More Mexico

As we continued up the coast, mostly motoring, we began giving serious thought to continuing up the coast all the way home to Canada rather than doing the long route past Hawaii, a decision that we would have to make soon.

Our passages have had many sights of turtles and dolphins but have yielded only a few tasty fish for ourselves, and smaller red-meat fish for Chanty.

One for Chanty

We got a few hours of pounding into headwinds as we neared Acapulco, so pulled in for some relief. Normally we anchor out but Acapulco's large harbour is deep and not so good holding so we went into quiet Marina Santa Lucia. This was to Chanty's liking too as it gave her a chance to get off the boat and snoop around.

Being a mischievous rascal, Chanty disappeared one morning to do some boat snooping while we were up having a shower. Her foray ended with a rescue by the Security Guard after she fell in the water. She was the next to get a good shower to rinse the salt out, much to her angst.

After a sad soaking

Alpher, a young looking and friendly member of the Marina staff, offered to take us to watch the famous Acapulco Clavadistas Profesionales (cliff divers).

Friendly dock man, Alpher

Even though we had seen them back in 2011, it is always a thrill to watch their death-defying dives. They first scale the steep cliffs of the gorge up to as high as 35 metres above the churning ocean below, then perform the dives.

The divers' gorge

Watch this 44-second video of a daring diver. He is to the left of the lights at the top and jumps at 34 seconds if you wish to fast forward it.

In the morning, a check out with the Port Captain was essential but ineptitude made it a frustrating 5-hour affair. After another unpleasant refueling stop where again the surge put us in a precarious position, we made our escape from Acapulco in light to no winds.

Dreadful fuel dock mooring

Our next stop, Barra de Navidad, was of little significance other than here we finally made the decision to do the coastal route home. So instead of making this our jump-off for the long route, we kept going north.

Water taxi dock at Barra de Navidad

Anchorages:
Cruising to Acapulco May 15 to May 18
N16°50.405' W099°54.138' May 18 Acapulco
Cruising to Barra de Navidad May 20 to May 23
N19°11.412' W104°40.422' May 23 Barra de Navidad

Beseeching at Huatulco

Calm sunset

So 9 days after leaving Costa Rica, we dropped anchor at Huatulco (south Mexico) and experienced a frustrating 3-day official check in. We were dealing with an over-officious and uncompromising Port Captain officer in a matter relating to an irregularity in paperwork.

You see, on December 9, 2009 (just shy of 10 years ago), we had originally checked into northern Mexico at Ensenada on our way south. At that time, it was required for us to purchase a 10-year Temporary Import Permit (TIP) for Sea Turtle. Over the years, passing through many countries, we would periodically purge our files of accumulated and redundant official paperwork. In that process, we disposed of this Mexico TIP that evidently was still in effect even though we had exited Mexico years earlier.

A sample of required TIP

So the officious official insisted that we needed to purchase a new TIP. Okay, simple enough, right? Not really. It required a 2-hour journey down the coast to Santa Cruz where the nearest office (actually a state appointed bank) that could issue it was!

So off we went, bouncing along in the land of a million topes (speed bumps) in a hot crowded bus in pursuit of the needed TIP. Now if you have done any amount of travelling in Mexico you will have no doubt noticed a peculiarity of the banks there. When you approach, the first thing you see is a security guard doing door control and the next thing you see as he opens the door for you is a throng of beleaguered patrons in a long snaking line waiting their turn to understaffed tellers.

After the enduring wait, the teller began to process our request and in that she discovered that our TIP issued almost 10 years ago was still in effect (as we had tried to tell the Port Captain) and that it would be impossible to get a new one until after it expired in December of 2019. The only thing this all-day-endeavour yielded was the number of our original TIP.

So the next morning, we beseeched our stone-faced official to accept the only thing we could produce. No can do. Customs officials had to be summoned from the airport to sort this out. Eventually they came, and after they contacted the Ensenada office that issued our original TIP to confirm the existence of it, they prepared a piece of paperwork in lieu of. But the pillar of port protect was still not convinced. It required more phone calls and more beseeching before he eventually reluctantly relented.

So as the ink was still drying on the final check-in paper, we told him we wanted to do the required port check out, then held our breath. One hour later, relieved, we were out the door.

Needing fuel, we approached the fuel pier, where, in the Mexican banking way we waited in line. The tie-up was a nasty affair. First more beseeching. The fuel employees seemed ambivalent to the need to catch our lines. The tide was low, making the irregular concrete wall too high for the already inadequate protection in place, and as the surge came in and out of the confined harbour, it put shuddering stress on our lines and cleats.

Then to make matters worse, Jordan started filling the wrong deck fitting. He was pouring diesel into the water tank!!! Both fillers are side by side but both with obvious embossed labels. He admitted a stupid lapse in attention. He had heard that a previous owner of Sea Turtle had done the same thing and wondered how anyone could have been so stupid. Well, now he knows.

After payment, the workers quickly disappeared without untying us! More beseeching! But then they couldn't release the bow rope as they had tied it in such a way as the surge had seized it. Eventually they had to get a crowbar to prise it off, all the while Judy was bumper jockey scrambling about the bow to minimize the crashing of bowsprit to concrete.

What was supposed to be a 1-day stop turned into 4.

Having relating all these frustrating events, we have to say Huatulco is actually a very pleasant place but not necessarily for cruising here.

Anchorage:
N15°45.154' W096°07.655' May 12 Huatulco

Homewards from Panama

April 28th Sea Turtle was once again flowing through Pacific waters after almost 10 years of circling the globe and it became time to make the long journey home. There are various routes that one can sail from Central America back to BC, each with their own advantages and disadvantages.

For us, it came down to 2 options; either take the long way out towards Hawaii and around the summer Pacific high then back into BC, or the shorter direct route, harbour hopping all the way up the coast.

The disadvantages of the first would be lots of motoring to get out of the large belt of calm that sits off the coast of Central America and of course the length of time at sea. As for the latter, it would be going against the wind almost all the way, so to avoid bashing, there would be lots of lay-days in ports waiting for calm winds and then lots of motoring. We chose the long way.

With ample victuals, we departed Panama City for, firstly, a 4-day jaunt of mostly motoring up the coast to Puntarenas Costa Rica. There we completely topped up with fuel and enjoyed a refreshing pool dip knowing it would be our last for a long time.

Pool dip

From there, it was off into the big blue Pacific towards Hawaii. Once again, we had the gracious daily weather updates and vectors from Adam, our associate member of Bluewater Cruising Association.

Our first day out was promising with a stiff breeze and it felt like the first flight of a fledgling out of its nest. But we soon fell into the calms that we knew were lurking. At first we patiently waited for little puffs of wind now and again. But we could only take so much dead calm, sail flopping, glassy seas that we would resort to the drone of the motor.

Monotonous calm

We found ways to break the monotony. Once when we were dead in the water and the mainsail just flopped from side to side, we decided to take a dip (N10°35.939' W091°23.039'). Lowering the stern ladder, we enjoyed the wet relief of the barely cool water. It was surprising to see so many fish under the boat. But when we felt the water starting to pass around us, our grip tightened and it had us scrambling back up on deck.

Pelagic babies

Here I come...don't let go!!

We subsequently heard that recently the crew of a sailboat in the Med was doing the same thing but we suppose they were swimming about without holding on and the boat picked up a puff of wind and they weren't able to get back on as 1 lone survivor recounted.

Jordan passed the time by crafting delicious looking lures that evidently worked too good because they were soon taken - hook, line, and sinker. The first time, we heard a bang of the recoiling remnant of the line's bungy shock absorber as it ricocheted back. Whatever the monster was, man, it was gone!

After re-rigging, the second event was much the same but this time we could see that our pelagic catch had been snatched, the venue being obvious by circling shark fins (and we had been swimming in these waters!)

After too many days of motoring and without wind on the horizon, we had to reconsider our strategy. With the coast of Mexico not far away, it was prudent that we go up and refuel, then head up the coast a ways before again jumping off and where the needed trade winds would typically be closer to the continent.

Anchorages:
Cruising to Costa Rica Apr 28 to May 02
N09°58.950' W084°48.650' May 02 COSTA RICA Puntarenas
Cruising to Mexico May 03 to May 12