Cruising ~ The Cat’s
Meow Style ~ February 2009
Costa Dorada, Part II
~ Waaay too much fun
February along the Costa
Dorada on the Mexican coastline was clear, warm but not hot, purrrrfect
weather. Daytime temperatures were in the low to mid-80s and the nights cooled
off nicely. The water was changing – one day or for a few days it might be
crystalline clear, then a few days of cloudy water, back to clear, etc. - but
the water was still very nice temperature-wise.
Squeak & Toes think the cruising life is just
purrrrfect, toooooo
The Cat’s Meow mosey’d on
down the coast a very few miles to Barra de Navidad, a very friendly and
interesting village. “Barra”, as the cruisers call it, is a vacation spot for
Mexicans who want to get away from the big cities inland, and for a number of
norteamericanos, many of whom are from Canada. There is a big fancy marina, but
most of the cruising boats anchor in a VERY shallow lagoon, which is accessed
by carefully (VERY carefully) using the narrow channel that leads from the
ocean to the lagoon. Many a cruiser has found him/herself aground in mud, and
almost every day a bunch of captains leap into their dinghies to push someone
out of the mud and back into the channel. Another thing about this particular
lagoon is that it is often windy, with winds in the 20-25+ knot range for two
to four days at a time. And, since it is so shallow (nine to 11 feet!), the
winds often move boats around. The captains will respond to a call of “boat on
the move” on the VHF radio and stop, move, re-anchor boats…..all in those hefty
winds. Aaaahh yes, it can be an exciting place! One of the many nice things
about the lagoon at Barra is the water taxi, which can be called on the VHF,
and costs less than $2.50US for a round-trip ride from your boat to the
village. When it is windy and wet getting to & from the village, this
service is really appreciated!! Another great service here is the French Baker
– wow….now THIS is nice…. This gentleman from France fell in love with a
Mexican lady, has two children and two cats, and a very nice bakery in the
village. During the cruising season, approximately December through April, he
brings his baked goods out to the marina and the lagoon boats, every morning!!
YUM! One can gain a few pounds eating those delicious breads, croissants
(chocolate and almond ones…oooohhhh…), pies, etc.
Boats anchored in the Barra de Navidad lagoon Martin
& Irwin help Terry of Mija re-anchor Mija back where she
should be
“Zee French baker at your service”
Cruisers like Barra because
of the quaintness of the village and the people there. The Sands Hotel welcomes
people from the boats and allows us to tie-up our dinghies with no fee, and to
use their pool and restaurant. It is soooo nice to walk all over the village,
finding the fresh produce and other groceries and of course parts for the
boats, all in the heat, and then to be able to sit down and have a “cold one”
and maybe even slip into the pool at the Sands. One fine Sunday afternoon, it
just sorta came to be that there were a number of talented cruising musicians
in Barra, who got together and jammed – jazz and blues!! – for the entire
afternoon at the Sands. The hotel welcomed anyone to watch, provided free
snacks, and it was one helluva great afternoon! Of course, the hotel benefits
from the cruiser’s patronage, and we appreciate the hotel’s support.
The Sands Hotel pool & pool-side bar Church in Barra de Navidad New interior of the church, Barra
February is the “heart”
month, right? Another time to think about love, friends, family……
Tom S. is a really good guy
who lives on his boat in La Paz, and he has a very informational website called
the Baja Insider, which provides news and information about the Baja peninsula.
We have known Tom for quite a few years…but we never expected to find him over
here on the mainland. He hailed us one day on the VHF radio and invited us to
his wedding a few days away!! WOW. We didn’t even know Tom had a lady friend….
This was a really cool wedding. The wedding was held at the Sands Hotel,
attended by cruisers who were in the Barra area that have known Tom and/or his
long-time friend and now wife, Katrina. Tom is about 6’5” while Kat doesn’t
break into the five-foot range. They had an interesting wedding, and we hope it
is the beginning of a long and happy life together.
Katrina being escorted down the “aisle” Tom and Kat pledge everlasting love
Katrina works aboard a very
beautiful yacht. We were lucky enough to get a private tour of the ship when we
went by to give Tom & Kat some photos of their wedding.
Oooops……did we mention that
we traded “straight across” for our boats??
Martin’s
new boat…… Ha ha!
After some good times in
Barra, we took TCM down the coast just a few more miles to the large bay of
Manzanillo. Manzanillo is a very busy, large city, and a major port. We parked
The Cat’s Meow in the much quieter, calmer, cleaner southern portion of the
bay, quite a distance from the hussle & bustle of the city. We were near
the village of Santiago and a few of the other beach towns. Palapa restaurants
on the beach, party boats & banana boats and unfortunately some jet skis
share the area, but most of the time it is very tranquilo.
Beach & anchorage at Santiago
bay
However, just after putting
the hook down, friends on Sea Chantey called from the neighboring cove, saying
that the water was wonderful, visibility grand, and that we should get on over
there! So, we did. We pulled up the anchor and moved to Carizal cove, where we
immediately put on dive gear and got in the water. This was the first SCUBA
dive for Robin in about 18 months, but she had no trouble re-adjusting – this
was a shallow but marvelous dive. The corals were so colorful, and they were
everywhere, with so many fish one could hardly see the corals! It was grand! It
felt so good, we planned to dive again the next day…..but, the “jellies” came
in the next morning, by the gajillions, so there was no more diving. Boo. We returned to Santiago where there at least
were not flotillas of jelly fish.
We did however have a chance
that same afternoon to be part of a surprise birthday party to honor Kathy,
admiral of the nice motor vessel Spirit Quest. The folks aboard Sea Chantey
planned it all, and a good time was had by all, too!
Kathy & Doug at her surprise birthday bash Alice? If ya know what we mean…..THIS is Alice (the yellow one)
Finally, after not seeing
each other for about two years (and a little more…), Jaye & Irwin of the
sailing vessel Winsome were finally in the same place as we were, and we were
soooo glad to see each other!! Of course, we hugged and smiled and ate food
together! Martin and Irwin worked on boat problems and projects together (for
both boats!) while Robin & Jaye caught up, did a lot of hugging, and just
enjoyed being together again.
Jaye & Irwin, some good friends of ours Winsome, under sail Dining on Winsome
While in the Santiago area,
we also spent time with ex-cruisers (Sol Mate) MJ and Stan, who have been
working on remodeling their “project house” in Santiago. These two are very
helpful to the cruisers who come into this area, as they know where and how to
find just about anything for boats and for cruisers, assist us in getting to
some of the places and in learning “the ropes” about the area. We enjoyed going
to the local soccer games on Sunday afternoons, to the farmer’s market on
Saturdays, finding the great bread store, and having a fun afternoon at their
home with a whole bunch of other cruising folks. One afternoon found a whole bunch of cruisers at a local
“botanero”, a kind of a restaurant, having waaaay toooo much fun!
Stan &
MJ’s house Cruiser’s get-together photo at
that house Stan
the Man
Farmer’s market,
Santiago
Buying fish at the fish market A funnn afternoon
at a botanero
We had been enjoying many
(!!) good times on Sea Chantey, Spirit Quest, and Wirewalker – almost every day
or night we were on one or the other boat for appetizers, drinks, and/or
dinner. Finally, Robin had a chance to invite all of those folks to TCM for a
night of “salads and deserts” – kind of a variation on the normal pot-luck.
Everyone brought a salad or a desert and we enjoyed them all over The Cat’s
Meow!
Salads & deserts on The Cat’s
Meow…..what else does one need??
Whew! Well, I guess we
finally have worked our way through the month of February! It was a busy one,
and a really fun one, with lots of good places, good times, and great people.
Please, come back to see what else we have done here, Cruising ~ The
Cat’s Meow Style…….