MANZANILLO, LAS HADAS TO ZIHUATANEJO (Zee-what-a-nay-o)

6th May we left the lovely harbour of Las Hadas, Manzanillo, and headed out for Zihuatanejo. On passage we received our first visit from the Mexican navy who came along side but didn’t board us. Fortunately we had actually brought our paperwork up to date in Las Hadas. Up to this point, we had not reported in or out of any of our anchorages or harbours since Ensenada and had a crew list showing four persons. This we amended in Las Hadas, and were grateful that we had. We were able to sail at least 50% of this leg but as soon as we started engining, the hand steering recommenced. Although we have had many dolphins before, on this leg we were surrounded from one horizon to the other by thousands of dolphins that stayed with us for several hours. They were incredibly entertaining – porpoising and dancing on their tails, their entire bodies waving around above the water – quite amazing, and not a single photo to prove it!

We arrived in Zihuatanejo to find Maverick and Susurru at anchor in the bay, and were joined later by Liberty Call (Daryl) and Xochitl (pron. So-chi) with Ben and Ava. Zihuatanejo is the greatest town – probably my favourite so far. A little touristy but still very Mexican and certainly we could have spent more time, however, due to the increasing number of hours spent at the helm, rather than spent reading or sleeping, I decided that we weren’t going to go any further south until we had an auto helm on the boat. Denis, our windvane, is great and steers the boat for us when we have wind (which in recent experience isn’t often), however he cannot steer the boat when we are under engine; for this we need an autohelm. So within a couple of hours of arriving in Z-town, I have located a Ray Marine autohelm in San Diego and have booked my flight. I was very excited about returning to San Diego and Chula Vista, an unexpected opportunity to visit with our lovely friends there, albeit for 2 days! The next day I flew out, via Houston, where we were grounded by an enormous storm. At one point the Tower was evacuated as it started to rock in 69 mph winds!!!! I arrived late Thursday night in San Diego to be met by 4 friends from Chula Vista, Jim and Heidi in the terminal, and Glen and Kent driving around outside! I was thrilled to see them all again, and although the delay meant I had arrived too late for my party, it was still great to be ‘home’ Friday I raced around San Diego, chauffeured by Glen and with my own ’private shopper’ Terry, at West Marine who soon had my trolley overflowing with most of the items from my list and that of Liberty Call and Sotchi. Friday night Penny and Charlie threw a party at the houseboat and it really was just like old times, except for the fact that Paul had stayed with the boat and had left Z-town along with Liberty Call and Xochitl and headed for Acapulco, where I was too meet them the next day. So 5.a.m. Saturday morning saw me on my way back to the airport and heading back to Mexico. We anchored in a small bay just southwest of Acapulco and so it was relatively easy to locate the boat and Paul on my return. Acapulco was somewhat of a let-down, not at all what we expected, but just a large dirty city with a dirtier bay in front of it. I arrived back on Paul’s birthday (May 16th), and just as we were settling down that evening, we were boarded by ‘pirates’ (Daryl, Ava and Ben) who had baked up a birthday cake for Paul (who they have christened ‘Salty’), baked by Ava on Daryl’s boat (Xochitl having no oven), just late enough to make it unbearable for Daryl to sleep down below on his boat that night! We were now in the tropics and temperatures below were not often less that 90 degrees plus. Oh, almost forgot to mention Paul’s ‘one that got away’ Enroute from Zihuatanejo to Acapulco he set his hand trolling line with the hydrovane in-line. Some time later, having forgotten that the line was out he heard an enormous splash behind him and startled, jumped up just in time to see the 10 foot sail fish, with sail fin flying, jump twice more out of water before snapping the line and taking most of the kit with it. We were quite lucky that it didn’t take the pushpit too. He still can’t believe that he hooked this enormous fish on a trolling line and medium sized hook, but was quite relieved that it got away.

So the following day saw us all heading out of Acapulco for Puerto Angel; Aphrodite towing Xochitl out of the anchorage following their recurring engine problems. Approximately 2 hours later the wind filled in we dropped Xochitl off the tow, telling them to call us at any time, should they need taking back in tow. We all managed to maintain our sail until around 10pm that evening when, as seems to be the pattern along this coast, the wind died and we all went for the ‘iron’ sail. Xochitl’s engine problems appeared to be resolved and so they were no longer reliant on us for a tow, which was quite fortunate, as our engine, once again, cut out on us. Paul spent the entire night with his head in the engine bay, trying a number of fixes, including fitting an electronic pump into the fuel line, as at one point he thought that it was the mechanical lift pump that wasn’t working. Thankfully we were fortunate enough to get some late wind which gave us just enough to ghost along at around 2.8 knots – just not quite enough for Denis to steer, so while Paul spent his night in the engine, I spent the night, once again, hand steering (we needed to be at a clock to fit the autohelm, which was therefore, still in it’s box). Without the engine we made a slow passage through the night but the following day got enough wind to actually sail at around 5 knots, putting us approximately 8 miles off Puerto Angel with around an hour and a half’s day light left, which was essential to make the entrance into this tiny bay, and the wind died, completely. Our friends from Xochitl and Liberty Call had arrived earlier in the day and where way up on the hill at the lighthouse when they call us up on the VHF – Daryl having the foresight to take his hand-held ashore with him. We asked them to check out the possibility of organising a panga to come and tow us in once they returned to the bay, but in the meantime we decided that we should try forcing the engine to run by hand-pumping the ‘squeeze ball’ that pushes diesel around the engine for bleeding, etc. We were relieved to find that it worked, but God, what a job. Paul took the first hour while I steered. His moans and groans seemed somewhat excessive to me until we switched over so that Paul could take the boat in (it was now virtually dark). We were just dousing our sail when Ava and Ben appeared in a panga alongside, but decided that we would continue under our own way for as long as we could, with them standing by to take us in tow, should the engine cut out. The entrance into the small bay was narrow and very rocky on both headlands. So with me now hanging over the incredibly hot, noisy engine bay, pumping for all I’m worth, having to use both hands as the grip from one wasn’t sufficient, I now completely understood Paul’s occasional grunt as I wailed and moaned, as we made our way in to the bay. What a huge relief to get the anchor down.

Puerto Angel is a beautiful little bay, but open to any swell from the south which makes it very uncomfortable. We had swell, but not too much, although the anchorage was somewhat rocky-rolly. It’s a very pretty bay and worth stopping into, although it is only just over 30 miles from Huatulco, the stop to wait and see what is happening in Tehuantepec, anchorage and marina.

We spent 3 days in Puerto Angel, visiting Pochutla – a small market town inland, where we bought another electronic fuel pump, having established that the one Paul had fitted, actually didn’t work. Ava, Ben and Daryl had discovered a deserted hotel at the top of the hill with an even more deserted swimming pool where we spent a great afternoon, and which also gave us an amazing view of the bay. The day before our departure a local fisherman named Luis gave us all a number of fishing lures he had hand-carved from bone, wood and metal. Paul says they are too special to actually use!!! However, I’m going to try at least one of them. So, next stop marina Chahue (chow-Way) where we will sit and await a window in the weather to cross Tehuantepec.