We had an urge to keep moving. Especially while the noserly WNW-NNW breezes stayed light. The sunrise on February 10, 2015, brought the chatter of a flock of parrots and other birds of unknown species to the bay of Puerto Marques. They all seemed to roost in what was left of the jungle foliage on…
We left Marina Chahue in Huatulco on February 7, 2015. I noticed that even at mid-tide on a falling tide, the surge in the marina was impressive. As it can be, there. (Protip: break out the trucker hitches you'd used as mooring lines in Mazatlan, and use them again in Marina Chahue.) It was very…
So, yeah, that fair current that pushed us along and right out of the way of that brewing Tehuantepec gale? To avoid making landfall somewhere around Huatulco in the middle of the night, we had to drop our engine speed to 2100 rpm. We saw we were still scooting along the 30'-35' depth contour at…
Still no pics. I'm all business when I cross Tehuantepecs. It turned out we'd assessed the forecast correctly. As we left the shelter of Puerto Chiapas and came onto open water, conditions were rolly with the very last of the slop left over from the previous Tehuantepec'er. Breezes were now about 8-10 knots and dropped…
Photos? Fuhgeddaboutit. January 2015 was almost over and it was time for us to sail northward. That meant we'd cross the Gulf of Tehuantepec like we'd done in March 2010, but we had to pay even closer attention to weather windows this time. The mountain gap that causes strong winds and seas to increase to…
We moved aboard The Fox in March, 2003, and by December, 2014 we had spent almost all 11 Christmases aboard. We spent some holidays by ourselves at anchor. Other times, we shared dinner with 1 or 2 other boats. Sometimes there was a typical cruiser potluck-style event. But that Christmas in Marina Chiapas in 2014…
Late April, 2014. The 55-mile transit from Puesta del Sol, Nicaragua, coastwise across the Gulf of Fonseca to the anchorage at Punta Amapala, El Salvador, was hot, humid, smoky, and uneventful. Four-foot swells from the southeast gave us a beamish rolly passage. Breeze came and went. Two other northbound cruising sailboats joined us at anchor…
Well, OK; maybe it wasn't the absolute WORST takeoff from a dock we've ever made, but it was definitely among the top 5. Maybe one of the top 3, since a MOB (man overboard) was involved. There we were, 5:40 in the morning of April 15, 2014. Nicaragua. Looked very much like this:Sun was rising,…
Strong Papagayo winds kept us in port at Marina Puesta del Sol for a full week, April 8-15, 2014. The air was frequently hazy from the winds and smoky from the fires burning in nearby fields, which obscured the otherwise spectacular view of Volcano San Cristobal. It was breezy in the estuary and marina areas…
We left Costa Rica's Bahia Santa Elena and were soon in Nicaraguan waters making for Marina Puesta del Sol, about 145 miles up the road. Sailing was good for the first 6 hours; we sailed 4 miles offshore with winds aft of the beam 15 to 23 knots and a low chop. There was some…