Light winds were the order of the day once again on Thursday so the motor gained a few more hours on it. When the breeze did pick up on dusk it was on the nose so were unable to sail. The sea picked up a bit which made PANNIKIN slam down off the waves making it too uncomfortable to sleep so we decided to seek shelter behind a headland and wait for the wind to change. At 5am Friday we headed off again and motored all the way to Zihuatanejo. Just as we were about to enter the bay the largest whale we have ever seen breached three times 200m from the boat. S**t!!! It also had the youngest calf we have seen which was doing it own thing – tail slapping and swimming around in circles at full throttle. It is truly amazing to get to see these amazing creatures up close. We feel very privileged.
We anchored within swimming distance from the beach and laid a kedge anchor out the back just in case the anchorage became rolly later. The white sandy beach is lined with hotels, restaurants and bars and there are plenty of American and Canadian tourists enjoying the sunshine and warm water. The main town is a short dinghy ride away - we leave the tender on the beach near the town jetty and a local guy watches it for us for a small fee while we go exploring. The town reminds us of Kuta in Bali with lots of trinket and t-shirt shops, bars and places to eat. It has a nice laid back feel to it without the high pressure sales people and the locals are once again friendly and helpful.
We are enjoying walking on the beach every morning watching the small manta rays swimming through the waves & in and out around swimmers. A morning swim has been the order of the day as well. Lunch in town has been followed by lazy afternoons reading or doing odd jobs on PANNIKIN.