On Monday January 17, 2011 we transited the approximately 18 miles down the coast from Barra to Ensenada Carrizal near Manzanillo. We departed the Barra Lagoon without touching bottom, which is a plus. Actually we left on a high tide so water under our keel was never an issue and also because now we have the channel imbedded in our brain and more importantly in our GPS! This was a water making and charging run so it was a motor sail even though we had enough wind we needed to power. So goes the saga, I'm beginning to think of Pacifico as more a sail assisted power boat then a power assisted sail boat. We got to Carrizal at about noon and anchored in 30 feet of clear water along with So Inclined, Sirocco and Blue Rodeo with just one other boat in the cove.

Ensenada Carrizal is a small and completely undeveloped area. Its quietness is contrary to the reality that it is close to both Santiago and Manzanillo. This little bay is surrounded mostly by steep hillsides and cliffs on three sides and is only open to the southeast so it's well protected. There was some swell rolling into the bay around the point washing the cliffs that enter at the water's edge creating some tidal pools and whirl pools along the sides, I'm not sure I'd want to be in here with a big swell rolling in.

This was a good spot to get the paddle board out and for snorkeling again. We enjoyed a nice coral reef and I rowed the dinghy in and around the steep sides of the cove enjoying the tidal surges and sights. It reminded me of some of the steep cliff faces that are found at Catalina Island entering the water vertically and continuing straight down. Rowing the dinghy is also good exercise and we've been doing that everywhere we can, just for fun and because getting the motor off its mount and onto the dinghy every time gets to be a pain in the butt! Also, once the motor is on the dinghy it either has to be taken up at night or the entire dinghy and motor hoisted up and out of the water. Petty theft of dinghy motors is a problem down here, they don't want the dinghies, just the motors, but replacing either one here would be difficult and expensive.

We all had a quite day enjoying the solitude of this little cove. That evening we were invited to dinner aboard Blue Rodeo since they have the largest salon to accommodate the group, Lee & Cathy, Marisa and myself and Mike and C Monkey. That was about it for Carrizal, the next day after another snorkeling adventure we were off to Bahia Santiago and civilization!