CROSSING THE GULF AND LEAVING MEXICO

Huatulco is the last recreational destination on Mexico’s Pacific coast and when heading south, cruisers have to negotiate the Gulf of Tehuantepec, infamous for its sudden gales. The bay is 260 miles across and is relatively shallow. The weather in the Gulf is dominated by the weather in the Caribbean and leads to approximately 180 days per year experiencing Force 8 winds or higher. A Tehuantepec gale, or T-pecker, is capable of blowing a 120 foot coastal freighter 350 miles off shore into horrendously steep seas. Each year a number of smaller boats are caught out by the T-peckers, with disastrous results. . They are impossible to predict from local cloud observation and onboard barometer readings. They strike suddenly and last from a few hours to several days, However, because the Gulf is so notorious, a great deal of resources have been poured into the forecasting of these storms, so we sit and wait with daily visits to the internet café, scanning every piece of weather information we can get. We want a five day passage. The Gulf is 260 miles and we then have a further 108 miles to the next tenable anchorage/marina in Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala. So, 9th June and, with a decent 5 day forecast we – Aphrodite, Liberty Call, Anna Lee and Xochitl - head out of Huatulco with light winds, as per the forecast, of around 8-10 knots. In fact the forecast shows nothing in the next 5 days over 14 knots. We turn the corner at the north western end of the Gulf and are hit by 25 knots on the nose!!! We are the first to turn back, swiftly followed by the other three boats. These winds continue for the next 24 hours and so on 11th June we all set out once more. This time we have more luck and, in fact, don’t have enough wind. We originally intended to by-pass Guatemala, making our first landfall in El Salvador, but four days later, and with dwindling diesel supplies – having engined the entire way, due to lack of wind, barring a 3 hour slot where we had 20 knots and a great sail – we decide to pull in to Puerto Quetzal. Liberty Call and Xochitl had had to stop and re-fuel in Puerto Madero, which is the last port in Mexico, and one that we wanted to bypass. We had checked out in Huatulco and obtained our Zarpe to leave the country. Going into Puerto Madero meant having to re-do the paperwork and a potential delay of 1 or 2 days. As it happens they weren’t required to obtain a new Zarpe and were therefore only held up for a few hours.

So, 0600 hours, Friday 15th June we arrive in Guatemala. Guatemala’s Pacific coast is only 132 nautical miles long and is dramatic, its volcano peaks, some 10 to 20 miles inland, rise abruptly from the coastal plane, Volcan Fuego at 13,000 feet being the highest active one. Also nearby is Volcan Pocaya, both of which can be seen at night spewing smoke and molten lava – a majestic coastline. We pull into Marina Pez Vela – the only option here as both anchorages have been closed – and are met by Miguel the paperwork agent. We had been lead to believe that you can manage your own entry here, but it transpires that you can’t, and are therefore obliged to pay the $165-00 entry/exit fee to the agent, who in fact probably only sees around $15. The Pez Vela marina is also staggeringly expensive $2.50 per foot per day – to be avoided if at all possible. However, if you wish to visit Guatemala, this is the only option. My Rough Guide tells me that “…spread across a verdant and mountainous chunk of land, Guatemala is endowed with simply staggering natural, historical and cultural interest. Though the giant Maya temples and rainforest cities have been long abandoned, ancient traditions remain very much alive. And, all over the country you’ll come across remnants of Guatemalas colonial past, nowhere more so that in the graceful former capital of Antigua.” ….. so we head to Antigua. But not before heading into town – San Jose – to try to obtain some local currency on my visa card. I forgot to mention that when we were in Huatulco my purse was stolen, not much money, but the huge inconvenience of losing credit and bank cards. The battle of the banks that followed, resulted in me obtaining one replacement card in Mexico – thank you so much Visa, nil points to HSBC and Citibank who both gave it their best shot to make a bad situation much worse. Anyway, we headed in to San Jose – which made the OK Coral look like Sunday school. Guns everywhere, and I mean EVERYWHERE. Bank doors opened just enough for a hand to appear through the crack and beckon you in. Once inside you were surrounded by guards toting pump-action shotguns – a legacy of the bitter conflict that has dogged Guatemala. Rough Guide …”But with the signing of the 1996 peace accords between the government and the ex-guerrillas, Latin America’s longest running civil war ceased though many of the countries deep-rooted inequalities persist.”

On returning to the marina we made VHF contact with Daryl of Liberty Call, who, despite the outrageous marina charges, decided that he was going to come in for a break. A few minutes later and we raised Xochitl who for 15 excited minutes thought that they too would be coming in and ending a five day passage, only to find that the charges were beyond their budget and so turned around and headed back out to sea.

The only other sailboat in the marina was the Elizabeth with Paul and Charlene on board. They gave us the details for an excellent local taxi driver who would take us to the city of Antigua. The following day Paul, myself, Daryl and Charlene made our way inland, taking the opportunity to see, sadly, only a small portion of this beautiful country.

I was going to write lots of information here about the Mayan ruins in Guatemala, but can’t get on line to down-load it, but suggest that you take a look at it for yourself.

We went to Antigua, a beautiful city and the former capital of Guatemala. On the way we passed through the town of ……………………… and it was our fortune that that day they were celebrating their town’s anniversary. Virtually everyone in the town was gathered at the church for a service of thanksgiving. The town is famed for its fabric factory (the gracefully arched building in the photographs, not looking the least bit like a factory) where it weaves the beautiful multi-coloured cloths worn by all the local women, old and young. On arrival in Antigua we went to the jade museum, Guatemala and Burma being the only two countries in the world producing jade. A fascinating visit with as much information about the Mayan history of Guatemala as the history of jade. A very beautiful city that deserved more time.

We returned to the marina and awaited the arrival of Miguel who was bringing our Zarpe’s for our departure later that evening.