After a slow and lazy two hours I went forward to begin the difficult task of retrieving the 50 lb Swarbrick "Fisherman" or "Admiralty" or "Navy" style anchor. That anchor has a combination of white rope and chain which meant that I had to wind the rope around the windlass drum and winch it by hand. When I got to the chain I had to manhandle it to the gypsy of the windlass and continue cranking. Then it was a matter of folding the stock while the anchor dangled over the bow the manhandling the anchor to the foredeck where I could dismantle it. It was not an easy process (though it will be easier when I've fixed the anchor windlass switch) but I have great confidence in that anchor in either unknown ground, since it will punch through weed and cling to rocks, or in a survival situation.
When we were ready we tried the engine starter and it worked fine, so soon, at about 9 AM, I weighed the 45 lb plow anchor and we were underway.
It was a very calm day and we motored all of the way to La Paz, which was a distance of only 12 miles. We reached the beginning of the channel only 7 miles away and traveled the rest of the way down the long narrow and relatively shallow (6 meters) channel to the anchorage. We tried to make the crossing to the anchorage at the El Magote peninsula by carefully following the waypoints specified in the cruising guide to three decimal places of minutes. However, the shallow alarm came on and at 2.3 meters of depth (actually 2.8 meters due to a "fudge factor") we turned around. Arnold couldn't see why we couldn't drop anchor at the anchorage near town just a few hundred meters from the Marina de La Paz and I had to agree. After one failed attempt after we were chased away by a cranky yachtie who didn't want anyone too close to his boat we found a nice spot in 5 meters of water 800 ft from shore and 1500 ft from the marina, which would provide us with a dinghy dock, showers, garbage service, fresh water, etc for a reasonable fee. Our position was 24N09.5, 110W19.5.
La Paz seems "boat friendly" to quote Arnold. He did a quick count and there are about 80 boats at anchor and many more in the three or four marinas. The place has a "laid back" feel about it and from the boat the town looks modern, attractive, and with plenty of amenities.
Soon after our arrival we were visited by a trio from a nearby Catalina that had arrived just after we did. It was Ron, Les, and Sue from Sydney. Les had purchased a Catalina in the US the previous year and had sailed it to Australia at a profit and now Ron was doing the same thing. We had a nice chat and we expected to see them again. As they motored away I proudly displayed my true Aussie credentials: a large jar of Vegemite. Pachuca's Australian flag is a magnet for any Aussies within sight, as it should be
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