Barra de Navidad, Mar 5 - 8

The anchorages are getting a little closer together presently. The trip from Melaque to Barra was 2.77 nautical miles, just across the bay. We needed to make water and power before heading in to the lagoon at Barra so we did a big circle around Bahia de Navidad before heading into the channel that leads to the Barra lagoon. The lagoon is notorious for boats running aground, but fortunately the bottom is about four feet thick with gelatinous mud, so no one gets damaged. Several times a week, you will hear a boat calling out that they are aground as they move in or out of the lagoon. A boat yesterday went aground three times just trying to get into the anchorage in the lagoon. The lagoon is enormous, but most of it is 6 feet deep of water,or less. We are currently anchored in six feet of water, but the tide only moves a couple feet so we are fine. The lagoon is so protected that sometimes at night you think you must be sitting in the mud since the boat is so still.

Barra has a lot to offer. Not only is it a beautiful, charming town but it also is home to "The French Baker". This godsend to bread-lovers is the darling of the fleet. The proof of that is the fact that "The French Baker" is the only person who is EVER allowed to conduct entire conversations on the VHF Channel 22 without anyone complaining. No one would dare reprimand him in case he pulled a "Soup Nazi" move like the character on Seinfeild. Who could bear to be denied one of his baguettes?

On the VHF, channel 22 is reserved as the hailing channel. You only use it to call another boat. When you make contact, together you choose another channel to move to in order to continue your conversation. If you forget to move, other boats will interrupt your conversation and tell you to move to another channel (usually in a snotty voice.) Channel 22 is the party line, and if you talk on that channel, then every other boat in a 20 mile radius is listening to your conversation pipe into their home. Believe me, it can be really annoying, But every day on Channel 22, "The French Baker" announce his comings and goings around Barra, and he even takes food orders from boats on Channell 22. So it is not uncommon to hear several conversations like the following, every day, without one single complaint from anyone:

• "French Baker, French Baker. Yes, this is the French Baker. French Baker, I would like 2 baguettes, a lime pie, and four chocolate croissants, please. Okay, I will put that down. What is your boat name? Oh, this is SomeCrazyName. I am in the lagoon, near the back of the anchorage. Okay, SomeCrazyName, I will be there is 20 minutes."

There is no other person in Mexico afforded the same consideration.

I have now learned the French Baker's name, but it was obvious that he prefers to be called "The French Baker." He is a kind, happy man, and if I was not already married..... Have I told you about his almond croissants?