Tenacatita to Bahia de Navidad

From David: We are leaving Tenacatita today heading for Bahia de Navidad to check it out and maybe get some waves there, as there is a south swell heading our way. We may come back here for the swell, as there is a perfect little right hand reef break here in the bay, but it needs to wrap around the bay to work, and I don't know if it will still have the perfect shape when it gets bigger. We took a great trip up the river a few days ago with John and Sharon of Sunsation. It winds through the mangroves, and at times is only as wide as our dingies, not a place to have engine trouble or foul a prop, so going with someone else is prudent. It took about 45 minutes and ended at another beach with a series of palapas where we dined on fish rolls that were to die for. They were deep fried with a great cream sauce smothering them, and one could have fed both of us, but I finished it off by myself.

A nap afterward would have been nice, but we instead headed off to snorkel at "The Aquarium" where there were living coral reefs and tons of tropical fish. But the place that Suzi and I found the following day was even better, and it was just the two of us there: very romantic. I still haven't shot a fish with my new gun, but things are getting bigger and more plentiful, so the time is near; I can feel it. We should be in Bahia Navidad by noon today so I better get this off.

From Suzi: Hi there! As you can see, we were unable to send sailmail this morning; we just arrived in Barra de Navidad, inside the lagoon, with excellent navigation by David, avoiding all the sand bars. It is lovely here and lo and behold, whom do we find anchored here? Mandy. They do not appear to be around, but it will be fun to see them. It will be fun to explore a new place, although you can't swim here in the lagoon.

Endless Summer

On Sunday David went fishing, without catching any, but came back to Sidewinder wanting to go out around the point to a small beach. We took Worm out there and found a beautiful secluded little beach in its own little incredibly clear bay full of colorful coral (green, orange, red, purple, and white) with exquisite, even more colorful fish. It was awesome. We stayed and snorkled for a couple of hours and finished our fun day with v-ball on the beach in the late afternoon. Today we took the dinghy over to the little town, La Manzanillo, picked up some supplies, and read and answered some emails briefly.

Life in the Bay Part 2

Tenacatita is a beautiful bay: serene, pristine, quiet yet full of boats, and relaxing. The friendly, generous people we have met from many boats have invited us to dinner, cocktails, v-ball, etc. Many have offered help and expertise with our mechanical woes, and David has benefited greatly from the fishing expertise of Dave from Juniata. What a terrific cook Marcia is as well!!! What a wonderful group of travelers and a terrific surprise to find! David is definitely the social butterfly, and his hips are happily helping to make him spry and mobile. I am busy trying to find my niche amongst this amazing group of cruisers who are welcoming and embracing to all. The adventure continues. We will make our way down to Bahia de Navidad in a few days and then onward south.

Life in the Bay

Yesterday David did nothing but try to figure out the battery fiasco with another guy from a boat close by. I swam over to Sharon's boat and got some training tips on using my stretch bands to keep my upper body strong. She used to be a personal trainer and is really a big help. I also hung out on Sidewinder trying to help with the battery troubleshooting. Luckily we had a "raft-up" with about 20 dinghies for sunset and we all had lots of fun drinking, sharing food, stories, books, information, and we all introduced ourselves. It was great; we keep meeting lots of very cool people. Today we did a bunch of work on the water maker with some help as well, and then we rode into the beach for some v-ball, a swim, lunch, and more socializing. We thought of you as we played jungleball. David's hips are fine, and he is having fun playing as well.

More from Tenacatita

I can't believe we have been back on the water cruising for a week now; it's amazing how fast the days fly by. I tried to find internet access today at the hotel up the beach and it was down. It is weird not being able to effectively communicate; I got used to it while in the marina, so I feel quite frustrated. Hopefully I will find the internet in a few days and will be able to send you some pictures for the blog. The next bay up was a wonderful place to snorkle yesterday; the water was exceptionally clear and there were so many beautiful fish. The water is warmer here, and it is wonderful just diving in whenever I feel like it. A whole group of cruisers met at the beach this afternoon and set up bocce ball and a v-ball court. They didn't really know how to play v-ball but it was fun for David and me to bump the ball around. We had dinner on another boat this evening with six new cruiser "friends," two of whom we had met two and a half years ago in Emerald Bay on Catalina. We all brought something to share and Dave, the boat owner, barbecued the fish he caught this morning. Dave and Marsha are from the Pacific Northwest and have been cruising for a while, but used to live near where David lived in Northern California. They know many of the same people. Actually, that is true of many of the people we have met......

Tenacatita

Brief sailmail from Tenacatita:
We took the dinghy through the mangroves up the river which connects this beach with Tenacatita, had lunch on the beach, went for a snorkel in the bay just north called the Aquarium, and then came back to the boat by way of the jungle cruise once more.

Sad News from Tenacatita

Hi there buddies, We just got a sailmail that David's mom passed away on Sunday morning at 9:30. Although he was ready for it, one is never quite prepared for the reality. Luckily we are sitting in a beautiful, calm bay, Blue Bay just inside Punta Chubasco, in Tenacatita, and we look forward to enjoying whatever comes our way today. We arrived yesterday late afternoon after having a wonderful sail down the coast. After my last sailmail, we moved over to the island in Chamela and kicked back, snorkling and reading. John and Sharon came over for dinner and we enjoyed getting to know them more personally. Sunday we motored down to Paraiso, a beautiful private bay, and again, relaxed and basked in the peace and quiet. Yesterday we motored around the corner to Careyes, went into one of the very expensive picturesque resorts for a very pricey lunch, and then sailed down to Tenacatita. It is wonderful to be back on the ocean with the constant motion reminding me of life.