure that ended up being a bit of a performance. If we can’t even get the anchoring right here, then we stand no chance anchoring with a stern anchor as well in Chicala. I ended up in tears as I was really expecting this anchoring to go smoothly as the area and conditions couldn’t have been more favourable.
We were invited to eat the fish on Dolce Vita that evening, so we got the dinghy out and rowed over rather than have the added problem of winching and lowering the outboard from its cradle. A beautiful fish supper was cooked by Dennis and we all had a lovely time. The Mahi Mahi was delicious and very white, unlike what we have eaten in Mazatlan being passed off as the same thing. The row back was a little tricky as the waves and wind had increased. We aimed for the front of the boat and ended up at the back, which was perfect. The plan was to go into San Blas in the morning.
Sunday 2nd February 2020
The morning was still overcast with a very slight drizzle, but according to sources it had been raining in Mazatlan, so we still had the better weather. In the end Dennis & Warner collected us in their dinghy and we went ashore in that. We came ashore without a hitch and wheeled the dinghy up beyond the high water line. We had a Coffee and some Banana Bread, which the area is famous for, at the Bar. We asked if they would keep an eye on the dinghy while we went into town. Off we headed along the unmade up road, this is the real Mexico that only a few of us are lucky enough to experience. We had sprayed plenty of ‘OFF” on ourselves as the area is very wet with the mangroves and it a breeding ground for mosquitoes. It was lovely, just having the odd few words and a laugh with the locals. After walking a couple of miles we found a taxi to take us into San Blas for $20 (£1) each. On the way we passed more places selling the famous Banana Bread and also there were places selling all sorts of charcoal grilled fish and lobster. It all both looked and smelled absolutely amazing.
San Blas was really just an extension of what we had passed. Yes, it was more built up in that there was a proper road to get there but the streets were very uneven cobbles. We found the Municipal Market where I bought some flour to make more Sourdough. There was a small street market with several fish stalls and vegetables. If you needed to get supplies there was ample opportunity to do so here, which is always good to know for in the future. We found somewhere for lunch which was really nicely cooked and tasty. The chips and salsa whilst we were deciding what to eat were the nicest, we have ever had. The plan then was to have a look at the state run Fonatour Marina and then head back to our boats. During the conversation Dennis remembered that Roy and Winona on Saucy Lady were there. So, he phoned them and we went and said hi, bumping into Marek on the dock as well. He had said he was there, but I hadn’t put two and two together. We walked back into town to get a Taxi from near the church and negotiated a price for the return trip with a short stop at the Crocodile Sanctuary on the way back. We had a cheeky beer at the bar where we had left the dinghy and also left them a tip for minding it. Back to our respective boats, this time it was my turn to cook the fish we had caught.
I decided to make a Fish Curry with ours as the meat was quite dark. I followed one of the recipes from when I did an Indian cookery course and it turned out really well and had a reasonable kick to it without being too much. Another lovely evening and again by the time Dennis and Warner went back to the their boat the sea and wind had got up. We kept a track on them with our torch back to their boat in the rain.
Monday 3rd February 2020
It rained all night and there was quite a swell too. I had got up during the night and laid towels around the hatches as they were dripping and water was all over the wooden floors. Once we were up properly, we went out and put the cover on over the Butterfly Hatch, which is very pretty but leaks like a sieve and also took the bung out of the dinghy, so that it could drain. Having had a look outside it was decided and agreed with Dolce Vita that today would be an on the boat day. So, we hunkered down with a huge mug of tea and some breakfast to do our thing. John read his book and I caught up on the diary entries and made some more Sourdough to bake the next day.
Tuesday 4th February 2020
We rocked and rolled again on the boat all night due to the swell. We really need to get one of those ‘Flopper Stoppers’ people have mentioned. I ended up in the salon as it was cooler but didn’t get much sleep. We were up bright and early and after a big mug of tea I put my bread in the oven and we set about getting the dinghy ready for going ashore. Considering it was the first time we had done this together we were pleased how smoothly it went. The outboard started first time, which is always a bonus. We collected Warner & Dennis and went off the day. We got a taxi into San Blas, where we met Roy and Wynona and did a 3-hour trip along the Mangroves. It was absolutely incredible. We saw so many Ibis, Herons, Hawks, Kingfishers and a load of Storks which were nesting, and you could see the fledglings in the nests. There were also Crocodiles and even a few babies sleeping in the floating greenery. We then went into town to have an early dinner. We said farewell to our friends Roy and Wynona and got a taxi back to the dinghy and onto the boat. We just about managed to get everything back onboard and tied down before we lost the light. The plan for tomorrow is to sail to Chicala for one night before heading for La Cruz. Let’s hope we get some sleep tonight, although its already started being a bit rolly. The weather tomorrow includes rain, so we may need our coats.
Wednesday 5th February 2020
Today is Sophies Birthday, We have left a message and eventually managed to speak to her later whilst on our trip to Punta Mita. It seems Piera is unwell with Chicken Pox and Hand Foot and Mouth, so Alex has had to take time off from work to look after her. We raised the anchor in greyness, which is unheard of in these parts but compared the UK very benign in that we are still in shorts an T shirts. We have decided that because of the weather to head straight for Punta Mita rather than Chicala. I can’t say that I am sorry as based on the skill level we have exhibited on our recent anchoring exercises, the thought of putting out a stern anchor seems totally beyond our capabilities and far too stressful at the moment. The trip to Punta Mita was very grey, drizzly and reasonably rolly. Having said that, going around Punta Mita was actually far less rolly than the last time we came into La Cruz. We anchored in Punta Mita, possibly tempting fate, but the best so far. We anchored without a hitch and without excessive reversing. A long rest involving beer and spiced rum whilst watching the sun set and as the whales danced for the eager tourists in the pangas and listening to David Bowie, which certainly relieved any stress. Time to cook a steak dinner.
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