Return to Barra and Cuastecomate

Anchoring in the Barra Lagoon was a bit tricky.  As we motored around the anchorage, the depth below our keel hovered between zero and two feet.  There was one stretch when the depth sounder held at a steady zero and we both thought for sure that we were going to ground out in the soft mud.  We found what we think was the deepest spot in the anchorage, a whopping 2.5 feet, and dropped the anchor.  Janet was at the bow and Paul was at the helm.  He held up two fingers in response to her question of how deep is it.  Normally that means 20 feet and it caused a moment of confusion.  As we were at or near low tide, we had a good feeling that we would not go aground.  To ensure that we didn’t drag in the soft mud, we put out 85 feet of chain.  Perhaps a bit of over kill, but everyone we talked to said that the lagoon was notorious for boats dragging anchor.  We spent three wonderful days in the lagoon with no issues.

Each morning we were greeted by the French Baker delivering his scrumptious baked goods to the boat.  Our typical day included a run into Barra for coffee and provisions via dinghy or water taxi and just to walk about the town.

A fellow yachtista from Seattle, Don Johnson, met up with us and we shared dinner one night and then ventured into Melaque the following night for a bit of Blue Grass at Tazza Negra, the local coffee roaster.  Don was to have sailed his boat down from Seattle, leaving in mid-June, but off the coast of Oregon encountered problems with high seas and winds, as well as a crew that was unable to tend to the boat due to sea sickness and after a call to the Coast Guard they came out and actually towed them back to Neah Bay.  Don had suffered a concussion during high seas, but the boat was largely undamaged.  He has since sold the boat and is now visiting Mexico by commercial airline, train and bus.  Our paths just happened to cross in Barra.

Before heading out again for our journey north, we went back into the marina for three days.  The stop allowed us to stock up on provisions, water and fuel for the trip.  Of course, we managed to find time to hang at the resort pool for an hour or so each day.  We also had several impromptu dock gatherings with the other boaters in the marina.  It is always a fun way to wrap up a day.

The city of Barra de Navida taken from the upper
levels of the Grand Bay Resort.

In the foreground, Isla Navidad Marina (Talos IV is tied
up on the opposite end of the long dock on the left).

Barra Lagoon in the background.

Cuastecomate

We finally decided it was time to go and motored out of the Barra Marina, setting our compass heading on Cuastecomate.  The anchorage is only about 4 miles across Bahia Navidad, so the run only took about an hour.  We dropped our hook in about 15 feet of water just off the beach and the small town of Cuastecomate.

Our original plan had been to do a little snorkeling, but the seas were up a bit from the winds that had been blowing the past few days and the water clarity seemed marginal.  That said, we spent the day relaxing on the boat and reading.

Tomorrow we will depart for Tenacatita.

The small village of Cuastecomate.