Deja-Vu. Sweating it out in Guaymas at Gabriel's yard.

20:30, 18 Nov 2014,  On the hard, Gabriel’s yard, Marina Seca, Guaymas

Well, I have procrastinated long enough. We have been here for 10 days, to the same yard we were in Fall of 2009. This time we are living just beside Gosling in our Casita trailer, that we towed from Canada and have been working doggedly getting Gosling ready for another season. Progress is slow but steady and we hope to be in the water in a week or two or three....

Interesting sign in Nevada. Didn't stop to taste 'samples'

After a lovely month with friends just outside of Kelowna we bade goodbye to them and our faithful pooch, Rosie, for another winter. Don’t know if she will be thanking us as it is freezing there now but the sweltering temperatures here would not have been comfortable for her in her winter coat. We took a long torturous route through Idaho, Nevada, California, Arizona and finally, Mexico. It was a new drive for us and the scenery was superb. We stayed with good friends in Coeur D’Alene and visited more in Palm Springs and Sierra Vista where we had Thanksgiving dinner with Bill and Linda (Tanque de Tiburon) and Ellen and Ian (Kasasa) before finally making the border crossing at Nogales. The stress of the trip evaporated once we had crossed the border checkpoint. Although we got the “red light of death” (inspection required light) our search was just a cursory one and we were on our way within 10 minutes. A more formal search would have been expensive! We spent the night in San Carlos and arrived in Guaymas about noon. Compo Juan’s seafood stand was open so we had our first feed of seafood. It is Shrimp season in Guaymas, the shrimp capital of the world. Check out the ones we bought last weekend in Empalme. These giants are called “Cowboys” (no idea why). 3-4 make a full meal.

 

Thanksgiving at Bill and Linda's

 

Cowboys

Having the Casita to stay in makes for a more comfortable arrangement while we work on the boat. We have been doing some refinishing in the V-berth so the entire contents of that space is strewn throughout the remainder of the boat and mainly in the aft cabin. Today we had an electrician installing a new inverter-charger so the contents of that space is piled up in the cockpit. Tomorrow he will be installing the new wind system so the contents of the salon will have to be moved to….wherever. Good thing the painting in the V-berth is done and that the upper deck is dry with no chance of rain. This would not have been the case back in Panama.

 

The cruisers are arriving back to their boats in droves. Just in the last few days there have been about 10 arrivals. The yard is getting busy as are the tradesmen. Omar has finished our engine repairs (injector pump and injector service) and Francisco has begun the paint touch-ups but he has so many other jobs on the go that it will be a chore to get him to finish by our deadline. Once the electrician is done we will be able to re-arrange the boat to a more habitable state and get on with the real work of getting her ready. There are sooo many things to do…. Nothing new, there always are at this stage.

Fran has set up our huge outdoor carpet with the folding chairs and table just behind the Casita. It seems to be the focal point for evening cocktails (OK, a beer and chips) and we have already had a Friday night get together. Our friends Ian and Ellen (Kasasa) are just a few boats away.

Fran on the patio

A few days ago Ellen pointed out a chrysalis suspended on one of their boat stands. It was later identified as a monarch butterfly chrysalis and after a few days were fortunate enough to see the butterfly emerge. What a treat!

Notice the gold lattice on the seam

3 days later

Later the same morning. We missed the "Launching"

We have had our share of grief these past few months. 2 very good cruising friends have passed away over the summer. Bill (Optical Illusion) died just a few weeks after their boat was delivered to Victoria from Panama and Don (Prairie Seashell) passed away in Calgary just a few months after putting the boat in storage here in the yard. Lynne has just left here after spending a few days to get the boat ready for sale. It was sad to see her go leaving the boat that Don had built in the back yard over a 12-year period and where they has spent so many happy times.

 

 

21:00 Next evening

Another long frustrating day. Salvator completed the Inverter-Charger setup and it is working great, however, the installation of the wind instruments has hit a snag. Drawing the wire down the inside of the mast has proven impossible and, while at the masthead, Salvator found that the VHF antenna is on its last legs. Looks like the lightning strike in panama had another victim. Good thing we had disconnected the radio from that antenna. Our hopes for a fast turnaround are now dashed as we have to face the onerous task of removing the mast to make effective repairs. Certainly hope the insurance company still answers the phone when we call next.

New Inverter-Charger

Salvador was up and own the mast like a yoyo that day.

After Salvator finished his work in the stbd lazarette we had the opportunity, while it was empty, to paint it in a nice “battleship grey” like the storage locker under the vee berth. Funny how things you have always wanted to do to your boat always get done when she goes up for sale. With all the improvements Gosling is getting, whoever buys her will get a boat ready to sail away. It is amazing how many people looking for boats just look at the “bargain junkers”, and believe me, there are many in every yard. They sell cheap but the great majority will need tens of thousands of dollars in repairs, upgrades and so much TLC that the purchasers can’t expect to sail away for months if not years. Another thing few realize is that most replacement marine products are difficult, if not impossible, to get in Mexico. Most suppliers are in the US and do not ship to Mexico for fear of lost shipments, a genuine and justified phobia. Many cruisers use border mail drop offs or shipping companies and drive the 5 hours to Nogales to pick up their stuff. Then they face the border officials and a considerable duty, not to mention another 5 hour drive.

23 November 2014, same location

Work continues, albeit slower than expected. J-G has been afflicted with another bout of prostatitis. He seems to get them twice a year and always at the wrong time. His last one was a few days before departing Panama on our way north last January. Although he managed to make it through a swap meet we had organized for Saturday morning he was wiped for the afternoon and evening. After having so many of these, the sequence of events is quite predictable. For the next few days, mornings are OK but afternoon naps are a must. Hopefully he’ll be better on Wednesday when the mast will be removed. Before then he will have to make 3 saw horses to lay the mast on while it is being serviced. Today he managed to land the dinghy, prepare the mast for Wednesday and started the servicing of the outboard. Then he crashed!

Enough. Gotta post this tonight.

 

 

 

2013-14 Finale. it was a great season.

What a week! The final preparations for storing the boat always are a very busy time when trying to fit in so many various facets of cleaning, storing, repairs, deciding what has to come back with you, finding others with vehicles that can take heavy of bulky items back, socializing with friends who you won't see for another 6 months or more and trying to keep some level of sanity without biting your partner's head off. The stress gets worse as the final departure date looms. In the past, when we drove back and forth, it wasn't an issue. You could delay a day or two, but these last 3 seasons we have not had that luxury and we are bound by the flight schedules made all those weeks ago when the cheap fares were available. Fran, our personal travel agent, takes care of all arrangements finding cheap flights, hotels and bus transport online.

The last blog entry had us just departing from Topolobampo with Adagio, after a short stay to avoid a windy passage.

Shrimper with pelican rigging

 

Topolobampo approaches with Adagio and tanker

We sailed our last day and night in flat calm seas with very little wind with the Iron Spinnaker continuing to serve us well. We arrived in Guaymas mid-day and took up a familiar spot at the Fonatur marina dock alongside a number of other boats who were also getting ready to haul out at Gabriel's yard. Gabriel does not have any docks so it was fortuitous that Fonatur has recently reduced their slip rates, however, they have yet to follow suit with their yard rates. Looks like there will be very few boats there again this year. Forbes and Cameron have been there for months completing a major refit but now they are very concerned about the rumors of new policies coming from Fonatur HQ in Mexico City. There is talk that all boatwork will be forbidding in the yard. With rates almost 3 times that of Gabriel's they are not endearing themselves to the cruising public.


Our 3 days at the dock were spent removing and washing all of the running rigging and sails, folding them on the docks and stowing them below. The process requires lots of fresh water, laundry soap, fabric softener, nice clean and wide docks and lots of elbow grease. This would be near impossible at Gabriel's yard where there are no docks and lots of dirt and sand. (Yes, you get what you pay for but at $124/mo we'll take it) While there, Joel and Chris on 40-Love arrived. They had a vehicle and their offers of assistance greatly facilitated logistics. In fact, they gave us a ride to the bus station last night.

 

Osprey and catch at Fonatur

 

 

Guaymas Sunset

We also saw Omar, our favorite mechanic. Within a few minutes he had diagnosed a leaky injector pump as the most likely culprit of our increased fuel consumption since Panama. He will repair that and tune up the motor when we return in the fall.

On the afternoon of the 26th we motored our last 2 miles to Gabriel's haul out slip. The following morning Gosling was lifted and transported a few hundred yards to her summer digs in the new recently completed new yard. With the lowest rates of all the local facilities Gabriel is capitalizing on the haul out and boat storage business. His original yard is near full already and his new yard should be well populated by late spring.

 



 

In the "ditch" ready to be lifted

 

 

Gosling's home for the next 6 months

 

These last 3 days have been a blur of frenzied cleaning, stowing, rearranging, talking to Francisco about paint touch-ups and to Marisa, a local sales agent who will be co-brokering with Kings Easton in the UK and acting as an on-site listing agent for us. We have also been discussing our electronic and electrical problems with Allan Smith, a local surveyor and our link with our insurance agent (and Marisa’s partner).

Capt Jack surfaced as we were cleaning. He had been lost for the last 4 weeks...



Also in the yard were Kathy and Hal (Airborne). They have been there all season so far and hope to splash and get a few months afloat before returning home to Vancouver.

So, now, bussing it just past Tuscon, all of that is behind us and our trip from Panama is just a memory. Our final totals for this season are 2920 miles traveled with just over 500 hours on the engine. In the six weeks it took us to travel from Panama we travelled 2620 of those miles. Unless we decide to take Gosling back to Canada sometime in the future this will most likely be our biggest season.

Tomorrow we will arrive in Kelowna where we will stay at Jacquie and Von's and horse sit while they traipse off to a well deserved holiday to Hawaii and we will be making amends to Rosie for abandoning her for the past 6 months. I have a feeling she'll be very upset when we take her home in a few more weeks. She has been enjoying herself way too much on the farm.

Location:On the Tufesa, Executive bus between Nogales and Tuscon

Boogying up the coast, PV, Mazatlan, Topo

04:00, Saturday, 15 Mar 2014.  At Sea between Puerto Vallarta and Mazatlan

A cup of coffee, a clear, moonlit night, a gentle westerly swell, no wind, no contacts, the thrum of 85 horses and a functioning auto-pilot; what more could a sailor ask for? Well, OK. A nice 15 kt breeze on the beam and no engine sound would be nice. We are 60 miles south of Mazatlan and, if conditions do not change, we will arrive by early afternoon. At sunset yesterday afternoon we saw the best and brightest green flash we have ever seen as the sun set between the two southern islands on the Tres Marias group. The western sky was unusually clear, so clear that we could see the tops of clouds below the horizon. As the last of the sun’s orb disappeared below the horizon that last bit turned abright green and lasted for a few seconds. We’ve tried to capture it on the camera but have never succeeded.

We arrived at La Cruz after a pleasant overnight motorboat ride from Tenecatita. We had left in late morning in calm conditions but the diurnal wind blew up shortly after we left the bay and we were beset by 12-15 kt headwinds all day and into the evening. By 22:00 the wind had died down and, by the time we rounded Cabo Corrientes, the seas had calmed down considerably. We arrived at La Cruz almost 24 hours after departing Tenecatita. We were touched by the welcome we got from old friends when we arrived. Moshulu and Hotspur were there getting ready for the Puddlejump to the Marquesas and beyond, Cuba Libre, Lunautica and several others, we had not seen in years, came down to welcome us back and in the next berth was Kyalami, good friends of Ken and Carole. Varuna (Ann & Mitch) was also there. Last time we had seen them was in Panama. 

It was another quick and busy stop but we accomplished much. We are back in the major cruising ports now and that means that technical expertise to handle some of our problems is easier to obtain. A call on the morning net about our autopilot resulted in our obtaining a rebuilt autopilot motor (from Fran’s chiropractor, no less) and, Pieter, a technician who diagnosed and replaced a faulty rudder feedback module. Until we left the marina we were still unsure that we had solved the problem but, a few miles out we were relieved to see “Otto” steering by himself. We also replaced the dinghy we had purchased for $250 in Shelter Bay. It was beginning to show signs of “old dinghy syndrome” with leaks that were increasingly difficult to find and the poxy look of many 3M 5200 repairs. Another cruiser (Overheated) sold us a 5 year old aluminum bottom Aquapro inflatable in near-mint condition for less than half the price of a new one, with wheels! Needless to say, the bank account took another hit but this time we achieved positive results and we have something to show for it. 

The spare time we had was spent provisioning and catching up with friends after our 2-year absence. One evening we went to Philos bar and listened to a new band featuring a very talented musician from Nanaimo, George (Geo) Ulrich. 

We left Marina La Cruz shortly after 10:00 yesterday, taking advantage of a weather window before strong northerlies begin to set in on Sunday. It was a bittersweet departure. We bid farewell to Ken and Carole after a great 20-day run. They stayed the night with Kyalami and are flying out today for Vancouver.

 

New cardinal buoy off Punta Mita



We will, undoubtedly meet several other old sailing buddies in Mazatlan but it will, again be a short stop while we wait for another reprieve from the prevailing northerlies to make our last leg to Guaymas. One “must do” in Mazatlan will be a meal at our favourite rib place, Fat Fish.

 

09:00, 18 March 2014, At Sea, enroute to Guaymas

Already Mazatlan is a memory. It was a short visit forced on us by an unexpected lull in the weather for the next few days, an ideal time to head north. We are bout 12 miles out of Mazatlan with a following wind and we are heading into a 3 ft swell on the port quarter but it really is a comfortable ride so far. We are motor sailing with main and genoa and flying along at a respectable 7 – 7.5 kts. The forecast is for the wind to shift to the south and remain light for the next few days then pick up for a day or so before returning light. By my calculations it will take us about 60 hours to get to Guaymas. If we can get past Topolobampo before the wind picks up and shifts to a northerly we should be able to make the last leg to Guaymas in good time. If not, or if the weather changes early, we always have Topolobampo to tuck into until conditions improve. We are sailing in company with Adagio, a Portland, OR boat, which we met in Tenecatita in 2011.  

We arrived in Mazatlan by late afternoon in the 15^th. It had been a bouncy passage up the coast with NW winds and a half to one kt. current against us the entire way. We passed by Isla Isabella during the night and had an uneventful passage until the following morning when I noticed that we were travelling much slower than expected. A quick glance astern revealed that we were towing a longline and a few Pepsi bottle floats. The line I had installed between the keel and the rudder post had done its job and had kept the line from fouling the prop but the fitting on the rudder post had caught it. After a bit of surgery, done from the deck, we were off again. Unfortunately, one of the local fishermen is going to be pissed but, too bad, so sad! You should have weighed down the line and marked it better!! 

We entered the El Cid marina in late afternoon and were welcomed by Lin and Debbie (Dolphin Tales) and Ron (Calliope). We finally re-connected with our old friends Gil and Lexie (Sunday) who we had met in Magdalena Bay on our way to Mexico in 2008. The last time we had seen them was in Golfito last year with us heading south and them heading north. Not long after that meeting they were dismasted off Nicaragua and we finally heard the sordid details of their adventure. It was, again, too short a visit but we did accomplish our main aim: going to Fat Fish for their famous ribs. Unfortunately Fran was under the weather with a head cold, so Gil. Lexie and I went and brought back takeout ribs for Fran to enjoy later. Who can beat a 2 for 1 rib dinner with a rack as big as the plate, baked potato and 2 salads for about $15?

.

08:00 Thursday, 20 March 2014, Alongside Marina Palmyra, Topolobampo 

We diverted here yesterday afternoon to wait out some northerly winds that would have given us 15-20 kts on the nose for the following 30 hours. Looks like another calm period starting Friday AM so we’ll have a nice overnighter for our last passage to Guaymas. Last time we were here was our ill-fated Christmas in 2011 when we had to take shelter here because of a gale. We missed Christmas with everyone in Mazatlan that year but got to Tenecatita for New Years. Not much has changed here since then except for the sand bars. We found one on our way in….

 

It was an uneventful passage from Mazatlan. We left a day earlier than expected when we learned that the weather window had moved up a day. Fran was feeling better so off we went in company with Adagio, a boat we had met in Tenecatita in 2011.  We knew there would be a change in the weather coming up but had no way of determining when. Geary’s forecast on SSB didn’t come through and we were out of Telcel internet range until we were half way up the channel to Topo. We confirmed the wind event and decided to wait it out. So, here we are, in a backwater marina, whiling away the hours doing a few preps for storage. This afternoon’s agenda is refilling all of the deck jugs with diesel at the station just down the street where we will pay normal prices for fuel rather than the inflated marina prices and later we’ll go out for dins with our “re-found” friends, Jeff and Jane (Adagio).

 

The temperature has dropped considerably since Panama. We are now wearing clothes!! The sea temp is pushing 70-75 and the ait temp is about the same. We need duvets at night to be comfortable where 2 months ago we were using ice packs to keep cool. Thank God it is warming up nicely in BC and that we don't have to go to Eastern Canada. They are (not) enjoying the coldest winter in 35 years and there is no end to it in the forecast.

 



Zihuatanejo to Tenecatita

17:30, Saturday, 1 March 2014 at anchor Maruata Bay

Zihuatanejo is come and gone already and we are more than half-way to Manzanillo. We have Ken and Carole (Nauti Moments) aboard for the next week or so while we do the fun stretch between Manzanillo and Puerto Vallarta.

We arrived at Marina Ixtapa early Tuesday morning. As we passed by the waterfront we got a call from Ken on his portable VHF radio saying that he could see us passing by their hotel. How cool!! After arriving at the marina, fuelling and a short nap Ken and Carole arrived settled in and helped us clean the old girl. The next morning, a more presentable Gosling sailed to the anchorage at Zihuatanejo Bay, anchoring within hailing distance from Freedom Kirkland but we went unnoticed. About an hour later Kirk and Charlene arrived from town by dinghy. He is a busy boy working hard on the organization of the week-long guitar fest that was starting on Sunday and they were expecting guests to arrive that night.

We spent a very short 2 days, visiting some of our old haunts, shopping and were able to pass on some of our experiences to a group of other cruisers headed south. Saucy lady was also there and we had a quick visit with Roy and Winnona. It would have been nice to stay a few more days and take in some of the guitar fest events but we wanted to spend our time with Ken and Carole while enjoying the anchorages further up the coast.

We left Zihuatanejo yesterday in light winds and calm seas headed north. We decided to split up the 190 mile trip by stopping here in Maruata for a half-day. This picturesque cove is ignored by most cruisers and it is certainly quiet today. We dinghied into the only protected landing of the beach at the same time that a huge school of bait fish being chased by a large contingent of Jack Crevalle. As all this was happening there were several fishermen tossing nets, young kids throwing fishing lines and the water around us was boiling with activity. There were small fish everywhere, many jumping into the dinghy. We backed off until the activity subsided then landed quickly before the next wave of baitfish came in.

This cove is an important sea turtle nesting ground and there were several traces of female turtles tracking up the beach towards the protected and fenced off hatching compounds on the beach, lending credibility to the claims that turtles return to the locations where they hatched to lay their eggs. After a walk up the beach we had lunch at the only open beach restaurant. They had a large child’s swimming pool set up with several tiny turtle hatchlings that they were keeping for 2 weeks before releasing them to give them a better chance of survival.

Turtle hatchling

2215, Tuesday, 5 March 2014 Alongside Marina Grand Bay, Barra de Navidad

We are in luxury! The marina prices are a fraction of what they were a few years ago so we have opted to stay here for 2 days. At 90 cents/ft/day it is well within our budget, especially when you factor in all of the facilities we have access to. We even had Mexican royalty here today. El Presidente was here but we mortals were not invited to the cocktail party. But, then again, none of the other yahoos staying at this resort were either. This is now a Wyndham Resort and it has quite a clientele of Canadians and Americans in attendance. No idea what the Pres was here for but security was tight with the marina access shut down, a gunboat just outside the marina and a 4 identical helicopter fleet (to confuse the terrorist element we suppose). None of them were shot down as they took off so we wonder if the paranoia factor was a bit enhanced for the event.

Two of the four identical helos.

Manzanillo was pretty boring this time.  We anchored at Las Hadas for a day and dinghied into the Las Hadas marina. We were not asked to pay the daily fee so we didn’t volunteer it, besides, we were not using their facilities anyway (except for water and dinghy mooring).  We spent the afternoon at the Dolphin Hotel’s restaurant and pool, had supper there and returned to the boat after dark.

Ken and Carole at the Dolphin resort pool

Fancy taco soup and mango daquiri

The following morning we motored to Santiago, snorkeled the old wreck for a few hours then sailed over to Carrizal cove. We had never been here before and we had heard that it was a very good snorkeling locale. We spent a few hours in the water enjoying the great reef life, one of the few places in Mexico where we had encountered live coral. A large school of herring size fish arrived as we were there along with their Jack Crevale suiters.

We stayed there the night and continued on to Barra the following morning. Once settled at the marina and after a swim in the resorts pool complex we went into town to see the Carnivale parade. We had missed the event in Manzanillo by a day so we were pleased to be able to be there for this event. The parade was simply a collection of 5-6 rickety floats with lots of kids dressed in this year’s Pirates of the Caribbean theme. Preceding them were a few SUVs with the carnival queen candidates poised on the hood or top. No sudden stops, please! The remainder of the participants were anyone with a 4X4, motor bike, golf cart or whatever, who wanted to drive down the street. Most had some kind of pirate gear on and many had this year’s choice Chinese import, colorful wigs of every colour under the sun, the brighter the better. Anyway, mercifully it ended early enough for us to have dinner at a sidewalk establishment before heading back to the boat.

No Fran, that is certainly not YOU

Mermaid kids...

22:00. 7 March 2014, At anchor, Tenecatita

It is Friday night in Tenecatita, the raft up was a success, even though we were only 4 boats, the onboard movie is over and everyone is in bed, the cruisers life….

We left Barra yesterday morning and headed directly to Cuestacomate for lunch at our special seafood beach restaurant which we have been frequenting ever since we came this way. It was a rough beach landing in the surf but the departure was textbook. We were pleased to see that the hotel/resort that had been abandoned for so long has been rebuilt and is back in business.

Cuestacomate resort

By 2 we were back on the water headed for Tenecatita. On our way we saw our first whale, that is, I sighted it first and won the “first whale sighting” derby. No prize, just bragging rights and I am bragging!! Just as we rounded the reef at the entrance our gearbox oil pressure dropped. Luckily we had enough wind and, with the headsail up we sailed directly to the anchorage, our first sail to anchor in Gosling. Thank God we had Ken and Carole to assist with the sails as we rounded up. We later found that the culprit was a bad oil cooling hose between the gearbox and the oil cooler. It looked like an imposing task and the possibility of having to go into Manzanillo for a new one was the most likely solution. Never say die! After a few attempts at fixing the problem we rebuilt the hose using a reinforced propane hose remnant that I had in the bottom of my spare hose stash. I am still a fervent fan of never throwing out scraps that can be of use at some time or other. I think Fran is also coming onside with that cruising principle.

We are here with a few boats we have met recently in Manzanillo and Barra and our very good friends, Dick and Ann on Full and Bye who have been patiently waiting for us to arrive. Unfortunately, we will only be able to spend a few days here before we have to leave for La Cruz. The weather window for Cabo Corrientes is best late Sunday so we will leave mid-day Sunday and arrive at La Cruz the following morning. Here's hoping our repair job holds....

Chiapas to Acapulco

10:30, Thursday, February 20, 2014. Enroute to Acapulco

We are almost halfway across the dreaded Tehuantepec, renowned for its 40-60 kt winds spilling over from the Caribbean. We have chosen well. It is absolutely flat calm and this weather window will last for the next 36 hours before piping up again. Before departing from Chiapas we checked every source we could find and they all agreed so we opted for a direct crossing, some 240 miles to the mainland coast just west of Huatulco. From there we will be another 36+ hours to Acapulco and our next fueling stop. Yes, under these conditions we are motoring, however, we did get about an hour of decent sailing in just after we left Chiapas yesterday afternoon. 

There are many large turtles resting on the surface all round us. Under these conditions they are easy to spot. They appear as lumps floating on the surface, sometimes with a bird perched on them. We can get quite close to them before they notice us and dive, in fact, we almost hit one a few minutes ago. 

Mexican aircraft carrier.

One of the advantages of being in Mexico is the cheaper cost of everything. Our fuel purchase yesterday was $3.67/gal (US) or 97 cents/li. We took on 278 li, not bad for a trip of 471.5 miles, 66 hours on the engine. 

Yesterday evening we met a couple of large power boats heading for Costa Rica. Anna Mae was surprised that a sailboat would actually call him and chat. I guess they have been shunned by many sailboats but we like big cruisers. Motor yachts have ice, an essential for sundowners, but we can’t complain; our new fridge always has 2 trays ready to go now. Anna Mae seemed quite appreciative of our suggestions for their trip down the coast.  

06:45, Saturday, 22 February 2014, At sea, enroute to Acapulco 

Another dawn at sea. The eastern horizon is brightening and, before I finish this entry the sun will have risen. We have another 24 hours to go till we reach Acapulco. We have made good time and have had to slow down so as not to arrive during darkness. We are under sail in a 10 kt offshore wind and doing just over 3 kts. We will not have this wind for long so we might as well take advantage of it while we can. Once the sun begins to heat up the surface it will die and eventually reverse to an onshore breeze and we will, inevitably have to crank up the iron spinnaker again. It is nice to have silence for a change with only the whistling of the wind in the rigging, the tune played by the shaft as it free-wheels in our wake and the other varied noises a sailboat makes.  

Otto (the autopilot) is still temperamental but is holding us on a steady course. He likes the overnight passages but is very cranky during the day. We think that the problem we have with him may be heat related and that a fan will provide a temporary solution. We have asked Ken and Carole to bring one.

The last 24 hours have been uneventful. There is lots of sea life, turtles galore, the odd manta ray flipping out of the water and the occasional pod of dolphins playing at the bow.

Flying fish casualty found on deck

Our crossing of the Tehuantepec was mostly a non-event, however, by 2200 last night the wind picked up, unexpectedly, from the west, on the nose, and blew up to 20 kts for about 8 hours. It was a rough ending to the crossing with the waves breaking over the bow and spray reaching the cockpit. In the morning we noticed tiny shrimp everywhere.



Flat Tehuantepec.

Inhibitions are thrown away when you are all by your lonesomes at sea. Like most cruising couples (and the common practice on most European boats) we tend to shed our clothing while at sea.  Haven’t told Ken and Carole that yet…. Just kidding, we’ll have our nauti bits covered while they are with us. 

Au naturelle - notice the white butt. We don't get out in the sun much...

Sunrise has just happened and navigation lights - switched off. The log will be annotated accordingly. Some old naval habits persist…

20:45, Sunday, 23 February 2014, At anchor Acapulco

What an incredible skyline at night! Acapulco has got to be the most beautiful night profile we have ever seen. The bay is surrounded by hills, most of which are inhabited with their house and street lights twinkling so the bay looks like a horizontal Christmas tree. This afternoon the bay was alive with high end sailboats with their colourful spinnakers and kevlar sails racing each other in the highly competitive Acapulco Yacht Club Sunday race series.



 Acapulco racers

Now it is Sunday night in Mexico and we can hear the sounds of people enjoying the last day of the weekend. There are live bands on the boardwalk, party boats returning from their sunset cruises and later there will, invariably, be fireworks at some of the shoreline resorts; it is nice to be back to Mexico.

 We arrived early this morning after a tiring night of battling the autopilot in a nasty 15-20 kt headwind. We anchored and slept till noon, then, it was time to launch the dinghy, refuel using the deck jugs (3 times back and forth), a quick walk to the nearest grocery store for a few essentials and then back to the boat. Our life has become very predictable!! 

 This has been another long passage for us but, incredibly, it was only ½ mile shorter than the last leg from Costa Rica to Chiapas at 471 miles but 20 hours more engine. We arrived with only 9.5 gallons in the tank and that was after we had used up our deck reserves. From here on the legs will be shorter.

 Tomorrow we leave for Zihuananejo, a 104 mile run. We expect to be in by Tuesday afternoon.

Fast tracking up the coast of Central America

07:00, Wednesday, 12 February 2014, At Sea

What a beautiful morning! We are about 28 miles off the coast of Costa Rica with only ocean visible all round. Apart from a slight swell from the southwest it is perfectly calm. There has been no wind the entire night and we have been powering since we left Golfito mid-day yesterday. Will we ever get a chance to sail before we get to Guaymas??? There have been no contacts except for a distant ship to the south and a few fishing vessels inshore during the night and I have seen a few turtles already this morning. We are heading for Playa de Cocos where we will check out of the country, refuel, water up and depart as soon as we can for Chiapas, a 400+ mile run. We will have to keep an eye on the weather forecasts for the Papagayo winds and wait for a window before we cross the bay between Costa Rica and Nicaragua, then keep close to the coast to avoid the seas that can be generated by these winds. The chart plotter indicates we’ll arrive about this time tomorrow morning.

 

Our stay in Golfito was short but longer than we had hoped. Arriving on a weekend has its disadvantages but we were able to check in yesterday without any problem. While I was doing that, Fran stocked up on fresh fruit and vegetables from the local shops. After paying our bill to Tim of Land & Sea, filling a last jug of water we were off.

 

We met a few boats that were heading our way but are taking it slower than we are. Encore, Sea Biscuit and On Delay are all headed north. Galivant is just ahead of us having left just before we arrive in Golfito.

 We are keeping friends and family informed of our whereabouts daily through SPOT reports and Facebook when we have an internet signal. It will be nice to rejoin the friends waiting for us up the coast. We have missed the Sailfest in Zihuatenejo but Kirk (Freedom Kirkland) says that he will be in Acapulco as we pass by. We are looking forward to his sundowners!!!

 
05:45, Saturday, 15 February 2014, 10 miles off the coast of Nicaragua, northbound

 It is dawn at sea, my favourite part of the day. The eastern sky is lightening up rapidly and the full moon is setting in the west. We have a following sea and wind and we are motor-sailing in a 10-12 kt and a pod of dolphins is playing in our bow wave. It has been a good 24 hours. We have gone over 150 miles, traversed the dreaded Papagayo winds and, although we are still being pushed by their remnants it is a far cry from what we encountered as we rounded Cabo Santa Elena.

 

Our trip up the Costa Rican coast was uneventful. Surprisingly, the winds were light and the seas calm. We arrived at Marina Papagayo, just a few miles from Playa de Cocos, early and took on fuel before sailing back to Playa de Cocos where we anchored and went ashore to do our check-out. What should have taken a few hours turned into a 4 hour ordeal with one of the officials at customs, clearly new to the job, mistakenly taking one of the documents we needed for a later stage. Fortunately the office requiring that document was able to track it down and make arrangements to have it sent to them by post so we were sent on our way, clearance documents in hand. Playa de Cocos is an awkward location to process through. Aduana (customs) is located at the airport at Liberia, a $50 cab ride out of town.

The ugliest boat I have ever seen - Venus, Marina Papagayo

Opposite dock, some of the nicest boats I have ever seen.... 

We finally departed at 15:00 but as we crossed the bay the Papagayo winds came up quite suddenly to 20-25 kts. By this time it was late afternoon and the prospect of negotiating the area of strongest winds after dark was not appealing so we decided to play it safe and anchor for the night and set out, well-rested in daylight. Morning dawned bright with light winds but it wasn’t long before the wind picked up but we had prepared with a double reefed main, reefed mizzen and half genoa. We passed through the Murcielegos channel with winds reaching 25 kts. Our next challenge was Cabo Santa Elena where actual conditions are often double the predicted wind speeds. We only experience about 30-35 kts for about 20-25 mins and the settled in for a bumpy but comfortable beam reach with 20-25 kts for the next 4-5 hours. Although Fran was a bit nervous at times, it turned out to be a great day of actually sailing, yes, no motor for the better part of 12 hours until the wind died near sunset.

So here we are motor-sailing again in 10 kts of wind trying to make an ETA at Chiapas for Monday morning. The sun is up now and I can see the entrance to the Gulf of Fonseca and the mountains of El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua to the north. We have pods of dolphins racing through our bow wave, turtles lounging on the surface and the odd manta ray and bonita mackerel broaching the surface after smaller fish.

 

07:00, Monday, 17 February 2014, Of the northern coast of Guatemala

 
Another beautiful sunrise at sea,this time with the volcanoes and mountains of Guatemala in the foreground. It has been a quiet night with only a few panga fishermen to dodge and a recalcitrant autopilot to deal with. At one point another sailboat passed us going south. She was identified as Wind Flower by her AIS but did not respond to repeated calls on VHF. We are still in light winds and a gentle rolling South Pacific swell. By noon we should be in Chiapas.

 



 Sunrise

Yesterday we got a decent wind and managed to sail for a few hours, otherwise it has been a motorboat ride. This has been the longest non-stop cruising we have done to date with the longest leg of 266 miles from Costa Rica to offshore El Salvador. Since then we have been following the shoreline, maintaining 6-8 miles offshore. I will figure out the statistics when we get in and post them below. Yesterday afternoon we had our first engine problem, a broken alternator belt. It took just over an hour to wrestle 2 new belts into place so now we should be good for another few thousand hours.

 

Fishing hasn’t been our strong suit this trip. So far the new rod and reel has caught several Mexican bonitas and one large jack crevalle, both barely-edible species. The other day we did get a glimpse of something very large that chased the lure for a while. It actually took the lure but spit it out. We were in an area with several sports fishermen about so I suspect it was a curious sailfish or marlin. I’ll wait for a Dorado or Yellow Fin tuna, thanks very much!!

 

12:30, Wednesday, February 19, 2014 Alongside Marina Chiapas

 

Marina Chiapas

We are fuelled, watered and Walmarted up and waiting for our final clearance, which is an actual visit by the Port Captain or his representative. If we can get away today we will have a good weather window to cross the Tehuantepec before the next scheduled blow on Saturday. It will take us about 48 hours to cross and another 48 to get to Acapulco for another short stop for fuel and then onto Zihuatenejo where we will pick up Ken and Carol (Nauti Moments) for the next 10 days.

 

This has been a rushed stopover but the check-in process has been greatly simplified through the efforts of the management. Enrique and Guillermo bend over backwards to assist their clients, more than any other marina we have experienced. From rides into town for shopping, rides to the airport to clear customs and a ride and jerry jugs to the local fuelling station. They have done wonders to this marina since we were last here 2 years ago and Enrique has plans to vastly improve the location if the owners come on board. We highly recommend a stopover here whether going north or south or to store your boat for any length of time. The storage yard is large, secure and the travel lift is brand new. The restaurant is new and the food and service are excellent. We’ll have to write this one up on Trip Advisor.

 

Bat ray swimming beside the boat, Marina Chiapas

Enrique is also overseeing the lengthening of the breakwater at the mouth of the harbour, more than doubling its original length to 600 metres. Because it is not a natural harbour it is prone to silting and there is always a dredge working the channel.

 



Extended breakwater - Enrique supervising 

Liebling is here but the owners are away as are Jatimo. Paesano is on the hard and their owners are house-sitting in Comox we are told. There are a few other boats here, mostly on their way south.

A few stats about our last few days at sea: We did 471 miles in 76 hours. So far we have travelled almost 1100 miles with as many left to go before we get to Guyamas.

 

Finally, Panama astern!!

21:30, Monday, 27 January 2014. Anchored at La Playita, Panama

It is hard to believe that we are back in the Pacific Ocean and back in the anchorage where we were almost a year ago. We know some of the boats here. Some have been here all along while others, like Sundancer, have returned from voyages far afield, Ecuador in their case. There are also a few that crossed the canal before us or since we did who are getting ready to begin their Pacific adventure. The ARC rally boats (around the world in 15 months) are also coming through, some 45 in all. The rally actually started in the Caribbean so some are not tuned in with the rigors of cruising yet, like the boats on the Baja Ha Ha. Several have been causing havoc by dragging at anchor, taking up most of the dinghy spaces at the dock and a few almost losing theirs as the tides left them high and dry. They are entertaining….

We departed Shelter Bay as planned last Wednesday, with the Jacksons and their grand-daughter Ashlyn as our Canal crew and crossed the first set of locks in the late afternoon.

 

The Motley Crue: Bill, Ashlyn, J-G and Janet

 



We were one of 3 sailboats tied together for the locking up. By the time we arrived at the mooring buoy in Lake Gatun it was dark. It was a pleasant night but an early morning with the advisor scheduled to arrive 06:30. He (Harold) arrived an hour late but we were the first of the 3 boats to leave for the crossing. Harold’s real job is as a security guard but he moonlights as a small boat advisor as often as he can. He proved to be quite the character and kept a running commentary for almost the entire crossing pointing out highlights and giving us a Canal history lesson. Among the many sights he pointed out were the prison where Noriega has been incarcerated since he was returned to Panama and the giant “Hercules” cranes that had originated in wartime Germany for lifting submarines in dockyards. 

 

Harold: Advisor, tour guide wannabe

 

Hercules crane

 

 

Noriega's home sweet home

 

We arrived at the Pedro Miguel locks by 13:00 but had to wait till 16:00 for the ship we were supposed to be locking down with, and it was late. The other 2 sailboats had already gone through so we were left all by our lonesome in front of our accompanying freighter. While we were waiting a Canal tug did some alongside practices on a buoy close-by. It is a daunting feeling to see a Panamax ship sliding into the same lock astern and we couldn’t help but pray that the small line handling locomotives, assisting the ship would keep positive control. Being alone in the lock we were secured by 4 lines, two each side, handled by our crew so that we maintained that position while they drained the lock. We had no incidents, unlike many boats we heard about where lines parted or the vessels slewed into the walls due to crew error or just plain bad luck.

 



Canal tug: buoy bashing practice

 

Janet tending a line with freighter astern

By 19:00 we were out of the last of the Miraflores locks and back in the waters of the Pacific, on our way to this anchorage. We arrived after dark found a spot and settled in for another celebration of a successful Canal crossing. While in the Miraflores locks our advisor had the canal crew re-aim the webcam so that it pointed directly at us and a flurry of phone calls, e-mails and Facebook postings went out to notify as many people as we could to tune us in.

 

Pacific in sight!!!

 

Canal geek, with GOPRO camera 

It has been 4 days now since that memorable event and we are getting ready to press on to Mexico. The Jacksons left a few days ago and are now home in Canada. We are getting used to the better weather conditions here. It is sunnier, less chop, still windy during the day but we are now experiencing more of an on-shore, off-shore wind pattern.  

3 days ago we discovered that our refrigeration system had a major problem. The seawater cooling had finally corroded through the Freon tubes and contaminated the entire system. We have been trying to source out a replacement but we will definitely be delayed until it arrives. Hopes to meet my brother and sister-in-law in Playa Del Coco, Costa Rica in 10 days will most likely be dashed.

 Meanwhile we are getting back into the routine of this anchorage with its morning nets, the various cruiser services, Pizza night Thursdays and better access to shopping. Tomorrow Fran completes the exit papers and I get the propane, gasoline and diesel tanks filled. Then we wait for the fridge parts.

We had a great evening with Ron and Heather (Sundancer) last night catching up on all of their adventures in Ecuador. They almost talked us into accompanying them on another trek there later this season. We were sobered up the following morning and nixed that idea but, I must agree, it was tempting. 

21:00, Thursday, 30 January 2014, La Playita Anchorage

Great news! The new refrigeration system has arrived. We should have it installed and working by tomorrow afternoon and, with luck, we should be on our way the following day. We had problems getting the initial order sourced out and had decided that we were going to leave anyway using ice to get us up the coast but Tuesday afternoon, Marine Warehouse, a local facilitator for marine orders came through with the promise of a 2-4 day delivery. They did it in 2, fabulous!! We are $2000 poorer (lost 10% on the exchange rate) but we can now be assured that we will have ice for the rum and cold beer. Creature comforts, I know. We can now do our last big shop before we leave, knowing that the perishables will keep.

It has been interesting to see our batteries charge up without the refrigerator drain; by 10am we were fully charged. The amount of sunshine also helps, quite the difference from the Caribbean.

Yesterday was 25% off day at Abernathy’s, the local boat supply store so I got a few early birthday presents; an air propelled spear-gun and a decent trolling rod and reel. Hope to give both a baptism by fire soon!

22:00, Saturday, 1 February 2014, La Playita Anchorage

 

The fridge took a bit longer than planned to install due to a lack of proper sized hoses but after a run into town today it is almost completed. We have refrigeration on the air-cooled circuit and, hopefully, will have the water-cooling installed tomorrow. We now realize that we will not be able to make it to Playa de Coco in time to meet my brother so we’ll be leaving Monday. 

Yesterday an old friend arrived from Tobago Island where he had stored his boat for the last 7 months. Michael Bell and his Argentinean friend Alejandro sailed Epiphany the entire way but needed a bit of assistance to anchor on arrival. Epiphany’s Atomic 4 engine is not working and will need some TLC before they can leave for Golfito. If the repairs can be done we may have them as sailing buddies for the way up.

 

Epiphany



Sad to say we will also have to say good-bye to Heather and Ron (Sun Dancer). They will be heading to the Galapagos and Ecuador in another month. We will miss them and Heather’s great pub food.

 14:00, Tuesday, February 04, 2014, Moored at Chuey’s moorings, Taboga, Is

 I had hoped to post this before leaving Panama but our internet stick continued to give us problems so it will have to be sent from our next stop, Golfito, Costa Rica. 

More delays and issues caused us to lag on in Playita for another few days. The salt water cooling function for the refrigeration system was a bit trickier to install, then we had to clean out the water-maker system and then, to top it all off, I came down with another case of prostatitis, the second in 3 months. That gland has its days numbered!!! We had to let that run its 3-4 day course but decided to leave Playita for Taboga, a 5-mile trip, this morning when I didn’t feel to bad. It sure feels nice to finally be away from Panama.

 

Fresh bananas for the ride up. 

Royal Exchange is still here, after 2-3 years looking forlorn but in good shape. Her owners, Lin and Lee will, most likely never be back after Lee's tragic accident just over a year ago. Royal Ex was the first boat we really cruised in and where we got our desire to do it ourselves. She is for sale and will be a bargain for whoever takes her on. We took a number of photos for Lin and Lee but were not able to get inside as Chuey is away on holidays.

 

Royal Exchange



The water quality in the entire Gulf has changed again to the conditions that met us as we arrived last year. The water is much colder than usual, in the low 70s F and it is carrying a lot of plankton and other crap from the deep. The other day, in Playita, a surface layer of red tide drifted into the anchorage. The smell alone was bad enough but it also left a “bathtub ring” along our waterline. 

07:30, Friday, February 07, 2014, Anchored at Isla Brincano, Islas Contreras.

We stayed for the afternoon at Tabago and sailed away with the freshening late afternoon breeze. Our intention was to sail the night and get around Punta Mala by morning but I started to feel crappy again in the late afternoon so we anchored for the night at Isla Bano. We left early the next morning with a nice NW wind that lasted all morning but by the afternoon we were powering again and rounded Punta Mala in calm seas. By nightfall we were sailing along the southern cape in a brisk NW breeze that lasted into the following day. 

And here we are in another magical anchorage!! This island is part of the Coiba Marine Park system, patrolled by a private organization, the Mar Viva Foundation, which has its roots in Switzerland. The main island of Coiba is reputed to have the best scuba diving conditions in all of Panama. 

We arrived here late afternoon yesterday after an overnight passage from the Gulf of Panama. This is one of those anchorages that you rarely experience. We were the only occupants of this lovely bay and it is absolutely quiet. The water is crystal clear with fish and rays jumping so we decided to join them, al fresco. What a difference from the Gulf of Panama!! Here the water a pleasant 81F. It is sad to realize that we will not experience conditions like this again in our travels this season. 

16:00, Saturday, February 08, 2014. Anchored off Land and Sea Marina, Golfito, CR 

Another overnighter and we have arrived at Golfito. It was an early arrival and we managed to fuel up before anchoring in front of Tim and Katie’s little marina. We were here almost a year ago and little has changed. It is Saturday so we will have to wait out the weekend to check in to Costa Rica, actually we can’t do it till Tuesday as aduana (Customs) is closed Monday, another delay! We will have to make our next stop in Playa de Cocos to clear out of the country and that is a chore because of the aduana stop which is a taxi ride to the airport at Liberia, some 20 miles away.

 

Grackel inspection on arrival at Golfito..... 

On our way yesterday we decided to stop in at Isla Ladrones, a small island about 20 miles offshore but only a few miles off our track. We had time to spare so the diversion was welcomed. There was already a fishing boat at anchor, the crew resting before a night of grueling work so we quietly slipped in and anchored close by. We both went snorkeling (with suits on) and were amazed at the tame fish life. I think the fish were attracted by Fran’s bright yellow bathing suit. I went back for my spear gun and everything changed! Many fewer fish but one big parrot fish teased me for a while but slipped under a coral head when I went after it. Not to be outdone I followed and stopped dead when I saw a large moray eel stick its head out of the same coral head. Talk about a sneaky fish but this symbiotic relationship is probably the reason the Parrot fish was so big. We left at sunset and powered directly into a light westerly breeze, and a half moon that kept the ocean bright most of the night. Had we known that there was no possibility of checking into the country over the weekend we would have stayed but, alas, it wasn’t to be.

Since Panama we have gone 342 miles and have motored almost 60 hours. Hopefully we will, actually, sail more from here on in.