Barra de Navidad (anchor)

I waited for a rising hi tide in the morning before heading over to the Barra lagoon from Melaque as the entrance is quite shallow and narrow.

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About 50 boats ranging from 30-50ft were already anchored in the lagoon so I took my time scoping out a space.
Even at high tide there was only around 12ft of depth and the actual area you could anchor in was quite small.

A useful aerial view of Barra that shows all the main parts of town and the bay. We ended up buying some land in the center canal (large green lot on the water, right of the S shaped hotel in the bottom left corner.

View of the Barra lagoon from the Grand Bay hotel marina. In the distance you can see about 50 boats are anchored out. Feb 2011. It peaked at over 60 a few weeks later.

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A highlight of any stop at Barra is a visit by Emeric aka 'The French Baker of Barra".

There is nothing like hot fresh pastries and baguettes delivered directly to your boat in the morning.
He has a website now at www.barrabaker.com so you can place your order lying in your bunk.

I ended up anchored in the lagoon for around 3 months. As the temperature rose later in the spring the other cruisers continued south or headed back up into the Sea of Cortez for the summer. Soon I was the only boat left in the lagoon.

The afternoon winds were quite strong in late April/May so when I started construction of the dock I rented a slip in the Grand Bay marina. This also gave me shore power so I could run my AC system. It was getting hot! The summer rates at the marina are 1/2 the winter rates which sealed the deal.

Continue my story in Barra ....

Building the dock on the canal for Sea42
Building the House Part 1 and finding the property
Building the House Part 2

How this whole thing started

Melaque (anchor)

I spent a few weeks anchored of the main town at Melaque. Its a working town but very liveable. I even got to fly home for a week while I left the boat at anchor. Again 2 anchors are needed as the swell wraps around the point at the entrance to the bay.


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You can get most things in Melaque, they have Banks and hardware stores, something for everyone. The town is very busy and popular with Canadians seeking sun during the winter season.

I had been reading about the lagoon at Barra for some time and took the dinghy across the bay to visit the town. Eventually I took the boat across and anchored in the lagoon, little did I know what I had started.

La Manzanilla (anchor)

In the south of Tenacatita bay you find the small town of La Manzanilla. I really enjoyed this town. I anchored off the beach next to the big aquaculture nets. Immediately about 100 fish congregated under the boat. Again I used bow/stern anchors to point the boat into the swell and make like comfortable.

Getting ashore is fun as there is quite a shore break at times that can catch you out (more later)



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La Manzanilla is quite a busy town (but no bank) and has a large gringo population that lives there year round.
Do Canadians count as gringos?

Lots of nice places to eat and good street food in the evenings.

Visit the crocadillio to see some meat eating action!

I stayed for a some time and eventually took a group of friends I met in Sea42 around to Melaque. We had a fantastic sail and  met a large group of dolphins is very clear/calm water of the beach at Tamarindo.

Tenacatita (anchor)

As you continue south you round the spectacular Friars rocks


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A few miles further south you enter the bay at Tenacatita


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The first beach you reach is now under control of a new owner. He took control of the entire northern stretch of this bay by force in 2010 and bulldozed all the existing buildings and palapas. He intends to build a new resort. His ownership is being questioned in court and may one day return to its previous glory. Very good snorkeling around the rocks.

Around the next headland you find a very calm anchorage and an entrance to a lagoon. You can take a dinghy trip down to a larger lagoon. Fantastic wildlife to see.



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When I was anchored here I met the famous 'Chippy' the dolphin who swims around your boat and scratches his back on your anchor chain. He got the name from a large notch cut out of his dorsal fin. Apparently he has been here for years.

Ashore you can find a few small palapa restaurants. A must try meal is the Rolo Del Mar which is a fish filet stuffed with chopped shrimp and octopus in an almond sauce, wrapped completely in bacon and covered with more almond cream sauce. Wow!

As you can see from the map above there are lots of boats anchored here. Its very popular with cruisers on this coast as its so calm and protected.

If you walk 1/2 a mile NE along the beach you find a large all inclusive hotel that caters to European tourists.

I stayed a few days but decided to move on as the runoff from the lagoon made for murky water and I found too many flies around the beach area.

Careyes (anchor)

As you head south down the coast you start seeing some really large homes on the beach and I mean huge estates. Then you round the corner into the bay at Careyes and the land of dream homes. I anchored off the small restuarant in 20ft sand bottom nearby to some pangas. I was the only big boat in the bay. Careyes is like the Santorini in the Greek islands with its steep cliffs and brightly colored homes.

I took the dinghy ashore to the beach next to the restaurant. No one around (as usual its like a ghost town).


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Fantastic snorkeling around the island and the small bay in the north end.

The main hotel has nice pools and bars which you can use.

20 miles of this coast was bought by an Italian businessman after the WW2 and he controls all the development in this area.

If you walk out of the main hotel and cross the main highway Mex200 there is a small artiist town with a great Italian pizza restaurant. very good pizza. There is also a Banamex ATM in an air conditioned booth that works!



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Paradise Bay (anchor)

Also known locally as Playa Paraiso. A beautiful little bay a few miles south of Chamela. There is only room for a few boats and it can be a bit bumpy at nite, but well worth it. A bow/stern anchor combo is a must as its quite shallow and narrow. Lots of hermit crabs running around the coconut palms on the beach. A small hotel has a restaurant there and if you ask nicely the owner can fix you up with dinner, he speaks good English. Spend some time fishing and exploring the other small bays/beaches in the area.


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Bahia Chamela (anchor) - draft

Sorry I haven't posted in so long, I'm way behind on my blog, the last real entry I did was back in October. Internet access has been very intermittent and when you do find it its very slow and makes uploading pictures and editing web pages painful.

As a temporary fix, I have decided to just put up mt current location and put 'draft' in the title. When I have better access to the internet I will upload the full story and all the pictures.

Everything is going great, I have had no failures or problems on the boat, the weather has been fantastic and the Mexican people I have met have all been very friendly.

I am now about 60nm away from my most southerly destination at Manzanillo, Im deep in the tropics now with palm trees, coconuts and crocodiles. I will then turn around and start heading back into the sea of cortez for the spring.

Punta Impala (anchor) - draft

Yelapa (mooring ball) - draft

Los Arcos (heave to) - draft