It was hard to believe that we were getting close to completing over 3500 nautical miles cruising the Mexican coastline. Mexico has one of the longest and best cruising grounds in the world. There is lots of variety, from dry desert, to tropical jungle, to tourist resort and remote islands, each with their own character to experience. So far we cruised the Pacific Baja, Sea of Cortez, Gold Coast and now we were heading down to Costa del Sur.
We spent a solid three weeks in Zihautanejo/Ixtapa and it was such a great place to be settled in for a while. There were many shops and restaurants to visit in town as well as nature to explore away from town. Our favorite time was the music festival and riding bikes with friends through the jungle to explore the wildlife. It was also fun to just lounge on the beach or have a lazy summer day of swimming off our boat. Now it was time to pick up anchor and move towards Southern Mexico’s final destinations. Our first stop, Acapulco, was a 112 nautical mile overnight passage.
We didn’t want to spend a lot of time in Acapulco. Just enough to get fuel and do some provisioning at the Walmart Express across the street from the marina. We heard that it wasn’t the safest city to visit in Mexico and there was a shooting at the marina between panga boats, but that was about a year before we arrived.
We sailed down with our friends Bev and Rolf on Rochambeau. Their boat is slower than ours but we didn’t mind, since at times we could just keep up under sail. It was a calm passage and we were enjoying the peacefulness of the sea and sea life.
After we arrived and did our shopping, we went out to dinner at a very good Japanese hibachi restaurant. It was a good change from traditional Mexican cuisine. Then we headed out to see the cliff divers dive off a very steep cliff in Acapulco. We stood in the crowd anticipating the dives. There were less experienced, younger divers who dove off of lower ledges first. The younger divers were all trained by the more experienced cliff divers, who took on the riskier dives, to keep the tradition going. They were all very brave.
Below is a video of the last diver of the night.
After a short but fun night out in Acapulco, we set sail for Huatulco the next morning after fueling up. It was going to be a two-day passage of 235 nautical miles so we needed to make sure we had enough fuel to actually get us all the way past to Chiapas since we weren’t able to get fuel in Huatulco.
Above is a video of us passing a turtle swimming the other way. We also got to sail with some dolphins who swam over for a visit to play in our wake. We had such a peaceful passage during the day.
As the sun was setting, we got some bigger wind and waves that we navigated through around a point. Night passages are amazing, especially when there isn’t too much boat traffic to be concerned about. They can be incredibly peaceful. I’m always very alert during the night for anything that might get in our way that I can detect on radar or pick up with my own naked eye. I try to open up more of my senses including smell and hearing in case there are whales. Apparently they smell very fishy and you can hear their blow holes. Haven’t come across any in the middle of the night yet. The time on watch at night is like a journey into the unknown.
We arrived in Bahia Chachacual, one of the beautiful bays of Huatulco, during the night which is a little tense when coming into a completely new anchorage. The good news was the one we selected was pretty open to the sea with no reefs or rocks to be concerned about hitting. Peter did a great job leading the way. We woke up to a whole new scene of bright blue skies, clear water and white sandy beaches.
After being on a boat for a long passage, it’s always a great feeling to go for a walk on the beach. The water was clean and there were lots of shells and hermit crabs to discover. We also ran across some locals which is also a treat.
To our delight, a baby turtle came across our path. It looked like it was struggling to get to the water, so we picked him up and gently placed him in the ocean with a wish for a safe passage. There are so many obstacles that can get in its precious life’s way. We were glad we could help him a long. The sun was hot which is why most of them make the run for it after the sun sets.
It was time to pick up anchor to get away from rough conditions that started from the Tehuano winds, making our experience less than comfortable. Tehuano winds are northerlies that are pushed through a gap in the mountains called the Chivela Pass along the isthmus of Tehuantepec that can increase to gale or hurricane force.
One day while I was working with clients, we started to drag anchor. I could feel the violent push and pull on our anchors from the larger swell coming in while I was working in the V berth. We had one anchor at the bow and one at the stern to keep Salacia pointed into the waves. When I finished with one client, I looked out the back of the boat and saw that we moved significantly closer to the rocks and to shore. I alerted Peter and we picked up the two anchors quickly to move and anchor again. It took time but we did it before getting too close to the rocks which was a huge relief and it happened before I had my next client. Welcome to cruising life! The next day, we moved closer to town where the conditions were calmer and where we met up with the rest of the group.
A couple of us organized a road trip by renting two four-wheel drive vehicles for the day. We all met in the morning and we stopped at a local grocery store to pack lunches, snacks and drinks. It was really fun to get away from the ocean and onto some back-country roads into the mountains with fresh cool water to dip our hot, sweaty bodies in.
We enjoyed relaxing, listening to music with some cold brews, until the sun started to set and it was time to drive a couple hours back on the dirt roads to Huatulco.
We went out for dinner with everyone in Huatulco. The restaurant made great pizza and fabulous drinks. Then Kyle had the idea of us all continuing the night on a bus that toured through town with music and stops for pictures. It was a lot of fun as we pretty much took up the entire bottom floor of the bus.
Our night started out as a typical Mexican tourbus of Huatulco, and it was colorful taking in all the people and places we drove by. As the night wore on we talked the bus driver into letting us play our own music and that’s when the dance party began.
Let’s dance!
Our last anchorage in Huatulco was very relaxing and it was away from all the panga boats and restaurants in the previous anchorage. We had a longer ride in our dinghy to get into town, but we were fine with it.
We waited for a good weather window since we had to cross the Gulf of Tehuantepec to get to Chiapas, the end of the line in Mexico. The winds in the gulf can pick up to over 50 miles per hour. It’s a long passage across it and sometimes there are currents to fight. Fortunately, we timed it right and our passage to Chiapas was again peaceful and long but uneventful, and we arrived safely at our final destination.
The process of checking out of Mexico was a little daunting, as a team of officials plus a dog came on board to search and sniff out any weapons or drugs. We didn’t have any of those of course, but it still made us feel a little nervous. In the end, Grinch (the canine) was very friendly, and wasn’t very interested in our boat.
Our final stop in Mexico was timed with my last visit with my mom. Coming back to Chiapas was hard. Luckily, Arnstein came to help us with our 3 night passage to Costa Rica. He was very helpful in getting our boat ready. Since I was away and in mourning, all I needed to do was show up for my watches. Peter took care of preparing the food and Arnstein took on the middle of the night watches. With three people, our breaks were 8 hours and we could all get a good amount of sleep. I was able to be on watch during sunsets and sunrises which made it special.
There we were, ending our time in Mexico after a year and a half of exploring her as fully as we could. We were grateful for all the different experiences she gave us for developing our new cruising life. We loved all that she had to offer in beauty, culture nature and people. We also got to establish some life-long friendships, which was the best gift of all.
That closes one chapter and opens another as we begin sailing to new horizons.
Also, loving the photos and videos. Makes me feel like I'm there with you. And the one titled "The moon lighting our way" really looks like a painting.
I'm so glad you were able to make time to see your mother and be with her in the days before she passed. You are such a strong woman, Donna, navigating such important life transitions, the loss of your mother, medical issues, leaving your home and making a new one on the sea, the newness of life on the water and the capriciousness of the natural world, and all while still seeing clients. Bravo to you and Peter for diving in with such gusto! Sending you lots of love. Elinor