Subj: Nanjo
Chronicals 2001 - Tehuantepec Crossing
Date:
4/20/01 4:21:46 PM Mountain Daylight Time
From:
nanjohn@yahoo.com (John Suter)
Travels
from March 16, to April 1, 2001:
Ahoy,
Mexico
has various forms of pollution, the cruisers' choice for "most
disliked" is noise - the mind-blowing and ear-paining blasts from
beachside bars heard on our boats in the anchorages. In Huatulco's port at Santa
Cruz, the bars continue to operate longer than at any other port we've been to
in Mexico. While this usually occurs on Friday and Saturday nights, no night is
exempt here. For that reason, most cruisers left Santa Cruz for the serenity of
remote anchorages, returning only for provisions. We wondered if we were jumping
from the frying pan into the fire, anchoring just off Club Med's beach. But the
music was short-termed and rather pleasant. We relaxed, enjoyed the peace and
slept well.
The
Club Med anchorage provided us with some of the best protection of any of the
Huatulco anchorages. Unfortunately,
diving visibility was no better off the rocky point sheltering us or at Isla
Tangola Tangola, so we made water, worked with photos and emails on the computer
and did chores.
The
last cove we went to was Chachacual. Charlie's Charts doesn't give a valid
representation of this spot, yet it is probably the best of Huatulco's anchorages.
In fact there are two anchorages in the bay. One is in the open bay, while the
other is a small cove tucked in behind a reef and some sentinel rocks on the
eastern side of the bay. Unfortunately the white sand beach-lined cove can only
hold 4 or 5 "friendly" boats. At first we tucked in between the last
boat and the reef to the southeast. However, after diving to inspect the
holding ground and the location of the rocks, coral heads and reef, and after the
wind realigned us with the nearest boat, we moved Nanjo to the open anchorage
before it got too dark.
Over
the next few days, we saw that the local party boats and tour boats also liked
the protected cove, packing it with pangas and power cruisers. Still, in the
early mornings and late afternoons, the cove returned to an ideal anchorage and
beach for the boats anchored there. I had seen schools of edible fish when I
dove to inspect the anchorage when we were there momentarily. So, with good
water clarity, it should be excellent for foraging.
Actually
the swells settled down and the wind kept us pointed into them, making the
outer anchorage quite acceptable. We shared the anchorage with two Canadian boats,
Tulameen and Candlewin, and we dinked over for a 3-boat party one evening.
We
waited, staying away from Santa Cruz, until the forecasters agreed on a weather
window for crossing the Golfo de Tehuantepec. Boats left all the coves and
returned to Santa Cruz to do final provisioning and check out. By Sunday night
there were 20 boats making ready for the crossing. The forecast promised moderately
high winds at the head of the Tehuantepec for another day or so, until Tuesday
afternoon. Even so, some boats left Monday to use the last of the wind for
sailing.
Anchoring
back in Santa Cruz provided us with just one more project to complete before
departing. The anchorage was fairly full and we reanchored a couple of times to
give Nanjo more separation from other anchored boats. On the third set, the
snubber released as Nancy was backing down to set it. The shackle between the
chain hook and the nylon thimble must have broken. I had a spare hook, but
needed a large shackle, just one more thing to search for it town.
We
checked out of Mexico on Monday, planning a Tuesday morning departure. Our
checkout included our first "zarpe", a new document for us. We began
at the Port Captain's office, giving them the usual 5 copies of our crew list.
As our destination, I put "Bahia del Coco, Costa Rica con puertos
imtermedios", as that gave us a wide range of options (and you MUST check
in at Coco). Many boats just used Barillas Marina, which was accepted as a port
of entry by the Port Captain in Huatulco. Actually there is nothing different
for a skipper to do that he hasn't done in every other port. We did have to go
to the airport to get Migracion's stamp on our crew list. The airport is about
10 miles from town. We took a bus from town for 5 pesos, rather than a taxi for
$12 or more. When I returned from Migracion, the Port Captain presented me with
a very official looking document which represented Mexico's official
introduction of Nanjo to any inspector, with our departure and destination, our
sail plan. Every vessel entering a country for the first time must have a zarpe
from the country it departed from. If Mexican, Guatemalan, or even US Coast
Guard boarded Nanjo on the open ocean, this document is key to "having our
papers in order".
Oh-h-h
Baby was the first boat out on Tuesday morning, using the early land breezes to
begin their straight-across transit. Oh-h-h Baby had been unable to repair
their diesel engine in Huatulco and was looking forward to finding some
additional help at Barillas. They would sail the entire 500+ miles before being
towed through a wild entrance to the Jiquilisco lagoon and the 10 miles of
canals.
Nanjo
was the next boat out of port, leaving around 1000. A southeasterly breeze was
already blowing and we began to raise the main sail. It wouldn't slide past the
troublesome screw in the slide. This was one area I had forgotten in my
pre-cruise inspection. Murphy's Law
predicts that it would give me grief. So I brought out the web ladder and
raised it on the front side of the mast with the spinnaker halyard. I gathered
my tools and the Locktite and climbed up the mast while Nancy motored east
toward the last of the Tehuantepec winds. Up the mast, after reaching the trouble
spot, I found that there was no problem. The sails were raised soon after I
climbed down and Nanjo was quietly beginning her journey in earnest.
The
first afternoon was filled with a variety of surprises: First, we were bucking
a 2-knot current. Although we were
sailing at better than 5 knots, we were only making a little more than 3 knots over-the-ground.
Next was that the waves whipped up by a "Tehuantepecker" are
short-duration, "square" waves like in the Sea of Cortez. We had some
residual waves of this sort hit us nose-on, slowing us down even more. And
finally, we found that there are some huge fish in the Tehuantepec. I had
attached one of the new, heavy-duty hooks I had purchased in Huatulco and was
ready for Dorado. My wish was answered around 5pm. I watched as the towed line
went taught, straightening out the rubber snubber and then snapping. I had just
yelled to Nancy that we had something . . . we lost something . . . and she had
come up from the cabin, where she had been preparing dinner. We both saw the
largest bull Dorado we have ever seen leaping out of the water 100' behind
Nanjo, trying to shake out the hook. The sight was worth the loss. There was no
way we could have landed that giant, except maybe by using a halyard. [As a
note, the next evening we told Candlewin, who was just leaving Huatulco tracing
the same route we had taken the day before, about the Dorado and to make sure
to use the heaviest fishing line he had. His response was that he always used
oversized, unbreakable tackle. When we saw him later, after he had arrived in Barillas,
he said that a Dorado broke his 100#+ tackle.] The Tehuantepec holds some
trophy Dorado! Be forewarned to go
prepared!
Actually
we hooked a fish every day. The second was a yellow tail tuna. I had it right
to the transom, but it lunged under the boat, working the line on the edge of
the fiberglass, breaking it. We ate several Black Jacks, Mexican Tunnys, dark
meat but not "game1y" like Skip Jacks. We lost all the excellent food
and ate the acceptable food. We still felt like we could eat fish whenever we
wanted to.
We
cut the corner very early, not following the coast on the
"one-foot-on-the-beach" strategy. The boats ahead of us were motoring
at high revs, making only 3 knots against the current and had no wind or seas
as they approached Salina Cruz. With the crew agreeing, Nanjo turned out into
the gulf at Bahia Grande. That evening, the other boats aimed at the same
waypoint we had targeted.
Although
we sailed until 2200 the first night, there was little wind for the next 48
hours. Finally, just abreast of Puerto Madero, we returned to sail-power. This was welcomed because the current was
bucking us as we proceeded out of the Tehuantepec. We generally sailed the rest
of the way to the "wait point" for Barillas, El Salvador.
We
didn't go into Puerto Madero, the southernmost port in Mexico. The boats that
did gave it mixed reviews, generally poor. Attempting to enter the port except in
daylight is dangerous, since you must "thread the needle" between
shoals with breakers close aboard the channel. The harbor is principally
commercial - good and bad news. Low fuel price is the welcomed news. Everything else is marginal to bad, including
the anchorage. The best advice is to go in for fuel and leave immediately, or
pass it up.
We
didn't stop at Puerto Quetzal in Guatemala. We felt that $160 for a maximum
5-day stay was ridiculous. We planned to tour Guatemala from Barillas.
We
also didn't stop at Marina Del Sol, just ½ day before Barillas. We had planned
to, but northbound boats that we had talked to in the last 30 days had told us
that the exit from that port was more dangerous than the entrance. We felt that
the danger (at worst) or the anxiety (at least) wasn't worth the benefits at
Del Sol.
The
last two days were dead-downwind sails. STEVE was the sole helmsman. Nancy
washed clothes and they dried on the lifelines, flapping in the hot wind. I managed
the sail trim, watched for long-line fish nets and boats, made plans to
integrate our GPS with the radar, and contemplated lightning protection, since
we were approaching that season in the area known for it.
As
far as the navigational hazards, we saw the marker floats for only two
long-line nets, crossing each without snagging. I was extremely impressed with
the courtesy of the Guatemalan and Salvadorian fishing trawlers. In several
instances, they changed course rather than forcing me to (US and Mexican
fishermen could take lessons from them). I give them additional credit for
understanding that I was running wing-and-wing, being less maneuverable than if
I was on a beat. .
I
located a Guatemalan patrol boat hiding in one group of trawlers, but he never
called me on VHF or approached Nanjo. I was lucky. Later I heard that most of
the southbound cruisers were boarded several times by Mexican and Guatemalan
navies. The boardings were merely interruptions to idyllic sailing conditions
for them, but still not without anxiety, under the watchful gaze of young
soldiers with assault rifles. Maybe I helped myself by staying offshore more
than 12 miles (I used to worry about this coastal separation off the Russian
coast when I navigated the Remora, the submarine I served on in the 60's). In most
instances, countries use the 12-mile limit as their seaward border.
We
saw very few ships or fishing boats in those last two days. We became more and
more relaxed with going below to do things, leaving nobody topside. On the last
afternoon, after entering El Salvadorian waters, we were both below eating
dinner together while STEVE steered us along at 7 knots. I was half way through
dinner, when I just felt like I should take a peek at the horizon. I was
startled to see a large freighter had passed us, only a few miles away. This
experience reminded us that it doesn't take much time for a freighter to pass
from out-of-visual range into hazardous proximity.
Our
plan for entering Barillas was based on entering in the morning (no wind), late
in the flood tide in order to gain maximum depth, with no detrimental effects
from the ebbing flow (a bucking current slowing our entry and waves becoming
steeper because of the exiting water). Because of the excellent sailing
conditions, we were slightly ahead of our ETA. When I awoke at 2200 for my
evening insulin injection and to take over the watch, the main sail's full battens
were popping as if there was no wind. I asked Nancy why she hadn't woken me to
drop the sails. She said that we were still making over 4 knots! After careful
observation, we had about 1 knot of "indicated" wind from astern
(just enough to allow STEVE to work) and obviously a favorable current. After dropping the main sail, the GPS
indicated that Nanjo was moving at 2 ½ knots.
During
my watch, we closed the coastline to within 4 miles. This took us into the
shallow waters at the mouth of Bahia de Jiquilisco, where local fishermen worked
throughout the night. The only problem is that they didn't use navigational
lights. However they saw ours and would turn on strobes and flashlights whenever
they felt we were about to hit them or their nets. This created a very
challenging piloting task; having to make rapid decisions when confronted with imminent
collisions. A combination of not being able to sleep and not wanting Nancy to
have to deal with the stress, kept me on watch until about 0330.
Finally,
after a 5-day, 6-night, 500+ mile transit Nanjo was poised at the "wait
point". Free of the panga-based fishermen, only accompanied by fishing boats
using nav lights, Nancy took over so that I could get a couple of hours of rest
before the all-out dash through the surf for which the entrance to Barillas is
known.
Crew
of Nanjo
__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Auctions - buy the things you want at great prices http://auctions.yahoo.com/
-----------------------
Headers -------------------------------- Return-Path: