San Blas, Nayarit

We had a gorgeous sail out of Mazatlan, with perfect conditions, good winds and flat seas. As we progressed south we started seeing squalls on the radar that quickly caught up with us. Finally, a fresh water rinse for the boat that we didn’t have to work for! Fortunately the winds stayed constant through the squalls too so there wasn’t really a lot to do than dodge under the bimini to avoid getting wet… We also caught a tuna that made some very yummy steaks for dinner last night. We were planning to stop by Isla Isabella to check out the wildlife there, mainly birds, but the anchorage looked very rolly and uncomfortable and the maps did not match the actual location, so we played it safe and continued on to San Blas.

We arrived to the anchorage yesterday evening right after sunset, with just enough light to get through the entrance of Mantanchen Bay and find a good anchoring spot right next to Brian and Erin on Delos, who had been here for a day already. Our friends from Capaz were also there. We saw and heard on VHF a lot of boats from La Paz, so I guess the party just keeps on going south.

San Blas is known for its former fame and glory as a military and maritime center for the Spanish rule in Mexico, the silent bells of the old Nuestro Senora del Rosario church that inspired Henry Longfellow’s very last poem “The Bells of San Blas”, and for the pesky ‘jejenes’ or ‘no-see-ums’ biting gnats that come out at sunset. Some even argue the jejenes were the main reason for the fall of the city from its former glory, and after having some encounters with them last evening I tend to agree…

We’re planning to hang out here for a day or two, then continue on down the coast towards PV. Cheerios!