4/14-17
17 April 2008 | Marina Chahue, Oaxaca, Mexico
by Cheryl

view off the port side, dockside
We feel the effects of a T-pecker blowing: increasing swells into our once calm anchorage. After a sleepless night of worrying about Raven getting pushed onto the rocks behind us: putting out a 2nd anchor at 2 a.m. and no sleep due to the rocking & rolling motion - like Raven is strapped to a bucking mechanical bull, we decided to move to the marina the next morning. This of course involves breaking down the dinghy (bringing that 80lb outboard up on board while both Raven & the dinghy are bouncing up and down- we'd better get used to this feat), bringing the inflated dinghy it's self on board and deflating and packing it up (takes about 45 mins.) and then manually bringing in those 2 anchors. Sometimes being out in the open water is better.
The marina is quiet- no big hotels just a couple of houses being built - I am sure that will all change. There aren't even numbers on the slips yet so the dockworker had to run around pointing to where we were to go. Enrigue is there, in the mornings anyway to check on weather or for general questions - he's GREAT. The shower is outdoors with 2 showerheads. No one is sure of the etiquette: go nude or with bathing suits?, coed or not? - mostly we wound up going one at a time.
Our first day there we had to rush over to the port captains office for our Zarpe (check out papers) then a short walk to Immigration then back to the boat to wait for Immigration to visit and give final paper work and stamp our passports. It was 3 o'clock by time it was all said and done - just enough time to eat something and take a nap before the potluck (sorry-I'm not cooking in this heat) dock party at 6. Yes its hotter here -no breeze but there are people around - Timo is right across from us, a nice couple comes into the next slip over - so forth and so on - most people, including us, are busy preparing their boats for the 5 day sail to El Salvador.
Our last night at the marina there is a Chamber Music concert at the marina. We figure we would be able to hear the music just fine from Raven since we can see the band stand only a hundred yards away but decided to buy tickets since it is a non-profit organization. So we buy tickets and go back to Raven to enjoy a glass of wine and the music from the comfort of our cockpit. It was a good thing too since the music lulled me to sleep ½ way through.
As we leave the marina we notice a cruise ship had entered the other bay and docked at that pier - we are SO glad we missed it considering that as it looks huge from this far away we can only imagine what it would be like to be anchored next to it. Eduardo said they just shuttle the vacationers into town, they don't even come to the beach restaurants there - crazy.