April 22, 2022
We arrived in Salinas after a four hour sail from Isla Caja de Muertos. We left early to take advantage of the island lee that gave us calmer winds and seas in the morning.
Salinas is a very protected anchorage and we knew that it was just what we needed with the strong winds coming during the next few days. We turned into the long, mangrove-lined waterway leading to the bay. It was shallow and only left us a couple of feet above the bottom. We followed our waypoints past a few anchored and moored boats. As the bay opened up we saw what looked like a full bay of boats! Where will we go? We wound around between the boats taking stock of those on a mooring ball (little swing in wind) and those at anchor (a lot of swing). When we finally found a spot where we wouldn’t be too close to anyone, Ken dropped the anchor and Dale backed Slow Dancer up until the anchor grabbed. We usually grab right away, but this time was different. The bottom was mud and so very slippery. We sat for a while to see if we were moving. Eeeeehh…..we are getting closer and closer to the powerboat behind us. Guess we will re-anchor. Up it comes, drive forward and down again. Back up. This time felt better and it was. No dragging!
We stayed aboard that day to ensure that our anchor was secure since the winds were picking up. The next day we found the dinghy dock, dumped our trash into a can and were able to explore the Playa de Salinas area. Wow, lots of restaurants here. This might be a good stop for a few days!
We had met some friends on the boat “No Worries” that invited us to join them in their rented car to go “canyoning”. Sure, we’re game! What’s canyoning? We found out that it is sometimes climbing straight down a rock face toward a reward at the bottom of a stream or waterfall.
The next day we were invited again to go and hike to a waterfall. We were a bit skeptical after the previous day, but we were assured that the hike was much milder and the reward was even better. OK, here we go!
