Bahia deTenacatita Part II

1-3-13 – Bahia de Tenacatita, Jal, MX

We find ourselves back in Tenacatita again.  It’s not a bad place to be I suppose.  The intent was to be here only a few days and then head north; the weather has had different plans for us.  It takes a transition in mindset, as well as some available time, to plan you travels around what the weather will let you do.  The last two days we have seen the first rain since we left our slip in Alameda, CA at the end of July.  Unfortunately, with that rain came some unsettled weather and wind from the wrong direction, or from the right direction but too much of it, or from the right direction but with big seas to stop our forward progress, or from the right direction for this anchorage but the wrong direction for the next anchorage.  So with all of these considerations we have spent a few more days than intended here in Tenacatita.  Thankfully the weather predictor people have yet to get much of this right and different sources say different things, so we feel it is prudent to stay put until everyone can agree, for at least a day, that we won’t get walloped with big winds or waves in the wrong direction.

Brian leaving for La Manzanilla to restock on supplies along with other  cruisers

Morning sunrise over the anchorage the day after the squall

Our first whole fish lunch in Mexico.  Good but fillets are a lot easier and just as good

I think of it like that time you drove to see your family in blinding snow, uphill for Christmas.  It was probably not a smart thing to do and you could have spun off the road and been in trouble.  You probably did it because you had 4 days off and it was now or never.  If you had more time you probably would have waited until the roads were cleared and you could lessen your chance of serious disaster.  Now think about doing that trip with your house in tow.  “spinning off the road” and potentially destroying your house may make you change your mind.  That’s how we feel.  No need to risk your boat/house to gain a day here or there.  We have a lot of days on our hands, and not so many boats/houses. 

Reinforcing that idea is the boat that was saved within about ¼ mile of going ashore yesterday when they lost their rudder, only three miles after leaving the anchorage.   Let’s just say they very calmly asked a boat to stand by in case they had to “ditch the boat” (i.e. their house was about to be destroyed) . Not good to hear over the radio.  Needless to say they were able to pick up a line and got towed back into the anchorage after many hours of trying, and a little assistance from a panga and the “Mayor of Tenicatita” (by the way these people had already sailed from the West coast, thru the Panama Canal to the Caribbean and back, so not completely inexperienced).  Where they then went about anchoring right upwind of us in about 40knots of wind and horizontal rain.  But they made it, which is what counts.  So I guess we take the weather seriously as there seems to be a lot on the line when that thing that never happens, does happen.

We have run the generator more and watched more movies in the last two days than the last four months.  With no sun we get no solar power, and without running the engine to move the boat we don’t charge the batteries, so we are forced to run the generator.  I must say thanks to that guy we bought it from in a 7-11 parking lot back in Reno off of Craigslist.  It has worked great.  We now know where the boat leaks, so that gives me something to do.  The best thing about all of this is we got a free boat wash without having to be at a marina.  I even collected a couple of gallons of water to shower with.  Lets just say I had a LOT of time on my hands.  I had a solid upper body workout yesterday, raising the anchor five times.  That’s a long story, but it has to do with the impending squall, and then the boat without the rudder that anchored a little too close.  But who can blame him; he didn’t have rudder and was thankful to still have a boat.

Took a nice long hike hoping for tacos and beer - ended up at the freeway instead

View of the anchorage in Tenacatita from our hike

You can tell it has been a long couple of days on the boats when today the sun came out and eight dinghies full of boat bound cruisers showed up on the beach in the morning, just to not be on their boats.  We are ready to leave Tenicatita now, although todays morning walk on the beach and tasty fish and cold beers for lunch at the beach palapa may make us change our minds.

We saw the sign but thankfully no crocodiles

Collecting free shower water