We got started after dark – unusual for us – because we really wanted to arrive in the afternoon the following day. It ended up being a particularly beautiful day on the water, with wind on our nose encouraging us to get out the rarely-used staysail.

Trip Summary – 03/12/2023 to 03/13/2023

Pulled up anchor at Chamela at 22:10 on 3/12/2023, anchored at Tenacatita (outer) at 15:27 on 3/13/2023. We started with 66% of our 48-volt bank and ended with 69%.

There was basically no wind in the bay – 3.3 knots – so we motored out past the point. It was very calm and rolly, but we stabilized by getting the main up. The bird chatter from the islands on the south side of the bay was exceptional, they were so loud and chatty!

We started with the main and genoa up, but just after midnight put them both down and brought out the drifter. Charles took the overnight and the bulk of “on watch” time, but I got up twice to help gybe the drifter. We got our average speed up above 3.5 knots and were moving nicely. The wind was incredibly warm, even at 3 a.m. we were better off in bathing suits, and even the PFDs felt oppressively hot!

After sunrise, the wind shifted closer to on our nose and picked up enough that we took down the drifter, then put up main, genoa, and staysail so we could stay as close to course as possible. We needed to avoid Porpoise (dolphin) Rocks and our course brought us pretty close to them, but we got around just fine. Charles noticed the babystay is loose, so that will need to be adjusted.

We kept all three sails up until less than a nautical mile from the anchorage, then anchored under motor. Tenacatita (outer) is an outrageously picturesque spot, but there is a more popular anchorage further into the bay (also called Tenacatita), so we were only the second boat there.