Blog Post 38 – Costalegre (Happy Coast) – Tenacatita to Zihuatanjeo

17.38.14N 101.33.36W

04/07/16 – 04/15/16

After spending over a month in Banderas Bay, when we left Yelapa we wanted to put some miles behind us and get moving south. We had rounded the dreaded Cabo Corrientes (Cape Currents) with no issues whatsoever. Cabo Corrientes is the southern most tip of Banderas Bay and from this point forward the land changes from north to south to a more northeast to southwest direction. It is known for its strong currents and erratic weather. It is similar to Point Conception in California. The direction of the land, weather, waves and currents change. The Mexican’s call this stretch of coast, The Costalegre (Happy Coast). After 2 days and 2 nights at sea, our first stop was Tenacatita Bay. It is a huge bay, a perfect calm anchorage with warm turquoise water and white sand beaches. It is very popular with cruisers, most boats spend weeks here. We were here a little late in the season, most boats had either done the puddle jump to the South Pacific islands or had already headed north to cruise the Sea of Cortez. We were the only boat in the anchorage. We like it better that way. One of the first things we noticed was how warm the water was, about 89 degrees. One of the highlights of Tenacatita, that everyone raves about is the Estero Verde (green estuary). It is called the Jungle River tour by the local pangueros that peddle to tourists. We did not need a panga as we had our own dinghy (thankfully we still had it!). As I have mentioned before, Nico and I are total wimps when it comes to bugs. Mangrove swamp = bugs and lots of them. But so many people had raved about it we just had to put our phobias aside and go check it out. We covered ourselves from head to foot in clothes first and then we slathered every exposed piece of skin with two types of bug spray. One with DEET and the other an organic one with eucalyptus oil and lemon. I am not sure which one worked but we did not get bitten. The key was to get out of there before dusk. Mosquitos can’t take the heat and they usually only come out at dawn and dusk. Jirig wanted no part of our excursion and stayed on the boat. Initially, as we were planning our landing from our vantage point on the boat, it looked like it would be an easy landing on the beach. It appeared as if we could land the dinghy in the shallow water. Nico has become somewhat of an expert at this. Then, all we would have to do is drag the dinghy to the mouth of the river that flowed out to sea from the estuary and then head in. NOT! We have made this mistake before. When a river flows into the ocean, depending on its size and the flow of the water, it always changes things. The river brings debris and sand with it that disrupts the normal conditions you would expect. We picked exactly the wrong spot to land the dinghy, right in a pile of rocks and breaking waves. Jirig was on the deck of the boat with the binoculars laughing his butt off. We recovered our dignity and composure after getting soaking wet and got about the business of getting the dinghy to a calm spot in the river where we could launch it, much to the amusement of the locals on shore watching us. The idea was not to use the outboard motor as it makes noise, disrupts the birds and animals and disturbs the tranquility of the whole experience. So we used the oars. That lasted for about 300 yds. It was sweltering hot and the river is flowing outward to the sea and we are trying to paddle upstream. We finally turned on the engine but left it in neutral and we slowly propelled upward. The place was teeming with life. There was every kind of insect you could imagine. Things were screeching, humming and howling. There were birds everywhere and little red crabs swarmed the banks. I read that a healthy mangrove swamp like this one can support over 600 species of local and migratory birds, crabs, crustaceans, animals, insects and fish. That does not surprise me because as we cruised through the swamp and the mangrove trees surrounded us you could feel the wildlife around you.  The guidebook said that there were crocodiles in the swamp as well. We kept a sharp lookout. At first I was alarmed at this fact but everyone assured us that as long as we stayed in the dinghy we would be fine. Thankfully we never saw any! Before we left Jirig checked the engine, the oars and the gas to make sure that we did not have any issues. I would hate to get stuck in that place. We brought the portable VHF radio just in case so we could reach Jirig on the boat. The other challenge was that is was very shallow. You had to stay dead center and avoid the overhanging branches. Who knows what creepy crawlers were in there! The river flows through 2 miles of swamp and then ends in a large lagoon. We took tons of pictures but we decided that going forward we were going to pass on the swamp tours. Leave that for the bird lovers in the future. We made it back to the boat just in time to avoid being outside when the mosquitos come out.

The next morning it was just a short 2 hour sail to Barra Navidad. Everybody loves Barra Navidad. There is a little something for everybody. It is in a totally protected estuary surrounded by, you guessed it….mangrove swamps. We just can’t seem to get away from them! The marina is part of the Grand Bay Hotel and Resort. The Marina Puerto de Navidad that is part of the resort, is the most luxurious marina and hotel complex we have ever stayed in on this trip. The buildings and surrounding landscapes are absolutely stunning. The resort and the marina are on an island that is only accessible by boat. If you want to go to town you take a water taxi or your dinghy. The marina is geared towards mega yachts and the slips are huge and accordingly expensive. When staying at the marina you get use of all the hotels amenities. They had a pool there that was the finest we had ever seen. Nico was in heaven. It was actually three pools that were connected via slides and tunnels. It was pretty cool. The small village across the bay was very much like La Cruz. Small cobblestone streets, no building over 2 stories tall and a functioning town not totally dedicated to tourism. You could walk the entire town in an hour. No Walmart, no big name stores, no nothing. It was a nice change from Puerto Vallarta. Here in Barra was our first experience with those nasty little vipers called “no-see-ums”. They are tiny mosquito like bugs that live and breed in mangrove swamps. They are called that for a good reason, you cannot see them and only notice them when they bite you. When they do, it feels like they are biting a chunk out of your skin. The bites itch like crazy and stay with you for a week to 10 days. It drives you crazy as you cannot see them so you cannot protect yourself against them.  We went out to what we thought was going to be a lovely dinner at a restaurant facing the bay and, literally, got eaten alive. We should have gotten a clue when the waiter handed us bug spray as soon as we sat down. It is hard to enjoy your food when you are getting bitten constantly. We found out later that you NEVER eat on the bay side of town (yes, facing the mangrove swamp) after 5PM. You always eat at a restaurant on the ocean side of town. The no-see-ums don't like the breeze from the ocean. Now you tell us……!!  We enjoyed the town, the pool and the resort and took the dinghy out to snorkel the reefs outside the bay. A good time was had by all.

Now that we are out of the tourist areas and the coastline has changed, the anchorages and marinas are vast distances apart. No longer are we day cruising from one spot to another now we are a good 200 miles from anchorage to anchorage. The plan was to head to Zihuatanejo, called Z-Town by cruisers. It was a 205 mile sail. There were a couple of anchorages along the way but all were exposed to the Pacific swell. We did not stop. It was an uneventful cruise except for one thing. Late one night at around midnight while I was on watch I stepped outside to do a deck check and I stepped on something., We never wear shoes on board (something I have now reconsidered) and I stepped on something that gave me a nasty sting. Earlier in the day I had killed a bee and neglected to pick it up so I assumed that I had stepped on it and it stung me. It felt like a bee sting. I did not want to be a pussy and wake Jirig up. What was I going to say…...”I think I stepped on a bee?” Jirig had just went to bed for some much needed rest so I sucked it up, put some ice on it and finished my watch. When I woke up the next morning this is what I saw. It was frightening. The sting was just to the outside of my left toe. It seemed like every 6 hours the wound changed and got more and more gruesome. I had to see a doctor. Jirig took me to town. Z-Town is a beautiful little village that remained me of a Mexican version of a Wild West town. The sidewalks were raised and wooden and the stores and homes had red-tile roofs. I asked the first policeman I found (turned out to be a woman) and she took one look at my foot and took me in her charge. First we went to a pharmacy to get a “consultoria”. That is where you pay 50 pesos to see a Dr that is usually affiliated with the pharmacy. The doctor was not in so we had to wait. The policewoman got frustrated, called some one on her phone and an air conditioned van showed up. We got separated from Jirig and it was just Nico and I. They took me to the Red Cross but the Dr. was out there as well. I ended up in Z-Town’s general Hospital. It was a dismal affair. There were mostly sick and not injured people waiting to be seen. I felt bad but the policewoman took me to the head of line and the doctor saw me right away. I speak passable Spanish but not enough to explain what happened. At first the Dr. and 4 others he had brought in to look at my foot said he wanted to lance it and clean it. All the Dr’s agreed. Then I heard the word “Zapatos” in Spanish. That is the word for shoes. They thought this wound had been caused by my shoes! That is when I whipped out my Google Translator App. I explained by typing that I was stung by an insect. Ahh they said. They then decided not to lance it, found someone who spoke English in the waiting room, who explained to me “we have some very dangerous insects in Mexico, we do not want to touch it and you should just let it take its course”. They gave me a prescription for some anti inflammatory pills and some ointment and that was it. The wound proceeded to get worse and worse. I think whatever it was that stung me injected some flesh eating toxin into my skin. The wound kept getting deeper and deeper. Then a big purple blister erupted and just kept getting bigger and bigger. I could not wear shoes and had to keep the wound scrupulously clean. My biggest fear was an infection. I got some very powerful antibiotics just in case of an infection. As gross and heinous as this bite looked it did not hurt at all. The hardest part was keeping it protected and clean. I never did find out what stung me. I just hope I do not run into whatever it was again!

    We had to get moving south. So we prepared to leave for Acapulco. I do regret not staying longer to explore Z-Town but we can’t stop and see everything. We were getting tired of acting like tourists at every stop.