Tenacatita is one of the best anchorages in this part of Mexico. Especially because it has a small river that exits an estuary area just by the anchorage. This morning we got ready and took our dinghy up the river as far as we could go. "Got ready" has real meaning because besides making lunches and checking to be sure we had fuel and suntan lotion, Craig had to remove 12 years of gasoline "varnish" buildup from the fuel hose for our dinghy. So we really set off about 11:`15 when we had wanted to get into the estuary early morning to see the birds and other wildlife at their best.

Getting to the river means "shooting" the wave line thru several large offshore rocks and gunning the engine into the shallow river. We didn't make it without mishap as we clipped a rock with the prop on the way in...thankfully no damage was done and we were able to enjoy a delightful afternoon lolling up the river and photographing the many birds and crabs. Two years ago when we were here, we could go all the way up the river to a lagoon that had a dock across from the beach. The beach area's property ownership was in dispute, but the hired guards would let you dock your dinghy (after showing them ID) and you could walk to the beach to snorkel (as long as you didn't take in photos of the property??!!). We were told that you are not allowed to dock or to cross thru the fence to the beach. We didn't get to confirm or deny this since over-growth of the estuary has blocked the last quarter mile of the path. The local panga drivers who make their living taking tourists up the river were actively cleaning a path and said it would be open in a few days. When we are here next month, we will anchor over near the "forbidden" beach and snorkel and maybe if there is time we will try to transit the river again.

Another new feature of the estuary tour is that some enterprise has cut a channel off the river for about a half mile and this channel has a tributary channel in progress as well. Looks like a new development with a golf course in the swamp is in progress. Sue suggested I look on Google Earth and see if the aerials are new enough to show the whole thing. More on this later.

After a good three hours on the river, we came back and Sue did some shell hunting on the beach while Craig joined a bocci ball game between yachtes on the beach. We successfully made it off the beach thru the surf and took a dip at the boat and swam while we pick barnacles off the new hull paint...thought the high copper content of the paint was supposed to discourage those little buggers??!!??

Dinner was steak and roasted potatoes and salad...always a favorite and especially good after an active day.

Last night was a full moon and tonight while we were eating dinner we watched a large group of people at the hotel down the beach that we were pretty sure are releasing small turtles into the wild. Two years ago we got to hold a couple of the hatched turtles that the hotel protects until they are bigger so they have a better survival rate. Baby turtle shells are so flexible that they feel as if they were made from rubber.

In the pic below, the fisherman is throwing that net from a motarized canoe! Yes, a tippy canoe.