Barra de Navidad
Kristin asks, “Greg, are you going to write about Barra?”
Greg responds, “Now? I have so much to do.”
Kristin pleads, “But it’s been so long – the blog is sooo behind.”
Greg says, “Why don’t you do it?”
“But it’s your blog.” More pleads from Kristin.
“It’s our blog.” Says Greg lovingly.
No response. Just some thinking….
“Ok, I will give it a shot.” Kristin said in her head.
With a late start, we followed behind sailing vessels Freedom Kirkland and Luna out of Tenacatita on Sunday January 31st and headed toward Barra de Navidad. It’s a logical destination after spending a week at our secluded anchorage with no nearby markets. Our food supply was dwindling and Barra is only 13 miles south. Plus, the rumor amongst the cruisers is that a French baker visits the anchorage in the morning!
The route seemed simple for the most part. On the charts we could see Barra de Navidad located on the southeast corner of an expansive bay (Bahia de Navidad.) However, the entrance looked a little daunting. With the location near a major point (Punta Corrales) one could anticipate churning cross-currents on approach. And, with the narrow entrance from the channel into the bay, you could possibly get some surge depending on the wind and wave conditions. The charts show both sides of the channel are very shallow – we would need to have an awareness of the depth at all times to not run aground. Also concerning, we heard that there are pangas traversing from the town to the marina, out into the bay to fish, and to the lagoon anchorage to pick up cruisers heading to town. One can imagine an obstacle course imposed on our route that needed to be as direct and focused as possible.
We had talked with the folks on both Freedom Kirkland and Luna at the beach restaurant the night before we left Tenacatita and learned that they were not new Barra and have navigated the entrance many times. It seemed wise to follow them out in the morning with the hopes of being close behind near the entrance of the channel to replicate their pathway into the lagoon anchorage.
At the reasonable hour of 11am we began our usual routine for leaving an anchorage. Greg headed to the bow, disassembled the snubber, and began to give hand signals for me at the helm. My job is to line up the bow directly over the anchor so the chain will slacken and Greg can pull it up with the windlass. We’ve created specific choreography/hand signals for Greg to communicate to me the different directions to position the boat over the anchor. Greg has told me that such signals are needed as a ‘marriage preserve.’ The agreed upon exaggerated gestures for stop, forward and backward in different directions allow for quick reaction without needing to yell. After hearing boaters communicate through yelling – I am thankful we devised this system.
We waved goodbye to our famous neighbor, Sailors Run as we freed the anchor and left our anchorage in paradise. The weather was pretty mild and it was only expected to take about 3 hours to get to our destination. We took our time, and moved our route closer inland to try to catch another fish. Annie and Tom on SV Tappan Zee had visited us while we were anchored and mentioned they’ve had luck catching dorado/mahi-mahi close to shore. It made sense since the one that I caught was just out of the San Blas estuary. Even though we were leisurely it wasn’t long before we arrived in Bahia de Navidad. After being in a remote place for a week we had a rush of excitement when we saw the building and palapa-lined bay. The town of Melaque is situated on the northwest side followed by Barra de Navidad on the southeastern side of the bay. In the distance we could see Freedom Kirkland heading toward the channel.
As we got closer to the Barra entrance we received a call on the radio from Luna.
“Sonrisa, Sonrisa, Sonrisa this is Luna” we could hear loud and clear.
Greg answered the call.
“We are anchored and running about in our dinghy. We can meet you and lead you into the lagoon – just give is a call when you’re at the entrance.”
We reeled up our fishing line and took them up on their generous offer. As we approached the entrance Greg called Luna on the radio and within a couple minutes they zipped out the channel in their inflatable. Freedom Kirkland was well inside and probably anchored at that point. As we followed, Bob and Chris gave clear gestures on where to go in the channel so Greg would not steer into the shallows (they are a savvy cruising-couple obviously used to using marriage-saving techniques!) I kept a constant 360 lookout for pangas. On the left, you could see a busy harbor with pangas docked or leaving docks, restaurants, a beach and a spit that came out close to the channel. On the right, a massive resort marina in a standard tan and white stucco archetecture with rows of docks filled with boats, and just beyond was the lagoon anchorage where you could see about a dozen sailboats anchored.
We thanked Bob and Chris from Luna who extended an invite to give us a dingy ride into the town and show us the area once we found our spot and anchored. We spaced ourselves evenly near other boats allowing ample swing room in a patch of 11-12 feet of water. It’s shallower than what we usually anchor in but the bottom is soft mud and we were told that the depth doesn’t get any lower. We figured it would be fine in the midst of other boats our size.
Just when our anchor was secure Bob and Chris were at Sonrisa’s side ready to take us to town. We scrambled to change our clothes, set the anchor alarm and lock up the boat. Their inflatable dinghy was large enough to fit the four of us comfortably. We hopped in and took off – but not in the direction of town. They explained to us that most people don’t use their dinghies to get into town. The docks in the town center are for the local pangas only. To get to town, cruisers usually call a water taxi on the radio channel 23. A water taxi (Taxi Acuatico) will come right to your boat and take you to town for a mere 40 pesos ($2) round-trip. Bob turned the dinghy off the main canal and took us through a development of houses ending up at a small private dock where dinghies are supposedly permitted. We walked through the neighborhood of colorful stucco houses that integrated seamlessly with town. Several landmarks were pointed-out such as where the Port Captain was located, a good place for grilled chicken, a Carneceria (butcher), a doctor and pharmacy popular with the gringos, good restaurants. Our destination was a market where we could get some food items to tide us over until I could make a run to the Thursday Farmers Market. Dinner was simple on the boat and we got a good nights sleep so Greg could start his workweek in the morning well rested in a new place.
The next morning in anticipation of the famed French Baker I made a good, strong pot of our Heavy Haul Out blend of coffee. It is a special roast our friends gave us as a gift once. We liked it so much we started ordering it from Sunrise Coffee in Port Townsend and had it shipped to our marina the bay area. For our cruising trip I purchased about 6 months worth!
We were almost through our first cups and done with the morning net when I asked, “Where’s the French Baker?”
Greg replied, “On the net someone mentioned that the French Baker monitors channel 23 (the same as the water taxi) during the net but I think it’s just for orders…”
I go up on deck and scanned the horizon of the pond-like water in the lagoon. A gorgeous morning with warm sunshine but no sign of the French Baker. Barely making my way back down into the cabin when I hear a faint ding ding of a bell. I jump back up on deck.
“Greg, Greg, did you hear that? The bell – is it the French Baker?” I asked excitedly.
We both stood on deck looking looking out. A little panga came out of the marina and was coming into clearer view.
The panga got closer and closer. Sure enough the drop-down sign on the canvas canopy read French Baker. As it motored up to a nearby boat in the anchorage, I studied the transaction carefully. When the exchange was complete I gave him a big cheerleader’s wave to come to our boat. We were seen.
“He’s coming here Greg. It looks like he has fenders on his boat so I don’t think we need extras on our side. We need cash!”
Greg grabbed some pesos and folded the side solar panels down to make room for his boat to snuggle up to our starboard sidedeck.
He introduced himself and mentioned his shop in Barra, El Horno Francés, where he bakes every morning before making his rounds in the marina and lagoon. He had about three large trays filled with rows of bread, croissants, quiches, and fancy desert tarts. Since we would be seeing him on his route daily (except Wednesdays) we kept our order simple – two chocolate croissants for breakfast, a bacon cheese loaf and a rustic loaf for lunches throughout the week. He thanked us and handed me a menu with contact info in case we wanted to reserve or special order. I could tell immediately that the pounds we lost getting down the coast would return.
The first day at anchorage was spent laying low on the boat as February 1st is Constitution Day in Mexico and observed by most businesses. My errands could wait a day. The next day I prepared to tackle some of my to-do list in Barra. I gathered boat papers to check-in Sonrisa with the Port Captain, took photos of some prescriptions that needed filling and grabbed the trash for the public receptacles in town.
It was time to call for a water taxi which means, use the VHF radio. Throughout our trip, Greg has been the sole-communicator on the VHF. He knows all the calling formalities such as the correct way to hail someone, how to make an emergency call, what channels to use, etc., and he calls with confidence. Since the water taxi is my means of getting off the boat while Greg’s at work, I figured it was about time to learn.
I prepared my lines and rehearsed them before picking up the handheld, “Taxi Acuatico, Taxi Acuatico, Taxi Acuatico esto es velero Sonrisa en la laguna.”
After some practice I turned the channel to 23 and gave it my best. The reply seemed to acknowledge my request although I only caught the last couple words “… una momento.” I said, “Gracias”, returning the channel to 22. I sat on deck and waited, hoping the taxi would be able to see me.
It was maybe all of 5 minutes when I could see a large panga motoring on high speed towards the anchorage. I flagged him down and he maneuvered his boat close on our starboard side where I could hop on. We were off and made a stop in the marina to pick up a couple more passengers heading to town.
Once in town my first priority was to check-in our vessel at the Port Captain’s office. I vaguely recalled Bob and Chris pointing out the location of the office but entering town by the malecon was disorienting. I marked the office on Google Maps for a fallback in case my memory failed to get me there. My circuitous route took longer than expected but managed to arrive an hour before they closed. I walked up to the counter with the book containing all of our paperwork for the boat and although my Spanish is not great, I managed to convey our arrival and departure dates. The clerk took the book, made some copies of papers and stamped new forms and old forms several times. I was given the book back and good to go – success!
After the rest of my errands were completed I walked around taking mental notes of where I would like to take Greg on the weekend. I stopped a fish market about a half a block down from the from the Taxi Acuatico docks and bought a kilo (about 2lbs) of fresh marlin for dinner. I couldn’t believe that it only cost me 145 pesos – about 8 USD!
Friday finally came around. Greg literally had not left the boat in the lagoon since he started the workweek. I figured he was probably yearning for solid ground and see some sights in this new location. I had given him the rundown of possible restaurants for our date night. The moment he finished work we caught a water taxi into town to find a good outdoor table somewhere. After sizing up a couple restaurants from my mental list, Besame Mucho caught our critical eyes. (It also is the name of one of my favorite Mexican songs – it absolutely had to be our choice!)
Beseme Mucho was one of a few restaurants on a quaint cobblestone side street closed to vehicle traffic. Colorful flags and string lights criss-crossed the width of the street from building awning to awning. The restaurant was small but had several inviting tables covered with bright cloths out on the cobblestone ready for customers. A black sandwich board highlighted the days specials. I knew before sitting down exactly what I must have for dinner – the special – Chilies en Nogada.
The dish was familiar to me. For years, my mother had fondly talked about Chilies en Nogada as it was a local favorite at her restaurant, Estrada’s Hidaway, on Kauaii. Estrada’s Hideaway featured many traditional Mexican dishes she learned from her Mexican husband at the time. The recipe was special to her and one she had always talked about sharing with me. In Mexico the meal is more than a weeknight dinner. It carries cultural and historical weight as it is traditionally served on Independence Day in September. The meat and fruit filled poblano pepper is covered with a white walnut cream sauce garnished with red pomegranate seeds and green parsley to symbolize the Mexican flag. It’s very similar to Chilies Rellenos but with more flavorful ingredients. It seemed appropriate to have Chilies en Nogada on a Friday that marked the observance of Constitution Day and we were thankful for the special opportunity. I texted my mom from the table showing her a photo of our dinner. She immediately responded wanting to know the ingredients to compare with her version. Later in the week she finally shared her recipe with me. The recipe is complex and one to save for cooking in a land-kitchen. I will share my mom’s two recipes here for both Chilies Rellenos and Chilies en Nogada. With the recipes she includes a couple variations on the history.
After dinner, we explored the streets and making our way to the malecon for a nice evening stroll. There you could see the beautiful the wall of the malecon following the line of the beach with restaurants and tiendas lit up. At the end of the malecon, a monument commemorating centuries of sailing expositions to the Philippines marking Barra as an important historical port.
Usually, we only spend a week or two at most ports we visit with the exception of La Paz and La Cruz. We only intended to stay about two weeks in Barra, however, various activities for cruisers extended our stay a little longer, and longer… Events there are organized by John and his wife on SV Winston. John and Sue have become indefinite residents at the marina. The marina actually created a special position for him as an event organizer and liaison to the cruising community. He creates many fun weekly activities such as the outdoor, social distanced weekly movies and promotes events in the broader community such as an art show we attended in the nearby schools in Colima. John is usually the morning net controller which is the perfect platform to promote such events as well as marina specials.
We took advantage of the Thursday night outdoor movies (and free popcorn) on the wall of the Grande Isla Navidad Resort Marina. We also splurged on the 4-day promotion for Valentine’s Day stay at the Marina. It wouldn’t hurt to stay a little longer at the luxury at resort marina. The marina has nice restaurants and outdoor pools – one with an island you could swim up to for a cocktail! There are lovely walking paths to the beach or to the neighboring town of Colima. The nice showers and laundry service were definitely a bonus after spending a week plus on the hook in the lagoon. For folks in the lagoon who want to use the marina facilities for a day, the marina offers a special day-rate. One can use the facilities for the day and pay $10 for a dingy load of people to tie up at the dock. We took advantage of the dinghy deal on both movie nights – one Thursday featured Bohemian Rhapsody the following featured Rocket Man. The movie nights were a lot of fun and a chance to finally connect with some of the other cruisers – adding faces to the names heard on the morning net. For example, we met Harry one movie night, a solo cruiser on SV Sheila, who was anchored near us. Usually he would wave from his boat or we would hear him on the radio. In person he was much more of a character. He jokingly accused us of cleaning out the French Baker’s inventory every morning because we were often first stop in the lagoon! In any case, we enjoyed opportunities to meet cruisers in-person in the socially distanced outdoors to gain more appreciation for all the unique personalities in the area.
The resort marina 
Luxury pool 
Cocktail island 
A walk to the beach 
Shrine on beach
Our extended stay became even more extended. It was either through the local net or communicating with people on the Barra Community Facebook page where the Barra Cruise-in week piqued Greg’s interest. He mentioned it a couple of times. One day I came back to the boat after the Thursday Farmer’s Market in town.
Greg says, “So I signed us up to participate in the Cruise-in Week race.”
I reply, “What?! Really? That’s at the end of the month! Will that work with our timeline for getting back north?”
I think it should be fine. We will still have all of March and April to get back up to the bay.” Says Greg.
“Ok,” I say with consideration, “And how many boats are signed-up?”
“So far, about a dozen. And… Sailors Run is signed-up!” He said with a twinkle in his eyes.
It was sinking in but I was still very surprised. “We’ll be racing against Sailor’s Run?!”
“Yes, and, I made a reservation at the marina for Cruise-in Week. They’re offering a deal for the whole week. We can participate in all the events. There’s online bingo, you can help paint the schools during the day while I work, I’ll take Friday off for the race and the festivities at the marina.” Greg informs me. “We’ll start heading north the following day.”
Our time in Barra was officially extended to the end of February. We were growing quite fond of the area and cruising community. Even though most of the time was spent on the hook in the lagoon, there were bird-watching dingy rides around the lagoon, more French Baker, fun evenings in town, or an occasional weekend to anchor in the nearby Melaque to go to the bank or the Hawaiian Store. There are no usable ATM machines in Barra and most businesses operate by cash only so we needed to replenish our pesos in Melaque. We will talk more about Melaque in the next post.
Anchored boats in the lagoon 
Dinghy ride 
White Ibis in the lagoon 
Beached boat 
Guacamole for lunch 
And more French Bakery 
Lagoon life
As Cruise-In week approached we became more informed of the schedule and the purpose of the whole event through the Barra Community Facebook page and on the morning net. The organizer of the event, Linda Bello Ruiz, promoted the week of games, fundraisers and the culminating race as a fun way to raise funds for the schools in Barra. We learned that the Mexican government supports new schools to be built in cities and towns but there is no additional funding allotted for yearly maintenance, and no organizations such as a VFW’s to contribute to aging schools. Like the other sailors, Greg and I had felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude for the the warm welcome we received in Barra and appreciated the opportunity to return the love with our participation.
Cruise-In week kicked-off with Zoom Bingo! While bingo is familiar, Greg and I had never participated in an online format – it was a hoot! In the tiny Zoom windows you could see cruisers and friends of Linda’s from Canada to Mexico. You could see the ‘caller’ in the largest window drawing and calling out numbers. Greg purchased eight cards for the two of us to manage not knowing how frantic it could get checking boxes while keeping the pace. At first we had all eight cards on one iPad. Our hands would collide as we both reached to tap the same square. It wasn’t going well. Then Greg managed to put four cards on a separate screen that I could manage. There was a little improvement but still difficult to keep the pace. We won two out of the many rounds and chose two bottles of wine for our prize. There were so many beautiful gifts that were donated from local shops – from glassware to rugs. Our belongings on the boat are significantly parred-down compared to our former land living so we’ve made a commitment not to acquire anything that takes space. We liked the temporal aspect of the wine.
A painting day was planned for mid-week. A large group of us painted a library and an area at the middle school. I was able to attend the whole day while it was a work day for Greg. A couple water taxis were scheduled to pick us up a the marina at 9am and brought us to same neighborhood area that Luna brought us to on the first day. The school was only a short walk from there. We got busy taping and painting and soon we finished in the early afternoon. It really brightened up the walls and trim – definitely an improvement for the returning students.
Linda Bello Ruiz – bottom right 
There was a Skipper’s Meeting at the marina to go over the race rules the day before so that every boat was on the same page for the start, the groupings of boats, and the rules. We took careful notes and collected our SWAG bags. Greg seemed pretty confident about what we were getting ourselves into. And, even though we had practiced the prior weekend out in the bay, I still felt a little anxiety as some of the participants were experienced racers, with boats much faster.
The race went better than expected (see Greg’s post on the Latitude 38 for the full story) and we managed to finish in second place following SV Dulce. It was an exhilarating race – starting behind four boats then pulling ahead after the marker in Melaque. There were people watching and routing for their favorite boat on the malecon and on the live-stream posted online. A celebratory evening of awards and celebrations followed the race. We actually won a bag of goodies for coming in second on donations for the race. Most importantly, Cruise-In week raised a record $11,000 USD for the Barra schools which is surprising during the pandemic.
We left early as planned the following day to begin our return north. There was a little sadness but our hearts full from the good will of the cruising community and the warmth of the greater Barra communities. All said and done, our wonderful Barra experience affirms that even though we are often isolated on Sonrisa there is tremendous support amongst cruisers that is just a radio call away and there’s a shared sense wanting to return the generosity to the welcoming local communities.