Paradise found

Barra de Navidad, Jalisco, Mexico

Barra is truly a special place.

We have used the dinghy to go into town a couple of times and are now using the water-taxi service instead.  They have a 24-hour service, for 25 pesos round-trip from the lagoon anchorage to town. You don't have to worry about where you tied up the dinghy and they seem to be able to navigate at great speed in the pitch dark of these moonless nights.  We went in to have supper last night and were able to stay late, not having to worry about getting back to the boat after dark.  The sunset from the restaurant was spectacular.

 

We visited our friends, and former owners of Sine Timore, Iwo and Joanna, at their beautiful home on one of the canals.  This was a glimpse of what life could be like if we ever decide to give up this boating nonsense - pretty tempting.  Iwo took us for a walking tour around town, including our required stop at the Port Captain's office, and we could could certainly see why they chose this particular town to settle in.

The weather here is nothing short of perfect.  Beautiful warm sunny days with light ocean breezes.  Lots of lush foliage as we are now in a much more tropical climate than just a hundred miles north.  The town is very charming, with lots of authentic Mexican shops and restaurants as well as an assortment of tourist traps as well.  We have deployed all of our solar panels and are able to keep up with our current demand, so we have not had to resort to using the new generator yet.

 

 

 

 

 

On the ocean side of the town, the evidence of the hurricane two years ago is very evident.  There was a lot of damage along the sea-front and the beach is reportedly a lot narrower than it used to be.  Otherwise, the town seems untouched - Iwo says that they suffered no damage at all where their home is, just a few blocks inland.

Across the channel lies the Grand Bay resort and the Marina Puerto de la Navidad.  It is a first class facililty but with first class prices to go along with it - too much for our limited budget.  Nice to look at though.  The price for anchoring in the lagoon (free) is hard to beat.

The autopilot pump in its proper home.

I counted 19 boats in the anchorage yesterday - a few have left since we got here.  Cruisers who have been coming here for years tell us that they have seen over 70 boats in the anchorage only a few years ago.  We are not sure why the change, but it has been the same story at all of the anchorages and marinas we have visited since leaving La Paz.  It is good for us, but the locals are hurting.  Maybe all of the boats are just waiting for us further south.  Speaking  of which, our current plan is to stay here for a couple more days, then head for Manzanillo, about 25 miles further down the coast.  This will be another test for the repaired autopilot - maybe with some actual sailing this time.