Barra de Navidad to Zihuatanejo

January 27-February 26, 2024

My latest bout with COVID lasted about 5 days. After recovering, I was able to jump back in and enjoy Barra de Navidad. We enjoyed this is a cool little town last year and were happy to be back. We got a slip in the marina which is connected to a nice resort where we could relax in the pool and take advantage of the various amenities. We also enjoyed hiking, surfing, and exploring the various restaurants and bars in town. There is “new” bar located on the grounds of the Sands hotel. We were told it used to be the happening place for cruisers to hang out but it had fallen into disrepair in the past few years. It has been taken over by a new woman who has brought it back to life. Good music, fun bartenders, cheap drinks, pool access, and a welcoming place to tie up your dinghy. We can’t wait to spend more time there on our way back north.

As much as we loved Barra de Navidad, it was time to move on. This was the farthest south we sailed to last season so we were really looking forward to exploring some new locations. We motored out the channel and set our sails for the four hour sail to Ensenada Carrizal. This is a small anchorage near the larger city of Manzanillo. Despite being only a few miles from the city, it felt like it was far from any civilization. We enjoyed a brief stay there while we explored the bay and snorkeled and scuba dove on some incredible coral reef in clear water.

After a few days in Carrizal, we headed over to check out the town of Manzanillo. This is a large port town with a lot of shipping traffic. We anchored near the resort of Las Haddas where there is good protection from waves and easy access to town. We explored the city and had a blast. It even rained one of the days we were there, the first rain we’ve experienced on the boat since entering Mexico in December 2022.

Manzanillo has several regional botaneras which serve complimentary botenas, or appetizers, with each drink. We went to El Mirador which was a blast. They had live music and dancing and the crowd really was into it. We ordered drinks and they brought ceviche, potato salad, soup, beans and chips until we couldn’t eat another bite.

After several days in Las Haddas and Manzanillo, we headed back to Ensenada Carrizal where we got to meet up with our friends on Sancerre. We hadn’t seen them since November so it was great to catch up. We even got in a little diving but unfortunately the conditions were not as good as the week before. We had fun anyway. We spent several days there followed by a few days in the nearby anchorage of Santiago where we enjoyed the beachside palapas. While there our friends on One World rejoined us after returning home briefly for work.

Finally it was time to make the 36 hour passage to Zihuatanejo. After a brief stop in Las Haddas for a delicious dinner at the Oasis Marina restaurant, we departed in the early evening. The winds were pretty light and we only sailed about a third of the trip but otherwise it was a good passage with calm seas. We did have another repeat of the great smelly squid incident. This time we again noted a foul smell and it took some time before we finally found the culprit hiding in one of our ports.

Zihuatanejo is an amazing seaside city with great food, live entertainment, and sailing. We took advantage of the some swanky dinners out mixed in with delicious street food. We participated in the Sail-fest charity “race” on One World and despite the light winds, had a great day.

Zihuatanejo is a really fun town. We look forward to exploring more and checking out the upcoming guitar festival that starts next week. In the meantime, I’ll keep searching out tacos and various other street food while Shelly takes a quick trip back home to visit family.