Last Stop in Mexico

Our last e-mail had us heading from Puerto Angel to Huatulco on the southern coast of Mexico . Huatulco will be our last stop in Mexico and we have covered over 2400 miles (at about 5 miles per hour) since leaving San Diego and Ensenada.

Huatulco and the town of La Crucecita turned out to be one of the nicest places we have seen on this trip, and Andrea and I agreed that if we were to choose to live in Mexico that this would be the place. Because the town was “planned’ it has wide boulevards leading to town and the small streets in La Crucecita are all paved. The result is much less dust, fewer bouncing undercarriages, no small restaurants in the middle of the street, and a more pleasant, modern feel to the town. The town square (zocalo) featured many shade trees and a gazebo and was surrounded on three sides by nice restaurants and cafes an. The fourth side features a new church (20 years) built to resemble an old church. Huatulco is in Oaxaca , Mexico (remember this is the Etados Unidos de Mexico and they have about 30 states) and the indigenous background of the population is much more visible than in other areas we visited. There is very little English spoken here despite the prevalence of American music on the radio and TV. Oaxaca features some of the best food in Mexico and that added significantly to our experience here. We ate in the restaurants nightly and had one excellent meal after another (although if you were in NYC you wouldn’t cross the street for the “Best Pizza in Mexico ”).

We were again in Mexico for the Feast of the Virgin of Guadalupe and again we gaped at the parades and bands that wove their way through the streets to the church. Same song, over and over, played on trumpets and saxophones with a strong drum accompaniment. For variety the bands would break into a rendition of Cielto Lindo. And the culmination of the evening was the tremendous (different) fireworks display. Outside the church they had constructed a giant erector set with 8 foot metal wheels lined with fireworks. At dark they lit the lower levels of the fireworks which created spinning outlines of dolphins and stars, and circles and squares. As each level burned out it would ignite the next level up until it reached the top some 70 feet in the air which was an outline of the Virgin along with a spinning, multicolor display of fireworks that spelled out “Virgin de Guadalupe”. Then the big fireworks started looking very much like our own Fourth of July celebrations.

We stayed in the Marina Chahue which is a small, well protected marina where all the boats (power and sail) crossing the Gulf of Tehuantepec wait for a favorable weather window. Our entire trip south from Puerto Vallarta has been with a wary eye and ear towards Tehuantepec, discussing best times to cross (May), worst times (Dec/Jan) and whether a full moon is necessary. The advice from all is to keep within ¼ mile of shore (even with rolling breakers nearby) and follow the 30’ depth line all the way around the Gulf along the beaches. Death (or at least severe discomfort at sea) awaits those who challenge this wisdom by cutting across the Gulf. Our next stop will be El Salvador (about 500 miles), and we will only be exposed to the dreaded T-Peckers for about the first 200 miles. Of course it takes us almost 2 days to cover a 200 mile stretch. We waited for 7 days, experiencing only mild breezes and hot weather in the marina, while just 40 miles east there were huge wind gales blowing through the Isthmus of Tehuantepec . We had several boats for company, and we had good weather reports available so everyone waited patiently for what is usually 5-7 days of waiting in order to get a 3 day weather (low winds) window. On Saturday night (Dec 13) around 6 PM we left the safety of the marina to challenge the Gulf of Tehuantapec along with 4 other boats ranging in size from 30’ to 50’ (Manana is a modest 33’ long).

We are safe, we had a good crossing (5 days at sea), and I am sending this e-mail from Bahia Del Sol in El Salvador . We have spent the past 3 days enjoying the hospitality of the Bahia Del Sol Resort with its swimming pool, ocean beaches, and bar overlooking the anchorage. More later.

Best to all,

Tom and Andrea