Leg 3 - Puerto Vallarta to El Salvador

On November 17, 2003, the Abston family left the harbor at La Cruz de Huanacaxtle, and began sailing southeast 130 miles to Bahia de Tenacatita.  After getting some dinghy gas at the hardware store, uploading the kid's school report and buying a bag of ice, we weighed anchor in light variable winds.  We motored most of the morning, charging the batteries and making water, and the wind picked-up around 1700, where we began sailing at 6 knots towards our destination.  

We saw some unusual dolphins with spots on their bellies, and our first sea turtle!  Steve hooked a marlin, but it broke the line, and then proceeded to jump out of the water right behind our boat for the next 30 seconds, trying to dislodge the lure - it was really cool (at least as cool as possible after you lose a marlin).  That night, there was no moon, and not being able to see the waves or anything around you is kind of eerie (insert 'scary' for some of the crew).  The sailing was great until about 2100, where in wind gusting to 32 and boatspeed around 10 knots, we furled the jib to slow down the boat.  Although the wind was strong, the seas were moderate, and it was great making 7 knots under mainsail alone.

Dolphins swimming as the sun rises (it's hard to take a picture of jumping dolphins!)

In the early morning of the 18th, the wind diminished and we unfurled the jib, wherein the wind finally died around 0700.  Steve caught another skipjack, and snagged a fishing net strung out across the ocean, suspended by empty 2-liter jugs of 7-Up.   I don't know how we sailed over it without getting it caught in our rudders, but we ended up having to cut the fishing line loose rather than diving to retrieve it.  That makes 5 lures at about $15 each that we have lost, and we have only caught stupid skipjacks!

Tenacatita

We motored into the quite little harbor around 1130, and although this is a great, beautiful, secluded spot, there were no other boats around - a first for us since Santa Cruz Island in California.  We launched the dinghy, and explored the 'jungle cruise', a 3 mile long river through the mangroves, ending in a lagoon by a little beach community.  It was really special, as for about half the trip the mangroves completely enveloped us, leaving only a tunnel of impenetrable spookiness!  At one point, Steve shut off the engine to hear the jungle sounds, and the women said "No way - get us out of here!".  We saw some kind of monkey (it looked like a raccoon to me) and lots of crabs climbing the wood, so we called them 'wood crabs'.  That night, we went to a really fancy restaurant at the nearby resort, and had the most expensive, yuckiest food on our trip so far.  It was our anniversary, and we wanted to do something special.  The view, service and atmosphere were great though, and the place was air conditioned, which is a real luxury for us.  We enjoyed the evening, and returned to our dinghy on the beach, where we proceeded to get soaked getting back through the waves.  Also, we forgot to leave a light on at our boat, and we were concerned we wouldn't find it in the moonless dark.  But, after finding the boat, we stripped our clothes and played a few hands of Hearts before going to bed.

Approaching the beach at Tenecatita   

Jungle Cruise at Tenecatita

On the 19th, Steve spent the morning working on the starter (hopefully fixed), and Leslie taught school.  We left mid-morning with no wind, and began motoring southeast to our next port, Zihuatanejo.  It was overcast, which is a nice break from the sunny heat, and when the wind did pick up, it was from the direction we wanted to go.  So, we motored all day.  We did pass within feet of a sea turtle that looked dead because it didn't move, but we didn't linger to confirm it's condition.  Nick caught another skipjack - we keep catching that crappy tasting fish!  And they bleed all over our boat while we're trying to get the hook out.  Yuck!  Katherine baked a cake to celebrate our anniversary, and it was great!  The sailing that night was dark and uneventful.

The dawn of the 20th brought moderate winds from the northwest, and dolphins surrounded and played at our boat all morning.  The weather was hot, except for a period in the early afternoon when the clouds protected us for a while.  The kids finished school around 1400, and then spent most the rest of the day playing Nintendo.  With the exception of a large commercial ship passing about 100 yards to our port, the day and night were pretty uneventful, and gave us an opportunity to catch up on our reading and relaxing.  

Zihuatanejo

The morning of the 21st found us coming into Bahia de Zihuatanejo, a small community about 110 miles northwest of Acapulco.  There were several other sailboats anchored here, and Susan and Chuey from Libre came to greet us immediately, and we soon met the crew of Le Gato and Kingfisher.  Wheatstrong, a beautiful boat from the Baja Ha-Ha, also came in briefly but we did not hook up with them.  We explored this medium-sized town by foot, and found a stark contrast in the number of beggars/peddlers, as there were almost none - what a nice break.  Steve checked in to Immigration, but when he went to the Port Captain, he said we had the wrong paper signed.  We went back to Immigration, but it was closed at 1330 (1:30 PM)!  So, we couldn't check-in today, which is Friday.  It is another very hot and humid day - we can't do to much because of the oppressive heat.   Went back to the boat for some late schooling, and went back ashore for dinner at a small street cafe, and with drinks, paid $9 for the whole family for a great meal. These little cafes are usually run by one woman, with children or other relatives coming in and out to help as they see fit, and often are the front of or first floor of the family home.  The woman who is cooking will basically make anything for you that she can, and prepare it anyway you like, if you are able to communicate well enough with her.      

On the 22nd, we had early school, while Steve roamed the town.  We took a bus to nearby Ixtapa, and saw some crocodiles, one of which caught and ate a turtle, shell and all.  It was really cool (gross) seeing the croc munch down on the turtle shell!  Ixtapa is a true government-created tourist town without a lot of soul.  It is very clean, but hardly authentic Mexico.  If you flew in here to stay at the Club Med or a similar resort and were intent upon enjoying the sand and the scenery, this would be a great place for you. We are overloaded with sand and scenery and have more of a cultural experience in mind.  We went to the marina for lunch, and then Katherine went to a place (Delfiniti) where she could swim with dolphins.  She got to ride them, be pulled and pushed by them, and it was a great (but expensive) experience.  We decided this would be her early Christmas present.  Nick & Steve also got their early presents, as they bought a used fishing rod and reel to replace the one lost overboard earlier.  We splurged on a taxi back to Zihuatanejo ($4), and had dinner on the boat.  We went ashore to have banana splits at a restaurant, but apparently Mexicans think a banana split is one scoop of Neapolitan ice cream, and a banana cut in half.  We watched a DVD that night.

Crocodile in Ixtapa

On the 23rd, we snorkeled and boogie boarded most of the day to escape the heat, and had dinner on the boat.  That night, we went ashore to the weekly Fiesta, where most the townspeople get together at the basketball court, and various groups sing and dance in traditional and modern Mexican themes.  It was nice to share this town's culture.  We played cards on the boat, while we ran the engine to charge the batteries. 

Fiesta at Zihuatanejo

On the 24th, we went to Immigration to get our paperwork fixed, but they weren't open today (Monday)!  The random hours of operation seemed to surprise none of the locals.  Next to where we land the dinghy, there is a small naval attachment stationed, and they also oversee a sea turtle nursery.  A batch were hatching as we walked by and we stopped and watched the turtles coming out of the sand, and got to hold them.  Leslie liked talking to the Navy guys as they liked learning new English words while they watched the one guy work.  Parts of Mexico appear to be much like Caltrans, in that it takes many to watch one work.  

Baby Sea Turtle

Steve changed the fuel filter which was very dirty, and we left town without completing our check-in & check-out procedures, but as our paperwork from La Cruz indicated our next port was Acapulco, we weren't too concerned.  Very light winds all afternoon, and it's still stinkin' hot!  We saw a bird riding on a sea turtle, and caught another skipjack.  Nick slept most of the day.  We changed watch shifts, as half the crew (Leslie & Nicholas) felt the other half had better watch times.  Katherine saw sea snakes, and we had more dolphins riding our bow wake.  That night, we had no moon, but a lot of lightning and a little rain. 

Entering Acapulco

Acapulco

On the morning of the 25th we caught another marlin, and had it all the way to the boat when it wrapped the line around the rudder twice, and then got off the hook - dang!  It was big, too!  As there was little wind, we continued motoring into Acapulco, where there really is no good place to anchor, so we picked up a mooring ball near Club de Yates, as the harbormaster said it was okay to use them because they belong to the sport fishermen who only use them in bad weather.  We hired the Club as agents for our check-in & check-out, and paid them $24 per day to use their facilities, which include a nice pool, showers, bathrooms, weight rooms, restaurant, concierge, and a dinghy dock.  It's been a while since we were able to go ashore without walking through the surf and pulling the dinghy up to above high tide.  The dinghy is heavy, so we're glad that Nick is as strong as he is, so he can share the load with Steve.  We went to the beach, but it was so crowded it wasn't too appealing.  So we went back to the Club pool where we spent the afternoon before going into town to have dinner at Carlos and Charlie's a fairly famous eatery.   The food wasn't that good, but the atmosphere was fun and the service was good.  We augmented our disappointment with the food by having ice cream at Baskin Robbins.

Dinner at Carlos and Charlie's

November 26th was a big day for exploring the town.  After school, we went to the water park Ci Ci, and everyone went down the various slides, including one that drops you in the end like being flushed in a toilet bowl.  Leslie lost her bathing suit on the first one, so was a little reluctant to do some of the more fun slides after that, despite Steve's fervent urging. (I cannot believe he put that on our webpage! -L.)  We went to Wal-Mart and stocked up on 8 cases of sodas as well as some other food, and got a taxi back to the marina.   After a quick hamburger dinner, we took a bus into town to see Matrix 3, which was in English with Spanish subtitles.  The bus was so slow that we missed the first 10 minutes of the movie, so I guess we'll have to see it again.  The price for all 4 of us was $9, the same as one of us would be in the States.  We again had ice cream before returning to the boat.

Thanksgiving began with school as usual, and Steve took in the laundry and scoured the boat stores for parts, but they are poorly stocked.  We went ashore for showers and a swim in the pool, and took off to find an internet cafe to check our email and download the web pages. Afterwards, we walked down to 'old town' and the adjacent beaches, but the girls decided that they really didn't want to have the ham, candied yams, mashed potatoes, and such that we brought for Thanksgiving, so we took a bus into town and had a good pizza feed, after which we saw the movie Swat.

On the 28th, the kids had school at the Club, and Steve changed the oil, radiator fluid, and continued chasing the intermittent starter problem.  We went to a local mall where we spent time on the internet, and Nick bought a skim board (you throw it in the shallow surf and jump on it, and it skims along for a while).  We went to a Bodega Gigante (great big store), got some goodies, and had dinner on the boat.  The evening was spent playing scrabble. 

On the 29th, we dropped the mooring at 0645, and sailed southeast at 6 knots in 12 knots of wind from the NE.  We caught 3 skipjacks and threw them back.  There were a lot of fishing boats out, and we spent extra effort avoiding their nets.  The kids got a little sick, and had to take small breaks from schoolwork.  We got a couple of hard hits on the fishing line, one of which broke our swivel, and the other broke the tip off of the hook.  Nick and Leslie continued struggling with his dislike of the schoolwork.  The wind was mostly poor, so we motored a lot.  At about 2200 (10 PM), we came within 50' of an anchored panga (small fishing boat) 10 miles offshore, and in 150 feet of water.  As it was anchored, we didn't take it into tow, but we never could explain what it would be doing so far offshore alone.  It made us more diligent about trying to see ahead in the moonless night. 

Puerto Escondido

On the 30th, we had more dolphins riding our bow wake at night.  Again, the wind was light and we mostly motored.  After running the watermaker for 20 hours, our tanks were finally full.  We caught and released 3 skipjacks, but also caught a 2' tuna, so we filleted it.  We went through a 10 mile section loaded with sea turtles, and although they usually move out of the way, we hit one.  He didn't seem to mind much!  Turtles are the clumsiest swimmers...they sometimes just use one flipper and go around in a choppy little circle.  We arrived at Puerto Escondido at 1730, and set the anchor in 40' of water.  The somewhat protected portion of this small bay was already filled with pangas, so we were in a totally unprotected, rolly portion just of the beach.  This is a bad anchorage, and should be avoided by all cruisers wanting any type of protection.  We went ashore, saw a portion of a 'parade', and walked the shops for a couple of hours.  This town (like a lot we have been in) is very much open for business until quite late.  There were lots of vendors, some who were from Mayan descent, who had their wares displayed on either side of the street.  It is interesting to see the young bohemians selling their carved hash pipes right alongside women in native dress selling masks carved out of coconuts.  We returned to the boat and watched 'My Big Fat Greek Wedding' for the 10th time. 

Sea Turtles - we saw about 50 this day

Monday, December 1, Leslie & Steve went ashore to clear in and out with the port captain, and after only 1-1/2 hours, including a trip to the bank to pay the port fees, we were done.  It took longer because the port captain in Acapulco indicated on our clearance papers that we were going to La Paz, 500 miles north, instead of Puerto Escondido.  What a pain.  We also went up the hill into the main part of town and bought a little Christmas tree, with ornaments that were ten cents each.  It is starting to feel a little strange, knowing we are in the holiday season, but wearing tank tops and shorts every day and constantly popping in and out of the water.  Nick passed his science test, so now he will be learning about internal combustion engines, with Steve as his tutor.  We spent the afternoon boogie-boarding in great waves at what is considered to be some of the best surfing spots in the world.  Fellow cruisers Dan, Anna and their daughter Sasha from an unnamed boat  (it's actually the Kingfisher, they just don't like the name) joined us in our cockpit for about an hour, after which we got some ice, and pulled up the anchor just after sunset and motorsailed in light winds towards our next destination of Huatulco.  We decided to try sailing at night for this short 75 mile hop, intending to arrive mid-morning, instead of sailing during the day.  The wind remained light all night, with a half moon during the first half of the night.  At one point, Nick came to within 1/4 mile of a large fishing boat, and we had a little anxiety sailing away from it in the near blackness of the night - the other boat's lights seemed to be following us no matter which way we turned, but we were eventually able to steer away from it.  (Interesting note:  Dan and Anna, who spent the night there after we left, lost their anchor that night!  Steve was right to be wary of this anchorage. -L)

Huatulco

The morning of the 2nd found us approaching Huatulco, but the seas had built to 15 feet even though there was still little wind.  In rough seas like this, it is hard to do anything but hang on and put up with the boat's motion.  We were glad to pull into the small bay at about 1100, and anchor about 200 feet from a cruise ship that was alongside a new pier that isn't in the guidebooks.  Le Gato, another sailing catamaran, was the only other boat anchored in the harbor, and we were glad to see our friends from Zihuatanejo.  Steve and Leslie went to the port captain to check in, and after a trip to pay our fees at the bank, got the kids and went into town the check the internet and get some pastries.  We had dinner on the boat, and Steve began rearranging the forward hold to get some of the weight out of the bow, as we were a little front heavy.

On the 3rd of December, we and Le Gato motored to a cove to the East where a new marina has been built, and isn't in the guidebooks yet.  Marina Chahué had nice floating concrete docks, restrooms and an outside shower, but little else.  Security seems to be pretty good, as there is always someone watching the gate to the docks. As the kids continued their schoolwork, Steve cleaned the bottom of the boat, and performed other boat maintenance.  Nick and Katie took the dinghy to a nearby beach to do some swimming and boogie-boarding, but left an automatic life vest in the floor of the dinghy.  When they went through some waves, water got in the dinghy, which activated one of the vests and it inflated.  No way to get it repaired in Central America, so we'll have to wait until we get back to the States.  We went to dinner at the Oasis with the crew of Le Gato (Mike, Judy and Doug), and followed it with an ice cream chaser.  Many of the dishes here (the state of Oaxaca) feature mole, a sauce made up of numerous ingredients, but subtle so that you have to think about what might be in it.    They use it like we would use enchilada sauce. Leslie is trying to sample whatever is native to each area, Steve and Nick are intent upon finding the best tasting stuff no matter what it is, and Katie is seriously trying not to put anything too gross into her mouth.  When we returned to the boat, Steve and Nick did a few after-dark dinghy repairs since the dinghy has been leaking a little.  It is probably rebelling since we still haven't bothered to give it a name, and the one piece of identification that it did have on it managed to get quite detached.

On the 4th, Steve & Doug (from Le Gato) went into town to get tickets for a tour to some nearby waterfalls, and to drop off the laundry.  There aren't any Laundromats in the towns we have been visiting (except Puerto Escondido), only 'Lavandarias', where you leave your laundry and they wash and fold it for you.  The price is between 10 pesos and 25 pesos per kilo ($0.50 - $1.25 per pound), and it takes about 24 hours for it to be completed.  It makes all of your clothing look and smell wonderful, not like you have been living on a boat for a couple months, but it is a little rough and many holes are showing up here and there.  While in town, Steve bought some 3/8" line for the topping lift which had begun to fray, before he returned to the boat.  After school, we spent the afternoon in town, a lot of it at the internet cafe, and returned to the boat for a pasta dinner.  Then we watched a borrowed VHS tape of 'Chocolat', a pretty good movie that we hadn't seen.  

The 5th found the kids doing schoolwork as usual, perhaps with more enthusiasm since they realized that they can have a break for Christmas if they get their assignments completed.  The temperature here is much cooler which makes everything easier.  Steve went into the port captain's office to get clearance out of town.  After waiting for 45 minutes while they trained someone new on how to fill out all the forms, they sent him to the bank to pay the $16 in clearance fees.  After returning, they indicated that the port captain was not there to sign the forms, and asked Steve to return in an hour.  But as Steve explained that the tour van left in only minutes, they graciously agreed to have someone at the office that evening when Steve would return and get the paperwork.  The ride to the falls called Magicas Cascadas was about 2 hours up a dirt, rut filled, dusty road that meandered through various 'villages' of about 50 people each, during which we regularly stopped to clear the goats, chickens and donkeys from the path.  The van had no air conditioning which wasn't a problem regarding heat, but the dust kept coming into the bus so we closed the windows, only to find that the floor of the van had holes through which the dust emanated.  After arriving near the waterfall destination, we hiked about a half mile, including a section where we walked through the stream and up rocks with ropes along the side that you used to hoist yourself up.  Despite all the time and effort to get there, the result was well worth it.  The falls and swimming holes were breathtaking, and when you add the jungle setting and relatively pristine condition, it was as close to paradise as we have seen on this trip. Leslie, Nick and Katie jumped into the pretty cold water, and swung from a rope swing into one of the larger pools.  Behind one of the falls (through the sheet of water) there was a small cave with stalactites which was purely amazing.  There was a cave that connected one pool to another that was eerie to traverse.  After a couple of hours, we returned to base camp, where they served us a 5 course lunch including steak, chicken, beans, rice, the best tortillas ever, soup, and great lemonade (seeds included, no extra charge).   We then traveled to a nearby high fall, with local fishermen collecting crawfish from it's bed.  Our perception of Mexico has generally been that it is a flat, arid country, so when we find that it is primarily mountainous and jungle (at least the parts we have seen), it seems more mysterious and compelling.  After the long, dusty trip back to town, Steve picked up the clearance papers, and we all went into town to pick up our laundry and see if we could find our camera that we left on the seat of the van.  We found the tour salesman, who found the van driver, and got our camera back to the relief of all.  We celebrated with ice cream as usual.  We then returned to the boat, and watched the borrowed DVD "Best of Show", a story about some obsessed dog owners who show their dogs - it was a pretty strange movie.  All in all, it was one of our best days in Mexico thus far.

Leslie on the swing at Cascade Falls

Tall Waterfall

On Saturday, the kids continued with their schoolwork in the morning, while Steve performed various maintenance duties on the boat.  He also went into town via taxi to have two of our three propane bottles filled.  In many towns, getting propane can require waiting 3 days from the time the bottles are picked up to when they are returned, as they must be delivered and filled in another town, but Huatulco is one of the few full-service towns we have encountered.  In the afternoon, the kids walked over to a nearby beach and boogie-boarded, and Steve and Leslie went into town to do some final provisioning at the grocery store.  The selection of foods is quite limited, exacerbated by the fact that much of the food is what the locals eat, not what we are accustomed to.  In a town of about 30,000, their largest grocery store is somewhat like shopping in a 7-Eleven with vegetables.  Leslie is really enjoying the produce selection and likes to try out unique breads and candies.  However, we need to send them a recipe for salsa and for refried beans, because they can't quite seem to get it right...just ask any Californian, we know what Mexican food is supposed to taste like!  Afterward, Steve went trekking to find a paintbrush and putty knife (ours mysteriously disappeared), but with no luck.  The rest of the family has a little joke - if you don't know where Steve is (in Mexico or Fresno, either one) try the hardware store.  Leslie and the kids met up with him in town around 1900, along with friends (Mike, Judy, Doug, Dan, Anna and Sasha) from two other boats, and we all went to a restaurant for dinner.  The bill for all 9 of us was about $40, and the food was pretty good although the TV in the dining room was playing a version of Mexican MTV a little loud.  Nick did not seem to find that at all disturbing.   Then we went for our evening ice cream, and strolled around some of the nearby shops next to the park in the center of town.  Everyone walked the 2 miles back to the boat (except Steve and Doug, Steve's excuse being he had already walked all the way into town when the others had taken a taxi).  On the way back, the walkers saw lizards, scorpions, and the most seriously sad dog imaginable.  The Mexican government is taking the dog over-population problem seriously now, or so we have been told, which is great because everywhere you go you are surrounded by blank-eyed pooches with all of their ribs showing.  They only perk up (and even then just a bit) if you are carrying something that smells like food.  They seem so little like the dogs we are used to that they don't even make us homesick for Buddy or Darla, or for Duke, Della, Fritz, Belle or Vanna for that matter.  The weather has been very nice every day, and it has been a treat to spend time with new friends in this clean, friendly town.  

On Sunday the 7th, the kids had school, and Steve took a taxi into town to update our webpages and check our email, but he forgot the floppy disk, and had to go back to the boat.  There, he took his bike off of the boat, got the floppy disk, and rode into town.  But the front brake and front derailleur were rusted solid, and the chain was close behind, since we have only been using the bicycles as the Wabi Sabi's hood ornament most of the time.  He took the bike to a fairly large bike store, where they replaced the chain and the two control cables for $4.50, so that was fun.  After updating the website and such, Steve went back to the boat and adjusted the valve clearances on the diesel engine and did some other boat jobs, while Leslie & Katie caught a bus to La Bocana to do some boogie boarding.  The bus ride, about 15 minutes, cost $1.00 for both of them.  The beach was gorgeous but almost deserted.  There were large rocks here and there on the beach, with skinny-necked vultures perched on top of them.  The waves were nothing to get excited about, but if you looked back at the setting, it was absolutely beautiful. The girls got back around 1600.  Nick had just returned from Le Gato. He had said he was going to stay there and talk until they threw him off, so they have proven to either really like him or to be seriously deaf, and we prepared to sail across the dreaded Gulf of Tehuanepec.  We said our goodbyes to Le Gato and Kingfisher, and cast off the dock lines at 1800.  We have really benefited from Mike's years of cruising experience, Judy's knowledge of Mexican food, Doug's easy-going attitude about everything and his great camera, Dan and Anna's refreshing and  unconcerned approach to sailing so far south (they have no guide books and are going from here to Costa Rica without stopping) and Sasha's super sweet self.  Outside the marina, the seas were steep and we had rough motoring directly into them while heading southeast.  We were going to keep very close to the coast, like all the cruising books say to, but as the wind was not strong, we turned east during the early morning hours and headed more southerly across the gulf, directly towards Puerto Madero.  Then, the wind picked up to over 30 knots, the seas rose to 15 feet, and Steve had to stand watch for 5 hours because the crew was scared.  (He was also dreading the thought that his choice to go offshore would have been unwise and he would deserve the wrath of his crew! -L)  We put a couple of reefs in the mainsail (reducing it to 1/2 it's size), which helped the autopilot stay on course better, but were still making 8+ knots, topping out at 11.   But by 0900, the wind had diminished to 20 and the seas to 10, and everyone felt better.  By 1000, we were taking out the reefs, and by noon the wind had almost died, and we again started the engine and motorsailed the rest of the way to Puerto Madero.

Puerto Madero

Nick caught a 30 pound Pacific Crevalle Jack, and we spent about 1/2 hour fighting it and bringing it aboard.  Steve & Nick filleted it, and stuck it in the freezer.  The seas remained fairly calm and the wind light, until about 1400 when both began to increase, to where it was moderate by the time we got close to Puerto Madero at about 1600.  Then a Mexican Navy patrol boat came from the shore like it was on a mission from God, and made a complete circle around our boat before hailing us on the radio.  They asked stupid questions like "how many people on you boat?" and "where you going?"  I say stupid, because I can't understand how these would have anything to do with controlling smuggling, or whatever it is they think they are doing.  Then, as we pulled into the harbor but even before anchoring, the Port Captain called on the radio, and recommended that we anchor off the beach by the restaurants/shacks.  He said if we wanted to check in today, he would meet us on the beach and expedite the paperwork, so we quickly set the anchor, launched the dinghy, and Steve went ashore to meet him.  It turned out the guy's name was Andy, he was not the Port Captain, but somebody trying to make a living off of 'helping' visiting boats.  We arranged to meet the next morning at 0900 where he would help get Immigration and our clearance paperwork completed, and get some diesel.  The 'town' was really small and depressed, and we were hesitant to go ashore, but Andy recommended we eat dinner at a certain place.  But before we could leave the boat, another Navy boat came along side, and a M-16 toting, bullet-proof-vest wearing Navy guy got on our boat (without so much as a word) and said simply, "Inspection".  Leslie and Steve tried to answer his equally, if not dumber, questions (How big you engine?  What kind you radio?).  He did not actually perform an inspection, just filled out his 4 page form of dumb questions.  But he was nice enough, and after leaving our boat, we went off to have a great dinner at the restaurant/shack - Nick and Leslie ordered fish (they don't tell you what kind of fish, because I don't think they know), and it arrived complete with head, tail, and skin still attached - but it was great!  Steve's beef something was good, and Katie's fried chicken was good also - all in all, one of our better dining experiences in Mexico.  It was a little weird being the only customers in the 10 or so restaurants on the beach, but we got really good service!  That night we played 'Sorry' on the boat, and watched the DVD 'The Count of Monte Cristo'.

Nick & his Pacific Crevalle Jack (or so we think)

Mexican Navy performing an 'inspection' of their own paperwork

On the 10th, Steve took the diesel jugs ashore to meet Andy at 0900, but he wasn't there.  So Steve walked around for awhile, and eventually found him.  They (Steve, Andy, and a friend that drove the pickup) went to the airport to get clearance from Immigration.  That was pretty easy, and they then went to the Port Captain's office, which was not easy.  Andy was unable to explain why, but after 20 minutes we left to "go see a guy".  After an hour, we finally found the guy, who took my papers, shook my hand, and left.  Andy only explained, "now we go to the Port Captain", except when I asked how this would accomplish anything without my papers, he said "the guy will meet us there".  Well, to make a very long story short, the guy did finally arrive, and explained that I would have to pay $75 in clearance fees and anchorage fees, and other fees that I did not understand and everyone refused to explain.  Andy hit me up for $25 for his time, and the driver wanted another $10.  After 3 hours, the entire experience left me irritated, and I only wanted to get back to the boat and leave town.  Once on the beach however, I found the plan for the family to 'look out for me on the shore and pick me up with the dinghy' was not very good, because after 10 minutes, no one looked. I paid a guy 50 cents to swim to our boat and have someone come and get me.  We got the boat ready, and at 1430, kicked the dust off of our shoes as we left Puerto Madero.  But Mexican bureaucracy was not done yet, as the same Navy patrol boat that harassed us yesterday decided to do it again.  After the same stupid, useless questions, we were on our way again, and for the first time looking forward to getting out of Mexico.  

The 240 mile trip from Puerto Madero to Bahia Del Sol in El Salvador was relatively uneventful and benign.  The winds were light and variable, and during the 65 hour crossing, we motored for 45 of them.  Early on, we had a choice of arriving in the late afternoon or very early morning, and we chose the morning because we have read that the entrance to the bay requires a guide boat to show you the path, and we didn't want to be stuck out in the middle of the ocean all night if we got there too late in the afternoon.  As such, we motored very slowly when we did motor, and sailed more than we normally would, being content with making only 2 knots.  We often saw dolphins, turtles, and Steve saw a whale sound, but we didn't see it come up again, as it was during a time when we were moving sort of fast.  Once we saw a school of fish swimming in front of our bow, just like the dolphin do!  We've never heard of fish doing that.  

During the passage, the moon was nearly full, but did not rise until later in the evening, and some of the time the clouds obscured it's light.  Sometimes a lot of effort went into sailing around the panga fishing boats, as they are generally unlit, and when you approach them in the dark, they flash a flashlight at you to show their position.  But, we know that they usually stream a hookline or net as much as a mile away from them, so when within 300 yards, a light in the ocean would come on, and we would have to alter course 90 degrees for 15 minutes to get around them.  

Katherine cooked herself some Top Ramen noodles, and spilled them on her leg, giving her some 2nd degree burns and a lot of pain.  After an hour our so, she seemed to be feeling better, except that the small blisters began to grow.  By the next morning, she had one big blister about 3 inches long and 2 inches wide, sticking up about 1/2 inch.  When we arrived at port, we met a retired ER nurse who helped us with treatment suggestions, including removing the dead skin and applying a special ointment.  Katherine has been a real trooper through the whole thing!

Other interesting passage occurrences included watching the DVD 'Harry Potter 2', Leslie baked a great cake, Nicholas barbequed hamburgers, and we hoisted the Guatemalan courtesy flag when passing through their waters, and the El Salvadoran courtesy flag when we entered theirs. 

Leslie hoisting the Guatemalan Courtesy Flag

Nick barbequing cheeseburgers at sea