We had a short sail from Tenacatita to Melaque and made water along the way. We were greeted by dolphins and jumping sting rays as we arrived into the bay. We had calm weather so we anchored in front of the town of Melaque for a couple days, which is nicknamed rocky Melaque, but we had great timing. The more popular anchorage is in the lagoon at Barra de Navidad, however we needed an ATM and some groceries, which Barra does not have.
We paddle boarded to shore and met the owner of the Terraza Cortez restaurant and he told us that he would watch our paddle boards while we ran our errands, which was awesome!! Regino was a kind man and as we were leaving to paddle back to Karuna he gave me a mother of pearl shell and told me how to make Concha Nacar, which is a lotion that prevents wrinkles and is very good for sun damaged skin…bless his heart. I think I'm going to need more shells.
Our friends, Forrest and Marina, stopped by Karuna for a sundowner as they were leaving the following morning. I'm sure we will see them again as we are both heading to Panama and we continue to go to the same stops as we travel south.
After we got everything we needed in Melaque, we headed to the lagoon of Barra de Navidad. The entrance into the lagoon is a bit cumbersome and many boats have been known to run aground there. We timed our entrance at high tide and followed the specific way points, making it through with no problems. The greatest highlight of Barra de Navidad is the french baker that comes around each morning on his boat selling amazing baked goods!
Once anchored, we took our dinghy to town with our laundry, garbage, and boat documentation. We dropped our laundry off and were told it would be ready the following day, so we headed to the port captain's office to check in. The port captain was great and let us check in and out at the same time, as we were only staying a few days, so it saved us a trip going back.
The rest of our time at Barra de Navidad we spent at the local resort, relaxing by the pools and visiting a few recommended restaurants, which included a sushi place and pizza place. Yum yum!!!
After a few days, it was time to fuel up and leave, heading further south. Next up we sail 190 miles to Isla Grande Ixtapa.
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