Welcome to Barra de Navidad! 1.23.10

We arrived in the lagoon of Barra de Navidad a few days ago and set the anchor just in time for some high winds that were funneling in. The anchorage is tricky getting into as there are sandbars all around but we were given some GPS coordinates and follow them to a tee every time we come into the lagoon and, knock on wood, they’ve never failed us! The anchorage is in a lagoon and the bottom can only be described as muck. I like to think of it like jello….it’s not super good holding ground for the anchor and many have slipped. We have a bit of a theory that we test here – drop 50 feet, let it settle, drop more, let it settle, etc. So far, again knock on wood, we have held. This year we came in and dropped anchor in about 4 feet of water. There were about 17 boats in the anchorage – much, much less than previous years. The winds continued to blow – harder and harder – and we noticed the boat beside us slipping. Luckily, there was no one behind him and he was able to re-anchor without episode. Poor guy, he has the wrong type of anchor for this bottom and has slipped a couple times.

Since we were new to the anchorage, the first day we stayed on board while the wind was blowing just to make sure we had no slippage. Now that we’ve held for a few days, we’ve spent lots more time in town. The first day off the boat we went and found some blessed internet! Yeah!! Woohoo!! I was able to check e-mails and go through the 150 or so junk mail messages. Funny how you can’t wait to get to your e-mails and when you do, you spend so much time cleaning out the junk! But I was happy to get down to the good stuff.  And then on to the news – how horrible the situation in Haiti and then the crazy weather in California! And finally on to a phone call. Today is Saturday and I’m looking forward to a few more phone calls and updates. Michael has been busy as well – today he’s off to get some additional fuel, and make arrangements for cervezas & sodas to be delivered to the boat. Maria’s tienda, a staple in this area for the cruisers, is closed for the season but she still helps us cruisers get large items – cervezas, sodas, propane, & water. Internet is no longer offered in the lagoon and so we must load up the laptops and go into town for internet. That’s a big bummer. It’s not a problem, just an inconvenience. That wi-fi card service is looking better & better each time we have to lug laptops into town!

Yesterday we went into Melaque by bus to shop in the Super Hawaii store (a small grocery store that stocks lots of ‘gringo’ food) and check out the town. It’s always a fun place to go and there are lots of shops to check out – t-shirts, dresses, hats, etc. We walked the beach and ate lunch at a restaurant right in the sand at the end of the beach where it’s rumored to have the best taco salads in town. And the price was right – only 37 pesos, about $3 with 9 peso beers. We made our way back via bus into Barra de Navidad and back to the boat….and then over to S/V Equinox for an appetizer party aboard their boat. It was a full day.

So, life continues to be good here. I hope this message finds everyone safe & sound! We’re thinking about everyone and hoping for the best with the crazy weather.

More to follow…
Rene