We had to motor all the way down, due to the lack of wind, but about two hours into the four-hour trip I suddenly sighted a large black column emerging from the water not 50’ from the boat on the left side, and then it plopped over on its side making a large whomping sound and producing a cascade of water. It was a full grown whale, and it repeated the same jump six times in a row. We finally got the camera out and focused to catch the 5th and 6th leap, but later found that we had recorded nothing. After the 6 jumps, the whale did two rolling jumps, landing on its back behind us. We didn’t see anything for awhile, and then we noticed two whales playing together instead of the one. We assume now that the male was showing off for the female, which he had spotted (or heard) and his masterly jumping caused her to be swept off her flukes.
We arrived in Bahia Manzanillo and noticed three very dirty smokestacks near the town of Manzanillo pouring smog into the air south of the bay. There were also some large freighters in the bay either waiting to be loaded or unloaded. The port of Manzanillo was described in the cruisers’ guides as not being friendly to cruisers because of the heavy industry in the port. Instead we motored into a small anchorage in front of the Las Hadas Resort & Marina. Naturally, just as we were coming in to anchor, the wind picked up – the one we could have used all the way down from Bahia Navidad – where it continued to rock and roll us all night. After anchoring we grabbed a couple of beers to settle us down from the anxiety of anchoring in a new location among several previously anchored boats, and to give us time to observe that the anchor had truly grabbed the bottom.
Las Hadas Resort on the lower left and some high end homes next to the resort on the upper right
The anxiety is caused by not knowing the depth until we actually get there or the quality of the bottom that will determine how well our anchor will set, along with the number and positions of the other boats in the anchorage and the length of chain or rope they are using to keep the anchor from pulling out. Naturally we don’t want to trespass on someone else’s territory. Since the wind and the tide change continuously, the boats at anchor can swing around at least 360 degrees, and often do. So it is necessary to position one’s anchor in a way that will cause the boat to lie in position with the other boats; so all the boats will swing in arcs that don’t intersect. If we anchor in 20’ of water and put out 100’ of chain ( a rode of 5:1) with our anchor, we could easily swing into a boat whose anchor was put out earlier just 40 feet from ours (something we can’t see) in 30 feet of water, but who has a rode of 150’ (a rode of 5:1 for him).
Okay, you’re not math majors, so just take it from me that we try our best to place our anchor where we will be equidistant from the other boats that are nearby with sufficient room to keep them happy. We have learned from past experience that, if a boat owner of a nearby anchored boat comes on deck to observe our anchoring process, we are probably too close to his boat and he will call us on the radio and object to our location. We often move to a position slightly behind and between two other boats to drop the anchor and then allow the boat to drift back into position that will work for all of us. In this case there was a very large motor yacht with a lot of freeboard (area above the surface of the water) that was fishtailing in the wind fairly close to where we ended up after putting out 120’ of chain. When we first determined the proper position for our boat, that yacht was fishtailing away from everyone, but by the time we got settled and dug in, it was fishtailing back towards us.
We were on the point of pulling up our chain and moving when the owners returned to the boat, pulled up their anchor, and took off. As they pulled up their anchor they had to get very close to another boat in the anchorage in order to position their boat directly over their anchor to disengage it from the sand. It appeared that they had anchored with a very long length of chain and rope; so that the sailboat that came in later and positioned itself in front of the motor yacht was sitting almost exactly on top of the motor yacht’s anchor. The driver of the yacht was definitely an expert (could have been a paid skipper), and handled the situation very smoothly. Sheilagh and I were both very glad that the motor yacht decided to leave.
We jumped in out dinghy at that point, and motored into the marina’s dinghy dock to check out the situation. The cruisers’ guides indicate that we are able to enjoy the hospitality of the hotel, including the multiple swimming pools, lounge chairs, and drink service. We found that the internet costs were quite high, but we didn’t have much choice. As we toured the grounds we grabbed a couple of lounge chairs next to the pool, and ordered up a couple of Margaritas. The waiter saw that we didn’t have the customary colored band circling our wrists, indicating that we were guests of the hotel; so he asked how we planned to pay. We brought out cash, and that was acceptable. At a previous hotel, where the guests wear the wristbands, cruisers are denied service, because the waiters are not allowed to collect money, only charges to the room. Incidentally we have noticed at many larger stores that those who wait on you are not allowed to collect your money; so the salesperson writes up a ticket for you, and you have to go to a window to pay.
After one Margarita apiece at poolside we were brought a bill for 140 pesos ($14), which did not reflect the normal prices we have been used to in Mexico. We failed to heed the warning and decided that we were too tired to cook onboard that night; so we decided to take in the buffet at the hotel. How expensive can a buffet be? Ours was $30 apiece, and that was with water, not wine, with the meal. We did eat very well, but we definitely busted the budget that day. It is said that you can live on very little in Mexico, but that means cooking your own food or eating at local Mexican restaurants, not at exclusive resorts. Three ladies at another table came over after their meal and asked if we were on one of the sailboats in the harbor – I guess we didn’t look like high-rollers in our cruisers’ garb of shorts and colored T-shirt (for me) and a top (for Sheilagh). They were from Canada, and were very happy to be away from the cold for a week or two. We talked a bit and then they asked us how to wish someone well on a sailboat. We said, “may you have fair winds and following seas,” and they repeated that to us before they departed.
On Tuesday morning we took our dinghy into the marina set out with the five components of the autopilot in our knapsack and caught a bus for Las Brisas – the closest DHL shipping point in the region. We got excellent service at DHL, including having them box the components with their own box and bubble-wrap, and got it sent off for a mere 790 pesos (approximately $79). Then we stopped by the Kentucky Fried Chicken outlet across from Wal-Mart and enjoyed one of our favorite fast foods. The taste of the chicken, with the same eleven herbs and spices we had grown to know and love, was pretty close to the U.S. product, but the mashed potatoes and gravy and the coleslaw were a unique experience that we will probably not repeat.
Afterward we dodged traffic to get back across the street to Wal-Mart, where we loaded up on essential foods, including a brand of tequila that had been recommended. We also got a bathmat to replace the one that must have flipped over the side of the boat as we were drying it on the safety lines that surround the boat awhile back. We often leave things hanging on the lifelines in the morning when the wind is light and return to find the winds blowing strongly in the afternoon. We have now taken to using clothespins when we leave clothing on the lines.
A short cab ride got us back to the Las Hadas Resort, where we occasioned a certain amount of discussion among the cognoscenti as to why two less-than-well-dressed people without wrist bands were walking through the pool area carrying two backpacks and six bags of groceries. We proceeded to the dinghy that was tied up at the dinghy dock in the marina, loaded everything aboard, scooted out to the boat, and then uploaded everything onto the boat, as the dinghy was bobbing alongside – all in full view of the vacationers who were lounging on the beach. We’re not sure what the guests thought, but apparently cruisers are a common sight here for the hotel personnel.
We thought we might take a bus back to Barra de Navidad to pick up our mail and check out with the port captain, rather than sail (or motor) the four hours back up the coast. However, we found that our mail was going to be delayed several days at Barra; so we opted to unload the dinghy of its contents, hoist it back aboard, and prepare to sail back to the lagoon on the following day. That night we had strong winds that kept us rocking and rolling in the anchorage, and introduced the snapping of the flags we carry – the Stars and Stripes on the stern and the Mexican courtesy flag on the right spreader. The snapping of the flags in a strong wind can sound like small arms fire from a distance. Needless to say we didn’t sleep well that night and were only too happy to be underway today.
We did not see our lovesick whale on the way back to Bahia Navidad, but we were able to motor-sail back north to save some fuel. Motor sailing involves using sails in a light breeze that isn’t strong enough to support sailing by itself. So we use the engine with fewer RPMs to get the same speed that we would have in a strong wind without the engine or with 2000 RPM without any wind. We were happy to be back in a flat lagoon, and immediately took the dinghy into the Sands Hotel for a couple of cervezas at poolside (in this case only $1.25 apiece). Our last task at the end of the day was to give Sheilagh a new haircut that I think looks very cute. See if you don’t agree. Sheilagh and I may need to open a hair salon for cruisers, but maybe we should wait until we hear more than our own comments on the hairdo.
Sheilagh reading Jimmy Buffet in the hanging chair in the cockpit – two views of the new hairdo
More later . . .
No comments:
Post a Comment