Matanchén Cove, Magical Village of Floating Lights

Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.

Neale Donald Walsch 

Sunset at the end of our first day in Matanchén Cove

Sailing under very dark moonless and starless night, a few sprinkles tinkling around us sounding like rice Krispies popping in fresh milk, we approach Matanchén Cove very slowly for we do not want to arrive before light.

As we approach we see dozens and dozens of lights dotting the horizon to our left. They are so evenly spaced out we think they are street lights but cannot understand how such a small village could be lit this much only to find out, at day break, that all these lights were from pangas fishing the area. How different everything looks in darkness. It was a little saddening to see these glowworm like dots disappear one by one as dawn peered through the heavy clouds.

Our minds, no longer busy trying to interpret the lights mystery, we started noticing the fresh aroma permeating the area. The “smell of jungle” we had read about in guide books; sweet and pungent yet subtle and enticing.

Finally in the cove, to our dismay, we have to dodge 50 or so fishing nets. We weave around net markers very cautiously and slowly as not to get tangled. We finally anchor and as we back up (the only time we used our motor) the prop gets wrapped up in a line. A few minutes later, the owner of another net asks me if I speak Spanish. When I say “poquito” [a little], he tells me our anchor is lodged on a portion of his net. We offer to move but by then he has already cut his net loose from our anchor. We are in a beehive of fishing activity that goes from 4am to lunch time. This afternoon the cove is clear of all but perhaps two of the nets we had to dodge. Probably better to anchor in the afternoon when coming here.

To our starboard

To our port

To our stern

From our vantage point, this looks like a beautiful area. We are staying in the boat for a couple of days relaxing, before exploring the ‘jungle’ beyond.

I like the feel of being slightly disoriented with new sights and smells needing to be discovered and better understood. Finally: something new to experience and learn about.