SAILING CAMELOT

Three weeks have gone by in a blink. I guess that’s what happens when you live a “resort lifestyle”…

 We spent lazy days at the pool shooting the breeze with fellow cruisers, occasionally venturing out for a paddle on the kayaks, or on a “dinghy safari” to explore the many little canals thick with mangroves, stopping in some godforsaken little village.

I even took a day-trip to San Salvador to remind myself why I like to stay out at sea so much….

We had fun every day, due in large part to the efforts of Bill and Jean – the organizers of the El Salvador Rally, who really do an amazing job to make sure the participants’ time in this Country be pleasant and hassle-free.

Every day and every night there was some form of entertainment or other, from Mystery Wine Tasting to lessons on Italian Cooking, or how to build an anchor light, or Happy Hour at the pool. Man, it’s better than Club Med!!!

Thank you, Bill and Jean, for your hard work and wonderful assistance. We sure appreciated it!

Still, we feel the need to get moving.

I am craving some seriously crystal blue water and life at anchor, salivating at the thought of Costa Rica, but my craving will have to wait. There’s a whole country between here and Costa Rica: that would be Nicaragua.

We learned about a relatively new and beautiful Marina called Puesta del Sol in Nicaragua, and decided that it would be a good place to stop for a few days to break the passage to Costa Rica.

 Besides, there’s this old colonial town – Grenada – that piqued my interest.

Honestly, I’m not too thrilled at the thought of tying Camelot to yet another dock – luxurious as it may be – but if Tom wants to go there, then we’ll go there! Captains have rights, too…

As I write this, Tom is checking out the Marina website, rattling on about the many amenities offered: horseback riding, inland tours, 5 stars Hotel with infinity pool, and on and on and on. I guess he really wants to discover a bit of Nicaragua…

Anyway, let’s stick with the present. We’re departing Bahia del Sol – El Salvador today around 15:00 at high tide, making the crossing of the ominous bar a little easier. Or so we hope…

We estimate it’ll take us about 18 hours to get there, depending on sea and wind conditions. At least there will be a full moon, which is always a pleasure to sail by.

So that’s it. We had a good time in El Salvador and met some truly awesome people, probably the highlight of our stay.

After a good few days of being totally pampered and spoiled by the staff at the Bahia del Sol Resort, we decide it’s time to venture out and explore Central America a little.

One of the many tours offered  is called “Three Countries in Three Days”.  Sounds right up our alley, short but intense, so we book our spot. http://www.tourinelsalvador.com/

On the morning of Wed 21^st we embark on this new adventure that will see us traveling through El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras.

Thankfully, we’re a small group: just Tom and I and another couple, Bill and Karen of the motor vessel Odern from Australia.

DAY ONE – El Salvador, through Guatemala, to Copan Honduras

By 9 o’ clock we’re all comfortably seated in a small air-conditioned van, along with our guide Dionisio and our driver/bodyguard Eric, headed to the archeological sites of San Andreas and Joya de Ceren – a couple of hours’ drive from the city of San Salvador- to see some Mayan ruins.

Along the road Dionisio, in perfect English and with a humorous twist, gives us a brief presentation of his homeland. We learn that El Salvador exports coffee, cocoa, sugar cane, textiles and indigo.

 And people:  2 millions Salvadorians live in the USA.

 He briefly touches the sore subject of the ferocious civil war that thankfully ended 20 years ago. Many young boys were recruited, armed and trained to fight. As a result, these now-grown-up young men have no skills other than handling firearms. Nowadays most of them are employed as security guards: in fact, wherever we go we see men armed with intimidating rifles, just patrolling anything from shopping centers to banks to restaurants. The crime rate is pretty low and the nation quite safe, no doubt thanks to these menacing-looking gentlemen doing their job…

We reach San Andreas, a smaller site where the ancient Maya working class used to live, sort of the suburbs… I’m immediately impressed by the thick tropical vegetation surrounding the ruins. For the first time in my life I see cocoa, cashew nut, avocado and mango trees, all growing in the wild, bearing great big fruits. The flowers are big and vividly colored. The climate really works wonders here!

We walk up and down winding paths, marveling at the traces of this ancient civilization. Smart people the Mayans, judging by the structure of their buildings and their aqueduct…

And playful, too! There’s a game court resembling a small soccer field, complete with their version of locker rooms for the players and even a sauna! I am told the sauna was heavily used before an important game to purify the soul, since at the end of the game the losers were offered in sacrifice to the Gods…

About five kilometers away we find the bigger and more famous site of Joya de Ceren, where the city officials and wealthy people lived. Even from the ruins we can tell this was the upper-class neighborhood, with bigger and more luxurious houses.

It is strongly suspected that the various round hills surrounding this place are not merely hills, but ruins waiting to be dug out! 

We visit the museum as well, loaded with amazing artifacts found on this site.

All this cultural stuff is making me hungry! Dionisio, always very attentive, loads us up in the van promising a good lunch in a beautiful setting. True to his word, he takes us up the mountains surrounding Lake Coatepeque, a small and beautiful volcanic lake.

We sit at a simple restaurant that serves us an excellent and abundant meal, enjoying the view of the lake on one side and Ernesto the security guide armed to his teeth on the other side, patrolling the deserted mountain street… What a strange contrast…

The rest of the day is spent driving to our next destination: Copan, Honduras. To get there we have to exit El Salvador, drive through Guatemala and finally enter Honduras. There is a more direct route -after all El Salvador and Honduras share a border- but apparently it’s a road fit for goats, not vehicles…

So we go thru the Border Dance. Off the van at El Salvador’s border, check out of the country, walk a few yards into Guatemala, check into the country. All this involves standing in line at times, having your passport thoroughly scrutinized and profusely stamped by both Countries’ officials, and at times having to pay a nominal fee (US$ 2  or 3) depending on the mood of the official on duty. Not much is consistent… Anyway, welcome to Guatemala!

A flurry of men shaking fistfuls of currency in our faces and yelling “cambio!” surrounds us right outside the Immigration office offering to exchange money, but our tour guide Dionisio discourages us. Apparently, the US$ is widely accepted anywhere and in case we still want local currency he’ll direct us to a more convenient source at destination.

I should also mention that whenever we are on our feet, taking even a few steps around, our driver Eric is shadowing us. Eric is a 37 year old active-duty Police Officer in San Salvador, taking on extra work as driver during his days off. He’s always behind us, a reassuring presence making sure we’re safe. He’s also an excellent driver.

For the next five hours (!) we remain in the air conditioned van, no stops.  Our tour guide wants to be at destination absolutely before dark, as the roads are really treacherous and there’s no illumination.

We have plenty of time to notice the difference between the roads in El Salvador (smooth, straight and fairly new) and the roads in Guatemala (uneven, potholed, unpaved and twisted). It’s very mountainous terrain.  Relatively short distances -like the 153 Km we have to cover today- take a much longer time to cross, mainly because we have to go up a steep mountain and down another…

Finally we reach the border between Guatemala and Honduras: another short Border Dance, then on another hour and a half to our destination. We arrive in Copan well after dark, but safely.

It is with great relief that I see our hotel, the Graditas Mayas.

It’s cute, colonial style, very clean and I like it a lot. Until I open the door to our room. It’s more like a cell, 8 ft x 10 ft, with a full size bed, no windows. The bathroom is tiny but the star of the show is definitely the shower head.  A curious electrical device is installed on the shower head to be plugged into an outlet high up in the wall to obtain hot water. The many live wires sticking out the duct-taped device make me instantly forego any thought of showering in favor of a sink-bath with cold water, thus avoiding electrocution.

I’m not complaining, here; it’s an adventure, right? Tom is thrilled because there’s an air-conditioning unit in the room (which we turn on as we leave for dinner), I’m just grateful to have a bed with clean sheets!

Copan is a small and pretty town with very steep and narrow cobblestone streets. There’s a lot of Gringos walking around, I guess everyone is here to visit the ruins just like us… The local “taxi cabs” are very interesting, too. 

Dinner is a quick affair, mainly due to an electrical blackout that throws the whole town into darkness. Funny enough, after a few minutes we hear multiple generators being started: every little store has one, so they can continue to conduct business despite the blackouts. This, I’m told, is pretty much a daily occurrence…

Our hotel doesn’t have a generator, which means no air conditioning. Tom is deeply disturbed by this, while I’m wondering how we’ll both fit into that tiny bed… We needn’t have worried, as we both are bone-tired and fall asleep within minutes.

My last conscious thought before giving in to slumber is: “they should have called this tour Three Countries in One Day!”

DAY TWO – Copan, Honduras to Antigua, Guatemala

Early in the morning, surprisingly well rested, we’re on our way to visit the famous Mayan Ruins of Copan.

Upon entering the site we receive a warm welcome by a half-dozen parrots flying overhead. Flashes of red, green, blue are everywhere!

There’s a huge cage where sick birds are taken care of and released when restored to health. I witness one big colorful bird flying about in the wild but retuning to the cage every few minutes, hanging on the metallic net and calling to his mate, inside recuperating from a broken wing. These birds mate for life!

Tom has to forcibly remove me from the birds’ sanctuary. I’m so enthralled with them…

Nothing prepared me for the amazing sight that suddenly appears: a vast, flat, grassy field with well preserved ruins everywhere! There are steles, sacrificing altars, pyramids, sculptures, tombs, a soccer field and a huge building with 64 steps, an arena/stadium and more… Breathtaking!

This is a full-blown city! It’s a huge, sprawled site still being excavated. In fact there are archaeologists coming and going, mostly disappearing down mysterious tunnels just recently discovered.

It takes us about three hours at a sustained pace to see most of it, and I’m pretty sure we could have spent three more at the adjoining Botanical Walk.

But we have a long trip ahead of us. So, reluctantly, back in the van we go. It will be a good six hours before we arrive in Antigua, Guatemala.

Almost two hours are spent just crossing chaotic Guatemala City, population 1.1 million. What a zoo!  The city is divided into nine districts and it’s very easy to get lost: we did!

Despite Eric’s best efforts, we arrive in pitch black darkness and with some difficulty finally manage to locate our home for the night, the Hotel del Carmen. I’m relieved to see a spacious room with TWO queen beds. Still no hot water but who cares at this point… I’m much more interested in the bed!!!

DAY THREE – Antigua, Guatemala and back to Bahia del Sol, El Salvador

Amazing what a good night’s sleep and an abundant breakfast can do for the weary traveler…  We’re all perky and cheerful as we get ready to discover Antigua.

As soon as we step out of the hotel we are surrounded by two of the tiniest women I’ve ever seen. They’re Mayan young ladies, selling their hand-woven goods. Tiny they may be, but their personalities are certainly big and their persistence is legendary!

Both speaking very good English, they entertain us -especially Tom- with their antics and playful banter, until they manage to relieve us of some useless currency (in their words). Tom is howling and doubling over in laughter, while I wonder how I ended up with all these colorful shawls and tablecloths I don’t need… But as my husband says, he’d have paid twice as much for the entertainment: better than a comedy club!

Our little group slowly progresses towards the central plaza, which is the hub of activities. We just love taking it all in, the colors, the local ladies dressed in their colorful, hand-woven dresses, the old buildings, the cobblestone streets.

We end up boarding a sight-seeing little bus for a thorough tour of this gorgeous town.

By the way, Antigua has 48 churches (!), some dating back to 1550. The whole town is celebrating lent by flying purple cloth from the building’s windows and there are many festivities planned for Semana Santa, the holy week before Easter. I would just love to be here for Easter, it must be spectacular.

Our friendly driver Juan Carlos speaks perfect English as well: as it turns out, he spent many years living about 15 miles from where we used to live in California. Small world, isn’t it? And he has a wonderful sense of humor (what do they put in the water here???), knows his town inside-out and consistently declares his love and pride for Antigua while he illustrates the various sights.

His little bus hiccups up and down town, stopping very often to allow us to take pictures or hop off to visit a church, see a monument, and admire a garden.

I even have him stop the bus abruptly when I notice a hefty puff of smoke coming out of one of the volcanoes surrounding the town. Must-take-picture! I’ve never seen a volcano spewing smoke before…

The final stop is the Jade Museum. There is a particular kind of Jade only found here in Antigua and in Burma, as we learn from the young lady who gives us the tour. We spend a good hour and a small fortune here, but it was so totally worth it!

Antigua deserves so much more than a passing glance; I wish we could have stayed here a few days, but have to be content with what I got, which is not too bad after all.

With great reluctance we all pile up in our own little van to undertake the long and tedious trip back to El Salvador.

We’ll briefly stop for a quick lunch along the way, but still – it’s a solid seven-hour trip.

It’s almost 8 o’clock and dark by the time we pull into Bahia Del Sol; we’re quite a sorry sight, tired and dusty.  These three days have been truly intense. I would have liked to spend less time driving, but there was no other way to do this tour.

Both Tom and I are thoroughly satisfied with what we’ve seen and learned, and grateful to Dionisio (the guide) and Eric (the driver) for their professional and friendly assistance. We know they worked hard for us to have a good time.

I’m yawning so hard I think I’ll dislocate my jaw…  Tom is gingerly trotting towards our boat, mumbling something about a comfy bed and hot water showers…

With all the wonderful things and places we’ve seen, it sure is good to be home on Camelot – the perfect space in no particular place…

For the duration of the trip to El Salvador we have one single concern: we need to slow down the boat!

Since we left Mexican waters we had strong and steady winds and a favorable current pushing us even faster. In Guatemala we manage to reach and even surpass Camelot’s hull speed (hull speed is the maximum speed a boat is designed for). Tom is grinning like the Cheshire Cat while I’m holding on for dear life as Camelot leans 20 degrees. Uh, Tom, may I remind you this is NOT a race boat? But I let him have his fun for a while.

These are the ideal conditions we would have paid good money to have during other more daunting crossings…

Ironically, this time we have to carefully calculate our arrival to destination to coincide with high tide. And that means… Slow down!

Damn, we were having so much fun…

The long trip from Puerto Madero MX to Bahia del Sol in El Salvador is mostly uneventful and even a little boring, the only distraction provided by a bunch of small but fearless birds who hitched a ride on Camelot for a while, making themselves at home in the shade under the life raft.

We are traveling in a loose group of four boats and periodically check in with each other to monitor progress, sea and weather conditions. I have been warned about little fishing boats with no lights scattered just along the stretch of water we are traveling on, so I’m keeping a keen eye during my night watch. In fact I see a few, weak lights (household flashlights, I assume) every now and then and dutifully avoid them.

 It’s the darkest hour before sunrise and the wind is still quite strong, we’re going too fast. As I’m handling the main sail trying to slow the boat down, my brain registers a dark mass on the water before my eyes even realize it…  Right in front of my bow, maybe 20 feet away, there’s a panga bobbing in the water!

I leap like a bobcat and probably even sound like one as I literally dive the length of the cockpit, reach the wheel, turn off the autopilot and swerve the boat violently to the right, missing the panga by maybe 2 feet.

 It’s so close I can see three men huddled up in the little boat, sleeping peacefully and blissfully unaware that this crazed, foul-mouthed, Italian-swearing woman almost run them over!

Man, that was close, the longest 5 seconds of my life! I resume our course, trying to calm down, still spitting profanities in at least three different languages… I can’t believe Tom didn’t even wake up with all the commotion!  The soundtrack alone should have done the trick, I think.

 Thankfully it’s getting lighter as the sun comes up; at least now I can see what’s ahead of me. And the best news, Tom is up! He can take over for the rest of the trip, which is the hardest part. We are nearing our destination, and that’s going to be a whole new adventure…

The entrance to Bahia Jaltepeque is marked by breakers and migrating shoals and is notoriously challenging. It is strongly advised to hire a local pilot to guide you in. Entrance should be attempted only during good sea conditions, with a slack or mild incoming tide and plenty of daylight.

This is why we had to time ourselves during the whole trip, trying to arrive at high tide. But we are a little early, so we hover around what’s called the “Waiting Room” – a safe spot close to the entrance but not too close to the breaking waves. Tom is a little antsy and impatient; he wants it over and done with. He decides to raise Camelot’s Battle Flag for the occasion, it only seems fit.

There are three other sailboats with us, all in a holding pattern, patiently waiting their turn to be called in.

We’re all part of the El Salvador Rally, a group of roughly 80 boats all converging to Bahia del Sol. One of the many perks of belonging to this group is the assistance provided to enter the bay: a pilot comes out on a Jet Ski to guide us in.

A sand bar with a 12-foot deep channel guards the outer entrance into Bahia del Sol and the waves there build up dangerously. Basically, Camelot will have to ride the waves and surf smoothly into the bay. Easy, right? I don’t think so!

 We are the first boat to be called via radio and directed to a certain spot.

Rogelio the pilot is maneuvering the Jet Ski while Bill (the Rally’s organizer) perched on the back, radio in hand, provides instructions to correct our position.

When we’re perfectly aligned and the timing is right, we’re given the “green light” and the order to run at maximum speed. Somehow it makes me think of an airplane on the runway…

In any case, it is over before I even realize it. I barely have time to yell “Banzaii!” and “Geronimo!” as we ride the waves. We rise and surf two big waves and that’s it, we’re in! No drama, no sweat.

I’m almost disappointed, I was braced for disaster… But I offer my silent Thank You to the powers that be for the safe crossing; to Rogelio and Bill for their expert help and to Tom, a better sailor than I could ever even hope to be…

A mile down the estuary we find the Bahia del Sol Marina; we are directed to a dock where half a dozen people are there to welcome us and help tie off Camelot.   

I’m not sure how it happened, but the welcoming party shoves a glass of something cool in our hands to celebrate our arrival. Cool, I think, iced tea! And take a hefty sip. Nope, it’s not tea: it’s definitely a strong alcoholic beverage!

It is 9:30, we’ve been traveling for 46.5 hours;  alcohol is definitely not what I need right now, but I try to keep a straight face as I swallow the mysterious concoction…

We’re urged to go to the nearby Immigration office to complete formalities and officially check into El Salvador, all done in less than 30 minutes. Everyone is friendly and welcoming, I’m sure we’ll feel right at home here.

Bahia del Sol is a Hotel complex spread out on an extensive stretch of land with many individual colorful “casitas”, each with their own Jacuzzi. 

Since the Marina is part of the hotel, we’ll enjoy the same privileges as the hotel’s guests. There’s a nice pool, a bar-restaurant overlooking the marina, and the staff is very attentive and always smiling.

This is also a perfect and safe place where to leave your boat while taking some inland tour to explore the neighboring Countries.

We’ll make ourselves at home, get the lay of the land and relax by the pool for a few days before venturing out.

Our day starts at 4:30.

The Port Captain and three Navy officers arrive at 5:00 to inspect the boat and gratefully accept a steaming cup of black coffee. Gama the drug-sniffing dog is with them as well.

In a few minutes formalities are completed and paperwork exchanged: Camelot and Crew are now cleared to exit Mexico.

We’ll be the last boat out of the Marina, leaving around noon today, aiming for a straight shot to El Salvador bypassing Guatemala altogether. It should be an easy trip, maybe 35 to 40 hours, arriving sometime early Friday morning.

 

I still haven’t wrapped my mind around the concept of leaving Mexico…

 We spent 18 months here, and I learned to love this Country for its raw beauty and its vivid colors, but most of all for its wonderful people.

Am I going to miss Mexico? Yes, undoubtedly.

Here I built friendships, learned the language a little, seen incredibly diverse scenery, been outrageously happy, felt safe and welcome.

I’m deeply grateful for the chance I have been given to discover a Country I feel very connected to, and the wonderful memories I’ll carry with me.

I would do it all over again in a heartbeat and who knows, maybe one day we’ll return.

Still, I can’t help wondering what’s behind the next corner…

 

We are told not to leave the boat until we get inspected and cleared by the Mexican Navy, who is supposed to do so immediately upon any vessel’s arrival. In our case, they show up twenty hours after our arrival. Tom can’t help smirking: “Do you suppose we could have gotten rid of any illegal cargo within these last 20 hours?” he says.

Hey, this is Mexico, what can you do. Just relax and wait… Eventually a little group of uniformed men arrive to inspect Camelot. The Port Captain, flanked by three Navy officers with a drug-sniffing dog, introduces himself and welcomes us to Puerto Madero. Very polite and courteous, he asks for permission to send an officer and the dog to inspect the cabin below.

 Pure formality on his part, as “no” is not the answer they’re looking for… So Gama the drug-dog, wearing little booties on his paws to avoid damaging the boat, goes to work while Tom and I answer questions and compile forms. It takes less than twenty minutes. We offer Cokes to the men and water to the dog, and finally part ways like long-lost friends.

We can’t do much over the weekend, so we end up once again having a little gathering on the docks with our buddies, sharing food, drinks and plans, having a good old time as usual.

We’re all planning to leave over the next few days; some will leave earlier, some later, but we’re all going to El Salvador and we’ll reunite there.

 

 

Marina Chiapas is a brand new Marina, still under construction. So far there’s water available but no electricity, and for this reason the management allows visiting boats to stay for free. Construction of a pool, a restaurant, a full-service boatyard and other amenities is hastily under way.

 

 

 I have no doubts that once completed this will be a world-class Marina. The staff is extremely attentive, courteous and efficient, a pleasure to deal with. The location is also perfect, as this is the last Mexican Port before Guatemala.

This is where we clear out of the Country. It’s a little convoluted and very official process that is made a lot easier by Guillermo, the Marina Assistant Harbormaster, who ends up driving nine skippers all around town to get their documents prepared and stamped.

They all pile up in Guillermo’s big pickup truck and leave at 10 in the morning, Tom included.

I spend the day giving Camelot a nice, long bath, getting rid of all the salt and returning her to her customary splendor. Well, ok, I just got her clean…

After that the cooking mood strikes me, so off I go to prepare a few meals that we’ll enjoy along the way. I’m so busy doing my thing that hours fly by without my noticing.

 

 

Damn, it’s 5 pm, where the hell is Tom? Just when I’m starting to wonder if he ran off with a Mexican Senorita (leaving Camelot behind???), here he comes!

He’s so tired, sweaty and hungry, that I just put a bottle of iced water in his hand and feed him half of the meatloaf and potatoes that I prepared for the trip. He obviously needs it!

But we have all our papers in order and will have to leave the Country within 48 hours. We’ll be free to leave, that is, after another inspection by the Navy. That’s how it’s done, so that’s how we’ll do it.

 

Our last day in Mexico is spent wandering the streets of Tapachula, a town 28 Kilometers from the Marina with very good shopping opportunities.

 

 

After some sight-seeing we get some more groceries (what can I say, we eat a lot!) and some cable wire and locks to secure our diesel jugs and our kayaks on deck. According to other cruisers who’ve traveled ahead of us, Central America is a little more prone to theft and we were strongly advised to take some precautions, so we follow their lead.

At 5:30 we leave Huatulco and the safe haven of Marina Chahue’, part of the exodus that sees at least eight boats leaving in a staggered formation.

We’re the third boat to leave, so we’ll be right in the middle of the group. If there’s safety in numbers, then we should be just fine.

We soon get a taste of things to come. The wind is still blowing strong and angry –from the wrong direction again!-, rendering the sea choppy and hard to deal with. By daylight the waves get really tall and at closer intervals. Camelot is doing her best, aided by the strong engine, but it’s slow and agonizing going.

We’re hobby-horsing like crazy, with big waves breaking on the bow and flooding the deck. I don’t like this Blue Rodeo one bit, but we grit our teeth and get on with it.

It lasts about two hours, then it magically quits. Like it never happened! The sea is a glass mirror, you’d never guess that there’s still a 2-knot current against us, slowing us down. But hey, that’s nothing!

I welcome the peace and to celebrate our newly-found balance prepare a lunch fit for a king. It’s amazing, you’d think that our stomachs would be turned inside-out with all of that, but instead we’re ravenously hungry!

We even get to turn the engine off and sail for a little bit, but we’re going too slow for Tom’s taste… Screw it, let the engine rule…

It’s all peaceful and quiet around us, such a clear and brilliant day. We see clearly a massive blue whale about a mile away, and I mean massive, we estimate about 65 feet! When it finally dove, just the tail looked as wide as our boat.  At a mile’s distance! I’m very relieved it didn’t get any closer…

That spurs me into getting my camera ready, and not a moment too soon.  The dolphins arrive in droves, jumping and gallivanting, pushing each other to obtain the prime spot in front of our bow.

 They swim fast! Some of them are light grey with tiny spots like a Dalmatian and they’re bigger than the ones I’ve seen so far… I spend a good hour perched on the bow to enjoy the show, and even notice some of them turning sideways to look up at me! They give me sheer joy.

The calm sea is also peppered with Leatherback Turtles; there are dozens of them bobbing all around us. The water is so amazingly clear that I can see a multitude of tiny jellyfish below the surface.

Then I remember that the Leatherbacks absolutely love jellyfish, it’s their favorite food. It also improves the turtles’ fertility and hardens the eggs’ shell. Truly Health Food for turtles… Good to know that those stingy little buggers are good for something other than giving us a rash…

I certainly don’t feel sorry for the jellyfish when I witness a turtle chomping on one. It goes like this: Turtle bites on Jellyfish, Jellyfish expands like a balloon then explodes, Turtle happily munches away.

Around sunset a few Devil Rays briefly splash loudly about, a perfect end to a day that started a little abruptly.

The night is illuminated by a full moon so bright that the contours of the sea are easy to see.

Occasionally we check in with the other boats via radio, to make sure everyone is okay. So far so good, everyone’s happy. We’re miles apart from each other, so we don’t really see any other boat for most of the trip.

I’m lucky enough to be on watch when day breaks. It’s absolutely spectacular!

To enhance the already marvelous experience, there’s a pod of dolphins jumping high out of the water.

Maybe it’s their way to welcome the new day?

My version is a couple of mugs of strong coffee. Welcome, New Day!

It is a very lazy day, we entertain ourselves with some reading, some games and (in my case) a lot of photography.

We’re still motor-sailing to maintain a decent speed, but it looks like we’ll be arriving well after sunset. I’m not happy about that, and Tom isn’t thrilled either. It is strongly recommended to avoid arriving in an unknown location in the dark, and we respected this rule since we left over eighteen months ago.

Ok, well, I guess it’s time to break the rule. According to my chart plotter, we won’t be at destination until 20:30… In the meantime, we enjoy yet another late-afternoon dolphin show.

At dusk we start seeing a multitude of lights peppering the sea. We’re closing in on our destination and getting closer to shore: those are navigation lights of the shrimpers, big fishing boats dragging nets behind them. Thankfully, they’re illuminated like little villages…

From then on, the peace is over. The Dodge-The-Shrimper game begins, and colorful cussing ensues. There are so many of them, and going in all directions! Tom gets a good workout, steering the boat like a skilled Formula Uno racecar…

Finally we came in sight of Puerto Madero and are guided by the sea buoys lights indicating the way in. Funny enough, there also are two huge and very bright white lights flashing intermittently every second. They are meant to help keep incoming vessels in the middle of the deep channel, but they effectively render us blind!

It’s a little tricky, but Tom gets us safely into the basin while I practice deep breathing. Another few turns, some dodging of a working dredge, one wrong turn, much swearing and two corrections later, we finally arrive at the Chiapas Marina.

Some friends are already standing at the side of our slip, ready to catch our lines and help us ease in. God bless the sailor’s spirit! With their help we settle Camelot in, and within minutes beer cans pop open to welcome our arrival and to celebrate our safe crossing of the blasted and intimidating Tehuantapec Bay.

Ok, we’re officially grounded.

Mother Nature won’t allow us to go out and play for at least a week. So what does Tom do? He turns this grounding into an excuse to have a party! He does the rounds, visiting every boat and advertising the Tehuantapec Potluck Party that will be held on the docks in a couple of days, making sure to include the dock workers as well. 

As usual, the party ends up on Camelot… Why am I not surprised???

Our very forgiving and pretty spacious boat welcomes the crew from eight other boats (22 people!) for a few good hours of fine dining and lively conversation. What a great time we had!

As it turns out, we’re all pretty much going in the same direction, heading to Puerto Madero (the last port in Mexico) where we’ll all complete formalities to officially exit Mexico and replenish provisions before the passage to El Salvador.

Over the next few days I’m secretly sulking. There are nine beautiful bays in Huatulco, with thirty-six spectacular beaches. There are wonderful little reefs that are begging to be explored, and I’m told the snorkeling here is legendary. My kayak is itching to go, and so am I. But did I get to see any of all that? Hell, NO! The weather got in my way… So let me sulk in peace.

Tom instead is in his element; there’s a constant flurry of skippers from the other boats coming and going, all comparing notes on the next trip. We all have to cross the threatening Tehuantapec Bay, a long and possibly hard crossing. So everyone chips in: there’s collective studies on weather forecasts, speculations on positive or negative currents, exchanges of opinions on how far offshore is better to travel to avoid the wrath of the ocean, and a myriad other details.

We even manage to take a couple of trips to the neighboring town of La Cruz, once for a nice dinner, and once for grocery shopping.

Luckily, the wind storm finally abates long enough to allow us to plan our departure in relative safety. There’s another storm coming right on the tail of the first one, so we have to carefully plan our exit strategy to sneak between the two. The alternative is to be stuck here for at least another week, but we’re both determined to just go.

 

Right on time as planned, at 3 in the morning (YAWN!), I’m squinting in the dark trying to find my way out of this bay. Shouldn’t be that hard, it’s a small bay after all… I can very well see the small fishing boats all around us; I bet I can find the exit as well…

Conditions are calm and the wind is still sleeping, we end up motoring for long hours. The wind shows up at some point and we’re able to sail for a few hours.

It’s a long and uneventful trip; for hours, camera tied to my neck, I scan the sea in search of life. Strangely, we don’t see anything: no turtles, no dolphins, no whales, NADA… I wonder why.

Things start getting interesting about three hours before we’re due to arrive at destination. The wind picks up with a vengeance –of course right on our nose-, the sea gets pissy and starts throwing water at us in the form of quartering waves –my personal favorite. Quartering waves make the boat move in a motion resembling the spin cycle of a washing machine, but at a much slower speed: VERY uncomfortable and very tiring.

We only speak to each other to say how much we hate this. Tom tries all sorts of tricks to make the remainder of the trip easier, with no success.

Confused seas confuse me! How we don’t get seasick remains a mystery to me…

There are many little, inviting bays with plenty of opportunities to anchor, but all of them right now are too exposed to wind and waves to be comfortable.

We try our luck in La Crucecita, finding a spot right in front of the massive Cruise ship dock. But what if a cruise ship arrives??? In any case, as it turns out, the winds get even worse. We know about a predicted weather event, one of the infamous Tehuantapec wind storms that is due to blow for three to five days – starting tonight.

Over the next bay there’s a nice, comfortable and protected port, Marina Chahue’. We take a quick dinghy tour to scope out the place and make sure there’s a berth for us. Success!!! We find plenty of room and welcoming people.

Within an hour we’re safely ensconced in our slip, Camelot hog-tied to withstand the impending storm. We’re surrounded by at least a dozen boats in our same predicament: waiting out Mother Nature’s tantrum.

From start to finish, this leg lasted 34 hours and 45 minutes.

It’s time to pop open celebratory drinks and get to know the neighbors.

Early in the morning we untie Camelot from the mooring ball, leaving Bahia de Acapulco for good.

Just around the corner, a few miles South East, is Bahia de Puerto Marques.  It’s a much smaller and much quieter anchorage, cute as a picture. 

 

We’re both very happy about the clarity and temperature of the water; it’s been a while since we were able to swim! There’s a small but very nice beach and I’m sure there’s a beach chair with our names on it.

 

 

 

We’ll only stay here 18 hours, as we’ll depart for Huatulco at 3:00 am tomorrow morning! Better take advantage…

Tom woke up determined to go see the Cliff Divers: it’s our last chance, as we’re leaving Acapulco tomorrow.

He drags me off the boat earlier than usual: by 9:30 we’re already in the Marina office, paying our dues for dinghy babysitting. There we meet Isabelle and Magnus -crew of the sailboat Nanna who arrived last night- and their friend Karl, visiting from Sweden.

We all pretty much have the same goal in mind –seeing some more of Acapulco-, so we all take a bus to the town center together. Another one of those colorful buses, this one playing ear-splitting rap music… We can’t wait to get off this giant music box.

The Plaza is nice and welcoming, with lots of Banyan Trees providing shelter from the blazing sun. I’m told some of them are 185 years old, very impressive. The Nuestra Senora de Soledad (Our Lady of Solitude)  Cathedral sits majestically at the corner of the Plaza.

This information and much more is provided by local gentlemen employed by the City to provide assistance to visiting tourists.

These really nice guys, all English speaking, are milling around the Plaza and when they spot a tourist (we are VERY recognizable!) they zoom in, introduce themselves and supply all sorts of useful information.

We end up with Senor Julio and Senor Issi (the latter emphatically insisting on being called Easy).

Our group splits for about a half hour to go run errands: Tom and I are looking for a bank to exchange Pesos for US Dollars, the rest of the group going to a travel agency.

Easy becomes our shadow: “You need US Dollars? I have a friend who can help!” he says, and walks us to a nearby pet store. Tom and I look at each other, puzzled and a little suspicious. Is this even legal? Tom very politely insists we need a bank, so Mr. Easy – shaking his head – walks with us to the closest bank. As it turns out, this bank doesn’t do currency exchange, so off we go in search of another one. Luckily, there’s a larger bank just less than a mile away. Yes, they do exchange currency, but also need a passport from us in order to do so… And we didn’t think to bring one!

So, back to the pet store we go… Senor Luis, the owner, has about 500 USD he’s more than happy to exchange at the current rate. He doesn’t look shady at all, but we complete the transaction feeling somewhat uneasy. Did we just help launder money?

We later learn that most shops in town do business in both currencies and it’s not uncommon for tourists to exchange their money in any store. Ok, I feel a little better…

We reunite with the rest of the group, planning to go see La Quebrada Cliffs where the divers take their plunge multiple times a day.

This time Senor Julio guides our small group through center town and up a steep hill. It’s quite a long walk, and by the time we reach the top of the hill we’re all sweating and heaving. Ok, well, maybe not all of us, maybe just me…

We have about 40 minutes before the next dive show at 1 pm. Senor Julio insists we stop at the new jeweler’s store atop the hill where, he says, they’ll offer us refreshment just to walk in and visit their store.

Ok, tourist trap. We fall into it, happily so. Sure enough, the first words spoken to us were:” Hello, welcome, would you like a beer, a Coke, some wine?”  How odd! But we all gratefully accept their offer.

It’s a very pleasant experience, browsing gorgeous jewelry while sipping a cold Diet Coke in an air-conditioned shop!

We spend quite some time in there and I’m not exactly sure how it happened, but I exit the store with a Mexican Fire Opal ring on my finger… I’m not a jewelry kind of gal, but I have a weakness for this particular stone that changes color and sparkles in the sunlight. Besides, Tom insisted so much (really, Tom, twist my arm!)…

We make our way to the viewing spot, in a few minutes the Cliff Divers will do their thing. It is a fully blown touristic operation, no question about that.

The “La Quebrada Cliff Divers” are a group of professional high divers.They perform daily shows for the public, which involve diving 125 ft (35 metres) from the cliffs of La Quebrada into the sea below. Apparently, there’s much more to it than just throwing yourself in the water…  These guys have to know what they’re doing!

The depth of water in the “Gulch” can vary from 6 to 16 feet depending on the waves, with an average depth of 12 feet. During the night, they often hold torches while diving.  The ritual starts with them climbing the cliffs (!) from water level up to their diving place.

Once up there they stand or kneel in front of two statuettes of the Virgin of Guadalupe, offering a silent prayer for protection. After crossing themselves, they assume their positions and start concentrating on the wave action in the waters below.

It’s a very steep plunge into a very narrow channel with churning water. Needless to say, timing is crucial. They carefully study the water at length, taking all the time they need before diving.

There are different styles: some dive head first, others twist and turn in the air before reaching the water.

Three divers go solo, one at a time; then, as the Gran Finale, we get two synchronized divers performing some acrobatics before disappearing into the waves.

Spectacular! Everyone present holds their breath until the divers’ heads pop out of the water; then it’s a long, loud round of applause and cheering.

These guys hold Rock Star status: their picture is for sale and they sign autographs, there’s also a fee to take your picture with them. Hey, I would milk it for all it’s worth, too, if I had to jump down that cliff!!!

We all thoroughly enjoyed the experience and are now ready to make our way back to center town for a late lunch. Senor Julio magically reappears to guide us. It feels a little like having your own bodyguard! I’m not sure I like, but Tom is squeezing every last drop of information from him. To his credit, he directs us to a restaurant where we finally sit down to enjoy a tasty, inexpensive and satisfying meal.

Maybe it’s the long walk, maybe it’s the after-meal, food-induced coma, but we’re all ready to go take a siesta.

Tom and I jump on yet another crazy bus and return to the Marina and finally to our floating refuge, the ever-welcoming Camelot.

The whole day has gone by in a blink and we’re exhausted, but glad we did it all. Tomorrow we’ll leave Acapulco, satisfied that we’ve seen all we came here to see.