Ixtapa
- Capt. Eric
- Dec 17
- 4 min read
We left Barra de Navidad mid morning, aiming for Ixtapa marina, hoping to be able to stop about mid way at Playa Privada.
There are very few good stops along the way on this portion of the coast, and all the way to Chiapas. As we rounded the cape exiting Barra de Navidad, the rusted wreck of a large bulk carrier reminded us of the perils of this very exposed coast.
Luckily we had an excellent weather window, with very calm winds and seas, making the passage rather pleasant.
We had many dolphins joining us all along, so we spent a fair amount of time on the bow, just watching them play in the boat's bow wave. Watching them simply never gets old.
We arrived at Playa Privada mid afternoon, and were able to anchor behind a large rock. We had little protection from the open ocean, but just enough that with our flopper stopper we could be comfortable there for a good night's rest.
Playa Privada, as the name indicates is a very private little enclave on a beautiful wide sandy beach. The whole beach is lined by gorgeous architectural houses that integrate very well in the jungle, making them almost invisible from the beach.
No one seemed bothered by our presence and visit, with some local workers tending to immaculate gardens and pools, while others were pulling boats by tractor up the beach, in preparation to launch them later.
After a good night's rest and another morning walk, we set off again, aiming for Ixatapa, this time an overnight cruise. The marina had told us to arrive either before 07:00 in the morning, between 13:00 and 14:00 or after 19:00.
These corresponded to the times the dredge wasn't operating. I planned on arriving well before 13:00, but between the calm seas and some very helpful current we made excellent time and arrived around 06:50, just before the dredge was due to start work.
We let a number of boats come out, since they too were subject to the strict time limitations around the dredge, before going in ourselves. Soon we were in one of the largest marinas in Mexico, yet an almost empty and desolate one.
We were warmly welcomed by the marina's crew, and provided a nice slip with (luxury!) potable water, and all the electrical connections we might need.
Apart from that, the marina was sadly in need of love and repairs. From the channel needing opening to the empty storefronts and the crumbling pathways, everywhere we looked showed signs of decay. A real shame because it looks like a lot of money was spent on the original infrastructure.
One twist compared to other marinas was that the marina manager wanted to see the original "Zarpe" (Check out of the zone) from the "Capitania" (Port Captain), which forced us to go downtown Zihuatanejo (even the locals say "Zihua" for short).
There we spent hours waiting for our Zarpe, only to be told that whilst the document was ready in most ways, the Port Captain had left for the morning, only he could sign it, and could we please come back the next day?
So we came back the next day, another taxi ride over the mountain separating Ixtapa from Zihua, and we got to walk the malecon and have English breakfast there. After more than 2 years in Mexico, eating differently means getting American or English food!
A couple of days later, recovered from our overnight trip we decided to wash the boat, and our power-washer finally decided to die. I'd dropped it by accident in the harbor a long time ago, so I'd been expecting it to die much sooner. I was almost willing it to, as nowadays similar units are much smaller and take much less storage room on board.
Back to Zihua I went, this time using a "collectivo", the small ubiquitous bus service found almost everywhere in Mexico. Very cheap (about 15 pesos to go right about anywhere) and fast, they're extremely convenient when your destination is on their route.
I came back with our brand new small power washer and finished the boat's power-wash.
We'd tried one of the marina's 2 remaining open restaurant the night before. We had a good night with our friendly neighbors, but weren't impressed enough by the food for a repeat.
To treat ourselves after washing Enfin, we continued the foreign food trend and ordered a Domino's Pizza for delivery at the marina. Domino was the only delivery option in the area, and the delivery driver was a little surprised that we didn't have a real address, but managed to find the waving gringo anyway.
Overall marina Ixtapa was a very welcomed stop. The upside of it having seen better days is that it is very quiet. No charter boats blasting music until late in the night. No bright and loud restaurants trying to lure the tourists in. Just a very peaceful and relaxing place for us to get rested, and prepare the boat for the next legs.
One notable feature of the marina is the wildlife, again I suppose due to the lack of human activity. We had a gorgeous eagle spotted ray linger by our dock. Its underwater flight is so gracious and its spots make it more ethereal.
And then there are the always present crocodiles. Not the huge animals we'd occasionally see in Paradise Village, but much smaller -yet scary enough- mid sized ones. That meant no swimming in the marina, but more importantly no diving, contrary to Paradise Village where divers were allowed.
This means you need to haul your boat out just to change your zincs.
Well rested, Enfin all washed, and even some fresh fruits and vegetables from the local marina shop, Ixtapa provided us with a great place to stop and relax during this long trek to Chiapas.