It was time to say farewell to El Salvador. What better day than April 1, for cruising fools like us?
On Marina Barillas manager Heriberto Pineda's advice, we planned our departure for an outgoing tide, intending to reach the estuary's entrance and long sand bar about midway between high and low tide. It was fine by us that this all was set to occur at 0500 (that's five in the morning for you landlubbers out there, i.e., not-quite-sunrise); we cruisers enjoy an early start. Much to our surprise, the Salvadoran Immigration official on duty that morning was also comfortable with this departure time. In the pre-dawn darkness he very cheerfully wished us and our good sailing buddies on Curare a bon voyage and a que le vaya bien as he stamped our passports and handed us our zarpes for the first port we'd reach in Nicaragua. Barillas: a truly excellent port for entering and leaving El Salvador.
The Barillas panga pilot started us off as soon as it was light enough to see. Curare followed and The Fox took up the rear. Spring tides notwithstanding, the surf over the bar at the estuary's entrance was actually flatter and calmer than it had been when we'd entered on March 12, and back then it had been a piece o' cake. Sweet.
We intended to coast-hop to Nicaragua and see a few anchorages in the Gulf of Fonseca en route. Sailing was possible given the weather but an incident the details of which shall remain undisclosed occurred aboard The Fox, causing the beautiful main sail to tear just above the first reefing point in the center of the sail. Let's just call it "user error" and move quickly on.
So yeah, we motored 50 miles to the anchorage of Amapala in the NE corner of the Gulf of Fonseca. Skies were hazy, day very hot. Anchored in 26.6' at 13deg.11'N/087deg.53'W. Guide books and other cruisers' blogs reported this to be a rolly anchorage even in calm conditions. They are correct. Strong spring-tide currents prevented optimum use of stern anchor. Stern anchor dragged & fouled with main anchor chain. Required only 5 minutes of GB's superhuman strength to un-foul, but GB still made MS promise to never use stern anchor again, anywhere, ever, forever and ever amen.
2.April2010
Left Amapala. Hot (mid-80sF at 0630) & hazy. Motored 22.0 miles to Isla Meanguera
in Gulf of Fonseca. Anchored at Meanguera del Golfo on SW side, reputed to be the calmest anchorage in Gulf of Fonseca, which we needed for repairing main sail at anchor. Despite strong currents and the very welcome daily thermal breezes to the low 20s, anchorage was indeed very calm. Repairs to main sail ensued. Water too murky for swimming, also many jellies drifting by.
5.April2010
Successful main sail repair. Detailed post soon coming. Left Meanguera del Golfo at first light, alternating sailing with motorsailing as wind varied from a maximum 15 knots to less than 6 knots; once out of Gulf of Fonseca wind steadied to the SE.
Crossed the bar at Estero Aserradores in midafternoon to enter Nicaragua at Marina Puesta del Sol. No pilot needed - channel is deep & sufficiently marked (though a few channel buoys were missing) and minimum depths at shallowest point of channel (just to starboard of NW sand spit) are reportedly 8 feet; we showed 11 feet at time of our entrance. Marina Puesta del Sol manager Dorian Espinoza facilitated entry with port captain, Immigration & Customs officials the morning after our arrival. Difficulty: we & the other marina guests were not allowed to use any of the resort's onshore facilities for security reasons: seems the President of Nicaragua, Daniel Ortega himself, was there, spending quality time during the Semana Santa holidays with family and friends. We later learned from Puesta del Sol's owner that the Prince of Denmark has visited here, too. We like that The Fox rubs elbows - at a safe distance, of course - with visiting heads of state. After the heavy hitters departed, the Puesta del Sol resort was all ours. Including an awesome beach full o' seashells - the best I've seen since the Sea of Cortez.
8.April-13.April 2010
Road trip inland to visit Leon and Granada in Nicaragua. Via bus, bus-van, tour van, and private car.
Details soon coming.
m
The Barillas panga pilot started us off as soon as it was light enough to see. Curare followed and The Fox took up the rear. Spring tides notwithstanding, the surf over the bar at the estuary's entrance was actually flatter and calmer than it had been when we'd entered on March 12, and back then it had been a piece o' cake. Sweet.
We intended to coast-hop to Nicaragua and see a few anchorages in the Gulf of Fonseca en route. Sailing was possible given the weather but an incident the details of which shall remain undisclosed occurred aboard The Fox, causing the beautiful main sail to tear just above the first reefing point in the center of the sail. Let's just call it "user error" and move quickly on.
So yeah, we motored 50 miles to the anchorage of Amapala in the NE corner of the Gulf of Fonseca. Skies were hazy, day very hot. Anchored in 26.6' at 13deg.11'N/087deg.53'W. Guide books and other cruisers' blogs reported this to be a rolly anchorage even in calm conditions. They are correct. Strong spring-tide currents prevented optimum use of stern anchor. Stern anchor dragged & fouled with main anchor chain. Required only 5 minutes of GB's superhuman strength to un-foul, but GB still made MS promise to never use stern anchor again, anywhere, ever, forever and ever amen.
2.April2010
Left Amapala. Hot (mid-80sF at 0630) & hazy. Motored 22.0 miles to Isla Meanguera
5.April2010
Successful main sail repair. Detailed post soon coming. Left Meanguera del Golfo at first light, alternating sailing with motorsailing as wind varied from a maximum 15 knots to less than 6 knots; once out of Gulf of Fonseca wind steadied to the SE.
Crossed the bar at Estero Aserradores in midafternoon to enter Nicaragua at Marina Puesta del Sol. No pilot needed - channel is deep & sufficiently marked (though a few channel buoys were missing) and minimum depths at shallowest point of channel (just to starboard of NW sand spit) are reportedly 8 feet; we showed 11 feet at time of our entrance. Marina Puesta del Sol manager Dorian Espinoza facilitated entry with port captain, Immigration & Customs officials the morning after our arrival. Difficulty: we & the other marina guests were not allowed to use any of the resort's onshore facilities for security reasons: seems the President of Nicaragua, Daniel Ortega himself, was there, spending quality time during the Semana Santa holidays with family and friends. We later learned from Puesta del Sol's owner that the Prince of Denmark has visited here, too. We like that The Fox rubs elbows - at a safe distance, of course - with visiting heads of state. After the heavy hitters departed, the Puesta del Sol resort was all ours. Including an awesome beach full o' seashells - the best I've seen since the Sea of Cortez.
8.April-13.April 2010
Road trip inland to visit Leon and Granada in Nicaragua. Via bus, bus-van, tour van, and private car.
Details soon coming.
m
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