Underway – halfway to Ecuador The 1st 2 days from Costa Rica to Ecuador were fine – 6/5 was glorious all day & nite – max. 15 kt., broad reach; partly cloudy day, starry night. Then a low pressure system nobody forecast, arose on 6/6. Life got breezy & very bouncy – max.25kt. from S/SSW,…
Underway – Costa Rica to Ecuador 5.June, 1500Z position (0900, Central time): 06deg.44'N/082deg.50'W – about 110 mi. south of Costa Rica/Panama border. Entering the InterTropical Convergence Zone. West wind 5-9 kt., seas 5'-7' w/ 1'-2' chop, skies overcast w/ intermittent squalls, cabin temp=85F. Meaning, hot, muggy, rolly. But all's well & the sailing's easy. Dodging…
Slowed The Fox down to less than 5 kt. so as to stay well offshore Golfo Dulce entrance until sunrise. Still 20 mi. offshore when we encountered a couple of local fishing boats: wood, ~45', unlit or with non-regulation lights, not picked up by radar. No mishaps. Sunrise: entered Golfo Dulce, anchored off Puerto Jimenez…
28.May2010. Left Marina Papagayo, northern Costa Rica, 0615. Wet & squally to 1500. Winds SE to SW 7-17 kt. w/ gusts to 22 kt., & visibility 1/2 mi. to 2 mi., depending on location of squalls. Seas SW 7' at 7 sec., rolly & choppy. Late pm, winds steadied to SW 7-12 kt as low…
17.-18. April 2010 Said goodbye to an excellent shell beach at Puesta del Sol, Nicaragua. Hoped for a dawn departure on 17.April but port & immigration officials did not arrive from Corinto to clear us out of Nicaragua until 1130, coincidentally at low tide. Day was hot & windless, left after lunch, no problems exiting…
It was time to say farewell to El Salvador. What better day than April 1, for cruising fools like us? On Marina Barillas manager Heriberto Pineda's advice, we planned our departure for an outgoing tide, intending to reach the estuary's entrance and long sand bar about midway between high and low tide. It was fine…
First, some background. The Gulf of Tehuantepec is a large body of water bounded on the east by the narrow isthmus that separates the Gulf of Tehuantepec from the Gulf of Mexico, near Mexico's southern border with Guatemala. The T'pec spans roughly 250 miles from the town of Huatulco on its northwestern edge, to the…
We moved southeastward fairly quickly along the Mexico mainland. Here's what happened during the month of February. 1.Feb.-3.Feb.2010Passage from Zihuatanejo to Puerto Escondido (15deg.51'N/097deg.04'W). Very little wind, mostly motor-sailing in S breeze of <5 knots. Water's calm, days are hot – 80s-low 90sF. Critters spotted en route include spotted dolphin, common dolphin, many olive Ridley…
When last we left the intrepid Gallant Fox she was anchored in the Tamarindo anchorage near Tenacatita, at 19deg.16'N/104deg.48'W. And it was January 11. Hey, how are y'all?? It's been a while. To catch up now to the present day, here are some sailing logs of the anchorages and passages we now have under our…
Having serendipitously discovered Internet access where it was least expected, I can update this here blog with some words on where we've been traveling since last Christmas. 26. Dec. 2009 – Boxing Day aka St. Stevens Day. 0700, raised anchor and crossed the El Mogote sand shoals, departing La Paz. Stopped briefly at the Pemex…