Jobs completed over last few (highly productive!!) days:
Dinghy inflated - beautifully! (Despite 1yr 5mth gap since serviced in Vancouver & kept deflated!)
Outboard working - beautifully! (Despite 1yr 5mth gap since serviced in Vancouver and stored on stern rail!)
Windpilot - generally cleaned, eased and adjusted to make sure free movement of vane & pendulum
Seine twine attached between mast steps out to shrouds to prevent halyards fouling
Fold-up wheels attached to dinghy for landing through surf on beaches
Sun-degraded bungies replaced in several places
Inmarsat C power supply problem solved - working fine
Shower attachment leak on stern mended - no wonder the water tank got low..!!
Bahia de Navidad has been a very pleasant stop - the marina ("Isla de Navidad") has been luxurious - with a lovely pool and water slides to play around in (in between jobs, naturally!). The town of Barra de Navidad is a very pleasant Mexican seaside place with not too many non-Mexicans around - lovely 'jugo de naranja' (fresh-pressed orange juice) for sale and plenty of local restaurants to enjoy the occasional meal in company with cruiser friends.
Took a bus into Melaque Saturday evening - & found they were busy celebrating their forthcoming local Saint's Day of San Patricio (next Saturday) - all the townsfolk were gathered in the square in front of the church and eventually a tall wooden and string structure appeared with fireworks attached - let off around 11 o'clock with great gusto but little regard to safety - fireworks shot off into the crowd at regular intervals as the many Catherine wheels did their thing. The small girls and family
beside me enjoyed it all thoroughly! The highlight for me, though, came at the end of the firework display - a guy held the 'bull' over his head & shoulders and rushed around the crowd in the square with the 'bull' spewing fireworks every which way - great screams & yells as everyone scattered in good-humoured 'panic'...!! The local band on the central bandstand made 'mooing' noises on their instruments as he rushed around - excellent fun!
Sunday saw a lovely sail over to Tenacatita where dropped anchor close to shore in the inner bay and on Monday landed the dinghy through the surf successfully (and again on way back - I love those flip-up/down wheels!) and did the 'Jungle River Trip' up to the big outer bay - and a tasty 'ceviche' late lunch overlooking the crashing surf on the long sandy beach there. On way back to Bahia de Navidad now (midday, Tuesday), ready to check out with the Barra de Navidad Port Captain at the Capitania,
a short walk out of town... Expecting to have a farewell meal with cruiser friends ('Kokopelli' etc) tonight before making for Las Hadas, Manzanillo, tomorrow to meet up with more cruiser friends - 'Jade' (OCC) and 'Wyntersea'. Then it's on to Zihuatanejo for the end of the Guitar Festival this coming weekend....