Sailing Adventures of s/v Talos IV: Chacala

We arrived in Chacala mid afternoon after a 9 hour motor. There was only a light wind from the NW on our starboard quarter so it wasn’t quite enough to sail and make the 55 mile passage before nightfall.

Chacala is a beautiful bay with a crescent shaped beach lined with palapa restaurants on the north end. We dropped our hook in about 12 feet of water just off from the north end of the beach. We are close enough to the beach that we could swim ashore if we wanted. The anchorage is very rolly (officially not a word, but very descriptive), with swell wrapping around the point from the NW, so it feels like we are underway even though we are comfortably at anchor.

Once settled, we got the dinghy in the water and went ashore to see what the place had to offer. The small town has a population of about 280 people, but has a fair number of tourists, especially during the holiday period. All of the streets are cobble stoned and the architecture is very colonial. Flowers and palm trees are every where, suggesting that we are truly getting into the tropical areas of Mexico.

We met a couple of ladies (sisters) as we headed up from the dinghy landing who filled us in on the community. Many of the ritzy homes that line the hillsides over looking the bay are apparently owned by gringos from the US and Canada. One of the sisters has lived here for 30 years.

The port captain was not in so our check in would wait until later. It was Christmas Eve, so we were unsure if he would even be working. That said, later that day when we returned we found the captain just returning from his other duties and he was gracious enough to allow us to check in. The check in process is simple, but necessary at each of the ports that we pass through. The government uses this as a means of keeping track of all the boaters in their waters.

We found a coffee shop palapa on the beach with great wifi so we were able to upload some photos and post our blog from Isla Isabella. We have taken advantage of the wifi on several occasions during our stay to get weather updates and to call friends and family on Skype.

Spending Christmas on the boat was a bit different. For us, it was a quite evening on the boat, but on shore the Mexicans celebrated all evening with family gatherings, dinners and fireworks. The noise kept us awake until the wee hours. Louie was terrified of the noise and hid under the blanket all night.

On Christmas morning, we took the bus (15 pesos per person each way) into Las Varas, a small town about 9 km away. It was quite a contrast from the beach, with dusty cobble stoned streets and buildings in need of a lot of attention. I suppose this is more typical of many of the small rural Mexican towns. Even though it was Christmas day, all of the businesses were open and there was a street market going on in the town center.

After a four night stay, we’ve decided it’s time to move on. Our next destination is Jaltemba, another small beach community about 8 km further south. From there, we will round Punta Mita into Banderas Bay. We will likely be in the bay for several weeks, stopping at La Cruz and Puerta Vallarta among other anchorages.