Ipala

Leaving Punta Mita, I skirted the Tres Marias islands as I crossed Bahia Banderas. It was there that some jackass in a sport fisher came straight at me at 20 knots, apparently not seeing or not caring that he was on a collision course with me. I had to take evasive action to avoid getting creamed. Although technically I was the “stand on” vessel, being right doesn't mean much in the hospital or the morgue. He got five blasts from my air horn just to wake him up and let him know I was not pleased. A fool's errand, I'm sure.

A bit later I had a more pleasant encounter with a humpback that swam by at a safe distance and waved as it went by. I know, some will think it was just a fluke (ha,ha!), but it only happened when it was at its closest point, and it didn't do it before or after passing.

Getting around Cabo Corrientes was easy and pleasant because I picked a calm day. Of course that meant motorsailing, but that was fine (other than the noise). Anchoring at Punta Ipala was indeed dicey. It is a very small cove there were two boats already anchored in the limited area leeward of the rocky bottom. I picked a spot to drop the hook and backed down to set it. It skipped over the bottom and the boat blew down toward the nearby downwind boat in a hurry. I just managed to back it away in time to avoid colliding, dragging the anchor along. I did manage to reset the anchor, but more gingerly. I was not confident it would hold in a strong blow or that I wouldn't slowly drift, so I was up often during the night to check. I had no further problems, but I was glad to leave at first light and head toward what I expected to be a much more comfortable and relaxed anchorage fifty miles further south: Bahia Chamela.