SAILING CAMELOT

I can’t believe 2 weeks have passed since we arrived in La Cruz! We’re getting ready to leave today and it seems only natural to go for one last breakfast at Ana Banana’s, to say goodbye to our friends. Once there, we’re presented with a gift by Leon – talented and versatile musician, artist and overall exceedingly nice guy. Leon drew a cartoon picture of all the characters we met during our stay -dogs included- and we are thrilled, appreciative and really touched by his thought. Needless to say, we’re hunting for an appropriate frame and picking the best spot to hang it on Camelot. 

Leon's Drawing

 It sure was hard to leave this slice of Paradise and all the friends we made here. But we’ll be back around Mid-March, on our way up to the Sea Of Cortez. So don’t get too comfortable, Leon & Gang! We’ll miss you all, but the food and entertainment at Ana Banana’s will lure us back before you know it. There’s still so much to do and see, here!

Leon to the right, jamming with Bernie Revere of Brotherly Love

Tom, Leon in center, and me

We left at 18:00, enjoying a spectacular sunset along the way. I always prefer to leave at sunset, my eyes have time to gradually adjust to the darkness and it feels somewhat easier this way.  We anticipate a smooth and uneventful passage to our next destination, Bahia Chamela, about 120 miles south. We should be there by 10:30 tomorrow morning. We quickly adjust to the routine of being at sea, after a quick dinner we “loosely” start our watches. We sit companionably chit-chatting as darkness falls, until one of us starts feeling tired. We both actually wanted to be on watch while rounding Cabo Corrientes, famous for its capricious currents and pesky winds. But we’re lucky, there’s very little wind and the current is not slapping us around too much, just slowing us down a little. After conquering the Cape we raise our sails, there’s barely enough wind to get Camelot going, why not take advantage? Tom goes down for a nap around midnight, so I sit all by my lonesome self staring at the sea, clutching my essential chocolate bars for comfort. They quickly disappear, though… It is, thankfully, a very quiet passage, nothing to report, nothing to write home about (and yet, here I am!). There’s absolutely no one else on the sea tonight, not even far away, where is everybody? At least I have the stars to keep me company. The wind dies, I decide to douse the sail but as soon as I touch the winches Tom pops back upstairs to help me. We take care of that and start the engine, Tom goes back down to try to sleep. It gets really, really damp as the night goes by, but it’s not cold. I’m wearing my PJ pants! Cozy… But it’s a little boring tonight, to be honest. At about 5 in the morning Tom’s sleepy face reappears, it’s my turn for a snooze. And so we carry on, I get back up at 8 am, reporting for duty. We share a quick breakfast, the usual humongous quantities of coffee and –oh, joy!- some really tasty banana bread baked by our friend Linda from the sailboat Bright Angel. Thank you, Linda! Whatever you put in that bread, it made me giggly and happy. Or maybe it was the prospect of arriving in a new place, who knows.

The Beach at Chamela

 Soon enough we arrive in Bahia Chamela, another cute spot on the Coast. And wouldn’t you know it, after I say something about the lack of whale encounters during this passage, two adult whales start splashing about not too far from our boat, right in front of the bay we’re trying to enter! By now I’m a little less terrified of these huge mammals, so we just decrease speed and wait for them to go frolic a little further down. As expected, by 10:30 we find the perfect spot and throw the anchor. Man, we’re both tired! And still neither one of us is able to take a nap during the whole day, I guess we’ll just feel woozy until it’s finally time to go to sleep. Sleep, what bliss!