From from the standpoint of scenery and marine life however it was wild! The coast of Mexico here is alternately rugged - with crimson bluffs (perched with palatial homes in the most unlikely of places) and rocks jutting out in the sea; or desolate - stretches of pale sandy beach fringed with huge breakers. Backdrop to it all is a towering green mountain range with conical peaks poking here or there. It looks primeval.
Sea turtles dotted our path, and we had so many boobies surrounding the boat we threatened to rename FRC 'Victoria's Secret'! One even snagged a fishing line - these birds definitely are dumb! - and we had to cut the lure from the tip of its' wing. A trio of humpback whales tracked lazily alongside us for a while ... and then there were the fish ...
The telltale swirl of birds directed us into toward a fish boil along the spectacular coast between Punta Etiopa and Punta Farralon. FOAMING with fish, the sea looked like whitewater rapids. Standing on the bow looking down I reminisced about viewing a tank at the aquarium - you could see swarms of tiny shimmery fish being chased by larger anchovies, hunted by medium sized fish and so on: with increasingly larger fish joining the chase, and opportunistic birds sweeping up spoils from atop. The deep blue sea turned silver and gold with the underwater activity, and as we drove through the center of these boils we heard the line buzz (repeatedly). We caught what we THINK are Pompano (and kept just one: they are large) ... with Chewey and Sharon dispatching him immediately. They were a fish slaying / fileting machine - and soon the crimson meat of our mystery fish was filling the fridge.
After our exciting passage we arrived in Bahia Tenacatita - actually several smaller bays all providing great anchorage; we chose the middle (northeastern) spot as there's a small river we plan to explore by dinghy Friday - bringing lots of bug spray for sure! On arrival the guys got to work deploying the dinghy and I decided to take a swim: but was nearly scared off by their suggestion of crocodiles (Bruce even put the theme to JAWS on the stereo!! very funny...not!) I have a very real fear of getting eaten alive by unseen things in the water (well everyone knows I'm a huge chicken about everything so - no surprise here!) regardless, I shed my silver jewelry, put on my NEW well-fitting snorkel and mask (thank you Coco!) and slid in. The water was refreshing alas hazy and green ... two lazy dolphins swum nearby (no closer than 40' -- plenty close for me thanks) so I figured the threat of crocs was moot. I floated and splashed around close to the boat til the sun tucked behind the bulk of Punta Chubasco and it got chlly ... after a hot shower I helped Sharon with a marvelous dinner of fish baked with onions, garlic and tomatillos on a bed of pasta,with salad.
These days have been easy and fun, and there are several more short hops to idyllic spots ahead. Our real work will come when we cross the bay of Tehuanapec and traverse the long stretch of ocean between Mexico and Costa Rica. So we are enjoying our lazy days of sightseeing now!
All well, sending love ~ XO Betsy Mom
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