The more we move anchorages looking for something more comfortable the more we come to realize that these Pacific Coast anchorages are never going to be all that comfortable. This morning we left Punta Mita in the early morning calm waters to start heading north. The weather doesn’t look all that great for the next week or so, so we thought we’d take advantage of any decent days we can get.
It was only thirty uneventful miles to Chacala, unfortunately as soon as we pulled up we knew we weren’t going to be staying long. There is a big swell coming from the south right now which is unusual as far as I know and it is plowing right into this bay, and pretty much every other bay from Puerto Vallarta to Mazatlan. We anchored a couple hundred yards off the beach and then sat and watched as the swell smashed its way ashore pretty much obliterating anything or anybody along the water’s edge. We’re anchored securely, and there is no wind, so I’m not really worried about dragging, but still, just the thought of dragging here was enough to keep me from launching the dinghy today for a trip ashore.
Which turned out okay since while we were sitting up on deck playing with the kids a guy came paddling out on his surfboard and said, “This is going to sound weird…” Turns out it was a Bum friend we’d been trading e-mails with the past week trying to arrange a meeting, but since we’ve been on the move more or less non-stop we’d been having no luck. So anyway he had traveled to Chacala this morning to surf the break here and then was sitting ashore having a beer as we came pulling in. Always nice to have someone drop in on us and break up the day a bit.
Tonight we continue to rock away as the swell continues to build. Tomorrow we’ll be moving on at first light again in our endless search for a good night’s sleep.
Too bad too, because last night when I told Ali we were going to Chacala she said, “That sounds familiar, we’ve been there haven’t we?” I couldn’t remember, but as soon as we pulled up we remembered the place. We’d stayed here back when Ali was pregnant with Ouest and we were driving south in the Porsche. From the boat we can see the hotel we stayed at and the little hill we climbed around the side of the anchorage. Nice little place.
As we were leaving this morning we were approaching these two fishermen and I noticed the light and thought to myself, “That would be a nice picture.” Ali was down below with Lowe putting him down for a nap so it was just Ouest and I. I was about to pop down to grab the camera when Ouest announced, “Pee!” So I grabbed her, ran her down to the toilet, told her I’d be right back, ran back outside while grabbing the camera along the way, and popped out just in time to catch this. I thought it was a nice shot even before the dolphin showed up, but he pretty much nailed it for me. When I finished I ran back downstairs and found Ouest sitting on the floor of the bathroom looking out of the louvers on the door with a big smile on her face. “All done!”
