We spent the evening on the hook at Bahia Ipala, enjoying dinner on board and afterwards a movie (a comedy, "How to Lose Friends & Alienate People" -- funny!) before going to bed early. The plan was to get up at first morning light and be on our way so we could make it to Tenacatita before dark.

Alas, this was not to be because it took us half an hour to raise the anchor. We would run the electric windlass, and the chain would come up very slowly, and then after three feet or so, the circuit breaker would pop and have to be reset. After going through several cycles like this we thought that the electric windlass motor was burned out and didn't have sufficient power.

As the sun came up over the horizon, however, we could see better and I noticed that the bow roller, a rubber roller that the chain runs over before going down into the water, was cocked at an odd angle. On further inspection it turned out that the bolt that holds the roller in place had simply unscrewed itself. Fortunately, I was able to screw the bolt back into place.

We were then able to raise the anchor easily, and so we were under way, though after daybreak, not before as we had planned.

So rather than sail all the way to Tenacatita, we are planning to stop one anchorage short, an interesting spot called Bahia Carreyes. It is named after the Carrey Turtles that nest there. According to the guide, there is a nice hotel and a restaurant on the beach there. I wonder if they serve turtle soup -- not! Maybe we can see some turtle nesting grounds (though that happens in December).

We noticed there are millions of sea turtles in the water around us. You can spot a turtle from a long distance, its domed back poking above the water surface, often with a sea bird perched on its back.