Amazon tracking confirmed our packages had arrived: A quick email exchange with Puerto Marina Escondido confirmed they had them.
We told them we'd be on our way on Monday morning to pick them up. At the same time we planned to fill up the diesel tanks one last time and get a last batch of fresh provisions.
Sunday evening, we changed our plans slightly, and decided it'd be easier to make our way down towards the marina in the evening, sleeping at a local anchorage at Danzante Island.
This last minute decision proved lucky: As we were leaving Bahia Ballandra during a gorgeous sunset, we had a small whale blow just ahead of us. We later learned it was a minke whale, the first spotting of the winter season.
We arrived at our Danzante anchorage about two and a half hours later, in pitch darkness under a moonless sky. Luckily I'd plotted the 3 preferred anchor spots in Honeymoon cove, and had a number of safe routes in and out of the bay, staying clear of the rocks at the entrance. It is one of the few anchorages around here I'd dare enter into at night.
The first spot, my favorite, was occupied by a large sailboat so I headed to nearby option 2. Just a couple hundred feet from the beach, it provided us excellent shelter and good holding, even though the forecast was for continued calm winds.
The night sky was spectacular. Jupiter, Venus and Mars shining very brightly amongst the thousands of stars and the long dust-like trail of the Milky Way. Di and I laid down on the fore-deck on our stadium chairs, under a warm blanket, and just enjoyed the show. The more time we spent, the more stars we could see, and we marveled at how lucky we were to be here enjoying this grand show.
When we decided to get back in the boat, our eyes well habituated to the deep dark, we noticed the waters around us glowing with bio luminescence. The thousands of tiny krill and young fish, all sparkling each time they moved. A larger fish would then swoop in, a big luminous trail in the shape of a hook to grab a few.
So we spent some more time observing the wonders of nature, oohing and aahing every time a larger trail would appear.
Next morning, to Princess' dismay, we left early heading directly for the marina. She so much enjoys her morning kayak rides and walks ashore she's gotten really good at waiting in front of the cockpit door for permission to jump on the kayak.
What she didn't know of course was that only minutes later we were at the marina's fuel dock, where she could go say hello to all her friends there and bask in the familiar smells of her summer home.
No later had we docked Enfin that Nestor, a really kind employee at the marina we'd befriended, welcomed us with our packages in hand. I love it when logistics work out as planned!
I added just over 70 gallons of fuel, which means Enfin is full to the brim and rather heavy. We then went for a spot of provisioning at the shop, grabbing everything in stock that had ran out during our wait.
Soon we were back on the boat and heading out. A perfect day to be making way. With limited daylight hours, we made a pit stop in Ballandra Bay again (not that we would complain), and the next morning we set off early heading towards San Juanico North anchorage.
Winter wind patterns around here seem to be calm mornings before a Northerly breeze builds up end of morning and afternoon, often culminating in more than 20 knots. That breeze tends to build a small but annoying chop to boot. Early cruising makes sense, hoping to be at anchor before the winds come back up.
The passage was uneventful, with calm seas and winds under a bright and warm sun.
I had the shock of my life when, leaning on the Portuguese bridge wing, a dolphin jumped as high as my head to check me out. He appeared out of nowhere, with no warning sign, jumped straight up, bringing his eye level with mine and checked me out. Diving back in the water he played for a few seconds in Enfin's bow wake, before disappearing as fast as he had appeared. These are memories that I hope will stay with me forever.
We arrived in San Juanico early afternoon, and soon Princess was walking the long beach. Crabs! Other dogs! People! What a place!
There were 4 tents and camper trucks ashore, not exactly crowded, but it was nice to exchange New Year's eve greetings with fellow gringos.
Happy New Year from all on Enfin!
Let's make 2025 a great one: We're continuing our cruise and moving again.
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