Punta Mita to Chacala
After loading Plume with as much food as we could, we left La Cruz marina Sunday morning. As usual, we started with our full main and genoa at 11am, but by 2pm we had 2 reefs and the jib. We had a very nice sail to Punta Mita on a flat sea with short chop, similar to the conditions in the San Francisco Bay. Of course, we had the wind right in the nose, so we had to tack several times. This was the opportunity to get closer to the Marietas (a group a small islands at the entrance of Banderas Bay) and catch a 4-5lbs bonito there!
The anchorage in Punta Mita was, as expected, rolly. This is definitely a spot of interest only for the surfers. However we had a exceptional dinner aboard with ceviche, string beans, rice, tuna fillet and strawberries for dessert.
We raised anchor a 5:30am Monday, without the engine, under a full moon. This was a very magic moment to leave the anchorage under sail by night but with such a nice visibility. After 2 hours the wind definitely died so we had to motor-sail the rest of the trip (7h) to reach Chacala. We spotted 3 turtles along the way, unfortunately one was looking very sick.
We are now anchored in the small bight of Chacala. The swell does exactly what the guides describe: it enter the bay and makes the boat roll like crazy if you are not oriented correctly. We thought that Easter vacation will start after Friday, but we discovered an already crowded beach with tents everywhere. This supposedly quiet anchorage is filled with vacationers and the music booms everywhere. Still, the bay is lovely and we gained half a degree north in latitude!