We left Puerto Vallarta in the morning on November 25th, two days before Thanksgiving. There’s a beautiful anchorage called Tenacatita about 120 nm South. In the back of my mind I was thinking that weather and timing would permit us to make one long run and arrive about 28 hours later. An overnight run. Now keep in mind that we just got the engine put back together and this was our test run. Ambitious! Weather indicated 18 – 20kt wind curling around Cabo Corrientes. This kind of wind is kind of fun as long as it’s behind you and not kicking up too much wind waves.
Cabo Corrientes has a well deserved reputation for being a place to get your ass kicked if you misread the weather forecast. As the wind built in the afternoon we rounded the point and ducked in a little behind the point to get out of the building wind and swell. Bev and I discussed our options. There’s a tiny anchorage called Ipala that we decided to duck into and stay overnight. Riley got to go to the beach (yay). And just like that we had a new plan for going down the coast. So far the weather and wind had been very cooperative and the engine was performing flawlessly.
There were a few other boats in the Ipala anchorage as the sun was setting and Riley made his dinghy trip to the beach. Local folks from the town offered to hold onto my dinghy line while Riley sniffed around. Everywhere we go in Mexico people are kind and helpful. While we certainly know of petty theft and have friends who’ve been victims, we have been blessed with kindness where we’ve been.
The next morning after a dawn run to the beach with Riley, we secured the dinghy and watched as most of the other boats in anchorage prepared to leave around the same time as us. We’d need the whole day to make the 65 nm trip to Chapala (Punta Perula), the next anchorage down the coast.
After a nice day of both sailing and motor-sailing we pulled into the bay near the town of Chapala and tucked into the anchorage at Punta Perula. At Punta Perula the beach is lined with palapa restaurants and the surf crashes all night long.
There’s a little river and a set of docks that the dinghy can go up. The landing is easy for Riley. As we returned through the tiny river mouth Riley saw some small waves off the bow of the dingy where he likes to ride. He quickly jumped down and hid underneath the dinghy bench seat. He’s clearly an experienced boat dog and watches the waves carefully!
We recognized most of the boats in the anchorage from either Ipala the night before or previous seasons in Mexico. After traveling by boat for a while, either the boat name looks familiar, or you’re traveling together and just haven’t met the people (yet).
Happy Thanksgiving to us and to everyone else. Our Thanksgiving morning took us to Tenacatita. As we got there we saw only ONE boat in the anchorage. Wow! Sometimes there are dozens of boats there. Tenacatita is one of the most beautiful and pleasant anchorages in this part of Mexico. The water is clear and blue, and it’s well protected from prevailing winds. We prepared our Thanksgiving dinner and sat down to a very nice feast. Bev had been collecting ingredients as we saw them as we traveled around Mexico. In the past we’ve had shrimp for Thanksgiving dinner. This year we had a wonderful turkey dinner with stuffing, sweet potatoes, cranberries, gravy and mashed potatoes.
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