From Chamela to Bahia Tenacatita
January 16, 2008

Our Track to Bahia Tenacatita Click on Chart for larger version or click HERE to see the track in Google Earth

On Wednesday, Jan 16, we got up easy and were underway by about 8:15 for the short 34 nm trip to Bahia Tenacatita. We motored all the way, using the sails only to stabilize the boat against rolling. Along the way we ran the watermaker the whole time, inasmuch as the watermaker creates about 8 gallons of water per hour, we try to run it whenever we are making passages.

We pulled into Tenacatita and had the anchor down by 2:30 p.m. Being curious about our new surroundings, we immediately did the dinghy drill and went onto the beach for a landing near the lone palapa bar there at the lagoon mouth, Boca de Iguana. When we walked up to the bar there were a couple of other cruisers there having beers and chips, so we joined them and asked questions and got hints about the lay of the land.

The return trip was one of the first times we had ever done a departure thru surf in the dinghy. We waded out to waist deep water where the small one to two foot waves were breaking. I had Trish jump in the boat and start paddling while I tried to pull it thru the first round of waves. Then I hopped in and started paddling like mad, but even so, a wave caught the bow, and we shipped about 15 gallons of water. We were drenched but in good spirits when we got back to Rhapsody to dry out, have some beers, and watch the sun set.

Tenacatita Images

1. Punta Hermanos, approaching Tenacatita   2.  3. Front and Back of Punta Chubasco   4. Rhapsody at Anchor, Bahia Tenacatita   5. palapa at Boca de Iguana

Snorkeling in Bahia Tenacatita

The next day, Thursday, we decided to go snorkeling, so we took the dinghy about 1/2 mile to this outcropping of rocks, and for the first time, anchored the dinghy to a rock, and went snorkeling around it. It was kind of unnerving that the rubber boat was bouncing off of these rocks covered with mussels, but nonetheless, we spent a good hour in the water checking things out. Due to the surge, which stirred up the sand, and a bit of cloud cover, the visibility was somewhat limited, but we did get to see a variety of fish.

After we climbed back in the dinghy, we took it around the anchorage and chatted with a few of the other boats. Of particular interest, we were trying to find out more about crossing the river bar, and how people had managed to do so. There are quite a few rocks and obstacles blocking the way into the river, particularly at low tide, and we did not want to have to portage the dinghy 200 yards from the beach to the river. Unfortunately, the tides were working against our plans to see the river, as it was low tide at about 11:00 am, meaning high tide was absurdly early in the morning (4:30 am) or too late (7:30 pm) to make the trip.

We also spent part of Thursday doing an analysis of our generator and the draws put upon it by the various battery chargers, air conditioners, and so on. We had found in Chamela that if we ran the larger battery charger and the air-conditioners at the same time, the generator would overheat. In Ten bay, after our analysis, we determined we could run the small battery charger and the air-co's OR the large battery charger by itself. I know it's a minor detail but it felt good to develop a firmer understanding of these critical systems that we rely on more and more to create electricity for us and to help keep us cool on hot days.

Snorkeling Pics

1.  2.  3.  4.  5.  6. Various Snorkeling Pics, Bahia Tenacatita

Jungle River Dinghy Trip

Our Jungle River Dinghy Trip Click on Chart for larger version or click HERE to see the track in Google Earth

In any case, we got up on Friday bound and determined to take the dinghy up the river. The trip had gotten a write-up in the Raines' cruising book, and there wasn't a lot else to do in Ten bay (apart lazing around and drinking!). So, at about 9:00 a.m. we saddled up the dinghy and attempted the bar crossing.

It wasn't too bad getting over the rocks, but right at the mouth of the river the current was pretty strong. I had to get in the chest deep water and pull the dinghy a few inches at a time while Trish sat in it and ran the motor. We did that for about 10 minutes, awkardly, until we had gone about 10 yards so that I could jump in the boat, gun the motor, and finally get it headed upstream. Once we got past the mouth, it was ok, and even tho the tide was falling and the river (actually a long estuary) was flowing out, it turned out to be a pretty nice trip.

As we were putting along going upriver, feeling a lot like Bogart and Hepburn in "The African Queen", another dinghy came by, and the driver told us that it was farther than we thought to the end. He said that even if we went fast, it would take us the better part of two hours to get there, particularly as we would have to slow down to navigate the mangrove canopy. Then he bid us adieu, put his dinghy upto speed, and on plane, and disappeared around the next bend in the river.

The Jungle River Dinghy Trip

After that we gained a lot more confidence, and I must say it was fun getting the dinghy up to speed and planing on the otherwise flat river, as each bend would bring some new scenery into view. By sticking to the outside of corners, I was able to avoid the worst of the sand banks that naturally build up on the insides. Only once or twice did the propeller find sand and spit mud out behind the boat; the rest of the time we tooled right along, until we finally got to the mangrove canopy.

The mangrove canopy was really neat. It was about a mile and half of going UNDER the trees. The corners were sometimes sharp, and the river narrowed to just a feet wider than the dinghy. Actually that's not accurate. The river was probably still 40-50 feet wide, but the mangroves were so thick that there was only a narrow passage thru them. We noticed as we were going along that many of the trees had been cut back, apparently with a chainsaw, to clear the passage. Also as we were moving along, occasionaly, like twice, a panga with a local driver and 6-8 obvious tourists (wearing lifevests!) would come down the river at which point we would have to pull over to the side and let the panga pass us. So we guessed that the panga drivers, who get about $15/person for the trip from the tourists at the hotel on the other side of the bay, probably did the cutting and kept the river clear so that they could continue providing their tours.

When we finally made it out of the canopy, we found ourselves in the big lagoon (Boca de Iguana), and around the bend, found a nice little beach with a dinghy dock and a sign welcoming us to Tenacatita Village. We had come about 5 miles up the river and were now at the next bay north from where we were anchored. The beach was absolutely beautiful here, and there were many nice restaurants and bars to choose from. We went for a swim in the ocean, had a very nice lunch, and Trish took a jog down the beach while I lay in the sun enjoying a cold beer.

After about whiling away some 3 hours in Tenacatita Village, we took the dinghy back down the river. Of course, now it was a rising tide and the water was coming in, but it wasn't really a problem, and in no time (about another hour) we found ourselves at the sand bar at the mouth of the river again. This time, however, it wasn't even challenging. We just drove the dinghy right out of the river into the bay. I had to raise the motor and paddle for a few minutes at the shallowest point, but by 3:30 pm we were back on Rhapsody. It was a great little adventure.

Jungle River Dinghy Trip

1. Setting Out   2.  3.  4.  5. Birds along the way   6. Me in dinghy, in mangrove canopy   7. Mangrove Roots into the water   8. Mangrove Canopy   9. Dock at Boca de Iguana Lagoon   10. Welcome to Tenacatita Village   11.  12.  13. Beach at Tenacatita   14.  15. Trish enjoying lunch at restaurant in Tenacatita Village

On Saturday, our last full day in Tenacatita, we planned to take the dinghy the 2-3 miles accros the bay to the town of La Manzanilla, which we did. It was a fairly long, somewhat exposed trip in the little boat, and when we got there, we discovered that there were really no good places to land on shore. From what we could see, it looked like there were 2-3 foot breakers everywhere, and after our first experience with smaller waves, we did not want to take the chance of tumping the dinghy when coming back out. So discretion being the better part of valor, we decided to forego landing, and returned, once again, to Rhapsody, where we spent the rest of the day lazing around, reading, and so forth.

We took our time getting up on the next day, had a nice late brunch, and left Tenacatita Sunday afternoon, at about 1:30 pm.