Cruising Costalegre
18 March 2016
Terri Potts-Chattaway
February 16, 2016
With all cruises of any length there is much preparation. The systems must be in order. Provisions have to be bought, carried onto the boat and stored. And research must be done. We need to know the weather, the wind and sea state. We should be in good health and rested. When all forces align, it is finally time to go. No matter how much forethought and work goes into the preparation for the trip, one can't help but be apprehensive. In fact, I don't think we would be good sailors if we didn't approach every sail with a bit of caution.
With the boat ready and the weather projection good, we were scheduled for departure on Monday, February 15th. At 1300 hours, we left the safety of our slip and headed out to sea. Our destination; Barra de Navidad. Our first stop, though, would be Chamela, ninety-one nautical miles and an overnight trip.
Overnight cruises come with their own set of worries. Everything is magnified in the blackness of night. This night we were fortunate with a half moon that was quite bright. The wind was light. As we rounded Cabo Corrientes, we found some sloppy seas, hitting us mostly on the beam. Once this calmed down, it was a beautiful night cruise. I even got to see the southern cross.
One thing that helps alleviate stress on overnights is to go with a “buddy boat.” Our friends, Kathy and Jim, from Solar Flair, were also headed south so we joined forces and traveled together. Fortunately, nothing went amiss. Even so, it was a great comfort to have friends nearby.
Twenty-one hours later at 0900 we arrived in the bay of Chamela. We would anchor here for two nights. The following blogs will be entries from my journal as we continue along Costalegre or what is known as the “happy coast.”