Chacala

Chacala

March 23 to March 27, 2019

Lovely Chacala! Our friends encouraged us to come here because they loved it so much, more so for surfing but the town is charming! We are not experienced surfers yet and heard this was more of an intermediate sight at best for surfing. Since we are beginners who don’t even own boards yet, ha!, we came just to enjoy the sights. It is also a perfect stopover on the way north to Mazatlan where we are planning to go next. We sailed the entire way here from La Cruz on a close reach. We weren’t fast, it was mainly at 4 to 4.5 knots but it was peaceful 8 -9 hours of sailing. 

When Stephen and I first started sailing I had a hard time on passage as I get ants in my pants and always feel the need to be busy. I now look forward to passage almost as a meditative time. I am still busy at times trying to make meals with the boat rocking back and forth but I find that a challenge. Cleaning dishes too can be interesting trying to make a pile of dishes that don’t slide off the counter before you wipe them dry. I have certain techniques in my little galley to avoid disaster. It is touch and go at times! 

 When we arrived at Chacala we had a few boats in the anchorage and noted some had out stern anchors. Our friend Dave, who had already stayed here, recommended a stern anchor for a better night sleep as well as going to the brewery, which is open only Friday and Saturday nights. We followed both recommendations and were very pleased:). The boats who did not put out a stern anchor took the swell on the beam, uggh, whereas we just gently pitched bow to stern and slept like babies being rocked to sleep. The beer also was REAL craft beer, a 9% was on tap! Holy Moly, it sure has been a long time since I gulped down one of those. I also felt it the next morning even though I only had one. One 9% that is - Ha! I had a saison that was delish at 6.5% and the stout. They had IPA, stout, amber ale, the usual suspects of the States.  Some folks from Alaska who had made multiple van trips to Mexico had forged some community ties in Chacala and are the proud owners. It was delightful to have some good beer. Mexican beer is ok but it is very light, hard to find more than 5% octane and always tastes better with a lime in it. We enjoyed our beer at Onda, the name of the brewery, with another couple Melissa and Curtis and their son Deckland. They are on SV Blue Heron and left from Sausalito this past year as well. They only have a year and plan to bash back up the coast. 

Stephen and I spent our time in Chacala with daily walks/hikes around town. Our first walk was on the main road and we decided to do 1.5 hours out and then we would turn around. At the 1.5 hour mark as we were tired and hot and dreaming of a cold beverage, miraculously a little tienda appeared like a mirage. Truly there was nothing along the road except for a few scattered properties here and there and then like a dream come true, a little tienda with 2 refrigerators holding cold drinks appeared!! We sat and enjoyed a 40 that a 15-year-old sold us from behind the counter and headed back to town refreshed. 

The next day I looked on google earth and saw the possibility of a hike to a little desolate, white sand beach. We had a great hike through a little ranch with some elevation gain and nice overlook of the anchorage. It appeared to be an orchard we were walking through with some unripened fruit larger than an avocado with green spikes on it. We continued on our journey but no matter which little trail we attempted it terminated and it appears google earth actually has some “shading” for the road that doesn’t exist. We also found this the next day attempting another hike and when you zoom in on the supposed road, it is actually a gray color. We still like exploring and it was fun regardless of not making a destination so to speak. It always about enjoying the journey they say and we did. 

Stephen and I also enjoyed paddle boarding daily which could be a challenge with the continuous swell coming into the anchorage. I found standing up took a lot more attention than in flat water. I had a nice run on the beach and Stephen completed his first open water swim after he found himself a forward facing snorkel. He likes a snorkel to swim even in the pool and I am just happy with goggles. The water still is a bit murky. 

Our next destination is Mazatlan. We considered stopping in San Blas or Isla Isabella but we want to see Mazatlan and then give ourselves time for a weather window to cross to the sea. We are very excited to explore the Sea of Cortez on the Baja side as some folks say that is their favorite part about cruising in Mexico! 

One other notable mention is Stephen Won a cribbage game!! He is not a game player and has appeased me with playing cribbage. I like playing games and find it a fun way to pass time when backpacking/staying in a cabin/ on the boat etc… I am hoping his win will foster a desire to continue game playing, at least cribbage for now. 

I also want to mention that I feel my blog writing is quite mechanical, like “we went here…”, “we did this…” and not very introspective nor containing creative writing. My entries are on par with the writings of an elementary schooler.  The folks I know who are introspective are not doing their blogs because they are still re-writing them and editing them. I am trying to just keep a log of our trip. I may add some introspection down the road or as a final blog entry but for now, I feel I blab enough with the details. 

Chacala beach

Soulstice 2nd on the left

Main strip in Chacala - place called Surfer pizza on the left that did have our 1st decent pizza in Mexico. 

Stephen thought I matched the paint and I did. Someone felt that different shades of blue would work together as well. My lack of caring for fashion continues and blossoms on the sailboat. 

Bohemia Heffeweizen - What?? at Surfer pizza! I ran then hiked that afternoon and Stephen swam then hiked - we were ready to put down some pizza and beer! And we hadn't eaten out since we been there except for beers at Onda brewery one night. 

One of my better turtle pics - hard to get these guys because they always dive down when you get close. He just kept swimming along:) They really do seem to flounder out there and I am curious about their daily mileage. I'm sure current helps! 

Birds are always hitching a ride. They help you spot them since you see a bird who looks like it standing on water at a distance. 

Tacos for dinner on Mazatlan passage! You can never go wrong with a LARGE dollop of crema.  This is what you need to get through a 28 hour journey. 

Sunset before night passage on way to Mazatlan 

Just thought I would show you what AIS looks like - all those boats ahead are as we are approaching Mazatlan

Another AIS shot. I can click on the boat and see their name and how fast they are going, where there destination is if commercial, the bearing, heading, speed over ground, course over ground, closet point approximation, time to close point approximation... lots of info. Love AIS. Spoke to a people aquarium early am - aka Cruise boat just to make sure they saw me and agreed to pass port to port. 

List of targets but again can click on them individually for more info.