La Cruz to Chamela
I feel like a train conductor, La Cruz to Chamela with stops at Punta de Mita, Isla Marietas (sometimes), Ipala and finally Chamela.
We left La Cruz Saturday afternoon after Cathy, Linda and I went ashore and walked around the town of La Cruz. We tried to check in with the Port Captain but they're closed on the weekends. We went to Philo's and had a drink (local cruisers hangout, you can get a shower there for a buck and they have live music most nights). We stocked up on fresh tortillas and after stowing the dinghy etc we set sail for Punta de Mita, about 10 miles WNW. The wind picked up and we were close hauled all the way. We managed to get Tarun up to over 6 knots to weather which was pretty impressive considering the load we are carrying. Toketie (full keel Robert Perry designed steel cutter), although they don't point quite as high almost caught us when the wind piped up to 20 knots. They can carry a lot more sail area but when we tacked they had to fall away. The plan was to spend the evening at Punta de Mita and leave around 08:00 for Ipala with a stop at Isla Tres Marietas for a bit of exploring. Well we got away on time and we made our way to the "day" anchorage (BIG QUOTES THERE, on Isla Marieta. The rollers were crashing up on shore and the wind was directly into the anchorage and neither Toketie nor us wanted to stop so we continued on around Cabo Corientes. We were expecting 10-15 knots which did not materialize until about 14:00 so we had a few hours under motor. When the sea breeze did come in it was 10-15 form the NW and we had a great wing-on-wing run down to Ipala. The big challenge to this part of the coast is the lack of accurate charts. We are relying on cruising guides, radar and dead reckoning to get anywhere. It makes us glad we learned and remember all the basic arts of navigation. We got to Ipala around 17:30 and anchored in swell and gusty winds. The anchorage is only ΒΌ mile wide and is dotted with rock outcroppings that make anchoring a challenge. There ended up being 6 cruising boats at anchor plus may 10-20 pangas close in to shore. The best thing we can say about the anchorage is that we didn't drag. It was really rolly and windy and sleep was a bit challenging. We got underway again this morning by 07:30 and set sail as soon as we cleared the anchorage. OK we set sail for about 20 minutes before the motors came back on. The wind died and stayed light to non-existent until around 14:00. We flew the drifter with main and mizzen and surfed for about an hour and half at 5-6 knots until the wind started getting up again. Drifter down, main down and headsail up and we are making a comfortable 5-5.5 knots. At this point we are probably 7 miles from Bahia Chamela where will spend a couple of days until we move a bit more south to Tenecatitas.
Back again. We anchored by 18:30 in calm (ish) seas and 5-8 knots of wind. We are going to stay at least 2 days and maybe more depending on how we feel. No rush anymore. One bit of repair I'll try and make is to the windex. We seem to have had a demented bird working on it and one arm is bent in a complete "U". We'll what happens when I go up the mast
We left La Cruz Saturday afternoon after Cathy, Linda and I went ashore and walked around the town of La Cruz. We tried to check in with the Port Captain but they're closed on the weekends. We went to Philo's and had a drink (local cruisers hangout, you can get a shower there for a buck and they have live music most nights). We stocked up on fresh tortillas and after stowing the dinghy etc we set sail for Punta de Mita, about 10 miles WNW. The wind picked up and we were close hauled all the way. We managed to get Tarun up to over 6 knots to weather which was pretty impressive considering the load we are carrying. Toketie (full keel Robert Perry designed steel cutter), although they don't point quite as high almost caught us when the wind piped up to 20 knots. They can carry a lot more sail area but when we tacked they had to fall away. The plan was to spend the evening at Punta de Mita and leave around 08:00 for Ipala with a stop at Isla Tres Marietas for a bit of exploring. Well we got away on time and we made our way to the "day" anchorage (BIG QUOTES THERE, on Isla Marieta. The rollers were crashing up on shore and the wind was directly into the anchorage and neither Toketie nor us wanted to stop so we continued on around Cabo Corientes. We were expecting 10-15 knots which did not materialize until about 14:00 so we had a few hours under motor. When the sea breeze did come in it was 10-15 form the NW and we had a great wing-on-wing run down to Ipala. The big challenge to this part of the coast is the lack of accurate charts. We are relying on cruising guides, radar and dead reckoning to get anywhere. It makes us glad we learned and remember all the basic arts of navigation. We got to Ipala around 17:30 and anchored in swell and gusty winds. The anchorage is only ΒΌ mile wide and is dotted with rock outcroppings that make anchoring a challenge. There ended up being 6 cruising boats at anchor plus may 10-20 pangas close in to shore. The best thing we can say about the anchorage is that we didn't drag. It was really rolly and windy and sleep was a bit challenging. We got underway again this morning by 07:30 and set sail as soon as we cleared the anchorage. OK we set sail for about 20 minutes before the motors came back on. The wind died and stayed light to non-existent until around 14:00. We flew the drifter with main and mizzen and surfed for about an hour and half at 5-6 knots until the wind started getting up again. Drifter down, main down and headsail up and we are making a comfortable 5-5.5 knots. At this point we are probably 7 miles from Bahia Chamela where will spend a couple of days until we move a bit more south to Tenecatitas.
Back again. We anchored by 18:30 in calm (ish) seas and 5-8 knots of wind. We are going to stay at least 2 days and maybe more depending on how we feel. No rush anymore. One bit of repair I'll try and make is to the windex. We seem to have had a demented bird working on it and one arm is bent in a complete "U". We'll what happens when I go up the mast
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posted by Brian Ackles - S/V Cygnet at
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