YOTREPS: YES
TIME: 2009/02/18 23:30
LATITUDE: 15-55.66N
LONGITUDE: 095-17.25W
COURSE: 088T
SPEED: 7.2
MARINE: NO
WIND_SPEED: 5
WIND_DIR: SE
CLOUDS: 15%
VISIBILITY: 20
BARO: 1010.5
AIR_TEMP: 33.3C
COMMENT: Beach House – Beginning T-Pec Crossing, conditions IDEAL..10kts from the South, sea calm
Blog
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POSITION REPORT
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Zarpe from Mexico – Crossing the Gulf of Tehuantepec…..
Dear F&F,
February 18, 2009
Zarpe from Mexico – Day #1 Gulf of TehuantepecLast night we both took sleep meds to make sure we got a full night\’s rest. The dock was very surgy & would have kept waking us up. Most people would not be able to stand up in the cockpit the way the boat was surging around! We woke up refreshed. While I made breakfast, Scott downloaded weather files. Still looks good to go so we were eager to get our exit documents & head out.
Enrique told us to meet him at his office at 9:00 am. We were there at 8:45 & he came shortly after. He looked at the weather info & confirmed that we have a 36 hour starting from right then. This window looks perfect, so we want to get going ASAP. He drove us the short ride to the Port Captain\’s office. We had to show them our last check out papers. Many places have been a bit sloppy about giving us the right paperwork. Enrique suggested we just show them the one from Mazatlan. Dockmaster Elvira did it properly. \”Don\’t confuse them\” by telling them everywhere we have been, was his message.
All was going well. There is a fee of about $20. Our credit cards won\’t work. We have been so frustrated with the overly vigilant fraud departments of Visa & Mastercard. We have no trouble with American Express, but many places will not take it. The office will not accept cash directly. We have to pay at the bank. We give Enrique enough pesos & he runs to the bank to do the fee payment for us. This is a common practice that you must pay with cash at the bank. It helps keep cash out of the office & thus diminishes employees pocketing the money.
Enrique was very fast returning with the receipt that the fee was paid to the bank. Then the signing & stamping began; four copies. Then we walk a short distance to the Immigration office. Everyone knows Enrique & he emphasizes to them that we are trying to leave to cross the Tehuantepec right away.
The Gulf of Tehuantepec is Mexico\’s version of Cape Horn. Everyone that knows of it has a healthy respect & concern for this challenging stretch of the ocean. Enrique had convinced the Port Captain to sign us off which is not the normal protocol. We were supposed to have returned to the Port Captain AFTER checking out with Immigration. The immigration officer raised his eyebrow at the Port Captain making an exception to protocol & decided we must be a special case, so he hurried his paperwork & rubberstamping process too. Even the officials here are very sensitive to boats crossing the Gulf as according to Enrique, \”two boats are lost every year out there\”.
Enrique called on his cell to Customs to please come NOW, that we were trying to leave NOW. We drove back to his office & the Customs Officer literally came running in shortly after we arrived. He whipped out his rubber stamp so fast & started signing all 4 copies furiously. We have never seen such a sense of urgency in Mexico. It was astonishing.
The Customs agent is now racing down the dock with Scott to go in our dinghy to where \”Beach House\” is docked for exit inspection. Enrique chases after them & says in Spanish (translating for us afterwards): You better let me drive you in my truck. If you all go in the dinghy it will flip over & you might have to swim! This is ridiculous of course, but he knows that many Mexicans cannot swim. He further tells the agent, with his assistant, that we are docked very far away & it was not very convenient. The Customs officer then says \”Have a good trip, adios!\” We are done. The onboard inspection was waived! We are truly amazed as it is only 10:20 am. All this took place in just over 1 hour. Normally a 3-5 hour process, minimum. Blessings to all who helped us, especially Enrique who has 500 boats pass through his marina every year. We were nothing special to him. Yet he knows the potential dangers of the crossing if you do not have the right weather. He knew we were wasting precious time with these formalities. He again sobered us with the fact that every year, 2 boats do not survive this crossing.
Zarpe in hand (international exit papers), we slip away from the dock in a serious mood. We are not just \”on watch\”. We are on \”high alert\”. I am happy to report that so far we are having a calm & comfortable trip. The wind is from the south (the good direction, it\’s the northers that can cause trouble), we have the main up & are motoring at about 7 knots. We decide at dark it is prudent to take in \”a reef\” (shorten sail). We had been going over 7 knots from 11 am to 5 pm. Then we just slowed down after we took in the reef. We backed down 3 separate times to see if something might have got caught on us below, slowing us down with drag. But we saw nothing float off & our speed did not improve. Then Scott noticed that our Speed was actually still 7 knots, but that our Speed Over the Ground (SOG) was only 5.8 to 6 knots. This is an indication of current against us. At least there is an explanation. We have plenty of fuel & can only go as fast as we can go given the conditions. It is so calm that we shake out the reef (put the full main sail back up).
Dinner was broccoli & pasta with meat sauce. I\’ve boiled eggs for tomorrow\’s lunch. There is no moon, but plenty of stars. No other ships of concern seen by eye or AIS gizmo. Which seems to be working just fine now, thank goodness. If you wonder how I can write when I am on watch, this is how: I have my wrist watch set on a 10 minute recurring timer. When it beeps I go outside scan the horizon for lights – see any other ships? Check our heading – still on course? Check the wind strength & direction – any changes? If so, I may need to trim the mainsail. Check our SOG – are we slowing down or speeding up? Check AIS gizmo to see if IT sees any ships that I cannot yet see with my eyes.
I am trying to keep myself in the present & not let the stories & subsequent fear creep in. We have been so lucky with good conditions everywhere so far. Knock wood. And for all the boats that make this passage every year, the vast majority have a fine experience. We are entering the crux of it tonight. By sun up tomorrow I believe the potentially treacherous part will be behind us. We need to get east (yes, we are heading due EAST) of the 94th meridian of longitude. Tomorrow\’s report I hope to write that we got through it easy & not too breezy. We will still have 2 full days & nights to go to our destination of Bahia del Sol, El Salvador. But as the gulf bends south we expect to have more guaranteed good wind direction & may actually get to sail.
Scott & Cindy
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Huatulco and preparing for the Gulf of Tehuantepec…..
Dear F&F,
February 17, 2009Our passage went fine. We enjoyed turtles, dolphins & schooling bait fish all the way down the coast. When Scott was on watch he had to slam the boat in reverse to avoid driving over a fishing lines strung out along several (hard to see from a distance) bleach bottles used as floats. Fortunately the panga managing the fishing gear frantically waved his arms & got Scott\’s attention that danger was ahead. Oy veh. Disaster averted. This happened 3 more times, but at least he was on his toes looking out for them.
Marina Chahue is a bit of a disappointment. We did not expect Ixtapa or Barra de Navidad. But we did expect perhaps a small Mazatlan. Enrique the dock master had been very responsive by email & we thought we had a reservation. Well…a reservation is not always a reservation! Especially when the place only has 5 spots where we could fit that have power & water. Enrique had no openings available at those 5. These are the main reasons to stay at a dock: in order to get good sleep, have power & water and accessibility to shopping and other services. It is a small place without many bigger boat slips. So we are way out by the entrance which has no power, no water & is VERY surgy. We made our own water on the way here, although Scott always likes to hose the salt off the boat when he has hose access. Oh well. We ran the generator to make our own power to run the air conditioner as it was over 90 inside & out & quite humid. We are still having an intermittent funky cut out with the AC when it is run by the generator IN OUR CABIN. On shore power no problem. Scott will research this more… So limited air conditioning tonight & it is staying hotter at night as we keep heading south.
This dock is right up there with Dock A at Paradise Village & El Cid Marina in Mazatlan for the surgy factor. We tied our lines every which way to get her to hold still but \”Beach House\” is dancing with the incoming swell. Oh well.
The GOOD NEWS is there is a weather window to leave tomorrow for El Salvador! So we will go to the office at 9:00 am. The dock master will drive us to the port captain to complete paperwork. Then immigration, more paperwork. Then customs will come out to our boat to make sure we are not stealing any national treasures. That we are indeed who we say we are. And then they will give us a \”Zarpe\” which is a document needed to leave a country. A much bigger deal than the normal check out procedure. Hopefully it will not take longer than noon.
The other good news is that we already tanked up on diesel. This was the procedure: we tied up to the \”fuel dock\” (think cement wall). The harbor master takes your credit card & whatever fuel jugs you have & drives to the gas station in town. He returned about 30 mins later with our jugs full plus 60 gallons in a barrel in the back of his truck. Their siphon hose reaches the tank opening of our boat nearest the cement wall. But not the other side. So we have to transfer fuel from the barrel into the jugs, from the jugs into our starboard tank. And repeat. Hot messy job, but we had 3 guys helping & got it done.
The other good news is that the DHL package I shipped here from LA was waiting for us & in good condition, so we can install our new bug screens in the 2 forward cabins when we get a chance. I also now have my new 6.5 mm custom wetsuit (which I threw in the box as padding).
We talked to a couple of other boaters here. People often leave their boats & take a bus to visit Oaxaca which is supposed to be lovely. We are not interested in land touring right now. It is hot & humid. Although Oaxaca is at 4000 feet so they said much cooler. If we were going to have taken the time to do another land tour it would have been to Morelia to see the Monarch butterfly migration. And that would have been best done from Ixtapa. But that was a 5 day venture & we are feeling the need to keep moving.
So we will head out as soon as they let us leave with our Zarpe document in hand tomorrow Feb 18. If all goes as planned 3 days & 3 nights later we should be in Bahia del Sol, El Salvador. We will not stop with the boat in Guatemala. We will visit that by land with Carmina. We hope she will arrive about March 4. That will give us a week or 10 days to do a few projects, clean up, get the boat \”guest ready\” & also getting the boat prepared to be left alone. We have been told we absolutely will have power & water at the dock in El Salvador. You never really know until you get there. So right after one day/night/half day run. We get just 1 night sleep together, then head out on this 3 day/night passage that is well known amongst sailors. The Gulf of Tehuantepec. We are hoping for calm conditions & don\’t mind if we even have to motor the whole time. It can have wicked wind & waves, but the forecast is good for the next couple of days so we are going to go for it. Right after this \”weather window\” it is supposed to blow 30-35 knots out of the north with a wicked short chop.
Enrique told us that on average, two boats a year are lost in the Gulf of Tehuantepec. None so far this year�.and we don\’t plan on being the first!My Captain is very tired & having some pre-passage anxiety, so went to bed at 8:30 pm. I will follow soon as it is 9:30 pm & need all the rest I can get. It feels a bit like the night before running a marathon or something. I did my carbo loading already. We just don\’t get to know exactly what the course will be like until we get out there.
So very soon it is ADIOS MEXICO! We are glad we stayed our first year but now are (really) ready to move on.
Scott & Cindy
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POSITION REPORT
YOTREPS: YES
TIME: 2009/02/17 21:45
LATITUDE: 15-45.74N
LONGITUDE: 096-07.22W
MARINE: NO
WIND_SPEED: 5
WIND_DIR: E
CLOUDS: 10%
VISIBILITY: 20
BARO: 1011
AIR_TEMP: 33.3C
COMMENT: Beach House – Docked – Marina Chahue, Huatulco, waiting for Wx Window T-Pec -
POSITION REPORT
YOTREPS: YES
TIME: 2009/02/17 13:41
LATITUDE: 15-37.61N
LONGITUDE: 096-38.78W
COURSE: 080T
SPEED: 6.9
MARINE: YES
WIND_SPEED: 5
WIND_DIR: E
WAVE_HT: 0.3M
WAVE_PER: 8
SWELL_DIR: NNW
SWELL_HT: 0.6M
SWELL_PER: 8
CLOUDS: 0%
VISIBILITY: 20
BARO: 1013.5
AIR_TEMP: 25.0C
SEA_TEMP: 26.7C
COMMENT: Beach House – En Route – Marina Chahue, Huatulco -
Acapulco…..
Dear F&F,
Valentine\’s Day – February 16, 2009We have been happily surprised by our experience here. Just goes to show you that you can\’t believe everything you hear. On the radio networks there had been some negative rap about Acapulco: theft, unfriendly to cruisers, have to make an appointment to get fuel, etc etc.
As we approached the coast to enter the large bay, we were struck by the beauty of the place. More Mediterannean/European than any other place along the Mexican coast. Sheer cliffs, rather than beaches, give it a dramatic appearance with many homes & hotels built right into the cliffs & hills. Sort of like a tropical Sausalito Bay. We hailed the Acapulco Yacht Club inquiring if we could obtain a mooring. We were instructed to go to the fuel dock which is the best way to reach the club office. The guys working the fuel dock were as friendly & helpful as everywhere we\’ve been. When we tentatively asked if it was possible to get diesel now, they said \”but of course!\” So one rumor dispelled – no appointment needed to get fuel. I did my usual calculations of gallons to liters in order to know how much we could take. While I handled the diesel duty, Scott scampered up to the Yacht Club office to see about a mooring. This is the first place that our California Yacht Club membership has mattered. They offer reciprocal privileges to members of only 40 clubs internationally & California Yacht Club is one of them. So we got 1 night at the mooring free. The 2nd night is more than we\’ve paid at a lot of docks, but getting 2 nights for the price of one made it quite reasonable.
The bay is breezy which helps keep it comfortable & bug free. It is about 3 1/2 miles wide & 2 1/2 miles deep so a huge area. There are some docks but not any more fancy expensive power boats than we\’ve seen anywhere. Another false rumor: \”They only let you stay if you have a helicopter on your boat.\” There are plenty of \”average\” boats at the docks & on the moorings. We had to use our own lines to tie off to the mooring ball. Scott did the knot tying duty from the dinghy while I drove the big boat into position. Good teamwork had us secured to the float in no time. We\’d arrived!
Since we had such an early morning & long travel day, we stayed onboard & enjoyed the sunset. I heated chicken taquitos served with salsa, guacamole & sour cream. In honor of Valentines we enjoyed the DVD Don Juan de Marco. Ahh Johnny Depp….a really terrific movie!
We woke up to see a Royal Caribbean cruise ship docked across the way. This place is large enough that the ship does not overwhelm the bay. And its load of people can easily be absorbed by this larger city.
Since all my bananas were ripe, I made banana pancakes with walnuts. Froze enough for 2 future quick & yummy breakfasts. It is a 5 minute dinghy ride to the club dinghy dock. A dry landing – my favorite. We asked a member at the club what he recommended we see, having just 1 day to explore Acapulco. He said take a 10 min cab ride to see the cliff divers, they would be jumping soon. So we did. They are famous. Scott had seen them on TV as a kid. His parents had come here on vacation (without him) in the early 70s so he had fond imagery of them strolling along the same places we were today. Quite a crowd gathered. There was a bit of a \”pre-show\” with muscular tan teenage boys scampering up the rocks & jumping off various lower ledges. The main show was 6 divers. Two went as singles & 2 went as duets. I feel badly for their mothers, they must be sick with worry every day! The highest point they jump from is a bit OVER a 100 feet. The cliff is not straight down, so they must be sure to jump out far enough to land in the water, not on the rocks at the base of the cliff. Also it is a very narrow cut. So, we the audience, are just opposite them & can clearly see them & the small slit of sea that they aim for. Crazy if you ask me, but it is a part of the history here. By charging to go on the observation deck, selling sodas & postcards, and tips for the divers afterwards it is its own small industry. They only do 1 daytime show, the other 3 are evening so we luckily timed it just right.
The second thing we were advised to do was have lunch at the Flamingo Hotel, where the actor Johnny Weismuller that played Tarzan lived out his days after he retired. They had many photos of the \”Hollywood Gang\” that came to this Acapulco hang out: Erroll Flynn, John Wayne, others I can\’t remember now. The ocean view from the cliff side palapa restaurant was spectacular. The enchiladas better than average & the prices reasonable.
With our bellies full, we took a siesta when we returned to \”Beach House\”. While away, we had locked the main door & all the large hatches & were happy to find all was well aboard. No evidence of theft. We went back to the dinghy dock at 5:00 pm for a pre-dinner swim. We had the large & lovely club pool to ourselves. The main clubhouse was actually closed today. But they keep the palapa bar open every day. I had not been in the water since our last dive at Socorro & it felt really good to work my swimming muscles. Scott joined in a dip & sipped a pina colada. The bit of exercise & cooling pool water should help us sleep well tonight. Last night there was music & noise from shore side parties until 1:00 am. But tonight is Sunday so we hope it will be quieter.
The lights dotting the hillsides surrounding the bay are beautiful. We have really enjoyed our short stop here. We had no particular expectations other than perhaps a faded glory. She is a thriving town. The cruise ships definitely help the local economy & this seems a perfectly appropriate place for them to stop. The south east side of the bay looks like Miami Beach of the 1960\’s and it was a bit eerie to realize that these old high rise hotels stood mostly empty.
We will be up early for a day/night/half day run down to Puerto Angel. Nowhere to really stop in between. Then on to Huatulco. We are really covering some distance now.
Scott & Cindy
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Acapulco to Huatulco Passage…..
Dear F&F,
February 16, 2009We slipped our lines from the mooring ball pre dawn, enjoying the lights of Acapulco as we motored away from the bay. It was a calm & comfortable ride all morning. No wind, so motoring along. While Scott took the first watch I cut up my 3 colors of peppers that were starting to wrinkle & put them in the fridge. This inspired the idea to make hummus. Unfortunately I was missing a key ingredient: tahini. But I took a can of garbanzos & dug out my food processor to blend them with garlic, lemon juice & zahatar (spice from Israel). It didn\’t have the creamy texture hummus is supposed to have. Probably the tahini helps with that. But we both enjoyed it as a fresh mid morning snack.
Scott heard on the morning net that the Navy at Puerto Angel can be somewhat difficult. They may bring a dog onboard to sniff out drugs. They may insist on taking your documents until you leave the next day, etc. It was one thing to go to Acapulco despite bad rumors & have our own experience. But there is no real appeal to Puerto Angel to warrant taking the risk of a hassle with the Mexican Navy keeping our documents in their office overnight. So this run is all the way to Huatulco about 230 miles.
We saw many turtles bobbing along, their shells shiny in the sunlight. And one spectaular but brief display by a large humpback whale in the distance. I also believe I saw 2 sharks, or perhaps 1 manta ray & 1 shark. You never know what you are going to see out here. I was a bit less excited to see a large tanker on the horizon that did not show up on our ship spotting AIS gizmo. We don\’t know why it isn\’t working. But now that it is dark, I am going outside every 5 minutes to scan the horizon for lights. So far only a few shore lights. We are about 5 miles off the land.
The wind came up enough by 1:30 pm & from a good angle to fly the spinnaker. It is our largest most colorful sail for downwind conditions. Yes, finally the wind & sea are at our back! It was terrific to be sailing again. Give the engines a rest. It is better for me to have more frequent sailing practice. It is not yet ingrained enough that I forget some procedures if it has been a long time. Scott is ever the patient & informative teacher. The wind held for 4 hours. We knew it would lessen with sundown so took it down before it got too dark. Since I am on watch it is more of a no brainer to motor than sail. We have kept the main up because it gives us some push. I just had to jibe it from port to starboard as the day sea breeze is overtaken by the night land breeze.
No moon yet & many many stars. Wonderful. It is still 81 degrees at 8:30 pm. It was almost too hot to nap when I was off watch during the day, 95 in our cabin. But it felt good to stretch out anyway. I am reading Mark Twain\’s \”Following the Equator\”. I don\’t love his style but feel it is a classic that is appropriate to read at this time so am sticking with it. He really rambles telling his tales. I know I read Huckleberry Finn as a kid & enjoyed it. But this is a much bigger book. Fine to pass the time. I switch to a book by Thich Nhat Hanh (Buddhist monk) when I want more substance. Mainly I am just so happy I feel well enough to read at sea!
I got a red bump where my last scopalamine patch was. I had noticed it itching but didn\’t pay much attention to it. I hope I am not developing an allergy to it. I put a fresh one on last night behind the other ear. It works so well for me, I have to find out if you can vary where on your body you stick it.
Scott has kept himself entertained off watch with Stargate Atlantis. Although I enjoyed the SG-1 series with him (all 10 seasons!) I elected not to participate in either the Atlantis or Battlestar Galactica series. I really prefer reading & have a lot of interesting books onboard.
I think at the rate we are going we will easily arrive in Huatulco before dark tomorrow, Tuesday.
Scott & Cindy
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POSITION REPORT
YOTREPS: YES
TIME: 2009/02/14 23:04
LATITUDE: 16-50.39N
LONGITUDE: 099-54.15W
MARINE: NO
WIND_SPEED: 13
WIND_DIR: W
CLOUDS: 0%
VISIBILITY: 20
BARO: 1009.1
AIR_TEMP: 30.0C
COMMENT: Beach House – MOORED – Acapulco Yacht Club -
Papanoa…..
Dear F&F,
February 13, 2009We were underway by 7:30 am & anchored by 1:00 pm. I slept pretty well last night & feel MUCH better today thank goodness. Z anchorage looked very pretty at night with all the lights of the buildings. And this morning at dawn with the big ship gone it was quite lovely as we left.
Papanoa is just a little bump in an otherwise straight coastline which runs southeast. There are 2 other monohull sailboats anchored here & we are all heading to Acapulco before dawn tomorrow. One couple has a 2 1/2 year old onboard. She was quite well behaved sitting in their dinghy bouncing besides as Scott talked to the parents. I was hot standing back in the shade of our cockpit. The little girl had a life preserver on & was in the full sun. Yikes! We are so glad to not be burdened with either children or pets onboard. They are heading through Panama Canal to the Caribbean & East Coast on a 3 yr plan. Then back to Seattle to put her in school. Have not met the other boat couple yet.
I took a nap, which was great because I can almost never fall asleep during the day. Unless we are on watches, then I know it is my job to get sleep & it seems like my brain has an easier time shutting down. I am still not 100%. I think I need to just expect it to take me 3-4 days to get my \”sea head\”. We are not feeling compelled to go ashore in this heat (88 degrees & 65% humidity). Fortunately it does cool down at least 15 degrees at night. It seems to be primarily a fishing village here.
There are mixed reviews on Acapulco. Reports of theft & general yuckiness. Scott is kicking himself for not thinking ahead & topping off our diesel cans so we would not need to stop for fuel there. We may get to sail some tomorrow afternoon if the wind picks up. We hate to skip it since we are going by. May be a \”safety in numbers\” thing, with the other 2 boats going there too. There is an anchorage just past it that many cruisers go to instead. But we will probably go & see if we can get a mooring for 1 night. It seems they don\’t ever have docks available. And the docks are med-mooring style (walk off the back). We will see what the story is when we get there. There is a fuel surcharge. Many of the yachties are super cheap & get offended by that sort of thing. We just figure it is part of the cost of traveling.
After Acapulco it will be all day/night run to Puerto Escondido. Escondido to Huatulco a long day. Then we wait for the weather to cross the Gulf of Tehuantepec. This is the narrowest stretch of land in Mexico between the Caribbean & the Pacific. The Gulf of Tehuantepec is LEGENDARY for what are affectionately known as \”Tehuantepeckers\”; winds that can blow your socks off if you go at the wrong time. It will be a 3 day/night trip for us. And we hope to time it when it is NOT exciting. Tis crossing may be a motorboat ride the whole way which is fine with us.
Scott & Cindy
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POSITION REPORT
YOTREPS: YES
TIME: 2009/02/13 19:27
LATITUDE: 17-16.59N
LONGITUDE: 101-03.49W
MARINE: NO
WIND_SPEED: 5
WIND_DIR: SSW
CLOUDS: 10%
VISIBILITY: 20
BARO: 1013.9
AIR_TEMP: 31.7C
COMMENT: Beach House – ANCHORED – Papanoa (Acapulco tomorrow)