We have been asked to write about our recent sailing trip south to Tenacatita Bay and Barra de Navidad. First let me introduce ourselves, we are Danice and Larry, residents of Marina Costa Bonita. We sailed our 41' sailboat, Ladara Star to Mexico in the fall of 2002. Every year since during the winter six months of the year, we have lived aboard her and cruised the Mexican West Coast from San Carlos to Zihuatanejo. Mazatlan has always been one of our favorite destinations and in the spring of 2008 we started thinking about our long term commitment to wintering in Mexico and alternatives to our then current lifestyle, so we start looking into Mazatlan real estate. Danice on one of her morning walks stumbled on Marina Costa Bonita. One of the kindly guards let her inside and she immediately noticed while the building was still in the initial stages of construction, the walks and gardens were already well established and beautiful, plus there was the possibility of a marina. She later convinced Larry to look what she had discovered and the rest is history. We took a chance and invested in an unfinished building with a marina with no docks. We returned October 31, 2008 with a cargo trailer full of furniture hoping everything would be ready. Well it wasn't, they were one hour late! Hard to complain about that. The following spring the marina was finished and we moved our sailboat, Ladara Star, into her new slip. It is quite a feeling to look out of our Marina condo window with the pool and gardens below and to see your sailboat resting in its slip.
We are have altered our lifestyle somewhat with the purchase of our Marina condo, but we have not given up sailing. This February, Xavier, the harbormaster, helped us slip our dock lines and Ladara Star headed out of Nautica Costa Bonita and Mazatlan. Our destination: Tenacatita Bay. It is about a 300 mile voyage with the first leg being about 180 miles. At 5 to 6 knots that means 30-36 hours of travel including traveling at night. The seas were still flat and calm when we arrived at the entrance to Banderas Bay(Puerto Vallarta) so we sailed on easily rounding Cabo Corrientes , a mountainous promontory that is noted for its windy conditions and rough seas.
The next morning, 49 hours out of Mazatlan, we arrived in Tenacatita, tired, but happy to have returned to one of our favorite areas of Mexico. There were 25-35 boats already at anchor and due to recent rains, the hillside was alive with blooming trees. We anchored here for almost 2 weeks. Ladara Star is a cruising boat and well equipped to stay in remote areas with no facilities for extended periods of time. Solar panels help generate electricity for her batteries, refrigeration preserves our food, a watermaker converts seawater to drinking water, and radios and cellular connects us to the outside world and other boats. In the mornings we usually had boat projects or reading to occupy our time. From the cockpit we were entertained by dolphins making their daily rounds. One morning we witness whales breaching out in the bay. In the afternoon we generally walked the mile long beach and joined other cruisers at the beach palapa for bocci ball, Mexican Train (dominoes) and cold refreshments.
On the 27th of March we awoke to tapping on our hull, and news that a tsunami warning had been issued for area area following a massive earthquake in Chile. We had over 3 hours to prepare and rapidly the fleet in Tenacatita pulled their anchors and headed out to sea and for deeper/safer waters. The tsunami passed under us unnoticed, but when we returned to the bay, we saw evidence of 1-2' rise in sea-level.
A few days later we once again pulled anchor and made the 2.5 hour trip to the village of Barra de Navidad. A beautiful but touristy village located across from the Grand Bay Hotel. Behind the village and the hotel is a large, but shallow lagoon that is accessible via a narrow channel. Having been there many times before, we threaded our way down the channel cautiously without going aground and anchor along with about 35 other boats. We stayed in Barra Lagoon for about a week enjoying some of the good restaurants, doing some planned mechanical repairs, and waiting for the arrival of our guest and long time friend, Fred.
Once we introduced Fred to the sights and sounds of Barra and had a swim in the fabulous Grand Bay Hotel pools, we sailed back to Tenacatita Bay so Fred could experience one of our favorite places in Mexico. The boat census in Tenacatita had dropped dramatically with only 15 boats anchored in the Bay. It had also changed with power boats, including 4 large motor yachts (100'+), now equaled in number to sailboats.
Eventually our visit in Tenacatita had to end and with a good weather forecast we weighed anchor and headed north towards Banderas Bay. Most of the day the weather was mild, but around 3 pm we started to experience winds that gradually increased to 20+ knots and were right on our nose. Not very comfortable! Since we still had 12 hours to travel before we once again rounded Cabo Corrientes, we decide the better part of valor was to turn around. It was a fast 3 hour downwind sail. Just after sunset we pulled into to Chamela, our protected anchorage for the night. With another good forecast, we left Chamela early the next morning just as the sun was creeping over the mountains. The winds and the seas were more cooperative and we rounded Cabo Corrientes without incident shortly there after the sun disappeared into the sea, but we still had another 4-5 hours to go. It is best to arrive at a new port during daylight hours. Unfortunately this is not always possible. Our destination was La Cruz de Huanacaxtle in the norther corner of the bay. About 11 pm we finally arrived and very carefully looked for a place to anchor. In the dark it is difficult to distinguish shore lights from boat anchor lights. With radar and a sharp lookout, we found a place to drop our anchor for the night.
The next morning we discovered they were having a special reduced rate in the marina, so we decided to treat ourselves for a couple of nights and wash down the boat. Last year while visiting here, we discovered a great German restaurant run by German immigrants looking for a warmer lifestyle. The schnitzel, goulash, and German beer were as good as we remembered and also brought back good memories of time spent in Germany. The next night we dined at another good restaurant featuring curry. The nice thing about Mexico is whether it is Mexican food or otherwise, you seldom experience a bad meal in Mexico.
We left the marina after 2 nights and sailed 2 hours to Punta Mita, the northern entrance to Banderas Bay. Once again we anchored offshore to await our passage to Mazatlan. The Punta Mita shoreline is lined with resorts, condos and restaurants, but to the west, the surf comes in strong much to the delight of the surfers. From our boat, they are a treat to watch.
After two nights at Punta Mita, we receive another favorable weather report and early Monday morning we raise the anchor and headed north. It was smooth going all day and all night. About 10 pm we encountered 6-8 shrimp boats working dead ahead, but with the aid of radar after a couple hours we passed safely through the fishing fleet. There were no more challenges till we arrive in Mazatlan about 10 am only to find the surf was up making entrance into the marina hazardous. After a few hours of not so patiently waiting, the surf mellowed out some and we were able enter the marina without difficulty. Once past the breakwater, we motored to our Marina condo at Costa Bonita, and our slip was waiting. Someone took our lines and we were home after enjoyable 5 week cruise.
To know more about Marina Costa Bonita Villas Resort & Yacht Club visit
We are have altered our lifestyle somewhat with the purchase of our Marina condo, but we have not given up sailing. This February, Xavier, the harbormaster, helped us slip our dock lines and Ladara Star headed out of Nautica Costa Bonita and Mazatlan. Our destination: Tenacatita Bay. It is about a 300 mile voyage with the first leg being about 180 miles. At 5 to 6 knots that means 30-36 hours of travel including traveling at night. The seas were still flat and calm when we arrived at the entrance to Banderas Bay(Puerto Vallarta) so we sailed on easily rounding Cabo Corrientes , a mountainous promontory that is noted for its windy conditions and rough seas.
The next morning, 49 hours out of Mazatlan, we arrived in Tenacatita, tired, but happy to have returned to one of our favorite areas of Mexico. There were 25-35 boats already at anchor and due to recent rains, the hillside was alive with blooming trees. We anchored here for almost 2 weeks. Ladara Star is a cruising boat and well equipped to stay in remote areas with no facilities for extended periods of time. Solar panels help generate electricity for her batteries, refrigeration preserves our food, a watermaker converts seawater to drinking water, and radios and cellular connects us to the outside world and other boats. In the mornings we usually had boat projects or reading to occupy our time. From the cockpit we were entertained by dolphins making their daily rounds. One morning we witness whales breaching out in the bay. In the afternoon we generally walked the mile long beach and joined other cruisers at the beach palapa for bocci ball, Mexican Train (dominoes) and cold refreshments.
On the 27th of March we awoke to tapping on our hull, and news that a tsunami warning had been issued for area area following a massive earthquake in Chile. We had over 3 hours to prepare and rapidly the fleet in Tenacatita pulled their anchors and headed out to sea and for deeper/safer waters. The tsunami passed under us unnoticed, but when we returned to the bay, we saw evidence of 1-2' rise in sea-level.
A few days later we once again pulled anchor and made the 2.5 hour trip to the village of Barra de Navidad. A beautiful but touristy village located across from the Grand Bay Hotel. Behind the village and the hotel is a large, but shallow lagoon that is accessible via a narrow channel. Having been there many times before, we threaded our way down the channel cautiously without going aground and anchor along with about 35 other boats. We stayed in Barra Lagoon for about a week enjoying some of the good restaurants, doing some planned mechanical repairs, and waiting for the arrival of our guest and long time friend, Fred.
Once we introduced Fred to the sights and sounds of Barra and had a swim in the fabulous Grand Bay Hotel pools, we sailed back to Tenacatita Bay so Fred could experience one of our favorite places in Mexico. The boat census in Tenacatita had dropped dramatically with only 15 boats anchored in the Bay. It had also changed with power boats, including 4 large motor yachts (100'+), now equaled in number to sailboats.
Eventually our visit in Tenacatita had to end and with a good weather forecast we weighed anchor and headed north towards Banderas Bay. Most of the day the weather was mild, but around 3 pm we started to experience winds that gradually increased to 20+ knots and were right on our nose. Not very comfortable! Since we still had 12 hours to travel before we once again rounded Cabo Corrientes, we decide the better part of valor was to turn around. It was a fast 3 hour downwind sail. Just after sunset we pulled into to Chamela, our protected anchorage for the night. With another good forecast, we left Chamela early the next morning just as the sun was creeping over the mountains. The winds and the seas were more cooperative and we rounded Cabo Corrientes without incident shortly there after the sun disappeared into the sea, but we still had another 4-5 hours to go. It is best to arrive at a new port during daylight hours. Unfortunately this is not always possible. Our destination was La Cruz de Huanacaxtle in the norther corner of the bay. About 11 pm we finally arrived and very carefully looked for a place to anchor. In the dark it is difficult to distinguish shore lights from boat anchor lights. With radar and a sharp lookout, we found a place to drop our anchor for the night.
The next morning we discovered they were having a special reduced rate in the marina, so we decided to treat ourselves for a couple of nights and wash down the boat. Last year while visiting here, we discovered a great German restaurant run by German immigrants looking for a warmer lifestyle. The schnitzel, goulash, and German beer were as good as we remembered and also brought back good memories of time spent in Germany. The next night we dined at another good restaurant featuring curry. The nice thing about Mexico is whether it is Mexican food or otherwise, you seldom experience a bad meal in Mexico.
We left the marina after 2 nights and sailed 2 hours to Punta Mita, the northern entrance to Banderas Bay. Once again we anchored offshore to await our passage to Mazatlan. The Punta Mita shoreline is lined with resorts, condos and restaurants, but to the west, the surf comes in strong much to the delight of the surfers. From our boat, they are a treat to watch.
After two nights at Punta Mita, we receive another favorable weather report and early Monday morning we raise the anchor and headed north. It was smooth going all day and all night. About 10 pm we encountered 6-8 shrimp boats working dead ahead, but with the aid of radar after a couple hours we passed safely through the fishing fleet. There were no more challenges till we arrive in Mazatlan about 10 am only to find the surf was up making entrance into the marina hazardous. After a few hours of not so patiently waiting, the surf mellowed out some and we were able enter the marina without difficulty. Once past the breakwater, we motored to our Marina condo at Costa Bonita, and our slip was waiting. Someone took our lines and we were home after enjoyable 5 week cruise.
To know more about Marina Costa Bonita Villas Resort & Yacht Club visit
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