Cruise of the Confidence 12-Feb-2014 to 13-Feb-2014 Paraiso to Tenacatta

1100: We brought up the anchor and headed out of Paraiso. It was difficult to leave this anchorage as it was one of our favorites to date. The winds were relatively calm so we decided to motor.

We had no plans to stay in Bahia Careyes but decided to check it out anyway. Most of the coastline is quite rugged and sparsely developed. Then you come into this bay and wonder if you had just been transposed into the Mediterranean. The shoreline is dotted with luxurious homes and hotels. The most striking part of them is the display of color. Check out the pictures to see what I mean.

 

Though it looked quite beautiful from the water, the cruise book informs us that most of this bay is private and the holding ground is not very good. There are actually 3 small coves in this bay with the most southern bay being the least developed. However, anchoring is not allowed as this is a protected area for the annual turtle migration. The turtles use this beautiful white sand beach to lay their eggs. The locals assist in collecting the eggs in the summer and then releasing them in the winter.

1300: abeam of Punta Farallon. It is easy to make out this point from the white lighthouse and the Copa del Sol monument (bowl-shaped) on the tip of the point. This part of the coastline is dotted with many rocky islets and reefs.

 

1330: abeam of Punta Hermanos and the entrance to Bahia Tenacatita. There is an anchorage just inside of the point but the swell was quite large and the winds were starting to pick up from the north so we chose to continue on to the next anchorage. It ended up being a good decision - in the past the first anchorage had a lot to offer but due to a land dispute a lot of the services were closed.

1400: We set the anchor in 20 feet of water northeast of Punta Chubasco. The waters were calm and made for a very pleasant stay. The anchorage is very close to the entrance to the estuary

 and the cruise book said that you could go 2.5 miles up the fresh water river and end up in a small lagoon. A short walk across the beach and you are suppose to end up in Punta Hermanos - a good place to enjoy a cold drink or tapas in one of the many palapas. Notice I said "suppose". It did sound like an adventure so off we went. After about 2 miles I was starting to get a little nervous as the mangrove branches were starting to close in and we were getting caught up on the roots. But David wanted to continue on - just a little further he said. When it opened up we were looking at a dilapidated dock and metal fence.

We found out later that this was where the land dispute was going on so we could not get access to the wonderful beach and restaurants - that were closed anyway. So we struggled back for the first part - thank goodness we did not see and crocodiles. But we did see lots of birds and red-clawed mangrove crabs. By this time I was pretty hot and sweaty so I decided to swim back to the boat.

The next day we walked along the shore to the all inclusive Hotel BluBay. Though it looked rather nice it was not receptive to boaters - guess we are considered part of the riffraff - could not even buy a cold drink. So back to the boat and another swim. We were honored with the visit from a couple of minty whales (small) that liked to rub on our anchor chain. So the day was not lost.

We got a hold of Al and Sandy and found out that they were in their house at La Manzanilla which is just across the bay. So we made a date for the next day to move over to the other side of the bay and join them for dinner.

14-Feb-2014 Valentine's Day and Roz's birthday. Raised the anchor and headed to La Manzanilla